Introduction
Preseason has finally come around again. A time for hope; for the rejuvenation of once lost dreams, and the rekindling of footballing passion. For some casual fans of football, the time of preseason may seem altogether irrelevant to the success of their team in the long-haul. But for the hardcore fans - and for those inside every locker room and office around the league - it is as important a step as any. Chemistry between players is formed, rookies have the opportunity to become acquainted with the big stage, and front offices can begin to see their future plans fall into place. It may not seem like it for many, but the road to the Ultimini Game truly starts with a momentum-building preseason - and no team understands that more than the Kansas City Coyotes.
The Kansas City Coyotes did not have the greatest runs last year. Finishing with a lowly 5-9 record, the Coyotes limped into the NFC Championship simply due to being better than the even less impressive Portland Pythons - and were promptly swept aside by the eventual Ultimini winners, the Minnesota Grey Ducks. Upon completion of the season, the former GM of the team stepped down, leading to the promotion of that season's assistant GM, Jackets28. Taking on control of the team, Jackets28 knew that it would be a challenge to turn the team around and take them to heights not reached since the team's first - and only - Ultimini win back in Season 12. The Coyotes and their famed howling had not been feared in a long time by the top teams in the DSFL. However, in true storybook fashion, this season may be the one to change that.
A rookie class chocked full of talent in all skill positions. Veterans sent down to gain more experience and to assist in achieving DSFL glory. The support of fans throughout the land. This is the story of one franchise's attempts to return to the promised land; the story of rookies and veterans alike going out to prove their worth on the big stages; and of the howl once again striking fear in DSFL opponents across the nation.
This is Howl On: The Story of the Season 21 Kansas City Coyotes.
Part 1 - Preseason Wounds
As new recruits take part in their first training camp together with the veterans of past DSFL seasons, news came in of their first opponents of the league year in preseason. With 2 away games and 2 home games, the schedule would run as follows:
Week 1 - @ Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Week 2 - @ Norfolk SeaWolves
Week 3 - vs. Portland Pythons
Week 4 - vs. Dallas Birddogs
Looking at the schedule, it had provided the perfect opportunities for the Coyotes to grow and become a well-knit unit across the board. To begin, their first opponents would be last year's Ultimini finalists, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. Finishing with a 12-2 record, their team was already strong, and with a very strong draft behind them they would prove to be a tough opponent for the Coyotes to challenge first. The biggest benefit of this is that it would point out holes in their team that may come up as the season continues, and would hopefully provide confidence should they provide a good fight against one of last season's top teams. Following this, there would be 2 televised games against familiar opponents: Norfolk SeaWolves away, and the division rival Portland Pythons at home. For players - both rookie and veteran - performing well in these games would be especially important, as this is the first time since the season's beginnings that the eyes of the general public and NSFL GMs would be on them. In terms of opponent difficulty, it is definitely a good matchup for the Coyotes; Norfolk finished one game better than KC last season, while Portland finished just below KC in the NFC North division. And the last game - vs. the Dallas Birddogs - would provide the head office and coaches with an opportunity to assess the tactics of the new expansion team before facing them in real competition. This ability to scout such a new team in non-competitive games will likely be key to not being taken by surprise in regular season matchups with them.
Overall, the excitement was palpable throughout the locker room about this schedule. The rookies - of which there were many - were ready and committed to getting out on the field to prove their worth. And the veterans were ready to help the rookies become acclimated to life at the professional level. More than anything, there was a sense that this team, brought together from across the world, could cruise through most challenges on their way to the Ultimini championship. That view would be tested, and somewhat quashed, during certain sections of preseason.
Week 1 - @ Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Everyone that exists as a part of the Coyotes organisation knew that this would definitely be a challenge for them to win - and that fear of the challenge proved to be well-founded by the time the game had started.
Upon receiving the ball from kick-off, veteran QB Chika Fujiwara and the offence took the field. And four plays later, they would come back off the field, having gained 7 total yards and turning the ball over on downs. This early setback disappointed the team overall and became the story of the first quarter - the Coyotes spluttering on offence and the Buccaneers taking advantage. After a 2 play, 33-yard touchdown drive from Myrtle Beach, the Coyotes would respond with 2 straight 3-and-outs - leading inevitably to another touchdown from a much longer Myrtle Beach drive. The Coyotes had been hit in the mouth to start the game and had failed to garner more than 25 yards in the entire first quarter. The hopes from coaches and players alike were that the team would recover on offence and launch a counterattack from the 2nd quarter on.
