(S22) - Ultimus Week

[Baron1898]

Task 3: Freeform
Winning Punter of the Year last night, the second positional award in Venus Powers’ three years in the league, really put into perspective my experience in the league. In a way, it’s been a validation of sorts for a decision that I struggled with immensely over a half year ago: ending the career of Morgan Marshall early.

Marshall was my first player. A receiving running back, he was drafted fourth overall by the San Antonio Marshals (rest in peace) and lit up the DSFL in his first, and only, season down under. This included 19 touchdowns from scrimmage, tying the then-DSFL record, as well as leading the entire league with over 1500 rushing yards and headlining the run heavy offense of the Marshal Law era Marshals, a 13-1 squad that featured Cooter Bigsby and the Fabulous Five (not a bad band name). It was wonderful. For those efforts I won the S14 DSFL Running Back of the Year award and was seen as one of the best prospects in the upcoming draft. But our team went one and done in the playoffs at home.

From there Marshall spent four long years in Yellowknife, and while I soon took the starting job, I was never as proficient as I wanted to be. I never even sniffed the Pro Bowl until my final season, much less any awards, and I found myself outclassed and outpaced by lower TPE speed backs on the regular. It didn’t help that I didn’t exactly enjoy much playoff success either - despite making the playoffs three times over four years, twice as the home team, I only won 1 playoff game total. One, out of now five games total. It just wasn’t going the way I had wanted it to, and Marshall’s laggard career was bringing down my general interest in the league. So I told my GMs at the end of S17 that I would only play one more year, and then that would be the end of Marshall’s career.

On the second go around, I created a kicker. Besides just loving kickers, playing as Venus Powers has many built in advantages compared to the career of Morgan Marshall. For one thing, the starting job is guaranteed if you are good enough. There isn’t any snap sharing for most kicking slots. For another, I created during a serious lull in kickers. There were 10 teams and less than half had a kicker above 150 TPE. If I earned quickly, I could seize a career that could finally give me a shot at actually making the Hall of Fame eventually.

And Venus Powers quickly has validated my decision. In Portland, I only took the kicking duties since Diego Espinosa was rostered as a punter, and I enjoyed a pretty nice season, although it wasn’t anything particularly memorable and didn’t gain any awards traction. I also was a member of the Pythons squad that won the division and got home field for the first game of the playoffs... which we lost. Ironically, as Powers’ career shot upwards, my fluky playoffs luck turned downright abysmal, and I haven’t even gotten close again.

In the NSFL, I was selected 14th overall to the Philadelphia Liberty. This was my home for two years, and I’ll always be grateful for the experience I had, especially with my GMs Hallmonitor and TubbyTim69. That’s not to say that we had any sort of sustained success; far from it, in fact. We were quite frequently the second worst team in the league (the worst will always be Chicago) and as a result Venus Powers only kicked 23 field goals and extra points in each year she spent as a member of the Liberty. The real magic happened in the other half of her duties, the punting race, where Powers turned in Pro Bowl nods each season, plus a slim victory for Punter of the Year in S21.

Even though I was happy in Philadelphia, I don’t hold any grudge as per them not protecting me in the S22 expansion draft, nor do I blame Honolulu for taking me. And in Honolulu, I’ve continued Venus’ development in stride, claiming the top TPE crown over all kickers and once again winning Punter of the Year. Do I wish that I wasn’t still on abysmal offenses and that I could contend for Kicker of the Year eventually? Of course. But as of right now, I’m incredibly satisfied with my career thus far. I don’t believe it to be too much of a stretch to say that I’m on an early trajectory for the Hall, especially since I need to only put up 3087 punting yards each of my remaining seasons to break the punting yardage record, and I have yet to dip below 4000 in a season.

Overall, I think it’s fascinating the difference in satisfaction between the careers of my two players, especially as Venus Powers enters her fourth season in the NSFL. Kicker may be much less recognized and general talked about than running back, and I still haven’t gotten to the playoffs again, but my general enjoyment and experience with the league has never been better. And it may just be a product of the larger draft classes, but I like to think that the emergence of Powers - the first very active kicker since Alex D, and the first near max earner since McCormick - has contributed at least somewhat to the higher number of active kickers in these past few drafts.

