(S24) - Ultimus Week

[DrChops]

8) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?

The New Orleans Second Line were eliminated in the first round by their rivals, the Orange County Otters. During the regular season, the Second Line finished in a four way tie for first in the ASFC, making us extremely close to having locked up the first round bye and avoiding the first round of the playoffs all together. With this said, the Second Line is setup well to compete for the Ultimus for the next several seasons due to the amount of talent on the roster. In terms of TPE, the Second Line has the highest average TPE for starters in the entire league, that is almost 100 TPE more than the eventual S24 champs San Jose Sabercats. Its clear that TPE is not everything, but it does show that the team does have a deep pool of veteran talent to draw from. This high TPE is because the roster is getting old as several top players are going to start or continue to regress. The Second Line have 5 active players with >1000 TPE from S18 and S19 who will be hitting regression in the next few seasons, which will cause significant damage to their abilities. Their old age means that the Second Line's Ultimus window may be only open for a few more seasons as well, as when regression hits they will either need to be subpar or will need to be replaced with new comers from the draft.

In the offseason, the Second Line needs to focus on two things: adding depth at key positions where the current starter will be hitting regression soon or fill holes caused by free agency and the expansion draft. The high average TPE of the Second Line is going to make several of its roster targets in the expansion draft, so the players taken by the expansion teams will need to be filled immediately. The Second Line's defensive ends are getting very old: Brave Ulysses is S15 and Ben Tu'inukuafe is S16 so this should be the top target in the draft. The top other positions with holes is RB (with Tom Hanks being from S15) and LB (Quenton Bode also S15). The Second Line still has a first round and a second round pick in the upcoming draft, so I think they should target the best available DE with their first pick, then find a RB or LB they like in the second round. If the player that they like does not fall to them, we have $24,000,000 in cap space for S25, meaning we can afford to pick players up in free agency.


12) It’s once again expansion season in the ISFL. Reflect on the additions of the New York Silverbacks and Berlin Fire Salamanders and discuss how these teams will affect the league. How do you see scheduling or playoff seeding potentially changing? How will these teams change the power balances in their respective conferences? How do you think each team should go about building their roster, whether it’s through the expansion draft, regular draft, or many seasons down the line?

With two teams being added to the league, the talent pool is going to become a little bit more shallow as more teams gives more potential starting spots available that need to be filled. This should cause an increase in parity across the league as the better teams will have more of their players taken by the expansion teams in the expansion draft. Additionally, those two new teams will be making picks in the prospect draft which will reduce the amount of players each team pulls away from the draft. With this increase in parity, you should expect a more competitive and unpredictable season where more teams have a chance to win the Ultimus. 

With the league moving from 12 to 14 teams, I hope that the league will be adding one addition playoff spot in each conference to compensate. Currently, the top 50% of the league gets to the playoffs, but if two more teams are added and no changes are made to the playoffs then less than half of the league will have any stakes in the most important part of the season. It is going to be difficult to keep the playoffs at 50% of the league because each division would have 7 teams and you can't send half a team to the playoffs. Maybe a new 'at large bid' could be used where the highest finishing outside of the top 3 in either conference gets to be the 7th seed in the playoffs and plays the conference winner with the worst record in the first round. This would keep playoff participation at 50% and prevent a good team in a great conference from missing out on the playoffs, kind of like Arizonia did in the ASFC this season.

I think the Fire Salamanders and the Silverbacks should have two different plans for building a team based on the conference they are in. The Salamanders are in the NSFC which had only two teams with winning records this season. I think the Fire Salamanders should go all in on season 25 and pick veteran players in the expansion draft that have high TPE who may be facing regression very soon. Focus on QB, CB, WRs, and Safeties in the expansion draft with as high as possible TPE without worrying about regression to build the strongest possible team as soon as possible. In the prospect draft, focus on positions that can still produce value with lower TPE like DTs. This would make high ranking DT prospects my top target to fill roster spots immediately. To get to the playoffs, you only need to go 8-8 which is definitely possible with a team built with the highest TPE unprotected players.


That should be 10/10 TPE

[209tacos]

PBE Championship week 

8)

How can the Tijuana Luchadores get to the Ulti-bowl next season?

Great question. I think it depends on the upcoming s25 ISFL draft. That is the thing to consider. If the core of players Tijuana has right now is not called up to play in the ISFL, then I believe the team is still set to dominate the DSFL next season - of course, baring any weird sim stuff that always seems to happen.

