(S3) - Ultimus Week

[Beaver]

1. 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)

The easy answer here would be taking the Philadelphia Liberty over the Baltimore Hawks in the NSFC. The Liberty finished the season just a half game back after the teams split their season series in a pair of close, hard-fought games so they naturally have a great opportunity to make a championship appearance. However, the Orange County Otters are my pick for underdog most likely to win.

When going into a game as an underdog you're likely to face a deficit and need to make a comeback. Very few underdogs come out of the gate roaring to a big lead that they are able to sustain throughout the game. That can be problematic for a team like the Colorado Yeti who like to run the ball - but the Otters are built perfectly as a "no lead is safe" team, boasting two elite receivers as part of the best passing game in the league by a considerable margin. They have had an extremely boom or bust season thus far, eclipsing 35 points as many times as they've been held below 20 (four each), so they're underdogs for good reason but if the Otters offense plays to their full potential the Arizona Outlaws better watch out.

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204 words

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. (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)

A huge part of the Arizona Outlaws' impressive march to a 13-1 regular season record has been the play of running back Reg Mackworthy. Mackworthy has scored 10 touchdowns and accumulated 1,215 rushing yards this season, averaging 3.3 yards per carry as the offensive engine of the Outlaws and they will look to continue riding him through the postseason.

His first test will be the fifth-ranked rush defense of the Orange County Otters. The Otters have strong players on the edges in Adamle Tomlinson and J. D. Boom but the interior of their defensive line leaves much to be desired as defensive tackle J. J. Reigns has racked up just 35 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks on the season - good for 7th, 3rd, and 7th out of 11 defensive tackles, respectively. The Outlaws should be able to exploit this mismatch to impose their will on the pace of the game and salt away the clock as the Otters' high octane offense watches from the sidelines. The Otters have a solid linebacking core that will surely provide some support but look for Mackworthy to have a big game between the tackles and for Reigns to have a long, long day.

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202 words

To come:

3. 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

In a championship game performance for the ages, the Arizona Outlaws' defense was incredibly stout and never allowed the Baltimore Hawks' offense to get going. Holding them to a pair of field goals until the game was far out of reach, the MVP simply had to come from the defensive side of the ball. Choosing which of the stand-out stars received the honor was a much more difficult decision.

There was the linebacker Harrif Ernston who led the game with 11 tackles, including 1 TFL and a sack. Cornerback Phillippe Carter put up 3 tackles of his own but his real performance was with the ball in the air, posting 3 pass deflections and 2 fourth quarter interceptions that slammed the door shut on any hope of a Baltimore comeback. Despite those great performances, the right choice for MVP has to be Carter's partner Franklin Harris, Jr.

Harris Jr. started off the championship with a bang, recording the very first tackle of the game. Later in the first quarter, with his team up 7-3, Harris Jr. intercepted Baltimore quarterback Scrub Kyubee and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. Nobody knew it at the time but those points would end up being the game winning score. All-in-all, Harris Jr. recorded 7 tackles, 3 pass defenses, and 2 interceptions for a stat line very similar to Carter's. However, Harris Jr.'s interception return for a touchdown and the fact that both of his interceptions came when the game was reasonably close put him over the top and earn him MVP honors.

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259 words

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

Unfortunately this year's playoffs didn't provide much in terms of close, intense, drama-filled contests.

In the NSFC semifinals the 9-5 Baltimore Hawks played host to the 8-5-1 Philadelphia Liberty. What seemed to be a very close game on paper turned out to not be so in reality as the Hawks jumped out to a 13-0 1st quarter lead and stifled the Liberty offense from there, finishing with a 34-3 victory. Hawks quarterback Scrub Kyubee threw for 353 yards on 37 attempts, including 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on his way to offensive player of the game honors. On the defensive side of the ball the award went to Stephen Harrison for imposing his will on the Liberty to the tune of 10 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Meanwhile, in the ASFC semifinals the 13-1 Arizona Outlaws hosted the 8-6 Orange County Otters. While this looked like more of a mismatch than the NSFC semifinals the Otters boasted a dangerous passing game and pledged to play aggressive defense to try to take the fight to the Outlaws. Unfortunately for Otter fans, that all went awry as the Outlaws jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead and never looked back, eventually winning 27-7 after the teams traded late touchdowns. In a match-up of what some consider the two best quarterbacks in the league right now, King Bronko of Arizona got the upper hand as he threw for 344 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception on 35 attempts. Reg Mackworthy added 99 yards and 2 touchdowns on 33 carries on the ground and a 14 yard reception on his way to offensive player of the game honors. The real story of the game was on the defensive side of the ball, however, as the stout Outlaws' defense pressured the Otters' offense into mistakes and rushed throws. Linebacker Luke Leuchly earned the defensive player of the game award after posting 8 tackles and 2 sacks.

