1) For my playoff review I will be looking at the semi-final matchups between the San Jose Sabercats and the Orange County Otters and the Philadelphia Liberty and the Baltimore Hawks. In both cases a 9-5 underdog managed to play spoiler to an 11-3 favorite and move on to the Ultimus finals. In the first game, the Hawks got out to an early 7-0 lead on a touchdown from Errol Maddox. The Liberty would reduce that lead on a 25 yard field goal to end the quarter and then gain a lead of their own early in the 2nd quarter with a touchdown of their own. The Hawks would quickly erase that lead though scoring a late touchdown to end the half. Adding to 14-10 lead, the Hawks would score yet another touchdown early in the second half to go up 21-10. With the game nearly out of the reach the Liberty would mount an impressive comeback racking up two touchdowns and two field goals in the final 17 minutes of play. The final field goal came with just 19 seconds left on the clock, breaking the 28 point tie as the Liberty would go on to win 31-28 in an absolute thriller. The other game was equally hyped, but didn't prove to be quite as exciting as the first one. After the Otters put up the first score on a 5 yard touch down run the Sabercats took over the game in a serious way rattling off 24 straight points. The Otters would net a late field goal and touchdown to keep the score respectable, but after the Sabercats touchdown late in the third quarter it was pretty much over for the reigning champions.
3) The 9-5 Philadelphia Liberty battle against the 9-5 San Jose Sabercats in a winner take all Ultimus finals. At the quarterback position we have Adriana Falconi vs. Joliet Christ. From a regular season perspective it's difficult to pick a decisive winner between the two of them. While Falconi did manage to rack up 4106 yards, 668 more than Christ, as well as 28 touchdowns, 1 more than Christ, his passer rating is marginally worse than his opponents which sits at 87.9 compared to Christ's 94.6, the second highest in the league. In round 1 I'd give the edge to Falconi who managed to out duel Gambino and the high flying Baltimore Hawks. Honestly though it's pretty much all out the window once the clock starts in the finals. Falconi finished the game with 22/36 throws, 1 TD, 1 interception and a passer rating of 83.8. The winner and champion quarterback Christ finished with 18/28 throws, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and a passer rating of 99.1. A good chunk of San Jose's damage was done on the ground as 212 of the 444 yards were rushing. Nevertheless Christ performed well when asked upon racking up 232 passing yards compared to Falconi's superior 286. Keep in mind he did so with much fewer attempts, finishing with 8.3 yards per pass compared to Falconi's 7.9. Seeing as both slipped up and managed to record 1 interception the stat is relatively a wash.
7) Finishing with a league worst 2-12 record, the Arizona Outlaws are a far cry away from being a contender for the Ultimus in the immediate future, but the building blocks are there as new management appears to be guiding this team in a positive direction. With a strong emphasis on defense, the Outlaws possess several promising young players eager to make their mark on the league. Griffin and Vans finished 2nd and 4th respectively in total tackles, while the latter also finished 9th in total sacks. Mughes also finished 2nd league wide in interceptions. These three are all young and should be nice pieces to build around for future seasons which is where this team truly shines. With a wealth of draft picks in the next couple drafts this team has fully embraced the rebuild and has put in the time needed to execute it correctly. The most notable contribution comes straight from the top naturally as general manager Victoria Danvers continues to put in countless hours in the war room, meticulously scouting every potential prospect. Her dedication to this rebuild has ignited the team as they'll look to repay her for her hard work on the field in future seasons to come. It may not be next season, or the season after, or the season after that, but the Outlaws are coming. Eventually.
15) shl s47 pt1 claim
3) The 9-5 Philadelphia Liberty battle against the 9-5 San Jose Sabercats in a winner take all Ultimus finals. At the quarterback position we have Adriana Falconi vs. Joliet Christ. From a regular season perspective it's difficult to pick a decisive winner between the two of them. While Falconi did manage to rack up 4106 yards, 668 more than Christ, as well as 28 touchdowns, 1 more than Christ, his passer rating is marginally worse than his opponents which sits at 87.9 compared to Christ's 94.6, the second highest in the league. In round 1 I'd give the edge to Falconi who managed to out duel Gambino and the high flying Baltimore Hawks. Honestly though it's pretty much all out the window once the clock starts in the finals. Falconi finished the game with 22/36 throws, 1 TD, 1 interception and a passer rating of 83.8. The winner and champion quarterback Christ finished with 18/28 throws, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and a passer rating of 99.1. A good chunk of San Jose's damage was done on the ground as 212 of the 444 yards were rushing. Nevertheless Christ performed well when asked upon racking up 232 passing yards compared to Falconi's superior 286. Keep in mind he did so with much fewer attempts, finishing with 8.3 yards per pass compared to Falconi's 7.9. Seeing as both slipped up and managed to record 1 interception the stat is relatively a wash.
7) Finishing with a league worst 2-12 record, the Arizona Outlaws are a far cry away from being a contender for the Ultimus in the immediate future, but the building blocks are there as new management appears to be guiding this team in a positive direction. With a strong emphasis on defense, the Outlaws possess several promising young players eager to make their mark on the league. Griffin and Vans finished 2nd and 4th respectively in total tackles, while the latter also finished 9th in total sacks. Mughes also finished 2nd league wide in interceptions. These three are all young and should be nice pieces to build around for future seasons which is where this team truly shines. With a wealth of draft picks in the next couple drafts this team has fully embraced the rebuild and has put in the time needed to execute it correctly. The most notable contribution comes straight from the top naturally as general manager Victoria Danvers continues to put in countless hours in the war room, meticulously scouting every potential prospect. Her dedication to this rebuild has ignited the team as they'll look to repay her for her hard work on the field in future seasons to come. It may not be next season, or the season after, or the season after that, but the Outlaws are coming. Eventually.
15) shl s47 pt1 claim