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*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - Isidore94 - 04-25-2020

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]NSFL S(22) Power Rankings Edition 1 [/div]
[Image: YiTmEBB.png]


Welcome everyone to the first NSFL Power Rankings for Season 22, brought to you by the Media Bros. We had some exciting changes over the offseason, bringing on 4 new members onto the team to help produce these rankings. The 5 of us will be aiming to produce extremely high quality material throughout the course of each season going forward.

Throughout the season we will be doing team spotlights. To begin this season we will be covering both expansion teams. In order to spread out the material, Sarasota will be featured in these power rankings, and Honolulu in the DSFL rankings (which will be released sometime before the first DSFL game). If a GM or a player of any team would like to see their team covered, send me (isidore94) a DM and we will set something up.

In addition to this undertaking, we will also be covering each team briefly and providing overviews of their offseason. In future weeks, we’ll be shouting out the over and the underachievers each week so be sure to tune in for that.

We will be continuing to provide high quality, TPE based power rankings. The rankings underwent some changes in the offseason, as I tried to explain the success of Orange County. I believe I have done that in some way.

Finally, we want to congratulate last year's Ultimus and Ultimini winners, the New Orleans Second Line and the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers!

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]METHOD [/div]

1. Formatted tables to include the expansion teams

2. Offensive and defensive power rankings are now purely based on performance. The Overall ranking will still include TPE. Please note that the first edition of each season will necessarily be only TPE rankings, for obvious reasons.

3. BIG CHANGE: I recalculated the way I weigh TPE for positions on offense with multiple players. For example, WRs have up to , but usually 3 and RBs up to 3, but usually 2 . For RB’s I did a 75/25 weighting and put the 75 on the player with higher TPE. Similarly, for WRs I went with a 50/33/17 structure, again giving the highest TPE the most weight. I can do this on offense since teams can designate a primary receiver. This doesn’t work as well on defense since the defense does not decide where the ball will go, therefore all positions are important and should be weighed equally.

4. BIG CHANGE: TE’s are hard, since not every team has one. This season, I took away the TE category and instead took half their weight and redistributed it 50/50 to the WR and OL cores, since TE’s do both. To compensate I took the individual TE category out of the calculation. This makes it more fair for non-TE teams. In the end changes 3 and 4 made the offensive power rankings more in line with their TPE rankings, and brought teams like Orange County more in line with how they actually should be performing.
5. THE BEST CHANGE: I spent over 16 hours learning Python so I could spend an additional 12 hours coding a python script that automatically updates the TPE standings. Enjoy your updated TPE levels each and every week.

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Results[/div]


OFFENSIVE POWER RANKINGS
[[Image: vCw4FhB.png]

1. Austin: 1.974
2. Colorado: 1.6954
3. Orange County: 1.596
4. Philadelphia: 1.527
5. New Orleans: 1.501
6. Yellowknife: 1.4613
7. Honolulu: 1.3564
8. Arizona: 1.346
9. San Jose: 1.166
10. Sarasota: 1.033
11. Chicago: 1.031
12. Baltimore: 1.022

1. AUS comes in as our #1 offense, with 1200+ TPE players at two pivotal positions, with Easton Cole at QB and Mako Mendonca at RB. With 3 good recievers (2 WR and a TE) all above 700 TPE, Austin stands unopposed as the league's best offense coming into the season.

2. COL is our clear #2 offense coming into the S(22) season. With Wolfie McDummy coming in on his last season before regression, with a ridiculous 1298 TPE, Wolfie will be this leagues #1 QB coming into the S(22) season. Combine that with an excellent 900+ TPE RB and some decent WR’s, and Colorado will be a constant threat on the offensive side of the ball.

3. OCO are an odd team this year. With the single best QB and WR situation in the league with all star QB Franklin Armstrong and superstar WR Hugh Mongo both coming in around at 1200 TPE, you got to believe Orange County will be going to the air a lot this year. However, predictability makes it easier to sim test against teams, and while Orange County would like the ability to pound the rock this year, they will definitely struggle between regressing RB Ludicolo Bigby and rookie Tatsu Nakamura. Last year Orange County ranked 7th on offense in preseason and performed 5th best in the league with the same group. I do think there’s something to be said for how Orange County is able to sim test. Between that and their weapons in the air, this is easily one of the most dangerous teams in the league

4. at #4 we have the PHI who comes in after a disappointing last season, with some serious weapons on offense. With a 1200 TPE RB, the Liberty look to be a run heavy team with fantasy favourite Sam Torenson leading the way. Emerging Quarterback Brock Phoenix will also have superstar WR Nacho Varga to throw to all season, which will keep defenses honest as they pound the rock.

