S2 - Ultimus Week

[automatic]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point

When Yellowknife traveled to Baltimore on Monday night to face off against the Cinderella story that is
the season 2 Baltimore Hawks both teams were ready to grind it out. This was destined to be a tight game from the start. And two players who were bound to be a major part of the gameplan were running backs Darlane Farlane and Bubba Nuck.

Nuck was the obvious favorite. The reigning MVP from season 1 showed the NSFL how rushing is done. Although limited in his success during the regular season this year he still retained that season one swagger. The Wraiths led by Chris Orosz made it a point to feed Nuck. He was given the rock 27 times, yet only scraped together a meagre 78 yards. Totaling under 3 yards per carry without a touchdown, and not breaking off a run more than 78 yards Nuck found himself thoroughly stuffed.

On the other side young gun Darlane Farlane came into season two as a rookie and proceeded to show the rest of the league how it's done. Powering through the regular season and finishing as the lead rusher Farlane was all business on Monday Night. He surpassed Nuck's volume with 31 carries and broke them for 101 yards at an average of 3.3 while also doing good work on third down in the blocking game, drumming up 3 pancakes.

Winner: Darlane Farlane

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point

When the Otters faced off against perennial rivals the Arizona Outlaws on Monday night the defenses were the big story. With at least half of their starting defense destined for the pro bowl Arizona's historic defense was looking to put on a show. Meanwhile the Otters, with a serious defense of their own were coming to town with something to prove, that they could do the same. Two stars of the night were Harrif Ernston and Jackson Harris, linebackers.

Harrif Ernston played light's out this year. All but guaranteed a pro bowl slot and even garnering some MVP votes he came into the evening with the advantage. However he found himself struggling versus the Otters offense and along with the rest of his defense couldn't find much production. Ernston was only able to tally up 3 tackles and 1 sack for the evening. After such an electric season he pulled an Angus Winchester in the first playoff game.

Meanwhile Jackson Harris had been having a quiet season, his first at linebacker. Although he had great stats during the regular season, he is still considered an outside shot for the pro bowl given the talent on Arizona's squad. But on Monday night he brought everything he had. Harris finished the night with 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 pass defensed.

Winner: Jackson Harris

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point

When the expansion teams were announced and the wheeling and dealing had begun, nobody had a clue what was happening in Las Vegas. It seemed every single day that there were huge splash trades being made as the Legion mortgaged their future in hopes of securing talent now. They made blockbuster free agency moves, signing controversial talent Josh Bercovici for $9 million dollars. They sent away almost every draft pick for season 2 and season 3. They traded for I. Rashad then traded him right back. But after the smoke cleared and the regular season was concluded only rubble remained of the Legion's hopes and dreams. They were trounced this season on both sides of the ball. They can't stop the pass, they can't stop the run, they can't open holes for Ardie Savea, and they can't protect Josh Bercovici. The Legion are in for a long few seasons as they have no draft picks and not much talent to build around. They didn't make the playoffs because they were too greedy.

The Colorado Yeti are another story. The Yeti made the playoffs last season. After starting season one strong they suddenly hit a rough patch and started losing, a lot. When the postseason hit they still had enough of a record to cling to to get them in the door. But they couldn't seal the deal and they lost to Arizona in the Ultimus. Come season two everyone expected the Yeti to return to glory and bring home the trophy to the Rocky Mountains. But the Baltimore Hawks had other plans. With their division suddenly becoming competitive the Yeti soon discovered themselves in the middle of a crowded field, without the spark to jet out in front. Logan Noble didn't have the swagger of season one anymore and found himself on his back almost as much as Josh Bercovici. The offensive line was in tatters and the defense did everything they could but struggled to stop the passing game of their opponents. The Yeti lost because everyone else got better while they stood still.

Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

When the Baltimore Hawks meet the Arizona Outlaws in the Ultimus Championship tomorrow night there were be a handful of players that are playing for what could be their last game with their team. These are the waiver wires, the stragglers picked up midseason by teams in hopes that he could make the team that much better for only that one season. One such player is Baltimore Hawks Defensive End, JD Boom. Boom is one of few strong defensive linemen to be found in the season 3 draft class, and has quickly shown he has what it takes to hang with the elite players of the NSFL.

