Thoughts on the eve of the playoffs
Tonight is a big occasion for L'Gazzy Burfict. A playoff appearance in the ISFL for the first time in his career. Last season is still a little raw, and carried many similarities with the current one.
For starters, the Arizona Outlaws have again had a damn good regular season. Last year they suffered a little with the run in which pushed them down the pecking order and into the wild card playoff. And we know how that ended. This year looked like it may go in a similar direction at one point but instead the team battened down the hatches and secured a playoff birth by finishing at the top of the conference.
So before looking ahead to the game this evening I want to first take a look at the numbers behind the Arizona Outlaws and L'Gazzy Burfict in particular to see what has changed from last season to this.
So to start of, the Arizona Outlaws won an extra game this season, so 12 against the 11 seen in season 27. This again was helped by their tremendous form on the road. In both this season and last the Arizona Outlaws have been 7 and 1 on the road and in both seasons this has been the best record across the two divisions. I'm not really sure what to make of that, other than they are making sure to set up with the best possible chance of taking home that W each week. Am I supposed by the home form being as it is? Sure. Those Sim Gods can be cruel at time. But putting this aside, a record of 12 and 4 overall is impressive.
Roster wise there have been some notable gains and losses which in some way look to even each other out. But in general, the Arizona Outlaws as a unit are always getting stronger. Must be something in the water, or beer, down here.
Now to focus on Burfict and his current vs prior value to the team.
Tackles
Burfict has increased his productivity here, going from 73 in season 28 to 88 in season 29. So in other words, he's getting almost one extra tackle per game - an increase of 20%.
Tackles for Loss
A drop in productivity here, with Burfict falling from five in season 28 to only a couple this time around. Difficult to understand why this could be happening, maybe teams are just not looking to play through Burfict as much these days.
Sacks
In terms of sacks, Burfict has been hungry to make improvements in his game. In season 28 he only managed eight sacks, or 0.5 per game. This season he has almost doubled that, racking up 14 in total. Improvements to one side, the ultimate goal is league leading stats as per his DSFL days and he will need another jump up in productivity if that goal is to be realised.
Interceptions
Perhaps a disappointing season this time out, with his stats dropping down from two to one here.
Pass Deflections
The interceptions on the field may have halved, but interceptions wise Burfict has doubled down, going from five in season 28 to 10 in season 29. I know he has been working on his hands this year which has helped, perhaps he just needs a little bit more luck to pull in more of these as interceptions.
Safeties
These are a luxury, so when they come off they are celebrated hard. Burfict did manage to lock down one of these last time out, but unfortunately nothing this time around.
So in general, the key base numbers are moving in the right direction. Tackles are up, sacks are up, pass deflections are up and turning these into interceptions is the next goal here.
And the improvement in numbers align well with the season the Arizona Outlaws have had. In season 28 the team gave up 355 points to the opposition teams. This time out this was pulled back a little to 348; every little helps. I think the real change here has been the productivity at the other end of the field, with the Outlaws racking up 57 more points this season than last.
Ok so now back to the game at hand, the playoff match up between the Arizona Outlaws and the Austin Copperheads. The Copperheads finished the regular season with a record of 9 and 7, and defeated the 10 and 6 New York Silverbacks in the wild card playoff game. That win will have given them some confidence going into the game, ending their three game losing streak from the regular season. The Arizona Outlaws on the other hand are in good form, with three victories on the bounce.
L'Gazzy Burfict's ones to watch
So who do I think will be causing the Outlaws problems this time out?
Well in the first of the two regular season matchups it was more just a consistent team performance which took Austin over the line with a 37-30 victory. Young rookie QB Cortez had an indifferent day with a passer rating of 48.6 against his season average of 99.7; ouch.
In game two of the regular season, the Arizona Outlaws reversed things and came away with the victory, this time by 29-25. Both QBs threw great numbers on the day (103+ passer ratings). I should also point out that both teams victories came on the road.
So aside from the talents of Daytona at QB, who are my ones to watch?
Videl-San has pulled in good figures both times out against the Outlaws, so I fancy them to be a target once more. Only the one TD but with over 200 recieving yards, that is something the Arizona D needs to be aware of.
In the seasons first matchup, Zoe Watts pulled in 117 rushing yards with three touchdowns. In comparison, the second matchup saw her only manage 51 rushing yards (although still bringing home a TD). A key for the Outlaws here is replicating this defensive performance hand minimising the threat Zoe Watts possesse (don't worry, Burfict has taken note).
On the defensive side, the Copperheads have secured three interceptions over the two matchups and again, this could be key. Cortez has had an outstanding season, getting better each week. Arizona really need to look to minimise the threat of players like Crooks who has two of these. Other notes point to Thomaslacher who has had 12 tackles and two sacks and Bowie with their seven pass deflections, 21% of their season total of 34.
So finally, what do I think?
Well...
It's going to be a close one. But how could I think anything other than an Arizona Outlaws victory. They will take it by three. With Burfict saving his illusive TD for the Ultimus stage.
