1. Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Whichever quarterback performs at a higher level in the ASFC championship game will likely determine the outcome of the game. Boss has a style that is purely stand in the pocket and find one of his various pass catching weapons without having much support in the running game. Bronko is a more athletic quarterback in an offense that likes to use a lot of play action and roll outs, that's made possible by having when one the best RBs in the league in the backfield with him. Statistics wise they had almost identical passer ratings, however, Boss threw 129 more passes this season. Also, despite that extra volume, Boss has a completion percentage 2.5% higher than Bronko. These QBs matched up twice during the regular season. In the first game it ended up as a close Outlaws win in OC. Both QBs performed very well in that game with ratings in the 97.0 range. In the second matchup in Arizona, Boss and the Otters got beat up. It was a game to forget as he only completed 50% of his 54 passes for only 218 yards. Rumors are there will be significant lineup changes for the Otters in this matchup, but I don't think their identity will change much, they will be airing it out in Arizona. (217)
2. Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
We will be comparing to great cornerbacks playing in the ASFC championship game, Philippe Carter of the Outlaws and Marc Spector of the Otters. They are two different styles of corner, but both are very effective. Carter relies on his very high football IQ and change of direction ability to cover WRs. Spector's main weapon is his pure speed, he's one of the fastest players in the entire league. Carter had significantly more interceptions and passes deflected this season, 6 vs. 2 and 26 vs. 15, respectively. One can't help but wonder though if opponents of the Outlaws tried to pick on Carter and his mediocre speed, it's also possible Spector was completely blanketing the receivers he was covering and completely preventing a thrown in his direction by the QB. In run support, both corners seem to have similar skills in that area based off the stats and film. In their respective matchups on Monday night, Spector will have to keep extremely aware defending against the Outlaws balanced attack while Carter knows he will be defending a great WR on every play and that there will be about a 70% chance it will be a pass. One mistake by either corner could be the difference in this game. (208)
3. Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point
The Las Vegas Legion and Colorado Yeti were not able to make the playoffs because they are in the early stages of their rebuilds. Both teams made this season a priority to give a lot of snaps to young players and to trade away veterans for draft picks. Even though it may take a couple seasons for either team to earn a playoff berth, both teams have promising young players to build around that could inspire hope to each teams fan base. For the Yeti they have the best running back in the game in Tweed and two superstar defensive players in Wozy and Saint. A few promising young players they have include CB Boggs, OL Sandoval, and QB Pierino. This league is not friendly to young players, especially not to teams starting many at once. All is not lost for the Vegas Legion either, they have a very promising RB in Savea and very high upside trio of pass catchers in Leclair, Tanner, and Ross. Their offensive line needs serious improvement however. On defense they don't have much but they're lucky to have two great defensive linemen in Blade and Cox. Vegas fans also have future picks to look forward to along with the inevitable additions of CB Kevin Cushing and QB Wolverine to replace the bum Bercovici. (219)
4. Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)
If you took one look at the Yellowknife Wraiths roster before the regular season started, you would probably predict there is no way that team would win less than ten games. But that's exactly what happened. The Wraiths were totally snake bitten this season finishing 1.5 games out of the playoffs with their 7-7 record. They even hired a controversial figure as a Co-GM, but quickly rectified that obvious mistake by firing the disgrace. Let's take a closer look at their roster. They have an elite backfield with their QB/HB/FB combination, they have an incredible wide receiver duo in Garden and Cook, and they arguably have the best offensive line in football. On the defensive side they rebuilt their defensive line featuring two fantastic players in Maddox and Bjornson, their line backing trio was great, and finally they had one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the league. So what the hell happened? Very bad luck and perhaps some less than optimal game planning played a big part in derailing the team this season, but they do have a few weaknesses. One of them is in the secondary. Wide reciever is a stacked position in the NSFL and Yellowknife couldn't really deal with teams who had a great duo. Opposing QBs simply targeted whoever Lavelle wasn't covering and moved down the field. (222)
5. Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them.(Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)
I doubt Franklin Harris Jr. has slept much leading up to the ASFC championship game. It is there that he will be tasked with trying to cover one of the star wide receivers of the Orange County Otters, Bradley Westfield or Robert Phelps. The Otters have those two switch sides depending on the formation but they are equally dangerous, for the sake of this article we will focus on Harris Jr. matching up with Westfield. Harris Jr. is very athletic for a rookie, but Westfield is in the prime of his career and has a significant advantage in running speed and agility. The result of years of training at the professional level is also evident in the strength and endurance advantages Westfield has over Harris Jr. How about actual height and weight? Both players are in the 6'2"-6'3" range weighing about 210 pounds, so here is an area where the young cornerback isn't totally outmatched. Still, if a wide reciever is faster, stronger, and has more experience than the rookie he's going against, odds are that wide reciever is going to have a big game. Look for Mike Boss and the Otters offense to try to exploit this matchup frequently. (200)