On Wednesday JD Boom will have no shortage of difficulty to overcome. He will have one of the best offensive linemen of season two, Tim Pest, standing in between him and the ballcarrier. Boom will have to overcome this monster of a man, one of the absolute strongest in the game. He will have to try and match wits with the lightning bolt we call Reg Mackworthy, who has proven this season that if you don't run at least a 4.6, you won't even get close to him as he cracks your defense wide open. JD Boom however, will prove to be the key piece of the Baltimore defense. He will show up tomorrow and rack up 2 sacks, two digit tackles, will drop Mackworthy behind the line twice, and will force a fumble while he's at it. JD Boom is going to bring home the Ultimus for Baltimore.

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about

When it comes to championship games the biggest enemy is pressure. If they don't keep a cool head players will make mistakes. Good coaches instill this into their players as they approach the postseason, don't let the pressure get to you. The position most affected by pressure, is the kicker. An entire game, and entire series, and entire season, and entire career, can hang on one kick. One long kick on a cold, windy day. The pressure breaks kickers down. It tears them to pieces. It chews them up and spits them out. But not Turk Turkleton.

Turk Turkleton is cooler than his namesake. Turk Turkleton is cooler than the city of Baltimore in the middle of a January Noreaster. Turk Turkleton laughs at the pressure. At the NSFC Championship game, with the Glacius cup on the line, Turkleton had the demeanor of someone waiting in line at the DMV, attentive and ready to get up front and get it done. The game was decided by a field goal. In the third quarter, the last time the Hawks got points on the board Turkleton trotted onto the field for a 40 yard attempt in a biting headwind. He took two steps back, and one to the side. The ball was snapped, the hold was good, with AC Hackett bearing down on him from the edge unblocked he took two steps and planted his foot firmly into the pigskin, and sent the ball sailing true down the center of the posts. That kick could have made it from 65 yards. Turk Turkleton is the best damn kicker in the NSFL and he proved it last night.

[TimPest]

offensive comparison- The quarter back that are playing in the finals game are very different type of quarter back. Kyubee is on the Baltimore hawks and he has the stats of 296 complete pass, 3181 yards, 58,6% complete pass, 14 touch downs and 15 interceptions. More interceptions is always a bad stat to have for any player but more inteceptions then touch downs is a very bad stat for a quarter back playing in the finals game. King bronko is the outlaws quarter back and he has the stats of 285 complete passes, 3130 yards, 55 percent complete pass, 25 touch downs and 15 interceptions so the two quarter backs are basically the same except king bronko has 10 more touch downs and 11 less throws so that is pretty good. If you go by touch downs that is points then king bronko is the best quarter back in the entire game and kyubee is not so good. There was even a game where king bronko throws 6 touch downs and we scored 60 points. In this finals game kyubee will have to play like king bronko if he wants to win the game but I know that the defense on my team is not going to let him do that.

offensive comparison

defensive comparison

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future talent

[Sweetwater]

Offensive Comparison:
For our offensive comparison, lets take a look at the ASFC Champion Arizona Outlaws, and the NSFC Champion Baltimore Hawks. I'll start with the Outlaws. As the top seed from the ASFC, it was expected to see them in the Ultimus game, and a lot of that was due to their high powered offence. They are ranked 1st overall in the league for points per game, 2nd in the league for rush yards, and 4th in the league in both passing yards and overall yards. With Quarterback K. Bronko at the helm the Outlaws put up a league toppling 25 passing TDs, and a significant number of those going to receiver M. Jackson, who put up an impressive 1200 yard season. Leading the backfield is running back R. Mackworthy. While he may have had an arguably low 3.3 yards per carry this season, when you run the ball almost 350 times, you're gonna get results. With his longest run at only 15 yards, he is a true ground and pound, and that 1000 yard season shows just how much power he has. Arizona's offence got it done last year, can they have a repeat performance?

Time to look at the NSFC Champion Baltimore Hawks. The Hawks suffered a large blow this season when they lost their star tight end (who shall remain nameless) due to findings of his abuse of performance enhancing drugs. Nevertheless, they have moved on to the Ultimus. Now, S. Kyubee is not the best QB in the league, and he actually threw more interceptions than he did touchdowns, but he is not the star of this offence. That honor belongs to the NSFL leading rusher D. Farlane. Farlane had an incredible 1267 yard rushing year, but with 376(!) carries and a 3.4 average, we have to question how much more abuse he can take. The team will need to really amp things up if they want to take it to the incredibly tough Outlaws defense.

