(S44) Offseason Task

[MobiausGrander]

3) Now that the off-season is over, let's take a moment to discuss this off-season for NOLA and how it will not only shape this season but also shape future seasons as well! This off-season, we at NOLA saw that we needed to fill in the final holes in our team position wise defensively and did just that. In addition, we finally called up our young QB prospect, Speedings, and decided to hand the reins over to him. We feel that his hard work and preparation over these past two seasons will pay off for us big time in this and future seasons.

In terms of progression, there are several players I want to highlight that have made high jumps in TPE this off-season. The first of those players is Ezra Azazel. Azazel has always been an underrated defender and one of the greatest players that I ever had the honor of playing with as he was one of the first draft picks that I made during this rebuild. I'm highlighting him here because he finally has close to 1000 tpe and has been acquiring a few traits this off-season that will officially make him a shutdown corner, boosting a growing defense. The second player that I want to highlight is Kyle Crane. Crane has been a versatile offensive force ever since we drafted him in the same class as Azazel. Crane also has close to 1000 tpe and has made huge stride in becoming even faster and more elusive and increased his catching ability as well. He will become a dangerous weapon offensively that will be a great security blanket for our new QB and help lead this offense to new heights for seasons to come. The final player id like to highlight is Bruce White. White has also been one of the first draft picks in this rebuild and has been slowly growing into one of the best defenders in the league. Though he had a slow first two seasons, this past season saw a massive jump on production and disruption that finally saw him be awarded with an All League nomination. He has built upon that season with acquiring traits and improving his tpe to over 900.

That being said, let's get to prediction time. For the overall standings, I largely think we will see the same standards as last season with a few minor changes if possible. In terms of NOLA's place in those standings, I believe we are unfortunately still not at contender level as we still are too low of a TPE level in order to make serious impact. However, I believe we have improved enough to finally not be the worst team in the league. Officially, I believe that the standings will shake up like this; for the ASFC, I believe the order will be New York, Honolulu, Austin, Arizona, Orange County, New Orleans, and then San Jose. For the NSFC, the order will be Baltimore, Berlin, Cape Town, Sarasota, Yeti, Wraiths, and finally Chicago. Out of the order, I believe that next year's Ultimus will have New York playing Berlin in the game with New York prevailing and capturing their second title in franchise history. In terms of who I think will be at the bottom of the league, I believe that Chicago and San Jose respectively will be there as Chicago is looking to build up their offensive weapons while San Jose is looking to find weapons for their new starting QB. This should be an interesting season none the less as we will have many different starting QBs now and teams are starting to change personnel due to the aging out of many players. Let's get it!

[TomHanks]

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?

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One of the interesting things about the S45 rookie class is it includes a high number of long time user recreates. I could see many of the players ending up as Hall of Famers. One obvious potential star and my personal pick for steal of the draft is Hercules Henry. He is a big bodied power back who will be looking to truck through defenders for years to come, and fell out of the first round. With currently the third most TPE in the class and a user who is the current DSFL commissioner, he is sure to prove to be a steal for the Minnesota Grey Ducks in the second round. Walking in with the first overall pick and leaving with a pair of running backs who will complement each other perfectly show Minnesota is looking to build a run first offence that will try to dominate possession, manage the game clock, and keep both their backs fresh.

With the second overall pick, my player, Paul Edgecomb was selected to the London Royals. Edgecomb will line up opposite Geo Roberts and look to create a no fly zone in London. Paul is excited to be returning to London and thrilled to be a part of the Royals organization. It may come as a surprise to some that a 167 year old player would be taken with the second pick of the DSFL draft. However, Paul is as quick and agile as ever, and showing no signs of Father Time slowing him down. He profiles as a versatile player in the secondary, able to play as a ball hawking safety deep or as a boundary corner if it makes sense for the defensive scheme.

With the third overall pick, the Norfolk Seawolves brought in Simon Winston, cornerback out of Maryland. In contrast to Edgecomb who operates best with a bit of a cushion, Winston profiles as a big body, physical corner who will be able to press opposing wide receivers on the line of scrimmage to great success. Winston also possesses high agility and excels at tracking the ball in the air to make a play on it at the right time.

The Bondi Beach Buccaneers used the fourth overall pick to select the first edge rusher off the board. Doctor Who is an exciting young rookie who possesses an elite bull rush. Offensive tackles will have a tough time blocking The Doctor, as he has the strength and power to push offensive linemen to the ground en route to sacking the quarterback. Once the rip and swim moves are developed, this is a player who could be a menace in the DSFL and ISFL for seasons to come.

Defensive backs came off the board early and often in this draft, with Dawelle Wevis heading to the Kansas City Coyotes with the fifth pick in the draft. Wevis ostensibly profiles similar to Winston, a big physical corner who will do well pressing opposing receivers. However, where Winston's key physical trait is his agility, Wevis is most impressive for his blazing speed. There isn't a receiver in the DSFL who will be able to keep up with Wevis once he gets going. With a well established user at the helm, KC walks away with a pick they can feel very comfortable with.

