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+---- Thread: *Future Powerhouses? (/showthread.php?tid=31720)
*Future Powerhouses? - negs - 04-29-2021
I was going to do an article ranking each team in the ISFL according to who is best prepared for the future, but at the end of the day going through it I was having a tough time exactly pinpointing and ranking the teams that were in the middle. However, it is easy to recognize that the top two teams best prepared for the future are the Baltimore Hawks and the Philadelphia Liberty. These two teams are both in similar positions, yet are both in great spots.
I decided to make the cutoff be the Season 25 class to technically be considered the “future”. They are a few years away from regression enough to be considered for the next 5+ seasons. If I did take into account Season 24 in this article, this article would look somewhat different as many teams have players that are peaking in the S22-S24 classes.
On the side of Baltimore, they are preparing for the very distant future. They have a total of 17 players that are S25 or later with the bulk of them being S26-S28. Not to mention, they have a ridiculous level of draft capital.
On the side of Philly, they are actually ready for the more distant future with 10 of their 20 S25 or later players being from S25. They will be ready soon, but also have enough prospects in S26-S28 to be prepared for the far out future as well.
Baltimore
S25 or later prospects - 16
S25 = 2, S26 = 3, S27 = 4, S28 = 7
From the factors I am evaluating this list on, it is clear to me that Baltimore and Philadelphia are probably the two top teams in terms of being prepared for the future. Baltimore's depth of S26-S28 prospects goes unmatched throughout the league. Not only is their depth of prospects something to behold, but the quality of users that are behind those players is impressive as well. In looking at everyone from the breakdown, at least 11/13 players in that range are above average or max earners. Having half of a team on that earning pace sets up Baltimore as a potential dynasty years down the line. The Hawks are all about the future. Their highest TPE player is at 917, they have the lowest average TPE by about 130, and their roster is loaded with young talent. If Frick and Hall’s goal was to usher in a new era, it certainly seems like they are doing it early. The only thing lacking compared to other future teams is the lack of quality in the DSFL send downs that Baltimore has. They only have 2 that are not IA, and neither of them are above average earners. However at the end of the day it really does not matter since Baltimore called up 5 of their S28 draft picks which brings down their number of send-downs developing. They won’t be making any noise in the next couple seasons unfortunately, but give them a few more years and they’ll be looking like contenders every year for a long time.
Let’s take a deeper dive into Baltimore’s actual depth of prospects:
In the S25 player group, Baltimore has two solid earners that will be steady contributors, but it does not look like either of them are going to be superstars at their positions. Etrigan T. Slayer has the most potential impact of the two, with him being a run stuffing defensive lineman, he will anchor Baltimore’s rush defense for years to come.
In the S26 player group, they most notably have two linebackers who will turn into absolute monsters if they keep their levels of earning up. AJ Lucas and Chet Larson are fantastic bookends, on the edge that will keep quarterbacks afraid of dropping back too much. Caven McRae is not earning at the same levels, but he will be a good ball hawk in the secondary.
In the S27 player group, We see two potential bonafide stars, again on the defense where Baltimore is building some great talent. Another defensive lineman to stuff the run with Slayer, Maui Waialiki is earning at a great rate to be a top run defender in the ISFL. Cornerback Lawrence Miller is ready to break out and become a turnover machine and lockdown corner for Baltimore. Preston Parker is a great depth piece at running back, and their kicker form the class has potential as well.
Man this S28 class is something else. In this past draft, Baltimore cleaned up and this class is the main reason why I see them being top contenders for years to come. With back to back picks at the top of the first round, Baltimore finally addressed their offense with two weapons. With the first pick, they took wide receiver Luke Quick, who is looking like he will be one of the top WRs in the ISFL in a few years. The second pick, Busch Goose, is a speedy franchise back who will be one of the top rushers in the years to come. Wide receiver Chunt The Badger is another wide receiver they drafted to pair with Quick, and she is earning at a rapid pace as well. The Hawks did not stop on offense there though, as they grabbed tight end Makoa Mahi’ai who is a great blocker but also someone who has pass catching potential. To round out their draft, they took another defensive lineman David Ramczyk who will be a fantastic depth piece behind their stars or someone who can eventually become a starter. Baltimore also has 3 send downs from the S28 class who may eventually contribute down the line, but most likely only as depth pieces.
I know he is not technically on the team, but as the GM in the upcoming draft Baltimore will draft Gimmy Jorropolo Jr. As a S29 quarterback, he will definitely struggle for the first few years, but he will line up well with the S28 class and he is earning at the top of his class.
Baltimore definitely has a few more years until they see the results, but if everything goes well they will be dominant in the future. Watch out y’all, you have been warned.
Philadelphia
S25 or later prospects - 20
S25 = 10, S26 = 3, S27 = 2, S28 = 5
The team that is second best prepared for the future is the Philadelphia Liberty. What makes the Liberty so intriguing is both their immediate and long term future outlook. While Batlimore’s prospective dominance is centered around the S26-S28 classes, the Liberty look to dominate a bit sooner than their counterparts. The Liberty have a whopping 10 players from the S25 draft class that are going to be at peak performance in a few seasons. Of those 10, 6 are max earners at key positions while the other 4 are solid contributors. In the S26 class, they have the only quarterback in the class in Ryan Negs who will be one of the top quarterbacks at the peak of Philly’s reign. In S27 and S28 Philly has a total of 5-6 top earners with the rest being solid earners as well. Philly is in a great spot to compete soon, but also have the longevity at key positions to be in it for the far out future as well.
