(S24) - Ultimus Week

[mithrandir]

2.12
Expansion just happened again in the league, and the ISFL has grown to 14 teams. I have faith in the new general managers of the Berlin Fire Salamanders and New York Silverbacks that they will be successful in this league. Instead of team-specific discussion, I want to talk about the logistics involved in adding two more teams: namely, scheduling and playoff seeding. Fourteen teams is such a difficult number. We had finally figured out a great schedule for twelve teams that I believe was fair: each team plays the other five teams in their conference twice (10 games), once at home and once on the road, and plays every team in the opposite conference once. This means that everyone plays essentially the same schedule as their conference opponents in terms of difficulty level, if one excludes home field advantage in non-conference games from the discussion. How will the new schedule work with fourteen teams?
Option 1: We could revert to a thirteen game season and have every team play every other team once. This would be competitively fair but essentially negates any sort of meaningful concept of conferences apart from playoff standings. In fact, a team would play more non-conference foes that conference rivals in this layout (7-6). The other part of this proposal I do not care for is the reduction of games. I think sixteen games is just the right number for our league and most people would not be happy about reducing that number.
Option 2: Each team plays sixteen games, one against every team, and three additional conference games. This option is a little better than the previous one. A team would play nine conference games and seven non-conference games. I like that every team gets to play all the other teams in this option. However, figuring out which conference teams to play twice might be a headache.
Option 3: Each team plays sixteen games, twice against each conference rival and four non-conference games based on standings from prior seasons. This is my favorite option of the three since it emphasizes the conference rivalries the most. Each team gets to show that they are better than the other teams in the conference by playing every team twice and playing 75% of their schedule within the conference. Here is how I would set up non-conference games.
ASFC seed #  -  Four NSFC seed # opponents -  Sum of seeds of opponents
1                      -  1,2,3,4                                      -  10
2                      -  1,2,5,6                                      -  14
3                      -  1,3,4,6                                      -    14                   
4                      -  1,3,5,7                                      -    16
5                      -    2,4,5,7                                      -  18
6                      -    2,3,6,7                                    -    18
7                      -    4,5,6,7                                    -    22

This is a balanced and fair way to promote both conference rivalries and league parity by giving the best teams the most difficult schedules. I have reached my word count, so I will just say, the main two options of playoff format is just keeping the current three team format with byes for one seeds, or to expand to eight total playoff teams and run a typical eight team bracket.


3.14
After three seasons of mediocrity, I believe that my player, Andrew Witten, finally deserves some recognition, including a trip to the Pro Bowl and a nomination for cornerback of the year. In his first season as a starting cornerback in the ISFL (he played his first two seasons at strong safety) Witten showed that he can be an elite player at the position. Playing across from David Rector, one of the best defensive players in the league, Witten had lots of opportunity to make plays as quarterbacks targeted the easier side of the field. This season Witten intercepted five passes, had sixteen passes defended, seventy five tackles, and even recorded a pick six, his first career touchdown. Here are the other candidates who might be in competition with Witten for a nomination:
Dermot Lavelle Jr. – 6 INT, 20 PD, 1 TD
Brandon Booker – 5 INT, 10 PD, 2 TD, 3 sacks, 2 FF, 1 TFL
Jim Waters – 4 INT, 23 PD
Louisiana Purchase – 3 INT, 22 PD
Kehla, Rector, Knight, Scarlett – 3 INT, between 16-18 PDs, and 1 or 2 FF/FR
I think these are the nine most likely candidates for the award. In my opinion, interceptions are king, and touchdowns also go a long way for Pro Bowls and awards. Passes defended are the third most CB stat. I believe that Lavelle will win the award, but Booker and Witten’s interceptions and touchdowns will put them over the top to place top three in CBoY voting.

3.26
Wide Receiver Mark Walker had to wait a long time of DSFL draft day. He was the tenth wide receiver taken and did not hear his name called until the 78th pick of the draft, the sixth pick of the tenth round in an eighteen-round draft. Let’s talk about how he has performed relative to his peers. In total TPE earned, he is in 7th place, already passing players selected above him in the draft. In terms of production, he was sixth in receiving yards among rookie wide receivers, with 29 catches for 345 receiving yards and three touchdowns. This production is amazing considering he was the third wide receiver option on the team playing behind the Kiwi duo of Doug Howlett and Friedrich Vequain, who are perhaps the best wide receiver duo in the history of the Developmental Simulation Football League. Consider this: Vequain and Howlett combined for three hundred and ninety six catches, over five thousand yards, and 29 touchdowns in three seasons together. They also combined for four nominations for wide receiver of the year and one victory at that award. Both will be leaving Tijuana to join their ISFL teams next season, so given the huge volume of production that will be available, I expect Walker to have a huge season next year as the number one option.

[s4ndr0p]

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?

