[5415 words via wordcouter.net]
“It’s the next challenge.
I want to find out.
See you soon…”
We entered the DSFL as a curious combination of reputation and enigma. Hayes was nearing elite levels on the rugby pitch, I was a max earning SMJHL GM closing in on a top 10 bank account after 10 months in the SHL. But at the same time, Hayes initially was meant to be an undersized WR (then an undersized RB), and I was very open about the risk I carried as a user, carrying big time commitments on the SHL side as a GM, talk show host, and as the Events Department head, and in real life where I work full time in one of the bigger hospital labs in the area. Hayes was picked up as a wide receiver as a post trade deadline waiver claim by the Minnesota Grey Ducks though, and we were off and running.
Season 25 - Post-trade deadline waiver claim season
Season 25, week 11 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Norfolk Seawolves (W, 20-0)Hayes - 5 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
Minnesota welcomed me with open arms, and we started off hot with an excellent defensive showing. Norfolk wasn’t the most impressive team that season, but it felt good to start off the career with a win, even if I wasn’t doing much on the field yet. Hayes dropped a pass to end the first drive of the game, redeemed herself in the third quarter with an 11 yard catch, and then closed out the offensive display with a drop and two more contested incompletions. Not really the best statline, but plenty of room to grow.
Season 25, week 12 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Portland Pythons (W, 27-17)
Hayes - 4 targets
We returned to the field the next week with the nerves gone and newfound chemistry with the Ducks’ QB, Ryan Negs. Negs was immensely helpful in making me feel welcomed in the locker room and while he wasn’t the most consistent quarterback of all time I wouldn’t trade him for anything at this point. On the field, Hayes was at her career worst, dropping three passes and failing to come down with a contested ball, not recording a reception, and committing an illegal motion penalty before the last run of the game. The rules of football are deep and challenging, and “don’t move before the play starts” is one of the hardest to master. Thankfully, the last run of the game sealed a good team win that Madison did little for.
Season 25, week 13 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ London Royals (L, 20-17)
Hayes - 3 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards, 1 touchdown
Our favorite young rugby starlet started to find her groove back in her hometown. Visiting London seemed to reinvigorate Madison as she started to feel more comfortable in the middle of the field and catching passes. She converted a third and five with a short pass from Negs for 8 yards, and built on that momentum in the second half as she brought the Grey Ducks within 3 (Xander Creed - another waiver claim, remember that name - would give them the lead soon after) as she caught a pass over the middle for her first career touchdown. That ball ended up in the hands of her mom and dad, but it was replaced with the offensive game ball once the team retired to the plane home. It was a loss, but the Ducks looked primed to compete with the division leading Royals if they locked up the playoffs next week.
Season 25, week 14 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Kansas City Coyotes (W, 26-21)
Hayes - 4 targets, 3 receptions, 26 yards
One home game. Win and you’re in, put up or shut up, and the Minnesota Grey Ducks did just that. Hayes continued to solidify herself as a short range passing game threat, building chemistry with one Ryan Negs, as she converted two of her receptions for first downs en route to a second half surge that saw the Ducks crawl back from being down 21-10 with 16 unanswered points. While not integral to the success of Minnesota and their playoff appearance, Madison Hayes showed the potential to dominate the space underneath the safeties and make the first tackler miss, exactly what she needed to do going into the DSFL draft.
Season 25 stats (4 games) - 16 targets, 6 receptions, 53 yards, 1 touchdown
Season 25, conference finals- Minnesota Grey Ducks @ London Royals (L, 33-13)
Hayes - 3 targets
Back in London, Hayes and the rest of the Ducks felt good. They arguably had improved from their narrow loss in week 13, and Hayes was comfortable back in her home country where she already performed well. Unfortunately, after surging to a 10-3 lead in the first half, London found their footing, doubling their offensive output and refusing to let any of Neg’s options get open. While sad about the outcome, the Ducks felt good about the future where they returned a number of starters on defense as well as Ryan Negs, and Madison Hayes established that while she had a lot to learn she had the physical skills to be an effective weapon in the league.
