Tier 1, Task 6:
The ISFL has had forty-six seasons of action packed chaos from start to finish. From players like Mike Boss to Preston Beatz, there has been little chance to take a breath or you might risk missing out on the legends. At times it can seem that there is just too many players to focus on that are all blossoming at the exact same time. Our story here is about something that can be forgotten about amongst the highest of highs which is something that the league has not had to face many times since the harsh reality of those lowest of lows. The DSFL bot teams.
Long ago it was not unheard of for the DSFL to have a battle against the ISFL when it came to the talented players that were seen as rising potential for a team trying to make a move. When league activity was at a much lower point, those players were highly coveted for the ISFL and had to be called up early in order to become the greatest players that they could be. Not all of these players would be as highly talented as expected, but this situation was putting a hold on the DSFL from maintaining its successful teams or wide range of disparity with active players. This came to a head after the widely successful Season 18 class had all managed to move around in the ISFL and left two teams behind the eight ball on active members. The Kansas City Coyotes and the Norfolk Seawolves were soon informed that their fate would be sealed as full bot teams despite the class that had just come through their doors.
After the decision, Kansas City and Norfolk spent a season as little more than a stat-padding game for the talent that was still building in the DSFL. Games would regularly show up where the two teams looked worse than someone actually trying to perform the robot during a dance party. Kansas City was moved into the SFC South division to keep the DSFL balanced with their bot teams and would be the more successful of the two bot teams, going 4-10 on the year. Norfolk had little to celebrate as they lost all 14 of their games by 10 or more points. The only team that performed as badly as these two would be the young Minnesota Grey Ducks that had a passing attack and defense worse than Kansas City. Regardless of the faults, something great was waiting these two teams in the form of the Season 21 draft.
After spending a season in the gutter, new managers and players were picked for the Coyotes and Seawolves which brought them back to an active status. In Season 20, both teams managed to free themselves of their bot status and became full-fledged teams that were second in their respective divisions. This gave them both an opportunity to build on something in the aforementioned draft that featured a total of 271 players entering the league! Although the teams would have to compete with new teams in the Dallas Birddogs and the London Royals, they would use their successful drafts to enter the S21 Playoffs. While the Seawolves were eliminated in the first round, the Coyotes made it to the Ultimini against the Bondi Beach Buccaneers (Myrtle Beach back in S21). They would lose 27-10.
The league itself has faced many major dips in activity since that fateful 271 person class but bot teams have never returned. Both the Kansas City Coyotes and Norfolk Seawolves have had their moments in the sun as well since returning and have also avoided the threat of becoming bot teams once again. Thankfully, this has remained an event of the past as the DSFL has maintained healthy activity since.
The ISFL has had forty-six seasons of action packed chaos from start to finish. From players like Mike Boss to Preston Beatz, there has been little chance to take a breath or you might risk missing out on the legends. At times it can seem that there is just too many players to focus on that are all blossoming at the exact same time. Our story here is about something that can be forgotten about amongst the highest of highs which is something that the league has not had to face many times since the harsh reality of those lowest of lows. The DSFL bot teams.
Long ago it was not unheard of for the DSFL to have a battle against the ISFL when it came to the talented players that were seen as rising potential for a team trying to make a move. When league activity was at a much lower point, those players were highly coveted for the ISFL and had to be called up early in order to become the greatest players that they could be. Not all of these players would be as highly talented as expected, but this situation was putting a hold on the DSFL from maintaining its successful teams or wide range of disparity with active players. This came to a head after the widely successful Season 18 class had all managed to move around in the ISFL and left two teams behind the eight ball on active members. The Kansas City Coyotes and the Norfolk Seawolves were soon informed that their fate would be sealed as full bot teams despite the class that had just come through their doors.
After the decision, Kansas City and Norfolk spent a season as little more than a stat-padding game for the talent that was still building in the DSFL. Games would regularly show up where the two teams looked worse than someone actually trying to perform the robot during a dance party. Kansas City was moved into the SFC South division to keep the DSFL balanced with their bot teams and would be the more successful of the two bot teams, going 4-10 on the year. Norfolk had little to celebrate as they lost all 14 of their games by 10 or more points. The only team that performed as badly as these two would be the young Minnesota Grey Ducks that had a passing attack and defense worse than Kansas City. Regardless of the faults, something great was waiting these two teams in the form of the Season 21 draft.
After spending a season in the gutter, new managers and players were picked for the Coyotes and Seawolves which brought them back to an active status. In Season 20, both teams managed to free themselves of their bot status and became full-fledged teams that were second in their respective divisions. This gave them both an opportunity to build on something in the aforementioned draft that featured a total of 271 players entering the league! Although the teams would have to compete with new teams in the Dallas Birddogs and the London Royals, they would use their successful drafts to enter the S21 Playoffs. While the Seawolves were eliminated in the first round, the Coyotes made it to the Ultimini against the Bondi Beach Buccaneers (Myrtle Beach back in S21). They would lose 27-10.
The league itself has faced many major dips in activity since that fateful 271 person class but bot teams have never returned. Both the Kansas City Coyotes and Norfolk Seawolves have had their moments in the sun as well since returning and have also avoided the threat of becoming bot teams once again. Thankfully, this has remained an event of the past as the DSFL has maintained healthy activity since.