The prospect bowl for the incoming class of rookies for season 14 of the DSFL has concluded the round-robin stage, and now it’s time to look back on the standout performers and who is looking good heading into the playoffs and the DSFL draft.
Studs and Duds
What makes a first-round draft pick? That’s the question on all the GMs’ minds right now. Some may think that it’s hard work, dedication, and activity. I say nay; what makes a first-round draft pick are stats! Want to know who’s a great player? Stats. Who’s going to be sent down to the minors? Stats. Who’s going to win all the NSFL and DSFL awards for the season? Stats. Stats are just like hips, they don’t lie. That’s why I’ve taken a look at all of the stats for the prospect bowl and I’m here to tell you who deserves to be a first-round draft pick, and who is going to be watching for 3 hours before they hear their name get called.
Studs
QB
Unfortunately, most QBs are going to fall under the Duds category for the prospect bowl. It’s hard being a young, inexperienced QB though, so we can’t be too hard on these players. I also expect some of them to be high-round draft picks, regardless of how they perform. But such is the nature and the importance of the QB position. There are a few names that I have to mention here though. John Tebow has been quite impressive for the Midwest Wolfpack. He is the only QB with a positive TD:INT ratio, and he also has the highest QB rating by a good amount. Ryan Leaf Jr. also deserves some recognition, as he only has one more interception than touchdown, and also has the highest completion percentage while holding second place in QB rating. He also has the longest run in the bowl, an 87 yards touchdown run this past week. Congratulations to those two for not being the main reason why your team isn’t performing very well in the prospect bowl.
RB
Well I could probably list the majority of the running backs here and nobody would really question it with the stats that they have been putting up, but I’m going to focus on the cream of the crop; the running backs that are (literally) carrying their teams to wins right now. We’ll begin with Forrest Gump, the league’s leading rusher. Gump is averaging 30 carries a game right now, and for that reason has about 100 more yards than any other back in the bowl. He is also putting up respectable yds/carry numbers and has broken a couple of good-sized runs. Terry ‘The Candyman’ Taffy is tied for the lead in yds/carry for players with over 25 attempts with Tyler Janes. These two make up the rest of the top 3 in rushing yards. Taffy really sets himself apart in the red zone, where he has double the number of rushing touchdowns of any other back in the league. Expect Gump and Taffy to have a rushing showdown in the first prospect bowl semi-final.
WR/TE
Unfortunately for the poor souls who chose a pass-catching position, they’ve had to deal with some very mediocre QB play limiting their production. This isn’t to say that they themselves have been perfect. I’ve seen a ton of drops on the game film for most receivers which has led to the running game being the most productive form of offense for all teams thus far. Some receivers have certainly showed up to play, though. Carlomagno Rey leads all players in receiving yards by a good margin, and also has a massive 14.1 yards per catch. Ahri Espeeyeeseetee also ranks near the top in both categories. However, both of these receivers have disappeared around the red zone. In fact, the only two players to have more than one receiving touchdown are running backs. Most tight ends also haven’t been too effective in the passing game. Cameron Olson leads TEs with 7.8 yds/catch and 141 total yards. Timmy Hoss has stood out in blocking, with 8 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed. I think that these players will see some of the most growth over the season, as they play with better QBs in better passing offenses. Also wanted to give a quick shout out here to the offensive line players, most of whom are doing quite well and massively outperforming the robot lineman than have been instituted in the league for many years now.
