11-15-2020, 05:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-15-2020, 05:29 PM by dogwoodmaple.)
16) Create an argument for your own player, or for someone else on your team, as to why they should be nominated for awards. Lay out their stats or compare them to other contenders. Make a convincing case.
When it comes to picking an MVP of the league, the only choice is Norfolk's own RB Mr. Forty-Two. It seems that this award is sometimes hitched to one of the elite teams and can often turn into a de facto "Best Player on the Best Team" award. But whether you look at stats, importance to the team, or overall performance, the choice is clear. First off, Forty-Two was essentially our entire offense this season. He had 92.3% of our entire rushing yardage total and finished the season with a league-leading 1,638 rushing yards. He also scored 8 of our 13 offensive touchdowns this season and he was an enormous part of those drives that did not end up with him in the endzone. His numbers also jump off the page when you compare him to the rest of the league. He's leading in rushing yardage by 150 yards and that's even more impressive when you account for opposing defense's being able to sell out to stop the run. Simply put, every team we played knew we were giving it to Forty-Two and they still couldn't stop him. He was the main engine behind our offense and we would have been notably worse without him on our roster. He's the definition of Most Valuable Player and has had one of the most statistically impressive statlines in recent memory. And here's the easy way to be sure of this - if we were a playoff team, there'd be no discussion about this. The only thing holding Forty-Two back is our record, which he did everything in his power to change. Don't hold that against him.
(273 words)
18) Choose your favorite non-playoffs game of this season, whether your own team or another. Explain what was so special and why the winner ultimately came out victorious, including key players and moments.
Week 3 saw our Norfolk Seawolves take on the defending Ultimini Champs in a rematch from the title game last season. We started the year 0-2, only scored seven points total in the first two games, and were outscored 41-7. Things were looking less than bleak and we were prepared to get absolutely throttled by the champs. To be honest, our primary goal wasn't even to win - we simply wanted to put together four solid quarters of football and avoid another embarrassing blowout. We did that and more, though. To start, Emi Rune found Lalo Salamanca in the endzone for a 15 yard score just three minutes into the game and we had our first lead all season. Our defense kept London out of the endzone on their next few drives, forcing them to kick a 25 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Rune then round Alexander Johnson for our second touchdown of the game, this one a 10 yard score. We were up 14-3 and looked less like a bumbling JV team and more like a postseason contender. While London did answer with a touchdown of their own, we were able to cobble together enough offense to kick a pair of third quarter field goals, which gave us a 20-10 lead. Things started to get a little nervy, though, as we hit a brick wall in the fourth quarter. We felt our lead slip away and were convinced we choked away our first win of the season. London cut the lead to 20-17 with 8:00 left in the game, but we found a way to get the job done! We held on for a 20-17 victory and the win was especially notable for me as I notched my first career sack. Emi Rune had a career day with 2 TD and a 110 rating and we had three separate players catch at least three passes. It was a wire-to-wire victory and one of the absolute highlights of our season.
(334 words)
25) Imagine that the league’s Pro Bowl included a skills competition similar to the NFL. What sorts of games could you see being implemented? Which players do you think would perform the best in ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, or other games? Which conference would come out on top?
The first new game I would implement is an eating contest. Each team would nominate one player to see who could eat the most pancakes in a 10 minute span. This would show not only determination and drive, but also give some of the linemen some games they could excel in. I think Alexander Franklin, Ananda Adyan, and Primo Berto would dominate the competition in this task. I'd also suggest we add a full league game of Risk to the Pro Bowl. That way, the less athletic, less strong, and slower players could excel. Brains rule in this task and this could even be a good chance for kickers to prove their mettle. Finally I'd add a more traditional Pro Bowl competition - a good, old fashioned tug of war. While the NFC might have the better players, better teams, and better results, they cannot stand a chance in the tug of war competition. Good luck stopping Ajay Krishna, Cobra Kai, Mr. Forty Two, and Richard Leaking in a battle of pure strength. In fact, in all three of these new games I have no doubt that our South Division would reign victorious. In Norfolk, we might not have the best individual players but we have brute strength, knowledge of board games, and the ability to eat our weight in pancakes. With the Ultimini also in our firm grasp, our division will hold the championship and Pro Bowl games title at the same time. The NFC might take back the Ultimini next year, but it may take years before they win back the Pro Bowl Belt.
(265 words)
30) Reflect on the two expansion teams. How did their first seasons go? What were their key strengths and weaknesses, and how are they poised to improve in seasons to come?
While both Berlin and New York finished with similar records this year (3-13 vs. 4-12), their seasons were much more different than their final outcomes might suggest. First off, Berlin absolutely limped to the finish line and lost a season-high eight straight games to end the year. New York, on the other hand, was much more consistent with their mediocre play. It was also a tale of two different offensive styles that each team employed. For Berlin, they buttered their bread with the ground game. They were second in the league in rushing yards and were led by the two-headed monster of Danny King and Joseph Petrongolo who were pretty even in their yardage totals. Their passing game was anemic to say the least, with Kapercolin finished last in the league in passing yards. For New York, on the other hand, they were not only much more balanced on offense but were led by a singular figure - Ashley Owens. Owens led the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and was an all-purpose yardage monster for the Silverbacks. They also got relatively equal contributions from Sam Howitzer at the quarterback position, who certainly outplayed Kapercolin. Going forward, Berlin needs to find an aerial attack or else they will continue to founder. New York simply needs to continue to stockpile good players and they'll be on the right track. With just a few tweaks each, I could see both teams competing for the playoffs in just a year or two.
