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+---- Thread: (S30) Ultimus Week (/showthread.php?tid=34435)
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - Fronk - 09-01-2021
2. 800 Words
The Season 29 draft class is loaded with top users and their respective players. Mark my words, people are going to remember this draft class a year from now when Season 37-38 is coming upon us and players are going to begin to retire. Players are beginning to hit that 600-700 TPE threshold and really showing the league what they are about. Already we have several users in the driver’s seats of DSFL teams and have been making moves to infiltrate their ISFL locker rooms. I will use this platform to highlight some of the players and their accomplishments from the season 29 draft class. Unfortunately, I do not possess the ability to talk about every single draftee in the league, but I will look at first overall draftee of the DSFL draft, the first overall draftee of the ISFL draft, the DSFL Rookie of the Year, any other DSFL award winners, the possible ISFL Rookie(s) of the Year, and lastly the users of that draft class that have become leaders in the ISFL community.
First overall pick of the Season 28 DSFL draft: Jay Cue Jr - Norfolk Seawolves - 11th OA to Yellowknife Wraiths in Season 29 ISFL draft.
First overall pick of the Season 29 ISFL draft: Dante King RB - Baltimore Battlehawks - 9th OA to Norfolk Seawolves in Season 28 ISFL draft.
Season 28 DSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and OL of the Year: Keane Lover OL - 27th OA to London Royals in season 28 DSFL draft and 24th OA to Sarasota Sailfish in Season 29 ISFL draft.
Season 28 DSFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and CB of the Year: Sir Peter Jackson CB - 21st OA to Tijuana Luchadores in Season 28 DSFL draft and 23rd OA to NOLA Secondline in Season 29 ISFL draft.
Season 28 DSFL TE of the Year: Chevvy Bronko (10th OA and 5th OA) and Joey Marston (8th OA and 16th OA)
Season 29 DSFL MVP - Kazmir Oles Jr and QB of the Year - 36th OA to Minnesota Grey Ducks in Season 28 DSFL draft and 19th OA to Chicago Butchers in the Season 29 ISFL draft.
Season 29 DSFL TE of the Year: Groku Meurto - 5th OA to Tijuana Luchadores in Season 28 DSFL draft and 14th OA to Berlin Fire Salamanders in Season 29 ISFL draft.
Season 29 DSFL DE of the Year: Lucid Dreams - 11th OA to London Royals in Season 28 DSFL draft and 4th OA to Philadelphia Liberty in Season 29 ISFL draft.
Season 29 DSFL DT of the Year: ILove Hotsalads/Connor Craig Jr. - 4th OA to Minnesota Grey Ducks in Season 28 DSFL draft and 28 OA to Berlin Fire Salamanders in Season 29 ISFL draft.
Season 29 DSFL LB of the Year: Elliot Hard - 22nd OA to Portland Pythons in Season 28 DSFL draft and 30th OA to NOLA Secondline in Season 29 ISFL draft.
Season 29 DSFL Kicker of the Year: Izuku Campbell - 43 OA to Kansas City Coyotes in Season 28 DSFL draft and 39th OA to Berlin Fire Salamanders in Season 29 ISFL draft.
So as you can see, there’s been some fantastic activity and awards won by Season 29 draft class. I’m actually posting this before the Season 30 awards have been voted on and published so the list continues! And I am certain the awards and recognition are to be continued into the ISFL. I also want to recognize a create from Season 29 draft class that have elevated themselves to become GMs of teams. IceBear has been a solid addition to the ISFL community and has won many graphic competitions, Ultimus host city competitions, and has become the GM of England’s WFC team. He will step in to be the co-GM of the Quack2Quack DSFL champions, The Minnesota Grey Ducks. I wish him the best and he makes our draft class that much better.
I definitely see some future Gold Jackets in the Season 29 ISFL draft class. Plenty of top earners and users are in this draft class and there is a diversity of positions that will get recognized when it’s time to review the Hall of Fame inductees of this class. Also there are a lot of solid skill position players that have dedicated some send down time in the DSFL and in the end will most likely get their respective DSFL Hall of Fame inductions. We are talking about career records that have been broken by this class in the DSFL!
This class is something special and will continue to be a highlight in the leagues to come. ISFL records will be broken by this class and award ceremonies will be swept. I predict more members of the season 29 draft class to take over GM positions, head office positions, and probably commissioner opportunities.
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - Amulos - 09-01-2021
“Sim gonna sim” is a popular expression in the league. Write about teams that have been graced by the sim gods and had amazing performances despite statistical odds, and/or about teams that were considered favorites but may have dealt with some bad sim luck that hampered their efforts. How much of an impact did it have on their season(s)?
