05-11-2021, 04:40 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-13-2021, 04:35 PM by UltimateYeehaw.)
(Please split payment 6 ways between @qWest, @mithrandir, @Swanty, @Suggs, @slate, and @ztarwarz)
A while back, a group of people who vehemently disagreed with how awards voting took place decided to create their own group. A couple seasons later, we're unveiling our first set of all pro teams. We hope to make this a more regular thing in the future, and we hope you enjoy!
SFWG All-Pro First Team
QB: Charlemagne Cortez
RB: Tatsu Nakamura*
WR: Videl-San
WR: Ed Barker
TE: James Angler
FLEX: Raphtalia Chan, RB
FB: Buster Bawlls
OT: Calvin Golladay*
OT: Adam Mellott*
OG: Ananda Adyan*
OG: Ne Mo
C: Icebox Riposte*
DI: Daymond Brooks
DI: Chuck Roth
EDGE: Derred De Ville
EDGE: Rapid Eagle
LB: Haha Mango-Panda*
LB: Jack Banks*
CB: Rich Triplet*
CB: Harrison Andrews
S: Bob Roberts*
S: Hamish MacAndrew
FLEX: Maverick Bowie, CB
K: Matthew McDairmid
P: Matthew McDairmid*
Returner: Flash Panda*
SFWG All-Pro Second Team
QB: Mattathias Caliban
RB: Darrel Williams
WR: William Lim
WR: Owen Holloway
TE: Clark Boyd
FLEX: Taro Raimon, WR
FB: Fuzzy Dotson
OT: Bruce Buckley
OT: Julio Jones
OG: Dorfus Jimbo Jr.
OG: Offensive Lineman
C: Taylor Cooper*
DI: Magnus Rikiya
DI: LeBong Simwell
EDGE: Dex Kennedy
EDGE: Heinrich Kackpoo
LB: BamBam McMullet*
LB: Douglas Quaid
CB: Djibutee McJimmerson
CB: Matt Krause
S: Cuco Clemente
S: Teddy Utterstruzen
FLEX: Colt Mendoza, CB
K: Danny King
P: Blago Kokot*
Returner: NationalSimulation FootballLeague
* = Unanimous selection
Other Players Receiving Votes:
QB Monty Jack, WR Joshua Campbell, TE Zee Rechs, FB Tristian Hex, OT Future Trunks, OT Mo Magic, OG Macaroni Elephant, OG Marlon Alexander
DI Big Edd, DI Goat Tank, EDGE Gary Goodman, EDGE James Cho, LB Chet Larson, CB Andrew Witten, S Dogwood Maple, S Eugene Smoothie, S Mac Griddle, S Davriel Lavigne
K Dougie Smalls, Returner Raphtalia Chan
QUARTERBACK
1st team: Charlemagne Cortez
Key stats: 7.05 ANY/A (1st), zero lost fumbles (1st), 5.11% TD% (2nd), 67.55% (3rd)
2nd team: Mattathias Caliban
Key stats: 5,668 passing yards (1st), 36 passing TDs (1st), 33.3% First Down Rate (1st)
We start off with likely the most controversial position and decision made by our voters. Caliban’s season was a polarizing topic in our discussions. One the one hand, Caliban’s 5,668 passing yards are the most in league history, and he maintained decent efficiency at very high volume. On the other hand, some voters were not impressed with Caliban, thinking his case for awards is entirely predicated on his historically high volume of pass attempts. In fact, Caliban’s 775 passing attempts were 57 more attempts than Chika Fujiwara’s S28 season, which is the second most pass attempts in a season in league history. Caliban did show good efficiency in some areas, however, and still managed to place 4th in ANY/A (6.52), and his league leading first down rate led to him passing for 258 first downs, 52 more than anyone else this season. Cortez had an amazing season in his own right, and placed top 3 in the league in touchdown rate, passer rating, completion percentage, and advanced metrics such as ANY/A and points above replacement. He passed for nearly 500 yards more than expected at his number of passing attempts. His only statistical weakness is his 8th place 2.12% interception rate, but when considered in conjunction with the fact that he never lost a fumble all season, he had the third fewest turnovers among all quarterbacks this season (12).
RUNNING BACK
1st team: Tatsu Nakamura (unanimous)
Key Stats: League leader in scrimmage yards and touchdowns
1st team flex: Raphtalia Chan
Key Stats: 5.21 yards per carry, league leader among RBs, 2nd most yards among RBs, 2nd most touchdowns
2nd team: Darrell Williams
Key Stats: 5.12 yards per carry, 3rd most touchdowns
There were two different running backs that were so far ahead of the competition this season that it was almost staggering. As such, one of Raphtalia Chan and Tatsu Nakamura had to take the 1st team spot. Nakamura had just under 5 yards per carry, ran the ball 70 more times, had 3 more touchdowns, and had about 250 more yards. Chan had just over 5.2 yards per carry. So what would the ultimate result be? It turned out to not be that close. Tatsu Nakamura ended up a unanimous 1st team selection by our group. The efficiency gap actually narrowed when you looked at advanced stats, with Nakamura having a better first down rate, both rushing and especially receiving. Nakamura also was a better blocker, getting only 3 less pancakes but giving up one less sack, and never got a penalty called on him all season long. Chan, however, was no slouch in her own right, leading the league in yards per carry among running backs, and not fumbling the entire season. As such, we decided to give Chan the 1st team Flex spot. Darrell Williams took the 2nd team spot. Despite being in the last year of his career, he managed to put together a stellar season despite having a poor supporting cast. The only running backs with a higher yards per carry were Chan or backs with low usage. He also managed to get 16 touchdowns and over 1000 yards. He was a massive part of the Liberty winning as many games as they did this season.
