Tier 2
9) The Philadelphia Liberty are in a difficult position going into next year. We unfortunately lost a few key members of the team through free agency: a star on defense, a star wide receiver, and a young running back with a lot of potential all chose to continue their careers elsewhere.. Although this past season can be considered a success, it may be that Philadelphia is taking a step backwards. However, this is not to say that there are not bright spots on the team and areas where we can expect growth. The offense was high powered, led by veteran quarterback Brock Pheonix. In order to have a successful season in S26, the team must once again lean on the offense to win games. With Randy Vuxta departing, Flash Panda will be the top priority at the wide receiver position. Although he will be successful, the team could potentially use some more wide receiver depth. The team needs to prepare for the departures of its veterans in the future. This includes not only PHeonix, but also running back Torenson and tight end Blocksdale. Although there are some prospects with high ceilings on the defense, take for example Tex Wrecks, there are simply too many holes in the secondary for the defense to be a dominate force. Therefore, the strategy going into the next season will be to build for the future. The draft will be a high priority for the liberty. Since this next season will not be successful, this could be a good time to draft backups to the veterans I previously mentioned. By the time the draft picks will have earned enough to be useful in the ISFL, the veterans will be on their way out due to regression. This also helps for the next year simply because it keeps the Liberty from doing too well and getting a higher draft pick. Although the current team will see losses, this helps the team for the future. If the team would rather put out a team that has a small chance to battle for a playoff spot, then the draft should definitely focus on apparent needs, such as multiple defensive backs and potentially a running back to take some of the weight off of Torensen. This could potentially create a duel threat offense that becomes an issue for other teams. There is definitely some cap space for signing free agents, but the issue is that Philadelphia’s reputation is not highly regarded at this point, so it is currently not the most attractive spot for free agents, though they will undoubtedly receive great playing time if they decide to sign to Philadelphia. This next season will be important for restoring Philadelphia’s image as an enjoyable place to play.
Tier 3
25) I think the ISFL Pro Bowl should have an Among Us tournament. This would be fun to actually have if it was somehow able to be organized but that would be way too difficult. It could be streamed to dedicated ISFL fans, with the opportunity to see the perspective of your favorite player. I’m not sure if you could really crown a champion of that game, but it would still be hilarious to just see them play. It has the potential to create some spicy drama as we see which players have a vendetta against others. For example, maybe a Colorado player becomes imposter and they always kill San Jose players because they’re salty about losing the Ultimus again. Maybe crewmates will refuse to reveal the identity of an imposter because it’s their teammate. In fact, I think this could be expanded to include other games. Mario Party has the same power as Among Us to ruin friendships and inspire betrayal. Let’s have a series of Mario Party games with a representative from each team. The trophy from that competition would be coveted just as much as an Ultimus trophy. Maybe teams will start scouting players for their ability to spam buttons in mini games. It could completely reshape the value of players just for one silly pro bowl event. Teams already play games together in their locker rooms, so we might as well take advantage of that and broadcast it to everyone for maximum entertainment.
27) The expansions of two new teams to the ISFL impacted the league in a variety of ways, but the one that was most pertinent to me was its effect on my Norfolk Seawolves. Expansion and the expansion draft creates sudden holes in teams as their assets were pried away. This means that any decent earners still in the DSFL suddenly become risks to being called up. This crushed Norfolk this past season. Having made their way to the Ultimini two seasons in a row, the Seawolves were bound to regress regardless, but the resulting call ups left Norfolk’s roster a barren wasteland. Some of the losses were expected, such as Suleiman Ramza as quarterback, but it is quite a drastic change to a team when they go from one of the top teams to easily the worst. Other teams were hurt as well, but they were already in various stages of rebuilding towards contention. Of course, the goal of the DSFL is to help players grow and set them up for success in the ISFL, but it’s still not fun to see you favorite team do poorly. Despite a successful draft with high earners that followed these events, there were simply too many needs of the team in order to produce a successful season. If this fate does not befall Norfolk again, then they can begin growing back into a contending team, but one never knows how soon a player will be called up.
