[DEV] ISFL Forums
*Free Safeties After Week 9 - Printable Version

+- [DEV] ISFL Forums (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Community (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Media (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=37)
+---- Forum: Graded Articles (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: *Free Safeties After Week 9 (/showthread.php?tid=29999)

*Free Safeties After Week 9 - Rusfan - 02-16-2021

So this is like….my 10th media piece in a week? I just have a lot of energy and Ideas I guess.

Why week 9? Well, if you know me that should be obvious. Anyways, on to the rankings!

Free safety is probably my favorite position in football. Admittedly I might have been slightly influenced by watching Ed Reed terrorize QBs for years, but I just love the free roaming defender that often times determines the entire play as it happens around them. Obviously I that’s why I decided to play the position with my first player and have decided to rank the safeties so far this season for fun and money.
Obligatory RIP for us Free safeties in the new sim

Well

RIP for all but like 1 or 2 of us Wink

@zaynzk @Tonzy @ThunderTitan82 @"Dogwood Maple" @Number 82 @Drizzy @Jay_Doctor @Colabear @Lightnoir @Huskies311 @Acsolap @J0EB @mcgriddleluver

I’ll be breaking this list into 4 distinct tiers, they are as follows:
Tier 1: The best of the best on the year, probably getting a pro bowl spot and a nomination
Tier 2: Slightly below Tier 1, still good, but not likely to go down for any awards
Tier 3: Still a decent starter, but not picking up stats for whatever reason, and won’t win games
Tier 4: Not picking up many stats, not changing the game, and really needs a boost

TIER 1:

Joel Drake - Colorado Yeti
Stats: 28 Tackles, 4 INTs, 7 PDs, 1 TD

Yes, yes i know. “BIASED ALERT!” I put my own player at the #1 spot. But to be honest I’m not sure there’s anyone else to put at this spot. The only real argument I could entertain would be Bob Roberts, who currently resides in 2nd place, due to the diversity of his stats, but at 4 INTs Drake not only leads free safeties, but all safeties in the league, and sits at tied for 1st in the league. Along with returning one of those picks for a TD, one of only 9 players with a TD on defense and tied for 1st in PDs. Simply put, there is no other safety in the league that can stand up to Drake when it comes to pass defense, and for that reason I have him at 1st among Free safeties.

Bob Roberts - New York Silverbacks
Stats: 33 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF, 4 Sacks, 1 INT, 5 PDs

Bob Roberts is presiding over 2nd place so far this year, and while he doesn’t lead too much in any one stat, I have him at 2 due to the sheer amount of ways he’s helped New York this season. Whether he’s covering the back end, blitzing the backfield, or preventing long runs, Roberts has done well at every assignment he’s been given. With a few more turnovers, he could definitely take the top spot.

Damian Blackfire - Chicago Butchers
Stats: 42 Tackles, 4 Sacks, 3 PDs, 1 Safety

Blackfire rounds out the top 3, as purely a run stuffer and a blitzer. Blackfire’s style is the most distinct out of every safety on the list. 3 PDs isn’t a lot for a safety, but his role is clearly to terrorize QBs and running backs in the backfield, and has done a very good job of it.

TIER 2:
IHeart Syracuse - Baltimore Hawks
Stats: 40 Tackles, 1 INT, 7 PDs
Our first Tier 2 safety on the list, Syracuse has been one of very few bright spots on Baltimore this year, purely as a pass defender he’s played reasonably well. He hasn’t made too much of an impact in the backfield but given the severe lack of talent on his defense, he’s done well enough just to make most of the tackles. Mainly for Baltimore he’s made TD drives last 5 minutes instead of 2, but one man can only do so much.

Shawn Dawkins - Honolulu Hahalua
Stats: 36 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 Sack, 1 INT, 6 PDs
Dawkins is Bob Roberts on clearance. Stats from all over the field just on a smaller scale. Honolulu has been shockingly good this season, and Dawkins’ effort around the field have certainly helped them this season.
Johnny Helzapoppin - Yellowknife Wraiths
Stats: 35 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT, 5 PDs
Helzapoppin is another balanced safety on the year, and falls at 6 due to the importance of the stats he does have, in a FF and an INT, as well as a solid number of PDs, but not a ton in any one category. Nicely on the average scale, he’s not wowing anyone so far, but he’s been a solid back-end defender for Yellowknife.