WIDE RECEIVER
1st team: Videl-San
Key stats: 11.6 yards/target, 68.8% catch rate, 3.2% drop rate, 2.45 yards per route run, 13.6% explosive play rate, 139.8 passer rating when targeted
1st team: Ed Barker
Key stats: 9.1 yards/target, 60.6% catch rate, 2.1% drop rate, 2.41 yards per route run, 11.7% explosive play rate, 102.1 passer rating when targeted
2nd team: William Lim
Key stats: 9.03 yards/target, 64.0% catch rate, 0.5% drop rate, 2.24 yards per route run, 9.4% explosive play rate, 100.5 passer rating when targeted
2nd team: Owen Holloway
Key stats: 10.21 yards/target, 69.6% catch rate, 5.1% drop rate, 1.86 yards per route run, 15.2% explosive play rate, 115.3 passer rating when targeted
2nd team flex: Taro Raimon
Key stats: 9.14 yards/target, 73.2% catch rate, 1.4% drop rate, 2.09 yards per route run, 10.1% explosive play rate, 121.7 passer rating when targeted
This group of five WRs stood out to us when initially deciding on nominations for the team, and it was fairly clear that in some order they would make up our two all-pro team selections at WR. Videl-San was a clear top choice, leading the league by fairly large margins in yards per route run, yards per target, and passer rating when targeted (fun fact: Austin QB Jackie Daytona threw 12 TDs and 0 INTs when passing to Videl-San this season). Barker joins them as the other 1st team WR (with Chan snagging the 1st team flex position at RB), boasting the second highest yards per route run in the league and above-average marks in some other advanced metrics. While not quite as efficient as some other WRs, clearly the volume of yardage and TDs was rewarded, especially when it came on a team that passed it much less than Colorado.
On the second team, the other high-volume receiver and league receiving yards leader, William Lim, is joined by two receivers who had flown under the radar a bit for me but excelled in some advanced metrics. Owen Holloway was the most explosive receiver in the ISFL this season, recording 21 plays of 20+ yards, the second most in the league behind Barker's 22, on only 138 targets, 50 fewer than Barker. They also ranked 3rd in yards per target and passer rating when targeted. At flex, Raimon caught an astounding 73% of passes thrown their way, most in the league by a fair margin, recording 101 catches and only 2 drops on 138 targets. He also had the 2nd highest passer rating when targeted in the league.
TIGHT END
1st team: James Angler
Key stats: 7.9 yards/target, 0.8% drop rate, 49.4% of catches resulted in first downs (led all TEs), 0 penalties
2nd team: Clark Boyd
Key stats: 72.0% catch rate, 54 pancakes, 0 penalties
This was a pretty fantastic season for Tight Ends, all things considered. But above the relatively crowded roster of potential nominees, these two stood out. This was due not just to their 1000+ receiving yards (the only two TEs to accomplish that feat this season, sorry to Heath Evans with his heartbreaking 999 receiving yards) but also to their advanced metrics and efficiency. Angler led all TEs in yards/target, making up for an average 67% catch rate with a fantastic 11.7 average yards per catch. Because of this, 43 of his 87 catches wound up gaining first downs for the offense, a rate that led all tight ends this season. Moving the chains is a big part of a TE's role in the offense, but so is being a reliable target, and second-team all-pro Clark Boyd was among the best at just that, recording a catch on 72% of his 132 targets this season. He supplemented that with fantastic numbers in the blocking game, recording 54 pancakes and allowing just 1 sack all season. And while Angler wasn't quite as good of a blocker, both of these players managed to avoid negative plays by going the full season without a single penalty called against them.
FULLBACK
1st team: Buster Bawlls
Key Stat: 5.33 yards per carry, league leader; 51 pancakes, leads the league among Fullbacks
2nd team: Fuzzy Dotson
Key Stat: 78 Rushing Yards, most among Fullbacks, 0 sacks allowed
The fullback race was a very interesting one; pretty much everyone had something positive and something negative about them. We eventually boiled it down to a few people. Fuzzy Dotson stood out for having the most rushing yards, tied for the lead in touchdowns, and only having one penalty against them. This made up for his very low pancake count. Buster Bawlls, however, took the 1st team spot due to leading all fullbacks in pancakes, by quite a significant amount, and the highest yards per carry in the league even if it was on little usage. This made up for him giving up a sack.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
1st team: Calvin Golladay (unanimous)
Key Stat: 128 pancakes, 0 SA, 0 penalties
1st team: Adam Mellott (unanimous)
Key Stat: 122 pancakes, 0 SA, 2 penalties
2nd team: Bruce Buckley
Key Stat: 113 pancakes, 0 SA, 1 penalty
2nd team: Julio Jones
Key Stat: 118 pancakes, 0 SA, 2 penalties, 1 fumble recovery
Calvin Golladay was a monster this year, and OLotY should be coming his way. As well as being one pancake short of leading the league, he didn’t give up a single sack or penalty. It was no wonder then that he was a unanimous selection for our committee, as too was Mellott, who while conceding two penalties, was also a pancake machine this season. While Golladay was head and shoulders above the rest, Buckley and Jones could easily have snatched the other 1st team spot from Mellott. They too had fantastic seasons for their teams, rarely costing their team and all the while racking up those ‘cakes.
OFFENSIVE GUARD
1st team: Ananda Adyan (unanimous)
Key Stat: 87 pancakes, 1 SA, 4 penalties
1st team: Ne Mo
Key Stat: 80 pancakes, 0 SA, 10 penalties
2nd team: Dorfus Jimbo Jr
Key Stat: 73 pancakes, 0 SA, 5 penalties, 1 fumble recovery
2nd team: Offensive Lineman
Key Stat: 47 pancakes, 0 SA, 1 penalty
Guard performance this season wasn’t as strong as centers or tackles, but Adyan was the clear leader among this group. He was way out in front in terms of pancakes, gave up just one sack and four penalties. While Ne Mo racked up 10 penalties on the season, our group felt that his spotless sack record and strong pancake record was worth of a 1st team spot. Jimbo Jr had a great season as well. He added a fumble recovery to go with his 73 pancakes and avoided giving up a sack. And while Offensive Lineman (formerly Running Back) was nowhere in terms of pancakes, he only accounted for a single negative play all season.
CENTER
1st team: Icebox Riposte (unanimous)
Key Stat: 86 pancakes, 0 SA, 0 penalties
2nd team: Taylor Cooper (unanimous)
Key Stat: 78 pancakes, 0 SA, 2 penalties
In the opinion of this writer, Riposte was robbed by not receiving a nomination for OLotY. His performance compared to his Center peers was incredible. The average center performance was 68 pancakes, 0.9 SA and 4.3 penalties. Riposte finished just 2 shy of leading all centers in pancakes, but also avoided giving up a single negative play all season. The deserving OLotY Golladay was the only other player to achieve that. Cooper was also the clear number 2 with a high pancake total. He also gave up only 2 negative plays, while all other human centers gave up at least 5. These two were unanimous selections for the whole committee.
