In a secondary loaded with names like Chris Harris, Derwin James, and Casey Hayward... there is one player who is out to make a name for himself. 25-year-old defensive back Desmond King II is having the best season of his young career. Coach Larson and the Chargers coaching staff have been utilizing King's skillset all over the field. We caught up with Coach Larson who said, "Desmond can do it all. He has the size and speed to match-up with any type of athlete the offense throws at him. He is so versatile and athletic and has nose for getting his hands football!" So far this season King has racked up 70 total tackles, 5 TFLs, a sack, 10 interceptions, 12 passes defended, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery,  and 6 touchdowns. 

Back in week 4, the Chargers and King agreed to a brand new 4 year $49.8M contract extension. "In our division, where you are going up against Tyreek, Hardman, Ruggs, Hamler, and more.. having DBs who can cover and run with these guys is crucial", said Coach Larson. 

Larson and King have something else in common, and that is playing Michigan high school football. Larson was two years older than King so they never matched up against one another, but it is safe to say that Desmond would have made Coach Larson look silly. While playing at East English Village Prep in Detroit, King set the Michigan high school record with 29 career interceptions. He also starred on the offensive side of the ball rushing for 2,360 yards his senior year. This explains why he is so dynamic with the football in his hands after snagging an interception or scooping up a fumble. Larson turned down multiple offers from big time universities because he wanted to focus on being an all-pro in the classroom, while King accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Iowa where he played immeditaely and starred as a true frehsman for the Hawkeyes and the rest is hisotry. Stay tuned and make sure to follow Desmond King as he writes the rest of his story here in the XCFL!

Thanks for reading! Go Chargers!

Welcome to XCFL PreNICKtions, where I will make some predictions on certain things going on around the XCFL. With it being the start of the cycle, let's start out with who I think will be winning the divisions and earning the wildcard spots for the first season of Madden 21.

AFC

AFC North - Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals are rolling, Burrow has connected with both of his deep threat WRs in Ross and Fuller. A nice mix of Joe Mixon in the ground game and you have a nasty offense. The defense will determine the sucess in the playoffs for Wings and Cincy.

AFC South - Tennessee Titans - A lot has been said about Drew jumping to the AFC South, but he came here to make the playoffs and I think he will do that Season 1. Needs to figure out the QB spot, but more importantly needs to feed Derrick Henry.

AFC East - Miami Dolphins - Don't let Boone try and footl you, he's the big dog in this division and has to win it. Will he be able to withstand a much improved Rob and a latecomer in Braap? We will see.

AFC West - Las Vegas Raiders - The AFC West is going to come down to who has the best record inside the division each season, this year I think it will be the Raiders and Kylo. The roster isn't quite where he wants it but by season's end, he will have things figured out. Could we see all 4 AFC West teams make the playoffs?

Wildcard 1 - Los Angeles Chargers - The Chargers have been hot since dropping their week 1 game to the Bengals. The defense has forced the most interceptions in the league, while the offense has taken advantage of the short fields.

Wildcard 2 - Denver Broncos - The Broncos have looked really good until the week 5 matchup with the Pats. Lock has thrown 14 TDs and has gotten all three of his young WRs involved. Added young pieces on defense, could be a very dangerous wildcard team.

Wildcard 3 - Cleveland Brown - Debated here between the Browns and the Chiefs. Went with NWS and the Brownies just because they are off to a better start than Tosh and the Chiefs are. The AFC North is looking to be a tough division this cycle, with Wings at the top, Brackett with a loaded Ravens roster, and then newcomer Smokes looking good, it could be a tough division to get wins against. NWS's worst enemy is himself, so if he can avoid turning the ball over he should snag this last spot. At 1-3 though, the Chiefs are by no means out of it, but they lost some games they should have won early on. I think Tosh has made the playoffs every season he has been here so wouldn't be surprised to see the Chiefs sneaking in.

NFC

NFC North - Green Bay Packers - First season, I'm rolling with Van and the Packers here. Probably the best roster in the division and a fresh mindset for Van. Aaron Jones has looked great early, needs to find some balance in the passing game to be a big time threat.

NFC South - Carolina Panthers - Yes, Josh Allen has 18 interceptions through 5 games, but we are still rolling with the Panthers to win the NFC South. It will be a tough division, but I think Brian will be able to withstand the pressure from Prince and Jmo and claim the division crown season 1.

