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 MVP for the first round of the playoffs has to go to the clutch kicker, Peg Leg of the New Orleans Second Line. With 10 seconds left in the biggest game of his career, he nails a 46 yarder to win them the game. Not bad for the power kicker from Pittsburgh, PA. Leg was just 7/9 from 40-49 yards out this season. Heck, he had the worst extra point percentage in the league this season at 88%. But still, he put all that out of his head in the waning seconds and won it. You have got to give him MVP honors for such a clutch kick. If it weren’t for him, they would have gone to overtime and you never know, you could lose it on the flip of a coin.
Not only did he excel at kicking field goals, but he also punted for the Second Line. He was a solid punter averaging 46.9 yards per punt including one inside the 20 yard line with a long of 62. You have to admire a guy pulling double duty when his team needs him. If that’s not Playoff MVP material then I don’t know what is.
Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game
NSFC Title Game:
Here we saw the 7-7 Baltimore Hawks pitted against the 11-3 Wraiths. The Wraiths had the season series 2-0 but the margin of victory was very small, 61-52 combined between the two games. Each team knew what they had to do win, it was just a matter of executing. Baltimore came out hot with
21 unanswered points before Yellowknife got on the board with just a minute left in the first half. From there, it was the Rainey and company show as Rainey went on to score three rushing touchdowns to give Yellowknife the eventual 38-24 victory.
ASFC Title Game:
Here we saw the New Orleans Second Line up against the Orange County Otters. This game saw the Otters either down or tied for the entirety of the game, that is, until Peg Leg’s game winning field goal with just ten seconds left in the game. Even the game MVP came from the losing team. Boss threw under 50%, Burnsman struggled to get going with a 3.1 yard average and a long of seven yards. This game was just about as close on paper as it was in real life. A last second field goal was a fitting end to this close fought game.
That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch. (Must be completed after the game you write about)
Typically when you think of a moment in a game that really made it special, it’s going to be a pick six or a huge passing play or a big hit, however, I would argue that doesn’t always have to be the case. The Magic Moment in the title game probably seemed trivial at the time; a 2 yard scamper from Rainey to put the Wraiths up 14-3 just about halfway through the second quarter. However, that 14th point would be exactly what Yellowknife needed to defeat the New Orleans Second Line. I could have easily gone for some glamorous play that “turned the tide” of the game, so to speak but apparently I have become a Rainey fanboy of sorts so I have to give it to him here. I’m sure there was a huge defensive stop at some point but with the Wraiths winning by eleven points, it was really two stops that would have sealed the deal. It’s kind of hard to pinpoint a single play that turned the tide.
On the drive leading up to the score, Yellowknife really mixed it up, a couple passes, a couple runs, then a long 31 yard pass play from Akselsen to Kennedy on Third and Three brought them down to the two yard line then it was a no brainer to give it to Rainey to punch it in and he did just that.
Unsung Hero: Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)
The unsung hero, in my humble opinion anyway, has to be Robby Rainey of the Yellowknife Wraiths. He single handedly beat the Baltimore Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Now, I know what you’re saying, how can you say he beat the Hawks when he only put up 33 yards? Well, Rainey definitely went for quality over quantity with his rushes. His longest rush of the day was just 8 yards, not even enough for a first down. On top of that, he had a dismal 3 yards per rush average on just eleven carries. However, three of those eleven, or 27.2% of his carries, went for touchdowns. Not only that, but all three of his touchdowns, which is a playoff record by the way, came in the second half, two of them in the last six and a half minutes of the game. With the Hawks up 21-7 going into the half, Rainey put this Wraiths team on his back and carried them to victory, granted he didn’t have to physically run very far. Without him, the Wraiths would not have had the opportunity to advance to the Ultimus game. That game, he rushed for 75 yards on 22 carries and scored another two touchdowns. This guy was a scoring machine all post season long so he absolutely deserves to be recognized. All of this is why I believe Rainey deserves to be sung and not be the unsung hero of the playoffs.
