Lots of attention is given to the big weapons at the skill positions in any offense. For good reason, too. The most successful weapons on any team are the ones who dazzle fans and gain all the attention. But behind every team's Big 3, there's a secondary group. Conventional wisdom says that teams who have a good, contributing secondary group are teams that win. Period. Is it really true, though? let's find out. In this article we'll be examining every team's Medium 3 through week 9 of the NSFL season. Let's start with the team with the least total points and work our way up from there and see how conventional wisdom shakes out.
COLORADO YETI (BIG 3: Tweed, Hendrix, West)
Michael Newman, RB
165 yards rushing, 1 TD
88 yards receiving
Jaquan Young, WR
182 yards receiving
The Yeti don't even get a third member. That's how rough it's been this year for a team that is still reeling from the biggest scandal in league history and who have a Big 3 that basically isn't. This is a team whose offense is like Amy Winehouse's final years, minus the gracefulness. Teams know the score when they play the Yeti. They're stacked 27 men in the box to stop Boss Tweed and Nicholas Pierno should be placed on the Endangered Species list.
LAS VEGAS LEGION (BIG 3: Savea, Leclair, Ross)
Kyle Cobb, RB
55 yards rushing
121 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Gabriel Tenzini, TE
210 yards receiving
Conner Tanner, TE
115 yards receiving
Well. This group is such that I had to remove someone who isn't even on the Legion anymore. Only 3 people have even found the end zone on the entire team. Conner Tanner is a bright spot though. The rookie is coming along enough to suggest that he'll be a bigger part of the offense going forward. That's one of the advantages of their being nowhere to go but up. The Legion offense is kind of a mess in the way that cats are kind of like assholes. On the bright side, the truly atrocious defense is giving them plenty of chances to get back on the field.
BALTIMORE HAWKS (BIG 3: Willie, Stormblessed, Christmas)
Darlane Farelane, RB
673 yards rushing, 2 TDS
50 yards receiving
Matthew Vincent, WR
332 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Marcus Robinson, RB
119 yards rushing, 1 TD
71 yards recieving
A controversial call here, but one I stand by. The team's number three receiver Christmas goes in the big three over starting running back Darlane Farlane. He's simply a bigger and more important part of the offense the Hawks have run this season. Then again, this is an offense who's only scored more points than the Legion and the Yeti. This is a good reason why, too. Beyond the big receiver trio, who is there really? There's no presence to speak of at Tight End and the running game is basically summed up by no less than 3 BACKUP running backs from other teams managing to match or exceed the entire total of Hawks rushing touchdowns. This may be the most top heavy offense in the league, unless you're counting teams who don't really have a top either. That said, it's quite clear that this team is one good running back from being dangerous. It's not Robinson or Farelane, though.
YELLOWKNIFE WRAITHS (BIG 3: Nuck, Cook, Garden)
DJ Law, WR
325 yards receiving, 3 TDS
Joseph Askins, TE
143 yards receiving
Eric Kennedy, RB
63 yards rushing
132 yards receiving, 2 TDS
This is the first of three teams whose offense production is separated by so few points that it basically doesn't matter. And it's one that's going to improve. Law is the quintessential dangerous slot receiver and Askins was widely considered by many many many many analysts to be the most promising of a solid Tight End rookie crop this season. This team is going to keep fighting it's way out of the middle of the pack and the secondary trio is a big reason why.
SAN JOSE SABERCATS (BIG 3: Durden, Weston, Jackson)
Break Bottles, TE
229 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Denzel Diaz, RB
75 yards rushing, 2 TDS
115 yards receiving, 1 TD
172 yards returning
Darren Smallwood, WR
166 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Well, well, well. Quite the competent trio, aren't they? They get yards, they get to the end zone, and they do enough to keep defenses honest, which helps pave the way for the big three to do their thing. There's nothing amazing or flashy here. there's no rising stars poised to break out. Just lunchpail warriors, punching in and going to work week after week. If anything they're the team most poised to fall down as other teams improve.
PHILADELPHIA LIBERTY (BIG 3: Wright, North, Kroetch)
Kieran O'Connell, RB
114 yards rushing, 3 TDS
86 yards receiving
Paul Dimirio, TE
390 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Budda Browning, WR
217 yards receiving
What do you get when you take a decent backup, a promising rookie, and one of the steadiest Tight Ends in football and combine them? You get this trio. It's good. It's not going to disappoint you. It's got the potential to get better, too as Browning continues to improve during this promising rookie campaign. That's about all that can be said, though. A solid offense features solid role players. It's sometimes sunny here. Frequently even.
