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+---- Thread: *Despite Loss, League Is Still Under Marshal Law (/showthread.php?tid=12959)
*Despite Loss, League Is Still Under Marshal Law - Baron1898 - 04-06-2019
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]The Nest
Issue II: Despite Loss, League Is Still Under Marshal Law
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8 weeks down, 6 left to go. Over halfway into the regular season of one of the largest rookie classes of all time, the San Antonio Marshals stand strong with a 7-1 record, best in the DSFL. The Marshals started the season with seven straight wins before they finally dropped a tough road loss in Portland. Despite this, San Antonio still controls their own destiny and are currently bound for home field advantage throughout the playoffs barring a bad streak. With an offense steadily churning out yards on the ground, and a league-best defense that feeds on turnovers, there is little doubt that the Marshals have a great opportunity to win their first Ultimini trophy since S6.
We’ll take a look at how the Marshals have performed so far, with an in depth look at each game and opponent. We’ll look at the standout performers, including multiple worthy candidates for offensive and defensive players of the year and a couple of DSFL records that could end up broken by the end of the year. And finally, we’ll take a look into the future, examining the six remaining regular season games and why the Marshals will definitely win it all will continue to dominate down the stretch.
Looking Back
Slow and steady wins the race, but it doesn’t hurt to get off to a fast start, and San Antonio came out of the gates guns blazing. The team ripped off seven straight wins, three of which were on the road, before a trip to Portland came up six yards short of remaining undefeated. Boasting the league’s second highest scoring offense and highest scoring defense can’t hurt either.
Week One: @ Solar Bears (W, 29-24)
The Marshals started off the season with a road game against division rival and new expansion team the Palm Beach Solar Bears. Two Morgan Marshall scores in the first quarter and a Spencer Lawes field goal put the Marshals up 16-0 in the first quarter, and the team held on for the rest of game against a belated Solar Bears comeback attempt. On full display were the immense ball-hawking skills of the defense: San Antonio ended up with 4 interceptions and a fumble recovery to repeatedly cut short Palm Beach’s drives.
Week Two: @ Coyotes (W, 17-8)
Another road game, this time a defensive slugfest by way of Kansas City. Neither team performed particularly impressively, although Walt Green gathered another fumble and Morgan Marshall rushed for two touchdowns. Surprisingly, neither of the Coyotes quarterbacks threw an interception.
Week Three: vs. Luchadores (W, 33-13)
The first home game for the Marshals was a smack down. Both Marshall and Max Vaz eclipsed 100 yards on the ground, and Marshall collected three total touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the team collected three interceptions, one apiece from Quenton Bode, Vander Jones, and the red hot Walt Green. The Luchadores were never able to gain any sort of rhythm, and Corvo Havran was dealt a 42.8 passer rating trying to throw against the stingiest secondary in the DSFL.
Week Four: vs. Solar Bears (W, 42-0)
The Marshals once again faced the Solar Bears, this time on home turf, and delivered to date the single most lopsided game of the season. Apollo Lange managed to tie the DSFL record for most interceptions in a single game with 6 and earned a passer rating that would make Nathan Peterman proud. Max Vaz finally earned himself a touchdown, both him and Marshall once again passed the 100 yard mark, Timmy Hoss caught three touchdowns, and the entire defense earned Defensive Player of the Game.
Week Five: vs. Pythons (W, 31-25)
The Portland Pythons have only two losses to their name, and currently stand as the single greatest obstacle to a potential Marshals title run. Both Marshals v. Pythons games would come down to failed final drives by the visiting team. In this 31-25 thriller, the Marshals grabbed an early lead via two touchdowns from their two man wrecking crew, Marshall and Vaz. The Pythons battled right back, and after an incomplete pass on 3rd and 1 left the Marshals kicking a field goal to go up six points, the visitors got the ball back with 2:34 on the clock and 78 yards to drive. Ultimately, a number of drops and a killer sack by Franklin Cooper ended any chance of a comeback, and the Marshals remained undefeated. Special shoutout to Vander Jones, who returned both of his interceptions in this game for pick sixes.
Week Six: @ Luchadores (W, 13-10)
Back on the road and now down in Tijuana, San Antonio’s offense ground to a halt. Both teams played uninspired football for two quarters, a tale of endless penalties and punts. Eventually, the home team went up 10-3 in the third, which seemed to spark some life back into the Marshals. Cooter Bigsby led a touchdown drive and another field goal to pull out a tough win. Not much notable on either side of the ball, although Vander Jones caught another interception.
