Bottom Third:
The Baltimore Hawks struggled on both sides of the field in the second half of the season. Their pass rush was nonexistent compared to the rest of the league. They were just unable to get any pressure from their defense and let opposing quarterbacks have all day to throw against them. They had the fewest amount of sacks for the year with 36 with the second lowest sack number being the other worst team in the league the SaberCats with 53. Not only did the Hawks struggle getting to the quarterback they also had issues with their offensive line. The Baltimore Hawks had the worst offensive line in the league this season and in my opinion is a large reason they collapsed after looking so strong in the preseason. The defense couldn't get off the field and then when the Hawks offense did get on the field the O-line failed to perform and the defense would come right back out. Lastly, the Hawks struggled the most due to multiple players that went inactive and the team didnt address this well through the waiver wire. Having an abysmal pass rush and Offensive line is one thing, but when the locker room isn't showing up anymore you know it is going to be a tough season. As for the Sabercats they had major issues on offence. They couldn't put up points the whole season and only scored a measly 15.2 points per gamelast in the NSFL. The defense wasn't much better as mentioned above they had the second lowest sack numbers and allowed the opponent to score an average of over 20 points a game on them. With this mix of bad offense and defense its no wonder they landed in the bottom third of the league.
Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the match-ups.
The Arizona Outlaws vs. Orange County Otters
This match-up looked to be an interesting one from the moment it was set in stone. The Otters came out in the first quarter and put together a nice long drive that ultimately got stunted by penalties and forced a field goal. Arizona managed to get a safety later in the quarter and that was foreshadowing for the terrible day for Otters quarterback Boss. He would go on to throw 4 interceptions against the staunch Arizona defense. Arizona CB J. Williams was the defensive play-maker for Arizona coming up with two big interceptions, 5 passes defended, and 3 tackles for his team.
The Colorado Yetis vs Yellowknife Wraiths
This was a defensive battle of a game, both teams came to play on defense as both teams struggled to move the ball down the field. It was a slow git and grind game where each team fought hard for every yard that they got. However this was also a sloppily played game from both sides as the penalties began adding up. By the time the game was finished there were over twenty penalties for almost 200 yards which is really crazy because the Yellowknife wraiths barely had over 200 yards total in the game. The player of the game for this match-up would have to be Colorado Line Backer Jonathon Saint. He dominated the defensive side of the ball for his team and helped to stifle the Wraiths offense all day long.
Championship Game Recap:
Colorado Yeti were set to face off against the Arizona Outlaws in the first NSFL Championship. the game defining, momentum changing, play from this game happened early on in the first quarter. The Arizona team made a name for themselves on their staunch defense and it was the defense that came through for them in this game. Outlaws safety Ryan Flock was able to pick off Logan Noble and return it 24 yards for a touchdown. The Colorado quarterback was looking downfield on a screen pass and the safety followed his eyes and was able to fly in front of the pass. Flock read the play absolutely perfectly and translated it into six points for his team. This really goes to show just how crucial the safety position is on defense. This pick six really seems to take something out of Colorado as they never looked the same. The Colorado Yeti looked pretty deflated after this play and they really struggled to pull it back together. Noble seemed to shoulder the blame the hardest as he lost all confidence and was overthrowing receivers or throwing it into the dirt at his feet. His stats prove this loss of confidence as he was only able to complete 16 of 34 passes for the low total of 165 yards. The Yeti would only go on to score two field goals for the rest of the game as they were completely shut down by the crushing defense of Arizona. The Arizona Outlaws would go on to win the game and the Ultimus Trophy, beating the Colorado Yeti 29 - 6.
Playoff Recap Infographic:
![[Image: xzoD0t9.png]](http://i.imgur.com/xzoD0t9.png)
Championship Banner Infographic:
![[Image: CHScRgH.png]](http://i.imgur.com/CHScRgH.png)
The Baltimore Hawks struggled on both sides of the field in the second half of the season. Their pass rush was nonexistent compared to the rest of the league. They were just unable to get any pressure from their defense and let opposing quarterbacks have all day to throw against them. They had the fewest amount of sacks for the year with 36 with the second lowest sack number being the other worst team in the league the SaberCats with 53. Not only did the Hawks struggle getting to the quarterback they also had issues with their offensive line. The Baltimore Hawks had the worst offensive line in the league this season and in my opinion is a large reason they collapsed after looking so strong in the preseason. The defense couldn't get off the field and then when the Hawks offense did get on the field the O-line failed to perform and the defense would come right back out. Lastly, the Hawks struggled the most due to multiple players that went inactive and the team didnt address this well through the waiver wire. Having an abysmal pass rush and Offensive line is one thing, but when the locker room isn't showing up anymore you know it is going to be a tough season. As for the Sabercats they had major issues on offence. They couldn't put up points the whole season and only scored a measly 15.2 points per gamelast in the NSFL. The defense wasn't much better as mentioned above they had the second lowest sack numbers and allowed the opponent to score an average of over 20 points a game on them. With this mix of bad offense and defense its no wonder they landed in the bottom third of the league.
Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the match-ups.
The Arizona Outlaws vs. Orange County Otters
This match-up looked to be an interesting one from the moment it was set in stone. The Otters came out in the first quarter and put together a nice long drive that ultimately got stunted by penalties and forced a field goal. Arizona managed to get a safety later in the quarter and that was foreshadowing for the terrible day for Otters quarterback Boss. He would go on to throw 4 interceptions against the staunch Arizona defense. Arizona CB J. Williams was the defensive play-maker for Arizona coming up with two big interceptions, 5 passes defended, and 3 tackles for his team.
The Colorado Yetis vs Yellowknife Wraiths
This was a defensive battle of a game, both teams came to play on defense as both teams struggled to move the ball down the field. It was a slow git and grind game where each team fought hard for every yard that they got. However this was also a sloppily played game from both sides as the penalties began adding up. By the time the game was finished there were over twenty penalties for almost 200 yards which is really crazy because the Yellowknife wraiths barely had over 200 yards total in the game. The player of the game for this match-up would have to be Colorado Line Backer Jonathon Saint. He dominated the defensive side of the ball for his team and helped to stifle the Wraiths offense all day long.
Championship Game Recap:
Colorado Yeti were set to face off against the Arizona Outlaws in the first NSFL Championship. the game defining, momentum changing, play from this game happened early on in the first quarter. The Arizona team made a name for themselves on their staunch defense and it was the defense that came through for them in this game. Outlaws safety Ryan Flock was able to pick off Logan Noble and return it 24 yards for a touchdown. The Colorado quarterback was looking downfield on a screen pass and the safety followed his eyes and was able to fly in front of the pass. Flock read the play absolutely perfectly and translated it into six points for his team. This really goes to show just how crucial the safety position is on defense. This pick six really seems to take something out of Colorado as they never looked the same. The Colorado Yeti looked pretty deflated after this play and they really struggled to pull it back together. Noble seemed to shoulder the blame the hardest as he lost all confidence and was overthrowing receivers or throwing it into the dirt at his feet. His stats prove this loss of confidence as he was only able to complete 16 of 34 passes for the low total of 165 yards. The Yeti would only go on to score two field goals for the rest of the game as they were completely shut down by the crushing defense of Arizona. The Arizona Outlaws would go on to win the game and the Ultimus Trophy, beating the Colorado Yeti 29 - 6.
Playoff Recap Infographic:
Championship Banner Infographic:
[div align=center]![[Image: zu2u9Vc.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/zu2u9Vc.jpg)
[div align=center]
[div align=center]