The finals were not much better, either, as the Outlaws jumped out to a 14-3 first quarter lead on the Hawks and won the game running away with a 49-12 final scoreline. In a game where the defense carried the day, King Bronko's 249 passing yards and 4 touchdowns on 48 attempts was not pretty but it was plenty to dispatch the Hawks. The Outlaws' pair of cornerbacks, Phillippe Carter and Franklin Harris, Jr. combined for 10 tackles, 6 pass defenses, and 4 interceptions, never allowing the Hawks' offense to get them back into the game.

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422 words

5. 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)

With none of the playoff games being particularly close there really wasn't a magical fourth quarter moment that dramatically swung momentum from one team to the other. None of the games saw a team snatch victory for the jaws of defeat or even defeat from the jaws of victory. Thus, we must look to the subtle plays to find a Magic Moment. The plays that we see and say "good play, good play" to no one in particular then promptly forget about as the next play begins. In the championship game that play came quite early.

After quick punts on the first three possessions the Outlaws won the possession exchange, taking the ball on the Hawks' 36 and marching in for the opening points of the game. As the underdog the Hawks needed an immediate response or would risk the game getting out of hand early. Stormblessed took the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone and thanks to some quality blocking was able to set up his offense on their own 36 - the same place on the field the Outlaws started their scoring drive and the furthest the Hawks had managed to get to that point. On 3rd and 10 Scrub Kyubee found Stormblessed for a 36 yard conversion that pushed them into Outlaw territory. This was the response they needed but they needed a touchdown. The Hawks soon faced another 3rd down, this one 3rd and 4 from the Outlaw 21 yard line. Darlane Farlane took the handoff but was stuffed for no gain by Harrif Ernston. The Hawks kicked the field goal and though the game was just 7-3 at that point, the tone had been set. Early in the second quarter the Hawks were able to drive back down to the Outlaw 25 and faced a 3rd and 9. They settled for another field goal after an incomplete pass. Had the Hawks converted both of those impressive drives into touchdowns the game would've been tied and who knows how it would've gone from there, however the Outlaws' defense held strong and the rest, as they say, is history.

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352 words

[Player1]

1.) Root for the Underdog - Monday

Most people are going into the NSFL playoffs under the impression that the Arizona Outlaws will win the championship yet again, finishing the three-peat and putting themselves in the record books in the league's infancy. But, like in year's past, they first have to get through the Orange County Otters. The Otters are rightfully considered a top 3 team in the league and have all the weapons they need to put up a fight against the Outlaws, they just haven't been able to break through yet. An interesting tactic the Otters have used to try to give themselves a last minute boost was the conversion of TE George Wright Jr. to defensive line. The Otters coaches hope that having a stronger and more physical defensive front will keep them in all 60 minutes of this game, and give Mike Boss the easiest path to victory. Will this sudden and dramatic change in the Otters' strategy pay off or will they fall flat in the playoffs yet again?

On the offensive side, Mike Boss will have to win the game through the air, with stellar performances by both Phelps and Westfield. RBs Erlich Burnsman and Leroy Jenkins will have a tough go of things on the ground with the loss of their lead blocker, but Burnsman has shown great promise so far and Jenkins has the ability to make plays running and as a receiver. The OL will be the key as Arizona frequently pressures Boss into sacks or interceptions which have cost the team many games in the past. They will need to be at their best to put up points on the Outlaws elite defense.

If the Otters can execute on both sides of the ball and avoid the mistakes the Outlaws prey on, we will see the upset win that guarantees the NSFL its first non-Arizona champion.

2.) Bottom Half - Wednesday

Unfortunately the NSFL hasn't had many dramatic and exciting shake-ups in its three season history. While the NSFC has had a little variation, the ASFC has maintained the same standings and playoff results all three seasons. That no doubt has many fans secretly wishing for a rainy future in Arizona, but for today we're left looking at the teams that did not make the playoffs. In the NSFC, the big surprise was the fall from grace for the Yellowknife Wraiths, thought to be one of the league's premiere teams. The Wraiths were unable to hang onto their playoff position despite scoring the most in the NSFC. The blame falls on their inability to perform on the road as they won just 2 road games this season, both again inter-conference opponents. While all in all they are still impressive on paper, they will need to step it up next season to compete with a Philadelphia team that had fewer blowout wins but was able to go 6-1 at home and had a half game advantage over the Wraiths on the road.

In the ASFC, there really were no surprises in the standings. San Jose made a good run of things this season and shows some promise for the future, but the Legion once again fell short in every category. Instead of asking what went wrong in Las Vegas, you'd be better off asking what didn't go wrong. The Legion have a few good young players in their core, but with Bercovici at the helm and many inactives throughout the roster, they simply can't hang in games against quality teams. They will need to replace Berc with a true franchise QB and hit a few home runs in the draft to even think about the playoffs next season.

