Agent Tesla: Hello and good time appropriate greeting to you dear viewer! Magnus and I are here today to go over some highlights from the New Orleans Second Line's game against the Yellowknife Wraiths from week eight and perhaps talk more in general about the game. All depends on how we feel and what we want to do after we get through our usual highlights and segments. Now this first highlight is an unusual one, but take it away Magnus!
Magnus Rikiya: Now I double checked to make sure that this play would only count against one member of our offense as I would be upset if it counted against two. New Orleans ball on their own thirty-two yard line and it is third and two when Stan drops back to pass. Nobody is open when the line starts to move and so Stan rolls out to avoid the pressure. That pressure was picked up, but Stan rolled out too far for the offensive line to adjust and into the waiting arms of Nero Alexander who had a free lane. Simple situation where someone got squirrelly and it led to a good play for the defense here. Good job by Nero taking the opportunity when it came.
Agent Tesla: Yup! It was especially good as being on third down it forced the punt. I must say though that this is our eighth highlight article now and that is the strangest sack that I have seen to date.
Magnus Rikiya: I agree with you there. Simulation football can be a strange game sometimes though.
Agent Tesla: It can be a strange game indeed! Just a few plays later on third and eight Bigsby drops back to pass. The pocket begins to collapse, but not before Bigsby gets the ball to Hardagain for what would be a ten yard gain since Hardagain is covered. Hardagain though is also hard to bring down as he dragged the defender ten more yards for a twenty yard reception and a first down. Just a pure power play by Hardagain and one that worked out well for him.
Magnus Rikiya: It happens to the best, but it hurts when it happens to you. Good job by Hardagain here. Now our next highlight is not an individual play, but I want to give them some credit anyway. About six minutes into the game and Yellowknife Wraiths call two outside run plays to the left side. We ran basically the same defense both times and so both times they ran into Xavien Adams' arms for a short gain. That put them in a third and long situation that they did not convert which left them to settle for a field goal. Amazing job by Adams allowing us to get the stop.
Agent Tesla: Amazing job by Adams indeed! I always love to see a corner tackle like that! Now this next one is just fantastic and came about ten minutes into the game. Yellowknife has a third and nine on the New Orleans thirty-three yard line when Bigsby drops back deep to pass. They go for the big play, but only chip Ben Tu'inukuafe who shrugs it off well enough to chase Bigsby down for an eleven yard sack that knocks the Wraiths out of field goal range. Superb sack situation right there!
Magnus Rikiya: That was about as risky a move as you can get trusting a chip to stop a defensive end long enough for a deep pass play to open up, and Yellowknife rightly paid the price for it here. They got us back for it though as just two plays later on a run on second and eight from our twenty-two yard line; our runner ran into Douglas Quaid who ripped the ball out of their hands and ran it back thirteen yards before being tackled. Defense defining the game early here.
Agent Tesla: There is a reason they took Quaid so high and he clearly pairs well with their other lovely linebacker. Now again we have a situation without a distinct highlight, but want to hand out some credit here. The Wraiths got the ball on the ten yard line so first and goal immediately after the turnover. First down a pass break up by Xavien Adams, second down a tackle at the line of scrimmage by Bjørn Ironside, and on third down a dropped pass that would lead to another field goal attempt. Just a complete smothering of the offense here by the defense with their backs against the wall.
Magnus Rikiya: I will be honest here that I do not mind giving up a field goal because my big thing is I want the defense to tighten at the end zone. Would rather give up three field goals than one touchdown and for us to hold together in this position makes my heart sing. This is exactly what you should want out of a defense.
Agent Tesla: Agreed on all counts I would say! Now the first play of the second quarter is our next highlight. New Orleans has the ball and a first and ten on the Yellowknife twenty-one yard line when Stan Francisco drops back. Pressure comes from the middle and gets to Stan who throws the ball with a man on top of him to a covered Ed Barker at the ten yard line. Ed Barker completes the catch in motion and drags the defender with him for the twenty-one yard touchdown! You gotta love it!
Magnus Rikiya: I don't think Yellowknife fans loved it, but as a fan of football and player on the New Orleans Second Line I most definitely did! Great job by Stan and Ed there to get us on the board. Also good job by Prohaska to kick the extra point with so much extra pressure and get us the lead. Team really came together there.
Agent Tesla: That is true! The pressure of that kick given it would decide the lead at the moment makes it an impressive success for Prohaska. They definitely deserve credit for that!
Magnus Rikiya: Glad you agree. This next play, ooh, two minutes into the second quarter and New Orleans has a third and seven on their own twenty-two yard line. Stan Francisco drops back to pass against a full front blitz. The offensive line blocks and gets in the way as best as they can, but Maurice the Magnificent slips through four bodies like the magician that they are to get the sack.
Agent Tesla: Four bodies?
