10-17-2021, 07:05 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-24-2021, 11:01 AM by allbetsonjames. Edited 2 times in total.)
As a new season of the off-season World Football Championship is about to unfold, the Southwest United States has released its roster for Season 31. Coming off a league worst 5 and 9 record in Season 30, the new team features some new and returning players looking to redeem their little slice of the world. In order to understand where the SWUS team fell short during Season 30, a look to their offensive and defensive stats can help determine where improvements to the roster can be made. Last season the SWUS team ranked last in their conference and second to last in the league in terms of points scored despite being second in conference and fourth in the league in yards gained. Converting yards to points will definitely need to be a focus of the new regime. Defensively they faired only slightly better, ranking third in the conference and sixth in the league in points surrendered. This matches fairly well with their standings at third in the conference and fifth in the league in terms of yards given up. All around the defense will need to improve in order to help the team compete for a medal. After careful review of the previous season and consideration of what would make the best and most competitive team, first year Federation Head Alcott finished with the following selections for the roster:
Quarterback
Charlamagne Cortez – Arizona Outlaws @MrStennett
Cortez will be a key piece of the Season 31 Southwest United States team acting as the team’s signal caller on offense. As arguably the most important position in the game, Cortez will lead the offense to a hopefully potent passing attack and comes with the added experience of suiting up for the SWUS last offseason where he was in the running for League MVP. Cortez looks to improve his previous season’s stats of 67.9 completion percentage (3rd in league), 3634 yards (6th in league), 21 touchdowns (6th in league), and 9 interceptions (4th in league) with his improved TPE level up to 1221 during selection. While his Season 31 in the ISFL hasn’t been as good as either of his two previous years (he’s actually coming ff a career low in passer rating), Cortez has shown the ability to get the ball to open receivers and make plays when they need to be made, making him the easy choice for SWUS Season 31 QB. It helps to be the only eligible QB to choose from but considering Cortez has had great success in the ISFL and an overall rating of 99 (100 for QB) it would be hard to find a better choice even with other options. Cortez and the receivers will need to work together and click early as they look to improve from last year’s standings of 3rd in conference and 6th in the league in passing yards.
Running Back
Lonnie Jackson – Philadelphia Liberty @Exilate
The rushing attack certainly wasn’t the issue in Season 30 for the SWUS team, as they were second in the conference and third in the league in rushing yards per game. Jackson now steps into the primary ball carrier role after spending Season 30 as backup to starter Richard Gilbert, who has since retired. Backup isn’t quite the right term for the arrangement though, as a backfield by committee approach led to Gilbert rushing for 820 yards (6th in league) and Jackson right behind him rushing for 719 yards of his own (8th in league). Now that Jackson will be the lead man in a bell cow system, he looks to improve upon last year’s rush yards (previously stated), 4.1 yards per carry (13th in league), and 7 rushing touchdowns (tied 5th in league). In addition to his rushing output, Jackson will aspire to eclipse his receiving totals from the previous season hauling in 28 passes (5th in league for running backs), 196 receiving yards (8th in league for running backs) at 7 yards per catch (tied 13th in league for running backs), and one receiving touchdown (tied 9th in league for running backs). With a TPE boost up to 798 at the time of selection and an overall rating of 96 (90 for running back) Jackson should be able to handle the load as the main ball carrier for SWUS in Season 31 and hopefully at least keep the team on pace, if not exceeding Season 30’s rankings of 2nd in conference and 3rd in the league for rushing yards.
Wide Receiver
Mark Walker – Yellowknife Wraiths @deadlunatic
As with the two previous positions covered, continuity is the theme as three of the four receivers from the previous season will be back. The team’s Season 30 receiving yards leader, Walker will lead another strong receiving unit, one even better than the previous year. With the overall improvement of the players the receiving corps, along with Cortez at the helm, aim to finish above last season’s final standings from third in conference and sixth in the league in receiving yards. After a strong showing in Season 30 where he accrued 90 receptions (5th in league) for 1152 receiving yards (3rd in league) and 5 receiving touchdowns (tied 10th in league). Those numbers were good enough to lead the team in catches, yards, and tied for the lead in touchdowns. Walker looks to surpass each of those totals in Season 31, in fact the only stat Walker aims to lower are the 6 dropped passes from that season. He can accomplish this feat with his improved TPE of 1276, giving him an overall rating of 99 (100 as a receiver) at the time of selection.
