(S25) - Ultimus Week

[Alucas]

15) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S25 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?

So my first season here in the ISFL is winding down and what better time to reflect on it all than the Ultimus week. I came here from PBE, being directed that it was fun and full of good people and jumped on the opportunity to make a linebacker who was a defensive weapon. I have met lots of people, the drafting process was great if not slightly overwhelming at first! I was able to meet a wide variety of DSFL players and teams through the scouting and being invited into their locker rooms which made for some good times. This made the draft itself even more appealing as I was hoping to be drafted but also had my hopes on some other players that I had become friendly with in the locker rooms. The draft itself is amazing and I think the people that run that have done a wonderful job on creating an event that you really want to tune in to, I was glued to my screen waiting for the moment I got drafted and it was pretty cool seeing my name get read out and the player cards created are so sick. I hope to be able to experience something similar with the ISFL draft coming up and get to have my name called early on and see all the flashing lights and what not of the big leagues. I have been pretty satisfied with my own start in the league, capturing a couple of defensive player of the game accolades and having a pretty decent overall first season in the DSFL, unfortunately we didn't make the playoffs but on a personal note I think I performed well and it is a good sign of things to come. I managed to secure 8th in the league in tackles made with just over a hundred tackles, I hope that I can rack up some better numbers in the future but as a poor lowly rookie I know I have a grind to go to become a useful linebacker in the ISFL. I think this league is well run and don't have any suggestions so far, the prospect bowls and everything that gets run is so good to keeping us involved in the process while getting ready for the DSFL, I think the only thing the league may need to do is make the move to a more recent sim engine, the current one is a bit dated and moving to a new shiny version would be a great step when the games are showing.

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13)Take a step back and predict what the league will look like three seasons from now. Who do you predict will be the dominant teams? Which young players do you think will have morphed into superstars? Will the league have expanded again in the next three seasons, and where would these new franchises be? Don’t be afraid to be creative, but don’t be entirely outlandish either.

With my first season in the DSFL under my belt I think I can take a pick at what the league will look like in three seasons time as I am playing with some of the players who will soon make the ISFL and create an impact. Firstly in the case of an expansion, I don't think in the next three seasons we will see another expansion. It has only been one season now with the expansion teams and I don't think it would bode well for too fast rapid expansion as it can leave teams a bit bare and spread talent thin. I feel like if they would add new teams then there are a multitude of different places for teams to situate themselves. I know there are a lot of international players in the league and could imagine we would see more international locations like Berlin. I think possibly somewhere in France or Australia. A big hub city that there are potentially branding opportunities that differ from somewhere statebound. I don't think it would be a bad idea to expand somewhere north like Canada either and really represent North America across the board. In three seasons time I think the league will be balanced like it is now, possibly the time of the Liberty, Copperheads, Salamanders and Silverbacks to rise. Three seasons after an expansion draft we would have seen the dust settle and the teams towards the bottom of the table make a push for the Ultimus. In the very competitive ASFC the Silverbacks could definitely climb if they make some good decisions on draft day and do some wheeling and dealing to grab some extra players and picks. But the same goes for literally every team, it just depends on who might go all in on a championship run. Sarasota ended this season on a nine game winning streak and if they perform well in the playoffs they may want to continue to dump picks for players. I think there is a good crop of rookies that are coming up and there are definitely some decent linebackers - such as yours truly, who will be able to anchor a team and become a superstar in a couple of seasons time. There are a couple of amazing rookie running backs who dominated the DSFL and whoever picks one of these guys up will likely have a star on their hands. It can be hard to predict the future as we don't know if some careers will stagnate but the best teams in the league will have the better scouting to ensure that they have stars on the rise at all times. All I know for certain is that in three seasons I will definitely be in the ISFL and making an impact (wink wink to any scouts reading this)

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[TeyonSchavari]

Task 3 - 833 words

Examining teams and their players and users throughout their history can lead one down a rabbit hole of interesting facts and incredible feats of the team’s current and former members. There are plenty of teams that have a robust historical stronghold on the league, while others are more fresh and harder to appreciate until they have a chance to make their own marks on the ISFL.

