01-14-2019, 02:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-14-2019, 05:00 PM by Leafs4ever.)
1) IT IS OUR TIME THIS (NEXT) YEAR
After finishing 1-13 last season, I don't think anyone expected us, the San Jose SaberCats, to finish where we did this season. An off-season of growth and improvement really paid off as we had a great season, finishing 10-4, good for second best record in the league. The only problem with this, is that the team who finished first in the league is also in the same conference as us. That's right, the two best teams in the NSFL face off in the ASFC Conference Championship. The Orange County Otters are a great team and many are probably picking them to win the whole thing, but let me tell you why the SaberCats have a shot to win, not just this game, but the Ultimus Trophy.
First of all, the biggest reason we have a chance in these playoffs is because of our defense. We gave up the lowest points per game in the league, second lowest in total yards and passing yards, and third lowest rush yards per game. Our defense hardly bent and never broke. In the two games against the Otters this season, we 1-1, winning by 6 at home, and losing by 3 on the road. We match up well with the Otters. Their strength is in the secondary and luckily for us we have a two headed monster at wide receiver with Oles and Flash. I think we can negate that strength and attack them at others positions. Once we get past the Otters, we'll be the best team left and whoever comes out of the NSFC will have to match up to our defense and I don't think the Hawks or Liberty can.
(279 words)
2) SPOTLIGHT ON THE YOUTH
The San Jose SaberCats are filled with young stars. In fact, you can say the team was led by their young guns since they outnumbered the "veterans" of the team. It's hard to pick just one player to spotlight in a group that contains WR Kazimir Oles, RB Jerrod Canton, QB Joliet L. Christ, CB D'Pez Poopsie, K Neo Donaldson, and so many others. I've never been one to shy away from a challenge so I've decided to aim the spotlight at the rising star at running back, Jerrod Canton.
In just his second season in the NSFL, Canton was running all over the league. He finished second in rushing yards with 1352 yards, finishing just 203 yards behind first place in 89 less carries! He also added 10 rushing touchdowns, good for third in the league. His rushing, combined with Chris Orosz, made the SaberCats rush offense the best in the ASFC and third in the NSFL. Where his spotlight comes into play is in the ASFC Conference Championship game against the Orange County Otters. The Otters are a stacked team and boast a stout defense. If there's one weakness in the Otters defense, it's a small one, but it's their rush defense. While it was still good, they did finish fourth in rush defense. There's an opening there to attack and if Canton has shown anything this season, it's that he can exploit holes in defenses. If the SaberCats want to go into Orange County and upset the Otters, they'll need Canton to exploit the Otters defense, help control the clock, and pound the rock into the end zone. I think he's up for the challenge, even if it's just his second season in the NSFL.
(288 words)
3) PRE-GAME or...POST-GAME
In the NSFC Championship game, it's a familiar face against an upstart team looking to knock a perennial contender off it's perch. It's the Baltimore Hawks against the Philadelphia Liberty. The Liberty haven't been to this point since Season 7, while the Hawks have been here for 5 straight seasons. Will the grizzled team take down the inexperienced team? Let's look at the numbers.
Let's start with the Baltimore Hawks. With the best record in the NSFC, they get to host the Liberty in the Conference Championship. This is a big get for them, as they finished 5-2 at home. While their 8-6 record doesn't indicate dominance, the Hawks put up some great numbers this season. They were easily the best offense in the league, putting up 454 points, most in the league. They average the most points per game and yards per game. They had the best pass offense and second best rush offense in the conference. They dominated when they had the ball in their hands. This is their biggest advantage over the Liberty, especially since they gave up over 27 points per game. Expect the Hawks to put up points.
The Liberty's biggest weapon is Marquise Brown. He led the Liberty to the best rush offense in the league. Their other weapon happens to be their defense, which put up really good numbers except for the amount of points they give up. That tells me one thing, the Liberty turn the ball over way too much. That's been their achilles heel this season and they need to clean that up if they want a chance to upset the Hawks. If Falconi can avoid the turnovers and keep the ball in Brown's hands, they might just walk out of the Baltimore with the win.
