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(S16) - Ultimus Week - goodvsevil1275 - 08-12-2019

Task One: Playoff Game, Reviews

The playoff game that I chose to review is the DSFL Ultimini. This game was played between the Tijuana Luchadores and the Portland Pythons.

First Quarter:

Receiving the ball first, Portland's halfback Stronglegs made an immediate impact with a rush of 18 yards before the drive fizzled out shortly after with a few unimpressive run plays before punting away. Tijuana wanted no time in driving down the field with five rushing plays in a row to start the drive before throwing the ball four times in a row and eventually running it in for a touchdown. Portland's next drive looked promising, with many long runs and catches, but sustaining a pair of sacks was hard to overcome and they punted for the second time in the quarter. A couple of rushes from Tijuana led to the end of the quarter.

Second Quarter:

Aided by their loyalty to the running game, Tijuana took their time driving down the field. The drive resulted in another touchdown from Tijuana, on a pass from the quarterback McCann III, putting the Luchadores in a quick 14-0 lead. Later in the quarter, a blocked punt set up yet another touchdown drive the Luchadores, making their lead an impressive 21 points. Wanting to avoid putting up a goose egg in the first half, Portland quarterback Armstrong put together an incredible drive, highlighted by pass after pass, to bang in a touchdown with under 30 seconds left in the half to make it 21-7 at the intermission.

Halftime Thoughts:

At this point, I'm impressed by Tijuana's running game. They have been very consistent and have played at their tempo, and even their passing has been efficient. Through most of the half, Portland's offense has done well but struggled to finish their drives strong, until the incredible drive by Armstrong right before the half. I think Portland could ride this momentum to a victory, but it's looking bleak.

Third Quarter:

The most impressive part of Tijuana's first drive of the final half was the 54 yard punt by the kicker Jones. Portland's quarterback Armstrong felt the need to one-up Tijuana's sad drive, and decided to throw an interception. Not wanting to be left out of the quarter of sadness, Jones decided to miss a 41 yard field goal. For Portland's next drive, they wanted to fake everyone out and proceeded to drive down the field for almost 5 minutes before turning the ball over on downs. They almost had me fooled. It seemed like someone would actually score this quarter. Like something out of a movie where the producers needed to find a way to build up suspense for the final quarter of the season, Tijuana's McCann decided to fumble to ball away in their own territory, putting the Pythons in a prime position to score. The third quarter ended with one punt, one missed field goal, and three turnovers.

Fourth Quarter:

The Pythons, in a great position to make some noise, opened the quarter with a bang with a.. turnover on downs. Shocker. After forcing the Luchadores to punt, it finally seemed like Portland would make a run at the championship and make it a one possession game. Sadly, Armstrong had different plans, as he threw another interception deep in his own territory, leading to a touchdown pass from McCann and pushing the lead to 28-7. It seemed like a do or die time for the Pythons. In the face of adversity, Armstrong drove his team down the field, took his time, and managed to score a touchdown after a long pass set up a one yard run. On the ensuing kickoff, the Pythons attempted an insides kick and recoverd it. It was a game again! Down 28-14 with just over two minutes to go and in opponents territory, it was time for Armstrong to prove that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the DSFL. Armstrong proved this, as he marched his team.. actually, nevermind. They didn't gain a yard and turned the ball over on downs. The Luchadores ran down the clock and they won the Ultimini!

Final Thoughts: It was a rough game for Armstrong, who carried his team all the way to the Ultimini just to fall short after committing five turnovers. McCann played a heck of a game and always kept his team moving forward in an impressive performance. Congratulations Tijuana!


