The San Jose SaberCats are very much in the playoff hunt this season, in an extremely tight ASFC. They are currently only 1 game back on the ‘big 3’ ahead of them, Austin, Orange County and Arizona. They still have a game against all 3 this season, having beaten OCO previously, but given up tough losses to both Arizona and defending Ultimus champions Austin. They also play a ranking Honolulu side and the struggling Second Line, so the playoffs are definitely still on the table.
This season has been a real watermark for the franchise, who have had a promising roster that has been threatening to take that step for the past few seasons. There was only really one major change in the offseason, which saw Farquaads move to the O-Line and DSFL star Kit Fisto make the move up. Josh Patterson has come on leaps and bounds at QB, making SJS a viable offensive threat. And the defense continues to be one of the most dominant in the league, especially its elite LB corps.
My team is the Bondi Beach Buccaneers and we currently sit at 4-5, tied for 3rd in the South! Personally I'm not quite sure what to think of our Ulti odds. On one had, we may be able to sneak into the playoffs as the 2South seed. On the other hand, Dallas is a very talented team with a lot of high TPE players. For us to be 4-5 is honestly pretty gosh darn impressive considering how many new players we have + all the bots. Our team has been lead on offense by Bugs, the QB with 15 TDs and 2k yards, and de la Rosa who has been an absolute gem. On defense we have a lot of great players in a bend but don't break style. Our biggest flaw so far weird 4th down choices by the Sim. In our loss to TIJ, London, and Norfolk we decided to not go for it on 4th and inches but instead went on it on 4th and 4+. While part of me understands the simulation choosing to do that, the other part of me is saddened by that. Even with Tijuana losing twice in a row, I would be shocked if anyone but them ended up winning the Ulti due to their sheer talent. Which is fine by me if it means BBB continues to improve its culture while building for next season's growth!
Well my first year in the DFSL is quickly wrapping up and I must say we here in Minesota are happy with how our season has gone so far. Has it been perfect? No. Has the sim screwed us in some games? Of course, but I’m sure that is the same situation for every team this season. If I had to pick the strength of the team this season, it would definitely have to be the young defensive core that was put together during the draft day. The Grey Ducks have managed to stack 4 rookie Linebackers, a rookie Cornerback and a rookie Defensive Tackle and End. The youthful excitement from the defense has created a vaunted iron wall that opposing offenses have found difficult time penetrating. If these pesky water fowls can keep up with what they are throwing down so far, they should have no issues marching all of the ways to the finals.
Season 46 has started for Tijuana Luchadores pretty great with 7 fully deserved wins. At the moment of writing we are after week 9 and very accidental and unlikely 2 loses, Lucha stands at 7-2 record and playoffs seem to be a certain thing thanks to stout defense holding opponents to 20 point per game, which is 1st in league, despite not having the most stacked roster and offense scoring 26 points per game which is 4th in league with elite wide receivers and duck of a quarterback (Please stop throwing INTs). Even though defense prevents opponents from scoring it definitely needs to get better at stopping runs since right now it’s the worst in the league, complete opposite of its best in the league pass defense. As long as we manage to avoid mistakes winning Ultimini is very possible. It’s hard to look for future in DSFL considering constant players turnover but GMs seem competent so I’m sure it’ll be fine.
We've done really well as a team despite all of the adversity we've faced. We were 2-5 at one point, and recovered to become 4-5 with these back to back wins. The ceiling is the sky at this point. We're a very underrated team, and I'm confident that we can close out the season really well since all of our players are updating. I crossed 200 TPE and dropped back to back 120 yard games, and a combined 3 TDs. Our offense looks good, and I've become a big play machine along with Benny Hanna who just absolutely torches defenses. I'm very proud of the way this team responded despite being 3 games under .500. Taking over as GM will be very fun as we have a really good roster to build upon. We are all very high TPE, and we have 13 players over 150 TPE, which among the top in the DSFL. We have high TPE players at every position. We have the talent to compete with anybody, even TIJ. It's just about finding the right scheme and plays.
Since we are in the DSFL, we are not up for the Ultimus, but I do love the chances for the Coyotes to take home the Ultimini. We did not start the season as we had hoped, but a 4 game win streak propelled us back into contention. I think that we have as solid a chance as any as we have multiple capped players on either side of the ball and high earning rookies that should max out before the end of the season, Riggins included. The Jimmies to Timmy's connection is real and we have begun to spread the ball out a bit more on offense.
Our defense has been solid throughout the season at limiting points and have been exceptional in the red zone as well. We recently were punished severely for a self reported mistake, but this misjustice has only sparked our team to want to kick everyone's asses. I for one would not mess with the Coyotes again unless they want to get bit. #yotesin4
Turning up the heat on these next few weeks, I see some things coming to pass that I predicted to happen at the start of this season.
I had called that I would struggle to be in position correctly to make catches and get yards out of the way because I had the speed to handle things, but I was struggling with endurance.
With that out of the way I'm certain things will start to improve for me, but I don't think we're on our way to an Ultimini anytime soon.
We just don't have the games to get things moving enough to have any real traction, but that's okay. This first season was never about winning anything, but about understanding how the league works, and how I work as a part of it.
However, that being said, just wait; I'll soon be in a good position to land some really good passes and take off, and the tempest will rise again.
The Reigning Champion Copperheads are coming into the final weeks of the season in a fairly decent spot. They're tied for the second best record in the ISFL, with the third-highest amount of points in their favor after the Hawks and Otters. That said, their defense could be a bit better. We've allowed 243 points against, which, puts us at a very middling position. Literally, the middle of the pack at 7th in that category. As a member of said defense, Gajeel does feel some responsibility, but at the end of the day, it is a team effort. Our Rush defense in particular, is also 7th in the league, and seems to be the greatest area of focus going forwards. Needing to stop the running game will need to be the focus for Austin if we're looking to repeat as Ultimus Champions, a status that I really hope that we can attain again, so that I can be a part of a championship team in Gajeel's rookie season in the ISFL.