Defensive Comparison:
Time for our defensive analysis. Here we are going to compare two players who could make the difference for the big game. I am going to be comparing safety turned corner back for the ASFC champion Outlaws, Isaiah Rishard, and star corner back for the NSFC champion Hawks, Antoine Delacour. Both Pro Bowl locks, it's safe to say they are elite players and capable of shutting down a star receiver or an entire half of the field.

Isaiah Rashad finished the season with 60 tackles, a league leading 6 interceptions, 19 passes defensed, a forced fumble, and a defensive touchdown. Impressive stats for someone playing out of position, and a constant threat to make turnovers. On a personal note, I can say the sim loves him. In my testing he will make a big play basically every game, so look for that to happen in the Ultimus.

Antoine Delacour had an insane season. 65 tackles, a sack, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 5 interceptions, 13 passes defensed, and 2 defensive touchdowns. He is a terrifying opponent or even the best receivers, and a lenace to QBs. If the Hawks want to win this year, they are going to have to have Delacour keep up his numbers and make some big plays when it counts.



Bottom Half:
There were 2 teams this season who have had equal and opposite reasons for not having made the playoffs. The first is the San Jose Sabercats. The Sabercats started out the season strong with a 3-1 showing, but soon fell to a 9 game losing streak. In the midst of this turmoil the GM, Royal, had a plan. He was able to trade two major players looking to move on during free agency for future picks and one of the biggest and best motivators, Wide Receiver Darren Smallwood. Smallwood set forth a chain of events which lead the team down the path to a full rebuild. The team was almost guaranteed to miss the playoffs when trading 2 active players and having received players who would either go inactive or retire.

The Las Vegas Legion had a similar plan, but the other side of the coin. The Legion decided to go for broke and move most of their capital to try to make a push for the Ultimus this year. This unfortunately backfired when several of their players either became significantly less active, or disappeared altogether. As expected, less active players leads to lower team performance, but with the added downside of losing several draft picks (including the season 3 first overall pick) in the process. The team went all in on a pair of aces only to have the house pull a straight flush.

Playoff Review:
The NSFC Championship game was an offensive matchup for the ages, or at least, it should have been. With the Yellowknife Wraiths having an aggressive areal assault, and the Baltimore Hawks an old school ground and pound option, you would think we would have seen back to back to back touchdowns. But we ended up with one of the lower scoring games of the series. Yellowknife, despite having 2 of the top ranked receivers in the league, Josh Garden and Bailey Cook, both coming off 1000+ yard seasons, supplemented by a ferocious running back in Bubba Nuck, only managed to put up 14 points and 191 yards on a Hawks defense that usually landed in the middle of the pack. Whereas the Hawks offence, while able to put up tons of yardage, 452 of them in fact, were only able to put up 16 points. The Hawks would have a steep hill to climb to come up with the Ultimus.

The ASFC Championship game was much closer. The two most arguably complete teams having it out with a good old fashioned game of football. Both teams had a turnover, multiple sacks, and close yardage. The biggest difference was the penalties. If it weren't for the fact that the penalties are most likely determined by some sort of random number generator, one would think the refs had it out for the Otters. They totaled 70 yards of penalties, which makes up the majority of the difference in their total yardage when compared to the Outlaws, and arguably cost them the game.

The Ultimus was a totally different type of game, in that it was a total blowout. Kyubee was sacked twice for safeties, all of the Hawks points came from 2 field goals, the Outlaws just dominated and showed why they totally deserve to be the S2 NSFL Champs.