Task Three: All about the QBs

After watching and reviewing the Ultimini, I wanted to talk a little bit more about the quarterback play that I saw in this game between McCann III of the Luchadores and Armstrong of the Pythons. Watching the game, it was hard to tell who the better quarterback was, but it was easy to tell that McCann was significantly more efficient. Speaking on the good that both quarterbacks had in this game, McCann was able to put his team in an early lead of 21-0 before the Pythons were even able to score and was supremely efficent with his passes. He completed 10 passes out of the 18 that he threw, good for a 56% completion rate. Adding to those solid numbers, McCann threw for 2 touchdowns and avoided interceptions like the plague. He ended up with a remarkable passer rating of 105.3 in the game. He also had an impact in the ground game, running 3 times for 24 yards and a long of 14. Those are very solid and efficient numbers from McCann. On the other team, Armstrong had to play a different role in the game. His team struggled and fell into a hole early, leading to a whopping 38 paass attempts and 19 completions, good for a 50% completion rate along with 257 yards. He had an excellent drive at the end of the second quarter, going 6/7 for 74 yards and a touchdown over a 5 minutes drive right before halftime. Now for the bad parts of the game for both quarterbacks. Armstrong ended up throwing two killer interceptions, preventing his team from scoring and putting the Luchadores is perfect positions to score themselves. The Pythons also had multiple drives flare out and turned over on downs. Additionally, Armstrong took two sacks and committed an illegal blocking penalty right before throwing a pick. For McCann, he was relatively mistake free, but he did have a fumble after an impressive 10 yard rush that gave the ball to the Pythons and took two sacks himself. McCann's halfback also out up an impressive 124 yards, leading McCann to only throw for 86 yards. Despite these negatives, I think both quarterbacks played solid games, but I give the edge to McCann for his efficient passing and lack of turnovers.


Task Four: Head to Head Matchups

The player matchup I want to focus on was the Donut on Donuts action from the Ultimini, speedy halfback Ducky Donut from Tijuana and quick linebacker Duncan Donuts from Portland. Yes, I chose these players for the obvious reason, but I could have also used Sprinkles or Creme. I had some options, but these two had the most interactions in the play by play. Ducky Donut was named the offensive player of the game, posting a stat line of 21 rushes for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. This is a very, very solid game from Donut, as the passing attack didn't put up fantastic numbers. It was up to the rushing game to deliver and Donut was a huge part of the victory for Tijuana. On the other side, Donuts won the defensive player of the game award by posting 10 tackles and a sack. He was the leader for a defense that just didn't quite do enough to slow down the Luchadores. How did they do when they ran into each other? On runs by Ducky Donut that Duncan Donuts got the tackle on, Donut only had rushes of five, three, two, and two yards for a total of 4 rushes for 12 yards, or 3.0 ypc. Taking away those stats from Donut's total on the day, against all other defenders, Donut ran 17 times for 112 yards for a whopping 6.6 ypc, over double of what Donuts gave up in their matchups. Specifically int he matchup between Donut and Donuts, I think it is clear that Donuts is the winner. However, Donut still got the last laugh by posting a great statline and winning the Ultimini.


Task Sixteen: Unsung Hero

I'm here to prove why Groovy Johnson, corner back for the Tijuana Luchadores, was the unsung hero of the DSFL playoffs. In his first game, a close 24-13 win over San Antonio, Johnson had an amazing stat line of 13 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass defended. 13 tackles for a corner back is amazing no matter what the situation is. By forcing a fumble and recovering another separate fumble, Johnson was able to shut down two Marshals drives, which was crucial in a two possession game. Johnson also had one stop that lead to a fourth down and one stop one another fourth down to force a turnover on downs. If you're keeping count at home, that is 4 possessions that Groovy Johnson was able to end in this game alone. In the second game, Johnson had a quieter match, posting just 4 tackles, but this shouldn't be held against him. Nobody on the Tijuana defense had a great game. Even so, one of Johnson's tackles ended up leading to a Pythons punt and he had another 3 tackles on top of that. His combined statline was a great 17 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defended, and contributed greatly to ending 5 opponent possessions, when the team won each game by 2 possessions. By my count, if Groovy Johnson didn't step up his game in the playoffs, the Luchadores may not have won the Ultimini.


(S16) - Ultimus Week - shadyshoelace - 08-12-2019

Offseason events gfx pass


(S16) - Ultimus Week - PaytonM34 - 08-13-2019

Aight boys, first Ultimus week post in a long time, get ready for the ride

6) Our Time
Written: Why should your team be looked at the favorite to win the Ultimus or Ultimini this season.

