(S11) - Ultimus Week

[jaskins811]

Hate the player or the game: One team that did not deserve to make the playoffs in the DSFL were the San Antonio Marshals. What evidence do I have to support this claim? Well it is because they are terrible. In fact, they are so bad that they lost at home in the first round of the playoffs and could not make the Ultimini despite having home field advantage. In fact, they are so bad that they haven't made the Ultimini in over 5 seasons! How can a team be that bad, when a team like the Tijuana Luchadores has been to 5 straight Ultiminis. Due to all of these factors, the San Antonio Marshals did not in any aspect deserve to make the playoffs. In their playoff game in which they lost, they were only able to put up 20 points on the Luchadores partly due to the fact that standout rookie cornerback Hike Mughes helped shutdown the offense. Overall, this postseason was a really poor showing from the San Antonio Marshals, which has been a common theme for the past five seasons, and this loss just proves why the San Antonio Marshals didn't deserve to even go to the playoffs in the first place because they never even provide a challenge to the Luchadores in the playoffs.

Unsung Hero: The unsung hero of the DSFL playoffs for the Luchadores was their rookie cornerback Hike Mughes. He had a breakout season this year during the regular season, recording 2 interceptions including bringing one back for a touchdown, having 8 pass defenses, and recording 41 tackles. Overall, he had a really solid regular season, and he really brought a new fire to this team's secondary. He brought this same skillset with him into the playoffs and really helped the Luchadores defense make that next step into the elite category. In the first game against the San Antonio Marshals, Hike Mughes recorded 7 tackles and 1 interception. Not only this, but his consistent coverage throughout the entire game forced the opposing quarterback to have one of the worst games of his season, as he was not able to get anything done. This ability may not appear on the stat sheet, but it really affected the game, and is a major reason why the defense performed so well in this game. Mughes also played a large role in the Ultimini, and although his team did not secure the win, he helped raise his team to play at a high level despite the loss.

Playoff Series MVP: The MVP of the Ultimus game this season was by far and away Borkus Maximus III. He is an absolutely amazing player and showed it again. Maximus III had the best regular season of any QB this season in the NSFL, posting a 2:1 TD to interception ratio with 30 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. On top of this, he threw for over 4500 yards, averaging over 300 per game. This insane production was part of the reason why the New Orleans Second Line had such a successful regular season. After rolling over the Orange County Otters in the first round of the playoffs due to his tremendous play, he went into the final game knowing his team needed a big day from him against the Baltimore Hawks, and he did not disappoint. He threw for 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while posting a 64.7% completion accuracy and a 114.8 passer rating. Considering the low level of quarterback play in the NSFL, this was truly a historic day from the best quarterback in the league. All of Maximus's teammates can be very thankful this Thanksgiving knowing that they play with one of the best quarterbacks the NSFL has ever seen, and this year's Ultimus result can largely be given to the fact that Borkus Maximus III was clearly the Ultimus MVP.

Going to Disneyland!: As we all know, Borkus Maximus III was this year's Ultimus MVP after having one of the best games of his career, throwing for 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and completing 64.7% of his passes with a passer rating of 114.8. After winning this game for his team and being crowned the MVP of the game, what better place to go to than Disneyland to celebrate a great season. Traveling to Anaheim is no stranger to Maximus as he plays against the Orange County Otters at least once a year in a stadium close by to Anaheim. It was a crazy experience for Maximus being in Disneyland as there were so many fans in the park that recognized him immediately. He was constantly getting bombarded by fans thanking him for his great play and asking for pictures and autographs. He had to have his own personal tour guides move him around Disneyland so that he could get to all of the places he wanted to go to. One of his favorite memories from this trip was being featured in the nightly parade that Disneyland had, and being able to view the firework show from the top of the train station in Disneyland. Overall, it was a very memorable experience for Borkus Maximus and he loved being able to interact with all of the very thankful and gracious fans of his.

