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+---- Thread: (S48) Offseason Task (/showthread.php?tid=51052)
(S48) Offseason Task - Baron1898 - 05-04-2024
(S48) Offseason Task
You have until the end of the offseason to complete the Offseason Point Task, so the deadline will be Sunday, May 19th, 2024 at 11:59PM EDT.
Quick Rules:
- You can earn up to a maximum of 10 TPE through any combination of the available Tier 1-3 tasks. Follow the word count rules specified for each tier and keep your submissions on topic. It must not be super repetitive and absolutely no rambling is allowed. If you are caught plagiarizing/stealing someone else’s work, you will be punished as HO sees fit, including the potential loss of TPE or money. Do your own work please.
- Articles, graphics, or podcasts that have already been used to get media/graphics money cannot be submitted again for Ultimus Week credit (sorry – no double dipping!).
- Podcasts can only be submitted for Tier 1 and 2 written tasks. A podcast must include 20 minutes of discussion for Tier 1 and 10 minutes of discussion for Tier 2 about the selected topic. If you make a podcast with someone else, it must be 20/10 minutes apiece.
- As with PTs, graphics must show at least some effort (i.e. edits must be apparent, should be more than just text slapped on an image). Make sure to add any images you used in your graphic so we are aware of what you did.
Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (Must be 600+ words)
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
1. The Season 47 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Portland Pythons and Arizona Outlaws for each winning their respective championships. How did each of the finalists in either the Ultimus or Ultimini arrive at the playoffs? Were there any teams that surprised or disappointed during the playoffs? Did the outcome of either championship game surprise you at all?
2. Tell us about your draft class. Is there anything that makes it special in comparison to other classes? Where did your fellow draftees land, how are they doing? Did anyone turn out to be an unexpected steal of that draft based on what you know today? Do you think anyone in your draft class will become a hall of famer? If you’re new to the league, how do you think your class will do? Where do you think people will get drafted to?
3. Let's talk about the future. As we've seen in the ISFL and DSFL, things can go from rock bottom to the absolute top in just one quick season and vice versa. With that said, tell us about your predictions for next season. Were there any big moves made late in the season or the offseason that you believe could really shake things up? Are there any players hitting the season with a noticeably improved TPE pool or hitting regression hard that you believe could seriously factor into a team's potential success? And lastly, which team do you expect to be hoisting the trophy for either the ISFL or DSFL, and which teams do you expect will be struggling to stay away from the bottom on the pack?
4. For any team, certain players and users have gone above and beyond, shaping the legacy of the franchise. Choose any ISFL or DSFL team and create a Mount Rushmore for that team. Who in your mind are the four most noteworthy figures of the team’s history? Why does each one of your included figures deserve that recognition, and how did each of them make their mark?
5. “Sim gonna sim” is a popular expression in the league. Write about teams that have been graced by the sim gods and had amazing performances despite statistical odds, and/or about teams that were considered favorites but may have dealt with some bad sim luck that hampered their efforts. How much of an impact did it have on their season(s)?
6. The league has a rich and fascinating history, and our perspectives on it differ from person to person. In 600 words or more, describe any significant moment in ISFL or DSFL history, whether you were around for it or not. Describe the context, the significant members, and the events. What exactly made this event so famous (or infamous) and why does it deserve to be remembered? Events might include championship wins, the inducting of players to the hall of fame, or even a league scandal.
7. Write 600 words or more on something about anything in the league that interests you. It could be related to statistics, a league issue that you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 600 words about your team’s participation on a Werewolf server or something.
Tier 2: Short Form Tasks (Each must be 300+ words)
Choose up to TWO for 5 TPE each.
8. This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S47 class and later. In 300 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented?
9. There have been many moments in league history where a single decision (e.g., a draft choice, a GM’s promotion or retirement, a trade, a player’s movement in free agency) may have changed the course of a team in the ISFL or DSFL. Describe a decision that was made and the impact that it had. Did you imagine said decision leading to a different conclusion or did you think things would turn out the way they did? Is there anything different you would have done to avoid disaster or make things even better?
10. Through a random lottery drawing, you have been named the league's new commissioner for a day. Congrats! What improvements would you make to the league if you had the power to do whatever you wanted?
