Friday, December 27, 2019

XFAlpha Podcast Notes - Episode 11

This may be my favorite episode yet, and it's not particularly anything we did, but it turns out that linebackers are ripe topic, including two linebackers for the Guardians that absolutely blew my mind for different reasons. Before we get into that, we discuss some exciting XFL TRADES!


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LINEBACKER
  1. New York Guardians
    1. Ben Heeney - Ben Heeney was a tackling machine at Kansas which was enough to make him a fifth round pick by the Oakland Raiders. He played in the NFL for three years from 2015-2017, and OH MAN, this guy has the HOTTEST TAKES ON TWITTER. He doesn’t believe student athletes should transfer. He works out in a backwards upside down visor. Literally, his most recent tweet from when I did my research was him blaming child pornography on participation trophy culture. This was the first linebacker I looked at, and I thought maybe I should just stop altogether, because that last tweet deserves an hour-long discussion alone.
    2. Nick DeLuca - Had a hell of a career at North Dakota State where he was DI-AA All-American and was good enough to get an invite to the Senior Bowl. He signed with the Titans after the draft, got cut early and then signed on with the Jaguars where he was able to make it to their active roster where he played in nine games last year. He’s a fringe NFL guy so I think he’s a player to keep an eye on this season. 
    3. D’Juan Hines - Was the #23 Quarterback recruit in the nation coming out of high school before committing to Houston as an athlete. He moved to linebacker late and became a tackling machine. He went undrafted but made the Browns roster and played in 13 games, mostly special teams. Considering he is relatively new to the position and that he was still able to make a team last year, I think there is a lot of potential in Hines. 
    4. Frank Ginda - San Jose State linebacker who left after his junior year when he led the nation in tackles with 173. He has not been able to make an NFL roster, but the guy clearly has a nose for the ball and might just need the opportunity to show it. He also believes in early morning workouts being ideal to getting a great start to the day
    5. Jawuan Johnson - Spent his first three years at Northern Illinois before grad transferring to TCU. 
    6. Darnell Leslie - Was an undersized defensive end in college for Monmouth so he’s likely going to be pretty raw for the linebacker position.
    7. Robert McCray - Defensive End out of Indiana which makes me think that the Guardians may run a 3-4 or at least a hybrid combination between the 4-3 and 3-4. 
    8. Antonio Morrison - Florida Gator where he was suspended for two games for barking at a police dog. He was going to leave school early but had such a bad leg injury that they weren’t sure if he would be able to walk normally again. He managed to fully recover and get an invite to the Senior Bowl and was drafted in the fourth round by the Colts. He played in all 16 games from 2016-2018, and then got cut by the Packers in March and never made it into another team’s training camp. This may be partially that he made a Southwest plane return to the gate because people were wondering why he put his bag under an empty seat instead of under his seat. He then just started cussing at everyone, including my favorite, “Fuck you, you don’t own this plane.” This is a very fun thing to say in a variety of public transportation vehicles.
  2. Houston Roughnecks
    1. Edmond Robinson - I’m pretty sure Edmond may be the only guy to get a combine invite from Newberry, but it was worth his time as he showed how athletic he was. It was enough to get him drafted in the seventh round by the Vikings. He made it two years with the Vikings before playing one game with the Jets in 2017 and then failing to catch on after that. But really, this is an athlete, not a football player. He didn’t even produce big numbers at Newberry. He’s got great size and athletic ability, but I have trouble imagining that he’s finally going to figure out the position. He is another retweeter of Joel Osteen.
    2. Davis Tull - The pride of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and one of the most athletic outside linebackers in combine history. Over his last three years with the Mocs, he averaged over 10 sacks a year with over 17 tackles for loss so he showed that he could tear it up on smaller school athletes. Unfortunately, even after becoming a fifth round pick by the Saints, he was never able to make an active roster in the NFL. He graduated in 2014 so he’s a little bit older, but he’s still likely the best athlete of any linebacker in the league, and considering he has shown some skill in the past, he might make it as an edge rusher if given the right opportunity. 
    3. Beniquez Brown - Mississippi State Linebacker where he was productive but was unproductive at the combine which stopped him from being drafted and he has not been able to make a roster. He remained productive in the Alliance where he finished second in tackles. 
    4. Andrew Jackson - Western Kentucky Hilltopper who was a sixth round pick by the Colts in 2014. He played in 13 games his rookie season but was unable to hang around after that. Not a former US President.
    5. DeMarquis Gates - Linebacker at Ole Miss who had 114 tackles during his senior year in 2017 but has not been able to make an NFL roster. He did lead the Alliance in tackles. 
    6. Drew Lewis - Colorado linebacker fresh out of school. 
    7. Carl Bradford - After a successful career at Arizona State where he had 20 sacks over his final two years there, he was a fourth round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2014. He didn’t get in any games his first two years but did play in six games in 2016 but has not been on an active roster since. I feel like I’ve run into a lot of guys in Arizona who put up massive college stats and don’t do anything in the pros so I’m going to stay away from all Arizona prospects from here on out. In his spare time, he likes to stream video games on Mixer. 
    8. Kaelin Burnett - Nevada product that played in 27 NFL games but none since 2014. Since he graduated school in 2011, he’s got possibly the lowest upside of any player in the league. On Twitter, he says some deep stuff like, “You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.” 
    9. Johnny Ragin - Oregon player who has a great name for a linebacker. Has more tweets about God than tackles.
    10. Ty Schwab - Had over 100 tackles for Boston College his senior year. 
    11. LaTroy Lewis - Tennessee Volunteer that later played for the Titans, and even though he only played in two games in 2017, he did get a sack. 
  3. DC Defenders
    1. James Vaughters - Stanford linebacker and one of the few players that has actually played in the 2019 season and has played for my beloved Chicago Bears. Not sure if he is going to make the XFL as he is still on the Bears practice squad. Clearly, he’s right on the cusp of the NFL so he would be a very strong player for an XFL team. 
    2. Scooby Wright - Scooby Wright tore it up in college for Arizona. I thought for sure he was going to be a steal with his production. His sophomore year, he rightly won all of the defensive awards since he had 164 tackles, 31 tackles for loss with 15 sacks included. He was injured his junior year and still came out but fell all the way to the seventh round to the Cleveland Browns due to a terrible combine performance. He was released by the Browns but caught on in Arizona, playing 13 games over his first two seasons but has been unable to make a roster since then. I know it’s probably not going to happen for Scooby, but I can’t help but dream that he might rediscover that magic he had for the Arizona Wildcats. 
