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+---- Thread: *Arizona Outlaws Season 42 Review (/showthread.php?tid=46525)
*Arizona Outlaws Season 42 Review - WrittinDirectino - 07-23-2023
What a season for Arizona! Arizona takes home the Ultimus Trophy for the fourth time in six years! Truly Unexpected! The Arizona Outlaws franchise also finished the regular season with a league-best 13-3 record. This also means they finished as the top seed in the ASFC for the sixth(!!!) time in a row. This media piece is my attempt at a breakdown of their Season 42 campaign.
Record: 13W 3L
Roster
DEPARTURES
Wendell Sailor, QB (Retirement)
D'Nickashaw Mangoldson, T (Retirement)
Mark Goodhead, CB (Retirement)
Amari Springer, SS (Retirement)
Kotoni Staggs, WR (Retirement)
ACQUISITIONS
Donovan Winters III, QB (via draft)
Benji Aguilera, WR (via draft)
Benjamin Duvernay, CB (via draft)
Brian Vincent-Vega, FS (via draft)
Arizona bid farewell to five members of the golden generation in an emotional summer. Fortunately, they were able to find a replacement for everyone except Mangoldson in the draft. This was perhaps the best place for the trio of Benji, Benjamin, and Brian (the BBB trio?) to land—a team where they didn’t have to be ‘the guy’ from the get-go and could learn from the league’s best in each of their respective positions. Donovan Winters III had big shoes to fill, and he did so with flying colors. All four of them had a promising year.
Memorable Moments
Best Win
Ultimus Win vs. Berlin Fire Salamanders (38-14)
Arizona showcased both their offensive firepower and suffocating defense on the biggest stage. Sherwin Blue Jr. showed everyone he can be the lead back when he wants to. The game quickly spirals out of control for Berlin after they are held scoreless in the first half. Brian Vincent-Vega twists the knife with a 53-yard pick-6 halfway through the third quarter. Arizona shuts down Berlin’s attempt at a comeback with an interception from Notso Smart. A quietly good game for everyone leads to a loud Ultimus celebration.
Worst Loss
Week 9 Loss vs. the New York Silverbacks (48-24)
In a crucial game with playoff seeding implications, Arizona drops the ball against their division rivals. (Literally. The first play of the game was a strip sack. The defense shows up out of focus in the first quarter and turns in its worst performance of the season. They trade scores for the rest of the game, but the first-quarter deficit turns out to be too much. The heist goes wrong, and the Outlaws fail to steal a win in New York.
Game Plan
Offense
Arizona likes to run the ball. A lot. They were the top team in terms of attempts per game, touchdowns, and total yardage. While the increased attempts came at the cost of efficiency (which becomes clear when compared to other run-heavy teams like Yellowknife or Cape Town), it’s obvious that the run was the driving force behind the Outlaws' success. Having two very capable running backs in Danny Nedelko and Sherwin Blue Jr. is immensely helpful in this regard. I can rave on and on about Danny Nedelko, but I think his season total of 2999 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns speaks for itself. Tackles Fortified Fridge and Dennis Rodman make the outside run especially effective.
Arizona mostly lines up in pistol or I formation to prioritize the run. In terms of personnel, they throw a whole bunch of different things out there (depending on the formation). 21, 20, and 11 are all commonly used packages. Sherwin Blue Jr. and Benji Aguilera are the players who mostly make this possible. AZ is one of several teams in the league without a rostered tight end, and that means Aguilera and Blue Jr. will take turns at TE. Sherwin Blue Jr. is a true Swiss army knife. Think Kyle Juszczyk. Tell him to block an edge rusher, or line up and run a fade. He will do it for you. And as for Aguilera, his exceptional strength for a wide receiver makes him suitable for a part-time tight end.
