6 games into the DSFL season, and the talented crop of DSFL rookies coming into the ISFL Season 28 draft class are starting to establish themselves as some of the brightest young talents the league as seen in quite some time.
However, a surprise option is trying to set himself apart from the rest of the league, and that is the Portland Pythons receiver Saleem Spence. The physical possession wideout has laid the marker down for success in the past few weeks of play, going 8 catches for above 100 yards for three weeks running, and catching 2 touchdowns in the past 2 games for Portland: a 30-16 win over the Norfolk Seawolves, and an error-strewn 40-27 loss to the Dallas Birddogs. With those 3 games, Spence has propelled himself into the league leaderboard, ranking 1st in yards per catch (18.2) and receiving yards (638).
Spence has also racked up 22 1st Downs and 5 Touchdowns for the Pythons, meaning over three-quarters of his 35 receptions are inpactful and affect the game state for Portland in a positive manner. Spence's fulminating performances for the Pythons have him in rookie of the year talk near the halfway point of the season, alongside quarterbacks Red Arrow Jr. and Dexter Zaylren, runningback Manhattan Project, and linebacker DeAndre Chuggs, along with obvious Wide Receiver of the Year consideration if Spence keeps atop the receiving leaderboards.
"This pick's been real golden for us." gushed one anonymous member of the Portland coaching staff. "There were some concerns about attitude and whether he was competing at a high enough level to even warrant consideration, but he has swept those concerns aside. We got ourselves a real gem, and a great option to throw to on offense."
Spence's perceived attitude issues were a factor in his 34th overall draft position, despite outperforming several of the wide receivers picked ahead of him. Spence was involved in one of the biggest stories of Canadian college football, walking out on the University of Manitoba Bison after a heated falling-out with Head Coach Drake Letterman on the direction of the team's offense. Worries that Spence was uncoachable sprouted up, but seem to be quelled, due to his strong start with the Pythons, and his nemesis Letterman getting the hook from Manitoba, having been fired after an 0-4 start for the Bison where their "smashmouth offense" has smashed very few mouths without receivers like Spence to provide an extra dimension.
"I will say what I like most about Spence is his work ethic." said Portland GM Donnie Shules in a magazine interview. "He's one of the first people on the practise field, and one of the last off of it. He works hard to be more athletic and fit the needs of the position, and now he's refining his game further, getting the fundamental moves down to get separation, working on his ability to catch in traffic. He works hard to be as good as he can be, he's progressing every week, and where he is right now? Well, you see the numbers, you know how good he is. And he can still get better than that."
Indeed, if Spence maintains this current pace or even improves upon it, a long standing offensive record might be broken: Xavier Flash's 1361 yards for the Tijuana Luchadores is a mark that has remained unchallenged for close to two decades, but if Spence maintains his current 100+ yards receiving pace, he could exceed past the single season DSFL record with room to spare.
However, some within the football world question Spence's real value in the big leagues. Besides the standard "flash in the pan" or "Anyone can have a few good games" argument, one question being asked of Spence is how he would do as the featured option in an offense. Spence generally draws the number 2 coverage, with young veteran Quavious McGrady generally being seen as the number 1 option. McGrady has had a strong season so far as well, catching 41 passes for 543 yards and 6 touchdowns. One must wonder what McGrady's numbers would be against the number 2 corners getting the number 2 attention, and whether Spence would rise to the occasion with all the offensive (and by extension defensive) focus on him.
However, some scouts are optimistic about Spence, and serious questions are being raised as to whether Spence is a 1st round talent in this draft.
"Look, setting aside team needs and just looking at all the wideouts in this draft, you could make the argument that Luke Quick, Bayley Cowabunga, and even Sam the Onion Man would be the safe choices." says an anonymous ISFL scout. "They have the higher floor, and teams would see them being, at worst, serviceable players in the ISFL. But even though Spence is an unknown quantity, that can work in his favour too, for a gambling, aggressive organization. You can say Spence has a lower floor, and maybe this ends up being all we get from him, but Spence could have the potential to go higher, to have the higher ceiling. If the board is receiver heavy, then absolutely Spence could go Round 1."
"He does what a lot of offenses need a receiver to do." says another ISFL scout "What teams look for is the guy who can catch a short pass in tough man coverage on a 2nd down, or 3rd down, or 2nd and goal or 3rd and goal. They also like guys who can get yards after the catch. Some of Spence's biggest plays this year have come from catching a short pass, hitting the corner with either speed or power to get past them, then gunning it for a big gain. Spence could be the number 2 or 3 option in the ISFL, that works on days when your high motor deep threat doesn't."
With the season nearing its halfway point in the DSFL, it will be interesting to see just how far Saleem Spence can progress for Portland, and if any trades in the ISFL for teams in need of a wideout change the landscape of the Season 28 class dramatically. Spence, who has verbally committed to a second season in Portland regardless of how the ISFL draft goes, is not concerned about his future at the present time however.
"My father once said to me when I was a kid, when you're working or doing something important, don't stop to count your money. I'm not worried about where I'm gonna go in the ISFL, if I'm gonna go at all in the ISFL, how the scouts see me, any of that. I'm worried about the next game, and getting some catches to help us win. I have time to think about the show later, but my focus right now is being the best I can be for Portland."
Saleem Spence and the Portland Pythons are in action next week, playing host to the 4-2 Tijuana Luchadores at The Snake Pit.
