(S32) Ultimus Week

[terriblehippo]

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For any team, certain players and users have gone above and beyond, shaping the legacy of the franchise.  Choose any ISFL or DSFL team and create a Mount Rushmore for that team.  Who in your mind are the four most noteworthy figures of the team's history?  Why does each one of your included figures deserve that recognition, and how did each of them make their mark?

The New Orleans Second Line have had many talented players don the purple and gold, so it's difficult to settle on just four faces to represent the team's long and storied history.  However, I've put a great deal of thought into this -- both for my own enjoyment and for previous point tasks -- so I think I'm up to the task.  Thanks to @JuOSu for putting together the spreadsheet of all-time stats for NOLA, which is what I referenced in writing this "article."  Here we go!

QB - Borkus Maximus III  @bovovovo
Despite the fact that almost 20 seasons have passed since Maximus last stepped onto the football field, he's still the gold standard for New Orleans quarterbacks.  He has the most passing yards (44,500) and passing touchdowns (251) in franchise history, and is third in career passer rating (86.08).  But while accumulating a mind-boggling number of passing yards, he also found time to pick up some yards on the ground: he's eighth in rushing yards (2063) and rushing touchdowns (18), which is incredible for a quarterback.  Plenty of incredible quarterbacks have played in New Orleans since Maximus -- Stan Francisco, Ben Slothlisberger, and Ishe Reallyinvisible, to name a few -- and have each have left their own mark on the franchise.  But none have had the overall impact that Maximus had. Factor in his collection of individual awards, and he's clearly the NOLA quarterback that should be featured on their Mount Rushmore.

RB - Forrest Gump @TomHanks
Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get.  New Orleans probably didn't know that they were going to get a future Hall of Famer with the third pick in the second round of the Season 15 draft, but that's what they got.  Gump was one of four members of that draft class to play all the way through Season 27, and he made the most of every second.  By the time he hung up his cleats, Gump has climbed to the top of the New Orleans record books.  He finished with 10,504 rushing yards, which is not only good enough for first place but makes him the only NOLA player to end their career with 10,000+ rushing yards.  He scored 70 touchdowns in his illustrious career, only 7 behind the franchise leader.  His 4.21 career rushing average puts him at fifth in franchise history, in a race that's so tight he's only a quarter of a yard behind the franchise leader.  Gump also put in work on special teams: he's second in kick returns, kick return yards, and kick return touchdowns, and is first in those same stats for punts.  His trophy case is also full to bursting, including an Ultimus MVP award in Season 21. That's all I have to say about that.

WR - Vladimir Fyodorovich @majesiu
It's strange to look at a player who had a Hall of Fame career and ask, "What if?" but that's exactly the case with Fyodorovich.  What if the best wide receiver in New Orleans history had played at wide receiver his whole career?  Fyodorovich joined the league as a cornerback and played in that position for four seasons, but how good could he have been if he had been a wide receiver from the start?  He was pretty damn good as it was:  he's third in receptions for New Orleans, and is second in receiving yards (10,002), average (16.78), and touchdowns (53).  But special teams is where Fyodo really shines.  He's first in franchise history for kick returns (322), kick return yards (8351), and touchdowns (2).  For punts, he's second in returns (161), yards (1286), and touchdowns (3).  He was a critical part of the New Orleans roster throughout his career, and much of their success can be attributed to his raw talent.  Fyodorovich earned a staggering number of awards, but one achivement in particular stands out.  As far as I can tell, he's the only player in league history to win a Player of the Year award for offense, defense, and special teams.  When you take all of that into consideration, he obviously deserves to be on the NOLA Mount Rushmore.

LB - Quenton Bode @terriblehippo
No one has ever accused me of being biased before, but I could see how that label would apply here.  Nevertheless, I truly believe my first player belongs on the Second Line's Mount Rushmore as its sole defensive player.  Like Gump, he was drafted in Season 15 and played through Season 27, using that longevity to cement his status as one of the best linebackers in league history.  His biggest claim to fame is his tackles record: Bode made 1441 tackles over the course of his career.  That number is not only good for first in franchise history (in fact, he has almost as many tackles as second and third place combined), but makes him the league's all-time leading tackler.  He's the only player in league history to record more than 1300 career tackles, and while all of these records will almost certainly be broken in time, it's still an incredible feat.  Bode also leads the franchise in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, and surprisingly is also ninth in franchise history for sacks (39).  Out of all of these players, his trophy case is easily the smallest, with only four Pro Bowl selections and one Ultimus ring to his name.  There were many factors working against Bode throughout his career: shorter seasons, his Coverage LB archetype, and the presences of other generational linebacker talents in the league, to name a few.  However, Bode was the foundation of New Orleans' defense for over one-third of league history, and the fact that he achieved so much in spite of everything is a testament to the power of dedication and hard work.  He's integral to the Second Line's history, and for that he is an easy selection for Mount Rushmore.