5. Our S(21) Ultimus Winners NOLA come in at #5 with the same offense they touted last year. Austin McCormick at TE leads the diverse receiving group. I would not be surprised to see this offense overperform again. Last year they were rated #3 and finished #1. Their defense puts them in good positions and I can see that happening again this season

6. YKW are a decent offensive team this year. While their strength is definitely on the defensive side of the ball, they can still move the ball with an extremely balanced offensive core of 961 TPE QB Cooter Bigsby, 800 TPE RB Mathias Hanyadi and 799 TPE WR Nate Swift. Good sim testing will put this versatile offense in good positions

7. HON comes in at #7 thanks to the pickup of all star QB Corvo Havran. Regressing from an absurd 1419 TPE, Honolulu is going to get one very good season out of this QB before he starts regressing too much to rely on in the same way that he was relied on by Baltimore in his prime. Honolulu’s only real receiving threat is upcoming star Jed Podolak. At 600 TPE the duo will be dangerous. One has to believe Corvo still has another great season left in him, and it is for that reason that Honolulu gets the #7 position to start the season

8. At 8 we have my ARI. As the GM for the team, I will say only a few things. Firstly, Jay Cue is going to be a star in this league, and his prime should coincide with Arizona’s Ultimus window. With all-star WR Saba Donut to throw to (983 TPE) this duo will have the next 3 years to terrorize the league. For now, Arizona lacks a lot of tools outside of those two. RB Baby Yoda comes in with 490 TPE, and will be relied on to move the ball when the air is being shut down.

9. SJS claim the #9 spot. Last year's offensive performance was rather pathetic, and over the offseason it only regressed. QB Dan Wright sits in regression and the team needs an injection of youth in the next few years.
10. At #10, the SAR This was expected, as an expansion team in the NSFL never had a hope of competing at a high level without receiving a gift like Honolulu did with Corvo Havran (and even then, it's a regressing gift). The good news is, they secured their RB for the next 9 seasons in Dax Frost, a very good WR in Dexter Banks (915 TPE), and some decent young WR’s in Rayne Gordon and Michael Witheblock (one of our writers). My concern is their QB Zach Vega, who is an S(19) rookie, with only 422 TPE. Time will tell, and we will see how they attack the next few drafts

11. I’m sure we all expected this, the CHI near the bottom of our list, after QB Rose Jenkins retired in what was some very entertaining drama last season (although they’re still here for one last season at a regressed 789 TPE). The good news for Chicago is they aren’t last. So that’s something. With the new leadership at the helm, Chicago will be looking to turn their fortunes around via the draft. Until then they have a long season ahead of them

12. This was a huge surprise to me. The BAL at #12? Surely this was an error. But no, this is the reality we live in today; last season #3 offense is our new #11. How did this happen? Well, losing 1k TPE Corvo Havran to Honolulu doesn’t help. Combine that with heavily regressed WR Earl Maddox (s12) nearing the end of their career, and running back Apollo Reed now in regression, things are not looking good for the BAL on the offensive side of the ball.



DEFENSIVE POWER RANKINGS
[Image: JcRgIhr.png]
1. Colorado: 1.2967
2. Yellowknife: 1.264
3. Orange County: 1.260
4. New Orleans 1.212
5. Austin: 1.003
6. Philadelphia: 0.943
7. Baltimore: 0.924
8. Sarasota: 0.867
9. San Jose: 0.830
10. Honolulu: 0.763
11. Arizona 0.712
12. Chicago: 0.691


1. COL have monsters on the Dline and at LB, strong DB’s, but not the greatest depth. Their defense was rated #2 last year and they performed at a #3 level. Expect them to take the next step to become truly elite this season

2. YKW are our #2 defense, with extremely strong players at every position. Their #1 DT, DE, LB, CB and S are all over 700 TPE. Their #2 players are a lot weaker however, which is why they don’t sit at #1, but even so this is a team full of playmakers. Through turnovers this team could easily overtake the Yeti as the #1 defense.
3. OCO were a massive wildcard last season, with the #6 ranked defense that performed to be the #1 defense in the league, with the least points against and the least yards against. I truly could not figure out how they did it. I made no changes to the defensive power rankings this year, I wanted to see Orange County do it again. This year they’re coming in ranked #3rd. They have the best DB lineup in the league and a very strong LB. If they manage to clinch the #1 defense again, I will need to reevaluate things and put way more emphasis on DB’s . I will be doing testing throughout the season in the sim as well. For now I will say this team can easily be #1 on defense, but for now they are ranked 3rd

4. Is this any surprise at all? the NOLA are coming into another season as a top defense. A 1K TPE LBs, a core of 4 DB’s all over 650TPE and a very solid Dline? This team is absolutely filthy.

