I just finished my fourth season in the NSFL and I wanted to take a closer look at my career so far and make a summary of what has happened so far!
My first season:
I started my career in Season 3 and was drafted in the first round of that draft, fifth overall by the Orange County Otters, which I was very happy with. I immediately liked the team and got along well with several of my team-mates, like teddy and timeconsumer and boss and molar. I took over a role in the starting line-up as a Linebacker and was a day 1 starter.
In my first game, we faced the Philadelphia Liberty at home. My first game was an absolute blow-out victory where we won 55-10 and it felt amazing. The offense was the main factor in the game, especially the run game which scored five touchdowns between two guys, but I was just happy to contribute at all. I ended up with 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack and 1 pass defended. It was a great debut in my eyes!
My second game was yet another home game, this time against the Colorado Yeti. In this game, we again had a big win, this time the passing game was better. We won 34-6 which showed that the defense was also on point in that game, holding the Yeti to a game without a touchdown. I felt really happy about this game, getting 8 tackles in the game (2nd on the team that game) but did not add anything else on the stat sheet.
My first road game came in week 3, where we faced the Yellowknife Wraiths, a team that destroyed us in that game, especially through the passing game. We lost 34-9 and it was my first ever loss. I will admit, that was hard! Still, on a personal level, I had 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack again. I felt confident things would improve.
In week 4, we faced the San Jose Sabercats on the road. Not an easy game, but a winnable one, as the Sabercats were not a great team yet. It was a close game all the way, with us having a nice lead in the fourth. However, with 12 seconds to go, the Sabercats scored a game-winning field goal and snatched victory from our hands. Such a close loss never feels good and suddenly the team was 2-2 and hopes were a bit down. 6 tackles for me, but nothing else, the game felt like a huge step backwards.
In week 5, we faced the two-time Champion Arizona Outlaws, but we were at home so we were still hoping to get something done. We actually took a lead early, even got to 14-3 at one point but they were relentless and came back to win it in the 4th quarter. Final score was 28-21 for them. On a personal level, that was probably my best game at this point though, with 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Regardless, my good game was a bit overshadowed by teammate Verns, who had a staggering TWENTY tackles. Now, at 2-3 the team was facing a bad situation and needed to turn things around quickly to get into the playoffs.
And turn around we did! In week 6, facing arguably the worst team in the league at the time, we destroyed the Las Vegas Legion at home 45-10 with an incredible offensive outpour in the second half (half-time was 10-10 so nothing was decided yet!). Scoring four passing touchdown in one half is not bad, for sure. Not a great game for me personally, with 5 tackles and one pass defended.
The following week, we had a very similar game again. At home, against the Sabercats, we again struggled a bit in the first half and then put the game away in the second. Sabercats took a 10-0 lead and then we won 38-10 at the end, completely shutting down their offense after the first quarter. I had six tackles and one sack, not a bad performance in a blow-out win.
In week 8, we had a very tough game against the good Baltimore Hawks, on the road. With two wins in a row before that, the team felt at the most confident and absolutely destroyed the Hawks in a dominant fashion. We won 55-23 in the end, scored 13+ points in every quarter of the game and were never in doubt of losing this game. On a personal level, I had my best game, which culminated in a lot of firsts! I had six tackles, one sack, defended four passes and in the fourth quarter, I capped it all off with my first career interception and my first career touchdown, a 27 yard interception return from a pass by Kyubee, the Hawks quarterback. It was an incredible game and incredible feeling.
Winning a game on the road always feels nice and we managed to do it again in week 9, again beating the lowly Legion in a tighter game this time, 29-21, with the Legion still leading at the end of the 3rd quarter. It was an unremarkable game for me personally, only 6 tackles and nothing else added.
Losing against the Outlaws on the road was pretty much expected, so week 10 was almost always going to be a loss. It was not close, with 24-7 the final score. It was the first time I lead the team in tackles, with 11 tackles to my name. I also added one sack and another pass defended.
Week 11 was another remarkable game, with the Otters beating the Colorado Yeti 30-24. The game was fairly tight, with the Otters leading early until a 102 yard kickoff return touchdown by the Yeti to start the second half brought the Yeti back into the game and soon after they took the lead. Otters came back in the fourth quarter to win it though. On a personal level it was a great game, with 6 tackles, 3 passes defended and 2 interceptions! With that performance I was also defensive player of the game for the first time in my career. Both interceptions came at huge points in the game, with the first immediately leading to a touchdown that gave us the lead at that point and the second coming to ice the game with the Yeti trying to drive for a last-second win!
