Agent Tesla: Hello and good time appropriate greeting to you! I am here today with my client Magnus Rikiya to go over some of the highlights of the New Orleans Second Line's game against the Orange County Otters from week two and just talk a bit about the game in general. We will see how we feel after getting through the highlights. Let's just dive into it then shall we? What is the first play you wanted to highlight from this game?
Magnus Rikiya: Two weeks in a row the first big play I have to highlight is from the opposition and this one was just two minutes into the game. This is a tough one for any offensive line to deal with as it was a fabulous stunt by the Orange County Otters that managed to make a mismatch that let Boucher get to Francisco for the sack. Great job by Boucher in selling it before making the move and getting free to get to the quarterback. Hate that it was for our opponent, but I have to respect good line play like that.
Agent Tesla: Agreed on both counts. Now this next play suggests a highlight heavy game as it came just a couple of minutes later and is one that shows just how confident Armstrong is in his fabulous arm. Normally he can thread the needle well enough that even with the number of purple jerseys around his targets he would get a completion here, but Taylor was able to grab it out of the air and run it back instead. Phenomenal play by Taylor all the respect for that, however I would like to highlight Blaylock and Adams who were also closing in that forced Armstrong to go a bit wide. Just a great play by the secondary as a whole and especially for Taylor.
Magnus Rikiya: It was a beautiful pick, but unfortunately we didn't do anything with it. Also want to mention that Jimbo Jr pressuring Armstrong to the wrong side of the field also probably helped with that. Still Taylor did a great job grabbing it out of the air and running it back.
Agent Tesla: Yes indeed. Now I believe we both agree this next play might have been improperly recorded, right?
Magnus Rikiya: Yeah. The big reason why our drive after the pick did not go anywhere is because I think there was some miscommunication somewhere that led to a complete failure of the play. I believe it was supposed to be a fake run play, but nobody bit on that. Since our offensive line had to sell the run though they were not in a position to make a play on the wide rush that Orange County used here and even though we kept in Gump to block it was two against one which got Lazer-Eyes the win on that play. Stan started to roll out which is why I think it was recorded as a tackle for loss, but honestly might as well have been a sack.
Agent Tesla: You hate to see a fake fail like that, but credit to Lazer-Eyes for seeing through it and getting the should be sack. Now this next play came on the ensuing drive about six minutes into the game and was particularly great for two reasons. I'll let you explain though given you were involved.
Magnus Rikiya: Ugarth is making a strong claim for defensive rookie of the year right now and he managed to get a sack. Now he deserves credit for that there is no question of that, however what I want to highlight here is a great play by him and the line. Orange County kept in their running back to block which would make it six on four if we just rushed with the line, but thanks to the blitz it was six on five. Where they messed up though is they double teamed Ironside and myself which meant it was six on four and Ugarth was a free rusher. That would normally mean I would give credit to the line for doing our job and I would here if not for the fact that Ugarth had to play like a running back to find a lane through the chaos of ten bodies clumped together at the line. Usually when you get a free rusher on a play like that it is an outside rush, but the fact that Ugarth powered through the inside means he deserves just as much credit for this sack.
Agent Tesla: Impressive indeed. Ugarth is also definitely my choice for the award at the moment, although there is a lot of season left to be played. Also not wholly highlight worthy, but I do want to credit Armstrong here as the next play would have been a sack on just about any other quarterback in the league. Armstrong however proved himself worthy of the name by dragging a rusher a few yards before connecting with Irving on a nine yard pass. If not for the previous sack putting them so far away from the sticks they would have certainly had a good drive here.
Magnus Rikiya: Definitely agreed there. Armstrong is a tough one to deal with on the field.
Agent Tesla: Yes. About halfway through the quarter there was another borderline highlight I would say with Marcella managing to force a few missed tackles on the way to a nine yard run. Good job there! However it is the play after that we really wanted to highlight, right?
Magnus Rikiya: Barker and Francisco connected for about a thirty yard pass play and both of them deserve credit here. Stan had to stand tall in the pocket with the rush right in his face from the blitz and with a six man blitz that is hard to do. Luckily he did not have to stand there long as Barker pulled out a double move that gave him almost five yards of separation to cleanly catch the pass. Ran it an extra dozen yards before the secondary finally brought him down. Also want to shout Barker out here as a Husky and another two time teammate of mine!