However, a surprise option is trying to set himself apart from the rest of the league, and that is the Portland Pythons receiver Saleem Spence. The physical possession wideout has laid the marker down for success in the past few weeks of play, going 8 catches for above 100 yards for three weeks running, and catching 2 touchdowns in the past 2 games for Portland: a 30-16 win over the Norfolk Seawolves, and an error-strewn 40-27 loss to the Dallas Birddogs. With those 3 games, Spence has propelled himself into the league leaderboard, ranking 1st in yards per catch (18.2) and receiving yards (638).
Spence has also racked up 22 1st Downs and 5 Touchdowns for the Pythons, meaning over three-quarters of his 35 receptions are inpactful and affect the game state for Portland in a positive manner. Spence's fulminating performances for the Pythons have him in rookie of the year talk near the halfway point of the season, alongside quarterbacks Red Arrow Jr. and Dexter Zaylren, runningback Manhattan Project, and linebacker DeAndre Chuggs, along with obvious Wide Receiver of the Year consideration if Spence keeps atop the receiving leaderboards.
"This pick's been real golden for us." gushed one anonymous member of the Portland coaching staff. "There were some concerns about attitude and whether he was competing at a high enough level to even warrant consideration, but he has swept those concerns aside. We got ourselves a real gem, and a great option to throw to on offense."
Spence's perceived attitude issues were a factor in his 34th overall draft position, despite outperforming several of the wide receivers picked ahead of him. Spence was involved in one of the biggest stories of Canadian college football, walking out on the University of Manitoba Bison after a heated falling-out with Head Coach Drake Letterman on the direction of the team's offense. Worries that Spence was uncoachable sprouted up, but seem to be quelled, due to his strong start with the Pythons, and his nemesis Letterman getting the hook from Manitoba, having been fired after an 0-4 start for the Bison where their "smashmouth offense" has smashed very few mouths without receivers like Spence to provide an extra dimension.
"I will say what I like most about Spence is his work ethic." said Portland GM Donnie Shules in a magazine interview. "He's one of the first people on the practise field, and one of the last off of it. He works hard to be more athletic and fit the needs of the position, and now he's refining his game further, getting the fundamental moves down to get separation, working on his ability to catch in traffic. He works hard to be as good as he can be, he's progressing every week, and where he is right now? Well, you see the numbers, you know how good he is. And he can still get better than that."
Indeed, if Spence maintains this current pace or even improves upon it, a long standing offensive record might be broken: Xavier Flash's 1361 yards for the Tijuana Luchadores is a mark that has remained unchallenged for close to two decades, but if Spence maintains his current 100+ yards receiving pace, he could exceed past the single season DSFL record with room to spare.
However, some within the football world question Spence's real value in the big leagues. Besides the standard "flash in the pan" or "Anyone can have a few good games" argument, one question being asked of Spence is how he would do as the featured option in an offense. Spence generally draws the number 2 coverage, with young veteran Quavious McGrady generally being seen as the number 1 option. McGrady has had a strong season so far as well, catching 41 passes for 543 yards and 6 touchdowns. One must wonder what McGrady's numbers would be against the number 2 corners getting the number 2 attention, and whether Spence would rise to the occasion with all the offensive (and by extension defensive) focus on him.
However, some scouts are optimistic about Spence, and serious questions are being raised as to whether Spence is a 1st round talent in this draft.
"Look, setting aside team needs and just looking at all the wideouts in this draft, you could make the argument that Luke Quick, Bayley Cowabunga, and even Sam the Onion Man would be the safe choices." says an anonymous ISFL scout. "They have the higher floor, and teams would see them being, at worst, serviceable players in the ISFL. But even though Spence is an unknown quantity, that can work in his favour too, for a gambling, aggressive organization. You can say Spence has a lower floor, and maybe this ends up being all we get from him, but Spence could have the potential to go higher, to have the higher ceiling. If the board is receiver heavy, then absolutely Spence could go Round 1."
"He does what a lot of offenses need a receiver to do." says another ISFL scout "What teams look for is the guy who can catch a short pass in tough man coverage on a 2nd down, or 3rd down, or 2nd and goal or 3rd and goal. They also like guys who can get yards after the catch. Some of Spence's biggest plays this year have come from catching a short pass, hitting the corner with either speed or power to get past them, then gunning it for a big gain. Spence could be the number 2 or 3 option in the ISFL, that works on days when your high motor deep threat doesn't."
With the season nearing its halfway point in the DSFL, it will be interesting to see just how far Saleem Spence can progress for Portland, and if any trades in the ISFL for teams in need of a wideout change the landscape of the Season 28 class dramatically. Spence, who has verbally committed to a second season in Portland regardless of how the ISFL draft goes, is not concerned about his future at the present time however.
"My father once said to me when I was a kid, when you're working or doing something important, don't stop to count your money. I'm not worried about where I'm gonna go in the ISFL, if I'm gonna go at all in the ISFL, how the scouts see me, any of that. I'm worried about the next game, and getting some catches to help us win. I have time to think about the show later, but my focus right now is being the best I can be for Portland."
Saleem Spence and the Portland Pythons are in action next week, playing host to the 4-2 Tijuana Luchadores at The Snake Pit.
Player Agent of Wide Receiver Saleem Spence -
Saleem Spence Player Profile: https://forums.sim-football.com/showthre...?tid=28380
Saleem Spence Update Thread: https://forums.sim-football.com/showthre...?tid=28552