(S22) - Ultimus Week

[MisObvious]

PBE CW

[dieselj123]

7) Selflessness is one thing, but ultimately everyone wants to hear their own player’s name mentioned among the greats. Take some time, in 400 words or more, and discuss how your player’s (or past player’s) career is going so far. Are you matching any expectations you set out for yourself? Do you see yourself on a potentially award winning or Hall of Fame career trajectory? If your player is just starting out, what goals and visions do you have for yourself?

As a young player right now it's very hard for me to determine if I'm going where I want to or not but I definitely have some visions for my player and it would be interesting to see how those ideas change and if they end up transforming over the time of my players career. As for right now, I haven't been expecting too much out of my player as a tight end, but I definitely was expecting a little bit more development out of my player then what I've been seeing so far. I'm sure that is to change as time goes on and I get better but it's definitely disappointing right now to see the lock of usage. As for in the future, I don't really now about those goals because I don't think I will end up staying as a Tight End. If I do end up staying as a Tight end then I could possibly see myself being somewhat serviceable as both a receiver and as a blocker, but I doubt my numbers would be to gawky on other side of the offense. I think I would definitely help out a lot though when it comes to being able to help my team win a championship and if I get a ring or two in my career I would be more then happy to go with that. I don't feel like I need any pretty numbers to make me happy with their career if I stick to that position. With all that being said, If I were to say switch to wide receiver, then I think that maybe I would be a little bit more focused on individual stats, mostly just because Wide receivers are less multi-faceted and more focused on just getting yards and touch downs. Again though, I think the biggest thing for me would just be a championship. If I could get a ring I think it would serve as evidence enough that my hard work payed off and that I would feel good about what I was able to do with my player, now obviously you're not always in a position to try and win a championship but I would definitely wan't to put myself in the best position possible to do something about it. The Hall of Fame would be a great goal but I don't think its something I would care to focus on unless my NSFL career up to a certain point warranted me trying to make a case for the hall of fame, If I am just an average player up to a point then it would make sense to not focus so much on a specific instance and focus more on just enjoying what I'm able to do with my player.

+5 TPE

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PBE CW

+2.5 TPE

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Task 16: The royals made it into the playoffs as a 6-8 team. The coyotes where only 1 game behind that and yet did not make it into the playoffs. Our season was kind of unfair as we had absolutely terrible perfomances in away games despite being pretty solid in our home games. I feel like if there wasn't such a bias towards away games in the DSFL that we probably would have been able to make it over a team like the royals. We have a young quarterback but they where getting better and we had a lot of great performers on the team that definitely deserved a chance at a playoff run. It really felt like we were a completely different team when it came to road games and I still really think that that is a problem that needs to be adressed. I wish I could have performed better to help out the team, but we weren't even really given a chance when we would constantly have dropped passes every game no matter what we tried to do. I don't know if we would have beat some of the top performing teams but I think we definitely could have at least been playoff contenders. Perhaps not the best, but better then we showed.

Total UW TPE: 7.5

[ADwyer87]

SHL PT
Username: Your Mothers Favorite Goalie

[Warner]

Task 8:
As a non-recreate Season 22 rookie, I personally consider my experience in the league thus far to have been, for the most part, rather enjoyable. The community has been somewhat welcoming and friendly from the start. I have been able to carve out my niche in terms of what members I generally interact with when I decide to engage in such interaction within the Discord server and on the forums. There are a handful of members in this league that I consider to be friends and/or have a good rapport with, a couple of examples being @Buttersqauch101, @jeffie43, @Daybe, and @RainDelay, which has made my experience within this league even more enjoyable. My player's performance in games thus far has been barely satisfactory, and only that, and leaves much more to be desired. Hopefully he'll start to perform better with each new update that I submit, considering that I am hoping to eventually be considered for the Hall of Fame. Being drafted by a DSFL team was, at first, a rush, and I was initially happy with my destination. The initial happiness quickly became a general sense of disappointment, annoyance, and frustration, which were due to my player's difficulty in perform adequately in games, missing a couple of TPE opportunities, and because one of my DSFL GMs (will not be named) turned out to be someone who chose to get drunk out of his mind and air out his grievances with people (one of which was me) in public chats, instead of taking up those issues with those people privately. Could've gone better, but alas, it did not. However, my first NSFL season has so far been much better than my DSFL season was, something that I am very grateful for. Despite the fact that we missed the playoffs, I am much happier with my player and team's results than I was a season prior, and I feel much better in this locker room than in my old one. So, I'd say that my rookie experience to this point hasn't been too bad. I can say confidently that I am feeling very much optimistic towards my future as a member of this league. I do have a couple of suggestions though. My first suggestion is to change the name/acronym of the league, because the general meaning of the abbreviation "NSFL" is in no way positive, and may discourage some people from joining the league due to its meaning. My second suggestion is to openly provide the evidence used when arbitrating punishments (with some exceptions, such as illegal content), because not providing it will almost always lead to arguments regarding the punishment in the replies. That's about all I have to say regarding my experience in the league so far. I'd say it's been somewhat enjoyable, and that I am looking towards the future with optimism.

