01-11-2022, 07:07 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-13-2022, 02:09 PM by Asked Madden. Edited 1 time in total.)
First of all, hi! I’m still here! Sorry about the unplanned absence. I’ll log back into Discord again soon, I promise, I’m just dreading all of the pings I’m going to have to wade through. Nothing really noteworthy happened, it was just one of those things. Busy holiday season, basically. Also, to be honest, I find doing league stuff on my phone to be a huge pain, and for a while now that’s been my only source of access, so that kind of disincentivized being present. As I told my friend @g2019, I haven’t lost interest, I just haven’t had time.
By the way, for those of you who were aware of my situation, to my immense relief, as of 01/03/2022 I am officially EMPLOYED again! And I landed a dream job, no less! I’ve always wanted to work in product development and I’m finally getting that opportunity. I could not possibly be happier with the way the situation played out, and after three awful months I finally feel like I can breathe again! (No, not COVID, just your run-of-the-mill anxiety.)
Something else that happened during my little hiatus, as those who follow my Twitter may have guessed, I was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type), and wow did a whole lot of things that have happened in my life finally start to make sense. Learning this fact about myself has quite literally changed my life, in ways that I’m still figuring out. One small thing I’m doing to help manage the way my brain works is that I’m trying to cut back on the number of things that make demands on my time. And one of those is sim leagues. I’ve definitely overextended myself when it comes to sim leagues, and I need to significantly scale back my involvement. I’m still figuring out what that’s going to look like, but fear not my friends, the ISFL was my first love and I ain’t going anywhere! After a couple of false starts, I've had to be honest with myself and admit that a starting QB or a GM job probably isn’t ever going to happen, and I've had to make myself be OK with that. And you know what? I am. A healthy league needs role players and journeymen too!
Anyway, now that the perhaps overly personal update is out of the way, let’s get to the meat of this thing: my All-Pro ballot. Having looked at the votes, I noticed that I differed from the consensus at a number of positions, and so I thought I would write this piece to do two things: First, to critique my own analysis and approach, in hopes of being a better All-Pro voter in the future, and secondly, to share my thought process and defend my choices in cases where I'm prepared to stand by my vote when it goes against consensus.
There’s one very simple explanation for any discrepancies that I have to get out of the way right off the bat. I filled out my ballot on mobile. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been without a proper computer for a while, but I happened to remember that I had a duty to the Sim Football Writer’s Guild, which I… tried to do. (I’m truly sorry that I didn’t end up contributing anything to the write-up, guys! Thanks for giving me a 5% cut anyway!) But remember how I said that doing league stuff on mobile is a pain? Yeah… try looking at the index. Damn. So it’s possible, and actually pretty likely, if we're being honest, that I overlooked some important stats just because the screen was small and the numbers were tiny. I also didn’t have the ability to copy and paste the index into a spreadsheet to do any of my own calculations or numerical analysis. (Seriously, have you ever tried to use Google Sheets on mobile? Paper cuts are less painful.)
So anyway, we’re going to go through this position by position. I’ll try to defend my votes, and if I think I got something wrong, well, I’m here to own it. Let me be very clear before we get started, however, that I am very happy with the All-Pro team we selected. The purpose of this exercise is not to cast doubt or shade on any All-Pro or anyone receiving an All-Pro vote. There’s a lot of great seasons every year, and only but so many All-Pro spots. These are tough decisions!
OFFENSE
Quarterback
1st Team: Dexter Zaylren (unanimous)
If I voted again: no change
There was really no doubt in my mind about who was the best QB in the league this season. The only possible knock on Zaylren would be his relatively low total yardage; with 4228 yards he finished 11th in the league. However, he finished 12th in passing attempts, meaning he was more efficient than you would mathematically expect. And speaking of efficient, 35 TDs to just 5 interceptions is incredible, and it was this stat that really cemented him in my mind as the only choice for 1st team All-Pro. Clearly the other voters agreed, as he became a unanimous 1st-teamer.
2nd Team: Mattathias Caliban
My vote: Caliban
If I voted again: Ryan Negs
This was a really challenging call between Caliban and Negs. @negs is a good friend, and I try very hard to avoid even the appearance of bias towards friends and teammates. It’s very important to me that any kind of awards voting is objective and as unbiased as possible. However, I think sometimes that actually causes me to overcorrect, and outstanding seasons become downplayed in my mind just because the user is close to me. Caliban is certainly deserving, but statistically he’s more of an accumulator, considering that Colorado only ever runs the ball by accident. (Sixteen individual running backs exceeded Colorado’s 690 team rushing yards on the year. Baltimore, Chicago, and Arizona each had two running backs do it!) In terms of who played better this season, I think I should have given it to Negs. He was the only QB other than Zaylren with single-digit interceptions, and also completed over 60% of his passes, threw more than 30 TDs, and earned a QB rating over 100 for the season.
Running Back
1st Team: Zoe Watts, Deadly Memes
My votes: Goat Tank, Deadly Memes
2nd Team: John Huntsman, Goat Tank
My Votes: Watts and Huntsman
If I voted again: 1T Watts and Memes, 2 T Tank and Huntsman
My apologies to Zoe Watts for being the only vote that prevented her from being a unanimous 1st Team All-Pro. I definitely think the Writer's Guild got the four most outstanding running backs in the league on our All-Pro team, but I got the order wrong. My thinking at the time was that Goat Tank played a larger role in Berlin’s offense than Watts did in Austin’s, considering that she shared a backfield with the league’s best receiving back in Jim the Vampire. I thought that Tank had better receiving stats. That was incorrect. I blame the tiny mobile screen, because I just flat-out missed the fact that Watts had more receiving yards than Tank, and nearly twice as many catches! Watts did have one fewer TD on the year (13 + 4 compared to Tank’s 12 + 6), but when comparing their two outstanding seasons, I would have to put Watts’ slightly above Tank’s in the final analysis.
Fullback
1st Team: Buster Bawlls (unanimous)
2nd Team: Ben Alexander-Arnold
My vote: Dexter Jackson
If I voted again: Ben Alexander-Arnold
With only 4 true fullbacks in the league, I’m not sure any more now why I made the decision that I did, Jackson over Alexander-Arnold. I think I was swayed by the fact that Jackson was the only FB other than Bawlls with a TD, and had higher usage (more rushing attempts and more catches). No shade whatsoever to Jackson, but I got it wrong. Ben Alexander-Arnold had more yardage and better efficiency as both a runner and a receiver, and also 2 more pancakes than Jackson, with neither player allowing a sack. Even without a TD on the year, looking at the stats again I think it’s clear that BAA (His nickname could be The Ram! Geddit?) was more deserving of the All-Pro vote.
Wide Receiver
1st Team: Tugg Speedman (unanimous), Jake Fencik
My vote: Speedman, Bayley Cowabunga
If I voted again: No change
2nd Team: Bayley Cowabunga, Jackson Kingston
My vote: Jake Fencik, Tsuyu Asui
If I voted again: Fencik and Kingston
Wide Receiver might be the hardest offensive position to vote for, because there’s just so many deserving candidates every year, and only 4 spots. (Thought: considering that most teams regularly start 3 WRs now, should we expand the All-Pro roster to include 6 WRs? Discuss.) I stand by selection of Cowabunga over Fencik for the 1st Team: Cowabunga had more catches (113 vs. 97) and more TDs (15 vs. 11) on the year than Fencik did. One other All-Pro voter agreed with me on this as well. Ultimately it’s just hair-splitting, as both players had marvelous seasons and should savor their well-deserved recognition.