---
The weeks leading up to the draft was stressful, with every team reaching out at least once to check on Hayes, who was seeming like a lock for the first round with her current skill and potential ceiling. It was still mostly unknown to the public if she would stay at wide receiver or make the seemingly natural transition to running back, though most teams expected her to swap and retain some ability to play out wide. As draft day rolled around it was seeming like three teams were elevated above the rest. Dallas didn’t have a strong positional need, but there was a fascination with the possibility of Hayes following in the footsteps of Zoe Watts and Cobra Kai. Portland had a need and had had firsthand experience with us, but had a number of needs to fill. Finally, Minnesota had a need to put more weapons around Negs and Franklin, but they picked later in the draft and would need to trade or cross their fingers. Finally, from the beach house as we relaxed with family and friends, we heard it read out:
“With the fifth overall pick, the Minnesota Grey Ducks select… Madison Hayes, user… seven?”
Running back was the official decision, though the plan was to be a frequent enough pass catcher to get the ball in Madison’s hands as much as possible, setting one of the more dynamic athletes loose on the other defenses in the leagues.
We were back, and it was officially go time.
Season 26 - Rookie season
Season 26, week 1 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Norfolk Seawolves (W, 18-10)Hayes - 15 carries, 66 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 receptions, 14 yards
The season started out as a solid running back by committee with Hayes and Massimo Rocco, another rookie running back. Norfolk struggled to contain the duo, as they combined for over 200 yards from scrimmage. Hayes specifically established herself as not just another undersized speedster but as a fully fledged running back as she got the call three straight times from the Norfolk 16 yard line, rattling off back to back 7 yard gains before punching the ball across the line for her second career touchdown and her first as a permanent Duck and running back.
Season 26, week 2 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Dallas Birddogs (L, 17-13)
Hayes - 26 carries, 103 yards, 1 reception, 7 yards
In hindsight, this game would be prophetic of the season to come, as both Hayes and Cobra Kai enforced themselves on the opposing defenses. Hayes was the feature back for the Ducks as the passing game took less focus, and she made full use of the spotlight, carving the Birddogs defense for 100 of her 103 yards in the first three quarters of the game. Unfortunately the Dallas defense buckled down against the passing game after they took the lead, and Hayes was rendered ineffective as the rookie saw only a few touches as she watched the clock waste away.
Season 26, week 3 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Tijuana Luchadores (W, 6-0)
Hayes - 22 carries, 104 yards, 1 reception, 3 yards
One of the grindiest defensive games of the season, Minnesota’s elite defense found advantages and in one of Negs’s struggle games Madison found her groove. She would help sap the clock and give their defense rest as she carried the ball for triple digit yards a second straight game, pushing the new running back to the top of the league rushing and scrimmage yard lists as she closed in on the impressive 100 yard average mark.
Season 26, week 4 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Portland Pythons (L, 42-14)
Hayes - 11 carries, 47 yards, 3 receptions, 11 yards, 1 touchdown
The first matchup against the eventual ultimini participants and one of the more storried teams in DSFL history left a lot to be desired for the Ducks. They couldn’t contain the Portland offense and early MVP candidate LeBron James III, and they struggled to move the ball against a stout defense filled to the brim with talent. Hayes was no different, and while her 4.3 average showed she wasn’t lacking in establishing herself there wasn’t much to find on offense after she capped off their first drive of the game on the short field for a five yard touchdown.
Season 26, week 5 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs London Royals (W, 22-7)
Hayes - 22 carries, 93 yards, 3 receptions, 8 yards
Revenge game time. After last season’s pair of defeats in London, Hayes and the Grey Ducks were eager to right last season’s wrongs and get after a still skilled London team. The game was low scoring for most of the first three quarters until Hayes upped the pace in the fourth, gaining 43 yards on the ground over two drives to get the Ducks in range for two of Maximus’s three field goals of the quarter to ice the game away with 8 and a half minutes of possession in that fourth quarter.
Season 26, week 6 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Kansas City Coyotes (W, 20-10)
Hayes - 18 carries, 93 yards, 1 touchdown
The first matchup between two of the top rookies in the class, Xander Creed and Madison Hayes, didn’t disappoint, as both feature backs went for a touchdown while racking up a combined 179 yards on 40 touches. Hayes struck early, putting Minnesota up 7-0 after a 6 and 7 yard gashing in the red zone, and kept up the pressure, only being taken down in the backfield once. She capped off the game with another strong final 15 minutes, with 52 of her 93 yards coming in the last quarter of the game, allowing the Ducks to coast to victory as Creed looked for chances to bring Kansas City back.
