S2 - Ultimus Week

[37thchamber]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.
Offensively, the Outlaws and Hawks might be a little underrated overall... though this is likely because both teams boast an elite running back, which relieves pressure on the quarterback, allowing them to keep teams guessing on every down. Those elite running backs are who we're going to look at here. The Outlaws have Reg Mackworthy, who racked up over 2000 all-purpose yards, including 1089 rushing yards and 206 receiving, for a total of 1295 from scrimmage, good for second in the league. Mack's eleven touchdowns are nothing to sniff at either, and are bettered only by Omar Wright's twelve (including return TDs for both players). The Compton native is almost certain to be the big threat in the redzone, and will be the subject of special attention from the Hawks defense, no doubt. Baltimore have a lethal weapon of their own, however. Rookie halfback Darlane Farlane ended the regular season as the league leader in yards from scrimmage (1389 yards) as well as rushing yards (1267 yards). While Farlane doesn't boast the same touchdown numbers as Mack (Farlane has just five TDs for the season), that might be more to do with Baltimore's less productive offense in general, as well as the presence of giant redzone targets Cooper Christmas and a mysterious tight end whose name cannot be found.

(219 words)

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series.
The Ultimus game looks likely to come down to which team can best limit the opposing offense, so here we compare two players who have been integral to their teams' successes this season. For Arizona, it's got to be Jayce Tuck. The defensive end is a leading candidate for defensive player of the year and appears to be the key to disrupting a talented Hawks offense for the Outlaws. Tuck leads the league in sacks (23) and tackles for loss (19), which highlights his uncanny ability to get into the backfield. The Cal alumnus boasts a dangerous combination of speed and strength, as well as being quite agile, meaning the Hawks' tackles might be in for a rough time. For Baltimore, the key playmaker on defense this season has undoubtedly been a resurgent Erasmo Broadway. There is a case to be made for Stephen Harrison, or Kurt Hendrix as the Hawks' key man on defense, but Broadway has been a leader in every aspect of defense for the NSFC Champions. Sixth in the league for tackles (115), fourth among linebackers in tackles for loss (7), led all linebackers and placed seventh overall in the league for passes defensed (13), and joint sixth in the league for sacks (12). There is no aspect of Broadway's game that doesn't qualify as elite this season.

(222 words)

Bottom Half: Make a graphical stat comparison of a team who failed to qualify for playoffs to another team that qualified for the playoffs from their division.



*because I don't have time to actually go through and count the number of actual turnovers, I'm estimating it as INTs + FR

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.

When you think NSFL wide receivers, one of the first names that will come to mind is undoubtedly Yellowknife standout Josh Garden. Garden was the second player to be drafted in the history of the league, and easily ranks among the top five at his position. He's a star of the league, and elite by pretty much any metric you can devise to measure a wide receiver. You're probably thinking right now that it makes sense to write about him as a series MVP, right? Wrong. This isn't about Josh Garden. See, if Garden is that good, and he's being fed by one of the league's best quarterbacks in Chris Orosz... what does a defense have to do to limit him to zero catches in a conference championship game? Apparently, you put Antoine Delacour on him in coverage. That's what the Hawks did in this season's NSCF Championship Game, and Delacour must have done something right, since Orosz looked to throw to Garden just three times all night. If completely shutting down one of the league's best receivers -- and a likely difference maker -- in a conference championship game your team narrowly won isn't worthy of an MVP shout... what is?

(exactly 200 words)

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups.

Season two playoffs have been and gone, and in all honesty, they went pretty much as you'd expect. In the Conference Finals, both home teams -- and regular season conference leaders -- came out on top. The Hawks edged the Wraiths in an ugly, close game in Baltimore, with the usual suspects featuring heavily for the NSFC Champions; Farlane rushed over 100 yards, and Cooper Christmas topped the receiving yards table. On the opposite side, the Wraiths racked up tackles, stuffing a man behind the line of scrimmage nine times, but only managed two sacks. Oddly conspicuous by his absence from the boxscore was Yellowknife's Josh Garden. Had he been able to haul in a few passes, maybe we'd have seen a different result. Meanwhile, in the ASFC Championship Game, the reigning league champions Arizona kept a superb Otters air offense out of the end zone until the final two minutes of the game. Noticeably, the Outlaws defensive front seven made it hard for both Otters QB Mike Boss (only 16 of 40 passes completed, sacked seven times) and lead rusher Leroy Jenkins (just 32 yards from 13 attempts). Impressively, the Otters forced ten punts from Arizona, but were met with the rocket boot of Christiano Ronaldo, who pinned the Otters inside the 20 yard line on almost a third of his punts. Probably not too surprising that three Otters drives ended in field goals, with that in mind.

