10-07-2018, 06:31 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-07-2018, 10:04 PM by Sweetwater.)
Playoff Series MVP:
In the NSFC Championship, there were a whole bunch of offensive studs as the game seemed like it was turning into a shootout. My MVP is kind of a dark horse candidate, as he went largely unnoticed for the majority of the game. Normally that would mean a player had little to no impact on the game, but in this case I am referring to a defensive back. Specifically I am talking about Vikian Marmeladov. He's sitting right at the bottom of the stat chart on the defensive side of the match up, which is exactly what you want from the guy who's job is to prevent people from catching the ball. He didn't technically allow any completions in coverage, which means his coverage was tight enough to scare off Applehort from looking his way the majority of the time. This would prove to be the right decision, as on the other target, Marmeladov had an interception and took it to the house. Not only was this a pick six, but it was essentially the nail in the coffin for the Yeti, as it put the Hawks up two scores in the 4th quarter with only 10 minutes left in the game.
Playoff Review:
The playoffs this year were very different from the playoffs I remember from the beginning. But in some ways, they were relatively similar. It's nice to see a new mix of teams going for the championship, and it seems the games are much more competitive. In the NSFC championship, we had the Hawks versus the Yeti. Everyone expected the Hawks to start racking up the points early and often, but what I'm not sure that everyone expected the Yeti to hang right in there with them. This game was as much of a shootout as I have ever seen in the NSFL. With both offences firing on all cylinders, and both defenses struggling to keep them in check, I was sure we were heading for some overtime. That is until Marmeladov grabbed a pick six and the Yeti couldn't quite recover in time. They did score on their next drive, but the Hawks ran out the clock to get to the Ultimus.
The ASFC championship was much the opposite. A real slog-fest, with both offences stalling out over and over again. The biggest play in the game was a 48 yard return, which means the fastest thing in this game was the clock, thank god.
The Ultimus was a fun time. Lots of excitement. Again two high powered offences, and arguable some of the best defenses in the league as well. The thought stuck in my head as I left the game was quite simple: Why did New Orleans run on 4th and 11? Bork was killing it and averaging almost 13 yards per completion, and almost 9 per pass. Heck, Bork could have even run it himself, as he had been very successful with that throughout the game. But instead they gave it to Smallwood, a successful rusher in his own right, but a player who had been averaging one of his worst games in terms of YPC. In the end he didn't make it and the Hawks were able to run out the clock to take home the Ultimus trophy.
That Magic Moment:
The magic moment has to be the one I have already referenced twice in my previous pieces, the Vikian Marmeladov pick six in the fourth quarter of the NSFC championship game. To set the full stage, the game had been a massive shootout, with every score by one team being answered in kind by the other. After forcing the Hawks to settle for a field goal in the 2nd quarter, the Yeti had positioned themselves in the lead by driving down and scoring a touchdown. The Hawks were able to answer with their own touchdown and then are held to another field goal. Down 6, the Yeti need to drive down the field and score to regain the lead. A 31 yard return started them out in a good field position, and a huge 28 yard reception on 3rd down put them in field goal position to at least bring the game a bit closer should they fail to convert another set of downs. First down, incomplete. Second down, sack. Third down, magic time. Applehort steps back, looking for an open man, sees his running back Grau ready to grab the ball and get them the yardage to continue the drive. Out of nowhere, Marmeladov jumps the route, grabs the ball, and shakes his tackles to make his way 63 yards down the field for a touchdown! This is the play that all but guarantees the Hawks make it to the Ultimus. It was a huge play at an important moment from a player who had gone essentially unnoticed through most of the game up until this point.
Unsung Hero:
The unsung hero of the playoffs was Baltimore Hawks running back, Owen Taylor. Though maybe not his best pair of games statistically, it was his constant production that allowed him to keep the chains moving and the Hawks in the game. He was able to accrue 530 all purpose yards, with 317 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. This means that through two games, Taylor averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 7 yards per catch. I took the liberty of doing a bunch of different math with this which says that he could have been used exclusively to win games. Factoring for drops and broken up passes, every time Taylor touched the ball on offence, he gained 4.7 yards on average. If we account for incomplete passes involving him, that only goes down by half a yard on average. This means, any time it was determined that the ball was going to Taylor, he would gain over 4 yards. Any team would kill for a player who can basically guarantee at least 4 yards anytime they touch the ball. On top of all of that, Taylor was killer in his return game for the Ultimus Championship. With 5 returns for 180 yards, he made absolutely sure that they had good to great starting field position for every drive he could. He also contributed 11 first downs to his team to keep drives alive. Taylor didn't have his best games statistically for this playoff series (59 carries/261 yards, 16 targets/8 receptions/56 yards, 1 Rec TD), but he definitely made an impact on the Hawks offence and helped them keep the chains moving on their road to an Ultimus trophy.
