The first two weeks of the DSFL season are in the bag, and with the huge influx of talent we got this year, let's talk about who stood out in all the right ways, and who could go early in the draft next year.
San Antonio Marshals
RB Morgan Marshall
No, the team wasn't named after him, but after watching him this week, you might believe that it was. Through two games, he's got an even 200 yards on the ground, good for 4th in the D-League, and four total touchdowns. His Week 2 game against KC was the stronger performance to me, where he seemed ripped off 6-10 yards almost at will. He hasn't broken off a huge run yet, but he's very hard to bring down on first contact, and with 81 speed, he could be due for a breakaway run any week now.
S Walt Green
Don't throw in Walt Green's direction. Bad things happen to those who do. He terrorized Solar Bears QB Apollo Lange in Week 1, snagging 2 INTs and deflecting 2 more passes, along with recording six tackles. In Week 2, KC were smart to not throw the ball his way (he only recorded one deflection), but he still contributed with a forced fumble, which he also recovered. Green was flying all over the field in both games, and he's going to quickly become someone teams need to gameplan for.
Norfolk Seawolves
RBs Apollo Reed and Dorfus Jimbo
The Seawolves ground attack is going to be nightmare fuel for opposing defenses. Jimbo is second in the D-League in rushing, while Reed is third, with 227 and 203 rushing yards respectively. The next best RB tandem in the league is San Antonio's Morgan Marshall and Max Vaz with over 100 fewer combined rushing yards. Both runners are blazing fast, and while Jimbo has the better hands and Reed is the more patient runner, and can find openings for big gains. Front sevens need to be ready for a fight with these two.
LB Allen Josh
The first overall pick in this year's prospect draft did not disappoint and is immediately pacing the field for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He took Portland's offensive line behind the woodshed, recording ten tackles, two sacks, and two pass defections. His 85 speed is crazy for a guy who just started and he can blow by offensive linemen with ease. The path to the DPotY trophy may run through Norfolk this year, and luckily for the rest of the D-League, he might not be there for long.
Portland Pythons
QB Franklin Armstrong
Quality quarterback play was hard to find through Week 2, which is understandable, a lot of these quarterbacks are still adjusting to the pro game, but Franklin Armstrong came out of the gate on fire. In Portland's 41-0 dismantling of Tijuana, Armstrong went 26/35 for 232 yards and a touchdown. And he spread the ball around masterfully, hitting nine different receivers. He slowed down a bit in their Week 2 loss to Norfolk, but Armstrong is still leading the league in passing yards through two weeks, and if he can get more consistent, he could lead Portland to being the top offense in the D-League.
TE Roman Stakowski
And who's on the receiving end of those throws? Well, most of the time it's Portland's star tight end, Roman Stakowski. In both of his games in lead BOTH teams in receptions, and is currently the league leader in that category with 14. But it's not just receiving where Stakowski shines, as he also leads the league in pancake blocks among non-OLinemen with 5. He's a well-rounded tight end who can do it all. He's already been drafted by the Arizona Outlaws, and when he eventually comes up, he'll be ready to tear it up.
Tijuana Luchadores
WR Rod Tidwell
The former Sun Devil standout came to play in Week 2's contest with Palm Beach, torching the Solar Bears defense to the tune of 9 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Tidwell's got soft hands and can muscle his way through contact. His Week 1 performance wasn't anything to write home about, but on an offense that couldn't get anything going, he still led the team in receptions and yards. If he keeps playing like this, he'll earn a nice little bonus soon. SHOW ME THE MONEY!
LB Johnny Slothface
There's nothing sloth-like about Johnny Slothface's level of play out there, besides maybe those long arms that he drags people to the ground with. If he hits you, there's a good chance you aren't going anywhere afterwards. He leads the Tijuana defense, both in terms of his leadership abilities and on the statline, where he's recorded 21 tackles, tied for a league lead. Even during the Luchadores Week 1 thrashing, he was still hustling and played hard until the final whistle. He's someone that this team can build around.
Palm Beach Solar Bears
RB Ludicolo Bigby
For a team that went 0-2 out the gate, the Solar Bears have a lot of potential, starting with Ludicolo Bigby, the bellcow of the Solar Bear offense. He's getting a huge workload, and he's making good use out it. He's got 266 rushing yards on the season on 58 attempts, both lead the league. He's fast, agile, and strong, and he's hard to bring down before he picks up at least five yards. Palm Beach may need to temper his carries a little bit to avoid wearing him out, but so far, he's the lynchpin of the Solar Bear offense.
LB Guy Nikko
Guy Nikko made Tijuana offensive linemen cry in Week 2, I saw it, it was very sad. Nikko roasted the Tijuana line and sacked Corvo Havran four times. Throw in another sack in Palm Beach's Week 1 match with San Antonio, and Nikko is well out in front in the race for the most sacks. This guy can get to the quarterback in an instant, and has the power to move people out of his way. He just needs to improve his tackling a little bit, and he'll be a dominant player in the league before he gets called up.
Kansas City Coyotes
WR J.N. Nova
J.N. Nova's been quiet during the offseason, but he showed up to play in Week 1. Whether it was Rose Jenkins or Ryan Leaf Jr. throwing the passes, Nova was coming down with them, snagging eight balls for 98 yards. He's a super dependable player, who gets first downs whenever he gets the ball, provided he doesn't drop them. Those were a big problem, but when he comes down with it, good things happen.
LB Buddha Lebowski
Buddha may be a man of peace off the field, but on it, he's a wrecking ball. He notched eight tackles in both of KC's games, and threw on two sacks and a safety in Week 2 vs. San Antonio. He's a consistent tackler who's good at finding his man, and bringing him down. He can be a leader of this KC defense if he keeps putting in the work.
