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+---- Thread: * NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 (/showthread.php?tid=3704)
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - iamslm22 - 08-26-2017
Hello everyone! We're back with a defensive preview of the NSFC championship game. We already went over the offenses here. Please check out that preview as well if you're interested. If you want a TL;DR version, the Wraiths have the advantage in receiving, quarter back, and offensive line, while the Hawks have the advantage at running back. It would be expected that the Wraiths' offense would be than the Hawks's given that the Wraiths actually outscored the Hawks by 32 points. This article should be different, the Hawks allowed 25 points less than the Wraiths. Enough with the intro, lets get into it.
Defensive Line
The Wraiths defensive line has been pretty decent this year, and it has been lead by star Rookie Bjork Bjornsenn. Bjornsenn is one of the better rookie Defensive Ends in the league this year. He lead the Wraiths with 8 sacks, and 52 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He was the best player on their D line at least against the pass. Spearhead was solid for the Wraiths against the runs. While he only had three sacks he wound up leading the team in tackles for a loss with ten. The Hawks though had an incredible defensive line, lead by captain Kurt Hendrix. Hendrix had the most sacks on the team with 13 (good enough to be tied for fourth in the league), and he also had eight tackles for a loss, one fumbled forced and one recovered. On top of that Hendrix was a major contributor on special teams blocking 2 punts on the year. Bert Metas was another star on the defense line for the Hawks. Metas had 9 sacks and 4 tackles for a loss. Metas was far and away the best defensive tackle in the NSFC. JD Boom and Owen taylor also had excellent seasons combining for 12 sacks between the two of them. The Hawks had one of the best D-Lines in the league and its no surprise they beat the Wraiths here.
Advantage: Hawks
Linebackers
The Hawks linebackers are probably the best group in the league. Let's start with Stephen Harrison. Harrison was dominant against the run, while rushing the pass and while in coverage. He was fifth in the league in tackles with one hundred and sixteen tackles, and also had four tackles for a loss, four sacks, two interceptions and seven passes defended. While Harrison came in as the most well respected linebacker on the team, he was not the best this season. That goes to the most improved player in the NSFL, Erasmo Broadway. Broadway was sixth in the league with one hundred and fifteen tackles. Broadway was also tied for the sixth most sacks in the league (tied for second among LBs with 12) and had seven tackles for a loss. Broadway was also a killer in coverage. Broadway had thirteen passes defended (tied for most among linebackers) and three interceptions. The third starter for the Hawks was also solid. Rookie James Wright had ten sacks and four passes defended. This is the most dominant linebacker group in the league.
The Wraiths group was a study in mediocrity. Hackett was probably the best of the group, having one hundred and fourteen tackles, to go along with eight passes defended, two interceptions, and six sacks. He had a very strong season, but he'll be the third best linebacker in the game. Cushing and Boggs were both decent, but neither had anything about them that was too noteworthy.
Advantage: Hawks
Secondary
There are three awesome corners playing in this game, two Hawks and one Wraith. Let's start with Dermott Lavelle of the Wraiths. Lavelle lived up to the hype of his early drafting, finished tied for fifth in the league in passes defended with fifteen, to go along with his four interceptions. Tackles for defensive backs can be misleading (you give up a reception but get the tackle) I won't touch on the tackles for the corners. The two Hawks corners also had impressive seasons. Starting with Darnell Turner, he was also amazing in coverage. He lead this trio in passes defended having one more than Lavelle. Turner also added three interceptions. But of these three I would say Antoine Delacour had the best season. Delacour had the least passes defended (still an impressive 13 passes defended), however he lead the group in INTs with five and also had two forced fumbles, one recovered and two huge game changing defensive touchdowns. There are little to write home about with the safeties, but Yellowknifes are certainly better. Novel contributed well in the passing game with a lot of passes defended, and Marcus Kane had a strong season all around getting sacks, tackles, passes defended and interceptions. The Hawks safeties are so poor they are not even worth mentioning. They are so poor in fact that this category actually goes to the Wraiths.
Advantage: Wraiths
The first two of these categories were not really close at all, the Hawks groups were substantially better. The third category was the closest one and it was the only one that was close. The Hawks defense is substantially better than the Wraiths, but then again the Wraiths offense was better than the Hawks this season. It should be a heck of a game.