      1. As an aside, I would like to bring up something about the Arizona Wildcats. Jonah, I once went to a game at Arizona and found out that their slogan is Bear Down. They are the wildcats, and their motto is Bear Down. I have done zero research outside of what drunk college students told me, but apparently a dying player said that as his final words. Obviously a young death is terrible, but you don’t HAVE to honor the last words of somebody if they don’t make any sense. I’m just happy his last words weren’t, “Vaccinations cause autism,” because in Arizona, they would have had to take that as gospel.
    3. Jameer Thurman - From Indiana State to Grey Cup Champion. 
    4. Jonathan Celestin - Minnesota Golden Gopher who once returned an interception for a touchdown. 
    5. Koa Farmer - Penn State linebacker.
    6. Jordan Jones - Kentucky linebacker who had a strong sophomore year with over 100 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss but those numbers fell off during his final two years as a Wildcat. His favorite show is Jersey Shore, and a hashtag to describe himself would be #GoHard. 
    7. AJ Tarpley - Stanford graduate who played one year in the NFL for the Bills before retiring from football due to concussions so my biggest hope is that his head stays safe. He believes it should be illegal to serve only one piece of toast at a breakfast establishment. 
    8. Kerron Johnson - Coastal Carolina linebacker. Not Kerryon Johnson.
  4. Los Angeles Wildcats
    1. Eric Pinkins - San Diego State linebacker who was drafted in the sixth round by the Seahawks, so even though I’ve done no research, I’m going to guess he is hyper-athletic. He made it into 11 games over the 2015 and 2016 seasons for the Seahawks and Giants but has not been with an NFL team since.
    2. Tre’ Williams - Auburn linebacker who is currently serving a two-game suspension in the NFL that will happen if he ever makes an NFL roster.
    3. Alex Funches - Cal Linebacker who was more of a pass rush specialist.
    4. Quentin Gause - Rutgers linebacker who played three games for the Broncos in 2016. 
    5. Taiwan Jones - Former Michigan State Spartan who is definitely using the XFL as a launching point to get him in the WWE. He’s already tried out before with the WWE when the Alliance folded, and this may be just what he needs to impress Vince McMahon. I am a bit surprised he was never able to make it in the NFL as he played well for the Spartans. 
    6. Jerimiah Spicer - RELEASED - Jonah thought that a survivor of the Aurora Mass Shooting was the best story, but I think Spicer has him beat. This dude was left in a dumpster as a child, got reunited with his grandma, but was homeless again when she passed away. He played football at Riverside Community College before dominating Major League Football. He’s had tryouts with NFL teams but nothing more than that, and not that he needs it, but he has extra motivation as he is a new Dad to twins. I think the chances of his success in this league are low, but this is a guy who has beaten much worse odds before. 
    7. Will Smith (Texas Tech) - Texas Tech linebacker who loves to get jiggy wit it. Anyone who’s been to Lubbock knows it’s the Wild Wild West. Many called the XFL Draft his Independence Day. I could do this all day. 
  5. Dallas Renegades
    1. Ray Ray Davison - Linebacker out of Cal. 
    2. Greer Martini - Notre Dame linebacker.
    3. Jonathan Massaquoi - After a strong career at Troy, including a 13.5 sack season, he was selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played three years with the Falcons but hasn’t even sniffed an NFL roster since before the 2016 season. He occasionally burns his mouth on hot lattes
    4. Tegray Scales - Was pretty damn productive for the Indiana Hoosiers but wasn’t able to make it on an NFL roster. Just graduated in 2017 so still in his prime. He’s one of the more intriguing linebackers on this team. 
    5. Asantay Brown - Western Michigan linebacker who averaged about 100 tackles his final three seasons. 
    6. Reshard Cliett - USF Linebacker who didn’t have big production but got drafted in the sixth round by the Texans when he ran a 40 yard dash in the 4.4 range. More of an athlete than football player. 
    7. Marquis Flowers - Flowers became a sixth round pick by the Bengals in 2014 after a late transition to linebacker during his college career at Arizona. He’s managed to be a solid backup and special teams contributor up through last season so it’s a little surprising he didn’t make a team, but he is more of a special teams guy as opposed to an impact linebacker. May be valuable as he knows the secrets of the Patriot Way. 
    8. Tre Watson - Maryland linebacker. 
    9. Tobenna Okeke - Fresno State linebacker who had six sacks in 2017.
  6. St. Louis Battlehawks
    1. Terence Garvin - Went from undrafted free agent out of West Virginia to playing every season from 2013-2018 before not making a team this year. Possibly the most NFL experience of anyone in the league although it was mostly on special teams. He believes Smart Guy is the best show ever. I disagree pretty hard on that one. 
    2. Nicholas Grigsby - Undrafted out of Pitt, he managed to carve himself a role in the NFL from 2016-2018 but was unable to make the Ravens this year. 
    3. Steve Beauharnais - Rutgers player so of course he was drafted by the Patriots. That was way back in 2013 and although he made it into a couple games his first two years, he has not been in a training camp since 2015. Stick a fork in him. He’s done. 
    4. Garret Dooley - Wisconsin linebacker who is really good at Fortnite. 
    5. Ro’Derrick Hoskins - Florida State linebacker. His Twitter makes me think he is a robot.
  7. Seattle Dragons
    1. Nick Temple - Linebacker who went to Cincinnati who graduated in 2014 and hasn’t made an NFL roster so there’s probably not a lot of upside here.
    2. Steven Johnson - Kansas Linebacker who played six years in the NFL before he was unable to make a team in 2018, and the man even wrote a book. He’s an older guy at 31, but it’s tough for anyone in the league to match up with his level of NFL experience. 
    3. Dante Booker - 5-star recruit and the first defensive player to win Mr. Ohio since Andy Katzenmoyer before committing to Ohio State and...not really doing anything for the Buckeyes. Maybe he can finally come through on that potential.
    4. Nyles Morgan - Notre Dame linebacker who loves Chipotle. He put up pretty decent stats for the Fighting Irish so a little surprised he hasn’t gotten more of a shot professionally.
    5. Gionni Paul - Utah linebacker who broke his arm in his final Alliance game, but luckily, the Utes fans helped him pay for his medical expenses. 
    6. Kyle Queiro - A strong safety for Northwestern, he’s been trying to transition to linebacker since college. He believes Sunny Delight is garbage. For fries, he prefers honey mustard over ketchup
  8. Tampa Vipers
    1. Reggie Northrup - Florida State linebacker who has failed to make an NFL roster.
    2. Emmanuel Beal - Played a couple years for the Oklahoma so a little surprising he didn’t end up on Dallas. He also agrees that Florida is too cold
    3. Lucas Wacha - Wyoming linebacker who used to have excellent flow but has since cut his mane. He was coaching high school at the time he got the call for the XFL so there is a fun video of his players celebrating that he made the league. 
    4. Anthony Stubbs - Prairie View A+M linebacker.
    5. Terrance Plummer - Central Florida linebacker who got a little NFL time but has been on the fringes for a few years before transitioning to the minor leagues of football. 
    6. Ike Spearman - Eastern Michigan grad with a very good linebacker name. 

