06-19-2017, 02:37 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-19-2017, 06:24 PM by RayCobaine.)
The Desert
Football is a team sport. You need 11 guys, all on the same page, to dominate any facet of the game. And just like the early days of football, you must dominate at least one facet of the game to win a game. Coaches preach this from day one of OTAs.
"Offense, defense, special teams."
"O, D, ST"
It never changes. Today we are going to explore one group of guys that make it their mission to dominate their side of the ball, the ballhawking secondary of the Arizona Outlaws. While not the most physically gifted group of players, this group of guys plays as a unit and has been dubbed "the Desert" in Arizona because once you're in "the Desert," the defense will "dehydrate you."
Made famous in the infamous "Mike Boss" game, in which the Arizona secondary snatched a current NSFL record 6 INTs in a season opener, this group has quickly built a reputation of one of the best overall defensive groups in pro football. At the time of writing, there are only five players with 2+ Ints this season; three of them are dingos occupying the sweltering desert. There have only been 3 defensive TDs scored in the league so far, and one of them came way of Arizona CB Jason William in the "Boss Game." Let's explore the different factors of this secondary that some are calling the best in the league.
Isaiah Rashad
#33
Strong Safety
As one of the starting safteys for the Outlaws, Rashad is one of the the cornerstones of the scary defensive backfield in Arizona. Standing at 6'1 and weighing at just over 200 pounds, Rashad is built like a football player. Wide shoulders and a tree trunk for an abdomin are defining physical features of Rashad, and his frame casts an intimidating shadow over the field whenever the sun is on his back.
Born in Miami, Florida, this standout strong safety is the "enforcer of the secondary" in Arizona. A cerebral player, he uses his football IQ to direct the corners into position to make the right plays, but he uses his freakish combination of size and speed to dominate opposing players, especially HBs on out routes and WRs that run flys over the top.
Rashad currently holds the record for most INTs in a single game with 3 in the infamous "Mike Boss game." He also leads the NSFL in pass deflections and interceptions, with eight and four respectively. This is a bad, bad, bad man with the potential to emerge as the top saftey in the NSFL.
Samuel Watson
#29
Free Safety
Speed kills, and Arizona's starting Free Safety Samuel Watson can tell you all about it. As one of the speedier and more agile players on the Arizona defense, Watson is certainly an impact player on this team. While he has yet to make an impact on the stat sheet, Watson's contributions to the Desert cannot be overstated.
Sammy Watson is an annoyance for WRs. At 6'1, 205 he will not be pushed around at the line of scrimmage, but he also maintains the foot speed necessary to keep up with some of the better route runners in our game. Not known as a heavy hitter, Watson is more of a technical tackler. He might not take you down hard, but he will take you down.
Mayran Jackson
#24
Strong Safety
No secondary is complete without a bonafide hitman. Say hello to Mayran Jackson. At 6'0 and 195 pounds, he may seem like a lightweight at first glance. But trust me, there is nothing light about Jackson and his tackling. He has the fourth most tackles on the team with 18, including one tackle for a loss.
While Mayran Jackson might not seem to be an integral part of the Arizona pass defense when looking with the naked eye, anyone watching Arizona football knows that Jackson is the glue that holds everything together. When an opposing Wideout is able to catch a pass in the Outlaw backfield, Jackson is the garbage man. When a running back breaks through the second level of the defense, Jackson is there to chase him down. Jackson might not have shown the best pass coverage skills so far, but he has definitely shown that he is a vital part of the Desert.
Ryan Flock
#20
Safety
Ryan Flock is a thinking mans football player. He is one of the more intelligent players on the Arizona defense, and he shows in on the football field. What he lacks in power, he makes up for in technical know-how and top level foot speed. Flock is one of the faster defensive players in the NSFL and his football IQ only makes him more dangerous.
With 20 tackles and 2 INTs so far, Flock is quickly establishing himself as one of the most well rounded defensive players in all of football. There are only two players in the NSFL with multiple INTs and 20+ tackles. Flock is one of those men and hopes to increase both figures going forward.
Jason Williams
#24
Cornerback
Jason Williams, a draft steal of a corner back, is an undersized NSFL CB. At 5'11 and barley reaching 200 lbs soaking wet, J-Will makes up for his lack of physical prowess with his workable speed and above average football IQ. Williams has mediocre tackling skills and his hands leave alot to be desired, but he's a pretty good piece for this loaded Arizona secondary.
A ball hawk with a nose for the end zone, Williams scored a defensive TD in the first game of the season, the "Boss Game." After being heckled on Twitter for underperforming in subsequent games, he caught another int to bring his total up to 2, good for 3rd in the NSFL. He is also one of three defensive players in the NSFL to have scored a TD. Being undersized, he had to earn each and every one of his ten tackles, a number he hopes to increase in the future. Williams recently made waves by getting into a public exchange with members of the Colorado secondary leading up to their week 5 matchup, telling them that "we're going to take it out in Noble tonight."
Harrif Ernston
#52
LB
Although he may seem like an honorable mention, this article would be remiss to not mention Harrif Ernston. The undisputed best coverage linebacker in the NSFL, Ernston allows the guys in the backfield to roam and not worry about the middle of the field. Opposing tight ends might as well pack it in and commit to blocking, because Ernston plays supurb defense against tight ends and slot receivers.
Although Ernston attended 3 different colleges, this didn't dissuade the Outlaws from picking this ox of a man. 6'3 and 225 pounds, he has a combination of power, speed, and skill that most wouldn't be able to imagine. A rumor says that he routinely outruns wide receivers in practice.
