08-21-2023, 06:48 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-22-2023, 09:36 AM by lemonoppy. Edited 3 times in total.)
Hi everyone! Welcome back to Buccaneers Weekly, and on this weeks episode, we put out a call to our community of listeners on who they think is going to bring home to hardware this season in the ISFL. With about 9 games left to play, we've got plenty of teams solidifying their place in the standings and getting setup for deep playoff runs (or getting an early start on the scouting for the upcoming draft). With that in mind, sit back and enjoy these Season 43 predictions made by people around the US who didn't even know that the ISFL was a thing until about 5 hours ago! These lucky individuals were given no information other than the team name and mascot, and the current standings, and maybe the fact that NOLA just upset the defending champs, AZ, last week.
A reminder of the standings to help contextualize some of these predictions.
American
New York 5-2
Arizona 5-2
Austin 4-3
Orange County 3-4
Honolulu 2-5
San Jose 2-5
New Orleans 1-6
National
Baltimore 6-1
Cape Town 5-2
Berlin 4-3
Sarasota 4-3
Yellowknife 4-3
Colorado 3-4
Chicago 1-6
From Atlanta, first up is David:
"The Berlin Fire Salamanders win it all because they burned down the opposing team's (New Orleans Second Line) training facility, leaving that team with having to field a local middle school team in their stead. (Then 3 hours later, they added) Again the salamander’s absolutely crushed the second line after effectively a bye week because Arizonas plane never took off"
Next, we have Clint, from Memphis:
"New Orleans wins; Because some guy named Brew Deeze(nuts) was signed out of nowhere (he's a Drew Brees variant) and proceeds to avg 600 yds and 13 TDs a game. That OT game against Arizona was his first game and he threw for 853 yards and 17 tds"
Third, we have Peter from St. Paul:
"I hope Yellowknife wins cause what the else does that town have going for it. Also, while I want Yellowknife to win…we all know they won’t because they are a Canadian team and Canadian teams can’t even win their national sport most of the time" Additionally, "And I’m happy to see Chicago is doing what Chicago teams do best…suck" We got more from Peter a few hours later:
"Baltimore is going to make the playoffs but then choke because that’s what Baltimore teams love to do if they aren’t outright sucking.
Berlin, these fans are nuts and def win the 12th man award cause they are way too passionate about American football, the team while struggling this year always gets a huge boost at home games cause of this.
Cape Town: Also have fans that are crazy passionate but organization is dumpster fire. So they keep winning cause of jet lag issues.
Chicago: See above
Colorado: Good team name, for a team that is always mid grade to bottom tier. Go buy some more coolers to market might help get some fans to show up.
Sarasota: Why did we let a Florida team in????
Yellowknife: Good team, but because it’s Canada will not win anything
Arizona: The champs, can’t talk trash on them because they won… maybe repeat?
Austin: Holy cow, they finally got a major team. But don’t worry, all the hipsters their spend more time at breweries not playing attention to their actually decent team
Honolulu: These nerds don’t give a hoot about winning. And why would they? They live in Hawaii, get paid lots of money to play a game. Can’t surf when you are hurt. Am I wrong?
New Orleans: Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Whatever, if their team name is any indication, they are never going anywhere
New York: Don’t care, team name is garbage
Orange County: Have a worse fan base than the chargers and they know it.
San Jose: these idiots have a very loyal fan base but can’t maintain a good team because of inept management which is just sad
New York wins it all"
Following that, is Jordan from Nashville:
"Yeah, I think these are insightful picks, but ultimately short-sighted. You have to remember that the Otters just picked up Sunshine from Remember the Titans off of Free Agency (failed out of college, had a little drug thing, but he's back in the best condition of his life). That, combined with the obscene amounts of money pouring in for receivers and running backs from the area, is a sure-win".
We then heard from Tim in Philly:
"Honolulu all the way! That yellow is fire!"