The Ultimus Game was both entirely predictable (in that the Outlaws won) and also surprising (in that they did it so convincingly). The Hawks, for all their talent, didn't manage to get on the scoreboard until late in the third quarter, when Turkleton hit a 45 yard field goal, after twenty-eight unanswered points from the Outlaws. Again, Farlane rushed for over 100 yards, but the real struggle came in getting beyond the pressure generated by the Arizona front seven. Hawks signal caller Scrub Kyubee only took three sacks, but completed less than half of his passes and threw two interceptions -- one of which came very early in the game, seemingly setting the tone -- for a dismal QBR of 27.8. With Kyubee unable to find his receivers, and the Hawks' valiant efforts on defense simply not enough to hold off the fearsome Outlaws offense, the result was almost a foregone conclusion by halftime, when the reigning champions were already up by eighteen. That they eventually won, given their quality and home field advantage, was expected... but to do it by 27 points over arguably the challengers most likely to topple them is simply astonishing. We could be seeing the birth of a dynasty in Arizona, that might dominate the league for some time.

(449 words)

[timeconsumer]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.

In the ASFC Championship game for the Solis Cup in Season 2 there was a battle through the air as the Otters and Outlaws dialed up the passing game looking to bring home the championship for their respective cities. Coming into Season 2 both teams were expected to lean more heavily on the run, with the Otters being the leading rushers of Season 1 and the Outlaws being a defense first, control possession team. But this game was a story of the receivers.

Bradley Westfield led the way for the Otters with 4 receptions for a whopping 114 yards and a touchdown, averaging 28.5 yards per catch, his longest being 38 yards. Westfield proved to be an extremely difficult matchup for Outlaw defensive backs, where even on their home turf he consistently burned their back with his blistering 94 speed.

On the other end of the spectrum Mayran Jackson for the Outlaws was a huge playmaker in the short game and gave the Outlaws plenty of big conversions through his precise routes and quick crosses over the middle. Jackson tallied a huge 10 receptions for 86 yards, and while most of his catches were short and none of them found the endzone, he helped keep drives alive and easily was the top offensive talent for the Outlaws buzzsaw offense in this game.

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series.

When it comes to standout defensive performers in the NSFL one of the first names that comes to everybody's mind is Jayce Tuck. Tuck is almost a lock for defensive player of the year as he is currently leading the league by a large margin in tackles for a loss and sacks. As the two powerhouse teams assembled in Arizona for the ASFC Championship game on Monday night all eyes were on Jayce Tuck to see what the monstrous pass rusher would bring to the game.

On the Otters side of the ball Franklin Harris, a DT-turned-linebacker acquired in a trade last year has quietly been having an excellent season of his own. With his elite 90 speed he is proving to be a tough opponent on the strong side of the formation, both in the run game and in the pass rush. Coming into Monday night expectations for him may not have been as high from the general NSFL public, but those familiar with the Otters knew he was primed to explode.

At the conclusion of the championship Jayce Tuck ended up with a relatively quiet night by his standards, but great for any average NSFL player. He totaled 4 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 1 sack. Franklin Harris ended the game with 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 PD. Both driving in impressive performances amongst their teammates they easily helped to stem the tide of two prolific offenses by keeping things close to the line, and the QB with doubts about his safety.

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs.

For season 2's playoff race it was apparent from earlier on that some teams were going to face an uphill battle to try and secure a spot in the top 2 of their division. Many predictions were on new expansion teams Philadelphia and Las Vegas to miss the playoffs as well as last year's poor performers the San Jose Sabercats and the Baltimore Hawks.

The two teams with the most interesting challenges this year were the Philadelphia Liberty and the San Jose Sabercats. After acquiring some solid talent and doubling down on their season 1 top performers San Jose started the season strong at 3-1. Looking to have turned their bad luck around with quarterback Ethan Hunt absolutely shredding opposing defenses with WR1 Bailey Cook, while their division rivals the Otters were struggling at 1-3 it looked like San Jose had a date with the postseason. But then everything went south and the Sabercats went on a 9 game losing streak, and to add insult to injury they lost and/or traded (depending how you look at it) two of their best players in Bailey Cook and AC Hackett. The Sabercats turned their focus to rebuilding.

Up in Philadelphia they opened the season at 0-4. The new team struggled on defense and were giving up points to their opposition without relief. Quarterback Jameis Christ put up a valiant effort and ended the season with 3269 yards and only 10 interceptions, but the team's struggle on defense couldn't stem the tide. Expansion acquisition Omar Wright Jr. however proved to be a bright spot for the team and is pegged to be a dominant force in their backfield for seasons to come. Although they opened with a struggle the Liberty began to find a groove midway through the season, and their barometer to pointing up for season 3.

Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs.

After struggling for almost 2 full seasons with kicker issues the OC Otters have continually been frustrated with their lack of a reliable foot on special teams. Having missed out on drafting superstar Christiano Ronaldo in the season 2 draft they found themselves once again with a mentally checked-out kicker in Joey Langdon for season 2. However midway through the season they were able to land a solid prospect in the kicking game in kicker Al Sims.

