Defensive Line Standouts - Week 9
Welcome to week 9 of our weekly look at defensive line performances across the league. Due to a couple teams on bye week, I reduced the number of players listed in each group to only include those worth of a mention. Shockingly, no Ramrio this week, his streak ended at 8 straight games. Interesting to note, however, we have a new player to add to our list tonight! Season 3 rookie Shi’terrick Skidmarks is making his first appearance on our list this week. The start of a new streak? (Get it? Because skid marks…. Sorry.) Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
A. Tomlinson ($$$) 4 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Tomlinson is making his third appearance on our list and put up the best performance of any defensive end this week. His 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack against a very good SaberCats offensive line helped lead the way to the Otters’ defense only allowing 13 points. Even more impressive, the SaberCats were held to a measly 235 total yards. Tomlinson takes his show on the road over the next 2 weeks, first to Colorado for week 10 and then to Las Vegas for week 11.
K. Hendrix ($ x7) 4 TCL, 1 SCK
Hendrix is a mainstay on this list, making his seventh appearance on the list this week. He consistently excellent play at defensive end has been a big factor in the Hawks current 6 game win streak. This week, Hendrix had a bit of a down week (by his standards only), yet still managed to finish with 4 tackles and a sack. The Hawks have a massively important road trip over the next 2 weeks, first to Yellowknife for week 10, then to Arizona for week 11. Winning just 1 of these games would be huge, whereas winning them both would most likely clinch a playoff spot for the Hawks.
J. Spearhead ($$$$) 5 TCK, 2 TFL
Spearhead had a very good week against the Legion. His 5 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss are a big reason the Legion were able to rush for only 55 yards, at an average of only 2.6 yards per carry. The Wraiths spend their next 2 weeks at home, with week 10 being against the 7-2 Baltimore Hawks and week 11 against the 3-5 Philadelphia Liberty. They lost to both teams earlier in the season while playing away.
L. Thor ($$$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL
Much like his teammate, Tomlinson, Thor is also making his third appearance on our list. With his 4 tackles and 2 tackles for loss, and the performance of his teammate, it’s obvious that anyone would’ve had a tough day on the ground against them. The Otters have their next 2 games on the road, first in Colorado, and their second (week 11) is in Las Vegas.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
J. Reigns ($ x5) 6 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 forced fumble
Tied with Boom of the Hawks for the third most appearances of a defensive tackle, Reigns is making his fifth appearance here. His 6 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss would’ve been enough to make the list but, Reigns also forced a fumble against the SaberCats. With 3 of their defensive linemen making the list, talk of the SaberCats line being overrated is starting to gain more traction.
D. Miller ($$$) 4 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Miller, on the other hand, is doing his best to make sure that the SaberCats defensive line is still getting some respect. His 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack would make any coach proud. Although he’s only made the list 3 times, he is frequently on the bubble and has been the last player cut at least twice. San Jose travels to Arizona for a battle against the Outlaws for week 10 and faces off against the Colorado Yeti at home for week 11. A win against wither of these teams would do a lot to help bring some mojo back to San Jose.
B. Metas ($$$$) 3 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Although relatively quiet this year compared to last, Metas is still having a fantastic season. His 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack bring him fifth amongst all defensive tackles in both tackles and sacks. Combine Metas and Boom, you have a very good interior line that makes teams think twice about running up the middle. The Hawks have a huge road test coming up, facing off against the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Arizona Outlaws.
Other Great Performers
J. Boom ($ x5) 4 TCK, 1 SCK
S. Skidmarks ($) 2 TCK, 1 SCK
Boom had yet another great week, finishing with 4 tackles and 1 sack, which would be enough to make the list any week. Skidmarks had 2 tackles and 1 sack, and while nothing to scoff at, wouldn't be enough to make the list most weeks. Both of these players are season 3 prospects. Although Boom currently has the edge both in stats and skills, Skidmarks has shown some small improvements lately. At this point, it doesn’t look like it will be enough to catch Boom but, it will be interesting to see how these 2 very bright careers play out.
Team Appearances After Week 9
Las Vegas: 20
Baltimore: 18
Arizona: 17*
Colorado: 13
Orange County: 13
Yellowknife: 12
Philadelphia: 8*
San Jose: 8
Despite not having a player appear on the list this week, Las Vegas still holds on to the top spot. With 3 players making an appearance and Arizona having a bye week, the Hawks were able to jump into second place. Colorado, who had a firm hold on fourth place last week, didn’t earn a place on our list and quickly lost ground to Orange County, who had 3 this week. Interesting to note that the 3 defensive tackles who have appeared on our list the most, Ramrio, Cox, and Bjornsson, did not make the cut this week, despite all playing. All teams marked with an asterisk have had their bye week. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below!
