Offensive Comparison
Here we will be looking at the QB match in the NSFC conference championship game between Logan Noble of the Colorado Yeti and Chris Orosz of the Yellowknife Wraiths. Both were popular picks for MVP and QB of the year awards, so we arguably have the league's two best passers going at it in this game. We will diving into their respective stats to see if any major advantage can be seen. They were both top two in the league this season in passing attempts. Orosz completed 57.8% of his with a 10.6 yards per completion compared to Noble and his 56.5% completion rate and his 10.3 yards per completion. Orosz and Noble had very similar touchdown pass amounts (14 vs. 15), interceptions (9 vs. 8), and QB ratings (77.6 vs. 77.2) respectively. Both seem to have similar caliber offensive lines in pass protection. Orosz was sacked 43 times vs. 41 for Noble. There was some QB controversy with teams in the ASFC but these two guys were the unrivaled starters for their squads. This is a marquee matchup between two MVP candidates. Whichever one of these QBs has the better game, their team will be the one more likely to advance to the Ultimus game. (206)
Defensive Comparison
In the ASFC conference championship game each team has one of the most feared pass rushers in the NSFL. I am talking about Jayce Tuck of Arizona Outlaws and J.J. Reigns of the Orange County Otters. Nothing is more of a pain in the ass for the QB and the entire offense than ferocious sack artist. Tuck and Reigns thrived getting penetration through opposing offensive lines all year long. Tuck finished with 16 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Reigns averaged one sack per game with 14 total for the season but far behind Tuck with only 4 tackles for loss. Tuck dominates pass rushing off the edge while Reigns is an interior rushing dynamo. In playoff games the margin for error is extremely small. Disrupting the opposing QB is key. One turnover here, one forced punt there could turn the tide of a game. These are two high caliber players that offensive coordinators have to spend ample time preparing for. Before every snap the offense has to make sure they identify where Reigns or Tuck are lining up. Adequate help blocking is a necessity. Double, or sometimes even triple teams are required to dampen the effectiveness of these two beasts. One of these players will lead their team's defense to the Ultimus, who will it be? (217)
Bottom Third
Why the Baltimore Hawks were not able to make the playoffs: Before we dig deeper into it the simple answer is they had more holes in their defense than Swiss cheese. They allowed 330 points against this year, the next closest team is 39 points away from that mark. That does not happen without having weaknesses against both the pass and the run. Penetration was an issue all year long for Baltimore. They were 2nd worst in the NSFL in tackles for loss. This most likely means members of their front seven (DL + LBs) were not shedding blockers well in pursuit of the ball carrier. The most grisly number of them all though is their 36 total sacks. That mark is the lowest in the league by a whopping 17. The mid season acquisition of stud DT Bert Metas helped, but their defensive snap count leader, Kurt Hendrix, somehow managed to get zero sacks despite leading the league in tackles. No pressure on the QB meant they were vulnerable through the air. The Baltimore offense put up a slightly above average amount of points on the board, but the defense had trouble closing out games as their opponent went into air attack mode. Improving the pass rush will be a priority for Baltimore management. (215)
Future Talent
Dermot Lavelle, a corner back out of the University of Arizona is arguably the best talent available in the S2 draft. He is a man to man style corner checking in at 6'0" 185lbs. He joined the league after the S1 draft and was the first name on the waiver wire where he was snatched up by the Yellowknife Wraiths. He had a great season for the Wraiths. He ended up with 18 pass break ups which was tied for 2nd in the league. He also had 57 tackles and four interceptions. Wide receiver is a position that is deep with a lot of high end talent in the NSFL. In the NSFC conference championship he will have to deal with the Colorado trio of Kendrick Hendrix, Jonathan Shaloiko, and DJ Law. They were the most productive wide receiver trio in the league this year. If the Wraiths are lucky enough to make the finals it won't get any easier with receivers like Stormblessed, Phelps, Westfield, and/or Jefferson to match up with. In these playoffs Lavelle will be leaned on heavily to help neutralize those players. When the season has concluded, all eyes will be on the draft. Having an elite corner back prospect available like Lavelle will draw a ton of attention from the teams with top picks. (219)
Playoff Predictions
In the NSFC championship game we have a matchup of the Colorado Yeti vs. the Yellowknife Wraiths. The quarterback matchup in this one has been discussed enough, an elite on both sides in Orosz and Noble. In the rushing game it looks like the Wraiths have an edge there. They were more efficient with their 4.4 yards per rush from workhorse back Nuck. The Wraiths also seem to have an advantage with pass catchers Garden and Maddox. Offensive lines seem like similar caliber in pass protection with each giving up 41-43 sacks. Games like this could come down to special teams. Colorado converted on 87% of FGs this season compared to 82% for Yellowknife. Prediction: Wraiths win 24-17.
In the ASFC championship game we have matchup of the Orange County Otters and the Arizona Outlaws. In this game you have the two best defenses in the entire league. Both create havoc getting sacks and forcing turnovers. I think the Otters have the advantage in the trenches in this game. They're significantly better at protecting their QB and have almost as good of a pass rush as Arizona. Prediction: Otters win 28-24.