Week 12 was another heart-breaking loss for the Otters, with a last second field-goal giving the Liberty a 18-17 win. It was probably my worst game ever, with only 4 tackles and nothing else leading to a bad day.
Week 13 gave the Otters another tight win over the good Hawks, 25 to 23. It was a very close game and a very important win for the Otters in the play-off hunt. With 7 tackles and one sack I could be happy about my performance as well.
I think we had already clinched a playoff spot before the game and in the end the loss at home against the Wraiths did not matter, as the Otters did indeed go to the playoffs in my first ever year! I had another fantastic game to cap off the season with 11 tackles and one sack to end the year.
Facing the Arizona Outlaws in the playoffs, we knew the chances were slim to actually beat them. And indeed, at their home, it was rough and we had no shot, as they destroyed us 27-7. In the end still a fantastic season and a playoff berth but it would be a year too early for the team to compete. I actually had an incredible playoff game with 13 tackles but it still did not help sadly.
In the end I could be more than happy with my rookie season! I had 97 tackles, which was good for 12th in the entire league and third best on my own team behind Verns and Bavitz. I also added a forced fumble, three tackles for loss, three interceptions (tied for most among Linebackers), 10 passes defended (6th among Linebackers) and seven sacks, as well as one defensive touchdown.
My second season:
Season four had a vastly different feeling in terms of the team. While not much changed, we had higher expectations and thought we could improve upon season three. Oddly though, it did not start well.
In our opening game, we lost against the Outlaws at home. At home, we definitely felt like we should be able to beat them. But alas, not that time, though it was at least in overtime. Still not a great start. I lead the team in tackles again with 10 tackles and also had one sack.
Well if we had confidence going into the season, that was now gone. After a first round loss, we faced the Wraiths at home and even though we lead 17-0 at one point, we ended up losing 20-17 and had another loss at home. Again, on a personal level I was solid, with 7 tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack, as well as a pass defended.
Finally a win! In week three, against the Liberty, we managed to do better and while it was far from convincing, a 21-13 win finally let us arrive in season four. Not a great game for me with just five tackles and no other contribution.
While we lost at home in week 2, we somehow won in week 4 on the road, as we came up big offensively against the Wraiths and won 35-20 with a dominating performance from Mike Boss. I had a very good all-around game with six tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two passes defended and an interception, which lead to the third touchdown in the game and got me my second defensive player of the game award.
Back above .500 with one of the most dominant wins of NSFL history! A 59-3 destruction of the Legion, with the offense scoring eight touchdowns put us at 3-2 for the season. While the offense was the main focus, I managed 13 tackles and 1 forced fumble to earn my second defensive player of the game award in a row.
Fourth win in a row! A road win against the Colorado Yeti, who were terrible that season. It was an easy, unremarkable win, where I only got 5 tackles, but recovered a fumble.
Second loss against the Outlaws in the same season, again without chance, as we lost 22 to 10. It put us at 4-3 for the season. A very odd game for me personally, I only got 4 tackles, but had two sacks and a pass defended on top of it!
In week 8, we had a long lead against the Hawks, leading 24-7 even in the third quarter before the Hawks scored three touchdowns in a row to win the game and snatch it away from us. With 9 tackles, a sack and a pass defended, I was fairly happy with this game.
A much needed dominant win followed against the San Jose Sabercats, with the offense coming up big in a 39-7 win. I had 6 tackles, 2 sacks, a pass defended and an interception which gave me another defensive player of the game award.
And another win followed, with a 19-9 win on the road against the Philadelphia Liberty. It was one of the more disappointing games of my career with only four tackles and a sack.
Another one of those incredibly dominant wins, one of the biggest ones in NSFL history, followed with a 40 to 0 shutout of the Colorado Yeti. With 8 tackles and a sack, I felt pretty good about this game in a huge win.
We were really on a roll at this point and had another huge game against the Legion on the road, where we won 52-27. I had three tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack, which seemed slightly disappointing about the tackles at least!