Lets go, a post dedicated to talking about how hype this Tijuana dynasty is. The greatest DSFL team in the history of the entire DSFL right here, and arguably the best team in the whole sim league based on success, maybe second to only the otters. With homegrown GMs dating all the way back to S5, Tijuana has always kept a tightly knit group of alumni around and in the war room. This team is always ready for a championship run, and TomHanks did just that this season. After Ben and I left the team in TomHanks hands, it was only a matter of time before he led Tijuana to their SIXTH championship in team history. The wall was standing tall all season, allowing a league low 4 sacks through 14 games. With a strong defense, and an equally strong and balanced offense, Tijuana steamrolled the competition all year long and made it clear who the real contenders were. The best thing about Tijuana though, is the locker room culture. Every season, new rookies joining Tijuana are putting in the work and effort needed for a championship team, and I dont think there will be a season where Tijuana are not favorites to win the Ultimini

10) Rivalries
Written: Write about another team and why they are overrated and why you want them to lose.

San. Antonio. Marshals. Build the wall, and make San Antonio pay for it. San Antonio has always been a rival to the Tijuana Luchadores, ever since the DSFL's inception back millions of years ago. Although not always a heated rivalry, I believe this is the best rivalry in the entire league, NSFL included. There is a mutual feeling of hoping the other doesn't win the championship every year, and I dont think that this rivalry will die out soon. This season, the marshals finished at 0.500, and were swiftly dealt with on the road in Tijuana in the first round of the playoffs. It was an old school matchup, with emphasis on defense, and running the ball. San Antonio will have to find some talent in the upcoming draft pool to help these young guys out, and to have any shot at finishing over 0.500 next year. In all seriousness though, I think that this team will have to go through some great GMing in the next few offseasons in order to put themselves ahead of Tijuana, but with the addition of the Solar Bears becoming a user team once again, theyll have to make it count. Do I want them to win? No. Can they win? Of course, and it will be interesting to watch the development of this team.

15) Going to Disneyland!
Written: Who was the Ultimus MVP? Give us a rundown of their celebratory trip to Disneyland, or describe how they celebrated.

Ducky Donut was the Ultimini MVP for sure. Lets take a look at his stat line against Portland in the championship game. 21 rushes for 124 yards. 5.9 yards per carry. 2 Touchdowns. Thats a pretty great rushing game in general, but you take the fact that this is in the championship game, with the other best team in the league, and it makes this accomplishment that much greater. Weaving his way through Portlands defense all game extended drives and led Tijuana to beat the Portland Sneks 28-14. Portlands defense is nothing to look past either, this defense was the #1 defense in Points Allowed through the regular season. NUMBER ONE DEFENSE. IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. And this guy breaks 100 yards , averages 6 yards per carry, and scores half the teams touchdowns. Give this guy an extension, a raise, his own yacht, i dont care, get him whatever he wants because he was this teams life blood through the playoffs. Would the Luchadores have succeeded without his miraculous performance? Maybe through the air with veteran WR Laszlo, but against the DSFL's number one scoring defense, nothing is for certain. The only thing certain about this, is that Ducky Donut balled out right when his team needed him most, and thats all that really counts.

19) The Big Fellas.
Written: Write about a Defensive Lineman in the playoffs, and how they will or did affect the outcome.

Big Fellas. Now this is a PT I can get behind. I'm gonna talk to you about how Tijuana's Offensive Line (Nicknamed, "The Wall") dominated every Defensive Lineman in the playoffs. This is also partly an unsung heroes PT too, because these OL are always the unsung heroes to any championship team. Look at the Patriots this last year. Their run game and their OL was the reason they all have rings this year. Same goes for Tijuana. As stated above, Ducky Donut sliced his way through the number one defense in the league. Some credit has to go to the Wall for blocking Portlands front seven in the most important game of the year. Cray Cray Lewis, who had a whopping 16 TFLs and 6 sacks on the season, was left with a single tackle by the end of the game. The Luchadores rushed for 5.7 yards per carry for the entire game. That is a sign of a truly great offensive line front, and is the cornerstone of every teams offense. The Big Fellas up front, throughout the entire league, had to go up against this human wall, and not a whole lot came out successful. Heres to one more season of greatness from the Tijuana Wall... Which San Antonio paid for by the way.


