[div align=\\\"center\\\"]S15 Players Contending for OROY and DROY
By Robbie Fuel
Wish I could wait until next week, at the end of the Regular Season to post this, however, I am publishing this today because I know I won’t have the time due to work next week to update this info. Below is a selection of S15 players in their rookie NSFL season who are contending for Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Enjoy.[/div]
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Of the two awards, I think the Offensive Rookie of the Year will be a much easier choice for the voters. Probably for most people, S14 player Cooter Bigsby and S13 player Vander Jones are currently their frontrunners for OROY. Below are four S15 players that have been good enough this season to compete with Bigsby and Jones for OROY.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Brock Landers Wide Receiver - Arizona
Catches: 52 | Receiving Yards: 714 | Avg 13.7 | TDs 6[/div]
Brock Landers has been big time playmaker for the Outlaws fitting right in with the team’s scheme. Ignoring QB Reese, Landers has the third most All-purpose yards for the team and he is tied for second on the team for TDs. Comparing him to rest of the league, he is in the Top 10 for Receptions, Receiving Yards, and Receiving TDs. His impact on the team is no doubt a huge reason the Outlaws have a winning record currently and fighting for a playoff spot in a season that almost everyone thought they’d be last in the ASFC. If the Outlaws are able to earn the second playoff spot instead of Orange County, in my humble opinion, Brock's contribution in achieving that should make him the top contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Morgan Marshall Running Back - YKW
Attempts: 147 | Rush Yards: 609 | Avg 4.1 | TD: 6
Catches: 16 | Reception Yards: 80 | Avg 5 | TD: 0[/div]
Morgan Marshall has been tearing it up on the football field, however, that was not the expectations after the draft. Rewind before even the NSFL Draft started. The Wraiths had veteran Dick Wizardry and had signed free agent Jarrod Canton. When he was drafted, Marshall found himself at the bottom of the running back depth chart. With that mindset going into the S15 regular season, how surprised would you be to learn that Marshall has more Attempts, Rush Yards, and Rush TDs than Canton or Wizardry? Currently, he has 60 more attempts than Wizardry or Canton. Compared to all running backs, Marshall is 6th in Attempts, 6th in Yards, and 4th in TDs.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Apollo Reed Running Back - Orange County
Rush Attempts: 141 | Yards: 587 | Avg: 4.2 | TD: 5
Catches: 5 | Yards: 12 | Avg: 2.4 | TD: 0[/div]
Apollo Reed was drafted to the Orange County Otters in a similar position as Morgan Marshall, the Otters already had veterans Seer Zephyrous and Johnny Blaze. However in the same fashion as the Wraiths, Orange County gave their veteran running backs the receiver roles while Apollo Reed donned the lead role on rush plays. Apollo Reed is right behind Morgan Marshall in every rushing stat. These last three games could easily switch which of these two primary backs is above the other in stats at the end of the season.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Terry Taffy Running Back - Colorado
Attempts: 127 | Yards: 534 | Avg: 4.2 | TD: 4
Catches: 29 | Yards: 178 | Avg: 6.1 | TD: 3[/div]
Unlike his peers at YKW and OCO, Terry Taffy is truly stuck in a Running Back by Committee approach. Based on the stats between himself and Devo Cansino, it appears they are being used as close to 50/50 as is possible. Taffy is behind Cansino in Attempts and Yards by 7 and 36 respectively, but he does have 2 more TDs. Fortunately, Taffy has been the clear favorite over Cansino in the passing game, and this is where the Candy Man has sweetened his stats in comparison to his fellow rookies. As of now Terry Taffy has more All-purpose yards and All-purpose TDs than Morgan Marshall or Apollo Reed.
Special Note - The Tight Ends: Of the rookie Tight Ends, Cameron Olsen has been having the best season, largely due to his blocking stats. He has 4th most pancakes of all TEs while allowing 0 sacks. Should I have included him in the Front Runners? Maybe. The problem is I’m not entirely certain how Pancakes and Sacks Allowed compares to other stats like Catches and Yards.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
When introducing the offensive players, I noted that Offensive Rookie of the Year will probably be a lot easier than the DROY. The main reason is just the sheer number of defensive rookies playing at the NSFL level. There are almost twice as many rookies playing defense compared to offense. Even with choosing only 4 players to highlight, it was a challenge as to who to include and who not to.
