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 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? (800 words)
The Butchers are a relatively young franchise for the age of the league. First coming into fruition in season 16, they started off their franchise tied with a league best 10-3 record. The success wouldn't last long though, and the Butchers would soon become the laughing stock of the league, especially during the S20-S22 time period. Now at the end of S24, the future for the Butchers is bright and promising, and the franchise is looking to compete for an Ultimus in the next few years. With the introduction to the Butchers out of the way, lets dive into the 4 figures who I would give a spot on the Butchers Mount Rushmore. The first figure I would like to talk about is the player Sean O'Leary. Drafted in S19 to a young Butchers franchise who was trying to contend, he has been on the Butchers since then, and is a top 5 receiver in the ISFL at the moment of writing. During the Butchers horrible attempts at making the Ultimus and throwing their future and caution into the wind, O'Leary has been there through thick and thin. Not once has he stopped earning or producing, even through the lowest of lows, going 1-12 in S22 after the shit show left by the previous GM's, he has been the center of our offense, and deserves a spot not only on the Butchers Rushmore, but in the ISFL hall of fame. The next two people who are going up on the mountain are going to be the current GMs of the Butchers, Bayley and Muford. At the start of the S21 offseason, the Butchers were fucking dead in the water, there is no moving around that. Even with a change of guard there was controversy, with the interim GM's being a heated discussion throughout the league. Muford and Bayley were the two guys that the locker-room decided on, and they were left with the ruins of a crumbled and inactive team. With their first draft, they only had two picks in the first 6 rounds. One of them had to be spent on Bayley himself, so the outlook for the next few years was bleaker than imaginable. The Butchers should have been bottom feeders for the next decade with how badly the team was left, but the new GM's both went to work and put everything they had into whatever they could. They were scouting for as many late round steals as possible, ending up with Von Hayes in the 11th and Tyron Shields in the 12th round, both massive steals who are both currently max earners. It didn't stop there. During the S22 season they were able to trade for George O'Donnell, a young quarterback ready to make the jump up to the league and now their quarterback of the future. Offseason additions of Tree Gelbman, Oles, MvP, and the S23 draft class were all very huge as well. With a 2 win improvement over the S22 season, they continued their streak of fantastic drafts and drafted an incredible player and user in Juan Domaine. Now with a dedicated tester and a team of young developing talent, the Butchers would end up making the playoffs in the S24 season. The work that Muford and Bayley have both put into rebuilding the Butchers cannot be understated, they've put countless hours into scouting, testing, and improving a team that was looking like they would be the laughing stock of the league for seasons to come. Choosing a final figure to throw onto the Butchers Mount Rushmore is a challenging task, there have been dedicated users with great players, but they don't have the same impact that the three I already listed have made. Rose Jenkins was a fantastic quarterback, but they were never able to really bring the Butchers any rings. Not to mention their user wasn't exactly known for being a good GM. Oles is another user who could be considered, but they haven't spent the amount of time that other users have on the team. If I absolutely had to choose a fourth figure to throw up onto the Mount Rushmore of the Butchers, it would be Tyron Shields. They're a really young player right now, but with the rocky history of the Butchers, I couldn't think of anyone else who deserved a spot more than them. They've been an amazing locker room presence, they're in the war room, and they do so much for the Butchers that I honestly don't have the words needed to describe it. They helped form an absolutely miserable franchise into one of the brightest looking franchises with their positivity and desire to improve. While they haven't done that much on the field yet, with only two seasons under their belt, the work behind the scenes that this user has done easily matches up with the two GMs I mentioned earlier. In the end, the Butchers Mount Rushmore obviously isn't as developed as other teams, but the users and players mentioned have really shown off the new Butcher way, and deserve the spots given.
The Butchers are a relatively young franchise for the age of the league. First coming into fruition in season 16, they started off their franchise tied with a league best 10-3 record. The success wouldn't last long though, and the Butchers would soon become the laughing stock of the league, especially during the S20-S22 time period. Now at the end of S24, the future for the Butchers is bright and promising, and the franchise is looking to compete for an Ultimus in the next few years. With the introduction to the Butchers out of the way, lets dive into the 4 figures who I would give a spot on the Butchers Mount Rushmore. The first figure I would like to talk about is the player Sean O'Leary. Drafted in S19 to a young Butchers franchise who was trying to contend, he has been on the Butchers since then, and is a top 5 receiver in the ISFL at the moment of writing. During the Butchers horrible attempts at making the Ultimus and throwing their future and caution into the wind, O'Leary has been there through thick and thin. Not once has he stopped earning or producing, even through the lowest of lows, going 1-12 in S22 after the shit show left by the previous GM's, he has been the center of our offense, and deserves a spot not only on the Butchers Rushmore, but in the ISFL hall of fame. The next two people who are going up on the mountain are going to be the current GMs of the Butchers, Bayley and Muford. At the start of the S21 offseason, the Butchers were fucking dead in the water, there is no moving around that. Even with a change of guard there was controversy, with the interim GM's being a heated discussion throughout the league. Muford and Bayley were the two guys that the locker-room decided on, and they were left with the ruins of a crumbled and inactive team. With their first draft, they only had two picks in the first 6 rounds. One of them had to be spent on Bayley himself, so the outlook for the next few years was bleaker than imaginable. The Butchers should have been bottom feeders for the next decade with how badly the team was left, but the new GM's both went to work and put everything they had into whatever they could. They were scouting for as many late round steals as possible, ending up with Von Hayes in the 11th and Tyron Shields in the 12th round, both massive steals who are both currently max earners. It didn't stop there. During the S22 season they were able to trade for George O'Donnell, a young quarterback ready to make the jump up to the league and now their quarterback of the future. Offseason additions of Tree Gelbman, Oles, MvP, and the S23 draft class were all very huge as well. With a 2 win improvement over the S22 season, they continued their streak of fantastic drafts and drafted an incredible player and user in Juan Domaine. Now with a dedicated tester and a team of young developing talent, the Butchers would end up making the playoffs in the S24 season. The work that Muford and Bayley have both put into rebuilding the Butchers cannot be understated, they've put countless hours into scouting, testing, and improving a team that was looking like they would be the laughing stock of the league for seasons to come. Choosing a final figure to throw onto the Butchers Mount Rushmore is a challenging task, there have been dedicated users with great players, but they don't have the same impact that the three I already listed have made. Rose Jenkins was a fantastic quarterback, but they were never able to really bring the Butchers any rings. Not to mention their user wasn't exactly known for being a good GM. Oles is another user who could be considered, but they haven't spent the amount of time that other users have on the team. If I absolutely had to choose a fourth figure to throw up onto the Mount Rushmore of the Butchers, it would be Tyron Shields. They're a really young player right now, but with the rocky history of the Butchers, I couldn't think of anyone else who deserved a spot more than them. They've been an amazing locker room presence, they're in the war room, and they do so much for the Butchers that I honestly don't have the words needed to describe it. They helped form an absolutely miserable franchise into one of the brightest looking franchises with their positivity and desire to improve. While they haven't done that much on the field yet, with only two seasons under their belt, the work behind the scenes that this user has done easily matches up with the two GMs I mentioned earlier. In the end, the Butchers Mount Rushmore obviously isn't as developed as other teams, but the users and players mentioned have really shown off the new Butcher way, and deserve the spots given.