08-29-2021, 11:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-30-2021, 09:09 PM by Crunk. Edited 1 time in total.)
Now that the season has come to an end, awards season is gearing up for full swing. Depending on when this finally gets posted today, the award ballots may already be up. I wanted to take the time to congratulate my fellow Pythons on a terrific season as a team and highlight individual players that, in my humble opinion, should at minimum be heavily considered for various end of season awards. Collating the data for this post was no minor undertaking, and I truly hope it helps show off just how well this team came together this year.
Without further ado, I proudly present:
Portland Pythons: For Your Consideration
Running Back of the Year
On the only team to support two 1000+ yard rushers this season, Noah Johns (@nlj04) and Jax Baker (@Pancakes) have built themselves quite the candidacy for this award en route to the number two rushing offense in the DSFL in Season 30. Johns and Baker ran for 1100 and 1038 yards this season, good for third and fourth respectively. Both running backs had significant volume to help carry them to these significant yardage totals; Johns with 224 carries and Baker with 205. But it wasn’t simply volume that carried them (pun fully intended) to a top four rushing finish; among qualified backs, 100 carries or more on the season, Baker was second in the DSFL with 5.1 yards per carry with Johns not far behind at 4.9 YPC. All of the yardage in the world doesn’t quite mean much if you can’t punch the ball in for a touchdown. Luckily for the voters, Jax Baker did exactly that this season. Baker’s 11 rushing touchdowns is good for second in the DSFL, behind only Minnesota’s John Huntsman who had an otherworldly 17. The only thing really hurting Noah Johns chances of winning this award is only having 4 rushing touchdowns on the season. While neither running back was particularly involved with the passing game, it should be noted that neither running back allowed a sack in pass protection. Regarding in season awards, both running backs won Offensive Player of the Game twice apiece.
Ultimately, Noah Johns and Jax Baker are two superb candidates for RBOTY; both should easily be finalists on the ballots this season with their very impressive body of work. With his touchdown count and elite efficiency in the ground game Jax Baker is a legitimate candidate to win RBOTY this season.
Wide Receiver of the Year
Continuing with the offense, Portland also produced two excellent Wide Receiver of the Year candidates in Calvin Hobbes (@krazko) and offensive team captain Tay Swizzle (@pauadrian). Hobbes put up a stellar stat line for the season with 75 receptions for 1233 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not content to be overlooked, Swizzle used explosive play after explosive play to launch themselves to a 64 reception, 1164 yards, and 10 touchdowns season. With the second longest reception on the year, 84 yards, Swizzle’s hallmarks of the season were big plays and great receiving efficiency. Their 18.2 yards per reception is good for second in the DSFL. The most standout number may be that Tay Swizzle is the only receiver in the DSFL season what put up over 1000 yards on fewer than 70 catches. Perhaps the most impressive part of these two receivers’ season is the fact they put up such excellent numbers on the least pass happy team in the DSFL. Portland only threw the ball 396 times with 241 completions in season 30. Combined, the two receivers accounted for an astounding 57.7% of the team’s receptions and 71.7% of the team’s receiving yards. Only Norfolk’s combination of French Fries and Malcador the Hero combined for a higher percentage of their team’s receptions and receiving yards; and Norfolk accomplished that with 101 more passing attempts and 47 more receptions than Portland. The two combined for four Offensive Player of the Game awards this season: Calvin Hobbes with three and Tay Swizzle with one.
Needing to rely on nearly unparalleled efficiency due to a low volume passing attack, Calvin Hobbes and Tay Swizzle still managed to land ninth and eleventh overall in receiving yardage, fifth and seventh in receiving touchdowns, and seventh and second in yards per reception. Portland once again has two excellent candidates; either one could easily be a finalist if not a contender to win WROTY.
Offensive Player of the Year
I’m not sure how the voters will look at Portland’s offense for a season like this. Our two excellent running backs may take each other out of consideration for OPOTY due to there not being a clear number one running back that can get the volume to dominate the box score. For our wide receivers, it comes down to a discussion of volume versus efficiency. If I had to name two players that would have the best chance to make finalist for this position, it would be Tay Swizzle and Jax Baker due to their elite efficiency.