ARIZONA OUTLAWS (BIG 3: Chess, Evans, Mackworthy)
Jaxon Tuck, RB
263 yards rushing and 4 TDS
182 yards receiving and 2 TDS
Samuel Zhang, WR
462 yards receiving and 2 TDS
Charlie Law, TE
287 yards receiving and 4 TDS
When people say that the Outlaws can't keep getting away with this, they're talking about things like this. Three rookies at the running back, slot receiving, and Tight End positions. Given that the Outlaws don't have the most complicated or dynamic offense to begin with, one wouldn't necessarily expect the secondary trio to be this successful. No matter how good the team may be overall, you don't expect this much production out of the second tier of the team with only the 6th most passing plays. This is a run first, run second, run third, and then run just to be safe team that features HEAVY run reliance. They run a lot is what I'm saying. Yet here this trio are, getting yards and touchdowns through the air at a respectable clip more than halfway through the season, not to mention Jaxon Tuck's contributions to that running game that you may have heard about. And just for bonus points, Tuck and Law are ranked 3rd and 4th in the NSFL in Pancake blocks among non offensive linemen. Seriously though. They can't keep getting away with this.
ORANGE COUNTY OTTERS (BIG 3: Burnsman, Westfield, Phelps)
Leroy Jenkins, RB
244 rushing yards, 5 TDS
268 yards receiving
George Wright Jr, TE
365 yards receiving, 3 TDS
Nate Atasuke, WR
457 yards receiving, 2 TDS
First of all..what? Yeah, I made this decision. Ehrlich Burnsman is part of this team's Big 3. Rookie or not he has clearly surpassed Leroy Jenkins in the pecking order and he rewarded that decision with 8 TDS on the ground. Has anyone mentioned how insane this team's offense is? Three of the top four in passes caught. Most rushing touchdowns. Most passing touchdowns. Highest individual passing and rushing touchdowns. Second highest on each of those lists, too. And Atasuke is also a rookie. This offense is insane and it's second tier team shows as much. They have more hits than Adele. The only reason they haven't scored more points is because you can only score once per drive. This offense is probably going to get BETTER, too. For all the attention that Arizona gets for it's success in finding and utilizing offensive talent, Orange County might be on par. It's probably better. Despite their struggles early in the season they are firing on all cylinders and it shows.
So what's the conclusion? Pretty much what conventional wisdom would say. Teams who can produce at their tertiary levels are teams that win. Teams that can execute their core gameplans up and down their rosters are teams that succeed.
GRADED
COLORADO YETI (BIG 3: Tweed, Hendrix, West)
Michael Newman, RB
165 yards rushing, 1 TD
88 yards receiving
Jaquan Young, WR
182 yards receiving
The Yeti don't even get a third member. That's how rough it's been this year for a team that is still reeling from the biggest scandal in league history and who have a Big 3 that basically isn't. This is a team whose offense is like Amy Winehouse's final years, minus the gracefulness. Teams know the score when they play the Yeti. They're stacked 27 men in the box to stop Boss Tweed and Nicholas Pierno should be placed on the Endangered Species list.
LAS VEGAS LEGION (BIG 3: Savea, Leclair, Ross)
Kyle Cobb, RB
55 yards rushing
121 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Gabriel Tenzini, TE
210 yards receiving
Conner Tanner, TE
115 yards receiving
Well. This group is such that I had to remove someone who isn't even on the Legion anymore. Only 3 people have even found the end zone on the entire team. Conner Tanner is a bright spot though. The rookie is coming along enough to suggest that he'll be a bigger part of the offense going forward. That's one of the advantages of their being nowhere to go but up. The Legion offense is kind of a mess in the way that cats are kind of like assholes. On the bright side, the truly atrocious defense is giving them plenty of chances to get back on the field.
BALTIMORE HAWKS (BIG 3: Willie, Stormblessed, Christmas)
Darlane Farelane, RB
673 yards rushing, 2 TDS
50 yards receiving
Matthew Vincent, WR
332 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Marcus Robinson, RB
119 yards rushing, 1 TD
71 yards recieving
A controversial call here, but one I stand by. The team's number three receiver Christmas goes in the big three over starting running back Darlane Farlane. He's simply a bigger and more important part of the offense the Hawks have run this season. Then again, this is an offense who's only scored more points than the Legion and the Yeti. This is a good reason why, too. Beyond the big receiver trio, who is there really? There's no presence to speak of at Tight End and the running game is basically summed up by no less than 3 BACKUP running backs from other teams managing to match or exceed the entire total of Hawks rushing touchdowns. This may be the most top heavy offense in the league, unless you're counting teams who don't really have a top either. That said, it's quite clear that this team is one good running back from being dangerous. It's not Robinson or Farelane, though.
