(S11) - Ultimus Week

[BWIII]

Robbed
I think this is the first year that I've done this that I actually find a hard time making an argument as to why a team got robbed and that they should be in the NSFL playoffs over another team. For argument's sake and even though I might come off as a complete homer, but I feel like if any team got robbed of the playoffs it would be us and that we would put up the best fight of any non playoff team. Why would I choose us? Well first let's look at the ASFC the Otters and Second Line easily made the playoffs with the Outlaws in 3rd. We beat the Outlaws both times we played them, once in our house and once in theirs and I drug my nuts over Fitzpatrick's face soo many times no one wants to see that again. Then you come to the NSFC where the Hawks and the Yeti made the playoffs. Despite Yeti GMs trying to sell off almost their entire team for the majority of the year the team is good, but they stand no chance against the Hawks. Now it comes down to us and why I think we fit under the 'Robbed' moniker of this PT. It all comes down to matchups. We beat them at our house and then we went down to Baltimore and held them to only 20 points. I feel like our defense goes toe to toe with them well and it could have been an exciting playoff match.

New Talent
This is another one where there doesn't really seem to be a trade that happened for the season that would lend itself to having a big impact for that player for their team during the playoffs. Really when I look at it the only one that falls purview to that would be the trade where we send Beat Meoff to the New Orleans Second Line as basically every other trade that happened sent players to non playoff teams. In retrospect some may think this trade sucked for us as Kulture Fulture had a rough rookie season, but I think in the tend he'll have the better career than Beat Meoff. Nevertheless Meoff went to New Orleans and posted the best field goal percentage in the entire league, making 27 of 28 kicks. On the flip side he posted the league's worst extra point percentage missing 6 of those. Looking at both of those the Meoff trade could definitely have a huge impact for the Second Line as he's trusty kicking field goals, but when you're wanting to score touchdowns and your automatic 7th point is the least reliable of anybody to be converted that makes you a bit nervous. He could be a hero for New Orleans or he might just be a playoff curse.

Root for the Underdog
I think this could be one of the easier underdogs to root for in recent memory for me for the NSFL playoffs. The underdog that I'll be rooting for this season will be the Orange County Otters. When you look at it it's tough to call them the underdogs, but they had the worse record and they'll be on the road in New Orleans, but all in all I think they could easily come away with a win here. When you look at the season matchup, Orange County went to New Orleans and went toe to toe with them, kicking a game tying field goal with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter, before going into overtime and ultimately losing. At home, the Otters handled the Second Line well, beating them by two possessions. I think that whenever you have a quarterback of Showbiz's caliber you're never really out of games and while his offensive line hasn't done him a ton of favors this year, allowing the second most sacks in the entire NSFL, he's done all he can to get his team into position to win games. Overall I think they have a really good squad and some coaches that know how to game plan for the Second Line and I think they could definitely punch their ticket to the Ultimas.

PBE PT
PBE PT

[ErMurazor]

SHL PT for 1 task

Going to Disneyland
The Ultimus MVP is going to be the man, the myth, the legend, Borkus Maximus III, the quarterback of the New Orleans Second Line. Borkus Maximus III is going to Disneyland for one thing, meet all of his favorite celebrities. Borkus prepared his trip by memorizing a map of the park and where all of his favorite characters hang out as well as the different entrances to the employee lounge. As soon as Borkus arrived in the park with a parade and stroll down Main Street in his convertible Nissan Leaf he hopped in line to get Mickey and Minnie Mouse to sign the jersey he wore in the Ultimus game. Next Borkus headed to the central circle and was able to meet up with Donald Duck and Pluto for two more signatures. Borkus was able to get a real steal by running into Jasmine and Aladdin in Adeventureland. On his way to his castle to hit up the princesses Borkus was able to get a signature from a true underdog in Frontierland, Gaston! Borkus was giddy with excitement after his run in with the hero from Beauty and the Beast and missed the princesses altogether and went straight to Tomorrowland. In Tomorrowland he ran into one of the most famous Disney celebrities and was able to snag another signature from Stormtrooper FN-2187. Wow! What a trip! @bovovovo