The vote that probably requires more explanation is me being the only voter to nominate Tsuyu Asui for All-Pro, and leaving out Jackson Kingston entirely. Like I touched on before with Negs vs. Caliban, I think I may have overcorrected for any possible bias towards my Sarasota teammate. I was impressed by Asui scoring the most TDs in Colorado’s “We Only Pass” offense. However, Asui had two teammates with more receiving yards and roughly the same number of catches, Raphael Delacour with significantly more catches, actually. I think this might also have been another case of me not being able to see very well and just having a gaudy scoring stat catch my eye. Relative to Asui, Kingston had more catches, more yards, better YPC, and made a bigger contribution to his team’s offense. I shouldn’t have let two fewer TDs and the teammate connection distract me from those facts.
Tight End
1st Team: Borgo San Lorenzo
2nd Team: Mario Messi
My vote: Same as final result
If I voted again: No change
With acknowledgements to NOLA’s Adam Spencer and his 9.5 YPC, I think BSL and Messi were the clear two top TEs in the league this season. Messi was significantly better as a blocker, with 58 pancakes compared to BSL’s 27, and so I have no issue with the single voter whose ballot put Messi 1 and BSL 2, probably based on that stat, if I had to guess. Blocking is important! But it can be a thankless job; it’s the receiving stats that get the most attention, and here BSL notably exceeded Messi, with more catches, greater efficiency, and more TDs.
Offensive Tackle
1st Team: Ananda Adyan, Stumpy Jones
2nd Team: Alexander Franklin, Icebox Riposte
My votes: same as final result
If I voted again: no change
Strong consensus here. I think we got the four best players and I think we got them in the right order. Very honorable mentions go to veteran stalwarts Bruce Buckley and Jaja Dingdong, who also received votes.
Offensive Guard
1st Team: Felix Archstone (unanimous), Maiteers Rico-Shea
2nd Team: Bob Roberts, Bernie Sanders
My vote: 1T Archstone and Sanders, 2T Roberts and Rico-Shea
If I voted again: same as final result
Again, I think we as voters got the four correct players and in the correct order. For offensive line stats, I place a premium on not allowing sacks, and for me that means I should’ve had Rico-Shea as a 1st-Teamer. Somehow I missed Bernie Sanders’ 3 sacks allowed to go with 80 pancakes. Given a do-over, I would agree with the consensus that Rico-Shea’s 76 and 0 belongs on the 1st Team ahead of Sanders’ 80 and 3 or Roberts’ 77 and 1. Felix Archstone’s 100 pancakes as an offensive guard, with no sacks allowed besides, is from another planet. We almost should’ve made a “0th Team” just for him. What a season!
Center
1st Team: Manhattan Project
2nd Team: Ben Slothlisberger
My vote: same as final result
If I voted again: no change
Manhattan Project was built in a secret laboratory somewhere in the New Mexico desert specifically to play center. 98 pancakes as a center is bonkers, and just 1 sack allowed on the year is easily forgivable. Our 2nd-Teamer Ben Slothlisberger was always built like a lineman, even in his QB days, so the transition to OL has been a natural one. No sacks allowed on the season, which is probably why he got a single 1st-Team vote over Manhattan Project, but Project stacking up 19 additional pancakes was enough to cancel out that one sack allowed for me and most other voters. Unfortunately, no position-specific historical stats are available for OL without going through the index season by season, so I don’t have time to determine if Felix Archstone or Manhattan Project's seasons are records for interior linemen.
DEFENSE
Defensive voting is much harder than offensive voting, in my opinion. There’s some positional ambiguity (as we’ll see), and defensive performance is flat-out more difficult to encapsulate in mere statistics. There’s no stats for how many times a disruptive DT gets double-teamed, or for how often a QB just doesn’t throw to a shutdown CB’s side of the field. But as voters, we do our best!
Defensive Tackle
1st Team: Chuck Roth (unanimous), HonkyTonk Haywood
My vote: Roth, Dominos Pizzaman
2nd Team: Dominos Pizzaman, Patrik Money
My vote: HonkyTonk Haywood, Otis Allen
If I voted again: 1T Roth and Haywood, 2T Pizzaman and Allen
Roth was clearly the best DT in the league this season, and he made for the only easy choice in this category. I’d probably switch Haywood and Pizzaman if I voted again, although I do think my original choice is defensible. I was very impressed that Pizzaman led all DTs in tackles for loss, and that he was a big part of why Orange County’s defense led the league in TFLs. However, Haywood having more total tackles, more sacks, and more turnovers probably should’ve pushed me towards giving him the 1st Team nod.
I think I’d stick with my choice of Allen over Patrik Money for the 2nd Team, even if given a do-over. Like I said, these are very difficult decisions. Allen’s work as a run disrupter, evidenced by 72 total tackles, stood out to me, even though Patrik Money’s 7 sacks and a safety is very impressive. Which is more valuable, stuffing the run or taking down the QB? Honestly, probably taking down the QB, but stuffing the run is more in the job description for a DT. So it was very close. I certainly have no issue with Money making the team, but I think my original vote is defensible and I’m comfortable sticking with it. Two things can be true.
Defensive End
1st Team: Medicinal Toblerone, Demon Jaxson
My vote: Medicinal Toblerone, Leonard Taylor
2nd Team: David Frank, Brick Van Sanzo
My vote: Bean Beanman, Mongo
If I voted again: 1T Toblerone and Jaxson, 2T Beanman and Mongo
This one got complicated. Obviously, I filled out my ballot before it came to light that Leonard Taylor played mostly as a 3-4 outside linebacker and was therefore ineligible for All-Pro consideration at DE. I have mixed feelings about this. I think it was probably the right call to disqualify him, but it feels odd to penalize a player for the system he was in, and it means that Taylor misses out on a significant honor through absolutely no fault of his own. A 3-4 scheme doesn’t really even have defensive ends, the “ends” in a 3-4 are just slightly smaller, more agile DTs bookending a big ol’ nose tackle. This is the positional ambiguity I was talking about earlier. Congratulations to Leonard Taylor on an outstanding season! It’s just unfortunate that there’s not really a good way to properly acknowledge it.
I significantly differed from the consensus on this one. Three of the four All-Pros didn’t even make it onto my ballot. Bean Beanman and Mongo got a couple of additional votes, but I was the only one not to vote for Jaxson, so this does warrant some scrutiny. As far as Jaxson goes, I’m going to blame the tiny phone screen again. I really think I just flat-out didn’t see him. I’ve talked earlier about maybe over-correcting for teammate bias, but like Mario Messi at TE, his season was so undeniably outstanding that it wasn't even a consideration. Jaxson finished second in tackles and TFLs, tied for third in sacks, and with 3 forced fumbles; only Toblerone had a (slightly) better year. There’s really no excuse for leaving him off my ballot, and I can’t see any reason why I might have done so apart from an outright mistake.
