1) Playoff review (Ultimini Final)
505 words
The end-of-season affair between the Tijuana Luchadores and the Minnesota Grey Ducks had all the makings of a defensive title game, and it didn’t disappoint. The Luchadores had the best defence in the league, allowing fewer than 12 pts/game, with the Minnesota trailing at 17 pts/game. Minnesota had relied on their ground game all year to power their offence and that was the case this time as Darrel Williams and the run powered them to their first Ultimini in their new home city.
The game started in a tense fashion, Minnesota and Tijuana trading 3 and outs. Minnesota won the field battle in the opening exchanges, and after Vega completed a pass to the rookie Jerome Davis for the first first down of the game, Banana was able to tuck away a field goal from 44 yards for the first points of the game. Tijuana immediately marched back down the field to have their own FG attempt from 45 yds, but Jackson missed this. With the offences feeling a little more confident, Minnesota ran the ball straight down Tijuanas throats, rushing 9 times and passing once as Darrel Williams capped the drive with a 12 yd TD run. 10-0 up now, the Minnesota defence held firm, Matt Murphy forcing a fumble and recovering it mid way through the 2nd quarter, leading to another drive ending in a Banana field goal. Advantage Minnesota, 13-0. The half ended with more 3 and outs and completed a first half shutout of the Luchadores.
Tijuana dominated the 3rd quarter, their first drive ending in another missed field goal (38 yds). They got the ball back shortly after from another Grey Ducks misfiring drive, this time managing to move all the way down the field for a touchdown by Podolak. With just over a minute left in the quarter, Blaylock then made an interception of a Vega to Big Chest pass, returning the ball 72 yds to the Minnesota 2 yd line. Podolak punched the ball in, but another Jackson missed kick and the game was tied at the 3rd, 13-13.
In the 4th quarter, the Luchadores maintained pressure on Vega, with Winkler and Lopez both getting sacks, but penalties hampered Tijuana, allowing the Grey Ducks to maintain their drive and Banana to his 3rd FG of the game (34 yds). The defence held firm the rest of the quarter, stifling the game and allowing Minnesota to claim the crown.
Both defences performed admirably in a tense affair. There were 2 key differences that allowed Minnesota to come away with the win; Minnesota shutting down Podolak and the kicking efficiency of both teams. Whilst Podolak managed 2 TD’s, he was held to only 2.2 ypc! On the other side Darrel Williams and Noble Jr. both ran for 5.8 ypc, allowing them to control the clock and kill the game. Banana was also ice-cold as a kicker, making every kick he made, including a long of 44 yds, whereas Jackson made 1/4 kicks, missing an extra point and 2 field goals.
11) Heroic performance - Jeffrey LaVert, MB - MB vs MIN
226 words
Jeffrey LaVert, Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, S
Conference matchup Vs Tijuana Luchadores
11 tkl, 2 PD, 1 Int, 1 Def TD
LaVert was all over the field last week against the Tijuana Luchadores, giving his team the best possible chance to go to the Ultimini. From the safety position, he led the team in tackles and passes defended. The Buccaneers fell to 17-3 after the first quarter as they were unable to stop the Luchadores from marching. The 2nd quarter saw the Buccaneers get back to within 1 touchdown before each team went through a number of 3 and outs. With just over 2 minutes to go, LaVert broke this stalemate by intercepting a pass from Avon Blocksdale Jr meant for Ben Kenobi, returning it to the endzone, making it both the first interception of his young career but also his first defensive touchdown, tieing the game 17-17. The Buccaneers would go onto lose, the offence being shut out in the 2nd half and the Luchadores scoring 10. Still, this was a remarkable performance from the rookie safety. He showed himself to be a defensive leader, a playmaker and a performer on the big stage. I’m sure that this offseason the Buccaneers will do their best to keep him, and that he’ll want to put in an equally impressive performance next year in the playoffs.