Root for the Underdog
The team that has the best chance to pull off an upset has got to be the Orange County Otters. Now, I know the Orange County Otters are going to have to go into the New Orleans Second Line stadium and take on the best team in the league that simply has not lost at home, but if anybody can pull it off it is the Orange County Otters. There are a couple of reasons as to how this can happen because the Orange County Otters are a great team on various fronts. First of all the Orange County Otters are not slouches by any means, they are currently sitting at a league second best ten wins and have over 50% win percentage on the road. They can win when the travel. Perhaps even more impactful is that the Orange County Otters are just straight winners. This is the best franchise in the history of the league and counting out their front office and coaching team is just wrong. The Orange County Otters have shown us from league inception to today that they are a team that is feared and should be taken extremely seriously in the playoffs, even when you are playing at home and are heavily favored. The Second Line has a better offense, but the Otters have a slight edge with defense and coaching that could get them the upset.

Sit-down with a star

1. You and defensive line rookie Townsend are making a big impact in the running game with 8 and 11 tackles for loss respectively, how do you think you ability to cause problems in the backfield will impact the Otters in your first match-up?
Working alongside Townsend this season has been a revelation for me this season. Last year I had zero TFL, so his presence has freed me up to make more plays in the run game, no doubt. During the regular season against the Otters I had my biggest game of the year- 7 tackles, 2 of which were for a loss, and 1 was a sack, and I recovered a fumble that Townsend caused. I expect to have another big game in our coming matchup too- me and Townsie are going to work off one another to disrupt their O with stunts and twists. We're going to keep them guessing and be opportunistic.

2. What is the general state of the locker room going into the playoffs this season following such a great season? How confident are you guys?
We feel good as a team. Coming in here last season we felt like we could repeat. Of course, we all know that didn't work out for us, but our confidence wasn't shaken by any means. We came back in this season, took it a game at a time, and we're coming in as the best team in the game. Prep for this week has only gotten more focused and intense- we know what's at stake here: Legacies. We're intending to build on ours over these next few games. It's an expectation of all or nothing, there will be no moral victories should we fall short.

3. The Second Line has the best offense in the league, how does that motivate you as a player on the defensive side of the ball?
The offense has been balling out all year. In fact, it's a good thing they have, because we haven't been able to stop other teams from scoring on us in the way that we want to. Sure, it's understandable that we're unlikely to pitch a shutout on a given week, but when you're surrendering 30+ points in a contest, even when you do get the dub, it lights a fire under your ass. They've carried us most weeks, although we've made our share of plays. I'd love for it to be us who's making their jobs easy for a chang

4. You are getting to play with one of the all time greats in Godfrey King, how does it feel playing with the veteran player in the twilight of his career? Has he taught you anything about playing on the defensive line?
Playing next to King has been vital for me in my career here. Coming in as a true rookie, I was definitely facing an uphill battle, since most players spend another season or two down in the DSFL. So, I had a lot of catching up to do, and it was King who stepped up to help me get up to speed as quickly as possible. We like to get competitive too- even as an old man I still couldn't beat him in tackles this season, we both had 31, and he got more sacks than me- which is downright embarrassing. Every day he's challenging me to be better, and as we like to say, iron sharpens iron. He's made me sharper, and I hope to carry on his legacy when he does finally hang 'em up.

@Phobospwns

[Phobospwns]

GOMHL Media for one task

Sit Down With a Fan
Answers Here

Playoff Predictions
New Orleans Second Line vs. Orange County Otters
This game is going to be a knock down drag out fight for a ticket to the Ultiumus. In fact, there are many in the league who believe that this is the true Championship of the post season, that the winner will march into the Ultimus and take it with ease. With where the two squads sit in the overall stats columns, who could blame them for thinking as much? If the Second Line are able to hold off the pass rush of the Otters (the second best in the league) by helping out Armstrong with chips from TEs and RBs, and generate pressure of their own with the likes of Lo Rax, I believe NOLA can tip the scales in favor of their team coming out the victors. With an inferior rush game, the Otters will have to jump out to an early lead to stand a chance. NOLA will take it in a barn burner: 41-34.

Baltimore Hawks vs. Colorado Yeti
I think this game will come down to the efficiency of the running attack against the opposing defense- something that the Hawks have a big advantage in on both sides of the ball. The Hawks have the better run team, and the stronger defense, so I see them being able to consistently outpace the Yeti when it comes to putting points on the board. If Colorado get down, I don’t believe their passing game, against the ultra-strong pass rush of the Hawks, will be able to hold up. I think this will be a several score game when it’s said and done, with the Hawks taking the 24-10 win on their way to the finals.

