5) Stupid Tiebreaker!
Written: Got screwed by the tiebreaker into making the playoffs of getting a bye? Write about what happened and what it should have been as a tiebreaker?
Graphic: Explain in graphic form why your team was better than the team you lost the tiebreaker to.
When the league expanded to 10 teams, one of the immediate questions was how to handle playoffs. The restrictions of the sim engine forced us to go to 8 top teams, but with 80% of the teams making the playoffs, that feels like it almost defeats the purpose of the season. Unofficially setting it to a top 6 seemed to be the universally accepted way to go and I do think it was the right one. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it stings to have the same record as another team in your conference and miss the playoffs (either technically or completely outright). This season, the Colorado Yeti, 5-8, made it to the NSFC playoff wildcard game while the Chicago Butchers, who were also 5-8, became the sacrificial lamb to the Yellowknife Wraiths. And, whether this was the best solution or not, you can’t fault the Butchers for feeling sleighted. They would go on to lose by 10 points to the #1 seed team while the Yeti lost by 31 points to the #2 seed team. Could Chicago have beat Baltimore? Perhaps, but they never got the chance, instead seeing their play-off appearance treated as nothing more than a glorified cameo. It seems almost guaranteed that other teams will face the same fate in future seasons and, when you’re 5-8, you can’t really complain very much, but in this case, I’ll allow Chicago that privilege.
237 Words
7) Next year
Written: If your team has been eliminated, why will the next year, or the year after that, be the year that your team is going to win the Ultimus or Ultimini.
Graphics: Create a statistical summary of what improvements your team has made from the previous year or why your team was better than their record.
Yes! The Outlaws are the best. We were robbed. Every game we won was won by hard work and skill while every game we lost was due to bad sim luck. Okay, maybe every team feels that way. But, as only one of 3 teams with a winning record this season, I think we definitely stand out among the crowd. This is a tight-knit group fueled by a lot of young, motivated talent and, despite some regression, I feel like we’re walking into S19 in good shape. The fact that our two main rivals, OCO and YKW, didn’t pick up a ton of free agents make me feel like this is a good sign. Of course, they’re probably also relieved that we didn’t pick up any high TPE free agents yet (and there’s still time for that), but these are three of the best teams in the league and they’ll continue to be dominant next season. However, we’re coming to win. We’ve proven that we can do it before in S16 and made it to the ASFC Championship in both S17 and S18. This season, we’ll push past this obstacle once more and add one more championship to our trophy case. The Outlaws are as fired up as ever and, after nearly defeating OCO on their own turf in the ASFC Championship, we’re walking into S19 with unfinished business.
230 Words
10) Rivalries
Written: Write about another team and why they are overrated and why you want them to lose.
Graphic: Show a statistical representation of why said team is overrated.
Most people know I’m not quick to dump on other teams. I realize that we all work hard and we’re just looking to enjoy the game in a competitive manner. However, the Otters are the Patriots of the NSFL and it’s hard not to hate them on some level. Even if I like members of their team as individuals, they’ve become the Evil Empire and we pride ourselves on every victory we can wrap up against them. The ASFC Championship this year was the highest of highs and the lowest of lows as we nearly came back from a first-half deficit to upset the #1 seed in our conference, only to fall short in the end. We can be proud of the effort, but it doesn’t change the fact that we were THAT CLOSE to taking down the soon-to-be champions. Somehow, even when people expect OCO to drop off, they still rise above the competition. And now they’re coming off a period of rebuilding in which they somehow picked up TWO championships while still cycling in young talent. It defies all logic. And therefore, as a league, we’ll all be rooting against them. And the Outlaws especially will be looking to avenge that loss in the playoffs. A win over the Otters never comes easy, but a win over the defending champions is worth the effort.
226 Words
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.
Graphic: Create a graphic for said player showing how they helped their new team and compare to their old team.
Alright, let’s switch to a positive subject. One trade I was very proud of this season was the trade for Kazimir Oles. We paid a heavy price for him, but that’s what it takes to bring in a superstar, which is exactly what Oles is. He was an immediate upgrade (of about 300 TPE) over Josh Parker and joined Vinny Valentine and Saba Donut in completing a dangerous WR trio that secondaries were bound to lose sleep over. He ended up racking up over 1100 yards and 8 TDs and was clearly a factor in helping the Outlaws break away from the rest of the pack. The battle between the top 3 teams was fierce, but it takes “win now” trades to stay on top and we were willing to take big steps to try and bring home a second championship. We ultimately lost in the ASFC Championship, but Oles is sticking around, which means this is a trade that will continue to pay off as the Outlaws continue their hunt for their next championship. Oles has been a great teammate and we’d be proud to have him up with us on that stage as we lift the Ultimus trophy over our heads once more. We don’t know how long he has left in the league, but if this offseason has been any indicator, he’s got a lot of fuel left in the tank and is still one of the best Wide Receivers in the league.
246 Words
Written: Got screwed by the tiebreaker into making the playoffs of getting a bye? Write about what happened and what it should have been as a tiebreaker?
Graphic: Explain in graphic form why your team was better than the team you lost the tiebreaker to.
