01-30-2018, 05:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-01-2018, 09:06 AM by RedCydranth.)
Robbed:
I think there are two viable options for who got robbed of this year's playoffs. Clearly the Liberty and Sabercats fought their rear ends off all season only to fall flat at the end. The Sabercats though, deserved it. They've done a fantastic job over the course of the last 3 seasons coming from a joke of a franchise to a legitimate contender. Especially after the Er Multi Scandal that shook the whole league, the Outlaws were forced to take a major step back, which opened the door for the Cats to find their way to their first ever playoff berth. however, the Outlaws found themselves, even without the help of all of Er's multis, a viable contender and thorn in the side of the Sabercats. The Sabercats brought in some great talent to make the jump too. Mayran Jackson who led the team in both receptions and touchdowns, Chris Orosz who was once a premier quarterback several years ago and Darren Smallwood who might be the most underrated running back in the entire NSFL, were all key adds during this rebuild process and still they found themselves on the couch come week 16. Maybe next year, right San Jose? Only time will tell. A solid off season might be the push they need.
(214 words)
Playoff Review:
This year's playoffs went exactly as I had hoped for them to. Clearly, as an Otter, the final outcome was pleasurable, but the rest was also very pleasing to watch. In the NSFC, I was hoping to get that rematch against the Yellowkife Wraiths. So watching them defeat the Hawks was a great thing to see. The Wraiths performed admirably and I think Mat Akselsen deserves a trophy someday. He's a great player and it's a darn shame he hasn't gotten a trophy yet. He put up 2 solid games in the playoffs and sadly fell short. On the other side of the league, my Otters came back from the brink of elimination to get our championship. I was not present for the first Outlaws vs Otters Divisional Championship game, where the Otters ultimately were defeated. I did see that we had lost and my heart sank. But as history between these two teams has been shown, a redo of the game was announced for the 3rd straight season. My hoped perked right back up and I watched the Otters take the second try, quite handily too. I do feel bad, a bit, for the Outlaws in that scenario. They had the false hope that they came from behind as the underdog to beat the Otters in their own stadium, only to have that feeling pulled out from underneath them because of an oversight regarding the sim and formations. I wonder if Yellowknife would be hoisting their first Ultimus had the Outlaws never messed that up. We may never know. The finale to this season was special. It showcased why both teams deserved to be there. Defense reigned supreme, as both teams had some crazy interceptions and the Otters laid it on thick with the sacks. Defense wins championships, as they say. Orange County proved that this season, for sure.
(310 words)
Going to Disneyland!
It's hard to pick any player as the MVP for the Otters. There's so many amazing performers. And with all the fire power on defense, it'd be foolish to not give it to one of them. Angus Winchester deserves it, to be quite honest. All season he was our captain on the defense. He called the shots, and made the big hits. Despite being surrounded by other elite talent like Gregor Clegane, Ian Bavitz, Ryan Sierra (who should get looked at for DROY), and Julian O'Sullivan, Winchester crushed it. But I would be remiss if I didn't look at the other side of the ball. It's become commonplace when looking at the Otters, that Mike Boss just be awesome. He's like Tom Brady. You know he's gonna be the best player on that offense, so you kind of look for the "other guy" who dominated on that offense. Same is true of Bradly Westfield. How many years in a row now has he been the top WR in the league? I feel these two dudes get passed by simply because elite is status quo for them. Then we have Jordan Yates. He's the new addition to the Otters locker room this year, coming over from San Jose. He was arguably the best RB in the league. 1,789 yards of offense and 21 TDs. That's unbelievable. If he wasn't with Boss and Westfield, he'd be the offensive MVP, for sure. Heck, he might be even considering those two studs. So, who is going to Disneyland? The whole fricking team. Because there's nobody in that locker room who didn't put in the time and effort. It was a great ride and I hope we continue it into next year.
(288 words)
Sit-down with a Star:
I sat down with star CB of the Baltimore Hawks, Antoine Delacour to discuss this year's season, post season and future.
Q: The Wraiths were a thorn in your team's side all season. How optimistic were you going into your playoff game were you that you'd come away with a W?
A: I think we're actually fairly evenly matched overall, and the advantage goes to whoever is the home team, usually. So I'd say the conference championship, we were maybe slight underdogs, but I didn't lack optimism in the slightest. I think in the end it came down to little things, who made the fewest little mistakes. That's how it is at the top.
Q:Your personal performance that game, how would you rate it?
