12-14-2022, 07:24 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-16-2022, 12:35 AM by speculadora. Edited 4 times in total.)
17. Kotoni Skaggs is my choice for the Ultimus MVP after piling up 8 catches for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 11 targets. It was an incredible performance from both a volume and efficiency perspective. As the newly crowned Ultimus MVP, Skaggs is headed to Disney World. As soon as he arrives, he's probably headed straight to the Magic Kingdom to see Cinderella's Castle, feeling a bit like a Cinderella himself after Arizona's run to the title. Might as well hop on Space Mountain while he's there. After that, he'll obviously want to check out Epcot to see the international pavilions and try some delicious food from around the world. Everyone knows that the off-season is the time to let yourself go. Next, Skaggs plans to visit Animal Kingdom to see the live animals and take a safari ride. There are many teams named after animals in the ISFL, and Skaggs plans to shout insults at all of them as if they are his on-field opponents. If he sees any salamanders, watch out.
18. Among tight ends, I'm a physical freak. At 6'5" and 255 pounds, I have the size and strength to dominate defenders in the run game and the speed and quickness to burn them in the passing game. And I'm not afraid to get dirty. I'll do whatever it takes to get the job done, whether that means laying out a defender with a bone-crushing block or trucking over a linebacker on my way to the end zone. Off the field, I'm a straight shooter. I don't sugarcoat anything and I don't take crap from anyone. I'm a leader in the locker room and I'm not afraid to call out my teammates when they're not giving their all. I've got a chip on my shoulder and I'm determined to make the most of my opportunity. So if you want a tight end who's going to bring a level of toughness and competitiveness that's unmatched by anyone else in this draft class, look no further. Take a chance on me and I'll make sure you won't regret it. I'm Detective Crashmore and I'm coming to make a name for myself. 21. Detective Crashmore is a hard-boiled crime drama that follows the adventures of the eponymous detective, a foul-mouthed, trigger-happy cop who prefers to bring criminals to justice by giving them a taste of their own medicine. The show opens with a shootout between Detective Crashmore and a gang of armed robbers. As bullets fly and those fuckers start hitting the floor, Crashmore rips out his glock and unloads a hail of lead on the criminals, barking out a profanity-laden tirade as he does so. In the aftermath of the shootout, we see Crashmore interrogating a suspect at the police precinct, where he beats the shit out of him to extract a confession. From there, the show follows Crashmore as he takes on a series of dangerous cases, each one more high-stakes than the last. He faces off against ruthless mobsters, brutal murderers, and corrupt politicians, always staying one step ahead thanks to his street smarts and his willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done. But despite his tough exterior, Crashmore is haunted by his past, and we see him struggling to balance his personal demons with his duty to serve and protect. Just kidding, he kills the criminals and doesn't give a shit. As the season progresses, Crashmore is drawn into a web of intrigue and corruption that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. Can he stay alive long enough to bring the bad guys to justice? 32. I am utterly conflicted about the Philadelphia Liberty rebranding to the Cape Town Crash. On the one hand, my name is Detective Crashmore, and I am absolutely flattered that team ownership would change their name to honor me, albeit in a painfully obvious attempt to sway my preferences in the Season 40 ISFL Draft. However, their attempt will unfortunately be in vain as it is clear they did not do their research on me before brazenly bending the knee. For one, I'm on a no fly list and I am banned from several countries, including South Africa. So I'd only be able to play in away games if I were a member of the team. Not exactly worth naming your team after me at that point. Second, I can not help but feel irate that team ownership would so callously rob our nation's most historic city of their only simulation sports team. The people of Philadelphia are essentially living in a social experiment in which cave dwellers are allowed to roam the streets freely, and the one thing they seem to care about is professional football. They will literally riot if they win a championship. To steal that one, lone source of joy in their lives and give it to South Africa is unforgivable. May God have mercy on any souls involved in that decision.
