S23 Season in review (as of week 10)
NSFC
Yellowknife Wraiths
Overview
The Yellowknife Wraiths are currently sitting atop the NSFC at 7-3 and are 2 wins clear of the three-way tie at 2nd place. This is to not much surprise as the Wraiths finished last season at 11-2 which was best in the league. They had a small scare in the offseason where the RBOTY and OPOTY Mathias Hanyadi exercised his option to enter the free agent market. Luckily, the Wraiths were able to secure him right back, and on top of that even added talent at the receiver position by signing former Sabercat WR Action Jackson, while also calling up S22 WR Mike Lee. This Wraiths squad boasts the most impressive offence in the league and so far in the season, the numbers are proving just that. They lead the league in passing yards, and while not up there in the rushing yards, they are certainly the most effective at moving the ball on the ground with a league leading 4.4 YPC and also lead the league in the rushing Touchdowns. Not to mention they lead the league in both Total Points For and Total Points Against as it currently stands. Many will say this type of production is due to being in the ‘weaker’ division, and while it may be partially true, I don’t believe it bears much weight at all on the overall strength of this team. This team is legit in every sense of the word.
Team MVP so far
I don’t think it’s any stretch to say RB Mathias Hanyadi is looking at another OPOTY award this season. His production just speaks for itself, and that is with a talented S22 Acura Skyline taking a nice chunk of carries. He leads the league in scrimmage yards at 1,144, while being currently 3rd in rushing yards at 801, behind the only two RBs in the league that have surpassed 200+ carries and dominates the league in TDs with 12 total. He is also the most efficient as he averages more YPC than any running back with more than 150 carries. If I were him, I’d be making some extra space in the trophy cabinet. And no question the teams MVP so far.
Playoff Odds – 99%
We are 1 game away from entering the final game stretch of purely conference matchups. This poses a very nice line up for Yellowknife, despite playing away for a good chunk of it. They’re not afraid of playing away, as they’ve won 3 out of their 4 away games so far this season. While being a clear 2 games clear of the next best team in the conference, the Wraiths would need to come up against some incredible bad luck in order to lose top seed, let alone a playoff spot. If I’m a betting man, there’s absolutely no question these guys are going to the playoffs and will likely be making another Ultimus appearance for the 5th time in 6 seasons. But as any league goes, you just never know.
Colorado Yeti
Overview
The Colorado Yeti are at a mediocre 5-5 at this point in the season and currently sit in second in the NSFC tied with two other teams. The reigning champions are having a very average season on pretty much all fronts. They are 6th in passing yards and are lacking heavily on passing TDs this season and have only managed 8 Touchdowns through the air. Although the air attack wasn’t expected to be too strong this season as two of their wide receivers retired in the offseason giving them one final season of play, however both are low in the TPE department to make any real contribution. Young WR Red Arrow called it quits early into his career being in the mid 400 TPE range, and veteran WR James Bishop heads into his 12th season and therefore took mega losses in TPE. This left young up-and-comer WR William Lim to take the WR1 role in only his sophomore NSFL season. They do however have a talented receiving back in Ashley Owens who is doing strong in the receiving game in his own rights, but could be better. And surprisingly isn’t being given a ton of opportunity in the ground game either. Having only 129 attempts as the lead back and averaging only 3.6 YPC, it’s not too surprising that the Yeti are 3rd bottom in the league for rushing yards. But nonetheless they are getting the Touchdowns with 11 scored on the ground. Perhaps what’s keeping this 5-5 team in the playoff race is a stellar defence. They are the best at forcing fumbles and lead the league in sacks with 37! Perhaps defences really do win championships.
Team MVP so far
Offensively no one has been too impressive, but defensively is another story and once again not too much of a surprise to many is that future Hall of Famer LB Mo Berry is killing it. He leads the team and the league in sacks with 11 in a 10 game span. He’s also raked in 72 tackles, a forced fumble and recovery, 1 interception and 12 PDs. This man in a nightmare to face up against and is the biggest reason the Yeti are still incredibly competitive for the playoff runs. He’s certainly the MVP for the Yeti and without a doubt will be in the running for another DPOTY award.
