Defensive Line Standouts - Week 4
Welcome to week 4 of our Season 4 Defensive Line Standouts. After looking at the standings so far, some would say they’re surprised by the current performance of the Yellowknife Wraiths, who narrowly missed the playoffs last year, and the Philadelphia Liberty, who were runners up in the NSFC. Is it a tough schedule? Is it an over-hyping by team members in the media? Is it just bad luck? Well, I solved it. I know why the perceived underperformance is happening. It’s their defensive line play, or more accurately, their lack thereof. Any coach will tell you, games are won or lost in the trenches, which explains a lot for the Wraiths and Liberty, as they are routinely at the bottom of our standings here. Can these teams turn it around quickly enough to save their seasons? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
B. Bot
($$$) 5 TCK, 4 TFL
Big Bot earned his third spot on our list this week and put together the best performance of any defensive end in week 4 after finishing with 5 tackles and 4 tackles for loss. Although it will do tough to keep track of for future reference, his 4 tackles for loss are the most of ANY player since the changes to the offensive line and the second most in the history of league. Although he wasn’t able to get to the quarterback, his performance shows that tackles for loss can be just as devastating as a sack. The Legion will head to Orange County next week in hopes of earning their first ever winning record.
B. Blade
($) 6 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Blade is the fourth member of the Outlaws to be featured on our list this season, and did so with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack. Much like Baltimore, Arizona has done a fantastic job at developing a defensive line that is solid top to bottom. Although he’s played well on every team he’s been a part of, he’s now on his third team in three years, and Blade hopes he finally found his forever home. The Outlaws head to Baltimore next week for an Ultimus rematch against a Hawks line that has allowed the third lowest amount of sacks, while also recording the third highest amount of pancake blocks in the NSFL.
F. Wozy
($$$$) 6 TCK, 2 TFL
What an interesting week it’s been for Wozy. He put on his usual clinic against a solid Legion offensive line, finishing with 6 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. It marks his fourth appearance in as many weeks, and is tied with Kurt Hendrix for most appearances. What happened after the game is where things get interesting though. Rumor has it that Wozy was well on his way to moving to quarterback, even taking snaps as the starter during practice. Something happened, and the change was put on hold. From a defensive standpoint, the Yeti pass rush and ability to stop the run would take a massive hit (he is 4 of their 5 appearances on this list), so it will be interesting to see where this goes. Wozy will be headed to Philadelphia next week for what could be his last time as a defensive end. Or not. No one know at this point.
Other Great Performers
C. Okonkwo
($) 3 TCK, 2 TFL
K. Hendrix
($$$$) 1 TCK, 1 SCK
Okonkwo is making his first appearance this season with a very respectable 3 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. He is the third SaberCat to make an appearance this season. Kurt Hendrix is making his fourth appearance in as many weeks, but only just so, earning the minimum 5 points with 1 tackle and 1 sack. Unfortunately, no other defensive end made the minimum point requirement this week.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
R. Sandoval ($$$$) 6 TCK, 2 SCK
Making his fourth appearance and attaining 6 tackles and 2 sacks, Ricardo Sandoval earned the top spot on our list this week. With his pair of sacks, Sandoval is now tied with Hariff Ernston (linebacker, Arizona Outlaws) for most sacks in the NSFL, and leads all defensive linemen, with 6 sacks on the season. During a year when most defensive linemen are struggling, Sandoval is thriving, and is currently on pace to finish the season with 21 sacks, the only defensive lineman on pace to do so. Sandoval will face off with Godfrey King this week in a battle of the best two young defensive tackles in the NSFL.
G. King ($$$) 4 TCK, 2 SCK
Much like his Baltimore counter-part, King also recoded a pair of sacks, but added only 4 tackles, which was still more than enough to claim the second spot for defensive tackles. His 5 sacks on the season is enough to put him in second place among defensive linemen as he continues his phenomenal play, dating back to the second half of last season. Despite a fantastic season, King didn’t earn quite enough mentions over the season to earn his own profile in the end of the year review, but that doesn’t look like he’ll be left off again. King heads to Baltimore next week in a battle of the defensive tackle young guns with Ricardo Sandoval.
D. Miller ($$$$) 3 TCK, 1 SCK
Another week, another spot on our list as Miller has now made it 17 out of the last 18. This week he finished up with 3 tackles and a sack against a very good Baltimore Hawks offensive line. Although his production is down significantly over last year, (as is pretty much everyone else’s) he is still proving to be one of the most valuable defensive linemen in the league. San Jose will host a Wraiths team this week that has allowed only 3 sacks on the season, best in the NSFL. It will be interesting to see what the once vaunted SaberCats pass rush can accomplish this upcoming week.