[Skyfish]

3) 814 words
Nerdy Name, this player out of Wheelie Boi University is going to be a very interesting prospect, friends with baseball player Skyler Strobel who has recently been promoted to his own major league. They share the same training regiment and often work out together. As a young man Nerdy Name first played football for his high school as a kicker due to his lack of size. However his work ethic and natural talent gained him playing time off of special teams. It started as a few snaps as a wide receiver and corner back. He amazed at wide receiver and by the end of his freshman season on 63 targets he had 47 catches for 364 yards, just under an average of 7 and three quarters a yard per catch. His sophomore season the quarterback was injured a week and a half 9before the first game. The backup had just quit the team so the coaches decided to let everyone on the team that wanted to give it a shot try out. Miraculously Nerdy won the job, never missing a short throw, and nailing nearly all of his long balls. During his tenure at quarterback he proved his leadership was off the charts, with the team rallying behind the quarterback that kicked his own extra points. Because of this he was given a captain spot, something solely reserved for seniors. Due to his growing knowledge of the game he was shifted from corner back to safety, while also learning to punt. This was when he got his first offer for a college scholarship, from his parents Alma mater Colorado University. Entering his junior year, he had decided to devote his life to school and football, completely abandoning the rest of his childhood he saw a bright future, one where he could become the best football player for decades before retiring and getting a job teaching high school kids and coaching football. This showed when he returned to football 3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier. At the end of last year the coach had been offered a job coaching college kids and left. The new coaches completely changed the team around, with a brand new playback and schemes, moving from a cover 2 to more of a cover 1 man defense, and a very weird hybrid offense. Nerdy had his worst year of high school after being moved to tight end and linebacker, however he showed promise with being a line backer, especially his rush off the edge, however his blocking as a tight end was atrocious. As a senior he was moved back to safety and wide receiver. Unfortunately his surrounding cast was never good enough to even make the playoffs. After a fight with his parents about quitting football, he decommited from colorado and enrolled at wheelie boi University. In his freshman year he immediately won the kicking job after nailing a 65 yard field goal, and 3 percent coffin corner punts from his own 40 yard line. In his sophomore more year he was at the schools gym when all of a sudden the professional baseball teams second round pick, Skyler Strobel walked in. He was upset by his lack of power off the minor leaguers so far and immediately impressed Nerdy with his work effort, and a partnership was born. That freshman year was his best yet, a relatively unknown three star athlete, taking home an all conference for kicking in the pac 12. His sophmore year he earned a spot as a defensive end and a kick returner. As a defensive end he earned 9 and a half sacks, a forced fumble, and 35 tackles. In his limited kick returns he had a game changing touchdown to win the game against Stanford to propell the to the conference championship game. Unfortunately they lost that first game and were not selected for another bowl game. Then as a junior he got a captain spot and was given all kicking and punting duties, as well as wide receiver 2 and starting safety. Unfortunately very early in the first game of the season Name suffered a season ending injury. While attempting an extra point his offensive line failed and his fibula fractured. The doctors said he was going to be out for 18 months, but Name put in so much work and progressed through rehab so fast that he was done in half the time. While he was rehabbing he graduated with a masters allowing him to focus completely on returning to tip top football shape. And boy did that allow him to have a break out season. With a 100% kick accuracy he was named first team all American and was named first team all conference at safety and wide receiver with 4 and a half sacks off the line. A true utility player that can play almost any position, and a true leader.

[Jmac NCheese]

Tier 2: Short Form Tasks (400+ words)
Choose up to TWO for 5 TPE each.

5) Awards season is a big part of the offseason festivities. Take the stand, in 400 words or more, for one or more players that are not your own, and argue why they should receive awards glory. They can be your teammates or anyone in the league. How did their stats and on the field contribution contribute to their case this year?
The award part of the season is upon us and everyone hopes and wishes to see their player nominated and if they are to see their name called for that award. We have been tasked to talk about a player that is not ours, which is always fun because it allows people to talk up other members of the site and it always feels good to see someone else talk up your player. Plus, when you do not have to talk about yours, you do not get the feeling of being self-centered! The one player that I would like to talk about is Blade McCoy, @Blaster, and I believe he should win many awards. Now it helps that we are both on the Dallas Birddogs and this makes it easier to talk this person up. He was an absolute monster this year and it seemed like every game I would see his name as the defensive game ball awarded in the locker room. Now there is a ton of competition out there for sure and even in our own locker room, but he deserves to be in the running for defensive player of the year, linebacker of the year, and rookie of the year for sure. I imagine there could be a few more awards he could be nominated for, but if he is not nominated for those three it is a damn shame. Not just nominated, he should win all of them! Like I mentioned previously it will not be a walk in the park for him especially with players out there like Buck Thornton and Eric Richards on defense and offensive players like Kichwa Jones, who is also on the Birddogs, and Sim Snowbow, but I believe with his season he should win for sure. McCoy had 147 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 1 sack, and 2 pass deflects (defended) this season. Blade was leading and holding off everyone else in tackles all season up until the end of the season but still finished 3rd in most tackles among defensemen, it felt like he was getting double digit tackles every game. He was in the top 10 from forced fumbles, was tied with 5 others for 2nd but was the only one that did not have a recovery. The other three stats were good but were not near the top of the league but still very good. Blade McCoy had an amazing season all and all, and if he gets to stay down for another season, he will help Dallas’s defense be a powerful threat again! If he does not stay down, then he will help whatever team drafts him right away and be nominated for NSFL awards instead of DSFL ones.
(458 words)

8) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S22 class and later. In 400 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented?
I came over from Simulation Hockey League (SHL), thanks to @jeffie43, mainly because I have had a very enjoyable time in the hockey land and wanted to see how the football land, NSFL, was like. Prior to the three and a quarter seasons I have been in the SHL, I had no idea what simulation leagues were like or even what they were. Boy am I glad that I joined the SHL, and the same goes for the NSFL. I so far have had a blast, and it is looking to get even better and more fun in the near future, getting drafted into the big leagues! I guess you could call it lucky, but I got spoiled when I joined this league. I learned from the SHL that you should join a new league or re-create after the trade deadline, so that is what I did. I was told that Myrtle Beach would attempt to sign me as they make their run to the Ultimini, and they did. Like when I first join SHL I had no idea, so my rookie season was kind of meh for me and I missed out a bunch of TPE and set myself back a bit. I did not want that to happen again, so I made sure to do every Point Task and other stuff to gain TPE. But I really did not know much about NSFL and how the current teams were fairing. I know Myrtle Beach was playoff bound and that is about it but did not know that they were the best team and were pegged to win it all. So yeah, I was spoiled for sure when I joined this league and get to boast a trophy under my name saying a won a championship. Granted I did not do anything, and I wish I did, but I will take it. I was drafted 10th overall by the Dallas Birddogs and I was excited during the DSFL Draft. Instantly I was greeted in the locker room and I felt welcome, ready to make new friends and ready to get down to work! Got to talk a lot to my GMs, @Kyle and @iStegosauruz, a lot this season and we talked about all kinds of things, from NSFL to the actual NFL to fantasy football, in the league and in the NFL. I have an amazing LR in the SHL and it will be hard to ever re-create that, but Dallas is close, glad to have made the friends I have made in a great LR. I believe that my player has had a very good first season, and kind of a unique one. Had half of the tackles as the leaders but was top three in tackles for loss and was one of the top players in pass deflects (defended) as a LB and beat out a lot of DBs. I would say all and all it was an awesome season and extremely excited to find out where I get drafted and what it is store for me in the future. One of my favorite things about NSFL also is the Wiki, I think its freakin awesome and such a cool feature! Kind of wish SHL would implement it but I can only suggest it there and see what people think lol. Watch out offenses, Hingle McCringleberry is coming for you!!
(563 words)

[dave]

Tier 1 Task 3:
When people hear that I’ve been around since season 1 they assume I know a ton about the league history and significant events and whatnot, which is pretty far from the truth, I was inactive for a pretty big stretch of time so in actuality I missed pretty much every significant event in league history. However, there is one event that I did happen to be around for, so naturally that’s what I’ll talk about. My first player, Omar Wright, was a RB for the Orange County Otters during the inaugural NSFL season. Despite a solid first couple seasons Omar’s career never really took off cuz I went inactive (sorry Omar) and he washed out of the league after a few seasons.

Even though he didn't hang around long in the league Omar did leave a tiny footprint in league history. It was week four of the first NSFL season, and the 2-1 Otters were visiting a 1-2 Sabercats squad, in a rematch of the same week three matchup where the Otters came out 23-10. The Otters would also go on to win this week’s matchup by an even more boring score of 17-6. All in all this was a pretty meaningless game, it was about as important as any other 23 point snooze-fest, but, at least for one play, there was a little bit of hot sauce in this overall bland performance of a game.
During the second quarter the Otters were at 2nd and 10 on their own 15 when OCO running back Omar Wright broke off for an 80 yard run (applause here). Now, on the surface this doesn’t seem like a big deal (it really isn’t), but at the time, this was a league record by a longshot- the second longest run of the season (by Bubba Nuck) was only 38 yards, not even half of Omar’s run. Only one other RB broke even 20 yards on a single run that first season (Reg Mackworthy). Somehow, in this era of low TPE offenses getting manhandled by defenses regularly, for one single play in one meaningless game Omar Wright managed to break away for what was at the time both a statistical outlier and a mind boggling number (well at least it was for me).