Honestly, there are so many moments that I can think of in which people have experienced this "sim gonna sim" moment. From Philly's statistical anomaly of being "in" every game this past season and the one before it, but never ending up as the one on top. I think specifically of a game in which we hit a 50 yard field goal to take the lead with 20 seconds left, only to give up a 75 yard touchdown 2 plays later to lose the game. We had a lot of moments in which the game came down to the final play, in which by some miracle the opposing team would turn the jets on and score a touchdown in 30 seconds or less. Or, in even more heart breaking fashion, we would pull back to a tie game and go to over time only to immediately lose on the first play. I honestly believe that whoever we played these past two seasons might have been the luckiest team in the league for a short period of time. I also believe that the "sim gonna sim" phrase can also depict some of the more realistic moments as well, and is often times the reason why sim football is so fun to watch. Even though we lost so many of these tight games, it's absolutely awesome watching a game go down to the last play, even if we were on the bad side of that luck. I was on the edge of my seat in so many of our games last season for that very reason. There are also players that seem to be favored by the sim gods when it comes to gameplay as well. One particular game, my brother's running back broke the Developmental Sim Football League rushing record on SIX rushes. He rushed for over 250 yards and 4 touchdowns on six plays averaging 45 yards per carry in one game as the back up running back at the time. He broke off 3 60+ yard touchdown rushes alongside another 50+ yarder where he was tackled at the one and his TD was vultured by his starting RB. Near the end of the game he got one more touch at the 30 yard line that he brought to the house that brought his YPC down to 45. This was the craziest single game I have ever seen, and it ended up winning the offensive performance of the year. Some players rack up the stats, like my boy Titan (Xavier Walls) who ended up getting Defensive Player of the Year and second place in MVP voting because of his unreal season in his last year in the DSFL. He also ended up getting the defensive rookie of the year in his first year in the ISFL as well because of how his player killed it in his first season, top 10 in sacks and picks despite his low TPE. Ultimately though, one game comes to mind that was truly the greatest "sim gonna sim" moment for me. What makes this game so hilarious is that it happened in the prospect bowl championship, before I was even truly in the league yet, and hooked me into this league for life. So, like I said, championship prospect bowl game, some of the worst football imaginable is happening around you. We go up 21 to 10 with LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT TO PLAY IN THE GAME, we get the ball kicked to us, and we proceed to three and out with them using all of their timeouts to stop the clock. The best part is our 3rd down play they didn't have to do one because my prospect bowl QB ran the ball 10 yards for the first down, then proceeded to PASS the ball down field for a penalty and loss of yards, stopping the clock. We punt the ball and they throw the bomb downfield for an instant touchdown without needing the timeout. Mind you, the QB on their team at this time was like 4/17 for 27 yards or something like that, but still bombs it for the TD. They then go for the onside kick and RETRIEVE the ball, and with 10 seconds left, bomb it out for another TD to win the game with no time remaining. It makes it even worse because I was playing Titan and Vaelynn (my brother and best friend) in the prospect bowl, and I was talking so much smack to them only to be dumbfounded when they came back to win with their only lead of the game coming with 0 seconds left to play. I have NEVER laughed harder than after they scored that final touchdown, literal tears running down my face because of how that game turned out. I honestly love the simulation, there are some things I might change, like running for 3 yards on 3rd and 10 when you are down 20, but overall it makes everything enjoyable and unpredictable much like real football.
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - Helcim - 09-01-2021
I chose to speak about my first year in DSFL and the dallas season, in french to be more ... simple for me ^^. (800 words for 10 TPE !)
Quelle saison !
Après une draft plutôt tardive pour notre joueur Ben DelaBaguette, en 3ème round de la draft, les Dallas Bird dogs ont choisi de faire confiance en notre CB, tout droit venu de France pour s'imposer dans cette nouvelle ligue. Il a très vite intégré les rangs, assidu des entrainements, toujours à courir autant que possible ! Ses premières déflections en scrimage, ses premiers picks mais surtout il voyait en cette équipe une famille compétitive et acceuillante. @Asked Madden l'avait acceuilli chaleureusement, lui promettant une belle carrière en DSFL et plus encore si Ben restait aussi concentré et déterminé aux entrainements, il n'en fallait pas plus pour le motiver. Puis vinrent les premiers matchs, la pré-saison plutôt difficile, 2 victoires deux défaites, mais aucuns gros jeux pour Ben, quelques placages par ci par là.
