Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.
In the ASFC Championship game for the Solis Cup in Season 2 there was a battle through the air as the Otters and Outlaws dialed up the passing game looking to bring home the championship for their respective cities. Coming into Season 2 both teams were expected to lean more heavily on the run, with the Otters being the leading rushers of Season 1 and the Outlaws being a defense first, control possession team. But this game was a story of the receivers.
Bradley Westfield led the way for the Otters with 4 receptions for a whopping 114 yards and a touchdown, averaging 28.5 yards per catch, his longest being 38 yards. Westfield proved to be an extremely difficult matchup for Outlaw defensive backs, where even on their home turf he consistently burned their back with his blistering 94 speed.
On the other end of the spectrum Mayran Jackson for the Outlaws was a huge playmaker in the short game and gave the Outlaws plenty of big conversions through his precise routes and quick crosses over the middle. Jackson tallied a huge 10 receptions for 86 yards, and while most of his catches were short and none of them found the endzone, he helped keep drives alive and easily was the top offensive talent for the Outlaws buzzsaw offense in this game.
Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series.
When it comes to standout defensive performers in the NSFL one of the first names that comes to everybody's mind is Jayce Tuck. Tuck is almost a lock for defensive player of the year as he is currently leading the league by a large margin in tackles for a loss and sacks. As the two powerhouse teams assembled in Arizona for the ASFC Championship game on Monday night all eyes were on Jayce Tuck to see what the monstrous pass rusher would bring to the game.
On the Otters side of the ball Franklin Harris, a DT-turned-linebacker acquired in a trade last year has quietly been having an excellent season of his own. With his elite 90 speed he is proving to be a tough opponent on the strong side of the formation, both in the run game and in the pass rush. Coming into Monday night expectations for him may not have been as high from the general NSFL public, but those familiar with the Otters knew he was primed to explode.
At the conclusion of the championship Jayce Tuck ended up with a relatively quiet night by his standards, but great for any average NSFL player. He totaled 4 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 1 sack. Franklin Harris ended the game with 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 PD. Both driving in impressive performances amongst their teammates they easily helped to stem the tide of two prolific offenses by keeping things close to the line, and the QB with doubts about his safety.
Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs.
For season 2's playoff race it was apparent from earlier on that some teams were going to face an uphill battle to try and secure a spot in the top 2 of their division. Many predictions were on new expansion teams Philadelphia and Las Vegas to miss the playoffs as well as last year's poor performers the San Jose Sabercats and the Baltimore Hawks.
The two teams with the most interesting challenges this year were the Philadelphia Liberty and the San Jose Sabercats. After acquiring some solid talent and doubling down on their season 1 top performers San Jose started the season strong at 3-1. Looking to have turned their bad luck around with quarterback Ethan Hunt absolutely shredding opposing defenses with WR1 Bailey Cook, while their division rivals the Otters were struggling at 1-3 it looked like San Jose had a date with the postseason. But then everything went south and the Sabercats went on a 9 game losing streak, and to add insult to injury they lost and/or traded (depending how you look at it) two of their best players in Bailey Cook and AC Hackett. The Sabercats turned their focus to rebuilding.
Up in Philadelphia they opened the season at 0-4. The new team struggled on defense and were giving up points to their opposition without relief. Quarterback Jameis Christ put up a valiant effort and ended the season with 3269 yards and only 10 interceptions, but the team's struggle on defense couldn't stem the tide. Expansion acquisition Omar Wright Jr. however proved to be a bright spot for the team and is pegged to be a dominant force in their backfield for seasons to come. Although they opened with a struggle the Liberty began to find a groove midway through the season, and their barometer to pointing up for season 3.
Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs.
After struggling for almost 2 full seasons with kicker issues the OC Otters have continually been frustrated with their lack of a reliable foot on special teams. Having missed out on drafting superstar Christiano Ronaldo in the season 2 draft they found themselves once again with a mentally checked-out kicker in Joey Langdon for season 2. However midway through the season they were able to land a solid prospect in the kicking game in kicker Al Sims.
