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+---- Thread: (S22) - Ultimus Week (/showthread.php?tid=22426)
(S22) - Ultimus Week - Attopax - 05-30-2020
Selflessness is one thing, but ultimately everyone wants to hear their own player’s name mentioned among the greats. Take some time, in 400 words or more, and discuss how your player’s (or past player’s) career is going so far. Are you matching any expectations you set out for yourself? Do you see yourself on a potentially award winning or Hall of Fame career trajectory? If your player is just starting out, what goals and visions do you have for yourself?
Given that Asher Montain hasn’t even gotten drafted yet, it is hard to say how his career is going because it has not even started yet. That being said, I believe he has used this waiver pickup opportunity as best as he could to showcase his abilities. 8 Tackles, 5 for loss in 4 games is enough to show productivity, and the rate of improvement through his training and work ethic I believe puts him in a prime position to get drafted and be a difference-maker. My expectations have largely been met because Asher’s only goal since he began this process has been to learn and show everyone his potential.
The fact that he has been able to start in a playoffs game and make an Ultimini appearance is just icing on the cake at this point. I am ecstatic that he was able to contribute to London’s success and be more than justa placeholder – its not like didn’t make an impact in games. I don’t think he was the reason for the “end of season success” but I do think that he at least was able to shore up some weaknesses on the Defensive Line in order to make the team as a whole more competitive, and that is enough for him during this period. While he obviously would have wanted to win “the big one,” he is proud to have been a part of London’s first ever Ultimini appearance (in their second season no less).
I don’t see Asher Montain being a stat king. I would love for him to have some recognition, but I think he is more focused on team productivity, even at his own expense. If he is part of some kind of dynasty or multi-title run, that would be enough to satisfy him so long as he is doing his part. His goal is to get drafted by a team and be trusted and relied on enough that they know they don’t need to worry about that position for quite some time. If that results in awards or a Hall of Fame selection, that just makes it better. He just wants to be a great locker room with a solid group of people and a good culture. If he gets some clutch sacks that gets him a weekly team award, then that is enough recognition for him. He knows that Defensive Line positions sometimes do not come with the statistics and glory of other positions, so he wants to win as many titles as possible so the team can go down in history.
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429 WordsMake a scouting report for any of the NSFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or dead relatives. I’m joking about that last one, please don’t put dead relatives on the scouting report. Written option available for 200 words or more.
This is a scouting report on Zoe Watts. Watts spent the last four games on the Dallas Birddogs off waivers. On paper, Zoe Watts does not look like a top level draft talent. During her shortened season, she made 7 out of 8 extra points and only made 4 out of 8 field goals. A 50 percent field goal percentage is not viable in the DSFL or NSFL. However, the statistics do not show that most of these missed opportunities occurred in only one game. Further, her Kick Accuracy and Kick Power are in line with other league kickers at her stage in development, and there has been a focus in accuracy since some the missed opportunities showing an awareness of potential issues and desire to correct them. Also, as of the time of this writing, she is tied for 1st in TPE in her draft class showing her work ethic and development potential. Her work in league activities and graphics work place her in a high-earning position that make her a non-risky pick for any team looking to secure the kicker position for seasons to come. Lastly, she has expressed a willingness to switch positions at this point in her career which would make her a sure fire pick for anyone who needs to fill a non-special teams spot, but likes Watts’ work ethic and dependability.
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227 WordsCreate an argument for your own player, or for someone else on your team, as to why they should be nominated for awards. Lay out their stats or compare them to other contenders. Make a convincing argument. Written option available for 200 words or more.
Colby Jack (QB) from the London Royals should be considered for the QB of the Year Award for the DSFL. Jack does not have the highest QB rating. He does not have the most yards. He does not have the most touchdowns. He does not have the highest completion percentage. But he is the most consistently high performing player in all of those categories. He is rated second among active quarterbacks in the DSFL in QB Rating with 80.5. The number one leader, Waters, is 86.5, and no other quarterback breaches the 80.0> category. Next, he is second in total yards this past season with 2,393 yards. The leader, SnowBow, has 2,538 yards. He is ranked 3rd in touchdowns with 16. SnowBow and Ramos are ahead of him with 18 and 17 touchdowns respectfully. He is ranked number 2 in Completion Percentage with 58.9%. The leader, Slothlisberger, has 62.7%.
As the above analysis shows, the only QB that appears above Jack in multiple categories is SnowBow. So, why isn’t SnowBow the best all-around QB? Firstly, because in some of the other categories, such as completion percentage, SnowBow is ranked 8th which is well below Jack (2nd). In addition, in one of the statistics that SnowBow beats Jack, Jack is still clearly the better performer. While Snowbow leads in touchdowns, SnowBow also threw 11 Interceptions. Meanwhile, Jack threw only 2 less touchdowns, and threw 2 less interceptions. This leaves SnowBow with a TD to INT ratio of 1.63, and Jack with a TD to INT ratio of 1.77! Therefore, although SnowBow may appear to beat Jack in several categories, Jack is more consistent performer across all statistics and even better than SnowBow when you look past the raw numbers and analyze them based on overall performance.
Code:
295 Words(S22) - Ultimus Week - JuOSu - 05-30-2020
PBE CW counts for one task (tier 3)
Tier 3: 10) Create an argument for your own player, or for someone else on your team, as to why they should be nominated for awards. Lay out their stats or compare them to other contenders. Make a convincing argument. Written option available for 200 words or more.
