Written option: The ISFL is like a snail race – you never really know who is going to win until the end. How is your team faring in the Ultimus race this season? What have been your team's keys for success, and why do you believe that you have a chance at the title? If you have already started looking ahead to the offseason, what do you think your team needs to improve for future success?
The Honolulu Hahalua are going through one of their famous rebuilds again. What should have been a season of competing for the playoffs, started out with heartbreak and a 1-5 record after 6 games. This was enough for the Hahalua management to break open the emergency window and announce the season of Tanksgiving and a massive firesale of all things that weren't bolted down.
Players after player were traded in solid deals which secured that the Hahalua would be able to pick up a ton of new talent in the upcoming two ISFL drafts.
Seeing as this fire sale has left the team looking very barren it is no suprise that after the 1-5 start the team has gone 1-6 in the next 7 games. Sitting rock bottem of the ASFC with a 2-11 record, the Hahalua are out of the playoffs for good.
After the fire sale the team could really do with a bit of everything. The one position that is stable is the QB position, with young and promising QB McRobinson having been called up to help the Hahalua out through this season. Besides McRobinson the team still has players like David, MJF, Ray Baker and Wario Saturday who are still strong players, but besides Saturday are also heading towards regression pretty quickly.
It will be an interesting scene in Honolulu over the next two seasons, they have a ton of shoots at drafting the best talent the league has to offer. I hope to see them back competing for cups before too long.
I have a pretty good handle on which ISFL teams should be good in a given season - It's how I take money from the Casino basically every season, sharing the wealth with all the outlaws. Arizona at 10-3 is pretty much how I expected the season to go. I was telling my team to bet us over 10.5 wins this season as a pretty good investment, and with three games to go it looks like it was a good one.
That's not to say my projections line up completely - you can never tell when A decent team will have a rough start and decide to rip their roster up, or when a mediocre team will give up assets hand over fist to capitalise on the above, clawing for relevancy for a few seasons at the cost of long term stability. And both of these have happened this season.
I think Arizona have to be considered among the favourites for the title this season, which is just lovely.
The Otters are doing really well this season. The ASFC is a tough conference and it's a tight race for 1st place, with only one win separating the top three teams. The Otters currently being in third place with the second most points for in the league so far this season. Since we're scoring so well, it's not too surprising that an issue we need to work on is our defense. But don't get me wrong, we have one of the best defenses in the league as well. But for us to to win the Ultimus this season, our defense needs to step it up another level. We're the best team at forcing turnovers, but at the same time we often see ourselves burned on big plays. It appears there's a high-risk, high-reward strategy being run. Perhaps it's time for us to play slightly more conservatively. Fewer turnovers, but perhaps it'd help us where it matters more. Not letting up touchdowns.
The Wraiths are still in the snail race of the season, mainly in part to their dominance of the passing game in the NSFC, being 2nd most in passing yards for the conference, and giving up the lowest amount of passing yards in the conference, and third lowest in the league. Now yes, football is a two part game, running and passing, and the running part of the game, the Wraiths aren't doing as well at. Which might explain why they aren't at the top of the snail race, and might struggle in the last stages of the race. But at the same point, football is a strong passing game, and so being able to dominate both of those sides, offense and defense, might also spell a long run to the ultimius. However I'm not so sure that will be the case, as the other two teams in the NSFC that are also looking like they'll make the playoffs are the two besting running teams in the league, so they'll be a handful against the Wraiths.
My team, the Dallas Birddogs, are on the cusp of a playoff berth. Most likely, they will finish behind the Tijuana Luchadores, unless something crazy happens, as they are 3 games behind them with 4 to go. So, it looks like the Birddogs will need to clinch the wild card spot in their division. Unfortunately, the competition is fierce for that spot, with the other 2 teams competing for that spot just one game behind the Birddogs in the standings. Both the Norfolk Seawolves and the Bondi Beach Buccaneers face the Birddogs before the end of the season, and those games will go a long way to determining who gets to face Tijuana in the conference championship. The Birddogs have already lost to the Buccaneers, so another loss to them would almost certainly spell the end of their playoff hopes. However, they have already beaten the Seawolves, so even if they lose to them, it should be fine, as long as they beat the Buccaneers.
As a linebacker for the Norfolk Seawolves, I can tell you, this season has been a rollercoaster ride, much like navigating through a stormy sea. At 4-6, we're clawing our way through the Ultimus race, fighting tooth and nail for a coveted playoff spot. It's been a journey filled with ups and downs, but like they say, it's not about how you start, but how you finish.
Our recent performance is testament to that belief. Despite some early setbacks and that frustrating three-game losing streak, we've managed to rally together and pull off two crucial wins in our last three outings. That victory against Minnesota earlier in the season has given us confidence heading into the rematch, especially with the home-field advantage on our side.
So, what's been the key to our recent success? I'd say it's been our resilience and determination. We've refused to let setbacks define us, instead choosing to learn and grow from them. Our coaches have done a phenomenal job of keeping us focused and motivated, and as players, we've stepped up when it mattered most.
As for our chances at the title, well, in the ISFL, anything can happen. It's like a snail race, as they say – unpredictable until the very end. But one thing's for sure, we're not counting ourselves out just yet. We know we have the talent and the heart to compete with the best of them.
Looking ahead to the offseason, there's always room for improvement. We'll need to analyze our performance, identify areas of weakness, and work tirelessly to address them. Whether it's tightening up our defense, fine-tuning our offensive strategies, or simply improving our overall consistency, there's always work to be done.
But for now, our focus remains squarely on the task at hand – taking on Minnesota and continuing our push towards the playoffs.