Robbed
It is very obvious when looking over the NSFL standings from this season that one team more than any other got the short side of the stick in comparison to many other teams when it came to playoff qualification. The Colorado Yeti of the NSFC were matched up against the Yellowknife Wraiths right into the final weeks of the season yet somehow managed to finish with one less win than the Yeti despite the Yeti's negative point differential during the regular season, and despite the Wraiths having a prolific rushing game that lead them through many of their games. One place that Yellowknife could have easily turned around their season was in an early season loss of 12-6 against the Arizona Outlaws who were far and above one of the worst teams in the NSFL this season. This loss came as a surprise, but the moment that really put the icing on the cake was in Week 13 when the Yeti took a surprise victory over Yellowknife to all but secure their playoff spot. While Colorado may have taken the second seed in the NSFC, it is without a doubt that the Wraiths will be back next season to show they won't go down without a fight.
Playoff Predictions
I think there's a lot of potential for this NSFL season to be on that shakes up the league, and I think that across the board there will be a couple of teams that really surprise during this playoff run. With the Colorado Yeti slipping past the Yellowknife Wraiths for a berth in playoffs, they've booked themselves a first round ticket to playing the power house Baltimore Hawks who have been more strong this season in their match ups against the Yeti. Despite this, I predict the young team will find their way past the grizzled veterans and send the Hawks packing after a very close first game. Following this, in the ASFC the Orange County Otters will be fighting the next big thing in the New Orleans Sain- sorry Second Line who has a roster absolutely riddled with talent. The Second Line will easily take this game over the Otters and move on to the championship final where they will take on the Cinderella story that is the young Yeti team. While it may be a close game, I foresee the Second Line dispatching Colorado with a strong fourth quarter appearance and marking themselves down in the record book as one of the best teams to ever play the game.
Playoff Review
After having some fun predicting how the playoffs would run out, I thought it would be neat to go back and find out just how wrong I was in all my predictions from having made them just by looking at the NSFL index, and to my surprise I wasn't all that off. In the NSFC final the Colorado Yeti and Baltimore Hawks played a hard and long game that went righ down to the end of the fourth quarter before the Yeti took their third loss of this season to the Baltimore Hawks and went home with their heads hung low. As I predicted in the ASFC, New Orleans had their way with the aging Orange County Otters and continued on to the Ultimus Final where instead of facing off against the Colorado Yeti as I predicted, they were matched up against the Baltimore Hawks who had more than enough ammunition to knock them down, but in the end it was the Second Line who was able to write their names onto the trophy, and plaster themselves into the Hall of Fame. It was more than deserved too, as the Second Line are quite honestly one of the best teams in NSFL history and will continue to dominate for seasons now with a roster that is not built around one specific draft class.
Going to Disneyland
This one is more of a comedic write up, and instead of focusing on the NSFL or the Ultimus Series, I've decided to look at the Ultimini and the match up between the Portland Pythons and the Tijuana Luchadores. Rookie Antonio Summer made his debut against the Kansas City Coyotes in the first game of the playoff run in Portland and put up over twenty all purpose yards, but found himself sitting on the bench against the Tijuana Luchadores in their eventual loss of the Ultimini. Normally, the player who is named the MVP of the Ultimini Final is given a free trip to Disneyland as a treat on the league, but because they felt so bad for the young rookie who failed to see any play time in what could have been the biggest game of his career, the DSFL instead opted to send Summer to Anaheim early for a fun filled trip. Summer spent the week in Disneyland and took the opportunity to meet with some of his fan base that was growing in the Orange County Otters home land, and even met a couple of San Jose Sabercats who said they hoped that one day Summer would be playing for them. All in all, even without a ring or a shot on the field, Summer went home happy.
It is very obvious when looking over the NSFL standings from this season that one team more than any other got the short side of the stick in comparison to many other teams when it came to playoff qualification. The Colorado Yeti of the NSFC were matched up against the Yellowknife Wraiths right into the final weeks of the season yet somehow managed to finish with one less win than the Yeti despite the Yeti's negative point differential during the regular season, and despite the Wraiths having a prolific rushing game that lead them through many of their games. One place that Yellowknife could have easily turned around their season was in an early season loss of 12-6 against the Arizona Outlaws who were far and above one of the worst teams in the NSFL this season. This loss came as a surprise, but the moment that really put the icing on the cake was in Week 13 when the Yeti took a surprise victory over Yellowknife to all but secure their playoff spot. While Colorado may have taken the second seed in the NSFC, it is without a doubt that the Wraiths will be back next season to show they won't go down without a fight.
Playoff Predictions
I think there's a lot of potential for this NSFL season to be on that shakes up the league, and I think that across the board there will be a couple of teams that really surprise during this playoff run. With the Colorado Yeti slipping past the Yellowknife Wraiths for a berth in playoffs, they've booked themselves a first round ticket to playing the power house Baltimore Hawks who have been more strong this season in their match ups against the Yeti. Despite this, I predict the young team will find their way past the grizzled veterans and send the Hawks packing after a very close first game. Following this, in the ASFC the Orange County Otters will be fighting the next big thing in the New Orleans Sain- sorry Second Line who has a roster absolutely riddled with talent. The Second Line will easily take this game over the Otters and move on to the championship final where they will take on the Cinderella story that is the young Yeti team. While it may be a close game, I foresee the Second Line dispatching Colorado with a strong fourth quarter appearance and marking themselves down in the record book as one of the best teams to ever play the game.
Playoff Review
After having some fun predicting how the playoffs would run out, I thought it would be neat to go back and find out just how wrong I was in all my predictions from having made them just by looking at the NSFL index, and to my surprise I wasn't all that off. In the NSFC final the Colorado Yeti and Baltimore Hawks played a hard and long game that went righ down to the end of the fourth quarter before the Yeti took their third loss of this season to the Baltimore Hawks and went home with their heads hung low. As I predicted in the ASFC, New Orleans had their way with the aging Orange County Otters and continued on to the Ultimus Final where instead of facing off against the Colorado Yeti as I predicted, they were matched up against the Baltimore Hawks who had more than enough ammunition to knock them down, but in the end it was the Second Line who was able to write their names onto the trophy, and plaster themselves into the Hall of Fame. It was more than deserved too, as the Second Line are quite honestly one of the best teams in NSFL history and will continue to dominate for seasons now with a roster that is not built around one specific draft class.
Going to Disneyland
This one is more of a comedic write up, and instead of focusing on the NSFL or the Ultimus Series, I've decided to look at the Ultimini and the match up between the Portland Pythons and the Tijuana Luchadores. Rookie Antonio Summer made his debut against the Kansas City Coyotes in the first game of the playoff run in Portland and put up over twenty all purpose yards, but found himself sitting on the bench against the Tijuana Luchadores in their eventual loss of the Ultimini. Normally, the player who is named the MVP of the Ultimini Final is given a free trip to Disneyland as a treat on the league, but because they felt so bad for the young rookie who failed to see any play time in what could have been the biggest game of his career, the DSFL instead opted to send Summer to Anaheim early for a fun filled trip. Summer spent the week in Disneyland and took the opportunity to meet with some of his fan base that was growing in the Orange County Otters home land, and even met a couple of San Jose Sabercats who said they hoped that one day Summer would be playing for them. All in all, even without a ring or a shot on the field, Summer went home happy.