*Defensive and Offensive RotY Candidates

[Moosecop]

Season 9 has just wrapped up and that means it's time to start looking at regular season awards. Who cares about those meaningless "playoff" games everyone seems to be mentioning? After going through the index I came up with this list of players that I think have the best claims to taking home this year's Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year trophies, the most important player awards in the league.

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]OFFENSE:

Zapp Brannigan | TE @pazuzu
2-time Ultimini champion Zapp Brannigan made his case for the best offensive rookie this season. After playing just one full season in the DSFL he was selected by the San Jose Sabercats in the second round and made the jump immediately to the top league. Quarterback Brad Pennington was in need of some weapons to grow alongside him in his young career and Brannigan provided just that for him. He came down with 56 catches for a respectable 391 yards, good for 6th most among tight ends, and 1 touchdown, a decent stat line for a guy who was splitting time with Tor Tuck Jr. Not only was he a solid threat as a receiver, he was a force in the blocking game. Over the course of the year he allowed just 1 lone sack on the entire season to the Otters while pancaking defenders 37 times, 2nd best among all tight ends behind only Verso L'Alto of the Baltimore Hawks.

Alvin Chipmunk | TE @andybj
Here we have ourselves another tight end, this time Alvin Chipmunk of the Colorado Yeti. He was taken two drafts ago in Season 7 in the second round but would end up remaining in the DSFL to play for the San Antonio Marshals before finally getting the call-up this year. The Yeti has some amazing playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and Chipmunk still managed to produce a solid stat line. He snagged himself 67 catches from Applehort for 504 yards, 4th best among all tight ends but was unable to bring in any scores. For him as a blocker, he went the entire season not allowing a single sack but was less of a force than Brannigan was as he only managed to record 16 pancakes.

Kevin Fitzpatrick | QB @kckolbe
As we've seen the past few seasons, rookie quarterbacks are in for some hurt, especially if they only have 1 full DSFL season under their belt. Kevin Fitzpatrick, unfortunately, is no exception to that rule, however, he still managed to put up some decent stats after being thrust into the starting quarterback role for the Outlaws after being selected by them 10th overall in last seasons draft. He completed 57.5 percent of his throws, accumulating 2822 yards in the air, 14 touchdowns, and, his personal favorite stat, a tany/a of 3.3, just .1 yards behind sophomore Pennington. He wasn't exactly what you'd call a "dual threat", but he did take off and run 22 times for 70, 3rd most among quarterbacks.

Honorable Mention: San Jose Sabercats RB D.J. Riddick

Verdict: Unfortunately for Brannigan, splitting time and catches with Tuck Jr. may have hurt his ORoY chances just enough. Fitzpatrick came into a tough situation in the toughest position and played well. I think the Outlaws QB takes home this award.

DEFENSE:

Bucky Barnes | SS @me
Taken 2nd overall by the Arizona Outlaws in the Season 9 draft is safety Bucky Barnes who is for sure going to give voters something to think about. Another guy who made the jump into an NSFL starting job after playing only a single year in the developmental league, he came in and played well in the strong safety position. He came in this season racked up 73 tackles, 4 sacks, good for 5th most among safeties, picked off opposing quarterbacks 2 times, and knocked down 3 passes. A good all-around stat line for a young defensive back.

Alexandre Thibault | FS @`The_King`
Again we have a safety making a strong case for the defensive rookie award. Colorado Yeti's Alexandre Thibault came into Season 9 after being selected 7th overall and made a splash for that young and upcoming defense immediately. Unlike Barnes, he played his snaps as the team's free safety and put together a stat sheet of 55 tackles, 4 interceptions, tied with a bunch of players for 5th most in the league, defended 5 passes, and took back one of those INTs for a touchdown. While he may not have been as disruptive in the backfield he was a huge threat to provide turnovers for his squad.

Brock Weathers III | DE @BWIII
Here we've got a defensive player from the Season 8 draft, Brock Weathers III. He was taken with the last pick in the first round at 8th overall then, played down in the DSFL an extra year even switching positions from linebacker to defensive end, then came up for Philadelphia this season and provided a good season. Defensive end isn't exactly known for putting up tons of stats but he played well bringing down the ball carrier 45 times, getting to the quarterback for a sack 6 times, forcing a fumble, and getting into the backfield for 7 tackles for a loss, 7th most in the league. Good numbers for a guy who was on the league's worst defense.

Honorable Mention: Philadelphia Liberty DT Mark David

Verdict: Getting the ball back to your team is something every defensive player is designed to do. Thibault did that better than any rookie this season with his 4 picks and touchdown. I won't be surprised to see the young Yeti safety taking home the DRotY. (Vote for Barnes anyway though )[/div]

[Muford]

Awesome Write Up! I honestly thought it was gonna be about the DSFL when I first clicked on it though

[kckolbe]

Thanks for the vote!

[adam2552]

Beat Meoff is the clear cut Offensive Rookie of the Year and oddly missing form this list. Dude outscored all of those guys combined.

[Moosecop]

But how many touchdowns did he have?

[adam2552]

But how many touchdowns did he have?

The same amount as Chipmunk, and 1 less than Brannigan. And while Fitzpatrick did throw for 14 TDs, Beat Meoff didn't throw 22 interceptions like Fitz also did.

[kckolbe]

The same amount as Chipmunk, and 1 less than Brannigan.  And while Fitzpatrick did throw for 14 TDs, Beat Meoff didn't throw 22 interceptions like Fitz also did.

Meoff actually had a pretty solid year. But 22 interceptions isn't much for a rookie anymore.

Applehort and Pennington combined for 11 TDs and 52 INTs. I had 14 TDs, more than both combined, and only 22 INTs, less than half their total.

[YoungTB]

4 past Marshals on here, that's not a coincidence

[manicmav36]

I had 14 TDs, more than both combined, and only 22 INTs, less than half their total.

Applehort actualy threw less INTs and had a better INT%. I will agree that Fitzpatrick definitely had a better season overall though.

[kckolbe]

Applehort actualy threw less INTs and had a better INT%. I will agree that Fitzpatrick definitely had a better season overall though.

I found the INT % surprising, because his accuracy was so bad. But he also got sacked more than twice as often as Fitz did, so maybe Fitz happened to throw when being hit as opposed to just taking the sack? I dunno. Or maybe once accuracy drops too low, INTs become less likely. Noble was very lucky on INTs as well last year.

I'm definitely not worried about being compared to Applehort, though. He still holds a couple of worst season ever records (sacks taken and TD:INT ratio)