(S43) Offseason Task

[Tesla]

Task 7 - 600+ Words - 10 TPE

So for this Offseason Task given Cross-Eriksen is coming close to the end of her career I decided to start a sort of career review for her comparing her to a couple of former safeties in the league to see how her career has stacked up in comparison to theirs. The safeties in question being Matt Cross and Wesley Eriksen for reasons that should be obvious if you know her backstory, but in case you do not they are her adoptive fathers who taught her how to play safety. Now I am just going to dive right in from her starting at their respective first seasons.

Back in S22 a whole league name and sim ago the exciting safety duo for the Liberty popped onto the scene with Cross getting 62 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 4 passes defended in just 13 games. Eriksen had a slightly slower start with 53 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 3 sacks, and 4 passes in the same 13 games. Cross-Eriksen back in S34 meanwhile had 50 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 11 passes defended albeit in 16 games making for an overall worse start in the tackling department at least. She had 50% more interceptions and almost 200% more passes defended in just about 20% more games which means she definitely did better in the coverage department in my book, and that is admittedly what I most care about for her. The sim change probably had a hand in that, but I am not invested enough to dig deep into that at this time.

Now for their respective second seasons things become much easier to compare as they all played 16 games courtesy of the adjustment of the surrounding league environment. Cross came into his sophomore season swinging with 119 tackles, a tackle for loss, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 12 passes defended. Eriksen meanwhile put up 84 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 5 passes defended, and a defensive touchdown. Cross-Eriksen after an amazing start had a sophomore slump by comparison with 52 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, 5 passes defended, and 1 defensive touchdown. So after two seasons the leader in tackles is Matt Cross with 181, tackles for loss Cross with 1, forced fumbles Cross with 4, fumble recoveries is Cross-Eriksen with 3, sacks is Eriksen with 8, interceptions is Cross with 5, passes defended is a tie between Cross and Cross-Eriksen at 16, and defensive touchdowns is another tie with Eriksen and Cross-Eriksen at just 1 total.

We are now into S24 and S36 with the third seasons of the trio. Cross comes in with 79 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 recoveries, 4 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 4 passes defended. Eriksen wins the tackle crown with 133, tackles for loss with 3, also has 1 forced fumble, 1 sack, and 8 passes defended. Cross-Eriksen meanwhile is mediocre with 82 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 9 passes defended. Now summing up their first three seasons Eriksen leapfrogs Cross for the tackle crown with 270 to 260, Eriksen does the same with tackles for loss with 3 to 1, Cross keeps the forced fumble lead with 5, Cross holds the fumble recovery crown with 4, Cross holds the sack crown with 10, Cross holds the interception crown with 8, Cross-Eriksen gets just one nod of approval with 25 passes defended to 20 for Cross and 17 for Eriksen, and Cross-Eriksen and Eriksen remain tied at 1 defensive touchdown each.

Now for the fourth seasons for our trio which occurred in S25 and S37 for the predecessors and their successor. Cross has the most tackles with 97 to Eriksen's 87 and Cross-Eriksen's meager 68. Cross-Eriksen and Eriksen tie with 1 tackle for loss each. Eriksen wins the fumble recovery race with a whopping 1 over the others zip. Sacks everybody took a step forward with Eriksen racking up 8, Cross collecting 6, and Cross-Eriksen managing to triple her career total with 4 on the season. Interceptions Cross-Eriksen takes the crown again with 3, followed by Cross' 2, and Eriksen's 1 puts him in third place. Passes defended sees a similar layout with Cross-Eriksen winning with 9, Cross getting silver with 5, and Eriksen's 3 being in clear last place. Now when it comes to totals this is a fun season as Cross and Eriksen tie with the tackle lead at 357 each beating out Cross-Eriksens 252. Eriksen holds the tackle for loss lead with 4 over Cross and Cross-Eriksen who are tied with just 1 each. Cross holds the forced fumble record alone with 5 to beat out Eriksen's 4 and Cross-Eriksen's 2. Cross keeps the fumble recovery crown with 4 over Cross-Eriksen's 3 and over Eriksen's 2. Sacks saw Eriksen with a small lead of 17 to beat Cross' 16, and they both manhandle Cross-Eriksen's 6 total. Cross caught the most passes with 10 interceptions, beating out Cross-Eriksen's 9 by a small margin, and Eriksen's 4 by a far more reasonable margin. Passes defended though continued to be Cross-Eriksen's shining spot with 34 beating out Cross' 25 and Eriksen's 20 by an average of double digits. Still Cross-Eriksen and Eriksen remain tied with just 1 defensive touchdown each.