Championship Game Recap:
The biggest play, or at least the one that seemed to set the full momentum of the Arizona Outlaws total domination of the Baltimore Hawks in motion, came during the second quarter of the game. To set the scene, the Outlaws had just made their way down the field, only to be stopped at the Hawks' 1 yard line, a big stop for the defense holding to only a field goal. Down 10 but with 40 minutes still left in the game, the Hawks prepared to answer on the next drive and hopefully bring the score to within 3 points. Ronaldo kicked off and landed the ball at the Hawks 6 yard line, with no chance of return from Dermot Lavelle. With first and 10 on their own 6, the Hawks called a pass play to try to get away from their own end zone, but corner Isaiah Rashad had other plans, and sacked Kyubee for a 4 yard loss on a corner blitz. Now facing 2nd and 14 from their own 2, and for our play of the game, the Hawks went bold and went against common practice: They decided to try and pass again. Kyubee took the snap, dropped back, started to go through his reads, and sensed something coming. Knowing he was in his own end zone and had no passing options, he attempted to escape, but it was too late. Defensive tackle Arbin Asipi came blasting through the line and sacked him in the end zone for a safety. This play was the true momentum changer for the game. The Hawks were no longer down just 10 with possession of the ball, they were now down 12 and on defense again. The free kick ended up not going nearly far enough and with the return, the Outlaws were almost in field goal position again, and just a few plays later, they were now up 15 to 0. The Asipi safety lead to a 5 point swing, but more importantly, a huge momentum swing. They players were fired up and would go on to rack up 13 more points before Baltimore even got on the board.

[YoloSwag420]

bottom team

s3 prospect

defensive comparison

offensive comparison

champ mvp

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about

Whenever a defense plays lights out in a game like the Outlaws did in the Ultimus, it can be very difficult to select an MVP. A performance like that requires a full team effort and it’s hard to say it all fell on one player unlike when a QB rallies a team to a comeback or a running back carries the team on his back throughout a game. But, if there was one player who did the most in this game on defense it has to be Outlaws DE Dental Dam. Dam is a huge inspiration to his teammates and is very active in the league; he has been a leader for his team the whole season and a big part of why they made it to the Ultimus Game in the first place. In the Championship he had 3 tackles, including one TFL, one sack and a safety. And this came against a Baltimore team that prided itself on the strength and depth of its offensive line, but against Dam and this feisty Outlaws defense, it was all for naught. Dam’s safety came late in the game and at that point it was the nail in the coffin. A safety alone is difficult to get, but the Outlaws were able to get two in this game!


Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point

It seems silly to me to write about the two expansion teams missing out on the playoffs because we knew both if those teams are still building up and had a low chance of a playoff run, so I will be discussing the Yeti and Sabercats.

The Yeti have to be disappointed with the way their season ended, being left out of the playoffs due to a tiebreaker after making it all the way to the Ultimus game last season. Statistically, the defense was still fantastic and the addition of Blaster Blade in the S2 draft definitely helped to push this defense to the next level. The reason this team really struggled comes down to troubles on offense. The offensive line was one of the worst and certainly led to the poor season Noble had despite being one of the most gifted quarterbacks in the league. Hendrix and Tweed still had pretty good seasons, but it was clear that when another team was able to jump out to a lead, the Yeti just couldn’t keep up.

The Sabercats struggled this season for perhaps the complete opposite reason that the Yeti did. Lots of reports claimed that the team was having trouble keeping players active in the locker room and just dealing with a dark cloud that hung over the team in general. Despite a poor showing in S1, there was a lot of optimism for this season and new talent on both sides of the ball in the draft. But, that hope dissolved quickly and when two of the team’s best players departed for Yellowknife via trade with one being by demand, you could tell there was trouble. The newly acquired Smallwood looks like he is becoming a capable leader to rally this team through some tough season ahead before they can rebuild and help in the form of a new co GM could have this team on track, but for now only time will tell.


Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game

The NSFC Championship game was likely the most anticipated matchup of the playoffs. So much controversy surrounded the Hawks season and despite a hot start, the Hawks had fallen off recently compared to the Wraiths who added quite a bit of talent with some trades during the season. But, the Hawks defense came to play in Baltimore, absolutely smothering the usually prolific Yellowknife offense and leading to a very narrow victory to push the Hawks to the Ultimus Game.

Although most people expected the ASFC championship to be much less exciting, it also ended up being a very close game with the Outlaws winning by only 4 points. A late touchdown by Westfield gave the Otters some hope of a comeback, but it was all for naught. The Otters defense really gave everything they could, picking off King Bronko three times, but in the end the Outlaws showed why they’re still the team to beat in the NSFL.

