What's up Outlaw fans, its your new wide receiver Zhang here. It's been a pretty big few weeks from me, from being drafted in the third round all the way to finally practicing for the Outlaws. So, I decided to write do a blog and write some of my observations during training camp and what not. Anyway, here we go.
===============
1. In this league, speed is everything.
When I was in high school, I was the fastest player on my team. When I was the star wide receiver at Michigan State, I was one of the fastest player on my team. Now that I'm on the Outlaws and in the NSFL, everyone (not including offensive linemen, defensive tackles, and some quarterbacks) is fast. I could no longer abuse my speed to get wide open, considering nearly every cornerback, safety, and even linebacker on the Outlaws could basically keep up with me step for step.
That was honestly probably the hardest part of my transition from NCAA to the NSFL, learning to not rely on my speed as much and learn to use my hands and route running more.
Of course, nearly every defensive player on the outlaws, and honestly in the league, is very fast, like this is some kind of weird Al Davis wet dream. That is just the importance of speed in this league. For the most part, if you are not fast, you will have problems.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]This league in a nutshell[/div]
===============
2. Even if they can keep up with you, they might not be able to stop you
Now that I have talked about how important and prevalent speed is, I would be remiss not to mention about the drawbacks of such a speed focused league. The biggest one is the tradeoff of speed versus tackling, hands and strength. So this means that even though the league is full of fast players, its not necessarily full of players who can stop you once you make the catch. This is especially common on defensive backs, like corners and safeties.
So what ends up happening is that even if the defensive back can go step for step with a wide receiver, they might not necessarily be able to stop that wide receiver from making a catch or bring him down once the catch is made, depending on how good the wide receiver is at using his hands and body to make a catch.
And well, usually if a running back manages to get past an opposing team's front 7, you can probably chalk up another first down, a stiff arm, and a missed or broken tackle or two.
So yeah, usually if your secondary meets a running back, nothing good will happen.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Reg Mackworthy vs a strong safety, Season 2. Anyone got a body bag?[/div]
===============
3. If you cant get open in under 3 seconds, you cant get open at all.
This isnt really 100% always true, but its a very good rule of thumb to play with. The thing is that the gap between defensive lines and offensive lines in this league is huge. I would estimate that the average QB has roughly about 2.5 seconds to spot an open receiver and throw him the ball, before a defensive end or linebacker makes him eat the grass. So that is why its so important to get open quick. Because if you cant lose your man in under 3 seconds, you probably would be a viable target for your QB to throw to.
Of course, the biggest reason this rule exists is just how much better the defensive lines are than the offensive lines in the NSFL. There is a reason even the worst team in the NSFL managed to get 41 sacks, and why offensive line players and blocking tight ends are so valuable in free agency and the draft, as a good offensive line player or blocking tight end could give your QB another half second to throw, which could make the difference between 4 yard sack and a 20 yard gain. If the difference between the defensive line and offensive lines ever close, this rule will likely be much much less useful or true in most circumstances.
But until then, I would consider this the golden rule for any prospective wide receivers.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]What it sometimes feels like to play offensive line in the NSFL.
Alternative caption: Wraiths vs Outlaws in Season 2 - Literally every snap. [/div]
===============
That is all I got for this week. Next week, the first preseason game will have happened and I should be able to talk about my play and other stuff like that.
But until then, I'm off to get some work in. I'll see you all next week.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
# Nation
- 819 words
GRADED
===============
1. In this league, speed is everything.
When I was in high school, I was the fastest player on my team. When I was the star wide receiver at Michigan State, I was one of the fastest player on my team. Now that I'm on the Outlaws and in the NSFL, everyone (not including offensive linemen, defensive tackles, and some quarterbacks) is fast. I could no longer abuse my speed to get wide open, considering nearly every cornerback, safety, and even linebacker on the Outlaws could basically keep up with me step for step.
That was honestly probably the hardest part of my transition from NCAA to the NSFL, learning to not rely on my speed as much and learn to use my hands and route running more.
Of course, nearly every defensive player on the outlaws, and honestly in the league, is very fast, like this is some kind of weird Al Davis wet dream. That is just the importance of speed in this league. For the most part, if you are not fast, you will have problems.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]This league in a nutshell[/div]
===============
2. Even if they can keep up with you, they might not be able to stop you
Now that I have talked about how important and prevalent speed is, I would be remiss not to mention about the drawbacks of such a speed focused league. The biggest one is the tradeoff of speed versus tackling, hands and strength. So this means that even though the league is full of fast players, its not necessarily full of players who can stop you once you make the catch. This is especially common on defensive backs, like corners and safeties.
So what ends up happening is that even if the defensive back can go step for step with a wide receiver, they might not necessarily be able to stop that wide receiver from making a catch or bring him down once the catch is made, depending on how good the wide receiver is at using his hands and body to make a catch.
And well, usually if a running back manages to get past an opposing team's front 7, you can probably chalk up another first down, a stiff arm, and a missed or broken tackle or two.
So yeah, usually if your secondary meets a running back, nothing good will happen.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Reg Mackworthy vs a strong safety, Season 2. Anyone got a body bag?[/div]
===============
3. If you cant get open in under 3 seconds, you cant get open at all.
This isnt really 100% always true, but its a very good rule of thumb to play with. The thing is that the gap between defensive lines and offensive lines in this league is huge. I would estimate that the average QB has roughly about 2.5 seconds to spot an open receiver and throw him the ball, before a defensive end or linebacker makes him eat the grass. So that is why its so important to get open quick. Because if you cant lose your man in under 3 seconds, you probably would be a viable target for your QB to throw to.
Of course, the biggest reason this rule exists is just how much better the defensive lines are than the offensive lines in the NSFL. There is a reason even the worst team in the NSFL managed to get 41 sacks, and why offensive line players and blocking tight ends are so valuable in free agency and the draft, as a good offensive line player or blocking tight end could give your QB another half second to throw, which could make the difference between 4 yard sack and a 20 yard gain. If the difference between the defensive line and offensive lines ever close, this rule will likely be much much less useful or true in most circumstances.
But until then, I would consider this the golden rule for any prospective wide receivers.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]What it sometimes feels like to play offensive line in the NSFL.
Alternative caption: Wraiths vs Outlaws in Season 2 - Literally every snap. [/div]
===============
That is all I got for this week. Next week, the first preseason game will have happened and I should be able to talk about my play and other stuff like that.
But until then, I'm off to get some work in. I'll see you all next week.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"][/div]
# Nation
- 819 words
GRADED