Mason Blaylock

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Mason Blaylock
Image of Mason Blaylock
Academic All-American at UW-Whitewater
No. 42 – New Orleans Second Line
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (2008-09-25)September 25, 2008 (aged 52)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Madison East
College:Wisconsin-Whitewater
ISFL Draft:2034  / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
DSFL Draft:2033  / Round: 2 / Pick: 9
Career history
Roster status:Retired

Mason Blaylock (born January 9, 2022) is an American football safety for the New Orleans Second Line of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater before being drafted by the Kansas City Coyotes in the 2033 DSFL Draft (S18). A contraction draft saw Mason move to Tijuana for his second season.


Early Years

Born and raised in Madison, Mason never left the state of Wisconsin until being drafted by the Coyotes. Growing up, Mason had an intense rivalry with his older brother Trent. Being multi-sport athletes, Trent and Mason were always pushing each other to get better every day. Mason often credits his brother for being the biggest influence in being successful. The Blaylock brothers had a ton of high school accolades, including winning the state championships in both football and tennis doubles. Not every sport had a happy ending though, as they were state runner-up in basketball Mason's sophomore and junior season. Sports weren't the only part of his early life, though. He was big into music and played various instruments. His most notable instrument was the french horn. Mason took a 1st at state solo and ensemble his junior and senior year of high school. He also participated in pit orchestra marching band. When it was time to decide where to go for college, he was very much undecided what he wanted to do. While tennis was his strongest sport, he felt his best opportunity would come by way of football. Being a 3 star recruit in Wisconsin, Mason found himself with various offers to play college football, but not many D1 schools came knocking. Not wanting to leave the state but not getting an officer from UW-Madison, Mason decided to take his talents to UW-Whitewater.

College Career

Mason didn't find the field much his freshman season. Whitewater had stars in every position, so underclassman rarely got starting roles. He get some garbage time minutes throughout the regular season, as the Warhawks ususally found themselves winning by 30+ points in the 4th quarter. In the final game of the regular season, Mason did have a 46 yard punt return for touchdown in a 56 point route over UW-River Falls. His sophomore season, he snagged the starting kick and punt return spots. He also found himself on the field when Whitewater was in certain nickel and dime packages. On a routine punt return in week 3 of the season, Mason awkwardly stumbled on a fair catch and torn his popliteus muscle in his knee. He would go on to miss the rest of the season. Working back from an injury, Mason had a slow start to his junior year. He had found himself at the top of the depth chart for FS, but was no longer returning kicks and punts. Frustrated and not sure what to do, Mason turned to his brother. They talked about it and decided it was time to go back to the basics. His diet was poor, his water intake was terrible and his workouts were not effective. Over the next month, Mason started feeling like himself again. In week 7 against UW-Stevens Point, Mason recorded 2 sacks and a forced fumble. A week later, he had another sack while adding an interception as well. He finished the regular season with 71 tackles, 4 sacks and 2 interceptions. Mason was able to force 3 more turnovers in the playoffs, including a notable 4th quarter interception that sealed their trip to the Stagg Bowl. In the Stagg Bowl, Mason registered 9 tackles, including a big 4th down tackle to kill the Raider's final drive. Whitewater beat Mount Union, with teammate WR Jake Kumerow getting MVP honors. In his senior season, Mason recevied All-American honors. He recorded 77 tackles, 6 sacks and 5 picks. He also had a punt return for touchdown and the most return yards in the WIAC. Whitewater rolled through everyone in the playoffs and won back-to-back Stagg Bowls.

College Career Statistics

Career statistics Tackles Sacks Interceptions Other Kick Returns Punt Returns
Season Team Games Reg TFL Total Sack Int IntTD DefTD FFum FRec PD Safety Yds Avg KR TD Yds Avg PR TD
2029 UWW 4 15 1 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 82 20.5 0 123 13.6 1
2030 UWW 3 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 25 0 84 12 0
2031 UWW 10 71 5 76 4 2 0 0 2 2 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2032 UWW 10 77 11 88 6 5 1 0 1 3 15 0 490 24.5 0 317 13.7 1

Professional Career

DSFL Career

Rookie Season - S18

In his rookie season, Mason was effective to say the least. His 110 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 4 sacks were highest among all Free Safeties. He also had 2 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries and an interception. In the return game, Mason finished third in return yards with 280. He was on pace to push for the Coyotes single season record for punt return yards, but had few opportunities for returns the last 4 games of the season. He was also the only player to have 2 punts returned for a touchdown that year, a Coyotes team record. The Coyotes as a team had mixed success, with the team having good and bad stretches. Starting off 1-3, they found themselves behind the 8 ball. They then went on to win 5 out of their next 6 games, thanks to good all around team play. They closed out the season losing 3 of their last 4 games. With not much momentum and on the road, the Coyotes fought an up-hill battle with a talented Pythons team. The Coyotes were down 28-3 and all looked hopeless. They did not roll over and die though, as they still made it a game. They found a way to get touchdowns on their next two drives while managing to slow down Portland's offense. Now down 28-17 with 7 minutes left in the 4th, the Coyotes defense got another big stop. With a decent return from Mason, they were set up inside the 50 and poised to makes things really interesting. The offense sputtered and came up short, turning things back over to the Pythons who ran out the clock.