[manicmav36]

New Talent: Write about which S11 trade will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

Now, it’s no secret that the Yeti had a fantastic offense this season. In fact, that offense basically carried them to the NSFC Championship game. Their biggest downfall this season was their defense, however (in fact, I’ll even write about it later). Which is why the biggest trade that happened this year is actually something that happened in the offseason. The Yeti, looking like a team that would be beginning yet another rebuild, traded away two of their best defensive players in defensive tackle Eli Kamaka and embattled cornerback, Andre Bly Jr. There was no question these were two of the top players in the league at their respective positions and the Liberty received them for a measly second round pick. Many in the league questioned the thinking of the Liberty front office, viewing it as the Liberty essentially forcing themselves into a worse drafting spot, as they was no real threat of them making the playoffs. But, in reality, we should’ve been questioning the Colorado front office. Those two would’ve made a massive difference over the course of the season, and could’ve easily swung 1 more game in favor of the Yeti, earning them home field advantage for the NSFC Championship game. With HFA, they Yeti could’ve easily dispatched the Baltimore Hawks and clinched their first spot in the Ultimus since the first season of the NSFL.


Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)

The Colorado Yeti had one of the most potent offenses in the game, buoyed by breakout player of the year candidate Micycle McCormick at QB and game breaking/MVP candidate WR/CB, Howard Miller. They averaged an impressive 30 points per game and finished the season with the second most points score in the league. Despite being the worst rushing team in the NSFL, their offense was still elite thanks to their prowess passing the ball. So why am I talking about them here? The answer is simple, their defense. The Colorado Yeti allowed the most points scored in the league, finishing the season giving up 417 points, only 5 less than they scored on the season. That’s more than the 4-10 Yellowknife Wraiths or the 1-13 San Jose SaberCats. To put that number into a better perspective, they allowed 77 more points than any other team that qualified for the playoffs this season. That’s nearly an extra 6 points a game that their offense has to make up for. While McCormick, Miller, and company are clearly up to the task, one wrong step on offense and their chances are sunk. One has to wonder, however, what will this team look like once they have a formidable defense? The outlook is certainly scary for the rest of the NSFC.



Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win. (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)


Unpopular opinion here but, the Orange County Otters can, and will (hopefully!) beat the New Orleans Second Line. The Orange County Otters are one of only 3 teams to beat the New Orleans Second Line, and it’s no reach to see why the Otters could do it again.
As is tradition, the Otters passing attack is in peak form, with 3 separate players finishing the season with over 900 receiving yards (Atwell, Crush, and Adams). They biggest wildcard on offense, and hardest for opposing defenses to game plan against, has to be Adams though. Atwell had one fantastic season, but seems to be a solid #2 WR, Crush, usually a contender for WR of the Year, is having an uncharacteristically average season, but Adams is just playing inspired ball. Playing out of the backfield Adams is averaging a very impressive 4.7 yards per carry and 11.4 yards per reception out of the slot. While not numbers that will light the world on fire, he will prove to be a giant mismatch for the Second Line that looks to be a problem they don’t have an answer for. While the defense is focused on controlling Atwell and Crush, expect for Adams to have a big game, and just be too much for the Second Line defense to handle. It’ll be a close one, but I think the Otters pull it out in the end.



Matchup Nightmares: Pick an offensive and defensive player who will be going up against each other and why it will be a nightmare for one of them. (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about)

The Baltimore Hawks offense vs the Colorado Yeti offense will be a giant mismatch in general, save for Miller (who’s playing out of his mind) vs whoever he’s lined up against (rotating between Willie and Valentine). But the matchup I’d most like to focus on will be Haruki Ishigawa versus the dangerous tight end duo of Verso L’Alto and Declan Harp. Ishigawa, who has had a fantastic career for himself, has a strong argument for the Hall of Fame when his career is all said and done. Unfortunately, he had little to no help on defense this season. In seasons past, he’s always done well for himself in coverage, but he’s always had a little help. Unfortunately, combine the fact that he’s basically operating by himself with the two-headed monster that is Harp and L’Alto, it will just be too much for him. If it were just one, Ishigawa would probably do fine, but with how the Hawks manage the duo, there is constantly a fresh set of legs lined up either from the tight end spot, or out of the slot. While it may not have much of an effect in the first half, the second half is where the wear and tear of facing two separate Pro Bowl level tight ends really starts to show it’s stress on players. Look for the Hawks tight ends to thrive, especially late in the game.