Defense
Yes, I’m only doing one section for all defensive players. You might ask: Why? You might cry out: This is offensive bias! You might say: Why are you treating these players, who are arguably just as important as most players on offense, like fantasy football does? And to those questions I would have to reply: I’d rather not have this article go on forever. And so, I will be looking at only the best players who have really made an impact regardless of defensive position in this section, beginning with Allen Josh and Tony Gabagool. Without a doubt the two top linebackers in the prospect bowl, Gabagool and Josh lead the league with 51 and 45 tackes respectively. Gabagool also has 1 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed. He’s been everywhere on the field. Josh on the other hand has been a menace for opposing QBs, totalling 5 sacks in 5 games. He also has 5 PDs and 1 TFL. The best player in the secondary has been Andrew Solomon. He leads the league with 11 PDs, 3 interceptions and 2 pick sixes! He has accounted for more points than about half the quarterbacks in the league. The defensive linemen in the prospect bowl have not had the opportunity to put up as many eye-catching stats as the other defensive players. This hasn’t prevented Mick Moekr from some stellar numbers, though. Moekr has accounted for 19 tackles, 7 in the backfield, 3 on the quarterback and one in the end zone. That’s three sacks and one safety, which is solid or tied for the league lead in those stats.
K/P
Not really sure there’s much to say here. All kickers have been serviceable, with Paul DiMirio III putting up top numbers. He’s hit 100% of his field goals, including 6 in the 40-49 yard range. He’s also been solid on extra points, although he has missed 1.
That sums up the top performances from the round-robin stage of the prospect bowl. Now it’s time to take a look at the players who have simply had poor performances.
Duds
I’m not going to go into positions on this one, because I would be hard pressed to find players who honestly deserve to be on this list without having some PFF style analytics. All running backs have been good if not great. No wide receiver is averaging less than 9 yards per reception, and I don’t have drop stats. All defensive players have been serviceable. Again, there are no stats on missed tackles or completions allowed. The only positions which show negative stats are quarterback, offensive line and kicking. I already mentioned the kickers were all solid, and the offensive line players who are not robots have been good, except for Gregor Clegaine. Our first dud is an offensive lineman. He is the only non-robot lineman to give up 2 sacks, and he also has the least pancakes: only sitting at 5. It’s hard to be too angry at him though, as even he has been miles better than 90% of the offensive line bots. But the main position which has been detrimental to the success of the prospect bowl teams has been the quarterbacks. We’ll begin with the worst: Gimmy Jaroppolo. Gimmy has by far the lowest QB rating for any QB with over 40 attempts. He completes a poor 47% of his passes and has thrown an astounding 13 interceptions in 5 games. He averages 2.6 interceptions per game. Gimmy is second in the league in passing yards, though, which is his one saving grace. However, passing yards don’t seem to be an indicator of an effective quarterback in the prospect bowl, as three of the top four QBs in yards also have passer ratings under 50. The other two QBs being Brock Landers and Franklin Armstrong. Landers has had his own interception issues, with 10 thus far, while Armstrong has a low completion percentage of 42%. Quarterbacks have definitely been the position that has been struggling the most at the prospect bowl.
A Chat with Guy Nikko
I also got the chance to sit down with one of the many young linebackers looking to make a splash in the DSFL this year, Guy Nikko of the Central Grizzlies.
Q: How are you enjoying the prospect bowl thus far?
A: "It’s been a great experience. Definitely a lot more competitive than college ball… I’ve really had to work with every ounce of my strength to bring down these athletic tight ends and running backs. Plus, it’s been a pleasure to be a part of the Central Grizzlies. We’ve had an up and down start to the bowl, but we’ve managed to make the playoffs, and now is the time where the biggest stars really shine."
Q: You mentioned the up and down round-robin stage. What was the locker room like throughout the losses?
A: "I was surprised at how calm and mature most of the guys were after the loss. In college, it always seemed like the end of the world if we lost a big game, but here it was immediate focus on what we could do better and how we would prepare for the next game. The three consecutive losses were definitely tough for me, but with the team around me and everyone believing in each other, we knew that eventually the work would pay off and we could win another game."
Q: And you did manage to, taking down the Cobras this past week. How did that feel?
