Richard D'Attoria V grew up watching the NSFL for his entire life, and one of the players that spoke to him most was this undersized, underrated DB drafted high in the draft to the godawful Legion. He didn't know that this player, future Hall of Famer Blackford Oakes, would eventually play out a legendary career and become the career leader in interceptions among safeties. Of course, Richard admired him on the field. But as he struggled through blowout Legion games, suffered through every single Bercovici interception, grimaced at terrible defenses, and dejectedly watched the playoffs in his black and gold Alexandre LeClair jersey, one thing stood out to him - the rising playmaker snagging picks and sacking quarterbacks in just his first season.
The next season, LeClair defected to the Baltimore Hawks, and the Legion crashed and burned to 1-13. Richard almost bandwagoned the Otters. But there was hope to be found, not just with the revitalized offense, but also with the defense, led by rising superstar Oakes, whose jersey Richard requested for his next birthday. That jersey would be purple and teal, though, as his beloved childhood Legion rebranded and moved to New Orleans. And in the new environment, Oakes thrived, filling the stat sheet with juicy numbers and cementing his reputation as one of the league's premier safeties.
Richard admired not just Oakes' statistics, performance, and awards, but his leadership; no matter who cycled through those Second Line defenses he adored so much - Benson Bayley, Jayce Tuck, Fuego Wozy, Brian Mills, Vladimir Fyodorovich - it was obvious Oakes was in charge. He was drafted to a defense allowing 32 points per game, and turned into a devastating ballhawk that helped his squad terrorize quarterbacks and stroll to four straight Ultimus appearances. Richard also loved the perpetual underdog status that hounded Oakes and the Second Line - even after cementing his legacy as the greatest safety of all time, he failed to receive an unanimous HoF induction.
The next season, LeClair defected to the Baltimore Hawks, and the Legion crashed and burned to 1-13. Richard almost bandwagoned the Otters. But there was hope to be found, not just with the revitalized offense, but also with the defense, led by rising superstar Oakes, whose jersey Richard requested for his next birthday. That jersey would be purple and teal, though, as his beloved childhood Legion rebranded and moved to New Orleans. And in the new environment, Oakes thrived, filling the stat sheet with juicy numbers and cementing his reputation as one of the league's premier safeties.
Richard admired not just Oakes' statistics, performance, and awards, but his leadership; no matter who cycled through those Second Line defenses he adored so much - Benson Bayley, Jayce Tuck, Fuego Wozy, Brian Mills, Vladimir Fyodorovich - it was obvious Oakes was in charge. He was drafted to a defense allowing 32 points per game, and turned into a devastating ballhawk that helped his squad terrorize quarterbacks and stroll to four straight Ultimus appearances. Richard also loved the perpetual underdog status that hounded Oakes and the Second Line - even after cementing his legacy as the greatest safety of all time, he failed to receive an unanimous HoF induction.
Code:
324