(S15) - Ultimus Week

[BrewCrew]

Spotlight On Youth

In this year’s Ultimus, we saw Faith Terim, a rookie, step up huge in the playoffs. After being selected 12th overall in the NSFL Draft, Terim has been tearing it up all season long. Coming from a disappointing Palm Beach Solar Bear team, there might not have been a lot of hype around their safety. But Terim would prove to be one of the most promising prospects in the season 15 draft. He ended the regular season with 47 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 interceptions and 3 passes defended. It was an impressive stat line that might just win him the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. But in the playoffs, he continued to be a crucial part of the Hawks defense. In the playoffs he tallied 11 total tackles along with a forced fumble in the championship game. Faith Terim and the Baltimore defense would not allow any points in the championship game. They also would only allow 13 points the week before. Terim showed his talent off all season long and stepped up on the league’s biggest stage. Expect him to be a critical piece in the Hawk’s defense for years to come. The performance in the playoffs was just the start for Faith Terim.

Next Year

The New Orleans Second Line were on the outside looking in this postseason. They ended with a disappointing 2-12 record and finished dead last in the conference. With an aging quarterback, an inconsistent defense and a lack of experience, it made sense that the Second Line weren’t contenders. This may be changing however as the future starts taking shape for the Second Line. Last year, they had the 2nd and 3rd overall selections in the draft. They used these picks to get linebackers Quenton Bode and Johnny Slothface. These two studs are expected to be the heart and soul of the New Orleans defense going forward. They also added the super talented running back Forrest Gump in the second round who just broke the DSFL record for total touchdowns. They also traded up to add cornerback Deon Taylor who flew under the radar for most teams. These are all promising players and could propel New Orleans into a serious contender for years to come. If they can hit again in this draft, the Second Line have no reason to miss the playoffs again. They have the 2nd overall pick as well as 2 second round selections. New Orleans is building a young and talented team that should scare the rest of the league.

All About The QBs

A great quarterback matchup came during this year’s Ultimus game. Baltimore’s Childish Gambino would face off against San Jose’s Joliet L. Christ. After the regular season, these players ended with the top 2 quarterback ratings in the league. But although Christ was only one place behind Gambino in this stat, he did not quite match up to the greatness that was Gambino this season. Childish Gambino had a record setting 45 touchdowns this season while Christ only had 17. Christ would add 6 rushing touchdowns but his performance was still lost in the spotlight of Gambino’s historic season. So going into the championship game, the expectation was for Gambino to outperform his competition. He would do just that as he found the end zone 6 times. With 5 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown, Gambino would lead his team to a 49-0 victory over Joliet Christ and the SaberCats. Unfortunately for Joliet Christ and the SaberCat fans, he would end the game with 0 touchdowns and a 48.9 quarterback rating. The moment was there for the taking but Christ and the SaberCats couldn’t repeat what they did last season. It was a disappointing game if you were hoping for a memorable quarterback matchup, but I’m sure Hawk fans are doing just fine.

[Tomasnz]

goMHL media. http://gomhl.jcink.net/index.php?act=ST&f=12&t=10332

SHL PT
http://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php...0633#pid2650633

8) Strategies
Written: Unless you won the Championship, what changes does your team need to make in the offseason to improve your chances next year.

For the San Antonio Marshalls the answer is obvious what needs to change. We need to turn the volume up on the run game to 11. Whats that you say, "But aren't the Marshalls already a run first team?", how are you going to run more? Firstly by building the capability of the backfield. Need to use pre snap motion to open up running lanes and also provide running options.

That gets us to ten, then we need to unleash the QBs legs. Doesn't help that they drafted a skater at QB. But after a season of running drills and hitting the gym, he is ready to provide that third threat in the backfield to take every advantage at every snap. Let's throw in a little play action passing just to continue to mess with defensive units.

Marshalls defense is strong, but giving them less time on the field each game will only make them stronger. Turning the run game up to 11 is not going to allow us to run up big leads, but it is going to give the defensive players The energy they need to make those big stops, those game breaking interceptions and the physicality to take the wind out of our opponents.

Lastly the GM's need to draft some receivers. Nothing like taking advantage of a stacked box set up to finally stop your run game by hitting single covered receivers for the long gains. But to do that we need to get some receivers on the roster, and we need to get the type that catch the ball. No good getting the other sort.


