(S27) Ultimus Week

[Raven]

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11) What is it that keeps you interested in the league? Is it your love of dot football, your locker room, a specific job or role you play, or something else? What do you like most about it? What could be improved?

I have been in this league for nearly 4 years now and I am still as active as the day I joined this league back in may 2017 when Baller opened it up to the public. Although I have had my dips in the past, especially just after I created my current player Davriel Lavigne, I got this feeling that I was kinda done with the league, but that has since been overcome an we are back to full on force in this league. As a European I am never really in a position to catch the games, unless it is one of those nights I just decide to completely fuck my sleep schedule, so for me personally the dots dont keep me entertained. The sim goes way to fast and fuck if I know what is going on. I prefer just catching the boxscores the follow day. The Honolulu locker room has been an absolute blast to be a part of, I think in part why I wanted to dip the league was, because I had the feeling I completely bombed out in making the squad and setting up a locker room, however the locker room has been absolutely popping off as of late and I am all here for it. I also absolutely love my job as a banker. It is a position I have held since the start of the league after all and even after all this time I still enjoy it as much as the first time. I can see myself holding this position for a very long time and hope to be able to.

At the end of the day I think it's my love for sim leagues and creating and seeing how my players work out. It keeps me coming back every day even on the days that nothing is happening I still find myself logging in every hour to check if anyone has posted shit media or if a new shitty meme has popped up. Seriously though this is my main league and with howmuch work I have put into it I just love seeing it thriving. I cannot think of much I would like to see improved at this moment. Although potentially I would be interested in a system in which you could have an offensive and a defensive player, but that comes with a ton of headaches and all kinds of issues, but it would be an interesting option to explore.

[411 words]

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10) Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?

The change in the sim engine we use has been very interesting to see how it works out. The way I had experienced Lavigne so far, was as a player who can get a ton of tackles with back to back 101 tackle seasons and get some secondary stats. The move to the new sim instantly showed me a significant drop in tackles for my player, however Lavigne got juiced up and decided to go on a sacking rampage this season collecting a ton of 8 sacks. Where he previously only had 1 sack, that was a big increase. I do feel a bit conflicted on the new sim still, however the sacks are nice. Next season should be an interesting one as I will be adding a trait and just overall have higher speed aswell. So that is something I am looking forward to.

I think the highlights for lavigne this season has to be the season series against the Austin Copperheads. The first game saw Lavigne get 5 tackles and a sack, which alone is pretty alright, but if you look at the Week 13 home match up against the Copperheads Lavigne get 7 tackles with two sack and a pass defended. In total Lavigne had a line of 12 tackles, 3 sacks and a defended pass against the Copperheads. Which were solid numbers for him. Looking at a single game we look at this seasons match up against the Fire Salamanders, while only having 2 tackles, Lavigne was aggresive in the air and defended 4 passes and got himself an interception.

The low points for Lavigne were his games against the away game against SJS and home gmae against NOLA, where he only recorded 2 tackles and was pretty quite the rest of the game.

All in all with a 12-4 record, Lavigne cant complain about his preformance as the team as a whole had an amazing season and he contributed to it nicely.

I cant really say what I would have done differntly, I am happy with how I built my player through the season and coming into the season and it is not like I can go into the sim engine and change anything, cuz god knows I would.

Looking at next season, I think Lavigne will get a bump in preformance. Together with him going to achieve a trait this offseason, his speed stat will increase to 95 max, which should help him out grealy. I am hoping to see Lavigne lead the league in safety stuff and get a nomination of safety of the year.

[432 words]

[ddrector]

1) This week will see the S26 Ultimus and Ultimini races begin in earnest. How did each team arrive at the playoffs? Were there any dark horse teams that went unexpectedly far, or any presumptive favorites that fell flat? Who do you think will win the final? If you’re writing this after the finals were decided, were you surprised by the outcome?

