Defensive Line Standouts - Week 2
Welcome to week 2 of our Season 3 Defensive Line Standouts! Week 1 gave us two epic performances, and although the numbers toned down a little, there is plenty to write about this week. We have some familiar faces from Season 2 making a return and a rookie making his second appearance in as many weeks. The Hawks put forth a stellar team performance as they finished with eight sacks against a struggling Las Vegas offensive unit. Will Tuck continue his hot streak on the way to breaking his own sack record (again)? Will rookies make a big showing as they did in week 1? Will anyone beat the nine sack performance of the Outlaws in week 1? Only time will tell! Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
J. Tuck ($$) 5 TCK, 2 TFL, 2 SCK
Our second week of the season and our second appearance of Tuck on our list. It’s not surprise really, as last year he had the most appearances of any defensive end on his way to Defensive Player of the Year honors. His 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks is more of the same for Tuck, but a great performance for almost anyone else. Look for Tuck to have another big game next week when facing the porous Las Vegas Legion offensive line at home. Tuck is on pace for a mind-numbing 98 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and 35 sacks.
O. Taylor ($) 5 TCK, 2 TFL, 2 SCK
Making his first appearance on our list this year, Taylor had a very quiet Season 2, finishing with a stat line of 23 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. With his standout performance of 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, Taylor is on pace to shatter his numbers last year and finish with 42 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. The real question will be whether he can continue at this pace. The Hawks defensive line has a lot of hungry mouths to feed as every member has now been represented on this list at least once.
F. Wozy ($$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
Wozy had a great year last year, finishing fifth among defensive linemen with 12 sacks, and is on pace to beat that number this year. His 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack were one of the few bright spots for the Yeti in a very one-sided loss to the Orange County Otters. The front office has made it very clear that they are in a rebuilding year but, if they can keep players like Wozy around and active, it will go a long way to making that process easier. Wozy will have his work cut out for him as the Yeti host a Baltimore offensive line that has allowed only 5 sacks this year.
Other Great Performers
A. Tomlinson ($) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
K. Hendrix ($) 3 TCK, 1 SCK
B. Blade ($$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL
We’re starting to see some of the usual suspects from last year emerge as both Tomlinson and Hendrix made our list at least 7 times each last year. Tomlinson is the clear standout on his line this year, whereas Hendrix is part of a nasty, four-headed monster out in Baltimore. Blade had to come down out of the stratosphere this week after his monster performance last week but, showed that he belongs here on a weekly basis.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
B. Bjornsson ($$) 9 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 SCK
An early lead candidate for defensive tackle of the year in the “way too early to name” category, Bjornsson is making a second appearance on our list this week with an absolute monster game. Although the Wraiths are off to a bit of a rough start, his 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 sacks were good enough for the top defensive line performance of the week. The Wraiths have a shot at getting their season back on track with their first home game next week. Unfortunately for their defensive line, it’s against the Orange County Otters, who have, arguably, the best offensive line the NSFL.
R. Sandoval ($$) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
Speaking of that four-headed monster in Baltimore, Sandoval is the third, and final, Hawk on our list this week. Sandoval is making his second appearance on our list this week and is proving to be the steal the Hawks thought they had. His 6 tackles and 1 sack were part of an 8 sack game by the Hawks against a reeling Las Vegas Legion offensive line. His run stopping prowess up the middle was the real game changer though, and a large part of why Savea averaged only 3.1 yards per carry.
D. Miller ($$) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
For the second week in a row, Miller has made our list with another standout performance. He’s already half-way to his tally of four appearances here last year. His 6 tackles and 1 sack played a large part in the 19-18 “upset” victory over the Yellowknife Wraiths. With the next four games played by the SaberCats being played at home, Miller looks to get a solid start on his stats before the brutal second half of their season with six of the last eight games being played on the road.
Other Great Performers
M. Ramrio ($) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
J. Reigns ($) 2 TCK, 2 SCK
V. Cox ($) 5 TCK, 1 SCK
After stellar seasons last year playing side by side, Ramrio and Cox both made their first appearances on our list this week. With twelve and eleven appearances respectively, expect to see these two popping up frequently. Reigns has the distinction this week of being only one of two defensive tackles with multiple sacks this week.
Team Appearances After Week 2
Baltimore: 5
Las Vegas: 4
Arizona: 3
San Jose: 3
Yellowknife: 3
Colorado: 2
Orange County: 2
Philadelphia: 2
Baltimore now sits at the top of our list with five appearances on our list and has the distinction of being the only team with four of their defensive lineman making an appearance. It’s also interesting to note that every team had a player on our list this week, a feat that only occurred four times last year. I point out last week that three of our big four were excluded from our list, and they all made sure to make it this week. With six players returning from last week and six new players appearing, the parity in the skill of defensive lines throughout the NSFL is beginning to show. As always, if you have any comments, corrections, or question, I’d love to hear them below.
GRADED
Welcome to week 2 of our Season 3 Defensive Line Standouts! Week 1 gave us two epic performances, and although the numbers toned down a little, there is plenty to write about this week. We have some familiar faces from Season 2 making a return and a rookie making his second appearance in as many weeks. The Hawks put forth a stellar team performance as they finished with eight sacks against a struggling Las Vegas offensive unit. Will Tuck continue his hot streak on the way to breaking his own sack record (again)? Will rookies make a big showing as they did in week 1? Will anyone beat the nine sack performance of the Outlaws in week 1? Only time will tell! Enough chit chat… Let’s begin!
