07-03-2019, 11:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-11-2019, 08:19 PM by JKortesi81.)
NSFL Season 16 is almost upon us and the big question always is who’s going to be the next Ultimus champion. Offseason became a little bit noiser this time around with the expansion draft happening in order to welcome Chicago and Austin into the league. Taking into account all of these changes, some teams went all in to sign the biggest names in free agency and others chose to focus on the draft. With preseason games around the corner, let's put our focus into analyzing how teams will be looking for the beginning of the season.
NSFC
Baltimore Hawks
Key players lost: WR Vinny Valentine (Free Agent), QB Childish Gambino (retired), LB Charlie Trout (retired), DE Abayomi Mbanefo (Expansion Draft), CB Achilles Hondo (Expansion Draft), TE Declan Harp (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: CB Xandra Troyski (Free Agent), K/P ForThe Brand (S16 Draft)
The current Ultimus winners are looking to go for back to back championships and they certainly have the means to do it. Looking into Baltimore’s offense, even though they lost one of their most important players in QB Gambino due to retirement, S14 Hawks' 1st round pick Corvo Havran looks more than ready and anxious to command an impressive offense; he’ll have the greatest help to succeed in RB Brown who’s looking to repeat last season’s dominance. What may hurt a bit would be Valentine and Squanch departures, but Madoxx showed last season he'll be fine stepping into the WR1 role plus L’Alto has been a very reliable target. Also, they added a slightly better kicker through the draft that should help their special teams.
As for the defense, there were some important players lost due to the expansion draft like DE Mbanefo and CB Achilles Hondo; the latter has a replacement in CB Troyski, who was signed in free agency. This addition just gives a boost to an already talented secondary. The problem for the Hawks would be the defensive line because they lost their best player (stats wise), they'll have to wait until S17 to add some talent there. The LBs should do fine, even without Trout, with the addition of young Marquees Acho who was one of the best Norfolk’s players during their run in the DSFL.
Overall, Baltimore should remain as the top team of the NSFC so my prediction is: NSFC 1st place, all the way to into the Ultimus.
Chicago Butchers
Key players lost: ??? I guess DE Marc Spector (Trade), RB Seer Zephyrous (Trade)
Notable players added: WR Kazimir Oles (Free Agent), QB Rose Jenkins (Free Agent), LB Gekyume Stokeley (Trade), RB Ricky Adams (Trade), DE Kwame Abayomi Mbanefo (Expansion Draft), CB Achilles Hondo (Expansion Draft), K/P Kulture Fulture (Expansion Draft), WR Roger Batoff (Expansion Draft), TE Declan Harp (Expansion Draft), RB Aksel Danielsson (Expansion Draft), RB Sam Torenson (S16 Draft), LB Blake Faux (S16 Draft)
First expansion team to talk about! The Butchers made a lot of noise during the offseason by signing free agents and stockpiling draft capital in order to fill in most of their offense since S15 Draft was all about the defense (they grabbed 9 defensive players out of 13 picks!). Their most important free agent signing was, of course, QB Rose Jenkins; this will bring them stability at the position and she’ll finally make her long awaited NSFL debut with her most important weapon in star WR Kazimir Oles. 1st overall pick from S16 Draft Sam Torenson will see plenty of action as a rookie, making a committee with fellow teammates Adams and Danielsson; I expect Torenson to become the RB1 by the end of the season. TE Declan Harp should be a nice security blanket for Jenkins, even though he faces regression. The addition of Kulture Fulture through the expansion draft was one of the best moves by Chicago, it's always a plus to have a reliable kicker for close games.
In my opinion the best part of the Butchers is their defense, with a mix of young and experienced players in every position. The defensive line will be lead by DEs Poopsie and Mbanefo, they'll be a scary tandem for opposing QBs. At the LB position, 1st pick from S15 Lightsout Lewis decided to become a Safety in order for the team to fill in a need in the position; nonetheless, Chicago brought Stokeley from Arizona via trade and him paired with Guy Nikko should look fine in seasons to come; they'll have some help coming from S16 Draft’s 2nd pick Faux. Finally the defensive backs should be a strong unit with CBs Achilles Hondo and Xerxes Ridley leading the way; they'll have to wait for next season to add stronger players at the safety position, but Lewis and Rambo should do the job for now.