But there are a handful of players that will most likely be called up. Players that are capped in the DSFL and have spent several seasons playing for Tijuana. Players like Doug Howlett (season 23), Friedrich Vequain (season 22), Maverick Bowie(season 24), Adam Schell (season 24), and Icebox Riposte (season 24). I expect all these players to be called up to the ISFL next season. And these leaves some glaring holes that need to be filled before next season starts.

The most significant need will be wide receivers.

Doug Howlett led all DSFL receivers in yards with 1002 and tied for third place with seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, Friedrich Vequain had 681 yards and hauled in five touchdowns.

Losing two capped wide receivers is going to hurt the offenses tremendously. And it will put season 25 draftee Mark Walker in the spotlight as the number one option in this passing attack. Other wide receiver weapons will be needed to be picked up in the upcoming DSFL draft for the Luchadores offense to have any success next season.

Also, hurting the offense will the loss of linemen Icebox Riposte. Tied for third in league with fifty-one pancakes filling the void that Riposte leaves behind will also need to be a priority for the team. Adam Mellott, although also a monster on this O-line, will do all he can to help to close the gap that Riposte leaves.

Moving on to the defensive side of the ball for Tijuana, you would think losing a player like Adam Schell would hurt. Schell's loss might not be as noticeable as one might think.

Schell had himself a monster of a season, leading the DSFL to tackle 123 and accounting for nine sacks while adding three forced fumbles to the excellent stat line. Schell is in the conversation for Defensive Player of the year.

The other loss to the strong Tijuana defense is safty Maverick Bowie, whose presence on the field is enough to sway opposing QBs to look the other direction.

The loss of Schell and Bowie is going to be felt. Luckily for Tijuana, they have already filled that void with the strong season 24 draft class of highly talented defensive prospects. Players like DE Tex Wrecks, LB Terry Tate, CB Rich Triplet, DT Vance Slattery, S NationalSimulation FootballLeague, and CB Ben Alexander-Arnold, are active and will all be capped very soon - if not capped already.

The Tijuana defense will be just fine.

*484 words*

19)

[Swanty]

12) It’s once again expansion season in the ISFL. Reflect on the additions of the New York Silverbacks and Berlin Fire Salamanders and discuss how these teams will affect the league. How do you see scheduling or playoff seeding potentially changing? How will these teams change the power balances in their respective conferences? How do you think each team should go about building their roster, whether it’s through the expansion draft, regular draft, or many seasons down the line?

With another monster class on the horizon (114 players.. I think!) this was certainly the right time for the ISFL to expand. And while it's great to see an international team, I don't think there it was a necessity for the league to mandate two international teams like some have suggested. Woelkers and Bwestfield have nailed it by making the NY branding pretty spectacular. The mascot is iconic, and makes you think of NY. The color scheme is clearly inspired by the Statue of Liberty. The logo design screams of Broadway. All of these elements put together instantly put it very near the top in terms of a joined up team identity, and I think that gives it enough merit to outweigh a need for a second international team.

In terms of the playoff seedings, a 2 x 7 structure definitely creates a dilemma for HO. Previously, 50% of teams made the playoffs, and to keep that the same would require different numbers of teams making it from each conference, and only really allows for 1 team to receive a bye. It would also present a major headache with regards to working around DDSPF16's built in playoff settings.

I believe the best solution is to keep the playoff seedings how they are, with the top team in each conference receiving byes and the next 2 best teams qualifying. I'm not personally a fan of the 50% structure as it stands, as it often results in losing teams (see the 7-9 Butchers this season) to make the postseason, so 6 out of 14 teams making it feels like a better balance anyway.

As for scheduling, this one's a bit more tricky. Playing each team in the conference twice already takes us up to 12 games. I think that requirement is important enough that the remaining 4 games just need to be against random opponents from the opposite conference, with each team not facing 3 other teams during the season.

It's also tough to say at this point how each team will go about building their rosters. The only indication we have at this point is a trade apiece. NY's trade gives them the absolute best QB from the last 3 classes (S23-25) to build their franchise around. That indicates they might look to peak in the next couple of years. However, Berlin's trade indicates that they may be taking a similar approach, although perhaps targeting a slightly later peak. Saying that, it's much harder to tell for Berlin without a QB to build around.

One thing's for sure though, both teams will lose out if they target the same type of players in the expansion draft.

