|
By: Kyle "FCF Stathead" Sheridan
1. Anthony Jones - Zappers (Tagged: Week 2) I went into this in my first top 6 list, Anthony Jones was the poster child of underutilization. He showed flashes of being a dual threat power and receiving back, but the ball just never went his way. He only had 5 attempts, 2 Receptions, 16 total yards, 4 total touchdowns, and 1 lost fumble. There isn’t much else to say other than he was not used at all by the Zappers. If Galloway isn’t available next season, look out for the Wild Aces (or an expansion team) to pick him up now that fans gained a better appreciation for the run. 2. Johnny Manziel - Zappers (Tagged: Week 1)  I will start this with - I am not a big Johnny Football fan. I don’t think he’s bad per say, I just think he never developed or improved since college. With a 78.164 passer rating, only 1 passing TD, 237 total yards, and 2 rushing TDs it almost mirrored his NFL Career. I said this in part 1 of these lists, Manziel is not a traditional QB in a bad way. Watching him, it’s as if he doesn’t make any reads and instead chooses one of two options: hit the open man downfield or run for positive yards. Once the Zappers got a taste of Marchi, it was over for Manziel. When he took the field the Zappers looked like the Zippers (as Greg Miller would say). Not to mention that he seemed to have given up on the team in the playoffs. I understand WHY he was tagged, he was the draw of the FCF but he played exactly how I thought he would. I wish him luck with his golf career. 3. Richaud Floyd - Wild Aces (Tagged: Week 3) So this is an interesting tag because it was not bad, at all. The pair of Floyd and Leonard is deadly on paper, but only Leonard seemed to shine. Floyd was only targeted five times, catching only one and dropping the other. So where does his value shine? 7 completed point after attempts, so he brings something to the aces. He’s number three because I wanted to see more from him, he can be the corner in one on ones so why not throw more his way? If he comes back, I’d like to see him in the slot or as an across the middle receiver. Leonard seemed more of the deep and red zone threat, so look for Floyd on the slant or the crossing route. 4. David Pindell - Glacier Boyz (Tagged: Week 1) This one hurts because, A) I’m a Glacier Boyz fan and B) Pindell could’ve been better. The most notable fault is he was never clutch, and we kept asking him to be so. He played well in the first half, but in the second half he seemed to succumb to pressure. In the People’s Championship game he made wild throws on the final drive, throwing into traffic and ultimately making poor decisions that led the Aces to stuff us on our final 5 snaps. He has the worst passer rating among QBs with 30+ attempts. I don’t see him leaving quite yet, but I definitely see him as playing a more backup role which wouldn’t hurt him. I like Pindell, he can be good, he just needs to work on his two-minute drill and to keep a cool head under pressure. Make better decisions in the pocket, and please please please hold onto the ball. 5. Troy Evans Jr. - Beasts (Tagged: Week 1) Another underutilized player that was tagged way too early. Now granted, when he DID get the ball (5 catches out of 7 targets and 1 drop) he was pretty effective. He surpassed 100 yards, averaging 22 yards a catch, with 2 touchdowns. He has potential, but for someone tagged in week 1, he never quite lived up to those standards. I had hoped he would breakout with the addition of Christian Saulsberry, but it’s like he was an afterthought. Hopefully if he returns for season 2 teams will look his way more. Maybe a pairing with Floyd will see the two getting more looks? 6. TJ Edwards II - Beasts (Tagged: Week 3) The story of TJ Edwards II is an interesting one. He was a super effective backup QB, that played well in short doses, notching a game winning TD under his belt. While he is #2 in int thrown, he is #1 in completion percentage. He was a good QB, until he joined the Beasts. So here we have the reverse problem with Crouch and Francois, while they needed a permanent home to thrive, I think Edwards did not. If he returns next season, I think it’d be best for him and Pindell to jump from place to place and be put into situations where they can thrive, instead of relying on them to carry a team. It also didn’t make much sense since the Beasts had a clear number one QB in Quinton Flowers, so it would’ve made more sense to go after a different position.
