(S8) - PT 4 - Rivalry

[kckolbe]

From the moment Gus T.T. Showbiz (that can’t be his real name, right? Also, am I the only one who wants to say it “Gustity Showbiz?”) declared for the draft, a rivalry was formed. Kevin Fitzpatrick, who had already declared, had been widely considered the best QB of the draft until that moment. In the DSFL, both QBs received significant attention, with Fitzpatrick going first and Showbiz second. Since then, both teams have had significant success despite the learning curve associated with rookies, with both of their teams leading their respective conferences. Thus far, Fitzpatrick has been slightly better, but Showbiz outplayed him in both of their matchups, leading to some speculation that he is more ready for the big time, with Fitzpatrick being nothing more than a DSFL-quality athlete. For legal reasons, it is already determined that Showbiz will be drafted in the late 2nd round of the next NSFL draft to the Orange County Otters, where he will have the benefit of a top tier set of receivers with Carlito Crush, Bradley Westfield, Robert Phelps, and Tegan Atwell. As for Fitzpatrick, he will be drafted earlier, but his destination is yet to be determined. The two quarterbacks will likely meet one more time, in the Ultimini, capping off a thrilling first season rivalry. @Molarpistols

[iamslm22]

Rivalry in sim leagues can take on several different meanings. There are the friendly rivalries where two players who get along really well who play the same position bust each other's balls over who is better, and then there are ones where there's actually bad blood and the teams or players actually dislike each other.

I am going to talk about the Avon Blocksdale and Mat Akselsen rivalry. Both players agents (myself and @Bzerkap) are two former offensive lineman who are now quarterbacks who are the General Managers of teams that are competing to try and win an Ultimus. Akelsen and Blocksdale have alternated who has had the better year at the quarterback position with Aks getting the official upper hand last season by winning the MVP and most outstanding player. This rivalry is still fierce as both players are in their prime, but it's interesting to say the least in terms of who can be the first to win a title. That will be the big determinant.

Aks and Avon do get along really well, so this rivalry is strictly on the football field. Aks beat Avon twice so far this season, but both players know that the only battle that will matter is if they can face off in the NSFC title game. 215

[GoonerBear]

One DSFL rivalry that continues on now with roots in college is the rivalry between linebackers Kolby Deringer of the Kansas City Coyotes and Jesse Marchand of the San Antonio Marshals. With the two teams perched as leaders of their respective conferences 8 games in at the time of writing and having split two one-possession games between them, the Coyotes-Marshals tension finds one focal point between their drafted rookies.

Deringer and Marchand have history that predates their DSFL showdowns. They faced off annually in the Big 12 in games pitting the Universities of Texas and Kansas against one another. Despite the deep, rich history of Texas football on the whole and the bevy of talent recruited to Austin, the Jayhawks held their own in these games with the Longhorns in a time of transition back to their former glory. Though the Kansas football program was not historically or presently strong, they had their occasional high-talent players like Marchand who could turn the tides of any game. Marchand and Deringer split these games 2-2, with Kansas winning their freshman and junior seasons and Texas winning their sophomore and senior seasons. At the end of their senior season, Deringer tagged Marchand upon uploading a selfie with the Big 12 championship trophy.

These two jostled a bit at each other over social media on DSFL Draft night as well. Deringer offered a backhanded congratulations that night after Marchand was selected last among the four linebackers who entered. Marchand has since retaliated with the Marshals' better season than the Coyotes thus far. He has also brought up with Deringer how he leads the DSFL in tackles with 70 at the 8-game mark and, even accounting for games started, still outpaces Deringer's production. An Ultimini between San Antonio and Kansas City would provide yet another opportunity for this rivalry to grow and write another chapter.

(310)

[Bzerkap]

Rivalry in sim leagues can take on several different meanings. There are the friendly rivalries where two players who get along really well who play the same position bust each other's balls over who is better, and then there are ones where there's actually bad blood and the teams or players actually dislike each other.

I am going to talk about the Avon Blocksdale and Mat Akselsen rivalry. Both players agents (myself and @Bzerkap) are two former offensive lineman who are now quarterbacks who are the General Managers of teams that are competing to try and win an Ultimus. Akelsen and Blocksdale have alternated who has had the better year at the quarterback position with Aks getting the official upper hand last season by winning the MVP and most outstanding player. This rivalry is still fierce as both players are in their prime, but it's interesting to say the least in terms of who can be the first to win a title. That will be the big determinant.

Aks and Avon do get along really well, so this rivalry is strictly on the football field. Aks beat Avon twice so far this season, but both players know that the only battle that will matter is if they can face off in the NSFC title game. 215

Twice last season too ya bum

[Bzerkap]

Been thinking but I don't know if Mat Akselsen really has a rivalry.