It's the night after the week 7 games of the season and the New Orleans Second Line locker room is feeling dejected. They just lost at home to the Arizona Outlaws and are 2-5 on the season. At this point it would take a miracle to make it into the playoffs from this position. With a home game coming up against Philly we knew practically every game left on the schedule was a must win. We did end up beating the Liberty at home, but then fell to the Sarasota Sailfish in week 9 to put us at 3-6 with only 7 games remaining. First up was a home game against the SaberCats, one of the few teams we had beat earlier in the season. San Jose was off to a hot start and we were down at the half 21 to 3. Not looking good at all for us, but then Ben Slothlisberger came out of the tunnel for the second half on a mission. He hit Austin McCormick for a 73 yard pass to make it 21 to 10 and then led us down the field later in the 3rd quarter where Mr. Forty-Two punched it in to make it 21 to 16 after a failed 2 point conversion. Only a few minutes later at the beginning of the fourth quarter Slothlisberger hit Ed Barker for a 57 yard touchdown to give us our first lead in the game. The SaberCats kicked a field goal with just over 2 mintues left to tie the game, but that tie didn't last long as Slothlisberger hit Barker for a 64 yard pass and then found Bodenhamer in the endzone to give us the lead with just over a minute remaining! This was the turn around point of the season. Had we lost this game we would not have made the playoffs. This was the start of a four game winning streak where we also beat Honolulu in their own stadium as well as New York an Baltimore at home. We then fell at Orange County in a close matchup before ending the regular season strong with two more victories. That lead to a wildcard matchup at Arizona where we had just won in week 16, and we kept the momentum going in Arizona in the wildcard round where we won by 20. Next up we travel back to Honolulu in what is going to be an extremely tough matchup. The Hahalua only lost twice at home during the regular season, and one of those times was to New Orleans in week 11. In that game Honolulu took a 10 to 0 lead into the locker room at halftime, but then Slothlisberger lit up the Hahalua secondary in the third quarter with two touchdown passes. The Hahalua then got a safety and a field goal to make it 15 to 14 in the fourth quarter, but Mr. Forty-Two had a nice 16 yard run to put us up by 5 with 4:30 left on the clock. The Hahalua then drove down the field and got close to the redzone at the 27 yard line, but on 3rd and 10 newly acquired Hahalua QB Fujiwara tried to pass the ball to Podolak for the third play in a row and the reigning defensive player of the year, David Rector, took advantage and got an interception. Every win for the Second Line down the stretch was huge, but this was another big win and shows that we can go to Honolulu and get a win, so don't count the Second Line out just yet. I'm not sure if there has ever been a bigger comeback in a season than what New Orleans has pulled off this season. We were near the bottom of the standings at the halfway point looking like we would have a top five draft pick, but then the third quarter of that San Jose game happened and it all turned around. If this happened in real life there would be a movie made about it. Or at least a 30 for 30. Regardless of how the rest of the season goes I am so proud of this team and not giving up hope.

Enough talk about my own team, let's look at the other side of the bracket as there is another pretty astounding team still alive in the NSFC and that is the Colorado Yeti. The Yeti went into week 16 at 10-5 in the standings and needing a miracle to make it into the playoffs. They not only had to win or tie on the road in Honolulu, but they needed the Yellowknife Wraiths to lose their game at Philadelphia. Both of these things happening would practically take a miracle. Yellowknife was a very good team at 10-5 and had swept the Yeti in the regular season. Meanwhile, Philadelphia was only 5-10 and one of the worst teams in the NSFC, but Yellowknife got trounced by the Liberty losing 31 to 10. This opened up the door for the Yeti to possibly make the playoffs. It was a close game throughout and with 59 seconds left the Yeti tied the game. Then in OT the Hahalua and Yeti traded field goals and the time expired before the Hahalua could score again, so it ended in the first tie of the new sim, which gave both Honolulu a half game advantage for first place in the ASFC, but the Yeti a half game advantage for the wildcard spot in the ASFC. The Yeti didn't squander their opportunity either as they beat a very good Chicago team in Chicago to make it to the conference finals. It will be interesting to see if these two wildcard teams continue their hot streaks tonight.

[Sebster]

20) Pretend injuries are a thing in the ISFL and your team has had a lot of them lately – so many that your GM has asked you to play out of position. What position are they asking you to play and what about your player build will help you succeed in this role?

The injury bug has bit our Wide Receiver corps hard and we are currently down to trotting out either our Left Tackle as the #1 Wide Receiver or me, Willie Miller. The coach picked me because, in his words “you already play Wide Receiver, just on the other side of the ball.” It’s hard to disagree with that, we do a lot of the same stuff as them anyway. It’s my job to attack the ball at its highest point and hopefully come away with a catch, it's my job to run a route (alongside the real Wide Receiver that is), but most importantly it's my job to put the team in the best position to win. My player would truly succeed at Wide Receiver due to his 80 speed and 55 agility, giving him the ability to run routes ranging from a fly to a curl to a hook. His 71 endurance would also be a big help making sure he can stay on the field and give the team their best shot with the newly found replacement level Wide Receivers. A rating of hands at only 50 may seem detrimental, but hey you can’t ask for too much when your team can barely field a full roster due to some recent bad injury luck. Game day finally arrives as the London Royals take the field ready to showcase their newfound talent.