On our team, we had one of the best rookie seasons of all time and he deserves not just the rookie of the year award, but maybe more. Ugarth the Dissector had an insane season for our team. He performed so well from the start. He ended up with 76 tackles, he lead the league in forced fumbles with four, which is an insane amount. He also recovered one of those fumbles. He also had 9 sacks, insanely efficient and in the top 10 of the league there too. He had an interception and sixteen passes defended, also in the top 10 of the league there too. His insane versatility on defense really makes him deserving of at least rookie of the year, but I personally think like he should also win Linebacker of the Year at the very least. But I will go one step further and throw out a really big claim here. I think that Ugarth the Dissector should be in consideration for Most Valuable Player. That's right, I said it. I think he had THAT good of a season and he really deserves being recognized for it. Congratulations to Ugarth who really deserves the recognition and the praise. He is a wonderful player and I look forward to what else he can do in the future.
6) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?
Well the New Orleans Second Line are in an interesting period. We just won a title a season ago but then lost a lot of good players in the expansion draft. We still had a really good season this season and managed to get into the playoffs, despite starting six rookies this season. What this means is that every season, we ought to get better still, when we think about those six rookies are getting better every season when they gain TPE and get better. The bigger question mark for the team is the future at the most important position, the quarterback. My own player, Stan Francisco, who has been decent but ultimately has underperformed his entire career, is in the midst of regression and will enter what will be his last season in his career (spoiler alert). Thankfully, New Orleans has already planned for the future, drafting Slothisberger as our future quarterback, who will be ready to take over next season. He will be extremely great for this team and I look forward to seeing this team taken over by a new quarterback. There are some amazing pieces on the team, we have two amazing running backs in Tom Hanks and Marcella Toriki. We have a great Wide Receiver in Ed Barker and a league wide great in our tight end McCormick. Our defense is the beautiful part even more so though, with people like Tesla, Quenton Bode who will be a tackle beast in the league and might break my tackle record from my first player. We have amazing rookies in guys like Ugarth the Dissector who had one of the best rookie seasons of all time. We also have amazing guys in the secondary like David Rector and Mason Blaylock. All of these players are active and getting better and I think New Orleans will be good for a long time. Our manameent is just the best and our team will be lead well for the rest of time and we should be able to compete for many titles to come in the next few years, with actives at basically every position. Are there any real weaknesses? Well besides the quarterback situation, which is only really a temporary weakness, I don't know that we do have a weakness. We are always improving as our younger guys get better and while we don't have a ton of draft capital right now, we can improve with time and get better again.
(S22) - Ultimus Week - Faded - 05-30-2020
Tier Two
It’s always great to view teams from an outside the box perspective and look at the full picture as opposed to what a team did in the past couple games. And one of these teams that I’m going to take a look at is a team who started out the season in the basement of the league, a meme to us all, and how they made it too where they are now, and that is the Austin Copperheads. They started out the season 3-1 in the preseason, which set the tone for the rest of the season (even though it was against the Baltimore Hawks and Chicago Butchers, but I digress), and as the season went underway, Austin could be projected to go somewhere. Week One at Arizona, and the game was pretty wild. Not only did they flip-flop the lead throughout the game, but they...Tied?! Alright...Well, they can put that behind them, and move forward. Oh, they lost the next two to an expansion team and the always dominant Orange County Otters. Well, at least they won the next game against the defending Ultimus Champions, Second Line. Oh, and they lost the next two again to the mediocre Derpcats and the Liberty. This season might as well be over for them. Or, they can WIN THE REST OF THE SEASON. BY AT LEAST ONE SCORE. Killing the women and children, raising the towns, salting the earth, and wiping the country off the map and off history books forever. Yes, I know that I’m hyping the hell out of this team but it's quite amazing to see the turn around of this team. After knocking out the Derpcats in Week 13, they were officially in the playoffs with the New Orleans Second Line and, as always, the Orange County Otters. This team is red hot. After a massive, GAME-CHANGING streak in the regular season, it is now time for the Copperheads to make their way into the first round of the playoffs. Against the Second-Line, it would be pretty safe to assume that this team is going to create something special with an opponent that they beat in the regular season. Of course they do beat them, beating them with a score at the back end of the game, 34-27, allowing for the Copperheads to move on to the next round. Now, it is where time will tell what will happen to them as they go to Orange County. (Spoiler, they lost).
It is now the point that, as a team, we need to take a look at the future, and begin to figure out ways to make the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers go back to the glory of what they had seen in the past. I know that I said we need to look to the future, but we gotta look at what went wrong. I believe that the first problem comes on the offensive side of the ball, the Passing Game. While we had Chris Ramos, a very versatile Quarterback with great stats, such as nearly 2000 yards, 17 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 72.8, it is what he is passing that is the problem, even though he was quite the middle of the road quarterback compared to every other Quarterback...Fine I take it back, but hold on.. We as a team have great pieces to throw too. Garfield Despacito Jr., James Angler, Clark Boyd, etc. But, if we had a really hot wide receiver draft pick come into our hands, then it would seal the deal when it came to our passing game. When it comes to Ramos, frankly, like I said earlier, he is quite the middle of the road when it comes to solid passing. But, if he develops into a solid Quarterback that can sling the ball better and more accurately, then there is a good chance that he can develop into the Position leaders of the Jack twins, Monty and Colby that is. Our running game was one of if not the greatest in the league, as I, 3’ Jeffery, and Chris Ramos steamrolled past rush defenders and did the good. The big yes yes. When it comes to the defensive side of the ball, it comes to prevalence the following. Our defense is kinda just, mediocre. We are Third to last on tackles, middle of the road on fumbles, below average on in the sack department, average on interceptions, have a safety, which actually isn’t that bad, 0 touchdowns on the defensive side of the ball, and nothing blocked. However, the only silver lining in this, we have the most sacks. So, I am not the greatest defensive genius in the world, but I will say this. Everything needs a bolster and upgrade. People need to get to grinding for TPE so they can upgrade needed stats, and from there we can create something magical on the other side of the field that will stop offenses. Now, we lucked out this year by getting the 3rd overall pick in the draft, so with all these needs in mind, we should do our best to make the right moves.