Monday, December 23, 2019

The WWE Is Ruining... Shelton Benjamin

To say this series has sapped me of any excitement towards wrestling gives this series far too much credit. Main roster WWE is still brutal anytime I check in on it, but NXT is great, AEW can be great, and New Japan is getting ready to be great with Wrestle Kingdom on the horizon. What does this have to do with Shelton Benjamin? Nothing. And that’s really all of my opinion on Shelton Benjamin at this point. He’s still a great athlete, but he’s not an overwhelming athlete at this point, and he’s better off in a tag team as opposed to a singles wrestler. I know I’ve been beating this drum repeatedly, but this is a guy that should be a crony in a stable of more important wrestlers. You could even have a formidable tag team with him and Apollo Crews if you wanted. But really, things are winding down for Benjamin, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was one of the few talents WWE was willing to let go at this point. He can still be valuable for a couple more years, just not to the WWE where he is their version of wallpaper, only meant to stand in the background and be inoffensive.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Aiden English
Akam
Aleister Black

Friday, December 20, 2019

XFAlpha Podcast Notes - Episode 10


Another new episode of the XFAlpha podcast where we focus on discussion on the defensive tackles in the league. Before we get into that, Jonah talks about new rule changes. Some are good, some are bad, some are great. Listen to our opinions and then follow us on social media.

