I was very tempted to select myself, Mr. Honky Tonk Haywood, as the standout Philly player to spotlight for this write up. But I’m too humble for that. Even though Haywood is currently tied for 1st in total tackles amongst defensive tackles and is also ranked sixth across the league with five tackles for a loss, it wouldn’t be fair to use this time for that. Instead, I’d like to take a moment to highlight the play of rookie sensation, Xavier Walls. I’m sure I wont be the only Philly player showcasing Walls in their article – in part due to the underachieving nature of the majority of our players so far – but also due to the fact that Walls has been a revelation through half the season. It’s hard enough to come in to the ISFL and make a dent as a rookie, nevermind sitting in a tie for 3rd in total tackles, tied for 8th in tackles for a loss, tied-7th in interceptions, and tied-10th for passes defensed. I mean the guy is everywhere. He’s the only rookie in the top 50 for total tackles – and again he’s sitting there with the third highest total. It remains to be seen if Walls has piqued, but even if he comes back down to earth in the near future, he’ll still finish the season with one of the more impressive rookie linebacker performances in recent memory.
![[Image: haywoodsig.png]](https://i.ibb.co/jWrrj2B/haywoodsig.png)