Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs.
For the two expansion teams that took to completely different approaches to their virgin season, the result for both was the same. Never really competing, and ending up on the outside looking in to the playoffs. Can they compete next year? For the Legion the answer is a resounding no. For the Liberty?
Well, that's an interesting question. Kckolbe seems low on the Liberty's playoff hopes but I think they have a chance to compete. Fox North is a bright spot and Jameis Christ had a decent season but his play wasn't enough to cover up for the deficiencies around the roster. He hasn't updated in a really long time, and so I think the Liberty are the team most likely to pull the trigger in the draft on a QB like Mark Strike who has shown he can remain active even in a backup role. I've been harsh on Bercovici but it's disingenuous to blame the Legion's troubles, and his HORRID numbers, completely on him. The O-Line, and really the entire team, lacks depth and is filled with players who aren't improving. The Legion would be foolish at this point to get rid of Bercovici, even if his numbers were reminiscent of Brock Osweiler.
Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.
Since I talked about the two quarterbacks of the expansion teams in my above post, it seems fitting to talk about the two quarterbacks who took their teams to the championship game. King Bronko has had some up and down points throughout the year, even putting himself on the trading block at one point (savage move). Scrub Kyubee is the undisputed leader of his offense, but has he produced at the level expected? His 14-15 TD-INT ration says otherwise. Bronko has had some massive games this year, just look at his 6 TD performance against the Sabrecats. Both teams have solid offensive lines, both Quarterbacks are proven leaders in the locker room. Personally, I give the edge to Bronko as the Outlaws offense is considered to be simply average, Bronko is a game manager and has shown off some clutch traits in tough games this year. On home field Bronko can be straight up deadly with the ball in his hands. Kyubee will have to have a huge game tonight to pull off the unthinkable upset. Can it happen? Yes. Is it likely? No -- my opinion is that the front 7 of the Outlaws is just too fierce to allow Kyubee the time necessary to make the big throws that are going to be necessary to topple the Arizona Outlaws. Is it my bias, as the Outlaws GM seeping in? I don't think so, but I guess we'll find out tonight.
Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs.
Hey speaking of that fierce Outlaws d-line, I would be amiss if I didn't mention Godfrey King. A waiver pick up for the Outlaws who has been a powerful cog in the Outlaws machine. His first playoff game, against the Otters, was less than inspiring as he recorded just one tackle -- perhaps this performance is due to it being his first experience with the "win or go home" pressures of the playoffs. King will simply need to step it up tonight against the Hawks and the good news is he is completely capable of doing such a thing. His claim to fame is his formidable pass-rushing ability. While he produced a hum-drum 17 tackles this season his sack count is an impressive 5 in only 12 games. If King can produce tonight and take advantage of the focus the Hawks will surely be placing on players like: Dam, Tuck, Asipi and Ernston it will be instrumental to securing a Ultimus Trophy for the fans in Arizona. In what is not only the championship game, but his final chance to put a good game on tape for the scouts leading up to the Season Three draft, you can be certain King will be pining for a sack (or maybe even 2) on the NSFL's largest stage.
Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game.
The play of the game in a blowout usually comes pretty early. In the Season 2 Ultimus there was no exception. When Arbin Asipi wrapped up Scrub Kyubee for a safety early in the first quarter it was clear that this game was going to be nothing short of a blood bath. And let's be clear: this was a brutal bloodbath of a game. The Outlaws star defenders have been talked about on the airwaves over and over again and truthfully I believe Asipi has been criminally forgotten by a lot of the talking heads in the NSFL Media section. Well, they'll remember this game for a LONG time. Had the Outlaws not turned to Strike in the 4th Quarter, there's no telling what the score would've been. Asipi is known as a trash talker and you can imagine the Hawks wanted to shut him down completely, but he backed up the talk and brought down Kyubee for a huge two points and then the ensuing punt set the Outlaws up with great field position. All in all you can really take your pick of any number of the Outlaws great plays, but the defensive POG had the play that will be remembered in the history books from this one. Hats off to Asipi in a truly dominating performance.
Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.
The MVP of the Ultimus in my opinion belongs to King Bronko. His numbers may not look eye-popping in the box score, but I think that totally undersells the value of what he's done this entire season. Early in the season the knock on Bronko was that he couldn't go through a game without throwing an INT, well, that certainly changed in the Ultimus. Bronko completely and totally controlled the game going 18/26 for and 238 yards -- but don't forget he sat the entire fourth quarter. In addition to the on the field play, Bronko was the mastermind behind the roster on the field. He's created the NSFL's first dynasty, and honestly who do you think will be better than them in Season 3? It's not a lie to say that NONE of this would be possible without the magical works of King Bronko. Nobody is tougher on King Bronko than himself, but I hope after securing championship number 2 he can spend some time reflecting on what he has created here in Arizona. After getting the S3 draft scouting done, of course. In a game that was never really competitive, the winning Quarterback did everything he needed to do. And on top of that, he has kept the team together and cohesive like a true leader. That is why I am giving my pick for Playoff MVP to the man, the myth, the shitposter: King Bronko.