A: "It was great. I mean, it wasn’t just a game, you know? It was win or play in the consolation finals. We knew we had the team to win, and we finally managed to do it. I’m so happy for all the guys in the locker room. Especially our defense. We’ve had a rough past few games having to deal with the opposing teams having some short fields and getting some flack for things that weren’t really on us, I think. I’m really happy that we managed to shut down another team like in the opener and get rid of some of the doubt about our unit."
Q: As for your unit… What’s it been like having your linebacker duo be a polar bear?
A: [Laughs] "It’s actually been pretty awesome. I won’t lie that at first I was a bit worried about potential communication barriers or being mauled to death, but Quenton’s a great bear. He is sentient and speaks English, which is a huge plus when we’re trying to communicate plays on the field. He’s also an exceptional player. I didn’t know if he would know any plays or anything, but he’s picked up everything the coaches have thrown at him just like any human would. I’d be thrilled if we could keep doing what we have been on the same team in the DSFL."
Q: Any particular team that you’d like to get drafted by?
A: "Nope, I’d be just as excited to go to the defending champion Luchadores as I would be to go to one of the two expansion teams."
Q: Where do think you’ll go in the draft?
A: "Well there’s a tough one… I mean obviously I’d be ecstatic to go early but I’m thinking I’m probably talented enough to go in rounds 4-6. I’d even understand if I dropped further. There are so many exciting prospects right now that it’s impossible to gauge exactly where you are in the draft class. I just can’t wait to see how it all turns out and start playing in the DSFL."
Q: You’re currently third in tackles in the prospect bowl. How are you feeling about your personal performance?
A: "Well obviously I’m happy that I’m near the top of the charts in tackles, but I’d definitely like to be making a few more game-changing plays. I definitely need to keep working on my coverage technique so I can bat down some more balls and maybe get some interceptions. I’m not too worried about sacks, since I’m more of a coverage linebacker. Overall I’d say I’m fairly happy but there is always room for improvement, and you can bet that I’ll be putting the work in to get there."
The Grizzlies will be Playing the Southwest Foxes in the first round of the prospect bowl playoffs this week. You can catch all the action on Twitch at 8pm EST.
Ready to be Graded - 2162 words
Studs and Duds
What makes a first-round draft pick? That’s the question on all the GMs’ minds right now. Some may think that it’s hard work, dedication, and activity. I say nay; what makes a first-round draft pick are stats! Want to know who’s a great player? Stats. Who’s going to be sent down to the minors? Stats. Who’s going to win all the NSFL and DSFL awards for the season? Stats. Stats are just like hips, they don’t lie. That’s why I’ve taken a look at all of the stats for the prospect bowl and I’m here to tell you who deserves to be a first-round draft pick, and who is going to be watching for 3 hours before they hear their name get called.
Studs
QB
Unfortunately, most QBs are going to fall under the Duds category for the prospect bowl. It’s hard being a young, inexperienced QB though, so we can’t be too hard on these players. I also expect some of them to be high-round draft picks, regardless of how they perform. But such is the nature and the importance of the QB position. There are a few names that I have to mention here though. John Tebow has been quite impressive for the Midwest Wolfpack. He is the only QB with a positive TD:INT ratio, and he also has the highest QB rating by a good amount. Ryan Leaf Jr. also deserves some recognition, as he only has one more interception than touchdown, and also has the highest completion percentage while holding second place in QB rating. He also has the longest run in the bowl, an 87 yards touchdown run this past week. Congratulations to those two for not being the main reason why your team isn’t performing very well in the prospect bowl.
RB
Well I could probably list the majority of the running backs here and nobody would really question it with the stats that they have been putting up, but I’m going to focus on the cream of the crop; the running backs that are (literally) carrying their teams to wins right now. We’ll begin with Forrest Gump, the league’s leading rusher. Gump is averaging 30 carries a game right now, and for that reason has about 100 more yards than any other back in the bowl. He is also putting up respectable yds/carry numbers and has broken a couple of good-sized runs. Terry ‘The Candyman’ Taffy is tied for the lead in yds/carry for players with over 25 attempts with Tyler Janes. These two make up the rest of the top 3 in rushing yards. Taffy really sets himself apart in the red zone, where he has double the number of rushing touchdowns of any other back in the league. Expect Gump and Taffy to have a rushing showdown in the first prospect bowl semi-final.
