*S18 Sports Center Returns With DSFL Coverage 3

[IsaStarcrossed]

Please split this 57% (5700 words) to @IsaStarcrossed, 31% (3100 words) to @Dylandeluxe, and 12% (1200 words) to @Hallmonitor_20

"Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the S18 Sports Center with Bjørn Ironside, Stacy Stanbul, and Jeremy Shoemaker. Bjørn, lead us off this morning."

“We now have most of the season behind us we’ve seen weeks nine through 12 fly by since our last report. These games made a lot of changes in the standings and had some upsets and exciting shifts with teams ending up not quite how I imagined they would a month ago. It’s been some exciting stuff, so let’s dive in.”

Path to the Draft

“Unfortunately due to time restraints and the lack of updates on a few players, we were unable to do path to the draft this week. It is highly unfortunate that we’re having to skip this exciting segment, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. People have lives and they can’t always just call in and let you know how their training is going this week. Instead of listing everyone out, I will share some fun information about this class! We currently have 45 players who have posted in the forums in the last seven days. We have 41 players who have adjusted their attributes in a way that required updating in the last seven days. We have 59 players who have at least logged into the forums in the last seven days. We have 27 players who communicate regularly in the rookie or S19 discords. As a class, we’ve contributed an additional 11,147 discord messages and over 350 forum posts to the community in just the past week. We’re rocking and rolling and getting ready for one of the biggest drafts the league has seen. Good luck to you all and keep it up.”

The State of the Game

“Now we’re moving into our State of the Game segment. This week we have a sit down with Tijuana Luchadores general manager TomHanks. As a team that is favored to win the Ultimus and is currently preparing for one of their biggest games of the season, I thought now would be a good chance to catch up and see how things were going there.”

Ironside: “Tijuana has been most people's favorites to win the Ultimini this season from day one. Now that the season is coming to a close, do you feel any added pressure knowing that expectation is out there?”

TomHanks: “We try not to let other people’s opinions get to us, but when it comes to winning, we put those expectations on ourselves. I couldn’t be happier with this roster. We have guys in every position putting in work week in and week out, and it’s been paying off. Scorp and I have added pressure on ourselves because we really want to reward all that hard work, but the team is giving absolutely everything they can. We’re going to try to get home field advantage, we’re going to try our damndest to win it all come playoffs. We have total belief in our locker room that we can do it, and the energy with all the guys is really incredible right now.”

Ironside: “In the week 13 match, Tijuana is going to be facing off against Portland in a game that very well may be the most important of your season. It all but decides home field advantage for the Ultimini. How important is this game to Tijuana and how confident are you going into this one? “

TomHanks: “I’m feeling good. Hesitantly good, but good. They have some really talented guys and a top performing QB, as well as home field advantage, but we still like our chances. We’ve been giving everything to get this win, but we know they’ve been doing the same in Portland. I’ll never bet against this team facing anyone at all, but road games against Portland have always been tough. We got the win last season, we intend to do the same this week.”

Ironside: “If you were to lose that week 13 match in Portland, what does that do to your confidence and your game planning going into the playoffs where you know it's likely you'll be going back to Portland to fight for the championship? “

TomHanks: “Well I don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves. We still have to get past San Antonio. Losing to Palm Beach my first season as GM taught me to never plan past a knockout game. We may have home field advantage there, but guys like Louisiana Purchase and the goodest boy Ruff Ruff cannot be overlooked. In any case, we know that home field advantage is huge and playing on the road is much tougher, but I have complete faith in my team at home or on the road against any team in the league. Obviously we want HFA secured the whole way through, but we’re confident we can win no matter what.”

Ironside: “Tijuana is currently has the first place spot in your conference locked up, giving you home field advantage in the first round against the San Antonio Marshals. How confident are you feeling about that matchup next week?”

TomHanks: “Being the top team in the league with HFA facing a team with a running back who can’t stop scoring TDs in the first round of the playoffs feels a little bit like S14 with the tables turned. Both rushing offenses have been very impressive this year. Tijuana has 2522 rushing yards and 20 rushing TDs. San Antonio has 2505 yards and 21 TDs. By yards they have the better pass defense, we have the better run defense. On paper it’s going to be a really fun matchup. They have the league leading 31 sacks which is wicked scary too. But we have a team that can and does win in the trenches, so we should be able to win this one. Our offensive and defensive lines have always been a priority, a fact I think will be on full display this game.”

Ironside: “Tijuana put a solid draft class together this season and now that the season is coming to an end, you know how it is shaking out. How do you feel about the young guys on your team? “

TomHanks: “A few guys we really expected to keep improving and putting in time have sadly departed, but the young guys have a ton of potential. Our 3 safeties of Howard Ryan, Joseph Wozniak, and Wayne Howyanow have been performing really well, getting in the backfield and swatting away passes and picking off quite a few, Tijuana is tied with Portland for most picks this season. We also have great corners in Caleb Beck, who has been shutting down wide receivers all season, often in one on one situations, and Zach Bailey to round out the secondary. Junior Lopez and Thudd Kassel have been an incredible linebacking corps racking up tackles all season and being a huge part of the run defense, with Ryan filling in in certain formations. Shane Masters is a returning guy on the defensive line, but he’s tied for leading the league in sacks with 7 right now and he will be a monster for Arizona next season. Offensively we of course have Bender B. Rodriguez leading the receivers and picking up big yards every week, Ducky Donut, Chase Osborn, and Fuzzy Dotson have been a very good running back rotation. Fuzzy I want to really highlight because he’s been playing mostly at full back and receiver this season. He had one game leading the team in receiving yards, but the real impact has been the blocking game. Our running backs wouldn’t be having the seasons they are without the big blocks Fuzzy is throwing out there, honorary member of the O line. Earl Sauce is a machine at tight end. Really great red zone target and great at sealing the edge on blocks, also honorary OL. On that note, the line is always what I have to highlight. Ulysses, Gordon, Bright, McCargue, Tu’inkuafe have continued the proud tradition of the strong line in Tijuana. These guys have made all the work this season worth it. Our quarterback Jordan McCann III is on his last season with us, and he has continued the efficient passing we came to expect last season. Leading this offense, he's done everything we've asked of him this season.”

