08-25-2022, 09:23 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-26-2022, 01:52 PM by dude_man. Edited 1 time in total.)
Just one week into the season, the new look Dallas Birddogs have got a third of their win total from last year up on the board. While it was a well contested affair, the Birddogs were able to go south of the boarder and beat Tijuana on their home turf in week 1. After a 3-11 season with multiple Quarterbacks and a paper thin defense, an offseason overhaul has the Birddogs looking like a real threat after an undefeated pre-season (I know, grain of salt) and a opening week win on the road. Today I’d like to get into their key players, and what the keys to success will be moving forward this year.
Key Players
Brock Landers Jr. and Matthew Mara
First, I want to talk about Dallas’s primary threat on offense. While Dallas has 3 active receivers and a capped tight end, the premier passing connection on the team is capped Chicago Butchers QB prospect Brock Landers Jr. slinging the ball to his top receiver, Matthew Mara, who just went number two overall in the ISFL draft to the New York Silverbacks. This connection has already proved fruitful as Mara caught the first touchdown of the season on a 54 yard strike in Tijuana. He went on to haul in 8 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. Landers Jr. was able to complete 24 of 40 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns though the gunslinger side of him was on display as those two touchdowns came with two interceptions and he was sacked twice. Overall, it was a good showing from the duo as Mara was able to haul in a third of the total completions (over a third of the targets) while racking up nearly half of the team’s receiving yards while still finding the endzone. All of this and a win to boot, watch out for these two come awards season, they should be finalists in a category or two.
Aiden Frost
Rookie running backs have had some success in the past in the ISFL. Dallas has had some of those greats on their team. We’ve been blessed by the talents of RBs such as Zoe Watts and Cobra Kai in the past, I believe that Aiden Frost can add his name to this list. Somehow, Frost found his name dropping quite a bit in the DSFL draft, and Dallas was happy to snap him up to be its feature back well below his actual value. In the preseason, Frost was used sparingly, but his coaches had nothing but positive things to say about him and their expectations for him this season. In week 1 he was given his chance, and he shined. He racked up 121 rushing yards in his debut game on just 16 carries and added two receptions for 21 yards in the process. While he didn’t find the end zone, there is no doubt that he will find a regular home in the end zone in the coming season. Speed kills, and this kid looks faster each week. He will be a dynamic part of the offense moving forward and teams would do well to gameplan to stop him. You know what they say though, there’s no planning for speed.
Bay Webb
On the other side of the ball, we have to focus on Dallas’s stud pass rusher, Bay Webb. While he didn’t put up incredible stats in week 1, he has shown in his career that he can disrupt an offense’s gameplan with his ability to get into the backfield over and over in a game. Although he didn’t find the Quarterback in week 1, he was able to get another stop in the backfield for his first TFL of the season and the constant double teams made it possible for his teammates to get to the Tijuana quarterback 4 times over the course of the game. Sometimes it’s the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that help your team win, and Webb was doing all of these things in week 1. He will get his opportunities to unleash hell on DSFL QBs this season and for my money, I’d expect him to take them, and take them often. Another player I expect to see in the award nominations at the end of the year, watch out for this guy. He will be taking his talents to New York along with Mara once he’s ready, and the big apple is getting two stars from the Birddogs.
Jimmy Jeeta
While the rest of the defensive line could all probably be featured as key players as well, I wanted to focus on a rookie who spent the entire preseason making splash plays in the secondary, Jimmy Jeeta. Jeeta had an incredible 3 interceptions in the four preseason games this season. If you were to say that the expectations for this guy are high in Dallas, it would be a massive understatement. Jeeta didn’t register a pick in week 1 against Tijuana, but he was able to rack up four tackles in run support and bat down a pass in his first game. He’s taking things one step at a time and improving week to week. When I look at Jeeta, I see a future ISFL first round pick and a lockdown corner not just at the DSFL level, but the ISFL level as well. Like Frost, he went below his value in the DSFL draft and Dallas was able to snap him up as a result. Watch for his stock to be on the rise throughout the season and don’t be surprised if he ends up in the DSFL pro bowl as a rookie and as a first round pick at the next level. Jeeta brings the combination of hard work, athleticism, and playmaking skills to find the ball that every team in the ISFL covets and it’s truly great to watch him go to work every week in Dallas.
While there will be many more than 5 players contributing to any success that Dallas finds this season, watch for these names to show up on the stat sheets come pro bowl and award voting time.