Magnus Rikiya: Two blockers and two pass rushers. How Maurice managed to wiggle his way through I do not know, but I have to give credit to him for the outstanding play!
Agent Tesla: That we do as it was most impressive! The next play was not as impressive from a skill standpoint, however it might be as impressive from a physical ability stand point. Nine minutes left in the first half, Yellowknife's ball with a first and ten on their own eleven yard line, and Bigsby drops back to pass. Now the line stands together here, but they do not have to for long as Nate Swift lives up to his name by using burst to get open enough to catch at the first down marker. Nate Swift then turns on the jets to the tune of a thirty yard gain before a defender can catch him.
Magnus Rikiya: Our secondary is fast and so the fact that they were able to just turn it on like that is definitely worthy of a highlight reel. Beautiful burst of speed there to get open and then to maintain that really makes it something. Now before we get to our next highlight I believe you had a comment you wanted to make on a potential highlight?
Agent Tesla: About three minutes after that last play the Second Line's Ofyourlove was flagged for illegal use of hands. I did not see an illegal use of hands on this play, but I admit that our camera footage does not provide the best angle. What I did see is Marcella make an excellent series of maneuvers for what would have been a fifteen yard gain that involved her weaving her way past the entirety of the defense. It deserves credit as what she did was impressive and the foul called on the team did not contribute to what made it impressive.
Magnus Rikiya: That is fair I guess since it was definitely a good run by Marcella at least. Now this next play is basically the exact same highlight we had a bit earlier, but it was impressive then and is still impressive now so we will show it again. Right around a minute left in the first half and New Orleans has a third and four on their own thirty-eight yard line. Stan Francisco drops back to pass only to be brought to the turf before he has a chance to find the open man. Maurice Virtanen with a just slightly different sack than last time as before he took an outside angle and had to make his way past bodies because of the way the blocks worked out. Where as this time he just figured he would save time by taking the inside route and working around the four bodies in front of him anyway.
Agent Tesla: It was impressive the first time around, but to manage it twice in one quarter is pretty incredible! Maurice definitely deserves to be on the highlight reel for that showing. Now this next highlight is technically an odd one as I will it a consider it a set of two given the unusual nature of them. You want to take the first and I will take the second?
Magnus Rikiya: That sounds good to me. Minute and a half into the second half and Bigsby drops back on a third and nine on their forty-five yard line. Ironside breaks through the line to provide pressure that makes Bigsby throw the ball early. Now I am not sure if he was trying to throw it away here or if he was actually aiming at the receiver, but either way it was a mistake as David Rector jumped it. Rector then ran it back thirty-one yards before being brought down by the offense. Good job by Ironside providing the pressure and great job by Rector to manage to pick that ball off.
Agent Tesla: Agreed wholeheartedly on all counts. The reason we have these two plays paired though is because it made an amusing sequence to watch. Just the second play after the previous highlight on an outside run the New Orleans runner was met by Grithead and Jensen who put a stop to it. Grithead connected first, but it was a team effort with Grithead pushing the ball out while Jensen latched onto it. A forced fumble and fumble recovery that went for four yards. Terrific teamwork here to stop what would have otherwise been a likely touchdown drive.
Magnus Rikiya: Even on the receiving end of it I have to agree that it was good work by them and an amusing set of circumstances. Now this next highlight shows that Nate Swift does not just rely on being swift. Twelve minutes left in the third, second and eleven on the Yellowknife eleven yard line, and Swift fakes outside before turning inside to catch the ball. Turns it up field and manages to make it twenty-six yards total before the defense can catch up. Speed like that is impressive enough, and then you add the wrinkle of that fake and it is no wonder why Nate Swift is one of the best in the business.
Agent Tesla: I love plays like that, and have to say I love that one even if it happened to New Orleans. Although I do love our next highlight more as it is more impressive from a big picture perspective. New Orleans gets the ball back with about ten minutes left in the third, and it is first and ten on their own five yard line. Backed against the wall Stan Francisco drops back into his own end zone where he is quickly met by a Yellowknife pass rusher. The pass rusher is in the process of bringing Stan to the ground when he finds an open McCormick who shows why he deserves to be named tight end of the year by outrunning the defense for a forty yard gain! Credit to Stan for making that throw in such a difficult situation and credit to McCormick for doing so much with that opportunity!
Magnus Rikiya: Stan is such a tough competitor with how often he seems to pull off moves like that. I honestly forget how impressive it should be sometimes given how often I see it in practice. McCormick too is just a beast who can beat you in so many different ways that it makes him almost impossible to defend. Combine that with their chemistry and it is just a joy to watch.