Ironside: “The NSFL draft is just around the corner and you have a few players that are potential top picks. Do you have any comments or tips for players across the league entering this pivotal part of their career?”

TomHanks: “Don’t get the clap. Also, I can attest personally to the importance of your scouting interviews. Be yourselves, you don’t want to get drafted to somewhere you don’t fit, so make sure they know who you are. They can be huge not only for your draft stock, but to finding a team that you will be happiest at. Obviously where you end isn’t up to you, but GMs will often draft people they have a good feeling from.”

Ironside: “Now let us look at your own DSFL draft coming up. You guys own half of the entire first round. After having a strong season in this one, you go into a draft with a rich get richer opportunity. How excited are you for that experience?”

TomHanks: “You make us sound like the bad guys when you say the rich get richer, but I’m really freakin excited. There are some fun prospects already coming up and we love getting new guy energy in the locker room. We’re going in knowing that we’ve positioned ourselves to get some of the top guys, which will hopefully turn into guys who add to the culture we have already built in Tijuana. We’ve loved every draft class I’ve had in my time in Tijuana, and with the picks we have, we’re anticipating having another top class.”

“As you can see, Tijuana’s general manager isn’t leaving any stone unturned. As a GM you have to do a lot of preparation at all times of the year. This week, next week, the draft. You’ve always got something else to plan for and it is good to see that TomHanks isn’t getting too far ahead of himself. There is still a good bit of season yet and we’ll get to see how it all unfolds before our own eyes.”

Game Coverage

“Next up is our weekly game coverage. You know the drill by now! We hand it off to Stacy Stanbul and she takes a deep dive into this past month’s matchups and tells us how it all played out. So let’s get started! Stacy, what do you have for us this week?”

Week 9
Norfolk(2-7) @ Portland(7-2)6-20
Portland continued their march to home field advantage with a convincing 20-6 win over norfolk. Highlights of the game included Jay Cue emerging as the #1 QB prospect of his class throwing for almost 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. Saba Donut torched the Seawolves secondary for 23.6 yards per catch and a touchdown. I don’t expect to see him next year still in the DSFL. Defensively for the Pythons, LB VanJensen who has been relatively quiet this season broke out for 2 sacks and a couple of batted balls at the line. Standout Trae Bacon continues to dominate the front line racking up a whopping 8 tackles from the interior. At this point in the season with the playoffs seemingly out of reach, Norfolk is playing for proverbial pride and rookies try to impress NSFL scouts. Toriki tightens her stranglehold on the league rushing lead with another 133 yards. Quarterback Johnson Harding looks like he’s starting to put it together with a QB rating over 75+ for the first time in his short career. Defensive back Rector improved his draft stock picking of Jay Cue. But this game has deeper implications beyond the scoreboard. The Pythons win twice, having traded for Norfolks 1st rounder in the draft. So not only do they get the win they move themselves into the first spot in the upcoming draft.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Otto VanJensen(4 tackles, 2 Sacks, 2 Pass Deflections)
Otto was seen as raw prospect with a promising upside going into this season and this has been the first time the Pythons LB has flashed that full potential.

Disappointing Performance of the Game::Norfolks Defensive Coordinator
If you have been following this report for some time now you have seen me insert Bjorn here more than a couple times for his lack of impact on the boxscore. But after going back and reviewing game tape it has become quite obvious that Norfolk has not done enough scheme wise to put their generational talent to make the most impact he can.

Palm Beach(1-8) @ San Antonio(6-2-1)13-27
Helmet attempted an astounding 37 passes in a run heavy DFSL era. And he paid the price for it. The Marshalls defence took the QB down to the ground 6 times and had many more hits that don’t show on the stat sheet. I can hear the CTE setting in from here. The Solar Bears actually had a respectable defensive performance but a couple of missed kicks and another amazing return TD by Peter Parker put the otherwise competitive game out of reach. Mike “Tallboy” Franchet got to Helmet 2 times and stuffed another runner in the backfield. The dynamic SA duo had a respectable game but not their best outing of the season. But with mistake prone Palm Beach, it was enough to put the game away.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Mike “Tallboy” Franchet(3 Tackles, 1 TFL, 2 Sacks)
The beerman has cemented his status as the best defensive end prospect of the S18 class. Tackles league wide have had fits trying to keep this freight train out of the backfield and today was no different. On a stack defence, he is the biggest playmaker.

Disappointing Performance of the Game: Palm Beach Offensive Line
Even by Palm Beach standards this was an abysmal showing by the Solar Bears front line. The big boys upfront looked like the NY Subway turnstiles during rush hour. Stephen Hawking's dead corpse could have sacked Helmet today. GM’s Hall and Frost should look to reinforce the line in the offseason.

Tijuana(6-2-1) @ Kansas City(4-5)10-31
The Luchadores came out and fell flat on their face against the Coyotes. Veteran McCann struggled throwing a couple of interceptions and the Coyotes defence absolutely stuffed the Tijuana rushing game. Drake and Vincent gashed through the Luchadores for 298 rushing yards and 3 TD’s. While Virtanen didn’t have his normal volume tackles, he traded it in for frequent 3 and outs by the Lucha offence. On the flipside the only offensive standout for Tijuana was emerging receiver Bender Rodriguez who caught 6 passes for 80 yards. Safeties Howard Ryan and Wayne Howyanow did their best to keep their defence in the game with Ryan intercepting Longshaw and Wayne blocking a kick but the porous front 7 did not do enough to stop the Coyotes attack. Kansas City might be a real playoff contender turning it on at the right time.

