(S5) - Ultimus Week

[ralz9]

ROBBED: Honestly, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Colorado Yeti would deserved to compete in the National Simulation Football League playoffs. The Yeti, obviously playing in Denver, Colorado, would’ve been at an obvious advantage and potential favorite to win the Ultimus. Let’s break it down for a second: Look at the College Football Playoff—in the 2017 version, Alabama made it into the playoff over Big Ten champion Ohio State. Why was this? Because the committee believed Alabama had better odds of winning the title than Ohio State. If the National Simulation Football League wanted to pick playoff teams that had the best shot of winning it all, the Yeti would’ve surely made it over the Baltimore Hawks. The Hawks were thrashed in the first round by the Yellowknife Wraiths; however, had it been the Yeti playing instead, it would’ve been a much closer game as the Yeti would’ve been prepared for the frigid Canadian weather. The Yeti’s ground and pound game would’ve been a major key as league leader Boss Tweed would’ve led the rushing attack that features two other runners ranked in the top 10: No. 9 Farlane and No. 10 Nicholas Pierno who would’ve had a bit of a chip on his shoulder against his former team.

PLAYOFF SERIES MVP: There’s no doubt that Bradley Westfield was the MVP of the Ultimus game. In a game where the two quarterbacks threw just two touchdowns, a combined 57.6 completion percentage and a combined five interceptions, a reliable receiver was needed. Westfield lived up to the hype, grabbing six balls for 141 yards. To compare, no other receiver in the game had more than 94 yards, no receiver with more than two catches even sniffed his yards per catch average of 23.5 and he was so crucial to his team’s offensive success that the otters’ next top receiver had just 56 yards on seven catches. Big plays make the difference in big games, and Bradley Westfield delivered just that for the Orange County Otters’ offense led by quarterback Mike Boss. Outside of the offense, he returned three kicks for 115 yards (average of 38 yards per return) and took a punt back 18 yards, allowing Orange County to completely dominate the field of possession game that ultimately proved to be the difference in a match-up of the two best teams in the National Simulation Football League. It didn’t happen in the Ultimus, but Westfield had a 69-yard punt return touchdown earlier in the year, meaning he was already the most #nice player in the league entering the playoffs.

NEW TALENT: Josh Garden was a HUGE component in the Wraiths’ run to the Ultimus, the National Simulation Football League’s annual championship game. He had 123 yards in Yellowknife’s first playoff game and first in the league during the regular season in receiving touchdowns with an astounding 16. His quarterback, Matt Akselsen, had a career-high 5,133 passing yards, a number that no doubt wouldn’t have been matched if not for Garden’s ability to catch the ball himself but also receive extra attention from opposing defenses that opened up space for the Wraiths’ other wide receivers. At 15.9 yards per catch, Garden provided a perfect medium between being a possession receiver and a big play threat. His variety of route running skills made him a first down machine for the Wraiths but also a big play explosion waiting to happen due to his speed and ability to get open downfield. Many receivers or right ends can do one thing or the other, but not many can do both as well as Garden can. Yellowknife was unable to win the Ultimus next year, but by returning the best QB – Wide Receiver combo in the nation next year, it’s hard to bet against them as early favorites.