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22) Your player has been paid to endorse a product/service. What is it? How do you endorse it?

Fight Milk! Caw! Fight Milk is a local crow egg based protein drink coming out of a local drinks company in Philadelphia, Frank’s Fluids. Frank’s Fluids produces a wide range of drinks including Fight Milk, Wolf Cola, and an upcoming unnamed Nip Boba drink. Fight Milk is truly the best protein drink on the market right now for its litany of benefits. 1) The drink is “clean” with no added preservatives, only crow! 2) Gains, gains, gains. This drink has a tendency to make you evacuate your system, which just makes cutting and losing weight 10 times easier! 3) The taste. Who doesn’t love the hearty taste of liquefied crow egg in the morning, at lunch, and before bed? A fool, that’s who. Now, you may be reading these and thinking to yourself “Wow, Fight Milk sounds amazing, I need to try that.” The trick to using Fight Milk is that you need to be in the right line of work, because it has been known to throw up some rather spotty results on certain drug tests. But hey, if you’re in the best football league on the planet like I am where they realize that the competitors need to do everything to gain an edge, then there’s nothing to worry about!

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25) How or where would you celebrate with your teammates after winning an Ultimus or Ultimini?

That’s an easy one, we’d head down to the local pub for a couple of pints! London culture is quite a bit like the United States where a popular celebration spot after a victory, job promotion, or any other positive life event is celebrated with some alcohol. Except for some reason those guys across the pond call it a “bar” and drink by the “pint”. Whatever, a little weird, but Willie Miller isn’t put off by it all. He just enjoys a nice cold beer with his teammates and friends. “To victory!” He exclaims. “To the Royals!” His team responds. Then a rowdy team chant follows. “Bang Bang!” “Lion Gang!” “Bang Bang!” “Lion Gang!” As news of the Championship winning Royals spreads throughout London, the pub begins to attract new patrons who all recognize their favorite players and an impromptu meet and greet is set up. Young fans are ecstatic to get autographs and pictures with these stars while the older generation is happy just to meet some of the guys who they have been watching blossom into household names. You might think that the happiest players in the pub are the newly crowned champions, but guess again because all these people have made the pub owner the happiest man in the world.

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17) Describe the unique food items sold in your team’s home stadium. Write about the most popular items among your team’s fans and players, or create a graphic showing the menu of featured foods in the stadium.

The food at London home games is a bit odd, given the higher class of fans. There is less “bar food” and more “sit down food than one would expect from a football stadium.
Fish and Chips - A classic London meal, deep fried beer battered cod and some golden brown french fries. Served with ketchup for the fries and malt vinegar for the fish, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better meal at a Royals home game.
Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding - This roast beef meal is accompanied by some of the finest Yorkshire Pudding in all of London. Most people typically split this menu option with one other person due to the sheer amount of food served!
Pie and Mash - Our Shepherd's Pie is served alongside a hearty helping of mashed potatoes. The delicate pie crust is complemented by the juicy meats and fillings of the Shepherd's Pie. The mashed potatoes topped with gravy are mouth watering and to die for!
Bangers and Mash - As you can see, we Londonites like our mashed potatoes, this time paired with a delicious serving of Sausage.
Sticky Toffee Pudding - You may think this is a pudding like you would get at the grocery store in the States, but in reality this dish is a sponge cake filled with raisins/dates with a toffee sauce topping. We also serve it with a side of custard or ice cream!

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[xTri]

TIER 2: 10) Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?

