09-29-2019, 12:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-29-2019, 12:49 PM by speculadora.)
1) Playoff Predictions, Reviews:
Written: Give a short write up of one or multiple playoff matches. If completed before the airing of the sims have predictions, after if it is a review of the game.
After an improbable run to even make it to that point, the Orange County Otters found themselves in an unusual situation; playing for the Ultimus, but as the underdogs. In each of the Otters' previous six appearances in the game, they had found themselves favored, including in their Season 7 loss to the Liberty. Yet, with a 5-1 record in the big game, you knew the Otters wouldn't go down without a fight. And fight they did. The Otters opened the game with an 11 play, 85 yard, 6:20 drive, capped off by a Franklin Armstrong sneak for a touchdown and keyed by a pair of huge catches from Johnny Blaze that netted 46 yards. The Hawks quickly returned fire, however, traversing 58 yards in a matter of just 2 minutes en route to a Sunnycursed touchdown against his former team. The Otters and Hawks traded scores from there, with the game tied at 14 with 11:47 to go in the 3rd. Franklin Armstrong then engineered another long drive for the Otters, capping it off with a 19-yard touchdown to receiver Hugh Mongo, and Orange County didn't relinquish the lead again. They cut a promising Hawks drive off at a field goal and scored again with 9:22 left in the 4th, effectively sealing the game by extending their lead to 11 points. Neither team posted another score as the Otters won their 6th Ultimus.
8) Draft Focus
Written: What areas of your team has the biggest holes that you are hoping get filled in the upcoming gigantic S18 draft? What round are you hoping it’s filled?
Thank god I can talk about holes I need filled here, unlike in the repressive and strict PBE. So anyway. Orange County. The defense is kind of aging and there are definitely some holes that, if they don't exist now, will in the near future. Specifically I would be looking at the defensive back position, where we have Dan Schneider, Gus T.T. Showbiz, Jonathon Rice, Gordon Ramsey Jr., and Shannon Hobbs. Literally all of whom are now in regression or have been for more than a season now. So that's a need that can't afford to be ignored. We also did quite successfully with a running back by committee approach late in the season, and after sending Corey Trevor back to the Hawks, I think that's an area worth addressing so we don't overwork Apollo Reed, who is quickly blossoming into a star. Less pressing but still very much worth addressing is the defensive line position. Thorian Skarsgard and Tommy Salami will start regression next season, while Kwame Abayomi Mbanefo is currently in regression. While Skarsgard and Mbanefo have high enough TPE to sustain a loss, Tommy Salami does not, and as such is someone Orange County should consider finding a successor to.
9) Enemies
Written: Not everyone loves each other, write 200 words on an opposing player or player in this year's playoffs about how they will struggle, why do you want them to lose? (Don't be too mean).
I have nothing but a begrudged respect for Outlaws quarterback Andrew Reese, but man did I want to see him fail in these playoffs. For obvious reasons, of course. After Arizona upset the Otters in last season's playoffs and won their own Ultimus, I was very much hoping that the Otters would be able to pay back the Outlaws in kind. After taking care of business in the wild card round against the San Jose Sabercats, we had just such an opportunity. And particularly after dropping both games against Arizona in the regular season, it was starting to feel as though we had some bad juju going on when we played them. Thankfully for us, we got our wish, and were able to trounce the Outlaws 37-20. Not quite as dominating a performance as when they came into Orange County and walked all over us, but still one that left little doubt who was going to win throughout the matchup. And, as part of that win, our defense really held Andrew Reese down. He did throw for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, but he also needed 45 passes to put up that line and he completed just 19 of them. We were also able to sack him 3 times, ultimately making it a rough day all around. Again, nothing but respect for Reese as a player and user, but I think that was a win that the Otters really needed after dropping 3 straight to the Outlaws, and it always makes your life easier as a team when your opponent's QB struggles. I look forward to the continued rivalry between Orange County and Arizona, as it had been lacking for far too long.
11) Trades
Written: Talk about a player who was traded this past offseason or before the trade deadline and how they will affect the Ultimus, or how they helped their new team in making the playoffs, or cost their old team.
Whoops. When I pitched Sunnycursed to come back to Orange County this past off-season, I did so as earnestly and truthfully as possible. I ran tons of tests that showed he could be even more productive than he was in Season 16, when I (and some others) believed he should have won the Wide Receiver of the Year award over teammate Vinny Valentine. Then the season started and we just weren't what I expected as an offense. I don't know how or why the tests and results were so dramatically different, but it quickly became apparent that I couldn't deliver what I promised Sunnycursed without sacrificing our ability to win games. I talked things through with Dwyer and tried to make it work, but as the season went on I just felt we were wasting his last prime season while not even contending to make up for it. So we agreed that shopping him might work out, and the Baltimore Hawks, who were looking to make an Ultimus push, were a great fit. They pursued him hard in free agency and fell just short, but that also meant they'd have a strong chance to re-sign him this off-season. We agreed on a deal that I think even in hindsight was strong for both of us. As the season went on it looked like Sunnycursed was thriving in his new offense, while the Otters were maintaining their playoff streak while looking toward the future. It was a win-win. Then came the playoffs and we made this unexpected run, only to beat the Hawks in the Ultimus. And so in the end not only did we cost Sunnycursed about half of what could've been an award-winning campaign, we also wound up beating him in the Ultimus. There's no guarantee anything plays out identically if we don't make that trade, however, so it's interesting to look back on it and realize just how much Sunnycursed impacted things this season.
