2. The San Jose Sabercats are going to be facing the Orange County Otters down in Orange County again. This is a rivalry that has evolved in recent years though it has admittedly been quite one-sided in favor of the Orange County Otters. Even after the San Jose Sabercats secured homefield advantage through the playoffs last season the Otters were able to come up north and smack the San Jose Sabercats in the mouth in their own house. After an embarrassing defeat at home it is difficult to argue that the San Jose Sabercats are anything but underdogs in this match up between the two California rivals. However, the San Jose Sabercats have the ability and talent to win. This team is extremely young and after being the favorites last season they have improved across the board as a team despite it now showing up in the win column thus far. The San Jose Sabercats have the best defense in the league and I do not think any team is all that close. The key match up in this one is likely going to be the Orange County offense and the San Jose Sabercats’ defensive line. The line is going to need to show up and slow down the Orange County offense that the team has ridden for years. If they do so, they can win this one on the road.
5. The San Jose Sabercats defense is a unit in the league that has worked on building up is reputation over the last several seasons. Recently, teams have begun to recognize what the San Jose Sabercats defense is capable of and that it is good enough to help the team win games even if the office is struggling and not firing on all cylinders. The San Jose Sabercats biggest strength here relative to other teams around the National Simulation Football League is in its defensive line. In their first playoff win the San Jose Sabercats saw the defensive line take over the game and shut down the Orange County Offense long enough for the San Jose Sabercats to escape Orange County with a playoff win on the road. In that match-up Football Sackerman was a human wrecking ball from the defensive tackle position. I think that in this Ultimus game his counterpart and younger, but higher ceilinged teammates Freezer Riposte has the opportunity to be a game wrecker for the Philadelphia Liberty. Freeze is a beast on the defensive front and arguably the most a talented player on the line that teams are beginning to fear. I believe Freezer can come into the Ultimus in just his third season and have an MVP type performance.
6. The San Jose Sabercats have waited long enough to be able to call themselves champions. They have had some ups and downs over the years, though there have obviously been a few more downs, things feel different in the city of San Jose now. The front office is still intact but players and fans genuinely feel the team they have put together is special and capable of going all the way. Last season was one of the biggest let downs in franchise history when the San Jose Sabercats had an all time great season for the franchise but went into the playoffs as the top seeded team and lost at home to the evil dynasty that is the Orange County Otters. This is their time. There are a lot of young players on the San Jose Sabercats that have come up together and suffered through let downs and the sad history of this franchise, but they hung up their fears of the past and believed that together they could break the cycle. The San Jose Sabercats are hungry for their first title and that hunger is not something that opponents or fans should overlook. This may not be the season where they are crowned the champions, but it certainly should be.
13. The most exciting moment in the playoffs for a lot of the league’s most die hard fans were the final seconds of the Ultimus waiting for the clock to hit zero and allow the San Jose Sabercats to claim their first ever title in league history. Not only was that moment the first championship for one of the league’s founding teams, it was their first ever appearance in the Ultimus making them 1-0 in the big show. For the entire history of the league the San Jose Sabercats have been a bit of an underdog that just could not find success. They were often not the worst team in the league but it was rare for them to be ranked in the top tier with the teams that have experienced so much success. Last season was really a year where they had the pieces and talent to compete and win but after one rough season that failed to meet expectations the San Jose Sabercats front office was able to see what players on their team were able to handle a tiny bit of adversity and which ones were too soft to make it. After the clock hit zero and the San Jose Sabercats were champions the front office and the players that stuck with the franchise were vindicated. The city of San Jose was able to call itself home of the champions and many fans who have suffered through some hard times were rewarded for their loyalty.
5. The San Jose Sabercats defense is a unit in the league that has worked on building up is reputation over the last several seasons. Recently, teams have begun to recognize what the San Jose Sabercats defense is capable of and that it is good enough to help the team win games even if the office is struggling and not firing on all cylinders. The San Jose Sabercats biggest strength here relative to other teams around the National Simulation Football League is in its defensive line. In their first playoff win the San Jose Sabercats saw the defensive line take over the game and shut down the Orange County Offense long enough for the San Jose Sabercats to escape Orange County with a playoff win on the road. In that match-up Football Sackerman was a human wrecking ball from the defensive tackle position. I think that in this Ultimus game his counterpart and younger, but higher ceilinged teammates Freezer Riposte has the opportunity to be a game wrecker for the Philadelphia Liberty. Freeze is a beast on the defensive front and arguably the most a talented player on the line that teams are beginning to fear. I believe Freezer can come into the Ultimus in just his third season and have an MVP type performance.
6. The San Jose Sabercats have waited long enough to be able to call themselves champions. They have had some ups and downs over the years, though there have obviously been a few more downs, things feel different in the city of San Jose now. The front office is still intact but players and fans genuinely feel the team they have put together is special and capable of going all the way. Last season was one of the biggest let downs in franchise history when the San Jose Sabercats had an all time great season for the franchise but went into the playoffs as the top seeded team and lost at home to the evil dynasty that is the Orange County Otters. This is their time. There are a lot of young players on the San Jose Sabercats that have come up together and suffered through let downs and the sad history of this franchise, but they hung up their fears of the past and believed that together they could break the cycle. The San Jose Sabercats are hungry for their first title and that hunger is not something that opponents or fans should overlook. This may not be the season where they are crowned the champions, but it certainly should be.
13. The most exciting moment in the playoffs for a lot of the league’s most die hard fans were the final seconds of the Ultimus waiting for the clock to hit zero and allow the San Jose Sabercats to claim their first ever title in league history. Not only was that moment the first championship for one of the league’s founding teams, it was their first ever appearance in the Ultimus making them 1-0 in the big show. For the entire history of the league the San Jose Sabercats have been a bit of an underdog that just could not find success. They were often not the worst team in the league but it was rare for them to be ranked in the top tier with the teams that have experienced so much success. Last season was really a year where they had the pieces and talent to compete and win but after one rough season that failed to meet expectations the San Jose Sabercats front office was able to see what players on their team were able to handle a tiny bit of adversity and which ones were too soft to make it. After the clock hit zero and the San Jose Sabercats were champions the front office and the players that stuck with the franchise were vindicated. The city of San Jose was able to call itself home of the champions and many fans who have suffered through some hard times were rewarded for their loyalty.
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