In the ASFC Championship game Al Sims did everything he could to keep the Otters in the game. Having made both of his 3 point attempts, one at 40+ and another at 30+ these were no chip shots. And in a game whre both teams leaned on the punters heavily to play for field position Al Sims performed admirably given how little experience he had. Knocking 12 puints for 550 yards, averaging 45.8 each and with a long of 58 he did everything he could to keep the Outlaws pinned back as far as possible. He was outperformed in the punting game by Outlaws punter Ronaldo who was able to pin the Otters further back, but given his shorter time in the league Sims performed beyond all expectations.

Looking forward to season 3 it can be expected that any team looking for talent on special teams will find a high performer flying under the radar with Al Sims. Although the Otters may have lost the game, he gave them a fighting chance by helping to keep the lightning fast Outlaws as far from the endzone for as long as possible.

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.

It is difficult to pin down a top performer for the NSFL Conference Championships this season. Both teams put in very close games, with great performances by both offense and defense. The stat lines make it difficult to determine someone who truly led their team to victory, but by digging a little deeper one player in particular stands out, Baltimore Hawks running back Darlane Farlane.

Farlane rushed for an amazing 31 attempts totaling 101 yards in the NSFC Championship game for the Glacius Cup. Some might point to his meager 3.3 YPC, his longest run of only 12 yards, or his lack of a touchdown and think his performance was one of only volume, and resulted in mediocre performances not worthy of an MVP.

But the true statistic here is the time of possession. The Hawks retained possession of the ball for just show of 40 minutes. Their offense was on the field for almost twice as long as Yellowknife's. When managed properly a clock burning and pace controlling team can strangle out an elite offense like that of the Wraiths. For a team to properly burn clock and lead possession, you need a rusher you can rely one. You need a rusher who can get you first downs, and who stays in between the tackles and keeps the clock running. Baltimore's gameplan smothered yellowknife's offense in the NSFC Championship, and Farlene was the main driver of that strategy, making him the MVP of the Glacius game.

[ErMurazor]

Offensive Comparison:

The Otters versus Outlaws match-up will feature two of the top wide receivers in the league. Robert Phelps has been a dominant receiving threat since entering the league in season one and I don’t anticipate he’ll slowdown in this season’s playoffs. Coming into the game Phelps has a league high 1406 receiving yards, beating the 2nd place finsher by over 100 yards. To go with his yards Phelps leads receivers in receptions at 83 and has a respectable 5 touchdown receptions. Phelps is probably most famous in the league for his big play potential, it seems like every game he breaks off a long one.

On the other side of the field will be the Outlaws’ star receiver Mayran Jackson. Jackson played in the Outlaws ferocious defense last year as a free safety, but converted to wide receiver to fill the hole left by the departure of Lincoln Jefferson. Since taking the reins of the veteran in the wide receiver group Jackson has been old reliable. He finished season 2 with 1201 yards, 83 receptions, and an impressive 8 touch downs. Jackson’s signature plays are bailing quarterback King Bronko out with contested catches that move the chains or breaking tackles to gain extra YAC. This match-up will be an exciting one.

Defensive Comparison:

The Wraiths and Outlaws are not teams known for their defensive stars. However, in this year’s playoff match-up in the battle for the Glacies will have some rising stars for both teams on the defensive side of the ball.

The Baltimore Hawks have a dark-horse MVP candidate in Erasmo Broadway who came out of nowhere in season two to make a serious impact on the field. Following the end of season two Broadway is near the top in nearly every major defensive statistically category. He’s sitting at 115 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 3 interceptions, 13 passes defended, and a safety.

The Yellowknife Wraiths have two rookies manning their line backing core that are also looking to make a big impact for their team in the playoffs. Kevin Cushing is coming in with a respectable 88 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 5 sacks, 1 interception, and one pass defended. Lining up with Cushing is the top season three draft prospect Brice Boggs. Boggs hasn’t even started his rookie season and is starting on one of the top teams in the league. He’s coming into the playoffs with 82 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, 1 interception, and three passes defended.

These linebackers should prove to be key contributors in their match-up.

Bottom Half:

The Philadelphia Liberty are a young team with a bright future. They didn’t make the playoffs this year, but I think deep down nobody really expected them to and that’s ok. While some Liberty players and fans may have had some high hopes that they’d sneak into the playoffs this year, in reality it wasn’t ever really in the cards. This was a season about building the right way for long-term success, not short-term morale victories. In season two their activity was not enough to overcome the deficit they faced as a team almost exclusively fielding rookies. However, they did show that they were chalked full of solid players that were going to be able to have an impact in the league down the stretch. The Liberty secondary was lethal and led the league in interceptions. Offensive rookies Micah Hendrix and Fox North showed that they’re the real deal on the field, both putting up impressive numbers for rookies in the league on a not so good team.