Code:

445 words

13) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S24 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've had an absolute blast in my first 2 months in the league. I thought the forum format worked well (even if it was jcink) in terms of figuring out what there was to do, but the league definitely wouldn't be what it is without Discord. The very few scouting conversations I had over PM were more clunky, and the Google Forms, while super efficient for scouting a large class, were a little impersonal and didn't really draw me to the teams who sent them. And just for the record, I think making brand new rookies uncomfortable by asking them bizarre questions is not necessarily a good thing. Or maybe it is, and I'm just not the right kind of user for that particular LR, I dunno!

However, the scouts who reached out and had a conversation rather than sending a list of questions that I didn't yet understand really made the whole rookie experience come alive. Maglubiyet was the first to start a conversation with me on Day 2, which is what put London top of my list, but special shout outs to TheCC, NicholasTheGreat, CalvinGolladay, J0EB with whom I had great early chats with that made me feel very welcome.

In terms of my player's start, I am very happy with how Swantavius Jones has begun life in the league. In the early days, he was being played mostly at NB, which, while great for individual player stats, was just sort of a 'getting up to speed' role. Once Swanty's speed was at a decent level, he was free to start marking out wide. Obviously the tackle numbers dropped off but a couple of interceptions and a good number of PDs for a CB2 makes for a good debut season. I don't expect to be nominated for any of the awards this year as there are definitely more than 5 CBs who have done better jobs, but we've defended well as a team and are gearing up for an Ultimini showdown against Norfolk tomorrow night, which is far more important.

The DSFL draft experience was really fantastic. I really wish I had been awake to watch it live, as the chat seemed like great fun. And the the moment my name was called, Maglubiyet had already prepared a really nice and detailed introduction to the closed sections of the London locker room. I woke up to a sea of congratulations and welcomes to my new teammates which was a really fantastic feeling.

The detail that went into the actual presentation of the draft was astounding, from the team commentating live and explaining their picks, to the graphics team who put in a tremendous amount of effort for each draft card. I'd be very hard pressed to find anything that could be improved about the whole experience.

Code:

468 words

[TropicaliaCC]

19)
 

[Bauer]

PBE CW

[y2bobman]

Tier 2:7


DSFL Defensive Player of the Year

Busch Light – LB – London Royals

Busch Light must be a serious contender for this award (awards committee, down to you I guess) but just in case he somehow slips under the radar I figured I’d remind you all what a season he has had in London.  Now as a LB I’ve been paying close attention to his numbers – if he was slacking then my own player Burfict would be ready to stake a claim for a starting sport.  This is not a rags to riches story for Burfict.  No, this is me saying that Light has had an incredible season.

116 tackles puts him third overall in the charts through 14 games, plus he hit another 7 in the playoff victory vs Portland.  Now the other solid LB in London is Juan Domine, and aside from tackles he looks to outshine Busch Light.  “Why don’t you talk about Domine@ I hear you cry.  Well overall data doesn’t always tell the whole story.  Where did the tackles take place, how may they have impacted the season.

Busch Light had a slow start to the season and it wasn’t until week three where he lead London in tackles with eight.  But it was his mid-season form which really stood out for me, and it’s this which would lead me to considering him for the award.  He lead the team in tackles for four of the next five games – the only blip being when he tied in week six against the Seawolves.  He hit double digit tackles in all other games.  The major stand outs for me were in weeks seven and eight.  In week seven the Royals had a tough visit to the Coyotes and ended up losing out by three.  The gap was restricted through the brilliance of Busch Light; hitting 14 tackles (seven more than the next best LB in Domine) and two sacks.  On fire was an understatement and saw him win Defensive POG.  In week eight the Royals defeated the Grey Ducks, thanks in part to a second half in which they only conceded two points.  But it was the first half with Light hitting nine tackles where he did his best to keep the score down as the other LBs (Domine and Burfict) had four between them.  Without this first half showing from Light the Grey Ducks could have been out of sight at the half, and the Royals may not have made it into the playoffs.  59 tackles over those five games, let that sink in.

As the season progressed, Domine and Burfict both raised their game which meant Light was having to do less on the field.  Domine ended the regular season with a huge claim for DPotY and rightly so – he is the king of sacks and was league leading LB for TFLs…  but I like to think that the form of Light kicked him in to gear maybe just a little.

Both great players, I love them both, pleasure to play alongside them.  Go Royals!

Code:

510 

Tier 2:13

I’ll admit to being a little sceptical when first asked if I’d be interesting in joining the league; for one I couldn’t imagine how the whole thing would work, how it would be engaging, a good use of my free time.  But sure, I thought I’d give it a whirl.  This is where the game says to me “I told you so”.