Defensive End Top Performers
J. Tuck ($$) 5 TCK, 2 TFL, 2 SCK
Our second week of the season and our second appearance of Tuck on our list. It’s not surprise really, as last year he had the most appearances of any defensive end on his way to Defensive Player of the Year honors. His 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks is more of the same for Tuck, but a great performance for almost anyone else. Look for Tuck to have another big game next week when facing the porous Las Vegas Legion offensive line at home. Tuck is on pace for a mind-numbing 98 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and 35 sacks.
O. Taylor ($) 5 TCK, 2 TFL, 2 SCK
Making his first appearance on our list this year, Taylor had a very quiet Season 2, finishing with a stat line of 23 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. With his standout performance of 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, Taylor is on pace to shatter his numbers last year and finish with 42 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. The real question will be whether he can continue at this pace. The Hawks defensive line has a lot of hungry mouths to feed as every member has now been represented on this list at least once.
F. Wozy ($$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL, 1 SCK
Wozy had a great year last year, finishing fifth among defensive linemen with 12 sacks, and is on pace to beat that number this year. His 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack were one of the few bright spots for the Yeti in a very one-sided loss to the Orange County Otters. The front office has made it very clear that they are in a rebuilding year but, if they can keep players like Wozy around and active, it will go a long way to making that process easier. Wozy will have his work cut out for him as the Yeti host a Baltimore offensive line that has allowed only 5 sacks this year.
Other Great Performers
A. Tomlinson ($) 5 TCK, 1 TFL, 1 SCK
K. Hendrix ($) 3 TCK, 1 SCK
B. Blade ($$) 4 TCK, 2 TFL
We’re starting to see some of the usual suspects from last year emerge as both Tomlinson and Hendrix made our list at least 7 times each last year. Tomlinson is the clear standout on his line this year, whereas Hendrix is part of a nasty, four-headed monster out in Baltimore. Blade had to come down out of the stratosphere this week after his monster performance last week but, showed that he belongs here on a weekly basis.
Defensive Tackle Top Performers
B. Bjornsson ($$) 9 TCK, 1 TFL, 2 SCK
An early lead candidate for defensive tackle of the year in the “way too early to name” category, Bjornsson is making a second appearance on our list this week with an absolute monster game. Although the Wraiths are off to a bit of a rough start, his 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 sacks were good enough for the top defensive line performance of the week. The Wraiths have a shot at getting their season back on track with their first home game next week. Unfortunately for their defensive line, it’s against the Orange County Otters, who have, arguably, the best offensive line the NSFL.
R. Sandoval ($$) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
Speaking of that four-headed monster in Baltimore, Sandoval is the third, and final, Hawk on our list this week. Sandoval is making his second appearance on our list this week and is proving to be the steal the Hawks thought they had. His 6 tackles and 1 sack were part of an 8 sack game by the Hawks against a reeling Las Vegas Legion offensive line. His run stopping prowess up the middle was the real game changer though, and a large part of why Savea averaged only 3.1 yards per carry.
D. Miller ($$) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
For the second week in a row, Miller has made our list with another standout performance. He’s already half-way to his tally of four appearances here last year. His 6 tackles and 1 sack played a large part in the 19-18 “upset” victory over the Yellowknife Wraiths. With the next four games played by the SaberCats being played at home, Miller looks to get a solid start on his stats before the brutal second half of their season with six of the last eight games being played on the road.
Other Great Performers
M. Ramrio ($) 6 TCK, 1 SCK
J. Reigns ($) 2 TCK, 2 SCK
V. Cox ($) 5 TCK, 1 SCK
After stellar seasons last year playing side by side, Ramrio and Cox both made their first appearances on our list this week. With twelve and eleven appearances respectively, expect to see these two popping up frequently. Reigns has the distinction this week of being only one of two defensive tackles with multiple sacks this week.
Team Appearances After Week 2
Baltimore: 5
Las Vegas: 4
Arizona: 3
San Jose: 3
Yellowknife: 3
Colorado: 2
Orange County: 2
Philadelphia: 2
Baltimore now sits at the top of our list with five appearances on our list and has the distinction of being the only team with four of their defensive lineman making an appearance. It’s also interesting to note that every team had a player on our list this week, a feat that only occurred four times last year. I point out last week that three of our big four were excluded from our list, and they all made sure to make it this week. With six players returning from last week and six new players appearing, the parity in the skill of defensive lines throughout the NSFL is beginning to show. As always, if you have any comments, corrections, or question, I’d love to hear them below.
GRADED
[OPTION]Johnny Snuggles || CB || Yellowknife Wraiths || Hall of Fame [OPTION]Height/Weight: 6'1", 205 [OPTION]Number: 21 [OPTION] Draft History: S13 #1 Overall [OPTION]=========================================== [OPTION]Trophy Case/Achievements:[OPTION] Ultimini Champs: S12 [OPTION] Defensive Rookie of the Year: S13 [OPTION] Pro Bowl: S14, S15, S16