Week Seven: vs. Seawolves (W, 33-17)
Back at home and back on top. The Marshals controlled the flow of the entire game against the Seawolves, possessing the ball for nearly forty minutes. Two touchdowns from Marshall, another from Vaz, couple more picks from Vander Jones and Walt Green- good old fashioned Marshals football.
Week Eight: @ Pythons (L, 20-17)
As a Patriots fan, I was never itching for the chance to relive Super Bowl 49 from the perspective of the Seahawks. Down 20-17 after a wild sequence of lead changes, the Marshals confidently drove down the field from their own 38 and ended up with a 1st and goal at the 6 yard line. Six yards was all that stood between San Antonio and the end zone, but third overall pick Emondov Emoji made one of the best plays of the entire year when he intercepted a Cooter Bigsby pass intended for Morgan Marshall. The loss stings, but the Marshals were only six yards away from likely victory, and possess the toughness and ability to move on and regain their momentum.
Standout Players
Morgan Marshall, RB
I’ll try not to be too biased here, but Morgan Marshall has justified his draft placement. Through eight games, Marshall leads the league with 852 rushing yards on 175 attempts, and has carried the ball into the end zone nine times. Additionally, Marshall has lived up to his receiving back archetype, and so far has 25 receptions for 222 yards and another 3 scores. If there’s a flaw in his game, it’s that Marshall has yet to break free for a rush over 20 yards, and consequently has a lower yards per average than many other running backs in the league.
RECORD WATCH: Total Touchdowns from Scrimmage (2027, Fast Boija, 19). Marshall currently has 12 total touchdowns, 9 on the ground and 3 through the air, through 8 games. At his current rate, Marshall would hit 21 touchdowns and break the record set by Fast Boija just a year ago. He needs 7 touchdowns to tie the record and 8 to break it outright.
Max Vaz, RB
And the lightning to Marshall’s thunder just so happens to be the third most productive rusher in his own right. Vaz’s season started slow, but the speed runner has 725 yards to his name and 3 TDs on 149 attempts. His star has thus far been eclipsed by his teammate - but the two have proven that both can remain productive even while splitting carries, and multiple Marshals games have seen both members pass 100 yards.
Timmy Hoss, TE
In the weeks since the draft, it can easily be seen which rookies are here to stay and which ones have already checked out. San Antonio is no different. Six rookies are far above the other Marshal draftees in TPE, and five of them were the Marshals’ first five picks. The sixth person is Timmy Hoss.
The odds have been stacked against Hoss, as a ninth round pick playing in the league’s least pass-happy offense. But Hoss has posted decent numbers given the situation, catching 21 passes for 139 yards and three TDs. More importantly, Hoss has been an integral cog of the Marshals’ blocking game, opening up lanes for the rushing game to succeed, and looks well positioned to massively rise in draft position come the S15 draft.
Nero Alexander, DE
San Antonio went defense heavy in the early rounds of the draft, and the first defender to join the Marshals’ ranks was Nero Alexander. Alexander paces all other defensive linemen for sacks with 6, which is also good enough to be tied for second among all defensive players. Alexander has also collected nine tackles for loss, tied for third place overall; leads defensive linemen with 24 tackles; and threw in a safety for good measure. Defensive edges can get overshadowed on the stat sheet by linebackers, but Alexander’s impact is undeniable and one major key to the league best defense.
Quenton Bode, LB
One small step for man, one giant leap for bear kind. Quenton Bode has thoroughly restored the reputation of polar bears after the travesty of Norm in the North, and leads the team in tackles as an every down defender. Bode has registered a diverse array of stats, including 65 tackles, a fumble recovery, five sacks, an interception, and four pass deflections. Him and Mo Berry are a scary duo poised to continue wrecking enemy offenses.
Mo Berry, LB
Mo Berry can get lost in the shuffle of a defense where half the starters are superstars, but the Marshals’ sixth round pick deserves recognition of his own. Berry has put up good linebacker numbers, with 51 tackles (three for loss), five sacks, and five pass deflections. He’s not leading the league in any particular category, but such is the cost of playing under Marshal Law.