La saison commença et lors de son premier match, les bird dogs arrachèrent la victoire aux main des Luchadores 41 - 38, rien de décisif, mais Ben fit 2 plaquages plutôt solides. La confianc était fébrile, mais elle grandissait en lui, car au second match, contre son némésis WR @Sonaclov, Ben réussit 3 plaquages et 1 déflections de passe qui permis à la défense de garder un certain contrôle lors du match pour laisser l'attaque s'imposer avec 48 points.
Un élan de confiance, un soupçon de relâche, c'est ce qui arriva aux
lors de leur entrée sur le terrain au troisième match et ce pendant une série noire de 4 défaites , malgrès ses 18 plaquages, 5 déflections de passe, et sa toute première interception contre Portland, Ben ne parvint pas à enrayer la série de défaite. C'est alors que l'équipe se réunit, voyant ses espoirs de playoffs filer doucement, tous sont venus se joindre à l'Assemblée extraordinaire située dans le club house de Dallas, on se souvient des larmes, des reproches, mais aussi et surtout d'une envie, une détermination commune d'aller plus loin, de faire bien plus que son maximum, je me rappelle avoir vu Ben et d'autres joueurs sortir la main sur le coeur, la rage au ventre et le regard haut, ils étaient différents ...Et pour cause, de retour sur le terrain, la défense de dallas a écrasé les Londons Royals avec 3 Interceptions, + de 50 plaquages cumulés et une victoire 37 - 21 !
S'en sont suivis encore 3 victoires supplémentaires, ramenant l'équipe en 6-4, avec un retour en tête de la conférence Sud, et les premiers ballons de match remportés par Ben DelaBaguette. Je vois encore son sourire et sa joie de faire partie d'une telle équipe, et d'être reconnu en tant que "bon équipier", il se disait que sa carrière ne faisait finalement que commencer.
De fil en aiguilles, la fin de saison est arrivée, les bird dogs se sont retrouvés premiers du classement Sud avec 9 victoires et 5 défaites et Ben De la Baguette a conclu sa saison régulière avec 64 plaquages, 2 fumbles forcés, 22 passes défendues et un record de 6 interceptions, une belle saison pour lui !
Le premier match des playoffs arrivait, Tijuana, désireux de prendre une revanche, avait la rage au ventre, les bird dogs avec une fin de saison fracassante ne voyait pas autre chose que la victoire pour ce match et pourtant les deux équipes se sont menées une guerre sans pitié, mais la pression aura eu raison de Dallas, qui s'incline d'un point seulement et sort de la compétition.
Les coachs ont pourtant su trouver les mots pour redresser le moral des troupes après une si belle saison, ils ont accentué le côté fraternel de l'équipe et ont souligné la détermination du collectif à avancer et à gagner des matchs et que certes, l'adversaire avait su trouver une faille, mais ils ont certifié que nous reviendrons plus forts sur les prochaines rencontres et qu'ils étaient fiers de nous tous.
Une saison est passée et Ben a bien grandi, il s'apprête à assister à l'ISFL draft en espérant voir son nom sortir tôt, et même s'il y a de fortes chances pour qu'il continue de jouer aux bird dogs la saison prochaine, il compte bien rester au top de sa forme pour cette fois devenir encore plus décisif sur les matchs et assiter peut être, à l'Ultimus Mini !
En tous cas, il n'est pas décu de son expérience et il a probablement fait le bon choix que de consacrer sa vie au football, cherchant à atteindre le meilleur niveau, et peut être un jour, on parlera de lui comme d'une légende, un CB redoutable, adepte de la confrontation aérienne, car il vise à ce jour fixer parmi les meilleurs intercepteurs de la ligue.
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - Vorshayla - 09-01-2021
2. Tell us about your draft class. Is there anything that makes it special in comparison to other classes? Where did your fellow draftees land, how are they doing? Did anyone turn out to be an unexpected steal of that draft based on what you know today? Do you think anyone in your draft class will become a hall of famer? If you’re new to the league, how do you think your class will do? Where do you think people will get drafted to?
The S27 draft class, while recent, definitely has shown promise as well as disappointment roughly 4 years into the careers. First overall pick, Eleven Kendrick-Watts is still leading the class in terms of TPE earning and having a great start to his career in Honolulu, powering that run offense for years to come.
Continuing down the list 3rd overall pick Xander Creed seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. I think The Liberty deeply regret this pick as Ace Savage drafted by the Otters 6 picks back while also seemingly out of the league at this point, still put up a season of game time for the Otters. Definitely a waste of a first round pick here as there were several notable names still on the block with Jim the Vampire, Marlon Brando, HeHateMe PickSix II, Drip Dad, Madison Hayes all going on to be more successful than the enigmatic Xander Creed and Ace Savage.