I, however, don't expect that to happen. The Hawks are too strong on offense and I think they'll force the Liberty into bad turnovers and good field position. I see the Hawks beating the Liberty and making their way to the Ultimus Championship.
Hawks win 42-14.
(339 words)
4) QUARTERBACK MATCHUP
In the ASFC Championship Game, we have a battle of two young quarterbacks. Orange County's Gus T.T Showbiz against San Jose's Joliet L. Christ. While Showbiz has won the battle of most middle initials, he also carries an extra year of experience. Will that be enough to win this battle on the field? Let's look.
With Showbiz, the Otters have relied on him to really drive their offense. Their rushing offense hasn't been as strong as their passing game so they've given Showbiz a lot more opportunity to take over games than Christ has in San Jose. Showbiz has led the Otters offense to first in points per game and yards per game in the ASFC, and second overall league wide. Oppositely, Christ has been eased into the offense in just his second year. San Jose's passing offense has been league average, with their rushing attack really leading the way. Christ hasn't been given leash that Showbiz had, attempting 193 less throws this season. However, even with that large gap in attempts, their numbers are quite close.
Showbiz has a better completion percentage at 56.2, but Christ is right there with 55.9, so that's basically a wash. Showbiz threw only 4 more touchdown passes than Christ, and that with 193 more chances to do so. Conversely though, Showbiz and Christ threw the same amount of interceptions with 13, which favours Showbiz heavily. Looking at those numbers, it's not hard to imagine what numbers Christ could of put up with more of a chance to show what he has. Outside of interceptions, Christ held his own against the highly regarded Showbiz, making this match up very interesting.
To me, this is a fascinating match up. It's clear that both teams rely on their quarterbacks very differently. Showbiz is counted on to do more for his offense, while Christ is more of a manager this early in his career. How will the added workload affect Gus? Will the strong running game take some pressure away from Joliet and help him relax? I can't wait to see how this plays out.
(348 words)
After finishing 1-13 last season, I don't think anyone expected us, the San Jose SaberCats, to finish where we did this season. An off-season of growth and improvement really paid off as we had a great season, finishing 10-4, good for second best record in the league. The only problem with this, is that the team who finished first in the league is also in the same conference as us. That's right, the two best teams in the NSFL face off in the ASFC Conference Championship. The Orange County Otters are a great team and many are probably picking them to win the whole thing, but let me tell you why the SaberCats have a shot to win, not just this game, but the Ultimus Trophy.
First of all, the biggest reason we have a chance in these playoffs is because of our defense. We gave up the lowest points per game in the league, second lowest in total yards and passing yards, and third lowest rush yards per game. Our defense hardly bent and never broke. In the two games against the Otters this season, we 1-1, winning by 6 at home, and losing by 3 on the road. We match up well with the Otters. Their strength is in the secondary and luckily for us we have a two headed monster at wide receiver with Oles and Flash. I think we can negate that strength and attack them at others positions. Once we get past the Otters, we'll be the best team left and whoever comes out of the NSFC will have to match up to our defense and I don't think the Hawks or Liberty can.
(279 words)
2) SPOTLIGHT ON THE YOUTH
The San Jose SaberCats are filled with young stars. In fact, you can say the team was led by their young guns since they outnumbered the "veterans" of the team. It's hard to pick just one player to spotlight in a group that contains WR Kazimir Oles, RB Jerrod Canton, QB Joliet L. Christ, CB D'Pez Poopsie, K Neo Donaldson, and so many others. I've never been one to shy away from a challenge so I've decided to aim the spotlight at the rising star at running back, Jerrod Canton.