A home game against the Hawks was next and we dominated that game as well, winning 24 to 7 and the defense shut out the Hawks for almost the entire game, with their only touchdown coming with three minutes to go. I had 7 tackles, one sack and one pass defended.
And finally the last game of the season against the San Jose Sabercats, in their home stadium. Both teams had a good season and it was a tight game most of the game, but when we tried to drive for a game winning field goal we threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. With 6 tackles and nothing else it was an unremarkable game for me.
Nonetheless, the Otters ended up in the playoffs with a 9-5 record and once again we found ourselves facing the Outlaws in the playoffs. On the road again which did not make anyone hopeful, it seemed like a very similar situation as last season.
But this time, we were ready for it! The Otters took an early lead and never really looked back. Bradley Westfield became the hero of the game, scoring all three Otters touchdown, while the defense shut down the ferocious Arizona offense and held them to just 9 points at home. A 27-9 victory on the road against the Outlaws feels like a dream! Personally, I had just 4 tackles, but added 2 sacks and a pass defended and was headed to my first ever final game!
In the other game, the Wraiths beat the Liberty at home and so the Otters would face the Wraiths in the Ultimus final game. In a much closer game than the one before, the Otters again fared better at the start, despite being down 7-0 after the first drive. By the end of the first quarter, it was 17-7 for the Otters though. The second quarter brought just one field goal by each team. The Otters put the game out of reach in the third quarter, making the score 30-13 at one point, though the Wraiths still came within one score. In the end, though, the Otters triumphed 30-23 and won their first ever Ultimus trophy! My final game was not impressive at all, just three tackles and a pass defended, but in this case I was still happy regardless. I had won my first ever title! What a feeling!
My season stats were similar to my rookie year, honestly. I had 93 tackles that year, which was good for 15th in the league and again third among my team. I added three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as well. I had one less interception this season, with two and 7 passes defended (also less than in my rookie year). I did best with sacks though where I had 12, only a few behind the league lead and tied for 2nd among Linebackers. All in all, I was very happy with my sophomore season as a player and winning the title was obviously the crowning achievement of that season.
This got kind of long, so I will do part 2 another time where I will describe the next two seasons! Hope this was enjoyable!
My first season:
I started my career in Season 3 and was drafted in the first round of that draft, fifth overall by the Orange County Otters, which I was very happy with. I immediately liked the team and got along well with several of my team-mates, like teddy and timeconsumer and boss and molar. I took over a role in the starting line-up as a Linebacker and was a day 1 starter.
In my first game, we faced the Philadelphia Liberty at home. My first game was an absolute blow-out victory where we won 55-10 and it felt amazing. The offense was the main factor in the game, especially the run game which scored five touchdowns between two guys, but I was just happy to contribute at all. I ended up with 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack and 1 pass defended. It was a great debut in my eyes!
My second game was yet another home game, this time against the Colorado Yeti. In this game, we again had a big win, this time the passing game was better. We won 34-6 which showed that the defense was also on point in that game, holding the Yeti to a game without a touchdown. I felt really happy about this game, getting 8 tackles in the game (2nd on the team that game) but did not add anything else on the stat sheet.
My first road game came in week 3, where we faced the Yellowknife Wraiths, a team that destroyed us in that game, especially through the passing game. We lost 34-9 and it was my first ever loss. I will admit, that was hard! Still, on a personal level, I had 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack again. I felt confident things would improve.
In week 4, we faced the San Jose Sabercats on the road. Not an easy game, but a winnable one, as the Sabercats were not a great team yet. It was a close game all the way, with us having a nice lead in the fourth. However, with 12 seconds to go, the Sabercats scored a game-winning field goal and snatched victory from our hands. Such a close loss never feels good and suddenly the team was 2-2 and hopes were a bit down. 6 tackles for me, but nothing else, the game felt like a huge step backwards.
In week 5, we faced the two-time Champion Arizona Outlaws, but we were at home so we were still hoping to get something done. We actually took a lead early, even got to 14-3 at one point but they were relentless and came back to win it in the 4th quarter. Final score was 28-21 for them. On a personal level, that was probably my best game at this point though, with 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Regardless, my good game was a bit overshadowed by teammate Verns, who had a staggering TWENTY tackles. Now, at 2-3 the team was facing a bad situation and needed to turn things around quickly to get into the playoffs.
