(S25) - PT 1 - Opening Statements

[slothfacekilla]

SHL PT

[bex]

PBE PT

[ZootTX]

It’s the Dallas Birddog’s turn to win the Season 25 Ultimini. They are returning a large number of awesome players, and while they may not have quite as many send downs as some other teams, they still have a lot of good players. Returning QB Mattathias Caliban leads the offense, and is joined by wide receiver Mark Callous. While the Birddogs lost an amazing running back in Zoe Watts to the ISFL, rookie Cobra Kai is a promising replacement. Also, rumor has it opposing teams have to be able to pronounce Sirdsvaldis Miglasķēms correctly three times before they can rush the passer. Where the Birddogs really shine, though is on the defensive side of the ball. While the defensive line is definitely the weakest part of the Birddogs defense, can your quarterback really avoid the holy powers of defensive end Pope Francis or the cuteness of the other defensive end Finn McFluffface (rumor has it Finn is the real power behind r0tzbua and will soon be the ISFL commissioner). The linebacker corps, led by otter aficionado Richard Leaking, is sick. Plus they have a shark named Big Slammu. The secondary returns cornerback Byron Blackwell and safeties Lionel Rumper and Milk Mann. No one is going to get far against these guys. Finally, as everyone knows, the Birddog goes tweet woof and that's the final reason the Birddogs will be the S25 Ultimini champs.

233 words

[Crodyman]

I think there should be a fundamental change to the way podcasts are paid out in the league. When I first got here last season as a rookie, I went to the podcast section to learn about what was happening in the league. I was surprised to find out that so many of the podcast episodes were crackly hour long ramblings about the league, often with people playing game footage in the background (not my favorite thing, but I’m sure others probably dig it!)

     So I decided I would make a couple podcast episodes with higher production value and ease of listening. Instead of rambling, I wrote a transcript and spent a solid hour editing the episode to include sound effects, music, and tighten up the dialogue. I was analyzing a game Minnesota had against the Luchadores, because I thought that would be a cool way to recap the game and make some content. You can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/user-211739363-18...luchadores

     When all was said and done after recording and editing, for two hours of time invested and around 1800 words typed, I had 13 minutes of a podcast episode. BUT, I was really happy with how it sounded so I released it in spite of knowing that I wouldn't be paid for my efforts because the episode didn’t meet the 15 minute minimum requirement. I understood this, and didn’t make a fuss then, but damn it now you’re asking me to make an argument about something in the league. I felt discouraged from my efforts.

     I think the way that payouts are done for podcasts discourages people from producing higher quality content. Not all content is created equal, but all are deserving and appreciated! This isn’t to knock others for just making a casual episode, rather, there should be incentives in place to encourage the best content possible should someone really put the time in. Perhaps a bonus rubric system if you add things like:

Music/SFX design: $200,000
Transcript: $1,000,000
Clear Audio: $250,000
Succinct (I.E. editing to avoid dead air, keeping to the point, overall how “tight” it sounds): $250,000
Video (ISFL related I.E. video of the users, footage of the game, background images of threads in the forum or on discord): $1,000,000

     If there was a bonus payout structure like this, it would encourage people to go the extra mile while making their show, or at least incentivize it. This would lead to better sounding, more interesting podcasts, and more money for the creator who put the work in--the whole league wins with this change.

(440 words)

[BenDover]

PBE Affiliate PT

[SchoolboyShue]

PBE

[Drizzy]

SHL PT (username is dankoa)

[Cincyfan96]

My argument is simple: Adam Schell should be considered the favorite to win the DROY award in the ISFL this season. Why? First of all, historically speaking, the split of DROY awards have highly favored Linebackers, with Cornerbacks being the only position that is even close. See below:

DROY split by position
38% Line Backers
29% Corner Backs
17% Safeties
12% Defensive Ends
4% Defensive Tackles

So, considering that a linebacker is the most likely position to win the award, one looks to the eligible linebackers. While there are other linebackers with equal or higher TPE to this point, none of them have the same opportunity as Schell, who walks into the Berlin Fire Salamanders as the immediate LB1. This will allow for better positioning, more tackling, more playmaking opportunities for a player who has already shown in the DSFL that he is more than capable of putting up big numbers and making an immediate impact. In addition, the Fire Salamanders figure to be playing a lot of defense as their offense is still a work in progress, giving even more opportunity to put up big numbers. While I'd rather win every week, I think the more realistic outcome and therefore my prediction for this season is that Schell has a wicked rookie year in the ISFL and comes home with the DROY award. Good luck to everybody in the new season!

[SlurmsMckenzie]

The issue I chose to write about is the prompts for point tasks. I am a brand new player with no experience in the league, so my question is why are the point tasks so dependent on quoting statistics, league history, and its inner-workings? It has made it considerably challenging for myself, and I imagine other rookies to provide substance in their posts. This prompt is a prime example. The first point task of the season and if I hadn't made the decision to write about the prompts I would have no idea where to start. The party worm has much more important things to do than surf the Wiki and take notes to write a 200 word post for 3 TPE. In my opinion it's a travesty...no...it's a party foul.

Now I know I'm a larva in the eyes of the league I know, but in order to increase activity and attract new potential players would it be possible to have an alternative prompt only available to rookies? When new players, especially those who aren't versed in forum activity or simulation leagues are faced with these prompts it could be discouraging. In fact I had to make up this whole problem to even come up with an "issue" (jeeeeeez).

Keep in mind, this is just a suggestion or post to provoke a thought or discussion and this post is strictly this worm's personal belief. Party on dudes/dudettes!

[Crunk]

The Arizona Outlaws will win the Ultimus this season. Care to argue the point? Good, me too. Three things to consider here:

I'll start with the most important position, kicker quarterback. Jay Cue has more TPE than your QB - not an argument, just facts. He has had some miserable luck in recent seasons, but he is still the best there is.

Let's express the next five ISFL quarterbacks as percentages of Jay Cue in TPE terms:

Phoenix 94%
Fujiwara 77%
O'Donnell 72%
Banks 71%
Jack 71%

Only Brock Phoenix is close to being close. This is Jay Cue's league.

Secondly, Arizona was a playoff team last year (honestly, keep your tie-breakers) and expansion didn't hurt them much. Petrongolo and Miller were good players rightly taken early in the expansion draft, but smart roster moves have replaced them properly. They traded free safety Blanco for picks, but we will discuss his replacement shortly. All but a handful of the starters remain from last year. And they got better.

The third reason is their draft class. I think this was a superb class for a number of reasons, but the most relevant to this argument is the player they drafted and immediately called up to replace Blanco. Tayshawn Crunk is regarded by some (read: me) as the single best safety prospect in league history. Two interceptions in his debut game were only a taste of things to come for this rookie.

Buy their stocks now - you can thank me later.