Through four seasons I am comfortable saying Cross-Eriksen's coverage skills could definitely compete with her predecessors, but her tackling talents leave a lot to be desired at this point. That said I think I have done enough for this particular Offseason Task, and so I will be back next time probably with their 5th through 7th seasons. Then I can do one more with their 8th through 10th seasons.

Thanks for your time and I will see you next time!

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Word Count: 971

[Void_DCXI]

7.

Donte Darius has had a long and arduous journey to ISFL stardom. He is about to enter his 5th season with the team that drafted him, the New York Silverbacks. But how exactly did he end up here? Darius was one of the best athletes to ever come out of LSU, as a track and field sensation in high school, he played both offense and defense. When he committed to LSU, he did so listed as an athlete, and his true position would come later on. Darius was slotted in at every defensive position at some point during his LSU career. At cornerback, he was a ballhawk, breaking up passes and forcing turnovers. As a pass rusher, he excelled at beating blocks and getting to the cornerback. Manning the middle, he wrapped up all who dared pass his way. He entered the DSFL as a waiver pickup in Season 37. In 4 games with the Minnesota Grey Ducks, he performed admirably, racking up 27 tackles, a forced fumble, a sack, and a pass breakup. This was enough to get him drafted in the 2nd round of the S38 DSFL draft by the Dallas Birddogs. His Birddogs career was underwhelming at best, putting up just 29 tackles, a TFL, and 3 sacks while starting all 14 games. The Silverbacks valued talent above production though, and made him the 11th overall pick in the S39 ISFL draft. Donte was called up immediately, but you don’t get awards overnight. He struggled his rookie season, but still managed 91 tackles, 3 TFL, a sack, and an interception. Slotted as the inside linebacker on the depth chart, Darius knew that he wasn’t going to have the flashiest stats, but that’s okay. He values team success over individual accolades. The team however, was not successful. They went 6-9-1, which isn’t terrible, but they were far from being considered contenders. In season 40, the team did even worse, finishing an abysmal 4-12. Darius however, found some more success. He notched 107 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 2 sacks. He was starting to get noticed around the league as a playmaking inside linebacker, who in just his 2nd season was putting up top 10 ILB numbers. The Silverbacks improved to 7-9 in Season 41 off the back of a very strong defensive unit. The linebacker corps especially was the heart and soul of the defense, accounting for a large chunk of the defense’s success. Darius enjoyed the best season of his career, with 110 tackles, 2 TFL, a forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, and 4 sacks. At this point, Darius was now considered one of the best inside linebackers in the game, and with a great all-around statline, he was rewarded with his first pro bowl nod, as well as being named a 2nd team all-pro. Heading into his 4th season, Darius was determined to build upon the success of yesteryear, and make his way to the first team all-pro. The silverbacks started the year 3-4, with an outside chance at making the playoffs. But New York went on a tear, finishing 11-5 with one of the best point differentials in the league. Darius regressed slightly from the year prior however, putting up just 93 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Not a bad year by any stretch, but just ever so slightly worse than last season. It was enough to get him named to his 2nd pro bowl, but not enough to get him the 1st team all-pro he wanted, nor even getting back to the 2nd team. New York lost in the wildcard round, but the future looks bright in the big apple. With the season on the horizon, Darius hopes to cement his status as a top inside linebacker with a 3rd consecutive pro bowl, and hopefully, his first 1st team all-pro appearance.

[UptownCord]

1 x Tier 2 + 2x Tier 3

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?