Agent Tesla: You love to see it. Also nice to have a familiar friendly face around. Now there are no individual highlight reel plays here, but props to Gump for having five consecutive runs for positive yardage. Just a great job enduring that workload.
Magnus Rikiya: Not at all easy to do. He deserves props for that as it got us in field goal range.
Agent Tesla: Which Prohaska was able to convert into points. Now the first play after kickoff from that field goal is one that I know upset you greatly so I will handle it. First and ten on the two yard line and one of the rushers breaks free immediately. A surefire sack you would think, but you would be wrong because Armstrong is Armstrong and managed to find the edge for seven yards. I admit dual-threat quarterbacks are my favorite kind to watch as a fan of the sport, however not when they are playing against the team I root for as a fan. Credit to Witten here for managing to make the tackle though and keeping it from what could have been an almost hundred yard touchdown run with how well Armstrong was running.
Magnus Rikiya: He is just so damn good.
Agent Tesla: Unfortunately for us on that one. Now after an exciting first quarter the fact that the next big play waited for over ten minutes is quite a surprise as the next big play was halfway through the second quarter. A similar stunt to one that the Second Line used last week let Orange County's safety Biggums get a good shot at Stan Francisco. Well played misdirection by Orange County making the line believe there were only four rushers allowing one to be doubled and then springing Biggums to get the sack.
Magnus Rikiya: It is a good trick. Think it is a bit rude to use it against us, but I guess it proves they respect our play.
Agent Tesla: That they do. Now this next drive was quite the interesting one as Orange County was able to run for positive yards eight plays in a row. Just consistently able to find the edge to get around the defensive line of the Second Line. However the play we want to highlight comes right by the goal line. Do you want to take it from here?
Magnus Rikiya: This is a safety play so I will let you have it.
Agent Tesla: How nice of you! Now everyone knows Franklin Armstrong is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and that Hugh Mongo is one of the best wide receivers in the league. Paired together they are a force to be reckoned with for defenses across the league, however thankfully the Second Line have their own force to be reckoned with in the form of one of the best safeties in the league Mason Blaylock. Armstrong drops back to pass on second and nine and connects with Mongo at the six yard line. Just six yards from six points, but Blaylock comes in like a bullet and takes Mongo to the turf before he has a chance to make a move for the end zone.
Magnus Rikiya: Saved the touchdown. The next play Tu’inukuafe provided enough pressure that Armstrong had to put it in the dirt to avoid the sack, and that whole thing kept Armstrong off enough that he could not connect on second or third down. They got the field goal to tie it up, but just an outstanding job by the defense refusing to break there.
Agent Tesla: The ideal for all defenses. Now I know there was not a huge amount to highlight in the second quarter, but I would like to explain a bit as to why that is the case. There were six punts in the second half, and that means the defenses play well on both sides. Now if you know me and my client we love ourselves some good defense, unfortunately the average good defensive play does not make an entertaining highlight.
Magnus Rikiya: Also hard to give credit for most of them as it is usually a concerted group effort. The front is only effective for as long as the coverage unit can cover, and the coverage unit can only relax when the front finishes off their job. Unlike offense where the most spectacular plays are usually reliant on one or two players doing a really good job.
Agent Tesla: Exactly. Although credit to offensive lines across the league as none of those offensive plays would be possible without them.
Magnus Rikiya: Of course! You cannot play football without the lines both offense and defense. All the respect to my offensive counterparts.
Agent Tesla: Now the first highlight of the second half I believe happened about four minutes into it.
Magnus Rikiya: Yeah. Kind of a counter point to what we said above as this is a series of plays by the defense and so not superb highlights, but I want to give props to the defense as a whole for this series of plays. First play of the second half for Orange County and Armstrong takes off to run again, but this time Tu’inukuafe set the edge hard and brought him to the ground. Armstrong being shaken up might have helped as second down he looks to his star receiver Mongo only to have the pass broken up by our number one corner Rector. Third down and after the run and his wide receiver did not work out Armstrong puts in the air to superstar tight end Irving; only to have Ugarth come out of nowhere and knock the ball out of the air just to solidify his case for maybe best defensive player ever. A three and out like that against Orange County's offense; there is no better feeling in the world.
Agent Tesla: I love it! Now our next play we were not able to get any footage of for some reason, but it came about seven minutes into the third quarter if you want to look for it yourself. Fourth and one for the Second Line and the coaches play it conservative with a punt. Well it did not clear big Biggums who was able to slam it to the ground getting a turnover on downs.
