06-20-2019, 09:35 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2019, 03:35 PM by Fordhammer.)
1) Playoff Review
Championship game:
Where to begin. I would need to go back and look, but I'm going to guess this was the biggest blowout of all time in an Ultimus. 49-0 almost seems impossible. The Hawks were heavy favorites this year, but I don't think many saw this outcome coming. The Hawks started off strong in the first quarter, going up 14-0. Marquise Brown continued his excellent season with a 13 yard touchdown reception from Childish Gambino. Later in the quarter the Hawks capped off a drive with a touchdown pass from Childish Gambino to Verso L'Alto (recently taken in the expansion draft). The Sabercats defense really stepped up the next two quarters, allowing only 12 points despite their offenses' inability to move the ball. The Sabercats' offense was abysmal for the entire game. Joliet Christ was 12/33 for about 130 yards. Part of this can be attributed to his poor play, but a huge amount of credit goes to the Hawks defense for stifling him at every turn. Gambino on the other hand, played a nearly perfect game. 5 touchdown passes, for 400 yards and a QB rating of 117. He came to play in the championship game, and the Sabercats had no answer as they poured on 23 points in the 4th quarter for a victory.
2) All about the QBs
Let's talk about the two quarterbacks in this game. This was really a complete opposite set of performances from these two. Both Childish Gambino and Joliet Christ had had excellent seasons up until this point, but one rose to the challenge and the other caved under the pressure.
Let's start with Childish Gambino. He came out slinging and basically never stopped. He was 28/50, which is an impressive number given his yards per completion of 15. He threw touchdowns to 5 different receivers. The Sabercats couldn't focus on just one option, because he really spread the ball around. Stud receiver Valentine had a solid 5 catches for 100 yards, and Harp and Maddox all contributed. Childish really carried this team on a day when Marquise Brown struggled with being very efficient. The Sabercarts dared Gambino to beat them by stacking the box, and he did.
Joliet Christ was another story entirely. This game will go down as a low point for him. His receivers didn't help too much, as they were blanketed the whole game by the Baltimore secondary. The running game had a decent average, but couldn't get going much at all. Joliet will be hoping for some improved options to throw to next year, and it seems warranted. Look for him to rebound next season.
3) Spotlight on Youth
I'm going to spotlight Fatih Terim in this section. The dude has been lighting it up in the league. He's revamped a lot just on the forum side, but his player's impact cannot be overstated. He led the team in tackles with 7, an impressive number for a safety. He also forced a fumble on a Joliet run that would have had them in Hawks' territory. The fumble was recovered by another young stud in Walt Green. He was a high draft pick, and it paid dividends for them. This young corps really helped take the Sabercats receivers out of the game. The tight ends, Olsen and Wright, combined for only 7 catches for 40 yards. Their wide receivers fared even worse. Totaling just 91 yards, with an abysmal catch rate. Fatih Terim can really be proud of this season. He put in the work and has been a near-top TPE earner since joining the league, and it really paid off for him with an Ultimus in his first year in the league. Look for him to have a lot of success going forward as he and the Hawks are setup for probably more championships in the coming years, and I'm sure Fatih will be an anchor of the secondary during that time.
4) Next Year
The Philadelphia Liberty will be contenders next year. Yes, I know this might be considered somewhat of a hot take, but hear me out. The Liberty did lose quite a bit of talent to free agency, that can't be denied. But they've got 3 top earners that they drafted last season that are really ready to come in to their own this next season. Emondov Emoji has been a big earner this season, and will be a force for years to come. Combine that with another max speed player in Richard D'Attoria, and the pain of losing Barnes to free agency is at least lessened. Those two can pick up the slack this year and try to fill some of the void left by Barnes departure back to Arizona.
On the offensive side, Nacho Varga, Vander Jones, and Fast Boija will be able to keep earning, and should give defenses fits. Falconi is returning for another year, and she is at her near peak, TPE-wise. The offense should pick up right where it left off, with staples Jordan Von Matt and Brannigan making another run at things. Things might be tougher next year, but I don't see a reason why this team can't make another run at things, with a strong young core, and some vets reaching their peak.