Season 26, week 7 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Bondi Beach Buccaneers (W, 28-21)
Hayes - 21 carries, 140 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 receptions, 59 yards
The Madison Hayes coming out party was one for the ages. With one of the best performances of the season, she solidified herself as a DSFL name to be aware of for the next season and a half. Hayes didn’t get into a rhythm until late in the first where she found herself open in mismatches lined up as a receiver and rattled off catches for 8, 15, and 19 yards. The ball would continue to end up in the quick woman’s hands, as she carved the Buccaneers for 45 yards on the next drive that ended in her first touchdown of the day. Additionally, as was the common theme for the first half of the season, Hayes got better as the day went on when she went for 90 more yards in the second half of the game including an explosive 42 yard run to close out the third quarter that turned some ISFL scouts’ heads.
Season 26, week 8 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Norfolk Seawolves (L, 24-17)
Hayes - 16 carries, 86 yards, 5 receptions, 56 yards, 1 touchdown
The skid didn’t seem like a skid as it started. It was a tough loss at home for sure, but the team as a whole didn’t have any glaring issues, and Hayes was coming into her own as a true receiving option and multipurpose threat for the Minnesota offense. For the first time in her career, none of Hayes’ touches ended up going for negative yards, the combination of Alexander Franklin and Madison was proving to be a serious problem for the league.
Season 26, week 9 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Dallas Birddogs (L, 31-13)
Hayes - 17 carries, 94 yards, 5 receptions, 88 yards
Visiting Dallas, who gave Minnesota their first loss of the season, was a chance to right two wrongs after last week’s disappointing loss. Unfortunately, the defense struggled in the warmer climate, but Hayes played her role to near perfection. The young englishwoman led the Ducks in rushing yards and in receiving yards as her and Cobra Kai put on an offensive clinic. While Kai had three touchdowns to his name, pulling away from Hayes in the eyes of the awards voters, Hayes did her own work as she accounted for 182 of the Ducks’ 442 yards from scrimmage compared to Kai’s 145.
Season 26, week 10 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Tijuana Luchadores (L, 17-13)
Hayes - 10 carries, 50 yards, 2 receptions, 10 yards
The ship was not righted, as the Ducks failed to maintain possession for most of the game, losing the possession battle 36:46 to 23:14. Hayes did well when called on, but the offense as a whole didn’t have the opportunities that they did in the prior season. Hayes was responsible for three of the Minnesota 12 first downs, but also failed to convert three third downs as Minnesota went 2 for 10 on third downs. Once 5-2 the Ducks now sat at 5-5, though Hayes was putting up rookie of the year numbers, surely the skid couldn’t continue right?
Season 26, week 11 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Portland Pythons (L, 23-20)
Hayes - 15 carries, 75 yards, 2 receptions, 37 yards
Ope. Portland was still elite, and the Ducks continued the trend of just barely being not good enough to close out games against the top teams of the league. Hayes once again went for over 100 yards, and the team as a whole out-gained Portland, but the to-be MVP went on a tear as he assembled a 4 minute drive to take the lead late in the game. Hayes faced struggles a plenty against the top defense in the league though, being held in check most of the game with only a few chunk plays to pad the stats while also almost losing a fumble early in the game.
Season 26, week 12 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ London Royals (L, 34-13)
Hayes - 10 carries, 45 yards, 2 receptions, 8 yards
Our third return to London was a return to season 25 production levels as the Minnesota offense went cold at the worst possible time. Hayes kept her average up, but that was the only highlight for the team as the team failed to get momentum after the first drive of the game. Now 5-7, and losing to the team they were chasing, Minnesota needed to win out and get some help in order to not be ruined by the 5 game skid.
Season 26, week 13 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Kansas City Coyotes (W, 31-14)
Hayes - 23 carries, 125 yards, 4 receptions, 35 yards
Backs against the wall, Minnesota kept it simple as the rookie running back pair combined for 197 yards and a touchdown over 40 carries, allowing the defense to show up with a pair of clutch turnovers and holding Kansas City to a meager 258 yards. Hayes and Franklin returned to their dominant ways, as the pair once again established their dominance in the run game, efficiently gashing the Coyote defense and not once going down for a loss in a clinical performance that kept Minnesota alive, if it wasn’t for Dallas’s loss to London.