What’s really exciting about this class of defensive players is that, unlike their offense counterparts, half of them have earned Defensive Player of Game(DPOG) awards. Both Richard D’Attoria and Walt Green have earned not just one, but two DPOG each. While currently not enough to make them the DROY front runner, if either of them earns a third DPOG before the end of the season, it could be enough to clinch the award. Of course S14 players Gekyume Stokeley and Leighton Lee have each built a solid stats resume this season too, having earned a DPOG each. Of the two I think Leighton Lee is the current clear favorite.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Quenton Bode Linebacker - New Orleans
Tackles :92 | TFL: 3 | FF: 1 | Sacks: 2 | INT: 1 | PD: 2
DPOG: Week 11 vs Colorado - 9 Tackles, 1 Interception[/div]
Quenton Bode is currently slaying the NSFL, fulfilling every expectation of the monster linebacker everyone thought he could be. Although he only recently got his first DPOG in Week 11, he has been all over the field bearing down on everyone. Currently, he sits at the 4th most tackles in the entire league. Unlike a few of his rookie peers who have also produced high tackle numbers, Bode has been able to add in a few extra stats to showcase all of his abilities. He is one of the few bright spots on the terrible season New Orleans has been having.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Richard D’Attoria V Safety - Philadelphia
Tackles: 43 | Sacks: 2 | INT: 3 | PD: 12
DPOG: Week 9 vs San Jose - 5 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Int
DPOG: Week 10 vs Orange County - 7 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Int[/div]
Richard D’Attoria V. What a name. No wonder he’s a frontrunner for DROY. I guess it helps that he also has two DPOG awards, in fact he was the first rookie this season to accomplish the feat. On top of that he earned those two DPOG in back to back weeks against SJS and OCO, with Philadelphia winning both the games. In the first Richard and his teammates shutout the SaberCats, and in the other they beat the Otters by 2 points. While his tackle totals pale in comparison to Bode’s and many others, I’m not going to argue against the sim for giving him two DPOG awards. He probably deserves it. Maybe.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Walt Green Safety - Baltimore
Tackles: 48 | TFL: 1 | FF: 1 | FR: 1 | Sacks: 2 | INT: 1 | PD: 3 | Safety: 1 | TD 1
DPOG Week 6: vs Philadelphia - 7 Tackles, 1 Int, 1 TD, 1 FR
DPOG Week 11: vs Orange County - 6 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Safety[/div]
While he wasn’t the first rookie to earn two DPOG this season, one of his DPOG performances significantly impacted the outcome of a game. The Week 6 game against Philadelphia was a blowout, and Baltimore was already in control of the win when Green earned his first pick 6 in the NSFL. However, in the Week 11 game against Orange County, it could be argued that Green’s sack-safety actually pushed his team to victory. At half time the score was tied at 14, looking to be a tough game for both teams. The third opened with three punts and an interception between the two teams. The scoring didn’t continue until halfway through the third quarter when Green sacked Showbiz for the safety. Baltimore’s ensuing drive resulted in a field goal. While both teams scored another TD each in the 4th, the final score was a 5 point difference. Walt Green is currently the only player in the entire NSFL with a stat in every category, not counting Blocks.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Fatih Terim Safety - Baltimore
Tackles: 40 | FF: 1 | Sack: 5 | INT: 2 | PD: 3
DPOG: Week 7 vs New Orleans - 4 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 1 Int[/div]
Maybe I am playing favorites. Feel free to argue with me on who you would select over Terim, there are plenty of rookies who are working just as hard. The reason I have him over others is that he is tied for most sacks by a rookie for the season. Let me help you understand the significance of having 5 sacks. After 11 games, the current sack leader Skarsgard is at 9. These are hard to come by. Currently, of the 60+ players with at least 30 tackles this season, only 12 have more sacks than Terim. Of those 12 players, only 2 are safeties like Terim. The rest are Linebackers and defensive linemen. So Terim currently has the third most sacks by a safety. The only other rookie with as many sacks as Terim is Leighton Lee who is a linebacker. The next highest sack total by a rookie is 2, which is shared by multiple players. I’m simply trying to say that having 5 sacks as a rookie safety is impressive.
