*Kansas City Coyotes: Rollercoaster of Emotions

[Rradum]

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[div align=\\\"center\\\"] Kansas City Coyotes: Season In Review [/div]

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]The Kansas City Coyotes were predicted to be the same team they were in Season 15 but left the league fairly stunned. Going from 2 wins to a playoff appearance is not an easy task. When myself and Cody Pharoah @flyeaglesfly29 took over in S14, we were new and didn’t have much GM knowledge. After doing our homework in the offseason and drafting a solid defense heavy class with the added help of some key pieces of offense, we were on the right track. I’m going to go over our draft, some key games, our playoff matchup, and team leaders as an update for the story of the Kansas City Coyotes.

The Draft:

This draft wasn’t as large as the S14 DSFL draft by a long shot, but that class seems to be an anomaly. Our point differential in Season 14 was abysmal so we knew we absolutely had to go defense in this draft. A few offensive replacements needed to be made and they made their mark for the team and were a big reason we were able to stay in some games. A few moves were made during the season that changed up our draft capital. When we traded Ryan Leaf Jr. over to the Norfolk Seawolves, we settled for Norfolks 5th rounder, that eventually turned into a 4th due to it being a conditional pick in case we didn’t make it to the 5th round. Probably the biggest draft capital hit was when we acquired Lightsout Lewis from the Portland Pythons. Since Lewis is a max earner, we had to give away max value, and that was our first overall pick in the draft. In hindsight, this didn’t damage us too much as I will go over in this article. A few moves were made before flyeaglesfly and I took over which netted us extra picks in rounds 2 and 3.

Picks for S15 DSFL draft:

Round 2 Pick 7: Jaylen Storm - S - @Daybe

This was a pretty cut and dry pick. We wanted defense and we got a defensive stud in Jaylen Storm. He put in work from day one and we’re happy that we were able to snag him in the second round. He’s a solid locker room guy and helped lead the offense with Lightsout Lewis. Storm was absolutely our star secondary guy from the time he stepped on the field.

Round 2 Pick 9: Joshua Palmer - TE - @`Jackets28`

Joshua Palmer is the quintessential tight end for a team like the Kansas City Coyotes. He was following in the footsteps of Cameron Olsen after he was drafted by San Jose. Palmer made his own path will be a stud in the NSFL himself. He’s been a great locker room guy from day 1 and continues to be even after the season had come to a close. On the field he was a very adamant force on offense between taking care of first downs and blocking.


Round 3 Pick 13: Blaster Blade Jr. - LB - @Blaster

Blaster is a guy who’s been around the league before and we actually picked him up off waivers during Season 14. We decided that his speed was just too high to pass up. He didn’t say anything in the locker room and he never trains, but he has a job and he does it. Out there with Lightsout Lewis and Buddha Lebowski, he tore up the field making tackle after tackle and was a strong part of our stout defense.

Round 3 Pick 14: Evan Trigg - DE - @greygoosevodka

Trigg did what was asked of him and provided quality defense on the edge getting a solid number of tackles for loss and getting a couple sacks to top off his stats. He’ll possibly be back on the team next season so we’ll have a solid person up front again for season 16.

Round 4 Pick 19: William Tell - CB - @scharlachrot

William Tell joined the league right before the draft started so he was a dart throw for the draft and boy did it pay off. Tell played really well accumulating three interceptions and 66 tackles on the season along with tying for second in the league in pass defenses. Seems like we got a solid steal towards the end of the draft.

Round 4 Pick 2: Anthony Jemima - OL - @Vulgar

I was really happy about this pick because looking at season 14, Rose Jenkins did not have a great time in the pocket. With the addition of Jemima who ended up second in the league with 56 pancakes with a stunning 0 sacks allowed, we were able to do a whole lot more with our offense to get the ball down the field. One of my favorite picks of our draft.


Now that the draft is over, let’s get into some of the key games of the Kansas City Coyotes season.

