(S24) - PT 3 - Midseason Mania

[snazzlepuss22]

Looking at the Minnesota Grey Ducks roster and deciding which if any of my fellow teammates may win awards this year is one of the easiest tasks because of 2 particular defensive players. 
Two linebackers with absolutely insane production rule opposing offenses and completely blow up the field on nearly every single play and those 2 linebackers are Alejandro Chainbreaker and Wasrabi Gleel. 
Chainbreaker sits atop the entire DSFL list with 62 tackles (3 which are tackles for loss), 1 forced fumble, 4 sacks and a pass defense and Gleel is sitting just below him with 54 tackles (2 tackles for loss), 3 sacks, an interception and 3 pass defenses. 

No currently defensive player matches their production when you compare all of the available categories which I believe won't slow down locking in these 2 for obvious nominations. 

I believe Chainbreaker should easily make Defensive player of the year as he emerges as the premier linebacker in the DSFL assuming his production continues. 

Gleel if his production continues could very easily nab the Defensive Rookie of the Year award being that he is so close to the top of the list for production. 

Look for these two players to continue to blow up opposing offenses as minnesota continues its huge amount of defensive production, hopefully Minnesota can put together some good games in the coming weeks because it would be a shame to see these players fall short of having an opportunity to compete in the DSFL playoffs.

[retrospace111]

Ah yes, awards. I would say awards has been a sore topic for me, which is weird considering I've made the Pro Bowl every year. It all started in the DSFL in my rookie season. I led the league in ints and I thought I had DBotY locked down. Unfortunately, the people voting thought it better to vote a safety with 2 ints over me, just because he had some sacks. Like it's not that hard to get those stats a safety compared to a cornerback but whatever. This was before they split DBotY into CbotY and SotY, so I was really unlucky. My rookie year in the ISFL, I got 4 ints, 12 PDs and 2 TDs. Those 2 TDs was a lot, and I thought that would count for some of my missing PDs and ints, but apparently not. I still made the pro bowl but I was robbed of DRotY that year. Ugarth the Dissector won it, which was really dumb because he's literally just a LB with sacks, and he did nothing special. 2 defensive touchdowns is so much more impressive, but hey, voters will vote. I also think there was a bit of bias at the time because the awards voting also happened to go on at the same time I was being punished for tampering? That's a story for another time. Anyways, I've had some poor experiences with awards, so I'm not expecting much in the future, but this season I'm doing ok, I would say. 3 ints through 8 games is pretty good. I've set myself up in good position, but the only problem is that the competition is stiff . Jim Waters has like 15 PDs and 4 ints, which is completely ridiculous. He's averaging double the amount of PDs I average, and he's like 80 less TPE than me. Doesn't make sense at all. And of course, Dermot decided he wants to be good, and somehow he has 5 ints through 8 games already. He's probably going to win CBotY, unless he just completely stutters, which is what happened to me last season and I was really mad. The last 5 games of last season I only got 2 PDs. Nothing else except for some tackles. Hopefully this 2nd half of the season will fare better for me. At this point, all I'm vying for is a pro bowl spot.

[Arvot]

It's halfway through the season and so far the London Royals defense has been staunch, with standout performances throughout. One of the names in the running for defensive player of the year has got to be linebacker Juan Domine.
Domine is top 10 tackles, and tackles for loss whilst being second overall in sacks with 5 in 6 games. Linebacker Domine is the heart of the number one Royals defence, posting great numbers in run and pass defense. With 45 tackles, 5 of those being tackles for loss, Domine continues to dominate opposition offenses. He can use his explosiveness to get into the backfield where he causes chaos and has the vision to eliminate any threats that make it past the d-line, adding (a top 15 in the league) 4 passes defended to his already impressive resume. His 5 sacks are evidence of his big-play potential and if he continues at this level of production I can see him topping many end of season charts in a number of categories.
The ultimate all-round defensive powerhouse will keep driving this league-leading defense and keep racking up the tackles. Who knows where this team can end up, if the offense can keep up with this spectacular defence the Royals could be in for a very special season indeed.

[Cincyfan96]

My Tijuana Luchadores have some tremendous individual performances going on to date. We are currently sitting at the end of week 6 at the time of this writing and I see several players who have a chance at awards at this point, which just points to the amazing job that our GMs did at building this team and that our players have done at earning and competing week in and week out. If you were in that Tijuana locker room, you'd know that it is rowdy right now! I cannot pick one or two players as a result of this because I want to give credit where credit is due. SO below you'll see my ELEVEN players from Tijuana whom I believe currently are contending for end of the season awards:

First, I think either of our RBs have a chance at RBOTY - Theeks and Mills are both running like crazy, but I'd currently give the edge to Mills, whose 6.2 YPC set the mark for the top 11 rushers in the league and only trails the current leader in yards by 18. As a true rookie, he's had a truly special first half of the season.

In contention for WROTY is Howlett, whose 439 yards are also third in the league and also oddly enough trail the leader by only 18 yards. He's going to need to get some more TDs on the board, but that's certainly manageable if the sim decides to show him a little love.

I cannot talk enough about our offensive line. They are SPECIAL. Mellott, Riposte, and Davis mark the 2nd, 3rd and 4th most pancakes this year and Mellott (no. 2) has yet to allow a sack. That is a crazy first half of the year and it seems to be currently between him and Stallworth for the OLOTY which should be fun to watch. All of these guys deserve honors though for the first half of their season. They're a big part of us being 4-2.

Our kicker may be a bot, but my gosh Burton has been a GOD. I gave him all kinds of crap about missing 2 preseason kicks and he apparently heard me! He's been a perfect 13 for 13 on FGs and I don't know if he's allowed to win but I sure think he should so far!