I’ve been playing the game for what, six weeks or so?  In this time I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with loads of players globally, and the vast majority have been absolutely sound people.  Starting with the scouts, sure some of the conversations were a bit of a “copy and paste” exercise but there was still a degree of a personal touch behind that.  With some many rookies to scout in my class I’m not surprised, and even amazed how active and engaged the scouts were.  I think I gave a thank you to them all in my introductory media piece, they know who they are.  The second round of scouting to move into the ISFL has been a lot more personal – I guess scouts have a lot more data to make their choices on who to chase down.  All the chats I’ve had through discord have been very positive, very interesting and yeah, I’m looking forward to the next draft that’s for sure.

Being drafted by London in the 10th, following a few players I had struck up good connections with, was a great feeling and I think I was a good match for the locker room.  The draft itself was great and you may/may not be aware that it kicked off at 1am for us here in the UK (insert shameless plug to 1377 podcast here for you to learn more).  A locker room which I will add is bursting with amazing characters.  Everyone is aware that Crunk and I are friends IRL; it even came up on draft day (sorry again that you didn’t get your man, qWest) so we already have that connection.  But it’s the other folks in the locker room who have been so welcoming and helpful, such a great laugh in there and though Twitter.  Now I don’t want to name them all here as I’ll well up but Syl and High, you did a superb job pulling together that group, I don’t think there is a bad egg anywhere.

So onto my player, linebacker L’Gazzy Burfict.  He was delighted in being drafted at 77, quickly applying for a passport to get himself over to London.  He was originally set up as a Run Stopper and playing behind two top top LBs in London I felt like despite earning max TPE something was missing from his game.  A quick adjustment in archetype to Speed Rusher and things have been on the up ever since.  He’s been lucky enough to be awarded two defensive player of the week awards in London and will be heading to the Ultimini very soon (oh crap, it may have been and gone when you read this… how did he do!?). 

Finally, thinking about the league, it would be great if more stats were available to players who aren’t involved in simming.  I’m a data driven stats man, well it’s what I do at work but my MacBook (and my free time) won’t let me delve into the sim files.  So if more stats could be pulled and added into the index, that would be really interesting reading.  Secondly, it would be great to see more of an incentive for players who take media and/or twitter seriously, and really try and build up personalities for their players.  It seems too easy for this to be taken advantage of (certainly twitter automation) which is perhaps disappointing.

Code:

630 

[Mavfatha]

PBE CW

The playoffs have finally arrived. Choose one playoff team that is not your own from either league and recount how they got here in 400 words or more. What challenges and hurdles did they face in the regular season? Did they cruise into home field advantage, have to fight off contenders for the wild card, or sneak in on obtuse indexing rules? Are they led by MVP players on offense, or is a stifling defense the engine to their success? Don’t be afraid to go deep.


The Wraiths are probably the most interesting playoff team of the season and for a long time before and after. I mean realistically the viability of a league where a 6-10 team is coasting into the playoffs is a whole article in its own right. In the case of the Wraiths, they went on an amazing 6 game losing streak after starting the season 5-4 including wins against playoff teams (Chicago, Arizona, and New Orleans) plus a very close loss against mighty Sarasota. During this losing streak they only once scored above 20 points despite having an overall average above 20, which was probably the most significant factor - not that the defense was particularly effective either, but at least more so. Stopping the skid with a win over paltry Baltimore seemed to right the ship a bit as well, considering they then managed to take the dominant Yeti to overtime in the playoffs and proving that they did actually belong there despite the terrible regular season showing. I'm not seeing any trades or other big changes that should've caused the skid or the eventual turnaround, but clearly they built up some bad karma somewhere. So they definitely and obviously snuck into the playoffs based on results, but how did the team look on paper? Well, they looked better than 6-10 to be honest. With 3 players over 1000 TPE, they weren't leading the charge by any means, but they had more at that level than fellow playoff contenders like Chicago, San Jose, and Orange County that managed much better regular season records. They also seemed to have a strong amount of depth, with 14 players aka over 66% of actual starters above 600 TPE. Some of the problems seemed to come from relying on a rookie QB and a young and not quite prepared receiving group that should improve with time. Still, they should have been able to rely on their running game with the experienced and skilled Hanyadi leading the way as well as their four-man core on defense made up of Alexander, Quaid, Leonard, and Virtanen to pick up some more wins during the season, and particularly during the close games they ended up losing. The team would be less interesting to talk about if a couple of those close losses had gone the other way, and they certainly have the talent to have deserved to make the playoffs and to have competed like they did once they made it. I for one am interested to see where the team goes moving forward and if the luck aspects turn around for them.

