Well another week done and it’s another week closer to the DSFL playoffs – time sure flies by in this league. I have to say that this current crop of DSFL rookies are hyper engaged, and if I’m a NSFL GM then I’m getting excited about a pretty deep draft with lots of good talent. Which is surprising, considering how small the DSFL draft was this year.
On that note, @tbone415 feel free to start ramping up recruitment efforts now that trade deadline is past and we can start building the S8 class. I’ll talk about some of those S8 prospects who’ve already joined and decided to hold out until trade deadline, but in general I think I speak for all DSFL GMs, but especially those in Portland and Tijuana, when I say let’s get the ball rolling.
The DSFL draft this year looks to be more traditional with most teams holding their own picks. Compared to the crazy draft last season with us in SA having 4 top two round picks, and POR only having one pick in the first four rounds, I’m looking forward to the more competitive nature I’d expect in a traditional draft.
But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. The Marshals clinched top seed in the SFC and are guaranteed homefield in the SFC Playoffs – a huge advantage and a great opportunity to make a deep playoff run and maybe bring back the Ultimus.
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1. I was watching the stream on my phone last night during the KC v TIJ game and hot damn @`BenLongshaw`’s Howard Miller is tearing it up. This kid is electric on the field and lightning when beating defenders. He managed 134 yards in that game with 9 receptions. Unfortunately TIJ kept him out of the endzone, and KC ended up losing the game 19-10. Miller is already at 961 yards on the year and has 3 games remaining. He’s on pace for 1223 yards, and the DSFL record for receiving yards is 1273. Its gonna be a tight finish, but I got faith in Miller to knock that record down.
2. Looking further at Miller’s race to yardage fame, KC plays Portland, Tijuana and then Norfolk in the final 3 games of the season. Portland and Tijuana are the two worst pass defenses in terms of yards allowed per game. Miller has consistently got 90+ yards against those teams. If I was betting on this outcome, my money is that Miller takes the record by Week 14.
3. Mark Strike in Kansas City has been on fire this season in the DSFL. Give the QB a WR and watch them shine, I suppose. But the changes to the sim have also let him become a dynamic threat on both the air and the ground. In passing he’s managed 13 TDs and 13 interceptions – not bad, even good, for a DSFL QB. But more impressively, he’s third in the league in rushing yards and has 6 TDs there! That means Strike has contributed 19 TDs for the Coyotes – or 3 out of every 4 TDs is because of Mark Strike. If you want to beat the Yotes, you gotta stop this man.
4. The LBs of Kansas City have absolutely dominated opposing offensive lines this season. Combined, they can be attributed with 21 sacks – almost as much as the entire team of Norfolk (24 sacks). And perhaps the quietest success of this group is @feve10’s Ryan LeFevre. He’s managed 4 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 2 PDs in only 8 games. Talk about a terrific LB and a waiver steal for the Coyotes.
5. What a series against Kansas City this season. The Marshals and Coyotes played each other 4 times in what will likely be the last time that scheduling outcome occurs. As opposite divisions, it’s not often we get such lengthy regular season series, but I have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them. Most were tinged by some sim error or another to start, but the last 2 games have been mostly clean and some good solid fun. It helps that we managed to return the favour in Week 10 and defeat them in their stadium, after they ruined our homecoming party in Week 8. If stars align and we meet you in the playoffs, I look forward to the matchup.
6. So KC is 7-4. Who else is 7-4? That’s right the Portland-not-quite-ever-out-of-it-Pythons. The wizardry of PFTN and PDXBaller continue as they Pythons refuse to quit (even if both GMs might be eyeing a high draft placement in favour of playoff homefield advantage). All that said, splitting a home and home with the lowly Solar Bears is not the best competitive look, so priorities might be starting to switch in Portland.
7. Little behind the scenes story: some tense moments in the middle of the night Tuesday when Run and I tried to nab @Titan127’s Zach Skinner at the last minute off the waiver wire. Unfortunately we didn’t get the drop on PDX who, with seconds on the wire, managed to use his first priority on him. I really liked the look of Skinner and we were hoping we could use him to buff our pass-rush game. Portland apparently thought the same, and at least he’s going to a great group of guys. Shame he didn’t get the chance for a deep playoff run as a Marshal though.