Playoff Odds – 79%
For being the previous champions, the Yeti’s playoff hopes are not certain. They’re tied at 5-5 along with two others and a 4-6 Sarasota team sit close behind also. With the Wraiths a shoe in, there are 2 spots left. They do have a tough matchup next week as they head to Orange County, but the rest of their schedule looks very winnable and even thought the offence is struggling somewhat, I expect this defence to carry them through, especially with 3 home games, two of which are against the bottom two teams in the division.
Philadelphia Liberty
Overview
The Philadelphia Liberty got off to a rocky start when they lost at home to the Chicago Butchers and began the season 0-2. However, they bounced back with some force, winning 4 of the next 5 games. The loss being by only a single point playing at Yellowknife. They had some very impressive wins too, beating out the Second Line, Otters and Copperheads. In the stats department, nothing jumps out as being that great, with the exception of passing Touchdowns. Surprisingly, even though they are smack in the middle of the pack in terms of passing yards, they have managed to rake in 18 TDs that’s tied for 2nd best in the league. This team was seen for the past few seasons as a run happy team as QB Brock Pheonix developed, and they had super star running back Sam Torenson to pound the ball, but this season they’ve seem to have taken a step further into becoming a more balanced team. This is fairly evident in their rushing game. They rank in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards and are 2nd last in rushing TDs with only 5, beating only Chicago. Their defence has also been fairly mediocre, but have scored 3 defensive TD’s which is not incredible, but that is tied for the lead in the league, and those defensive TD’s help swing a games outcome big time, and I’m sure helped nab them a couple of wins that might not have been.
Team MVP so far
Most have been doing fairly well with nothing quite outlandish stat wise and just contributing what they need to to help win games, but two defensive players do stick out and that’s DE Spike Suzuki and LB Wayne Howyanow. Suzuki hasn’t put up any stats in most areas. That’s partly due to the position he’s playing, but one area he is truly excelling at is TFLs. He leads the entire league by a large margin with 19! On the other side, Howyanow is making plays all across the board. He is second in Liberty tackles, has 2 Forced fumbles, 4 sacks, 9 PDs and 1 pick six. That’s a play maker and difference maker right there.
Playoff Odds – 72%
The 5-5 battle in the NSFC is intense right now and while Philly have the disadvantage over Colorado as it stands, having lost to them in week 1, they do have the advantage over Baltimore with a strong victory at home in week 3. Liberty are also better in Total Points For and Total Points Against amongst these three teams. The schedule is also extremely winnable as 2 of the 3 away games they have remaining are against the 2 bottom ranked teams in the league. They must face the Yeti and Yellowknife again but both are being played at home so their odds aren’t bad there either. If they don’t make NSFC 2nd seed, then I expect Philly to squeeze into the final playo0ff spot.
Baltimore Hawks
Overview
The Baltimore Hawks are the final 5-5 team in the NSFC. They’ve had a fairly rocky road to a 5-5 record so far, with two notable victories over Yellowknife and Orange County. But otherwise they haven’t been able to get a good streak going. Young QB Chika Fujiwara is leading this offence better than I think most would have expected, especially working with 3 fairly mid-tier WR’s. Her passing yardage is lacking and is in the lower half of the league, but has been able to score a solid 11 Touchdowns. This season it’s clear that they’ve gone the ground and pound route. Baltimore lead the league in rushing attempts and rushing yards. Veteran RB Apollo Reed and Rising Star RB Darrel Williams are splitting the carries right down the middle and both are producing very well, with around 700 yards each and 10 TDs between them. The defence is also not too shabby with a tied 2nd TFLs in the league at 33, and a solid 7 Forced Fumbles is always helpful too.
