08-28-2017, 09:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-29-2017, 06:39 AM by RedCydranth.)
Offensive Comparison
The Arizona Outlaws and the Orange County Otters are squaring off against one another in the ASFC Conference Championship Game. It is a rematch of last season's ASFL, and the primary receivers have changed of Arizona. Last season the Outlaws had Stormblessed and Jefferson. This year they have Jackson and Evans as their primary threats. I will focus on Phelps and Jackson.
A quick comparison would show that Phelps is a superior player over Jackson. He had 83 receptions for 1406 yards. Jackson is a Free Safety converted to Wide Receiver, and in his first year as a receiver he put up 83 receptions for 1201 yards. A 205 yard differential. But if you look at the Touchdowns, Phelps is eclipsed by Jackson 8 to 5. So those 3 touchdowns almost mitigates the yard difference. Both players are important to their franchise and would not be in the playoffs today if not for their contributions.
Comparing Jackson to Phelps's numbers last year, because it is Jackson's first year at WR, It's practically the same story. Phelps has more yards and about the same receptions in his rookie year as Jackson, however Jackson has more touchdowns. If Jackson keeps improving, he could very well be the best wide receiver in the NSFL.
(211 Words)
Defensive Comparison
The Wraiths are travelling to Baltimore to face the Hawks in the NSFC Conference Championships. Both teams rely heavily on their defense, and most people who study the tape knows that good linebacker play can be to edge when it comes to winning and losing games. Yellowknife has a linebacker named AC Hackett who has come on strong in the NSFL as the Wraiths leading tackler. Baltimore has a tackling machine of their own, named Stephen Harrison. Their season have been remarkably similar thus far.
AC Hackett leads the Wariths with 114 tackles. Stephen Harrison only has 2 more, sitting at 116 tackles. Harrison has been slightly more efficient taking down the running back behind the line of scrimmage than Hackett, as he has 4 tackles for a loss, to AC's 3. Neither of them registered a fumble or a recovery. Hackett makes up for the 1 less tackle behind the line by having 2 more sacks than Harrison. Both of these outstanding and versatile players came down with two interceptions. And both were adept at getting their hands up and batting down passes at the line. Hackett was slightly more efficient in this, registering 8 pass deflections to Harrison's 7. These two players are close in stats but one final stat pushes the edge to Hackett's side. Hackett scored a defensive touchdown. In the direct comparison this is the defining edge that makes AC a better linebacker this year than Stephen.
Of course that minor difference probably will not matter come game day as both of these men will take the field and play lights out for four quarters.
(270 words)
Bottom Half
It's a sad thing when a team of people put their heart and soul into playing every week and fall short of making playoffs, and have to watch their rivals contend for the Ultimus Trophy. Four teams failed to make the playoffs, San Jose Sabercats, Philadelphia Liberty, Colorado Yeti and Las Vegas Legion. Two of them are new to the NSFL this season, and I will take a look at how and why these teams failed to make their first appearance in the post season.
First we'll start off with the Las Vegas Legion. Many questioned their strategy of trading away all their draft picks for players before their expansion draft. By doing so, they missed out on a lot of players that they could build their franchise upon, but arguably the players they got in these trades were just as good if not better than the ones they could have drafted. So, then why did they lose? Well, overall lack of talent. Even with the expansion draft and the trades to get guys like Stormblessed and Ramiro, they were left with much less activity than the original 6 teams. Another contributing factor was Quarterback Josh Bercovici started his season in a really bad slump. After winning their first game, he threw 14 interceptions and only 2 TDs during their 6 game losing streak.
The Liberty chose to take a different path in their inaugural season. They actually drafted in the first 6 rounds. Not including the forced pick of Fox North, they picked up Micah Hendrix, Tyler Oles, Drew Davidson, Perry Tucker, Paul DiMirio, Kristoffer Sullivan, Ottokar Van Gerhardt and Luke Washington all before the Legion could take their first pick. Plus a late pick of Damien Kroetch really helped them as well. They're poised to be better in season 3 than the Liberty by taking this approach. But why did they not make playoffs this year? Well, partly because they were in a tough division. All three teams above them had winning records, and it took the Liberty 4 games to find a groove. If you look at their last game against the Sabercats, you'll see they're not a bad team.