Offensive Performance of the Year
The three offensive games that would most likely garner attention for this award are as follows:
- Portland @ London, W1 – Calvin Hobbes: 4 rec, 105 yards, 2 TD
- Kansas City @ Portland, W2 – Tay Swizzle: 7 rec, 159 yards, 1 TD
- Bondi Beach @ Portland, W4 – Jax Baker: 15 att, 153 yards, 2 TD
The ultimate winner of this award likely won’t be coming out of Portland this season due to how the offense operated.
Defensive End of the Year
Rocco Blade (@Accka) has put up excellent stats this year at defensive end. His stat line for the season is 46 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 7 sacks, and 2 defensive touchdowns. Blade’s two defensive touchdowns were not only tied for second in the DSFL this season, they are tied for second all time in a single season. Honestly, that should be enough right there to clinch the award. If it’s not, Blade led all defensive ends in tackles, was second in fumble recoveries, tied for third in forced fumbles, and tied for third in tackles for loss. Rocco Blade put together a complete season with major contributions in every defensive statistical category. He at minimum deserves to be a finalist for DEOTY and may end up getting a few votes for DPOTY due to his penchant for high impact plays.
Defensive Tackle of the Year
Rookie defensive tackle R.L. Stine (@Toasty) put up some quality numbers this season. His 72 tackles were one away from being tied for first amongst defensive tackles. 3 tackles for loss and 1 sack are solid numbers for a rookie. His lack of forced fumbles and relatively lower sack numbers will likely prevent him from clinching out a win, but as one of two defensive tackles to have 70 or more tackles Stine should easily be a DTOTY finalist.
Linebacker of the Year
LBOTY is a bit of a tricky award to predict this year. Norfolk’s rookie linebacker sensation Sconnie McHits set the single season tackle record. Setting such an impactful record may be enough to clinch the award for him. But Elliot Hord (@Hord300) deserves some consideration. Hord’s 101 tackles are good for third not just amongst linebackers, but in the entire DSFL. Three forced fumbles and seven sacks are good for second and third respectively among linebackers. Not content to be type cast as a pure pash rusher, Hord showed off some coverage prowess with 4 pass deflections. Hord excelled in every part of the game he was asked to play. In any other season, Hord would be a near shoo-in for LBOTY. At minimum Hord will be a finalist for the award. With his sack numbers, tackles for loss, and overall tackle numbers, it will be a difficult decision for many award voters. Linebacker of the Year could easily be the most competitive award in Season 30.
Cornerback of the Year
This may be the easiest pitch I have in this entire post. Defensive captain The Laz (@C9Van) was hands down the most dominant cornerback in the DSFL in Season 30. Their 6 interceptions and 33 pass deflections both lead the DSFL. Three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries are just icing on the cake. 8 total turnovers forced is good for second in the DSFL as well. The Laz rang up 96 total tackles, second among CBs and fifth in the DSFL. All of these stats alone would be good enough for The Laz to be CBOTY. There’s plenty of competition with those stats, but here’s where I admit I buried the lede. The Laz had three defensive touchdowns. The sole owner of the single season defensive touchdown record, The Laz is all but guaranteed to win CBOTY this year. Speaking of records, The Laz also has the single game defensive touchdown record (2) and the single game interception return yards record (95). The only reason for The Laz to miss out on CBOTY is because the voters decided to grant him Defensive Player of the Year instead.
Safety of the Year
Portland has two safeties this season that are legitimate Safety of the Year candidates in Jay Spears (@JaytheGreat) and Siaosi Multauaopele (man, it sure feels weird to write about your own player like this). Both rookies, they have accomplished their contention for this award in two highly different ways. Jay Spears had an absolutely stellar season with 66 tackles, first among safeties, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery, 2 interceptions, tied for second among safeties, three pass deflections, and one defensive touchdown. This is a very solid year. With his tackle numbers, impact in the passing game, and defensive touchdown, it will be difficult for anyone to dethrone Spears for SOTY this season. Multiauauopele’s season was no slouch: 52 tackles, fourth among safeties, 5 forced fumbles, tied for first among safeties and tied for third in the DSFL, 3 fumble recoveries, first among safeties and tied for sixth in the DSFL, 4 sacks, second among safeties, and 2 pass deflections. Multiauaopele had less of an impact in the passing game, but he made up for that by forcing the second most turnovers among safeties and racking up the second most sacks among safeties.
