Defensive Line Standouts - Week 3
Welcome to week 3 of our Season 3 Defensive Line Standouts! Week 3 was one of the most impressive weeks we will ever see from a defensive line standpoint. We had one record tied and another broken. We had not one, not two, but three defensive linemen with at least 3 sacks, and 9 players on our list have 6 or more tackles. With active offensive linemen still a rarity and defensive linemen banking TPE like their lives depend on it, we may be seeing the new norm for the NSFL. Will offensive linemen finally step it up? Will Bjornsson finally get some pass rush help from his teammates? Is Tuck even human? Only time will tell! Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
J. Tuck ($$$) 8 TCK, 3 TFL, 4 SCK
Tuck continues on his hot streak and has many asking where they can get whatever he’s on. His 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks is, shockingly, NOT the top performance from a defensive lineman this week. However, it is yet another defensive player of the week type performance from him. Tuck is on pace for an inhuman 102 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, and 46 sacks. The Outlaws will host a depleted Colorado Yeti at home for week 4.
A. de Ligt ($) 7 TCK, 4 TFL, 1 forced fumble
Our first rookie on the list the week, de Ligt played like his hair was on fire the entire game. He was all over the field and finished with 7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. Although he was never able to get to the quarterback, he was a run stuffing machine, and a big reason Wright was only able to average 2.7 yards per carry against the SaberCats. His 4 tackles for loss tied the NSFL record for tackles for loss in a game. San Jose will host conference rival, the Orange County Otters, next week.
O. Taylor ($$) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 SCK
The difference in the level of performance between Season 2 Taylor and Season 3 Taylor is shocking. His 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 sacks puts him on pace to shatter his numbers from last year. He currently sits at 4 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, while he finished with 7 tackles for loss and only 5 sacks after the entirety of Season 2. The Hawks will face the Philadelphia Liberty next week, a team that many expected to challenge for the NSFC Championship.
Other Great Performers
D. Davidson ($) 6 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
C. Okonkwo ($$) 3 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
J. Boom ($) 2 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Davidson had a fantastic game this week and would usually make the top half of the list with that type of performance. Davidson and Boom are both making their first appearance here, with Boom being one of only 3 rookies on our list this week (even though he played what was essentially an entire season last year with the Baltimore Hawks). Okonkwo is one of three SaberCats on our list this week and is making his second appearance on the season.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
B. Bjornsson ($$$) 8 TCK, 6 SCK
The Wraiths put on a sack clinic this week with Bjornsson doing most of the heavy lifting, finishing with an NSFL record, 6 sacks in a single game. His 6 sacks this week, unsurprisingly, puts him in a tie with Tuck for most sacks on the year, with 10 total. He is on pace to finish with an NSFL record of 46 sacks, 26 more than the current record. Although the Otters are widely regarded as having the best offensive tackles in the league, it’s obvious that the interior part of their line is where their real weakness lies. The Yellowknife Wraiths are headed to Las Vegas next week to face a Legion team that has allowed the most sacks in the NSFL.
D. Miller ($$$) 8 TCK, 3 SCK, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered
Miller finished this week with 8 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovered. Miller is a master of the strip sack, and with his performance this week, he now leads the league in BOTH forced fumbles and fumbles recovered. The turnovers he’s created this season are a big reason a team many picked to finished third of fourth in the ASFC, are currently challenging for 2 in the ASFC. Miller and the SaberCats will be hosting the Orange County Otters in week 4.
B. Metas ($$) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
Metas is making his second appearance on our list this season, and is one of three Hawks appearing here. Metas has shown time and time again that he is a run stopping pro, especially this week, by adding 6 tackles and a sack for good measure. The 4-headed monster that is the Hawks defensive line will look to keep it rolling against an under-achieving Philadelphia Liberty team.
Other Great Performers
S. Skidmarks ($) 4 TCK, 1 SCK
M. Ramrio ($$) 6 TCK, 1 TFL
J. Reigns ($) 6 TCK
R. Sandoval ($$$) 6 TCK
While there is only 1 sack between the 4 players listed immediately above, the sheer amount off tackles should explain the value they bring to their team. Skidmarks, one of the last rookies on our list, and Reigns, are both making their first appearance. Ramrio, who made out list a record 12 times last year, is making his second appearance, while rookie Sandoval is making his third. Sandoval is 1 of only 4 players to appear on our list each week, and the only rookie to do so.
Team Appearances After Week 3
Baltimore: 8
San Jose: 6
Arizona: 4
Yellowknife: 4
Orange County: 4
Philadelphia: 4
Las Vegas: 4*
Colorado: 3
After two solid weeks with a pair of players appearing on our list each week, the Legion hit a bit of a speed bump and were the only team to not have a player appear here this week. Baltimore increased their lead to 2, and San Jose jumped to second place, each with an impressive 3 players appearing on our list this week. We had 5 new players making an appearance here this week, and as with last year, we will most likely see that number drop significantly next week. With a record setting week already in the books, it will be interesting to see where we go from here. As always, if you have any comments, corrections, or question, I’d love to hear them below.
