(S43) Offseason Task

[JoeSteel]

8. Entering into the league, i had no clue what to expect. I saw it on the Reddit post and guessed it would most be raw numbers clashing together. At it's core, you could argue that's all this is. But the community around it has really lifted my interest into this exponentially. I was only using discord for game updates before, and now I'm constantly checking in for news or just to chat in general. Having the essential links up and the schedule have been amazing for scheduling time to do things. I also appreciate how nothing is ever on a very short time limit. It allows people to have lives outside of the game. Certain people have definitely stuck out to me, but it's in no way to imply there the only ones. The discord as a whole I should be thankful for. Initially, the thunder god themselves Thor was helping me navigate a suddenly huge amount of links and rookie tasks. The big block of texts can be scary, but more often than not it's usually because all your questions will be answered there! Most of my questions have only been about procedure and technicalities thanks to the very clear instructions. I've also really enjoyed the scouts who have reached out. Every single one offered their help with any questions I might have. I really enjoyed the seemingly asinine questions some gave, and they all ensured to keep the mood light. Swoosh initially helped me better understand the league and recent history. Really made me understand that I have more than just the rookie mentors to rely on it need be! It.hudz on the other hand was just fun and reminded me we're all here to do just that at the end of the day. Overall, my experience as a rookie even up to the first Prospect Bowl day has been great!

18. Initial impressions of me will be that I'm reserved but curious. I ask questions and like to be involved. I'd also do my best to be a voice in the war rooms regarding strategy. I'm as much about becoming or creating a culture in the locker room as I am getting myself into the gym.
I'm modeled after Ed Reed, and after 2 INTs in the first day of prospect bowls before my updates gives me good signs. I only had one penalty for 5 yards, and I value not giving away free yards that way so you can ensure my intelligence won't be lacking. Not only do I want to get INTs, but I want some defensive touchdowns as well. I don't want the offense to be the only ones who get to celebrate scoring!
I intend to lead by example, do my part to ensure nobody who wants to be part of the team is left out.

26. My player actually had a dream before football. Ever since he was little, he always loved rhythm. His mom always had music playing around the house. Dad was a basketball player, so rhythm was an integral part of the game to Scott's father. In middle school, he ended up choosing band over football. He loved the trombone and his complete control over the sound versus an instrument with valves. Melodies were his his specialty, and something he insisted everyone do during warm ups so everyone's timbre was the same. Once he got to high school and managed to watch the football team practice tho he fell in love. He saw the rhythm and melodies of the game laid out as they played. Had he not switched then, it's no doubt he would've pursued a career as a musician. Jazz band always interested him, but his middle school wasn't big enough to warrant one. He can never forget his mom playing Duke Ellington on Thursdays, or Miles Davis on Fridays. Maybe he should go back and figure out exactly why those days were chosen.

[slumped64]

Tier 1 600+
5: "Sim gonna sim" - DSFL EDITION 
The Portland pythons definitely had a dissapointing year, even though they had themselves a solid team. With the likes of Jay Cue III at quarterback, and a solid runningback room with Eldroh Kove and Sean Aldrich. Their wide receiver room was led but Huck Indarts, followed by the underrated Forozka Duanei. Along with the talented tight end Mike Gesicki, the Pythons expected their offense to be electric. High hopes from JC3 and Kove, sadly, their season ended poorly with an underwhelming 4-10 record. Their offense ranked dead last in PF and 2nd to last in passing, and receiving offense. Their rushing ranked 2nd out of all teams, leaving some positives in the mix. Their defense, was much improved from the offense, with their corner back core, starting with Saveour Piethons and Caprain Even-Goodar. Their linebackers have a decent room of  Spicier Ron, Sam Mercury, and Provolone Walrus(12 sacks!!!!) The defensive line had a solid duo of Bubba Hog, and Wing Gundam. The safety room was a little questionable, with the only notable player being Alex Rosen. Portland ranked 2nd to last overall for defense, but 6th in sacks. Their team looked like a playoff contender, relatively young but full of potential. They had loads of close games, with their first lost being KCC by only 6 points, and the next loss to BBB by 4. They then took another L to Tijuana by 6, and then to Dallas by 7. Their last close loss was against Tijuana again by only 5. They would take it to the goal line, but couldn't get it done. They are definitely cursed at the goal line, especially when it counts. More unlucky than bad. They were blown out 5 out of their 14 games, which is one more game than they won, which is very unfortunate. Portland is looking to reload next year and have their playoff season, with some draft picks and young talent, they are ready to prove everybody why they are good. If the sim allows it. 

