(S3) - Ultimus Week

[PigSnout]

Offensive Comparison:


Bottom Half: The biggest factor holding the Yeti back from a playoff spot was their quarterback play. They entered the season expecting to veteran Logan Noble to lead them to one of the top passing attacks in the league. However, Noble was suspended before the season and the Yeti were forced to scramble for a new quarterback. Luckily they were able to work out a trade for Nicholas Pierno to be their new signal caller. Pierno is a player with great potential and will one day be one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Unfortunately, he was not ready for a starting role yet. Pierno was expected to spend his first year developing in the DSFL to prepare for the transition to the NSFL level, but found himself thrust into a starting role immediately. It was trial by fire for Pierno who struggled a lot during his rookie season. The Yeti's passing attack never found its rhythym and was more prone to turnovers than touchdowns. The Yeti's window of contention will be tied to Pierno's development and they will likely have to wait for Pierno to develop further before they can fight for a playoff spot.

The biggest factor in the Legion's struggles was their defense, which was the worst in the league. They gave up 444 points this season, which is 72 more than any team gave up this season. No other team has ever given up 400 points in a season before. The Legion have some promising young players on offense, but they are going to need to do some work in order to rebuild their defense and become a serious contender.

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Playoff Predictions:
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This should be a good matchup between two teams whose records differed by just half a game. However, the match up is less even when looking at their point differentials. Both teams had very similar points scored totals with the Liberty scoring 9 more points, but the Liberty's defense allowed 52 more points. The Hawks have the much stronger defense and good defense is what usually wins playoff football games. On top of this, the Hawks have home field advantage, which makes a huge difference in this league. The Liberty put up a good fight but are not ready to dethrone the Hawks yet. Prediction: 24 13

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The Otters are a great team, but they cannot win against the Outlaws. In the last 3 regular seasons, the Otters are 24-10 (.706) when not playing the Outlaws and 1-9 (0.100) when playing the Outlaws. Without even talking about how great the Outlaws have been this season, they have a clear match-up advantage as they can game plan against the Otters better than any other team in the league. Add in home field advantage and the fact that the Outlaws went 13-1 with the best offense and defense in the league and I cannot find a reason to justify picking the Otters for this game. However, the Otters usually don't get blown out by the Outlaws, so I think it will be a close game but the Outlaws will ultimately continue their winning streak against the Otters. Predicction: 23 16

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It looks like we are due for a rematch of last year's championship game with both teams performing better this year than last year. The Hawks have some hope as they already won a game in Arizona this year. However, it was at a point when the Outlaws had already clinched home field advantage and had nothing left to play for. This Outlaws team is a juggernaut and I don't think the Hawks will be able to pull off another miracle against them when it matters most. It won't be a blowout like last year, but the Outlaws will achieve the three-peat. Prediction: 24 20

354 Words

Hate the player or the game: The Yellowknife Wraiths had no business missing the playoffs this season. They were the most talented team in the NSFC and one could even make the case that their roster was the most talented in the league (I think at one point the TPE tracker had them ahead of the Outlaws). The Wraiths' talent transferred to the field as they led the NSFC in point differential, but it did not translate to enough wins to earn a playoff spot. I think they ultimately fell victim to bad luck. Some times a team can do everything right but the sims just don't go their way. Last year's Yeti team was in the exact same situation of being the best team in the NSFC yet missing the playoffs because they lost some games they should have easily won (like the home game against the Legion). The Wraiths lost twice against the Sabercats, once on a long touchdown on the final play of the game and once in overtime. The Wraiths were favored in both games and were so close that they could have easily gone the other way with a little better luck. The Wraiths also lost a game in Colorado where they were heavily favored yet lost by 2 scores 16-7. On paper, the Wraiths were easily a playoff team but it didn't quite work out. Perhaps they were too confident and overlooked some of these easy games? It's hard to tell what exactly caused their underperformance. With a big free agency coming up, it will be interesting to see if the Wraiths will be able to keep the team together and perhaps next year they will be able to translate their potential into greater success.

286 Words

Match-up Nightmares: The Orange County Otters can give other teams nightmares with their receiver corps. Westfield and Phelps rank first and second in the league in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Teams need to have two elite cornerbacks if they have any hope of shutting down this ferocious passing attack and not getting torched. Phillipe Carter is a proven veteran and should be able to shut down one of these receivers for the Outlaws. However, the matchup could hinge on the performance of rookie Franklin Harris Jr. So far Harris has been one of the top statistical cornerbacks of the season with a league leading 8 interceptions and 21 pass deflections, which ranks 3rd in the league. However, the question is whether he will be able to maintain this success against the best passing attack in the league. The Otters know that they will not be able to beat the Outlaws’ monstrous front seven on the ground, so they will be looking to win the game through the air. Despite his strong performance, Harris will be viewed as the weak link in the Outlaws’ secondary due to his lack of experience. The Otters’ offense will focus around trying to expose Harris and get him to make rookie mistakes. I’m not sure which receiver the Otters will line up against Harris, but he will have to cover a veteran player who is one of the best in the league at their position, which is a tough situation for any rookie. If Harris makes mistakes, the Otters could break their long losing streak against the Outlaws, however if Harris rises to the occasion, there is little the Otters will able to do against the Outlaws’ stout defense.

