(S7) - Ultimus Week

[124715]

my place is here

[kckolbe]

Playoff Predictions (14 May)
In the NSFC, the Liberty will travel to Yellowknife, which is good, because visiting teams account for 98% of their tourism revenue. The Wraiths offense will split its yards pretty evenly running and passing, both led with moderate success by Mat Akselsen, who would be the best QB in the league were it not for having to throw the damn ball all the time. On defense, Dermot Lavelle will have a very easy time covering either Josh Garden or Fox North, both of whom used to be big fucking deals. Yellowknife will win with a possession to spare.
In the AFSC, Orange County will host the Outlaws, making an appearance due to process of elimination. King Bronko will try to look like the QB of old, but Mackworthy will probably be the focal point of the offense. Either way, I am expecting 2 turnovers from the Outlaws. Once OC gets the ball, which will happen a lot, look for Robert Phelps and Bradley Westfield to take turns abusing the Arizona secondary. OC will win by a mile.
Finally, Yellowknife will host their first Ultimus game against the 3 time defending Otters. I am expecting a very close game, but Yellowknife, with their cold-ass stadium, should have the advantage. Expect a defensive battle with a few big plays accounting for all the points. Yellowknife will win.

That Magic Moment
The whole game, I was just waiting for it to happen. With 10:59 remaining in the second quarter, somehow the Liberty had gone up 21-3. The Liberty were the underdogs in the Ultimus game, yet somehow, they were 3 possessions ahead. Josh Garden had taken a kick return to the house. Fox North had found the end zone on a 19 yard pass, and Kendrick Hendrix, in his final season before prison, had smoked the defense over the middle for a 43 yard score. It was too good to be true, and I knew it would be that easy. The Otters soon proved me right, and scored 16 unanswered points on 4 possessions. The Liberty defense was gassed and demoralized, and all of the spark seemed to have long-since departed from Philadelphia’s offense, which hadn’t registered a single point in over 25 minutes. Up by only 2 points, the Liberty had punted once again, with the Otters ready to start a potential game winning drive. On the first play of that drive, Micah Hendrix, first round pick of the S2 draft, intercepted Mike Boss and returned it for 15 yards. Not only was the momentum stopped, but the Liberty were in position to put the game out of reach.

Playoff Series MVP
Playoff Paul. The name was a thing before this year, but now is forever cemented, as is his claim to the Hall of Fame. With the Liberty as the underdog in the conference championship against the 13-1 Wraiths, there was little hope. The Liberty hadn’t even been able to beat the Wraiths with home field advantage, and now had to do it on the road. As a strategy, they turned to Paul DiMirio, who had been with the team all 6 seasons of his career. With Dermot Lavelle locking down various receivers, it would be Paul DiMirio’s job to carry the offense through the middle of the field chaos, and QB Tyler Oles would be looking his way on every play. He did. Oles targeted DiMirio 19 times, even as the Wraiths mixed in double coverage. On the first drive of the game, DiMirio made his presence known by taking his first target 21 yards to the end zone. On the next target, just 2 minutes later, DiMirio caught an 8 yard pass to set up 2nd and 2 from the 6, which Kroetch scored a TD on. Yellowknife doubled up on him after that, with 6 consecutive incompletions and then an interception on his targets. However, DiMirio kept churning, resulting in 2 TDs and 114 yards in the upset win.

Playoff Review
We’ll start with the least watchable conference game I’ve ever seen. The Outlaws had no business in the postseason, and it showed. It took just over 20 minutes for the game to reach “blowout” status, which a touchdown pass to Westfield and a pair of short touchdown runs from Erlich Burnsman. Once, very briefly, the lead dropped to 14 points, but was immediately back up to 21, and finished an embarrassing 48-24. Next were the Wraiths and Liberty, which totaled 1 less point scored, but was a lot tougher. The Liberty got out to a 17 point lead early on, suggesting another blowout, but then Yellowknife went on a 17-3 scoring run that threatened to steal the game. The two teams went back and forth, the score 33-31 until the last minute of the game, when the Liberty found the end zone one final time to put the game out of reach. Finally, the Ultimus game was played in Orange County. As with their last game, the Liberty immediately built up an impressive three possession lead, only to see their opponent kick it in to gear and bring the game back to a 2 point margin before scoring a final touchdown to keep it out of reach. Final score: 28-19

