S2 - Ultimus Week

[7hawk77]

1.) Offensive Comparison. 234 words

Today I'll be comparing Darlane Farlane and Bubba Nuck. These two players will face off during the first playoff games. Darlane Farlane has 1267 total rushing yards with an average of 3.4. Nuck only has 1041 rushing yards, however his average is better at 3.6. They've both gotten 5 touchdowns. What's interesting about this is Nuck has about 80 more TPE than Farlane so he should have the better stats. From what I've gathered, I think that Nuck is actually the better runner, however The offense on the wraiths is so high powered that he doesn't get the ball as much as farlane. With Garden, Cook, And Maddox there, everyone wants the ball. One thing to note was a juicing controversy where the Hawks TE was caught and suspended for doping. This possibly opened up more blocks for Farlane and could make the playoff game more challenging.
Regarding their Offensive linemen, The Hawks have 3 decent linemen, and 3 bad linemen. The Wraiths offensive line is much better with 2 oustanding, 2 below average and 1 bad.
However, the defensive line for the wraiths is terrible which will allow Farlane to run all over and pick up free yardage where the LBs will be the primary stop to him.
Because of this, my predictions are that Nuck will not beat out Farlane's stats by a slight margin, and the hawks will win the game.

2.) Defensive Comparison. 213 words

Today I'll be comparing Ryan Flock and Dominic Verns. In their battle against each other in the playoffs, Flock had 4 tackles, 1 sack and 3 kick returns for 28 yards total. Verns had 8 tackles and 2 sacks. It looks like verns had the better game here doubling the defensive stats of the other safety. It seems like having a defensive player play offense for special teams wasn't very effective for the outlaws, but they still won. The outlaws have 3 other defensive players with higher TPE counts than Ryan Flock where as the otters only have 2. Maybe this statline discrpency has more to do with the fact that with less defensive stars, the safety, Dominic Verns, has to be more involved and make more plays. Another thing I'd like to note is I believe from my testing that having a defensive player play offense or offensive player play defense seems to hurt that player. I'm not sure the exact logistics but this could have a huge effect without high endurance. It's also possible that special teams like kick off returns don't matter for this "drawback". Either way, based on this information, I think the outlaws should stop having their safety kick return, and instead keep him at 100% for defense.

3.) Bottom Half 302 words
Today I'll be talking about the two expansion teams. Both of them didn't make the playoffs, which was kind of to be expected. However one team is really in a good position to be a contender for years to come. While the other can't even go in to rebuild mode yet.
The Philadelphia Libery are looking pretty great. In my bold predictions point task, I said that the Liberty would miss the playoffs, but look like a top 4 team by the end of the season. I still think they look like a top 4 team especially with how difficult the start is for expansion teams. Lincoln Jefferson and Fox North have been doing a great job managing this team. They invested heavily in draft picks and active users. In the beginning this hurts because active users start off with low attributes, but now after their ramp up time, they are looking great.
On the other hand, The Las Vegas Legion went the opposite route. They basically traded many draft picks for trades. They had good amount of guys that had TPE, but the problem is most were inactive. This gets even worse that with their strategy, they didn't even come out of the gets super strong. On top of this, they paid their quarterback an obscene amount of money. I wouldn't want the job of GMing an expansion team but I feel like the strategy that this team were going for, as well as the execution were both half baked. I think they have some bright players on their team, but with how things are going, it's possible they have to trade some of those players for draft picks in a rebuild mode situation. Given some time, they could get enough active players to contend, but that won't be anytime soon.

4.) Future Talent 212 words
Today I'll be talking about some of the future season 3 players that played in the playoff games. First up I'll be talking about Brice Boggs. He looks like he is a lock for a first round pick in the season 3 draft. As far as his stat line goes, he picked up 5 tackles in the playoff game. This shows that he was involved in some plays but honestly, as a linebacker that is lined up as "Will", this performance was pretty weak. The weak side linebacker generally forces outside runs back in and also has to drop in to coverage for pass protection. Hopefully in the future he can get a little bit quicker and maybe get better hands to defend pass more effectively on the non running plays.
Next I'll be talking about J.D. Boom. This defensive end had a fantastic stat line of 4 tackles and a sack in the playoff game. This is a great stat line and really helped the Hawks solidify their win against the wraiths.
Next up I'll be talking about Godfrey King. He is a defensive tackle that had 1 tackle... and that was it. Honestly, the outlaws defense is so good that he probably didn't have many opportunities to get good stats.



