(S15) - Ultimus Week

[caltroit_red_flames]

Code:

PT Sharing

PBE PT
SHL PT

Code:

7) Next year
Written: If your team has been eliminated, why will next year, or the year after that, be the year that your team is going to win the Ultimus or Ultimini.

In the Ultimus finals the San Jose Sabrecats have been eliminated. Ultimately Baltimore had the better team this season and I think that pretty obvious all season so I don't think anyone was surprised that they won the finals. But I do think we have a really good chance to get back to being the victors next season. The team currently has several players over the 1000 TPE hump (Chad Pennington, Xavier Flash, Kolby Deringer, Joliet L. Christ, Kazimir Oles, and Dpez Poopsie). Even with losing Troyski, Oles and Poopsie we'll be in a great spot. Pennington, Flash, Deringer and Christ are ready to feast on some weaker competition that comes with expansion drafts and hard hitting regression. On top of that we see Cameron Olsen and Dan Wright looking ready to take the reigns as great young tight ends. Freezer Riposte and Footballer Sackerman are going to be a top tier duo down the middle on defense with Jorel Tuck and Tray Staley backing up the secondary. The defense may be a little shallow with Oles leaving, but I don't see another team with a better defense. We'll be back just as strong as last season ready to take back the Ultimus, and I don't see any team that has a chance to stop us.

Code:

8) Strategies
Written: Unless you won the Championship, what changes does your team need to make in the offseason to improve your chances next year.

This season we unfortunately did not win the Ultimus, but I think I know what we need to make it happen this next season. To start with we really need to emphasize offense. Offensive linemen are incredibly important to an offense because the give the quarter back more time to make a pass or a running back more space to find a whole and gain more yards. With other teams having lower payrolls I think we may be better served to let some players go to the expansion teams and spend that money on a better offensive line. On top of that I think we should stack one side of the field to help out Xavier Flash as much as possible. Other teams may get wise to our strategies but if execute them perfectly it honestly won't matter. Our players are talented enough to beat others 1 on 1 as long as we execute our plans perfectly. The other thing i think we need to do this offseason is utilize our tight ends more. Right now they're being use to block a lot but I'm a big fan of having them peel out as secondary options for the QB to throw to for a small number of guaranteed yards. It forces the corner backs to respect their ability to make plays which allows the wide receivers to go long for yards and it forces the defensive ends to take a second before they go all out after the QB.

[AlexF]

Playoff Reviews
In a DSFL season full of surprises, the Ultimini was much of the same. Going into the playoffs the Tijuana Luchadores looked to be the favorites to win it all before they were easily dispatched by the Palm Beach Solar Bears in the SFC Championship game. The score ended up being 34-23, but it wasn't even as close as the score suggests. On the other side, the Pythons were definite favorites in the NFC, and they proved as such taking out the Kansas City Coyotes 31-7. When the Pythons and Solar Bears met in the Ultimini the predictions were pretty evenly split. Even though the Solar Bears had the home field advantage, some people believed the Pythons' stellar defense would be able to hold them off. Ultimately it didn't end up happening, and the Solar Bears ended up winning 37-17, but the game was actually much closer than the 20 point margin suggests. The biggest problem that the Pythons had during the Ultimini was the streakiness of their offense. The Solar Bears started the game with 17 unanswered points and ended the game with 17 unanswered points. You can blame the defense all you want, but if the offense can't stay on the field for more than 2 minutes at a time the defense will ALWAYS suffer because of it.

All About The QBs
It's hard to get excited about QB play in the DSFL, and this year's Ultimini was more proof of that. Franklin Armstrong of the Portland Pythons had an abysmal championship game with a stat line of 12 completions on 30 attempts for 95 yards and 1 interception with a passer rating of 34.7. It's hard to fault him or any other DSFL QB though because every single potential wide receiver on the planet puts too much emphasis on making themselves as fast as possible when they should learn to catch first. Portland wide receivers likely had 10 or more dropped passes, so what could Armstrong really have done better? Much of the same goes for the Solar Bears QB Cole. Although he did better than Armstrong, it was by a very little amount. He ended the Ultimini with 19 completions on 40 attempts for 236 yards and 2 interceptions with a passer rating of 45.4. Also terrible. Both quarterbacks were at best attempting to be game managers, and somehow both of them failed at that. They say you can't win without a run game in the DSFL, and after these performances in the Ultimini by both QBs, if I were a DSFL GM I would just straight never pass the ball.

