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+---- Thread: *The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown (/showthread.php?tid=11310)
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*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - ErMurazor - 12-10-2018
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![[Image: WKAzCvY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/WKAzCvY.png)
[/div]The San Jose Sabercats are an original National Simulation Football Team. They have been around since the league was founded over 11 seasons ago. Ckroyal is the most tenured general manager in the entire league but in 11 seasons the San Jose Sabercats have been unable to find success. They have made the playoffs once and have yet to try their hand at winning an Ultimas.
The past is the past and there is not anything the team or its leadership can do about it, however, they can look towards the future to right the ship.
Let’s take a look at the roster to get a better picture of what the San Jose Sabercats are up to and how their future looks. This is especially important considering the fact that San Jose has already mortgaged its future drafts to acquire some big name players, but we will get into that later.
First we should take a look at the defensive side of the ball. Defenses win championships after all.
The Backend of the Defense We are going to look at the defensive backs first because the oldest player on the roster can be found there. Benson Bayley is the only hold over from the San Jose Sabercats of old, known more for derpcats and playoff eliminations than playoff wins. Benson Bayley has came back to San Jose and silicon valley to complete his career where it all started. At the end of season 11 Bayley will hang them up and live with all of the real life Sabercats on a secret farm in Montana. Sadly, it is unlikely Bayley is going to get to be part of the first Sabercats ring, or even playoff victory, but he probably knew that coming in.
Now that we have the sentimentals out of the way it is time to take a look at the up and comers the new faces of the San Jose Sabercats. D’Pez Poopsie has a bottom ten name in the entire league, but when you are on the trajectory to be a premier corner in the pros you can call yourself whatever the heck you please. Poopsie was the first overall pick a few seasons ago and is coming into his own now. One of the newer San Jose Sabercats is one of the famous Pennington brothers Thad. Thad has held down the safety position for the Yellowknife Wraiths for many seasons and if finally bringing his talents to fairer weather. Thad is not a top tier earner, but he is a good earner that is active on and off the field which is exactly what the Sabercats need. Xandra Troyski is another cornerback with ties to San Jose via their relationship with linebacker Ben Horne. Xandra is another player that is trending in the right direction at a steady pace, despite not being a start the corner looks to be the type of player to be a solid contributor for seasons to come. Finally, we have the rookie. Trey Staley is obviously green behind the ears but he has a bright future ahead of him. Chances are high that Trey retires a San Jose Sabercat, so hopefully he also retires with some rings.
The Backers The linebackers are the heart and soul of the defense and the key to success on this side of the ball. The San Jose Sabercats are fortunate to have three great players rounding out their arguably best position group on the entire roster. The other Pennington brother, Chad Pennington, is the biggest name here. Another piece of the blockbuster trade with Yellowknife Chad looks to be a key piece for a defense that some were questioning coming into the season. He can now fill the middle of the defense from the Mike position and cover for the errors of young players on the defensive line that may struggle a bit as they continue to grow into NSFL stars. The addition of Chad also gives the San Jose Sabercats other linebackers Ben Horne and Kolby Deringer the ability to play more aggressively as two outside backers that are capable of dropping back into coverage and picking off the quarterback or rushing the passer and putting them in the dirt. This group is three extremely talented players that are all hitting their prime together, which would make things a bit scary for other teams. The San Jose Sabercats linebacker group is likely the best position group on the roster as well as the best group of linebackers in the entire league.
The Defensive Line Finally we are out the defensive line, where all of the talking heads seem to think the San Jose Sabercats are going to be exposed. I get it, sort of. This group is young and the most talented player in this group was just traded away to Yellowknife. However, Chambers was in the twilight in his career and by the start of the season would not have been a wash with some of these other young guys. Now, the most veteran player here is defensive end Danny Methane who is just entering his second season. Admittingly, he spent his rookie year enjoying the signing bonus he got and was not driven to improve. That has changed and Danny should be pushing to improve due to the young pieces coming in right behind him.
