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The Cases Against - Jogn - 07-03-2017
With 13 weeks in the books and only one week left to play, the inaugural NSFL All-Pro ballots are just around the corner. There are some decisions that will be nail biters - there isn’t a lot of space between the kicking distance breakdowns of Adrienne Nugent of the Arizona Outlaws and Turk Turkleton of the Baltimore Hawks, and a field goal heavy performance could easily take Turkleton from 25/26 to 29/30, an even tie in field goals made; some decisions that are beginning to see daylight - if Josh Garden overcome the single yard lead that Robert Phelps has amassed over him in receiving yards, his 4 extra touchdowns and more than 3 YPA should see him as the consensus #1 receiver.
This article will not focus on those races. Instead, we will be highlighting the clear, slam dunk decisions, and the arguments we can make against selecting the obvious candidate. There is an obvious caveat to be made here - the selection format has not been announced yet, and there could be multiple selections at any of the three positions that are about to be listed. We will operate under the assumption that each position will only be able to have a single candidate selected, because it makes writing the article more fun.
RUNNING BACK
Starting with the easiest target, Bubba Nuck is not only the NSFL’s leading rusher by 199 yards, leads all running backs in touchdowns, sits third in Yards Per Carry by only .2, and has had the second longest run in the league, having ripped a 38 yard run in Yellowknife’s week 3 loss against the Yeti. Nuck may not just be the All-Pro Running Back, as many have considered him for the league’s MVP.
THE CASE AGAINST
Nuck is a single dimensional threat, having caught very few passes and not even sniffed punt or kick return duty. Many of his yards came during the Wraiths 3 game losing streak, and as a co-GM of the team, he has to bear some responsibility for that slide.
IF NOT NUCK THEN WHO?
Omar Wright may have yet to break 1000 rushing yards, but a 64 yard game against the Outlaws in Week 14 isn’t just plausible, it’s likely. He has caught passes for 116 more yards than Nuck, closing the gap on offensive yards to 83. Wright has also served as Orange County’s primary kick and returner, bringing 29 kicks in for 601 yards and 47 punts in for 347 yards, meaning he leads Nuck in all purpose yards by 865 with only 22 more touches. Wright has the longest run from scrimmage - 80 yards against the San Jose SaberCats in week 4; the 3rd longest kick return - 76 yards in week 11 against the Cats; and the 4th longest punt return - 56 yards against the Yeti in week 5.
HOW STRONG IS THE CASE?
Omar Wright’s case for an all-pro selection hinges on if Special Teams are worth considering. If they are, then skill position selections will be dominated by returners - Alexandre LeClaire leads all Wide Receivers who are not named Damien West by nearly 600 all-purpose yards, with West trailing by around 100. Expect trophy-hunting Wide Receivers, Running Backs, and possibly even Tight Ends or Corners to migrate towards kick and punt duties if Omar Wright beats Bubba Nuck for the All-Pro selection without an absolute monster of a game.
SAFETY
Isaiah Rashad has twice the Interceptions of any other player, has defended 16 more passes than any other safety, and is one of only 11 players with a defensive touchdown (3 of whom are safeties)
THE CASE AGAINST
Despite being a Strong Safety, Rashad has the statline of a Free Safety. While he has been a monster in coverage, he has been completely one dimensional - his ability to tackle has been limited, as has his deployment in the box. Rashad’s high interceptions may be impressive, but 3 of them came in the infamous Boss Game, where the Outlaws refused to bench Mike Boss after he threw 6 passes to the other team.
IF NOT RASHAD THEN WHO?
Vikian Marmeladov sits second in Interceptions, and while his 4 may pale in comparison to Rashad’s 9, his impact on the game has been far more multifaceted. His 57 tackles may put him 5th among safeties, but it also is more than triple Rashad’s number, and has lead to 2 forced fumbles. Marmeladov has also recorded a Tackle For Loss and a Safety, showing that he can read a run play and be counted on to blitz, which his counterpart cannot.
HOW STRONG IS THE CASE?
Rashad’s limited deployment may frustrate the football purists who expect a defensive player to be able to do it all, but his 9 interceptions cannot be sniffed at. Even discounting the 6 passes he caught from Boss, who was later traded to the Otters, Rashad has been a phenomenal presence in pass protection, and a real standout for an Outlaws squad that ranks second in Points Allowed, Yards Allowed, Rushing Rating Allowed, and Passing Rating.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Angus Winchester is the only lineman to have not allowed a sack, and has put defenders in the ground 58 times, 6 more than the next lineman. Winchester’s line in Orange County leads in Pancakes and in Sacks Allowed.
THE CASE AGAINST
While it’s impossible to know blocking assignments without being in the locker room, Winchester appears to have frequently been assigned as a Tackle, meaning instead of facing the murderer’s row of talent at Defensive Tackle, Angus could be facing the smaller and weaker Defensive Ends and occasionally blitzing Linebackers of the ASFC. Angus has also lost his team 15 yards in penalties by lining up in an Illegal Formation in Week 1 against the Outlaws and Blocking Below the Waist in the dying seconds of the 2nd quarter in week 4 against the SaberCats.
IF NOT WINCHESTER THEN WHO?
This whole article is a 1269 word long con to get you all to vote Floggity.
Seriously though, Tim Tebow of the SaberCats has been quieter on the Pancake front registering only 35 (second among Centers behind some handsome Wraith), but has only allowed 2 sacks all season despite lining up against monsters like #1 Overall draft pick JJ Reigns and Franklin “Lunchtime” Harris. A quiet season is an enviable thing out of a Center, a role that many asked for in the preseason but few lined up for during the regular, and Tebow has provided it - his only penalties are for Illegal Substitution and Too Many Men, which are both coach-level failures. With Tebow inactive for a few weeks, it would also make sense to vote for Ben Longshaw, the Cats' Captain and another quiet performer in a position that looks for quiet performance.