For my task during Ultimus week, I decided to look at the Orange County Otters and their rich and successful history. This was not an easy task, as there have been so many outstanding members of this organization. After taking some time to research their history, and from my time as an Otter myself, I have compiled my own ‘Mount Rushmore’ of sorts of their most impactful users and players in their history.

I would not be able to make a Mount Rushmore of the Otters without including Speculadora. As a player, safety Jaylon Broxton was a cornerstone of Orange County in their early years, winning a couple of ultimuses, while his next player Hugh Mongo was able to bring home three championships of his own. Now, once again, spec’s latest player, Owen Holloway, is looking to get a ring himself on yet another stacked Otter team. For being in this league for so long, it is astounding that he was able to accomplish so much while staying on the same team his entire sim league career. His players may not have seen the most success statistically, but the real contributions he has made are as a user and a GM. Spec is very familiar with the sim and is one of the greatest at keeping his players happy while still being competitive. The Otters have never had a losing season, and for the bulk of their existence Spec was a GM. After stepping down as GM, he was still a huge part of the Otters success as a member of the war room. As a GM, Spec won more than any other and ran a tight ship. He may honestly be the greatest GM of all time in this league. For this, spec takes the first spot on OCO’s Mount Rushmore.

The next person I need to put on Orange County’s Mount Rushmore is from an earlier era. Timeconsumer is an ISFL legend. You may not see him around as much anymore, but you will not find a person with more sim knowledge than him. TC was a huge part of the Otters success in the early seasons, helping to guide them to their first three championships. But his success doesn’t end as a user. He is also the man behind the player of Angus Winchester, one of the best to ever play the game. If you could compare him to any NFL player, it would be Lawrence Taylor. Winchester was a linebacker during his career with OCO, and after setting nearly unreachable records over the course of his career, he was honored as a Hall of Fame player soon after his retirement. For his contributions to the team and to the league, TC gets the next slot on this list.

I’d like to bring us back to the modern era of the ISFL, and as the rules have changed it has become much harder to earn ridiculous stats that the old timers were able to achieve. However, moonlight’s player Franklin Armstrong shattered expectations and became the best QB in the league for a long string of years. Not long after being called up, Armstrong was able to lead the Otters to three straight Ultimus titles. To add to this, Armstrong also nabbed a plethora of awards throughout his career including multiple MVPs. Armstrong is a sure-fire Hall of Fame QB, and his contributions as a user shouldn’t be downplayed either. Moonlight was a member of the war room for much of his career as an Otter, and these contributions help solidify him as the third face on OCO’s Mount Rushmore.

Finally, to round off the list I can’t leave off the user that created quite possibly the greatest QB to play the game. JBlaze_the_boss is the man behind Mike Boss, who started his career right at the leagues humble beginnings. Boss set countless records as QB and easily made it into the Hall of Fame. After Boss, JBlaze next created Johnny Blaze, who nearly matched legend DiMirio’s numbers in his career as well. Not to mention Blaze’s many championships as an Otter that helped him get on OCO’s Mount Rushmore. Blaze had two outstanding players, and is a pleasant user to boot.

Some may disagree, but I believe this is how the Orange County Mount Rushmore should look. BWestfield is someone else who I would also consider being on this list as someone who shaped the team from the beginning. I’d also like to mention Marc Spector, Hall of Fame cornerback who’s user RedCydranth unfortunately passed away earlier this year. May he rest in peace.

[Net]

PBE Task

[gbfn]

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9) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?