Tier Three
I truly believe that I am in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and here is why I definitely think that. For my entire career so far, I have been a player that has split carries with another individual, 3’ Jeffery. While he is still a good player, I am better than him stat wise for the following reasons. I have higher yards, touchdowns, and a longer longest play. I also have better receiving stats, being better in both yards and caught passes, giving me a higher average than him. Now, going away from my team, I give you the reasons that I am better than the other rookies in contention. The quarterback who is in contention for this award is Reginald Covington III, who has done quite the mediocre job when it comes to giving an output on the field, with very mediocre stats compared to the other DSFL quarterbacks. Now I go to another position, wide receiver, who I believe Tychondrious Hood is also in contention for this award. He had a VERY successful rookie season so far, and I’m quite proud of him for it. He has around the same stats as other veterans in the position in the league, and has proven that he can be a great weapon to other teams. So, there really is no problem with him, but I see him as my ultimate competition for this award.
Name: Nicholas Ayers
Position: Running Back
College: Arizona State
DSFL Team: Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Stats: 294 Attempts, 1348 Yards, 4.6 Average Yards per Carry, 57 Longest, and 7 Touchdowns
Rating: ?????
Positives
Player shows lots of enthusiasm out on the field and clearly puts his heart and soul in the game he plays. He is quite the competent running back, with clear field knowledge and shows creative ways to get out of problems. Quite the flashy individual, seen pulling elusive moves like spin moves, jukes, and is quite the slippery individual. All around, solid back to hand the rock too....
Negatives
A little too aggressive, can’t seem to control his emotions if he gets rubbed wrong. A little bit of a penalty magnet, could be tied into his emotion. Not the greatest receiver, needs to work on his hands. A little on the heavier side, needs to drop his weight a little bit. A bit too short, could result in problems out on the field for him.
Overall Report
Ayers is a man that is greatly enthusiastic to go out there and play for his team. When a team picks him up from the DSFL, they will get a person that will be a winner off and on the field, not caring so much as racking his stats and making plays, but being a member of a team. Good man, good future.
![[Image: 20yYyqs.png]](https://imgur.com/20yYyqs.png)
(S22) - Ultimus Week - Ephenssta - 05-30-2020
Tier 2
7)
Warren Stephens’ career has been exceeding expectations so far. I began as a safety, thinking it would be fun to roam over the top of the field and disrupt the passing game by breaking up or intercepting passes and laying some punishing hits. Maybe it’s just because the DSFL doesn’t have a highly developed passing game or maybe safety just wasn’t the right place for me, but I found myself craving something different. After consulting with my coaches, GMs of the future, and trainers, I decided to spend an offseason working out and made the move to linebacker. Since being called up at linebacker, I feel I have made a significant impact on the team at the Liberty. In my 26 games as a starter, I have recorded nearly 250 tackles, forced three fumbles, and picked a ball off. After my rookie season, I was on the ballot for defensive rookie of the year, something I am tremendously proud of despite not winning the award. It is disappointing, though, realizing that I will probably not come closer to any awards for some time and, although it is too early to make serious Hall of Fame predictions about my career, it is entirely possible I could be snubbed from that too since I play middle linebacker and do not accumulate the “wow” stats. The fact of the matter is this league does not value middle linebackers. This season, I broke the Philadelphia Liberty’s single season tackle record by recording 134 tackles. I was one behind the leader, Honda Edmonds, who recorded 135 tackles, the most tackles in a single season since the league reduced the number of games in a season to 13. Yet Edmonds was not even included in the LBotY awards ballot for this season. Watching a fellow middle linebacker get snubbed despite having a singularly spectacular season is disheartening, as it means that as my career continues to progress it is entirely possible that I will face similar levels of disinterest in my career since I specialize in run stopping rather than chasing down QBs or getting interceptions. It is clear to me that the league as a whole, though I must say the Philadelphia GMs are incredibly pleased with my performances and are some of my greatest supporters, does not value these talents and will likely continue to overlook outstanding players like myself in favor of more flashy ones. Flashy plays are not the only indication of a great player, and I urge the league and their awards committees to keep that in mind as they evaluate players going forwards. I beg you not to ignore history being made as you did this season. It’s really quite shameful.
Tier 3
10) I understand that there are more flashy stats around the league than tackles and that people can, and have, made strong arguments for why tackles alone should not secure awards for linebackers. And I’m not arguing that impressive tackles alone should be enough. But how can you possibly justify ignoring a historically great tackling season? Honda Edmonds, the middle linebacker for the Austin Copperheads, racked up 135 tackles on the season, leading the league in tackles. That is the single highest tackling season we have seen in the league since we decreased the season to 13 games per year. It is top 10 all time, which should be even more impressive considering the various nerfs defenses have faced throughout the ages, including reduced blitz rates, diminished ability to play out of position, and now having fewer games to pick up records. When you combine those factors, anyone racking up this many tackles and having a historically great season doing it deserves tremendous recognition, or at least the possibility of receiving a positional award, but I don’t think this is likely given the league’s tendency to reduce the value of tackles. Edmonds was arguably the most impactful linebacker on the field this season, stuffing the run game and receivers coming through the middle at an impressive rate all season long. Take a moment to think about how impressive it is to be a top 7 all time single season leader in tackles in the modern day of the NSFL and then wonder why he was snubbed by the awards committee.
