08-13-2018, 11:05 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-14-2018, 12:28 PM by Leafs4ever.)
Robbed:
I'm still scratching my head over the Colorado Yeti making the playoffs over the Yellowknife Wraiths. The defending champion Wraiths returned many of the their star players, but something just didn't come together this season. Maybe it was the championship hangover, but talent for talent, the Wraiths should of had enough to finish ahead of the Yeti.
I hate to take away anything from the Yeti, but I'm just confused as to how they did it. They didn't have a great rushing attack, placing last in their conference in rush offense. The only thing they finished top 2 in their conference in was yards and passing offense. On defense, the Yeti were third in the conference in every category. In comparison, the Wraiths finished top 2 in very defense category, had the best rushing attack in the league, and averaged the second most points in the conference. Looking at these stats, I'm not sure what the Yeti did to win enough games, or better yet, how the Wraiths didn't win enough games.
The most damning thing for Yellowknife were a Week 2 loss to the 3-11 Outlaws and a Week 7 loss to the 4-10 Liberty. If the Wraiths had won these 2 very winnable games, they would of passed the Yeti in the standings, but instead find themselves on the outside looking in.
(224 words)
Playoff Predictions:
Baltimore Hawks vs. Colorado Yeti
I got the Hawks winning this fairly easily. The Yeti didn't impress me at all this season, and I felt that the Wraiths lost this playoff spot more than the Yeti took it. They didn't stand out in any facet of the game, offense or defense. They've got studs on their team, no doubt, but as a team Baltimore is just better. The Hawks led every category in the conference except for rushing. They are a well oiled machine and ready to advance to the Ultimus Championship. Baltimore wins 36-20
New Orleans Second Line vs. Orange County Otters
The new juggernaut against the old juggernaut. The Second Line were the best team in the NSFL this season and are poised to become the next dynasty. However, there's no team that has been in this position more than the Otters. They won't feel the pressure of the big game because they've been here before. However, their time is up and it's New Orleans' show now. They have too much firepower everywhere on the field to stumble now. New Orleans wins 41-26
New Orleans Second Line vs. Baltimore Hawks
The two best teams in the NSFL this season meet up in the Ultimus Championship Game. Both teams sport a fantastic running game, behind Owen Taylor and Darren Smallwood. Their quarterback play is also elite, with Blocksdale and Maximus III. With stars at every position for both teams, I give the edge to the New Orleans Second Line. They have just been utterly dominate this season. They led the league in every offensive and defensive category, besides rushing. They have been the jewel of the NSFL and they are in prime position to become the new dynasty. New Orleans wins 32-22
(293 words)
Root for the Underdog:
In the Ultimus Championship Game, the New Orleans Second Line are hosting the Baltimore Hawks. While I believe the Second Line are going to win the Ultimus Trophy, I want to make a case of why the Hawks could pull the upset on the road.
First of all, the Hawks are no slouch. They finished just behind New Orleans in the standings with a 11-3 record. Besides rushing, they finished top 3 in every offensive and defensive category in the league. They have a potent offense and a stingy defense. They are led by an elite 3 headed attack on offense. Quarterback Avon Blocksdale, running back Owen Taylor, and wide receiver Trey Willie led the onslaught on their opponents. They are going to be a handful for New Orleans to deal with. If these 3 players are on their game, Baltimore gets a huge boost. Another game changer for the Hawks could be on defense. It's something they did 3 times during the season that New Orleans never did. That was getting touchdowns from the defense. The Hawks defensive players have a nose for the ball and a drive to get that ball in the end zone. If New Orleans slips up, that defense could deliver a back breaking defensive touchdown.
Listen, the cards are stacked against Baltimore in the Championship Game, but they have star power and a hunger to win. Don't be too surprised if they go into New Orleans and shock the world.
(246 words)
Sit-down with a star:
An intimate 1-on-1 interview with New Orleans Second Line S Blackford Oakes:
1. New Orleans had a fantastic regular season, finishing 12-2. What was the key to this breakout season?
BO: The key was our GM Bovo putting together a great core of players in the wake of the Legion mass retirement. We struggled for a few seasons but he built the team up without falling for the temptation of taking shortcuts and we slowly grew together. Then the past two seasons, after we narrowly missed the playoffs in Season 7, he's been extremely active on the trade market and in free agency to acquire the assets necessary to put us over the top. Some of this is good fortune because the San Jose Sabercats and Philadelphia Liberty were tearing down their teams just when we were building but it was mostly Bovo recognizing the window where we'd have the best chances of winning a championship and aggressively putting us in the best position to bring one home.
