(S12) - Ultimus Week

[timeconsumer]

http://probaseballexperience.jcink.net/ind...=75&#entry56550 - PBE task

1) IT IS OUR TIME THIS (NEXT) YEAR
I know this technically doesn't fall into the category because apparently this task is for everyone except for the Ultimus Winners, but we're doing it anyway. This season was the year of the Otter once again. This wasn't a huge surprise to a lot of teams who were expecting peak Otters to return once again. The main difference here is that you can expect this to continue on for several seasons. The Otters have a very good group of young players ready to step in and replace again and retiring veterans for S13 and S14 and beyond. Atwell and Crush are regressing and Atwell retired? No big deal, let me introduce you to Sunnycursed and Anoai and probably someone new in S13. Winchester and Clegane auto-retired from regression? Meet DSFL rockstar Thorian Skarsgard. There is such a good mix of old actives, young actives, and well priced inactives for the Otters to continue to cycled through talent under the watchful eye of GM speculadora and QB Showbiz that this team is going to be a force to be reckoned with for at least 2 more seasons if not more. The Otters are back and they are looking to remind everyone why they are the greatest team in the history of sim sports.

2) SPOTLIGHT ON THE YOUTH - Can be completed anytime
Let me tell you about a little big guy named Seer Zephyrous. Going into the season 10 draft a lot of teams were wondering what to do with two big name fullbacks in that draft class, Zephyrous and Hondo. Both teams eventually ended up switching their players from fullback to something a little more versatile but I'd argue Zephyrous' impact on the Otters in the Ultimus game is far more impactful than some might realize. Let's get the stats out of the way for starters. Zephyrous finished the game with over 100 yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns on touching the ball 26 times. Averaging 4.26 yards every time they gave him the ball he was a chain moving first down securing son of an otter. He had four first downs during the game. Zephyrous might not be a household name in the NSFL and may not make the hall of fame but in a runaway win when the Otters were making the Hawks look like the S6 Yeti the fullback turned running back was zipping through the defense on carries and on routes, securing yards and scoring touchdowns en route to a 48-24 win and the fourth championship in team history.

4) QUARTERBACK MATCHUP
The quarterbacks in this season's playoffs were a mixture of new faces. While we've all seen showbiz in the playoffs ever since his rookie season this was the first time we got to see him actually go all the way. Similarly we got to see Falconi again which is not the first time, but her trip didn't last very long. Some new faces were Joilet Christ and Childish Gambino each appearing in their first playoff series **as a quarterback, since Gambino magically turned into one**. Now the matchup I think to watch is honestly one that didn't happen but we might see one day in the future and that is Falconi vs Warren. These two came from the same draft class as quarterbacks and had a bit of a rivalry with each other since the very beginning. So one day we can hope that we get to see both face off against each other in the big game. Anyways they both lost in round one of the playoffs but here is what we saw them do: Christ had a terrible showing going 14/30 for 0 TDs and 1 INT and a 47.5 passer rating. Sorry dude. Falconi did much better going 21/35 for 3 TDs and 1 INT. Nice work Falconi.

[kckolbe]

1) Next Year
The Arizona Outlaws have a genuine shot at being Ultimus Champions in S13, and I suppose I can shit out 200 words on why. The biggest obstacle is, of course, Orange County, who just became the S12 champions, but they are facing some heavy regression. Arizona, fresh off their 7-7 season, has nowhere near the same issue. In addition, this year they will have Andrew Reese all season, unless HO decides to overly punish him again for once again doing nothing, and QB Kevin Fitzpatrick won’t be sabotaged by suspiciously bad updating, putting him right back in contention for QB of the Year, which he was in the running for. With a once-again capable QB, plus the emergence of a very dangerous running game, plus an upgraded offensive line to make both more effective, the offense should take a huge step forward, making every possession a danger to score regardless of matchup. On defense, the return of Reese means a significant increase in pressure. That should mean a huge improvement in the team’s 6th-ranked pass defense from S12, on top of the fact that the AZ offense will be on the field longer. With both attempts at sabotage from the league gone, Arizona is a real contender.