Troy Abed – Berlin Fire Salamanders @noanic
Abed performed admirably last season as the third receiver in the SWUS wideout corps, totaling 51 catches (tied 25th in league) for 743 receiving yards (16th in league) and five receiving touchdowns (tied 10th in league). Relative to his teammates, Abed came in 2nd on the team in catches and yards, and tied Walker for the team lead in receiving touchdowns. In order to elevate himself from third receiver to his position as the second wide out option, Abed has increased his TPE to 913 at the time of selection, with an overall rating of 94 (90 at wide receiver).
Cole Maxwell – Colorado Yeti
Maxwell is the lone new addition to the SWUS team this year, however it is not his first rodeo in the WFC either. Last season Maxwell was drafted by Team Europe in the “Loaner Draft” after not being selected by his native SWUS team. Maxwell was Team Europe’s first option in the passing game, racking up 94 catches (tied 1st in league) for 963 yards (8th in league) and 4 touchdowns (tied 21st in league). It will be an adjustment to go from the team’s first option last WFC season to the third receiver on the depth chart, however Maxwell would have dropped to fourth on the depth chart anyway had last season second option Killian Chambers not gone inactive. Maxwell will likely not improve his statistics, except maybe touchdowns, but will try to match if not exceed them anyway as he comes back as a better player than before with 871 TPE at time of selection, making him rated 91 overall (89 at wide receiver).
Sam the Onion Man – Orange County Otters @Duilio05
The last of the returning receivers, Sam is again fourth on the depth chart, likely to come in only for the 4 wide sets, similar to last offseason. In that role Sam was able to pick up 9 receptions for 66 yards and a single touchdown. Ideally Sam can increase those numbers as his TPE has risen up to 837 at time of selection, giving him a rating of 90 overall (88 at wide receiver).
Tight End
Buffalo Hunter – Colorado Yeti @BOOM™
The SWUS team will regain both of its tight ends from Season 30, including Hunter. Last season Hunter held the second tight end spot and saw about half the amount of all stats that fellow tight end Zee Rechs did, where Hunter totaled 21 catches (2nd fewest among tight ends) for 159 receiving yards (2nd fewest among tight ends) and 2 touchdowns (tied 7th among tight ends). This season Hunter is now the top earner between the two as far as TPE is concerned with a total of 707 at time of selection, however his ranking still trails Rechs with an overall rating of 92 (83 for tight end). While this will still lead to Hunter being second on the depth chart there will likely be much more usage for him as a closer split with Rechs and an increased usage of two tight end packages.
Zee Rechs – Yellowknife Wraiths @ZootTX
The other of the two returning tight ends is none other than Rechs, who looks to keep pace with his impressive WFC Season 30 stat line of 47 catches (6th in league for tight ends) for 394 yards (5th in league for tight ends) and 4 touchdowns (tied 4th in league for tight ends). Even after a season of regression, Rechs still totals 685 TPE at time of selection, but maintains an overall rating of 97 (100 for tight end), which will keep Rechs in the starting position, although like stated in Hunter’s write up there will likely be many formations with both tight ends on the field either in 12 personnel or one of Hunter or Rechs acting as full back, which should give plenty of opportunity for both players to get looks and accumulate stats.
Offensive Line
Marlon Alexander – New York Silverbacks @platanocat
The offensive line returns two of its three previous members, with Alexander remaining the leader of the unit. Alexander performed well, accruing 53 pancakes with no sacks given up. With just a small regression before the season, Alexander worked his way back up to 1087 TPE at the time of selection to lead the offensive line unit, giving him a rating of 100 overall (100 at lineman).
Manhattan Project – Colorado Yeti @Modern_Duke
The second returning offensive lineman, Project will again suit for the SWUS team where during Season 30 he racked up 61 pancakes and allowed 4 sacks. Project has improved to reach a TPE of 881 at the time of selection, giving him a rating of 100 overall (96 at lineman)
Defensive End
Lucid Dreams – Philadelphia Liberty @Luciddreams702
The lone returning defensive end, and surprisingly the only defensive end on the team, Dreams is set to make a big leap from his previous Season 30 play time and stat lines. In his sparse role behind fellow defensive ends Marlon Brando (changed WFC teams) and James Cho (retired), Dreams collected only 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a surprising 3 sacks, which was better than 7 other defense ends in the league, including his own teammate Cho. Dreams has improved himself greatly since last offseason and now boasts a TPE of 665 at time of selection, giving him an overall rating of 91(82 for defensive end). Ideally with more playing time Dreams can continue his pace for sacks from Season 30, as the SWUS team was dead last in sacks last season with a dreadful 35, almost exactly half of the league leading Team World’s 69.