All in all, I think Chicago made some great moves to be ready for their season’s debut; despite this, there are still many young players at key positions (especially the offense) and I wonder if they can succeed in a division with stronger teams like Baltimore and Yellowknife. My Prediction: NSFC 3rd place, eliminated on their first playoff game.
Colorado Yeti
Key players lost: S Jonathon Towers (Expansion Draft), QB Micycle McCormick (retired)
Notable players added: S Knute Knurtsson (Trade), WR Lazslo Fourty-Two (S16 Draft), TE Joshua Palmer (S16 Draft), QB Wolfie McDummy (S16 Draft)
Colorado continues with their rebuilding phase by adding great offensive players through the S16 Draft. With McCormick enjoying his retirement, the task to guide the team now falls to young QB McDummy, who looks forward to throw some passes to last season’s best receiver: James Bishop; speaking of WRs, the addition of Fourty-Two should be a highlight for this offense, unfortunately we”ll have to wait until S17 to see what he's capable of. The one pick we may see on the field catching some passes is TE Joshua Palmer, he’ll have a great chance to win the fulltime starter role against teammate Balthazar Crindy who’s going through regression.
Looking at the Yeti’s defense, there still are many holes that need to be addressed like LB, CB and D-Line. The brighter spot for this unit continues to be young LB Mo Berry; he set high standards in his rookie season and I have no doubt that he’ll be the best player of the defense once again. Since the team should be investing a lot of capital in the upcoming drafts to finally have a complete roster, I see the Colorado repeating NSFC 5th place like last season.
Philadelphia Liberty
Key players lost: S Bucky Barnes (Free Agent), DT Curtis Saul (Expansion Draft), K/P Kulture Fulture (Expansion Draft), WR Roger Batoff (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: S Derek Bohne (Free Agent) DT Alberto McGwire (S16 Draft), TE DeMarcus Strike (S16 Draft)
Philadelphia got some work during the offseason resigning key free agents QB Adriana Falconi, DE Ikaika Kalilimoku and S Lennox Garnett. For the offense, rising star RB Vander Jones got a well deserved extension (on top of being named co-GM) so look for him to have a lot of carries this upcoming season. They did get a significant hit by losing their starting kicker and wide receiver Batoff; for the latter, S15 Draft’s 3rd round pick Nacho Varga should be a solid replacement and he's hungry to improve what he showed us last season.
The defense also lost some important players in DT Saul and S Barnes. They addressed the D-line by drafting DT McGwire, who should be a starter right away; as for Barnes, Bohne was brought in to somehow fill his place, though I don't see him having the same production. In spite of these changes, the unit should do similar to last season.
In conclusion, I expect the team to slightly underperfom compared to season 15 and get the 4th place in their division, but being eliminated on their first playoff game.
Yellowknife Wraiths
Key players lost: RB Dick Wizardry (Austin GM), LB Sandip Bakashi (Expansion Draft), CB Bobson Dugnutt (Expansion Draft), DT Will Foster (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: S Danny Grithead (Free Agent), DE Chad Maulolo (S16 Draft), S Jaylen Storm (S16 Draft)
The Wraiths want to become the next best team in the division and they made some interesting moves during the offseason to prove it. Their offense may suffer some regression because of losing start RB Wizardry (now head of the Copperheads), however, the duo of Canton and Marshall should have plenty to work with to maintain a decent running game. QB Cooter Bigsby was one of the best offensive rookies the last season, so expect another quality performance from him now that he has NSFL experience.
Defensively, Yellownife signed former Otters’ safety Danny Grithead who’s certainly going to help a young defensive backs group that also welcomes an excellent prospect in Jaylen Storm. Even though they lost LB Bakashi to expansion draft, they can count on LB Alex Selich who just comes from one of his best performances. The big guys up front are eager to produce some sacks, so look forward to how things go with Nero Alexander, Ryan Leaf Jr and their new teammate, Wraiths S16 1st round pick DE Maulolo.
Honestly, this team should aspire for big things in the upcoming season. I see them winning important games to secure the division’s 2nd place, a win on their first playoff game and then losing the conference championship game.
That's it for some analysis of how things are looking around the NSFC; with so many changes, starting with having a new franchise and now 4 teams can go to playoffs, I’m looking forward to the way things unfold during S17. One point is certain, this division will have a pretty close race for who gets into the playoffs so we’ll surely have some hard fought games.
ASFC
With NSFC's teams movements previously reviewed, it’s turn for a summary of how things unfolded with the other conference and who has the best possibility to make it into the Ultimus.
