Joel Drake
 |
 | |
| No. 20 – Retired | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Safety |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 15, 2016 (aged 45) Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Username: | Rusfan |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Gary Lighthouse Charter School |
| College: | Louisville |
| ISFL Draft: | 2038 / Round: 2 / Pick: 2 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2037 / Round: 2 / Pick: 2 |
| Career history | |
| DSFL: Pythons ISFL: Yeti | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Two Time DSFL Pro-Bowler [2038,2039]
Two Time DSFL Safety Of The Year [2038,2039] Three Time ISFL Pro Bowler [2040,2042,2044] One Time ISFL Safety Of The Year [2042] | |
Joel C Drake (born February 15, 2016) is an American football safety who is currently Retired. He played college football for Louisville, and professional football for the Colorado Yeti.
Contents
Early years
Joel Drake was born in Gary Indiana. His mother Elena Drake died in childbirth and his father Frazier Drake walked out on him when he was just 14. He lived on the streets attending Gary Lighthouse Charter School where he found his passion for football, and the thrill of returning passes for touchdowns. He was a troubled young man at first, but tough love from his coaches brought him on to the right path. He started at safety from his sophomore season on where his instincts and coverage ability really shone through, helping lead his team to two championships. Joel attempted the feat of becoming a two-sport athelete, attempting to join the school's track and field team, but was talked away from this idea after his coach explained to him how far he could go if he focused purely on football.
College career
Joel entered Louisville as a walk-on and a longshot to make the roster, spending his first two seasons purely as a special teamer, where he was shown to be an ace.
Freshman Season
Joel was used purely as a gunner on punts and kickoffs where he recorded 10 tackles and one downed punt inside the 10. The only live-action he saw was in a losing effort against No. 10 ranked Georgia when the team was down 55-0. He recorded 3 tackles and 1 pass deflection.
Sophomore Season
Sophomore year started much the same as freshman year for Joel. Purely on special teams, though he was starting to catch the attention of the defensive coordinator, he didn't see any action until week 8 when the starting safety suffered a concussion against Texas Tech. Joel grabbed the opportunity and didn't let it go for the rest of his college career. Over the final 5 games of the season he grabbed 2 interceptions, deflected 4 passes, and forced and recovered a fumble. Joel was named the starting safety when the original starter was cleared going into his Junior year.
Junior Season
Junior season was the first for Joel as a starter. He still took part on punts as a gunner and managed to score a touchdown on a botched return against Buffalo. As a safety he showed himself as a true playmaker all over the field, grabbing 8 total interceptions and deflecting another 9 passes. He was widely criticized for his lack of effort against the run, only recording 20 tackles and being responsible for a game-losing touchdown against Fresno State where he took a poor angle and appeared to be running at only half-speed. He responded to these allegations with the statement "I give 110% on every play, and while I have apologized to my teammates for my mistake I did not give any less than my best effort." Though Louisville would finish a disappointing 6-7 on the season, Joel was named second-team All-American and received some votes for the Jim Thorpe award.
Senior Season
Senior year started with a bang for Joel grabbing 4 interceptions in his first 4 games, 3 being brought back for touchdowns. The stats slowed for Drake in the following 3 games, with opposing QB's cautiously avoiding his half of the field. One opposing QB was even caught on an on-field mic a saying "This F*cking guy is always in the way" after his pass was knocked to the ground. This year also brought Drake his best special teams play yet. With the game against Michigan tied at 30, a late punt by Louisville was muffed, and Drake returned it for a touchdown as the clock expired. Though once again Louisville finished 6-7, Drake was voted first-team All-American and won the Jim Thorpe award, finishing his year with another 8 interceptions and 18 deflected passes. His run defense was still criticized, but not as harshly as previous years.
DSFL career
First DSFL Season (S23)
Drake was taken 10th overall in the DSFL Draft by the Portland Pythons, with the expectation he would be their starting safety for the next 2 seasons. In his first preseason with the squad he recorded 27 tackles and 1 sack.