Other Great Performers
A. Asipi ($$$) 2 TCK, 1 SCK
B. Metas ($$) 2 TCK, 1 SCK
E. Kamaka
($$) 6 TCK
Asipi and Metas posted an identical stat-line this week, finishing with 2 tackles and 1 sack each. Asipi earned his fourth mention this week while Betas earned his third. Kamaka is the only player on our list this week to not record a sack or tackle for loss, but did so by recording 6 tackles. His was an absolute plug in the middle a big part of the reason the Outlaws didn’t record a carry over 10 yards.
Team Appearances After Week 4*
Baltimore: 12 (+3)
Arizona: 9 (+3)
San Jose: 6 (+2)
Orange County: 6
Colorado: 5 (+1)
Las Vegas: 4 (+1)
Philadelphia: 3 (+1)
Yellowknife: 3
Baltimore maintains the top spot with another 3-man performance, while Arizona keeps the gap even by doing the same. San Jose up one spot to #3 after Orange County is shutout of our list. Colorado and Las Vegas stand pat, while Yellowknife drop two spots to #8, and Philadelphia moves up one to #7. Orange County and Yellowknife were the only two teams to not feature a player on our list, and this is the second time this season Yellowknife has done so.
Interesting note, of the 4 players who finished Season 3 with 20+ sacks, there are currently no players on pace to finish as such:
King: 18
Miller: 14
Bjornsson: 7
Tuck: 11
At this point last season, these players were on pace to finish like this:
King: 18
Miller: 28
Bjornsson: 35
Tuck: 35
A far cry from last season and a very welcomed change, indeed. As always, if you have any comments, corrections, or question, I’d love to hear them below.
*Just a reminder, this ranking is not necessarily indicative of how well a team’s defense is operating as a whole, just how many times a player from that team has appeared on our list.
**Please give $300k to @ItsJustBarry for helping me with data collection.**
GRADED
Welcome to week 4 of our Season 4 Defensive Line Standouts. After looking at the standings so far, some would say they’re surprised by the current performance of the Yellowknife Wraiths, who narrowly missed the playoffs last year, and the Philadelphia Liberty, who were runners up in the NSFC. Is it a tough schedule? Is it an over-hyping by team members in the media? Is it just bad luck? Well, I solved it. I know why the perceived underperformance is happening. It’s their defensive line play, or more accurately, their lack thereof. Any coach will tell you, games are won or lost in the trenches, which explains a lot for the Wraiths and Liberty, as they are routinely at the bottom of our standings here. Can these teams turn it around quickly enough to save their seasons? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
B. Bot
($$$) 5 TCK, 4 TFLBig Bot earned his third spot on our list this week and put together the best performance of any defensive end in week 4 after finishing with 5 tackles and 4 tackles for loss. Although it will do tough to keep track of for future reference, his 4 tackles for loss are the most of ANY player since the changes to the offensive line and the second most in the history of league. Although he wasn’t able to get to the quarterback, his performance shows that tackles for loss can be just as devastating as a sack. The Legion will head to Orange County next week in hopes of earning their first ever winning record.
B. Blade
($) 6 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCKBlade is the fourth member of the Outlaws to be featured on our list this season, and did so with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack. Much like Baltimore, Arizona has done a fantastic job at developing a defensive line that is solid top to bottom. Although he’s played well on every team he’s been a part of, he’s now on his third team in three years, and Blade hopes he finally found his forever home. The Outlaws head to Baltimore next week for an Ultimus rematch against a Hawks line that has allowed the third lowest amount of sacks, while also recording the third highest amount of pancake blocks in the NSFL.
F. Wozy
($$$$) 6 TCK, 2 TFLWhat an interesting week it’s been for Wozy. He put on his usual clinic against a solid Legion offensive line, finishing with 6 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. It marks his fourth appearance in as many weeks, and is tied with Kurt Hendrix for most appearances. What happened after the game is where things get interesting though. Rumor has it that Wozy was well on his way to moving to quarterback, even taking snaps as the starter during practice. Something happened, and the change was put on hold. From a defensive standpoint, the Yeti pass rush and ability to stop the run would take a massive hit (he is 4 of their 5 appearances on this list), so it will be interesting to see where this goes. Wozy will be headed to Philadelphia next week for what could be his last time as a defensive end. Or not. No one know at this point.
