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+---- Thread: *Portland Python Game Recap - Week 1 (/showthread.php?tid=25018)
*Portland Python Game Recap - Week 1 - Arkz - 08-13-2020
Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Portland Python Game Recaps. Win or lose, rain or shine, I'll be putting together an in-depth look at the most recent Python game, describing what happened and how. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hear about players and prospects you may never have heard of before. The first test of the season for the Pythons was a home game against the reigning champion Norfolk Seawolves, and it was not pretty. Let's dig in and start from the top.
Play by Play
Portland kicked off to Norfolk, and the ball went deep into the end zone. Quentin Button, safety for the Seawolves, Received the kick in the end zone and decided kneeling was for suckers. He took the kick out of the end zone and brought it to the Norfolk 36 yard line. For those keeping track at home, that would be a 36 yard return. This is as good a time as any to introduce you to the two Seawolves running backs that you'll be hearing a lot from in this piece. The first is Quanter Skrills, a 268 TPE back. The second is Captain Rogers, a 285 TPE running back. The point is, their backs are damn good and proved it in this game. The Seawolves opened up the game running the ball four straight times, for a total of 31 yards. That's close to 8 yards per carry. The Norfolk quarterback Suleiman Ramza threw the ball away to avoid getting sacked, but otherwise the drive was all Norfolk. They capped it off with Ramza pass to Dre Matthews for 28 yards and the score. 7-0 Norfolk.
Murder-Moose kicked it off, and Korbin Brown, wide receiver for the Pythons, ran it back 34 yards. On offense, Portland is featuring returning quarter back Sam Howitzer and running backs Darren Pama and Buster Bawlls on the ground. An ineffective run to start and then an incomplete pass set up third and long for the Pythons. Howitzer completed the pass to T.J Evans for 8 yards, but while the wide receiver was fighting for the first down, he was tackled by wild thing Rickie Vaughne, who forced a fumble and was recovered by Vaughne at the Portland 43 yard line. Norfolk took over and Rogers rushed for 24 yards. Ramza made another long pass to Dre Matthews for 13 yards, and Skrills finished it off with a three yard run for a tocuhdown. 14-0 Norfolk.
With roughly six minutes left in the first quarter, there's been better starts to a game for sure. Murder-Moose kicked off once again to Brown, who returned the ball to the 9 yard line. Up came rookie Darren Pama, who ran three straight times for a combined 11 yards. On first down, Howizter completed a 9 yard pass to tight end Nick Marksman. Portland's Christiansen fumbled, but was recovered by Portland. Still, the drive stalled and they were forced to punt. Kicker Blago Kokot punted for 34 yards and there was no return.
Norfolk took over at their own 31 lard. Ramza decided he was tired of the running backs hogging the stat sheet and started airing it out. He found recievers N'Chick and Matthews for a pair of good gains, before handing off to Rogers for 11 yards. Ramza probably thought that this rushing thing was easy and decided to try it himself. He got two yards before getting hit by Python linebacker Donald McBobby. Number one overall draft pick and safety Davriel Lavigne had two tackles on the drive, which found itself on a 3rd and 8 at the Portland 29 to start the second quarter. The Pythons got their first big play of the day when Donald McBobby sacked Ramza for -6 yards. This set up a 52 yard field goal for Murder-Moose, who missed it.
Pythons' ball at their own 35 yard line. After a penalty by Python tight end Dave Batista, it was 2nd and 20. Howitzer found Brown for 15 yards, and Pama rushed for 5 yards for the first down. The Pythons dinked and dunked it down the field off of catches by Batista and Marksman. Eventually they made it to the Norfolk 14 yard line, but the drive stalled after a dropped pass by Nick Marksman. The Pythons special teams unit took the field and scored their first points of the game off a 31 yard field goal. 14-3 in favor of Norfolk, with about 9 minutes left in the second quarter.
On the next drive, the Pythons defense finally came to life, but only after a 28 yard pass to Matthews to set up first and 10 on the Norfolk 47 yard line. Ramza ran the ball for a one yard loss after being tackled by rookie defensive end Bobby Hoffman. On the next plan, Ramza was tackled again by the other rookie defensive end Etrigan T. Slayer for a six yard loss. Samza tried to redeem himself with a pass to Krashwagen, but the pass fell incomplete. Murder-Moose came onto the field to punt, and Portland took over at their own 21 yard line.
With roughly five and a half minutes left in the half, the Pythons had 79 yards to go to try and touchdown and get back into the game. They started things off with a pair of rushes by Pama, before Howitzer found Batista for 9 yards and a first down. On the next play, Howitzer threw to Marksman for 17 yards, putting the ball at the Norfolk 33. A pair of rushes by Christiansen and Howitzer set up 3rd and 5, and Howitzer found Brown for 9 yards. Pama followed that up with an 8 yard rush, and suddenly the Pythons were on the Norfolk 11 yard line with two minutes left. Batista hauled in a ball for 6 yards, and then Howitzer found Brown in the endzone for five yards and the first Python touchdown of the season. 14-10 for the Pythons with 1:20 left in the half. Norfolk rushed the ball for a combined 29 yards, but time expired well out of field goal range.
