3. For this task, I want to examine the match-up of Jordan McCann III, the grizzled veteran for the Tijuana Luchadores, and Jay Cue, the rookie sensation for the Portland Pythons. Although McCann came into the season with more experience, the run first approach of the Luchadore offense meant his numbers during the regular season paled in comparison to those of Cue, whose Pythons were unafraid to throw the ball regularly. Cue out-threw McCann by nearly two hundred and fifty yards, had a better completion percentage by six percentage points, threw for eight more touchdowns (at the cost of throwing seven more interceptions), and had a better passer rating by nearly seven points. At a glance, it appears Cue ruled the day in the Ultimini as well, throwing for two hundred and one yards and two touchdowns compared to McCann's one hundred forty-seven yards and one touchdown. However, Cue's accuracy was off the mark, and a costly interception dropped his passer rating a full thirteen and a half points below McCann's, enough to seemingly cost Portland the Ultimini. As we'll see later, Cue's interception was not the only mishap for Portland, but it certainly came at the worst possible time for a time that lost by a single point, and it is tragic for young Cue, who played brilliantly this season, to lose to the veteran in such a fashion.
7. So, obviously, Colorado was eliminated from championship contention by the simple fact that they failed to even make the playoffs. However, this season was a huge step forward from last season: the team won four more games, and built upon an already solid foundation of Wolfie McDummy, Terry Taffy, James Bishop, Josh Palmer, Mo Berry, Logan Lejeune, and Quentin Sinclair with the additions of Lazlo Forty-Two and Bubba Thumper, something the fans in Colorado are calling the "Bubba42 Effect". The team also has a plethora of draft picks, including two in the third and three in the fifth, with which to build upon that group even further, either by going all out in terms of quantity, or by trading up to grab players of a higher caliber. Plus, it appears many other teams in the NSFC may be taking a step back next season, with new GMs in place in Baltimore, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Assuming all three of those teams take a step back while adjusting to new management, and that Yellowknife struggles to keep things in order given the Ryan Leaf Jr. saga and the recent retirement announcements of both their running backs, this may be the season we can finally say that Colorado is back.
11. Let's talk about the trade of the one and only Sunnycursed. At the beginning of the season, Sunnycursed signed with the throw-happy Orange County Otters, where he was the primary receiver for rookie quarterback Franklin Armstrong, ahead of rookie wide receiver Hugh Mongo. However, when Orange County struggled through the first ten weeks of the season, team management decided to make a deal with the Baltimore Hawks, shipping Sunnycursed to play with Corvo Havran instead. This helped push Baltimore, a team clearly in win now mode, firmly into the playoffs, and surprisingly, the ship seemed to right itself in Orange County as well. Sunnycursed put up one hundred and seventy-five yards in his first two playoff appearances for Baltimore, helping them drop the Chicago Butchers and subsequently upset the heavily favored Yellowknife Wraiths, and given his one hundred and eight receiving yards in the Ultimus, you would assume his new team may have come out on top; alas, it was his former team, the Orange County Otters, who ruled the day, as Johnny Blaze matched his former teammate blow for blow, and Hugh Mongo picked up the slack. This trade nearly paid off for Baltimore, but alas, it was not meant to be.
19. As we are all well aware, the Ultimini this season was decided by a single point. That's right, just one point. That is, as we are well aware, a single extra point attempt. The Portland Pythons, I imagine, are grieving heavily considering how close they came to victory, only to see it booted away from them. Now, you could say that a Jay Cue interception in the closing minutes of the game did not help their cause, but let's place the blame where it is due: placekicker Daniel Espinosa. Espinosa missed two kicks in the game, both of which were critical in the loss. The first, a thirty-five yard field goal towards the end of the second quarter, seemed trivial at the time; however, if Espinosa had made that kick, this game becomes a two point Python victory, not a 1 point Python defeat. The second, perhaps even more critical, miscue came on a extra point attempt just four minutes into the third quarter. Another missed kick by Espinosa, one which, had he been successful, could've sent the game to overtime twenty-six minutes later; but it was not Espinosa's day, and the win slipped from the grasp of the Pythons into the arms of the Luchadores, all because of some lousy kicks.
7. So, obviously, Colorado was eliminated from championship contention by the simple fact that they failed to even make the playoffs. However, this season was a huge step forward from last season: the team won four more games, and built upon an already solid foundation of Wolfie McDummy, Terry Taffy, James Bishop, Josh Palmer, Mo Berry, Logan Lejeune, and Quentin Sinclair with the additions of Lazlo Forty-Two and Bubba Thumper, something the fans in Colorado are calling the "Bubba42 Effect". The team also has a plethora of draft picks, including two in the third and three in the fifth, with which to build upon that group even further, either by going all out in terms of quantity, or by trading up to grab players of a higher caliber. Plus, it appears many other teams in the NSFC may be taking a step back next season, with new GMs in place in Baltimore, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Assuming all three of those teams take a step back while adjusting to new management, and that Yellowknife struggles to keep things in order given the Ryan Leaf Jr. saga and the recent retirement announcements of both their running backs, this may be the season we can finally say that Colorado is back.
11. Let's talk about the trade of the one and only Sunnycursed. At the beginning of the season, Sunnycursed signed with the throw-happy Orange County Otters, where he was the primary receiver for rookie quarterback Franklin Armstrong, ahead of rookie wide receiver Hugh Mongo. However, when Orange County struggled through the first ten weeks of the season, team management decided to make a deal with the Baltimore Hawks, shipping Sunnycursed to play with Corvo Havran instead. This helped push Baltimore, a team clearly in win now mode, firmly into the playoffs, and surprisingly, the ship seemed to right itself in Orange County as well. Sunnycursed put up one hundred and seventy-five yards in his first two playoff appearances for Baltimore, helping them drop the Chicago Butchers and subsequently upset the heavily favored Yellowknife Wraiths, and given his one hundred and eight receiving yards in the Ultimus, you would assume his new team may have come out on top; alas, it was his former team, the Orange County Otters, who ruled the day, as Johnny Blaze matched his former teammate blow for blow, and Hugh Mongo picked up the slack. This trade nearly paid off for Baltimore, but alas, it was not meant to be.
19. As we are all well aware, the Ultimini this season was decided by a single point. That's right, just one point. That is, as we are well aware, a single extra point attempt. The Portland Pythons, I imagine, are grieving heavily considering how close they came to victory, only to see it booted away from them. Now, you could say that a Jay Cue interception in the closing minutes of the game did not help their cause, but let's place the blame where it is due: placekicker Daniel Espinosa. Espinosa missed two kicks in the game, both of which were critical in the loss. The first, a thirty-five yard field goal towards the end of the second quarter, seemed trivial at the time; however, if Espinosa had made that kick, this game becomes a two point Python victory, not a 1 point Python defeat. The second, perhaps even more critical, miscue came on a extra point attempt just four minutes into the third quarter. Another missed kick by Espinosa, one which, had he been successful, could've sent the game to overtime twenty-six minutes later; but it was not Espinosa's day, and the win slipped from the grasp of the Pythons into the arms of the Luchadores, all because of some lousy kicks.