Safety of the Year will be yet another hotly contested award; potentially as hotly contested as Linebacker of the Year. Funnily enough, this is yet another award where Portland and Norfolk have some premier players. Spears and Multiauaopele should both be finalists for SOTY and there is an argument that either of them could be crowned winner at the end of the day.
Defensive Player of the Year
The Laz is the easiest Python to recommend for Defensive Player of the year. I assume most of the conversation for this award will revolve around The Laz and Norfolk’s Sconnie McHits and which award, defensive touchdowns or tackles, is more impressive to break. Elliot Hord is a dark horse pick for DPOTY as well if McHits wins LBOTY.
Defensive Performance of the Year
I haven’t dug through all of the teams’ week by week box scores to analyze performance of the year chances for everyone, but I would be shocked if this performance by The Laz is overshadowed by another single week performance.
- Portland @ Bondi Beach, W11: The Laz – 10 Tck, 2 Int, 2 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR
Three turnovers forced, two pick sixes, and double-digit tackles as a cherry on top will be difficult to beat.
General Manager of the Year
Zeagle (@zeagle1) and Burrow (@LSUFAN101) put together an excellent team that never gave up. They got players that update regularly and want to compete. They were available for help whenever any of us had a question, were unflinchingly resilient during the season, and hounded us to update and earn every week. They’re great GMs and I’ll run through a wall for them. This was Zeagle’s last season as Portland GM and this would be an excellent consolation prize at the end of they year.
Honorable Mentions
Tight End of the Year
Due to a low volume passing attack that was primarily funneled through the wide receiver position, rookie tight end Mark Goodhead (@CptGoosar) did not get much opportunity to make an impact in the passing game. 40 receptions for 380 yards and 2 touchdowns is a solid season, especially as a rookie at a very nuanced position. Goodhead’s 21 pancakes puts him at sixth among TEs and third among rookie TEs. The only rookie TE to not allow a sack, he’s definitely a player to keep an eye on headed into S31.
Quarterback of the Year
The dual quarterback situation that Portland utilized this season has most likely eliminated any chance of Panda McKyle (@furiousPanda) or Wendell Sailor (@.simo) being considered for an award this season. The only two quarterbacks with less than 200 attempts, there simply isn’t enough volume for either to make noise on the ballot. Panda McKyle performed admirably as the starter and QB1 and Wendell Sailor flashed a great deal of potential in his limited appearances this year. Looking ahead, Wendell Sailor could be competing for QBOTY in S31.
Offensive Lineman of the Year
Mentioning Offensive Lineman of the Year feels like a bit of a moot point since Clifford Wilson will almost assuredly win this award by a country mile. His 99 pancakes are 32 more than his closest competitor, Portland’s very own Tay Heenie. Additionally, Wilson has the most important zero an offensive lineman can have, zero sacks allowed. But I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the interior offensive line for a bit. Michael Carimi (@"Leahterneckmike"), a rookie guard for Portland, also had everyone’s favorite o-line statistic with zero sacks. Carimi’s 53 pancakes lead all interior lineman with the closest human player, Minnesota’s Brian Taylor, 12 pancakes behind. The closest bot, Portland’s other starting guard, Lebron James IV, is behind by 7 pancakes. Among all offensive lineman, Carimi is seventh overall in pancakes and ranks at second among o-line rookies; Tijuana’s Zoltan (OT) leads rookies with 63 pancakes. This is a very impressive showing from the rookie guard, and I wanted to give a special shoutout to a position on the line that doesn’t get much love.
I hope this media piece brought some under the radar performances to light, especially on the offensive side. Portland had some excellent individual players and performances this year that was put together by a pair of excellent GMs. Thank you again for your consideration.
