(S25) - PT 5 - Playoffs? You Kidding Me?

[charlit]

With one game left in the season, the Philadelphia Liberty still have an outside shot of making the playoffs. Currently, they have a 7-8 record, and they will face the Yeti at Philadelphia in the finale. The Chicago Butchers and Baltimore Hawks are Philadelphia’s competition for the last playoff spot. Both of these teams have an 8-7 record. For Philadelphia to make the playoffs, Chicago will have to lose @Yellowknife and Baltimore needs to lose vs. Sarasota. Obviously, Philadelphia will have to take care of business against the Yeti or none of this will matter.

To get to this point, Philadelphia has improved a lot since last season. Last year, they had a 3-13 record, which was tied for the worst record in the league. This year, they are the 5th rank team in their conference with one game left to play. Philadelphia’s improvement can be largely attributed to having a significantly more efficient offense. Last year, QB Brock Phoenix threw for a league-low 15 TDs. He also threw 13 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 76.6. This year, Phoenix has thrown for 26 TDs and has only thrown 7 interceptions for a passer rating of 87.1. Phoenix’s increased passing efficiency gives the Liberty a shot to compete with anyone.

[Thor]

Playoffs is assured for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers this season, having locked up the #1 seed in the SFC the team is hoping for a deep run capped with an Ultimini win. While the Buccaneers have a strong team, with a record reflecting that - the biggest weak spot (aside from Defensive End, Byakuya Togami) has to be their defensive line. The recent additions of Fergus Callaghan Jr., Carter Fox and Henrik Von Pigeon Myrtle Beach are hoping that these waiver pick ups will be the final piece of the puzzle. The back end of the defense and the linebacking corps have fortunately been able to make up for what the defensive line have been lacking - with interception leader James Hoffman as the anchor. While the linebackers have done the lions share of tackling, Chet Larson has been a standout as a versatile player spending time both upright and with his hand in the dirt.

Myrtle Beach have also found themselves with a ferocious offense led by quarterback Jackie Daytona and wide receiver Zach Crossley, though the options on this side of the ball are vast - this is the area that's likely to see the most drop off for next season, with many players expected to be elevated to the ISFL. The offense will absolutely be the key to the Buccaneers having a shot at the Ultimini this season, if they struggle to move the ball like they did against Minnesota and Portland, we can expect to see a much move competitive set of games than Myrtle Beach would like.

[yonggarius]

The Colorado Yeti is eyeing another deep playoff run this season, as they clinched the first seed in the NSFC after 33-16 victory against the Baltimore Hawks in week 15. The Yeti is right in the middle of their championship window, with most of their key players being S22 or younger. And judging by the scores they put on the board so far, the team got a legitimate chance to win another ring.

The strongest suit of this season's Yeti team is their offense as a whole. The passing game is looking strong with reiging MVP quarterback Wolfie McDummy having another good season, and with receivers William Lim, Leeroy Jenkins putting up good numbers. Tight ends Earl Sauce and rookie Dave Batista also had their names known as legitimate weapons. The running game on the other hand, looks even more fearsome with Darrel Williams and Richard Gilbert- two RB1 caliber runningbacks- sharing carries.

On the flip side, the Yeti's biggest weakness is their defensive line even though that unit isn't that bad by league average standards. The team didn't managed to fill the hole left by Bubba Thumper, who left for new York to be the GM there. However, most of Yeti's current defensive linemen are young, and a few drafts later the unit will be a lot better. (215)

[37thchamber]

Raphael Delacour chuckles when I mention playoffs. "Come on man," he says. "You didn't have to go there."

The Norfolk Seawolves have endured a torrid campaign, in the wake of losing almost their entire starting lineup this past offseason, but Delacour is unfazed. "It's expected," he shrugs. "You don't expect to compete with a team full of rookies. Nobody looks at college ball or even high school ball and says 'yeah those guys with a team full of freshmen, they'll do well'. Same thing here."

There have been positives, of course. "Yeah Laz is showing his worth," Delacour notes, referring to the Seawolves' starting running back. "A lot of people will look at the raw stats and think he's not that good, but they're not playing in this offense. He's doing pretty well all things considered."

What does he mean when he says "this offense"? He sounded a little frustrated. "Yeah it's nobody's fault in particular, it's just that we're all still learning the playbook, getting to understand each other a bit better. Emi [Rune] is a great quarterback, but I think we're still forming that connection that receivers and quarterbacks usually have. This season has felt like one long training session in that way."

Pointedly, I note that Delacour himself has been inconsistent this season, to which his reply is a deep exhale through the teeth, and a slow headshake. Despite his abnormally high proportion of drops -- "good hands" was a common note from scouts when he was recruited by several schools coming out of high school -- and complete lack of touchdowns, he actually leads the Seawolves in receptions as well as reception yardage this season. "It's a conversation I have with the coaches quite regularly," he admits. "They're a bit worried about the number of drops, and I think that's part of the reason why I've been playing on the outside a lot rather than my usual slot role."

