(S23) - Ultimus Week

[J0EB]

15) Choose your favorite non-playoffs game of this season, whether your own team or another. Explain what was so special and why the winner ultimately came out victorious, including key players and moments.

Between Norfolk and Philadelphia, there were quite a few games that I really enjoyed. The Seawolves clinching the top seed in the final week of the DSFL was insane, the Liberty clinching the 3rd seed in the playoffs with the win against Yellowknife was pretty crazy and fun too. However, I think my favorite game this year was Week 10, when Philadelphia took on the Otters. At 4-5 entering this game, Philly had felt pretty demoralized at some of the close games we had lost. We needed a big win to raise spirits and taking on the strong Otters team, even at home, wasn’t looking like a promising match up. However, this game was just what the Liberty needed. It started with their running game. Sam Torenson and Fuzzy Dotson were unstoppable in this game, shrugging off tackles left and right and both rushing for over 80 yards. Varga had a great game as well, once again being a reliable target for Phoenix, with 6 receptions for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Liberty offense played very well in this game, and their defense was just as good. Only giving up 13 points, the young Liberty defense caused havoc for the Otters. Wesley Eriksen was the stand out defensive player of the game, with 5 tackles, 2 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions, one of which being returned 36 yards for a touchdown! Extending their lead to 21-3. Eriksen went up against one of the best QBs in the league and made him look like a rookie. This is what made this one of my favorite games, watching my fellow teammate and friend have a Defensive Performance of the Year worthy game.

19) Make a scouting report for any of the ISFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights

Captain Rogers, Running Back of the Norfolk Seawolves.

Captain Rogers is a remarkable prospect at the running back position. Weighing in at 225 pounds, standing 6 feet and 2 inches tall, this 120 year old is not afraid to run you down. He may be 120, but Rogers is still incredibly fast on his feet, and is one of the speediest players in his class. His strength and catching ability shouldn’t be underestimated either, and while he may be at his peak with his speed, these two skills of his have a lot of room to grow. His past experience in the army has given him the baseline strength that he has, but from coming straight out of the ice, it’s clear that he still has a little ways to go before he reaches his full glorious self. Rogers has already quickly begun to improve. He has an incredibly high ceiling as a player, and he can be a great team leader as well, using his age in order to take the role as a captain or veteran presence out on the field. In his first year out on the field, while splitting time in a Running Back by Commission role, he still managed to accumulate 998 yards on 197 attempts, which gave him an impressive average of 5.1 yards per carry. The only downside you could possibly point out about Rogers is that he only had 4 rushing touchdowns on the year, but that was much more of a testament to the excellent players around him rather than a lack in his own abilities. Rogers’ best play of the season, a 67 yard run against Myrtle Beach is pictured below.

22) Imagine that the league’s Pro Bowl included a skills competition similar to the NFL. What sorts of games could you see being implemented? Which players do you think would perform the best in ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, or other games? Which conference would come out on top?

The Pro Bowl skills competitions are oftentimes just as, if not more entertaining, than the pro bowl itself. Watching your favorite athletes play around and have fun really shows a different side to them that isn’t normally in the forefront. It’s comforting to see them act more casually, and the pro bowl is one of the funnest parts of the season because of this. If the ISFL included a skills competition, it would likely be much less football related than the NFL’s though. Lots of ISFL athletes come from around the world, and the variety in personalities would really bring about some interesting interactions and dynamics. With so many people having fun and unique past times or secondary skills, there’s a lot of room to be creative with our skills competition. Games and events such as wrestling, rugby, and arm wrestling contests would all be quite popular I’d imagine, as well as more unique challenges like underwater basket weaving, Uno, or other sports like baseball or hockey, since the league contains many dual athletes. Dodgeball is obviously always an exciting event, and the mobile QBs like Armstrong, Cue and McDummy would absolutely crush it there. Toriki would likely lead the way in rugby, alongside other former players. Whereas, Matt Cross, being the High School Wrestling legend that he is, would obviously lead the pack in that event, albeit with some tough competition from guys like Lazlo Forty-Two, Douglas Quaid and Mako Mendonca. Arm Wrestling would be a massive strength competition, where the big guys could really reign superior. Guys like Big Edd and Bubba Thumper would be scary to take on in that challenge. All in all, these creative events would bring about a lot of entertainment and could be really fun for the players as well.

23) Present your argument for the playoffs MVP. Show their stats and impact on the games that they played.

