(S3) - Ultimus Week

[4D Chess]

Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game. Must be completed after the Championship Game Through the majority of the first quarter of the Season Three Ultimus Championship the Baltimore Hawks and Arizona Outlaws remained neck and neck, that is until Franklin Harris Jr broke the game wide open with his jaw-dropping and electrifying pick-six that swung the momentum in the Outlaws favor where it would remain the rest of the game. Little did the fans know that this would be just the first of two interceptions for the stud Franklin Harris Jr, and the first of two pick-sixes of the game (the other by the formidable A. Davis). Up only four points at the time of the first steal and score the interception by Harris surely gave some assurance to Outlaws fans around the country that the Season Three Ultimus was well within grasp. Certainly, before this point the nerves of the Outlaws had to be up as the Hawks were able to beat the Outlaws at home earlier in this season, however once the game flipped to 14-3 Kyubbe was out of his comfort zone the remainder of the game and the smothering Outlaws defense caused five turnovers and quite comfortably carried yet another Ultimus trophy back to the already crowded Arizona trophy room. It was a beautiful play and emblamatic of the Outlaws calm composure in times of great pressure.

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point
Yeah, for the Colorado Yeti and Las Vegas Legion there was surely no hope of making the playoffs this year. Both teams found themselves on the golf links instead of in the playoffs due to incredibly poor play from the Quarterback position, Nicholas Pierno ended up turning his season around towards the end of the year but he was thrust into the most unfavorable position imaginable with the rapid loss of Saskotoonian legend Logan Noble. The Legion on the other hand suffered another crap season behind the overpaid Josh Bercovici who once again posted a season of throwing stats that were simply underwater. Some fans in Las Vegas HAVE to be asking how much longer they can put up with Bercovici's bloated salary and lack of production. Surely, more weapons and an offensive line would help Bercovici but with the contract he's taking home at some point the blame has to land, at least partially, at his feet. Can either of these two quarterbacks turn it around next season? Absolutely, in fact Pierino is high on my list of fantasy steals for next year as I believe he'll make some incredible strides after posting the worst season in NSFL history. Bercovici on the other hand, well, I'm not so confident as we were asking the same damn question after Season two. Both teams tanked hard and fast, and sooner than later they have to come out of the tank... right????

That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch.
C.A. Chess has been criminally underrated his whole career, picked number 32 in the draft and behind a number of wide receivers who have had far less impact. Chess was a total and complete monster in the playoffs posting up two of his most incredible box scores to date. In the conference championship against the Orange County Otters Chess set an NSFL playoff record in receiving yards and helped the Outlaws put down Orange County for the third season in a row. Then, fast forward to the Ultimus game, where Chess once again proved that he lives for the big time moments. He caught not one, not two, but THREE touchdown passes. Already, haters within the media have said that these were garbage time scores but that takes away from the methodical assassination Chess leveled on the secondary of the Baltimore Hawks. Fans and others can make all the excuses they want from the comfort of their own home, but watching Chess rake in the third of three touchdowns was a testament to the hard work he's put in for the Arizona Outlaws for the last two seasons. Sure, it was just a three yard score, but you could see the emotion in Chess' face when he reeled it in. Now with 4 career touchdowns in the Ultimus game and a whopping 6 playoff touchdowns its a simple fact that Chess is (and will remain) the best postseason receiver in the entire league.

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups.
Well, you guessed it. Another season and another 16 games of pure dominance by none other than the Arizona Outlaws. As usual, the defense was the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the Season 3 Arizona Outlaws and in the playoffs they stuck to that mantra allowing just nineteen points in the two playoff games. For the third year in a row, the Orange County Otters failed to get anything going against the superior Arizona Outlaws, losing in a yawner of a game 27-7. Meanwhile, the Baltimore "High On Their Horse" Hawks dominated a clearly out of their element Philadelphia Liberty football team. That dominant NSFC win plus their win over the Outlaws in the regular season got the fans of Baltimore quite exicted. All of a sudden it was hip to consider the Hawks as an underdog with a legit chance, but come Ultimus time the boys from Arizona had a different plan. 49-12 ended up being the final score but even that doesn't do justice to the brilliance of a display the Arizona Outlaws put on as it took until there was just two minutes left in the game for the Hawks to reach the endzone. Offensively, Bronko was efficient and Chess was clutch time and the outcome was never in doubt.

[Shadowz]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.

In the game to decide the NSFC champion, the success of both teams, the Philadelphia Liberty and the Baltimore Hawks, hinged on the performance their quarterbacks were able to produce. Let’s start with the winners-the Baltimore Hawks, led by Scrub Kyubee. Kyubee was able to hit his marks, or really I should say his mark-Trey Willie, the rookie sensation, for the entire game, throwing four touchdowns total (three of those being to Willie). Was able to complete a solid number of passes, maintaining a 64.86% completion rate, and throwing for 353 total yards. It should be mentioned that Kyubee also threw two interceptions, although the Philadelphia Liberty couldn’t get any offense going with those turnovers. The other side of this matchup, the Philadelphia Liberty and their quarterback Clifford Rove, were wholly ineffective as a unit. Rove completed less than half of his passes, and while he threw no interceptions, he also threw for zero touchdowns. The Liberty were barely close to the endzone the entire game, only managing to get one score, and a field goal at that. Just from this brief overview of the quarterback’s game performances, it’s obvious that an effective passing offense is necessary to advance in this league. Let’s see if Kyubee can keep it up against a stellar Outlaws defense in the Ultimus.