The Orange County Otters were in a bit of a weird spot last season. The team is very much in a rebuilding phase with their solid yet young core of players on either side of the ball. However, they have overperformed where many (including those running the team) expected them to be the two previous seasons, making the playoffs in back to back years. The team fell back down to earth with a record of 5-11, a disappointment to be sure, but not quite outside of the expectations based on the roster of the squad.

So how did this happen? For one, the Otters offense was one of the least effective in the league, ranking third from the bottom, barely staying above -0.05 Expected Points Added per Play. The leading cause of this might have been the team's scheme, with the smashmouth heavy style of play not working as well as it had the last few seasons with Cold. Breaking it down into the stats, you will see the unfortunate amount of turnovers the team had. Journeyman Adrian St. Christmas threw 16 picks while only tossing 20 touchdowns on his way to posting the league's worst passer rating at 80.4. The Otters also lost 18 fumbles as a team on offense while only recovering 11 fumbles on defense. The Otters were also in the top half of the league for sacks allowed, but did balance that out by being in a similar position for sacks on defense. The defense also stepped up with picks snagging 17, a mark just under St. Christmas' own total. The defense in general played quite well despite the poor positions they often found themselves in, barely scraping into the top half of the league at a mark just barely under zero for Defensive Expected points per play.

So, what are the Otter's expectations for next season? The main highlight will be witnessing the play of rookie QB Lloyd Bannings as he maneuvers the Otters' revamped offense. The Otters will only go as far as he will take them, but should be around the same level if not better than last season. They will certainly be more fun to watch!
(364 Words)

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 had not been able to create a linebacker when I was creating John Stark VIII, I would most likely have gone with a Defensive Tackle. I have the utmost respect for the big guys up front who do the dirty work for the rest of the defense. What they do is extremely valuable for the rest of the team, and I appreciate the sacrifices that defensive linemen make for their defensive squads. However, that is not to say that defensive linemen can't produce, three time reigning Defensive Player of the Year would certainly have something to say about that. I would be lying if I said that the potential glory of being a star Defensive Tackle did not interest me. Additionally, from a non-football perspective, I have always found that there is something fun about being the big guy in a team game. I love playing tanks and I feel that Defensive Tackles fill much the same role for a defense.
(163 words)

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.

https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid3399685
(184 Words)

[kmatt]

Tier 2
Task 10 - 323 Words:

If I was elected as the commissioner of the league for one day, and had the power to do anything, I would first create a player experience improvement. This would be making a portal for claiming updates, applying TPE, etc. These portals have been seen in many other leagues and this would make the experience a lot easier for everyone. There would be the stats, schedules, etc. Additionally, there would be a pending update/PT queue that auditors can go through, making it a lot easier to get through updates, grading, etc. With this update, I would make it so the player attributes are downloadable through a file, so for every sim, the new attributes are applied from the portal. If I was the commissioner, I would see if a Twitter clone could be created, or a social media platform that is easy to use with API so we could bring Tweeting for money back. I am also going to create more ways for people to make money, such as PTs that pay money along with the TPE, and videos of the league. I would make creating promotional videos of the ISFL a paid task - similar to podcasts, but it would be a video showing how to do things throughout the league. Another thing I will do is create a referral system that is paying money. For example, you would earn $500,000 if you refer someone to the league and they complete a specific milestone. Thus helping grow the league even more. The bigger the league, the more competition, more activity, more teams and just more overall fun! Lastly, my final improvement would be raising the pay on all league jobs, such as GM, Auditor, Simmer, and stuff like that. They need to be paid more for the time-consuming stuff they do. In 24 hours, my ability would be limited so I can't just add thousands of things to this list. Thank you.