Breakout Performance of the Game:The KC rushing attack[/](318 yards, 3 TD’s)
Drake and Vincent gashed and tore front seven of the Tijuana defence apart with Drake averaging almost 9 yards a carry, Vincent taking it 9.8 yards a pop. If they can keep up performances like this, look for KC to make some noise.

Disappointing performance of the Game:[b]Thudd Kassel(5 Tackles)
The heavy set linebacker had a hard time chasing the KC running backs to the edge and looked a step too slow the whole game. A performance like this might put a stop to the hype train regarding his stock in the upcoming NSFL draft.

Week 10
Norfolk(2-8) @ Palm Beach(2-8)3-17
Despite GM Zach Hall hyping up the new air raid Palm Beach offense, the Solar Bears came out with a run heavy offense that ran for over 200 yards on the ground. Norfolk QB Harding continues to struggle to adjust to the DSFL level and thus Norfolk once again turned to superstar RB Toriki with another 28 carries and 139 yards. The Michelin tire company needs to contact Marcella about a sponsorship because I don’t know any running back has that much tread on the tire. With both teams having traded away next year’s first round picks, neither has alot to play for this season other than recruits vying for slots on NSFL draft boards.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Marlo Smart(14 tackles, 1 Sack)
In a losing effort linebacker Marlo Smart has emerged as a second playmaker with Bjorn on the Norfolk defence. With 14 tackles and a sack his stock is on the rise.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:Baxter Frost
Despite winning kicker/GM Frost has not been reliable as of late. With two missed kicks last week, he followed it up going 1 of 2. We know he has the biggest leg in the league but he needs to hone in on putting the ball between the uprights, not the top row of the stands.

Portland(8-2) @ Kansas City(4-6)28-14
Jay Cue continued to show why he is the best QB in the DSFL and it is not close. He threw for an efficient 16 of 20 passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. Saba once again was his favorite target, catching 7 passes for 84 yards and a score. Rookie Jake Watson finally was implemented into the game plan catching 5 passes for 76 yards. With a missed FG and a lost fumble the Coyotes put themselves out of an otherwise competitive game. Longshaw, while not terrible was not consistent enough to pull out the win.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Jay Cue(16/20, 186 yards, 3 TD’s)
Mistake free performances from DSFL quarterbacks are far and few in between. Despite running backs getting all the shine at this level, Jay Cue has a legitimate argument for League MVP.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:Korrin Abernathy(8 Tackles)
9/10 when a corner has volume tackles it means they had a rough day at the job covering their man. And today was not the 1/10. Saba Donut ran circles around the rookie corner who just couldn’t stop the ball coming his way.

Tijuana(7-2-1) @ San Antonio(6-3-1)20-14
In a battle of ground games, the Luchadores combo of of Donut and Osborn with Dotson leading the way ran for 274 yards keeping the ball out of the Marshall’s hands. Fuzzy had a 27 yard scamper of his own. Ruff Ruff continues to show why he challenges Toriki for the title of best rusher in the league, going for 107 yards and touchdown. Hanyadi while not having the best day still contributed a touchdown of his own through the air. On the back end Howard and Howyanow emerge as a dynamic couple of playmakers for Tijuana again. Howard racked up 13 tackles and a TFL playing in the box while Wayne had 7 stops in the back end and a sack on a SS blitz. The Tallboy had a quiet day while getting extra attention but this opened up other players to get to McCann including Allen Josh and even Purchase on a CB blitz. Unfortunately for San Antonio the Tijuana rushing attack was just too much to handle in route to a Tijuana win.

Breakout Performance of the Game:C. Bassett(2/2 XP’s, 2/2 FG’s)
In a close battle, kicker Bassett was the difference maker as he connected on all 4 of his attempts. Having a sure thing inside of 50 yards must be a comfortable feeling for GM Jimmy Dugan.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:Bender Rodriguez(3 Catches, 22 yards)
After a series of great outings by the shifty receiver Bender did not have much success against LP. Catching only 3 balls while not completely his fault, is not what you want to see from your #1 receiver.

Week 11
Norfolk(2-9) @ Tijuana (8-2-1)0-26
When Norfolk can’t get bell cow Toriki going you know the Seawolves are in for a long day. The Luchadore defence clamped down Marcella to only 69 yards on 20 carries, giving her an abysmal 3.4 yards a carry. Johnson Harding did not provide any relief, only passing for 44 yards and an interception through the air. Tijuana dominated the Time of Possession 40:44 to 19:16 with Osborn and Donut both rushing for 125+ yards and QB McCann even getting in on the action with 34 rushing yards while throwing for 3 touchdowns. The only Seawolve that showed up to play it seems was Linebacker Marlo Smart who set the DSFL record with an amazing 25 tackles. He moves into top spot for the season.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Marlo Smart(25 Tackles)
Despite getting shut out it’s hard to ignore when someone sets a single game record regardless of the rest of the teams performance. Marlo’s performance of late has to have raised eyebrows from NSFL scouts, and he has an opportunity to place himself in the top of the all time single season record for tackles.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:Marcella Toriki(69 yards, 3.4ypc)
While not having their best game as a unit, the Norfolk O-line didn’t play necessarily bad. Toriki never had a run longer than 9 yards and ran sluggish all night. Is the tread on the tires finally starting to fall off?

