Offensive Comparison:
The Otters versus Outlaws match-up will feature two of the top wide receivers in the league. Robert Phelps has been a dominant receiving threat since entering the league in season one and I don’t anticipate he’ll slowdown in this season’s playoffs. Coming into the game Phelps has a league high 1406 receiving yards, beating the 2nd place finsher by over 100 yards. To go with his yards Phelps leads receivers in receptions at 83 and has a respectable 5 touchdown receptions. Phelps is probably most famous in the league for his big play potential, it seems like every game he breaks off a long one.
On the other side of the field will be the Outlaws’ star receiver Mayran Jackson. Jackson played in the Outlaws ferocious defense last year as a free safety, but converted to wide receiver to fill the hole left by the departure of Lincoln Jefferson. Since taking the reins of the veteran in the wide receiver group Jackson has been old reliable. He finished season 2 with 1201 yards, 83 receptions, and an impressive 8 touch downs. Jackson’s signature plays are bailing quarterback King Bronko out with contested catches that move the chains or breaking tackles to gain extra YAC. This match-up will be an exciting one.
Defensive Comparison:
The Wraiths and Outlaws are not teams known for their defensive stars. However, in this year’s playoff match-up in the battle for the Glacies will have some rising stars for both teams on the defensive side of the ball.
The Baltimore Hawks have a dark-horse MVP candidate in Erasmo Broadway who came out of nowhere in season two to make a serious impact on the field. Following the end of season two Broadway is near the top in nearly every major defensive statistically category. He’s sitting at 115 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 3 interceptions, 13 passes defended, and a safety.
The Yellowknife Wraiths have two rookies manning their line backing core that are also looking to make a big impact for their team in the playoffs. Kevin Cushing is coming in with a respectable 88 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 5 sacks, 1 interception, and one pass defended. Lining up with Cushing is the top season three draft prospect Brice Boggs. Boggs hasn’t even started his rookie season and is starting on one of the top teams in the league. He’s coming into the playoffs with 82 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, 1 interception, and three passes defended.
These linebackers should prove to be key contributors in their match-up.
Bottom Half:
The Philadelphia Liberty are a young team with a bright future. They didn’t make the playoffs this year, but I think deep down nobody really expected them to and that’s ok. While some Liberty players and fans may have had some high hopes that they’d sneak into the playoffs this year, in reality it wasn’t ever really in the cards. This was a season about building the right way for long-term success, not short-term morale victories. In season two their activity was not enough to overcome the deficit they faced as a team almost exclusively fielding rookies. However, they did show that they were chalked full of solid players that were going to be able to have an impact in the league down the stretch. The Liberty secondary was lethal and led the league in interceptions. Offensive rookies Micah Hendrix and Fox North showed that they’re the real deal on the field, both putting up impressive numbers for rookies in the league on a not so good team.
In comparison the Colorado Yeti didn’t make the playoffs because they were unlucky. Statistically, they’re in the conversation for one of the best teams in the league. They have a scary defense and stars all over their offense. In the end, a few tough breaks and a bad offensive line cost them a chance to return to the NSFL Championship game.
Future Talent:
Sachimo Zoidberg is a season 3 draft prospect that is flying under the radar and having an impact. In the first playoff match-up Zoidberg lined up at guard for the Outlaws and put up an impressive stat line of 4 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed against as stout Otters defensive unit. One of the keys to the Outlaws winning in these coming playoffs is by keeping Bronko clean in the pocket and opening up holes for star running back Reg Mackworthy. So far Zoidberg has proven has an asset on both fronts. Zoidberg’s task isn’t finished yet as he’ll have to perform one more time on the big stage to show what he’s worth for anybody scouting him for the season 3 draft. Against the Hawks he’ll have the opportunity to line-up against some strong defenders ranging from defensive ends Owen Taylor and Kurt Hendrix to fellow season three draft prospect J.D. Boom. If Zoidberg plays as well as he did in the first round of the playoffs it should help him with his own confidence in his training thus far building up for his rookie year as well as confidence from general managers around the league that are considering drafting him for season 3.
Playoff Series MVP:
The ASFC Championship was a tight game between the Arizona Outlaws and their bitter rivals the Orange County Otters. As usual the game came down to the wire and was a close back and forth battle. In the end, the match-up was decided not by whose offense could put up the most points, but whose defense could shut down the other team. The eventual victory by the Arizona Outlaws was a direct result of their defense doing just that; staving off the Otters passing attack led by Mike Boss and minimizing points. The biggest factor in that achievement was an unsung hero for the Outlaws all season, defensive end Dental Dam. Dental Dam had been overshadowed throughout the regular season by the superstars on the Outlaws defense, but whenever the team came up big he proved his worth and importance to the team. When the Outlaws needed him most this year he came up big-time with two sacks on quarterback Mike Boss that helped keep points off of the board. In addition to the two sacks, which earned the Outlaws valuable field position, Dental Dam was able to force the only Mike Boss turnover of the game with a forced fumble that he also recovered. The turnover was crucial in keeping at least three points off of the scoreboard and giving the Outlaws a great opportunity to pin the Otters deep. If Dental Dam has shown us anything, it’s that he’ll show up big again in the Ultimus game to help his team get the win.