On deck is Tyler from Charlotte:
"Baltimore wins it all, the team is inspired when the citizens of the city travel en masse to destroy Natty Boh brewing facilities in Georgia and Ohio, before returning to brew the beer in it's rightful home, and pouring it on all the players. Eat shit Cape Town"
Jess from Arlington coming up next:
"In both conferences, the sole East Coast representatives, the New York Silverbacks, and the Baltimore Hawks will continue to lead and eventually win it all. These teams are going to win it all, not because they have the best record, but because they are simply built tougher in the East. Both teams lead in road wins, continuing to show that they are not afraid of adversity, and calm and collected under pressure. Being resilient and composed will translate well to the playoff runs and the next level scrutiny it can put these young players under. When it comes to the inevitable showdown between theses two East Coast studs I have to give Baltimore the edge. You just can’t discount the pure point totals that they have both put up by their offense, and shut down through their defense. Baltimore Hawks will will soar into the next season as your Season 43 Champions"
Matt from Newport News:
"Berlin. Easy. They've got that German engineering going for them"
Lastly, we have Anthony from Bethesda:
"The only things I know about these teams in detail are the mascots, so that’s what I’m qualified to speak about. Let’s go through the National Conference first. The Sarasota Sailfish and the Chicago Butchers probably have a natural rivalry based upon net fishing and fish hatchery, so I’m inclined to give the edge to the Butchers, but a peek at the records for this season indicates Chicago is suffering from PCB contamination and is in last place in the conference as a result. The Colorado Yeti and the Yellowknife Wraiths have a similar rivalry in the sense that no concrete proof that their mascots exist has ever been established. That’s probably why they’re so evenly matched in the standings. The Berlin Fire Salamanders would probably use their natural defenses to outwit the Baltimore Hawks, despite the Hawks’ advantage in the conference right now, which leaves the Cape Town Crash. I’m not sure what sort of Crash is being referred to in the name, but the picture on the forum has a rhinoceros on it, and that’s probably the animal that would win in an all-out brawl in this conference, so my analysis puts the Cape Town Crash atop the National Conference. Onto the American Conference, it’s no surprise that the Arizona Outlaws and the Austin Copperheads probably run into each other a lot in their natural habitats, so the fact that they’re so evenly matched is to be expected. Unfortunately for New Orleans, the Second Line consists of passers-by that join a marching band parade as it walks by, and such unsuspecting folks are bound to be outdone by the bevy of natural predators in this conference. Even the Orange County Otters are more naturally threatening, and I don’t even know if they’re located in New York or California. This is probably why New Orleans is faring so poorly on the field this year. Now I know they upset the defending champs last week in a huge overtime victory, but I’m going to need to see more than one win to start believing in these glorified backup dancers. I’ve got a soft spot for the San Jose Sabercats since they carry on the legacy of the Arena Football League, but as an extinct animal, they can’t outdo the Honolulu Hahalua, which is only ‘endangered’ according to its current conservation status. The New York Silverbacks would seem to be the favorites, but the concrete jungle is not the actual jungle, and silverback gorillas would not do well in the mean streets of New York City. I’m picking the Austin Copperheads in an upset to emerge from the American Conference. There can only be one champion, and this epic contest requires a stage of Wrestlemania-like proportions. In the battle between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Rhyno, I’m going with the Texas Rattlesnakes-I mean, Austin Copperheads to avoid the Gore and hit a Stone Cold Stunner on the Cape Town Crash".
Well, there you have it folks, Season 43 predictions from people who have no idea what this league is! I appreciate everyone polled and thank them for their time to get these predictions to me. One final count at home for these predictions:
Berlin: 2
New Orleans: 1
New York: 1
Orange County: 1
Baltimore: 2
Austin:1
Honolulu: 1
Do these predictions hold up and match what those in the league see as the cream of the crop? Or are these folks completely off base? Only time will tell, and we'll look to do a recap at the end of the season!
A reminder of the standings to help contextualize some of these predictions.
American
New York 5-2
Arizona 5-2
Austin 4-3
Orange County 3-4
Honolulu 2-5
San Jose 2-5
New Orleans 1-6
National
Baltimore 6-1
Cape Town 5-2
Berlin 4-3
Sarasota 4-3
Yellowknife 4-3
Colorado 3-4
Chicago 1-6
From Atlanta, first up is David:
"The Berlin Fire Salamanders win it all because they burned down the opposing team's (New Orleans Second Line) training facility, leaving that team with having to field a local middle school team in their stead. (Then 3 hours later, they added) Again the salamander’s absolutely crushed the second line after effectively a bye week because Arizonas plane never took off"
Next, we have Clint, from Memphis:
"New Orleans wins; Because some guy named Brew Deeze(nuts) was signed out of nowhere (he's a Drew Brees variant) and proceeds to avg 600 yds and 13 TDs a game. That OT game against Arizona was his first game and he threw for 853 yards and 17 tds"
Third, we have Peter from St. Paul:
"I hope Yellowknife wins cause what the else does that town have going for it. Also, while I want Yellowknife to win…we all know they won’t because they are a Canadian team and Canadian teams can’t even win their national sport most of the time" Additionally, "And I’m happy to see Chicago is doing what Chicago teams do best…suck" We got more from Peter a few hours later:
"Baltimore is going to make the playoffs but then choke because that’s what Baltimore teams love to do if they aren’t outright sucking.
Berlin, these fans are nuts and def win the 12th man award cause they are way too passionate about American football, the team while struggling this year always gets a huge boost at home games cause of this.
Cape Town: Also have fans that are crazy passionate but organization is dumpster fire. So they keep winning cause of jet lag issues.
Chicago: See above
Colorado: Good team name, for a team that is always mid grade to bottom tier. Go buy some more coolers to market might help get some fans to show up.
Sarasota: Why did we let a Florida team in????
Yellowknife: Good team, but because it’s Canada will not win anything
Arizona: The champs, can’t talk trash on them because they won… maybe repeat?
