Post by saints31 on Aug 21, 2006 14:41:13 GMT -5
The first line of defense
y Sean Janssen
Aug 17 2006
In an up-and-down season that has seen a coaching change and a last-second loss at home, one thing has remained constant for the West Sound Saints —strong play from a defensive line on what is touted as one of the best units at the semi-pro level.
The front of four of Rollis Talalemotu, Eric Nelson, Aaron Grady and Tyrone Braxton have been racking up sacks galore and make West Sound a nearly impossible team to run or pass against. Behind the foursome are more-than-capable reinforcements in Myron Woods, Rick Gardis, Bernard Rouse and Chris Castello.
Woods said it’s been as simple as keeping one thing in mind all year.
“Get the ball,” he said.
The camaraderie among the defensive linemen is remarkable and playing together in the off-season helped. Braxton, Nelson, Woods, Gardis and Grady played together on the same line in the Pacific Northwest Football Conference spring league, with practices for that league beginning in October and the regular season wrapping up just before the NWFL slate began.
“We’ve been together for long enough now” to play as a cohesive unit, Grady said. “Three of us had never really played before. There’s not a lot of skill, we just love to play.”
“We have fun, too,” Nelson said. “Good camaraderie.”
That camaraderie is helped by getting everyone on the field and everyone being comfortable in their roles.
“There’s no egos out there. We play off each other and get it done that way,” Talalemotu said. “Coaches do a good job of rotating. Everybody gets out there the same amount of time.”
The bonds between players aren’t exclusive to the line on defense. Standout linebacker Eddie Llamas has repeatedly praised the line in post-game interviews for making his big plays possible.
“Me and Gabe are the veteran ones as a lineman and a backer,” Braxton said. “It’s unspoken. We’re always playing on a side and we just know what we’re gonna do.”
While Braxton came forward to take credit for that bond, he and his fellow linemen are usually rather modest.
“Our No. 1 play is tapping our helmets (for a sub),” Grady said, jokingly. “We play for each other. Whoever bats the ball, whoever recovers the ball, it doesn’t matter because we do it as a team.”
Talalemotu is alone among the D-line in having played college football as an alumnus of Boise Sate. The rest either played exclusively in high school or can list a few semi-pro stops on their resumé.
“We’re a bunch of never-has-beens,” Grady said. “If we wanted to get glory, we’d play offense.”
More modesty. Nevertheless, Braxton wants to see their play continue to turn heads, just as it did when the Saints marched to Orlando and won a national title last season.
“Nobody knows about this side of the water. We got heart. We like to hit,” Braxton said. “We know how to play. (Opponents) look at us like we’re off in the woods somewhere.”
As the only NWFL team off the I-5 corridor, “I think the past two years have really put Kitsap on the map,” Talalemotu said.
Get the guys talking about what they want to see happen in the season’s final two weeks as the Saints battle for a playoff spot and some of that modesty starts to fade.
“Once we step on that field, it’s business,” Woods said. “We punch the clock and go to work. If they thought we was nasty before, just wait. We’re bringing everything we got.”
“We’re nasty and we’re coming,” Nelson said.
They will have to be, because anyone who knows football knows Talalemotu’s final word rings true.
“The game is always in the trenches, that’s where it’s won,” he said.
y Sean Janssen
Aug 17 2006
In an up-and-down season that has seen a coaching change and a last-second loss at home, one thing has remained constant for the West Sound Saints —strong play from a defensive line on what is touted as one of the best units at the semi-pro level.
The front of four of Rollis Talalemotu, Eric Nelson, Aaron Grady and Tyrone Braxton have been racking up sacks galore and make West Sound a nearly impossible team to run or pass against. Behind the foursome are more-than-capable reinforcements in Myron Woods, Rick Gardis, Bernard Rouse and Chris Castello.
Woods said it’s been as simple as keeping one thing in mind all year.
“Get the ball,” he said.
The camaraderie among the defensive linemen is remarkable and playing together in the off-season helped. Braxton, Nelson, Woods, Gardis and Grady played together on the same line in the Pacific Northwest Football Conference spring league, with practices for that league beginning in October and the regular season wrapping up just before the NWFL slate began.
“We’ve been together for long enough now” to play as a cohesive unit, Grady said. “Three of us had never really played before. There’s not a lot of skill, we just love to play.”
“We have fun, too,” Nelson said. “Good camaraderie.”
That camaraderie is helped by getting everyone on the field and everyone being comfortable in their roles.
“There’s no egos out there. We play off each other and get it done that way,” Talalemotu said. “Coaches do a good job of rotating. Everybody gets out there the same amount of time.”
The bonds between players aren’t exclusive to the line on defense. Standout linebacker Eddie Llamas has repeatedly praised the line in post-game interviews for making his big plays possible.
“Me and Gabe are the veteran ones as a lineman and a backer,” Braxton said. “It’s unspoken. We’re always playing on a side and we just know what we’re gonna do.”
While Braxton came forward to take credit for that bond, he and his fellow linemen are usually rather modest.
“Our No. 1 play is tapping our helmets (for a sub),” Grady said, jokingly. “We play for each other. Whoever bats the ball, whoever recovers the ball, it doesn’t matter because we do it as a team.”
Talalemotu is alone among the D-line in having played college football as an alumnus of Boise Sate. The rest either played exclusively in high school or can list a few semi-pro stops on their resumé.
“We’re a bunch of never-has-beens,” Grady said. “If we wanted to get glory, we’d play offense.”
More modesty. Nevertheless, Braxton wants to see their play continue to turn heads, just as it did when the Saints marched to Orlando and won a national title last season.
“Nobody knows about this side of the water. We got heart. We like to hit,” Braxton said. “We know how to play. (Opponents) look at us like we’re off in the woods somewhere.”
As the only NWFL team off the I-5 corridor, “I think the past two years have really put Kitsap on the map,” Talalemotu said.
Get the guys talking about what they want to see happen in the season’s final two weeks as the Saints battle for a playoff spot and some of that modesty starts to fade.
“Once we step on that field, it’s business,” Woods said. “We punch the clock and go to work. If they thought we was nasty before, just wait. We’re bringing everything we got.”
“We’re nasty and we’re coming,” Nelson said.
They will have to be, because anyone who knows football knows Talalemotu’s final word rings true.
“The game is always in the trenches, that’s where it’s won,” he said.