04-14-2020, 02:49 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-14-2020, 10:29 PM by Jangorhino.)
DSFL Retrospective
Intro
This is an attempted comprehensive retrospective focused on the DSFL. The purpose of the retrospective is to gain a working functional knowledge of the league. A better appreciation for the league will be gained through performing research required to conduct the retrospective.
The details to be discussed in the retrospective will be the league timeline and team history. Finally, conclusions will be discussed in summation of the retrospective. The discussion will begin with a look into the years of operation of the league.
League Timeline
The timeline of the league will be discussed now by analyzing the years of operation to delineate the eras of the league. The DSFL has been in operation for nineteen seasons. The eras of the DSFL for the purpose of this discussion will be defined as early, second era, and modern era. The delineations between eras for the purpose of this discussion are made with marking milestone league structure changes. At this time, the era discussion will begin with the early era, defined by the start of the league.
The Early Era
The early era saw quite a bit of change in a very short period of time. Within three seasons, the league structure would change dramatically. As the league formed and developed, huge changes were made. When the early era began, there were six teams divided into two conferences. The two conferences were the West Conference and the East Conference. Between seasons three and four, there were no league structure changes. The original six teams remained in place within the two conferences. However, the aforementioned changes were soon to take place. Between seasons four and season five, four of the six teams swapped conferences. Along with this sweeping league structure change, one of the teams relocated cities. Between seasons five and six, the conferences were completely renamed. The West became the SFC South and the East became the NFC North. The conference name changes enacted heading into season six would remain the rule into the second era and through to the modern era. This discussion will now continue, transitioning into the second era.
The Second Era
With the league, essentially, restructured and the conferences rebranded; the second era becomes a period of prolonged stability. Starting in season six and extending to season seventeen, the league structure, conferences, and team sites remained completely unchanged. All of the tumult of the early era would fade as the league normalized into the second era. The next league structure change, signaling the transition into modern era, takes place between seasons seventeen and eighteen.
The Modern Era
As was the case with the early era, the modern era is characterized by dramatic change in a relative short amount of time. The new era of change begins with a team site relocation and rebranding between seasons seventeen and eighteen. League structure realignment continues the very next offseason. Between seasons eighteen and nineteen, two teams swap conferences. One of the swapping teams is rebranded and this same team’s site is changed as well. There are no league structure adjustments between seasons nineteen and twenty. Although heading into season twenty-one, another major change is made. Season twenty-one sees the league continue to develop further through expansion. Two teams are added, one in each conference for season twenty-one. This discussion has led us to the current year and concludes the timeline discussion of this retrospective. To summate, the league began and saw much change through the Early Era. The Second Era was an extended period of stability with the league. The Modern Era, much like the Early Era, has seen much change in a short period of time. This discussion now continues with analysis of the teams within the conferences of the DSFL.
Teams
The original six teams of the DSFL were the Chicago Blues, Norfolk Seawolves, Portland Pythons, San Antonio Marshals, Tijuana Luchadores, and the Kansas City Coyotes. The team discussion portion of this retrospective will be focused on team history and movement within the conferences. As part of the history, the team’s win loss record will be discussed. Additional data points of note will be discussed throughout this discussion. The first team discussed will be the Chicago Blues.
Chicago Blues
The Chicago Blues were part of the inaugural season 3 group of teams. The Chicago Blues started in the, then, West conference of the Early Era DSFL. The Chicago Blues were the winners of the conference in the first year with a league high total of ten wins. In this first season, Chicago ended the season with a five game win streak. However, the Blues were upset in the first round of playoffs.
The next year, season four, Chicago’s would only win five games and they would miss the playoffs. Their largest win streak that year would be a mid-season three game run resulting in a record of four wins and five losses.
Seasons three and four would be the only years of operation for the Chicago Blues. As part of the transition into the Second Era, the Blues would relocate and rebrand to the Palm Beach Solar Bears for the start of season five. The next team in this discussion will be the Norfolk Seawolves.
Norfolk Sea Wolves
The Norfolk Seawolves began operations with the DSFL in season three in the, then, West conference with a season record of six wins and eight losses.
