I have decided to make list of the top player by position this season. It's kind of a team of the year, but kind of not. If I did not select you, it's nothing personal, I just believed another player at your position had a better season. By the way, my opinions are probably quite bad, so if you didn't make the list, I might be wrong. Without further ado, here is my top Players from each position. I will have a quote from some of the players after my analysis of their season.
Quarterback: Chris Orosz, Yellowknife Wraiths
The Best QB in the league this season. Hands Down. I had some thoughts about King Bronko due to his 5:3 TD/INT ratio, but in the end, the obvious choice was the right one. He led the league in completions, completion percentage, Yards, and Rating. What am amazing season for Orosz, and I'm looking forward to seeing him compete in the playoffs. Maybe we can get a battle of the 2 QB's who had, in my opinion, the 2 best seasons in the NSFL in the Ultimus Cup.
"Its an honor, to be considered for this award is quite a shock, I just try to do what I need to do to help the team."
Running Back: Boss Tweed, Colorado Yeti
This position I had trouble with. It was between Darlane Farlane, Boss Tweed, and Reg Mackworthy, but in the end I gave it to Tweed. Sure, the others had more yards, but they also had almost 50 and 100 more carries. Tweed had a higher average than both, and had 1 more touchdown than Farlane. Mackworthy had 1 more TD and 35 more yards, but that small difference isn;t enough to account for a 0.4 Yards Per Carry average. Overall though, great season for all 3 of those running backs.
"It's a huge honor. Last season I didn't really gain any attention as I fell to the 17th round in the draft and didn't make the pro bowl or the top 50 list. I trained hard during the off season to establish myself as the best running back in the league, but most predictions didn't expect me to do much behind the Yeti's offensive line. Even though I was playing behind a weaker offensive line, I still thought I could outperform other top backs. I'm glad to see that people think I have done that well and consider me among the top running backs in the league. I have not received many individual accolades so far in the league so this is a big deal to me. I'm glad to see that my work has payed off."
Wide Receiver: Kendrick Hendrix, Colorado Yeti
Kendrick Hendrix had an amazing season this year, as he had a solid showing in every receiving statistical category, including leading in Touchdowns. I will now show why his stats overall were better than the others. He was 5th in Yards, 1st in Touchdowns, and 4th in Yards per Carry among players over 18 yards on the season. His 4 extra touchdowns I found to be more important then the amount of yards held over him by Robert Phelps, and the 5 he holds over Fox North also gives him the nod over him. The extra TD is what puts him over Josh Garden and Mayran Jackson, as there yards were close enough where 1 TD was enough of a difference.
Tight End: George Wright Jr., Orange County Otters
George Wright Jr. had 3 touchdowns, the most among any Tight Ends, excluding Carmel Gibson. If you take into account that he has far more yards than anyone with 3 TD's for Tight Ends, plus the others don't have enough yards more than him for me to put them over him, I give Wright the nod here.
Offensive Line: Tim Pest, Arizona Outlaws
This one may come as a shock as last years MVP was a Offensive Lineman, Angus Winchester. However, this year Winchester isn't even a top 3 Offensive Lineman in my opinion. My top 3 were Ben Longshaw, Mak Akselsen and Tim Pest. Despite Ben Longshaw and Mat Akselsen having great seasons, with over 70 pancakes, I have to give the nod to Tim Pest. Pest was 3rd in the NSFL in Pancakes with 60, which is far below the others. But, the value of having an Offensive Lineman who plays in every game, and does not allow a single sack is immense. The perfect record of Pest is one of the key factors that has allowed the Outlaws to be the heavy favorites to repeat as Ultimus Cup Winners.
Defensive End: Jayce Tuck, Arizona Outlaws
As a Defensive End, you have one job. Tackle the person with the ball, preferably behind the line of scrimmage. The king of that this year was Jayce Tuck. 19 sacks, 23 Tackles for Loss, and 3 Forced Fumbles, with 2 recoveries. It's hard to argue with a stat line like that, so Jayce Tuck is the top Defensive End in the League this year.
"It feels good to be the defensive end of the year. It is nice to have all of my hard work pay off after a few seasons in the league. I know I had a good shot this year with the passing of Jbearly, Rest in Peace, but there are still some great guys at the position. Fuego Wozy, Kurt Hendrix, and my own teammate Dental Dam were right behind me along the way and the competition with them pushed me to be better."