(S22) - Ultimus Week - GoonerBear - 05-31-2020
Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (800+ words)
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
2) This week will see the S23 Ultimus and Ultimini races finally come to their conclusion. In 800 words or more, recount any of the previous playoff cycles of either league. How did each team arrive at the playoffs? Were there any dark horse or Cinderella teams that went unexpectedly far, or any presumptive favorites that fell flat? How did the title game play out, and which players made their mark on the field? Tell the story of those playoffs as completely as you can. Do not simply recount your own experience in those playoffs or that of a singular team.
The Season 14 NSFL postseason cycle saw tight contests, great upsets, and a run of 13 seasons of bitter disappointment come to an end in triumph at last.
Back in the olden days when the league consisted of eight teams split into two conferences of four, where each conference's top two advanced, each team got to get up close and personal with each other team. The regular season was effectively a double round-robin, with each team getting a home game and an away game against every other team. Conference championship games were tense affairs, therefore, as were Ultimus championship games, with each of the three playoff games staging a matchup for the third time.
In the ASFC, two in-state rivals, the Orange County Otters and the San Jose SaberCats entered the ring for the third time. With the New Orleans Second Line coming in third at 4-10, it had been clear from the outset these two would meet again. They split their regular-season series, with the home team winning both times. The SaberCats blanked the Otters the first time in Week 3 23-0 before the Otters returned fire in Week 10, snatching a close 20-17 off a touchdown with 2:23 to go and a final defensive stand. At 11-3, Orange County hosted the 9-5 San Jose, and with a 6-1 home record, the Otters held the advantage entering the game. Shockingly, the Otters' other two losses were to the Philadelphia Liberty, losing 24-23 at home and 31-19 away. Confidence had been somewhat restored with three consecutive wins, all coming against sub-.500 teams and one with the New Orleans Second Line being too close for comfort. This was also the third consecutive ASFC title game with this matchup, and the Orange County Otters had won the previous two. In Season 12, OCO smacked the Cats around at home 35-10. In Season 13, SJS believed they enjoyed a great home-field advantage...only for the Otters to break their hearts 31-21. The Otters had gone on to win the Ultimus both times. This could not happen a third straight time.
In the NSFC, the 11-3 Baltimore Hawks hosted the 9-5 Philadelphia Liberty. They, too, split the season series where the home team won on both occasions. They, too, had a decent gap between them and third place, with the Yellowknife Wraiths turning in a 6-8 mark. The Liberty won in Week 7 30-20, and the Hawks suplexed the Liberty 52-17 in Week 14, right before playoffs. Not only did the Hawks have home field, where they, too, were 6-1, their lone loss coming to the Otters in Week 2 (who they would lose to again 30-24 in Week 9), entering this game, this exact matchup had produced one of the biggest beatdowns of the season. The Hawks had turned around from a down year at 4-10 in Season 13. They had appeared in four consecutive Ultimus championships from Seasons 9 to 12, winning it all in Season 10 over NOLA and losing the title games in Seasons 9 and 11 to NOLA and 12 to OCO. The Liberty had not won the Ultimus since Season 7. Before then, they had 3 playoff appearances to their name, including an Ultumus loss to OCO in Season 6. This was their third consecutive playoff appearance, with an overtime heartbreaker in Season 12 to BAL and the Colorado Yeti laying a 50-27 burger on them in Season 13. What was more, the Hawks and Liberty had one player further binding them together: running back Marquise Brown, who was elected to the Hall of Fame before this season's Ultimus. Brown was the bellcow of four seasons for Philadelphia. He led the league in rushing yards each of his first three seasons. He came in second in Seasons 13 and 14 behind Slim Shady, though still boasted more touchdowns. It was a massive swing. It looked as though Philadelphia had lost their best hope at finally bringing down the Hawks in a playoff game. With QB Childish Gambino, also a future Hall of Famer, teamed up with Brown, their time was now. The backfield couldn't be stronger.
Two teams, riding two consecutive one-and-dones, each staring at a probable third. The power matchup of the season was about to have its score settled, if things went as expected. Perhaps OCO was on its way to finishing a hat trick over BAL to claim their 6th Ultimus and complete the franchise's second three-peat. Perhaps BAL would ease the sting of three title losses and finally get the Otters' number the third time around.
The Otters struck first, though the SaberCats would rack up six unanswered scores. A field goal. A touchdown run with a missed extra point. Jorel Tuck flying in to tackle Gus Showbiz for a safety. Another touchdown. Two field goals. San Jose looked like they would finally get one over on their rivals. They had dominated them through three quarters. The third time was finally the charm. Late in the third, the Otters picked up a field goal. Early in the fourth, they scored a touchdown when Ricky Adams punched in on second and goal. 10 minutes to hold onto a lead that, to the Cats, seemed like an eternity against the seemingly unstoppable force that was playoff Orange County. A three-and-out handed the Otters the chance to tie the game and restore order. After two first downs, they wouldn't gain another yard and punted. San Jose would try to engineer the drive that would sink Orange County. They only managed to dock half the remaining clock, still leaving the Otters with more than three and a half minutes to tie the game.
No miracle had ever come before for the Cats.
So corner Spencer Castle made one.
On the first play of the drive from scrimmage, he snagged an interception. San Jose would run down even more clock, down to under a minute. 37 seconds still felt like enough time for OCO to pull out one big play, and the matchup was right for them to do so. The Otters had always tormented the SaberCats with the big play.