17) Robbed
Written: Write about why your team was robbed from making the Playoffs, how did the sim screw you and why were you more deserving:

This might not seem legit to some of you. Considering that the Marshalls were the whipping boys if the Dsfl for s15. But there was a moment, on the back of a 2 win SIM (including beating the league leader at the time) when it all felt doable. Yes… we'd have had to win out.. yes some of the math needed to break our way… but that's what competing is. I can't help that we lost games in the past, I mean I wish I had played better, but what is done is done and the only way forward is to get up every day, learn from yesterday's actions, and then put them behind you. The past is nothing but a burden. So to reach the last batch of games and to only be a few games back… it's on.

Alas, it was not to be. But this is what I take issue with, they (the SIM engine) didn't even let us dream long enough! First batch of games 1-1-0. And just like that the dream is over. We made changes, fought hard against all odds and teams with deeper offenses, teams with deeper defenses, and teams with more mature QBs.

Now, you might say, quiet logically "Marshalls were the worst team in the DSFL, robbed?" But it is not about stats, it's not about records, it's about putting it all out there on the field and trying for a championship.

[nunccoepi]

12) Sit-down with a star

Sat down with @ADwyer87: http://nsfl.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=...56&#entry198187

1. You seem to be stepping into your own on the team, especially this season as you finished as a top 5 WR. In fact there have even been some whisperings of Breakout Player of the Year. Describe what your season was like from your perspective.

It was a breath of fresh air. I've been trying to get the coach and GM to give me a bigger role, to put me as the number one guy. What do you know, they finally do it and I finish with the second most yards in the league. About damn time

2. How do you think the Otters will fare coming out of the expansion draft? Will there be much left? Do you think there is a chance you will be taken in the expansion draft?

I dont think i'll be taken. I'm too valuable to the team. Look at Showbiz's stats right now, and thats WITH me. Without me al he can do is dump off passes to Blaze.

3.  What does your future hold? do you think you will be an Otter forever? Are there more rings for the Otters in the near future?

If I had a crystal ball I'd tell you that. All I know is that I'm excited for what Armstrong might be able to bring to the team in the near future. Maybe I'll finally get a QB who targets me more than anyone else, like any smart person would

4. What does Sunnycursed think of all this agent business this season?

I think its a bunch of trash. Get an agent, for what? Only person representing me is me. What did this slm guy do, go like 1-6 in championships? and adam2552, best thing he ever did for Philadelphia is step down. You want those guys representing you? yeah, hard pass man.

13) Sit-down with a fan

ADwyer87 interviewed me:

1. How does it feel to win a championship so early in your GMing career?
Well, its only my and iseedoug's second season as GMs of the Baltimore Hawks, but we are hardly new to GMing. We spent about 5 seasons together in Tijuana I saw a lot of success there including going to 5 straight Ultimini's and winning 3 in a row. So that gave us a lot of confidence and, of course, we got to learn from one of the most competent GMs in Iam Esselem. But this one is different and it feels pretty special.

2. Charlie Trout has left the team to pursue a career in being an agent, it seems. How much is this going to affect your offseason plans and draft strategy?
Well he was kind of a gadget piece for us last season, filling holes wherever we needed him to. And I think that kind of flexibility was quite valuable to us. Fortunately, we have a lot of talent in the pipeline and I think Marquise Acho will be able to fill that role immediately for us and as long as he continues to develop as he has, will make a great replacement for Austin Roenick whenever Roenick decides to hang up the cleats.

3. What is your biggest worry about the expansion draft this season?
We have so many good players to protect. Making the decision on simply who to protect will be the hardest. I sincerely hope there will be no hard feelings, but things happen.

4. Is there any truth to the rumors that your co-GM has been skimming some of the profits off ticket sales in order to go on exorbitant vacations?
Absolutely not. His recent trip to Germany was purely professional.

