(S43) Offseason Task

[OrbitingDeath]

2.5 - Task 21: 

2.5 TPE - Task 25 -

2.5 TPE - Task 35 -

2.5 TPE - Task 36 - Affiliate  - PBE: https://probaseballexperience.jcink.net/...t&p=609298

[lemonoppy]

I think I have OT Pass?

[Jacky]

OT PASS

[MattBake12]

pbe affil

[Crodyman]

we be OT passin' this one, big dawg.

[ztarwarz]

4. I put my writing efforts where my mouth already was, and claimed that the Outlaws were the greatest ISFL franchise of all time two (well, more like 1.5) seasons ago. Two more Ultimus trips later, with a win and a loss, and the team continuing to average over 11 wins per season, along with the possibility of major awards for the most recent season, and the case feels a lot stronger. It also has probably the most interesting Mount Rushmore of any franchise.

The real life Mount Rushmore includes someone on it that has become controversial in recent history, and the Outlaws Mount Rushmore will go a step beyond that by having someone on it who has been controversial for the last 40 seasons. ErMurazor is an indelible stain on the Outlaws legacy, and yet is also arguably their greatest defensive player as Jayce Tuck. It'd be fitting for Er's spot on Mount Rushmore to be multifaceted, referencing all of his Multis that made the S2-4 Outlaws as strong as they were. With the standouts being Luke Luechly, Tim Pest, and his actual account's player Jayce Tuck, nobody has contributed to winning more at any one time than Er. This is, of course, all strongly against the rules and yet must be mentioned on the Outlaws Mount Rushmore; there's nobody more fitting to represent the S1-3 Outlaws dynasty than Er.

The other 3 spots are much, much harder to pin down. In recent years, greats like Tatsu Nakamura, Chuck Roth, Jay Cue Jr, and Wendell Sailor have all put their mark on the franchise, and Z-Whiz, Crunk, Kotasa, and simo have been amazing GMs that have helped lead the team to greatness for over a decade straight. But there's one other important period of the Outlaws that needs to be touched on: the darker period, and the period that brought them out of that. That period makes me think of nominating Jay Cue, but in my opinion, he wasn't as impressive as the guy he was throwing to, Saba Donut. Donut is a Hall of Famer who retired top 10 in basically all the volume stats, playing entirely in the old sim, and did so with Jay Cue throwing in his general direction. Anyone who remembers that era knows that was almost as much a hinderance as a help. Donut was not part of the S16 Outlaws Ultimus, but he was a key part of the era taking the Outlaws from the disappointment they had been for that decade and making them into...well, really a different kind of disappointment that they'd end up being from S21-S30.

The final two spots are kind of a package deal in my eyes; Jay Cue Jr and Wendell Sailor are as far as I can tell the greatest pair the ISFL has ever seen from a Running back and Quarterback duo, and they managed something that not even players in the era where they could win both MVP and OPOY at the same time were able to do; over the course of 5 seasons from S34 through S38, they won 7 of 10 possible offensive awards, including all 5 MVPs. They as a pair are the best and brightest example of the Outlaws dominant run over the last nearly 20 seasons, and its zenith since S34. They are arguably the greatest running back and quarterback in ISFL history, and they played together and led the Outlaws to the most dominant stretch in league history that is apparently still ongoing even after their retirements. As such, even though it leaves out the Outlaws excellent GMs in recent history in the cold, even though it means the Strongest Team that could not win in the playoffs from S25-S36 doesn't really have a representative, I feel that Cue Jr and Sailor are too strong to not make up the final 2 spots on the Outlaws' Mount Rushmore.

[Piercewise1]

8. This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S42 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’m really enjoying it so far! There’s obviously a lot of information to sift through for a first-timer, but things are pretty well laid out and inter-linked so I’ve been able to find almost everything I need right away. In particular, the checklist that automatically updates when I post in various forums has been super helpful. One exception was the game and league results – it took some searching to find the “index” link on the right-hand sidebar and realize that’s what it was. But once I did, I liked having all the information readily available and in a consistent format.

I’ve never participated in a player-centric sim before, so this is new territory for me. I have played in team sims before, one of which is still going strong, and I’ve enjoyed making media for that. One thing I appreciate about this site is the shorter timeframe which allows my player to get more involved sooner – the sims I’ve participated in were only slightly faster than real life (weekly games, just with a shorter offseason) so new users really need to be patient before their inputs start to have a big effect. Meanwhile I’ve been here less than a week and I’ve already improved some attributes, and I have a clear roadmap to the early benchmarks I want to reach. I know it’s still “a marathon and not a sprint” as one scout recently told me, but I’m excited.

