10-17-2017, 02:39 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-18-2017, 02:55 PM by ExemplaryChad.)
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.
Shawn Ariel vs. Haruki Ishigawa: Brawn vs. Brain
Shawn Ariel is an agile running back who depends on his blazing speed to hit the open hole and outrun the first two levels of the defense. In a successful DSFL campaign, he boasted the best YPC average in the league at 4.4 and only missed the 1,000 yard mark because he was picked up a few weeks into the season. He has arguably been the most effective back in the DSFL since his introduction to the league, and he will surely be a major part of the Seawolves’ offensive scheme.
Ishigawa, on the other hand, is far from the most gifted athlete on the field at any given time, but he spends time in the film room like no other. He will be adjusting plays at the line of scrimmage and trying to contain the speedy running back. He joined the league around the same time as Ariel, and has been somewhat of a renaissance man, garnering 46 tackles, 1 for loss, a sack, a pass defensed, a fumble recovery, and an interception.
So who will win this matchup? It’s hard to say that Ariel won’t have a successful game. He has amassed YPC, TDs, and yards at a rate better than just about any other back in the league. However, he can’t outrun the entire Blues defense. If Ishigawa and the coaches can get their guys in the right places, Ariel will have few tricks up his sleeve to counter them. I’m predicting a good game for Ariel, but a better one for Ishigawa and his squad.
@Luminous
Word count: 269
Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win.
Norfolk Seawolves over San Antonio Marshals
The Seawolves and Marshals both played close games to win their respective divisional titles. While the Marshals won with a strong offensive performance and a defense that did just enough to pull out the victory, the Seawolves rode a strong defensive performance and a running game that got them the lone touchdown of the matchup. With this dynamic, there is already reason to believe that this is going to be a close game that could go either way.
Generally, a toss-up match such as this one will favor the home team, which in this case is the Marshals. Still, the Marshals have shown precious little in terms of a dominating aspect of their game this season. While they have strong performers at the running back and wide receiver positions, these players can sometimes disappear and have little impact on the game. This is doubly true for their quarterback, who can look like an all-pro one day and an undrafted rookie the next. An aspect of the Seawolves’ game that never disappears, however, is their strong running attack. The Marshals didn’t show enough defensively to make me believe they can stop the offensive line and running back of the Seawolves. Ultimately, this game will come down to which team can step up and make some big plays, because it’s going to come down to just a couple of small differences. The Seawolves are more capable of those big plays, so they’re going to pull out the win here.
Word count: 253
Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.
William Sean - WR, San Antonio Marshals
While this may not seem like the most obvious pick for MVP in the Marshals vs. Coyotes series, Sean was able to quietly lead his team to a victory in a fairly closely matched game. Looking at the stat lines, it might appear to someone who didn’t watch the game that the Goose ran loose, racking up 77 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Coyotes’ defense. However, he took 22 carries to get that many yards, showing off a pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry.
Sean, on the other hand, not only surpassed him in yardage with 78, but actually served as basically the entire passing offense for the Marshals. Jameis Christ was only able to complete 11 out of 26 passing attempts in a balanced attack that was able to put points on the board despite a struggling QB. Six of Christ’s completions, more than half, went to William Sean. He didn’t get into the endzone, but he set up drives so that Goose could punch it in and get all the glory. His 13 yards a catch had a greater impact than the 22 carries by the Marshals’ running back.
While Goose garnered some decent numbers, it was really Sean’s chemistry with a struggling Christ that enabled the Marshals to pull out this victory.
@EastBeast
Word count: 222
That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch.
Shawn Ariel’s 100th yard vs. Chicago Blues
In a closely matched game where both teams struggled to put points on the board, one player was able to stand out in a way that most people could have predicted before the opening kickoff. Shawn Ariel was the workhorse in the victorious effort that will see the Norfolk Seawolves play for the DSFL championship. Despite it being against my Chicago Blues, I have to give props to the unquestionable MVP of the game.
