Ultimus Week - Point task #1 - Future Talent
@`7Sports`
I think everyone knows which young buck is going to make the biggest impact this playoffs, Yeti TE Rich Gucci! He sprung forth as a talent ready to enter the league early this season, starting by Week 2 and in that time he's emerged as one of the better all around TE talents.
He isn't QB Logan Noble's favorite QB with only 41 receptions on the season, ranking him 5th at the position, he definitely makes the most of his opportunities. He has gained 294 yards for a 7.2 YPC average, raking him 1st in YPC for TEs and 5th in yards. The lack of production isn't due to a lack in talent, simply opportunity. This seems to be more of a scheme issue than anything as the Yet have run the ball the 2nd most this season.
This leads into the second part of Rich Gucci's talent, his blocking acumen. Due to the Yeti's aforementioned proclivity to run the ball this season, Rich has been called on as a blocker quite a bit. Now the stats are nothing to run home about, 14 pancakes ranking 6th at his position, and 3 sacks given up ranking tied for last. However, if we look closer at the situation we can find that he has actually performed quite admirably considering. First and foremost, he is a vertical receiving threat, more of a plus sized WR than smaller lineman, so his skills aren't really suited for the blocking game. This isn't an excuse however, part of a TE's job is to block, but it is something to consider. Second, for the majority of the season there has been a complete and total lack of offensive line talent on the Yeti. They were starting only one human lineman for the first two games, two for the next 10, and three for the final four. However in actuality only one of these lineman are worth much more than a robot at this stage. The lack of assistance on the offensive line has put far too much on the plate of a player who was never really expected to carry much of a blocking load.
All of this being said, Rich Gucci is someone I expect to be featured heavily in the playoffs.
Ultimus Week - Point task #2 - Bottom Third
As in the NFL there is never only one reason for why a team performs poorly or well. The SabreCats and the Hawks are no different in the first season of the NSFL.
Both were in the bottom three of quarterback play by several measures. The quarterback rating supplied by the sim gives a good overall indication of their play with the SabreCats ranked 4th with 68.8, and the Hawks ranked 5th with 68.3. These are far lower than the top 3 with the third best team, Arizona, posting a 74.3 rating, and not much better than the Mike Boss experiment in Orange County, holding a rating of 67.4. So, if we dive into the stats a little more we can see that they each had an even or negative TD:Int ratio, while the top three all had positive ratios. SabreCats were 4th with 13:13, and the Hawks were 5th with 12:17. Another good indicator of quarterback efficiency is Yards per Attempt, and once again they were both in the bottom three. The Sabrecats were last with 5.79, and the Hawks were 4th with 5.94, although that was fairly close to the third place team Yellowknife with 6.18.
Quarterback play was clearly a problem, but where else did these teams struggle? Running the football
Both were in the bottom three in yardage, average, and longest running play. The SabreCats ranked 4th in yardage, average, and tied for 4th in longest running play. The Hawks were last in yardage, average and longest running play. Clearly the run game did not provide their quarterbacks with any help to relieve pressure.
It's too bad both offenses were so poor, as their defenses were actually quite strong, both producing many negative plays overall and turnovers specifically. Perhaps season 2 will bring them more luck.
Ultimus Week - Point task #3 - Playoff Series MVP - Yellowknife vs Colorado
This game was a defensive struggle and it came down to the second half to determine a winner as the game was close throughout. Yards were at a premium in this game and everyone knows that when they are it's the big boys up front on the offensive line that need to perform. My MVP for this game was Bender Rodriguez and the rest of the offensive line for the Colorado Yeti.
Rodriguez kept his quarterback upright and the offense moving forward for the two key drives that won them the game in the second half. Rodriguez stonewalled a very formidable Wraiths defensive front, producing 8 pancakes and giving up 0 sacks. He also did not produce a single penalty in a game that was littered with them. This is even more impressive when you realize the defense he was facing. The Wraiths were second in the league with 43 TFLs, and tied for 2nd with 56 sacks. They were also middle of the pack in Forced Fumbles, Interceptions, and Pass Deflections.
The time he gave to Logan Noble was invaluable as the quarterback did not make many mistakes on the day. He completed 25 of 37 passes for a 52% completion percentage, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Now the stats really aren't great but Noble was able to dink and dunk his way down the field and, critically, made no mistakes. I attribute this to the time Rodriguez and his teammates were able to give Noble.
Ultimus Week - Point task #4 - Playoff Series MVP - Orange County vs Arizona
This game was closer in the first half than the score indicates, however it got out of hand in the second half. There was one man who pulled double duty and ensured one team would win, going above and beyond. I think that a good definition of the term Most Valuable Player, is that without this player they would not have won the game. The MVP for this game is MIKE BOSS.
Now I know what you're thinking, how can you pick an MVP on the losing squad? His team didn't win so clearly he couldn't have been the best player on the field. Well, that's where you're wrong, he played so spectacularly well for the Outlaws it was confusing seeing him in an orange uniform.
He started the game off very strong, even with all world lineman Angus Winchester, baby Winchester Gregor Clegane, and three other human linemen blocking for him up front he managed to record a safety for the outlaws. This was important as the outlaws were down 3 and needed to score in order to not fall behind. Boss gave them the points and the ball. The Outlaw couldn't capitalize on the next possession but it was still an important confidence booster. Mike Boss didn't stop there though as he threw four interceptions in the game, even having one run back at the end of the game to ensure the Outlaws victory.
Boss didn't want to leave any doubt who was 'Da Real MVP'.