(363 words)
Future Talent
It's a strange rule in the NSFL, that allows players who declare for the S3 draft to be picked up and played in the season before they're drafted. But, that's how it goes. Players like Dermott Lavelle and Tim Pest did it last season. So, who is the big pickup for S3 that has helped a playoff team?
I think that's an easy question. JD Boom has been an unrecognized hero for the Baltimore Hawks. His stat line does not show what he truly is capable of doing. He's a team leader in the locker room and should he fall to another team in the upcoming S3 draft, he leaves a big hole in that Baltimore locker room. On the field though, he certainly can make his presence felt. Through the course of the season, Boom has found his way to the quarterback 7 times, with one time forcing a fumble. His stock is very high going into the third season. Some project him to be a top five pick. It all depends on team need, but the Hawks will more than likely do what it takes to keep this rising star in Baltimore. JD probably likes being there too.
(200 words)
Playoff Series MVP
The NSFC Championship game was a nailbiter. With a final score of 16-14, the Hawks had to rely on several players, and maybe some dumb luck to pull off the win against the Wraiths. If you look at the stat sheet, there's several contenders for the MVP. Kyubee, Vincent, Christmas and Farlane all put up big games, but which actually helped win the most? For that, I dug deeper into the Play by Play.
As I scanned the drive by drive analysis, Kyubee consistently drove the ball, and passed to everyone wearing a Hawks jersey. But when it came time for the big play, they only were able to get it into the endzone once. The Wraiths defense did a fantastic job stopping the Hawks from scoring touchdowns at will. The Wraiths fought back and made the game close. They were able to be quite offensive with scoring a return TD and an offensive TD. But there was one man who helped the Hawks win that game more than any other. Often the unsung hero of all games, the kicker. Turk Turkleton was 3 for 3 with 1 extra point. He was responsible for 10 of the Hawks points. Playoffs are stressful and all 3 of his field goals were from either the 39 or 40 yard line. Not the easiest of kicks. If the Hawks want to have any shot of beating the Outlaws, they're going to need Turkleton's golden leg.
(243 words)
The Arizona Outlaws and the Orange County Otters are squaring off against one another in the ASFC Conference Championship Game. It is a rematch of last season's ASFL, and the primary receivers have changed of Arizona. Last season the Outlaws had Stormblessed and Jefferson. This year they have Jackson and Evans as their primary threats. I will focus on Phelps and Jackson.
A quick comparison would show that Phelps is a superior player over Jackson. He had 83 receptions for 1406 yards. Jackson is a Free Safety converted to Wide Receiver, and in his first year as a receiver he put up 83 receptions for 1201 yards. A 205 yard differential. But if you look at the Touchdowns, Phelps is eclipsed by Jackson 8 to 5. So those 3 touchdowns almost mitigates the yard difference. Both players are important to their franchise and would not be in the playoffs today if not for their contributions.
Comparing Jackson to Phelps's numbers last year, because it is Jackson's first year at WR, It's practically the same story. Phelps has more yards and about the same receptions in his rookie year as Jackson, however Jackson has more touchdowns. If Jackson keeps improving, he could very well be the best wide receiver in the NSFL.
(211 Words)
Defensive Comparison
The Wraiths are travelling to Baltimore to face the Hawks in the NSFC Conference Championships. Both teams rely heavily on their defense, and most people who study the tape knows that good linebacker play can be to edge when it comes to winning and losing games. Yellowknife has a linebacker named AC Hackett who has come on strong in the NSFL as the Wraiths leading tackler. Baltimore has a tackling machine of their own, named Stephen Harrison. Their season have been remarkably similar thus far.
AC Hackett leads the Wariths with 114 tackles. Stephen Harrison only has 2 more, sitting at 116 tackles. Harrison has been slightly more efficient taking down the running back behind the line of scrimmage than Hackett, as he has 4 tackles for a loss, to AC's 3. Neither of them registered a fumble or a recovery. Hackett makes up for the 1 less tackle behind the line by having 2 more sacks than Harrison. Both of these outstanding and versatile players came down with two interceptions. And both were adept at getting their hands up and batting down passes at the line. Hackett was slightly more efficient in this, registering 8 pass deflections to Harrison's 7. These two players are close in stats but one final stat pushes the edge to Hackett's side. Hackett scored a defensive touchdown. In the direct comparison this is the defining edge that makes AC a better linebacker this year than Stephen.