In the ASFC Championship game Al Sims did everything he could to keep the Otters in the game. Having made both of his 3 point attempts, one at 40+ and another at 30+ these were no chip shots. And in a game whre both teams leaned on the punters heavily to play for field position Al Sims performed admirably given how little experience he had. Knocking 12 puints for 550 yards, averaging 45.8 each and with a long of 58 he did everything he could to keep the Outlaws pinned back as far as possible. He was outperformed in the punting game by Outlaws punter Ronaldo who was able to pin the Otters further back, but given his shorter time in the league Sims performed beyond all expectations.
Looking forward to season 3 it can be expected that any team looking for talent on special teams will find a high performer flying under the radar with Al Sims. Although the Otters may have lost the game, he gave them a fighting chance by helping to keep the lightning fast Outlaws as far from the endzone for as long as possible.
Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.
It is difficult to pin down a top performer for the NSFL Conference Championships this season. Both teams put in very close games, with great performances by both offense and defense. The stat lines make it difficult to determine someone who truly led their team to victory, but by digging a little deeper one player in particular stands out, Baltimore Hawks running back Darlane Farlane.
Farlane rushed for an amazing 31 attempts totaling 101 yards in the NSFC Championship game for the Glacius Cup. Some might point to his meager 3.3 YPC, his longest run of only 12 yards, or his lack of a touchdown and think his performance was one of only volume, and resulted in mediocre performances not worthy of an MVP.
But the true statistic here is the time of possession. The Hawks retained possession of the ball for just show of 40 minutes. Their offense was on the field for almost twice as long as Yellowknife's. When managed properly a clock burning and pace controlling team can strangle out an elite offense like that of the Wraiths. For a team to properly burn clock and lead possession, you need a rusher you can rely one. You need a rusher who can get you first downs, and who stays in between the tackles and keeps the clock running. Baltimore's gameplan smothered yellowknife's offense in the NSFC Championship, and Farlene was the main driver of that strategy, making him the MVP of the Glacius game.
In the ASFC Championship game for the Solis Cup in Season 2 there was a battle through the air as the Otters and Outlaws dialed up the passing game looking to bring home the championship for their respective cities. Coming into Season 2 both teams were expected to lean more heavily on the run, with the Otters being the leading rushers of Season 1 and the Outlaws being a defense first, control possession team. But this game was a story of the receivers.
Bradley Westfield led the way for the Otters with 4 receptions for a whopping 114 yards and a touchdown, averaging 28.5 yards per catch, his longest being 38 yards. Westfield proved to be an extremely difficult matchup for Outlaw defensive backs, where even on their home turf he consistently burned their back with his blistering 94 speed.
On the other end of the spectrum Mayran Jackson for the Outlaws was a huge playmaker in the short game and gave the Outlaws plenty of big conversions through his precise routes and quick crosses over the middle. Jackson tallied a huge 10 receptions for 86 yards, and while most of his catches were short and none of them found the endzone, he helped keep drives alive and easily was the top offensive talent for the Outlaws buzzsaw offense in this game.
Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series.
When it comes to standout defensive performers in the NSFL one of the first names that comes to everybody's mind is Jayce Tuck. Tuck is almost a lock for defensive player of the year as he is currently leading the league by a large margin in tackles for a loss and sacks. As the two powerhouse teams assembled in Arizona for the ASFC Championship game on Monday night all eyes were on Jayce Tuck to see what the monstrous pass rusher would bring to the game.
On the Otters side of the ball Franklin Harris, a DT-turned-linebacker acquired in a trade last year has quietly been having an excellent season of his own. With his elite 90 speed he is proving to be a tough opponent on the strong side of the formation, both in the run game and in the pass rush. Coming into Monday night expectations for him may not have been as high from the general NSFL public, but those familiar with the Otters knew he was primed to explode.
At the conclusion of the championship Jayce Tuck ended up with a relatively quiet night by his standards, but great for any average NSFL player. He totaled 4 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 1 sack. Franklin Harris ended the game with 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 PD. Both driving in impressive performances amongst their teammates they easily helped to stem the tide of two prolific offenses by keeping things close to the line, and the QB with doubts about his safety.
Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs.