283 words

[kcheng686]

Compare one offensive player from each team in a series

All season, Orange County Otters QB and the leading Offensive Player of the Year candidate Mike Boss had been considered the consensus best QB in the league, and his gaudy stats made it hard to argue against that title. However, near the end of the season, Outlaws QB King Bronko made a huge push towards Boss and his throne. This made the Otter versus Outlaws semifinals games very interesting, as both teams had strong QB play.

However, in the end, Bronko was able to do much more damage against the Otters defense than Boss was able to do versus the Outlaws defense, which isnt really much of a surprise considering how strong the Outlaws defense is. Bronko went 24/38 for a 63.2 completion rate with 344 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, ending up with a QB rating for 90.2 and 14.3 yards per catch. Boss, however, went 19/43 for a 44.2 completion rate with 236 yards, 1 TD and 2 Ints, finishing with a QB rating of 50.1 and 12.4 yards per catch. Although Boss did have to go against a much better defense, its not very hard to state that Bronko easily outplayed Boss in this pivotal game.

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Compare one defensive player from each team in a series.

One of the big battles of the Philadelphia Liberty versus the Baltimore Hawks was the battles of the defenses, as both teams boasted top 4 defenses led by the strength of their pass rushes and defensive tackles. The Liberty boasted Mark Ramiro, the best defensive tackle of season 2, who the Liberty traded 3 picks for, while the Hawks had Season 3 first round pick and rookie Ricardo Sandoval, who had been excellent all season. If either team were going to dominate, it would need to be on the back of their defensive tackles. And one defensive tackle dominated.

Sandoval showed off the chops that had the Hawks make him a first rounder, and dominated the porous Liberty offensive line all day. He single handedly managed 3 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and 2 sacks, while his ability to command pressure helped Harrison rack up 2 sacks and a forced fumble and Owen Taylor rack up 3 sacks. All in All, Sandoval's pressure allowed the Hawks to get a insane 10 sacks on Liberty QB Clifford Rove, turning his jersey so green the Sabercats thought Rove was Ethan Hunt.

Ramiro on the other hand had a much lower impact. With 3 tackles and a single sack, Ramiro was unable to pressure Hawks QB Scrub Kyubee enough to stop the Hawks blowout.

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

When the season first started, the Colorado Yeti seemed like a serious contender for the playoffs. They had barely missed out in season 2, thanks to a disheartening loss to the Legion. But they looked strong this season, bolstering their offensive line with the #1 overall pick in Antonio Sandoval helping protect the NSFL leader in TPE, Logan Noble. But then, the dominoes came crashing down. First was the very questionable decision to trade star cornerback Phillipe Carter and defensive end Big Bot for defensive back Vash Erikson, star wide receiver Mayran Jackson and a season 4 second. Big Bot has been productive for the Outlaws and Carter has broken out in season 3, combining with season 3 first rounder and rookie Franklin Harris Jr to become one of the best 1-2 CB pairs in the league, while Erikson has been decent, Jackson was traded to San Jose, and the season 4 draft looks atrocious. Then the Noble scandal hit, and Colorado had to scramble to get a replacement QB, ultimately deciding on rookie QB Nicholas Pierno, whos rookie campaign was horrid to say the least.

As for the Legion, they arent a very good team. QB Berc isnt the answer. They need a lot more help.

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Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have?

By every account, the Wraiths shouldve made the playoffs. They were the most talented team in the league by TPE count, boasted the best 1-2 WR pair in the league by TPE, and had one of the best QBs in the league behind one of the best offensive lines in the NSFL. They boasted a good defense, and with Maddox moving to DE from Tight end, should gotten even better. Every single sign in the preseason of season 3 indicated the Wraiths were a playoff team, and most people believe they would be the number 1 seed from the NSFC.

However, its been shown that TPE count isnt everything. Despite having a better point differential than every single team in the NSFC, they only finished 7-7, a mediocre and inconsistent season which was best exemplified the critical loss to the Sabercats when the Wraiths COULD NOT afford a loss to get to the playoffs. Then they proceeded to beat down the second best team in the league in the Otters in a meaningless game that meant nothing to the playoff picture as a whole. Even though this team should have been one of the best in the league, and should have easily made the playoffs by point differential, they couldnt.

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Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them.