36. SHL Affiliate
Zayne Dangle | Wide Receiver | Berlin Fire Salamanders
9. There was one decision in the course of ISFL history that has impacted my player in particular more than any other. I began participating in this league in part due to boredom in my new work from home situation and in part because of a buddy of mine, known here as Mithrandir, who vouched for you guys and told me I'd have fun here. He was right! Because of this I always imagined that I'd do anything to join up with his team, at least eventually. However, after my first two seasons in the DSFL, a new expansion was made. The introduction of the Berlin Fire Salamanders, with Dewalt heading up the charge, changed my entire career. I wasn't happy with my role as it was described to me in Arizona and so I asked if I could go elsewhere to find a role more suited to me. Little did I know this would result in my being traded to Berlin and being one of the first four faces in the locker room before the expansion draft even began! Because of this, I was able to see the building of this team from the ground up and have gotten to watch the challenge of building a franchise from the beginning firsthand. I ended up staying with Berlin for the entirety of my long career with Adam Schell and my second creation, Really Creative-Name was drafted to go there as well. I cannot wait to get back into my Fire Sally uniform this coming season and begin another legacy with this great organization. I didn't pay much attention to the expansion talk the first time around, I even laughed a little at the Fire Salamander name choice, but now I wear it with pride and can't imagine playing for any other organization. Maybe I'll catch up with Mith eventually, but I have truly enjoyed my time in Berlin.
19. I know, I know. Berlin is only a decade old, why would they need a new stadium? Well, the folks around here weren't so sure about this "American Football" craze so we've been playing at an old soccer (Futball) stadium since our inception. Fresh off our third Ultimus appearance, the locals are finally buying in and we are getting our very own stadium! It will be state of the art. The food - bräts of course - will be exquisite. This being a relatively new sport to the area, there will also be a Q&A booth where fans can come and ask the experts about a certain element of the game and learn how to be a better fan! On the field itself, the home bleachers will be cushy and heated/cooled as needed. The away bleachers are borrowed from a local high school in order to ensure minimum comfort and maximum splinters for the opposition. The seating is going to be tremendous and will fit 80,000 people. We cannot wait to see it in person! 27. I was very close to creating this time around as a tight end. I feel like the tight end position is underutilized by almost every team in the ISFL and I want to see that change. I believe that the tight end position just needs a good ambassador to work on the system and how they can be game changers with their combination of size and athleticism. The problem is, I don't believe I am this ambassador. I don't have the time to dig into this league quite like I used to and my limited knowledge of the simulation and its mechanisms would slow down the movement. However, I hope that someone sees this post and decides to take up my cause! I want to see some Gronks and Kelces overtaking top receivers in the league with their unique size and abilities. For now, I will be one of those receivers they are trying to keep stretching the records for tight ends to one day break through. Prompt 3 Wrote:Let's talk about the future. As we've seen in the ISFL and DSFL, things can go from rock bottom to the absolute top in just one quick season and vice versa. With that said, tell us about your predictions for next season. Were there any big moves made late in the season or the offseason that you believe could really shake things up? Are there any players hitting the season with a noticeably improved TPE pool or hitting regression hard that you believe could seriously factor into a team's potential success? And lastly, which team do you expect to be hoisting the trophy for either the ISFL or DSFL, and which teams do you expect will be struggling to stay away from the bottom on the pack? I'm really interested in seeing how the Honolulu draft plays out this year. I already wrote an article about their championship window which looks at when the recent draft picks will be hitting top competitive form, but I still expect 3 first round draft picks and a GM to make a big difference to the makeup of a team that went 0-16 while fielding a 54 TPE DT in the ISFL. The budget tracker as of December 15th shows them with 3 S39 players on their ISFL roster - their first two picks and their GM. 13th pick WR Dick Grayson seems to be set to remain in the DSFL for S39 right now. I think these moves are basically what everyone expected the team to do (ie they didn't do even more crazy trades for more picks or move out further into the future), and the nature of the TPE for "natural" rookies coming into the ISFL after the one DSFL year means that I wouldn't expect these 3 players to radically shake up the entire team's performance in S39. The team is also clearly biding time with IAs to fill out the roster rather than trying to instantly have a great team - 9 of the 19 on the ISFL roster are IA with 4 being FA bids. I do think the team looks a bit more well-rounded than last year with the trio of S39 defensive players and so I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more wins than last year, but I am not expecting any improvement in quality of play to be enough to not finish in the bottom 2 of the conference. Looking at other teams in the ASFC, San