(S29) PT 3 - Teammates

[AW13]

For this, I am not sure who to talk about because the teammates have all been great here in Honolulu and I have not been super active discord wise which I am trying to be a little better but generally my interest in the ISFL as a whole is pretty low but I plan to be the best I can be with Honolulu.

I think I want to acknowledge my good buddy Eleven Kendrick Watts for a couple reasons!

1) His name is 3 words so I can say Eleven Kendrick Watts a couple times and knock a couple words down for the point task requirement each time, that has to be a win right?
2) He apparently has been cheating hard at the TPE gaining being so far ahead of me even though I don't feel like I have missed that much in my time with Joliet Christ Jr. so I have no idea how he is manufacturing TPE. He might be able to steal me some TPE from somewhere.
3) He is in the same draft class and projects as the number one receiver for the Honolulu Hahalua and as a QB, you want to be friends with the guys you are throwing too especially ones you are growing with. The pair of Season 27 draftees can become really special together when they both hit their prime.
4) In general, numbers was one of my first coaches in sim leagues in general having recruited me to play for his team in the EFL so it is kind of crazy to be back playing with him again after not really doing so since Season 6 in the EFL and it is now Season 28 in the EFL, pretty crazy.

[MMFLEX]

If we're talking about my standout teammates none of them stand out more than Raeni Clarke. Now listen up! Raeni put the league on notice week one. The very first week of the season she said "I'm coming for that Performance of the Year!" 17/22 (77.3%) passing for 225 yards and 3 touch diddies. An incredible rating of 148.7 which is just mind blowing for a DSFL quarterback. Oh, did I mention she blasted past defenses for 2 more touch diddies on the ground? 84 yards on 5 carries including a 48 yarder to the house as she smiled and winked down the Bondi Beach sideline. She's got ice in her veins! She had another great game against Dallas in week 4 as she threw for 329 yards and 2 touch diddies on 23/30 (76.7%). She found one of her favorite targets, Nick L. Back, for a 58 yard strike and found him again late in the 4th quarter for another one. Raeni has a young team around her, but she's been incredible despite of it. She's one of the most accurate passers so far and has avoided turning the ball over compared to her positional competition. We need wonder woman to put her cape on the second half of the season and we'll follow her wherever she goes. She's the leader we need.

(224 Words)

[JKortesi81]

In Season 29, the Austin Copperheads find themselves stuck in a complete dud of a season. The team is a disappointing 1-7-1, showing a true Ultimus hangover and generally playing like trash. But, Austin does boast its beautiful flower in a field of weeds: Videl San. The pride of the Austin offense, despite having to deal with Jackie Daytona as her QB, Videl San finds herself with 45 catches for 867 yards and 5 TDs, despite drawing the opposition’s best CB every game. Videl San leads the ISFL in average yards per catch with 19.3, the next closest player is rookie Bayley Cowabunga with 16.7 yards per catch. The first player that isn’t on her own team only has 16.3 yards per catch, which means Videl is averaging a FULL THREE YARDS PER CATCH MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE. That’s a really ridiculous number. Videl also only has 3 drops on the season and is completely on pace to end up with 1540 yards, which would be the best in her career. There is a lot to be miserable about in Austin this season, but the standout play of Videl San is the one reason Copperheads fans can smile. If she can put together a miracle run in the second half of the season to get Austin to the playoffs, she’s a shoe in for the MVP award. (227)

[Vaelynn]

Slothlisberger has been a real champion as of late. His presence as a leader in the locker room and on the field is second to none, and you can not be any happier with his leadership ability. Slothlisberger is a consummate champion - having been to the big show several times in his illustrious career, he hasn't lost his stride despite the underwhelming last season and a half. For a rookie like me, it's important to recognize those veterans that stick with the team through thick and thin, and are able to maintain strong leadership despite the many challenges that come with a rebuilding team. 

Even more important is his positive attitude. He has lost many weapons in the offensive game and has to deal with a brand new, rookie running back behind him. It doesn't matter if the D end gets through the line and he gets knocked down, he gets back up with a smile and tells the team how to get it done better next time. Nothing deters Slothlisberger from doing his best each play and getting things done for the betterment of the team. Still a professional, he is a cornerstone of the New Orleans Second Line, and deserves every penny of his contract!

208 words

[qWest]

The Outlaws were in an interesting position as far as filling out the offensive depth chart is concerned when coming into this season. The surprise retirement of young role player Tom Teboat left Arizona with a gap at the tight end position that they had no prospects to fill. Though the draft featured a number of promising new players at tight end, many of those players were coming off the board rather early, and Arizona had hopes to pick up more depth on defense. Instead, Arizona's coaches realized they could better fill this role by taking advantage of the roster's elite depth at running back and wide receiver. The biggest key to this success has been moving young promising speedster Darren Pama to the outside to mirror Taro Raimon and, most critically, moving veteran receiver Thomas Passman to a flexible role all around the formation. A significant amount of Passman's snaps now require him to put hand in the dirt at the end of the line, and the sure-handed receiver has done an excellent job in this role. Passman still finds a significant amount of targets (51 receptions through 9 games), but is able to work the middle of the field and find positional mismatches with covering defenders. This work over the middle has been critical to Arizona's success, as Passman now functions as one of the team's biggest redzone threats. Passman has 7 TDs in only 9 games, tying his peak at that statistic in the last two seasons. Crucially, Passman has put in work to keep things moving on the ground, totalling 21 pancakes so far.

[Zoone16]

Being on a young team, there are not many figures that Nick L. Back can look up to for advice. However, one standout teammate has been Zack DiNozzo who is also a Tight End on the Norfolk Seawolves. DiNozzo has had a solid season, with 40 catches in 7 games for 3 touchdowns as well as 328yds received. His veteran presence and desire to push himself has made Back take training more seriously than in preseason. Thanks to DiNozzo’s support, Nick L. Back has been able to put up better numbers than him, albeit playing at wide receiver instead of tight end. Back’s 31 catches for 5 touchdowns and 483yds received lead the team as of mid-season but expect an even stronger performance as Back continues to get pushed by his teammates.
It should also be important to note that another solid contributor that has helped Back perform is fellow rookie Tight End, Sal Ami. Sporting the same jersey number (#69), Ami has been a vocal presence in the locker room and even though Ami has not had a touchdown yet, he provides good contribution to the team with his 16 catches and 199 yds received.
Ultimately, the team is young and has to progress the hard way, by taking loss after loss and step their game up, a week at a time.
(223 words)

[Crunk]

The teammate that I have to shout out here is Rich Triplet (@Kotasa). The unquestioned number one CB in Arizona isn't putting up quite the same numbers he was last year - presumably QBs are too scared to throw near him or just get the yips when they see his number and fling it out of bounds - but you would never know it to talk to him. Triplet is a player of relentless positivity, which has been crucial in recent weeks as the Outlaws have had a tough run of results. Had a bad game? This guy is picking you straight back up. You can't put a price on that, especially on a team that has such high standards for itself.

Also, you can't argue with him. Like, legally. His personal lawyer is always close at hand to make sure any disagreement is threatened with a defamation suit. While this may not fit any definition of the word "defamation" that I am familiar with, I am not the legal expert here, and the Outlaws players are simply not willing to take that risk - so they cheer up, just as they should.

Triplet enforcing Funky Monkey Friday in cornerback meetings to a deeply cynical and serious set of peers has probably been his hardest sell, but damn, he managed it. You couldn't ask for a better teammate.

[EricNCSU]

London Royals rookie running back Kiara Tenoh is absolutely killing it this season.  Talk about coming in with a bang! Averaging over 110 yards a game (789 yards in 7 games) as well as a touchdown a game (7 rushing TDs in 7 games, plus 1 receiving TD).  After not finding the endzone in the first game, Tenoh made up for it scoring in the next three games straight, including 2 TDs against TIjuana, and three(!!) against Norfolk, one of which was an 80 yard scamper on the first play of a drive. To cap off the three game swing, 182 yards and a TD against Bondi Beach was the icing on the cake.  User @TakaMori152 is also very active in the London locker room.  Very happy to have them aboard for this season as we defend the championship.  We lost a lot of talent to the IFSL this season, but I feel like we've done a good job reloading. Rookie wide receiver Bradley Welch (User @Dolphins) is also having a strong season.  Currently, in the top 20 in receiving yards in the league and with 3 touchdowns, one on a kick return.  Dolphins is also very active in the locker room and active on the site producing media. Another solid add to the team.

[Gbeck765]

It is hard to believe that this season is halfway over already. What a fun ride it has been. Victories haven’t been as frequent as we’d like, but the Seawolves are a young team that is at the beginning of their ascension. Our tight end group has had the biggest impact on Sal Ami this season. I’m not sure about other teams, but we truly have to have one of the most solid, tight end groups in the league.

Nick L. Back is a fellow rookie who has paved the way for not only rookie tight ends, but receivers as a whole. He has consistently led the team in yards and catches to this point in the season. He works tirelessly on improving and has speed that makes running backs across the league jealous.
Veteran TE Zach DiNozzo has been a pros pro and led by example all season long in the TE room. His approach to the game has shown me and my fellow rookies how things should be done.

Hououin Kyouma may play on defense but Zephyr has been a positive force in our team locker room this season. Hououin is one of the players constantly striving for improvement and always someone to help others out by lending advice.

Watch out for the 2nd half of the season, there is something special brewing in Norfolk!

(227 words)

[Troen]

Half of the season is already over, and no matter how your team has done this season, there is always standout players/users. Pick a standout teammate that has been doing well this season. Whether it has been through their performance on the field this season or through their impact in the locker room, this is your chance to say something nice about a teammate that you want to recognize.

Tyler Montain has been having a great statistical year. He's registered at least one of every defensive stat other than blocked kicks/punts and is a terribly fierce companion to the defensive captain Dex Kennedy. Dex, as the player with one more year of experience, actually has more TFL and FF/FR, but Montain is showing a bit better in the passing game with 9 sacks, 2 interceptions, 4 more pass defenses, and a safety. With a defensive duo like that as our linebacking stars you'd think we'd be unbeatable, right? Well unfortunately there's apparently a running game that we also have to care about besides the passing game, and we've been basically the worst in the league there. I do think that our struggles against the run and our overall record can cause Montain to get overlooked unless we put on an amazing show to close out the season, and that's really unfortunate given just how good of a season he's been having for us. I guess that's just the nature of sports - hard to be an MVP on a team that doesn't make the playoffs and all that. I hope we manage to at least end the season respectably to show that last year wasn't just a fluke but at this point it's looking rough. Regardless, Montain has been great and I fully believe he'll continue to be great no matter how many games we lose.