Defensive Tackle
Magnus Rikiya – Colorado Yeti @Tesla
Similar to Lucid Dreams, Rikiya is the only returning defensive end to the SWUS defensive line from Season 30, as previous teammates JJ Jay-Jamison Jr (not selected) and Chad ‘The Rig’ Simpson (appears to have retired) are replaced by the new faces of Fawn Dillmiballs and Daymond Brooks. Rikiya will be the anchor of the defensive line as not only the most seasoned veteran of the group, but also the top TPE earner thus far with 967 at time of selection (even after regression), giving him a rating of 100 overall (100 at defensive tackle). Last season Rikiya was a star at the defensive tackle position, collecting 58 tackles (tied 3rd in league for defensive tackles) with one tackle for loss (tied 6th in league for defensive tackles), two forced fumbles (tied 2nd in league for defensive tackles), 5 sacks (5th in league for defensive tackles) and collected the only safety for any defensive tackle that season. Rikiya will have plenty of work trying to help his team increase their tackle for loss totals from Season 30 where the SWUS team finished 5th in the league with 23
Fawn Dillmiballs – Sarasota Sailfish 675 @Booger
Dillmiballs is the first of the new defensive tackles to be introduced for Team SWUS but should be a stellar addition to the team. Coming off a solid Season 31 in the ISFL, Dillmiballs collected 45 tackles with one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and 2 sacks for the Sailfish, with a bonus of blocking both an extra point attempt and a field goal attempt during the season. With an impressive 675 TPE at time of selection, giving Dillmiballs a rating of 100 overall (100 at defensive tackle), there will likely be plenty of time for Dillmiballs to be on the field, either as the second defensive tackle in a four down lineman set or acting as the other defensive end when there are only three down linemen in the formation. With a combination of Rikiya and Dillmiballs on the field, the goal is for this season’s SWUS front to be much more stout against the run and finish better than 3rd in the conference and 6th in the league in terms of rushing yards allowed.
Daymond Brooks – Chicago Butchers @ForSucksFake
The final new face of the defensive line group is Brooks, who likely to be a solid contributor on the team as a rotational piece along the defensive line. This will be Brooks’s first experience in the WFC league, but in Season 31 of the ISFL he was able to put up 51 tackles with 8 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, and 5 sacks for the Chicago Butchers. After a season of regression Brooks has been left with 467 TPE at time of selection, giving him a rating of 90 overall (91 for defensive tackle). The ability to keep the defensive line fresh will be extremely important and having a solid rotation should help with that effort thanks to Brooks.
Linebacker
Jimi DeSoto – Philadelphia Liberty @Jimi64
DeSoto will lead arguably the largest strength of the Season 31 SWUS defensive team, the linebacker unit. Fortunately, that should be easy for one of the Season 30 Captains, as all three linebackers from the previous season return, plus the addition of a single new player to the group. Looking to improve upon a solid Season 30 outing where DeSoto collected 95 tackles (7th in league for linebackers and 10th in league) and 3 tackles for loss (tied 12th in league for linebackers), 1 sack (2nd fewest in league for linebackers), 1 interception (tied 6th in league for linebackers), and 9 passes defensed (tied 7th in league for linebackers), DeSoto has improved his total TPE to 1346 at time of selection which leads the SWUS team this year, leading to a rating of 98 overall (100 at linebacker).
Juan Domine – Chicago Butchers @Maglubiyet
The newcomer to Team SWUS, Domine is hot off a solid Season 31 ISFL outing where he totaled 111 tackles with 6 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles with one fumble recovery, 20 sacks, 2 interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one safety and a blocked punt. Domine’s presence will hopefully help those dreadful sack numbers from Season 30 as an edge rusher when the team lines up in a 4 linebacker set and maintain coverage on the running back or tight end in the 3 linebacker sets. Domine has really elevated himself in TPE, up to 1302 at the time of selection, giving a rating of 99 overall (100 for linebacker).
BamBam McMullet – Berlin Fire Salamanders @manicmav36
McMullet returns as the Season 30 leading tackler for SWUS and a key member of the defense. During his insanely productive campaign last offseason McMullet racked up 112 tackles (1st in league) with 8 tackles for loss (tied 3rd in league for linebackers), 1 forced fumble (tied 17th in league for linebackers), 8 sacks (tied 9th in league for linebackers), 1 interception (tied 6th in league for linebackers), and 8 passes defensed (tied 9th in league for linebackers). With a stout defensive line in front of him, McMullet looks to improve those numbers by filling gaps and breaking through the line either from the outside in 3 linebacker sets or from the inside during the 4 linebacker situations. With another increase in TPE up to 1262 at time of selection, McMullet has reached a rating of 99 overall (100 at linebacker)
Douglas Quaid – Yellowknife Wraiths @HENDRIX 2.0
The last of the returning linebackers, Quaid is a seasoned veteran who will be used judiciously to maintain his optimal performance. Quaid’s performance as the third linebacker last year was admirable, totaling 84 tackles (10th in league for linebackers) with one fumble recovery (tied 8th for linebackers), 5 sacks (tied 14th for linebackers), one interception (tied 6th in league for interceptions), and 6 passes defensed (tied 13th in league for linebackers). Ideally Quaid will maintain a high level of play despite a likely reduced snap count, most likely only spelling the starters or coming in on 4 linebacker sets. After regression Quaid still managed to total 713 TPE at time of selection, leaving him with a rating of 93 overall (100 at linebacker).