Arizona Outlaws
Key players lost: K/P Dean Jackson (retired), LB Gekyume Stokeley (Trade), RB Ricky Adams (Trade), WR Sam Hardwick (Expansion Draft), WR Felix Hasselhoff (Expansion Draft), S Shannon Hobbs (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: S Bucky Barnes (Free Agent), DE Marc Spector (Trade), RB Seer Zephyrous (Trade)
I'll try to write this as unbiased as possible (though no promises). The Outlaws had an amazing turnaround in S15 improving from a previous record of 2-12 to 6-8. Impressive, taking into account that many positions were covered by recently drafted players. This time they are looking to prove they're not a one season wonder and that their young players are up for the challenge. First comes the offense, which took a hit by losing WRs Hardwick and Hasselhoff to the expansion draft. Nonetheless, rising star Brock Landers should do fine with a WR1 role, since he just handle that quite well last season and TE Jammerson Irving should see an increase in his involvement with the passing game. QB Andrew Reese has been playing a bit better each season since he made the transition, he should be one of the best ASFC QBs this time. Though RB Adams got traded to Chicago, his role should be filled with a mix of the recently converted RB Jeffery Murphy and Zephyrous. The only thing that I see having a bad effect on the offense is the retirement of K/P Dean Jackson, with his replacement for this season being inactive Cameron Clutch; they'll have to wait until next season for a better player.
The defense already has some interesting pieces and the return of safety Bucky Barnes should be of great assistance to the development of young defensive backs, because it gives them a much needed vetereran presence. The LB duo of Lee and Vans is going to be the highlight again, although they should miss Stokeley who went to Chicago. A nice addition for the defensive line is DE Marc Spector, who should produce right away playing alongside DT Ricardo Morris.
In spite of the players lost during the expansion draft and not adding active players through the S16 Draft (they invested all resources in S15 Draft), Arizona is set to become one of the relevant teams in the years to come. For now, they should get the 3rd place in the division, but lose their first playoff game.
Austin Copperheads
Key players lost: ??? I guess DT Footballer Sackerman (Trade), S Shannon Hobbs
(Trade), CB Gordon Ramsey Jr. (Trade)
Notable players added: RB Dick Wizardry (Austin’s GM), WR Django Anoa'i (Expansion Draft), DE Grayson Kuusela (Expansion Draft), WR Sam Hardwick (Expansion Draft), LB Sandip Bakashi (Expansion Draft), CB Spencer Castle (Expansion Draft), DE Joseph Henry (Expansion Draft), K/P Ryan Crisco (Expansion Draft), LB AJ Robertson (Expansion Draft), CB Dermot Lavelle Jr. (S16 Draft), QB(TE) Peter Larson (S16 Draft), RB Mako Mendonca (S16 Draft), QB Easton Cole (S16 Draft).
Second expansion team to write about! The Copperheads were busy acquiring draft capital to try to complete their roster, especially the defense since their focus went to offense in the S15 Draft. The most important offensive piece is going to be RB Wizardry, who should get plenty of carries to help his young QB Easton Cole (fresh out of a DSFL championship). RB Mendonca has also the opportunity to put some numbers by giving Wizardry some rest. WR Anoa'i acquired via expansion draft, S15 draftee WR Rod Tidwell plus soon to be TE Peter Larson will probably have a tough time with a rookie quarterback, anything they produce should be good for them taking into account the aforementioned reason. Another good addition from the expansion draft was kicker Ryan Crisco who should do fine in special teams.
Copperheads’ defense isn't looking as good as the offense with still many needs in every position. That's why we saw Chase Jensen making the transition from tight end to safety. There are some good players in DE Kuusela, LB Bakashi and first round pick CB Lavelle Jr but that won't be enough to sustain the unit all season long. We’ll probably see a lot points scored against them plus a surplus of defensive picks in next year’s draft.
Austin chose to go for a step by step build for their franchise, getting some picks for future drafts and securing some veterans to help the young players that will come. It's going to be interesting how things look for the team after 2 more seasons. Because of this, I can't see them winning many games, probably only a couple. So my prediction is Copperheads end in 5th place.