Thor Kirkby - New York Silverbacks
Stats: 24 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 Sack, 5 PDs
Sitting right in the middle of the list we have our old pal in the Yeti, Thor Kirkby. Kirkby is the Bob Roberts you’d find at an Aldi, or whatever generic clearance, slightly damaged goods you have near you. Kirkby is undoubtedly on the back half of his career and it’s starting to show, but he still has value on the field in his role as box safety. New York has approximately 10 free safeties on their roster, and kirkby still has a solid hold on that #2 spot.

Maverick Bowie - Austin Copperheads
Stats: 27 Tackles, 1 INT, 5 PDs
My fellow S24 safety Bowie is admittedly being graded rather harshly, but I don’t see any stats of hers that move her to the top half of the list. She is the last safety on this list with an INT to her name, but only 1. 27 tackles doesn’t stand out amongst the group, and she has no stat where she even comes in at the top 5. This is the issue with the way DDSPF21 works. Bowie may be the best back end coverage safety in the league, but there is simply no way to tell in the sim, and she just hasn’t had any luck accumulating stats over the first half of the year. If she is as good as I think she is, the stats will come, but so far I can’t justify placing her any higher, no matter how much I want to.

TIER 3:
Matt Cross - Philadelphia Liberty
Stats: 31 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 PDs
Matt “Son Of Havic” Cross hasn’t been too big a boon for Philly’s defense but also doesn’t seem to have been a liability either. Simply put, Cross has just been…..present. He is a football player on a football field that is there because 10 on 11 football is an ill advised strategy. Nothing more, nothing less. He does get some credit for leading this group in FF though, so he does have something to his name.

Mayson Blaylock - New Orleans Second Line
Stats: 41 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 PD

Putting Blaylock here just makes me sad. To see a legend that I’ve consulted a few times throughout my career for advice just to be murdered by the sim like this is just awful. Only 1 pass defense stat and no turnovers though is not good, and it seems like Blaylock is just not making any sort of real impact on the game this year, and this may just be the start of the end of his career. Blaylock this year is just Matt Cross without the 2 turnovers. A warm body and it gives me no pleasure in describing him as such. I can only call it as I see it however and 10 seems to be the right spot for him. Holding out hope for a redemption arc though!

TIER 4:
Dogwood Maple - New York Silverbacks
Stats: 18 Tackles, 7 PDs

Starting off our 4th and final tier is the ever-lovable Dogwood Maple. Unfortunately for how good he is off the field, on the field has just not produced any of the same sort of results. He’s only at the top of the tier because of his ability to knock the football down. Outside of PDs he has nothing that stands out, his tackling numbers are the second lowest of the group, ahead only of a 3rd or 4th stringer, and he has no other stats to speak of. I’d put it down simply to being behind Roberts and Kirkby, but he clearly has seen the field enough to knock passes down, so how come he hasn’t made any other plays? Not even 1 turnover? It’s a tough spot to be in, both as the player and as myself, the person trying to rank him. I’ve settled on classifying him as “Best of the worst” with an asterisk that I think he has a bright future ahead of him, when Kirkby finally hangs ‘em up.

Wesley Eriksen - Arizona Outlaws
Stats: 32 Tackles, 4 PDs

Not much to say about these final few players, So I’ll just speak for both Eriksen and Nkiah here together since they both have very similar statlines. A decent number of tackles and good PD numbers don’t outshine the lack of production in all other areas. If either of them had one INT or FF I might have boosted them up a bit, but without anything of the sort I’m forced to just say that as with Cross and Blaylock, they just exist.

Jamie Nkiah - Sarasota Sailfish
Stats: 29 Tackles, 4 PDs

See above
Mac Griddle - New York Silverbacks
Stats: 2 Tackles, 1 Sack
Griddle gets an exemption as he’s the 10th FS on New York’s roster, but I don’t think he’s ever going to find a real starting role anywhere else, and this is probably as good as it’s going to get for him.

RE: Free Safeties After Week 9 - dogwoodmaple - 02-16-2021

"Best...
[Image: PRvJ0of.png]


...of the worst"
[Image: 8s18IVn.png]

RE: Free Safeties After Week 9 - Jimi64 - 02-16-2021

Dogwood Maple should be higher on character alone

RE: Free Safeties After Week 9 - zaynzk - 02-16-2021

Oh shit I’m #2


It’s just dogwood making me look good

RE: Free Safeties After Week 9 - Kotasa - 02-16-2021

Y'all ever see safety stats in real life?