(S16) - Ultimus Week - SDCore - 08-13-2019

PBE PT Claim

7) Next year

Next year the Austin Copperheads will not only win one game, but we will win all the games and win the Ulitmus cup. Austin are growing men out here and the league just doesn’t know how to stop it. Austin will be the future and the one and only true franchise. We got that sweet, sweet of a man Easton Cole throwing balls to all of us players. Then you got Mako, Ashley Owens in the back field… OooooOoo is that some smooth noise. Take Rod Tidwell for instance he is hotter than the sun. You can’t stop him once he gets going for that Kwan. An Ultimus is maximum Kwan Baby, so of course he is going to go for the best. He wouldn’t play anywhere that wouldn’t compete so why would he choose to resign in Austin, that’s right because they are going to win the Ultimus. Not just next year, but the year after and the year after that. I am calling it right now, Austin will be the next future dynasty in the NSFL. You heard it here first. Mark that in your calendars, that today is the day you found out how good Austin is going to be from here on out.

8) Strategies
Written: Unless you won the Championship, what changes does your team need to make in the offseason to improve your chances next year.

The Austin Copperheads did not manage to win one game this season, so there are a lot of strategies that need to be changed. First and foremost, we need to win a game, this would be crucial to our plan of world domination. If we could win one game, then we could win multiple games. If we win this season more than last season, which wouldn’t be to hard it would be a great success. Honestly, our defense needs to improve, which we have been working diligently this offseason to do. If we can sure up our defense our young offense has the ability to take over games, we have shown that already. By next season we should be pretty good and able to compete. Another strategy we need to change to improve our chances, is becoming better with holding possession and not creating our own turnovers. If we create more turnovers on defense and limit giving the ball away on offense well then we will be the best team in the National Simulation Football League. The goal is to be the best and to be the best you need to win the most. Simple Logic, there it’s a simple formula. In Austin we will get it done.

10) Rivalries
Written: Write about another team and why they are overrated and why you want them to lose.

The Chicago Butchers are our biggest rival in my honest opinion. They were the other expansion team in our year and have been a better team in their short history. That is all going to change in the coming years as Austin is going to be a new up and coming team in the National Simulation Football League. I think Chicago is overrated because they have been getting by with a quarterback they bought, no offense, but they aren’t building their team through a draft and with character. They paid for Free Agents and drafted known guys in the expansion. While we went for the new young kids in the league. Sure that meant we had some years of not playing so hot, but it is going to pay off in the long run. When we our core comes up and is ready to compete we will be all together, relatively the same age. If we can keep everyone together, we should be able to we are close, then we should be ready to compete for Ulitmus, whereas Chicago will be regressing hard and fighting to stay relevant. This is where I think they become extremely overrated. They will be looking to retool in Free Agency and we will be young and hot.


(S16) - Ultimus Week - contacts - 08-13-2019

1. Playoff Review

It was finally time for the Ultimus Championship game, and the two contenders for this years Ultimus Trophy were both unlikely participants considering most predictions leading into this years playoffs. The NFSC champion Philadelphia Liberty had ridden a hot offense to pull off to road wins as underdogs, while Arizona Outlaws relied on a stout defense to shut down one of the the league's most dangerous offenses as the Held the Orange County Otters to just three points, scored late in garbage time at that. With two teams few predicted to be in the final game, it was no surprise the Ultimus game was exciting, back and forth affair.

The Outlaws took control of the games first half, starting with a Seer Zephyrous touchdown on their opening drive, thought that was quickly answered by the Liberty on a quick drive that produced multiple big plays and a Farley Hank touchdown. Jeff Murphy, who would eventually be named MVP of the game, began to take control of the game in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns through the air while the Outlaws defense limited the dangerous Liberty offense to just two field goals before the first half was over. With the score 24 to 13, the Outlaws had a distinct advantage, but one that would eventually be negated.

The Outlaws just had to play a, efficient game to ride their 11 point lead to victory, however the second half started about as terribly as possible for them as a Reese sack, interception, and ensuing Vander Jones TD cut the lead to 4 in under two minutes into the half. The teams would trade field goals and enter the final quarter with the four point score difference. The fourth quarter proved to be a defensive struggle, which was finally broken as Richard D'Attoria V jumped in front of a Reese pass and took the interception 42 yards for a touchdown, giving the Liberty their first lead with under 8 minutes remaining.