[JKortesi81]

TASK 1: Playoff Series MVP. The playoff series I’m going to chat about is the NSFC title game between the Baltimore Hawks and the Colorado Yeti. It wasn’t even a close contest, sadly, as the Hawks just murdered the Yeti with a score of 45 to 7. The biggest story line, of course, is that Ryan Applehort now QBs the Hawks after he spent many seasons in Colorado. Its very fitting that in the “Applehort Bowl”, Ryan Applehort himself is the clear cut winner of the MVP of the game. Why you ask? Well, Applehort was electric, throwing for 410 yards. He had a QB rating of 104.8. Applehort threw for 4 touchdowns and only threw one interception. On top of it all? He actually rushed for another touchdown! 5 touchdowns in a playoff game is a tremendous feat! Owen Taylor rushed for 188 yards, and he finished a distant second in MVP voting here. Applehort was 40 for 58 in passing, and just chewed up the Yeti defense. He threw TDs to 3 different players, and honestly couldn’t have done any wrong. After falling behind 7-0, Applehort lead the Hawks to 45 unanswered points and brought them to another Ultimus title game. If he plays this well, he’ll be the MVP of that game too. (216)

TASK 2: Playoff Review – We’ll start with the NSFC championship game between the Baltimore Hawks and Colorado Yeti. There was next to no drama in this contest. The Yeti struck first, going up 7-0 on a Mark Grau TD. After that? It was all Baltimore. Ryan Applehort would find Trey Willie on 3 yard TD to tie the game at 7. After a Turkleton FG made it 10-7, it would be Willie again to go up 17-7. Owen Taylor would score to make it 24-7 at halftime. The second half would be more of the same as Applehort would throw TDs to L’Alto and Harp, and he’d run for another score himself in a 45-7 win. The ASFC wasn’t much better. The Orange County Otters met up with the New Orleans Second Line. Tegan Atwell would score first to give OCO the 7-0 lead. NOLA would go on to score 17 straight points, before OCO kicked a field goal to make it 17-10 at halftime. The third quarter was all NOLA as DiMirio and Fydro would score TDs and another field goal made it 34-10. The fourth quarter would give us an OCO FG, and another Smallwood TD as New Orleans would win 40-13 en route to yet another ultimus appearance. In the Ultimus game, THE BEST ULTIMUS EVER occurred. Tons of back and forth scoring! Baltimore opened the scoring with a Harp TD to go up 7-0. NOLA would storm back as Smallwood would tie the game at 7, and then on the next drive Fydrorovich would return a 50 yard punt for a TD to put NOLA up 14-7 at the end of the first. Owen Taylor would respond to tie the game at 14, and a Turkelton FG would give Baltimore a 17-14 lead. However, Fydro would score on a 29 yard pass to give NOLA a 21-17 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, Turkleton would kick another FG to make the lead 21-20. And then Fydro would get TD number three to make it 28-20. Valentine would get on the scoreboard and cut the lead to 28-27 going into the fourth quarter. Baltimore would get the go ahead touchdown on a 1 yard pass to L’Alto, but the 2 point conversion failed so it was only 33-28, Hawks lead. After a huge defensive stop late in the game, Taylor would fumble in Hawks territory to give the Second Line a second chance. And they’d cash in on it with Fydrorovich’s fourth touchdown of the game, and the 2pt conversion was good as well, 36-33 NOLA. Not to be outdone, Baltimore would march down the field and get a game tying field goal, and it would send us into overtime! 36-36. After a LOT of back and forth play, Darren Smallwood would scamper into the endzone with 2:12 remaining for the Second Line to win 42-36. Crazy. (481)

TASK 3: SHL PT

TASK 4: PBE PT

[PDXBaller]

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be completed at any point
The Philadelphia Liberty should have made the playoffs this season over the Colorado Yeti. The NSFC playoff race has been close in the past 5 seasons and S11 was no different. The Liberty were only one game behind the Yeti and the league would have a totally different NSFC conference game if they beat the Yeti in week 5’s game in Colorado. Even though this team has a young quarterback in Adriana Falconi, I think they had the superior defense and compared to Colorado and they managed to beat the Baltimore Hawks in week 6 by 30-14. That game should have proved to the league that they were better than Colorado despite the Yeti also splitting home and away games with the Hawks. From a defensive standpoint, the Liberty would have had a much better chance at containing the Hawks because of their active backfield and excellent receiving corp. They finished the regular season with the best passing defense in the league and held teams to an average 22.4 points per game which was a league best. Colorado had a shamble of old, inactive DSFL players who barely mustered any sort of defense. It was going to be a bad game for the Yeti and Hawks blew them out of the stratosphere with a score of 45-7 in the NSFC conference game.


Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about
I’d love to write about the Ultimus playoff series MVP, but the index isn’t updated for some reason and I didn’t have time to wait for it so I’ll settle for the ASFC conference game between the Orange County Otters and New Orleans Second Line. Vladimir Fyodorovich (@majesiu) is easily the playoff series MVP for both playoff games given his ability to come through big for the New Orleans Second Line offense. Against Orange County, he racked up 5 receptions for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. He ended with an amazing 20.2 average yards this game and was the returning kicker and returning punter. This guy was all over the field and there wasn’t a play that he wasn’t involved in on both sides of the ball. He’s a machine and has evolved from being the Siberian Swatter to the Siberian Destroyer because this guy will wreck defenses and burn every guy covering him. Orange County had no one who could cover him competently in the backfield and Fyodorovich effectively and efficiently dismantled the Otters with Maximus’s help. This was no surprise since New Orleans came into the playoffs as the top passing offense and Fyodorovich was New Orleans top receiver in the regular season.


Unsung Hero:Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)
The unsung hero of the playoffs was Micycle McCormick (@infinitempg). Now I know what you’re probably thinking because that’s definitely not a player anyone in their right mind would select as the unsung hero. However, I think back to the beginning of this season and the switch that he made that led the Colorado Yeti to an 8-6 record. It was McCormick’s determination to not let his team down and enter tank mode that allowed the Yeti an opportunity to make the playoffs. Even with the league’s worst defense, he was able to will the Yeti to some key victories last season and even though they didn’t beat the Hawks in the NSFC conference playoff game, I think that McCormick sure gave them a fighting chance. He may have only had 221 yards for 12/35 completions/attempts, but he did have one touchdown to Grau and things looked great early on in the game before it all fell apart soon after. Despite everything, I think that McCormick played this entire season and the playoffs with a lot of heart and grit. That’s something we don’t see quarterbacks do very often and the fact that he stuck with his team through thick and thin speaks volumes as to the type of quarterback he is.


That Magic Moment: Pick one moment from a playoff game and describe what made it so amazing to watch. (Must be completed after the game you write about)
I want to shift gears for this last PT and talk about the DSFL for a moment. I think there was an especially magic moment in the SFC championship game. There were high expectations for San Antonio to beat Tijuana given their dominance in the SFC division and both teams had mirror records of each other (5-9 for Tijuana and 9-5 for San Antonio). Tijuana struggled all season long and Andreas Metaxas was not looking good at all as it was apparent that Adriana Falconi was solely responsible for their last 3 Ultimini championships. However in this game against San Antonio, Tijuana seemed to have it together despite Metaxas having an average game of 200 yards 21/37 completions/attempts and one touchdown. It was his good decision making to run the ball at opportune times to score a touchdown and get the ball up the field that led Tijuana to an amazing 31-20 upset on the road. You could see the magic happen slowly and it was a crucial moment in the second quarter where Flores scored his touchdown on a 1 yard run that put Tijuana up 21-17 after trailing all game up until that point. After the half, the defense stepped up big time and held San Antonio to just a field goal in the early third quarter as the Luchadores marched down the field to score another field goal and touchdown late in the game to seal the deal.

[Toasty]

Sit-down with a star @PSanchez55

Thoughts on the Pythons play off run? Inevitable. We dominated all season save one mid season game. Our backfield was dominant and our defense was even more dominant.

With Portlands Head gm stepping down do you think there will be a fall in the Pythons legacy now?
It is hard to gage the importance of one person until they are gone. If the new management keeps making good draft picks and doing sim work to successfully strategize for games the Pythons could continue their success indefinitely.

How do you feel logan did in the Ultimus Game?
Terrible. A linebacker managing to have 0 tackles is pretty amazing in and of itself. The fumble recovery and pass defended were nice, but how did I record 0 tackles. Oh well we won.

Did you see this season coming?
Ill say this dozens of times. I knew nothing about this league coming into it. I was ready to put in work and dominate, but by myself I wasn't bringing home a championship. I knew with Chess, ABCDE, LGM, and Iamslm we had some active guys, but I didn't know how we compared to the other teams. So, no I did not see this coming.

Does a straw have one hole or two? If you punch one hole in a piece of printer paper the paper has one hole. If the paper suddenly became the thinkness of a straw would it have gained a hole? Let me add to your question. What if a straw has 0 holes.