And turn around we did! In week 6, facing arguably the worst team in the league at the time, we destroyed the Las Vegas Legion at home 45-10 with an incredible offensive outpour in the second half (half-time was 10-10 so nothing was decided yet!). Scoring four passing touchdown in one half is not bad, for sure. Not a great game for me personally, with 5 tackles and one pass defended.
The following week, we had a very similar game again. At home, against the Sabercats, we again struggled a bit in the first half and then put the game away in the second. Sabercats took a 10-0 lead and then we won 38-10 at the end, completely shutting down their offense after the first quarter. I had six tackles and one sack, not a bad performance in a blow-out win.
In week 8, we had a very tough game against the good Baltimore Hawks, on the road. With two wins in a row before that, the team felt at the most confident and absolutely destroyed the Hawks in a dominant fashion. We won 55-23 in the end, scored 13+ points in every quarter of the game and were never in doubt of losing this game. On a personal level, I had my best game, which culminated in a lot of firsts! I had six tackles, one sack, defended four passes and in the fourth quarter, I capped it all off with my first career interception and my first career touchdown, a 27 yard interception return from a pass by Kyubee, the Hawks quarterback. It was an incredible game and incredible feeling.
Winning a game on the road always feels nice and we managed to do it again in week 9, again beating the lowly Legion in a tighter game this time, 29-21, with the Legion still leading at the end of the 3rd quarter. It was an unremarkable game for me personally, only 6 tackles and nothing else added.
Losing against the Outlaws on the road was pretty much expected, so week 10 was almost always going to be a loss. It was not close, with 24-7 the final score. It was the first time I lead the team in tackles, with 11 tackles to my name. I also added one sack and another pass defended.
Week 11 was another remarkable game, with the Otters beating the Colorado Yeti 30-24. The game was fairly tight, with the Otters leading early until a 102 yard kickoff return touchdown by the Yeti to start the second half brought the Yeti back into the game and soon after they took the lead. Otters came back in the fourth quarter to win it though. On a personal level it was a great game, with 6 tackles, 3 passes defended and 2 interceptions! With that performance I was also defensive player of the game for the first time in my career. Both interceptions came at huge points in the game, with the first immediately leading to a touchdown that gave us the lead at that point and the second coming to ice the game with the Yeti trying to drive for a last-second win!
Week 12 was another heart-breaking loss for the Otters, with a last second field-goal giving the Liberty a 18-17 win. It was probably my worst game ever, with only 4 tackles and nothing else leading to a bad day.
Week 13 gave the Otters another tight win over the good Hawks, 25 to 23. It was a very close game and a very important win for the Otters in the play-off hunt. With 7 tackles and one sack I could be happy about my performance as well.
I think we had already clinched a playoff spot before the game and in the end the loss at home against the Wraiths did not matter, as the Otters did indeed go to the playoffs in my first ever year! I had another fantastic game to cap off the season with 11 tackles and one sack to end the year.
Facing the Arizona Outlaws in the playoffs, we knew the chances were slim to actually beat them. And indeed, at their home, it was rough and we had no shot, as they destroyed us 27-7. In the end still a fantastic season and a playoff berth but it would be a year too early for the team to compete. I actually had an incredible playoff game with 13 tackles but it still did not help sadly.
In the end I could be more than happy with my rookie season! I had 97 tackles, which was good for 12th in the entire league and third best on my own team behind Verns and Bavitz. I also added a forced fumble, three tackles for loss, three interceptions (tied for most among Linebackers), 10 passes defended (6th among Linebackers) and seven sacks, as well as one defensive touchdown.
My second season:
Season four had a vastly different feeling in terms of the team. While not much changed, we had higher expectations and thought we could improve upon season three. Oddly though, it did not start well.
In our opening game, we lost against the Outlaws at home. At home, we definitely felt like we should be able to beat them. But alas, not that time, though it was at least in overtime. Still not a great start. I lead the team in tackles again with 10 tackles and also had one sack.
Well if we had confidence going into the season, that was now gone. After a first round loss, we faced the Wraiths at home and even though we lead 17-0 at one point, we ended up losing 20-17 and had another loss at home. Again, on a personal level I was solid, with 7 tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack, as well as a pass defended.