[bovovovo]

Robbed

Yeah so uh obviously the New Orleans Second Line was robbed from making the playoffs and the reason why the New Orleans Second Line was robbed from making the playoffs was because they should have beaten the Arizona Outlaws since the Arizona Outlaws were actually trying to lose the game on purpose but apparently Borkus Maximus III of the New Orleans Second Line is just terrible at life and threw so many interceptions to the Arizona Outlaws that it was ridiculous and the Arizona Outlaws were able to squeeze out a win against their wishes and efforts against the New Orleans Second Line which ended up knocking the New Orleans Second Line out of the playoffs though this actually turned out for the best for the New Orleans Second Line because now they get the number two draft pick in the entire draft even though they tried to win and do not have the guilt of trying to lose a game on purpose on their conscience unlike the Arizona Outlaws do when they tried to lose to the New Orleans Second Line but won anyway and now the Arizona Outlaws are actually in the playoffs so their plan actually back fired pretty tremendously.

(203 words)

Playoff Predictions

So first things first the Orange County Otters are going to go in there and smack around the Arizona Outlaws and beat them there isn't much question about it if the Arizona Outlaws win it will be extremely impressive and quite the under dog story. Over in the NSFC I am predicting (HOT TAKE ALERT) that the Yellowknife Wraiths defeat the Philadelphia Liberty I don't have much reason for this other than that I am going with my gut on this one and my gut is telling me that the Yellowknife Wraiths are going to beat the Philadelphia Liberty in that game of simulation football you heard it here first. Then in the championship we will have the Yellowknife Wraiths versus the Orange County Otters where this time the NSFC will reign supreme and the Yellowknife Wraiths will take home the Ultimus after defeating the Orange County Otters biggest reason here is the home field advantage which I think the Wraiths will be able to capitalize on handily to win the game and also why in the world are these things 200 words jesus so long have they always been this long? But anyways the Yellowknife Wraiths I think will win the Ultimus.

(203 words)

Hate the player or the game

So obviously the Arizona Outlaws probably should not have made the playoffs but this isn't a knock on them in fact I like the Arizona Outlaws very much yessir I sure do I like them a lot but let us be real and honest for a second here they have a losing record and also they tried to purposefully loose a game in order to prevent this very situation from happening so it has been an interesting twist of fates for them to actually win and make it to the playoffs they defied all odds including their own purposeful self sabotage to make it happen and so they should not have made it and even though the name of this prompt is hate the player I really want to stress that I do not hate the Arizona Outlaws in fact I like them a lot they are cool people expecially their two general managers I enjoy interacting with them a lot and I like their personalities and I respect them but their team should not have made the playoffs nonetheless because they have a losing record and it is pretty ridiculous that they were able to make it but I am very proud of them.

(205 words)

Playoff Series MVP

Stupid sexy Mike Boss was the MVP of the Orange County Otters - Arizona Outlaws game and this is a surprise to pretty much nobody because the Arizona Outlaws defense is a mess and Mike Boss is Mike Boss even though he is basically an inactive corpse nowadays but it does not matter because the Orange County Otters are gonna Orange County Otter if ya know what I mean oh yes yeah you know what I mean yes you do just look at yourself haha those silly Orange County Otters am I right anyways Mike Boss posted a ridiculous 125.6 QB rating and 4 TDs for a ridiculous 484 yards I mean jeeze chill out Boss the Outlaws just wanted to play a game of football with you calm down the only "problem" with his game was he only had 28 completions out of 46 attempts but honestly it doesn't even matter when your average completion is freaking 17 yards long jeeze chill out Orange County Otters yall scary the Orange County Otters had THREE RECEIVERS go for over 100 yards receiving because the Arizona Outlaws just had no idea what was going on because Mike Boss is ridiculous and should probably be nerfed to be quite honest.