The Championship game between the Outlaws and the Hawks wasnt very close in any way, and alot of that had to do with the Arizona Outlaws defense, who I believe played so well that they all deserve playoff MVP. One game after KyuBee played well versus the Liberty defense, he was completely embarrased by the Outlaws defense. 12 sacks, 5 ints, and 2 pick sixes. Kyubee was held to just 17/37 passing for a 45.9% completion rate, and 0 TDs for 5 Ints, finishing with a rating of 25.7. The Outlaws D was so dominant it made Rove's date with the grass look like a great day for him. Seriously heres s summary of the Hawks first half drives. Punt, Punt, FG, iNT, Punt. They went 3/18 on third down conversions, and had 5 turnovers to 0 from the Outlaws. Farlane averaged just 2.4 yards per run, and if not for a meaningless TD late in the game, would not have had a single TD. Baltimore had been much improved this year, but it seems like the difference between the Arizona Outlaws defense and the rest of the league hasnt changed. They embarrased Kyubee even worse this year, and thus they all deserve to be the MVP of the ultimus.

[RedCydranth]

Offensive Comparison: Comparing the Otters and the Outlaws at first glance, you'd think there's nothing to compare. The Oulaws have always easily dispatched the Otters as easily as they have the Sabercats or Legion. It's almost as if they're on a whole other level. However, when you look at individual stats, you have to wonder why this clear advantage in the scoreboard favors Arizona so much. Let's look at the Wide Receiver position. Orange County's receiver Robert Phelps has been a top 3 receiver for all 3 seasons in the league. This past year, Phelps finished with 1,284 yards and 11 TDs which was the second best in the NSFL, to fellow Otter Bradley Westfield. The Outlaws top receiver this season was Dustin Evans, with 1,060 yards and 5 TDs. Given that 2 receivers in Orange County outplayed Evans, you'd think the Otters would be the more dominant team, but that analysis would mislead you. Having one facet of the game be better than your opposition is not a formula for success. Outlaws outclass the Otters in many other parts of the game. Just because their top receivers favor the Otters doesn't mean that Orange County is better by any means.

(201 words)

Defensive Comparison: Continuing a comparison between the Arizona Outlaws and the Orange County Otters, we'll take a look at the defensive side of the ball and see if there's a key matchup that shgows, truly, why the Otters fail to defeat the Outlaws time and time again. We can look no further than their top Defensive Ends. Jayce Tuck is the top DE in the NSFL for 2 years in a row. His unbelievable sack total is astronomical. This season he recorded 32 sacks. By comparison, Otters top DE had only 5. Jayce had 87 total tackles while Adamle Tomlinson had a mere 48 for Orange County. Tomlinson was no slouch, he just didn't get to the quarterback as frequently as Tuck could. The Tackle for loss stat tells a tale that has Adamle getting the runner behind the line of scrimmage more than Tuck. Adamle had 22 tackles behind the line of scrimmage while the perennial all pro and MVP had a respectable 15. Perhaps it comes down to the scheme so a direct comparison might not show a whole story, but it is in this comparison we can see that it is on the defensive side of the ball that the Outlaws dominate and find ways to win against any opposing offense.

(212 words)

Bottom Half: It is an unfortunate reality that despite a season's worth of effort, 4 teams must watch the playoffs from the comfort of their armchairs. This season it was the Las Vegas Legion, San Jose Sabercats, Yellowknife Wraiths and Colorado Yeti. Every year there's valid reasons why they do not make playoffs. I'll be examining 2 teams and why they should have made the postseason.

First is the Yeti. I know, how can you justify a team that finished with a 3-11 record be a team you can advocate as one who should have made playoffs. Well, because of two men. Logan Noble, who broke a serious rule and was forced to ride the pine all year, and Antonio Sandoval. Sandoval was given the reigns to a team in disarray and he only made it worse. I really felt that after last season, barely missing the playoffs that they were a few small pieces away from overtaking the Wraiths and Hawks and lead their division. But when Sandoval took over he saw Noble's suspension and decided instead of trying to win, he'd firesale and burn the team to the ground. Thrusting a weak rookie into the starting role, Pierno looked like a high schooler playing with pros. If Sandoval had not burnt the team down and Noble decided to not violate rules, the Yeti would be a playoff team.

The other team is the Wraiths. I suppose it could be said that the Liberty earned it, but that's too easy. Yellowknife failed to make the moves forward in the offseason and rested on what they had last season. Perhaps they'll learn from their mistakes and make some big moves in the offseason to improve their team, not play the same team again.

(292 words)

Hate the player or the game: The Liberty were a great team this year, weren't they? Wait, they weren't? But they're in the playoffs. And they finished 8-5-1. How could they not be worthy of their playoff spot? I'll tell you. They actually sucked. Rove, their QB, threw for more INTs than TDs. While better than fellow rookie Pierno, that's like saying you cake tastes better than dog shit. Doesn't take much. The team was in the bottom 4 in rushing as well. Even in receiving, with Fox North and Damien Kroetch, they still were 5th in receiving. No individual player led the league in any stat. The closest they have is a tie for first in defensive TDs with 2, by Vikian Mameladov. What I think gave them the edge was the fact that the Yeti decided to fold their season before it even began, and the Wraiths not making any moves whatsoever to make their team better. Anything they did could be argued as a sideways move at best. They left a wide open hole and the Liberty improved just enough to sneak on through. If this team continues to improve though, they could be a perennial mainstay in the NSFC Playoff picture. Only time will tell.