It never came. For the first time in franchise history, the San Jose SaberCats were conference champions and going to the Ultimus.
Switching to the NSFC Championship, it seemed certain their foes would be the Baltimore Hawks, though not by a comfortable margin. Things were tight throughout the first three quarters. Baltimore was more than one possession clear of the Liberty for seven minutes and 28 seconds in the second quarter. It felt as though things could swing either way. At last, they had a two-score edge again less than a minute into the fourth quarter when Viggo Squanch caught a touchdown pass on 1st and goal. Now, Baltimore had breathing room. They would get the ball back again, even if Philadelphia scored. The Liberty had to bank on a minor miracle to get within one score when Kulture Fulture lined up for a 55-yard field goal attempt. Fulture sank the shot. Still, with just under nine minutes to go, Baltimore now held a chance to sink Philly. They held that chance for a minute and 20 seconds before punting on a three-and-out. Following Adriana Falconi going down on a seven-yard sack, she connected with receiver Roger Batoff. Batoff took off all the way, going 47 yards for a touchdown. They had to go for two. Fail, and BAL could hang on.
The Liberty scored. Tie ball game.
"No matter," said the Hawks faithful. "We get the ball back and 5 minutes to win it."
Only...they would go three-and-out and punt. Still, BAL could manage the Liberty on the PHI 20 with just under 3:30 to play.
Then, Fast Boija rushed for 13. Then, Falconi passed for 7 more. The Liberty...were driving. They gained in big enough chunks to keep pace with where they needed to be. With 19 seconds left, Falconi spiked the ball after she passed to Batoff for 24 yards to line up the biggest kick of Fulture's career from only 32 yards out. This would have to be good enough.
It was.
The Hawks would get one last gasp play. They would need 89 yards. There would be no time for a field goal.
They gained 24.
The Philadelphia Liberty were conference champions for the third time in their franchise's history.
The second upset of the night. Both road teams, who had lost at this stage twice in a row, exorcised demons of recent seasons. Still...there was one game left to play for the ultimate prize. It was anyone's game to win now.
The night arrived. San Jose hosted the Ultimus by virtue of the season sweep over Philadelphia. They won 23-12 in Week 6 at home and had a more convincing performance in a 27-13 win in Week 13 on the road. The signs favored the Cats to win. Though, a great tension still filled the game. Everyone had thought a BAL-OCO title game was a slam-dunk pick just the round before. San Jose got here overcoming the odds. There was no trusting the odds. Only playing football.
Very little happened in the first 19 minutes. The Liberty struck first with a field goal, then the SaberCats knocked in two. Then, the first major breakthrough. Bucky Barnes, free safety for the Liberty, intercepted SJS QB Joliet Christ and ran it all the way to the house. The Liberty would make that gap 17-6. Christ fumbled the ball away on the first play from scrimmage and Philly drove it 42 yards, escaping third and 21 with a pass from Falconi to Jordan von Matt before Boija punched in from two yards away. The Liberty were overturning expectations once more.
A relatively meek reply came from the Cats as they sent up another field goal thereafter. Philly could potentially make it two scores again before the break.
Spencer Castle once again made his own miracle.
On the first play of the drive, starting from the PHI 23, he picked off Falconi and returned the ball 20 yards. Christ and wideout Xavier Flash would finish the job the next play to pull the Cats within one point. Though down at halftime, belief had been restored. That's all they needed in that moment: to stay in the game.
Getting the ball after halftime helped morale among the green and gold. Though it, too, would result in a field goal, they had their first lead for a long while when, moments before, Philadelphia aimed to take a two-score lead into the break. A three-and-out the SaberCat defense started with a sack and ended by stopping a pass well short of the first down marker returned possession to them. With a nine-play, 75-yard march, San Jose capped off their first prolonged touchdown drive of the Ultimus with a two-yard pass from Christ to tight end Zapp Brannigan. Brannigan had earned the right to pick up a TD after he spared his team the humiliation of a turnover after coming so far. Barnes had forced the ball loose from Christ's hands at the end of a 13-yard rush, though Brannigan leaped on it at the PHI 14.
Philadelphia needed a response and they needed it now. They had to break up a streak of four straight unanswered scores, and if San Jose notched another touchdown, 16 points, maybe 15 or 17 if they dared go for 2, would be a tough ask with a quarter to go against the best scoring defense in the league. They needed a touchdown drive.
And they would get one. With Falconi leading the way, she concluded a 10-play drive for 71 yards with a 12-yard pass to von Matt. At 26-24 SJS, any score changed the dynamic.
The Cats would only get a field goal out of their next drive. With just under eight and a half minutes to play, down 29-24, the Liberty held fate in their own hands. Driving into SJS territory, however, they stalled.
And, in a decision which still is baffling...Philly punted the ball. In enemy territory. Down 5 points. With no guarantee they would see the ball again, even with six and a half to play. With a kicker in Kulture Fulture who, that very season, proved twice he could sink a field goal from 56 yards if they sent him in. Fulture had hit one from 57 in the regular season, tied for the S14 longest with Yellowknife's Beat Meoff. He had scored from 55 just the game before to start the rally that got them here.
They could have also attempted to go for it. It was probably a less attractive option, given Falconi had been stiffed for three straight incompletions to set them up for fourth and 10 on San Jose's 39. Failing here would have been worse than if they had punted a touchback. The same could be said for the field goal, which would have handed the Cats the ball on their own 46.
The most attractive option should have been to kick it. With this possibly being their last chance, a lead would have been something.
And yet, the coach pushed all of Philly's chips in on defense. The punt didn't quite catch the coffin corner and sailed out for a touchback.