In the second half, Norfolk kicked off to Pama, who returned the kick for 29 yards. The Pythons were unable to do much with the ball and had to punt. Kokot boomed a 65 yard punt to Rogers, who was tackled by Matty Martinsson. Norfolk handed the ball off again to Rogers and Smith, but players like Martinsson, Myles Smith, Lavigne, and McBobby were in position to make some key stops. Slayer stopped Rodgers at the line of scrimmage, and after a penalty and incomplete pass, Norfolk was forced to punt.
Portland took over at their own 44 yard line, prime field position. Howitzer threw to Marksman for 25 yards, and Pama took it up the gut for five yards, putting the ball on the Norfolk 25 yard line. Button was called for tripping, and the Pythons had first and 10 at the Norfolk 10 yard line. Howitzer wasted no time and threw to Brown in the end zone on the very next play and the Pythons took their first lead of the game, 14-17.
With 6:36 left in the third quarter, the defending champs started their dive on their on 24 yard line. Norfolk focused on the pass on this drive, with mixed results. After a seven yard catch by N'Chick, Rodgers rushed to the line and got stuff by rookie defensive end Angelo Cerilli. Skrills carried the ball the next three times for 13 yards, and Ramza hit Harley Fank for 9 yards before being tackled by Pythons' cornerback Ben Anabender. It was first and 10 for Norfolk on Portland's 46 yard line. Again, the Seawolves went to the ground game and Skrills and Rodgers rushed for a combined 18 yards on three carries. Ramza threw to Rodgers but was tackled at the line by safety Joel Drake. Drake once again made a play by tackling receiver Alexander Johnson after a six yard pass. Ramza ran twice for a combined 12 yards, before finding Dre Matthews in the end zone for a 10 yard touchdown pass. Norfolk regained the lead at 21-17 just as the fourth quarter started.
The Pythons' first drive of the final quarter started at their 16 yard line. Pama contributed with a run of six yards and Marksman hauled in a catch for 7, but after a Portland penalty, they were forced to punt. On the ensuing drive, starting at their own 43 yard line, Ramza found his favorite target in Dre Matthews for 7 yards. Rogers then ran the ball for a four yard, then twelve yard gain, driving the ball into Portland territory. Ramza rushed for a modest gain, then found Fank for 14 yards with Lavigne making the tackle. Norfolk was knocking at the door on the Portland 15, but after a pair of rushes and an incomplete pass, the Seawolves were forced to settle for a 23 field by Murder-Moose, bringing the score to 24-17.
With 7:43 left in the game, we arrive at the critical moment in the contest. Norfolk had shown an ability to move the ball at will, and with their potent rushing attack there was no guarantee that Portland would have many chances with the ball again. Only down a touchdown, the game was still within reach. Taking over at their own 9 yard line, Howitzer passed to Pama for no gain after being tackled by rookie linebacker Jimi DeSoto. Howitzer then attempted two more passes, but both were dropped. This set up a punt deep in the Pythons' own end. The snap was clean but the punt was blocked by Norfolk's Chad "The Rig" Simpson, a S24 defensive tackle, and the Seawolves took over at the 9 yard line. Ramza found Fank for a catch, but Anabender managed to keep Fank out of the endzone after the six yard gain. However, Rodgers ran it in for two yards and the touchdown, making it 31-17.
Following this, the Pythons received the kick and went three and out. Kokot hit a tremendous punt of 62 yards, but it was too late. The Seawolves ran the ball on eight of their last nine plays to run out the clock, and that was the game. Norfolk went to Portland and defended their crown and their title as the best team in the DSFL against the upstart Pythons. But the season is long and these division rivals will meet again in week 8 of the regular season, this time in Norfolk.
Let's take a look at some Observations:
Offense
Passing: Overall, the passing game was fine, but there was a lack of opportunity. Howitzer only threw the ball 25 times in the game for 137 yards and both touchdowns. That 9.1 average and 101.6 rating look good on paper, but the volume wasn't there. 60% completion percentage will need to improve in future games. Marksman and Brown were the standouts on the receiving end. Marksman hauled in six catches for 71 yards and Brown had four catches for 39 yards as well as two touchdowns and performing admirably in the kick return game. Overall a flat performance by this group, but there were flashes that hopefully can be a good sign of things to come.