(205 words)

Root for the Underdog: The Orange County Otters are projected to lose in the playoffs to the Arizona Outlaws for the third straight year. It would be the 7th straight victory over the Otters if the Outlaws win the game. The Otters though, can stop the Outlaws. How? Erlich Burnsman. Last time the Otters beat the Outlaws was in the final week of season 1's regular season. The Otters won 23-16, and it was a result of a balanced play from Leroy Jenkins and Omar Wright that greatly helped. This season, Erlich Burnsman has burst onto the scene and scored an amazing 11 TDs this season. Leroy Jenkins will still be needed but it is Burnsman who has put the pain on every opponent. Of course Boss will have to pass well and Phelps, Wright and Westfield are going to be involved, but the X factor that will push the Otters over the hump this time will be their young buck, Erlich. If you look at the singleloss that the Outlaws took this season, against the Baltimore Hawks, Darlane Farlane gained 96 yards against them. The highest any other team had rushed on the Outlaws all season was 92 by Boss Tweed, and he is literally the entire offense of the Colorado Yeti. Omar Wright rushed 88 against the Outlaws and they almost won that game. I think if Burnsman can top 100 yards, keep the ball in Otter hands most of the regulation, the Otters will walk out of Arizona victorious.

(249 words)

[luchalibre]

[Rabidsponge21]

Playoff Recap Infographic: Make a graphic displaying the results of the playoffs. Must be completed after the Championship Game




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



Bottom Half: Make a graphical stat comparison of a team who failed to qualify for playoffs to another team that qualified for the playoffs from their division. Can be completed at any point



Conference Final MVP Sig: Make a sig for a player of your choice who you felt was the MVP of a Conference Final matchup. Must be completed after the Conference Finals

Playoff Matchups: Make a graphic displaying the matchups in the first round of the playoffs.

[manicmav36]

Written Points


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

Drew Davidson vs. Owen Taylor
As two defensive ends taken only 1 pick apart, Drew Davidson at #17 and Owen Taylor at #18, they will forever be bound to continuous comparisons. Many people expected these players to step in and immediately contribute and while they both did, there was a clear winner after their first season in the NSFL. Drew Davidson finished the season 35 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks, a very solid season for a rookie. Taylor, on the other hand, was less than impressive, finishing with a stat-line of only 23 tackles (the least of any starting defensive end), 7 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. To call Taylor a bust at this point would’ve been foolish, but the Hawks front office was concerned.

Their second season in the league together was a slightly different story, however. Both had continued to put in work and made vast improvements over the off-season but Taylor seemed to have pulled slightly ahead. Davidson finished his second season with 44 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks, a solid improvement over the previous year. Taylor, on the other hand, finished the season with 49 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovered, and 1 safety, a massive improvement over his first season. How these two will play out the rest of their careers is anyone’s guess, but it sure will be fun to watch.


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

There seems to be a common theme in the two teams I’ll touch on today, the Las Vegas Legion and the Colorado Yeti, and that theme would be the poor play of their quarterbacks. Of the eight starting quarterbacks in the NSFL, these two, Bercovici of the Legion and Pierno of the Yeti have, for lack of a better word, terrible stat lines. Of the eight starting quarterbacks, these two are the lowest in completions, yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, touchdown to interception ratio, and quarterback rating. If there is a negative stat for the position, you can bet that these two will be front runners.
Where they differ, however, is their circumstance. Berovici was a highly sought after free agent at the end of season 1 and ended up signing the biggest contract in the history of the NSFL to play in Las Vegas. To say he’s over-paid is an under-statement. Pierno, on the other hand, is in his rookie season and was thrust into the spot light after the biggest scandal in NSFL history. Former Yeti starting QB, Logan Noble, was found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs and was banned for the season. The future could still be bright for Pierno if he’s able to ride out his growing pains and continue to develop. The same cannot be said for Bercovici.


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

After scouring the box scores from all 3 playoff games, the choice for an MVP level performance was much easier than I thought it would be. One only needs to look at the play of wide receiver Trey Willie of the Baltimore Hawks in their blowout victory against the Philadelphia Liberty. Never mind the fact that the Hawks were able to sack Liberty quarter back Rove 10 times, or that Hawks wide receiver Stormblessed finished with 112 yards on only 5 catches, that still isn’t enough to take that crown from Trey Willie.

