7) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S28 class and later. In 400 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented?
It's been a full season since I have last answered this question, and my experience since then has changed a lot for the good! Before the start of season 27, I was completely new to sim sports and it was very daunting to start my career here. There were so many tasks and things I had to do and it was very difficult to navigate the forum website, mostly because I had not used a forum site in years. It was also hard for me to keep up with it all since I was in the process of moving and finishing up my Master’s thesis. If there is one thing no one wants to do after writing and editing a 25,000 word paper, it is write more for a league they were supposed to be in for fun… But needing to write 300 words is miniscule compared to that so I moved on and finished the tasks slowly, one by one.
But I am glad I kept up with the league and rode out the storm/climbed the learning curve because ever since getting drafted by Minnesota, I have really been enjoying this league. It started out really well with a great convo with ThunderTitan who then went on to help draft me. And it has continued to go great as now I am the best safety in the league in the sim that hates safeties! Staying active also really paid off since, after completing the rookie tasks, max earning has been a cake walk and a lot of the times I was just waiting for more to do! The TPE eventually turned into a great build I have for my player, who then just boomed out on the fake field. Needless to say, now looking at a round one or two pick in the upcoming ISFL draft, I have really liked the league.
My favorite part has easily been the Minn locker room. CC, may he rest in peace, and Russ have been exceptional as GMs, so much so I even teamed up with Gragg and Shrub to write an article to show our appreciation! It has been awesome to form such good relations with people I would have otherwise never met, being that we all live states away from each other, and for some even countries!
But after all this praise, I still want to reiterate on where I think the league would improve. I said this last season too, the rookie tasks are very overwhelming, especially to someone who is not familiar with forum sites before the 2010s. I highly suggest a major overhaul in the rookie guide to modernize it and centralize a lot of the posts. A website layout similar to the TPE tracker would be a great way to ease a new person into the forum settings since a lot of the places you frequent like the media posts are access through a text link which can be easily missed rather than a button or menu at the top. Just a thought for sure.
Words: 509
30) Make a scouting report for any of the ISFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or totally fraudulent mail-in ballots. Whatever rookies get up to these days.
Tim Soulja – Strong Safety for the Minnesota Grey Ducks
Quick notes: Soulja is a fast, smart, playmaking defensive back in a league that tends to bully safeties. His development since joining Minnesota has been nearly unprecedented making an impact almost immediately in game one and the rest of the season. While his growth in practice seemed relatively average to above average compared to the rest of this year’s ISFL draft class, his presence in the locker room and on the field cannot be understated. His GMs and coaches praise his work ethic and comradery, as do his teammates.
Key statistics: Soulja started all 14 regular season games at the Strong Safety position. He racked up a total of 68 tackles over that span, averaging 4.9 tackles a game. He notched 4 total sacks, many of which came on second and third down for major losses. He also recorded 3 total interceptions, the last of which was a pick six in his final game against Norfolk. Soulja also recorded one forced fumble and fumble recovery as well as one blocked punt.
Draft grade and takeaways: Late 1st/Early 2nd round. A high upside player who will make a great impact on the team after one or two more years of development.
Words: 209
21) What team do you think has the best branding in the league? What team do you think could use a refresh? Why?
While it is kind of a toss up between my top favorites, I feel that the San Jose Sabercats have the best branding in the league. The reason why, to put it simply, is because they satisfy the design trifecta for a sports team: awesome colors, great name/mascot, excellent logo!
First the colors, hands down perfect. Teal as a primary color is very unique and honestly makes the team stand out in a lot of ways. Not only that, the gold color accents plus black for contrast really make the logo pop out to the viewer. Next, Sabercats as the name and mascot was an excellent choice just because of how cool the animal is. Once again, it is incredibly unique so they may stand out, plus who doesn’t love a big extinct kitty as their team name! Finally, the logo design is perfectly designed. The minimalistic stylization of the sabercat makes it obvious what it is supposed to represent but does not get too cluttered and noisy. It also means the logo is customizable! Meaning you could swap the gold for the teal and put it on a white background, and it would still look good! I also have always like the look of shields/seals as logos. My NFL team in the Ravens has a secondary shield logo that I adore. I really wish teams made use of that because they can go great on merch. So overall, San Jose is the best!!
As for the worst branding, I would argue it’s Baltimore only because I feel the Hawk logo could be more updated and less narrow. Still a cool team and color palette. Go Baltimore!