For the two expansion teams that took to completely different approaches to their virgin season, the result for both was the same. Never really competing, and ending up on the outside looking in to the playoffs. Can they compete next year? For the Legion the answer is a resounding no. For the Liberty?
Well, that's an interesting question. Kckolbe seems low on the Liberty's playoff hopes but I think they have a chance to compete. Fox North is a bright spot and Jameis Christ had a decent season but his play wasn't enough to cover up for the deficiencies around the roster. He hasn't updated in a really long time, and so I think the Liberty are the team most likely to pull the trigger in the draft on a QB like Mark Strike who has shown he can remain active even in a backup role. I've been harsh on Bercovici but it's disingenuous to blame the Legion's troubles, and his HORRID numbers, completely on him. The O-Line, and really the entire team, lacks depth and is filled with players who aren't improving. The Legion would be foolish at this point to get rid of Bercovici, even if his numbers were reminiscent of Brock Osweiler.
Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.
Since I talked about the two quarterbacks of the expansion teams in my above post, it seems fitting to talk about the two quarterbacks who took their teams to the championship game. King Bronko has had some up and down points throughout the year, even putting himself on the trading block at one point (savage move). Scrub Kyubee is the undisputed leader of his offense, but has he produced at the level expected? His 14-15 TD-INT ration says otherwise. Bronko has had some massive games this year, just look at his 6 TD performance against the Sabrecats. Both teams have solid offensive lines, both Quarterbacks are proven leaders in the locker room. Personally, I give the edge to Bronko as the Outlaws offense is considered to be simply average, Bronko is a game manager and has shown off some clutch traits in tough games this year. On home field Bronko can be straight up deadly with the ball in his hands. Kyubee will have to have a huge game tonight to pull off the unthinkable upset. Can it happen? Yes. Is it likely? No -- my opinion is that the front 7 of the Outlaws is just too fierce to allow Kyubee the time necessary to make the big throws that are going to be necessary to topple the Arizona Outlaws. Is it my bias, as the Outlaws GM seeping in? I don't think so, but I guess we'll find out tonight.
Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs.
Hey speaking of that fierce Outlaws d-line, I would be amiss if I didn't mention Godfrey King. A waiver pick up for the Outlaws who has been a powerful cog in the Outlaws machine. His first playoff game, against the Otters, was less than inspiring as he recorded just one tackle -- perhaps this performance is due to it being his first experience with the "win or go home" pressures of the playoffs. King will simply need to step it up tonight against the Hawks and the good news is he is completely capable of doing such a thing. His claim to fame is his formidable pass-rushing ability. While he produced a hum-drum 17 tackles this season his sack count is an impressive 5 in only 12 games. If King can produce tonight and take advantage of the focus the Hawks will surely be placing on players like: Dam, Tuck, Asipi and Ernston it will be instrumental to securing a Ultimus Trophy for the fans in Arizona. In what is not only the championship game, but his final chance to put a good game on tape for the scouts leading up to the Season Three draft, you can be certain King will be pining for a sack (or maybe even 2) on the NSFL's largest stage.
Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game.
The play of the game in a blowout usually comes pretty early. In the Season 2 Ultimus there was no exception. When Arbin Asipi wrapped up Scrub Kyubee for a safety early in the first quarter it was clear that this game was going to be nothing short of a blood bath. And let's be clear: this was a brutal bloodbath of a game. The Outlaws star defenders have been talked about on the airwaves over and over again and truthfully I believe Asipi has been criminally forgotten by a lot of the talking heads in the NSFL Media section. Well, they'll remember this game for a LONG time. Had the Outlaws not turned to Strike in the 4th Quarter, there's no telling what the score would've been. Asipi is known as a trash talker and you can imagine the Hawks wanted to shut him down completely, but he backed up the talk and brought down Kyubee for a huge two points and then the ensuing punt set the Outlaws up with great field position. All in all you can really take your pick of any number of the Outlaws great plays, but the defensive POG had the play that will be remembered in the history books from this one. Hats off to Asipi in a truly dominating performance.
Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.
The MVP of the Ultimus in my opinion belongs to King Bronko. His numbers may not look eye-popping in the box score, but I think that totally undersells the value of what he's done this entire season. Early in the season the knock on Bronko was that he couldn't go through a game without throwing an INT, well, that certainly changed in the Ultimus. Bronko completely and totally controlled the game going 18/26 for and 238 yards -- but don't forget he sat the entire fourth quarter. In addition to the on the field play, Bronko was the mastermind behind the roster on the field. He's created the NSFL's first dynasty, and honestly who do you think will be better than them in Season 3? It's not a lie to say that NONE of this would be possible without the magical works of King Bronko. Nobody is tougher on King Bronko than himself, but I hope after securing championship number 2 he can spend some time reflecting on what he has created here in Arizona. After getting the S3 draft scouting done, of course. In a game that was never really competitive, the winning Quarterback did everything he needed to do. And on top of that, he has kept the team together and cohesive like a true leader. That is why I am giving my pick for Playoff MVP to the man, the myth, the shitposter: King Bronko.