In nine plays, the Cats drove 80 yards. Chris Orosz finished the series with a two-yard bootleg for a touchdown.
The Liberty fought valiantly for the low-percentage chance they still had. Lennox Garnett, their free safety and kick returner, brought them to their own 48. Footballer Sackerman sacked Falconi on the first play, however. Two penalties on back-to-back plays from Fast Boija made the down-and-distance untenable. The last pass Falconi made was completed and halted well short of the line to gain on fourth down.
The upheaval was complete.
The curse broken.
For the first time in franchise history, the San Jose SaberCats were the Ultimus champions.
The SaberCats would go on to appear in the Ultimus again the following season, putting the Otters firmly beneath their heel with three wins over OCO in S15...before the Baltimore Hawks fulfilled their own potential and won in the biggest blowout in Ultimus history 49-0.
Joliet Christ would go on to retire after Season 17 and earn induction to the NSFL Hall of Fame. At least two others from that team have been passed on for enshrinement, with others' candidacy still to come.
(2,410 words)
(S22) - Ultimus Week - Buttersqauch101 - 05-31-2020
(6)
The future is very unpredictable with most teams. You’ll see teams that were supposed to be loaded with talent and winning multiple chips falling below expectations and falling into irrelevancy for a few seasons to attempt another rebuild. Other times you see teams that are on the back end of a rebuild and have a lot of time in their window for championship seasons. Currently the team I’m talking about is the San Jose Sabercats or better known by their players. The “San Jancito Sabercats”. While they don’t have the highest expectations for Season Twenty-Three with rookie Quarterback Monty Jack being called up and losing star WR “Action Jackson” the future is still quite bright. They have a incredibly young team with the oldest active player being Season Nineteen Wide Receiver “Deandre Thomas-Fox” who is still in his prime for many seasons to come. Two young Running-backs including fresh call up “Jamar Lackson” who will be joining Rando Calrissian on the RB core while a inactive Quindarius Tyrucker goes into Free Agency. Their Defense is full of young active players even with the loss of the aging Brayden Ennis as they will be adding on the gms player, Water Chestnut the Third. Their DL also has young names such as User Kolt Classic, Lawrence Bass, and Chip Otle. Did I mention that they have a incredibly young Linebacker core with versatile player Lawrence Bass, The Corpsegrinder, and user W,Sconnie. Their CB core has only one player who didn’t just do their rookie season and are all great earners. The Sabercats has be such a bright future you have to be stupid to not believe it. It’s showing flashbacks of the Sabercats last Ultimus win all the way back in Season 14 where they finally got their first win. With the team they currently have and not even including the fact that they have even more players coming into the team in the future. If the sim gods look in their favor they should have multiple Ultimus appearances and thats not even including wins. Might as well start calling San Jose the “San Jose Ottercats with the dynasty they are about to pull out and the league will remember it for ages. Of course there is that small chance that the sim decides to be fucked up and torture some souls like the Yellowknife Wraiths and Colorado Yeti. Point is get ready for the next Dynasty.
(405 words)
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(14)
There are a great amount of prospects and in the S23 NSFL and DSFL Classes both with their own talents. So many that I can only do around 200 words worth of them because there are too many. One of them being Reginald Covington III. Reginald has been seen making throws that most Quarterbacks could never dream of. Here watch this clip here where you can see the receiver in the top left but watch the bottom right as he throws to where no one was expecting. The ball is caught and ran into the endzone for a TD. It may have been a pick six but he did what no one was expecting. Also RC3 has so many dead relatives that the nfl network couldn’t even talk about it. He has a dead mother in law that choked on a forklift in a work accident. Since this event RC3 has gotten a divorce to focus on football 24/7. Legends say that he still throws to the people in the wrong colored jersey. I have Reginald Covington as a 2 Star Quarterback going into this draft because he stinky when throwing to his own teams and is good when throwing to people in a different colored jersey.
(207 Words)
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(17)
These nsfl playoffs are one for the books and might be the best one I’ve seen in my time in the league. We had the ASFC conference being stacked as usual with a team that missed the playoffs, would be second place in the nsfc over the Colorado Yeti and Sarasota Sailfish. The Colorado Yeti had a chance to make their first ultmini in 10 seasons and were coming off a very bad last half of a regular season. The Yellowknife Wraiths were the number 1 seed for yet another year and were looking to make 5 straight Ultimus’s. The Orange County (please stop winning) Otters were the top ASFC team again along with the Second Line and a Fire hot Austin Copperheads. Wolfie McDummy of the Colorado Yeti is 100% the player that deserves playoff MVP. He had an amazing game against Sarasota and then had to go into Yellowknife to ply the hardest game of the season up to that point. McDummy ran and threw all over the the Wraiths and dominated them. Then when the tile came for the Ultimus McDummy had the best half you could ever have for a QB including the game winning TD with less than a minute left in the game
(209 Words)
(S22) - Ultimus Week - lamboalfredo - 05-31-2020
7) In the first two years of Donatello Arrabiata's career, Donatello has made significant improvements and continues to show great potential to be a star in the NSFL. In his rookie season, Donatello's stats were much lower than expectations. Despite being coveted as a top tight end prospect, Donatello compiled just 320 yards and one touchdown. The one touchdown coming in the very first game of the season. Donatello would not see the end zone the rest of the year. Donatello struggled mightily during his rookie season, battling with dropped passes and missed blocks. Donatello had a hard time adjusting to the playbook and no longer became a big part of the Royals' offense. The low numbers led to Donatello sliding to the 7th round to the Philadelphia Liberty. The Liberty opted to have Donatello stay in the DSFL another year to improve. The extra year was just what Donatello needed. Donatello went into the season with high personal expectations. He expected to double all of his stats from his rookie season. Donatello's second season was a tale of two halves. Although matching all of his rookie season's stats, completing 32 catches, 300 yards, and two touchdowns, Donatello showed little progress. Donatello continued to struggle with drops; a problem he had in his rookie season. Mid-way through the season, Donatello maxed out his TPE totals. Something must've clicked because Donatello exploded over the last eight games, including playoffs. He became Colby Jack's main target, which helped him compile 42 catches, 440 yards, and four touchdowns. In the playoffs, Donatello continued to shine and scored the game-tying touchdown against the Minnesota Grey Ducks. In overtime, Donatello had two big catches to set up the game-winning field goal and a trip to the Ultimini.