The Rest
As I said above, there are a lot of players having incredible rookie seasons. For a number of reasons, I could have selected any of them instead of one of the above players. Here are a few others worth considering for DROY.
Defensive Linemen
Nero Alexander - YKW
Tackles: 32 | TFL: 5 | Sack: 2
DPOG: Week 6 vs Colorado - 5 Tackles, 2 Sacks
Ricardo Morris - Arizona
Tackles: 32 | FF: 1 | FR: 1 | TD: 1
DPOG: Week 2 vs Colorado - 6 Tackles, 1 FR, 1 TD
Linebackers
Mo Berry - Colorado
Tackles: 89 | TFL: 2 | PD: 3
Tony Gabagool - Colorado
Tackles: 71 | TFL: 2 | Sack: 1 | PD: 1
DPOG: Week 10 vs San Jose - 10 Tackles, 1 Sack
Rock Hardshaft - Philadelphia
Tackles: 76 | TFL: 1 | Sack: 1 | PD: 5
DPOG: Week 8 vs New Orleans - 11 Tackles, 1 Sack
Defensive Backs
Lucas Knight - Arizona
Tackles: 34 | INT: 2 | PD: 7 | TD: 1
DPOG: Week 10 vs Baltimore - 3 Tackles, 1 Int, 1 TD
Emondov Emoji - Philadelphia
Tackles: 60 | TFL: 1 | INT: 1 | PD: 9
Martavius Mack - Arizona
Tackles: 37 | INT: 4 | PD: 5
Lamont McKinnie - Arizona
Tackles: 67 | FR: 1 | PD: 1
Quentin Sinclair - Colorado
Tackles: 62 | INT: 1 | PD: 3
Deon Taylor - New Orleans
Tackles: 55 | INT: 3 | PD: 15
By Robbie Fuel
Wish I could wait until next week, at the end of the Regular Season to post this, however, I am publishing this today because I know I won’t have the time due to work next week to update this info. Below is a selection of S15 players in their rookie NSFL season who are contending for Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Enjoy.[/div]
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Of the two awards, I think the Offensive Rookie of the Year will be a much easier choice for the voters. Probably for most people, S14 player Cooter Bigsby and S13 player Vander Jones are currently their frontrunners for OROY. Below are four S15 players that have been good enough this season to compete with Bigsby and Jones for OROY.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Brock Landers Wide Receiver - Arizona
Catches: 52 | Receiving Yards: 714 | Avg 13.7 | TDs 6[/div]
Brock Landers has been big time playmaker for the Outlaws fitting right in with the team’s scheme. Ignoring QB Reese, Landers has the third most All-purpose yards for the team and he is tied for second on the team for TDs. Comparing him to rest of the league, he is in the Top 10 for Receptions, Receiving Yards, and Receiving TDs. His impact on the team is no doubt a huge reason the Outlaws have a winning record currently and fighting for a playoff spot in a season that almost everyone thought they’d be last in the ASFC. If the Outlaws are able to earn the second playoff spot instead of Orange County, in my humble opinion, Brock's contribution in achieving that should make him the top contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Morgan Marshall Running Back - YKW
Attempts: 147 | Rush Yards: 609 | Avg 4.1 | TD: 6
Catches: 16 | Reception Yards: 80 | Avg 5 | TD: 0[/div]
Morgan Marshall has been tearing it up on the football field, however, that was not the expectations after the draft. Rewind before even the NSFL Draft started. The Wraiths had veteran Dick Wizardry and had signed free agent Jarrod Canton. When he was drafted, Marshall found himself at the bottom of the running back depth chart. With that mindset going into the S15 regular season, how surprised would you be to learn that Marshall has more Attempts, Rush Yards, and Rush TDs than Canton or Wizardry? Currently, he has 60 more attempts than Wizardry or Canton. Compared to all running backs, Marshall is 6th in Attempts, 6th in Yards, and 4th in TDs.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Apollo Reed Running Back - Orange County
Rush Attempts: 141 | Yards: 587 | Avg: 4.2 | TD: 5
Catches: 5 | Yards: 12 | Avg: 2.4 | TD: 0[/div]