Sophomore Season - S19

With the DSFL facing lower numbers after his rookie season, the DSFL contracted the Coyotes and SeaWolves until numbers increased again. Mason saw himself go 2nd overall to the Luchadores, where he will play his second season in. In Mason's second season in the DSFL, you could see his comfort playing at that level. Once again, his special teams play is probably the thing that stood out the most. In his second week of the season, he broke a team record with a total of 130 yards returning punts. He also posted a touchdown return that game. He wound up 280 yards in only four games, which was on pace to absolutely shatter the previous league record. Things slowed down for Mason though. He wound up passing the team record for punt return yards in a season in his second to last game of the year. Heading into the final game, disaster struck for Mason. He only had one punt return all game and it went for negative return yardage, which resulted in him no longer holding the team record. At the end of the day, though, it didn't matter because the Luchadores were rolling. They finished the season with a league-best record of 11-3. Controlling home field advantage, Tijuana won a hard fought game over new division foe Myrtle Beach. The Buccaneers made some big plays defensively, but it wasn't enough and Tijuana rolled on to the championship. It what can only be described as the most bizarre game of the year, Tijuana fell to the Grey Ducks 16-13 to lose the Ultimini. The team's maxed out kicker, who had been automatic all season missed 2 moderately close field goals and an extra point. The team's maxed out running back only got a few touches all game and didn't pick up much for yardage. I think Mason finally earns the right to say sim gonna sim. Those two guys were team leaders all season, so no one could possibly blame them for the ways things played out. Just like they had all season, the defense made their fair share of plays. Mason himself had a 72 yard interception that brought the ball right to the Myrtle Beach goal line. His team would punch the ball in a couple plays later. They also forced 4 sacks and recovered 2 fumbles. In the end, it just wasn't quite enough. While the loss stings, it is likely that the Luchadores will be back sooner than later.


NSFL/ISFL Career

Rookie Season - S20

After playing two seasons in the DSFL, Mason finally got his opportunity in the NSFL. Expectations were moderately high for the rookie. His two fellow first round picks Mack Arianlacher and Austin McCormick had both been called up immediately after the draft instead of playing a second DSFL season. It looked like the season was moving too fast for Mason at times. There were some games where he would only record a couple tackles in a game. The way New Orleans utilized him was pretty straight forward. He played as a deep lying safety, responsible for not getting beat deep. As far as fitting the scheme, Blaylock did his role well. The Second Line gave up their fair share of passing yards, but were rarely beat for huge pass plays. Mason was able show flashes of speed and potential at different times. He recorded 5 sacks which was tied for most among all rookies wit S20 Tijuana teammate Kyle Idlewyld. The Second Line as a team had an above average season, but fell short of expectations. They finished the season at 7-6, good enough to claim second place in the ASFC. They played host to an Orange County Otter team that had also under-performed in the regular season. The game was a defensive struggle throughout and saw the Second Line come out on top 23-13. Mason had one of the quietest games of his season, posting only 1 tackle and 1 pass deflection. New Orleans forced 10 punts on the day as well. In the ASFC championship game, NOLA traveled to Austin to face a Copperheads team that did not get the credit they deserved. Even on the road, most people had the game as slightly in for of New Orleans. Austin was able to mostly slow down the strong Second Line run game. New Orleans was able to find a lot of success through the air, though. The story of the game was Austin's bend but don't break defense. They allowed 315 passing yards up, but only gave up 17 total points. New Orleans moved the ball down field quite well on most of their possessions, but the wheels fell off one too many times in their opponents' side of the field. The Copperheads won 26-17 and found themselves in the Ultimus against the Wraiths where they would go on to win it all.