3.) S3 Future Talent - Wednesday



Julian O'Sullivan has shown physical ability and natural talent both as a run defender and in pass coverage. He continues to grow and will be an asset for the Otters for seasons to come. That's why he is my S3 Future Talent pick! @JuOSu

[tlk742]

root for the underdog
Eventually they have to win, right? The Otters have won a total of one game against the Outlaws in their entire seasonal and post season matchups. So why are they going to win? Well a few things. First, there are a few doubts. The Otters have one win over the nine (4 times in season 1) meetings of consequence. The defense of the Arizona is leagues above everyone else and the roster of years passed, is not as strong in Orange County as it was last year. Bowers has been replaced by Burnsman who is not bad, but he’s not Bowers, so why will this team win? Well, it’s simple. First, don’t like the W-L column fool you, the Outlaws haven’t had a history of winning with ease against their rivals in Orange County. The games have been closer than the scores realize, as last time, the Otters basically held the Wraiths defense in the red zone more often than not. Moreover, the offense of Boss, Phelps and Westfield has been nothing short of amazing. This is the offense Yellowknife wishes they have. The roster is also still strong, and while they did lose players to a lot of outside factors, the Otters roster never really has stepped back. They always start the season slow and while it came down to the last 4 games for the other ASFC seed, the Otters have been able to upset teams like the Hawks at home, so if they can play the football to the way they like shut down the run, the Outlaws could be in for an upset loss.

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268 words

New Talent:
It should be no surprise that adding Phillipe Carter to the Outlaws roster was a boon, but I don’t think anyone here understands how big of an impact the former Yeti cornerback had. At the start of season 3, the Outlaws were strong defensively in everywhere but cornerback. Hell, they had Isiah Rashad as the starting cornerback, and he was last seen 1 week into the season 2 preseason. Yes they drafted Franklin Harris Jr and were looking at possibly putting touted wide receiver prospect Zheng as the corner across from his draft compatriot, but if the tale of Benson Bayley is any indication, rookie cornerbacks weren’t the best choice against top receivers. Thus, enter Carter, who was traded because the Yeti decided they needed to lose as much as possible. It should be no surprise that Carter would improve the Outlaws, but the addition for their only defensive hole basically made this season’s results basically the least surprising thing all season. The Outlaws losing was more a surprise than them winning the Ultimus. No one was going to stop the top Yeti corner who has faced off against Garden countless times, they had an experienced veteran to help the team become even stronger.

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204 words

Playoff Review:
If there’s a way to describe the playoffs, it would be unsurprising. The race to the playoffs was more than the playoffs themselves.
Outlaws v Otters: If this was last season, I’d have a lot more faith in this game, and while this had the potential to be another nail biter, the Otters fell short. It was a bad game start to finish and Boss, who until then put up an MVP season, failed to remind people why he was MVP. The game was bad start to finish as the Outlaws manhandled Orange County.
Hawks v Liberty: What’s to say about this? The better team won, yes, but realistically, the team that had started off so slow making it to the playoffs was a feat in itself. Yes, the Philadelphia Liberty had no business being there, and it showed, but the team made it to the playoffs with rookie QB Rove, and was able to knock out the Wraiths in what was a surprising twist of fate.
Hawks v Outlaws: I’ve defined the Hawks as Outlaws-light, because they have no weaknesses, but the Outlaws were just better. Although the Hawks did beat the Outlaws at home, it was more a fluke than a rule. Result was quite predictable. It would be no surprise that the Outlaws would once again Outperform the Hawks for the second championship game in a row.

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230 words

Bottom Half:
Talk about what you know, right? The SaberCats came in stronger and harder than last year, but the perennial chokers did what they did best. The defense was a liability last season, now it was their biggest strength. Canton may have not had his pass deflections from last year, but he was able to shut down people and help Bayley out, and the line led by Dan Miller and coupled with Safety-gone-linebacker Torque Lewith was able to shut down most oppositions to a degree, the problem was that the #sabersabersabercats were inconsistent on offense. It didn’t help that the Sabercats boasted the worst run game in the league. Diaz may be on the upswing, but that’s not going to happen until s4, Durden had a chance to lose the job, and Diaz just couldn’t capitalize on it. Couple it with the fact that Hunt is a greatly inconsistent quarterback. Don’t get me wrong, there a quarters where it is abundantly clear that Hunt is the best QB ever to play this game, but there are also quarters where he looks like the love child of Pierno and Berc. Couple that with the fact that the ‘Cats lost winnable games to the Legion and Yeti, it’s no surprise they didn’t make the playoffs.