Words: 277
It's been a full season since I have last answered this question, and my experience since then has changed a lot for the good! Before the start of season 27, I was completely new to sim sports and it was very daunting to start my career here. There were so many tasks and things I had to do and it was very difficult to navigate the forum website, mostly because I had not used a forum site in years. It was also hard for me to keep up with it all since I was in the process of moving and finishing up my Master’s thesis. If there is one thing no one wants to do after writing and editing a 25,000 word paper, it is write more for a league they were supposed to be in for fun… But needing to write 300 words is miniscule compared to that so I moved on and finished the tasks slowly, one by one.
But I am glad I kept up with the league and rode out the storm/climbed the learning curve because ever since getting drafted by Minnesota, I have really been enjoying this league. It started out really well with a great convo with ThunderTitan who then went on to help draft me. And it has continued to go great as now I am the best safety in the league in the sim that hates safeties! Staying active also really paid off since, after completing the rookie tasks, max earning has been a cake walk and a lot of the times I was just waiting for more to do! The TPE eventually turned into a great build I have for my player, who then just boomed out on the fake field. Needless to say, now looking at a round one or two pick in the upcoming ISFL draft, I have really liked the league.
My favorite part has easily been the Minn locker room. CC, may he rest in peace, and Russ have been exceptional as GMs, so much so I even teamed up with Gragg and Shrub to write an article to show our appreciation! It has been awesome to form such good relations with people I would have otherwise never met, being that we all live states away from each other, and for some even countries!
But after all this praise, I still want to reiterate on where I think the league would improve. I said this last season too, the rookie tasks are very overwhelming, especially to someone who is not familiar with forum sites before the 2010s. I highly suggest a major overhaul in the rookie guide to modernize it and centralize a lot of the posts. A website layout similar to the TPE tracker would be a great way to ease a new person into the forum settings since a lot of the places you frequent like the media posts are access through a text link which can be easily missed rather than a button or menu at the top. Just a thought for sure.
Words: 509
30) Make a scouting report for any of the ISFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or totally fraudulent mail-in ballots. Whatever rookies get up to these days.
Tim Soulja – Strong Safety for the Minnesota Grey Ducks
Quick notes: Soulja is a fast, smart, playmaking defensive back in a league that tends to bully safeties. His development since joining Minnesota has been nearly unprecedented making an impact almost immediately in game one and the rest of the season. While his growth in practice seemed relatively average to above average compared to the rest of this year’s ISFL draft class, his presence in the locker room and on the field cannot be understated. His GMs and coaches praise his work ethic and comradery, as do his teammates.
Key statistics: Soulja started all 14 regular season games at the Strong Safety position. He racked up a total of 68 tackles over that span, averaging 4.9 tackles a game. He notched 4 total sacks, many of which came on second and third down for major losses. He also recorded 3 total interceptions, the last of which was a pick six in his final game against Norfolk. Soulja also recorded one forced fumble and fumble recovery as well as one blocked punt.
Draft grade and takeaways: Late 1st/Early 2nd round. A high upside player who will make a great impact on the team after one or two more years of development.
Words: 209
21) What team do you think has the best branding in the league? What team do you think could use a refresh? Why?
While it is kind of a toss up between my top favorites, I feel that the San Jose Sabercats have the best branding in the league. The reason why, to put it simply, is because they satisfy the design trifecta for a sports team: awesome colors, great name/mascot, excellent logo!
First the colors, hands down perfect. Teal as a primary color is very unique and honestly makes the team stand out in a lot of ways. Not only that, the gold color accents plus black for contrast really make the logo pop out to the viewer. Next, Sabercats as the name and mascot was an excellent choice just because of how cool the animal is. Once again, it is incredibly unique so they may stand out, plus who doesn’t love a big extinct kitty as their team name! Finally, the logo design is perfectly designed. The minimalistic stylization of the sabercat makes it obvious what it is supposed to represent but does not get too cluttered and noisy. It also means the logo is customizable! Meaning you could swap the gold for the teal and put it on a white background, and it would still look good! I also have always like the look of shields/seals as logos. My NFL team in the Ravens has a secondary shield logo that I adore. I really wish teams made use of that because they can go great on merch. So overall, San Jose is the best!!
As for the worst branding, I would argue it’s Baltimore only because I feel the Hawk logo could be more updated and less narrow. Still a cool team and color palette. Go Baltimore!
Words: 277