Christ Jr in round 3 definitely has to be considered a steal at that position, earning and playing well also for Honolulu. Definitely a great draft for Honolulu as they pick up their quarterback of the future here and pair him immediately with 1st overall pick Kendrick-Watts. This is definitely a duo to watch out for as their careers enter the peak seasons for these two teammates and they are definitely poised to take over the ISFL with their high octane offense and several records may yet fall before long as Honolulu is one of the newest expansion teams and have not been in the league for a long period of time.
This is a very unique draft class in that the 2nd and 3rd has produced more consistent and better talent than the 1st round. Here is a breakdown of both rounds to illustrate this point :
Eleven Kendrick-Watts, Lawrence Miller, Xander Creed, Marlon Brando, Sparkysparky Boom-man, Duke Cheeks, Bean Beanman, Kita Chiasa, Ace Savage, Madison Hayes, Maui Waialiki, James Wilkinson, Candice Fitinyomouf, Fergus Callaghan Jr were taken in the first round of this draft. Of those players listed, only Watts, Brando, Beanman, Cheeks, Hayes, Boom-man, are over 700 TPE.
Compare that with the 2nd round or later, and you have Tsuyu Asui, who was drafted in the 3rd round, also a massive steal as he is currently 2nd in the class in TPE and plays a strong WR game as well. PickSix II, Drip Dad, Hunt, Parker, Lorenzo, Vampire, were all taken in the 2nd round and entering their primes as well with massive success in earning, all over 700 TPE for their respective teams. This is definitely proof that scouting is not an exact science, and teams have to generally pick from a position of need and hope their recruits work out over the course of their careers since there have been plenty of first rounders that just didn't make the cut.
This begs the question, are draft picks more valuable than actual proven commodities? If a team is looking to open their window into competing for the ship, should they sacrifice their future, which is a crap shot to get proven players who are stars in the making to help them get over the hump? It's definitely a fascinating theory since this has been a very strange draft where cant miss prospects were missed and massive value were found in the 3rd round.
There has been a rumbling that the ISFL should bring back the scouting combine as well since those results on the field may give a small glimpse into what each prospect coming into the league might be able to produce on the field in game time situations, in addition, is keeping a rookie down in the DSFL for more than one season hampering growth since the player might lose interest in the development league instead of the big time league where there is more excitement to be had? These are questions that must be answered by the commissioner and the respective heads of the league as we try to flesh out our game for the rookies to keep them interested.
Drafting never goes as intended as some GMs look for intangibles that can not be measured on the field, other prospects might talk their way out of a potential 1st round selection with their contract demands or just an unwillingness to go to a certain team due to logistics or personnel changes. Perfect example of this would be the reason PickSix II dropped to the 2nd round. Clearly a first round talent and an active player who strives to be one of the best in the game, Chicago was lucky enough to take this gamble because they were one of the only teams able to afford his contract demands and they felt that there was enough talent there from his genes to take that risk in the 2nd round. PickSix II was definitely scouted heavily by all teams, and some were trying to clear cap space in order to take the cornerback, but ultimately many teams chose to go with the lesser known players instead of hurting their salary cap, and that decision cost a few teams to waste their first round picks on players who not only flamed out of the league, but did so without a bang.
883 words
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - lespoils - 09-01-2021
Tier 3 tasks
31. SHL Affiliate : https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=118956&pid=3099996#pid3099996
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - Ephenssta - 09-01-2021
Task 10:
Redbeard McFredbeard was named after the famous pirate Redbeard and a Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman who was a star for the team and had an incredible beard. Redbeard’s parents raised him to admire players who played in the trenches, and for a time Redbeard played on the defensive line. Red beard had a pretty ordinary childhood, except for the fact that his parents were football fanatics, so he grew up idolizing football players and worked very hard from a young age to perfect his craft. Early in high school, though, Redbeard discovered another passion, also connected to his name. He found quickly that he could grow a full beard. And so on the side, he started practicing beard styling. He could only really practice over the summer because his school, like so many others, have outrageous policies that police the facial hair of their students. But over the summers, Redbeard would stock up on fancy shampoos, gels, things that made the hair soft and shiny, combs, hair ties, and other fancy products. He would travel the states, entering beard styling competitions. At first, it was pretty boring because he would always win his age division. Not too many 15 year olds had bushy, full beards that they could twist into incredible shapes and designs. But around the time he got to college, the competition stiffened. Yet Redbeard just kept winning and winning. It got to the point where he was even starting to sneak up the leaderboards in contests that the pros went to (yes, professional beard styling is a thing. Just watch ESPN 8). But his football career was starting to take off too, and Redbeard was starting to get some attention from ISFL scouts. As he started hitting junior year of college, people on both sides ramped up their efforts to get Redbeard to commit to one career path or the other. The beard stylists said Redbeard was a generational talent who could shatter world records. He made a scene at one contest by styling his beard into the shape of a squirrel that, during the final round, had an actual squirrel emerge from the beard on cue. Somehow he still didn’t win that one, probably because one of the judges was a PETA member. The ISFL scouts encouraged Redbeard to commit to football by shaving his beard and entering the DSFL draft. The decision was tough. Redbeard spent hours agonizing and talking to close friends and family about the decision. You see, Redbeard is famously indecisive. Yet, eventually, he chose football. Redbeard entered the draft as a defensive tackle and played a season for the Kansas City Coyotes, where he was pretty mediocre. Despite this, he conned the yeti scouts into drafting him in the first round of the ISFL draft and promptly tricked everyone by swapping to cornerback, where he has also been shockingly mediocre. Redbeard’s ISFL career is now entering its fifth season and he will finally be starting regularly as a cornerback and his fans await with anticipation to see how he will do, while the beard stylists mourn the loss of such a promising prospect. (524 words)