Okay, I just realized this PT is due today so I am a little bit late to the party. With the awards presentation already happened I, of course, already know who won. I will do my best to back up a couple of the, in my opinion, right choices that have been made. Let's start things of with one of the most consistent forces our league's defenses have. Derred De Ville received awards glory by being elected to this year's defensive player of the year. I believe this is the first time since his DSFL rookie season he has been the defensive player of the year and to be honest I believe this one is a no brainer. Derred ranked 16th among the most tackles made with 117 tackles. While this is impressive this would most likely not be enough if it was not for his unique talent as a linebacker. Derred is known for being all over the field. While he only accounted for 2 Tackles for Loss he also forced 2 fumbles and sacking opponment's QBs for 13 times! 13 Sacks is elite DT output, this games makes the same thing as a linebacker which naturally needs more time to get to QBs simply because of where he lines up. It just shows the talent the two best pass-rushing (with Galf Wilf and him) LBs in the league have. If that was not enough Derred also ended 29 plays by deflecting passes. He basically ended 148 downs individually which is absurd. Of course, he led the league in deflected passes and it is not particularly close. McCringleberry had pretty similar numbers but derred beat him in nearly every statline. Derred also almost led the linebackers in the league in INTs with 2 picks, only being beat by Arianlacher, Quaid, Mongo-Panda and Banks. That is some dominant Linebacker play. The Hawks are really lucky to have such a young and elite player. 
Another Interesting Award choice I want to look into is the Wolfie McDummy MVP vote. While Wolfie did not really account for huge yardage he had the best touchdown to interception ratio by a landmile. He threw for 31 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, naturally resulting in a league high passer rating with 96.9. I don't believe that I have witnessed such a high rating since entering the league! NcDummy's completion percentage also led the league with 62.5% so McDummy was nearly flawless this year! You could really argue that  there was something odd about the MVP vote, since there are significant differences in OPOY and MVP this year but: who cares, McDummy earned MVP honors!

9) Pick any position, and determine who in your view is the greatest player to ever suit up at that position. Why do you view them as the GOAT? What achievements, records, accolades, or statistics do they hold? How do they stack up against the other legends in their position, and why does your chosen candidate come out on top?

Okay I know this is kinda hypocrit since I do not know much about this player but statwise, of course it has to be Boss. The Otters really had a great stretch with elite QBs. Pretty similar with what the Packers have in the NFL. Since entering the league I only really witnessed Franklin Armstrong and yeah, this guy is a great player. Of course, he has to be the GOAT with all the Ultimus wins and his overall stats, right? Then I heard people talking about Mike Boss and boy, this guy's likeness is fitting like no other! He is our Tom Brady! Mike Boss played in the first couple of years of this league's creation and just destroyed defenses. Mike Boss threw for 292 touchdowns in his career while only throwing 131 picks. This would be a pretty good statline in the real NFL football, but for this league it is simply breathtaking. His career overall passer rating is at 92.8 which would still be at the top of this year's QBs (and he accumulated that throughout his carrer, nuts!). Of course, such production would lead to success with him winning 3 Ultimus championships and four MVP awards. If you take a look at this league's top passers in history he is featured at the top 10 of any Quarterback category. He leads the league in Career passing completion percentage with 60.2%, Passing Touchdowns and also interceptions, which will most likely also come from his absurd 5399 passing attempts which are the second most any QB had in their career in this league. Boss also has 6 spots on the most passing yards a QB threw in a season including the top 4 passing yards a QB ever threw in a single season. The single season records Boss holds are just absurd to this point, it is really hard to look at the single season records for QBs without noticing the name "boss" at the top positions. With all this dominance I would also like to mention that there of course is a reason for this inhuman production, with Mike playing at the very beginnings of this league it should be noted that the skill level of other players, especially on defense, would not be ip to the test with the players today. This league does have a large history including CPU teams that would be destroyed by teams with human players. His production also is largely influenced by the trust boss enjoyed from the organisation that let him sling the ball an insane amount of times. I do think though that having this kind of trust from one's organization and not letting the organisation down (by winning multiple Ultis and MVP Awards) is exactly what makes a player a GOAT. I am completely serious, it is really hard to argue anything but Mike Boss being the goat in my opinion.
I really must say, I enjoyed looking up his stats a lot it's ridiculous how dominant this guy was back in the day.

[J0EB]

Code:

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.