DEFENSIVE INTERIOR
1st team: Daymond Brooks
Key stats: 11 sacks (1st), 70 tackles (2nd), 5 TFLs (3rd), 1 safety
1st team: Chuck Roth
Key stats: 7 sacks (3rd), 6 TFLs (1st), 2 FF, 2 FR
2nd team: Magnus Rikiya
Key stats: 9 sacks (2nd), 67 tackles (4th), 1 safety
2nd team: LeBong Simwell
Key stats: 80 tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR
Defensive Interior players are ones who play the majority of their snaps at nose tackle or defensive tackle in any formation, or defensive end in 3-player front formations such as 3-4 and 3-3-5. These players are often overlooked in awards discussions, but play an important role in run defense. The best interior defenders also contribute as playmakers in other ways, forcing turnovers and rushing the passer. Brooks was best in the league at disrupting backfields from the interior, with a combined 16 sacks and tackles for losses, the best in the league. He also made the second most tackles among DIs with 70. While tackles may not be a valued statistic by some, DIs make most of their tackles close to the line of scrimmage, so a high number of tackles demonstrates major contributions to the run defense of a team. Chuck Roth joins Brooks on our first team interior, thanks to his 13 combined sacks and TFLs, good for second in the league behind Brooks. He also showed his value as a playmaker in forcing and recovering 2 fumbles. On the second team, Magnus Rikiya was also elite at disrupting plays in the backfield, with nine sacks and a safety. Rikiya’s numbers are very similar to Brooks, with just a couple fewer sacks, tackles, and TFLs. One advantage Rikiya has over Brooks, however, is only 3 missed tackles to Brooks’ five. Simwell is likely a surprising addition to this team for many. Unlike the others on this list, he was not very disruptive in the backfield, with only 1 TFL and 3 sacks. However, our voters were impressed with his contributions in the run game. He played exclusively at nose tackle and led all DIs with 80 tackles, a huge contribution in run defense for a defensive tackle. He also added a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries to his impressive tackle totals.
EDGE RUSHER
1st team: Rapid Eagle
Key stats: 53 tackles (2nd most among pure DEs), 12 tackles for loss (most in S28), 39.62% of tackles were TFLs or sacks
1st team: Derred de Ville
Key stats: 101 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 7 forced fumbles (ISFL single-season record)
2nd team: Dex Kennedy
Key stats: 99 tackles, 8 tackles for loss (tied 3rd most among all players), 13 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 1 safety
2nd team: Heinrich Kackpoo
Key stats: 106 tackles (10th most among all players), 3 tackles for loss, 17 sacks (tied 2nd-most among all players), 98.15% of attempted tackles became tackles (highest among edge rushers), 5 forced fumbles
We’ve had a lot of discussion about some positions, most of all on defense. That wasn’t the case for edge rushers, however. Starting off with the first team, Rapid Eagle was high up on most stats for pure DEs (players who played 100% of snaps at DE), including tackles (2nd most), tackles for lost (most), sacks (3rd most), and forced fumbles (most); as well as not missing a single tackle throughout the whole season, something few players repeated. Derred de Ville enters this list because our research showed he played most snaps at DE than LB, even if the difference was small. And the stats show his rush production. De Ville had 6 TFLs, 13 sacks, 96% tackle%, a whopping 7 forced fumbles (an ISFL single-season record and 5 of which were recovered by himself) and was one of the few players to have 100+ tackles this season. Both were also part of great defenses, as Orange County and Sarasota allowed the 1st and 5th least yards in the whole league.
As for the second team, we chose again two edge rushers who played a lot of snaps at LB, yet most at DE, and so qualified as pass rushers. And they possess similar, yet slightly worse stats than our two first teamers. 5+ TFLs, 13+ sacks, the 2 highest tackle% in the position, and 5+ Forced Fumbles. And whilst Kackpoo contributed to a great Honolulu defense, which allowed the 3rd least yards in the ISFL, Kennedy did not. Something that personally makes it even more impressive. Anyway, all these four players had great seasons and we want to congratulate them for making the S29 All-Pro Teams.
LINEBACKER
1st team: Haha Mango-Panda (unanimous)
Key stats: 7 forced fumbles (league record), 55.26% catch rate allowed, 17 pass deflections (T-2nd most among LBs)
1st team: Jack Banks (unanimous)
Key stats: 20 sacks (led all defensive players), 0 penalties, 20.7% of tackles were TFLs or sacks
2nd team: BamBam McMullet (unanimous)
Key stats: 60.2% catch rate allowed, 17 pass deflections (T-2nd most among LBs), 1 missed tackle on 99 attempts
2nd team: Douglas Quaid
Key stats: 13 sacks (2nd most among off-ball linebackers), 4 forced fumbles (2nd most among off-ball linebackers), 5 fumble recoveries (tied for most in the league)
On the other side of the edge rusher / linebacker fuzzy boundary, here we have players who spent most of their time either playing as inside linebacker in 3-4 / 3-3-5 defenses or as any sort of linebacker in 4-3 / Nickel defenses. Despite almost all of us believing that Banks would be an edge rusher given his absurd number of sacks this season, it turns out that his season was even more impressive because he did it while lining up as an off-ball LB more often than not! Mango-Panda joins Banks on the all-pro first team thanks to setting an all-time ISFL record for fumbles forced in a season (together with teammate and first-team all-pro edge rusher Derred De Ville), as well as his excellent coverage numbers and respectable 9 sacks, although he did struggle at times with penalties (5) and missed tackles (10). On the second team, McMullet impressed with strong coverage numbers, 8 sacks, and sure tackling, leading to a unanimous 2nd team selection behind the two unanimous first teamers. Joining him is veteran Yellowknife LB Douglas Quaid. While Quaid’s numbers don’t jump off the page when looking at all linebackers on the index, when distilling it down to off-ball linebackers his 13 sacks is second only to Banks, and he was also a force in jarring the ball loose on tackle attempts.
CORNERBACK
1st team: Rich Triplet (unanimous)
Key stats: 57.74% targets allowed for catches (lowest among all secondary players), 6 interceptions (2nd most among cornerbacks), 46 pass deflections (ISFL single-season record)
1st team: Harrison Andrews
Key stats: 63.41% targets allowed for catches (3rd lowest among cornerbacks), 9 interceptions (tied 4th most in a single season), 31 pass deflections (2nd most among all players)
1st team flex: Maverick Bowie
Key Stats: 59.62% targets allowed for catches (2nd lowest among all players), 4 interceptions, 34 pass deflections (3rd most among all players)
2nd team: Djibutee McJimmerson
Key stats: 64.29% targets allowed for catches (5th lowest among cornerbacks), 6 interceptions (2nd most among cornerbacks), 28 pass deflections (5th most among all players), 2 touchdowns
2nd team: Matt Krause
Key stats: 64.07% targets allowed for catches (4th lowest among all players), 2 interceptions, 38 pass deflections (2nd most among all players), 1 forced fumble
2nd team flex: Colt Mendoza
Key stats: 64.92% targets allowed for catches (6th lowest among all players), 3 interceptions, 26 pass deflections (6th most among all players)
As a CB myself, I feel very proud writing this down. The complexity of overall secondary play in football meant this position was very discussed, but we managed to narrow it down. The first team was easier. Rich Triplet, who set a pass deflection ISFL single-season record, with 46, had the lowest allowed catch% out of all players, made 100 tackles without missing a single one, 6 interceptions, and a defensive touchdown was an easy and unanimous lock-in. His All-Pro teammate, Harrison Andrews, was the same thing, by being the 6th player in ISFL history to have at least 9 interceptions on a single season and having the 3rd most pass deflections in the league, a forced fumble, and 93 tackles.