NFC East - New York Giants - To be 100% honest, there is no way I am picking a team called the Football Team to win the division. VBD is up to his old tricks, trading picks for old guys and it seems to be working for him. Saquon has been on fire with already 530 yards and 9 TDs. The roster isn't that great yet, but he's good enough to win with it how it is.

NFC West - Arizona Cardinals - I'm going to go with the Cardinals here but I think it will come down to a tiebreakder between them and the Seahawks. Pride is still adjusting to using a mobile QB like Kyler, but Kenyan Drake has been excellent for this Cards team. I do think we see this divison have 3 teams make the playoffs a few times this cycle.

Wildcard 1 - Seattle Seahawks - This is a loaded roster with one of our better users. As he adjusts to the game I think we will see his record improve and he will make a run at the division but settle with the top wildcard spot.

Wildcard 2 - Washington Football Team - Okay, had to pick the team with the stupid name. Jack's team is young and building, it will be s shame if we let him compete season 1 with those young guys, but I think he does and snags a wildcard spot. Imagine winning your division and getting lucky enough to play Jack as the wildcard team.

Wildcard 3 - New Orleans Saints - Could have gone with a few teams here, but decided to go with Prince and the Saints. He's a very smart user with a really good roster. Kamara and MT are problems! He's going to have to win games in the division and has to play the AFC West, but I think he does just enough to get in season 1.

Just my thoughts! Prove me wrong!

- Nick

Welcome to the first Bolt Beat of the Madden 21 cycle! Season 39 is upon us and the Los Angeles Chargers have hired Nick Larson to take over as the GM and Head Coach. Larson won a lot of games during the M20 cycle but found little success in the playoffs in the brutal NFC.

Let's get down to business. Who will be the team leaders for Season 39?

RT Brian Bulaga 

It is very rare that Larson gives any offensive lineman an honor, but being a tackle in this league for 10 season, Bulaga has paid his dues and with a rookie QB under center has stepped up to be the vocal leader on the offensive side of the football.

WR Keenan Allen

The 28-year-old star wide receiver is among the league's best. He does things the right way and is really being asked to help these younger pieces on offensive develop. He's a true professional and he leads with his play on the field. 

DE Joey Bosa

Joey Bosa is one of the best pass in te XCFL. He's a smart football player with a high motor. At just 25-years-old, Bosa has earned the trust and respect of the coaching staff. He shows up early, leaves late, and makes sure everyone brings intensity to practice every single day.

DE Melvin Ingram

Next up is the man who first took Joey Bosa under his wing when he was drafted, his runningmate Melvin Ingram. Entering his 8th season with the Chargers, Ingram is the vocal leader. He keeps things light at practice always talking and joking around. When it is time to get serious and play, Ingram brings a ton of intesity and leads by example.

SS Derwin James Jr.

The do-it-all strong safety Derwin James has battled injuries for the early part of his career. At just 24-years-old, James is wise beyond his years. When he is on the field, there is no doubt he is a top player in the XCFL. He is the heart and soul of this Charger defense and Larson is counting on him to be the leader of this football team for years to come.

Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone this season!

Go Chargers!

With XCFL Season 35 Week 9 just ahead, many see it as just another week in our crazy fast Madden 20 cycle. However, for two users in this league, this means bragging rights at the office water cooler for the next couple months. To most outsiders, they see a 1-6 Buffalo Bills team taking on a 4-3 Denver Bronco team and just write it off as nothing special. To us XCFLers, this game has much more meaning than that. It is one of the best rivalries the XCFL has to offer. Let's break it down..

Bills

It has been a rough cycle for Coach Morlock and his Bills. He has done a tremendous job team building and making key offseason moves to set his team up for success, however it has just not translated to results on the field. However, when the Bills take on the Broncos, you throw the stats out the window, because Coach Morlock has a 3-2 all time series lead over Coach Higgie, 4-2 if you include the XCFL College All-Star Game. We must point out that Coach Higgs has won himself an XCFL Superbowl title.