For the DSFL, the Playoffs MVP should be glaringly obvious. The kicker formerly known as Daria Guava-Fresca, Melvin Murder-Moose, clearly deserves this award. Guava-Fresca was instrumental in the Seawolves Ultimini run and victory. In her two playoff games played, she went 8/8 on field goals, and 3/3 on extra points. Literally perfect. And the distance didn’t matter, her longest kick was a 46 yarder, which was one of six 30 plus yard field goals which she nailed. When the team needed her most, she showed up and got the job done. Against Dallas in the Semi-Finals, Guava-Fresca was responsible for 13 out of their 19 points scored, also pinning the Birddogs inside their own 20 once. In an incredibly close game, with the final score being 19-17, if Daria had missed a single field goal then the game could have gone the other way. When the offense sputtered and stalled, Daria was there to ensure the team put points on the board, and this led them to the win and the team's first Ultimini appearance in 20 years. In the Ultimini game itself, while the Seawolves offense was in much better shape, and was far more productive than the previous game, Daria still accounted for 14 of the team’s 26 points. For a team who was burnt bad the previous year by their kicker, Daria really stepped up, showed off her talent, and led this team to two offseason victories, and their first ever Ultimini Championship Title.

[dieselj123]

11) Give a thorough examination of a league scandal from any point in time. What made this particular drama so noteworthy? Who were the major participants involved, and what was the offense? What kind of impact did this scandal create on the league, and have any permanent changes come about as a result?

I'm not really sure if this counts since it may not really be considered a scandal at this point yet but I really think that the S23 ISFL voting was something that should be considered scandalous and investigated because of a specific persons actions. Sure some of the players they voted for more then likely deserved the right to be first, but I can't find any acceptable way to support someone voting for their teammates 1st in every single category that they could be voted into, this is completely unfair to people who have spent hours, weeks, months trying to improve their player, trying to get some recognition for their hard work, and instead someone thinks that its okay to completely vote down the line for their team and ignore any sense of responsibility. Obviously they probably weren't doing it maliciously but in any case I think someone that votes without any regard for the actual integrity of the votes does not belong in a position where they can continue to submit ballots in the future. Maybe it's possible that they could have something in place where you can't vote for your own team, but that doesn't really work because like I said, Some of those players probably did deserve the votes that they got, but again, not 14 out of 14 chances as that's just a little bit ridiculous to support. Some people may say that its just awards but that still means something to a lot of people, I know I was super upset not seeing my last player get any credit at all because I was perceived inactive despite having a very strong season at cornerback with Stuart Little. Winning the Tight End award with Rigby helps me have some sort of self proof that my effort and the teams as well is recognized by the league. Awards integrity is a hot button topic in basically any sports circle, and this also isn't even something that is just considered in the ISFL, the PBE has also gotten a ton of flack and as someone who submits ballots over in the PBE, I really take the integrity of it personally because I want to believe that my votes are informed and well supported instead of something thats just looked over as a little joke at the end of the season. Yes, at the end of the day this is just some silly online hobby and I'm really blowing something out of proportion, but it is nice to be able to enjoy something without it being tainted by a lack of integrity, and I'm not calling this person out cause I really don't think they meant anything by their votes, but I hope reading this response, they can understand why people are so upset about it.

[IthicaHawk]

Hello ISFL and welcome to my seasonal essay on why statistics are good, fun and interesting. Please take a seat. I'm Hamish MacAndrew and I'll be your guide on this trip we're going to take together.

As I stated last year, statistics can tell a story. Lets take a look at S23 and see if we can't find us a nice story.

Here is the Elo rankings of all teams through S23 including post-season:



And here are our Ultimus contenders isolated:



Already we can see some interesting stories emerging. Look at the Copperheads, for example. They come into the season as the #3 ranked team, behind only the Wraiths and the Otters. A strong week 1 performance coupled with the Wraiths surprise loss to the Baltimore Hawks (a matchup they had nearly 70% chance of winning) gave the Copperheads the #2 spot and put them within striking distance of the Otters and the top spot.


But then it all went tits up. Two losses in a row (16-45 vs Second Line and 24-31 vs Otters) plunged them down to 5th overall. Things clearly weren't looking great. A couple of decent wins then followed and gave Copperheads the chance to be in the top spot mix once again. However a lackluster performance against the Butchers netted them only a small rise in score and then an awkward loss to Liberty at home plunged them right back down the table again to 5th.

If they had only won that game vs Liberty then their performance the following week where they whooped Yeti while on the road (42-16 against a top team) then chance are they'd have taken that number one spot.

But, after that flash of brilliance they lost it again and went on a four game loss streak. 17-23 vs Wraiths was a good showing but maybe the loss hurt moral because that was followed by 20-24 loss to the Hawks, 13-14 loss to the Sailfish and then an absolute thumping at the hands of 11th ranked Hahalua, losing 3 to 40 points. It looked like the Copperheads were done.

Twelve weeks into the season and they're now not even in the top half of the rankings. Meanwhile the Wraiths are still comfortably up at the top having secured #1 spot weeks previously.

In week 13 Copperheads showed they might still have some life in them with a 24-6 defeat over New Orleans but they'd have to bring their A game the rest of the season since the remaining schedule wasn't exactly easy. The following week a 16-31 loss to the Otters dented a comeback but they went on to win their final two games and secure a playoff berth. Close one guys.

Meanwhile, Wraiths started to flounder. They nearly lost to the Butchers in week 14, clinging onto a 16-10 win but it was signs of what was to come as they then lost 13-35 vs Colorado and 17-35 vs Liberty. Ending the season with them down in 5th place and Copperheads just below in 6th.

