Tier 2, Task 12
Despite having only been a part of the league for two days, I can say with confidence that I am in the right place. After having my curiosity piqued by the post on r/NFL, I decided to see what this whole ISFL thing was about. Though a bit overwhelming at first, I was able to get a preliminary grasp of how the league worked and I instantly wanted a part of it. Simply put, the resources available – both written and human – to new players is extremely comprehensive. While I am still learning new things each day, many of my questions had already been asked and answered somewhere on the forums. As I mentioned before, this initially was a bit intimidating to me. Now, however, I can appreciate the sheer amount of man (and woman) hours put into making the ISFL what it is currently.
Coming out of college and into the pros is as big of a transition as any. In addition to the pages that I have read, what has helped make the transition easier certainly are the people. For example, shortly after creating my prospect page, a scout from the London Royals reached out to me via Discord for a brief interview (Maglubiyet was said scout). I was both flattered and excited that a team was already showing potential interest in me. He was extremely friendly and accommodating, offering to answer any questions I may have about the ISFL, DSFL, or just in general. Shortly after our interview, he invited to join the London Royals’ Discord server. There, I met more people who, much like Maglubiyet, were friendly, helpful, and just as excited as I was for the upcoming draft and consequently season. Even the commissioner, Bex, dropped in from time to time to introduce herself and say hello. Despite not even having a team yet, I already feel at home in this league.
Regarding my start in the league, I think I am doing the best I can. As I told Maglubiyet, I want to give myself every advantage possible in achieving my goals. I had what I consider to be a successful and productive college career, and I was to replicate those results in the pros. Though the draft has yet to happen, I am getting more and more excited for it. Watching these playoffs has me itching to be out there myself making plays for whatever team chooses to draft me.
As I have echoed in my writing, this league is very robust and rookie-friendly already. I am sure these both have been suggested already, but I figure I should throw them out there anyway. My first suggestion is a rookie combine of sorts. Give rookies a chance to earn more TPE and show off to scouts. While the exact mechanics for this would obviously need to be hammered out, I believe that have mostly skill based, partially randomly generated ways of earning this TPE would make sense. If this idea gets more traction, I would love to discuss more about it. My second suggestion is the creation of a mobile/smartphone application for the ISFL. Again, I realize this is probably not a revolutionary idea and has been explored before. Putting the work required and technical limitations aside, a mobile app would greatly increase accessibility for new members, as well as help in optimizing already existing processes. These are just preliminary thoughts, but it would be encouraging to see the development of an application.
I very much look forward to what lies in store for Albert Ruschmann this year. Thank you for having me!
Tier 3, Task 19
DSFL Draft Prospect
Crayne Whebet – WR – Rutgers
Everyone loves a good underdog, and that seems to be Crayne Whebet’s career in a nutshell. Crayne only played 2 seasons of varsity football in high school as he was a bit undersized for the position. Not heavily recruited, Crayne only received scholarships from local FCS schools such as Monmouth and Princeton. He instead elected to walk-on at Rutgers, still at wide receiver.
Whebet made little impact in the way of statistics his first two seasons. He played mostly gunner on special teams and occasionally came into games when Rutgers’ lead or deficit was significant.
His junior season, however, was where he broke out and showed not just the coaching staff but all of college football how dependable of a player he was. After a series of injuries early in the season forced Whebet into the starting slot receiver role, he made the most of his opportunities. Using his great hands and high motor, Whebet finished the season with 68 receptions on 74 targets, 723 yards, and 5 touchdowns. 72% of his receptions went for first downs.
Whebet’s continued this trend his senior season. Leading the Rutgers offense in receptions, yards, and first downs, he pulled in 89 of 101 targets for 1,087 yards and 7 touchdowns. 69% of those catches went for first downs.
Crayne Whebet lacks big play ability; he is never the fastest guy on the field nor will he force multiple defenders to miss on a play. That being said, what he may lack in talent he makes up for in effort. Whebet is a high motor, high effort player who can be depended on to make the crucial catches and move the chains. Gives 110% effort on every play and has for his entire career. Has great character and intangibles on and off the field, great locker room presence.
Tier 3, Task 22
The Pro Bowl is something that, I feel, many of us wish was more exciting. Below are just a few ideas on how to accomplish exactly that and make it a more enjoyable viewing experience.
1) Partner Lasertag
The rules are simple. It is a game of lasertag with a few catches. The smallest player from each team (in terms of weight) rides on the back of the largest player. The largest player holds the laser gun, while the smallest player wears the target. I feel that this would make quite a spectacle to see as there would be quite a combination of size and speed from each team, as well as strategy implemented to protect one’s target.
In regard to top performers, I believe that the ISFL combination of CB David Rector and OL Givussafare Rubbe from the New Orleans Second Line could be dominant. Rector’s 100 agility makes him shifty and hard to get a lock on, while Rubbe’s sheer size and strength would give him an advantage of smaller, weaker opponents. Similarly in the DSFL, OL Small Edd and WR Taro Raimon of the Dallas Birddogs would form an ideal combination of size and speed.
2) Offensive Line Biathlon
For those who do not know, an Olympic biathlon combines two sports – cross-country skiing and shooting. Maybe I just like hog mollies doing things they do not normally do, but I imagine it would be a sight to see a 350-pound lineman skiing down a mountain with a gun on his back.
Taking a look at the offensive lineman in the ISFL, two immediate contenders jump out. Both Givussafare Rubbe and Laszlo Forty-Two are would make strong candidates due to their combination of high endurance, speed, and strength. Skiing is very strenuous to begin with, and you need to be fast if you want to score the best time. In the DSFL, Julio Jones of the Minnesota Grey Ducks would probably be the best at this insane event. With 90 strength and 70 endurance he can be in this event for the long haul.
