The Orange County Otters have been in football purgatory for three seasons running now. Being in the same division as the Arizona Outlaws powerhouse they have found themselves losing the playoffs in the first round every season. Never having walked on the field for a Championship game the Otters consistently find themselves ranked around #3 in the league, usually eclipsed by the Hawks and Outlaws. But putting aside any absurd notions that somehow the Hawks are superior to the Orange County Otters, we are here to talk about how the Otters are superior to the Outlaws this year. Because that is all it comes down to every season, can the Otters beat the Outlaws in the ASFC championship? If they can’t, their other games don’t really matter.
It is difficult to argue that after acquiring Josh Garden in the offseason that the Outlaws took any sort of significant steps backwards in talent. But the losses of linebacker Jaylon Lee and cornerback Phillipe Carter are not to be ignored. These were two critical players that were consistent performers and playmakers for the Outlaws in their dynasty-sealing season three championship run. And they have little to replace them with. Certainly Harris Jr. is a force to be reckoned with on the outside, but he is still young and will assuredly see some regression to the mean this season. Ryan Flock is no slouch, and will be able to help contain opposing receivers, but behind that there isn’t much. Jaylon Lee will likely find himself replaced by Noah Goodson, but the young linebacker has significant ground to cover to hang with professional football players.
So I’d be willing to argue that the Outlaws lost more than they gained during the offseason. They retained a few significant pieces such as Pat Pancake, but curiously he appears to be staying in his offensive line position, along with Tim Pest. Offensive lineman Arbin Asipi did move back to defensive tackle, for what that’s worth. Although they are saving salary cap space and fielding one of the strongest offensive lines in the league, the Outlaws are missing an opportunity to shift talent to more needed areas of their roster.
And this finally brings us to the real subject of this article, the Otters. The Otters did not gain a single free agent. This was not for lack of trying, probably more for bad optics. But that does not matter all that much, the most important thing is that they retained Mike Boss for three years. This secures the most important position on the team for a solid championship run while they continue to lock in the pieces around him. The biggest moves you will find on the team came from the biggest men. Since the end of the last regular season the Orange County Otters have moved over 1600 TPE into their front seven. Standout left tackle Angus Winchester will be jumping onto the field against the Outlaws tomorrow with 662 TPE to his name. Gregor Clegane will be bulldozing in the middle of the line with just shy of 500. And George Wright Jr. will be wreaking havoc on the edge with 478. And of course we can’t forget their star sophomores Julian O’Sullivan and JD Boom right there with them.
These changes to the defense are going to be what makes the difference this season when facing the Outlaws. The Orange County Offense was always a force to be reckoned with, and it will be even more so this year. But without being able to rely on their defense to make stops and create opportunities the Otters continually struggled against their division rivals and their league-leading defense to close out games. This season the gap has closed and we can expect the Otters to make waves in a big way, starting with their regular season opener tomorrow night.
GRADED
It is difficult to argue that after acquiring Josh Garden in the offseason that the Outlaws took any sort of significant steps backwards in talent. But the losses of linebacker Jaylon Lee and cornerback Phillipe Carter are not to be ignored. These were two critical players that were consistent performers and playmakers for the Outlaws in their dynasty-sealing season three championship run. And they have little to replace them with. Certainly Harris Jr. is a force to be reckoned with on the outside, but he is still young and will assuredly see some regression to the mean this season. Ryan Flock is no slouch, and will be able to help contain opposing receivers, but behind that there isn’t much. Jaylon Lee will likely find himself replaced by Noah Goodson, but the young linebacker has significant ground to cover to hang with professional football players.
So I’d be willing to argue that the Outlaws lost more than they gained during the offseason. They retained a few significant pieces such as Pat Pancake, but curiously he appears to be staying in his offensive line position, along with Tim Pest. Offensive lineman Arbin Asipi did move back to defensive tackle, for what that’s worth. Although they are saving salary cap space and fielding one of the strongest offensive lines in the league, the Outlaws are missing an opportunity to shift talent to more needed areas of their roster.
And this finally brings us to the real subject of this article, the Otters. The Otters did not gain a single free agent. This was not for lack of trying, probably more for bad optics. But that does not matter all that much, the most important thing is that they retained Mike Boss for three years. This secures the most important position on the team for a solid championship run while they continue to lock in the pieces around him. The biggest moves you will find on the team came from the biggest men. Since the end of the last regular season the Orange County Otters have moved over 1600 TPE into their front seven. Standout left tackle Angus Winchester will be jumping onto the field against the Outlaws tomorrow with 662 TPE to his name. Gregor Clegane will be bulldozing in the middle of the line with just shy of 500. And George Wright Jr. will be wreaking havoc on the edge with 478. And of course we can’t forget their star sophomores Julian O’Sullivan and JD Boom right there with them.
These changes to the defense are going to be what makes the difference this season when facing the Outlaws. The Orange County Offense was always a force to be reckoned with, and it will be even more so this year. But without being able to rely on their defense to make stops and create opportunities the Otters continually struggled against their division rivals and their league-leading defense to close out games. This season the gap has closed and we can expect the Otters to make waves in a big way, starting with their regular season opener tomorrow night.
GRADED
Jurisprudence Jones, OL ![[Image: cYhSwFY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/cYhSwFY.png)
![[Image: XSfVUgo.png]](https://i.imgur.com/XSfVUgo.png)
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