October 21- With his first Sundby Cup proudly displayed on the shelf behind his desk, Miami Dolphin's GM Tom Edwards eagerly answered all the questions of our crack interviewer. Edwards is a 26 year old New York resident and graduated from Hofstra University in 2000 with a major in Business Computer Information Systems and a minor in English.

You've been a part of the USA Football League for quite some time now and you just recently won your very first Sundby Cup. How's it feel and working so long for that goal?

Recently, it was pretty difficult, because I've felt that for the past few seasons, we've had a team that should have been a Sundby Cup contender, and we haven't won it. Last season's collapse was like the final straw. I was ready to quit. I honestly was telling Ryan (Howard, Dolphins AGM) that I was done and he could have the team.

How important do you think were the Dolphin's acquisitions of Norris Turk and the reorganization of your defensive line?

To be honest, I don't think the Turk acquisition was that important compared to the defensive line. Peter Aaron always played pretty decent for us, so I think Turk was pretty much the cherry on top of the sundae. The defensive line was most important, though. I feel that defense dictates what makes a good team in this league, so I felt when we had a "good" lineman like Harley Dorsey win an MVP in our system, I felt that if we upgraded that line even more with our system, we could be unstoppable.

With you and your new wife planning on being out of the country for the 2007 season, do you think the Dolphins will be able to defend the Sundby Cup without you at the helm?

Well, we won't exactly be out of the country, although Las Vegas is pretty much it's own world. Going into 2006, I felt that 2006 was the last opportunity we'd have to win a Sundby Cup before rebuilding, but after crunching some numbers and looking over the roster, I think we can be a contender for the Sundby Cup in 2007. Ryan Howard is a very capable AGM, and has won championships in other leagues, and I wouldn't hand my team over to anyone else. I have full confidence in him.

Talk about when you first came into the league. Which team did you join first? Were you an AGM? Who was your GM? etc...

Before there was an AGM system, I was brought into the mix by Dave Aiello and the Green Bay Packers around the 1990/1991 season. I was sort of his "unofficial AGM" as I was on the waiting list for the league, and when the AGM position was officially created, I went over to Garritt Grandberg's Oakland Raiders. I spent a little more than a season there (1992-1993) until the Detroit Lions came calling in 1993. I accepted the position for a team that went 0-14 and was outscored 480-65. I knew I had a lot in front of me, but we won five games the next season and totally turned around that team. We moved to Miami the next season.
 
Compared to all the other online leagues and associations you might be a part of, what makes the USAFL unique?

There are many things. History, creativity, and activity seem to be the keys. To be able to look back 40 years at teams that used to play, that's amazing. The web pages immediately stand out, and the interactivity that the GMs have with them. To be able to keep GMs interested in a league even in the offseason or during a lull in simming shows something. Add onto that the GMs writing the stories about their players... it just adds realism to a simulation that for all intents in purposes is just a sheet of numbers otherwise.

Do you think the Dolphins will be able to maintain their status? Or was this team designed to make one run at the championship?

As I said before, at first, I felt that this would be a rebuilding status, but my teams in the past have been able to maintain a rebuilding status while still fielding a respectable team. In other leagues, this was possible, but considering the talent level in the league and in my division especially, it might be tough. I haven't had a losing season in recent memory in any league I've been in, so I'm not overly anxious to start one.

In your opinion, if you could pick one player from the entire history of the USAFL, which player would you consider the greatest player ever?

You know, people mention Bing Bennett, Vince Bates got a lot of mentions (I think mainly because of his contract, or lack thereof), and Michael Mays were dominant, but I think if you look at anyone, look at Oakland's Eric Oden. He never won a title, so he doesn't get the publicity that he should, but I think he could easily have been the most dominant lineman in the history of the USAFL, the likes of which we'll never see again.

As a GM, what part of your job do you feel is the MOST important>? Is it the draft? Camps? Trading? etc...?

I think it all depends on what's going on around you. I think camps are important, definitely, but you don't have much control over that. A player is only going to get so good, and your skill as a GM isn't going to make a player better. Trading only really comes into play when you get a new owner or a rebuilding one. People aren't usually willing to give up good players in this league, so if there's a trade, it's usually because of free agency, rebuilding, or to dump salaries. I think the most important part of the GMs job, and what separates the good GMs from the mediocre, is the late rounds of the draft. Rounds one through three are nice, but to be able to pick up a quality player in the 8th or 9th round is just showing that you've done your research. I had two starters from that Sundby Cup winning team this past season that were supplemental draft pickups (CB David Baumann and FB Adam Mitz) and a few others players waiting in the wings that were supplemental draft pickups, like QB Hal Pryor, HB Leon Jones, WR Calvin Eastin, TE Ned Gibson, DT Brendan McMurtry, and LB Kingsley Ballheim.