A Career Retrospective (With emphasis on my time in Norfolk)
This is probably going to be a super cheesy article so fair warning. When I first saw that fateful r/nfl post over 6 months ago now, I never knew how much I would fall in love with a simulation football league. I was incredibly intrigued, curious and excited. I had always wanted to play football growing up but due to my below average height I never had the chance. In a way, this league would give me that football experience I was looking for. Pair that with not having anything else to do right at the start of Covid, this league instantly became a place where I sunk a lot of my time into.
Preceding the DSFL Draft, I would hang around gen chat and was maybe in one or two team servers, I can’t remember exactly, but I actually think I talked mostly with people through DMs, with guys like Sid and Sweets (I miss Sweets). I was enthusiastic about my player creation and making him the best he could be right away in every possible way. And I mean everything had to be perfect, I probably sat and brainstormed names for at least an hour before landing on Matt Cross, aka, the Son of Havoc. I wrote a few articles in character, did some history analysis and a QB ratings article which I am still quite proud of to this day, and then before I knew it the draft was upon us.
I had been scouted by most teams and as I mentioned as in a few different team LRs, but honestly I had no clue where I would end up or when I would be picked. I knew there were also a lot of DBs in this huge class, so I was honestly a bit afraid of falling far in the draft. Hearing my name called at Pick 14 for the Norfolk Seawolves was absolutely incredible. I quickly hopped into their LR and I just remember being welcomed by all sorts of people, it was an absolute blast and as the draft continued to progress I also started to take part in welcoming everyone in. It was such a great atmosphere and the excitement from that first day is something I still remember well.
But a lot has changed for me since that first day.
At the end of the season, I was voted as a commodore in Norfolk and earned a spot in the war room which at the time I barely even knew what that meant. The ISFL Draft came around and I was picked 3OA by the Philadelphia Liberty (Huge thanks to Hall and Tim for believing in me and grabbing me so early, I love both of you guys). And then I was introduced to my new team which was also unbelievably fun and exciting. And even during my first season in Philly, I was still super active in Norfolk as well, like I said I had nothing to do at all at this time irl. In fact I got to Rank #1 in both servers quite quickly actually (A title I still hold). And I absolutely loved both teams, I still do.
In the Norfolk War Room, when Scorp and Juni announced to us that they would be stepping down at the end of the season, I was quite shocked. They had done such an incredible job with the team, raising us up and providing us with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. When this position opened up, I honestly had no clue whether or not I was interested. Being a GM sounded like a decent amount of extra work and time to start putting into the league (not that I wasn't enjoying the league it's just I already spent a lot of time across the site and discords). After thinking on it for a few days, I talked with Scorp and Juni about it, and from what I remember they were really excited that I had reached. It wasn't 100% who would be my Co-GM yet, but Blasoon who had also inquired about the position was looking like a good choice for that position, and he would be the one chosen. (Shout out to Blasoon for being an absolutely wonderful GM and person).
Now it's been 2 full seasons of GMing for Norfolk. I was handed off a really good team, with a decent amount of send downs and lots of actives too. That first draft was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed being a GM and meeting and influencing all these rookies. Fun fact 6/7 of Norfolk's draft picks stayed active that season (ignore the fact we traded for a DL who went IA). Our season went really well, we made playoffs which I was super proud of and had the winningest season in Norfolk History! We then went on to win the Ultimini! One of the best moments in the league for me honestly, the Locker Room was so crazy that night and everyone was there to celebrate, seriously people coming out of the woodworks to just have an absolute blast and party in Norfolk.
The next draft class would be an r/nfl class. The pure amount of prospects was insane, obviously not as much as S22 (Best 22) but there was a lot of work to be done, mainly scouting. For the first time since S22, Norfolk opened up their LR by inviting prospects to the prospect chat. Getting to know everyone was so much fun and there were so many great guys that we wanted to bring onto the team but couldn't, however, Norfolk drafted the absolute best of the best across the board. These guys came in and gelled together immediately, joking around a lot and even making our own inside joke (and a series of emotes) about midway through the season. I couldn't have been happier with the locker room environment that they helped revitalize. Our team had a lot of success through the season amidst some bad streaks, and we managed to make the playoffs again (unfortunately as the 2 seed though). We beat Tijuana which got everyone so hyped up and partying once again in the LR, because we'd be back to the Ultimini. We knew our chances were slim but we still had a shot at the trophy for the second season in a row. Unfortunately we lost that game, but we lost graciously. The real Ultimini victory was the friends we made along the way, and I know I certainly made a lot of them.
Heading into my third season as GM, with expansion at the ISFL level, I'm about to face my toughest year yet. We're expecting a lot of call ups and losses, and we're gonna have a decent amount of holes in what is so far a very small class given recent trends. I don't know how the draft or the season will play out, but I'm very nervous. This seems like my first true test as a GM. It's so stressful I honestly don't know what to do. But, I know I'm not alone in this. I've got the most Handsome Co-GM by my side in Blasoon, and a war room full of such amazing people. This season my be a bit shaky for Norfolk, but no matter what our LR will be a place that every prospect should want to be, and we'll grow stronger too. Now that's great beans.