In the NSFC Championship, there were a whole bunch of offensive studs as the game seemed like it was turning into a shootout. My MVP is kind of a dark horse candidate, as he went largely unnoticed for the majority of the game. Normally that would mean a player had little to no impact on the game, but in this case I am referring to a defensive back. Specifically I am talking about Vikian Marmeladov. He's sitting right at the bottom of the stat chart on the defensive side of the match up, which is exactly what you want from the guy who's job is to prevent people from catching the ball. He didn't technically allow any completions in coverage, which means his coverage was tight enough to scare off Applehort from looking his way the majority of the time. This would prove to be the right decision, as on the other target, Marmeladov had an interception and took it to the house. Not only was this a pick six, but it was essentially the nail in the coffin for the Yeti, as it put the Hawks up two scores in the 4th quarter with only 10 minutes left in the game.
Code:
202 wordsPlayoff Review:
The playoffs this year were very different from the playoffs I remember from the beginning. But in some ways, they were relatively similar. It's nice to see a new mix of teams going for the championship, and it seems the games are much more competitive. In the NSFC championship, we had the Hawks versus the Yeti. Everyone expected the Hawks to start racking up the points early and often, but what I'm not sure that everyone expected the Yeti to hang right in there with them. This game was as much of a shootout as I have ever seen in the NSFL. With both offences firing on all cylinders, and both defenses struggling to keep them in check, I was sure we were heading for some overtime. That is until Marmeladov grabbed a pick six and the Yeti couldn't quite recover in time. They did score on their next drive, but the Hawks ran out the clock to get to the Ultimus.
The ASFC championship was much the opposite. A real slog-fest, with both offences stalling out over and over again. The biggest play in the game was a 48 yard return, which means the fastest thing in this game was the clock, thank god.
The Ultimus was a fun time. Lots of excitement. Again two high powered offences, and arguable some of the best defenses in the league as well. The thought stuck in my head as I left the game was quite simple: Why did New Orleans run on 4th and 11? Bork was killing it and averaging almost 13 yards per completion, and almost 9 per pass. Heck, Bork could have even run it himself, as he had been very successful with that throughout the game. But instead they gave it to Smallwood, a successful rusher in his own right, but a player who had been averaging one of his worst games in terms of YPC. In the end he didn't make it and the Hawks were able to run out the clock to take home the Ultimus trophy.
Code:
342 wordsThat Magic Moment:
The magic moment has to be the one I have already referenced twice in my previous pieces, the Vikian Marmeladov pick six in the fourth quarter of the NSFC championship game. To set the full stage, the game had been a massive shootout, with every score by one team being answered in kind by the other. After forcing the Hawks to settle for a field goal in the 2nd quarter, the Yeti had positioned themselves in the lead by driving down and scoring a touchdown. The Hawks were able to answer with their own touchdown and then are held to another field goal. Down 6, the Yeti need to drive down the field and score to regain the lead. A 31 yard return started them out in a good field position, and a huge 28 yard reception on 3rd down put them in field goal position to at least bring the game a bit closer should they fail to convert another set of downs. First down, incomplete. Second down, sack. Third down, magic time. Applehort steps back, looking for an open man, sees his running back Grau ready to grab the ball and get them the yardage to continue the drive. Out of nowhere, Marmeladov jumps the route, grabs the ball, and shakes his tackles to make his way 63 yards down the field for a touchdown! This is the play that all but guarantees the Hawks make it to the Ultimus. It was a huge play at an important moment from a player who had gone essentially unnoticed through most of the game up until this point.
Code:
268 wordsUnsung Hero:
The unsung hero of the playoffs was Baltimore Hawks running back, Owen Taylor. Though maybe not his best pair of games statistically, it was his constant production that allowed him to keep the chains moving and the Hawks in the game. He was able to accrue 530 all purpose yards, with 317 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. This means that through two games, Taylor averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 7 yards per catch. I took the liberty of doing a bunch of different math with this which says that he could have been used exclusively to win games. Factoring for drops and broken up passes, every time Taylor touched the ball on offence, he gained 4.7 yards on average. If we account for incomplete passes involving him, that only goes down by half a yard on average. This means, any time it was determined that the ball was going to Taylor, he would gain over 4 yards. Any team would kill for a player who can basically guarantee at least 4 yards anytime they touch the ball. On top of all of that, Taylor was killer in his return game for the Ultimus Championship. With 5 returns for 180 yards, he made absolutely sure that they had good to great starting field position for every drive he could. He also contributed 11 first downs to his team to keep drives alive. Taylor didn't have his best games statistically for this playoff series (59 carries/261 yards, 16 targets/8 receptions/56 yards, 1 Rec TD), but he definitely made an impact on the Hawks offence and helped them keep the chains moving on their road to an Ultimus trophy.
Code:
281 words![[Image: jerrod.gif]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/487266214654246913/502631638434447360/jerrod.gif)
![[Image: KzGHI73.png]](https://i.imgur.com/KzGHI73.png)