8. When I check Portland’s players stats, there’s two guys that I always look to check up on right away: @TrueTexican’s Cole The Cowboy McCoy and @Shrodawg’s Joel Schroeder. These are both two of my favourite guys not on the Marshals, and I love seeing the success they’ve been having this season. With three games left, the Pythons have locked playoffs since Norfolk has an absolutely abysmal divisional record (0-5 ?!) – So congrats to these guys for getting the Pythons this far and lets see what you can do in the playoffs.
9. The Cowboy has been firing on all cylinders recently, improving to a very nice 56% completion rate and 1:1 TD ratio – same as experienced vets like Strike. Albeit he only has 118 attempts, 600 yards and 2 TDs, but with new active-inactive rules I think we’ll be seeing lots of The Cowboy before the season is over. Yeehaw.
10. Joel Schroeder has also been on fire for the Pythons, managing a great 2 FR, 3 interceptions and 11 PDs in 11 weeks stat line. That’s a high-performing CB that any team would be lucky to have.
11. “But Roly, you’ve talked about the Pythons five times now and haven’t even mentioned @Goretron’s Borro Gore!” True, dear reader, but Gore is such a presence that he doesn’t have to be spoken of. This guy is a beast, a monster, and if speaking his name summons him I don’t want to be responsible for the carnage. He’s already broken 1000 yards in 11 games and with 3 games remaining the record of O’Sullivan at 1383 yards. It’s a stretch, but I’m not putting it past him or the run-happy Pythons.
12. Final thought on Portland: they’ve written this season off as ‘rebuilding,’ but they are so close to another Ultimus appearance and in this sim, one game means anything can happen. I understand wanting a good pick but if this draft class is strong (cough… tbone … cough) then pick 2 vs pick 4 is a very small difference. I’d argue go for it and don’t hold back. If this is truly PDX’s last season behind the bench in Portland, go out with a bang. Unless you play the Marshals.
13. Speaking of going for it, Tijuana is **finally** starting to heat up. Damn that was a slow roast, but if you’re a secret (or open, but that’s just sad) Tijuana fan then you’re hoping things are about to get real spicy. Jalapeno Tequila spicy. They’ve won 2 in a row, but remain in a fight for their playoff lives. The good news is that they play Palm Beach in W14 and therefore might control their own fate. The bad news is that in the two weeks prior to that they play San Antonio and Kansas City, two of the hottest teams, while Palm Beach plays Norfolk twice. Things are about to get real in the SFC, and I’m just happy the Marshals clinched top seed.
14. So who is responsible for this potentially dramatic turnaround of Luchadore fortunes? And who is going to have the spotlight as Tijuana looks to push for the playoffs? I’ll give you two names and one position who were instrumental (for different reasons) in the past two wins that breathed life into the Mexican city: Sam Penner, Brian Walsh, and the entire freakin Luchadore defensive corps.
15. @Pens Sam Penner has been nothing short of functional for the Tijuana Luchadores. And that’s a bigger compliment than your “oh no he didn’t” faces just expressed. As a rookie QB in the DSFL the biggest compliment you can get is that you are functional and not a liability on the field. Over the past two winning TIJ weeks, Penner had over 60 attempts with the ball and didn’t turn it over once. Sure he only scored one 1 TD, but he had 150+ in both games and almost 200 yards in one game. If your team can find ways to win outside of the QB’s hands then just don’t be a liability.
16. Yet, Penner has been even better than functional this whole season – something that is truly special. His 9:4 TD to interception ratio is incredibly good for the DSFL this season – the only QB with over 150 attempts to have a positive ratio, and the best ratio of all QBs (only Christ in Portland has a positive ratio at 6:5). If I’m Tijuana, I’m thrilled with our 3rd overall pick last draft and excited to see what Penner can continue to do.
