(S24) - Ultimus Week

[Sylphreni]

Tier 2:12 - So this season sees us welcoming two new teams to the league in the form of the New York Silverbacks and the Berlin Fire Salamanders. This is an extremely exciting time for the league, and many of us will be looking to see what the new GMs can bring to the league with these exciting new teams. I want to give some thoughts on the two, and some ideas of what they might look to do in their first season.

I have to say of the two New York absolutely has my favorite branding. The color scheme is fantastic and unique… The green being a very different type to what we have already seen with the likes of San Jose. Likewise, they really outdid themselves on the logo front, the Gorilla is intimidating while also providing a strong image for the team.As GMs bot Woelkers and Westy are well qualified, and having both their players at defensive positions gives them a strong foundation to build from. Specifically having Westy at CB is a big advantage.

For the Berlin Fire Salamanders… I’m on the record as saying I’m not in love with the name. It’s a big of a full mouth to say, and doesn’t flow off the tongue as well as the Silverbacks.The logo is ok. Actually, probably better then I expected to be honest. The initial color scheme is a bit difficult to tie together I think, but the artist who put it together did a really nice job bringing the whole piece together. On the GM front, having GM’ed with him for several seasons in London, High is an excellent choice for an ISFL expansion team. I know a little less about Dewalt, but I know he’s put his time in, and the two seem to work well together. On the field, they’re an odd pairing, as both of them play wide receiver, a position that is easy to find value at in the league. It will be interesting to watch how they build around these two wide receivers. It would seem to me that finding a quarter back of the future would be the biggest challenge ahead of them currently.

Out of the gates I would expect both teams to struggle initially. New York has a young QB they are building around in Trautner, so the future is bright…. But he is a couple of seasons away from being ready. Berlin’s path to success is less clear, honestly it wouldn’t surprise me if they opt to have someone swap to QB to cover them the first couple of seasons and look to draft someone to be the QB of the future.


Tier 2:8 - Lets talk about some Colorado Yeti roster construction, and about how we’ve looked to improve the team over the offseason. Obviously this past season we had hoped to bring home the Ultimus, but sadly we weren’t able to claim the hardware, and the San Jose Sabercats brought home the trophy.

Having moved on from the game, we immediately began looking into the pending Free Agent class, and hoped to find some players who could dramatically improve the team moving forward. The premiere Free Agent was none other then Darrell Williams, a Running back formerly of the Baltimore Hawks. While he had a deal in place to return, we pitched him on Colorado, and were extremely excited to be able to eventually sign him to a contract. Williams is slated to be our RB1 for the foreseeable future, and we’re excited to be able to bring him into the Yeti family. Having him here through the peak of his player will be a huge value to us.

Having signed Williams, we began looking at the S25 draft class, and tried to find who were in our opinion the best users in the class. Over time we developed a list of 5 users we felt were the cream of the crop, and approached multiple teams about trading up. Eventually we were able to come to an agreement with the New York Silverbacks to trade up for the 5th overall pick, ensuring we would be able to get one of our 5 users. I can’t say the draft went exactly as we expected, but we’re extremely happy with the results, and feel we come away having had the draft class of our dreams. I’d say the two big ares we were looking to address in the draft were Defensive Line and Secondary. Both had a decent amount of depth in the class, and so we looked to find value with our picks, as most of them were later round picks.

Moving forward for the team the next big thing on our horizon is the transition from Wolfie to Caliban at the QB position. Currently we’re working to surround him with the best talent possible, but long term we hope to have an excellent offensive game in place for him, with the best defense in the league to back him up…. Thus far I’d say we’re doing a good job of accomplishing that. That said, of course only the sim knows…. So we’re basically fucked.

[Kyamprac]

3) For any team, certain players and users have gone above and beyond, shaping the legacy of the franchise. Choose any ISFL or DSFL team and create a Mount Rushmore for that team. Who in your mind are the four most noteworthy figures of the team’s history? Why does each one of your included figures deserve that recognition, and how did each of them make their mark?

Anyone who knows me is aware that I have had a special attachment to the Dallas Birddogs since the first week I joined the Developmental Simulation Football League. Initially, my interest in the Birddogs was sparked by my husband’s involvement in the team, as Amidships was drafted there the season before I ended up joining. Despite his involvement in the team and being the main reason for me getting involved in the league however, this article is not about Amid. There have been others on the team since I joined that really contributed to my buy-in to the league that deserve mention for being as amazing as they are.

When I created my first player, dynamic duo iStegosauruz and Kyle were the general managers for Dallas. Knowing my relation to Amid, they picked me up off waivers to replace their inactive kicker at the time, Bobby Boomski.  I ended up being terrible. Zoe Watts did not do a whole lot to help the team and actually ended up missing a bunch of points that led to the Birddogs eventual demise just before playoffs that season. Despite all of that, however, Steg and Kyle kept morale high in the locker room and continued to encourage me to keep earning and growing. They took the time to teach me the ropes and helped me through a position switch to a much more rewarding role on the offense. After they drafted me, they soon gave me opportunities to get more involved in the team. This whole experience was not just unique to me.

As a pair, Kyle and Steg have made the DSFL experience a great one for every player to come through the Dallas Birddogs locker room. While they still value winning, earning awards, and all the things that a lot of people immediately think of as being part of building a legacy for GMs, the thing that I think makes them so noteworthy is the fact that they treat the DSFL as it is intended to be treated – as a developmental league. They put an immense amount of time into ensuring that players feel welcome, have fun, and gain enough progress on their players from season to season to go on to become successful players in the International Simulation Football League.