11. Write a short biography or story about your player. This could include background about how they came to the ISFL and how they’ve done so far, a story about their role in an exciting game, or anything else related to their experience in the league.
12. Write about your team’s biggest rivalry and what makes it so fierce. Is the competition founded in statistics and the team’s recent performance, or is it a rivalry that developed over time during the team’s history that would exist regardless of statistics?
13. Choose a team or player to write about that isn’t your own. What did they do well in the last season? Have they shown any drastic improvements from previous years? What could they do better?
14. Expansion Expansion Expansion! Tell us why you think the league should expand / not expand or include any ideas (in words) for team branding ideas you have or team locations.
15. If you could create a team using any active players in the league, what would that team look like? Would you build a group of all-stars to contend in the next Ultimus, or a team full of jokesters for the fun of it? Describe the roster and why you chose the players you did. (Written or Graphic Task)
16. Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?
Tier 3: Written/Graphics Tasks (Each must be either 150+ words or a graphic)
Choose up to FOUR for 2.5 TPE each.
17. Going to Disney World! Who was the Ultimus or Ultimini Game MVP? Give us a rundown of their celebratory trip to Disney World. (Written Task)
18. This task is exclusive to recreate/non-recreate rookies of the S48 class and later. The season is over and the draft is coming up. What do you bring to a team, and why should a team choose to take a chance on you next season? (Written Task)
19. Your team has announced that they will be laying ground on a new stadium next season. What additions would you like to see included in it. (Written Task)
20. Written Option: Which teammate of yours is the ultimate team player and why? How does this person exhibit selflessness and put the team first? Are they a great locker room presence who encourages others? Do they play an important but unappreciated role on the team which doesn't receive much recognition for awards? Graphic Option: Create a graphic of your player with your teammate who exhibits a team-friendly attitude.
21. Written Option: If your player had a show starring them, what would the plot be? Graphic Option: Create the cover art for your player’s show.
22. Make a scouting report for any of the ISFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, or highlights. (Written or Graphic Task)
23. What are your thoughts on the sim engine? What sort of improvements would you make to the sim engine if given the opportunity? (Written Task)
24. You’re in charge of entertainment for the Ultimus or Ultimini half-time show. What would you do? (Written Task)
25. Create a billboard, magazine cover, unique trading card, or video game cover depicting a one of the league's stars. (Graphic Task)
26. if your player wasn't a professional in the ISFL/DSFL, what would they be doing instead? (Written Task or Graphic Task)
27. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why? (Written Task)
28. Football is a game that has been going on for a while, loved by fans all over. But what if you were able to make some rule changes? Talk us through your new version of football, and what would be different and why? (Written Task)
29. What team do you think has the best branding in the league? Why? (Written Task)
30. Choose one existing award. Tell us why you think a certain player should win that award this season. Stats, or anything else possible should be used to support your case. (Written or Graphic Task)
31. Make up an award for your player (or even someone else) to win for something not on the football field. (Written or Graphic Task)
32. Your player has decided to start a podcast since it's what all the cool celebrities are doing these days. What would the name of your player's podcast be and what would they talk about/do on the podcast? (Written Task)
33. When looking at the teams we have in the ISFL and DSFL, is there any team you believe is in need of a major rebrand or update to their current branding? Why or why not? (Written Task)
34. New players join our teams every season, so which of those new players made the biggest impact on the field for your team? (Written Option)
35. Create the front page of a newspaper celebrating the win or the Ultimus or Ultimini winner. (Graphic Option)
36. Affiliate PT from the SHL/SSL/PBE. The weeks of the task must match with the timeframe of this Offseason Task. You may only use a max of 1.
Please contact a member of the PPT team if you need clarification on any of the prompts or need help with anything listed here in general!