Andrew Reese stood tall and shook off the back breaking pick 6, orchestrating a long drive down the field that was capped with Jeff Murphy's third TD of the day, leaving the Liberty with only 1:30 seconds to answer with a TD of their own. On the final play of the game, Falconi found a wide open Vander Jones and it was a footrace as he had nothing but green in front of him. Miraculously, CB Lucas Knight was able put on the after burners and drag Jones down from behind as time expired and seal the win for the Ultimus Champion Arizona Outlaws.

3. All about the QBs

This years Ultimus featured a match-up between the two most talented quarterbacks in the league, the Arizona Outlaws Andrew Reese and the Philadelphia Liberty's Adriana Falconi. As far as the regular season went, Falconi put together a much stronger season as she lead the NSFL in touchdown passes, was third in passing yards, and lead the league's third most potent scoring offense. As a legit MVP canidate, Falconi was able to lead her team to two road upsets while accruing near 750 yards passing and 5 TDs on her way to the Ultimus final.

Andrew Reese, for all the talent he has as a player, put together a middling regular season for the Arizona Outlaws. Litterally middling, as he ranked anywhere from 4th to 6th in almost every major passing statistic. Like Falconi, he lead his team to a 7- 6 record, but lead a pretty weak scoring offense - in fact the only outscored the hapless Arizona Copperheads and Colorado Yeti. While he didn't have a gaudy stat lines in any of the playoff games leading up to the Ultimus, he was efficient in leading a strong running attack - leading the Outlaws to two big victories with a combines score of 74 - 24.

Andrew Reese came out on top in the head to head match-up, and lead his team to an Ultimus Trophy. He did have two brutal picks, but his 3 TDs to Jeff Murphy proved to be the difference as the stout Outlaws defense harassed Falconi all night and limited her to just 236 yards and a single touchdown.

5) Spotlight on Youth (S15 edition)

Jammerson Irving was a member of the vaunted season 15 draft class, one of the many tight ends that came out that year. Jammerson fell in the DSFL draft the season, where he was taken with the last pick of the fourth round, behind such luminaries as 1st overall pick DE Allen Josh, RB Kermit Stronglegs and Ben Bortboy, and QB Apollo Lange. Jammerson posted excellent numbers in the developmental league, finishing 8th overall in yards and 6 overall in receptions in his first minor league year while being a close to max TPE earner.

Apparently NSFL GM's looked past both is accomplishments on the field and earning TPE, as he fell even further in the NSFL draft, all the way to the fifth round. This slight has motivated Jammerson ever since, as he not only has been a max TPE earner, but also proved doubters wrong by being selected to the pro bowl as a true rookie, and then during his sophomore year leading his team in receptions and taking home an Ultimus trophy with the Arizona Outlaws.

Jammerson provided a outlet for the Ultimus winning QB Andrew Reese all year, and while leading the team in receptions also was second in yards. Jammerson continued to pile up receptions in the Outlaws playoff run, but also contributed as a run blocker to the spur a rushing attack that eventually led the team to a championship. Irving has much to prove, but looks to be one of the elite up TE's in the entire league and eager to prove his draft day slide was a huge oversight.

Rivalries

Well, two seasons ago the Outlaws were the worst team in the NFL - they only one two games and did poorly enough to secure the number one overall pick in the vaunted season 15 draft class. That same year, the Orange County Otters were coming off yet another Ultimus Championship and continued their reign as an elite franchise in the NSFL. The sheer difference in both of those teams success and talent level made it near impossible for any rivalry to grow, but that was two season ago and things have changed drastically.

The Outlaws finally made it back to the playoffs in season 16, although it wasn't in as convincing fashion as they had hoped going into to the season, as they finished just a single game above the .500 mark, securing homefield advantage in the wildcard week. The Otters looked out right dominate at times, riding a balanced attack with a Uber talented offense. Most gave them the best thought to win the whole thing, so when they matched up against the Outlaws with home field advantage in the conference round, everyone thought they would walk over the team from Arizona.

But, football isn't played on paper, and the Outlaws switched up their team strategy, and came to play. The Otters... didn't. The game ended in a complete smack down as the Outlaws won going away to a tune of 31 - 3. A week before they were to shower in champagne after winning an Ultimus, they were able to shower in the deluge of salty tears from heartbroken Otters. This is the kind of game that will create a rivalry for seasons to come.

