1. PLAYOFF REVIEW: Give a short write up of one or multiple playoff matches.
This season’s Ultimus saw a matchup between two perennial playoff favorites: the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Season 17 champion Orange County Otters. The league’s two best teams finished with a combined record of 21-5, and allowed just 239 and 233 points all season long respectively. Fans were expecting an offensive shootout, but the experts knew that the Ultimus would be a defensive struggle. And indeed it was: neither team broke 100 yards rushing, and both struggled to convert on third down. At the end of the day, however, it was the Otters defensive squad that prevailed. They recorded five sacks: two on back-to-back plays late in the first quarter, and another on the very last play of the game to secure the win. They also intercepted Wraiths QB Cooter Bigsby twice, the second of which allowed a 47-yard field goal, and recovered the game’s lone fumble. The Otters struggled with penalties, but their defensive effort proved enough to overcome their 55 penalty yards. The Wraiths defense struggled early, allowing both a touchdown pass from Franklin Armstrong and a three-yard rushing TD from rookie Charles Allan in the first quarter, but eventually recovered; the only Otters points after that was from the aforementioned 47-yard field goal. Unfortunately, the Wraiths offense struggled to move the ball, and star quarterback Cooter Bigsby looked like he was seeing ghosts; the only Wraiths touchdown came early in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard strike to Nate Swift. That score pulled the Wraiths within a touchdown, but they were unable to close the gap against the dominant Otters defense. When the final horn sounded, it was Otters on top, holding on to their crown with a 16-10 victory. Now the question on everyone’s mind is, will the Otters be able to replicate their success and secure the three-peat? Only time will tell.
7. NEXT YEAR: If your team has been eliminated, why will the next year, or the year after that, be the year that your team is going to win the Ultimus.
New Orleans got off to a great start this season, going 5-2 in their first seven games and looking like strong playoff contenders. Unfortunately, the second half of their season saw them go winless and finish with a dismal 5-8 record. The Second Line have now not had a winning season since S11, when they won the Ultimus. But looks and be deceiving, and anyone who writes off the Second Line without a closer look is in for a big surprise next season. The trades the team made this season, while controversial, certainly helped bring in more talent: Blake Faux will continue to serve the team well on the defensive side of the ball, and NOLA entered the draft with a mind-boggling three picks in the first round, including the #1 and #3 overall picks. Like in years past, New Orleans is in prime position to draft some top-tier talent onto an already talent-laden roster. New Orleans is also becoming an attractive destination for free agents: more and more players are finding themselves drawn toward the young and talented New Orleans roster. And what a roster it is! Running back Forrest Gump continues to burn the league on the ground, and only seems to be improving; young defensive lineman Bjorn Ironside is living up to the hype that comes with being the first overall pick; linebacker Quenton Bode continues to be the anchor for the New Orleans defense, finishing second in tackles after finishing first in tackles last season; and sophomore cornerback Jordan Andrews proved he has the potential to be one of the best secondary players in the league. When the dust settles post-draft and post-free agency, this team will have all the necessary pieces to make a championship run (not to mention the leadership to use those pieces successfully). But, if New Orleans doesn’t end up winning the Ultimus next season, they’ll have another great chance in Season 20: they don’t have a single player who will be regressing next offseason. Expect to see this team fighting for the Ultimus for a long time.
16. UNSUNG HERO: Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us.
It isn’t easy to be a rookie on the biggest stage in sim football. But Tyrone Biggums proved that he absolutely deserved to be in the spotlight, and his contributions on the field were a big part of the reason the Otters finished the season with another championship. Biggums’ first career playoff matchup came against the Arizona Outlaws, who won the Ultimus in Season 16. But Biggums didn’t shy away from the moment or from his opponents. He made plays from the very beginning of the game, stopping Arizona from converting a long third down and forcing them to settle for a field goal. He finished the game with nine tackles, behind only teammates Lanzer Grievous and Dan Schnieder, and a PD. In the Ultimus, the rookie proved that he deserved to be on the field, and that he has the potential to be a force for the Otters for a long time. Deep in Otters territory, the Wraiths had a chance to find the endzone, but Biggums recorded a huge third down stop, and the Wraiths opted to kick a field goal instead. Later in the quarter, he brought down Xavier Flash and stopped a 31-yard pickup from going for even more. He lost zero momentum at halftime; he intercepted a pass from Cooter Bigsby, which allowed the Otters to drive downfield and kick a field goal of their own. At the end of the game, with enough time on the clock for the Wraiths to make one more play and perhaps take the lead, Biggums made his biggest play: he blitzed hard and fast, blowing by his blocker and taking Bigsby to the ground, securing the Otters victory. Biggums achieved that rare goal of winning the Ultimus as a rookie, but he certainly isn’t the kind of player who will use that as an excuse to stop working. He will definitely be a star in a few seasons, and he will almost certainly see another Ultimus before he retires.