Magnus Rikiya: You have Forrest Gump or Marcella T?riki running behind Givussafare Rubbe and Brave Ulysses and you decide to punt on fourth and one. We deserved to have that blocked.
Agent Tesla: Also have reliable safety net Austin McCormick, but you and I both know that we are more aggressive than the coaches.
Magnus Rikiya: Fair. Least the defense stepped up to get another three and out after that.
Agent Tesla: Agreed. Now this next highlight from about eleven minutes into the third quarter is one I would love for you to explain.
Magnus Rikiya: Busted coverage. Not going to name any names, but someone blitzed when they were not supposed to and left Jeffrey Phillips completely uncovered. While Ugarth went to cover for them the damage was already done as Armstrong hit Phillips in stride about ten yards down field. Credit to Phillips he ran with it forty yards before any of us could finally catch up. You can't be doing that against a team as good as the Otters and expect to get away with it. We're lucky it wasn't a touchdown.
Agent Tesla: That would explain it well. A short run by Armstrong, a dropped pass, and a blocked pass by Ugarth held them to a field goal after that. Do we want to say anything about the 40 yard Gump return?
Magnus Rikiya: Special teams unit played well giving him the blocks he needed, and a runner like Gump will routinely capitalize if you do that for him. Good special teams play.
Agent Tesla: Alright. Moving on to the first highlight of the fourth quarter, do you want me to handle this one?
Magnus Rikiya: No I'll deal with it. Right around three minutes into the fourth quarter we were at third and seven on the twelve yard line when Abernathy sacked Francisco to force us to settle for a field goal. This was just absolutely stellar play on the part of every Otters defender and I have to give them all props for this. They blitzed with seven rushers because we kept an extra blocker in for this play. So six versus seven is a mismatch, but all of our receivers were out there one on one with the defenders playing man coverage. Even with our blockers doing their job none of our guys were able to get open before the free rusher could bring Francisco down. Just a perfect play by them.
Agent Tesla: Unfortunately I have to agree with you there. There was not a single weak link in their coverage on that play and just nothing to be done. Outstanding job.
Magnus Rikiya: Now since I covered that I am also taking the next one to give props to my teammates.
Agent Tesla: Only fair.
Magnus Rikiya: About six minutes into the fourth quarter Ben Tu’inukuafe managed to sack Armstrong. Now before I get into that I do want to just give props to my old Husky teammate Tatsu Nakamura for managing to get a good chip block on me as it takes a lot of guts to do that given our size difference. It did not end up helping any as the Otters offensive line just fell apart from the pressure our ends were able to put on them. I know Ben got the credit for the sack, but it was just a matter of who got there first between him and Dorfus Jimbo Jr. They were both in position to make a play and thankfully one of them did before Armstrong could get the ball out.
Agent Tesla: Unfortunately it did not stop them from scoring as the next play made up more than the yards lost thanks to Irving getting open and running down field.
Magnus Rikiya: Not going to say it was dirty or anything, but our guy got knocked to the turf that play which is what allowed Irving to get open.
Agent Tesla: Could have just been a slip after all the havoc the two teams caused to the field.
Magnus Rikiya: Could have been. I don't think it was anything against the rules, but I just don't think it highlight worthy when the other guy is on the ground.
Agent Tesla: Fair enough. They did manage to score that drive on a thirteen yard touchdown run by Armstrong.
Magnus Rikiya: He is just too damn good.
Agent Tesla: Yes. Now this next drive was disastrous for the Second Line, but there was one bright spot that I will leave to you.
Magnus Rikiya: Thanks for that. Just before the two minute warning Stan handed off to Marcella who managed to get out of five tackles on the way to a first down. One more and she would have taken it to the house I have no doubt in my mind, but the fact she managed to make five of them whiff like that is impressive enough in my eyes to be deserving of our highlight reel. Especially given how well the Otters defense played all game.
Agent Tesla: I can agree with all of that. Now this next play is one where I am comfortable placing the blame for it on the offensive line.
Magnus Rikiya: Not the offensive line as a whole though. Just the interior line. Givussafare Rubbe held his block just as you would expect, and Brave Ulysses did a great job considering he had two people to deal with that play thanks to the guard abandoning him. The interior line was utterly atrocious.
Agent Tesla: When they are having to run to try to catch up to a completely unblocked Big Edd I would have to agree. Good job on Edd somehow not being noticed by the entire interior of the offensive line until it was too late, but I have no idea how a person that big goes unnoticed at the end of the line.