The Outlaws are on an upswing, and the Otters have some serious woes of regression, retirements, and free agency retention. Will the Outlaws finally start to consistantly beat the Otters? Maybe, but one thing that is for certain is that both teams will have game games against each other circled in their calendars.




(S16) - Ultimus Week - Modern_Duke - 08-13-2019

7) Next Year
Season 17 of the NSFL will belong to the Orange County Otters. Simply put, this was the best team in the league, with the second most points scored per game (1 total point behind the Yellowknife Wraiths) and the fewest points allowed. But, as we all know anything can happen in the playoffs. "That's why they play the games", as the saying goes. Orange County was eliminated (actually that may not be a strong enough word..."obliterated") by eventual champions and division rival Arizona Outlaws in the semifinals, 31-3. It was quite the shocking result, but the Otters should be poised for revenge next season.

The Otters went 8-6 in Season 15 before improving to 10-3 in Season 16. It will be hard to continue improving upon a 10-3 record and division title, but anything is possible if the game breaking duo of G. Showbiz and V. Valentine stays this effective, not to mention the other two 1000-yard receivers on the roster. The rest of the division certainly wasn't too much of a challenge in the regular season, and outside of the defending champs, it appears unlikely that another challenger will emerge. If the Otters can put a tough and, what some would consider fluky, loss behind them, look for the Otters to be back with a vengeance and something to prove in the coming season.

---

4) Head to Head Matchups

I want to focus on a big matchup that occurred in the Ultimus between top stars in the league, Arizona Outlaws WR Brock Landers and Philadelphia Liberty CB Emondov Emoji. Landers was the main offensive threat for the Outlaws in Season 17, as one of only eight receivers in the league to over 1,000 yards on the season. Meanwhile, Emoji was arguably the league's premier defensive back despite only getting three interceptions on the season, on the back of a league leading 26 passes defended.

With all eyes on this impressive WR/CB duel, Landers' first reception came on the Outlaws opening drive, but Emoji wrapped him up right away for a modest 7 yard gain. Landers did not record another catch until 6:11 remained in the second quarter, but this time he came out on top with a 11 yard reception that resulted in a first down. Arizona QB Andrew Reese returned to the well again 8 plays later, and again Landers won the matchup with a huge 18 yard reception to bring the Outlaws into the red zone. The drive ended with a field goal. From there on out though, Emoji completely shut down Landers as an offensive threat, and did not allow a reception to Landers in the entire second half.

Final Stat Lines: Emoji - 5 Tackles -- Landers - 3 Receptions, 36 Yards

The Ultimus saw Emoji win the battle, but Landers win the war. With so much focus on shutting down Landers, fellow Outlaw Jeffery Murphy was left open enough to go off, compiling 8 receptions, 120 yards, and 3 touchdowns en route to earning offensive player of the game and an Ultimus championship for Arizona.
---

Other tasks to be completed later


(S16) - Ultimus Week - YoungTB - 08-14-2019

Quote:Podcast options can be used in place of any of the Written options. Don’t pull a YTB and stay on topic
I'll try

1. Playoff Reviews
I think the craziest game in this playoffs was the Ultimus. It was a major event involving two largely underdog teams; the Arizona Outlaws and the Philadelphia Liberty. The Philadelphia Liberty had just beaten off the Chicago Butchers, the 1 seed of the NSFC and the favorite to come out of the conference, in the conference finals just a week before. It was a major victory. The Arizona Outlaws on the other hand had beaten the Orange County Otters, who were on track to enter their billionth ultimus of this decade. Seriously, these guys are the definition of continued success. Anyways, it was these two underdogs that showcased the league what it meant to be elite. Falconi and Reese, two of the best QBs in the league, went at it in an epic duel for the ages. Both of the QBs did well, but it was the defense that truly shined. Philadelphia had to hold off a red hot Outlaws defense while Arizona tried to contain the many threats Philly has on their roster. It would be a tall task for both units. However, it came down to the expert play of Reese to win the game. The Outlaws would ultimately beat the Liberty though, going on to win their first actual Ultimus that wasn't won without cheating.