As the league progressed offenses became better and players started to break offensive records year after year on the offensive side of the ball. Except for one record. By season six Omar Wright’s 80 yard run was still a league record by a comfortable 14 yard gap. By this point There were only a handful of season one offensive records that even still cracked their respective top tens, (two more longest run records, a passing interceptions record, and a rushing yardage record) so the fact that this record hadn’t been touched in five whole seasons was… kinda interesting at least? As offensive records were challenged, broken, and set anew season after season, the 80 yard run sat as a yet-unbroken ceiling, having been closely challenged only a few times over this five season stretch.
This all changed in season seven when Wraith’s QB Mat Akselen tied the 80 yard run, topping his now third longest 66 yard run from a season prior. Although he tied the #1 record, and also held the #2 spot, it would not be Akselen who would finally break the record. That would be Darren Smallwood, who in the very next season (season 8 for those keeping track at home) would bust out an 89 yard run, and set history in the process. After 7 seasons of standing nearly unchallenged, the 80 yard record run record initially set in season 1 was broken.

It’s been a long time since this new record was set, and although the record has since been tied, the 89 yard run record set 14 seasons ago is yet to be broken,. Also Omar’s name is further down the list, now holding the #5 spot on the table. So, why do we care about Omar Wright? After all, he doesn’t hold the record for longest run, and hasn't held that record for 15 seasons, so why even bother to bring him up in the first place? Even though he no longer holds the record, Omar’s 80 yard run is the only would be-record in the top ten offensive season record list (applause again here). Meaning not one offensive category (except longest run) has a record in it’s top ten from the inaugural season (defensive records are another story however). Now, really, that doesn’t make it super interesting either, but that's really the only way I can make this story relevant to the league today, however arbitrary that relevancy is.

As the person who created Omar, I obviously find this much more interesting than it really is. Although It’s not a record now, it was at some point, and I remember how cool I thought it was that my player was the one who held the record. And even now when I look at the index, I still see Omar’s name and it makes me think back to the early days in the league, and the fun I had in those initial seasons. Even though this whole post was pretty much a nostalgia trip for me I hope that if anyone bothers to look it over they at least think it’s kinda neat, and I also think it goes to show that however forgettable your player may be they can still leave an impact on the league. If you bothered to read this thanks for indulging me. (You may also know Omar Wright for holding the tenth place spot for fumbles in a season, at a solid 4)

[SabaDonutMan]

2) This week will see the S23 Ultimus and Ultimini races finally come to their conclusion. In 800 words or more, recount any of the previous playoff cycles of either league. How did each team arrive at the playoffs? Were there any dark horse or Cinderella teams that went unexpectedly far, or any presumptive favorites that fell flat? How did the title game play out, and which players made their mark on the field? Tell the story of those playoffs as completely as you can. Do not simply recount your own experience in those playoffs or that of a singular team.


To keep this answer as relevant as possible I’m going to be writing about the S21 Playoffs. We’ll start with our wildcard teams and slowly work our way up to the champions.
To begin we have the worse of our two wildcard teams, the Austin Copperheads. They came into this season with a lot of expectations due to being the reigning champions. Their starting quarterback, Easton Cole, had just thrown for almost 30 touchdowns. Their defense just came off of a season where they had the least points allowed in the entire league. They were filled with expectations and they wanted to bring a second trophy to Austin. The first couple of weeks were fairly tumultuous for the team. They lost their week one matchup against New Orleans which was fairly expected due to being considered the worst team and playing against home field advantage. They were barely able to beat the Outlaws in Arizona in a 30-27 win. They proceeded to lose to the Otters at home by 15 points. They were able to get a win streak after beating both the Sabercats and the Hawks. They were sitting at 3-2 going into week 6 which isn’t very good but keeps them in playoff contention. They continued to have a fairly shaky season in which they lost a game for every game they won. This put them at 7-6 which beat out the Sabercats for the third seed in the ASFC. Unfortunately they had to play the Second Line in New Orleans. They made it a very close game, but the Copperhead’s season was ended by the Second Line at the wild card round.
Next we have the wild card team from the NSFC, the Colorado Yeti. You may be asking, “Wait, weren't the Yeti second in the NSFC standings”. You would be correct, however they did get upset in the wild card round. Now let’s hop into their regular season. They started the season on a 2 game losing streak in which they lost games to the Liberty and the Hawks. They were able to bounce back and beat the Butchers but they immediately lost the next game to the Second Line. Starting the season at 3-1 wasn’t a very good sign to where their season was headed. That being said, they were able to turn it around. The Yeti were able to win their next three games against the Wraiths, Butchers, and Hawks. Unfortunately, their winning streak was ended by the Liberty in a close 19-10 loss. This didn’t end their hot streak however as they were able to win three out of their four remaining games which put their finishing record at 8-5 which made them the second seed in the NSFC. They were matched up against the Wraiths in the wild card in which they were predicted to win due to having a great team and having home field advantage. However, the Wraiths were able to upset the Yeti and ended their season.
Now we’re moving onto our semi final teams. We will first cover the worse one record wise, the Baltimore Hawks. Before the season began the Hawks were considered to be one of the better teams in the NSFC and the league in general. With star quarterback Corvo Havran nearing the end of his career they knew that they needed to make an Ultimus push. They knew that they needed to win and they came into the season with a win now mentality. Their skills showed immediately coming out of the gate. They dominated early in the season winning their first four games. However, all good things must come to an end. After dominating so early they immediately lost their three next games. This didn’t deter them though as they went on to win five out of their remaining six games. The hawks finished the regular season with a record of 9-4 which made them the first seed in the NSFC. They just relaxed during the wild card week due to having a first round bye. Much to many people’s chagrin, they were playing the Wraiths which came into the playoffs as the third seed. However, the Wraiths were able to pull off a major upset and end the Hawk’s season.
For the next semi final team we have the Orange County Otters. The Otters came into this season and were expected to be one of the best teams(not much different from every other season). Their MVP quarterback Franklin Armstrong was in his prime and was expected to have a BANGER of a season. They definitely delivered on their promise to be one of the best teams and it showed in the first couple of weeks. They went 4-0 and each win was dominated by Armstrong and the Otters. However, the second best team that season(the Second Line) were able to snag a win away from the Otters in a close 22-17 loss for the Otters. That being said Nola wasn’t able to slow down the Otter Train.. TOOT TOOT. They dominated throughout the rest of the season only letting up two more losses to the Wraiths and the Hawks, which were both on the road. They finished the season with a 10-3 record which made them the first seed in the ASFC. They were able to sit easy during the wild card round due to having a first round bye. However they began to sweat once they saw who they would be facing in the semi finals, the New Orleans Second Line. The Second Line and the Otters had been clashing all season for the first seed and their duels were going to come to an end with one final battle. This game was one of the best ones all season in which the Second Line were able to win by a mere three points in overtime which ended the Otter’s season.

