Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (800+ words)
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
3) For any team, certain players and users have gone above and beyond, shaping the legacy of the franchise. Choose any ISFL or DSFL team - with the exception of the Sarasota Sailfish and Honolulu Hahalua - and create a Mount Rushmore for that team. Who in your mind are the four most noteworthy figures of the team’s history? Why does each one of your included figures deserve that recognition, and how did each of them make their mark?
Making Mount Rushmore for the Baltimore Hawks might be harder than any other team, they have more Hall of Famers than any team in the league. However, I’ll give it my best shot. I’m going to weigh heavily on four players that helped construct a rock solid foundation for the franchise that lasted from around S1/S2 to the current day. There might be other Hawks that were more decorated with awards, but without the following four the team could have become the Las Vegas Legion (RIP). The four players that I’m putting on Baltimore Mount Rushmore are: Antoine Delacour, Turk Turkleton, Owen Taylor, and Avon Blocksdale.
Antoine Delacour was a cornerback out of LSU that was drafted in the 11th round of the S1 draft. The inaugural season was a rough one for the Hawks, they only won four games and had several retirements and trade requests. Delacour was one of the first cornerstones of the team. He developed quickly, his generational speed made him a lock down corner for years. The Hawks were able to leave him on an island and he would erase the opponents best receiver. Over the course of his ten year career with the Hawks he made it to eight pro bowls, won a Defensive Back of the Year award, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. At this moment he has the 5th most interceptions in league history and the 3rd most pass deflections. Off the field he was a very skilled technical mind and was monumental in the tracking of the history of our league. One of my favorite Delacour games was when he held Wraiths HOF WR Josh Garden completely off the box score. Delacour was the first inductee to the Baltimore Hawks Wing of Honor, which is the ultimate recognition for a Hawks player.
Turk Turkleton is one of the greatest specialists of all time and spent the entirety of his twelve year career kicking and punting for the Hawks. He was a 13th round pick and one of the most active locker room members from the beginning. He spent 12 seasons with the Hawks and made it to eight pro bowls, won three kicker of the year awards, and won three punter of the year awards.Turk was always a beacon of humor and positivity. Over the course of his career he became known as the “Outlaw Killer” among the fans. This is because victories against the Arizona Outlaws were usually close and decided by a Turkleton field goal at some point. I think future kickers looked at Turk as an inspiration. Being a special teamer is not the sexiest job on the team but Turk showed young players how impactful kickers can be. Turkleton currently has the most made field goals in history, most extra points in history, most punt yardage, and the 2nd longest field goal and punt in history.
Owen Taylor was a somewhat unheralded prospect out of Nebraska in the S2 draft. He was drafted as a defensive end and played his first two seasons there. He had a shorter, stalkier type of build. He really broke out in his second season by recording 13 sacks. But that would be the last season he would spend at the position. Going into S3 he dropped weight and became the Hawks bell cow back for the remainder of his career. On the field Taylor was arguably the greatest running back the league has ever seen. He was pretty much the exclusive ball carrier for the franchise. The team trusted him to get the job done. Off the field he was a class act and that trustworthiness led to him eventually holding vital league jobs such as GM, commissioner, and simmer. In his 11 year career with the Hawks he collected serious hardware and accomplishments: 9 time pro bowler, 6 time RB of the year, 2 time Offensive POY, 3rd most rushing yardage and the most rushing TDs in history.
Avon Blocksdale might be the most interesting case study in the history of the Hawks franchise. He became the ultimate sleeper draft pick. He was a raw offensive lineman out of Penn State that was drafted in the 4th round by the Hawks. His abilities increased exponentially. I remember we started him out playing center on our line, then he improved enough to take over at right tackle, then we moved him to left tackle when he became our top OL TPE earner. Then in a huge league wide shake up he became our QB. At QB is where he stayed for most of his career before playing CB at the end of his career. In ten seasons he made it to the pro bowl nine times. He finished his career 4th in passing yardage, 2nd in completion percentage, 3rd in passing touchdowns, and 1st in passer rating. Off the field he was instrumental in helping out new players and has been the long time site owner as well as head office member. He was the spearhead on the exposing of the biggest cheater in the history of the league.