WR/TE
Unfortunately for the poor souls who chose a pass-catching position, they’ve had to deal with some very mediocre QB play limiting their production. This isn’t to say that they themselves have been perfect. I’ve seen a ton of drops on the game film for most receivers which has led to the running game being the most productive form of offense for all teams thus far. Some receivers have certainly showed up to play, though. Carlomagno Rey leads all players in receiving yards by a good margin, and also has a massive 14.1 yards per catch. Ahri Espeeyeeseetee also ranks near the top in both categories. However, both of these receivers have disappeared around the red zone. In fact, the only two players to have more than one receiving touchdown are running backs. Most tight ends also haven’t been too effective in the passing game. Cameron Olson leads TEs with 7.8 yds/catch and 141 total yards. Timmy Hoss has stood out in blocking, with 8 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed. I think that these players will see some of the most growth over the season, as they play with better QBs in better passing offenses. Also wanted to give a quick shout out here to the offensive line players, most of whom are doing quite well and massively outperforming the robot lineman than have been instituted in the league for many years now.
Defense
Yes, I’m only doing one section for all defensive players. You might ask: Why? You might cry out: This is offensive bias! You might say: Why are you treating these players, who are arguably just as important as most players on offense, like fantasy football does? And to those questions I would have to reply: I’d rather not have this article go on forever. And so, I will be looking at only the best players who have really made an impact regardless of defensive position in this section, beginning with Allen Josh and Tony Gabagool. Without a doubt the two top linebackers in the prospect bowl, Gabagool and Josh lead the league with 51 and 45 tackes respectively. Gabagool also has 1 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed. He’s been everywhere on the field. Josh on the other hand has been a menace for opposing QBs, totalling 5 sacks in 5 games. He also has 5 PDs and 1 TFL. The best player in the secondary has been Andrew Solomon. He leads the league with 11 PDs, 3 interceptions and 2 pick sixes! He has accounted for more points than about half the quarterbacks in the league. The defensive linemen in the prospect bowl have not had the opportunity to put up as many eye-catching stats as the other defensive players. This hasn’t prevented Mick Moekr from some stellar numbers, though. Moekr has accounted for 19 tackles, 7 in the backfield, 3 on the quarterback and one in the end zone. That’s three sacks and one safety, which is solid or tied for the league lead in those stats.
K/P
Not really sure there’s much to say here. All kickers have been serviceable, with Paul DiMirio III putting up top numbers. He’s hit 100% of his field goals, including 6 in the 40-49 yard range. He’s also been solid on extra points, although he has missed 1.
That sums up the top performances from the round-robin stage of the prospect bowl. Now it’s time to take a look at the players who have simply had poor performances.
Duds
I’m not going to go into positions on this one, because I would be hard pressed to find players who honestly deserve to be on this list without having some PFF style analytics. All running backs have been good if not great. No wide receiver is averaging less than 9 yards per reception, and I don’t have drop stats. All defensive players have been serviceable. Again, there are no stats on missed tackles or completions allowed. The only positions which show negative stats are quarterback, offensive line and kicking. I already mentioned the kickers were all solid, and the offensive line players who are not robots have been good, except for Gregor Clegaine. Our first dud is an offensive lineman. He is the only non-robot lineman to give up 2 sacks, and he also has the least pancakes: only sitting at 5. It’s hard to be too angry at him though, as even he has been miles better than 90% of the offensive line bots. But the main position which has been detrimental to the success of the prospect bowl teams has been the quarterbacks. We’ll begin with the worst: Gimmy Jaroppolo. Gimmy has by far the lowest QB rating for any QB with over 40 attempts. He completes a poor 47% of his passes and has thrown an astounding 13 interceptions in 5 games. He averages 2.6 interceptions per game. Gimmy is second in the league in passing yards, though, which is his one saving grace. However, passing yards don’t seem to be an indicator of an effective quarterback in the prospect bowl, as three of the top four QBs in yards also have passer ratings under 50. The other two QBs being Brock Landers and Franklin Armstrong. Landers has had his own interception issues, with 10 thus far, while Armstrong has a low completion percentage of 42%. Quarterbacks have definitely been the position that has been struggling the most at the prospect bowl.