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DEFENSIVE TACKLE



DC Defenders


Elijah Qualls - Solid career at Washington before becoming a sixth round pick by the Eagles in 2017 where he played in six games and won a Super Bowl. Has been on the fringes of rosters since, but still a young guy with some potential.


Tracy Sprinkle - Defensive tackle at Ohio State that was more of a rotational guy. Led all defensive tackles in sacks in the Alliance with 5. Co-owner of How She Gone Eat which sells merchandise with the phrase How She Gone Eat on it.


Daryle Banfield - Brown graduate so he’s a little hoity toity for what I usually like, but we both enjoy playing basketball, reading, and cooking, although he enjoys ice skating, and as we have covered on this podcast, I don’t do anything in temperatures below 50 degrees. Not a ton to go off of but one of the youngest players in the league as he just turned 22.


Siupeli Anau - Northern Arizona grad that the Cardinals bring to training camp every year but he never makes the team.


Josh Augusta - Big boy out of Missouri that stands 6’4” 335 pounds. He also believes that Moose carried the whole Step Up series on his back. No duh.


Duvonta Lampkin - Big defensive tackle out of Oklahoma. He left school early despite not being a starter for the Sooners. He’s still very young, and he was a top prospect coming out of high school, so this is definitely a guy to keep an eye on. He’s a low floor, high ceiling guy, but one that definitely piques my interest.


Kristjan Sokoli - Originally from Albania, he came to the United States when his father sought political asylum during the Albanian Rebellion of 1997. Somehow, his mother came two years after his father, and he and his brother didn’t arrive until another two years after that. He went from 220 to 300 pounds in three years while at the University of Buffalo. He credits a 7,000 calorie diet. I credit buffalo wings. He was good enough to get drafted by the Seahawks in the sixth round and played in one game his rookie year. He’s been close to active rosters since but tore his ACL last year, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to build up his resume for another shot in the NFL. Another interesting note is that he would like to see a National No Phone Holiday where we all do not use our phones. One of the better Twitter accounts I have seen, and according to LinkedIn, his guitar teacher is very proud of him.


Kenny Bigelow - Bigelow was the #9 ranked recruit in the nation coming out of high school before committing to USC. He then transferred to West Virginia after a couple years and he was solid in college but never had those eye popping numbers that were expected. He was not able to catch on with an NFL team after being undrafted.


Jay Bromley - Bromley has already overcome a lot in life as his mother was so addicted to crack that he was born with a crack addiction. His father was a pimp that murdered a prostitute and went to prison when Jay was nine months old, but he overcame all of that to get a late scholarship offer from Syracuse and play so well that he was a third round pick by the Giants in 2014. He’s played in every NFL season since then excluding this current season, so he’s a guy who is hoping he can show enough to get an opportunity at an NFL job again.


New York Guardians


Joey Mbu - AAC First-Team for Houston in 2014. He went undrafted after a very poor combine. He’s had some playing time in 2015 and 2017 in the NFL, but has failed to make an active roster since then.


TJ Barnes - Georgia Tech product that played in 21 NFL games from 2014-2016 but has just bounced around rosters since.


Cavon Walker - Defensive Tackle out of Maryland.


Garrison Smith - He managed six sacks for Georgia his senior year which is pretty impressive to me but not impressive enough to get him drafted. He did end up getting some playing time for the Seahawks in 2016 and 2017 but has just bounced around since. He tweets about the grind frequently, and unfortunately, it’s not in reference to the 1990s show on MTV.


Toby Johnson - Also played for Georgia and played a couple games for the Vikings in 2016. In 2019, he had seven sacks for the Massachusetts Pirates.


Bunmi Rotimi - Old Dominion who is kind of a hybrid defensive lineman who put up some pretty solid numbers for the Monarchs. Believes Netflix should have a random button.


Seattle Dragons


Will Sutton - A man I adored coming out of Arizona State. A two-time AP All-American, two-time Morris Trophy Award Winner, and two-time Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. In 2012, he had 23.5 tackles for loss with 13 sacks as he absolutely blew up those West Coast defensive lines. It was enough to make him a third round pick by the Bears in 2014. He had great technique but after his ASU career, we found out that the athleticism wasn’t quite there, and it haunted him in his pursuit of an NFL career. He only became a rotational lineman and was never able to seize onto an opportunity in the pros. He has been unable to make an active roster since leaving the Bears after the 2016 season but had a solid showing in the Alliance this past year.


Taniela Tupou - Not the Rugby player. Former Washington Husky who hasn’t found a way to stick around in the NFL.


Pasoni Tasini - Pah-so-knee Tah-see-knee is a defensive tackle out of Utah that did make it into a game with the Cardinals last year.


Shane Bowman - Washington Husky that had one hell of an interception in college. He is fresh out of school but got limited playing time in college.


Jeremy Liggins - Played tight end and offensive tackle for Ole Miss, so why not try defensive line?


Jordan Thompson - He was a big time recruit for Northwestern as he also had offers from Alabama and Notre Dame but never managed to do antyhing too great for the Wildcats.