The Dallas Birddogs have a reputation for being so successful in these efforts that it almost acts as a detriment to the success of the team, as players very often get called up right away into the ISFL to continue their success streak there and go on to earn awards. Because of the work Kyle and Steg put into helping their players, the Dallas Birddogs have had the most immediate call-ups to the ISFL of any other team in the last four seasons despite still being one of the newer teams in the league. This made their jobs all the more difficult as general managers because they were tasked with filling massive holes year to year… but they continued to select individuals that impressed on the field and in the locker room despite this.

This was not enough for Kyle and Steg, though. These two are so dedicated to helping players grow and learn that they sacrificed their own positions as general managers so that others could get the experience themselves. Last season, Kyle stepped down and Steg moved into the GM role with Lim as his co-GM. This season, Steg stepped down to give me the opportunity to step into the co-GM role and continue to learn and help the league in other ways.

As far as I am concerned, these efforts alone make Kyle and Steg the Mount Rushmore for the Dallas Birddogs.

Having said all of that, Kyle and Steg’s success did not come out of nowhere. It would almost be sacrilege for me to go on about them without also mentioning the team’s founder, Gucci. Gucci played a huge role in getting Dallas up off the ground during expansion and did the work to ensure it’s long-term success from the onset. Since giving up his own role as GM, Gucci has been instrumental in providing invaluable advice and expertise to Dallas GMs and its war room members. He also continues to contribute actively to the locker room, further helping our players to develop and get involved in the league.

Now Lim and I have taken up the mantle and we are mostly just trying not to screw up the awesome job Steg, Kyle, and Gucci have done over the last few seasons. We have an amazing war room and several “old dogs” / veterans (enigmatic, cheeseman, and panda to name just a few) in the locker room that have continued to remain involved on the team despite moving on to the big league. Quite frankly, this has made our job really easy, so I can't say that we're the Mount Rushmore at all.

Going forward, the future looks bright for the Birddogs. The fourth and final person I want to mention as being part of this Mount Rushmore is r0tzbua. Brand new to the team, r0tz has already left a gigantic mark on the Birddogs. He singlehandedly rebranded the team without asking for any compensation or complaining about the endless suggestions for tweaking it, he consistently acts as one of our resident TPE Czars to help keep people on track, he goes above and beyond to help people feel welcome and get the information we need, and he goes out of his way to help anyone who needs it whether they play for Dallas or not. The fact we got him at 14OA still blows my mind and  I am absolutely elated to mention him as the newest probably most influential member of the Dallas Birddogs. As long as he continues to remain involved in the team, I have absolutely no doubt that we will continue the team’s streak of success in producing active and contributing members to the league.

(995 words)

[TheDude83]

Task 6. 

The Portland Python’s season might not have ended as well as they had hoped but their road to the playoffs was one that was gilded with triumphant highs which were balanced by abysmal lows. The Pythons opened at home in front of their fans to the Norfolk Seawolves. The excitement of the new season was shut down quickly due to the Seawolves blazing offense putting up 31 points on the Pythons behind a stellar performance from running back Quanter Skrills. After such a tough opener, the Pythons were able to rebound in week 2 against the London Royals. With inspired performances on both sides of the ball from running back Darren Parma and linebacker Donald McBobby, Portland was able to suffocate the Royals to the tune of 23-10. Moving on to week 3, the Pythons had gained confidence from their previous weeks win. Taking on the Minnesota Grey Ducks, Portland hoped to keep their offenses momentum going, but they were halted. With the two defenses battling it out, Minnesota’s lone touchdown in the second quarter along with the Grey Ducks kicker Bill Brasky going a perfect four for four to lift the Grey Ducks over the Pythons 19-15. Another tough home loss for the Pythons. Week 4’s matchup against the Kansas City Coyotes saw the Pythons return to their winning ways by jumping out to a 17-7 lead through the first half, and they didn’t look back for a victory of 38-24 over the Coyotes. 

In week 5 the Portland Pythons took on the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers which saw the Pythons held to only four field goals, while Myrtle Beach had a pair of touchdowns with the dominance of the Bucs running back 3’ Jeffrey for another Pythons loss of 20-12. After these give weeks the season wasn’t even half over, but things were not looking good for Portland with a record of 2-3. Week 6 brought the Pythons record to 2-4 after a crushing loss to the Tijuana Luchadores. With the Luchadores going up 14-7 in the first quarter, from then on they were able to match the Pythons touchdowns en route to a 34-27 win. Following week 6, hope was all but lost for the Portland Pythons. However, their luck turned around for the next three weeks. Weeks 7, 8, and 9 saw the Pythons take down the Dallas Birddogs,  Norfolk Seawolves, and London Royals to bring their record to above .500 for the first time that season with a record of 5-4. With three straight wins, it put Portland on a high that seemed inescapable, but for every up there is a down. The next three weeks, weeks 10, 11, and 12, saw the Pythons lose in tough losses to the Minnesota Grey Ducks, Kansas City Coyotes, and Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. These three weeks saw the Pythons plummet from a winning record to a losing record of 5-7 looking ahead to the last two weeks.