2. One of your two losses this season was against your Ultimus Game opponent, the Baltimore Hawks. What can you learn from that game to help you in the Championship?
BO: Yeah that was a harsh loss, we led for half the fourth quarter before some penalties and a few big plays put the game away for the Hawks. The biggest thing we learned was how important home field would be if we faced off against them again so we did what we could to return the favor in Week 14, the win which secured home field for us. The other lesson in the game was the importance of ball security. A lot of luck goes into turnovers so the value of that lesson is minimal but if we have 3 turnovers to their 0 in the Ultimus like we did in Week 7 it'll be tough to pull out the game. The fact that we played them so tight despite being on the road and getting destroyed in the turnover battle does bode well for us, I think.
3. Did the win against the Otters in the ASFC Championship Game feel like a passing of the torch?
BO: In terms of a power shift in the ASFC last year's Championship Game felt more like the torch passing. That was the season where we lost to them in Week 13 to lose home field advantage in the playoffs but pulled off the playoff win on the road. That was the game where it really felt like we became the ASFC favorite and not just part of the revolving door of ASFC's 2nd best. However, this game did feel like a passing of the torch in terms of quarterback play. For really the entire history of the league Mike Boss has been one of the premiere quarterbacks and for us to hold him, in his probably final career game, to 19 completions, 278 yards, and 2 touchdowns on 44 attempts - and perhaps more importantly 8 sacks for 54 yards - while Borkus went 24/43 for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns with zero sacks felt like a changing of the guard at the position.
4. Did you achieve any personal goals you set for yourself this season?
BO: No, not really. I was pretty garbage all season with just 58 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions and 6 passes defensed. For comparison, last year I was 84, 8, 6, and 8 respectively with a fumble forced and recovered. However as a unit we finished with the best passing defense in the league (important since we were leading most of the season) compared to fourth last season and allowed 14 points per game compared to last season's 22. Becoming the best defense in the league was a goal but a defense is only as good as its weakest link so that was much more of a team goal than a personal one. We also become the first defense to allow fewer than 200 points in a season since Arizona in Season 3 and just the fourth overall so that helps take the sting out of myself being pretty bad.
(693 words)
I'm still scratching my head over the Colorado Yeti making the playoffs over the Yellowknife Wraiths. The defending champion Wraiths returned many of the their star players, but something just didn't come together this season. Maybe it was the championship hangover, but talent for talent, the Wraiths should of had enough to finish ahead of the Yeti.
I hate to take away anything from the Yeti, but I'm just confused as to how they did it. They didn't have a great rushing attack, placing last in their conference in rush offense. The only thing they finished top 2 in their conference in was yards and passing offense. On defense, the Yeti were third in the conference in every category. In comparison, the Wraiths finished top 2 in very defense category, had the best rushing attack in the league, and averaged the second most points in the conference. Looking at these stats, I'm not sure what the Yeti did to win enough games, or better yet, how the Wraiths didn't win enough games.
The most damning thing for Yellowknife were a Week 2 loss to the 3-11 Outlaws and a Week 7 loss to the 4-10 Liberty. If the Wraiths had won these 2 very winnable games, they would of passed the Yeti in the standings, but instead find themselves on the outside looking in.
(224 words)
Playoff Predictions:
Baltimore Hawks vs. Colorado Yeti
I got the Hawks winning this fairly easily. The Yeti didn't impress me at all this season, and I felt that the Wraiths lost this playoff spot more than the Yeti took it. They didn't stand out in any facet of the game, offense or defense. They've got studs on their team, no doubt, but as a team Baltimore is just better. The Hawks led every category in the conference except for rushing. They are a well oiled machine and ready to advance to the Ultimus Championship. Baltimore wins 36-20
New Orleans Second Line vs. Orange County Otters
The new juggernaut against the old juggernaut. The Second Line were the best team in the NSFL this season and are poised to become the next dynasty. However, there's no team that has been in this position more than the Otters. They won't feel the pressure of the big game because they've been here before. However, their time is up and it's New Orleans' show now. They have too much firepower everywhere on the field to stumble now. New Orleans wins 41-26
New Orleans Second Line vs. Baltimore Hawks
The two best teams in the NSFL this season meet up in the Ultimus Championship Game. Both teams sport a fantastic running game, behind Owen Taylor and Darren Smallwood. Their quarterback play is also elite, with Blocksdale and Maximus III. With stars at every position for both teams, I give the edge to the New Orleans Second Line. They have just been utterly dominate this season. They led the league in every offensive and defensive category, besides rushing. They have been the jewel of the NSFL and they are in prime position to become the new dynasty. New Orleans wins 32-22
(293 words)
Root for the Underdog:
In the Ultimus Championship Game, the New Orleans Second Line are hosting the Baltimore Hawks. While I believe the Second Line are going to win the Ultimus Trophy, I want to make a case of why the Hawks could pull the upset on the road.