Without further ado, I proudly present:
Portland Pythons: For Your Consideration
Running Back of the Year
On the only team to support two 1000+ yard rushers this season, Noah Johns (@nlj04) and Jax Baker (@Pancakes) have built themselves quite the candidacy for this award en route to the number two rushing offense in the DSFL in Season 30. Johns and Baker ran for 1100 and 1038 yards this season, good for third and fourth respectively. Both running backs had significant volume to help carry them to these significant yardage totals; Johns with 224 carries and Baker with 205. But it wasn’t simply volume that carried them (pun fully intended) to a top four rushing finish; among qualified backs, 100 carries or more on the season, Baker was second in the DSFL with 5.1 yards per carry with Johns not far behind at 4.9 YPC. All of the yardage in the world doesn’t quite mean much if you can’t punch the ball in for a touchdown. Luckily for the voters, Jax Baker did exactly that this season. Baker’s 11 rushing touchdowns is good for second in the DSFL, behind only Minnesota’s John Huntsman who had an otherworldly 17. The only thing really hurting Noah Johns chances of winning this award is only having 4 rushing touchdowns on the season. While neither running back was particularly involved with the passing game, it should be noted that neither running back allowed a sack in pass protection. Regarding in season awards, both running backs won Offensive Player of the Game twice apiece.
Ultimately, Noah Johns and Jax Baker are two superb candidates for RBOTY; both should easily be finalists on the ballots this season with their very impressive body of work. With his touchdown count and elite efficiency in the ground game Jax Baker is a legitimate candidate to win RBOTY this season.
Wide Receiver of the Year
Continuing with the offense, Portland also produced two excellent Wide Receiver of the Year candidates in Calvin Hobbes (@krazko) and offensive team captain Tay Swizzle (@pauadrian). Hobbes put up a stellar stat line for the season with 75 receptions for 1233 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not content to be overlooked, Swizzle used explosive play after explosive play to launch themselves to a 64 reception, 1164 yards, and 10 touchdowns season. With the second longest reception on the year, 84 yards, Swizzle’s hallmarks of the season were big plays and great receiving efficiency. Their 18.2 yards per reception is good for second in the DSFL. The most standout number may be that Tay Swizzle is the only receiver in the DSFL season what put up over 1000 yards on fewer than 70 catches. Perhaps the most impressive part of these two receivers’ season is the fact they put up such excellent numbers on the least pass happy team in the DSFL. Portland only threw the ball 396 times with 241 completions in season 30. Combined, the two receivers accounted for an astounding 57.7% of the team’s receptions and 71.7% of the team’s receiving yards. Only Norfolk’s combination of French Fries and Malcador the Hero combined for a higher percentage of their team’s receptions and receiving yards; and Norfolk accomplished that with 101 more passing attempts and 47 more receptions than Portland. The two combined for four Offensive Player of the Game awards this season: Calvin Hobbes with three and Tay Swizzle with one.
Needing to rely on nearly unparalleled efficiency due to a low volume passing attack, Calvin Hobbes and Tay Swizzle still managed to land ninth and eleventh overall in receiving yardage, fifth and seventh in receiving touchdowns, and seventh and second in yards per reception. Portland once again has two excellent candidates; either one could easily be a finalist if not a contender to win WROTY.
Offensive Player of the Year
I’m not sure how the voters will look at Portland’s offense for a season like this. Our two excellent running backs may take each other out of consideration for OPOTY due to there not being a clear number one running back that can get the volume to dominate the box score. For our wide receivers, it comes down to a discussion of volume versus efficiency. If I had to name two players that would have the best chance to make finalist for this position, it would be Tay Swizzle and Jax Baker due to their elite efficiency.
Offensive Performance of the Year
The three offensive games that would most likely garner attention for this award are as follows:
- Portland @ London, W1 – Calvin Hobbes: 4 rec, 105 yards, 2 TD
- Kansas City @ Portland, W2 – Tay Swizzle: 7 rec, 159 yards, 1 TD
- Bondi Beach @ Portland, W4 – Jax Baker: 15 att, 153 yards, 2 TD
The ultimate winner of this award likely won’t be coming out of Portland this season due to how the offense operated.
