10-13-2021, 04:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-14-2021, 05:24 PM by allbetsonjames. Edited 1 time in total.)
It is crazy to me that I have been in the ISFL for well over one calendar year at this point and that my first ever player is slated for the first round of regression. The ISFL is my first (and only) sim league and I wanted to take some time to reflect on my experience thus far and discuss what I have planned for the future.
Starting out
I first learned about the ISFL through a post on r/nfl. I had just left my job to head back to school in a couple of months and figured I have nothing else to do, might as well try it. With school being remote, I figured this could also be a chance to meet some new people during a time where we were all isolated due to the pandemic. When I opened the page, I saw it was forum based and as someone born in the early 90's, felt right at home. Any problems I did run into were easily handled by simple questions to the rookie mentors. Overall, I felt joining this league was pretty simple and I was able to get moving in my career fairly early.
Prospect bowl and draft
Not long after I joined, I started hearing the buzz around the prospect bowl and the general excitement over how large the S25 class was. This excitement permeated through my computer screen and lead to me creating some of my first pieces of media specifically around my player's experience at the prospect bowl. This was also the first time I was placed into a locker room with now teammates. We may not have won but the Amarillo Tumbleweeds hold a special place in my heart. The prospect bowl was also my first time seeing the sim. Boy was I disappointed at first. My initial reaction was these dots are it??? Maybe scoring plays will get replays that show more action or something. Well I was wrong, but the truth is I am happy with my dot. I have grown to love it and all the quirks that come with the sim software.
After the prospect came the draft and the scouting. I was asked some really weird questions during scouting and have to say I am happy I did not end up on some of the teams that were out there. In the end, I had to wait a bit on draft night before being selected in the mid-50s by the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. I was happy to be going to Myrtle Beach but was upset at having waited so long. Today I realize all those GMs were smart on passing me. There were a ton of qualified WRs and people in other positions in the draft and some random who was rocking a 5'8 slot receiver should not be high on their list. So I put all that behind me and I was excited to begin my career and make a difference for Myrtle Beach.
DSFL Time
I want to start off by saying I have heard all the rumors that MBB, now BBB, is not the best locker room culture or best at developing players. Well I will tell you right now I don't care what anyone says, when I was there it was an amazing time. I look back fondly on my time with Thor, Mooty, Uber, AW and Teddy to name a few. That locker room was a great introduction to the ISFL and kept me engaged in the early stages of my career.
In the DSFL I had great success at a team and individual level. My first season I was the WR #2 on the team and we had a strong run just narrowly missing the playoffs in the final week of the season. The second year was far better however. As the lead WR on a stacked offense, my player was able to gain over 1100 yards during the season, making him the only player over 1000 that year. I was honored to be a DSFL pro bowler and finish second in WR of the year voting. At the time I was annoyed not to win but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. The team was also fantastic that season finishing with a league best record. Unfortunately the team was not able to put it together in the playoffs, losing in the first round. Despite the disappointment of losing that game, I was proud of that team and knew many of us would go on to make impacts at the next level.
On to the ISFL
Heading into the S25 ISFL draft I truly had no idea where I would end up. The S25 class was absolutely stacked and my position was crowded. I also had not been scouted by about half the teams so I figured interest in my player was not all that high. I was shocked that I only had to wait until the end of the 3rd round to hear my name called when San Jose picked me with the 42nd overall selection. I had not even been scouted by San Jose at that point so it was a real surprise to hear my name called. It turns out an old MBB friend vouched for me and promised San Jose I would be a great fit for the team. I hope I have done enough since that draft to have earned his praise.
Similar to MBB, I have heard many people say that San Jose is a place that destroys careers. Well I did not experience that at all. San Jose has been such a welcoming place and really involved me in the team from the get go. I have seen my role increase on the team every season and was proud to be included in the war room prior to the last draft. I am also honored to have been named captain for this season. The team has really rallied around each other and was very positive during what was clearly a rebuilding year.
San Jose called me up right after my second season with MBB. I slotted right into the 3rd wide receiver position on what was a stacked offensive unit. I had a mediocre season and the team just missed the playoffs which was disappointing off of the back of 2 straight ulitmus championships. Unfortunately the cat magic just wasn't meant to be that season. I was excited for the future however and still believed in the ability of the team to win championships.
Well despite my beliefs, things did not really improve from a record prospective in San Jose. Since that first season we have been at or below .500 for each season I have spent in San Jose. Whether it has been poor sim luck, or just the loss of key players through free agency or trades, the team has been stuck in a long playoff drought. I wish more than anything we could end that drought, and bring the cats back to the playoffs. I have full confidence in the leadership that they will do that shortly.