When the league expanded to 10 teams, one of the immediate questions was how to handle playoffs. The restrictions of the sim engine forced us to go to 8 top teams, but with 80% of the teams making the playoffs, that feels like it almost defeats the purpose of the season. Unofficially setting it to a top 6 seemed to be the universally accepted way to go and I do think it was the right one. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it stings to have the same record as another team in your conference and miss the playoffs (either technically or completely outright). This season, the Colorado Yeti, 5-8, made it to the NSFC playoff wildcard game while the Chicago Butchers, who were also 5-8, became the sacrificial lamb to the Yellowknife Wraiths. And, whether this was the best solution or not, you can’t fault the Butchers for feeling sleighted. They would go on to lose by 10 points to the #1 seed team while the Yeti lost by 31 points to the #2 seed team. Could Chicago have beat Baltimore? Perhaps, but they never got the chance, instead seeing their play-off appearance treated as nothing more than a glorified cameo. It seems almost guaranteed that other teams will face the same fate in future seasons and, when you’re 5-8, you can’t really complain very much, but in this case, I’ll allow Chicago that privilege.
237 Words
7) Next year
Written: If your team has been eliminated, why will the next year, or the year after that, be the year that your team is going to win the Ultimus or Ultimini.
Graphics: Create a statistical summary of what improvements your team has made from the previous year or why your team was better than their record.
Yes! The Outlaws are the best. We were robbed. Every game we won was won by hard work and skill while every game we lost was due to bad sim luck. Okay, maybe every team feels that way. But, as only one of 3 teams with a winning record this season, I think we definitely stand out among the crowd. This is a tight-knit group fueled by a lot of young, motivated talent and, despite some regression, I feel like we’re walking into S19 in good shape. The fact that our two main rivals, OCO and YKW, didn’t pick up a ton of free agents make me feel like this is a good sign. Of course, they’re probably also relieved that we didn’t pick up any high TPE free agents yet (and there’s still time for that), but these are three of the best teams in the league and they’ll continue to be dominant next season. However, we’re coming to win. We’ve proven that we can do it before in S16 and made it to the ASFC Championship in both S17 and S18. This season, we’ll push past this obstacle once more and add one more championship to our trophy case. The Outlaws are as fired up as ever and, after nearly defeating OCO on their own turf in the ASFC Championship, we’re walking into S19 with unfinished business.
230 Words
10) Rivalries
Written: Write about another team and why they are overrated and why you want them to lose.
Graphic: Show a statistical representation of why said team is overrated.
Most people know I’m not quick to dump on other teams. I realize that we all work hard and we’re just looking to enjoy the game in a competitive manner. However, the Otters are the Patriots of the NSFL and it’s hard not to hate them on some level. Even if I like members of their team as individuals, they’ve become the Evil Empire and we pride ourselves on every victory we can wrap up against them. The ASFC Championship this year was the highest of highs and the lowest of lows as we nearly came back from a first-half deficit to upset the #1 seed in our conference, only to fall short in the end. We can be proud of the effort, but it doesn’t change the fact that we were THAT CLOSE to taking down the soon-to-be champions. Somehow, even when people expect OCO to drop off, they still rise above the competition. And now they’re coming off a period of rebuilding in which they somehow picked up TWO championships while still cycling in young talent. It defies all logic. And therefore, as a league, we’ll all be rooting against them. And the Outlaws especially will be looking to avenge that loss in the playoffs. A win over the Otters never comes easy, but a win over the defending champions is worth the effort.
226 Words
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.
Graphic: Create a graphic for said player showing how they helped their new team and compare to their old team.
Alright, let’s switch to a positive subject. One trade I was very proud of this season was the trade for Kazimir Oles. We paid a heavy price for him, but that’s what it takes to bring in a superstar, which is exactly what Oles is. He was an immediate upgrade (of about 300 TPE) over Josh Parker and joined Vinny Valentine and Saba Donut in completing a dangerous WR trio that secondaries were bound to lose sleep over. He ended up racking up over 1100 yards and 8 TDs and was clearly a factor in helping the Outlaws break away from the rest of the pack. The battle between the top 3 teams was fierce, but it takes “win now” trades to stay on top and we were willing to take big steps to try and bring home a second championship. We ultimately lost in the ASFC Championship, but Oles is sticking around, which means this is a trade that will continue to pay off as the Outlaws continue their hunt for their next championship. Oles has been a great teammate and we’d be proud to have him up with us on that stage as we lift the Ultimus trophy over our heads once more. We don’t know how long he has left in the league, but if this offseason has been any indicator, he’s got a lot of fuel left in the tank and is still one of the best Wide Receivers in the league.
246 Words
![[Image: welcomeBraxtonEast.png?ex=677e7b1f&is=67...y=lossless]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/357281973594619905/1319836335887880192/welcomeBraxtonEast.png?ex=677e7b1f&is=677d299f&hm=c03a86226787bfca2f2d024eb23c800c6f1ecd647532e0419a9d0218636d40e4&=&format=webp&quality=lossless)
![[Image: baby-yoda-by-jango-sm.png]](https://i.ibb.co/1rgfYXP/baby-yoda-by-jango-sm.png)
Thanks to Jangorhino for the sig.
