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+---- Thread: *From High to Low (/showthread.php?tid=3631)
*From High to Low - kckolbe - 08-24-2017
Spirits were low in the Colorado Yeti locker room yesterday. It was a strange sensation, as just two hours prior they had finished a blowout game against the Baltimore Hawks, who had already clenched the #1 spot in the National Simulation Football Conference, and home field advantage in the Glacies Bowl. The Yeti, playing at home, crushed their conference rivals 43-10, with 23 of those points coming in an 11 minute span. The blowout likely would have been much worse had Baltimore tried to get back in the game, but the Hawks seemed content to run out the clock, posting 34 rushing attempts despite trailing for the entire game. The win was more than just a moral victory, as it lifted the Yeti to 8-6, tied for first place in the conference.
Unfortunately, the Wraiths, who were sitting at 7-6, hosted the Orange County Otters in Yellowknife. While the Otters, who went in to the game at 8-5, were no easy win, Yellowknife only needed a win and a total of 5 points scored to seize the second playoff berth. While getting the win proved almost too difficult, the Wraiths scored 10 points by the end of the first quarter. Yellowknife did manage to win the game 33-28, the small margin of victory quite characteristic for the Wraiths.
With that win, the Yeti were eliminated from playoff contention, making them the first team in the history of the NSFL to finish the season with a winning record and miss the playoffs. In Season One, a team had to finish in the bottom third to miss the postseason, but the addition of two teams meant that only the top 50% qualified. Despite an impressive performance throughout the season, the Yeti’s season was among the first to end, as they were on bye for Week 15. Running back Boss Tweed, who finished the year with the highest yards per carry and over 1,000 total rushing yards, seemed especially despondent. At a press conference after the game, he stated that it “feels disappointing entering the season with championship aspirations and missing the playoffs.” The sentiment is understandable, as any team would be disappointed at taking a step back from the previous year.
Here’s the thing, though, the Yeti didn’t take a step back. The Yeti finished the season with the highest point differential in the NSFC, outscoring combined opponents by 52 points. The NSFC #2 Wraiths, on the other hand, only outscored opponents by 5 points. Despite being an offensive powerhouse, their defense kept opponents in games and turned bad games into blowouts, with five of their six losses by multiple possessions. The Hawks, who will be hosting the Wraiths in two weeks, actually finished with a negative point differential. Many around the league are calling upon the league to revise standings tiebreakers, as the Yeti not only beat the Wraiths in point differential, but also in strength of victory. The argument is not only a powerful one for a change in league rules, but also to elicit sympathy for a team that clearly deserved more. Or did they?
This makes two seasons in a row that a team with a negative point differential has won the National Simulation Football Conference. The same thing happened in Season One as well, when the Wraiths finished second in the conference, also at 8-6, despite leading the #1 team by 34 points in total point differential. The conference winner? None other than the now-despondent Colorado Yeti, who went on to host the Wraiths in Colorado, win the Glacies trophy, and get embarrassed in the Ultimus Bowl by the Arizona Outlaws. Is this season some form of karmic revenge? If so, what does this mean for the Baltimore Hawks?
The Hawks finished Season One with a 4-10 record, yet somehow shot to the top of the conference after a series of close wins, many of which were contested after starting tight end Carmel Gibson was arrested and later found to have been taking large quantities of performance enhancing drugs. A subsequent investigation cleared the Hawks front office of wrongdoing, but it is undeniable that the Hawks are not the best team in the conference, and may not even be worthy of making the playoffs. Despite this, the Hawks will enter the post-season as favorites to win the Glacies Trophy. It seems that for the second year in a row, the NSFC will likely send an unworthy team to compete for the Ultimus Trophy, and also for second year in a row, that team will be blown out by the Arizona Outlaws.
((764 words, give 10% to @Archon for his solid slam in the comments))
*From High to Low - HENDRIX - 08-24-2017
Division record should be the #1 tiebreaker, which it is. What would be the point of divisions? Next up should be point differential, not points for. Yeti are getting majorly screwed by having a defensive oriented team.
*From High to Low - iamslm22 - 08-24-2017
Man people are shitting on us hard. We were one of two teams to win all our home games, and we beat division rival Philly on the road. We earned our spot. Our PD was insanely high until we clinched, these last two games were meaningless.
*From High to Low - kckolbe - 08-24-2017
(08-24-2017, 06:47 AM)HENDRIX Wrote:Division record should be the #1 tiebreaker, which it is. What would be the point of divisions? Next up should be point differential, not points for. Yeti are getting majorly screwed by having a defensive oriented team.
It's hard to argue that divisions are that important when they have 0 impact on schedule. I completely agree that point differential is more important than points scored, though.
*From High to Low - Archon - 08-24-2017
(08-24-2017, 05:50 AM)iamslm22 Wrote:Man people are shitting on us hard. We were one of two teams to win all our home games, and we beat division rival Philly on the road. We earned our spot. Our PD was insanely high until we clinched, these last two games were meaningless.
>Only the games we played with Gibson matter
>Gibson had no impact on our team
Pick one.
*From High to Low - tlk742 - 08-24-2017
(08-24-2017, 09:02 AM)Archon Wrote:>Only the games we played with Gibson matterIn terms of impact, while Gibson outperformed his colleagues at the TE position, the TE's impact on the game is minimal. I think you're beating a dead horse.
>Gibson had no impact on our team
Pick one.
*From High to Low - kckolbe - 08-24-2017
(08-24-2017, 07:35 AM)tlk742 Wrote:In terms of impact, while Gibson outperformed his colleagues at the TE position, the TE's impact on the game is minimal. I think you're beating a dead horse.
I don't. I think Baltimore would have lost to Arizona had it not been for Gibson. It was a very close game and he was an important player in it.
*From High to Low - HENDRIX - 08-24-2017
(08-24-2017, 09:38 AM)kckolbe Wrote:I don't. I think Baltimore would have lost to Arizona had it not been for Gibson. It was a very close game and he was an important player in it.Sanderson has slightly better hands than Gibson did. Odds are he would have made every catch Gibson did.
*From High to Low - manicmav36 - 08-24-2017
(08-24-2017, 08:50 AM)iamslm22 Wrote:Man people are shitting on us hard. We were one of two teams to win all our home games, and we beat division rival Philly on the road. We earned our spot. Our PD was insanely high until we clinched, these last two games were meaningless.
We could've won out the season and people still would've been throwing that ridiculous Gibson excuse around. They just want something to complain about.
*From High to Low - iamslm22 - 08-24-2017
(08-24-2017, 09:55 AM)manicmav36 Wrote:We could've won out the season and people still would've been throwing that ridiculous Gibson excuse around. They just want something to complain about.
Yea it's frustrating, but whatever.