Prior to this season, I think a lot of people were skeptical on how well the Arizona Outlaws will do this season. The long time (probably going into the HOF as well) QB for the team, Jay Cue, has stepped down from the role and bulked up to be an OL. In his spot, Charlemagne Cortez, a rookie QB, has taken his spot. If I had a rookie QB take the spot of a HOF caliber QB, I wouldn't have given too much hope on the season. However, in the end have taken the world by storm. In the pre-season, even though these games don't have much value, the Outlaws went 4-0 with some brilliant highlights by Cortez. It includes a 41-10 win over the Austin Copperheads where he threw 3 touchdowns and 0 picks, culminating into a 136 rating for that game. Once the season started, the Outlaws suffered two straight losses, both heart breakers. Cortez didn't have a great debut with 68 yards passed and 1 int. However, the game was close in the end with the rushing duo Nakamura and Thorbjornsson rushing 240 yards total for 2 TDs. This game didn't set the tone for Cortez's season as this would be his only really bad game. The second game ended with a 32-31 loss but Cortez bounced back with solid passing.
Then the Outlaws found their groove. Over the next 9 games, they won all 9 games outscoring their opponents 282 to 183. What carried the team was a mix of offense and defense. Starting with the defense, they excelled by limiting the rushing game, the opponents only averaged 65 rushing yards a game which is extremely good. On the offense, Tatsu Nakamura was unstoppable rushing for the most yards in the league and a frontrunner for RBoty and maybe OPOTY. Solid seasons by Taro Raimon and the already mentioned Cortez rounded out the offense. Speaking of Cortez, in that 9 game stretch, he has thrown at least 2 games with a QB rating over 130. One of them includes a 47-41 thriller against the Second Lines where he passed 475 yards and 3 touchdowns. Remember, he's a rookie. The other came from the 51-20 blowout where he threw 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
One last highlight was in the Week 8 gameday against the Sailfish. With under 1 minute to spare and down 3 points at the AZ 48 line, Cortez threw an interception which should seal the game. But in the next play, the Sailfish FUMBLED the ball and recovered by the Outlaws. With only a miracle to still save the game, Cortez threw to a wide open Raimon who in the end ran over 50 yards to touchdown and keep the winning streak going.
In the end, the Outlaws got out in the 1st round, but the future is bright for this team.

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TIER 2: 13) Write about your team’s biggest rivalry and what makes it so fierce. Is the competition founded in statistics and the team’s recent performance, or is it a rivalry that developed over time during the team’s history that would exist regardless of statistics?

I am not well verse in ISFL history nor the history of the Arizona Outlaws. But there's one team this season that I felt made a great rivalry, or at least created some memorable games for the fans. Last season, the Outlaws were 1-1 against the New Orleans Second line with the loss being early in the season. In that loss, NOLA managed to get a last second Field Goal to win the game 30-27. Now, most people know about the infamous 5 way tie in the ASFC conference. If the outlaws manage to win that game, then the outlaws might've made the playoffs then, don't quote me on it though. Now in this season, both teams first clashed in Week 7. NOLA are coming into the game with a weak record of 2-4 with Ben Slothisberger giving a streaky performance week by week. The defense didn't really help either, giving up an average of 25+ points per game. Meanwhile, the Outlaws are on a 4 game winning streak carried by a red hot Tatsu Nakamura, solid defense, and at the time, contending rookie MVP QB Charlemagne Cortez. The first half of the game was kind of back and forth, but NOLA pulls ahead 24-16 as the primary receiver for them, Ed Barker receives two touchdowns easily. Speaking of Ed Barker, he and Taro Raimon were kind of close in yardage at this time and I personally think there's some sort of rivalry between them, as both aim to win the wide receiver of the year award. In the second half though, Nakamura gets a 65 yard rushing touchdown and the Outlaws take the lead in the 3rd. In the 4th, after some back and forth in kicking field goals, NOLA manages to tie the game with a touchdown in the very last minute.But in the end, the outlaws get the better end of the deal and get yet another Nakamura touchdown. In their next meet on Week 16, Outlaws has already secured 2nd seed in their conference while NOLA needed the win to make the playoffs without tiebreakers. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, NOLA gets the dub easily as Cortez struggled. Barker gets 2 more receiving touchdowns as Slothlisberger carries the game as they lacked rushing the the game. In the 1st round of the playoffs, they yet again meet back to back. The Outlaws get even more dumpstered on as the Secondlines get the win 41-21 behind a passing game between Ben and Barker. I'm looking forward to these two teams playing again next season and as Cortez improves, I hope the Outlaws get the better end of the stick then.

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[IceBear32]

As a part of the S29 Rookie class I have extremely limited experience with the league but I’m very excited of what I have been apart of and what is yet to come. As an individual with little experience with discord and forums, it was slightly overwhelming with the creating a player and the rookie task. Right away I realize everyone has been so willing to help and answer any questions. This has made what seemed to be a very overwhelming task a smoother process. I was fortunate to be invited by a very involved member. This member being able to answer all my questions has possibly made the difference in following through the creating process and not becoming to overwhelmed to the point of quitting.
This could have very well been something I have overlooked or not yet reached this point, but some sort of mentorship program or job positions. A “request a mentor” type request when signing up is something I would have been highly interested. Again, I was fortunate enough to have this mentor through the member who invited me. Our convos have been a very back and forth of “sorry for so many questions” and him understanding the process so well that it is no problem.

