Playoff Series MVP:
Looking back at the ASFC Championship game, a clear MVP stands out. Mike Boss put together one of the best games of his impressive career in one of the most important games of the season. Nobody expected the Outlaws defense, which allowed the second most points in the league this season, to be able to shut down Mike Boss, but they didn't even slow him down. Boss recorded a 125.6 passer rating on 28/46 passing for 484 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. But the most impressive part about this statline is how he did it. He didn't just feed one hot receiver, he spread the ball out. 4 different Otters receivers had over 90 receiving yards that game and 3 had over 110 receiving yards. Regardless of what type of coverage the Outlaws used, Boss was able to find an open guy and get a completion for a big game. When a quarterback is in the zone like this, there is nothing the defense can do to stop him, which is why the Otters scored 48 points and won in dominant fashion to advance to the Ultimus game. While the Otters are a well rounded team, they likely wouldn't have been able to make it that far if not for the stellar play of their quarterback.
Hate the player or the game:
It really was a shame to see the Baltimore Hawks miss out on the playoffs this year. Simply put, this was a very talented team who missed out due to playing in a week conference. The Hawks finshed 7-7, which put their record 2 games ahead of the Arizona Outlaws who gained the second playoff spot in the ASFC. The Hawks finished at 7-7 with a high positive point differential, but instead had to watch 3 teams with losing records and heavily negative point differentials fight for the fourth playoff spot in the ASFC. The unfortunate truth for the Hawks is that they would have made the playoffs if they played in the weaker ASFC, but were unable to make it due to the strength of the top NSFC teams. In hindsight, you have to wonder what it would be like if the Hawks had been allowed in as a fourth playoff team. The ASFC championship game was widely regarded as a joke as the Otters were expected to steamroll an Outlaws team that was not ready for the playoffs while the Hawks simply had to sit on the sidelines wondering what they could have done if given the chance. They did play the Otters within 6 points in Orange County earlier in the season so they likely would have played a much close and more exciting game and could have had the chance to pull off the upset. It's too bad the way the conferences work out as the playoffs this year would have likely been funner with the Hawks in them.
That Magic Moment:
The magic moment in this season's Ultimus game came on the very first play of the game. The Otters kicked off and Josh Garden caught the ball in his own end zone. He took the ball out of the end zone and down the right side of the field. He juked out the first defender and broke a tackle from the second defender who got to him. He began cutting accross the field as the defenders tried to get to him. Garden juked out one more defender and it was an open field ahead with a footrace to the end zone. It was a 103 yard return to open off the game and give the Liberty a 7-0 lead. This set the tone as the Liberty took an early lead and never gave it up as they went on to win the championship. It was also special that it was done by Josh Garden, who has been a top player but has often been criticized for poor playoff performances with some calling him a choker and some insisting that he's cursed. This was a great way for Garden to prove his doubters wrong as he went on to win his first championship. This was bot an exciting and a meaningful moment that will be viewed as one of the defining moments of the Liberty's first championship win.
Matchup Nightmares:
I think there is a potential matchup nightmare brewing in the Liberty's secondary in their Ultimus matchup with the Otters. The Otters have arguably the best reveiving corps in the league this season as Bradley Westfield leads the league in receiving yards while Jordan Yates ranks sixth in the league in receiving yards, giving the Otters two elite receivers to line up across from each other on the field. The Liberty do have an elite shutdown cornerback in Kevin Cushing who they will be able to line up against one of these receivers, most likely against Westfield. Nobody can truly shut down Westfield, but Cushing will at least be able to slow him down. However, this will leave Clifford Rove to cover Jordan Yates on his own. Rove is a decent cornerback but not good enough to truly lock down a top receiving option which is going to give him some major struggles against Yates, who is the Otter's second option but puts up the numbers of a legitimate first option. This is the matchup that may decide the game. If Cushing can handle Westfield and Rove can at least slow Yates down, the Liberty's pass rush will be able to get to Mike Boss before he can find an open target. However, if they cannot hold their assingments and allow receivers to get open, Mike Boss will pick them apart and torch them as he does to the typical NSFL secondary. The Liberty will have their work cut out for them trying to slow down the Otters' prolific passing attack, but if they do, it may lead to them bringing home a championship.
