(S7) - Ultimus Week

[Molarpistols]

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

The easiest question to answer, because it isn't even really a question to begin with. The New Orleans Second Line were ROBBED of the playoffs! New Orleans, the perennial bottom-feeder formerly known as the Las Vegas Legion have made huge leaps and bounds under Bovo's expert care. The mere fact they were even close to a playoff berth in Bovo's second season at the helm goes to show how much the franchise is improving under his supervision. The Arizona Outlaws snuck into the playoffs on a last minute field goal by GM Dean Jackson. While the Outlaws won fair and square in that game, NOLA poured their heart and soul into this season while the Outlaws tried to sell off their most important pieces and restart the franchise. They fired GM Arbin Asipi and sent him packing to Yellowknife in an attempt to divest from their poor decisions in the past. New Orleans and Bovo deserved this playoff spot, even if it was unlikely for them to knock off the 3x defending champions Orange County Otters in Orange County. It still would've been a good payout for the team for sticking it out and trying. NOLA WAS ROBBED I TELL YOU! ROBBED!

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.

The Orange County Otters made a risky move, but one with high potential for payout at the trade deadline this year. Pending free agent tight end Carlito Crush started the season on the Colorado Yeti, the team on which he was drafted. However, after yet another disastrous start to the season, Crush expressed interest in leaving Colorado to get a chance at his first win in over a full NSFL season. The Otters obliged and sent a guaranteed Round 3 pick to the Yeti, along with a conditional round 1 and a conditional round 2 pick based on Crush re-signing in OCO long term, and if OCO wins the Ultimus.

The Otters gained a young star receiver to add to their high-flying air-raid offense. He would go on to replace former OC Tight end Steven O'Sullivan, who simply wasn't up to the task. And it paid off pretty handsomely. The Otters went on to compete in the Ultimus for the fourth season in a row. Unfortunately, they were bested by the Philadelphia Liberty. Crush however, put up solid numbers, hauling in 8 catches for 95 yards in the victory over the Arizona Outlaws, and a further 10 catches and 89 yards in the Ultimus. While he didn't make it into the end zone in the playoffs, he bailed the Otters out of several 3rd and longs, as well as put up chunk yardage to put the team in scoring position. This guy will be great with whoever he signs with.


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.

Josh Garden's career blossomed quickly, with a few free agency splashes to obtain his talents. However, over the last couple seasons his name has faded to the back of many in the league's minds. It wasn't that Garden has been performing poorly, it's more-so he's been outshone by the greatest receiver of all time, Bradley Westfield, of the Orange County Otters and by his own teammate, Paul Dimirio. Garden didn't let that get to him though, as he was finally able to lift the "curse" on himself, keeping him from being an Ultimus Champion.

Garden started off the Ultimus hot, returning the opening kickoff for a 103 yard touchdown. The quick opening to the scoring left the Otters on their heels for most of the game, as the Philadelphia Liberty never relinquished their lead over the Otters. What made it even more amazing, was the game was being played in Orange County. Garden's return silenced the crowd and took them out of the game, taking much of the Otter's homefield advantage with it. Garden finished the day with 125 return yards in just two attempts. It didn't matter much that Garden didn't appear much on the offensive stat-sheet, as his special teams play carried the day for the Liberty.

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

Outlaws at Otters: Not many in the league thought there would be much of a competition in this game, and they were nearly spot-on. The Otters started off hot and never looked back, trouncing the Outlaws 48-24. Future Hall of Famer Mike Boss threw 28-for-46 for 484 yards and 4 touchdowns, completely outclassing the Outlaws' King Bronko.

Liberty at Wraiths: Much the same as the Outlaws traveling to Orange County, many thought the victor of this game was a foregone conclusion. The Wraiths only lost once in the regular season, and won both games against the Liberty. However, destiny stepped in and the Liberty pulled out a victory with an outstanding day by Paul Dimirio. Two touchdowns and 115 yards by Dimirio later, the Liberty emerged victorious in Yellowknife.