Agent Tesla: I could not have said it better myself! What makes it more impressive to me is that it almost happened again just a couple of plays later. First and ten on the Yellowknife twenty-nine yard line and Stan Francisco finds McCormick once again. Just like before Stan has a pass rusher right in his face, and similar to before McCormick makes the most of the opportunity by running downfield for a twenty-two yard gain before a trio of defenders bring him down.
Magnus Rikiya: Can I just repeat what I said before? These two are terrific together and makes these outstanding plays look routine.
Agent Tesla: You can! They make those plays look routine because they perform them routinely. Now the next play is a bit tricky, but I will try to set the scene for you. Second and five on the Yellowknife thirty-one yard line and Bigsby hands off to Mathias Hanyadi. They start out going right before changing direction in an instant to go left to slip past the first defender. That gets them a good block to get past another, and they managed to slip by a third before being gang tackled at the forty-five yard line after a cool fourteen yard gain. A slippery runner for sure.
Magnus Rikiya: Normally you can at least get a hand on a guy, but here we could not even do that much. Huge respect to Hanyadi for that play. Now it is not exactly an individual highlight, but I want to give a shout out to Cooter Bigsby here for being able to thread the needle so well. There were a few times on that drive where I was sure we had someone covered only for Bigsby to throw it where only the receiver could get to it. Not super surprising for one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the league, however still deserving of respect and recognition.
Agent Tesla: How nice! I can definitely agree with you there that they deserve credit for the outstanding job on that drive that ended in a touchdown pass. Not one that required precision passing though as the receiver was quite open on that play.
Magnus Rikiya: One of the reasons why we do not exactly have a single good highlight from the drive. A lot of solid throws, but nothing especially explosive. Then a casual touchdown pass to seal the deal. He marched them down field though which is good enough to get a nod from me.
Agent Tesla: I will second that nod. Now this next comment is similar in that we wanted to shout out the New Orleans' offensive line during the first drive of the fourth quarter. Eight runs for five or more yards and four complete passes without a pressure allowed. They did an amazing job here allowing the entire offense to run like a well oiled machine. Credit to the entire offense for marching down field well, but really want to highlight how integral the offensive line was as the engine behind that for this drive.
Magnus Rikiya: That drive is what gave us the lead that we needed to be able to win. The offensive line also deserves a huge amount of credit for it given how well they withstood the pressure of the good defensive front of the Wraiths. We say at the start that we also include things other than highlights, but I will apologize upfront for doing pseudo highlights three rounds in a row. I have to say though that Hanyadi had two rushes on the ensuing drive by the Wraiths that were on first down and went for first downs. These were not runs where the line played a huge hand in it either as he had to have broken or avoided at least half a dozen tackles between these two runs. Just really good stuff to see from a running back.
Agent Tesla: Yes, apologies for not having more specific highlights, but huge props to Hanyadi for their great runs here. Our next specific highlight comes just a couple of plays later on second and seven just on the Yellowknife side of the field. Bigsby gets the ball out ultra fast to Bender B. Rodriguez who manages to avoid getting caught for an extra ten yards after the catch before getting gang tackled by four New Orleans defenders. Rodriguez does not go down immediately though and drags the four defenders an extra yard for a total of a seventeen yard gain. Too tough to tackle there.
Magnus Rikiya: I think that is the first time that we have seen someone drag four defenders since we started this series.
Agent Tesla: I believe that you are right about that! Just makes it all the more impressive.
Magnus Rikiya: Record setting run after the catch there then for Rodriguez then. Now the next highlight has two components to it, and it came with just five minutes left in the game. First and ten for New Orleans on their own thirty-four yard line when Stan drops back to bass. First component here is the offensive line stands firm with a special shout out to Brave Ulysses for readjusting to make sure that stayed true. Second component is Bona’beri Jones showing they have got some jets too as they fly past their defender to catch the ball in stride. They made it forty-three yards downfield before someone finally caught up and put a stop to it. Love to see speed like that!
Agent Tesla: I know strength will always be more your thing, but speed like that is still exciting! The next highlight is a bit of an odd duck if I am honest as it is recorded as a fumble, although I am not entirely sure that the receiver ever had control of the ball. Second and ten on the Yellowknife twenty-three yard line with less than four minutes on the clock when Stan Francisco throws the ball. Far as the stat sheet is concerned the play is recorded as a fumble forced and recovered by Danny Grithead, however they were there when the ball connected and just ripped it away from the receiver before they had a real chance at it from my angle. Usually that would get recorded as an interception; not this time though.
Magnus Rikiya: Regardless of whether it was a fumble or an interception it was a great play by Grithead.
Agent Tesla: We may not agree on what type of play it was, but I believe everyone can agree that it was a great play. That is true! This next drive I want to call out the coaching staff of Yellowknife for if I am honest. No disrespect to the general managers or the team itself, but just the coaches on the field. First down they get an eight yard run, second down they get a spike to stop the clock, third down they have a tough drop, but fourth and two they punt with less than three minutes on the clock. Sorry Yellowknife, you deserve better than to have that called there.