Sophomore Season - S21

Mason's second season on the Second Line went similar to his first one, with a couple variations. In his rookie season, there were a lot of expectations placed on him. While some were internal, plenty were external as well. This season, though, individual expectations lowered while team expectations were at an all-time high. New Orleans came into season 21 looking to prove that they were the real deal. The season 20 loss to Austin in the conference championship was still fresh in their minds. Luckily for NOLA, they would not have to wait long to get their chance at revenge. In the first game of the season, NOLA hosted Austin in a great week 1 rematch. New Orleans got off to a slow start, trailing at the half. They came out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter looking to firmly set the tone for the rest of the season and they did just that. The Second Line proceeded to put up 24 points in the second half while only giving up 10, 7 of which came in the last couple minutes of the game. This game set the tone for what was to be for most of the season. New Orleans went on to beat San Jose, Arizona, Colorado, Orange County, San Jose again, Philadelphia, Austin again and Arizona again. Going 9-0 gave the season 21 Second Line the best start in franchise history. The team was looking unstoppable and people started including their name among the league's all-time best teams. The last 4 games did not go as planned, though. They proceeded to lose the next 3 games by a combined 8 points. While those three teams would all go on to play in the conference championships, it was still a tough pill to swallow for a team that seemed unbeatable. In the final game of the season, the Second Line traveled to Chicago to close out the season. Road games are always tough, but it felt like a winnable one and almost verging on must-win territory to get their mojo back. Instead, the Butchers put a beating down on New Orleans, handing them a 17 point loss and deflating feeling to go along with it. A team that started off on record pace now found themselves in the wildcard game and not longer in control of the conference. The Second Line hosted their now rival Copperheads in what promised to be a slug fest. The game lived up to expectations, as both teams were flying around the field all game. New Orleans got out to a 23-10 lead and things appeared to be in hand, but Austin didn't roll over. They were able to march down field and get a touchdown with just over a minute left. They were unable to get the onside kick, allowing New Orleans to run out the clock. Both offensives combined for 865 yards, but were held to 4 fields goals and a combined 40 points. Both defenses were bend but don't break ultimately. In the ASFC championship, NOLA traveled to a hot Orange County team. With the Second Line going on a 4 game skid, the Otters were able to fully take advantage of that opportunity and claimed the top spot in the ASFC. Like the previous playoff game, New Orleans got off to a fast start leading 17-3 at half. Also like before, the opposition came back. Orange County scored 14 straight to tie things up at 17. New Orleans promptly got the ball back and scored themselves, giving them a 24-17 lead with just 7 minutes to go. Orange County got the ball back and went on a lengthy 6 minute drive, scoring with 1 minute left to go. With the game heading into overtime, New Orleans got the ball and drove down field. They were stopped for a 4th and 2nd and elected to kick a 46 yard field goal. Orange County, with the ball and once last chance, marched right back at them. Orange County seemed poised to either tie the game up or win it all. They crossed midfield, but then things slowed down. An incomplete pass and a 6 yard game lead to a critical 3rd down. Armstrong stepped back in a five step drop, looking for Blaze over the middle for a first down that would put them in field goal range at the least. Mason was sent on a safety blitz from the corner. New Orleans called a stunt where Mack started on the edge and cut in, while Bjorn edged around at the right tackle. This gave Blaylock a clear path to Armstrong and brought him down. Now out of field goal range, the Otters went for it on 4th but the pass fell wide of Kurisuto and New Orleans claimed the ASFC championship. In the Ultimus, NOLA squared up against the Yellowknife Wraiths. the Wraiths have perennially been a top team in the league, though they tend to come up just short of winning it all. While this Wraiths team didn't have their best record like seasons prior, they still made it to the Ultimus and could not be counted out. Like the other playoff games before, New Orleans started off on fire. By the end of the 3rd quarter, NOLA was up big 26-3. Unlike the other 2 playoff games, though, there was no close come back. The Second Line won by a final score of 33-11. Everything fell into place and New Orleans was able to stay a perfect 3-0 in Ultimus games as a franchise. With the likes of Slothface, Ironside and Faux retiring, along with Arianlacher and Andrews getting picked up in the expansion draft, New Orleans will have a tough task trying to replicate what became of the most dominant defenses in the league.