Both teams then pushed their way through the playoffs and secured themselves spots in the Ultimus. The Copperheads, despite everything, went into the finals as the Elo ranked favourites with a score of 1607.07 vs Wraiths on 1586.96. It was not to be for the snake based team as the Wraiths cemented their season with a 38-13 route of the Copperheads.

These graphs and charts tell stories of struggle and overcoming the odds. Whenever you see a big spike or a big dip, you know that something interesting has happened. Someone who, by all rights, should have won something buggered it up or someone who should have lost pulled something amazing out of the bag.

In fact, two of the biggest single week Elo losses are both owned by the Ultimus Champions, the Wraiths. In week 15 they lost at home to the Yeti with a score of 35-13. Wraiths had a 74% chance of taking the W in this game and dropped the ball taking a 65.65 loss to their Elo score and dropping them two spots in the tables. This actually slingshot Yeti up from 4th to 1st place although they wouldn't hold it for long.

In week 11, Wraiths loss to the Outlaws while on the road with a score of 46-13. It's lucky the Wraiths didn't put this performance up while at home or this would have been catastrophic for them. As it happened, they still lost 63.24 points but still held onto top spot at that particular point in the season thanks to all the other top teams faffing around at least 40 points below and then also losing.

These are just some examples of things you might miss when you just consider the games in isolation. Things that graphs and stats can highlight. Outlayers and oddities that make things interesting and fun to watch. At the end of the day, we're watching some little dots run around on a screen so having those little dots draw lines over the whole season is just another abstraction of numbers.

But they are fun somehow.

850 words. Tier 1 task 5

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Tier 1, Task 1

I've been in the league for literal years now so almost everything that has happened to the league I've been around for firsthand unless it was during my few times of inactivity. I could easily talk about the scandals that we've seen or some of the toxic users we've had that hurt the league in some way or another. But I'm going to instead talk about something that I affected me personally and that is the creation of the offensive line bots that we still make use of today and were an absolutely necessary addition regardless of whether or not people still want to play the position.

I joined in S2 and I really wanted to make a WR. Anytime I played the whatever career mode in Madden or Heisman Chase in NCAA football that was the position I played. But as someone new to sim leagues I was kind of scared off by everyone saying how full the Offensive skill positions were and that I'd never get to play there blah blah blah. Literally the same things we say to new users now. Lo and behold I would have earned enough to be a damn good WR if I wanted to but I digress. So instead I opted for offensive line, hoping it would be the position with the quickest path to making an impact. You look at the guys that also we're making offensive linemen at the time and you'll see multiple Hall of Famers and GMs, it was a position that was just full of some of the best users in the league.

Pretty soon though, we'd realize that it was extremely brutal to be an Offensive Lineman, especially in those early seasons. Seriously go look at what defensive lineman were able to do in some of the early seasons of the league and it's just totally unrealistic but more importantly unbalanced. I remember watching one of the early Ultimus games that Arizona demolished in and they were easily getting multiple safeties in a championship game. It was exciting if you played for Arizona I guess but otherwise it was just kind of lame. It was really unfortunate to work very hard to max earn for your team and for your offensive line to still be garbage because the rest of the players on it were 50 tpe inactives. As an offensive lineman it definitely felt nice to be so wanted, I think more than half of the players taken in the first round of the S2 draft were OL. But at the same time, we had talked amongst ourselves that it would be nice to play something else too. Regardless of whether or not people wanted to continue to play the position, something had to be done. We had the fewest number of active players at the position group that requires the most to fill on a team.

Thus, the OL bots that we still use today were born (built?). It definitely took some time to tweak everything with them from how much of the cap teams should expect to spend to what the different types levels should be, but the people that put that effort together did an excellent job to try and balance everything while also tweaking archetypes and weight for DL as well to make sure everything worked out. As for the people that were playing OL at the time, everyone was able to use a free 100% tpe switch. People like Blocksdale and Akselsen switched to QB, Sharpei, Winchester and myself switched to LB, some people switched to DL. Basically most of us still switched to positions that our team still needed help at, which was why we had chosen to play OL in the first place.

The trajectory of the league was changed forever in the immediate introduction of superstars at a bunch of places across the league but more importantly in the way to build your team. There's a reason why now DL is such a huge need because of how much more difficult it is for teams to make an impact against OL bots without them. Additionally trying to balance the strength of your offensive line with the salary cap makes for some challenging decisions. But, as dramatic a shift as it was, I think it was absolutely necessary to bring balance to the league.

And don't get me wrong, I'm all about the fair rubs club and letting people play offensive line. You look at a league like EFL where they just have bots exclusively on both the offensive line and defensive line and it does help to just eliminate the issues we have had to work through. But I just think it adds a lot of character to have real people playing those positions as much as we can. And the OL brotherhood with its own discord and everything has been a great community. The bots are here not to try and take jobs from people, but to help supplement the position as best as possible and keep the league running smoothly. I'm very happy with where we are as a league in terms of how we handle offensive line and I think most people would agree.