Magnus Rikiya: No comment.
Agent Tesla: Fair enough. After that punt the tandem of Marcella T?riki and Forrest Gump had five consecutive runs for positive yards to take away any chance for a comeback from the Wraiths. Great job by the offensive line there for blocking for them, however humongous credit to the running backs for being smart about how they ran to run out the clock.
Magnus Rikiya: Those side to side runs for positive yardage are just brutal on the clock and the fact they strung together five like it was just going for groceries is absolutely amazing.
Agent Tesla: Before we get into the offensive player of the game and defensive player of the game I want to shout out Dougie Smalls for going four for four on field goals. Two of which were over forty yards. We do not usually do a special teams player of the game, but that performance was good enough that I wanted to give them credit for it. Now this game is a bit difficult both in terms of offensive player of the game and defensive player of the game. So we decided off camera that we would just divide them as necessary because no one can stop us from spreading the love. Now do you want offense or defense Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: I'll take defense especially as I hope the New Orleans players will better understand not winning with it coming from me. Everyone on New Orleans played well and so no one of us did enough to stand out from the pack for the award even with the division. Meanwhile Yellowknife had over sixty percent of their defensive plays come from just three players, and the three of them performed similarly enough that Tesla and I did not feel comfortable awarding it to one of them over the others. So the defensive players of the game are Danny Grithead, Douglas Quaid, and Maurice Virtanen!
Danny Grithead's eleven tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery that gave them the chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter clearly deserved recognition. Douglas Quaid's twelve tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery that led to a field goal clearly contributed to the close game. Maurice Virtanen's twelve tackles, two sacks, and one pass break up set the tone throughout the game that Yellowknife would be tough to defeat. The three of them combined for the majority of the defensive plays for the defense and were all such key contributors that I think they all deserve an award for it.
Agent Tesla: I can definitely agree, although just for completion sake I will shout out our own David Rector. Their four tackles, one pass defended, and one interception was the best defensive performance for a member of the overall solid Second Line defense.
Magnus Rikiya: I will agree with that! Good job to you Rector!
Agent Tesla: Now for the offense I have to give credit to two players because so much of their success here was intertwined. Marcella T?riki gets an award by virtue of her twenty-four runs for 118 yards on top of three receptions for seventeen yards and two touchdowns. She was a key cog in the offensive machine of the New Orleans Second Line. The other winner of the award Stan Francisco gets an award for going twenty-two of thirty-one on pass attempts for 248 yards and three touchdowns. That adds up to a 126 passer rating that is too good to deny them an award. Since those touchdowns were only possible thanks to Marcella though I think it best that they both get an award.
Magnus Rikiya: They both had great games and I totally agree with them getting awards for their performance here. Will also shout out Austin McCormick as a runner up with his seven receptions for 111 yards. This was a really good game for our offense I would say.
Agent Tesla: I have to strongly agree with you there. The fact that they only scored twenty-one points given how good the performance was as a whole goes to show how good the Yellowknife defense is when it counts.
Magnus Rikiya: I agree with that.
Agent Tesla: Now for the last segment of these articles of ours. Which for those who do not know is where we go over who my client swapped jerseys with after the game. Halfway through the regular season now and I feel confident that most people who read this are aware that this is a part of the series though. So tell me dear Magnus who you swapped jerseys with this time around?
Magnus Rikiya: One of the best linebackers in the league Maurice Virtanen. Just one of the coolest guys that I have gotten the opportunity to interact with through this job, and was really nice about the whole situation. I think he is buddies with my teammate Ironside which might be part of why, but I did not ask anything about that. A professional's professional in my experience and the exact kind of player that players should aspire to be in this league.
Agent Tesla: An excellent player and one that I can definitely agree is one worth modeling yourself after. Now a first for this series is that Maurice tweeted after the game about the swap. What are your feelings on that matter Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: I was still in Yellowknife when I saw that as I was waiting on our flight and I have to admit I melted on the spot. Do you know how hard it is to melt in Yellowknife in autumn? One of the most awesome people in the league and they thought enough about our swap to mention it on their social media. Huge thank you to Maurice for the kind swap, the nice words, and for being so amazing.
Agent Tesla: Well said and I will reiterate a thanks to Maurice for being so good to us in all of our interactions. Now anything else you want to say before we wrap up Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: They say never meet your heroes. I have had the opportunity this season to swap jerseys with three of mine and after those experiences I have to say that saying is a bunch of bunk. Remember your heroes are just people like you are and do not have grandiose expectations of them, but there are a lot of inspiring people out there who are great even after you meet them as people. Ironside, Armstrong, and Virtanen all more than lived up to my expectations and I appreciate all of them for what they do.