6) Our Time
It has taken me a week, but it has finally settled in that I, Verso L'ALto, am a champion once again. The 5 seasons since one and only previous championship ring seem to have gone by so quickly and yet so slowly at the same time. On the one hand we had some familiar faces such as mine and Gambinos. But on the whole, the team was essentially completely different, and when you take this and consider that in those 5 seasons the Hawks only missed the playoffs once, it's quite and incredible feat. But let's talk about what went right and why this was truly our season. So much went our way: Gambino broke the seasonal QBR record, a record that he set only the previous year. And what's more impressive is that he did this was an incredibly high sample size as we were one of the most pass heavy teams this season. This can only be attributed to a great receiving corps who helped Gambino to set the new record for passing TDs in a season. Know what else is crazy in light of these pass heavy strats? That Marquise Brown blew the competition out of the water as a RB this season. He was crazy efficient without a back up and dealt with an extremely unfavorable game strategy, and yet he did it anyway. This is just the offense, the defense held it's own as well even with two rookie safeties.

16) Unsung Hero
Ben Horne @iseedoug for Unsung hero

[ErMurazor]

SHL

[SDCore]

SHL claim

PBE PT

10) Rivalries
Written: Write about another team and why they are overrated and why you want them to lose.

The Chicago Butchers are the other expansion team in the NSFL this year. Naturally they are the rivals of the Austin Copperheads now. The dum dum Butchers decided to go all defensive in their first draft were as the far superior Copperheads decided to get dem offensive bois. This is going to help Austin in the long run and where Chicago will fail. Austin is set up to have a killer offense in 2 seasons, whereas Chicago has no idea where the offense is going to come from. They are going to be relying on the expansion draft non protection lists to fill in key spots on the offense. While this might be good in short term, long term they are going to have problem generating points. Austin will have a fully developed offense and will be able to keep up with a growing and developing defense in a season or two. There are definitely two different approaches to the expansion, but I like the way that Austin is molding their team. Again, full disclosure I was selected as the 2nd ever pick by the Austin Copperheads, so there is a bit of bias in my words. In summation, go Austin, let’s beat those losers over in lose city Chicago.

19) Expansion Teams
Written: You are going to be a part of an expansion team next season. Describe your outlook for next season, talk about your roster so far, or give us some info into the franchise as a whole.

The Austin Copperheads are my team for the S16 season. We are one of two expansion teams joining the NSFL this year. The other team being the Chicago Butchers. We both are approaching expansion differently. Austin decided to go offensive and Chicago decided to go more defensive. Austin decided that long term success on the offensive side of the ball was more important in their first year. They did this by selecting Chase Jensen, Rod Tidwell, and Edmond Beaver-Dantes. Chase Jensen and Rod Tidwell fought all year for leader in receiving in the DSFL, with Tidwell taking a commanding lead towards the end of the year. Tidwell should win DSFL Wide Receiver of the Year. These two players will be combined with a year quarterback in Easton Cole and the veteran Dick Wizardry. They do however have some defensive prospect that they hope will develop into decent players. The outlook for their first year is optimistic, but they are really going to get into the swing of things in their 2nd and 3rd year, especially if they can draft well. They could be contending in their 3rd year and maybe even have a chance to win. We will see how this expansion does for the Austin Copperheads.

[SouljaBoy2007]

1) The playoffs were pretty boring for the most part in the NSFL. Why not just pick the most boring and worst game of the 3 that happened? Since I'm doing that, we're going with the Ultimus. I give this god-awful game a 2/10. The only thing that keeps it from being a 1 is that it broke the record for largest blowout in the Ultimus so I guess that's funny. Childish Gambino had a hell of a game where he went for a 117 passser rating and 5 touchdowns. Marquise Brown didn't have the msot impressive game ever but he had a touchdown and was decent on the ground. When you throw the ball as well as the Hawks did today then you may not always get the running game that involved and just keep your foot on the gas. The talent on the Hawks offense burned the vaunted Sabercats defense alive on their way to winning the second championship for the Hawks. Joliet Christ couldn't get anything going and Steven Oats had a great game to lead the hawks defensively. My DPoY pick Arbin Asipi was pretty whatever on the biggest stage but he wasn't awful. Joliet Christ looked scared to throw it towards him and that really helped prevent Christ from getting up to speed.

7) I think that the Arizona Outlaws definitely have a shot at truly contending next season. We will have several players all across the board hitting close to or above 600 TPE by the end of the season. The players include Brock Landers, Leighton Lee, Lamont McKinnie, and Ricardo Morris. Lucas Knight is also a pretty solid earner and might be around 550 towards the end of next season. The defense of the Outlaws will be absolutely stacked and as of right now the offense isn't looking too bad either. Andrew reese is over 1000 TPE and he hasn't started regression yet. Arizona wasn't even looking to contend in Season 15 and yet they found them self just outside of a playoff spot, which they may have gotten if it wasn't for some poor luck in the sim. Arizona will most likely be a playoff team next year, as from a purely mathematical standpoint they have an 80% chance to get in. This 80% is probably even higher because of the fact that the expansion teams will probably be pretty darn bad to start out. If Arizona can hit on a draft pick, pick up a big free agent, or just get decent sim luck they can pull off an Ultimus.