In just his second season in the NSFL, Canton was running all over the league. He finished second in rushing yards with 1352 yards, finishing just 203 yards behind first place in 89 less carries! He also added 10 rushing touchdowns, good for third in the league. His rushing, combined with Chris Orosz, made the SaberCats rush offense the best in the ASFC and third in the NSFL. Where his spotlight comes into play is in the ASFC Conference Championship game against the Orange County Otters. The Otters are a stacked team and boast a stout defense. If there's one weakness in the Otters defense, it's a small one, but it's their rush defense. While it was still good, they did finish fourth in rush defense. There's an opening there to attack and if Canton has shown anything this season, it's that he can exploit holes in defenses. If the SaberCats want to go into Orange County and upset the Otters, they'll need Canton to exploit the Otters defense, help control the clock, and pound the rock into the end zone. I think he's up for the challenge, even if it's just his second season in the NSFL.
(288 words)
3) PRE-GAME or...POST-GAME
In the NSFC Championship game, it's a familiar face against an upstart team looking to knock a perennial contender off it's perch. It's the Baltimore Hawks against the Philadelphia Liberty. The Liberty haven't been to this point since Season 7, while the Hawks have been here for 5 straight seasons. Will the grizzled team take down the inexperienced team? Let's look at the numbers.
Let's start with the Baltimore Hawks. With the best record in the NSFC, they get to host the Liberty in the Conference Championship. This is a big get for them, as they finished 5-2 at home. While their 8-6 record doesn't indicate dominance, the Hawks put up some great numbers this season. They were easily the best offense in the league, putting up 454 points, most in the league. They average the most points per game and yards per game. They had the best pass offense and second best rush offense in the conference. They dominated when they had the ball in their hands. This is their biggest advantage over the Liberty, especially since they gave up over 27 points per game. Expect the Hawks to put up points.
The Liberty's biggest weapon is Marquise Brown. He led the Liberty to the best rush offense in the league. Their other weapon happens to be their defense, which put up really good numbers except for the amount of points they give up. That tells me one thing, the Liberty turn the ball over way too much. That's been their achilles heel this season and they need to clean that up if they want a chance to upset the Hawks. If Falconi can avoid the turnovers and keep the ball in Brown's hands, they might just walk out of the Baltimore with the win.
I, however, don't expect that to happen. The Hawks are too strong on offense and I think they'll force the Liberty into bad turnovers and good field position. I see the Hawks beating the Liberty and making their way to the Ultimus Championship.
Hawks win 42-14.
(339 words)
4) QUARTERBACK MATCHUP
In the ASFC Championship Game, we have a battle of two young quarterbacks. Orange County's Gus T.T Showbiz against San Jose's Joliet L. Christ. While Showbiz has won the battle of most middle initials, he also carries an extra year of experience. Will that be enough to win this battle on the field? Let's look.
With Showbiz, the Otters have relied on him to really drive their offense. Their rushing offense hasn't been as strong as their passing game so they've given Showbiz a lot more opportunity to take over games than Christ has in San Jose. Showbiz has led the Otters offense to first in points per game and yards per game in the ASFC, and second overall league wide. Oppositely, Christ has been eased into the offense in just his second year. San Jose's passing offense has been league average, with their rushing attack really leading the way. Christ hasn't been given leash that Showbiz had, attempting 193 less throws this season. However, even with that large gap in attempts, their numbers are quite close.
Showbiz has a better completion percentage at 56.2, but Christ is right there with 55.9, so that's basically a wash. Showbiz threw only 4 more touchdown passes than Christ, and that with 193 more chances to do so. Conversely though, Showbiz and Christ threw the same amount of interceptions with 13, which favours Showbiz heavily. Looking at those numbers, it's not hard to imagine what numbers Christ could of put up with more of a chance to show what he has. Outside of interceptions, Christ held his own against the highly regarded Showbiz, making this match up very interesting.
To me, this is a fascinating match up. It's clear that both teams rely on their quarterbacks very differently. Showbiz is counted on to do more for his offense, while Christ is more of a manager this early in his career. How will the added workload affect Gus? Will the strong running game take some pressure away from Joliet and help him relax? I can't wait to see how this plays out.
(348 words)