While he had a number of memorable carries during the game, it was his very last carry that stands out the most. He had already carried the ball 25 times in a true show of endurance, and with the clock winding down, he wasn’t quite done. Having amassed 98 yards with 2 second on the clock, the Seawolves could have taken a knee to end the game. However, they chose to take a gamble to get Shawn Ariel to a significant single-game milestone. They handed the ball off to Ariel, and he ran it up the middle. The crowd watched with bated breath, despite the game being effectively over. The offensive line got a mediocre push, but it was all the speedy running back needed to find his 99th and 100th yards of the game. A cheer arose from the stands as they saw the game’s MVP hit triple digit rushing yards, the only player to do so in the DSFL divisional championship games.
It’s unusual that a play in garbage time comes across as the most memorable play of the game. But in this case, Ariel deserves the attention.
Word count: 273
Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.
Adams vs. Christ: A Tale of Two Passers
In what should be a close match between the San Antonio Marshals and the Norfolk Seawolves, the difference could come down to quarterback play. While both teams are likely to rely fairly heavily on their run games, a strong showing by both or neither will leave the result in the hands of passing games that have been, at best, sporadic.
Christian Adams of the Norfolk Seawolves has been a prolific passer, if not the most effective one. He ranks second in the league in touchdowns, interceptions, and yards, and third in attempts. With the acquisition of a new running back partway through the season, Adams has been called on to do less to get his offense in position to score, and this may be a good thing.
Jameis Christ, on the other hand, has been more efficient and effective this season, but he is the third quarterback to start for the Marshals, showing some measure of disarray in the offensive responsibilities. Still, since his tenure as the starting quarterback began, he has the highest QB rating and completion percentage of qualified quarterbacks. While his game against the Coyotes to get into the championship matchup was subpar at best, he has the ability to come up big and give the Marshals offense a real boost.
The matchup between these two quarterbacks could hardly be more different: a full-season veteran who is prone to mistakes and poor showings versus a flashy newcomer to the DSFL who has his share of ups and downs. It’s hard to say which player will come out on top of this matchup, but it should be interesting to watch nonetheless.
Word count: 279
Shawn Ariel vs. Haruki Ishigawa: Brawn vs. Brain
Shawn Ariel is an agile running back who depends on his blazing speed to hit the open hole and outrun the first two levels of the defense. In a successful DSFL campaign, he boasted the best YPC average in the league at 4.4 and only missed the 1,000 yard mark because he was picked up a few weeks into the season. He has arguably been the most effective back in the DSFL since his introduction to the league, and he will surely be a major part of the Seawolves’ offensive scheme.
Ishigawa, on the other hand, is far from the most gifted athlete on the field at any given time, but he spends time in the film room like no other. He will be adjusting plays at the line of scrimmage and trying to contain the speedy running back. He joined the league around the same time as Ariel, and has been somewhat of a renaissance man, garnering 46 tackles, 1 for loss, a sack, a pass defensed, a fumble recovery, and an interception.
So who will win this matchup? It’s hard to say that Ariel won’t have a successful game. He has amassed YPC, TDs, and yards at a rate better than just about any other back in the league. However, he can’t outrun the entire Blues defense. If Ishigawa and the coaches can get their guys in the right places, Ariel will have few tricks up his sleeve to counter them. I’m predicting a good game for Ariel, but a better one for Ishigawa and his squad.
@Luminous
Word count: 269
Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win.
Norfolk Seawolves over San Antonio Marshals
The Seawolves and Marshals both played close games to win their respective divisional titles. While the Marshals won with a strong offensive performance and a defense that did just enough to pull out the victory, the Seawolves rode a strong defensive performance and a running game that got them the lone touchdown of the matchup. With this dynamic, there is already reason to believe that this is going to be a close game that could go either way.
Generally, a toss-up match such as this one will favor the home team, which in this case is the Marshals. Still, the Marshals have shown precious little in terms of a dominating aspect of their game this season. While they have strong performers at the running back and wide receiver positions, these players can sometimes disappear and have little impact on the game. This is doubly true for their quarterback, who can look like an all-pro one day and an undrafted rookie the next. An aspect of the Seawolves’ game that never disappears, however, is their strong running attack. The Marshals didn’t show enough defensively to make me believe they can stop the offensive line and running back of the Seawolves. Ultimately, this game will come down to which team can step up and make some big plays, because it’s going to come down to just a couple of small differences. The Seawolves are more capable of those big plays, so they’re going to pull out the win here.