Liberty at Otters: Could Liberty actually pull off two upsets in away games in a row to emerge as Ultimus Champions? Not many believed it would happen, but there was hope around the league from just about everybody but the Otters. Three championships in a row can be a little stale, so it's understandable. Off an outstanding performance by Josh Garden, the Liberty did it. They secured the NSFC's first Ultimus Championship and ended the Otters' three season streak.

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

The best play in the Ultimus came early in the day. Bradley T. Madlad kicked the opening kickoff a couple yards deep into the endzone. Josh Garden, the electric return man saw an opening and took it. Juking and dodging through the Otters special teams, Garden took the kickoff 103 yards to the house to give the Philadelphia Liberty an early lead. This play deflated the raucous and rambunctious crowd in Orange County and helped the Liberty take away a bit of the home field advantage the Otters had obtained.

The Liberty made several key blocks along the way for the return, but ultimately, it was Josh Garden putting the team on his back and taking them to victory. The Liberty traded for him a few seasons ago, hoping for this type of return on investment. It came a few seasons later than expected, but I don't think they're regretting it anymore. With an impending cap penalty of 8-million coming in season eight, the Liberty had to capitalize now or possibly miss their championship window. Garden's opening kickoff return touchdown started the miracle that made it all worth it for the Liberty. Garden may have just earned himself another season in Philadelphia, even with his large salary counting against the penalty lowered cap.

[Vikain]

Task 1: Robbed

There weren't many teams this year that were close to making the playoffs and just missed. Really the answer to this one is pretty easy as it has to be the San Jose Sabercats. You could argue that the Baltimore Hawks if they were in the ASFC would have made the playoffs and that's why they got robbed. In my opinion though San Jose had the lead in the ASFC Playoff picture and dropped the ball hard. After a big win against the team that would hop over them (Arizona Outlaws) it seemed that San Jose was in a great position to at least close the season and make it in. But they would drop the next four games to the Outlaws, Otters twice, and Philadelphia. While on the other hand the Outlaws after their first loss to the San Jose would go on and win three out of the four remaining games and tieing in record and beating out San Jose. Looking back to the start of the season many were expecting San Jose to lose a bit more than they have in past years but not to this type of slide they had this year. If San Jose wants to get back into the playoffs after this season they will need to regroup and really look over their roster.

Playoff Series MVP

In the last game of the playoffs, two power house teams went head to head for the second year in a row. Otters still considered as one of the best and obviously the favorite to win, would eventually fall to the underdogs. This game has definitely shocked some people as they were expecting the Otters to win their third straight but now a third team has won the championship. But watching the game many noticed many of the veterans on Philly playing their hearts out. One being the one I consider as a the Playoffs MVP, that being the North Fox AKA Silver Fox. The man played like he was a rookie. His movements made it very hard for any of the Otters Defensemen to keep up and he was just eating out there. Taking all the space he wanted and making grabs that made the CBs shake their heads in frustration. He would rack up 5 catches for 103 yards and 1 touchdown. And while him Dimirio where the main targets, Fox was making the biggest plays of the night to bring Philly their first championship. Fox who was one of the first players to come to Philly has seen the ups and downs from this team and now has the ring to show his commitment.


Playoff Matchup



Playoff Recap

[Roly]

Robbed:

The teams most robbed this playoffs for the S7 season would be the New Orleans Second Line, San Jose Sabercats and Baltimore Hawks - all three robbed by the Arizona Outlaws who made the playoffs in the last ASFC slot to take on the Orange County Otters. The Arizona Outlaws were not a fantastic team - they had a much worse Points Against than any of the other three teams and barely squeaked by San Jose Sabercats and the New Orleans Second Line to make it into the playoffs. A week 14 victory was the deciding factor, even further a kick by Dean Jackson on the Outlaws was enough to put them over the New Orleans Second Line and, since the San Jose Sabercats lost to the Orange County Otters in the same week and Arizona owned the divisional record tiebreaker, the Outlaws were able to nab the final ASFC playoff spot - in the process of course leading to a mismatch against the perennial championship caliber Otters. It was even more difficult for the Baltimore Hawks who, since they were in the NSFC and not the ASFC, had to watch three under .500 teams compete for the playoffs while they - a +.500 team were out of the playoffs.