(207 words)

[Supersquare04]

New Talent: Obviously the biggest trade would have to be when the Yellowknife Wraiths traded for Arbin Asipi. Now it's not to say that they gave up too much, or that it was a bad trade. What did happen however is Yellowknife received the asipi curse. Long story short Asipi ruins any chances of winning a playoff game because he is trash. Now that pretty much sums up what I was going to talk about but as of right now I am only at 84 words so I guess I am going to have to add some filler. Uh another really big trade would have to be Carlito Crush to the Otters. Crush is a great player and locker room guy and will be a great player on an already great team. Adding his name to the Otters will (if he stays in Orange County) help extend their window for a few more Ultimus with guys like Phelps hitting their regression period. Ok what so I am still not at the word count are you kidding me? That is absolute bogus and I am super mad. Now to go yell at Oles for being a dufus and beating the Wraiths.

right at 200 baby

Matchup Nightmares: The upcoming game between the Orange County Otters and the Philadelphia Liberty will be a good one for sure. With superstar receiver Bradley Westfield going up against the vet Kevin Cushing in his last year in the league, this will be sure to be an electrifying matchup. However I feel like for Cushing's last game, he might get burned quite a bit by Westfield. Now why do I think this? Well for one, Cushing has never really been a top of the line Corner, and when he is going up against probably the best player in the game at wide receiver, there is no way he can keep pace with him. Another reason he can't compete with Westy the besty is because Mike freaking Boss is throwing to him, the most decorated quarterback in the game. The final reason Cushing is going to be burned is because he will have no help. With Phelps and Crush playing on the same team they will be taking up the attention of the other corner(s) and even the safeties. This will make Cushing have to go one on one with westfield, which if he does he will most certainly get burned. I am predicting at least 150 yards for westfield in the upcoming ultimus

213

Questions with a fan/star thing: red = questions by me, blue = answers by daybe

1. How has your experience been with the yeti so far?
to be honest it's not been all that jazzy as I expected. I guess I got high on winning in san antonoio and now becoming good freinds with the pythons organization, but I definitely wasn't expecting 0-14. I guess you can't expect too much from a young team being led by a rookie quarterback, but it was a breath of reality to me and after one year of sample sizes of tape going against elite talent, I'm ready to build off of that.
2. with the recent resigning of their co gm, how do you feel about the change of leadership?
well, im not sure what i think of it yet, to be honest. matthew vincent was the only gm from the yeti that was really in contact with me most of the way and he really painted a great picture of this organizations future and what my importance and role would be within the team. I also know our new gm is a different type of guy, so its definitely weird stepping into the locker room and not having the same greeting i always gott from vincent. Its definitely bittersweet, the way vincent would push us to get better.
3. what record are you predicting for the yeti next season?
I'm going to say that we finish off the year going 5-9. we're going to win. Im sure of it. But I think we are still in that growing phase, and having a new gm doesn't help. that being said, with a lot of S1 players getting older, its going to be easier to be able to compete with him, particularly for our receivers howard and dwayne, who were having to battle these guys who had 5, 6 seasons of experience in the league. A lot of changes this offseason, and free agency is going to factor into that equation as well as the draft. But thats my early prediction
4. Your rookie season left something to be desired, what do you need to improve the most this off-season?
I definitely want to increase my pocket awareness. Sacks was for sure something I struggled with in my lone year in San Antonio, and this year it showed up, playing against better competition. I don't want to point fingers and call the OL out cause they do a great job. I think its more of me, getting more agile with my footwork, and developing more strength so i'm not out of breath every next play after a big hit in the huddle.

Daybe did his part here

That Magic Moment: The magic moment of the Ultimus had to be when the infamous Josh Garden took the opening kickoff to the house. Garden was known from the previous ultimus for dropping a crucial game winning touchdown in the endzone, and ultimately costing the Liberty the game. He made up for it in this ultimus, setting the tempo for the rest of the game with the opening score. After that happened the Otters didn't look like the 3 time Ultimus champions that they used to. The Liberty took a huge lead, and almost lost it but managed to pull it out in the end (daybe you can't pull out). After many failed attempts at winning an Ultimus, Garden has finally managed to put a trophy in his home. Many thought that Garden was cursed and would be unable to win an Ultimus with him on the team, but those theories have been put to rest, as the Liberty not only beat the Otters on the road, but the Wraiths as well. In what was an amazing journey to the trophy the Liberty had many amazing moments, but Gardens opening Touchdown had to have been the best without a doubt. Congratulations to the Liberty.