On the other hand, one team that was graced by the sim gods was definitely the Norfolk Seawolves. The Norfolk seawolves ended their season with an impressive 11-3 record. Their only losses were to Tijuana, Portland, and Dallas, in which 2/3 were indeed nail biters. Norfolk was led by their star quarterback Maximus Boudreaux, as well as having a solid backfield with the likes of Oskar Clark and Garrett McCollum. Definitely one of the best RB rooms in the league. Their receiving core was led by Stetson David, along with Tyler Hunt and Max Lavote JR. They had some of the best pass protection in the league, with Brady Brady, Unoriginal Name, Brock Lesnar, Sgen Lol, and original name. Their group on the line only allowed 6 sacks the whole season. Norfolk ended up claiming 4th with passing offense, 4th with receiving offense, and 7th in rushing offense. Their offensive unit was certainly loaded with talent, but nobody expected them to preform as well as they did in the sim. Their defense preformed astonishingly better, being the number one defense in the league, with 714 total tackles. Their cornerback space was led by sticky hands, who, ironically, led the league in interceptions, along with Robert Rossi who was 2nd in the league for interceptions, along with Bell Pepper. Their linebackers consists of Federico Americano (128 tackles) Who led the league in tackles, Gumba Bad, (105 tackles), and Imbad Atnames. Their defensive line was led by Tunkha Danstrol, along with Kai Martin, and Stuffy McTackles. Their singular safety was DeRide Hyd. Overall, their defensive was a powerhouse, being graced by their lord and savior the sim God, with a dominant defense. The term defense wins championships really does mean something.

[JuOSu]

OT pass

[H0PPY75]

16. Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?

I knew Baltimore and myself were both on the rebuild coming into season 42. Baltimore hadn’t made the playoffs in a few seasons and were for better or worse building the team back up from ground level and I was a fledgeling defensive end in need of changing something to make my player better. I’ll start this with myself. In my first 4 seasons with the Baltimore Hawks I had a total of 16 sacks in those four seasons and was then asked to move to outside linebacker after losing an outside linebacker in free agency prior to the start of season 42. I agreed to do this because I thought that it would help my career finally take off instead of just sitting on the launch pad. The primary stats you look for in a linebacker or going to be total tackles and sacks. I had a tremendous improvement in both in season 42. In my first four seasons in the ISFL’s top division my player combined for 122 tackles in those seasons and as I mentioned before sixteen sacks. I saw an almost over worldly improvement when I moved to outside linebacker. In my first season at outside linebacker I saw my tackles improve to ninety three in S42 and I also accumulated fifteen sacks during the campaign. I nearly doubled my sack input and saw a fifty six percent increase in tackles compared to my four previous seasons. I don’t know if it was the main reason that Baltimore improved so much in season 42 but I’m going to say that it sure didn’t hurt them. Going into the season I saw Baltimore being either close to making the playoffs or just squeaking into them but I didn’t see an 11-5 season and being the top team in the NSFC coming at all. Got to give it up to Dude Man and the crew for all they did to help the team improve so quickly and for getting us back to the playoffs so quickly. Now even though we had a great regular season the playoffs quickly turned into a nightmare as we would end up getting blown out in the semi finals of the playoffs by the eventual runner-ups the Berlin Fire Salamanders. My goal for the team next season is that we are at least in the Ultimus final trying to fight it out for an Ultimus Championship and then after that the sky's the limit.

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Choose a team or player to write about that isn’t your own. What did they do well in the last season? Have they shown any drastic improvements from previous years? What could they do better?