Task 13:
The expansion talk has died down a little bit, and I am ok with that. I was pretty firmly in the anti-expansion camp last time around because an ISFL expansion announcement almost certainly meant DSFL teams would be forced to contract or would be turned into bot teams. And I, as a member of DSFL HO at the time, was not looking forward to that being a potentially very real issue. Fortunately, it has been avoided for now. At this point, I am still not confident that the ISFL could expand without dooming some DSFL teams to contract and filling the ISFL rosters with inactive players, which would reduce locker room activity throughout the league. But I think I have a solution that might help and allow us to expand to a full 16 teams. Allow two way players. If players can play on both offense and defense at certain positions, the league could expand easily without doing too much damage to roster sizes. I think it should be restricted to some logical positions, such as WRs may line up as CBs or safeties, but not on the defensive line. Members of the fair rubs club could also play on the defensive line. Running backs could maybe play as a linebacker or cornerback. The possibilities are endless! It would give players another set of stats to look at and allow us to expand without requiring either a huge influx of new creates or face contraction and dead locker rooms. I really do think that solution could work. Another possible alternative would be allowing users to simply create another player for their team and update two different players. The issue with that one is that it adds significantly more work for the users, update team, and sim team. I do not think I like that solution nearly as much as allowing two way players. The other idea that would allow expansion without a huge recruitment class was pitched by a teammate of mine. He suggests we create bots for OL, DL, and K/P and require users to create at other positions. By making these positions entirely bot-based, we increase the number of players at other positions of need and create fewer holes each team needs to fill with human players, which would allow for expansion to happen without doing too much damage to existing teams’ rosters. Now of all of those options, I still think allowing players to be two-way players is the easiest change to implement that could allow for expansion. It would require some changing to the rules and how teams fill out their DCs, but I think it would be the simplest change that would allow for expansion to take place with minimal damage. But the others are still worth considering too. Personally, I think people who want to be kickers or who want to create to join the fair rubs club should be allowed and encouraged to do so. For some people, those positions genuinely are a good fit and it would be a shame to take that away from them. BUT, if the league really wants to expand, I think that would be a valid option that would enable us to make that move. I do not believe expansion can happen as things stand right this second unless one of those changes are implemented. And I, for one, am perfectly ok with waiting for more favorable conditions before making dramatic changes to force through an expansion that the league probably is not ready for. (588 words)
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - HalfEatenOnionBagel - 09-01-2021
10. Write a short biography or story about your player. This could include background about how they came to the ISFL and how they’ve done so far, a story about their role in an exciting game, or anything else related to their experience in the league.
This is the story of the infamous Rager Bangamonga incident that forever altered the course of Orpheus Czargyros' future. A standout athlete and granted a modest student, Orpheus was planning to attend the University of Georgia to play football after receiving an offer. It was basically a done deal for the young man, just finish up the year with a good GPA and it was basically set. Of course if you know the Czargyros brothers, aka the Super Smang Bros, you will know that things with them are never so easy and that trouble and mystery seem to follow them everywhere. Every spring the hometown of the Czargyros brothers, Rancho Cucamonga, hosts a big festival known as the Rager Bangamonga. With any kind of small town festival there's plenty of fun to be had for people of all ages. Of course, in a small town there is also plenty of drinking to be had as well. As you can imagine, a party animal like Orpheus in his prime, fired up about his football offer, and a popular person I'm the community, maybe got a little carried away. After a night of heavy drinking, yes he was underage but at the Rager the liquor flows freely, Orpheus found himself in a bit of trouble with the law. Orpheus was found passed out in the parking lot of the local Sizzler wearing a green snail costume. Where he got the costume from or why he was wearing it remains a mystery to this day. As they famously say, what happens at the Rager Bangamona stays at the Rager Bangamona. Witnesses the night before testified to seeing Orpheus running around spray painting the words 'snail down' on various pieces of public property, including the town statue of of Jack Benny located inside the lobby of the Family Lewis Playhouse of the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. You vandalize the town statue of Jack Benny? Straight to jail. Upon his arrest, Orpheus cried out, "Wait Sizzler's almost open let me run in real quickly". Upon disclosure of his arrest to the University of Georgia, Orpheus was stripped of his scholarship and his offer of acceptance to the school. In the wake of such devastating news, he instead opted to attend The University of Redlands, Rancho Cucamonga with his brother, Morpheus. The rest, as they say, is history. The two brothers went on to be a dominant defensive force for the program and their stellar play led them on a path to becoming future stars in the ISFL.
14. Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?
Orpheus Czargyros is a brand new player in the the DSFL/ISFL landscape and although he was a waiver claim for the Kansas City Coyotes the season prior, S30 was his first real taste of action in the league. Orpheus was drafted in the second round of the DSFL draft by the Dallas Birddogs, falling behind his brother Morpheus, who has become one of the most coveted defensive prospects in recent history. It was difficult to discern what the fate of the Birddogs would be entering the season. Certainly the Minnesota Grey Ducks would be favorites to repeat in the Ultimini. However, in the other division, things were much more wide open despite the Luchadores being the de facto favorite with their long-standing history of success in the league. Dallas got off to a slow start, as did Czargyros. He quickly learned that being successful in the DSFL required much more than just athletic ability and youth. There were old guys who had been stuck in the DSFL their whole careers running circles around him. But Orpheus caught on quickly in the second half of the season as he shifted his focus to the fundamentals. As Orpheus saw an ascension in his play in the second half of the season, the Birddogs were ascending as well. The offense was catching fire led by quarterback Ricky Stanzi who was making a case to be league MVP. The defense led by captain Ioe Torrent was dominating as well. Orpheus made significant contributions in the second half of the season, racking up 4 Birddog Player of the Game awards.
By the end of the season, the Birddogs had put together a division leading 9-5 record and would be hosting a playoff game against the Luchadores. Alas, despite their sweet success as of late, all good things must come to an end. Orpheus and the defense put up a strong performance, but a series of missed kicks, including a missed field goal as time expired, would be their undoing. An incredible run for the Birddogs had come to a halt in a backbreaking loss. The team was heartbroken, but certainly not defeated. With a sad farewell as the current leadership regime was turning over, with new resolve the team was ready to approach the offseason as meticulously as possible with the hopes of bringing home a division title the following season and hopefully an Ultimini as well. This certainly is not the end of the story for Orpheus and the Dallas Birddogs. Not by a longshot.
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - Tacoshoppe - 09-01-2021
14. This season the Luchadors had a vengeance as they made the Ultimini in S29 and wanted to redeem themselves in S30 by winning it all. The team started out strong going 2-1 in the first three games of the season. It was that start that was needed if they wanted to try and make it back to the post season. Then came a rough patch where the team lost three straight games, starting out with a 41-point loss to the Grey Ducks who defeated them in the Ultimini last season. This demoralizing loss kicked off the run where they would lose by a combined four points over the next two games. The coach gave the team a stern talking to, and training and practice increased. The locker room felt to have a different buzz after this point and everyone seemed to want to get the ship back on track. After the skid, the team was sitting at 2-4 but were hopeful to recover. As everyone expected the Luchadors went on a six game winning streak including a huge win over the rival Grey Ducks at home. As the team reached a playoff spot with an 8-4 record, they just needed to win one of the last two games to clinch and be headed back to the post season. In game thirteen of the season, they lost a tough road matchup to the Coyotes and the hopes of another playoff run came down to a matchup with the 3-10 Seawolves. The team was able to get a commanding victory and clinch the third playoff spot.
In the first week of the playoffs, Tijuana were headed to division rival Dallas to face the Birddogs on the road. During the season, these two teams split their decisions, each team winning a game on the road and the total series differing by 2 points in the decisions. The game started out with the Luchadors taking a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter. They continued with this lead into half time with a score of 16-3. But early in the second half, Tijuana put the game away with a Muerto TD and the Birddogs never had a chance. The final score was 26-13 and the Luchadors were headed back to the Ultimini to face the Grey Ducks.