My player's careers has also been about as mediocre as one could expect for a WR in the ISFL. I spent most of my career at the WR #2 slot and hang out around 1000 yards a season. Crossley will not be getting any love for the pro bowl, let alone any awards or the hall of fame. I am more than comfortable with that though. I have steadily climbed the ranks of all-time San Jose receivers and am happy with my contribution to the organization. This season was my first as a WR #1 and through 14 games I have set a new high in receiving yards and touchdowns. As our new face of the franchise continues to progress as a QB, I may have some tread left on the tires to pick up a couple more good years. Speaking of those next couple seasons...
Future Plans for Zach Crossley
Despite the tone of my writing above, I have absolutely loved my time in San Jose. The locker room is filled with amazing people and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I want to finish my career as a Sabercat. I am not sure how many more seasons I have realistically left however. I hit regression this season and I am not the highest earner out there. In fact, I have really slowed in earning over the course of my career. I never really bothered with twitter and my media posts have come to almost a halt (I can't tell you when I last wrote a Crossley Chronicle). Overall I hope to make it at least two more seasons before Crossley should go out. A position switch to OL or something may be enough to give me one more year. I really want to see the rebuild be successful and I think by the end of my playing career, the team should be competitive.
In terms of stats, I don't expect much for Zach Crossley. Probably another 1000 yard season next year and somewhere around that the year after. Touchdowns always feel like a crapshoot so who knows how many of those I will pick up. I just know that I want to do all I can to help San Jose win and provide Panda with the weapons he needs. Maybe I can have a fluke season and make it to one pro bowl in my career but I doubt that it will truly happen.
What's next for me as a User
So after Zach Crossley is done what am I going to do? Well the answer is simple for me, I am going to re-create. I have had a fantastic time in this league and don't want to move on from the community yet. I am not sure when I will recreate but it won't be immediately. I plan to take some time off to finish off my classes and qualifying exams within my program but I promise I will be back. The next question is what position.
I do not plan to be as active of an earner during my next career. I just don't have the energy to write up media every week to earn equipment, but I will still do all the point tasks and weekly trainings. My player will probably wind up being somewhere around the 1000 TPE mark rather than the 1200 - 1300 I amassed on Crossley. Due to the limited TPE I will earn I will most likely choose to create a less important player. I am leaning towards a kicker right now just because I have what I think is a solid name picked out for the player. In the end I think my next player will be a low risk low reward choice for a GM. I think it is important to also note that while I have loved my time with San Jose, I am not opposed in the future to being picked up by a new team. While Crossley may be a career cat, there is no need for my future player to do the same.
Quick Recap
1. I have loved my time in the ISFL
2. Despite mediocre stats and winning percentage, I would not change a thing about being a saber cat for my whole career
3. I will probably be part of two or three more seasons with the Cats before retiring
4. I will recreate after a break probably as a low impact position
Thanks for everything, you guys are such an amazing community.
Starting out
I first learned about the ISFL through a post on r/nfl. I had just left my job to head back to school in a couple of months and figured I have nothing else to do, might as well try it. With school being remote, I figured this could also be a chance to meet some new people during a time where we were all isolated due to the pandemic. When I opened the page, I saw it was forum based and as someone born in the early 90's, felt right at home. Any problems I did run into were easily handled by simple questions to the rookie mentors. Overall, I felt joining this league was pretty simple and I was able to get moving in my career fairly early.
Prospect bowl and draft
Not long after I joined, I started hearing the buzz around the prospect bowl and the general excitement over how large the S25 class was. This excitement permeated through my computer screen and lead to me creating some of my first pieces of media specifically around my player's experience at the prospect bowl. This was also the first time I was placed into a locker room with now teammates. We may not have won but the Amarillo Tumbleweeds hold a special place in my heart. The prospect bowl was also my first time seeing the sim. Boy was I disappointed at first. My initial reaction was these dots are it??? Maybe scoring plays will get replays that show more action or something. Well I was wrong, but the truth is I am happy with my dot. I have grown to love it and all the quirks that come with the sim software.
After the prospect came the draft and the scouting. I was asked some really weird questions during scouting and have to say I am happy I did not end up on some of the teams that were out there. In the end, I had to wait a bit on draft night before being selected in the mid-50s by the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. I was happy to be going to Myrtle Beach but was upset at having waited so long. Today I realize all those GMs were smart on passing me. There were a ton of qualified WRs and people in other positions in the draft and some random who was rocking a 5'8 slot receiver should not be high on their list. So I put all that behind me and I was excited to begin my career and make a difference for Myrtle Beach.
DSFL Time
I want to start off by saying I have heard all the rumors that MBB, now BBB, is not the best locker room culture or best at developing players. Well I will tell you right now I don't care what anyone says, when I was there it was an amazing time. I look back fondly on my time with Thor, Mooty, Uber, AW and Teddy to name a few. That locker room was a great introduction to the ISFL and kept me engaged in the early stages of my career.