Let me know what you guys think of my list, in the comment. Do you think these players can improve, or do they even belong on here? I read all the comments and love to have a conversation about this
0 Comments
By: Kyle "FCF Stathead" Sheridan
didn’t have as big of an impact. Not that he didn’t try, with 4 TD’s, 197 yards, and a league high 8 PAT catches. He simply isn’t on this list because I deemed the other 6 more impactful.
Christian Saulsberry - Beasts (Tagged: Week 4) Having a wicked breakout game earned him a franchise tag, but afterwards he slowly fizzled. His stats aren’t wowing: 11th in receiving yards, 3rd in targets (only 8 of which were caught). He had a good overall season, but for the Beasts he didn’t play at the level of his breakout game. Calen Campbell - Glacier Boyz (Tagged: Week 4) Ironic that the two players on the Glacier Boyz week 3 franchise tag poll are here. Yes, the second best SB in FCF doesn’t quite make the list as it seemed he was under valued by the team that tagged him. There are arguments that can be made that Quinn Porter was more effective, but either way Campbell had a very good season with 141 yards and 4 touchdowns on 20 carries. He contributed, but wasn’t utilized till much much later. Raphael Leonard - Wild Aces (Tagged: Week 4) Leonard was a good dual threat WR, by that I mean he was good during a drive and on the PAT. He tied for fifth in receiving yards and 5th in targets and had 3 touchdowns and 118 yards receiving. Holding him back is the one drop, and similarly to Turpin, I deemed these 6 more impactful. 1. Jackson Erdmann - Wild Aces (Tagged: Week 1) Surprised? This is my list, so I’m gonna be opinionated and to me there was no better Franchised player than Jerdy. He played his role the best, making throws when needed, adapting to the game, and leading his team to a championship (with some help from Galloway). While their run game took a bit of time to take off, they always had Erdmann who was a smart player to help keep them alive. His stats aren’t as flashy as our next entry: 57% completion rating, 234 yards passing, 5 touchdowns and a pick. It doesn’t seem great but it got results, and once Galloway popped off it made Erdmann’s job easier. 2. Quinton Flowers - Beasts (Tagged: Week 2) Flowers was THE QB of the first season of FCF. He was throwing bombs, making plays on the ground, he couldn’t be beat. Well, until week 4 and in the playoffs. His stats are something all FCF QB’s should strive for ( except for his 39% completion rate and his under 100 passer rating): 335 passing yards, 271 rushing yards, 12 total touchdowns. Granted he turned the ball over twice, but still he was MORE than effective and a strong leader, playing through injuries, dominating games every week, playing strong football. His only fault is he is used to 100 yard fields, so he overthrew a lot, and he didn’t win when it mattered. 3. Andrew Jamiel - Glacier Boyz (Tagged: Week 2) Arguably the most consistent player, he was targeted often and always. 49 times to be exact and out of his 19 catches, he didn’t drop a single pass….in the regular season. 241 yards, 6 touchdowns, he was a reliable target but how GOOD was he? A lot of teams left him unguarded, wide open, so OF COURSE they are gonna throw his way. So it was no wonder he averaged 10 targets per game through the first 5 weeks. It wasn’t until the People’s Championship that we saw what happens when you actually put some coverage on him. He’s a clean route runner, reliable hands, but short and not terribly fast. His appearance makes him seem like less of a threat, which is why he popped off throughout the season and if he would return next season I imagine teams might try harder to slow him down. 4. Ladarius Galloway - Wild Aces (Tagged: Week 2) Kinda low for the Offensive MVP, isn’t it? Well the reason is, he took a while to get going. The first two weeks, he wasn’t the dominant bull he became. Now granted that’s not a knock against him per say, it took a couple of players a few weeks to get comfortable. But oh man once he had that 100 yard game? It was game over for the rest of the season as he became an unstoppable force. So while he lacked consistency, he made up for it for just how much he gave the team: 239 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns, 7 yards per carry. In a shortened field, this kind of tough nose, ground and pound football, is very effective. Good on the Wild Aces for recognizing it and great on Galloway for a monster performance. 