Broncos

It has been a fairly easy cycle for Coach Higgie and the Denver Broncos, rolling his division almost every season and racked up a few playoff wins throughout the cycle. He has loaded up with speed all over the field, which I think we all expected if you saw his team at the end of last cycle. A lot of times, the Rob vs. Higgie showdown is a lose/lose for Higgs, because if he wins, he beat Robert, who he was supposed to beat. But.... if he is to lose to his real life rival, we all can picture the smile and the walk Rob cruises into the office with on Tuesday morning, just to sit down at the desk just a few feet from Higgie, only to say, “Morning Higgs, how about that game last night?”

Key Match-Ups

Buffalo Defensive Line vs. Denver QB Blake Drew

It is no secret that Buffalo has loaded up on talented defensive lineman, and this unit is led by superstar in and off the field Ahmad Bates. You think these guys need any motivation? No, but how about that the new Denver QB used to be a Bill that they were never allowed to hit in practice. These big boys would love to get their hands on Drew and make his life very difficult tonight. Rookie CB

Lincoln Chaney vs. Denver WRs

This matchup is simple, a very talented rookie CB, who was taken #1 in the draft taking on the speedy duo of Riley Reid or Brian Blair. It is a tough task for a rookie to take on a veteran WR, let alone one who has the route running ability of a Reid or a Blair. If Chaney is able to take one of them away and make Blake Drew go somewhere else with the football it could be a good night for the Bills defense.

HB Daymond Cofield vs. MLB Dalton Slauson

Daymond Cofield is one of the more versatile backs in all of the XCFL. He excels as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. This will be a tough matchup for the first year Denver Bronco Dalton Slauson. Look for the Bills to line Cofield up all over the field and work to get him as many touches as possible.

Prediction

This is tough, it’s a game Higgie should win, but in a rivalry anything can happen. I’m going to go with...

Broncos 35 - Bills 20

I just think the Broncos offense is too much for the Bills secondary. I think the Denver defense is going to come up with some big turnovers that lead to points and help them pull away in the 2nd half. Regardless of the outcome, i would love to be a fly on the wall at the office tomorrow. Hopefully Father Higgs shoots us some twitter updates throughout the day. Regardless of the outcome, it is a matchup that helps make the XCFL what it is. Good luck and may the best co-worker win!

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Since arriving in Santa Clara last season, 8 year veteran cornerback Richard Sherman has made it know he is the team's leader. After being released by the Seattle Seahawks, Sherm signed a 3 year $39M contract with the 49ers. Not only was Sherman sporting a brand new contract, but he had developed a chip on his shoulder. The 4x pro bowler and Superbowl Champ was experiencing a feeling he hadn't felt since he was back in high school, he was being doubted. When the Seahawks let Sherman go, they were basically saying his better days were behind him and that he lost a step.

When Sherman first joined the Niners they were in a bit of a rebuild. They just brought in a new GM as well as former Patriot QB Jimmy Garoppolo to lead the team. After just one offseason the Niners seem to have built into what most around the XCFL were calling a contender. Adding some big offseason aquisitions like Kwon Alexander and Jason Verrett, the Niners organization was starting to gain some steam as a team that could make some noise this year. With a roster loaded with some younger talent and first time starters, Sherman was determined to take the young guys under his wing and show them the ropes. 

"My goal was to lead by example. It's one thing to talk about what to do and tell someone what they should be doing, but I wanted to make sure they knew that I was for real." - Richard Sherman. 


That is exactly what Sherman has done this season. He leads the team in INTs with 5 and has basically shutdown half of the football field. 

"Sherm has been working with Adrian Colbert and Ahkello Witherspoon and seeing the strides those guys have made week to week has been incredible. He is just someone that was born to be a leader. He has "it"." - 49ers GM Nick Larson


Obviously the 49er offense has stole the headlines this season with Jimmy G and Co. cruising up and down the field at will, but these guys all know that you cannot win a championship without getting stops and forcing turnovers. 

"I don't care what the media or the rankings say, we are here to play tough, hard nose, punch you in the mouth football. I want the passion I have for this game to be contagious... I want all my teammates to know that I am willing to sacrifice myself for them. As the leader of this football team, I will always have my guys ready for battle and I think we can do some serious damage this season in the XCFL." - 49ers CB Richard Sherman

Well, it seems like the 49ers have found their leader and he is more motivated than ever before. We await anxiously for the last five games of Season 25, but regardless it seems like the 49ers are looking to make some noise in the playoffs. Thank you all for stopping by and giving this a read.

Until next time... Go Niners!

Barry Long
49ers Beat Writer

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