authors note:I should specify despite all the grudges and stuff I hold, I always root for San Jose, except when I play against them, they took a chance on me (ok yellowknife did) and demanded me as payment when they had to trade away their top wide receiver at the time. I don't want to say I threw life into that locker room, but them not succeeding with Smallwood has always been my biggest regret in the NSFL.
Anyways, let's talk odds and break downs.
If you take all 8 NSFL teams, only two teams have never won an ultimus in 12 seasons, the San Jose Sabercats and the Colorado Yeti. The Yeti head to their second ever Ultimus game. The Sabercats are left to sit and wonder how a team that produced 143 point differential and led the league in both points scored and fewest points allowed is going to be watching the ultimus from their couches at home. If this were a one-time thing, yeah totally understandable as to what happened, bad luck, but after a string of bad luck upon bad luck, you have to wonder, is the team that had their first home playoff defeat, really cursed?
I want to take you back in time, to a time when Sharpei, Miller, Canton, Bayley, and Blewitt and Smallwood all wore the Green and Bronze. When Chris Orosz was a top-class QB and had just replaced Ethan Hunt. This of course is season 4, when the San Jose Sabercats had been able to produce their first season with a winning record. Jordan Yates had just set the single season rushing touchdown record, but at 9-5 and a tie with the Otters led by Mike put the Sabercats just mere points scored away from seeing their first playoff berth. But the team was young, and with another season, more luck would work their way, so a loss happens.
Let's go to the next season, where the Outlaws had their empire crash down on them as the team wins became embroiled in scandal. This was as golden and opportunity as it gets. The Sabercats had lost Yates to Orange County and would put up an RBoTY year on a quote of mine that lives in infamy, but the Outlaws would manage to match that record as the Sabercats had a blow out loss against the Las Vegas Legion. This would be the only win of the Legion's season. Couple that with the Outlaws going 2-0 against the cats that season and no tiebreakers were helping San Jose out.
We're onto season 6. The Sabercats finish 11-3. This is yet another tiebreaker (there's a theme here) but this time against the Otters. In week 13 of the regular season, the San Jose Sabercats play host to the Otters. The games goes into overtime, and San Jose is driving. On second and 4 on the Orange County Otters 6, Chris Orosz throws a pick which gets returned for 87 yards and ends with a Boss touchdown and a Sabercats loss. They head to OCO in the playoffs, and in the fourth quarter, down by 7, Chris Orosz leads a drive and a scoring touchdown, which ties the game. To all you newer players, the sim engine believes the idea of a two-minute drill is non-existant, you'll get used to it. With under four minutes away, the defense just needs to force a punt or turnover to win. With 0:34 left in the game, the Otters have managed to drive downfield and score a game-sealing field goal. I should mention, this game also ended the longest running playoff drought at that time.
Have you noticed a theme yet? I have. Season 7, despite being a terrible 5 and 9 season, the Sabercats are blocked from the playoffs by a tiebreaker against the Outlaws. Halfway through Sharpei, Bayley and Miller are all traded for picks, so the chance for a bounce back. Smallwood would leave in free agency that for New Orleans. San Jose would not return to the playoffs until season 12.
So here we go to season 12, the 'cats are allowing the fewest points of any team on defense and scoring the second most. They have the most leathel run offense, which helps with killing the clock, they've been setting the pace and frustrating teams at a 10-4 record. No one expected great things, but they were back in the playoffs. But this is the crazy thing, the curse has shown itself here too. going into Week 9, the San Jose Sabercats were 8-0. They were dominant, and while some charted it as luck, the pendulum seemed to finally be swinging in their direction. This was not be so. The 5 games would produce 4 losses and 1 win. The Sabercats had choked their way out of the coveted home field advantage. But if you took the pulse of the locker room, everything was fine. The Otters were not destined to succeed for long. Winchester was retired, Crush was regressing. The roster was losing key pieces, and Ricky Adams had a crazy good that made him the 3rd running back to win the MVP award, the odds of him repeating that were slim to none.
This is the 13th season, and ladies and gentlemen, there are 5 examples, excluding tonight where the 12-2 Sabercats lost at home to the Otters once again. The Sabercats need to burn the stadium down and figure out whatever cursed land it is built on, because that team is freaking cursed.