If my predictions hold true, that means in the Ultimus championship game the Wraiths would face off against the Otters. I think the Otters will make it difficult on Orosz and move the ball efficiently enough for themselves. Prediction: Otters win 17-14. (233)
Here we will be looking at the QB match in the NSFC conference championship game between Logan Noble of the Colorado Yeti and Chris Orosz of the Yellowknife Wraiths. Both were popular picks for MVP and QB of the year awards, so we arguably have the league's two best passers going at it in this game. We will diving into their respective stats to see if any major advantage can be seen. They were both top two in the league this season in passing attempts. Orosz completed 57.8% of his with a 10.6 yards per completion compared to Noble and his 56.5% completion rate and his 10.3 yards per completion. Orosz and Noble had very similar touchdown pass amounts (14 vs. 15), interceptions (9 vs. 8), and QB ratings (77.6 vs. 77.2) respectively. Both seem to have similar caliber offensive lines in pass protection. Orosz was sacked 43 times vs. 41 for Noble. There was some QB controversy with teams in the ASFC but these two guys were the unrivaled starters for their squads. This is a marquee matchup between two MVP candidates. Whichever one of these QBs has the better game, their team will be the one more likely to advance to the Ultimus game. (206)
Defensive Comparison
In the ASFC conference championship game each team has one of the most feared pass rushers in the NSFL. I am talking about Jayce Tuck of Arizona Outlaws and J.J. Reigns of the Orange County Otters. Nothing is more of a pain in the ass for the QB and the entire offense than ferocious sack artist. Tuck and Reigns thrived getting penetration through opposing offensive lines all year long. Tuck finished with 16 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Reigns averaged one sack per game with 14 total for the season but far behind Tuck with only 4 tackles for loss. Tuck dominates pass rushing off the edge while Reigns is an interior rushing dynamo. In playoff games the margin for error is extremely small. Disrupting the opposing QB is key. One turnover here, one forced punt there could turn the tide of a game. These are two high caliber players that offensive coordinators have to spend ample time preparing for. Before every snap the offense has to make sure they identify where Reigns or Tuck are lining up. Adequate help blocking is a necessity. Double, or sometimes even triple teams are required to dampen the effectiveness of these two beasts. One of these players will lead their team's defense to the Ultimus, who will it be? (217)
Bottom Third
Why the Baltimore Hawks were not able to make the playoffs: Before we dig deeper into it the simple answer is they had more holes in their defense than Swiss cheese. They allowed 330 points against this year, the next closest team is 39 points away from that mark. That does not happen without having weaknesses against both the pass and the run. Penetration was an issue all year long for Baltimore. They were 2nd worst in the NSFL in tackles for loss. This most likely means members of their front seven (DL + LBs) were not shedding blockers well in pursuit of the ball carrier. The most grisly number of them all though is their 36 total sacks. That mark is the lowest in the league by a whopping 17. The mid season acquisition of stud DT Bert Metas helped, but their defensive snap count leader, Kurt Hendrix, somehow managed to get zero sacks despite leading the league in tackles. No pressure on the QB meant they were vulnerable through the air. The Baltimore offense put up a slightly above average amount of points on the board, but the defense had trouble closing out games as their opponent went into air attack mode. Improving the pass rush will be a priority for Baltimore management. (215)
Future Talent
Dermot Lavelle, a corner back out of the University of Arizona is arguably the best talent available in the S2 draft. He is a man to man style corner checking in at 6'0" 185lbs. He joined the league after the S1 draft and was the first name on the waiver wire where he was snatched up by the Yellowknife Wraiths. He had a great season for the Wraiths. He ended up with 18 pass break ups which was tied for 2nd in the league. He also had 57 tackles and four interceptions. Wide receiver is a position that is deep with a lot of high end talent in the NSFL. In the NSFC conference championship he will have to deal with the Colorado trio of Kendrick Hendrix, Jonathan Shaloiko, and DJ Law. They were the most productive wide receiver trio in the league this year. If the Wraiths are lucky enough to make the finals it won't get any easier with receivers like Stormblessed, Phelps, Westfield, and/or Jefferson to match up with. In these playoffs Lavelle will be leaned on heavily to help neutralize those players. When the season has concluded, all eyes will be on the draft. Having an elite corner back prospect available like Lavelle will draw a ton of attention from the teams with top picks. (219)
Playoff Predictions
In the NSFC championship game we have a matchup of the Colorado Yeti vs. the Yellowknife Wraiths. The quarterback matchup in this one has been discussed enough, an elite on both sides in Orosz and Noble. In the rushing game it looks like the Wraiths have an edge there. They were more efficient with their 4.4 yards per rush from workhorse back Nuck. The Wraiths also seem to have an advantage with pass catchers Garden and Maddox. Offensive lines seem like similar caliber in pass protection with each giving up 41-43 sacks. Games like this could come down to special teams. Colorado converted on 87% of FGs this season compared to 82% for Yellowknife. Prediction: Wraiths win 24-17.
In the ASFC championship game we have matchup of the Orange County Otters and the Arizona Outlaws. In this game you have the two best defenses in the entire league. Both create havoc getting sacks and forcing turnovers. I think the Otters have the advantage in the trenches in this game. They're significantly better at protecting their QB and have almost as good of a pass rush as Arizona. Prediction: Otters win 28-24.
If my predictions hold true, that means in the Ultimus championship game the Wraiths would face off against the Otters. I think the Otters will make it difficult on Orosz and move the ball efficiently enough for themselves. Prediction: Otters win 17-14. (233)
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