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - yonggarius - 05-04-2024
2. At this moment, the S48 class is facing the most important moments in their career, namely the ISFL draft. The draft will relocate the 60 - or - so strong members of the class into different ISFL teams, and their fate will vary quite drastically based on what situation they land into. And likewise, a team's fate can see a dramatic change based on who they select on the draft. Entering this crucial moment, the S48 class is evaluated to be a "quite peculiar class" to a lot of league scouts and draft experts. That is mostly due to the fact that there are basically no mid - tier earners in this draft class. Out of around 55 draft eligible (i.e. players who acquired more than 57 TPE) players, only 2 are below 100TPE, or the threshold of what I will call a low to fringe earner. And what is more surprising is that almost all of other players are above 150TPE, which can be used as a perimeter for semi-max earners at this point. So in a whole, this draft class has a surprisingly deep talent pool at the top level - namely in max earners and semi- max earners - and then the talent level drops off a very stiff cliff. In the draft it will mean that teams will be able to draft max earners until around early third round, and then the draft will abruptly end after a round or so of semi max earners and couple of fringe earners. So teams will be able to find good players relatively deep into the draft, and as such some oversupplied positions - like RB and WR - might see the whole positional group sliding a bit.
At this time, the notable prospects - or more simply put the ones who are being listed in the first rounders task - include a lot of defenders. This class is especially deep in linebackers, with players such as Willeh strong (who is the consensus projected no. 1 overall pick), Robot Sunfish (who happens to be my player), Adolin Collins, Mac Mannheim and Draven Chanos. All of those 5 players are max earners who are controlled by good users, and I won't be surprised to see all of them going off the board in the first round. Heck, most of those players have a solid argument of their own for the first overall pick.
Aside from the linebackers, other top defensive prospect include Princess Donut, Lheorvine Adebisi and Juan Carrasco at DT. Like the linebackers those defensive tackles all have very good arguments for first round selection, and they will most likely be selected in said round as they are max earning players in a position which is always under - supplied. Rounding up the notable defensive prospects are Jet Larsen and Tyler Oles III, who are the two best cornerbacks in this class, and Rex Havoc, who is another max earner at under represented defensive line position.
On the other side of the ball, the best talent pool is in running back and wide receiver positions as it happens in almost every other places. The top running backs of this class include recreates Zigzag Zipstep and Animal Blundetto, along with rookie Stone Wall. While all those players are max earners with TPE values near the top of this class, I'm unsure if all three will be selected in the first round due to teams having preferences towards defense.
In the wide receiver position, top prospects include rookies Seer Ial and Big tractor, along with recreate Warren Peace. Like the case with the running backs I'm unsure if all three will hear their names called in the first round due to the how I'm projecting the draft to unfold, but I'm seeing Ial and Peace as locks to be first rounders.
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - .Laser - 05-04-2024
SHL Affiliate 2.5/10
Task 16 - 7.5/10
Last season was an absolute whirlwind for Draven Chanos. Originally declaring for the draft as a running back, he chose to swap his position to linebacker only one week through the season after being drafted very late, in the final round of the Developmental Simulation Football League. With the overflow of players and users at running back, he felt it was the best for his chances at being drafted early if he chose to play linebacker instead. This was a decision made under advisement by his DSFL GMs as well as a look at the overall state of the league and a realization that running back was simply not in enough need, not when there were so many good users at the position as well. Linebacker, however, was a position needed league-wide with several teams in a position to have Draven play an instrumental role nearly immediately. Therefore, after 6 rushes for 29 yards in 3 games, Draven joined the defense, and accumulated 104 tackles with 7 for loss, a forced fumble, 4 sacks, and one pass defense. While certainly not show-stopping statistics, these 104 tackles show that Chanos was a Tackling machine, averaging nearly 10 tackles per game - which in this sim, is bonkers. Following the season, he was scouted by 13 of the 14 ISFL teams, and thought he had a good shot to be drafted by 4 of them. However, once the first pick happened and the first team to possibly take him was on the clock, there was silence. For pick 2, pick 3, pick 4, pick 5, pick 6, pick 7, pick 8, pick 9, pick 10, pick 11, pick 12, pick 13. Silence for the linebacker who had been told by multiple teams he was likely to go top 8. Finally, the Arizona Outlaws were on the clock. Draven had a good conversation here and thought this may be his spot. Instead, a trade. New York was on the clock, and as Draven thought there was no chance he was taken, he busied himself with other things while he waited for a phone call. Then, New York called and selected him at the last pick of the first! Draven was ecstatic to be valued enough to be traded up for, ecstatic to be in a place where his management was all in, and ecstatic to be getting a dotts first rounder card. (398)