Magnus Rikiya: Givussafare Rubbe dealt with the person just in front, and so the guard was supposed to pull. They did not pull far enough and the end result is Big Edd hitting Stan Francisco for an eleven yard sack.
Agent Tesla: Good job Big Edd. Sorry we mostly used your play to complain about some incompetence on our side though.
Magnus Rikiya: Hey, he was good enough to capitalize on it. Not everyone can do that. Props for the good job.
Agent Tesla: Agreed. Now you keep your mouth shut for this next one as I know you are still a bit heated about it.
Magnus Rikiya: Marcella was wide open with green in front of her! All the interior line had to do was buy a split second more for Stan and that could have been a touchdown for us!
Agent Tesla: Hush! Now the last real play of the game saw Stan Francisco drop back on third and twenty-one which meant everyone knew it was a pass. Orange County went with a five man blitz and the interior of the offensive line allowed pressure again that caused Stan to just toss it to the first target available even though they were double covered. Kacey Dream made a nightmare out of it as they picked it off untouched and ran it back twenty-six yards for a touchdown. The last score of the game and the last nail in the coffin. Now if you can control yourself you can share the last highlight of the game.
Magnus Rikiya: A couple plays later they brought the blitz again, but this time we kept Marcella back to pick it up. She picked it up and quite well at that which bought Stan enough time to find McCormick who fought for the first down even though the game was essentially over. Props to all three of them for playing that hard in the closing seconds of the game.
Agent Tesla: Now that I can agree with as it is always admirable to go down fighting in my opinion. Since neither are going to belong to the Second Line should I handle the players of the game?
Magnus Rikiya: I know you want to do offense at least, but I'll handle defense for this one. Ugarth had another good game with eight tackles, two passes defended, and a sack. It has got to be Kacey Dream though. Partly because they were the one who put the game out of reach for us, although mostly because they just played well all game long. Four tackles, a pass break up, and an interception they returned for a touchdown. Great game on their part.
Agent Tesla: Agreed. Taylor getting two passes defended and a pick was also good, but it just does not measure up to Kacey Dream's day. Offense meanwhile has to be Franklin Armstrong and not just because of my bias towards dual-threat quarterbacks. Nineteen of thirty-five for 211 yards and a pick may not look like the best stat line, but add in his nine rushes for 44 yards and a touchdown to see why it has to be him. Why I love a good dual-threat quarterback is they find a way to get it done regardless.
Magnus Rikiya: He is good enough he will get his one way or the other. The fact we held him to one touchdown is deserving of celebration.
Agent Tesla: Yes. Do want to shout out Brave Ulysses here for their seven pancakes though as well. A good job by them against tough competition.
Magnus Rikiya: Definitely agree there.
Agent Tesla: Now for the viewers at home who did not read the article for week one; my client Magnus Rikiya is a big fan of jersey swaps. Did them throughout his DSFL career, although privately as my media work at the time was focused on the draft. This season though we hope to give credit to the people who willingly partake in the swaps. Nice people deserve nice things and we hope they enjoy the shout out. So who did you swap jerseys with this time around Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: One of just two players to have two DSFL Most Valuable Player awards, the only player to have three NSFL Most Valuable Player awards, and arguably the greatest quarterback of all time Franklin Armstrong. He was nice enough to agree to swap jerseys with me after the game even after I spent the whole game chasing him around.
Agent Tesla: Full disclosure here I thought about asking him to sign my jersey of his, but figured as an agent associated with the Second Line that could be misconstrued. So how did it go?
Magnus Rikiya: Well he was just super chill about the whole thing. I didn't want to take up too much of his time, but our short chat was great. He said some nice things and made a friendly offer if I need to talk to him again. So I'll ask him to sign your jersey for you next time we play Orange County.
Agent Tesla: Ooh! Thank you. Do tell though what kind of nice things?
Magnus Rikiya: Gonna keep that private. Everybody should know though that Franklin Armstrong is just as nice as you would hope him to be. Going to enjoy watching him play even more now at least when it isn't against us.
Agent Tesla: Cheers to that! Well then I believe that covers all of the plays and everything we wanted to highlight. Any last words?
Magnus Rikiya: Don't let this get you down team. Otters are a tough opponent and we got a whole lot of season left to play. We just got to stay focused and we can do this. Stay safe out there everyone and thanks for reading!