New Orleans Second Line
Key players lost: QB Borkus Maximus III (retired), DE Grayson Kuusela (Expansion Draft), K/P Ryan Crisco (Expansion Draft), RB Aksel Danielsson (Expansion Draft), CB Gordon Ramsey Jr. (Expansion Draft),
Notable players added: K/P Alex Frost (Trade), TE Emilia Rudd (Trade), TE DeMarcus Strike (S16 Draft)
New Orleans continues rebuilding their roster, starting with a significant change in the offense: the retirement of QB Maximus III. Now the one who'll take control of the passing attack is former TE Stan Francisco. He should do okay targeting WRs Fyodorovich and Jones. RB Tyler Swift is going to get more carries to help his new QB and don't sleep on Forrest Gump, who just got called up from the DSFL where he was a force to be reckoned with. A loss that's going to hurt them is the departure of kicker Ryan Crisco; they did address it with Frost coming from a trade with Baltimore.
The defense has some interesting players that are shaping up to become future stars for NOLA. Young pair of LBs Slothface and Bode will look to prove why they were selected in the first round of S15 Draft. They still need a CB to pair with Deon Taylor and a safety to back up veteran William H. Harrison. Same can be said for the defensive line, but I think DE Lo Rax and DT Benson Harris will play just fine.
Overall, NOLA is going to perform about the same as last season. With Austin currently having more holes than them 4th place in the division is where I see them at the end, securing a playoff spot but losing their postseason game.
Orange County Otters
Key players lost: S Danny Grithead (Free Agent), WR Carlito Crush (retired), S Jaylon Broxton (retired), WR Django Anoa'i (Expansion Draft), DE Marc Spector (Expansion Draft), RB Seer Zephyrous (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: WR Vinny Valentine (Free Agent), S Shannon Hobbs
(Trade), CB Gordon Ramsey Jr. (Trade), WR Hugh Mongo (S16 Draft).
The Otters are going to be fighting with the SaberCats on who gets the honor to be the best ASFC team of the season. Even though WR Anoa'i is now part of Austin because of the expansion draft, they found an excellent replacement in free agent superstar WR Vinny Valentine, who will make a great duo with WR Sunnycursed. One player who's looking to have a breakout season is RB Apollo Reed, coming from a great rookie performance where he just proved he can manage being the only one carrying the rushing game since RB Zephyrous is out of the team (another casualty of expansion draft). We’ll have to wait for Mongo’s debut, he surely is a nice addition to an already stacked wide receiver unit.
As for the defense, losing veteran safety Danny Grithead to free agency will hurt some, so look forward to Dan Schneider and Mason Brown doing the best they can to replace his former teammate. The defensive line should dominate like past seasons, with the great pair of DTs Skarsgard and Lattimer hunting for sacks. An interesting new player joining the LBs corps is S15 draftee Lanzer Grievous, who was named LBOTY and DPOTY after his excellent performance in the DSFL. Keep an eye on him during this season, he surely make nice contributions to the team.
All in all, Orange County remains as one of the top teams in the division, in spite of losing some players to free agency and the expansion draft. They might have a performance similar to last season and grab the ASFC 2nd place; the difference being this time they make it all the way into Ultimus.
San Jose SaberCats
Key players lost: WR Kazimir Oles (Chicago GM), CB Xandra Troyski (Free Agent), QB Rose Jenkins (Free Agent), CB Spencer Castle (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: CB William Tell (S16 Draft), CB Anthony Rowland (S16 Draft).
San Jose is eager to return to the Ultimus this season so they can make it up for their disastrous performance of S15 (Seriously a 49-0 must be one of the worst and embarrassing losses in the history of the league). They'll have to start the long road without their best wide receiver Kazimir Oles, who left to handle Chicago's new team. QB Christ must now work with WRs Flash and Justice in order to maintain his production, that if he doesn't choose to move the chains by himself. The ones that benefit from Oles' absence are TEs Olsen and Wright who should see an increase in targets. Another who may soon find a place in this offense is recently called up WR Ahri Espeeyeeseetee; he'll have the chance to try and win, at least by midseason, the WR2 role.
The SaberCats defense took a hit in the defensive backs unit, with CB Troyski going to Baltimore via free agency and CB Castle on his way to Austin because of expansion draft. It's going to be interesting to see how will things go for recently drafted Tell and Rowland back there. Although DE Sackerman was also taken in the expansion draft, they managed to make a trade with the Copperheads to bring him back; because of this, expect another outstanding performance by San Jose's defensive line.
After evaluating what happened with the SaberCats, I still see them as one of the best teams in the ASFC, so I see them ending up in 1st place again, but losing the conference championship game.
