Everyone loves an upset, but upsets happen because they’re rare, not because they’re common. And while everyone was rooting for the Hawks to pull off the upset of the season, it didn’t happen. Last year’s NSFC champion, the Yeti, were nowhere to be found in the playoffs, so what can the Hawks do to ensure that they maintain their #1 NSFC seed and keep their Ultimus dreams alive and ensure that they win next season? Well, a lot actually.
The first step is keeping their head up and strong. Losing motivation can kill a team, if you need an example, look at the Legion. I sat down with Hawks GM @HENDRIX and asked him about how morale was after the loss.
But even with drive and determination, the Hawks have a ways to go.
If you look at the Hawks Roster, the only household name among them is Farlane, and Farlane has issues. Christmas is a good receiver, but he’s not a household name. And while Kyubee is great, he’s not the first choice quarterback (and if you argue that Noble had a fluke season, he’s the third best QB in the NSFC). And the defense let up fewer points than others, but was middle of the pack all season.
I took the opportunity to ask about the most recognizable name on the Hawks Roster this season, Carmel Gibson, to see if the team would have fared better in the upcoming season. General Manager Hendrix had this to say:
All three phases? Well yes, and here’s where the team needs to improve to be the undisputed NSFC heavyweight going forward:
First, they need to turnover less. Farlane has yardage, Farlane has volume, and as a result, Farlane is a fumble machine. The team needs to look for a change-of-pace back to help alleviate some of those rushes, because I’m sure that volume is taking a toll on Farlane. When you look at team rushing stats, no team has more yards than the Hawks, and they sit there with 300 yards above the second place rushing team. However they have over 60 more rushing attempts. That’s about two more Farlane games worth of rushes. That’s not a bad thing, using Farlane is good and not something that the team is likely to stop doing. As Hendrix said “Establishing a good running game was a must to hold off the Outlaws heavy blitzing/pass rushing style of defense.”
Second, they need to improve ball security across the board. The problem isn’t just Farlane, only 3 quarterbacks have more interceptions than TDs: Noble, Kyubee and Berc. Turnovers are crucial and while the defense is good in Baltimore, giving the ball away is asking for trouble.
Third, the Hawks need to do is be a threat on both the road and at home. The Hawks were 1-6 while away, and while Baltimore is a fortress, they need to be able to bring that force to the road as well. Road games are a good indicator of playoff success, as they show when a team can surmount odds against them at home. A strong roster across the board will help with that.
Finally, they need to kill drives with much more ease. The team put up the lowest Tackles for losses, and the lowest tackle count as well. The need to be able to stop players from getting first downs, as field goals adds up really quickly. The turnovers may be the third highest in the league, but turnovers by the defense should be treated as a boon, not a sure thing.
But it isn’t all bad In Baltimore and the team has a lot to hang their hat on. The Hawks put together a defense that was better than their NSFC peers in yards allowed in both the air and the ground. The offensive line allowed the second most sacks at 30, tying them with the Otters. And the impact a wide receiver has on wins means that the Hawks can easily be the NSFC Outlaws.
So where does the team go from here in terms of recruitment? Well, I’m going to let Hendrix answer that:
Graded
Payout=$2,251,000
The first step is keeping their head up and strong. Losing motivation can kill a team, if you need an example, look at the Legion. I sat down with Hawks GM @HENDRIX and asked him about how morale was after the loss.
Code:
It's positive. It's also a billion times better than it was at the end of S1. The team is proud of making it this far when nobody else outside of Baltimore thought it was possible. We knew how monumental of a task it would be to beat the Outlaws on the road.If you look at the Hawks Roster, the only household name among them is Farlane, and Farlane has issues. Christmas is a good receiver, but he’s not a household name. And while Kyubee is great, he’s not the first choice quarterback (and if you argue that Noble had a fluke season, he’s the third best QB in the NSFC). And the defense let up fewer points than others, but was middle of the pack all season.
I took the opportunity to ask about the most recognizable name on the Hawks Roster this season, Carmel Gibson, to see if the team would have fared better in the upcoming season. General Manager Hendrix had this to say:
Code:
The Outlaws beat us up in all three phases, so a roided up criminal like Gibson wasn't going to make up that difference.All three phases? Well yes, and here’s where the team needs to improve to be the undisputed NSFC heavyweight going forward:
First, they need to turnover less. Farlane has yardage, Farlane has volume, and as a result, Farlane is a fumble machine. The team needs to look for a change-of-pace back to help alleviate some of those rushes, because I’m sure that volume is taking a toll on Farlane. When you look at team rushing stats, no team has more yards than the Hawks, and they sit there with 300 yards above the second place rushing team. However they have over 60 more rushing attempts. That’s about two more Farlane games worth of rushes. That’s not a bad thing, using Farlane is good and not something that the team is likely to stop doing. As Hendrix said “Establishing a good running game was a must to hold off the Outlaws heavy blitzing/pass rushing style of defense.”
Second, they need to improve ball security across the board. The problem isn’t just Farlane, only 3 quarterbacks have more interceptions than TDs: Noble, Kyubee and Berc. Turnovers are crucial and while the defense is good in Baltimore, giving the ball away is asking for trouble.
Third, the Hawks need to do is be a threat on both the road and at home. The Hawks were 1-6 while away, and while Baltimore is a fortress, they need to be able to bring that force to the road as well. Road games are a good indicator of playoff success, as they show when a team can surmount odds against them at home. A strong roster across the board will help with that.
Finally, they need to kill drives with much more ease. The team put up the lowest Tackles for losses, and the lowest tackle count as well. The need to be able to stop players from getting first downs, as field goals adds up really quickly. The turnovers may be the third highest in the league, but turnovers by the defense should be treated as a boon, not a sure thing.
But it isn’t all bad In Baltimore and the team has a lot to hang their hat on. The Hawks put together a defense that was better than their NSFC peers in yards allowed in both the air and the ground. The offensive line allowed the second most sacks at 30, tying them with the Otters. And the impact a wide receiver has on wins means that the Hawks can easily be the NSFC Outlaws.
So where does the team go from here in terms of recruitment? Well, I’m going to let Hendrix answer that:
Code:
Our focus will be to bring in even more hardworking and classy players. With the addition of the DSFL I'm not going to worry about being overloaded at a particular position.Code:
801 wordsGraded
Payout=$2,251,000
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