9) I don't have a lot of enemies around the league. There is one player I have resentment towards, though, and it's through no fault of their own. That player is Yellowknife safety Logan Uchiha. I actually quite like Uchiha as a player and as a person but he inadvertently did one thing that made me want to be better than him in every way I can. I was the 25th pick in the 2030 NSFL draft. You want to take a guess at who was 24th? The only thing that bothers me about Uchiha being picked over me is that Yellowknife reached out to me saying that they would be interested and then they took a guy with less TPE. I was really expecting my name to get called and when it didn't I felt a bit disappointed in myself for a little bit before my name was immediately called by the Outlaws. Uchiha, if you ever read this I would like to challenge you to a bet. If you make a pro bowl before I do, then I will pay you 1.5 million dollars. Please take me up on this offer. I want to be the best player from the draft class and every player picked in front of me is an obstacle, you just stick out more to me because you went where I thought I was going to. I never needed to forgive you for this, it is a driving factor for my play on the field and I like the heat more than the cold anyway.

12) Sit-down with Bucky Barnes

1. What is your ultimus prediction in season 16?
2. How do you feel about the new schedule?
3. Who was your favorite NSFL player growing up?
4. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

1. That's a really tough one since it's so far away. Right now if I had to pick it'd have to be the Wraiths from the NSFC. Cooter can only get better leading that offense and their defense is young, hungry, and dangerous. In the ASFC it's gonna be a dogfight. SJS, OCO and now ARI could all be Ultimus contenders. You can't bet against the defending ASFC champs though so I'll pick SJS with YKW taking the title home over them.
2. I actually don't know anything about the new schedule, but hopefully it benefits Barnes.
3. I actually got lucky enough to play alongside my favorite player, Darren Morris. He did it all as a DB and kick/punt returner and I was really happy I got to play with him for a few seasons.
4. Oh that's easy. Chicken parmesan with a side of spaghetti. Get my protein and carbs, and it's tasty as hell.

[JBLAZE_THE_BOSS]

Playoff Review:

The Orange County Otters came up short of their dream yet again this season as they fell victim to the now juggernaut San Jose Sabercats. The game between these two veteran post-season franchises is nothing new, and the result was nothing new yet again. San Jose handled Orange County with ease this season, coming out on top of this matchup by a score of 37-17. It was the icing on the cake for an overall down year for the Otters, who never seemed to truly hit their stride like they had anticipated. Nonetheless, there is nothing to take away from the Sabercats in this game. They had a tremendous regular season and gave their fans a treat of an Otter slaughter. Three rushing touchdowns by Orosz, Christ, and Davenport and only one through the air to Olsen, proved that there were a multitude of ways that San Jose could beat up on a defense. Orange County stood no chance in this one, but they gave the Sabercats a slight scare when they got out to a 10-0 lead. From that point on, San Jose outscored Orange County 37-7 en route to their second consecutive Ultimus appearance, where they would of course fall short to the Baltimore buzz-saw. [209]

QB Matchup:

The QB matchup between Christ and Gambino, on paper, was going to be a good one. Unfortunately for the San Jose Sabercats, Ultimus games are not played on paper. This QB matchup was perhaps the most one-sided performance in the history of the NSFL’s prestigious Championship game. Christ put on his uniform, did not throw an interception, and played the entire game. That is the end of his platitudes for this one, as the rest of his stat line is abysmal. The veteran QB went 12/33 for a paltry 133 yards, good for a QB rating of 48.9. He only averaged 10.9 yards per attempt, and none of those attempts resulted in a touchdown for his team. His counterpart, Gambino, put on a performance for the record books—for all the right reasons. He put on a show, going 28/50 for 421 yards including 5 touchdowns and an impressive zero interceptions. This all added up to a jaw dropping QB rating of 117.2, which is more than double what Christ did for his team. Even more erection inducing information is that Gambino threw those 5 touchdowns to 5 different receivers. He let everyone get in on the fun in a game that was never in doubt. [208]