Pre-draft there was a rivalry with @Jogn as we both wanted to be centers and stars of the show. Much heated conversation back and forth in that pre-draft cycle. Then we both were drafted to the Yellowknife Wraiths and had a good TPE battle going. It faded out after about S2 when he left and was more interested in the SBA.

So then I turned my eyes on the other top OL guys at the time, like Angus Winchester, Ben Longshaw, and Tim Pest. I was always trying to get more pancakes, unfortunately I never won OL of the year. Also one of the guys I mentioned wasn't even real. So kind of a failed rivalry, and position overall considering the bots we have now.

Then I changed to QB, and had some interesting seasons but never really a rivalry. I guess I'm now a rival with Avon Blocksdale (@iamslm22) though as he has stated. He's been a better pure passer for a bit but I've got the MVP and shizz, and beat him now seven times in a row, so is it really even a rivalry? Nahhhh I guess I just don't have any rivals.

[BWIII]

When Brock Weathers III switched positions from linebacker to defensive end he decided to not only make the change a positional one, but also that a change needed to happen in the locker room. He looked over the tape from the previous season and determined that the defensive line as a unit had gotten kind of soft and that it needed to be better. When he arrived to the facilities in San Antonio for the first offseason workout, he got the guys on the defensive line together, most of them new to the team, and decided to create a rivalry of sorts. Basically what it boiled down to was they needed to feast in the backfield and decided that the unit would shoot for a prize. Each member would be required to put in a small, but decent amount to the pot and at the end of the season whoever got the most combined sacks and tackles for a loss would win. At first this seemed trivial, but with just over half the season done it looks like it has worked. Last season no defensive lineman on for San Antonio had more than 5 sacks, while this already three of the starting four already have at least that many with the fourth only one behind.

[Roly]

Finding a rival for Darren Morris is interesting. I think that in terms of friendly competition, the closest rival would be Gregory Fletcher @The_Hero. Although we didn't play the same position, we both played our DSFL season with the San Antonio Marshals and podcasted together so there was always a spark of adversary (I still hold the fact that I had a Pick 6 in S4 DSFL over Fletcher - can't be an elite defensive back without a Pick 6 - which is especially funny since he had one but it had to be resimmed so he lost it).

But as time has gone on and Fletcher moved on in his life (damn responsibilities), I've looked elsewhere for guys to use as benchmarks for what Morris should be achieving. I think the most consistent benchmark for friendly competition rivalry would be Cameron Taylor (@CDub2) who was also a S5 safety. He's been killing it in recent seasons and already has 6 PDs this season, so Morris has some work to do to catch up – althought we both have one interception. It should be interesting to see what Morris’ archetype switch to Center Fielder will do to the dynamic between the two S5 safeties. Those are the two closest things to rivalries that Morris has in the league.

217 words

[keanex]

I'm going to write about a friendly rivalry I see every day as a Colorado Yeti. The two in question are star wide receivers Dwayne Aaron and Howard Miller. Rivals? How? Again, we're talking friendly rivalries, the kind of rivalry that pushes each other to be the best version of themselves that they can be. I've been on the successful Portland Pythons and we got competitive with each other, bringing the best out of each other game after game, but I'm seeing it now on a much higher level between teammates than I've ever seen.

I'm talking they're in the weight room working out together constantly pushing each other to put up extra reps, extra weight. I see them out running routes and hell sometimes I run them with them, I love that. They're out there doing 1 on 1 drills with Applehort trying to defend each other. It's just fantastic. They are pushing each other in every drill, exercise, and even watching game film. It feels like a twenty four hour cycle for these two.

In the upcoming years when people talk about the best wide receiving duo to ever hit the NSFL, these two are going to be the talk of the league.

[SwagSloth]

One of the biggest team rivalries in the last few seasons has to be the Orange County Otters and the Yellowknife Wraiths. In S4 and S5, the two teams met in the Ultimus, only for the Otters to come out victorious both times. The Wraiths slipped in S6, but came back stronger than ever in S7. Many analysts had them pegged to make to the Ultimus and possibly finally beat the Otters, but an upset victory in the semi-finals allowed the Liberty to take their place and go on to win the Ultimus, ending the Otters’ 3-season streak. Now, once again, the Wraiths and the Otters stand at the top of their conferences and seem destined to meet once again in the S8 Ultimus.

Both teams feature a monster line-up with dynamic defenses. Yellowknife is known more for its run game and innovative tactics on the field, but the Otters have one of the strongest passing attacks in the league and QB Mike Boss has proven that he’s not one to be counted out in the fourth quarter. It’s clear that these are the two teams to beat this year. The real question is whether the Wraiths will finally capture their first championship or if the Otters will bring home their fourth title, giving them the most championships of any team thus far in the NSFL.

226 Words

[dub]

Statistical Ice Cream Breakdown here between best of friends @dub and @ExemplaryChad