Task 33 10/10
First of all I want to say thay this is not an attack on the franchise in the slightest, merely an analysis based in the fact that they are one of the teams who as far as I know has not had a face-lift recently. And for the Task, I'm going to pick the Colorado Yeti. The Yeti are a storied franchise in the ISFL, from bad days to good days and everywhere in between. However, they haven't had a rebrand or face-lift in a very long time. Their main logo is the letter C with yellow in the middle, which is eerily reminiscent of several NHL logos. The ideal face-lift for Colorado would be to redo the logo, potentially to include more mountains on a dark orange, almost red backdrop, with white caps and a mean-looking outline of a Yeti in yellow. I'm all for keeping the current colors, I don't think there's anything wrong with those, but perhaps a more distinctive logo would do the franchise good. (164)
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - Tylertokesome04 - 05-04-2024
19. The San Jose Sabercats have announced the designs for their new stadium, scheduled to open for Season 50 of the International Simulation Football League. In an odd twist, they have allowed team members to give input on not only the locker room’s design but the design of the entire stadium, many architectural experts have questioned the decision but the only response given by SJS management was, “Shut up, Nerds” Moving forward, the design will feature many unique design choices such as a Sauna with herbal vapor inclusion to help speed up healing, an attached team theater that will show not only new releases but allow players to game together while splitting the screen between 4 different groups of players, an attached In-and-Out Burger that for some reason is open 24 hours, and to top things off, there are discussions with Universal Studios to build a Rollercoaster that runs through the stadium and over the field itself. While I have not been able to confirm the rollercoaster, I have been able to confirm the rest so far, stay tuned for more…. - 180 Words
21. Introducing, MVPatterson, filming for the newest show to hit Netflix will begin this fall just in time for Season 48 of the International Simulation Football League. Following in the footsteps of award-winning programs like HBO’s Hard-Knocks and Netflix’s own Drive to Survive, MVPatterson will follow San Jose Sabercats star quarterback, Josh Patterson, through this coming seasons up and downs. We will get a peek behind the scenes and inside the Sabercats training facility, and discover the man under the helmet as he leads the Sabercats in a brutal playoff hunt. Viewers will get rare glimpses into the everyday life of Patterson, be it him napping on the couch, playing fifa with his teammates in the locker room, and hitting the dining hall for a nutritious snack. Follow along next March and find out if Patterson has what it takes to finally lift the Ultimus Trophy and lead his Sabercat team to the ultimate victory. -154 Words
26. Some days I think, where would I be if I wasn’t given this cannon for an arm, ya know, the type that can fire a pass over them there mountains type of arm. What are my other skills, what is Josh Patterson good at? Maybe a video game designer, he likes video games, but likes writing way more than he’s good with computer design so maybe a video game writer? That’s a thing, right? Or is it all AI now? It’s probably all AI now. Okay not that, hmm, maybe he’d be a coach, he understands the X’s and O’x, he can draft and build a team, he knows scouting from his many conversations. That might work for him, he likes yelling at people to motivate them so it’s almost a natural fit. But he’d want a hat if he were a coach, like Tom Landry, bring the classy back to the position. - 153 Words
27. As my player gets up there in seasons played, and regression sits on the horizon like the waiting hand of the grim reaper himself, I ponder often, almost daily what would have been. I remember picking a Quarterback as my position when I first created, then came the notification, my player was not approved, new players and quarterbacks, well they just aren’t really a thing here… many have tried, few if any have succeeded, maybe pick a different position, and so I did, a nice Cornerback, something more realistic and in need so hey that’s fun! And so I played my prospect bowl games and was drafted and asked if I did in fact want to be a quarterback, and I accepted, but what if I had stayed as a CB, I wouldn’t have been traded from Berlin, where I would have become a star Defensive player for them, which would have been cool, but I found out by being a Quarterback, I’m a stat guy, I want my stats, so in the end, it was what was best. - 179 Words
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - wetwilleh - 05-04-2024
1. The Ultimus and Ultimini were both awesome to watch this season. With my Portland Pythons coming away with the Ultimini everyone in our locker room is super stoked to finally bring a ring to Portland and do it from a "Last to First" scenario. In the DSFL, POR faced TIJ in the championship game and their stories couldn't be any different. Tijuana had a dominant regular season and although their defense was the lowest in TPE, it didn't show. This led to them going 10-4 entering the playoffs. Portland on the other hand had a rough start, going 1-4 in their first 5 games as the last ranked team the previous season. They managed to pick it up at the end of the season however which led to them winning 8 of their last 9 games to narrowly beat out London for the last playoff slot.