Trey Willie finished with a stat-line reading 5 catches, 117 yards, and 3 touchdowns receiving, while also adding a 103-yard kick return for a touchdown. He was an absolute game-breaker. In the first quarter he had two touchdown receptions, the first on a 6-yard slant route, the second after breaking a tackle on a 12-yard out route. In the second quarter, after Philadelphia scores their only points of the game, Willie took the ensuing kick-off back for 103 yards. The first offensive drive for the Hawks in the second half ended with Willie scoring on a 32-yard go route, it would be his fourth and final touchdown of the game. No other player scored a touchdown in this game until Cooper Christmas snagged a 5-yard pass from Kyubee. Willie’s performance was nothing short of MVP worthy.


Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game

NSFC Championship: Baltimore Hawks 34 – Philadelphia Liberty 3
Despite time of possession being nearly identical, this wasn’t much of a game. The Liberty finished with 335 total yards, but that’s where the positives end. Liberty quarterback Rove finished with a completion percentage below 50% and was sacked 10 times over the course of the game. Kyubee finished with a QB rating of 109.4 and Trey Willie finished with 3 receiving touchdowns and 1 kick return touchdown. Stephen Harrison of the Hawks finished with 10 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovered.

ASFC Championship: Arizona Outlaws 27 – Orange County Otters 7
Boss of the Orange County Otters is who many consider to be a front runner for league MVP. If you look at his box score for this game though, you would never believe it. Boss spent most of the game running for his life as the Outlaws finished with 10 sacks, and it showed in his stat-line, finishing the game with a completion percentage of 44% and a QB rating of 50.1. Harris of the Outlaws finished with 3 tackles, 3 passes defended, and 2 interceptions.

Ultimus Championship: Arizona Outlaws 49 – Baltimore Hawks 12
For the second year in a row, the Hawks met up with the Outlaws in the Ultimus Bowl, and for the second time in a row, it was a blow-out victory for the Outlaws. Neither team was able to muster over 300 total yards, mainly because the Hawks offense was so ineffective, they didn’t need to go very far to score. Kyubee finished with 3 interceptions and a QB rating of 25.7, while Bronko finished with 4 touchdowns and a QB rating of 89.7.



Graphic Points

Playoff Matchups: Make a graphic displaying the matchups in the first round of the playoffs. Must be completed before the simulation of the Conference Finals

[NUCK]

Welcome to Ultimus Week! This is a special point task that will close on Sunday October 22 at 11:59 PM PST. It is broken down into eight written and eight graphic point tasks of which you will choose FIVE to complete. Each point task completed is worth 2 TPE and you can earn a maximum of 10 TPE from this event.

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.
NOTE: Graphical submissions must be more than text added to an image. Text thrown on a single image will no receive credit unless it shows significant statistical or creativity.


There will be some limitations as to when certain tasks can be completed. Here are each of the tasks listed below, and with special notes if any limitations apply.


Written Points

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

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

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

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

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

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game

Championship Game Recap: Do a recap of the best play from the championship game. Must be completed after the Championship Game

Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)

That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch. (Must be completed after the game you write about unless you saw the sim in advance)

Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win. (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)

Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them.  (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)


Graphic Points

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

Bottom Half: Make a graphical stat comparison of a team who failed to qualify for playoffs to another team that qualified for the playoffs from their division. 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

Playoff Matchups: Make a graphic displaying the matchups in the first round of the playoffs. Must be completed before the simulation of the Conference Finals

Conference Final MVP Sig: Make a sig for a player of your choice who you felt was the MVP of a Conference Final matchup. Must be completed after the Conference Finals

Playoff Recap Infographic: Make a graphic displaying the results of the playoffs. Must be completed after the Championship Game

Championship Banner: Make a banner (sig style) featuring the MVP of the Championship Game and another player of your choice from the winning teams and S2 Champions or something similar to that. Must be completed after the Championship Game

Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)

That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch. (Must be completed after the game you write about unless you saw the sim in advance)

Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win. (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)

Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them.  (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)

[timeconsumer]

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

When thinking about elite quarterbacks in the NSFL it is hard to forget about the two who are currently at the top of their game, Mike Boss and King Bronko. Mike Boss is the unquestioned Quarterback of the Year. Leading an air raid offense with his two elite receivers Bradley Westfield and Robert Phelps he has gone on to shatter numerous records this season in the passing game. Mike Boss threw for 4649 yards on 624 attempts. He averaged a 60.9% completion rating. He tossed a ridiculous 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and finished the season with a Passer Rating of 91.9. The laughing stock of season 1 has become the most dominant signal caller in the league.

Meanwhile in Arizona King Bronko has been quietly having a career season as well. Bronko almost matched Boss' Passer Rating with an elite 91.6, but with much lower volume. Making 495 attempts for 3650 yards and a completion rating of 58.4%. Where Bronko has shined is his TD:Int ratio of 25 to 8. This impressive number largely is what allowed Bronko to close the gap this season with Boss. While the Outlaws started the season on a run heavy offense they closed the season with a vertical passing attack, leaning on Bronko to bring the season home. It will be interesting to see if they return to the run, or continue the battle through the air in the playoffs.