I’m prepared to defend my choice of Beanman over Van Sanzo. I wasn’t the only voter to make the same decision. It simply comes down to Beanman having more than twice as many tackles (62 vs. 30). Both players had 7 sacks, but Beanman had one additional TFL. Van Sanzo’s line of 5 forced fumbles and 2 recoveries is All-Pro worthy, but Beanman forced 4 fumbles of his own, even if he didn’t recover any. Van Sanzo had a safety, but I try not to overrate those, since they can be fluky. I think Beanman’s higher tackle numbers indicate he was the more disruptive, impactful player overall. David Frank versus Mongo is really too close to call. I was the only Mongo voter who didn’t also vote for Frank, and those voters didn’t name Toblerone, who I thought was the best (eligible) DE in the league this season. I think I still take Mongo. Both players had an incredible 10 sacks with 2 forced fumbles, but Mongo had 11 more total tackles. Frank had a safety, but Mongo had a fumble recovery, which I consider to be roughly equivalent. I just don’t think Frank’s 3 extra TFLs is quite enough for me to overlook Mongo's 42 tackles versus Frank's 31. It feels insane to leave a double-digit sack artist off of the All-Pro team, but I think it just demonstrates why this was possibly the most difficult vote of any position.
Outside Linebacker
1st Team: Big Slammu, Gary Goodman
My vote: Big Slammu, Melvin Murder-Moose
2nd Team: BamBam McMullet, Juan Domine
My vote: Goodman, McMullet
If I voted again: 1T Slammu and Goodman, 2T McMullet and Murder-Moose
The linebacker nomination process was made extraordinarily difficult by the index itself, since unfortunately it doesn’t distinguish between ILB and OLB. Thankfully the balloting process made clearer distinctions. Linebacker voting was still very difficult however, because there were just so many worthy candidates! We have a lot of really good LBs in this league! The one easy decision was Big Slammu, who I think was clearly the best all-around OLB in the league this season. Third in tackles, tied for first in TFLs, and second in sacks, with a whopping 7 forced fumbles, the Street Shark really took a big bite out of the competition this year!
The only change I would make in my vote is to switch my 1st- and 2nd- team nominations of Goodman and Murder-Moose. I do have to be careful here, since @SchwarzNarr is a friend, but Melvin did set the all-time tackle record, with the first season of 150+ tackles in league history! The 6 TFLs and 8 sacks are very respectable numbers, and 5 forced fumbles impressive as well. Apologies to Juan Domine, but that level of impact from Murder-Moose combined with the unprecedented tackling performance is enough for me to overlook Murder-Moose’s 0 interceptions, 0 TDs, and single-digit sacks. Again, defensive voting is really difficult. Schemes differ, and players can only do what they’re asked to do. Clearly Murder-Moose’s role was dedicated more to taking away the run and stopping passes out to the flat from breaking for big plays, whereas other OLBs dedicated themselves more to pass rushing or coverage downfield. Murder-Moose still makes my hypothetical do-over All-Pro ballot, but given a do-over, I’d switch my original choice and put Goodman on the 1st Team ahead of him. I think on my actual ballot I probably unfairly held Goodman having “only” 96 tackles against him. The 18 sacks is absolutely elite, and snagging 4 interceptions as an outside linebacker is a rare accomplishment. Add in the TD, and there’s no question, that’s a worthy 1st Team All-Pro season.
Inside Linebacker
1st Team: Rusty Rucker (unanimous)
If I voted again: Rucker
If he wasn’t on the same team as Melvin Murder-Moose, Rusty Rucker would’ve set the all-time tackle record this season, with 144. With those two in the front 7, no wonder Colorado was the only defense with 800+ tackles on the year! (Although Honolulu got oh-so-close with 798). A league-leading (tied with Big Slammu) 11 of those tackles resulted in lost yardage, and he even had 11 sacks, despite rarely coming around the edge. Interior linemen just couldn’t stop him this season. Adding in his whopping 8 forced fumbles made this a no-brainer. This might just be the greatest inside linebacker season we’ve ever seen.
2nd Team: Sakeem Webb
My vote: Douglas Quaid
If I voted again: Webb
Did I see Sakeem Webb’s name in the index and just automatically think “CB?” Because otherwise I really can’t give you a reason why I voted for Douglas Quaid over him. Both players had 104 tackles, but Webb otherwise had superior counting statistics across the board versus Quaid, with more TFLs and more sacks. He also pulled in an interception and broke up 13 passes, showing that he still has those CB pass coverage instincts despite bulking up and changing positions. Apologies to Quaid, but I think I got this one wrong. Thankfully, the other voters didn’t.
Cornerback
1st Team: Rich Triplet, Doy Fieri
My vote: Triplet, Willie Miller
2nd Team: Swantavius Jones, Redbeard McFredbeard
My vote: Doy Fieri, Annie May
If I voted again: No change
I’m comfortable with my CB vote and I think I’d make the same choices again, even though they differ from the final consensus. I believe there may have been some advanced stats posted in the SFWG Discord that I didn’t see, specifically times targeted and catches allowed. I either overlooked that information or didn’t know where to find it, so I was operating strictly out of the index, which doesn’t include that kind of data. On the other hand, I also don’t know if it would’ve changed my mind or not. I thought Triplet and Miller stood out as the league’s two best CBs, and they had very similar seasons. Triplet picked off 6 passes, second-most in the league, and Miller was right behind as one of six players to record 5 picks. They each had 35 PDs, tying them (plus Arizona’s Juno Hu) for second-most, and they both scored a TD. Miller had 10 more tackles, exceeding 100 for the year, while Triplet forced and recovered two fumbles. Outstanding work by both players!
Moving on to the 2nd Team, Doy Fieri certainly deserved their All-Pro recognition as the only CB with 2 touchdowns on the year. They were also among the league’s best in pass coverage, recording 5 INTs and 30 PDs. Having just 71 tackles pushed them down to the 2nd Team on my ballot, but what a year! I confess I was a little surprised that we as voters collectively didn’t give Annie May more love. If the primary job of a CB is to stop the pass, no one was better at it this season than Annie, who led the league with 37 PDs, and had a very respectable 3 INTs besides. Add 95 tackles and a forced fumble, plus a TD for good measure, and you certainly have an All-Pro worthy season, in my opinion. Maybe the advanced stats weren’t as favorable, but like I mentioned, I could only work off the index.
Safety
1st Team: Eugene Smoothie (unanimous), Chathack’rius Smith IV
My vote: Smoothie, Cuco Clemente
2nd Team: Cuco Clemente, Pasta the Turtle
My vote: Smith IV, the Turtle
If I voted again: No change
Unfortunately I didn’t get to have the satisfaction of voting for myself as an All-Pro safety. Maybe next year. But voting for my teammate and in-character idol Cuco Clemente felt almost as good! Did I make a mistake by being the only voter to have Clemente on the 1st Team ahead of Smith IV? Did name recognition and teammate bias get the better of me? Well…yeah, maybe. But one other voter did the same thing, and I think it’s defensible. Chathack’rius Smith IV did accomplish the incredible feat of picking off 3 passes and taking each one to the house, but Clemente had 2 pick-sixes of his own, plus 5 more PDs and one more INT overall. Smith IV had 5 more tackles and an additional sack, but the players are so close. It’s worth noting that Clemente plays mainly free safety, whereas Smith IV mostly plays closer to the line as a strong safety. This makes Clemente’s 2 sacks look a bit more impressive to me, but maybe it should’ve also made me rate Smith IV’s pass coverage more highly. At any rate, the important thing is we saw two incredible seasons, both very deserving of All-Pro recognition!