Season 26, week 14 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Bondi Beach Buccaneers (W, 12-10)
Hayes - 26 carries, 120 yards, 1 touchdown, 5 receptions, 51 yards
With the season effectively over, there was only one thing left to do. Cap off Haye’s rookie of the year season and pad the defensive stats for the plethora of defensive stars on the Ducks defense. Hayes once again exploded on the offensive side, answering the Buccaneers early touchdown with one of her own before contributing to 170 of the Ducks’ 360 yards, and converting two first downs after a timely Sloan interception that sealed the game up. She also locked up an impressive season long feat: For a team that went .500, Hayes averaged over 4 yards per carry in every single game.
Season 26 stats - 252 carries, 1241 yards, 4.9 yards per carry, 5 touchdowns, 40 receptions, 387 yards, 2 touchdowns
With 1628 yards from scrimmage, Madison Hayes proved she was more than capable of making the jump from rugby to American football. Her yards from scrimmage were only surpassed by one Cobra Kai and the next closest rookie, Xander Creed, was over 300 yards behind. The combination of consistency and explosiveness catapulted Hayes into award discussions as she was a finalist for running back of the year, offensive rookie of the year, offensive performance of the year, offensive player of the year, and most valuable player, while also being the only rookie to be nominated for the last two. Despite being a rookie nominated for the last two, Hayes left the award banquet without accolades, and she vowed she would come back even stronger from the perceived snubs.
In the ISFL draft two days later, Hayes was perceived as a top end talent, rumored to go as early as third overall to the Philadephia Liberty, although Chicago, Austin, Colorado, and Orange County had all shown immense interest in the dynamic playmaker. Analysts began to buzz as Philadelphia took Xander Creed at 3OA, the more traditional running back arguably being the safer play, but then as Hayes was still on the board after Colorado picked at 5 and the Otters picked at 7, questions started to appear. Was there something about Hayes that the public didn’t know? Many expected her to be taken at 9, but a third running back, Ace Savage was the pick for Orange County as well. With Austin unable to make a move into the top 10, Hayes fell into the laps of the Butchers, where she would soon reunite with Alexander Franklin. After a week of being overlooked and snubbed for other running backs, Hayes was eager to get back on the field, but there was an unknown element on the horizon: DDSPF 2021.
Coming back as a sophomore, the team looked a bit different. Negs and Hunt were still here but some of the defense had graduated and Franklin was gone. It was going to be a harder season for the Ducks, with more of the load placed on the trio and the new rookies. In addition to her somehow increased role in the offense, Hayes was also stepping into the role of a special teams returner.
Season 27 - Sophomore season
Season 27, week 1 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Bondi Beach Buccaneers (L, 14-13)
Hayes - 26 carries, 108 yards, 4 receptions, 25 yards
Hayes picked up where she left off the prior season, making the Buccaneers suffer. She racked up 51 yards in the first quarter alone, and then exploded to start off the second quarter with a 54 yard sprint. Minnesota’s offense fell flat in the second half of the game, as both Negs and the new rookie Raske failed to get in any rhythm, going a combined 12 for 28, but the promise of another dominant season from Madison left the Ducks optimistic about the upcoming season.
Season 27, week 2 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Kansas City Coyotes (L, 27-10)
Hayes - 21 carries, 79 yards, 4 receptions, 28 yards
While it was still 100 yards from scrimmage for the woman who was basically guaranteed that, a keen eye would notice the disappointing aspect for her on a personal level. The streak of 15 games over 4 yards per carry was over. The loss of Franklin was being felt more than anticipated, and the swap to a new engine left Hayes in both the collection of running backs struggling in the early season as well as the collection of capped DSFL players who got arguably worse with the addition of more skills to be concerned about. It was going to be a rougher season than expected, and the two loss slip to start things off wasn’t helping.
Season 27, week 3 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Portland Pythons (L, 27-10)
Hayes - 20 carries, 34 yards, 4 receptions, 19 yards
Yeah, that whole sim engine change bit, and the loss of the offensive line, really sucks. Like really really sucks. Not even getting into the actual game here, I just remember being discouraged as hell and hoped that the rumored improvements to the running back experience would turn things around for Madison and I.
