Hello, everyone! I’m Z-Whiz, a new member in the NSFL community. I am trying my hand at this whole media thing and figured I would try a series of columns where I break down the play of the three rookie pass catchers for the London Royals. First off, let’s get to know the players.
Tre'Darius J'Vathon (WR): Drafted 39th Overall:
Tre’Darius comes in as a speed merchant from Ole Miss. At 6’-3”, 225 lbs, he’s a physical force too. He’s focused on maxing out his speed with a rating of 89 already. This helps him get open on his fair share of go routes. All he needs is a lane to house it, but with hands of 55 and strength of 25, he’ll drop his fair share of balls and not break many tackles. Fun fact: he puts the sausage gravy on his plate and then drops the biscuits on top when eating biscuits and gravy.
Gunner Thorbjornsson (WR) – Drafted 47th Overall:
Gunner comes in as a more balanced, slot type receiver from the University of Oregon. He is also a big bodied receiver at 6’-2”, 210 lbs. He’s added some points into strength (40), agility (70), hands (70), and endurance (70), but his speed is lacking at only 80. While it’s harder for him to break away from coverage, his hands are reliable and his strength often gets him a few extra yards after contact. Fun fact: he used to chase rabbits in the woods to work on his agility and quickness. He never caught one with his bare hands, but he claims to have “nicked her tail”.
Frank Michell (TE) – Drafted 41st Overall:
Originally drafted as an offensive lineman out of Indiana, Frank laced up his shoes and did some conditioning to drop some weight and switch over to tight end. He’s thrown a lot of TPE at speed, increase his base trait of 50 up to 75. He’s also focused on strength (60) and hands (69). Watch out for him to make an impact in both the running and passing game with that beefy build and nice hands. Fun fact: he once ate 42 hot cakes in one sitting, setting the record at a local dive bar in Hell, his birthplace.
Preseason Game 1:
London Royals defeated their rivals, Kansas City Coyotes, by the score of 31-14. There were no touchdowns from any wideout as the defense put on a clinic and scored 2 themselves, which gave London an early lead allowing them to rely on the run game with 43 total carriers. J’Vathon backed up his status as the first pass catcher drafted by the Royals with a flashy game, almost out gaining caped senior wide receiver Susan Cash Jr. He ended the game with 4 catches, totaling 54 yards. Thorbjornsson and Michell, didn’t make much of an impact coming in at 2 receptions for 18 yards and 3 receptions for 17 yards, respectively.
Preseason Game 2:
London Royals defeated the Norfolk Seawolves in another one sided affair, 33-10. Despite getting off to an early lead, the Royals stuck with the passing game throughout, trying to get rookie QB Charlemagne Cortez some reps. This lead to some better yardage all around, and even a few TD’s. Thorbjornsson lead the way with 4 catches and 66 yards, however, he wasn’t able to find paydirt. His four catches came on the first two drives of the game and were key in moving the team into field goal position on both possessions. Michell hauled in 4 balls for 28 yards and a TD, while J’Vathon garnered only 16 yards on 3 catches, but found the endzone once.
Preseason Game 3:
London Royals defeated by the Dallas Birddogs in a stingy one, 3-10. This was a weird one as London gained 100 more yards in this game than the Norfolk game, yet score 30 points less. Being down for the first time in the preseason and continually in long yardage situations thanks to penalties, London was forced to throw the ball 31 times, completing only 19. All three rookies ended with similar stat lines. J’Vathon once again led the way with 47 yards on 5 completions. Thorbjornsson was next totaling 38 yards on 4 grabs. Michell was a close third with 39 yards on 3 catches. With a total of 3 points, obviously no one reached the endzone. It should be noted, that Susan Cash Jr was forced to carry the load in this game as he tallied 5 grabs on 81 yards. Should Cash continue to dominate, he will draw double teams and open up the field for big plays from the rookies.
Preseason Game 4:
London Royals back on top after defeating the Grey Ducks in a nail bitter, 23-20. Both teams had exactly 386 yards and PhastBawl’s 4th quarter field goal was enough to hold off a late surge from the Ducks. While this is an article about the rookie pass catchers, I do want to throw a quick shoutout to fellow rookie QB, Charlemagne Cortez. He had a heck of a game and that led to some nice box scores for those on the receiving end of his tight spiral. Michell lead the way with the most receptions at 6, totaling 55 yards. His long of 35 yards was the first play in the key drive for the previously mentioned PhastBawl field goal. Thorbjornsson lead the team, including Susan Cash Jr, with 61 reception yards on 5 grabs. J’Vathon had another tough one yardage-wise with only 20, but did make 5 catches as well.
Summary:
Tre'Darius J'Vathon appears to be a boom or bust type player. He definitely has the capability of having a huge impact on the game, but also went missing in a few games. Gunner Thorbjornsson was more of a constant presence out there, however, his end product needs to improve if he wants to stay on the field. He needs to become a bigger threat in the red zone. Frank Michell was a great blend of consistency and end product.
Look Ahead:
Next up, the London Royals take on the Kansas City Coyotes in Week 1 on Thursday, June 18th. It’s a rematch from their first preseason game. I would say London should adopt the same strategy as the first meeting, but scoring 2 defensive/special teams touchdowns isn’t something that can be relied on. London did have success in running the ball, so get ready for a run heavy attack with Danny King and Jacoby Batista. Big chunk plays through the air can be expected with the speed the Royal’s receivers have, but look for their running backs to pound it home when inside the red zone.