Recap:

The recaps of games is going to get switched in terms of tempo to the DSFL Ultimini Championship between the Tijuana Luchadores and the Portland Pythons. The Luchadores had made a historic defeat of their San Antonio Marshals rivals to advance to the DSFL championship for the first time in franchise history. Unfortunately, they had to play against the Portland Pythons - the juggernaut of a DSFL franchise that had no equal this season. They destroyed everything in their path, led by a trio of offensive all-star sophomores and veterans in Cole McCoy, Mark Grau and Borro Gore. The Pythons had fairly easily overcame the Kansas City Coyotes - avenging a heartbreaking S6 loss to the Coyotes that ended their dominant season last season and put Rashaad Brookes into retirement with only one Ultimini. Now, the only thing left for the Pythons were to defeat the surging Luchadores who were relying on a team of rookies to upstage the veteran Pythons as underdogs while away on Portland’s field. An almost impossible task faced Tijuana, but they very nearly accomplished the upset. Forcing a tied game half way through the 4th quarter, Tijuana was very close to upstaging the ultimately victorious Pythons.

Magic moment:

The magic moment I’m going to describe is also going to be in the DSFL - and it’s also going to be the Ultimini championship between the Tijuana Luchadores and the Portland Pythons. As summarized above, Tijuana was riding a historic playoff run after beating divisional rivals San Antonio Marshals in the DSFL SFC divisional championship game and earning a date against the juggernaut Portland Pythons squad that had crushed almost all competition all season. For the Pythons, it was a group of veterans who felt that they had been cheated - as far back as S5 when they lost to the OP bots in Palm Beach, and more recently last season in S6 when they lost to the Kansas City Coyotes in the NFC championship game. Now the Pythons, lead by charismatic Colorado Yeti prospect Mark Grau, were looking to win an Ultimini this season before beginning their NSFL career. Thats why, when the game was tied in the 4th quarter after Tijuana surged back with two field goals, and then got stuck on their own 37 with a turnover on downs, and Cole McCoy held the pocket and connected - like lightning - to Mark Grau it was electric to watch. Grau, who had publicly demanded another DSFL season, who was still stinging from last seasons NFC lost, managed to haul in the Ultimini winning reception for 34 yards. His final reception as a WR. Magical.

[BWIII]

That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch.
The magic moment for the DSFL playoffs was magically in a couple of different ways. The play that was so magical, at least to me, was the fourth down attempt by the Tijuana Luchadores in the fourth quarter of the Ultimini on their own 37 yard line. First and foremost we need to look at it from the perspective of Tijuana. This is actually extremely difficult as there are really no words as to what the head coach of Tijuana was thinking. First off it was a tie game, it's not like they were down and time was running out and they needed to keep their hopes alive. In fact, the game was tied at the time. This leads me to believe that Tijuana's head coach had no faith whatsoever in his defense to make another stop. Now on to the side of Portland. When the Portland defense made a third down stop to get the ball back for their offense they were pretty happy about it, but when the Tijuana offense stayed on the field, they were down right exstatic. Of course they knew they still had to make the stop, which after third down was now six yards. With the ball on the Tijuana 35, the Python defense knew if they could make the stop they'd set up their offense basically already in scoring range. Brad Pennington would drop back and look for a man, unfortunately no one was open and he kind of panicked. He panicked a little and threw it to his tight end, Crindy, who he hoped could make some magic happen, unfortunately for him and fortunately for Portland Creed Bratton was right there and pulled him down after 2 yards. This did in fact setup Portland in scoring range as on the next play they would secure the lead and go on to win.

