What type of game did you expect in week two from DTW?

Exactly what we got. I thought it would be tough all the way to the end. I didn't think it would be 21 nothing at half. But I thought we would get exactly what we got. 

Did any match up concern you?

The biggest match up problem I thought going into the game was containing their QB Quez because he scrambles and gets outside the pocket. I really wasn't worried about the WRs because we got some good CBs. But Quez' ability to use his feet as an athlete was my major concern. 

What match up did you think favored your team going into the game?

There DBs against our WRs. But because Steve Clay wasn't able to make it to the game, that became a concern. We almost ran out of gas. 

Where does Steve Clay rank in the annals of Cincinnati Flag Football WRs?

Number one by far. Brian Keys and Charles “Charlie” Lovett of Legion of Doom would be two and three respectively.  

What was your opinion of the 1st half?

That the game was over with. I was like, go ahead and get them off the field. 

Tha Row is the veteran of the two teams. I thought that they may fall apart after the emotional flare up right before half time. However, it seemed that the flare up lit a fire for them. Why didn't your team regain momentum?

Number one...we were dead tired and number two they got pumped up. That pitch that led to a touchdown was a back breaker. But they are so young they don't know how to win yet. Quez was arguing, they had to call a timeout because they had eight men on the field. Once they get that stupid stuff behind them they'll be alright. 

Today everyone will look at how your offense stalled drive after drive in the 2nd half. DTW deserves a lot of credit for the defense they implemented. But your team contributed by throwing errand passes and dropping balls. What do you or what does your team do to correct this?

First and foremost we need to get in shape. The mistakes made in the 2nd half weren't there in the 1st half. We knew going in that it was a big game. I told my guys that they would bring everybody. So we were pumped going into the game, we just got tired. If it weren't for experience and coaching it would've been a wrap for us.  

If your roster was deep as it has been in the past would jobs be in jeopardy or would playing time be limited for poor performances? I am a big opponent of loyalty. So yes and no jobs would be in jeopardy. Yes, but only with people on our roster that start for us. We only promote from within. There will never be any more rookies or outsiders on our team. So yes a guy can be benched for a guy on our roster but not for somebody off the street. 

Clear something up for everyone with what has happened recently. It's been some of the same faces with a different team name; The Cartel, 513 Franchise and currently back to Tha Row?

Initially the reason Tha Row quit playing is because guys had lives and began families. Guys also started to get bored because we had won everything. Granted it was winning on the C level but we still had a measure of success. After taking a year off, Dwayne Ballard and I started talking about playing again but we knew we needed a QB, so we called Kirby. Kirby was playing QB for Team Impact at the time. Us three came to an agreement that it was supposed to be 8 of his guys and four of our guys. So we took a trip to Cleveland. We did alright going 2-2. Beating two good teams and then losing to some bums. But that's the way things go. We get back to Cincinnati and we play in a league. But there was only a couple players that Kirby promised that were showing up on a consistent basis. Later when we went to State, Kirby & Santos went up with us, as The Cartel, but the other three went up with 5 Stars. One of the things that did it for me was, 5 Stars got to use some of our points from the Cleveland tournament and league tournaments. When we started practicing for Nationals at the very first practice there was a riff. The riff was because I told them at State that I wasn't playing with any of those  guys but Kirby & Santos. We didn't want to be bothered with those other guys. Now, its a bunch of people that would rather win with friends than play with guys they don't get down with. That is one of the reasons why I'll never play flag football without my boys again and that's why you see some of the old faces. 

How many good years does Tha Row have left?

Eleven months...January 19 of next year and it's a wrap. 
 

How many years have you been at this?

1991...16 years. I'm 37, our QB is 36. 

Who was your mentor in flag football?

Don “Goodie” Goodman ran a team called the Reebok Jaguars. They were actually sponsored by Reebok. That is where guys like Lloyd, Hank Ray and others come from. They had a squad. 

What was the pinnacle of Tha Row's success?

2002...we won the city of Cincinnati, the State of Ohio, the Eastern Regionals in Washington DC and Nationals in Florida.  

DTW is almost a mirror image of where the Tha Row was right before you guys broke onto the national scene in '02. What does DTW need to do in order to win a Sate or National title?

With the utmost respect...they first have to stop arguing amongst each other. Number two, they need to quit arguing with the refs or other team. Finally, they need somebody form the outside that they respect to come in and coach. Somebody that knows the game but more importantly somebody that they'll respect and listen to. 

Does Tha Row plan on competing on the big stage again?

Yeah, we're going to Pittsburgh, State, the Referees in Cleveland and Nationals in Florida.  

What personnel changes need to be made to compete at the next level?

We need Richard Hall to play on a regular basis. We also need A. Holly to play consistent for us at blocking back.  

In '99 Chicken on the Run/Jim & Jacks Sports Bar won the State of Ohio championship. In '00, Tha Row won it. In '01, Mark Fowler and Legion of Doom won it. In '02, you guys won it for a second time. And in '05, when 5 Stars won state, that was the last State title won by a Cincinnati based team. That was a good stretch, four State titles in six years. Will Cincinnati teams be able to repeat its dominance in the later half of the decade?

No...never. 

Rank the cities in Ohio by strength for flag football?

1 Columbus

2 Cleveland

3 Cincinnati

4 Toledo

5 Dayton 

Could a structured All-Star team with a coaching staff, regularly scheduled practices ever be formed to compete at State and Nationals?

B and C level...yes. A level...no. We don't have the athletes to compete at A. It's serious at A. 

Would you be interested in coaching a CFFL All-Star team?

I don't have a problem with it. But guys may have a problem with me. I enjoy being arrogant. I say things in the moment and guys get rubbed the wrong way. But for me it's always football. Nothing else. But some don't know that and don't know how to take it. I would do it, but the question is would guys be willing to be on board with me on the coaching staff. 

What do you think about your next opponent the Bearcats?

If we don't do nothing else in the CFFL, we are going to win Monday at 8:20. We may not win another game in this league but we'll win Monday at 8:20. 

Why is that...why that game?

I don't want to make it personal. But the people that will read this will understand. Expect that game to pack the house. 
 

What are some of the other good teams in the league?

The 2nd best team in the league is Pete Rose Sure Bust  

Derrick also commented on the remarks targeted at his QB in week two...people can't forget that Antonio Davis won a National Championship in college for Central State University. And last year with the Dayton Bulldogs he was the number one rated QB in AF2.