17. But the real credit for those wins goes to Walsh – the Luchadores kicker. He’s a perfect 100% on field goals with 17 completed and 17 attempted. Best of all he’s a perfect 11/11 in the 40-49 yard range – so he’s not even just kicking in easy attempts. No other kicker is perfect in that range. In fact no other kicker is above 90% FG%. Walsh is truly a MVP who gets overlooked due to his position.
18. But another big reason TIJ has finally seen some success is the stellar play of their defensive corps. I’m talking about @DestaDanger’s Desta Danger and @Dannyxv17’s Danny Vranos both having 2 interceptions and 5 PDs as CBs, great for rookie corners. These guys, plus others who are putting up big sack numbers, have made this defense strong enough to contend in recent weeks.
19. But a real shoutout needs to go to @nunccoepi’s Verso L’Alto at tight end. Often TEs are missed in the DSFL, but this guy plays a big role in the Tijuana offense. He’s found chemistry with Penner and leads all TEs in receiving yards with 314. That’s despite having 7 less receptions than the 2nd TE in yards, so he’s rocking an awesome 8.3 YPC. Did I mention he’s only played in 8 games compared to the other TEs? This guy is a legit receiving TE. (Plus active and earning TPE like crazy, NSFL scouts take notice).
20. Finally, the Marshals (since bot teams don’t have players not going to go there too much, but there’s nuggets in past thoughts). Can’t say how proud I am of this group of guys, and the awesome work of Run as my co-GM. Been loving every moment of this season and its rewarding to see our team be 7-3-1 and lock top seed in the SFC (did I mention that already?? haha). A team is only as good as its players, so the real credit goes the SA guys who are putting in updates and remaining engaged in the locker room.
21. Couple guys I really want to highlight from our team, but going to start with the only controversy we’ve had: QB. We’ve been trying to juggle two active, awesome QBs in @Daybe’s Ryan Applehort and @MVick’s Mike Vick. It’s been a challenge since we want to win, give opportunities to both, and – perhaps most importantly – make sure everyone is having fun. An example of how difficult this tight wire can be to balance on is the Week 10 game versus KC. We managed a huge win away from home, but only played Vick since he fit into our gameplan. Obviously that’s not ideal and we need to make sure everyone gets a chance to get in the game. Lessons learned I think.
22. On a rift from that last thought, Run and I have decided to roll with Applehort as QB1 to give Vick rest before playoffs. The real reason is to test strategies of Applehort as our primary QB since we’re comfortable with how to play Vick best to suit his abilities but need to find the perfect system for Applehort. Having two active and different QBs is a blessing and a curse, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
23. The only defensive rookie we have to touch on is @majesiu’s Vladimir Fyodovorich, but he’s been fire this season. We haven’t held back and played him in his CB role and the kid has stepped up to the plate and knocked a home run. 2 interceptions, 6 PDs, a defensive TD, not to mention sacks and tackles? The Siberian Swatter has done this all in 8 games and is an amazing CB prospect in my opinion.
24. Our receiving corps is awesome. Just putting that out there. I love what the different guys bring, from @cpetrella’s leadership as the most proven WR, to @TetrisTech’s check-down presence, and the freshness that @Super50’s Jake Gore has provided (not to mention flexibility in where to play each). Having this many options has really helped our rookie QBs I believe, and made our team a much more difficult gameplan opponent.
25. Last couple thoughts are just generic: but almost time to start working on draftboards. I know there was a few guys who released some last season, and I plan on doing a couple as well once playoffs end. Like I said at the start, the season flies by and in 1 week playoffs will already be starting. Scouts better start scouting.
26. In the same vein, and to end this incredibly long list of thoughts, I love the backstory that @`rocketrickey` has done on his new player Rickey Ramero. If you haven’t had the chance, go check it out and give it a read. Not only is it well interesting, but it reads like a Narco episode and is super entertaining. The DSFL GMs I’ve spoken with are all excited about this guy and he’s the official first member of the S8 rookie class. If the rest of them are half as engaged that would be a banner rookie class.