Does he think the weakness of the Seawolves' offense will hamper his draft stock as he looks to the ISFL draft in a few weeks' time? "Maybe? Probably?" He shrugs. "I don't worry about it. Pops got drafted in the eleventh round and did alright, your draft position doesn't necessarily correlate to your actual talent. It just tells you how good people think you are."

[Raven]

Written Option: How’s your team looking with the season wrapping up? Are you poised for a deep trophy run, or are you just hoping to win another game? What strengths and weaknesses has your team shown throughout the season, and how has it led to your current situation? If your team has a shot, what needs to go right to make the cut; if they don’t, what problems need to be fixed in the offseason to better compete next year?

At the time of writing this prompt the Honolulu Hahalua are 8-7 and sit 4th in the division tied with the Outlaws. With one more game in the season and it being against the Arizona Outlaws will prove to be a mighty test. A win for the Hahalua and they finish their first season above .500 aswell as entering their first playoffs. A loss will mean a back to back 8-8 and a peek into the playoffs, but just not quite there yet.

The biggest strength the Hahalua have shown so far this season is the offense. We are currently the #1 offense in the NSFL with a young offense so the future looks very bright. Talking about young offenses, we have to look at the young defense and notice the issues it has had. Being the #9 defense in the league has proven to be a achilles heel in their season and the reason they are 8-7. Also their inability to preform at home has lead to a 4-4 home record which isnt pretty.

The odds are currently in the Outlaws favours being the home team and a solid team, however the Hahalua will try and come out in full force to try and make their first playoff appearance.

The future is young and bright in Hawai'i.

[NicholasTheGreat]

[Forty Jordy]

PBE Affiliate

[gbfn]

At the moment of writing this small section 15 games out of 16 are played and in the ASFC two teams have clinched a playoff spot.
These are the 11-4 Otters and the 9-6 Sabercats (due to a better record in the conference with 7-4 to the Outlaws 6-5 and the Hahaluas 5-6). The teams with playoff hopes still alive are the Honolulu Hahalua and the Arizona Outlaws. Both have a 8-7 record so far. It all comes down to the last round of the regular season. And as if the stakes weren't high enough it comes down to a direct duel for the last playoff spot.
The Hahalua end their season on an away stretch of 4 consecutive games. As if the league wasn't tough enough.
They managed to get a 23-20 win over the Otters the last week and managed to force a deciding game against Arizona - Winner takes it all.
So far the season was a rollercoaster. At home the Otters were a bit underperforming with an even record of 4-4. Therefore it got tough to reach the playoffs. But as the only team that ran away were the Otters in the conference the rest was pretty close.
Differencemaker this season clearly was the offense for Honolulu. They have the been the most efficient with the ball in their hands. Despite being 9th in total yards on offense they managed to be overly efficient and have the best scoring offense of the league. So far they scored 29,7 points on average. Their defense on the other hand is solid but not outstanding, there they have to invest a bit of work, but overall there was a clear improvement overall compared to the last season and they seem to be on a good path.

[Hordle]

The ducks are currently still in contention for the playoffs. With the NFC being a tight race these last two games are going to be very important for them. One team will miss the play offs for sure this season and the race is currently between KCC and MGD. With both sporting a record of 7-5, one of these two teams will be the loser of the season. 

However it's not just between the two. With 2 games left in the season a lot can happen. If Portland wins both games they would sit at 8-6 and if KCC and Minny lose both then it could see Portland thrust into the playoff spot. However the Royals could also lose both games which would allow any of the three teams to close the distance.

Negs is going to have to focus up for these last two games. Standing behind the leading rookie tackle in Alexander Franklin. Who currently leads all rookies in pancakes this season with 40. Franklin is going to hope to finish strong by not allowing any more sacks and put a couple more defensemen on their back side. Ryan is going to have to make sure to have control over the game by not throwing interceptions. The team has showed that it's capable of winning against anyone.

[Primo Berto]

I have had an eventful first season, and the Dallas Birddogs have shown glimpses of being competitors next season. Currently we sit at 3-9, so the playoff hopes are long gone. Offensively, the turnovers killed many attacks, and defensively we just gave up too many yards. Towards the end however, I believe our defense started trending positively. Our linebacker Dick Leaking leads the league with a whopping 137 tackles, on course to set the Birddogs record if he can get 11 more in the remaining 2 games. The threat has grown to opposing teams from myself and fellow rookie Pope Francis in causing trouble in the backfield. He has baptized opposing teams with 31 tackles, 9 for loss, with 3 sacks. I am sitting currently at 39 tackles, 18 for loss, with 7 sacks. I think with us rookies starting to make an impact, we have a real chance to rise up the rankings next season if we’re at Dallas again. It remains to be seen if that will be the case, as I don’t know whether I’m making the step up or staying put. I would have no qualms with having another season with the Avian Canines, because I enjoy the locker room atmosphere and I feel we could have a playoff run with some additions. All depends on what ISFL teams need, however!