Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Meeting on the NSFC side of the NSFL semifinals, the matchup between Kurt Hendrix and Josh Garden projects to be one of the most entertaining matchups of the entire post-season. Of course, seeing as the two are both wideouts, they’ll never actually share the field, but there’s no doubt that there’ll be some amount of one-upsmanship as the two take turns on offense. Garden is coming off a season where he led the entire league in receiving yards and ranked second in touchdowns and yards per catch. While Hendrix is far-less heralded, he’s just as important to the Yeti’s offense. He led the team in receiving yardage and acted as a critical safety-valve for a rush-oriented offense.
Based on regular-season statistics, it’s a near-certainty that Garden outproduces Hendrix, considering that the former had the latter beat in every statistical category. However, there is hope for the Yeti star in that the Wraiths aren’t likely to make him a focal point of their defensive game-plan. There’s no shame in taking full-advantage of a potentially beneficial situation, and if Hendrix can expose a lack of focus on the part of the Wraiths, he could potentially be in for a big game of his own.
Word Count: 202
Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
On the ASFC side of the inaugural NSFL semifinal round, the Arizona Outlaws faced off against the Orange County Otters. While all eyes were rightly focused on the matchup between two of the league’s marquee receiving talents: the Outlaws’ Stormblessed and the Otters’ Robert Phelps, there was an equally exciting contest brewing between the league’s best defenses. In the orange corner stood linebacker Ian Bavitz, one of the seven linebackers in the 100-tackle club and one of its most versatile members. However, the Outlaws were not to be outdone, sporting the best linebacking corps in the NSFL, and, as much as this statement can hold weight in a league with one season, a group that looks like it could find its way into the history books. It’s damn near impossible to overstate how good the trio of Harrif Ernston, Jaylon Smith and Brady Stropko is. Jaylon is third in the league in tackles and one of the few players to have blocked a punt, Stropko ranks fifth while also ranking 1st in TFLs and, finally, Harrif has served as a do-it-all third backer. While the one-man band and the league’s best trio will never actually share the field, their play will almost certainly determine the game.
Word Count: 206
Bottom Third: Write about why the Baltimore Hawks and/or San Jose Sabercats were not able to make the playoffs.
At this point, there is very little to say about the SaberCats that hasn’t already been said. The team was 4-10, finished in a tie for last in the league, and, for a [blank]-week stretch, did not win a football game. On a team that bad (at least in terms of record and results), there is seldom a single factor that contributed to the lack of success. And in the case of the Cats, the reasons were as numerous as the losses.
The engine of a team is its quarterback, and for a long stretch, the San Jose signal-caller just wasn’t very good. Quarterback Jameis Christ recorded the worst passer rating in the league with a 63.3 mark and his play torpedoed the success of a team studded with playmakers on all sides of the ball. The team stabilized when QB Ethan Hunt took the reins in a mid-season trade, and with him at the helm, posted a 3-3 record. Of course, Hunt has gone on record saying he has little interest in returning to San Jose, so the question becomes one of replicating the team’s success without him present.
Defensively, the biggest issue was the defensive line. With the exception of standout tackle Dan Miller, there simply wasn’t much blue-chip talent at the positional group. That lack of a pass-rush made it difficult for what was, on paper, a very talented secondary to go about the task of shutting down opposing receivers.
Word Count: 243 Words
Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game
I come to bury Mike Boss, not to praise him. In a season-defining saga featuring a quarterback carousel for the ages, it’s only fitting that that quarterback play is what sealed the Orange County Otters fate. Facing off against the Arizona Outlaws in the NSFL playoff semifinals, Boss tossed four interceptions en route to a 36-13 drubbing. His pain was the Outlaws’ defense’s gain, as three different Outlaws were on the receiving end of his errant passes with superstar linebacker Jaylon Lee even taking one to the house. Toss in a kick return touchdown from Stormblessed, and the blow-out was no surprise.
In the other NSFL playoff semifinal, the Yellowknife (the absurdity of having a team in Yellowknife and not New York will never cease to amaze me) Wraiths faced off against the Colorado Yeti. What was expected to be a high-scoring affair instead turned into a defensive grind-fest as the teams combined for only 19 points. It was the kind of a game where the offensive POG wasn’t a receiver or runningback, but a kicker. In the end, the Wraiths couldn’t survive complete nothing-burgers from their offensive duo of Josh Garden and Bubba Nuck (62 and 69 yards, respectively), as they fell to the Yeti 13-6.
In the first-ever NSFL championship game, the Outlaws met the Yeti in a rematch of the Week 13 game where Arizona held the Yeti to a goose egg. While they did manage to score a point, going so far as to score 6, the Yeti were simply no match for the Outlaws, losing 29-6 in a game that was less close than the score indicated.