Anthony Moten - Played at The U. Second for defensive tackles in the Alliance with 4 sacks.


St. Louis Battlehawks


Casey Sayles - Ohio Bobcat who had five sacks his final season but hasn’t made an NFL roster since graduating.


Channing Ward - Ole Miss lineman that made the Bucs team as an undrafted free agent. He played in five games his rookie year and one more in 2017. Tore his patellar tendon and hasn’t played in the league since.


Khyri Thornton - Southern Miss defensive tackle who was drafted in the third round by the Packers in 2014 after a strong showing at the NFL combine. He was released the following year without ever playing a game for them. He did play for the Lions some from 2015-2017 and has not been with a team since then.


Marcus Hardison - Had 10 sacks for Arizona State his senior year which got him drafted in the fourth round by the Bengals, but he’s never played in an NFL game. He bounced around some practice squads, but was most recently in the Alliance.


Davonte Lambert - Auburn defensive tackle who don’t even trip no more. He just peeps and keeps it moving.


Jake Payne - Out of Shenandoah University, became an Arena Bowl Champion. They call him the PayneTrain. He fell in love with a woman who likes her chicken dry.


Kellen Soulek - SDSU Jack that believes if you’re going to be a man at night, be a man in the morning. I honestly have no idea what that means. Like, buy a lady breakfast if you have sex with her? If you want to clog up a lady’s parts, you better be ready to unclog her toilet?


Will Clarke - Was second-team All-Big 12 for the West Virginia Mountaineers which was enough to get him drafted in the third round by the Bengals. He’s been fairly active, playing in 53 games from 2014-2018, this being the first year that he has not made a team. He’s a borderline guy who should have the skills necessary to make an impact on the line for the Battlehawks.


Stevie Tu'ikolovatu - USC product that was drafted by the Bucs in the seventh round of the 2017 draft. He’s Mormon.


Los Angeles Wildcats


Anthony Johnson - LSU product that left school early for the draft, shat the bed at the combine and got signed with the Dolphins, and he’s bounced around rosters since, but getting playing time in the Alliance and CFL.


Latarius Brady - Played for Memphis and has tried out the Alliance and CFL.


Leon Orr - Florida Gator who managed eight games in the NFL after going undrafted but was released by the Dolphins after he was arrested with weed and a firearm. Such a strange combination. Just chill, man.


Reggie Howard - 15 tackles for loss his final year at Toledo which was fourth in the MAC. He just graduated last year but was unable to make a team. This is a guy who is a little undersized, but with that production at a mid-level school, I definitely think he is one to keep an eye on.


Owen Roberts - San Jose State product who is interested in broadcasting and says he likes the work of Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp. I kind of like that he sets a low bar, because it’s like an aspiring political writer saying they want to be as good as Bret Stephens. Be a hack, but get paid well for it. The American Dream.


Andrew Stelter - Minnesota Golden Gopher, and that’s all I got.


Andrew Williams - Defensive tackle out of Auburn.


Montori Hughes - Started off at Tennessee before transferring to Tennessee-Martin and was drafted in the fifth round by the Colts where he played in 25 games over four seasons but has not been on an active roster since 2016.


Houston Roughnecks


Trenton Thompson - Former #1 overall recruit in the nation coming out of high school. That makes him the Al Bundy of his high school class. He was supposed to be the next Ndamukong Suh. He went to Georgia and did not become the next Suh, although he did have a very good sophomore year with five sacks. He still left college early, but did not get drafted. He showed some decent athleticism at the combine and has bounced around smaller leagues since. He performed fairly well in the Alliance and is only 23 years old so there’s still enough potential for him to make an impact and get a shot at a long career in the NFL.


Olive Sagapolu - Wisconsin Badger who was actually helping coach the Badgers when he was drafted into the XFL, he was nothing more than a rotational lineman.


Caushaud Lyons - The pride of Tusculum who was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award for the best lineman, offense or defense in Division II, but that was five years ago.


Walter Palmore - Missouri Defensive Tackle.


Handsome Tanielu - Not that good looking, from BYU.


Gabe Wright - Despite being a fourth round pick by the Lions coming out of Auburn, he never really put it together at the NFL level, appearing in only 15 games over four seasons. He was just active last year, so he’s not far from the NFL, but there also isn’t a ton to get excited about at this point.


Tampa Vipers


Ricky Walker - Solid defensive tackle out of Virginia Tech who just graduated last year.


Josh Banks - Defensive Lineman out of Wake Forest who continually fails to make the Giants roster.


Giorgio Newberry - Florida State lineman that was impressive enough to get a combine invite, but that just showed how unathletic he was. He went undrafted and has not been close to a roster.


Trevon Sanders - Solid player for Troy. Private Twitter account.