In the DSFL conference championship, POR had to face MINN away who was even more dominant than TIJ all season, going 11-3 total so most people had MINN as a lock for the Ultimini. It looked that way too as the game started 27-0 in favor of the Grey Ducks before something really funny happened. POR somehow came back in the 4th quarter and won 28-27 perhaps giving the biggest comeback in DSFL/ISFL history. This definitely came as a shock to people as POR surprised everyone, including myself, while MINN fans were devastated getting knocked out in the first round back-to-back seasons after dominating all season. On the other side, TIJ had a similarly close game to BBB but everyone expected TIJ to win so it came as no surprise. Like POR's victory over MINN, it came as a shock to most people that we also came out on top of TIJ in the Ultimini. A 23-14 scoreline in favor of TIJ at the beginning of the 4th soon crumbled as POR quickly scored twice to win 28-23 which only a few users thought to be possible. But now the Portland Pythons are your Ultimini Champs so it's all said and done!
In the ISFL, ARI clawed their way back in to the game to get to OT and quickly scored to take the win over NOLA. Meanwhile CTC dominated an already limping BAL (sorry Baron) to face a strong CHI in the conference championship. While SJS led ARI for a while, ARI woke up in the end to take a clean victory over the Sabercats and take them to the Ultimus once again. A lack luster performance from the Butchers where they only scored in the second quarter showed CTC also entering the Ultimus as one of the lowest seeded teams. However their journey would end there as the Outlaws, who kept it close in the first half, annihilated the Crash to no-ones surprise. I think both CTC and NOLA were pretty surprising in the playoffs. Although NOLA lost in the first round, they took it to OT against the reigning champions in a close loss and performed very well. CTC on the other hand made it to the Ultimus and had a very strong season despite a patchy start. The main teams that were a disappointment in the playoffs were the Butchers, Sabercats, and Hawks, who, despite being a higher seed and having a better season than their opponents, lost in the first game they played which is never ideal when you're considered a "favorite".
While there were a lot of CTC believers, I don't think the outcome of the Ultimus was surprising given how the playoffs played out. I inititially had SJS and CHI playing in the championship so I guess the teams that actually made it could be considered a surprise but ARI has playoffs in their blood and CTC is an extremely competitive team so they deserved it. No-one likes a back-to-back champ so I see everyone gunning to take ARI down next season to not let it happen again.
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - jsteele14 - 05-04-2024
Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (Must be 600+ words)
Task 2:
Coming back and recreating after a long absence sure does feel refreshing to the mind. Now, I created and made a linebacker named Frosty Steele. Upon looking at the draft class the first thing I noticed is that there was actually quite a few linebackers that were also made (Looking at it now when typing there is only three of us), and additionally there were quite a bunch of familiar names. I think my draft class so far is looking strong. I am always a fan of bigger draft classes due to the fact that of course you want to see your class well, but it also gives that urge, that encouragement to compete with the top earners of the class and be atop the list. Or maybe that's just me when it comes to it. I like to look at the top earners of the class to see what I may have missed, or how close I am to the person or people above me. So far, the class of S49 has a total of fifty-five creates as I am writing this, and the Ultimus just recently ended so there's still roughly two weeks until the beginning of the season which is nice to see. When looking at the list of members though in this draft, it's crazy to see so many names I remembered from this league, and like I said I was gone for quite some time being roughly three years away from the league so I love seeing the familiar faces. Got to shout out a few like Lumo, Dewalt, Nunccoepi, and Crunk. Just looking at the names and the bank balances of some of these players I think the idea or dream of being drafted first overall is a long shot, but the potential to go possibly top five is there. I am at least hoping that I am the top linebacker drafted, but user Kyamprac is also a pass rushing linebacker with a whopping bank account with almost 300 million dollars so who knows when I will be taken. It's nice to chat with all of my fellow draftees though and like that so far we are all pretty helpful with one another and I really appreciate the time they take to help me out and suggest what to work on, or what a good capped out build looks like for my position.