Week 13 allowed the Pythons to gain revenge on a team that caused them an earlier loss, the Tijuana Luchadores. Portland put up 34 points behind the arm of quarterback Sam Howitzer, who threw for 168 yards and four touchdowns, while linebacker Brach Thomaslacher led the Python defense with 11 tackles and a sack to crush the Luchadores 34-10. Heading into the final week, Portland was fighting for a .500 record and a playoff spot. Their final game of the season came in week 14 due to the Pythons having a BYE week for week 15. This final matchup took place against the Dallas Birddogs. While the Pythons put up a valiant effort scoring three touchdowns, the Birddogs were too much to handle with Dallas running back Zoe Watts scoring two touchdowns on 129 yards while the Birddogs defense was led by cornerback Byron Blackwell who has an interception return for a touchdown to overwhelm Portland and hand them a loss in their final game with a score of 33-27. With the Pythons being in the NFC North, they finished in second place behind the London Royals. The Pythons almost missed the playoffs due to their tied record with the Kansas City Coyotes at 6-8. Luckily for Portland, their 316 points for was just 15 points more than Kansas City thus sending the Pythons to the DSFL playoffs.

(word count: 716)


Task 13. 

Having only joined during the end of Season 24, my time here has been relatively short compared to most of the users I have had contact with. I have not been a part of any other simulation leagues, so I was a bit skeptical to begin when I joined, but I was genuinely curious. While it took me a little bit to get the hang of the weekly activities, once I learned the ropes and began looking into the histories of both ISFL and DSFL teams, I knew this would be something I could get into. Being a part of the league so far has been quite enjoyable, with many users reaching out to offer a helping hand as I have gained my footing in the league. A few users who have gone above and beyond at welcoming me to the league were Arkz who is the cornerback D. Foster for the Portland Pythons along with RDBSouthPaw who is Portland’s linebacker Brach Thomaslacher. Many other users have reached out and given their support, whether they were on my team or not which really gave the league a larger sense of community than I expected. This extra layer of comradery I think is something that helps the league and made me feel welcomed from the beginning.

My player is Moe Skeeter who is a defensive end and a Season 26 prospect, hoping to make his mark on the league. Besides getting a sack on his first play in the DSFL for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, my players start was short lived and didn’t get enough of a look to know how he will progress. However, that doubt has only caused me to do my best at racking up as much TPE as I can to ensure his progression meets the standards that seem to be pretty high for players around the league. Moe Skeeter has not yet been drafted, so I still have a long way to go as to seeing how the league’s drafts work and being excited to see where Moe might land.

Since my time in the league has been a good one so far, a few comments that I have about the simulation league is that I believe the level of community works very well in favor for making new prospects feel welcome, especially when it can feel a little daunting sometimes with the amount of writing that can be expected for some of the tasks. I also think possibly adding in a combine or prospect training camp might add an interesting wrinkle to how the league’s prospects can first interact with their tasks. Overall, I am happy to be a part of this larger community and hope to have my player grow alongside it.  
         
(word count: 458)

[GoonerBear]

Code:

1) The league has a rich and fascinating history, and our perspectives on it differ from person to person. In 800 words or more, describe any significant non-playoffs moment in ISFL or DSFL history, whether you were around for it or not. Describe the context, the significant members, and the events. What exactly made this event so famous (or infamous) and why does it deserve to be remembered?

It's the end of Season 24. The very last game on not only the participants' slate, but the entire league's regular-season schedule. The San Jose SaberCats are hosting the New Orleans Second Line in a game they must win to secure their place in the postseason. NOLA can move on with or without a win by this point. In a crowd of two 9-7 teams and 9-6 NOLA with earlier results, however, 8-8 will not cut it for San Jose. It's been a painful affair since Montgomery Jack hit Nate Swift on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The offense has continued to struggle, and early in the fourth quarter, Herbert Prohaska has kicked a field goal to make it a nine-point game. Two possessions for the Cats feels like a chasm, especially with an offense that would finish in the bottom half of the ISFL in yards and scoring, by air and land.

Earlier this season, the SaberCats had defeated the Second Line in New Orleans 17-14. Matthew McDairmid came through within the final two minutes to kick what would ultimately hold as the game-winning field goal after the Cats had mounted a 14-3 lead, then NOLA came back to tie the game midway through the quarter. It had been four seasons since the Cats last swept the Second Line in a regular season where the two sides met on two occasions. Since that time, the Second Line had reeled in a bigger prize - an Ultimus in S21.

The stakes were higher for San Jose. After a fantastic S22, especially relative to most of their history, an 8-5 mark was, unfortunately, not enough to secure a postseason berth in a packed ASFC where they lost a head-to-head tiebreaker to...New Orleans. The Austin Copperheads had been relentlessly mocked for tying the Arizona Outlaws in Week 1 24-24, though in the end, it wasn't a loss, and that carried the day to elevate Austin to the 2 seed, out of the tie. 5-11 in S23 was enough for the second overall pick in the S24 ISFL Draft. Heading into S24, optimism was plentiful, though reality would soon set in as the Cats were up and down the entire way. Fortunately for them, so were their conference rivals. The Colorado Yeti and Sarasota Sailfish were running away with the NSFC, and the Chicago Butchers were an afterthought for the conference at 7-9. They still qualified for the postseason.

A hard-luck season two years prior. A team in NOLA who pipped them to the most recent Ultimus, who lingered over the darkest moments of recent history. A team in NOLA who didn't need to win, though figured it would be nice to exact revenge in this game AND see the defeated SaberCats eliminated in one night.