Smoothie was an obvious choice for the 1st Team, leading the league in INTs with 7, a very unusual feat for a safety! He also recorded 15 PDs and had 4 sacks despite mostly playing free safety. Former DSFL linebacker Pasta the Turtle slimmed down a bit to play safety in the big league, and was only the best pass coverage safety in the league, racking up 18 PDs and 6 INTs, but I think Clemente had a stronger all-around year.
Flex DB
1st Team: CB Willie Miller
My vote: S Dogwood Maple, CB Swantavius Jones
2nd Team: S Romulus Roman
My vote: CB Lip Gallagher, CB Owen Reed
If I voted again: 1T Gallagher, 2T S Lawrence Miller
Well, for the FLEX DB position, apparently due to an error on the ballot that I was unaware of, I was able to vote for two players when I should’ve only been able to vote for one. I also couldn’t vote eventual winner Miller into the FLEX DB spot, since I had already voted for him as a 1st-Team CB. And if I understand correctly, players who get votes for 1st- or 2nd-team CB and S without actually making the All-Pro team at those positions then have those votes count towards a nomination for FLEX DB. I think. FLEX DB gets complicated, is what I’m saying. Thankfully, I haven’t complicated it further by changing any of my votes for CB and S.
It’s also quite difficult to directly compare corners and safeties. CBs tend to rack up significantly higher totals in virtually every statistical category, and safeties are kind of the forgotten child of the sim. Further muddying the waters is the different playing styles of free versus strong safeties. So FLEX DB is a very challenging category to get “right.” I think there’s some issues with imposing artificial restrictions like this, but I decided to intentionally include a safety in my FLEX nominations, lest it simply become a third CB spot. Since I could only nominate two players in this do-over, that meant 1 CB and 1 S. Lip Gallagher had an excellent year, second-most tackles among CBs with 106, and the third-most pass breakups, with 33. He also picked off 3 passes and forced a fumble, which he also recovered. Dogwood Maple had a very solid year, but with a second look, I think perhaps I should’ve acknowledged New York’s other starting safety on my ballot instead. Lawrence Miller was a nightmare at the line of scrimmage, recording 77 tackles and 6 sacks, good for second and first, respectively, among all safeties. He was no slouch in pass coverage either, with 13 PDs and 2 INTs on the year, and even made a key contribution on special teams by blocking a field goal attempt. A stellar season all around for the Michigan State product, and one that I regret leaving off my ballot.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker
1st Team: Ikick Ballz
2nd Team: Cade York
My vote: same as final result
If I voted again: no change
Ikick Ballz was the only kicker to attempt more than 50 PATs on the year without missing. He was second in field goal attempts, and converted 85% of them, with 5 of the 6 misses occurring on kicks longer than 40 yards. (It’s also worth noting that the index doesn’t differentiate between actual misses and blocked kicks). He can also boast the league’s mightiest leg; he was lethal from 50+ yards, making 6 of 7 and nailing the longest FG of the season, a 59-yarder. Cade York had a similarly impressive year, missing just one of his 53 PAT attempts, going 5 for 6 on FGs of 50+ yards, and hitting 32 of 37 attempts overall. Apologies to Honolulu’s Freddy Bly, who earned some All-Pro votes as the only kicker with a FG% above 90 for the season. However, that statistic comes with the caveat that he was also one of the league's least-used kickers, finishing with the fewest FG attempts and 5th-fewest PAT attempts for the year. The larger sample sizes pushed me towards Ballz and York, even with their lower FG%.
Punter
1st Team: Blago Kokot (unanimous)
2nd Team: Sam Sidekick
My vote: 1T Kokot, 2T Dallas Dole
If I voted again: no change
The GOAT punter, Blago Kokot, proved he’s still the league’s best field-position weapon, accomplishing the astounding feat of landing more than half of his punts inside the opposing 20. He also had the second-best punting average for the season at 48.6 yards, and unleashed a 72-yard punt as his longest kick of the year. I think I’d stick with Dallas Dole as my second-choice punter; I’m impressed by his league-leading average of 49.2 yards, and his 73-yard punt was the longest of the year. I can’t argue against Sam Sidekick, who might not have quite as much leg as Dole but did drop 5 more kicks inside the 20 on 3 fewer total punts. I think it’s worth pointing out, however, that Orange County’s anemic offense made Dole’s job of flipping the field more difficult, as he booted the most punts of anyone on the year and kicked from the shadow of his own endzone more often than Sidekick.
Returner
1st Team: Tugg Speedman
2nd Team: Jackson Kingston
My vote: 1T Daniel Foster, 2T Kingston
If I voted again: 1T Speedman, 2T Kingston
This was a challenging category to vote for, since there simply isn’t that much information to make comparisons from. Regrettably, I felt that I couldn’t vote for Orange County’s Zach DiNozzo in spite of his league-leading 1022 kick return yards, he essentially wasn’t used on punt returns, attempting only 1 all season. I had the same take on Austin’s Jim the Vampire, who exclusively returned punts and no kicks. Was this fair or not? I can see an argument either way, but based on the vote totals, the rest of the Writer’s Guild thought along similar lines.
I think I overrated volume as I was making this determination, since the number of kicks and punts that a returner gets their hands on isn’t something that’s dictated by their own speed and skill. However, it’s not like volume doesn’t matter at all, either. It was volume that pushed my 1st-Team vote to Yellowknife’s Foster, who, with 35 kicks and 26 punts, was perhaps the league’s busiest returner this year. However, he was 14th in average kick returns and 11th in average punt returns. He was good, but didn’t really stand out. I think I erred in passing over Speedman. He was shifty and dangerous on punt returns, averaging 13.4 yards, tops among regular punt returners, with a season long return of 74 yards. He wasn’t as effective on kick returns, but still had a respectable average of 25.5 yards per return from 27 kicks received. Players with superior kick return averages either returned significantly fewer kicks, didn’t return punts, or both.
The lone exception to that was Sarasota’s Jackson Kingston. Again, I wanted to avoid any teammate bias, but his stats really jumped off the screen. He boasts the 4th-best kick return average for the season, at 27.1 yards, and no one ahead of him in that ranking could equal him on punt returns. Apologies to HeHateMe PickSix II, who did garner some All-Pro votes and has a legitimate case, but overall he returned 6 fewer kicks and 12 fewer punts compared to Kingston, and in this category I do think sample size matters somewhat. Kingston’s 9.0 yards per return on punts was middling, but out of the players ahead of him, only the 1st-Team All-Pro Speedman really compared to him on kick returns.