204

[Daybe]

New Talent: Write about which S7 trade will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

Carlito Crush shone in the ASFC championship game. While the Tight End didn't snag any touchdowns, he clearly made his impact visible, something that isn't easy to do when you're lining up alongside Bradley Westfield, Robert Phelps, and Jordan Yates. But if you're Carlito Crush, you clearly don't care. The DR sensation lit up unsuspecting Outlaw linebackers (Who admittedly have seen quite the downtick in production ever since the whole Er fiasco). The 6'6 monster of a man piled up catch after catch, finishing with eight, the most out of all Otters in the game. He also got 95 yards of production to show for it, including a 37 yard catch on a 2nd and 4 that eventually led to a score and extended the Otters lead to fourteen in the second quarter. So what's next for him? Well, before he tests free agency, (a win would certainly help the Otters' case) he's got to face the Liberty unit. This squad was second in least passing yards allowed, and Crush will likely be trailed by the more experienced, more talented Micah Hendrix. It's definitely going to be a challenge for Crush, but he's a great player with a lot of heart and a chip on his shoulder.

Sit-down with a fan:Answer questions for an interview from a player that is not your own. You must answer at least four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. Link to the interviewers PT to receive credit. NOTE: THEY MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR YOU TO GET CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

Interview transcript from @Supersquare04 asking me questions:

1. How has your experience been with the yeti so far?

to be honest it's not been all that jazzy as i expected. i guess i got high on winning in san antonio and now becoming good friends with the pythons organization, but I definitely wasn't expecting 0-14. I guess you can't expect too much from a young team being led by a rookie quarterback, but it was a breath of reality to me and after one year of sample sizes of tape going against elite talent, i'm ready to build off of that.

2. With the recent resigning of their co gm, how do you feel about the change of leadership?

Well, I'm not sure what I think of it yet, to be honest. Matthew Vincent was the only GM from the Yeti that was really in contact with me most of the way and he really painted a great picture of this organization's future and what my importance and role would be within the team. I also know our new GM is a different type of guy, so it's definitely weird stepping into the locker room and not having the same greeting I always got from Vincent. It's definitely bittersweet, the way Vincent would push us to get better.

3. What record are you predicting for the yeti next season?

I'm going to say that we finish off the year going 5-9. We're going to win. I'm sure of it. But I think we're still in that growing phase, and having a new GM doesn't help. That being said, with a lot of S1 players get older, it's going to be easier to be able to compete with him, particularly for our receivers Howard and Dwayne, who were having to battle these guys who had 5, 6 seasons of experience in the league. A lot of changes this offseason, and free agency is going to factor into that equation as well as the draft. But that's my early prediction.

4. Your rookie season left something to be desired, what do you need to improve the most this off-season?

I definitely want to increase my pocket awareness. Sacks was for sure something I struggled with in my lone year in San Antonio, and this year it showed up, playing against better competition. I don't want to point fingers and call the OL out cause they do a great job. I think it's more of me, getting more agile with my footwork, and developing more strength so I'm not out of breath every next play after a big hit in the huddle.

Sit-down with a star:Interview a player from a team that is not your own that is in the playoffs. You must ask them four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. YOU MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS FOR CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

Interview transcript from @Bzerkap asking me questions:

1. with your season cut short in the nsfc championship, it gives you plenty of time to reflect on. what do you remember the most about this season?

Yea it was a really tough season, but memorable overall. I guess the most memorable part of the season was our new offensive dynamic. We really focused hard on the run this year but didn’t neglect the pass either, as what happened last season. We were really efficient all over the field, and selfishly it felt really awesome to lead the league in rushing TDs

2. the wraiths were almost universally known as the favorites to come out of the nsfc this year. how will you look to bounce back after a heartbreaking home loss to your rivals?

We just have to plug away and get back on our feet. It’s kind of cliche but if we sit and mope, it isn’t going to help anyone. It’s time to hit the gym, focus on perfecting our craft, and spend some time in the film room updating our approach.

3. can you make your case for mvp to me?