In this year’s draft the San Jose Sabercats had the first pick in the draft, there were talks of trading back and swapping picks, but at the end of the day general managers CK Royal and Andrew Warren did not think anything was worth passing on the big man up the middle, Freezer Riposte. The front office has been public saying people call you and they want the first pick of the draft for a bag of donuts, a hot pretzel, and a hot. But the San Jose Sabercats front office just told them, leave me alone. I don’t have time to screw around. They went with their guy, the big boy. Freezer is a mountain of a man that is rapidly improving and will be a big body shoring up the San Jose Sabercats run defense. Sure he is young, but he is raw and improving quickly. There is a reason this guy went first overall, he is going to be a force. The other rookie is a bit of an interesting case, Ja’Brill Tuck is another defensive end that fell far down draft boards because of various off the field concerns. There have been talks he is not motivated and might disappear, rumors that his poor family history is going to bite him in the butt, and then the stories that some general managers simply do not like him. So far Ja’Brill Tuck has looked like a steal for the San Jose Sabercats and I think he is coming into his rookie year with a chip on his shoulder that is going to drive him to prove these doubters wrong. It might be early, but this pick has a shot to look like the steal of the draft.
Overall, the defensive line is young. Fortunately, all three players on it are improving quickly and look to hit the key milestones necessary to be effective in their roles. Furthermore, the linebackers are skilled enough that they should be able to mask defensive deficiencies of the defensive line and even the defensive backs while both groups improve and transition from rookies to stars. This entire defensive unit is going to be scary in a season or two. Be prepared.
The Leg The San Jose Sabercats have always loved their special teams players and they continued to show their commitment to flipping the field in this draft. Neo Donaldson was the best kicker in the draft and he was snagged by none other than the San Jose Sabercats. Another season, another fresh leg booting the ball down field. Neo Donaldson hopes to show his team and the rest of the league that he has some staying power. Do not be surprised in 8 seasons when Neo Donaldson is still the guy in San Jose putting the ball through the uprights and pinning the other team inside their 20.
The Offensive Trenches There is not a lot to be said here, the San Jose Sabercats are full stocked with offensive linemen at the 550 TPE level. There is a little bit of room for improvement here, but sending the cap to young up and coming players is a better investment than the bots that will be around next season.
The Tight Ends The San Jose Sabercats have three active tight ends...that is strange for the state of the league. Not many teams that win 1 games in a season follow-up the draft by making luxury tight end picks but the San Jose Sabercats did just that. The veteran is one of the top tight ends in the league Zapp Brannigan who looks to keep on putting in the work and training away until he is the top at his position. The San Jose Sabercats should be able to deploy him in just about every formation and defenses will have to take note. The two rookies are Jorel Tuck and Ronnie Williams. We will start with Ronnie Williams who was a late round flier, high upside type of pick that the San Jose Sabercats felt was worth the risk. Since the draft he has been seen around the facility putting in work and looks like he has a shot to improve. The other rookie tight end is Jorel Tuck who, may have been taken a bit early at the start of the third round simply because of the lack of interest that was being stoked up around the player leading up to the draft. There was a lot going against Jorel Tuck coming into the draft, whether is was questions of family history, unfounded claims that he was not invested in the sport, and his outspoken nature against league officials before even being drafted. Regardless of the off the field concerns, the San Jose Sabercats felt they had to take their second tight end at the start of the third. There are rumors a few other teams valued him in that same round so maybe the San Jose Sabercats made the right choice, but regardless all reports indicate Jorel Tuck aims to make sure the front office looks good for making this pick. So far Jorel has been the first man in and last guy out of the facilities almost everyday and is making strides to improve as a player for this San Jose Sabercats team.
The Ball Carriers The San Jose Sabercats have two solid running backs that should complement each other well following some solid success last season. The workhorse is Jerrod Canton who looks to make more splashy plays and carry the rock 20+ times each game. Canton is continuing to put in the work that will have him in discussions for the best player in the league in no time. On the flipside if the guy that goes and does the dirty work for the San Jose Sabercats, Chris Orosz. Orosz is a gadget player that does just about everything for this team whether it be special teams plays, putting his head down and filling the fullback role, blocking on the edge as a tight end, or running routes out of the slot and trying to make plays with the ball in his hands. Not to mention he has to spell the aforementioned Canton from time to time. This group is a combination that could prove to be deadly down the stretch if the San Jose Sabercats are able to get some leads and then come back and punch defenses in the mouth with two solid running backs.