From the conversations I’ve had I have been so welcomed and had so much information shared with me. Everyone seems to be willing to share everything they know and be very helpful. I’m currently in conversations with a team scout who has been nothing but helpful. Sharing their experience and being able to make suggestions and answer questions. Helping me with my personal agenda vs trying to just go through the motions.

So what is the real life solution to these hurdles players face as the take the step into the big league? AGENTS! I think these mentors could be a hired position or even separate entity in itself. It seems like there are set rules for having only one player at a time. Is this something members who are looking for a little bit more can do? Creating an agent and helping these new members create teams? Make the some sort of paying job that would help the member earn more points to increase their players. Could this become something even bigger where different agency companies are making their pitches to get players, old and new, to sign with their agency? I can see once becoming more familiar with the league, to look at opening an agency and creating an avenue to make this the easiest process for new members.

Does this add in a new attribute? Marketability. How well a player does on the field doesn’t always mean they are who you want reppin your agency or your brand. Points being put toward market ability would create more need to keep active. Brands can be unlocked by achieving different levels of marketability.
This would also be another way to gain income. Once signed with different brands on differently levels you can increase your annual or weekly income. Who doesn’t want to sign with Nike, Gatorade, or Hulu Sports? But of course these levels will just be for the stars. While the new rookie class may get some offers from a local car dealership, they can continue to work and win, to increase they chances with more well known brands.

These brands are would have a number of factors they would look at before signing a player to represent their company. Their marketability stat. The higher this stat is the more attractive it would be to sign. Along with this you need a player who would be an impact in the game. Personal stats allow the brand to achieve with you, so being a good player is important. Additionally winning teams always attract the most fans. The team success will alter how intense a brand or agency would pursue an athlete to sign with the brand.
Between all the factors a player will have to always keep some of these things in mind when making career choices. The same as the teams themselves compete, the different agency and brands would also be competing for the athletes. This would create the opportunity to bring a whole new element to the league and would allow users to compete in a different way, while still managing their player.

I would make a requirement of X amount of year in the league to become an agent or to manage a brand. But I do believe this could overall create a new element while also helping new users who are entering the league. I hope that someday this could be looked at to create an aspect athletes deal with on a daily basis. To win a championship, and then be offered a lifetime deal with Nike for your own line of cleats? Can you say G.O.A.T?

[PMoney]

UW GM Pass

[ZootTX]

9) If you could create a team using any active players in the league, what would that team look like? Would you build a group of all-stars to contend in the next Ultimus, or a team full of jokesters for the fun of it? Describe the roster and why you chose the players you did

I’m creating this team for one thing: To win the Ultimus. So I’ll be  picking the players at each position that I think give me the best chance to win.

Quarterback: Colby Jack, Yellowknife Wraiths
You’d be hard pressed for a better selection for your championship contender’s QB than reigning Ultimus champion and MVP. While not quite as successful this season, Jack was still top 3 in most statistical categories

FB: Kichwa Jones, Austin Copperheads
I’ll be using my FB for blocking mostly, and Jones currently leads FB in pancakes and was the obvious choice

RB: Tatsu Nakamura, Arizona Outlaws,Raphtalia Chan, Sarasota Sailfish
This duo combined this season for over 3k rushing yards and 30 tds, so my team will have a potent ground game. Together they also had just a hair over 600 rec yards so they can make a difference in the air as well.

WR: William Lim, Colorado Yeti, Ed Barker, New Orleans Second Line, Jed Podolak, Honolulu Hahalua
With over 5k receiving yards and a whopping 40 touchdowns from this trio during the regular season, Colby will have plenty of targets down the field to catch one of his many passes.

TE: Zee Rechs, Yellowknife Wraiths, Clark Boyd, Berlin Fire Salamanders
Two great targets for those short passes and in the red zone, this pair also offers help with blocking with 110 pancakes between them.