With the pendulum swinging on NOLA's end, Prohaska kicks the ball to Deondre Thomas-Fox, the wide receiver who would end up with the most receiving yards at the end of the season at 1406. In this moment, however, his most important contribution to the SaberCats to date is about to come on a kick return. Thomas-Fox catches the kickoff halfway inside his own end zone. He checks his left and right. He figures he has a better chance going left. As he crosses the goal line, he books it for the left sideline, behind sturdy blockers who are developing them just right. Thomas-Fox weaves through them before it becomes a footrace. NOLA kick defenders, in a mad scramble, are desperate to disengage from the San Jose kick returners locking horns with them. Any fraction of a second could prove the difference. A couple speedier guys from the other side are tracking him down. Thomas-Fox hits the 25, the 20, the 15, 10, hit at the 5 by one of the defenders...

...and leaps out as he's going down on a shoestring tackle. Ball over the line, clear as day.

Touchdown, San Jose. It's recorded as a 105-yard kick return touchdown to pull the Cats back to within a 23-21 deficit.

What makes this moment is it injected life back into the home side. They would still struggle on offense, sure, though a 47-yard field goal from McDairmid when close enough at about four and a half minutes to go now takes them to a lead rather than a setup for a hope to get a touchdown. It puts the pressure on the Second Line. And it puts the strongest unit the Cats have on the field with destiny in their hands. They hold off one charge, take a break for a punt, and run the clock out before NOLA can mount a severe threat to turn the tide at the gun.

The tiebreakers among four 9-7 ASFC teams ultimately shook out to place San Jose first, then Orange County second, New Orleans third, and Arizona out in the cold in fourth place. The Cats would get a bye, defeat the Otters 17-3 in the conference title game, then sweat out a tight contest with the Colorado Yeti before surviving to win their second Ultimus 17-12.

Many members of the SJS locker room would go on to point to this moment as the most pivotal moment in the season in hindsight. Without the Thomas-Fox return touchdown, San Jose does not win their second Ultimus. They don't even get the chance to.

(891)

[Thor]

Code:

3) For any team, certain players and users have gone above and beyond, shaping the legacy of the franchise. Choose any ISFL or DSFL team and create a Mount Rushmore for that team. Who in your mind are the four most noteworthy figures of the team’s history? Why does each one of your included figures deserve that recognition, and how did each of them make their mark?

Today we are will be looking at a DSFL team for this honour, one I like to think I know reasonably well - the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. For the purpose of this exercise we are considering players/staff of Myrtle Beach in it's current iteration and location, so Palm Beach and especially Chicago Blues team/staff are not included. We will discuss the four noteworthy figures from left to right.

Far left head: Hallmonitor
Lovingly referred to by the Buccaneers as "Grandpa Hall", and seen to most as the founder of Myrtle Beach as a team - Hall moved the team to its current location from Palm Beach, and led in the early days, though the team has it's first season at 2-12, the second at 10-4 more than made up for it. Eventually Hall would step out of this role, moving into the GM role with the Philadelphia Liberty. He was also responsible (by extension at least), for bringing all of the other three Mt Rushmore heads to the team. Hall also had his linebacker Jeremiah Zelos join the team in S23 for a brief one season stint before he too headed off to Philadelphia. Halls record as GM of Myrtle Beach was 12-16.

Second from left head: Frostbite
Lets get this out of the way nice and early: Frost sux lmap

Now that the pleasantries are over, Frost has been around Myrtle Beach since its inception with Grandpa Hall - and though the general sentiment is that he sux, he has been and still is a substantial influence on the team - and is responsible in no small part for the success the Buccaneers have seen. Leading the team into S20 with the S21 draft class he succeeded in getting the Buccaneers to their best ever record of 12-2, though they would not take the Ultimini that season. Frost left the team at the end of S21 to move on to being the GM of the Sarasota Sailfish. Frost's player Raphtalia Chan also spent two seasons with the Buccaneers in S20 and S21, starting out as a cornerback and then swapping to a running back at the end of S20. Frost's record as GM of Myrtle Beach was 33-23.

Second from right head: scorycory
Where Frost saw success as a GM for Myrtle Beach, one constant followed - and that was having Cory by his side. With his player Lord Beerus playing for the Solar Bears and the Buccaneers after a stint with the Portland Pythons, Cory was brought on to the management staff when Grandpa Hall went to Philly for cigarettes and never came back. Whenever someone attributes credit to Frost for the S21 Buccaneers Ultimini season, Cory will quickly be found there to claim it on his behalf. Though he was also a GM alone in S22 we are pretty sure that was just a kacey dream and it never actually happened, so we will ignore that season and the next (S23) when he has some newbie GM pushing decisions through. That clears Cory of the 7-7 and 6-8 seasons giving him a total record of 21-7 (real record: 34-22)

Far right head: Jeffie43
Please don't get this confused with the far right movement, this is a designation based on physical location, not political beliefs.

While some may be surprised by this given his short tenure as GM of Myrtle Beach, Jeffie died for our sins so Myrtle Beach could be born again. Jeff played for Myrtle Beach in S20 as the TPE class leader Prince Vegeta, helping to lead the team to a 12-2 off the back of his efforts. He helped significantly (alongside RainDelay and others) to scout what is renowned as Myrtle Beach's best draft class in S22 - where they picked up a slew of talent such as colabear, billybolo, Mori, NTG, Dahayn, troen, and even yours truly, Thor. While his brief tenure as GM saw him leave the role too soon, Jeff has now moved on to being the GM of the Orange County Otters. We never got to see what Jeff would have done as the GM of Myrtle Beach, so he holds the record for both the least wins, and the least losses in franchise history with a record of 0-0.