Corner
Richard Leaking – Orange County Otters @ReverendOReily
Leaking will lead the cornerback group that returns all three cornerbacks from Season 30. This unit, along with the safeties rounding out the secondary, will aim to improve a lackluster performance from Season 30 that resulted in giving up the most passing yards in the conference and ranking 5th over in the league. They will also look to increase their passes defensed totals that landed them tied for 2nd to last with just 72, with the bright spot being a high conversion rate to interceptions, finishing 3rd in the league with 15 picks on the season. Leaking had an excellent year himself last season, totaling 89 tackles (4th in league for corners), one forced fumble (tied 8th for corners), 1 interception (tied 16th in league for corners), 17 passes defensed (tied 9th in league for corners), and one defensive touchdown (tied for 2nd in league for corners). Even better stats should come from his improved TPE, up to a second best on team 1322 at the time of selection, resulting in a 100 overall rating (100 for corner).
Redbeard McFredbeard – Colorado Yeti @Ephenssta
Returning to his cornerback position for the SWUS, McFredbeard is a player just entering the prime of his career and an excellent compliment to Leaking on the outside as the team’s new cornerback number two. During his run as third corner last season McFredbeard recorded 21 tackles (4th fewest in league for corners), one sack (tied 4th in league for corners), 2 interceptions (tied 10th in league for corners), and 6 passes defensed (tied 5th fewest in league for corners). With another season of improvement, McFredbeard has increased his TPE to 1020, giving him a rating of 100 overall (98 at corner).
Brandon Booker – Orange County Otters @Memento Mori
As the most seasoned member of the corner group Booker will help provide leadership and poise to the unit as he transitions from his spot as the second corner in Season 30 to the third corner this season. While playing starter reps for SWUS last season Booker was able to total 58 tackles (12th in league for corners), 3 interceptions (tied 4th in league for corners), and 13 passes defensed (tied 12th in league for corners). Even after a season with regression Booker comes in at 965 TPE at time of selection, resulting in a rating of 99 overall (100 for corner).
Safety
Matt "Son of Havoc" Cross – Philadelphia Liberty @J0EB
Another leader in the secondary returns for SWUS in Season 31, as Cross will again hold down the free safety spot in the defensive backfield. On his tour last season Cross was able to collect 29 tackles (2nd fewest in league for free safeties), 5 interceptions (2nd in league for free safeties), 9 passes defensed (tied 2nd in league for free safeties), and one defensive touchdown (tied 2nd in league for free safeties). It’s not a bad thing to have your safeties with few tackles as long as the players in front of him are stopping the play before it gets to them so ideally Cross will maintain a similar stat line, if not improved in the coming season. As another regression candidate Cross had regained up to 884 TPE at time of selection, giving him a rating of 99 overall (100 at safety).
Chathack’rius Smith IV – Austin Copperheads @Rockiesfan4ever
A backup to starting strong safety Derek Wildstar and core special teamer last year, Smith IV will now take a starting spot on the defense for Season 31. In his limited snaps at the position in Season 31 of the ISFL Smith IV racked up 21 tackles, one forced fumble, 2 sacks and 2 passes defensed. Smith IV will be counted on for both his defensive presence and to participate on special teams, so hopefully his increase in TPE up to 670 at the time of selection pays off, as he now is rated at 89 overall (85 for safety).
Kicker/Punter
Dallas Dole - Orange County Otters @Dallypole
Last on the roster, but certainly not least, is the special teams ace that handles both the kicking and punting duties, Dallas Dole. Dole looks to improve upon his Season 30 experience, where he was last in the league in field goal percentage at just 73.3 percent (22 made of 30 attempts) as well as his extra point percentage, converting 30 of 31 which was good for a hit rate of 96.8 percent. To be fair to Dole though, 6 of his missed field goal attempts came from over 50 yards, converting only 4 out of 10 attempts, and was 18 out of 20 from 49 yards and in, which would boost his percentage all the way to 90 percent for that range. Dole also converted a 55 yard field goal, good for third longest in the league. Ideally Dole doesn’t need to attempt as many long distance field goals this season and can stay within his 90 percent range. For his punting duties, Dole launched off 63 punts (tied 4th most in league) for 2896 yards (5th most in league) at an average of 46 yards per punt (5th in league), dropping 27 inside the 20 (4th in league) and booming a long of 69 (nice) yards (2nd longest in league). Improving his TPE up to 448 at the time of selection, Dole has a rating of 62 overall (81 at both kicker and punter).
