Erik Sulzbach

Erik Sulzbach
(Montreal Royal, TE)
Player ID #1892
Montreal Royal
Jersey #	10
Gender	Male
Species	Otter- Sea / MI Mustelid
Details
Born On	(2000-09-27) September 27, 2000
Height	6.5 feet (2.0 m)
Weight	254 lb (115 kg)
Hometown	Frankenmuth, MI, USA
College	Michigan Mustelid
Career Info
Draft	2021 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th
Drafted by Montreal Royal
Years Pro	0

Erik Sulzbach is a Tight End for the Montreal Royal in the UFFL.

Biography

Erik Sulzbach’s parents had the pup young, both barely in their Spring Semester of their Freshman year at MMU when she discovered she was pregnant. Quickly marrying over the summer, he made the tough decision to withdraw from school, despite his parents protests, and took a job lined up by his in-laws in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to support his new and expanding family. Erik was born later that fall.

Life carried on for the Sulzbach’s until an unfortunate car accident took his father’s life, leaving the 7 year old pup with just his mother. However, that did not last long as less than a year later his mother remarried, suddenly moving in with his step-father and his younger daughter.

That was not the only surprise for the pup as Erik learned his mother was pregnant with twins. It quickly became apparent to Erik that his new step-father had little interest in taking care of the young pup. While he was more than happy to tout his step-sister around, Erik had to give up all his extracurricular activities, as his new step-father made it clear he was unwilling to take him to practice or games with his mother sidelined while pregnant and eventually caring for the new pups.

The added stress of his two half-brothers proved to be the final straw that pushed his step-father from neglectful to abusive. The once outgoing pup became quiet and withdrawn. The sudden change finally spurned some action from his mother, though not the action Erik had hoped. Instead of leaving his step-father, she took to pushing his step-father to agree to send Erik to live with his paternal grandparents. In the end it took little convincing for him to agree to be rid of Erik, and his grandparents practically jumped at having their last connection to their son come live with them.

At the age of nine, Erik relocated to Frankenmuth, Michigan, the same small town his father had grown up in and where his grandparent had lived for over forty years. Free from the abusive environment his outgoing personality returned and, at the insistence of his grandfather, he picked up sports again.

A small town such as Frankenmuth had little in the way of entertainment so their sports teams were a big deal for the town. While his grandfather had been a teacher for decades, teaching math at the only highschool in town, most knew him first and foremost as the school’s football coach. Erik’s father had been a point of pride, one of the few to earn an athletic scholarship despite all the hurdles the small town presented for an athlete to develop. Erik cherished the stories shared with him, as they were the last connection the pup had to his father.

Erik did not fall far from the tree when it came to his athleticism. Even though he was only in Middle School, his grandfather would bring him to practice and have him participate in drills. It was no surprise then when Erik made the football team his Freshman year. Already 6 ft tall, the sea otter was often mistaken for a Junior or Senior by teachers.

It quickly became apparent that within such a limited pool of students in the small town, Erik’s talent necessitated him playing multiple positions to give the team their best chance of winning. Often bouncing between running back or receiver on offense, his height and athleticism allowed him to pull down even overthrown balls. While on defense he took snaps mainly as the Middle Linebacker, placing him in the best spot to shut down running plays or drop back into coverage. If asked though, he would tell people he always preferred it when he was on the offensive side. He grew up on stories of his father, the team’s star receiver, carrying the team further than they had ever been before in the state tournament. So it was no wonder that was what Erik wanted to replicate.

Despite his best efforts, he never could match his father’s accomplishments. He would certainly be remembered as one of the best athletes in school’s history, but he had been unable to take his team past the second round of the state playoffs. By the end of his High-School career he towered over his teammates, graduating at a height of 6’6” and 203 lbs., and was considered a high 3-Star, low 4-Star recruit by college scouts. He received multiple offers from powerhouse schools, but in the end selected Michigan Mustelid University, the University his father had dreamed of attending, but had to withdraw from in order to take care of him.

While he might have stood head and shoulders above his teammates in High-School, a D-1 program was a different beast. No longer was he the fastest, nor the strongest. Erik found himself in the middle of the depth chart, playing limited snaps as a Freshman, mainly serving as a slot receiver in four wide sets or when one of the starters needed to rest. While talking with the receiving coach about his lack of playtime, the suggestion came up that Erik transition to Tight End, it was a weak area on their roster that meant Erik could potentially catapult up to a starting role. But Erik needed to bulk up, he had the height but not the strength needed to play such a role. So he dedicated the offseason to weight training, and in the end the otter added a little over 30 lbs by his Sophomore year.

Despite his lack of experience at the position, Erik quickly moved up the depth chart. While his blocking technique was shaky, the threat he posed as an additional receiver more than made up for it. Faster than only the most athletic linebackers, and too big for most Cornerbacks to wrap up, he created matchup nightmares for the opponent and a safety net for MMU’s Quarterbacks. Accounting for 7 touchdowns and 641 receiving yards on 59 catches his Sophomore year.

Suddenly scouts were taking notice of the sea otter, and MMU redoubled their efforts to polish Erik’s skillset as they hoped to have another potential Alumni make the jump to the UFFL, bringing further prestige to their program. By the close of his Junior year Erik posted an impressive 62 receptions for 757 yards and 10 touchdowns. With the UFFL strike ending and the 2021 Draft applications open, Erik declared his intentions to jump to the professional level.

But with his name and face on the news, how long until those demons from the past come back into his life?

Contract Info

Player Manager	FadedForest
Salary (per year)	$2000000
Exp. Date	May 1st, 2023

Statistics

Career

Regular Season					Receiving								Rushing
Year	Team	G	W	L	Rec	Yds	Yds/Rec	Long	20+	40+	TD	Fum	Att	Yds	Yds/Rush	Long	TD
2021	MTL	14	7	7	30	264	8	39	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0

Player Survey

How does your player's unique physicality (think species) fit well for the position that they play?
The sea otter is slipper and tough to bring down. His big tail helps him keep his balance even after a hit while his thick legs keep churning him further down the field. If he can develop the technique to go along with his physical advantages he could be an all around star Tight End.

What is your player's biggest weakness?
His blocking technique is raw, having only spent two full seasons in college at the position means he still has room to grow in this area. He can be prone to getting a holding call due to this inexperience.

If given the opportunity, would your player want to be formally mentored by another player? Why or why not?
Yes, Erik wants to be the best he can be so he can take care of his grandparents as they are reaching the age to retire. Despite being the best player in his home town, he had to throw his ego aside in college and learn how to play a new position to reach this point, so he knows he still has a lot he can learn.