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else.
The NSFL playoffs gave birth to one of the biggest travesties the league has ever seen. Not only that, but it robbed the league and its fans the opportunity to possibly see a major upset. What is this travesty I'm talking about? It's simple and it's the fact that the San Jose Sabercats were left out of the playoffs. So how can a team that went 5-9 and not make the playoffs be something to be angry about? It's because the team that made it instead of them, the Arizona Outlaws, basically spread their holes wide open and let the Otters do whatever they wanted to them. The fact is that if the Sabercats had been in their place they would have given people and actual playoff game to watch. Some may ask how I can so boldly say something like that and I'd tell them go look at the matchups and the previous games they played. In fact, in one of their games during the regular season, the Sabercats held Orange County to the fewest points they had scored in a game on the year. Now sure, the Otters probably would have won anyways, but San Jose most definitely got robbed and in turn the NSFL fans got robbed.

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups.
Marshalls @ Luchadores - SFC
This is a game that people thought would be a decent contest coming in, but in the end it was a drubbing from start to finish. San Antonio basically didn't show up for the game at all as their offense was abysmal. If you think that's bit hyperbole you'd be mistaking as the Marshalls were only 2 of 13 on third down. On the other side of the ball the Marshall defenders had no answers either as Pennington shredded their defense through the air and Spinelli gave a Barry Sanders-esque performance. Tijuana rolled 22-10.

Coyotes @ Pythons - NFC
Both of these teams were powerhouses in the regular season so as the titans dueled it out, a pretty much defensive performance was shown. Neither team's quarterback was very accurate and was having trouble all day with the opposing defenses so it was up to the running backs to make it a game. The double headed monster of Scott & Gore for Portland had extremely similar games both going over five and a half yards per carry, while only Speedy showed up for Kansas City. 2 is better than 1 so Portland won 19-13.

Luchadores @ Pythons - Ultimini
The Ultimini was actually a better game than most had anticipated. Most were expecting Portland to run away with this one and things weren't looking good as Scott was slicing and dicing through the Luchadores defense and the Pythons went up 14 to nil early. Tijuana wasn't going anywhere though and fought hard. They would actually tie it up in the fourth quarter, but Portland wasn't going to let their near perfect season end and continued to feed Scott. Cole McCoy would come up with the biggest throw of his career though and find Mark Grau for 37 yards for the lead. That'd be enough as Portland rolled 24-17.

Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game.
The best play from the Ultimini was a pretty easy one to pick as it was the game winner and somewhat unexpected. With just under five minutes left in the game, Cole McCoy managed to make some magic happen and found Mark Grau for a 37 yard bomb that would send the Pythons home victors. It's almost obvious that the best play from the championship game be a pass from the DSFL's leader in passing yards to the DSFL's leader in receiving yards, but it's also the kind of result that you love to see. Despite McCoy and Grau being high profile players, in the NFC both players were both actually pretty underwhelming, especially when you consider McCoy only completed twelve passes and overall was less than fifty percent passing and Grau only hauled in 71 yards. In the biggest game of the year though you kind of have to expect the big players to show up and make big plays. Both players did just. Prior to the play, had done a decent job and was slightly above fifty percent, but still Portland was being carried by Scott. Prior to the play, Tijuana actually decided to go for it on 4th down on their own 37 despite the game being tied. After the Luchadores failed, McCoy only needed on play and sat cool and tall in the pocket and threw a perfectly tight spiral right to Grau at a point where only he could make it for easily the best pass of his career.

[JKortesi81]

New Talent: The Orange County Otters’ acquisition of Tight End Carlito Crush in a deadline day trade with Colorado proved to be a pretty smart move for the 3 time champions. While the Otters have been very busy creating and breaking offensive records the last few years, the one thing this well oiled machine never had was a stud Tight End. Orange County would ride this new toy to a 4-0 record in the season with Crush in the lineup, easily making the playoffs. Even though the Otters would fall to the Philadelphia Liberty in the Ultimus Game, Crush was not part of the reason why. In the opening playoff game win against the Arizona Outlaws, Crush was all over the field, making a game high eight receptions, while tacking on 95 yards of his own. While he didn’t score, his presence kept the defense honest, which allowed the deadly trio of Westfield, Phelps, and Yates to get open, as each player eclipsed 100 yards in the game. It was more of the same in the Ultimus, except that the offense as a whole sputtered repeatedly in the red zone. Crush was even better, having a game high 10 receptions this time, although it was only for 89 yards. (209)