Next Year
The Portland Pythons fell just short of defending their Ultimini title in season 15 of the DSFL. If you kept a close eye on the team during the regular season you might actually be surprised that they made it to the Ultimini at all. The Pythons were carried by their stalwart defense, led by Lanzer Grievous with his out of this world 199 tackles. Their new rookie LB Blake Faux surprised many by racking up 125 tackles himself. It's a wonder he managed that many with Grievous taking 199 of them. Portland was a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball away from winning the Ultimini. I think we can all agree on that. Depending on call ups and how the NSFL draft goes (with 2 expansion teams drafting for the second time), Portland's defense might be just as thing going into season 16 of the DSFL. Let's say that doesn't happen and the Pythons defense is around the same level next season. In order to reclaim the Ultimini title, Portland will have to draft well and focus on the offensive side of the ball in the draft. Hopefully they end up grabbing a wide receiver who can actually catch the ball. That might their only chance.

That Magic Moment
Even though the Portland Pythons ended up losing to the Palm Beach Solar Bears, there is a clear play that was absolutely magical and will be on highlight videos until the end of time. That play occurred with 13:38 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Pythons' offense was absolutely anemic going into the 4th quarter having only scored 10 points up to that point when Sam Torrenson took it upon himself to make the game interesting by scoring a 98 yard touchdown run. It put the game within 3 points and at that time it looked like the Pythons were getting ready to make a run at the titled when it mattered the most. Torrenson broke multiple tackles on the play and once he reached the 50 yard line he was already gone. He ended up breaking further away from the defenders the further down the field he got. It was a sight to behold. Unfortunately for the Portland Pythons and their faithful fans, it ultimately meant nothing as they would go on to lose 37-17 on the back of the Solar Bears scoring 17 unanswered following the 98 yard touchdown run. Even though that is the case, I'm sure Torrenson's highlight run will be remembered for years to come.

[WALDO]

placeholder

at least one
PBE

19) Expansion Teams
Written: You are going to be a part of an expansion team next season. Describe your outlook for next season, talk about your roster so far, or give us some info into the franchise as a whole.

Jeffery Murphy woke like he normally would. He got out of his bed at 2 pm after going to bed around 12 hours earlier. He made some coffee and powered on his playstation console. His girlfriend was out of town for the week so he had nothing to do. He played some fortnite and some 2k before heading over to the gym he owns. He was jamming to some music and running on the treadmill when he heard his door alarm sound. “Front Door” it said, “God I hate that fucking thing and it’s monotone voice.” He opened the door to see that his pizza had arrived, he paid and took a picture with the delivery guy. He chomped down on the pizza while watching baseball. He enjoys watching the Kingston Mounties, as he knows a guy who plays for the team. He picked up his phone and scrolled through twitter, he knew expansion was coming, but he didn’t realize he would be trending. He wasn’t protected. He immediately researched the teams. He knew that he needed to make a statement. Although he wasn’t prepared to switch teams, he wasn’t someone who adored change. Although he knew this would be good, he would get to run the ball for a new team. He immediately booked a leadership training for himself so that he could become a better leader for his new team. He was ready.

13) Sit-down with a fan:
Written: Answer questions for an interview from a player that is not your own. You must answer at least four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. Link to the interviewers PT to receive credit. NOTE: THEY MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR YOU TO GET CREDIT

1.) Who wins this ultimus and why?
2.) What are your thoughts about expansion?
3.) What expansion team has the best logo already?
4.) Let’s say you get an expansion team next expansion, what do you do first?

terriblehippo

1. I think the Ultimus is really anyone's at this point. I know that's supposed to be true in every season, but the league's expansion is really going to level the playing field. Every team took some hits in the expansion draft, and now there are ten teams drafting rookies and courting free agents. I think a lot of historically powerhouse teams are going to take a step or two backwards, and I think some teams at the bottom of the barrel are going to get ahead somewhat. If I had to pick one (besides my team, of course), I'd say Orange County. It looks like their going to keep most of their roster together, and even add a few pieces to it. Their current squad got them to the playoffs, I'd say that adding on to it might be enough to put them over the top.
2. I'm really excited about expansion! I think this is a great time to be in the league, and I'm looking forward to seeing two new teams compete for the Ultimus. It'll be interesting to see how the existence of the new teams impacts the landscape of the league, both in ways we expect and in ways that no one has considered yet. I think in a few seasons, people will look back on this expansion as a turning point for the league.
3. I played in San Antonio, so I should probably say Austin. And I won't lie, the Copperheads is a great concept, and their logo looks fantastic. But I really really like the look of the Butchers. The logo is just so intimidating and menacing, and it's really evocative of the name "Butchers". I might be a little biased, though; I think I jokingly pitched the idea of the Chicago Butchers shortly after the expansion was announced. Props to both team's graphics department, each team has a great logo.