A: uhhh... not my best. Bailey Cook is a tough receiver to cover and he won our duel that day. No excuses, I just did what I could to bring him down quickly and stop him getting too many yards after the catch. It's always hard to be great in coverage when the quarterback is as good as Akselsen, though. He can thread passes into places I just can't reach.
Q: Did you watch the Ultimus game? If so, what were your thoughts on it? If not, why not?
A: I didn't watch, no. I wasn't in a convenient time zone, unfortunately. But I've looked back at the highlights. I think it would have been a great game to watch, especially as a defensive player. The Otters weren't particularly convincing on offense, I don't think. But they did enough. Because defensively they didn't give the Wraiths anything until the game was already over. Both teams have elite offenses, yet neither offense ran the game from what I saw. Says a lot about what it takes to be a champion.
Q: What is next for Antoine Delacour?
A: Back to the gym, back out on the practice field... just get my head down, grind, be better. I know there's been speculation about my future in Baltimore because my contract expires at the end of next season, but I'm not even thinking about that right now. I have a great relationship with my teammates, the coaching staff, the GM, everyone. I'm not worrying about it. I just want to improve my game and be the best player I can be. I want a ring. I want to shut down receivers again. I want offenses to be afraid of coming to The Aviary because I'm lining up opposite them. That's what's next for Antoine Delacour.
Q: What do you think will be the most important thing to get the Hawks over the hump and past the Wraiths in the future?
A: I think this year we really felt the loss of key pieces on the defensive line. Kurt didn't look himself, and I think it's because he needed a bit more help getting to the quarterback quickly. We used to have an elite defensive line, which probably helped us out in the secondary too. Passes under pressure are easier to defend, you know? And when we had that elite unit, we won the conference, I don't think that's a coincidence. I think our offense is amazing so no worries there, but we need to get that fear factor back from the front seven on defense. Kurt is amazing, everyone knows this.... but then you look at the Hawks defense and outside of Kurt and the secondary, we're not looking great. The best teams this season all had serious playmakers in the front seven. We get that, we win the Ultimus. I'm calling it now.
Q: Thanks for the interview. Is there anything you want to tell Yellowknife, Philadelphia and Colorado about next season?
A: Nah, I'm not here to coach them. I'll do me, they can do them. We'll talk on the field.
(644 words)
I think there are two viable options for who got robbed of this year's playoffs. Clearly the Liberty and Sabercats fought their rear ends off all season only to fall flat at the end. The Sabercats though, deserved it. They've done a fantastic job over the course of the last 3 seasons coming from a joke of a franchise to a legitimate contender. Especially after the Er Multi Scandal that shook the whole league, the Outlaws were forced to take a major step back, which opened the door for the Cats to find their way to their first ever playoff berth. however, the Outlaws found themselves, even without the help of all of Er's multis, a viable contender and thorn in the side of the Sabercats. The Sabercats brought in some great talent to make the jump too. Mayran Jackson who led the team in both receptions and touchdowns, Chris Orosz who was once a premier quarterback several years ago and Darren Smallwood who might be the most underrated running back in the entire NSFL, were all key adds during this rebuild process and still they found themselves on the couch come week 16. Maybe next year, right San Jose? Only time will tell. A solid off season might be the push they need.
(214 words)
Playoff Review:
This year's playoffs went exactly as I had hoped for them to. Clearly, as an Otter, the final outcome was pleasurable, but the rest was also very pleasing to watch. In the NSFC, I was hoping to get that rematch against the Yellowkife Wraiths. So watching them defeat the Hawks was a great thing to see. The Wraiths performed admirably and I think Mat Akselsen deserves a trophy someday. He's a great player and it's a darn shame he hasn't gotten a trophy yet. He put up 2 solid games in the playoffs and sadly fell short. On the other side of the league, my Otters came back from the brink of elimination to get our championship. I was not present for the first Outlaws vs Otters Divisional Championship game, where the Otters ultimately were defeated. I did see that we had lost and my heart sank. But as history between these two teams has been shown, a redo of the game was announced for the 3rd straight season. My hoped perked right back up and I watched the Otters take the second try, quite handily too. I do feel bad, a bit, for the Outlaws in that scenario. They had the false hope that they came from behind as the underdog to beat the Otters in their own stadium, only to have that feeling pulled out from underneath them because of an oversight regarding the sim and formations. I wonder if Yellowknife would be hoisting their first Ultimus had the Outlaws never messed that up. We may never know. The finale to this season was special. It showcased why both teams deserved to be there. Defense reigned supreme, as both teams had some crazy interceptions and the Otters laid it on thick with the sacks. Defense wins championships, as they say. Orange County proved that this season, for sure.