The Seawolves have remained in operation uninterrupted to present day. As part of the league shakeup, Norfolk moved to the East conference heading into the Second Era. The Seawolves remained in the East or NFC North from season six to season twenty, when they were realigned into the SFC South. The team is currently in the SFC South in season twenty-one.
Amazingly, the Seawolves’ winning record in season twenty-one was only their second ever. Every season besides season four, which they won seven games and lost six, saw the Seawolves toil in league obscurity. The team was one game from a .500 season multiple times, but never got over the hump between seasons four and twenty-one. The Seawolves’ two playoff appearances resulted in first-round losses. The discussion continues with the Portland Pythons.
Portland Pythons
The Portland Pythons were part of the inaugural group of six to begin the DSFL Early Era. The Pythons began in the West conference, where they stayed until realignment heading into the Second Era. With the start of season five, the Pythons were aligned into the East/NFC North conference. The Pythons remained in the NFC North through the Second Era and into the Modern Era, where the team is still aligned as of season 21.
Season three was an unsuccessful one for the Pythons with team only winning five games. However, the team quickly discovered the secret to success over the subsequent four years. During that period, the team won a combined forty-three regular season games. The Pythons were one of the first DSFL dynasties, as they undoubtedly dominated in the Early Era with two Ultimini. Python success has been sustained consistently throughout the history of the DSFL. All told the team has five DSFL titles to their credit. Additionally, the Python have only suffered three losing seasons in their team’s storied existence. The discussion cow continues with the San Antonio Marshals.
San Antonio Marshals
The San Antonio Marshals began operation as part of the inaugural six in the East conference of the Early Era DSFL. The Marshals remained in the East until realignment in season six. Season six saw the Marshals move to the SFC South, where they remained until being rebranded and relocated in season nineteen in the Modern Era.
The Marshals were a dominant force in the DSFL throughout the Early Era. The team was able to produce two Early Era Ultimini trophies. Over their existence, the Marshals have been a successful franchise, with eleven total seasons of .500 or better football and only five losing seasons. The Marshals success began in season three with winning the inaugural Ultimini! Their second Ultimini was in season six. The discussion continues with the Kansas City Coyotes.
Kansas City Coyotes
The Kansas City Coyotes started operations as one of the six inaugural DSFL teams in season three. The Coyotes were originally aligned in the East conference to begin the Early Era. The team stayed in place through the Second Era and finally realigned into the SFC South during the transition into the Modern Era for one season. To begin season twenty the Coyotes were realigned back into the NFC North where they were for season twenty-one as well.
The Coyotes have eleven winning seasons on record and seven losing seasons. The team had a dominant run in the early to middle portions of the Second Era with seven of eight winning seasons, culminating in their only Ultimis win in season 12. The discussion continues now with the Tijuana Luchadores.
Tijuana Luchadores
The Tijuana Luchadores are one of the inaugural DSFL six teams. The Luchadores were originally aligned in the East conference. They transitioned into the West conference in season five and have remained there through season twenty-one.
The Tijuana Luchadores were, unquestionably, the most dominant team in the DSFL through the expansive Second Era. The team amassed a gaudy number of Ultimini trophy during those seasons. Within a ten year run, the Luchadores won SIX Ultimini titles. That is a prolonged level of success the likes of which the league had never seen before! The Luchadores’ success is clearly evident in their win losses totals in the Second Era as well. From season eight to season nineteen the Luchadores only had a losing record in one season. The Luchadores have been amongst the elite franchises in the DSFL. The discussion now continues with the Palm Beach Solar Bears.
Palm Beach Solar Bears
The Palm Beach Solar Bears began operations in season five. The team is a rebrand of the inaugural Chicago Blues franchise. The team came into the league aligned in the West conference where they stayed until being rebranded out of the league in season eighteen.
In their years of operations, the Solar Bears only had two winning seasons. Oddly enough, they also have two Ultimini trophies; a truly anomalous occurrence indeed. The Solar Bears were consistently among the worst franchises in the league outside of the two successful seasons. In their first season, the team totaled eight regular season wins in route to the league title. Then, again in season fifteen the team had a winning season with seven wins and won the championship, AGAIN! The discussion now continues with the Minnesota Grey Ducks.