Agent Tesla: A strong statement, but a good one I would say. I will just say thanks to those of you who have commented on these articles thus far and thanks for taking time out of your day to read this. Hope you have a nice day out there!
Magnus Rikiya: Now I double checked to make sure that this play would only count against one member of our offense as I would be upset if it counted against two. New Orleans ball on their own thirty-two yard line and it is third and two when Stan drops back to pass. Nobody is open when the line starts to move and so Stan rolls out to avoid the pressure. That pressure was picked up, but Stan rolled out too far for the offensive line to adjust and into the waiting arms of Nero Alexander who had a free lane. Simple situation where someone got squirrelly and it led to a good play for the defense here. Good job by Nero taking the opportunity when it came.
Agent Tesla: Yup! It was especially good as being on third down it forced the punt. I must say though that this is our eighth highlight article now and that is the strangest sack that I have seen to date.
Magnus Rikiya: I agree with you there. Simulation football can be a strange game sometimes though.
Agent Tesla: It can be a strange game indeed! Just a few plays later on third and eight Bigsby drops back to pass. The pocket begins to collapse, but not before Bigsby gets the ball to Hardagain for what would be a ten yard gain since Hardagain is covered. Hardagain though is also hard to bring down as he dragged the defender ten more yards for a twenty yard reception and a first down. Just a pure power play by Hardagain and one that worked out well for him.
Magnus Rikiya: It happens to the best, but it hurts when it happens to you. Good job by Hardagain here. Now our next highlight is not an individual play, but I want to give them some credit anyway. About six minutes into the game and Yellowknife Wraiths call two outside run plays to the left side. We ran basically the same defense both times and so both times they ran into Xavien Adams' arms for a short gain. That put them in a third and long situation that they did not convert which left them to settle for a field goal. Amazing job by Adams allowing us to get the stop.
Agent Tesla: Amazing job by Adams indeed! I always love to see a corner tackle like that! Now this next one is just fantastic and came about ten minutes into the game. Yellowknife has a third and nine on the New Orleans thirty-three yard line when Bigsby drops back deep to pass. They go for the big play, but only chip Ben Tu'inukuafe who shrugs it off well enough to chase Bigsby down for an eleven yard sack that knocks the Wraiths out of field goal range. Superb sack situation right there!
Magnus Rikiya: That was about as risky a move as you can get trusting a chip to stop a defensive end long enough for a deep pass play to open up, and Yellowknife rightly paid the price for it here. They got us back for it though as just two plays later on a run on second and eight from our twenty-two yard line; our runner ran into Douglas Quaid who ripped the ball out of their hands and ran it back thirteen yards before being tackled. Defense defining the game early here.
Agent Tesla: There is a reason they took Quaid so high and he clearly pairs well with their other lovely linebacker. Now again we have a situation without a distinct highlight, but want to hand out some credit here. The Wraiths got the ball on the ten yard line so first and goal immediately after the turnover. First down a pass break up by Xavien Adams, second down a tackle at the line of scrimmage by Bjørn Ironside, and on third down a dropped pass that would lead to another field goal attempt. Just a complete smothering of the offense here by the defense with their backs against the wall.
Magnus Rikiya: I will be honest here that I do not mind giving up a field goal because my big thing is I want the defense to tighten at the end zone. Would rather give up three field goals than one touchdown and for us to hold together in this position makes my heart sing. This is exactly what you should want out of a defense.
Agent Tesla: Agreed on all counts I would say! Now the first play of the second quarter is our next highlight. New Orleans has the ball and a first and ten on the Yellowknife twenty-one yard line when Stan Francisco drops back. Pressure comes from the middle and gets to Stan who throws the ball with a man on top of him to a covered Ed Barker at the ten yard line. Ed Barker completes the catch in motion and drags the defender with him for the twenty-one yard touchdown! You gotta love it!
Magnus Rikiya: I don't think Yellowknife fans loved it, but as a fan of football and player on the New Orleans Second Line I most definitely did! Great job by Stan and Ed there to get us on the board. Also good job by Prohaska to kick the extra point with so much extra pressure and get us the lead. Team really came together there.
Agent Tesla: That is true! The pressure of that kick given it would decide the lead at the moment makes it an impressive success for Prohaska. They definitely deserve credit for that!
Magnus Rikiya: Glad you agree. This next play, ooh, two minutes into the second quarter and New Orleans has a third and seven on their own twenty-two yard line. Stan Francisco drops back to pass against a full front blitz. The offensive line blocks and gets in the way as best as they can, but Maurice the Magnificent slips through four bodies like the magician that they are to get the sack.
Agent Tesla: Four bodies?
Magnus Rikiya: Two blockers and two pass rushers. How Maurice managed to wiggle his way through I do not know, but I have to give credit to him for the outstanding play!
