(S22) - Ultimus Week

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Tier 2 - #7

It's interesting to see how closely my career with Osiris Firestorm-Fjord has matched that of my previous player, Achilles Hondo, so far. Both players started out as complementary roles, blocking back and blocking tight end, were drafted to rebuilding teams and then quickly switched position to play a more key role for their teams which in both cases was cornerback. Of course both of them have been Chicago Butchers as well. One thing I like to try in sim leagues is to just do something different with my players than what other people are doing. Nobody had ever really used the blocking back build so that's what I tried to do with Hondo. Cornerback is much more important to a team and I tend to end up placing team goals over my own so I decided to switch. With Osiris, I thought maybe I could try again to use a less used archetype with blocking tight end but as most teams actually use a tight end, I wouldn't feel a pull to switch to something else.

Of course, in Chicago we needed help at everything and with Von Hayes ending up being a gem in the S22 draft, I was more than comfortable to once again step out of the starting TE role in favor of filling a hole at cornerback that is typically harder to fill. So as far as personal aspirations I had for my player initially which included hopes of revolutionizing the TE game with a smash mouth throwback style, those have been thrown out the window. My main goal is to see Chicago return to relevance and of course win at least one Ultimus with the team during my career. Don't get me wrong though I still hope to have a lot of individual success, but I know that it can be more difficult to assert yourself at the cornerback position just by getting more TPE. I just found out I made the pro bowl in my first season as a corner which is awesome to see and I'm hoping that I can earn my spot in quite a few more. What I really want to excel in is being a lockdown corner by racking up pass defenses and interceptions. I know that can be a lot to ask but I'm hopeful. One area I'd like to see Osiris excel in personally is the return game. Even as a cornerback with Hondo I didn't really get a chance to play special teams but I have that opportunity now and hopefully will for most of my career. I think some people like Dermot are keen on it but others don't give it as much attention. Maybe I'll be wasting my time chasing after success as a returner but I'm hoping the man to man archetype is well suited to be useful both on defense but also on special teams.


Tier 3 - #17

My pick for playoff MVP would be none other than Colorado QB Wolfie McDummy. The Yeti have been a franchise long starved of much success, so having that true leader at QB to build the team around in McDummy has been so important. You can see that even though the real backbone of the team is the defense led by Mo Berry, the need for a strong foundation on offense was key to helping the Yeti finally bring home an Ultimus. Was he statistically amazing during this postseason? No, not really. Especially in the passing game his numbers were lacking but statistics alone don't show the impact that a player makes. McDummy put the team on his back in the postseason, rushing for multiple touchdowns and of course rallying the team to one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of the league. An argument could have been made for a few different players to be the playoff MVP. Certainly one of the defensive stars for the Yeti may have deserved it, but it's hard to point to one in particular. Some people even argue that maybe Franklin Armstrong deserves it but I struggle to give an award like this to a player on the losing end of the championship game. So maybe McDummy is winning here by default but I do believe he absolutely deserves the recognition for what he has meant to this team.

Tier 3 - #14

Name: Julio Jones
Position: Offensive Lineman
College: Alabama
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 340 lbs

Pros:
Exceptional strength for such a young player. You can tell he's been putting as much time in in the weight room as he does in the cafeteria
Good size for a big lad, absolutely in awe of the size of this lad
Shows good potential in both pass and run blocking at this point in his development
From all reports an outspoken team leader

Cons:
Has shown very little development this far in quickness, conditioning or athleticism outside of pure strength
Lacking in technique to deal with experienced pass rushers at the next level
Sometimes has trouble with blocking assignments and run scheme concepts
Plays with emotion, but can sometimes let it get the best of him

Prospect Summary:

Jones is one of the top OL prospects in this class and it's not hard to see why. He plays with physicality and passion, and those are things that you just can't teach. Right now he projects well to be a starting guard in the league, he's still very raw in terms of technique and flexibility but that tends to be the case with a lot of young OL players. If he's willing to put in the work and learn from more senior linemen, he could become a starting tackle in short order. He can be a bit brash but he knows how to rally his team around him and I could easily see him being an offensive captain for a team in the future. Love the potential, love the intangibles and he's ready to start on the line from day one despite some deficiencies. What more could you ask for in a prospect?