Minnesota Grey Ducks
The Minnesota Grey Ducks are a rebranded franchise which began operations in season nineteen. The team was originally aligned with the NFC North, where they are still.
The Grey Ducks have been one of the dominate Modern Era teams with two Ultimini trophies. The two championships were won back to back in seasons nineteen and twenty! The Grey Ducks had much less success in season twenty-one, missing the playoffs and losing 8 games. Season twenty-one was the Grey Ducks first losing season in their brief run of operation. The discussion now continues with the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers.
Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
The Myrtle Beach Buccaneers began operations in season eighteen as a rebranded franchise. The team was aligned into the SFC South where they’ve remained into season twenty-one.
The Myrtle Beach franchise got off to slow start in season eighteen with only two wins. However, in only their second season of existence, the team was quickly able to transform into a perennial winner. In fact, The Buccaneers have been among the elite in the Modern Era with thirty-two wins from season nineteen to twenty-one. Thirty-two wins is good enough for the highest win total in the Modern Era. The Myrtle Beach surge of success culminated in their first Ultimini trophy in season twenty-one! The discussion now continues with the season twenty-one expansion teams, starting with the London Royals.
London Royals
The London Royals began operations in season twenty-one as an expansion team in the NFC North conference.
The London Royals’ first season resulted in five wins, which landed them in last place in the conference. The Royals were able to sustain some success in their first season with some impressive wins in the season. Specifically, in week ten the Royals defeated the Seawolves, an eventual playoff team. The discussion proceeds now with another expansion team, the Dallas Birddogs.
Dallas Birddogs
The Dallas Birddogs began operations in season twenty-one as an expansion team in the SFC South conference.
The Birddogs’ first season resulted in five wins, which landed them in last place in the conference. The discussion now transitions into the conclusion. The Birddogs were able to string together a nice three game win streak in weeks eight through ten. Additionally, the Birddogs were able to take down the season twenty-one Ultimini winning Myrtle Beach Buccaneers in week five! The retrospective is now complete and the discussion will proceed into a summative conclusion.
Conclusion
In summation, the timeline of the DSFL was discussed to determine three major era. The eras for the purpose of the discussion are, Early Era, Second Era, and the Modern Era.
The Early Era spans from the inaugural season three up to season six and was a time of drastic change. The San Antonio Marshals were the dominant team of the era.
The Second Era continues on from season six up to season eighteen and is marked by an extended period of league stability. The Tijuana Luchadores were the dominant team of this era.
The Modern Era begins in season eighteen and continues into season twenty-one.
The modern era has been dominated by the Minnesota Grey Ducks and the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers equally.
In conclusion, considering the Minnesota Grey Duck are a rebrand of the San Antonio franchise, my belief is Minnesota and Tijuana have been the class of the league throughout the Early, Second, and Modern Eras of the DSFL. This has been a fascinating bit of research and very rewarding.
The goal of the retrospective was to gain a working knowledge and appreciation of the DSFL. The goal in this instance was deforest met. Learning about all the rich history and tradition of the DSFL has put things into perspective for me. With this new found perspective and appreciation I will be a much better caretaker of my player and a more responsible contributor to the league. Sharing what I’ve learned with my teammates in discord will be very fun. Also, with this new found knowledge and appreciation, I’ll be much more confident in the interactions with all my teammates and others around the league. I’ll be able to make much more informed choices going forward as well. Now that I’m familiar with some of the trends and historical aspects of the game things will become much easier.
When things become easier, I become much more efficient and effective! This is very exciting time for me! The NSFL draft is just around the corner and the anticipation builds with every day. I cannot wait! Hopefully a super good team will draft me in the 8th round and get a monster steal. The reason I want a good team to draft me is because I very much want to play the entire S22 with the Grey Ducks! Out LR is off the charts and Im focused on doing my part to bring my GM and teammates an Ultimini next season. To continue the Grey Ducks domination in the Modern Era!