When looking at the actual roster of the Honolulu Hahalua the first thing that jumps to your mind immediately is, that the team is really young. There is no player on the team who will regress in the offseason. The first one who will be hit by his age is the star wide receiver Jed Podolak after season 26. After that there are still only two players on the roster right now, who will be affected by that. Those players are an inactive Wide Receiver Jacoby Clay who i doubt will then still be on the team as of my evaluation right now. The other one is the best kicker of the league Venus Powers. He is the second best earner of the S20 draft class and has a ton of seasons yet to play as for kickers there are not that many attributes to be maxed to be a dependable kicker for the forseeable future.
Skywalker is about to enter his prime seasons and is still far from regression. If he can maintain his earning rate he will be a sure leader for us.
If we can get a high earning wide receiver that would be a great addition to our offense as we then aren't as dependant on the Skywalker / Podolak connection. It also wouldn't hurt to get a human offensive lineman or two, it would be great for maintaining cap space and allow to maybe add free agents to get the team over the hump.
The biggest need though i would see at the defensive side of the ball. Right now we are pretty good set at LB and good to go for seasons to come. The secondary is just getting started. They also are very young still and are only getting better. Shawn Dawkins and Davriel Lavigne will be two of the top safeties of the league. The cornerback duo consisting of RayRay Jackson and Jim Waters are also peaking in a season or two. The holes to fill are at the denfensive line. At DT we currently have 2 inactive players with Bane Ka'ana'ana and Big Edd. They both are around 500 TPE so this is usable, but not what you would call superstar-ish. If we are able to sure up the defensive line, we can really make a push at a championship.
All around there are not that many holes to fill but if we really want to make a real title run we need every bit of help we can get as the other teams in the league also won't slack off. 

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29) Some positions are still under appreciated. Talk about the offensive linemen and/or special teamers on your squad. Show how they have contributed to the team, both on and off the field, and why they deserve recognition.

I want to take the chance here to write about a player on the team that is often taken for granted. Every team needs a dependable, reliable player on that position. It might not be the most sought after position in a simulation league but is vital for every franchise. I am writing about the non-football players. I am writing about the kickers. The one kicker i am writing about is Venus Powers. He is currently the undisputed best kicker in the whole league. He is one of the most efficient kickers to ever play in the ISFL/NSFL. In the last 2 seasons he just missed 1 field goal and was perfect on extra point attempts. With that performance you never get the feeling that he could miss a PAT, you just know that he always is on point and the moment is never too big for him.
Additionally he is on pace to become one of the kickers with the highest volume in his career. 86 games in into his career he has 156 Field goal attempts and has missed just 8 of them. This are really staggering numbers. If he keeps up his pace he will definitely become a threat for the record holders. In terms of extra points his record is as impressive. Until now he has made 180 of 183 PATs. He is and will be the best kicker for seasons to come.

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Reflect on the two expansion teams. How did their first seasons go? What were their key strengths and weaknesses, and how are they poised to improve in seasons to come?

With the growth in users in the ISFL we saw another expansion coming along in season 25. The New York Silverbacks and the Berlin Fire Salamanders joined the league. As expected it proved to be a difficult one for the expansion teams. How could it not be challenging? The best players of the league certainly got protected from the expansion draft so they had to pick their player material out of the rest of them.
The season started with a direct face off. In the first week of the regular season they played against each other. The Fire Salamanders had the better end and won 30-27. They also looked better the first few weeks of the season. After 4 weeks they were 2-2 and looked ahead to a promising season. But after that they lost 3 games in a row and after a close win against SJS at home they went on a 8 game losing streak to end out the season 3-13.
After losing to the expansion rival the first half of the season was really awful for New York losing 10 straight games. It was really looking dire for the silverbacks. At the end of the season however they got hot and collected 3 wins in a row and closed out the season on a high note with a 27-13 win over San Jose ending up with a 4-12 record.

[Dabbadad]

29) Some positions are still under appreciated. Talk about the offensive linemen and/or special teamers on your squad. Show how they have contributed to the team, both on and off the field, and why they deserve recognition.

In my opinion. The most underrated position in all of sports goes to the Punter position. They can flip the field even when all hope seems lost. A great punter is a defenses best friend! I've decided to show some appreciation to the player who seems to be the best punter in the ISFL right now. Dougie Smalls was called on an awful lot this past season, but he made the most of his opportunities. Off of 113 punts, he was able to pin opposing teams inside the twenty a total of 23 times, good enough for second-most in the league. On top of that, he averaged the second-most yards per punt, which of course mixed with his large amount of punts gives him the lead for most punting yards on the year. Sure some of this is due to the fact the offense wasn't where it needed to be ability-wise. However, a punter can only do so much when it comes to getting chances to kick. Smalls made sure to take advantage of every shot. With that being said I hope the Silverbacks figure out their offense because this poor guy is going to be in a wheelchair in his forties if it keeps going this way. If that's the case they better pay this man!