[RDBSouthPaw]

6) The Tijuana Luchadores had an outstanding season on their way to an amazing 10-4 regular season record. A record that secured them the all important first overall seed in the playoffs. Their path to the playoffs was not an easy one but, the team rose to the occasion and performed when was needed. In week 1 the Luchadores squared off against the Dallas Birddogs and started the season off right with a 22-13 victory despite an amzing performance by Zoe Watts, who rushed 12 times for 110 yards and a touchdown. Tijuana took care of business again in week 2 with a solid defensive showing from Adam Schell (12 Tackles) and a 22-6 victory. The Luchadores were then humbled by the Kansas City Coyotes in what was probably the game of the season. Bronko Mills 139 yards of rushing was not enough as the team fell 41-35 to Kansas City in Overtime. Tijuana then travelled on the road to Minnesota where they hoped to get back to winning ways and were upset on the road 30-25. However, this defeat lit a fire under Tijuana as they went on to win their next 3 games, pushing their record to 5-2 at the halfway point. The offense was clicking on all cylinders as they put up a staggering 81 points during those 3 games. Looking to continue their momentum they squared off against a talented Dallas squad in week 8 and fell just short of a victory losing 18-10. Zoe Watts once again shredded the defense and rushed for 123 total yards! Sitting at a record of 5-3 Tijuana had to buckle down to push for the number 1 seed in the SFC South. In week 9 they had a tough away match up against the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers and pulled out an amazing victory off of the 4th quarter touchdown run by Crowbar Theeks. Heading into weeks 10 and 11 they had a matchup with the Coyotes and the Grey Ducks who had beat them earlier in the year and Tijuana did not falter. Their offense put up a combined 54 points over those 2 weeks and allowed Tijuana to improve their record to 8-3. In week 12 Tijuana faced off against the London Royals as heavy underdogs, but with defensive stud Adam Schell leading the way with 11 tackles they were able to pull of the upset with a 17-13 victory on the road. Tijuana were riding a 4 game win streak before finally faltering to Portland at home and getting blown out 31-10. The team just had no answer for QB Sam Howitzer, as he threw for an incredible 4 TD passes. Coming into the final week of the season Tijuana had clinched their playoff spot but were in a must win situation to get the #1 seed over Norfolk. The team banded together and in one of the most incredible defensive performances of the year they beat Norfolk 10-3 on the road and secured themselves as the regular season winners!

7) Zoe Watts, the acclaimed Dallas Birddogs running back had a season for the ages. A season that not only goes down in Dallas history books but, should also go down in the history books of the league. A season that deserves nothing less than the award Most Valuable Player. To show you why I believe this let me show you what she was able to accomplish. Zoe Watts carried the ball a staggering 264 times this season and led the league with 1303 rushing yards. That's an average of 4.9 yards per carry. The amazing thing was her TDs, she managed to find the end zone not 5 times, not 8 times, but 10 times during her rushing duties this season! That means she led the whole league in rushing yards, attempts and touchdowns. It was quite an impressive achievement from an individual that was on a Dallas team that was not very competitive this season. Zoe Watts managed to rush for over 100 yards in seven out of the fourteen games this season. That is an incredible feat with the fact that she splitting touchdowns and touches with thee other running back on Dallas. Another claim to fame for Zoe Watts was her ability to perform under pressure. With the regular season coming to a close and knowing that she had to put up a big game to stay in the discussion for Most Valuable Player and boy, did she deliver. She went off in Week 14 against the Portland Pythons, handling the ball for 19 carries and putting up a staggering 129 yards, her best performance of the season. Not only did she put up impressive yardage she, managed to add a 62 yard touchdown run, her longest of the season. However the touchdowns did not just stop there she also won the game for Dallas. The game was all tied up at 27-27 and Dallas relied on their star running back to deliver for them, she punched the gaming winning touchdown in at the 1 yard line and secured herself as one of the leading candidates in the most valuable player race this season. team success plays an important part in the voting when it comes to the awards, I understand that and I believe that team success should continue to play a big role in the determination of which individuals should get awards. However, you cannot deny what Zoe Watts did this season, she was spectacular and there are no other words to describe it. Dallas's team might have underperformed this season but, you cannot blame that on Zoe Watts. She led the team week in and week out and was an exemplary example of an individual of who the most valuable player award is for!

[RansackTheUniverse]

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?

Even though awards season has come and gone, I’m going to talk about a teammate of mine that had a fantastic season this year. On what was an otherwise down season for the Baltimore Hawks, linebacker Derred De Ville was one of the bright spots. De Ville was everywhere on the field for the Hawks, making plays in just about every single game. He finished the season with a solid 117 tackles, and a very impressive 13 sacks, which was good for a share of second in the league. But the most impressive part of De Ville’s season was without doubt his work in pass coverage. Derred led the entire league (defensive backs included) in passes deflected, with an insane 29. No other linebacker has had this many PDs (or led the league in PDs) in over 10 seasons, and no other player at all has had this many PDs in a season since S15. If all of this weren’t impressive enough, De Ville also added 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and two tackles for loss. He truly filled the stat sheet in every way possible on defense except for scoring himself.