[gbfn]

Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (800+ words)
5) Write 800 words or more on something that interests you. It could be related to statistics, to a league issue you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 800 words about your team’s Werewolf server. Be warned that freedom comes with risk, and this category will be judged especially stringently for anyone trying to spew complete nonsense.

I decided to take a risk and write about the last season in Honolulu, the performance of Heinrich Kackpoo and a bit of an outlook for the upcoming season with the new expansion teams. Entering season 24 my biggest goal for the team was to eventually no have a losing record once again. I knew that it would be tough as Honolulu still ist on the lower end of the league TPE-wise but hey, we all are allowed to dream, right?
The first 4 weeks were really odd. Nobody could have guessed that outcome. Week 1 and 3 we had to play away at Arizona and San Jose. Week 2 and 4 we played at home against NOLA and OCO.
The schedule looked brutal, but we figured that it would be a great success if we could go 2-2. In the end we did exactly that, but only because we were able to win both our away games. The first win at home came against Austin in Week 5. After that the season turned into a real rollercoaster. Big and unexpected wins against Sarasota against Austin the second time at home sided with tough losses like losing to the Butchers. But at the end of week 14 we were not only sitting on a playoff spot, but also at the top of the conference. Yes, the division was really close, yes we had 2 away games at the end of our schedule, yes we knew that it would be hard to make it to the post season, but we were dreaming. Unfortunately we didn't manage to win one of those 2 games and our season ended. It was quite heartbreaking as we had the chance if we only could win one of the last 2 games, but sadly we fell short.

For Heinirch Kackpoo the season was a bit odd. There were games where he failed to make an impact like in the middle of the season. There was a stretch of 5-6 games where he averaged about 5 tackles per game. For a linebacker who wants to help his team those numbers are simply not good enough. To be fair, he redeemed himself with outstanding performances here and there. Overall the season went a bit disappointing considering he had more than 30 tackles less compared to his rookie year. He definitely needs to be more consistent over the course of a season and show that he is capable of leading the defense of the Hahalua. He definitely is poised to do so, there is definitely noticable progress to see and he should be a dependable defender when he takes over the reigns from Mack Arianlacher eventually. He is still second in TPE earnage in his draft class and he plans to do so further on. 


With the expansion teams coming in in the next season there is a bit of a worry about the players that will be leaving the team. The last years were difficult for the team and now as we see improvement we are a bit weakened bit the departure of two players. But I understand the intention of expanding the league. I wish them the best and hope for tight battles in the future with the better outcome for the Hahalua of course. The expectations for the new teams are quite pedestrian to me, i feel like it takes time to develop a title contender. Ideally i would go for young players with a high ceiling even if that means that it would take a few seasons to improve. Another reason for that is that there are currently no young quality quarterbacks available, so they have to develop their guy over the next years.

Last i also want to give a bit of an outlook for the future of Heinrich Kackpoo. I was thinking on what to do when the contract expires. I have seen him as a franchise player who gets drafted to a team and stays there throughout his entire carreer. In the last few weeks although I got thinking if that really is the best option for the future. He is just 2 seasons in and TPE-wise he is already right around league average, so there would be teams interested for sure. On the other hand, Honolulu needs a consisten linebacker and when looking at the roster he soon wil be the number 1 linebacker on the depth chart in only his third season. So this would really benefit his aspirations of becoming one of the best linebackers in the league. In the end it really depends on if i can see development and progress in Honolulu. I really want Heinrich to not only get individual stats and shine as a player but also to be eventually lucky enough to win a title, maybe with Honolulu. At some point if there is no title contention in sight I might consider to let Heinrich Kackpoo move on to another team where he would get a chance for an Ultimus win.

[HENDRIX 2.0]

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

8) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?