Season 27, week 4 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Dallas Birddogs (L, 25-18)
Hayes - 18 carries, 141 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, 7 yards
Oh, hey, it wasn’t a win, but Minnesota finally was trending upward. The defense was starting to get their footing, locking down Dallas in the second half, and Hayes was back to her old form as she exploded once again for a 72 yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Outside of that run though, it was a continued boom or bust struggle as a 31 yard gashing to start off the fourth quarter amounted for almost half of the remaining 69 (nice) yards. The remaining 16 carries were hit or misses that amounted for 38 yards, a meager 2.4 yards per carry that was pockmarked with gains of seven and gains of one or less.
Season 27, week 5 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Tijuana Luchadores (W, 17-3)
Hayes - 23 carries, 56 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 receptions, 17 yards
Ship.. righted? Maybe? The offense finally was getting in a groove despite the inconsistencies delivered by the limited offensive line talent and sim engine. Hayes found the endzone and had a few runs for 8 or more yards but a majority of the rushes were going nowhere. Not a fun one to watch personally, but it was nice to see the locker room jazzed about something again. Maybe this would give us new life.
Season 27, week 6 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs London Royals (W, 30-7)
Hayes - 19 carries, 172 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 receptions, 18 yards
The bust taketh, and the boom giveth. Hayes finally found life against her hometown team, as she kicked off the game with a return out to the 26, a facemask drawn on a 6 yard run, a 17 yard run, and a 13 yard run. After two plays off where McCoy brought the Ducks into the red zone she capped off the drive from 8 yards out. She followed that dominant drive with the third Ducks drive of the game where she took the first snap 83 yards up the right side, and never once did a Royal player get close as her trademark speed carried her into the open space.
Season 27, week 7 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Norfolk Seawolves (L, 21-17)
Hayes - 23 carries, 124 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, 15 yards
The tweaks to running back paying off, Madison continued the frequent big plays. This time for 52 yards before being brought down, as she carved up the Seawolved defense for most of the game, finally nullifying some of the short and no gain struggles from the earlier part of the season. The winning streak was snapped though, and it looked like it was going to be a contentious race to the postseason once again for the Ducks.
Season 27, week 8 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Bondi Beach Buccaneers (W, 34-14)
Hayes - 30 carries, 113 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Life, Death, and Madison Hayes enjoying games against the Buccaneers. While there was no homerun hitter of a run this time, Hayes regularly chunked the Buccaneers, her two tying touchdowns nullified the ones put up by Big Chungus, and the one late in the first half signified the last time Bondi Beach would have the lead, as the Ducks finally started to fire on all cylinders, hitting the 400 yard mark on offense and winning by 20 despite their 128 penalty yards.
Season 27, week 9 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Kansas City Coyotes (W, 31-17)
Hayes - 17 carries, 125 yards, 4 receptions, 32 yards
The final showdown in the DSFL between Xander Creed and Madison Hayes did not disappoint, with both running backs surpassing 100 yards on only 38 toal carries between them, and both of them rattling off 40+ yard runs easily. Hayes eclipsed 150 scrimmage yards for the 6th time in 23 games since being drafted, and the Ducks were in prime position to set themselves up for the playoffs, with big games against London and Portland coming up that would decide a lot of the postseason picture.
Season 27, week 10 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Portland Pythons (W, 17-14)
Hayes - 19 carries, 36 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 receptions, 21 yards
Portland’s team is scary good, and their defense is even better. Hayes struggled mightily for most of the game, while the team as a whole was outgained 302 to 201, but timely defensive stands found the Ducks down 4 on their own 20 with 10 minutes to go. Draining the clock a specific amount to not get clocked in return was key, but the drive was a slog and over 7 minutes later the Ducks found themselves finally on the goal line where Hayes would not be denied. Captain Price would intercept the reigning MVP on our own 26 yard line, halting James’ heroics and giving us a much needed win as we faced down the last four games of the season.
Season 27, week 11 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Dallas Birddogs (L, 20-19)
Hayes - 10 carries, 31 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 receptions, 31 yards
Dallas got off to a furious start in a game key for both of our playoff hopes, and the game turned into a passing fiesta quickly, with only 120 rushing yards between the two teams. Along for the ride, Hayes converted the goalline situation with her agility and flexibility preventing the Birddogs from overcommitiing to any expected play, but the defense couldn’t stop heroics in back to back weeks as two personal fouls extended the drives for Dallas, giving them a game winning field goal with 20 seconds to go.
