Sam Howitzer
 |
 | |
| No. 7 – New York Silverbacks | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 14, 2015 (aged 46) Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: | North Carolina |
| ISFL Draft: | 2039 / Round: 2 / Pick: 24 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2038 / Round: 4 / Pick: 26 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Player stats at ISFL.net | |
Sam Howitzer (born March 14, 2015) is an American football Quarterback for the New York Silverbacks in the International Simulation Football League (ISFL). Howitzer is in his first season in the ISFL with the New York Silverbacks.
Early years
Howitzer was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, just a short drive away from the campus at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Howitzer played high school for East Chapel Hill High School where he set numerous state high school records in North Carolina for career passing yards, touchdowns, and wins. In his senior season, Howitzer was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for North Carolina.
College career
As a true freshman enrolling at UNC, Howitzer competed for the starting quarterback position but backed up for incumbent quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Howitzer appeared in 4 games, mostly appearing late in blowout wins in the fourth quarter of games.
Starting in his sophomore year, with Trubisky having been selected 2nd overall in the NFL Draft, Howitzer claimed the starting quarterback job at UNC. Howitzer played well, leading UNC to a 9-4 record including a win in the Military Bowl. Howitzer finished 3rd in the ACC Player of the Year award voting.
Howitzer entered his junior season at UNC with great anticipation from the media and nation, having been named to numerous preseason watch lists for awards such as the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O'Brien Award given to the best quarterback in collegiate football. However, in the first game of the season against South Carolina, Howitzer suffered a knee injury, tearing both his ACL and MCL. Howitzer's season ended immediately with little fanfare and Howitzer soon announced his intentions to compete in the National Simulation Football League.
College career statistics
Howitzer left college with a career total of 5,121 passing yards, 47 passing TDs, and 15 interceptions.
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2034 | UNC | 4 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 37 | 62 | 59.7 | 382 | 5 | 1 | 95.2 | 15 | 52 | 3.47 | 1 |
| 2035 | UNC | 13 | 13 | 9-4-0 | 382 | 558 | 68.5 | 4739 | 42 | 14 | 113.5 | 42 | 123 | 2.93 | 2 |
| 2036 | UNC | 1 | 1 | 1-0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 18 | 14 | 10-4-0 | 419 | 620 | 67.6 | 5121 | 47 | 15 | 109.19 | 57 | 175 | 3.07 | 3 | |
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
260 lb (118 kg) |
4.63 s | 4.21 s | 6.68 s | 29.6 in (0.75 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
20 reps | 25 | ||||
| 2039 NSFL Scouting Combine | ||||||||||||
2037 season: DSFL waivers
Sam Howitzer was picked up on waivers by the Portland Pythons for the remainder of the 2036 DSFL season following the trade deadline. Howitzer played as the backup quarterback to incumbent Pythons quarterback George O'Donnell. When Howitzer first joined the team, he immediately served as some fresh competition to battle with O'Donnell for snaps in games on a week to week basis. However, following the first few midweek practices, it became evident that Howitzer would serve as the primary backup, deferring to O'Donnell during DSFL games and serving as injury insurance.
The Pythons held a 5-7 record in the NFC North division of the DSFL when Howitzer joined the team. The team was out of a playoff spot and certainly needed a boost in the last two games of the season in order to reach .500 even on the season and have a chance at competing in the playoffs. However, under the quarterbacking of George O'Donnell, the Pythons ultimately dropped their last two games of the season, to the Norfolk Seawolves and the eventual DSFL champion Tijuana Luchadores respectively. Howitzer studied O'Donnell's quarterback play intensely on the sidelines, and even though the coaching staff of the Pythons never pulled O'Donnell out of their games, preferring to ride out the storm and give their veteran quarterback a long leash to figure things out, Howitzer stayed ready on the sidelines to come into each of the final two games on short notice. Nevertheless, the Pythons finished the season at 5-9 and Howitzer now entered the DSFL draft for the following season.
2038 season
Howitzer was drafted 26th overall in the 2038 DSFL Draft, returning to the Portland Python. He entered the 2038 season as the Pythons number one quarterback, with George O'Donnell on his way to the Chicago Butchers in the NSFL. As a true rookie starter, Howitzer had growing pains settling into the quarterback role for the Pythons. While the Pythons returned several wide receivers and running backs from the previous season, the porous defense put the onus on Howitzer to maintain possession and keep the unit off the field. Under the guidance of Howitzer under center, the Pythons plodded onward to a 5-9 regular season record, finishing last in the NFC North division and missing the playoffs.
In spite of the team's poor record, there were signs of encouragement throughout the season for Howitzer. Sam Howitzer completed 51.8% of his passes for 2,157 passing yards on the season, throwing for 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Howitzer was just one of six DSFL quarterbacks to throw more touchdowns than interceptions, and his best performance of the season came in the last week of the season, Week 14. In Week 14, Howitzer completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 232 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. Howitzer demonstrated good control of the football, throwing with great accuracy and spreading the ball around to many of his receivers -- four of his receivers caught three balls each, as Howitzer distributed the ball quite evenly, putting defenders off balance all game long. With this fine performance to cap off the season, Howitzer's development continued through the next off-season.
2039 season: DSFL MVP
Howitzer returned to the Portland Pythons for his second full season with the team, buzzing with confidence and improvement from another season of off-season workouts and training. Under his guidance, and with a strong Season 25 draft class beside him, Howitzer led a dynamic Pythons passing attack, throwing for 21 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions on the year, recording a league-high passer rating of 88.9. The rest of the Pythons offense, however, struggled, as the rookie running back duo of Donald Pama and Anders Christiansen struggled to acclimate to pro football's speed. Nevertheless, the Pythons marched onward, relying heavily on Howitzer's careful passing and their tough, bend don't break defense. The Pythons were upset multiple times at home, losing to the Minnesota Grey Ducks in Week 3, and to the Kansas City Coyotes in Week 11 in a pivotal game for the playoff race. But the team rallied on the road, putting together a 4-3 record on the road compared to their dismal 2-5 home record to secure an unlikely spot in the playoffs, finishing 6-8 on the season.
In the playoffs, the Pythons went on the road to face the London Royals in the NFC Championship Game. The Pythons offense stalled from the very start, as Howitzer struggled, completing only 17 of 40 passes for 147 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. The Pythons defense also struggled to contain the rushing attack of the Royals, who recorded 225 yards on the ground. The Pythons exited the playoffs in a 22-3 loss, disappointed with the result. Although Howitzer had a great individual season, he was unable to lead the team when it counted the most.
Professional career statistics
DSFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the DSFL | |
| DSFL MVP | |
| DSFL Career statistics | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Comp | Att | Yards | Pct | Lg | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2037 (S22) | POR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2038 (S23) | POR | 14 | 192 | 371 | 2,157 | 51.8 | 36 | 10 | 9 | 68.3 | 28 | 83 | 3.0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2039 (S24) | POR | 14 | 270 | 434 | 2,559 | 62.2 | 38 | 21 | 6 | 88.9 | 9 | 25 | 2.8 | 7 | 0 |
ISFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the ISFL | |
| ISFL Career statistics | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Comp | Att | Yards | Pct | Lg | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2040 (S25) | NYS | 16 | 298 | 523 | 3,872 | 57.0 | 62 | 27 | 14 | 86.5 | 22 | 72 | 3.3 | 21 | 0 |
Awards and records
Awards
- Team
- Individual
- DSFL Most Valuable Player (1): 2039
- DSFL Quarterback of the Year (1): 2039
Records
- League
- Single Game Records
- Season Records
- Career Records
