My favorite time of the year: OT Pass.
OT pass
S42 Ultimini Champ
S42 DSFL MOP, DSFL MVP, DSFL ALL-PRO
S44 Ultimus Champ
S48 Top Returner, ISFL ALL-PRO
11-13-2023, 09:55 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-21-2023, 11:49 AM by soevil. Edited 2 times in total.)
I dont think I have to say OT Pass, but I want to get the item off my checklist. So, OT Pass.
I dont have to do this but going to do a short one for SHL since I hate all of their prompts. 34. There were several new players that came to the Chicago Butchers and made an immediate impact on the field last season. The first is Semga Nah'sim, the rookie wide receiver who just was honored with the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He had an amazing rookie season with over 1200 yards and 6 touchdowns, although his 12 drops were the most in the league. Next we have rookie sensation linebacker Norman "Big Wiggle" Smiley. He was undoubtedly snubbed for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, but his contributions to the Butchers on the field were enormous. The most athletic linebacker in the league, he held his own in coverage against some of the leagues premier wide receivers and tight ends. His 10 pass defenses, pick six, and 7 sacks truly showcase how important he was. Finally, Amanda Hugandkiss, another Defensive Rookie of the Year nominee, had a stellar year for the Butchers as well. His 4 interceptions led all rookies and they were one of three rookies with a defensive touchdown. (173)
11-13-2023, 09:56 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-13-2023, 10:46 AM by KaleSalad. Edited 1 time in total.)
9. 300+ words
When looking back at the history of the ISFL, I think it goes without saying that perhaps one of the biggest things to happen was when the two defensive McTurtle brothers Leonardo and Raphael decided to test free agency. As they were two of the top up and coming defensive players and where sure to bolster any team that they decided to join. When they hit free agency there were many team that reached out to try and sign the duo. In the end they went to a pretty strong team in Arizona. But to that point in time Arizona despite being strong in the regular season was unable to tie it to post season success. After The McTurtles joined their defensive it seemed it was a match made in heaven as Arizona was able to go to 6 straight Ultimus games winning 4 of them. Of course it wasn’t just because of the McTurtles that this happened. Other key pickups along the way including an incredible career by Wendell Sailor seems to have driven the team over the top for these seasons. The Mcturtles did make an instant impact though looking back at those playoff games Lenardo was named the defensive MVP in the second Ultimus and in each of the conference finals and league finals the Mcturtles were impact players in therese games combining for turnovers some key sacks which helped solidify the wins for the Outlaws. This is one of the most notable free agent signing that made an instant impact for their team. It seemed to have set the course for the team to be successful for the following seasons and kept the Outlaws at the top of the division for many seasons to come. Though the McTurtles seemed to finally hit their limit and with Arizona missing the playoffs this season it was also time for the McTurtles to retire. There is no doubt these two had a major impact on the league when decided to sign in Arizona. Code: 330 11. Being a brand new player to the league Purdy was able to be picked up post trade deadline by the Minnesota Greyducks. Purdy was able to get some limited action in the games and get his first taste of the DSFL. Purdy who is eligible for the season 75 DSFL draft. Purdy comes from pretty humble beginings but also had an eye for football because of him watching Canadian football league, College and, ISFL every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with his Dad growing up. This seemed to ignite a fire in Purdy and drove him to want to play it growing up. Even from a young age Purdy knew he always wanted to play football but that didn’t stop him from being a multi sport athlete including playing hockey. Of course as a Canadian it felt this was a must but in learning to play hockey it seemed to help Purdy on the gridiron as well because of the leg strength and balance the sport requires. Having watched football his entire life he picked up on an few things and really bolstered his understanding of the game. This is why in Highschool he played on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Playing as a running back as well as a linebacker/defensive back. This is one of the reasons why he was picked up to play college football. At Iowa State Purdy was able to finally compete with some of the nations best and go head to head. Winning at every level in minor was nothing compared to the competition he now faced. Well Purdy rose the challenge and put on a pretty strong clinic in College which allowed him to enter the DSFL as a late pickup. Now that it is almost time for the DSFL Purdy has felt he has done everything he can do to get himself ready for the big time. Having seen individual and team success at every level Purdy wants to bring that into the DSFL and eventually the ISFL. Quote:339 Purdy Mediocre RB
Leonardo McTurtle #69 LB Retired