Tonight is a big occasion for L'Gazzy Burfict. A playoff appearance in the ISFL for the first time in his career. Last season is still a little raw, and carried many similarities with the current one.
For starters, the Arizona Outlaws have again had a damn good regular season. Last year they suffered a little with the run in which pushed them down the pecking order and into the wild card playoff. And we know how that ended. This year looked like it may go in a similar direction at one point but instead the team battened down the hatches and secured a playoff birth by finishing at the top of the conference.
So before looking ahead to the game this evening I want to first take a look at the numbers behind the Arizona Outlaws and L'Gazzy Burfict in particular to see what has changed from last season to this.
So to start of, the Arizona Outlaws won an extra game this season, so 12 against the 11 seen in season 27. This again was helped by their tremendous form on the road. In both this season and last the Arizona Outlaws have been 7 and 1 on the road and in both seasons this has been the best record across the two divisions. I'm not really sure what to make of that, other than they are making sure to set up with the best possible chance of taking home that W each week. Am I supposed by the home form being as it is? Sure. Those Sim Gods can be cruel at time. But putting this aside, a record of 12 and 4 overall is impressive.
Roster wise there have been some notable gains and losses which in some way look to even each other out. But in general, the Arizona Outlaws as a unit are always getting stronger. Must be something in the water, or beer, down here.
Now to focus on Burfict and his current vs prior value to the team.
Tackles
Burfict has increased his productivity here, going from 73 in season 28 to 88 in season 29. So in other words, he's getting almost one extra tackle per game - an increase of 20%.
Tackles for Loss
A drop in productivity here, with Burfict falling from five in season 28 to only a couple this time around. Difficult to understand why this could be happening, maybe teams are just not looking to play through Burfict as much these days.
Sacks
In terms of sacks, Burfict has been hungry to make improvements in his game. In season 28 he only managed eight sacks, or 0.5 per game. This season he has almost doubled that, racking up 14 in total. Improvements to one side, the ultimate goal is league leading stats as per his DSFL days and he will need another jump up in productivity if that goal is to be realised.
Interceptions
Perhaps a disappointing season this time out, with his stats dropping down from two to one here.
Pass Deflections
The interceptions on the field may have halved, but interceptions wise Burfict has doubled down, going from five in season 28 to 10 in season 29. I know he has been working on his hands this year which has helped, perhaps he just needs a little bit more luck to pull in more of these as interceptions.
Safeties
These are a luxury, so when they come off they are celebrated hard. Burfict did manage to lock down one of these last time out, but unfortunately nothing this time around.
So in general, the key base numbers are moving in the right direction. Tackles are up, sacks are up, pass deflections are up and turning these into interceptions is the next goal here.
And the improvement in numbers align well with the season the Arizona Outlaws have had. In season 28 the team gave up 355 points to the opposition teams. This time out this was pulled back a little to 348; every little helps. I think the real change here has been the productivity at the other end of the field, with the Outlaws racking up 57 more points this season than last.
Ok so now back to the game at hand, the playoff match up between the Arizona Outlaws and the Austin Copperheads. The Copperheads finished the regular season with a record of 9 and 7, and defeated the 10 and 6 New York Silverbacks in the wild card playoff game. That win will have given them some confidence going into the game, ending their three game losing streak from the regular season. The Arizona Outlaws on the other hand are in good form, with three victories on the bounce.
L'Gazzy Burfict's ones to watch
So who do I think will be causing the Outlaws problems this time out?
Well in the first of the two regular season matchups it was more just a consistent team performance which took Austin over the line with a 37-30 victory. Young rookie QB Cortez had an indifferent day with a passer rating of 48.6 against his season average of 99.7; ouch.
In game two of the regular season, the Arizona Outlaws reversed things and came away with the victory, this time by 29-25. Both QBs threw great numbers on the day (103+ passer ratings). I should also point out that both teams victories came on the road.
So aside from the talents of Daytona at QB, who are my ones to watch?
Videl-San has pulled in good figures both times out against the Outlaws, so I fancy them to be a target once more. Only the one TD but with over 200 recieving yards, that is something the Arizona D needs to be aware of.
In the seasons first matchup, Zoe Watts pulled in 117 rushing yards with three touchdowns. In comparison, the second matchup saw her only manage 51 rushing yards (although still bringing home a TD). A key for the Outlaws here is replicating this defensive performance hand minimising the threat Zoe Watts possesse (don't worry, Burfict has taken note).
On the defensive side, the Copperheads have secured three interceptions over the two matchups and again, this could be key. Cortez has had an outstanding season, getting better each week. Arizona really need to look to minimise the threat of players like Crooks who has two of these. Other notes point to Thomaslacher who has had 12 tackles and two sacks and Bowie with their seven pass deflections, 21% of their season total of 34.
So finally, what do I think?
Well...
It's going to be a close one. But how could I think anything other than an Arizona Outlaws victory. They will take it by three. With Burfict saving his illusive TD for the Ultimus stage.
Code:
1,139