HOW STRONG IS THE CASE?
It wouldn’t hold up against Angus in an arm wrestle, that’s for sure.
Offensive Line is a position that lends itself to counterfactual statements, as success isn’t really measurable. The entire role of an Offensive Lineman is to prevent some of the largest, fastest, and strongest humans on the planet from doing what they’re paid to do, which means that Offensive Line measurables range from debates as to whether Pancakes are Good or just Fine, to whether an Offensive Lineman deserves credit for every offensive yard their team makes. However, barring some kind of disaster, it is likely safe to credit Angus for a phenomenal season with the nod here.
Or vote Jogn for caring just a little too much about races that will take seconds to decide.
People I done gone and mentioned:
@NUCK
@`xdave2456`
@Destroyer
@Vikain
@timeconsumer
@.wahala.
@`BenLongshaw`
The Cases Against - Jiggly_333 - 07-03-2017
Leroy has a pretty damn strong case especially after this week.
The Cases Against - timeconsumer - 07-04-2017
Interesting thoughts.
Rashad isn't a safety. He's listed that way in the Index but he lines up at corner. Longshaw has played snaps at both guard and tackle, so playing some at guard hurt his stats a little, not sure how many games though. I don't know if Tebow has played all his snaps at center or not, but that still performs better than guard usually.
The Cases Against - Destroyer - 07-04-2017
A nice, humbling, read. Thank you for it. I shall use this to fuel my fire and continue to push my boundaries and become a better player.
oh btw, Nuck is a beast.
The Cases Against - Jogn - 07-04-2017
(07-04-2017, 04:45 AM)timeconsumer Wrote:Interesting thoughts.
Rashad isn't a safety. He's listed that way in the Index but he lines up at corner. Longshaw has played snaps at both guard and tackle, so playing some at guard hurt his stats a little, not sure how many games though. I don't know if Tebow has played all his snaps at center or not, but that still performs better than guard usually.
Ah, that explains his stats being astronomically better than any other Safety. Without perfect access to team depth charts there are going to have to be a few situation like that - Jogn is a Center according to the index but I was at RG last game, and I think I played at LT for at least one game. It's a small thing, and I can't see a solution to it within the constraints of the sim, but a part of me is hoping for a 4 page drama thread.
The Cases Against - timeconsumer - 07-04-2017
(07-04-2017, 12:37 PM)Jogn Wrote:a part of me is hoping for a 4 page drama thread.
Easy, post about how you will refuse to play unless you get traded to the Otters.
The Cases Against - Jogn - 07-04-2017
(07-04-2017, 09:18 AM)timeconsumer Wrote:Easy, post about how you will refuse to play unless you get traded to the Otters.
Every person who doesn't win the OLine All-Pro is going to demand a trade to the Otters, but also that they line up at LT, forming a 4 man LT unit
The Cases Against - timeconsumer - 07-04-2017
(07-04-2017, 01:46 PM)Jogn Wrote:Every person who doesn't win the OLine All-Pro is going to demand a trade to the Otters, but also that they line up at LT, forming a 4 man LT unit
Hah. Now you're on to something. Really though the LT thing brings up a good point why part of me doesn't want to have any sort of trophy for best offensive lineman. Someone who lines up at guard just isn't going to get the same stats, but could really be a bigger asset to their team (I might switch to guard, depending on what the Otters offensive line looks like next season). So the top offensive lineman is really just the top offensive tackle in all reality. Am I really better than all the dudes starting at center or guard? Probably not. Do I deserve special recognition for it? Probably not.
The Cases Against - Jogn - 07-04-2017
(07-04-2017, 09:55 AM)timeconsumer Wrote:Hah. Now you're on to something. Really though the LT thing brings up a good point why part of me doesn't want to have any sort of trophy for best offensive lineman. Someone who lines up at guard just isn't going to get the same stats, but could really be a bigger asset to their team (I might switch to guard, depending on what the Otters offensive line looks like next season). So the top offensive lineman is really just the top offensive tackle in all reality. Am I really better than all the dudes starting at center or guard? Probably not. Do I deserve special recognition for it? Probably not.
Without film to be able to be like "oh wow that guy blocks really well" were stuck using counting stats for analysis. I guess that's a failing in stats - there are probably some slot recievers who are their teams go to guy on 3rd and 8 but that's not going to show up on the statline - I don't have the depth chart access to know for sure but I'd be willing to bet all the leading recievers are outside guys, and probably on one side. Omar and Leroy have the same problem for the Otters - they share touches which means each one will have lower numbers.
Basically anyone who joined the NSFL looking for OLine glory probably came to the wrong place. It's not necessarily bad unless we lose activity and great contributors because of it.
The Cases Against - timeconsumer - 07-04-2017
(07-04-2017, 03:07 PM)Jogn Wrote:Without film to be able to be like "oh wow that guy blocks really well" were stuck using counting stats for analysis. I guess that's a failing in stats - there are probably some slot recievers who are their teams go to guy on 3rd and 8 but that's not going to show up on the statline - I don't have the depth chart access to know for sure but I'd be willing to bet all the leading recievers are outside guys, and probably on one side. Omar and Leroy have the same problem for the Otters - they share touches which means each one will have lower numbers.
Basically anyone who joined the NSFL looking for OLine glory probably came to the wrong place. It's not necessarily bad unless we lose activity and great contributors because of it.
I don't see how Omar and Leroy have any problem at all. The Otters are killing it in rushing stats right now. You absolutely could not do that with a single halfback. They make each other excellent.
Anyone looking for glory at all didn't choose the wrong league, they chose the wrong position. You want fame? Be any other position. You want to make your team look good? Be a lineman.