Well, this concludes the brief analysis of every team in the ASFC, where you could say there are 2 clear front runners to win the division but nonetheless, we should expect some surprises by the end of the season. Be sure to watch how it all begins with Week 1 coming up next Monday, July 8.
NSFC
Baltimore Hawks
Key players lost: WR Vinny Valentine (Free Agent), QB Childish Gambino (retired), LB Charlie Trout (retired), DE Abayomi Mbanefo (Expansion Draft), CB Achilles Hondo (Expansion Draft), TE Declan Harp (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: CB Xandra Troyski (Free Agent), K/P ForThe Brand (S16 Draft)
The current Ultimus winners are looking to go for back to back championships and they certainly have the means to do it. Looking into Baltimore’s offense, even though they lost one of their most important players in QB Gambino due to retirement, S14 Hawks' 1st round pick Corvo Havran looks more than ready and anxious to command an impressive offense; he’ll have the greatest help to succeed in RB Brown who’s looking to repeat last season’s dominance. What may hurt a bit would be Valentine and Squanch departures, but Madoxx showed last season he'll be fine stepping into the WR1 role plus L’Alto has been a very reliable target. Also, they added a slightly better kicker through the draft that should help their special teams.
As for the defense, there were some important players lost due to the expansion draft like DE Mbanefo and CB Achilles Hondo; the latter has a replacement in CB Troyski, who was signed in free agency. This addition just gives a boost to an already talented secondary. The problem for the Hawks would be the defensive line because they lost their best player (stats wise), they'll have to wait until S17 to add some talent there. The LBs should do fine, even without Trout, with the addition of young Marquees Acho who was one of the best Norfolk’s players during their run in the DSFL.
Overall, Baltimore should remain as the top team of the NSFC so my prediction is: NSFC 1st place, all the way to into the Ultimus.
Chicago Butchers
Key players lost: ??? I guess DE Marc Spector (Trade), RB Seer Zephyrous (Trade)
Notable players added: WR Kazimir Oles (Free Agent), QB Rose Jenkins (Free Agent), LB Gekyume Stokeley (Trade), RB Ricky Adams (Trade), DE Kwame Abayomi Mbanefo (Expansion Draft), CB Achilles Hondo (Expansion Draft), K/P Kulture Fulture (Expansion Draft), WR Roger Batoff (Expansion Draft), TE Declan Harp (Expansion Draft), RB Aksel Danielsson (Expansion Draft), RB Sam Torenson (S16 Draft), LB Blake Faux (S16 Draft)
First expansion team to talk about! The Butchers made a lot of noise during the offseason by signing free agents and stockpiling draft capital in order to fill in most of their offense since S15 Draft was all about the defense (they grabbed 9 defensive players out of 13 picks!). Their most important free agent signing was, of course, QB Rose Jenkins; this will bring them stability at the position and she’ll finally make her long awaited NSFL debut with her most important weapon in star WR Kazimir Oles. 1st overall pick from S16 Draft Sam Torenson will see plenty of action as a rookie, making a committee with fellow teammates Adams and Danielsson; I expect Torenson to become the RB1 by the end of the season. TE Declan Harp should be a nice security blanket for Jenkins, even though he faces regression. The addition of Kulture Fulture through the expansion draft was one of the best moves by Chicago, it's always a plus to have a reliable kicker for close games.
In my opinion the best part of the Butchers is their defense, with a mix of young and experienced players in every position. The defensive line will be lead by DEs Poopsie and Mbanefo, they'll be a scary tandem for opposing QBs. At the LB position, 1st pick from S15 Lightsout Lewis decided to become a Safety in order for the team to fill in a need in the position; nonetheless, Chicago brought Stokeley from Arizona via trade and him paired with Guy Nikko should look fine in seasons to come; they'll have some help coming from S16 Draft’s 2nd pick Faux. Finally the defensive backs should be a strong unit with CBs Achilles Hondo and Xerxes Ridley leading the way; they'll have to wait for next season to add stronger players at the safety position, but Lewis and Rambo should do the job for now.
All in all, I think Chicago made some great moves to be ready for their season’s debut; despite this, there are still many young players at key positions (especially the offense) and I wonder if they can succeed in a division with stronger teams like Baltimore and Yellowknife. My Prediction: NSFC 3rd place, eliminated on their first playoff game.
