09-16-2020, 09:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-16-2020, 09:15 AM by Memento Mori.)
Quote:Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (800+ words)I’m going to indulge myself a little here, and talk about the most significant moment in ISFL history that I was part of. Granted, I wasn’t part of this moment from the beginning, but I was one of several players for whom their ISFL career was permanently changed by this moment and the events that followed. I’m going to talk about the trade that the Philadelphia Liberty and Chicago Butchers made in S21.
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
1) The league has a rich and fascinating history, and our perspectives on it differ from person to person. In 800 words or more, describe any significant non-playoffs moment in ISFL or DSFL history, whether you were around for it or not. Describe the context, the significant members, and the events. What exactly made this event so famous (or infamous) and why does it deserve to be remembered?
On the 16th of March 2020, the Chicago Butchers traded their first and second round picks in the upcoming S22 ISFL Draft to the Philadelphia Liberty for Farley Hank, Johnson Harding and Philadelphia’s S22 3rd round pick. The Season 22 draft was the biggest draft class in league history, with a total of 284 players selected. Essentially, Philadelphia gave Chicago a S15 750 TPE running back and a S18 308 TPE defensive tackle for the 6th overall pick in the S22 draft and to move up from the 27th overall pick to the 18th overall pick.
If you take a look back at the trade thread (link here) many people were certain from the start that this was a terrible trade for Chicago. Farley Hank was a slightly above average running back who was about to enter regression and Johnson Harding was an inactive defensive tackle with an expiring contract. At the end of the season, Chicago didn’t even re-sign Harding.
Chicago immediately became a meme on Twitter, in the general discord and on the forums. I don’t want to stir up old drama, so I’ll cover the negative events following the trade in a concise and neutral way. WALDO, a Chicago war room member, made his frustrations public and publicly asked for a trade. ValorX77, one of Chicago’s GMs, resigned his post and also requested a trade. Eventually the other Chicago GM, steelsound, resigned as well and retired his player – having recently cut WALDO’s player after an argument with him on Twitter. Head Office appointed a new Chicago GM, and the remaining members of the Chicago war room organised a coup and got rid of him on his first day in the job. Two Chicago war room members, Jiggly_333 and Oles, made the case to Head Office that they should be the new GMs instead. Much of this was stated publicly on the forums, with both Jiggly_333 and TubbyTim69 (the GM who had been ousted by the war room) making posts in the ISFL Media section describing what was happening in Chicago.
Eventually, Jiggly made a post announcing that two new GMs had been approved by the war room. BayleyIsland and Muford would be the new Chicago Butchers GMs. There was just one problem. Bayley’s player was a prospect in the upcoming draft, and Muford’s player was a S21 344 TPE defensive tackle who played for the Colorado Yeti. Rule II.B.1. in the ISFL rulebook states that recreating general managers must use their team’s highest second round pick on their player. Following the trade the previous administration had made with Philadelphia, Chicago did not own a second round pick – their highest pick in the upcoming draft was the 27th overall pick that they had received from Philadelphia.
This forced Chicago to head back into the trade market once again. Chicago traded the 27th overall pick and the 69th overall pick to Baltimore for Baltimore’s 2nd round pick, 21st overall. They would use this pick to select Bayley’s player, Benson Bayley Jr. In order to acquire Muford’s player John Smirh from Colorado, they had to part with their first round pick in S23 – they simply did not have the draft capital to make a trade for Muford using S22 picks. At this point, if we include the initial trade, four players and six draft picks have been exchanged. If we follow the journey of each of these six draft picks to their eventual selections, even more players become entangled in the events following the initial trade between Chicago and Philadelphia.
Four picks into the S22 draft, a further trade occurs. Philadelphia trade the first round pick they acquired from Chicago (6th overall) and the 30th overall pick (also acquired from Chicago, but in an earlier and less dramatic trade) to Arizona for the 4th overall pick. In the ninth round, Chicago traded ValorX77’s player to Austin for the 103rd overall pick. As far as I can tell from looking at the Trades section, that is the end point of each draft pick’s journey. Now, let’s talk about the players selected with each of those draft picks in chronological order.
With the fourth overall pick in the S22 ISFL Draft, the Philadelphia Liberty selected Brandon Booker (Memento Mori). As I hope you’ve realised almost 800 words into this prompt, that’s me. That’s my player. Three ISFL seasons later, Brandon Booker is a 770 TPE cornerback boasting a career statline that includes 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 11 interceptions and 4 defensive touchdowns. I’m also the co-GM of the Philadelphia Liberty, the team that drafted me. I think we can call that pick a success.
With the sixth overall pick, the Arizona Outlaws selected Stanislaw Koniecpolski (majesiu). A previous player of majesiu’s, Vladimir Fyodorovich, was recently inducted into the ISFL Hall of Fame. Koniecpolski is a 720 TPE linebacker who has accumulated over 350 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 4 sacks and 4 interceptions for the Outlaws. I can’t speak much to majesiu’s off-the-field attributes (I think I’ve only spoken to them once or twice) but on the field Stan has certainly lived up to expectations for Arizona.
With the 18th overall pick, the Philadelphia Liberty selected Wesley Eriksen (Lightnoir). Light’s player is a 671 TPE safety and is one of my favourite people to talk to in the Philadelphia locker room. Eriksen has made over 250 tackles so far in his ISFL career, as well as forcing 4 fumbles, making a fumble recovery, sacking the opposing quarterback 9 times and bringing in 3 interceptions.