5. Travis Toivonen - Zappers (Tagged: Week 3) Travis “Trav Daddy” Toivonen was THE deep threat in the FCF….until Gordon showed up. He was fast enough to out run most DB’s and those he couldnt he would just leap over and snag the ball. His game winning hail mary catch (which was voted best play of season 1) tells the whole story. While he wasn’t targeted as much as Jamiel, he had more yards and helped the Zappers get the ball down field (and score). He was pretty invisible in the short game, and his two drops (on the Wild Aces) also held him back but nothing that can’t be improved. However his complete disappearance in Week 5 was disastrous and I don’t know if the Zappers even showed up that day. 6. Logan Marchi - Zappers (Tagged: Week 4) Kind of a sleeper pick in my opinion, but Marchi solved the Zappers biggest problem: the quarterback position. Sure Manziel was their face, but he’s no QB, he’s a scrambler that throws the ball MAYBE a few times per game. Marchi was the whole package - he could run and pass, he made smart plays and Mahomes-esque throws. When you have a player that is fun to watch AND can win you games, it’s a good pick for your franchise tagged player. Granted, the hail mary to Toivonen wasn’t him, it was Braden Smith, and Marchi also disappeared in Week 5. His low completion percentage (49%) and passer rating (92.772) aren’t ideal but the Zappers wouldn’t go 2-2 without him. Look out for part two, The top 6 worst franchised players of FCF 1.0. Who do you think is the best Franchised player of FCF 1.0? Do you agree with my list? Leave a response below and try to change my mind, I’ll be reading all comments. By: Eddie Stanton
QB - Logan Marchi
Some would put Marchi as one of the best quarterbacks in the FCF. In 5 games he was first in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns. With that being said he also threw the most interceptions and had one of the lowest passer ratings with only Pindell and Manziel with lower. Marchi definitely has his flaws, he needs to learn when not to force a ball but every-time he took the field my eyes were glued to the screen. When watching Marchi I never felt like a play was over. He would throw the ball while on the run or while he was being thrown to the ground by a defender. This is what would get him into trouble sometimes but the entertainment value was at 100 percent. Marchi has a style much like a Mahomes which is the same reason I always enjoy watching the Chiefs play. SB - LaDarius Galloway Unlike Marchi, Galloway has very few flaws. He is able to find a running lane quickly and fully intended to run north and south, not east and west. His uncanny vision is like no other superback in the FCF. He was the leader in rushing among superbacks by almost 100 yards and averaged 7 yards per carry. However, it wasn't his great numbers that made me want to watch him but instead is explosiveness and elusiveness. Every time he would cut upfield you just thought he was going for the distance. What makes Galloway even more enjoyable to watch is his ability to gain yardage when you thought a play was dead. Although he does know how to run north and south, sometimes he would run sideline to sideline in order to find a lane and create something from nothing, it was this that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. WR - Andrew Jamiel Jamiel was a workhorse for the Glacier Boyz. He was targeted far more than any other receiver in the league, and for good reason. He led the league in receiving touchdowns