1. Playoff Review
This year's DSFL playoff was filled surprises. Starting off with the Tijuana and San Antonio matchup, it was widely the consensus belief this was just a warm-up game for the Marshals before the Ultimus. In what was a rather uninspired effort, San Antonio succumbed to the Luchadores in the first round, sustained by Tijuana's second quarter scoring onslaught. Forest Gump lead the charge with a whopping one hundred and sixty yards on the ground, with over an eleven yard-per-carry average, and two touchdowns. The Luchadores backfield combined for over two hundred and fifty rushing yards, and while potential MVP candidate Morgan Marshall did his best to match, in the end San Antonio simply could not keep up. The Marshals fell to Tijuana 30-21.
The second of the conference championship games featured a Norfolk heartbreaker, ending the season poetically with headscratchingly poor sim decisions late in the game. Despite shutting the Portland Pythons out through four minutes to go in the third quarter, after a pair of field goals were exchanged, Brother Longshaw made his appearance and delivered a pick six to the Pythons, cut the lead from ten to three. The Seawolves would go scoreless in the fourth, Longshaw deciding late in the fourth was the best time to start featuring his WR3 underneath, and Norfolk would lose the affair 16-13.
2. All About the QBs
I think for this year's S14 Ultimus I was most excited to see how Joliet L. Christ would perform. I don't think anyone can forget how Christ set the tone for the season, shattering the single game passer rating record against the Colorado Yeti in week one. Christ couldn't quite exceed the season opener in terms of rating, but kept it exciting with lots of offense throughout the season. It was almost disappointing to see the lack of fireworks in the conference championship against the Otters, given their own proclivity for offensive explosion, but it was satisfying to see Christ put up an all-around effort in the Ultimus win, carrying the team both on the ground and to his receivers. Overall, I was pleased with Christ's performance in the Ultimus, and his ability to not only distribute through the air but contribute on the ground had to have been a backbreakingly difficult task for the Liberty defense to prepare for. Christ was so inspiring, I nearly forgot the prompt is to write about the quarterbacks from both teams. But fear not! Falconi delivered a championship worthy performance as well, but the dual-threat nature of Christ was simply a higher standard Falconi could not obtain. Nearing three hundred yards and a ninety overall passer rating, if the Liberty quarterback had been better with ball security Philadelphia might have won the game. But Falconi's untimely only interception lead to a Christ score, and the fourteen point flip proved more than the ultimate differential. You have to be perfect to beat Christ it seems.
3. Rivalries
It is simply unacceptable that the Portland Pythons won the Ultimini this year. That one hundred percent should be the Norfolk title. Somehow Portland was able to amass a dearth of first-year defensive talent, and when they needed it most were capable of (seemingly at-will) conjuring a turnover. And not just a turnover, one that goes the opposite way for a score. How outrageously lucky you have top be to be gifted that sort of gamechanger down thirteen with thirteen left to go. Norfolk scores on that drive and the game is iced. Instead, the sim decides Lanzer Grevious gets to be a hero, Longshaw doesn't need to target either of his near 100-yard receivers, and Norfolk shouldn't muster a scoring drive despite having been able to move the ball and score in each of the first three quarters. It's times like these I question the integrity of the officials. I mean, c'mon, there had to have been contact early on the pick, right? There's no way he made that pick clean. I refuse to believe it. The Pythons are a bunch of cheating scum and I can't wait to play them as a send down after all their high TPE players get drafted and start in the NSFL. Good riddance. It really is going to feel good to watch them lose to the Seawolves in S15, and hopefully we get to exact some revenge if the last matchup is in the conference championship game again.
4. Next Year
The fact a bunch of rookies were able to rejuvenate the dying carcass of the Norfolk pride should rattle the DSFL to its core. We took what should have been an extra bye week (ahem ahem) and turned it into a fight every week. Not only are we going to have a squad of returning players for S15 as send downs, but this group features some of the most active TPE earners of all the DSFL teams. The equates to maximum expenditure caps being reached and experienced for a greater number of games. I expect nearly half the send downs for Norfolk in S15 to have maxed their TPE expenditure before the midseason mark. The team is going to draft well, but there shouldn't be too many holes to fill after all the send downs come back for the year. And given the stronger teams are losing their top talent to the big leagues, a new dominance is about to be instilled in the DSFL. The quest for the Ultimini will be fulfilled. If it wasn't for the fact the sim robbed us against Portland, we'd have already satisfied that yearning for greatness. Nonetheless, the loss of top talent at top position assures a rapid ascension for the Norfolk fleet.
