Welcome to the Season Two NSFL in Review series! There will be 8 parts to this, one for each team in record/elimination order. @RainDelay and I will be looking at the good things, the bad things, and the future scope of each team.
So far in this season’s series:
8. S2 Las Vegas Legion: The Good, Bad and Future
7. S2 San Jose SaberCats: The Good, Bad, and Future
6. S2 Philadelphia Liberty: The Good, Bad and Future
5. S2 Colorado Yeti: The Good, Bad and Future
Next up are the Orange County Otters, who finished 2nd place in the American Simulation Football Conference this season, then were eliminated by the Arizona Outlaws in the semifinals.
Orange County Otters
8-6
Second in ASFC
Round 1: Lost to Outlaws
Full Disclosure: I picked the Otters to win it all this year, regular season and post season. I might be a bit salty about losing on those predictions, not to mention a couple of predictions throughout the season.
The Good
Number One: They aren’t the-okay, I’ll stop. How about this: no weaknesses. Okay, technically that isn’t true. They do need a better kicker/punter. But really, this team is in the top half of EVERY OTHER position group in terms of talent. They do have holes to fill in the Season Three draft, but I’d say they have the most complete team in the league. This is a team looking to acquire a kicker, a number three linebacker, a final defensive lineman, and a final offensive lineman. Oh, and maybe a backup running back to replace the retiring Vick Bowers, Jr. This is not a team scrambling to put decent players on the field, or having to scheme over weakness. They are good just about everywhere.
Number Two: They may not have weaknesses, but they do have strengths. They are effectively tied with the Wraiths for best offensive line, and only trailing the Wraiths in WR and TE. In fact, in overall talent, the Otters actually might have the strongest offense in the league, only contested by the Wraiths. How come no one talks about that? Where the Otters in NO WAY compare to the Wraiths, though, is on defense. The Otters have the second-best pass rush in the NSFL, led by the fastest linebacker in the league, Franklin Harris. Harris’ numbers may not do his talent justice, though.
Number Three: The talent is showing up on game day. The Otters finished third in total yards gained, just behind the Wraiths and Hawks. They finished FIRST in yards allowed. They finished TIED FOR SECOND in point differential, only 6 points behind the Outlaws. This team is good. It’s hard to look at the talent on that team, their offensive and defensive rankings, and consider them anything but a serious contender. A couple of unlucky plays gone the other way, and who knows, maybe this team could have had home field advantage competing for the Solis Trophy.
The Bad
Honestly, this is a tough section for the Otters, largely due to the whole “no weaknesses” thing from the good section, but after some digging (because I did have to dig), I found some legitimate concerns.
Number One: This is one of the best teams in the league. Yeah, this might not sound like a bad thing. Hell, it isn’t. It’s amazing, unless you remember my “Buy the Numbers” predictions from preseason, when I stated that Orange County was THE best team in the league. Since then, five of the seven other teams in the league have shown more improvement. Add to that the off field issues of star defensive end Adamle Tomlinson and the departure of both of their general managers, and it’s difficult to imagine the Otters “bursting” back to life. Again, they are still among the best, but I feel like we are seeing the early 2000’s Chargers, loaded with talent, but slowly declining into mediocrity.
Number Two: Special Teams. So, I mentioned their kicker recently, but I don’t think he was horrible. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a position in need of upgrade, and they have the ability to make that upgrade, but what concerns me as well is their return game. Despite finishing third in points allowed, the Otters had the lowest number of kick returns in the league. Since they did NOT receive the least kickoffs, that means that they were simply more likely to take a touchback than the rest of the league. This is despite the fact that the Otters have arguably the second most athletic special teams players (behind the Outlaws). Additionally, while the Otters have forced the most punts in the league, their punt return yards are only third, their average return third from the bottom. This team is forcing their offense to work a lot harder than necessary.
Number Three: Coaching/Management. When a team begins the year with the most talented roster (by a respectable margin) and is only BARELY number two at the end, being third in points scored and allowed, along with such a poor special teams showing is all on the coaching. I’m not privy to their depth chart, but I’ll wager that their personnel and schemes were not being researched well to hold the advantage over their opponents. While both general managers may have announced the change of leadership mid-season, I think they had to have mentally checked out some time before that. At this point, it’s far too soon to say whether the new managers will have more success, but this was a huge mark against what could have, and maybe should have been, the Ultimus Champions.
The Future
The good news is that the Otters have all of their key personnel returning for Season Three, having extended Leroy Jenkins and Dominic Verns. A new kicker has to be a priority. While Joey Langdon was an impressive 9 for 9 on field goals under 30 yards, he was only 7 for 13 above 40. Between that and the team’s fifth best punting average, this is a position that needs help. Their top priority, though, if they want to maintain their defensive dominance, is a defensive tackle. With JJ Reigns having gone stagnant and their second-best defensive tackle being a one season waiver claim, this position group could become a liability if not seriously addressed. Fortunately, the Season Three draft will give them the opportunity to address it, especially now that kicker Al Sims has stated that he will only play for Orange County. With a little work, the Otters could find themselves back in contention next year, but right now they seem nothing more than a hurdle for the Outlaws to clear before winning another Ultimus Trophy.
