Boss Tweed
 | |
| No. 41 – Retired | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 18, 1997 (aged 64) Richmond, Virginia, Kansas |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Username: | PigSnout |
| Career information | |
| High school: | St. Christopher's School |
| College: | Kansas |
| ISFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 17 / Pick: 99 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Player stats at ISFL.net | |
Boss Tweed (born December 18, 1997) was an American football linebacker for the Yellowknife Wraiths of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for Kansas (KU) before being drafted by the Colorado Yeti in the 2016 ISFL Draft (S1).
Contents
Early years
Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, Boss Tweed attended the nearby St. Christopher's School during his high school years. He joined the football team during his freshman year. The coaches weren't quite sure how to best use him. His natural athleticism showed that he could be a big contributor, but he was very raw, so it was hard to narrow down a position for him. The coaches used him all over the field during his high school career as he saw snaps at running back, wide receiver, linebacker, and cornerback. During his senior year, he decided to focus full time as a running back as that was the position he wanted to play at the next level. However, he wasn't very highly recruited entering college as he was still very raw and schools questioned whether he had the skills to make an impact at the NCAA level. He was a three star recruit and ultimately decided to commit to Kansas, a school that wasn't know for its football program but would give him a chance to stand out and make a name for himself.
College career
Boss Tweed arrived at Kansas in 2013. He took a redshirt year in his freshman year, so he didn't see any playing time during his first year of college. This year proved to be very helpful for Tweed as he got to spend a lot of time in the weight room and being able to participate in a college level workout program helped him bulk up. He was able to put on more muscle while maintaining his athleticism and become a much more physically dominating player. He spent time a lot of time in the film room and was able to spend time learning the playbook, so he was able to further develop the mental aspect of his game and become a more polished player. The year off was very helpful in preparing Tweed to take the next step and prepare to play at the college level. Kansas finished 2-10 that year with Tweed not seeing any playing time during his freshman year.
Tweed got to see the first action of his college career as a sophomore. The coaches looked to ease him into the action so they ran a committee of running backs to start out the season. Tweed looked impressive in the playing time he got as he put up efficient numbers rushing with the ball and was able to make an impact in the receiving game as well. However, the team didn't have much success early on as they sputtered to a 2-6 start. The coaches were looking for something to shake things up to try to salvage the season, so they decided to give Tweed a larger role in the offense and make him the full time starter. He ended up excelling with a larger role and the offense thrived in the final few games with Tweed as the lead rusher. This newfound offensive identity helped the Jayhawks turn around and finish conference play strong on a four game winning streak to finish 6-6 overall. This record made Kansas bowl eligible and earned them a spot in the Cactus Bowl against the Arizona Wildcats. Kansas ultimately fell 31-24 in the bowl game, but ended the season with high hopes after their late season turnaround.
With a full offseason to prepare for Tweed as a starter, Kansas became a different team during Tweed's junior year. They had one of the top rushing attacks in the country that year, which helped to open up the passing attack and led to a more well rested defense. Kansas exceeded preseason expectations and improved to 9-3 that season. This earned them a spot in the Big 12 championship game against an undefeated Oklahoma team. Kansas pulled off a thrilling upset as Tweed scored a touchdown in the final seconds to give them a 34-31 victory. Kansas didn't earn a spot in the playoffs that year, but they did qualify for a spot in the Sugar Bowl where they played against Auburn. Tweed had a big game and helped drain the final few minutes off the clock as Kansas held on for a 38-34 victory. Wiith this big bowl win, Tweed had gone from an insignificant recruit to a campus legend. With his stock high after this win, Tweed decided it was time to try his luck at the next level and to enter the draft.
Professional career
NSFL career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
235 lb (107 kg) |
4.23 s | 3.92 s | 7.01 s | 36.9 in (0.94 m) |
11 ft 0.8 in (3.37 m) |
32 reps | 22 | ||||
| NSFL S1 Draft Combine | ||||||||||||
Boss Tweed entered the NSFL during its inaugural draft in Season 1. Scouts had mixed opinions on him. Some were impressed by the game-changing ability he showed in his final year in college but others worried that he was just a one season wonder as he had only played one full year as a starter and was not highly regarded as a prospect entering college. Tweed entered the league at a crowded position and scouts felt he didn't do enough to distance himself from other running backs, so he slipped down the board in the draft. He was finally selected in the 17th round of the draft by the Colorado Yeti with the #99 overall pick.
