(S24) - PT 4 - Trial by Fire

[speculadora]

Owen Holloway was not a particularly capable quarterback in his college days. His best season was his last, and even then he was not much to get excited about as a passer. He threw for fewer than 2,000 yards, and had just two more touchdowns than he did interceptions. What really made him worth looking at as a prospect is the fact that he also ran for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns that same season. He understandably fell in the DSFL Draft, as teams saw him as a wide receiver or running back rather than a quarterback. The Myrtle Beach Buccaneers decided to take a risk on him via a trade with the Tijuana Luchadores and, well, the results have been... mixed. Holloway has struggled mightily as a passer, but not too much more so than he did in college. He has completed just 48.2% of his passes, thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, and is barely averaging more than 5.0 yards per attempt. On the plus side, his rushing has been a catalyst for the league's most effective ground game. Thus far he has run for 559 yards and 6 touchdowns on just 64 attempts, averaging 8.73 yards per rush, and a touchdown every 11 rushes. If Holloway wants to compete at quarterback in the ISFL as well, he'll need to improve dramatically in his ability as a passer, but his rushing will certainly open some doors that might not otherwise be there.

[209tacos]

PBE PT 20-3

[PaytonM34]

Bronko Mills was a fullback from youth football all the way to highschool football all the way to college football and then all the way to the Developmental Simulation Football League when he was drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores, the team his father played for and had several tenures as a coach. He expected his career in the Developmental Simulation Football League to be similar to his previous years of playing fullback, mostly blocking and a bit of receiving out of the backfield in the flats, and some goal line carries. Instead he earned himself some more carries than he previously had, and splits the carries with Crowbar Theeks about 40/60. Bronko Mills has been enjoying his time in the DSFL carrying the football and thinks that it will further help his chances in becoming a great International Simulation Football League player when he gets drafted in a few months. He hopes to use his skill set to help his teams win more championships than they already have, which is a lot in Tijuana because Tijuana is always in dynasty mode. After a few games where Bronko only averaged about four yards a carry, he sits in the top 3 in the leagues rushing leaderboards, and has his eyes set on offensive rookie of the year.

217

[Jiggly_333]

Mai Fukushuu’s big moment was probably that first workout when she arrived at the NSFL headquarters. With no background and no anything to prove that she was a football player, she was thrown out onto a training field and made to run as many drills that the media could think of. Because she didn’t respond to English, there were some who didn’t think she did speak English, so she heard some various negative things said about her during this time.
Since then, I guess every season has sort of been a trial by fire. When she was sent to London on waivers, she was given no playing time and no promise of playing time. She was expected to sit on the bench as the team went on a playoff run. In her first season in the DSFL, after being drafted incredibly late, Mai was placed at third in the depth chart with no real chance at touches. And after once again being drafted incredibly late Mai expected another season of riding the bench in the DSFL, only to be called up to the ISFL as a true rookie to play as the RB2 in a committee. Really, every step of the way has been unexpected and a challenge, but Mai has consistently taken it with no reaction.

[37thchamber]

It's difficult to talk about a "welcome to the league" moment when you've yet to take a snap in professional football, but for some players... there are other occasions that fit the bill. For Raphael Delacour, having an ISFL Hall of Famer for a dad could have meant that his first game in high school was pretty rough. Not the case, in the end, since Delacour senior is also a local hero. That all changed at college though.

As if being at Harvard wasn't tough enough, Raphael declared Advanced Standing in his freshman year, while also trying to lock down a place on the Crimson football team. When he finally did get a shot, handling a kick return... the opposition were sure to make sure he knew where he was. It's hard to tell whether it was because of his famous father, or his academic inclinations, or maybe a combination of the two, but it was a rough welcome nonetheless. Made worse by his own relatively small stature.

