09-15-2019, 01:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-17-2019, 02:09 PM by Fordhammer.)
*For Trade Deadline 1.5x Media
When people in the media, talking heads, head office, GM’s, you name it, talk about milestones which happen during the season they are usually referring to the first week of play, playoffs and the Ultimus. On many occasions they do not mention the trade deadline and I can understand that. Sometimes trade deadlines come and go with nothing happening. I don't have a long history in the league but the first trade deadline I was able to witness was action packed and filled with numerous trades. I was most interested (and I assume most others are as well) in what moves the Baltimore Hawks had made as they made the largest noise through two different trades. I will have a look at how these trades impacted the Hawks and their trading partners, the Orange County Otters and the Philadelphia Liberty, while also looking at how it affects the league as a whole. Some people might look at both trades in isolation, but I think it is important to take a look at the whole picture, as I do not think the Hawks management have done these trades in any isolation and there is a clear goal which they are aiming for.
Baltimore Hawks
So in total the Baltimore Hawks receive:
WR Sunnycursed
RB Vander Jones
S18 3rd round pick
They gave up
WR Yulic Nagasawa
RB Corey Trevor
S18 1st round pick
S18 4th round pick
S18 6th round pick
Oh man, what spicy trades Baltimore was able to make! They clearly see themselves in a very tight Ultimus window and showed that with these moves. Let us take a quick look at what players they were able to attain. Sunnycursed has been and is one of the greatest receivers in the league and any team would be happy to have him on their team. Last year he was third in receiving yards while playing as a number two wide receiver behind then teammate Vinny Valentine. He had entered free agency in the offseason and chose Orange County as his landing place. Now he joins Earl Maddox and Ahri Espeeyeeseetee and creating easily the leagues deepest and most threatening wide receiver group, The Hawks clearly saw that they needed to give Havran more weapons to which to throw to and I feel sorry for defensive coordinators who will have to game plan on how to shut down this three headed monster of a pass attack.
To make sure their offense was not a one trick pony, they also added Vander Jones from Philadelphia. Jones is a true modern era running back who is a threat wherever he lines up and can run it up the middle or catch it in the backfield. This is showcased by his over 1400 yards from scrimmage of which 800 have come as a patch catching back. He will definitely help the Hawks backfield and take pressure off from second year running Dorfus Jimbo. While Jimbo is much more of a traditional first and second down back who will pound the rock, Jones brings Baltimore a different type of weapon and someone who will make defenses think again about stacking the box. With already one of the top four passing and rushing attacks in the league, I think with these trades Baltimore will cement their place at the top of the league in terms of offense. With two talented and different running backs and an absolutely disgusting three headed monster catching the ball from one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the sky's the limit this season on the offensive side of the ball.
Now it is important to look at what Baltimore had to give up to achieve this and it isn’t a pretty sight. They parted ways with 3 draft picks in the upcoming draft, with one of them being their first rounder. This is a steep price to way as many analysts have said that the S18 draft might be one of the deepest and talent filled the league has seen for a while. Baltimore clearly sees their window open now and are mortgaging their future for it. I appreciate the guts in the front office to pull the trigger on these deals. They do receive Orange County’s third rounder for next year's draft which softens some blows and is probably more valuable in the S18 draft, than in some other drafts. In addition Baltimore gave up two promising young players in wide receiver Yulic Nagasawa and running back Corey Trevor. Both of them have the potential to be big players in the future but don’t fit in the win now mode that Baltimore has put themselves in. I see this as collateral damage when teams do these types of moves and they will find themselves nice opportunities in California. Overall I like the balls in the front office to pull the trigger on these deals. We will see the results at the end of the season, and who is lifting the Ultimus, but Baltimore is putting their name in the hat and deciding not to be mediocre.
