(S45) Offseason Task

[toofpete]

OT Pass

[DigDoug11]

8.
While I’m new to this league, I’m not a complete noobie to sim leagues, I’m a apart of the SHL.  Both the SHL and ISFL are very similar, so for me there’s not much that I need to learn. But with that said, at this time I’ve only been in the league about a week now and the community has been great. The main discord page and rookie discord has been great as well, both groups have been very active and friendly. I had a couple of questions in the rookie discord and they were answered immediately by gadget and a few others, that alone has been a great experience. My player hasn’t been drafted yet, but with the draft for the DSFL right around the corner the hype in the locker room has made things much more exciting from the scouting to the prospect bowl (although my player didn’t so hot, but it’s still early).  My scouting conversations so far have been great, especially given my short time here in the league. The stand out conversations have been from lt.hudz, jollyjiggs, CROney3, so shoutouts to those 3, I’ve learned lot about the league from those 3.  One thing that I really like about this league is the payout for just being active in discord, it encourages the community to be active, the more active you are the more you’ll be paid out, seems like the sky is the limit with that one. Everything has been great with the league so far but the only two suggestions I have would be for the rookie task payout in money to be increased just a bit, I think that would encourage and help out us new rookies to the league, but I’m also new here, so what do I know. The other thing I would suggest would be a PT for rookies that’s sole purpose is to answer a list of questions about yourself, kind of like a pre-scouting questionnaire, I don’t think it should replace the individual scouting but it would give the community a chance to learn about the new class. Those are just minor things, over all my time here has been great.
364 words 
+5 TPE

29.

Since I’m a brand new rookie in the league this seems like the perfect time to pick who has the best branding in the league. All the teams are fairly equal in branding but for me, 2 teams stand out from the rest. The first team being the San Jose Sabercats. for me when it come to branding, its all about realism, and this one nails it, this one to me looks like they could actually be a real college level or high school teams branding, that’s a win in my book. But the team that really takes the cat on branding for me would be the Kansas City coyotes, I love this color scheme and the logo really brings everything together. Ima sucker for anything with purple and yellow in the branding especially being a LSU fan, so that’s why I’m picking Kansas as the team with the best branding in the league.
154 words/2.5 TPE

36.
SHL affiliate
2.5 TPE

5+2.5+2.5=10 tpe

[Duilio05]

OT Pass

[jreed12]

11. Short biography for my player

D'Jasper Probincrux IV, a rising star in the world of football, has overcome numerous challenges to make a name for himself as a formidable prospect for the draft. Born into a family with a rich football legacy, D'Jasper is the son of the legendary East vs. West Bowl participant, D'Jasper Probincrux III. However, despite the glory of his father's past, the family faced financial hardships when his father lost all his money on sports betting.

Raised by his uncle Mike in the tough neighborhood of East St. Louis, Illinois, D'Jasper faced adversity from a young age. The family struggled to put food on the table, forcing the young prospect to rely on a diet consisting mainly of Corn Nuts to bulk up and fuel his dreams of football stardom.

Despite the challenges, D'Jasper's determination and raw talent shone through. He attended Central Michigan, where he quickly became a highly touted prospect. His journey to success was marked by resilience, fueled by the desire to break free from the financial struggles that had defined his early years.

D'Jasper's remarkable skills as a defensive end caught the attention of scouts and fans alike. Notably, he earned acclaim for being the first to sack the highly touted quarterback Caleb Williams in a nonconference game, sending him crying for his mommy, leaving a lasting impression on the football community. Due to a speech impediment, he became affectionately known as the "Monther of the MAC," a nickname that only added to his unique and captivating persona.

Now poised to enter the professional ranks of the ISFL, D'Jasper Probincrux IV looks forward to a long and prosperous career. His journey from the challenging streets of East St. Louis to the cusp of professional football exemplifies his unwavering dedication, proving that resilience and talent can overcome even the most daunting obstacles. The football world eagerly awaits the rise of this extraordinary prospect, ready to witness the impact he will undoubtedly make on the game.

[frozencreek]

Prompt 28. 

The Forward Pass Was a Mistake

In 1906, the game of football was ruined with the inception of the forward pass. Not only did it destroy a game made for real men, but it also turned football players soft. 

Football, aptly named for a game that should involve being played on foot, was ruined by the invention of the forward pass. When players could play the ball through the air, the sport lost its luster as a game of skill, speed and power. Football should be a game that involves using your feet. Running, pushing, and most importantly, punting, should be the most common plays in the game. Why remove the ability of a team to punt the ball MORE often? It's called FOOTball for a reason.

Football was turned into a spread game after the inclusion of the forward pass. Now, quarterbacks were obscenely isolated against chasing defenders. Players can also run further and with more power to tackle defenseless wideouts. This is a safety concern that plays out quite often in kickoffs. 