Defensive Tackle: Mark Ramrio, Las Vegas Legion
Ramrio's only competition here in my opinion was his teammate Vinny Cox, and that was only because of forced fumbles. But when it gets down to it, I give the nod to Ramrio. His 17 sacks were solid, plus his 63 tackles and his 6 tackles for loss all make him the best Defensive Tackle in the NSFL
Linebacker: Harrif Ernston, Arizona Outlaws
First among Linebackers in Interceptions and Sacks. He also had 110 tackled on the year, a solid number. He also had 7 Tackles for Loss which could be improved, but the Interceptions and sacks put him as my top Linebacker of the year.
"Dude, it feels hella awesome to be on the "Team of the Year". I'm extremely honored that my hard work has been tracked and I can go back and reflect on it. It helps me feel justified whenever I scream out "I AM THE GREATEST". It also holds me accountable for the level at which I play and the amount of training that I do. I know I definitely want to thank my team first and foremost; without them being my platform; without @Adywer87 's encouragement and amazing GM talents and @Er 's (Simmer) constant reminders to get TPE and competitiveness IDK if I'd be as good as I am. I probably would be though.
Thank you again for the selection. I will try to make all Linebackers proud of my play! "
Cornerback: Isaiah Rashad, Arizona Outlaws
Rashad had an absolutely insane season, with 6 interceptions and 19 pass deflections. He also had a touchdown. He had a very important stat that is overlooked often in Cornerbacks, an average amount of tackles. Not too many, meaning he allows too many catches, but too few, meaning he lets people by him when they catch the ball. This means that you can rely on him to not allow the opponent to catch the ball often, but when they eventually do, he can take them down without allowing too many yards.
Safety: Lincoln Jefferson, Philadelphia Liberty
Jefferson is a great safety and as one of the best in the league last year, he continues his trend of being one of the top safeties in the league. He had 7 Interceptions, the most in the league of anyone. He also had 9 pass deflections, a great number for a Safety. He also managed to get 3 sacks from the Safety Position. He had 86 tackles as well, a solid number. Jefferson is making a name for himself as the top safety in the league.
"It's a honor to be selected as the safety of the year. It was great competing with Ryan Flock and Dominic Verns for this award, they both had amazing seasons. I just want to thank the whole Liberty defense, specifically Vikain, Oles, and O'Sullivan all get a piece of this award, couldn't have done it without you guys!"
Kicker: Archibald Booter, Yellowknife Wraiths
Now, no disrespect to Christiano Ronaldo, but I feel he only got his extra points because he played on a great offensive team. So I focused almost exclusively on Field Goals. It came down to Turk Turkleton and Booter, Turkleton had more made field goals, but Booter had a higher percentage and made a lot from further out.
"It was awesome to be named the first ever Kicker of the Year, I think the first year the kickers had the most impact because TPE was low across the board. I see winning the first season as a huge honor and I am hoping to make 2 years in a row"
Punter: Stephen Harris, Philadelphia Liberty
Stephen Harris is clearly the top punter in the league, there is no real argument otherwise. He led the league is every category for punts, except for Long. He had the most yards, the highest average, and an insane 25 punts that landed inside the 20 yard line. The Obvious choice for Punter of the Year.