5.) Playoff Predictions. 206 words

Hawks vs Wraiths. Hawks will win this. This is going to be a shootout. The wraiths are so stacked on offense, having two recievers that are just insanely talented in Garden and Cook. They have a QB that can actually throw the ball to them. They have a great TE and probably the best in the league and then they have a beast of a runner in bubba nuck.
This offense is insane. The problem is really they only play one side. Their defense is really kind of lacking. They are definitely weak on their second corner, and have decent containment with their solid Linebackers... however they literally don't have a defensive line. Bork Bjornssson wishes he could do it all, but he can't carry the line. The rest of their DL players are under 100 TPE. The problem with this is they just can't stop the WR2 for the hawks which seems to be Matthew Vincent. This player isn't a burner, but there is no way he isn't always open against the wraiths and just crushes it. On top of that Darlane Farlane will easily get 4-6 yards per rush. The wraiths rely completely on LBs to stop the run. It's going to be rough.

[Daybe]

Offensive Comparison: Bailey Cook v Cooper Christmas

When we look at the two players, Bailey Cook and Cooper Christmas and compare them, we notice many similarities and many differences. The first thing I personally noticed while viewing these players was the size difference. While Cook is a possession wide receiver, his size, 6'1 and 197 lbs pales in comparison to Christmas' frame, a 6'5, 220 body, and primarily a red zone target. The second thing you notice is their talents. Now, their talents are actually quite similar. One one hand, Cook, has 83 speed, 83 hands, 79 agility and 65 strength. Christmas is not nearly as good in these attributes, only having 80 speed, 83 hands, 80 agility, and 50 strength. Christmas only has a slight advantage in agility. Both players are great threats to any defense. Third, we look at their supporting cast. Bailey Cook's supporting cast looks much better on paper, with Chris Orosz at the helm who has plenty of time to throw. However, the Wraiths have plenty of receiving targets, which takes away from Cook's workload. He also had Ethan Hunt for the first half of the season, who is significantly worse in the passing game than Orosz. But the biggest similarity comes statistically. Their numbers are almost identical, Cook with 1,078 yards and 6 touchdowns, while his counterpart Christmas has 1,073 and 5 touchdowns.

Defensive Comparison: Stephen Harrison v AC Hackett

AC Hackett and Stephen Harrison are two elite linebackers for the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Baltimore Hawks, respectively. AC Hackett was acquired by the Yellowknife Wraiths midway through S2, in a blockbuster trade that sent Luke Chunk and a few draft picks to San Jose. The first thing we are going to look at is their body frames. Stephen Harrison is huge, as he is 6'2 and 265 pounds. AC Hackett is quite smaller, only 6 foot 1 with 237 pounds. They both have different play styles. Stephen Harrison is a balanced linebacker, similar to Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Keuchly. AC Hackett is a different build. AC Hackett is more of a zone coverage linebacker, one that covers the middle on short routes. When we look at TPE, Harrison pulls ahead. Stephen Harrison has 343 TPE, while AC Hackett only has 305 TPE. Harrison has 75 strength and 76 agility, and AC Hackett has 71 strength and 75 agility. Stephen Harrison has 80 tackling and 85 speed, while his counterpart has 80 and 81. The biggest advantage Hackett has on Harrison is intelligence, where Hackett has 78 and Harrison only has 61. Otherwise, their stats are extremely similar, as Harrison has 116 tackles, 4 sacks and 2 picks, while Hackett has 114 tackles, 6 sacks and 2 picks as well.

Bottom Half: Las Vegas Legion and the Colorado Yeti

First, let's talk about the Las Vegas Legion. Frankly, this team was almost an absolute disaster. All their big roster moves to try to be competitive immediately as an expansion team backfired right in their face, as they are now stuck with the worst starting quarterback in the league who's getting the biggest money, an awful, awful offensive line, a secondary with no true leader, and the worst part is that their highest draft pick in the S3 draft is the 24th pick. Their offense barely managed to get going, with a league's worst 211 points scored, while their defense was unacceptable, allowing 335 points to score, the league's second worst. The only few bright spots on their team were their wide receiver corps, led by Alexandre LeClair and the fastest wide receiver in the NSFL, Stormblessed, their defensive tackle play between Vinny Cox and Mark Ramrio, and linebacker Tyler Varga. Now, for the Colorado Yeti. The Yeti played great football throughout the season, but they had one major flaw: the offensive line. This offensive line was quite offensive, as it was the second worst unit in the league. It could not keep Logan Noble upright, allowing 55 sacks, the league's second worst offensive line.