Jose seems like a team that might lose a few wins due to regression. In particular, their top TPE LB and top two CBs from last year are all in regression and for a team that was only middle of the pack defensively that might be enough to go from second in the division to fourth or fifth, especially seeing as the 3rd-6th teams were all .500 or better. They certainly still have good depth and an offense with a number of pre-regression players, but at the same time I already think they overachieved in S38 and so they're my top pick to regress a few wins since I didn't see any giant moves in the offseason. Arizona is also getting tithed via regression, but they have a great S33/34 group that I think will be more than enough to keep them as the presumptive first place finisher. They're honestly looking good enough that I'm wondering if their main issue is the salary cap more than anything else. New Orleans looks really solid on paper. They have a ton of younger players, their top player in every non-TE positional group has over 700 TPE (maybe not true after regression), and if I had to pick a largest weakness it would be that their second CB is only at 413 TPE (and seems to be inactive). They might need to start working towards finding a few replacements in the future, but I think their huge S34 and high-TPE S35 classes are really peaking around now. One thing that does look a little odd as a person looking only at the TPE tracker is that their lowest TPE players aren't updating but have been recently seen on the site. With the size and TPE-level of the roster, I wonder if those players are intentionally not updating for cap reasons? But, I guess it could be strategically logical for the team. The Silverbacks are a little hard to follow on the TPE tracker right now because that shows them with 29 players while the budget sheet only shows 24, but I do think their front 7 on the defense looks a little on the weaker side with only 1 player over 700 TPE. The team was 5th in the conference for rushing yards allowed last year, so I'd be concerned that it might get worse as teams try to run on a weak line rather than trying to throw against a backfield with 5 players over 700 TPE. Taking these observations together and trying to formulate my prediction for what the conference will look like: 1. Arizona 2. New Orleans 3. Orange County 4. Austin 5. San Jose 6. New York 7. Honolulu Draft Steal (retired S35 CB) - Profile/Update | Wiki Troen Egghands (retired S22 DE) - Profile | Update | Wiki
Prompt 8 - 313 words
So far, my experience in this league has been very exciting and interesting. Having been in 2 previous sim leagues, I feel like this is the best league that I have been in, as there is just a lot of stuff to do and it helps me be able to get TPE a lot faster than I would in the other two sim leagues that I was in, plus I can earn some money as well, which I think is nice. Of the people that I met in this league, Jason was definitely one of the friendliest people that I have met so far, and he has helped me with a lot of the stuff involving the league, and we briefly knew each other as we were a part of SCFSL together. I am very satisfied with how my player did in the Prospect Bowl, even though he began to fall off towards the end, which just means that he has room to improve. I am also very satisfied with where my player was drafted in the DSFL draft as I had predicted him to be drafted right around the same spot, so it was very exciting to find that out. Speaking of the DSFL draft, being drafted for the first time was both very exciting and intense, as I did not know who was going to pick me up in the draft, though I am definitely stoked that I was picked up by the Tijuana Luchadores, especially with Jason being the GM for the Luchadores. As for any comments or suggestions to help the league improve, I do not have any, at least none that comes to my mind. This is because I have not run into any issues that in the league so far, but overall, I am very excited to see how my player does in the DSFL this season. Prompt 11 - 308 words Oliver O'Conner was born in Los Angeles, California to Mia Toretto and Brian O'Conner. He lived with his parents, his older brother Jack, and his extended family, which consisted of his uncle Dominic, his aunt Letty, and his cousin Brian Marcos. His family were some of the top street racers in the world, and even helped stopped international crimes, especially with the help of his father, who was also an ex-cop. However, that would all soon come to an end when at the age of 10, his father was killed in a car accident. After his father's death, his family told him that for his safety, he would not participate in the family business, and he would have to choose another career path besides racing. When he became a freshman at Los Angeles High School, he knew that he still wanted to do a sport, but he didn't know the exact sport he wanted to play. This caused him to play a lot of sports, but his favorite sports were baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, swimming, and track and field. Even though he was good at all of these sports, when he was a junior, he had to pick one sport that he would eventually go to college for. He approached his family, especially his uncle, who he is very close with, and asked them for advice on what he should pick, and they told him to follow his heart. At this point, he narrowed the sports that he was in to baseball, cross country, football, swimming, and track and field, but he had to pick one for college purposes. Eventually, he settled with football, as he loved being able to make insane catches and plays. During his senior year, he ended up committing to USC, one of the better WRUs and a hometown college for him.