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

Continuing along the trend of comparing the #1 and #2 teams in the league, Orange County and Arizona, we look at two defensive standouts, Dominic Verns and Harrif Ernston. Both make a name for themselves as faster, smaller weakside linebackers who excel in pass coverage. However Verns is a tough animal to compare to as he began as a safety that transitioned into the moneybacker role, while Ernston has always been a linebacker.

Verns finished the season #1 in tackles with 127. Ernston had 80. The interesting thing about this statistic is that both players take a portion of their snaps at corner, except Verns at outside corner and Ernston at nickel corner. Both players generated very few tackles for a loss, Verns with 2 and Ernston with 3. Neither is a dominant force in the run game. Verns forced a couple of fumbles, Ernston zero. Verns finished the season with 11 sacks. Ernston one-upped him with 12. Verns tallied 4 picks while Ernston collected 2. But the real stat of the passing game was passes defensed, where Verns racked up an impressive 20 for 4th in the league and Ernston only 9. Lastly Ernston was the only one of the two to put up points on the board with his safety for 2.

Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them.

As we further analyze the dynamic between Arizona and Orange County we next look to see the big matchups in the battle of the Solis Cup. And nobody can argue that the biggest faceoff we want to see is Jayce Tuck vs Angus Winchester. Both of these two men are at the top of their game right now. Jayce Tuck is in his prime and in absolute physical perfection. He cannot get any stronger, any faster, any quicker, any smarter, or more disciplined. His 32 sacks this year show what a monster he has become.

Meanwhile on the other side of the ball Angus Winchester has similarly put up career numbers. But Winchester still has a lot of room for improvement and growth in his career. He certainly is the strongest around, and there will be no improvement there. He also has a deceptive quickness about him, while lacking in top speed his blurred kick slide showcases his impressive agility. When these two face off it will be the meeting of the unstoppable force and the immovable object. The clash of these titans will be the game to watch as they battle in the trenches to lead their teams to victory.

Who will be the Freddy Krueger inside the nightmare of the other? It is tough to decide. This writer believes Angus Winchester's elite strength will matchup with Tuck's power moves and shut him down.


Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win.

The final chapter in the breakdown of Arizona and Orange County comes down to this. Can Orange County slay the giant and ascend to the Ultimus cup on the road in Arizona? There is no more difficult game than this one. Arizona's elite defense matches up well with Orange County's highlight reel offense. Their pass rush is second to none. Meanwhile the young but extremely talented Arizona offensive line is capable of stonewalling the young and inexperienced front 4 of the Otters.

However, this time is different. Mike Boss and his favorite two targets Phelps and Westfield have been putting on passing clinics all season. And now with a big shakeup of the depth chart by taking former defensive tackle JJ Reigns and slotting him in as a red zone threat WR/TE hybrid and moving the league's best tight end George Wright Jr. to Defensive End the Otters are looking to find a way to exploit Arizona. If Orange County's revamped defensive line can slow the run while also putting pressure on King Bronko and let their offense unleash fury through the air, they can stop the freight train that the Outlaws have been driving through the NSFL 3 seasons in a row.

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

We're going to take the easy route here. Yes, we're talking about Las Vegas and Colorado. Does it even need to be explained why these teams didn't make the playoffs? Probably not. The dead horse has been beaten all season long about the questionable decisions being made by the management of these two teams. But we're going to do it anyway.

Las Vegas screwed up. Their young GM made a big wager that he could trade draft capital for static players and get them to grow again. He believed that he could field a team with an immediate future. He was very wrong. After trading away most of his picks for the next 2 seasons he gained players that did not return to their former glory, or live up to their season 1 expectations. These guys simply did not return to the practice field, film room, or weight room like he thought he could make them. And it crashed and burned because of it. But it isn't all doom and gloom. New GM Ben and his protege Ardie Savea are one of the brightest spots on this team and are looking to build on him and other young talents like Leclair and Tanner.

Meanwhile the roller coaster of Colorado has been on a dive for an entire season now. It is difficult to imagine what this team could have looked like if their franchise quarterback did not get suspended for PED abuse. Then as they traded away talent for picks in what is looking like the weakest draft class in the history of the league it appears that Colorado's future is not looking brighter. There are still a few diamonds in this rough, running back Boss Tweed, the fastest man in the league will undoubtedly continue his reign at the top of the rushing stats board for seasons to come. And defensive end Fuego Wozy will continue to anchor the defensive line and help pressure opposing quarterbacks while this team continues to rebuild for the future.