I’m looking forward to the draft – I don’t know if I’ll be able to be online at the exact time, but I will try to make it work (evenings are usually blocked off for family time, with a high priority). Whatever the outcome, I’m sure I can spin it into some interesting media – cue the heartfelt background music!

When it comes to users, special thanks to Cycro for reaching out early and starting a dialogue with me, and to all the others who have offered advice and answered questions on Discord:

Chicken Lips
wizard_literal
RussDrivesTheBus
ZootTX
Lemonoppy

18. This task is exclusive to recreate/non-recreate rookies of the S43 class and later. The season is over and the draft is coming up. What do you bring to a team, and why should a team choose to take a chance on you next season?

I don’t do things half-way; I’m at a stage in my life where free time isn’t guaranteed, so if I’m going to spend some of mine on a hobby I’m going to dive straight into the deep end. In a league built around engagement, that seems like a recipe for success. I’ve already got my spreadsheet up and running! (Who doesn’t use spreadsheets for their recreational activities? When the numbers go up, it means you’re having more fun!)

Having said that, I’m still just here to have fun. Gaining lots of TPE is fun, but so is hanging out with people discussing common interests and league activity. Teams can expect a lighthearted and supportive user - I’m not going to be dramatic if my guy doesn’t play a lot (or play well) right away, or the team doesn’t perform the way we hoped it would. On-field excellence is a nice bonus, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it.

Excited to see where I land!

27. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why?

Linebacker, because I’m a sucker for versatility. I like being the guy with lots of different interests, the singer who can sing multiple voice parts, the red mage who can do physical or magic damage, etc. Linebacker is one of those positions where I have the potential to do a lot of different things: defend the run, rush the passer, cover, etc. In real life I know it’s often the opposite; teams usually have specialists who can do one thing really well, and they get subbed in during the appropriate game scenario. 3-down defenders are rare outside of superstars. But why not dream?

When I looked at the position tracker, it seemed like linebacker was decently staffed but safety could be a big need. So to give my first player the best chance at a roster spot I went with safety and chose the Ball Hawk archetype to retain a little of that treasured versatility. He’s closer to a free safety in my mind but I’ve included backstory about him playing multiple positions in college to feed into that archetype.

[jdc4654]

OT Pass!

[PugWalrus]

OT pass

[18situaseans]

3. As the S42 off-season is upon us, many people are looking to the future and S43. The question is, who will emerge in S43 as a contender to win an Ultimus? Well there are many teams that showed they are capable to win an Ultimus this season and will be hungry to go all the way in S43. Let’s take a look at some of the teams that showed they have what it takes to win an Ultimus. The first team is the Arizona Outlaws, who are fresh off an Ultimus win. They are obviously contenders and will be for seasons to come. Their staggering defense creates many opportunities for its loaded offensive weapons. They have firepower at every single position and that’s why they were able to win the Ultimus. They have a young QB in Donovan Winters and many star receivers plus stud running backs. The second team is the Berlin Fire Salamanders, the runner up for the Ultimus this season finishing second. They made a very surprising run to the Ultimus that no one expected. They were just 9-7 in the regular season and looked like a team that would be knocked out in the wild card. So how did they blow past the Crash, and the Hawks? They were able to make a run behind QB Roque Santa Cruz and WR Sconnie McSix. These two led the way for the offense and brought them very close to the promise land. They should be solid contenders in S43 so watch out. The third team is the New York Silverbacks. The Silverbacks had a magical 11-5 season where they made the wild card. They played Honolulu who were not favored in the matchup. New York had shown they were the better team throughout the entirety of the season but they weren’t able to match that as they were obliterated but the Hahalua. Although, the Silverbacks show lots of promise as their second year QB, Blaine Falco had an amazing year. They have 3 great receivers plus a top tier RB. Their defense may be the best thing about this team though as it has one of if not the best LB cores in the league. Look out for this team next season as they will get better and better. The 4th team is the Cape Town Crash. Cape Town was in a similar situation as the Silverbacks. 2nd in their conference but could not come through in the wild card game with home field advantage. Cape Town has many great players on both sides of the ball. They have what it takes to win an Ultimus as they will try to do what they did in S41 to win an Ultimus. They have shown they can win and don’t be surprised if they go all the way next season. The 5th team is the Austin Copperheads. Austin was part of a stacked ASFC conference that included teams like the Outlaws, Hahalua, and Silverbacks. Despite their 10-6 record, they did not make the playoffs. This team is very much a playoff team if you look at their roster, so they will very much so be contenders next season. They have great receivers, one of the best DB cores in the league, plus a great QB. This team has all the pieces in place to make a run, but the question is, will they be able to get out of the stacked ASFC? Only time will tell. Well, those are my 5 teams I think could make a run to the Ultimus in S43. Their rosters and S42 performances show that they have what it takes to win it all. But again, only time will tell.