Our Time:

If there is any team that is built to survive the expansion experiment, it is the Orange County Otters. This team is filled with veterans and a winning tradition, and I do not expect a few new teams to come along and ruin this. We have a solid core of guys who are dedicated to our winning culture and want to see us succeed. Perhaps the biggest reason Orange County is going to be the favorites next season is Johnny Blaze, the superstar TE. He was held down a bit this season, drawing double and sometimes triple-team coverage from his opponents, but odds are that he will improve for next season and learn how to take his game to the next level that so many expect him to. Every other team has bad players and stupid people in their front office, so that gives Orange County yet another edge over everyone else. We have won more, and we are smarter than the competition. Expansion is going to be a good thing to thin out some of these flavor of the month teams that have been successful lately, and eventually, it will result in the reclaiming of power in Orange County for the Otters and our brand new Dynasty. [210]

PBE Task

[PDXBaller]

Playoff Predictions, Reviews:
Written: Give a short write up of one or multiple playoff matches. If completed before the airing of the sims have predictions, after if it is a review the game.
Graphic: Make a graphic displaying the matchups in the playoffs. If completed before sim, predict scores and show stats, if after, give a summary of game showing stats and top performers.
The ASFC featured a long time rivalry between the Orange County Otters and San Jose SaberCats. The cats looked to be the favorite going into this playoff game with a regular season record of 11-3 and boy did they not disappoint by defeating the Otters 37-17. Otters had the lead for the entire first quarter, but it was San Jose all the way after that. SaberCats dominated this game with an amazing 36 minutes of possession time. Another long standing rivalry went down in the NSFC division as the Hawks resoundingly beat the Philadelphia Liberty 34-13. The Hawks had absolute control of this ball game by dominating both sides of the ball with an impressive 197 yards passing and 175 yards rushing. The Ultimus game featured two of the top teams in the league and was incredibly one sided as the Hawks shut out the SaberCats in what I believe is the first ever shut out game in the Ultimus. The defense stepped up big this game with the Hawk’s star corners deflecting a total of 5 passes, one safety by Oats, and Sacks all around for the defensive line. The Hawks were unstoppable in this rout of the SaberCats and proved that they were the most dominant team in the league.

Spotlight on Youth
Written: Write 200 words on one of the players in this year's Ultimus Week that are Season 13 or newer and spotlight on how they can affect or did affect this year's Ultimus. (NSFL Only)
There were many contributing factors that played a role in helping the Baltimore Hawks win the Ultimus this season along with an incredible 12-2 regular season record. The contributions from veteran players helped establish the foundation for the team, but key players from the S15 draft helped bolster the defense in incredible ways. Walt Green (@Duilio05), a safety from the San Antonio Marshals, was an all around playmaker in the regular season proving that he could make an impact immediately with 2 interceptions, 4 passes deflected, and one pick 6. In the Ultimus game, he had 3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery. The Hawks other safety, Fatih Terim (@Eco), had an equally impressive rookie year with 7 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 3 passes deflected in the regular season. He was a big part in shutting down the SaberCats run game by leading the team in tackles with 7 and 1 forced fumble in the Ultimus game. The future is bright in Baltimore with these 2 young defensive studs and the team can look forward to a strong defensive backfield for many seasons to come should they continue to develop at a phenomenal rate. Without these 2 players, Baltimore’s defense would have struggled mightily in the regular season and they helped the Hawks become one of the top 3 defenses in the league.

Sit-down with a fan with @moonlight

1. What went right in the S15 playoffs for the Hawks to win the championship?
Everything! Everything went right with the Hawks this season to get us where we wanted to be and to win the Ultimus. Our offense was the best this season and I think a big part of that was Gambino’s passing ability and our receiver depth that we had. On the defensive side of the ball, we had the best that the league had seen. Everything just clicked this season and it was easy to see how smoothly things were going.

2. How does it feel to be the S15 ultimus champions?
Losing in the NSFC playoffs last season made this all the sweeter. Beating the Liberty gave us our redemption and shutting out the SaberCats was a massive boost to our morale. Being the S15 Ultimus champion is one of my career’s defining moments. This is a unique team that proved to everyone that they were unstoppable and I’m happy to be a part of it all.