Tre'Darius J'Vathon (WR): Drafted 39th Overall:
Tre’Darius comes in as a speed merchant from Ole Miss. At 6’-3”, 225 lbs, he’s a physical force too. He’s focused on maxing out his speed with a rating of 89 already. This helps him get open on his fair share of go routes. All he needs is a lane to house it, but with hands of 55 and strength of 25, he’ll drop his fair share of balls and not break many tackles. Fun fact: he puts the sausage gravy on his plate and then drops the biscuits on top when eating biscuits and gravy.
Gunner Thorbjornsson (WR) – Drafted 47th Overall:
Gunner comes in as a more balanced, slot type receiver from the University of Oregon. He is also a big bodied receiver at 6’-2”, 210 lbs. He’s added some points into strength (40), agility (70), hands (70), and endurance (70), but his speed is lacking at only 80. While it’s harder for him to break away from coverage, his hands are reliable and his strength often gets him a few extra yards after contact. Fun fact: he used to chase rabbits in the woods to work on his agility and quickness. He never caught one with his bare hands, but he claims to have “nicked her tail”.
Frank Michell (TE) – Drafted 41st Overall:
Originally drafted as an offensive lineman out of Indiana, Frank laced up his shoes and did some conditioning to drop some weight and switch over to tight end. He’s thrown a lot of TPE at speed, increase his base trait of 50 up to 75. He’s also focused on strength (60) and hands (69). Watch out for him to make an impact in both the running and passing game with that beefy build and nice hands. Fun fact: he once ate 42 hot cakes in one sitting, setting the record at a local dive bar in Hell, his birthplace.
Preseason Game 1:
London Royals defeated their rivals, Kansas City Coyotes, by the score of 31-14. There were no touchdowns from any wideout as the defense put on a clinic and scored 2 themselves, which gave London an early lead allowing them to rely on the run game with 43 total carriers. J’Vathon backed up his status as the first pass catcher drafted by the Royals with a flashy game, almost out gaining caped senior wide receiver Susan Cash Jr. He ended the game with 4 catches, totaling 54 yards. Thorbjornsson and Michell, didn’t make much of an impact coming in at 2 receptions for 18 yards and 3 receptions for 17 yards, respectively.
Preseason Game 2:
London Royals defeated the Norfolk Seawolves in another one sided affair, 33-10. Despite getting off to an early lead, the Royals stuck with the passing game throughout, trying to get rookie QB Charlemagne Cortez some reps. This lead to some better yardage all around, and even a few TD’s. Thorbjornsson lead the way with 4 catches and 66 yards, however, he wasn’t able to find paydirt. His four catches came on the first two drives of the game and were key in moving the team into field goal position on both possessions. Michell hauled in 4 balls for 28 yards and a TD, while J’Vathon garnered only 16 yards on 3 catches, but found the endzone once.
Preseason Game 3:
London Royals defeated by the Dallas Birddogs in a stingy one, 3-10. This was a weird one as London gained 100 more yards in this game than the Norfolk game, yet score 30 points less. Being down for the first time in the preseason and continually in long yardage situations thanks to penalties, London was forced to throw the ball 31 times, completing only 19. All three rookies ended with similar stat lines. J’Vathon once again led the way with 47 yards on 5 completions. Thorbjornsson was next totaling 38 yards on 4 grabs. Michell was a close third with 39 yards on 3 catches. With a total of 3 points, obviously no one reached the endzone. It should be noted, that Susan Cash Jr was forced to carry the load in this game as he tallied 5 grabs on 81 yards. Should Cash continue to dominate, he will draw double teams and open up the field for big plays from the rookies.
Preseason Game 4:
London Royals back on top after defeating the Grey Ducks in a nail bitter, 23-20. Both teams had exactly 386 yards and PhastBawl’s 4th quarter field goal was enough to hold off a late surge from the Ducks. While this is an article about the rookie pass catchers, I do want to throw a quick shoutout to fellow rookie QB, Charlemagne Cortez. He had a heck of a game and that led to some nice box scores for those on the receiving end of his tight spiral. Michell lead the way with the most receptions at 6, totaling 55 yards. His long of 35 yards was the first play in the key drive for the previously mentioned PhastBawl field goal. Thorbjornsson lead the team, including Susan Cash Jr, with 61 reception yards on 5 grabs. J’Vathon had another tough one yardage-wise with only 20, but did make 5 catches as well.
Summary:
Tre'Darius J'Vathon appears to be a boom or bust type player. He definitely has the capability of having a huge impact on the game, but also went missing in a few games. Gunner Thorbjornsson was more of a constant presence out there, however, his end product needs to improve if he wants to stay on the field. He needs to become a bigger threat in the red zone. Frank Michell was a great blend of consistency and end product.
Look Ahead:
Next up, the London Royals take on the Kansas City Coyotes in Week 1 on Thursday, June 18th. It’s a rematch from their first preseason game. I would say London should adopt the same strategy as the first meeting, but scoring 2 defensive/special teams touchdowns isn’t something that can be relied on. London did have success in running the ball, so get ready for a run heavy attack with Danny King and Jacoby Batista. Big chunk plays through the air can be expected with the speed the Royal’s receivers have, but look for their running backs to pound it home when inside the red zone.
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