For this task I’m going to write about the first team I ever played for in the ISFL, the Arizona Outlaws. It’s really hard to put into words just how dominant they are. It doesn’t seem to matter what team you end up putting in front of them, they are just going to go out on the field and beat your team up until you decide to give up. During the Season 42 playoffs and this was with just three games played ended up outscoring their opponents 109-41. So not only is this team deadly on the offensive side of the ball but they have built what appears to me as one of the all time defenses since I joined the league back in season twenty six. If you had to ask me what they do well you could pretty much say they do everything well, they can throw the ball, run the ball, they jam the run on defense and they tend to put a stop to the passing game with a defensive backfield that reminds me of the 2015 Denver Broncos. Now only do they score on offense but they can just as quickly and easily score on defense as well. Arizona in season 42 had two interceptions that they scored for touchdowns in just the playoffs alone so really it. Simply put they do everything well, it would almost be easier to start listing off the things that they don’t do well because it would honestly be one of the shortest lists of anything that you could come up with. I’m really hoping that I can start to see a decline in their play soon because if they don’t I don’t think I see a position where my player Sledge Hammer ends up getting a ring because even if we find a way to make it to the Ultimus against them, they will end up just bludgeoning Baltimore to death and pick up another Ultimus.

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328 Words

[TheDangaZone]

SHL Affiliate

[soevil]

16. Describe your player and/or team’s journey through this latest season. What were the highlights? What were the lower points? What might you have done differently? What are your expectations for next season?

Austin Morley and the Chicago Butchers had a rough time last season. As a matter of fact, the S42 Butchers, who finished the season at 4-12, were the worst they have been since Morley was first called up to Chicago in S37. Heading into the season we knew it was going to be bad. The previous couple of seasons we had better luck on the gridiron and managed to win some games we probably shouldn’t have. Couple the reverse in luck with our extremely aged defense and we suspected our opponents would tear through us like wet toilet paper. Those suspicions were confirmed by the end of the season. Even though the Butchers had a respectable offense (ranked 5th in the conference but just 30 points from being 2nd), their defense was the worst in the league by nearly 100 points against. Even the lowly 1-15 Secondline gave up less points! Knowing that it was time to start the rebuild, the Butchers traded away key players like Quendyn Quartersorm, Walter McKinley, and Xavier Valorian, who were three of Morleys S36 draft classmates, leaving only himself and Joseph Reed to represent S36 for the Butchers. This did signal the start of a new era, though, as the Butchers begin their rough road to a rebuild in S43. If I were to have changed anything though, I would have likely started the rebuilding process sooner as we could all see the writing on the wall. I expect the Butchers to finish next season with the worst record in the league and will lock of the first overall draft pick in next seasons draft. At least Morley had a respectable season, finishing with career highs in yards and receptions, leading him to a pro bowl appearance and a possible (though unlikely) shot at another All Pro selection. (304)

27. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why?

If the Wide Receiver position wasn’t available when I created my player, I very likely would have just swapped to the defensive side of the ball and played as a Cornerback. I created my player in my own likeness, and I played both receiver and defensive back up into my college days, so it was really a toss up either way when I first created. I even surprised my friends Joe and Nick when I told them I went receiver because they both said they thought I was a better DB than WR in real life. I ultimately decided that I thought it would be more fun to watch my little dot run routes and do some running after catching the ball. I still think that offense has a better “visual experience” and defense in the sim display, but I think I would have grown to love playing a Cornerback as well. (152)

33. When looking at the teams we have in the ISFL and DSFL, is there any team you believe is in need of a major rebrand or update to their current branding? Why or why not?

There are definitely several teams that are in need of a major rebrand, but I will try to only focus on two for this prompt. The first, and I have stated this a few times in our podcast, is the Baltimore Hawks. It is just so, so bland. Baltimore already has a ton of major sports teams, which is fine on its own, but coupled with the unimaginative and uninspired “Hawks” moniker it really puts it at a new level of boring for me. Add a lame color palette and it’s the trifecta of terrible branding. The other team that is in need of a “rebrand” in my opinion is the Cape Town Crash. I understand the reasoning behind wanting to leave the “cursed city” of Philly, but I think the Liberty branding was awesome. The issue I have with the Crash is (on the other side of the Hawks coin) that it is just a little too zany for my taste. (162)

[Murtsi]

1. The Season 42 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Norfolk Seawolves and Arizona Outlaws for each winning their respective championships. How did each of the finalists in either the Ultimus or Ultimini arrive at the playoffs? Were there any teams that surprised or disappointed during the playoffs? Did the outcome of either championship game surprise you at all?