Code:

481 words.

Task 10:
The San Jose SaberCats should most definitely be considered better than the Sarasota Sailfish. We had a better record overall, within our division, at home, and away. We beat tougher opponents, and were defeated less by easier opponents (excluding the Honolulu Hahalua). I'm pretty sure our roster even had more TPE overall than they did. We had a worse seed than they did, but only due to strength of conferences.. I, personally, would put an 8-5 team in the playoffs over a 6-7 team with a better seed in the playoffs. I mean, the Sailfish got in with a losing record! That is completely astounding to me. We had 3 more wins than we had losses and got a worse seed, while the Sailfish had more losses than they had wins, in a weaker conference, and still got a better seed. We scored more points than they did, we allowed less points than they did, and still got a bad seed. They allowed almost 50 more points than they scored, and still made the playoffs with a better seed. Heck, we were even 2-0 versus the team with the best record in the league (excluding playoff matchups), who almost won the Ultimus (but lost after blowing a hefty lead). I call BS. Something fishy is going on here. If we were ever to do a repeat of these playoffs, I believe that the San Jose SaberCats should be given a shot to at least face an easier team in the Wildcard.

Code:

252 words.

Task 18:
I believe, without a doubt in my mind, that Franklin Armstrong should win Playoffs MVP. It's easy to understand why. He operated on another level during the Otters' postseason run, which is something that should be respected and admired for seasons to come. The madman threw 6 touchdowns compared to 1 interception for the entire span of the playoffs, and was able to put up 24 points against the stalwart Yeti defense in a game that he ended up losing. This loss should not be blamed on him either, because it was the Otters defense that allowed 22 points in the second half of the game, including a touchdown and extra point with 38 seconds left in the game, which allowed them to come out on top against the electrifying Otters offense. Not only that, but Armstrong won Offensive POG against 2 out of 3 of the Otters postseason opponents, and threw for ~200 yards in both of those games. He was also even able to put in some work on the ground as well, rushing for well over 50 yards for the entire postseason, which is something that I consider to be very impressive for an aging Quarterback. Despite his archetype saying otherwise, Franklin Armstrong is much, much more than a game manager, and is instead the catalyst of the Otters' record-breaking offense, and should be rewarded as such. And what better reward to give him for his efforts than Playoffs MVP? No further objections Your Honor. I rest my case.

Code:

252 words.

[gargaroff]

Task 4

Having joint the league last season, I have no idea about the league's or especially the teams' history. One team however, doesn't even have any real history to begin with: the expansion team London Royals. As an expansion team they are young and of course one of the weakest teams so far. So for them to step up from one of the weakest teams to almost winning the Ultimini, is something incredible to behold, even in the a league as volatile as the DSFL. So let's take a look back on this past season and how exactly they got to where they are now.

To understand how they got in this position we need to look back to season 21. Back then there was a huge sign-up wave coming from r/NFL. And one of those players was Nick Kaepercolin (WR), or Highhaschdi. Nick turned out to be one of the most active players of the league. Max-scoring almost every single week and being very involved on Discord and the forum. The Royals picked him up as a waiver and he would turn out to be one of the Royals MVP in this past season S22.