With all the players listed I want to congratulate all the players who made the team and look forward to playing with each of you. Now let’s go out there and win some games
Word Count: 3875
Quarterback
Charlamagne Cortez – Arizona Outlaws @MrStennett
Cortez will be a key piece of the Season 31 Southwest United States team acting as the team’s signal caller on offense. As arguably the most important position in the game, Cortez will lead the offense to a hopefully potent passing attack and comes with the added experience of suiting up for the SWUS last offseason where he was in the running for League MVP. Cortez looks to improve his previous season’s stats of 67.9 completion percentage (3rd in league), 3634 yards (6th in league), 21 touchdowns (6th in league), and 9 interceptions (4th in league) with his improved TPE level up to 1221 during selection. While his Season 31 in the ISFL hasn’t been as good as either of his two previous years (he’s actually coming ff a career low in passer rating), Cortez has shown the ability to get the ball to open receivers and make plays when they need to be made, making him the easy choice for SWUS Season 31 QB. It helps to be the only eligible QB to choose from but considering Cortez has had great success in the ISFL and an overall rating of 99 (100 for QB) it would be hard to find a better choice even with other options. Cortez and the receivers will need to work together and click early as they look to improve from last year’s standings of 3rd in conference and 6th in the league in passing yards.
Running Back
Lonnie Jackson – Philadelphia Liberty @Exilate
The rushing attack certainly wasn’t the issue in Season 30 for the SWUS team, as they were second in the conference and third in the league in rushing yards per game. Jackson now steps into the primary ball carrier role after spending Season 30 as backup to starter Richard Gilbert, who has since retired. Backup isn’t quite the right term for the arrangement though, as a backfield by committee approach led to Gilbert rushing for 820 yards (6th in league) and Jackson right behind him rushing for 719 yards of his own (8th in league). Now that Jackson will be the lead man in a bell cow system, he looks to improve upon last year’s rush yards (previously stated), 4.1 yards per carry (13th in league), and 7 rushing touchdowns (tied 5th in league). In addition to his rushing output, Jackson will aspire to eclipse his receiving totals from the previous season hauling in 28 passes (5th in league for running backs), 196 receiving yards (8th in league for running backs) at 7 yards per catch (tied 13th in league for running backs), and one receiving touchdown (tied 9th in league for running backs). With a TPE boost up to 798 at the time of selection and an overall rating of 96 (90 for running back) Jackson should be able to handle the load as the main ball carrier for SWUS in Season 31 and hopefully at least keep the team on pace, if not exceeding Season 30’s rankings of 2nd in conference and 3rd in the league for rushing yards.
Wide Receiver
Mark Walker – Yellowknife Wraiths @deadlunatic
As with the two previous positions covered, continuity is the theme as three of the four receivers from the previous season will be back. The team’s Season 30 receiving yards leader, Walker will lead another strong receiving unit, one even better than the previous year. With the overall improvement of the players the receiving corps, along with Cortez at the helm, aim to finish above last season’s final standings from third in conference and sixth in the league in receiving yards. After a strong showing in Season 30 where he accrued 90 receptions (5th in league) for 1152 receiving yards (3rd in league) and 5 receiving touchdowns (tied 10th in league). Those numbers were good enough to lead the team in catches, yards, and tied for the lead in touchdowns. Walker looks to surpass each of those totals in Season 31, in fact the only stat Walker aims to lower are the 6 dropped passes from that season. He can accomplish this feat with his improved TPE of 1276, giving him an overall rating of 99 (100 as a receiver) at the time of selection.
Troy Abed – Berlin Fire Salamanders @noanic
Abed performed admirably last season as the third receiver in the SWUS wideout corps, totaling 51 catches (tied 25th in league) for 743 receiving yards (16th in league) and five receiving touchdowns (tied 10th in league). Relative to his teammates, Abed came in 2nd on the team in catches and yards, and tied Walker for the team lead in receiving touchdowns. In order to elevate himself from third receiver to his position as the second wide out option, Abed has increased his TPE to 913 at the time of selection, with an overall rating of 94 (90 at wide receiver).