Word count: 272
Conference Finals MVP: Jaylon Smith
![[Image: 23m0z9g.jpg]](http://i68.tinypic.com/23m0z9g.jpg)
Meeting on the NSFC side of the NSFL semifinals, the matchup between Kurt Hendrix and Josh Garden projects to be one of the most entertaining matchups of the entire post-season. Of course, seeing as the two are both wideouts, they’ll never actually share the field, but there’s no doubt that there’ll be some amount of one-upsmanship as the two take turns on offense. Garden is coming off a season where he led the entire league in receiving yards and ranked second in touchdowns and yards per catch. While Hendrix is far-less heralded, he’s just as important to the Yeti’s offense. He led the team in receiving yardage and acted as a critical safety-valve for a rush-oriented offense.
Based on regular-season statistics, it’s a near-certainty that Garden outproduces Hendrix, considering that the former had the latter beat in every statistical category. However, there is hope for the Yeti star in that the Wraiths aren’t likely to make him a focal point of their defensive game-plan. There’s no shame in taking full-advantage of a potentially beneficial situation, and if Hendrix can expose a lack of focus on the part of the Wraiths, he could potentially be in for a big game of his own.
Word Count: 202
Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
On the ASFC side of the inaugural NSFL semifinal round, the Arizona Outlaws faced off against the Orange County Otters. While all eyes were rightly focused on the matchup between two of the league’s marquee receiving talents: the Outlaws’ Stormblessed and the Otters’ Robert Phelps, there was an equally exciting contest brewing between the league’s best defenses. In the orange corner stood linebacker Ian Bavitz, one of the seven linebackers in the 100-tackle club and one of its most versatile members. However, the Outlaws were not to be outdone, sporting the best linebacking corps in the NSFL, and, as much as this statement can hold weight in a league with one season, a group that looks like it could find its way into the history books. It’s damn near impossible to overstate how good the trio of Harrif Ernston, Jaylon Smith and Brady Stropko is. Jaylon is third in the league in tackles and one of the few players to have blocked a punt, Stropko ranks fifth while also ranking 1st in TFLs and, finally, Harrif has served as a do-it-all third backer. While the one-man band and the league’s best trio will never actually share the field, their play will almost certainly determine the game.
Word Count: 206
Bottom Third: Write about why the Baltimore Hawks and/or San Jose Sabercats were not able to make the playoffs.
At this point, there is very little to say about the SaberCats that hasn’t already been said. The team was 4-10, finished in a tie for last in the league, and, for a [blank]-week stretch, did not win a football game. On a team that bad (at least in terms of record and results), there is seldom a single factor that contributed to the lack of success. And in the case of the Cats, the reasons were as numerous as the losses.
The engine of a team is its quarterback, and for a long stretch, the San Jose signal-caller just wasn’t very good. Quarterback Jameis Christ recorded the worst passer rating in the league with a 63.3 mark and his play torpedoed the success of a team studded with playmakers on all sides of the ball. The team stabilized when QB Ethan Hunt took the reins in a mid-season trade, and with him at the helm, posted a 3-3 record. Of course, Hunt has gone on record saying he has little interest in returning to San Jose, so the question becomes one of replicating the team’s success without him present.
Defensively, the biggest issue was the defensive line. With the exception of standout tackle Dan Miller, there simply wasn’t much blue-chip talent at the positional group. That lack of a pass-rush made it difficult for what was, on paper, a very talented secondary to go about the task of shutting down opposing receivers.
Word Count: 243 Words
Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game
I come to bury Mike Boss, not to praise him. In a season-defining saga featuring a quarterback carousel for the ages, it’s only fitting that that quarterback play is what sealed the Orange County Otters fate. Facing off against the Arizona Outlaws in the NSFL playoff semifinals, Boss tossed four interceptions en route to a 36-13 drubbing. His pain was the Outlaws’ defense’s gain, as three different Outlaws were on the receiving end of his errant passes with superstar linebacker Jaylon Lee even taking one to the house. Toss in a kick return touchdown from Stormblessed, and the blow-out was no surprise.
In the other NSFL playoff semifinal, the Yellowknife (the absurdity of having a team in Yellowknife and not New York will never cease to amaze me) Wraiths faced off against the Colorado Yeti. What was expected to be a high-scoring affair instead turned into a defensive grind-fest as the teams combined for only 19 points. It was the kind of a game where the offensive POG wasn’t a receiver or runningback, but a kicker. In the end, the Wraiths couldn’t survive complete nothing-burgers from their offensive duo of Josh Garden and Bubba Nuck (62 and 69 yards, respectively), as they fell to the Yeti 13-6.
In the first-ever NSFL championship game, the Outlaws met the Yeti in a rematch of the Week 13 game where Arizona held the Yeti to a goose egg. While they did manage to score a point, going so far as to score 6, the Yeti were simply no match for the Outlaws, losing 29-6 in a game that was less close than the score indicated.
Word count: 272
Conference Finals MVP: Jaylon Smith
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