Welcome to the Season Three NSFL in Review series! There will be 8 parts to this, one for each team in record/elimination order.
So far in this season’s series:
1. NSFL in Review: Las Vegas Legion, The Good, The Bad, The Future
2. NSFL in Review: Colorado Yeti, The Good, The Bad, and The Future
Next up is the San Jose SaberCats, who finished 3rd place in the American Simulation Football Conference this season, which did not allow them to qualify for the playoffs.
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San Jose SaberCats
5-8-1
[span style=\\'font-size:14pt;line-height:100%\\']Third in ASFC[/span]
GRADED
So far in this season’s series:
1. NSFL in Review: Las Vegas Legion, The Good, The Bad, The Future
2. NSFL in Review: Colorado Yeti, The Good, The Bad, and The Future
Next up is the San Jose SaberCats, who finished 3rd place in the American Simulation Football Conference this season, which did not allow them to qualify for the playoffs.
San Jose SaberCats 5-8-1
[span style=\\'font-size:14pt;line-height:100%\\']Third in ASFC[/span]
The Good
Even though they finished the season in the same place as last year, the SaberCats did have some good things going for them.
Number One: The SaberCats have one of the best quarterbacks in the league with Ethan Hunt and his performance in season 3 demonstrated how important he is to team’s offense. He finished the season 3rd in pass completions and yards and continues to show why he’s one of the more athletic and mobile quarterbacks in the league. He averaged 260.9 yards a game this season compared to 218.9 yards a game last season and gave the SaberCats an offensive anchor with which to score upon. With Hunt, the team has the 3rd best passing offense in the league with their pro-style pass heavy game.
Number Two: San Jose boasts one of the finest wide receiving corps in the league with Mayran Jackson, Shane Weston, and Darren Smallwood. All 3 players are active and assiduous receivers responsible for making the team the 3rd highest in total receiving yards. Each receiver provides the SaberCats offense a sundry passing attack with elite speed, route running, and dangerous red zone threats. Weston and Jackson are also 3rd and 4th in total yards among all receivers in the league respectively and both players broke the 1200 yard mark this season.
Number Three: The defense has improved in a major way this season. This is a stark contrast to last year’s outlook, where the team was figuring out how to supplant the hole that A.C. Hackett left when he went to Philadelphia. The SaberCats have some of the soundest players on defense with Dan Miller, Benson Bayley, and the super safety duo of Ja Brill and Clee Hardrool leading the stampede. As a team, San Jose ranks top in the league for tackles, tackles for loss, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
Even though they finished the season in the same place as last year, the SaberCats did have some good things going for them.
Number One: The SaberCats have one of the best quarterbacks in the league with Ethan Hunt and his performance in season 3 demonstrated how important he is to team’s offense. He finished the season 3rd in pass completions and yards and continues to show why he’s one of the more athletic and mobile quarterbacks in the league. He averaged 260.9 yards a game this season compared to 218.9 yards a game last season and gave the SaberCats an offensive anchor with which to score upon. With Hunt, the team has the 3rd best passing offense in the league with their pro-style pass heavy game.
Number Two: San Jose boasts one of the finest wide receiving corps in the league with Mayran Jackson, Shane Weston, and Darren Smallwood. All 3 players are active and assiduous receivers responsible for making the team the 3rd highest in total receiving yards. Each receiver provides the SaberCats offense a sundry passing attack with elite speed, route running, and dangerous red zone threats. Weston and Jackson are also 3rd and 4th in total yards among all receivers in the league respectively and both players broke the 1200 yard mark this season.
Number Three: The defense has improved in a major way this season. This is a stark contrast to last year’s outlook, where the team was figuring out how to supplant the hole that A.C. Hackett left when he went to Philadelphia. The SaberCats have some of the soundest players on defense with Dan Miller, Benson Bayley, and the super safety duo of Ja Brill and Clee Hardrool leading the stampede. As a team, San Jose ranks top in the league for tackles, tackles for loss, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
The Bad
Unfortunately the SaberCats are stuck in the bottom of ASFC purgatory and haven't been able to make it to a playoff series and there are a few bad things going on for them.
Number One: Although the SaberCats improved to a 5-8-1 record, they can’t seem to make the big leap into the top 4 of the NSFL. The team hasn’t been able to get more than 5 wins in the past 3 seasons and they seem to struggle against lesser teams on paper. The team lost to the Las Vegas Legion at home in week 10 and were absolutely dominated by the Colorado Yeti in their final game of the season. Their offense is solid and the defense improved immensely this season, but they just can’t seem to break through the upper echelons of the NSFL.