2600 word
Intro
This is an attempted comprehensive retrospective focused on the DSFL. The purpose of the retrospective is to gain a working functional knowledge of the league. A better appreciation for the league will be gained through performing research required to conduct the retrospective.
The details to be discussed in the retrospective will be the league timeline and team history. Finally, conclusions will be discussed in summation of the retrospective. The discussion will begin with a look into the years of operation of the league.
League Timeline
The timeline of the league will be discussed now by analyzing the years of operation to delineate the eras of the league. The DSFL has been in operation for nineteen seasons. The eras of the DSFL for the purpose of this discussion will be defined as early, second era, and modern era. The delineations between eras for the purpose of this discussion are made with marking milestone league structure changes. At this time, the era discussion will begin with the early era, defined by the start of the league.
The Early Era
The early era saw quite a bit of change in a very short period of time. Within three seasons, the league structure would change dramatically. As the league formed and developed, huge changes were made. When the early era began, there were six teams divided into two conferences. The two conferences were the West Conference and the East Conference. Between seasons three and four, there were no league structure changes. The original six teams remained in place within the two conferences. However, the aforementioned changes were soon to take place. Between seasons four and season five, four of the six teams swapped conferences. Along with this sweeping league structure change, one of the teams relocated cities. Between seasons five and six, the conferences were completely renamed. The West became the SFC South and the East became the NFC North. The conference name changes enacted heading into season six would remain the rule into the second era and through to the modern era. This discussion will now continue, transitioning into the second era.
The Second Era
With the league, essentially, restructured and the conferences rebranded; the second era becomes a period of prolonged stability. Starting in season six and extending to season seventeen, the league structure, conferences, and team sites remained completely unchanged. All of the tumult of the early era would fade as the league normalized into the second era. The next league structure change, signaling the transition into modern era, takes place between seasons seventeen and eighteen.
The Modern Era
As was the case with the early era, the modern era is characterized by dramatic change in a relative short amount of time. The new era of change begins with a team site relocation and rebranding between seasons seventeen and eighteen. League structure realignment continues the very next offseason. Between seasons eighteen and nineteen, two teams swap conferences. One of the swapping teams is rebranded and this same team’s site is changed as well. There are no league structure adjustments between seasons nineteen and twenty. Although heading into season twenty-one, another major change is made. Season twenty-one sees the league continue to develop further through expansion. Two teams are added, one in each conference for season twenty-one. This discussion has led us to the current year and concludes the timeline discussion of this retrospective. To summate, the league began and saw much change through the Early Era. The Second Era was an extended period of stability with the league. The Modern Era, much like the Early Era, has seen much change in a short period of time. This discussion now continues with analysis of the teams within the conferences of the DSFL.
Teams
The original six teams of the DSFL were the Chicago Blues, Norfolk Seawolves, Portland Pythons, San Antonio Marshals, Tijuana Luchadores, and the Kansas City Coyotes. The team discussion portion of this retrospective will be focused on team history and movement within the conferences. As part of the history, the team’s win loss record will be discussed. Additional data points of note will be discussed throughout this discussion. The first team discussed will be the Chicago Blues.
Chicago Blues
The Chicago Blues were part of the inaugural season 3 group of teams. The Chicago Blues started in the, then, West conference of the Early Era DSFL. The Chicago Blues were the winners of the conference in the first year with a league high total of ten wins. In this first season, Chicago ended the season with a five game win streak. However, the Blues were upset in the first round of playoffs.
The next year, season four, Chicago’s would only win five games and they would miss the playoffs. Their largest win streak that year would be a mid-season three game run resulting in a record of four wins and five losses.
Seasons three and four would be the only years of operation for the Chicago Blues. As part of the transition into the Second Era, the Blues would relocate and rebrand to the Palm Beach Solar Bears for the start of season five. The next team in this discussion will be the Norfolk Seawolves.
Norfolk Sea Wolves
The Norfolk Seawolves began operations with the DSFL in season three in the, then, West conference with a season record of six wins and eight losses.