Honourable mentions that didn't quite made the mountain
There are a lot more names that could go on this list, people who have played for the team and those who have helped with managing the team in the War Room behind the scenes. Some of the main users who I would have also considered on a shortlist would be Mori, Simon, Dankoa and Rotti, I could put myself in the category too, but that seems cheesey - I'll wait and hope eventually someone else will decide I'm worthy of being there. All these people have helped over many seasons to ensure the team is heading in the right direction and destined for greatness, playing with us and managing the team with their help is a great experience, so they're all deserving.

[Raven]

8) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?

For this task I will be looking at the Honolulu Hahalua squad who impressively just missed out on playoffs with a 8-8 record in a tough conference while starting a rookie quarterback. The position I would like to look at will be the quarterback himself. Luke Skywalker comes off a solid rookie season in which he was very effecient in his way of playing. Quarterbacks always take some time to mature and settle in, but as Skywalker keeps growing he will be a part of the elite quarterbacks soon enough. Linked to quarterbacks are the receivers. Jed Podolak will be hitting a big 1K tpe milestone soon and will be the big man for Honolulu. He will be the #1 receiver, while Alexander and Clay will be behind in to offer their support. Especially Alexander will be looking to solidfy himself as a #2 WR. Keʻokeʻo Kāne-Maikaʻi has proven to be very versitile as an all purpose back and can do it all. He will be supporting #1 rusher Ayers who just came off an offensive rookie of the year season.

Jim Waters and Ray-Ray Jackson are cornerstones for the Hahalua defense and after being robbed of awards Waters will be looking to bring a big preformance next season. After losing young and upcoming LB Banks in the expansion draft and Arienlacher due to bs, Heinrich Kackpoo has become the lone pillar of the linebackers. After losing Buck, but with Lavigne coming into the team safety is covered. Dawkins is an established safety in the NSFL, Lavigne is going to have to prove to be ready at the top level. Montain and Bane Kaʻanāʻanā remain as the teams only players on the defensive line. After losing Kearse in the expansion draft and Noble Jr. due to bs once more.

Their special teams is loaded with Venus Powers, back to back award winner and the best kicker in the league. Kicker is no concern for the Hahalua as they have theirs locked up for a long time.

The already established players on the team are growing and getting better, but as they lose some supporting players in key roles. So looking what they need to improve is bringing in two people for the defensive line and a players who can bring power to the linebackers. This can be done either in the upcoming NSFL draft or if any hit free agentcy, through that. It will be interesting to see if the Hahalua can keep improving and make their first playoffs this next season.

9) Pick any position, and determine who in your view is the greatest player to ever suit up at that position. Why do you view them as the GOAT? What achievements, records, accolades, or statistics do they hold? How do they stack up against the other legends in their position, and why does your chosen candidate come out on top?

I am going to reach far down the history of the league for this one, but this player is the one player who will always come to my mind when I think of as the best in their respective position. Coming off playing as a quarterback myself and experiencing the position myself, I think this is the best position to write about.

My choice for the all time greatest player to suit up at quarterback is non other than Mike Boss. Boss was one of the very first players to see their name put into the Hall of Fame. Seeing his name added in the second ever induction of the hall of fame. Mike Boss is a quarterback from the very first season when he joined a 6 team league which already had around 10 QB prospects. He would be drafted to the Orange County Otters where he would be in a three-way QB battle, until he took over as the starter in S2.

If you have ever looked at the all time records you have no doubt seen Mike Boss' name show up. Mike boss currently holds the following records: #2 in Passing Attempts with 5399, #2 in Passing COmpletions with 3251, #1 in Passing Completion Percentage at 60.2%, #1 in Passing Interceptions, #1 in Passing Yards with 42278, #1 in Passing Touchdowns with 292, #3 in Passing Ratings with 92.8 over a 9 season career. Now Mike Boss' played in an era where it wasn't strange to see a Quarterback hit 4500, 5000+ yards in a season. However this does not block out the absolute achievements he was able to collect during his time playing.

Mike Boss has three MVP awards to his name of which he won all three in a row. Has won 5 Quarterback of the Year awards of which his first 4 in a row and he also has 3 Offensive Player of the Year awards. While being the quarterback for the Otters he was able to throw them to 4 finals and won 3 of those. So besides 11 personal accolades he also posses three ultimus rings.

Mike Boss was a dominant force through his entire career and was one of the best quarterbacks in every season he played. If we had votes on which players were the most dominant in certain eras, Mike Boss would be an easy shoe in for any era that covers the first 10 seasons.

He will always be the one quarterback to come to my mind anytime i think of a quarterback.

[TomHanks]

10) 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?

