TIER 2: 10) Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?
Prior to this season, I think a lot of people were skeptical on how well the Arizona Outlaws will do this season. The long time (probably going into the HOF as well) QB for the team, Jay Cue, has stepped down from the role and bulked up to be an OL. In his spot, Charlemagne Cortez, a rookie QB, has taken his spot. If I had a rookie QB take the spot of a HOF caliber QB, I wouldn't have given too much hope on the season. However, in the end have taken the world by storm. In the pre-season, even though these games don't have much value, the Outlaws went 4-0 with some brilliant highlights by Cortez. It includes a 41-10 win over the Austin Copperheads where he threw 3 touchdowns and 0 picks, culminating into a 136 rating for that game. Once the season started, the Outlaws suffered two straight losses, both heart breakers. Cortez didn't have a great debut with 68 yards passed and 1 int. However, the game was close in the end with the rushing duo Nakamura and Thorbjornsson rushing 240 yards total for 2 TDs. This game didn't set the tone for Cortez's season as this would be his only really bad game. The second game ended with a 32-31 loss but Cortez bounced back with solid passing.
Then the Outlaws found their groove. Over the next 9 games, they won all 9 games outscoring their opponents 282 to 183. What carried the team was a mix of offense and defense. Starting with the defense, they excelled by limiting the rushing game, the opponents only averaged 65 rushing yards a game which is extremely good. On the offense, Tatsu Nakamura was unstoppable rushing for the most yards in the league and a frontrunner for RBoty and maybe OPOTY. Solid seasons by Taro Raimon and the already mentioned Cortez rounded out the offense. Speaking of Cortez, in that 9 game stretch, he has thrown at least 2 games with a QB rating over 130. One of them includes a 47-41 thriller against the Second Lines where he passed 475 yards and 3 touchdowns. Remember, he's a rookie. The other came from the 51-20 blowout where he threw 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
One last highlight was in the Week 8 gameday against the Sailfish. With under 1 minute to spare and down 3 points at the AZ 48 line, Cortez threw an interception which should seal the game. But in the next play, the Sailfish FUMBLED the ball and recovered by the Outlaws. With only a miracle to still save the game, Cortez threw to a wide open Raimon who in the end ran over 50 yards to touchdown and keep the winning streak going.
In the end, the Outlaws got out in the 1st round, but the future is bright for this team.
TIER 2: 13) Write about your team’s biggest rivalry and what makes it so fierce. Is the competition founded in statistics and the team’s recent performance, or is it a rivalry that developed over time during the team’s history that would exist regardless of statistics?
I am not well verse in ISFL history nor the history of the Arizona Outlaws. But there's one team this season that I felt made a great rivalry, or at least created some memorable games for the fans. Last season, the Outlaws were 1-1 against the New Orleans Second line with the loss being early in the season. In that loss, NOLA managed to get a last second Field Goal to win the game 30-27. Now, most people know about the infamous 5 way tie in the ASFC conference. If the outlaws manage to win that game, then the outlaws might've made the playoffs then, don't quote me on it though. Now in this season, both teams first clashed in Week 7. NOLA are coming into the game with a weak record of 2-4 with Ben Slothisberger giving a streaky performance week by week. The defense didn't really help either, giving up an average of 25+ points per game. Meanwhile, the Outlaws are on a 4 game winning streak carried by a red hot Tatsu Nakamura, solid defense, and at the time, contending rookie MVP QB Charlemagne Cortez. The first half of the game was kind of back and forth, but NOLA pulls ahead 24-16 as the primary receiver for them, Ed Barker receives two touchdowns easily. Speaking of Ed Barker, he and Taro Raimon were kind of close in yardage at this time and I personally think there's some sort of rivalry between them, as both aim to win the wide receiver of the year award. In the second half though, Nakamura gets a 65 yard rushing touchdown and the Outlaws take the lead in the 3rd. In the 4th, after some back and forth in kicking field goals, NOLA manages to tie the game with a touchdown in the very last minute.But in the end, the outlaws get the better end of the deal and get yet another Nakamura touchdown. In their next meet on Week 16, Outlaws has already secured 2nd seed in their conference while NOLA needed the win to make the playoffs without tiebreakers. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, NOLA gets the dub easily as Cortez struggled. Barker gets 2 more receiving touchdowns as Slothlisberger carries the game as they lacked rushing the the game. In the 1st round of the playoffs, they yet again meet back to back. The Outlaws get even more dumpstered on as the Secondlines get the win 41-21 behind a passing game between Ben and Barker. I'm looking forward to these two teams playing again next season and as Cortez improves, I hope the Outlaws get the better end of the stick then.