Defensive End of the Year
Rocco Blade (@Accka) has put up excellent stats this year at defensive end. His stat line for the season is 46 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 7 sacks, and 2 defensive touchdowns. Blade’s two defensive touchdowns were not only tied for second in the DSFL this season, they are tied for second all time in a single season. Honestly, that should be enough right there to clinch the award. If it’s not, Blade led all defensive ends in tackles, was second in fumble recoveries, tied for third in forced fumbles, and tied for third in tackles for loss. Rocco Blade put together a complete season with major contributions in every defensive statistical category. He at minimum deserves to be a finalist for DEOTY and may end up getting a few votes for DPOTY due to his penchant for high impact plays.
Defensive Tackle of the Year
Rookie defensive tackle R.L. Stine (@Toasty) put up some quality numbers this season. His 72 tackles were one away from being tied for first amongst defensive tackles. 3 tackles for loss and 1 sack are solid numbers for a rookie. His lack of forced fumbles and relatively lower sack numbers will likely prevent him from clinching out a win, but as one of two defensive tackles to have 70 or more tackles Stine should easily be a DTOTY finalist.
Linebacker of the Year
LBOTY is a bit of a tricky award to predict this year. Norfolk’s rookie linebacker sensation Sconnie McHits set the single season tackle record. Setting such an impactful record may be enough to clinch the award for him. But Elliot Hord (@Hord300) deserves some consideration. Hord’s 101 tackles are good for third not just amongst linebackers, but in the entire DSFL. Three forced fumbles and seven sacks are good for second and third respectively among linebackers. Not content to be type cast as a pure pash rusher, Hord showed off some coverage prowess with 4 pass deflections. Hord excelled in every part of the game he was asked to play. In any other season, Hord would be a near shoo-in for LBOTY. At minimum Hord will be a finalist for the award. With his sack numbers, tackles for loss, and overall tackle numbers, it will be a difficult decision for many award voters. Linebacker of the Year could easily be the most competitive award in Season 30.
Cornerback of the Year
This may be the easiest pitch I have in this entire post. Defensive captain The Laz (@C9Van) was hands down the most dominant cornerback in the DSFL in Season 30. Their 6 interceptions and 33 pass deflections both lead the DSFL. Three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries are just icing on the cake. 8 total turnovers forced is good for second in the DSFL as well. The Laz rang up 96 total tackles, second among CBs and fifth in the DSFL. All of these stats alone would be good enough for The Laz to be CBOTY. There’s plenty of competition with those stats, but here’s where I admit I buried the lede. The Laz had three defensive touchdowns. The sole owner of the single season defensive touchdown record, The Laz is all but guaranteed to win CBOTY this year. Speaking of records, The Laz also has the single game defensive touchdown record (2) and the single game interception return yards record (95). The only reason for The Laz to miss out on CBOTY is because the voters decided to grant him Defensive Player of the Year instead.
Safety of the Year
Portland has two safeties this season that are legitimate Safety of the Year candidates in Jay Spears (@JaytheGreat) and Siaosi Multauaopele (man, it sure feels weird to write about your own player like this). Both rookies, they have accomplished their contention for this award in two highly different ways. Jay Spears had an absolutely stellar season with 66 tackles, first among safeties, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery, 2 interceptions, tied for second among safeties, three pass deflections, and one defensive touchdown. This is a very solid year. With his tackle numbers, impact in the passing game, and defensive touchdown, it will be difficult for anyone to dethrone Spears for SOTY this season. Multiauauopele’s season was no slouch: 52 tackles, fourth among safeties, 5 forced fumbles, tied for first among safeties and tied for third in the DSFL, 3 fumble recoveries, first among safeties and tied for sixth in the DSFL, 4 sacks, second among safeties, and 2 pass deflections. Multiauaopele had less of an impact in the passing game, but he made up for that by forcing the second most turnovers among safeties and racking up the second most sacks among safeties.
Safety of the Year will be yet another hotly contested award; potentially as hotly contested as Linebacker of the Year. Funnily enough, this is yet another award where Portland and Norfolk have some premier players. Spears and Multiauaopele should both be finalists for SOTY and there is an argument that either of them could be crowned winner at the end of the day.