Season 27, week 12 - Minnesota Grey Ducks vs Tijuana Luchadores (W, 39-0)
Hayes - 18 carries, 77 yards, 3 receptions, 15 yards, 57 yard punt return TD
Minnesota needed a big rebound after the close loss against Dallas, and the team delivered across the board. Hayes went off for a 49 yard run in the second while Neggs went off for 229 in the air and 2 touchdowns. Hayes pushed the knife deeper in the second half where she took a punt back up the middle of the coverage untouched for her first return touchdown of her career, adding to a likely returner of the year finalist mention.
Season 27, week 13 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ London Royals (L, 20-10)
Hayes - 13 carries, 41 yards, 7 receptions, 51 yards
The game that would define Minnesota’s season, once again in London, was not what the Ducks needed. Struggles with turnovers, flags, and on third down highlighted an offense that failed to hold onto the ball and the defense struggled because of it as London converted half their third downs. Hayes, dynamic as she has always been, found space in the passing game this time, leading the Ducks in receptions as she and Mike Hunt tried to answer the call, but it was in vain as four Negs turnovers put Minnesota’s backs against the wall going into the final week.
Season 27, week 14 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Norfolk Seawolves (L, 29-14)
Hayes - 24 carries, 85 yards, 3 receptions, 11 yards
With the postseason on the line, Minnesota surged to a quick 14-0 lead off a Negs to Washington touchdown and a Tim Soulja pick six on the subsequent drive. The wheels would fall off after that though as 15 penalties for 146 yards would nullify the offense out gaining Norfolk and an even turnover differential, and a safety after going down 10 in the fourth quarter would leave the Ducks on the outside of the playoffs looking in for a second straight season.
Season 27 stats - 281 carries, 1222 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, 9 touchdowns, 48 receptions, 316 yards, 22 kick returns, 406 yards, 35 punt returns, 221 yards, 1 touchdown
It was a similar season to the prior, both for Hayes and for the Ducks. Falling just short of the postseason, 1500 scrimmage yards again, a top running back on a solid team just unlucky enough to not put it all together at the right times. Hayes led all players in scrimmage yards this time, was second behind Miglaskems in running numbers, and is primed for more mentions at the upcoming awards banquet. She once again had the second best offensive performance of the season, and racked up the second most touches in the league (329) after being third last season (292).
This is the likely end for Hayes in the DSFL though. Chicago is probably calling, and she must once again answer. In her two full seasons at running back she averaged 1583 yards from scrimmage (113 per game), led the league in scrimmage yards over her time in the league and in season 27, and would be in the conversation for one of the best players in recent DSFL history if not for Cobra Kai. Her home run hitting style of running left her as one of the most exciting players to watch and Minnesota was a threat to score at any point they had the ball, regardless of where they were on the field or in the game.
Would Minnesota call myself and Hayes a successful pick at 5OA? I really don’t know. As a manager myself in a different league, I know I was a mixed bag. Getting a lock of a player is nice, but leaving after two seasons hurts the pick grade in retrospect. Other players and users probably have had more time to spend on the ISFL and in the locker room and I know I wasn’t great in that regard. Would they do it again? Probably, especially with the connection with CC in Chicago, and I like to think two years of Hayes hit the value of a first round pick, but I’m not vain enough to think that I was everything they could hope for.
Assuming this is the end, I’m incredibly grateful for the people I met and for Minnesota as a whole. I loved the people there, despite not always being the most talkative, and I always had fun come game day with the locker room. They run a fun team to be a part of and I’m sorry we couldn’t go all the way while I was there. If I have the time to play a lower earning second player while in med school next year I’d love to run it back with them.
DSFL career stats (S26-27)
Rushing: 533 carries, 2463 yards, 14 touchdowns
Receiving: 88 receptions, 703 yards, 2 touchdowns
Special: 22 kick returns, 406 yards, 35 punt returns, 221 yards, 1 touchdown
Scrimmage: 621 touches, 3166 yards, 16 touchdowns
S26 MVP Finalist
S26 OPOY Finalist
S26 OROY Finalist
S26 RBOY Finalsit
S27?
Quack.