For the second team, it was a bit tougher, as many players had a great season. We ended up having a long conversation over the importance of some stats. Does a great number of pass deflections compensate for few interceptions or some missed tackles? We ended up agreeing in including all candidates worth of an All-Pro selection here, be it through the teams themselves or through the defensive flexes. At 1st team defensive flex, Maverick Bowie, who was the only person along with Rich Triplet to allow less than 60% of passes targeted to be caught. At 2nd team we have Djibutee McJimmerson, who had 6 interceptions, 2 pick sixes, and 5th most PDs; Matt Krause with 38 PDs, which is 2nd most among all players in S28; as well as Colt Mendoza at 2nd team flex, who managed 2nd most tackles among CBs, a forced fumble, and 3 interceptions, 2 of which were pick sixes. Congratulations to all of them for being integral parts of their secondaries!
SAFETY
1st team: Bob Roberts (unanimous)
Key stats: 60.63% targets allowed for catches (lowest among safeties), 7 interceptions (most among safeties), 11 pass deflections (3rd most among safeties)
1st team: Hamish MacAndrew
Key stats: 61.45% targets allowed for catches (2nd lowest among safeties), 4 interceptions (2nd most among safeties), 13 pass deflections (most among safeties)
2nd team: Cuco Clemente
Key stats: 61.90% targets allowed for catches (4th lowest among safeties), 4 interceptions (2nd most among safeties), 7 pass deflections, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble
2nd team: Teddy Utterstruzen
Key stats: 63.64 % targets allowed for catches, 3 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 5 sacks (3rd most among safeties), 2 interceptions, 9 pass deflections
Safeties are a very important position, despite their relative lack of action compared to other positions such as cornerbacks and linebackers. The players, however, were fundamental for their team’s successes this season. Bob Roberts was chosen unanimously for the first team, and with good reason. Least passes caught allowed among safeties, 3rd most PDs among all safeties, 63 tackles, a whopping 7 interceptions, and he helped bring New York to the playoffs. While MacAndrew did not have the season Roberts have, he was a safe pick for 1st Team. 2nd least catch% among safeties, 59 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 13 pass deflections, most among safeties. Hamish went very close to winning it all with Austin this season, but will have to content with a 1st Team All-Pro selection.
For our second team, we have someone who allowed the third least catch% among safeties and some sacks, despite playing free safety: Cuco Clemente. Clemente managed to do it all, with 3 sacks and 4 interceptions to his name. If Sarasota managed to keep their dominance after their Ultimus win in S27, it was because of player like him. And our final safety chosen had to be a Strong Safety: Teddy Utterstruzen. Another example of a player who could do it all, 6th least catch% allowed, whilst also providing 5 sacks, a forced fumble, 3 interceptions, and pass deflections, the safety duo at Sarasota is able to play together again in the All-Pro 2nd team.
KICKER
1st team: Matthew McDairmid
Key stats: 3 game-winning or tying FGs under 2 minutes of 55+ yards. 5.43 points above replacement (2nd in league)
2nd team: Danny King
Key stats: League-leading 8.00 points above replacement, 8/8 on 50+ yd FG attempts, 92.31% on FGs (2nd on league)
This position was one of the closest positional races. McDairmid and King received all first and second team votes, and were separated by a single vote. King had an incredible season, especially on long kicks, going 8/8 from 50+ and 12/15 on 40-49 yard kicks, with a second-place finishing FG% of 92.31%. He also led all kickers with 8 points above replacement. McDairmid's FG% lagged a bit behind King in fourth place, 89.36%, but he made the most kicks from 50+ (9/11). McDairmid takes the first-team nomination due to his late game heroics. He was incredible late in games this season, most notably hitting some insanely long game-winning or tying kicks: a week 1 55-yard game winner vs NOLA, a week 2 61-yard field goal to send SJS to overtime against NY, and an absurd 63-yard game winner in week 9 to take down the Chicago Butchers.
PUNTER:
1st team: Matty McDairmid (Unanimous selection)
Key Stats: 48.99 yards per punt, highest in the league; 36 punts inside the 20 on 70 punts
2nd team: Blago Kokot (Unanimous selection)
Key Stats: 48.5 yards per punt, 2nd highest in the league, 32 punts inside the 20 on 68 punts
To contrast with kickers, punters were one of the most lopsided and clear results. Blago Kokot had the 2nd highest average, with almost a full yard over 3rd place, and had quite a nice rate of punts landing inside the 20. As clearly as Kokot was in 2nd, however, McDairmid was in 1st. He had almost 49 yards per punt and managed to pin the opposing team inside the 20 over half the time. To compare to the NFL, what is commonly considered the greatest punting season of all time had less yards per punt and a barely higher ratio of punts inside the 20. This was an extremely easy ranking, as exemplified by both unanimous selections.
RETURNER:
1st team: Flash Panda (Unanimous selection)
Key Stats: 29.84 yards per KR (3rd in league), 746 KR yards (5th), 1 KR TD (T-1st)
2nd team: NationalSimulation FootballLeague
Key Stats: 31.00 yards per KR (1st), 923 total return yards (3rd)
Returner looked to be a bit of a mixed bag. No returner took it to the house more than once this season, making touchdowns a practical non-factor for most returners in contention here. Of course, one returner made the most of their one opportunity to take the kick all the way to the bank and really made an impression on the whole league this season. After Sam Sidekick nailed a 53 yarder to put Chicago up 29-27 over Philadelphia, Flash Panda took the kick out of the endzone, 102 yards down the field into the endzone, and all the way out of the stadium for the walk off game winner. This play was easily one of the most exciting of the whole season and had to have been a big part of the consideration that put Panda over the top. For NSFL, his league leading KR average and top 3 total return production provided a clear and strong indication of both high consistency and efficiency that earned him the 2nd Team nod here.
