Welcome to RainDelay's NSFL in Review series! There will be 6 parts to this, one for each team in record/elimination order. I will be looking at the good things, the bad things, and the future scope of each team. I hope to make this a regular thing each season.
So far in the series:
6. S1 San Jose SaberCats: The Good, Bad and Future
5. S1 Baltimore Hawks: The Good, Bad and Future
The next team on our list is the Yellowknife Wraiths, who finished in 2nd place in the National Simulation Football Conference this season, qualified for the playoffs, and were eliminated by the Colorado Yeti.
Yellowknife Wraiths
8-6
Second in NSFC
Round 1: Lost to Colorado Yeti
The Good
We are only three teams in to this list, but the difference is this: the Yellowknife Wraiths were actually good. The San Jose Sabercats and the Baltimore Hawks were not. Finishing fourth out of six is deceiving, but the 8-6 record they earned shows that this team, at times, looked like the real deal. Where should I start? MVP candidate Bubba Nuck seems like the right place to begin. Just yesterday, NSFL Magazine named the running back the best player in the league for its inaugural season. Nuck carried the ball 277 times and tallied 1217 yards. Tearing up defenses, the power back also found the endzone six times, proving to be the focal point of a solid offense. Second overall pick Josh Garden had a wonderful first year as well, putting himself at, or at least close to, the top ranks of wide receivers in the league's early stage. On defense, Mark Ramrio and Trent Bender had incredible seasons rushing the quarterback, tallying fourteen and thirteen sacks, respectively. Waiver-wire pickup Dermot Lavelle was one of the leaders in the training room, and if he can reunite with the team this season, will be a major asset on defense, attempting to lock down some of the league's top receiving threats.
The Bad
Despite being first in the conference for yards per game, the Wraiths were fourth best in the league, meaning the Outlaws, Otters and Sabercats all had more potent offenses. This allows for small-scale success against conference foes but when traveling to the other league, they left a lot to be desired. Because of San Jose's struggles, they got away with it this season, but even so, the games were close enough as far as offense was concerned. Defense was the difference maker there. Also, even though Bubba Nuck is such a force, he is all they had in the rushing game, making their team rushing attack only second from the bottom. Being a one-man show is nice and all for personal accolades and recognition, but with Jack Stats having an incredibly underwhelming year, and a pocket QB such as Chris Orosz not possessing any prowess in the rushing department, there was nobody else defenses saw as a threat to run, allowing them to focus their attention on Nuck. Also, the fact that some of the defensive leaders don't have diligent work ethics is not a problem yet, but will be, as failure to train eventually means their skills won't last.
The Future
The future is currently in flux for this team, as nobody is really sure in what direction they are heading. It is essentially a known fact that the Wraiths will select cornerback Dermot Lavelle first overall in the upcoming draft, after he played successfully with the team on waivers last season. How did a team that won eight games get the privilege of picking first overall, you may ask? Well, it came with a cost, a huge cost. One major piece was Mark Ramrio, who I already mentioned as being maybe the most important part of their defense. That will no longer be so, as he has moved on to the Las Vegas Legion, a new team for Season 2. It will be hard to replace him, and many of the other guys who they lost. One positive moving forward, though, is that they have two incredibly solid linemen in Jogn Floggity and Mat Akselsen, both of whom should be protecting Chris Orosz for seasons to come.
Graded
So far in the series:
6. S1 San Jose SaberCats: The Good, Bad and Future
5. S1 Baltimore Hawks: The Good, Bad and Future
The next team on our list is the Yellowknife Wraiths, who finished in 2nd place in the National Simulation Football Conference this season, qualified for the playoffs, and were eliminated by the Colorado Yeti.
Yellowknife Wraiths
8-6
Second in NSFC
Round 1: Lost to Colorado Yeti
The Good
We are only three teams in to this list, but the difference is this: the Yellowknife Wraiths were actually good. The San Jose Sabercats and the Baltimore Hawks were not. Finishing fourth out of six is deceiving, but the 8-6 record they earned shows that this team, at times, looked like the real deal. Where should I start? MVP candidate Bubba Nuck seems like the right place to begin. Just yesterday, NSFL Magazine named the running back the best player in the league for its inaugural season. Nuck carried the ball 277 times and tallied 1217 yards. Tearing up defenses, the power back also found the endzone six times, proving to be the focal point of a solid offense. Second overall pick Josh Garden had a wonderful first year as well, putting himself at, or at least close to, the top ranks of wide receivers in the league's early stage. On defense, Mark Ramrio and Trent Bender had incredible seasons rushing the quarterback, tallying fourteen and thirteen sacks, respectively. Waiver-wire pickup Dermot Lavelle was one of the leaders in the training room, and if he can reunite with the team this season, will be a major asset on defense, attempting to lock down some of the league's top receiving threats.
The Bad
Despite being first in the conference for yards per game, the Wraiths were fourth best in the league, meaning the Outlaws, Otters and Sabercats all had more potent offenses. This allows for small-scale success against conference foes but when traveling to the other league, they left a lot to be desired. Because of San Jose's struggles, they got away with it this season, but even so, the games were close enough as far as offense was concerned. Defense was the difference maker there. Also, even though Bubba Nuck is such a force, he is all they had in the rushing game, making their team rushing attack only second from the bottom. Being a one-man show is nice and all for personal accolades and recognition, but with Jack Stats having an incredibly underwhelming year, and a pocket QB such as Chris Orosz not possessing any prowess in the rushing department, there was nobody else defenses saw as a threat to run, allowing them to focus their attention on Nuck. Also, the fact that some of the defensive leaders don't have diligent work ethics is not a problem yet, but will be, as failure to train eventually means their skills won't last.
The Future
The future is currently in flux for this team, as nobody is really sure in what direction they are heading. It is essentially a known fact that the Wraiths will select cornerback Dermot Lavelle first overall in the upcoming draft, after he played successfully with the team on waivers last season. How did a team that won eight games get the privilege of picking first overall, you may ask? Well, it came with a cost, a huge cost. One major piece was Mark Ramrio, who I already mentioned as being maybe the most important part of their defense. That will no longer be so, as he has moved on to the Las Vegas Legion, a new team for Season 2. It will be hard to replace him, and many of the other guys who they lost. One positive moving forward, though, is that they have two incredibly solid linemen in Jogn Floggity and Mat Akselsen, both of whom should be protecting Chris Orosz for seasons to come.
Graded
[OPTION]Height: 6'1"
[OPTION]Weight: 197
[OPTION]Birthplace: Tallahassee, FL
[OPTION]Number: 18
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Regular Season Stats
[OPTION]S1 (SJS): 72 REC - 1062 YDS - 4 TD
[OPTION]S2 (SJS/YKW): 74 REC - 1078 YDS - 6 TD
[OPTION]S3 (YKW):
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Playoff Stats
[OPTION]S2 (YKW):
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Career Highlights:
[OPTION]Drafted 9th Overall by the San Jose SaberCats in the S1 Draft
[OPTION]Named to S1 ASFC Pro Bowl Roster
[OPTION]Traded to Yellowknife Wraiths for WR Darren Smallwood and S3 1st Round Pick
[OPTION]Height: 6'3"
[OPTION]Weight: 184
[OPTION]Birthplace: Syracuse, NY
[OPTION]Number: 16
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Height: 6'3"
[OPTION]Weight: 184
[OPTION]Birthplace: Greensboro, NC
[OPTION]Number: 10
[OPTION]===========================================