3. What is the expectation in the Hawks locker room on how you guys can get back to the big game in S16?
We’ll have to see how the expansion draft pans out for our team. I’m certain we won’t have the impact players we had last season because of that and with Gambino retiring there’s a lot of things in the air right now on the offensive side of the ball. I think that if Harvan can perform close to Gambino’s level last season and we retain most of our defense that we have a great shot at getting back to the Ultimus game again and (hopefully) going back to back.

4. Are there any defensive beasts in the S16 draft that you hope to play alongside in a Hawks uniform?
That is a great question. I think Chad Maulolo (@Graciejj2000) would be an amazing fit for our defensive line and he’s a great guy overall. Another defensive lineman that I’d love to play alongside is Alberto McGwire (@kentuckycolonel). He only played 6 regular season games, but I think he has great potential to hold down the line in the NSFL immediately. Blake Faux (@AlexF) is one player that I think is very underrated because of Lanzer being on the Pythons, but he’s got amazing potential to be a stud linebacker in the NSFL right away. We would need someone like him to replace Charlie Trout next season.

Sit-down with a star with @moonlight
1. How would you compare your sophomore season to your rookie season in the DSFL?
My rookie season was hard to top. I won pretty much everything. An Ultimini victory, Season 14 DSFL Quarterback of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable player. This season has been more of a struggle with have a 7-7 team and eventually losing in the Ultimini against the Polar Bears.

2. What went wrong in the Ultimini Game against Palm Beach
The Ultimini came down to the Portland Pythons simply being outmanned. On the offensive side of the football we just didn’t have much to go off. Our wide receiving core had been hurt from call ups and we just couldn’t get a rhythm going. The turning point was at 17-24 with a chance to tie the game and we ultimately bungled it and turned over the football. This has been generally the theme of the season for us in S15.

3. Have you signed with an agent or are you considering one?
I did sign with an agent. I don’t need one currently but I thought it might be smart to have one after my initial contract is up. Considering I negotiated a 16 million dollar deal on my own, I probably don’t need the help to be fair.

4. What expectations do you have for next season if you come back to Portland?
Next season will be my last in a Pythons uniform. I intend to get back into the Ultimini and try to win it. I’d like to end my DSFL career on a high note. I am itching for a chance to get into the NSFL though. Being the quarterback of the future for the Orange County Otters is an honour.

[TropicaliaCC]

1) Ultimus Review
Perhaps the most anti-climactic result of the Season came in the Grandaddy of them all, Ultimus XV. Fans were expecting a knockdown drag out championship game, but it was all Baltimore from start to finish. San Jose received the ball first and were unable to muster any yards in a rapid three and out possession. It was obvious the defending champions were in trouble when they followed that drive up by letting Baltimore march down the field on an 11 play, 78 yard Touchdown drive. The Hawks defense continued to not give an inch as they only gave up two first-half first-downs. I want to give credit to Baltimore’s defense who had been great all year long, but the SabreCat offense appeared as though they had never played together. Meanwhile, Gambino had all day to pick apart San Jose’s secondary on his way to 217 first half passing yards. San Jose came out firing at the start of the second half, as they caused a Baltimore three and out and then put together a promising drive starting from their own 1 yard line. The SabreCats got all the way to the Hawks 33 yard line before a Jaylin Hobbs sack pushed them out of Field Goal range. The ensuing punt was blocked by Flash of Baltimore, and any momentum that San Jose had was gone. The blood-bath continued until mercifully the game ended 49-0, and we had a new NSFL Champion.

8) Strategies
The Kansas City Coyotes had a great bounce back year after a horrific 2028 Season. However, the Coyotes were demolished 31-7 in the first round of the DSFL playoffs, reminding the players and fan base just how far this team really is from a championship run. The defense was inconsistent but solid all year long, and they aren’t the ones to blame for the early playoff exit. They forced an incredible 5 turnovers despite giving up 31 points to Portland. It was Kansas City’s anemic offense that can be blamed for the playoff loss as well as 6 of their 7 regular season losses. Let’s start with the playoff loss: Kansas City would have been shut-out if it hadn’t been for a garbage time Touchdown with 14 seconds left in the game. They were unable to provide any sort of support for the defense, which is well represented by their feeble 3/13 3rd Down efficiency. This poor performance wasn’t an outlier either, as they averaged a DSFL worst 16.7 PPG. Blatantly, the Coyotes featured a prehistoric offensive philosophy of running the ball on first and second down and hoping that you can convert long third downs when their bell-cow, Quick, couldn’t move the ball against a stacked box. The Coyotes can use this year as a stepping stone if they focus this off-season on building a more dynamic offense to pair with their above average defense.