Task 14 - 315 Words:


The league should certainly expand! But it is important to refrain from over-expanding the league. Over-expansion will cause poor player count on rosters/teams and make the league a lot harder to manage when it comes to lineups. Expansion is good for the league because it will create more opportunities for players, giving them a chance to get more playtime, and a much higher chance to become a starter and grow their statistics. When the league expands it also creates more GM/Coaching opportunities, it would give people that have never managed a team before, a true chance to manage a team in the ISFL! I think that it would be cool to have some Canadian teams in the ISFL. The locations should be key, capital/big cities in Canada. These could be teams like Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton. There are other big cities in Canada that can be considered but those would be key players since they are the ones that come to the top of my head. My idea for brandings that I can think of would be the "Calgary Wolves", "Edmonton Wranglers", "Ottawa Auggernauts", and "Hamilton Buffalo" It will be very cool if we could see some more Canadian players in the league. Creating an entire Canadian league would also be AWESOME! I know it would be a lot for the league to take on, but there could be a separate HO running the Canadian league. All players will have the option to decide what league/team to go to based on the contract and anything else a player wants to consider. It would create inter-league competition when it comes to signing players and where they'd prefer to play. Additionally, inter-league tournaments and awesome festivals could be created in cooperation between the two leagues. This all sounds like a huge thing to take on, but it would be so cool!

[Z-Whiz]

9. This one seems pretty obvious to talk about. But first, I'll describe the current situation of the league which will further prove my point that this one decision has completely changed the shape of the league. So, what does the league currently look like? Well, there’s one team that is taking all the fun and doing all the winning: the Arizona Outlaws. They have made 6 straight Ultimus, winning 4 of them. But Arizona winning is not just something that has happened over the last 6 seasons. Since the sim swap in S27 Arizona is the only team to have not missed the playoffs, a streak of 16 seasons. They also have the most wins with 186 and it’s not even close with Sarasota coming in at 2nd with 158 wins. To put that into perspective, Arizona is averaging nearly 2 more wins per season than the 2nd best team since the sim swap.

So what was the one decision that lead to us getting here? Some would say it was the hiring of @Crunk as my co-GM, but I would go back even a step further and say it was the drafting of Crunk to Arizona. The reason I say that is because making Crunk my co-GM was the easiest decision of my sim football career. However, before drafting him, there were some serious discussions in the AZ War Room on who to draft. I won’t go into the details, but some wanted a different player over Crunk and in the end those users couldn’t have been more wrong. Crunk was always destined to be a GM and 7 other teams passed on Crunk. Instead of talking about the lack of parity that Arizona is causing in the league, we could be talking about the dominating run from Berlin, Yellowknife, Philly, San Jose, Colorado, Baltimore, or Honolulu. Okay, let’s be real he would’ve definitely left 2 of those teams in FA. I’ll let you decide who.

Now, I’m going to go way over the 300 words required here, but that’s because I’ve got some things that need to be said. Immediately upon the announcement of the sim swap, Crunk and I got together and came up with a plan to become the Patriots of the ISFL. It didn’t involve decoding the sim. It didn’t involve theories or theoreticals. It involved simming DDSPF to death. We simmed it all. We spent hour after hour, night after night simming and simming and simming. By the time S27 started, I had well over 800 hours played on DDSFP and I know Crunk was well into the 1000’s. So, all users who state that Arizona is sim blessed and lucky. Kindly lick my toes. We earned this. And no, it shouldn’t be expected for every GM to do what we did. We went way beyond what should be expected of users in a free to play, no real-life reward simulation league. I’m not telling other teams to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I’m telling everyone that Crunk and I worked our asses off to get AZ where it is today. There’s no luck about it.

So what was the biggest decision that changed league history? It was the drafting of Crunk to the Arizona Outlaws. I couldn't have done it without him.

34. There were a lot of standout rookies for the Arizona Outlaws this season, but the one that made the most impact was Donovan Winters. The rookie QB sensation was incredible. My man lead the league in passer rating as a rookie. Let me say that again in case you didn't hear me. Donovan Winters, a rookie QB, lead the league in passer rating. Pretty incredible impact if you ask me. This lead to him easily winning Rookie of the Year (4th straight AZ QB to do that btw). He came in just shy of 4000 yards and should easily be able to surpass that next season. He also tied for best pass completion percentage in the league and was one of only three QBs to tally single digit INTs. I’m really looking forward to watching his career progress from this incredible start. RotY and Ultimus winner. Only thing left on his resume is an MVP. He’ll have to hand the ball off less to do that though.

36. Affiliate - https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid3399762

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

13. 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?