One final evaluation we'll look at is special teams. There is no advantage here as the we have two of the best specialists in the NSFL going at it. Turk Turkleton and Archibald Booter were incredible. They were the two best kickers in the NSFL posting the two highest field percentage and both nailing crazy long 57 yard field goals. Booter did miss two more extra points in seven more attempts. They both were solid punters averaging essentially the same amount of yards.
Overall this game is going to be very tight. When in doubt however in the NSFL you go for the team with home field advantage and that goes to Baltimore. The Wraiths are going to put up a fight, but this writer is going with the favorite at home.
Prediction: Baltimore 24, Yellowknife 20
1024 - Ready for Grading.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - kckolbe - 08-26-2017
TMW your team is predicted to lose and you can't really argue it. The best I can argue is that our team is better than our season results suggest due to a late season trade.
I do think the LB comparison is much closer than you made it out to be, btw.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - iamslm22 - 08-26-2017
(08-26-2017, 11:12 PM)kckolbe Wrote:TMW your team is predicted to lose and you can't really argue it. The best I can argue is that our team is better than our season results suggest due to a late season trade.
I do think the LB comparison is much closer than you made it out to be, btw.
Yea I can see that. You guys have a solid Line Backing core, but the Hawks have just been incredible. Harrison and Broadway have been incredible this year, and that's why I didn't think it was particularly close.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - kckolbe - 08-26-2017
(08-26-2017, 09:18 PM)iamslm22 Wrote:Yea I can see that. You guys have a solid Line Backing core, but the Hawks have just been incredible. Harrison and Broadway have been incredible this year, and that's why I didn't think it was particularly close.
Your LBs have better STATS, but a lot of that is due to your much stronger D line forcing more mistakes and eating up blockers. You have a better LB group, but it is VERY close, imo.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - iamslm22 - 08-26-2017
(08-26-2017, 11:26 PM)kckolbe Wrote:Your LBs have better STATS, but a lot of that is due to your much stronger D line forcing more mistakes and eating up blockers. You have a better LB group, but it is VERY close, imo.
I should have clarified that I was going most off of stats in this set of articles. I wasn't going with talent or TPE since I find those articles to be pretty boring. More fun to imagine this is the NFL and all we have to go off of is the stats.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - kckolbe - 08-26-2017
(08-26-2017, 09:28 PM)iamslm22 Wrote:I should have clarified that I was going most off of stats in this set of articles. I wasn't going with talent or TPE since I find those articles to be pretty boring. More fun to imagine this is the NFL and all we have to go off of is the stats.
I hear ya. I never mention TPE in my articles. My point was that I got blocked by O line that have pancaked the DE and gone to me a LOT until we got Hackett. I had 1 sack in NINE games before Hackett. I had FOUR sacks in FIVE games after we got him as well as my first INT. Having good players around you makes you look better.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - iamslm22 - 08-26-2017
(08-26-2017, 11:31 PM)kckolbe Wrote:I hear ya. I never mention TPE in my articles. My point was that I got blocked by O line that have pancaked the DE and gone to me a LOT until we got Hackett. I had 1 sack in NINE games before Hackett. I had FOUR sacks in FIVE games after we got him as well as my first INT. Having good players around you makes you look better.
That's true too. I probably should have looked through for game by game to see.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - kckolbe - 08-26-2017
(08-26-2017, 09:38 PM)iamslm22 Wrote:That's true too. I probably should have looked through for game by game to see.
I wouldn't worry about it. They were both good articles. Just providing a different perspective on a little of it. Most of it I can't dispute at all.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - iamslm22 - 08-26-2017
(08-26-2017, 11:46 PM)kckolbe Wrote:I wouldn't worry about it. They were both good articles. Just providing a different perspective on a little of it. Most of it I can't dispute at all.
Thanks man! Glad you liked them. Also really appreciate your comments on the articles. Always more fun when dudes respond to the article.
* NSFC Championship Preview Part 2 - White Cornerback - 08-27-2017
To think I returned a ball for 40 yds, and got stopped on the 1yd line denying me my first pick six