and was 100 percent on his point after catches. I think the reason why I enjoyed watching him so much is the same reason he was perfect on the point after, his route running and hands. He was exciting to watch for the same reasons Julian Eldelman is exciting to watch. Both players have excellent hands and the ability to get open, especially on slant and dig routes. I loved Travis Toivonen’s personality and touchdown celebrations but as for on the field play I couldn't help but watch Jamiel. There were a lot of great players in the FCF this year but these three always had my eyes glued to the screen. Maybe they weren't the best at their positions but for me they were definitely the most fun to watch. If any of these players come back for FCF season 2.0 I will gladly call plays for any of them. Do you agree or disagree? I want to hear your opinions, leave them in the comment section below. By: Eddie Stanton  Set the Record Straight
There has been a lot of talk about this "nobody" from a D3 school and played in the Fan Controlled Football League, Jackson Erdmann. Let me get some facts out there before we go any further. Erdmann was a stud in college, throwing for over 5,000 yards and winning a ton of awards, MVP, All American and the Gagliardi Trophy (D3 Heisman) to name a few. This is all not to mention the level of football intelligence he showed when he led his team to, and win, the Championship in the FCF. So yes, I believe his resume is adequate for the NFL. Now that I've said that let's get into why Chicago. Low Risk Let's be real here. Erdmann is going to be a pretty cheap option. You can sign him to a short-term low-cost contract and if you don't see what you want to see then you release him. He has a resume that shows he can ball, and this would be a small price to see if he can ball in the NFL. Pocket Passing We all know what Chicago is and has been for many years, a pocket passing team. Year after year they build their team for this. They may have had quarterbacks that could evade pressure like Trubisky but never a truly mobile guy like a Russell Wilson. Erdmann is what fits into the Bears plan, a pocket passer with the ability to make one or two defenders miss and giving them enough time to make a play. Growth The Bears have two very similar quarterbacks in place right now that would be able to lead Erdmann in the right direction. Between Andy Dalton and Nick Foles, both of which have similar styles to Erdmann, would help advance his level of play dramatically. With Dalton on a one-year deal and Foles with two years left this would be enough time to shape Erdmann and make sure he is a good fit for the Bears. Bill Lazor Lazor, has had a proven track record of increasing the performance of quarterbacks, all of which could easily be compared to Erdmann. He has coached Dalton, Tannehill and Foles increasing performance along the way. Two of these QBs I have already said have a similar style to Erdmann and this also stands true for Tannehill. As of now he looks to be in Chicago for a while and can mold Erdmann into what he wants after Dalton and Foles are gone. Conclusion Jackson Erdmann has everything I would want to see in an NFL quarterback. With all the resources that the Bears have in place it could lead to a very successful career for Erdmann. There are not too many teams that are in a position for a pickup like this, but I believe the Bears are and would inevitably end up profiting from him. I think it would be a poor choice not to at least invite him to ChiTown this off-season. By: Kyle "FCF Stathead" Sheridan
him a consistent team will give him more playing time, which will lead to letting him develop. If you let him throw the ball more, we could see him bump up his completion percentage, touchdown passes, and yards even more. I don’t see any more he could do on the ground, he already got 100+ yards this season so with more time he might go 200-200 (passing yards-rushing yards). Give the man a permanent home and just watch him roll.
