Here are my current Top 3 for each DSFL award.
Returner of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne (429 yds, 2TD)
2nd - Korbin Brown (610 yds, 1TD)
3rd - Noah Akerele (516 yds, 1TD)
These three are the undisputed leaders at the halfway point, the only question mark is who would win between Vaughne and Brown. Brown has had far more return opportunities but Vaughne has been more productive with his.
Punter of the Year
1st - Blago Kokot
2nd - Leo Bloomfield
3rd - Jake Fencik
Last year's PotY was clear cut, with the winner leading in yards, YPP and inside the 20. This year is a tougher call so far. Kokot gets the nod here as they have the 2nd best Avg, the 2nd best 'inside the 20' percentage and the longest overall punt of the season. But this is a very close race and could easily go to any of around 5 or 6 punters at the end of the season.
Kicker of the Year
1st - Pseudo QB
2nd - Jack Burton
3rd - Jake Fencik
Pseudo QB is the clear standout so far having made all 15 field goals, including the DSFL's only 50 yarder. The only blotch against their name is a missed XP. Burton has been solid as well, having missed just one but an ugly 3 missed extra points. Fencik has had a nice year, perfect at extra points and with just two missed 40+ yarders.
Defensive Back of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne (5 PDs, 2 Ints, 2/1 FF/FT, 1 TD)
2nd - Rashad Hilliard (9 PDs, 1 Int, 1/1 FF/FR)
3rd - Teddy Utterstruzen (8 PDs, 2 Int, 1 Sfty)
A tough category to judge. I had to look back at last year's awards to get an idea of what the committee looks for. It seems like individual stats are prioritised, like passes defended and interceptions, but very little weight is given to passing yards given up as a team, with 2nd and 3rd last year coming from the two worst passing defenses. As such, I think Hilliard and Utterstruzen are likely to be in the mix, but Vaughne has the whole package thanks to Norfolk's superb passing defense as well as 3 turnovers and a TD.
Linebacker of the Year
1st - Juan Domine (6 Sck, 5 TFL, 5 PD)
2nd - Adam Schell (4 Sck, 4 TFL, 3 PD, 2/1 FF/FR)
3rd - Terry Tate (6 Sck, 2 TFL, 5 PD)
Judging from previous years' results, this seems to go to the players who have a good mix across sacks, TFLs, turnovers and PDs. It's a super close race and I think there are 5 or 6 LBs who are in the mix at the moment. Domine gets the top spot for now thanks to leading the league in both sacks and TFLs. The only thing harming his shot is a lack of turnovers.
Defensive Lineman of the Year
1st - Arlington Heights (4 Sck, 7 TFL, 1 FF)
2nd - Mattress Cadaire (4 Sck, 8 TFL)
3rd - Tex Wrecks (2 Sck, 10 TFL)
Sacks, TFLs and FF/FRs. That seems to be the key factor for winning DLotY. This year, that puts 3 names at the top of the list. Heights edges it with a forced fumble but the other two are very close behind. That said, there are a lot of rookies who are a sack or two away from pushing a Top 3 spot.
Offensive Lineman of the Year
1st - Clay Stallworth (43 Pnck, 0 Sck A)
2nd - Adam Mellott (32 Pnck, 0 Sck A)
3rd - Macaroni Elephant (28 Pnck, 0 Sck A)
This award tends to go to the pancake leaders, with their sacks allowed also playing an important role. While the teams' offensive performance overall should probably be taken into account a bit more, it doesn't seem to follow in the ballots. 2nd and 3rd place above are well clear of the rest of the field, but Stallworth is taking it to another level. Last year's runaway 'cake leader had a PPG of 4.3. Stallworth so far is running at 6.1. It would take a big upset for him not to win this one by season's end.
Tight End of the Year
1st - Rigby Raccoon (35 Rec, 382 Yds, 2 TDs)
2nd - Ne Mo (26 Rec, 316 Yds, 2 TDs)
3rd - Frank Michell (32, 297 Yds, 2 TDs)
There's a clear top 3 here, with Raccoon, Mo and Michell being among the favorite targets of their QBs. Raccoon is on course to beat their yardage total from last year's award winning campaign, so it's hard to look past the Coyotes TE to repeat.