Defensive Player of the Year
The Laz is the easiest Python to recommend for Defensive Player of the year. I assume most of the conversation for this award will revolve around The Laz and Norfolk’s Sconnie McHits and which award, defensive touchdowns or tackles, is more impressive to break. Elliot Hord is a dark horse pick for DPOTY as well if McHits wins LBOTY.
Defensive Performance of the Year
I haven’t dug through all of the teams’ week by week box scores to analyze performance of the year chances for everyone, but I would be shocked if this performance by The Laz is overshadowed by another single week performance.
- Portland @ Bondi Beach, W11: The Laz – 10 Tck, 2 Int, 2 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR
Three turnovers forced, two pick sixes, and double-digit tackles as a cherry on top will be difficult to beat.
General Manager of the Year
Zeagle (@zeagle1) and Burrow (@LSUFAN101) put together an excellent team that never gave up. They got players that update regularly and want to compete. They were available for help whenever any of us had a question, were unflinchingly resilient during the season, and hounded us to update and earn every week. They’re great GMs and I’ll run through a wall for them. This was Zeagle’s last season as Portland GM and this would be an excellent consolation prize at the end of they year.
Honorable Mentions
Tight End of the Year
Due to a low volume passing attack that was primarily funneled through the wide receiver position, rookie tight end Mark Goodhead (@CptGoosar) did not get much opportunity to make an impact in the passing game. 40 receptions for 380 yards and 2 touchdowns is a solid season, especially as a rookie at a very nuanced position. Goodhead’s 21 pancakes puts him at sixth among TEs and third among rookie TEs. The only rookie TE to not allow a sack, he’s definitely a player to keep an eye on headed into S31.
Quarterback of the Year
The dual quarterback situation that Portland utilized this season has most likely eliminated any chance of Panda McKyle (@furiousPanda) or Wendell Sailor (@.simo) being considered for an award this season. The only two quarterbacks with less than 200 attempts, there simply isn’t enough volume for either to make noise on the ballot. Panda McKyle performed admirably as the starter and QB1 and Wendell Sailor flashed a great deal of potential in his limited appearances this year. Looking ahead, Wendell Sailor could be competing for QBOTY in S31.
Offensive Lineman of the Year
Mentioning Offensive Lineman of the Year feels like a bit of a moot point since Clifford Wilson will almost assuredly win this award by a country mile. His 99 pancakes are 32 more than his closest competitor, Portland’s very own Tay Heenie. Additionally, Wilson has the most important zero an offensive lineman can have, zero sacks allowed. But I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the interior offensive line for a bit. Michael Carimi (@"Leahterneckmike"), a rookie guard for Portland, also had everyone’s favorite o-line statistic with zero sacks. Carimi’s 53 pancakes lead all interior lineman with the closest human player, Minnesota’s Brian Taylor, 12 pancakes behind. The closest bot, Portland’s other starting guard, Lebron James IV, is behind by 7 pancakes. Among all offensive lineman, Carimi is seventh overall in pancakes and ranks at second among o-line rookies; Tijuana’s Zoltan (OT) leads rookies with 63 pancakes. This is a very impressive showing from the rookie guard, and I wanted to give a special shoutout to a position on the line that doesn’t get much love.
I hope this media piece brought some under the radar performances to light, especially on the offensive side. Portland had some excellent individual players and performances this year that was put together by a pair of excellent GMs. Thank you again for your consideration.
[OPTION]Height: 6'3"
[OPTION]Weight: 226 lbs
[OPTION]Birthplace: Waipahu, HI
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[OPTION]S30 DSFL Draft Selected 4th Overall - Portland Pythons
[OPTION]S31 ISFL Draft Selected 21st Overall - Berlin Fire Salamanders
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[OPTION] DSFL S30 || 52.0 TCK || 0.0 TFL || 5/3 FF/FR || 4 SCK || 0 INT || 2 PD || 0 TD
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[OPTION]S30 DSFL Safety of the Year Nominee
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