[SwagSloth]

Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (800+ words)
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.

5) Write 800 words or more on something that interests you. It could be related to statistics, to a league issue you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 800 words about your team’s Werewolf server. Be warned that freedom comes with risk, and this category will be judged especially stringently for anyone trying to spew complete nonsense.



One of the most exciting parts of the offseason is Free Agency. Will a major player jump ship from one team to another to compete for a title? Will someone test the market in search of the biggest contract out there? Perhaps a team is hitting the regression cliff and its younger players are abandoning ship in hopes of finding a team that better fits their own regression window? The chase can be different for each player, but the league has seen some incredible Free Agency periods that helped reshape the dynamic of the league in a single offseason.

For me, this offseason was unique because it was the first time that I have ever tested Free Agency. As a former GM, I’ve found myself involved in a great many conversations behind the scenes as I pitched my vision for the team to potential teammates. The thrill of adding a player with over 4 seasons of earning (3 in the NSFL/ISFL, 1 in the DSFL) had the possibility to spark a huge leap forward depending on the position of need. But now, for a change, I found myself on the other side of things. I had to sit down and seriously think about what I wanted in a team. I’ve never been too worried about money; I enjoy writing media and I’m more than happy to collect a bare minimum contract for my player. And I wasn’t simply chasing a title. I’ve won titles on both of my previous players and I hope to do the same with this one, but I’m a sucker for an uphill battle. I’d much rather go to a team that really needs me and focus on helping them overcome that obstacle rather than reinforcing an existing contender. That meant I would have to seriously consider what else I was looking for.

Truth be told, when I was drafted in S21, I didn’t think I’d leave Arizona. And certainly not this soon. Due to IRL obligations, I had to vacate my role as GM in a hurry, leaving the team without the right to auto-draft my player. Fortunately, I fell down the rankings due to a combination of my position (RB) being abundant in the draft and my previously mentioned IRL obligations affecting my earning for that season. So, when Arizona got me with a third round pick instead of having to use a second round pick on me, I considered that a huge win. The team was able to get better draft value that way and it meant I could return to help out the next generation of management. I’ve always been a believer in former GMs trying to support their old teams after they stepped down. I had done some good things in Arizona (even bringing home a championship mere seasons into a rebuild), but I took some risks that left behind a mess. And I wanted to be around to help the new GMs correct course. But that begs a new question. If I feel compelled to stay with the team out of a sense of commitment, how long does that obligation last?

Over the course of the next 3 seasons, I considered this question. I was happy to be an Outlaw again and I truly loved my team. But I also had to accept that I’d just spent 10 seasons there (7 as GM, 3 as a player) and that’s a long time to spend with any team. Did I owe it to them to add another 10? I wasn’t sure of my long-term direction, but the question existed in the back of my mind. Over the course of those 3 seasons, I watched the team continue to grow and mold itself. I had put the building blocks in place, but this was a whole new team filled with incredible, young players. They were blessed with depth and, while I’m not usually one to stress over stats, it began to feel like I was now just a small part of a much bigger machine. Behind the scenes, the team had several people step up in different roles and the new GM was doing a great job of keeping everything rolling. I knew I had been fortunate to find the right choice for my successor, but in doing so, I also made myself obsolete. And thus I wondered if I might make more of an impact elsewhere…. The more I thought about it, I realized how limited my interactions with the rest of the league had been. I loved my time with both the Wraiths and the Outlaws, but from S2-S23, I was only with 2 teams and that I had only experienced 2 different approaches to locker rooms. And getting the opportunity to experience different locker room environments with my new player grew more appealing over the course of the S23 season.

Leaving a team can be difficult. Especially when you were on good terms with everyone. I spoke to a few of my long-time teammates after informing my GM that I would be testing and it wasn’t easy news to deliver. It wasn’t that I was unhappy or even that the team had done anything wrong. It was merely that I felt myself growing complacent. The torch had been passed and the team didn’t need me anymore. They may not have felt that way, but I felt that way. And, as I told my GM, I wouldn’t be leaving if I wasn’t confident in the team’s ability to thrive without me. It may seem odd, but it’s a compliment to the team’s growth and the progress they’ve achieved in such a short time that I can seek out a fresh start without a sense of guilt.

The free agency itself was interesting. I wanted to get the word out early and I dropped 2 media articles in advance to get the word out there. I knew GMs couldn’t comment and the articles went mostly unnoticed as far as responses go, but I figured the right people would still see it. As a GM, I always found Free Agency to be chaotic and knowing that a player would be testing even a few days in advance was a massive help. Unfortunately, I was so used to the Ultimus championship game (and thus the start of Free Agent talks) occurring on Wednesday rather than Friday that perhaps I was almost too hasty in the timing of my posts. I waited with anticipation as the deadline came and teams were now allowed to contact me. And, at first, nothing. I wondered if the message had gotten out there. Did teams still care about me? I had been in the league a long time and, as far as I knew, had a mostly positive reputation. I always got along with other GMs during my time as a GM and I was looking forward to interacting with some of my former colleagues in a new light. Unfortunately, I had indeed felt myself grow complacent over the last 1-2 seasons and I wondered if others had noticed. This league has been blessed with new, promising users to the point where we’ve undergone 2 expansions in a short time, but that also meant that some of the old veterans like myself weren’t the center of attention anymore. I wanted to make a difference and find a team where I could help out as both a user and a player, but was I overestimating my own value?