5. AUS our offensive juggernauts are pretty average defensively. One last season of the superstar Dermot Lavelle Jr and his ridiculous 1316 TPE at CB will hopefully produce enough turnovers this season to carry an otherwise underwhelming defense. In reality, this defense doesn’t have to be good, it only needs to be average. The offense will carry this team.
6. the PHI who lost Mike Franchet to expansion, and have regressed their way from the 5th rated defense to the 6th. It’s stark seeing how good their offense is, to how their defense is .Like the copperheads, although to a greater degree, their offense will have to carry the load
7. BAL were a #4 defense last year and are this years #7 to start the season. Their only bright spot is regressing safety Walt Green at 1107 TPE. Their Dline, LB and CB core looks like it could be a soupped up DSFL team. Honestly, I think the Hawks should be rated lower but that 1.1K TPE really carries this team in terms of how I structure my power rankings
8. SAR are our #8 team thanks to an aging, regressing CB, by the name of Lucas Knight, courtesy of the Outlaws. They also picked up Jordan Andrews and safety Jamie Nkiah for a well rounded secondary. This defense will perform fine enough, but will frequently be put in awful situations due to their offense. Expect this team to underperform because of that.
9. SJS were #8 last year and this year they’re #9. Still rebuilding, not much can be said for this team. Superstar LB Tyron Brackenridge has another 2 seasons before regression, and likely another 5 seasons left in him. San Jose would be wise to build around him or trade him out next year for a bundle of picks.
10. HON comes in at #10, after ranking in as our #7 offense. How did they do this? They picked up 856 TPE CB, Emondov Emoji. As with Corvo Havran they’ll get 1-2 seasons out of Emoji before needing to find a replacement. Unfortunately for Honolulu, the ASFC is stacked and the 3 playoff teams aren’t going anywhere.
11. ARI are maybe the youngest defense here. They, like Chicago, will be very strong in 2-3 years. For now, though, they’ll go through some growing pains.

12 CHI again find themselves at the actual bottom this time. Their defense is fairly young and they should find themselves in playoff contention in 2-3 seasons.


[div align=\\\"center\\\"] FINAL COMBINED POWER RANKINGS WITH INDEX[/div]

1. Colorado: 1.496
2. Austin: 1.488
3. Orange County: 1.428
4. Yellowknife: 1.362
5. New Orleans: 1.357
6. Philadelphia: 1.235
7. Honolulu: 1.063
8. Arizona: 1.029
9. San Jose: 0.997
10. Baltimore: 0.973
11. Sarasota: 0.950
12. Chicago: 0.861

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Off Season Overview [/div]


Presented by Sakrosankt
NSFC


BAL Baltimore Hawks BAL

Baltimore had a shot at the title last year, but fell short to the Wraiths in the championship game. This game was the last for Corvo Havran for the Hawks, as he went to Honolulu as a GM expansion pick. Seeing their star QB go is a tough loss for the Hawks. Unexperienced waifu QB Chika Fujiwara takes over under center now. She is a S21 recruit who got one additional season experience in the DSFL. Although they didn’t lose any more important assets on offense, they took a big shot there. The other losses in Expansion Draft were DE Fabricio Baldari and LB Sandip “Sandy” Bakshi. LB Raymon Vans is gone and the veteran

CB Troyski, a S10 relict, was auto retired. With this moves, some holes showed up for the Hawks, which they tried to tackle in the draft. In the first 6 rounds, they added 5 defensive players. First round pick Derred de Ville will be the future at LB and CBs Eldrick Avery and Ben Stackinpaper will have to show their talent and help out the veteran safeties in the backfield. Nuniq Annastesia is the much needed addition to a very young and inexperienced defensive line. With the loss of their centerpiece at offense and a rather young and inexperienced defense, the Hawks will have to step up the next level, to repeat their success of last season.