A Chat with Guy Nikko
I also got the chance to sit down with one of the many young linebackers looking to make a splash in the DSFL this year, Guy Nikko of the Central Grizzlies.
Q: How are you enjoying the prospect bowl thus far?
A: "It’s been a great experience. Definitely a lot more competitive than college ball… I’ve really had to work with every ounce of my strength to bring down these athletic tight ends and running backs. Plus, it’s been a pleasure to be a part of the Central Grizzlies. We’ve had an up and down start to the bowl, but we’ve managed to make the playoffs, and now is the time where the biggest stars really shine."
Q: You mentioned the up and down round-robin stage. What was the locker room like throughout the losses?
A: "I was surprised at how calm and mature most of the guys were after the loss. In college, it always seemed like the end of the world if we lost a big game, but here it was immediate focus on what we could do better and how we would prepare for the next game. The three consecutive losses were definitely tough for me, but with the team around me and everyone believing in each other, we knew that eventually the work would pay off and we could win another game."
Q: And you did manage to, taking down the Cobras this past week. How did that feel?
A: "It was great. I mean, it wasn’t just a game, you know? It was win or play in the consolation finals. We knew we had the team to win, and we finally managed to do it. I’m so happy for all the guys in the locker room. Especially our defense. We’ve had a rough past few games having to deal with the opposing teams having some short fields and getting some flack for things that weren’t really on us, I think. I’m really happy that we managed to shut down another team like in the opener and get rid of some of the doubt about our unit."
Q: As for your unit… What’s it been like having your linebacker duo be a polar bear?
A: [Laughs] "It’s actually been pretty awesome. I won’t lie that at first I was a bit worried about potential communication barriers or being mauled to death, but Quenton’s a great bear. He is sentient and speaks English, which is a huge plus when we’re trying to communicate plays on the field. He’s also an exceptional player. I didn’t know if he would know any plays or anything, but he’s picked up everything the coaches have thrown at him just like any human would. I’d be thrilled if we could keep doing what we have been on the same team in the DSFL."
Q: Any particular team that you’d like to get drafted by?
A: "Nope, I’d be just as excited to go to the defending champion Luchadores as I would be to go to one of the two expansion teams."
Q: Where do think you’ll go in the draft?
A: "Well there’s a tough one… I mean obviously I’d be ecstatic to go early but I’m thinking I’m probably talented enough to go in rounds 4-6. I’d even understand if I dropped further. There are so many exciting prospects right now that it’s impossible to gauge exactly where you are in the draft class. I just can’t wait to see how it all turns out and start playing in the DSFL."
Q: You’re currently third in tackles in the prospect bowl. How are you feeling about your personal performance?
A: "Well obviously I’m happy that I’m near the top of the charts in tackles, but I’d definitely like to be making a few more game-changing plays. I definitely need to keep working on my coverage technique so I can bat down some more balls and maybe get some interceptions. I’m not too worried about sacks, since I’m more of a coverage linebacker. Overall I’d say I’m fairly happy but there is always room for improvement, and you can bet that I’ll be putting the work in to get there."
The Grizzlies will be Playing the Southwest Foxes in the first round of the prospect bowl playoffs this week. You can catch all the action on Twitch at 8pm EST.
Ready to be Graded - 2162 words
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