Congratulations to all members of both teams!
A while back, a group of people who vehemently disagreed with how awards voting took place decided to create their own group. A couple seasons later, we're unveiling our first set of all pro teams. We hope to make this a more regular thing in the future, and we hope you enjoy!
SFWG All-Pro First Team
QB: Charlemagne Cortez
RB: Tatsu Nakamura*
WR: Videl-San
WR: Ed Barker
TE: James Angler
FLEX: Raphtalia Chan, RB
FB: Buster Bawlls
OT: Calvin Golladay*
OT: Adam Mellott*
OG: Ananda Adyan*
OG: Ne Mo
C: Icebox Riposte*
DI: Daymond Brooks
DI: Chuck Roth
EDGE: Derred De Ville
EDGE: Rapid Eagle
LB: Haha Mango-Panda*
LB: Jack Banks*
CB: Rich Triplet*
CB: Harrison Andrews
S: Bob Roberts*
S: Hamish MacAndrew
FLEX: Maverick Bowie, CB
K: Matthew McDairmid
P: Matthew McDairmid*
Returner: Flash Panda*
SFWG All-Pro Second Team
QB: Mattathias Caliban
RB: Darrel Williams
WR: William Lim
WR: Owen Holloway
TE: Clark Boyd
FLEX: Taro Raimon, WR
FB: Fuzzy Dotson
OT: Bruce Buckley
OT: Julio Jones
OG: Dorfus Jimbo Jr.
OG: Offensive Lineman
C: Taylor Cooper*
DI: Magnus Rikiya
DI: LeBong Simwell
EDGE: Dex Kennedy
EDGE: Heinrich Kackpoo
LB: BamBam McMullet*
LB: Douglas Quaid
CB: Djibutee McJimmerson
CB: Matt Krause
S: Cuco Clemente
S: Teddy Utterstruzen
FLEX: Colt Mendoza, CB
K: Danny King
P: Blago Kokot*
Returner: NationalSimulation FootballLeague
* = Unanimous selection
Other Players Receiving Votes:
QB Monty Jack, WR Joshua Campbell, TE Zee Rechs, FB Tristian Hex, OT Future Trunks, OT Mo Magic, OG Macaroni Elephant, OG Marlon Alexander
DI Big Edd, DI Goat Tank, EDGE Gary Goodman, EDGE James Cho, LB Chet Larson, CB Andrew Witten, S Dogwood Maple, S Eugene Smoothie, S Mac Griddle, S Davriel Lavigne
K Dougie Smalls, Returner Raphtalia Chan
QUARTERBACK
1st team: Charlemagne Cortez
Key stats: 7.05 ANY/A (1st), zero lost fumbles (1st), 5.11% TD% (2nd), 67.55% (3rd)
2nd team: Mattathias Caliban
Key stats: 5,668 passing yards (1st), 36 passing TDs (1st), 33.3% First Down Rate (1st)
We start off with likely the most controversial position and decision made by our voters. Caliban’s season was a polarizing topic in our discussions. One the one hand, Caliban’s 5,668 passing yards are the most in league history, and he maintained decent efficiency at very high volume. On the other hand, some voters were not impressed with Caliban, thinking his case for awards is entirely predicated on his historically high volume of pass attempts. In fact, Caliban’s 775 passing attempts were 57 more attempts than Chika Fujiwara’s S28 season, which is the second most pass attempts in a season in league history. Caliban did show good efficiency in some areas, however, and still managed to place 4th in ANY/A (6.52), and his league leading first down rate led to him passing for 258 first downs, 52 more than anyone else this season. Cortez had an amazing season in his own right, and placed top 3 in the league in touchdown rate, passer rating, completion percentage, and advanced metrics such as ANY/A and points above replacement. He passed for nearly 500 yards more than expected at his number of passing attempts. His only statistical weakness is his 8th place 2.12% interception rate, but when considered in conjunction with the fact that he never lost a fumble all season, he had the third fewest turnovers among all quarterbacks this season (12).
RUNNING BACK
1st team: Tatsu Nakamura (unanimous)
Key Stats: League leader in scrimmage yards and touchdowns
1st team flex: Raphtalia Chan
Key Stats: 5.21 yards per carry, league leader among RBs, 2nd most yards among RBs, 2nd most touchdowns
2nd team: Darrell Williams
Key Stats: 5.12 yards per carry, 3rd most touchdowns
There were two different running backs that were so far ahead of the competition this season that it was almost staggering. As such, one of Raphtalia Chan and Tatsu Nakamura had to take the 1st team spot. Nakamura had just under 5 yards per carry, ran the ball 70 more times, had 3 more touchdowns, and had about 250 more yards. Chan had just over 5.2 yards per carry. So what would the ultimate result be? It turned out to not be that close. Tatsu Nakamura ended up a unanimous 1st team selection by our group. The efficiency gap actually narrowed when you looked at advanced stats, with Nakamura having a better first down rate, both rushing and especially receiving. Nakamura also was a better blocker, getting only 3 less pancakes but giving up one less sack, and never got a penalty called on him all season long. Chan, however, was no slouch in her own right, leading the league in yards per carry among running backs, and not fumbling the entire season. As such, we decided to give Chan the 1st team Flex spot. Darrell Williams took the 2nd team spot. Despite being in the last year of his career, he managed to put together a stellar season despite having a poor supporting cast. The only running backs with a higher yards per carry were Chan or backs with low usage. He also managed to get 16 touchdowns and over 1000 yards. He was a massive part of the Liberty winning as many games as they did this season.
WIDE RECEIVER
1st team: Videl-San
Key stats: 11.6 yards/target, 68.8% catch rate, 3.2% drop rate, 2.45 yards per route run, 13.6% explosive play rate, 139.8 passer rating when targeted
1st team: Ed Barker
Key stats: 9.1 yards/target, 60.6% catch rate, 2.1% drop rate, 2.41 yards per route run, 11.7% explosive play rate, 102.1 passer rating when targeted
2nd team: William Lim
Key stats: 9.03 yards/target, 64.0% catch rate, 0.5% drop rate, 2.24 yards per route run, 9.4% explosive play rate, 100.5 passer rating when targeted
2nd team: Owen Holloway
Key stats: 10.21 yards/target, 69.6% catch rate, 5.1% drop rate, 1.86 yards per route run, 15.2% explosive play rate, 115.3 passer rating when targeted
2nd team flex: Taro Raimon
Key stats: 9.14 yards/target, 73.2% catch rate, 1.4% drop rate, 2.09 yards per route run, 10.1% explosive play rate, 121.7 passer rating when targeted
This group of five WRs stood out to us when initially deciding on nominations for the team, and it was fairly clear that in some order they would make up our two all-pro team selections at WR. Videl-San was a clear top choice, leading the league by fairly large margins in yards per route run, yards per target, and passer rating when targeted (fun fact: Austin QB Jackie Daytona threw 12 TDs and 0 INTs when passing to Videl-San this season). Barker joins them as the other 1st team WR (with Chan snagging the 1st team flex position at RB), boasting the second highest yards per route run in the league and above-average marks in some other advanced metrics. While not quite as efficient as some other WRs, clearly the volume of yardage and TDs was rewarded, especially when it came on a team that passed it much less than Colorado.