Future Talent: Brice Boggs

Brice Boggs has already made a tremendous impact in the Yellowknife Wraiths' S2 regular season success. The future S3 draftee has recorded 82 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 interception, and 3 pass deflections in his initial season. He also has the most TPE of all S3 prospects, and out of all prospects in the playoffs. He is the favorite to go #1 in the season 3 draft, as various teams are vying to move up to the #1 spot, which is currently owned by the Arizona Outlaws. Personally, I believe he will play a huge role in limiting the Baltimore Hawks' rushing attack, with league leading rusher, Darlane Farlane. The Hawks rushed for 1630 yards this season, 300 more than any other team. The speedy linebacker will also play a pass-rushing role. As he is a speed rusher by trade, he will try to get to the Hawks' quarterback, Scrub Kyubee. The Hawks had the league's 4th best offensive line this season, and it will be a tough task getting to Kyubee and getting into his head. Expect a big performance from Brice Boggs in the NSFC Championship game, and expect a great game between the Hawks and Wraiths.

Playoff Prediction:

NSFC Championship Game: Yellowknife Wraiths over Baltimore Hawks

This will probably be the closest matchup in the entire playoff. Two rivals, fighting for the NSFC crown. While the Wraiths are away, they boast the league's second best offense. Meanwhile, the Hawks are dominant at home, going undefeated in Baltimore through the regular season. The biggest matchup will most likely be between the Wraiths' wide receivers and the Baltimore Hawks. Josh Garden and Bailey Cook will face off against Antoine Delacour and Darnell Turner. It looks to be an extremely exciting matchup.

ASFC Championship Game: Arizona Outlaws over Orange County Otters

Let's face it. No one's going to beat the Outlaws in this year's playoffs. Having already clinched home field advantage with the league's best record, they are set for the playoffs. The only way to beat the Outlaws is to slow their pass rush and take shots at their secondary, which is an immense task for any team, as their pass rush contains Harrif Ernston, Jayce Tuck and Luke Leuchly. Those three alone combined for more sacks than three different teams.

Ultimus Championship Game: Arizona Outlaws over Yellowknife Wraiths

And the S2 season ends like last year. the Outlaws take home the Ultimus gloriously. The Wraiths walk home disappointed with deeper playoff aspirations. Sounds like a familiar tale, doesn't it?

[Bwestfield]

Playoff Predictions: Give a short write up on each of the playoff matches (including the championship game). Must be completed before the simulation of the Conference Finals

The first game is between the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Baltimore Hawks. Ever since the outing of Baltimore's rookie star TE for using performance enhancing drugs, the Hawks have been on a bit of a slide. Now numerous tests have shown that it didn't really impact the game, but we will never know will we. On the Wraiths side of the ball they have been looking in the opposite direction... up. They were able to win the last 4 of 6 only losing to both the Otters and Outlaws (we'll hit them up next).
Prediction: Wraiths 20 Hawks 12

Up next we have the Arizona Outlaws and Orange County Otters. The Outlaws only losing 2 games this year and neither of them to the Otters. The Outlaws have home field advantage and are walking in pretty strong. The Otters are on a hot streak as of late. Their last two losses only coming within one score for the tie or win.
Prediction Otters 28 Outlaws 24

The Ultimus Cup (as I see it) will be between the Wraiths and Otters, two teams that have really turned it up here at the end. Only one team can win it all. For me that team must be the Otters. Now you may say that I'm playing favorites and you would be right. Although at the same time the ASFC looks much stronger than the NSFC right now. This will be a good match but ultimately the Otters will take the cup.
Prediction Wraiths 13 Otters 34

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point

Honestly how can you not write about the Philadelphia Liberty and the Las Vegas Legion in this article. These teams were not bound for the playoffs at anytime this year. I'm not saying they are bad teams or poorly managed. But what I am saying is that they were put at an immediate disadvantage. Coming a year behind already having to catch up to teams with veterans and future plans. I can definitely see these teams coming more together for next season but this season just wasn't happening. It will be very interesting to see the future of these teams. The biggest problem for Las Vegas is not having any S3 draft picks. They traded everything away to try and be competitive while Philadelphia looked to the future. Philadelphia's defense was on the field so much that they got in some great stats like interceptions, sacks, and tackles. That's all thanks to the offense stalling on drives. They had a league high 120 punts. Look for liberty to beef up the offense in S3 to convert some of those third downs and compliment Fox North. The Legion had similar problems on offense. Their QB just could not get it going at all. Bercovici is a great player, he just had some growing pains. With Berc and Stormblessed they should be able to put some great plays together. This was just not their year. The bright spot of the offense was rookie Ardie Savea. It will be interesting to see how he develops more in S3.