So there you have it! My own review and critique of my work as a first-time All-Pro voter, plus a little bit of information as to where the hell I've been for the last month. It was a real privilege to contribute to this recognition effort, and I hope to be decidedly more involved in All-Pro voting (and Awards voting, if the Sailfish want me to represent them!) at the end of S33 than I was at the end of S32.
By the way, for those of you who were aware of my situation, to my immense relief, as of 01/03/2022 I am officially EMPLOYED again! And I landed a dream job, no less! I’ve always wanted to work in product development and I’m finally getting that opportunity. I could not possibly be happier with the way the situation played out, and after three awful months I finally feel like I can breathe again! (No, not COVID, just your run-of-the-mill anxiety.)
Something else that happened during my little hiatus, as those who follow my Twitter may have guessed, I was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type), and wow did a whole lot of things that have happened in my life finally start to make sense. Learning this fact about myself has quite literally changed my life, in ways that I’m still figuring out. One small thing I’m doing to help manage the way my brain works is that I’m trying to cut back on the number of things that make demands on my time. And one of those is sim leagues. I’ve definitely overextended myself when it comes to sim leagues, and I need to significantly scale back my involvement. I’m still figuring out what that’s going to look like, but fear not my friends, the ISFL was my first love and I ain’t going anywhere! After a couple of false starts, I've had to be honest with myself and admit that a starting QB or a GM job probably isn’t ever going to happen, and I've had to make myself be OK with that. And you know what? I am. A healthy league needs role players and journeymen too!
Anyway, now that the perhaps overly personal update is out of the way, let’s get to the meat of this thing: my All-Pro ballot. Having looked at the votes, I noticed that I differed from the consensus at a number of positions, and so I thought I would write this piece to do two things: First, to critique my own analysis and approach, in hopes of being a better All-Pro voter in the future, and secondly, to share my thought process and defend my choices in cases where I'm prepared to stand by my vote when it goes against consensus.
There’s one very simple explanation for any discrepancies that I have to get out of the way right off the bat. I filled out my ballot on mobile. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been without a proper computer for a while, but I happened to remember that I had a duty to the Sim Football Writer’s Guild, which I… tried to do. (I’m truly sorry that I didn’t end up contributing anything to the write-up, guys! Thanks for giving me a 5% cut anyway!) But remember how I said that doing league stuff on mobile is a pain? Yeah… try looking at the index. Damn. So it’s possible, and actually pretty likely, if we're being honest, that I overlooked some important stats just because the screen was small and the numbers were tiny. I also didn’t have the ability to copy and paste the index into a spreadsheet to do any of my own calculations or numerical analysis. (Seriously, have you ever tried to use Google Sheets on mobile? Paper cuts are less painful.)
So anyway, we’re going to go through this position by position. I’ll try to defend my votes, and if I think I got something wrong, well, I’m here to own it. Let me be very clear before we get started, however, that I am very happy with the All-Pro team we selected. The purpose of this exercise is not to cast doubt or shade on any All-Pro or anyone receiving an All-Pro vote. There’s a lot of great seasons every year, and only but so many All-Pro spots. These are tough decisions!
OFFENSE
Quarterback
1st Team: Dexter Zaylren (unanimous)
If I voted again: no change
There was really no doubt in my mind about who was the best QB in the league this season. The only possible knock on Zaylren would be his relatively low total yardage; with 4228 yards he finished 11th in the league. However, he finished 12th in passing attempts, meaning he was more efficient than you would mathematically expect. And speaking of efficient, 35 TDs to just 5 interceptions is incredible, and it was this stat that really cemented him in my mind as the only choice for 1st team All-Pro. Clearly the other voters agreed, as he became a unanimous 1st-teamer.
2nd Team: Mattathias Caliban
My vote: Caliban
If I voted again: Ryan Negs
This was a really challenging call between Caliban and Negs. @negs is a good friend, and I try very hard to avoid even the appearance of bias towards friends and teammates. It’s very important to me that any kind of awards voting is objective and as unbiased as possible. However, I think sometimes that actually causes me to overcorrect, and outstanding seasons become downplayed in my mind just because the user is close to me. Caliban is certainly deserving, but statistically he’s more of an accumulator, considering that Colorado only ever runs the ball by accident. (Sixteen individual running backs exceeded Colorado’s 690 team rushing yards on the year. Baltimore, Chicago, and Arizona each had two running backs do it!) In terms of who played better this season, I think I should have given it to Negs. He was the only QB other than Zaylren with single-digit interceptions, and also completed over 60% of his passes, threw more than 30 TDs, and earned a QB rating over 100 for the season.
Running Back
1st Team: Zoe Watts, Deadly Memes
My votes: Goat Tank, Deadly Memes
2nd Team: John Huntsman, Goat Tank
My Votes: Watts and Huntsman
If I voted again: 1T Watts and Memes, 2 T Tank and Huntsman
My apologies to Zoe Watts for being the only vote that prevented her from being a unanimous 1st Team All-Pro. I definitely think the Writer's Guild got the four most outstanding running backs in the league on our All-Pro team, but I got the order wrong. My thinking at the time was that Goat Tank played a larger role in Berlin’s offense than Watts did in Austin’s, considering that she shared a backfield with the league’s best receiving back in Jim the Vampire. I thought that Tank had better receiving stats. That was incorrect. I blame the tiny mobile screen, because I just flat-out missed the fact that Watts had more receiving yards than Tank, and nearly twice as many catches! Watts did have one fewer TD on the year (13 + 4 compared to Tank’s 12 + 6), but when comparing their two outstanding seasons, I would have to put Watts’ slightly above Tank’s in the final analysis.
Fullback
1st Team: Buster Bawlls (unanimous)
2nd Team: Ben Alexander-Arnold
My vote: Dexter Jackson
If I voted again: Ben Alexander-Arnold
With only 4 true fullbacks in the league, I’m not sure any more now why I made the decision that I did, Jackson over Alexander-Arnold. I think I was swayed by the fact that Jackson was the only FB other than Bawlls with a TD, and had higher usage (more rushing attempts and more catches). No shade whatsoever to Jackson, but I got it wrong. Ben Alexander-Arnold had more yardage and better efficiency as both a runner and a receiver, and also 2 more pancakes than Jackson, with neither player allowing a sack. Even without a TD on the year, looking at the stats again I think it’s clear that BAA (His nickname could be The Ram! Geddit?) was more deserving of the All-Pro vote.
Wide Receiver
1st Team: Tugg Speedman (unanimous), Jake Fencik
My vote: Speedman, Bayley Cowabunga
If I voted again: No change
2nd Team: Bayley Cowabunga, Jackson Kingston
My vote: Jake Fencik, Tsuyu Asui
If I voted again: Fencik and Kingston
Wide Receiver might be the hardest offensive position to vote for, because there’s just so many deserving candidates every year, and only 4 spots. (Thought: considering that most teams regularly start 3 WRs now, should we expand the All-Pro roster to include 6 WRs? Discuss.) I stand by selection of Cowabunga over Fencik for the 1st Team: Cowabunga had more catches (113 vs. 97) and more TDs (15 vs. 11) on the year than Fencik did. One other All-Pro voter agreed with me on this as well. Ultimately it’s just hair-splitting, as both players had marvelous seasons and should savor their well-deserved recognition.