@`7Sports`
I think everyone knows which young buck is going to make the biggest impact this playoffs, Yeti TE Rich Gucci! He sprung forth as a talent ready to enter the league early this season, starting by Week 2 and in that time he's emerged as one of the better all around TE talents.
He isn't QB Logan Noble's favorite QB with only 41 receptions on the season, ranking him 5th at the position, he definitely makes the most of his opportunities. He has gained 294 yards for a 7.2 YPC average, raking him 1st in YPC for TEs and 5th in yards. The lack of production isn't due to a lack in talent, simply opportunity. This seems to be more of a scheme issue than anything as the Yet have run the ball the 2nd most this season.
This leads into the second part of Rich Gucci's talent, his blocking acumen. Due to the Yeti's aforementioned proclivity to run the ball this season, Rich has been called on as a blocker quite a bit. Now the stats are nothing to run home about, 14 pancakes ranking 6th at his position, and 3 sacks given up ranking tied for last. However, if we look closer at the situation we can find that he has actually performed quite admirably considering. First and foremost, he is a vertical receiving threat, more of a plus sized WR than smaller lineman, so his skills aren't really suited for the blocking game. This isn't an excuse however, part of a TE's job is to block, but it is something to consider. Second, for the majority of the season there has been a complete and total lack of offensive line talent on the Yeti. They were starting only one human lineman for the first two games, two for the next 10, and three for the final four. However in actuality only one of these lineman are worth much more than a robot at this stage. The lack of assistance on the offensive line has put far too much on the plate of a player who was never really expected to carry much of a blocking load.
All of this being said, Rich Gucci is someone I expect to be featured heavily in the playoffs.
Code:
377 WordsUltimus Week - Point task #2 - Bottom Third
As in the NFL there is never only one reason for why a team performs poorly or well. The SabreCats and the Hawks are no different in the first season of the NSFL.
Both were in the bottom three of quarterback play by several measures. The quarterback rating supplied by the sim gives a good overall indication of their play with the SabreCats ranked 4th with 68.8, and the Hawks ranked 5th with 68.3. These are far lower than the top 3 with the third best team, Arizona, posting a 74.3 rating, and not much better than the Mike Boss experiment in Orange County, holding a rating of 67.4. So, if we dive into the stats a little more we can see that they each had an even or negative TD:Int ratio, while the top three all had positive ratios. SabreCats were 4th with 13:13, and the Hawks were 5th with 12:17. Another good indicator of quarterback efficiency is Yards per Attempt, and once again they were both in the bottom three. The Sabrecats were last with 5.79, and the Hawks were 4th with 5.94, although that was fairly close to the third place team Yellowknife with 6.18.
Quarterback play was clearly a problem, but where else did these teams struggle? Running the football
Both were in the bottom three in yardage, average, and longest running play. The SabreCats ranked 4th in yardage, average, and tied for 4th in longest running play. The Hawks were last in yardage, average and longest running play. Clearly the run game did not provide their quarterbacks with any help to relieve pressure.
It's too bad both offenses were so poor, as their defenses were actually quite strong, both producing many negative plays overall and turnovers specifically. Perhaps season 2 will bring them more luck.
Code:
300 WordsUltimus Week - Point task #3 - Playoff Series MVP - Yellowknife vs Colorado
This game was a defensive struggle and it came down to the second half to determine a winner as the game was close throughout. Yards were at a premium in this game and everyone knows that when they are it's the big boys up front on the offensive line that need to perform. My MVP for this game was Bender Rodriguez and the rest of the offensive line for the Colorado Yeti.
Rodriguez kept his quarterback upright and the offense moving forward for the two key drives that won them the game in the second half. Rodriguez stonewalled a very formidable Wraiths defensive front, producing 8 pancakes and giving up 0 sacks. He also did not produce a single penalty in a game that was littered with them. This is even more impressive when you realize the defense he was facing. The Wraiths were second in the league with 43 TFLs, and tied for 2nd with 56 sacks. They were also middle of the pack in Forced Fumbles, Interceptions, and Pass Deflections.
The time he gave to Logan Noble was invaluable as the quarterback did not make many mistakes on the day. He completed 25 of 37 passes for a 52% completion percentage, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Now the stats really aren't great but Noble was able to dink and dunk his way down the field and, critically, made no mistakes. I attribute this to the time Rodriguez and his teammates were able to give Noble.
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247 WordsUltimus Week - Point task #4 - Playoff Series MVP - Orange County vs Arizona
This game was closer in the first half than the score indicates, however it got out of hand in the second half. There was one man who pulled double duty and ensured one team would win, going above and beyond. I think that a good definition of the term Most Valuable Player, is that without this player they would not have won the game. The MVP for this game is MIKE BOSS.
Now I know what you're thinking, how can you pick an MVP on the losing squad? His team didn't win so clearly he couldn't have been the best player on the field. Well, that's where you're wrong, he played so spectacularly well for the Outlaws it was confusing seeing him in an orange uniform.
He started the game off very strong, even with all world lineman Angus Winchester, baby Winchester Gregor Clegane, and three other human linemen blocking for him up front he managed to record a safety for the outlaws. This was important as the outlaws were down 3 and needed to score in order to not fall behind. Boss gave them the points and the ball. The Outlaw couldn't capitalize on the next possession but it was still an important confidence booster. Mike Boss didn't stop there though as he threw four interceptions in the game, even having one run back at the end of the game to ensure the Outlaws victory.
Boss didn't want to leave any doubt who was 'Da Real MVP'.
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248 Words![[Image: KBSOmDX.png]](http://i.imgur.com/KBSOmDX.png)
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