Austin: Holy cow, they finally got a major team. But don’t worry, all the hipsters their spend more time at breweries not playing attention to their actually decent team
Honolulu: These nerds don’t give a hoot about winning. And why would they? They live in Hawaii, get paid lots of money to play a game. Can’t surf when you are hurt. Am I wrong?
New Orleans: Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Whatever, if their team name is any indication, they are never going anywhere
New York: Don’t care, team name is garbage
Orange County: Have a worse fan base than the chargers and they know it.
San Jose: these idiots have a very loyal fan base but can’t maintain a good team because of inept management which is just sad
New York wins it all"
Following that, is Jordan from Nashville:
"Yeah, I think these are insightful picks, but ultimately short-sighted. You have to remember that the Otters just picked up Sunshine from Remember the Titans off of Free Agency (failed out of college, had a little drug thing, but he's back in the best condition of his life). That, combined with the obscene amounts of money pouring in for receivers and running backs from the area, is a sure-win".
We then heard from Tim in Philly:
"Honolulu all the way! That yellow is fire!"
On deck is Tyler from Charlotte:
"Baltimore wins it all, the team is inspired when the citizens of the city travel en masse to destroy Natty Boh brewing facilities in Georgia and Ohio, before returning to brew the beer in it's rightful home, and pouring it on all the players. Eat shit Cape Town"
Jess from Arlington coming up next:
"In both conferences, the sole East Coast representatives, the New York Silverbacks, and the Baltimore Hawks will continue to lead and eventually win it all. These teams are going to win it all, not because they have the best record, but because they are simply built tougher in the East. Both teams lead in road wins, continuing to show that they are not afraid of adversity, and calm and collected under pressure. Being resilient and composed will translate well to the playoff runs and the next level scrutiny it can put these young players under. When it comes to the inevitable showdown between theses two East Coast studs I have to give Baltimore the edge. You just can’t discount the pure point totals that they have both put up by their offense, and shut down through their defense. Baltimore Hawks will will soar into the next season as your Season 43 Champions"
Matt from Newport News:
"Berlin. Easy. They've got that German engineering going for them"
Lastly, we have Anthony from Bethesda:
"The only things I know about these teams in detail are the mascots, so that’s what I’m qualified to speak about. Let’s go through the National Conference first. The Sarasota Sailfish and the Chicago Butchers probably have a natural rivalry based upon net fishing and fish hatchery, so I’m inclined to give the edge to the Butchers, but a peek at the records for this season indicates Chicago is suffering from PCB contamination and is in last place in the conference as a result. The Colorado Yeti and the Yellowknife Wraiths have a similar rivalry in the sense that no concrete proof that their mascots exist has ever been established. That’s probably why they’re so evenly matched in the standings. The Berlin Fire Salamanders would probably use their natural defenses to outwit the Baltimore Hawks, despite the Hawks’ advantage in the conference right now, which leaves the Cape Town Crash. I’m not sure what sort of Crash is being referred to in the name, but the picture on the forum has a rhinoceros on it, and that’s probably the animal that would win in an all-out brawl in this conference, so my analysis puts the Cape Town Crash atop the National Conference. Onto the American Conference, it’s no surprise that the Arizona Outlaws and the Austin Copperheads probably run into each other a lot in their natural habitats, so the fact that they’re so evenly matched is to be expected. Unfortunately for New Orleans, the Second Line consists of passers-by that join a marching band parade as it walks by, and such unsuspecting folks are bound to be outdone by the bevy of natural predators in this conference. Even the Orange County Otters are more naturally threatening, and I don’t even know if they’re located in New York or California. This is probably why New Orleans is faring so poorly on the field this year. Now I know they upset the defending champs last week in a huge overtime victory, but I’m going to need to see more than one win to start believing in these glorified backup dancers. I’ve got a soft spot for the San Jose Sabercats since they carry on the legacy of the Arena Football League, but as an extinct animal, they can’t outdo the Honolulu Hahalua, which is only ‘endangered’ according to its current conservation status. The New York Silverbacks would seem to be the favorites, but the concrete jungle is not the actual jungle, and silverback gorillas would not do well in the mean streets of New York City. I’m picking the Austin Copperheads in an upset to emerge from the American Conference. There can only be one champion, and this epic contest requires a stage of Wrestlemania-like proportions. In the battle between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Rhyno, I’m going with the Texas Rattlesnakes-I mean, Austin Copperheads to avoid the Gore and hit a Stone Cold Stunner on the Cape Town Crash".
Well, there you have it folks, Season 43 predictions from people who have no idea what this league is! I appreciate everyone polled and thank them for their time to get these predictions to me. One final count at home for these predictions:
Berlin: 2
New Orleans: 1
New York: 1
Orange County: 1
Baltimore: 2
Austin:1
Honolulu: 1
Do these predictions hold up and match what those in the league see as the cream of the crop? Or are these folks completely off base? Only time will tell, and we'll look to do a recap at the end of the season!