Donatello finished the season, including playoffs, with 74 catches, 740 yards, and six touchdowns, which doubled all of his totals from his rookie season. The big season helped Donatello receive three game balls and has Donatello as a top choice for Tight End of the Year. After having such a tremendous season, the Philadelphia Liberty, opted to call up Donatello and have him join their team for the S23 season. Expectations will be extremely high with Philadelphia Liberty's high turnover. The Liberty have plans to heavily include Donatello in their offense. Donatello hopes to continue improving on his totals from the DSFL and help the Liberty get to the Ultimus.
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![[Image: rasWAf2.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/rasWAf2.jpg)
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![[Image: VIlmY3U.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/VIlmY3U.jpg)
(S22) - Ultimus Week - Colabear - 05-31-2020
7) Selflessness is one thing, but ultimately everyone wants to hear their own player’s name mentioned among the greats. Take some time, in 400 words or more, and discuss how your player’s (or past player’s) career is going so far. Are you matching any expectations you set out for yourself? Do you see yourself on a potentially award winning or Hall of Fame career trajectory? If your player is just starting out, what goals and visions do you have for yourself?
Johnny Hellzapoppin has been going from strength to strength with each passing season. His career began with high expectations drafted in the first round with the 7th overall pick by the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, a team which were coming off an Ultimini loss the previous year. His first year was a solid one, although not one that set the world alight or put him in contention for end of season individual awards.
However his 5 sacks and 2 interceptions (one a pick six) helped lead the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers to a first overall playoff seeding.
In the playoffs Hellzapoppin had good performance as part of an excellent defensive unit which held the Norfolk Seawolves' #1 scoring offense scoreless in a 18-0 victory in the Southern Conference Championship Game.
In the Ultimini Myrtle Beach held the #2 scoring offense, the Kansas City Coyotes, to 10 points in a convincing 27-10 victory.
Hellzapoppin was named to the S21 DSFL Pro Bowl as a Safety for the Southern Football Conference.
With one of the strongest draft classes in history in season 22, and a particularly strong defensive backs group, it wasn't clear where Hellzapoppin would land in the draft. Once more he was a first round pick to a team coming off a title game defeat, taken 10th overall by the Yellowknife Wraiths.
Arriving into a mature locker room, with players who had been round the block a few times, the rookie was a day one starter in the defence and had an excellent year. He recorded 64 tackles, 4 sacks along with 3 interceptions and 5 pass breakups. Those stats also don't reveal the fact that 2 of those interceptions were effectively pick sixes, returned to the 1 yard line to be punched into the endzone by star rookie running back Acura Skyline.
Once more Hellzapoppin team secured a first overall seeding for the playoffs, however they encountered a Colorado Yeti team on a mission who upset them at home in a tight NFSC conference final game winning by a single point 17-16 at Yellowknife.
His rookie NSFL year performances have put him on the fringes of individual awards for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Safety of the Year, and a Pro Bowl selection. Although he may just miss out on those glories. Almost certainly any disappointment for individual recognition will pale in comparison to missing out on the helping Yellowknife get that lock overdue title.
8) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S22 class and later. In 400 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented?
The fact that I'm still here writing Ultimus week tasks on my weekend off is a testament to the fact that I've really been enjoying my time in the league. I've found myself getting more and more involved in the operations of it the longer I've been involved.
Right from the start I threw myself into it - volunteering as the DSFL streamer and helping out with organising the prospect bowl. Working with the sim sim team helped me understand the process of how the GM strategies and depth charts get updated and the sim files produced.
The DSFL draft was an interesting experience. Being new in the league meant I’d very little idea where I might be taken. While I knew I was active and had a league job going for me I was still quite surprised to be taken in the first round. I had a sneaky suspicion Myrtle Beach would be interested in me after some good conversations with Vegeta and Frost during the scouting process.
That first season was a great experience. The Myrtle Beach locker room is one of the most active in the league and we had a particularly excellent Season 22 draft class. In particular Momento Mori (Brandon Brooker), Feeler (Heath Evans), Nicholas The Great (Bruce Buckley), Troen Egghands and Billybolo (Cuco Clemente) all stood out. One of the things so great about that group is the mix of Australian, Europeans and North Americans meant that the locker room was never quiet, there were discussions round the clock and you could always be sure of a quick reply. Frost and Cory, and their predecessors deserve a huge amount of credit for fostering such a great community.
Coming into the mock draft I hoped rather than expected to be a first round draft pick. I saw mock drafts ranking me everywhere from the top few picks to outside the first 3 rounds. Watching the picks come in I saw teams that had seemed interested during the scouting process take other players, and teams at the bottom of the draft with some pretty much locked in picks for recreates. The only team left in the draft that I’d had good scouting conversations with was Yellowknife and when a message popped up in discord just before their pick was announced I was delighted. It was a great opportunity to join a mature team and perennial contender for the title. My Myrtle Beach GM Frost who had left Yellowknife to start his own expansion team in the Sarasota Sailfish was also quick to follow telling me how much I’d like it there. Watching the rest of the draft picks come in, Fly and Shady clearly had a good night, not making big moves up or down the draft but simply making solid picks in turn.