[Garnuk]

Tier 2 Question 8) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S22 class and later. In 400 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented?

My experience in the league has been pretty great so far. I actually joined the discord like a year ago or something but completely forgot that it existed. I ended up playing a survivor game with my guy RainDelay and he notices that we are both in this same nsfl server. I have no clue what he was referring to but I promised to check it out. Since then I have created my player and am making my way around the league. I got picked up on waivers. I got added to a ton of different locker rooms. I am just having a really fun time. Everyone is friendly and helpful making a very confusing start manageable and fun. I really have not had much of a start yet but getting picked up on waivers was fun. I am looking forward to the prospect bowl and have actually made my first two bets on the imminent success of my very own Hampton Waterdogs. I have yet to be drafted yet but the DSFL draft is soon and I cannot wait to get drafted. The scouting process has been really fun as I have gotten to meet all kinds of different people around the league. I honestly can not complain much at all about my experience. If I had to criticize the league in some way I would say that at first it all seems very scary. Like I do not specifically remember joining the discord but I joined and basically ignored it because I mean wow y'all have an operation and a half going on. So even though everyone is super helpful taking the leap of starting and asking for help is actually also really scary. Another comment I might offer is that I personally felt sorta lost after I did my rookie task and made my player. I think that a rundown of the various aspects of the league could be useful. Maybe something like an intro packet that gives directions like start here, do this, dm this person etc. In terms of who I have met I will just quickly list some people. Rain Delay who gms the Sailfish helped me start out and I would not have ever if not for him so he deserves big props. The entire minnesota grey ducks locker room and especially Jamar Lackson (my fellow lamar profile picture friend) were really helpful and tolerated my many many questions. The many GMs who have dmed me to scout me and wanted to talk with me have all made my experience in the league a fun and exciting experience. Thanks!

[Big Edd]

