4) Seeming to always come up short, the Yellowknife Wraiths once again dominated in the regular season. They scored the most points (406) and gave up the fewest (196). No other team topped 370 points or held other teams to less than 208. Yellowknife cruised to the number one seed in the NSFC, but they lost in the conference championship to the Colorado Yeti. So, what happened?
The season started bumpy with an opening loss at Colorado, 34-12. Overall, the offense played respectably, but all of their scoring drives stalled and end with a Dougie Smalls field goal. The pick six in the second quarter certainly didn’t help. Even with that disappointment, the Wraiths were not discouraged. Maybe they just needed to shake of some rust.
Starting with a 44-3 dismantling of the Sarasota Sailfish at home, the Wraiths went on a six game winning streak. That first game highlighted the offensive talent across the board. Cooter Bigsby had 300 yards and two TDs. In addition to his two receiving TDs, Mathias Hanyadi contributed 88 yards on the ground with one TD. Hanyadi also got vulture by Acura Skyline (28 yards and 2 TDs). Smalls played well too: 5/5 on XP and 3/3 on FG. Don’t forget about the defense though. Led Grithead (11 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, one pass defended) and rookie Hellazpoppin (four tackles, one interception, one pass defended), the Yellowknife defense combined for five tackles for loss, four sacks, seven passes defended, and one interception. The Wraiths never looked back after their opening drive touchdown.
After continuing their winning ways against Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Honolulu, and San Jose, the Wraiths dropped a nail biter at home against the defending champion New Orleans Second Line. Yellowknife jumped out to an early lead behind two Dougie Smalls FGs in the first quarter. Following an early second quarter passing TD from Stan Francisco, the Wraiths answered with another FG to take a 9-7 halftime lead. The back and forth game continued with two Marcella Toriki TDs for New Orleans with a Cooter Bigsby passing TD in between. Smalls hit another FG with 5 minutes left, but it proved to be too little too late. Yellowknife got the ball back after a Grithead forced fumble and recovery. Unfortunately, they were unable to do anything with the ensuing drive, ending with a 3-and-out.
Back to their winning ways in week 9, they avenged their week 1 loss to Colorado. They beat Sarasota again, shutout Chicago on the road, beat down Baltimore, and ended the season with a great win over Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, their regular season success did not carry them through the playoffs. Maybe next year.
6) It’s been a rough couple of season in Arizona. After a 3-10, last place finish in S21, the Arizona Outlaws improved to 4-8-1 in S22. But, the future is bright! We are loaded with young talent, have playmakers at every position, and are run by two of the best GMs you can imagine.
First, let’s highlight some great performances in S22. Superstar QB Jay Cue led the league with 3429 passing yards. He added 15 TDs and ended with an above average rating of 79.7. Pairing up with Cue is Saba Donut. He led the league with 1191 receiving yards while hauling in 5 TDs. With 7 rushing TDs and nearly 1000 yards, our rookie RB, Baby Yoda, will be a yearly contender for the Pro Bowl. On the defensive side of the ball, rookie S Stan Koniecpolski was top-5 in tackles with 120 and forced multiple turnovers. The team also put up a huge number of sacks, led by Pete “Plop” Miller with 12 (2nd in the league) and Galf Wilf with 9 sacks. Now, don’t forget everyone’s favorite rookie, Zamir Kehla, who had 4 interceptions, 12 passes defended, and a league leading 2 TDs. If that’s not Defensive Rookie of the Year material, I don’t know what is.
So, why did I spend so much time talking about past performances in a question asking about the future? It’s simple. The Arizona Outlaws do not have a single player in regression. At the same time, the ASFC powerhouses of the Orange County Otters, New Orleans Second Line, and Austin Copperheads had 8, 7, and 9 players regress this offseason. The San Jose Sabercats (two players) and Honolulu Hahalua (five players) also had some regression. Not only are our studs getting better, the other teams are losing talent. That’s a perfect recipe for future success.
How about those GMs? Unicorn, a three year veteran of the league, and Isidore, an S22 rookie, make for a perfect combination of experience, fresh ideas, expertise, and excitement. They have done a great job of drafting and keeping talent while also trading for more draft picks. The locker room is active and fun. The level of engagement is far above previous levels. With their insight, planning, and dedication, this team won’t be able to be stopped when it starts rolling. When our championship window opens in the next season or two, I don’t expect it to ever close.
