(S25) - PT 5 - Playoffs? You Kidding Me?

[Kyamprac]

There is no sugar coating it - the Dallas Birddogs had a rough season. The team did not get their first win of the season until Week 7 against the Norfolk Seawolves, and even that was a slim victory. Wrought by several first year call-ups and slim pickings in a smaller draft class to fill those holes shortly after, we just couldn't get enough traction in the SFC against the likes of teams like the Buccaneers. Despite struggling all season long, Dallas did have a slim chance of making the playoffs at one point as other teams in the division also faced similar challenges. However, the Birddogs just weren't able to pull it off due to a combination of sim luck and simply rough matchups.

Having said all of that, several players had standout performances and have made their presence known on the stats boards, including:

• Cobra Kai, who came out third in the league for rushing yards and fourth in touchdowns.
  
• Mark Callous, who finished the league first in kick return yards and was the only player to get a KR TD. He also came in third for receiving yards and third for longest catch.
  
• Richard Leaking, who stood out on the top of the defensive stats board with 147 tackles.
  
• Byron Blackwell, who logged 14 pass deflections and 4 interceptions.
  
• The Birddogs defense, which came in fourth overall as a team for TFLs and second in tackles.
  

Aside from pure stats, another incredibly positive thing to note about this season is that locker room morale remained high despite the rocky results that came week to week. The team pulled together and kept things fun and engaging all season long, encouraging and challenging each other to get more involved in the league in different ways. As a GM, I felt so incredibly lucky to work with this group of guys as we weathered the storm together.

Going into the offseason, the Birddogs front office has a lot of work to do to fill holes left behind last season, as well as those that are likely upcoming. I remain cautiously optimistic, however and look forward to seeing what the next season has to offer.