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+---- Thread: *DSFL S44 - Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year Predictions and Analysis (/showthread.php?tid=47076)
*DSFL S44 - Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year Predictions and Analysis - Tmoney6996 - 08-18-2023
Welcome back to another addition of Buccaneers Weekly! This week, we'll be taking a look at all of the high performing rookies, on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, and predict who we believe will come out on top with the coveted Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year awards.
Let's begin with offense! Our top contenders come from all over the league a wide variety of positions:
Bollrsveifla, T.: 47 for 80, 527 yards, 58.8% comp, 3 TDs, 3 INTs
Beginning with the one rookie QB who has made a positive, tangible impact of their teams season so far, we have Bollrsveifla. Bollrsveifla has played well enough to be in the conversation, while putting themselves at the top of a thin group of rookie QBs. With the time split currently occurring in Bondi Beach, we have a tough time seeing Bollrsveifla continuing at such a place to remain in contention, but their play has garnered enough attention to wide up on our list. While they may not have the most yards of all rookie Qbs, that distinction belongs to TurnDaBallOva (1113 yards; who also has thrown 8 interceptions), Bollrsveifla has been the most accurate and consistent through the first 4 games of the seasons. QBs take awhile to develop into true game changers at the DSFL level, so we wouldn't be surprised if we Bollrsveifla in contention for some hardware at the end of next season.
Julius, O.: 20 catches, 392 yards, 2 TDs, 19.6 avg.
Julius has certainly lived up the hype of being the first overall pick of the DSFL draft this year. They've continued to produce in all 4 games this season (minus the absolute bloodbath that was a week 4 loss to juggernaut BBB 44-7). Not only Julius played well enough to find themselves as one of the top rookie WRs in the league, they've already put together a very young season that has them in contention to be one of the best OVERALL WRs at seasons end. the one nagging part of Julius' game so far has been ball security. 3 drops and a fumble isn't a pattern, but definitely something to monitor for the youngster as we move into the dog days of the season.
Lopez de Castilla, D.: 24 catches, 373 yards, 1 TD, 15.5 avg.
We find another WR on this list with Norfolks own Lopez de Castilla. Despite Norfolk rough early start to the year, Lopez de Castilla has continued to produce and shined in the face adversity. While not putting up nearly as many yards or TDs as their contemporaries in Julius and Frost, DL (the rightfully earned nickname of Lopez de Castilla) has put together a solid season of work so far and hauled in more catches than the other WRs on this list, finding themselves has the safety valve that Boudreaux has desperately needed through these early 4 weeks. Whether or not DL can keep up this pace, or if it's simply a byproduct of Norfolk needing to play catch-up in most of their games, it's been a sight to behold. Additionally, there have been rumblings that DL was contemplating a switch to Kicker, so it'll be interesting to see if a switch happens and if they prove to be better than rookie kicker phenom, Xystarch, of Bondi Beach.
Frost III, L.: 18 catches, 332 yards, 2 TDs, 18.4 avg.
Frost is such an interesting case this season, a true story of have talent and pedigree account for so much more than draft position. Frost quickly opened eyes in their week 1 game against Tijuana, posting 8 catches for 65 yards and 2TDs in their first game ever! While they haven't found the endzone since, they've continued to produce through the air, putting themselves in the top 5 for rookies at that position and category. We'll have to see if Frost can continue this pace, and if Dallas can for that matter. But Frost seems like an early favorite to bring home the trophy at the end of the season.
Ivanov, I.: 75 att., 271 yards, 2 TDs, 3.6 avg., 8 catches 60 yards, 7.5 avg.
We come to our first, and only RB to make this list through the early part of the season. Ivanov has proved to be a crucial part of their teams success so far. While the Grey Ducks may be sitting at a 1-3 record, Ivanov has done everything than can to keep their team competitive and in the game. It'll be tough for a RB to dethrone a WR for OROY, but we see enough promise here, both on the ground and the air, to warrant including Ivanov on this list. If they can manage to find the endzone a few more times and continue to produce through the air, we expect to see them talked about more as the season goes on.
Passarelli, T.: 17 catches, 188 yards, 2 TDs, 11.1 avg.
Rounding out of early look at OROY candidates, we definitely detect zero bias in including Passarelli on this list. Not only have they led all TEs in both receptions, yards, and average, they've managed to be tied for the TE lead in TDs. While not seeing as many targets as other receiving options on other teams, Passarelli has continued to find ways to produce for the Buccaneers and made sure that their presence is felt game in and game out. Obviously, we'd like to see their TDs numbers go up, but with some many offensive weapons on the BBB side of the ball, you can't help but be excited about what Passarelli has managed to produce so far.