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26) Present your argument for the playoffs MVP. Show their stats and impact on the games that they played.

I will be focusing on the DSFL playoffs for the Ultimini Championship. I think it was close between two players, both of which from the Luchadores. Quarterback Mike Boss Jr. and, rookie WR Quavious McGrady. For me, McGrady's impact in each game slightly exceded that of Boss. McGrady walked away with a total of 15 grabs 195 yards, and 3 Touchdowns! That's just in two games, and no other receiver was even close to him on his squad. I believe without him Boss may have had a bit more trouble putting away the Buccaneers and Royals. For a rookie to put up performances like that is something that can't be understated. In each game, he showed grit and determination, and that showed in the close matchup with the Buccs where he was awarded Offensive Player of the Game. He was targeted early and, he was targeted often, and he showed he could not only succeed but thrive under pressure. I think McGrady has a lot more to show not only in the DSFL but the ISFL. He performed in the playoffs must have sparked the attention of some of the scouts and GMs up in the ISFL, that I'm certain. If he can continue to produce as he has, he should have quite a career.

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15) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S25 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?

I'm very new to the league. I originally heard about it about 4 days ago, spent a few days reading and learning a little bit, then I made my player. I haven't had the chance to do all that much yet, but im excited to possibilities. I think what seems really cool is how everyone takes this at least partially seriously. It's not like if a team wins everyone just pretends they didn't care cause its all fake. It feels almost real. Similar to DnD but with sports, and I never thought I'd find something that combined two things that I love like that. In my head Roleplaying and Sports would be nearly impossible to combine, but it looks like its been pulled off very well here. I also enjoy how much depth there seems to be. Real drafts, GMs having to make decisions, players having to improve, or possibly leave a team that maybe isn't improving to their liking.

It gives us the power to make decisions that will actually have effects, whether negative or positive. Things that we are responsible for, and with those decisions we can succeed in this league, or flame out. Unlike DnD there aren't any real safety nets here. If you leave a team, and end up on a squad thats worse, the "DM" cant just make it better for you, or try to improve the "game". You made a poor decision and, now you have to deal with it as best as you can. Maybe you demand another trade? But, now people see you as whiney more than likely, or a drama queen. This is something you just can't get from Madden, or Elder Scrolls, or anything even slightly similar. Your decisions have real weight, and they affect real people, and not just in a fantasy sense. A few bad decisons can ruin months, maybe even years worth or work.

You also have the chance to succeed and, truly become someone who has left a mark in the league. Whether that be as a really good player, or something even more stressful (yet also rewarding), like building and maintaining a dynasty full of real people that you need to keep tabs on. I guess what I really like about this whole thing is that, even though its fake, we aren't real football players, or GMs. The stakes are real, winning and losing feel real, and the realationships you build, whether good or bad are all real.

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[H0PPY75]

Task 9: I'm going to go and pick the dsfl to talk about where I think the league will be in three years because mostly when it comes to that that's where I know the most about it just because I'm currently in the dsfl with my player and I seem to have a little bit better pulse on that then where it is in the actual ISFL.  now the tricky part about picking where you think teams might be in 3 years is knowing that the dsfl is in fact a minor league system so the good teams probably have really good players right now but the chances of them having those good players all taken away from them at the same time is where the predicting becomes a challenge now I think at least in terms of the team that I'm playing for right now which is the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers I think based off of the conversations I've had with the GM  there is it they know how to draft well so even if they end up losing  a big class of players I don't feel that they would be down very long because they seem to be able to go out and  amass the talent that needs to be brought in to continue having a winning team.  I  don't know how often there is expansion in this league because I've only been in here about two weeks but I know in PBE they seem to have expansion whether it be minor league or major league about every 2 or 3 years it seems so typically I look at minor league teams building one of two ways as it I've seen in the PBE either your team goes out and tries to pick some maybe older players and they pay a little more to try and win right off the bat or what most teams do is they end up going and picking some young unprotected Talent from teams and try to build a core base so they can compete in five or six seasons now typically what I look at when predicting how good  an expansion team will be I typically end up saying that they will probably be the bottom of their respective division for at least a few years until they can get some solid wraps under their belt and can find their way with how they want to build their team do I see expansion in the future for this league in the next three years I mean it's always possible it always depends on how big of  drop classes there end up being and if they feel they need to expand to be able to accommodate all the players that are both active now and recreating or the new lifeblood of the league that is coming in from other leagues in the next three years you know what I'm going to go ahead and say that I expect there to be expansion teams it seems like that's just the natural progression for most in leagues at this point.