Sit-Down with a fan

Playoff Review

Playoff Series MVP

[Saliva^]

ROBBED:

To be fair, there is only one option for this section. The ASFC division wasn't as close as their peers from NSFC. And when you see that we could've seen other team in playoffs instead of Colorado...well that's really obvious. Pretty much everybody already said about how Philly was horrible last season with 0 wins. So a 7-7 season shoul make a you happy at least. But I have a feeling that this team should've hoped for some more. Like for playoffs. They beat Baltimore 30-14 during that season although this doesn't seems a surprise of the century since the Hawks had 5 losses that year. But still. There was the only reason why the Liberty couldn't make the playoffs, but that reason seems a bit painful. Losing to a 1-13(!) Sabercats really put Philly out of playoffs. I'm not sure what happened in that game. Underestimation, just unlucky or something else, I don't know. But Philly should've won this game. Colorado once again got lucky where they pretty much had no business. They just made the playoffs to get destroyed by Baltimore. Could've it been more close with the Liberty? Maybe, since they proved to us they can beat BAL. So there's a hope they won't blow games against bottom feeder team next season to finally play the Hawks in playoffs.

PLAYOFF REVIEW:

So let's start with the NSFC finals. Colorado vs Baltimore part 2 I guess? I already put the spoiler in Robbed section, but hey I need 200 words. And actually the Yeti started pretty well. Grau put his team in a 7-0 lead...which was the last time his team was in the driver seat. After that, it was all Baltimore. But the first Q finished with a 7-7 tie so that's nice. The final result was 45-7, Baltimore advanced into the finals once again. Colorado defence did a decent job, but their offence was meh. Especially McCormick who wasn't that active in that match with only 35 throws. And only 12 attempts were successful which makes it worse.
ASFC finals. This was more hyped thing. After all, 11-3 vs 10-4 team was promising much more action that their north peers. And the start was indeed promsing. OCO had a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. And even when the Second Line managed to turn this game around in the second 15-minute Q, Anderson could cut their lead to 7. So 17-10 score wasn't a death note to intrigue. However, 34-10 after three quarters was enough for this night. OCO couldn't make up their mind and once again, NOLA vs Baltimore in the finals. The final score: 40-13.
And this is where it ends. Seeing index not being uploaded to see the finals results is a travesty and I'm not that active and too lazy to watch this game via Twitch. What a shame. But what I've heard that this was a thrilling game and some of them named this match the best finals this league ever had. The finals score was 42-36 - NOLA won again. In OT.

HATE PLAYER OF THE GAME:

I mean, it's pretty much the same thing as Robbed. But since I can't name a playoffs MVP or write a finals recap, here we are. UPLOAD THE INDEX!

...And it's actually not the first time Colorado makes the playoffs when the shouldn't. The same thing happened in S9 when they only finished above Yellownife cause they were more successful against bottom feeder teams. Exactly the same was happening in S10. Yellowknife sucks against bottom feeder teams the Yeti once again makes the playoffs to lose. And now this. This makes Colorado a three time hate player of the game because it's kinda amusing to see them being lucky for so many seasons. Let's go back to this season. This team was trying to sell their assets prior to this season, but weren't that successful. So they went with a team that could sort of compete. And guess what, they got lucky once again, cause a 1-13 San Jose has decided to play spoiler against the Liberty team. Another lucky case for the Yeti. And while in last two times they were puting a decent fight against Baltimore in playoffs, this time they got blew out 7-45. Not sure why they were even playing in playoffs. Looks like they were just happy to not finish their season after the regular season. They gotta step their game up cause this luck can't last long and they will eventually miss the playoffs with this so-so game.

GOMHL PT as the fourth task

[AdamS]

Playoff Series MVP:
There was a bit of questioning when Vladimir Fyordorovich switched from Cornerback to Wide Receiver before the season. Some raised eyebrows at New Orleans claiming he would be their featured pass catcher and as the season went on he seemed to be lost in the shuffle as he competed with Hall of Fame lock Paul Dimirio and multiple time all pros in Alexandre Leclair and Charlie law, both members of the rare 600 reception pantheon. A generous person would say Fyord held his own against such luminaries during the regular season. But the playoffs came and Vlad lived up to his name’s inspiration as he absolutely impaled the competition. Against the Otters he exploded for two touchdowns and over a hundred yards.As predicted by the team itself, he stood out when it mattered most as the leader of the most dangerous pass attack in the league, and he left the Otters bleeding orange all over the field. In addition to the touchdowns, his other catches throughout the game set up multiple scores. It was all the Otters could do to try in vain to stop him. And then, when the Ultimus came, instead of proving to be a fluke, he actually topped his performance. Easily.