The Seawolves have remained in operation uninterrupted to present day. As part of the league shakeup, Norfolk moved to the East conference heading into the Second Era. The Seawolves remained in the East or NFC North from season six to season twenty, when they were realigned into the SFC South. The team is currently in the SFC South in season twenty-one.
Amazingly, the Seawolves’ winning record in season twenty-one was only their second ever. Every season besides season four, which they won seven games and lost six, saw the Seawolves toil in league obscurity. The team was one game from a .500 season multiple times, but never got over the hump between seasons four and twenty-one. The Seawolves’ two playoff appearances resulted in first-round losses. The discussion continues with the Portland Pythons.
Portland Pythons
The Portland Pythons were part of the inaugural group of six to begin the DSFL Early Era. The Pythons began in the West conference, where they stayed until realignment heading into the Second Era. With the start of season five, the Pythons were aligned into the East/NFC North conference. The Pythons remained in the NFC North through the Second Era and into the Modern Era, where the team is still aligned as of season 21.
Season three was an unsuccessful one for the Pythons with team only winning five games. However, the team quickly discovered the secret to success over the subsequent four years. During that period, the team won a combined forty-three regular season games. The Pythons were one of the first DSFL dynasties, as they undoubtedly dominated in the Early Era with two Ultimini. Python success has been sustained consistently throughout the history of the DSFL. All told the team has five DSFL titles to their credit. Additionally, the Python have only suffered three losing seasons in their team’s storied existence. The discussion cow continues with the San Antonio Marshals.
San Antonio Marshals
The San Antonio Marshals began operation as part of the inaugural six in the East conference of the Early Era DSFL. The Marshals remained in the East until realignment in season six. Season six saw the Marshals move to the SFC South, where they remained until being rebranded and relocated in season nineteen in the Modern Era.
The Marshals were a dominant force in the DSFL throughout the Early Era. The team was able to produce two Early Era Ultimini trophies. Over their existence, the Marshals have been a successful franchise, with eleven total seasons of .500 or better football and only five losing seasons. The Marshals success began in season three with winning the inaugural Ultimini! Their second Ultimini was in season six. The discussion continues with the Kansas City Coyotes.
Kansas City Coyotes
The Kansas City Coyotes started operations as one of the six inaugural DSFL teams in season three. The Coyotes were originally aligned in the East conference to begin the Early Era. The team stayed in place through the Second Era and finally realigned into the SFC South during the transition into the Modern Era for one season. To begin season twenty the Coyotes were realigned back into the NFC North where they were for season twenty-one as well.
The Coyotes have eleven winning seasons on record and seven losing seasons. The team had a dominant run in the early to middle portions of the Second Era with seven of eight winning seasons, culminating in their only Ultimis win in season 12. The discussion continues now with the Tijuana Luchadores.
Tijuana Luchadores
The Tijuana Luchadores are one of the inaugural DSFL six teams. The Luchadores were originally aligned in the East conference. They transitioned into the West conference in season five and have remained there through season twenty-one.
The Tijuana Luchadores were, unquestionably, the most dominant team in the DSFL through the expansive Second Era. The team amassed a gaudy number of Ultimini trophy during those seasons. Within a ten year run, the Luchadores won SIX Ultimini titles. That is a prolonged level of success the likes of which the league had never seen before! The Luchadores’ success is clearly evident in their win losses totals in the Second Era as well. From season eight to season nineteen the Luchadores only had a losing record in one season. The Luchadores have been amongst the elite franchises in the DSFL. The discussion now continues with the Palm Beach Solar Bears.
Palm Beach Solar Bears
The Palm Beach Solar Bears began operations in season five. The team is a rebrand of the inaugural Chicago Blues franchise. The team came into the league aligned in the West conference where they stayed until being rebranded out of the league in season eighteen.
In their years of operations, the Solar Bears only had two winning seasons. Oddly enough, they also have two Ultimini trophies; a truly anomalous occurrence indeed. The Solar Bears were consistently among the worst franchises in the league outside of the two successful seasons. In their first season, the team totaled eight regular season wins in route to the league title. Then, again in season fifteen the team had a winning season with seven wins and won the championship, AGAIN! The discussion now continues with the Minnesota Grey Ducks.