Team MVP so far
The MVP for the Hawks so far this season is yet another defensive player and a very good friend of mine. S22 1st rounder, LB Derred de Ville. He’s been an absolute force for this team, racking up 72 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF, team leading 6 sack, 1 INT and a team leading 12 PDs. He’s all over the field and helping get that ball back into the hands of Fujiwara. Another notable playmaker so far this season is DE Terry Taffy. They’ve tallied up 16 TFLs, a forced fumble and recovery, and 3 sacks. These players have been crucial in helping Baltimore win games and De Ville will be a key component on this defence for a long time to come.
Playoff Odds – 58%
Unfortunately for Baltimore they have already lost to both Colorado and Philadelphia which gives them the advantage in a tie breaker. Luckily there is hope as all they need is to achieve a better record than one of them in order to gain a playoff spot. My fear for Baltimore is firstly that Colorado as of now is juts a better overall team and Philly have a wonderful schedule for the final stretch of games. Whereas the Hawks have 4 away games to play in the final 6 weeks, and they are at Colorado, Yellowknife and Sarasota. It’s a much tougher road than the other but with 6 weeks to go and all at 5-5, you can bet it’s still all to play for.
Sarasota Sailfish
Overview
Sarasota are an interesting team to analyse. Strangely even though they are only 2 season old, I feel their team is much better than their record suggests. At 4-6, they’ve not been doing so hot on either side of the ball, but they have the weapons to be successful. QB Dexter Banks position swapped in the offseason and might possibly be having a bit of transition delay in his game, as he is a 1000+ TPE QB and some plays you see that shine, and others it’s not quite right. I expect a much better season from him next season though, I have a lot of faith in him as a QB and the whole receiver core of Sarasota moving forward. On the ground however the Sailfish have been performing quite efficiently. RB Dax Frost and rookie RB Running Back have been having a very nice season in their own right. They are 3rd in the league in YPC and 3rd in overall rushing yards, despite having the 5th fewest rushing attempts. Keep pounding the rock Sarasota, something is working there. One thing they have been unable to do as well is get in the endzone. With only 8 TDs that’s tied for 4th fewest in the league. On the defensive side of the ball is where the team is lacking most. They are bottom half of the league in almost every aspect. They sit right in the middle for sacks which is good but have 2nd fewest FFs and Ints, and rank dead last for PDs. Teams have been able to air it out on the Sailfish quite nicely but I do put this down to bad sim luck for the most part as the DBs in Sarasota are not untalented by any means.
Team MVP so far
MVP for Sarasota so far is WR Rayne Gordon. He’s been putting the whole receiving game on his back since there’s only young WR Michael Witheblock and young TE James Angler to help him out, and both are S22 players. While Rayne hasn’t put up staggering numbers, he is 4th in receiving yards and a very respectable 5 TDs while Banks gets settled into the new role as QB.
Playoff Odds – 26%
While Sarasota are sitting in 5th for the conference right now, their playoff hope are not out the window just yet. They are only 1 game behind the 3 5-5 teams ahead of them. With 6 games still left to play, the stars could align just right and they could claw their way into the 3rd playoff spot. The Sailfish will need to really step on the gas pedal though, as Colorado’s defence is looking very healthy and Philadelphia has a fantastic schedule ahead of them. Sarasota’s schedule on the other hand isn’t too bad either. They have a nice 4 home games left to play, but the teams in which they play are not easy take downs. For example, the Austin Copperheads and Yellowknife Wraiths. Its obviously not an impossible task for the Sailfish but I wouldn’t hold my breath in hopes of a playoff appearance.
Chicago Butchers
Overview
This is one team I have a huge amount of respect for. This team just 2 season ago was so down in the dumps, people were calling for a complete rebrand and clean house, but Muford and Bayley stepped in to the job and stayed true to the team and have been making great strides in improving the team and preparing for the future over anything else. I know the players on the team are not disheartened by the losses they face and are all in in giving their all to being the best they can for this franchise. Ofcourse this team was going to struggle this season. They’re an extremely young team in every position. The only veterans are WR Sean O’Leary and LB Mike Hockhertz. Everyone else is S21 or younger. Can’t expect strong competition from a team with that type of roster, but a few seasons down the road, they’ve be right back in the thick of playoffs. I wont read out their offensive rankings, because there is little point. Just know they rank last or 2nd last in practically every category. Whats a wonderful surprise is this defence is actually not half bad. While yes, they have allowed the most Points Against in the league, if you look past that and see they actually lead the league in TFLs at 36, are 2nd in total Tackles and Tied 3rd for Interceptions. That’s a lot to be proud of if I was a Butcher right now.