Fortunately, the messages did soon start to come and, once they did, they ramped up. I didn’t hear from every team, less than half actually, but I also understood that RB wasn’t a position of need for every team. Just as it caused my draft stock to fall in S21, it now meant that some teams didn’t even have an opening for me. But the interactions I did have were very positive and resulted in productive discussions. For me, it came down to the Butchers, Hawks, and Liberty. All three had the potential to for me to fit in as a player while assisting them in different capacities behind the scenes. And I think I could have been happy with any of these choices. But something about the Butchers reminded me of the S15-S16 Outlaws. They were a team that ran into some hardships and were being rebuilt by fresh faces, but while they were doing a lot right, they still had a long way to go. On top of that, I knew they were battling the stigma that had followed them for so long. And maybe a big name (or at least high TPE) free agent could help change that by signing with them fairly early into Free Agency. I didn’t rush into a decision by any means, but by Sunday, I realized I had already made my choice subconsciously and decided to make it official. Not only did I come over, but I was soon joined by fellow free agent Pazuzu. We were both players that could make an immediate impact for the team’s offense. And it quickly made a big impression. “Is Chicago good now?”, people asked. The league is in a great state of parity and it’s hard to predict what will happen during the season itself, but it’s nice to see Free Agency have the potential to help reshape a team overnight. Paz and I were still only two players, but we joined a locker room full of impressive, promising young players with a strong outlook ahead of them and my true hope is that this combination is one that will thrive. It’s been strange being in a new place after being so attached to my old team, but my new teammates have welcomed me with open arms and I’m excited for the future of this organization.

1635 Words

[Bruins10]

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6) The playoffs have finally arrived. Choose one playoff team that is not your own from either league and recount how they got here in 400 words or more. What challenges and hurdles did they face in the regular season? Did they cruise into home field advantage or have to fight off contenders for the wild card? Are they led by MVP players on offense, or is a stifling defense the engine to their success? Don’t be afraid to go deep.

As much as it hurts me to analyze this team, the Austin Copperheads made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. Tied with the Outalws who I play for, it was always going to be down to the wire this season with how talented the ASFC was. But, let us compare the way the schedules broke down between the two teams who finished with an 8-8 record. The Copperheads had a 2-2 record after 4 weeks, beating the Hahalua and the Outlaws but losing to the Otters and Second Line. No surprise there as those were 2 playoff teams that we knew from the beginning of the season. In the 8 weeks that followed, the Copperheads went 3-5 where they even surprisingly beat the Yeti on the road. Finishing strong, the Copperheads would then have a 3-1 record with the remaining 4 weeks of the schedule.
The Outlaws on the other hand, started the season with a 1-3 record after the first 4 weeks and had the tough schedule of meeting Otters, Second Line and Copperheads all right at the beginning. Makes the middle of the schedule easier, but if you know you have to do well in the middle of the season, your team better come out and perform. And that is exactly what the Outlaws did for their schedule. With 3 weeks remaining in the regular season, the Outlaws would hold a 7-6 record. Which means they won 6 and lost 3 of their games in that middle stretch of the season. But, with 3 games left in the season and a tight conference, there was no room for screwups but that is what they did. They go 1-2 with the last 3 games in the season, losing a crucial one to the Copperheads in week 15 by 1 point. With 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter of the game, the Copperheads were ahead 16-15 and the Outlaws had the ball on half field. The Outlaws were so nervous, they allowed the Copperheads to sack Jay Cue twice, forcing a turnover on downs and losing the game, which ultimately would allow the Copperheads to pass the Outlaws and not make their playoff hopes achievable this season. Obviously this is not the only reason that the Outlaws lost the game. The Outlaws put up a total of 60 yards more in total yardage that game and gave up one extra interception which isnt good. This was not the same story in week 4 when the Copperheads beat the Outlaws 33-29, where the Outlaws had 60 less yards compared the Copperheads. The Copperheads gave up 1 more turnover than the Outlaws in that first matchup of the season and yet they managed to win. The Outlaws had just managed to give the Copperheads better positions down the field, putting up 7 penalties in that game. Being undisciplined will help the other team way too much and will be in a position to score. Congratulations to the Copperheads, who made sure that they were better set up to make the playoffs by making sure they beat out their closest rivals, the Outlaws and got in on a tiebreak, well deserved.

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23) Present your argument for the playoffs MVP. Show their stats and impact on the games that they played.