GRADED
So far in this season’s series:
8. S2 Las Vegas Legion: The Good, Bad and Future
7. S2 San Jose SaberCats: The Good, Bad, and Future
6. S2 Philadelphia Liberty: The Good, Bad and Future
5. S2 Colorado Yeti: The Good, Bad and Future
Next up are the Orange County Otters, who finished 2nd place in the American Simulation Football Conference this season, then were eliminated by the Arizona Outlaws in the semifinals.
Orange County Otters
8-6
Second in ASFC
Round 1: Lost to Outlaws
Full Disclosure: I picked the Otters to win it all this year, regular season and post season. I might be a bit salty about losing on those predictions, not to mention a couple of predictions throughout the season.
The Good
Number One: They aren’t the-okay, I’ll stop. How about this: no weaknesses. Okay, technically that isn’t true. They do need a better kicker/punter. But really, this team is in the top half of EVERY OTHER position group in terms of talent. They do have holes to fill in the Season Three draft, but I’d say they have the most complete team in the league. This is a team looking to acquire a kicker, a number three linebacker, a final defensive lineman, and a final offensive lineman. Oh, and maybe a backup running back to replace the retiring Vick Bowers, Jr. This is not a team scrambling to put decent players on the field, or having to scheme over weakness. They are good just about everywhere.
Number Two: They may not have weaknesses, but they do have strengths. They are effectively tied with the Wraiths for best offensive line, and only trailing the Wraiths in WR and TE. In fact, in overall talent, the Otters actually might have the strongest offense in the league, only contested by the Wraiths. How come no one talks about that? Where the Otters in NO WAY compare to the Wraiths, though, is on defense. The Otters have the second-best pass rush in the NSFL, led by the fastest linebacker in the league, Franklin Harris. Harris’ numbers may not do his talent justice, though.
Number Three: The talent is showing up on game day. The Otters finished third in total yards gained, just behind the Wraiths and Hawks. They finished FIRST in yards allowed. They finished TIED FOR SECOND in point differential, only 6 points behind the Outlaws. This team is good. It’s hard to look at the talent on that team, their offensive and defensive rankings, and consider them anything but a serious contender. A couple of unlucky plays gone the other way, and who knows, maybe this team could have had home field advantage competing for the Solis Trophy.
The Bad
Honestly, this is a tough section for the Otters, largely due to the whole “no weaknesses” thing from the good section, but after some digging (because I did have to dig), I found some legitimate concerns.
Number One: This is one of the best teams in the league. Yeah, this might not sound like a bad thing. Hell, it isn’t. It’s amazing, unless you remember my “Buy the Numbers” predictions from preseason, when I stated that Orange County was THE best team in the league. Since then, five of the seven other teams in the league have shown more improvement. Add to that the off field issues of star defensive end Adamle Tomlinson and the departure of both of their general managers, and it’s difficult to imagine the Otters “bursting” back to life. Again, they are still among the best, but I feel like we are seeing the early 2000’s Chargers, loaded with talent, but slowly declining into mediocrity.
Number Two: Special Teams. So, I mentioned their kicker recently, but I don’t think he was horrible. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a position in need of upgrade, and they have the ability to make that upgrade, but what concerns me as well is their return game. Despite finishing third in points allowed, the Otters had the lowest number of kick returns in the league. Since they did NOT receive the least kickoffs, that means that they were simply more likely to take a touchback than the rest of the league. This is despite the fact that the Otters have arguably the second most athletic special teams players (behind the Outlaws). Additionally, while the Otters have forced the most punts in the league, their punt return yards are only third, their average return third from the bottom. This team is forcing their offense to work a lot harder than necessary.
Number Three: Coaching/Management. When a team begins the year with the most talented roster (by a respectable margin) and is only BARELY number two at the end, being third in points scored and allowed, along with such a poor special teams showing is all on the coaching. I’m not privy to their depth chart, but I’ll wager that their personnel and schemes were not being researched well to hold the advantage over their opponents. While both general managers may have announced the change of leadership mid-season, I think they had to have mentally checked out some time before that. At this point, it’s far too soon to say whether the new managers will have more success, but this was a huge mark against what could have, and maybe should have been, the Ultimus Champions.
The Future
The good news is that the Otters have all of their key personnel returning for Season Three, having extended Leroy Jenkins and Dominic Verns. A new kicker has to be a priority. While Joey Langdon was an impressive 9 for 9 on field goals under 30 yards, he was only 7 for 13 above 40. Between that and the team’s fifth best punting average, this is a position that needs help. Their top priority, though, if they want to maintain their defensive dominance, is a defensive tackle. With JJ Reigns having gone stagnant and their second-best defensive tackle being a one season waiver claim, this position group could become a liability if not seriously addressed. Fortunately, the Season Three draft will give them the opportunity to address it, especially now that kicker Al Sims has stated that he will only play for Orange County. With a little work, the Otters could find themselves back in contention next year, but right now they seem nothing more than a hurdle for the Outlaws to clear before winning another Ultimus Trophy.
GRADED