Minnesota Grey Ducks
The Minnesota Grey Ducks are a rebranded franchise which began operations in season nineteen. The team was originally aligned with the NFC North, where they are still.
The Grey Ducks have been one of the dominate Modern Era teams with two Ultimini trophies. The two championships were won back to back in seasons nineteen and twenty! The Grey Ducks had much less success in season twenty-one, missing the playoffs and losing 8 games. Season twenty-one was the Grey Ducks first losing season in their brief run of operation. The discussion now continues with the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers.
Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
The Myrtle Beach Buccaneers began operations in season eighteen as a rebranded franchise. The team was aligned into the SFC South where they’ve remained into season twenty-one.
The Myrtle Beach franchise got off to slow start in season eighteen with only two wins. However, in only their second season of existence, the team was quickly able to transform into a perennial winner. In fact, The Buccaneers have been among the elite in the Modern Era with thirty-two wins from season nineteen to twenty-one. Thirty-two wins is good enough for the highest win total in the Modern Era. The Myrtle Beach surge of success culminated in their first Ultimini trophy in season twenty-one! The discussion now continues with the season twenty-one expansion teams, starting with the London Royals.
London Royals
The London Royals began operations in season twenty-one as an expansion team in the NFC North conference.
The London Royals’ first season resulted in five wins, which landed them in last place in the conference. The Royals were able to sustain some success in their first season with some impressive wins in the season. Specifically, in week ten the Royals defeated the Seawolves, an eventual playoff team. The discussion proceeds now with another expansion team, the Dallas Birddogs.
Dallas Birddogs
The Dallas Birddogs began operations in season twenty-one as an expansion team in the SFC South conference.
The Birddogs’ first season resulted in five wins, which landed them in last place in the conference. The discussion now transitions into the conclusion. The Birddogs were able to string together a nice three game win streak in weeks eight through ten. Additionally, the Birddogs were able to take down the season twenty-one Ultimini winning Myrtle Beach Buccaneers in week five! The retrospective is now complete and the discussion will proceed into a summative conclusion.
Conclusion
In summation, the timeline of the DSFL was discussed to determine three major era. The eras for the purpose of the discussion are, Early Era, Second Era, and the Modern Era.
The Early Era spans from the inaugural season three up to season six and was a time of drastic change. The San Antonio Marshals were the dominant team of the era.
The Second Era continues on from season six up to season eighteen and is marked by an extended period of league stability. The Tijuana Luchadores were the dominant team of this era.
The Modern Era begins in season eighteen and continues into season twenty-one.
The modern era has been dominated by the Minnesota Grey Ducks and the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers equally.
In conclusion, considering the Minnesota Grey Duck are a rebrand of the San Antonio franchise, my belief is Minnesota and Tijuana have been the class of the league throughout the Early, Second, and Modern Eras of the DSFL. This has been a fascinating bit of research and very rewarding.
The goal of the retrospective was to gain a working knowledge and appreciation of the DSFL. The goal in this instance was deforest met. Learning about all the rich history and tradition of the DSFL has put things into perspective for me. With this new found perspective and appreciation I will be a much better caretaker of my player and a more responsible contributor to the league. Sharing what I’ve learned with my teammates in discord will be very fun. Also, with this new found knowledge and appreciation, I’ll be much more confident in the interactions with all my teammates and others around the league. I’ll be able to make much more informed choices going forward as well. Now that I’m familiar with some of the trends and historical aspects of the game things will become much easier.
When things become easier, I become much more efficient and effective! This is very exciting time for me! The NSFL draft is just around the corner and the anticipation builds with every day. I cannot wait! Hopefully a super good team will draft me in the 8th round and get a monster steal. The reason I want a good team to draft me is because I very much want to play the entire S22 with the Grey Ducks! Out LR is off the charts and Im focused on doing my part to bring my GM and teammates an Ultimini next season. To continue the Grey Ducks domination in the Modern Era!
2600 word