In comparison the Colorado Yeti didn’t make the playoffs because they were unlucky. Statistically, they’re in the conversation for one of the best teams in the league. They have a scary defense and stars all over their offense. In the end, a few tough breaks and a bad offensive line cost them a chance to return to the NSFL Championship game.

Future Talent:

Sachimo Zoidberg is a season 3 draft prospect that is flying under the radar and having an impact. In the first playoff match-up Zoidberg lined up at guard for the Outlaws and put up an impressive stat line of 4 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed against as stout Otters defensive unit. One of the keys to the Outlaws winning in these coming playoffs is by keeping Bronko clean in the pocket and opening up holes for star running back Reg Mackworthy. So far Zoidberg has proven has an asset on both fronts. Zoidberg’s task isn’t finished yet as he’ll have to perform one more time on the big stage to show what he’s worth for anybody scouting him for the season 3 draft. Against the Hawks he’ll have the opportunity to line-up against some strong defenders ranging from defensive ends Owen Taylor and Kurt Hendrix to fellow season three draft prospect J.D. Boom. If Zoidberg plays as well as he did in the first round of the playoffs it should help him with his own confidence in his training thus far building up for his rookie year as well as confidence from general managers around the league that are considering drafting him for season 3.

Playoff Series MVP:

The ASFC Championship was a tight game between the Arizona Outlaws and their bitter rivals the Orange County Otters. As usual the game came down to the wire and was a close back and forth battle. In the end, the match-up was decided not by whose offense could put up the most points, but whose defense could shut down the other team. The eventual victory by the Arizona Outlaws was a direct result of their defense doing just that; staving off the Otters passing attack led by Mike Boss and minimizing points. The biggest factor in that achievement was an unsung hero for the Outlaws all season, defensive end Dental Dam. Dental Dam had been overshadowed throughout the regular season by the superstars on the Outlaws defense, but whenever the team came up big he proved his worth and importance to the team. When the Outlaws needed him most this year he came up big-time with two sacks on quarterback Mike Boss that helped keep points off of the board. In addition to the two sacks, which earned the Outlaws valuable field position, Dental Dam was able to force the only Mike Boss turnover of the game with a forced fumble that he also recovered. The turnover was crucial in keeping at least three points off of the scoreboard and giving the Outlaws a great opportunity to pin the Otters deep. If Dental Dam has shown us anything, it’s that he’ll show up big again in the Ultimus game to help his team get the win.

[NUCK]

Future Talent: Make a sig for a S3 player who you feel will or did make a large impact for their team in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good


@GilfredTheGreat

Conference Final MVP Sig: Make a sig for a player of your choice who you felt was the MVP of a Conference Final matchup. Must be completed after the Conference Finals



Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series in a side by side graphic. Can be completed at any point



Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series in a side by side graphic. Can be completed at any point



Playoff Recap Infographic: Make a graphic displaying the results of the playoffs. Must be completed after the Championship Game

[Kris]

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups.

The S2 playoffs have ended with the Arizona Outlaws taking the trophy in a game against the Baltimore Hawks. Congratulations! But how did we get to this matchup? Let's do a quick review of the playoff games.
First of all, in the NSFC championship game the Hawks faced off against the Yellowknife Wraiths in a pretty interesting matchup. There's a few things I want to mention. The Hawks defense stopped one of the most talented QBs in the league - Orosz, allowing him to complete for only one touchdown, intercepting him one time and letting him end the game with 113 passing yards which resulted in a horrible 57.6 rating. If that wasn't enough, ground game didn't save them either. Bubba Nuck managed to gain only 78 yards and he didn't score a single touchdown. However, the Hawks were quite dominant in this matchup, and the total yardage shows that, with the Hawks gaining over 250 yards more. That helped them to build the lead, since they were able to get a better field position and allow their kicker to score 3 field goals which in the end were enough to hold onto the lead and move to the NSFL championship game.
In the ASFC, the Otters faced the Outlaws. In a game which could just as well be the NSFL championship game, the Outlaws gained a lead in the first quarter after a touchdown by Tuck, and held onto it throughout the game despite the fact their quarterback got intercepted 3 times. The game was actually quite similar if you look at the box score, so in my opinion what decided the game was just the Outlaws playing a calm and collected game, allowing no errors.
They needed the same mindset in the cup game against the Hawks, and boy, did they do that. They absolutely DISABLED the offense of the Baltimore team, allowing 0 touchdowns, holding Kyubee to a horrible 27.8 passer rating and managing to get 2 safeties. Cristiano Ronaldo was on point, allowing the Outlaws to build on the lead almost every time they had possession. A well deserved victory, yet I think everyone would have liked a more interesting matchup. But that's for the future!