Number Two: The running back problem…this is a prolongation of last year’s woes as the team is second to last in overall rushing yards and last in average rushing yards at a derisory 2.8 yards per game. Jack Durden has proven to be adequate in his starting running back role this season and finished 7th for total rushing yards, but Denzel Diaz has struggled to furnish meaningful offense at the Fullback position. Unfortunately for the squad, Durden’s progression seems to be stunted in the recent weeks with no signs of development picking up in the future. Diaz will most likely be the starter in season 4 given his consistent improvement over the course of last season.
Number Three: Another continuation from last year’s problems are the inactive players that plague the San Jose roster at key positions. Tight end Break Bottles has vanished since the commencement of the season and linebackers Alexander Selich and Luke Chunk have gone dormant as well. Defensive end Arjen de Ligt hasn’t updated in a month and if the trend endures, the defensive line will regress the next season.
Unfortunately the SaberCats are stuck in the bottom of ASFC purgatory and haven't been able to make it to a playoff series and there are a few bad things going on for them.
Number One: Although the SaberCats improved to a 5-8-1 record, they can’t seem to make the big leap into the top 4 of the NSFL. The team hasn’t been able to get more than 5 wins in the past 3 seasons and they seem to struggle against lesser teams on paper. The team lost to the Las Vegas Legion at home in week 10 and were absolutely dominated by the Colorado Yeti in their final game of the season. Their offense is solid and the defense improved immensely this season, but they just can’t seem to break through the upper echelons of the NSFL.
Number Two: The running back problem…this is a prolongation of last year’s woes as the team is second to last in overall rushing yards and last in average rushing yards at a derisory 2.8 yards per game. Jack Durden has proven to be adequate in his starting running back role this season and finished 7th for total rushing yards, but Denzel Diaz has struggled to furnish meaningful offense at the Fullback position. Unfortunately for the squad, Durden’s progression seems to be stunted in the recent weeks with no signs of development picking up in the future. Diaz will most likely be the starter in season 4 given his consistent improvement over the course of last season.
Number Three: Another continuation from last year’s problems are the inactive players that plague the San Jose roster at key positions. Tight end Break Bottles has vanished since the commencement of the season and linebackers Alexander Selich and Luke Chunk have gone dormant as well. Defensive end Arjen de Ligt hasn’t updated in a month and if the trend endures, the defensive line will regress the next season.
The Future
San Jose resigned some key players in Denzel Diaz, Braden Sharp, Jordan Yates recently, but Ethan Hunt’s imminent free agency leaves his future in the Bay area an obscurity. The SaberCats may elect to participate in the Quarterback sweepstakes to try and sign Chris Orosz or Mike Boss and forgo an offer to Hunt, but they seem intent on keeping him around rather than attempting to rebuild a new offensive scheme around a new quarterback. The AFC is a tough division with the best teams in the league and the SaberCats need to shore up their offense to be competitive against the Outlaws and Otters.
Offensive lineman Vincent Sharpei has recently announced that he’s opting out of his contract for the upcoming season and will be testing the free agency waters (Vincent Sharpei Presser). In a league desperately famished for active offensive linemen, it would stand to reason that another team will make an alluring offer to Sharpei this offseason. If the team doesn’t resign Sharpei, they will be in a world of hurt on the offensive line. The SaberCats also have 7 picks in the approaching S4 draft and will look to complete their ranks with more active players at key positions. Unfortunately, the S4 draft class isn’t very deep and they will struggle to find good active players with all 7 picks.
San Jose resigned some key players in Denzel Diaz, Braden Sharp, Jordan Yates recently, but Ethan Hunt’s imminent free agency leaves his future in the Bay area an obscurity. The SaberCats may elect to participate in the Quarterback sweepstakes to try and sign Chris Orosz or Mike Boss and forgo an offer to Hunt, but they seem intent on keeping him around rather than attempting to rebuild a new offensive scheme around a new quarterback. The AFC is a tough division with the best teams in the league and the SaberCats need to shore up their offense to be competitive against the Outlaws and Otters.
Offensive lineman Vincent Sharpei has recently announced that he’s opting out of his contract for the upcoming season and will be testing the free agency waters (Vincent Sharpei Presser). In a league desperately famished for active offensive linemen, it would stand to reason that another team will make an alluring offer to Sharpei this offseason. If the team doesn’t resign Sharpei, they will be in a world of hurt on the offensive line. The SaberCats also have 7 picks in the approaching S4 draft and will look to complete their ranks with more active players at key positions. Unfortunately, the S4 draft class isn’t very deep and they will struggle to find good active players with all 7 picks.
GRADED
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