I am so glad I waited until the end of this week to post my opinion here – there is now a strong case for what I plan to lobby. I think Remus Roman deserves the Rookie of the Year award, a strong assertion considering his short resume of starts in the league. Portland runs a Running Back by Committee approach with an interesting twist… rather than a typical “Thunder and Lightning” approach, Portland prefers to run two speed backs (what I call the “Lightning and Lightning” approach). Roman stands out because of his incredible production on such few carries a game. Roman averages 10.4 carries per game with 6.2 yards per carry (#1 of all running backs by nearly a yard). On top of that the entire DSFL got to watch as Roman placed the Pythons on his back to carry them to victory against the Kansas City Coyotes. On just SIX CARRIES, Roman rushed for a DSFL record 269 yards, breaking free for 4 runs over 30 yards, 3 touchdowns and at one point a DSFL record 89 yard scamper for a touchdown (not to be outdone, Roman’s counterpart Giovanni Bianchi broke his record by 3 yards later in the game). The game ended in a 24-21 victory for the Pythons, all three Portland touchdowns coming from Roman himself.
I think it is a tough sell to have Roman win the award over teammate Saleem Spence, but I think he has firmly placed himself in the conversation.
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I think it is a tough sell to have Roman win the award over teammate Saleem Spence, but I think he has firmly placed himself in the conversation.
(250 words)