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series in a side by side graphic. Can be completed at any point



Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series in a side by side graphic. Can be completed at any point



Future Talent: Make a sig for a S3 player who you feel will or did make a large impact for their team in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

[Rabidsponge21]

Playoff Predictions: Give a short write up on each of the playoff matches (including the championship game)

Arizona vs Orange County – Having dominated the season series the Outlaws look to do much of the same in the playoffs as they head into their conference final vs the Otters. Out scoring the otters 43-29 in their 2 regular season match ups and winning both contests, they are the clear favourite heading into this match up. The otters will need their big game players to be just that for them if they want to put these Outlaws behind bars.

Yellowknife vs Baltimore – Despite drawing even in the regular season match up with both team managing to win 1 game vs each other the total points put up by both teams aren’t as close. The Hawks had the distinct advantage blowing the Wraiths out one game giving them the seasons edge scoring 56-43. The Wraiths defense will need to come up big this game if it wants to stay close and make things as difficult as possible for the Hawks offense if they want a chance to play in the big game.

Baltimore vs Arizona – In what was a rather lopsided affair in the regular season, the Hawks are looking to improve on their regular season scoring of 29-56 and hopefully shut down the Outlaws offense. Showing no signs of slowing down, the 1st overall Outlaws are looking to close this season out the champs and send the Hawks back to their nest empty handed. The Big players need to play the deciding factor this game for both teams, and the Hawks might need to wish for a bit of a miracle in order to shut down the Outlawks.


Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs.

San Jose – Team defense. This was the downfall of the Sabercats. Allowing a league high of 374 points scored, they just couldn’t out score the massive amount of points being pushed past them and it was their eventual downfall as a team.

Las Vegas – When your ‘star’ quarterbacks completion rate is 48% for the passing game, your going to have a bad time. The inability to move out of the pocket with his weak OL mixed with the his hugely inaccurate throws, had the Legion looking at the sky on their backs rather than down the field at the next TD or FG.

Colorado – They were right there, ready to have their go at the playoffs but the curse of the tie breaker sent them packing. Maybe leaving their end of season winning streak to a little to late, they were tossed off the edge to prepare for next season thinking of what could have been.

Philidelphia – Not much of a surprise here with the expansion franchise sitting out for their first round, but Philly did manage to win 5 games which seems promising, but their road record torpedo’d any chance they had of making the playoffs, if they want to be there this time next season they need to learn to steal some games on the road in the future.

[124715]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point

Bronko v. Kyubee

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point



Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point

Cats and Legion

Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

Boggs

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about

[Admin]

NOTE: Each written point task has a 200 word count.
NOTE x2: You can complete five point tasks in any combination of written and/or graphics.
NOTE x3: Please keep all submissions you make to ONE post.

Written Points

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
NSFC Championship Matchup
Yellowknife Wraiths vs Baltimore Hawks
Quarterback Comparison: Chris Orosz vs Scrub Kyubee
Heading into the NSFC Championship it is evident that Chris Orosz is the superior Quarterback over Scrub Kyubee. Looking strictly at the statistics, the S1 Top QB boasted 332 completions on 522 passes and threw for 3657 yards, an NSFL record. Chris Orosz also added 21 passing touchdowns while throwing 17 interceptions and finished with a quarterback rating of 84.1, breaking his own record of 77.6 which he set in S1. Scrub Kyubee was dominant in the pre season but during the regular season he was just average. He completed 296 passes on 505 attempts and threw for 3181 yards and 14 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. Kyubee finished with a quarterback rating of 74.0 but he did beat Orosz where it mattered, in the win column. Scrub Krubee led the Baltimore Hawks to home field advantage in the NSFC Championship game while Chris Orosz and the Yellowknife Wraiths had to fight tooth and nail in order to secure the #2 seed in the NSFC. Scrub Kyubee may be the best pre season quarterback, and Chris Orosz may be the best regular season quarterback, but the playoffs are an entirely different beast that will require one of these two quarterbacks to step up and lead their team to victory.