Playoff Review:
For the third season in a row in the NSFC, the Colorado Yeti travelled the Baltimore to try and upset the Hawks. The first two featured significant drama as the Yeti battled and even led. This third started with the Yeti getting to the endzone quickly, raising the tension for everyone. It was going to be another dramatic game. And then...it was not that. The hawks proceeded to shake off that early touchdown by their rivals and then pummel them the way my brother might pummel a small child. The Hawks won their third straight NSFC Title 45-9.

Meanwhile the NSFC saw the Otters and Second Line battle for the fourth time. And unlike the NSFC, this game was hard fought as the Otters scored, the Second Line responded, and then the half ended with an Orange County field goal that made it a one score game. Then, the second half started, and New Orleans decided to do the Baltimore thing and stomped Orange County’s face in. 17-10 became 34-10 and eventually 40-13.

In the Ultimus, the Hawks and Second Line would also meet for the third time in a row. In the previous two seasons each team had taken a victory. During the regular season, the Second Line had beaten Baltimore twice, both games in overtime, both in dramatic fashion. Sure enough, this game followed suit as Nola won it’s 2nd title in a dramatic overtime Ultimus.


That Magic Moment:
How can there be any answer but one? The one moment that mattered in the end. The one that drove fans in New Orleans to the brink of delirium. Borkus Maximus 0III takes the snap and hands it to Darren Smallwood. Smallwood, the former Offensive Player of the Year and one of the 3 best running backs in league history (so far) takes the rock and does what he does so often from inside the ten yard line. Bounce slightly to the right, get himself into more open space, make a cut, and then drive the stake through the tiny black hearts of Baltimore Hawk fans everywhere as he plows through the few pitiful defenders in his way and bursts into the end zone.

This was no simple touchdown however. It was the moment everyone dreams of in their career. Overtime in the Ultimus with the ball in his hands and the chance to end it all. Smallwood scored the season’s defining touchdown as gave his team it’s second title in three years. Even more magical, it came at the very end of his retirement season. In scoring that majestic touchdown, he made the last moment of his professional career into THE defining moment for both himself and his franchise.



Sit-down with a star: (w/SUNNYCURSED)
Law: Sunny, what's it like coming into the league and being surrounded by the kind of talent you have at Wide Receiver? People like Tegan and Carlito, who've both been top 5 receivers in this league?

Sunnycursed: Honestly i don't think its that hard of a task. Orange County has always benefited from great quarterback play and having a multitude of good receiving options to choose from. I am pretty confident I already have the skill to come in and play as good as Atwell this season, and even if I wasn't so sure in my abilities, I know that the Otters are no strangers to helping out young wideouts like myself

Law: Plus, playing with those kinds of players is incredible for getting better. When I broke in I got to learn from Dustin Evans and C.A. Chess. It helped me so much. But that said, how are you dealing with the noise that comes with the next draft class? I've seen mocks that basically ignore you exist in favor of gushing about James Bishop going to orange County. What's your go to for handling that?

Sunnycursed: It's no issue for me, really. Every team needs more than just one good wide receiver. Atwell and Crush are on the downturn of their careers, I wouldn't mind having another young guy to come help me out in the passing game. In the end, I don't really care if people disregard me as part of the Otters, I'm gonna make a name for myself soon enough

Law: Hey now. Don't count out those guys on the back half of their careers. Guys like Willie and Alexandre and yours truly did pretty damn well before hanging it up. Actually I think Willie hasn't yet. But you talking about the Otters that way brings a question to mind. Is it set in stone that you re-sign with the team or......?

Sunnycursed: I've got a while to think about that one. I like to leave that stuff up to the agent. For now I still have two years left on my deal and I plan on giving the Otters my full attention on those years

Law: Do you think the team can overcome the Second Line and make it back to the Ultimus now that the likes of this old bastard are gone?

Sunnycursed: TBH i think you were holding the team back, now that you're gone we can see the true top wide receiver of the team: Freddie. I heard he was the leading fetcher at the Good Bois Academy

[Rabidsponge21]

PBE PT
SHL PT

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups

Hawks - 45
Yeti - 7

In what was supposed to be a close game as many had thought heading into this divisional finals turned into a route very quickly. Having put up a touch down early to scare many of the hawks faithful that maybe this game wasn't going to go as planned quickly turned around into the Hawks favour as the offense seemed to be working on all cylinders as the defense did a fantastic job to shut down the Yeti's offense. The Hawks managed to pile on an even 600 total offensive yards before it was all said and done doubling the Yeti's 298. It was a complete and utter offensive domination in comparison.