So, with Nick and a not too shabby draft, the Royals started into S22. The regular season wasn't too great with only a 6-8 record. That is worse than all other SFC South teams! Luckily for them however, all other NFC North teams struggled as well. The Pythons and even the Coyotes, who got close to winning the Ultimini last season, only managed a 5-9 record. This was enough for the Royals to clinch second place in the NFC North and suddenly they were in the playoffs. In the semifinals they faced the Grey Ducks, which had an 8-6 record. Still not amazing, however a formidable foe. Most of us would have put our money on the Ducks for sure. It turned out to be an absolute nail biter. 0-0 after the first half, 3-10 in the fourth quarter and then with 31 seconds left on the clock, the touchdown to send them into overtime: 10-10! And a field goal by Datsum PhastBawl send the Royals to the Ultimini.

There they met the Luchadores. With a record of 10-4 they were the favorites even before playoffs started. But the Royals still started off with a 3-0 lead after the first quarter and after the first half it was a 3-3 tie. And even though the Luchadores eventually won the game 10-6 after a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, it was by far not the shut-out that everyone expected. Great job to the royals!

Nick Kaepercolin finished the season with 797 yards receiving and 5 touchdown. Best receiver for the Royals and Highhaschdi even stepped up to become the new GM of the Royals. We'll certainly see great things from both of them in the future!

(481 words)



Task 7

I joined the NSFL in the great r/NFL sign-up wave in season 21 together with a couple of my friends. The start of my career was rough. The waiver pickup was quite late, so I didn't even see any play time at all in that season and overall I wasn't doing too great in training either with some weeks not even earning a single TPE. Near the end of that season however I started to get it together. I was giving my best in training and started earning my points. Apparently I impressed some of the scouts with my sharp increase in activity and productivity because when the season 22 draft came around, I was very surprised to be picked up by the Outlaws round 8. I was send back down to the DSFL for one more year at the Coyotes and another shot at the Ultimini!

Season 22 started of really strong for me! First pre-season game against the Pythons I racked up a whooping 78 yards total and even though we lost in the end, it was a strong statement to everyone that Taylor Cooper will be one player to look out for! Pre-season week 3 against the Grey Ducks I again cracked the 70 yards with 72 total. And in pre-season week 4 I got my first touchdown. I finished the pre-season with 253 yards and 1 touchdown and I was keen on getting even more in the regular season to come.

In week 2 against the Seawolves I carried my team with 109 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. More than double than the 2nd best receiver in that game. We won that game 15-33 and I was named player of the week. The Schnitzeljagd was on. It should turn out that I would only catch two more touchdowns for the rest of the season unfortunately, but I kept on improving and racking up yards: 85 yards, 80 yards, 91 yards... I tried to help my team whereever I could!

In the end I finished the regular season with 63 catches, 823 yards, 13.1 average and 5 touchdowns, putting me in the top 3 of the DSFL receivers. I am more than pleased with that. I am absolutely stoked! I never imagined that I would finish the season as of the best.

Do I believe that I'm on a hall-of-fame trajectory? Not at all. But I very much do believe that I'm on a trajectory to become one of the best receivers and I will keep racking up those yards!

(424 words)

[Tonzy]

(6) This season was a tough one for the Dallas Birddogs. Three losses in the last four games of the season meant that there was no playoffs coming to Dallas this year, and everyone in the organization was left wondering about what could have been. There is always next year though, and with a front office like Dallas has you can best believe they are going to do their best to have the team in the perfect position to hopefully lift the Ultimini next season.

The DSFL is a totally different animal than the NSFL, and when looking to the future, GMs always have to keep in mind that some players can be called up and others could be sent back down, so sometimes it really just comes down to the luck of the draw when planning for next season. Obviously, after missing out on the playoffs this year, Dallas has some room for improvement and will be making some much needed changes in the coming season. At the moment, on paper, the Birddogs seem like a strong team but there is a very high likelihood that they will be losing quite a few veterans and super-stars which include: "Monty" Jack at QB, Tyler Montain at DT, Kichwa Jones at RB, Colt Mendoza at CB and Mike Lee and Luca Scabbia both of which are WRs to the NSFL next season. Obviously, Dallas is hoping some of those players will return but if they do not, there are definitely some gaping holes on the offensive side of the ball that need to be filled.