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Task 15: Now technically speaking here I am in fact a recreate but I was given permission to do this point task for Ultimus this week  due to the fact that my first player lasted a grand total of about 11 days before I retired in just because I was too busy with PBE and work so now I'm giving this league another try and to be perfectly honest with you I'm absolutely having a blast with my second player.  it's been a lot easier for me to build this player this time because I know people in the league from PBE  and because I  now have a fair bit of experience with Sim leaves so it's made the transition this time of ton easier I've been able to reach out to a bunch of different people in different teams to try and figure out hey what's the best thing to do here what should I try how should I build my player and this time it's been so much easier for me to do.  I think during my first go-round I was maybe in one team's locker room and that was the team that ended up drafting me in the dsfl draft but this time I'm already in three different locker rooms including the team that sign me off of waivers at the trade deadline and a couple of other teams that are scouting me for the upcoming draft so I've been able to meet a ton of people in the league already that have different opinions on how players should be built and I think that getting different opinions on these has made the building process a much more enjoyable experience this time.  overall I have to stay the people in this league or great I have not met anybody who's been a total dick or has look down on me because I'm a new player everyone has been super helpful I've reached out to members of  head office do you ask questions about the legality of what I can and cannot do prior to actually being drafted and overall I have to save the experience this time has been great I'm having so much fun building a player and in this case the difference between this and PBE is it's nice to be able to focus on just building the player and not being a general manager where I have to not only be building my own player but  helping other players build their players and figuring out lineup combinations and getting draft picks and free agents and happened to run the whole organization so this league has been truly a breath of fresh air for me because I have absolutely no responsibilities outside of trying to build the best player that I can.

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[YoungTB]

10) Pick any position, and determine who in your view is the greatest player to ever suit up at that position. Why do you view them as the GOAT? What achievements, records, accolades, or statistics do they hold? How do they stack up against the other legends in their position, and why does your chosen candidate come out on top?

In terms of runningbacks, there have been many great ones to suit up those cleats and run that football. Owen Taylor, Reg Mackworthy, Darren Smallwood... all of these guys have a case to be the GOAT. But I believe the best runningback in all of ISFL history would be Marquise Brown. Let me explain to you why I think this. So first off, he came from nothing. He started the league as a first gen player, coming in fresh into sim leagues. He did not understand how all of this worked. But he came up and he worked hard to earn. He was drafted to the San Antonio Marshals in the S8 DSFL Draft. The S8 Marshals were a super dope team. They put in work on the offensive side and set records for their performance. They were led by QB Kevin Fitzpatrick and Marquise, and on the defensive side we had Bucky Barnes as safety and Brock Weathers the Third on the defensive line. This team was serious and they were looking to run the table. They didn't win the DSFL ring but they almost got to it and they really did well in doing so. But yeah so back to Marquise. Afterwards he was drafted to the Philadelphia Liberty with the third pick of the S9 draft. He was coming into a team that was planning on making a firesale and tank to get picks. But when Brown came in, he was an immediate star. So much so in fact that he broke records that will most likely never be touched in the modern era of the league. 1900 yards and 450 carries, truly remarkable for such a young man and rookie at the time. His dominance continued to reign across the league, winning the coveted MVP award in S13. But he left Philadelphia and went to go join their arch-rival, the Baltimore Hawks. He still put up monumental numbers, rushing for 1500 yards and 16 touchdowns with the Hawks in S14. But they lost in the conference game to none other than the Philadelphia Liberty. They went on to lose the Ultimus, but it was still unfortunate for those S14 Hawks. But in the next season, they went to the Ultimus and beat the San Jose Sabercats which was absolutely incredible and Marquise had an amazing game. So yes, that is why I believe Marquise Brown is the true GOAT runningback.

9) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?

Honolulu Hahalua... I just got here, but all I can say is DAMN do we have a sexy squad. We didn't make the playoffs this year and we went 8-8 but we are on the come-up and we have a pretty amazing team going into next season. First of all, let's talk about the offense. As a QB, we have Luke Skywalker. Yes, it's really him! The guy that had some daddy issues in the 70's. He's back and he's here to lead this team as a clone... and hopefully not the bad kind. Second of all, they just got me, Korbin Brown. This is his third team in technically 1 year. He was drafted by the Copperheads, and then was sent to Baltimore in a trade. Then, he left Baltimore as he felt that the team were a bunch of betas. He's now in Honolulu, where he's kicking ass, taking names, and banging some hot Hawaiian chicks. Next we have Podolak. I'm not sure who this guy is but I'm gonna overtake him some day. I'm gonna be the best Honolulu WR there ever was man. So yeah so next we have Gucci. This guy is a stone cold killer, I'm talking a true mastermind in the ISFL. He has constructed a roster unlike any we have ever seen before. To say this man is like the ISFL's Bill Belichick would be an understatement... he's the ISFL's JESUS CHRIST. Yeah, I said it. That might be a hot take, but try and argue it. I'll beat your ass. Anyways, he and Nicholas Ayers fill out our backfield. Man is that a stacked backfield! We've got Nick Ayers, an up and coming runningback out of god knows where university and this other dude named Gucci. They are gonna run the ball faster than anyone else. They're gonna hold onto that ball and make sure that they are going in the right direction. So yeah, I'd say we're very equipped for next season. I think we're gonna blow everyone out of the water and be the dominant water boys. I think we're gonna draft the next GOATs and it's gonna be great. Also, we're gonna be the best team and we're gonna win the Ultimus. I can't wait to hold that trophy up and say fuck you to all of the haters. It will be great. Anyways, thanks for reading assholes. Have a good day, and the Honolulu Hahalua are next up!

[Mavfatha]

SHL CW

Create an argument for your own player, or for someone else on your team, as to why they should be nominated for awards. Lay out their stats or compare them to other contenders. Make a convincing case.

Ok so this argument does not actually have legs because there were some absurd offensive rookies this season - Watts and King at RB and Howlett at WR in particular, with another few WR's and QB's not all that far behind - but I wanted to try and make the case for myself as offensive rookie of the year anyways. First off, I feel like it would be a novel direction for voters to go to appease the "fair rubs" crowd for offensive linemen. More importantly, I had a randomly really nice season stats wise that compares well in relative terms to the aforementioned players at skill positions. Just as Watts, King, and Howlett were among the best overall at their positions even ignoring rookie status, Riposte was top 5 in pancakes and had a reasonable number of sacks allowed (2). For additional consideration, I would point to the fact that in a recent article, this season was highlighted as one of the top 20 in terms of pancakes all-time for a user offensive lineman. Nothing against the other rookies, but I would be very surprised if their stats fit into a historical context like this one did. Sure there's actually no chance for Riposte to get the win here, but it was a great season for offensive linemen overall and himself included.

Make a scouting report for any of the ISFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or totally fraudulent mail-in ballots. Whatever rookies get up to these days.

Derek Wildstar has to be given strong consideration for an early first round draft grade for the ISFL this season. Derek was highly regarded already coming into the DSFL, working his way into being the 3rd overall pick in the draft by the Kansas City Coyotes coming out of a college career at Texas A&M. He has continued to progress well, solidifying himself as one of the top prospects in the class while playing a versatile and highly sought after position in the defensive backfield. Derek has earned a reputation as a speed demon early on, and has the ability to cover the entire field and chase down the ball or ball carrier as appropriate. He can't quite compare to a top receiver in terms of snagging the ball out of the air, but for a defensive player he is already at the same level as his soon-to-be peers in the ISFL. He does have a few areas that could still use some improvement despite these impressive skills. He struggled in the cone drill due to a below average lateral agility, and he's known to make a boneheaded mistake or two on occasion. He's also not what you would consider a hard hitter, instead hoping to chase folks out of bounds or break up the play to begin with rather than making tackles or forcing fumbles. Still, he has plenty of time to improve in these areas assuming he gets another season in the DSFL and has every likelihood to succeed in the ISFL.