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series

Defense played a big role in marking the disparities between a visibly struggling Philadelphia Liberty team and the triumphant Baltimore Hawks in the National Simulation Football League’s S3 NSFC Championship. The performance of both quarterbacks could be no more different, and that showed when comparing the total yards for both teams, of which the Baltimore Hawks had almost 100 more yards. The top performer on defense for the Philadelphia Liberty was definitely the powerhouse, Lincoln Jefferson. Not only did Jefferson tie for having the team’s most tackles with 9, he also picked off one of the Philadelphia Liberty’s two total interceptions. Of course offensively they didn’t do much with the stoppages and turnovers that Jefferson provided, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Hawks were occasionally limited by him (although they managed to score 27 in the game). The Baltimore Hawks had quintuple the sacks of the Philadelphia Liberty Defensive Corps, and a big provider of that was Stephen Harrison, who had 2 sacks, the same amount as the entire Philadelphia defense had. Coupled with 10 tackles, Harrison was a threat on every single play, never relenting on crashing the Philadelphia Offensive Line. At the end of the day, Philadelphia didn’t win because their offense couldn’t do anything, the primary reason for this non production being the Baltimore defense.

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

In my eyes, there was a clear MVP in the National Simulation Football League NSFC Championship series. The game pitted the Baltimore Hawks versus the Philadelphia Liberty. Baltimore for the most part steamrolled the Philadelphia Liberty, only allowing one score, a field goal, by them in the entire game. The offensive performance of the Hawks was equally as impressive, with the team’s quarterback Scrub Kyubee throwing for 4 touchdowns on 353 Yards. My MVP however is not Scrub Kyubee, but rather who Kyubee’s top option has been for the entire season—rookie phenom, Trey Willie. At this point, Willie is probably a lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and his top notch performances of the regular season certainly made him more confident and carried over into this playoff game. Willie was next to unstoppable this game, Philadelphia’s secondary couldn’t do anything against him. While Willie only had 5 receptions this game (tied first w/2 other Hawks receivers), he had an astounding average yardage per catch of 23.4. His longest catch was 45 yards, so that means pretty much any of his catches were a guaranteed first down and then some. He also was clutch when it mattered in the red zone, contributing three receiving touchdowns to the scoreboard for the Baltimore Hawks.

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs.

Two teams which were unable to make the playoffs this year were the Las Vegas Legion and the Colorado Yeti. Both of these teams have failed to make a dent in the league this season due to their lack of quarterbacks who can get the job done. The Las Vegas Legion have been struggling so far in the National Simulation Football League, and while football is of course a team sport, much of their offensive woes this season were sourced by their starting quarterback, Josh Bercovici. Bercovici would most likely struggle to hit water if he were to fall out of a boat, completing only just above half of his passes, second worst in the league among starting quarterbacks. He also struggled to compete with opposing secondaries, often misthrowing and resulting in a 20 interception season. If you thought S3 was a bad season for Bercovici however, the quarterback for the Colorado Yeti would laugh at you. In all fairness, nobody saw the whole Noble debacle coming, and so the Yeti were forced into the uncomfortable position of calling up a quarterback that clearly wasn’t ready to compete in the NSFL. Pierno threw only 8 touchdowns in the whole season, however perhaps more impressive is that he managed to throw 35 interceptions. Clearly this is not the way to have a sustainable offense, and the Yeti truly suffered for it, resulting in a terribly disappointing season.

Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game.

The best play of the championship game of the National Simulation Football League came at about the halfway mark through the second quarter. The Arizona Outlaws hadn’t quite pulled away at that point, their quarterback King Bronko was struggling on offense, but the Arizona Outlaw defense was thriving. The Baltimore Hawks were desperately trying to get some sort of offensive run against the defense, but on 2nd and 7 with 7 minutes and 11 seconds left on the clock, Jayce Tuck forced Baltimore quarterback Scrub Kyubee into the backfield, and chased him down for an 11 yard sack. The Arizona fans went wild as the Baltimore Hawks then lined up for 3rd and 18. There was a fast blitz coming at the Baltimore offensive line, and this time Tuck was held. Right next to him however, Godfrey King fought through. Barreling through his opposition, King reached Kyubee before he could throw the ball and sacked him for a four yard loss. The cheers became deafening. Tuck and King high fived each other and pumped each other up as the crowd was chanting “Gruesome Twosome” over and over. It certainly was one of the most high energy sequences in the entire game.

