The definition of Ironman in AFL football used to mean a guy who played on both offense and defense. These days the award is given to the league's best kick returner.Lonnell DeWalt finished the season with 52 tackles and 4 interceptions on defense to go along with his 45 catches for 489 yards and 21 TD's. It wasn't enough to qualify him as one of the top five "Ironmen" in the league.
The only defensive member of the All-Ironman team as announced by the league was Orlando's Marlon Moye-Moore who had a whopping 6 touches on offense for 4 scores. His damage came on defense where he had 73 tackles and seven interceptions. All other candidates won because of their prowess on offense and special teams. Not defense...
DeWalt was a midseason switch to defense, and his play at the jack linebacker position was key for some of Pittsburgh's biggest wins during the season. He should have been on the All-Ironman team at the very least, and to be honest he should have won the JLS Ironman Award hands down.
Don't get me wrong, P.J. Berry is a dynamic player, and should be in the running for awards like Nifty Playmaker of the Year, if there is such an award. Leave the Ironman Awards to people who legitimately play both ways.
Diehard Arena fans will agree with me on this. The award is a joke anymore. Restore it to its original status and reward players who truly play both sides of the ball.
What a joke!
2 comments:
I agree. I come from Dewalt's hometown,BG. In case you all didn't know it his nickname is Worm. When is a NFL team going to take notice and give him a try-out? Do they not see his size and athleticism?
Yeah, it's definitely hard to believe a guy with 6'6" height and can play offense and defense can't get a shot at the NFL
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