This did not happen. At the half, the score stood at 23-3 in favour of Myrtle Beach. And, while the scoring would dissipate over the course of the 2nd half, the scoreline never got any more flattering for the Coyotes - the final score was Buccaneers 33-6 Coyotes. The whole team was shell-shocked by the result; Fujiwara threw for only 50 yards, and achieved a passer rating of 7. The defence let up a total of 421 offensive yards. It went as disastrously as anyone on the Coyotes side-line could have imagined. The worry for fans, who had expected a tough loss but nothing as drastically bad as this, would be if this performance would drain their confidence for the rest of the preseason and - even further - the rest of the year.
Week 2 - @ Norfolk SeaWolves
These worried fans would not have to wait long to see their team respond to the heavy Buccaneers loss as they travelled away to play the SeaWolves in Norfolk. In a televised preseason game for the first time, the rookies on the side-lines very openly had nerves - after all, this was the first time they would be judged on the kind of platform that televised games would provide. The hope would be that a long early drive would help them settle into the game better than what happened the week prior with the early turnover on downs.
After receiving the ball from kick-off, the offence runs onto the field in a defiant manner, ready to show the world what they could do on the big stage. And 3 plays later - in an eerily similar vein to the week before - they wandered back off the field in despair, being switched out for the punt team. The silence was palpable from the travelling faithful - were they simply seeing a rerun of the game before? Would the team manage to overcome this adversity in a way they had not done the week before? As Norfolk ran in a touchdown from a yard out, fans and coaches alike feared the worst for the team.
The next drive for the offence looked promising, but eventually boiled down to a 4th down sack and a turnover on downs. And the despair of the fans grew further. They knew it would not be a perfect start, but this was worse than anyone could ever have imagined it to be. After a long drive down the field, the score became 10-0 to the SeaWolves. Offence enters - another 3-and-out. And another long methodical Norfolk drive takes them 13-0 up midway through the 2nd quarter. By the end of the half, the score was 16-3 to Norfolk. Fans began to wonder what was going wrong, and if they should even bother staying around to keep watching. However, in their first offensive drive of the 2nd half, a glimmer of hope showed itself. An 11-play drive that - for the first time this postseason - resulted in a Coyotes touchdown from a 5 yard rush. The team were excited; finally, they had managed to overcome the pressure they had felt and put a drive together. Maybe it was this moment that the team would turn the corner and put on a show for all the fans to rally around.
Sadly, that was not the case. As with week 1, the scoring subsided through the rest of the 2nd half, and an early 4th quarter interception from Fujiwara took the momentum away from the Coyotes once again. The final score read SeaWolves 19-10 Coyotes.
Week 3 - vs. Portland Pythons
Week 3 saw another televised preseason game, this time at home against the Portland Pythons. Coyotes fans flocked to the stadium, hoping for the chance to see their team bounce back from what had been up to this point a horrible preseason - and, in turn, show some life for the regular season. After their prior struggles, the players also felt this disappointment; they too were ready to flick the switch and become the team they thought they were going to become at the beginning of the league year.
The defence were the first of the Coyotes to run out onto the field, with the fans on their side hoping to drive the Portland team opposite them backwards throughout the game. Instead, 16 plays later, the Pythons had driven down the field to score and touchdown. The offence knew what they had to do; with more purpose than ever before, they entered the field of play to rapturous applause. Surely, the crowd thought, this would be the time they would turn up early and state their intentions off the first possession.
8 plays later, the ball was turned over on downs. The stadium was nearly silent. The team despaired at yet another tough start. The crowd longed for a response, but it had not become. And now, once again, they were fearing the worst for their Coyotes. However, the defence decided it was time for them to make their own momentum - and 3 plays later, they intercepted a pass inside Portland territory. The side-line went crazy, and the stadium erupted. With that pick, the team began rolling as everyone had expected them to long before this point. A lengthy drive from the offence led to a touchdown to start the second quarter and, after a 3-and-out from the defence, the offence would drive once again to earn another touchdown. While they went on to concede 10 points and be down 17-14 at the break, it was the first time the Coyotes had truly been in a good position and playing somewhat well going into the second half.
2 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter would continue the good feeling in the Coyotes camp. And, while the game did eventually get away from the Coyotes just - the final score was Coyotes 28-31 Pythons - the performance was enough to boost everyone in the Coyotes organisation. For 2 weeks they had struggled to find any form both on offence and defence with a point differential of -36. Having a close game with a rival like that of Portland tells of the true potential the team would be able to unleash if they start clicking together perfectly. If they could continue to improve as the preseason reached its conclusion with another game at home against an expansion team, then confidence in the season would be higher than usually imagined.