3) Post Game
With home field advantage, and having been the favorite to start the season as champions, predicting an Orange County win wouldn’t have taken a lot of effort, but it was an amazing performance from a QB who, just a season and a half ago, seemed destined for a mediocre career. Gus Showbiz was remarkable. 54 attempts, 31 of them completed, for 459 yards. As for the game, it started really close, with OC and BAL throwing in 1 TD each in the first. In the second, a Summer TD gave BAL the lead, which OC almost tied on a Crush TD, but missed the XP. Unfortunately, a third straight passing TD gave OC the lead. BAL would close to 3 with a field goal near the end of the half, but little did they know the game was over. OC went on to score 28 straight points, putting the game completely out of reach. In the end, Orange County won 48-24, with MVP level performances from Showbiz and Crush, the latter of whom posted 5 receptions for 148 yards and a TD. In the 9 times he was targeted, not once did Crush drop it. It might be the finest receiving performance in an Ultimus.

4) QB Match-up
There was no shortage of QBs who outperformed me this year, but when my two biggest rivals faced off in the conference finals, you can bet I was fucking interested. For Joliet Christ, it was his first playoff appearance, something I’ve yet to experience. For Showbiz, it was just another game, and that showed in his performance, tossing 50 attempts like any other game for 362 yards, 3 touchdowns, and all three of them after a first quarter interception, the kind of play that would rattle a less seasoned QB. He had 3 receivers with more than 4 receptions, and 3 with a receiving TD. Christ, on the other hand, had 0 receivers with over 4 receptions, and threw 0 TDs. What’s most embarrassing, though, is how little he contributed. In 30 attempts, he amassed only 147 yards, offset more than slightly by the three sacks he took, plus the interception he threw. Also, while it was recovered, he also fumbled on one of the 5 tackles he took. By contrast, Showbiz was only sacked twice on 52 dropbacks. This was a clear case of one QB being able to handle the pressure, and another who just wasn’t ready to lead a team to the prize.

http://probaseballexperience.jcink.net/ind...indpost&p=56054

[Oles]

1) IT IS OUR TIME THIS (NEXT) YEAR

Look at the San Jose Sabercats. We have so much young talent and so many playmakers about to hit their prime that you could have the whole team winning awards next season. This team has so many fantastic contributors and no one has regressed as part of the foundation of the team, which means we'll be getting better and better and no one has the type of team we have. No team has as many young active players as us, and we are the only team that can claim 100% activity per the latest update. To have the whole team active and only getting better is a scary prospect for anyone that isn't on the Sabercats, while the Sabercats have a core that is planning on sticking around for a while and hopefully being the next dominant dynasty. The playmakers on offense in Oles, Flash, and Canton. On defense we have superstars like Chad Pennington, Thad Pennington, Ben Horne, Kolby Deringer, and many others. Pretty much our whole team has superstar talent and our biggest need, which isn't really a need, is the defensive line. This team is a very scary thought going forward, and I would hate to be on any team that isn't San Jose. Be ready for this team to go to the next level starting next season to full on dominance. (225 words)

2) SPOTLIGHT ON THE YOUTH

San Jose has so many candidates for the spotlight on youth that you could pick any 1 person and be right. I could write about myself and how Kazimir Oles is going to be a top Wide Receiver for many seasons, as he's hitting his prime and established himself as a top 5 WR in Season 12. Of course, I could just talk about how I'm one of the fastest guys in the league, established myself as a top returner as well as top receiver, but I'd hate to just talk about myself for this thing, feels kinda weird to me. I could talk about how I've advanced at a rate that many other WRs only dream of,getting to. I could tell you that Kazimir Oles is going to be a WR1 for a long time along with Xavier Flash who is easily a WR1, and the duo will see plenty of targets as Christ comes into his own. I could tell you that the young WR will only get better with age and with the team around him he'll flourish in a position where he can do really well for a long time. But I won't talk about Kazimir Oles, that'd just be a bit too self-centered for my liking. (212 words)

3) POST-GAME

The score of the San Jose Sabercats and Orange County Otters game wasn't quite as indicative as the game actually was. A close affair until the 4th quarter, San Jose just wasn't able to stand up to home field advantage and the Otters outstanding play. The turning point of the game was when Jaylon Broxton picked off Christ and returned it for a touchdown, leading to the Otters taking the lead for the first time in the game. It proved to be a game winning score as well as San Jose would not score another point, while the Otters scored 28 unanswered points to win the game 35-10. The Otters as expected were able to defend their home and considering they were arguably the best team in the league this season it's no surprise that it is hard to go into Orange County and win, which just wasn't in the cards for San Jose.San Jose's offense couldn't keep up with the run first style while the Otters high flying offense kept scoring, and with the offense that the Sabercats have built a comeback just wasn't in the cards without some huge defensive plays. It may be a bad way to end a season in which they started off 9-0, but the team shouldn't be down on themselves as they have a fantastic foundation and should be even better next season. (230 words)

