Matchup Nightmare:
Carter and Harris vs Westfield and Phelps
Yeah, this one's a bit different. It's not one on one because the truth is you can't separate any two of these four. Not really. On one side you have toe cornerback duo that was 1st and 3rd in passes defensed as well as 1st and 3rd in interceptions. On the other you have the receiver combo that finished 1st and 2nd and touchdowns and yards, as well as 1st and 3rd in catches. These four were EVERYONE'S nightmare during the season.
During the season they met twice and the results were....mixed. In the first game, Phelps and Westfield went about their usual ways, catching a touchdown apiece and racking up nearly two hundred yards and making a close game of it. The second time around they had lower everything and caught no touchdowns as Carter and Harris swatted away pass after pass and kept Mike Boss without a touchdown pass for the only time this season. Orange County lost by 17 points.
Now they meet up for the third time and someone is going to be someone else's nightmare. The question is...who gets the advantage when the pressure is biggest and the lights are brightest? The answer may very well determine everything in the NSFC.
Playoff Predicter:
Baltimore Hawks vs Philadelphia Liberty
Who are the Liberty? Why are they here? Was it the mixed extra point in week 13 that allowed them to stay ahead of the Yeti and win? Was it the amazing 11 point comeback in week 3 that allowed them to tie a game instead of lose it? Truthfully it was any of a handful of tiny moments, or all of them, that allowed the Liberty to sneak into the playoffs over the Wraiths. If there was ever a team that was just glad to be here, it'd be a team like the Liberty. Then again, this is a Philadelphia based sports franchise and as I have mentioned numerous times, these people are animals that barely qualify as human beings on a good day. Especially some of the ones related to me who still live not far outside the city itself (ooooooooh that's why he hates Philadelphia so much).
The Hawks are the opposite. They started dominate and then the second half of their season was basically the noise a clown would make if it blew balloons and farted at the same time. Their season ended with getting absolutely smashed by these same Liberty. That Liberty. The same Liberty that I just outlined some unlikely breaks that went their way. It was 31-14.
So what happens? The Liberty do it again and upset the Hawks in Baltimore. Paul DiMirio takes the offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff, and the hopes and dreams of small children everywhere on his back and drags the entire lot kicking and screaming into victory.
Arizona Outlaws vs Orange County Otters
Arizona has lost twice at home. Period. Can the Otters be the third? Probably not. The high octane offense has trouble with these Outlaws and it's tough to see why this time would be different from week 10. or week 5. Or the playoffs last year. But there's always that question. What if. What if this is that moment. What if the Otters defense stops the Outlaw offense just enough? It's not unreasonable. The Otter defense is sneaky good. What if their offense breaks through the vaunted defense this team? It's plausible, too. They have weapons on weapons and they led the league in both rushing and passing touchdowns. It COULD happen.
So what happens? It doesn't. Outlaws win. Otter management goes back to the drawing board to figure out what tweak is needed to move to that next level.
Ultimus Cup: Arizona Outlaws vs Philadelphia Liberty
Philadelphia doesn't win football championships.
New Talent:
None Stormblessed joined the Baltimore Hawks partway through the season. Within a few weeks, the Hawks went from the third worst offense in the league to the third best. Period. It's hard to overstate the effect that the receiver had on the team's season. He had a huge impact himself, catching all 8 of his touchdowns in his ten games with the Hawks. On top of that, he clearly helped his new teammate, first round draft pick Trey Willie, by creating a next level threat to force defenses to be honest. Add in his league leading kick return yardage and you got a major acquisition that almsot certainly was the difference between middle of the pack offense and a unit that could hold it's own and not force the defense to do all the work.
This is just the beginning, too. Next season looks to be even better as the team gels more and has a full 14 game schedule to do damage. You can absolutely expect the Hawks to challenge the top two offensive monsters in the league, and Stormblessed is a big reason why.
Playoff Review:
Utter domination. That's the only way to describe the Outlaws' stunning 49-12 victory over the Baltimore Hawks in the Ultimus Cup. The Outlaw defense slaughtered the Hawks' attempts to move the ball. In fact, they scored more than the Hawks did through the two interception returns for touchdowns, courtesy of Franklin Harris Jr and Allen Davis. On the offensive side of the ball the Outlaws also more than held their own, diverting from their normal ground and pound attack and instead putting the ball in the air 48 times. King Bronco finished with 4 touchdowns and the game MVP award as the team finished a season that was historically dominant from start to finish.
The aftermath of what could properly be described as a massacre leaves a few questions. What now? Who can stop the juggernaut that is the Outlaws? This is a team that won last year, then went out and added PRODUCTIVE rookies Jaxon Tuck, Godfrey King, Samuel Zheng, Charlie Law, and Franklin Harris Jr. That's like putting a chaingun on a twenty foot mech that already has rocket launchers. So what do the other seven teams do to catch up and surpass the three time champions?
Bottom Half:
It wasn't supposed to be this way for the Yeti. Poised to break into the upper echelon and challenge for the playoffs, the Yeti came into the season ready to showcase the team they'd built. Then, it all fell apart. The Legion came form the other direction. They knew it was going to be a rough year. They're a team building for the future after all. Sure, it doesn't make the losing less hurtful. It just wasn't the shock that the Yeti went through.
Both teams have similarities in their dismal seasons, whoever. Both had management turnover. Both were in the middle scandals that cost them important players going forward. Finally, in a ray of hope, both teams found future stars in the draft. Conner Tanner and Brice Boggs share two things. Ludicrously white guy names and the hopes of their teams. Both teams have hopes that next year will be different. But neither team will forget this dismal year. A year in which the only thing either seemed to be able to beat was each other and the Sabercats. WILL next year be different? Only time will tell.
