Bender Rodriguez (Universe 1)
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 Bender celebrating ISFL draft night | |
| No. 55 – Orange County Otters | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 4, 2019 (aged 41) Tijuana, Mexico |
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Username: | Shrub02 |
| Career information | |
| High school: | MomCorp High School |
| College: | San Diego State University |
| ISFL Draft: | 2043 / Round: 2 / Pick: 3 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2042 / Round: 6 / Pick: 3 |
| Career history | |
| "* Minnesota Grey Ducks (2042 (S27)-2042 (S27)) | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Player stats at ISFL.net | |
Bender "Bending" Rodriguez (Universe 1) (born September 4, 2019) is an American football linebacker for the Orange County Otters of the National Simulation Football League (ISFL).
Contents
Early years
Bender "Bending" Rodriguez was designed by Carol "Mom" Miller and Professor Hubert Farnsworth in Tijuana, Mexico. His parents flipped a coin to determine which finish to give him, landing on glorious gold instead of fog hat grey. They gave him the surname Rodriguez because it "sounded Mexican enough." His parents' relationship soon deteriorated. They separated, and moved back to New New York, leaving Bender to fend for himself. To provide for himself, he made a living as a second-rate criminal stealing wallets until he was caught one day, much to his embarrassment. Rodriguez was then forced to work at a factory bending steel girders. He found that he was naturally talented at this and eventually used his earnings to pay for his schooling at MomCorp High School. Rodriguez spent his days in school and afternoons at work, skipping practice to earn money. He spent his nights drinking ,smoking cigars, and playing blackjack. These activities did not hinder his football career, as his natural talent was enough to gain him a spot as a safety on the All-USA high school football team all four years in high school. Although he was recruited by many top collegiate programs, Bender chose SDSU because it was close to the beach and its underground casino scene.
College career
"Rodriguez initially joined the Aztecs' squad as an hybrid linebacker/safety. He redshirted his freshman year, gaining experience under a roster that had plenty of depth. He had his breakout moment during his redshirt freshman season against San Jose State when he intercepted the ball and took it back 87 yards to the house. But it was later that season when Rodriguez truly made his presence known. He infamously pulled a cigar out of his sock and smoked it in celebration. Later that season, during the Mountain West Championship, all three of the Aztecs' tight ends went down to injury. Rodriguez stepped into the position that he had not played since youth football and scored 2 second half touchdowns on 101 receiving yards, leading the team to victory. That offseason he made the switch to tight end permanent. He would go on to be the team leader in receiving yards and touchdowns in his redshirt junior season, finishing with 67 receptions for 748 yards and 9 touchdowns. Rodriguez finished his colligate career as a 2 time Mountain West All Conference player and John Mackey Award winner for being college football's best tight end. "
College career statistics
Use this page to get the stats table template.
Professional career
DSFL career
Bender rode the bench his whole rookie season in the DSFL, claiming that he was "the best damned backup tightend the league will ever see." He managed to nab 15 receptions for 97 yards and also recorded 9 pancakes.
ISFL career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
220 lb (100 kg) |
4.4 s | 4.18 s | 7.36 s | 25.7 in (0.65 m) |
10 ft 0.4 in (3.06 m) |
13 reps | 17 |
Season 28
Wanting to see the field and make an immediate impact in the big leagues, Bender switched positions from tight end to linebacker. He also changed his number from 22 to 55. He was called up immediately and made his presence at linebacker felt right away as he recorded 2 tackles for loss in his ISFL debut. This would prove to be his best performance of the season as Bender struggled to learn the intimacies of playing linebacker on the professional level, producing subpar statistics. Although, he would go on to finish the season 4th in tackles and 5th in sacks among rookies. These stats were not good enough to get him nominated for any rookie awards. The Otters ended up finishing 7-9 and missed the playoffs despite a late season 3 game win streak. Bender vowed to use this first season playing linebacker as a learning experience and come back next season better than ever.