Third Season - S22

After coming off a championship season, NOLA was looking to defend their title. On an individual level, things really started to click for Mason in his third season. Statistically speaking, he had what could be considered his best year in the pros yet. Blaylock had a personal best in tackles, interceptions, touchdowns, pass deflections and had his first taste of kick returns in season 22. You wouldn't have had any idea that Blaylock had not returned a kick in an actual game setting for over 2 years. He seamlessly slid next to teammate Forrest Gump, one of the best returners the league has seen. Defensively, things looked really good. He was one sack away from matching his rookie season mark of 5. The only real dip came from a lack of forcing any fumbles, as this was the first year in Mason's career where he did not force at least 1 fumble at any level. Still, it isn't always feasible to improve in every single regard in a season. Second Line supporters would be the first to tell you that Blaylock is developing as well as they could have hoped for. He is looking like a potential All-Pro safety and should continue to play at that level for a very long time. He was selected to be on Team USA, the first year that any such team had been formed. Two other honors were bestowed on him, as he made the Prob Bowl and also earned his first ever Safety of the year. New Orleans as a team was a mixed bag though. They finished 8-5, claiming the final playoff spot in the ASFC. NOLA was streaky at times this season. They had a bad run of games early, going 1-3 at one stretch. This was then followed by winning 4 straight. The last 4 games on the season were not as hot, going 2-2 and sneaking into the playoffs. There was a three-way race for the final two spots between Austin, San Jose and New Orleans. Austin beat San Jose, claiming the #2 spot while NOLA finished off Honolulu to punch their ticket. In the first round of the playoffs, the Second Line traveled to Austin in what has turned into a real rivalry. The game was back and forth the whole way through. Tied with less than 5 minutes in the game, Austin scored to go up 34-27. NOLA was unable to match and lost. Stats were quite equal, with NOLA edging out in yards and time of possession among other things. The biggest difference besides the score were penalties, as the Second Line had 5 to just 1 for Austin. It's hard to come down on a team who has made the playoffs the last three seasons in the highly competitive ASFC. Making a conference championship after a playoff drought, followed by winning the Ultimini the next season, then making the playoffs yet again in season 22. There is nothing to be ashamed of there. Still, there is a feeling that New Orleans is capable of more. New Orleans has a young and quite stacked secondary with other young pieces all over the defense. This team is poised to be elite for seasons to come yet.


Fourth Season - S23

In what would become the final season for the league being known as the NSFL, Mason Blaylock had himself a season. Mason's 4th season in the big league saw quite a few changes to it. The league shifted to a 16 game schedule for one. This lead to most players posting career high numbers across the board and Mason was no exception. Blaylock had more tackles, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, pass deflections, kick return yards and kick return touchdowns than any other season. He also tied for fumbles recovered. The part that is more impressive is the efficiency, though. These numbers were increasing just because there were more games played. They increased because Mason just played that much better. One of the biggest milestones for him including have a 10+ sacks and 5 interception season. He is the first player in the modern era to achieve such a feat. He is also the first player to do it as a free playing in position. Most safeties that have also had similar result were playing at linebacker. This was not the only point to brag about for Mason. He earned Pro Bowl honors at both safety and returner, with the former being a unanimous selection. He also earned his second straight Safety of the Year award. Other accolades were mentioning are finishing 2nd for Returner of the year, 2nd for Defensive Player of the year, finalist for Defensive Performance of the year and finalist for league MVP. To be mentioned as one of the most valuable players in the league is perhaps the biggest honor of all. Rarely if ever does a defensive player find their way into contention for such an honor. As for NOLA itself, it felt like another average season. The squad came in second in the ASFC behind the might Orange County Otters once again. The team finished at 9-7 and secured playoff football for yet another season. That feat alone is something to tip your cap at. The ASFC had four out of six teams finishing at .500 or better and a fifth team just a game away from that mark. The whole league was actually quite competitive, with five from the NSFC as well. Certain numbers don't jump out for New Orleans as a whole, allowing more points then they scored on the season. That can be answered in a couple of ways. The first is that most of their wins were in close games. That is not a knock, but rather a fact. A couple of specific losses came in blowouts, throwing off points for and against. The other thing that plagued NOLA again was how streaky the team was. The team would win three games, then follow it up with 2 losses. Win 4 more games, lose the last four out of six. Limping into the playoffs, the Second Line faced familiar foe the Austin Copperheads. To no one's surprise, the game was a slug fest. NOLA freely moved down field all game, but slowed down every time once they got within scoring range. All 15 of the team's points came from field goals and they had six attempts on the day. It was frustrating to see the team get so close, yet not be able to capitalize.


Fifth Season - S24

After such a dominant last couple of seasons, Mason did take a small step back in season 24. To say he took a step back is a bit tongue in cheek, as he still performed at a high level. Season 24 had a weird vibe to it. There were a ton of talks about the next expansion coming and with that a lot of change would come about. The last time expansion was almost a certainty, the New Orleans Second Line when on to win the Utlimus. Would the same hold true in Season 24? Sadly, the answer is no. The team did a lot of things well, flashing one of the better defenses in the league once again. A hot start got New Orleans off to a 3-0 start, showing they meant business. A couple of difficult games lead to two quick losses, but things look up again and the Second Line won another 3 straight. They were now sitting at 6-2 and looking like the team to beat in the ASFC. The second half of the season would prove to be a lot to overcome. The team went just 3-5 over the last half of the season, losing to division rivals Orange County, Arizona and San Jose. The real craziness ensued in the final league table. 4 teams in the ASFC finished with a 9-7 record, with the standings listing the order as San Jose, Orange County, Arizona then New Orleans. With us losing the final game at San Jose and seeing the standings, it appeared that we were the odd team out for playoffs. Thankfully the way the tie breakers shook out, we got the final spot to make the wild card game. The ASFC was insanely competitive in Season 24, with Honolulu and Austin going 8-8 and 7-9 respectfully. There were no bottom feeder teams in this conference and every win was earned. In the quarterfinals, NOLA travelled to familiar foe in the Otters. Orange County jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead, one in which they would hang onto the rest of the way. New Orleans didn't roll over, though. The closest the game would come was on a third quarter touchdown for the Second Line. Ed Barker ran in a 24 yard pass from Ben Slothlisberger. Trailing only by 3 with well over a quarter left, there was plenty of time to complete the comeback. It was never meant to be, though. The offense struggled to gain yardage and the defense let OCO score a touchdown half way through the 4th on a long, momentum-killing drive. New Orleans has struggled in the playoffs the last couple of years, but things are still bright. They have one of the most promising QBs in the league and still a top 5 defense. These days, that's a lot more than other teams can claim.