(S16) - Ultimus Week - moonlight - 08-14-2019

1. PBE PT


11. Trades

The Orange County Otters featured a new duo that they hoped would take over the NSFL. This duo featured Vinny Valentine and Sunnycursed. It certainly helped their QB as he threw 4428 yards, 34 touchdown passes, and 10 interceptions. His passer rating was also a career high of 100.7. Vinny Valentine led the league with 1392 receiving yards and was second with 12 receiving TDs. Sunnycursed had 1326 receiving yards, and 8 touchdown catches. While this was a productive partnership for all involved, Sunnycursed has voiced his malcontent with the arrangement, feeling that Valentine had stepped on his mojo, that he was the better receiver and so on.

In the playoffs, this feud may have had a factor in the devastating home playoff loss to the Outlaws as the Otters lost 31-3 at home. This loss was certainly not on talent disparity as the Otter had a league leading 10-3 record. This was a failure on both sides of the football. Showbiz had his worst performance of the year and this spat between his top two receivers certainly could have played a factor in this devastating loss. Now looking towards the offseason, it looks like they are guaranteed to lose either one or possibly both of these receivers.

This is not welcome news as young quarterback Franklin Armstrong is being called up for S17 and his NSFL debut. (228 words)


12. Sit down with a star: I interviewed @nunccoepi

1. What is the expectation in the Hawks locker room on how you guys can get back to the big game in S17?

The expectations are still high. We need to continue to identify and build on our weaknesses--right now, namely, defensive line. And we'll continue to play to our strengths as well. Right now thats our offense, and the good news is that Havran is only getting better.

2. Are there any defensive beasts in the S17 draft that you hope to play alongside in a Hawks uniform?

You know, I've been taking some time off since the last game. This is only the second time in my ten year career that I haven't made the playoffs. So all this time off has been actually pretty nice for a creaky veteran. So I haven't had a chance to check out the up and comers yet. Although I'm looking forward to it. I've heard there's some real talent there.

3. Is Alto gonna retire at some point?

Of course. None of us can escape it. I reckon I've got no more than two seasons left in me. Hopefully I'll go out in a good spot but it's odd to be finally looking retirement square in the face and almost be able to count down the days.

4. What steps does Havran have to take in order to reach the next step in his development?

Havran needs to keep doing exactly what he's been doing. I'm not worried about him at all. In fact he really didn't have a bad season at all. We just need to get him and the whole offense back on the field as quickly as possible. that's our focus for the season.


13. Sit down with a fan: Questions from @nunccoepi

1. The Otters have now seen possibly their greatest hiatus from winning championships in their team’s history. What does this mean for the Otters?

The Otters have had a little drought in championships. The Otters are currently looking at the future and trying to build another dynasty. They have a plethora of young talent including myself Franklin Armstrong, Lanzer Grevious, Apollo Reed, and AJ Lattimer, among others. These players have all taken close to min deals to allow the GM to go to Free Agency for extra talent.

2. Your top WRs are both testing FA and Gus TT Showbiz tested FA before re-signing with the Otters. How will you fit into this offense with another star QB and will there be any weapons for you to throw to?

As for V. Valentine and Sunnycursed testing FA, I cannot comment on that. Discussions with them are behind closed doors and it’s not my place as a player to say much about that or what my GMs are thinking. I will say that I hope to play with at least one of them next season.

3. How do you feel about the Tijuana Luchadores winning their sixth championship, a feat no team has accomplished in either league to date? And does that taint your experience with the DSFL at all?

It was not an easy task to get to three straight ultiminis. The S14 championship will stay with me. That team was special on both sides of the football and it was awesome beating the Luchadores in that game. As for losing two straight Ultiminis after that, it’s certainly not the way I would have wanted it to end! My last game in the DSFL was an Ultimini was a loss to the Luchadores and that will always stay with me.

4. What are your goals on the field this season and for the duration of your career?

I want to be a Hall of Famer. To do that, I will need both stats and Ultimus’s. I look forward to the challenge. I hope to have a long career in the NSFL and the exciting part is, I have no idea what will happen! The key is to have a good rookie season. I’m hoping for over a 90 passer rating, 3500 yards and 30 TDs.