[youngcricket]

Two players that are interesting to compare are King Bronko and Mike Boss. Both have been excellent quarterbacks on huge teams and have had large competitions. Bronko started out as a wide receiver but has since become one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Mike Boss started out as a joke in this league, but has developed into the best quarterback in the league no questions asked. Bronko arguably has worse weapons around him in the passing game because they haven't developed as much. He does have a very good offensive line and running back with him, however. It is always interesting to see how he will use these weapons, as he is very good at spreading out the ball. Miek Boss was blessed with Bradley Westfield and Robert Phelps, two of the top receivers in the league. They are two veteran wide receivers who are absolutely dominant. He also has a very good offensive line in front of him, so he gets a lot of time in the pocket. It could be argued that his defense and running backs let him down quite a bit, so it will be interesting to see how he attacks the loaded Outlaws defense.

Jaylon Lee and Ian Bavitz have been rivals since day one. In the first season there was a debate as to who should make the pro bowl game, with Lee being adamant that it should be him and Bavitz using some math equation to try to show that it should be him. Ultimately, Bavitz got the nod, leaving Lee as one of the biggest pro bowl snubs that the league will ever see. This season, Bavitz has statistically been the much better linebacker, albeit on a worse defense. Jaylon Lee has been playing behind the best defensive line in the league and alongside the best linebackers in the league as well. It has been hard for any of the Outlaws' linebackers to truly stand out, as they have constantly been overshadowed by the defensive line and had a lot of play opportunities taken away by this. I'm not making excuses for Jaylon Lee, but it can be agued that Bavitz has been presented a lot more opportunities to make plays, much like the Outlaws' linebackers in season two. It's going to be an interesting battle to see who locks down the middle when the Outlaws face the Otters in the playoffs. I am going to guess Jaylon Lee walks away with the last laugh.

Simply put the Las Vegas Legion and San Jose Sabercats didn't make the playoffs this year because they lacked the talent. Stack up the Legion next to the Arizona Outlaws and tell me one spot where they look like a better team. I can't find one, that's for damn sure. They just aren't a very good team and everybody knew it coming into the season. Its crazy to me that they even mustered up two wins when they have such little talent on their sideline. I guess it makes sense when everybody is worse than the Outlaws there is parity in the bottom half. The Sabercats have a tough time having to play the Otters and Outlaws so many times a year and having them in the same conference. But there is no way around the fact that with their current rebuild, they don't have the talent necessary to keep up with the rest of the league. They have a lack of guys trying to get better and that is hampering them to a major extent, at almost every position. They have good management, but they can't just sit idle, they need to make moves to be the best team in the league at some point.

I think the Wraiths should have made the playoffs. They had a lot of talent and I don't see how they possibly could have done so poorly with all of the talent that they have. 3rd in the division is unacceptable, no matter how competitive your conference may or may not be. I am utterly shocked that they could manage to not make the playoffs, especially with the offense that they have. Josh Garden and Bailey Cook should be an unstoppable duo, not one that gets shut down to the point where Orosz isn't the best quarterback in the game. Their defense does need some help, especially the front seven, but the Liberty's isn't that much better to where it should offset the offensive differences. The Wraiths failed to properly align their DCs and strategies and I believe that is what cost them their season. They need a revamp in thinking and potentially in some spots on defense, but there's not reason they shouldn't be able to bounce back next season and make some serious noise. I think that the Liberty will get better, but there's a chance we could see the Hawks slide down a little bit, so the Wraiths need to pounce on the opportunity.

You want a recap of the championship game? That's pretty damn easy, it was an absolute blowout where the Hawks stood no chance against the Outlaws, much like the rest of the league this season. SImply put, the game looked too damn easy for the Outlaws and the Hawks looked like it was their first time playing football in a real game. They got shoved around like little pansies and didn't even try to present a challenge to the Outlaws' vaunted offense. The fear was in their eyes from the moment they stepped out of the tunnel, I'm not even sure the coach gave a pep talk before the game because it lookedl ike they had already lost. The Hawks need to get better, no doubt, but they beat the Outlaws this season and there's no reason they shouldn't have been able to come with at least a little bit of urgency and effort. They frankly sucked major ballsack. The Outlaws obviously are the best team in the league, but the Otters were much better than the Hawks were against the Outlaws. Its time for a serious gut check for the Hawks, they need to get their shit together after that ugly game.

[sapp2013]

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


Playoff Recap Infographic: Make a graphic displaying the results of the playoffs. Must be completed after the Championship Game


Future Talent: Make a sig for a S3 player who you feel will or did make a large impact for their team 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


Conference Final MVP Sig: Make a sig for a player of your choice who you felt was the MVP of a Conference Final matchup. Must be completed after the Conference Finals


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

[JohnWachter]