On the second team, the other high-volume receiver and league receiving yards leader, William Lim, is joined by two receivers who had flown under the radar a bit for me but excelled in some advanced metrics. Owen Holloway was the most explosive receiver in the ISFL this season, recording 21 plays of 20+ yards, the second most in the league behind Barker's 22, on only 138 targets, 50 fewer than Barker. They also ranked 3rd in yards per target and passer rating when targeted. At flex, Raimon caught an astounding 73% of passes thrown their way, most in the league by a fair margin, recording 101 catches and only 2 drops on 138 targets. He also had the 2nd highest passer rating when targeted in the league.
TIGHT END
1st team: James Angler
Key stats: 7.9 yards/target, 0.8% drop rate, 49.4% of catches resulted in first downs (led all TEs), 0 penalties
2nd team: Clark Boyd
Key stats: 72.0% catch rate, 54 pancakes, 0 penalties
This was a pretty fantastic season for Tight Ends, all things considered. But above the relatively crowded roster of potential nominees, these two stood out. This was due not just to their 1000+ receiving yards (the only two TEs to accomplish that feat this season, sorry to Heath Evans with his heartbreaking 999 receiving yards) but also to their advanced metrics and efficiency. Angler led all TEs in yards/target, making up for an average 67% catch rate with a fantastic 11.7 average yards per catch. Because of this, 43 of his 87 catches wound up gaining first downs for the offense, a rate that led all tight ends this season. Moving the chains is a big part of a TE's role in the offense, but so is being a reliable target, and second-team all-pro Clark Boyd was among the best at just that, recording a catch on 72% of his 132 targets this season. He supplemented that with fantastic numbers in the blocking game, recording 54 pancakes and allowing just 1 sack all season. And while Angler wasn't quite as good of a blocker, both of these players managed to avoid negative plays by going the full season without a single penalty called against them.
FULLBACK
1st team: Buster Bawlls
Key Stat: 5.33 yards per carry, league leader; 51 pancakes, leads the league among Fullbacks
2nd team: Fuzzy Dotson
Key Stat: 78 Rushing Yards, most among Fullbacks, 0 sacks allowed
The fullback race was a very interesting one; pretty much everyone had something positive and something negative about them. We eventually boiled it down to a few people. Fuzzy Dotson stood out for having the most rushing yards, tied for the lead in touchdowns, and only having one penalty against them. This made up for his very low pancake count. Buster Bawlls, however, took the 1st team spot due to leading all fullbacks in pancakes, by quite a significant amount, and the highest yards per carry in the league even if it was on little usage. This made up for him giving up a sack.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
1st team: Calvin Golladay (unanimous)
Key Stat: 128 pancakes, 0 SA, 0 penalties
1st team: Adam Mellott (unanimous)
Key Stat: 122 pancakes, 0 SA, 2 penalties
2nd team: Bruce Buckley
Key Stat: 113 pancakes, 0 SA, 1 penalty
2nd team: Julio Jones
Key Stat: 118 pancakes, 0 SA, 2 penalties, 1 fumble recovery
Calvin Golladay was a monster this year, and OLotY should be coming his way. As well as being one pancake short of leading the league, he didn’t give up a single sack or penalty. It was no wonder then that he was a unanimous selection for our committee, as too was Mellott, who while conceding two penalties, was also a pancake machine this season. While Golladay was head and shoulders above the rest, Buckley and Jones could easily have snatched the other 1st team spot from Mellott. They too had fantastic seasons for their teams, rarely costing their team and all the while racking up those ‘cakes.
OFFENSIVE GUARD
1st team: Ananda Adyan (unanimous)
Key Stat: 87 pancakes, 1 SA, 4 penalties
1st team: Ne Mo
Key Stat: 80 pancakes, 0 SA, 10 penalties
2nd team: Dorfus Jimbo Jr
Key Stat: 73 pancakes, 0 SA, 5 penalties, 1 fumble recovery
2nd team: Offensive Lineman
Key Stat: 47 pancakes, 0 SA, 1 penalty
Guard performance this season wasn’t as strong as centers or tackles, but Adyan was the clear leader among this group. He was way out in front in terms of pancakes, gave up just one sack and four penalties. While Ne Mo racked up 10 penalties on the season, our group felt that his spotless sack record and strong pancake record was worth of a 1st team spot. Jimbo Jr had a great season as well. He added a fumble recovery to go with his 73 pancakes and avoided giving up a sack. And while Offensive Lineman (formerly Running Back) was nowhere in terms of pancakes, he only accounted for a single negative play all season.
CENTER
1st team: Icebox Riposte (unanimous)
Key Stat: 86 pancakes, 0 SA, 0 penalties
2nd team: Taylor Cooper (unanimous)
Key Stat: 78 pancakes, 0 SA, 2 penalties
In the opinion of this writer, Riposte was robbed by not receiving a nomination for OLotY. His performance compared to his Center peers was incredible. The average center performance was 68 pancakes, 0.9 SA and 4.3 penalties. Riposte finished just 2 shy of leading all centers in pancakes, but also avoided giving up a single negative play all season. The deserving OLotY Golladay was the only other player to achieve that. Cooper was also the clear number 2 with a high pancake total. He also gave up only 2 negative plays, while all other human centers gave up at least 5. These two were unanimous selections for the whole committee.