This year's DSFL playoff was filled surprises. Starting off with the Tijuana and San Antonio matchup, it was widely the consensus belief this was just a warm-up game for the Marshals before the Ultimus. In what was a rather uninspired effort, San Antonio succumbed to the Luchadores in the first round, sustained by Tijuana's second quarter scoring onslaught. Forest Gump lead the charge with a whopping one hundred and sixty yards on the ground, with over an eleven yard-per-carry average, and two touchdowns. The Luchadores backfield combined for over two hundred and fifty rushing yards, and while potential MVP candidate Morgan Marshall did his best to match, in the end San Antonio simply could not keep up. The Marshals fell to Tijuana 30-21.
The second of the conference championship games featured a Norfolk heartbreaker, ending the season poetically with headscratchingly poor sim decisions late in the game. Despite shutting the Portland Pythons out through four minutes to go in the third quarter, after a pair of field goals were exchanged, Brother Longshaw made his appearance and delivered a pick six to the Pythons, cut the lead from ten to three. The Seawolves would go scoreless in the fourth, Longshaw deciding late in the fourth was the best time to start featuring his WR3 underneath, and Norfolk would lose the affair 16-13.
2. All About the QBs
I think for this year's S14 Ultimus I was most excited to see how Joliet L. Christ would perform. I don't think anyone can forget how Christ set the tone for the season, shattering the single game passer rating record against the Colorado Yeti in week one. Christ couldn't quite exceed the season opener in terms of rating, but kept it exciting with lots of offense throughout the season. It was almost disappointing to see the lack of fireworks in the conference championship against the Otters, given their own proclivity for offensive explosion, but it was satisfying to see Christ put up an all-around effort in the Ultimus win, carrying the team both on the ground and to his receivers. Overall, I was pleased with Christ's performance in the Ultimus, and his ability to not only distribute through the air but contribute on the ground had to have been a backbreakingly difficult task for the Liberty defense to prepare for. Christ was so inspiring, I nearly forgot the prompt is to write about the quarterbacks from both teams. But fear not! Falconi delivered a championship worthy performance as well, but the dual-threat nature of Christ was simply a higher standard Falconi could not obtain. Nearing three hundred yards and a ninety overall passer rating, if the Liberty quarterback had been better with ball security Philadelphia might have won the game. But Falconi's untimely only interception lead to a Christ score, and the fourteen point flip proved more than the ultimate differential. You have to be perfect to beat Christ it seems.
3. Rivalries
It is simply unacceptable that the Portland Pythons won the Ultimini this year. That one hundred percent should be the Norfolk title. Somehow Portland was able to amass a dearth of first-year defensive talent, and when they needed it most were capable of (seemingly at-will) conjuring a turnover. And not just a turnover, one that goes the opposite way for a score. How outrageously lucky you have top be to be gifted that sort of gamechanger down thirteen with thirteen left to go. Norfolk scores on that drive and the game is iced. Instead, the sim decides Lanzer Grevious gets to be a hero, Longshaw doesn't need to target either of his near 100-yard receivers, and Norfolk shouldn't muster a scoring drive despite having been able to move the ball and score in each of the first three quarters. It's times like these I question the integrity of the officials. I mean, c'mon, there had to have been contact early on the pick, right? There's no way he made that pick clean. I refuse to believe it. The Pythons are a bunch of cheating scum and I can't wait to play them as a send down after all their high TPE players get drafted and start in the NSFL. Good riddance. It really is going to feel good to watch them lose to the Seawolves in S15, and hopefully we get to exact some revenge if the last matchup is in the conference championship game again.
4. Next Year
The fact a bunch of rookies were able to rejuvenate the dying carcass of the Norfolk pride should rattle the DSFL to its core. We took what should have been an extra bye week (ahem ahem) and turned it into a fight every week. Not only are we going to have a squad of returning players for S15 as send downs, but this group features some of the most active TPE earners of all the DSFL teams. The equates to maximum expenditure caps being reached and experienced for a greater number of games. I expect nearly half the send downs for Norfolk in S15 to have maxed their TPE expenditure before the midseason mark. The team is going to draft well, but there shouldn't be too many holes to fill after all the send downs come back for the year. And given the stronger teams are losing their top talent to the big leagues, a new dominance is about to be instilled in the DSFL. The quest for the Ultimini will be fulfilled. If it wasn't for the fact the sim robbed us against Portland, we'd have already satisfied that yearning for greatness. Nonetheless, the loss of top talent at top position assures a rapid ascension for the Norfolk fleet.