Agent Tesla: I will cosign all of that and just reiterate a thanks to anyone who took some time out of their day to read any of this. We appreciate you! Have a great day everyone!
Magnus Rikiya: Two weeks in a row the first big play I have to highlight is from the opposition and this one was just two minutes into the game. This is a tough one for any offensive line to deal with as it was a fabulous stunt by the Orange County Otters that managed to make a mismatch that let Boucher get to Francisco for the sack. Great job by Boucher in selling it before making the move and getting free to get to the quarterback. Hate that it was for our opponent, but I have to respect good line play like that.
Agent Tesla: Agreed on both counts. Now this next play suggests a highlight heavy game as it came just a couple of minutes later and is one that shows just how confident Armstrong is in his fabulous arm. Normally he can thread the needle well enough that even with the number of purple jerseys around his targets he would get a completion here, but Taylor was able to grab it out of the air and run it back instead. Phenomenal play by Taylor all the respect for that, however I would like to highlight Blaylock and Adams who were also closing in that forced Armstrong to go a bit wide. Just a great play by the secondary as a whole and especially for Taylor.
Magnus Rikiya: It was a beautiful pick, but unfortunately we didn't do anything with it. Also want to mention that Jimbo Jr pressuring Armstrong to the wrong side of the field also probably helped with that. Still Taylor did a great job grabbing it out of the air and running it back.
Agent Tesla: Yes indeed. Now I believe we both agree this next play might have been improperly recorded, right?
Magnus Rikiya: Yeah. The big reason why our drive after the pick did not go anywhere is because I think there was some miscommunication somewhere that led to a complete failure of the play. I believe it was supposed to be a fake run play, but nobody bit on that. Since our offensive line had to sell the run though they were not in a position to make a play on the wide rush that Orange County used here and even though we kept in Gump to block it was two against one which got Lazer-Eyes the win on that play. Stan started to roll out which is why I think it was recorded as a tackle for loss, but honestly might as well have been a sack.
Agent Tesla: You hate to see a fake fail like that, but credit to Lazer-Eyes for seeing through it and getting the should be sack. Now this next play came on the ensuing drive about six minutes into the game and was particularly great for two reasons. I'll let you explain though given you were involved.
Magnus Rikiya: Ugarth is making a strong claim for defensive rookie of the year right now and he managed to get a sack. Now he deserves credit for that there is no question of that, however what I want to highlight here is a great play by him and the line. Orange County kept in their running back to block which would make it six on four if we just rushed with the line, but thanks to the blitz it was six on five. Where they messed up though is they double teamed Ironside and myself which meant it was six on four and Ugarth was a free rusher. That would normally mean I would give credit to the line for doing our job and I would here if not for the fact that Ugarth had to play like a running back to find a lane through the chaos of ten bodies clumped together at the line. Usually when you get a free rusher on a play like that it is an outside rush, but the fact that Ugarth powered through the inside means he deserves just as much credit for this sack.
Agent Tesla: Impressive indeed. Ugarth is also definitely my choice for the award at the moment, although there is a lot of season left to be played. Also not wholly highlight worthy, but I do want to credit Armstrong here as the next play would have been a sack on just about any other quarterback in the league. Armstrong however proved himself worthy of the name by dragging a rusher a few yards before connecting with Irving on a nine yard pass. If not for the previous sack putting them so far away from the sticks they would have certainly had a good drive here.
Magnus Rikiya: Definitely agreed there. Armstrong is a tough one to deal with on the field.
Agent Tesla: Yes. About halfway through the quarter there was another borderline highlight I would say with Marcella managing to force a few missed tackles on the way to a nine yard run. Good job there! However it is the play after that we really wanted to highlight, right?
Magnus Rikiya: Barker and Francisco connected for about a thirty yard pass play and both of them deserve credit here. Stan had to stand tall in the pocket with the rush right in his face from the blitz and with a six man blitz that is hard to do. Luckily he did not have to stand there long as Barker pulled out a double move that gave him almost five yards of separation to cleanly catch the pass. Ran it an extra dozen yards before the secondary finally brought him down. Also want to shout Barker out here as a Husky and another two time teammate of mine!
Agent Tesla: You love to see it. Also nice to have a familiar friendly face around. Now there are no individual highlight reel plays here, but props to Gump for having five consecutive runs for positive yardage. Just a great job enduring that workload.