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212 words

Hate the player or the game:
The Wraiths should have made it, the Liberty should not have. In fact, the Philadelphia liberty lucked out on the a few tiebreakers and wins that otherwise would have sent Yellowknife back to their likely third one-and-done playoff appearance. So why shouldn’t Philly have made it over Yellowknife? Well by numbers alone, the Wraiths were on a player-by-player comparison the Wraiths were a better team. Scheme aside, the Wraiths had one of the best QBs, RBs and WRs in the league on offense and a great CB and LB to boot. The D-Line was about a wash, but despite the pedigree of Yellowknife, the team did not perform when they needed and once again failed to meet expectations. What Philly did was have a few lucky wins and the Wraiths had a few unlucky losses. While the Canadian team had a strong game all around, the schemes were never really designed to work and often ended up working against the very team that had the strengths to utilize the plans. As a result, the Wraiths, who were handed the weakest NSFC they have ever seen in terms of wild card competition got complacent and failed to capitalize on their gains.

Code:

200 words

[sabills]

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. 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 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)

Offensive Comparison:


Defensive Comparison:

[Oles]

Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Bronko vs Boss. Two of the biggest name QBs in the NSFL, and meeting in the postseason again, as the Otters look to finally knock off the beast that blocks their way, while the Outlaws look to cruise to another title. Boss will have to put the team on his back and avoid the defense that causes nightmares to all, While Bronko is just told to go have fun by his coaches. Boss has been the best QB this season, and may have had the best season a QB has had in the 3 seasons the league has existed, he has the tools around him, he has a team worthy of the Ultimus Trophy next to him in the locker room and standing by his side on the field. He has shown that he is the best QB in the league, but he has not shown that he can lead the Otters to victory against the Outlaws, losing in all but one meeting. Bronko is just looking to have fun, he has already shown he can lead the team to victory, and with a team like the Outlaws, it is hard to see them not winning their 3rd straight Ultimus title. Bronko can end up cruising to another title, or Boss could end up winning where he has had trouble, but we won’t know for sure until the two titans clash in the ASFC Championship. (235 words)

Defensive Comparison: Compare one defensive player from each team in a series. Can be completed at any point
Antoine Delacour and Tyler Oles, 2 of the best CBs in the league right now. Both are their teams top CB, and both strike fear into the heart of all QBs who oppose them. When you look at interception leaders, you can surely find these two players at the top of the list, as Oles finished the season with 7 interceptions, while Delacour was right behind with 6 interceptions. What Delacour lacks in that one interception he more than makes up for in PDs, as he 12 more PDs than the Liberty’s top CB, finishing the season with 24 compared to 12 for Oles. When you think of playmakers for the Hawks, Delacour surely jumps out, as the CB could be considered the best in the league as he is at or near the top in tackles, interceptions, and PDs. The Liberty have their own playmaking CB in Oles, who has many memorable interceptions in his time already, one of which sealed the Liberty’s first victory ever in S2. That’s the past though, and this season Oles had 7 interceptions, he is able to stop you when it matters most, and helps his defense out as they know the opponent’s top WR will have a hard time on the line with Oles. (212 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 Yeti and Legion, the bottom 2 teams in the league and frankly, the easiest 2 teams to write about for this prompt. The Yeti are on the bottom for a reason, after the Noble scandal rocked the league, they cleaned house, they went into a rebuild mode that saw them replace Noble at QB, but still saw him as help on the team. They traded players for an abundance of picks, and sacrificed the team they had now in an effort to prepare for the future and have a better team down the road. They’re gambling on the future, hoping that something good comes out of the biggest scandal of the season. As for the Legion they are on a much different side of the ball. They are still suffering from paying Berc all that money, and from building through the expansion draft of S2 and through the trash other teams did not want. Seeing Varga retire and step down as GM could see good things come in the future, as now new management will be taking hold of the Legion, and they may have a different view on the future and on the draft. We’ll have to see where these 2 teams end up a few seasons from now, and see if the GMs in charge are able to help the teams reach new levels in the future. (230 words)

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)
You know what’s coming, of course I’m gonna tell you why the Liberty are going to pull off the upset. Look at the team, a stellar defense, a rising offense, and special teams that could knock your socks off. The Defense features stars such as Oles, Hackett, Jefferson, Ramrio, and many other names that would just make the list to long to bother. This defense has come into their own in S2 as a unit (as the Liberty are an expansion team, this is their 2nd season), and there are many players on this defense that as a unit create one of the nastiest units in the league, second only to the Outlaws in my opinion. Now we know the defense is a top tier unit, but what about the offense. The offense was cause for concern going into the season, we all knew the defense was poised to be a top unit, but the offense had no quarterback, and outside of a few names was lackluster. The offensive line was nothing to write home about, as they could have been considered the worst in the league in S2. They really stepped their game up, Kroetch came into his own, and Clifford Rove, the rookie, really started to play well as the season went on. Don’t be surprised if this team can go into the Aviary and walk out NSFC champions, and don’t be surprised to see them hosting a playoff game next season. (244 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