Agent Tesla: That we do as it was most impressive! The next play was not as impressive from a skill standpoint, however it might be as impressive from a physical ability stand point. Nine minutes left in the first half, Yellowknife's ball with a first and ten on their own eleven yard line, and Bigsby drops back to pass. Now the line stands together here, but they do not have to for long as Nate Swift lives up to his name by using burst to get open enough to catch at the first down marker. Nate Swift then turns on the jets to the tune of a thirty yard gain before a defender can catch him.
Magnus Rikiya: Our secondary is fast and so the fact that they were able to just turn it on like that is definitely worthy of a highlight reel. Beautiful burst of speed there to get open and then to maintain that really makes it something. Now before we get to our next highlight I believe you had a comment you wanted to make on a potential highlight?
Agent Tesla: About three minutes after that last play the Second Line's Ofyourlove was flagged for illegal use of hands. I did not see an illegal use of hands on this play, but I admit that our camera footage does not provide the best angle. What I did see is Marcella make an excellent series of maneuvers for what would have been a fifteen yard gain that involved her weaving her way past the entirety of the defense. It deserves credit as what she did was impressive and the foul called on the team did not contribute to what made it impressive.
Magnus Rikiya: That is fair I guess since it was definitely a good run by Marcella at least. Now this next play is basically the exact same highlight we had a bit earlier, but it was impressive then and is still impressive now so we will show it again. Right around a minute left in the first half and New Orleans has a third and four on their own thirty-eight yard line. Stan Francisco drops back to pass only to be brought to the turf before he has a chance to find the open man. Maurice Virtanen with a just slightly different sack than last time as before he took an outside angle and had to make his way past bodies because of the way the blocks worked out. Where as this time he just figured he would save time by taking the inside route and working around the four bodies in front of him anyway.
Agent Tesla: It was impressive the first time around, but to manage it twice in one quarter is pretty incredible! Maurice definitely deserves to be on the highlight reel for that showing. Now this next highlight is technically an odd one as I will it a consider it a set of two given the unusual nature of them. You want to take the first and I will take the second?
Magnus Rikiya: That sounds good to me. Minute and a half into the second half and Bigsby drops back on a third and nine on their forty-five yard line. Ironside breaks through the line to provide pressure that makes Bigsby throw the ball early. Now I am not sure if he was trying to throw it away here or if he was actually aiming at the receiver, but either way it was a mistake as David Rector jumped it. Rector then ran it back thirty-one yards before being brought down by the offense. Good job by Ironside providing the pressure and great job by Rector to manage to pick that ball off.
Agent Tesla: Agreed wholeheartedly on all counts. The reason we have these two plays paired though is because it made an amusing sequence to watch. Just the second play after the previous highlight on an outside run the New Orleans runner was met by Grithead and Jensen who put a stop to it. Grithead connected first, but it was a team effort with Grithead pushing the ball out while Jensen latched onto it. A forced fumble and fumble recovery that went for four yards. Terrific teamwork here to stop what would have otherwise been a likely touchdown drive.
Magnus Rikiya: Even on the receiving end of it I have to agree that it was good work by them and an amusing set of circumstances. Now this next highlight shows that Nate Swift does not just rely on being swift. Twelve minutes left in the third, second and eleven on the Yellowknife eleven yard line, and Swift fakes outside before turning inside to catch the ball. Turns it up field and manages to make it twenty-six yards total before the defense can catch up. Speed like that is impressive enough, and then you add the wrinkle of that fake and it is no wonder why Nate Swift is one of the best in the business.
Agent Tesla: I love plays like that, and have to say I love that one even if it happened to New Orleans. Although I do love our next highlight more as it is more impressive from a big picture perspective. New Orleans gets the ball back with about ten minutes left in the third, and it is first and ten on their own five yard line. Backed against the wall Stan Francisco drops back into his own end zone where he is quickly met by a Yellowknife pass rusher. The pass rusher is in the process of bringing Stan to the ground when he finds an open McCormick who shows why he deserves to be named tight end of the year by outrunning the defense for a forty yard gain! Credit to Stan for making that throw in such a difficult situation and credit to McCormick for doing so much with that opportunity!
Magnus Rikiya: Stan is such a tough competitor with how often he seems to pull off moves like that. I honestly forget how impressive it should be sometimes given how often I see it in practice. McCormick too is just a beast who can beat you in so many different ways that it makes him almost impossible to defend. Combine that with their chemistry and it is just a joy to watch.
Agent Tesla: I could not have said it better myself! What makes it more impressive to me is that it almost happened again just a couple of plays later. First and ten on the Yellowknife twenty-nine yard line and Stan Francisco finds McCormick once again. Just like before Stan has a pass rusher right in his face, and similar to before McCormick makes the most of the opportunity by running downfield for a twenty-two yard gain before a trio of defenders bring him down.
