Quote:Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (Must be 600+ words)
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
1. The Season 48 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Tijuana Luchadores and New Orleans Second Line for each winning their respective championships. How did each of the finalists in either the Ultimus or Ultimini arrive at the playoffs? Were there any teams that surprised or disappointed during the playoffs? Did the outcome of either championship game surprise you at all?
First a quick shoutout to Ultimus winners the New Orleans Second Line. They entered the playoffs with the best record, but were not an overwhelming force statistically at least. Their defense was terrific, but there were a number of great defenses this year. And their offense was strong as well, well balanced between pass and rush, but again there were other teams you might have taken ahead of them looking only at the numbers. And through three quarters of the Ultimus you might have believed the peripheral data, but at the end of the day only one stat matters and the second line put together an amazing 4th quarter to cap off a great season with a win for the record books.
And now for the more important league. Congratulations indeed to the Tijuana Luchadores for taking home the Ultimini crown. They did it the right way with a relatively balanced team, solid defense and strong passing attack. Rookies and veterans alike contributed to the cause at a variety of positions. Puddles O’ Duck following a great statistical year in 2062 didn’t find as much success even though he led the league in attempts. It’s nice to have a veteran under center to keep things on an even keel even when the team seems rudderless. Tijuana ended the regular season with four straight losses but were able to figure things out when they mattered most.
In the playoffs Tijuana proved they could win in multiple ways. Despite leaning on the passing attack much of the regular season Puddles didn’t deliver the strongest performances in the playoffs. It was their defense really that excelled nabbing 2 picks in each of the playoffs game (to offset the 2 ints their QB threw in each game) and earning a safety in the conference championship and 2 forced fumbles in the ultimini itself. Rookie Liggy Juggy finished up a great season by earning defensive player of the game honors in the ultimini with an interception and forced fumble plus recovery. And Brandon Johnson used less this season that last saved his best for the final racking up 100 ground yards in addition to a receiving touchdown and 23 yards through the air.
That seems to be the key, being able to win in multiple ways. Sometimes plan A doesn’t work out, can your team find a way to persevere? It felt like London was well positioned to do that this year. We came into the season with a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball and a strong returning running back. But who could have expected the great rookie performances from Dexter Morgan (who should be this seasons MVP) and the receiving corps around him? It felt like it was all coming together for the team. In the same way Tijuana was able to find production from rookies and veterans and balance contributions from both sides of the ball London felt poised for greatness, but in the end it didn’t work out.
Juan has now seen this sort of late season disappointment twice now, though each season was very different. In the first they didn’t even make the playoffs losing in the final week in a win and in against the eventual ultimini winning pythons, and in the second they seemed the best positioned to win it all but exited in the first playoff round. The thing both eventual champions had in common was needing to overcome some form of hardship and play their best football at the end of the year. Looking back the locker room in London was in great spirits early in the year, but maybe the focus and hunger didn’t persist into the playoffs, maybe it started to feel too easy. Juan will take that experience into next season. It’s still unclear if he will make the move to the ISFL or run it back with a talented London core to try and win next year.
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