Since Dallas does not have any extra draft capital at the moment they are going to have to get creative in order to fill the holes necessary if the team is going to challenge for the Ultimini next season. I believe QB should be the main priority in the coming draft as "Monty" looks destined for the NSFL and it was Dallas's inability to score a lot of points in their final few games of the season that ultimately cost them a playoff chance. Continuing with the theme of offense Dallas's next priority needs to be a RB with Kichwa also seeming to be a no-brainer for the NSFL. If Dallas can find good replacements at these positions, then hopefully their offense can begin to click next season and propel them into the playoffs as it was very much a weakness for them towards the end of last season. The defensive side of the ball seems to be a little bit stronger for Dallas with their roster showing a lot of depth in their secondary and linebacker positions, but the loss of Montain at DT is going to leave a gaping hole on the defensive line for the team. This is why I believe Dallas's final priority in the draft needs to to be rebuilding the defensive line that is currently riddled with in-actives.

If Dallas can add some play-makers on offense, as well as fill the holes on defense, then it is not far-fetched for them to make a run at the Ultimini next year; but there is no doubt that they will consistently be a competitive team for years to come in the DSFL. The possibility of losing up to six or seven players for the coming season who all play a crucial role on the team can be a seemingly overwhelming obstacle for some, but if anyone can handle this challenge, it's the Birddogs. Just last season the Birddogs had 11 picks taken in the first 3 rounds of the NSFL draft, and they were able to retool and put together an entirely active starting lineup, a feat that would be considered impressive by pretty much anyone in the league, so as the draft approaches this year I am sure Dallas is up for the challenge.


(8) I just am going to come right out and say that I have absolutely loved my time in the league so far. The community has been so friendly and welcoming and that is huge for me because I have never done a sim league before or anything forum based for that matter. I was definitely pretty clueless when I first started but thankfully Amidships, Kyrampac, Attopax, Steg, and even Sylphreni have all been incredibly helpful throughout this new experience. Of course I have known a few of those people prior to even joining the league but their willingness to help me at the beginning has made it possible for me to get as plugged in as I am right now.

It was really intimidating at first trying to figure out how to operate the forums and to make sure I was doing all the things that needed to be done; and I would not be lying if I said that without help I probably would not have stuck with it. But after Amidships took the time to show me how things worked, I was honestly hooked. I would encourage every team to find themselves a guy like Amidships and have them be a strong presence in their locker-room to help the new guys out. I truly believe that if most people can get through the learning curve they would be just as hooked on the league as I am now and not become inactive after only a month or two.

Another thing that I would encourage all rookies to do is to make sure that they pick the brains of the veterans and other guys who have been around for a long time now. Coming into the league I had no idea about a lot of the history and that can make some of the Point Tasks difficult to complete, which in turn can cause people to not complete them; not because they do not want to but just simply because they do not know what to say or how to even find the information they need to earn that TPE. That is where Steg and even Sylphreni have been helpful to me. Even though I have only talked with them a little bit, Steg was so helpful in explaining a lot of the history of the Birddogs to me and Sylph was really informative when it came to questions I had about the different opportunities in the league and ways I can take Maverick Bowie even farther.

Since I have not been drafted yet I cannot speak to what it feels like to be drafted but I can comment on how cool it has been to be scouted leading up to the DSFL Draft; though, I do have to acknowledge how painful it is having to wait weeks to figure out where your player is going to end up. My early experience with Maverick Bowie has been great and as a guy who had his heart set on being a QB, I have to say that I encourage everyone to be a bit more open to trying a position that maybe you would not have thought of before. There are so many ways a player can make an impact on the game, and it is really a good feeling to play at a position that is not really over-saturated which also allows your player to really feel needed on the team. As far as comments or suggestions for the league I think that just making sure people are checking in on the rookies and maybe even helping them learn how to navigate discord or the forums can be a huge plus and keep people involved. Overall though, I am excited to be apart of this league and community and I hope be here for a long time to come.

