09-28-2017, 05:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-29-2017, 05:23 PM by JBLAZE_THE_BOSS.)
NSFL Mid-season Review:
Hey folks
Rich Thighsen here with a review of the performance of all teams through the first 7 games of the season. They say time flies when you’re having fun and I think every football fan across the country would agree with me as we’re already at the mid-point of Season 3 of the NSFL.
In true Rich Thighsen fashion I’m here to observe the beauty, the pain, the harsh realities of some teams, like a football David Attenborough.
Arizona Outlaws (7-0)
Arizona have once again started out hot, outscoring opponents 227 – 74 in the opening 7 weeks. King Bronko continues to play at the same high level as last season with the majority of stats pitching around the same as last season. One of the biggest developments for this season has been the output of Reg Mackworthy with projections of a 1400+ yard season.
The Outlaws continue their dominance over the league, with a first place rankings in all major statistical categories with the exception of Total Yards and Passing Offense (they are 2nd and 4th respectively). I asked how can anyone stop the Outlaws juggernaut? A suffocating defense certainly helps with the Philadelphia Liberty D stepping up big to put the Outlaws under pressure late in the game in week 2; it still was not enough, with a late touchdown sealing it for the Outlaws.
Highlight Player:
What a season Jayce Tuck is having! The defending league MVP continues to rack up stats on a gargantuan level, currently on track for 100 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and a whopping 42 Sacks. It’s hard to actually fathom what teams can do to slow this Arizona pass rush down, but teams will be working hard to find a solution to the Arizona front seven if there is any hope of toppling the Outlaws off of Mount Ultimus.
Baltimore Hawks (6-1)
The Baltimore Hawks continue a stellar run which started with an impressive set of games leading to an Ultimus appearance last year. Baltimore continue to do what needs to be done to win games. A last out loss to the Wraiths in Yellowknife proving the only misstep in this opening stanza of season 3. One of the most impressive things about this Hawks team are the improvements made on both sides of the ball to patch minor flaws in their game last year. Scrub Kyubee has been incredible this year, to improve from a Quarterback Rating of 74 last year to 95.3. The Hawks do have two games against the Outlaws, but they are looking everything like an Ultimus team.
Highlight Player:
Trey Willie continues his run towards Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Averaging 18.1 yards per catch on 35 receptions for 3 touchdowns, whilst his stat line is very impressive, it’s the nature of the catches he makes. Kyubee has thrown it into to traffic on third down several times and Willie continues to come down with the ball. Look for Willie to continue his dominance as the march to the post season begins.
Orange County Otters (4-3)
Orange County started the season off well with 2 wins at home, before falling to a 3 game losing streak against Yellowknife, San Jose, and Arizona. After a turnaround in their past two games the Otters face stiff competition at Aviation Field against a Hawks team looking to rebound after a last out loss to the Wraiths. This match-up will be a great test of the Otters credentials as the “best of the rest” behind Arizona. The Otters will need to prove they can win away from home if they want to make a push winning the ASFC. The Otters have built their game around a strong passing attack with Mike Boss leading the league in Pass Yards, Completion Percentage, Touchdowns, and Quarterback Rating, Boss has genuine credentials for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, however the limp Otters running game will need to improve if the boys in orange want to make a push to the second week of the post-season.
Highlight Player:
One of the biggest surprises has been the emergence of Erlich Burnsman while not racking up the yards, (both Burnsman and Leroy Jenkins combined have less yardage than Omar Wright from the Liberty), Burnsman has proven he has a nose for the end-zone, leading all running backs in touchdowns.
Yellowknife Wraiths (4-3)
The Yellowknife Wraiths started the season out shakily dropping their first two games in tight fashion. It was important for the Wraiths to right the ship and it appears they have started to find the form which saw them make the NSFC title game in season 2. The Wraiths much derided defense has been playing very well this season, sitting in the top half of the league across all four key stats. The biggest question mark surrounding the Wraiths is if they can hold off a Liberty side 1.5 games behind them, and still have both games against the Outlaws on their schedule. I believe the Wraiths will have enough, and I still believe they will be competing in the Ultimus this season, but they do have some improving to go before they can call themselves NSFC Champions.
Highlight Player:
Chris Orosz has been incredibly efficient with only two interceptions thrown this season, the lowest of any starting quarterback in the league. The Wraiths hopes rest on the shoulders of Orosz and this high octane offense will be needing to fire on all cylinders for the rest of the year.
San Jose SaberCats (3-3-1)
San Jose started the season incredibly well, dropping only 1 of their first 5 games. The SaberCats have shown they know how to win tough games; and will only continue to improve, the preseason survey concerning the SaberCats growth was very telling, and it shows the Cats have improved a great deal since last season. San Jose will be looking to leverage this improvement into bigger and better things.
Highlight Player:
I can’t look past Dan Miller. The big fella leads the league in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. Miller also has an impressive 11 sacks, this kind of interior disruption cannot be underestimated. It puts opposing quarterbacks on notice, and it improves the secondary a great deal by generating immediate pressure.