Of course that minor difference probably will not matter come game day as both of these men will take the field and play lights out for four quarters.
(270 words)
Bottom Half
It's a sad thing when a team of people put their heart and soul into playing every week and fall short of making playoffs, and have to watch their rivals contend for the Ultimus Trophy. Four teams failed to make the playoffs, San Jose Sabercats, Philadelphia Liberty, Colorado Yeti and Las Vegas Legion. Two of them are new to the NSFL this season, and I will take a look at how and why these teams failed to make their first appearance in the post season.
First we'll start off with the Las Vegas Legion. Many questioned their strategy of trading away all their draft picks for players before their expansion draft. By doing so, they missed out on a lot of players that they could build their franchise upon, but arguably the players they got in these trades were just as good if not better than the ones they could have drafted. So, then why did they lose? Well, overall lack of talent. Even with the expansion draft and the trades to get guys like Stormblessed and Ramiro, they were left with much less activity than the original 6 teams. Another contributing factor was Quarterback Josh Bercovici started his season in a really bad slump. After winning their first game, he threw 14 interceptions and only 2 TDs during their 6 game losing streak.
The Liberty chose to take a different path in their inaugural season. They actually drafted in the first 6 rounds. Not including the forced pick of Fox North, they picked up Micah Hendrix, Tyler Oles, Drew Davidson, Perry Tucker, Paul DiMirio, Kristoffer Sullivan, Ottokar Van Gerhardt and Luke Washington all before the Legion could take their first pick. Plus a late pick of Damien Kroetch really helped them as well. They're poised to be better in season 3 than the Liberty by taking this approach. But why did they not make playoffs this year? Well, partly because they were in a tough division. All three teams above them had winning records, and it took the Liberty 4 games to find a groove. If you look at their last game against the Sabercats, you'll see they're not a bad team.
(363 words)
Future Talent
It's a strange rule in the NSFL, that allows players who declare for the S3 draft to be picked up and played in the season before they're drafted. But, that's how it goes. Players like Dermott Lavelle and Tim Pest did it last season. So, who is the big pickup for S3 that has helped a playoff team?
I think that's an easy question. JD Boom has been an unrecognized hero for the Baltimore Hawks. His stat line does not show what he truly is capable of doing. He's a team leader in the locker room and should he fall to another team in the upcoming S3 draft, he leaves a big hole in that Baltimore locker room. On the field though, he certainly can make his presence felt. Through the course of the season, Boom has found his way to the quarterback 7 times, with one time forcing a fumble. His stock is very high going into the third season. Some project him to be a top five pick. It all depends on team need, but the Hawks will more than likely do what it takes to keep this rising star in Baltimore. JD probably likes being there too.
(200 words)
Playoff Series MVP
The NSFC Championship game was a nailbiter. With a final score of 16-14, the Hawks had to rely on several players, and maybe some dumb luck to pull off the win against the Wraiths. If you look at the stat sheet, there's several contenders for the MVP. Kyubee, Vincent, Christmas and Farlane all put up big games, but which actually helped win the most? For that, I dug deeper into the Play by Play.
As I scanned the drive by drive analysis, Kyubee consistently drove the ball, and passed to everyone wearing a Hawks jersey. But when it came time for the big play, they only were able to get it into the endzone once. The Wraiths defense did a fantastic job stopping the Hawks from scoring touchdowns at will. The Wraiths fought back and made the game close. They were able to be quite offensive with scoring a return TD and an offensive TD. But there was one man who helped the Hawks win that game more than any other. Often the unsung hero of all games, the kicker. Turk Turkleton was 3 for 3 with 1 extra point. He was responsible for 10 of the Hawks points. Playoffs are stressful and all 3 of his field goals were from either the 39 or 40 yard line. Not the easiest of kicks. If the Hawks want to have any shot of beating the Outlaws, they're going to need Turkleton's golden leg.
(243 words)
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