Magnus Rikiya: Can I just repeat what I said before? These two are terrific together and makes these outstanding plays look routine.
Agent Tesla: You can! They make those plays look routine because they perform them routinely. Now the next play is a bit tricky, but I will try to set the scene for you. Second and five on the Yellowknife thirty-one yard line and Bigsby hands off to Mathias Hanyadi. They start out going right before changing direction in an instant to go left to slip past the first defender. That gets them a good block to get past another, and they managed to slip by a third before being gang tackled at the forty-five yard line after a cool fourteen yard gain. A slippery runner for sure.
Magnus Rikiya: Normally you can at least get a hand on a guy, but here we could not even do that much. Huge respect to Hanyadi for that play. Now it is not exactly an individual highlight, but I want to give a shout out to Cooter Bigsby here for being able to thread the needle so well. There were a few times on that drive where I was sure we had someone covered only for Bigsby to throw it where only the receiver could get to it. Not super surprising for one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the league, however still deserving of respect and recognition.
Agent Tesla: How nice! I can definitely agree with you there that they deserve credit for the outstanding job on that drive that ended in a touchdown pass. Not one that required precision passing though as the receiver was quite open on that play.
Magnus Rikiya: One of the reasons why we do not exactly have a single good highlight from the drive. A lot of solid throws, but nothing especially explosive. Then a casual touchdown pass to seal the deal. He marched them down field though which is good enough to get a nod from me.
Agent Tesla: I will second that nod. Now this next comment is similar in that we wanted to shout out the New Orleans' offensive line during the first drive of the fourth quarter. Eight runs for five or more yards and four complete passes without a pressure allowed. They did an amazing job here allowing the entire offense to run like a well oiled machine. Credit to the entire offense for marching down field well, but really want to highlight how integral the offensive line was as the engine behind that for this drive.
Magnus Rikiya: That drive is what gave us the lead that we needed to be able to win. The offensive line also deserves a huge amount of credit for it given how well they withstood the pressure of the good defensive front of the Wraiths. We say at the start that we also include things other than highlights, but I will apologize upfront for doing pseudo highlights three rounds in a row. I have to say though that Hanyadi had two rushes on the ensuing drive by the Wraiths that were on first down and went for first downs. These were not runs where the line played a huge hand in it either as he had to have broken or avoided at least half a dozen tackles between these two runs. Just really good stuff to see from a running back.
Agent Tesla: Yes, apologies for not having more specific highlights, but huge props to Hanyadi for their great runs here. Our next specific highlight comes just a couple of plays later on second and seven just on the Yellowknife side of the field. Bigsby gets the ball out ultra fast to Bender B. Rodriguez who manages to avoid getting caught for an extra ten yards after the catch before getting gang tackled by four New Orleans defenders. Rodriguez does not go down immediately though and drags the four defenders an extra yard for a total of a seventeen yard gain. Too tough to tackle there.
Magnus Rikiya: I think that is the first time that we have seen someone drag four defenders since we started this series.
Agent Tesla: I believe that you are right about that! Just makes it all the more impressive.
Magnus Rikiya: Record setting run after the catch there then for Rodriguez then. Now the next highlight has two components to it, and it came with just five minutes left in the game. First and ten for New Orleans on their own thirty-four yard line when Stan drops back to bass. First component here is the offensive line stands firm with a special shout out to Brave Ulysses for readjusting to make sure that stayed true. Second component is Bona’beri Jones showing they have got some jets too as they fly past their defender to catch the ball in stride. They made it forty-three yards downfield before someone finally caught up and put a stop to it. Love to see speed like that!
Agent Tesla: I know strength will always be more your thing, but speed like that is still exciting! The next highlight is a bit of an odd duck if I am honest as it is recorded as a fumble, although I am not entirely sure that the receiver ever had control of the ball. Second and ten on the Yellowknife twenty-three yard line with less than four minutes on the clock when Stan Francisco throws the ball. Far as the stat sheet is concerned the play is recorded as a fumble forced and recovered by Danny Grithead, however they were there when the ball connected and just ripped it away from the receiver before they had a real chance at it from my angle. Usually that would get recorded as an interception; not this time though.
Magnus Rikiya: Regardless of whether it was a fumble or an interception it was a great play by Grithead.
Agent Tesla: We may not agree on what type of play it was, but I believe everyone can agree that it was a great play. That is true! This next drive I want to call out the coaching staff of Yellowknife for if I am honest. No disrespect to the general managers or the team itself, but just the coaches on the field. First down they get an eight yard run, second down they get a spike to stop the clock, third down they have a tough drop, but fourth and two they punt with less than three minutes on the clock. Sorry Yellowknife, you deserve better than to have that called there.
Magnus Rikiya: No comment.