The vote that probably requires more explanation is me being the only voter to nominate Tsuyu Asui for All-Pro, and leaving out Jackson Kingston entirely. Like I touched on before with Negs vs. Caliban, I think I may have overcorrected for any possible bias towards my Sarasota teammate. I was impressed by Asui scoring the most TDs in Colorado’s “We Only Pass” offense. However, Asui had two teammates with more receiving yards and roughly the same number of catches, Raphael Delacour with significantly more catches, actually. I think this might also have been another case of me not being able to see very well and just having a gaudy scoring stat catch my eye. Relative to Asui, Kingston had more catches, more yards, better YPC, and made a bigger contribution to his team’s offense. I shouldn’t have let two fewer TDs and the teammate connection distract me from those facts.
Tight End
1st Team: Borgo San Lorenzo
2nd Team: Mario Messi
My vote: Same as final result
If I voted again: No change
With acknowledgements to NOLA’s Adam Spencer and his 9.5 YPC, I think BSL and Messi were the clear two top TEs in the league this season. Messi was significantly better as a blocker, with 58 pancakes compared to BSL’s 27, and so I have no issue with the single voter whose ballot put Messi 1 and BSL 2, probably based on that stat, if I had to guess. Blocking is important! But it can be a thankless job; it’s the receiving stats that get the most attention, and here BSL notably exceeded Messi, with more catches, greater efficiency, and more TDs.
Offensive Tackle
1st Team: Ananda Adyan, Stumpy Jones
2nd Team: Alexander Franklin, Icebox Riposte
My votes: same as final result
If I voted again: no change
Strong consensus here. I think we got the four best players and I think we got them in the right order. Very honorable mentions go to veteran stalwarts Bruce Buckley and Jaja Dingdong, who also received votes.
Offensive Guard
1st Team: Felix Archstone (unanimous), Maiteers Rico-Shea
2nd Team: Bob Roberts, Bernie Sanders
My vote: 1T Archstone and Sanders, 2T Roberts and Rico-Shea
If I voted again: same as final result
Again, I think we as voters got the four correct players and in the correct order. For offensive line stats, I place a premium on not allowing sacks, and for me that means I should’ve had Rico-Shea as a 1st-Teamer. Somehow I missed Bernie Sanders’ 3 sacks allowed to go with 80 pancakes. Given a do-over, I would agree with the consensus that Rico-Shea’s 76 and 0 belongs on the 1st Team ahead of Sanders’ 80 and 3 or Roberts’ 77 and 1. Felix Archstone’s 100 pancakes as an offensive guard, with no sacks allowed besides, is from another planet. We almost should’ve made a “0th Team” just for him. What a season!
Center
1st Team: Manhattan Project
2nd Team: Ben Slothlisberger
My vote: same as final result
If I voted again: no change
Manhattan Project was built in a secret laboratory somewhere in the New Mexico desert specifically to play center. 98 pancakes as a center is bonkers, and just 1 sack allowed on the year is easily forgivable. Our 2nd-Teamer Ben Slothlisberger was always built like a lineman, even in his QB days, so the transition to OL has been a natural one. No sacks allowed on the season, which is probably why he got a single 1st-Team vote over Manhattan Project, but Project stacking up 19 additional pancakes was enough to cancel out that one sack allowed for me and most other voters. Unfortunately, no position-specific historical stats are available for OL without going through the index season by season, so I don’t have time to determine if Felix Archstone or Manhattan Project's seasons are records for interior linemen.
DEFENSE
Defensive voting is much harder than offensive voting, in my opinion. There’s some positional ambiguity (as we’ll see), and defensive performance is flat-out more difficult to encapsulate in mere statistics. There’s no stats for how many times a disruptive DT gets double-teamed, or for how often a QB just doesn’t throw to a shutdown CB’s side of the field. But as voters, we do our best!
Defensive Tackle
1st Team: Chuck Roth (unanimous), HonkyTonk Haywood
My vote: Roth, Dominos Pizzaman
2nd Team: Dominos Pizzaman, Patrik Money
My vote: HonkyTonk Haywood, Otis Allen
If I voted again: 1T Roth and Haywood, 2T Pizzaman and Allen
Roth was clearly the best DT in the league this season, and he made for the only easy choice in this category. I’d probably switch Haywood and Pizzaman if I voted again, although I do think my original choice is defensible. I was very impressed that Pizzaman led all DTs in tackles for loss, and that he was a big part of why Orange County’s defense led the league in TFLs. However, Haywood having more total tackles, more sacks, and more turnovers probably should’ve pushed me towards giving him the 1st Team nod.
I think I’d stick with my choice of Allen over Patrik Money for the 2nd Team, even if given a do-over. Like I said, these are very difficult decisions. Allen’s work as a run disrupter, evidenced by 72 total tackles, stood out to me, even though Patrik Money’s 7 sacks and a safety is very impressive. Which is more valuable, stuffing the run or taking down the QB? Honestly, probably taking down the QB, but stuffing the run is more in the job description for a DT. So it was very close. I certainly have no issue with Money making the team, but I think my original vote is defensible and I’m comfortable sticking with it. Two things can be true.
Defensive End
1st Team: Medicinal Toblerone, Demon Jaxson
My vote: Medicinal Toblerone, Leonard Taylor
2nd Team: David Frank, Brick Van Sanzo
My vote: Bean Beanman, Mongo
If I voted again: 1T Toblerone and Jaxson, 2T Beanman and Mongo
This one got complicated. Obviously, I filled out my ballot before it came to light that Leonard Taylor played mostly as a 3-4 outside linebacker and was therefore ineligible for All-Pro consideration at DE. I have mixed feelings about this. I think it was probably the right call to disqualify him, but it feels odd to penalize a player for the system he was in, and it means that Taylor misses out on a significant honor through absolutely no fault of his own. A 3-4 scheme doesn’t really even have defensive ends, the “ends” in a 3-4 are just slightly smaller, more agile DTs bookending a big ol’ nose tackle. This is the positional ambiguity I was talking about earlier. Congratulations to Leonard Taylor on an outstanding season! It’s just unfortunate that there’s not really a good way to properly acknowledge it.
I significantly differed from the consensus on this one. Three of the four All-Pros didn’t even make it onto my ballot. Bean Beanman and Mongo got a couple of additional votes, but I was the only one not to vote for Jaxson, so this does warrant some scrutiny. As far as Jaxson goes, I’m going to blame the tiny phone screen again. I really think I just flat-out didn’t see him. I’ve talked earlier about maybe over-correcting for teammate bias, but like Mario Messi at TE, his season was so undeniably outstanding that it wasn't even a consideration. Jaxson finished second in tackles and TFLs, tied for third in sacks, and with 3 forced fumbles; only Toblerone had a (slightly) better year. There’s really no excuse for leaving him off my ballot, and I can’t see any reason why I might have done so apart from an outright mistake.
