Task 1:
When it comes to teams that unexpectedly flopped this season, there are two options that stick out to me; the two teams that start with C in the NSFC. Let's start with the Yeti: What the absolute hell was that? Your Defense pulled a 2018 Jaguars and had all of its turnovers completely dry up. Well, technically they forced 6 fumbles and got 7 interceptions, but 4 of those interceptions and 5 OF THEIR 6 FORCED FUMBLES occurred in their two games against the Hawks. Somehow you managed to give up more points than the SECOND LINE this season. Then there's your offense, which decided to be the 2020 Steelers, throwing 80% of the time. The only problem with that decision is that such a decision doesn't really make sense when you HAVE a top 5 running back by TPE. Only 3 teams were even within 100 attempts of Caliban this season, and those teams at least had the excuse of shit running backs (or in HON's case, mediocre running backs and a poor Oline). Your reward for this was Caliban throwing you out of the playoffs in your week 15 game against the Wraiths. At least Lim had a great season that could put him up for WRotY, but if you get any other award this season it's almost certainly not deserved. (maybe something on D, I didn't go through that)
And then there's the Butchers. I didn't expect you to be a powerhouse this season. After a few years of being such, you had some key retirements, some important regression, and then had one of the dumbest seasons I've ever seen in this league so far. You beat the Yeti, the Sailfish, and the Fire Salamanders. You took the Outlaws to the edge, and got screwed out of a chance to SWEEP the SAILFISH with one of the dumbest sim decisions I've ever seen this game take. Then you lost last second games against bottom 4 teams. Twice. While Philly kind of had the sim luck of the devil this season, a team that should have been competing for the playoffs had no right to lose to both Philly and San Jose on walkoff special teams plays. And yet, somehow, some way, that wasn't the most embarrassing loss you had this season. Baltimore beat you guys. George O'Donnell threw 3 picks that led to 17 points for the Hawks. You gave Baltimore their first win in over a season, you prevented me from making a long article about the Hawks' losing streak. And perhaps most importantly, you took yourself out of the playoffs. Half of your losses came from those 5 games. Well, there is something else that you losing to Baltimore did. If the rest of the season went the exact same, the Hawks would have tied the Yeti's 0-32 stretch before beating the Sailfish. That would have been REALLY poetic.
Speaking of the Sailfish, what the hell was that ending? Going into the season I had you pegged as a top 2 team in the league, and you go into the playoffs as not a top 2 team in you CONFERENCE. You lost the last 3 games of your season and went in the pits. You could have been the 1 overall seed in the playoffs, except you lost to the Otters, the Liberty, and the HAWKS in the last 3 games of the season. What the HELL happened to your Defense in the 2nd half of the Otters game, giving up 24 points in a half to a team that averaged less than that throughout the season? What happened to your rushing attack that was somehow less than half as effective as the OTTERS? Then, you went against the Liberty and went down 21-3 in the first quarter, stormed all the way back, took a lead in the 4th, were handed the win off of one of the dumbest sim decisions of all time (4th and goal at the 1, down by 7, 3 minutes left, sim says kick a field goal apparently)...and then LITERALLY FUMBLED THE WIN AWAY. Then, against the Hawks, you might have lost not just the 2nd seed in the playoffs, but the CBotY award, as your candidate for that award committed back to back 15 yard penalties to march Baltimore down the field for an important insurance score, your kicker missed a 30 yard field goal, and in general your team showed appalling discipline. 113 penalty yards? Seriously? You had an easy end of the year and managed to piss away your shots at awards and at good playoff seeding simultaneously. You considered yourself the best team in the league, and you lost to the HAWKS. There is a world where the Yeti don't completely collapse and you're out of the playoffs entirely. And you should thank HO that we don't play with morale, because if we did yours would be so low that getting out of the first round would be close to impossible. (835 words)
When it comes to teams that unexpectedly flopped this season, there are two options that stick out to me; the two teams that start with C in the NSFC. Let's start with the Yeti: What the absolute hell was that? Your Defense pulled a 2018 Jaguars and had all of its turnovers completely dry up. Well, technically they forced 6 fumbles and got 7 interceptions, but 4 of those interceptions and 5 OF THEIR 6 FORCED FUMBLES occurred in their two games against the Hawks. Somehow you managed to give up more points than the SECOND LINE this season. Then there's your offense, which decided to be the 2020 Steelers, throwing 80% of the time. The only problem with that decision is that such a decision doesn't really make sense when you HAVE a top 5 running back by TPE. Only 3 teams were even within 100 attempts of Caliban this season, and those teams at least had the excuse of shit running backs (or in HON's case, mediocre running backs and a poor Oline). Your reward for this was Caliban throwing you out of the playoffs in your week 15 game against the Wraiths. At least Lim had a great season that could put him up for WRotY, but if you get any other award this season it's almost certainly not deserved. (maybe something on D, I didn't go through that)
And then there's the Butchers. I didn't expect you to be a powerhouse this season. After a few years of being such, you had some key retirements, some important regression, and then had one of the dumbest seasons I've ever seen in this league so far. You beat the Yeti, the Sailfish, and the Fire Salamanders. You took the Outlaws to the edge, and got screwed out of a chance to SWEEP the SAILFISH with one of the dumbest sim decisions I've ever seen this game take. Then you lost last second games against bottom 4 teams. Twice. While Philly kind of had the sim luck of the devil this season, a team that should have been competing for the playoffs had no right to lose to both Philly and San Jose on walkoff special teams plays. And yet, somehow, some way, that wasn't the most embarrassing loss you had this season. Baltimore beat you guys. George O'Donnell threw 3 picks that led to 17 points for the Hawks. You gave Baltimore their first win in over a season, you prevented me from making a long article about the Hawks' losing streak. And perhaps most importantly, you took yourself out of the playoffs. Half of your losses came from those 5 games. Well, there is something else that you losing to Baltimore did. If the rest of the season went the exact same, the Hawks would have tied the Yeti's 0-32 stretch before beating the Sailfish. That would have been REALLY poetic.
Speaking of the Sailfish, what the hell was that ending? Going into the season I had you pegged as a top 2 team in the league, and you go into the playoffs as not a top 2 team in you CONFERENCE. You lost the last 3 games of your season and went in the pits. You could have been the 1 overall seed in the playoffs, except you lost to the Otters, the Liberty, and the HAWKS in the last 3 games of the season. What the HELL happened to your Defense in the 2nd half of the Otters game, giving up 24 points in a half to a team that averaged less than that throughout the season? What happened to your rushing attack that was somehow less than half as effective as the OTTERS? Then, you went against the Liberty and went down 21-3 in the first quarter, stormed all the way back, took a lead in the 4th, were handed the win off of one of the dumbest sim decisions of all time (4th and goal at the 1, down by 7, 3 minutes left, sim says kick a field goal apparently)...and then LITERALLY FUMBLED THE WIN AWAY. Then, against the Hawks, you might have lost not just the 2nd seed in the playoffs, but the CBotY award, as your candidate for that award committed back to back 15 yard penalties to march Baltimore down the field for an important insurance score, your kicker missed a 30 yard field goal, and in general your team showed appalling discipline. 113 penalty yards? Seriously? You had an easy end of the year and managed to piss away your shots at awards and at good playoff seeding simultaneously. You considered yourself the best team in the league, and you lost to the HAWKS. There is a world where the Yeti don't completely collapse and you're out of the playoffs entirely. And you should thank HO that we don't play with morale, because if we did yours would be so low that getting out of the first round would be close to impossible. (835 words)