GRADED
Welcome to week 9 of our weekly look at defensive line performances across the league. Due to a couple teams on bye week, I reduced the number of players listed in each group to only include those worth of a mention. Shockingly, no Ramrio this week, his streak ended at 8 straight games. Interesting to note, however, we have a new player to add to our list tonight! Season 3 rookie Shi’terrick Skidmarks is making his first appearance on our list this week. The start of a new streak? (Get it? Because skid marks…. Sorry.) Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
A. Tomlinson ($$$) 4 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Tomlinson is making his third appearance on our list and put up the best performance of any defensive end this week. His 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack against a very good SaberCats offensive line helped lead the way to the Otters’ defense only allowing 13 points. Even more impressive, the SaberCats were held to a measly 235 total yards. Tomlinson takes his show on the road over the next 2 weeks, first to Colorado for week 10 and then to Las Vegas for week 11.
K. Hendrix ($ x7) 4 TCL, 1 SCK
Hendrix is a mainstay on this list, making his seventh appearance on the list this week. He consistently excellent play at defensive end has been a big factor in the Hawks current 6 game win streak. This week, Hendrix had a bit of a down week (by his standards only), yet still managed to finish with 4 tackles and a sack. The Hawks have a massively important road trip over the next 2 weeks, first to Yellowknife for week 10, then to Arizona for week 11. Winning just 1 of these games would be huge, whereas winning them both would most likely clinch a playoff spot for the Hawks.
J. Spearhead ($$$$) 5 TCK, 2 TFL
Spearhead had a very good week against the Legion. His 5 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss are a big reason the Legion were able to rush for only 55 yards, at an average of only 2.6 yards per carry. The Wraiths spend their next 2 weeks at home, with week 10 being against the 7-2 Baltimore Hawks and week 11 against the 3-5 Philadelphia Liberty. They lost to both teams earlier in the season while playing away.
L. Thor ($$$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL
Much like his teammate, Tomlinson, Thor is also making his third appearance on our list. With his 4 tackles and 2 tackles for loss, and the performance of his teammate, it’s obvious that anyone would’ve had a tough day on the ground against them. The Otters have their next 2 games on the road, first in Colorado, and their second (week 11) is in Las Vegas.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
J. Reigns ($ x5) 6 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 forced fumble
Tied with Boom of the Hawks for the third most appearances of a defensive tackle, Reigns is making his fifth appearance here. His 6 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss would’ve been enough to make the list but, Reigns also forced a fumble against the SaberCats. With 3 of their defensive linemen making the list, talk of the SaberCats line being overrated is starting to gain more traction.
D. Miller ($$$) 4 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Miller, on the other hand, is doing his best to make sure that the SaberCats defensive line is still getting some respect. His 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack would make any coach proud. Although he’s only made the list 3 times, he is frequently on the bubble and has been the last player cut at least twice. San Jose travels to Arizona for a battle against the Outlaws for week 10 and faces off against the Colorado Yeti at home for week 11. A win against wither of these teams would do a lot to help bring some mojo back to San Jose.
B. Metas ($$$$) 3 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Although relatively quiet this year compared to last, Metas is still having a fantastic season. His 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack bring him fifth amongst all defensive tackles in both tackles and sacks. Combine Metas and Boom, you have a very good interior line that makes teams think twice about running up the middle. The Hawks have a huge road test coming up, facing off against the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Arizona Outlaws.
Other Great Performers
J. Boom ($ x5) 4 TCK, 1 SCK
S. Skidmarks ($) 2 TCK, 1 SCK
Boom had yet another great week, finishing with 4 tackles and 1 sack, which would be enough to make the list any week. Skidmarks had 2 tackles and 1 sack, and while nothing to scoff at, wouldn't be enough to make the list most weeks. Both of these players are season 3 prospects. Although Boom currently has the edge both in stats and skills, Skidmarks has shown some small improvements lately. At this point, it doesn’t look like it will be enough to catch Boom but, it will be interesting to see how these 2 very bright careers play out.
Team Appearances After Week 9
Las Vegas: 20
Baltimore: 18
Arizona: 17*
Colorado: 13
Orange County: 13
Yellowknife: 12
Philadelphia: 8*
San Jose: 8
Despite not having a player appear on the list this week, Las Vegas still holds on to the top spot. With 3 players making an appearance and Arizona having a bye week, the Hawks were able to jump into second place. Colorado, who had a firm hold on fourth place last week, didn’t earn a place on our list and quickly lost ground to Orange County, who had 3 this week. Interesting to note that the 3 defensive tackles who have appeared on our list the most, Ramrio, Cox, and Bjornsson, did not make the cut this week, despite all playing. All teams marked with an asterisk have had their bye week. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below!
GRADED
[OPTION]Johnny Snuggles || CB || Yellowknife Wraiths || Hall of Fame [OPTION]Height/Weight: 6'1", 205 [OPTION]Number: 21 [OPTION] Draft History: S13 #1 Overall [OPTION]=========================================== [OPTION]Trophy Case/Achievements:[OPTION] Ultimini Champs: S12 [OPTION] Defensive Rookie of the Year: S13 [OPTION] Pro Bowl: S14, S15, S16