This was the matchup that the Luchadors were looking forward to all season. The game started out poor for the Luchadors with the team getting saftied at the end of the first and giving up a rushing TD early in the second quarter. The team was able to respond with a Waterfalls TD but the extra point was missed leading to a 9-6 lead for the Grey Ducks. Both teams were able to convert another TD in the first half and halftime left us with a score of 16-13 and the Luchadors needed to work slightly harder in the second half to get that victory. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Luchadors were able to tie the game up with a Wells TD at 23 all. Unfortunately, the Grey Ducks were able to score a FG and TD with under 4:30 left in the game and a Waterfalls TD wasn’t enough to overcome leaving the team to lose yet another Ultimini to the Grey Ducks.
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550 Words30. This is a very interesting idea in sim leagues of allowing every individual to have a vote. I know in the PBE we let HO and GMs make the decisions and the players just have to fall in line. I think input you get from the whole league, the better the league will run. Sometimes positions don’t open up for a long time, so it makes it feel as if your vote or point of view doesn’t matter. All that being said, sometimes having too many cooks in the kitchen can also be a problem. I know that even among GMs, it is hard to come to a decision that everyone likes. Getting more voices involved may just end up making more people unhappy and causing more problems than it was worth. I think that a player’s union would be helpful for contract negotiations and just helping newer or less active users get the most out of there player. I know in the PBE (which is my main league and why I reference them so much), everyone takes the minimum deal, and no player has a say in how the contracts work. You end up being forced to take what is being handed out, which is typically table scraps. If the group had more power, it would be interesting to see what could be done.
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225 Words32. PBE Affiliate
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - 37thchamber - 09-01-2021
(SHL: academydropout)
17. Your team has announced that they will be laying ground on a new stadium next season. What additions would you like to see included in it.
Being in Colorado, to me it would make sense for the new stadium to be at altitude. You know, because mountains. In fact, it should be in a pretty wilderness-y area too, because Yeti. Of course this would be inconvenient for fans, so there would need to be some sort of transportation from a safer, open area, to the stadium. Like a cable car type thing but less environmentally destructive to construct. Maybe some form of teleportation device. It's the future after all. The stadium itself could also then be built in a way that minimises human footprint perhaps.
But back to the altitude. Having the stadium (and training facilities) at altitude would give the Yeti a major advantage -- much like Bolivia does when playing World Cup qualifiers in the CONMEBOL region -- because at higher altitude, the air is thinner, which affects air pressure, which then affects the flight of the ball when thrown with a spiral (for example). Similarly, the players will be better suited to handling the greater difficulty of breathing, meaning fatigue will be less of an issue, and give another advantage over opposition teams.
So yeah, go with a theme for the team and really emphasise branding -- as well as local vibes; maybe even set up some crossover with winter sports stuff in the area -- while also minimising human impact on environment, AND giving the team a couple of major advantages in home games. Yeti ultimus when?
30. The ISFL Players Association was established a few seasons back, and while it is not as prominent now, it was a very interesting idea. What are your thoughts on a player union to help vote on rule proposals?
So, this was something I spoke about at length in a previous Ultimus Week task, because I think it's approaching a point where it is a necessity... but as far as I'm aware, the ISFL Players Association does not resemble the vision I had at all. If it does, it's done a pretty bad job of actually getting player involvement on board and actually empowering players to affect meaningful change -- which surely, is the entire point. I'm not aware of any specific membership requirements, or a charter, or how exactly the Players Association actually provides input on rule proposals or voting. Without these things, I have to ask "what is the point?". Though I suppose that's realistic, since most workers' unions in real life don't do anything either.
My questions for the Players Assocation leadership (and if there is no leadership, first of all lol, second of all, get some) would be "how are you helping players to shape the direction the league takes?", "what actual voting power do you possess?" and perhaps most importantly, "what reason do I have to actually join?"
At the moment, I don’t think the Players Association is achieving what I would have presumed to be its aims, and I’m not sure whether its low profile is the cause or the consequence, to be honest.
31. The World Football Association was established last season and is currently playing out for the first time. What do you think about the WFC as a whole and how it has been shaping out. Do you think it will end up a success?
Okay so first of all, I wanna answer that second question... at this rate, no. I do not think it will end up a success. Let me explain why.
This first iteration feels like it wasn't as well thought-out as it could have been. Some things seemed rushed, there's been very little (if any) actual input from players -- which begs the question "why is this even a thing?" -- and rules on transfers seem to have killed the main thing the idea had going for it in my opinion (that being the chance to play on the same team as a friend without having to force a move from your ISFL team; which is often cited as the reason a player leaves a team).
However, I don't think it's a lost cause. I just think it needs more promotion, and more engagement. At the moment, there's nothing to get excited about. Where are the team LRs to foster community (which btw, would have the added effect of breaking across the existing tribal, cliqueyness that permeates the league) and drive interest? Where are all the media pieces to drive discussion?