CHI Chicago Butchers CHI

The Butchers had a chaotic ending last season and free agency was quite active too. There are only 9 starters from last year, who will also be on the roster this year. In Expansion Draft, Beat (S) and their kicker Diego Espinosa were selected and in free agency, DTs Johnson Harding (Liberty) and Benson Harris (FA) left alongside LB Lee and DBs Schneider, Espeeyeeseetee and Rambo. On offense they lost the services of RB Leaf Jr, who they traded to Austin. Hard times were ahead of Chicago in the draft, as they additionally had a lack of early round picks. After their first selection, LB Benson Bayley Jr, a mandatory GM pick in the second round, they had to wait until round 6 to grab the next player. They added Julio Tirtawidjaja, their new second string RB and drafted in Hamish MacAndrew a much needed help at S. Sam Sidekick will be their kicker, a 132 TPE rookie. Osiris Firestorm-Fjord made an interesting decision, and moved from TE to CB, to be a much needed help in the secondary. Hence, the 10th round pick Von Hayes will be the starter at TE in the upcoming season. Rose Jenkins will have a tough last season holding the realm of the Chicago Butchers.

COL Colorado Yeti COL

The Yeti ended their season losing yet another playoff game. But they are set as a team like almost no other franchise. They have their building stones and lost almost no player in the offseason. The obligatory Expansion Draft losses were DE Steco Ocewilder and WR Laslo Forty-Two. The third pick, James Bishop, was traded back to the Yeti after expansion was over. In the draft, they added DT Mo Magic with their first round pick to replace the departure of Smirh. Another addition to the line - the replacement for Ocewilder - will be Ismael Sanchez. William Lim, one of the top WR in the draft, will slowly be developed this season behind a solid WR corps, which was complemented by Jake Dropson in a trade with the Liberty. The other picks are send down to learn another year in the DSFL.

PHI Philadelphia Liberty PHI

Philadelpia lost in their offseason two definsive players in Emondov Emoji (CB) and Mike Franchet (DE) and their kicker Venus Powers. Moreover they traded away WR Jake Dropson to the Yeti. To make up for that departure, Flash Panda changed from RB to WR. The secondary of the Liberty needed improvement, which was tackled at the beginning of the draft. With two firsts and a second, Philadelphia drafted two Safeties and a Cornerback. This is an investment into the future, as their secondary needs help with their two solid DBs already entered regression. The Liberty has one of the best offenses in the league, but the defense is their weakness. They added many pieces to it this draft, but is it enough to be a contender already?

SAR Sarasota Sailfish SAR

We will cover Sarasota in the team spotlight below, but we will also cover the team briefly here. The new franchise placed in Florida was founded by young WR Rayne Gordon and even younger RB Dax Frost. Before Expansion Draft, they signed QB Zack Vega to hold the keys on offense. In expansion, they tried to add active players to foster their locker room. On offense, they added WR Dexter Banks II and TE Johnny Blaze alongside kicker Diego Espinosa. They also picked WR Laszlo Forty-Two, who changed his position to OL. A few days after the draft, Forty-Two stated that he wants to play for a contender and was soon afterwards traded to the Yellowknife Wraiths.Sarasota drafted WR Michael Witheblock to set their WR corps for the future. The rest of the offensive skill positions were sent down to gain experience in the DSFL for another season.

The players picked up on defense in the Expansion Draft were DEs Fabricio Baldari, Steco Ocewilder and Mike Franchet, DT Freezer Riposte, CBs Jordan Andrews and Lucas Knight and Safeties Beat and Chase Jensen. Jensen was traded to Yellowknife just days after the draft was over. With that additions, Sarasota built up a solid defensive line and secondary. After the draft, they traded for S Jamie Nkiah from Austin, to add more talent to the secondary. In the draft, they first picked DT Cuco Clemente, to have a heir to veteran Freezer Riposte. LB was addressed, as this position was the missing link between the line and secondary. They added Haha Mango-Panda and Fawn Dillmiballs to pair up there. With a very young team the Sailfish will start into their first season.

YKW Yellowknife Wraiths YKW

The Yellowknife Wraiths had to process yet another Ultimus loss going into the offseason. Two of their young players were named GM of the new franchise Sarasota Sailfish, so they had to let go WR Rayne Gordon and RB Dax Frost, who was a send down to the DSFL last season. The last player they had to see leave in the Expansion Draft was DE Jayson Kearse. Speaking of defense, LB Alex Selich was traded to Honolulu in the offseason and S Logan Lejune left in free agency. The Wraiths were the only team in the draft without any trade, they always picked on their position. They picked up S Chester Jensen in a trade with Sarasota and drafted with Johnny Hellzapoppin another one in the first round. By drafting two DE in the third and fifth round, they start a rebuild at the defensive line. On offense, Yellowknife continues to play without a TE on the roster. They added Acura Skyline, the leading rusher of last years DSFL season to an already solid RB duo. At WR, the Wraiths signed Willie B. Hardagain to make up for the loss of Rayne Gordon. A huge trade happened just this week, as Yellowknife traded for the highest TPE OL player Laszlo Forty-Two, who stated shortly before that he wants to play for a contender in the last few seasons of his career.