[BWIII]

Task 4
It's down to the final four teams in both leagues and I have to choose a playoff team that is not my own from either of the leagues and recount how they got to where they were talking about what challenges and hurdles they might have faced in the regular season, if they cruised to home field advantage or had to fight off contenders for a wild card spot, and if they were led by MVP players on offense or if they had a stifling defense that propelled them to success, so naturally I am choosing the team that won it all in the Colorado Yeti. Now looking at their team the first case presented to us, MVPs on offense, we can obviously see that that isn't the case. McDummy was mediocre at best at quarterback and was kind of a hindrance to his team to be honest and Michael Vincent was about as bad as you could be running the ball. For their receivers, Bishop, Owens, Arrow, Lim, and Sauce were all terrible and some might argue that they were just a product of the person throwing them the ball, but at the same time they really didn't get any separation on their routes and give McDummy something to throw to. Basically boiling their offense down they sucked from top to bottom and it's kind of amazing that Colorado did as well as they did this past season. Now switching to the defensive side of the ball they were absolutely stellar. I mean if you want to compare this team to any team in history over any league they were obviously the 2000 Ravens caring McDummy and that mediocre offense kicking and screaming. Mo Berry & Bubba Thumper were a force to reckon with as they got to opposing quarterbacks with ease disrupting plays while Scott and Kirby cleaned up any pass on the back end. in fact Mo Berry was the MVP of the entire Yeti team this year if we're being perfectly honest because Colorado would have done nowhere near as good as they did without that dude. Absolute beast making that entire defense work. Now Colorado didn't have an easy time making it to the Championship as they had to make it as a wild card team, however, they easily destroyed the Sailfish before narrowly escaping the Wraiths by 1 point. In the Ultimas it was one of those storybook finishes for them where the unlikeliest of players, McDummy came up huge and threw a touchdown pass with 38 seconds left to give the Yeti the win. Fantastic.

Task 8
Man Crowbar Theeks hasn't even stepped a foot on a NSFL or DSFL field yet and already they're crowning him the best there is, the best there ever was, and the best there ever will be.....or at least he's making those claims already. Yeah you see he's already making them bold claims claiming that he's going to burn down all the records and the likes of Marquise Brown, Owen Taylor, Reg Mackworthy and whoever else will never need be spoken again. Now let's not get it twisted though, Crowbar knows that each and every day he wakes up is a blessing and an opportunity to improve and get better and that's why while others are out having fun drinking and partying and what not he's in the gym or out on the field just making himself that much better. There's time for partying and having fun and for Theeks that's when he reaches the end zone and then you best believe everyone will know just how good Theeks is when he's smiling and dancing and throwing that in your face. For expectations, Theeks doesn't have any right now, but all that he does have he has met with ease. The first one of those was getting into football shape both physically and mentally and then the next was getting accepted into the NSFL. The next one on his list will be to get drafted and from there it will be to be to win some hardware. For himself as a player Crowbar pretty much has his vision mapped out for him and it's definitely a lot of trophies in his cabinet and some fat stacks in the bank, whatever he needs to do to achieve that he will as he going to be looking out for himself first and foremost and then his team second, that's the way the order of priority has to be right now. Whether that means one team takes him and sees the potential and builds the team around him or if need be he becomes a hired gun at top dollar bouncing around from place to place. There ain't to shame in his game and he really doesn't care how others will look at his approach because when he's on top smiling down on they the only thing he'll feel is pride while they'll only feel the jealousy. So take that as a warning to both future teammates and teams alike, either help me get to where I'm trying to go or just be a stepping stone to that place.

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

Tier 2 - #7

It's interesting to see how closely my career with Osiris Firestorm-Fjord has matched that of my previous player, Achilles Hondo, so far. Both players started out as complementary roles, blocking back and blocking tight end, were drafted to rebuilding teams and then quickly switched position to play a more key role for their teams which in both cases was cornerback. Of course both of them have been Chicago Butchers as well. One thing I like to try in sim leagues is to just do something different with my players than what other people are doing. Nobody had ever really used the blocking back build so that's what I tried to do with Hondo. Cornerback is much more important to a team and I tend to end up placing team goals over my own so I decided to switch. With Osiris, I thought maybe I could try again to use a less used archetype with blocking tight end but as most teams actually use a tight end, I wouldn't feel a pull to switch to something else.