OFlex: Zoe Watts, Austin Copperheads
Watts is both a monster on the ground and through the air, making her a perfect choice for the flex position

OL: Adam Mellott, New Orleans Second Line, Bruce Buckley, Yellowknife Wraiths
Better bring your syrup, because these two brought over 230 pancakes this season, while allowing no sacks

DL: Ke'oke'o Kāne-Maika'i, Honolulu Hahalua, Raylan Crowder, San Jose Sabercats, Big Edd, Colorado Yeti, Hank Steel Berlin Fire Salamanders
Whether it's sacking the QB or stopping the run, these guys have no problem disrupting the opponents game at the line of scrimmage

LB: Douglas Quaid, Yellowknife Wraiths,Melvin Murder-Moose, Colorado Yeti,Rusty Rucker, Colorado Yeti, Haha Mango-Panda, Sarasota Sailfish
These guys excel at shutting down the middle of the field, with 50 sacks and 39 PDs as a group to their credit.

CB: Andrew Witten, New Orleans Second Line, Colt Mendoza, New York Silverbacks
S: Maverick Bowie, Austin Copperheads, Cuco Clemente, Sarasota Sailfish
NB: Desmond Scarlett, Arizona Outlaws
No receiver is safe with these guys in coverage, with a total of 23 ints and a whopping 130 PDs.

K: Jake Fencik, Philadelphia Liberty
P: Jacob Small, Sarasota Sailfish

Returners:
Kai Sakura, Yellowknife Wraiths
Matt Krause, Berlin Fire Salamanders
Both dependable returners, both punts and kickoffs

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16) The bank now accepts ISFL currency in exchange for real money – every ISFL dollar counts as $0.50 in the real world. How much money would you exchange, and what would you spend it on?

I’d be making a beeline to the closest bank to convert some money. As a man with two daughters and the typical bills of a middle aged, married man, I’ve got plenty of things I could spend my fictional ISFL dollars turned into real money on! Right now I have right at $27 million ISFL dollars in my account, so if I converted half of that into real money, then I’d have about $6.7 million to spend. My wife would definitely want to look for a new house. Her car is also not awesome and too big actually, so I’d get her something newer and smaller, and I’d also pay off my truck while I was at it. I’d finally be able to afford that Disney World vacation that my family has been pestering me about for a long time as well. Next up on the list would be college funds for the kiddos. I would definitely donate some of my windfall to charity, because there is no way I need that much money all to myself. Some of it would definitely go towards saving for retirement. Although I love my current job, you never know what the future holds so knowing that I was financially secure would be pretty awesome.

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SHL PT

[dude_man]

10) Thinking of where I was a couple months ago (right before the start of season 27), I would have never expected to be part of an amazing team with rich history like Tijuana. It has really been a ride of high’s and low’s, but it’s been more than that. Throughout the season, I would develop friendships along the way on things I would have never expected. Tonzy was able to help establish and build on the foundation that is Tijuana. Without him, this team would not be where it is now, and every one that is part of that team feels the way I feel. As for as how our season went, it could have gone better in terms of sim success. With all the kinks and nuances of the new sim, it can really be tough to grasp what is actually needed to be super successful. The last game for the Luchadores was in the DSFL Conference Championship. With a weird bug in the sim, our season ended just like that. Our hopes were so high, that we came crashing down of the realization that it was over. Our team struggled with inconsistency on offense, especially with the passing game as we had no active WR’s. In fact, we used one of our RB’s (Drip Dad) as a main receiving option. Getting shut out by the Grey Ducks late in the season was also a blow to morale as we had hoped it would have been a much closer game and even the last game against Portland where we tried to run a meme strategy was funny to us since we were probably going to get blown out (which we did). But there were many great highlights like Juno Hu snagging a pick six to win the game against London in the middle of the season, so the team had many high and lowlights, but each one of them made the game either fun, or was not a huge factor to morale. As for how my player performed, Cade Williams could not have done any better than I hoped for. He accumulated 36 pancakes and only allowed 1 sack in his rookie year. He was able to anchor the right side of the field to where hardly anyone went through him. I believe he was a pivotal aspect of the run game which ranked 1st in the league and he also tied for second for least sacks allowed (tied for first if you only compare rookie offensive lineman). And I fully believe that the Luchadores will be even better next year, I’m sure of it. Tijuana will soon bring the 9th Ultimini home, and I don't doubt if it was the next season.