Franklin Harris Jr was easily the most valuable player for the Outlaws in the Ultimus championship game. With 7 tackles, 3 PDs, 2 interceptions, and 1 td, he was a force in the final game, limiting the Hawks and taking advantage of Kyubee’s bad throws. He was able to score an early touchdown, which put the Outlaws up 14-3 in the first quarter, and gave them all they needed to win the final game of the year. He put the game out of reach for the Hawks, which is crazy to think about considering 14-3 isn’t a score that is typically out of reach for opponents. He helped this defense do what it did all year, and he did what he had done all year as well, dominating his matchups and making the QB pay in any way. The rookie showed that he is going to be a top flight CB throughout his career, and a premier defender added to the long list of premier defenders for the Outlaws. He’s another reason why this team may be unstoppable, and if those reasons keep growing the league may have to do something about it sooner rather than later, but for now he will continue to be a great young CB on the rise.
(212 words)

[Evok]

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. Can be completed at any point


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


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



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

[x 23 o]

Written Points

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

I will be comparing all of the starting runningbacks for the NFSC. The most fascinating thing about the 4 RBs in this group is that all four of them bring something special to the table.

Farlane on the NSFL Champion Hawks is the perfect compliment for their team. The Hawks' boasts the most balances offensive attack the the conference and Farlane is a huge part of that. Third in the entire league in rushing yards and an impressive 6 touchdowns, there's no doubt that the Hawks love having his services every game.

Wright from Philly was the most underutilized RB in the NSFL with less than 300 carries which is a shame because he had a nose for the end zone. Although he had much less carries than anyone else in his conference, he LED the conference in touchdowns with 7. SEVEN. To put this into perspective, Colorado's Yeti had 111 more carries than Wright but was only able to put up 4 TDs. Something tells me that Philly is going to be feeding Wright more next season.

On paper, the Yellowknife's Nuck doesn't seem too impressive. Nothing jumps out on paper about this guy but you couldn't be more wrong. Although he doesn't have a definitive stat that yells "WOW!" he shows promise of being a feature back of this league. Look no further than the week 12 game against the Sabercats. In a 31-28 loss, there was no questioning Nuck's heart and passion in this game. He finished the game with a whooping 39 attempts for 144 yards and a touchdown. If he finds a way to play consistently, Nuck will be a force.

Tweed in Colorado is an absolute stud. Don't let their 3-11 record deceive you because Tweed left everything on the field every game. Tweed rewrote the record books with the most attempts (400) and most rushing yards (1375) in a season. Let me actually rephrase that; Tweed shattered the previous records. He broke the attempt record by 34 carries and the rushing record by a full 108 yards! The only weakness in Tweed's game is his ability to find the end zone but something tells me that's not entirely his fault.

[JuOSu]

Offensive Comparison:

At first glance, these two performances could not be any different: E. Burnsman and R. Mackworthy had very contrasting stat-lines.

Burnsman: 34 yards, 0 TDs
Mackworthy: 99 yards, 2 TDs

Clearly Mackworthy had the better game plus his team destroyed the Otters on their way to their potential third title in a row.

But beyond the numbers, Mackworthy was just trusted to do more by his team, plus the lead allowed his team to run the ball more. Mackworthy ran the ball a staggering 31 times. Burnsman, on a team that was behind all game, only got to run the ball 10 times. Ultimately, that means that Burnsman actually had a better average per run.

Mackworthy was clearly the much better player today but he gets heralded as the big hero, while his stats show a darker truth, an ineffectiveness that could be an issue in the title game. Will he be able to improve against Baltimore? Chances are, that game will be equally tough for Arizona, though they are clearly the big favorite yet again.

Burnsman might be disappointed today, but he can be proud of a good rookie season that ended in the playoffs. He will be stronger next year.

Defensive Comparison:

Luke Luechly and Julian O'Sullivan had very similar statistics all year long. One ended with 95 tackles, the other with 97. Both had three Tackles for Loss. Both forced one fumble. While Luechly had more sacks, O'Sullivan had more interceptions and pass deflections. In the end, both had a fantastic season.

Arizona had the better end all season and also in the playoff game between the two teams. Both Luechly and O'Sullivan had impressive games. Both lead their teams in tackles. O'Sullivan impressed with 13 tackles, while Luechly had 8. However, O'Sullivan could not add any other stats in this game, a fact that definitely hurts his impressive performance. In a game where his team needed a big play, he could not provide it. Luechly on the other hand managed to play to his strength. The one category he was better in during the season, sacks, he shined again, with two sacks at crucial points in the game to help his team.

Overall Luechly had the better game with the sacks and the fact that his team won handily. O'Sullivan can still be proud of his game though, as a true rookie he had an impressive season and should be a real threat next season as well.