Colorado Yeti
Key players lost: S Jonathon Towers (Expansion Draft), QB Micycle McCormick (retired)
Notable players added: S Knute Knurtsson (Trade), WR Lazslo Fourty-Two (S16 Draft), TE Joshua Palmer (S16 Draft), QB Wolfie McDummy (S16 Draft)
Colorado continues with their rebuilding phase by adding great offensive players through the S16 Draft. With McCormick enjoying his retirement, the task to guide the team now falls to young QB McDummy, who looks forward to throw some passes to last season’s best receiver: James Bishop; speaking of WRs, the addition of Fourty-Two should be a highlight for this offense, unfortunately we”ll have to wait until S17 to see what he's capable of. The one pick we may see on the field catching some passes is TE Joshua Palmer, he’ll have a great chance to win the fulltime starter role against teammate Balthazar Crindy who’s going through regression.
Looking at the Yeti’s defense, there still are many holes that need to be addressed like LB, CB and D-Line. The brighter spot for this unit continues to be young LB Mo Berry; he set high standards in his rookie season and I have no doubt that he’ll be the best player of the defense once again. Since the team should be investing a lot of capital in the upcoming drafts to finally have a complete roster, I see the Colorado repeating NSFC 5th place like last season.
Philadelphia Liberty
Key players lost: S Bucky Barnes (Free Agent), DT Curtis Saul (Expansion Draft), K/P Kulture Fulture (Expansion Draft), WR Roger Batoff (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: S Derek Bohne (Free Agent) DT Alberto McGwire (S16 Draft), TE DeMarcus Strike (S16 Draft)
Philadelphia got some work during the offseason resigning key free agents QB Adriana Falconi, DE Ikaika Kalilimoku and S Lennox Garnett. For the offense, rising star RB Vander Jones got a well deserved extension (on top of being named co-GM) so look for him to have a lot of carries this upcoming season. They did get a significant hit by losing their starting kicker and wide receiver Batoff; for the latter, S15 Draft’s 3rd round pick Nacho Varga should be a solid replacement and he's hungry to improve what he showed us last season.
The defense also lost some important players in DT Saul and S Barnes. They addressed the D-line by drafting DT McGwire, who should be a starter right away; as for Barnes, Bohne was brought in to somehow fill his place, though I don't see him having the same production. In spite of these changes, the unit should do similar to last season.
In conclusion, I expect the team to slightly underperfom compared to season 15 and get the 4th place in their division, but being eliminated on their first playoff game.
Yellowknife Wraiths
Key players lost: RB Dick Wizardry (Austin GM), LB Sandip Bakashi (Expansion Draft), CB Bobson Dugnutt (Expansion Draft), DT Will Foster (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: S Danny Grithead (Free Agent), DE Chad Maulolo (S16 Draft), S Jaylen Storm (S16 Draft)
The Wraiths want to become the next best team in the division and they made some interesting moves during the offseason to prove it. Their offense may suffer some regression because of losing start RB Wizardry (now head of the Copperheads), however, the duo of Canton and Marshall should have plenty to work with to maintain a decent running game. QB Cooter Bigsby was one of the best offensive rookies the last season, so expect another quality performance from him now that he has NSFL experience.
Defensively, Yellownife signed former Otters’ safety Danny Grithead who’s certainly going to help a young defensive backs group that also welcomes an excellent prospect in Jaylen Storm. Even though they lost LB Bakashi to expansion draft, they can count on LB Alex Selich who just comes from one of his best performances. The big guys up front are eager to produce some sacks, so look forward to how things go with Nero Alexander, Ryan Leaf Jr and their new teammate, Wraiths S16 1st round pick DE Maulolo.
Honestly, this team should aspire for big things in the upcoming season. I see them winning important games to secure the division’s 2nd place, a win on their first playoff game and then losing the conference championship game.
That's it for some analysis of how things are looking around the NSFC; with so many changes, starting with having a new franchise and now 4 teams can go to playoffs, I’m looking forward to the way things unfold during S17. One point is certain, this division will have a pretty close race for who gets into the playoffs so we’ll surely have some hard fought games.
ASFC
With NSFC's teams movements previously reviewed, it’s turn for a summary of how things unfolded with the other conference and who has the best possibility to make it into the Ultimus.