Yea, it’s easy. I’m the most dynamic offensive threat on the best regular season team in the league. We led the league in scoring offense and scoring defense. I personally led the league in rushing TDs and Yards Per Carry. I also led the league in completion percentage by a large amount. I had the statistics and I had the wins. What more is there?

4. would you consider a hot dog a sandwich?

No, and this is due to the nature of the bun. There are many types of sandwiches. You can have two slices or open face with one. However there is only one exception to the sandwich game where the two bordering pieces of wheat are conjoined at one end and that is the pita pocket. This exception is not made for the bun of a hot dog.

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

The NSFC championship was arguably the most exciting game of the playoffs. Heated rivals Wraiths and Liberty went at it, but the Liberty prevailed 40-31. The Liberty got the lead in the first four minutes of the game from a Paul DiMirio touchdown and never relinquished the lead. However, the Wraiths gave their hometown crowd something to cheer for, with a late game surge that put the Wraiths within two points of the Liberty. A Damien Kroetch touchdown sealed the game and booked the Liberty's tickets to Orange County.

The ASFC championship was much less uneventful. With the heavy favorites in Orange County hosting the 5-9 Outlaws, we didn't expect competition, and we didn't get it. In the first half, the Otters rode two Boss TDs and two Burnsman touchdowns to make the score 28-7, the Outlaws' lone score coming from a TD pass to Chess. From there, it was more of the same football, and the Otters were not ending their season without a fourth straight Ultimus game.

The NSFL championship was surprisingly not as fun as the NSFC championship game. Well, that's coming from an excitement standpoint. Surely the Liberty fans were excited as they got up, just like in the Wraiths game, and never looked back. It took a few well-timed huge defensive plays to get it done, but the Liberty became the first of the two expansion teams to win a ship, beating the Otters 28-19.

[adam2552]

Conference Final MVP Sig:


That Magic Moment:


Going to Disneyland!:


Old Faces, New Places:

[AsylumParty]

Robbed:

Easy. The ARIZONA OUTLAWS were ROBBED. They clearly are the worst team in the NSFL, they have no fun, cannot physically smile, and have to live in Arizona. Yet, they still beat the New Orleans Second Line sending themselves to the playoffs where they would meet the Orange County Otters.

This is unfortunate because the Outlaws were now, as a team, contractually obligated to be embarrassed by the Otters. Without Arbin Asipi present to up-talk his team to unattainable heights, would any of them even show up? Just imagining the sweet life of sitting at home watching the New Orleans Second Line actually contend seemed quite inviting at this point, I'm sure.

So then I conclude, truly, the Arizona Outlaws were the victims the night of week 14 in the NSFL. Any chance at ever being happy again had been sapped away when their fates were sealed by stupid idiot kicker DEAN JACKSON. Even now, as the excitement of the conference championship winds down, the Arizona fans chant relentlessly, "Dean Jackson, you're a stupid idiot kicker". There's as little rhythm to that chant as you can imagine, nonetheless, he's feeling quite awful. Thanks Dean, you really stole the happiness from right under your own team. Nice one.

[caltroit_red_flames]

Matching Nightmares
Chad Pennington is one of the top line backers in the entire league right now. From the get go he hit the gym to get stronger and faster. Now with his strength and speed capped and his intelligence and agility both at or near 70, he's going to be a real force to be reckoned with for San Antonio Marshalls. C. Pennington had an incredible stat line for the regular season. He lead the league in tackles with 130, he tied for 12th with 5 tackles for losses, he tied for 2nd with 2 forced fumbles, he tied for 7th with 9 sacks, he tied for 24th in the league with 1 interception, and he tied for 29th in the league with 3 passes defended. Pennington will look not to just continue but improve his stat line game by game during the playoffs. He's been hitting the gym harder every day and stuffing himself with protein shakes and chicken breasts. The Marshalls will really have to step up their game during the playoffs if they hope to have any chance of getting the ball past C. Pennington when it comes to the run game. He's ready to crush some running backs.