I’m prepared to defend my choice of Beanman over Van Sanzo. I wasn’t the only voter to make the same decision. It simply comes down to Beanman having more than twice as many tackles (62 vs. 30). Both players had 7 sacks, but Beanman had one additional TFL. Van Sanzo’s line of 5 forced fumbles and 2 recoveries is All-Pro worthy, but Beanman forced 4 fumbles of his own, even if he didn’t recover any. Van Sanzo had a safety, but I try not to overrate those, since they can be fluky. I think Beanman’s higher tackle numbers indicate he was the more disruptive, impactful player overall. David Frank versus Mongo is really too close to call. I was the only Mongo voter who didn’t also vote for Frank, and those voters didn’t name Toblerone, who I thought was the best (eligible) DE in the league this season. I think I still take Mongo. Both players had an incredible 10 sacks with 2 forced fumbles, but Mongo had 11 more total tackles. Frank had a safety, but Mongo had a fumble recovery, which I consider to be roughly equivalent. I just don’t think Frank’s 3 extra TFLs is quite enough for me to overlook Mongo's 42 tackles versus Frank's 31. It feels insane to leave a double-digit sack artist off of the All-Pro team, but I think it just demonstrates why this was possibly the most difficult vote of any position.
Outside Linebacker
1st Team: Big Slammu, Gary Goodman
My vote: Big Slammu, Melvin Murder-Moose
2nd Team: BamBam McMullet, Juan Domine
My vote: Goodman, McMullet
If I voted again: 1T Slammu and Goodman, 2T McMullet and Murder-Moose
The linebacker nomination process was made extraordinarily difficult by the index itself, since unfortunately it doesn’t distinguish between ILB and OLB. Thankfully the balloting process made clearer distinctions. Linebacker voting was still very difficult however, because there were just so many worthy candidates! We have a lot of really good LBs in this league! The one easy decision was Big Slammu, who I think was clearly the best all-around OLB in the league this season. Third in tackles, tied for first in TFLs, and second in sacks, with a whopping 7 forced fumbles, the Street Shark really took a big bite out of the competition this year!
The only change I would make in my vote is to switch my 1st- and 2nd- team nominations of Goodman and Murder-Moose. I do have to be careful here, since @SchwarzNarr is a friend, but Melvin did set the all-time tackle record, with the first season of 150+ tackles in league history! The 6 TFLs and 8 sacks are very respectable numbers, and 5 forced fumbles impressive as well. Apologies to Juan Domine, but that level of impact from Murder-Moose combined with the unprecedented tackling performance is enough for me to overlook Murder-Moose’s 0 interceptions, 0 TDs, and single-digit sacks. Again, defensive voting is really difficult. Schemes differ, and players can only do what they’re asked to do. Clearly Murder-Moose’s role was dedicated more to taking away the run and stopping passes out to the flat from breaking for big plays, whereas other OLBs dedicated themselves more to pass rushing or coverage downfield. Murder-Moose still makes my hypothetical do-over All-Pro ballot, but given a do-over, I’d switch my original choice and put Goodman on the 1st Team ahead of him. I think on my actual ballot I probably unfairly held Goodman having “only” 96 tackles against him. The 18 sacks is absolutely elite, and snagging 4 interceptions as an outside linebacker is a rare accomplishment. Add in the TD, and there’s no question, that’s a worthy 1st Team All-Pro season.
Inside Linebacker
1st Team: Rusty Rucker (unanimous)
If I voted again: Rucker
If he wasn’t on the same team as Melvin Murder-Moose, Rusty Rucker would’ve set the all-time tackle record this season, with 144. With those two in the front 7, no wonder Colorado was the only defense with 800+ tackles on the year! (Although Honolulu got oh-so-close with 798). A league-leading (tied with Big Slammu) 11 of those tackles resulted in lost yardage, and he even had 11 sacks, despite rarely coming around the edge. Interior linemen just couldn’t stop him this season. Adding in his whopping 8 forced fumbles made this a no-brainer. This might just be the greatest inside linebacker season we’ve ever seen.
2nd Team: Sakeem Webb
My vote: Douglas Quaid
If I voted again: Webb
Did I see Sakeem Webb’s name in the index and just automatically think “CB?” Because otherwise I really can’t give you a reason why I voted for Douglas Quaid over him. Both players had 104 tackles, but Webb otherwise had superior counting statistics across the board versus Quaid, with more TFLs and more sacks. He also pulled in an interception and broke up 13 passes, showing that he still has those CB pass coverage instincts despite bulking up and changing positions. Apologies to Quaid, but I think I got this one wrong. Thankfully, the other voters didn’t.
Cornerback
1st Team: Rich Triplet, Doy Fieri
My vote: Triplet, Willie Miller
2nd Team: Swantavius Jones, Redbeard McFredbeard
My vote: Doy Fieri, Annie May
If I voted again: No change
I’m comfortable with my CB vote and I think I’d make the same choices again, even though they differ from the final consensus. I believe there may have been some advanced stats posted in the SFWG Discord that I didn’t see, specifically times targeted and catches allowed. I either overlooked that information or didn’t know where to find it, so I was operating strictly out of the index, which doesn’t include that kind of data. On the other hand, I also don’t know if it would’ve changed my mind or not. I thought Triplet and Miller stood out as the league’s two best CBs, and they had very similar seasons. Triplet picked off 6 passes, second-most in the league, and Miller was right behind as one of six players to record 5 picks. They each had 35 PDs, tying them (plus Arizona’s Juno Hu) for second-most, and they both scored a TD. Miller had 10 more tackles, exceeding 100 for the year, while Triplet forced and recovered two fumbles. Outstanding work by both players!
Moving on to the 2nd Team, Doy Fieri certainly deserved their All-Pro recognition as the only CB with 2 touchdowns on the year. They were also among the league’s best in pass coverage, recording 5 INTs and 30 PDs. Having just 71 tackles pushed them down to the 2nd Team on my ballot, but what a year! I confess I was a little surprised that we as voters collectively didn’t give Annie May more love. If the primary job of a CB is to stop the pass, no one was better at it this season than Annie, who led the league with 37 PDs, and had a very respectable 3 INTs besides. Add 95 tackles and a forced fumble, plus a TD for good measure, and you certainly have an All-Pro worthy season, in my opinion. Maybe the advanced stats weren’t as favorable, but like I mentioned, I could only work off the index.
Safety
1st Team: Eugene Smoothie (unanimous), Chathack’rius Smith IV
My vote: Smoothie, Cuco Clemente
2nd Team: Cuco Clemente, Pasta the Turtle
My vote: Smith IV, the Turtle
If I voted again: No change
Unfortunately I didn’t get to have the satisfaction of voting for myself as an All-Pro safety. Maybe next year. But voting for my teammate and in-character idol Cuco Clemente felt almost as good! Did I make a mistake by being the only voter to have Clemente on the 1st Team ahead of Smith IV? Did name recognition and teammate bias get the better of me? Well…yeah, maybe. But one other voter did the same thing, and I think it’s defensible. Chathack’rius Smith IV did accomplish the incredible feat of picking off 3 passes and taking each one to the house, but Clemente had 2 pick-sixes of his own, plus 5 more PDs and one more INT overall. Smith IV had 5 more tackles and an additional sack, but the players are so close. It’s worth noting that Clemente plays mainly free safety, whereas Smith IV mostly plays closer to the line as a strong safety. This makes Clemente’s 2 sacks look a bit more impressive to me, but maybe it should’ve also made me rate Smith IV’s pass coverage more highly. At any rate, the important thing is we saw two incredible seasons, both very deserving of All-Pro recognition!