Portland(9-2) @ Solar Bears(2-9)30-3
The “Yeet Bears” as GM Hall called them came out and tried to slang that thang all over the field today. And they accomplished their mission but they just slang it to the DB’s instead. QB Helmet attempted 43 passes and only completed 20 for 153 yards and 2 interceptions. The Pythons took advantage of the short field with Jay Cue throwing for two touchdowns. Saba Donut caught 5 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. DSFL’s most explosive player also returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown as well. Defensively Mervin Leonard patrolled the secondary picking off Helmet twice and batting few other passes away. The Pythons are shaping up to to be the favorites to win it all at this time in the season.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Mervin Leonard
Mervin is a proven commodity at the DSFL level at this point but has had a quite season overall. He reminded everybody how good he is in today’s game even if it was against bottom feeder Solar Bears.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:P. Helmet(20/43, 153 yards, 2 INT)
While asking Helmet to perform at a competent level is like asking Hellen Keller to play pin the tail on the donkey, he needed to show some life throwing the air raid to prove it is legitimate scheme in the DSFL. Throwing for less than 50% completion was not a good case for it. Maybe he just isn’t the one to do it.

Kansas City(5-6) @ San Antonio(6-4-1)16-14
Lucky Dickerson just might be the DSFL’s most clutch kicker. With just 18 seconds to go, Lucky nailed a 51 yard bomb of a kick to win the game, his second game winner of the year. The rushing attack of the Marshall’s did not produce like we have come to expect this game and have put themselves down a lap in a race for the conference Home Field Advantage race with Tijuana.
The Kansas City offence was not great but just good enough to put Dickerson in range 3 times to make clutch kicks. For the Marshall’s Baldari and Franchet did their best to stuff the run game of the Coyotes combining for 9 tackles and 5 TFL’s but the Marshalls could not get their signature turnovers like they had been all season and lost the game due to it.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Lucky Dickerson(1/1 XP’s, 3/3 FG’s)
Responsible for 10 of Kansas City’s 16 points it was difficult to put anyone here but Lucky.
The man has ice water in his veins or as some would call it, just dumb luck. If Kansas City can play a close game come playoffs they know they have the man to put it through the uprights when it matters.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:Stewart Little IV(2 Tackles)
After San Antonio gave up a first round pick for Stewart they expected a little more play making difference on the back end from the mousy man. 2 tackles and no passes defended is not going to cut it come playoff time when coaches ramp up the offensive gameplans.

Week 12
Portland(10-2) @ Norfolk(2-10)23-10
Stop me if you’ve heard this before but Portland rolls to another win behind the arm of Jay Cue. Portland is the first team to reach the 10 win marker and on the flip side Norfolk is our first 10 loss team of the season. Toriki got back on track a bit with 111 yards and a TD but once again Johnson Harding was about as useful as a toaster in the bathtub when throwing the ball. Jay Cue once again had a solid outing as he proves to be the DSFL’s most consistent passer. McTaco and NA both had great days combining for 241 yards and a touchdown. Marlo Smart followed up his 25 tackle game with another 15 while Grimmer picked up 11 and an interception of Jay Cue. Portland has Home Field Advantage for the NFC and should march into the Ultimini.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Paco McTaco(25 rushes, 141 yards, 4 catches)
While not scoring Mctaco kept the chains moving the whole game for Portland and allowed NA to come in on fresh legs to punch the ball in. McTaco gives Portland a proven threat at RB and makes their offence that much scarier.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:Johnson Harding
With only 2 games to go in the season, Harding is going to have to prove a lot if he plans to be QB1 for Norfolk next season. I think that they regret trading Gimmy at this point.

Kansas City(5-7) @ Palm Beach(3-9)10-13
Baxter Frost has redeemed himself with 2 clutch kicks in the 4th quarter to give the Solar Bears the win. Helmet avoided the big mistake and managed to complete 50% of his passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. Virtanen and Gaines both had big games but the rest of the team did not contribute much. On the offensive side Dexter Banks II shows why he serves to play at the next level catching 6 catches for 80 yards and a TD. While the rushing game was competent drives stalling out at the wrong times ended KCs chances of winning this ball game.

Breakout Performance of the Week:Baxter Frost(1/1XP’s, 2/2 FG’s)
Frost who has had some struggles in the kicking game this year came through with two clutch kicks in the 4th quarter. The first to tie the game with 7 minutes to go, and 1 to win the game with very little time left. Frost’s leg talent is worth a mid round flier in the upcoming draft.

San Antonio(6-5-1) @ Tijuana (9-2-1)13-23
The battle for first place in the SFC is officially over as San Antonio can’t stop its 3 game losing streak. Tijuana made the most of its opportunities despite struggling on offence. Howard Ryan has emerged as a certified stud for Tijuana as he collects another 10+ tackle game and this time adding a pick six to go with it. The passing game was ineffective for Tijuana but McCann did manage to find Jesse Jackson for its only offensive TD. Kicker Bassett accounted for 11 points and put the lead well out of San Antonio's reach.

Breakout Performance of the Game:Howard Ryan(12 Tackles, 1 int for 6)
Ryan’s emergence has cemented Tijuana’s defence as a legit unit. Taking on nickel duties and lining up as a LB in certain situations Howard’s presence couldn’t be ignored. This man is dangerous.

Disappointing Performance of the Game:Osborn(12 carries, 31 yards}
Tijuana won in spite of Osborn’s performance. Osborn didn’t run with much gusto as he was constantly stopped by arm tackles he normally breaks. Tijuana will need all of his effort if they want to win the Ultimini.

“This has been game coverage with Stacy Stanbul, back to you Bjørn.”

“Thank you for taking us deep into the action, Stacy. As you can see, as things have played out we’ve gotten a clear look at the playoff picture. All that’s left now is to decide home field advantage throughout and we’ll know what to expect during all of the end of season action.”
Bjørn
Position Analysis

“Now into our next segment, we’re going to be handing it down to Jeremy Shoemaker, our positional analyst. He loves diving into these position groups and seeing who performed the best on a monthly basis. As the season starts to close out, he’s getting a better look at these players and can really get into the details. It’s all yours, Jeremy. Take it away.”