The future is bright in AZ! #SunsOutGunsOut
The season started bumpy with an opening loss at Colorado, 34-12. Overall, the offense played respectably, but all of their scoring drives stalled and end with a Dougie Smalls field goal. The pick six in the second quarter certainly didn’t help. Even with that disappointment, the Wraiths were not discouraged. Maybe they just needed to shake of some rust.
Starting with a 44-3 dismantling of the Sarasota Sailfish at home, the Wraiths went on a six game winning streak. That first game highlighted the offensive talent across the board. Cooter Bigsby had 300 yards and two TDs. In addition to his two receiving TDs, Mathias Hanyadi contributed 88 yards on the ground with one TD. Hanyadi also got vulture by Acura Skyline (28 yards and 2 TDs). Smalls played well too: 5/5 on XP and 3/3 on FG. Don’t forget about the defense though. Led Grithead (11 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, one pass defended) and rookie Hellazpoppin (four tackles, one interception, one pass defended), the Yellowknife defense combined for five tackles for loss, four sacks, seven passes defended, and one interception. The Wraiths never looked back after their opening drive touchdown.
After continuing their winning ways against Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Honolulu, and San Jose, the Wraiths dropped a nail biter at home against the defending champion New Orleans Second Line. Yellowknife jumped out to an early lead behind two Dougie Smalls FGs in the first quarter. Following an early second quarter passing TD from Stan Francisco, the Wraiths answered with another FG to take a 9-7 halftime lead. The back and forth game continued with two Marcella Toriki TDs for New Orleans with a Cooter Bigsby passing TD in between. Smalls hit another FG with 5 minutes left, but it proved to be too little too late. Yellowknife got the ball back after a Grithead forced fumble and recovery. Unfortunately, they were unable to do anything with the ensuing drive, ending with a 3-and-out.
Back to their winning ways in week 9, they avenged their week 1 loss to Colorado. They beat Sarasota again, shutout Chicago on the road, beat down Baltimore, and ended the season with a great win over Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, their regular season success did not carry them through the playoffs. Maybe next year.
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444 words6) It’s been a rough couple of season in Arizona. After a 3-10, last place finish in S21, the Arizona Outlaws improved to 4-8-1 in S22. But, the future is bright! We are loaded with young talent, have playmakers at every position, and are run by two of the best GMs you can imagine.
First, let’s highlight some great performances in S22. Superstar QB Jay Cue led the league with 3429 passing yards. He added 15 TDs and ended with an above average rating of 79.7. Pairing up with Cue is Saba Donut. He led the league with 1191 receiving yards while hauling in 5 TDs. With 7 rushing TDs and nearly 1000 yards, our rookie RB, Baby Yoda, will be a yearly contender for the Pro Bowl. On the defensive side of the ball, rookie S Stan Koniecpolski was top-5 in tackles with 120 and forced multiple turnovers. The team also put up a huge number of sacks, led by Pete “Plop” Miller with 12 (2nd in the league) and Galf Wilf with 9 sacks. Now, don’t forget everyone’s favorite rookie, Zamir Kehla, who had 4 interceptions, 12 passes defended, and a league leading 2 TDs. If that’s not Defensive Rookie of the Year material, I don’t know what is.
So, why did I spend so much time talking about past performances in a question asking about the future? It’s simple. The Arizona Outlaws do not have a single player in regression. At the same time, the ASFC powerhouses of the Orange County Otters, New Orleans Second Line, and Austin Copperheads had 8, 7, and 9 players regress this offseason. The San Jose Sabercats (two players) and Honolulu Hahalua (five players) also had some regression. Not only are our studs getting better, the other teams are losing talent. That’s a perfect recipe for future success.
How about those GMs? Unicorn, a three year veteran of the league, and Isidore, an S22 rookie, make for a perfect combination of experience, fresh ideas, expertise, and excitement. They have done a great job of drafting and keeping talent while also trading for more draft picks. The locker room is active and fun. The level of engagement is far above previous levels. With their insight, planning, and dedication, this team won’t be able to be stopped when it starts rolling. When our championship window opens in the next season or two, I don’t expect it to ever close.
The future is bright in AZ! #SunsOutGunsOut
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411 words