Welcome back to another exciting episode of Navigating the Blitz! I’m thrilled to have you all join us as we delve into the journeys and experiences of our league’s dedicated players. Today, we have a special guest who needs no introduction among Blitz enthusiasts. Known to many as CJ or DT, he’s been a cornerstone of our community for over a decade. From his early days as a newcomer to his current status as a veteran WR, he’s seen it all and done it all. Today, CJ joins us to share insights on his blitz journey, his memorable moments, and what drives him to keep competing at the highest level. Without further ado, let’s dive into this exclusive interview with CJ!

Episode 13 – Navigating the Blitz with CJ

Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Albert but everyone knows me here as CJ or DT.

Which part of the US do you reside in? Any recommendations for first time travelers?

The east coast is nice. If you like nature the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, Harper’s Ferry in West Virginia, those are two of the most beautiful places I know and I love them. Great Falls is nearby also, so there’s tons of wonderful nature parks. There’s also a good mix of old town cities and new hipster urban developments out here, and still a lot of country, despite the heavy government and IT influence from out of D.C.

What is your favorite football team, and what draws you to support them?

I’ve always been a Broncos fan since I was a kid. They can be difficult to support at times, but there’s no team I love to root for more. The Orton/Tebow era before Manning was one of my favorite eras even when we lost, we had an incredible push in the playoffs before Manning took over and led us to the superbowl win with Orange Crush!

Can you recall how you first discovered NFL Blitz, and what keeps you engaged with the game after 10-15 years?

I was mostly playing a map called DBZ Budokai at the time, a 3v3 tag arena. I was very much involved with it. There were multiple clans, the biggest one being DBZ, but I had even successfully started my own, and ran multiple clan bots – that’s how involved in it I was. During it’s prime, we would run many competitive tournaments and clan wars! My tag was “ElmarFudd” and I was notorious for the “Fuddbomb”. At my peak, I was the best Broly player, but the game was starting to die, and then I joined an NFL Blitz game as a complete noob. I don’t remember who was in it but they were really toxic, and I saw a golden opportunity to prove them wrong, and it was an exciting opportunity for me seeing another vibrant community around a 3v3 game, along with my football background (watching and playing backyard), it’s definitely you guys that’ve kept me engaged all these years.

Jeff is one of the most beloved characters of our league. His passion, energy, and wealth is second to none. As his undisputed best WR teammate he’s ever had, what is it like playing alongside Jeff both in the past and in the present era?

In the past, Jeff was the first QB who really noticed me and he promoted the hell out of me. As someone new to the community with a chip on my shoulder, I loved playing with Jeff because we both respected each other and played well together. We brought the best out of each others game. We were really notorious together, Jeff mostly for his incessant sneaking and wild defensive reads, me mostly for my jump ball catches and lockdown defense. In the present, the game is different, Jeff is different, and I am different – but the bond we have is the same and I believe it will only strengthen through adversity.

How has your season progressed so far? Are there any noteworthy surprises or disappointments you’d like to share?

Honestly, it’s been rough from the start being drafted as the last pick in the 3rd round as a bench player. It felt like the league was personally against me but I’ve learned to let that go. I think I would have done well on Irv’s team, but Young asked for a trade and Irv obliged him which made sense since Irv already had the starting line up he wanted to play with, and Young’s team was in shambles, having become their new captain. From there on it’s really just been the Young rollercoaster. I think the games that Kite or I challenged him to self-reflect and improve he showed up in a big way, but other games it felt like he relied too much on his old school plays and talent alone instead of meeting the new era. I want to see Young succeed, so I was disappointed with his last game, but I believe he’ll be back and prove the doubters wrong in the future.

What do you consider to be your strongest attribute as a wide receiver—offensive prowess or defensive acumen? Are there any other WRs you believe are on par with your competitive level?

It’s tough to say without any bias but I am working on all aspects of my game right now, trying to realize points of improvement that I can make here or there. I think overall I’m a very balanced WR, with tough defense and offense, capable of reading the defense well, making difficult catches, and forcing clutch defensive stops. If we’re talking exclusively about other WRs, no, I’m the best.

Every week, it seems there’s a target on Phin’s World, with many teams eager to challenge and defeat them. Your team, Phoenix D, is next in line. With only one successful attempt so far, what strategies can your team employ to slow them down, and why should they be concerned? Do you have any thoughts or playful banter to share ahead of this matchup?

it’s gonna be a WR diff

You’ve expressed interest in potentially becoming a captain or playing quarterback next season. What drives your desire to play QB, and what makes you confident in your ability to succeed in that role? Are there specific aspects of the QB skillset you’ve been focusing on lately?

I’ve come to terms with the fact that, QB ultimately has the most control over how the game plays out. I enjoy being the star route runner or Mosser but if I’m not given opportunities, it can become frustrating. Most of the time I feel like I should just be fed the ball every play. As QB you control the tempo, call the plays, and throw the ball. That’s at least 60% of the essential game right there from only one position. I believe my ability to read defenses will serve me as QB, and I also know I have good timing, I just need to get the practice in. I’ve got to work on my scrambling though.

Lastly, you’ve shown keen interest in our new weekly fantasy blitz initiative this season. What are your impressions of it so far, and do you have any feedback or suggestions to improve it? Additionally, are there any upcoming fantasy media topics you’d like to share with our audience?

I enjoy fantasy very much. I’d shoot the shit and speculate about anything fantasy for hours over a few cold ones. Touchdowns are over-weighted, so I think lowering their value could bring some of the wilder numbers down. Really just an observation though, not a complaint, as I think it’s fine how it is. It’s been a great experience and has brought a lot of enjoyment for me. For our audience, I recently came up with “Magnificent 7 Fantasy Picks” for week 5. I’ll do a re-cap analysis of those picks at the end of the week before posting 6 or 7 new ones for week 6!