Jeremy Shoemaker here and with the season winding down we are going to look at the players that the league can not stop talking about; The running backs.

The DSFL has always been known for its outside running backs throughout the years. The 2k rushers and the studs who lit up the stat sheet every week. This season has been no different as multiple stand out runners put up great stats so far this season.

First, let's take a look at the total yardage leaders. This stat shows just how well a runner has tore up the league. Yardage jumps off the page and is the first stat that your eyes are drawn to when you look at a running back.

M. Toriki - 1501 yards

D. Donut - 1279 yards

R. Ruff - 1254 yards

M. Hanyadi - 1188 yards

M. Vincent - 1090 yards

R. NA - 1086 yards

O. Drake - 1014 yards

P. McTaco - 1001 yards

This list shows all of the seasons 1000 yard rushers through the first 12 weeks of the season. The human scrabble board, Marcella "TƦ ?riki" Toriki leads the charge with a dominant 1501 yards. The Norfolk offense, which has been less than stellar, has featured Toriki prominently. She is pushing 220 yards more than the next best, Donut. Ruff and Hanyadi make up 3rd and 4th on the list which is huge as the two teammates have been a double barreled assault on opposing defenses. The Marshals backfield makes up for over 2500 yards thanks to these two. Kansas City and Portland both have two players make the list with the Coyotes Fullback, Drake, pairing with Vincent. The Solar Bears are the only team not make our list as their leading rusher, Utler, just misses 1k with 994 yards.

Now yards are great but to truly understand a runners efficiency you have to look at their yards per carry. It's easy to put up huge stats when you carry the ball more than anyone else. Let's take a look at the most effective runners in the league. (Minimum 100 attempts)

M. Vincent - 5.7 YPC

O. Drake - 5.7 YPC

R. Ruff - 5.4 YPC

R. NA - 5.4 YPC

P. McTaco - 5.2 YPC

M. Hanyadi - 5.1 YPC

J. Utler - 5.1 YPC

D. Donut - 4.8 YPC

C. Osborn - 4.8 YPC

C. Allan - 4.7 YPC

M. Toriki - 4.1 YPC

Kansas City's Vincent and Drake team up to tie at the top of our list both putting up outstanding 5.7 yards per carry. Vincent with 192 carries and Drake with 179 have been very effective runners with the ballmin their hands and leads the question as to why they don't have better yardage totals? Vincent is 5th in yardage and Drake is 7th. The obvious answer is that Vincent has only the 8th most carries so if he can handle a larger work load then Kansas City may have a superstar running back on their hands. The superstar duo of Ruff and Hanyadi are 3rd and 6th respectively while both are over 5 yards per carry. The league leader Toriki is on the bottom of our list as she can only muster up 4.1 yards per carry. Toriki's huge yardage total comes from her massive amount of carries, 364. Toriki leads the league in carries and has exactly 100 more than 2nd place Donut. To put it in perspective if Vincent had the same amount of carries he would have 2,075 yards through 12 games. This can be a positive for how good Vincent has been or for how much Norfolk has trusted their work horse Toriki.

Well yards can be looked at all days and in many ways but the biggest stat that wins ball games is touchdowns. Players can run up and down the field all day but if they can't break the plain of the endzone then their job isn't done. Let's take a look at the league touchdown leaders.

R. Ruff: marshals: - 13

D. Donut - 9

C. Osborn - 9

R. NA - 7

M. Hanyadi - 6

M. Vincent - 6

M. Toriki - 5

J. Utler - 5

O. Drake - 5

P. McTaco - 5

C. Allan - 5

Ruff has been a fantasy football machine racking up 13 touchdowns in 12 weeks. The cute little pup just can not be denied the endzone and has carried San Antonio this far into the season. His teammate Hanyadi comes in tied for 5th with 6 touchdowns which is still huge for the Marshal offense. Tijuana has two guys tied for 2nd at 9 touchdowns proving that running back by committee is successful when it comes to scoring points. Five runners are tied for seventh on the list with 5 touchdowns. One of them is league rushing leader Toriki who is Norfolk's lone runner on the list. Only having 5 touchdowns to her name shows why the Seawolves offense has struggled up to this point in the season.

This will end our breakdown on the leagues top running backs. There are many huge names who have big numbers in the first 12 weeks of the season that will look to continue their success heading into the playoffs.

The Other Shoe

This week the other shoe goes to Fuzzy Dotson, Full back for the Tijuana Luchadores. Fuzzy was drafted as a blocking running back that has since transferred to full back. Well what people may not know is that Fuzzy averages 6.2 yards per carry on 20 attempts. Yes I understand it's small sample size but for the fullback who many saw as nothing more than a small lineman has put up 124 yards so far this season with a 27 yard longest run. Fuzzy may be a weapon that teams will not plan for in the playoffs and be Tijuana's secret weapon. That's why Fuzzy gets this weeks other shoe.

“This has been Jeremy Shoemaker. Thank you, Bjørn. Passing it back to you.”

“Running backs are one of the most fun positions in the game of football. They’re prolific, explosive, and create some of the most fun plays we’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. They work hard and grind harder than almost anyone else. I appreciate you taking this dive for us to shine light on these illustrious players. Thank you, Jeremy.”

Power Rankings

“With only two weeks left to play, it has become pretty clear who the cream of the crop in the league are and who are simply not cut out to compete in this league. With two teams eliminated from playoffs, we’ve got a solid handle on this week’s power rankings.”