Finally a win! In week three, against the Liberty, we managed to do better and while it was far from convincing, a 21-13 win finally let us arrive in season four. Not a great game for me with just five tackles and no other contribution.
While we lost at home in week 2, we somehow won in week 4 on the road, as we came up big offensively against the Wraiths and won 35-20 with a dominating performance from Mike Boss. I had a very good all-around game with six tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two passes defended and an interception, which lead to the third touchdown in the game and got me my second defensive player of the game award.
Back above .500 with one of the most dominant wins of NSFL history! A 59-3 destruction of the Legion, with the offense scoring eight touchdowns put us at 3-2 for the season. While the offense was the main focus, I managed 13 tackles and 1 forced fumble to earn my second defensive player of the game award in a row.
Fourth win in a row! A road win against the Colorado Yeti, who were terrible that season. It was an easy, unremarkable win, where I only got 5 tackles, but recovered a fumble.
Second loss against the Outlaws in the same season, again without chance, as we lost 22 to 10. It put us at 4-3 for the season. A very odd game for me personally, I only got 4 tackles, but had two sacks and a pass defended on top of it!
In week 8, we had a long lead against the Hawks, leading 24-7 even in the third quarter before the Hawks scored three touchdowns in a row to win the game and snatch it away from us. With 9 tackles, a sack and a pass defended, I was fairly happy with this game.
A much needed dominant win followed against the San Jose Sabercats, with the offense coming up big in a 39-7 win. I had 6 tackles, 2 sacks, a pass defended and an interception which gave me another defensive player of the game award.
And another win followed, with a 19-9 win on the road against the Philadelphia Liberty. It was one of the more disappointing games of my career with only four tackles and a sack.
Another one of those incredibly dominant wins, one of the biggest ones in NSFL history, followed with a 40 to 0 shutout of the Colorado Yeti. With 8 tackles and a sack, I felt pretty good about this game in a huge win.
We were really on a roll at this point and had another huge game against the Legion on the road, where we won 52-27. I had three tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack, which seemed slightly disappointing about the tackles at least!
A home game against the Hawks was next and we dominated that game as well, winning 24 to 7 and the defense shut out the Hawks for almost the entire game, with their only touchdown coming with three minutes to go. I had 7 tackles, one sack and one pass defended.
And finally the last game of the season against the San Jose Sabercats, in their home stadium. Both teams had a good season and it was a tight game most of the game, but when we tried to drive for a game winning field goal we threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. With 6 tackles and nothing else it was an unremarkable game for me.
Nonetheless, the Otters ended up in the playoffs with a 9-5 record and once again we found ourselves facing the Outlaws in the playoffs. On the road again which did not make anyone hopeful, it seemed like a very similar situation as last season.
But this time, we were ready for it! The Otters took an early lead and never really looked back. Bradley Westfield became the hero of the game, scoring all three Otters touchdown, while the defense shut down the ferocious Arizona offense and held them to just 9 points at home. A 27-9 victory on the road against the Outlaws feels like a dream! Personally, I had just 4 tackles, but added 2 sacks and a pass defended and was headed to my first ever final game!
In the other game, the Wraiths beat the Liberty at home and so the Otters would face the Wraiths in the Ultimus final game. In a much closer game than the one before, the Otters again fared better at the start, despite being down 7-0 after the first drive. By the end of the first quarter, it was 17-7 for the Otters though. The second quarter brought just one field goal by each team. The Otters put the game out of reach in the third quarter, making the score 30-13 at one point, though the Wraiths still came within one score. In the end, though, the Otters triumphed 30-23 and won their first ever Ultimus trophy! My final game was not impressive at all, just three tackles and a pass defended, but in this case I was still happy regardless. I had won my first ever title! What a feeling!
My season stats were similar to my rookie year, honestly. I had 93 tackles that year, which was good for 15th in the league and again third among my team. I added three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as well. I had one less interception this season, with two and 7 passes defended (also less than in my rookie year). I did best with sacks though where I had 12, only a few behind the league lead and tied for 2nd among Linebackers. All in all, I was very happy with my sophomore season as a player and winning the title was obviously the crowning achievement of that season.
This got kind of long, so I will do part 2 another time where I will describe the next two seasons! Hope this was enjoyable!
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