7)
Coming into the league I do have to admit that I had very high expectations for Big Edd. Big Edd has not let me down, but of course, he has got a lot of time to get even better. Big Edd started his career on the right foot in the Preseason Rookie bowl thing. His 3 sacks in 2 games grabbed a lot of the scouts’ eyes. But Big Edd’s dominance did not stop there. During the next season, Big Edd would be recognized as one of the best players coming out of the season twenty one class. And that is what I am going to speak about next. Like I said earlier, I was expecting a lot from Big Edd, so his slow start in the DSFL was at first disappointing. Despite this, Edd was still racking up tackles like a monster, so that was a plus. As the season progressed, Edd began to get a lot better and better. Big Edd would help his team, the DAllas Birddgos, make a great playoff push that no one had expected from them as they were a new expansion team. Unfortunately, they did not make the playoffs and Big Edd will never get to have the feeling of playing in the DSFL playoffs, but fear not this is where the story gets good. I noticed that Big Edd’s sack number was not too great as it was 3. Along with those 3 sacks Edd also recorded only 1 TFL and even a safety. But the one stat that really popped out to me were the 52 tackles. I had blown the Defensive tackle tackle total race out of the water as the second place behind me got only 38. I had my eyes set on that defensive linemen of the year trophy as well as a spot on the pro bowl team. Big Edd only got one of these awards which was a chance to play in the pro bowl which was cool. (Sadly Big Edd literally got zero votes for DLOTY smh). Fast forward to the NSFL draft. THere were so many rumors going around that I did not know what to trust. I set low expectations like 4th or 5th round so I would not get disappointed again. But to my surprise I was luckily picked up in the latter part of the second round by the Orange County Otters GO OCO! This first season in the NSFL was not too great but I do not think Edd is to blame as he plays on a star studded defense filled with many pro bowlers.If Big Edd can get back to his DSFL tackle monster days, I foresee him giving us hif hall of fame induction speech in the future.


12) Offseason Plan

15) Edd hoisitng trophy

[moonlight]

7.

Franklin Armstrong has been a dream player for me in the NSFL (and DSFL) so far. I never imagined that his career would turn out so fantastic. I see other sim quarterbacks and many don’t reach Armstrong’s level. It all started in S14 when Armstrong was drafted in the 11th round, 63rd overall. He ended up being the starter for the Portland Pythons and the Pythons went on to have a dream season. Armstrong threw for 22 TDs which is still a league record, and led the team all the way to an Ultimini championship. He proceeded to win almost every award including Offensive Rookie of the Year, Quarterback of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Players. He went on to have 2 more Ultimini appearances which sadly ended in losses. But he did manage to win another MVP and QBotY in his final DSFL season. He was drafted to the Otters in S15 in the 3rd round and finally got called up in S17. His rookie numbers were nothing special but when it came to the playoffs, he lit the world on fire. 8 total TDs over 3 games all on the road, against some of the best competition in the NSFL. He was named Ultimus Offensive Player of the Game for his efforts. His next two seasons also ended up in Ultimus victories and he was named Ultimus Offensive Player for all three games. His first regular season award came in S19 when he was named QBotY as well as Most Valuable Player. He would go on to win three straight Most Valuable Player awards, tying Mike Boss for the most in league history. Sadly, the other MVP seasons ended in devastating one and done losses in the playoffs. His S21 season was one of the best QB seasons in NSFL history, with a 26 TDs/2 INTs touchdown to interception ratio, throwing the lowest INT% ever recorded. He also beat the NSFL passer rating record set by Childish Gambino with a 109.3 which may never be broken again. That’s certainly Armstrong’s most memorable statistical season. The other memorable statistical season was Armstrong running for 1001 yards, a record by a QB that may also never be broken. So all in all, Armstrong will most definitely be a HOF player, and I expect him to be a unanimous selection. He will join the ranks of some of the best Quarterbacks in NSFL history and will always be included in the conversation for the best ever.

Code:

420 words

4.

The S22 Yellowknife Wraiths are a tale of resistance. This is simply one of the most resilient teams in NSFL history. Going into S22 they had lost the previous 4 straight Ultimus appearances. In S18 and S19 they had lost to the dreaded Orange County Otters while at home. They had also lost the next home Ultimus game in S20 to the new kids on the block, the Austin Copperheads. In S21, they lost an Ultimus road game against the New Orleans Second Line and this brings us to this season. They were led by Cooter Bigsby once again, the true leader of this team. In week 1, maybe suffering from the after effects of 4 straight Ultimus losses they lost the game to the Yeti. Final score of 34-12 as the whole team looked uninspired and sluggish. They then rattled off six straight wins. Week 2 was a dominating win against the newest expansion team, the Sarasota Sailfish. It ended up being a 44-3 final score as the Sailfish just didn’t have the personnel to stop this team. Next was the hapless Chicago Butchers who ended the season 1-12. They offered no resistance in Week 3. In Week four, they had another matchup with a bad team, this time the Baltimore Hawks who were missing their star Corvo Havran who set sail for Honolulu in the offseason. They Hawks put up a fight in a close 23-20 win but it was still a win. The Liberty lost 30-24, in another close game. The Hahalua lost 30-16 in the following week. They then faced the rebuilding Sabercats for another close 29-23 victory. They then matched up with their nemesis the Second Line and lost once again, 21-19. They then finished the regular season with 5 straight wins and a 11-2 record, best in the NSFL and ensuring another Ultimus home game if they made it that far. They beat the Yeti in the interconference remtach. They then blew out the Sailfish yet again, 34-7. Outscoring them 78-10 in the two games they played that season. They absolutely stomped on the worst team in the NSFL the Chicago Butchers 41-0. Pathetic. They then absolutely destroyed the terrible Hawks team 59-3. That’s absolutely absurd. That’s 134 points to 10 points given up in three games. They then closed off the season with another win against the Libery. With an 11-2 record, the Wraiths felt confident in their Ultimus chances. Unfortunately they choked it away, and lost 17-16 in the Conference championship to the eventual champions the Yeti.