#2 - Anthony Jones, SB Poor Anthony, franchised tagged in week 2 and very seldom used. He had the third lowest rushing attempts with 5, beating Robert Turbin who had 1 in the regular season (3 in the Championship) and Ben Sieczkowski with 0, because the FCF didn’t even know what position he played. I think Jones has the skills to be a good balanced back, he can power rush, he can catch, and he can be elusive. But in that Zappers play calling system? Terrible, he didn’t get the ball. Not including the two expansion teams, I think Anthony Jones would be an amazing addition to the Wild Aces play calling or even the Glacier Boyz newfound love for the run. He is the kinda back you want as a swiss army knife of talent for your team. Don’t get too *shocked* if he breaks out and goes for 100 yards in a game. #3 - Ben Sieczkowski, SB/TE/WR??? Speaking of Ben, my main complaint is NO ONE KNEW WHAT HE PLAYED. The official FCF website said he was a Super Back, then they gave him a TE/WR number, then they changed him into a TE on the site, then they used him on blocks. So maybe he’s a TE? He’s a big guy, both tall and built. If you want him as a TE, make him block more and pair him with a pass catching TE. Ben dropped more than he caught, which is not great, but if he improves on that he could be a good dual threat TE. Make him a SB? Power back all the way, have him just run up the middle and truck guys over. Teams need to figure out what they want out of Ben Sieczkowski so that he can grow as a player. Expect him to solidify a position in 2.0 and start to bloom. #4 - Isiah King, WR Gosh you gotta feel bad for Isiah King, he got outshined but the insane duo of Travis Toivonen and Josh Gordon. Had Gordon never come to the Zappers, you’re looking at a good number two receiver. “Travdaddy” is the number 1, a deep threat, tall, great hands but who do you have across the middle of the field? Isiah King. He was fast, averaged 11 yards per carry, but only got 2 tds and 75 yards. Good numbers, but they could be better. His 14 targets, half of them were bad throws. Now you put him on a passing attack that utilizes short and medium passes over the middle and to the outside? King would be his last name and his status. #5 - Joseph Boykin, WR Tall, fast, good hands, but….never targeted??? A lot of fans were clamoring behind Boykin, me included, he was great in the 1 on 1’s but during regulation he was only targeted 7 times. 7 times. As a Glacier Boyz fan I feel the need to apologize for the under utilization of this talent. Make him your number 1, look at him first, with his build and skill set I bet he could moss some defenders. The Wild Aces and the Beasts play calling would fit him very well, since the Zappers were go-route happy and the Glacier Boyz were confused. In version 2.0, expect him to play a bigger role on medium-deep passes but ESPECIALLY look for him in the red zone. #6 - Dillion Winfrey, DB Finishing off this is an under appreciated defensive back that was part of a run stopping defense. Dillion Winfrey led the league in pass break ups, despite only recording 9 total tackles. I think he’d be an excellent corner or safety, he’s handsy on the ball and can knock it out of the air. While other DB’s made flashy plays, he was pretty solid. If he get’s paired with some other DB’s around him, like reigning Defensive MVP Joseph Putu, Roman Tatum, or Marquill Osborne then he could really shine. A lot of defensive backs lose opportunities on passes thrown away from them, get some DB’s that’ll lock up options and Winfrey will step into the limelight a bit more. Along with these 6 players to watch, keep an eye out for superbacks being utilized more as well as some emphasis on defense. I think everyone has a chance to shine in the FCF but the lack of consistency with players on teams gets a few people lost in the pool. Hopefully we see a bunch of break out players in version 2.0. By: Sauce
scores look anything but clean on the website and there is still a lot of useful information that could be put on the website in easily accessible places.
2. Rules for Powerups: On a direct segway to the next fix, the FCF really needs to iron out the rules for the on field powerups. In the People’s Championship, the chat was full of people misrepresenting what I thought were the correct rules for the Flip the Field power-up (There needs to have been a turnover and it needs to happen at the start of a possession), but even I’m not sure if I am right. The FCF needs to iron these rules out and put them on their website in an accessible fashion in order for fans to really understand what is going on on the field, and why they can’t use their power-ups. 3. Uniforms: In my opinion, the FCF uniforms should be one thing that fans don’t vote for, or at least don’t influence so heavily to the point that reading the name of the team on the jersey is the only way to decipher the teams. The Aces and Glacier Boyz have extremely similar uniforms, with the Aces wearing slightly darker shades. From my understanding, teams’ uniforms were selected individually