Cole Maxwell – Colorado Yeti
Maxwell is the lone new addition to the SWUS team this year, however it is not his first rodeo in the WFC either. Last season Maxwell was drafted by Team Europe in the “Loaner Draft” after not being selected by his native SWUS team. Maxwell was Team Europe’s first option in the passing game, racking up 94 catches (tied 1st in league) for 963 yards (8th in league) and 4 touchdowns (tied 21st in league). It will be an adjustment to go from the team’s first option last WFC season to the third receiver on the depth chart, however Maxwell would have dropped to fourth on the depth chart anyway had last season second option Killian Chambers not gone inactive. Maxwell will likely not improve his statistics, except maybe touchdowns, but will try to match if not exceed them anyway as he comes back as a better player than before with 871 TPE at time of selection, making him rated 91 overall (89 at wide receiver).
Sam the Onion Man – Orange County Otters @Duilio05
The last of the returning receivers, Sam is again fourth on the depth chart, likely to come in only for the 4 wide sets, similar to last offseason. In that role Sam was able to pick up 9 receptions for 66 yards and a single touchdown. Ideally Sam can increase those numbers as his TPE has risen up to 837 at time of selection, giving him a rating of 90 overall (88 at wide receiver).
Tight End
Buffalo Hunter – Colorado Yeti @BOOM™
The SWUS team will regain both of its tight ends from Season 30, including Hunter. Last season Hunter held the second tight end spot and saw about half the amount of all stats that fellow tight end Zee Rechs did, where Hunter totaled 21 catches (2nd fewest among tight ends) for 159 receiving yards (2nd fewest among tight ends) and 2 touchdowns (tied 7th among tight ends). This season Hunter is now the top earner between the two as far as TPE is concerned with a total of 707 at time of selection, however his ranking still trails Rechs with an overall rating of 92 (83 for tight end). While this will still lead to Hunter being second on the depth chart there will likely be much more usage for him as a closer split with Rechs and an increased usage of two tight end packages.
Zee Rechs – Yellowknife Wraiths @ZootTX
The other of the two returning tight ends is none other than Rechs, who looks to keep pace with his impressive WFC Season 30 stat line of 47 catches (6th in league for tight ends) for 394 yards (5th in league for tight ends) and 4 touchdowns (tied 4th in league for tight ends). Even after a season of regression, Rechs still totals 685 TPE at time of selection, but maintains an overall rating of 97 (100 for tight end), which will keep Rechs in the starting position, although like stated in Hunter’s write up there will likely be many formations with both tight ends on the field either in 12 personnel or one of Hunter or Rechs acting as full back, which should give plenty of opportunity for both players to get looks and accumulate stats.
Offensive Line
Marlon Alexander – New York Silverbacks @platanocat
The offensive line returns two of its three previous members, with Alexander remaining the leader of the unit. Alexander performed well, accruing 53 pancakes with no sacks given up. With just a small regression before the season, Alexander worked his way back up to 1087 TPE at the time of selection to lead the offensive line unit, giving him a rating of 100 overall (100 at lineman).
Manhattan Project – Colorado Yeti @Modern_Duke
The second returning offensive lineman, Project will again suit for the SWUS team where during Season 30 he racked up 61 pancakes and allowed 4 sacks. Project has improved to reach a TPE of 881 at the time of selection, giving him a rating of 100 overall (96 at lineman)
Defensive End
Lucid Dreams – Philadelphia Liberty @Luciddreams702
The lone returning defensive end, and surprisingly the only defensive end on the team, Dreams is set to make a big leap from his previous Season 30 play time and stat lines. In his sparse role behind fellow defensive ends Marlon Brando (changed WFC teams) and James Cho (retired), Dreams collected only 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a surprising 3 sacks, which was better than 7 other defense ends in the league, including his own teammate Cho. Dreams has improved himself greatly since last offseason and now boasts a TPE of 665 at time of selection, giving him an overall rating of 91(82 for defensive end). Ideally with more playing time Dreams can continue his pace for sacks from Season 30, as the SWUS team was dead last in sacks last season with a dreadful 35, almost exactly half of the league leading Team World’s 69.