Additionally, football is a game of four 15-minute quarters. When players aren't throwing the ball, football games move so much faster. Now, it's led to college football games being more than four hours long. That's ridiculous and absurd. If teams like Washington or USC had to run the ball every down, we could get back to our Saturday evenings even faster. 

Punting is winning, and we need to encourage. There is no doubt in my mind the forward pass ruined football. If I was making a rule change to the sport that I love, I would remove this rule for good.

[Philliesphan96]

18. Fin-Jeremy Har-Dur's first season in the DSFL is over. That means it is time for the ISFL draft and then eventually the ISFL. But before all of that, we have to get into draft scouting. Here is what Finj Har-Dur is bringing to whatever team drafts him. That team will get a gritty, hard working, offensive line phanatic. There is no player that Finj is scared to block. Even if he is likely to just get knocked right onto his back side, Finj is going to give it his all and at least buy enough time for the quarterback to get rid of the ball, hopefully into the hands of a player wearing the same color. This mystery team will also be getting a beer drinking champion. If you need it chugged, Finj is your guy to chug it. Being from Missouri, he naturally has a preference for Budweiser, but any beer will do!

Code:

154 words

19. The Bondi Beach Buccaneers will be unveiling a new stadium this coming season and Finj was asked to partake in the designs for the new building. Finj was actually an architecture major back at William Woods University. The stadium is designed to look like a pirate ship. The outer walls of the stadium bow out at the bottoms to simulate the ship. The whole stadium is in an oval-esque shape with one end (the back of the ship) cut off. The "front of the ship" is ornamented with a figurehead designed to look like a dragon skeleton coming out of the ship. Where the back of the "ship" is cut off is right up against the beach. There are sections of bleachers there to still fit more supporters, but not high enough that you can't see the ocean off in the distance. The outside of the stadium also has a wood veneer designed to simulate the wood a pirate ship would be made out of.

Code:

165 words

23. I think that the biggest feature that the sim engine needs to improve on is their visual product for the simulations. The dots just do not cut it and the ISFL streams suffer for it. If the visual output of the simulations looked more like what the PBE or the SCFSL have, then you could really make a spectacle out of the streams and remove one of the biggest advantages that the PBE and the SCFSL have over the ISFL. Beyond that, I do not really know the sim engine well enough to really have any other complaints. I just think it would be great to be able to stream the games and have something that is worth watching, because as of now, I do not really have any interest in tuning in to see the streams, I can always just check the box scores later. But I do always have at least some interest in the PBE and the SCFSL streams.

Code:

162 words

24. Finj has been put in charge of the entertainment for the ISFL and DSFL ultimus and ultimini. There is one main goal that Finj has for this. Bring football back to its roots. In high school, each football game has a halftime show, and it's the school's marching band that performs it. This tradition is continued in college and college football routinely sells out stadiums that rival NFL stadiums in size. So why does this tradition disappear at the professional level. It just seems wildly inconsistent. Much like the disappearance of the hand shake in professional baseball or college basketball seemingly randomly doing halves instead of quarters. So Finj is bringing the marching bands back for the halftime shows of the ultimus and the ultimini. But what bands will perform? With the ISFL Ultimus being the ultimate football spectacle, only the best marching band should perform. Who is that? The winner of the DCI (Drum Corps International, marching music's major league.) Finals. (Usually the Blue Devils) For the DSFL Ultimini, Finj wanted to capture the spirit of the DSFL. The DSFL is designed not as an end destination but rather an opportunity to grow their craft to become the best. With this in mind, the DSFL Ultimini will feature the winners of Bands of America (BOA, the national high school marching competition)

Code:

222 Words

[Frostbite]

3. Let's talk about the future. As we've seen in the ISFL and DSFL, things can go from rock bottom to the absolute top in just one quick season and vice versa. With that said, tell us about your predictions for next season. Were there any big moves made late in the season or the offseason that you believe could really shake things up? Are there any players hitting the season with a noticeably improved TPE pool or hitting regression hard that you believe could seriously factor into a team's potential success? And lastly, which team do you expect to be hoisting the trophy for either the ISFL or DSFL, and which teams do you expect will be struggling to stay away from the bottom on the pack?


Last season ended up with the preseason favorite (in my eyes) winning it all, but everything outside of that made it somewhat of an interesting season. Some teams, like the Hawks and Crash, continued to flourish in the NSFC and the so dubbed "Cardiac Carps" of the Sarasota Sailfish managed to sneak into the playoffs despite winning most games in the latter stages of the 4th quarter. But ultimately the ASFC proved once again to be the better conference, with the juggernauts of Honolulu and New York battling it out in the ASFC championship. However some streaks were broken, as Arizona missed the playoffs for the first time in many users time on the site. Some teams, like SJS, OCO, and COL, continued to put forth yet another losing season, something that seems to have been a constant for the past ISFL decade for these teams. Some of these teams had some real promise in the preseason, with each of these teams having several members putting them to make it into the playoffs, albeit as the wild card team, but still. Yet all finished with double digits in the loss category, with SJS finishing in a 3 way tie for last in the league, and yet with the luck to not even get the 1oa pick, instead getting 3.