Offensive comparison
In the NSFC championship game much was decided by the game of both quarterbacks - S. Kyubee and C. Orosz. Let's break down their statistics in this game.
First of all, the actual pass attempts. Kyubee threw about 2 times more than Orosz, and completed a pass almost 3 times more than him. That's the first thing you could say lead the Hawks and Kyubee to success - you complete 0 passes you don't throw, and Kyubee definitely tried to establish a good passing game, and it's clear that the did that just as needed. That resulted in an obvious difference in passing yards. 336 by Kyubee and 113 by Orosz. However, the next stat is a bit interesting. You see that Kyubee gained 9.9 yards on average with his throws, but Orosz wasn't too far behind with 9.4. What does that mean? Maybe Orosz just didn't throw enough? Even more, at the end of the game, both quarterbacks had 1 touchdown and 1 intercepted pass. Maybe the Wraiths just had a poor decision making and they didn't let Orosz do the same as Kyubee did - gain field position to let their kicker do the work? That's a question that will never get an answer.

Defensive comparison
In the NSFC championship game defense played a big part. But now I’m going to compare two linebackers from each team - J. Lee and S. Harrison. Just looking by the statline, you can find the guy who had a bigger impact on the game - it was Lee. Twelve tackles vs nine, and one interception versus none. Both had 1 pass deflection. Okay, yeah, Lee had a better statline, but they aren't too different, did it really make a difference? My answer is yes. Lee, in my opinion, played a huge part in establishing fear in opposition. He stopped the first Hawks rush of the game and tackled the receiver in a 3rd and 7 situation, letting them take over the possession which ended up deciding the game - the Outlaws scored a touchdown. And what did Lee do on the next Hawks drive? Stop them again. He didn't let Farlane gain anything much, tackling him early and the defense managed to do a 3 and out much thanks to Lee. On the other side, Harrison didn't impact the game as much, racking up his tackles mid game, mostly on plays that didn't impact the game much. Yet Lee, just to put a cherry on the cake and make him look real solid, intercepted Kyubee in field goal range in the 4th quarter, eliminating any of Hawks chances of scoring a touchdown that game. Therefore, you can see how players can have similar statlines yet have a very differing impact on the game.

[JBLAZE_THE_BOSS]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series in a side by side graphic. Can be completed at any point



Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series in a side by side graphic. Can be completed at any point



Bottom Half: Make a graphical stat comparison of a team who failed to qualify for playoffs to another team that qualified for the playoffs from their division. Can be completed at any point



Future Talent: Make a sig for a S3 player who you feel will or did make a large impact for their team in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good



Conference Final MVP Sig: Make a sig for a player of your choice who you felt was the MVP of a Conference Final matchup. Must be completed after the Conference Finals

[Bayley]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point

The series in which I will look at is that of the Championship game between the Arizona Outlaws and the Baltimore Hawks. The key position that was a huge difference was that of Quarterback. This is what will be compared in this article. Scrub Kyubee for the Baltimore Hawks was 14/31 for 111 yards and 2 INT with no TDs. He also did not rush for any yards. This was an overall QB rating of 27.8. This was a key position that was the key discrepancy between the two teams. King Bronko for the Arizona Outlaws was completely on the other side of the scale. Brinko was 18/29 for 238 yards and 1 TD. He also had no turnovers which was a huge benefit for the Outlaws as compared to the Hawks who had 2. Bronko's QB rating was 99.5.

Now, Baltimore almost was let back in the game when Strike came in for Bronko as he went 0/7 with 2 INT. There is absolutely nothing worse than this performance. I am not sure why Arizona thought it was a good idea to bring him in. Man, he has a lot of work to do, that was a horrible performance. You can't do this, definitely not in a Championship Game.

There are also a few other areas that Arizona excelled compared to Baltimore. 3rd down Efficiency was one of those as Arizona went 6/16 while Baltimore went 7/19. Arizona also averaged 6.6 Yards per Pass with Baltimore only having 3.6 Average. I definitely think QB had a huge part in all of these in which Arizona found helpful and Baltimore, well not.

Words: 272

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point

The two players I will compare from that same series is that of E. Broadway and J. Lee. Both of these guys played extremely well in the final game and absolutely deserved to be recognized for their performance. Broadway had 9 Tackles and 1 Sack in addition to 1 Pass deflection. I think he played a key role for the defense of Baltimore that really struggled overall. I think if there was one or two bright areas in this defense, it would have been Broadway and Turner. These guys were about the only positives in a game that was all negative for the Hawks.

On the other side of the ball, it was Lee who had the performance of the evening for the Arizona Outlaws. Lee had 12 Tackles with 1 Pass Deflection and one Interception. This definitely put a hesitation in the mind of Kyubee to throw in the area of Lee. I think that played a huge role for the defense. Lee came in with a huge interception to go with the 12 Tackles in the center of his defense. I think that was a huge part of the reason why the defense was so successful. Overall, both of these guys played so well, so it was hard to pick up negatives.

Words: 214

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point

Two of the teams that did not make the playoffs were that of the Las Vegas Legion and the Philadelphia Liberty. Both of these teams definitely had some glaring problems that could signify why they were not able to make the playoffs.