Based on all of the above, I think it is clear that Derred De Ville should be a shoe in for not just the linebacker of the year award, but also for the defensive player of the year award. Other candidates for defensive player of the year award, such as Thor Kirby, Haha Mango Panda, and Dermot Lavelle Jr, had extremely impressive seasons in their own right, none of them stand up to the season De Ville had. The big part of Kirby’s case was that he had 3 safeties (and also added a TD). While that is extremely impressive, it shouldn’t overshadow the fact that De Ville had an extra 23 PDs and 42 tackles compared Kirby. For Mango Panda, he had an extremely well rounded season m just like De Ville. Unfortunately for Mango Panda, De Ville beat him in most stats – 11 more tackles, 3 more sacks, 9 more PDs, and an extra TFL and forced fumble each, while Mango Panda only beat him out by one pick six, a safety and a couple fumble recoveries. Lavelle Jr’s season is probably the hardest to compare to De Ville as he plays at corner. However, the fact that De Ville managed to tally 9 PDs more than Lavelle makes Lavelle’s case a tough one from the start. Sure Dermot recorded 6 interceptions (good for most in the league) and a touchdown, but he was beaten in every other stat by De Ville, and beaten heavily by quite a few. At the end of the day I don’t see another defensive player that can compete with De Ville’s impressive stats across the board.



9) Pick any position, and determine who in your view is the greatest player to ever suit up at that position. Why do you view them as the GOAT? What achievements, records, accolades, or statistics do they hold? How do they stack up against the other legends in their position, and why does your chosen candidate come out on top?

While there have been plenty of great cornerbacks to play in the ISFL and NSFL, one stands clearly above the rest. Dermot Lavelle is without a doubt the greatest corner to ever suit up at the position. While he may have played at a time where it was easier to rack up bigger interception and pass deflection numbers at cornerback, it doesn’t change the fact that Lavelle absolutely dominated in a way that no other cornerback ever has in the ISFL. Lavelle currently holds the career records in all three major stat categories for defensive backs - pass deflections, interceptions, and defensive touchdowns. That alone is more than enough to show that Lavelle was undoubtedly the greatest corner to ever play in the ISFL. His 249 career pass deflections was so far out of reach that had it not been for the recent change to a 16 game season, it was almost guaranteed that no one would ever top his mark (no other player has even got within 50 PDs of Dermot’s total). And even now with the 16 game season, it will still be an extremely tall task for someone to make it to 250. His 57 career interceptions is mightily impressive as well, as no other player has gotten within 10 of his mark, and only 2 players have made it to within 20.

In addition to his extremely impressive career statistics, Lavelle had an astonishing level of consistency. He made the Pro Bowl in every single one of his 13 seasons, a feat that not many others have been able to accomplish. It is somewhat surprising to see that Lavelle only managed to take home one defensive player of the year award (and even more surprising that he only won one defensive back of the year award). One has to wonder whether this was in part due to the expectations that Dermot built for himself. When Lavelle had a spectacular season, absolutely no one was surprised. However when a less highly regarded player has a similar season (even if it was slightly worse than Dermot’s) people would be more likely to take notice due to the expectations they had defied. It is more than likely that this prevented Lavelle from taking home more DPOTY and DBOTY awards. He did also manage to win a single Ultimus title, in the 2023 season, and while other players have managed to win more championships, it is hard to knock Dermot too much for this, as he is just one player out on the field out of a whole team.

Based on all of this, it seems to be clear that no one else really even comes close to challenging Lavelle for the title of the greatest ISFL cornerback of all time

[WALDO]

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?

Now I like this topic because I can easily rant about it and write a bunch of nonsense and get 2.5 TPE. The best thing would be a hands competition because those are always the most competitive during the NFL skills competition, but of course there are other competitions that can be just as fun and competitive. Dodgeball between the teams can be just as entertaining and good for the ratings as well. I think that we would definitely win the dodgeball competition, because we have one of the most powerful and most skilled squads out of anyone in the league who would participate in such a challenge, and they also have me. I would be good because I am very agile and very fast, two skills that would help and would make me DOMINATE the entire competition and win the challenge for my team. Another good challenge would be the general gauntlet challenge, which if you don’t know is a challenge that incorporates all of the linemen into the challenge, I believe it also includes a speed challenge, the challenges including lifting up a gate that is up to 300 pounds and running 50 yards down a field as fast as you can. The goal is to beat the team you’re going against head to head. Now I am not too educated on how the defensive lines are for each team, but we have the best RB battery in the league, so I think we would easily dominate the speed challenge and the brick challenge (you have to run into a big thing of styrofoam).