17. ROBBED: Write about why your team was robbed from making the playoffs, how did the sim screw you and why you were more deserving.
Picture this: it’s halfway through the season. The New Orleans Second Line are 5-2 and comfortably atop the league power rankings, thanks to an impenetrable defense and a red-hot offense. The second half of the season had some tough games, sure, but the coaching staff was confident that the team would win some of the coin-flip games and finish the season as strong Ultimus contenders. But the sim had other plans. It seemed as though quarterback Stan Francisco had suddenly gone colorblind, throwing to his opponents just as often as he threw to his own receivers. Running back Forrest Gump saw his production fall off a cliff, and the endzone became a stranger to him. The elite Second Line defense suddenly and inexplicably fell apart: after allowing just 125 points in the first half of the season, they allowed a whopping 202 in the final six games. New Orleans’ point differential in the first seven games was +29, but for some reason the final six games of the season resulted in a mind-boggling -81 point differential. The most commonly cited explanation for this sudden turn of events were the various trades New Orleans made during the season, swapping promising young players for older vets and draft picks. New Orleans’ struggles began just after two of their biggest moves, and many fans speculated that their struggles were a direct result of those moves. But members of the New Orleans organization know better, and while the trades certainly had an impact on the team, they were the best moves possible at the time. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the Second Line’s late season struggles (although I am of the opinion that the sim just hates New Orleans), but the most important thing to keep in mind is that Season 18 is over and done with. Now, it’s time for the Second Line to turn their focus to Season 19, and to winning the Ultimus.
This season’s Ultimus saw a matchup between two perennial playoff favorites: the Yellowknife Wraiths and the Season 17 champion Orange County Otters. The league’s two best teams finished with a combined record of 21-5, and allowed just 239 and 233 points all season long respectively. Fans were expecting an offensive shootout, but the experts knew that the Ultimus would be a defensive struggle. And indeed it was: neither team broke 100 yards rushing, and both struggled to convert on third down. At the end of the day, however, it was the Otters defensive squad that prevailed. They recorded five sacks: two on back-to-back plays late in the first quarter, and another on the very last play of the game to secure the win. They also intercepted Wraiths QB Cooter Bigsby twice, the second of which allowed a 47-yard field goal, and recovered the game’s lone fumble. The Otters struggled with penalties, but their defensive effort proved enough to overcome their 55 penalty yards. The Wraiths defense struggled early, allowing both a touchdown pass from Franklin Armstrong and a three-yard rushing TD from rookie Charles Allan in the first quarter, but eventually recovered; the only Otters points after that was from the aforementioned 47-yard field goal. Unfortunately, the Wraiths offense struggled to move the ball, and star quarterback Cooter Bigsby looked like he was seeing ghosts; the only Wraiths touchdown came early in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard strike to Nate Swift. That score pulled the Wraiths within a touchdown, but they were unable to close the gap against the dominant Otters defense. When the final horn sounded, it was Otters on top, holding on to their crown with a 16-10 victory. Now the question on everyone’s mind is, will the Otters be able to replicate their success and secure the three-peat? Only time will tell.
Code:
306 words
7. NEXT YEAR: If your team has been eliminated, why will the next year, or the year after that, be the year that your team is going to win the Ultimus.