Vander Jones, CB
There’s a reason that the “DSFL Players to Watch” column continually begs other teams to stop throwing to the Marshals secondary - they’re freaking good. One pillar of this is Vander Jones, the only veteran in this section and a lockdown cornerback. Jones has really come to life in recent weeks, boasting 44 tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, nine pass deflections, and two pick sixes. Oh, I forgot to mention the SEVEN INTERCEPTIONS.
RECORD WATCH: Interceptions (2023, Danny Vranos; 2023, Lucari Felix; and 2024, Nate Piazza; all with 8). As previously mentioned, Jones has seven interceptions through eight games, which is just nuts. At his current impossible pace, Jones would cap off the season with 12 picks, obviously demolishing the previous league record. To break the record though, all Jones needs is one more to tie and two more to pass it.
Walt Green, FS
You’d think that a player like Jones getting stats would diminish the impact of other secondary players, but rookie safety Walt Green has managed to not only avoid being lost in the shuffle, but has put up PRACTICALLY IDENTICAL stats. Green’s statline of 41 tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and ten pass deflections looks eerily similar to Jones’, especially once you acknowledge the elephant in the room that somehow Green also has seven interceptions. Maybe the PED rumors were true after all.
RECORD WATCH: Interceptions (2023, Danny Vranos; 2023, Lucari Felix; and 2024, Nate Piazza; all with 8). Just like Jones, Green has seven interceptions through eight games, which is completely unsustainable but also beautiful. At the current clip, Green would get 12 picks throughout the season. One more interception will tie him for the record, and two would get the record outright. At this point, it’s less of a question of will the record be broken, and more of a question of by how much and which teammate will end up on top.
Looking Forward
Six weeks remain in between the Marshals and the postseason, and a couple tough games remain. San Antonio doesn’t have the luxury of letting up the pace unless Portland drops a game or two, lest the Pythons overtake them and seize home field advantage throughout the playoffs. But I think the Marshals have both the willpower and firepower to finish the season strong and clear a path to the Ultimini.
Week Nine: @ Solar Bears
In their third game against their division rivals down in Palm Beach, the Marshals should find an ample opportunity to put themselves back on top. Although Palm Beach is undoubtedly a better team than when San Antonio faced them in weeks 1 & 4, they are still 2-6. Expect a pretty close Marshals victory.
Week Ten: vs. Coyotes
San Antonio comes home from their recent road trip to have the honor of facing the worst team in the DSFL. The Coyotes might improve marginally now that the U.S.S. Leaf has been shipped out to Norfolk, but even with Rose Jenkins as the full time quarterback, the ‘Yotes have too many holes on their roster and not enough talent to compensate.
Week Eleven: vs. Luchadores
Depending on how well the Solar Bears are doing, Tijuana might be still fighting for second place in the division and a playoff spot. It probably won’t matter either way. The last time the Luchadores came to down was an absolute smack down for San Antonio’s cousin down south, and the odds are stacked in favor of a Marshals victory.
Week Twelve: vs. Solar Bears
The scoreboard might not read 42-0 again, but the last San Antonio home game of the season (until the playoffs) just so happens to be against the hapless Solar Bears. It’s likely that here, the Marshals will complete a 7-0 record at home before finally going back on the road.
Week Thirteen: @ Seawolves
This is the most dangerous game left on San Antonio’s schedule. The Marshals haven’t played the Seawolves since week seven, a decisive home victory in Texas. But despite their 4-4 record as of now, the Seawolves are still a good team, and home field advantage can easily create upsets. I still have faith that the Marshals can secure a victory, but it’ll be a tough nut to crack.
Week Fourteen: @ Luchadores
And another road game against a 4-4 team, this time a division rival. Tijuana has been hot and cold throughout the season so far, but even if the Marshals end up having beaten the Luchadores three times by the time week fourteen rolls around, a 4-0 record remains no guarantee. But I’d say the Marshals still remain the favorites.
And of course, in my completely unbiased opinion, I can say with one hundred percent confidence to disregard everything I just wrote because the Marshals are going to go 6-0, win the championship game by a mile, and curbstomp the Pythons to win the Ultimini. But that’s just my opinion.
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Issue I: Where Each DSFL Team Stands Going into Week Three
*Despite Loss, League Is Still Under Marshal Law - Frick_Nasty - 04-06-2019
MARSHAL LAW IS IN EFFECT