Word Count : 1159
Football is a team sport. You need 11 guys, all on the same page, to dominate any facet of the game. And just like the early days of football, you must dominate at least one facet of the game to win a game. Coaches preach this from day one of OTAs.
"Offense, defense, special teams."
"O, D, ST"
It never changes. Today we are going to explore one group of guys that make it their mission to dominate their side of the ball, the ballhawking secondary of the Arizona Outlaws. While not the most physically gifted group of players, this group of guys plays as a unit and has been dubbed "the Desert" in Arizona because once you're in "the Desert," the defense will "dehydrate you."
Made famous in the infamous "Mike Boss" game, in which the Arizona secondary snatched a current NSFL record 6 INTs in a season opener, this group has quickly built a reputation of one of the best overall defensive groups in pro football. At the time of writing, there are only five players with 2+ Ints this season; three of them are dingos occupying the sweltering desert. There have only been 3 defensive TDs scored in the league so far, and one of them came way of Arizona CB Jason William in the "Boss Game." Let's explore the different factors of this secondary that some are calling the best in the league.
Isaiah Rashad
#33
Strong Safety
As one of the starting safteys for the Outlaws, Rashad is one of the the cornerstones of the scary defensive backfield in Arizona. Standing at 6'1 and weighing at just over 200 pounds, Rashad is built like a football player. Wide shoulders and a tree trunk for an abdomin are defining physical features of Rashad, and his frame casts an intimidating shadow over the field whenever the sun is on his back.
Born in Miami, Florida, this standout strong safety is the "enforcer of the secondary" in Arizona. A cerebral player, he uses his football IQ to direct the corners into position to make the right plays, but he uses his freakish combination of size and speed to dominate opposing players, especially HBs on out routes and WRs that run flys over the top.
Rashad currently holds the record for most INTs in a single game with 3 in the infamous "Mike Boss game." He also leads the NSFL in pass deflections and interceptions, with eight and four respectively. This is a bad, bad, bad man with the potential to emerge as the top saftey in the NSFL.
Samuel Watson
#29
Free Safety
Speed kills, and Arizona's starting Free Safety Samuel Watson can tell you all about it. As one of the speedier and more agile players on the Arizona defense, Watson is certainly an impact player on this team. While he has yet to make an impact on the stat sheet, Watson's contributions to the Desert cannot be overstated.
Sammy Watson is an annoyance for WRs. At 6'1, 205 he will not be pushed around at the line of scrimmage, but he also maintains the foot speed necessary to keep up with some of the better route runners in our game. Not known as a heavy hitter, Watson is more of a technical tackler. He might not take you down hard, but he will take you down.
Mayran Jackson
#24
Strong Safety
No secondary is complete without a bonafide hitman. Say hello to Mayran Jackson. At 6'0 and 195 pounds, he may seem like a lightweight at first glance. But trust me, there is nothing light about Jackson and his tackling. He has the fourth most tackles on the team with 18, including one tackle for a loss.
While Mayran Jackson might not seem to be an integral part of the Arizona pass defense when looking with the naked eye, anyone watching Arizona football knows that Jackson is the glue that holds everything together. When an opposing Wideout is able to catch a pass in the Outlaw backfield, Jackson is the garbage man. When a running back breaks through the second level of the defense, Jackson is there to chase him down. Jackson might not have shown the best pass coverage skills so far, but he has definitely shown that he is a vital part of the Desert.
Ryan Flock
#20
Safety
Ryan Flock is a thinking mans football player. He is one of the more intelligent players on the Arizona defense, and he shows in on the football field. What he lacks in power, he makes up for in technical know-how and top level foot speed. Flock is one of the faster defensive players in the NSFL and his football IQ only makes him more dangerous.
With 20 tackles and 2 INTs so far, Flock is quickly establishing himself as one of the most well rounded defensive players in all of football. There are only two players in the NSFL with multiple INTs and 20+ tackles. Flock is one of those men and hopes to increase both figures going forward.
Jason Williams
#24
Cornerback
Jason Williams, a draft steal of a corner back, is an undersized NSFL CB. At 5'11 and barley reaching 200 lbs soaking wet, J-Will makes up for his lack of physical prowess with his workable speed and above average football IQ. Williams has mediocre tackling skills and his hands leave alot to be desired, but he's a pretty good piece for this loaded Arizona secondary.
A ball hawk with a nose for the end zone, Williams scored a defensive TD in the first game of the season, the "Boss Game." After being heckled on Twitter for underperforming in subsequent games, he caught another int to bring his total up to 2, good for 3rd in the NSFL. He is also one of three defensive players in the NSFL to have scored a TD. Being undersized, he had to earn each and every one of his ten tackles, a number he hopes to increase in the future. Williams recently made waves by getting into a public exchange with members of the Colorado secondary leading up to their week 5 matchup, telling them that "we're going to take it out in Noble tonight."
Harrif Ernston
#52
LB
Although he may seem like an honorable mention, this article would be remiss to not mention Harrif Ernston. The undisputed best coverage linebacker in the NSFL, Ernston allows the guys in the backfield to roam and not worry about the middle of the field. Opposing tight ends might as well pack it in and commit to blocking, because Ernston plays supurb defense against tight ends and slot receivers.
Although Ernston attended 3 different colleges, this didn't dissuade the Outlaws from picking this ox of a man. 6'3 and 225 pounds, he has a combination of power, speed, and skill that most wouldn't be able to imagine. A rumor says that he routinely outruns wide receivers in practice.
Word Count : 1159