Tier 1, #2: Draft Class
LaDamien Beck joined the ISFL for the first time way back in Season 32. Season 30, in fact, creating at the previous trade deadline and hopeful to collect all the TPE possible and lead his draft class. And it worked out exactly to plan, for a while. Drafted 7th overall by Tijuana, Beck had a fine first season as one of the leaders of the class. Then I decided to go IA right before the ISFL S32 draft, knowing that my top earning would not be sustained and I was stretched a bit thin. He then fell to the third round and was taken as a flier by the Berlin Fire Salamanders. Now I'm back, LaDamien is active, and one of the worst in the class. This draft class just hit regression for the first time, something very exciting to return to. While I have been away, I'm sure a lot of my peers have exceled in the league. Let's take a look at how everyone ended up - as a caveat, I am not too familiar with ISFL stat lines, so comparison is hard for me. I'll just be giving the comparisons as I see it. At least TPE-wise, quarterback Live Laughlove is the best in the class by far. He was one of the best in our first creation season, and he has continued his dominance throughout our careers. His stats are very good for a QB - averaging over 4500 passing yards and 33 TDs per season. It does seem that his best years were when he was younger and just came into the league. Whether that be skill of the overall team or his own performance, I do not know. He does have a rookie Offensive player award to his name, but not much else as far as I can see. In terms of position, Leonard Graf is one of the best Tight Ends in the ISFL. He led the league in TE receiving yards last year...and the year before. He was also top 4 in TE receiving all his other years in the league. Graf was selected 1st overall in our class and has really lived up to the billing. Recently traded from Baltimore to New York, Graf has found success in more than one location. While Tight Ends might not get the awards love, he does have two Ultimus appearance3s (1 win and 1 loss). Mentioned in the same breath as Graf is Deshawn Penne. Penne is also one of the best TEs in the league and has won a position excellence award, something Graf does not have. Penne does not have any Ultimus appearances, though. Another star player from our class I would like to highlight is Lalu Muhammad Zohri, a running back. Like those above, Zohri is high in TPE and earning, allowing him to excel at his position. Probably the best player in the entire draft class, Zohri led the league in rushing last season and has been top 2 in rushing for 3 of his 5 seasons. His skill has been only improving, but unfortunantley, he has always been second fiddle to Jay Cue Jr, a for-sure hall of famer. Cue took all the awards that Zohri could have won, leaving him wanting for more. He did win one Ultimus in one appearance, helping his case for legacy honors in the future. I think Zohri is borderline hall of fame, maybe just missing out. While the four players mentioned above are all amazing, there were some major busts in our class as well: 2nd overall Pasta the Turtle was doing well then went IA, 6th overall Sama kind of had the same thing happen as well, both safeties now. Others dropped before regression - of the 51 players drafted, 31 have made it to regression. I'd say its a pretty decent class overall, and I am looking forward to recreating and joining a brand new class that we can ride tot the top of the league.