Playoff Review: The first playoff matchup pitted the Yellowknife Wraiths against the Philadelphia Liberty. The Wraiths were the season’s best team, but they didn’t look the part against the Liberty. The Liberty raced to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and never really looked back, although the Wraiths would make it close a few times. The score was 20-10 at halftime. Robby Rainey would score a TD in the last seconds of the third quarter to bring YKW within 2 points, but the Liberty answered with another DiMirio TD to get the score to 33-24. YKW get it within 2 points again, but Krotech scored a TD with 56 seconds left to seal the deal.
The second matchup gave us the Orange County Otters vs the Arizona Outlaws. This matchup was all Otters, as Mike Boss torched Arizona for 484 yards and 4 touchdowns, leading the Otters to a relatively easy 48-24 victory. The Otters took a 35-7 lead at one point before playing prevent defense and letting Arizona score some garbage time points.
In the Ultimus, the Liberty took it to the Otters from the get go, as Josh Garden ran the opening kickoff back 103 yards for a touchdown. Orange County would never hold the lead in this contest, as the Otters had to settle for 4 field goals after driving deep into Philadelphia territory. The Liberty would hold their 28-19 lead throughout the 4th quarter to become the Ultimus champions. (244)

Hate The Player, Or Hate The Game: This is a running problem for me in the NSFL. Honestly, the way the playoffs currently go, there’s always one division that’s stronger than another. This year was no exception, as the (5-9) Arizona Outlaws got into the playoffs, despite allowing 433 points against, the second highest total in the league. Arizona only scored 357 points themselves. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Hawks had to sit home and watch the playoffs, although they had a better record than Arizona at 7-7. Baltimore scored 405 points and allowed 333, both totals significantly better than the numbers the Outlaws put up. There is no reason for the NSFL to have two conferences when everyone already plays each other twice. The playoffs would be much better off if we had the Top 4 teams in the postseason instead of constantly watching a better team sit on the sidelines while a much lesser team gets blown out by a strong competitor. Even Head to Head, Baltimore proved they were the better team, as the Hawks won 27-10 at home in Week 7 and then they traveled to Arizona and won 41-35 in Week 12. There has to be something the league can do, whether they remove conferences, or create a wild card scenario. (214)

That Magic Moment: The magic moment for me this playoffs was the opening kickoff for the game between the Arizona Outlaws and the Orange County Otters. While the play itself was nothing special (a 64 yard kick off with a 7 yard return), it meant everything to Carlito Crush and myself. I’ve been in this league for 3 seasons, and up until getting traded to Orange County, I was met with a lot of sim heartbreak. It wasn’t always the best for me to watch my player, who I spent a lot of time working on upgrading and getting TPE, doing next to nothing while we got our asses kicked. For a time, despite the best efforts of the management in Colorado, it truly felt like ever making the playoffs would be a pipe dream. Sitting there, watching the little “81” orange dot run around in a playoff game, and eventually an Ultimus, was an awesome feeling. It showed me that all of my hard work so far wasn’t just for nothing, and it got me invigorated for the rest of Carlito’s career. It might sound stupid, considering that this is “just a sim league”, but that feeling was still really cool, and I’m glad I got to see my player in the playoffs. (214)

[OBESE]

1.Going to Disneyland!


2.Championship Banner


3.TBA

4.TBA

[CDub2]

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

This one is a little different that most other’s picks. I’m going to say that the New Orleans Second Line should have made the playoffs rather than the other two teams in the AFSC, the Arizona Outlaws and the San Jose Sabercats. Now there’s a couple of reasons. With the 5-9 Outlaws sneaking into the playoffs, it makes me feel bad for the Baltimore Hawks missing the playoffs at 7-7. So if we are going to allow a team going 5-9 to get into the playoffs, why not allow a 4-10 team to sneak in. The Outlaws and Sabercats both went into a rebuild mode this year. It seems at some point they didn’t even want to win. Meanwhile, The Second Line made huge steps in creating a winning culture this year. I’d much prefer a 4-10 team trying to win be in the playoffs rather than a 5-9 teams trying to lose to improve draft position. I’m still not a huge fan of the name “Second Line”, but I am a big fan of the winning culture they’re trying to create as of late. I’d say let’s change the playoff format, or let’s hope the Second Line finally make the playoffs next year. 204