(S22) - Ultimus Week - Modern_Duke - 05-31-2020
Tier 1: 3) Something That Interests Me
After serving on Awards Committee for the past two seasons, I haven't been able to publicly disclose my award opinions ahead of time. But now I would like to share who I think should win each award in S22. Oh and one catch, I know the rule states inactive players are ineligible for awards, but frankly I disagree with that rule (if you want an award, be better than an inactive, I say), and this isn't official anyway, so I'm considering IAs eligible.
DSFL Returner of the Year
Jon Bois
Brosley had a better kick return average, but Bois picked up a TD and contributed on punt returns as well
DSFL Punter of the Year
Datsum PhastBawl
Leader in average among full time punters, and had the longest punt of the year (70 yards)
DSFL Kicker of the Year
Datsum PhastBawl
Only one missed field goal on the season, and tied for the season long (57 yards)
DSFL Defensive Back of the Year
Buck Thornton
DB that filled up the stat sheet the most, including two defensive touchdowns
DSFL Linebacker of the Year
Ryan Scott
Teammate Jack Banks has a good argument as well, with more FF/FR and PD, but Scott takes the edge in tackles
DSFL Defensive Lineman of the Year
Son Goku
Leader in sacks among defensive linemen, plenty of tackles for loss, and a respectable amount of tackles
DSFL Offensive Lineman of the Year
Julio Jones
Pretty straightforward here, leader in pancakes and only one sack allowed
DSFL Tight End of the Year
Donatello Arrabiata
Really picked it up in the second half of the season. Outclasses all other tight ends in yards, receptions, and touchdowns
DSFL Wide Receiver of the Year
Friedrich Vequain
Hood had a higher yard per reception average and one more touchdown, but I'll take Vequain's volume
DSFL Running Back of the Year
Andrew Nova
Nearly the leader in yards with almost 100 fewer carries than Sunrise
DSFL Quarterback of the Year
Sim SnowBow
I want to give it to Jack, but SnowBow has more volume and similar efficiency
DSFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
Son Goku
DSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Tychondrius Hood
As mentioned above, has a case for wide receiver of the year
DSFL Defensive Performance of the Year
Jack Banks, Week 4
You can probably count on one had the number of 4 sack games in DSFL
DSFL Offensive Performance of the Year
Kichwa Jones, Week 8
Tied for most yards in a game this season, and did it most efficiently
DSFL Defensive Player of the Year
Buck Thornton
DSFL Offensive Player of the Year
Andrew Nova
DSFL Most Valuable Player
Sim SnowBow
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NSFL Returner of the Year
Walt Green
Most kick return yards, solid average, and a touchdown
NSFL Punter of the Year
Venus Powers
Crisco had a better average, but Powers had more inside the 20
NSFL Kicker of the Year
Alex D
Dougie Smalls would take it with better performance on extra points. Alex only 2 misses were beyond 40 yards
NSFL Safety of the Year
Mason Blaylock
Not the strong year for safeties that we have seen in the past. Blaylock checks enough boxes though
NSFL Cornerback of the Year
Mervin Leonard
Lattimer's 24 pass defenses are no joke, but Leonard gets the edge in tackles, fumbles, and a touchdown
NSFL Linebacker of the Year
Mo Berry
The GOAT linebacker continues his reign
NSFL Defensive Tackle of the Year
Giannis Kroustis
Sack leader
NSFL Defensive End of the Year
Gimmy ILove
Consistently in the backfield for both sacks and tackles for loss
NSFL Offensive Lineman of the Year
Laszlo Fourty-Two
Leader in pancakes by a mile, and zero sacks allowed
NSFL Tight End of the Year
Austin McCormick
Listed as FB, but has the most yards, receptions, and touchdowns
NSFL Wide Receiver of the Year
Rod Tidwell
A tough one as always. Tidwell had the most impressive stat though, which was his 18.2 average
NSFL Running Back of the Year
Mathias Hanyadi
Great season both rushing and receiving
NSFL Quarterback of the Year
Dan Wright
Does not have the volume of Bigsby or Cole, but lead in completion percentage and QB rating
NSFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
Uggarth The Dissector
Great all around season, especially for a rookie
NSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Dax Frost
Yards per carry is lacking, but the offense ran though him
NSFL Defensive Breakout Player of the Year
David Rector
Interceptions can be hard to come by for cornerbacks in this league, and Rector made a big leap to tie for the league lead
NSFL Offensive Breakout Player of the Year
Deondre Thomas-Fox
Really this could go to any of the SaberCats breakout players, but DTF ended up being a top receiver, on a team that doesn't throw all that often
NSFL Defensive Performance of the Year
David Rector, Week 6
Three interceptions in one game is more than many top cornerbacks will see in a season
NSFL Offensive Performance of the Year
Easton Cole, Week 10
Most yards and most touchdowns in a game all season
NSFL Defensive Player of the Year
Mo Berry
NSFL Offensive Player of the Year
Mathias Hanyadi
NSFL Most Valuable Player
Cooter Bigsby
I didn't feel like there was a clear cut winner this season. Bigsby gets the nod over Cole for playing on a better team
(S22) - Ultimus Week - Birdman - 05-31-2020
SHL PT - one tier 3 (LordBirdman)