So now that the season has finally come to an end, it is time to congratulate our two champions, the Arizona Outlaws for their Ultimus win (did anyone tell you it was their 4th in 6 years, I think we are talking dynasty) and the Norfolk Seawolves for winning the Ultimini. In this write up, I will focus on the Arizona Outlaws and their journey, mostly because it was also my journey in winning my 2nd Ultimus in 3 years. I will also look to cover how the Berling Fire Salamanders fought their way to an Ultimus appearance.

After a bitter defeat in last year's championship game to the Cape Town Crash, we in Arizona vowed to make sure it would not happen again. We had a great off season and pre season and looked ready to start the season. In our first game, we came up against one of the surprises of the previous season that was looking to show it was no one season wonder in the Honolulu Hahalua. They definitely showed that it was no one season wonder for them as they ended up beating us 20-19 with no scoring happening in the fourth quarter. Although it was a bitter defeat, it was the first time start running back Danny Nedelko showed who he can truly be by running for 146 yards on 34 carries and punching the ball in twice for touchdowns. With the salty taste of defeat in our mouths, we decided to show the league what we really meant.

We then went on a 6 game winning streak, where we ended up taking out some big names in the Yellowknife Wraiths and Austin Copperheads and even having some very easy victories, such as our 34 to 16 win over the New Orleands Secondline, who really did not put up much of a fight. After that we had two tough road games, first against the New York Silverbacks and then the Baltimore Hawks, which we lost both and they were not that close even. Never one to back down from a challenge we made sure to make ourselves ready for the playoffs by going undefeated for the rest of the season, reeling off 7 straight wins to end the season 13-3 and with the number one seed both in the American Simulation Football Conference and the whole International Simulation Football League. In this last run of 7 game we had some very tough outs such as Austin Copperheads away as well as the Honolulu Hahalua away. With all this confidence it was time to start going into the playoffs.

After our first round bye, during which we mostly just did Outlaw stuff and drank beer, we were once again facing our week 1 opponent, the Hahalua, who had defeated the New York Silverbacks 27 to 7 in the first round. Unfortunately for the Hahalua, this was not going to be a close game. Both teams traded field goals in the first quarter, but going into the fourth quarter the score was 31-10 and the Hahalua could not find their own Miracle at Meadowlands and bowed out of the playoffs and the Arizona Outlaws were headed to another Ultimus appearance.

On the other side of the league, the Berlin Fire Salamanders had quite an up and down season and were 4-4 after 8 weeks but ended up going 5-3 the rest of the way to ensure they snuck into the playoffs at 9-7 and the third seed in the National Simulation Football Conference. After taking out the Cape Town Crash in round one they took on the first seeded Baltimore Hawks and beat them handily 24-10. After this their dreams came crashing down as the Arizona Outlaws mandhandled them 38-14, with the score being 21-0 going into half time. Ultimus MVP was definitely Sherwin Blue Jr. who had taken a back seat the whole season but made sure to put his mark on the final and ensure everyone knows who he is by scoring 3 touchdowns, 2 through the ground and in through the air. Onwards towards next year!

[ComebackZak]

23. What are your thoughts on the sim engine? What sort of improvements would you make to the sim engine if given the opportunity?

The current sim engine needs some vast improvements in my opinion. I believe that the decision making made by the sim is awful and can really hurt teams. I also hear from a lot of people that no matter how much testing they do, it doesn't really change anything or have a true impact on the sim. No I don't know if this is completely true but the decision making part is a known issue around the league. I have gotten used to the dots on the screen although I think if it was possible to put resources into a better visual for games could go a long way for viewership during sims each week. I also think there could be an improvement for stats being shown during the game so that it's easier to read/more often accessible to see throughout a game so that you're not waiting to see how your player is doing during a game.

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27. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why?