(455 words)

11) So kind of what I was saying earlier, a couple months of ago I was overwhelmed with what I had to do at first. If I wanted to succeed as a max player, I had to make sure I completed all of my trainings, point tasks, and even activity checks. It was a lot at first, and I had to take my time to think of the things I really needed to do. But my passion was there, I love the sport of football more than anything. With that in mind, I wanted to learn all the different aspects of the game so I could be successful. I believe I mentioned how GuitarMaster116 was pivotal to me getting familiar with the league. He was really patient with me and answered any question I had regarding the game. Who knew that he would later draft me for Tijuana? And with that, I was introduced to one of the greatest teams in DSFL history. The locker room presence in that team was/is astounding. As I brought up earlier, I would make great friendships along the way and actually be elected as captain for my draft class, which was even cooler for me. I consider myself an introvert, and I’m honestly surprised by how active I am on the locker room Discord. Those are real friends to me, and I can’t wait to see how it progresses in the future. But for me though, that wasn’t enough as of that moment. I wanted more. So I actually would look in the Job Applications tab because I felt that I wanted this game to be even better and I wanted to share that excitement and basically appreciation for the game by helping out in any way I can. And although I was not accepted for a couple jobs, I was accepted for one that will start next season, and I can not wait to be part of it. I’ve also been doing wiki work for the site as I actually enjoy doing that (for money of course) instead of media that I kind of have to come up with. And by doing that, I actually get to research and see different parts of history within the league, good and bad, but still history. As a new player, it’s basically an encyclopedia that I’m helping build by doing that, and it’s just been lots of fun. I think the biggest thing that could be improved is the wiki for the site. There’s just so much information that still needs to be updated, and with me doing work for it, I feel accomplished in helping preserve the league’s history for now and for the future.

(450 words)

[KC15]

Tier 3 - 2.5 TPE
PBE Affiliate PT

16) The bank now accepts ISFL currency in exchange for real money – every ISFL dollar counts as $0.50 in the real world. How much money would you exchange, and what would you spend it on?  Tier 3 - 2.5 TPE

This is a great prompt, but one that probably means the end of my ISFL career just a little earlier than my regression has me already thinking will be my exit.  One of the things that I have found challenging in the ISFL is raising enough money to be as competitive as I’d like (though I do think Jed is a WROTY candidate this year with the most TDs receiving, most receptions and 3rd most yards receiving).  But at a conversion rate of 50 real cents on the ISFL dollar, we are still talking a lot of money.

My bank balance was about $1,700,000 when I just checked and though that doesn’t go very far in the ISFL, $850,000 real dollars is a hefty sum.  We never know what we’d do when the rubber hits the road, but I would hope that I would give 10% right off the top to my church or split between my church and a cause my church is supportive of.  All money really belongs to God and it just seems a fair deal to get to keep 90% of what was His all along.

That still leaves $765,000 to play with.  I’d have to put pen to paper, but I’m starting to near retirement age and that sum along with the rest of our retirement savings and planning might just allow me to retire a bit early.  Better than any fancy gew-gaw we might buy blowing that amount of cash.

Code:

246 words

19) Your player or team made big headlines in the news this week. What did they do, and why did it garner so much attention?  Tier 3 = 2.5 TPE

Jed Podolak and the entire Honolulu Hahaluas team, players, coaches, and management, have been severely affected by the past year’s struggles with the coronavirus pandemic.  It was tough enough not being able to play with the stands full of the team’s rabid supporters, but the loss of jobs, the illness, and the deaths that have come in the wake of this modern day plague have been almost too much to bear.

So, the franchise realized that it could not cure everyone or create a vaccine, but it could help relieve the suffering of the people of Honolulu and all across the Islands.  With this in mind, the team took a two-pronged approach.  Each of the players volunteered to send 10% of their S27 salaries to relief work through churches, synagogues, and mosques and through social service agencies like Goodwill Industries, Big Brother and Big Sister, and the American Red Cross.  The team pledged to match these contributions 2 for 1 - $2 for every $1 from the players plus a flat donation of $5,0oo,ooo right off the top.

The other prong of the approach was a hands on one.  Each player, coach, and front office employee pledged 50 hours of community relief work.

When all the publicity started coming their way, the team was a bit embarrassed.  The fans have been there for us in good times and bad.  The least we could do was be there for them.

Code:

239 words

25) How or where would you celebrate with your teammates after winning an Ultimus or Ultimini?  Tier 3 - 2.5 TPE

This is a timely question as the Hahaluas cruised to their first ever divisional title here in S27.  Further, Honolulu defeated the Saber Cats 38-27 in the first round of the playoffs.  If they can get past the ever-tough New Orleans Second Line, they will have a shot at winning their very first Ultimus Championship.