Arizona Outlaws
Key players lost: K/P Dean Jackson (retired), LB Gekyume Stokeley (Trade), RB Ricky Adams (Trade), WR Sam Hardwick (Expansion Draft), WR Felix Hasselhoff (Expansion Draft), S Shannon Hobbs (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: S Bucky Barnes (Free Agent), DE Marc Spector (Trade), RB Seer Zephyrous (Trade)
I'll try to write this as unbiased as possible (though no promises). The Outlaws had an amazing turnaround in S15 improving from a previous record of 2-12 to 6-8. Impressive, taking into account that many positions were covered by recently drafted players. This time they are looking to prove they're not a one season wonder and that their young players are up for the challenge. First comes the offense, which took a hit by losing WRs Hardwick and Hasselhoff to the expansion draft. Nonetheless, rising star Brock Landers should do fine with a WR1 role, since he just handle that quite well last season and TE Jammerson Irving should see an increase in his involvement with the passing game. QB Andrew Reese has been playing a bit better each season since he made the transition, he should be one of the best ASFC QBs this time. Though RB Adams got traded to Chicago, his role should be filled with a mix of the recently converted RB Jeffery Murphy and Zephyrous. The only thing that I see having a bad effect on the offense is the retirement of K/P Dean Jackson, with his replacement for this season being inactive Cameron Clutch; they'll have to wait until next season for a better player.
The defense already has some interesting pieces and the return of safety Bucky Barnes should be of great assistance to the development of young defensive backs, because it gives them a much needed vetereran presence. The LB duo of Lee and Vans is going to be the highlight again, although they should miss Stokeley who went to Chicago. A nice addition for the defensive line is DE Marc Spector, who should produce right away playing alongside DT Ricardo Morris.
In spite of the players lost during the expansion draft and not adding active players through the S16 Draft (they invested all resources in S15 Draft), Arizona is set to become one of the relevant teams in the years to come. For now, they should get the 3rd place in the division, but lose their first playoff game.
Austin Copperheads
Key players lost: ??? I guess DT Footballer Sackerman (Trade), S Shannon Hobbs
(Trade), CB Gordon Ramsey Jr. (Trade)
Notable players added: RB Dick Wizardry (Austin’s GM), WR Django Anoa'i (Expansion Draft), DE Grayson Kuusela (Expansion Draft), WR Sam Hardwick (Expansion Draft), LB Sandip Bakashi (Expansion Draft), CB Spencer Castle (Expansion Draft), DE Joseph Henry (Expansion Draft), K/P Ryan Crisco (Expansion Draft), LB AJ Robertson (Expansion Draft), CB Dermot Lavelle Jr. (S16 Draft), QB(TE) Peter Larson (S16 Draft), RB Mako Mendonca (S16 Draft), QB Easton Cole (S16 Draft).
Second expansion team to write about! The Copperheads were busy acquiring draft capital to try to complete their roster, especially the defense since their focus went to offense in the S15 Draft. The most important offensive piece is going to be RB Wizardry, who should get plenty of carries to help his young QB Easton Cole (fresh out of a DSFL championship). RB Mendonca has also the opportunity to put some numbers by giving Wizardry some rest. WR Anoa'i acquired via expansion draft, S15 draftee WR Rod Tidwell plus soon to be TE Peter Larson will probably have a tough time with a rookie quarterback, anything they produce should be good for them taking into account the aforementioned reason. Another good addition from the expansion draft was kicker Ryan Crisco who should do fine in special teams.
Copperheads’ defense isn't looking as good as the offense with still many needs in every position. That's why we saw Chase Jensen making the transition from tight end to safety. There are some good players in DE Kuusela, LB Bakashi and first round pick CB Lavelle Jr but that won't be enough to sustain the unit all season long. We’ll probably see a lot points scored against them plus a surplus of defensive picks in next year’s draft.
Austin chose to go for a step by step build for their franchise, getting some picks for future drafts and securing some veterans to help the young players that will come. It's going to be interesting how things look for the team after 2 more seasons. Because of this, I can't see them winning many games, probably only a couple. So my prediction is Copperheads end in 5th place.
New Orleans Second Line
Key players lost: QB Borkus Maximus III (retired), DE Grayson Kuusela (Expansion Draft), K/P Ryan Crisco (Expansion Draft), RB Aksel Danielsson (Expansion Draft), CB Gordon Ramsey Jr. (Expansion Draft),
Notable players added: K/P Alex Frost (Trade), TE Emilia Rudd (Trade), TE DeMarcus Strike (S16 Draft)
New Orleans continues rebuilding their roster, starting with a significant change in the offense: the retirement of QB Maximus III. Now the one who'll take control of the passing attack is former TE Stan Francisco. He should do okay targeting WRs Fyodorovich and Jones. RB Tyler Swift is going to get more carries to help his new QB and don't sleep on Forrest Gump, who just got called up from the DSFL where he was a force to be reckoned with. A loss that's going to hurt them is the departure of kicker Ryan Crisco; they did address it with Frost coming from a trade with Baltimore.
