One of the most notable teams to falter at the start of this season is the Austin Copperheads. After making an Ultimus appearance last season and losing by only one score to the red hot Yellowknife Wraiths, they have gotten out to a 1-6 record through the first 7 games of S29. After winning their first game of the season against the also struggling Hahalua, they have recorded a 6 game winless streak, recently ending their 5 game losing streak with a tie against the Sabercats. This slow start is definitely surprising, but the Copperheads definitely have the best chance of all the struggling teams to right the ship and potentially even make a playoff push through the back half of the season.
To start with, Austin has barely lost any important pieces from their playoff contending team last season. Besides the release of WR Eddie Jeeta, I couldn't even name a single player that played in the Ultimus last season but who is no longer on the team. In fact, the young team had almost every player on the team improve this offseason with only a handful of players suffer TPE loss via regression. Of particular note, key offensive pieces like QB Daytona, RB Watts, and OL Archstone and Quigley are still firmly in the improving parts of their careers and should be capable of anchoring a strong offense.
The roster looking good on paper is one thing, but even if you drill down into the specifics of Austin's losses this season we find that things appear worse for them than they really have been. The Copperheads haven't lost any game by more than one score yet this season, so while they may not be clutch at the end of games they are still a formidable team. Their -20 point differential is more comparable to teams like the 4-3 Sabercats (-13) than the 1-6 Hahalua (-56) or the 2-5 Liberty (-66). While the road to the playoffs will be tough, I am definitely not ready to count out last season's ASFC champions just yet, as their team on paper and their performances early this season are enough to give me confident that the tools are still there for them.
To start with, Austin has barely lost any important pieces from their playoff contending team last season. Besides the release of WR Eddie Jeeta, I couldn't even name a single player that played in the Ultimus last season but who is no longer on the team. In fact, the young team had almost every player on the team improve this offseason with only a handful of players suffer TPE loss via regression. Of particular note, key offensive pieces like QB Daytona, RB Watts, and OL Archstone and Quigley are still firmly in the improving parts of their careers and should be capable of anchoring a strong offense.
The roster looking good on paper is one thing, but even if you drill down into the specifics of Austin's losses this season we find that things appear worse for them than they really have been. The Copperheads haven't lost any game by more than one score yet this season, so while they may not be clutch at the end of games they are still a formidable team. Their -20 point differential is more comparable to teams like the 4-3 Sabercats (-13) than the 1-6 Hahalua (-56) or the 2-5 Liberty (-66). While the road to the playoffs will be tough, I am definitely not ready to count out last season's ASFC champions just yet, as their team on paper and their performances early this season are enough to give me confident that the tools are still there for them.