The Otters versus Outlaws match-up will feature two of the top wide receivers in the league. Robert Phelps has been a dominant receiving threat since entering the league in season one and I don’t anticipate he’ll slowdown in this season’s playoffs. Coming into the game Phelps has a league high 1406 receiving yards, beating the 2nd place finsher by over 100 yards. To go with his yards Phelps leads receivers in receptions at 83 and has a respectable 5 touchdown receptions. Phelps is probably most famous in the league for his big play potential, it seems like every game he breaks off a long one.
On the other side of the field will be the Outlaws’ star receiver Mayran Jackson. Jackson played in the Outlaws ferocious defense last year as a free safety, but converted to wide receiver to fill the hole left by the departure of Lincoln Jefferson. Since taking the reins of the veteran in the wide receiver group Jackson has been old reliable. He finished season 2 with 1201 yards, 83 receptions, and an impressive 8 touch downs. Jackson’s signature plays are bailing quarterback King Bronko out with contested catches that move the chains or breaking tackles to gain extra YAC. This match-up will be an exciting one.
Defensive Comparison:
The Wraiths and Outlaws are not teams known for their defensive stars. However, in this year’s playoff match-up in the battle for the Glacies will have some rising stars for both teams on the defensive side of the ball.
The Baltimore Hawks have a dark-horse MVP candidate in Erasmo Broadway who came out of nowhere in season two to make a serious impact on the field. Following the end of season two Broadway is near the top in nearly every major defensive statistically category. He’s sitting at 115 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 3 interceptions, 13 passes defended, and a safety.
The Yellowknife Wraiths have two rookies manning their line backing core that are also looking to make a big impact for their team in the playoffs. Kevin Cushing is coming in with a respectable 88 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 5 sacks, 1 interception, and one pass defended. Lining up with Cushing is the top season three draft prospect Brice Boggs. Boggs hasn’t even started his rookie season and is starting on one of the top teams in the league. He’s coming into the playoffs with 82 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, 1 interception, and three passes defended.
These linebackers should prove to be key contributors in their match-up.
Bottom Half:
The Philadelphia Liberty are a young team with a bright future. They didn’t make the playoffs this year, but I think deep down nobody really expected them to and that’s ok. While some Liberty players and fans may have had some high hopes that they’d sneak into the playoffs this year, in reality it wasn’t ever really in the cards. This was a season about building the right way for long-term success, not short-term morale victories. In season two their activity was not enough to overcome the deficit they faced as a team almost exclusively fielding rookies. However, they did show that they were chalked full of solid players that were going to be able to have an impact in the league down the stretch. The Liberty secondary was lethal and led the league in interceptions. Offensive rookies Micah Hendrix and Fox North showed that they’re the real deal on the field, both putting up impressive numbers for rookies in the league on a not so good team.
In comparison the Colorado Yeti didn’t make the playoffs because they were unlucky. Statistically, they’re in the conversation for one of the best teams in the league. They have a scary defense and stars all over their offense. In the end, a few tough breaks and a bad offensive line cost them a chance to return to the NSFL Championship game.
Future Talent:
Sachimo Zoidberg is a season 3 draft prospect that is flying under the radar and having an impact. In the first playoff match-up Zoidberg lined up at guard for the Outlaws and put up an impressive stat line of 4 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed against as stout Otters defensive unit. One of the keys to the Outlaws winning in these coming playoffs is by keeping Bronko clean in the pocket and opening up holes for star running back Reg Mackworthy. So far Zoidberg has proven has an asset on both fronts. Zoidberg’s task isn’t finished yet as he’ll have to perform one more time on the big stage to show what he’s worth for anybody scouting him for the season 3 draft. Against the Hawks he’ll have the opportunity to line-up against some strong defenders ranging from defensive ends Owen Taylor and Kurt Hendrix to fellow season three draft prospect J.D. Boom. If Zoidberg plays as well as he did in the first round of the playoffs it should help him with his own confidence in his training thus far building up for his rookie year as well as confidence from general managers around the league that are considering drafting him for season 3.
Playoff Series MVP:
The ASFC Championship was a tight game between the Arizona Outlaws and their bitter rivals the Orange County Otters. As usual the game came down to the wire and was a close back and forth battle. In the end, the match-up was decided not by whose offense could put up the most points, but whose defense could shut down the other team. The eventual victory by the Arizona Outlaws was a direct result of their defense doing just that; staving off the Otters passing attack led by Mike Boss and minimizing points. The biggest factor in that achievement was an unsung hero for the Outlaws all season, defensive end Dental Dam. Dental Dam had been overshadowed throughout the regular season by the superstars on the Outlaws defense, but whenever the team came up big he proved his worth and importance to the team. When the Outlaws needed him most this year he came up big-time with two sacks on quarterback Mike Boss that helped keep points off of the board. In addition to the two sacks, which earned the Outlaws valuable field position, Dental Dam was able to force the only Mike Boss turnover of the game with a forced fumble that he also recovered. The turnover was crucial in keeping at least three points off of the scoreboard and giving the Outlaws a great opportunity to pin the Otters deep. If Dental Dam has shown us anything, it’s that he’ll show up big again in the Ultimus game to help his team get the win.
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