2. 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

There were a couple of trade that went down at the trade deadline that shook up the league a little bit. There was the Miller and Sandoval trade. It was a huge trade, especially with Sandoval retiring. Some of these moves shook up the league big time, especially the future. But seeing as how neither of these teams are in the playoffs, we will talk about a different trade. I’ll talk about Asipi Jr. to the Wraiths. He helped the Wraiths to a league best 13-1 record. Finally the Wraiths have home field advantage. This is the year to finally take down the Otters and claim their spot on top. Sadly, the Asipi Curse kicked in and the Wraiths lost on home field. This never happens in the playoffs. And it wasn’t in the Finals against the Otters. It was against the Liberty in the first round of the playoffs. The first time in possibly the league history that the lower seed has won on the road. It was absurd. 13-1 to losing first round. The curse is real. All the best to Asipi Jr. in the future and also even more luck sent to the team that picks him up. One day the curse will be broken. 208

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

This is a hard one to write about, but in the first round of the playoffs, we saw the Liberty take down the league’s best Wraiths on the road. It was a crazy game, one that never should have happened the way it did, but oh well. As such, there was a definite stand out performer. Paul DiMirio torched the Wraiths for 8 cathces, 115 yards, and 2 TDs. Everyone knows that DiMirio has been the top TE in the league for a long time. He’s constantly picked early in all the fantasy leagues. But his talent finally paid off in the playoffs. The guy is a mismatch in every sense of the word. Too big and strong for safeties, to skilled and fast for linebackers. In a game that was relatively close for most of the game, DiMirio started the fourth quarter with an 18 yard TD catch. And that was pretty much the nail in the coffin. A guy we couldn’t stop the entire game starts the 4th quarter by scoring again and extending the lead. It’s tough to do against the Wraiths defence that has been exciting to watch all year. It would normally be even tougher to do on the road in the playoffs. And DiMirio did it. 212

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

YKW vs PHI: The first matchup of the playoffs was one for the history books. The league’s best 13-1 Wraiths were at home, and faltered down the stretch to the Liberty. DiMirio had an incredible game and his late score put the Wraiths away for good. First time in a long time where the #1 seed has fallen at home.
OCO vs ARI: Well, with the top seeded Wraiths out of the way it was the Otter’s Ultimus to lose. Well, they took the Outlaws to pound town winning 48-24. It wasn’t much of a contest, but considering the Outlaws made many move during the season in order to improve their draft stock, it was a one-sided matchup since the beginning of the season.
OCO vs PHI: Well, the final game of S7 was another one for the history books. OCO was poised to take their 4th straight Ultimus home. They had the better team, they had the better record, they had home field advantage. Everything was pointing towards a OCO 4 peat. And then, Liberty luck struck again. The Liberty beat the Otters on the road by 9 points. For the first time in Ultimus history, the home team lost. 201

[Moosecop]

Magic Moment: When you go back and watch the S7 Ultimini again, there's really only one play that everyone should be talking about: that go-ahead touchdown pass with 5:58 left in a tied game. To this point in the game, Portland had been leading Tijuana for a vast majority before the Luchadores had come back and gotten a tying field goal with 8 minutes to play. The Pythons three-and-out before forcing a turnover on downs on Tijuana's ensuing drive set the stage for Cole McCoy and Mark Grau. Tijuana sends the ballsiest cornerback blitz I think I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be as McCoy got the throw off in time to a WIDE open Grau who had the most daylight he's probably ever seen on a football field taking it 37 yards to the house, putting his squad up a touchdown. That play must have marked game over in the minds of the Tijuana players as they couldn't get anything going in their next drive and then the Pythons only had to run out the remaining clock. Finishing out the game was always going to be easy for the Python's great running back tandem as Gore and Scott ran down the throat of the Luchadores to finish off the game and give send Portland home Ultimini champions.