Word count: 253
Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.
William Sean - WR, San Antonio Marshals
While this may not seem like the most obvious pick for MVP in the Marshals vs. Coyotes series, Sean was able to quietly lead his team to a victory in a fairly closely matched game. Looking at the stat lines, it might appear to someone who didn’t watch the game that the Goose ran loose, racking up 77 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Coyotes’ defense. However, he took 22 carries to get that many yards, showing off a pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry.
Sean, on the other hand, not only surpassed him in yardage with 78, but actually served as basically the entire passing offense for the Marshals. Jameis Christ was only able to complete 11 out of 26 passing attempts in a balanced attack that was able to put points on the board despite a struggling QB. Six of Christ’s completions, more than half, went to William Sean. He didn’t get into the endzone, but he set up drives so that Goose could punch it in and get all the glory. His 13 yards a catch had a greater impact than the 22 carries by the Marshals’ running back.
While Goose garnered some decent numbers, it was really Sean’s chemistry with a struggling Christ that enabled the Marshals to pull out this victory.
@EastBeast
Word count: 222
That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch.
Shawn Ariel’s 100th yard vs. Chicago Blues
In a closely matched game where both teams struggled to put points on the board, one player was able to stand out in a way that most people could have predicted before the opening kickoff. Shawn Ariel was the workhorse in the victorious effort that will see the Norfolk Seawolves play for the DSFL championship. Despite it being against my Chicago Blues, I have to give props to the unquestionable MVP of the game.
While he had a number of memorable carries during the game, it was his very last carry that stands out the most. He had already carried the ball 25 times in a true show of endurance, and with the clock winding down, he wasn’t quite done. Having amassed 98 yards with 2 second on the clock, the Seawolves could have taken a knee to end the game. However, they chose to take a gamble to get Shawn Ariel to a significant single-game milestone. They handed the ball off to Ariel, and he ran it up the middle. The crowd watched with bated breath, despite the game being effectively over. The offensive line got a mediocre push, but it was all the speedy running back needed to find his 99th and 100th yards of the game. A cheer arose from the stands as they saw the game’s MVP hit triple digit rushing yards, the only player to do so in the DSFL divisional championship games.
It’s unusual that a play in garbage time comes across as the most memorable play of the game. But in this case, Ariel deserves the attention.
Word count: 273
Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.
Adams vs. Christ: A Tale of Two Passers
In what should be a close match between the San Antonio Marshals and the Norfolk Seawolves, the difference could come down to quarterback play. While both teams are likely to rely fairly heavily on their run games, a strong showing by both or neither will leave the result in the hands of passing games that have been, at best, sporadic.
Christian Adams of the Norfolk Seawolves has been a prolific passer, if not the most effective one. He ranks second in the league in touchdowns, interceptions, and yards, and third in attempts. With the acquisition of a new running back partway through the season, Adams has been called on to do less to get his offense in position to score, and this may be a good thing.
Jameis Christ, on the other hand, has been more efficient and effective this season, but he is the third quarterback to start for the Marshals, showing some measure of disarray in the offensive responsibilities. Still, since his tenure as the starting quarterback began, he has the highest QB rating and completion percentage of qualified quarterbacks. While his game against the Coyotes to get into the championship matchup was subpar at best, he has the ability to come up big and give the Marshals offense a real boost.
The matchup between these two quarterbacks could hardly be more different: a full-season veteran who is prone to mistakes and poor showings versus a flashy newcomer to the DSFL who has his share of ups and downs. It’s hard to say which player will come out on top of this matchup, but it should be interesting to watch nonetheless.
Word count: 279
![[Image: cHAD.jpg]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/319945672310784010/405609245862658059/cHAD.jpg)