9) The Philadelphia Liberty are in a difficult position going into next year. We unfortunately lost a few key members of the team through free agency: a star on defense, a star wide receiver, and a young running back with a lot of potential all chose to continue their careers elsewhere.. Although this past season can be considered a success, it may be that Philadelphia is taking a step backwards. However, this is not to say that there are not bright spots on the team and areas where we can expect growth. The offense was high powered, led by veteran quarterback Brock Pheonix. In order to have a successful season in S26, the team must once again lean on the offense to win games. With Randy Vuxta departing, Flash Panda will be the top priority at the wide receiver position. Although he will be successful, the team could potentially use some more wide receiver depth. The team needs to prepare for the departures of its veterans in the future. This includes not only PHeonix, but also running back Torenson and tight end Blocksdale. Although there are some prospects with high ceilings on the defense, take for example Tex Wrecks, there are simply too many holes in the secondary for the defense to be a dominate force. Therefore, the strategy going into the next season will be to build for the future. The draft will be a high priority for the liberty. Since this next season will not be successful, this could be a good time to draft backups to the veterans I previously mentioned. By the time the draft picks will have earned enough to be useful in the ISFL, the veterans will be on their way out due to regression. This also helps for the next year simply because it keeps the Liberty from doing too well and getting a higher draft pick. Although the current team will see losses, this helps the team for the future. If the team would rather put out a team that has a small chance to battle for a playoff spot, then the draft should definitely focus on apparent needs, such as multiple defensive backs and potentially a running back to take some of the weight off of Torensen. This could potentially create a duel threat offense that becomes an issue for other teams. There is definitely some cap space for signing free agents, but the issue is that Philadelphia’s reputation is not highly regarded at this point, so it is currently not the most attractive spot for free agents, though they will undoubtedly receive great playing time if they decide to sign to Philadelphia. This next season will be important for restoring Philadelphia’s image as an enjoyable place to play.
Tier 3
25) I think the ISFL Pro Bowl should have an Among Us tournament. This would be fun to actually have if it was somehow able to be organized but that would be way too difficult. It could be streamed to dedicated ISFL fans, with the opportunity to see the perspective of your favorite player. I’m not sure if you could really crown a champion of that game, but it would still be hilarious to just see them play. It has the potential to create some spicy drama as we see which players have a vendetta against others. For example, maybe a Colorado player becomes imposter and they always kill San Jose players because they’re salty about losing the Ultimus again. Maybe crewmates will refuse to reveal the identity of an imposter because it’s their teammate. In fact, I think this could be expanded to include other games. Mario Party has the same power as Among Us to ruin friendships and inspire betrayal. Let’s have a series of Mario Party games with a representative from each team. The trophy from that competition would be coveted just as much as an Ultimus trophy. Maybe teams will start scouting players for their ability to spam buttons in mini games. It could completely reshape the value of players just for one silly pro bowl event. Teams already play games together in their locker rooms, so we might as well take advantage of that and broadcast it to everyone for maximum entertainment.
27) The expansions of two new teams to the ISFL impacted the league in a variety of ways, but the one that was most pertinent to me was its effect on my Norfolk Seawolves. Expansion and the expansion draft creates sudden holes in teams as their assets were pried away. This means that any decent earners still in the DSFL suddenly become risks to being called up. This crushed Norfolk this past season. Having made their way to the Ultimini two seasons in a row, the Seawolves were bound to regress regardless, but the resulting call ups left Norfolk’s roster a barren wasteland. Some of the losses were expected, such as Suleiman Ramza as quarterback, but it is quite a drastic change to a team when they go from one of the top teams to easily the worst. Other teams were hurt as well, but they were already in various stages of rebuilding towards contention. Of course, the goal of the DSFL is to help players grow and set them up for success in the ISFL, but it’s still not fun to see you favorite team do poorly. Despite a successful draft with high earners that followed these events, there were simply too many needs of the team in order to produce a successful season. If this fate does not befall Norfolk again, then they can begin growing back into a contending team, but one never knows how soon a player will be called up.