Unsung Hero
The unsung hero of the playoffs in my eyes would have to be Tijuana Luchadores line backer Chad Pennington. Pennington's Luchadores made the Ultimini and lost to the Python 24-17. Because the Luchadores did not win the Ultimini he will not be talked about nearly as much as he should be. Pennington carried the Luchadores defense in each of the games that they played this post season. In the first game against the San Antonio Marshalls Pennington lead his team in tackles with 10, as well has having 1 sack for a loss of yards. He's always been a leader in the locker room and in this game he really lead by example. Once again in the Ultimini game against the Portland Pythons Pennington lead his team in tackles with 8. Although the Luchadores lost in the Ultimini it was not due to the run game. Pennington is responsible for keeping the other teams' running back from being an impact player in each game. In the Ultimini the Pythons had only 1 rushing touchdown, proving that Pennington succeeded in shutting down the run game. Even if the Luchadores did not win the Ultimini, Pennington still had an incredible post season that even the best player would be proud of having.

Going to Disneyland!
The playoff MVP of the DSFL playoffs has to be Michael Scott from the Portland Pythons. In the first game the Pythons played (against the Kansas City Coyotes) Scott had a total of 86 rushing yards over 15 carries. In the second game the Pythons played (against the Tijuana Luchadores) Scott had a total of 107 rushing yards over 20 carries and scored 1 touchdown as well as being the offensive player of the game for the Ultimini. A huge part of this has to be the fact that he was the offensive player of the game in the Ultimini, he showed up when it most counted and ultimately was one of the biggest reasons the Pythons were able to hoist the trophy after the game was over. During his trip to Disneyland the highlight was when he met Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse and was able to take a picture with him. Mickey shook Scott's hand and they started going their separate ways. Only Minnie Mouse kept walking with Michael Scott. Mickey was confused and went on his own way assuming that they'd meet up later. In fact, Minnie Mouse went home with Michael Scott that night and did something with Michael Scott that might cause some complications with her relationship with Mickey. Be on the lookout for some news out of Disney on a possible divorce between the two.

That Magic Moment
In the first game of the DSFL playoffs that the Tijuana Luchadores played there was an incredible moment that happened in the fourth quarter where the Luchadores officially took control of the game and really rattled the San Antonio Marshalls to the core. 3 minutes and 20 seconds into the quarter the Marhsalls had the ball and were looking start their last ditch effort for getting into the game. They had just returned the ball for 30 yards and the offense was amped up by DerFisch's great returned. Vick called for the snap and the center sent it back to him. On a trick play the defensive linemen for the Luchadores did something the offensive linemen did not expect. Rather than doing everything they could to get past the offensive linemen they moved them to the outsides to create a hole in their line and open up the pocket. Before this had even happened Chad Pennington was gunning for the hole they had created and was running straight for Vick. In a panic at the immediate pressure Vick started running backward. Before he had a chance to throw the ball out of play to prevent a loss Vick was on the ground under Chad Pennington for a loss of 11 yards on the play. The entire crowd cheered, C. Pennington let out of huge roar and flexed for the crowd. The Marshalls had never looked more defeated all year. The offense looked absolutely broken mentally, and the Luchadores went on to win the game handily 22-10.

[White Cornerback]

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be completed at any point

The Baltimore Hawks finished S7 with a decent 7-7 record considering the strength of the teams in their conference, most notably the 13-1 Yellowknife Wraiths and the 10-4 Philadelphia Liberty who sat just above them. While they did finish with the 3rd best record in the NSFC, the reality is they finished with the 4th best record in the entire NSFL and had they been in the ASFC, they would've snagged the 4th and final spot of the playoffs, granted they would've versed the ever dominant Orange County Otters in the conference championships. Regardless with a 7-7 record , good enough for 4th best in the NSFL mathematically you should make the playoffs, that's if life and football were fair, both of which clearly aren't. Just ask any Yellowknife Wraiths player in the last 7 seasons. Comparing the two teams, Baltimore and the Arizona Outlaws, Baltimore as said before went 7-7 to Arizona's 5-9, Baltimore outscored Arizona 405 to 357 while Arizona let up 433 points to Baltimores 333 points. Looking at their individual conferences record, Baltimore finished at a 3-3 split while Arizona ended the same at 3-3. Arizona were slightly the hotter of the teams coming off a 2 game winning streak to enter the playoffs while Baltimore just had the one consecutive run to their record.