223 words

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
NSFC Championship Matchup
Yellowknife Wraiths vs Baltimore Hawks
Cornerback Comparison: Dermot Lavelle vs Antoine Delacour
Dermot Lavelle was the first overall pick in the S2 NSFL draft and was expected to be an immediate difference maker for the Yellowknife Wraiths. The Wraiths coaching staff threw Lavelle to the wolves early, matching him up with teams top receivers each and every week. Despite the large task at hand Lavelle did not flinch the entire season and finished the year as one of the best cornerbacks in the NSFL. The rookie notched 58 tackles while nabbing 4 interceptions and getting his hands on 15 pass deflections. Lavelle was targeted often and did a great job mitigating what opposing teams best receivers could do. Antoine Delacour was the 65th pick in the S1 NSFL draft and has quietly become one of the best cornerbacks in the league. In S2, Delacour had a huge season for the Baltimore Hawks and was a big reason for their success. He did it all for the team, amassing 65 tackles while forcing 2 fumbles and recovering 1. In the passing game, Delacour had 13 passes defended and tallied 5 interceptions, taking 1 back for a touchdown. On top of that, Delacour also managed to add a sack to his stat sheet from the cornerback position.

218 words

Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point
The Las Vegas Legion make fireworks very shortly after they were announced as having a team. The S2 expansion team did not take the conventional build through the draft approach that once would expect from an expansion team. Instead, they traded away virtually all of their draft picks and instead got many established players who had proven their worth in S1. When free agency came around they added their franchise quarterback and paid him the big bucks, but their demise came because of their offensive line. While they added many talented players on both sides of the ball the lack of talent on the offensive line caused their offense to falter and ultimately led to them missing the playoffs.

The other S2 expansion team, the Philadelphia Liberty, took the normal approach to building a team. They spent their draft picks wisely and acquired as much young talent as their could. As the season progressed the team showed immense growth with their talented young core, but it wasn't enough to help them reach the playoffs in their first season. The Liberty look strong for the future and should be a force to be reckoned with as their core continues to develop as a team.

203 words

Future Talent: Write about which S3 waiver pickup will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good
The Baltimore Hawks landed J.D. Boom off the waiver wire during S2 and I believe he will be the biggest impact player for the S2 playoffs who was acquired through waivers. J.D. Boom is a menacing defensive end who has been a starter since the moment he arrived in Baltimore. He is big enough to play inside when needed but his strength coming from the 5 technique is a challenge for any offensive lineman to handle. His presence has helped players like Stephen Harrison and Erasmo Broadway flourish behind him as he eats blockers and commands the offenses attention, leaving Harrison and Broadway free to fill gaps and make tackles. Heading into the S2 playoffs the teams that the Baltimore Hawks could face are the Yellowknife Wraiths, Arizona Outlaws, or Orange County Otters. Each of these teams boast strong offensive lines and having a strong defensive line with players such as J.D. Boom will be paramount in stopping the opposing teams offenses in hopes of reaching, and winning the Ultimus Trophy. If the Baltimore Hawks want any chance at winning the Ultimus Trophy they will need to rely on their play in the trenches to win the games. J.D. Boom along with his fellow Hawks defensive lineman will need to play a massive role in any playoff game Baltimore plays in.

221 words

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about
The MVP for the NSFC Championship between the Baltimore Hawks and the Yellowknife Wraiths is not the man that most people would have picked to be MVP before the game started. Turk Turkleton, kicker for the Baltimore Hawks is my choice for MVP of the NSFC Championship game. Turkleton score 10 of the Baltimore Hawks 16 points in the game, helping lift the team to a 16-14 win over the Wraiths. He opened the scoring to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead 5 minutes into the game and he added 2 more field goals to the score sheet, one in the 2nd half and one in the 3rd half. The game may have had some other big statistical performances, like Scrub Kyubee throwing for over 300 yards, or Stephen Harrison getting 13 tackles, but none tipped the scoreboard as much as Turk Turkleton's 10 points. Without Turkleton the Baltimore Hawks would not have won this game. A strong kicking game is underrated until the kicker goes and blows the game, and Turk Turkleton is not that type of kicker. The Baltimore Hawks are lucky enough to have one of the best kickers in the NSFL and during the NSFC Championship he was a major part of their victory.