Tweed had to work his way up the depth chart as he was one of four running backs drafted by the Yeti in Season 1. He didn't see any playing time during the preseason as the Yeti ran a two running back committee with Luke Tiernan and Kieran O'Connell as the starters. However, the coaches were impressed by the work ethic Tweed showed during the preseason practices and they inserted him into the rotation to start off the regular season. Tweed made his NSFL debut in Week 1 in the Yeti's 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Hawks as he ran for 93 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. After this performance, Tweed maintained his spot in the running back rotation and the Yeti eventually expanded to a three running back rotation starting in Week 3 as they felt Tweed, Tiernan, and O'Connell were all worthy of getting snaps. The Yeti got off to a very hot start in Season 1 as they went 6-1 over the first half of the season. However, they hit a slump as they lost five of their next six games after that. This set up a big match up in Week 14 as the Yeti faced the Wraiths in order to determine who would finish at the top of the NSFC in the regular season. The Yeti went on to win 20-10, which meant they would be hosting the NSFC Championship game in Colorado. It was a low scoring game, but the Yeti managed to pull off a 13-6 victory that sent them to participate in the first ever NSFL Championship game. Unfortunately, their momentum did not carry over as the Yeti were blown out 29-6 by the Arizona Outlaws in the championship game. Despite the ending, it was an overall successful season for the Yeti as they made it all the way to the championship game and it was successful for Tweed as he was able to work his way up the depth chart and earn some snaps despite being such a late pick in the draft.
Tweed took on a larger role in the Yeti's offense starting in Season 2. With Luke Tiernan converting to a linebacker and Kieran O'Connell falling behind in his practice over the offseason, the Yeti named Tweed as the full time starting running back coming into Season 2. He made a statement in his first game as a starter as he rushed for 125 yards in the Yeti's Week 1 loss against the Wraiths, which was a singe game record at the time. Tweed had a strong season overall as he rushed for 1054 yards and 6 touchdowns on 285 carries, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He had the best yards per carry average among starting running backs that season, which was a big accomplishment playing behind one of the weekest offensive lines in the league. He earned his first pro bowl appearance with his performance that season. Unfortunately, the Yeti did not make the playoffs that season despite a strong year. The Yeti went 8-6 that season and had the best point differential in the NSFC, but missed out on the playoffs on a three way tiebreaker due to having a worse conference record than the Hawks and less points scored than the Wraiths. The Yeti dropped several winnable games that could have made a difference, but couldn't get the job done in the end. Despite the strong individual season by Tweed, it was a disappointing year for him as the Yeti thought they could contend for the championship but ended up not even making it to the playoffs.
The offseason before Season 3 brought some big changes for the Yeti. Quarterback Logan Noble was suspended and replaced by roookie Nicholas Pierno and several other players were also traded, sending the Yeti into a bit of a rebuild as they went forward with a younger team and some more draft picks. It was a rough year for the Yeti as they saw a lot of growing pains from their young quarterback and their defense took a big step back. The Yeti finished at the bottom of the NSFC that year with a 3-11 record. However, despite the team struggles, Tweed had a strong individual season. He rushed for 1375 yards and 4 touchdowns on 400 carries, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. This was the first time in his career that he led the leadue These ended up being personal career highs for him in both yards and carries and were single season records at the time. Despite the heavy workload, the lack of support from the passing game, and a weak offensive line, Tweed managed to lead starting running back in yards per carry that season. Considering the stats and the context, this was probably Tweed's strongest season as a running back. Unfortunately, he didn't have good touchdown numbers that year due to a lack of red zone opportunities, so he wasn't able to win Running Back of the Year with other running backs putting up a lot more touchdowns. However, Tweed did do well enough to make his second career pro bowl appearance that season. Tweed put up a strong individual performance in Season 3 even though it was a rebuilding year for his team.