New Talent: Write about which S7 trade will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

Arbin Asipi was traded from the Arizona Outlaws shortly after his agency made the announcement that he would be stepping down from a GM role in Arizona to focus entirely on his playing career, at which point Yellowknife offered the Beast from the East, Egor Medved and a S8 Round 3 pick in order to secure Asipi's rights. Yellowknife hoped that this boost to their defensive line would be enough to get them over the hurdle and secure home field advantage which it did... securing them an impressive 13-1 record.

They then faced the Philadelphia Liberty in Yellowknife....and lost despite having the obvious home field advantage. Asipi performed well from W11 - W15 , including an impressive playoff performance but in the end it wasn't enough. Yellowknife are Yellowknife, always the bridesmaid and never the brides, three things in Yellowknife are certain. Death, taxes and #5 will blow the game for the spookyghosts when they need him the most.

Asipi comes off contract this year and has publicly expressed his interest in a big payday, may that be in Yellowknife or elsewhere. Despite the fact that Yellowknife traded for Asipi, that loyalty is a one way street with Asipi looking to cash in for the tail end of his career (tail end because his careers usually last about 4/5 seasons or so).

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)

Mike Boss of the Orange County Otters will face off against Kevin Cushing of the Philadelphia Liberty in the Ultimus Final in what will be Cushing's final NSFL game before he finally hangs up his cleats after 6 seasons in the NSFL. While his player agency has already began to promote their newest prospect in DSFL QB, Kevin Fitzpatrick, let's have a look at both players.

Boss enters quite possibly the tail end of his career, his 7th season at the moment and he could easily be 2-3 seasons away from being in Cushing's place albeit Cushing is retiring after his 6th season after coming into the league as a linebacker, he will retires as a cornerback after coming off his best ever season statistically. While a player that began hot (both Boss & Cushing) , both players development stalled due to entirely different reasons, leaving both their careers focused on impact as opposed to longevity.

Boss will be aiming for his 4th consecutive Ultimus ring in order to establish himself as the GOAT or at least the greatest player to line up in the QB spot. Cushing will be chasing his 1st ever ring and it may be enough to drag the Oles led Liberty to the biggest upset in NSFL history.

Orange county however have Hall of Famer lock Brady Westfield who many debate as being the greatest ever to lineup at wideout, he will go head to head with Cushing and realistically this matchup could go either way. It could be a nightmare for either parties depending on how well Boss performs on the night.

Sit-down with a fan:Answer questions for an interview from a player that is not your own. You must answer at least four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. Link to the interviewers PT to receive credit. NOTE: THEY MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR YOU TO GET CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

@iamslm22

Code:

1 - What were playoff expectations like after the 13-1 season
2 - What was the vibe in the LR like after the loss at home to philly
3 - What are your expectations for next season
4 - With all this talk for HOF where does your impressive career stand? Do you feel that you're a Hall of Famer

1 - Really we atleast expected an Ultimus appearence at the very least but in all reality we actually thought we would win it all this year, if not this year then we probably never would and that's unfortunately what it's looking like. It sucks to go 13-1 and be the best team in the regular season, then go ahead and lose at home to the Liberty, sure it makes it better that they ran on to be the eventual winners and more power to them, they're a great team but it still stings.

2 - Before the philly game, the vibes were great , everybody expected a solid win or a blowout at home but obviously that wasn't the case. After the loss it was awful, even just our war room with me, kennedy, bzerkap and ahriman was pretty depressing, when you've got a team of this quality, go 13-1 and still get bounced in the first round but hey it is what it is.

3 - Really I seen this season as our window to really compete and at the very most we might challenge for home field advantage again this year but I'm not really optimistic about our chances, we're easily the unluckiest franchise in NSFL history.

4 - Lavelle is currently heading into his 8th season (7th in terms of waiver season) and leads the league in interceptions with 30 snagged already and is top 5 in pass deflections. I hope when it's all said and done I'm at the top of that pile and I'm not letting any GM sabotage me on my quest to get to 50 interceptions in my career. I don't see anybody as a hall of famer yet and realistically I'll let the higher powers decide if i'm good enough to get into the NSFL HOF.

