(S13) - Ultimus Week

[TomHanks]

Going to Disneyland!:
“Mama always said that the happiest place on earth was where we went in our minds while we’re thinkin’ about nothing. As I grew up, I learned that the happiest place on earth is apparently Disneyland. I guess that’s just where mama went when she was thinkin’ ‘bout nothin’, I never really gave much thought into it. Congratulations to Mason Brown for getting to travel. I’ve only been to Disneyland once and there were lots of nice people there in funny costumes and the like. The worst part about goin’ to Disneyland is the waiting. They have these new little passes you can buy so you skip the line but that doesn’t seem fair to everyone else waiting there so I’d just wait my turn. Takes a while and sometimes fellas will try to sneak past you to get the rides quicker but that doesn’t bother me too much, and it shouldn’t bother Brown. He played an impressive football game and he’s earned his day of happiness, I think. Hopefully he’ll get to eat some of the food there. Things taste good but you got to spend a lot of money, and nobody likes to worry about that. He should also be able to enjoy some time in the sun in California, I don’t know what the weather’s like in Orange County but everybody always makes fun of Florida so it can’t be too good.”

QUARTERBACK MATCHUP - Can be completed anytime
“Going into the Ultimus Trophy game, I had heard more people talkin’ ‘bout that Showbiz fella than McCormick, so for quarterbacks I thought he’d perform better. We all know nothing’s certain in football, that’s part of the beauty of the sport, the unexpected happening. That’s one the things I always liked most about it anyways. That any given Sunday mentality was on full display in the championship, with McCormick lookin’ like the way more impressive quarterback. Why, he must have tried to move the ball down the field himself 60 different times. That guy was the soul of his team, and he played like he wanted to take that big trophy home. By no means do his game stats look like he was passing the ball perfectly, but you don’t need to be perfect to be great, that’s something my dad taught me was I was just a young little kid. He also showed he can run the ball, granted only once was he particularly successful but not everybody can just take off and get goin’, especially with those big old bruisers on the other side of the ball trying to stop you. Showbiz had pretty much a bang average day which isn’t what you want to see in the championship, but it happens. Both QBs look like they got bright futures.”

That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch. (Must be completed after the game you write about)
“Even in average games with average performances, you can see some moments that have the potential to define the game. Near the end of the second quarter in the NSFL Ultimus Trophy game, the Otters had one of those moments, giving them the momentum (or the big Mo and my mama calls it) they needed to win the whole thing. McCormick dropped back to pass the ball, trying to get some points for his team before the half ended, which would’ve seized the big Mo, but when he threw it one of the players from the other team, Spector, just jumped right up into the air there and snatched it out. He ran back a good distance before getting tackled and set up his team in a solid spot to get into the end zone. With four minutes to go and half the field to cover, I thought they might try to go slow and wind the clock down but they just unleashed Showbiz. After 1 incompletion he connected on 3 straight throws, with the 3rd ending up being a touchdown. Those kinds of drives leave a defence struggling for answers, and it was a big turning point in the game.”

SPOTLIGHT ON THE YOUTH - Can be completed anytime
“Focusing on talented youth is important to improving your team down the line. I always liked when younger players would come up to talk to me about what I was doing and how I did what I did, even if my answer was really just that I was real good at runnin’. I suppose this time I’m the youngest player, but I can still look at some of the newer guys. One of the most impressive young players for the Otters is Danny Grithead. Fourth in the league in tackles at 119, that guy was flying all over the field this season. He also had 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovered, and a pick to go with 11 passes defensed. As a free safety, this guy defends sideline to sideline, and there were lofty expectations of him going into the playoffs. Grithead didn’t disappoint, bagging 13 tackles and a sack in the two playoff games. This was Grithead’s first sack of the season, and it seems like he picked his time to get the quarterback well. The future looks bright for Grithead and the Otters, and he’ll likely be looking to improve on forcing turnovers to really make that jump to being a true elite player.”

Ready for grading