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. - Ultimus. Wouldn't life be easier if an entire unit could win MVP? The Arizona Outlaws dominated the point of attack on defense, making for an absolutely miserable day for Scrub Kyubee. Tuck, King, and even Lee and Ernston have a legitimate claim to the title, but my pick is further in the backfield. Franklin Harris Jr. picked off the quarterback twice, and took one to the house. This game eventually became a blowout, but his touchdown late in the first served as a momentum changer and gave his team a two score lead at the time. He also notched 3 pass deflections and 7 tackles, proving to be a vital part in shutting down the Baltimore offense, and showing an ability to wrap up when plays were made around him. The Hawks boast a set of talented receivers, and without a great combo of corners in Harris and Carter, even a great pass rush couldn't stop them. A special shoutout needs to be given to Christiano Ronaldo, however. Punter/kicker isn't a glorious position, it's an essential one, but not one that gets a lot of attention. Punters don't win game MVP, they sure as hell don't win league mvp, and aside from a pro bowl nod, there's really not much you can write home about. But Ronaldo was excellent on the biggest stage. Arizona's offense struggled, and Ronaldo was called upon 14 times to punt the football. 14 times creates a lot of margin for error, but aside from a shanked punt after a three and out at the end of the third, Ronaldo was flawless. He showed his versatility as a player; he showed the strength needed to boot a punt 66 yards, and the accuracy to drop 2 within the 20 yard line. After 14 punted from just about every position on the field, and STILL managed a 46.2 average. His foot accounted for more yards than both offenses combined, and he combined that with a perfect 7-7 on extra points. You can't have a bette day at the postion than what Ronaldo had during the Ultimus.

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. I personally saw 3 of the 4 games and will only write about those because that's where my knowledge is. I joined this site at a great time in my opinion. Not only do I get to be on a DSFL team within a week or so from joining, but I got to watch both championship games, as well as the DSFL West semi final game live. Three different games, three different stories, three very different outcomes. Let me dive in. The Blues vs Seawolves game was the first I ever saw in the league, and was actually very enjoyable despite being low scoring. The team wearing Blue was, of course, the Seawolves and not the Blues, but once you got past that the rest was easy to pick up on. The Seawolves employed what I thought was a great gameplan, feeding the ball to arguably the best back in their league, Shawn Ariel. He picked up 100 yards on the day (picked up on the last play) and was a huge part of a ball and clock control style offense that grinded out a close win. The Blues had to settle for field goals too often, and should have been more aggressive on a 4th and goal in the second. The play resulted in a field goal instead of a td, a potential swing of 4 points, the exact score they lost by. Unfortunately, the gameplan didn't translate well one game later for the Seawolves. Christian Adams had an absolutely abysmal day, turning the ball over 4 times, 3 of which in enemy territory, and once even in the endzone. The defense held true for a second straight game, allowing only 13 points and 8 first downs. Jameis Christ didn't put up gaudy numbers, but he didn't turn the ball over and found the endzone once, which is one more time than the Seawolves did. Though they were mostly held in check, they played mistake free football and got a win over what I beliebe to be the better team. It's hard to win with 4 interceptions, and the Seawolves learned that the hard way. On that subject, we reach the Ultimus. What a miserable game this was. The Hawk's one lone td came in garbage time, and did little to mask the 12-49 trouncing they received. Scrub Kyugee hit the trio of Harris, Carter, and Davis 5 total times, which is ESPECIALLY bad since they're on the other team. He also hit the ground with the ball in his hand 12 times. 5 turnovers and 12 sacks isn't generally a recipe for success, and that held true in this game. The Arizona defense played tremendously, but the Hawks line absolutely let the team down. It's weird to say, but taking away the MASSIVE amount of mistakes would have made this a close game. Baltimore's defense was fantastic, but the offense couldn't get anything going and gave up more scores to the defense than they managed themselves. Maybe next year the dynasty will come to an end.

Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game. If you like punting, this game was like a wet dream for you. Realistically though, if you like defenses that can shut down an opposition for quarters at a time, this game was your cup of tea. There were 18 total sacks and five interceptions to choose from, on the other side of the ball King Bronco threw for 4 TDs (Though that number doesn't paint an accurate picture of his game film). But one play was my favorite; not only was it a big moment, it also exemplified exactly how this game went. If you asked someone to show you one play to describe how an entire matchup went (A terrible idea btw) this play was it. But before I get to that, let me discuss the sequence leading to it. 6-14 nearing the end of the 2nd quarter and Scrub gets picked off for his second pick six of the day. The score goes to 21-6, but its evident that if they stop shooting themselves in the foot the Hawks can really be a threat today. 14 of the 21 points have been from interceptions run back, take those away and its a one point game. This game is very much alive to start the third quarter, the Hawk's defense has been doing its job, they just need a lucky break to crawl back in. They don't get it, and the game really starts to get out of hand, really at this point the Hawks are looking for a morale boost of any sort. They get a huge stop, pinning Arizona at their own 2, narrowly missing a safety. Ronaldo has his only bad punt of the game, a 39 yard punt that gives the Hawks great field position at the Arizona 41. They're not even 10 yards from at least field goal range, pretty much guaranteed to score. First play, interception by Carter. Unbelievable. The day was THAT miserable, and it was actually laughable when it happened. Of course, the Hawks eventually got the garbage time score which I guess is a minor moral victory, but the game was a blowout. Even with that, they had about 5 seconds to feel good before the XP was blocked.