[PigSnout]

Playoff Series MVP:
Looking back at the ASFC Championship game, a clear MVP stands out. Mike Boss put together one of the best games of his impressive career in one of the most important games of the season. Nobody expected the Outlaws defense, which allowed the second most points in the league this season, to be able to shut down Mike Boss, but they didn't even slow him down. Boss recorded a 125.6 passer rating on 28/46 passing for 484 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. But the most impressive part about this statline is how he did it. He didn't just feed one hot receiver, he spread the ball out. 4 different Otters receivers had over 90 receiving yards that game and 3 had over 110 receiving yards. Regardless of what type of coverage the Outlaws used, Boss was able to find an open guy and get a completion for a big game. When a quarterback is in the zone like this, there is nothing the defense can do to stop him, which is why the Otters scored 48 points and won in dominant fashion to advance to the Ultimus game. While the Otters are a well rounded team, they likely wouldn't have been able to make it that far if not for the stellar play of their quarterback.

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Hate the player or the game:
It really was a shame to see the Baltimore Hawks miss out on the playoffs this year. Simply put, this was a very talented team who missed out due to playing in a week conference. The Hawks finshed 7-7, which put their record 2 games ahead of the Arizona Outlaws who gained the second playoff spot in the ASFC. The Hawks finished at 7-7 with a high positive point differential, but instead had to watch 3 teams with losing records and heavily negative point differentials fight for the fourth playoff spot in the ASFC. The unfortunate truth for the Hawks is that they would have made the playoffs if they played in the weaker ASFC, but were unable to make it due to the strength of the top NSFC teams. In hindsight, you have to wonder what it would be like if the Hawks had been allowed in as a fourth playoff team. The ASFC championship game was widely regarded as a joke as the Otters were expected to steamroll an Outlaws team that was not ready for the playoffs while the Hawks simply had to sit on the sidelines wondering what they could have done if given the chance. They did play the Otters within 6 points in Orange County earlier in the season so they likely would have played a much close and more exciting game and could have had the chance to pull off the upset. It's too bad the way the conferences work out as the playoffs this year would have likely been funner with the Hawks in them.

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That Magic Moment:
The magic moment in this season's Ultimus game came on the very first play of the game. The Otters kicked off and Josh Garden caught the ball in his own end zone. He took the ball out of the end zone and down the right side of the field. He juked out the first defender and broke a tackle from the second defender who got to him. He began cutting accross the field as the defenders tried to get to him. Garden juked out one more defender and it was an open field ahead with a footrace to the end zone. It was a 103 yard return to open off the game and give the Liberty a 7-0 lead. This set the tone as the Liberty took an early lead and never gave it up as they went on to win the championship. It was also special that it was done by Josh Garden, who has been a top player but has often been criticized for poor playoff performances with some calling him a choker and some insisting that he's cursed. This was a great way for Garden to prove his doubters wrong as he went on to win his first championship. This was bot an exciting and a meaningful moment that will be viewed as one of the defining moments of the Liberty's first championship win.

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Matchup Nightmares:
I think there is a potential matchup nightmare brewing in the Liberty's secondary in their Ultimus matchup with the Otters. The Otters have arguably the best reveiving corps in the league this season as Bradley Westfield leads the league in receiving yards while Jordan Yates ranks sixth in the league in receiving yards, giving the Otters two elite receivers to line up across from each other on the field. The Liberty do have an elite shutdown cornerback in Kevin Cushing who they will be able to line up against one of these receivers, most likely against Westfield. Nobody can truly shut down Westfield, but Cushing will at least be able to slow him down. However, this will leave Clifford Rove to cover Jordan Yates on his own. Rove is a decent cornerback but not good enough to truly lock down a top receiving option which is going to give him some major struggles against Yates, who is the Otter's second option but puts up the numbers of a legitimate first option. This is the matchup that may decide the game. If Cushing can handle Westfield and Rove can at least slow Yates down, the Liberty's pass rush will be able to get to Mike Boss before he can find an open target. However, if they cannot hold their assingments and allow receivers to get open, Mike Boss will pick them apart and torch them as he does to the typical NSFL secondary. The Liberty will have their work cut out for them trying to slow down the Otters' prolific passing attack, but if they do, it may lead to them bringing home a championship.

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