ASFC

ARI Arizona Outlaws ARI

The Arizona Outlaws had some big losses on the defensive side in Free Agency and Expansion Draft. Out of their 11 starters last season, only 4 are still on the team. This are DT Shane Masters and Peter Miller, LB Galf Wilf and CB Desmond Scarlett. DE Joseph Henry was auto retired and LB Marlo Smart and CB Beau Montgomery became Free Agents. Another CB, Lucas Knight, was selected by Sarasota in the Expansion Draft and Sarasota also traded for S Jamie Nkiah, which brought Arizona a 2nd pick in the S23 draft.

On the offensive side of the ball it was a bit more quiet, but they had to let go two valid pieces of the offense. RB Ruff Ruff was taken by Honolulu in the Expansion draft and WR Willie B. Hardagain, who played TE for the Oulaws, went to the Yellowknife Wraiths. Oldie Jammerson Irving also left to hire in Orange County.

At RB, they called up Baby Yoda, who was parked in the DSFL for a year to develop. Arizona had a stock of draft capital, they picked multiple times in each round from the second to fifth. Out of this 10(!) picks until overall 54, they mainly tried to fix up their holes on defense. They drafted the highest earning LB, Stanislaw Koniecpolski in the first round, and added talent to their secondary with CB Tyler Oles Jr and Zamir Kehla alongside S Quinn Hughes, who promptly became their Co-GM. To tighten the line, Sandro Ryeu and Claude Miller II are heading to the Grand Canyon state. On the offensive side of the ball, they chose Heath Evans as their Tight End of the future and Thomas Passmann to join the receiving corps. With Bruce Buckley and Calvin Golladay in back to back picks in the fourth round, they gave fair rubs and try to build up a human controlled O-Line.

AUS Austin Copperheads AUS

In Austin the offseason was quite calm. There were no big Free Agency losses. The Expansion Draft took away WR Jacoby Clay, CB Victor Moreno and S Chase Jensen. The tough losses in the secondary are replaced internally, with an armada of safeties on the team. Their only CB on the roster is Lavelle Jr, who is currently the highest player in the game. Their first round pick was spent on another CB, although Colt Mendoza will stay down in the DSFL. But he will help the coaches to find the right strategy. The Copperheads picked only 5 times in the draft. Besides the first overall pick, they added another defensive player in Troen Egghands to improve at DE. With Eddie Jeeta, they drafted a WR who will replace Jacoby Clay. In the draft they traded for Ryan Leaf Jr to help fix their lack of run game. Austin had only the second last rushing yards last year, now they have one of the best RB duos in the league.

HON Honolulu Hahalua HON

Honolulu will also be covered in a team spotlight, but again we will cover them briefly here as well. The Honolulu Hahalua head into their first season of the NSFL. They started off building their team in the Expansion Draft, were they added many building stones to hopefully gain success. A huge boost on offense is QB Corvo Havran, an automatic GM pick, who will help the team a lot in the early years. To give Havran help on offense, the Hahalua picked WRs Jed Podolak and Jacoby Clay. They also selected James Bishop, but immediately traded him back to the Yeti. At RB, they chose the services of Ruff Ruff and added Venus Powers to handle their kicking game. On the defensive side they picked DE Jayson Kearse, LBs Mack Arianlacher, Jaylen Storm and Sandip “Sandy” Bakshi, CBs Victor Moreno and Emondov Emoji and S Joseph Wozniak. They also picked up LB Alex Selich, DT Reggie Culbertson and DE Logan Noble Jr in Free Agency. In the draft, they added some centerpieces for the future. In the first round, they selected Phat Boi to tighten the line for years to come. The next pick was White Goodman, their future at RB. With following picks they chose two safeties, to help in the backfield and WR Blake Alexander, who is the missing piece at WR. The other picks are send downs and will help their build up in the next seasons.