One new member to the league that I want to talked about is Crazy Tomato because I want to tell you right now this is a special special user and player in my opinion. First I want to talk about the user. Crazy Tomato the user has been super active since coming into the league. They are all over discord, in the media writing some great stuff and obviously making an impression on teams across the league. Heck he even took the time to post some things in my hype thread despite not really wanting to. He reminds me of myself when I first joined the league and by that I mean that he shows that he's hungry. This is a user that I think if he stays active has the potential to have a great impact in the ISFL. Not to mention his username is a food which is always a good sign in my opinion. Now let's talk a little bit about Crazy Tomato the player. Crazy Tomato is a power rushing defensive end from British Columbia. When we say power rushing we really put some emphasis on the power. This is a big dude and he's got a ton of potential to be the type of rusher that scares offensive linemen when they have to line up across from them, not just because of what he can do the the quarterback but also because of what he can do to them with a bull rush. That being said, there's still a long way to go for Crazy Tomato to reach that potential. In the DSFL I think he'll do well and with enough work could even be a DSFL all pro and an eventual first round pick in the ISFL draft because of his locker room presence and playing a premier defensive position. But let's not crown him just yet, there's still a lot of football to be played but we will certainly be watching his career with great interest.

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

The sim engine is unfortunately a double edged sword. I think any player in the league could give you multiple somethings to complain about with the sim whether it's the fact that the live game is just a bunch of dots or some of the horrendous situational playcalling or the fact that some positions seem to just have such little impact no matter what their attributes are. I think for me personally, the playcalling is maybe the most frustrating. The way the sim decides when to kick a field goal versus punting no matter how good the kicker is, when to go for it on fourth down seemingly oblivious to the score of the game, or when to use timeouts at the end of a half is absolutely atrocious. I don't actually have the sim or have ever made a game strategy but it seems like there's also very little way to control this or a lot of playcalling functionality in general. It really makes it seem like the people that made this game don't necessarily even watch football that it remains a problem across multiple versions of this game. It also seems like the number of playbooks available are limited or can break the game in the way we need to work. That being said, there does still seem to be some decent customization options and the way the attributes are set up in terms of the number available and them being the same for every player does simplify how players can be updated which is conducive for running a sim league. Of course, this makes it hard for different archetypes to truly feel unique with only some many relevant attributes and only a handful of traits for each position. I personally had a lot of hope for Beyond the Sidelines Football (same company that makes OOTP) so it's sad that project had to be cancelled before we could explore it as an option. But hey at the end of the day the ISFL isn't really about the football anyways.

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

With A Waffle being.....well a waffle, and not just an ordinary waffle but indeed a human sized talking waffle, it's not hard to believe that the possibilities for what he could eb doing outside of football are endless. One of the most obvious choices of course would of course be in some other form of entertainment. I mean go to any sort of amusement part or circus and the sort of fantastical and strange types of characters you will meet are endless. Certainly a giant talking waffle would be no stranger to such a place. But alas, that's not really A Waffle's scene if you were to ask him. Some sort of marketing would be another obvious choice. Whether for his home at Dinah's or some other large corporate waffle conglomerate like Waffle House (do they have advertisements?), who wouldn't want a live waffle to be their spokesperson in that industry. Maybe Eggo would even come calling with that sweet sweet Kellogg's money. But, again I don't really think A Waffle wants to be made into a spectacle just because of who, or rather what, he is. No, truly I think A Waffle would try to find a way to pursue one of his two passions outside of football and those are baking and the library. Who knows, maybe he could even manage to do both in a way, after all your local library provides classes and services, to certainly include baking or cooking. Maybe go check it out sometime!

[bernardhibou]

Tier 1

Task 7:  Interesting league issue - football knowledge, and musings on how to increase it!