Team MVP so far
My MVP for Chicago is actually a rookie. LB Hingle McCringleberry who was selected 13th overall and was Chicago’s first S23 pick, has had quite the rookie season, despite being on a seriously disadvantaged team. He has a whopping 80 tackles with 3 for Loss, 5 sacks and 9 PDs. That’s some wonderful contribution for a 1st year. Another notable key component is RB Julio Tirtawidjaja. He’s been running the rock very well and with some considerable volume this season. Currently sitting at 4th in rush yards at 793 and 3rd in attempts with 199 at a YPC of 4. Not bad at all. If only he could get into the endzone more. He has only the one TD so far this season. I expect that to go up by seasons end for sure.
Playoff Odds – 1%
Chicago were certainly not expecting playoffs to even begin the season let alone at this point. With only 2 wins and dead last in the league in terms of record, this is not the season to make the playoffs. Although being 6 games from the end and 3 games behind the 5-5’s, I will say that if you believe in the infinite realities theory, there is some universe where Chicago does make it into the playoffs. All that’s to say it’s not impossible just yet. Wouldn’t that be something. I expect they’ll go for another 1oa slot for S24 and actually be able to use it this time.
Thanks for checking this out. Of course, goes without saying this is all opinionated for the most part and not to take offence to anyone I may have done accidentally. I thought this was just a fun little exercise and analysis into the season so far, and obviously double monies lol Let me know if you think I missed out on any MVP players. I’m sure I did.
Part 2 – ASFC will be out soon.
Words: 3034
NSFC
Yellowknife WraithsOverview
The Yellowknife Wraiths are currently sitting atop the NSFC at 7-3 and are 2 wins clear of the three-way tie at 2nd place. This is to not much surprise as the Wraiths finished last season at 11-2 which was best in the league. They had a small scare in the offseason where the RBOTY and OPOTY Mathias Hanyadi exercised his option to enter the free agent market. Luckily, the Wraiths were able to secure him right back, and on top of that even added talent at the receiver position by signing former Sabercat WR Action Jackson, while also calling up S22 WR Mike Lee. This Wraiths squad boasts the most impressive offence in the league and so far in the season, the numbers are proving just that. They lead the league in passing yards, and while not up there in the rushing yards, they are certainly the most effective at moving the ball on the ground with a league leading 4.4 YPC and also lead the league in the rushing Touchdowns. Not to mention they lead the league in both Total Points For and Total Points Against as it currently stands. Many will say this type of production is due to being in the ‘weaker’ division, and while it may be partially true, I don’t believe it bears much weight at all on the overall strength of this team. This team is legit in every sense of the word.
Team MVP so far
I don’t think it’s any stretch to say RB Mathias Hanyadi is looking at another OPOTY award this season. His production just speaks for itself, and that is with a talented S22 Acura Skyline taking a nice chunk of carries. He leads the league in scrimmage yards at 1,144, while being currently 3rd in rushing yards at 801, behind the only two RBs in the league that have surpassed 200+ carries and dominates the league in TDs with 12 total. He is also the most efficient as he averages more YPC than any running back with more than 150 carries. If I were him, I’d be making some extra space in the trophy cabinet. And no question the teams MVP so far.