Oh baby let’s have a chat about one of the more remembered DSFL teams in history, and maybe the most remembered that didn’t win the Ultimini. There’s an easy set up joke here to go on to discuss my MVP winning season with Tijuana but I’m actually going to sing the praises of the former San Antonio Marshals season 14 year with the Fab V. Now this is kind of a tricky one since this team would never hold up against a post season 21 DSFL team, or debatably even a post season 18 team. However, back in my day (grumble grumble), you didn’t need a full-fledged team of stars to be competitive, as long as you had some big key players, you could absolutely dominate. These stars were as follows: running back Morgan Marshall, linebackers Mo Berry and Quenton Bode, defensive end Nero Alexander, and free safety Walt Green. This isn’t to say the Marshals didn’t have any other talent at all, they had a capped QB in Cooter Bigsby who was also their legendary GM timeconsumer. They had one of the original apostles of our lord and savior Gimmy in Mister Big Chest, they had a capped CB in Vander Jones with 90 speed, they even borrowed Hall of Fame wideout Trey Willie for one famous play. There was a lot to like about this team. But their first five picks in the DSFL draft were the reason for this teams’ dominance. They did it all in the regular season. They went 13-1 (tied for the all-time best record shout out to S18 Tijuana who also choked in the playoffs), they scored almost 400 points (398) which was top of the league. They conceded the fewest points allowing a mere 193 across the 14 games. They lead the league in every defensive category, had the top rushing attack, and saw their RB Morgan Marshal tie the DSFL record for most touchdowns along with Tijuana running back Forrest Gump who tied it in the same season. They only loss this team faced all season was a 3-point loss on the road against the 10-4 Portland Pythons. They were a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut. Then came the playoffs. Facing off against the 8-6 Luchadores, it was set up to be a game strongly favored towards the Marshals. Then the impossible happened and Tijuana put up 30 points against a defense that hadn’t let up more than 27 points in any game including preseason. Only able to score 21 themselves, the Marshals fell. This was a shocking upset and frankly not what the legends that are the Fab V deserved. 

9) Pick any position, and determine who in your view is the greatest player to ever suit up at that position. Why do you view them as the GOAT? What achievements, records, accolades, or statistics do they hold? How do they stack up against the other legends in their position, and why does your chosen candidate come out on top?

Much like how many people (myself included) believe that the GOAT NFL quarterback is still playing, I am going to argue that the GOAT ISFL offensive lineman is still playing, and arguably in his prime currently. The reigning winner of offensive lineman of the year, Givussafare Rubbe. Now, offensive line hasn’t exactly been the most in vogue position historically, so Rubbe has very few career offensive linemen to compete with. To illustrate the difference in growth at the offensive line position, look at the draft. Rubbe was a max earning, high activity player with a long history with not only the ISFL but sim leagues in general. He currently sits at 6th overall in TPE in the league. He was selected in round 4 of ISFL draft. 5 drafts later in season 23, Dick Thruster, who is 26th in his class in TPE and an offensive lineman, was selected in the first round. This isn’t to say Thruster was a bad pick, he no doubt contributes to the Colorado LR in a big way and is very important to their win rate as a team. It more serves to illustrate just how people have come to realize the importance of having two human O-Line players on their roster. That never would’ve happened without Rubbe. Being a leader and a trailblazer of your position doesn’t automatically make you the GOAT, lord knows Sid Luckman is seldom brought up in GOAT quarterback arguments, but what he’s done in addition to that solidifies Rubbe as the greatest OL to ever put on the pads. Offensive line records are the hardest to track in the league unfortunately due to bots who have been playing since nearly the beginning of the league taking most of the spots, but if you isolate human OL records, what Rubbe has done is truly special. Across 6 seasons he’s played in the ISFL, he’s played in 84 games and allowed just 1 sack in that entire time. He has also amassed 419 pancakes, averaging just under 5 per game. When you consider the pancake block to be the impact play for this position, that is a hell of a lot of impact across his career. The human record for pancakes is 495 held by Edmond Beaver-Dantes. Cal should break that record this season with NOLA, making it so he holds the record with many years to go in his career and build his lead even further. In addition, each season the competition for OLotY rises due to the increased number of OL in the league, and Rubbe was able to take home that prize with a staggering 94 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed this season.

[Ace]

TIER 2 – TASK 8 (5 TPE)
Well, Arik Eller was a bit of a free agent gun for hire the last few seasons while on the hunt for some salary gains. This season’s free agency found him returning to the team that drafted him, the Chicago Butchers on yet another one-year deal. It’s been confirmed that he left money on the table from one of the expansion franchises. With this exciting change, it seems like Eller is ready to dig his heels in and make a career out of it, perhaps wearing Chicago’s crimson red for the remainder of his career.
The Butchers are in an exciting spot. When I was drafted here, we were clearly in a bad spot, but had one way to go – that was up. I think that Bayley and Muford have done an admirable job of swiftly rebounding this franchise. Like a phoenix, the Butchers rose from the ashes of disappointment and were actually a relevant franchise this season. Their drafting was impeccable, and the culture of the locker room seems to have taken a 180 as well.
Unfortunately, the financial situation isn’t optimal, as they barely had enough money to bring me back and I had to leave money on the table. With the current budget cap of $85,000,000, it looks like we do have some tangible budget still ready to be allocated and perhaps I was swindled by the front office, but it’s to be determined how exactly that can be used.
Luckily the Butchers are still equipped decently enough regarding our draft capital. We sit pretty with our own natural 1st round pick, and we own the Baltimore and Honolulu third round selections. The remainder of the draft we own all of our natural picks, plus the Sabercats’ fifth round selection. For S26 and S27 we’re sitting with all of our natural selections from round one through round 10. It will be interesting to see how management navigates these drafts.
After a quick gander at our roster, it looks like the defense will be where we need the most help and where Eller will have to step it up and prove that he was worth the gamble Chicago took when they took the New Hampshire native.
I don’t think that the Butchers will be knocking on the door of contention this season, but in the next two seasons I can see the meme that folks were referring to when I asked them about Chicago fading. Look out, it’s time for some butchery. (415 words)