7) Next year
Written: If your team has been eliminated, why will next year, or the year after that, be the year that your team is going to win the Ultimus or Ultimini.

Ok look, the outlaws are very good. They have one of the best GMs in the entire league in SwagSloth, who can make good trades and has shown he is smart in his decisions. The defense for the team is looking up. They were a top 4 this year and could be the top defense in general within 2 years. They are one of the youngest teams in the entire league. The only reason i could see them not performing well is the amount of good young players they have, leaving in FA or in poor deals, and of course expansion could have a huge impact on this team. Being in the League Room with these guys, I know how they act and perform. They are very nice to everyone and treat all of their teammates with respect. Those are some of the key items needed to be a great team. Working together is something this team has and they can win as well, this team is looking up. They also have a decent scoring offense. Obviously you need that to win, but the defense will carry hardcore. The offense is a bit older than the defense but the way the defense is but together and how their defensive system is made will destroy any offense that threatens them.

[timeconsumer]

13) Sit-down with a fan:

http://nsfl.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=...ndpost&p=198145


15) Going to Disneyland!

Ultimus MVP was easily Childish Gambino. This guy has put up back-to-back record breaking seasons now and finally has the Ultimus MVP hardware to go with it. It's astounding how off-the-charts the Baltimore offense has been the past couple of seasons. Never doubt the importance of a deep core of wide receivers. They don't need to be the best wide receivers in the league, but just have a lot of them like Baltimore does. You know what's crazy? They really didn't even use all of their WRs anyway, they could have done even better! Oh shit I was supposed to talk about Gambino, right. Look how much do I need to say the fucker threw for 5 TDs and a 117.2 passer rating en route to a complete fucking shutdown of one of the best defenses in the history of the league. Yes, the Sabercats defense was that good and the Hawks made it look easy scoring points against them like they did, and they did it by having one of the top TPE quarterbacks in the league with a great offense all around him to keep him on his feet and give him plenty of places to find the open man.

16) Unsung Hero

Okay i got one for ya! The unsung hero of the playoffs this season was the often overlooked second tight end of Baltimore Declan Harp! Holy crap where has that guy been right? Well he's been out there kicking ass in the playoffs that's where he's been! Do you know what he did in the Ultimus? He blocked a damn punt! He led the team in receptions with 6! He scored a touchdown! I'm using way too many exclamation points! Of his six receptions three of them were for first downs! He didn't allow a sack and he pancaked dudes twice! Damn straight yall Declan harp was killing it out there in the Ultimus, but wait there's more! During the NSFC Championship game he also caught passes! Just not a lot. And he didn't block a punt either....but he did have 5 pancakes and no sacks allowed! I like tight ends who can block and catch and do everything asked of them and that's what Harp did this playoff season so he's the Gruden Grinder. Wait that's not a thing anymore. The Cooter Cannon! No that's for quarterbacks or some shit. The Winchester Whacker! Ehhhh, that's still pretty bad but okay I'll go with it for now.

17) Robbed

The Wraiths were robbed from the playoffs because Baltimore dropped a game to Philly. YKE had split the head-to-head with Philly by the end of the season and had Baltimore done their job like champions should have and beat Philly in their own fucking stadium then Philly and YKW would have tied in record, head-to-head, and conference record bringing them to the next tiebreaker of total points scored. This would probably still have resulted in a Baltimore win in the NSFC Championship but really it would have been nice to have a shot at taking them out. We did beat them on the road earlier in the season so anything can happen. And even if we had beat the Hawks we could not have beat the Sabercats on the road either without some S7 Philly magic. But again, my thought is always that I would prefer to have a chance and be in the game than just not have any chance at all, does that make sense? So yeah, thanks a lot Baltimore for screwing it up and losing a home game to the Liberty, you had one job. You know I bet they were too scared to take us on because they knew Cooter could have kicked their ass.