There were big expectations for Tweed entering Season 4. The NSFL implemented new rules allowing teams to have bots on their offensive line. The Yeti had previously had one of the worst offensive lines in the league in the earlier seasons, but they would now be able to have an offensive line just as good as every other teams' offensive line. Playing behind the best offensive line of his career and still being the focal point of a run heavy Yeti offense, Tweed was expected to have a big season as many viewed him as a top fantasy pick that season and expected him to contend for Running Back of the Year. However, Tweed fell short of expectations as he took a step back from his previous season's play. Tweed rushed for 1018 yards and 4 touchdowns on 304 carries, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. He saw a decline in efficiency despite having a smaller workload and playing behind a stronger offensive line and with a better passing game. In addition to a disappointing individual season for Tweed, it was also a disappointing season for the Yeti. They hoped to take a step forward with their younger players developing further but instead they took a step back, falling to 1-13 and narrowly avoiding a winless season. Season 4 was a dissapointing year for Tweed as he underperformed his individual expectations while the Yeti also underperformed their team expectations.
Tweed and the Yeti were looking for a bounceback year in Season 5. Tweed put up similar numbers as he did the previous season but they were more impressive in context as rushing numbers around the league were down that year. He finished with 1098 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns on 335 carries, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. While he wasn't as efficient as some of the other top running backs, his workload allowed him to finish with the most rushing yards in the league for the second time in his career. His performance allowed him to make his fourth career pro bowl appearance. His defining performance of the season came in the Yeti's Week 12 22-10 win over the Las Vegas Legion. Tweed rushed for a career high 171 yards on 34 carries, averaging 5 yards per carry as he set a new single game rushing yards record. The most impressive part of the performance was the fact that he only received two carries in the second half, meaning that he already broke the previous single game rushing yards record before halftime. This performance resulted in Tweed winning the Season 5 Top Performance of the Year award, the first award of his career. Unfortunately, the Yeti weren't able to take the step forward they were hoping for as their record only improved by 1 win as theey finished 2-12. It was a somewhat exciting season for Tweed having the best game of his career and winning his first award, though outside of that game he wasn't able to get the team success he was hoping for as the Yeti had another rough season.
There was new hope in Season 6 for Tweed and the Yeti as new league rules made the running game more efficient and made mobile quarterbacks, like Nicholas Pierno, more viable. Tweed had a smaller workload this year with Pierno having a larger role in the Yeti's ground game, but he was more efficient with his rushes than he was in previous seasons. He rushed for 1059 yards and 4 touchdowns on 261 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per carry. This was the first time in his career that he averaged over 4 yards per carry over the course of the season. However, most starting running backs had similar averages that season and with his lower workload and low touchdown numbers, Tweed didn't distinguish himself enough from the other running backs and missed the pro bowl for the first time since his rookie season. While he did improve from his previous averages, he didn't improve as much relative to other running backs who made bigger leaps and outperformed him that year. The Yeti also didn't take the leap they were looking for as their record got worse as they finished winless with an 0-14 record. It was a disappointing year as Tweed didn't make as big of an improvement as expected and missed out on the pro bowl while the Yeti also took a step back in a year when they were hoping to take a step forward toward contending again.
The offseason after Season 6 brought some big changes for Boss Tweed. With Nicholas Pierno not taking the next step after four years and his development slowing down, the Yeti decided it was time to move on and build around a new quarterback. This meant they were going to have to extend their rebuild for a few more years and they would need to get younger. Witth Tweed getting older, it didn't look like the Yeti would be ready to contend during his prime years. They talked with Tweed and decided it would make sense for both parties if they traded him so that he would be able to play on a contender in his prime years and the Yeti would be able to bring in some young assets that would help them when they were ready to be contenders. The Yeti worked out a trade with the Yellowknife Wraiths that sent Boss Tweed, a Season 7 second round pick, and a Season 8 third round pick to the Wraiths in exchange for Bubba Nuck, two Season 7 first round picks, and a Season 7 second round pick. After the trade, Tweed announced that he would be switching positions to linebacker. After not getting the results he wanted at running back the past couple seasons, he felt that his talents could be better used at a different position and that it would help fill a bigger need for the Wraiths which would improve their chances at contention. With Tweed's Yeti career coming to an end, the Yeti announced that they would be retiring his number and that they would be inducting him into the Colorado Yeti Ring of Honor.