While the Arizona passing offense is not world-beating, it’s the perfect Robin to the Batman. (Yeah...I couldn’t think of a better analogy.) Efficient, low turnover rate, but can be trusted in shootout games (see Week 2 for reference) to put points on the board when necessary. And honestly, they have the personnel to be the league’s best if they get the opportunity. (Become Nightwing, you could say, if we're going with the Robin thing.) Donovan Winters III and Benji Aguilera slid seamlessly into the offense in their rookie years alongside established receivers Blondin and Stinkwater.
Defense
The Outlaws defense finished first in points and yards allowed and was just as important as their offense. Their points and yards statistics are mostly carried by their league-leading run defense, which allowed only 66.6 yards per game (an astonishing 14 yards less than second place Cape Town). Against the pass, they are in the top half of the league—good but not great. Looking at raw statistics, two things stand out. Their number of tackles, which are the lowest in the league, and their forced fumbles, which are the highest. I’m not really sure how to interpret the low tackle numbers, but I’m guessing it’s related to time of possession and the number of plays run by the opponent. Historically Arizona is middle of the pack when it comes to fumbles, and I believe this year was an outlier.
AZ mostly operates from the 3-3-5 with three cornerbacks and two safeties. This is a pretty common alignment in the ISFL, presumably because three receiver sets are so prevalent. The 3-3-5 is naturally strong against the pass and is rather versatile in the sense that it can utilize things like cornerback/safety blitzes. AZ does not have any DEs rostered and plays with three defensive tackles instead. Xah'Aarone is the nose tackle, Quinn is the weak side pass rush specialist, and Raphael McTurtle is the do-it-all strong side superstar.
The Outlaws linebacker corps is the number one reason behind their insane run d. Linebackers are the most important defensive position in the ISFL in my opinion and Arizona has three great ones. Captain Carissa Van Campen is the Mike and usually stays further back without blitzing. Having a reliable MIKE means Leonardo McTurtle and Akaki Akayre can move around freely and do whatever they want. I’ve seen Akayre and McTurtle stuff 2, 3 yard runs so many times. Run defense is a natural weakness of the 3-3-5 but these three more than make up for it.
The secondary is an interesting mix of up-and-comers and veterans. O’Dopaliscious and Sicko are two outside corners that rarely get beaten over the top. Benjamin Duvernay is the nickel. The Nickelback is extremely important in this scheme, and he was a terrific blitzer, accumulating five sacks. Vincent-Vega, a former free safety, was placed in the strong safety role alongside free safety Notso Smart. The two safeties have similar assignments in a 3-3-5 and Vincent-Vega was able to transition without any problems. Overall, this is a very reliable unit (only 5 missed tackles among 5 players) that can get the job done even without creating a ton of turnovers.
What’s Next?
While the Arizona Outlaws cruised to success in both the regular season and the playoffs, the same obviously cannot be guaranteed for next season. New York and Baltimore are just two examples of teams that had a meteoric rise in the span of a season, and they both turned out to be formidable opponents. Who knows what's in store for these teams or the teams just a tier below?
On the other hand, Arizona is well equipped to deal with the future. AZ acquired NOLA's S42 first round pick and Van Campen in a rather one-sided trade. The pick turned into the number one overall pick and gives Arizona a shot at a top-tier prospect. The contractual details are not completely settled yet, but it is speculated that they will retain every one of their free agents except defensive tackle Emerson Quinn, who is retiring after four ISFL seasons. Arizona will attempt to find long-term solutions at their interior offensive line by calling up Don Tollibeo and Beeg Beeg Yoshi Jr. Yoshi Jr. and Tollibeo anchored the best offensive line in the DSFL this season. Scruffy the Janitor, who has been more of an interior pressure guy than a sack collector so far in his DSFL career, is Emerson Quinn's replacement.
Fresh off a championship, the most dominant team in modern ISFL history will enter Season 43 with championship aspirations, just like they always have. And it's not difficult to imagine a world where those aspirations come true for the ninth time.
RE: *Arizona Outlaws Season 42 Review - zeagle1 - 07-23-2023
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RE: *Arizona Outlaws Season 42 Review - Kotasa - 07-24-2023
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RE: *Arizona Outlaws Season 42 Review - CROney3 - 07-25-2023
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