I even said I didn't want to take part and yet my player is in the index. I've been given no incentive to engage, and my player is involved even though I don't want them to be... so at the moment, it feels like someone's pet project rather than a community event. Which is a shame because it's actually a really cool concept. I think it just needs more careful planning, and maybe you know, get people outside the organising committee and regional heads involved in what's actually going on.
22. You’re in charge of entertainment for the Ultimus or Ultimini half-time show. What would you do?
Honestly? I'd probably book some popular band or singer and call it a fuckin' day. The entire concept of a half-time show is odd to me, having grown up watching football in England. At half-time, you go for a piss, and get a drink. Maybe pie and chips. Read the match programme if you managed to get one before kickoff, and just generally mill around in the concourse. You can mingle with your friends in other seating blocks, complain about how shit that one player you all hate is playing, then go back to your seat ready for the second half.
Feels like a half-time show is more for broadcast purposes almost. But even then it doesn't really work for american football because there are so many other breaks in play, you get to dissect the play then. You don't really need that half-time break to fit it in.
That all said, if I'm leaning into it and actually trying to arrange something cool, I'd look at international acts. Acts that people probably wouldn't get to see or hear otherwise, right? You bring them on to support a locally (or globally) popular act (depending on budget I suppose). For example, if I'm arranging for say... Drake, to perform (do the kids even like this guy anymore? I dunno man, I'm old) then I'd probably arrange for a Jamaican dancehall artist to perform too (lol because Drake wants to be Jamaican pretty fuckin bad) and maybe a west african artist in the afrobeat genre. So maybe the lineup would end up being something like Drake, Popcaan, and Burna Boy. Then again, knowing how many weebs are in this league, maybe I'd be better off going for K-Pop and trying to branch out into japanese metal and filipino rap since k-pop often fuses genres... so perhaps Blackpink, Lovebites and maybe someone like Ruby Ibarra. You'd want to tailor it to the local audience as well as the league audience as a whole, I think.
RE: (S30) Ultimus Week - Reno - 09-01-2021
18. There’s two teammates, one current and one former, that I want to talk about for this one. The first being my former teammate Jason Garciaparra. I kind of know this guy from somewhere, not exactly sure where, and while he’s a massive dork he’s also an awesome teammate. An absolute monster on the edge who off the field is super laid back and always willing to just shoot the shit about anything and everything. While the defensive line is never the sexiest position, he never complained about not really doing a ton. Would spend a lot of time getting hyped for those who did make plays and that went a long way. The other teammate I need to hype up is my current teammate Jaycee Higgins. Jaycee is the ultimate hype man. It doesn’t matter whether or not we’re even in a game. In game and out of game, Jaycee is always cheering everyone on and making sure everyone is feeling the love. An absolute legend in the locker room, being a captain for Kansas City has just enabled him to thrive even more and showcase his talents. Without Jaycee, Kansas City loses a huge part of its identity, I’m a much more laid back captain and just tries to keep things chill, but you do need that sparkplug, and that’s Jaycee.
30. The Players Association is a pretty solid idea and I’m glad that it exists. I will be honest, trying to propose rules is a bit intimidating. The ballots are full of plenty of changes each year and it’s hard to make your voice heard in the grand scheme. In the long term, that hurts player participation. If you feel like that you’re unable to really contribute to something you’re going to lose interest. I know personally I have a few ideas I’ve wanted to try and submit but have been told by many people across the board that it’s a bit tricky to actually get your rules on the ballot, and you just get picked alive once you are. Enter the players association. An easier way to try and get your opinions out there and in a position that they can actually make changes. A source for information and guidance on keeping the players best interests at heart. There’s never really a bad reason to have an association. When you look at it, the interests of many are decided by the few. The collective future of the league is decided by the Head Office and the General Managers, but without us players they have no league to run.
31. I think that the WFC has been pretty interesting out of the gate and I’ll glad we have it. Look at the other sim leagues that we share users with. Pro Baseball Experience and Sim Hockey League both have some variation of a world heritage tournament to help boost pride in your host land, and those have shown to be great successes for all involved. The thought of bringing home the gold medal for Russia or Finland, in some ways it’s better than winning the championship title. You’re the best country in the world vs just the best team in your league. To finally have something like that here in the ISFL is pretty freaking awesome. Like playing in the league is cool, you want to see who’s the best in the DSFL and ISFL, that’s still going to continue to be awesome. But now we have something else, showing which area of the world is the best at football and duking it out in a series of competitions to prove that. I think it’s going pretty well so far and will be a future success in every running of it. People love to represent on the national stage, and keep offering them that opportunity and the WFC will thrive.
32. SHL Affiliate PT