Second Line - 40
Otters - 13

This game despite showing like it was a lop sided affair was a little more closer than the Hawks outing. The offensive totals were fairly far apart with a 150 Yard total advantage for the Second line but the base completion stats look fairly similar. Where the game was won and lost was both with the amount of gains made with each complete pass and with the efficiency of New Orleans running game vs the Otters having a 100 yard advantage over what the Otters could do running the ball. New Orleans knew the type of talent they were up against with the Otters and made sure to convert when necessary where as the Otters continually fell short when the big plays needed to be made.|

(246 words)

Sit-down with a star: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.

What feels different about this season from the last few heading into the finals that gives you confidence?
If there was one thing you wish the team was stronger in what would it be?
Number one worry heading into finals against Baltimore's team?
Are you happy with your players performance so far these playoffs?

Asked Mr.bovo

1. One of the biggest things was we got home field advantage, getting to play on our own turf in front of our own fans is a huge boost and we definitely feel much more confident this go around because of that.
2. I wish we were younger... our offense is aging and some key players on our defense are as well but that’s pretty normal when you’re peaking like we are right now. I have a lot of faith in Bayley going forward and know he’ll take care of it.
3. Biggest worry was Blocksdale... when he’s hot he’s almost unstoppable in that offense. They’ve got tons of weapons and when they get rolling they’re close to unstoppable.
4. Yessir. We had a fantastic game against the otters but I’m hoping to keep the interceptions away... Borkus has seemed to always struggle with interceptions so we’ll need to cut that out in the Ultimus

[Dangles13]

Task 1

PBE PT

Task 2

The Philadelphia Liberty deserved a better fate this season. The Liberty had the best defence in the league and they only surrendered 313 points against while the Colorado Yeti had the league-worst defence and allowed a blistering 417 points against. It is easy to look at the Liberty's offence and assign blame to them for not capitalizing on their stalwart defensive play but they produced well enough to finish as a playoff team and had they had a bit more luck then it is likely they would have been in the big dance. Philly boasted the top running back in Marquise Brown who amassed an impressive 1571 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns. The area that might have held the Liberty out of a playoff spot is their passing game. Falconi was a rookie passer who acquitted herself well but made a lot of unpolished mistakes that you would expect from a young player. As Falconi progresses and develops into a top-tier talent, expect the Liberty to be a top team in the league; in 3 seasons we won't be talking about how Philly missed the playoffs but rather who they will be facing in the Ultimus. Better luck next season

Task 3

What can I say about Darren Smallwood that hasn't already been said? The former offensive player of the year just keeps on delivering explosive results, including an absolutely dominant performance over the Orange County Otters in the conference finals. The talented tailback scooped the Second Line up and placed them on his back and then proceeded to destroy the Otters playoff hopes. Smallwood came up big on his thirty-two carries and he shredded Orange County to the tune of 137 yards and two scores. Smallwood didn't add much through the air as he only caught two passes, one for seven yards and one for just one yard, but he didn't need to. The shifty back moved the chains all night and the Otters had no answer for him, he picked up 1st downs at will and clearly won the running back battle. Maximus was no slouch either, the quarterback threw over 300 yards and found the end zone 3 times as well, but it just wasn't as needed as New Orleans relied on their veteran running back to drive the offence. New Orleans has been a fixture on top of the league for a few seasons now and Smallwood was no small part in that, it will be sad when he no longer takes the field.

Task 4

So often we focus on the star quarterback or the flashy running back and even sometimes we give the spotlight to an exceptional pass catching player but rarely do we focus on the player who actually uses their foot to make a living in the sport of football. Kickers are so often underappreciated and that is why Beat Meoff is my pick for the unsung MVP. Meoff was dynamic throughout the regular season as he booted in an impressive 96.4% of his field goals, including the longest of the season, a 53-yard bomb. Meoff is not as polished at punting but when his team needs a timely field goal to extend the lead, then, he is as close as you get to a sure bet. A team with a sure bet at the kicker position has a certain amount of confidence; it is so much less pressure on you when you know that even if you don't get the first down you have a guy who can come get you three points. Leaving points on the field is one of the most upsetting feelings in football, next to turning the ball over. It is fair to say that NOLA likes their kicker and can Beat Meoff anytime.