A disappointing 5-9 season for the Pythons as a whole did not prevent Drake from having a mind-boggling season individually. With 62 Tackles, 4 INT’s, 22 PD’s, and 1 Forced Fumble, Drake ranked either first or second in almost every defensive category in the secondary, and was widely recognized for his efforts. At the DSFL awards show Drake took home both DB of the year and Defensive Rookie of the year, beating out Rashad Hilliard by just 1 vote for DB of the year! Drake’s season started at safety but was quickly moved to CB just 4 weeks into the season in an effort to spread the talent around in the secondary, and as shown with the stats above, it paid off. The Pythons as a whole struggled in their run defense, but Drake’s efforts seemed to help massively, leading the Pythons to hold the best pass defense in the NFC North and the 3rd best pass defense league-wide. Drake’s best performance came undoubtedly in week 9 versus the Luchadores, where Drake racked up 4 tackles, 4 PD’s, and 2 Interceptions, leading the Pythons to a tight 12-10 win that nearly slipped away in the final minutes. Drake also had a clutch INT in week 12 versus the Minnesota Grey Ducks, setting the offense up for a drive that could’ve tied the game. Unfortunately the Pythons offense didn’t make anything of the opportunity, but the chance itself was set up by Drake, returning a pick just passed midfield. Drake is largely expected to go in the top-3 of his upcoming ISFL draft.
Second DSFL Season (S24)
Drake returned for a second year with the Pythons, moving to safety for the entire year this time. With a more talented squad, Drake expected a reduction in stats, which partially, he saw. Nabbing 3 interceptions compared to 4 doesn't sound so impressive, but Drake returned 2 of those picks for touchdowns, the first 2 TD's of his career. He had 82 tackles, 20 more than last season, and only accumulated 4 PD's, as opposed to 22. Drake also acquired his 1st and only sack of his career.
As a team, the Pythons improved on their record by 1 game, going 6-8. Unlike last year, this record was enough to send the Pythons back to the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons. They played the Royals in London in the divisional round and lost, scoring only 3 points on offense. The year had a few quirks however, none being stranger than Portland's home/road split. Going 2-5 at home is usually a death sentence to any team's playoff hopes, but Portland managed to pull out a 4-3 road record with statement wins at London and Tijuana.
Drake is expected to be called up to Colorado after this season, either as the starting safety or as a Nickle-back. He is not expected to pick up any awards for this season, but it is well-known that team success was much more important to Drake. Portland prepared for this departure with multiple defensive players selected in the draft, and Drake's departure should not be felt too harshly.
| DSFL statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2038 (S23) | Pythons | 14 | 62 | 0 | 1/0 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2039 (S24) | Pythons | 14 | 82 | 0 | 1/1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0/0/0 |
ISFL career
Drake was selected with the second pick of the second round by the Colorado Yeti.
First ISFL Season (S25)
Joel Drake was placed at the nickelback position as he was groomed for the starting safety role. He recorded 133 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions, 19 pass deflections, and 1 touchdown. He entered what was widely considered the top defense in the league and a team defending a 14-2 record and a loss in the Ultimus. The defense was as good as advertised, with Drake contributing down the latter half of the season. Drake was 3rd in the league in tackles among defensive backs, was one of only 25 defensive players to score a touchdown, and was tied for 20th in pass deflections. Drake received nominations for Safety of the year, defensive rookie of the year, and was chosen as the NSFC's top representative for the Pro Bowl at FS. The Yeti defense was Number 1 in points and the team as a whole and finished 13-3, top in the NSFC. They rolled their way to a second straight Ultimus once again facing the San Jose Sabercats, and once again falling to them. This time 34-17. Drake was a large part of the Yeti's 44-17 win over the Baltimore Hawks, with 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass deflection. He was less effective against the Chicago Butchers in the Yeti's 34-7 win over them, with only 4 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Drake totaled 9 tackles and 1 pass deflection in the Yeti's championship defeat. Drake moved to his natural position of FS in his second professional season.
