Ryan Sierra – OL – Tijuana Luchadores
Rude Awakening
DSFL rookie offensive lineman, Ryan Sierra had a very impressive preseason for the Tijuana Luchadores. During the four preseason games, Sierra was penalized only one time, early in the first game. Ryan recorded 20 pancake blocks and did not give up a single sack during those games. To say his confidence was riding high would be an understatement. Having the backing of the locker room, Sierra was asked to give an interview on the Luchadores performance. While he was disappointed in losing all four games, their record was not indicative of the closeness of each game and the performance of several key offensive pieces. During the interview, Sierra was critical of fellow rookie quarterback Isaac Brown, but provided support in his improvements and the effort and hard work. Running back Sydney Spinelli received plenty of praise as his dominance in the ground game was a bright spot and spurned discussions as he was the talk of the league.
Ryan left out talk of the Luchadores defense as he did not feel it was his place to speak about the other side of the ball. He left those analyses to the coaching staff and members of the defense who could speak more freely and in depth about their opinions of performance. All-in-all, the Luchadores were on the same page regarding their chances of success in the coming weeks as the regular season was upon them.
Fast forward to Monday night, an eerie quiet locker room sits with a stench of stale, musty sweat, with a hint of deodorant and cologne mixed. There is an occasional rattle and ping of hangers and sliding chairs. The Luchadores had just finished a physically exhausting, battle against the heavily favored Pythons. Portland wins, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to win 16-14. The Luchadores are now 0-2 through the early part of the season. This loss is exceptionally difficult to accept because of the mixture of positive performances and utter failures. The solid play from running back Sydney Spinelli paced the Luchadores attack with 98 yards on 23 carries, averaging 4.3 yard per carry including two touchdowns. Spinelli also led the Luchadores in receptions with four. Spinelli’s shoulders were just not wide enough to carry the Luchadores to victory.
Ryan Sierra was a disaster. Sierra, emotionally and physically disconnected, reeling from the ass kicking he took for four quarters. Portland decided they were going to test the rookie coming at him with fresh bodies, play after play, putting him on the defense from the first snap. Portland beat the touted rookie for sacks twice, and utilized great team speed to stay out of his way, staying disconnected from blocks. This was the first game in his young offensive line experience where he failed to record a single pancake block.
In week one, Ryan gave up the first sack of his career in a laugher of a game, coming at the hands of the Kansas City Coyotes. While he played decent, the four pancake blocks he provided for his offense went largely unused. Turnovers played a huge part in Tijuana’s blowout loss, ending 14 – 39. There are two things leading to the early dismantling of this offensive line, first, the chemistry. With the late addition of two starters to the offensive line through the supplemental draft has changed the dynamic in which the unit communicates. The second largest influence of the offensive line’s troubles are also the addition of better athletes on the defensive side through the supplemental draft. The addition of NSFL demotions, bolsters the talent and athleticism of the team defense. A huge oversight in the inexperience of the rookie, Ryan Sierra. He will not go into the next two week’s games overconfident and unprepared. Ryan has received his wake-up call and looks forward to the remainder of the season.
GRADED
Rude Awakening
DSFL rookie offensive lineman, Ryan Sierra had a very impressive preseason for the Tijuana Luchadores. During the four preseason games, Sierra was penalized only one time, early in the first game. Ryan recorded 20 pancake blocks and did not give up a single sack during those games. To say his confidence was riding high would be an understatement. Having the backing of the locker room, Sierra was asked to give an interview on the Luchadores performance. While he was disappointed in losing all four games, their record was not indicative of the closeness of each game and the performance of several key offensive pieces. During the interview, Sierra was critical of fellow rookie quarterback Isaac Brown, but provided support in his improvements and the effort and hard work. Running back Sydney Spinelli received plenty of praise as his dominance in the ground game was a bright spot and spurned discussions as he was the talk of the league.
Ryan left out talk of the Luchadores defense as he did not feel it was his place to speak about the other side of the ball. He left those analyses to the coaching staff and members of the defense who could speak more freely and in depth about their opinions of performance. All-in-all, the Luchadores were on the same page regarding their chances of success in the coming weeks as the regular season was upon them.
Fast forward to Monday night, an eerie quiet locker room sits with a stench of stale, musty sweat, with a hint of deodorant and cologne mixed. There is an occasional rattle and ping of hangers and sliding chairs. The Luchadores had just finished a physically exhausting, battle against the heavily favored Pythons. Portland wins, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to win 16-14. The Luchadores are now 0-2 through the early part of the season. This loss is exceptionally difficult to accept because of the mixture of positive performances and utter failures. The solid play from running back Sydney Spinelli paced the Luchadores attack with 98 yards on 23 carries, averaging 4.3 yard per carry including two touchdowns. Spinelli also led the Luchadores in receptions with four. Spinelli’s shoulders were just not wide enough to carry the Luchadores to victory.
Ryan Sierra was a disaster. Sierra, emotionally and physically disconnected, reeling from the ass kicking he took for four quarters. Portland decided they were going to test the rookie coming at him with fresh bodies, play after play, putting him on the defense from the first snap. Portland beat the touted rookie for sacks twice, and utilized great team speed to stay out of his way, staying disconnected from blocks. This was the first game in his young offensive line experience where he failed to record a single pancake block.
In week one, Ryan gave up the first sack of his career in a laugher of a game, coming at the hands of the Kansas City Coyotes. While he played decent, the four pancake blocks he provided for his offense went largely unused. Turnovers played a huge part in Tijuana’s blowout loss, ending 14 – 39. There are two things leading to the early dismantling of this offensive line, first, the chemistry. With the late addition of two starters to the offensive line through the supplemental draft has changed the dynamic in which the unit communicates. The second largest influence of the offensive line’s troubles are also the addition of better athletes on the defensive side through the supplemental draft. The addition of NSFL demotions, bolsters the talent and athleticism of the team defense. A huge oversight in the inexperience of the rookie, Ryan Sierra. He will not go into the next two week’s games overconfident and unprepared. Ryan has received his wake-up call and looks forward to the remainder of the season.
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word count: 644GRADED