Taking everything into account, we expect the OROY voting to conclude as follows:
1) Frost III, WR - DAL
2) Julius, WR - LON
3) Passarelli, TE - BBB
4) Lopez de Castilla, WR - NOR
5) Ivanov, RB - MINN
6) Bollrsveifla, QB - BBB
Now we turn our discussion to a much more interesting discussion! Who do currently see at the top of the list of DROY!
Waffle, A.: 38 tackles, 2 TFL, 3 FF, 3 sacks, 2 PD
Friend of the show, Waffle, has been an absolute FORCE this season after making the switch from TE to LB. They lead all rookies in tackles, Forced Fumbles, and Sacks, and have otherwise just been a complete menace against every single team that they have played so far. It's such a torrid pace that it's hard to believe that it's a real stat line, and we are excited to see them go out their week and just dominate whoever they are lined up across from. It'll be an uphill battle for any other rookies to catch up to Waffle, but our next on the list definitely has the best chance to do so.
Battle, J.: 37 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD
Battle has proved themselves to be a top end LB, not just for a rookie, but for all of the DSFL. Coming in just short statistically of A Waffle, they've put up just stunning numbers and have helped anchor the Dallas front 7. Some pundits have stated the cause for Dallas' run here to start the season, and a key reason for their prime positioning thru 4 games has been the play of Battle. It'll be intriguing to see if they can continue to earn and keep pace with their defensive counterparts, but early discussions with them would seem to indicate they are here for the hardware, and anything less is an abject failure.
Gougar, -.: 35 tackles, 1 FR, 1 sack, 1 PD
Rounding out the top 3 rookie LBs in Season 44 of the DSFL we have a literal(?) Cougar playing LB for Norfolk. They been a solid force for the Seawolves and have been otherwise lone bright spot in a tough season for the defending champs. We expect them to be able to continue this pace of play, as they spend of their time on the field, coming up with stop after stop. But, can their endurance keep them on the field long enough to lock up some post season honors? We certainly think so, and we also feel that this is the most stacked class of rookie LBs the DSFL since we started covering the league in S44.
Redfox, G.: 29 tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT, 10 PD
We finally come to our first secondary player on our list and it's none other than Redfox of Dallas. They've been an absolute stud on the outside, locking down some of the most prolific WRs the DSFL has thrown their way. Leading the league in Pass Break-ups, they've seldom allowed a catch all season, and has shown that early season prowess that all teams crave when looking for the next standout lockdown corner. Redfox, in tandem with Battle, has Dallas fans excited about the potential for their team season, and there's no reason why these couldn't continue to lead the way for the Birddogs.
Waterman, F.: 25 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT, 7 PD
Waterman makes our list as the only safety and only player from high powered Portland to make the list. They've played out their mind to start the season, leading all safeties in tackles and INTs. They've been a nice compliment for Portland with Dangerson at LB, who honorable mention, has be an absolutely turnover machine. These two have seen the field quite a bit more compared to others on this part, owning to the aboslute dominance of Portlands offense, so we'd like to see a bit more from both of them before we put them higher on the list. Either way, Waterman has found their place here and they should continue to excel for the rest of the season.
McDonald, R.: 13 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 sack
The lone Defensive Lineman to make our early DROY rankings, McDonald has turned in a solid defensive performance this season leading rookie DTs with 4 TFLs. Speaking of other DLineman, we have to mention HK-19 here, who has served has another solid piece up front for Dallas, but we feel that McDonald has been a larger part of a teams defensive play, specifically for London. One knock against McDonald so far though was the dismal defensive display put forth in their recent 7-44 thrashing at the hands of BBB. McDonald and that defensive front were eaten up by BBBs rushing attack for nearly 225 yards on the ground. However, we think they'll right the ship in the coming weeks.
All in all, the race for DROY is tight one, but don't expect too much movement at the top of the race:
1) Waffle, LB - LON
2) Battle, LB - DAL
3) Redfox, CB - DAL
4) Gougar, LB - NOR
5) Waterman, SS - POR
6) McDonald, DT - LON
*Dangerson could very well make a late season push to get themselves in prime position for some hardware at the end of the season.
Thanks for tuning into this weeks edition of Buccaneer Weekly! The totally serious and not at all biased take on the S44 Bondi Beach Buccaneers and all things DSFl related! Tune in next week where we may be hosting DSFL gameday!