[Daybe]

Interview with a fan: I interview @timeconsumer

1. Cooter Bigsby, what has been the most difficult change you've made from the DSFL to the NSFL in your rookie season?

I'd say it easy has to be moving from a nice warm place like San Antonio into the middle of the frozen Tundra of Yellowknife. Do you have any idea what it's like trying to throw a football in that kind of weather? It's like the thing is a damn wet rock, youu can barely put any spin or touch on it!

Well put. 2. Which of your wide receivers would you say is the smartest? Which one the dumbest?

Well let's be honest compared to a guy like me who has a wealth of football knowledge that would make the greatest players fall to their knees, they are all kind of dumb. But when you compare among them you find that they all kind of have their own little strengths and weaknesses. I guess I'd have to say Josh Parker has the best football instincts, call that smart or not is up to you. Nate Swift is a moron.

3. Obviously the expectations are sky-high for you as the #1 pick in the S14 draft, how have you managed them so far?

I went out and had the best season of a rookie quarterback ever. Obviously I don't compare myself to other rookies and I should be performing at a level closer to Gambino, rookie or not. But it's all going to click together soon, just wait.

4. What is the benefit of having a great ground game, with two top tier running backs to feed the ball to?

Well it's nice to be able to keep the defense from keying in on one aspect of the game. But I personally like to have both the RBs out there on the field at the same time to really confuse the defenses as to what kind of play is coming next. Playing out of 21 personnel under center is one of my favorites.

Point Task #1 - Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-242155404-10...timus-week

Point Task #7 - Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-242155404-10...ecording-3

Point Task #8 - Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-242155404-10392...s-week-s15-pt-8

[shadyshoelace]

Spotlight on the Youth


All about the QBs


Unsung Hero


Trades/Free Agency

[ADwyer87]

PBE PT
SHL PT

12) Sit-down with a star
Written: Interview a player from a team that is not your own that is in the playoffs. You must ask them four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. YOU MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS FOR CREDIT.

sit down with @nunccoepi

1. How does it feel to win a championship so early in your GMing career?
Well, its only my and iseedoug's second season as GMs of the Baltimore Hawks, but we are hardly new to GMing. We spent about 5 seasons together in Tijuana I saw a lot of success there including going to 5 straight Ultimini's and winning 3 in a row. So that gave us a lot of confidence and, of course, we got to learn from one of the most competent GMs in Iam Esselem. But this one is different and it feels pretty special.

2. Charlie Trout has left the team to pursue a career in being an agent, it seems. How much is this going to affect your offseason plans and draft strategy?
Well he was kind of a gadget piece for us last season, filling holes wherever we needed him to. And I think that kind of flexibility was quite valuable to us. Fortunately, we have a lot of talent in the pipeline and I think Marquise Acho will be able to fill that role immediately for us and as long as he continues to develop as he has, will make a great replacement for Austin Roenick whenever Roenick decides to hang up the cleats.

3. What is your biggest worry about the expansion draft this season?
We have so many good players to protect. Making the decision on simply who to protect will be the hardest. I sincerely hope there will be no hard feelings, but things happen.

4. Is there any truth to the rumors that your co-GM has been skimming some of the profits off ticket sales in order to go on exorbitant vacations?
Absolutely not. His recent trip to Germany was purely professional.

13) Sit-down with a fan:
Written: Answer questions for an interview from a player that is not your own. You must answer at least four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. Link to the interviewers PT to receive credit. NOTE: THEY MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR YOU TO GET CREDIT.

http://nsfl.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=...70&#entry198499

[JKortesi81]

One task: SHL PT

Second task: PBE PT

Strategies: Well, the biggest step that the Austin Copperheads are going to have to make in order to win the Ultimus next season is very simple: Get a roster. Being an expansion franchise is going to be difficult, and it’s going to take players to actually win any games. Jokes aside, the best way that Austin can even come close to competing for a championship would mean getting some absolute studs in free agency who are looking to come to a brand new team where they can shine. Finding those players that are just about ready to become NSFL superstars but perhaps are stuck behind another stud on their current team can be key for Austin to compete right away. Another huge help would be the development of its current rookies, as players like Rod Tidwell and Chase Jensen are looking to burst onto the stage in their rookie seasons. Austin already has its franchise quarterback in place, as it’s widely known that the Copperheads will be selecting Ultimini champion Easton Cole in the second round of the upcoming S16 Draft. We’re well aware that this would be a long shot, but this is one of the few possible strategies that would have to work out for Austin to win a title. (212)