Apollo Reed was drafted to the Orange County Otters in a similar position as Morgan Marshall, the Otters already had veterans Seer Zephyrous and Johnny Blaze. However in the same fashion as the Wraiths, Orange County gave their veteran running backs the receiver roles while Apollo Reed donned the lead role on rush plays. Apollo Reed is right behind Morgan Marshall in every rushing stat. These last three games could easily switch which of these two primary backs is above the other in stats at the end of the season.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Terry Taffy Running Back - Colorado
Attempts: 127 | Yards: 534 | Avg: 4.2 | TD: 4
Catches: 29 | Yards: 178 | Avg: 6.1 | TD: 3[/div]
Unlike his peers at YKW and OCO, Terry Taffy is truly stuck in a Running Back by Committee approach. Based on the stats between himself and Devo Cansino, it appears they are being used as close to 50/50 as is possible. Taffy is behind Cansino in Attempts and Yards by 7 and 36 respectively, but he does have 2 more TDs. Fortunately, Taffy has been the clear favorite over Cansino in the passing game, and this is where the Candy Man has sweetened his stats in comparison to his fellow rookies. As of now Terry Taffy has more All-purpose yards and All-purpose TDs than Morgan Marshall or Apollo Reed.
Special Note - The Tight Ends: Of the rookie Tight Ends, Cameron Olsen has been having the best season, largely due to his blocking stats. He has 4th most pancakes of all TEs while allowing 0 sacks. Should I have included him in the Front Runners? Maybe. The problem is I’m not entirely certain how Pancakes and Sacks Allowed compares to other stats like Catches and Yards.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
When introducing the offensive players, I noted that Offensive Rookie of the Year will probably be a lot easier than the DROY. The main reason is just the sheer number of defensive rookies playing at the NSFL level. There are almost twice as many rookies playing defense compared to offense. Even with choosing only 4 players to highlight, it was a challenge as to who to include and who not to.
What’s really exciting about this class of defensive players is that, unlike their offense counterparts, half of them have earned Defensive Player of Game(DPOG) awards. Both Richard D’Attoria and Walt Green have earned not just one, but two DPOG each. While currently not enough to make them the DROY front runner, if either of them earns a third DPOG before the end of the season, it could be enough to clinch the award. Of course S14 players Gekyume Stokeley and Leighton Lee have each built a solid stats resume this season too, having earned a DPOG each. Of the two I think Leighton Lee is the current clear favorite.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Quenton Bode Linebacker - New Orleans
Tackles :92 | TFL: 3 | FF: 1 | Sacks: 2 | INT: 1 | PD: 2
DPOG: Week 11 vs Colorado - 9 Tackles, 1 Interception[/div]
Quenton Bode is currently slaying the NSFL, fulfilling every expectation of the monster linebacker everyone thought he could be. Although he only recently got his first DPOG in Week 11, he has been all over the field bearing down on everyone. Currently, he sits at the 4th most tackles in the entire league. Unlike a few of his rookie peers who have also produced high tackle numbers, Bode has been able to add in a few extra stats to showcase all of his abilities. He is one of the few bright spots on the terrible season New Orleans has been having.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Richard D’Attoria V Safety - Philadelphia
Tackles: 43 | Sacks: 2 | INT: 3 | PD: 12
DPOG: Week 9 vs San Jose - 5 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Int
DPOG: Week 10 vs Orange County - 7 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Int[/div]