Nikita Whitlock - 5’10” 250 pound nose guard out of Wake Forest, hell yeah. He’s like a modern-day Brian Pillman. He had 18 tackles for loss and 9 sacks his senior year in 2013, but the NFL immediately converted him to fullback because of his off-the-charts grit. In 2015, the Giants let him play fullback and defensive tackle where he even got a sack on the defensive side of the ball. The next year he got suspended 10 games for PEDs. He’s focused on the defensive side of the ball since, but it has been up in Canada. If they put him on the field, he’s going to dominate and represent for us undersized guys all over the world.


Dallas Renegades


Sealver Siliga - Utah product that has managed to play in 44 NFL games, but his last one was in 2017. He didn’t get signed this past year so it might be over for Siliga. He retweets Barstool Sports a lot.


Winston Craig - Richmond Spider that became a team captain. He had two sacks against Villanova.


Gelen Robinson - You could not create a more XFAlpha player in a lab. For me, he didn’t just wrestle in high school, he wrestled in college, in the Big 10, the best wrestling conference in the nation. Oh, and The Big Dog, Glenn Robinson is his father. Is he good at football? Who cares?


Izaah Lunsford - Bowling Green defensive tackle.


Tony Guerad - Solid player for UCF where he started his last two years there.


Nick James - Played as a rotation piece for Mississippi State and has bounced around Canada and the Alliance since then.


Ray Smith - Had more interceptions than sacks over his last two years with Boston College 1 to 0.5.


Tyrell Thompson - Tarleton State product, and considering their team name is the Texans, I am going to take a wild guess and say that school is located in Texas.


Curtis Cothran - Penn State grad who did not diddle children, in fact, with his criminology degree, he might just arrest them someday.


Deon Simon - I wish this was Simon Dean. Northwestern State player who got drafted in the seventh round by the Jets and played in all 16 games in 2016. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to make an active roster since.


Thursday, December 12, 2019

XFAlpha Podcast Notes - Episode 9

This week, we finally make our way to talking about the defensive side of the ball, starting with defensive ends. With the talk about defensive ends, Jonah and I both highlight two college defensive ends that we are excited about becoming pros, and anybody who knows me, knows that I'm using that as an excuse to talk about a Hawkeye. Download and social media info is below with all of my notes after that.

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Chase Young I haven’t seen anything close to this domination since Ndamukong Suh, and Chase Young might even be better. It’s just he sets out and dominates whenever he damn well pleases, and you cannot leave any tackle on an island when that guy is around. Now, he didn’t have to play my Hawkeyes this year, and I would have liked to see him against Alaric Jackson and especially Tristan Wirfs since the former is a likely mid-round pick, and I think Wirfs gets drafted in the first this year.



Speaking of Iowa, AJ Epenesa decided that he would eat Nebraska’s world in his final regular season game, and he did so with 14 tackles, 4 for loss and 2.5 sacks. Epenesa is incredibly talented, and still not on the level of Chase Young. But a lot of this is scheme with Epenesa as he isn’t given freedom to go full bore after the quarterback as they like to keep their gap integrity to prevent quarterback scrambles. He’s another guy that will undoubtedly be a first round pick, and he was so much fun to watch as a Hawkeye. He has excellent hands and knows how to generate power like few I have ever seen.



DEFENSIVE END



St. Louis Battlehawks


Andrew Ankrah - He was solid for James Madison.


Jamell Garcia-Williams - 9.5 sacks for UAB his senior year in 2018. He’s also 6’8” but only 255 pounds. This is one of the more intriguing prospects. He didn’t seem to get too close to a shot at the NFL, but he’s still young, and with that frame, there’s plenty to dream on. If you’re wondering, yes, he is aware that he is tall.


Gimel President - Started his career at Auburn before wanting to see if he could make it in the big time at Illinois. He made it into four games with the Texans in 2017 and has continually been in training camps but has not made an active roster since.


Corbin Kaufusi - BYU product that did a two-year mission in South Korea. Had a solid senior year in 2018 where he had 7.5 sacks. He’s young enough to be an intriguing addition to this defensive line. His Mom is the Mayor of Provo.


Farrington Huguenin - Farrington is a University of Kentucky product and if football doesn’t work out, he’d like to fly planes. He plans on doing this with a...Communications Degree? From personal experience, they have never let me fly the plane with my Communications degree, but maybe he’ll have better luck. His nickname is Faro, and he didn’t put up much in the way of numbers as a Wildcat and has not made an active NFL roster.


Markus Jones - All-time sack leader at Angelo State, highlighted by a 36.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sack senior season with 4 forced fumbles in 2018. Still, he went undrafted and was unable to make the Ravens or Packers squad. This is the type of guy I can get excited about, because even though he went to a small school, he had big time production, but as an undrafted free agent, he probably didn’t get the best chance to show whether he could make it in the NFL, and I think the XFL is the perfect opportunity for him to shine.


Shaq Jones - Shaq had 13 tackles for loss both his junior and senior year at UAB, but the odd thing is those years happened in 2014 and 2017 since UAB dropped their football program for a couple years. Still, Shaq stuck around. Even though he only graduated in 2017, he is slightly older with the two years off in between there.


Ulric Jones - South Carolina product that had one sack his senior season.