Week 4 - vs. Dallas Birddogs
For the final game of the Coyotes' preseason, they would welcome the Dallas Birddogs - an expansion team who had impressed so far in the preseason, earning a 2-1 record up to this point. A win in this game for the Coyotes would surely build confidence, as well as anticipation for the possibilities of better results come the beginning of the season.
The first half was likely one of the most uninspiring of the season for both sides, which was sure to make Coyotes fans nervous. However, as the first half largely made up of punts came to a close, the score stood at 6-0 to the Coyotes. For the first time this preseason, the Coyotes held a lead going into the break. And while it was not exactly a commanding lead, being able to hold onto this would be of great importance to the morale of the team.
The second half kicks off. Kevin Fakon fields it at the 9-yard line. He runs it down the right. He has a lane. And 17 seconds later he is downed at the Dallas 2-yard line. The momentum had finally been snatched by Kansas City, which led a play later into a deserved rushing touchdown for Kevin Fakon. The ball changes hands a few times bringing the clock down in the 3rd quarter. Halfway through, the defence flicks its own switch, and takes more momentum for themselves - Andrew Wingard intercepts a wayward pass and runs the ball 39 yards for a pick 6 touchdown. At that point, the game almost became a formality.
Cheers rained down from the stands, as well as from the Kansas City side-line, as the clock wound down to 0:00 in the 4th quarter. The final score stood at Coyotes 22-0 Birddogs. Things had started to click on both sides of the ball. Fans had something to cheer for on the field. And the coaches and players were excited once again to get onto the football field. It was like a curse had been lifted as the team left the field - and the team that stood confidently before preseason had returned, ready to take on all challengers.
It has been said throughout history that facing challenges and having to deal with large setbacks makes you stronger in the long term. With that in mind, this preseason may have turned out to be the perfect catalyst for the Kansas City Coyotes. This was a team that was untested, yet still had an air of confidence to them. By being knocked down before building themselves back up all within the span of a preseason, it may be realistic to think that a very strong Coyotes team may present itself to the rest of the league in the near future. However, only time will tell - and the first tests will prove to be some of the most telling as they host the Buccaneers and the SeaWolves. These teams broke them down only a few weeks ago; however, if the Coyotes have grown as much in this short time as it seems that they have, then those games will be a lot closer than many may believe - and if that is the case, the DSFL will be forced to once again "Fear the Howl".
Preseason has finally come around again. A time for hope; for the rejuvenation of once lost dreams, and the rekindling of footballing passion. For some casual fans of football, the time of preseason may seem altogether irrelevant to the success of their team in the long-haul. But for the hardcore fans - and for those inside every locker room and office around the league - it is as important a step as any. Chemistry between players is formed, rookies have the opportunity to become acquainted with the big stage, and front offices can begin to see their future plans fall into place. It may not seem like it for many, but the road to the Ultimini Game truly starts with a momentum-building preseason - and no team understands that more than the Kansas City Coyotes.
The Kansas City Coyotes did not have the greatest runs last year. Finishing with a lowly 5-9 record, the Coyotes limped into the NFC Championship simply due to being better than the even less impressive Portland Pythons - and were promptly swept aside by the eventual Ultimini winners, the Minnesota Grey Ducks. Upon completion of the season, the former GM of the team stepped down, leading to the promotion of that season's assistant GM, Jackets28. Taking on control of the team, Jackets28 knew that it would be a challenge to turn the team around and take them to heights not reached since the team's first - and only - Ultimini win back in Season 12. The Coyotes and their famed howling had not been feared in a long time by the top teams in the DSFL. However, in true storybook fashion, this season may be the one to change that.
A rookie class chocked full of talent in all skill positions. Veterans sent down to gain more experience and to assist in achieving DSFL glory. The support of fans throughout the land. This is the story of one franchise's attempts to return to the promised land; the story of rookies and veterans alike going out to prove their worth on the big stages; and of the howl once again striking fear in DSFL opponents across the nation.
This is Howl On: The Story of the Season 21 Kansas City Coyotes.