by the fans, and the league simply didn’t realize what problems they would cause. In the end, this was just poor foresight, and not a huge issue, but it is definitely something that could use a fix. 4. Drafting Offensive Linemen and Defensive Players: One of the big structural issues in the rules of the FCF are that fans draft a new team every week, with one new keeper every week of the season. This sounds great in theory, but with half the roster changing up every week, it can become problematic for team identity. One way to fix that is to allow teams to have a one time draft for defensive players only in order to decide what defensive unit a team will be playing with all season. This would limit the final roster changeup to about 1/4th right before the playoffs. Another draft to add would be Offensive Line, which would make the final changeup just 1/8th of the total roster. This would allow for teams to build a team their way, but still be constrained by basic roster rules, similar to the NFL. Seeing as this league is trying to give fans a chance to be a GM and emulate that experience, this seems like the best way to do it. 5. Franchise Players: If 1/4th roster changeup with an Offensive Line and Defensive draft is desired, reducing the number of overall keepers, or Franchise players, teams can have, would be an option. In addition to that, the league needs to consider not starting with any keepers and choosing keepers from the roster after week 1 in order to keep things fair between the original teams and the expansion teams. Otherwise, we would be looking at Deondre Francois and Andrew Jamiel matching up against James Harden and Braden Smith. By: Sauce
1st Half:
The Glacier Boyz started with the ball after a thrilling game of rock paper scissors. They quickly struck with a deep post to Andrew Jamiel from Deondre Francois, which resulted in a touchdown. The duo easily converted the 2-point conversion from the 5 yard line. The Aces responded immediately with a series of hard and effective runs that led to a touchdown by Ladarious Galloway, who was their keeper from week 2. The rest of the half was relatively uneventful, as neither team could really be stopped. The score at the end of the half was 32-20 in favor of the Glacier Boyz, as they put up another 8 as time expired. At this point, it looked like the Aces were done for as they were unable to convert multiple 2-point conversions. 2nd Half: The Aces started off the half hot as Galloway got his 3rd rushing TD of the night. On the other side of the ball, Andrew Jamiel had 3 receiving touchdowns. The Aces elected to take an onside kick, which is a 4th &10 from the 10. They failed to convert, and decided to flip the field, putting the Boyz at their own 10, effectively making the onside kick non-existent. The Glacier Boyz were up 40-26 with 23 minutes to go when things started to go right for the Aces. After a dropped pick by David Adebo, Ed Crouch hit Alqueda Dillon for a deep TD dot in the back of the endzone. The Aces elected to then take an onside play, which they failed to convert due to tight coverage and pressure on Ed Crouch. The Shutdown Squad, by some miracle, allowed only 6 yards over the next 4 plays, and picked off Francois, giving the Aces the ball at their own 10, and more importantly, stopping the Glacier Boyz from scoring. After a series of quick strikes downfield, and a strong run by Daryl Virgies, the Aces managed to punch it in from the 5, tying the game at 40-40 with 11 minutes to go. The Aces failed to convert their conversion after a redo powerup was used by the Glacier Boyz, keeping the game tied at 40-40. The Glacier Boyz responded by driving downfield with the help of a monster catch and run by Lamarcus Caradine on 3rd down. Inside the 5 yard line, the Aces managed to stop the Boyz for 5 downs, stopping the Boyz with 1:37 to go. From inside their own 5 yard line, the Aces needed any score to win. They got 6 yards off the 1st play, and let the clock run down to 1 minute left. The 2nd run went for 1 yard, stopping the clock with 30 seconds to go. From this point onward, the clock would stop after every play in accordance to the 1 minute time rule. The drive started going in the Aces favor as Crouch managed to run the ball up to midfield, and got out of bounds with 20 seconds left. From their 25, the Aces called their power play powerup, forcing 1 Boyz defender off the field. The defender would not be able to return until either a score or 1st down for the Wild Aces. This proved crucial, as Crouch was able to break free for a 15 yard run and put the Aces inside the 10 with 12 seconds to go. Galloway cut inside on a toss for another 5 yards. Galloway got another 3 off an inside run, going down with 3 seconds left. On the last play of the game, Crouch faked the handoff to Galloway and kept the ball himself, diving into the endzone as time expired. By some miracle, the Wild Aces managed to come back from a 14 point deficit to win the game by 6 in the 1st ever People’s Championship. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed