(S6) - Ultimus Week

[Drizzy]

Robbed

It's really hard not to feel sorry for the Baltimore Hawks. They've consistently been one of the best competitors in the NSFL, always fielding a strong team anchored by quarterback Avon Blocksdale. This season they fought hard in the tightly packed NSFC, delivering a performance that kept them in the hunt right until the end and their fate was in fact decided in the very last game of the season, in a gruelling winner takes all match up against the Yellowknife Wraiths. The Wraiths had been inconsistent this season and although the Wraiths have the history of being one of the best teams in the NSFL and being a consistent competitor for the Ultimus, it was probably the Hawks who were the favoured team to be able to pull off an upset and secure a playoff berth to face the Philadelphia Liberty. Despite an impressive performance by Blocksdale, the unthinkable happened for the Hawks and they fell 41-28 to the Wraiths, losing their chance of playoffs and breaking the dreams of their fans in the process. The Hawks have every right to feel robbed. They competed well all season and fielded a competitive team, but unfortunately them missing out on the playoffs came down to one very tough game at the season's end, one that will haunt the memory of those involved for a very long time.

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Playoff Review

The NSFL playoffs this season featured two interesting first round matchups that would make for an exciting and most importantly, competitive Ultimus game. The first series of the playoffs saw the Yellowknife Wraiths take on the Philadelphia Liberty in the NSFC Championship game. The Wraiths had found their way to the Ultimus in the last two seasons and would be hoping for a third chance at winning the trophy, but this time around it was the Liberty who had the better regular season and were probably the favourites going into the game. The Liberty were the team who came out on top in the end, winning the game 31-21 and booking their ticket to the Ultimus, denying the Wraiths the chance to try and make good on their failures in past seasons. The ASFC saw the San Jose Sabercats and the Orange County Otters go up against each other in a game that was always going to be gritty. The two teams had both been forces in the regular season, the Otters of course being the Ultimus champions for the past two seasons but the Sabercats had been good in the regular season and posed a threat to their dominance. The end result was an incredibly close playoff game which the Otters won by a very thin margin of 32-29. They won but had their crown of invincibility shown signs of slipping? Unfortunately not for the Philadelphia Liberty. The two teams met in the Ultimus game and the Otters won another tough game 23-17 and truly established their status as a dynasty that few could compare to.

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[iamslm22]

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

Clifford Rove was a decent NSFL Quarterback. I mean he wasn't a Pierno level team destroyer but he was certainly not in the Boss, Bronko, Blocksdale level of a top notch QB in the NSFL (maybe you have to have a last name starting with a B to dominant in the NSFL at QB). But Rove was a mid level guy along the lines of Scrub Kyubee and he was fairly serviceable. However this past off season he switched to corner back with CB Tyler Oles moving the QB. The move was met with some criticism but Rove absolutely thrived. This game particularly he was AWESOME. Look at this stat line. Five Tackles. Four passes deflected. An interception. AND a Defensive Touchdown. That is the line of the MVP of the NSFC championship game. He made life very difficult for Mat Akselsen and the Yellowknife passing offense. Rove was all over Bailey Cook, Eric Kennedy, Gosh Jarden or any one else the Wraiths put on his side of the field. He was a dominant corner, and Aks struggled all game. Aks had a passer rating of 65 and threw only one more touchdowns to the Wraiths as he did to Rove. Excellent performance from Clifford. 205

Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them.

Kevin Cushing left the NSFL in a blaze of glory. He was kind of a bit abrupt about his exit, complaining about the sim and yelling at the head office about a variety of things. He was unhappy with how cornerbacks were in the sim specifically and that they were not treated the best, which really is a pretty fair argument. As a CB on the Philadelphia liberty, the top one, he will be matched up with the best wide out in the NSFL - Bradley Westfield. Westy will be an absolute nightmare to stop. I mean seriously this dude was a monster this year (as he has been every year of his career). Westy had 79 receptions on the season. He went for 1540 yards. He found the end zone an incredible 12 times. This dude is steady and an absolute star every single year. In the NSFC championship game he went for 107 yards. Watching Cushing try to cover Westfield is going to be a delight for all the enemies Cushing made in his time in the NSFL and it will be a blast for those who are fans of Westfield. For the Liberty fans? They better hope Boss has a bad game. 205

SIT DOWN WITH A STAR - Thanks to Benson Bayley for the interview! @`BayleyIsland`

What was it like in the locker room when you guys finally broke the SJS curse??
It was pretty cool. Going into every season, we always know that we can do it. This season was special. We worked on a lot of things in the offseason, it was nice to see them finally work. I think our defense was definitely matching up with our offense clicking. Smallwood was finally very useful for our team, and that really set us on the right path. We definitely bonded together. It was a bad ending of the season as we just got unlucky in the games against Orange County. I think that we had the chance to win, any other day, we probably would have. Sometimes you get the breaks, sometimes you do not.

What're expectations for S7?
Well, we are excited. We had a great S6, I would not take that back at all. We always look to build on what we did in the prior season. We take everything that we learned and build it moving forward. We have a lot of things to work on to hopefully get up on OC next time. For me, there is a lot to work on. I had a pretty good year, but it is still time to keep working on what I need to work on. I need to keep moving and take nothing for granted. I am the top corner in San Jose in which I have worked for, I need to keep getting better. Just as I took the spot from Canton, someone can take that from me.

Earlier in the season you were getting some DPOY buzz, who do you think deserves it?
This is a tough question. I mean, I think there are absolutely a couple people that deserve it. One of those is one of my good friends on the team, Vincent Sharpei. I mean, look at what he did this season, 133 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 14 sacks, 11 pass deflections, and definitely a force on the defensive side of the ball. I mean, you could also look at the way of Angus Winchester or even Dan Miller. I feel like those really should be the top. I think Delacour could get a look, but I feel like those other guys deserve it more.

What's been the highlight of your career so far?
Honestly, making my first playoff game. I have to admit, I was nervous. I really wish I would have been better. I did get 5 tackles and a couple pass deflections, but I just needed to be better. I really needed to get my hands more on the ball and stop Boss on that last drive. I take that on myself, that was definitely something I wish I could do. Hey, you just look up and forward.

MAGIC MOMENT -

I'm going to go down to the DSFL for the magic moment. The San Antonio Marshals were winning against the Kansas Coyotes in the middle of the fourth quarter, but with Mark Strike and Howard Miller the Kansas City offense was ready to come back if they could get the ball. It was a one possession game and then Marshals, on their own 20, handed the ball to second string Running Back Willie Nyquist. Willie took the ball made a defender missed and turned on the damn jets. Nyquist ran EIGHTY YARDS. Tied for the longest run in DSFL history. Would be tied for the longest run in NSFL history. The kid had the absolute run of his life and put the game away for the San Antonio Marshals. San Antonio came in to this game on the road and were certainly under dogs. Many had picked the Coyotes to win, as they have been the top dogs in the DSFL all season behind the best player in the DSFL in Howard Miller. But San Antonio hd other plans. With a desire to run the ball down Kansas City's throats San Antonio leaned on the two man running duo of Carter Bush and Willie Nyquist in addition to the runs of mobile QB Mike Vick. Willie's run showed their strat paid off. 222

[Ramero]

FUTURE TALENT


Playoff Predictions
This DSFL playoff will be competitive unlike any other that we've seen before. In the North division we have the Kansas City Coyotes squaring off against the Portland Pythons in what looks to be a hyper competitive match up, while down in the South we will watch the Tijuana Luchadores do their best to overpower the power hungry San Antonio Marshals. The two match ups are going to be incredible football games to watch, but how will they play out. As far as the South goes, the cards are definitely in the hands of the Marshals as they plan to easily trump the much weaker Tijuana team using the dominance they have displayed all season, where as in the South it's a whole different story.

The Pythons and Coyotes are evenly matched, both with strong offensive teams and dynamic defenses that will make for a very good game to watch. In the end though, it's likely that we will watch Kansas dismantle the Pythons defense using the combination of talented veteran quarterback Mark Strike and generational rookie Miller. Heading into the Ultimini championship, the Marshals firepower will simply outperform the Coyotes offense and defense on the field to take home the championship.

Robbed
The Palm Beach Solar Bears have been and always will be the number one team in the entire DSFL. Their stunning surprise championship victory last season came to the surprise of every member of the league, and their outlandishly strong roster heading into this season primed them for another run at the Ultimini. Ultimately, through a string of bad games, the Solar Bears fell apart this season and found themselves sitting at the bottom of the South conference due to the rise of the Luchadores and Marshals back to the top of the standings. The Solar Bears offense, headlined by star quarterback Jim McHahon and dynamic receiving threats Dennis MacKinnon and Greg Olsen fell short this season, failing to produce the same ridiculous level of offensive prowess they have showed in the past.

The future doesn't look bleak for Palm Beach though, as their young players develop into new stars with the acquisition of defensive backs Reggie Phillips and Peanut Tillman from this years draft class. These two young studs look to bolster and already talented defense for the Bears as they dream of running back to the championship game in just a short period of time. A few other talented prospects entered the mix for Palm Beach this season including first round draft pick wide receiver Terrelle Pryor who will look to be the number one receiver with the Solar Bears for the rest of the foreseeable future.

Playoff Recap
The DSFL playoffs wrapped up recently, and thanks to an impressive turn around win by the San Antonio Marshals, we have seen the rise of a new empire in the best developmental football league in the nation. In the Northern conference of the DSFL, Kansas City faced off against the Portland Pythons in what was a nail biter of a game. Howard Miller had a huge performance with a massive catch to win the game for the Coyotes who headed to the Ultimini Championship in what many argued to be the closer and more competitive team with the winner being the top candidate to take home the hardware. On the southern side of the ball, San Antonio went head to head with underdog Tijuana in a game that was over straight from the start. While the Luchadores put in their best effort, they ultimately couldn't quite stack up against the bullies of the Marshals and fell whilst on the road.

In the Ultimus championship game, we saw the clashing of two massive forces in the offensively dominant Kansas City Coyotes lead by veteran star quarterback Mark Strike and primary sophomore receiving option Howard Miller facing off against a young and fresh faced San Antonio Marshals roster with a future star on the defensive end of the ball in Rickey Ramero. This competition was hard fought to the bitter end before the San Antonio Marshals broke into the lead and stole the game in an underdog defeat of the Coyotes who were considered by many to be the consensus champions. While there was no Cinderella story by Tijuana, the South got their championship in the end anyways.

[Renrut]

Playoff Series MVP

In the NFC Conference Finals, the (8-6) Kansas City Coyotes traveled to the (10-4) Portland Pythons. The Coyotes would come in as the underdogs only on paper. They would leave Conference Champions. While it was entirely a team effort out there for the Coyotes this evening, one player in particular sticks out in my mind as the Playoff Series Most Valuable Player...and that player is none other than Kansas City Quarterback, Mark Strike. Strike showed absolute poise in the pocket delivering strikes to both sides of the field and at different levels, including an absolutely beautiful forty yard bomb to Howard in the third quarter. As if delivering through the air wasn’t enough, Strike put the team on his back and also ran for 26 Yards and one touchdown on the ground. His one blemish came in the fourth quarter when he delivered a duck that was picked off, but other than that, he played a damn good football game, in a moment when you need your quarterback to play his best. He may not have had the yardage you look for a QB to have, but when you play good through the air and ground as he did, it wasnt needed. This game will go down in Coyote history, but look for Strikes impressive playoff campaign to continue in the championship game later this week against the San Antonio Marshals.

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Championship Recap

In the Ultimini game, the underdog Kansas City Coyotes found themselves in a great position to win the championship game against the San Antonio Marshals, but as quickly as things were going good for the Coyotes, the bad came just as quick. Leading 13-6 at halftime, the Coyotes would not not see their lead squandered away, but would also fail to score another point in the game, sealing their fate, and going home empty handed. One of the biggest plays for the Marshals could arguably be Quarterback Michael Vick’s one yard scamper in the fourth quarter to put the Marshals on top for the first time in the game, but I believe there were no bigger plays than the one Marshals runningback, Willy Nyquist pulled off. With 4:12 remaining in the game, and both teams engaged in a tight game, the back took the handoff, took one step forward, and that’s all he needed as he scampered eighty yards to pay dirt to put the Marshals up 23-13, a score that would hold as the Marshals would go in to hoist the Ulitmini Championship trophy. The Coyotes certainly let the Marshals off the hook in this one and will be haunted the entire offseason.

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Playoff Matchups



FUTURE TALENT

[RedCydranth]

Robbed:

Every year in the NSFC it's a close race. Philadelphia, Baltimore and Yellowknife duke it out for the top 2 spots. This year it was as close as ever. While the Liberty comfortably held first place, the race for that second spot was determined by HALF of a game. The rare tie was the determining factor that sent the Wraiths to the post season over the Hawks. But it could be argued that the Hawks were the better team. Sure, there's the fact that the Hawks failed to beat the Wraiths in either match-up, but the Wraiths tied the New Orleans Second Line, the worst team in the league not named after a mythological snowman. All of the Hawks losses were to teams with Winning Records. They didn't TIE a joke of a franchise. On that premise alone, Baltimore should have advanced to the post-season over the Wraiths, who faced the humiliation of not being able to beat a bunch second rate jazz musicians. Not that this would matter much anyhow since it is only delaying the inevitable, as the Liberty are better than both of these teams this season. Or were they? The Hawks actually beat them once. Did the Wraiths? Of course they didn't. How about those highly dominant Orange County Otters? Yeah, Baltimore won BOTH of their games against the 2x reigning champions, and this year's ASFC Champions. It is worth noting the Wraiths did also win one, but 2 is always better than 1.

(250 Words)

Underdog:

Despite being a solid team all season, the Philadelphia Liberty are severe underdogs this year in the Ultimus. Las Vegas has them at a 20% chance to win. But much like the Philadelphia Eagles, they don't buy the hype. Philadelphia has had one hell of a strong season. In his first year as QB, former CB Tyler Oles led this squad to 9-5 record and their first ever appearance in the NSFL Ultimus Bowl. There's something special about this squad. They're a high scoring crew. If they can keep up their high octane offense, they stand a legitimate shot at winning this week's championship and being he first team in NSFC history to be a champion, and preventing Orange County from hoisting the Ultimus Cup for the third straight year. In prior meetings this season, it was the Otters defense that won their games. Holding the normally proficient Oles to under 20 points was their linchpin to victory. If I were the Philadelphia Offensive Coordinator, I'd go over the Otters losses against Baltimore and see what they did to out throw Boss. If they can get that kind of tempo out of Oles, they'll be victorious. The Liberty were 0-2 with their prior strategies against the Otters.

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Going to Disneyland:

A lot of players deserve to go to Disneyland. But there's one who I feel deserves it more than anyone else. Ian Bavitz. He was an MVP for the Otters all season. He played dominantly every singe game and never took a day off. And I mean that literally. Molarpistols, our faithful and amazing GM is always found on Discord and cares more about this team than I could ever expect out of anyone. Every team has great players and great members, but I really think Molarpistols sets a bar for the most dedicated GM. I am biased since he's really the only GM I've ever played for, and I don't want to take away from any other of the fine GMs in this league, but there's a reason that the people who play for Orange County don't want to leave and be Otters for life. Molarpistols is a significant reason why. But that's only half of it. The guy is a sure fire hall of famer on the field of play too. He's consistently one of the best players in the league, and a wrecking ball to opposing offenses. He makes me look like a slouch because he gets more interceptions every year than I do, and that's pretty much my only job. If anyone deserves a congratulatory hats off for a job well done, look no further than Ian Bavitz aka Molarpistols.

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Hate the Player or the game:

Am I confused? Isn't this the exact same thing as Robbed but twisted? Nope, it's the exact same damn thing. So... I guess I'll just stick with what worked before. I think the Wraiths made the playoffs with a much worse team than Baltimore. Instead of saying the same things I said above, I'll try and make up some more reasons than the obvious fact that Baltimore went 2-0 against the 3x Ultimus Championship team, Orange County or the fact that they went 2-0 against the horrible New Orleans Second Rate instead of Yellowkinfe's 1-0-1 record against them. I'll focus this one on players. The Hawks were better statistically. As a duo, Willie and LeClair were miles ahead of Cook and Jarden. The Hawks receiving duo reached paydirt 25 times. Wraiths wideout duo? 12. Omar Taylor ran for more yards than anyone in the NSFL this season, and outclassed the consensus #1 fantasy pick at the beginning of the season Eric Kennedy in that category as well. In terms of QB production, Blocksdale was in a completely different league than Akselsen. 4,215 yards for 37 TDs and 10 INTs for Avon. That's ridiculous. Mat posted a meager 3,556 yards with 18 TDs and 16 INTs. On the other side of the ball, Antoine Delacour made fools out of everyone. 5 INTs, 2 of which were returned for TDs, and 26 passes defended. The best Wraiths CB was Carter with a respectable 4 INTs, but only 17 Passes Defended, and Carter did return one to the house. The Wraiths did have an amazing defense, with their higher sack total, but the Hawks had just as many takeaways as the "more dominant" Wraiths defense. Considering the overall ability difference on offense in favor of Baltimore compared to only a slight advantage on Defense for Yellowknife, Baltimore ws the superior team statistically and I'm hating on the Wraiths for sneaking in ahead of the Hawks for that final spot.

(332 Words)

[ItsJustBarry]

Robbed – Based on my knowledge of the past season I would have to say the Baltimore Hawks were robbed? Why would I select the Baltimore Hawks? That’s easy. They didn’t make the playoffs. I am sure there was some shoddy SIM action that occurred through the season that can’t be explained. Maybe they ley ER back into the simmer’s box. How the fuck do I know? The Baltimore Hawks have good players that are active. We have the most known kicker in the game, and he is consistently inconsistent. Aside from that we have a good quarterback who does good quarterback things and a wide receiver group that is well above average. On the defensive side of the ball, there are several new players on the roster who have made an immediate impact. We added Noah Goodson and Austin Roenick to an already stout secondary. If all the facts don’t convince you we were robbed, then so be it. I am not here to persuade you. One thing is for certain, the Baltimore Hawks were denied a playoff berth and it’s a damn travesty to the entire existence of the National Simulation Football League. Shit, I still need six words. Nevermind. (200)

Root for the underdog – I guess for this topic I need to pick an underdog. Since I am getting to this so late, I am stuck with the Philly Liberty. Fuck me, right? Yeah anyways, they are definitely the underdogs headed into this next matchup. Looking at the rosters, I can’t find a single position where I would give them the nod over their opponents, the Orange county otters. Tyler Oles and Mike Boss, I am taking Mike Boss every time. Jordan Yates, Robert Phelps, and Bradley Westfield versus, Josh Garden, Fox North, and Blessed Storm. Am I reading this right? Yeah, I am taking Jordan Yates, Robert Phelps, and Bradley Westfield every damn time. I guess their one offensive silver lining is they can exploit this shitty SIM and play Dimirio out of position to rack up ridiculous receptions and yards. On the defensive side, I do really like Eli Kamaka, Bagwell, and Vikain Marmalade (sp) but I don’t expect them to be able to carry this entire defense. The Philly Liberty also have the infamous Kevin Cushing. That’s got to be good for something, right? Maybe this year is the year that the curse of Garden and Cushing is broken but I doubt it. (202)

Matchup Nightmares - Seriously? I just wrote 200 words outlining this exact topic but from the perspective of the Philly Liberty. Alright, let me see if I have 200 more words I can stretch out of this lopsided affair, except this time, let’s talk about the orange county otters. From the top, they have Mike Boss. He’s been a matchup nightmare for 3+ seasons now so why would anyone expect anything different this game. Next, there’s Bradley Westfield, Robert Phelps, Jordan Yates, and that Erlich Burnsman guy. This team does what it wants on offense and this next game will be no different. Even on defense, they has an entire cast of stars. They are so loaded with talent, there are rumors that some of their players are even, dare I say it, tired of winning so easily. Tired of winning? What the fuck? I have never heard some ridiculous nonsense out of any true competitor. Anyways, there’s Ryan Sierra, Gregor Clegane, Ian Bavitz, Marc Spector, Elvin Enchant, some O’Sullivan, Tegan Atwell, and theres also Winchester. There’s a few others that I didn’t mention but I forgot their names and didn’t want to go looking. I am sorry and I mean absolutely no disrespect. (201)

Sit down with a star - @Bwestfield

1. Yes or No. Bradley Westfield has played his entire career as a member of the Orange County Otters. During that time, you has amassed 455 receptions, 8413 receiving yards, an 18.49 yard per reception average, and 63 touchdowns. All of these are impressive numbers especially coming from a player that was drafted in the 13th round of the inaugural S1 draft. During your career, you have been the top 10 in receiving yards every single season and have led all receivers twice. There’s no arguing that any team would be ecstatic to add you to their roster. Would you ever consider playing for another team in the NSFL?

I think about it all the time. I am a huge fan of parity within the league. I can't say for certain that it will ever happen but the idea is there.

2. Obviously, you are going to put your team mates first. That’s just the type of player you seem to be. Let’s forget about Orange County for just a minute here. If you had to pick, who would say is your favorite offensive and defensive players in the National Simulation Football league are?

Offensive player would be Damian Kroetch, the dude is a monster
Defensive players would be Antoine Delacour, he can do anything on the field

3. With your 3rd consecutive championship in the books and looking ahead and seeing no real threat in the ASFC next season, do you ever think to yourself that it’s just too easy?

It's never easy. Every year is just as hard as the last. It is really nice to have those championships but we worked hard for every single one.

4. Can you suggest a local beer in your area that you think everyone should try at least once?

Ellicottville brewing company makes an excellent oatmeal stout.

[HENDRIX]

1. 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)

Before the season, anyone well educated about the league could have predicted there would be one supremely disappointed team in the NSFC. That conference has three good teams that are pretty close to each other in talent. Unfortunately there are only two playoff spots up for grabs. The Liberty earned the top seed with their 8-6 record. The second playoff spot came down to the last regular season game when the Wraiths played the Hawks. With home field advantage the Vegas odds saw the Hawks as a clear favorite. Unfortunately for the Hawks games aren't played on paper, they are decided on the field. The Hawks have a lot of fantastic players, but on that day something was off, and the Wraiths punched them in the mouth at their home stadium. The Hawks were in first place most of the season in the NSFC, and if you look at the stats, their QB and RB had the best seasons out of any other QB/RB duo in the conference, maybe even the league. On defense they arguably had the best performing CB and DE as well. Just by winning any of the seven games they lost throughout the season would have earned them a playoff berth, but it just didn't work out that way. (213)

2. Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them.(Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)

Jordan Yates, a WR for the Orange County Otters, is going to light up Philadelphia Liberty CB Kevin Cushing so bad it is going to force him into retirement. Jordan Yates is a silent assassin. I bet the first time many hear of him was when he signed a mega free agent deal to join the Otters a few seasons ago. Before that he was an offensive lineman for the Sabercats. But anyways, Cushing is the exact opposite of the tranquil Yates. KC talks a lot of shit but steps up to the plate. During the media conference leading up to the Ultimus Cushing has repeatedly said "Yates who" and "I'm the best, I have a lot more TPE than you". There were also reports of a tense situation where the boisterous Cushing was making his way toward Yates in the conference room, but security quickly extinguished the situation. The fact of the matter is Yates has devastated cornerbacks all season long. He even set a new NSFL receiving record for most yards in a season at 1,860. It's possible his dominance will change the future of the league. Early indications are pure RBs will not be allowed to lineup at WR next season and beyond. (206)

3. 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 a game that was uncharacteristically ugly on offense for the Orange County Otters, FS Ian Bavitz very well could have been the biggest reason the Otters were able to defeat the Sabercats. His final state line for the game was 10 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 safety. Numbers like that are wild for a safety. The final result was a three point win for the Otters, so every play in this game was huge. The Sabercats offense was held to an offensive efficiency that was below what they were used to. A lot of that had to do with Bavitz flying around all over the field. In the past he was a linebacker, one of the most athletic in the game. The coaching staff recognized that athleticism, had him lose some weight, and shifted him to the free safety position. It has paid off big time. He was at the top of the league in interceptions and is a threat to make a big play every snap. Going into this game I bet there wouldn't have been many people predicting a defensive player would be the MVP, considering how much offensive talent is out there. And I think that makes his performance even more impressive. (206)

[Dawegg]

That Magic Moment

In a hotly contested game between the Philadelphia Liberty and the Orange County Otters in the Ultimus Championship, one key defining play stands out. Philadelphia has the momentum late in the fourth, driving at will against the exhausted Otter defense who has had to contend with the passing attack of Tyler Oles. A crucial 31 yard pass sets up Philadelphia at the 5 yard line, ready to take the lead with 2:58 left in the game and down by 6. Offensive miscues lead to a 4 yard pass from Oles to his primary outlet at receiver, veteran Josh Garden. The magic moment is at 4th and goal from the one with barely a minute and a half left before the Otters claim their championship. Oles fires to his favorite target Garden! .... but he drops the game winning touchdown pass. The difference between coming home disappointed or returning champions can be illustrated in this one play. By far through all accounts, this has been the best Ultimus yet, most in part because of this thrilling play in the twilight of the game. This is a game that will go down in NSFL lore as one of the greatest, if not the defining championship game all others are compared to.

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Sitdown With a Fan: Found Here

Sit-down with a star: Tyler Oles

Questions:

1. As a long time veteran of the NSFL, where would you like to see the league evolve in the coming months? Points of improvement perhaps?
2. What is your opinion on potentially switching league engines to the upcoming Out of the Park/Solecismic Software game to replace Draft Day Sports?
3. Philadelphia has been in the playoff mix for the past few seasons; is it possible in the near future for us to see your team take that next step and dethrone the Otters? Or is there another team out there who may be able to accomplish that goal?
4. What got you into this league?

Answers:
1. The biggest point of improvement has to be parity. While it's gotten better over the past few seasons we're still seeing one team that clearly reigns above the rest. While I feel like the Liberty made that push to the upper echelon this season we still need to get something to push up to compete with the Otters. The league has gotten a lot better over the past few seasons and really seems like it has the staying power now, and with people getting up there in age and experience we could really start to see the good players spread out and the dynasties stop.
2. I can't wait. I've been a big supporter and big force in the OOTP hype. OOTP Baseball is a great sim and I trust the developers to be able to really make a great football sim with the tools they have from OOTP and the tools that Front Office Football has. The two together seems like a great pairing and I'm really excited for the new sim to really help this league prosper.
3. I think Philly is the team with the best chance to make that leap and dethrone the Otters. We have a great foundation already established and I would say we are currently the best team in the NSFC. We were close to beating them in the Ultimus this season and that will be motivation to do even better next season, and we have a unique opportunity to cater to free agents in that we can say we've slugged it out with the best team, and convince them that they could be the piece we need to get the knockout blow on the top team in the league.
4. Browsing Reddit one day, it seemed interesting. Got into it immediately and fell in love with the community and the idea of the league. At the time I was a cornerback and immediately rose up the S2 draft boards, going 12oa when just a week prior I had no idea what the league was. Going to the expansion team in Philly also helped as I already felt like I was the number 1 corner on the team, and felt like I was on a team that I could help build and help be a part of something special.

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Playoff Series MVP

Honestly, in perhaps an Ultimus Championship that may stand as the greatest of all time, many players could potentially be labeled the most valuable player of this series. However, the man who changed the momentum of the entire game with his leg deserves all the credit; that man is no other than kicker Bradley T Madlad. At ten second left in the second quarter, he boots a 55 yard field goal to send the Otters up by 3 into half time. From this point on, the Otters had recovered from early mishaps and gained full control of the the game's tempo. On the stat sheet, he is overshadowed by Mike Boss, but without that kick it's hard to say if the outcome of the game would have ultimately remained the same. All it would have taken in that scenario for the Liberty to send the game into overtime was a field goal. In a similar hypothetical, an extra point missed or any other of his two field goals may have proven fatal. Sometimes, game changers aren't that flashy on the scorecard, and kickers happen to be forgotten in the glory of other positions. Mister Madlad is forever enshrined in NSFL history as putting the points on the board to lead the Otters to their third championship.

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[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Robbed

It seems like every season, you can write about the third place NSFC team because of how tight the conference is and this season was no exception. While the Wraiths certainly deserved a spot in the playoffs, it’s hard to believe the Hawks aren’t as good, and possibly better on some days than the Wraiths. Scoring the third most points on the season, they definitely had the weapons to hang with anyone and really had it not been for a tie that the Wraiths had, the Hawks would have gotten in. With some moves in the offseason and maybe some better game planning, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hawks back in the playoffs next season with either the Wraiths or Liberty missing out. Of course, the Hawks had their chances to beat both the Wraiths and Liberty to punch their ticket to the playoffs and they failed to do so, so you can’t feel too badly for them. It is sad for the Hawks that their best chances of getting an Ultimus before the league became more competitive overall were against an Outlaws team that had….well let’s just say a little more than luck on their side in those early seasons. But, I believe that they have the talent and management to make another run in the near future.


Magic Moment

To me one of the most amazing moments to watch in the playoffs was the interception return for a touchdown by Clifford Rove in the NSFC championship game. For one, it was awesome to see Rove make a play like this considering the huge shakeup for him to move from QB to CB. This was definitely a defining moment for him in a big spot and a chance to show he had what it takes to play the position after so many people questioned if he could. Of course, even more important was what it meant for the team. As an expansion team, the Liberty have fought an uphill battle to reach where they are now. When Rove made this play, the game was put out of reach for the Wraiths. You could feel the energy from the Philadelphia fans and the momentum the team had, the final score was a lot closer than the game actually felt. But, for the first time you really had a sense that this Liberty team could go all the way. And they almost did, going into Orange County and coming up literally just a yard short. It's a huge step for this franchise and it all started with a big play from Rove. You have to believe this team has what it takes to possibly make it all the way next season.


Championship Game Recap

As painful as it is to relive the championship game, you have to give credit to Marc Spector for his game changing tackle at the goal line at the end of the fourth quarter. While there were some huge plays in the game by the Otters offensive weapons and some of their rushers on defense, no play had a bigger impact than this one. In a tight game, every single yard counts, but when you're in the red zone, those yards seem like they're even harder to come by. With Liberty threatening to drive down and score a game winning touchdown, star WR Josh Garden dove for the end zone but was blown up by Spector at the 1. Not only did this save a touchdown but it clearly shook Garden up as he failed to make the catch on the ensuing fourth down, sealing the fate of the Liberty team. It is questionable why the Liberty went back to Garden when he was clearly limping. With other red zone weapons like TD machine Damien Kroetch or Red Zone threat Paul Dimirio they had options. Perhaps it's just the trust the team has in Garden, but this time unfortunately their faith was not rewarded.


Playoff Review

NSFC Championship: Liberty vs Wraiths

The Liberty came out hot in this one, scoring 24 unanswered points capped off by a 59 yd interception return for a touchdown by Clifford Rove. The Wraiths battled back late with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter but it just wasn’t enough as the Liberty held on to win 31 – 21. Not many players stood out in this one, but game balls for Liberty would have to go to Rove for his interception return and Garden for a game high 113 receiving yards.

ASFC Championship: Otters vs Sabercats

A surprisingly close game, this one was decided by a Madlad field goal with under a minute left in regulation. It was truly a shootout with both quarterbacks going for over 300 yards and 4 players in the game having over 100 receiving yards. It really could have gone either way the way the teams were playing, but in the end it was the Boss and the Otters managing the clock well to strike the final blow.

Ultimus Game: Otters vs Liberty

Ah yes the game of games and what an exciting finish it was to this one. Early in the fourth quarter, the Otters took a ten point lead and it looked like the game might slip away from the Liberty until Josh Garden returned a kickoff to the house to get within a field goal. Madlad put the Otters up by 6 with about 7 minutes to go, but the Liberty were driving towards the endzone and looked like they could win it. Garden made a play in the redzone but came up just short of the goalline after a brilliant tackle by Spector to save the game. It would all come down to one play, but this time Garden wouldn’t be the hero as the ball bounced helplessly off his hands. The Otters had won another Ultimus, this time defeating the Liberty 23 – 17.

[The_Hero]

Robbed

For this point task I'm going to write about something I'm sure won't surprise any of the people that knows me.The Baltimore Hawks were absolutely robbed of their playoffs. In my humble opinion I truly belive the Baltimore Hawks are a better team than the Yellow Knife Wraiths. I know the Hawks lost to the Wraiths in an earlier game in the season but the Hawks had grown and truly gotten to a new level throughout the season. We had quite a few hiccups but defeating the Orange County Otters at their home was such a turning point in the season. Compare that moment to the Yellow Knife Wraiths tying with the New Orleans Second Line. Nola was not a very good team this year but yet they managed to tie and almost beat the Wraiths! Another factor was Liberty being unexpectedly good this season. I'm not sure anyone really expected the Philadelphia Liberty to come out this year and just win that many games. Granted they played well so I believe they absolutely deserved a spot in the playoffs and even a shot at the Ultimas. In conclusion I believe the Hawks were the much better team but were robbed of their chance.
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