208 words

[bluesfan55]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Scrub Kyubee and Chris Orosz were two of the best QBs in the NSFL this season. Orosz led the league in passing yards with 3,657, and Kyubee passed for 3181 yards, fourth in the league. Orosz also completed more passes than Kyubee. (332 completions to 296 completions.) Orosz also threw more touchdowns than Kyubee (21 touchdowns to 14 touchdowns.). However, Kyubee threw less interceptions (15 interceptions for Kyubee; 17 interceptions for Orosz). Orosz also had a way better QB Rating, out-rating Kyubee by ten ratings! (84.1 to 74). Orosz completed 63.6 percent of his passes, and Kyubee only completed 58.6 percent of his passes. Overall, Chris Orosz had a WAY better season than Scrub Kyubee. I think Orosz should win the MVP award, as he was far and away the best player in the league. Kyubee, on the other hand, isn't a MVP candidate now, but could be later in his career if he improves consistently.
Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Börk Bjornsson and Jorge Masdival are different players who play different positions, but can be compared. Bjornsson, Yellowknife's Icelandic beast, made 52 tackles, and Masdival made only two less. However, Bjornsson had eight sacks this season, and Jorge Masdival had zero. (It's probably because Masdival is a safety.) Both had zero interceptions, which is surprising for Masdival, who is a defensive back, but expected for defensive tackle Bjornsson. Bjornsson made five tackles for loss, but was outdone by Masdival, who made seven tackles for loss. Overall, both had average seasons, but I'd say Bjornsson is the better player. Masdival could have better seasons than Bjornsson in the future, and he just needs to improve. But as of now, Börk Bjornsson is a way better player than Jorge Masdival.
Bottom Half: Write about why two of the four teams were not able to make the playoffs. Can be completed at any point
I think Philadelphia and Colorado didn't make the playoffs because they simply weren't good enough. Even though Philadelphia had a good defense, their offense lacked and they had a record of 5-9. They were outscored in total this season and only scored 216 points, worst in the NSFC. They had a good home record of 4-3, but they played horribly on the road, only winning one game and losing the other six. They also struggled in the division, going 2-4. Colorado had a better season, going 8-6, but were eliminated on the last week of the regular season, which must've been crushing. They had a great home record of 6-1, but like Philadelphia had a horrible road record. (Theirs was 2-6.) Colorado outscored their opponents this season, and went 3-3 in the division, but just didn't make it in the end. They must be hoping to bounce back next season. "Being eliminated on the last day of the season sucked," said star safety Roman Thomas. "I think we can rebound well next season and pass Yellowknife for that last playoff spot."

[Darnellthebeast]

Playoff Predictions: Give a short write up on each of the playoff matches (including the championship game). Must be completed before the simulation of the Conference Finals

Hawks vs Wraiths:
Hawks will absolutely destroy the Wraiths. The Wraiths haven’t won a game on the road since week six against the pitiful Sabercats. The Hawks haven’t lost at home the entire season, something only the Outlaws have matched. The Hawks defense will shut down Nuck, Garden, Maddox, Osroz, everyone. Their cornerback trio of Reyes, Turner, and Delacour will pick off Osroz multiple times. Expect the Hawks to win by 2-3 touchdowns.
Outlaws vs Otters
Another uncompetitive conference championship. The Outlaws have destroyed everyone in their path this year and it won’t change in the playoffs. The Outlaws are 12-2 for a reason, they gel together as a team well and work like a well oiled machine. Even if the Outlaws were on the road, I’d expect them to win, that’s how much better they are than the Otters. Outlaws win 27-3.
Outlaws vs Hawks
These boring playoffs will unfortunately end with another boring game in the Ultimus cup. The Hawks aren’t close to being on the same level as the Outlaws(but then again, no team is)and on the road they have absolutely no chance. King Bronko will shred the Hawks usually impressive secondary while Jayce Tuck makes Scrub Kyubee want to quit football forever. Outlaws win 28-13.