[SwagSloth]

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be completed at any point

Philadelphia Liberty: It seems like every other season or so, we find a team that ends up with the 4th best record in the league, but ends up losing out on a play-off spot because they’re in the stronger division. Sometimes, it’s the NSFC and sometimes it’s the ASFC, but this year, it was the Philadelphia Liberty. Coming off a 0-14 in S10, the Liberty impressed everyone by improving to 7-7 and even picking up home game wins over the two NSFC teams that did make the play-offs, the Yeti and the Hawks. Obviously, the Yeti and Hawks both earned their spots, but you have to feel bad for the Liberty, who put together a thunderous comeback this season. Fortunately for this team, their trajectory heading into S12 is still impressive and the team will have a big opportunity to build on what they’ve already accomplished this season. They have lots of young talent with many of their players entering the league in the last 4 seasons. QB Adriana Falconi also continues to improve every season and will be primed for a great performance in S12. It’s always great to see an underdog rise up and the Liberty are undoubtedly hoping to make the play-offs next season.

217 Words

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Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about

Borkus Maximus III: Let’s take a moment to talk about the man that I consider to be the MVP of the ASFC Championship game, Borkus Maximus III. For several seasons, Borkus has continued to impress fans and analysts alike and, to be frank, the guy is just plain fun to root for. During the regular season, he held claim to the highest passing yards (4564) and was also tied for most TDs (30) alongside Fitzpatrick and Showbiz. And that level of play continued into the play-offs as he achieved 319 Yards on 23 passes (13.9 Yards Per Attempt) and found the End Zone 3 times. He did end up with 1 interception, but that was hardly a factor as the Second Line dominated the Otters in a 40-13 victory.

Additional shout-outs go to RB Darren Smallwood and WR Vladimir Fyodorovich, who helped Borkus out all season and continued to step up in the Championship Game. Fyodorovich walked away with 101 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, Smallwood put up an incredible 137 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Smallwood announced prior to the play-offs that he would be retiring at the end of the season, so it’s exciting to see him go out on a high note. However, Borkus is still the man in NOLA and it’s great to see him continue to perform at such a high level.

235 Words

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Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)

Arizona Outlaws: Okay, okay, okay... Quality feedback based on facts and statistics is great, but allow me for one moment to be a homer and say with full confidence that the Arizona Outlaws are the best team in the league and the rest of you suck. Seriously, Arizona has been slowly rebuilding over the last few seasons and are finally in a place to really contend. Next season, they’re expected to be a serious threat, but no one expected them to do as well as they did this season. And yet they put up some impressive performances this season. They won games they should have lost and came close to winning key games. 6 of their 8 losses were within 1 possession. That alone is pretty remarkable and should give pause to the rest of the league considering how young most of Arizona’s talent is. And the two blowouts that they suffered came at the hands of the two teams that made it to the Ultimus on their home turf. Rest assured, though. Arizona is the team to keep an eye on in S12 and many of you will be talking about Arizona in next year’s Ultimus discussion.

204 Words

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Unsung Hero:Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)

Austin Roeneck: This season, I’m going to give praise to a guy that really stepped up in the ASFC Championship Game, LB Austin Roenick. Experts named the Yeti’s Haruki Ishigawa the Defensive Player of the Game, but when you take a closer look at the game script, this seems to be the case of over-inflated stats. Overall, the Yeti defense looks good on paper, but that’s simply because the Yeti offense couldn’t stay on the field. For all of the Yeti’s tackles and pass deflections, they only had 1 TFL, 1 Interception, and no sacks. And the one fumble that Ishigawa recovered was caused by Heath Miller. Now, no disrespect to Ishigawa, who is a great player, but the Hawks were still absolutely dominant, putting 45 POINTS on the Yeti. Meanwhile, Roenick and the rest of the Hawks’ defense held the Yeti to only 7 points.

The effort by the Hawks was more spread out with impressive performances by several defensive players, including Gregory Fletcher and Cordell Joshua. However, Roenick gets the shout-out from me for not only being a key player on paper wiuth 5 tackles and 2 PDs, but also being a major team player. Many will remember that Roenick entered the league as a QB and made the transition to LB in order to help his team. And it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t done well in that role as he’s currently one of the best LBs in the league.

261 Words