Let’s take a deeper dive into Philly’s actual depth of prospects:
My goodness this S25 class is something special! There are two fantastic players who are not top earners, but insanely impactful players. James Hoffman is a fantastic slot corner who is a force in the run game and makes big plays in the pass game. Running back Anders Christiansen will look to have a breakout year and prove that he can be a RB1 with the retirement of legendary running backs Darrell Williams and Sam Torenson. After that, we get to the top earners for the Liberty in the S25 class. First, even though kicker Jake Fencik is one of the younger kickers in the league, he already has a KOTY title and is one of the most accurate in the ISFL. After that, the lone offensive player is wide receiver Killian Chambers, who is always at the top of the league in receiving yards and will look to improve on those numbers with the development of himself and the quarterback Ryan Negs. Where the S25 class truly shines is on defense. To begin, the class starts off with a lockdown CB1 in Doy Fieri who has consistently shut down half the field, and will only get better. Two players from the class who are bound to be future stars are the duo of linebackers, Gary Goodman and Jimi DeSoto. Goodman is a monster off the edge, and DeSoto plays all around the field as they will one day become the top linebacker duo in the ISFL. Not to be outdone by the linebackers, the class also has an elite pair of defensive lineman. Tex Wrecks and Honky-Tonk Haywood are both powerful rushers from both the edge and the interior, and paired with the two linebackers from this class look for Philly to have one of if not the best pass rush in the coming seasons.
Now to look at the S26 class! Laxus Dreyar compliments the stars on the defensive line well as a secondary pass rusher and also a menace in the run game. Next up, we have one of the best up and coming offensive lineman in Alexander Franklin. Franklin is a monster in both the pass and run game who does not give up sacks and plays clean football. Not to mention, he eats pancakes every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner and takes them all day on the football field too. Lastly, the Liberty are home to the only S26 quarterback in the league in Ryan Negs. Negs is not having the best rookie season as of now, but with all the weapons being developed around him and being a top earner, he has the potential to take one of the spots as a top quarterback in the league.
Here comes S27! The S27 class does not have the depth of the other classes, but it is home to two up and coming offensive superstars. First off, Tsuyu Asui is a top 3 earning player in her class, and is putting that out on the field as well. She is having a fantastic rookie year so far, and is going to be scary next to Killian Chambers as a 1-2 punch for the future that not many other teams will be able to keep up with. The second prospect in the class is tight end Borgo San Lorenzo. He is the second best earning TE in his class and is putting that ability on showcase in his rookie season. While not a deep threat yet, he is a mauler in the run game and has the potential to be a go to target for Negs.
Last but not least, let us take a look at the recent S28 class! In the recent class, Philly got a fantastic haul of rookies in the class, with all 5 expected to contribute in the future. On the defensive side of the ball, Philadelphia drafted some future stars. First off, they took Xavier Walls, a linebacker who is a do it all type of player. He is currently in the running for DSFL Defensive Player of the Year, all the positional trophies, and possibly even the MVP race. In the secondary, cornerback C.J. Sonjack and safety Romulus Reman are looking to be a big part of the future. Sonjack will look to be called up soon with a dominant rookie season, followed up by being a shutdown corner for London this season. Reman looks to form a potent duo with veteran safety Matt “Son of Havoc” Cross. He will be one of the top safeties in the league down the line. On offense, the Liberty decided to take star running back Lonnie Jackson out of Tijuana. This year, he is having a complete MVP season and easily one of the best running backs in the DSFL. Philly is looking for him to come up and form a potent running back duo with Anders Christiansen. A late round pick, offensive lineman Rudy Gray came on late, but is earning at a good pace now and is a pancake machine in the DSFL. He will look to come up and partner with Alexander Franklin to protect Negs for the foreseeable future.
Although I am biased towards Philadelphia obviously, I do believe that Baltimore and Philly will be two of the titans of the ISFL in the future.
RE: Future Powerhouses? - excelsior - 04-29-2021
It'll be really annoying competing with Philly every year to go to the Ultimus in 3-4 seasons
RE: Future Powerhouses? - WildfireMicro - 04-29-2021
Great article Negs! Right now Philadelphia and Baltimore seem to have a special connection
RE: Future Powerhouses? - Bigred1580 - 04-29-2021
Alright Philly, It's officially on!!!!
... in 4 seasons...
RE: Future Powerhouses? - manicmav36 - 04-29-2021
Super excited to have to face both of these teams twice, every season. Hooray...
RE: Future Powerhouses? - Jimi64 - 04-29-2021
We comin
RE: Future Powerhouses? - Pat - 04-29-2021
(04-29-2021, 12:26 AM)excelsior Wrote: It'll be really annoying competing with Philly every year to go to the Ultimus in 3-4 seasons
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RE: Future Powerhouses? - 37thchamber - 04-30-2021
is the hawks-liberty rivalry about to be revived :eyes:
RE: *Future Powerhouses? - King Jellyfish - 05-04-2021
The Philly- Baltimore rivalry is going to be fun
RE: *Future Powerhouses? - Ace - 05-05-2021
Ring them bells, o lawd we comin