Game 1:

Kansas City Coyotes @ Tijuana Luchadores:

Starting off the season we had no idea what was in store with our new defense and changes to the offensive playbook. Playing at the season 14 Ultimini contenders stadium surrounded by the red sea, we were hopeful but not stupid. But boy were we surprised. Out of the gate the Coyotes defense was making play after play, interception after interception, and we were absolutely amazed. Had we finally done it? Did we figure out the formula? J.N. Nova catches a touchdown in the middle of the first quarter to give us the first points of the game. We finish the game with a 23 to 7 victory with the final nail in the coffin being a pick six caught by Jaylen Storm.


Game 5:

Kansas City Coyotes vs. Portland Pythons:

After a three game losing streak we finally got a divisional matchup at our home turf. The reigning Ultimini champions, the Pythons, were showing up after a tough 5 point loss to the Norfolk Seawolves, the other NFC team. This gave us a glimpse of hope after getting ran over by the Pythons in game 2. We did formation and play-calling changes going into this game with hopes of putting up a solid fight. We put our trust in our sophomore running back Jay Quick who began the scoring with a short run in the first quarter. We stayed on the ground for a large portion of the game trying to keep the ball out of the hands of the Pythons secondary. The Pythons still accumulated 2 picks but they were not able to completely capitalize on them scoring 10 points in the game. Once again, our defense stepped up to the plate with Buddha Lebowski giving us the lead with a critical pick six midway through the third quarter. Things were looking up. At this point it seemed like Jay Quick was gassed after running the ball 33 times for 134 yards so the final minutes of the fourth quarter was in the hands of the defense. The Pythons had the ball for the last 4 minutes of the game and it seemed like an eternity. If they were able to march down the field with the reigning league MVP Franklin Armstrong at the helm. Our defense made tackle after tackle, forcing incompletion after incompletion ultimately not allowing the Pythons to pass midfield. The game ended with the Kansas City Coyotes scoring 15 and the Portland Pythons with 10. We were in disbelief knowing that we had just secured our first divisional win of the season. We already tied Season 14s measly 2 wins after just game 5.



Games 7 through 9 (The streak):

Kansas City Coyotes vs. San Antonio Marshals
Kansas City Coyotes @ Palm Beach Solar Bears
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Tijuana Luchadores

I feel like these games were the definite high point of our season. A three game winning streak wasn’t even feasible after the season we had previously. But it happened, and it was glorious.

San Antonio had been having a rough season since losing most of their star players to the NSFL so that game seemed to be very winnable. Our running backs had a hell of a day, with both Jay Quick and Smith Jon amassing over 100 yards and a touchdown. That was another game where we kept it on the ground. Lightsout Lewis also had a great day accumulating 16 tackles and a tackle for loss. We finished that game winning 20 to 3.

Palm Beach made a strong turnaround just like us and even went on to win an Ultimini which was an awesome sight! We played them at their stadium and put up a strong fight. We yet again went heavy on the ground with Quick gaining 144 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Jon gaining 86 and a touchdown. Lewis once again smoked the offense with 18 tackles on his own. We had solid third down efficiency and Rose Jenkins did well with the passes that she threw. We finished off the Solar Bears winning 23 to 6.

It was time for another rematch with the out of country squad, the Tijuana Luchadores. This time we had them on our home turf and we were riding high after our past two wins. This game was probably the toughest win we got this season. The Kansas City offense was able to keep the ball in their hands longer than Tijuana due to the Luchadores being hit with penalty after penalty resulting in them punting the ball away. One of these punts was taken to the house by Jaylen Storm at the end of the first half. The offense struggled in the second half, so the game was in the hands of the well rested defense. They performed well with Lightsout Lewis leading the charge as usual ending with 17 tackles, 1 sack, and a pass defense. The Coyotes were able to hold their lead for the remainder of the game but just barely scraping out a win with a score of 23 to 17.


Playoffs

Now to the most important game of them all, the playoff game. The team was excited going into this game knowing where they were last season at this time. They were watching from home as the other teams in the division had their fun. Now it was Norfolks turn to stay home. Our showing at Portland's stadium were tough losses so we were hoping for a better finale this time. Boy, were we mistaken.

