Defensive Line Standouts - Week 4
Welcome to week 4 of our Season 3 Defensive Line Standouts! After a week of record breaking (and tying) performances, the offensive linemen of the league seem to have found their groove again and sack numbers took a massive dive this week. Although there were still 4 players with 2 or more sacks, this week seems more in-line with what we saw week to week last season. Is this the new norm, or just a fluke? Did the offensive linemen of the NSFL finally find their collective balls? Will anyone step-up and help Bjornsson? Only time will tell! Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
R. Maddox ($) 7 TCK, 4 SCK
Finally, I get to write about someone else for the top defensive end spot this week! The self-professed “Best TE in the NSFL” made a shocking announcement this off-season, stating he would be making the move to defensive end in order to help out the apparent one-man defensive line, Bork Bjornsson. It seems to have taken some time for Maddox to settle in, but this week, it paid off in a big way. His 7 tackles and 4 sacks are both tops among defensive linemen this week, and outside of maybe Dan Miller’s performance, easily the best showing of the week. The Wraiths will head to Philadelphia next week and hope to keep their win streak going.
J. Tuck AZ ($$$$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
Shockingly (or perhaps unshockingly), his 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack are his worst performance of the season. Although the Outlaws absolutely destroyed the Yeti, teams will be taking a look at their offensive scheme to see what the Yeti did to slow down Tuck. Maybe he isn’t super-human after all. Tuck is on pace for 98 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and 35 sacks. He’ll have work cut out for him next week though as he will be lined up against, arguably, the best offensive tackle in the league, Gregor Clegane when the Otters host the Outlaws.
A. Tomlinson ($$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
Making his second appearance on our list, Tomlinson finished this week with 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. It was a valiant effort in a close game but, ultimately, it was just a tad short as the Otters fell to the SaberCats, 24-25. After an impressive 11 sack campaign in Season 2, Tomlinson in on pace to have an equally impressive Season 3. A pre-season favorite to finish second in the ASFC, the Otters have a chance to make a big statement, as they host the defending Ultimus Bowl champs, the Arizona Outlaws this next week.
Other Great Performers
C. Okonkwo ($$$) 3 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
J. Boom ($$) 2 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Okonkwo is having a quietly good season, and has shown great improvement on his overall game since last season. Boom is making his second appearance here but, only just so, as this level of performance would not normally warrant a spot on our list. There were 4 players tied with 3 tackles and 1 sack, all barely missing the cut, which is why we only have five defensive ends on our list this week.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
D. Miller ($$$$) 3 TCK, 2 SCK, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered
The strip sack king strikes again! His 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovered was good enough to earn the top spot for defensive tackles on our list this week. On the season, he has 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumbles recovered, both are the most (or are tied for the most) in the NSFL, on top of being third in the NSFL for sacks with 8. His nose for the ball and level of play this year are a big reason the SaberCats currently sit in second place in the ASFC. The SaberCats host a struggling Colorado Yeti next week and have a good chance to move to 3-1-1 on the season before hosting the red-hot Baltimore Hawks the following week.
G. King ($) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 SCK
Our final player making his first appearance this week, Godfrey King is finally showing the world why the Outlaws spent the second overall pick on him in the Season 3 draft. Although he has had a relatively quiet season so far, growing pains are to be expected with most rookies. His 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 sacks shows what kind of player King can become if he continues to put in the work. The Outlaws expect great things from him, and I’m beginning to understand why. The Outlaws will have a tough week on the road as they head to Orange County to face the Otters.
B. Metas ($$$) 4 TCK, 2 SCK
Metas is a quiet man who would rather let his play do the talking for him. It would be an error, however, to mistake that quietness for weakness. Although he hasn’t been seen around the Hawks facilities much recently, he continues to have a fantastic season, this week finishing with 4 tackles and a pair of sacks. Not only has had a fantastic season on the field, but he has also been a great example for the Hawks first round pick, Ricardo Sandoval. The Hawks host a winless Las Vegas Legion team that has allowed the most sacks of any team in the NSFL. Expect a big game from the Hawks monstrous front seven.
Other Great Performers
V. Cox ($$) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
R. Sandoval ($$$$) 4 TCK, 1 SCK
B. Bjornsson ($$$$) 3 TCK, 1 SCK
With 2 of the player listed above making the fourth appearance, and 3 of those 4 players coming from the defensive tackle category, it just goes to show how big of an impact a good defensive tackle can have. Cox is making his second appearance this season after making 11 last year. Expect to see his name popping up more as the season goes on.
Team Appearances After Week 4
Baltimore: 10
San Jose: 8
Arizona: 6
Yellowknife: 6
Orange County: 6
Las Vegas: 5
Philadelphia: 4*
Colorado: 3*
Baltimore continues to hold the top spot on our list and it still the only team to have 4 players appear on our list. San Jose is creeping up, however, mostly on the backs of Miller and Okonkwo, who have 7 of the team’s 8 appearances between them. Every team had a player appear on our list this week except for Philadelphia and Colorado, and unsurprisingly, both are at the bottom of our list. It will be interesting to see where they end up at the end of the season. Tuck, Miller, Sandoval, and Bjornsson all continued their streaks of appearing on our list every week, and all show no signs of slowing down. As always, if you have any comments, corrections, or question, I’d love to hear them below.