"Yeah I just remember these guys being bigger and stronger in general than anyone I'd faced before." He remembers. "I actually got hit so hard I lost my helmet on that play, and to be honest, I thought I'd lost my cleats too," Raphael explains. "I'd never been hit like that before. One second I was running, next I was looking at clouds. I don't even remember the hit really, I just know it was brutal because it was just so fast. Like someone pulled the floor away from under my feet like a rug. And all of a sudden I didn't have my helmet on anymore."

Despite all that, Raphael insists his coach was impressed though. "When I came off, he gave me a pat on the shoulder and said 'good job holding on to the ball'," he says. "I don't remember giving it to the ref, but I guess instinct kicked in."

I didn't get back in the game that day as a precaution," he adds. "They put me through concussion protocol. First time I'd had to do that."

[ComebackZak]

PBE Affiliate

[WALDO]

The story of King Tut’s “welcome to the league” moment came when he first arrived at Training Camp at the beginning of the Kansas City Coyotes preseason. When King Tut first arrived he was shown his locker and his equipment the team was providing for him, but one thing was missing. His helmet. The coach at the time, Butters, said that it was just there and that someone must’ve moved it or taken it from his locker on accident. The thing was, it was no accident. He was being hazed, and he knew that it was so. So he became a detective, looking for clues and investigating potential suspects, including the coach Butters himself, who was not very happy about it. He eventually found it in the possession of Glims, the team leader. The other moment that made an impact on his early career was the first touchdown. When he crossed that plain and looked into the crowd and saw his friends and family right on the front row, he knew that he had made it in life, he knew that this was the moment where he realized that he finally made them proud, as a football player playing Running Back in the DSFL for the Kansas City Coyotes, and for nobody else.

[MrStennett]

PBE PT Affiliation

[ToastCharger]

Byakuya Togami is one of the most recent players to declare for the S26 Entry Draft. Growing up in Tokyo, Japan Togami was regarded as someone with an exceptional talent and selected to join Hope's Peak Academy. Unlike other students in the Academy, Togami's talent wasn't so much of a talent and more of a social status. Being the heir to the Togami family throne meant that Byakuya was regarded as the ultimate high-school level heir.

It was through his schooling that Byakuya discovered his love for American football. Studying the history of the game through texts in the school's vast library, Togami knew that he had found something he could be passionate about. Simply being the heir to a fortune was not good enough for Byakuya and he set his eyes on becoming a star in the sport. With his fond love for food, it was easy enough for Byakuya to put on the weight to make sure that he could be a force on the field.

Byakuya took liking to the offensive tackle position, finding joy in the fact that he could put an end to any attempts from his opponents. The only unfortunate thing at Hope's Peak was there was no real competition for Byakuya to improve his skills.

Using a portion of his family's fortune, Byakuya bought a trip to the U.S. to join the DSFL. Skipping the College level of the game it was interesting to hear that the Pythons had selected Togami off declaration waivers. Byakuya's moment of realizing that his dream was about to become a reality was arriving at the training facility for the Pythons. He now gets prepared to make his DSFL debut and hopefully make an impact ahead of his official draft.

Code:

292

[dahayn]

The hardest thing about the transition from the Developmental Sim Football League and the International Sim Football League for Leeroy Jenkins was that once again he had to accept the fact that other people were going to be starting in front of him. He finished his career in Myrtle Beach as a first string pro bowl wide receiver. In his new home in Colorado, he is currently flip-flopping between the second and third wide receiver so his oppertunities have been reduced. His yards are definitely down but he has a good chance to match or even improve his single season touchdown record. Moving up and down on the depth chart is always challenging. As a player moves up the depth chart, they have to continue to work harder than everyone else to not only retain where they are but to keep that forward momentum going. That hard work is usually rewarded with increased opportunities for success. In a way, I suppose the movement from the developmental league to the international league is another version of reward for those who continue to hone their craft as a professional athlete. Those who make it to the "bigs" play in front of larger crowds and have the chance to make more money if the become elite. Hopefully Leeroy will be able to once again enjoy that success someday!