4) QUARTERBACK MATCHUP

In the Ultimus game we saw arguably the two best QBs in the league go head to head in Childish Gambino and Gus T.T. Showbiz. Gambino, who position switched in the offseason prior after Ryan Applehort went to Yellowknife, immediately shot up to the top of the QB rankings with an MVP caliber season. He was an extremely efficient QB, as he was the best QB at both completion percentage and QB rating, two stats that are easy indicators of the top QBs. He also has a fantastic team around him which made the transition much easier for him. Gus Showbiz is a different story, as he is no stranger to the QB position and has been a QB his whole career. He was a fantastic QB for a high flying offense and what was the best team in the league this season based on record, and as such he was the league leader in touchdowns and 2nd in yards with Maximus being the only one ahead of him.In the Ultimus game we saw one team and one QB really take off, and that was Showbiz and the Otters. Showbiz clearly had the edge in this matchup, as he had 5 touchdowns and a 108.5 rating, while throwing for 459 yards and only 1 interception. Gambino on the other hand only had 225 yards thrown, 1 touchdown and an 86 rating. While he was no slouch in the game, Gambino simply wasn't on the level that Showbiz was in the Ultimus. (251 words)

[uncleleo#39;skomrade]

GOMHL Media

PBE LPT

Quarterback Matchup
The Ultimus Cup feature the showdown of two of league’s top quarterbacks, Gus Showbiz and Childish Gambino. Both of these players have risen to an elite level after being drafted only a year apart. They sat second and third, respectively, in passing yards during the regular season, only Second Line quarterback Maximus III had more passing yards. It was only fitting that the season culminated with these two meeting in the finals. However, the Ultimus Cup game saw only one of these men emerge and the offensive leader that their team needed. Gus Showbiz completely dominated and tore up the Hawks’ defense. Aside from a sole interception, Showbiz had the defense’s number all game. He finished the game with 5 touchdowns and 459 passing yards. Gambino didn’t have an awful day throwing for 225 yards and completing a single touchdown pass, he just did not find the holes in the opposition’s defense like Showbiz was able to do. This was a marquee matchup that did not disappoint as the league witnessed Showbiz make his mark on the Ultimus Cup by showing off his elite passing abilities which saw him named the Offensive Player of the Game and saw him raise the Ultimus Cup.

Unsung Hero
Andre Bly Jr. quietly had a very impressive Ultimus Cup playoffs and can be seen as the unsung hero of the Otters’ championship. Bly Jr. made a total of 10 tackles during the playoffs, 6 of which came in the championship game. He also had a pass defense in the semi-finals and another 3 in the Ultimus Cup game. Defense is said to win championships and Bly Jr. made a strong case for showing the legitimacy of this statement. Bly Jr. was a large reason why Gambino was unable to get anything going for the Hawk offense, and as we saw the game had the potential to be a real shootout. Bly Jr. was also getting it done on the other side of the ball as well as the sole kick returner for the Otters. Bly Jr. returned 4 kicks and 3 punts in the Ultimus Cup game for a combined 67 yards. Without Bly Jr. making some crucial plays on defense and providing a spark for the Otters on special teams, the Otters could have had a completely different playoff experience. Therefore Andre Bly Jr. was the Orange Country Otters’ unsung hero for this season’s championship run. Watch for the veteran cornerback to continue to dominate in the secondary for many more seasons.

[WannabeFinn]

1. SHL PT

2. GOMHL PT

[StickyRicky]

http://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php...1429#pid2561429

[AdamS]

IT IS OUR TIME THIS (NEXT) YEAR - Can be completed anytime

Next year could very well be the year of the Wraiths. It may sound funny for a team that went 3-11 and was blown out of numerous games but don’t count it out. A very young team that keeps improving and keeps working is a team that can be dangerous. This season’s offense will be a fair amount more powerful on the ground and will continue to be efficient through the air. The defense will have less time spent on the field by extension, and be able to preserve more energy for later in the game.

Overall the team will be one season older, which is important when half of your team has 3 seasons or less of experience as the Wraiths did last year. On top of that, the Wraiths young coaching staff has another season under their belt to better themselves in their play calling and game decisions. The team is moving in the right direction in all facets, and their conference competitors can’t all say the same thing. This is an important part of viewing thigns, since no matter how much the ASFC might be favored, whatever NSFC team makes the Ultimus has a shot. Given the improvements and drive they show, the Wraiths have no real reason not to be that team.