Written: Give a short write up of one or multiple playoff matches. If completed before the airing of the sims have predictions, after if it is a review of the game.
After an improbable run to even make it to that point, the Orange County Otters found themselves in an unusual situation; playing for the Ultimus, but as the underdogs. In each of the Otters' previous six appearances in the game, they had found themselves favored, including in their Season 7 loss to the Liberty. Yet, with a 5-1 record in the big game, you knew the Otters wouldn't go down without a fight. And fight they did. The Otters opened the game with an 11 play, 85 yard, 6:20 drive, capped off by a Franklin Armstrong sneak for a touchdown and keyed by a pair of huge catches from Johnny Blaze that netted 46 yards. The Hawks quickly returned fire, however, traversing 58 yards in a matter of just 2 minutes en route to a Sunnycursed touchdown against his former team. The Otters and Hawks traded scores from there, with the game tied at 14 with 11:47 to go in the 3rd. Franklin Armstrong then engineered another long drive for the Otters, capping it off with a 19-yard touchdown to receiver Hugh Mongo, and Orange County didn't relinquish the lead again. They cut a promising Hawks drive off at a field goal and scored again with 9:22 left in the 4th, effectively sealing the game by extending their lead to 11 points. Neither team posted another score as the Otters won their 6th Ultimus.
8) Draft Focus
Written: What areas of your team has the biggest holes that you are hoping get filled in the upcoming gigantic S18 draft? What round are you hoping it’s filled?
Thank god I can talk about holes I need filled here, unlike in the repressive and strict PBE. So anyway. Orange County. The defense is kind of aging and there are definitely some holes that, if they don't exist now, will in the near future. Specifically I would be looking at the defensive back position, where we have Dan Schneider, Gus T.T. Showbiz, Jonathon Rice, Gordon Ramsey Jr., and Shannon Hobbs. Literally all of whom are now in regression or have been for more than a season now. So that's a need that can't afford to be ignored. We also did quite successfully with a running back by committee approach late in the season, and after sending Corey Trevor back to the Hawks, I think that's an area worth addressing so we don't overwork Apollo Reed, who is quickly blossoming into a star. Less pressing but still very much worth addressing is the defensive line position. Thorian Skarsgard and Tommy Salami will start regression next season, while Kwame Abayomi Mbanefo is currently in regression. While Skarsgard and Mbanefo have high enough TPE to sustain a loss, Tommy Salami does not, and as such is someone Orange County should consider finding a successor to.
9) Enemies
Written: Not everyone loves each other, write 200 words on an opposing player or player in this year's playoffs about how they will struggle, why do you want them to lose? (Don't be too mean).
I have nothing but a begrudged respect for Outlaws quarterback Andrew Reese, but man did I want to see him fail in these playoffs. For obvious reasons, of course. After Arizona upset the Otters in last season's playoffs and won their own Ultimus, I was very much hoping that the Otters would be able to pay back the Outlaws in kind. After taking care of business in the wild card round against the San Jose Sabercats, we had just such an opportunity. And particularly after dropping both games against Arizona in the regular season, it was starting to feel as though we had some bad juju going on when we played them. Thankfully for us, we got our wish, and were able to trounce the Outlaws 37-20. Not quite as dominating a performance as when they came into Orange County and walked all over us, but still one that left little doubt who was going to win throughout the matchup. And, as part of that win, our defense really held Andrew Reese down. He did throw for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, but he also needed 45 passes to put up that line and he completed just 19 of them. We were also able to sack him 3 times, ultimately making it a rough day all around. Again, nothing but respect for Reese as a player and user, but I think that was a win that the Otters really needed after dropping 3 straight to the Outlaws, and it always makes your life easier as a team when your opponent's QB struggles. I look forward to the continued rivalry between Orange County and Arizona, as it had been lacking for far too long.
11) Trades
Written: Talk about a player who was traded this past offseason or before the trade deadline and how they will affect the Ultimus, or how they helped their new team in making the playoffs, or cost their old team.
Whoops. When I pitched Sunnycursed to come back to Orange County this past off-season, I did so as earnestly and truthfully as possible. I ran tons of tests that showed he could be even more productive than he was in Season 16, when I (and some others) believed he should have won the Wide Receiver of the Year award over teammate Vinny Valentine. Then the season started and we just weren't what I expected as an offense. I don't know how or why the tests and results were so dramatically different, but it quickly became apparent that I couldn't deliver what I promised Sunnycursed without sacrificing our ability to win games. I talked things through with Dwyer and tried to make it work, but as the season went on I just felt we were wasting his last prime season while not even contending to make up for it. So we agreed that shopping him might work out, and the Baltimore Hawks, who were looking to make an Ultimus push, were a great fit. They pursued him hard in free agency and fell just short, but that also meant they'd have a strong chance to re-sign him this off-season. We agreed on a deal that I think even in hindsight was strong for both of us. As the season went on it looked like Sunnycursed was thriving in his new offense, while the Otters were maintaining their playoff streak while looking toward the future. It was a win-win. Then came the playoffs and we made this unexpected run, only to beat the Hawks in the Ultimus. And so in the end not only did we cost Sunnycursed about half of what could've been an award-winning campaign, we also wound up beating him in the Ultimus. There's no guarantee anything plays out identically if we don't make that trade, however, so it's interesting to look back on it and realize just how much Sunnycursed impacted things this season.
![[Image: rq0K779.png]](https://i.imgur.com/rq0K779.png)