If I didn't create as a running back for this player, I probably would have created as a linebacker. I max earn with every player and that is a very desirable position for not only teams to draft but also for users to get stats and be called up right away. I think linebacker might be the most fun position to play on the defensive side of the ball so it would be pretty awesome to play there. It is the current plan for my next player. Outside of linebacker though, I think any position that hasn't had much representation in the International Simulation Football League Hall of Fame. I am not sure of the top of my head what positions those are but it would be fun to make a unique run as a Hall of Fame user at a lot of positions. It requires a lot of luck in the sim and the right situation team wise. So maybe Tight End would be a good position to try this at first otherwise it would be special teams.

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33. When looking at the teams we have in the ISFL and DSFL, is there any team you believe is in need of a major rebrand or update to their current branding? Why or why not?

I think there are a lot of awesome brandings in both the International Simulation Football League and the Developmental Simulation Football League. Now, I am no artist although I do believe I have a pretty keen eye to cool artwork so I think there is a lot you could do with the New Orleans Second Line logo. There's so much history with New Orleans as a city and you could definitely incorporate a musical instrument instead of using a line of musicians. I don't think it translates super well in my opinion - you need something more simplistic and identifiable and fun. The only other team that I can think of that could use a rebrand in general is the Honolulu Hahalua. Now I love their colors and the alliteration in the name is great but I don't know what the heck a hahalua (I'm assuming it's a devil ray or something) but I think using a shark or a more identifiable fish would be cooler.

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165 words

cooler.

36. Affiliate PT from either SHL/SSL/PBE. The Weeks must match with the timeframe of this Offseason Task. And you may only use a max of 1.

PBE Affiliate

[Aneeqs]

SHL Affiliate

20. Written Option: Which teammate of yours is the ultimate team player and why? How does this person exhibit selflessness and put the team first? Are they a great locker room presence who encourages others? Do they play an important but unappreciated role on the team which doesn't receive much recognition for awards? Graphic Option: Create a graphic of your player with your teammate who exhibits a team-friendly attitude.

I think it's difficult to look past my big brother Sledge Hammer. The new defensive captain for this season for the Baltimore Hawks. He's everything you kind of want in a big brother and a leader. In a way he's just the big brother for a lot of us at the team. The guy is a leader on and off the field, you can go to him with any issues that you have on or off the field and he'll sort it out for you. I had an issue with my confidence early on in the season. Sledge, went through the tapes with me and highlighted issues of my game. The guy's attention to detail is second to none, so i'm just very glad to be able to share the field with someone like him. I think he's the type of person that elevates the levels around him. Everyone wants to impress him and prove that they're good enough to be here. He's set the bar, now its our time to try and surpass or reach that level

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26. if your player wasn't a professional in the ISFL/DSFL, what would they be doing instead? (Written Task or Graphic Task)

I think MC Hammer would have had a pretty good career in a professional baseball league! He's always been a big fan of baseball and even had dreams of being a major league ball player when he was younger. These things never came through obviously, but even then. It's something that MC Hammer looks back on as a sort of what if situation. He used to play short stop and wanted to emulate his game after one of his favourite PBE players, Urs Schneider. Maybe he'd end up having a better career than Urs Schneider even if its not that hard to do so, but still. This never came to pass and MC Hammer fell in love with american football instead. It was pretty hard not to get into it with two older brothers who were football crazy, so i guess it was only natural to try and follow their footsteps. If things were different, maybe MC Hammer wouldn't be a Baltimore Hawk and instead followed the footsteps of Urs Schneider into the PBE!

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27. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why? (Written Task)

I think I probably would have to go with Cornerback/Safety. I find the position so much fun and its a big position where you can make plays and be counted on to do so. If I wasn't a DT i would definitely love to be in a position that has more of an impact on the game. It's always fun to see my guys back there like Chappy and Trempale catch an interception and take it to the house, but we don't get as much love as DTs. So you know, it'd be pretty cool to get that bit of the limelight as a DB once in a while, but i'm still happy where I'm at right now. Don't think I'd be able to be a DB at this moment haha, I don't have the build for it. I'm more of a run at you full on kind of guy and just hope I get a sack out of it

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[zaynzk]

pt pass