NOLA New Orleans Second Line NOLA

The reigning champ had a quiet offseason. They managed to keep the most important pieces of their team toghether, although there were some tough picks in the Expansion Draft. Mack Arianlacher, LB, may be a rough hit to their defense. Jordan Andrews, CB, was taken out of a bolstered secondary and WR Jed Podolak will be missed in the WR corps. WR corps is a very high exaggeration, as the only WR left on the Second Line roster is Bona’beri Jones, who already is far into regression and will retire after this season. Some would have assumed that they will tackle this position in the draft, but they just picked up low TPE late round picks. They traded up pre draft to get their DT of the future in Magnus Rikiya. Dorfus Jimbo Jr is called up from the DSFL to help at the line, as was Ugarth the Dissector, who will try to replace Johnny Slothface after his retirement at LB. Further call ups are Rainier Wolfcastle at TE and Ed Barker at RB. The run heavy style will once again be seen in New Orleans, with 3 RBs, 2 TEs and just one WR on their roster.

OCO Orange County Otters OCO

Orange County also saw a very quiet offseason. the only pieces they had to let go were the picks in the Expansion Draft. WR Dexter Banks II, TE Johnny Blaze and LB Jaylen Storm were the players they had to wave goodbye. Blaze was replaced with their first pick, Jeffrey Phillips and the free agent signing of Jammerson Irving. Big Edd and Deshun Jones will help to bolster up the defensive front, and Tatsu Nakamura will slowly take over the keys at RB. Orange County has not many holes on their roster currently, but will have to deal with most of their offensive key players already in or hitting regression after this season.

SJS San Jose Sabercats SJS

In San Jose there weren’t any changes at all on offense compared to last season. Not a single player left or was taken in expansion, and no player was called up or drafted who made the roster right away. On defense, things look a bit different. Veteran LB JoJo Burr-Kirven was auto-retired and S Joseph Wozniak and DT Freezer Riposte were taken in Expansion Draft. Two more starters at DB left the team. The already banged up secondary was tried to be fixed with two CB draft picks by selecting Chester Sweets in the first and Cadillac Harris in the fourth round. Lawrence Bass will help the LB corps, who is known in San Jose to be used all over the field. On the line, DE Chip Otle finally joins the team after playing in the DSFL for another year last season. In the fifth round they added the best kicker in the draft, Matthew McDairmid.

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Team Spotlight: Sarasota SAR [/div]
Presented by Eric Barlow

Sarasota is one of two new expansion teams coming to the NSFL in S22. Spearheaded by GM’s frostbite and raindelay. In this article, I will walk you through the brief history so far, analyzing their drafts, and looking towards the future of the team.

We begin this story in the expansion draft. Having no foundation, it will be important for Sarasota to find the building blocks of their future here. Before the expansion draft, Sarasota had 3 players, one they traded for, and two from GM. Those players are, Dax Frost, Rayne Gordon, and Zach Vega. All of those players being on the offensive side of the ball made it rather apparent who they would target in the expansin draft

With the first pick in the expansion draft, the Sarasota Silverfish selected wide receiver Dexter Banks II. Now on first glance, this pick seems underwhelming. However, upon closer inspection this was clearly a strategic move. With 915 TPE, there was simply no way they’d allow him to head to Honolulu with Corvo Harvan

With their next picks, Sarasota went back-to-back defensive ends. The first being Fabirico Baldari, at 615 TPE this will be an excellent anchor point for the Sailfish to begin building their defensive line. The second of the two, Steco Osewilder at 556 TPE. For a team that, up to this point had nothing but offensive players, this is a good place to start building a defense.

With the 8th and 9th picks, they selected corner Jordan Andrews and wide receiver turned offensive line Lazlo-Forty Two. Though Lazlo has already been traded off to Yellowknife. Jordan Andrews is another great defensive pick for the Sailfish, as he will become the anchor for their secondary.

12 and 13 were some of their strongest picks in the draft, garnering Beat, and Lucas Knight. Both are important additions to the Sarasota secondary, and could remain so for quite some time. Followed closely behind with DE Mike Franchet and S Chase Jensen with picks 16 and 17. Unfortunately for the sailfish, Mike Franchet retired soon after the expansion draft.

The final three picks were used on defensive tackle, Freezer Reposte, tight end Johnny Blaze, and kicker, Diego Espinosa. There isn’t a whole lot to say about these three, They will be primarily depth pieces and will likely be moved or retired by the end of S23.

Let’s now take a look at the first 10 rounds of Sarasota’s S22 draft.