DEFENSIVE INTERIOR
1st team: Daymond Brooks
Key stats: 11 sacks (1st), 70 tackles (2nd), 5 TFLs (3rd), 1 safety
1st team: Chuck Roth
Key stats: 7 sacks (3rd), 6 TFLs (1st), 2 FF, 2 FR
2nd team: Magnus Rikiya
Key stats: 9 sacks (2nd), 67 tackles (4th), 1 safety
2nd team: LeBong Simwell
Key stats: 80 tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR
Defensive Interior players are ones who play the majority of their snaps at nose tackle or defensive tackle in any formation, or defensive end in 3-player front formations such as 3-4 and 3-3-5. These players are often overlooked in awards discussions, but play an important role in run defense. The best interior defenders also contribute as playmakers in other ways, forcing turnovers and rushing the passer. Brooks was best in the league at disrupting backfields from the interior, with a combined 16 sacks and tackles for losses, the best in the league. He also made the second most tackles among DIs with 70. While tackles may not be a valued statistic by some, DIs make most of their tackles close to the line of scrimmage, so a high number of tackles demonstrates major contributions to the run defense of a team. Chuck Roth joins Brooks on our first team interior, thanks to his 13 combined sacks and TFLs, good for second in the league behind Brooks. He also showed his value as a playmaker in forcing and recovering 2 fumbles. On the second team, Magnus Rikiya was also elite at disrupting plays in the backfield, with nine sacks and a safety. Rikiya’s numbers are very similar to Brooks, with just a couple fewer sacks, tackles, and TFLs. One advantage Rikiya has over Brooks, however, is only 3 missed tackles to Brooks’ five. Simwell is likely a surprising addition to this team for many. Unlike the others on this list, he was not very disruptive in the backfield, with only 1 TFL and 3 sacks. However, our voters were impressed with his contributions in the run game. He played exclusively at nose tackle and led all DIs with 80 tackles, a huge contribution in run defense for a defensive tackle. He also added a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries to his impressive tackle totals.
EDGE RUSHER
1st team: Rapid Eagle
Key stats: 53 tackles (2nd most among pure DEs), 12 tackles for loss (most in S28), 39.62% of tackles were TFLs or sacks
1st team: Derred de Ville
Key stats: 101 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 7 forced fumbles (ISFL single-season record)
2nd team: Dex Kennedy
Key stats: 99 tackles, 8 tackles for loss (tied 3rd most among all players), 13 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 1 safety
2nd team: Heinrich Kackpoo
Key stats: 106 tackles (10th most among all players), 3 tackles for loss, 17 sacks (tied 2nd-most among all players), 98.15% of attempted tackles became tackles (highest among edge rushers), 5 forced fumbles
We’ve had a lot of discussion about some positions, most of all on defense. That wasn’t the case for edge rushers, however. Starting off with the first team, Rapid Eagle was high up on most stats for pure DEs (players who played 100% of snaps at DE), including tackles (2nd most), tackles for lost (most), sacks (3rd most), and forced fumbles (most); as well as not missing a single tackle throughout the whole season, something few players repeated. Derred de Ville enters this list because our research showed he played most snaps at DE than LB, even if the difference was small. And the stats show his rush production. De Ville had 6 TFLs, 13 sacks, 96% tackle%, a whopping 7 forced fumbles (an ISFL single-season record and 5 of which were recovered by himself) and was one of the few players to have 100+ tackles this season. Both were also part of great defenses, as Orange County and Sarasota allowed the 1st and 5th least yards in the whole league.
As for the second team, we chose again two edge rushers who played a lot of snaps at LB, yet most at DE, and so qualified as pass rushers. And they possess similar, yet slightly worse stats than our two first teamers. 5+ TFLs, 13+ sacks, the 2 highest tackle% in the position, and 5+ Forced Fumbles. And whilst Kackpoo contributed to a great Honolulu defense, which allowed the 3rd least yards in the ISFL, Kennedy did not. Something that personally makes it even more impressive. Anyway, all these four players had great seasons and we want to congratulate them for making the S29 All-Pro Teams.
LINEBACKER
1st team: Haha Mango-Panda (unanimous)
Key stats: 7 forced fumbles (league record), 55.26% catch rate allowed, 17 pass deflections (T-2nd most among LBs)
1st team: Jack Banks (unanimous)
Key stats: 20 sacks (led all defensive players), 0 penalties, 20.7% of tackles were TFLs or sacks
2nd team: BamBam McMullet (unanimous)
Key stats: 60.2% catch rate allowed, 17 pass deflections (T-2nd most among LBs), 1 missed tackle on 99 attempts
2nd team: Douglas Quaid
Key stats: 13 sacks (2nd most among off-ball linebackers), 4 forced fumbles (2nd most among off-ball linebackers), 5 fumble recoveries (tied for most in the league)
On the other side of the edge rusher / linebacker fuzzy boundary, here we have players who spent most of their time either playing as inside linebacker in 3-4 / 3-3-5 defenses or as any sort of linebacker in 4-3 / Nickel defenses. Despite almost all of us believing that Banks would be an edge rusher given his absurd number of sacks this season, it turns out that his season was even more impressive because he did it while lining up as an off-ball LB more often than not! Mango-Panda joins Banks on the all-pro first team thanks to setting an all-time ISFL record for fumbles forced in a season (together with teammate and first-team all-pro edge rusher Derred De Ville), as well as his excellent coverage numbers and respectable 9 sacks, although he did struggle at times with penalties (5) and missed tackles (10). On the second team, McMullet impressed with strong coverage numbers, 8 sacks, and sure tackling, leading to a unanimous 2nd team selection behind the two unanimous first teamers. Joining him is veteran Yellowknife LB Douglas Quaid. While Quaid’s numbers don’t jump off the page when looking at all linebackers on the index, when distilling it down to off-ball linebackers his 13 sacks is second only to Banks, and he was also a force in jarring the ball loose on tackle attempts.
CORNERBACK
1st team: Rich Triplet (unanimous)
Key stats: 57.74% targets allowed for catches (lowest among all secondary players), 6 interceptions (2nd most among cornerbacks), 46 pass deflections (ISFL single-season record)
1st team: Harrison Andrews
Key stats: 63.41% targets allowed for catches (3rd lowest among cornerbacks), 9 interceptions (tied 4th most in a single season), 31 pass deflections (2nd most among all players)
1st team flex: Maverick Bowie
Key Stats: 59.62% targets allowed for catches (2nd lowest among all players), 4 interceptions, 34 pass deflections (3rd most among all players)
2nd team: Djibutee McJimmerson
Key stats: 64.29% targets allowed for catches (5th lowest among cornerbacks), 6 interceptions (2nd most among cornerbacks), 28 pass deflections (5th most among all players), 2 touchdowns
2nd team: Matt Krause
Key stats: 64.07% targets allowed for catches (4th lowest among all players), 2 interceptions, 38 pass deflections (2nd most among all players), 1 forced fumble
2nd team flex: Colt Mendoza
Key stats: 64.92% targets allowed for catches (6th lowest among all players), 3 interceptions, 26 pass deflections (6th most among all players)
As a CB myself, I feel very proud writing this down. The complexity of overall secondary play in football meant this position was very discussed, but we managed to narrow it down. The first team was easier. Rich Triplet, who set a pass deflection ISFL single-season record, with 46, had the lowest allowed catch% out of all players, made 100 tackles without missing a single one, 6 interceptions, and a defensive touchdown was an easy and unanimous lock-in. His All-Pro teammate, Harrison Andrews, was the same thing, by being the 6th player in ISFL history to have at least 9 interceptions on a single season and having the 3rd most pass deflections in the league, a forced fumble, and 93 tackles.
