New Talent: I’m pretty sure that its obvious that the S8 trade that had the biggest impact on the playoffs would be when New Orleans fleeced the Liberty in the trade that netted them All-Everything Tight End Paul DiMirio and Defensive Tackle Godfrey King to bolster their roster. New Orleans was perhaps just slightly behind perennial conference champions Orange County before the trade, and making this deal helped them shore up some decent holes in the offense AND the defense. As a result, the Second Line played just fantastically down the stretch, finishing only one game behind the Otters for the Home Field Advantage in the conference title game. But it wouldn’t matter, as New Orleans came into Orange County and beat the Otters 20-17 on a late field goal. King would have 2 tackles, including a sack of Mike Boss while DiMirio had 5 catches for 56 yards. In the Ultimus game, King would have 2 tackles again, but also recovered a fumble. DiMirio would go on to have 6 catches for 82 yards as the best pass catcher for New Orleans. Sure, the Second Line would lose the Ultimus 24-13, but the trade they pulled off was the reason they were even there in the first place. (208)
Playoff Series MVP: My Playoff Series MVP is going to the man who helped the Yellowknife Wraiths defeat the New Orleans Second Line in the Ultimus Game, wide receiver Eric Kennedy. Kennedy was a man among men in this one, as his 5 catches for 116 yards was tops among the players in the game. With the score close, 14-10, just after halftime. Kennedy took a pass from QB Mat Akeslesen and danced around a few defenders en route to a game changing 36 yard touchdown that would not only give the Wraiths a much needed cushion, but it also seemed to knock the air out of the upstart Second Line team. Kennedy’s plays would help set up Yellowknife scoring drives throughout the game. In the end, the Ultimus game was a very tightly played contest. No, Eric Kennedy did not have some amazing 10 catch or 200 yard game. But in a game this close, it’s the player who does the little things right consistently that gets the accolades. In this game, that was Eric Kennedy. He made the right plays consistently, and when the time was right, he made the biggest play of the game that would end up fully turning the tide for the Wraiths. (208)
Playoff Review: The Orange County Otters took on the New Orleans Second Line in one of the two conference matchups. This game was a slug fest, going back and forth throughout the game. After Erich Burnsman scored with 2:37 left to tie the game at 17, New Orleans marched down the field and Peg Leg kicked a 46 yard field goal with 10 seconds left to send NOLA to the Ultimus! Very exciting game. We had a similar story during the Yellowknife Wraiths vs Baltimore Hawks game. Baltimore was very game for this one, as the Hawks shot out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. However, Yellowknife was far from dead in this one. Dermot Lavell would score just before the half to make the lead 21-7. Yellowknife would get two more TDs in the third quarter to have this one tied at 24 a piece heading into the 4th quarter. And it was there that the Hawks couldn’t hang anymore. Yellowknife would go on to score two more TDs and add a field goal as they would walk away with a 38-24 win. In the Ultimus, New Orleans would hang around with Yellowknife for the first half, as the Wraiths only would have a 14-10 lead at halftime. However, Eric Kennedy’s 36 yard touchdown in the third quarter would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and the Wraiths would wrap up the title with a 24-13 victory. (240)
Hate the Player or the Game: I’m taking a different approach to this one when compared to what I’ve done in Ultimus Weeks of yesteryear. Normally, there’s a team that gets robbed along the way and should be in the playoffs over a much less worthy team. However this season? The 4 teams that made the playoffs were absolutely the teams that should have been there. It’s pretty clear that New Orleans, Orange County, and Yellowknife were all in a different tier this season. The only team that you could have considered “unworthy” would have been the Baltimore Hawks. But who could you put in over them? Certainly not the rebuilding San Jose and Arizona teams. That leaves Colorado, who finished with a worse record anyway. The only team capable of replacing Baltimore in the playoff picture would be the defending champion Philly Liberty. But even then, while both teams went 7-7, Baltimore scored more points, and allowed a lot less. The head to head games cancel out because both teams won at home by identical 31-21 scores. So it has to come down to the higher scoring offense or the better defense, and in both cases that was the Hawks. So in this case, the only people who got robbed were the fans who love making drama over teams that get in over teams that “should” be in. We got it right this season. (230)
Playoff Series MVP: My Playoff Series MVP is going to the man who helped the Yellowknife Wraiths defeat the New Orleans Second Line in the Ultimus Game, wide receiver Eric Kennedy. Kennedy was a man among men in this one, as his 5 catches for 116 yards was tops among the players in the game. With the score close, 14-10, just after halftime. Kennedy took a pass from QB Mat Akeslesen and danced around a few defenders en route to a game changing 36 yard touchdown that would not only give the Wraiths a much needed cushion, but it also seemed to knock the air out of the upstart Second Line team. Kennedy’s plays would help set up Yellowknife scoring drives throughout the game. In the end, the Ultimus game was a very tightly played contest. No, Eric Kennedy did not have some amazing 10 catch or 200 yard game. But in a game this close, it’s the player who does the little things right consistently that gets the accolades. In this game, that was Eric Kennedy. He made the right plays consistently, and when the time was right, he made the biggest play of the game that would end up fully turning the tide for the Wraiths. (208)
Playoff Review: The Orange County Otters took on the New Orleans Second Line in one of the two conference matchups. This game was a slug fest, going back and forth throughout the game. After Erich Burnsman scored with 2:37 left to tie the game at 17, New Orleans marched down the field and Peg Leg kicked a 46 yard field goal with 10 seconds left to send NOLA to the Ultimus! Very exciting game. We had a similar story during the Yellowknife Wraiths vs Baltimore Hawks game. Baltimore was very game for this one, as the Hawks shot out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. However, Yellowknife was far from dead in this one. Dermot Lavell would score just before the half to make the lead 21-7. Yellowknife would get two more TDs in the third quarter to have this one tied at 24 a piece heading into the 4th quarter. And it was there that the Hawks couldn’t hang anymore. Yellowknife would go on to score two more TDs and add a field goal as they would walk away with a 38-24 win. In the Ultimus, New Orleans would hang around with Yellowknife for the first half, as the Wraiths only would have a 14-10 lead at halftime. However, Eric Kennedy’s 36 yard touchdown in the third quarter would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and the Wraiths would wrap up the title with a 24-13 victory. (240)
Hate the Player or the Game: I’m taking a different approach to this one when compared to what I’ve done in Ultimus Weeks of yesteryear. Normally, there’s a team that gets robbed along the way and should be in the playoffs over a much less worthy team. However this season? The 4 teams that made the playoffs were absolutely the teams that should have been there. It’s pretty clear that New Orleans, Orange County, and Yellowknife were all in a different tier this season. The only team that you could have considered “unworthy” would have been the Baltimore Hawks. But who could you put in over them? Certainly not the rebuilding San Jose and Arizona teams. That leaves Colorado, who finished with a worse record anyway. The only team capable of replacing Baltimore in the playoff picture would be the defending champion Philly Liberty. But even then, while both teams went 7-7, Baltimore scored more points, and allowed a lot less. The head to head games cancel out because both teams won at home by identical 31-21 scores. So it has to come down to the higher scoring offense or the better defense, and in both cases that was the Hawks. So in this case, the only people who got robbed were the fans who love making drama over teams that get in over teams that “should” be in. We got it right this season. (230)
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