[Kendrick]

Bottom Half: The San Jose Sabercats didn't get into the playoffs this year in what looked to be a progressing team. One of the reasons is because they couldn't stop anyone on defense. They gave up nearly 28 points per game which was third worst in the league. They relied too much on a couple different targets in the passing game and it made them predictable. Unfortunately predictability in Football is like karma, it can come back to haunt you at the end of games. The Sabercats might lose some players to free agency which might make them remain in this same position next season as well.

The other team that didn't make it was the Las Vegas Legion who also couldn't stop an alligator from entering a water source. Not to mention the Legion have Stormblessed on their team and he is a bigger flop than the pancakes I had for breakfast. If the Legion want to make the postseason next year, they will need a better effort from their defense and stronger showing by their "All-Pro" hyped team player Stormblessed. The Legion might want to rebrand themselves as well because the home attendance this year had weaker numbers than a Rick Astley concert.

Playoff Predictions: The Arizona Outlaws will beat their counterpart in the Orange County Otters by a lot. The Outlaws are just to good of a team (although their GM does like to burn more bridges than the Russians retreating from Germany). The Otters love to throw the ball but it is so predictable that the Outlaws will be able to sniff it out quite easily.

In the other game we have the Baltimore Hawks and Philadelphia Liberty squaring off in a matchup of two teams barely over the .500 winning percentage. These two teams are tight and it will come down to turnovers and who makes the other team pay for it. The NSFC is a tough conference to watch because it isn't very high quality football. We see the Hawks winning this matchup and going into a matchup against the Arizona Outlaws.

If the Outlaws and hawks do meet up you'll see the Outlaws dispose of the Hawks and win their third straight Ultimus Bowl. The good thing for this is that the Hawks might be able to win if they recruit Jesus and Dan Marino to their roster before they take the field. While their at it though, they might want to recruit Michael Strahan and Dick Butkus as well.

Hate the player or the game: The San Jose Sabercats should've made the postseason but as explained before a few things were just way too predictable for them. We were contemplating putting the Yellowknife Wraiths here but they live in Yellowknife and probably won't even be able to read this without their computers sitting in front a fireplace to start with. Plus Josh Garden is overrated so they probably wouldn't have got there even with two of him.

Sabercats defense was sub-par this season and it's the reason they weren't able to make the postseason. Not stopping the opposing offence usually comes back to bite you in the anus and this year it did. The bad thing is with a great offence you can get around this, but the Sabercats offence is only good and not great. Too many turnovers allowed the Sabercats offence to stall and go off the field too early in a drive. On the flip side the Sabercats defense didn't cause as many turnovers to get around this. The Sabercats will need a shakeup and it looks like it might come this off-season by taking some players away and going out to acquire some added talent, but a lot will be needed.

Root for the Underdog: The Philadelphia Liberty can win their game against the Baltimore Hawks because the Liberty have an explosive offence that has the ability to put points on the board. It will be tough because the Liberty defence is only average and will have to limit the Hawks, but it is doable. The Liberty have a winning record in their own conference so they are used to winning against familiar foes but the Hawks do have a slight advantage.

Limiting turnovers is going to be key here as the Liberty will need big games from their defense. The Liberty have a better offence than the Hawks but a worse record so it will be interesting to see if the Liberty offence can get the chains moving and the Hawks defensive backs on their back feet. One matchup to watch is the front seven for the Hawks, who can control the line of scrimmage. Some screen plays might be able to get around that for the Liberty and they will look to use their receivers in motion for most of the game. Look at the slot opportunities and you'll probably see some good mismatches there that can exploit this pressure heavy defense of the Hawks.

Matchup Nightmares: We will probably see Fox North of the Liberty matched up against Antoine Delacour of the Hawks. Delacour is an excellent cornerback with great closing speed and the ability to pick out the play before a team snaps the ball. The advantage we see here is for Fox North and it is because the receiver can confuse a cornerback with his routes if ran differently every time. There are a couple ways to run the same route and not make it look like the previous route of the same nature. One thing to watch is whether the North/Delacour matchup turns ugly. North had a great season this year and big body can box out Delacour in the end zone. We think the Liberty are going to want to exploit this and allow for a mismatch if Delacour can't pick up the route right away. The field conditions look like they might be slippery because of the storm on it's way in Baltimore, which means the receiver has the advantage as he is not reacting to the cornerback, but the cornerback is reacting to the receiver. Fox North has the advantage and could help his Liberty take down the Hawks in grand style.

[kckolbe]

Playoff Predictions:
Bet on the home team. It’s always a good bet in a sim league where home field is a huge advantage, and there aren’t any injuries to lower an otherwise better team’s chances. Whether or not the home team is the better team will be addressed later. However, both Monday games feature close opponents but VERY different styles. The Hawks will run a very balanced offense and defense, forcing their opponents to take big risks to gain an advantage. Those risks rarely work out. I feel that the Baltimore offense will struggle against Philly’s defense, especially when trying to pass. Expect the fumble-prone Farlane to be leaned on heavily. With Rove still struggling at QB, those turnovers are the only chance Philly has of winning. In Arizona, expect a close battle with Franklin Harris, Jr being the one OC pins their hopes on beating. It’s a risky venture, but easily OC’s best chance of getting past the #1 defense.