This is a little easier than I expected, you just had to be looking at the right place. The Yellowknife, and I congratulate them, won all their games by close margins. As great as a team they are, defense win championships and those are stats I wanted to see. In the entirety of the playoffs, the Wraiths had a total of 20 sacks in 3 games. They were able to give up a total of 32 points over 3 games and well, one player stood out in those games and that is one of their line backers, Douglas Quaid. Douglas Quaid heard his name called out 3 times over those 3 games, being named the defensive player of the game in every one of their playoff contests this season. He had a stat line of 8 tackles and 2 sacks in each game, with 2 tackles for loss in the whole playoffs giving him a total of 24 tackles and 6 sacks. He was a force that could not be stopped and really knew what it would take to make sure his team can win the championship this season. The Wraiths obviously have a stacked roster with the likes of Cooter Bigsby and Mathias Hanyadi, but those are the obvious picks for the MVP who shine bright because they always have the ball in their hands. More of an unsung hero in my opinion, where Quaid made sure he would be the reason why players like Bigsby and Hanyadi had the possession and the ball to make plays because the other team did not have it.

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24) The league is prone to change. Reflect on a past change in either the ISFL or DSFL that significantly impacted something - be it a rules change, an expansion or contraction, or even a complete rebranding. What were the effects of this change, and how has it shaken the status quo?

I am not the most active of players and I have not been here long enough to really know what changes have made the biggest difference to the leagues structure. But, the recent change from the NSFL to the ISFL will be one of the biggest. It may not seem like a lot on the surface but with the shape of the league changing and the size of the league just growing, the ISFL and the name that the league is called, that is what people on the internet will know this community as. When people are looking at joining and so some digging around, they look at the ISFL and they look at the community that shapes it, and it is at that moment when a user will make the decision on whether or not he wants to be apart of it. The NSFL, from what I understand, had a bad stigma and identity on the internet but not because of us. We do not want to be associated with whatever was going on somewhere else in the world and that is why the Head Office decided to make a change for the better. It may not seem like a lot and well, it may be something we take for granted, but I am happy with the image tthat this sim league has and I am glad to be apart of it. I hope that everyone has the same thoughts as I do and I think that they should in order to make sure that new users and this league grows in a positive manner.

[Hallmonitor_20]

Tier 2 #11

The biggest scandal that happened in my time here was the DD-Day. Dylan Deluxe was an S18 create who came in with the reddit class same time as me. We clicked really well from the get go and became close friends in this league. We also had a great relationship with other S18ers Isa and Bex. We dubbed ourself the core 4 and made our own little private chat in s18 discord that we used to hang out and just joke about life and the league. This chat had many names that is famously known as the Solar. At the time we were all young users and were fresh rookies excited for the league. As time passed we began to have jobs in the league and made bigger marks than we once had. The drama starts after the NSFL draft of S18 and mid way into the s18 season. DD has a falling out with Isa caused by disruption in the NOLA locker room which they played together on. This fight lead to DD demanding a trade and ultimately ending up in Philly (Which I was accused of tampering because obviously I would tamper its not like DD was unhappy with the team or anything). After the year finishes up DD opts out of his rookie contract and signs a new 3 year deal with Philly. At this time Bex had just entered HO and we still all hung out in the solar. One day in about week 1 of S19 Bex comes to us and says "hey DDs contract might not be approved but I'm fighting for it because by rule we were correct in his signing" so we thought everything is good. 2 irl weeks pass by and after the week 6 stream we get a random message from HO saying "by the way DDs contract is void" which of course caused an uproar between Philly and HO with DD leading the charge. The worst part for DD was that HO voted unanimously to void the contract which lead to us feeling betrayed by Bex (also this all happened after Bex opted out of her contract and lead us through a loooooong free agency telling us we were final 2 when we were no where near final 2 and signed with NOLA after giving us this whole spill about how she "could never play for a friend who was a GM" so DD was already not happy at Bex). This lead to DD and Dwyer both leaving the league and leaving it commissionorless and streamerless. So eventually in S20 DD comes back and we think oh cool our boy is back this is awesome. DD then one day decides that he is tired of how fake Bex was to everyone and decided to release the "Truth" this truth being all of the screenshots from inside the Solar. DD created a discord and made separate channels of different users that were attacked by Bexs words in the Solar and sent the invite to every server in the NSFL. This lead to tampering charges against NOLA and Bex and lead to a vote to keep Bex as commissioner. Bex eventually did get voted to stay in charge and DD was outlasted from the league but the effects from that day are still felt around the league.

Tier 3 #18



Tier 3 #19

[DarknessRising]

7) Awards season is a big part of the offseason festivities. Take the stand, in 400 words or more, for one or more players that are not your own, and argue why they should receive awards glory. They can be your teammates or anyone in the league. How did their stats and on the field contribution contribute to their case this year?