As it stands, currently looking at the TPE tracker, it looks like there is one user that is far ahead of others being user sonicxdoom. At first I was surprised with how far ahead they were until I realized that they are a first time create and have the opportunity to do the rookie tasks so they can get some extra TPE to start off. Hell, looks like the top three currently in the tracker are all new creates which is great to see and I am hoping I can catch them soon enough.
Now, getting to the part where I am not exactly how the teams will draft, but I am going to take a stab at guessing where people will be drafted to in the first 3 picks of the DSFL draft. With the first pick, the Dallas Birddogs will be up and I think they will go with best available player and that includes with the user attached to it. So I can see them going with taking Jonah Wallis, the Cover Corner from London, UK. The reason I picked this player in particular is they are near the top of the class, it's a team need in corner back and the player has a bank so they won't have to worry about weekly training and equipment. Second pick, the Norfolk Seawolves will take linebacker Frosty Steele from Washington D.C. Now, i know it's a long shot, but i've had good conversations with the team, plus some people don't know is way back when I used to be a GM for this team and the reunion would be nice. Lastly, the third overall pick I believe the Kansas City Coyotes select offensive lineman Connor Craig Jr. Jr. Not only are they getting a need for offensive line, but they also get a great user in Dewalt, no explanation needed.
Code:
711 WordsRE: (S48) Offseason Task - Opera_Phantom - 05-04-2024
7. Write 600 words or more on something about anything in the league that interests you. It could be related to statistics, a league issue that you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 600 words about your team’s participation on a Werewolf server or something.
There is an interesting saying in the football (european football, the real one) that everyone knows, that i think it was something that Gary Lineker (Tottenham Hotspur legend) amazingly said: "In football, it is 11 vs 11 and in the end... Germany wins!".
While Germany is probably not the powerhouse they were once before, i think this saying is pretty much on point to what we have been living in the ISFL, for a long time now. The Arizona Outlaws have managed to stay on top of the league for i do not even know how many seasons, and while i am not an expert in league history, far from it, i do not think i would be very far from the truth, that they are pretty much the most successful team to ever grace our glorious sim league.
So, in my opinion, at this point you would be absolutely crazy to bet against them in the playoffs. On the ASFC side, it is easy TPE to just select them in the league playoff predictions. The other conference, sure, it is always a crapshoot, like we saw with the Cape Tpwn Crash this season, going from the 3rd place in the conference with a 9 - 7 record to an ultimus game, beating the Baltimore Hawks and the number 1 Chicago Butchers, so obviously there i missed the crap out of predictions. But on the other hand, Arizona made it easy to at least get a couple points to spend on my player.
But now the question is: why and how do the Outlaws manage to stay on top regularly, while other teams have to go all in for a chance at a ring, and then spend i do not know how many seasons in "rebuild mode" to go for it again? The only time i remember Arizona being on rebuild mode was during the Jay Cue Sr. era, from season 21ish until season 27 or 28 if i remember correctly, so almost 20 seasons ago. And how many rings have they got since then? 10? I do not even know anymore, but the truth is that it seems like every season they are in the playoffs and get to the conference final game, at least. Which is incredible in the ISFL, all things considered, the fact they are able to stay on top for so long, it is a testament to how well they are run.
In the end you have to go back to where it started all, so even though AZ has had a bunch of very competent general managers, i am guessing that it all came to fruition when Z-Whiz and Crunk set the pillars to everything we are seeing now in the league. With this statement i do not mean to take credit off the other general managers Arizona has had since Z and Crunk stepped down, like simo, lemonhoppy and zeagle (i think i have not missed anyone here), but while having a difficult job to continue the legacy, i would say that the most important thing is to start said legacy.
Credit also to every single user that had a player for the Outlaws, winning makes users want to update and help the team even more, so while some people get all upset, especially during draft times, that some users want to just go back to AZ (and other users want to get to other teams, it is a normal thing to happen), i think it is understandable.
They are winning consistently, so why not go the "Kevin Durant hardest road" and try to get to AZ to stat pad? Kinda makes sense.