Of course, in Chicago we needed help at everything and with Von Hayes ending up being a gem in the S22 draft, I was more than comfortable to once again step out of the starting TE role in favor of filling a hole at cornerback that is typically harder to fill. So as far as personal aspirations I had for my player initially which included hopes of revolutionizing the TE game with a smash mouth throwback style, those have been thrown out the window. My main goal is to see Chicago return to relevance and of course win at least one Ultimus with the team during my career. Don't get me wrong though I still hope to have a lot of individual success, but I know that it can be more difficult to assert yourself at the cornerback position just by getting more TPE. I just found out I made the pro bowl in my first season as a corner which is awesome to see and I'm hoping that I can earn my spot in quite a few more. What I really want to excel in is being a lockdown corner by racking up pass defenses and interceptions. I know that can be a lot to ask but I'm hopeful. One area I'd like to see Osiris excel in personally is the return game. Even as a cornerback with Hondo I didn't really get a chance to play special teams but I have that opportunity now and hopefully will for most of my career. I think some people like Dermot are keen on it but others don't give it as much attention. Maybe I'll be wasting my time chasing after success as a returner but I'm hoping the man to man archetype is well suited to be useful both on defense but also on special teams.


Tier 3 - #17

My pick for playoff MVP would be none other than Colorado QB Wolfie McDummy. The Yeti have been a franchise long starved of much success, so having that true leader at QB to build the team around in McDummy has been so important. You can see that even though the real backbone of the team is the defense led by Mo Berry, the need for a strong foundation on offense was key to helping the Yeti finally bring home an Ultimus. Was he statistically amazing during this postseason? No, not really. Especially in the passing game his numbers were lacking but statistics alone don't show the impact that a player makes. McDummy put the team on his back in the postseason, rushing for multiple touchdowns and of course rallying the team to one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of the league. An argument could have been made for a few different players to be the playoff MVP. Certainly one of the defensive stars for the Yeti may have deserved it, but it's hard to point to one in particular. Some people even argue that maybe Franklin Armstrong deserves it but I struggle to give an award like this to a player on the losing end of the championship game. So maybe McDummy is winning here by default but I do believe he absolutely deserves the recognition for what he has meant to this team.

Tier 3 - #14

Name: Julio Jones
Position: Offensive Lineman
College: Alabama
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 340 lbs

Pros:
Exceptional strength for such a young player. You can tell he's been putting as much time in in the weight room as he does in the cafeteria
Good size for a big lad, absolutely in awe of the size of this lad
Shows good potential in both pass and run blocking at this point in his development
From all reports an outspoken team leader

Cons:
Has shown very little development this far in quickness, conditioning or athleticism outside of pure strength
Lacking in technique to deal with experienced pass rushers at the next level
Sometimes has trouble with blocking assignments and run scheme concepts
Plays with emotion, but can sometimes let it get the best of him

Prospect Summary:

Jones is one of the top OL prospects in this class and it's not hard to see why. He plays with physicality and passion, and those are things that you just can't teach. Right now he projects well to be a starting guard in the league, he's still very raw in terms of technique and flexibility but that tends to be the case with a lot of young OL players. If he's willing to put in the work and learn from more senior linemen, he could become a starting tackle in short order. He can be a bit brash but he knows how to rally his team around him and I could easily see him being an offensive captain for a team in the future. Love the potential, love the intangibles and he's ready to start on the line from day one despite some deficiencies. What more could you ask for in a prospect?