Season 29
Knowing how much he needed to improve this year, Bender picked up his cigar and put in the work during the offseason. His efforts paid off as he recorded 6 tackles and a sack during the Otters' opening day victory against the Sabercats. Bender's best performance came in week 5 against the Secondline when he led the team in tackles with 9. He also demonstrated his newfound versatility with 3 PDs and his first career interception. Bender's most clutch performance this season happened in week 13 against San Jose. While he only had 3 tackles, his first career strip sack led to an Otters' touchdown in the second quarter. Overall, Bender improved in every single statistical category. This improvement led to Bender being nominated for the Defensive Breakout Player of the Year award. Even though he didn't win the award, this recognition confirmed Bender's ability to be a big-time linebacker on the professional level.
Season 30
Coming into his third season, Bender found his niche in the ISFL: he would become a tackling machine. He demonstrated this in the opening game of loss against New Orleans where he recorded 12 tackles and 2 sacks, his first multi-sack game of his career. He would go on to have 4 games with 10+ tackles this season. His most clutch performance came in week 15 against the Secondline where he had 10 tackles and two sacks, helping them win in a 23-20 thriller of a game. This effort was part of the Otters' late season surge which brought their record to 9-7 and their first winning season since Bender joined the team. Even so, the Otters would miss the playoffs. Bender finished the season with a career-high of 123, the first time over 100 tackles, and ranked second in the league. This would be the start of 10 straight seasons recording over 100 tackles.
Season 31
Bender and his teammates came into this season hopeful to build on their winning record the previous season. Unfortunately, they could only muster up a 4-12 record. Still, the squad showed potential as two of their victories came against the playoff bound Arizona Outlaws. There were some bright spots for Bender; he recorded his first ever career safety in week 13 against the Sabercats. He would build on this the following week with his best game, and also most clutch performance, against the Outlaws where he recorded 9 tackles, including one for loss, and two sacks, all while being the Defensive Player of the Game. For the second season in a row, Bender finished in the top 3 in recorded tackles. It was also his first season recording double digit sacks with 10. Going into the offseason, Bender and his teammates would have their work cut out for them if they wanted to improve to become playoff caliber.
Season 32
Looking to improve on their poor performance the previous season, the Otters would hit a bump in the road. They actually got worse after trading their star running back for draft picks. Even so, Bender managed to salvage the season with some good performances. This was his first season in a stretch of 5 seasons where he played middle linebacker instead of outside. His best game happened in week 12 against the Silverbacks. In this game Bender recorded 6 tackles, 2 sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception, helping the Otters win a close game and receiving the Defensive Player of the Game award. Bender demonstrated his versatility by finishing 3rd in interceptions and 4th in PDs (both for linebackers). He also scored the first touchdown of his career. It was a tough season for both Bender and the Otters. The team finished dead last in the league. Things could only go up from here.
Season 33
Coming into this season everyone doubted the Otters. Bender wanted to prove them wrong. They did just that with a late season win streak that propelled them into the playoffs. Still, everyone counted the Otters out, saying they got lucky all season. Bender took this personally and set out to get his most clutch performance and best performance of the season in the playoffs. His clutch performance came during the wildcard round against the Copperheads. Bender's 8 tackles and one sack helped lead the team to a 20-16 upset victory. After beating the Outlaws, the Otters faced the Hawks in the Ultimus. Bender would go on to have his best performance of the season, recording 12 tackles and a sack. Unfortunately, it was not enough to secure the victory as the Hawks kicked a last-minute field goal to win the game. When asked about it during a post-game interview Bender responded, "Get bent!"
Season 34
The hangover from the Ultimus loss seemed to carry over into season 34. The Otters would struggle again, the Otters only won 5 games, but Bender would not let this bring him down. His best performance also happened to be his most clutch game. It occurred in week 3 against the Wraiths. After losing the first two games of the season, Bender recorded 12 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble, to help the Otters achieve a victory. For the second season in a row Bender would finish ranked in the top 5 for tackles. While his stats may not be awe inspiring, they we good enough for an inside linebacker to win him his first ever award: he made it onto the roster for the All-Pro Second Team. Bender had this to say about it, "Yeah, second team All-Pro is great and all. But you know what would be great? First team All-Pro."