Across all of the various servers that comprise the ISFL/DSFL, the majority of our users are already quite familiar with football, either because they are fans of the sport in general or because they enjoy playing sports management sims.  We also have a fair number of users (such as myself) who joined the community on an invitation from a friend, and come from an alternative background (for example, dungeons and dragons) where they may have some knowledge about the sport, but may be lacking an understanding of certain aspects of the game (anything from basic rules to the way that certain stats are measured).  Since we are all beautiful, smart humans beings, we cannot help but gain some knowledge simply by hanging out on the server, or reading enough media articles written by friendly community members, but sometimes we might be a little bit shy about asking obvious noob questions when we don't fully understand the nuances of a particular play in a game, or when we can't look at a prospect list and gain the necessary insight to say whether we think x player should be picked over y.  This lack of knowledge can also contribute to an aversion to contributing media articles out of embarrassment, or turning people towards writing more roleplay-focused media posts (which isn't necessarily a bad thing by any means, it can just pigeon-hole people into contributing similar content over time).  I know I've been a little bit guilty of this with my Bertie interviews over the course of season 42.  

To help address this, I'm wondering whether it might be a useful/fun thing to have a 'football academy' channel on the main server (or maybe just on the rookie discord server) where once a week, someone introduces/explains a play (either by text or video) that occurred in one of the weekly games in the DSFL or ISFL.  It could begin with, say, a breakdown of offensive plays employed by one of the teams, and gradually increase in complexity over the season.  We could incentivize participation by including it as a media category, and either have it supplied by one of the teams concerned (the particular player voted in on their own team server, or decided through some other means such as lowest TPE).  There could also be consequent follow-up point tasks, such as voting for the best/most helpful explanation over the course of the season, or it could be included as part of a mentor badge qualification on the main isfl discord server or rookie discord server.  It would also hopefully be pretty entertaining for teams to see one of their teammates' videos about their performance, and could be part of a team's internal year-end awards.  

This could be combined with a wider effort to link our activities on the server with other virtual or irl football fan activities, although obviously we'd want to make sure that any activities such as game watch parties don't fall afoul of forum/server or general discord terms of service clauses.  Over the last few months we've had a couple of fun community gaming nights which have met with pretty universal approval (even though I wasn't able to attend myself), and it could be worth thinking about including more of these types of events via the sport we're all enjoying - football!  Apart from the tos-related issues, there are some potential roadblocks to doing this, chief among them being additional moderation/hosting duties required from team/league leaders, so it's not something that would probably happen immediately, but maybe we could start to think of ways to enable this without overwhelming our already very passionate league management folks.    

Anyway, thanks for listening - have fun out there!

[shadyshoelace]

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13. 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?

The Baltimore Hawks had an excellent year in Season 42, winning 11 games and winning the NSFC. This marked the team's first winning season in four years, their first time winning the conference in seven seasons, and their first double digit win season in 9 years. While the Hawks ultimately fell short of their quest for a championship, losing to the Berlin Fire Salamanders in the conference finals, they have much to be proud of in putting together such a successful season. For starters, they put together a prolific offensive attack that ranked second in the conference in points per game (fourth in the league) and first in the conference in yards per game (second in the league). Led by superstar quarterback Preston Beatz in his prime with two stellar wide receivers in Rocky Moreaux and Shane Turnbull - each earning a Pro Bowl nod, along with offensive linemen Bengal Tigerheart and Yummy HotDogPie - the team's aerial assault produced mind boggling numbers in both efficiency and volume. Beatz's 4,589 yards weren't a career high, but his 38 touchdowns and 97.7 passer rating certainly were and earned him a well deserved Most Valuable Player award. The Hawks also boasted a ferocious defense that ranked first in the conference (second in the league) in points allowed per game and topped the league on yards allowed per game. The legacy defensive duo of Linebacker Bruce Buckley Jr. and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. each earned Pro Bowl selections while leading a defense that accumulated a league leading 66 sacks and scored a strong four defensive touchdowns. The team also made a savvy win now move, trading up and coming star running back Money Tolliver to the conference foe Yellowknife Wraiths in exchange for a similar player in his prime, long-time league star Kumquat Archipelago. While the loss of Tolliver will be felt, Archipelago should help fortify the team for the coming seasons while Beatz is still in his prime and the Hawks' title window remains open.

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18. The season is over and the draft is coming up. What do you bring to a team, and why should a team choose to take a chance on you next season?