On that note, @tbone415 feel free to start ramping up recruitment efforts now that trade deadline is past and we can start building the S8 class. I’ll talk about some of those S8 prospects who’ve already joined and decided to hold out until trade deadline, but in general I think I speak for all DSFL GMs, but especially those in Portland and Tijuana, when I say let’s get the ball rolling.
The DSFL draft this year looks to be more traditional with most teams holding their own picks. Compared to the crazy draft last season with us in SA having 4 top two round picks, and POR only having one pick in the first four rounds, I’m looking forward to the more competitive nature I’d expect in a traditional draft.
But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. The Marshals clinched top seed in the SFC and are guaranteed homefield in the SFC Playoffs – a huge advantage and a great opportunity to make a deep playoff run and maybe bring back the Ultimus.
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1. I was watching the stream on my phone last night during the KC v TIJ game and hot damn @`BenLongshaw`’s Howard Miller is tearing it up. This kid is electric on the field and lightning when beating defenders. He managed 134 yards in that game with 9 receptions. Unfortunately TIJ kept him out of the endzone, and KC ended up losing the game 19-10. Miller is already at 961 yards on the year and has 3 games remaining. He’s on pace for 1223 yards, and the DSFL record for receiving yards is 1273. Its gonna be a tight finish, but I got faith in Miller to knock that record down.
2. Looking further at Miller’s race to yardage fame, KC plays Portland, Tijuana and then Norfolk in the final 3 games of the season. Portland and Tijuana are the two worst pass defenses in terms of yards allowed per game. Miller has consistently got 90+ yards against those teams. If I was betting on this outcome, my money is that Miller takes the record by Week 14.
3. Mark Strike in Kansas City has been on fire this season in the DSFL. Give the QB a WR and watch them shine, I suppose. But the changes to the sim have also let him become a dynamic threat on both the air and the ground. In passing he’s managed 13 TDs and 13 interceptions – not bad, even good, for a DSFL QB. But more impressively, he’s third in the league in rushing yards and has 6 TDs there! That means Strike has contributed 19 TDs for the Coyotes – or 3 out of every 4 TDs is because of Mark Strike. If you want to beat the Yotes, you gotta stop this man.
4. The LBs of Kansas City have absolutely dominated opposing offensive lines this season. Combined, they can be attributed with 21 sacks – almost as much as the entire team of Norfolk (24 sacks). And perhaps the quietest success of this group is @feve10’s Ryan LeFevre. He’s managed 4 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 2 PDs in only 8 games. Talk about a terrific LB and a waiver steal for the Coyotes.
5. What a series against Kansas City this season. The Marshals and Coyotes played each other 4 times in what will likely be the last time that scheduling outcome occurs. As opposite divisions, it’s not often we get such lengthy regular season series, but I have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them. Most were tinged by some sim error or another to start, but the last 2 games have been mostly clean and some good solid fun. It helps that we managed to return the favour in Week 10 and defeat them in their stadium, after they ruined our homecoming party in Week 8. If stars align and we meet you in the playoffs, I look forward to the matchup.
6. So KC is 7-4. Who else is 7-4? That’s right the Portland-not-quite-ever-out-of-it-Pythons. The wizardry of PFTN and PDXBaller continue as they Pythons refuse to quit (even if both GMs might be eyeing a high draft placement in favour of playoff homefield advantage). All that said, splitting a home and home with the lowly Solar Bears is not the best competitive look, so priorities might be starting to switch in Portland.
7. Little behind the scenes story: some tense moments in the middle of the night Tuesday when Run and I tried to nab @Titan127’s Zach Skinner at the last minute off the waiver wire. Unfortunately we didn’t get the drop on PDX who, with seconds on the wire, managed to use his first priority on him. I really liked the look of Skinner and we were hoping we could use him to buff our pass-rush game. Portland apparently thought the same, and at least he’s going to a great group of guys. Shame he didn’t get the chance for a deep playoff run as a Marshal though.