Richard D’Attoria V. What a name. No wonder he’s a frontrunner for DROY. I guess it helps that he also has two DPOG awards, in fact he was the first rookie this season to accomplish the feat. On top of that he earned those two DPOG in back to back weeks against SJS and OCO, with Philadelphia winning both the games. In the first Richard and his teammates shutout the SaberCats, and in the other they beat the Otters by 2 points. While his tackle totals pale in comparison to Bode’s and many others, I’m not going to argue against the sim for giving him two DPOG awards. He probably deserves it. Maybe.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Walt Green Safety - Baltimore
Tackles: 48 | TFL: 1 | FF: 1 | FR: 1 | Sacks: 2 | INT: 1 | PD: 3 | Safety: 1 | TD 1
DPOG Week 6: vs Philadelphia - 7 Tackles, 1 Int, 1 TD, 1 FR
DPOG Week 11: vs Orange County - 6 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Safety[/div]
While he wasn’t the first rookie to earn two DPOG this season, one of his DPOG performances significantly impacted the outcome of a game. The Week 6 game against Philadelphia was a blowout, and Baltimore was already in control of the win when Green earned his first pick 6 in the NSFL. However, in the Week 11 game against Orange County, it could be argued that Green’s sack-safety actually pushed his team to victory. At half time the score was tied at 14, looking to be a tough game for both teams. The third opened with three punts and an interception between the two teams. The scoring didn’t continue until halfway through the third quarter when Green sacked Showbiz for the safety. Baltimore’s ensuing drive resulted in a field goal. While both teams scored another TD each in the 4th, the final score was a 5 point difference. Walt Green is currently the only player in the entire NSFL with a stat in every category, not counting Blocks.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Fatih Terim Safety - Baltimore
Tackles: 40 | FF: 1 | Sack: 5 | INT: 2 | PD: 3
DPOG: Week 7 vs New Orleans - 4 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 1 Int[/div]
Maybe I am playing favorites. Feel free to argue with me on who you would select over Terim, there are plenty of rookies who are working just as hard. The reason I have him over others is that he is tied for most sacks by a rookie for the season. Let me help you understand the significance of having 5 sacks. After 11 games, the current sack leader Skarsgard is at 9. These are hard to come by. Currently, of the 60+ players with at least 30 tackles this season, only 12 have more sacks than Terim. Of those 12 players, only 2 are safeties like Terim. The rest are Linebackers and defensive linemen. So Terim currently has the third most sacks by a safety. The only other rookie with as many sacks as Terim is Leighton Lee who is a linebacker. The next highest sack total by a rookie is 2, which is shared by multiple players. I’m simply trying to say that having 5 sacks as a rookie safety is impressive.
The Rest
As I said above, there are a lot of players having incredible rookie seasons. For a number of reasons, I could have selected any of them instead of one of the above players. Here are a few others worth considering for DROY.
Defensive Linemen
Nero Alexander - YKW
Tackles: 32 | TFL: 5 | Sack: 2
DPOG: Week 6 vs Colorado - 5 Tackles, 2 Sacks
Ricardo Morris - Arizona
Tackles: 32 | FF: 1 | FR: 1 | TD: 1
DPOG: Week 2 vs Colorado - 6 Tackles, 1 FR, 1 TD
Linebackers
Mo Berry - Colorado
Tackles: 89 | TFL: 2 | PD: 3
Tony Gabagool - Colorado
Tackles: 71 | TFL: 2 | Sack: 1 | PD: 1
DPOG: Week 10 vs San Jose - 10 Tackles, 1 Sack
Rock Hardshaft - Philadelphia
Tackles: 76 | TFL: 1 | Sack: 1 | PD: 5
DPOG: Week 8 vs New Orleans - 11 Tackles, 1 Sack
Defensive Backs
Lucas Knight - Arizona
Tackles: 34 | INT: 2 | PD: 7 | TD: 1
DPOG: Week 10 vs Baltimore - 3 Tackles, 1 Int, 1 TD
Emondov Emoji - Philadelphia
Tackles: 60 | TFL: 1 | INT: 1 | PD: 9
Martavius Mack - Arizona
Tackles: 37 | INT: 4 | PD: 5
Lamont McKinnie - Arizona
Tackles: 67 | FR: 1 | PD: 1
Quentin Sinclair - Colorado
Tackles: 62 | INT: 1 | PD: 3
Deon Taylor - New Orleans
Tackles: 55 | INT: 3 | PD: 15
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