Second ISFL Season (S26)
Drake's first full year at FS, Colorado finished the year 8-8, missing the playoffs. Drake picked off 2 passes and knocked away 6 passes. He also acquired 4 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. He totaled 92 tackles on the year.
Third ISFL Season (S27)
Drake's third ISFL season and his second at FS was, by all accounts, a breakout year. 6 INTs, 10 PDs, 1 Sack, and 54 tackles, Drake received a nomination for Safety of the Year, a nomination for Defensive Performance of the Year for his game in week 9 against the New York Silverbacks where he had 2 INTs and 2 PDs, with his 1 TD. As a team the Yeti finished the year 10-5-1 and barely made it to the playoffs where they beat the Butchers in round 1 24-19, before losing to the Sailfish in the NSFC Conference Championship 47-27.
Drake went on to win Safety of the Year
Fourth ISFL Season (S28)
Drake and the Colorado Yeti would follow up the previous strong season with a much weaker season 28 finishing at a disappointing 8-8 and missing the playoffs by 2 games. Drake himself would see his stats shrink down from the previous year with only 2 interceptions and 5 pass deflections and no defensive touchdowns.
The Yeti defense was ranked among the worst of the league at 10th in points allowed and 11th in total yards and second-to-last in pass yards per game allowed. The only stat in which the Yeti were not bottom of the barrel on defense was rushing yards per game allowed, ranking 3rd in the league. However the Yeti also faced the least amount of rushing attempts per game in the league last year, so the stat is somewhat deceiving.
Drake would go on to not get any nominations or awards this season, as this would become the norm for the remainder of his career.
Fifth ISFL Season (S29)
The Yeti would bounce back as a whole jumping from 8 wins the previous year to a 12-4 record this season. Drake himself would also experience a resurgence with the best season of his career. Totaling 5 interceptions and 12 pass deflections he also brought 2 of those picks back for touchdowns, setting a then career defensive TD record in Yeti history, which has since been passed by NationalSimulation FootballLeague. He also forced and recovered a fumble and even sacked a quarterback.
The Yeti defense was much improved statistically, finishing top 5 in every defensive stat but pass defense, in which they finished right in the middle of the league at 7th.
The Yeti finished second in the conference at 12-4 behind the 13-3 Berlin Fire Salamanders but would lose in the first round to the Sarasota Sailfish for the second year in a row with a score of 33-13. Drake would only record 2 tackles all game.
Drake was selected to his 3rd and final Pro Bowl.
Sixth ISFL Season (S30)
The Yeti once again followed a strong season with a disappointingly mediocre one finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs with a 4th place finish in the NSFC.
Joel Drake had perhaps the most unique season statistically speaking of his entire career with no interceptions but 11 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries, and 5 sacks. Those 5 sacks tied with Shawn Dawkins, Wesley Erikson, and Brendon Lanier for most sacks by a safety in the season.
This was also the first season where Drake was tapped as a return man for the Yeti and as the secondary returner behind NationalSimulation FootballLeague. Drake returned 15 kicks for 326 yards averaging 21.7 yards per return with a longest return of 42 yards. He did not return any punts for the Yeti.
Joel Drake was not nominated for any awards or pro bowls for this season, as he lost out to Shawn Dawkins, and Cuco Clemente.
Seventh ISFL Season (S31)
The pattern of winning season-mediocre-winning continued with an 11-5 record and a first place grab of the conference. Joel Drake also bounced back with a strong defensive season totaling 2 interceptions and 8 pass deflections. He also continued his strong tackling and pass rush game with 2 forced fumbles and 1 recovery, along with 1 sack and 1 tackle for loss.