Under Construction
Coming Summer 2004
23. What are your thoughts on the sim engine? What sort of improvements would you make to the sim engine if given the opportunity? (Written Task)
Well the sim engine is always a great topic to discuss and I think there are definitely some differing opinions on it. I do think the upgrade to the current version of was a good thing, it still leaves some things a little lacking. One of my biggest frustrations with the sim, either version we have used, is how terrible it is on fourth down. I feel like it just rolls a dice and goes with whatever comes up. Regardless of field position, score, time left in the game. Fourth down and one on the fifteen yard line of the opponent, we should punt. Or better yet go for it and throw a pass to the end zone, even though running the ball on short yardage situations has worked everytime up to this point in this game. Or we are on the thirty yard line with a kicker who has been banging the field goals in like an ice cold killer, nah, why don't we punt the ball out of the back of the end zone instead. Another fun one I do not like, is the sim loves to tackle people at the one yard line. Like, really? How often does someone bust off a 99 yard run to be tackled at the one? Or a fifty yard run only to be chased down by the defensive line man who is clearly way way way slower than the running back, but I guess it makes sense or something. 24. You’re in charge of entertainment for the Ultimus or Ultimini half-time show. What would you do? (Written Task) This is quite the task to complete. There are so many good options out there. The hardest part is pleasing people. So, personally, I would instead pick the based off of my own opinions and say too bad to all you people who do not like what I like. Suck it losers. Any ways, I would pick some killer metal / hard rock bands to come out and play some collabs together and really just rock it out. My first group I would be invited would be Motionless in White, they just have so many songs I enjoy listening to. Second, would be Slipknot, they also have tons of good songs and really know how to put on a show. Thirdly, I think it would have to be In Flames, they have tons of albums and songs that absolutely smash. How well would they mesh on stage together? Honestly I do not know, but I would be willing to listen it and find out just how good that could be. They are metal bands, so you know there would be tons of fire and theatrics going on, most likely some laser shows and a massive mosh pit as well. 19. Your team has announced that they will be laying ground on a new stadium next season. What additions would you like to see included in it. (Written Task) We would use a new stadium, the old one keeps getting tijuana snow every where and that stuff is hard to clean. The crew tasked with cleaning keeps going off task and they only show up every other day to do any work, and really it seems like they barely clean any of it anyways. I think a top tier casino area would be a great addition to the new stadium, with a horse racing track built around the outside of the football field so we can half time horse races for entertainment. Also, you got to have a massive swimming pool someone on of the top floors with a sweet view of the field for those people who like to chill in the pool while at the game. Of course you need some world renowned food places to eat at as well. At least one mexican food, then a couple other ones celebrating different types of foods. 32. The Philadelphia Liberty have rebranded to the Cape Town Crash! In this day and age of the ISFL, we're used to teams updating their looks, but it's been quite a while since the last major team rebrand to this scale! With that said, how do you feel about the rebranding? Tell us all about it! (Written Task) Honestly, I think it was a good time for a team to rebrand. And I like that we are getting some representation from other countries and parts of the world. We need more international teams anyways. Cape Town is a cool area in South Africa that could probably support a full on ISFL team. Plus it gives the other teams the chance to visit a part of the world they most likely don't get to see. The crash portion works well too. It is a rhino, but you can also make some fun alternate logos using other things that go crash. Plus it brings some new life to the league and new colors for everyone to make new graphics and sigs with. I was not a massive fan of their old stuff anyw ways. While sure it has history of the United States of America going for it, it was a little boring for my taste. While the new one is way more fun and out there. Overall a really solid job on the rebrand and can't wait to see what all it brings, maybe some other team will give a rebrand a shot.
16. Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?
