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+---- Thread: *S33 Mid-Season Awards (2/2) (/showthread.php?tid=37390)
*S33 Mid-Season Awards (2/2) - Michiganonymous - 01-31-2022
Better late than never, here it is, the article no one has been clamoring for, the second part of my Team of the Half-Season, this time looking at Defense and Special Teams! Important note: because this is a “Team of the Half-Season” article, these stats were copied from the Index after Week 8, so I’m aware they’re out of date. Just pretend I got this written last week sometime like I meant to.
DEFENSE
Defensive Player of the Year: Melvin Murder-Moose, LB, Colorado Yeti
64 tackles, 1 TFL, 7 FF/5 FR, 9 sacks, 7 PD
Murder-Moose has been doing a little bit of everything for the Yeti this season. After 8 games they sit 4th in total tackles and 3rd in sacks, and they’ve shown some pass coverage chops as well, being tied for 3rd among linebackers in PDs with 7. No interceptions or TDs on the year so far, but the way they’ve been playing I have to imagine one or more of each could be in store for the second half of the season. But what really makes Melvin stand out this season is their work as a forced fumble specialist, leading the league in both forces and recoveries. In fact, through Week 8 only one other player had forced 5 fumbles, and no one else had recovered more than 3. The Moose is Loose!
In the conversation: Dee Walt, S, Chicago Butchers
, dont draft, LB, Sarasota Sailfish 
, Xavier Walls, LB, Philadelphia Liberty 
Defensive Tackle of the Year: Chuck Roth, Arizona Outlaws
39 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 FF/3 FR, 5 sacks
Roth is running away with this one at the half-way point, leading all DTs in every notable statistical category.
In the conversation: No one, unless Roth’s performance falls off significantly in the second half.
Defensive End of the Year: Wasrabi Gleel
29 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 FF/1 FR, 6 sacks
Gleel leads all DEs in tackles, sits tied for the lead in TFLs, and tied for second in sacks. Only two other DTs have forced multiple fumbles, and no one else quite compares to Gleel for all-around disruptive effectiveness through 8 weeks.
In the conversation: ILove HotSalads, Berlin Fire Salamanders
, whose statistically bizarre season has been noted in its own media piece by @JuOSu; Will Stern, Orange County Otters 
Linebacker of the Year: Melvin Murder-Moose
In the conversation: dont draft
, Xavier Walls , Juan Domine Cornerback of the Year: Willie Miller
3 INT, 22 PD, 36 tackles, 1 FF/1 FR, 1 TD
Willie Miller has been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. The elite cover man was the only CB to break up more than 20 passes through the first 8 weeks; he picked off 3 more and took one of those all the way to the house for six. He doesn’t have as many tackles as some other candidates, but in a league full of great corners, Miller has stood out as the most fearsome pass defender among them through 8 games.
In the conversation: Rich Triplet
, Rickie Vaughne, San Jose SaberCats 
, Lip Gallagher, Baltimore Hawks 
Safety of the Year: Dee Walt
28 tackles, 1 FF, 2 sacks, 5 INT, 7 PD, blocked punt
Dee Walt has been a disrupter in every phase of the game; equally threatening against the run and the pass, he splits his time between free and strong safety and excels at both. He leads the league in interceptions and so far is the only player to record a blocked kick this season. He should easily win Safety of the Year and belongs firmly in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.
In the conversation: Lawrence Miller, New York Silverbacks
, Jacob Raske SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker of the Year: Blago Kokot, Yellowknife Wraiths
20/20 XP, 12/12 FG, 54-yard long
The ageless legend just continues to impress, as he has yet to miss a kick through 8 weeks and his 54-yarder was the longest field goal of the season’s first half. Although Kokot is the front-runner, New York’s Armando Galaragga
has also been perfect in the first half. This is always a close race, and it will take 8 more weeks to sort itself out.In the conversation: Basically everyone at this point.
Punter of the Year: Dallas Dole
Someday Dallas Dole might actually kick the ball out of the stadium. The boomiest punter in the league has a chance to average more than 50 yards per kick (49.9 through Week 8), and is the only punter with a boot of more than 70 yards this season. His %Inside 20 lags behind the competition somewhat, but with mitigating factors: only 3 other punters made 40 or more kicks through Week 8, and %Inside 20 tends to decrease as punt volume goes up. It’s unclear to me if the sim counts touchbacks as “Inside 20” or not, or how it calculates punting distance when a punt is returned. Either Dole is blasting a significant number of his punts out the back of the opposing endzone, or he consistently punts from such a disadvantageous position that even his thunderous leg can’t pin opponents deep. Either way, his bombs deserve some recognition.
In the conversation: Basically everyone at this point.
Returner of the Year: Jackson Kingston, WR,
12 kick returns, 286 yards; 12 punt returns, 236 yards, 1 TD
Return touchdowns are remarkably rare in this league from what I can tell, so Sarasota’s do-everything receiver immediately jumps to the front of the line as the only player with a return TD on the year, a spectacular 74-yard punt return recorded against Honolulu in Sarasota’s 34-24 Week 8 victory. His combined average length of return (total return yards/(kick returns+punt returns)), at 20.1 yards, is 3rd overall among players who return both kicks and punts, and 2nd overall for players with at least 10 kick returns and 10 punt returns.
In the conversation: Squidward Tentacles, WR, New Orleans Second Line
, Rich Triplet, CB , Cedric Wilkins II, CB Be sure to let me know in the comments how badly I screwed your favorite players over!