GRADED
Welcome to week 3 of our Season 3 Defensive Line Standouts! Week 3 was one of the most impressive weeks we will ever see from a defensive line standpoint. We had one record tied and another broken. We had not one, not two, but three defensive linemen with at least 3 sacks, and 9 players on our list have 6 or more tackles. With active offensive linemen still a rarity and defensive linemen banking TPE like their lives depend on it, we may be seeing the new norm for the NSFL. Will offensive linemen finally step it up? Will Bjornsson finally get some pass rush help from his teammates? Is Tuck even human? Only time will tell! Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
J. Tuck ($$$) 8 TCK, 3 TFL, 4 SCK
Tuck continues on his hot streak and has many asking where they can get whatever he’s on. His 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks is, shockingly, NOT the top performance from a defensive lineman this week. However, it is yet another defensive player of the week type performance from him. Tuck is on pace for an inhuman 102 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, and 46 sacks. The Outlaws will host a depleted Colorado Yeti at home for week 4.
A. de Ligt ($) 7 TCK, 4 TFL, 1 forced fumble
Our first rookie on the list the week, de Ligt played like his hair was on fire the entire game. He was all over the field and finished with 7 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. Although he was never able to get to the quarterback, he was a run stuffing machine, and a big reason Wright was only able to average 2.7 yards per carry against the SaberCats. His 4 tackles for loss tied the NSFL record for tackles for loss in a game. San Jose will host conference rival, the Orange County Otters, next week.
O. Taylor ($$) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 SCK
The difference in the level of performance between Season 2 Taylor and Season 3 Taylor is shocking. His 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 sacks puts him on pace to shatter his numbers from last year. He currently sits at 4 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, while he finished with 7 tackles for loss and only 5 sacks after the entirety of Season 2. The Hawks will face the Philadelphia Liberty next week, a team that many expected to challenge for the NSFC Championship.
Other Great Performers
D. Davidson ($) 6 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
C. Okonkwo ($$) 3 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
J. Boom ($) 2 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
Davidson had a fantastic game this week and would usually make the top half of the list with that type of performance. Davidson and Boom are both making their first appearance here, with Boom being one of only 3 rookies on our list this week (even though he played what was essentially an entire season last year with the Baltimore Hawks). Okonkwo is one of three SaberCats on our list this week and is making his second appearance on the season.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
B. Bjornsson ($$$) 8 TCK, 6 SCK
The Wraiths put on a sack clinic this week with Bjornsson doing most of the heavy lifting, finishing with an NSFL record, 6 sacks in a single game. His 6 sacks this week, unsurprisingly, puts him in a tie with Tuck for most sacks on the year, with 10 total. He is on pace to finish with an NSFL record of 46 sacks, 26 more than the current record. Although the Otters are widely regarded as having the best offensive tackles in the league, it’s obvious that the interior part of their line is where their real weakness lies. The Yellowknife Wraiths are headed to Las Vegas next week to face a Legion team that has allowed the most sacks in the NSFL.
D. Miller ($$$) 8 TCK, 3 SCK, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered
Miller finished this week with 8 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovered. Miller is a master of the strip sack, and with his performance this week, he now leads the league in BOTH forced fumbles and fumbles recovered. The turnovers he’s created this season are a big reason a team many picked to finished third of fourth in the ASFC, are currently challenging for 2 in the ASFC. Miller and the SaberCats will be hosting the Orange County Otters in week 4.
B. Metas ($$) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
Metas is making his second appearance on our list this season, and is one of three Hawks appearing here. Metas has shown time and time again that he is a run stopping pro, especially this week, by adding 6 tackles and a sack for good measure. The 4-headed monster that is the Hawks defensive line will look to keep it rolling against an under-achieving Philadelphia Liberty team.
Other Great Performers
S. Skidmarks ($) 4 TCK, 1 SCK
M. Ramrio ($$) 6 TCK, 1 TFL
J. Reigns ($) 6 TCK
R. Sandoval ($$$) 6 TCK
While there is only 1 sack between the 4 players listed immediately above, the sheer amount off tackles should explain the value they bring to their team. Skidmarks, one of the last rookies on our list, and Reigns, are both making their first appearance. Ramrio, who made out list a record 12 times last year, is making his second appearance, while rookie Sandoval is making his third. Sandoval is 1 of only 4 players to appear on our list each week, and the only rookie to do so.
Team Appearances After Week 3
Baltimore: 8
San Jose: 6
Arizona: 4
Yellowknife: 4
Orange County: 4
Philadelphia: 4
Las Vegas: 4*
Colorado: 3
After two solid weeks with a pair of players appearing on our list each week, the Legion hit a bit of a speed bump and were the only team to not have a player appear here this week. Baltimore increased their lead to 2, and San Jose jumped to second place, each with an impressive 3 players appearing on our list this week. We had 5 new players making an appearance here this week, and as with last year, we will most likely see that number drop significantly next week. With a record setting week already in the books, it will be interesting to see where we go from here. 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