So I can't lie to you and see that this season was the easiest as a BirdDog, but despite having a rough go of it, I loved every moment of it. The team went 3-13, which is not what I expected coming onto the team. I thought that we would be at least closer to a playoff spot, and all things considered we were in the fight for it due to our conference being a bit weaker overall. Really all it would have taken was a few small things to go our way and we could have easily had 6 or 7 wins, taking us into the playoffs, but you can't control the sim. Waylen had a fantastic season, starting off strong with 2 sacks in his very first game as a BirdDog, and continuing strong over the course of the season really helping to keep this team together defensively as much as possible. If I could change one thing, it's that I would have moved Waylen into a more impactful position such as LB or CB, thinking that this could have really given the team a chance to move into a playoff position. One of the lower moments of the season is when we were on a 5 game losing streak after a 2-1 start. and it felt like it had to end at some point, but each game kept ending with a big L. I will say that it was inspiring to see our team never give up and that everyone showed up for every game, but it was disheartening to see us keep not living up to our potential every week. But I know that the BirdDogs are gonna have a great season this year, even without me there. I'm predicting them to be a 9 win team and making it to the Ultimini but ultimately losing in a close game. (314 words) 8. This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S37 class and later. In 300 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented? I have really enjoyed being in the league so far! It's honestly been amazing, being drafted by the BirdDogs and being eventually invited into the war room has been so much fun, and even watching my player develop over one season has been crazy. Gadget (Especially yesterday with him pushing me to help announce the DSFL draft), Hammer, MikeWhiskey, these are just a few of the users that have really made the league great so far, and shoutout to SwankyPants31 for helping me through the after draft process in the ISFL and for taking me #2 overall, which is something I did not expect honestly. Being drafted into the ISFL has been a whirlwind so far, cause it feels as though the spotlight is briefly on you, which is both exciting and terrifying, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the upcoming season since I was asked to move up already. I've been super satisfied with my player's start so far, mainly as I was in the running for several awards as a rookie and I think that I will have a significant impact in my first season with the Yeti. I don't know if I have any specific suggestions for the league to improve, but I had a thought of possibly trying to assign each new player to join the league to a specific user that has volunteered for the position and that user will guide them through everything and really make sure that they are having a good time and getting a feel for the league, that way that could help with some early engagement. Other than that, I think that the league has done a great job of making things exciting for players and really giving you a lot of avenues to get involved fairly early if you want to, like through the war room or league jobs, which I now have. (318 words)
Tier 2: Short Form Tasks (Each must be 300+ words)
Choose up to TWO for 5 TPE each. 16. Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season? Let’s start off with the team. Arizona is back to back world champions! You can’t possible ask for any more. They cruised through the regular season with the odd occasional stumble, but they kept true to form and hit the playoffs running. They didn’t run away with any playoff game, but they looked solid all the way through. They came through when it mattered. Scores may have been close, but and the games were far from easily closed, they still had to show up, and show up they did. Their big game players had big games and they ran away with their second consecutive championship, and a sexy new banner for the site to enjoy for the next season. Now, Raphael also had another best season of his career. Continuing the strong upward progression he improved every stat, and even doubled some stats such as his Fumbles Forced and Recovered. He has been recognized by the league awards voters as well, becoming a unanimous first team All Pro selection, improving his second team selection from s37, and sitting at the top alongside his draft class friend Marachino. In addition to the All pro selection, Raphael was also nominated for the Defensive Player of the Year award. This nomination was a big surprise, and unexpected as this usually gets gobbled up by some more stat hog positions such as LB or CB. Unexpectedly, Raphael was the first eliminated in the run off vote for this award, receiving no first place votes, but a DT being included on the ballot in itself is a pretty strong feat. Probably the most important thing about Raphael’s season has been his physical fitness. He was able to surprisingly maintain his weight, but his fat % has shrunk down to a huge 10% for his position. By far the lowest percentage in his position, he is a walking bag of muscles, ready to put his opposition into the ground. 323 Words Tier 3: Written/Graphics Tasks (Each must be either 150+ words or a graphic) Choose up to FOUR for 2.5 TPE each. *NEW* 32. The Philadelphia Liberty have rebranded to the Cape Town Crash! In this day and age of the ISFL, we're used to teams updating their looks, but it's been quite a while since the last major team rebrand to this scale! With that said, how do you feel about the rebranding? Tell us all about it! (Written Task) I’m not a big fan, and I do hope that it grows on me, because I don’t want to hate a brand just because. First of all I remember thinking it was a joke when I first heard. Second of all it’s really difficult to rebrand a historic team in a historic city from the start of things. Maybe this sort of thing can be an alright expansion submission, but it just seems so out of place. Cape Town? We are International, sure, but that’s an entire day of travel to and from. Even Berlin, that’s a 12 hour direct flight! It’s at the end of another continent. Additionally, as of writing the site has not been updated with the new team information. The Liberty logo is still on the sidebar, and it is still the emote. So if this change is happening, what is going on? Why have these not been updated by now (pre season in a few days)? Where is the league support? 166 Words 36. Affiliate PT from either SHL/SSL/PBE. The Weeks must match with the timeframe of this Offseason Task. And you may only use a max of 1. SHL PT Claim |
|