Philadelphia Liberty (2-4-1)
The Philadelphia Liberty have had a rough go of it this year. Losing multiple games at the death, and having poor play calling cost the team dearly at some points throughout the first half of the season. The staunch Liberty D has contributed to the success of the team, with two blowout losses lowering the statistical impact of the Liberty, however Clifford Rove and the Liberty offense continue to improve week in week out. One of the things firmly in the Liberty’s favor is the fact 4 of their final 7 games are at home, and two of their away games are against Yeti and the Legion, who are both in a shambolic stat of rebuilding at this point in time.
Highlight Player:
Luke Washington has been filling up the stat sheet for the Liberty. Sitting 6th in tackles, T-6th in sacks, and 10th in interceptions, Washington has been all over the park for Philadelphia. Washington continues to be a leader for this unit, and everyone in the city of brotherly love will be pulling for him to continue his great year.
Colorado Yeti (1-6)
I don’t want to dump too hard on the Yeti, swinging one win at home against the Legion has been their only taste of joy this season. With a young front office, and quarterback of the future under center, it is clear the Yeti are retooling for the coming seasons. Boss Tweed continues his fine form, but it is just not enough to lift his team to victory.
Highlight Player:
My highlight player is Nicholas Pierno; here’s a kid who should be tearing it up in the DSFL, he should be finding holes in coverage for the Coyotes, and yet here he is, plying his trade in the NSFL before his time, due to another players fault. It is yet to be known what kind of lasting effect Logan Noble’s suspension will have on the league moving forward, however, it has cost Nicholas Pierno a lot of development time, and perhaps the worst season statistically a quarterback will ever have in the NSFL. My hope is the Yeti stick with Pierno when Noble returns, and repay this young man for his effort in a terrible situation.
Las Vegas Legion (0-7)
I like the Legion. I like an underdog, and the Legion continue to play underdog to the rest of the NSFL. Once again I can’t say anything here that hasn’t already been said a thousand times about the Legion. Blah, blah, blah trades, blah, blah, blah. The Las Vegas faithful will be hoping the future shines as brightly as The Strip, but it’s hard to look past an 0-7 record and a win against the Yeti in Vegas the only statistically probably win in their future.
Highlight Player:
Tyler Varga is having a down year in comparison to his monster year in season 2. One has to question how hard a player can continue to play knowing you may never affect a result due to poor play elsewhere. Varga will need to find what he had last year if he hopes to get the Legion over the hump of a winless season.
Thank you for joining me folks for my midseason review. I’m hoping you’ve enjoyed the read and I hope to join me for my season in review article after week 14.
Hey folks
Rich Thighsen here with a review of the performance of all teams through the first 7 games of the season. They say time flies when you’re having fun and I think every football fan across the country would agree with me as we’re already at the mid-point of Season 3 of the NSFL.
In true Rich Thighsen fashion I’m here to observe the beauty, the pain, the harsh realities of some teams, like a football David Attenborough.
Arizona Outlaws (7-0)
Arizona have once again started out hot, outscoring opponents 227 – 74 in the opening 7 weeks. King Bronko continues to play at the same high level as last season with the majority of stats pitching around the same as last season. One of the biggest developments for this season has been the output of Reg Mackworthy with projections of a 1400+ yard season.
The Outlaws continue their dominance over the league, with a first place rankings in all major statistical categories with the exception of Total Yards and Passing Offense (they are 2nd and 4th respectively). I asked how can anyone stop the Outlaws juggernaut? A suffocating defense certainly helps with the Philadelphia Liberty D stepping up big to put the Outlaws under pressure late in the game in week 2; it still was not enough, with a late touchdown sealing it for the Outlaws.
Highlight Player:
What a season Jayce Tuck is having! The defending league MVP continues to rack up stats on a gargantuan level, currently on track for 100 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and a whopping 42 Sacks. It’s hard to actually fathom what teams can do to slow this Arizona pass rush down, but teams will be working hard to find a solution to the Arizona front seven if there is any hope of toppling the Outlaws off of Mount Ultimus.
Baltimore Hawks (6-1)
The Baltimore Hawks continue a stellar run which started with an impressive set of games leading to an Ultimus appearance last year. Baltimore continue to do what needs to be done to win games. A last out loss to the Wraiths in Yellowknife proving the only misstep in this opening stanza of season 3. One of the most impressive things about this Hawks team are the improvements made on both sides of the ball to patch minor flaws in their game last year. Scrub Kyubee has been incredible this year, to improve from a Quarterback Rating of 74 last year to 95.3. The Hawks do have two games against the Outlaws, but they are looking everything like an Ultimus team.
Highlight Player:
Trey Willie continues his run towards Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Averaging 18.1 yards per catch on 35 receptions for 3 touchdowns, whilst his stat line is very impressive, it’s the nature of the catches he makes. Kyubee has thrown it into to traffic on third down several times and Willie continues to come down with the ball. Look for Willie to continue his dominance as the march to the post season begins.