Darren Smallwood - NSFLN
Anyways, let's talk odds and break downs.
If you take all 8 NSFL teams, only two teams have never won an ultimus in 12 seasons, the San Jose Sabercats and the Colorado Yeti. The Yeti head to their second ever Ultimus game. The Sabercats are left to sit and wonder how a team that produced 143 point differential and led the league in both points scored and fewest points allowed is going to be watching the ultimus from their couches at home. If this were a one-time thing, yeah totally understandable as to what happened, bad luck, but after a string of bad luck upon bad luck, you have to wonder, is the team that had their first home playoff defeat, really cursed?
I want to take you back in time, to a time when Sharpei, Miller, Canton, Bayley, and Blewitt and Smallwood all wore the Green and Bronze. When Chris Orosz was a top-class QB and had just replaced Ethan Hunt. This of course is season 4, when the San Jose Sabercats had been able to produce their first season with a winning record. Jordan Yates had just set the single season rushing touchdown record, but at 9-5 and a tie with the Otters led by Mike put the Sabercats just mere points scored away from seeing their first playoff berth. But the team was young, and with another season, more luck would work their way, so a loss happens.
Let's go to the next season, where the Outlaws had their empire crash down on them as the team wins became embroiled in scandal. This was as golden and opportunity as it gets. The Sabercats had lost Yates to Orange County and would put up an RBoTY year on a quote of mine that lives in infamy, but the Outlaws would manage to match that record as the Sabercats had a blow out loss against the Las Vegas Legion. This would be the only win of the Legion's season. Couple that with the Outlaws going 2-0 against the cats that season and no tiebreakers were helping San Jose out.
We're onto season 6. The Sabercats finish 11-3. This is yet another tiebreaker (there's a theme here) but this time against the Otters. In week 13 of the regular season, the San Jose Sabercats play host to the Otters. The games goes into overtime, and San Jose is driving. On second and 4 on the Orange County Otters 6, Chris Orosz throws a pick which gets returned for 87 yards and ends with a Boss touchdown and a Sabercats loss. They head to OCO in the playoffs, and in the fourth quarter, down by 7, Chris Orosz leads a drive and a scoring touchdown, which ties the game. To all you newer players, the sim engine believes the idea of a two-minute drill is non-existant, you'll get used to it. With under four minutes away, the defense just needs to force a punt or turnover to win. With 0:34 left in the game, the Otters have managed to drive downfield and score a game-sealing field goal. I should mention, this game also ended the longest running playoff drought at that time.
Have you noticed a theme yet? I have. Season 7, despite being a terrible 5 and 9 season, the Sabercats are blocked from the playoffs by a tiebreaker against the Outlaws. Halfway through Sharpei, Bayley and Miller are all traded for picks, so the chance for a bounce back. Smallwood would leave in free agency that for New Orleans. San Jose would not return to the playoffs until season 12.
So here we go to season 12, the 'cats are allowing the fewest points of any team on defense and scoring the second most. They have the most leathel run offense, which helps with killing the clock, they've been setting the pace and frustrating teams at a 10-4 record. No one expected great things, but they were back in the playoffs. But this is the crazy thing, the curse has shown itself here too. going into Week 9, the San Jose Sabercats were 8-0. They were dominant, and while some charted it as luck, the pendulum seemed to finally be swinging in their direction. This was not be so. The 5 games would produce 4 losses and 1 win. The Sabercats had choked their way out of the coveted home field advantage. But if you took the pulse of the locker room, everything was fine. The Otters were not destined to succeed for long. Winchester was retired, Crush was regressing. The roster was losing key pieces, and Ricky Adams had a crazy good that made him the 3rd running back to win the MVP award, the odds of him repeating that were slim to none.
This is the 13th season, and ladies and gentlemen, there are 5 examples, excluding tonight where the 12-2 Sabercats lost at home to the Otters once again. The Sabercats need to burn the stadium down and figure out whatever cursed land it is built on, because that team is freaking cursed.
Darren Smallwood - NSFLN
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