1. Portland Pythons 10-2: In our last segment, Portland had slid down this list by one spot due to a couple of tough losses. I thought there was a good chance that we were about to see this team begin to struggle as Tijuana and San Antonio caught up with them. I was absolutely wrong. This Portland team is first place in pretty much every defensive statistic in the league. Points allowed, total yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, passing yards allowed, forced turnovers, and even defensive touchdowns are led by the best defense in the DSFL. They've been on a dominant tear as teams struggle to score against this squad.If that wasn't enough, Portland also has the number one offense in the DSFL. They've led in points scored, total yards gained, and rushing yards. They've been unstoppable on both sides of the ball and it hasn't even been close. All of that said, this team has shown that it does struggle a bit against other top competition. They redeemed themselves a bit with a win over the Marshals in recent weeks, but it is their next game against Tijuana that everyone will be watching. This is a game where home field advantage through the playoffs and the Ultimini will be decided. This is a bigger event than most anyone in the league can imagine. When Portland has struggled, it has been on the road this season. At home? In Portland? They're undefeated and none of their games have been remotely close. When the Pythons are at home, they're a monstrous juggernaut that quite simply cannot be contained. If Portland wraps up home field advantage, I think we're looking at our new Ultimini champions.

2. Tijuana Luchadores 9-2-1: The Tijuana Luchadores slip down this week due to a demoralizing loss against the Kansas City Coyotes in week nine. I wanted to believe in this Tijuana squad. I've praised them and put them on a pedestal and have repeatedly told everyone who would listen that these guys were the favorites to win the Ultimini this season. What isn't to like? You have the best general managers in the DSFL, you have a stacked roster full of hard working players, and they have the second ranked defense in the league. I thought Tijuana had this season in the bag after their dominant wins over both Portland and San Antonio and if I am being fair, they still might. That said, I absolutely cannot trust a team that goes to Kansas City and gets absolutely stomped by the Coyotes. Even San Antonio put up more fight than Tijuana did. When this team has a lead and is winning, they have a tendency to snowball in a terrifying way. Their defense gets more aggressive, their offense runs more smoothly, and they become a steamroller that crushes whatever team happens to get in their way that week. When they are losing, it is an entirely hopeless endeavor in which they simply cannot get back into the game. Both of their losses on the season has seen them lose by three or more scores. Absolute embarrassments of games in which things got out of hand early. I question their ability to ever come back if they start to lose in the playoffs. That said, they may not have to worry about that too much. They have a huge upcoming game against the Pythons to decide home field advantage and if Tijuana can pull that game off, they become a much tougher team to beat on their way to the Ultimini.

3. Kansas City Coyotes 5-7: The Coyotes are on a huge upswing and are going the exact opposite direction of the flailing Marshals. They are a hard team to read at the moment, but they absolutely reek of phrase "any given Sunday". They can follow up a dominant win against Tijuana with a close loss against Palm Beach. They're better than any DSFL team at looking like a top team one game and looking like the unquestioned worst team in the league the next. All that said, over the last four weeks they've proven their ability to compete with the top teams. They absolutely humiliated Tijuana and actually marched into San Antonio and won there as well. They didn't roll over against Portland either. They're on the rise purely because of their ability to compete against top teams and now that they've locked in playoffs, that is exactly what they'll have to do. None of the games remaining on their schedule actually matter for this team, so it will be a good chance for them to test strategies and prepare. The only team that should even be on their radar now is the Portland Pythons. They've got two weeks to prepare for that game and that game alone while other teams still have home field and seeding to worry about. This team has shown that it is capable of the upsets, so I don't think you can sleep on them quite yet.

4. San Antonio Marshals 6-5-1: Oh how the cookie crumbles. Seriously, the Marshals have absolutely crumbled. As someone who thought San Antonio was going to be a top two team this season, their tumble has been tough to watch. After starting the season 4-1 on the back of a monstrous looking offense and a single close, unlucky loss on the road against Kansas City, everyone thought this team might be a juggernaut that would difficult to slow down. Since then, they've gone 2-4-1 over their last seven games. Since week five, San Antonio has gone from being one of the potential best teams in the league to being at the bottom. They simply do not seem to be capable of competing against the other playoff teams of late. Over the last five weeks they've suffered a 31 to 15 loss to Portland, a 20-14 loss to Tijuana, a 16 to 14 loss against Kansas City, and 23 to 13 loss against Tijuana in a second match up. I mentioned when talking about Tijuana that it is hard to trust a team that drops games to Kansas City. It is even harder to trust a team that is heading to the playoffs but their only real wins heading into the playoffs comes from the expansion teams. If this team can regain their form and get back into the shape they were in when this season started, I think they have a chance to go on the road and potentially compete for the Ultimini. If they stay on their current course, I think they get humiliated in the first round.

5. Palm Beach Solar Bears 3-9: I've been saying all season that despite how they started, this Solar Bears team was not a last place team. They've shown a lot of fight and determination to get where they are and now their record reflects my feelings for them. They closed out the month with a solid win over a rising Coyotes squad who has locked in a playoff spot. At this point in the season, the Solar Bears are playing for pride and now they can close out the season knowing they could at least be somewhat competitive against the top teams. The new GMs have absolutely turned this squad around and if they're given another season to compete, I think the entire league might be surprised about what they get from this team. They are only a few players from being a bottom feeder to potentially competing for a playoff spot. If I were the Marshals, I think I would be getting a little nervous about Palm Beach nipping at their heels. Other than that, the Solar Bears have a few positive points to take away from this season. They've had a decent defense, especially against the run and they've managed the most high flying pass offense in the DSFL. People called them crazy for even trying, but they pulled it off. I think this team is heading in the right direction and hopefully they can still pull off a couple more wins before the season closes out.