Magnus Rikiya: Not at all easy to do. He deserves props for that as it got us in field goal range.
Agent Tesla: Which Prohaska was able to convert into points. Now the first play after kickoff from that field goal is one that I know upset you greatly so I will handle it. First and ten on the two yard line and one of the rushers breaks free immediately. A surefire sack you would think, but you would be wrong because Armstrong is Armstrong and managed to find the edge for seven yards. I admit dual-threat quarterbacks are my favorite kind to watch as a fan of the sport, however not when they are playing against the team I root for as a fan. Credit to Witten here for managing to make the tackle though and keeping it from what could have been an almost hundred yard touchdown run with how well Armstrong was running.
Magnus Rikiya: He is just so damn good.
Agent Tesla: Unfortunately for us on that one. Now after an exciting first quarter the fact that the next big play waited for over ten minutes is quite a surprise as the next big play was halfway through the second quarter. A similar stunt to one that the Second Line used last week let Orange County's safety Biggums get a good shot at Stan Francisco. Well played misdirection by Orange County making the line believe there were only four rushers allowing one to be doubled and then springing Biggums to get the sack.
Magnus Rikiya: It is a good trick. Think it is a bit rude to use it against us, but I guess it proves they respect our play.
Agent Tesla: That they do. Now this next drive was quite the interesting one as Orange County was able to run for positive yards eight plays in a row. Just consistently able to find the edge to get around the defensive line of the Second Line. However the play we want to highlight comes right by the goal line. Do you want to take it from here?
Magnus Rikiya: This is a safety play so I will let you have it.
Agent Tesla: How nice of you! Now everyone knows Franklin Armstrong is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and that Hugh Mongo is one of the best wide receivers in the league. Paired together they are a force to be reckoned with for defenses across the league, however thankfully the Second Line have their own force to be reckoned with in the form of one of the best safeties in the league Mason Blaylock. Armstrong drops back to pass on second and nine and connects with Mongo at the six yard line. Just six yards from six points, but Blaylock comes in like a bullet and takes Mongo to the turf before he has a chance to make a move for the end zone.
Magnus Rikiya: Saved the touchdown. The next play Tu’inukuafe provided enough pressure that Armstrong had to put it in the dirt to avoid the sack, and that whole thing kept Armstrong off enough that he could not connect on second or third down. They got the field goal to tie it up, but just an outstanding job by the defense refusing to break there.
Agent Tesla: The ideal for all defenses. Now I know there was not a huge amount to highlight in the second quarter, but I would like to explain a bit as to why that is the case. There were six punts in the second half, and that means the defenses play well on both sides. Now if you know me and my client we love ourselves some good defense, unfortunately the average good defensive play does not make an entertaining highlight.
Magnus Rikiya: Also hard to give credit for most of them as it is usually a concerted group effort. The front is only effective for as long as the coverage unit can cover, and the coverage unit can only relax when the front finishes off their job. Unlike offense where the most spectacular plays are usually reliant on one or two players doing a really good job.
Agent Tesla: Exactly. Although credit to offensive lines across the league as none of those offensive plays would be possible without them.
Magnus Rikiya: Of course! You cannot play football without the lines both offense and defense. All the respect to my offensive counterparts.
Agent Tesla: Now the first highlight of the second half I believe happened about four minutes into it.
Magnus Rikiya: Yeah. Kind of a counter point to what we said above as this is a series of plays by the defense and so not superb highlights, but I want to give props to the defense as a whole for this series of plays. First play of the second half for Orange County and Armstrong takes off to run again, but this time Tu’inukuafe set the edge hard and brought him to the ground. Armstrong being shaken up might have helped as second down he looks to his star receiver Mongo only to have the pass broken up by our number one corner Rector. Third down and after the run and his wide receiver did not work out Armstrong puts in the air to superstar tight end Irving; only to have Ugarth come out of nowhere and knock the ball out of the air just to solidify his case for maybe best defensive player ever. A three and out like that against Orange County's offense; there is no better feeling in the world.
Agent Tesla: I love it! Now our next play we were not able to get any footage of for some reason, but it came about seven minutes into the third quarter if you want to look for it yourself. Fourth and one for the Second Line and the coaches play it conservative with a punt. Well it did not clear big Biggums who was able to slam it to the ground getting a turnover on downs.
Magnus Rikiya: You have Forrest Gump or Marcella T?riki running behind Givussafare Rubbe and Brave Ulysses and you decide to punt on fourth and one. We deserved to have that blocked.