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 think that every expansion has an effect but I think that this expansion will most definitely have a bigger effect (and has already had a big effect) on the league as a whole. This expansion is definitely different as the activity in the league is at its highest that it’s been for about 10 seasons, as season 15 of the league is highly regarded as the most active class out of any of them, but these future classes have the potential to be more active too, as they can easily build off the success of this season and make multiple better seasons for the future of the ISFL. But as I said, expansion has been very important in the past, this makes this expansion even more important and crucial than the one before, as it will completely change the league for either the better or for the worst, and in my opinion it will change the league for the better, as more rookies will be able to play with other rookies, which will improve the relationships between those players and their Grental Managers and the rest of the International Simulation Football League.The expansion also provides some players with new opportunities in places to get a new start, such as players who may be stuck behind a higher tpe player or behind a player who has the starting position down pat for the near future, and that makes expansion very healthy for the leagues activity and youthfulness and the growth of the ISFL.

[DarknessRising]

Tier 1 - question 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.

With some recent league events that have caused polarising opinions, interesting discussions and arguments, its seems pretty topical to talk about the situation amongst the league about Head Office, Power and Accountability. First things first, like most things in the real world, the people loudest about this are those who disagree with how things are done but we as a league is functioning well and could continue with the current iterations of rules and guidelines. Secondly, it’s important to make sure anytime discussions on such an opinionated topic, arguemtns are open-minded, logic and with reason. There Is no point yelling heck HO everytime something happens because it does nothing. Constructive criticism comes before tearing someone or the whole team down in terms of effectiveness.

The strongest thing this applies to is the fact that the more users pile onto a body such as HO, the disconnect between the two will only become larger. Whilst a majority of statements are not personal attacks, they are a few that can be interrupted as such and when the player bases biggest ask of HO is clarity and openness, why would they want to showcase everything to us to be ridiculed and memed constantly? Recent league events have shown what can happen when memeing goes wrong and yet as a user base, we let this happen constantly and question why nothing changes. If the loudest of users want the change they so heavily desire, they need to ensure they are doing it in a well-mannered, logic and reasoned way or else their perspective will be dismissed. The more constructive criticism over general negative or passive aggressive responses we give, the more likely there will be change because we can paint our perspective much clearer and effectively by doing so. What if that does change anything? Well….then we go back to yelling but in all honestly, we need to give it time. HO takes care of way to many things that should be outsourced to either the respective team or made the responsibility/new team.

In terms of the teams that attract the most attention, there is an obvious two, Appeals and Audit. Firstly, appeals I feel is in this weird position where what they do is important, but from an outsider perspective understanding nothing of their process, it seems they should probably move more to the investigators than working like a jury. HO give out the punishments, they investiage the “crime” and come up with a decision on if it breaks a rule or if an action is deserving of a punishment. As a result, by the time it comes to the appeals team, HO have pulled evidence and discussed things and im sure that just as the person/team appealing gives their evidence, HO passes on their findings. In this case, Appeals aren’t investigating the crime, simply evaluating the two sides but when one of them has already discussed all the evidence, its not wonder that most appeals are unsuccessful, or only reduce fines compared to waiving the punishment. Solution? Maybe the appeals team should become the punishment team. One less thing for HO to deal with and gives some more power/control to an organisation that isn’t HO since that is a common issue people have. Yes, HO hired a lot of people into roles but the most recent appeals hiring was done strictly by the appeals time. If their role become investigate and not appeal, they can function fully independent of HO with the Head of Appeals being the liaison between the two departments.

The other department, Audits, commonly get called into question about relevance, and as an audit I will tell you that as long as updates are done by humans, auditors will and should exist. We bring accountability to what is the most important aspect of the league, the factor that marks progression in this league. Without accountability on TPE, why bother having it in place and just giving everyone a flat amount per week to spend? I don’t know if the audit team was based mainly to give extra jobs, but it has an important role to play within the league and this past season was always going to have the most problem updates, since we covered for most players, majority if not all of their career, imagine going through S13 player Nate Swift, aka 12 seasons of updates, around 5 posts a season minimum. Going forward, audits only have to do maybe one or two seasons of post auditing, meaning much less and smaller mistakes should be found.

Finally, the point of contention I find the most relevant, is the fact that HO hires HO. Personally, I get why we don’t want the league heads picking the league heads but who else is gonna decide? Are we going to publicly vote every single time there is a person stepping down? We don’t know what each individual does and does not do whilst in HO so if they then have to be revoted in, how do we know as a user base who to pick back in and who to leave out? It’s a definitely flawed system but there isn’t really a much better way to do it. My naïve self questions why the league owner, which I don’t know of what their role entails them doing, has voting powers and is amongst HO. It’s something I would and should just ask SLM but from the outside perspective, he I guess “owns” the server and therefore gets to take part in shaping the league? If anything, and I have no problems with SLM in a position of power since I don’t even know what it does and doesn’t enable him to do, shouldn’t we question the fact that this position is even more exclusive/non-changeable. If SLM decided to screw everything in votes or not care, we can’t simply remove him or replace where HO members, including commissionars, making it objectively worse of a situation than what people complain about.