That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch. My favorite moment from any game was during the Seawolves-Blues game. This was a back and forth contest, and in the 4th quarter the Blues took the lead 10-13 with a field goal around the 13 minute mark. Still plenty of time to play honestly, but I was on the edge of my seat here. The Seawolves get the ball after an ill-advised return from Shawn Ariel, and have to start at their own 5. At this point in the game, I personally would be content with just not turning the ball over and giving up the easy points, but they came out determined. A nice run by Ariel gives them the space to run a deep pass off play action, and they find Washington deep for a 30 yard gain. All of a sudden the bad field position is no longer a factor. After getting stuffed on first, Christian Adams gets sacked, and it looks like the drive is going to die after the one big play. 3rd and 15 is normally a hopeless down, but the Seawolves refuse to die. Another deep ball, this time to Hunter Mason, unreal. Now on their opponents 42, the Seawolves move to a more conservative approach, and nickel and dime their way to a couple of first downs to keep the ball moving, but Christian Adams has one more great play left in him. On third and 4 from the 25 the defense is covering a quick throw, trying to force a fg. But Adams puts the ball on the money on a post for 16 yards for another first, now on the 9 yard line. One play later he throws what should be a TD, but is called down at the one. Isreal Lewis-Moore scores from the goal line, and the Seawolves gain a lead that they hold on to for the rest of the game. This drive was a 95 yard game winner. Shawn Ariel was fantastic all day, and deserves the praise he gets, but Christian Adams stepped up in the biggest moment and took his team to the championship game. It was a ton of fun to watch, and as my personal first game to see, it'll be a memory that sticks with me.

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. (This is the hardest for me to write since I just got here, but I think I know enough to be decent here) From what I've gathered, the Wraiths were favored over the Hawks in the begining of the season, and likely throughout. They finished second in passing in the league, with an excellent season from Orosz being overshadowed by only the insane Mike Boss. In fact, they finished in the top half of the league in every important stat, yet missed the playoffs for the second straight year. One or two close games going the other way could have been the difference maker, and the Wraiths had plenty of those this year. Going forward, this is a team that should be favored to make the playoffs once again, but they need to close games out and beat teams that they're better than. Yellowknife has a great team, one that's too talented to not be playing post season games, but they need all the pieces to come together at the same time to reach the next level. The next team I'll cover is pretty much the opposite. Las Vegas is near the bottom of the league in pretty much everything, and has a lot of improvement to go before even considering a playoff run. The key here is baby steps, it won't all happen in one season. Trades are tantilizing, and they've tried to improve the team with them, but you have to value them responsibly. Now, instead of having the first overall pick, they shipped it away to the division rival Outlaws. They have some pieces on offense, and I believe either progression from their current qb or the acquisition of a top level qb could be a huge step in the right direction (Though that's admittedly a blanket statement). The problem lies more so on defense, specifically the secondary. They have a skilled linebacker and dt that can help shut down the run game, but who's going to stop the talented receivers in the league? The Otters, for example, have a duo that makes Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne look like high school players. A complete revamp of the CB and safety positions is needed, and thankfully help appears to be on the way in S5. Until then, the floor and the ceiling look awfully close together for the Legion.

+10 TPE (unless I'm wrong, then someone please correct me).

[jordan327]

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

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

Bottom Half: Make a graphical stat comparison of a team who failed to qualify for playoffs to another team that qualified for the playoffs from their division. Can be completed at any point

Playoff Recap Infographic: Make a graphic displaying the results of the playoffs. Must be completed after the Championship Game

Conference Final MVP Sig: Make a sig for a player of your choice who you felt was the MVP of a Conference Final matchup. Must be completed after the Conference Finals

[SwagSloth]

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

In the S3 Ultimus Championship game, the Hawks’ RB Darlane Farlane faced off against the Outlaw’s RB Reg Mackworthy. Farlane found himself in an uphill battle, achieving only 2.4 yards per carry. However, the Hawks stayed committed to the run, allowing Farlane to put together 25 rushing attempts for 61 yards. Mackworthy also maintained an average 2.4 yards as the Hawks’ defense worked hard to contain him, buthis attempts were much more limited as the Outlaws relied heavily on the passing game to move the ball. With only 10 attempts and 24 yards, this game was not one of Mackworthy’s brightest moments. However, both Running Backs were able to put together a rushing touchdown. In Farlane’s case, his touchdown was the only one achieved by his team. While 25 carries was fairly standard for Farlane, who carried the ball 360 times over the course of 14 games in the regular season, it was a major departure for Mackworthy, who had roughly outpaced Farlane’s 360 carries with 364 of his own, leading to averages of 3.3 and 3.1 yards per carry throughout the season for Mackworthy and Farlane respectively. However, while Mackworthy found the end zone 10 times during the regular season, Farlane only managed to find it on 6 different occasions, leaving him with a less than 50% touchdown rate during the regular season.