R2 - 20: DT - Cucu Clemente.
R3 - 26: LB - Haha Mango-Panda.
R3 - 36: WR - Michael Witheblock.
R4 - 38: LB - Fawn Dilmiballs.
R5 - 50: TE - James Angler
R6 - 62: S - Eric Barlow
R6 - 68: OL - Joey McCabe
R8 - 86: S - Sebastian Vettel
R9 - 98: RB - Aaron Feels
R10 - 110: K - Jacob Small.
R10 - 115: RB - Kevin Fakon

There’s a pattern that becomes apparent right away with these picks. The sailfish are clearly looking to build a locker room rather than address needs. It is also clear, they targeted former Myrtle Beach players.

One of the biggest regrets for the Sailfish may be trading away their first round pick and not getting a first in return. It is highly likely they would have liked to grab Troen Egghands or Brandon Booker. However, what saves their draft is how they handled the late rounds.

Three picks stick out in particular. Sebastian Vettlel at 86, Eric Barlow at 62, and Kevin Fakon at 115. While Vettle and Fakon’s activity came into question both during and after the draft. The potential these two players have, is monumental. Sebastian Vettel was once considered a first or second round player before going on hiatus due to personal developments. They’re taking a small gamble with him, but it’s one that will likely pay off in a big way. The same can be said for Kevin Fakon, having now been drafted, his activity has increased immensely. Having a second high earning runningback on the Sailfish will allow them to open up their offensive capabilities, creating a much more dynamic and complex scheme.

Eric Barlow is different, as his activity isn’t why he fell as far as he did. Nor would it be his TPE, as he is a max earner. The leading theory is he fell due to his adamacy of going to Chicago, so much so, that he may have scared teams into thinking he would jump ship for Butchers at the first opportunity. Though having a player on your team with the level of activity and passion as Barlow cannot be a bad thing. Especially when that player is looking to assist in the war room.

Sarasota’s top 4 picks are also worth mentioning. Clemente, Panda, Witheblock, and Dilmiballs provides the foundation for a great group to build a locker room around. In that aspect, the Sailfish have succeeded beyond measure. To some it was a true surprise to see Clemente fall to the second round. A high earner and well-regarded user, there were few options if any, to make this a better pick for Sarasota.

On the other side of that coin, many did not expect Haha-Mango to be drafted as high as he did. Though it is a pick that has already paid off in big ways, as much like his draft mates, Panda has become an essential part of the locker room. With linebacker being a weaker position in this draft class, and being a high need for many teams, it makes sense they’d make the move on him.

Witheblock is another player that was a shock to see fall, and Sarasota took full advantage of that. If this was any other draft class, it is highly likely he’d have been taken somewhere in the first. There’s no way the Sailfish are complaining though, as they get an incredibly active user, and one of the top receiver prospects in the entire draft.

Dilmiballs is a player that a large number of GM’s graded very highly, and it is remarkable that they managed to snag him in the fourth. Sarasota solidifies their linebacking corps for the foreseeable future with Fawn and Haha. Putting these two together also creates an unbreakable chemistry, as they battle it out with memes. The most important thing the Sailfish got out of this draft was creating a great locker room early, which will in no doubt draw prospects to the team in the future.

Now, let’s get to the really exciting part, how will the silverfish perform in their inaugural season? Well, as you may expect by now, not fantastic. The average TPE on this team is 466, on top of that, their quarterback has yet to even break the 500 tpe mark.

The only question then, where is the real problem? Offense or defense? As it currently stands, it is easier to claim defense. There simply is not a standout player on the Sarasota defense. Sure, they’ve acquired some key veterans in expansion, but their highest TPE picks were offensive players like Banks and Forty-Two.

Even with the addition of Lucas Knight, their secondary seems significantly underwhelming. This could cause some immediate issues for the silverfish, as they’ll have to play Colorado, Yellowknife, and Baltimore twice every year. On top of that, they’ll be facing all 3 of those teams at home back to back. It is unlikely they’ll be winning against Colorado or Yellowknife, but against the newly grounded Hawks, they have a chance.

They’re next 2 games are slightly easier, thought only by virtue of playing at home, with two home games against Colorado and Philly. Don’t expect any wins here.

Following those two games, the New Orleans Second Line comes to town. I don’t think there’s much of a chance for Sarasota here. After just winning the ultimus, they managed to retain the majority of their starting roster. The Second Line has easily the best rushing attack in the NSFL and the Sailfish don’t have much of an answer.

Week 7 doesn’t get much easier as they head over to Austin. Another team with a powerful rushing attack that will cause problems for the Sailfish. There’s also the issue of this being played in Austin, which makes this incredibly difficult for Sarasota.