Sixth Season - S25

Pain. If you had to put a one-word summary on the season, pain might be one of the more popular options for Second Line fans. The Second Line performed so far under expectations in Season 25, finishing at 7-9. This would be the first losing season in Mason's career at any level of competition. Many people had NOLA as a top 5 or 6 team based on the roster. The ASFC is always highly competitive, but the team was expected to earn a playoff spot just like they had for the last 6 seasons. Perhaps the most frustrating part to deal with was that the Second Line really was a tale of two teams. The team held their own at home, going a respectable 6-2. This meant that on the road, NOLA was a paltry 1-7. Perhaps more frustrating than the home vs away record was the defense's performance. Over the 7 games New Orleans won, they defense averaged only 16.4 points allowed per game. This would actually come in 4 points per game less than the number one ranked defense on the season if they played to that level every game. In their 9 loses though, they gave up an astounding 34.3 points per game. There is a lot that goes into that likes field position, turnovers and other factors. Still, such a dramatic difference is hard to watch. Individually, Mason balled out. He set a career high in forced fumbles, fumbled recovered, pass deflections, kick return yards and kick return average. He tied his career best for interceptions and kick returns for touchdown as well. Blaylock was once again a Pro Bowl selection for safety and returner, with the former being a unanimous selection. This now brings Mason's tally to 4 straight Pro Bowl selections at safety and 2 as a Returner. Mason also finished in second for Safety of the Year, as Prince Vegeta's monster 2 touchdown performance and 3 total on the season were enough to give him the title. Mason also was nominated for returner of the year and lead the league in kick return average along with setting a NOLA team record for the highest average for a season. Not taking any punt return duties would prove to be too much to overcome. Lastly, Blaylock was nominated for MVP of the whole league. This was a bit of a surprise, as he wasn't even Safety of the Year. While he only received 2 third place votes, it was still a big honor to be nominated for the second time in his career.


Seventh Season - S26

The season that almost was. To be completely honest, this could have also been the season that almost wasn't. Season 26 will go down in league history as one of the most memorable ones for a lot of people. THE NSFC had a definite pecking order in Yellowknife being the top team with a 13-3 record and dominating their conference with a perfect 12-0 conference record. After the Wraiths, the Butchers were the clear second best team at 10-6, though significantly less dominant. in the ASFC, it was complete chaos from start to finish. 5 of the 7 teams finished with a record of 9-7, with the sixth place team close at 8-8. Through a bizarre series of tie breakers, the actual results were different than what the index showed. According the index, New York claimed the top seed, followed by New Orleans in second and Austin grabbing the last spot. In reality, Orange County jumped over the Copperheads to grab the third and final playoff spot. For Blaylock, it was a decent though unspectacular season. He posted a career high 103 tackles. He also recorded 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception 2 pass deflections and just his second tackle for loss in his ISFL career. Mason's 7 sacks marked his 4th straight season recording 7 or more, an impressive feat for a center field style free safety who spends most of his time in deep coverage. No accolades were to be had and it appears Mason has lost a step in his game as he has aged. He still can hold his own and helped lead NOLA to one of the top defenses and an above average secondary. Come playoff time, NOLA hosted familiar foe Orange County. The Otters lost both games in the regular season and were on a bit of a losing streak entering New Orleans. Still, anyone expecting the game to be a blowout would be crazy. New Orleans got off to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The Otters got on the board in the second quarter with a big safety. Still, NOLA came back and scored another touchdown to go up 17-2 at the half. Orange County didn't roll over though, putting up two unanswered touchdowns in the second half to bring the game to 17-15 (a missed two point conversion prevented a tied game). The Second Line put together a key 4th quarter drive to build things into a two possession game. The Otters were unable to catch up, leaving the game 24-15 New Orleans. Next up was a fresh and relatively unfamiliar foe in the New York Silverbacks for the NSFC Championship game. To add to one of the craziest seasons in league history, the top seeded New York Silverbacks somehow did not get to host the championship. Because of some other tie breaker scenario, New Orleans hosted instead. Without knowing league lore well enough, I'll take a stab and say this was one of the craziest scenarios that could have played out. Outside of all the wackiness leading to this game, the game itself was one for the ages. The Big Easy and the Big Apple went back and forth trading blow after blow. New Orleans gave up another safety in the second quarter, making that two games in a row to happen. NOLA kicked a field goal with no time at the end of the first half to make it a one possession game at 23-16 New York. The Silverbacks were poised to win in their first conference championship trip by going up 14 points two different times in the 3rd quarter. Trailing 37-23, the Second Line scored a touchdown with 10 minutes to close the lead to 7. New York got the ball back with 3:36 left and were looking to run the remaining time out. With some aggressive play calling, New York threw on three straight downs and failed to get a first down. Receiving the ball with 2:58 left, NOLA had one chance left. The offense sensed they had one chance left. Things weren't going well, as a sack and some incompletions led to a 4th and 17 with just 2:02 left. Slothlisberger pulled a literal rabbit out of his rabbit, connecting with Barker for a 43 yard completion. Two players later, Slothlisberger connected with Bodenhamer for a 24 yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left on the clock. New Orleans won the OT coin toss and received the ball, but weren't able to capitalize. A reeling New York still had their chance to punch their ticket to the Ultimus. on the first play with the ball, LB Bud Light forced a huge fumble and returned it for 13 yards. On the next play, Mike Rotchburns ran it in from 12 yards to win the game. This would prove to be the highlight of the season for New Orleans. In a rematch from the Season 21 Ultimus, The Second Line faced off against the Yellowknife Wraiths. NOLA got off to an early 10-0 lead, but that's when Yellowknife took over. They proceeded to score 49 (not a typo) unanswered points until NOLA scored again late in the 4th. It was all Yellowknife in the Ultimus and they were able to claim their revenge from the last matchup. It was a bit of a tough finish to such an awesome season, but not all stories have happy endings.