Looking back at the ASFC Championship game, a clear MVP stands out. Mike Boss put together one of the best games of his impressive career in one of the most important games of the season. Nobody expected the Outlaws defense, which allowed the second most points in the league this season, to be able to shut down Mike Boss, but they didn't even slow him down. Boss recorded a 125.6 passer rating on 28/46 passing for 484 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. But the most impressive part about this statline is how he did it. He didn't just feed one hot receiver, he spread the ball out. 4 different Otters receivers had over 90 receiving yards that game and 3 had over 110 receiving yards. Regardless of what type of coverage the Outlaws used, Boss was able to find an open guy and get a completion for a big game. When a quarterback is in the zone like this, there is nothing the defense can do to stop him, which is why the Otters scored 48 points and won in dominant fashion to advance to the Ultimus game. While the Otters are a well rounded team, they likely wouldn't have been able to make it that far if not for the stellar play of their quarterback.
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Hate the player or the game:
It really was a shame to see the Baltimore Hawks miss out on the playoffs this year. Simply put, this was a very talented team who missed out due to playing in a week conference. The Hawks finshed 7-7, which put their record 2 games ahead of the Arizona Outlaws who gained the second playoff spot in the ASFC. The Hawks finished at 7-7 with a high positive point differential, but instead had to watch 3 teams with losing records and heavily negative point differentials fight for the fourth playoff spot in the ASFC. The unfortunate truth for the Hawks is that they would have made the playoffs if they played in the weaker ASFC, but were unable to make it due to the strength of the top NSFC teams. In hindsight, you have to wonder what it would be like if the Hawks had been allowed in as a fourth playoff team. The ASFC championship game was widely regarded as a joke as the Otters were expected to steamroll an Outlaws team that was not ready for the playoffs while the Hawks simply had to sit on the sidelines wondering what they could have done if given the chance. They did play the Otters within 6 points in Orange County earlier in the season so they likely would have played a much close and more exciting game and could have had the chance to pull off the upset. It's too bad the way the conferences work out as the playoffs this year would have likely been funner with the Hawks in them.
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That Magic Moment:
The magic moment in this season's Ultimus game came on the very first play of the game. The Otters kicked off and Josh Garden caught the ball in his own end zone. He took the ball out of the end zone and down the right side of the field. He juked out the first defender and broke a tackle from the second defender who got to him. He began cutting accross the field as the defenders tried to get to him. Garden juked out one more defender and it was an open field ahead with a footrace to the end zone. It was a 103 yard return to open off the game and give the Liberty a 7-0 lead. This set the tone as the Liberty took an early lead and never gave it up as they went on to win the championship. It was also special that it was done by Josh Garden, who has been a top player but has often been criticized for poor playoff performances with some calling him a choker and some insisting that he's cursed. This was a great way for Garden to prove his doubters wrong as he went on to win his first championship. This was bot an exciting and a meaningful moment that will be viewed as one of the defining moments of the Liberty's first championship win.
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Matchup Nightmares:
I think there is a potential matchup nightmare brewing in the Liberty's secondary in their Ultimus matchup with the Otters. The Otters have arguably the best reveiving corps in the league this season as Bradley Westfield leads the league in receiving yards while Jordan Yates ranks sixth in the league in receiving yards, giving the Otters two elite receivers to line up across from each other on the field. The Liberty do have an elite shutdown cornerback in Kevin Cushing who they will be able to line up against one of these receivers, most likely against Westfield. Nobody can truly shut down Westfield, but Cushing will at least be able to slow him down. However, this will leave Clifford Rove to cover Jordan Yates on his own. Rove is a decent cornerback but not good enough to truly lock down a top receiving option which is going to give him some major struggles against Yates, who is the Otter's second option but puts up the numbers of a legitimate first option. This is the matchup that may decide the game. If Cushing can handle Westfield and Rove can at least slow Yates down, the Liberty's pass rush will be able to get to Mike Boss before he can find an open target. However, if they cannot hold their assingments and allow receivers to get open, Mike Boss will pick them apart and torch them as he does to the typical NSFL secondary. The Liberty will have their work cut out for them trying to slow down the Otters' prolific passing attack, but if they do, it may lead to them bringing home a championship.
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![[Image: 24-win-MVP.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/h48H8mVk/24-win-MVP.png)