All in all, if the league was unbearable to play and take part in, we wouldn’t be here. Whilst it has flaws and improvements that can definitely be implemented, the league works, it flows, and we get what we signed up for, dots on a screen that do whatever the heck they feel like doing since they are the real overlords of this league.

[bigbluex02]

PBE CW - TIER 3 - 2.5/10

PROMPT 23 - TIER 3 - 5/10
If we could, I think that the ISFL definitely should host a pro bowl skills game. It would allow the elite players in the league to showcase talents that extend beyond the football field. However, I think the league should incorporate games that not only test an athlete's physical capabilities, but also their mental toughness as well. Last Ultimus Week, I talked about jousting, relay races, and a couple others. This  time around, there should be a written, football IQ test. Have each team select three of their smartest players, and put them through the ringer with a series of questions about the game of football, defensive coverages, offensive lineups, various things that these players should be experts at. This will really showcase that players not only hit the gym to build strength, but also hit their books and study tapes to expand their minds. Secondly, I think an Offensive Lineman versus Defensive Lineman gauntlet would be a lot of fun to watch. Have the two groups compete in a tug-of-war match, their own relay race, Oklahoma drills, etc. to truly see who the dominate lineman really are. Lastly, I think something completely out of the ordinary, like go-kart racing, would be a lot of fun to watch because it is another example of the players having talents far greater than what they showcase on the field. When it was all said and done, my answer for the grand winners still stand: whatever team has more Coyote or Liberty players. (250 WORDS)

TASK 20 - TIER 3 - 7.5/10
Name: Goat Tank
Position: DT
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 310
DSFL Team: Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Archetype: Interior Rusher

Abilities: With a pre-draft grade at 75 overall, Goat Tank has quickly made himself one of the premier Defensive Tackles in the DSFL. With his quick feet, he produces insane speed ratings for a guy that is almost pushing 320 pounds, coming in with an overall grade of 80. Combined with his superior strength at a 73 overall grade, Goat Tank reminds a lot of scouts of the NFL's top defensive player, Aaron Donald. If he continues to progress well, as he ascends his core stats to over 70, Goat Tank will become one of the best Defensive Tackles to ever come out of the University of Iowa and Myrtle Beach.

Stats: In his 14 game stint this past season, Goat Tank has provided much needed defensive firepower for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. HIs quick feet and sheer size helped him rack up 59 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and put the QB on his back 7 times. To further improve his draft stock, he was able to pop the football out of the ball-carriers hands 3 times this past season and was able to recover every single one. His massive body, and superior strength, helped him get his first safety this past season and gave a lot of the elite DSFL Offensive Lineman nightmares.

Analysis: Although Myrtle Beach did not win it all, Goat Tank definitely certified himself as a first round talent in this upcoming ISFL draft. After speaking with various scouts around the league, many agree with me that Tank is amongst the elite in the DSFL, and solidified himself as a lock for top DT in the Season 25 class. With superior size and legs for days, I predict Goat Tank will have a career that puts him as the greatest prospect to come out of Iowa. (319 WORDS)

[bjbren17]

PBE PT

13) Well, my first season in the DSFL has come and gone, and I'd say I'm pretty happy with how it went. The Portland Pythons made the playoffs despite only going 6-8, and my player Donald McBobby was right in the thick of things as one of the top linebackers in the DSFL. I had something like over 80 tackles this season and like 6 sacks (I'm too lazy to look up the actual stats right now but just know it was a good season for good old Donald McBobby). Unfortunately, our season ended in the semi-finals after putting up only three points in that game, but we can hold our heads up high knowing that we at least met our expectations by making the playoffs. Now it's almost time for what I've been waiting for, the ISFL draft. Tomorrow I will be drafted onto the team that I will (hopefully) spend my entire career on. Now, my outstanding draft history in sim leagues includes: going 42nd overall in the 4th round of the S13 PBE draft, going 30th overall in the 5th round of the minor league PBE draft, and going 47th overall in the 6th round of the S24 DSFL draft. So not great results for me in the past. However I am a top ten earner in this draft class and am also extremely loyal so I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. My pitch to GMs would be that I'm proven to be an extremely active and dedicated member of sim leagues and I will max earn throughout my entire career here. I think that my experience with being scouted so far has been positive though and I had good conversations with a lot of teams. The other thing I've been trying to do in this league is earn enough money to stay afloat, which has proved to be a challenge without having a league job here. I dropped a long ass media article about the draft class and all of the top players in it which has helped me some, but I may have to search for a job because I'm not sure if my contract and media posts are going to be enough for max equipment and weekly training each season. I think the most difficult part for me is getting acclimated with being in two leagues now, I held off from joining here for a while but could do so no longer, so here I am, and my word limit has finally been reached.