New Orleans got off to a great start this season, going 5-2 in their first seven games and looking like strong playoff contenders. Unfortunately, the second half of their season saw them go winless and finish with a dismal 5-8 record. The Second Line have now not had a winning season since S11, when they won the Ultimus. But looks and be deceiving, and anyone who writes off the Second Line without a closer look is in for a big surprise next season. The trades the team made this season, while controversial, certainly helped bring in more talent: Blake Faux will continue to serve the team well on the defensive side of the ball, and NOLA entered the draft with a mind-boggling three picks in the first round, including the #1 and #3 overall picks. Like in years past, New Orleans is in prime position to draft some top-tier talent onto an already talent-laden roster. New Orleans is also becoming an attractive destination for free agents: more and more players are finding themselves drawn toward the young and talented New Orleans roster. And what a roster it is! Running back Forrest Gump continues to burn the league on the ground, and only seems to be improving; young defensive lineman Bjorn Ironside is living up to the hype that comes with being the first overall pick; linebacker Quenton Bode continues to be the anchor for the New Orleans defense, finishing second in tackles after finishing first in tackles last season; and sophomore cornerback Jordan Andrews proved he has the potential to be one of the best secondary players in the league. When the dust settles post-draft and post-free agency, this team will have all the necessary pieces to make a championship run (not to mention the leadership to use those pieces successfully). But, if New Orleans doesn’t end up winning the Ultimus next season, they’ll have another great chance in Season 20: they don’t have a single player who will be regressing next offseason. Expect to see this team fighting for the Ultimus for a long time.
Code:
346 words
16. UNSUNG HERO: Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us.
It isn’t easy to be a rookie on the biggest stage in sim football. But Tyrone Biggums proved that he absolutely deserved to be in the spotlight, and his contributions on the field were a big part of the reason the Otters finished the season with another championship. Biggums’ first career playoff matchup came against the Arizona Outlaws, who won the Ultimus in Season 16. But Biggums didn’t shy away from the moment or from his opponents. He made plays from the very beginning of the game, stopping Arizona from converting a long third down and forcing them to settle for a field goal. He finished the game with nine tackles, behind only teammates Lanzer Grievous and Dan Schnieder, and a PD. In the Ultimus, the rookie proved that he deserved to be on the field, and that he has the potential to be a force for the Otters for a long time. Deep in Otters territory, the Wraiths had a chance to find the endzone, but Biggums recorded a huge third down stop, and the Wraiths opted to kick a field goal instead. Later in the quarter, he brought down Xavier Flash and stopped a 31-yard pickup from going for even more. He lost zero momentum at halftime; he intercepted a pass from Cooter Bigsby, which allowed the Otters to drive downfield and kick a field goal of their own. At the end of the game, with enough time on the clock for the Wraiths to make one more play and perhaps take the lead, Biggums made his biggest play: he blitzed hard and fast, blowing by his blocker and taking Bigsby to the ground, securing the Otters victory. Biggums achieved that rare goal of winning the Ultimus as a rookie, but he certainly isn’t the kind of player who will use that as an excuse to stop working. He will definitely be a star in a few seasons, and he will almost certainly see another Ultimus before he retires.
Code:
331 words
17. ROBBED: Write about why your team was robbed from making the playoffs, how did the sim screw you and why you were more deserving.
Picture this: it’s halfway through the season. The New Orleans Second Line are 5-2 and comfortably atop the league power rankings, thanks to an impenetrable defense and a red-hot offense. The second half of the season had some tough games, sure, but the coaching staff was confident that the team would win some of the coin-flip games and finish the season as strong Ultimus contenders. But the sim had other plans. It seemed as though quarterback Stan Francisco had suddenly gone colorblind, throwing to his opponents just as often as he threw to his own receivers. Running back Forrest Gump saw his production fall off a cliff, and the endzone became a stranger to him. The elite Second Line defense suddenly and inexplicably fell apart: after allowing just 125 points in the first half of the season, they allowed a whopping 202 in the final six games. New Orleans’ point differential in the first seven games was +29, but for some reason the final six games of the season resulted in a mind-boggling -81 point differential. The most commonly cited explanation for this sudden turn of events were the various trades New Orleans made during the season, swapping promising young players for older vets and draft picks. New Orleans’ struggles began just after two of their biggest moves, and many fans speculated that their struggles were a direct result of those moves. But members of the New Orleans organization know better, and while the trades certainly had an impact on the team, they were the best moves possible at the time. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the Second Line’s late season struggles (although I am of the opinion that the sim just hates New Orleans), but the most important thing to keep in mind is that Season 18 is over and done with. Now, it’s time for the Second Line to turn their focus to Season 19, and to winning the Ultimus.
Code:
325 words