The Ultimus game was an atrocity. Outlaws came out firing and didn’t let the foot off the gas in this one, absolutely embarrassing the Hawks. The Baltimore offensive line couldn’t block their way out of a paper bag as Arizona was able to get TWO safeties in this game, but by the time they had gotten the first one you could tell the game was basically over. If it wasn’t for Turkleton and the Outlaws resting their starters to finish the game, this could have easily been a shutout. After two straight Ultimus victories in dominating fashion, a stash of first round draft picks for the future and a dedicated roster, you have to wonder if this is going to become the norm for the league for the foreseeable future no matter who the NSFC sends.


Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

One of the best S3 waiver pickups of this season is a player whose name is pretty well known in the league in just a short time and that is J.D. Boom. In a league where top offensive and defensive line talent can be hard to come by, winning the battle in the trenches is a key part of being successful. Boom started in every game for the Hawks this season, posting 40 tackles, 7 sacks and a forced fumble. He has also been very active in the league and has had a great showing so far in the S3 prospects series.

But, when it really mattered in the playoffs, Boom continued to shine. In the NSFC championship game, the Hawks defense had a difficult assignment going against the best offense in the league which boasts an amazing offensive line. The Hawks defense was up to the challenge though, holding the Wraiths to what has to be one of their lowest yardage totals of the season. Boom was able to get four tackles but also managed to get a sack against a team that barely gave up more than one a game in the regular season. Boom didn’t fare as well in the Ultimus game, but the entire team looked flat against the dominant Outlaws. However, Boom is going to be extremely high on draft boards for the S3 draft and he should continue to dominate wherever he lands.


Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game. Must be completed after the Championship Game

The most important play of the game came in the second quarter. Already down, the Hawks were in a tight spot after a bad kickoff return had them starting their drive within their own ten yard line. Despite their great rushing attack this season, the Hawks opted to pass on first down, but Kyubee was taken down hard on a sack by Isaiah Rashad. Now at their own 2 yard line, you would have expected the Hawks to try and make some room with a run, but again they decided to try through the air. Whether this was a foolish decision by a distraught coaching staff or simply a result of a clearly concussed quarterback from the last hit he took is still unsure, but it was clearly the wrong choice in this situation. Kyubee took the snap on second down, but his receivers were all completely covered. Kyubee could sense the pressure coming, but when a beast of a defensive tackle like Arbin Asipi gets through the line there's not much you can do. Kyubee was taken down hard again for a safety. Although the Outlaws put this one away pretty quickly, there was still a lot of hope for the Hawks to get back in the game until this safety. At this point, it was pretty clear that the Hawks were completely and hopelessly overmatched in this contest. This score put the game out of reach for Baltimore as they failed to score even 7 points in the game. Asipi was recently extended by the Outlaws and plays like this are why the team loves him so much.

[A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie]

ph

[kcheng686]

Can I do this even though I'm just a prospect?

Wanna get as much TPE as possible

[White Cornerback]

Can I do this even though I'm just a prospect?

Wanna get as much TPE as possible

Yes you may.

The only thing you can't do as a prospect is either of the training camps (rookie minicamp & team training camp).

[kcheng686]

Offensive Comparison:

The one golden rule for Kickers is, When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
But sometimes a Kicker can make a difference in high pressure situations.
Take, for example, the NSFC championship between the Wraith and the Hawks.
Despite the damage the Hawks offense did, the Wraiths defense held strong in the red zone, preventing the Hawks from scoring in 3 of their 4 opportunities.
Thats when Turkleton can up big.
With 2 30+ FGs and a 40+ FG on 100% accuracy, his kicking was huge for the Hawks victory, as just a single errant kick would have resulted in a loss.
Booter of the Wraiths was not as good of a kicker, but an even better punter, with a 48.4 punt avg and 2 punts inside the 20. He was big for helping the Wraiths keep it close, as his kicking frequently pinned the Hawks in bad field position. This was a huge part in keeping the game close, and slowing down the Hawks offense until they grinded out their win. Field position is constantly underrated, but Booter's efforts shou;dnt be, as his kicks make it very hard for the Hawks O, forcing them to perform long drives.

