Task 10(5 TPE): History is not always kind to the losers. Tell the story of a team who you view as an all-time great but who did not win the title game. Why was that team so dominant? What were the major focal points of their offense and defense, and who were the star players? What makes them so special? What was the reason that they ultimately fell short of immortal greatness?
One of the greatest teams in history that weren't able to finish the job in the title game, in my opinion, were the S19 Tijuana Luchadores. Tijuana had just come off a strong S18 season, and continued to dominate, with big names like Jed Podolak, Avon Blocksdale, and a very, very strong defense. They cruised through the regular season, with their main losses coming on the road to a solid Myrtle Beach Buccaneers' team and another good squad in the Portland Pythons. Tijuana finished 7-0 at home, only allowed an average 11.8 points over the course of an entire 14-game season, combining that with a strong offense that finished top half in the league. Where did this team go wrong? The main issue, at least to me, was the lack of consistency by their offense. Sure, Tijuana could turn on the gas at times and absolutely torch teams on both sides of the ball, and while their defense almost always showed their best side, the offense could not consistently dominate the other team. They only finished third out of fourth in points per game by non-bot teams, and with a legendary defense you can win a lot of games you're not supposed to, but it shows up over time.
Let's switch gears to the Championship Game of S19. The Luchadores were playing the Minnesota Grey Ducks, a team that they had crushed twice and completely stifled their offense, although their defense was not the greatest. The main way Tijuana won(and won handly) those two games was by stopping the main offensive contributor for the Grey Ducks, #1 overall pick Darrel Williams. Oops, ended up talking about myself again. While they were able to stop him in the first two matchups, the Luchadores weren't perfect defensively against Williams and the Grey Ducks, as he ran all over the gassed Tijuana defense. Jed Podolak, the running back star of Tijuana, showed up in goal line situations, but otherwise was almost nowhere to be seen, as he only marked up 22 yards on ten carries. Ed Barker, a rookie who had barely played in the regular season, had to be relied on, and that did not help Tijuana's cause. Tijuana's defense held Minnesota's offense to 16 points, even when they were at their best, but Tijuana's offense could not rely on star quarterback Avon Blocksdale, who was unspectaular. He only helped Tijuana have nine first downs over the course of the entire game, and while he completed passes, he could not get the offense running, and Tijuana could not go back to back.
This team was mainly legendary for its defense and its' steamrolling of many opponents throughout the regular season, but came up just short in the title game.
(435 words)
16) Choose your favorite non-playoffs game of this season, whether your own team or another. Explain what was so special and why the winner ultimately came out victorious, including key players and moments(2.5 TPE)
While this wasn't my favorite game, it was one of the best games to watch of the season, and it resulted in two fierce rivals going head to head in a dogfight of a game, even though the result didn't really matter. The 3-12 Hawks were facing the 5-10 Yellowknife Wraiths, and the Hawks started out very strong in the first quarter. A touchdown pass and a great punt return by the star running back Darrel Williams led the Baltimore Hawks to a 14-0 lead over Yellowknife. Immediately in the next quarter, Acura Skyline refused to let his team stay down, so he put up back to back strong goal line touchdowns to tie up the game at 14. Already this game was a dogfight and it was only the second quarter. With about four minutes left in the quarter, Baltimore then began to drive down the field, ending with a strong pass from Chika Fujiwara to put Baltimore up by 7 with a minute left in the quarter. The third quarter was more of a defensive battle, as the only points scored was a field goal in the middle of the quarter. With Baltimore now up 24-14 heading into the fourth, Yellowknife was in trouble. Right at the start of the quarter, the Wraiths dotted up the Hawks and scored a longish touchdown to bring themselves within three. Now with less than two minutes in the game, the Hawks were able to stop Yellowknife deep in Hawks territory, but the Wraiths still were able to tie up the game. As overtime dragged on, no team established themselves as the clear favorite, but someone had to win, and the Wraiths did with about four and a half minutes in overtime.
(294 words)
PBE CW
One of the greatest teams in history that weren't able to finish the job in the title game, in my opinion, were the S19 Tijuana Luchadores. Tijuana had just come off a strong S18 season, and continued to dominate, with big names like Jed Podolak, Avon Blocksdale, and a very, very strong defense. They cruised through the regular season, with their main losses coming on the road to a solid Myrtle Beach Buccaneers' team and another good squad in the Portland Pythons. Tijuana finished 7-0 at home, only allowed an average 11.8 points over the course of an entire 14-game season, combining that with a strong offense that finished top half in the league. Where did this team go wrong? The main issue, at least to me, was the lack of consistency by their offense. Sure, Tijuana could turn on the gas at times and absolutely torch teams on both sides of the ball, and while their defense almost always showed their best side, the offense could not consistently dominate the other team. They only finished third out of fourth in points per game by non-bot teams, and with a legendary defense you can win a lot of games you're not supposed to, but it shows up over time.
Let's switch gears to the Championship Game of S19. The Luchadores were playing the Minnesota Grey Ducks, a team that they had crushed twice and completely stifled their offense, although their defense was not the greatest. The main way Tijuana won(and won handly) those two games was by stopping the main offensive contributor for the Grey Ducks, #1 overall pick Darrel Williams. Oops, ended up talking about myself again. While they were able to stop him in the first two matchups, the Luchadores weren't perfect defensively against Williams and the Grey Ducks, as he ran all over the gassed Tijuana defense. Jed Podolak, the running back star of Tijuana, showed up in goal line situations, but otherwise was almost nowhere to be seen, as he only marked up 22 yards on ten carries. Ed Barker, a rookie who had barely played in the regular season, had to be relied on, and that did not help Tijuana's cause. Tijuana's defense held Minnesota's offense to 16 points, even when they were at their best, but Tijuana's offense could not rely on star quarterback Avon Blocksdale, who was unspectaular. He only helped Tijuana have nine first downs over the course of the entire game, and while he completed passes, he could not get the offense running, and Tijuana could not go back to back.
This team was mainly legendary for its defense and its' steamrolling of many opponents throughout the regular season, but came up just short in the title game.
(435 words)
16) Choose your favorite non-playoffs game of this season, whether your own team or another. Explain what was so special and why the winner ultimately came out victorious, including key players and moments(2.5 TPE)
While this wasn't my favorite game, it was one of the best games to watch of the season, and it resulted in two fierce rivals going head to head in a dogfight of a game, even though the result didn't really matter. The 3-12 Hawks were facing the 5-10 Yellowknife Wraiths, and the Hawks started out very strong in the first quarter. A touchdown pass and a great punt return by the star running back Darrel Williams led the Baltimore Hawks to a 14-0 lead over Yellowknife. Immediately in the next quarter, Acura Skyline refused to let his team stay down, so he put up back to back strong goal line touchdowns to tie up the game at 14. Already this game was a dogfight and it was only the second quarter. With about four minutes left in the quarter, Baltimore then began to drive down the field, ending with a strong pass from Chika Fujiwara to put Baltimore up by 7 with a minute left in the quarter. The third quarter was more of a defensive battle, as the only points scored was a field goal in the middle of the quarter. With Baltimore now up 24-14 heading into the fourth, Yellowknife was in trouble. Right at the start of the quarter, the Wraiths dotted up the Hawks and scored a longish touchdown to bring themselves within three. Now with less than two minutes in the game, the Hawks were able to stop Yellowknife deep in Hawks territory, but the Wraiths still were able to tie up the game. As overtime dragged on, no team established themselves as the clear favorite, but someone had to win, and the Wraiths did with about four and a half minutes in overtime.
(294 words)
PBE CW