First of all, the Hawks are no slouch. They finished just behind New Orleans in the standings with a 11-3 record. Besides rushing, they finished top 3 in every offensive and defensive category in the league. They have a potent offense and a stingy defense. They are led by an elite 3 headed attack on offense. Quarterback Avon Blocksdale, running back Owen Taylor, and wide receiver Trey Willie led the onslaught on their opponents. They are going to be a handful for New Orleans to deal with. If these 3 players are on their game, Baltimore gets a huge boost. Another game changer for the Hawks could be on defense. It's something they did 3 times during the season that New Orleans never did. That was getting touchdowns from the defense. The Hawks defensive players have a nose for the ball and a drive to get that ball in the end zone. If New Orleans slips up, that defense could deliver a back breaking defensive touchdown.
Listen, the cards are stacked against Baltimore in the Championship Game, but they have star power and a hunger to win. Don't be too surprised if they go into New Orleans and shock the world.
(246 words)
Sit-down with a star:
An intimate 1-on-1 interview with New Orleans Second Line S Blackford Oakes:
1. New Orleans had a fantastic regular season, finishing 12-2. What was the key to this breakout season?
BO: The key was our GM Bovo putting together a great core of players in the wake of the Legion mass retirement. We struggled for a few seasons but he built the team up without falling for the temptation of taking shortcuts and we slowly grew together. Then the past two seasons, after we narrowly missed the playoffs in Season 7, he's been extremely active on the trade market and in free agency to acquire the assets necessary to put us over the top. Some of this is good fortune because the San Jose Sabercats and Philadelphia Liberty were tearing down their teams just when we were building but it was mostly Bovo recognizing the window where we'd have the best chances of winning a championship and aggressively putting us in the best position to bring one home.
2. One of your two losses this season was against your Ultimus Game opponent, the Baltimore Hawks. What can you learn from that game to help you in the Championship?
BO: Yeah that was a harsh loss, we led for half the fourth quarter before some penalties and a few big plays put the game away for the Hawks. The biggest thing we learned was how important home field would be if we faced off against them again so we did what we could to return the favor in Week 14, the win which secured home field for us. The other lesson in the game was the importance of ball security. A lot of luck goes into turnovers so the value of that lesson is minimal but if we have 3 turnovers to their 0 in the Ultimus like we did in Week 7 it'll be tough to pull out the game. The fact that we played them so tight despite being on the road and getting destroyed in the turnover battle does bode well for us, I think.
3. Did the win against the Otters in the ASFC Championship Game feel like a passing of the torch?
BO: In terms of a power shift in the ASFC last year's Championship Game felt more like the torch passing. That was the season where we lost to them in Week 13 to lose home field advantage in the playoffs but pulled off the playoff win on the road. That was the game where it really felt like we became the ASFC favorite and not just part of the revolving door of ASFC's 2nd best. However, this game did feel like a passing of the torch in terms of quarterback play. For really the entire history of the league Mike Boss has been one of the premiere quarterbacks and for us to hold him, in his probably final career game, to 19 completions, 278 yards, and 2 touchdowns on 44 attempts - and perhaps more importantly 8 sacks for 54 yards - while Borkus went 24/43 for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns with zero sacks felt like a changing of the guard at the position.
4. Did you achieve any personal goals you set for yourself this season?
BO: No, not really. I was pretty garbage all season with just 58 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions and 6 passes defensed. For comparison, last year I was 84, 8, 6, and 8 respectively with a fumble forced and recovered. However as a unit we finished with the best passing defense in the league (important since we were leading most of the season) compared to fourth last season and allowed 14 points per game compared to last season's 22. Becoming the best defense in the league was a goal but a defense is only as good as its weakest link so that was much more of a team goal than a personal one. We also become the first defense to allow fewer than 200 points in a season since Arizona in Season 3 and just the fourth overall so that helps take the sting out of myself being pretty bad.
(693 words)