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I would say the entire running back room. First shoutout to rookie Kit Fisto who came into a back field with three established running backs. Clearly the team recognized his talent early on in training camp, as he quickly earned his fair share of opportunities and then also made the most of his opportunities, ending the season with 5.3 yards per carry which was good for best in the DSFL amongst running backs.Then of course have to give credit to the three established RBs who all supported and built each other up when they were a three-headed monster in S43, and didn’t mind making room for a fourth head when Fisto rolled into town. With so much running talent, Bessey leaned into the versatility he offers as a receiver with his route running and catching skill set. Bessey ended the season with the fewest carries and yards of the backfield, but managed over 1000 yards from scrimmage including his receiving yards, and even more importantly managed to get into the endzone a total of TWENTY times between catching and running, a league record for total TDs from scrimmage in a season. Media sometimes likes to try and make a story about two running backs having to share a backfield, but here in Tijuana there are four selfish running backs whose entire focus is simply, how can we make our team better. It may sound unconventional on paper, but it lead to historic performances from this team and another Tijuana season ending with another Ultimini championship. 22 There are a ton of upcoming ISFL draftees that were rookies for Tijuana this past season that I would love to highlight and shoutout, but as a defensive player I’ll focus in on the one defensive rookie who really showed out on the field for Tijuana and should have a bright career ahead of them - and that’s Sebastian Lovecraft. He is a maker of big plays. Your team needs splash? You need Lovecraft. He earned 4 game balls as the TIJ defender of the game across our 14 regular seasons. In week 2 he racked up 8 tackles (about a quarter of his tackles from the entire season), one sack, a pass defense AND an interception in a 37-13 victory over Norfolk to quickly make a name for himself early on in the year, but he also proved he wasn’t a one hit wonder in the back half of the season. He went back to back in weeks 9 and 10. Earning the game ball in week 9 with a pair of PDs and another interception in another blow out of Norfolk, final score 52-10. Then earning another the following week with another PD and interception, except this one an interception for a score. Again I say, your team needs splash? You need Lovecraft. He definitely deserves to be a first round pick in this upcoming draft. 31 It’s been awhile since I’ve reminded the league about Trent Thigpen’s unique affinity for all things cheese curds. Making, eating, frying, you put a verb in front of the word cheese curds and Thigpen is there. The ISFL enjoys highlighting the successes of their players, and I understand why the football league makes an effort to focus in on football successes. With that said, I’d like to propose a new award for the ISFL to give out every season that highlights player success beyond the football field. And my entirely unbiased idea for this new award is to create the Cheese Curd Ambassador Award, and it should be given out every single offseason to the ISFL player who does the most to further the promotion and cause of cheese curds across the world. I think it’s important that the ISFL recognizes it’s platform and potential to cause social change in our world, and to me there can’t be any more important social cause than being a major proponent for cheese curd creation and consumption. While the award will inevitably go to Thigpen each year, I envision a future where every ISFL player supports and advocates for cheese curds. 34 A major part of Tijuana making it back to the Ultimini this season, after losing some experienced talent to the ISFL after season 43, was through new players joining the team from the S44 draft. While Tijuana was still one of the most experienced DSFL teams coming into the season, their standout rookies are what pushed them over the top to being an unstoppable force on their way to a historical regular season capped off with their league-leading 11th Ultimini win. One of the biggest reasons they were so unstoppable was due to their balance offense. They had the most offensive yards in the league and it was split well between passing and rushing, but rookies helped out in both stops. Huge shoutouts to both Pitter Patter and André Benn as the pair of rookie wide receivers filled in huge after the WR slot was left completely empty for Tijuana at the end of the last season. They both helped Breezy Jr. have the best QB performance in the league, ending the season as the only QB with a QB rating of over 100. Besides them, Tijuana’s talented running room only got more talented with rookie running back Kit Fisto. Those three skill players have a bright future and made a huge impact immediately this season.
11-13-2023, 11:32 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-13-2023, 11:35 AM by xenosthelegend. Edited 1 time in total.)
7. Write 600 words or more on something about anything in the league that interests you. It could be related to statistics, a league issue that you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 600 words about your team’s participation on a Werewolf server or something.