Unsung Hero: Unsung hero of the DSFL playoffs? I don't know, it seems like anyone that performed well in the postseason had already been performing well all year. But, if I had to choose it would probably be Portland Pythons fullback/running back Borro Gore. This guy was an absolute truck in both their matchups against Kansas City and Tijuana while splitting carries with his counterpart Michael Scott, in addition to being a real threat in the passing game from out of the backfield. While Mark Grau is off being a huge threat as a wideout and drawing away the oppositions top defensive backs, it can be almost impossible for them to also have to worry about a tank coming out of the backfield that can catch. He actually put up more receiving yards than Grau in the Coyotes game in addition to a touchdown. Meanwhile, in the championship game, he went for 77 yards on 4 receptions as well as 50 yards on the ground with 14 carries. And when his team needed to really ground and pound to run out the clock to secure their playoff victories, Gore was there running over linebackers and corners to get those match-clinching first downs for his team.

[Bayley]

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be completed at any point
The Sabercats should have been in the playoffs over the Outlaws, I truly believe that. They only made it because they score more points, but also gave up 50 more points than we did. That is an average of 3 per game more, that is insane. The teams both split the season series, so it is tough to say who should have gone based off that. I think that the Sabercats would have had a better chance against the Otters than the Outlaws had. I think that the Cats should have been in the playoffs. In the other conference, I see the teams panning out exactly how they did, so no issue there. I truly think that the Sabercats are a team in which should make the playoffs every season, no matter if they are rebuilding or not. They should be able to overcome the odds and make the playoffs. That is why San Jose should have been in and the Outlaws out. I think when it comes to this upcoming season, we could see Arizona saying the same thing that I am right now. I guess we will see what happens, but that is how it should have played out this year.

Words: 203

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 the game with the Liberty and the Wraiths in which the Wraiths were not able to pull out the victory after going 13-1 during the regular season, the MVP came from a likely source. Tight End Paul DiMirio received the Player of the Game series and MVP from this game. When you look at this, there is no doubt to why. DiMirio had 8 catches for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns including the Game winning Touchdown. When you average 14 yards per catch and are able to break off one for 30, there is no doubt why you will get the MVP honors from this game. As someone else who had a fantastic game is the kicker Stephen Harris. Harris was 4/4 from the extra point as well as hitting 3 from 40-49 range which was huge for the team and getting ahead of the Wraiths. The Wraiths were not down often, so the Liberty knew that if they were to get ahead, they had to keep the foot on the pedal. So, if I had to pick a MVP, I would absolutely give it to Paul DiMirio with an honorable mention to Stephen Harris as they both had a great impact on the game.

Words: 207

Going to Disneyland!:Who was the Ultimus MVP? Give us a rundown of their celebratory trip to Disneyland. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)
This was one of the biggest surprises of the season, the Philadelphia Liberty went on to win their first Ultimus Game against the Orange County Otters. However, when you look at the game, there needs to be players in which stand out, maybe it was someone you do not expect or maybe it was someone that you expected all along. In this game, it very much was a team effort, so there was not many players that stood out more than others. You had Oles throwing for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns, Fox North catching 5 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, Paul DiMirio had 4 catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. On defense, we had Jaylon Lee leading the team in tackles, while Kevin Cushing had a killer game on defense with 3 pass deflections. Limiting Westfield and Phelps was the key and the Liberty were able to do that. However, I do not see one player that deserved this trophy more than the other, so all of these could get it in my eyes. I really do not see a reason to give it to someone else other than these, but any of these could easily be made a case for.