8. When I check Portland’s players stats, there’s two guys that I always look to check up on right away: @TrueTexican’s Cole The Cowboy McCoy and @Shrodawg’s Joel Schroeder. These are both two of my favourite guys not on the Marshals, and I love seeing the success they’ve been having this season. With three games left, the Pythons have locked playoffs since Norfolk has an absolutely abysmal divisional record (0-5 ?!) – So congrats to these guys for getting the Pythons this far and lets see what you can do in the playoffs.
9. The Cowboy has been firing on all cylinders recently, improving to a very nice 56% completion rate and 1:1 TD ratio – same as experienced vets like Strike. Albeit he only has 118 attempts, 600 yards and 2 TDs, but with new active-inactive rules I think we’ll be seeing lots of The Cowboy before the season is over. Yeehaw.
10. Joel Schroeder has also been on fire for the Pythons, managing a great 2 FR, 3 interceptions and 11 PDs in 11 weeks stat line. That’s a high-performing CB that any team would be lucky to have.
11. “But Roly, you’ve talked about the Pythons five times now and haven’t even mentioned @Goretron’s Borro Gore!” True, dear reader, but Gore is such a presence that he doesn’t have to be spoken of. This guy is a beast, a monster, and if speaking his name summons him I don’t want to be responsible for the carnage. He’s already broken 1000 yards in 11 games and with 3 games remaining the record of O’Sullivan at 1383 yards. It’s a stretch, but I’m not putting it past him or the run-happy Pythons.
12. Final thought on Portland: they’ve written this season off as ‘rebuilding,’ but they are so close to another Ultimus appearance and in this sim, one game means anything can happen. I understand wanting a good pick but if this draft class is strong (cough… tbone … cough) then pick 2 vs pick 4 is a very small difference. I’d argue go for it and don’t hold back. If this is truly PDX’s last season behind the bench in Portland, go out with a bang. Unless you play the Marshals.
13. Speaking of going for it, Tijuana is **finally** starting to heat up. Damn that was a slow roast, but if you’re a secret (or open, but that’s just sad) Tijuana fan then you’re hoping things are about to get real spicy. Jalapeno Tequila spicy. They’ve won 2 in a row, but remain in a fight for their playoff lives. The good news is that they play Palm Beach in W14 and therefore might control their own fate. The bad news is that in the two weeks prior to that they play San Antonio and Kansas City, two of the hottest teams, while Palm Beach plays Norfolk twice. Things are about to get real in the SFC, and I’m just happy the Marshals clinched top seed.
14. So who is responsible for this potentially dramatic turnaround of Luchadore fortunes? And who is going to have the spotlight as Tijuana looks to push for the playoffs? I’ll give you two names and one position who were instrumental (for different reasons) in the past two wins that breathed life into the Mexican city: Sam Penner, Brian Walsh, and the entire freakin Luchadore defensive corps.
15. @Pens Sam Penner has been nothing short of functional for the Tijuana Luchadores. And that’s a bigger compliment than your “oh no he didn’t” faces just expressed. As a rookie QB in the DSFL the biggest compliment you can get is that you are functional and not a liability on the field. Over the past two winning TIJ weeks, Penner had over 60 attempts with the ball and didn’t turn it over once. Sure he only scored one 1 TD, but he had 150+ in both games and almost 200 yards in one game. If your team can find ways to win outside of the QB’s hands then just don’t be a liability.
16. Yet, Penner has been even better than functional this whole season – something that is truly special. His 9:4 TD to interception ratio is incredibly good for the DSFL this season – the only QB with over 150 attempts to have a positive ratio, and the best ratio of all QBs (only Christ in Portland has a positive ratio at 6:5). If I’m Tijuana, I’m thrilled with our 3rd overall pick last draft and excited to see what Penner can continue to do.
17. But the real credit for those wins goes to Walsh – the Luchadores kicker. He’s a perfect 100% on field goals with 17 completed and 17 attempted. Best of all he’s a perfect 11/11 in the 40-49 yard range – so he’s not even just kicking in easy attempts. No other kicker is perfect in that range. In fact no other kicker is above 90% FG%. Walsh is truly a MVP who gets overlooked due to his position.