Expansion Teams: Being selected to be a part of the Austin Copperheads and being the Co-GM has been a fun ride so far. Our roster is quite small, since we currently have only be able to get our picks from last year’s draft on it so far. With the upcoming expansion draft, and the S16 Entry Draft, we’re going to really see the roster grow for sure. The DSFL season showed us some promise for sure though. Our QB in waiting, Easton Cole, QB’d the Palm Beach Solar Bears to the Ultimini championship. He has already built a pretty good rapport with our Tight End and first ever draft pick, Chase Jensen. Those two are already a great pair. Jensen and our wide receiver from Tijuana, Rod Tidwell, basically lead the league in receiving all season. Our OLs that we drafted even had some nice seasons. Let’s not forget that the centerpiece of our offense, running back Dick Wizardry, is going to run until his legs fall off. Wizardry was a MVP candidate two seasons ago, before a fall out with YKW management lead to him being mistreated and underused in an effort to sabotage his career records. He’s got a renewed focus, and he’s going to lead the NSFL in rushing next season while the kids around him improve. (220)

[speculadora]

1) PBE Affiliation

2) Playoff Predictions, Reviews
What a sad, sad affair the round one matchup between Orange County and San Jose was. The Otters had suffered through a season that fell well short of expectations yet, in usual fashion, found themselves in the playoffs once more. That, it seemed, could have been all it took to propel them on a championship run similar to the Liberty of Season 7 with the possibility of back-to-back road wins en route to an Ultimus. If any team could do it, you'd have to believe it would be Orange County. The talent was there, really. And it seemed that they truly might be ready to complete the first leg of that journey as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead on San Jose in the first 6 minutes of the game. They struggled to get anything going after that, with San Jose pouring on 23 unanswered points. A brief glimmer of hope came in the form of a 4-yard Apollo Reed touchdown in the third quarter that brought the game within one score, but the Sabercats quelled any hope of that with an early fourth quarter touchdown by Corwin Davenport that all but closed the book on the game and the Otters' disappointing season.

3) Spotlight on Youth
I'm going to fudge the rules a little bit here and name two young players who I believe had a major impact on this season's Ultimus game. The Hawks drafted well in the large Season 15 class, grabbing two premier safeties who have blossomed into quite the duo in the back half of Baltimore's secondary. Fatih Terim and Walt Green definitely left something of a mark on the playoffs, combining for 10 tackles and a fumble forced and recovered. As most anyone who knows football will know, however, a good defensive back's impact is often unseen in the box score. They impact plays in different ways, as good coverage can disrupt the designed reads for any given pass play. Or they can come up in the box and disrupt the running game. They can be used to disguise coverages. The list goes on. This was the sort of impact they made in Baltimore's opening round matchup against the Liberty, as the two made little in the way of box score impacts, unlikely their Ultimus performances. It's rare to see a team as good as Baltimore be able to count on such young players for so much, but here we are seeing it before our very eyes. The Hawks secondary certainly has a bright future with these two being guaranteed to pass through expansion untouched.

4) Strategies
Orange County had a terribly disappointing season, finishing just 8-6 despite hopes for bringing home hardware this season. They lost a handful of winnable games, blowing home contests against San Jose, Baltimore, and Colorado. The first two are nothing to sneeze at, but they are games that good teams still find a way to win. Losing to the Yeti in the season's final week, however, was inexcusable for a team with as much talent as these Otters. So, what do the Otters need to do to return to their winning ways? Quite frankly it will come down to execution. There is far to much talent on this team to find ways to lose games. That's what separates great teams from good ones. 8-6 isn't really a record to sneeze at, though Orange County's excellent history might have altered expectations for them, but it's a record that is nearly inexcusable for a team of their talent. And it comes down to execution. If you execute when you're supposed to, you're going to win the games you're supposed to win. Sometimes you'll play a good game and still get beat. It happens. But it could be argued that all 6 of the Otters' losses were individually winnable. Certainly you wouldn't expect them to run the table, but turn two of those losses into wins, including the home loss against San Jose, and you're staring down potential home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Instead they finished a full three games back. So, provided they can keep their core in tact through expansion, the Otters really just need a reminder on what it takes to play championship level football.

[JVMjrDOT]

PBE PT