Wide Receiver of the Year
1st - Joshua Campbell (31 Rec, 521 Yds, 5 TDs)
2nd - Dre Matthews (34 Rec, 474 Yds, 6 TDs)
3rd - Korbin Brown (35 Rec, 450 Yds, 6 TDs)
These three have separated themselves from the pack so far this season. Only 5 players last year scored 5 or more receiving touchdowns and all 3 of these guys have done it by the halfway point. It's bound to be a close finish if they all continue producing.
Running Back of the Year
1st - Bronko Mills (667 Yds, 6.1 YPC, 4 TDs)
2nd - Crowbar Theeks (653 Yds, 5.0 YPC, 6 TDs)
3rd - Captain Rogers (630 Yds, 5.4 YPC, 4 TDs)
Judging from last year's ballot results, the committee favours YPC more heavily than overall volume. Thankfully the number one running back so far this year is dominating so hard in YPC, they also lead the league in yards, despite fewer carries than 7 other RBs. Teammate Theeks is a close second thanks to their 6 TDs in what looks to be one of the strongest RB pairings ever.
Quarterback of the Year
1st - Suleiman Ramza (1178 Yds, 10 TDs, 5 Int)
2nd - Sam Howitzer (1192 Yds, 12 TDs, 5 Int)
3rd - Reginald Covington III (1412 Yds, 12 TDs, 6 Int)
QB rating is clearly a big deciding factor in this category. So far this year, with the position to himself, Ramza has gotten even better and is the frontrunner for the award with an insanely high completion percentage. Howitzer and Covington are both having really nice seasons, though Daytona, Cortez and Holloway could easily be in the mix with a few more strong performances.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
1st - Bronko Mills RB
2nd - Jameson Vermillion RB
3rd - Clay Stallworth OL
With such a big class, these awards are going to be closely fought this year so take these predictions with a pinch of salt. Don't be surprised if Owen Holloway and Mike Rotchburns break this list by the end of the year.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
1st - Teddy Utterstruzen S
2nd - Terry Tate LB
3rd - Tex Wrecks DE
This one is going to be even tougher to judge. With a huge number of rookies stepping straight into the starting lineups for their teams, there are probably about 20 names that wouldn't be surprising to see in the top 3 by season's end.
Offensive Performance of the Year
1st - Charlemagne Cortez QB W1 (334 Yds, 3 TDs, 0 Int)
2nd - Owen Holloway QB W6 (61 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 176 Rush Yds, 2 Rush TDs)
3rd - Sam Howitzer QB W7 (164 Yds, 4 TDs, 0 Int)
Three big QB performances here with arguments to be made for each of them. There's no reason why a huge RB/WR performance can't eventually win though.
Defensive Performance of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne CB W4 (1 TD, 2 Int, 4 PD, 4 Tck)
2nd - Sam Roes DE W1 (5 TFL, 7 Tck)
3rd - Adam Schell LB W5 (1 Sck, 1/1 FF/FR, 2 PD, 7 Tck)
There have been some standout performances on defense this year, especially from the new recruits, but Rickie Vaughne's week 4 stat line is going to take some beating.
General Managers of the Year
I'm nowhere near qualified enough to try and predict this one
Offensive Player of the Year
1st - Suleiman Ramza QB
2nd - Sam Howitzer QB
3rd - Joshua Campbell WR
It's tough to look past the QBs so far this year. They've both improved since last year and there hasn't been a RB/WR that has absolutely dominated enough to challenge the top spot yet.
Defensive Player of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne CB
2nd - Juan Domine LB
3rd - Adam Schell LB
As usual, there's big competition in the linebacker category, but Vaughne so far has been extremely impressive both individually and as part of the Norfolk D.
Most Valuable Player
1st - Suleiman Ramza QB
2nd - Sam Howitzer QB
3rd - Rickie Vaughne CB
As mentioned many times already, Ramza is having a superb year. He's trending better than last year and has the position all to himself this time around. It will take a strong second half of the season for someone else to surpass him.
