3. All About the QBs.
The Ultimini championship was held between the 8-6 Luchadores and the 10-4 Pythons. This game featured a premier matchup between S13’s Quarterback of the Year in Corvo Havran and this year’s frontrunner for the award in Franklin Armstrong. Armstrong broke the passing TD record in the regular season with 22 passing touchdowns and sported the league leading passer rating of 86. Havran had him beat in passing yards, but had a statistically rough season compared to his S13 performance. The game in question showed the vaunted Pythons defense essentially limiting Havran to bystander status. Havran completed 15/29 passes for 165 yards and 0 touchdowns and 0 picks. He did not hurt his team by any means but he certainly did not help them win. Armstrong on the other hand had a very rough beginning to the game, as he had back to back interceptions on consecutive drives in the 1st which gifted the Luchadores 10 points. The start of the second half did not get off to a much better start as Armstrong was intercepted yet again on the 2nd play of the third quarter. Armstrong showed incredible resiliency as he stormed back after that point to throw three touchdown passes, with two in the fourth quarter.
Armstrong had this to say after the exhilarating win; “I just can’t believe those three interceptions man. Yeah we won, but I can’t get those plays out of my head. I’m glad we have such a solid defense. They carried us all the way here and won us this game. I’m glad I was able to bounce back and get some positive plays. What an amazing end to the season!”.
And there you have it folks. The S14 DSFL season was one for the books, as the Portland Pythons are your Ultimini Champions! (296 words).
11/12. Sit-down with a star & Sit-down with a fan
Sat down with @PDXBaller and asked him questions. He asked me questions as well.
From @PDXBaller:
1. How does it feel to win the Ultimini as a rookie quarterback?
This has been a dream rookie season for me. I really have to thank Pablo Sanchez, of the Sanchez Company (and also my Pythons GM) who gave me a chance. He brought me in during S14 as a practice squad body, and while I didn’t get any real playing time, I gained some of the valuable experience that I was yearning for. He then drafted me in the S15 draft (albeit, a little late). No one else wanted me, that is for certain.
To play and win the Ultimini was something I couldn't have foreseen even just a few months ago.
2. What do you have to say to all the teams that passed on you and drafted other quarterbacks ahead of you so early?
How do you like me now? Drafting scrubs like Ryan Leaf Jr. (who I hear has gained over 200 pounds and is now playing defensive tackle) among others, rounds and rounds before me. How did that work out for those other teams? Draft day was pretty rough but to get a chance to play, and be the starting QB, for the Portland Pythons was a dream come true.
3. What prospective NSFL teams appeal to you?
They all do. Though, I definitely want an opportunity to get a starting job within a couple seasons and that simply isn’t an opportunity many of those teams can give me, no matter how sincere their intentions may be.
4. What expectations do you have for the next season if you come back to Portland?
We are trying to repeat. It might be a much tougher challenge because we are losing a significant amount of talent to the NSFL, but we remain confident all the same. It's Ultimini or bust.
To @PDXBaller:
1. What went wrong in the S14 playoffs against the Philly Liberty?
We felt really confident going into the playoffs against Philadelphia. We had home field advantage and beat them in week 14 handedly. I think we underestimated them and they came back with a great gameplan that we weren’t expecting. They threw tons of different looks at us from offense and we didn’t adjust well.
2. In S14, you had 1 Int, while the season before you had 5? Is this a decline or are QBs just not testing you anymore?
I think it’s a testament to my off season work and conditioning in Colorado. The elevation prepares you for everything much better and I worked very hard in the off season to learn as much as I could from my coaches and gameplanned well in those games that I got interceptions.
3. What is the expectation in the Baltimore locker room on how you guys can get back to the big game in S15?
We have high hopes for next season considering the success we had last season. I think with a few more pieces to replace our retired guys and we have a shot at making it to the Ultimus again. I have no clue what our general managers have planned, but I hope that they can draft well and give us another shot.
4. Are there any defensive beasts in the S15 draft that you hope to play alongside in a Hawks uniform?
I love the defense coming out of Palm Beach and I think playing with anyone of those guys would be awesome. I hear their linebacker corps are awesome and the defensive backs are great too.
13. Magical Moment
The S14 Ultimini Champions fought and clawed for every inch of turf along the path to victory. A particularly tough battle occurred in the Conference championship with the Norfolk Seawolves visiting the first place Portland Pythons. This was a true defensive slugfest as both high flying offences struggled mightily that day. The first quarter featured four punts, as well as a wild sequence of back to back interceptions for both defenses on consecutive plays. The most any team could muster was a FG, which was kicked through by Seawolves to take a 3-0 lead. The Seawolves pulled a way for a while as they scored a TD on a long drive in the 2nd. The first half ended with a couple more punts as the Pythons struggled to get anything going.
The 2nd half started off in a similar fashion when compared to the first with penalties, and punts galore. The Pythons had a couple drives deep into Norfolk territory but were held to a FG as the Conference Championship was at 13-3 as the 4th quarter started.
The Pythons kicked another FG early in the 4th to cut the deficit to 13-6. The Turning Point, the magical moment occurred at 13 minutes into the 4th quarter. Jay Longshaw drops backs to pass and is INTERCEPTED by line backer Grievous and it’s returned for the touchdown. This tied the game at 13-13. The Pythons managed to add another field goal, and hold on for the 16-13 win. An incredible, turning point, type of play that won the Pythons the game. A magical moment on the S14 playoff run they will always remember (272 words).