The 45th season of the ISFL seems to be a somewhat simple one to predict, yet it always seems like that prior to week 1, then all hell breaks loose. While I obviously maintain some bias, and a heavy dose of optimism, I believe that this could finally be SJS's time to break it over the hump. In the ferocious ASFC where almost any team can compete (sorry NOLA and OCO, at least for S45), a lot of luck is going to be needed for SJS to make the playoffs, but with several of their key players nearing or above 1000 TPE, including  4 players on defense, it feels like the time of SJS being a bottom dweller is lessening, and if the playoffs are not made this season, in S46 the future I believe they will. If there is any team to come out of nowhere and be a surprise this season, it will be SJS.
I could be bold and predict a more exciting Ultimus match-up, but unfortunately I feel like I would be a fool to predict anything other than a Honolulu - Baltimore Ultimus. These teams simply have elite players at every. single. position. Seriously, look at the TPE tracker. There's no holes. These are two of some of the best built rosters in the league (how morally right is one of them, i'll let you decide, but nevertheless the roster is elite) and while it is DDSPF, so anything is possible, I can't lie and say I wouldn't be shocked if one of these two teams didn't end up hosting up the trophy at the end of the season (Praying its not HON for my $50m bet with unconfident).
That said, I do feel I can be a bit bold on my predictions for awards, as lets be real, those are almost impossible to predict for any season. I do think that this could finally be Nova Montagne's time to shine and finally do something in the ISFL other than win a ring. The HON RB room is the worst its been for their whole career, and the WRs are at their best. Everything is set up for a Nova MVP campaign and I see it on the horizons. Winters and Falco's RBs are too good, Beatz is getting a little old, and the rest of the elite QBs aren't on teams good enough to win MVP. I will say if there is another QB to foil this, it would be Willier Miller from Sarasota, as they have elite WRs in Sarasota as well as a below average RB room, but because HON will likely finish with a better record, I'm gonna stick with Nova for my MVP nod. Linebacker could go to a lot of players, but I'm gonna pull the homer card and say DeVille wins one this year. They've been in the running a few times in the past, and with SJS defense finally starting to emerge as a not bottom 5 unit, this seems like a ripe opportunity for DeVille to secure a HoF vote.

Keanu Calhoun will also win an All-Pro this season, trust.

[moonlight]

pass

[Repgnar]

OT Pass

[SmittyHextall]

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 Player I am writing about today is probably one of the Best Players to ever play for the Chicago Butchers and is one of the best defensive lineman of all time. Big Joe Reed came from a beginning of a player who a lot didn't imagine much from as a late 3rd round pick in S36. In hindsight might be the best 3rd round selection of all time. Multiple defensive player of the year in the league with Chicago. Coud also be said to be one of the best to never win a title as well. Five straight seasons with double digit sacks. Top 3 all time in forced fumbles in the teams history. If you want to emulate a DT in the league it should be Joe Reed. Great first rush blowing up the line of scrimmage. Would help the second level players also make players by taking up a huge amount of space. He wasn't called BIG for no reason A very soft spoken person who never seems to have anger on his face. Calm and collected never bothered. You just cannot get under Joe Reed skin. He was not a guy who would get up and do a dance when he made a big play. He would let others around him jump and get excited while he would be there stoically standing in a dominating fashion. Statistically this was one of his weaker seasons but he is a leader in the locker room especially a mentor to the young defensive players coming up these next couple of years. Guys like Norman Smiley and Joey Battle can learn a lot from the big guy about how to succeed in the ISFL. He will always remember as one of the best butchers of all time and should go down as one of the best in the league on and off the field. He is a great guy and a cool dude. 

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? (Written Task)

There are a couple teams that I think could use a rebrand. One is the Crash. It just doesn't work for me the Purple and Orange with the Rhinos I don't know just does not fit well for me at all. Maybe a relocation is needed for the team to come up with a better name. I know a group of rhinos is called a crash but what regular person is going to think that at all. If you got to look it up, you are being too creative and cheeky. And the colors together just look very ugly to me. I get trying to be different, but it is not appealing to the eyes to see those colors together. The logo itself is very well designed unfortunately it sucks it is not for some team that it actually has a name and colors for it to go with and didn't stink.

29. What team do you think has the best branding in the league? Why? (Written Task)

One of my favorite branding in the league is the San Jose Sabercats. The Green and that light brown gold that they have go together so well. It is one of those teams that i feel could be a team in real life and i wouldn't second guess it. Sabercats maybe kind of generic sounding as far as nicknames go but you really can't go wrong with a cat. You know what a SaberCat is you don't have to think about it or look it up. The Logo for the Sabercats looks clean and intimidating and again the colors work with it so well and clean.  It definitely is a top 3 logo in the league and add that to colors as well. You cant find a flaw with this team when it comes to branding and how they look. I know its not original or special but it work and it works really really well.