(S21) - PT4 - Ultimus Dreamin’

[bex]

The New Orleans Second Line has fought hard to be a dominant force in the league this season. Starting off undefeated for nine straight games, the happy dooters out of Louisiana truly looks like a force to be reckoned with, combining a formidable defense with the insane running back duo of Forrest Gump and Marcella Toriki to win again and again. While the team faltered towards the end of the season, losing its final four games of the season, cutting it close on making the playoffs at all. However, this team cannot and will not give up. They did what they needed to do, buckling down and working hard in preparation for their wild card matchup against the defending champions, the Austin Copperheads. New Orleans is ready to make the return to the ultimus game and bring home the trophy for the people of its city and its fans. This is a team that has worked hard to assemble all of the necessary pieces to be a truly legendary team. There is no doubt in my mind that this iteration of the second line is the greatest New Orleans team of all time. Their on field talent combined with the power of their friendship and drive will give them the edge to defeat the otters in the conference championships and destroy the NSFC competition.

[Evok]

https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php...7819#pid2807819

[BadLck]

Well luckily for us Coyotes the Ultimini is still well within our reach and we are definitely going to try our best to make a run at it. We have worked out butts off and it shows with having the best point differential in the league and it is not even close. We have possibly the best QB in the DSFL in Chika Fujiwara and this only help to propel our offense to be the top in the league. We have a great wide receiver and tight end group that help Chika out and are known as the Yeet squad. Not only is our Yeet squad formidable but we also have one of if not the best RB duo in Kevin Fakon and Andrew Nova. Enough about our offense now let’s talk about my favorite part of the team. The defense. We have the scariest front seven in the league and along with Jon Bois they make up The Sack Pack. They put great pressure on the quarterback and give our DBs the ability to be aggressive and make plays. With the Yeet squad on one side and the sack pack on the other the Kansas City Coyotes are in prime position to win an Ultimini. The only thing against them is if it’s against Myrtle Beach they won’t have home field advantage.

Code:

Words: 223

[Troen]

The playoffs are just around the corner. For some of us, the siren call of the championship is still within reach; for others, it’s already effectively been put out of reach. In 200 words or more, make the case why your team will be the one to win the Ultimus or Ultimini; or, reflect on how you think your team needs to improve in order to get back into contention next year.

The Buccaneers go into the playoffs tied for the best record in the NSFL and with homefield advantage with a head-to-head tiebreaker over the other 9-5 team, Kansas City. Some of that is certainly luck - we have fewer points scored and more points allowed than the 8-6 Seawolves. Good teams get wins when they need to, though, so I have to think that our record is one good sign for a chance at winning it after losing in the finals last year. Every team in the playoffs has a winning record at home and while 3 of the 4 also have one on the road, all of the playoff teams have a worse record away. I think those are all good statistical signs which bode well for us.

Beyond the games, we've also had some really good weeks of practice. Notably, backup QB Sofa is looking like he could be a serious change of pace to complement our opening day starter of Ramos. RB Frost has had a great rushing season (to make up for his delays in processing team awards), with almost 1600 yards and a league-leading 12 rushing TDs. I'm obligated by my contract to point out that he also managed to fumble on the last play of the regular season, but he still has my faith as a great lead RB. Apollo's not far behind, either - only 5 TDs but over 1200 yards, which I think narrowly gives us the top rushing yards for top 2 RBs in the DSFL. Our defense isn't bad either, though I have to admit that I didn't exactly play my hottest down the stretch. But with teammates like Hellzapoppin and Booker doing some great work in the secondary and tackling machine Mouseman at linebacker, I don't need to be amazing every week. I think our defensive depth is a key element to make up for our relatively fewer stars than on offense. I think all the teams in the playoffs are serious threats to win, but at the same time I think we have a good chance. I look forward to competing at my best in the playoffs and hope to be hoisting the trophy when it's all over.

[juniped]

I think Norfolk has a chance at winning the Ultimini. It may not be the strongest chance but I think we’ve had a pretty good showing this season despite all the strong teams out there. For one, Skywalker has put up an amazing rookie season, being a real leader on the field and taking our team farther than expected. We also have me at running back and I think I’ve done my best to be a real force on the field and try to keep our team in the game. Our defense is also steller and with Norfolk setting the best team record since Scorp took over and with us beating MB on the way to securing a Playoff spot I hope we don’t have a repeat of last season. I think this is one of the best teams put together by Norfolk in a while, if not
ever and if there is ever a chance for us to win an Ultimini this might be it.
I think if we beat MB at home our chances are really good, I hope. I’ve had a good record vs KCC and I think they will go through, so if we manage to make it past MB then I think KCC will be our best chance. I know they beat us pretty good twice in a row but our team has gotten better and better since then so I hope for the best and hope I can help my team win an ultimini.