Playoff Odds – 99%
We are 1 game away from entering the final game stretch of purely conference matchups. This poses a very nice line up for Yellowknife, despite playing away for a good chunk of it. They’re not afraid of playing away, as they’ve won 3 out of their 4 away games so far this season. While being a clear 2 games clear of the next best team in the conference, the Wraiths would need to come up against some incredible bad luck in order to lose top seed, let alone a playoff spot. If I’m a betting man, there’s absolutely no question these guys are going to the playoffs and will likely be making another Ultimus appearance for the 5th time in 6 seasons. But as any league goes, you just never know.
Colorado YetiOverview
The Colorado Yeti are at a mediocre 5-5 at this point in the season and currently sit in second in the NSFC tied with two other teams. The reigning champions are having a very average season on pretty much all fronts. They are 6th in passing yards and are lacking heavily on passing TDs this season and have only managed 8 Touchdowns through the air. Although the air attack wasn’t expected to be too strong this season as two of their wide receivers retired in the offseason giving them one final season of play, however both are low in the TPE department to make any real contribution. Young WR Red Arrow called it quits early into his career being in the mid 400 TPE range, and veteran WR James Bishop heads into his 12th season and therefore took mega losses in TPE. This left young up-and-comer WR William Lim to take the WR1 role in only his sophomore NSFL season. They do however have a talented receiving back in Ashley Owens who is doing strong in the receiving game in his own rights, but could be better. And surprisingly isn’t being given a ton of opportunity in the ground game either. Having only 129 attempts as the lead back and averaging only 3.6 YPC, it’s not too surprising that the Yeti are 3rd bottom in the league for rushing yards. But nonetheless they are getting the Touchdowns with 11 scored on the ground. Perhaps what’s keeping this 5-5 team in the playoff race is a stellar defence. They are the best at forcing fumbles and lead the league in sacks with 37! Perhaps defences really do win championships.
Team MVP so far
Offensively no one has been too impressive, but defensively is another story and once again not too much of a surprise to many is that future Hall of Famer LB Mo Berry is killing it. He leads the team and the league in sacks with 11 in a 10 game span. He’s also raked in 72 tackles, a forced fumble and recovery, 1 interception and 12 PDs. This man in a nightmare to face up against and is the biggest reason the Yeti are still incredibly competitive for the playoff runs. He’s certainly the MVP for the Yeti and without a doubt will be in the running for another DPOTY award.
Playoff Odds – 79%
For being the previous champions, the Yeti’s playoff hopes are not certain. They’re tied at 5-5 along with two others and a 4-6 Sarasota team sit close behind also. With the Wraiths a shoe in, there are 2 spots left. They do have a tough matchup next week as they head to Orange County, but the rest of their schedule looks very winnable and even thought the offence is struggling somewhat, I expect this defence to carry them through, especially with 3 home games, two of which are against the bottom two teams in the division.
Philadelphia LibertyOverview
The Philadelphia Liberty got off to a rocky start when they lost at home to the Chicago Butchers and began the season 0-2. However, they bounced back with some force, winning 4 of the next 5 games. The loss being by only a single point playing at Yellowknife. They had some very impressive wins too, beating out the Second Line, Otters and Copperheads. In the stats department, nothing jumps out as being that great, with the exception of passing Touchdowns. Surprisingly, even though they are smack in the middle of the pack in terms of passing yards, they have managed to rake in 18 TDs that’s tied for 2nd best in the league. This team was seen for the past few seasons as a run happy team as QB Brock Pheonix developed, and they had super star running back Sam Torenson to pound the ball, but this season they’ve seem to have taken a step further into becoming a more balanced team. This is fairly evident in their rushing game. They rank in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards and are 2nd last in rushing TDs with only 5, beating only Chicago. Their defence has also been fairly mediocre, but have scored 3 defensive TD’s which is not incredible, but that is tied for the lead in the league, and those defensive TD’s help swing a games outcome big time, and I’m sure helped nab them a couple of wins that might not have been.