(607 words)
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - ztarwarz - 05-04-2024
1. The ISFL playoffs were strange more for what went on in the games than for what each result was. They weren't completely without upsets, Arizona over San Jose was a result that had happened only a few weeks earlier but still required a team of comparable quality to go on the road and beat a peer, and Cape Town over Baltimore was a similar game on paper, except the prior result of the game that year was a game that was 34-7 at halftime for Baltimore and despite some scores in the 3rd to make it closer was never truly in doubt. The most interesting part of the playoffs this season was how great the games were on the whole. The Ultimus was a bit lesser, it only had 3 competitive quarters before Arizona completely shut Cape Town out in the 4th, Baltimore against Cape Town was a complete blowout basically from halftime on as Wolfie McDummy Jr channelled his father's playoff performances by throwing 3 pick sixes, a number I would not be surprised if it was a playoff record, but the other 3 were stellar. Cape Town at Chicago was more low key, but the game hung in the balance for basically the entire 4th quarter as the Crash could not put away the Butchers, but their defense hung firm any time the Butchers got close to overcoming them.
The big games were Arizona's run to the Ultimus, first NOLA, and then San Jose. San Jose, as expected coming from a game between the two best teams all season, was a high scoring, knock down, drag out fight in which neither team ever went ahead by more than one possession. Eventually, Donovan Winters, after a back half of the season plagued by untimely turnovers and unclutch moments that kept Arizona in the 2nd seed, put a cap on one of the greatest games of his life with back to back massive passes that took Arizona from inside their own 20 to the endzone, putting the Outlaws up 7 with less than a minute to go. San Jose could not complete their own version of one of the greatest drives in ISFL history, and Arizona went to the Ultimus.
But that wasn't the game of the playoffs. That undoubtedly was Arizona against NOLA, a game with clutch play after clutch play, a Nickel corner putting on the game of his life maybe against his own user's will in the last game of his career, that ended up going into Overtime in the end. Arizona got out to an exceedingly slow start, throwing a pick six and going down 17-0 before crossing midfield. When they crossed midfield they only got 3 points out of it. Then each team traded dumb special teams happenings on the other team's 30 yard line: NOLA missed a field goal, and Arizona just punted instead. Bamford made his first of many clutch plays over the course of the playoffs with a 58 yard catch to take Arizona into the red zone, and they punched it in a couple plays later. NOLA had just enough time to rush into exceedingly long field goal range and make a 56 yarder to keep it to a 10 point lead at halftime. Arizona cut it to a single possession on the first play of the 2nd half, an 88 yard Bamford bomb, and after trading touchdown drives and interceptions, NOLA had the ball entering the 4th quarter, kicking a field goal to take a 6 point lead. Arizona drove down to cut the lead to 3, then NOLA went 3 and out. Arizona started in long field goal range, got down to the 1, then Jor El, who earlier had gotten the pick six, sacked Winters, forced a fumble, and recovered it to save NOLA's season. NOLA couldn't do anything on offense, and despite multiple seemingly backbreaking offensive penalties Arizona took it to NOLA's 37 after which JJJJJ kicked a 54 yard field goal to basically send it to overtime. Overtime was much simpler, NOLA went 3 and out, then Benji Aguilera had a massive return to make it only a 5 yard net punt, basically ending the game without a turnover. Three Winters turnovers was enough on the day, though, and Arizona ended the game, and began their march to the 10th Ultimus in their existence, 5 plays later with a 4 yard touchdown rush by BMP.
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - Ben - 05-04-2024
7. Write 600 words or more on something about anything in the league that interests you. It could be related to statistics, a league issue that you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. (Inspired by prompt 33. When looking at the teams we have in the ISFL and DSFL, is there any team you believe is in need of a major rebrand or update to their current branding? Why or why not?)
A few seasons ago I did this for the ISFL teams, I thought now I would have a look through the DSFL teams and give my heavily biased and sometimes unreasonable opinions on their branding.
Tijuana Luchadores - Obviously I'm a massive fan of the branding of the team I've been a part of since S9. In order to have our logo in the merch shop it had to be updated and I think the new logo keeps the spirit of the original while also making it a little more modern. I will say I think we could do with an alternate logo without the wording, maybe just the luchadore mask, which would look good on helmets etc. With the most championships in league history and the best locker room in sim sports the Luchadores branding is the most secure in the entire league. The DSFL will fold before Tijuana rebrands.