Playoff Matchups


Offensive Comparison
Mike Boss vs King Bronko

Mike Boss, quarterback for the Orange County Otters, and King Bronko, quarterback for the Arizona Outlaws, are two of the top quarterbacks in the league. They led their teams to a combined 20-8 during season 2 and are a big part of their teams success. Boss likely has an edge over Bronko though, despite his team not winning as much. Boss threw for over 3600 yards on the year while Bronko only threw for 3100. Boss is also better at completing his passes, as he has completed over 60% while Bronko has only completed 55%. Bronko does have an significant edge in touchdowns and touchdown to interception ratio though, as Bronko has thrown for 25 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while Boss has thrown for 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Finally, Boss has an edge in passer rating with an 81-77 point lead. Overall, Boss is the better QB at nearly every attribute. His only downside is touchdown to interception ratio, but his completion percentage, his passer rating, and his yards are far surperior to King Bronko's. If I had to pick a quarterback for my team, it'd be Boss despite the fact that his team will probably lose in the conference championship.

Defensive Conparisons:
In the battle for the AFSC championship in the Nation Simulation Football League, the Otters and the Outlaws went head to head for a chance to play for the Ultimus cup. Both teams have strong offenses, but something often overlooked for both teams are their strong defenses. The Outlaws have a strong defensive leader in Harrif Ernston while the Otters have a great linebacker in Franklin Harris. Despite both being great linebackers, Ernston seems to have a clear edge. He beats Harris in tackles by four(110 to 106). He also is in general a much bigger playmaker all over the field. Ernston has recorded 16 sacks on the year which is third in the league and leads all linebackers while Franklin Harris has only recorded nine, seven less than Ernston. Ernston also had five interceptions on the season, which is five more than Harris has(0). He also beats out Harris in passes defensed at nine compared to five. In terms of fumbles, once again, Ernston has the edge over Harris. Harrif Ernston has forced a fumble and recovered two fumbles while Franklin Harris has yet to force or recover a fumble. Overall, Harrif Ernston is the much better linebacker and team leader.

Conference Finals MVP
In the NSFC championship game, one player rose above the others. An underrated receiver who should be in talks for one of the best receivers of season 2, this player caught 67 passes on the year, he got over 1000 yards receiving and scored five touchdowns. This jolly old receiver is Cooper Christmas. Christmas decided to prove to everyone that he is a top receiver in the league in the NSFC championship game. The Wraiths were so disrespectful towards him as to cover him using a rookie linebacker. Boy, did Christmas make them pay. He went off and absolutely destroyed the Wraiths, finishing with seven receptions for 116 yards. He averaged a great 16.6 yards per catch too. In fact, he did so well that he caught for more yards than the Wraiths threw for. The pairing of him and Matthew Vincent were incredible as the two caught for a combined over 200 yards along with a touchdown. This was Cooper Christmas's breakout game. He showed the entire league that he needs to be accounted for and you can't forget about him in the game plan. If the Arizona Outlaws want to have a chance next week, they'll make sure they do their best to limit him.

[iamslm22]

NOTE: Each written point task has a 200 word count.
NOTE x2: You can complete five point tasks in any combination of written and/or graphics.
NOTE x3: Please keep all submissions you make to ONE post.

Written Points

Offensive Comparison: In the NSFC championship game we have two solid offenses facing off against each other and they each have strong rushing attacks. It'll be interesting to see the contrasting styles of Darlane Farlane running his way for the Hawks while Bubba Nuck runs for the Wraiths. The biggest difference between these two players in work load. Bubba Nuck had 86 less carries than Farlane, and that is over four full games worth of carries for Nuck, as he averaged just 20 carries a game, compared to 27 a game for Farlane. Many have noted that Nuck has a superior yard per attempt average, however there is a question as to whether it is because Farlane has to carry more a load. This game could be decided by which of these two likely Pro Bowlers has more yards on the ground. Nuck has ran behind a superior line to Farlane, however Nuck will be facing the dynamite Baltimore Hawks defense. Yellowknife's front 7 has certainly not had as good as their opponents in Baltimore have been so look for Farlane to be able to run freely. One wrinkle in this matchup is the pass cathcing ability. Nuck has been a check down favorite for the Wraiths, getting 25 catches, but Farlane has about the same amount of yards on way less catches. We'll see how it plays out. (225)