Team MVP so far
Most have been doing fairly well with nothing quite outlandish stat wise and just contributing what they need to to help win games, but two defensive players do stick out and that’s DE Spike Suzuki and LB Wayne Howyanow. Suzuki hasn’t put up any stats in most areas. That’s partly due to the position he’s playing, but one area he is truly excelling at is TFLs. He leads the entire league by a large margin with 19! On the other side, Howyanow is making plays all across the board. He is second in Liberty tackles, has 2 Forced fumbles, 4 sacks, 9 PDs and 1 pick six. That’s a play maker and difference maker right there.
Playoff Odds – 72%
The 5-5 battle in the NSFC is intense right now and while Philly have the disadvantage over Colorado as it stands, having lost to them in week 1, they do have the advantage over Baltimore with a strong victory at home in week 3. Liberty are also better in Total Points For and Total Points Against amongst these three teams. The schedule is also extremely winnable as 2 of the 3 away games they have remaining are against the 2 bottom ranked teams in the league. They must face the Yeti and Yellowknife again but both are being played at home so their odds aren’t bad there either. If they don’t make NSFC 2nd seed, then I expect Philly to squeeze into the final playo0ff spot.
Baltimore HawksOverview
The Baltimore Hawks are the final 5-5 team in the NSFC. They’ve had a fairly rocky road to a 5-5 record so far, with two notable victories over Yellowknife and Orange County. But otherwise they haven’t been able to get a good streak going. Young QB Chika Fujiwara is leading this offence better than I think most would have expected, especially working with 3 fairly mid-tier WR’s. Her passing yardage is lacking and is in the lower half of the league, but has been able to score a solid 11 Touchdowns. This season it’s clear that they’ve gone the ground and pound route. Baltimore lead the league in rushing attempts and rushing yards. Veteran RB Apollo Reed and Rising Star RB Darrel Williams are splitting the carries right down the middle and both are producing very well, with around 700 yards each and 10 TDs between them. The defence is also not too shabby with a tied 2nd TFLs in the league at 33, and a solid 7 Forced Fumbles is always helpful too.
Team MVP so far
The MVP for the Hawks so far this season is yet another defensive player and a very good friend of mine. S22 1st rounder, LB Derred de Ville. He’s been an absolute force for this team, racking up 72 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF, team leading 6 sack, 1 INT and a team leading 12 PDs. He’s all over the field and helping get that ball back into the hands of Fujiwara. Another notable playmaker so far this season is DE Terry Taffy. They’ve tallied up 16 TFLs, a forced fumble and recovery, and 3 sacks. These players have been crucial in helping Baltimore win games and De Ville will be a key component on this defence for a long time to come.
Playoff Odds – 58%
Unfortunately for Baltimore they have already lost to both Colorado and Philadelphia which gives them the advantage in a tie breaker. Luckily there is hope as all they need is to achieve a better record than one of them in order to gain a playoff spot. My fear for Baltimore is firstly that Colorado as of now is juts a better overall team and Philly have a wonderful schedule for the final stretch of games. Whereas the Hawks have 4 away games to play in the final 6 weeks, and they are at Colorado, Yellowknife and Sarasota. It’s a much tougher road than the other but with 6 weeks to go and all at 5-5, you can bet it’s still all to play for.
Sarasota SailfishOverview
Sarasota are an interesting team to analyse. Strangely even though they are only 2 season old, I feel their team is much better than their record suggests. At 4-6, they’ve not been doing so hot on either side of the ball, but they have the weapons to be successful. QB Dexter Banks position swapped in the offseason and might possibly be having a bit of transition delay in his game, as he is a 1000+ TPE QB and some plays you see that shine, and others it’s not quite right. I expect a much better season from him next season though, I have a lot of faith in him as a QB and the whole receiver core of Sarasota moving forward. On the ground however the Sailfish have been performing quite efficiently. RB Dax Frost and rookie RB Running Back have been having a very nice season in their own right. They are 3rd in the league in YPC and 3rd in overall rushing yards, despite having the 5th fewest rushing attempts. Keep pounding the rock Sarasota, something is working there. One thing they have been unable to do as well is get in the endzone. With only 8 TDs that’s tied for 4th fewest in the league. On the defensive side of the ball is where the team is lacking most. They are bottom half of the league in almost every aspect. They sit right in the middle for sacks which is good but have 2nd fewest FFs and Ints, and rank dead last for PDs. Teams have been able to air it out on the Sailfish quite nicely but I do put this down to bad sim luck for the most part as the DBs in Sarasota are not untalented by any means.