Whichever quarterback performs at a higher level in the ASFC championship game will likely determine the outcome of the game. Boss has a style that is purely stand in the pocket and find one of his various pass catching weapons without having much support in the running game. Bronko is a more athletic quarterback in an offense that likes to use a lot of play action and roll outs, that's made possible by having when one the best RBs in the league in the backfield with him. Statistics wise they had almost identical passer ratings, however, Boss threw 129 more passes this season. Also, despite that extra volume, Boss has a completion percentage 2.5% higher than Bronko. These QBs matched up twice during the regular season. In the first game it ended up as a close Outlaws win in OC. Both QBs performed very well in that game with ratings in the 97.0 range. In the second matchup in Arizona, Boss and the Otters got beat up. It was a game to forget as he only completed 50% of his 54 passes for only 218 yards. Rumors are there will be significant lineup changes for the Otters in this matchup, but I don't think their identity will change much, they will be airing it out in Arizona. (217)
2. Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
We will be comparing to great cornerbacks playing in the ASFC championship game, Philippe Carter of the Outlaws and Marc Spector of the Otters. They are two different styles of corner, but both are very effective. Carter relies on his very high football IQ and change of direction ability to cover WRs. Spector's main weapon is his pure speed, he's one of the fastest players in the entire league. Carter had significantly more interceptions and passes deflected this season, 6 vs. 2 and 26 vs. 15, respectively. One can't help but wonder though if opponents of the Outlaws tried to pick on Carter and his mediocre speed, it's also possible Spector was completely blanketing the receivers he was covering and completely preventing a thrown in his direction by the QB. In run support, both corners seem to have similar skills in that area based off the stats and film. In their respective matchups on Monday night, Spector will have to keep extremely aware defending against the Outlaws balanced attack while Carter knows he will be defending a great WR on every play and that there will be about a 70% chance it will be a pass. One mistake by either corner could be the difference in this game. (208)
3. Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point
The Las Vegas Legion and Colorado Yeti were not able to make the playoffs because they are in the early stages of their rebuilds. Both teams made this season a priority to give a lot of snaps to young players and to trade away veterans for draft picks. Even though it may take a couple seasons for either team to earn a playoff berth, both teams have promising young players to build around that could inspire hope to each teams fan base. For the Yeti they have the best running back in the game in Tweed and two superstar defensive players in Wozy and Saint. A few promising young players they have include CB Boggs, OL Sandoval, and QB Pierino. This league is not friendly to young players, especially not to teams starting many at once. All is not lost for the Vegas Legion either, they have a very promising RB in Savea and very high upside trio of pass catchers in Leclair, Tanner, and Ross. Their offensive line needs serious improvement however. On defense they don't have much but they're lucky to have two great defensive linemen in Blade and Cox. Vegas fans also have future picks to look forward to along with the inevitable additions of CB Kevin Cushing and QB Wolverine to replace the bum Bercovici. (219)
4. Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)
If you took one look at the Yellowknife Wraiths roster before the regular season started, you would probably predict there is no way that team would win less than ten games. But that's exactly what happened. The Wraiths were totally snake bitten this season finishing 1.5 games out of the playoffs with their 7-7 record. They even hired a controversial figure as a Co-GM, but quickly rectified that obvious mistake by firing the disgrace. Let's take a closer look at their roster. They have an elite backfield with their QB/HB/FB combination, they have an incredible wide receiver duo in Garden and Cook, and they arguably have the best offensive line in football. On the defensive side they rebuilt their defensive line featuring two fantastic players in Maddox and Bjornson, their line backing trio was great, and finally they had one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the league. So what the hell happened? Very bad luck and perhaps some less than optimal game planning played a big part in derailing the team this season, but they do have a few weaknesses. One of them is in the secondary. Wide reciever is a stacked position in the NSFL and Yellowknife couldn't really deal with teams who had a great duo. Opposing QBs simply targeted whoever Lavelle wasn't covering and moved down the field. (222)
5. Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them.(Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)
I doubt Franklin Harris Jr. has slept much leading up to the ASFC championship game. It is there that he will be tasked with trying to cover one of the star wide receivers of the Orange County Otters, Bradley Westfield or Robert Phelps. The Otters have those two switch sides depending on the formation but they are equally dangerous, for the sake of this article we will focus on Harris Jr. matching up with Westfield. Harris Jr. is very athletic for a rookie, but Westfield is in the prime of his career and has a significant advantage in running speed and agility. The result of years of training at the professional level is also evident in the strength and endurance advantages Westfield has over Harris Jr. How about actual height and weight? Both players are in the 6'2"-6'3" range weighing about 210 pounds, so here is an area where the young cornerback isn't totally outmatched. Still, if a wide reciever is faster, stronger, and has more experience than the rookie he's going against, odds are that wide reciever is going to have a big game. Look for Mike Boss and the Otters offense to try to exploit this matchup frequently. (200)
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