Eighth Season - S27

Season 27 could really be described as a tale of two halves. In the first half of the season, New Orleans was not a team fit for playoff football. There were quite a few one-possession losses, but at the end of the day it's still a loss. A beatdown in week 9 on the road in Sarasota had the Second Line sitting at 3-6 on the season. Even the most dedicated of dooters had little confidence in the team to qualify for post-season play. The beautiful thing about football though is that it's really never over until it's over. The tale of the second half would begin in Week 10 against the San Jose Sabercats. The turning point was so distinct that you could divide the game right down the middle as well. San Jose came out swinging in the first half, taking a 21-0 nothing lead with just 2 minutes left in the half. I'm sure if there were odds posted on New Orleans making the playoffs at this point, it would have been like 0.1% change. That's when everything change, though. Getting a good kick return and a few quick passes down field, NOLA was able to get into field goal range and put 3 points on the board to end the half. While it might feel like that field goal didn't really do much for the game in that moment, it light a fire under the Second Line's ass. In the second half, New Orleans came out guns blazing. A 73 bomb from Slothlisberger to McCormick got the things rolling. Defensively, NOLA shored things up and forced a few much-needed 3 and outs. Both the offense and defense looked like a completely different team. New Orleans scored 24 unanswered to take the lead in the 4th quarter before San Jose tied things up with under 3 minutes left in the game. One final drive, led by Slothlisberger, saw the team punch in one more touchdown in the final 90 seconds to win the game. It really can't be overstated how important of a game this was. When looking through the most important regular season games in Second Line history, there are few that can contend with this one. New Orleans would proceed to sweep through the rest of the season and win 6 out of their final 7 games with the lone loss coming up just short of a big comeback against Orange County. Still, NOLA was playing great football. The offense was led by Slothlisberger, who would later get named MVP of the league. The defense was also playing exceptionally well, holding most of their opponents well below their scoring average while also creating timely turnovers. While the Second Line were the wild card team and travelling to a very talented Arizona squad, it felt like they were poised for an upset and upset they did. The offense was in control early and couldn't be stopped, taking a 24-7 lead at half. Arizona didn't roll over though, making quite a push late in the game. Things got close for comfort when the Outlaws scored to make things within 2 possessions. Following a quick stop on defense, Arizona got the ball back and marched all the way down field. They would get all the way to the New Orleans 15 before Mason Blaylock would make a game-changing interception. The pick really righted the ship for New Orleans and provided a big spark again. A few players, NOLA scored again and put the game away. Finding their way back to the NSFC Championship, New Orleans travelled to Honolulu to take on the Hahalua. The game was a defensive struggle throughout and saw both teams close throughout. Honolulu found themselves able to move the ball well in the middle of the field, but could never punch the ball in for a touchdown. They scored 15 points in the game, all of which were from field goals. A key moment in the game came late in the 4th quarter. Hahalua got the ball on their 27 after another defensive stop with just over 6 minutes left to go. A check down pass to Krashwagen for 5 yards got blown up by Mason Blaylock, forcing a fumble which he was also able to recover. On the very next play, Mike Rotchburns ran for a 31 yard touchdown to give NOLA some breathing room. Honolulu would keep fighting, but a late pick from Vincent Jones sealed the NSFC Championship. Like last season, a NSFC Championship win would be the highlight on the year. A trip to Sarasota in the Ultimus would prove too difficult. The Sailfish found a lot of success on the ground, outrushing New Orleans 139-20. Sarasota won 34-10 and were never really tested in the game. It would have been great to win a second championship, but sometimes it's not in the cards. This team was in playoff mode for roughly 9 weeks and proved to be worthy of making it to the Ultimus, against all odds. Blaylock showed that he can still make big time plays in key moments, forcing 3 turnovers in New Orleans' playoff run.