So, here is the final tally
Arizona Outlaws : 4
Colorado Yeti : 2
Philadelphia Liberty : 2
Yellowknife Wraiths : 2
Orange County Otters : 1
Las Vegas Legion : 1
San Jose SaberCats : 0
Baltimore Hawks : 0
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Arizona Outlaws [/div]
The Arizona Outlaws had twice as many players on the list than any other team. The Dominance of the team is shown by the leaderboard, and the record shows as much. Tim Pest, Jayce Tuck, Harrif Ernston, and Isaiah Rashad, plus other players that were Top 3, such as King Bronko or Reg Mackworthy build a strong base that I believe will give them their 2nd consecutive Ultimus Cup.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Colorado Yeti [/div]
The Colorado Yeti had 2 players on the list, but they came on the side of the ball you wouldn't expect from them. Boss Tweed and Kendrick Hendrix were the 2 players representing the Yeti, even though Offense is their biggest weakness. The Yeti are known for their strong defense, but no defensive players made the list. I believe this is because the team plays a strong team defense. Also, on the defensive side of the ball, Wyatt Fulton and Fuego Wozy were certainly being considered for Linebacker and Defensive End of the year, respectively.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Philadelphia Liberty [/div]
The Philadelphia Liberty have probably the 2 players that are the furthest ahead of the competition on this list. Lincoln Jefferson had an outstanding year, leading the league in Interceptions. Stephen Harris was the easiest decision I had to make, as he led the league in all punting stats except for Long.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Yellowknife Wraiths [/div]
The Wraiths had 2 players that gave them points, no shock there. They have a great offense but no defense. Chris Orosz is amazing, and so is Archibald Booter. I could have also put Josh Garden on this list, as he is a great wide receiver. They lost in the NSFC Championship game, however, because their lack of defense finally caught up with them. Orosz, Garden, and the rest of their offense + Booter couldn't do enough to beat the Hawks due to their lack of defense.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Orange County Otters [/div]
This one may have been 2 if everything worked out right. The unfortunate passing of Jbearly made it so that they lost one of their true stars. However, George Wright Jr., had a great season at TE in the memory of Jbearly. To be honest with you, Carmel Gibson should have won TE of the year, but he can't so Wright Jr. with the win.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Las Vegas Legion [/div]
Are your eyes deceiving you? Did the Las Vegas Legion get a player on the list? Yes! Defensive Tackles Mark Ramrio had the best season of any Defensive Tackle in the league. Even if you choose the 2nd best, it's Vinny Cox, also on the Legion. If the Legion can turn this individual success into team success by combining these 2 with Ardie Savea, they may actually have a future!
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]San Jose SaberCats [/div]
This is embarrassing. There are 2 teams below the worst team in the league. The San Jose SaberCats are also not the best team, and with them, I don't even see any players succeeding so, the SaberCats might have a worse future than the Legion. Bad spot for the SaberCats, but I believe they can pull themselves together and build a team.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] Baltimore Hawks [/div]
This has to be a mistake, right? I must of messed up the tally. The NSFC Champions can't have had 0 players on the list. Well, they did. The team in the Ultimus had less players on the list than the worst team in the league. But, in a way, that shows the strength of the Hawks. They are a strong TEAM, not necessarily a combination of strong players. If they find a way to beat the Outlaws, this will be how. They do have good payers who could have made this list, most notably Running Back Darlane Farlane. Scrub Kyubee had a great NSFC championship game, Overall, the team is good, just no players good enough to make the list.
GRADED
Quarterback: Chris Orosz, Yellowknife Wraiths
The Best QB in the league this season. Hands Down. I had some thoughts about King Bronko due to his 5:3 TD/INT ratio, but in the end, the obvious choice was the right one. He led the league in completions, completion percentage, Yards, and Rating. What am amazing season for Orosz, and I'm looking forward to seeing him compete in the playoffs. Maybe we can get a battle of the 2 QB's who had, in my opinion, the 2 best seasons in the NSFL in the Ultimus Cup.
"Its an honor, to be considered for this award is quite a shock, I just try to do what I need to do to help the team."
Running Back: Boss Tweed, Colorado Yeti
This position I had trouble with. It was between Darlane Farlane, Boss Tweed, and Reg Mackworthy, but in the end I gave it to Tweed. Sure, the others had more yards, but they also had almost 50 and 100 more carries. Tweed had a higher average than both, and had 1 more touchdown than Farlane. Mackworthy had 1 more TD and 35 more yards, but that small difference isn;t enough to account for a 0.4 Yards Per Carry average. Overall though, great season for all 3 of those running backs.
"It's a huge honor. Last season I didn't really gain any attention as I fell to the 17th round in the draft and didn't make the pro bowl or the top 50 list. I trained hard during the off season to establish myself as the best running back in the league, but most predictions didn't expect me to do much behind the Yeti's offensive line. Even though I was playing behind a weaker offensive line, I still thought I could outperform other top backs. I'm glad to see that people think I have done that well and consider me among the top running backs in the league. I have not received many individual accolades so far in the league so this is a big deal to me. I'm glad to see that my work has payed off."
Wide Receiver: Kendrick Hendrix, Colorado Yeti
Kendrick Hendrix had an amazing season this year, as he had a solid showing in every receiving statistical category, including leading in Touchdowns. I will now show why his stats overall were better than the others. He was 5th in Yards, 1st in Touchdowns, and 4th in Yards per Carry among players over 18 yards on the season. His 4 extra touchdowns I found to be more important then the amount of yards held over him by Robert Phelps, and the 5 he holds over Fox North also gives him the nod over him. The extra TD is what puts him over Josh Garden and Mayran Jackson, as there yards were close enough where 1 TD was enough of a difference.