Week 8 is an away game against the potent Orange County Otters. This is another matchup that just doesn’t seem like Sarasota has any answer for what the Otters are best at. However unlike Austin and NOLA, the Otters have an incredible defense that few can match. It seems highly improbable for the Sailfish to come out of this victorious

Week 9 is a revenge game against Baltimore. This time Sarasota will have the home field advantage, so there may be a chance they pull one away here if they couldn’t do it before. Baltimore’s biggest strength is their defensive front, so if Sarasota wants to win, they’ll need to make sure their offense is in order.

Week 10 is the second game against the Wraiths. While it is a home game, the Yellowknife wraiths could possibly be the best team in the league this season, so don’t expect the Sailfish to take this one.

Week 11 against Colorado is another game which shouldn’t be seen as a possible takeaway. The Yeti improved massively in the last few seasons, and with added weapons for McDummy, they’re the current favorites to win the Ultimus

Week 12 they play Philly again, this time as the away team. This will likely be a close game, though Philadelphia does come in with the home field advantage.

Week 13 at Chicago will represent the first time Sarasota comes in as favourites. A win here would be a good way to end an otherwise difficult season.

Season prediction:

So in conclusion, the Sarasota Sailfish will be facing tremendous odds, and are unlikely to be doing a whole lot of winning. At the end of the day, this should be expected. There are still a lot of question marks surrounding the team on both sides of the ball. I will be willing to bet, the Sailfish’s final record will be 4-9 at best, and realistically 3-10.

Closing thoughts:

Sarasota will be facing incredible adversity in S22. They’ve got many things to overcome if they want to win the Ultimus. However, it’s clear that the GM’s have a plan in place and are perfectly okay with being less than great to get that plan in place.

The most interesting thing to look for coming out of this season will be how the team handles losing. There’s no doubt the team is far from ready to be a contender, so it’ll be important to see how they handle being at the bottom. The pieces are in place to create something great, what’s important is that they remain patient.



6761 Words:

Please pay 10% to Forty Jordy, 33% to Sakrosankt, 33% to Thiath, 10% to juicychase and 14% to Isidore94

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - LimJahey - 04-25-2020

Saving for Freezing Cold Takes

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - caltroit_red_flames - 04-25-2020

> Be COL
> Lose top WR cause position switch to OL
> Lose top OL cause expansion draft
> No offensive weapons
> #1 in power rankings

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - Isidore94 - 04-25-2020

(04-25-2020, 07:56 PM)caltroit_red_flames Wrote:> Be COL
> Lose top WR cause position switch to OL
> Lose top OL cause expansion draft
> No offensive weapons
> #1 in power rankings

every top team lost weapons. and Colorado is #1 because of their elite defense

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - SabaDonutMan - 04-25-2020

Arizona snubbed
bad gm smh (jk ily)

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - ddrector - 04-25-2020

Our QB is Stan Francisco. My player, David Rector, is a CB.

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - Isidore94 - 04-25-2020

(04-25-2020, 08:32 PM)ddrector Wrote:Our QB is Stan Francisco. My player, David Rector, is a CB.

Good find! ty

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - slothfacekilla - 04-25-2020

(04-25-2020, 11:56 AM)caltroit_red_flames Wrote:> Be COL
> Lose top WR cause position switch to OL
> Lose top OL cause expansion draft
> No offensive weapons
> #1 in power rankings

>lose at home to NOLA in the preseason

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - Thor - 04-25-2020

(04-26-2020, 04:24 AM)Isidore94 Wrote:Let’s now take a look at the first 10 rounds of Sarasota’s S22 draft.

R2 - 20: DT - Cucu Clemente.
R3 - 26: LB - Haha Mango-Panda.
R3 - 36: WR - Michael Witheblock.
R4 - 38: LB - Fawn Dilmiballs.
R5 - 50: TE - James Angler
R6 - 62: S - Eric Barlow
R6 - 68: OL - Joey McCabe
R8 - 86: S - Sebastian Vettel
R9 - 98: RB - Aaron Feels
R10 - 110: K - Jacob Small.
R10 - 115: RB - Kevin Fakon
>posts list of 11 players
>2 MB players
>
(04-26-2020, 04:24 AM)Isidore94 Wrote:It is also clear, they targeted former Myrtle Beach players.

???

*NSFL (S22) Power Rankings Edition 1 - JuOSu - 04-25-2020

I will say I always love analysis articles and this is great! That being said, as the Ultimus champs, this definitely puts a bit of a chip on our shoulder! No respect and all that Smile

Great work!