Keys to Success
Takeaways
Like any football team, Dallas will need to force turnovers to have the level of success that they’re aiming for this season. That’s not something that happened in week one against Tijuana, and as a result the Luchadores who are not as strong as they’ve been in past seasons nearly pulled out a win at home against Dallas. Week one showed that if Dallas struggles to take the ball away, while giving the ball away themselves, no amount of star power can consistently provide them wins. Quarterback Brock Landers Jr. is a classic gunslinger, he will turn the ball over now and then while attempting to do something miraculous. With the Dallas front office knowing this, and electing to trade away quarterback Roque Santa Cruz instead, they know they need the defense to generate some turnovers themselves. While Dallas was able to hold Tijuana to just 14 points in week one and get to the quarterback four times, they lost the turnover battle and allowed Tijuana to put up a good fight in a game where they really could’ve pulled away from the opposition. Linebacker JarDarius Jones was able to force a fumble in the game, so that’s a positive sign, but Tijuana fell on the ball. Either way, Dallas’s defense knows they need to do more than just prevent scoring to win games, and that giving the offense a short field will allow them to score touchdowns and allow rookie kicker Booter McGavin to show his stuff as well.
Running Game
Dallas knows where their passing game is at right now. They have known commodities at the crucial positions involved with the passing game. The question mark right now is the running game. Rookie RB Aiden Frost has stepped up it seems to lead the rushing attack, and he looks like the real deal, but I’m interested in seeing if Dallas’s offensive line can continue to open holes for him to attack opposing defenses. Football is a game won and lost in the trenches, and while Dallas’s defensive line is up there with any team in the DSFL, their offensive line has been weak for many seasons now. While there was some improvement this season, and they seem to be keeping defenders of Landers Jr. early in the season, they will need to continue proving themselves week in week out. Keeping the quarterback upright is important, but they are the true x-factor in the running game and without good performances their rookie running back will suffer.
Work
While Dallas is drastically improved this season, they are one of the youngest teams in the DSFL. These young players will need to go to work. Every day working to improve their skill level, their physicality, and develop the habits of winners. While the young players are working, do you know what the veteran players should be doing? That’s right, working!!! The young players will follow their examples. Even if the veteran players believe they’ve hit the cap for how good they can be in the DSFL, they need to continue working hard to improve because it doesn’t stop at the top of the DSFL. These players have long careers ahead of them and have merely scratched the surface of their potential as players. My advice to these players is to show up early, work their asses off all day, and sleep like a baby every night. The ISFL awaits and it only gets harder. These guys have been the best at what they do all their lives and the DSFL isn’t so different. In the ISFL you will be the worst player on the field in your first game, the work is what ends that. The work is what makes you a pro bowler, all pro, Ultimus champion, and hall of famer. It’s not just your work either, it’s your teammates. So, help them when you can and always make sure to hold them accountable. That is how champions are forged.
Key Players
Brock Landers Jr. and Matthew Mara
First, I want to talk about Dallas’s primary threat on offense. While Dallas has 3 active receivers and a capped tight end, the premier passing connection on the team is capped Chicago Butchers QB prospect Brock Landers Jr. slinging the ball to his top receiver, Matthew Mara, who just went number two overall in the ISFL draft to the New York Silverbacks. This connection has already proved fruitful as Mara caught the first touchdown of the season on a 54 yard strike in Tijuana. He went on to haul in 8 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. Landers Jr. was able to complete 24 of 40 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns though the gunslinger side of him was on display as those two touchdowns came with two interceptions and he was sacked twice. Overall, it was a good showing from the duo as Mara was able to haul in a third of the total completions (over a third of the targets) while racking up nearly half of the team’s receiving yards while still finding the endzone. All of this and a win to boot, watch out for these two come awards season, they should be finalists in a category or two.
Aiden Frost
Rookie running backs have had some success in the past in the ISFL. Dallas has had some of those greats on their team. We’ve been blessed by the talents of RBs such as Zoe Watts and Cobra Kai in the past, I believe that Aiden Frost can add his name to this list. Somehow, Frost found his name dropping quite a bit in the DSFL draft, and Dallas was happy to snap him up to be its feature back well below his actual value. In the preseason, Frost was used sparingly, but his coaches had nothing but positive things to say about him and their expectations for him this season. In week 1 he was given his chance, and he shined. He racked up 121 rushing yards in his debut game on just 16 carries and added two receptions for 21 yards in the process. While he didn’t find the end zone, there is no doubt that he will find a regular home in the end zone in the coming season. Speed kills, and this kid looks faster each week. He will be a dynamic part of the offense moving forward and teams would do well to gameplan to stop him. You know what they say though, there’s no planning for speed.
