(12)
Expansion, as always, will prove to be interesting. With their recent trade for QB Sam Howitzer, I think it's pretty clear that the New York Silverbacks are not looking to be immediate Ultimus contenders. That being said, I think it is likely that they will be targeting more young talent left exposed after protections. I imagine that they'll be after S22 and S23 players to fill their roster in the expansion draft, that way most of their players will be in prime condition a few seasons down the line, where they will can certainly become a championship-caliber team. On the other hand, the Berlin Fire Salamanders have only just announced their logo (which looks very good by the way), and their potential draft strategy is up in the air. For the sake of argument, let's assume that as the first international ISFL team, they want to get their names out there, and will try to build up an immediately competitive team. In this case, they'll be taking a high-TPE QB and some DBs, perhaps DLs as well. I think that with a strong veteran defensive core and a veteran quarterback, they'll be set up to win some games in their debut season. In the S25 draft, the Silverbacks will most likely fill gaps in both their offense and defense, as they will probably stay pretty balanced in their picks in order to solidify both halves, giving solid foundation to build upon over the next few seasons. I'd imagine that the Fire Salamanders will draft offensive players more than defense, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they try to trade away some picks in order to pick up some more established offensive players.
If these strategies are followed, as they realistically could be, the Silverbacks will most likely not have too much success. The ASFC is volatile as is, with so many strong teams constantly vying for power in the conference. If the Silverbacks finish their debut season in the top 4 of their conference, it would be quite remarkable. On the other side, in the much less distributed NSFC, the Fire Salamanders could realistically make the playoffs if their core is strong enough. Sure, they won't beat the Yeti, and probably not even the Sailfish, but they may be able to contend with the Butchers and the Wraiths. I don't think it will happen immediately, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. In the end, the success of either franchise off the bat is also dependent of the damage that their expansion picks are to the teams they are drafting from. If the combined efforts of the Silverbacks and the Fire Salamanders are enough to weaken some NSFC teams, I think it is very possible that a power-focused team build could contend there. If the Silverbacks draft young, as it seems they will, they will be 2 or 3 seasons away from playoff capability, in my opinion. Then again, what do I know?
(14)
Clark Boyd, in both my subjective and objective opinion, could and should earn a nomination for Tight End of the Year. No, I don't think he should win, but He definitely has done enough to earn the attention of the nomination committee. Of all TEs, he is 5th for receiving yards with 493 (behind Heath Evans, Austin McCormick, Avon Blocksdale Jr., and Tree Gelbman). On top of this, he is tied for 2nd for receiving TDs among TEs, with 3 (tied with Gelbman, Earl Sauce, and Zee Rechs, behind Evans and McCormick). Similarly, he is 3nd for receptions among TEs with 64 (behind Evans and McCormick). On the O-Line, Boyd has 32 pancakes and only 1 sack allowed, putting him in 5th among TEs on this chart as well (behind Leon McDavid, Sauce, Rechs, and Gelbman). To boot, Clark Boyd is the only TE this season to successfully rush for a touchdown. With all this in mind, I think it is evident that Boyd is a Top-5 tight end of the ISFL, and thus is deserving of the 5th slot on the ballot. The only arguments I can see being made to the contrary are: 1) The awards committee only want 4 nominees, to which I have no response, and 2) His stats are too far behind the Top 4, to which I’ll say: No, he isn’t. In Rec Yards he’s behind by only 13, and by pancakes 7, but with 2 less sacks allowed. In the other categories that can be put behind this decision, he is within the Top 3. In the end, Clark Boyd has been working as hard as he can to go from an 11th-round nobody to a top-tier player, and this work deserves recognition.
(26)
Taken in the 10th round at 110th overall, Jacob Small has more than outperformed for his draft position. Granted, he was quite successful in the DSFL, earning nominations for Kicker of the Year and Punter of the Year twice each. He was able to match these performances in his ISFL debut season, S23, when he managed an extra point percentage of 94.4 (34/36) and a field goal percentage of 81.8 (18/22), with a long of 47. Small performed even better in the punting game where he made 99 punts for 4622 yards, with a long of 71 yards and 25 punts inside the 20 (1st in the league). These stats earned him a spot on the NSFC’s Pro Bowl team, in his rookie season. In S24 he improved his field goal accuracy, up to 91.4%, while his XP% stayed high at 93.5. His punting levels decreased, but this can be attributed to the fact that he punted less, down to 86 punts for the season. He made 19 inside the 20, putting him in 3rd among punters. As a second-year P/K, he is outperforming his contemporaries, like Dougie Smalls, and vets, like Alex Dasistwirklichseinnachname and Alfredo Crisco. The ceiling for Jacob Small is high, especially for someone drafted in the 10th round. Without a doubt, the best is yet to come.