The Dallas Birddogs were able to get their signal caller for the next several seasons, picking Chappy McChapperson with the sixth pick. Chappy has been training hard already and will look to march the Birddogs down the field with steady, consistent plays. While his arm strength will need to improve, it is tough to find a more accurate rookie at the quarterback position. This is a very smart quarterback as well, there's not a lot that can be dialed up on defence that he won't be able to dissect and find some open areas or favourable matchups. Dallas leaves the first round with another established user, and consistency at the most important position in football.

Tijuana brings in another weapon for C.G Breezy Jr with the seventh pick in the first round. André Benn will be a reliable target with sure hands. He also posts an impressive straight line speed. Benn has been training hard leading into this season, and brings a user who is Tijuana royalty back to his team. Like Minnesota, the Luchadores would take the same position back to back, ensuring that someone will be able to get open in the high flying offense lead by Breezy Jr.

With the final pick of the first round, the defending champion Portland Pythons shore up their front seven, adding Xavier Buckley, linebacker out of the University of Georgia. Another long time user, this is a player you can put anywhere in the front seven and he will perform. One of the strongest players in the class with speed to back it up, Buckley is an excellent form tackler and will be able to be a quarterback for the defence.

[Ultimatedestroye]

19. As the Acting GM of the Tijuana Luchadores, I now have the power to do what I want with the stadium, and it's going to be a total overhaul. First, 130,000 Stadium Capacity, I want the crowd to be as loud and rowdy as possible. Second, a whole new Bathroom and Concession stands, and actual new cooks. I want to have concessions be actually good restaurant quality, and the hot dogs to be amazing. Third, develop a new VR seat initiative, where fans with VR headsets can “Buy a ticket” for 30 bucks, and get virtual seats right next to the game, where they can feel, see, and hear the game. This might revolutionize watching games, and bolster profits, as the view should be unrivaled in TV broadcasts, and it will inspire people from all across the world to watch our games. And a whole new jumbotron, and I mean, a JUMBOtron.

21. In a whole new show, Kyle Crane is in an ensemble of other rough and tough actors in an action drama revolving around international weapon sales. Yeeaaaahhhh…. Might not be the best look for Crane, but he’s used to having to go undercover in real life for these types of activities. In this new show, Brecken (Kyle Crane) has to play a war veteran down on his luck looking for any opportunity, when his former, and disgraced, commander comes back to him with a opportunity. Now trading his fatigues for a nice business suit, Brecken now has to use his own military connections, cunning, wits and will to survive to make a killing for himself and his consumers. Why did we agree to it? They paid us a lot of money, and some of the profits are going to some charities they picked out already, but those charities are probably some money laundering scheme for, oh i don’t know, illegal weapon sales

22. Andre Ben is a new wide-out prospect from the University of Arizona, and his speed, and his speed, hands, and agility already make him a surefire 1st rounder going into the s45 ISFL draft. In Arizona State University, Andre Benn made a name for himself by being a do-it-all type of wide-out. He lined out on the edge of the field to run go routes and torch adversary corners. He lined up in the slot juked out opposing Linebackers and hung on to balls that seemed unstoppable. Now, he is going to be a stud for the Luchadores, as his agility is now 61, his speed is a mind-bending 79, and his hands are already at a nice 65. While these numbers may be low to a Johhny Blaze type of receiver, I have no doubt in my mind that Andre Benn will clime to those ranks and put himself into the history books of both the ISFL and DSFL

27. If RB was an Oversaturated position in the ISFL, but still wanted to maintain my Swiss Knife Ability, I might have tried to choose a Scambler type of QB. I mean Both running and passing? That is two uses for one player, which is already a win in my book. Now it would suck not being able to block or catch a ball, but being a leader of the team has got to make up for it somehow. Plus in all of my iterations of franchise mode in Madden, I always make a Dual Threat QB, because it’s normally the most fun archetype to mess around with (Unless you create a 98 Speed 7’0 CB, which is FUN and BROKEN). I think being able to go for a rushing record and a passing record at the same time?! And I don't mean Rushing records for QB, I mean ALL TIME RUSHING, because I am a madman, and will only stop when I have ALL OF THE RECORDS.

[DoubleDub]

Task 8 - 300+ words

I cam across from the PBE so I had an idea of what this sim league would be like and I had an idea about how much time I was going to set aside to dedicate to this league. As I have got to know and understand this league I have found myself to be a lot more involved and interested in it than I initially thought I would be. In my rookie season in the DSFL I was watching every stream, not just the ones that my team was involved in. I think this comes down to the additional activities that the ISFL offers as part of the sim league experience.