(S16) - Ultimus Week - dieselj123 - 08-14-2019

PBE Point Task Claim

6. Our time: The Pythons were one of the front runners coming in to the ultimini championships and with a great defense and awesome defense, it's obvious to see how our well balanced team would be hard to defeat. Moonlight at quarterback is a fantastic passer and makes the wide receivers able to reach their full potential and put opposing defense to the test. Our defense had a strong line with an awesome secondary to back them up and keep the big plays from opening up the field for the opposing team. We might not have been as strong as other favorites but we were definitely a front runner in the conversation and should still be a feared power house among the DSFL teams. I'm not sure how long my time here will last but I've enjoyed it so far and I think the Portland Pythons have something great going on even with a turn of ownership lately.


(S16) - Ultimus Week - timeconsumer - 08-15-2019

8) Strategies
The Wraiths need to improve on defense in order to win the championship. We had a fantastic offense last season but the defense really held us back. Our secondary is very young and needs more time to develop especially for the guys on the outside. Luckily with all of our defensive backs staying active and enjoying the league we have taken some pretty big strides in that department and are looking to really bring the pain to everyone soon. The offense is going like clockwork and is actually only going to get better as we don't have anyone on offense regressing right now. All the wide receiver depth, our QB, our awesome young RB Marshall, Canton we're all just leaps and bounds better than we were last season and you can expect that offense to put up some seriously gaudy stats. While most players won't have crazy high stats in everything what you will see is that the offense as a whole and maybe one or two top guys will have super high stats. Hell it's possible Cooter could get 5000 yards. But we do need one or two more pieces on defense to really put it all together and make it a win.



10) Rivalries
The Chicago Butchers are overrated. Yeah there I said it. They talked a really big game this season but if you really looked at what they did, they weren't as good as their record indicated. The Butchers were great for an expansion team but they had a lot of lucky wins that did not really indicate their true performance. Sure their players will say silly things like "well we didn't get to run up scores on bad teams" or whatever but if you really run the numbers you will see that the offense struggled to place high in standings because the offense just isnt all that great. They didn't underperform they performed like they should on offense. The defense on the other hand did overperform and the Butchers really struck me as something closer to a 9-4 team. The issue with a season like the one that just ended is that when you have two teams that can't win a single game against anyone else you end up with bloated standings that don't really make all that much sense. We really need Austin and Colorado to start winning again because I think that will do a lot to set some standings right and force teams to really grind out each and every win for the playoffs. Either
way I think the Wraiths are a lock for the top NSFC team next season.


16) Unsung Hero
The Unsung hero of the playoffs was definitely journeyman running back Seer Zephyrous. Although his stat sheet didn't pop out at every game when you look at how he did averaged across all three playoff games Seer definitely did an amazing job. He's been around the league for a long time and originally started out as a fullback. Eventually he shed some weight and found he was actually pretty damn fast. They worked on his hands a little bit to keep him involved in the passing game and Seer turned out to be a great running back that maybe won't make the HOF but has been involved in lots of championships. During these playoffs he was the lead back most of the time and proved he had a nose for the endzone as he scored 5 touchdowns over three games. His worst performance came in the wildcard game where he failed to secure 100 yards but in the next two games he exceeded 100 scrimmage yards both times. Then in the big game he really brought the pain to the Liberty as he went 116 yards on 24 carries for one score and had 2 receptions for 23 yards. While people will look at Murphy and see him as the hero, I see guys like Zephyrous who stick out to me.



20) Let’s get Wild!(card)
The Wraiths got downright robbed this season. They were the best team in the NSFC and like everyone else in this bamboozle of a playoff they got an unlucky break. The Wraiths had the best offense in the league and they had only one player on offense above 1000 TPE. That's how well the team was meshing. The trick was having all that depth to allow Cooter to really spread the ball around and keep the opponents from shutting down just one top threat. The defense still needed work but they were head and shoulders better than Philadelphia this season and had about an 80% chance to win that wild card game and just lost thanks to some good ol fashioned sim fuckery. I'm not saying the Liberty were a bad team or anything, but they didn't have the kind of offensive firepower that the Wraiths had. However in the end firepower or not the Wraiths strugggled to stop the Liberty on defense and weren't able to bring home the win. Cooter played great throwing 2 TDs and 0 INTs and was 21/32. His yards per attempt were great and the whole offense did a good job. We needed to get to the quarterback more and generate more pressure I think.