The Playoff MVP for the first round of the playoffs has to go to the clutch kicker, Peg Leg of the New Orleans Second Line. With 10 seconds left in the biggest game of his career, he nails a 46 yarder to win them the game. Not bad for the power kicker from Pittsburgh, PA. Leg was just 7/9 from 40-49 yards out this season. Heck, he had the worst extra point percentage in the league this season at 88%. But still, he put all that out of his head in the waning seconds and won it. You have got to give him MVP honors for such a clutch kick. If it weren’t for him, they would have gone to overtime and you never know, you could lose it on the flip of a coin.
Not only did he excel at kicking field goals, but he also punted for the Second Line. He was a solid punter averaging 46.9 yards per punt including one inside the 20 yard line with a long of 62. You have to admire a guy pulling double duty when his team needs him. If that’s not Playoff MVP material then I don’t know what is.
Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game
NSFC Title Game:
Here we saw the 7-7 Baltimore Hawks pitted against the 11-3 Wraiths. The Wraiths had the season series 2-0 but the margin of victory was very small, 61-52 combined between the two games. Each team knew what they had to do win, it was just a matter of executing. Baltimore came out hot with
21 unanswered points before Yellowknife got on the board with just a minute left in the first half. From there, it was the Rainey and company show as Rainey went on to score three rushing touchdowns to give Yellowknife the eventual 38-24 victory.
ASFC Title Game:
Here we saw the New Orleans Second Line up against the Orange County Otters. This game saw the Otters either down or tied for the entirety of the game, that is, until Peg Leg’s game winning field goal with just ten seconds left in the game. Even the game MVP came from the losing team. Boss threw under 50%, Burnsman struggled to get going with a 3.1 yard average and a long of seven yards. This game was just about as close on paper as it was in real life. A last second field goal was a fitting end to this close fought game.
That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch. (Must be completed after the game you write about)
Typically when you think of a moment in a game that really made it special, it’s going to be a pick six or a huge passing play or a big hit, however, I would argue that doesn’t always have to be the case. The Magic Moment in the title game probably seemed trivial at the time; a 2 yard scamper from Rainey to put the Wraiths up 14-3 just about halfway through the second quarter. However, that 14th point would be exactly what Yellowknife needed to defeat the New Orleans Second Line. I could have easily gone for some glamorous play that “turned the tide” of the game, so to speak but apparently I have become a Rainey fanboy of sorts so I have to give it to him here. I’m sure there was a huge defensive stop at some point but with the Wraiths winning by eleven points, it was really two stops that would have sealed the deal. It’s kind of hard to pinpoint a single play that turned the tide.
On the drive leading up to the score, Yellowknife really mixed it up, a couple passes, a couple runs, then a long 31 yard pass play from Akselsen to Kennedy on Third and Three brought them down to the two yard line then it was a no brainer to give it to Rainey to punch it in and he did just that.
Unsung Hero: Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)
The unsung hero, in my humble opinion anyway, has to be Robby Rainey of the Yellowknife Wraiths. He single handedly beat the Baltimore Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Now, I know what you’re saying, how can you say he beat the Hawks when he only put up 33 yards? Well, Rainey definitely went for quality over quantity with his rushes. His longest rush of the day was just 8 yards, not even enough for a first down. On top of that, he had a dismal 3 yards per rush average on just eleven carries. However, three of those eleven, or 27.2% of his carries, went for touchdowns. Not only that, but all three of his touchdowns, which is a playoff record by the way, came in the second half, two of them in the last six and a half minutes of the game. With the Hawks up 21-7 going into the half, Rainey put this Wraiths team on his back and carried them to victory, granted he didn’t have to physically run very far. Without him, the Wraiths would not have had the opportunity to advance to the Ultimus game. That game, he rushed for 75 yards on 22 carries and scored another two touchdowns. This guy was a scoring machine all post season long so he absolutely deserves to be recognized. All of this is why I believe Rainey deserves to be sung and not be the unsung hero of the playoffs.