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

Though this is coming from a biased source, it’s still hard to deny that the Wraiths came into this season with the S3 play-offs already in their sights. Perhaps that level of overconfidence led to their downfall, but many experts had them pegged for a break-out year. The Wraiths had made the play-offs in S1 and S2 and seemed to finally be ready to make the leap to the Ultimus Championship game, if not outright winning the championship with a bit of luck. However, luck was not on their side. After coming into the season as the team with the 2nd highest total TPE, the Wraiths went on to underachieve, losing a series of close games that could easily have pushed them into the play-offs if they had gone the other way.

The second team to miss the play-offs found themselves out of contention fairly early on, but it’s hard to imagine the run that they could have had. The Colorado Yeti put together an impressive 8-6 record in S2 and missed the S2 play-offs by a narrow margin, but the season-long suspension of star Quarterback Logan Noble quickly dashed the teams’ hopes of repeating that type of run this season and, with that, their chances of making the play-offs. They picked up QB Nicholas Pierno and gave it a great effort, but the loss of Noble was too difficult to overcome.

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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

In my mind, the MVP of the Championship game goes to S3 Franklin Harris Jr., who performed above and beyond. Harris managed to snag not only 1, but 2 interceptions, making him a clear difference-maker. And, on top of that, he used that opportunity to run the ball into the end zone for a defensive Touchdown, one of two scored by the Outlaws’ defense. He also racked up 7 tackles and 3 pass deflections, helping to limit the Hawks’ attack in the air. With performance like that, Harris has to be considered a big part of the reason that the Hawks walked away with no passing touchdowns as they managed to keep Hawks’ QB Scrub Kyubee in check.

The Outlaws’ defense is known for being dominant and the rest of their team no doubt lived up to that expectations, securing an incredible 49-12 victory over the NSFC Champion Hawks. However, it’s always amazing to see a rookie step up and make the type of plays that Harris did in this game. When his team needed him the most, he stepped up and it’s likely that he will continue to do so for many seasons to come. Big props to Harris and his teammates on an amazing game.

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

In the NSFC championship, the Philadelphia Liberty faced off against the Baltimore Hawks. This marked the Liberty’s first appearance in the play-offs since forming in S2. The Liberty and Hawks had both performed well over the course of the season with respective records of 8-5-1 and 9-5, separated only by a tie game that could have easily been a win for the Liberty. The Hawks went on to win 34-3, defeating their opponents in dominant fashion. However, it was a commendable effort for the Hawks, who will likely get another shot at the NSFL championship in the seasons to come.

In the ASFC championship, the Otters took on the defending S1 and S2 Ultimus champions, the Outlaws. The Otters had put together an impressive 8-6 season, but the Outlaws were coming off a near-perfect season record of 13-1, losing only once to the Hawks by 3 points. As expected by many, the Outlaws were again victorious in a 27-7 win and advanced to the Ultimus championship with a third ASFC championship to their name.

In the Ultimus championship, the Hawks once again faced the Outlaws in a rematch from S2. Just as they were in the ASFC championship, the Outlaws entered this match-up with the clear advantage and they delivered with an unbelievable 47-12 victory, allowing the Outlaws to continue their reign over the NSFL.

225 Words



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

In the Ultimus Champion, the Outlaws scored a defensive touchdown that put together a lead that the Hawks would not recover from. The Outlaws were already up by 7 points after Reg Mackworthy broke into the end zone for a rushing touchdown, but the Hawks were hoping to march down the field late in the first quarter as they hoped to match that touchdown with one of their own.

The drive started off well-intended, but the Outlaws were ready to defend their lead at all costs. With just over four minutes left, the first throw by Scrub Kyubee connected with rookie Trey Willie for a gain of 4 yards, but it was followed by an encroachment penalty that left the Hawks at 2nd & 1. Kyubee was in great position, but the Outlaws took back the advantage with a sack that planted the QB back 7 yards, leaving them at a much less friendly 3rd * 8. He took a big chance with a pass to Stormblessed as they hoped to convert, but it was intercepted by the rookie Franklin Harris Jr., who seized the moment and rushed down the field toward his team’s own end zone, scoring the first defensive touchdown of the game. Through the championship, the Outlaws held the Hawks to only 12 points, never allowing them to recover from Harris’ early-game touchdown.

226 Words

[TimPest]

@enigmatic @ADwyer87 @AdamS

[jaskins811]

Offensive Comparison:

In the S3 Championship game, the Arizona Outlaws return to compete for their third straight Ultimus trophy. It is a rematch of last year's game, which was against the Baltimore Hawks.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Outlaw's were lead by King Bronko, their quarterback, the entire season. He led them to 3650 yards with 25 passing touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. He had the best TD-INT ratio in the league, and his security of the football is one of the major reasons why the Outlaws performed so well in the regular season. If he can continue this trend in the championship, he should be able to secure his team the win.

For the Hawks, they were lead all season by their quarterback, Scrub Kyubee. He threw for 3518 yards and 20 touchdowns while throwing 15 interceptions. These numbers are not nearly as good as Bronko's, and he will need to outperform his regular season performance if he wishes to being the city of Baltimore their first Ultimus.

During the regular season, neither quarterback was able to get anything going on the ground with their feet, so it will be expected that this trend of staying in the pocket will continue. It will be a great matchup of quarterbacking talent in the championship!



Bottom Half:

In the NSFC, the Baltimore Hawks and Philadelphia Liberty both made the playoffs this season, a great achievement for both teams. Unfortunately, however, this means two teams from the NSFC were not as lucky. Both the Yellowknife Wraiths and Colorado Yeti were not able to make the playoffs, upsetting fans of both squads. Before the preseason, both teams were looking like playoff hopefuls, and both teams had experience in the playoffs before. Unfortunately, the worst scenario possible happened for the Yeti as team captain and leader, QB Logan Noble was suspended from the league for an entire year after a corruption scandal involving the front office of his team was uncovered. This was a huge blow to the Yeti fanbase, and even after a trade for promising rookie Nicholas Pierno, most Yeti had already conceded the season as a lost cause.

The Wraiths, however, had different expectations going into the season. After making the playoffs two seasons in a row, and accumulating the second most TPE of all teams in the league, a possible Ultimus run was looking like the ultimate goal for the Wraiths. After multiple down to the wire games, including a home loss to the San Jose Saber Cats in overtime, it looked like the Wraiths were not going to be able to repeat a playoff visit. This was very disappointing to the Yellowknife management, and the owners better hope it will not impact the ticket sales for next season.

Hate the player or the game:

One team that did not make the playoffs that deserved to go was the Yellowknife Wraiths. Yellowknife has such a good team and they completely deserved to go to the playoffs. They just got really unlucky throughout the season because of randomness. After having one of the top offenses last season, they had their best offensive weapon, tight end Ricky Maddox switch to defense end to help strengthen their defensive front and be a much stronger unit. This was great for their defense as they became a top unit in the league. Unfortunately, their offense feel somewhat behind due to this switch which hurt their offensive numbers. Rookie tight end Joseph Askins stepped in this season to try to replace Maddox, but the shoes to fill were enormous and it is hard to fit them in someone's rookie season. Although Askins is a likely pro bowl candidate, he did not do a good enough job replacing Maddox on the offense. Overall, the Wraiths could have had a better record if their offense stayed at the same level as the offense from season two, but unfortunately they took a step back which is the main reason the team did not make another playoff appearance.

Playoff Review:

The season 3 playoffs have finally come to an end and it is now time to look back at it and see what happened. Going into it, I think everybody besides Arizona fans wanted the Outlaws to finally be knocked out for once as they have won 2 championships already, and going into the third season playoffs rolling, it looked like no one would be able to stop them. Going into their first game against the Otters, they started rolling and were not stopped. The game finished 27-7 and the Otters never even had a chance. King Bronko had a great game, throwing for over 300 yards and posting a 90.2 passer rating, helping lead the Outlaws to victory. The Otters struggled to get the run game going, having only 34 yards rushing on 10 attempts, which did not help their team out when they needed it.

Over in the NSFC, The Baltimore Hawks absolutely dismantled the Philadelphia Liberty, beating them 34-3. Hawks QB Scrub Kyubee had a great game, throwing 4 TD passes and over 350 yards for a 109.4 passer rating. On the Liberty, their punting unit had a field day, averaging 50 yards a punt on 10 attempts. That was about the only bright spot on the day for the team.

In the championship game, to everyone's dismay, the Outlaws won once again, embarrassing the Hawks 49-12. It was not a good day for Baltimore or the rest of the league as they had to watch the Outlaws win their third straight Ultimus.

That Magic Moment:

The best moment in the playoffs for the Philadelphia Liberty came in the second quarter of the NSFC championship game. Still down only 13-0, getting points on the board would possibly help the morale of the Liberty and possibly give them momentum to come back in the game. After driving down the field, there were 10 minutes and 17 seconds left in the clock in the second quarter. Kicker Stephen Harris got up off the bench to go try to score his first (and eventually only) points of the postseason for his team. He ran onto the field with determination in his eyes. The ball was on the 23 yard line, and he needed to nail a 40 yard field goal to put his team on the board. He lined up behind the ball with his entire mind focused on the ball and the uprights. He slowly backed up and prepared himself to kick his first field goal ever in the playoffs of the NSFL. He ran towards the ball after it was snapped and it bounced off of his foot. the ball sailed downfield, right down the middle, with at least another 10 yards to spare. He celebrated as he left the field and his team seemed to have been rejuvenated at this point. Unfortunately, this energy did not help the team as on the ensuing kickoff trey Willie returned the kick for a touchdown, but for a moment, the Liberty players and fans thought they had a chance at coming back.