Present your argument for the playoffs MVP. Show their stats and impact on the games that they played.

I would consider Tyron Brackenridge as the MVP of this season's playoffs. His largest impact upon San Jose's run to the championship was in the opening game of the playoffs against Arizona. His 8 tackles and 1 pass defended earlier in the contest were impressive enough, but he also made the game-winning play in overtime, intercepting a pass from Jay Cue and running it back 31 yards for a touchdown, giving his squad the 6-point victory. In the second round against the Otters, he made his presence known in other, less flashy ways. Though he only had 3 tackles, he also had a key sack for the team, and also batted away 2 passes over the course of the hard fought contest. He finished things off with 5 additional tackles in the championship game. Taken together, he averaged 5 tackles a game throughout the postseason to indicate his ability to consistently contribute. He also showed off his propensity for the big play, knocking away a pass per game plus the flashy stats of one sack, one interception, and one defensive touchdown. Though his teammate Jamar Lackson certainly had a more impressive championship performance, Tyron's overall contributions were just as important, and the Sabercats would not have reached the championship at all without his touchdown in the opening round.

[KamiCommie]

9) It’s always important to look forward to the future. Examine your team, and in 400 words or more, talk about how they can improve themselves to get a stab at trophy contention next year. Are you loaded with draft capital for the next draft? Do you have plenty of cap space to sign free agents? Go through the roster and note the different strengths and weaknesses, and how you think those will change over the next few seasons. How should your team adapt?  (5 TPE)

The Yellowknife Wraiths' improved slightly from the Season 24 campaign, going from a 6 win 10 loss season to a record of 7 wins and 9 losses.  Over these last two seasons, the Wraiths of Yellowknife continue to make changes in an attempt to recover from the massive wave of retirements following their championship in Season 23.  During that time, the reigns of the offense were handed over to Colby Jack and Acura Skyline.  Both are looking to return the Wraiths offense back to one of the leagues best like it was under Bigsby and Hanyadi.  While the defense looks to looks to rebound after having back to back performances placing them at the bottom of the league.

Yellowknife had one of its best seasons moving the ball through the air last year, averaging nearly 280 passing yards per game.  In only his sophomore season, Colby Jack finished third in the league in passing yards with 4475, and is definitely looking to continue to improve in the coming years.  Where they struggled was on the ground, averaging less than 100 yards per game and placing them among the worst in the league in this category.  With a sub 4 yard average on rushing attempts, it raises the question if it is a matter of scheme or personnel.  My money is on the former, and hopefully the Wraiths hit the whiteboard in the offseason to improve this aspect of their offense.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the defense has had two back to back declining years of production.  The defense fell from allowing 24.8 points per game to allowing 26.3, and also went from allowing 228.7 passing yards per game to an astounding 277.6 yards per game.  The front seven is the backbone of this defense and continue to perform at a high level, where the current lack of depth in the secondary continues to be the Achilles heel of the unit.  Look for Yellowknife to address this issue in the draft and possibly free agency.  Keep an eye on this defense, as they should noticeably improve of the next few seasons.

Overall, they Yellowknife Wraiths are in a good position to possibly sneak into the playoffs next season and are looking to contend for another title within the next three to four years.  Adding another body in the secondary, while shoring up the running game while the young core continues to develop will surely lead to future success down the road for the franchise.

Code:

417 Words

26) Present your argument for the playoffs MVP. Show their stats and impact on the games that they played.  (2.5 TPE)

Well another season has come and gone, and that leaves us with the one questions everyone wants to know.  Who played the best when their team needed it the most?  That's right, who's the playoffs Most Valuable Player?  Is it Colorado's McDummy, with his 892 passing yards, 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions?  Or how about San Jose's Lackson and his 252 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns?  While McDummy certainly put up good numbers through the air, he unfortunately he was completing less than HALF of his passes with 67 completions on 135 attempts and ultimately came up short in the Ultimus.  Lackson was definitely productive, averaging 84 yards on the ground over his three games with 4 touchdowns and a two-point conversion.  It's obvious that he was the key to San Jose's success, as the force fed him the ball with 68 rushing attempts resulting in only a 3.7 yard average.