The Ultimini championship was held between the 8-6 Luchadores and the 10-4 Pythons. This game featured a premier matchup between S13’s Quarterback of the Year in Corvo Havran and this year’s frontrunner for the award in Franklin Armstrong. Armstrong broke the passing TD record in the regular season with 22 passing touchdowns and sported the league leading passer rating of 86. Havran had him beat in passing yards, but had a statistically rough season compared to his S13 performance. The game in question showed the vaunted Pythons defense essentially limiting Havran to bystander status. Havran completed 15/29 passes for 165 yards and 0 touchdowns and 0 picks. He did not hurt his team by any means but he certainly did not help them win. Armstrong on the other hand had a very rough beginning to the game, as he had back to back interceptions on consecutive drives in the 1st which gifted the Luchadores 10 points. The start of the second half did not get off to a much better start as Armstrong was intercepted yet again on the 2nd play of the third quarter. Armstrong showed incredible resiliency as he stormed back after that point to throw three touchdown passes, with two in the fourth quarter.
Armstrong had this to say after the exhilarating win; “I just can’t believe those three interceptions man. Yeah we won, but I can’t get those plays out of my head. I’m glad we have such a solid defense. They carried us all the way here and won us this game. I’m glad I was able to bounce back and get some positive plays. What an amazing end to the season!”.
And there you have it folks. The S14 DSFL season was one for the books, as the Portland Pythons are your Ultimini Champions! (296 words).
11/12. Sit-down with a star & Sit-down with a fan
Sat down with @PDXBaller and asked him questions. He asked me questions as well.
From @PDXBaller:
1. How does it feel to win the Ultimini as a rookie quarterback?
This has been a dream rookie season for me. I really have to thank Pablo Sanchez, of the Sanchez Company (and also my Pythons GM) who gave me a chance. He brought me in during S14 as a practice squad body, and while I didn’t get any real playing time, I gained some of the valuable experience that I was yearning for. He then drafted me in the S15 draft (albeit, a little late). No one else wanted me, that is for certain.
To play and win the Ultimini was something I couldn't have foreseen even just a few months ago.
2. What do you have to say to all the teams that passed on you and drafted other quarterbacks ahead of you so early?
How do you like me now? Drafting scrubs like Ryan Leaf Jr. (who I hear has gained over 200 pounds and is now playing defensive tackle) among others, rounds and rounds before me. How did that work out for those other teams? Draft day was pretty rough but to get a chance to play, and be the starting QB, for the Portland Pythons was a dream come true.
3. What prospective NSFL teams appeal to you?
They all do. Though, I definitely want an opportunity to get a starting job within a couple seasons and that simply isn’t an opportunity many of those teams can give me, no matter how sincere their intentions may be.
4. What expectations do you have for the next season if you come back to Portland?
We are trying to repeat. It might be a much tougher challenge because we are losing a significant amount of talent to the NSFL, but we remain confident all the same. It's Ultimini or bust.
To @PDXBaller:
1. What went wrong in the S14 playoffs against the Philly Liberty?
We felt really confident going into the playoffs against Philadelphia. We had home field advantage and beat them in week 14 handedly. I think we underestimated them and they came back with a great gameplan that we weren’t expecting. They threw tons of different looks at us from offense and we didn’t adjust well.
2. In S14, you had 1 Int, while the season before you had 5? Is this a decline or are QBs just not testing you anymore?
I think it’s a testament to my off season work and conditioning in Colorado. The elevation prepares you for everything much better and I worked very hard in the off season to learn as much as I could from my coaches and gameplanned well in those games that I got interceptions.
3. What is the expectation in the Baltimore locker room on how you guys can get back to the big game in S15?
We have high hopes for next season considering the success we had last season. I think with a few more pieces to replace our retired guys and we have a shot at making it to the Ultimus again. I have no clue what our general managers have planned, but I hope that they can draft well and give us another shot.
4. Are there any defensive beasts in the S15 draft that you hope to play alongside in a Hawks uniform?
I love the defense coming out of Palm Beach and I think playing with anyone of those guys would be awesome. I hear their linebacker corps are awesome and the defensive backs are great too.
13. Magical Moment
The S14 Ultimini Champions fought and clawed for every inch of turf along the path to victory. A particularly tough battle occurred in the Conference championship with the Norfolk Seawolves visiting the first place Portland Pythons. This was a true defensive slugfest as both high flying offences struggled mightily that day. The first quarter featured four punts, as well as a wild sequence of back to back interceptions for both defenses on consecutive plays. The most any team could muster was a FG, which was kicked through by Seawolves to take a 3-0 lead. The Seawolves pulled a way for a while as they scored a TD on a long drive in the 2nd. The first half ended with a couple more punts as the Pythons struggled to get anything going.
The 2nd half started off in a similar fashion when compared to the first with penalties, and punts galore. The Pythons had a couple drives deep into Norfolk territory but were held to a FG as the Conference Championship was at 13-3 as the 4th quarter started.
The Pythons kicked another FG early in the 4th to cut the deficit to 13-6. The Turning Point, the magical moment occurred at 13 minutes into the 4th quarter. Jay Longshaw drops backs to pass and is INTERCEPTED by line backer Grievous and it’s returned for the touchdown. This tied the game at 13-13. The Pythons managed to add another field goal, and hold on for the 16-13 win. An incredible, turning point, type of play that won the Pythons the game. A magical moment on the S14 playoff run they will always remember (272 words).
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