New Orleans Second Line vs. Baltimore Hawks
Well, here we are again, a rematch of last season’s Ultimus. Second Line have the offensive advantage, while the Hawks have the stouter defensive unit. That’s got the making of a close chess match of a championship contest. The Hawk’s pass rush will be able to knock NOLA’s passing game down a peg, and with running games that are nearly at par, that puts things close as a whole. The key here could be NOLA’s defensive backs playing opportunistic football and converting turn overs into points- something they’ve done with great success this regular season. The difference is going to come down to turn overs and special teams, and Meoff may well be enough to nudge the Second Line to victory. 27-24 NOLA.

Root for the Underdog
If there’s a team that can pull off a big upset this coming Conference Championship weekend, it is the Orange County Otters. The gap between the first place New Orleans Second Line and the “underdog” Otters is as thin as a razor’s edge.

Sure, NOLA is first offensively in both passing and rushing, but we’re talking about .3 and .2 yards per play respectively. Over the course of the season that adds up to a lot of yardage- but in a single game, the difference might as well not exist.

Defensively the Otters racked up more sacks and passes defended, while NOLA won out on tackles for loss and interceptions, so again, we’re looking at two very evenly matched units. Both teams have shown they’re capable of taking turn overs back the other way, with the Second line generating 5 TDs on D and the Otters racking up 3.

When you consider sacks allowed by each team’s OL, the Second Line surrendered less pressure over the course of the season, while doing more of their share of pancaking mitigating any possible defensive advantages further.

Special teams wise, OCO looks better from a percent conversion side of things, while NOLA has the upper hand when it comes to distance kicking. The biggest advantage of all may come down to each team’s respective return game, with the Otters the better of the two, but short of a touchdown in the game, I’m not sure it’s enough to decide things either way.

In the end, it’s going to come down to the ability of one of the two teams to generate the big plays to swing the tide in their favor. I don’t see either unit being able to slowly grind the other into submission. I think the Second Line have had their bigger share of those this season, which is why the standings shook out as they did, but all it takes is 1 or two plays to shift that the other way in the coming contest between the two. The Otters are capable of pulling it off.

[PigSnout]

New Talent:

I think the Season 11 trade that had the biggest impact on the playoffs was the trade between the Colorado Yeti and the Philadelphia Liberty. This trade saw the Yeti send Andre Bly Jr. and Eli Kamaka to the Liberty in exchange for the Liberty's second round pick. However, I think the biggest impact of this trade was not the presence of Bly and Kamaka on the Liberty, but rather their absence on the Yeti. After trading away two of their best defensive players, the Yeti had the worst defense in the league this year, giving up a league leading 417 points. This showed in the NSFC Championship Game as the Yeti surrendered 45 points against the Hawks. The Yeti's offense also struggled to get going in that game, but I think it could have been a completely different game with Bly and Kamaka on the Yeti as a better defense would have given the offense better field position. But also the bigger potential impact is the fact that the Yeti finished just one game behind the Hawks in the standings. If the Yeti had even an average defense, they likely would have been able to win a few more games with their high powered offense and could have been the team with home field advantage in the playoffs. It's possible that the Yeti would have been the team representing the NSFC in the championship if not for this trade. However, I don't think the Yeti necessarily regret this trade. They made it as part of a movement to accumulate assets so that they can build for more sustainable success in the future rather than trying to go all in for a one year run this season. But it is interesting to wonder how this year's playoffs may have been different if that trade didn't happen.