Awards are such a large and clear way to show a person’s success in their career. It demonstrates that a player has had such an amazing season, with hard work, dedication and effort off the field in training, paying off in amazing game day results for their team. It is a very admirable way the league recognises those players who achieve highly and who set the standard for all other players within both the ISFL and DSFL league as to what they should aspire to be. With their popularity, some awards are always more sought after than others. Most Valuable Player, Offensive or Defensive player of the year are the highest awards that everyone desires. Positional awards also come with it a a badge of honour and respect. However, unlike other awards, there is one positional award that doesn’t get as much glory as some of the others and this year, has a clear winning candidate that should be receiving more credit than they currently get. That is, the Offensive Lineman of the year, and that player who is a cut above the rest, is Bruce Buckley of the Arizona Cardinals.

Whilst other positional awards such as Kicker or Punter of the year and Returner of the year also get less credit than other positional awards, there is simply no debate as to what was a phenomenal year for Bruce Buckley and that he is deserving to win the Offensive Linemen of the year award and capture that glory. Whilst only into his second season playing in the ISFL for the Outlaws, Buckley was able to amount 84 pancakes across the season, only 3 behind Lazlo Forty-Two, the absolute pinnacle of Offensive Linemen for multiple seasons. However, Lazlo is unable to win this award due to technicalities, leaving Buckley with the most pancakes from eligible nominees. On top of Buckley’s position leading sack total, he is recorded 0 sacks allowed throughout the season. Buckley was able to put on a masterclass at how to protect their QB, his performance should be mentioned more when Jay Cue for Quarterback of the year, offensive position of the year of Most Valuable Player arguments come up. Buckley’s A+ performance allowed Cue to also get those critical extra second to get rid of the ball and link up with his receivers.

Buckley’s stats don’t lie. For his second season in the big leagues, the dude is a monster racking up pancakes like there is no tomorrow, but for this young star, he has a bright future ahead of him. This starts with him winning Offensive Lineman of the year award, with what is arguably the best stats in a very straightforward position to determine. #Fairrubs!.

8) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?

After some impeccable drafting by the General Managers and some great training gains by those players, the Minnesota Grey Ducks find themselves in an awkward position heading into the next draft. After failing to reach a trophy, last season and the one just past has seen the team slowly fall towards the bottom of the standings. With so much of their premiere talent now being called up to play in the big leagues, there is rumours around the league that after the next list of callups come through, the Ducks could be left with as little as four or five players on their roster.

In a saving grace for the Minnesota Grey Ducks, the next class up is large numbers currently weighing it at 136 prospects and counting, just hitting 17 full rounds of picks. Even in a worse call scenario situation where the Ducks are left with only four or five players on the team after the ISFL teams determine who they want to call up or leave down, the team has the ability to fill every position with the few send downs they will still have to field an all player team for the next season. What will be crucial is that the Ducks need to select prospects that will grow and flourish in their training to build back up to one of the top teams.

With needing to fill so many positions and holes in their roster, the Grey Ducks management team will have to accurately determine when to take someone for each position at the optimal time to get the most value spread around the field. With Sim SnowBow in his last season of eligibility to play in the DSFL, when do the Ducks look to fill their backup and future QB slot? Go early and leave vulnerabilities in defensive positions. Wait to long and potentially miss out on the best prospects or any all together with their only being a handful of Quarterback prospects in the class as of right now. These are the sort of decision that will be happening which each pick the Ducks have to make. Fortunately for the Ducks, they acquired an extra pick in the fourth round via the Dallas Birddogs as well as an eight from the London Royals.

With the little extra capital, the Ducks draft will all be about timing, when to pull the trigger on what position. Their effectiveness in doing so, will be the determining factor on how their rebuilding roster will turn and if the mighty Ducks will fly again all be just quacking from the outside looking in come playoff time.

[Montegue]

Tier 3: # 19 - Scouting Report

Scouting Report:

Albert Ruschmann (DE) – 6’4”, 275 Ibs.
Rutgers University

Skillset and Physical Attributes:
If you just look at Albert Ruschmann, nothing initially stands out about him. Average height and average weight for a DE. Ruschmann lacks strong physical tools, like long reach, blazing speed, or insane reps on the bench. He only got on the field at Rutgers when starting DE’s graduated. It’s only after you see him play does his high draft projection makes sense.

While not particularly exceptional at any one aspect, Ruschmann thrives in combining his skillset into one complete, well balanced package. Good against the run, good at rushing the QB. The cliché “swiss army knife” comes to mind, as he can play anywhere on the defensive line, from the 0 to the 4 technique.

Does not possess an elite pass rush move. Sacks the QB thru second and third opportunities. Has a very high motor. While at Rutgers, he was on a very good team and these sacks and tfl’s might be the result of having a championship caliber secondary.

Intangibles:
High intensity and well regarded in the locker room. Looked up to by his underclassmen as a role model. Looks good in shorts. Comes from a good family. Has strong male role models in life, including his father, Anthony and choir director, William Matthews. Loves his mother.

Scout Thoughts:
While physical attributes are important, we’ve seen what going purely off of physical traits can lead to (ie Jamarcus Russell, Tony Mandarich). Production is also important, but you also can’t go off of college stats as an indication of NFL production (ie Vernon Gholston, Johnny Manziel).