(310 words)
Going to Disneyland!
It's hard to pick any player as the MVP for the Otters. There's so many amazing performers. And with all the fire power on defense, it'd be foolish to not give it to one of them. Angus Winchester deserves it, to be quite honest. All season he was our captain on the defense. He called the shots, and made the big hits. Despite being surrounded by other elite talent like Gregor Clegane, Ian Bavitz, Ryan Sierra (who should get looked at for DROY), and Julian O'Sullivan, Winchester crushed it. But I would be remiss if I didn't look at the other side of the ball. It's become commonplace when looking at the Otters, that Mike Boss just be awesome. He's like Tom Brady. You know he's gonna be the best player on that offense, so you kind of look for the "other guy" who dominated on that offense. Same is true of Bradly Westfield. How many years in a row now has he been the top WR in the league? I feel these two dudes get passed by simply because elite is status quo for them. Then we have Jordan Yates. He's the new addition to the Otters locker room this year, coming over from San Jose. He was arguably the best RB in the league. 1,789 yards of offense and 21 TDs. That's unbelievable. If he wasn't with Boss and Westfield, he'd be the offensive MVP, for sure. Heck, he might be even considering those two studs. So, who is going to Disneyland? The whole fricking team. Because there's nobody in that locker room who didn't put in the time and effort. It was a great ride and I hope we continue it into next year.
(288 words)
Sit-down with a Star:
I sat down with star CB of the Baltimore Hawks, Antoine Delacour to discuss this year's season, post season and future.
Q: The Wraiths were a thorn in your team's side all season. How optimistic were you going into your playoff game were you that you'd come away with a W?
A: I think we're actually fairly evenly matched overall, and the advantage goes to whoever is the home team, usually. So I'd say the conference championship, we were maybe slight underdogs, but I didn't lack optimism in the slightest. I think in the end it came down to little things, who made the fewest little mistakes. That's how it is at the top.
Q:Your personal performance that game, how would you rate it?
A: uhhh... not my best. Bailey Cook is a tough receiver to cover and he won our duel that day. No excuses, I just did what I could to bring him down quickly and stop him getting too many yards after the catch. It's always hard to be great in coverage when the quarterback is as good as Akselsen, though. He can thread passes into places I just can't reach.
Q: Did you watch the Ultimus game? If so, what were your thoughts on it? If not, why not?
A: I didn't watch, no. I wasn't in a convenient time zone, unfortunately. But I've looked back at the highlights. I think it would have been a great game to watch, especially as a defensive player. The Otters weren't particularly convincing on offense, I don't think. But they did enough. Because defensively they didn't give the Wraiths anything until the game was already over. Both teams have elite offenses, yet neither offense ran the game from what I saw. Says a lot about what it takes to be a champion.
Q: What is next for Antoine Delacour?
A: Back to the gym, back out on the practice field... just get my head down, grind, be better. I know there's been speculation about my future in Baltimore because my contract expires at the end of next season, but I'm not even thinking about that right now. I have a great relationship with my teammates, the coaching staff, the GM, everyone. I'm not worrying about it. I just want to improve my game and be the best player I can be. I want a ring. I want to shut down receivers again. I want offenses to be afraid of coming to The Aviary because I'm lining up opposite them. That's what's next for Antoine Delacour.
Q: What do you think will be the most important thing to get the Hawks over the hump and past the Wraiths in the future?
A: I think this year we really felt the loss of key pieces on the defensive line. Kurt didn't look himself, and I think it's because he needed a bit more help getting to the quarterback quickly. We used to have an elite defensive line, which probably helped us out in the secondary too. Passes under pressure are easier to defend, you know? And when we had that elite unit, we won the conference, I don't think that's a coincidence. I think our offense is amazing so no worries there, but we need to get that fear factor back from the front seven on defense. Kurt is amazing, everyone knows this.... but then you look at the Hawks defense and outside of Kurt and the secondary, we're not looking great. The best teams this season all had serious playmakers in the front seven. We get that, we win the Ultimus. I'm calling it now.
Q: Thanks for the interview. Is there anything you want to tell Yellowknife, Philadelphia and Colorado about next season?
A: Nah, I'm not here to coach them. I'll do me, they can do them. We'll talk on the field.
(644 words)
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