18. But another big reason TIJ has finally seen some success is the stellar play of their defensive corps. I’m talking about @DestaDanger’s Desta Danger and @Dannyxv17’s Danny Vranos both having 2 interceptions and 5 PDs as CBs, great for rookie corners. These guys, plus others who are putting up big sack numbers, have made this defense strong enough to contend in recent weeks.
19. But a real shoutout needs to go to @nunccoepi’s Verso L’Alto at tight end. Often TEs are missed in the DSFL, but this guy plays a big role in the Tijuana offense. He’s found chemistry with Penner and leads all TEs in receiving yards with 314. That’s despite having 7 less receptions than the 2nd TE in yards, so he’s rocking an awesome 8.3 YPC. Did I mention he’s only played in 8 games compared to the other TEs? This guy is a legit receiving TE. (Plus active and earning TPE like crazy, NSFL scouts take notice).
20. Finally, the Marshals (since bot teams don’t have players not going to go there too much, but there’s nuggets in past thoughts). Can’t say how proud I am of this group of guys, and the awesome work of Run as my co-GM. Been loving every moment of this season and its rewarding to see our team be 7-3-1 and lock top seed in the SFC (did I mention that already?? haha). A team is only as good as its players, so the real credit goes the SA guys who are putting in updates and remaining engaged in the locker room.
21. Couple guys I really want to highlight from our team, but going to start with the only controversy we’ve had: QB. We’ve been trying to juggle two active, awesome QBs in @Daybe’s Ryan Applehort and @MVick’s Mike Vick. It’s been a challenge since we want to win, give opportunities to both, and – perhaps most importantly – make sure everyone is having fun. An example of how difficult this tight wire can be to balance on is the Week 10 game versus KC. We managed a huge win away from home, but only played Vick since he fit into our gameplan. Obviously that’s not ideal and we need to make sure everyone gets a chance to get in the game. Lessons learned I think.
22. On a rift from that last thought, Run and I have decided to roll with Applehort as QB1 to give Vick rest before playoffs. The real reason is to test strategies of Applehort as our primary QB since we’re comfortable with how to play Vick best to suit his abilities but need to find the perfect system for Applehort. Having two active and different QBs is a blessing and a curse, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
23. The only defensive rookie we have to touch on is @majesiu’s Vladimir Fyodovorich, but he’s been fire this season. We haven’t held back and played him in his CB role and the kid has stepped up to the plate and knocked a home run. 2 interceptions, 6 PDs, a defensive TD, not to mention sacks and tackles? The Siberian Swatter has done this all in 8 games and is an amazing CB prospect in my opinion.
24. Our receiving corps is awesome. Just putting that out there. I love what the different guys bring, from @cpetrella’s leadership as the most proven WR, to @TetrisTech’s check-down presence, and the freshness that @Super50’s Jake Gore has provided (not to mention flexibility in where to play each). Having this many options has really helped our rookie QBs I believe, and made our team a much more difficult gameplan opponent.
25. Last couple thoughts are just generic: but almost time to start working on draftboards. I know there was a few guys who released some last season, and I plan on doing a couple as well once playoffs end. Like I said at the start, the season flies by and in 1 week playoffs will already be starting. Scouts better start scouting.
26. In the same vein, and to end this incredibly long list of thoughts, I love the backstory that @`rocketrickey` has done on his new player Rickey Ramero. If you haven’t had the chance, go check it out and give it a read. Not only is it well interesting, but it reads like a Narco episode and is super entertaining. The DSFL GMs I’ve spoken with are all excited about this guy and he’s the official first member of the S8 rookie class. If the rest of them are half as engaged that would be a banner rookie class.
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Ready for Grading
RICARDO MORRIS
Arizona Outlaws | Defensive Tackle | S15 - Present
Career: 554 TPE | 82 TCK | 4 TFL | 2/1 FR/FF | 10 SCK | 1 TD
Arizona Outlaws | Defensive Tackle | S15 - Present
Career: 554 TPE | 82 TCK | 4 TFL | 2/1 FR/FF | 10 SCK | 1 TD
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