(S20) - Ultimus Week

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Playoff MVP

I mean how can your Ultimus MVP not be the one and only Austin Copperheads QB Easton Cole. Against a stout Yellowknife defense, Cole put on a clinic both through the air and on the ground. 4 passing Touchdowns to go along with a ridiculous 128 QB rating in addition to 71 yards rushing at 7.1 yard a clip. Those are some absolutely ridiculous numbers on the biggest stage. While maybe not a household name before the Ultimus, you can bet Cole is going to be the most talked about player in the off-season. And it's not even just about what he did statistically, it's about the storyline behind this game. The Wraiths were so heavily favored after being one of the best teams in the league multiple years in a row and trying to finally get over the hump in the Ultimus game after recent failure. The Copperheads weren't expected to be so good this season as most expansion teams have had a longer path to success. And of course on the other sideline from Cole was Cooter Bigsby, one of the most talked about prospects in recent history. So not only to put up those numbers but to do so with so much pressure and so much going against him was an impressive feat. Congrats to Cole and the Copperheads for this huge win.



Scouting Report

Otis "Tank" Allen, DT, Portland Pythons


Strengths:

There's a reason they call him Tank. He's a monster a monster in the weight room and absolutely possesses the physical tools to make an immediate impact in the NSFL. Excellent run defender, led all DSFL defensive tackles in TFL last season. Strong team player, coaches and teammates speak highly of his work ethic and character.

Weaknesses:

Surprisingly low sack total for a player that can move bodies like he can at the DSFL level. Will need to work on pass rush moves to maximize impact at the next level. Not the smartest player when it comes to decision making. Could get caught off guard by complex blocking schemes. Hard to decipher whether or not his strong play was just a factor of the poor Portland defense overall but certainly made the most of the situation regardless.

Considering the lack of talent in the NSFL at defensive line in general, Otis is one of the elite prospects in the S21 draft class. His work ethic is incredible and that combined with his locker room presence and physical tools are going to have GMs salivating on draft day. Otis genuinely has the chance to be an all time great at defensive tackle if he continues on his current trajectory.

Projection: Top 3 pick




Brotherly Love

A team that I have a soft spot for is the Yellowknife Wraiths. When I first joined the league and got drafted by the Philadelphia Liberty, we had a bit of a rivalry going with Yellowknife because of being in the same division, drama surrounding Kevin Cushing and Matt James, etc. Nothing too ugly of course, just some good sim league rivalry shit. Then towards the end of Micah Hendrix's career I was traded to Yellowknife and was part of their team that won the Ultimus. Despite that, I have never felt as connected with the franchise as I would have wanted to. I have always liked the members that run the team including my man flyeaglesfly29 who's now a GM there. I like most of the users that have players on the team currently including TC of course. And how can you not feel for this franchise that despite years of success and solid leadership have found themselves in a bit of a Buffalo Bills situation with regards to winning an Ultimus. For all those reasons, Yellowknife is the team in the league I have a soft spot for right now and keep it on the down low, but is probably the team I am most hoping to be drafted too. That being said if it's someone else that picks me then just throw Yellowknife out the window. Those guys keep choking anyways. Stay frosty, Yellowknife.


Expansion

If I was to start my own franchise in the league I would assume I'm starting with a DSFL team. Let's start with the actual identity of the team. I'm a Detroit Lions fan and while I don't really have a strong connection to the city itself, I do think it's a city worth bring a sim franchise to. The city of Detroit is gritty, tough. It's the perfect place for a football team and hopefully unlike the Lions one that can be successful. As far as the team name I like the Detroit Mustangs. I'd probably have a logo like the Indianapolis Colts, so the horse mustang mascot but you still have the play on the famous Ford car as well.

Now as far as building the team, I'd want to play smash mouth football. Run the ball down your throat and win in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Very rarely do we see DSFL teams find success in the air, so I'm just throwing that out the window altogether. So I'm making it a priority to draft DL, OL, and two good running backs. After that whatever defensive studs I can find. Would this actually work out? I don't know I'm not really in tune with the DSFL team building meta. I think that it would be the fastest route to early success and then I could morph the team as players got called up or down and we got a good look at each draft class.