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425 words

[juicychase]

Tier 1

One thing that particularly interests me in the history of the NSFL is the trenches. I am always curious to see what sort of impact the offensive line and defensive line have on a gameplan. The most recent season (season 22) saw a bevy of talented defensive lineman who disrupted the line of scrimmage and made a massive impact on the effectiveness of their defense. The top 3 players for sacks in season 22 were a defensive tackle, a linebacker and another defensive tackle. G Kroustis from the Yellowknife Wraiths recorded a league-high 13 sacks to go along with a solid 54 tackles. M Virtanen was next up with 12 sacks at LB followed by another defensive tackle from Arizona in P Miller who also had 12 sacks. Sacks are only part of the story; tackles for loss can make just as much of an impact on a game and are an important measure of a defenses ability to get a team into 2nd and long and 3rd and long situations. Astonishingly, 3 rookies were top 3 in the league in tackles for loss in season 22. First up with a total of 20 tackles for loss in M Hole from Baltimore. Hole plays strongside defensive end and is regularly in the backfield to meet the ball carrier shortly after handoff. Next we have the rookie from San Jose, L Bass, who exploded on the scene with 18 tackles for loss in his rookie season. Bass gained fame when he spent half of his signing bonus on a custom pair of nail clippers with diamond-tipped cutting technology. Next up we have the underrated Simeon Works, rookie from the Chicago Butchers. Simeon had 17 tackles for loss on the season and really made a name for himself on the Butchers. It's no secret that the Butchers were in rebuild mode this offseason and they got an absolute steal in the 7th round with Simeon Works. Works was disappointed with his sack total this season - finishing with only 2 sacks -however, with Chicago consistently playing from behind all season, Works did not have much opportunity to rush the passer as the opposing offense was running the ball most of the time.

Taking a look at the offensive line, we can see why having chemistry and talent is important. the best lineman in the league last year played for the team with the best record, the Yellowknife Wraiths. L Forty-Two had a season-high 85 pancakes which was 19 more than the next offensive lineman! That is absolute dominance. Rarely has there been a more dominant tackle. This guy didn't even allow 1 sack on the season and played in all 13 games. Next up we have L Guard who provided 66 pancake blocks for his champion Colorado Yeti. He also did not allow a sack. I think these 2 aforementioned players are a great example of the importance of the offensive line. The Yeti and the Wraiths were 2 of the best teams last season and their offensive line was a huge part of that success. Bringing up the 3rd place position, G Rubbe from the New Orleans Secondline, also a strong team, finsihed with 65 pancakes and only allowed 1 sack on the entire season.

Jumping back to season 21, we see a bit of a shift in how teams pressure the quarterback. The top 3 players in terms of sacks on the season were all linebackers. M Berry recorded 16 sacks. M Vertanen with 13 and T Brackenridge had 12 sacks. Teams were utilizing zone blitzing more in season 22 and the speed of these linebackers helped them disrupt the passer and give the ball back to their offense. The defensive line definitely impacted the run game with all 3 of the league leaders in tackles for loss were defensive ends. S Bakshi for the Baltimore Hawks was dominant with 18 tackles for loss on the season. K Idlewyld for Austin had 15 tackles for loss and G ILove had 13 tackles for loss for the Philadelphia Liberty.

On the offensive side of the ball, we see the trend of top teams having top offensive lines continue. The champion New Orleans Secondline had G Rubbe who recorded 73 pancakes and did not allow a sack all season. M chungus from the Arizona Outlaws had 68 pancakes and allowed 1 sack. M van Buren had 67 pancakes and allowed 1 sack.

Finally, looking 3 years back at Season 20, we see a similar mix to Season 22. 1 Line Backer and 2 Defensive Tackles were the top 3 leader in sacks while the top 3 in tackles for loss were all defensive ends as well.

And once again we come to the top offensive line belonging to the champion Austin Copperheads. L A'barelyanything had 78 pancakes and only allowed 1 sack for the Copperheads. C MacDennis had 73 pancakes and allowed 4 sacks while M Mushing from the Wraiths had 67 Pancakes and allowed 1 sack.