I will start with Las Vegas. I think one of the issues with Las Vegas was the play of their QB in a league that is very QB heavy. Bercovici had 23 INT with only 16 TD while only having 2,500 yards through the air which was 500 yards fewer than any other QB in the league. I think that turnovers is a huge issue and can easily take a team from successful to not successful. LV will need to make sure that the ball is staying with them. Also, in a defense such as that, you will have to rely on your RB to save you in a lot of games. Savea only averaged 3 yards per carry which definitely did not help in this case. They were second last in rushing yards and 2nd to last in Rushing TD. When your offense isn't scoring, it will be hard to win.

Philadelphia is another team in which struggled this year. Christ only had 13 TDs in the air which is pretty lackluster for an offense. When your offense struggles like that to throw TD and you are second lowest in rushing yards, your offense can't really get anything going. It's impossible to win. I think offense needs to be a key spot for this team in the upcoming draft and Free Agent season.

Words: 266

Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good
I think that the player that really showed that he has what it takes to compete at the next level is Boggs. I think his 5 tackles against Baltimore showed that he has what it takes to be successful and be an impact player. I think this guy is definitely going to be the top pick in the draft and if the team drafting him looks at the playoffs, I think they should be confident with that pick. Unfortunately, there was not more experience in the playoffs from him. I think he would have absolutely done the same in the Championship if his team got there. This guy is no joke and will definitely be looking to build on his season experience in his rookie year. Honestly, if I had to pick an early rookie of the year, it would be this guy. QBs and RBs will be seeing a lot of this guy, probably more than they would like to see. I really wish we had another game in the books to see what he would have done against the best team in the league, but we just will have to wait until next year unless he joins them. This has to be the guy that had the most impact from the Waiver Wire.

Words: 215

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about

The playoff series I chose is that of the Wraiths and the Baltimore Hawks. I think the MVP of this game for me would have been the WR play of Vincent and Christmas. I was going to try to pick one of them, but they both would get the nod for me. 9 Catches and 95 yards with a TD for Vincent is a big boy game and he came to play. Now, Christmas had 7 catches for 116 yards which is awesome for a playoff game as well. It was tough to pick between the two of them, so I will just pick both. Another option would have been to pick the QB Kyubee who had a huge game with 336 yards passing, 1 TD, 1 INT, but he also threw the ball 51 times. I think there is no doubt that is a huge performance. All of them get the MVP for me. I think I am leaning towards the WR combo as the MVP, but could also give it to the QB. I chose this game as most people are going to look at Arizona, but there were huge performances to get Baltimore to the big dance.

Words: 200

[AsylumParty]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point

Despite their mediocre standings in overall yards passed for, Scrub Kyubee and King Bronko are the two quarterbacks leading their teams into the Ultimus this Wednesday. I think that if we're going to analyze them appropriately, we should begin with their overall attempts. King Bronko has attempted only 13 more passes than Scrub Kyubee, so they're really very similar in terms of pass play percentage. Where we see a slightly more significant difference is when we begin to compare completion percentages. Scrub managed 296 completions this year, while Bronko completed 285. So again, very similar, however, Scrub does have the edge here with more completions with less attempts. Where we see Bronko edging out a win, though, is in the yards per attempt category. While Scrub does have a higher total yardage, he only eclipsed Bronko by 51 yards with 11 more completions. Finally, and certainly most importantly, Bronko has the major win when it comes down to TD total and TD/INT ratio.
While Scrub and Bronko share 15 interceptions, Bronko has thrown an impressive 25 touchdowns which leads the league and is 11 ahead of Scrub's total of 14. While it's difficult to say that Bronko is objectively better, as he has better receivers, he has certainly built the stat sheet to show it.

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point

Harrif Ernston is widely considered to be the best linebacker in the game. So, how does he compare to the breakout player of season 2, Erasmus Broadway? Well, first of all, when it comes to tackle numbers Broadway has it barely with 115 compared to Ernston's 110, though they do share the number 7 for tackles for a loss. As for fumbles forced, they are both at 1, also. However, Harrif does have a relatively significant edge at sacks with 16 compared to Broadway's 12, beating him out by 25%. Additionally, Harrif has managed 5 interceptions this season whereas Broadway is only at 3. Despite the stellar hands, Harrif had fewer pass deflections with 9 while Erasmus had a solid 13. Neither of them scored for the defense, but it seems clear to me that while they are very similarly important to their teams, it's in a different way as Harrif is much more talented in coverage while Erasmus is a better run stopper. I will refrain from saying one is better than the other objectively, only that in certain areas of the defense, they are more effective than the other.


Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point

I think that it's quite appropriate to discuss the shortcomings of our newest teams, as we have the smallest Samoa size of playing time from them. Though, to be fair, very little is confusing about why either of them struggled.
To begin, the weaker of the two was obviously the Las Vegas Legion. This may have surprised some people a couple months ago, as the legion traded away their draft picks to build a hopeful super team reminiscent of the NBA, but ended up with an absolute train wreck spearheaded by Bercovivi, a less than mediocre quarterback, who received a huge check early in the legion's existence. Their pass defense was extremely porous as well, and now they're left with very few draft picks to rejuvenate this lifeless team.

On the other hand, the Liberty fell very much in line with how many expected them to. They were exceptionally weak to start the season, as the majority of their team is composed of S2 rookies, but they steadily became a factor as the season progressed. So while I firmly believe that the Philadelphia Liberty never planned to make the playoffs this year, season three might be the time to start watching out.

Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

Jaxon Tuck, younger brother of superstar defensive end Jayce Tuck played a critical role in the Outlaws pursuit of the Ultimus trophy. Perhaps, in a more subtle manner, but critical, nonetheless.
As Reg Mackworthy continued to carve up opposing defenses, he inevitably grew tired. Turns out he really is human. Anyways, Jaxon Tuck would relieve Reg, but never for a second did it feel like the Outlaws had let their star running back take a break. In fact, in their first game, Tuck managed 5.3 yards per carry and coupled that with a touchdown. He followed that game up with another solid performance in their Ultimus game where he received a much larger carry count and he managed to turn it into an acceptable 3.5 yards per carry, a mere tenth of a yard less than Mackworthy.

Perhaps players with more immediately impressive stats have made an appearance in the playoffs, but the importance of having a talented relief running back in tow was made evident this year and I believe it is one of the most under appreciated roles in the NSFL today. Despite this, Jaxon Tuck may not be a backup for long seeing as the season three NSFL draft is quickly approaching and his talent has surely risen him up teams draft boards.

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about

Jaylon Lee was the most astounding defensive player by far in the Ultimus game this year. As a matter of fact, I believe he was the most impressive player in the entire game. Outperforming any defensive player on either side of the ball and holding the potent hawks offense to a mere six points places him atop my MVP list easily. Let's analyze his stats to better understand how impressive he was. Twelve tackles led all players from either team, a full 25% higher than Erasmo Broadway, the Hawks leading tackler. In addition to his twelve tackles, Lee notched a deflected pass as well as a interception. When you've got a player that can play the run as well as Jaylon does, but also step back into coverage to grab an interception, you've got something very special. A single player flipping possession with fumbles and interceptions must make it feel like there are twelve players on the field for unlucky opposing teams.

Lucky for the Outlaws, Lee is locked up contractually with them for another season, as are most on the team which is quickly approaching dynasty status. Alone, this shouldn't be a problem, however with so many playmakers that are just as crucial to this defense as Lee is, it's hard to imagine a reality where they're all maintained.

[loco]

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point
YETI WERE NOT ABLE TO MAKE THE POST SEASON BECAUSE SOMEONE DID NOT PROGRAM SOMETHING AS WELL AS BIG BOT WAS PROGRAMMED. YETI HAD LARGEST POINT DIFFERENTIAL IN THE LEAGUE. YETI WERE LIKELY BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE DEFENSIVELY. HOWEVER, THE TALLYING PROGRAMMER WAS IN LOVE WITH QUARTERBACKS, AND ONLY CARED ABOUT OFFENSE BECAUSE OF IT. ON TOP OF THIS, YETI CONTAINED MOST F THE USUAL TIEBREAKERS THAT BIG BOT CAN THINK OF. THESE INCLUDE, HEAD TO HEAD, CONFERENCE RANKING, NUMBER OF ROBOTS ON THE TEAM, SUPERIORITY OF TEAM MASCOTS, SUPERIORITY OF TEAM NOSE GUARDS, SUPERIORITY OF THE CITY WHERE THE TEAM IS LOCATED, AND ODDS TO NOT GET BOUNCED FROM THE FIRST ROUND. IF BIG BOT FINDS THIS PROGRAMMER, HE OR SHE WILL BE DESTROYED. IN TOTAL, YETI SHOULD HAVE MADE THE PLAYOFFS, BUT WERE ROBBED BY A COOL PROGRAMMER, AND PERHAPS A CRUEL GOD, DUE TO THE FACT THAT BIG BOT CALCULATES A HIGH PERCENTAGE CHANGE THAT THIS IS A SIMULATION.

WRAITHS DID NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS BECAUSE THEY HAD A SMALL POINT DIFFERENTIAL. OH WAIT. THEY DID. HOW STUPID.