Ninth Season - S28

After two straight seasons of making it to the Ultimus, time finally caught up with NOLA. Losing a couple of free agents in the offseason along with having a young core of starters has a changing of the guard feel for New Orleans. With only Blaylock and McCormick left from the S21 championship team, the Second Line have a lot of new faces the last couple of seasons. New Orleans finished 5-11 on the year. This would mark only the second time in Mason's 11 year career that he did not have a winning record. Blaylock managed to produce two sacks and two more interceptions on the year. Mason is the all-time sack leader for New Orleans, though he has quite a ways to go on the interceptions list. He is also chasing the team record for forced fumbles and fumbled recovered in a career, though not getting any this year hurt his chances. One thing happened in S28 that is as rare as an Entmoot; Mason got a safety. This was the only one he has ever had in his career, dating all the way back to middle school football. Most safeties will only get maybe 1 or 2 chances in a career to achieve a safety (oh the irony). Mason faced one such opportunity a few seasons ago, but a teammate got into the backfield first and got the safety instead. That's what football is about though. As long as the team is succeeding, that is what matters most. As Blaylock winds down his career, he is a unique position. He was a young and rising star early on when NOLA was good. Now he gets to play the team captain and mentor role as NOLA rebuilds into a powerhouse again.


The Final Season - S29

Rebounding from a losing season is not an easy thing to do. Looking at the schedule before the season started, it looked like NOLA would have a decent chance of getting a good start and be able to make a playoff run. A road game to a still developing Baltimore Hawks kicked off the season and a somewhat disappointing loss. Road games are always tough, but good teams need to find a way to get that done. NOLA would wind up 1-3 to start the season, winning their 1 lone home game. Things would get better, as more home games pour in. The Second Line would win the next 3 out of 4 games, holding serve on all of their home games. This pattern would continue for most of the season, with New Orleans being a perfect 5-0 at home and 0-6 on the road before their fortunes would change. Finally in week 12 against familiar foe Austin, New Orleans got their first road win of the season to bring them back up to .500. Ironically in week 13, that role would reverse and New Orleans would end up losing their first home game of the year against Honolulu. Sitting at 6-7 with 3 games left, things were looking bleak. If there is one thing about the Second Line though, the season isn't over until it's over. A huge game 14 saw them travel to 8-5 Orange County. One win and they were pretty much a look to make the playoffs. NOLA got things rolling early, taking a 20-0 lead into halftime. The Otters would make some noise in the second half, but were not able to climb out of the hole. A final score of 48-26 saw New Orleans keep their playoff hopes alive. Week 15 was a home game against rival San Jose Sabercats. Once again, New Orleans came out of the gate hot. They would go in at halftime up 23-0. Like before, this huge halftime lead was enough for the Second Line to keep on dooting as they won by a score of 40-25. Playoff aspirations were looking more and more promising by the week. A week 16 meeting with a quality 12-3 Colorado Yeti team was the last thing standing in their way of making the playoffs. Things didn't start off like the previous two weeks. The offense looks a bit tired and the defense was giving up quite a bit of yardage though not points. The score at half was 10-10. If New Orleans wanted to make the playoffs, they were going to need a monster second half to keep up with the Yeti. The third quarter was a grind for both teams, with NOLA managing to put up a field goal for the only points in the quarter. A huge pick by Shuffleboard at the end of the 3rd quarter set up New Orleans for a second field goal in less than a minute of game time. After Colorado got the ball back again, Azarius Ranger got to the QB for a sack and forced fumbled. Two plays later, the Second Line punched the ball in. The NOLA defense would force two more turnovers in the 4th quarter while the offense also caught fire, scoring 24 points in the 4th to win 37-13. The defense gave up 500 yards on the day, but 4 4th quarter turnovers made all the difference. A team that stood almost no chance by the week 10 mark all of a sudden found their way into the playoffs. Orange County finished 8-8 on the year after losing their final 3 games, while San Jose came in at 6-9-1 after losing their final 4 games. In the wildcard round, The Second Line traveled to New York to face a tough Silverbacks squad. The Silverbacks found a bit of success early moving the ball, putting up three fields goals in the first half. The defense stiffened on their own side of the field and prevented New York from putting up touchdowns instead. A touchdown and field goal of their own saw New Orleans lead at half 10-9. The second half would prove to be a high-scoring affair, as both teams would combine to score 7 touchdowns over the final two quarters. New Orleans took a 31-28 lead with under 5 minutes to go in the game. It felt like whichever team had the final for the final possession was going to be the one that won it. Sure enough, New York was able to put together a big drive and score the winning touchdown under a minute to go. New York would go on to win the Ultimus in S29, beating Arizona and then Berlin. New Orleans put up the best fight of any team against New York in the playoffs, a small consolation prize but something to hang their hat on. S29 would also mark the last for Mason Blaylock, as the former All-Pro decided to hang up the cleats. Mason set a number of milestones and records for New Orleans over the decade that he played.

