1) It Is Our Time Next Year
As of writing this, the Philadelphia Liberty have been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. While I don't know if we were quite good enough to win the entire championship, I think we deserved a shot in the big game. That being said, next year is absolutely our year. Our entire core is active and improving rapidly, and we only lost one player this off season. While Achilles Hondo was a big part of our defensive core, we believe that we'll still be a better team moving forward. Our quarterback, Adriana Falconi, made huge progress this year. While she's still considered at the bottom of the league in terms of talent, she kept us in a lot of games and performed when we needed her the most. We also have Marquise Brown coming back for another season. He's arguably been the best running back in the entire league, and we've leaned on him for many game and he's pulled through. Finally, we have myself, Jordan von Matt. Turning down a huge offer to sign with Yellowknife in the off season, I've decided to come back to Philly in order to win a championship. We've put in the time, and now we're ready to reap the rewards.
2) Disneyland
The quarterback for the Orange County Otters, Gus Showbiz, was the clear MVP for this year's Ultimus. He finished the game 31/54 for 459 yards and 5 touchdowns. He celebrated the championship win by going to Disneyland a few weeks later with his team. It was really important for him to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as it was something he's always wanted to do, ever since he was a little boy. He got their autographs, along with many other Disney characters that he met along the way. In terms of rides, Showbiz's favourites were definitely It's A Small World, Space Mountain, and Autopia. It's been so long since Showbiz has driven anywhere, since he has a personal chauffeur that drives him to and from practice, the airport, and all the local In N Out locations. Driving again brought Showbiz so much joy that he fired his personal driver, making him Uber back home. Questionable decisions aside, Showbiz had so much fun at Disneyland that he made a pledge to his team that he would lead them back here one day. Most thought he was talking about winning another title, but a select few knew he was really talking about a return trip to Disneyland.
3. Post Game
In one of the Conference Championship games, the Philadelphia Liberty lost a heartbreaker to the Baltimore Hawks, 30-24 in overtime. Baltimore was heavily favoured going into the matchup, which was why it was so surprising to see Philly hanging in there for almost the entirety of the game. While the Hawks were up by 10 at halftime, the Liberty stormed back quickly, answering with 10 points of their own, which came by a Carter Bush touchdown reception and a field goal by Kulture Fulture. Going into the 3rd quarter, it was all tied up, but the Hawks were driving. They capped off their drive with a 6 yard touchdown reception by Owen Taylor. Carter Bush later scored his second touchdown of the game to tie it all up, which is where the 4th quarter would end. The Liberty's championship dreams would end there though, as the Hawks marched down the field once more and scored yet another Owen Taylor touchdown, which was his 3rd of the game. The Liberty sat there, stunned, as the Hawks stormed the field to celebrate. Philly vowed to get revenge though, as next season looms closer and closer with every day. I'd definitely consider this game to be the best of the playoffs, as most of the others (including the championship) were more or less blowouts.
4. Unsung Hero
Gus Showbiz of the Orange County Otters was the unsung hero of the playoffs this year. He is typically overshadowed by the Otters' star running back, Ricky Adams, who had a dominant year over the regular season. This isn't to say that Adams didn't have a good playoff run, he just simply performed at his usual standard. Showbiz went above and beyond over the two games the Otters played in the playoffs. His stat line in the first game against San Jose doesn't stand out too much, going 27/50 for 362 yards and 3 touchdowns, but there's a reason I want to point out this game. Going into the 4th quarter, the Otters were only up by 4 points. Showbiz took matters into his own hands and drove the ball down the field and put up passing touchdowns in two straight drives, greatly extending the lead for the Otters. They ended up winning 35-10. The second game is where Showbiz really took over. He dismantled the Hawks, going 31/54 for 459 yards and 5 touchdowns. This clearly shows that when the game is on the line, Showbiz is who you want to give the ball to. The Otters will be going for another title next year.
As of writing this, the Philadelphia Liberty have been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. While I don't know if we were quite good enough to win the entire championship, I think we deserved a shot in the big game. That being said, next year is absolutely our year. Our entire core is active and improving rapidly, and we only lost one player this off season. While Achilles Hondo was a big part of our defensive core, we believe that we'll still be a better team moving forward. Our quarterback, Adriana Falconi, made huge progress this year. While she's still considered at the bottom of the league in terms of talent, she kept us in a lot of games and performed when we needed her the most. We also have Marquise Brown coming back for another season. He's arguably been the best running back in the entire league, and we've leaned on him for many game and he's pulled through. Finally, we have myself, Jordan von Matt. Turning down a huge offer to sign with Yellowknife in the off season, I've decided to come back to Philly in order to win a championship. We've put in the time, and now we're ready to reap the rewards.
2) Disneyland
The quarterback for the Orange County Otters, Gus Showbiz, was the clear MVP for this year's Ultimus. He finished the game 31/54 for 459 yards and 5 touchdowns. He celebrated the championship win by going to Disneyland a few weeks later with his team. It was really important for him to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as it was something he's always wanted to do, ever since he was a little boy. He got their autographs, along with many other Disney characters that he met along the way. In terms of rides, Showbiz's favourites were definitely It's A Small World, Space Mountain, and Autopia. It's been so long since Showbiz has driven anywhere, since he has a personal chauffeur that drives him to and from practice, the airport, and all the local In N Out locations. Driving again brought Showbiz so much joy that he fired his personal driver, making him Uber back home. Questionable decisions aside, Showbiz had so much fun at Disneyland that he made a pledge to his team that he would lead them back here one day. Most thought he was talking about winning another title, but a select few knew he was really talking about a return trip to Disneyland.
3. Post Game
In one of the Conference Championship games, the Philadelphia Liberty lost a heartbreaker to the Baltimore Hawks, 30-24 in overtime. Baltimore was heavily favoured going into the matchup, which was why it was so surprising to see Philly hanging in there for almost the entirety of the game. While the Hawks were up by 10 at halftime, the Liberty stormed back quickly, answering with 10 points of their own, which came by a Carter Bush touchdown reception and a field goal by Kulture Fulture. Going into the 3rd quarter, it was all tied up, but the Hawks were driving. They capped off their drive with a 6 yard touchdown reception by Owen Taylor. Carter Bush later scored his second touchdown of the game to tie it all up, which is where the 4th quarter would end. The Liberty's championship dreams would end there though, as the Hawks marched down the field once more and scored yet another Owen Taylor touchdown, which was his 3rd of the game. The Liberty sat there, stunned, as the Hawks stormed the field to celebrate. Philly vowed to get revenge though, as next season looms closer and closer with every day. I'd definitely consider this game to be the best of the playoffs, as most of the others (including the championship) were more or less blowouts.
4. Unsung Hero
Gus Showbiz of the Orange County Otters was the unsung hero of the playoffs this year. He is typically overshadowed by the Otters' star running back, Ricky Adams, who had a dominant year over the regular season. This isn't to say that Adams didn't have a good playoff run, he just simply performed at his usual standard. Showbiz went above and beyond over the two games the Otters played in the playoffs. His stat line in the first game against San Jose doesn't stand out too much, going 27/50 for 362 yards and 3 touchdowns, but there's a reason I want to point out this game. Going into the 4th quarter, the Otters were only up by 4 points. Showbiz took matters into his own hands and drove the ball down the field and put up passing touchdowns in two straight drives, greatly extending the lead for the Otters. They ended up winning 35-10. The second game is where Showbiz really took over. He dismantled the Hawks, going 31/54 for 459 yards and 5 touchdowns. This clearly shows that when the game is on the line, Showbiz is who you want to give the ball to. The Otters will be going for another title next year.
