08-29-2017, 12:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-29-2017, 02:02 PM by JBLAZE_THE_BOSS.)
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Not a Bang, but a Whimper[/div]
The Yellowknife Wraiths were defeated by the Baltimore Hawks on the road by a score of 16 to 14.
There are no witty intros. No rhetorical questions or attack sentences. There is a time for those things and that time is not now.
On the surface, the outcome is unsurprising. Baltimore was the higher-seeded team and won the previous matchup. Prior to and through this game, the Hawks had defended their home like none other and, despite improvement, the Wraiths defense still wasn’t very good. But games aren’t played “on the surface,” they’re played on the field. And what happened there will ring in NSFL lore for years to come.
When comparing the absolute peak to the valley, there may never be a collapse that approaches what happened to the Wraiths offense that fated Monday night. Yellowknife’s offensive depth chart is reminiscent of a late-season Madden Mobile team: elites everywhere. The best quarterback and tight end in the league, last season’s MVP at running back, two of the top-5 receivers and an offensive line bookended by pro-bowlers. There are seven Season 1 pro-bowlers studding the Wraiths offense, ironically enough, equaling the number of first downs the team had in the NSFC championship game. The description of the offensive ineptitude rivals the list of stars in its length. Chris Orosz completed more passes to the opposing secondary than he did to last season’s best receiver. Bubba Nuck posted a stat line befitting of a mid-tier developmental prospect. And the self-proclaimed “GOAT TE?” Outproduced by a player who’d spent most of the year as a backup.
This is not a hit piece. The Wraiths, scale of collapse notwithstanding, have the makings of an offensive dynasty. All seven pro-bowlers are dedicated to their craft and are under contract for at least one more year. They also weren’t playing scrubs. The Baltimore defense has blue chip talent across the board, playing against them is a test for any team no matter the offensive talent. Their brain trust is the best in the business bar none. By any definition, Yellowknife is a true contender with the prestige to attract top-flight free agents.
But make no mistake, this loss matters. The Wraiths knew that the defense needed improvement. It’s why they drafted pro-bowl corner Dermot Lavelle and linebacker Kevin Cushing and why they traded for coverage standout AC Hackett. Realistically however, there’s only so much room to add more talent to their offense. And that’s what failed them Monday. The team took as a given that they’d be able to put up points with the best of them. After putting up fewer than two-hundred yards of total offense against a good, not great, defense, they can take that as given no longer.
Spike Crown’s team, stable as it may seem, is at a crossroads. Neither Brice Boggs or AC Hackett are guaranteed to return and, talented as Kevin Cushing is, his skillset and physical profile isn’t one of a tackling machine. Bork Björnsson is a star, but he plays one position, not all four along the line. The Wraiths have draft capital, but considering the lack of depth in the class, all the picks in the world may not matter if there are no impact players to be had. With only one active free agent available this season, Crown has very few traditional options to improve the defense. Crossroads may be a bit of a misnomer, while ostensibly the choice is there, the Wraiths embarrassment of offensive riches leaves them little option but to run it back so long as they have the same pieces in place.
In the traditional hero’s journey narrative arc, the protagonist must endure a harrowing ordeal before he seizes his ultimate goal. If Monday night represents that ordeal, then next season surely contains the reward. They may have ended the season with a whimper, but that’s the only way to exit the cave. And even if this only marks the beginning of the trials, well, at least they aren’t Vegas.
Wraiths Up.
@bovovovo
@Ballerstorm
@NUCK
@RainDelay
@Daybe
@`Dermot`
@kckolbe
@Aenir
@Bzerkap
The Yellowknife Wraiths were defeated by the Baltimore Hawks on the road by a score of 16 to 14.
There are no witty intros. No rhetorical questions or attack sentences. There is a time for those things and that time is not now.
On the surface, the outcome is unsurprising. Baltimore was the higher-seeded team and won the previous matchup. Prior to and through this game, the Hawks had defended their home like none other and, despite improvement, the Wraiths defense still wasn’t very good. But games aren’t played “on the surface,” they’re played on the field. And what happened there will ring in NSFL lore for years to come.
When comparing the absolute peak to the valley, there may never be a collapse that approaches what happened to the Wraiths offense that fated Monday night. Yellowknife’s offensive depth chart is reminiscent of a late-season Madden Mobile team: elites everywhere. The best quarterback and tight end in the league, last season’s MVP at running back, two of the top-5 receivers and an offensive line bookended by pro-bowlers. There are seven Season 1 pro-bowlers studding the Wraiths offense, ironically enough, equaling the number of first downs the team had in the NSFC championship game. The description of the offensive ineptitude rivals the list of stars in its length. Chris Orosz completed more passes to the opposing secondary than he did to last season’s best receiver. Bubba Nuck posted a stat line befitting of a mid-tier developmental prospect. And the self-proclaimed “GOAT TE?” Outproduced by a player who’d spent most of the year as a backup.
This is not a hit piece. The Wraiths, scale of collapse notwithstanding, have the makings of an offensive dynasty. All seven pro-bowlers are dedicated to their craft and are under contract for at least one more year. They also weren’t playing scrubs. The Baltimore defense has blue chip talent across the board, playing against them is a test for any team no matter the offensive talent. Their brain trust is the best in the business bar none. By any definition, Yellowknife is a true contender with the prestige to attract top-flight free agents.
But make no mistake, this loss matters. The Wraiths knew that the defense needed improvement. It’s why they drafted pro-bowl corner Dermot Lavelle and linebacker Kevin Cushing and why they traded for coverage standout AC Hackett. Realistically however, there’s only so much room to add more talent to their offense. And that’s what failed them Monday. The team took as a given that they’d be able to put up points with the best of them. After putting up fewer than two-hundred yards of total offense against a good, not great, defense, they can take that as given no longer.
Spike Crown’s team, stable as it may seem, is at a crossroads. Neither Brice Boggs or AC Hackett are guaranteed to return and, talented as Kevin Cushing is, his skillset and physical profile isn’t one of a tackling machine. Bork Björnsson is a star, but he plays one position, not all four along the line. The Wraiths have draft capital, but considering the lack of depth in the class, all the picks in the world may not matter if there are no impact players to be had. With only one active free agent available this season, Crown has very few traditional options to improve the defense. Crossroads may be a bit of a misnomer, while ostensibly the choice is there, the Wraiths embarrassment of offensive riches leaves them little option but to run it back so long as they have the same pieces in place.
In the traditional hero’s journey narrative arc, the protagonist must endure a harrowing ordeal before he seizes his ultimate goal. If Monday night represents that ordeal, then next season surely contains the reward. They may have ended the season with a whimper, but that’s the only way to exit the cave. And even if this only marks the beginning of the trials, well, at least they aren’t Vegas.
Wraiths Up.
@bovovovo
@Ballerstorm
@NUCK
@RainDelay
@Daybe
@`Dermot`
@kckolbe
@Aenir
@Bzerkap
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