Having a fantasy set up that is easy to follow with the help of the bots and actually lets you add those players that playing well etc, and the sportsbook is also easy to use with the google sheet set up. I think what has been the best part is just the communities, I got welcomed into London when I was only a trade deadline waiver - they had me for four weeks or something but I was made to feel very welcome. The same can be said of New Orleans in the ISFL, the NOLA locker room has some incredible users that make it a great community - whether it is on gameday or not the locker room is always friendly. What has stood out is the number of people who are ready to help me with my build, help me with understanding how to update or anything like that. It makes something that is initially so daunting and changes it into a very positive experience that I have really enjoyed. I think this is the core that will bring NOLA back to the promised land and I am so excited that I get to be a part of it.

Task 14 - 300+ Words

I think the league could handle another couple of expansion teams and more specifically and a couple of expansion teams that could add a bit of international blood to the equation. I think that Australia or Oceania as a whole needs more representation, the amount of people I have met in the ISFL who come from this region (like myself) has been astounding honestly. And yes we have Bondi Beach in the DSFL but Europe has London in the DSFL and still get Berlin in the ISFL so I think it is time that Oceania follows suit and gets themselves a lucarative ISFL franchise.

I have said the Oceania region as a whole because I think it would be fun to place one in a country that isn't Australia as its not like both Europe teams are in the United Kingdom. Also before anyone argues with me I am using the geographic Europe not the political Europe. My suggestion is the Port Moresby Paradise, based out of the Papua New Guinean capital the team is named after the countries national emblem - the Bird of Paradise (extremely pretty flower, if you aren't aware). Two meanings to the word Paradise, firstly saying that the city is paradise and secondly referencing the emblem that I have just described. Papua New Guinea is just to the north of Australia and has been a relatively close sporting ally to Papua New Guinea recently so this would go hand in hand with the Bucs helping to establish the Paradise's base of operation. The Paradise could also move certain games to Australia to generate larger revenue and attendance, overall I think it would be a real boost in the region for the ISFL. 

An expansion project wouldn't work with just one team so if we were looking for abother team to even up the conferences then another team in Mexico would be a great idea.

[DL14]

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?
(86 words)
S44 has definitely been one of the more special classes as of late. This is now my second draft class after my original S41 draft, which is possibly an all-time great draft just by sheer numbers alone, but also because of the number of users who would go onto become mainstays in the league in many different ways. Some have become GMs, joined HO, joined other departments of the league, written dozens of media articles, or just simply become noteworthy because of their presence in the league’s Discord servers. I could name many, such as baz, jdc, jenni, wizard, Uptown, etc. But this isn’t about them, it’s about my second class in the ISFL: S44. Coming back into the league after my retirement and break last time out, this time I didn’t expect much of my draft class. Despite the initial hype surrounding the class, it turned out to be a modest sized class, although still quite big and bigger than the 2 before it. In it, we have met so many new special users that are all quite different and who will go on to have interesting careers in the league. First, the new users, who I have grown the closest to because of my interactions with them in the rookie server. Among them, we have TMoney, Orange Julius, Zenzeroni, Triceracop, Crazy Tomato, Bamford, Thor Dangerson, etc. All of these users have brought a unique flair to the league. TMoney for example is now my GM, which I find to be a very funny thing, which is why I lovingly bully him in our Norfolk LR. He created as a TE before switching to WR so he could be drafted first overall to NOLA. He’s a really great user who’s now brought his wife onto the hell that is dot football, so, you know…. I forgot my point, lol. Another user playing at WR who became GM is Orange Julius. Although recently punished because of his rather explosive behaviour at times, he’s still another great and highly active user who went third overall in the draft to my old team, SJS. There’s Triceracop, initially Paul McLaughlin, who has since become one of the more remarkable characters of the league with his Triceracop character and media saga which I’m sure has made quite a few people laugh. Who could forget the star kicker of the class, Zenzeroni. He has also made quite the impact, especially with his media, with which he expresses his thoughts on many different subjects (including me as part of the nauseatin nine lol) and also discord presence. Same can be said for Thor Dangerson, who despite being unable to spell, is still quite the character, although his recent antics that got him suspended are definitely not ideal. But still, he makes great graphics that many people (especially the Orange County Otters) have really enjoyed. Bamford, as my WR nemesis and generally pretty insufferable, has become one of my favorite people in the discord servers. He is crazy active, and despite having quite a bit of an attitude that makes me hate him quite a few times, I still love him as part of S44. But there’s also some high level recreates that have appeared on this class. Since I’m running out of time, I’d like to highlight just two of them for now: Katarn and Blorgl. Blorgl has become the subject of somewhat of a cult following in the league, with his pink and round face becoming the subject of devotion especially amongst fellow S44ers. And Katarn, who has made his pkayer with the hope of finally making his well deserved HOF, which I personally hope he achieves. I could say so much more, but I’m running outta time. See ya.