With the 21st overall pick, Chicago selected Benson Bayley Jr. Bayley’s player is now an offensive lineman with 665 TPE. More on Bayley the GM (as opposed to Bayley the player) in the conclusion.
With the 27th overall pick, the Baltimore Hawks selected Eldrick Avery (RansackTheUniverse). Avery is a 765 TPE cornerback. Like majesiu, I’ve not really spoken to the user behind Avery. Avery has only recorded 2 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions, but has been among the leaders in passes defended since his ISFL debut and with him continuing to earn well I’m sure more stats will come.
With the 30th overall pick, the Arizona Outlaws selected Quinn Hughes (Isidore94). This one is a little sad because it’s the first inactive player. Isidore was made co-GM of the Outlaws prior to his rookie ISFL season, only to abruptly retire about a season later. Isidore was the second of three co-GM departures in four seasons for Arizona.
With the 69th overall pick, the Baltimore Hawks selected linebacker Dex Kennedy (Dagumpa). Kennedy is now 648 TPE and has started for the Hawks in each of the last two seasons. Kennedy has amassed almost 300 tackles – he led Baltimore in tackles in S23 and led the entire ISFL in S24 - 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 defensive touchdowns.
With the 103rd overall pick, the Chicago Butchers selected safety Abbas Muhammad (stupiduglyidiot). There’s not much to say about him, as he went inactive at 242 TPE, having last updated his player on the 6th of June, and was never called up to the ISFL.
With the first overall pick in the S23 ISFL Draft, the Colorado Yeti selected safety Greedy Sly (Sylphreni), using the pick they acquired from trading Muford to Chicago. Sylphreni recently replaced one of Colorado’s GMs, woelkers, who departed the team to GM the expansion New York Silverbacks franchise and will now serve as co-GM alongside Frick_Nasty. Sylph’s player now has 620 TPE and made his debut in S24, where he managed 130+ tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and 2 interceptions.
Here’s what every team gained as part of a very long and convoluted seven-team trade.
Arizona Outlaws: Stanislaw Koniecpolski, Quinn Hughes.
Austin Copperheads: 16 games of Ryan Leaf Jr.
Baltimore Hawks: Eldrick Avery, Dex Kennedy.
Chicago Butchers: 9 games of Johnson Harding, 25 games of Farley Hank. Benson Bayley Jr., John Smirh, Abbas Muhammad.
Colorado Yeti: Greedy Sly.
Philadelphia Liberty: Brandon Booker, Wesley Eriksen.
Sarasota Sailfish: Zack Vega.
That’s eight current players who had their ISFL careers shaped by this trade, as well as six retired players. The events would also have had a big impact on Jiggly, Oles, Tim and many others. You could say that this worked out okay for Chicago in the end – Bayley and Muford have done a fantastic job since taking over and took the Butchers to the playoffs in S24 – but the effects of that initial disastrous trade are huge. Turmoil in Chicago, the draft destination of eight active players, and two GMs who almost certainly would not be on their current teams if not for this trade.
(1521 words because I enjoyed writing this)
[OPTION]S24 (PHI): 16 GP, 73 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FF, 3 sacks, 5 INTs, 10 PDs, 2 TDs
[OPTION]S25 (PHI): 16 GP, 67 tackles, 4 INTs, 13 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 16 GP, 68 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 10 PDs
[OPTION]S27 (OCO): 16 GP, 116 tackles, 4 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S28 (OCO): 16 GP, 84 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 INTs, 20 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S29 (OCO): 16 GP, 99 tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR, 5 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]=============================================================
[OPTION]ISFL Playoff Stats:
[OPTION]S23 (PHI): 1 GP, 2 tackles
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 1 GP, 5 tackles, 2 PDs
[OPTION]=============================================================
[OPTION]Trophies and Achievements:
[OPTION]Drafted 35th Overall by Myrtle Beach in the S21 DSFL Draft
[OPTION]S21 Ultimini Champion
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Defensive Back of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]Drafted 4th Overall by Philadelphia in the S22 ISFL Draft
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Defensive Performance of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S25 (PHI): 16 GP, 67 tackles, 4 INTs, 13 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 16 GP, 68 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 10 PDs
[OPTION]S27 (OCO): 16 GP, 116 tackles, 4 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S28 (OCO): 16 GP, 84 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 INTs, 20 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S29 (OCO): 16 GP, 99 tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR, 5 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]=============================================================
[OPTION]ISFL Playoff Stats:
[OPTION]S23 (PHI): 1 GP, 2 tackles
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 1 GP, 5 tackles, 2 PDs
[OPTION]=============================================================
[OPTION]Trophies and Achievements:
[OPTION]Drafted 35th Overall by Myrtle Beach in the S21 DSFL Draft
[OPTION]S21 Ultimini Champion
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Defensive Back of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]Drafted 4th Overall by Philadelphia in the S22 ISFL Draft
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Defensive Performance of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S26 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S26 ISFL Returner of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]=============================================================
Player | Update | Wiki | Twitter
[OPTION]S26 ISFL Returner of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]=============================================================
Player | Update | Wiki | Twitter