8) Scouting report - Baby Yoda, RB, POR (S21 class)
301 words
I’ve talked about Baby Yoda in my S21 Scouting reports but he’s a player I’d like to take a more detailed look at. After declaring for the S21 draft class, he was signed off waivers by the Portland Pythons. He immediately had a large role in the offence in the last 4 games of the regular season (Weeks 11-14) as Portland finished 2nd in the conference, and was also a contributor in the conference championship loss to the Minnesota Grey Ducks. He’s primarily known as a pass catching back, and he’s been equally used in the passing game (15 catches on 27 targets in the regular season) and running game (31 carries). In the regular season he had 325 yards from scrimmage total (146 from receptions, 179 from rushing attempts). Extrapolated to a whole season he would be on target for 1138 yards (627 rushing, 511 through air), a great return for a change of pace back. Whilst his stature might prevent him from becoming THE guy on any team, it also makes him a completely different weapon for a coach to use and requires a completely different approach from the defence in order to stop the shifty guy from generating separation. There’s no chance of a LB being able to cover him, so an extra safety or slot corner should be placed in coverage on him. Projecting forward into the next DSFL season and past that into the NSFL, I would expect him to be a great 3rd down back on obvious passing downs, someone used by an offence to exploit zone coverage, and as shown by his rushing efficiency numbers (5.77 Y/C on 31 carries) a modest threat on the ground as well. I’m willing to bet come the S21 NSFL draft he’ll be a locked in first rounder.
19) K appreciation - Silver Banana, MIN
The newly crowned Ultimini champions (Minnesota Grey Ducks) will be thanking their kicker, Silver Banana. Banana has been rock solid all season, being one of only 3 kickers in the league to be 100% on extra points in the regular season (and the only one with more than 10 attempts) and a decent 85% on field goals as well, with 3 misses coming from 30+ yards. It was the postseason where Banana really shined though. In the NFCN championship against the Portland Pythons, Banana lined up to kick 6 times, and the ball went through the posts 6 times. 3 extra points, 2 field goals between 20-29 yards, and a 44 yarder. This includes a 26 yarder with 5 seconds to go in the game to take the score from 27-27 to 30-27 for the Grey Ducks and win the game. In the Ultimini against the Tijuana Luchadores, a defensive low-scoring game, Banana was relied upon again. 1 extra point, and 3 field goals, one of which was the decider, and the Grey Ducks won 16-13. This contrasts with the Luchadores kicking woes, missing 3/4 kicks, including 2 field goals, and gave the Grey Ducks the championship. There’s no doubt in my mind that without Silver Banana’s perfect leg, we might be looking at a different champion.
505 words
The end-of-season affair between the Tijuana Luchadores and the Minnesota Grey Ducks had all the makings of a defensive title game, and it didn’t disappoint. The Luchadores had the best defence in the league, allowing fewer than 12 pts/game, with the Minnesota trailing at 17 pts/game. Minnesota had relied on their ground game all year to power their offence and that was the case this time as Darrel Williams and the run powered them to their first Ultimini in their new home city.
The game started in a tense fashion, Minnesota and Tijuana trading 3 and outs. Minnesota won the field battle in the opening exchanges, and after Vega completed a pass to the rookie Jerome Davis for the first first down of the game, Banana was able to tuck away a field goal from 44 yards for the first points of the game. Tijuana immediately marched back down the field to have their own FG attempt from 45 yds, but Jackson missed this. With the offences feeling a little more confident, Minnesota ran the ball straight down Tijuanas throats, rushing 9 times and passing once as Darrel Williams capped the drive with a 12 yd TD run. 10-0 up now, the Minnesota defence held firm, Matt Murphy forcing a fumble and recovering it mid way through the 2nd quarter, leading to another drive ending in a Banana field goal. Advantage Minnesota, 13-0. The half ended with more 3 and outs and completed a first half shutout of the Luchadores.
Tijuana dominated the 3rd quarter, their first drive ending in another missed field goal (38 yds). They got the ball back shortly after from another Grey Ducks misfiring drive, this time managing to move all the way down the field for a touchdown by Podolak. With just over a minute left in the quarter, Blaylock then made an interception of a Vega to Big Chest pass, returning the ball 72 yds to the Minnesota 2 yd line. Podolak punched the ball in, but another Jackson missed kick and the game was tied at the 3rd, 13-13.
In the 4th quarter, the Luchadores maintained pressure on Vega, with Winkler and Lopez both getting sacks, but penalties hampered Tijuana, allowing the Grey Ducks to maintain their drive and Banana to his 3rd FG of the game (34 yds). The defence held firm the rest of the quarter, stifling the game and allowing Minnesota to claim the crown.