Bottom Half:

The two teams in the bottom half that stick out to me are the Colorado Yeti and the San Jose Sabercats.

Colorado was dealt a tough hand this season when their star player Logan Noble was suspended for cheating. The behaviour was unacceptable and changed the landscape of the NSFL drastically. The Yeti traded for Pierno, a young unproven quarterback who was pushed into a starting role much too early in his career. He ended up winning three games for the Yeti, while throwing only 8 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. In coming years, Pierno should be better and lead the Yeti back to contention.

The Sabercats drastically improved from last year and for parts of the season even held a playoff spot. Eventually, the Otters predictably overtook them and ended up the better team. The Sabercats gave up 338 points this season, the 3rd most of any team in the league. One might wonder if they regret not picking a defensive player in the first round besides Benson Bayley after all, with several rookies like J. O'Sullivan and F. Harris Jr. having fantastic seasons already, while I. Blewitt had a solid year, but one might imagine a defensive player could have done more than a kicker.

Playoff Series MVP:

Trey Willie was a very good pick by the Baltimore Hawks in the Season 3 draft. The Hawks were the only team really looking for Wide Receivers, but more teams might have been able to use Willie. Willie impressed almost right away and ended his rookie season with a very impressive 1163 yards (7th in the league among all Wide Receivers). During the regular season, he only had three Touchdowns though.

Well the rookie did not back down from a challenge and showed up big time in the first round of the playoffs. Against a very good Liberty secondary, Trey Willie had five catches for 117 yards and he equalled his season total in one game, catching three touchdowns. He was also responsible for a fourth touchdown, a 103 yard kickoff return touchdown. Trey Willie had a monster game and the rookie will want to have a repeat performance in the final to be able to bear Arizona. Either way, he will be a feared receiver next season based on this performance. One might argue that in some ways, this was the most impressive performance in the play-offs yet, let alone by a rookie! He was incredible.

Hate the player or the game:

The Yellowknife Wraiths were the obvious team that was left out of the playoffs but deserved to go. The Wraiths ended the season with a better Point Differential than the Liberty, by quite a bit. But the Wraiths only managed a 7-7 record and had to watch from home. At times it felt like they did not do enough or maybe the focus was not there. At times they were just unlucky. A week 2 last-second loss against the Sabercats hurts especially at the end of the year. Another loss that hurts came in week 9, against a Yeti team that only won three games with a replacement quarterback. And then it was the Sabercats yet again that sealed their fate with a week 12 loss for the Wraiths at home against a usually inferior team. Those three losses are the reason why the Wraiths are only watching the playoffs from home, but one might wonder if they could have challenged the Hawks more than the Liberty did, with the Liberty only managing three points against Baltimore. As it was, star players like Orosz, Nuck, Akselsen, Garden, Cushing, Lavelle, Tiernan, Bjornsson, Maddox and others had to watch the playoffs from their couches.

[7hawk77]

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

Today I'll be comparing two quarterbacks. First up is Scrub Kyubee and Clifford Rove. They played the first playoff series against each other. Rove is the QB for the Liberty and completed 20 of 41 passes for 261 yards. An average gain of 13.
Scrub Kyubee completed 24/37 for 353 yards with an average of 14.7. Rove had a rating of 69.3 vs Ktubee's rating of 109.4. The big thing is touchdowns and interceptions. Kyubee had 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, meanwhile Rove had 0 TD's and 0 Interceptions. I think one of the biggest problems was the 3rd down efficiency for the liberty. They only converted 4/19 3rd downs. The fact that they had 19 3rd downs is pretty crazy to me and shows to me that their defense gave them plenty of opportunities. The hawks had two turn overs vs. liberties only 1. It seems to me that the Hawks ended up just taking advantage of their ball possessions much better than the Liberty. I will say that Trey Willie ended up scouring on a kick return which shows that the liberty special teams did not do very well.
Interestingly, Paul Dimirio was the leading receiver for the liberty and he is a Tight End. Meanwhile the hawks have two receivers that had more yards than DiMirio. Unfortunately Fox North did not do enough to impact this game.

232 words.




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

Today I'll be comparing R, Sanchez from the Norfolk Seawolves to Ishigawa from the chicago blues. They played last night in the playoff game.
Before going in to the playoff game. Ishigawa was on track for a very solid season. Sanchez played all 14 games, had 77 tackles, 5 tackle for loss, 11 sacks, 1 interception, 6 passes defended and 1 safety. This is a very good stat line.
Now I'm going to compare it to Ishigawa's stat line, normalized across 14 games. The normalized stats of Ishigawa have him at 80.5 tackles. 1.75 tackle for loss. 1.75 Fumble Recoveries. 1.75 Sacks. 1.75 Interceptions and 1.75 Passes Defended.