[JKortesi81]

1. Hate The Player or the Game:

Honestly when you look at who should and shouldn’t have made the playoffs, I think its fair to say that the Yellowknife Wraiths should’ve gotten into the playoffs over the Philadelphia Liberty. Granted, the Liberty’s 8-5-1 record was better than the 7-7 record the Wraiths put up this season, but there’s more to the story than that. If you look, both teams had similar offenses. Yellowknife had 332 points for, and Philadelphia had 326. The points against, however, is where they separate. Yellowknife only allowed 275 points, the 3rd lowest total in the league. Meanwhile, Philadelphia allowed a whopping 328 points against. Needless to say, the defense of the Wraiths was far superior to that of the Liberty. Even when we break it down into yards per game on offense and defense, Yellowknife has better numbers across the board over the Liberty: passing yards for, passing yards against, rushing yards for, rushing yards against. The two teams did split their season series, with the home team taking the victory each time. The two teams are ranked closely to each other all around, but Yellowknife just happens to be on top in category it seems. They Shouldve made the playoffs for sure. (201)

2. Playoff Series MVP:

I’m pretty sure that this is the easiest thing I’ll have to write, potentially ever. When talking about the Playoff MVP for the S3 NSFL playoffs, there is only one clear choice. That choice is Arizona Outlaws QB, King Bronko. The king once again carved up his competition, starting with the Orange County Otters. The Otters were the victims of a 344 passing yard game by Bronko. Yeah, he only threw one touchdown in this game, but that’s because Reg Mackworthy had a couple of short yard touchdowns. If Reg didn’t get in, there’s not doubt that Bronko could’ve finished the job. And then in the Ultimus, Bronko went back to work on the poor souls from Baltimore. Bronko would throw for another 249 yards, and he’d score 4 touchdowns in the second half, finding Charles Arthur Chess for 3 of those touchdowns. His personal stats were actually brought down a bit since the Arizona Outlaw defense actually was outscoring the Baltimore offense at one point, 12 to 6 before the half. If King was on the field, there’s a very good chance that he’d have found himself over 300 yards with another touchdown or two. So that’s my NSFL Playoff MVP: King Bronko. (204)

3. Bottom Half:

Writing about two of the league’s non-playoff teams feels like rubbing salt in the wounds. I also feel like “because they were terrible” should not be a valid reason why they didn’t make the playoffs, but in the case of the Colorado Yeti and the Las Vegas Legion, that’s exactly the case. They’re terrible. I do not know anything about each team’s history, but how are they both this bad? The Las Vegas Legion allowed 444 points this season? How is that possible? There’s only 14 games! Averaging a monumental 31.7 points per game while only scoring an average of 14 a game is exactly the reason why this horrible team missed the playoffs by a couple thousand light years. And what are you smirking at Yeti? You’re just as shitty. The highlight of your entire season was beating Yellowknife and keeping them from the playoffs. If your SEASON HIGHLIGHT is causing someone else to miss the playoffs, there’s an issue. There’s also an issue with your offense and defense: They both suck too. In fact, your offense is WORSE than Las Vegas, averaging a scant 13 points a game. Both of these teams had such dismal seasons on both sides of the ball that league management is seriously considering relegation to the DSFL. (214)

4. Playoff Review:

And now, a quick review of the Ultimus playoff games! First up is the matchup between the Arizona Outlaws and the Orange County Otters. Basically, it was all Arizona from the get go. They would chip away bit after bit and end up leading 20-0 at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Orange County would cut the lead to 20-7 as Mike Boss found Bradley Westfield for an 18 yard TD. However Arizona would get the 20 point lead back as Reg Mackworthy would pound his was in for his second TD of the night. The other championship game pitted the Baltimore Hawks against the Philadelphia Liberty. The Hawks came right out of the gate and made the Liberty’s day terrible. The Hawks dominated every single facet of the game, and on the back of Scrub Kyree’s 4 touchdowns, they walked to a 34-3 win. Finally, in the Ultimus, Arizona faced off against Baltimore. The last time these two met, Baltimore was handing Arizona their first and only loss of the season, 26-23. The Outlaws didn’t forget it. The defense had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the first half, and combined with a Reg Mackworthy rushing TD, the Outlaws raced to a 21-6 halftime lead. When the second half opening, the Outlaws kept chugging along and couldn’t be stopped as they cruised to an easy 49-12 win. (228)


5. Championship Game Recap:

When a team absolutely smacks around its opposition in a championship game, its really hard to just pick one play that “made the game”. However, in the first quarter of the game, the score was 7-3 Arizona. Baltimore had just kicked their field goal, and the team was stealing momentum from the Outlaws. When the Hawks kicked the ball off back to Arizona, the defense stepped up. Baltimore forced a three and out, and Arizona was sending the ball back to Baltimore. The Hawks completed a short pass, and then an Outlaw penalty helped Baltimore some more. After that the Hawks were sacked for a seven yard loss. And then it happened. Scrub Kyubee tried to find his wide receiver Noah Stormblessed but instead he was picked off by Franklin Harris, Jr who returned the ball all the way for a touchdown, and a 14-3 lead. Harris made an excellent break on the ball as he baited the Baltimore quarterback, and before you knew it Arizona had seized momentum and threw off the entire Hawks sideline. Arizona would get a second pick six to finish off the Hawks late in the first half, but it was the first one that really stole the game back for Arizona. (207)