Tight End: George Wright Jr., Orange County Otters
George Wright Jr. had 3 touchdowns, the most among any Tight Ends, excluding Carmel Gibson. If you take into account that he has far more yards than anyone with 3 TD's for Tight Ends, plus the others don't have enough yards more than him for me to put them over him, I give Wright the nod here.
Offensive Line: Tim Pest, Arizona Outlaws
This one may come as a shock as last years MVP was a Offensive Lineman, Angus Winchester. However, this year Winchester isn't even a top 3 Offensive Lineman in my opinion. My top 3 were Ben Longshaw, Mak Akselsen and Tim Pest. Despite Ben Longshaw and Mat Akselsen having great seasons, with over 70 pancakes, I have to give the nod to Tim Pest. Pest was 3rd in the NSFL in Pancakes with 60, which is far below the others. But, the value of having an Offensive Lineman who plays in every game, and does not allow a single sack is immense. The perfect record of Pest is one of the key factors that has allowed the Outlaws to be the heavy favorites to repeat as Ultimus Cup Winners.
Defensive End: Jayce Tuck, Arizona Outlaws
As a Defensive End, you have one job. Tackle the person with the ball, preferably behind the line of scrimmage. The king of that this year was Jayce Tuck. 19 sacks, 23 Tackles for Loss, and 3 Forced Fumbles, with 2 recoveries. It's hard to argue with a stat line like that, so Jayce Tuck is the top Defensive End in the League this year.
"It feels good to be the defensive end of the year. It is nice to have all of my hard work pay off after a few seasons in the league. I know I had a good shot this year with the passing of Jbearly, Rest in Peace, but there are still some great guys at the position. Fuego Wozy, Kurt Hendrix, and my own teammate Dental Dam were right behind me along the way and the competition with them pushed me to be better."
Defensive Tackle: Mark Ramrio, Las Vegas Legion
Ramrio's only competition here in my opinion was his teammate Vinny Cox, and that was only because of forced fumbles. But when it gets down to it, I give the nod to Ramrio. His 17 sacks were solid, plus his 63 tackles and his 6 tackles for loss all make him the best Defensive Tackle in the NSFL
Linebacker: Harrif Ernston, Arizona Outlaws
First among Linebackers in Interceptions and Sacks. He also had 110 tackled on the year, a solid number. He also had 7 Tackles for Loss which could be improved, but the Interceptions and sacks put him as my top Linebacker of the year.
"Dude, it feels hella awesome to be on the "Team of the Year". I'm extremely honored that my hard work has been tracked and I can go back and reflect on it. It helps me feel justified whenever I scream out "I AM THE GREATEST". It also holds me accountable for the level at which I play and the amount of training that I do. I know I definitely want to thank my team first and foremost; without them being my platform; without @Adywer87 's encouragement and amazing GM talents and @Er 's (Simmer) constant reminders to get TPE and competitiveness IDK if I'd be as good as I am. I probably would be though.
Thank you again for the selection. I will try to make all Linebackers proud of my play! "
Cornerback: Isaiah Rashad, Arizona Outlaws
Rashad had an absolutely insane season, with 6 interceptions and 19 pass deflections. He also had a touchdown. He had a very important stat that is overlooked often in Cornerbacks, an average amount of tackles. Not too many, meaning he allows too many catches, but too few, meaning he lets people by him when they catch the ball. This means that you can rely on him to not allow the opponent to catch the ball often, but when they eventually do, he can take them down without allowing too many yards.
Safety: Lincoln Jefferson, Philadelphia Liberty
Jefferson is a great safety and as one of the best in the league last year, he continues his trend of being one of the top safeties in the league. He had 7 Interceptions, the most in the league of anyone. He also had 9 pass deflections, a great number for a Safety. He also managed to get 3 sacks from the Safety Position. He had 86 tackles as well, a solid number. Jefferson is making a name for himself as the top safety in the league.
"It's a honor to be selected as the safety of the year. It was great competing with Ryan Flock and Dominic Verns for this award, they both had amazing seasons. I just want to thank the whole Liberty defense, specifically Vikain, Oles, and O'Sullivan all get a piece of this award, couldn't have done it without you guys!"