Defensive Tackle
Magnus Rikiya – Colorado Yeti @Tesla
Similar to Lucid Dreams, Rikiya is the only returning defensive end to the SWUS defensive line from Season 30, as previous teammates JJ Jay-Jamison Jr (not selected) and Chad ‘The Rig’ Simpson (appears to have retired) are replaced by the new faces of Fawn Dillmiballs and Daymond Brooks. Rikiya will be the anchor of the defensive line as not only the most seasoned veteran of the group, but also the top TPE earner thus far with 967 at time of selection (even after regression), giving him a rating of 100 overall (100 at defensive tackle). Last season Rikiya was a star at the defensive tackle position, collecting 58 tackles (tied 3rd in league for defensive tackles) with one tackle for loss (tied 6th in league for defensive tackles), two forced fumbles (tied 2nd in league for defensive tackles), 5 sacks (5th in league for defensive tackles) and collected the only safety for any defensive tackle that season. Rikiya will have plenty of work trying to help his team increase their tackle for loss totals from Season 30 where the SWUS team finished 5th in the league with 23
Fawn Dillmiballs – Sarasota Sailfish 675 @Booger
Dillmiballs is the first of the new defensive tackles to be introduced for Team SWUS but should be a stellar addition to the team. Coming off a solid Season 31 in the ISFL, Dillmiballs collected 45 tackles with one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and 2 sacks for the Sailfish, with a bonus of blocking both an extra point attempt and a field goal attempt during the season. With an impressive 675 TPE at time of selection, giving Dillmiballs a rating of 100 overall (100 at defensive tackle), there will likely be plenty of time for Dillmiballs to be on the field, either as the second defensive tackle in a four down lineman set or acting as the other defensive end when there are only three down linemen in the formation. With a combination of Rikiya and Dillmiballs on the field, the goal is for this season’s SWUS front to be much more stout against the run and finish better than 3rd in the conference and 6th in the league in terms of rushing yards allowed.
Daymond Brooks – Chicago Butchers @ForSucksFake
The final new face of the defensive line group is Brooks, who likely to be a solid contributor on the team as a rotational piece along the defensive line. This will be Brooks’s first experience in the WFC league, but in Season 31 of the ISFL he was able to put up 51 tackles with 8 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, and 5 sacks for the Chicago Butchers. After a season of regression Brooks has been left with 467 TPE at time of selection, giving him a rating of 90 overall (91 for defensive tackle). The ability to keep the defensive line fresh will be extremely important and having a solid rotation should help with that effort thanks to Brooks.
Linebacker
Jimi DeSoto – Philadelphia Liberty @Jimi64
DeSoto will lead arguably the largest strength of the Season 31 SWUS defensive team, the linebacker unit. Fortunately, that should be easy for one of the Season 30 Captains, as all three linebackers from the previous season return, plus the addition of a single new player to the group. Looking to improve upon a solid Season 30 outing where DeSoto collected 95 tackles (7th in league for linebackers and 10th in league) and 3 tackles for loss (tied 12th in league for linebackers), 1 sack (2nd fewest in league for linebackers), 1 interception (tied 6th in league for linebackers), and 9 passes defensed (tied 7th in league for linebackers), DeSoto has improved his total TPE to 1346 at time of selection which leads the SWUS team this year, leading to a rating of 98 overall (100 at linebacker).
Juan Domine – Chicago Butchers @Maglubiyet
The newcomer to Team SWUS, Domine is hot off a solid Season 31 ISFL outing where he totaled 111 tackles with 6 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles with one fumble recovery, 20 sacks, 2 interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one safety and a blocked punt. Domine’s presence will hopefully help those dreadful sack numbers from Season 30 as an edge rusher when the team lines up in a 4 linebacker set and maintain coverage on the running back or tight end in the 3 linebacker sets. Domine has really elevated himself in TPE, up to 1302 at the time of selection, giving a rating of 99 overall (100 for linebacker).
BamBam McMullet – Berlin Fire Salamanders @manicmav36
McMullet returns as the Season 30 leading tackler for SWUS and a key member of the defense. During his insanely productive campaign last offseason McMullet racked up 112 tackles (1st in league) with 8 tackles for loss (tied 3rd in league for linebackers), 1 forced fumble (tied 17th in league for linebackers), 8 sacks (tied 9th in league for linebackers), 1 interception (tied 6th in league for linebackers), and 8 passes defensed (tied 9th in league for linebackers). With a stout defensive line in front of him, McMullet looks to improve those numbers by filling gaps and breaking through the line either from the outside in 3 linebacker sets or from the inside during the 4 linebacker situations. With another increase in TPE up to 1262 at time of selection, McMullet has reached a rating of 99 overall (100 at linebacker)
Douglas Quaid – Yellowknife Wraiths @HENDRIX 2.0
The last of the returning linebackers, Quaid is a seasoned veteran who will be used judiciously to maintain his optimal performance. Quaid’s performance as the third linebacker last year was admirable, totaling 84 tackles (10th in league for linebackers) with one fumble recovery (tied 8th for linebackers), 5 sacks (tied 14th for linebackers), one interception (tied 6th in league for interceptions), and 6 passes defensed (tied 13th in league for linebackers). Ideally Quaid will maintain a high level of play despite a likely reduced snap count, most likely only spelling the starters or coming in on 4 linebacker sets. After regression Quaid still managed to total 713 TPE at time of selection, leaving him with a rating of 93 overall (100 at linebacker).