When a user retires their player, they can choose to have that player remain on a team for either the next season, or the remainder of the current season depending on when they retired their player. We have given a name to this type of season: 'corpse season'. For my second player's (American Boot's) corpse season, I had him canonically die of a heart attack. He did not have permission to die though, and was allowed to live for the S44 season, at which point he would have his permission to die. This got me thinking. "How many players are canonically dead?". I'll tell you right now, its not a large percentage, but it is kind of interesting to see who is dead, and their causes of death. Or at least if they have any interesting stories on how they died. Our most recent death is Queen Elizabeth II. Her cause of death is unknown, but she is the most recent death. Russet Buster is the next death. He was a potato, and as all food does, over time they go bad. His skin was turning green, and red hairs were starting to grow. He also started to stink. Cause of death: spoiled. Skoomina Hulk a Votto died in a similar fashion to Queen Elizabeth II. Cause of death is unknown, but they are dead. American Boot, as previously discussed, had a heart attack. Fortunately for him, he did not have permission to die, so he survived his heart attack. Unfortunately, he got his permission to die at the end of season 44. I will consider this death a heart attack. Deshawn Penne was dry penne pasta. This was until water was brought up to a boil in a large pot, salt was added to the water, dry penne pasta was added to the water, a timer was set for 11 minutes, it was stirred for the first minute, it was then left to cook for the remaining 10 minutes, and finally the cooked penne pasta was drained in a colander. Cause of death: cooked. Hot Chocolate was a warm beverage. He was drank, we don't know by who exactly, but this is his cause of death. Some of these are left up to interpretation, for the sake of this list, I will be considering ambiguous deaths and deaths. With that stated, Zane Cold was frozen. When you are frozen, you do not instantly die, but it becomes lethal very quickly. Cause of death: frozen. Albert Ruschmann is another one of our ambiguous deaths. We don't know where he is, as he is missing, but he is presumed dead. Cause of death: unknown. Interestingly, Kevin Morrison has the exact same circumstances around his disappearance as Ruschmann. We will assume he is dead in the same was as Ruschmann. Anton Bruckner has possibly the wildest story about how he died. He forgot he existed, then when he remembered he existed, he simply chose to stop existing. Cause of death: existence erasure. Mauler Panda is another dead player. However, we have no information about his dead. Therefore, cause of death: unknown. Michael Patrick Porkins was found dead one morning. He was clearly murdered, and the primary suspect was Bart Harley Jarvis. Bart Harley Jarvis was never convicted, but we still conclude that Porkins was murdered. Spot RoboDog was not killed in the traditional sense. His body is still here, but he was shut down. He can still be turned back on, but until that happens, we will consider him deceased. I may go over the rest in a media post later. Until then, here is the current list of causes of death: Unknown: 5 Spoiled: 1 Heart Attack: 1 Cooked: 1 Drank: 1 Frozen: 1 Existence Erasure: 1 Murdered: 1 Shut Down: 1 Unknown deaths are the most common by far, and all the others seem to be one off instances. Who knows what other causes of death will be found?
3. I think next season is going to be interesting to say the least. We’ve got some of the younger teams continuing to build through the draft and free agency, and many of the top teams have managed to retain a lot of their top talent. Looking at the NSFC, I don’t see too much change at the top, and I think you’ve got 3 bands of teams right now: Ultimus competitors: CTC and BAL, About to peak: COL and SAR, and need to a little bit more time: CHI and YKW. I left off BER because I’m not sure where to spot them. However, I think BER, COL, and SAR have the best chance of pushing either CTC or BAL, or both, out of the top 2 spots next season, but it’ll be a tall order either way.
Looking at the ASFC, I think you’ve really only got 2 groups here: competing now: AZ, AUS, HON, NYS, and then “needs more time” with NOLA, OCO, and SJS. If you wanted to argue that OCO could be in the other group, I think that’s a worthwhile argument. They showed flashes next year, and with everyone continuing to improve, it’s not a crazy notion to see OCO snag a playoff spot next year. Same goes with AZ, but in the other direction, does the missing of the playoffs last year mark the end of their dominance? I’m not sure that it does, but I think they’ve got an uphill climb with the rest of the conference continuing to get better. I think my two biggest surprises next season will be NOLA and SJS. SJS had a great season, statistically, but just ended up on the wrong side of the sim most of their 1 score games. I expect that to flip next year and seen SJS win 6-7 games. I also think NOLA will have improved enough next year to win 5-6 games as well. They’ll be hard fought, as the rebuild of the defense is still ongoing, but the rest of the team has continued to earn and I think it’ll start to pay dividends this season.
Looking at individual players. I’m interested to see how Archipelago plays in the SAR uniform. They showed last season that they’ve still got it, but with regression coming in fast, are they going to be the piece that gets SAR over the hump and to the promise land. On the defensive side of things, I’m very interested in seeing how Donte Darius plays in their new home. Col had a need for a LB and man, did they fill it with a guy that is going to be a stud for them. That being said, COL severely underperformed last year, and I’m not sure if the addition of Darius by themselves is going to be enough to swap a few of those losses to wins. That being said, I’m expecting a monster year from them, and also expect to see COL bounce back and fight for a playoff spot. Looking ahead at some very, almost too early predictions, I think the top dawgs of the ISFL will continue to run the table in terms of who will be hosting the Ultimus at seasons end. Realistically, I think you’ve got to look at CTC and HON as early favorites. BUT, if you wanted to rock the boat a bit, I think you could potentially take SAR out of the NSFC and AUS out of the ASFC to both represent their conferences in the Ultimus. (Clearly AUS was was also very good last year, so it’s not THAT crazy of a pick), but I think both teams have done enough to put themselves in a spot to compete this upcoming season. (625 words) |
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