TIER 2 – TASK 12 (5 TPE)
Expansion. It’s a fantastic time in any sim league, and in real life sports franchises. The thought of seeing a crisp new logo and brand on the broadcast for the first time against historic staples is super intriguing no matter the situation.
The Berlin Fire Salamanders is probably one of the most creative names for a franchise I’ve ever heard too, it’s got a real Pokemon vibe. Dude’s are gonna use Fire Blast at their opponents. It’ll be Super Effective. I had some intriguing conversations with the new management staff of the Fire Salamanders, and I think with how proactive they were being towards the construction of their roster, they’ll be equipped quite well for this upcoming season and the future. I also like the fact that they broke the mold and are a European franchise. Now, about the New York Silverbacks? That’s a name that inspires strength and familial bonds. I don’t know much about them, or their management staff, but it certainly is a cool brand and concept.
I took a quick gander at the draft pick tracker. It looks like these two franchises have significantly different strategies of how they’re going about the draft and transactions in general. The New York Silverbacks do not own their own natural pick until the 5th round of the S25 draft, but have amassed a collection of picks from other franchises. These picks include the Colorado 1st, Yellowknife 2nd, Colorado 3rd, Orange County 4th and the San Jose 4th. I assume they went out big game hunting right off the bat to field a more competitive roster.
Berlin on the other hand, are going with the traditional draft and develop plan for their expansion franchise. The only thing I see missing is their natural 2nd round selection and an additional 6th round selection from Arizona. They haven’t been nearly as active in the pick trading as the Silverbacks. I assume they really were working the phones and trying to supplement their team via free agency. It’s always nice if you can add and build your franchise without losing assets. Who ever wants to help anyone else out if you don’t have to!?
It’s hard to say one strategy is better than the other. The only thing that will truly and fairly judge these two franchises in their efficiency and execution of their initial strategies is going to be time. After all, time waits for no man. (405 words)

[LimJahey]

3) For any team, certain players and users have gone above and beyond, shaping the legacy of the franchise. Choose any ISFL or DSFL team and create a Mount Rushmore for that team. Who in your mind are the four most noteworthy figures of the team’s history? Why does each one of your included figures deserve that recognition, and how did each of them make their mark? (800 words)

The Butchers are a relatively young franchise for the age of the league. First coming into fruition in season 16, they started off their franchise tied with a league best 10-3 record. The success wouldn't last long though, and the Butchers would soon become the laughing stock of the league, especially during the S20-S22 time period. Now at the end of S24, the future for the Butchers is bright and promising, and the franchise is looking to compete for an Ultimus in the next few years. With the introduction to the Butchers out of the way, lets dive into the 4 figures who I would give a spot on the Butchers Mount Rushmore. The first figure I would like to talk about is the player Sean O'Leary. Drafted in S19 to a young Butchers franchise who was trying to contend, he has been on the Butchers since then, and is a top 5 receiver in the ISFL at the moment of writing. During the Butchers horrible attempts at making the Ultimus and throwing their future and caution into the wind, O'Leary has been there through thick and thin. Not once has he stopped earning or producing, even through the lowest of lows, going 1-12 in S22 after the shit show left by the previous GM's, he has been the center of our offense, and deserves a spot not only on the Butchers Rushmore, but in the ISFL hall of fame. The next two people who are going up on the mountain are going to be the current GMs of the Butchers, Bayley and Muford. At the start of the S21 offseason, the Butchers were fucking dead in the water, there is no moving around that. Even with a change of guard there was controversy, with the interim GM's being a heated discussion throughout the league. Muford and Bayley were the two guys that the locker-room decided on, and they were left with the ruins of a crumbled and inactive team. With their first draft, they only had two picks in the first 6 rounds. One of them had to be spent on Bayley himself, so the outlook for the next few years was bleaker than imaginable. The Butchers should have been bottom feeders for the next decade with how badly the team was left, but the new GM's both went to work and put everything they had into whatever they could. They were scouting for as many late round steals as possible, ending up with Von Hayes in the 11th and Tyron Shields in the 12th round, both massive steals who are both currently max earners. It didn't stop there. During the S22 season they were able to trade for George O'Donnell, a young quarterback ready to make the jump up to the league and now their quarterback of the future. Offseason additions of Tree Gelbman, Oles, MvP, and the S23 draft class were all very huge as well. With a 2 win improvement over the S22 season, they continued their streak of fantastic drafts and drafted an incredible player and user in Juan Domaine. Now with a dedicated tester and a team of young developing talent, the Butchers would end up making the playoffs in the S24 season. The work that Muford and Bayley have both put into rebuilding the Butchers cannot be understated, they've put countless hours into scouting, testing, and improving a team that was looking like they would be the laughing stock of the league for seasons to come. Choosing a final figure to throw onto the Butchers Mount Rushmore is a challenging task, there have been dedicated users with great players, but they don't have the same impact that the three I already listed have made. Rose Jenkins was a fantastic quarterback, but they were never able to really bring the Butchers any rings. Not to mention their user wasn't exactly known for being a good GM. Oles is another user who could be considered, but they haven't spent the amount of time that other users have on the team. If I absolutely had to choose a fourth figure to throw up onto the Mount Rushmore of the Butchers, it would be Tyron Shields. They're a really young player right now, but with the rocky history of the Butchers, I couldn't think of anyone else who deserved a spot more than them. They've been an amazing locker room presence, they're in the war room, and they do so much for the Butchers that I honestly don't have the words needed to describe it. They helped form an absolutely miserable franchise into one of the brightest looking franchises with their positivity and desire to improve. While they haven't done that much on the field yet, with only two seasons under their belt, the work behind the scenes that this user has done easily matches up with the two GMs I mentioned earlier. In the end, the Butchers Mount Rushmore obviously isn't as developed as other teams, but the users and players mentioned have really shown off the new Butcher way, and deserve the spots given.