Rushing: Each back carried the ball eleven times, but Pama was much more impressive in his debut. Pama carried the ball for 42 yards, while Christiansen only managed 27 yards. The Pythons will need to emphasize Pama more in the weeks ahead if they want to string drives together and convert on short yardage situations. While the average wasn't very high, Pama made the best he could of his day.
Overall: It is hard to blame the offense for their performance against Norfolk. They only had the ball for about 22 minutes to Norfolk's 38, and so had much less opportunities. Still, going 5/11 on 3rd down is not going to cut it in this league, particularly against high-powered offenses like Norfolk. But 17 points and 211 total yards is going to send the offensive coaches back the drawing board ahead of next week.
Defense
Rushing Defense: Oh boy, where to start. Well if you read through the play by play, I think you got a decent idea of what happened. Rodgers and Skrills both had 19 attempts and rushed for an almost identical 123 and 120 yards respectfully. For those who don't want to do the math, that's 6.5 and 6.3 yards per carry, and each with a touchdown. The defensive line and linebackers will need to study the tape to see how they can plug their gaps, so that another team doesn't rush for 250 yards on them again. That's right, Norfolk earned more yards on just the ground than the entire Python's offense. However, shout out to Donald McBobby for his sack and 12 tackles, at least trying to keep Portland honest.
Pass Defense: This unit fared a little better, but that may be because they just weren't tested as often. Dre Matthews had a day for himself with six catches and 104 yards as well as two touchdowns. Rookie cornerback Dan Foster will need to step it up in future games if the Python's want to make a deep run. The other Norfolk receivers had modest days, but again they didn't need to be tested all that often.
Overall: The Pythons are going to want to watch this tape once and then probably bury it in the deepest trench they can find. The coverage units were unable to stop the big plays, and the front seven had difficulties all day. Time will tell if this is an aberration for the Pythons, but with their large amount of rookie talent this should be a unit that gets better as the season goes along.
Game Balls
Korbin Brown, WR: 4 Rec, 39 Yds, 2 TDs
Korbin wins the Offensive Game Ball for this one based on the fact that he was the only Python to find the end zone. He had some other clutch catches, and his contributions on special teams deserve a mention as well. Brown is expected to be the leading wide receiver for the Pythons, and he showed up as advertised against Norfolk. Here is to hoping he gets more opportunities with the ball in his hand in future games.
Donald McBobby, LB: 12 Tck, 1 Sack
The Defensive Game Ball is a no-brainer this week. McBobby had the biggest defensive play for the Pythons this week with his sack on Ramza. On top of that, he also led the team with 12 tackles, the only guy to hit double digits. McBobby showed up to play this week, but the rest of the team probably thought it was still pre-season. Still, the S25 rookie will have ISFL eyes on him in future games this season, especially if he continues to produce at this rate.
Looking Ahead
Week 2: @ London Royals
The Royals looked sharp this week in their victory over the Minnesota Grey Ducks. The Royals jumped out to an early 17-0 lead by the end of the first half, before the Grey Ducks managed to bring it back at the end to make it 24-21. The Royals offense was dominant, with 488 yards of total offense and 334 of that through the air. Quarterback Charlemagne Cortez was 29/42 for 334 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Pythons will need to study the tape to see if they can get a handle on that passing attack. However, London may be susceptible to the run. Grey Duck Jameson Vermillion carried the ball 17 times for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Grey Ducks got no production from quarterback Sim SnowBow, who completed only 9 passes on 20 attempts for 95 yards. The Pythons will find out next week if that is due to the Royals defense, or an off week on the Grey Ducks' part.
Week 3: Minnesota Grey Ducks
Yeah all that stuff up there also applies here. It is just too early in the season to draw any meaningful conclusions, particularly with all the self-inflicted wounds for Portland. The Pythons dropped a game against Norfolk, but fortunately the Kansas City Coyotes and Grey Ducks lost as well. With London the only team with a victory in the NFC, the Pythons will need to find a way to get a victory to keep pace.
And that's it. A rough start for Portland, but with the large amount of rookie talent on both sides of the ball, this team should see some big improvements week to week. The goal will be to make sure they keep themselves in playoff contention while they are putting the pieces together. Tune in next week to see how Portland fares against their division opponents!
Code:
Word Count: 2,815RE: Portland Python Game Recap - Week 1 - Frick_Nasty - 08-13-2020
Hiss hiss
RE: Portland Python Game Recap - Week 1 - bjbren17 - 08-14-2020
Hey I did a thing
RE: Portland Python Game Recap - Week 1 - GlimsTC - 08-14-2020
Love the amount of effort that went into this. Great work as always, Arkz!
RE: Portland Python Game Recap - Week 1 - Blasoon - 08-14-2020
This is a great format. Can't wait for future articles
RE: Portland Python Game Recap - Week 1 - bluesfan55 - 08-14-2020
i did not know that i fumbled, nice