Dallas Renegades


Hau’oli Kikaha - For Washington, he had 12.5 sacks his junior year and followed it up with 19 sacks. That insane production was enough for him to be a unanimous All-American and a second round pick by the Saints in 2015. He had a solid rookie year but has struggled with injuries and was released on the eve of the 2018 season and has not found a roster since. The injuries are the big question as if he’s healthy, I think he has the motor and pass rushing skills to be a big factor as an edge rusher.


Frank Alexander - Not a surprise that Bob Stoops would target this former Sooner who had 8.5 sacks his final year before getting drafted in the fourth round by the Panthers. He then kept getting suspended for smoking marijuana and followed that up by tearing his achilles. He played a little in Canada since, but this is a last hurrah for a guy who will be 30 before the season starts.


Johnathan Calvin - Mississippi State product that had two sacks in the Egg Bowl in 2016 which was probably the best game of his career. Went undrafted and bounced around rosters without getting any playing time. The good news is that according to Twitter, he’s like fine wine, he gets better with time.


James Folston - His father was an NFL player for eight years, and Folston took those genetics to Pitt where he never really broke through. He does have some snazzy workout videos on Twitter.


Gerald Rivers - Ole Miss player who became an NFL practice squad guy for the most part, played in three games in 2013. Has offered $100 million for anyone who can guess the plot to Sorry To Bother You without seeing the movie.


Tampa Vipers


Obum Gwacham - Oh-BOOM, Long and lean but only four sacks over his career at Oregon State. Still, he was very athletic and tested out well at the combine, so it was no surprise that the Seahawks took a chance on him in the sixth round. Although the Seahawks released him, he signed with the Saints and played in nine games and got 2.5 sacks. He played in six games over the next two years with the Jets but has not had a chance to break through since then. With his athleticism and real life track record of moderate NFL impact, he’s a more exciting XFL prospect than most.


Deiontrez Mount - Played for Louisville where he had 9.5 tackles for loss his final year. Was drafted in the sixth round by the Titans. He managed to play in 12 games over three seasons from 2015-2017. He ruptured his Achilles in May of last year so he could still be lacking explosiveness. He has also fought an Uber driver.


Jason Neill - 8.5 sacks for UT San Antonio. He’s bounced around the CFL recently.


Devin Taylor - Had a fairly productive career at South Carolina but he was a physical marvel at the combine which got him drafted in the fourth round by the Lions in 2013. Played in the NFL for five years and he even managed a seven sack season in 2015. If he’s maintained his athleticism, he’s going to be a lot to deal with for XFL offensive lines. He’s related to Joe Frazier.


Bobby Richardson - Played at Indiana and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Saints, proceeded to play in 15 games and start 11 of them, had a damn interception, and never played another snap in the NFL. I’m guessing Bobby made a Faustian Deal to have one year in the NFL for eternal XFL damnation.


Seattle Dragons


Stansly Maponga - Played at TCU and had nine sacks as a sophomore, although his numbers fell off the next season before he declared early for the NFL Draft. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Falcons where he played 12 games in each of his first two NFL seasons and got a couple games with the Giants in 2015.


Tenny Palepoi - Utah defensive lineman that has played 44 games from 2014-2017, and that number would have been higher had he not missed 2015 due to a fractured foot. He was also suspended four games for performance enhancing drugs so maybe he’ll get back on the gas for the XFL. He was moderately successful in the Alliance.


Jacquies Smith - Had a strong career at Missouri that ended in 8 sacks with 17 tackles for loss. He was denied by the NFL for a couple years before coming to the Buccaneers and totaling 13 sacks over two years as a part-time starter. He then ran into a string of injuries and has never gotten another real shot at making an impact.


Danny Ezechukwu - Had a solid senior season for Purdue in 2017.


Praise Martin-Oguike - He asked the tough question on Twitter: Is Sam’s Club worth it? Nobody responded, but luckily I did, and now we are best friends. He also believes winter is ghetto. Maybe the best twitter account that I have come across from an XFL player, but it’s not exactly a high bar to clear. He was once charged for sexual assault but was exonerated on those charges.


Marcell Frazier - Defensive End out of Missouri who put up decent stats with 15.5 sacks over his last two years.


Martin Ifedi - 9.5 sacks his junior year for Memphis but fell off during his senior year. Did not test well at the combine and fell to the Rams in the seventh round.


Anthony Johnson (FIU) - Just graduated last year and had 7 sacks during his junior season before falling off his senior year.


Durrant Miles - Boise State defensive end.


Los Angeles Wildcats


Willie Mays  - Not the outfielder for the Giants who was a solid defensive end out of Tiffin. He’s also played in the CFL.


Corey Vereen - Won’t play because of low pay.


Adrian Hubbard - Hubbard is an Alabama product who had a very impressive sophomore season with seven sacks but then his numbers dropped off in his junior year before he declared for the NFL Draft. Despite youth and showing that he could produce in the SEC, he went undrafted before signing with the Packers. He never was able to make the NFL and has spent some time in Canada. This is one of those guys that the name excites me as I thought to myself, “Oh, Hubbard? I can’t believe he didn’t make it in the NFL,” but considering it’s been a while since he’s done anything impressive on a football field, he’s probably going to fit into the LA Culture and be more name than substance.