When I was drafted to the Yellowknife Wraiths in S21 we were on the older side. Part of the reason the franchise made so many Ultimus games in a row was due to their core all peaking at the same time. Fast forward to the present team management has done an admirable job of reloading the roster. This upcoming offseason will be one of the final steps in turning the page to the next era of Wraiths football. Going into S25 most of the team will be S21 players or younger. One thing that nobody is sure about is how the expansion draft and free agency will play out. At QB we have Jack, he’s not even at his prime yet. He will keep improving and it’s his team for a long time. At RB we have a superstar in Hanyadi and a future superstar in Skyline. If Hanyadi is selected in expansion we will have to pick another RB to play behind Skyline, with how popular a position RB is it won’t be difficult to get another player in there if Hanyadi gets picked. At tight end we have a young and upcoming player in Rechs. He will be a great safety blanket for Jack for years to come. At wide receiver we will be losing Jackson to retirement, so Sakura and Cash project to be our WR1 and WR2 with Lee as our WR3. If Cash gets selected in expansion I imagine Hanyadi or Skyline will take up a bigger receiving role to cover that loss. On the defensive line we could use another player. Kroustis is retiring and future hall of fame Alexander is getting up there in age. Cho and Money are two young talented pieces. Linebacker seems set for the future with Quaid and DSFL prospect Thomaslacher. Virtanen has a few great years left as well. Our special teamer Smalls is one of the best in the league. If he’s selected in expansion it will be a priority to get a replacement in there. I imagine our secondary will be a focus. With the retirement of future hall of famer Snuggles we have a big hole at corner. Leonard has the opposite CB spot locked down for the next few years. At safety we have great young talent led by Hellzapoppin. Dookmariot is a solid player to have at SS but Valdyr will possibly be selected in expansion. The draft this year projects to be strong and the Wraiths have a chance to get immediate replacements within the first 3-4 rounds. (426 words)

9) Pick any position, and determine who in your view is the greatest player to ever suit up at that position. Why do you view them as the GOAT? What achievements, records, accolades, or statistics do they hold? How do they stack up against the other legends in their position, and why does your chosen candidate come out on top?

As a young linebacker in the ISFL I view Mo Berry as the greatest of all time at my position. Berry had a relatively short career, retiring after nine seasons. But what he did in those seasons is legendary. His career started off fast and furious. The Colorado Yeti drafted him in the 2nd round of the S15 draft and he ended up winning defensive rookie of the year that season after totaling 114 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and 6 pass deflections. Berry won the linebacker of the year award four times, no defensive player has ever won that many positional awards. If I had to pick out the best single season of his career I would go with what he did in S21. That year he had 95 tackles, 16 sacks, 12 deflections, 3 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 interception! When you look at all defensive players as a whole Berry astonishingly won the Defensive player of the year award three years in a row, no defensive player has ever won more than two of those until Berry did it. That’s just amazing. That is extra impressive considering league expansion. The more teams there are the harder it becomes to win an award, but he kept winning them. Just winning one of those major awards in your career is an impressive feat, hell, just being nominated a few times means you’re doing a great job. Back in the S22 championship Berry was named the Ultimus defensive player of the game. In that thrilling game the Colorado Yeti came back and defeated the Orange County Otters by one point. In that game Berry tallied seven tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss. His trophy case is absolutely loaded. Let’s check out some cold hard statistics. In his nine seasons he was able to accumulate 88 sacks, which is the 8th most of all time. But when you look at the sack leaderboard, five of those players were S1 draftees, the early league had different rule sets than the modern era. In addition to being a sack artist Berry was a heavy hitter as well, his 13 forced fumbles are tied for ninth all time. I hope in my career I could accomplish 10% of what he did. Not only is Mo Berry the greatest linebacker of all time, I think he’s the greatest defensive player this league has ever seen. (409 words)

[thecanadiancanuck]

Task 14: Create an argument for your own player, or for someone else on your team, as to why they should be nominated for awards. Lay out their stats or compare them to other contenders. Make a convincing case.

Looking at the DSFL's stats, it's obvious that Byron Blackwell, cornerback for the Dallas Birddogs, should be in the running for DSFL Defensive Player of the Year. In the 14-game season, Blackwell put up 52 tackles for 8th best among cornerbacks, but where he really shone was in the passing game, tying for the league lead in interceptions with 5 picks and tying for third in pass defenses with 15. As well, Blackwell was able to show off his wheels with two pick-sixes, tied for the most in the league. Another thing to consider is that Blackwell didn't have a ton of help in the passing game, and if the secondary had been more balanced the Birddogs might have made it to the playoffs. The next-best DB on the team was Bob Roberts, who excelled at strong safety with 45 tackles, 12 passes defended and a pick, but Lugolor Gugolor underperformed on the other outside cornerback position so opposing teams could simply throw at Gugolor. On the offensive side of the ball, Zoe Watts should absolutely be in consideration for Offensive Player of the Year with a 1300-yard season and 10 touchdowns, both league-leading statistics, while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The strong running game was one of the hallmarks for the Birddogs, and should remain so for the next few seasons.


2.5/10 TPE