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San Antonio Marshals RB Morgan Marshall
No, the team wasn't named after him, but after watching him this week, you might believe that it was. Through two games, he's got an even 200 yards on the ground, good for 4th in the D-League, and four total touchdowns. His Week 2 game against KC was the stronger performance to me, where he seemed ripped off 6-10 yards almost at will. He hasn't broken off a huge run yet, but he's very hard to bring down on first contact, and with 81 speed, he could be due for a breakaway run any week now.
S Walt Green
Don't throw in Walt Green's direction. Bad things happen to those who do. He terrorized Solar Bears QB Apollo Lange in Week 1, snagging 2 INTs and deflecting 2 more passes, along with recording six tackles. In Week 2, KC were smart to not throw the ball his way (he only recorded one deflection), but he still contributed with a forced fumble, which he also recovered. Green was flying all over the field in both games, and he's going to quickly become someone teams need to gameplan for.
Norfolk Seawolves RBs Apollo Reed and Dorfus Jimbo
The Seawolves ground attack is going to be nightmare fuel for opposing defenses. Jimbo is second in the D-League in rushing, while Reed is third, with 227 and 203 rushing yards respectively. The next best RB tandem in the league is San Antonio's Morgan Marshall and Max Vaz with over 100 fewer combined rushing yards. Both runners are blazing fast, and while Jimbo has the better hands and Reed is the more patient runner, and can find openings for big gains. Front sevens need to be ready for a fight with these two.
LB Allen Josh
The first overall pick in this year's prospect draft did not disappoint and is immediately pacing the field for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He took Portland's offensive line behind the woodshed, recording ten tackles, two sacks, and two pass defections. His 85 speed is crazy for a guy who just started and he can blow by offensive linemen with ease. The path to the DPotY trophy may run through Norfolk this year, and luckily for the rest of the D-League, he might not be there for long.
Portland Pythons QB Franklin Armstrong
Quality quarterback play was hard to find through Week 2, which is understandable, a lot of these quarterbacks are still adjusting to the pro game, but Franklin Armstrong came out of the gate on fire. In Portland's 41-0 dismantling of Tijuana, Armstrong went 26/35 for 232 yards and a touchdown. And he spread the ball around masterfully, hitting nine different receivers. He slowed down a bit in their Week 2 loss to Norfolk, but Armstrong is still leading the league in passing yards through two weeks, and if he can get more consistent, he could lead Portland to being the top offense in the D-League.
TE Roman Stakowski
And who's on the receiving end of those throws? Well, most of the time it's Portland's star tight end, Roman Stakowski. In both of his games in lead BOTH teams in receptions, and is currently the league leader in that category with 14. But it's not just receiving where Stakowski shines, as he also leads the league in pancake blocks among non-OLinemen with 5. He's a well-rounded tight end who can do it all. He's already been drafted by the Arizona Outlaws, and when he eventually comes up, he'll be ready to tear it up.
Tijuana Luchadores WR Rod Tidwell
The former Sun Devil standout came to play in Week 2's contest with Palm Beach, torching the Solar Bears defense to the tune of 9 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Tidwell's got soft hands and can muscle his way through contact. His Week 1 performance wasn't anything to write home about, but on an offense that couldn't get anything going, he still led the team in receptions and yards. If he keeps playing like this, he'll earn a nice little bonus soon. SHOW ME THE MONEY!
LB Johnny Slothface
There's nothing sloth-like about Johnny Slothface's level of play out there, besides maybe those long arms that he drags people to the ground with. If he hits you, there's a good chance you aren't going anywhere afterwards. He leads the Tijuana defense, both in terms of his leadership abilities and on the statline, where he's recorded 21 tackles, tied for a league lead. Even during the Luchadores Week 1 thrashing, he was still hustling and played hard until the final whistle. He's someone that this team can build around.
Palm Beach Solar Bears RB Ludicolo Bigby
For a team that went 0-2 out the gate, the Solar Bears have a lot of potential, starting with Ludicolo Bigby, the bellcow of the Solar Bear offense. He's getting a huge workload, and he's making good use out it. He's got 266 rushing yards on the season on 58 attempts, both lead the league. He's fast, agile, and strong, and he's hard to bring down before he picks up at least five yards. Palm Beach may need to temper his carries a little bit to avoid wearing him out, but so far, he's the lynchpin of the Solar Bear offense.
LB Guy Nikko
Guy Nikko made Tijuana offensive linemen cry in Week 2, I saw it, it was very sad. Nikko roasted the Tijuana line and sacked Corvo Havran four times. Throw in another sack in Palm Beach's Week 1 match with San Antonio, and Nikko is well out in front in the race for the most sacks. This guy can get to the quarterback in an instant, and has the power to move people out of his way. He just needs to improve his tackling a little bit, and he'll be a dominant player in the league before he gets called up.
Kansas City Coyotes WR J.N. Nova
J.N. Nova's been quiet during the offseason, but he showed up to play in Week 1. Whether it was Rose Jenkins or Ryan Leaf Jr. throwing the passes, Nova was coming down with them, snagging eight balls for 98 yards. He's a super dependable player, who gets first downs whenever he gets the ball, provided he doesn't drop them. Those were a big problem, but when he comes down with it, good things happen.
LB Buddha Lebowski
Buddha may be a man of peace off the field, but on it, he's a wrecking ball. He notched eight tackles in both of KC's games, and threw on two sacks and a safety in Week 2 vs. San Antonio. He's a consistent tackler who's good at finding his man, and bringing him down. He can be a leader of this KC defense if he keeps putting in the work.
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