Troen Egghands Wrote:I grew up a big fan of Ryan Flock - he inspired me to start playing at safety when I first got in to football.  After he retired I kept following the Outlaws and so seeing them lose last week to the Copperheads really was a blow.  I play defense but I know enough that going 2 for 14 on 3rd down isn't going to win you many games.
With my homer pick not an option, I'm picking the Copperheads to beat the Second Line.  New Orleans' rushing attack isn't to be underestimated but I think the Copperheads pass rush will be instrumental in preventing Francisco from having a clean pocket all day.  I'm predicting at least 3 sacks for the Copperheads and see them winning 24-13 to make it to the next round.
Looking over to the NSFC, it's hard to bet against the Wraiths given how they came into the playoffs with a lot of momentum, keeping up back-to-back wins of more than 20 points over New Orleans and the SaberCats with the 37-14 win over Liberty.  Yeti's been a tough opponent for the Wraiths, though, with the 48-20 season opener loss being the Wraith's biggest.  A narrow 24-21 win at home combined with the recent momentum does give the Wraiths some hope but they'll need to be leaning on play makers like Hanyadi to make up for a more average defense.  I see this game starting out close but have the Wraiths pulling away 27-19.

Troen Egghands Wrote:I'm nartually biased towards the Outlaws, but I don't think anyone can argue that Ultimus Bowl XVI wasn't one of the best.  To breifly recap, the game's first half didn't look especially close with the Outlaws having 14 point leads at 2 different points in time.  That quickly changed as Liberty scored 17 of the next 20 points to take a narrow 30-27 lead halfway through the fourth.  Between the passing of Andrew Reese and some good rushes by Slim Shady along with the unforgettable facemask call on Thomas led to the Outlaws managing to take the lead right after the 2 minute warning.  Liberty, playing well in the second half and with 2 timeouts left, looked to have a good chance to take the lead back leaving the Outlaws with little or no time to tie.  However, a fumble on the first play and some poor situational awareness by Zapp Brannigan getting tackled in bounds burned Liberty's remaining timeouts.  With no way to stop the clock, a long pass to Vander Jones wasn't enough as time expired.
This game's entire second half was exciting, and double so for us Outlaws fans!  Play for the game was quite clean overall despite the impact of the facemask call, but really the biggest reason I was thrilled was to see the Outlaws win again.  With their early success marred by swirling controversy and scandal, I think this showed that the Outlaws were still a team that could contend in the NSFL.  I was one of the hundreds of thousands that watched the team's victory parade the next week and it's still one of my favorite memories.  The only thing that could make it better is making it to the NSFL and winning an Ultimus Bowl myself.

Troen Egghands Wrote:I've always considered Leland Breeland to be a rival to me.  We played against each other in his Sophomore year and leading up to the game he made some remarks to the media about how Boston University had the best defense and how the western divisions just weren't competitive compared to the east.  And looking back now, he was right - our defense was the best in our conference and I had a lot of confidence in it but the east was better that year.  Anyway, our defense had an OK game that day but our offense was just completely shut down and that gave me a lot of motivation over the years - wanting, needing to play better, to know that next time we play he won't be able to dismiss my team like that.  I'm hoping we're not drafted by the same team so that we can compete and I can show him how influential of a player I can be.  I want to be good enough that any defense I'm on is a contender no matter what.
And to be clear, I'm not holding a personal grudge against Leland - I consider what he said to be very inspirational.  It gave me motivation, being questioned by another good player.  But without other good players challenging you, making you want to be better, I don't think that I could ever be as good with that motivation.  That want, desire, and passion to show that my defense is good, that my team is good!  But I do still have the specific desire to show him that I've learned since those days that that we are the better team now.

Troen Egghands Wrote:Now as a defensive player, you might be thinking that I'm naturally inclined to build a new team around the defense.  Not true!  Rather than drawing on my defense background I think it makes more sense to look at my education in economics.
Supply and demand is one of the most important elements to look at in a draft - where are the other teams strong, where are they weak, and how does the draft class match up with their weaknesses?  Most teams will shore up a weakness rather than double down on a strength and so taking that understanding, turning it in to information about what positions are going to go fast - that's the best way to understand the draft class.  Once that information has been looked over, then I think the next step is to see what positions the class is deep in even after teams solve some top weaknesses.  That's the area you're most likely to be able to wait on and so you want to focus your earlier picks on areas that won't have depth due to contention.
Trading is another important area to look at - do any of the other teams have a player they're looking to move on from, maybe a more veteran player that they don't think is a match in the future?  Getting a few veteran role players can be one of the best moves for an expansion team depending on the draft class and what other teams' needs are.
Once all those environmental considerations are taken into consideration, I think the next best thing you can do is build a great pass rush.  And I know, I know, of course I look biased here.  And I acknowledge that.  But I still think it's a good option looking at games objectively.  Sacks kill drives, and even when the rushers don't get home it helps the QB have to make decisions in a hurry, increases the chance of making bad ones.  Of course the all time greats can manage this - just look at King Bronko or Mike Boss at their peaks.  But I still think a disruptive pass rush is your best bet to build around, all other things being equal.