The team takes nothing for granted, but is it ever ready to celebrate!

And, of course, they would do it up in true Hawaiian style.  First there would have to be a huge ticker tape parade through the streets of downtown Honolulu.  But then we would all move to the beaches to be near the life giving, life sustaining waters.  There would be hula and other traditional dances, traditional and more modern music, and the biggest luau feast ever given in the history of Hawaii!

The party would go on and on, non-stop for days and nights.  Some would drift away from the festivities to sleep only to return a few hours or a day later to take the place of others who had meandered away for their own respite from the celebration.

And at the end of the week-long celebration, we would pause in quietness simply giving thanks to our ancestors and to heaven for the gift of this wonderful time together.

Code:

218 words

[ztarwarz]

Task 1: I'm not sure they were necessarily sim cursed this year, but this is important enough to talk about anyways. For 26 seasons, a single team reigned above all others for the title of Most Dominant. They held over 1/3rd of all Ultimus titles, they had the 2 possible GOAT QB candidates, they had the single greatest GM in league history. S27 did not change any of that, but Orange County did miss the playoffs for the first time in their history. One season removed from a year where they were considered a powerhouse, they not only missed the playoffs, they weren't even close. They tied for the 3rd worst record in the league, and were generally out of contention by halfway through the season. What led to this point? Well, you can probably look towards a specific position and lay a lot of the blame right at the feet of the RBs for Orange County. Top Running Back Tatsu Nakamura left the team this offseason, and he left them with about 500 total TPE at the position...after the draft. This led to a bit of a scramble, where Jeffrey Phillips changed position to RB from TE, too late for it to apply to the first 2 games of the season. My guess is that part of the reason Phillips ended up one of 5 receiving backs in the entire league, as well as the only RB1 who was a receiving back (hell, one of 2 RB1s who wasn't a Speed Back) was because of the position change rules requiring a certain amount of TPE to be kept in its prior place, although don't quote me on that. The other hypothesis I have is that, because Phillips was inactive, and the new sim rules make the last 5 points to max out a stat much more costly than it used to be, that he didn't have enough TPE to be a good speed back and was definitely not going to get enough to be a good speed back. Either way, Phillips was in a build that was probably substandard. Besides Phillips, the other issue with the team was a lack of depth. Past the peak players at any position, the pool of talent was very limited, and this led to a middling performance both on offense and defense. Add that to a D that probably got a bit unlucky with its points against vs how many yards it gave up, and you have a recipe for Orange County missing the playoffs for the first time in league history.

As for the other side, hey there Hahalua! I can say for certain that this team was not expected to make the playoffs, much less get the 1st seed. With an inactive QB, the worst WR group by a long ways, and one of the worst offensive lines in the league, this team storming out the gate was a massive surprise. Granted, its D was pretty good, but that didn't change the fact that their only offensive player with more than 800 TPE going into the season was an inactive QB. That D wasn't even all that great, Shawn Dawkins was the only top talent in the entire secondary, and while Waters wasn't a slouch they were going to be carrying a low TPE inactive and a S25 player along. The DEs were great, the best pair in the league maybe, but that was the only part of this defense that was even above average. And yet, all the stars aligned. The inactive QB, Skywalker, performed well enough until they traded for Chika Fujiwara, the Defense was one of the best in the league, and this was enough to get them to a bye in the playoffs in part due to some clutch performances and some sim screwage. At this point, they have a decent shot at going from worst to first, especially if dumb things continue to happen and the Sailfish get upset by the Yeti. Which would just be typical at this point considering the bullshit that has happened in literally every single playoff game this season, in both leagues. Yes I'm still salty and I feel I have a right to be.

Finally, the Copperheads. I feel a number of people might have jumped the gun when they gave this team the playoffs. They were too young this season, and this especially rang true for their Quarterback. The real worry at this point is how much did they give up to get to this point, in this league where heavy favorites can lose in the blink of an eye. They have 3 amazing S23 players, and 3 amazing S24 players, and they should be great for the next 2 years, but this year Daytona being the lowest TPE QB in the league by far hurt too much, and Zoe Watts performed extremely poorly compared to her previous seasons. Those who put them aside thought their Defense would let them down, and it somewhat did, but it turns out that their offense actually performed worse, with the only team scoring less points per game being the hapless Hawks this season.