YELLOWKNIFE WRAITHS (BIG 3: Nuck, Cook, Garden)
DJ Law, WR
325 yards receiving, 3 TDS
Joseph Askins, TE
143 yards receiving
Eric Kennedy, RB
63 yards rushing
132 yards receiving, 2 TDS
This is the first of three teams whose offense production is separated by so few points that it basically doesn't matter. And it's one that's going to improve. Law is the quintessential dangerous slot receiver and Askins was widely considered by many many many many analysts to be the most promising of a solid Tight End rookie crop this season. This team is going to keep fighting it's way out of the middle of the pack and the secondary trio is a big reason why.
SAN JOSE SABERCATS (BIG 3: Durden, Weston, Jackson)
Break Bottles, TE
229 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Denzel Diaz, RB
75 yards rushing, 2 TDS
115 yards receiving, 1 TD
172 yards returning
Darren Smallwood, WR
166 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Well, well, well. Quite the competent trio, aren't they? They get yards, they get to the end zone, and they do enough to keep defenses honest, which helps pave the way for the big three to do their thing. There's nothing amazing or flashy here. there's no rising stars poised to break out. Just lunchpail warriors, punching in and going to work week after week. If anything they're the team most poised to fall down as other teams improve.
PHILADELPHIA LIBERTY (BIG 3: Wright, North, Kroetch)
Kieran O'Connell, RB
114 yards rushing, 3 TDS
86 yards receiving
Paul Dimirio, TE
390 yards receiving, 2 TDS
Budda Browning, WR
217 yards receiving
What do you get when you take a decent backup, a promising rookie, and one of the steadiest Tight Ends in football and combine them? You get this trio. It's good. It's not going to disappoint you. It's got the potential to get better, too as Browning continues to improve during this promising rookie campaign. That's about all that can be said, though. A solid offense features solid role players. It's sometimes sunny here. Frequently even.
ARIZONA OUTLAWS (BIG 3: Chess, Evans, Mackworthy)
Jaxon Tuck, RB
263 yards rushing and 4 TDS
182 yards receiving and 2 TDS
Samuel Zhang, WR
462 yards receiving and 2 TDS
Charlie Law, TE
287 yards receiving and 4 TDS
When people say that the Outlaws can't keep getting away with this, they're talking about things like this. Three rookies at the running back, slot receiving, and Tight End positions. Given that the Outlaws don't have the most complicated or dynamic offense to begin with, one wouldn't necessarily expect the secondary trio to be this successful. No matter how good the team may be overall, you don't expect this much production out of the second tier of the team with only the 6th most passing plays. This is a run first, run second, run third, and then run just to be safe team that features HEAVY run reliance. They run a lot is what I'm saying. Yet here this trio are, getting yards and touchdowns through the air at a respectable clip more than halfway through the season, not to mention Jaxon Tuck's contributions to that running game that you may have heard about. And just for bonus points, Tuck and Law are ranked 3rd and 4th in the NSFL in Pancake blocks among non offensive linemen. Seriously though. They can't keep getting away with this.
ORANGE COUNTY OTTERS (BIG 3: Burnsman, Westfield, Phelps)
Leroy Jenkins, RB
244 rushing yards, 5 TDS
268 yards receiving
George Wright Jr, TE
365 yards receiving, 3 TDS
Nate Atasuke, WR
457 yards receiving, 2 TDS
First of all..what? Yeah, I made this decision. Ehrlich Burnsman is part of this team's Big 3. Rookie or not he has clearly surpassed Leroy Jenkins in the pecking order and he rewarded that decision with 8 TDS on the ground. Has anyone mentioned how insane this team's offense is? Three of the top four in passes caught. Most rushing touchdowns. Most passing touchdowns. Highest individual passing and rushing touchdowns. Second highest on each of those lists, too. And Atasuke is also a rookie. This offense is insane and it's second tier team shows as much. They have more hits than Adele. The only reason they haven't scored more points is because you can only score once per drive. This offense is probably going to get BETTER, too. For all the attention that Arizona gets for it's success in finding and utilizing offensive talent, Orange County might be on par. It's probably better. Despite their struggles early in the season they are firing on all cylinders and it shows.
So what's the conclusion? Pretty much what conventional wisdom would say. Teams who can produce at their tertiary levels are teams that win. Teams that can execute their core gameplans up and down their rosters are teams that succeed.
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GRADED