The thing is, neither of them quite made the impact to earn the title of playoffs MVP.  That title goes to Colorado's Melvin Murder-Moose, who over three games managed to rack up 21 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 pass deflections and an interception.  Murder-Moose was playing like a man possessed and was essentially a one man wrecking crew, leading Colorado's defense back to the Ultimus.

Code:

215 Words

PBE CW (2.5 TPE)

[LatinViking]

6) In character memory from this season

After playing tonight my last DSFL game.
I stood there on the field contemplating the scoreboard. 
19-13 it said.... The work of a season going out trough the toilet for an overtime loss against a Mexican team that couldn't manage to keep a win - loss ratio over .500... Impressive.
But oh well... That's football for y'all,some days you'll be unbeatable and the next one you will lose against teams that are happy to be there... So I said my goodbyes and walked through the tunnel towards my locker. Left my helmet and spikes on the bench, hanged the Jersey and left the pads on the floor... The Myrtle Beach Bucaneers didn't lost just a game, no, they lost players, friends, they lost the work they put the whole year.
I wish they the best, they are good people and deserve to be successful. But I won't be here to see that happen. 
After proving the league that I am ready, I must look into the future, new rivals to face, new challenges to have. 
My past it's no more and I want to thank all and every single person that put their trust on me. I've performed and did my best but just like in the pre season, it wasn't enough. 
If you allow me, it feels like yesterday... We were on this same stadium, facing kansas. It was a masacre! 33-7they probably felt like we do now... I remember that game well... It was my official debut in the league as a drafted player. I was playing left Tackle with Krishna on the right and I barely managed to hold on my blocks... We won that game thanks to our quarterback really... Somehow things clicked and even though we didn't really know each other managed to work as a unit. A damn fine unit.
Speaking of unit the highest point of the season should be week 4 vs London at their stadium. Not only the buccaneers came trying to start a win streak after a blow out loss against Portland on week 2 but London was coming from a hard loss against Norfolk and trying to get back on track... Looks like they got it rolling since I just got word that they are on the finals this season as well... But never mind back to the memory... Yeah London... It's a special place for me, they picked me up just in time for a championship run last season. And I was there for the first time since that ultimini championship, wearing a different jersey than the last time I was there. People recognized me around the stadium and we were able to take some photos... Poor guys if only they knew what was going to happen....
Krishna and I got 5 pancakes each giving London's Defense a run for their money.
So did Alexander for them, the trenches were an all out war and the match was full of penalties for both sides. One minute and a half into the match and they were already doing illegal substitutions! Can you imagine?
But that's not all... Seven and a half minutes left on the first quarter... Our Own Frank starts yelling on the face of a ref, insulting him and other stuff like that for a penalty not called...unsportsmanlike conduct they say... They grabbed us by the mask the whole game! It barely was called but that didn't stop us, for every dirt they did we pushed harder, we wanted the win more. And we managed to push and get a pretty nice lead. But the last five minutes were a chaos. Plain and simple, first we get a punt returned for a touchdown. Ok no problem we still have the lead there.
Three minutes left... Penalty from the guard playing just beside me... False start.... First and fifteen... OK no problem let's just get back on this... But some people (and the refs) wasn't on the same page as me. The very next play we get called an "Illegal use of hands".... Like they didn't deserve to be pulled from the belt around for a bit...
First and twenty five. .. Well ok let's just try to get in the game! We can do it!! Unless of course you chop block the safety just for safety reasons... The zebra look at us... Takes his flag and yells "First and Forty" ball in our own seventeen... Call it a Longshot... Just for them to put too many men on the field (thanks God) just thirty seconds left on the clock third and thirty one to go... A run... A bloody run, not a pass for big yards we decide to run it for two yards and a couple inches and then to kill the clock with a fifty seven yard punt for no return.... And those are my favorite moments on the Bucaneers... Thanks for letting me play in the organization, see you someday... It's my time to crash onto the big stage.

834 words