Agent Tesla: Also have reliable safety net Austin McCormick, but you and I both know that we are more aggressive than the coaches.
Magnus Rikiya: Fair. Least the defense stepped up to get another three and out after that.
Agent Tesla: Agreed. Now this next highlight from about eleven minutes into the third quarter is one I would love for you to explain.
Magnus Rikiya: Busted coverage. Not going to name any names, but someone blitzed when they were not supposed to and left Jeffrey Phillips completely uncovered. While Ugarth went to cover for them the damage was already done as Armstrong hit Phillips in stride about ten yards down field. Credit to Phillips he ran with it forty yards before any of us could finally catch up. You can't be doing that against a team as good as the Otters and expect to get away with it. We're lucky it wasn't a touchdown.
Agent Tesla: That would explain it well. A short run by Armstrong, a dropped pass, and a blocked pass by Ugarth held them to a field goal after that. Do we want to say anything about the 40 yard Gump return?
Magnus Rikiya: Special teams unit played well giving him the blocks he needed, and a runner like Gump will routinely capitalize if you do that for him. Good special teams play.
Agent Tesla: Alright. Moving on to the first highlight of the fourth quarter, do you want me to handle this one?
Magnus Rikiya: No I'll deal with it. Right around three minutes into the fourth quarter we were at third and seven on the twelve yard line when Abernathy sacked Francisco to force us to settle for a field goal. This was just absolutely stellar play on the part of every Otters defender and I have to give them all props for this. They blitzed with seven rushers because we kept an extra blocker in for this play. So six versus seven is a mismatch, but all of our receivers were out there one on one with the defenders playing man coverage. Even with our blockers doing their job none of our guys were able to get open before the free rusher could bring Francisco down. Just a perfect play by them.
Agent Tesla: Unfortunately I have to agree with you there. There was not a single weak link in their coverage on that play and just nothing to be done. Outstanding job.
Magnus Rikiya: Now since I covered that I am also taking the next one to give props to my teammates.
Agent Tesla: Only fair.
Magnus Rikiya: About six minutes into the fourth quarter Ben Tu’inukuafe managed to sack Armstrong. Now before I get into that I do want to just give props to my old Husky teammate Tatsu Nakamura for managing to get a good chip block on me as it takes a lot of guts to do that given our size difference. It did not end up helping any as the Otters offensive line just fell apart from the pressure our ends were able to put on them. I know Ben got the credit for the sack, but it was just a matter of who got there first between him and Dorfus Jimbo Jr. They were both in position to make a play and thankfully one of them did before Armstrong could get the ball out.
Agent Tesla: Unfortunately it did not stop them from scoring as the next play made up more than the yards lost thanks to Irving getting open and running down field.
Magnus Rikiya: Not going to say it was dirty or anything, but our guy got knocked to the turf that play which is what allowed Irving to get open.
Agent Tesla: Could have just been a slip after all the havoc the two teams caused to the field.
Magnus Rikiya: Could have been. I don't think it was anything against the rules, but I just don't think it highlight worthy when the other guy is on the ground.
Agent Tesla: Fair enough. They did manage to score that drive on a thirteen yard touchdown run by Armstrong.
Magnus Rikiya: He is just too damn good.
Agent Tesla: Yes. Now this next drive was disastrous for the Second Line, but there was one bright spot that I will leave to you.
Magnus Rikiya: Thanks for that. Just before the two minute warning Stan handed off to Marcella who managed to get out of five tackles on the way to a first down. One more and she would have taken it to the house I have no doubt in my mind, but the fact she managed to make five of them whiff like that is impressive enough in my eyes to be deserving of our highlight reel. Especially given how well the Otters defense played all game.
Agent Tesla: I can agree with all of that. Now this next play is one where I am comfortable placing the blame for it on the offensive line.
Magnus Rikiya: Not the offensive line as a whole though. Just the interior line. Givussafare Rubbe held his block just as you would expect, and Brave Ulysses did a great job considering he had two people to deal with that play thanks to the guard abandoning him. The interior line was utterly atrocious.
Agent Tesla: When they are having to run to try to catch up to a completely unblocked Big Edd I would have to agree. Good job on Edd somehow not being noticed by the entire interior of the offensive line until it was too late, but I have no idea how a person that big goes unnoticed at the end of the line.