Words - 208

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Playoff Series MVP:

Its pretty easy to see how the Outlaws dominated the Hawks in the Championship. Their ferocious defensive line embarrassed the Hawks OLine, and combined for 6 sacks on the hapless Hawks QB.
But one player in particular, DT Arbin Asipi, stood above the rest.
With 2 tackles, 2 sacks and a safety, Asipi's pressure allowed forced the Hawks OLine into disarray, and allowed his own pass rushers to thrive and his teammates in the secondary to slow the Hawks WRs.
DT isnt a very sexy position, but an elite DT can put serious damage onto the Line, like Asipi did. Their ability to force 1-2 O Linemen to focus on them helps out his rushing DEs and OLBS immensely, and forces the QB into making worse decisions, making the life of his LBs, CBs, and Ss much easier. Not only that, but his constant pressure cumulated in a safety for the Outlaws defense onto Hawks QB Scrub Kyubee, and seriously swung the game into the Outlaws favor. That safety seriously damaged the Hawks hopes of a title, and exemplified the tone of the game, a defensive beatdown
His contributions to forcing the Hawks offense into chaos earns Asipi the MVP of the championship series.

Words - 205

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Defensive Comparison:

The championship maybe have been dominated by 2 players, but two players played exceptionally well in coverage.

For the Outlaws, Jaylon Lee was fantastic overall, and his play was only eclipsed by Asipi. With 12 tackles, a pass deflection and an interception, Lee was a monster in both run support and coverage, playing a big part in making Kyubee's night miserable. Games like this are why Lee is considered one of the best LBs in the NSFL. He frequently stuffed the Hawks RBs, and worked as a deadly cover LB, keeping the Hawks TEs and WRs in check. This cumulated into the Outlaws holding a very good Hawks offense to a mere 6 points, and 111 yards passing total.

On the other side, even though most of the Hawks got roasted, Darnell Turner put in an excellent night, with 7 tackles, 2 pass deflections and an interception. He was a big part in keeping the Outlaws QB Bronko in check, even though his own QB got eaten alive by the Outlaws DL and the rest of his team didnt give him much support. But sometimes that happens, where one good performance is buried under a mountain of failures.

Words - 208

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Championship Game Recap:

Spirit is such a hard thing to destroy. Even when your opponent is beaten down and tired, it may only make their spirit stronger.
It takes something dominant to destroy a spirit completely, and thats what the Outlaws did to the Hawks in the start of the second half.

Down 18-0 the Hawks still had a chance, but as soon as the Outlaw got the ball off the punt, they began ramming it down the field, with the Hawks unable to provide much resistance. That is, until the Outlaws got to the BAL 30 yard line. The Hawks defense held strong, forcing the Outlaws into a 3rd and 9. If they got a stop, they could have gotten momentum and possible comeback(as teams have come back from bigger deficits(28-3)).

Then the double whammy happened. Bronko found Chess for a huge 17 yard gain, and then the Hawks incurred a penalty for too many men. In the blink of an eye, the Outlaws went from 3rd and 9 at the Hawks 28 to first and 5 at the BAL 6.

Arizona easily slammed in the TD, slamming the door on a potential comeback right then and there, and the Hawks spirits were broken.

Words - 208

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Playoff Review:

The NSFC featured the dominant Outlaws with their league low 175 PA and league high 369 PF against the strong Otters WR corps and their 3nd ranked defense, with just 219 PA.

In the end, the Outlaws defense was just too much, as they grinded out a 17-13 win.

On the other side, the second ranked offense in the league, aka the YellowKnife Wraiths, took on the strangely home dominant Hawks, who despite having more PA than PF, managed to go 7-0 at home and lock up the 1 seed.

Despite both teams being in the bottom half of the league in defense, the Hawks managed to once again grind out a very close win, off of the 3 made FGs of their kicker. Both teams featured excellent play from their K/P, with the Wraiths P putting the Hawks O into bad position frequently.

Thus, set up the match of the Ultimatus, the Utterly dominant Outlaws versus the Miracle winners, the Hawks.

And the game went as well as most expected. Led by their havoc wreaking DLine and LB Corps, the Outlaws embarrased the Hawks to a tune of 6 sacks and 2 ints, giving Scrub Kyubee a rating of 27.8.

Words: 205

[4D Chess]

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.