In the DSFL I had great success at a team and individual level. My first season I was the WR #2 on the team and we had a strong run just narrowly missing the playoffs in the final week of the season. The second year was far better however. As the lead WR on a stacked offense, my player was able to gain over 1100 yards during the season, making him the only player over 1000 that year. I was honored to be a DSFL pro bowler and finish second in WR of the year voting. At the time I was annoyed not to win but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. The team was also fantastic that season finishing with a league best record. Unfortunately the team was not able to put it together in the playoffs, losing in the first round. Despite the disappointment of losing that game, I was proud of that team and knew many of us would go on to make impacts at the next level.
On to the ISFL
Heading into the S25 ISFL draft I truly had no idea where I would end up. The S25 class was absolutely stacked and my position was crowded. I also had not been scouted by about half the teams so I figured interest in my player was not all that high. I was shocked that I only had to wait until the end of the 3rd round to hear my name called when San Jose picked me with the 42nd overall selection. I had not even been scouted by San Jose at that point so it was a real surprise to hear my name called. It turns out an old MBB friend vouched for me and promised San Jose I would be a great fit for the team. I hope I have done enough since that draft to have earned his praise.
Similar to MBB, I have heard many people say that San Jose is a place that destroys careers. Well I did not experience that at all. San Jose has been such a welcoming place and really involved me in the team from the get go. I have seen my role increase on the team every season and was proud to be included in the war room prior to the last draft. I am also honored to have been named captain for this season. The team has really rallied around each other and was very positive during what was clearly a rebuilding year.
San Jose called me up right after my second season with MBB. I slotted right into the 3rd wide receiver position on what was a stacked offensive unit. I had a mediocre season and the team just missed the playoffs which was disappointing off of the back of 2 straight ulitmus championships. Unfortunately the cat magic just wasn't meant to be that season. I was excited for the future however and still believed in the ability of the team to win championships.
Well despite my beliefs, things did not really improve from a record prospective in San Jose. Since that first season we have been at or below .500 for each season I have spent in San Jose. Whether it has been poor sim luck, or just the loss of key players through free agency or trades, the team has been stuck in a long playoff drought. I wish more than anything we could end that drought, and bring the cats back to the playoffs. I have full confidence in the leadership that they will do that shortly.
My player's careers has also been about as mediocre as one could expect for a WR in the ISFL. I spent most of my career at the WR #2 slot and hang out around 1000 yards a season. Crossley will not be getting any love for the pro bowl, let alone any awards or the hall of fame. I am more than comfortable with that though. I have steadily climbed the ranks of all-time San Jose receivers and am happy with my contribution to the organization. This season was my first as a WR #1 and through 14 games I have set a new high in receiving yards and touchdowns. As our new face of the franchise continues to progress as a QB, I may have some tread left on the tires to pick up a couple more good years. Speaking of those next couple seasons...
Future Plans for Zach Crossley
Despite the tone of my writing above, I have absolutely loved my time in San Jose. The locker room is filled with amazing people and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I want to finish my career as a Sabercat. I am not sure how many more seasons I have realistically left however. I hit regression this season and I am not the highest earner out there. In fact, I have really slowed in earning over the course of my career. I never really bothered with twitter and my media posts have come to almost a halt (I can't tell you when I last wrote a Crossley Chronicle). Overall I hope to make it at least two more seasons before Crossley should go out. A position switch to OL or something may be enough to give me one more year. I really want to see the rebuild be successful and I think by the end of my playing career, the team should be competitive.
In terms of stats, I don't expect much for Zach Crossley. Probably another 1000 yard season next year and somewhere around that the year after. Touchdowns always feel like a crapshoot so who knows how many of those I will pick up. I just know that I want to do all I can to help San Jose win and provide Panda with the weapons he needs. Maybe I can have a fluke season and make it to one pro bowl in my career but I doubt that it will truly happen.
What's next for me as a User
So after Zach Crossley is done what am I going to do? Well the answer is simple for me, I am going to re-create. I have had a fantastic time in this league and don't want to move on from the community yet. I am not sure when I will recreate but it won't be immediately. I plan to take some time off to finish off my classes and qualifying exams within my program but I promise I will be back. The next question is what position.
I do not plan to be as active of an earner during my next career. I just don't have the energy to write up media every week to earn equipment, but I will still do all the point tasks and weekly trainings. My player will probably wind up being somewhere around the 1000 TPE mark rather than the 1200 - 1300 I amassed on Crossley. Due to the limited TPE I will earn I will most likely choose to create a less important player. I am leaning towards a kicker right now just because I have what I think is a solid name picked out for the player. In the end I think my next player will be a low risk low reward choice for a GM. I think it is important to also note that while I have loved my time with San Jose, I am not opposed in the future to being picked up by a new team. While Crossley may be a career cat, there is no need for my future player to do the same.
Quick Recap
1. I have loved my time in the ISFL
2. Despite mediocre stats and winning percentage, I would not change a thing about being a saber cat for my whole career
3. I will probably be part of two or three more seasons with the Cats before retiring
4. I will recreate after a break probably as a low impact position
Thanks for everything, you guys are such an amazing community.
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