6. Norfolk Seawolves 2-10: Talking about how bad this team is doesn't even seem to be fair. Their only two wins on the season were against a Solar Bears team that didn't even have anyone calling plays. They were just out there smashing bodies together with no direction at all. Norfolk is dead last in almost every possible statistical category you can imagine and that will not change as this season closes out. Even their singular goal of getting Marcella T?riki to 2000 yards has fallen short. I could go on and on about how bad the Seawolves are, but even they are over it at this point. The players have elected to not even show up to their remaining games. Instead they are doing locker room building exercises and community outreach programs as they have Taco Sundays instead of game Sundays. Lead by locker room titan Bjørn Ironside, they've devoted their time to creating tacos and sharing them to the world. After all, smashing tacos with their fans will bring a lot more positive PR to this team than anything they could possibly manage on the field for the remainder of this season. Norfolk's stars have been looking exclusively towards the draft since week eight and excitement is building in Norfolk as it gets closer.

“With only two weeks left, there isn’t much more time to shake these rankings up. We clearly know who our top two and our bottom two are. The middle teams might switch up a bit, but we pretty much know what to expect from them by now. It should be interesting to see if we get any surprises in the coming month.”

Game Predictions

“Now we’re jumping into my favorite segment! Game predictions! This is the segment where I get to tick off everyone who thinks I’m wrong and then stick my fingers in my ears and go la la la la. Jokes aside, these are always fun to dive into and talk about who I think has the best chance of winning these. Let's get started.”

WEEK 13 - GAME ONE - Solar Bears @ Seawolves

Things have changed a lot for these two teams as the season has progressed. Once a campaign full of hopes and dreams and lofty aspirations has now turned to despair and surrender. Both of these teams are out of the playoff hunt and have been for a while now. Neither are really playing for anything because at this point there is nothing to prove between them. There has been a lot of talk between the teams about potentially canceling the game all together and having a taco eating contest at Bjørn Ironside's taco station in Norfolk instead. The reality is that the DSFL is going to force this game to happen despite the overwhelming lack of interest in anything that happens here. The Solar Bears are better with their new general managers. The Seawolves are worse than ever. It won't take a degree in rocket science to get a grasp of what happens in this one.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Palm Beach: Zach Hall - TE - Zach Hall has made steady progress through this season and since taking over the starting tight end position in Palm Beach, he's had a bit of an offensive explosion. He's been averaging four catches for 40 yards a game since the new regime came in and I think that production increases in the final two weeks. These guys don't have a lot to play for anymore, so helping Hall get up his numbers now that he's starting might be one of their primary goals.

Norfolk: Marcella T?riki - RB - T?ri2k is a dead dream now, but that doesn't mean that T?riki isn't still one of the best backs in this league. She currently leads the league in rushing yards and has really spent time developing her speed over the last couple weeks. I think she comes out in this game looking explosive and full capable of taking control. She might not get 2000 yards, but there is still an MVP race to worry about and she's in the thick of it. She'll be looking to run all over this Palm Beach defense in hopes of winning the award.

PREDICTION: Solar Bears 28 Seawolves 14

WEEK 13 - GAME TWO - Luchadores @ Pythons

This is the game of the week and likely the most important game left on the entire schedule. These two teams have been neck and neck in the power rankings all season long and there isn't too many things separating them from each other. The one thing we do know is that these two teams are absolutely dominant and near unbeatable at home. This game will absolutely decide who will be at home when the Ultimini rolls around and the impact of that cannot be emphasized enough. Both of these teams have only lost on the road and outside of a tie for Tijuana have been absolutely dominant at home. This game will be explosive as both teams desperately try to lock of this seeding. Unfortunately for Tijuana, Portland is at home and I think that gives them the edge.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tijuana: Thudd Kassel - LB - Thudd is one of the most dominant defensive players in the DSFL this season. He's been the heart and soul of a Tijuana defense that has been competing in the top two since opening kickoff. He's a play maker and a pace setter and he'll need to get off to an early start in this one. If Thudd can make his presence known against the rushing attack of Portland and slow them down, I think it'll be enough for Tijuana to have a chance in this one. Otherwise, it may be a long day for the Luchadores.

Portland: Jay Cue - QB - As this is a DSFL game, most of the attention will be on the run game. As unfortunate as it sometimes is, that is simply the world we live in a league where quarterbacks need time to develop. Luckily for Jay Cue, he's been developing and progressing at an impressive pace during the season and he's become one of our best young quarterbacks. With so much focus being on stopping Portland's top running attack, Jay Cue might have a chance to make a few plays and turn this game in the Python's favor.

PREDICTION: Luchadores 28 Portland 31

WEEK 13 - GAME THREE - Marshals @ Coyotes

The Marshals have been struggling of late against playoff teams. The Coyotes have been trending the opposite waters as they've been having success against playoff teams. Both of these teams have playoffs locked in and this game doesn't change that, but I feel like they both have a bit more to prove before this season closes out. This is San Antonio's chance to prove that they can at least compete against the top teams in the league and get rid of that monkey on their back that has haunted them for half the season now. Meanwhile the Coyotes are at home and it would be huge for morale to head into the playoffs know that they went 3-1 over the Marshals. Barring a huge upset, neither of these teams are on pace to compete in the Ultimini, but both can be capable of upsets if the situation presents itself.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

San Antonio: Ruff Ruff - RB - Four weeks ago, Ruff Ruff was a potential favorite to win MVP for the DSFL this season. San Antonio entered a rough series of games against the toughest rosters in the league and Ruff really began to struggle. His production dropped and he's no longer finding the end zone as often, but it hasn't all been on him. San Antonio's defensive meltdowns have put them down early in games, cause for the Marshals to move away from the run game at times to try and keep up on the scoreboard. Ruff is one of the best players on this team and if San Antonio wants to compete in the top four, they need to go back to focusing on what they do best.

