With 6 games now completed in the ISFL regular season as I write this, my hot take is that the Colorado Yeti will not make the playoffs. Yes they have the best record in the ISFL at 5-1. Yes they are in first place in their division. But have you looked at their games so far this year?
First game: beat Yellowknife handily. The Wraiths are not a good team this year. Second game: beat Baltimore by 3. Yes a good win but the Hawks hadn't figured out how to utilize their rookie running backs yet and Baltimore's offense is on a tear. I can almost guarantee that Baltimore will win the rematch later this season. Third game: Had to come back from 17-0 score at halftime. Everyone gets blessed by the sim on occasion. Fourth game: Had to come back from a 14-0 score at halftime. Another sim gift? Fifth game: Obliterated by Cape Town. This is the Colorado team that I expected. Sixth game: Beat Sarasota in a low scoring game. So now what? The Yeti have the best record in the ISFL and a negative point differential... They also are heavily penalized and have been turning the ball over a lot. So that means one of two things: either the defense is legit one of the best in the ISFL and the Yeti's offense only needs to do just enough to win. Or the Yeti will come crashing back to earth. I for one think they will be crashing back to earth and you will see Baltimore, Sarasota and either Cape Town or Berlin jump in front of them in the standings. DSFL S43 Draft - Round 4 Pick 30
ISFL S44 Draft - Round 1 Pick 12
S43 DSFL Pro Bowl
S44 DSFL Pro Bowl
S45 All Rookie Team
S48 ISFL Pro Bowl
S48 ISFL 2nd Team All-Pro
Gemini Media Awards
14 Gemini Nominations
Best Article (Limited) - S43 "Do Penalties Really Matter?"
Best Author - S43, S44
When this thread initially dropped, the Sailfish were 3-1, looking like they had one of the most high-powered offenses in the league. The addition of Kumquat Archipelago gave the team a ton of dynamism in the receivers room and as an incredible backup to Ace Anderson. But anyways, I was telling anyone and everyone that the Sailfish are going to win the Ultimus. Our offense was firing on all cylinders, the defense had forced tons of turnovers, the pieces were all coming together finally and things were looking incredible. After taking two tough losses, my expectations have been tempered slightly but all in all, I still think the Sailfish have a great shot this season. My other kneejerk reaction is: when did Colorado get this good? I know they are starting to get up there in TPE and a lot of their players are right around the same age so it makes sense but them being 5-1 really caught me off guard.
IRL Week 1 and then some is in the books and it's time to check the knees for their jerky reactions. The biggest reaction I have so far is how much better the Chicago Butchers have performed compared to expectations. Pre-season predictions listed Chicago as the last place team of the ISFL, but The Butchers are sitting at 3-3 through 6 games. The pre-season acquisition of veteran RB Jarvis Harbinger-Marjin has propelled the team to satisfying success with their run game. 111 rushing yards per game is good enough for 1st in their conference and 2nd in the league. Passing totals have suffered, but QB Painted Penguin must be pleased with the boost in averages. His QBR is at a career high along with TD% and a career lwo in INT%. It's unlikely that Chicago makes the playoffs in a year they were expected to disappoint, but nothing is impossible. Good play calling and ball control leads to wins. Let's see if Chicago can stun the league.
Well I've been away for about four months and I've definitely missed a lot! Happy to see that the New York Silverbacks are at a crisp three and three on the season and that I haven't missed to much of a hop in my step, from what I've gathered in the small amount of time that I've been back is that the Silverbacks are still a dominant force in the league and that hopefully with a bit of hard work on my end that we can make another Ultimus appearance and really show the league that we were supposed to win that Ultimus and who the bad guys of the league are, I'm glad to see that the league is still standing and that it's exactly the way I left it! Who would I predict to win it all this early in the season? You guessed it the damn Silverbacks baby
My initial reaction with my Sabercats was kind of shocking. We had a stellar first game win against Orange County, but then, that was followed up by three straight losses. We made some relatively great decisions and moves in the offseason, yet this start was worse than last season. It feels jarring when these moves were made, and this is the result.
I stand by and still believe in our team front office. After looking at the results of the next few games, it has started to even out. Almost at a .500 record now, the rest of the division looks to be competitive this year also hovering around the .500 mark. I still trust the system and hope this turns out to be great year of ISFL football. On a personal note, I feel good on my production as a player. I have no Sacks Allowed (yet (hopefully none)), and it looks like I'll be on pace to reach 80 pancakes by the end of the season (although my goal is to have 100 on record by the end of the season). Code: Written option: The first IRL week of S45 is underway, what is your kneejerk take or reaction and why is it the way it is? My initial knee jerk reaction to the beginning of the season 45 DSFL season is that my transition to runningback after spending my entire career as a tight end has been fairly seamless considering the time I've had thus far to become acquainted with the position. I initially started practicing as a runningback just a short 8 weeks ago at this point, and thus far have been a fairly effective player at the position considering my rookie status. I am currently averaging 5.5 rushing yards per attempt, and have rushed for a total of 338 yards in just 62 attempts, including 2 touchdowns. Thankfully the transition from tight end to runningback contained a bit of familiarity on the offensive line and pass blocking portions of the game, as I have managed to pancake 6 total defensive players and have allowed zero sacks over the first four games of the regular season. I was a relative unknown prior to this season, but with a continued stretch of learning and developing I truly believe that I could work myself into the conversations of a first round pick. |
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