Championship game:
Where to begin. I would need to go back and look, but I'm going to guess this was the biggest blowout of all time in an Ultimus. 49-0 almost seems impossible. The Hawks were heavy favorites this year, but I don't think many saw this outcome coming. The Hawks started off strong in the first quarter, going up 14-0. Marquise Brown continued his excellent season with a 13 yard touchdown reception from Childish Gambino. Later in the quarter the Hawks capped off a drive with a touchdown pass from Childish Gambino to Verso L'Alto (recently taken in the expansion draft). The Sabercats defense really stepped up the next two quarters, allowing only 12 points despite their offenses' inability to move the ball. The Sabercats' offense was abysmal for the entire game. Joliet Christ was 12/33 for about 130 yards. Part of this can be attributed to his poor play, but a huge amount of credit goes to the Hawks defense for stifling him at every turn. Gambino on the other hand, played a nearly perfect game. 5 touchdown passes, for 400 yards and a QB rating of 117. He came to play in the championship game, and the Sabercats had no answer as they poured on 23 points in the 4th quarter for a victory.
2) All about the QBs
Let's talk about the two quarterbacks in this game. This was really a complete opposite set of performances from these two. Both Childish Gambino and Joliet Christ had had excellent seasons up until this point, but one rose to the challenge and the other caved under the pressure.
Let's start with Childish Gambino. He came out slinging and basically never stopped. He was 28/50, which is an impressive number given his yards per completion of 15. He threw touchdowns to 5 different receivers. The Sabercats couldn't focus on just one option, because he really spread the ball around. Stud receiver Valentine had a solid 5 catches for 100 yards, and Harp and Maddox all contributed. Childish really carried this team on a day when Marquise Brown struggled with being very efficient. The Sabercarts dared Gambino to beat them by stacking the box, and he did.
Joliet Christ was another story entirely. This game will go down as a low point for him. His receivers didn't help too much, as they were blanketed the whole game by the Baltimore secondary. The running game had a decent average, but couldn't get going much at all. Joliet will be hoping for some improved options to throw to next year, and it seems warranted. Look for him to rebound next season.
3) Spotlight on Youth
I'm going to spotlight Fatih Terim in this section. The dude has been lighting it up in the league. He's revamped a lot just on the forum side, but his player's impact cannot be overstated. He led the team in tackles with 7, an impressive number for a safety. He also forced a fumble on a Joliet run that would have had them in Hawks' territory. The fumble was recovered by another young stud in Walt Green. He was a high draft pick, and it paid dividends for them. This young corps really helped take the Sabercats receivers out of the game. The tight ends, Olsen and Wright, combined for only 7 catches for 40 yards. Their wide receivers fared even worse. Totaling just 91 yards, with an abysmal catch rate. Fatih Terim can really be proud of this season. He put in the work and has been a near-top TPE earner since joining the league, and it really paid off for him with an Ultimus in his first year in the league. Look for him to have a lot of success going forward as he and the Hawks are setup for probably more championships in the coming years, and I'm sure Fatih will be an anchor of the secondary during that time.
4) Next Year
The Philadelphia Liberty will be contenders next year. Yes, I know this might be considered somewhat of a hot take, but hear me out. The Liberty did lose quite a bit of talent to free agency, that can't be denied. But they've got 3 top earners that they drafted last season that are really ready to come in to their own this next season. Emondov Emoji has been a big earner this season, and will be a force for years to come. Combine that with another max speed player in Richard D'Attoria, and the pain of losing Barnes to free agency is at least lessened. Those two can pick up the slack this year and try to fill some of the void left by Barnes departure back to Arizona.
On the offensive side, Nacho Varga, Vander Jones, and Fast Boija will be able to keep earning, and should give defenses fits. Falconi is returning for another year, and she is at her near peak, TPE-wise. The offense should pick up right where it left off, with staples Jordan Von Matt and Brannigan making another run at things. Things might be tougher next year, but I don't see a reason why this team can't make another run at things, with a strong young core, and some vets reaching their peak.
![[Image: 033p.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/Jn5rvcDt/033p.png)