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Playoff Predictions:

NSFC Championship Game: @

The NSFC Championship Game will pit the Hawks and the Yeti against each other for a third year in a row. However, they are closer matched this time as they are separated by just one game in the standings. They split the season series with both teams winning in a blowout at home. I think the playoff match up will be closer than the regular season games, but will still be high scoring with two top offenses going against each other. I think the Hawks' superior defense combined with home field advantage will make the difference in this one.
Prediction: 31 41

ASFC Championship Game: @

The ASFC Championship Game will see the Otters and the Second Line facing each other for a fourth consecutive season. They were had a tight race in the standings with the Second Line finishing in the lead by one game. Both of their games this season were pretty close, with the home team winning both games. Though the Otters have a slightly better defense, the Second Line have a much better offense, which I think will be the key to this game along with home field advantage.
Prediction: 24 31

NSFL Championship Game: @

The NSFL Championship Game will be another familiar matchup with the Hawks and the Second Line facing eachother for a third year in a row. With both teams winning once, this will be the rubber match. The Second Line appear to have the advantage in the matchup this year as they won both regular season games, though both were single score games. The Hawks were slightly better defensively, but the Second Line were better on offense by a larger margin. I think it will be a close one, but home field advantage will be the key for the Second Line to come away with a win.
Prediction: 30 33

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Playoff Series MVP:

Looking at the NSFC Championship Game, I would say that the MVP of the game was Ryan Applehort. When a team has a big offensive performance, it is often due to their quarterback having a good day, which was the case for the Hawks in this game with Applehort having a huge game. The Hawks put a lot of trust in him as they had him throw the ball 58 times. He finished the game 40/58 for 410 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception. He put up big numbers as he spread the ball around with four different receivers finishing with 80 yards or more, with Declan Harp finishing with 82 yards and a touchdown, Verso L'Alto finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown, Trey Willie finishing with 107 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Vincent Valentine finishing with 87 yards. There was no one receiver who carried the load for the Hawks as Applehort spread the ball around and got everybody involved, which made it nearly impossible to stop the Hawks' passing attack. This was a big game for Applehort as he was facing his former team in the playoffs, but he delivered on the big stage and was a driving force behind the Hawks advancing to the championship game. Without Applehort's big performance, this could have been a very different game instead of a dominant win for the Hawks.

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Root for the Underdog:

Coming into the NSFL Championship Game, the New Orleans Second Line look to be the favorites. They have home field advantage, they have a better record and point differential than the Hawks, and they swept the Hawks in the regular season series. However, the Hawks shouldn't be written off as they still have a very real chance to win this game. Even though the Second Line won both regular season games, both went to overtime, so the Hawks are definitely capable of playing the Second Line close and they could have easily won both games instead if a few more plays had gone their way. The Second Line have the highest scoring offense in the league, but the Hawks' defense is currently on a roll as they just went against the second highest scoring offense, the Colorado Yeti's, and held it to just 7 points. The Hawks are a very well built team as they have a top quarterback surrounded by playmakers in the receiving game in addition to potentially the league's best running back on offense and they have playmakers at all levels of their defense. As the defending champions, the Hawks have plenty of experience in big games and won't back down from this tough challenge. Though the Hawks will enter this game as underdogs, they have already played the Second Line very close this season and they have the talent and experience to continue the momentum from their previous win and pull off an upset in the championship game.

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[caltroit_red_flames]

SHL PT

PBE PT

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be completed at any point
Alright I don't want to hear any laughs when I say his. Yellowknife should have been in the playoffs. We have some great rookies in Antonio Summer, Josh Park and Thomas Carrasco who totally carried this offense and I can honestly say that I believe they created some of the best offense in the league. But beyond that our defense is made up of some of the most talented players in the league. With Thad Pennington, Dermot Lavelle, Bobson Dugnutt, Robby Rainey, and Cam Taylor in the backfield I think we have some of the best corner backs and safeties in the league. Not to mention Chad Pennington being arguably the best line backer in the entire league. It's an absolute wonder that we didn't end up in the playoffs. Brad Pennington was leading the charge for all of us as the quarterback and he really did a great job. With all of our players gaining another season of experience you can't tell me that we'll miss the playoffs this coming season. Parker and Carrasco just keep improving. The Penningtons are going to be even better, Brad is moving to wide receiver. Dugnutt and our defensive line look poised to prop up one of the best defenses in the league even higher. The rest of league better watch out. We won't stand for not making the playoffs again.