SPOTLIGHT ON THE YOUTH - Can be completed anytime

The Otters core of receiving threats has had many great names come through its ranks. Robert Phelps, Bradley Westfield, Jordan Yates, and Carlito Crush are among the names of the Otters who have led the league in receiving yards, touchdowns, or both. The Otters have in fact produced the season leader in at least one of those two categories for 9 of the league's 12 seasons. During this Ultimus however, a new name stepped into the spotlight. None Sunnycursed is a rookie who had shown great promise throughout the season. The Wide Receiver then broke out in the Ultimus, catching 6 passes for 99 yards and hauling in two of Gus TT Showbiz’ five touchdown pases en route to the “Otter Slaughter” of the Hawks 48-24.

The extremely speedy young wideout showed tremendous poise and a command of the moment as he looked every bit the dangerous weapon as his elder teammates, Crush and Atwell. He inf act was able to provide such a dangerous threat that the defense had to shift coverage to contain him, which they didn’t really do. However, doing so resulted in a some amazing late game success for Atwell and Crush alike, who managed to piggyback off the work Sunnycursed had done and have monster games near the end. None is going to have a continued and enlarged affect on the game going forward for sure.



QUARTERBACK MATCHUP - Can be completed anytime

I doubt anyone predicted the best QB battle of the playoffs but it made for the league's best playoff game in a good while. When the Hawks played host to the Liberty in the NSFC Conference Title Game, we got to see a young Adriana Falconi take on the former defensive lineman turned QB in Childish Gambino. Falconi is a very inexperienced up and coming QB in a run heavy offense who has struggled but has also come up in big games. Gambino was seen as something of an emergency placeholder for a few seasons once Ryan Applehort unexpectedly moved to northern Canada. Yet between them they produced over 300 yards passing and 3 TDs each.

It’s not just the numbers though. It’s the HOW of those numbers. The two QBs dueled in a tight back and forth game that saw the Hawks continually try to put the game away and the Liberty continually match them right up until the game went into overtime. There, Falconi’s magic finally failed her and the Hawks were able to slowly march down the field at three pace for a Game of Thrones plotline before finally scoring the touchdown that sent them towards their 6th Ultimus appearance.




Unsung Hero:Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)

Showbiz got the glory. The offense got the recognition. Winchester’s retirement and Ramero’s dominance got the lion’s share of the attention the defense did receive. The unsung hero of the Ultimus win was none other than Andre Bly Jr. Bly provided by a stabilizing veteran presence in the secondary and the kind of threat that made the Hawks try to throw in the other direction for most of the game. He also added his usual spectacular work on special teams, providing the Otter offense with solid footing to work from numerous times.

Traded late in the season from the Wraiths, Bly has had along road to his first Ultimus ring and has long been one of the fiercest and most feared Cornerbacks in the NSFL, racking up PDs and interceptions alike throughout his career. This game was no different as he shadowed Vinny Valentine, broke up numerous passes, and essentially took their 1300 yard WR and reduced him to 37 yards on the day. It’s not secret that the Hawks’ offense relies on balance and striking from multiple places, so essentially losing their #1 Target in the passing game hurt them very badly. Had Valentine been able to have more than one catch in double digit yards (and barely that at 10), the Hawks offense would’ve presented a much greater challenge. This is especially true in the 3rd quarter where the Otters were able to capitalize on quick fruitless Hawk offensive possessions en route to scoring three times in the quarter. A quarter in which Valentine was held to one catch for five yards in the last 80 seconds. THAT’S why Bly is the unsung hero.

[JuOSu]

1) PBE PT

2) POST-GAME

Well the Ultimus game was a fairly lop-sided affair this time, culminating in a 48-24 win for the Orange County Otters over the Baltimore Hawks. The Otters came into the game as the clear favorites, sporting an 11-3 record in the regular season, much better than the 8-6 from the Baltimore Hawks. The game started out pretty close, with the Otters only carrying a 3 point lead into the half. The third quarter is where the true damage happened. The Otters scored an unanswered 21 points and put the game out of reach. Ricky Adams caught two touchdown passes in the quarter alone and helped the Otters win in impressive fashion. Even funnier, since it was his only two catches of the game. The Hawks had two crucial fumbles in the game, which further helped the Otters, but it was really the Otters offense that crushed this game and lead to the win. Gus Showbiz ended up with five touchdown passes in the game and an incredible 459 yards. Not a lot of teams will get that many yards and touchdown and lose a game, so it was almost bound to be a win for the Otters at that point. Impressive performance all around from the new champions!