The Ball Catchers We talked about how much disrespect people sling at the defensive line because of how green they are, at least that is merited. The San Jose Sabercats wide receivers get trashed for no reason at all. The biggest knock I would have on this group is that they just do not have depth. The San Jose Sabercats will not be able to field more than three wide receivers, but making due with three and their other offensive weapons should be fine. There are rumors that the San Jose Sabercats do not have a number one wide receiver, Ty Justice is young but should serve as a great third option for the team. This brings us to the other two guys Xavier Flash and Kazimir Oles, who for my money are both wide receiver one quality players. Both Flash and Oles are constantly improving and a certain wide receiver convalescent home in the desert is going to be wishing they had a real corner on their roster to cover these guys sooner than they know it…..I think Oles and Flash are going to be the duo we are talking about for seasons to come in no time.
The Savior Finally, we get to the fan favorite Joliet L. Christ, the San Jose Sabercats’ lord and savior. Christ has shown that his skills are improving and with the weapons that are developing around the young quarterback I expect him to take a big step going forward in season 12 while the San Jose Sabercats build for something big in season 13. Christ is a young gunslinger that is going to be prone to make mistakes while he learns the ropes and continues to build rapport with the other skill players in the offense. Once that happens and the defense is getting him more opportunities to make plays, Christ should be just fine.
The End....and the Beginning The San Jose Sabercats may not be a powerhouse just yet, though some have already hopped on the bandwagon and are swimming in that green kool-aid, but they have a bright future. The roster is stacked with active players that are motivated to make the San Jose Sabercats franchise something more than the laughing stock of the league. I will admit I have watched the San Jose Sabercats rebuild for what felt like 11 seasons, but the window on that rebuild begins to close today. The team traded away some draft picks to being in key players to help build the locker room culture and round out holes in their roster. The only thing they need to do now is continue working together and they will have something special on their hands in a few short seasons.
The coming offseason there should be a lot of hype surrounding the San Jose Sabercats and it will be a great opportunity for a key free agent or two to join the roster and participate in the rise of San Jose and be part of bringing a franchise to relevance rather than bandwagoning it later. So, get ready NSFL, the kitties are finally growing up. You have been warned.
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2494 words*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - AW13 - 12-10-2018
B-O-S-S
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - iamslm22 - 12-10-2018
I've been wondering, are the Sabercats gonna run a 3-3-5? DL is a clear weakness for them in S12
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - PDXBaller - 12-10-2018
SJS going hard in the media section! I love this team!
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - ErMurazor - 12-11-2018
(12-10-2018, 04:15 PM)iamslm22 Wrote:I've been wondering, are the Sabercats gonna run a 3-3-5? DL is a clear weakness for them in S12
I am trying to stay out of those conversations for as long as possible. I'm just a peasant.
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - karl - 12-11-2018
Omg we get it San Jose is relevant. Save it for the field.
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - ErMurazor - 12-11-2018
(12-11-2018, 12:18 AM)karl Wrote:Omg we get it San Jose is relevant. Save it for the field.
I don't want to remind you the last time Arizona was relevant...
![[Image: giphy.gif]](https://media.giphy.com/media/13FD3rp8IqYUXm/giphy.gif)
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - Oles - 12-11-2018
(12-11-2018, 03:18 AM)karl Wrote:Omg we get it San Jose is relevant. Save it for the field.
Alright Mr. Friendship hater
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - Muford - 12-11-2018
(12-11-2018, 02:18 AM)karl Wrote:Omg we get it San Jose is relevant. Save it for the field.
We are now seeing your true colors, of the friendship which you hate.
*The San Jose Sabercats: A Roster Breakdown - caltroit_red_flames - 12-11-2018
(12-11-2018, 08:18 AM)karl Wrote:Omg we get it San Jose is relevant. Save it for the field.
karl why do you hate friendship?