For season 2's playoff race it was apparent from earlier on that some teams were going to face an uphill battle to try and secure a spot in the top 2 of their division. Many predictions were on new expansion teams Philadelphia and Las Vegas to miss the playoffs as well as last year's poor performers the San Jose Sabercats and the Baltimore Hawks.
The two teams with the most interesting challenges this year were the Philadelphia Liberty and the San Jose Sabercats. After acquiring some solid talent and doubling down on their season 1 top performers San Jose started the season strong at 3-1. Looking to have turned their bad luck around with quarterback Ethan Hunt absolutely shredding opposing defenses with WR1 Bailey Cook, while their division rivals the Otters were struggling at 1-3 it looked like San Jose had a date with the postseason. But then everything went south and the Sabercats went on a 9 game losing streak, and to add insult to injury they lost and/or traded (depending how you look at it) two of their best players in Bailey Cook and AC Hackett. The Sabercats turned their focus to rebuilding.
Up in Philadelphia they opened the season at 0-4. The new team struggled on defense and were giving up points to their opposition without relief. Quarterback Jameis Christ put up a valiant effort and ended the season with 3269 yards and only 10 interceptions, but the team's struggle on defense couldn't stem the tide. Expansion acquisition Omar Wright Jr. however proved to be a bright spot for the team and is pegged to be a dominant force in their backfield for seasons to come. Although they opened with a struggle the Liberty began to find a groove midway through the season, and their barometer to pointing up for season 3.
Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs.
After struggling for almost 2 full seasons with kicker issues the OC Otters have continually been frustrated with their lack of a reliable foot on special teams. Having missed out on drafting superstar Christiano Ronaldo in the season 2 draft they found themselves once again with a mentally checked-out kicker in Joey Langdon for season 2. However midway through the season they were able to land a solid prospect in the kicking game in kicker Al Sims.
In the ASFC Championship game Al Sims did everything he could to keep the Otters in the game. Having made both of his 3 point attempts, one at 40+ and another at 30+ these were no chip shots. And in a game whre both teams leaned on the punters heavily to play for field position Al Sims performed admirably given how little experience he had. Knocking 12 puints for 550 yards, averaging 45.8 each and with a long of 58 he did everything he could to keep the Outlaws pinned back as far as possible. He was outperformed in the punting game by Outlaws punter Ronaldo who was able to pin the Otters further back, but given his shorter time in the league Sims performed beyond all expectations.
Looking forward to season 3 it can be expected that any team looking for talent on special teams will find a high performer flying under the radar with Al Sims. Although the Otters may have lost the game, he gave them a fighting chance by helping to keep the lightning fast Outlaws as far from the endzone for as long as possible.
Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.
It is difficult to pin down a top performer for the NSFL Conference Championships this season. Both teams put in very close games, with great performances by both offense and defense. The stat lines make it difficult to determine someone who truly led their team to victory, but by digging a little deeper one player in particular stands out, Baltimore Hawks running back Darlane Farlane.
Farlane rushed for an amazing 31 attempts totaling 101 yards in the NSFC Championship game for the Glacius Cup. Some might point to his meager 3.3 YPC, his longest run of only 12 yards, or his lack of a touchdown and think his performance was one of only volume, and resulted in mediocre performances not worthy of an MVP.
But the true statistic here is the time of possession. The Hawks retained possession of the ball for just show of 40 minutes. Their offense was on the field for almost twice as long as Yellowknife's. When managed properly a clock burning and pace controlling team can strangle out an elite offense like that of the Wraiths. For a team to properly burn clock and lead possession, you need a rusher you can rely one. You need a rusher who can get you first downs, and who stays in between the tackles and keeps the clock running. Baltimore's gameplan smothered yellowknife's offense in the NSFC Championship, and Farlene was the main driver of that strategy, making him the MVP of the Glacius game.
![[Image: XSfVUgo.png]](https://i.imgur.com/XSfVUgo.png)
Hank Winchester (S25 - Current) - Scrub
Angus Winchester (S1-S12) - 4x Ultimus Champ - #2 Career Sacks - Hall of Fame
Cooter Bigsby (S14-S23) - S23 Ultimus Champ - #4 Career Yards - #4 Career TDs - 2x MVP - Hall of Fame