Expansion, as always, will prove to be interesting. With their recent trade for QB Sam Howitzer, I think it's pretty clear that the New York Silverbacks are not looking to be immediate Ultimus contenders. That being said, I think it is likely that they will be targeting more young talent left exposed after protections. I imagine that they'll be after S22 and S23 players to fill their roster in the expansion draft, that way most of their players will be in prime condition a few seasons down the line, where they will can certainly become a championship-caliber team. On the other hand, the Berlin Fire Salamanders have only just announced their logo (which looks very good by the way), and their potential draft strategy is up in the air. For the sake of argument, let's assume that as the first international ISFL team, they want to get their names out there, and will try to build up an immediately competitive team. In this case, they'll be taking a high-TPE QB and some DBs, perhaps DLs as well. I think that with a strong veteran defensive core and a veteran quarterback, they'll be set up to win some games in their debut season. In the S25 draft, the Silverbacks will most likely fill gaps in both their offense and defense, as they will probably stay pretty balanced in their picks in order to solidify both halves, giving solid foundation to build upon over the next few seasons. I'd imagine that the Fire Salamanders will draft offensive players more than defense, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they try to trade away some picks in order to pick up some more established offensive players.
If these strategies are followed, as they realistically could be, the Silverbacks will most likely not have too much success. The ASFC is volatile as is, with so many strong teams constantly vying for power in the conference. If the Silverbacks finish their debut season in the top 4 of their conference, it would be quite remarkable. On the other side, in the much less distributed NSFC, the Fire Salamanders could realistically make the playoffs if their core is strong enough. Sure, they won't beat the Yeti, and probably not even the Sailfish, but they may be able to contend with the Butchers and the Wraiths. I don't think it will happen immediately, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. In the end, the success of either franchise off the bat is also dependent of the damage that their expansion picks are to the teams they are drafting from. If the combined efforts of the Silverbacks and the Fire Salamanders are enough to weaken some NSFC teams, I think it is very possible that a power-focused team build could contend there. If the Silverbacks draft young, as it seems they will, they will be 2 or 3 seasons away from playoff capability, in my opinion. Then again, what do I know?
(14)
Clark Boyd, in both my subjective and objective opinion, could and should earn a nomination for Tight End of the Year. No, I don't think he should win, but He definitely has done enough to earn the attention of the nomination committee. Of all TEs, he is 5th for receiving yards with 493 (behind Heath Evans, Austin McCormick, Avon Blocksdale Jr., and Tree Gelbman). On top of this, he is tied for 2nd for receiving TDs among TEs, with 3 (tied with Gelbman, Earl Sauce, and Zee Rechs, behind Evans and McCormick). Similarly, he is 3nd for receptions among TEs with 64 (behind Evans and McCormick). On the O-Line, Boyd has 32 pancakes and only 1 sack allowed, putting him in 5th among TEs on this chart as well (behind Leon McDavid, Sauce, Rechs, and Gelbman). To boot, Clark Boyd is the only TE this season to successfully rush for a touchdown. With all this in mind, I think it is evident that Boyd is a Top-5 tight end of the ISFL, and thus is deserving of the 5th slot on the ballot. The only arguments I can see being made to the contrary are: 1) The awards committee only want 4 nominees, to which I have no response, and 2) His stats are too far behind the Top 4, to which I’ll say: No, he isn’t. In Rec Yards he’s behind by only 13, and by pancakes 7, but with 2 less sacks allowed. In the other categories that can be put behind this decision, he is within the Top 3. In the end, Clark Boyd has been working as hard as he can to go from an 11th-round nobody to a top-tier player, and this work deserves recognition.
(26)
Taken in the 10th round at 110th overall, Jacob Small has more than outperformed for his draft position. Granted, he was quite successful in the DSFL, earning nominations for Kicker of the Year and Punter of the Year twice each. He was able to match these performances in his ISFL debut season, S23, when he managed an extra point percentage of 94.4 (34/36) and a field goal percentage of 81.8 (18/22), with a long of 47. Small performed even better in the punting game where he made 99 punts for 4622 yards, with a long of 71 yards and 25 punts inside the 20 (1st in the league). These stats earned him a spot on the NSFC’s Pro Bowl team, in his rookie season. In S24 he improved his field goal accuracy, up to 91.4%, while his XP% stayed high at 93.5. His punting levels decreased, but this can be attributed to the fact that he punted less, down to 86 punts for the season. He made 19 inside the 20, putting him in 3rd among punters. As a second-year P/K, he is outperforming his contemporaries, like Dougie Smalls, and vets, like Alex Dasistwirklichseinnachname and Alfredo Crisco. The ceiling for Jacob Small is high, especially for someone drafted in the 10th round. Without a doubt, the best is yet to come.