Bay Webb
On the other side of the ball, we have to focus on Dallas’s stud pass rusher, Bay Webb. While he didn’t put up incredible stats in week 1, he has shown in his career that he can disrupt an offense’s gameplan with his ability to get into the backfield over and over in a game. Although he didn’t find the Quarterback in week 1, he was able to get another stop in the backfield for his first TFL of the season and the constant double teams made it possible for his teammates to get to the Tijuana quarterback 4 times over the course of the game. Sometimes it’s the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that help your team win, and Webb was doing all of these things in week 1. He will get his opportunities to unleash hell on DSFL QBs this season and for my money, I’d expect him to take them, and take them often. Another player I expect to see in the award nominations at the end of the year, watch out for this guy. He will be taking his talents to New York along with Mara once he’s ready, and the big apple is getting two stars from the Birddogs.
Jimmy Jeeta
While the rest of the defensive line could all probably be featured as key players as well, I wanted to focus on a rookie who spent the entire preseason making splash plays in the secondary, Jimmy Jeeta. Jeeta had an incredible 3 interceptions in the four preseason games this season. If you were to say that the expectations for this guy are high in Dallas, it would be a massive understatement. Jeeta didn’t register a pick in week 1 against Tijuana, but he was able to rack up four tackles in run support and bat down a pass in his first game. He’s taking things one step at a time and improving week to week. When I look at Jeeta, I see a future ISFL first round pick and a lockdown corner not just at the DSFL level, but the ISFL level as well. Like Frost, he went below his value in the DSFL draft and Dallas was able to snap him up as a result. Watch for his stock to be on the rise throughout the season and don’t be surprised if he ends up in the DSFL pro bowl as a rookie and as a first round pick at the next level. Jeeta brings the combination of hard work, athleticism, and playmaking skills to find the ball that every team in the ISFL covets and it’s truly great to watch him go to work every week in Dallas.
While there will be many more than 5 players contributing to any success that Dallas finds this season, watch for these names to show up on the stat sheets come pro bowl and award voting time.
Keys to Success
Takeaways
Like any football team, Dallas will need to force turnovers to have the level of success that they’re aiming for this season. That’s not something that happened in week one against Tijuana, and as a result the Luchadores who are not as strong as they’ve been in past seasons nearly pulled out a win at home against Dallas. Week one showed that if Dallas struggles to take the ball away, while giving the ball away themselves, no amount of star power can consistently provide them wins. Quarterback Brock Landers Jr. is a classic gunslinger, he will turn the ball over now and then while attempting to do something miraculous. With the Dallas front office knowing this, and electing to trade away quarterback Roque Santa Cruz instead, they know they need the defense to generate some turnovers themselves. While Dallas was able to hold Tijuana to just 14 points in week one and get to the quarterback four times, they lost the turnover battle and allowed Tijuana to put up a good fight in a game where they really could’ve pulled away from the opposition. Linebacker JarDarius Jones was able to force a fumble in the game, so that’s a positive sign, but Tijuana fell on the ball. Either way, Dallas’s defense knows they need to do more than just prevent scoring to win games, and that giving the offense a short field will allow them to score touchdowns and allow rookie kicker Booter McGavin to show his stuff as well.
Running Game
Dallas knows where their passing game is at right now. They have known commodities at the crucial positions involved with the passing game. The question mark right now is the running game. Rookie RB Aiden Frost has stepped up it seems to lead the rushing attack, and he looks like the real deal, but I’m interested in seeing if Dallas’s offensive line can continue to open holes for him to attack opposing defenses. Football is a game won and lost in the trenches, and while Dallas’s defensive line is up there with any team in the DSFL, their offensive line has been weak for many seasons now. While there was some improvement this season, and they seem to be keeping defenders of Landers Jr. early in the season, they will need to continue proving themselves week in week out. Keeping the quarterback upright is important, but they are the true x-factor in the running game and without good performances their rookie running back will suffer.
Work
While Dallas is drastically improved this season, they are one of the youngest teams in the DSFL. These young players will need to go to work. Every day working to improve their skill level, their physicality, and develop the habits of winners. While the young players are working, do you know what the veteran players should be doing? That’s right, working!!! The young players will follow their examples. Even if the veteran players believe they’ve hit the cap for how good they can be in the DSFL, they need to continue working hard to improve because it doesn’t stop at the top of the DSFL. These players have long careers ahead of them and have merely scratched the surface of their potential as players. My advice to these players is to show up early, work their asses off all day, and sleep like a baby every night. The ISFL awaits and it only gets harder. These guys have been the best at what they do all their lives and the DSFL isn’t so different. In the ISFL you will be the worst player on the field in your first game, the work is what ends that. The work is what makes you a pro bowler, all pro, Ultimus champion, and hall of famer. It’s not just your work either, it’s your teammates. So, help them when you can and always make sure to hold them accountable. That is how champions are forged.
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