Dame Ndiaye - Born in Senegal before moving to the US at age 8, he later attended Portland State and has received his Master’s in Educational Leadership. According to Twitter, he seems skeptical of whether women can be trusted.


Shawn Oakman - Had a huge Junior year at Baylor where he had 19.5 tackles for loss with 11 sacks and huge is the word to use with Oakman as he is 6’8” and almost 290 pounds. His dropoff on the field was slightly overblown as he still had 14.5 tackles for loss but just didn’t have the sack numbers from the previous season. But the bigger issue with Oakman is his off-the-field issues. He has assaulted both a pizza delivery guy and grabbed the wrist of a female convenience store clerk when he tried to steal $7.75 worth of food. Then he had a sexual assault charge right before the NFL Draft that ended his possibility of being drafted. He was found not guilty, so I think we just have to leave it at that. Anyway, he’s big and fairly athletic and maybe he can shine in this league, although with is build and lack of great pass rushing technique, I see him more as a space-eating 5-technique as opposed to a rush end.


Cedric Reed - Texas defensive end who also follows the Hubbard and Oakman path of left college one year too late. He had ten sacks his Junior season before falling off his senior year. He bounced around some teams after not being drafted but has not gotten any NFL experience.


DC Defenders


Charles Harris (Buffalo) - Not the famous Charles Harris from Missouri, this one is from Buffalo, and honestly, the Defenders may have been confused on this one as well.


Sam Montgomery - Only stayed three years at LSU after racking up 17 sacks over his final two seasons. He was a third round pick by the Texans but got released his rookie season for smoking weed. Smoking weed? That’s pretty weak. Anyway, he may be the only black man in history who was wrongfully arrested by police, and the white police officer actually lost his job for it, so that’s something. Somehow, he’s never played in an NFL game.


KeShun Freeman - Undersized defensive end out of Georgia Tech.


Tavaris Barnes - Played for Clemson, so that’s nice, but more of a backup guy. He managed to get a little playing time with the Saints in 2015.


Jake Ceresna - The pride of SUNY Cortland where he had 9.5 sacks his final year. He kind of tore it up in Canada with an 8-sack season last year which I thought would lead the league, and then I found out it was only half of the league leader, but maybe it’s something?


Brian Khoury - Went to Carnegie Mellon where he did manage 26 sacks, but way, WAY more importantly, this man is from my hometown, Davenport, Iowa. Also, his parents saw potential in him, and didn’t let him go to through the Davenport public school system as instead he went to the much ritzier Bettendorf High School. I lived a mile down the road from where he played once I also got fancy and moved to the ritzy part of the Quad Cities.


New York Guardians


Austin Larkin - Nephew of Barry Larkin. Went to Purdue after not getting playing time at Notre Dame and he didn’t do much for Purdue either. Currently on the Falcons practice squad so he’s been good enough to be a borderline guy.


Jarrell Owens - Had a very strong senior season with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks last year for Oklahoma State.


Rykeem Yates - Nevada defensive end that got two sacks in his senior year in college but got three sacks in the Alliance this past season. He was an All-American wrestler in high school.


Malik Harris - Was a tight end that tried to convert to defensive end at Incarnate Word.


George Johnson - He had a very good senior year at Rutgers with 13.5 tackles for loss including 6.5 sacks. Unfortunately, that was a decade ago, and now Johnson is looking to stay in football any way he can. He bounced around active rosters from 2011-2017 and played in 45 games over that span, most recently with the Saints. He was released before the 2018 season and is now giving it a go in the XFL. George was not happy with who ruled the kingdom at the end of Game of Thrones, but I won’t spoil that for the audience.


Ryan Mueller - Managed to go from walk-on to first-team All Big 12 at Kansas State. His Junior year he had 18.5 tackles for loss including 11.5 sacks. Still, it wasn’t enough to get NFL teams excited as the Eagles signed him to try to convert him to fullback but gave up on that idea fairly quickly. He hasn’t been near an NFL roster since 2016.


Victor Ochi - Stony Brook defensive end that had 24 sacks over his last two years in college. Was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent and played two games for the Jets in 2016. He has not been on an NFL roster the last two years since tearing his ACL.


Houston Roughnecks


Corey Crawford - Was more of a space eating defensive end at Clemson so I would expect the Roughnecks to run a 3-4, especially with the lack of defensive ends they selected.


Johnny Maxey - Despite being only a second-team all-conference selection at Mars Hill, he still managed to make the Steelers roster and play in two games in 2016. He couldn’t make the Memphis squad in the Alliance before catching on with Birmingham.


Taylor Reed - Defensive end out of SMU. He has played for over half of the teams in the CFL.


Aaron Tiller - Southern University defensive end that would rather fly Spirit Airlines over American, and he does not want you to poke him on Facebook. As for football stuff, he did win the Arena League Title this past year.