So I guess if there is a conclusion to my look back on the last 3 years is, first and foremost, have a talented offensive line, then try to get the other team into 2nd and long and 3rd in long by tackling the ball carrier in the backfield and then finish off the drive with a sack on 3rd down.

[KillKillKill]

Hey guys, Honda Edmond here and I brought a guest along with me for this Ultimus Week task. Normally, I would be scrambling last minute to get my final points in so that I could grow as a player, bit this season I am glad to be granted the opportunity to switch up and bring something a little different into the mix. The person I brought with me, you all know, but you don't know that you know him. He runs my Twitter page and keeps me in the gym training and keeps me motivated to do better for myself. We grew up in the same neighborhood in Oakland, but he's a bit older than me. He's a pretty reserved and private person, so I won't use his real name in this post, but I'll instead refer to him by his childhood nickname of Goo ( a name he received from his father due to the fact that Goo was constantly drooling as an infant and toddler). The following interaction between he and I took place a few days ago in the midst of the protests Nationwide and more specifically in our home Town of Oakland, California. Goo is an EMT in the Bay Area. A hotbed for COVID 19 and the protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd. I asked Goo to describe the climate in the area and what he sees as both a frontline worker and a black man in the midst of protesting. The following will be told in his own words. Thank you for your time.

Everything was shut down, man....everything. On the rig, we are kind of at the mercy of the public. From when and where we can eat all the way down to the availability of a restroom, we kind of need that public support aspect. When COVID hit, it's like there was this collective disbelief that is was going to be as life altering and devastating as it was. Even me, I'll admit, had my doubts about how bad it would truly was. I figured it would just be a little cold that mad touch down stateside, but would kind of just run its course and we wouldn't be affected much. I'm a man that can admit to being wrong and I, was fucking wrong. First came the new policy and procedures on the ambulances and in the hospitals. There were all these new protective equipment standards and decontamination steps. We always had a certain level of infectious disease protocol, but this stuff was a whole new level of protocol. About that time, people started to get suspicious of each other. A single cough would have the whole room staring at you. Everyone thought they had COVID or would soon get it.

Then it all stopped...

In EMS, we get a bit of a jump on the general public as far as health and safety issues are concerned. We will start to see subtle changes before the counties and state changes anything major most of the time. I had heard whispers of a shut down and shelter in place that would stop just short of a full lockdown. Even I couldn't fathom the lengths and steps would be taken in the next few months. Social distancing, hand washing and personal protective equipment were king. For some reason, all of the toilet paper was gone too. I still don't understand that one. Don't think I ever will. When I went to pick up a patient from any type of nursing facility, I crossed through multiple checkpoints before I would even get to my patient. Once I got there, it was full PPE: gowns, masks, gloves and eye protection. Every patient, every time. It became daily knowledge what my temperature and that of my partner as well. We had to also contend with increased hazard control in the hospitals as well. An ER full of socially distanced beds cuts down the number of patients that the ER can service. I remember seeing a news report by a local station and the reporter was interviewing a woman about the shelter in place restrictions and personal protective equipment guidelines. She proceeded to tell about how she walked by the ER and it was empty. The COVID outdoor treatment sites in the ER weren't filled either. I thought "how simple minded of a thought process can this one person have?" Then the whispers got louder and people got angry. They didn't understand that the ER was not overflowing due to early management of the hospital system. Had the hospitals not taken steps to beef up treatment, later on down the road, the needs of the public would have surpassed the capabilities of health care. Health Care is not meant to play catch up. Health Care is meant to be ahead of the pack. Now things are reopening and I do fear for round 2. There's a reason that I have yet to visit an ER that has reduced it's COVID restrictions and taken down it's field tents. This thing isn't over yet people. Not by a long shot.

Lastly, but just as, if not more, importantly was the murder that took place in Minnesota a few weeks ago. George Floyd was murdered and there is no reason why it should have taken a protest to get his killers arrested. I have seen, and experienced, my share of racism. I usually choose to turn the other cheek and carry on, but everyone has a limit. I'm angry. As an American, I'm angry for what my country thinks about me. As a black man, I'm livid for what we are expected to just "overcome". The systemic racism that exists in our world needs to be demolished. My life should matter to you, just as much as your life matters to me. All lives do matter, but BLACK LIVES MATTER right now. If I burn a house down and the fire department shows up and all of the burning house's neighbors show up asking the firefighters why they aren't spraying water on their houses, the firefighters will tell you that immediate danger that this burning house is in has prioritized it. This is an emergency situation for all of those that look like me. We want a seat at the table. We want our lives to be just as important as everyone else's. I sat in my ambulance and fought back tears seeing people from all walks of life converge to attack this issue. I believe if we all fight alongside each other, we will be able to spot the real threat to our future and act accordingly. Thank you for listening.

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