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40‑yd dash 20‑ss 3‑cone Vert jump Broad BP Wonderlic
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)
205 lb
(93 kg)
4.30 s 4.10 s 7.05 s 28.9 in
(0.73 m)
130 ft 8 in
(39.83 m)
12 reps 12
Season 18 DSFL Draft Combine

Professional Career Statistics

Career Statistics Tackles Sacks Interceptions Other Kick Returns Punt Returns
Season Team Games Reg TFL Total Sack Int IntTD DefTD FFum FRec PD Safety Yds Avg KR TD Yds Avg PR TD
2033 (S18) Coyotes 14 110 6 116 4 1 0 0 2 3 3 0 419 16.8 0 280 11.7 2
2034 (S19) Luchadores 14 76 0 76 4 3 0 0 2 3 3 0 457 19.9 0 382 9.8 1
2035 (S20) Second Line 13 63 0 63 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2036 (S21) Second Line 13 64 0 64 4 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2037 (S22) Second Line 13 76 0 76 4 3 1 0 0 0 3 0 690 26.5 0 0 0 0
2038 (S23) Second Line 16 102 0 102 11 5 0 0 2 1 7 0 1241 30.3 1 0 0 0
2039 (S24) Second Line 16 70 1 71 8 3 0 0 2 2 6 0 1006 27.2 0 0 0 0
2040 (S25) Second Line 16 87 0 87 7 5 0 0 3 3 11 0 1361 32.4 1 0 0 0
2041 (S26) Second Line 16 103 1 104 7 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 832 26.8 0 0 0 0
2042 (S27) Second Line 16 66 0 66 4 1 0 0 1 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2043 (S28) Second Line 16 71 0 71 2 2 0 0 0 0 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
2044 (S29) Second Line 16 35 0 35 2 1 0 0 2 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Playoff Career Statistics

Career Statistics Tackles Sacks Interceptions Other Kick Returns Punt Returns
Season Team Games Reg TFL Total Sack Int IntTD DefTD FFum FRec PD Safety Yds Avg KR TD Yds Avg PR TD
2033 (S18) Coyotes 1 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 9 0 12 12 0
2034 (S19) Luchadores 2 14 0 14 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 56 14 0 94 18.8 1
2035 (S20) Second Line 2 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2036 (S21) Second Line 3 15 0 15 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2037 (S22) Second Line 1 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 37 12.3 0 0 0 0
2038 (S23) Second Line 1 3 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 86 43 0 0 0 0
2039 (S24) Second Line 1 8 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77 25.7 0 0 0 0
2040 (S25) Second Line 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2041 (S26) Second Line 3 11 0 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 150 18.7 0 0 0 0
2042 (S27) Second Line 3 11 0 11 0 2 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2043 (S28) Second Line 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2044 (S29) Second Line 1 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Achievements and Records

Coyotes Most punt return for TDs in a season

S18 Defensive Rookie of the year

Tijuana most punt return yards in 1 game

Tijuana most punt return yards in a playoff game

Tijuana longest interception return in a playoff game (72 yards)

S21 ASFC Champion

S21 Ultimus Champion

S22 Team USA

S22 Pro Bowl (Safety)

S22 Safety of the Year

S23 Pro Bowl (Unanimous Safety)

S23 Pro Bowl (Returner)

S23 Safety of the Year

S23 Defensive Player of the Year Finalist

S23 League MVP Finalist

First Safety in the modern era to record at least 10 sacks and 5 interceptions playing in position (not as a LB).

S24 Pro Bowl (Safety)

S24 Team USA

S25 Pro Bowl (Unanimous Safety)

S25 Pro Bowl (Returner)

S25 League MVP Finalist

S25/S26 Team USA

S26 ASFC Champion

S27 ASFC Champion