The defense has some interesting players that are shaping up to become future stars for NOLA. Young pair of LBs Slothface and Bode will look to prove why they were selected in the first round of S15 Draft. They still need a CB to pair with Deon Taylor and a safety to back up veteran William H. Harrison. Same can be said for the defensive line, but I think DE Lo Rax and DT Benson Harris will play just fine.
Overall, NOLA is going to perform about the same as last season. With Austin currently having more holes than them 4th place in the division is where I see them at the end, securing a playoff spot but losing their postseason game.
Orange County Otters
Key players lost: S Danny Grithead (Free Agent), WR Carlito Crush (retired), S Jaylon Broxton (retired), WR Django Anoa'i (Expansion Draft), DE Marc Spector (Expansion Draft), RB Seer Zephyrous (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: WR Vinny Valentine (Free Agent), S Shannon Hobbs
(Trade), CB Gordon Ramsey Jr. (Trade), WR Hugh Mongo (S16 Draft).
The Otters are going to be fighting with the SaberCats on who gets the honor to be the best ASFC team of the season. Even though WR Anoa'i is now part of Austin because of the expansion draft, they found an excellent replacement in free agent superstar WR Vinny Valentine, who will make a great duo with WR Sunnycursed. One player who's looking to have a breakout season is RB Apollo Reed, coming from a great rookie performance where he just proved he can manage being the only one carrying the rushing game since RB Zephyrous is out of the team (another casualty of expansion draft). We’ll have to wait for Mongo’s debut, he surely is a nice addition to an already stacked wide receiver unit.
As for the defense, losing veteran safety Danny Grithead to free agency will hurt some, so look forward to Dan Schneider and Mason Brown doing the best they can to replace his former teammate. The defensive line should dominate like past seasons, with the great pair of DTs Skarsgard and Lattimer hunting for sacks. An interesting new player joining the LBs corps is S15 draftee Lanzer Grievous, who was named LBOTY and DPOTY after his excellent performance in the DSFL. Keep an eye on him during this season, he surely make nice contributions to the team.
All in all, Orange County remains as one of the top teams in the division, in spite of losing some players to free agency and the expansion draft. They might have a performance similar to last season and grab the ASFC 2nd place; the difference being this time they make it all the way into Ultimus.
San Jose SaberCats
Key players lost: WR Kazimir Oles (Chicago GM), CB Xandra Troyski (Free Agent), QB Rose Jenkins (Free Agent), CB Spencer Castle (Expansion Draft)
Notable players added: CB William Tell (S16 Draft), CB Anthony Rowland (S16 Draft).
San Jose is eager to return to the Ultimus this season so they can make it up for their disastrous performance of S15 (Seriously a 49-0 must be one of the worst and embarrassing losses in the history of the league). They'll have to start the long road without their best wide receiver Kazimir Oles, who left to handle Chicago's new team. QB Christ must now work with WRs Flash and Justice in order to maintain his production, that if he doesn't choose to move the chains by himself. The ones that benefit from Oles' absence are TEs Olsen and Wright who should see an increase in targets. Another who may soon find a place in this offense is recently called up WR Ahri Espeeyeeseetee; he'll have the chance to try and win, at least by midseason, the WR2 role.
The SaberCats defense took a hit in the defensive backs unit, with CB Troyski going to Baltimore via free agency and CB Castle on his way to Austin because of expansion draft. It's going to be interesting to see how will things go for recently drafted Tell and Rowland back there. Although DE Sackerman was also taken in the expansion draft, they managed to make a trade with the Copperheads to bring him back; because of this, expect another outstanding performance by San Jose's defensive line.
After evaluating what happened with the SaberCats, I still see them as one of the best teams in the ASFC, so I see them ending up in 1st place again, but losing the conference championship game.
Well, this concludes the brief analysis of every team in the ASFC, where you could say there are 2 clear front runners to win the division but nonetheless, we should expect some surprises by the end of the season. Be sure to watch how it all begins with Week 1 coming up next Monday, July 8.