(853 words)
For the lols:
@Raven @37thchamber @iamslm22 @manicmav36
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
3) For any team, certain players and users have gone above and beyond, shaping the legacy of the franchise. Choose any ISFL or DSFL team - with the exception of the Sarasota Sailfish and Honolulu Hahalua - and create a Mount Rushmore for that team. Who in your mind are the four most noteworthy figures of the team’s history? Why does each one of your included figures deserve that recognition, and how did each of them make their mark?
Making Mount Rushmore for the Baltimore Hawks might be harder than any other team, they have more Hall of Famers than any team in the league. However, I’ll give it my best shot. I’m going to weigh heavily on four players that helped construct a rock solid foundation for the franchise that lasted from around S1/S2 to the current day. There might be other Hawks that were more decorated with awards, but without the following four the team could have become the Las Vegas Legion (RIP). The four players that I’m putting on Baltimore Mount Rushmore are: Antoine Delacour, Turk Turkleton, Owen Taylor, and Avon Blocksdale.
Antoine Delacour was a cornerback out of LSU that was drafted in the 11th round of the S1 draft. The inaugural season was a rough one for the Hawks, they only won four games and had several retirements and trade requests. Delacour was one of the first cornerstones of the team. He developed quickly, his generational speed made him a lock down corner for years. The Hawks were able to leave him on an island and he would erase the opponents best receiver. Over the course of his ten year career with the Hawks he made it to eight pro bowls, won a Defensive Back of the Year award, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. At this moment he has the 5th most interceptions in league history and the 3rd most pass deflections. Off the field he was a very skilled technical mind and was monumental in the tracking of the history of our league. One of my favorite Delacour games was when he held Wraiths HOF WR Josh Garden completely off the box score. Delacour was the first inductee to the Baltimore Hawks Wing of Honor, which is the ultimate recognition for a Hawks player.
Turk Turkleton is one of the greatest specialists of all time and spent the entirety of his twelve year career kicking and punting for the Hawks. He was a 13th round pick and one of the most active locker room members from the beginning. He spent 12 seasons with the Hawks and made it to eight pro bowls, won three kicker of the year awards, and won three punter of the year awards.Turk was always a beacon of humor and positivity. Over the course of his career he became known as the “Outlaw Killer” among the fans. This is because victories against the Arizona Outlaws were usually close and decided by a Turkleton field goal at some point. I think future kickers looked at Turk as an inspiration. Being a special teamer is not the sexiest job on the team but Turk showed young players how impactful kickers can be. Turkleton currently has the most made field goals in history, most extra points in history, most punt yardage, and the 2nd longest field goal and punt in history.
Owen Taylor was a somewhat unheralded prospect out of Nebraska in the S2 draft. He was drafted as a defensive end and played his first two seasons there. He had a shorter, stalkier type of build. He really broke out in his second season by recording 13 sacks. But that would be the last season he would spend at the position. Going into S3 he dropped weight and became the Hawks bell cow back for the remainder of his career. On the field Taylor was arguably the greatest running back the league has ever seen. He was pretty much the exclusive ball carrier for the franchise. The team trusted him to get the job done. Off the field he was a class act and that trustworthiness led to him eventually holding vital league jobs such as GM, commissioner, and simmer. In his 11 year career with the Hawks he collected serious hardware and accomplishments: 9 time pro bowler, 6 time RB of the year, 2 time Offensive POY, 3rd most rushing yardage and the most rushing TDs in history.
Avon Blocksdale might be the most interesting case study in the history of the Hawks franchise. He became the ultimate sleeper draft pick. He was a raw offensive lineman out of Penn State that was drafted in the 4th round by the Hawks. His abilities increased exponentially. I remember we started him out playing center on our line, then he improved enough to take over at right tackle, then we moved him to left tackle when he became our top OL TPE earner. Then in a huge league wide shake up he became our QB. At QB is where he stayed for most of his career before playing CB at the end of his career. In ten seasons he made it to the pro bowl nine times. He finished his career 4th in passing yardage, 2nd in completion percentage, 3rd in passing touchdowns, and 1st in passer rating. Off the field he was instrumental in helping out new players and has been the long time site owner as well as head office member. He was the spearhead on the exposing of the biggest cheater in the history of the league.
(853 words)
For the lols:
@Raven @37thchamber @iamslm22 @manicmav36