Words: 205

Unsung Hero:Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)
The unsung hero of the playoffs was very much the same as the MVP for me. I can see a reason to give it to Paul DiMirio as he had a great game vs the Wraiths in which we talked about before as well as a great game in the Ultimus. But, how about Harris not missing a kick in the playoffs as well as having a decent punt average? I think those are the plays that gets you wins. It is not always the big play that gets you a win, a punt to change field positions as well as 3 points to cap off a drive are ways to win and Harris provided both of them that. I think a kicker and punter is a highly important position and I feel like you saw it in this series. I think teams are going to need to look at punter and kickers more as they could have a huge impact on any game. I do think that Kevin Cushing also had a sneaky good playoffs as well. He did not wrack up very good numbers, but the numbers do not indicate the real effectiveness of his play. I could definitely see the last two being the unsung hero as everyone expects games like that for DiMirio.

Words: 217

[run_CMC]

Unsung Hero (200 words)

Did you ever hear the saga of Stephen Harris the Kicker? I thought not. It's not a story the Offensive and Defensive players would tell you. It's a Special Teams legend. Stephen Harris is the kicker for the Philadelphia Liberty, so powerful and so accurate that he made 4 kicks from an average of 41.75 yards in the NSFC Conference Championship game. He has such a knowledge of kicking technique that he could even go 4 for 4 on extra points in the Ultimus against the toughest, most spooky defensive line in the league. Such amazing technique and mental resolve is a pathway to a skill-level some consider to be unnatural. He's become such an amazing kicker... the only thing he was afraid of was missing a kick in the Ultimus, which of course, is ridiculous because he's the GOAT and would never miss. Unfortunately, Stephen Harris acted like it was just another day on the job, and allowed himself to become overlooked and forgotten for his immeasurably important role in the Philadelphia Liberty's playoff success. Ironic, he could score 20 out of the Liberty's 68 playoff points, but he couldn't bring himself and other kickers the attention they deserve.

Sit Down With a Star

With asipi:

1) what was it like reaching the NSFC championship game, but not with the team you’d spent the past few seasons with?

It was weird. My entire career before week 10 was spent with the Outlaws. I won 3 rings with them, I lost a few playoff games with them, and I also went through scandals with them. Going to the wraiths was like Tom Brady going to a different team, it felt weird. But I enjoyed my time there.

2) your stats weren’t the best in season 7, but you were a defensive end playing in a 3-4 defensive line. Now that you’re with the Hawks, what kind of improvement do you expect to see?

Yea my stats were pretty bad, but I also found out that I was playing at 20 pounds below what I should have due to an updating problem. I should be much better, and I should be one of the best DL in the league next season.

3) What drew you to signing with the Hawks?

I knew slm from the PBE, and I also knew he was an awesome guy. I trusted he would make sure I would be the best, and I'm positive the Hawks will compete for the ultimus.

4) If Red-Tailed Hawks couldn’t fly, but could reach their max speed (120mph) by running (instead of in flight), would they have gone extinct or would they now be an apex predator?

Extinct i guess, I means I could just stick a fucking knife in front of me and let the hawk run into me. Dumbass hawk is probably retarded, and will just run into the knife like the idiot it is

Sit-Down With a Fan

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Playoff Review (205 words)

The season seven playoffs were much like past National Simulation Football League playoffs: exciting! In game one (the NSFC Conference Championship Game), the 10-4 Philadelphia Liberty travelled to Yellowknife, home to the Wraiths who had just gone 13-1. Much to everyone’s surprise (minus Liberty fans), the Philadelphia Liberty held MVP candidate Akselsen to just 220 yards in the air and 34 on the ground - well below his usual stat line. Tyler Oles, in contrast, threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns on the way to a Liberty underdog victory! Game 2 was Arizona Outlaws at Orange County Otters. This matchup was a bit less thrilling, with the 12-2 Otters walking over 5-9 Arizona on their way to a 48-24 victory, in which Mike Boss tallied 484 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. The last game of the playoffs: the Ultimus! Philadelphia Liberty at Orange County Otters; a rematch of the season 6 Ultimus game. Philly gained all the momentum immediately when they started the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown, and they carried this momentum ever forwards towards a solid 28-19 victory. This is very surprising to be honest, considering that Liberty quarterback Tyler Oles had a <50% completion rate and 2 interceptions.