Returner of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne (429 yds, 2TD)
2nd - Korbin Brown (610 yds, 1TD)
3rd - Noah Akerele (516 yds, 1TD)
These three are the undisputed leaders at the halfway point, the only question mark is who would win between Vaughne and Brown. Brown has had far more return opportunities but Vaughne has been more productive with his.
Punter of the Year
1st - Blago Kokot
2nd - Leo Bloomfield
3rd - Jake Fencik
Last year's PotY was clear cut, with the winner leading in yards, YPP and inside the 20. This year is a tougher call so far. Kokot gets the nod here as they have the 2nd best Avg, the 2nd best 'inside the 20' percentage and the longest overall punt of the season. But this is a very close race and could easily go to any of around 5 or 6 punters at the end of the season.
Kicker of the Year
1st - Pseudo QB
2nd - Jack Burton
3rd - Jake Fencik
Pseudo QB is the clear standout so far having made all 15 field goals, including the DSFL's only 50 yarder. The only blotch against their name is a missed XP. Burton has been solid as well, having missed just one but an ugly 3 missed extra points. Fencik has had a nice year, perfect at extra points and with just two missed 40+ yarders.
Defensive Back of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne (5 PDs, 2 Ints, 2/1 FF/FT, 1 TD)
2nd - Rashad Hilliard (9 PDs, 1 Int, 1/1 FF/FR)
3rd - Teddy Utterstruzen (8 PDs, 2 Int, 1 Sfty)
A tough category to judge. I had to look back at last year's awards to get an idea of what the committee looks for. It seems like individual stats are prioritised, like passes defended and interceptions, but very little weight is given to passing yards given up as a team, with 2nd and 3rd last year coming from the two worst passing defenses. As such, I think Hilliard and Utterstruzen are likely to be in the mix, but Vaughne has the whole package thanks to Norfolk's superb passing defense as well as 3 turnovers and a TD.
Linebacker of the Year
1st - Juan Domine (6 Sck, 5 TFL, 5 PD)
2nd - Adam Schell (4 Sck, 4 TFL, 3 PD, 2/1 FF/FR)
3rd - Terry Tate (6 Sck, 2 TFL, 5 PD)
Judging from previous years' results, this seems to go to the players who have a good mix across sacks, TFLs, turnovers and PDs. It's a super close race and I think there are 5 or 6 LBs who are in the mix at the moment. Domine gets the top spot for now thanks to leading the league in both sacks and TFLs. The only thing harming his shot is a lack of turnovers.
Defensive Lineman of the Year
1st - Arlington Heights (4 Sck, 7 TFL, 1 FF)
2nd - Mattress Cadaire (4 Sck, 8 TFL)
3rd - Tex Wrecks (2 Sck, 10 TFL)
Sacks, TFLs and FF/FRs. That seems to be the key factor for winning DLotY. This year, that puts 3 names at the top of the list. Heights edges it with a forced fumble but the other two are very close behind. That said, there are a lot of rookies who are a sack or two away from pushing a Top 3 spot.
Offensive Lineman of the Year
1st - Clay Stallworth (43 Pnck, 0 Sck A)
2nd - Adam Mellott (32 Pnck, 0 Sck A)
3rd - Macaroni Elephant (28 Pnck, 0 Sck A)
This award tends to go to the pancake leaders, with their sacks allowed also playing an important role. While the teams' offensive performance overall should probably be taken into account a bit more, it doesn't seem to follow in the ballots. 2nd and 3rd place above are well clear of the rest of the field, but Stallworth is taking it to another level. Last year's runaway 'cake leader had a PPG of 4.3. Stallworth so far is running at 6.1. It would take a big upset for him not to win this one by season's end.
Tight End of the Year
1st - Rigby Raccoon (35 Rec, 382 Yds, 2 TDs)
2nd - Ne Mo (26 Rec, 316 Yds, 2 TDs)
3rd - Frank Michell (32, 297 Yds, 2 TDs)
There's a clear top 3 here, with Raccoon, Mo and Michell being among the favorite targets of their QBs. Raccoon is on course to beat their yardage total from last year's award winning campaign, so it's hard to look past the Coyotes TE to repeat.