Despite having only been a part of the league for two days, I can say with confidence that I am in the right place. After having my curiosity piqued by the post on r/NFL, I decided to see what this whole ISFL thing was about. Though a bit overwhelming at first, I was able to get a preliminary grasp of how the league worked and I instantly wanted a part of it. Simply put, the resources available – both written and human – to new players is extremely comprehensive. While I am still learning new things each day, many of my questions had already been asked and answered somewhere on the forums. As I mentioned before, this initially was a bit intimidating to me. Now, however, I can appreciate the sheer amount of man (and woman) hours put into making the ISFL what it is currently.
Coming out of college and into the pros is as big of a transition as any. In addition to the pages that I have read, what has helped make the transition easier certainly are the people. For example, shortly after creating my prospect page, a scout from the London Royals reached out to me via Discord for a brief interview (Maglubiyet was said scout). I was both flattered and excited that a team was already showing potential interest in me. He was extremely friendly and accommodating, offering to answer any questions I may have about the ISFL, DSFL, or just in general. Shortly after our interview, he invited to join the London Royals’ Discord server. There, I met more people who, much like Maglubiyet, were friendly, helpful, and just as excited as I was for the upcoming draft and consequently season. Even the commissioner, Bex, dropped in from time to time to introduce herself and say hello. Despite not even having a team yet, I already feel at home in this league.
Regarding my start in the league, I think I am doing the best I can. As I told Maglubiyet, I want to give myself every advantage possible in achieving my goals. I had what I consider to be a successful and productive college career, and I was to replicate those results in the pros. Though the draft has yet to happen, I am getting more and more excited for it. Watching these playoffs has me itching to be out there myself making plays for whatever team chooses to draft me.
As I have echoed in my writing, this league is very robust and rookie-friendly already. I am sure these both have been suggested already, but I figure I should throw them out there anyway. My first suggestion is a rookie combine of sorts. Give rookies a chance to earn more TPE and show off to scouts. While the exact mechanics for this would obviously need to be hammered out, I believe that have mostly skill based, partially randomly generated ways of earning this TPE would make sense. If this idea gets more traction, I would love to discuss more about it. My second suggestion is the creation of a mobile/smartphone application for the ISFL. Again, I realize this is probably not a revolutionary idea and has been explored before. Putting the work required and technical limitations aside, a mobile app would greatly increase accessibility for new members, as well as help in optimizing already existing processes. These are just preliminary thoughts, but it would be encouraging to see the development of an application.
I very much look forward to what lies in store for Albert Ruschmann this year. Thank you for having me!
Code:
599 words
Tier 3, Task 19
DSFL Draft Prospect
Crayne Whebet – WR – Rutgers
Everyone loves a good underdog, and that seems to be Crayne Whebet’s career in a nutshell. Crayne only played 2 seasons of varsity football in high school as he was a bit undersized for the position. Not heavily recruited, Crayne only received scholarships from local FCS schools such as Monmouth and Princeton. He instead elected to walk-on at Rutgers, still at wide receiver.
Whebet made little impact in the way of statistics his first two seasons. He played mostly gunner on special teams and occasionally came into games when Rutgers’ lead or deficit was significant.
His junior season, however, was where he broke out and showed not just the coaching staff but all of college football how dependable of a player he was. After a series of injuries early in the season forced Whebet into the starting slot receiver role, he made the most of his opportunities. Using his great hands and high motor, Whebet finished the season with 68 receptions on 74 targets, 723 yards, and 5 touchdowns. 72% of his receptions went for first downs.
Whebet’s continued this trend his senior season. Leading the Rutgers offense in receptions, yards, and first downs, he pulled in 89 of 101 targets for 1,087 yards and 7 touchdowns. 69% of those catches went for first downs.
Crayne Whebet lacks big play ability; he is never the fastest guy on the field nor will he force multiple defenders to miss on a play. That being said, what he may lack in talent he makes up for in effort. Whebet is a high motor, high effort player who can be depended on to make the crucial catches and move the chains. Gives 110% effort on every play and has for his entire career. Has great character and intangibles on and off the field, great locker room presence.
Code:
311 words
Tier 3, Task 22
The Pro Bowl is something that, I feel, many of us wish was more exciting. Below are just a few ideas on how to accomplish exactly that and make it a more enjoyable viewing experience.
1) Partner Lasertag
The rules are simple. It is a game of lasertag with a few catches. The smallest player from each team (in terms of weight) rides on the back of the largest player. The largest player holds the laser gun, while the smallest player wears the target. I feel that this would make quite a spectacle to see as there would be quite a combination of size and speed from each team, as well as strategy implemented to protect one’s target.
In regard to top performers, I believe that the ISFL combination of CB David Rector and OL Givussafare Rubbe from the New Orleans Second Line could be dominant. Rector’s 100 agility makes him shifty and hard to get a lock on, while Rubbe’s sheer size and strength would give him an advantage of smaller, weaker opponents. Similarly in the DSFL, OL Small Edd and WR Taro Raimon of the Dallas Birddogs would form an ideal combination of size and speed.
2) Offensive Line Biathlon
For those who do not know, an Olympic biathlon combines two sports – cross-country skiing and shooting. Maybe I just like hog mollies doing things they do not normally do, but I imagine it would be a sight to see a 350-pound lineman skiing down a mountain with a gun on his back.
Taking a look at the offensive lineman in the ISFL, two immediate contenders jump out. Both Givussafare Rubbe and Laszlo Forty-Two are would make strong candidates due to their combination of high endurance, speed, and strength. Skiing is very strenuous to begin with, and you need to be fast if you want to score the best time. In the DSFL, Julio Jones of the Minnesota Grey Ducks would probably be the best at this insane event. With 90 strength and 70 endurance he can be in this event for the long haul.
Code:
346 words