I have not been in the International Simulation Football league for a decade, I am just now entering my third season in this wonderful league, so I shall instead talk about my next 10 seasons. I think that as the starting tight end for the Austin Copperheads, we shall do great things as we are a significant team within the American Simulation Football Conference. I think the Austin Copperheads have the potential to win many ultimus championships over the next decade as we are a very good and strong team with stars like Travis Scott on the Copperheads, along with quarterback Malcolm Savage and wide receiver Johnny Patey currently in the DSFL. In terms of personal goals, I think that I have pro-bowler potential at the tight end position and that I can perhaps score many touchdowns, acquire many yards, and pancake many defensive players over the next decade. However, with regression, assuming I actually make it through 10 seasons that would probably mean that Scott will be dead by then and I'd have to re-create, which is a crazy thought to have and frankly I dont want to think about it. Hopefully I will be able to make Travis Scotts career be long and fruitful, and make this a good decade for myself and the Copperheads!
Looking back over the past decade is, in essence, looking back over my entire career. I came into this league after dominating in college but really didn't know what I was getting into as a professional. Turns out this whole thing has been one crazy rollercoaster ride.
It's hard to pinpoint one exact moment for me that is the MOST memorable, but there are a handful I look back on fondly. Of course, winning the Ultimus in Season 29 is right at the top of the list. After knocking on the door for so many seasons we finally broke through. Words can't describe the feeling of sharing a common struggle with your teammates and coming out on top. It's something I'll never forget.
On a personal level, a few things stick out. Winning Defensive Breakout Player of the Year was a big one for me. Recording 20 sacks in one season was another. And just this last game I broke into the top 10 in career sacks. It was a goal of mine that I never truly thought I could achieve until I got there. Actually, it still feels surreal.
Most of these achievements can be traced back to one thing, and when I think back it probably has been the single most impactful moment of my past decade. Being selected #1 overall by the New York Silverbacks in the expansion draft was the most pivotal moment of my career and I can't imagine it going any other way.
I have only been around for a total of 4 seasons now, seasons 27 through 30, so while my personal history with the league isn’t too long, I definitely have plenty of fond memories. Dating all the way back to when I got drafted, I remember feeling a little apprehensive about the league and LARPing a player. Felt pretty weird initially and the writing aspect just coming off a master’s thesis felt a little like homework which I just got away from. But once I saw my player make some plays in the prospect bowl and heard TheCC say my name in the DSFL draft I felt inspired. My favorite memory that rookie season had to be when Snowy’s player got an interception against Portland in the final minutes to seal our hopes at winning that game and keep our playoff dreams alive! They were the best team in the league at the time and we just came off a big losing streak. My next favorite was getting a pick-6 against Norfolk in the final game of the season, but alas we still lost and missed the playoffs.
But probably one of the best moments was getting drafted by TheCC yet again to Chicago! Gragg had put a lot of pressure on them to take me in the first, but I really didn’t see it happen. So much pressure in fact, I was kinda disapointed they passed with their first round pick even though before the draft time started I knew I was going in the second round. But to see myself continue to fall to Chicago’s second pick and they didn’t even trade, it felt like CC pulled some magic especially as Philly took the other high earning safety. It was really fun to be in VC with all the Grey Ducks getting hype about being drafted and celebrating it. It felt like a fun little party and definitely one of the coolest memories of the league. Now I hang out with them in the LR and on game nights, where we have impromptu ones like once a week lmao. Stop by if you can! I’ll ping ya!
My favorite moment by far from the last decade of the ISFL was helping Cooter Bigsby and the rest of that generation of Yellowknife Wraith greats finally win an ultimus bowl in S23. In the seasons prior to season 23 the Wraiths devastatingly lost four Ultimus bowl games. The team was led by absolute legends such as Cooter Bigsby QB, Hanyadi RB, and Alexander DE. For Bigsby, the Ultimus game of season 23 would be his last game of his career. Would he go down as the ISFL version of Jim Kelly? Or would he finally get over the hump and become the ISFL version of John Elway? The Wraiths' opponent that night was the Austin Copperheads. The Wraiths earned home field advantage and after the first quarter the score was 7-7. After that the Wraiths poured it on leaving the game in little doubt. The Wraiths won the game with a score of 38-13. Like a morning sitting on the toilet after a night at super China buffet, the relief was unbelievable. After the trophy ceremony Cooter Bigsby was carried off the field by the team. The last we heard of Bigsby was that he was spotted driving across the America/Mexico border in his convertible with his mullet blowing in the wind. That Ultimus win allowed him to retire in peace. (223 words)
Being new why not look in both directions? My favorite couple things in my few seasons have been the utter shock of being drafted by Norfolk with the first overall pick of the S29 DSFL Draft. Coming in as a fresh face I expected some of the more established users to go with the first few picks. Hell, I wasn't even sure if I'd go in the first round. Then the flurry on pings on draft night came rolling through my phone and I was shocked to see I went first overall. Another favorite, and recent, thing has been lucky enough to be in a position to Co-GM a great group of folks in Honolulu alongside Siddhus. Another shocking revelation as I did not expect to get this job being new to the league. I love everything that goes into GMing in sim leagues and I'm grateful that Sidd and the crew are confident in me. Looking ahead, I'm very excited to see where Honolulu is headed and what we can accomplish in the short term. I'm also looking forward to getting to know many other users that not only come through Honolulu, but in the league in general. I don't have the full most recent decade down, but usually leagues make some pretty impactful changes within a ten season span. Changing the sim to a newer version is probably the biggest change to happen this decade, and I'm looking forward to what change of that magnitude is made during this next decade and how it will shape the league.
It’s crazy for me to think about 10 entire seasons in the ISFL given I’ve only been here for 4 so far. Even in those few seasons so much has happened. Two seasons were spent with the Grey Ducks where I made a lot of really good friends and won a handful of games. Even got an interception there. I’d like to think that after 10 seasons those friends and I will still be chatting even though we’re on different teams. Then I spent another couple seasons in the ISFL with the Orange County Otters. Being drafted by them and then getting to know them was a great experience that I’m lucky to have had. There’s so much potential on the field with that group, but more than that it’s a great group of folks to be around. Of course my hopes and ambitions are to get into the playoffs for the first time and maybe even win a championship. The team absolutely deserves some good fortune for all the work they’ve put in and bad sim luck and trash talk they’ve endured. Even if we don’t make it to the championships simply hanging with the awesome people in the league and geeking out on incredibly nerdy stuff has been and will be a blast. Here’s to the next 10 seasons!
I was drafted by the San Jose Sabercats during S25 and called up to the team in S26. The team was coming off back to back championships and I could not have been more excited. Instead of all the dreams of glory I had, the team has fallen into dark times. So today I choose not to write about the past half decade I was on the team, but rather the future. That future begins with our GM CK and his vision for the team. I have full faith in him moving forward to build San Jose back into a true contender. While I know I most likely will have my current player retired by the time we are ready to compete again, I still look forward to the day I can see San Jose back in all their glory.
The other key part of this rebuild is our new shiny QB, Panda. He is a dedicated user who I believe has what it takes to take the Sabercats to the promise land. I am happy to have him as my QB in what is my peak season as a player. While I maybe could have gone and chased stats or a ring elsewhere, I wanted the chance to play with the next great quarterback of this proud franchise. While we may be down this year, we are going to fight like crazy and try and compete in every game. I have no doubt we will be back to being top dog (or cat) in the future. Hopefully my new player can actually be on the team when that time comes.