In the Ultimus, expect to see Baltimore return to Arizona. In the season, Baltimore has the best record of ANY team against the soon-to-be three time champs, but don’t expect another Baltimore upset. If anything, I would expect something MUCH more along the lines of the previous Ultimus matchup.

Matchup Nightmares:
In the first round of the AFSC Conference Finals, the Philadelphia Liberty will face off against the Baltimore Hawks in Baltimore. Naturally, it’s too soon to say where each team will play folks, the Liberty have generally lined Season Two Tyler Oles up on the left side. The Baltimore Hawks generally do the same with recently acquired veteran Stormblessed. I genuinely believe that this match up will almost be the sole determiner of the game. Both players are quite capable, and both players have significant strengths and weaknesses that make each of them a nightmare for the other.

Stormblessed is a big play wide receiver. His speed makes him the second-fastest wide receiver in the league (behind only Westfield). Once the ball is in his hands, he will pull away from whoever is defending him until he runs out of gas. Fortunately, that doesn’t take too long, but by then the damage is normally done. The best way to mitigate that damage is to keep the ball out of his extremely unreliable hands. There isn’t a single receiver in the top 15 with hands like his. There is a cornerback, though…Tyler Oles. Oles is slow, but decently agile, with good strength and wonderful hands (for a cornerback). When targeting him, he’ll generally give up a catch (for big yards) or get an interception. Against such a fast receiver like Stormblessed, it seems every target will be a touchdown or interception.

Offensive Matchup
The Ultimus was not an exciting game. Let’s not bullshit anyone here for TPE. There was one matchup that turned out to be more exciting than anticipated, and that was the back and forth competition between two starting running backs, one a former league leader in rushing yards, the other the consensus #1 fantasy back. The competition was an intense one…which would be the least significant player on the field. This was not a competition either side took lightly. It started looking quite different, with Farlane picking up a first down on the Hawk’s initial possession, and Mackworthy scoring the first TD of the game. Then something magical happened. Absolutely nothing. That touchdown was scored with 9:23 remaining in the first quarter. It took until 31 seconds left in the first before EITHER RB managed a single yard through air or ground. It took until 6:21 remaining in the THIRD before either RB managed a first down. In the end, the two RBs combined for an impressive 85 yards, with both tying for 2.4 yards per useless carry. The longest carry of the game was 8 yards. Farlane had more yards, leading 61 to 24, but also had 2.5 times the carries and his longest run was only 7 yards. You decide: which one mattered less?

Trade Benefit
While this may not be the first time Stormblessed was traded in a blockbuster deal, the Baltimore Hawks certainly got more bang for their buck. In Season Two, Stormblessed had 0 catches for 0 yards in the playoffs. Sure, that may not be very fair, because, you know…Legion, but this is a fucking point task, not a paid statistical analysis. Let’s not raise the bar too high, all right? However, it is fair to say that the Legion did not get the production they expected. In Season Two, Stormblessed totaled only 759 yards, LESS than he had in Season One despite the league seeing a huge increase in passing. On top of that, he went on to become inactive. Partway through Season Three he was traded to the Baltimore Hawks, where he IMMEDIATELY became a bigger threat. His yards climbed back to 982, but it was in the playoffs that he really shined. Over two games, Stormblessed totaled 221 receiving yards, 109 of them against the league’s best defense. He accounted for 38.4% of Kyubee’s yards, and also racked up 182 yards on just FOUR kick returns, an average of 45.5 per return. The Hawks may not have won, but if they had, it would have been due to a trade that MASSIVELY helped them.

Champ Summary
Another season…another Outlaws championship. I’d LIKE to pretend I’m bored by it, but I’m really not. In truth, I love seeing them do it. Every year they raise the bar, then somehow manage to clear it. The Ultimus is probably the best example of that. In one hour, a casual fan can watch how Arizona treated the whole league. If you believe that the Ultimus is a match between the two best teams in the league…I’m sorry. In truth, there is another game for that called the ASFC championship. The NSFC has managed to not send the best team all 3 seasons…a somewhat impressively depressing streak. That means that as the more talented team, one of my greatest joys is watching an unworthy team get destroyed…and the Outlaws delivered. Despite the Hawks being the only team to beat Arizona in the season, last night showed they are not on the same page. The final score of 49-12 says a LOT of it, but even that fails to show that it was 49-6 until a pure garbage time TD (set up by an amazing kick return) doubled the Hawks score. Even then, that leaves out Scrub’s 0 TD, 5 INT performance compared to 4 TD and 0 INT for Bronko, or the Arizona D’s 12 sacks, killing every drive. This is what dominance looks like.