For the second team, it was a bit tougher, as many players had a great season. We ended up having a long conversation over the importance of some stats. Does a great number of pass deflections compensate for few interceptions or some missed tackles? We ended up agreeing in including all candidates worth of an All-Pro selection here, be it through the teams themselves or through the defensive flexes. At 1st team defensive flex, Maverick Bowie, who was the only person along with Rich Triplet to allow less than 60% of passes targeted to be caught. At 2nd team we have Djibutee McJimmerson, who had 6 interceptions, 2 pick sixes, and 5th most PDs; Matt Krause with 38 PDs, which is 2nd most among all players in S28; as well as Colt Mendoza at 2nd team flex, who managed 2nd most tackles among CBs, a forced fumble, and 3 interceptions, 2 of which were pick sixes. Congratulations to all of them for being integral parts of their secondaries!
SAFETY
1st team: Bob Roberts (unanimous)
Key stats: 60.63% targets allowed for catches (lowest among safeties), 7 interceptions (most among safeties), 11 pass deflections (3rd most among safeties)
1st team: Hamish MacAndrew
Key stats: 61.45% targets allowed for catches (2nd lowest among safeties), 4 interceptions (2nd most among safeties), 13 pass deflections (most among safeties)
2nd team: Cuco Clemente
Key stats: 61.90% targets allowed for catches (4th lowest among safeties), 4 interceptions (2nd most among safeties), 7 pass deflections, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble
2nd team: Teddy Utterstruzen
Key stats: 63.64 % targets allowed for catches, 3 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 5 sacks (3rd most among safeties), 2 interceptions, 9 pass deflections
Safeties are a very important position, despite their relative lack of action compared to other positions such as cornerbacks and linebackers. The players, however, were fundamental for their team’s successes this season. Bob Roberts was chosen unanimously for the first team, and with good reason. Least passes caught allowed among safeties, 3rd most PDs among all safeties, 63 tackles, a whopping 7 interceptions, and he helped bring New York to the playoffs. While MacAndrew did not have the season Roberts have, he was a safe pick for 1st Team. 2nd least catch% among safeties, 59 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 13 pass deflections, most among safeties. Hamish went very close to winning it all with Austin this season, but will have to content with a 1st Team All-Pro selection.
For our second team, we have someone who allowed the third least catch% among safeties and some sacks, despite playing free safety: Cuco Clemente. Clemente managed to do it all, with 3 sacks and 4 interceptions to his name. If Sarasota managed to keep their dominance after their Ultimus win in S27, it was because of player like him. And our final safety chosen had to be a Strong Safety: Teddy Utterstruzen. Another example of a player who could do it all, 6th least catch% allowed, whilst also providing 5 sacks, a forced fumble, 3 interceptions, and pass deflections, the safety duo at Sarasota is able to play together again in the All-Pro 2nd team.
KICKER
1st team: Matthew McDairmid
Key stats: 3 game-winning or tying FGs under 2 minutes of 55+ yards. 5.43 points above replacement (2nd in league)
2nd team: Danny King
Key stats: League-leading 8.00 points above replacement, 8/8 on 50+ yd FG attempts, 92.31% on FGs (2nd on league)
This position was one of the closest positional races. McDairmid and King received all first and second team votes, and were separated by a single vote. King had an incredible season, especially on long kicks, going 8/8 from 50+ and 12/15 on 40-49 yard kicks, with a second-place finishing FG% of 92.31%. He also led all kickers with 8 points above replacement. McDairmid's FG% lagged a bit behind King in fourth place, 89.36%, but he made the most kicks from 50+ (9/11). McDairmid takes the first-team nomination due to his late game heroics. He was incredible late in games this season, most notably hitting some insanely long game-winning or tying kicks: a week 1 55-yard game winner vs NOLA, a week 2 61-yard field goal to send SJS to overtime against NY, and an absurd 63-yard game winner in week 9 to take down the Chicago Butchers.
PUNTER:
1st team: Matty McDairmid (Unanimous selection)
Key Stats: 48.99 yards per punt, highest in the league; 36 punts inside the 20 on 70 punts
2nd team: Blago Kokot (Unanimous selection)
Key Stats: 48.5 yards per punt, 2nd highest in the league, 32 punts inside the 20 on 68 punts
To contrast with kickers, punters were one of the most lopsided and clear results. Blago Kokot had the 2nd highest average, with almost a full yard over 3rd place, and had quite a nice rate of punts landing inside the 20. As clearly as Kokot was in 2nd, however, McDairmid was in 1st. He had almost 49 yards per punt and managed to pin the opposing team inside the 20 over half the time. To compare to the NFL, what is commonly considered the greatest punting season of all time had less yards per punt and a barely higher ratio of punts inside the 20. This was an extremely easy ranking, as exemplified by both unanimous selections.
RETURNER:
1st team: Flash Panda (Unanimous selection)
Key Stats: 29.84 yards per KR (3rd in league), 746 KR yards (5th), 1 KR TD (T-1st)
2nd team: NationalSimulation FootballLeague
Key Stats: 31.00 yards per KR (1st), 923 total return yards (3rd)
Returner looked to be a bit of a mixed bag. No returner took it to the house more than once this season, making touchdowns a practical non-factor for most returners in contention here. Of course, one returner made the most of their one opportunity to take the kick all the way to the bank and really made an impression on the whole league this season. After Sam Sidekick nailed a 53 yarder to put Chicago up 29-27 over Philadelphia, Flash Panda took the kick out of the endzone, 102 yards down the field into the endzone, and all the way out of the stadium for the walk off game winner. This play was easily one of the most exciting of the whole season and had to have been a big part of the consideration that put Panda over the top. For NSFL, his league leading KR average and top 3 total return production provided a clear and strong indication of both high consistency and efficiency that earned him the 2nd Team nod here.
Congratulations to all members of both teams!