Season 35
The Otters looked to rebound after a lackluster season the year previous. And they would do just that with a winning record and a playoff appearance. Bender's best game came in week 4 against the Copperheads where he recorded 9 tackles including a tackle for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. He also recorded 5 tackles for loss in week 7 against the Silverbacks. That was good enough to tie for 3rd all time in single game tackles for loss. Bender recorded 9 tackles in the Otters playoff loss to the Outlaws. This year was Bender's breakout season. He once again finished in the top 5 for tackles and 2nd for tackles for loss. He also had the most sacks out of any inside linebackers and the most negative plays out of any defender. This performance got Bender nominated for Linebacker of the Year and a spot on the Pro-Bowl team and First Team All-Pro team.
Season 36
Following a playoff appearance for the Otters and a couple of accolades for Bender, they came into the season with high expectations. Both Bender and his teammates would be let down with subpar performances. Not everything was bad though, as Best had his best game and a clutch performance against the Yeti in week 8. In this game, he recorded 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 PDs, and a forced fumble in their three-point victory. Bender also set a personal record in tackles in a game again Arizona in week 4. His 126 tackles also placed him in the top 5 once again, ranking 3rd overall. When asked why he wasn't nominated for all-pro or pro-bowl Bender responded, "These scrubs don't know greatness when they see it. They see my performance and think I'm a silver medalist. But look at me, I'm all gold baby!" He looks forward to continuing to improve next season.
Season 37
Yet again the Otters came into the season as a rebuilding team. Not much was expected of them. While they did not make the playoffs they did overachieve and contended. Bender was a big part of that effort. His best game came against the Outlaws in week 10. He recorded 10 tackles (including 2 for loss), 2 sacks, and 2 PDs. Bender's most clutch performance happened in week 13 against the Hahalua when he had 7 tackles and a sack. The sack came in came in the third quarter and helped sing the momentum in Orange County's favor, allowing them to win a close game. While Bender didn't finish in the top 5 for tackles this season, he finished in the top 10 and led the league in sacks. This allowed him to be nominated for Defensive Player of the Year while making the Pro Bowl and First Team All Pro team.
Season 38
As Bender continue to age, his only hope this season was to remain relevant and help the team compete for a playoff spot. Both happened this season. While the Otters ended up missing the playoffs, they were in the hunt much of the season. And Bender continued to produce stats despite his age. His best game was in week 1 again the Hahalua when he produced 8 tackles, a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery. After the game, an anonymous Honolulu player was quoted as saying, "This Bender character really has our number." Bender also had a clutch performance against the Secondline when he achieved 11 tackles, including 3 for loss, and a sack helping the team to a one-point win. Bender finished the season 1st in PDs for a linebacker, 3rd in overall tackles for loss, and 2nd in overall tackles, leading him to make the Pro-Bowl and First Team All Pro team.
Season 39
The Otters came into the season hope to make a playoff run. After 9 weeks of play, they sat only one game out of the playoff chase. And then the lost the next seven in a row. Nevertheless, Bender was able to pull off a season worthy of note. His best game came in the Otters' week 9 victory against the Sabercats. Bender stuffed the San Jose offense all game, achieving 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble en route to a 28-10 victory. When asked about his performance, Bender had this to say: "Yeah, they got bent. My only regret is that they weren't the Secondline. I love bending those fools." Bender finished the season ranked 3rd in tackles, the 7th time in his career he finished in the top 5. He also had a double-digit sack total for the 3rd straight season. Not bad for an old bot.
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2043 (S28) | Otters | 16 | 60 | 3 | 1/0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2044 (S29) | Otters | 16 | 86 | 8 | 4/2 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2045 (S30) | Otters | 16 | 123 | 3 | 1/0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2046 (S31) | Otters | 16 | 114 | 6 | 1/0 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2047 (S32) | Otters | 16 | 105 | 9 | 4/3 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2048 (S33) | Otters | 16 | 130 | 9 | 1/0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2049 (S34) | Otters | 16 | 118 | 3 | 1/3 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2050 (S35) | Otters | 16 | 108 | 17 | 1/3 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2051 (S36) | Otters | 16 | 126 | 2 | 3/1 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2052 (S37) | Otters | 16 | 119 | 8 | 1/0 | 19 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2053 (S38) | Otters | 16 | 137 | 15 | 2/2 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2054 (S39) | Otters | 16 | 131 | 5 | 2/1 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
Achievements and records
Use this section as an example.
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