GRADED
Welcome to week 4 of our Season 3 Defensive Line Standouts! After a week of record breaking (and tying) performances, the offensive linemen of the league seem to have found their groove again and sack numbers took a massive dive this week. Although there were still 4 players with 2 or more sacks, this week seems more in-line with what we saw week to week last season. Is this the new norm, or just a fluke? Did the offensive linemen of the NSFL finally find their collective balls? Will anyone step-up and help Bjornsson? Only time will tell! Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
R. Maddox ($) 7 TCK, 4 SCK
Finally, I get to write about someone else for the top defensive end spot this week! The self-professed “Best TE in the NSFL” made a shocking announcement this off-season, stating he would be making the move to defensive end in order to help out the apparent one-man defensive line, Bork Bjornsson. It seems to have taken some time for Maddox to settle in, but this week, it paid off in a big way. His 7 tackles and 4 sacks are both tops among defensive linemen this week, and outside of maybe Dan Miller’s performance, easily the best showing of the week. The Wraiths will head to Philadelphia next week and hope to keep their win streak going.
J. Tuck AZ ($$$$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
Shockingly (or perhaps unshockingly), his 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack are his worst performance of the season. Although the Outlaws absolutely destroyed the Yeti, teams will be taking a look at their offensive scheme to see what the Yeti did to slow down Tuck. Maybe he isn’t super-human after all. Tuck is on pace for 98 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and 35 sacks. He’ll have work cut out for him next week though as he will be lined up against, arguably, the best offensive tackle in the league, Gregor Clegane when the Otters host the Outlaws.
A. Tomlinson ($$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
Making his second appearance on our list, Tomlinson finished this week with 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. It was a valiant effort in a close game but, ultimately, it was just a tad short as the Otters fell to the SaberCats, 24-25. After an impressive 11 sack campaign in Season 2, Tomlinson in on pace to have an equally impressive Season 3. A pre-season favorite to finish second in the ASFC, the Otters have a chance to make a big statement, as they host the defending Ultimus Bowl champs, the Arizona Outlaws this next week.
Other Great Performers
C. Okonkwo ($$$) 3 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
J. Boom ($$) 2 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Okonkwo is having a quietly good season, and has shown great improvement on his overall game since last season. Boom is making his second appearance here but, only just so, as this level of performance would not normally warrant a spot on our list. There were 4 players tied with 3 tackles and 1 sack, all barely missing the cut, which is why we only have five defensive ends on our list this week.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
D. Miller ($$$$) 3 TCK, 2 SCK, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered
The strip sack king strikes again! His 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovered was good enough to earn the top spot for defensive tackles on our list this week. On the season, he has 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumbles recovered, both are the most (or are tied for the most) in the NSFL, on top of being third in the NSFL for sacks with 8. His nose for the ball and level of play this year are a big reason the SaberCats currently sit in second place in the ASFC. The SaberCats host a struggling Colorado Yeti next week and have a good chance to move to 3-1-1 on the season before hosting the red-hot Baltimore Hawks the following week.
G. King ($) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 SCK
Our final player making his first appearance this week, Godfrey King is finally showing the world why the Outlaws spent the second overall pick on him in the Season 3 draft. Although he has had a relatively quiet season so far, growing pains are to be expected with most rookies. His 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 sacks shows what kind of player King can become if he continues to put in the work. The Outlaws expect great things from him, and I’m beginning to understand why. The Outlaws will have a tough week on the road as they head to Orange County to face the Otters.
B. Metas ($$$) 4 TCK, 2 SCK
Metas is a quiet man who would rather let his play do the talking for him. It would be an error, however, to mistake that quietness for weakness. Although he hasn’t been seen around the Hawks facilities much recently, he continues to have a fantastic season, this week finishing with 4 tackles and a pair of sacks. Not only has had a fantastic season on the field, but he has also been a great example for the Hawks first round pick, Ricardo Sandoval. The Hawks host a winless Las Vegas Legion team that has allowed the most sacks of any team in the NSFL. Expect a big game from the Hawks monstrous front seven.
Other Great Performers
V. Cox ($$) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
R. Sandoval ($$$$) 4 TCK, 1 SCK
B. Bjornsson ($$$$) 3 TCK, 1 SCK
With 2 of the player listed above making the fourth appearance, and 3 of those 4 players coming from the defensive tackle category, it just goes to show how big of an impact a good defensive tackle can have. Cox is making his second appearance this season after making 11 last year. Expect to see his name popping up more as the season goes on.
Team Appearances After Week 4
Baltimore: 10
San Jose: 8
Arizona: 6
Yellowknife: 6
Orange County: 6
Las Vegas: 5
Philadelphia: 4*
Colorado: 3*
Baltimore continues to hold the top spot on our list and it still the only team to have 4 players appear on our list. San Jose is creeping up, however, mostly on the backs of Miller and Okonkwo, who have 7 of the team’s 8 appearances between them. Every team had a player appear on our list this week except for Philadelphia and Colorado, and unsurprisingly, both are at the bottom of our list. It will be interesting to see where they end up at the end of the season. Tuck, Miller, Sandoval, and Bjornsson all continued their streaks of appearing on our list every week, and all show no signs of slowing down. As always, if you have any comments, corrections, or question, I’d love to hear them 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