Now for my favorite, the defense! An early contender for DROTY would be Terry Tate, who as a number 4 LB paces the league in sacks with 6 and has added 4 PDs to that as well. His tackles may not be huge, but his playmaking has been tremendous and deserves consideration for this award.

Bowie is currently setting the pace for tackling safeties which should keep him in the conversation for SOTY, but he does need to make some big plays to add some appeal to his numbers when the voters are taking a look. A couple of picks or forced fumbles would go a long way to bolster his case. 

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Alexander-Arnold who leads the league with 2 picks and is second in PDs with 7. He has been a huge force to keep opponents in check and certainly has a shot at CBOTY.

Finally, in what has so far been a tremendous season for Linebackers across the league, Adam Schell has stayed squarely in contention for both LBOTY and DPOTY. He is currently sitting at 52 tackles (4th), 3 TFLs (14th), 2 FFs (2nd), 1 FR (5th), 4 sacks (3rd), and 3 PDs (21st). I truly believe that down the stretch this is going to be a two man race between Schell and Chainbreaker, who are both looking to continue their remarkable seasons and lead their teams to glory. This should certainly be fun to watch...

[Crunk]

The London Royals are a team built to share the ball and playing time rather than relying on individual performances, but still I believe that there are at least two worthy award candidates at this stage.

Gunner Thorbjornsson - WR - Offensive Player of the Year

Through six weeks, Thorbjornsson leads the DSFL in receiving yards, jointly leads the league in catches and is currently second in yards per catch. He is the true number one receiver in the best passing attack in the DSFL, is responsible for over a third of the Royals' total passing yards, and consistently gets yards after the catch. His award stock will be hurt by the fact that the Royals look elsewhere once they get to the end zone, but any committee would be foolish to overlook his production.

Jake Fencik - K/P - Punter of the Year

Jake Fencik has been responsible for gaining more field position than any other punter (or player) through the first 6 games of this season, and it's not even close to being close. Stats like average punt length and punts inside the 20 will presumably be considered when giving this award, but I feel that they are arbitrary and too heavily reliant on situation to bother with - Fencik has gained the Royals seventeen and a half field lengths of territory in six games, more than their league-leading passing game. How much more value could you ask for out of a punter?

[Ry_]

PBE PT

[Oneski]

Richard Leaking - Defensive Rookie of the Year Candidate
The case for Richard 'Dick' Leaking as defensive rookie of the year from the Dallas Birddogs is a simple one, he is a true modern day linebacker, a three down player impacting both phases of the game. With a respectable 37 tackles in 6 games, a number that would be higher if it wasn't for the considerable young defensive talent beside him, in Guy Fields, and in front of him on the Dallas D line, he truly stands out in his contribution to the Dallas pass defence. Leaking not only leads the Birddogs in sacks currently with three, he also is joint top in passes defended, with a monsterous six pass break ups. This is joint top for all linebackers currently in the DSFL. 
As you can clearly see, Leaking is already producing in all the areas you'd look for in a young and up and coming linebacker, impacting both the run game and asserting a level of dominance as an underneath defender in the passing game and very capable blitzer. The only knock currently on Leaking would be his lack of turnovers, but given the tightly contested nature of the DSFL and the predominance of the running game, errant passes are harder to come by, and those that are, Leaking is currently doing an excellent job of breaking up. His next step should be looking to turn some of those break ups in to interceptions and to try to dislodge the ball on some of the many tackles he's involved in. If he can make those steps, there's no doubt in my mind he'll find himself in contention for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

[Starboy]

Almost one of the big upsides on the Baltimore Hawks team has been the dominant force sitting along the defensive line. There always is at least one player pushing for an award on the line and this season it seems that it is another rookie in defensive tackle Tyler Mountain. Currently sitting with a powerful six tackle and two sack game against Honolulu which could put him up for a high defensive performance, Mountain also sits pretty high amongst the defensive tackles this season with his third spot for tackles in the position with twenty-eight. Fitting around the average for tackles for loss currently, he has not fallen behind there at all either and definitely not with his impressive four sacks. Mountain has also pushed himself into the turnover game with a surprising fumble recovery that only further pushes him up further for the rookie defensive players and for defensive tackle. At only the midpoint of the season, Tyler Mountain has gotten himself into a pretty spot for some powerful awards to get the Hawks back up on awards night. There is still plenty of time left for his impressive stats at a difficult position to further improve for his chance as a defensive rookie of the year and even a defensive tackle of the year.

[JSS]

SHL PT

[r0tzbua]

While midseason may not be that representative for end of season awards for the Dallas Birddogs I would totally say if Zoe Watts continues her current trajectory there is no question about that she should be easily getting Running Back of the Year in the DSFL. After a strong outing in season 23 where she finished fourth this year she is on track for an even better season and leads the RB leaderboard right now. With 594 yards, four touchdowns and an average of 5.3 yards per carry she shines on a team that is sadly underperforming this season. If her statistics remain like this as the featured back it won’t really be a question if she gets called up next year which will be a tough loss for Dallas.

On defense things are certainly less clear, and I don’t think Guy Fields is on track for anything special this season. He is the tackle leader on the team, but fails consistently to produce high impact plays. So even as a coverage linebacker his defending of passes is nothing to be excited about for now. Unless there will be a late season push I do not think he should or will be considered for anything. Of the other rookies on the team Richard “Dick” Leaking could be on track to be considered for a Linebacker award though. While the statistics don’t show anything special for now after a slow start, he has been ramping up his defensive production in the last few games and could be on track to overtake some of the other players on the defensive leaderboards.