Wide Receiver of the Year
1st - Joshua Campbell (31 Rec, 521 Yds, 5 TDs)
2nd - Dre Matthews (34 Rec, 474 Yds, 6 TDs)
3rd - Korbin Brown (35 Rec, 450 Yds, 6 TDs)
These three have separated themselves from the pack so far this season. Only 5 players last year scored 5 or more receiving touchdowns and all 3 of these guys have done it by the halfway point. It's bound to be a close finish if they all continue producing.
Running Back of the Year
1st - Bronko Mills (667 Yds, 6.1 YPC, 4 TDs)
2nd - Crowbar Theeks (653 Yds, 5.0 YPC, 6 TDs)
3rd - Captain Rogers (630 Yds, 5.4 YPC, 4 TDs)
Judging from last year's ballot results, the committee favours YPC more heavily than overall volume. Thankfully the number one running back so far this year is dominating so hard in YPC, they also lead the league in yards, despite fewer carries than 7 other RBs. Teammate Theeks is a close second thanks to their 6 TDs in what looks to be one of the strongest RB pairings ever.
Quarterback of the Year
1st - Suleiman Ramza (1178 Yds, 10 TDs, 5 Int)
2nd - Sam Howitzer (1192 Yds, 12 TDs, 5 Int)
3rd - Reginald Covington III (1412 Yds, 12 TDs, 6 Int)
QB rating is clearly a big deciding factor in this category. So far this year, with the position to himself, Ramza has gotten even better and is the frontrunner for the award with an insanely high completion percentage. Howitzer and Covington are both having really nice seasons, though Daytona, Cortez and Holloway could easily be in the mix with a few more strong performances.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
1st - Bronko Mills RB
2nd - Jameson Vermillion RB
3rd - Clay Stallworth OL
With such a big class, these awards are going to be closely fought this year so take these predictions with a pinch of salt. Don't be surprised if Owen Holloway and Mike Rotchburns break this list by the end of the year.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
1st - Teddy Utterstruzen S
2nd - Terry Tate LB
3rd - Tex Wrecks DE
This one is going to be even tougher to judge. With a huge number of rookies stepping straight into the starting lineups for their teams, there are probably about 20 names that wouldn't be surprising to see in the top 3 by season's end.
Offensive Performance of the Year
1st - Charlemagne Cortez QB W1 (334 Yds, 3 TDs, 0 Int)
2nd - Owen Holloway QB W6 (61 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 176 Rush Yds, 2 Rush TDs)
3rd - Sam Howitzer QB W7 (164 Yds, 4 TDs, 0 Int)
Three big QB performances here with arguments to be made for each of them. There's no reason why a huge RB/WR performance can't eventually win though.
Defensive Performance of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne CB W4 (1 TD, 2 Int, 4 PD, 4 Tck)
2nd - Sam Roes DE W1 (5 TFL, 7 Tck)
3rd - Adam Schell LB W5 (1 Sck, 1/1 FF/FR, 2 PD, 7 Tck)
There have been some standout performances on defense this year, especially from the new recruits, but Rickie Vaughne's week 4 stat line is going to take some beating.
General Managers of the Year
I'm nowhere near qualified enough to try and predict this one
Offensive Player of the Year
1st - Suleiman Ramza QB
2nd - Sam Howitzer QB
3rd - Joshua Campbell WR
It's tough to look past the QBs so far this year. They've both improved since last year and there hasn't been a RB/WR that has absolutely dominated enough to challenge the top spot yet.
Defensive Player of the Year
1st - Rickie Vaughne CB
2nd - Juan Domine LB
3rd - Adam Schell LB
As usual, there's big competition in the linebacker category, but Vaughne so far has been extremely impressive both individually and as part of the Norfolk D.
Most Valuable Player
1st - Suleiman Ramza QB
2nd - Sam Howitzer QB
3rd - Rickie Vaughne CB
As mentioned many times already, Ramza is having a superb year. He's trending better than last year and has the position all to himself this time around. It will take a strong second half of the season for someone else to surpass him.