[crow19]

4)
After a crushing loss in the playoffs, it is interesting to reflect on the Orange County Otter’s season. The clear favorite to win the Ultimus in my opinion. Otter’s were dominant with a 10-3 season, allowing a total of 234 points against and 341 points for. The end of the regular season ended with a hiccup, preventing them from riding into the playoffs with a dominant winning streak. Lead by the 100 overall quarterback Armstrong, the team had to be confident that the Ultimus was there’s. Armstrong paired with an incredible defense that was lead by Abernathy and Biggums. The secondary of the Otter’s would prevent many top tier teams from putting up any significant amount of points. In addition to their two stars in the secondary, they also had Lattimer at cornerback who lead the league in interceptions with five on the season. In a league where quarterback is king and finding the endzone is so important to winning games, the Otter’s defense should have had the firepower to prevent the incredible comeback put together by the Yeti’s. Was it over confidence that lead to the Otter’s loss? Maybe the coaching staff expected a little too much out of their defense when the Colorado Yeti’s came to town. Armstrong was great, but not the best quarterback in the league this season. He ranked 5th in touchdowns and passing yards on the season. Other than the clutch gene, the true missing piece to the Otter’s potential championship team was a star running back. Loading up on defense, creating a formidable offensive live, and sending out an all-star quarterback is one thing, but what about a leading running back? This hole on their team will have to be filled in the offseason if they expect to reach the Ultimus again. A better run game would have allowed the Otter’s to better manage the game clock and bring home the championship this year, but now they will have to wait until next season. Racking up the yards on the ground is the missing piece to an otherwise incredible team. The Colorado Yeti comeback was one that should have been prevented by a stellar defense but it was not. Along with adding a bell cow running back it would be great for them to bolster their defensive line and linebacking core as well. Putting more pressure on the quarterback will allow for more mistakes and in turn more interceptions. Turnovers win championships, and forcing mistakes will make that happen. The Otters can make another deep playoff run if they bolster their defensive line and running back core.

8)
I was originally recruited to the NSFL by my soon to be brother in law. We were talking about the woes of there not being any sports on TV during the COVID-19 crisis. He told me I should consider joining the National Simulation Football League. My first thought was that he wanted to join a Madden league, but he went in to explain that you built a player, completed tasks to upgrade them, and cheer on your team. The opportunity to watch any sport was enticing, so I went to his laptop to watch a game with him. To my surprise, he was eagerly watching dots speed around the screen ESPN sportscast style. I was confused and mildly disappointed, but his enthusiasm paired with my boredom led me to dive deeper. This is the story of my first couple of days creating a player for the NSFL. I am still learning all of the ins and outs of the league, but here I document my first impressions, confusions, off the bat suggestions, and existing questions.

In my short time as a member of this community, I have become driven to improve my player and set the goal to be drafted 1st overall. I'm hoping that this league is a fun way to make friends and watch sports. In contrast, I do not want this experience to be a monotonous grind like many real time strategy games, where you go through the motions day by day to reach the next objective without even enjoying it. After exploring the forums for about half an hour I understood where most things were, though I didn't always understand their function. I quickly learned that the is king and that I needed to earn as much as possible. Alternatively, from talking to other players in the discord, the money will come and didn't need to be worried about as much. The first really confusing piece of the league was understanding what money was even used for. Once I understood the training system, differentiating training and equipment was a question that came up. Aside from friendly league mates quickly answering questions, the most helpful "tutorial" provided was the rookie point tasks. I put the tutorial in quotes because it dictated tasks rather than teaching them which I think it could do better. At this point, I am writing media posts and completing point tasks and I consider myself well-versed in most of what is going on. I am looking to work on statistical analysis when I collect enough data from the league. At this point the only confusion that exists concerns contracts, jobs, gm work, and strategy. I expect that these details will work themselves out as I spend more time on the Discord and the forums. For the time being, I am looking forward to seeing the career of Busch Light and cheering on my team in the DSFL. My final question is, who doesn’t want Busch Light on their team?

[Skyline]

7) Selflessness is one thing, but ultimately everyone wants to hear their own player’s name mentioned among the greats. Take some time, in 400 words or more, and discuss how your player’s (or past player’s) career is going so far. Are you matching any expectations you set out for yourself? Do you see yourself on a potentially award winning or Hall of Fame career trajectory? If your player is just starting out, what goals and visions do you have for yourself?