Part 1 - Preseason Wounds
As new recruits take part in their first training camp together with the veterans of past DSFL seasons, news came in of their first opponents of the league year in preseason. With 2 away games and 2 home games, the schedule would run as follows:
Week 1 - @ Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Week 2 - @ Norfolk SeaWolves
Week 3 - vs. Portland Pythons
Week 4 - vs. Dallas Birddogs
Looking at the schedule, it had provided the perfect opportunities for the Coyotes to grow and become a well-knit unit across the board. To begin, their first opponents would be last year's Ultimini finalists, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. Finishing with a 12-2 record, their team was already strong, and with a very strong draft behind them they would prove to be a tough opponent for the Coyotes to challenge first. The biggest benefit of this is that it would point out holes in their team that may come up as the season continues, and would hopefully provide confidence should they provide a good fight against one of last season's top teams. Following this, there would be 2 televised games against familiar opponents: Norfolk SeaWolves away, and the division rival Portland Pythons at home. For players - both rookie and veteran - performing well in these games would be especially important, as this is the first time since the season's beginnings that the eyes of the general public and NSFL GMs would be on them. In terms of opponent difficulty, it is definitely a good matchup for the Coyotes; Norfolk finished one game better than KC last season, while Portland finished just below KC in the NFC North division. And the last game - vs. the Dallas Birddogs - would provide the head office and coaches with an opportunity to assess the tactics of the new expansion team before facing them in real competition. This ability to scout such a new team in non-competitive games will likely be key to not being taken by surprise in regular season matchups with them.
Overall, the excitement was palpable throughout the locker room about this schedule. The rookies - of which there were many - were ready and committed to getting out on the field to prove their worth. And the veterans were ready to help the rookies become acclimated to life at the professional level. More than anything, there was a sense that this team, brought together from across the world, could cruise through most challenges on their way to the Ultimini championship. That view would be tested, and somewhat quashed, during certain sections of preseason.
Week 1 - @ Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Everyone that exists as a part of the Coyotes organisation knew that this would definitely be a challenge for them to win - and that fear of the challenge proved to be well-founded by the time the game had started.
Upon receiving the ball from kick-off, veteran QB Chika Fujiwara and the offence took the field. And four plays later, they would come back off the field, having gained 7 total yards and turning the ball over on downs. This early setback disappointed the team overall and became the story of the first quarter - the Coyotes spluttering on offence and the Buccaneers taking advantage. After a 2 play, 33-yard touchdown drive from Myrtle Beach, the Coyotes would respond with 2 straight 3-and-outs - leading inevitably to another touchdown from a much longer Myrtle Beach drive. The Coyotes had been hit in the mouth to start the game and had failed to garner more than 25 yards in the entire first quarter. The hopes from coaches and players alike were that the team would recover on offence and launch a counterattack from the 2nd quarter on.
This did not happen. At the half, the score stood at 23-3 in favour of Myrtle Beach. And, while the scoring would dissipate over the course of the 2nd half, the scoreline never got any more flattering for the Coyotes - the final score was Buccaneers 33-6 Coyotes. The whole team was shell-shocked by the result; Fujiwara threw for only 50 yards, and achieved a passer rating of 7. The defence let up a total of 421 offensive yards. It went as disastrously as anyone on the Coyotes side-line could have imagined. The worry for fans, who had expected a tough loss but nothing as drastically bad as this, would be if this performance would drain their confidence for the rest of the preseason and - even further - the rest of the year.
Week 2 - @ Norfolk SeaWolves
These worried fans would not have to wait long to see their team respond to the heavy Buccaneers loss as they travelled away to play the SeaWolves in Norfolk. In a televised preseason game for the first time, the rookies on the side-lines very openly had nerves - after all, this was the first time they would be judged on the kind of platform that televised games would provide. The hope would be that a long early drive would help them settle into the game better than what happened the week prior with the early turnover on downs.
After receiving the ball from kick-off, the offence runs onto the field in a defiant manner, ready to show the world what they could do on the big stage. And 3 plays later - in an eerily similar vein to the week before - they wandered back off the field in despair, being switched out for the punt team. The silence was palpable from the travelling faithful - were they simply seeing a rerun of the game before? Would the team manage to overcome this adversity in a way they had not done the week before? As Norfolk ran in a touchdown from a yard out, fans and coaches alike feared the worst for the team.
The next drive for the offence looked promising, but eventually boiled down to a 4th down sack and a turnover on downs. And the despair of the fans grew further. They knew it would not be a perfect start, but this was worse than anyone could ever have imagined it to be. After a long drive down the field, the score became 10-0 to the SeaWolves. Offence enters - another 3-and-out. And another long methodical Norfolk drive takes them 13-0 up midway through the 2nd quarter. By the end of the half, the score was 16-3 to Norfolk. Fans began to wonder what was going wrong, and if they should even bother staying around to keep watching. However, in their first offensive drive of the 2nd half, a glimmer of hope showed itself. An 11-play drive that - for the first time this postseason - resulted in a Coyotes touchdown from a 5 yard rush. The team were excited; finally, they had managed to overcome the pressure they had felt and put a drive together. Maybe it was this moment that the team would turn the corner and put on a show for all the fans to rally around.
