(S25) - PT 1 - Opening Statements

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The Berlin Fire Salamanders will win the Ultimus this season. Before the opening game, many were predicting Berlin to be one of the worst teams this season. Berlin faced New York on the road to open the season. Berlin ended up winning this game 30-27. While the score might not show it, Berlin dominated this game. They had 431 yards of total offense, over 174 yards rushing, and averaged 5.0 yards per rushing attempt. If Berlin’s offense was able to do this on the road, imagine how good they will be when they’re playing at home. Because of this dominant performance, I believe Berlin will be able to compete with any team in the league. I also believe that with their dominant rushing attack that they have a serious shot at winning the Ultimus.

Berlin’s roster looks like one of the worst in the league on paper. They have the lowest total TPE of any ISFL team. This mainly due to their weak offense, which is worst in the league in terms of TPE. Comparatively, they have the 10th highest defensive TPE out of the 14 ISFL teams. While this might sound like a recipe for disaster, Berlin is a much better team than they appear to be on paper. They have already shown that they can run the ball on the road. If their defense can step up and just be average, and if their league-best rushing attack continues to be dominant, Berlin will end their first season as Ultimus champions.