Kicker: Archibald Booter, Yellowknife Wraiths
Now, no disrespect to Christiano Ronaldo, but I feel he only got his extra points because he played on a great offensive team. So I focused almost exclusively on Field Goals. It came down to Turk Turkleton and Booter, Turkleton had more made field goals, but Booter had a higher percentage and made a lot from further out.
"It was awesome to be named the first ever Kicker of the Year, I think the first year the kickers had the most impact because TPE was low across the board. I see winning the first season as a huge honor and I am hoping to make 2 years in a row"
Punter: Stephen Harris, Philadelphia Liberty
Stephen Harris is clearly the top punter in the league, there is no real argument otherwise. He led the league is every category for punts, except for Long. He had the most yards, the highest average, and an insane 25 punts that landed inside the 20 yard line. The Obvious choice for Punter of the Year.
So, here is the final tally
Arizona Outlaws : 4
Colorado Yeti : 2
Philadelphia Liberty : 2
Yellowknife Wraiths : 2
Orange County Otters : 1
Las Vegas Legion : 1
San Jose SaberCats : 0
Baltimore Hawks : 0
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Arizona Outlaws [/div]
The Arizona Outlaws had twice as many players on the list than any other team. The Dominance of the team is shown by the leaderboard, and the record shows as much. Tim Pest, Jayce Tuck, Harrif Ernston, and Isaiah Rashad, plus other players that were Top 3, such as King Bronko or Reg Mackworthy build a strong base that I believe will give them their 2nd consecutive Ultimus Cup.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Colorado Yeti [/div]
The Colorado Yeti had 2 players on the list, but they came on the side of the ball you wouldn't expect from them. Boss Tweed and Kendrick Hendrix were the 2 players representing the Yeti, even though Offense is their biggest weakness. The Yeti are known for their strong defense, but no defensive players made the list. I believe this is because the team plays a strong team defense. Also, on the defensive side of the ball, Wyatt Fulton and Fuego Wozy were certainly being considered for Linebacker and Defensive End of the year, respectively.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Philadelphia Liberty [/div]
The Philadelphia Liberty have probably the 2 players that are the furthest ahead of the competition on this list. Lincoln Jefferson had an outstanding year, leading the league in Interceptions. Stephen Harris was the easiest decision I had to make, as he led the league in all punting stats except for Long.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Yellowknife Wraiths [/div]
The Wraiths had 2 players that gave them points, no shock there. They have a great offense but no defense. Chris Orosz is amazing, and so is Archibald Booter. I could have also put Josh Garden on this list, as he is a great wide receiver. They lost in the NSFC Championship game, however, because their lack of defense finally caught up with them. Orosz, Garden, and the rest of their offense + Booter couldn't do enough to beat the Hawks due to their lack of defense.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Orange County Otters [/div]
This one may have been 2 if everything worked out right. The unfortunate passing of Jbearly made it so that they lost one of their true stars. However, George Wright Jr., had a great season at TE in the memory of Jbearly. To be honest with you, Carmel Gibson should have won TE of the year, but he can't so Wright Jr. with the win.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Las Vegas Legion [/div]
Are your eyes deceiving you? Did the Las Vegas Legion get a player on the list? Yes! Defensive Tackles Mark Ramrio had the best season of any Defensive Tackle in the league. Even if you choose the 2nd best, it's Vinny Cox, also on the Legion. If the Legion can turn this individual success into team success by combining these 2 with Ardie Savea, they may actually have a future!
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]San Jose SaberCats [/div]
This is embarrassing. There are 2 teams below the worst team in the league. The San Jose SaberCats are also not the best team, and with them, I don't even see any players succeeding so, the SaberCats might have a worse future than the Legion. Bad spot for the SaberCats, but I believe they can pull themselves together and build a team.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"] Baltimore Hawks [/div]
This has to be a mistake, right? I must of messed up the tally. The NSFC Champions can't have had 0 players on the list. Well, they did. The team in the Ultimus had less players on the list than the worst team in the league. But, in a way, that shows the strength of the Hawks. They are a strong TEAM, not necessarily a combination of strong players. If they find a way to beat the Outlaws, this will be how. They do have good payers who could have made this list, most notably Running Back Darlane Farlane. Scrub Kyubee had a great NSFC championship game, Overall, the team is good, just no players good enough to make the list.
GRADED