(248 words)
When it comes to picking an MVP of the league, the only choice is Norfolk's own RB Mr. Forty-Two. It seems that this award is sometimes hitched to one of the elite teams and can often turn into a de facto "Best Player on the Best Team" award. But whether you look at stats, importance to the team, or overall performance, the choice is clear. First off, Forty-Two was essentially our entire offense this season. He had 92.3% of our entire rushing yardage total and finished the season with a league-leading 1,638 rushing yards. He also scored 8 of our 13 offensive touchdowns this season and he was an enormous part of those drives that did not end up with him in the endzone. His numbers also jump off the page when you compare him to the rest of the league. He's leading in rushing yardage by 150 yards and that's even more impressive when you account for opposing defense's being able to sell out to stop the run. Simply put, every team we played knew we were giving it to Forty-Two and they still couldn't stop him. He was the main engine behind our offense and we would have been notably worse without him on our roster. He's the definition of Most Valuable Player and has had one of the most statistically impressive statlines in recent memory. And here's the easy way to be sure of this - if we were a playoff team, there'd be no discussion about this. The only thing holding Forty-Two back is our record, which he did everything in his power to change. Don't hold that against him.
(273 words)
18) Choose your favorite non-playoffs game of this season, whether your own team or another. Explain what was so special and why the winner ultimately came out victorious, including key players and moments.
Week 3 saw our Norfolk Seawolves take on the defending Ultimini Champs in a rematch from the title game last season. We started the year 0-2, only scored seven points total in the first two games, and were outscored 41-7. Things were looking less than bleak and we were prepared to get absolutely throttled by the champs. To be honest, our primary goal wasn't even to win - we simply wanted to put together four solid quarters of football and avoid another embarrassing blowout. We did that and more, though. To start, Emi Rune found Lalo Salamanca in the endzone for a 15 yard score just three minutes into the game and we had our first lead all season. Our defense kept London out of the endzone on their next few drives, forcing them to kick a 25 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Rune then round Alexander Johnson for our second touchdown of the game, this one a 10 yard score. We were up 14-3 and looked less like a bumbling JV team and more like a postseason contender. While London did answer with a touchdown of their own, we were able to cobble together enough offense to kick a pair of third quarter field goals, which gave us a 20-10 lead. Things started to get a little nervy, though, as we hit a brick wall in the fourth quarter. We felt our lead slip away and were convinced we choked away our first win of the season. London cut the lead to 20-17 with 8:00 left in the game, but we found a way to get the job done! We held on for a 20-17 victory and the win was especially notable for me as I notched my first career sack. Emi Rune had a career day with 2 TD and a 110 rating and we had three separate players catch at least three passes. It was a wire-to-wire victory and one of the absolute highlights of our season.
(334 words)
25) Imagine that the league’s Pro Bowl included a skills competition similar to the NFL. What sorts of games could you see being implemented? Which players do you think would perform the best in ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, or other games? Which conference would come out on top?
The first new game I would implement is an eating contest. Each team would nominate one player to see who could eat the most pancakes in a 10 minute span. This would show not only determination and drive, but also give some of the linemen some games they could excel in. I think Alexander Franklin, Ananda Adyan, and Primo Berto would dominate the competition in this task. I'd also suggest we add a full league game of Risk to the Pro Bowl. That way, the less athletic, less strong, and slower players could excel. Brains rule in this task and this could even be a good chance for kickers to prove their mettle. Finally I'd add a more traditional Pro Bowl competition - a good, old fashioned tug of war. While the NFC might have the better players, better teams, and better results, they cannot stand a chance in the tug of war competition. Good luck stopping Ajay Krishna, Cobra Kai, Mr. Forty Two, and Richard Leaking in a battle of pure strength. In fact, in all three of these new games I have no doubt that our South Division would reign victorious. In Norfolk, we might not have the best individual players but we have brute strength, knowledge of board games, and the ability to eat our weight in pancakes. With the Ultimini also in our firm grasp, our division will hold the championship and Pro Bowl games title at the same time. The NFC might take back the Ultimini next year, but it may take years before they win back the Pro Bowl Belt.
(265 words)
30) Reflect on the two expansion teams. How did their first seasons go? What were their key strengths and weaknesses, and how are they poised to improve in seasons to come?
While both Berlin and New York finished with similar records this year (3-13 vs. 4-12), their seasons were much more different than their final outcomes might suggest. First off, Berlin absolutely limped to the finish line and lost a season-high eight straight games to end the year. New York, on the other hand, was much more consistent with their mediocre play. It was also a tale of two different offensive styles that each team employed. For Berlin, they buttered their bread with the ground game. They were second in the league in rushing yards and were led by the two-headed monster of Danny King and Joseph Petrongolo who were pretty even in their yardage totals. Their passing game was anemic to say the least, with Kapercolin finished last in the league in passing yards. For New York, on the other hand, they were not only much more balanced on offense but were led by a singular figure - Ashley Owens. Owens led the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and was an all-purpose yardage monster for the Silverbacks. They also got relatively equal contributions from Sam Howitzer at the quarterback position, who certainly outplayed Kapercolin. Going forward, Berlin needs to find an aerial attack or else they will continue to founder. New York simply needs to continue to stockpile good players and they'll be on the right track. With just a few tweaks each, I could see both teams competing for the playoffs in just a year or two.
(248 words)