Sadly, that was not the case. As with week 1, the scoring subsided through the rest of the 2nd half, and an early 4th quarter interception from Fujiwara took the momentum away from the Coyotes once again. The final score read SeaWolves 19-10 Coyotes.
Week 3 - vs. Portland Pythons
Week 3 saw another televised preseason game, this time at home against the Portland Pythons. Coyotes fans flocked to the stadium, hoping for the chance to see their team bounce back from what had been up to this point a horrible preseason - and, in turn, show some life for the regular season. After their prior struggles, the players also felt this disappointment; they too were ready to flick the switch and become the team they thought they were going to become at the beginning of the league year.
The defence were the first of the Coyotes to run out onto the field, with the fans on their side hoping to drive the Portland team opposite them backwards throughout the game. Instead, 16 plays later, the Pythons had driven down the field to score and touchdown. The offence knew what they had to do; with more purpose than ever before, they entered the field of play to rapturous applause. Surely, the crowd thought, this would be the time they would turn up early and state their intentions off the first possession.
8 plays later, the ball was turned over on downs. The stadium was nearly silent. The team despaired at yet another tough start. The crowd longed for a response, but it had not become. And now, once again, they were fearing the worst for their Coyotes. However, the defence decided it was time for them to make their own momentum - and 3 plays later, they intercepted a pass inside Portland territory. The side-line went crazy, and the stadium erupted. With that pick, the team began rolling as everyone had expected them to long before this point. A lengthy drive from the offence led to a touchdown to start the second quarter and, after a 3-and-out from the defence, the offence would drive once again to earn another touchdown. While they went on to concede 10 points and be down 17-14 at the break, it was the first time the Coyotes had truly been in a good position and playing somewhat well going into the second half.
2 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter would continue the good feeling in the Coyotes camp. And, while the game did eventually get away from the Coyotes just - the final score was Coyotes 28-31 Pythons - the performance was enough to boost everyone in the Coyotes organisation. For 2 weeks they had struggled to find any form both on offence and defence with a point differential of -36. Having a close game with a rival like that of Portland tells of the true potential the team would be able to unleash if they start clicking together perfectly. If they could continue to improve as the preseason reached its conclusion with another game at home against an expansion team, then confidence in the season would be higher than usually imagined.
Week 4 - vs. Dallas Birddogs
For the final game of the Coyotes' preseason, they would welcome the Dallas Birddogs - an expansion team who had impressed so far in the preseason, earning a 2-1 record up to this point. A win in this game for the Coyotes would surely build confidence, as well as anticipation for the possibilities of better results come the beginning of the season.
The first half was likely one of the most uninspiring of the season for both sides, which was sure to make Coyotes fans nervous. However, as the first half largely made up of punts came to a close, the score stood at 6-0 to the Coyotes. For the first time this preseason, the Coyotes held a lead going into the break. And while it was not exactly a commanding lead, being able to hold onto this would be of great importance to the morale of the team.
The second half kicks off. Kevin Fakon fields it at the 9-yard line. He runs it down the right. He has a lane. And 17 seconds later he is downed at the Dallas 2-yard line. The momentum had finally been snatched by Kansas City, which led a play later into a deserved rushing touchdown for Kevin Fakon. The ball changes hands a few times bringing the clock down in the 3rd quarter. Halfway through, the defence flicks its own switch, and takes more momentum for themselves - Andrew Wingard intercepts a wayward pass and runs the ball 39 yards for a pick 6 touchdown. At that point, the game almost became a formality.
Cheers rained down from the stands, as well as from the Kansas City side-line, as the clock wound down to 0:00 in the 4th quarter. The final score stood at Coyotes 22-0 Birddogs. Things had started to click on both sides of the ball. Fans had something to cheer for on the field. And the coaches and players were excited once again to get onto the football field. It was like a curse had been lifted as the team left the field - and the team that stood confidently before preseason had returned, ready to take on all challengers.
It has been said throughout history that facing challenges and having to deal with large setbacks makes you stronger in the long term. With that in mind, this preseason may have turned out to be the perfect catalyst for the Kansas City Coyotes. This was a team that was untested, yet still had an air of confidence to them. By being knocked down before building themselves back up all within the span of a preseason, it may be realistic to think that a very strong Coyotes team may present itself to the rest of the league in the near future. However, only time will tell - and the first tests will prove to be some of the most telling as they host the Buccaneers and the SeaWolves. These teams broke them down only a few weeks ago; however, if the Coyotes have grown as much in this short time as it seems that they have, then those games will be a lot closer than many may believe - and if that is the case, the DSFL will be forced to once again "Fear the Howl".
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