(250)

[Vorshayla]

San Jose started the season on a losing streak which effectively knocked them out of the playoff picture early on in a very competitive conference. However, as the weeks progressed the locker room actually became closer. We were looking for moral victories and while San Jose racked up the losses, their record could have been reversed as a deeper dive by the analytics team discovered that they had essentially come up on the wrong end of several coin flips.

San Jose has a very young core on both sides of the ball led by rookies Otis Allen and HeHateMe PickSix on the defensive side and Leon McDavid and Rando on the offensive side of the ball. Factor in that DE Chip Otle is looking to make his big league debut next year as he joins Otis Allen on the defensive line and San Jose isn't that far off as many expect.

Don't sleep on San Jose next season, especially if they have a good draft in a few weeks, something they are poised to do as they have all of their picks in this years draft and don't have a lot of valuable pieces exposed to the expansion draft so look for this group to come back stronger than ever.

210 words

[notorioustig]

SHL PT: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php...7842#pid2807842

[AdamS]

Obviously it was a bit of a down year for Austin as we defended our title. Such is always the case when you play in the ASFC, the Conference of Champions. In addition of course there was the issue where one of our offensive linemen was in the sim at 200 pounds for the roughest portion of that schedule. Sometimes, things just don't go your way. The key as always is to keep building the house. That's what we'll do. Obviously there will be some issues with the expansion draft facing us and the possibilities and budgetary issues that the extraordinary rookie class also creates. Free agency will throw its own wrench into things, as a number of players wished to set their own course this offseason and GMs seemingly obliged them, given the amount of midlevel and low level players who's contracts were timed to expire now. Of course those situations come with opportunity given the #1 overall pick we ow hold and the potentially lucrative free agents available. Austin will prevail as we always do and when you're in the conference we're in the key is always the same. Keep building yourself into position to contend. Teams that have that key in mind are teams that succeed long term. Austin always plans to succeed long term.

[Fordhammer]

The Philadelphia Liberty had a disappointing season by their standards. They finished an abysmal 3-10, good for the second worst seed in the league. Luckily for them, they made some excellent moves last season to set them up for long-term success. They currently have a bevy of picks in the early rounds of the most loaded draft in NSFL history. This will allow them to be able to begin to replace their stud S15 class including D'Attoria, Emoji and Varga with new players eager to make their way in the league. Brock Phoenix, the young QB for the team will also be another year closer to his prime, and will have excellent options to still throw to in Vuxta and Varga. Sam Torenson will also be in his prime, and the offense should start to take shape as one of the best in the league going forward as other teams like the Hawks, Wraiths, Butchers and others have their QBs begin to get deeper into regression. While it might be hard to dominate next season, they should at least be making a playoff push given the talent on the roster. All that said, the Liberty should be contenders for the next several seasons in the league.

[Number 82]

Finishing with an 8-6 record, the Portland Pythons enter the playoffs having finished the regular season in 2nd place in the DSFL North. Coming into the season, an emphasis was placed on the defensive side of the ball as a remedy to what was the leagues worst defense a season ago. As the saying goes, defense wins championships. The drafting of defensive talent in conjunction with the returning defensive players from a season ago has seen the Pythons defense improve, having allowed the fewest points in the regular season.

The Pythons defensive unit also finished the regular season leading the league in tackles for loss, racking up 65 over the course of the season. This is 11 clear of the team in second. The defensive unit has also had success in rushing the passer finishing with the second most sacks having racked up 32 sacks on the season.

In terms of forcing turnovers, the Pythons defensive unit managed to force 10 fumbles which put them in a tie for second. Opposing quarterbacks will need to be careful with their passing as they’ll be facing the defense that recorded the most interceptions in the regular season with 15.

Heading into the playoffs of the back of 2 wins, the Pythons are looking to carry that moment forward and put together what hopefully will be a successful run at the Ultimini.

Code:

229 words