LEGION ALSO DID NOT MAKE PLAYOFFS. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY BAD. LUCKILY THEY HAVE FIRST ROUND PICKS TO MAKE UP FOR THIS.

bottom half gfx


conf finals mvp
@evryday

playoff recap


idk whatever

[White Cornerback]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Josh Garden and Cooper Christmas. Yellowknife Wraiths and Baltimore Hawks. Both top 5 WR's in the NSFC. Garden had 1220 yards, 73 catches and 8 touchdowns. Cooper Christmas had 1073 yards , 67 catches and 5 touchdowns. On paper Garden has the obvious advantage, more yards, 6 more catches and 3 more touchdowns which proves he's a more valuable red zone threat. Both these juggernauts squared off in the NSFC conference finals and Christmas managed to pick up the W. The Wraiths defense struggled all game unusually considering that's usually the defenses problem. This marks the consecutive year the Wraiths have made the playoffs and also been knocked out in the conference finals. Will this be a constant theme? Are the Wraiths going to continue to be the bridesmaid, never the bride? Christmas and his side progress to the Ultimus Trophy finals to verse the Arizona Outlaws lead by outstanding King Bronko. Critics have suggested that the Hawks don't stand a snows chance in hall in this one, but personally I believe that Christmas could come up big for the Hawks this year and help them eek out a win. It will be an interesting one to watch this year, let's hope it's more of a game than last years Ultimus.

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Cornerbacks. Often over looked. Generally with cornerbacks among the league you don't get a mention for simply doing your job, you do however get recognition when you go up and above and exceed your role. Dermot Lavelle, the #1 S2 draft pick and Darnell Turner the #9 S2 draft pick. Both players throughout the game didn't square off once, (we didn't see Lavelle even take snaps at CB infact he played FS for most of the game). Taking a look at both players regular season stats, both played in all 14 games. Lavelle had 58 tackles over Turners 47. Turner had 16 passes defensed to Lavelles 15, Turner finished with 3 interceptions to Lavelles 4. Lavelle slightly outperformed in the regular season racking up 11 more tackles and 1 more interception but on the day it was the Hawks who picked up the W. This marks the second consecutive conference loss in both the Wraiths and Lavelles history. One wonders if this will be a constant theme for the YKW faithful. The Hawks will be facing the outlaws in the Ultimus finals, and one will wonder if they actually can come out on top considering their earlier struggles this year.

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point You knew this was coming. The two expansion teams seems like the obvious answer right? Because they were expansion teams and naturally are starting from zero quality and have to be develop. We know why the Legion crashed and burned, employing a win now strategy over continuous development didn't pay dividends. The Liberty though? After all they are better than the Wraiths? Not a chance in hell. While the Liberty are in a better shape than the Legion, it's nothing to brag about because at the end of the day being 7th is the exact same as being in last place. Their future looks about the same as any team that isn't from Las Vegas. This year they didn't have the talent, a sub par quarterback, only a single receiver than can catch the ball and a decent secondary. It will all be seen in the next few years, what direction both the Liberty and Legion will take. Will the Liberty change to a win now strategy in free agency if their rebuild strategy goes south ? Will the Legion employ a rebuild strategy in S5/S6 and beyond? Will they keep their draft picks for the future? Let's just hope these two teams don't remain stagnant.

Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good Brice Boggs. S3 prospect. Had an incredible season on the Wraiths this year, for this reason I think he'll shine in the playoffs game versing the Baltimore Hawks. 82 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, 1 interception and 3 pass deflections. That's the sort of season you'd expect from a starting #1 linebacker veteran, not a raw rookie prospect who is still finding his feet in the league. Boggs should be a big factor in the Wraiths reaching the Ultimus trophy finals to go against the defending Outlaws. With Boggs being such a huge factor during the regular season, it's impossible he wont have a huge effect on the Hawks, game, expect at the very least a few sacks or some forced fumbles on his impressive statline. If Boggs and the Wraiths manage to overcome the favourites the Baltimore Hawks, then Boggs could have a huge impact in the final game. He might just be the difference between an Arizona Outlaws twopeat, or a huge celebration in Canada. For the rest of the leagues sake, regardless of who makes it through to the finals , anybody and everybody that isn't in Arizona will be hoping for an Outlaws loss. After all, they are the Golden State Warriors of the NSFL.

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about King Bronko only finished with a single touchdown in the big game, the Ultimus. 238 yards, 1 touchdown 18/29. Solid stats, but not exactly MVP quality for the name? That would go to Mackworthy or Chess right? Wrong. Bronko didn't actually play for most of the game, he spend alot of time on the sidelines infact being the real MVP. Mark Strike, the backup QB for the outlaws and despite being a raw prospect with a large upside, he choked on the biggest stage of them all. Raw and unprepared could be used to describe two things in this league, Stormblessed's experience after courting Charity Tuck for most of the night and Mark Strike's ultimus performance. Despite his struggling on the field, 0/7 0 yds 0 tds 2 ints, Bronko spent most of the game in Strikes ear, possibly giving him tips for the future? We don't believe so, almost everybody we have spoken to was telling us he was telling the rookie to keep his head up, to enjoy the success of the team and that he's gonna be a powerhouse in years to come. If this isn't a real MVP, I don't know what is. A team leader, a natural born winner and most of all, a team motivator.

@Daybe
@ADwyer87