If you directly compare these two, Sanchez looks like the better player just due to the playmaker potential of the tackle for loss, sack, interception etc. However I would like to note that Ishigawa had more tackles which makes him fundamentally sound and he's been getting better.
The DSFL playoff results haven't been updated so I still don't know how these two performed, however I'd bet that Sanchez picked up more TFL and Sacks, meanwhile Isigawa picked up more tackles.
I reached out to Ishigawa and he provided me with the following play-off stats: eight tackles, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. That's a fantastic stat line. I'll have to wait and see how it stacks up against R. Sanchez.

229 words



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

I'm going to talk about the San Jose Sabercats and the Las Vegas Legion. The San Jose sabercats looked better this year than any previous year. Their record was 5 wins, 8 losses and 1 tie. Interestingly enough, the sabercats always come out swinging in preseason and the early part of the season. I'm not sure what happens but later on, the team ends up falling apart. Some things the sabercats did right was defense. The defensive line and secondary played very good. Unfortunately on defense, we did have a rookie CB that took some time to get up to speed and the linebacker core is very weak. On offense, we really just lacked consistency. You never know if you are going to get good Ethan Hunt or bad Ethan Hunt. Our receiving core is great (other than our TE who seems to get all of the check down targets). Our running game really stifled and held us back.
Las Vegas didn't make the playoffs because they just didn't have a complete team. They have many holes and not enough active players. The active players they do have are very talented. They have a slam dunk RB with Ardie Savea and a great WR and TE. Their QB is not good and only really performed well one game. Their defense leaves a lot to be desired

226 words



New Talent: Write about which S3 trade 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 biggest trade that will have an impact on the Ultimus was when the Hawks traded for the inactive wide receiver Stormblessed. To acquire this player, they needed to give up their first and second round picks to the Las Vegas Legion. Stormblessed excels as the deep threat. He has a speed of 95 and can beat the secondary if given enough time. His hands are shaky at best with only 74. It's still good enough to keep defenses honest and strain the defense over the top. The Hawks seem to really be in win the Ultimus now mode. I believe they traded for Stormblessed because Matthew Vincent decided to retire and remake. They still have a very solid wide receiver in Trey Willie. The two wide receivers have pretty similar stats. Willie has gotten more yards than Stormblessed but he has also gotten more looks. One thing to note is Stormblessed has more than double Trey Willie's touchdowns. I'm not sure what makes Stormblessed the premier touchdown wide receiver on the hawks but I believe trading for this player was the correct move. Currently this draft looks to be much weaker than drafts of past seasons, so giving up two picks shouldn't hurt that bad, especially if they can win the Ultimus now.

214 words





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

I'll be talking about the DSFL playoff matches because they haven't happened yet. The first game is the Blues vs. the Seawolves. I expect that the Blues win this game. They boast a great record at 10-4 as opposed to the seawolves 6-8. The seawolves have a better passer rating as a team so I think they will do do better in the air. The sewolves also have a better ground game than the chicago blues. So how will the blues win this? Defense. The Seawolves defense isn't the best. Chicago has about 80 more tackles, 11 more tackles for loss, 4 more forced fumbles, 3 more fumble recoveries than the seawolves. The seawolves boast a better interception, passes defended, and sack record. One thing I'd like to note is that the blues have by far the most defensive touchdowns in the league. It seems like they have a solid defense that can sometimes score where the seawolves look to make big plays, but that is completley undone by giving up fundamentals.
I'm definitely looking forward to see the star running back of the seawolves face off against the up and coming MLB for the blues. Should be a really fun match to watch.

205 words

[ExemplaryChad]

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.

Shawn Ariel vs. Haruki Ishigawa: Brawn vs. Brain
Shawn Ariel is an agile running back who depends on his blazing speed to hit the open hole and outrun the first two levels of the defense. In a successful DSFL campaign, he boasted the best YPC average in the league at 4.4 and only missed the 1,000 yard mark because he was picked up a few weeks into the season. He has arguably been the most effective back in the DSFL since his introduction to the league, and he will surely be a major part of the Seawolves’ offensive scheme.

Ishigawa, on the other hand, is far from the most gifted athlete on the field at any given time, but he spends time in the film room like no other. He will be adjusting plays at the line of scrimmage and trying to contain the speedy running back. He joined the league around the same time as Ariel, and has been somewhat of a renaissance man, garnering 46 tackles, 1 for loss, a sack, a pass defensed, a fumble recovery, and an interception.

So who will win this matchup? It’s hard to say that Ariel won’t have a successful game. He has amassed YPC, TDs, and yards at a rate better than just about any other back in the league. However, he can’t outrun the entire Blues defense. If Ishigawa and the coaches can get their guys in the right places, Ariel will have few tricks up his sleeve to counter them. I’m predicting a good game for Ariel, but a better one for Ishigawa and his squad.