Prior to this season, I think a lot of people were skeptical on how well the Arizona Outlaws will do this season. The long time (probably going into the HOF as well) QB for the team, Jay Cue, has stepped down from the role and bulked up to be an OL. In his spot, Charlemagne Cortez, a rookie QB, has taken his spot. If I had a rookie QB take the spot of a HOF caliber QB, I wouldn't have given too much hope on the season. However, in the end have taken the world by storm. In the pre-season, even though these games don't have much value, the Outlaws went 4-0 with some brilliant highlights by Cortez. It includes a 41-10 win over the Austin Copperheads where he threw 3 touchdowns and 0 picks, culminating into a 136 rating for that game. Once the season started, the Outlaws suffered two straight losses, both heart breakers. Cortez didn't have a great debut with 68 yards passed and 1 int. However, the game was close in the end with the rushing duo Nakamura and Thorbjornsson rushing 240 yards total for 2 TDs. This game didn't set the tone for Cortez's season as this would be his only really bad game. The second game ended with a 32-31 loss but Cortez bounced back with solid passing.
Then the Outlaws found their groove. Over the next 9 games, they won all 9 games outscoring their opponents 282 to 183. What carried the team was a mix of offense and defense. Starting with the defense, they excelled by limiting the rushing game, the opponents only averaged 65 rushing yards a game which is extremely good. On the offense, Tatsu Nakamura was unstoppable rushing for the most yards in the league and a frontrunner for RBoty and maybe OPOTY. Solid seasons by Taro Raimon and the already mentioned Cortez rounded out the offense. Speaking of Cortez, in that 9 game stretch, he has thrown at least 2 games with a QB rating over 130. One of them includes a 47-41 thriller against the Second Lines where he passed 475 yards and 3 touchdowns. Remember, he's a rookie. The other came from the 51-20 blowout where he threw 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
One last highlight was in the Week 8 gameday against the Sailfish. With under 1 minute to spare and down 3 points at the AZ 48 line, Cortez threw an interception which should seal the game. But in the next play, the Sailfish FUMBLED the ball and recovered by the Outlaws. With only a miracle to still save the game, Cortez threw to a wide open Raimon who in the end ran over 50 yards to touchdown and keep the winning streak going.
In the end, the Outlaws got out in the 1st round, but the future is bright for this team.
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479 wordsTIER 2: 13) Write about your team’s biggest rivalry and what makes it so fierce. Is the competition founded in statistics and the team’s recent performance, or is it a rivalry that developed over time during the team’s history that would exist regardless of statistics?
I am not well verse in ISFL history nor the history of the Arizona Outlaws. But there's one team this season that I felt made a great rivalry, or at least created some memorable games for the fans. Last season, the Outlaws were 1-1 against the New Orleans Second line with the loss being early in the season. In that loss, NOLA managed to get a last second Field Goal to win the game 30-27. Now, most people know about the infamous 5 way tie in the ASFC conference. If the outlaws manage to win that game, then the outlaws might've made the playoffs then, don't quote me on it though. Now in this season, both teams first clashed in Week 7. NOLA are coming into the game with a weak record of 2-4 with Ben Slothisberger giving a streaky performance week by week. The defense didn't really help either, giving up an average of 25+ points per game. Meanwhile, the Outlaws are on a 4 game winning streak carried by a red hot Tatsu Nakamura, solid defense, and at the time, contending rookie MVP QB Charlemagne Cortez. The first half of the game was kind of back and forth, but NOLA pulls ahead 24-16 as the primary receiver for them, Ed Barker receives two touchdowns easily. Speaking of Ed Barker, he and Taro Raimon were kind of close in yardage at this time and I personally think there's some sort of rivalry between them, as both aim to win the wide receiver of the year award. In the second half though, Nakamura gets a 65 yard rushing touchdown and the Outlaws take the lead in the 3rd. In the 4th, after some back and forth in kicking field goals, NOLA manages to tie the game with a touchdown in the very last minute.But in the end, the outlaws get the better end of the deal and get yet another Nakamura touchdown. In their next meet on Week 16, Outlaws has already secured 2nd seed in their conference while NOLA needed the win to make the playoffs without tiebreakers. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, NOLA gets the dub easily as Cortez struggled. Barker gets 2 more receiving touchdowns as Slothlisberger carries the game as they lacked rushing the the game. In the 1st round of the playoffs, they yet again meet back to back. The Outlaws get even more dumpstered on as the Secondlines get the win 41-21 behind a passing game between Ben and Barker. I'm looking forward to these two teams playing again next season and as Cortez improves, I hope the Outlaws get the better end of the stick then.
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442 words![[Image: xtriisfl.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/xtriisfl.gif)