422 words

14) Well, of course I'm going to have to hype myself up now. Time to make my case for defensive rookie of the year, which admittedly probably isn't a very good one, but here goes. I guess I have to actually make an effort and look at stats now, huh? In Mcbobby's first full season in the DSFL, he was able to rack up 85 tackles over the course of the 14 game season, as well as six sacks. He also had an interception and four pass deflections, as well as being the only linebacker in the DSFL with a safety, which, uh, counts for something I guess? I've run out of things to say about myself so let me also talk about who should be the offensive player of the year and probably MVP too, our quarterback, Sam Howitzer. Howitzer deserves both of these awards because he had the third most yards throw for in the DSFL, was second in touchdowns, second in interceptions, first in completions, second in completion percentage, and most importantly, first in our hearts... and also first in passer rating. The Pythons QB was absolutely dominant this season in leading the Portland Pythons back into the playoffs and it would be a travesty to see those awards go anywhere but into his trophy case.

218 words

[Huskies311]

25. 

One of, if not the biggest change this league has ever been through came not from a rule change, or an expansion, but from a change in the recruitment team’s focus. For awhile, league activity was dwindling with most draft classes being filled by recreates & some reddit recruiting of team subreddits. This wasn’t a sustainable approach and as we approached seasons 10-14, draft classes were tiny. Some people in the league believed it was the beginning of a slow decline that would eventually end the league. I don’t even think the S14 had double digit actives come draft time. However, the recruitment team set there sights on r/nfl. This led to a huge S15 class, one that had many great users and led to an expansion.

With the huge success of r/nfl, it has become standard for the league to have a drive there every 6 months. This has consistently led to huge draft classes, expansions, and more, which is why I feel this change from earlier recruiting strategies is the single biggest thing this league has ever implemented.

This league has come to be dominated in the league & team management aspects by S15, S18, and both classes after are showing the same potential as well.

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26. 

This is an easy question for me as the best draft steal I ever produced (in the ISFL at least) is still making an impact on the Baltimore Hawks. To set the context a bit: back before expansion ravaged us, the hawks competed for awhile. But being continuously aggressive led to us not having a ton of picks, especially early picks, so we had to make use of what we had. We had no TE in S20, leaving a major hole on the offense. The board didn’t fall our way so we took a flier on a TE named James Lewandowski, who I only knew from being in the Norfolk locker room. We took Lewandowski 65th overall, in a 128 person draft. No one drafted after him is active, or even earned more than 82 TPE total. There are also countless inactives picked before him. Lewandowski earner more consistently after being picked, and is now about to hit 700 TPE, close to top 25 in his class. He has more than exceeded expectations and hopefully some pro bowls and awards are to come for the Norfolk alum. He’s also grown into a good locker room presence in his time as well, really solidifying himself as a draft steal to remember.

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8.

Part 1: Regression

If you look at the regression thread, you’ll see that the Baltimore Hawks only have 1 player regressing (dewalt is leaving in expansion). And if you do a little more digging, the hawks will have no one regressing the season after that as well. This bodes well, as the hawks can dedicate plenty of time developing their youth this offseason in order to get them acclimated to the league quickly. Many other teams in the conference are regressing 5 or more players.

Part 2: the upcoming Draft

The Hawks don’t have crazy amounts of draft capital in the upcoming draft, but they do have their first 2 picks, as well as their 4th. Hitting on all 3 picks can really help the franchise turn around. The new GMs really did their homework and I think it will pay off. Baltimore has had good success developing early round talent the last few drafts, the biggest issue being in actually keeping that talent.

Part 3: Cap Space

Having a lot of cap space will allow the Hawks to be flexible in fixing some of their holes. For example, the hawks were able to outbid for competitive ia’s in DT BadLck & Cadillac Harris, who is a 530 TPE CB3 who will help the secondary a ton.

Part 4: Future draft capital

The Hawks also have a lot of draft capital for the next draft, which adds to the versatility of the team. They can use this capital to target good players in trades if they start to compete for a wild card spot this season. The Hawks own all of their picks, as well as having Austin’s 1st & 3rd rounder.

Part 5: The Core Is Locked Up

Baltimore’s young core consists of the following: QB Chika Fujiwara, RBs Fukushū & Rogers, 3 young WRs in Campbell, Brown, & Howlett, TE lewandowski, LBs de Ville (who is reigning defensive player of the year) & Kennedy, and DBs Avery, Stackinpaper, & Riley. All of these players outside of Fukushū & Howlett are locked up beyond S25.

All of these reasons are tied together by a locker room ready to come out firing next season and prove that they are better than what the league thinks. We’ve all bought into the system, and the fresh faces at GM will be eager to implement their new system to the team. A little bit of excitement and change can only help the team going forward as they look to turn from rebuilders to contenders.