In order for a person to have a chance playing in the NFL, there must be a combination of physical traits, college production, and intangibles. And that will simply get you in the door. After you make it, you must have the mentality, work ethic, and heart to succeed in this league.

In my opinion, Albert Ruschmann possesses all these qualities to become a top Defensive Lineman for a long time. He will and should go early in the draft and will be a steal no matter where he is taken.

Player Grade: A+

Player Comp: Nick Bosa

This is my first article

[Highhaschdi]

Tier 2
6) The playoffs have finally arrived. Choose one playoff team that is not your own from either league and recount how they got here in 400 words or more. What challenges and hurdles did they face in the regular season? Did they cruise into home field advantage or have to fight off contenders for the wild card? Are they led by MVP players on offense, or is a stifling defense the engine to their success? Don’t be afraid to go deep.

I want to talk about the Kansas City Coyotes, who had a great season. After finishing with the worst record last season, the Coyotes really turned their team around this year. They did a great job in the draft and got some high earning players like Defensive End Asher Montain, Wide Receiver Joshua Campbell or Linebacker Brach Thomaslacher. The draft shows that the Coyotes looked to improve both sides of the ball. In the preseason Kansas City lost 3 out of their 4 games with a devastating 50-3 loss in Myrtle Beach, which made the team concerned about having another difficult season. However, in the season opener, KC showed what they're capable of and defeated the London Royals, before losing in Norfolk. Week 3 had their revenge against MB at home, where the Coyotes showed that they learned from their preseason game and really improved. After a decisive win in Tijuana, the Coyotes were 3-1 after their first four games with the other teams in the division struggling and KC looked to be on a good way clinching a playoff spot and homefield advantage in the championship game.
In the next 3 games, the Coyotes lost at home versus Dallas and in Portland while winning against division rival Minnesota in Kansas City, which still had them on top of the division with a record of 4-3 after the first half of the season. The Coyotes had a great start in the second half of the season stealing a surprising win from London and also winning two more games versus Norfolk and at Myrtle Beach, which put them at 7-3 and made a playoff appearance pretty likely. They also were in a pretty good spot to secure home field avantage for the championship game. However, KC somehow seemed to forget how to play football resulting in 4 losses in a row to end the regular season. With London also losing their last game, KC ended up in the first place in the division with a record of 7-7, tieing London, but the Coyotes won both their games versus London.
While Kanas City looked good on both sides of the ball, the defense really carried the team and made sure that they secured the top spot in the division. KC Defense had the fewest points allowed in the DSFL, they also finished second place in yards allowed with having the best rush defense, but only having the 5th best pass defense. Especially Brian Thomaslacher had an awesome season with 100 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered and also 6 sacks! (431 words)


Tier 2
7) Awards season is a big part of the offseason festivities. Take the stand, in 400 words or more, for one or more players that are not your own, and argue why they should receive awards glory. They can be your teammates or anyone in the league. How did their stats and on the field contribution contribute to their case this year?

There are lots of players on the London Royals, that deserve to win awards. For example, London's running back Danny King had an awesome season and should definitely win RBOTY, OPOTY and should be in contention for the MVP race! While King only has the third most yards for running back this season, he was the most effective one with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. In comparison, the two players with more yards Theeks and Keppler had an average of 4.7 and 4.5 yards. It clearly shows that King only got less yards, because he had less attempts than those two othe running backs. Main reason for that was that he had a great backup with Jacoby Batista, who also averaged 4.5 yards and finished the season with 981 yards and 9 touchdowns. Speaking of touchdowns, King had the most rushing touchdowns this season with 11, tieing Theeks and Fakon there. King also had 12 receptions for 98 yards and 1 receiving touchdown. It really shows that King played a fundamental part in the success of the Royal's offense and he should definitely win RBOTY. It's time for the King to be crowned!
Another example of a player from the Royals that should win an award for their outstanding season is Line Backer Juan Domine. Domine made his presence filled in every game and had one of the best seasons a rookie in the DSFL ever had. He finished with a DSFL high 166 tackles laving Marshall with 145 and Sackson Senior with 135 clearly behind him. He also had 3 tackles for loss, which is also more than the two names mentioned above. Alejandro Chainbreaker, who also had a great season and is projected to be in the race for LBOTY also had only 2 tackles for loss and 102 tackles overall. Chainbreaker forced a total of 4 fumbles with 2 fumble recoveries, while Domine had 2 forced fumbles. Chainbreaker also had 6 sacks compared to 3 from Juan Domine. Domine also comes short in pass deflections having only 7, while Chainbreaker had 9. However, Domine also had 2 interceptions and Chainbreaker didn't have any in the whole season. In total, Domine wins in 3 stats and Chainbreaker got the upper hand in 4 of those stats listed. But if you look closer at the numbers, you can see that most of the categories were pretty close with one big difference in tackles with Domine having more than 60 tackles more than his rival. That's the reason I think Domine should win LBOTY and he should be in the contention for DROTY and DPOTY as well! (438 words)