Acura Skyline is working hard and putting in work. After a borderline historic first season in the Development Simulation Football League, where Acura Skyline certainly enshrined himself in the London Royals hall of fame at a minimum after leading the league in both rushing yards and return yard and winning offensive rookie of the year, offensive player of the year, and running back of the year, Skyline had a tremendous rookie season with the Yellowknife Wraiths that is certain to turn some heads when awards season rolls into town. Skyline may not have led all rookie running backs in yards, but he led the class in yards per carry and led all running backs in rushing touchdowns. Acura Skyline had a rude awakening when he arrived in Yellowknife for his National Simulation Football League debut. Running as the RB2 to a dominant and well respected veteran Mathias Hanyadi, Skyline struggled to find his role in an offense that asked him to move around and touch the ball much less than he was accustomed to. Lots of fumbles, drops, and frustration marked the first half of Skyline’s rookie season, but he never lost hope and kept putting in the work with teammates and coaches to figure out how to be in the best position to help the team win games. Acura Skyline may have started the season slowly, but he built up steam and had almost two hundred yards from scrimmage along with four touchdowns in the penultimate game of the season. Acura Skyline was looking forwards to continuing to bring the heat in his first ever postseason run (he missed the playoffs in his lone season with the London Royals), but unfortunately the Colorado Yetis had a different plan. In a one point stunner, Colorado beat the Wraiths at home, and Acura Skyline failed to live up to his expectations and make a difference. Maybe it was rust from the relaxed bye week, maybe it was a lack of post season experience, or maybe it was just plain not being good enough. Either way, Acura Skyline is motivated. He plans to go into the offseason and devote his whole summer to getting better. Acura Skyline wants to be one of the greats, and to get there he plans to bring his trainer and a few training partners to a house he rented in rural Arkansas that has no internet and no television. He wants to be in an environment where there are no distractions, and all there is to do is work on his game. Wake up, eat breakfast, hit the gym, have lunch, do some skill training, take a nap, work on conditioning, sleep, and repeat. While most might view it as a grueling and no-fun way to spend a hard earned vacation, Skyline has bigger aspirations on his mind. Next year, when he finds himself lined up in a do or die playoff elimination game, he knows that he will live up to the expectations. And he knows he will end up as one of the greats.
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8) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S22 class and later. In 400 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented?

This league is so much fun. I’m not even giving lip service, it is a total blast. I have never participated in any type of simulation sports league, and was pretty skeptical when I first heard about something that was “half Madden career mode and half Dungeons and Dragons”, but figured that with a quiet last semester of law school and a disease all over the world that basically shut going outside down it was worth giving a shot. It took me a while to get a feel for the forum and I’m still unable to navigate the main NSFL discord (too much content too fast), but seeing my weird little hockey puck with the number 17 written on it dance around defenders and blast into the endzone three times a week was weirdly thrilling. It feels like the work you do in the league to get TPE and build up your player really pays off, and there’s a true sense of achievement when it pays off on the field. Now, maybe if Acura Skyline did not perform as well as he has I would not be so into it (killed it in the DSFL and made the pro bowl in my first NSFL season), but I do not think that is the case. I have been pretty involved in the locker rooms and enjoyed shooting the breeze, and have taken on a handful of jobs that I have really enjoyed. HO Intern was a super fun experience, because I got the chance to get some insight into how the league is run that I can use in the future in other roles. I also really liked Data Mining for Bigred and the events team, because it let me really see how a lot of players who normally I did not check out in the index were performing. Finally, I am in a new role that I think is a really good fit for me: Banking Head. Bwestfield did a great job with it, and I want to continue keeping that energy and giving back to this league in a way that makes it as fun for other people as it has been for me. I do not know what the future looks like, but I really enjoy being a Yellowknife Wraith (did a lot of googling about Yellowknife, there are some interesting facts about it, you can check out twitter where I have posted some), and really enjoyed having such a winning season, but am looking forward to future post season runs and a real trip to the Ultimus. Right now, championship is the goal. I want to see an edited photo of Adam Sandler on the homepage banner. I do not really have any issues with the league, other than my previously mentioned issues with the general NSFL discord. It might be nicer to change the name (I frequently get unwanted search results if I just type NSFL into the web search bar, and imagine it limits other people’s ability to find the site) or start utilizing a new web site format (the forums are organized, but can make it very difficult to find things). But I do not have a lot of complaints, I’m just having fun!
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