[Huskies311]

1. Playoffs
Well, there it is. The Baltimore Hawks are nsfl champions. This now means that nsfl teams that draft Marquees Acho are 1-0 in championships. I’ll be giving a two game playoff review of how they got here.

In the first game, the Hawks played the Philadelphia Liberty in a rematch of last year’s game, where the liberty upset the Hawks. How would the Hawks respond to last year’s defeat? Well, the defense played lights out in the first half. Liberty only managed to get 3 points. The Hawks, however, scored the first 3 touchdowns in the game, and it never got close. The end score was 34-13. Running Back Marquise Brown and Wide receiver Vinny Valentine lead the offense with 3 touchdowns combined while the linebacker unit played well.

The championship game went the same way as the Liberty game. The Sabercats were the reigning champions, but the Hawks were hungry. This was Trouts last game, this was maybe Valentine’s last game with the Hawks, and with expansion looming, probably the best shot the Hawks had in this window. The game ended in a 49-0 humiliation. Gambino dismantled the Saber cat defense throwing for 5 touchdowns and 421 yards. Rookie Fatih Terim played a great game, as well as linebacker Ben Horne.

14. Magic moment
The most magical moment of the postseason had to be when the team that drafted me lifted the trophy over there heads to the roar of the fans who deserved this. Of course, I wish I could have been out there, but I’m glad the team that believed in me and the locker room that accepted me got to experience glory for themselves (and I know that their success will continue when I’m up there next year). This was an important game to win for the Hawks, as the window for sustained success is so small. Expansion will surely take some top talent from us, Charlie Trout is retiring to enjoy the life of an agent, and our nsfl draft position might not even get us an active. But for now, I’m just enjoying the offseason and letting my teammates enjoy what they earned: a magical season.

Expectations had been high for me and the entire Norfolk team, but we just could not get it done. I was really bummed not making the playoffs even after the great year I put out on the field. That moment on the sidelines under the lights and confetti of the big stage is one that I hope to relive many years in my time in the league.

16. Unsung Hero
The unsung hero in this year’s playoffs was definitely Baltimore Hawk linebacker Ben Horne. Horne had a decent regular season, but he really raised his game to another level when it mattered. Against the Liberty, Horne was all over the field. He got 7 tackles, 2 sacks, a pass deflection, and an interception. He was vital to the defense holding the Liberty to only 13 points. He even added a blocked punt on special teams. If that doesn’t show you how hard he was going then I’m not sure what will.

I’m the championship, he didn’t post the same type of stat line but still had a respectable 6 tackles, sack, and a pass deflection while leading the defense to a shutout. San Jose’s offense looked lost out there.

Even after this, though, no one has really said anything about his contributions. Maybe the league is focused on the new S17 class and expansion draft, but Horne’s playoff heroics did not go unnoticed by me.

In fact, with Charlie Trout leaving and me likely taking his place, I can’t wait to be on the field next to him and growing into a complete linebacker. There’s not one else in the league I’d like to share linebacking duties with

3) All About the QBs
This year’s biggest qb matchup was Childish Gambino against Christ against Childish Gambino in the Ultimus. This was shaping up to be a fantastic matchup; the best qb in the regular season against a returning Ultimus champion. The two best teams in the league were gonna battle it out to the death in what was sure to be a classic...

At least that’s what the media wanted you to believe. But Baltimore was hungry for a championship after losing to the Liberty last year, and no one was hungrier than Gambino. 117.2 passer rating, 421 yards, 5 touchdowns later, and Gambino lead a historic rout of the sabercats 49-0.

Christ on the other hand, put on a miserable performance to say the least. 12 completions, 131 yards, and no touchdowns. San Jose could barely even get to the Hawks side of the field, never mind even sniffing the end zone.

This performance should see Gambino leave as a Baltimore legend as Corvo Havran takes his spot as Hawks QB.

Christ’s legacy should definitely be able to survive this, but it’s gonna be a long offseason for him and San Jose nonetheless. Only time will tell how if he overcomes this next year or if this is his lasting mark on the league.