Both defences performed admirably in a tense affair. There were 2 key differences that allowed Minnesota to come away with the win; Minnesota shutting down Podolak and the kicking efficiency of both teams. Whilst Podolak managed 2 TD’s, he was held to only 2.2 ypc! On the other side Darrel Williams and Noble Jr. both ran for 5.8 ypc, allowing them to control the clock and kill the game. Banana was also ice-cold as a kicker, making every kick he made, including a long of 44 yds, whereas Jackson made 1/4 kicks, missing an extra point and 2 field goals.
11) Heroic performance - Jeffrey LaVert, MB - MB vs MIN
226 words
Jeffrey LaVert, Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, S
Conference matchup Vs Tijuana Luchadores
11 tkl, 2 PD, 1 Int, 1 Def TD
LaVert was all over the field last week against the Tijuana Luchadores, giving his team the best possible chance to go to the Ultimini. From the safety position, he led the team in tackles and passes defended. The Buccaneers fell to 17-3 after the first quarter as they were unable to stop the Luchadores from marching. The 2nd quarter saw the Buccaneers get back to within 1 touchdown before each team went through a number of 3 and outs. With just over 2 minutes to go, LaVert broke this stalemate by intercepting a pass from Avon Blocksdale Jr meant for Ben Kenobi, returning it to the endzone, making it both the first interception of his young career but also his first defensive touchdown, tieing the game 17-17. The Buccaneers would go onto lose, the offence being shut out in the 2nd half and the Luchadores scoring 10. Still, this was a remarkable performance from the rookie safety. He showed himself to be a defensive leader, a playmaker and a performer on the big stage. I’m sure that this offseason the Buccaneers will do their best to keep him, and that he’ll want to put in an equally impressive performance next year in the playoffs.
8) Scouting report - Baby Yoda, RB, POR (S21 class)
301 words
I’ve talked about Baby Yoda in my S21 Scouting reports but he’s a player I’d like to take a more detailed look at. After declaring for the S21 draft class, he was signed off waivers by the Portland Pythons. He immediately had a large role in the offence in the last 4 games of the regular season (Weeks 11-14) as Portland finished 2nd in the conference, and was also a contributor in the conference championship loss to the Minnesota Grey Ducks. He’s primarily known as a pass catching back, and he’s been equally used in the passing game (15 catches on 27 targets in the regular season) and running game (31 carries). In the regular season he had 325 yards from scrimmage total (146 from receptions, 179 from rushing attempts). Extrapolated to a whole season he would be on target for 1138 yards (627 rushing, 511 through air), a great return for a change of pace back. Whilst his stature might prevent him from becoming THE guy on any team, it also makes him a completely different weapon for a coach to use and requires a completely different approach from the defence in order to stop the shifty guy from generating separation. There’s no chance of a LB being able to cover him, so an extra safety or slot corner should be placed in coverage on him. Projecting forward into the next DSFL season and past that into the NSFL, I would expect him to be a great 3rd down back on obvious passing downs, someone used by an offence to exploit zone coverage, and as shown by his rushing efficiency numbers (5.77 Y/C on 31 carries) a modest threat on the ground as well. I’m willing to bet come the S21 NSFL draft he’ll be a locked in first rounder.
19) K appreciation - Silver Banana, MIN
The newly crowned Ultimini champions (Minnesota Grey Ducks) will be thanking their kicker, Silver Banana. Banana has been rock solid all season, being one of only 3 kickers in the league to be 100% on extra points in the regular season (and the only one with more than 10 attempts) and a decent 85% on field goals as well, with 3 misses coming from 30+ yards. It was the postseason where Banana really shined though. In the NFCN championship against the Portland Pythons, Banana lined up to kick 6 times, and the ball went through the posts 6 times. 3 extra points, 2 field goals between 20-29 yards, and a 44 yarder. This includes a 26 yarder with 5 seconds to go in the game to take the score from 27-27 to 30-27 for the Grey Ducks and win the game. In the Ultimini against the Tijuana Luchadores, a defensive low-scoring game, Banana was relied upon again. 1 extra point, and 3 field goals, one of which was the decider, and the Grey Ducks won 16-13. This contrasts with the Luchadores kicking woes, missing 3/4 kicks, including 2 field goals, and gave the Grey Ducks the championship. There’s no doubt in my mind that without Silver Banana’s perfect leg, we might be looking at a different champion.
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