Agent Tesla: Fair enough. After that punt the tandem of Marcella T?riki and Forrest Gump had five consecutive runs for positive yards to take away any chance for a comeback from the Wraiths. Great job by the offensive line there for blocking for them, however humongous credit to the running backs for being smart about how they ran to run out the clock.
Magnus Rikiya: Those side to side runs for positive yardage are just brutal on the clock and the fact they strung together five like it was just going for groceries is absolutely amazing.
Agent Tesla: Before we get into the offensive player of the game and defensive player of the game I want to shout out Dougie Smalls for going four for four on field goals. Two of which were over forty yards. We do not usually do a special teams player of the game, but that performance was good enough that I wanted to give them credit for it. Now this game is a bit difficult both in terms of offensive player of the game and defensive player of the game. So we decided off camera that we would just divide them as necessary because no one can stop us from spreading the love. Now do you want offense or defense Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: I'll take defense especially as I hope the New Orleans players will better understand not winning with it coming from me. Everyone on New Orleans played well and so no one of us did enough to stand out from the pack for the award even with the division. Meanwhile Yellowknife had over sixty percent of their defensive plays come from just three players, and the three of them performed similarly enough that Tesla and I did not feel comfortable awarding it to one of them over the others. So the defensive players of the game are Danny Grithead, Douglas Quaid, and Maurice Virtanen!
Danny Grithead's eleven tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery that gave them the chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter clearly deserved recognition. Douglas Quaid's twelve tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery that led to a field goal clearly contributed to the close game. Maurice Virtanen's twelve tackles, two sacks, and one pass break up set the tone throughout the game that Yellowknife would be tough to defeat. The three of them combined for the majority of the defensive plays for the defense and were all such key contributors that I think they all deserve an award for it.
Agent Tesla: I can definitely agree, although just for completion sake I will shout out our own David Rector. Their four tackles, one pass defended, and one interception was the best defensive performance for a member of the overall solid Second Line defense.
Magnus Rikiya: I will agree with that! Good job to you Rector!
Agent Tesla: Now for the offense I have to give credit to two players because so much of their success here was intertwined. Marcella T?riki gets an award by virtue of her twenty-four runs for 118 yards on top of three receptions for seventeen yards and two touchdowns. She was a key cog in the offensive machine of the New Orleans Second Line. The other winner of the award Stan Francisco gets an award for going twenty-two of thirty-one on pass attempts for 248 yards and three touchdowns. That adds up to a 126 passer rating that is too good to deny them an award. Since those touchdowns were only possible thanks to Marcella though I think it best that they both get an award.
Magnus Rikiya: They both had great games and I totally agree with them getting awards for their performance here. Will also shout out Austin McCormick as a runner up with his seven receptions for 111 yards. This was a really good game for our offense I would say.
Agent Tesla: I have to strongly agree with you there. The fact that they only scored twenty-one points given how good the performance was as a whole goes to show how good the Yellowknife defense is when it counts.
Magnus Rikiya: I agree with that.
Agent Tesla: Now for the last segment of these articles of ours. Which for those who do not know is where we go over who my client swapped jerseys with after the game. Halfway through the regular season now and I feel confident that most people who read this are aware that this is a part of the series though. So tell me dear Magnus who you swapped jerseys with this time around?
Magnus Rikiya: One of the best linebackers in the league Maurice Virtanen. Just one of the coolest guys that I have gotten the opportunity to interact with through this job, and was really nice about the whole situation. I think he is buddies with my teammate Ironside which might be part of why, but I did not ask anything about that. A professional's professional in my experience and the exact kind of player that players should aspire to be in this league.
Agent Tesla: An excellent player and one that I can definitely agree is one worth modeling yourself after. Now a first for this series is that Maurice tweeted after the game about the swap. What are your feelings on that matter Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: I was still in Yellowknife when I saw that as I was waiting on our flight and I have to admit I melted on the spot. Do you know how hard it is to melt in Yellowknife in autumn? One of the most awesome people in the league and they thought enough about our swap to mention it on their social media. Huge thank you to Maurice for the kind swap, the nice words, and for being so amazing.
Agent Tesla: Well said and I will reiterate a thanks to Maurice for being so good to us in all of our interactions. Now anything else you want to say before we wrap up Magnus?
Magnus Rikiya: They say never meet your heroes. I have had the opportunity this season to swap jerseys with three of mine and after those experiences I have to say that saying is a bunch of bunk. Remember your heroes are just people like you are and do not have grandiose expectations of them, but there are a lot of inspiring people out there who are great even after you meet them as people. Ironside, Armstrong, and Virtanen all more than lived up to my expectations and I appreciate all of them for what they do.
Agent Tesla: A strong statement, but a good one I would say. I will just say thanks to those of you who have commented on these articles thus far and thanks for taking time out of your day to read this. Hope you have a nice day out there!
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