Grade: B+
Orange County Otters
Orange County receives:
Yulic Nagasawa (OCO)
Corey Trevor (OCO)
Orange County sends
WR Sunnycrused
S18 3rd round pick
Orange County is clearly moving towards a youth movement throughout their roster. With longtime quarterback Gus T.T. Showbiz moving to cornerback and bringing up their new franchise quarterback, Franklin Armstrong, it is clear the Otters are looking towards the future. With future star Hugh Mongo on their roster, the Otters saw Sunnycursed being not a fit for their plans and oh did they get a good price for him. Adding another young and talented receiver, Nagasawa and a running back to help Apollo Reed carry the load is very good. In addition they send over their third round pick to Baltimore and receive their first round. With a very hyped draft class with a lot of potential max earners and Orange County also having a multitude of picks, getting another first rounder is very good. I think the Otters have a very clear plan for their team and they are also executing it well. Look out for them in the future (and why not this season as well)
Grade: A
Philadelphia Liberty
Philadelphia receives
S18 4th round pick
S18 6th round pick
Philadelphia sends
RB Vander Jones
Philadelphia decided to split up their two headed backfield monster and send over Vander Jones in exchange for two late round draft picks. Philadelphia will not be competing this year and with Vander Jones on the path to retirement, it was smart of them to get any value they could have for him. Running backs usually do not go for a lot so getting late round picks was to be expected and thankfully for Philadelphia the upcoming draft is perfect to find late round gems. The Jones retirement seemed to come as a surprise for many, so props to Philadelphia for being able to garner some value for him as he would have been wasted on the Liberty
Grade: B
League wide effects
These moves by Baltimore absolutely shake up the league and both conferences will feel the effects. With the Otters taking in more young talent and letting Sunnycursed go, they might struggle to hold onto their second seen in the ASFC, which they are currently holding. This might open up the door for the Sabercats to steal it from them. On the NSFC side, Baltimore stakes a claim for the top spot in the conference. With the Wraiths, Hawks and Butchers ion a 7-4 tie at the top of the conference, I feel this will push Baltimore past the Wraiths and Butchers Overall I think this significantly increase the Hawks chances for an Ultimus and puts them as joint favorites with the Arizona Outlaws.
When people in the media, talking heads, head office, GM’s, you name it, talk about milestones which happen during the season they are usually referring to the first week of play, playoffs and the Ultimus. On many occasions they do not mention the trade deadline and I can understand that. Sometimes trade deadlines come and go with nothing happening. I don't have a long history in the league but the first trade deadline I was able to witness was action packed and filled with numerous trades. I was most interested (and I assume most others are as well) in what moves the Baltimore Hawks had made as they made the largest noise through two different trades. I will have a look at how these trades impacted the Hawks and their trading partners, the Orange County Otters and the Philadelphia Liberty, while also looking at how it affects the league as a whole. Some people might look at both trades in isolation, but I think it is important to take a look at the whole picture, as I do not think the Hawks management have done these trades in any isolation and there is a clear goal which they are aiming for.
Baltimore HawksSo in total the Baltimore Hawks receive:
WR Sunnycursed
RB Vander Jones
S18 3rd round pickThey gave up
WR Yulic Nagasawa
RB Corey Trevor
S18
1st round pick S18
4th round pick S18
6th round pick Oh man, what spicy trades Baltimore was able to make! They clearly see themselves in a very tight Ultimus window and showed that with these moves. Let us take a quick look at what players they were able to attain. Sunnycursed has been and is one of the greatest receivers in the league and any team would be happy to have him on their team. Last year he was third in receiving yards while playing as a number two wide receiver behind then teammate Vinny Valentine. He had entered free agency in the offseason and chose Orange County as his landing place. Now he joins Earl Maddox and Ahri Espeeyeeseetee and creating easily the leagues deepest and most threatening wide receiver group, The Hawks clearly saw that they needed to give Havran more weapons to which to throw to and I feel sorry for defensive coordinators who will have to game plan on how to shut down this three headed monster of a pass attack.