3) QUARTERBACK MATCHUP

In this years Ultimus trophy game, the Orange County Otters played the Baltimore Hawks and two great quarterbacks faced off in that game. Gus Showbiz and Childish Gambino, both arguably two of the best three quarterbacks of this season were facing off in a game where the Otters were clearly the favorites as a whole team, but based on quarterbacks alone, it was tough to pick a favorite. Both ended the season with fairly similar stats, with Gambino being slightly more effiicient but Showbiz having a higher total count. The game was close most of the first half, but in the second half the Otters pulled away. Showbiz ended the game with an insane 459 yards and five touchdowns, an incredible performance for the ages, especially one that came in the postseason and in a game with such pressure! Gambino didn't play terribly and made no grave mistakes but could not get enough offense going, ending with 225 yards and one touchdown. It was Showbiz who had the only interception but if you throw four touchdowns more than your opponent, fans will excuse that small blemish. The win here clearly goes to SHowbiz and the Otters who can now crown themselves champions of the league once more.

4) SIT DOWN WITH A STAR

@iamslm22 thanks

1) How did the season go for your player personally?

I could not have asked for more in my rookie year. I was very happy with my personal performance. I think I will easily win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and I believe I will be in contention for Linebacker of the year and defensive player of the year. I was second in the league in sacks and I was first in the league in passes defended (this is the first time a linebacker has ever lead the league in that category), so I feel very proud about how I did this season. In addition to that I recovered three fumbles and had a safety. So a very successful year from a personal standpoint.

2) How was the season from the standpoint of the team, happy with the result?

From a team point of view this year was also a success. We have now made 4 Ultimus games in a row, and even though this one ended in defeat we had a very strong year (in what was supposed to be a re-building year with so many young players).

3) How will next season look for your player and team?

For S13 there are low expectations. We rented out two star players and we have no pressure on our team given how many young players and how many draft picks we have. I am very very excited about the possibilities of our team heading in to this next stretch. I think with all our draft capital and our young talent we are on the verge of a potential dynasty

4) Who should be taken #1 overall in the next draft?

This is pretty tough to say (I assume you are talking about S14), there are a lot of great players with Raven's QB, TC's QB and Stan Francisco (star TE), but I think its hard to pass up Cooter Bigsby (TC's QB). He's gonna be a star.

[Moosecop]

Task 1:
SHL PT

Task 2: SPOTLIGHT ON THE YOUTH
Damn, Season 9 players are officially considered old now. Time to get my affairs in order for post retirement, it's closer than it seems for me. Anyways, Charlie Trout is easily that young player that everyone should have been and will be watching going forward in his career. The young Baltimore Hawks linebacker was even just named Defensive Rookie of the Year for the stellar season he had for that defense and during the playoffs, although his team came up a little short, he still showed why he'll be a force to be reckoned with for his entire career. During the NSFC Championship game against their heated rivals, the Philidelphia Liberty, Trout earned himself Defensive Player of the Game honors for the 8 tackles and 1 sack that he provided in what would end as a tight 30-24 victory to send his squad back to the Ultimus Game. In the Ultimus against the regular season champion Orange County Otters, Trout again was everywhere he possibly could be for his team in what would eventually end as a 48-24 win in favor of Orange County. He posted another 8 tackle game, another sack, and even included a pass defense as well for the Hawks but it wasn't enough. Like I said, this guy will be at the top of a lot of people's lists for Defensive MVP every year if he continues to perform like he did this season.

Task 3: QUARTERBACK MATCHUP

Task 4: ENEMIES HAPPEN

[ckroyal92]

1) IT IS OUR TIME THIS (NEXT) YEAR

Season 13 champion San Jose SaberCats, I can hear it now. Let's face it, the boys came out of the gate on fire this season, winning their first 8 games, before falling off a bit at the end of the season & losing in the first round of the playoffs to Orange County. Realistically though, this season wasn't even our target to start winning before the acquisition of Chad & Thad Pennington. Before the trade, we thought we'd be much improved with such a young core, but with those 2 being added it pushed up our window of contention to right now. With all that being said & still falling short, we feel really good about next season. The only player we've lost is Benson Bayley & no one on our roster is old enough to start regressing (first time in league history), so take a 10-win team & add a full season's worth of progression to every single player & what do you get? Hopefully it means Ultimus champions. It's been a long time coming for the franchise, but it appears our time to rule the league may finally be here. GO CATS GO!!

Welfare - NSHL PT