@Luminous

Word count: 269


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

Norfolk Seawolves over San Antonio Marshals
The Seawolves and Marshals both played close games to win their respective divisional titles. While the Marshals won with a strong offensive performance and a defense that did just enough to pull out the victory, the Seawolves rode a strong defensive performance and a running game that got them the lone touchdown of the matchup. With this dynamic, there is already reason to believe that this is going to be a close game that could go either way.

Generally, a toss-up match such as this one will favor the home team, which in this case is the Marshals. Still, the Marshals have shown precious little in terms of a dominating aspect of their game this season. While they have strong performers at the running back and wide receiver positions, these players can sometimes disappear and have little impact on the game. This is doubly true for their quarterback, who can look like an all-pro one day and an undrafted rookie the next. An aspect of the Seawolves’ game that never disappears, however, is their strong running attack. The Marshals didn’t show enough defensively to make me believe they can stop the offensive line and running back of the Seawolves. Ultimately, this game will come down to which team can step up and make some big plays, because it’s going to come down to just a couple of small differences. The Seawolves are more capable of those big plays, so they’re going to pull out the win here.

Word count: 253


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

William Sean - WR, San Antonio Marshals
While this may not seem like the most obvious pick for MVP in the Marshals vs. Coyotes series, Sean was able to quietly lead his team to a victory in a fairly closely matched game. Looking at the stat lines, it might appear to someone who didn’t watch the game that the Goose ran loose, racking up 77 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Coyotes’ defense. However, he took 22 carries to get that many yards, showing off a pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry.

Sean, on the other hand, not only surpassed him in yardage with 78, but actually served as basically the entire passing offense for the Marshals. Jameis Christ was only able to complete 11 out of 26 passing attempts in a balanced attack that was able to put points on the board despite a struggling QB. Six of Christ’s completions, more than half, went to William Sean. He didn’t get into the endzone, but he set up drives so that Goose could punch it in and get all the glory. His 13 yards a catch had a greater impact than the 22 carries by the Marshals’ running back.

While Goose garnered some decent numbers, it was really Sean’s chemistry with a struggling Christ that enabled the Marshals to pull out this victory.

@EastBeast

Word count: 222


That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch.

Shawn Ariel’s 100th yard vs. Chicago Blues
In a closely matched game where both teams struggled to put points on the board, one player was able to stand out in a way that most people could have predicted before the opening kickoff. Shawn Ariel was the workhorse in the victorious effort that will see the Norfolk Seawolves play for the DSFL championship. Despite it being against my Chicago Blues, I have to give props to the unquestionable MVP of the game.

While he had a number of memorable carries during the game, it was his very last carry that stands out the most. He had already carried the ball 25 times in a true show of endurance, and with the clock winding down, he wasn’t quite done. Having amassed 98 yards with 2 second on the clock, the Seawolves could have taken a knee to end the game. However, they chose to take a gamble to get Shawn Ariel to a significant single-game milestone. They handed the ball off to Ariel, and he ran it up the middle. The crowd watched with bated breath, despite the game being effectively over. The offensive line got a mediocre push, but it was all the speedy running back needed to find his 99th and 100th yards of the game. A cheer arose from the stands as they saw the game’s MVP hit triple digit rushing yards, the only player to do so in the DSFL divisional championship games.

It’s unusual that a play in garbage time comes across as the most memorable play of the game. But in this case, Ariel deserves the attention.

Word count: 273


Offensive Comparison: Compare one offensive player from each team in a series.

Adams vs. Christ: A Tale of Two Passers
In what should be a close match between the San Antonio Marshals and the Norfolk Seawolves, the difference could come down to quarterback play. While both teams are likely to rely fairly heavily on their run games, a strong showing by both or neither will leave the result in the hands of passing games that have been, at best, sporadic.

Christian Adams of the Norfolk Seawolves has been a prolific passer, if not the most effective one. He ranks second in the league in touchdowns, interceptions, and yards, and third in attempts. With the acquisition of a new running back partway through the season, Adams has been called on to do less to get his offense in position to score, and this may be a good thing.

Jameis Christ, on the other hand, has been more efficient and effective this season, but he is the third quarterback to start for the Marshals, showing some measure of disarray in the offensive responsibilities. Still, since his tenure as the starting quarterback began, he has the highest QB rating and completion percentage of qualified quarterbacks. While his game against the Coyotes to get into the championship matchup was subpar at best, he has the ability to come up big and give the Marshals offense a real boost.

The matchup between these two quarterbacks could hardly be more different: a full-season veteran who is prone to mistakes and poor showings versus a flashy newcomer to the DSFL who has his share of ups and downs. It’s hard to say which player will come out on top of this matchup, but it should be interesting to watch nonetheless.

Word count: 279