Kansas City: Net Gaines - LB - While often viewed as the secondary linebacker on this team, Gaines has really made strides to improve this season. He's been a huge asset in both pass defense and pass rush as they use Virtanen for run stopping. He's really begun to develop in the role the set for him and he seems to get better every week that passes. San Antonio has gotten into a bad habit of leaning on the pass lately when they get behind. If that happens in this one, Gaines can have a monster game.

PREDICTION: Marshals 14 Coyotes 17

WEEK 14 - GAME ONE - Solar Bears @ Pythons

With everything being fair, this game should get ugly relatively fast. The Pythons are a monstrous obstacle to even consider facing when they're at home and that is exactly what Palm Beach must do in their last game of the season. The Pythons haven't even gotten remotely close to losing at home this season and despite Palm Beach's improvements of late, they really don't have a chance in this one. Still, it should be a fun game to watch as these Solar Bear players have their last chance to show out for scouts as the draft is just around the corner. I think Palm Beach can make a play here or there, but on paper these two teams are just too far apart for Palm Beach to actually make it competitive.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Palm Beach: Baxter Frost - K - It isn't often that you get to talk about a kicker in players to watch, but Frost is a special case. He found himself on a Solar Bears squad that has struggled offensively all season long and yet he's still managed a pretty decent season for a rookie kicker. He is the team's leading scorer and it isn't even close and his leg is a primary reason why they've even won the games they've found themselves victorious in this season. Frost has been a titan for this team all season long and I expect him to get a couple more good kicks in before this one is over.

Portland: Mike Hockhertz - S - Hockhertz has been a steady coverage man in the DSFL this season and has fulfilled his role in this top Portland defense. Unfortunately this is a run first league and Hockhertz hasn't been given too many chances to stand out on a loaded Pythons roster. I think that changes this week. Since new ownership has taken Palm Beach, they've become a pass heavy team that relies on big plays to get them down the field. This offense should play right into Hockhertz and his skill set and I think he's primed to potentially have a huge impact in this one.

PREDICTION: Solar Bears 13 Pythons 30

WEEK 14 - GAME TWO - Coyotes @ Luchadores

I expect this to be a revenge game for Tijuana. When the Luchadores went to Kansas City a couple weeks ago, I believe they went in too confident and chose to completely ignore this team. They didn't prepare as hard as they could have and it resulted in their most humiliating loss of the season. I don't think Tijuana makes the same mistake here. They'll be at home where they've been pretty dominant so far this season and this time they'll be ready for Kansas City. The Coyotes have shown a lot of improvements in recent weeks and have shown a capability of competing with the top teams. I think there is some opportunity for them to play spoiler in this one, but I think they might already be looking to next week.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kansas City: Korrin Abernathy - CB - Abernathy has been one of the top run support secondary players all season long. He's managed 84 tackles on the season including two tackles for a loss as he imposes his presence in offensive back fields on running plays. He's quick to read the play, he's quick to react, and he's one of the fastest guys in the DSFL. If he can live to his potential in this one and keep Ducky Donut from going wild once he makes it past the front seven, I think he gives Kansas City their best chance to win this game.

Tijuana: Bender B. Rodriguez - WR - Rodriguez is one of the best true rookie pass catchers in the DSFL. He's a big play highlight reel and he's been competing in the top five receivers all season long. Tijuana is at home and might be looking to make some big plays in this one to get back at KC for their loss. If Tijuana comes out firing, I expect Rodriguez will be a big part of their offensive attack and he could potentially put up some ugly numbers against one of the worst pass defenses in the league.

PREDICTION: Coyotes 14 Luchadores 35

WEEK 14 - GAME THREE - Marshals @ Seawolves

San Antonio has looked pretty dominant against the teams at the bottom of the standings. They've had some struggle with the big guys, but they put in the work and absolutely bully the expansion teams. Meanwhile, the Seawolves are absolutely dead in the water. We don't even know how many players are actually going to show up to this game. It's the last game of the season, should be a dominant show from the Marshals, and the Seawolves have absolutely nothing to play for. They make look to forfeit this one and go for tacos instead. They'll fly out to San Antonio because that's where the better tacos will be anyways. Fun aside, the Marshals should put this game away without much effort and go into the playoffs with a small confidence boost from kicking the puppies while they're down.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

San Antonio: Fabricio Baldari - DE - Everyone knows what Norfolk is going to do in this game. They're going to get their star running back as many carries as possible. Baldari has been dominant all season long against the run with his 28 tackles and 12 tackles for a loss. This is one of the hardest teams to run against because of Baldari and his partner in crime Franchet. He lives in his opponent's backfield and he'll be trying to make things difficult for Marcella T?riki all day long.

Norfolk: Samuel Bakhtiari - OL - You have one of the best offensive linemen in the league going up against the two best young run stuffers the DSFL has to offer. Bakhtiari has 43 pancakes on the season and has been an absolute monster as he had led the way for T?riki time and time again. He'll have his work cut out for him in this one if he wants to keep her from going down in the back field. The two have improved a lot on the synergy as their season has progressed and we'll see if Baktiari can come out on top in this battle and spring her free for big gains.

PREDICTION: Marshals 31 Seawolves 10

“With these predictions done, we’re set for the end of the season. I can’t wait to see if it plays out the way I have it written, but either way I think we’re in for an exciting close to the season as we head for the postseason. It’s been fun doing these with you guys and next time we’re here, we’ll be talking about playoffs.”

Closing

“Thank you all for diving into another week of DSFL coverage with us. We are going to continue to attempt to bring you all the DSFL news we can on a weekly basis. We love our viewers and want to bring you solid content for this league for as long as we can. I hope you guys continue to enjoy and join us on this journey. I am sorry that the draft tracker just didn’t work out this week and that you guys enjoyed my fun facts instead. This has been S18 Sports Center reporting, Bjørn Ironside signing off.”

[Frostbite]

Kicker Love ?

[goodfortunecoffee]

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