To make sure their offense was not a one trick pony, they also added Vander Jones from Philadelphia. Jones is a true modern era running back who is a threat wherever he lines up and can run it up the middle or catch it in the backfield. This is showcased by his over 1400 yards from scrimmage of which 800 have come as a patch catching back. He will definitely help the Hawks backfield and take pressure off from second year running Dorfus Jimbo. While Jimbo is much more of a traditional first and second down back who will pound the rock, Jones brings Baltimore a different type of weapon and someone who will make defenses think again about stacking the box. With already one of the top four passing and rushing attacks in the league, I think with these trades Baltimore will cement their place at the top of the league in terms of offense. With two talented and different running backs and an absolutely disgusting three headed monster catching the ball from one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the sky's the limit this season on the offensive side of the ball.
Now it is important to look at what Baltimore had to give up to achieve this and it isn’t a pretty sight. They parted ways with 3 draft picks in the upcoming draft, with one of them being their first rounder. This is a steep price to way as many analysts have said that the S18 draft might be one of the deepest and talent filled the league has seen for a while. Baltimore clearly sees their window open now and are mortgaging their future for it. I appreciate the guts in the front office to pull the trigger on these deals. They do receive Orange County’s third rounder for next year's draft which softens some blows and is probably more valuable in the S18 draft, than in some other drafts. In addition Baltimore gave up two promising young players in wide receiver Yulic Nagasawa and running back Corey Trevor. Both of them have the potential to be big players in the future but don’t fit in the win now mode that Baltimore has put themselves in. I see this as collateral damage when teams do these types of moves and they will find themselves nice opportunities in California. Overall I like the balls in the front office to pull the trigger on these deals. We will see the results at the end of the season, and who is lifting the Ultimus, but Baltimore is putting their name in the hat and deciding not to be mediocre.
Grade: B+
Orange County OttersOrange County receives:
Yulic Nagasawa (OCO)
Corey Trevor (OCO)
Orange County sends
WR Sunnycrused
S18
3rd round pickOrange County is clearly moving towards a youth movement throughout their roster. With longtime quarterback Gus T.T. Showbiz moving to cornerback and bringing up their new franchise quarterback, Franklin Armstrong, it is clear the Otters are looking towards the future. With future star Hugh Mongo on their roster, the Otters saw Sunnycursed being not a fit for their plans and oh did they get a good price for him. Adding another young and talented receiver, Nagasawa and a running back to help Apollo Reed carry the load is very good. In addition they send over their third round pick to Baltimore and receive their first round. With a very hyped draft class with a lot of potential max earners and Orange County also having a multitude of picks, getting another first rounder is very good. I think the Otters have a very clear plan for their team and they are also executing it well. Look out for them in the future (and why not this season as well)
Grade: A
Philadelphia LibertyPhiladelphia receives
S18 4th round pick S18 6th round pickPhiladelphia sends
RB Vander Jones
Philadelphia decided to split up their two headed backfield monster and send over Vander Jones in exchange for two late round draft picks. Philadelphia will not be competing this year and with Vander Jones on the path to retirement, it was smart of them to get any value they could have for him. Running backs usually do not go for a lot so getting late round picks was to be expected and thankfully for Philadelphia the upcoming draft is perfect to find late round gems. The Jones retirement seemed to come as a surprise for many, so props to Philadelphia for being able to garner some value for him as he would have been wasted on the Liberty
Grade: B
League wide effects
These moves by Baltimore absolutely shake up the league and both conferences will feel the effects. With the Otters taking in more young talent and letting Sunnycursed go, they might struggle to hold onto their second seen in the ASFC, which they are currently holding. This might open up the door for the Sabercats to steal it from them. On the NSFC side, Baltimore stakes a claim for the top spot in the conference. With the Wraiths, Hawks and Butchers ion a 7-4 tie at the top of the conference, I feel this will push Baltimore past the Wraiths and Butchers Overall I think this significantly increase the Hawks chances for an Ultimus and puts them as joint favorites with the Arizona Outlaws.
![[Image: gVymoF7.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/gVymoF7.jpg)
![[Image: FCsCXyq.png]](https://imgur.com/FCsCXyq.png)