Carter and Harris vs Westfield and Phelps
Yeah, this one's a bit different. It's not one on one because the truth is you can't separate any two of these four. Not really. On one side you have toe cornerback duo that was 1st and 3rd in passes defensed as well as 1st and 3rd in interceptions. On the other you have the receiver combo that finished 1st and 2nd and touchdowns and yards, as well as 1st and 3rd in catches. These four were EVERYONE'S nightmare during the season.
During the season they met twice and the results were....mixed. In the first game, Phelps and Westfield went about their usual ways, catching a touchdown apiece and racking up nearly two hundred yards and making a close game of it. The second time around they had lower everything and caught no touchdowns as Carter and Harris swatted away pass after pass and kept Mike Boss without a touchdown pass for the only time this season. Orange County lost by 17 points.
Now they meet up for the third time and someone is going to be someone else's nightmare. The question is...who gets the advantage when the pressure is biggest and the lights are brightest? The answer may very well determine everything in the NSFC.
Playoff Predicter:
Baltimore Hawks vs Philadelphia Liberty
Who are the Liberty? Why are they here? Was it the mixed extra point in week 13 that allowed them to stay ahead of the Yeti and win? Was it the amazing 11 point comeback in week 3 that allowed them to tie a game instead of lose it? Truthfully it was any of a handful of tiny moments, or all of them, that allowed the Liberty to sneak into the playoffs over the Wraiths. If there was ever a team that was just glad to be here, it'd be a team like the Liberty. Then again, this is a Philadelphia based sports franchise and as I have mentioned numerous times, these people are animals that barely qualify as human beings on a good day. Especially some of the ones related to me who still live not far outside the city itself (ooooooooh that's why he hates Philadelphia so much).
The Hawks are the opposite. They started dominate and then the second half of their season was basically the noise a clown would make if it blew balloons and farted at the same time. Their season ended with getting absolutely smashed by these same Liberty. That Liberty. The same Liberty that I just outlined some unlikely breaks that went their way. It was 31-14.
So what happens? The Liberty do it again and upset the Hawks in Baltimore. Paul DiMirio takes the offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff, and the hopes and dreams of small children everywhere on his back and drags the entire lot kicking and screaming into victory.
Arizona Outlaws vs Orange County Otters
Arizona has lost twice at home. Period. Can the Otters be the third? Probably not. The high octane offense has trouble with these Outlaws and it's tough to see why this time would be different from week 10. or week 5. Or the playoffs last year. But there's always that question. What if. What if this is that moment. What if the Otters defense stops the Outlaw offense just enough? It's not unreasonable. The Otter defense is sneaky good. What if their offense breaks through the vaunted defense this team? It's plausible, too. They have weapons on weapons and they led the league in both rushing and passing touchdowns. It COULD happen.
So what happens? It doesn't. Outlaws win. Otter management goes back to the drawing board to figure out what tweak is needed to move to that next level.
Ultimus Cup: Arizona Outlaws vs Philadelphia Liberty
Philadelphia doesn't win football championships.
New Talent:
None Stormblessed joined the Baltimore Hawks partway through the season. Within a few weeks, the Hawks went from the third worst offense in the league to the third best. Period. It's hard to overstate the effect that the receiver had on the team's season. He had a huge impact himself, catching all 8 of his touchdowns in his ten games with the Hawks. On top of that, he clearly helped his new teammate, first round draft pick Trey Willie, by creating a next level threat to force defenses to be honest. Add in his league leading kick return yardage and you got a major acquisition that almsot certainly was the difference between middle of the pack offense and a unit that could hold it's own and not force the defense to do all the work.
This is just the beginning, too. Next season looks to be even better as the team gels more and has a full 14 game schedule to do damage. You can absolutely expect the Hawks to challenge the top two offensive monsters in the league, and Stormblessed is a big reason why.
Playoff Review:
Utter domination. That's the only way to describe the Outlaws' stunning 49-12 victory over the Baltimore Hawks in the Ultimus Cup. The Outlaw defense slaughtered the Hawks' attempts to move the ball. In fact, they scored more than the Hawks did through the two interception returns for touchdowns, courtesy of Franklin Harris Jr and Allen Davis. On the offensive side of the ball the Outlaws also more than held their own, diverting from their normal ground and pound attack and instead putting the ball in the air 48 times. King Bronco finished with 4 touchdowns and the game MVP award as the team finished a season that was historically dominant from start to finish.
The aftermath of what could properly be described as a massacre leaves a few questions. What now? Who can stop the juggernaut that is the Outlaws? This is a team that won last year, then went out and added PRODUCTIVE rookies Jaxon Tuck, Godfrey King, Samuel Zheng, Charlie Law, and Franklin Harris Jr. That's like putting a chaingun on a twenty foot mech that already has rocket launchers. So what do the other seven teams do to catch up and surpass the three time champions?
Bottom Half:
It wasn't supposed to be this way for the Yeti. Poised to break into the upper echelon and challenge for the playoffs, the Yeti came into the season ready to showcase the team they'd built. Then, it all fell apart. The Legion came form the other direction. They knew it was going to be a rough year. They're a team building for the future after all. Sure, it doesn't make the losing less hurtful. It just wasn't the shock that the Yeti went through.
Both teams have similarities in their dismal seasons, whoever. Both had management turnover. Both were in the middle scandals that cost them important players going forward. Finally, in a ray of hope, both teams found future stars in the draft. Conner Tanner and Brice Boggs share two things. Ludicrously white guy names and the hopes of their teams. Both teams have hopes that next year will be different. But neither team will forget this dismal year. A year in which the only thing either seemed to be able to beat was each other and the Sabercats. WILL next year be different? Only time will tell.
![[Image: 68.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/722696337912496132/759304283312881684/68.png)