Corner
Richard Leaking – Orange County Otters @ReverendOReily
Leaking will lead the cornerback group that returns all three cornerbacks from Season 30. This unit, along with the safeties rounding out the secondary, will aim to improve a lackluster performance from Season 30 that resulted in giving up the most passing yards in the conference and ranking 5th over in the league. They will also look to increase their passes defensed totals that landed them tied for 2nd to last with just 72, with the bright spot being a high conversion rate to interceptions, finishing 3rd in the league with 15 picks on the season. Leaking had an excellent year himself last season, totaling 89 tackles (4th in league for corners), one forced fumble (tied 8th for corners), 1 interception (tied 16th in league for corners), 17 passes defensed (tied 9th in league for corners), and one defensive touchdown (tied for 2nd in league for corners). Even better stats should come from his improved TPE, up to a second best on team 1322 at the time of selection, resulting in a 100 overall rating (100 for corner).
Redbeard McFredbeard – Colorado Yeti @Ephenssta
Returning to his cornerback position for the SWUS, McFredbeard is a player just entering the prime of his career and an excellent compliment to Leaking on the outside as the team’s new cornerback number two. During his run as third corner last season McFredbeard recorded 21 tackles (4th fewest in league for corners), one sack (tied 4th in league for corners), 2 interceptions (tied 10th in league for corners), and 6 passes defensed (tied 5th fewest in league for corners). With another season of improvement, McFredbeard has increased his TPE to 1020, giving him a rating of 100 overall (98 at corner).
Brandon Booker – Orange County Otters @Memento Mori
As the most seasoned member of the corner group Booker will help provide leadership and poise to the unit as he transitions from his spot as the second corner in Season 30 to the third corner this season. While playing starter reps for SWUS last season Booker was able to total 58 tackles (12th in league for corners), 3 interceptions (tied 4th in league for corners), and 13 passes defensed (tied 12th in league for corners). Even after a season with regression Booker comes in at 965 TPE at time of selection, resulting in a rating of 99 overall (100 for corner).
Safety
Matt "Son of Havoc" Cross – Philadelphia Liberty @J0EB
Another leader in the secondary returns for SWUS in Season 31, as Cross will again hold down the free safety spot in the defensive backfield. On his tour last season Cross was able to collect 29 tackles (2nd fewest in league for free safeties), 5 interceptions (2nd in league for free safeties), 9 passes defensed (tied 2nd in league for free safeties), and one defensive touchdown (tied 2nd in league for free safeties). It’s not a bad thing to have your safeties with few tackles as long as the players in front of him are stopping the play before it gets to them so ideally Cross will maintain a similar stat line, if not improved in the coming season. As another regression candidate Cross had regained up to 884 TPE at time of selection, giving him a rating of 99 overall (100 at safety).
Chathack’rius Smith IV – Austin Copperheads @Rockiesfan4ever
A backup to starting strong safety Derek Wildstar and core special teamer last year, Smith IV will now take a starting spot on the defense for Season 31. In his limited snaps at the position in Season 31 of the ISFL Smith IV racked up 21 tackles, one forced fumble, 2 sacks and 2 passes defensed. Smith IV will be counted on for both his defensive presence and to participate on special teams, so hopefully his increase in TPE up to 670 at the time of selection pays off, as he now is rated at 89 overall (85 for safety).
Kicker/Punter
Dallas Dole - Orange County Otters @Dallypole
Last on the roster, but certainly not least, is the special teams ace that handles both the kicking and punting duties, Dallas Dole. Dole looks to improve upon his Season 30 experience, where he was last in the league in field goal percentage at just 73.3 percent (22 made of 30 attempts) as well as his extra point percentage, converting 30 of 31 which was good for a hit rate of 96.8 percent. To be fair to Dole though, 6 of his missed field goal attempts came from over 50 yards, converting only 4 out of 10 attempts, and was 18 out of 20 from 49 yards and in, which would boost his percentage all the way to 90 percent for that range. Dole also converted a 55 yard field goal, good for third longest in the league. Ideally Dole doesn’t need to attempt as many long distance field goals this season and can stay within his 90 percent range. For his punting duties, Dole launched off 63 punts (tied 4th most in league) for 2896 yards (5th most in league) at an average of 46 yards per punt (5th in league), dropping 27 inside the 20 (4th in league) and booming a long of 69 (nice) yards (2nd longest in league). Improving his TPE up to 448 at the time of selection, Dole has a rating of 62 overall (81 at both kicker and punter).
With all the players listed I want to congratulate all the players who made the team and look forward to playing with each of you. Now let’s go out there and win some games
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