Magnus Rikiya: Givussafare Rubbe dealt with the person just in front, and so the guard was supposed to pull. They did not pull far enough and the end result is Big Edd hitting Stan Francisco for an eleven yard sack.
Agent Tesla: Good job Big Edd. Sorry we mostly used your play to complain about some incompetence on our side though.
Magnus Rikiya: Hey, he was good enough to capitalize on it. Not everyone can do that. Props for the good job.
Agent Tesla: Agreed. Now you keep your mouth shut for this next one as I know you are still a bit heated about it.
Magnus Rikiya: Marcella was wide open with green in front of her! All the interior line had to do was buy a split second more for Stan and that could have been a touchdown for us!
Agent Tesla: Hush! Now the last real play of the game saw Stan Francisco drop back on third and twenty-one which meant everyone knew it was a pass. Orange County went with a five man blitz and the interior of the offensive line allowed pressure again that caused Stan to just toss it to the first target available even though they were double covered. Kacey Dream made a nightmare out of it as they picked it off untouched and ran it back twenty-six yards for a touchdown. The last score of the game and the last nail in the coffin. Now if you can control yourself you can share the last highlight of the game.
Magnus Rikiya: A couple plays later they brought the blitz again, but this time we kept Marcella back to pick it up. She picked it up and quite well at that which bought Stan enough time to find McCormick who fought for the first down even though the game was essentially over. Props to all three of them for playing that hard in the closing seconds of the game.
Agent Tesla: Now that I can agree with as it is always admirable to go down fighting in my opinion. Since neither are going to belong to the Second Line should I handle the players of the game?
Magnus Rikiya: I know you want to do offense at least, but I'll handle defense for this one. Ugarth had another good game with eight tackles, two passes defended, and a sack. It has got to be Kacey Dream though. Partly because they were the one who put the game out of reach for us, although mostly because they just played well all game long. Four tackles, a pass break up, and an interception they returned for a touchdown. Great game on their part.
Agent Tesla: Agreed. Taylor getting two passes defended and a pick was also good, but it just does not measure up to Kacey Dream's day. Offense meanwhile has to be Franklin Armstrong and not just because of my bias towards dual-threat quarterbacks. Nineteen of thirty-five for 211 yards and a pick may not look like the best stat line, but add in his nine rushes for 44 yards and a touchdown to see why it has to be him. Why I love a good dual-threat quarterback is they find a way to get it done regardless.
Magnus Rikiya: He is good enough he will get his one way or the other. The fact we held him to one touchdown is deserving of celebration.
Agent Tesla: Yes. Do want to shout out Brave Ulysses here for their seven pancakes though as well. A good job by them against tough competition.
Magnus Rikiya: Definitely agree there.
Agent Tesla: Now for the viewers at home who did not read the article for week one; my client Magnus Rikiya is a big fan of jersey swaps. Did them throughout his DSFL career, although privately as my media work at the time was focused on the draft. This season though we hope to give credit to the people who willingly partake in the swaps. Nice people deserve nice things and we hope they enjoy the shout out. So who did you swap jerseys with this time around Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: One of just two players to have two DSFL Most Valuable Player awards, the only player to have three NSFL Most Valuable Player awards, and arguably the greatest quarterback of all time Franklin Armstrong. He was nice enough to agree to swap jerseys with me after the game even after I spent the whole game chasing him around.
Agent Tesla: Full disclosure here I thought about asking him to sign my jersey of his, but figured as an agent associated with the Second Line that could be misconstrued. So how did it go?
Magnus Rikiya: Well he was just super chill about the whole thing. I didn't want to take up too much of his time, but our short chat was great. He said some nice things and made a friendly offer if I need to talk to him again. So I'll ask him to sign your jersey for you next time we play Orange County.
Agent Tesla: Ooh! Thank you. Do tell though what kind of nice things?
Magnus Rikiya: Gonna keep that private. Everybody should know though that Franklin Armstrong is just as nice as you would hope him to be. Going to enjoy watching him play even more now at least when it isn't against us.
Agent Tesla: Cheers to that! Well then I believe that covers all of the plays and everything we wanted to highlight. Any last words?
Magnus Rikiya: Don't let this get you down team. Otters are a tough opponent and we got a whole lot of season left to play. We just got to stay focused and we can do this. Stay safe out there everyone and thanks for reading!
Agent Tesla: I will cosign all of that and just reiterate a thanks to anyone who took some time out of their day to read any of this. We appreciate you! Have a great day everyone!
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