Robbed:
The conference format was not kind to the Sabercats. They finished the season with a 9-5 record and a +109 point differential, both of which establish them as the third best team in the league, behind just the Otters and the Outlaws. However, despite being the third best team in the league, the Sabercats did not make the playoffs and instead watched the fourth and fifth best team make it over them because those teams played in the NSFC instead of the ASFC. The Yellowknife Wraiths, who have home field advantage in the NSFC playoffs, finished with a record of 8-6 and a point differential of +82. These are respectable numbers and the numbers of a playoff team, however both of those numbers trail behind the Sabercats. It must sting for Sabercats players to know that their conference placement in the ASFC instead of the NSFC was the difference between missing the playoffs instead being the number one seed in their conference. In the second seed in the NSFC were the Phildelphia Liberty who finished with a 7-7 record and a point differential of -85. They finished at .500 and their point differential suggests they may really be worse than a .500 team which can't sit well with the Sabercats seeing the Liberty get a playoff spot over them just because they play in the NSFC even though they were a much worse team statistically.
Playoff Preditictions:
ASFC Championship: @
On paper, this should be the best game of the playoffs. Whichever team emerges victorious will be heavy favorites against the NSFC champion. The Otters are a really talented team and an even matchup for the Outlaws on paper. However, it is not fair to look at this matchup on paper without examining the context of this rivalry. All time, including the playoffs, the Outlaws are 12-1 against the Otters. The Outlaws have won 9 games straight against the Otters and in general have won 21 games in a row against ASFC opponents (both stats are including playoffs). While I think the Otters have the talent of a championship team, I cannot justify picking them over the Outlaws given how much the Outlaws have dominated them for so long. I think the Outlaws will remain perfect in ASFC play for the third season in a row and advance to their 4th straight championship game. Prediction: win 31-24.
NSFC Championship: @
This is a tale of two teams who have both defied preseason expectations. The Liberty were viewed as top contenders entering the season but sputtered with a 1-7 record against ASFC foes and squeaked into a playoff spot in the final week of the season with an 7-7 record. Meanwhile, the Wraiths were expected to be rebuilding this season but exploded and secured home field advantage in the NSFC for the first time in franchise history. The Liberty are a tempting choice for an upset as they have been undefeated in NSFC play this season and have plenty of talent as many viewed them as a favorite in the NSFC in the preseason. However, the results have shown that neither of these teams are who they were expected to be in the preseason. The Wraiths look like a legitimate contender with a point differential of date=]594 Words[/quote]
Playoff Series MVP:
The MVP of the ASFC Championship was Mike Boss, quarterback of the Orange County Otters. On the surface, Boss's statline may not stand out due to a lack of touchdowns but his value in this game came from sustaining drives. Boss passed for 469 yards against the Outlaws. The most impressive part of his performance is not the fact that he accumulated so many yards, but the way that he did it. 5 different Otters had at least 4 receptions and 50 yards. Boss did not rely on hitting one hot target, he spread the ball around and made everybody a threat, which is why the Outlaws were powerless to stop him. This allowed the Otters to move down the field and score points and at the same time kept the Outlaws' dangerous offense off of the field. Boss played mistake free with no interceptions against the Outlaws defense that has terrorized quarterbacks for years. You can see the growth Boss has made over the years as he went against the same team that picked him off 6 times in his first career start and now carved apart the best defense in the league. The Otters broke a 9 game losing streak against the Outlaws in the ASFC Championship game and that was because of the expert play of their quarterback.
Matchup Nightmares:
The Yellowknife Wraiths' secondary is going to be a matchup nightmare for Liberty quarterback Clifford Rove. Rove's 26 interceptions were the most thrown by any quarterback in the NSFL this season. As a second year player, Rove is one of the least experienced quarterbacks in the league and opposing defenses try to exploit that and take advantage of him. The Wraiths' secondary is capable of giving Rove fits. The Wraiths' 20 interceptions tie for the second most in the league and their 72 pass defenses are good for third most in the league. Sometimes when facing a good secondary, quarterbacks will simply seek to avoid targetting the star defender to have more success. Unfortunately for Rove, there is no one main star of the Wraiths' secondary. Clee Hardrool has intercepted 6 passes and defended 7 passes, Jogn Floggity has intercepted 5 passes and defended 19 passes, and Dermot Lavelle has intercepted 5 passes and defended 20 passes. While Lavelle is the biggest name in this secondary, both safeties are also wreaking havoc and making life a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Given Rove's tendency for throwing interceptions and the Wraiths' knack for intercepting passes, it is likely that we will see multiple turnovers in the NSFC championship game. In a game that will likely be closely contested, those turnovers may be the death of the Liberty and ultimately result in the end of their season.