Going to Disneyland!:Who was the Ultimus MVP? Give us a rundown of their celebratory trip to Disneyland. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)
Borkus Maximus III was definitely the Ultimus MVP, the leader of the New Orleans Second Line as the QB, he celebrated at Disneyworld this season. Going to Disneyworld with the rest of his teammates, they opted to spend the first day renting out the local bar just outside of the entrance and drinking the entire place dry. Then they snuck through the gate after closing time and spent the entire night riding rides without any supervision. Which means something was bound to go wrong, right? Darren Smallwood ended up losing his phone after dropping it while on a ride! Not sure many people who just won an Ultimus would really care about that too much though. He filled his hand with a drink instead of a phone for the rest of the night. In the morning Maximus III was standing at the front gate where he greeted the Disneyworld working crew with a prompt vomiting directly at the front gates. He ended up being nearly arrested but the cops recognized him and joined in on the partying. The rest of the team ended up agreeing that the next time they win an ultimus Maximus III would have a chaperone to make sure he doesn't actually end up in jail.

[PSanchez55]

PBE

Nightmare Matchup-

The Kansas City Coyotes had a very good season rushing the ball (especially by NFL standards). 2500 total rushing yards among their three backs is outstanding. (Pythons had 2600 with 2 backs) Wozerson had a great year with 1450 yards on the ground. Well, this strong run of rushing dominance ends tomorrow as the Coyotes head to Portland for a big game against the league leading Pythons and the linebacking core lead by the dominant Charlie Trout and Logan Lejune. Trout and Lejune combined for 241 tackles and 14 sacks. Any holes the Coyotes line makes will be quickly filled by one or both of these monsters. The Coyotes will be unable to run against this defense.

If the Coyotes try to switch things up and pass the ball Lejune and Trout will be in the backfield making plays. (We aren't even mentioning the corners and safeties who will lock down any and all passing targets. Play action passes? These two won't be fooled. The running backs will not have a fun time this playoff game. Guess what? They won't get another playoff game to make up for it. The Pythons shut down the Coyotes on their way to another Ultimini.

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Sit Down with a Fan- With Freezer Riposte

You had a strong all-around season as a rookie LB; which statistic are you most proud of and why?

I guess I'm supposed to say that I dont care about personal stats only team success. Honestly though, this is a sim league, personal stats matter. I would have to say I'm proud of the sacks. My tackle numbers were lower than a couple test sims predicted.

The Pythons dominated the league pretty much all season, other than the one loss to the Marshals. Is it relieving to not have to face them (as in the Marshals) in the championship game?

I am confident about our chances no matter who we face. I assume anyone can beat us on an off day, and no one can beat us when we play our best. With that in mind, I have no reason to be relieved. We will have to work just as hard to beat Tiajuana as we would have to beat San Antonio

You went pretty late in the rookie draft, and were in fact the second LB drafted to Portland. How has this impacted you?

As a relative unknown, having hardly updated, in a draft that included multiple GMs, such as Ckroyal, you (Mavfatha), 4D Chess, and Iamslm, I expected to be drafted late. I expected to go sooner than I did, and there were definitely some mistakes ahead of me. I just go out with #22 on my jersey as a reminder of how many people were taken before me and I use that as motivation.

(Out of character) What are the origins of your player's name?

A high school near me had a linebacker named Logan Lejune a couple years back. He seemed to be very brash and cocky. He was known as a hard hitter who could lay the boom on people. The name isn't very original, but I use it anyway.

Sit down with a star- Featuring Freezer Riposte

1. Sadly the game went just about as I would've predicted. I had hoped we could keep it closer, but man the Pythons really had our number all season. We only lost 5 games total, and 4 of them were to Portland. Tough to think about what could've been but we easily could've been facing off in the finals instead if one of us had been in the SFC.

2. I'm not sure to be honest. It's a little weird to think about a defensive lineman like myself garnering consideration for an early pick; I've always been conditioned to expect the flashy skill positions on both sides of the ball to get the spotlight and the big bucks. The game has seemed to be changing in recent years though so maybe I'm underestimating myself and my position. In talking with GM's I do get the feeling that I'm fairly high on draft boards, but if I had to make a prediction I'd guess around the same number 5 spot is my expectation.

3. Part of playing on the defensive line, and especially at DT, is that the better you are, the less likely the other team is to run the ball your way. As part of that, it can really deflate your statistics even when you're doing your job out there. There were some positives, like tying for the team lead with 4 sacks, but overall in an ideal world my name would be in the box scores more often for big defensive plays and less often for penalties while I'm at it. Sometimes it doesn't work out like that though.