Drake had a very similar season on special teams to the previous year returning 15 kicks for 336 yards averaging 22.4 yards per return. Once again NationalSimulation FootballLeague took primary duties with Drake filling a reserve role.
In the postseason the Yeti first topped the Chicago Butchers 23-13 and Drake once again showed a surprising prowess on the blitz, bringing down Khazimer Oles Jr down for a sack and adding on 4 tackles.
The Ultimus vs the Honolulu Hahalua was very nearly a heroic moment for Drake as when the Yeti were down 23-20 on defense he returned an interception 20 yards to give the Yeti the lead. Unfortunately it was not to be as the Hahalua followed with a clutch game winning TD drive right after. The Yeti lost the championship 30-27.
Eighth ISFL Season (S32)
The pattern continued as the Yeti finished 7-9 for a fourth place conference finish and no playoff berth. Statistically the defense was once again among the worst in the league, ranking 11th in points allowed, 13th in total yards allowed, 14th in rushing yards allowed, and 8th in passing yards allowed.
Drake was still a more than solid safety for the Yeti even in the penultimate season of his career picking off 2 passes and deflecting 13 more as well as adding on yet another touchdown on an interception return. Drake also stayed consistent in bringing down the ball carrier with 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Drake was not nominated for any awards or pro bowls following the 32nd season.
Drake was still the reserve return man behind NationalSimulation FootballLeague, returning 20 kicks for 478 yards averaging 23.9 yards per return, the highest of his career. He did not return any punts.
Joel Drake formally announced his intent to retire after the following season.
Ninth ISFL Season (S33)
The pattern was broken in season 33 with a Yeti finish just over .500 at 9-7 but a 5th place spot in the NSFC. The defense was much better at preventing scores, finishing 4th in the league at points allowed, but still struggling at preventing yards. The Yeti defense finished 11th in total yards allowed, 12th in rushing, and 12th in passing.
Drake’s final season clearly came at the right time as he had obviously lost a step recording a grand total of 0 interceptions and 6 pass deflections. He still forced 2 fumbles on the year but recovered neither. He did manage to record the most tackles of his career at 69, a nice way to send himself off.
He did not return kicks in his final year, giving the responsibility to Albert Ruschmann and Redbeard McFredbeard.
In his final season Drake did not get nominated for any awards or pro bowls, and he retired 4th in franchise history in interceptions and 1st in defensive touchdowns, although that has since been passed by NationalSimulation FootballLeague.
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
205 lb (93 kg) |
4.32 s | 4.11 s | 7.06 s | 30.3 in (0.77 m) |
10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
17 reps | 39 |
Achievements and records
Awards
2038: DSFL Defensive Back Of The Year
2038: DSFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year
2038: DSFL Pro Bowl FS
2039: DSFL Safety Of The Year
2039: DSFL Pro Bowl FS
2040: ISFL Pro Bowl FS
2042: ISFL Pro Bowl FS
2042: ISFL Safety of the Year
2044: ISFL Pro Bowl FS
Professional Career Statistics
| ISFL statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2040 (S25) | Yeti | 16 | 133 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2041 (S26) | Yeti | 16 | 92 | 0 | 0/2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2042 (S27) | Yeti | 16 | 54 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2043 (S28) | Yeti | 16 | 60 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2044 (S29) | Yeti | 16 | 51 | 0 | 1/1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0/0/0 |
| 2045 (S30) | Yeti | 16 | 57 | 0 | 0/2 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2046 (S31) | Yeti | 16 | 45 | 1 | 2/1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2047 (S32) | Yeti | 16 | 48 | 0 | 1/1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2048 (S33) | Yeti | 16 | 69 | 0 | 2/0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| Playoff statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
| 2039 (S24) | Pythons | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2040 (S25) | Yeti | 2 | 19 | 1 | 1/1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2042 (S27) | Yeti | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2044 (S29) | Yeti | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2046 (S31) | Yeti | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