Tweed came into Season 7 with big expectations in his first year as a linebacker and in his first year with the Wraiths as they were looking to contend immediately. The Wraiths lived up to the hype early on as they got off to a 9-0 start. After suffering their first loss of the season to the Otters in Orange County in Week 10, they did not drop another game in the regular season as they went on to finish 13-1. This meant Tweed would be returning to the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season. This was the most successful regular season finish of Tweed's career as it was the first time he won over 10 games in a season and the first time that his team finished with the best record in the league. Tweed put together a strong performance in his first season as a linebacker as he finished with 83 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovered fumble, 18 sacks, and 9 pass deflections. His performance was enough for him to return to the pro bowl and make his first pro bowl appearance as a linebacker. Unfortunately, the success of the regular season didn't carry over to the playoffs. The Wraiths had home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they fell behind early in their first playoff game against the Philadelphia Liberty as they faced an early 17-0 deficit and never recovered as they went on to lose 31-40 in the NSFC Championship Game. Overall, it was a good season for Tweed making it back to the playoffs, only losing one game in the regular season, and making it back to the pro bowl but it was a disappointing ending to not have any playoff success after all the regular season success.
After the crushing playoff, Tweed hoped to come back strong in his first year of regression and try to make up for it by winning a championship in Season 8. The Wraiths got off to a strong start once again as they were the final unbeaten team in the league with a 6-0 record before suffering their first loss at home at the hands of the Otters. The Wraiths stayed strong even after their first loss and went on to finish 11-3, which gave them the best record in the league for the second year in a row. This meant Tweed would be making consecutive playoff apperances for the first time in his career and would be making his third career playoff appearance. The Wraiths faced a familiar scenario in their first playoff game as they once again faced a large first half deficit at home as they fell behind 21-0 against the Baltimore Hawks. However, this time they managed to fight back as they went on a 38-3 run and won the game 38-24 and advanced to play against the New Orleans Second Line in the championship game. The Second Line scored the first points of the game, but the Wraiths took the lead late in the first quarter and never looked back as they went on to win the game 24-13 and bring home their first championship. With this win, Tweed was an NSFL champion for the first time in his career. In addition to having great team success, Tweed also had a very strong individual season. He finished the regular season with 105 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovered, 14 sacks, 11 pass deflections, and 1 safety. He tied for the league lead in sacks and was 1 tackle behind the league lead. This performance won Tweed both the Season 8 Linebacker of the Year award and the Season 8 Defensive Player of the Year award along with another pro bowl appearance. This the most successful year of Tweed's career as he won his first positional award along with the most prestigious defensive award while also winning the first championship of his career.
After such a strong year in Season 8, Tweed and the Wraiths were looking to follow it up with another strong season in Season 9. It got off to a rocky start as the Wraiths started the season 0-3. They played better after the rough start, but it wasn't enough as they were eliminated from the playoffs after a Week 13 loss to the Colorado Yeti and finished the season one game out of a playoff spot at 7-7. The Wraiths still had a strong roster, but they felt the impacts of regression as they weren't able to see the same success they had in the past couple seasons. Despite the team's falloff, Tweed still had a strong individual year as he finished with 99 tackles, 15 sacks, and 6 pass deflections. He had the most sacks among linebackers in Season 9. It was a good individual season for Tweed, but a disappointment overall as the Wraiths missed out on the playoffs after coming so close.
Professional career statistics
Come back to this later
Achievements and records
Awards
- Team
- NSFC Champion (2): 2016 (S1), 2023 (S8)
- NSFL Champion (1): 2023 (S8)
- Individual
- NSFL Defensive Player of the Year: 2023
- NSFL Linebacker Back of the Year: 2023
- NSFL Top Performance of the Year: 2020
- NSFL Pro Bowl Selection (6): 2017 , 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2022 , 2023