Orange County Otters (4-3)
Orange County started the season off well with 2 wins at home, before falling to a 3 game losing streak against Yellowknife, San Jose, and Arizona. After a turnaround in their past two games the Otters face stiff competition at Aviation Field against a Hawks team looking to rebound after a last out loss to the Wraiths. This match-up will be a great test of the Otters credentials as the “best of the rest” behind Arizona. The Otters will need to prove they can win away from home if they want to make a push winning the ASFC. The Otters have built their game around a strong passing attack with Mike Boss leading the league in Pass Yards, Completion Percentage, Touchdowns, and Quarterback Rating, Boss has genuine credentials for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, however the limp Otters running game will need to improve if the boys in orange want to make a push to the second week of the post-season.
Highlight Player:
One of the biggest surprises has been the emergence of Erlich Burnsman while not racking up the yards, (both Burnsman and Leroy Jenkins combined have less yardage than Omar Wright from the Liberty), Burnsman has proven he has a nose for the end-zone, leading all running backs in touchdowns.
Yellowknife Wraiths (4-3)
The Yellowknife Wraiths started the season out shakily dropping their first two games in tight fashion. It was important for the Wraiths to right the ship and it appears they have started to find the form which saw them make the NSFC title game in season 2. The Wraiths much derided defense has been playing very well this season, sitting in the top half of the league across all four key stats. The biggest question mark surrounding the Wraiths is if they can hold off a Liberty side 1.5 games behind them, and still have both games against the Outlaws on their schedule. I believe the Wraiths will have enough, and I still believe they will be competing in the Ultimus this season, but they do have some improving to go before they can call themselves NSFC Champions.
Highlight Player:
Chris Orosz has been incredibly efficient with only two interceptions thrown this season, the lowest of any starting quarterback in the league. The Wraiths hopes rest on the shoulders of Orosz and this high octane offense will be needing to fire on all cylinders for the rest of the year.
San Jose SaberCats (3-3-1)
San Jose started the season incredibly well, dropping only 1 of their first 5 games. The SaberCats have shown they know how to win tough games; and will only continue to improve, the preseason survey concerning the SaberCats growth was very telling, and it shows the Cats have improved a great deal since last season. San Jose will be looking to leverage this improvement into bigger and better things.
Highlight Player:
I can’t look past Dan Miller. The big fella leads the league in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. Miller also has an impressive 11 sacks, this kind of interior disruption cannot be underestimated. It puts opposing quarterbacks on notice, and it improves the secondary a great deal by generating immediate pressure.
Philadelphia Liberty (2-4-1)
The Philadelphia Liberty have had a rough go of it this year. Losing multiple games at the death, and having poor play calling cost the team dearly at some points throughout the first half of the season. The staunch Liberty D has contributed to the success of the team, with two blowout losses lowering the statistical impact of the Liberty, however Clifford Rove and the Liberty offense continue to improve week in week out. One of the things firmly in the Liberty’s favor is the fact 4 of their final 7 games are at home, and two of their away games are against Yeti and the Legion, who are both in a shambolic stat of rebuilding at this point in time.
Highlight Player:
Luke Washington has been filling up the stat sheet for the Liberty. Sitting 6th in tackles, T-6th in sacks, and 10th in interceptions, Washington has been all over the park for Philadelphia. Washington continues to be a leader for this unit, and everyone in the city of brotherly love will be pulling for him to continue his great year.
Colorado Yeti (1-6)
I don’t want to dump too hard on the Yeti, swinging one win at home against the Legion has been their only taste of joy this season. With a young front office, and quarterback of the future under center, it is clear the Yeti are retooling for the coming seasons. Boss Tweed continues his fine form, but it is just not enough to lift his team to victory.
Highlight Player:
My highlight player is Nicholas Pierno; here’s a kid who should be tearing it up in the DSFL, he should be finding holes in coverage for the Coyotes, and yet here he is, plying his trade in the NSFL before his time, due to another players fault. It is yet to be known what kind of lasting effect Logan Noble’s suspension will have on the league moving forward, however, it has cost Nicholas Pierno a lot of development time, and perhaps the worst season statistically a quarterback will ever have in the NSFL. My hope is the Yeti stick with Pierno when Noble returns, and repay this young man for his effort in a terrible situation.
Las Vegas Legion (0-7)
I like the Legion. I like an underdog, and the Legion continue to play underdog to the rest of the NSFL. Once again I can’t say anything here that hasn’t already been said a thousand times about the Legion. Blah, blah, blah trades, blah, blah, blah. The Las Vegas faithful will be hoping the future shines as brightly as The Strip, but it’s hard to look past an 0-7 record and a win against the Yeti in Vegas the only statistically probably win in their future.
Highlight Player:
Tyler Varga is having a down year in comparison to his monster year in season 2. One has to question how hard a player can continue to play knowing you may never affect a result due to poor play elsewhere. Varga will need to find what he had last year if he hopes to get the Legion over the hump of a winless season.
Thank you for joining me folks for my midseason review. I’m hoping you’ve enjoyed the read and I hope to join me for my season in review article after week 14.