Team MVP so far
MVP for Sarasota so far is WR Rayne Gordon. He’s been putting the whole receiving game on his back since there’s only young WR Michael Witheblock and young TE James Angler to help him out, and both are S22 players. While Rayne hasn’t put up staggering numbers, he is 4th in receiving yards and a very respectable 5 TDs while Banks gets settled into the new role as QB.
Playoff Odds – 26%
While Sarasota are sitting in 5th for the conference right now, their playoff hope are not out the window just yet. They are only 1 game behind the 3 5-5 teams ahead of them. With 6 games still left to play, the stars could align just right and they could claw their way into the 3rd playoff spot. The Sailfish will need to really step on the gas pedal though, as Colorado’s defence is looking very healthy and Philadelphia has a fantastic schedule ahead of them. Sarasota’s schedule on the other hand isn’t too bad either. They have a nice 4 home games left to play, but the teams in which they play are not easy take downs. For example, the Austin Copperheads and Yellowknife Wraiths. Its obviously not an impossible task for the Sailfish but I wouldn’t hold my breath in hopes of a playoff appearance.
Chicago ButchersOverview
This is one team I have a huge amount of respect for. This team just 2 season ago was so down in the dumps, people were calling for a complete rebrand and clean house, but Muford and Bayley stepped in to the job and stayed true to the team and have been making great strides in improving the team and preparing for the future over anything else. I know the players on the team are not disheartened by the losses they face and are all in in giving their all to being the best they can for this franchise. Ofcourse this team was going to struggle this season. They’re an extremely young team in every position. The only veterans are WR Sean O’Leary and LB Mike Hockhertz. Everyone else is S21 or younger. Can’t expect strong competition from a team with that type of roster, but a few seasons down the road, they’ve be right back in the thick of playoffs. I wont read out their offensive rankings, because there is little point. Just know they rank last or 2nd last in practically every category. Whats a wonderful surprise is this defence is actually not half bad. While yes, they have allowed the most Points Against in the league, if you look past that and see they actually lead the league in TFLs at 36, are 2nd in total Tackles and Tied 3rd for Interceptions. That’s a lot to be proud of if I was a Butcher right now.
Team MVP so far
My MVP for Chicago is actually a rookie. LB Hingle McCringleberry who was selected 13th overall and was Chicago’s first S23 pick, has had quite the rookie season, despite being on a seriously disadvantaged team. He has a whopping 80 tackles with 3 for Loss, 5 sacks and 9 PDs. That’s some wonderful contribution for a 1st year. Another notable key component is RB Julio Tirtawidjaja. He’s been running the rock very well and with some considerable volume this season. Currently sitting at 4th in rush yards at 793 and 3rd in attempts with 199 at a YPC of 4. Not bad at all. If only he could get into the endzone more. He has only the one TD so far this season. I expect that to go up by seasons end for sure.
Playoff Odds – 1%
Chicago were certainly not expecting playoffs to even begin the season let alone at this point. With only 2 wins and dead last in the league in terms of record, this is not the season to make the playoffs. Although being 6 games from the end and 3 games behind the 5-5’s, I will say that if you believe in the infinite realities theory, there is some universe where Chicago does make it into the playoffs. All that’s to say it’s not impossible just yet. Wouldn’t that be something. I expect they’ll go for another 1oa slot for S24 and actually be able to use it this time.
Thanks for checking this out. Of course, goes without saying this is all opinionated for the most part and not to take offence to anyone I may have done accidentally. I thought this was just a fun little exercise and analysis into the season so far, and obviously double monies lol Let me know if you think I missed out on any MVP players. I’m sure I did.
Part 2 – ASFC will be out soon.
Words: 3034
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