Defensive Comparison: In the Ultimus game we have an incredible match up of defenses, and especially on the defensive lines. The MVP of the league this year is defensive end Jayce Tuck. Tuck was a machine this year, leading the entire NSFL in tackles for a loss and sacks. That's an incredible achievement. At first glance NO ONE on the Baltimore Hawks on the Baltimore Hawks can compare with Tuck, I mean after all Tuck had the greatest season in the young NSFL's history. But when looking at the captain of the Baltimore Hawks you can see some comparison. Kurt Hendrix is a crazy versatile player. After leading the NSFL in tackles a year ago as a linebacker Hendrix made the switch to defensive end, and it has paid off. Hendrix was tied for fourth in the league in sacks at 13, and he also had a solid 8 tackles for a loss. The biggest comparison between the two of them is their leadership. It's clear both on and off the field that Hendrix and Tuck are leaders for their teams. Both are incredibly active on the boards. Another similarity is how vital they are for their team. Both the Hawks and Outlaws had awesome defenses this year, finishing first (the Outlaws) and third (the Hawks) in sacks, but its hard to say how their teams would perform without them. (228)

Bottom Half: There are four teams who made the playoffs, and each of them have the hopes and expectations to be in the playoffs. The team with the easiest path to the playoffs are clearly the Colorado Yeti. The Yeti actually had the best point differential in the NSFC, and were very disappointed they did not make the playoffs. The Yeti suffered from a classic NFL folly of following up a championship game loss with a devastating season. The team's defense was incredible, allowing the second lowest points in the league. The Yeti have an incredible Quarterback who under performed this year, they have an amazing wideout who is a top red zone threat and a solid running back. The Yeti's biggest problem is a complete lack of an offensive line. They line struggled all year and if the Yeti can get an offensive line look out.
The other team that can make strides next year is the San Jose Sabercats. The Sabercats have a lot of potential, Hunt is a decent quarterback and Smallwood is an obvious building block. The offensive line also has some potential, and can build to be better next season. On the other side of the ball though is where San Jose needs to improve. San Jose actually got unlucky in some ways on defense. They lead the league in Passes Defended, yet they were one interception away from last place. Their struggles in interceptions might be that their defenders have poor hands, but its also because of their lack of pass rush. The SaberCats need a big time pass rusher, and could (and should) draft one in the upcoming draft. (274)

Future Talent: If Baltimore is going to win the Ultimus it is clear that it is going to happen because of their defense. You know the usual suspects on the front seven, Harrison, Broadway, Taylor, Metas and Hendrix, but one player who has gone underrated is waiver wire pick up and season three rookie JD Boom. Boom had an awesome season this year for the Hawks even though he was playing out of position as a defensive tackles. Boom had seven sacks and actually has a fairly decent shot at the pro bowl. Boom was crucial in the win against Yellowknife in the NSFC championship game. Boom had four tackles and a huge sack of Chris Orosz. But Boom's work isn't done. The Hawks have their hands full against the Outlaws and if the Hawks want to win the Ultimus they're gonna need a big game from their defense. The Outlaws have a fairly mediocre running game, and a pretty good passing game, so they'll need Boom, a pass rushing defensive end who plays tackle, to apply to the pressure against King Bronco. Boom is probably the biggest contributor of all of the season three rookies in the playoffs. We'll see if he can have enough of an impact to make the difference. The Hawks will be under dogs and will need all players to contribute. (224)

Playoff Predictions: We have two exciting games coming to you in the NSFL playoffs. Lets start in Baltimore where the Baltimore Hawks play host to the Yellowknife Wraiths. These two teams split the season series with each team winning at home. The big exciting matchup to watch will be the battle of the trenches when Yellowknife has the ball. How will Floggity, Akselsen and James be able to slow down, Hendrix, Boom, Taylor, Metas and the linebackers of Broadway Harrison and Wright. Expect the Hawks to be able to give the Wraiths some trouble, while Farlane and the Hawks offense come out strong. Prediction is Baltimore 27-Yellowknife 16.
In the ASFC we have another very interesting matchup with the Dominant playoff favorite Arizona Outlaws playing host to the Orange County Otters. The Outlaws are the heavy favorite here, especially with their unstoppable defense. The battle of Winchester and Tuck will be the best playoff battle of the year, but I expect the Otters offense to have trouble scoring in the Arizona and I expect Arizona to win 21 - 6
Finally if the game is between Baltimore and Arizona, Arizona has to be the heavy favorite. The game would be in Arizona and although Baltimore was the only playoff team to beat Arizona, they did so in Baltimore. I expect Arizona to win that game by a close margin with a score of 14-13 (228)

DONE - did all five PTs

[jordan327]

Playoff Matchups

Defensive Comparison

Team Comparison

S3 Prospect

Conference Finals MVP