4. So I'm going to look at this in 2 ways. If I had to just take players from one team and call it a group, I'd go with the Otters. They have a young QB and RB on the rise along with a pair of star receivers that I could entrust the team's offense to. If I get to pick and choose, I'd bring along Carlito Crush from the Otters, mix him with Borkus Maximus III and Vladimir Fyodorovich from NOLA, and finish things off with the legendary Owen Taylor

[JSS]

PBE PT

SHL PT

Conference Final MVP Sig



Playoff Matchups

[ItsJustBarry]

Playoff Series MVP: Although the championship game has yet to be played, we have already seen the playoff performance of the season. That would be none other that Baltimore Hawks’ own Trey Willie. In a game that was closely contested all the way until the final whistle, Trey Willie was able to go out do enough to get the job done. We can start with his 8 receptions. Even though he wasn’t the volume receiver in the game, the catches he made were huge in securing this win. Next, he had 107 yards. Once again, not the leading receiver but his yards put his team in scoring position to win this game. HE found the end two times. This is the impact that Trey Willie brings every game. He can make plays and find the end zone as well as any player, past or present. Last, he had an interception which prevented 7 points for Colorado. Doing a little reverse math here, with the plays Trey Willie made on offense and defense, he easily prevented points on defense and scored or assisted in scoring for Baltimore. How many points you might ask? Without Trey Willie on the field last night, the game would have ended would have ended 14-10 with Colorado stealing the road win.

Hate the player or the game: It’s hard to pick a single team that I hate so I will write about a couple. First, let’s start with the Colorado Yeti. What were they even doing in the playoffs? It all starts at the top with Micycle McCormick and Howard Miller. As you look down the roster, you see names like Mark Grau, Alvin Chipmunk, Fox North, Damien Kroetch, Antonio Sandoval (lol), journeyman Brian Wheat, Nicholas Pierno (LOL), Haruki Ishigawa, Michael Tillman, Dwayne Aaron, Desta Danger, Alexandre Thibault, Oskar Ludvig, Devo Cansino, and Peg Leg. With a roster like that, I’m surprised they scored even the 7 points they got.
Another team on the list is the Orange County Otters. When you think of the Otters, there are a couple of names that come to mind. Personally, I think of Josh Garden, Angus Winchester, Greg Clegane, Marcus Kane, Carlito Crush, Kenny Omega, Ryan Sierra, Norman Bagwell, Elvin Enchant, Jaylon Broxton, Mason Brown, Rickey Ramero, Young Spaghetti, Ricky Adams, Gus Showbiz, Danny Grithead, Seer Zephyrous, Adam Anderson, and Marc Spector. Maybe you think of others but that is who stands out to me.
Also, another team I hate is the Philadelphia Liberty. That’s all I will say about them though as they didn’t even make the playoffs.

Matchup Nightmares: It would be hard to single out a single matchup nightmare so I am just going to say the Baltimore Hawks were a nightmare for the Colorado Yeti. Both offensively and defensively, just a good performance all around. It started with the offense. Ryan Applehort threw for over 400 yards and 4 TDs in a game that was out of hand before halftime. Owen Taylor rushed for 188 yards and a TD of his own. He has managed to catch 4 or Applehort’s 40 completions. Declan Harp led all receivers with 14 receptions and caught a last, game sealing TD. Verso L’Alto contributed 115 yards himself and was also able to find pay dirt. Trey Willie caught 8 balls for 107 yards and scored 2 TDs. He also intercepted Micycle McCormick which was Colorado’s only turnover. Vinny Valentine also contributed 3 catches for 87 yards. On defense, Cordell Joshua had the lone sack in the game thanks to excellent offensive line play from both sides. In retrospect, I don’t think there was anything that Colorado could have done differently that would have given them a better shot to win. I am actually impressed that they even scored 7 points to be honest.