[ReverendOReily]

#7
Awards season is among us! The time has come to sing the praises of those most deserving, and laugh in the faces of those who just barely missed out. Most Valuable Player is a tricky one - does it simply mean the player who had the best stats on paper? Is the MVP the player who singlehandedly contributed the most to their team? Luckily, I have a player in mind who fulfills all both of these categories, and I am here to make the case for Zoe Watts of the Dallas Birddogs for MVP. This past season, the Dallas offense began and ended with Zoe Watts. Many teams ran defensive strategies against us that were designed to stop run heavy schemes, and many of them still got ran all over. Watts finished the season first in the DSFL in rushing yards with 1303, first in the league in rushing touchdowns with 10, and fourth in the league in yards per carry (minimum 100 attempts) while also leading the DSFL in rushing attempts. We would also be remiss if we didn't talk about Zoe Watts' outsanding 8 receptions for 49 yards; each one of those receiving yards is a testament to why she should be named most valuable player. 

We've talked about Zoe Watts and how her prowess compares to other running backs in the league, now let's zoom in and take a look at some of her more impressive stat lines throughout this season. In her final game of the season against the Portland snekkie sneks, Watts rushed for 129 yards on just 19 carries, which was good for a whopping 6.8 yards per carry. She added two rushing touchdowns to the day in a tight game. In week 5 against the Minnesota Grey Ducks, Watts scampered for 120 yards off of 21 carries for a 5.7 average, caught a pass for 7 yards, and found the endzone on two different occasions. The next week against the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, Watts rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown. In a hard fought week 10 loss against the Norfolk Seawolves, Watts again broke the century mark, rushing for 106 yards off of 18 carries which was good for 5.9 yards per carry. She also scored one touchdown. Zoe Watts isn't just the most valuable player of Dallas, she's also the most valuable player of the DSFL. Teams in the DSFL know that Zoe will be bringing both the noise and the funk every time she's lined up in the backfield, and time and time again, they fail to contain her. That's MVP quality performance right there.

(434)

#20
SCOUTING REPORT - CLASSIFIED

Name: Richard "Mature Nickname" Leaking, linebacker for the Dallas Birddogs

Stats: 14 games played (injury free iron man), 102 tackles (one of only five rookies to break 100 tackles this season), 1 tackle for loss, 9 sacks (tied for the most among rookies in the DSFL), 9 passes defended (or deflected depending on your preferred terminology), and 0 interceptions but he promises he's really trying on that front.

Abilities: Speaks Hungarian, Armenian, Pidgin English, Icelandic, Pig Latin, and English. Alligator wrestling. Can repeatedly cartwheel down a hill like he's a wagon wheel. Once lined up at Cornerback in high school because he forgot where he was, and the play resulted in a pick 6. I'm not sure if that's an "ability" persay, but it sure should be. Also plays football pretty well in his spare time.

TPE: 265 (capped, stacked, and ready to slap [some quarterbacks]

Highlights: S24 Week 4 vs Royals - 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PD. S24 Week 5 vs Grey Ducks - 11 tackles, 1 sack, 3 PDs. Week 9 vs Coyotes - 12 tackles, 1 sack. Week 11 vs Royals - 7 tackles, 2 sacks. Week 13 vs Buccaneers - 13 tackles, 1 PD.

Crimes Committed: Yes. Don't look for Richard Leaking's criminal record. If you start looking, it will find you first, and that won't be good for anyone.

(223)

#24
In my mind, there is one player that really stood out as the most valuable player of the season 24 playoffs, and that's Matty McDairmid. I'm sure there will be a lot of people who immediately think "how could a kicker be the most valuable player? He's a kicker!" and to those people, I would say Matty McDairmid is not just a kicker. He's a punter too. And he's not just a kicker/punter either, he's also the MVP of the season 24 playoffs. Here's why:

-In a 20-10 win against the Arizona Outlaws, which I don't remember being streamed as a playoff game at all, but I am going to continue to talk about because it's listed as the quarterfinal game in the index under "playoff results" (source: https://index.sim-football.com/ISFLS24/P...sults.html) Matty was again perfect when it came to scoring, making both of his extra point attempts and nailing a 32 yard field goal and a 34 yard field goal.

-In the ASFC championship game against the Orange County Otters, Matty was a perfect 3 for 3, kicking two extra points and a 42 yard field goal late in the fourth to put the game away for good. He also punted 5 times for 268 yards, which was good for a 53.6 average. His longest punt of the day was a 71 yard beauty that pinned the otters inside of their own 20 yard line.

-The Ultimus is when Matty McDairmid really shined. Matty contributed 5 of the Sabercats 17 points. They won the game 17-12. By my oversimplified standards, Matty was quite literally the difference between victory and a neverending tie. Those five points weren't even the most important thing Matty did in that game though. Matty punted the ball 9 times for an incredible 507 yards, including an absolute rocket of a 76 yard punt in the fourth quarter. Matty pinned the Yeti inside of their own 20 three times that day. Matty do indeed be bootin' it, and that's why he should be recognized as the playoffs MVP.

(343)