As a season 44 rookie, Lenard McRobinson is entering the DSFL draft and will soon have an opportunity to find the team that will be his home as he begins his professional football career. I've had good conversations with most of the DSFL teams, although some are more in need of a quarterback than others. Lenard will bring his trademark dual threat abilities to the football field and should open up a world of strategies for the team that drafts him to put pressure on inexperienced defenses, but it's off the field that he shines. As a leader, McRobinson believes that every player around him should have an opportunity to become the best version of themselves as a player and person and will put in countless hours in the locker room helping his teammates develop and creating a friendly environment where everyone can thrive. Your team is your family at this level, and hopefully one team decides to take a chance on a quarterback who's small in stature but big in the heart.

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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?

Overall, the brands in the ISFL and DSFL are pretty strong. They're either super unique and interesting (e.g. Honolulu Hahalua), powerful and evocative (like the New York Silverbacks), or steeped in league tradition (a la the Yellowknife Wraiths). However, some brands, especially at the DSFL level, could use a bit of polishing up. One such team is the Kansas City Coyotes - the brand isn't bad, but it lacks the punch of more singular teams like the Royals or Luchadores. I have a lot of love for the team overall, but I feel like there have been stronger logos in the past with more stylization and contrast than the current, flatter logo, and "Coyotes" is just a bit generic overall. Similarly, the Portland Pythons have a logo that looks more at home in a clip art package or Madden 2010 create-a-team menu than a simulation sports league. All of these teams have their charms, so I don't think that any are in need of a total rebrand, but some logo rethinking could help freshen and reenergize the franchises.

[Chicken Lips]

prompt 3.

A tale as old as time. David versus Goliath, the small nerdy kid vs the bully, me selling my old clothes on FB marketplace vs Goodwill. We have the New Orleans Secondline versus the world. NOLA has found themselves in a struggling location clawing for more than one win, frothing at the mouth for the extra score. While onlookers laugh and point, aka @Gumbaman and @Thor. Fortunately this is all part of the plan. Several seasons ago NOLA entered into a rebuild, a changing of the guard, a metamorphosis if you will. Led by GMs @MobiausGrander and @Jaywe88 and now @baz1757 stepping up to the plate, NOLA has begun the arduous process of creating a new dynasty.

The first step in this process was auctioning off every living cell on the team for whatever value could be obtained. In that effort the GMs definitely squeezed blood from a stone. NOLA was able to secure multiple first round picks in the the Season 41 and Season 42 draft. There was a small mix up and NOLA lost its original season 43 1st round pick, but through some creative means was able to secure 2 more by the time the draft finished. In this effort the GMs were insanely effective. The S41 and S42 classes have been some of the most active users in the league and have already integrated themselves into the league as a whole.

Let’s take a look at some of the users NOLA has grabbed in the last 3 drafts. 

S41

@baz1757 - Ezra Azazel - CB - Sure baz can’t count to seven but damn can he set a lineup. He took TIJ to a Ultimini and took the trophy home. Hard to push against this guy. Now he is cogm at NOLA? I’m seeing trophies in the future.

@toofpete - Bruce White - DE - Ok so this guy can’t sack but I’ll be damned if he can’t lead and build a collaborative environment. He may be 60 years old but that has given him the experience to theorycraft and maximize trade potential. Toof has proven his worth 5 times over.

@Ultimatedestroye - Kyle Crane - RB - Going into this I thought we had 3 picks b2b2b, but somehow Ult dropped to 20? ISFL GMs sleeping on this legend.Unfortunately he is part of the
“TIJ pipeline”.

S42
@swoosh - Dino Nuggets - CB - Two CBs with their first pick? Seems like a positional preference. I guess he makes graphics for our season schedules, that’s cool. Also solidifying some sort of TIJ to NOLA pipeline. L pick

@Chicken Lips - Hank Mardukas - TE - Yikes TE 3oa. Whiff.

@CeeKay - Octavion Speedings -WR - JK yall he is our QB now. He approves your budgets and will soon destroy yall on the field.