Smoothie was an obvious choice for the 1st Team, leading the league in INTs with 7, a very unusual feat for a safety! He also recorded 15 PDs and had 4 sacks despite mostly playing free safety. Former DSFL linebacker Pasta the Turtle slimmed down a bit to play safety in the big league, and was only the best pass coverage safety in the league, racking up 18 PDs and 6 INTs, but I think Clemente had a stronger all-around year.
Flex DB
1st Team: CB Willie Miller
My vote: S Dogwood Maple, CB Swantavius Jones
2nd Team: S Romulus Roman
My vote: CB Lip Gallagher, CB Owen Reed
If I voted again: 1T Gallagher, 2T S Lawrence Miller
Well, for the FLEX DB position, apparently due to an error on the ballot that I was unaware of, I was able to vote for two players when I should’ve only been able to vote for one. I also couldn’t vote eventual winner Miller into the FLEX DB spot, since I had already voted for him as a 1st-Team CB. And if I understand correctly, players who get votes for 1st- or 2nd-team CB and S without actually making the All-Pro team at those positions then have those votes count towards a nomination for FLEX DB. I think. FLEX DB gets complicated, is what I’m saying. Thankfully, I haven’t complicated it further by changing any of my votes for CB and S.
It’s also quite difficult to directly compare corners and safeties. CBs tend to rack up significantly higher totals in virtually every statistical category, and safeties are kind of the forgotten child of the sim. Further muddying the waters is the different playing styles of free versus strong safeties. So FLEX DB is a very challenging category to get “right.” I think there’s some issues with imposing artificial restrictions like this, but I decided to intentionally include a safety in my FLEX nominations, lest it simply become a third CB spot. Since I could only nominate two players in this do-over, that meant 1 CB and 1 S. Lip Gallagher had an excellent year, second-most tackles among CBs with 106, and the third-most pass breakups, with 33. He also picked off 3 passes and forced a fumble, which he also recovered. Dogwood Maple had a very solid year, but with a second look, I think perhaps I should’ve acknowledged New York’s other starting safety on my ballot instead. Lawrence Miller was a nightmare at the line of scrimmage, recording 77 tackles and 6 sacks, good for second and first, respectively, among all safeties. He was no slouch in pass coverage either, with 13 PDs and 2 INTs on the year, and even made a key contribution on special teams by blocking a field goal attempt. A stellar season all around for the Michigan State product, and one that I regret leaving off my ballot.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker
1st Team: Ikick Ballz
2nd Team: Cade York
My vote: same as final result
If I voted again: no change
Ikick Ballz was the only kicker to attempt more than 50 PATs on the year without missing. He was second in field goal attempts, and converted 85% of them, with 5 of the 6 misses occurring on kicks longer than 40 yards. (It’s also worth noting that the index doesn’t differentiate between actual misses and blocked kicks). He can also boast the league’s mightiest leg; he was lethal from 50+ yards, making 6 of 7 and nailing the longest FG of the season, a 59-yarder. Cade York had a similarly impressive year, missing just one of his 53 PAT attempts, going 5 for 6 on FGs of 50+ yards, and hitting 32 of 37 attempts overall. Apologies to Honolulu’s Freddy Bly, who earned some All-Pro votes as the only kicker with a FG% above 90 for the season. However, that statistic comes with the caveat that he was also one of the league's least-used kickers, finishing with the fewest FG attempts and 5th-fewest PAT attempts for the year. The larger sample sizes pushed me towards Ballz and York, even with their lower FG%.
Punter
1st Team: Blago Kokot (unanimous)
2nd Team: Sam Sidekick
My vote: 1T Kokot, 2T Dallas Dole
If I voted again: no change
The GOAT punter, Blago Kokot, proved he’s still the league’s best field-position weapon, accomplishing the astounding feat of landing more than half of his punts inside the opposing 20. He also had the second-best punting average for the season at 48.6 yards, and unleashed a 72-yard punt as his longest kick of the year. I think I’d stick with Dallas Dole as my second-choice punter; I’m impressed by his league-leading average of 49.2 yards, and his 73-yard punt was the longest of the year. I can’t argue against Sam Sidekick, who might not have quite as much leg as Dole but did drop 5 more kicks inside the 20 on 3 fewer total punts. I think it’s worth pointing out, however, that Orange County’s anemic offense made Dole’s job of flipping the field more difficult, as he booted the most punts of anyone on the year and kicked from the shadow of his own endzone more often than Sidekick.
Returner
1st Team: Tugg Speedman
2nd Team: Jackson Kingston
My vote: 1T Daniel Foster, 2T Kingston
If I voted again: 1T Speedman, 2T Kingston
This was a challenging category to vote for, since there simply isn’t that much information to make comparisons from. Regrettably, I felt that I couldn’t vote for Orange County’s Zach DiNozzo in spite of his league-leading 1022 kick return yards, he essentially wasn’t used on punt returns, attempting only 1 all season. I had the same take on Austin’s Jim the Vampire, who exclusively returned punts and no kicks. Was this fair or not? I can see an argument either way, but based on the vote totals, the rest of the Writer’s Guild thought along similar lines.
I think I overrated volume as I was making this determination, since the number of kicks and punts that a returner gets their hands on isn’t something that’s dictated by their own speed and skill. However, it’s not like volume doesn’t matter at all, either. It was volume that pushed my 1st-Team vote to Yellowknife’s Foster, who, with 35 kicks and 26 punts, was perhaps the league’s busiest returner this year. However, he was 14th in average kick returns and 11th in average punt returns. He was good, but didn’t really stand out. I think I erred in passing over Speedman. He was shifty and dangerous on punt returns, averaging 13.4 yards, tops among regular punt returners, with a season long return of 74 yards. He wasn’t as effective on kick returns, but still had a respectable average of 25.5 yards per return from 27 kicks received. Players with superior kick return averages either returned significantly fewer kicks, didn’t return punts, or both.
The lone exception to that was Sarasota’s Jackson Kingston. Again, I wanted to avoid any teammate bias, but his stats really jumped off the screen. He boasts the 4th-best kick return average for the season, at 27.1 yards, and no one ahead of him in that ranking could equal him on punt returns. Apologies to HeHateMe PickSix II, who did garner some All-Pro votes and has a legitimate case, but overall he returned 6 fewer kicks and 12 fewer punts compared to Kingston, and in this category I do think sample size matters somewhat. Kingston’s 9.0 yards per return on punts was middling, but out of the players ahead of him, only the 1st-Team All-Pro Speedman really compared to him on kick returns.
So there you have it! My own review and critique of my work as a first-time All-Pro voter, plus a little bit of information as to where the hell I've been for the last month. It was a real privilege to contribute to this recognition effort, and I hope to be decidedly more involved in All-Pro voting (and Awards voting, if the Sailfish want me to represent them!) at the end of S33 than I was at the end of S32.