Tier 3: PBE PT +2.5 TPE
Tier 2: Short Form Task 7 +5 TPE
I would have to admit that I am very pleased with Jed Podolak’s career up to this point. I landed on the Tijuana Luchadores as a waiver wire pick up and very few expectations. I joined the league because, although baseball is my clear favorite among all sports, I do like football and FrickNasty kept badgering to join.
I created a running back and immediately started wracking up huge yardage for the Luchadores. In S18, Jed ran for 1,392 yards and 9 Tds (5.5 ypc) and in S19 uppped those totals to 1,544 and 11 (5.4 ypc). Jed even had a 99 yard TD run in S18 which was a real hoot and a highlight of his DSFL career.
When Jed was drafted by the New Orleans Second Line with the 3rd pick of the 2nd round of the S19 rookie draft, he found a crowded backfield in the Big Easy and made the switch to wide receiver. This he did willingly, but not entirely enthusiastically. But the move made sense for the team and Jed’s playing time and so in S20 he began his career as a receiver pulling down 34 receptions for 325 yards and 5 TDs. Not a bad rookie year as the third option on a team known for its running game. S20 turned out to be a fun year and I had a lot of fun with Jed’s new position.
Podolak moved up to WR2 in S21 and his production jumped accordingly. He scored the same number of TDs (5), but increased his receptions from 34 to 50 and more than doubled his yardage from 325 to 782. This made for a very fun year which was, of course, capped of with a Championship run with New Orleans – my first and only championship across six sim leagues in 3 different sports. It was only with this breakout year that I began to have any expectations of a great career.
From Ultimus Champion to expansion team in one giant leap, but only one year. S22 saw Jed go to the Honolulu Hahaluas as their second pick in the expansion draft. You would think that would be a let down being immediately “released” by the champions to go to an expansion team, but it actually very much excited me. I was slated to become the WR1 in New Orleans in S22, but that was assured in Honolulu and it felt great to be looked to as a leader on a new team and the chance to build from the beginning was exciting.
What a fun year it was in Honolulu’s first year of existence! We may have only won 4 games (still pretty good in expansion), but the building blocks are present, the GMs excellent, the LR positive and the future is bright! I’d love to win my second championship with this team and put Hawaii on the map as a football paradise.
And Jed continued to improve. His 984 yards receiving were a new career high and just short of the magical 1,000 yard mark that we can hope for in S23. Only 5 receivers put 1,000+ yards on the board in S22 (Donut, Swift, Tidwell, Thomas-Fox, and O’Leary) so that would put Podolak squarely among the elite.
So, do I see myself on an award winning trajectory? For a guy who came in with little to no expectations, I’m having to adjust to feeling like “yeah, this guy has a shot at an award someday”. Hall of Fame? Very lofty aspiration. But does he have an outside chance? I actually think so. It’s nowhere near a lock – but it does seem a possibility.
Tier 2: Short Form Task 7 +5 TPE
I would have to admit that I am very pleased with Jed Podolak’s career up to this point. I landed on the Tijuana Luchadores as a waiver wire pick up and very few expectations. I joined the league because, although baseball is my clear favorite among all sports, I do like football and FrickNasty kept badgering to join.
I created a running back and immediately started wracking up huge yardage for the Luchadores. In S18, Jed ran for 1,392 yards and 9 Tds (5.5 ypc) and in S19 uppped those totals to 1,544 and 11 (5.4 ypc). Jed even had a 99 yard TD run in S18 which was a real hoot and a highlight of his DSFL career.
When Jed was drafted by the New Orleans Second Line with the 3rd pick of the 2nd round of the S19 rookie draft, he found a crowded backfield in the Big Easy and made the switch to wide receiver. This he did willingly, but not entirely enthusiastically. But the move made sense for the team and Jed’s playing time and so in S20 he began his career as a receiver pulling down 34 receptions for 325 yards and 5 TDs. Not a bad rookie year as the third option on a team known for its running game. S20 turned out to be a fun year and I had a lot of fun with Jed’s new position.
Podolak moved up to WR2 in S21 and his production jumped accordingly. He scored the same number of TDs (5), but increased his receptions from 34 to 50 and more than doubled his yardage from 325 to 782. This made for a very fun year which was, of course, capped of with a Championship run with New Orleans – my first and only championship across six sim leagues in 3 different sports. It was only with this breakout year that I began to have any expectations of a great career.
From Ultimus Champion to expansion team in one giant leap, but only one year. S22 saw Jed go to the Honolulu Hahaluas as their second pick in the expansion draft. You would think that would be a let down being immediately “released” by the champions to go to an expansion team, but it actually very much excited me. I was slated to become the WR1 in New Orleans in S22, but that was assured in Honolulu and it felt great to be looked to as a leader on a new team and the chance to build from the beginning was exciting.
What a fun year it was in Honolulu’s first year of existence! We may have only won 4 games (still pretty good in expansion), but the building blocks are present, the GMs excellent, the LR positive and the future is bright! I’d love to win my second championship with this team and put Hawaii on the map as a football paradise.
And Jed continued to improve. His 984 yards receiving were a new career high and just short of the magical 1,000 yard mark that we can hope for in S23. Only 5 receivers put 1,000+ yards on the board in S22 (Donut, Swift, Tidwell, Thomas-Fox, and O’Leary) so that would put Podolak squarely among the elite.
So, do I see myself on an award winning trajectory? For a guy who came in with little to no expectations, I’m having to adjust to feeling like “yeah, this guy has a shot at an award someday”. Hall of Fame? Very lofty aspiration. But does he have an outside chance? I actually think so. It’s nowhere near a lock – but it does seem a possibility.