Portland Pythons - Over the years our main rival for the ultimini. This past season was the 11th time we faced them in the championship, easily the most common matchup. Portland's original logo was purple but their prime years were the black and yellow logo. For some unknown reason they rebranded from that to the poop snake and changed the colour scheme to green and orange. They've since updated the logo to a much nicer one but kept the green and orange colour scheme. I think Portland should return to the black and yellow colour scheme they had during their best seasons in the DSFL, but I can't see the team ever moving.
Norfolk Seawolves - For the longest time the Seawolves had a submarine/baseball bat logo that was clearly ripped from a baseball team somewhere. The new logo is far better. I like their colour scheme, blue is a pretty common colour in the DSFL but they were the first to do it. Norfolk has had pretty decent success over the years although they have been relegated to a bot team in the past. A potential candidate for rebranding but I doubt it.
Minnesota Grey Ducks - Originally the San Antonio Marshalls who, although they had great branding, had the pleasure of losing to the Luchadores every time they faced them in the SFC championship. The Marshalls rebranded to the Grey Ducks and left the conference. I think this rebrand was a downgrade although I don't hate the Minny branding necessarily. The modern logo is an upgrade on the original, and the colour scheme is nice although as mentioned another blue team in the league. One of the more likely candidates for rebranding if not only because they've done it once before.
London Royals - The only team still rocking their original logo. Arguably it could do with an update but it is still solid. I like the colour scheme too although I guess there is two teams in the DSFL using grey. Since they were added to the league they've had pretty decent success. Being one of two expansion teams makes them more likely for rebranding in my eyes but again not that likely.
Kansas City Coyotes - I'm not really a fan of any of their logos but I will say they have improved each time at least. The purple and yellow has been a consistent colour scheme, which is more than can be said about their performance on the field. In my eyes one of the top options for rebranding.
Dallas Birddogs - Original logo was good (especially the alt) and new logo is even better. Someone should recolour the old alt to match the new colour scheme. I've touched on blue being used a lot in the DSFL but the blue and yellow is a good scheme regardless. Since being added to the SFC they initially struggled to make it to the ultimini but have since gone 4-0 when they do get there. Solid brand, low chance of rebranding.
Bondi Beach Buccaneers - Has always been the worst branding in the league since they were the Chicago Blues. A rebrand to the Palm Beach Solar Bears was a slight upgrade but they spent their time as a bot team (although winning two championships lol). Another rebrand to the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers brought the DSFL the worst colour scheme it's ever seen with the neon pink and green which was just horrific. The move to Bondi beach brought at least a better colour scheme although green and gold will always look ugly to me being a kiwi. Bondi beach is a horrible overcrowded place with far better beaches all around it. This is the number one option for rebranding in the league.
RE: (S48) Offseason Task - Dev0 - 05-04-2024
Tier 2 Task #8
As someone who has been around the block, playing online games for about 27 years I would honestly have to say this is one of the most welcoming and helpful communities I have ever come across. I suspect because in sim leagues you really know that more players creates a better experience for everyone, and that forum based games are a dying breed. That even being said I would say DSFL and ISFL have been a tier above any others.
I would love to mention individuals that have been great so far but I would worry that I would forget someone who has helped with my many many ..many questions. My temp team KCC were all fantastic, everyone who has discussed my media releases made the conversation very entertaining, the people who have talked football and fantasy football is always something that gets me excited to talk, and even the tight ends have been fine I guess.
One of my main suggestions for the league would be around chosen positions and perhaps maybe a new player draft profile stating things like their current positions but maybe a couple other positions they would be willing to play. Also there could be other information that the drafting teams could find useful. I'm not sure that this second idea if something that makes sense but I would find it interesting to know teams base lineups. I would say that some formations benefit from speed or power more so then the others. For example, in a 3-4 defense the defensive ends would be different builds. You would want higher power than speed as you want players who can hold the line of scrimmage to allow your speed linebackers to rush the passer. With 4-3 it is the reverse, where you can afford more speed on the edge with 2 large Defensive tackles.