Other Great Performers
C. Okonkwo
($) 3 TCK, 2 TFLK. Hendrix
($$$$) 1 TCK, 1 SCKOkonkwo is making his first appearance this season with a very respectable 3 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. He is the third SaberCat to make an appearance this season. Kurt Hendrix is making his fourth appearance in as many weeks, but only just so, earning the minimum 5 points with 1 tackle and 1 sack. Unfortunately, no other defensive end made the minimum point requirement this week.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
R. Sandoval
($$$$) 6 TCK, 2 SCKMaking his fourth appearance and attaining 6 tackles and 2 sacks, Ricardo Sandoval earned the top spot on our list this week. With his pair of sacks, Sandoval is now tied with Hariff Ernston (linebacker, Arizona Outlaws) for most sacks in the NSFL, and leads all defensive linemen, with 6 sacks on the season. During a year when most defensive linemen are struggling, Sandoval is thriving, and is currently on pace to finish the season with 21 sacks, the only defensive lineman on pace to do so. Sandoval will face off with Godfrey King this week in a battle of the best two young defensive tackles in the NSFL.
G. King
($$$) 4 TCK, 2 SCKMuch like his Baltimore counter-part, King also recoded a pair of sacks, but added only 4 tackles, which was still more than enough to claim the second spot for defensive tackles. His 5 sacks on the season is enough to put him in second place among defensive linemen as he continues his phenomenal play, dating back to the second half of last season. Despite a fantastic season, King didn’t earn quite enough mentions over the season to earn his own profile in the end of the year review, but that doesn’t look like he’ll be left off again. King heads to Baltimore next week in a battle of the defensive tackle young guns with Ricardo Sandoval.
D. Miller
($$$$) 3 TCK, 1 SCKAnother week, another spot on our list as Miller has now made it 17 out of the last 18. This week he finished up with 3 tackles and a sack against a very good Baltimore Hawks offensive line. Although his production is down significantly over last year, (as is pretty much everyone else’s) he is still proving to be one of the most valuable defensive linemen in the league. San Jose will host a Wraiths team this week that has allowed only 3 sacks on the season, best in the NSFL. It will be interesting to see what the once vaunted SaberCats pass rush can accomplish this upcoming week.
Other Great Performers
A. Asipi
($$$) 2 TCK, 1 SCKB. Metas
($$) 2 TCK, 1 SCKE. Kamaka
($$) 6 TCKAsipi and Metas posted an identical stat-line this week, finishing with 2 tackles and 1 sack each. Asipi earned his fourth mention this week while Betas earned his third. Kamaka is the only player on our list this week to not record a sack or tackle for loss, but did so by recording 6 tackles. His was an absolute plug in the middle a big part of the reason the Outlaws didn’t record a carry over 10 yards.
Team Appearances After Week 4*
Baltimore: 12 (+3)
Arizona: 9 (+3)
San Jose: 6 (+2)
Orange County: 6
Colorado: 5 (+1)
Las Vegas: 4 (+1)
Philadelphia: 3 (+1)
Yellowknife: 3
Baltimore maintains the top spot with another 3-man performance, while Arizona keeps the gap even by doing the same. San Jose up one spot to #3 after Orange County is shutout of our list. Colorado and Las Vegas stand pat, while Yellowknife drop two spots to #8, and Philadelphia moves up one to #7. Orange County and Yellowknife were the only two teams to not feature a player on our list, and this is the second time this season Yellowknife has done so.
Interesting note, of the 4 players who finished Season 3 with 20+ sacks, there are currently no players on pace to finish as such:
King: 18
Miller: 14
Bjornsson: 7
Tuck: 11
At this point last season, these players were on pace to finish like this:
King: 18
Miller: 28
Bjornsson: 35
Tuck: 35
A far cry from last season and a very welcomed change, indeed. As always, if you have any comments, corrections, or question, I’d love to hear them below.
*Just a reminder, this ranking is not necessarily indicative of how well a team’s defense is operating as a whole, just how many times a player from that team has appeared on our list.
**Please give $300k to @ItsJustBarry for helping me with data collection.**
GRADED
![[Image: bam_bam.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/742845006389444778/780215137557807124/bam_bam.png)
[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
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![[Image: image.png]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/332292285788192788/401385203261636609/image.png)
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