NFC Championship - Kansas City Coyotes @ Portland Pythons:

This game started rough and didn’t get better from there. Rose Jenkins was sacked within the first minute and we went for it on a long 4th down but failed. It seemed like the Pythons were in the same boat as us to begin with, but they quickly turned on the gas and making their way to the other side of the field. The offense had an okay game aside from only making it into the endzone once in garbage time. The defense forced 5 turnovers but penalties and 3 and outs made those essentially useless. Both sides of the ball amassed for 12 total penalties giving the Pythons exactly 100 yards. The Pythons run game is what took us down for the most part as we were unable to make key tackles and stop first downs.The game ultimately ended with the final score being 31 to 7. All around, this game was a learning experience and Cody Pharoah @flyeaglesfly29 and I are extremely proud of our team and excited for what we will do next season.


Continuing on with being proud of our team, I wanted to highlight some of our team leaders in both stats, and the locker room. These guys helped turn this team around from 2 wins to 7 and that’s not an easy task. They believed in the team and I am grateful for that.


Offensive Stars:

Jay Quick - Running Back:

This man really stepped it up this year. We moved to a run heavy offense and he took the reigns with grace. He shared a bit of time with Smith Jon but that didn’t stop him from accumulating 1617 yards on the ground with 7 touchdowns. Him and Smith Jon were the main focal points of our offense since the running game is king in the DSFL.

Joshua Palmer - Tight End:

Josh Palmer is a rookie who has consistently been one of the most active members of the locker room and exemplifies what a true Kansas City Coyote is. Since we ran a run heavy offense in season 15, Palmer didn’t really get his chance to shine. Now he’s up for the NSFL draft and he’s going to be a star for a TE needy team. Last seasons draft was full of active tight ends but there are plenty of spots for new ones. Completely unbiased opinion but San Jose now has the best tight end duo that the league will ever see. #largelads Palmer will shine on whatever team he goes to and will be a great locker room addition as well.

Anthony Jemima - Offensive Lineman:

Offensive linemen don’t get enough love and Anthony Jemima went out on the field to prove the world otherwise. His skills dramatically influenced how well our offense played this season from cutting last years sack numbers by a ton, and pancaking the hell out of people like a clumsy IHOP server. This man amassed 56 pancakes on the season and did not allow a single sack. That is just baffling to me that someone could do that. He didn’t talk much but he didn’t need to with skills like that. Sadly, his career was ended short as he died of starvation, which would have taken a while for him, after he spent all of his DSFL earnings on precious paintings and other art. Despite what his obituary reads, he will be remembered by the Coyotes organization for his protection. The only thing he couldn’t protect was his wallet from himself.



Defensive Stars:

Lightsout Lewis - Linebacker

Lightsout Lewis is on his way to Chicago in this upcoming season but that allowed him to tear up the DSFL once again. He lead the team in tackles at an astonishing 165 eclipsing the rest of the linebacker corp. He also finished the season with 6 sacks where most of them came later in the season. This biggest part of his playstyle for me is how great his reaction time is when he sees a fumble. This man picked up 4 forced fumbles which is an insane amount for any defensive player in a season. He’s going to be a stud for the new expansion team, Chicago Butchers, and it’ll be fun seeing him and former Coyote Cameron Olsen going at it in the middle of the field.


Jaylen Storm - Safety

Jaylen Storm is a veteran in a rookies body. This guy has the knowledge to react to any type of playcall and the speed to match the fastest downfield runner. He proved that time and time again this season recording 5 pass defenses, where 4 of them were interceptions! He was also our kick and punt returner and was damn good at it too. In the last game of our 3 game streak he ran a punt to the endzone for 81 yards to help secure a victory over Tijuana. I hear nonstop rumblings that he’s headed to Yellowknife. Almost like it was planned ahead of time. Maybe he’s the GMs long lost son or something? Anyways, he’s going to be a solid centerpiece of any defense.

William Tell - Cornerback

Our secondary was the main component of how well our season went. They were constantly outrunning receivers and getting their hands on the ball and Tell was a part of that. He ended the season with 66 tackles, 14 pass defenses and 3 interceptions. He was all over the place and even got a tackle for loss. If his training continues then he'll be a solid force in the big leagues.[/div]

[Starboy]

Kansas City going to keep tearing things up in S16. Should be able to win it all