@Komobro- Honey Humphries - S - Komo is a quiet soul, but earns well and will be devastating in the secondary. Sorry yall, despite the honey he isn’t that sweet.

@15oa - MIA

@Sonny- Sonny Johnson - DT - This marcher makes some of the most creative player graphics I have ever seen. Coupled with a bomb render, he is undefeated.

S43

@DoubleDub - Josh Gibson - S - 10 picks passed on DoubleW? Surely now we will get 2W, doubling last season’s total. Jokes aside Dub is going to absolutely tear it up.

@IHateBobNutting - Bubba Hog - LB - we seem to have a LB gap rn, Hog doing everything he can to fill the spot. *ILoveBobNutting*

@MobiausGrander - Allister Adebam - DT - GM

@Moosecop - Kelijah Verwae - OL - Can’t believe he fell so late. He is a hero pick. At a minimum saving NOLA cap space but has already added so much to the LR. Shoutout Moose and every other GM for passing on this guy.

We drafted more people than I have listed each season and alot them have been active, particularly shoutout to the S43 gang, every single pick has made their way into the LR. Looking forward I’m not sure S43 is where NOLA makes their big move. After snagging OCO Qb Adrian St. Christmas, we are definitely better suited to a competitive atmosphere, but some of our skill positions are just a touch behind a peak team. S44 is where the real climb starts, and I think people are going to start seeing that soon.

[Dustillation]

Long Form Task - #3

I'm going to talk about how the Yeti are definitely on the upswing. A 6-10 season last year is definitely going to be the bottom for quite some time. Looking at the key players on the team Mister Hogmally is set to be one of the top TEs still in the league even after a season of regression. Malik Brooks was a 1000 yard rusher and is only getting better. NCADV RAINN is going to be a top WR while Rookie QB Wolfie McDummy Jr. is set to build on a really solid season from last year. Erwin Kemp is a savvy veteran that still has a little gas in the tank. Offensive lineman Remi Musgrave-Smythe is definitely taking the next step here to become closer and closer to an elite level lineman.

Defensively the team is looking much better. Mary Marie and Cross-Eriksen will be absolutely formidable in the secondary. Although Eriksen is getting a little old, the 1000 TPE safety still has some tread on the tires. Nathen Explosion is poised to be solid yet again for the DL and Aidan Hutchinson Jr is right there with explosion to create an excellent team duo on the line. while Svathun T. Witchqueen will continue to be a force up the middle making it difficult to run on this Yeti defense. Gates will be stepping it up and contributing as one of the team's every down corner's. The rookie is definitely looking to provide some value as a later round draft pick. Grayson Yates, Waylen Greene and Federico Americano provide a solid linebacking core at both stopping the run and playing some coverage as well. Also Orlando Doom looks to bounce back a bit for accuracy as last season was just a touch below expectations.

With all these players (and many more not mention) the Colorado Yeti have a solid combination of young players who are far from regression as well as veterans with a lot to prove still. Like I mentioned before Brooks and McDummy Jr were excellent offensive rookies last season and are only getting better. Americano, Gates, Steele, Marie, National Treasure, Greene, and Hutchinson Jr are all in the S38-S42 regression class range and are definitely in a position to be key players this season and for more to come. So expect the Yeti to be on the cusp of playoffs in this upcoming S43 season.

Evaluating last season there were a ton of one score losses. And I strongly believe with the development of the above players those will help push Colorado into the win column in those one score games. Overall, the Yeti were 3-4 in those one loss games and some teams such as Arizona were held to just 23 points and a one score game so you know the potential is there for a team like the Yeti to turn some heads. This upcoming S43 the team will be even better at key positions such as QB, RB and many positions on the defense, so overall the record should improve to at least 8-8 and potentially get to 9-7. Playoffs are also a possibility with this team as the TPE is definitely there. But the real danger with the Yeti is that most of the key players on this team are in that S38-S42 regression class and a few other players are only in their first season of regression. S44 and S45 are slated to be excellent seasons for this Colorado squad and I'll be excited to be apart of it.

Overall in terms of league setup I think the Arizona Outlaws will win it all once more and the Yeti make playoffs and face the Outlaws in the first round.