The conference format was not kind to the Sabercats. They finished the season with a 9-5 record and a +109 point differential, both of which establish them as the third best team in the league, behind just the Otters and the Outlaws. However, despite being the third best team in the league, the Sabercats did not make the playoffs and instead watched the fourth and fifth best team make it over them because those teams played in the NSFC instead of the ASFC. The Yellowknife Wraiths, who have home field advantage in the NSFC playoffs, finished with a record of 8-6 and a point differential of +82. These are respectable numbers and the numbers of a playoff team, however both of those numbers trail behind the Sabercats. It must sting for Sabercats players to know that their conference placement in the ASFC instead of the NSFC was the difference between missing the playoffs instead being the number one seed in their conference. In the second seed in the NSFC were the Phildelphia Liberty who finished with a 7-7 record and a point differential of -85. They finished at .500 and their point differential suggests they may really be worse than a .500 team which can't sit well with the Sabercats seeing the Liberty get a playoff spot over them just because they play in the NSFC even though they were a much worse team statistically.
Quote:[table border=\\\'0\\\' align=\\\'center\\\' width=\\\'95%\\\' cellpadding=\\\'3\\\' cellspacing=\\\'1\\\' id=\\\'QUOTE-WRAP\\\'][tr][td]QUOTE [/td][/tr][tr][td id=\\\'QUOTE\\\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]235 Words
Playoff Preditictions:
ASFC Championship: @
On paper, this should be the best game of the playoffs. Whichever team emerges victorious will be heavy favorites against the NSFC champion. The Otters are a really talented team and an even matchup for the Outlaws on paper. However, it is not fair to look at this matchup on paper without examining the context of this rivalry. All time, including the playoffs, the Outlaws are 12-1 against the Otters. The Outlaws have won 9 games straight against the Otters and in general have won 21 games in a row against ASFC opponents (both stats are including playoffs). While I think the Otters have the talent of a championship team, I cannot justify picking them over the Outlaws given how much the Outlaws have dominated them for so long. I think the Outlaws will remain perfect in ASFC play for the third season in a row and advance to their 4th straight championship game. Prediction: win 31-24.
NSFC Championship: @
This is a tale of two teams who have both defied preseason expectations. The Liberty were viewed as top contenders entering the season but sputtered with a 1-7 record against ASFC foes and squeaked into a playoff spot in the final week of the season with an 7-7 record. Meanwhile, the Wraiths were expected to be rebuilding this season but exploded and secured home field advantage in the NSFC for the first time in franchise history. The Liberty are a tempting choice for an upset as they have been undefeated in NSFC play this season and have plenty of talent as many viewed them as a favorite in the NSFC in the preseason. However, the results have shown that neither of these teams are who they were expected to be in the preseason. The Wraiths look like a legitimate contender with a point differential of date=]594 Words[/quote]
Playoff Series MVP:
The MVP of the ASFC Championship was Mike Boss, quarterback of the Orange County Otters. On the surface, Boss's statline may not stand out due to a lack of touchdowns but his value in this game came from sustaining drives. Boss passed for 469 yards against the Outlaws. The most impressive part of his performance is not the fact that he accumulated so many yards, but the way that he did it. 5 different Otters had at least 4 receptions and 50 yards. Boss did not rely on hitting one hot target, he spread the ball around and made everybody a threat, which is why the Outlaws were powerless to stop him. This allowed the Otters to move down the field and score points and at the same time kept the Outlaws' dangerous offense off of the field. Boss played mistake free with no interceptions against the Outlaws defense that has terrorized quarterbacks for years. You can see the growth Boss has made over the years as he went against the same team that picked him off 6 times in his first career start and now carved apart the best defense in the league. The Otters broke a 9 game losing streak against the Outlaws in the ASFC Championship game and that was because of the expert play of their quarterback.
Quote:221 Words
Matchup Nightmares:
The Yellowknife Wraiths' secondary is going to be a matchup nightmare for Liberty quarterback Clifford Rove. Rove's 26 interceptions were the most thrown by any quarterback in the NSFL this season. As a second year player, Rove is one of the least experienced quarterbacks in the league and opposing defenses try to exploit that and take advantage of him. The Wraiths' secondary is capable of giving Rove fits. The Wraiths' 20 interceptions tie for the second most in the league and their 72 pass defenses are good for third most in the league. Sometimes when facing a good secondary, quarterbacks will simply seek to avoid targetting the star defender to have more success. Unfortunately for Rove, there is no one main star of the Wraiths' secondary. Clee Hardrool has intercepted 6 passes and defended 7 passes, Jogn Floggity has intercepted 5 passes and defended 19 passes, and Dermot Lavelle has intercepted 5 passes and defended 20 passes. While Lavelle is the biggest name in this secondary, both safeties are also wreaking havoc and making life a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Given Rove's tendency for throwing interceptions and the Wraiths' knack for intercepting passes, it is likely that we will see multiple turnovers in the NSFC championship game. In a game that will likely be closely contested, those turnovers may be the death of the Liberty and ultimately result in the end of their season.
Quote:234 Words