Robbed: Probably the team that everyone will agree was robbed would be the San Jose Sabercats. After a couple of good drafts in recent years, this team looks to be on the brink of big things. What’s really scary is how young this team is too. With the majority of their roster in either their first or second year in the NSFL, they have set themselves up for some long term success. Just to name a few key players, they have Jerrod Canton, Danny Methane, Xandra Troyski, Odell Marrett, Chris Orosz, D’Pez Poopsie, Taylor Peterson, KAzamir Oles, Joliet L. Christ, Nate Piazza, Kyle Corbett, Kolby Deringer, Xavier Flash, Zap Brannigan, D.J. Riddick, Ben Horne, Thomas Kane III, Tor Tuck, Bastion Barnhardt, Calkewlated Chambers III, Clifford Rove, Ja Brill, Shane Weston, and I am sure there are others that I forgot to mention but still a roster that has all the potential. Don’t let their record fool you, they are saving it all up for their S12 push to the championship. But in S11, they were robbed week after week, game after game, and just missed out on a playoff berth. Go ahead and mark my words, this team will be dangerous very soon.

[enigmatic]

Playoff Series MVP
Some matches are close. Then you have the games we saw in the first round of this season's playoffs. Looking at the Yeti vs Hawks matchup, there are a couple of players that did really well, notably Owen Taylor, Verso L'Alto or Trey Willie but the player that shined for me was Ryan Applehort. Just looking at his quarterback rating makes me pretty jealous and is a good indicator of how dominant he was during that game. Throwing for 410 wards, scoring 4 touchdowns and throwing just one interception in the playoffs is fantastic but his percentage of completed passes, at nearly 69 % is what really impresses me. You also see sometimes QBs having a great performance during the first half of the game and being a lot more quiet in the second half but I like that Applehort spread the greatness across all four quarters. Also, he managed his game really well, using his receivers as well as his runnerback to gain yards. All in all, it was a near perfect game for him and for those reasons, he'd be my pick for the first round MVP. The Hawks will need this kind of performance in the finals too.

Root for the Underdog
There was little doubt as to the identity of the two teams that would meet in the Ultimus Bowl. The Second Line especially showed that they were the team to beat, dropping only 3 games and scoring a lot more points than any of the other NSFL teams. The Hawks, on the other hand, didn't have an as good season as say the Otters but with their lineup, everybody expected them to bounce back and compete for the title for a second consecutive season. I think the Second Line are the favourites. By far. However, being the defending champions, I believe the Hawks will really put up a fight. They totally destroyed the Yeti in the first round, with a score of 45-7. The Second Line also pulverized their rivals, the Otters, who had an amazing season, a lot better than the Yeti's in fact. Still, I like the Hawks' chances because of their ability to generate offense and to defend against any team. The Second Line won the 3 matches against the Hawks this season but it was always by less than 6 points. Even if the Second Line wins, it will still be an exciting final.

Conference Final MVP Sig


Playoff Recap Infographic

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

1) GOMHL MEDIA

2) ROBBED

The Philadelphia Liberty were absolutely deserving of a playoff spot this season on paper, but the chips just didn't fall righ for them at the end of the day. This team went from not winning a single game a year ago to winning 7 games this season and the way they're trending, odds are that total will be even greater next season. Adriana Falconi, the new leader of the Liberty offense was a huge factor in this resurgence by the team and put together an extremely impressive rookie season. Who can forget the memorable 30-14 win against Baltimore? Well nobody really can because it's so memorable. This win and much of Philadelphia's season showed just what this team is made of, with young talent on both sides of the ball. The Yeti are trash, the team has nothing of note to really be excited about, and you knew they didn't have a prayer in the playoffs. Put the Liberty in there and things would have at least been a little more interesting. At this point though, I think it's safe to say the Liberty will be back locked and loaded next season and may even win the NSFC if this young team can mature in the offseason.

3) That Magic Moment

I mean how can you not say that the play to win the Ultimus game was the most magic moment. Plays like that aren't just special in the confines of a single game alone. No, the tales of this kind of play resonate throughout football history. What an absolute barn burner of a game. You have two fantastic quarterbacks in Borkus Maximus III and Ryan Applehort going at it for four quarters, with the two of them accounting for over 800 yards of total offense and 7 touchdowns and the game coming down to overtime. This is the kind of game that football fans dream of. And overtime wasn't a walk in the park for these two teams either. Overtime consisted of six total possessions before the game was finally decided with less than two minutes to go on a short pass from Maximus to Smallwood to seal the deal. These two teams battled hard for almost 5 total quarters worth of playtime and it wasn't until New Orleans was finally able to break into Baltimore territory and finish the game that fans could finally breathe once again. There is no doubt that this game will be known as one of the greatest Ultimus games of all time and that final play will certainly be gracing highlight reels for centuries.