Task 3: Freeform
Winning Punter of the Year last night, the second positional award in Venus Powers’ three years in the league, really put into perspective my experience in the league. In a way, it’s been a validation of sorts for a decision that I struggled with immensely over a half year ago: ending the career of Morgan Marshall early.
Marshall was my first player. A receiving running back, he was drafted fourth overall by the San Antonio Marshals (rest in peace) and lit up the DSFL in his first, and only, season down under. This included 19 touchdowns from scrimmage, tying the then-DSFL record, as well as leading the entire league with over 1500 rushing yards and headlining the run heavy offense of the Marshal Law era Marshals, a 13-1 squad that featured Cooter Bigsby and the Fabulous Five (not a bad band name). It was wonderful. For those efforts I won the S14 DSFL Running Back of the Year award and was seen as one of the best prospects in the upcoming draft. But our team went one and done in the playoffs at home.
From there Marshall spent four long years in Yellowknife, and while I soon took the starting job, I was never as proficient as I wanted to be. I never even sniffed the Pro Bowl until my final season, much less any awards, and I found myself outclassed and outpaced by lower TPE speed backs on the regular. It didn’t help that I didn’t exactly enjoy much playoff success either - despite making the playoffs three times over four years, twice as the home team, I only won 1 playoff game total. One, out of now five games total. It just wasn’t going the way I had wanted it to, and Marshall’s laggard career was bringing down my general interest in the league. So I told my GMs at the end of S17 that I would only play one more year, and then that would be the end of Marshall’s career.
On the second go around, I created a kicker. Besides just loving kickers, playing as Venus Powers has many built in advantages compared to the career of Morgan Marshall. For one thing, the starting job is guaranteed if you are good enough. There isn’t any snap sharing for most kicking slots. For another, I created during a serious lull in kickers. There were 10 teams and less than half had a kicker above 150 TPE. If I earned quickly, I could seize a career that could finally give me a shot at actually making the Hall of Fame eventually.
And Venus Powers quickly has validated my decision. In Portland, I only took the kicking duties since Diego Espinosa was rostered as a punter, and I enjoyed a pretty nice season, although it wasn’t anything particularly memorable and didn’t gain any awards traction. I also was a member of the Pythons squad that won the division and got home field for the first game of the playoffs... which we lost. Ironically, as Powers’ career shot upwards, my fluky playoffs luck turned downright abysmal, and I haven’t even gotten close again.
In the NSFL, I was selected 14th overall to the Philadelphia Liberty. This was my home for two years, and I’ll always be grateful for the experience I had, especially with my GMs Hallmonitor and TubbyTim69. That’s not to say that we had any sort of sustained success; far from it, in fact. We were quite frequently the second worst team in the league (the worst will always be Chicago) and as a result Venus Powers only kicked 23 field goals and extra points in each year she spent as a member of the Liberty. The real magic happened in the other half of her duties, the punting race, where Powers turned in Pro Bowl nods each season, plus a slim victory for Punter of the Year in S21.
Even though I was happy in Philadelphia, I don’t hold any grudge as per them not protecting me in the S22 expansion draft, nor do I blame Honolulu for taking me. And in Honolulu, I’ve continued Venus’ development in stride, claiming the top TPE crown over all kickers and once again winning Punter of the Year. Do I wish that I wasn’t still on abysmal offenses and that I could contend for Kicker of the Year eventually? Of course. But as of right now, I’m incredibly satisfied with my career thus far. I don’t believe it to be too much of a stretch to say that I’m on an early trajectory for the Hall, especially since I need to only put up 3087 punting yards each of my remaining seasons to break the punting yardage record, and I have yet to dip below 4000 in a season.
Overall, I think it’s fascinating the difference in satisfaction between the careers of my two players, especially as Venus Powers enters her fourth season in the NSFL. Kicker may be much less recognized and general talked about than running back, and I still haven’t gotten to the playoffs again, but my general enjoyment and experience with the league has never been better. And it may just be a product of the larger draft classes, but I like to think that the emergence of Powers - the first very active kicker since Alex D, and the first near max earner since McCormick - has contributed at least somewhat to the higher number of active kickers in these past few drafts.
Winning Punter of the Year last night, the second positional award in Venus Powers’ three years in the league, really put into perspective my experience in the league. In a way, it’s been a validation of sorts for a decision that I struggled with immensely over a half year ago: ending the career of Morgan Marshall early.
Marshall was my first player. A receiving running back, he was drafted fourth overall by the San Antonio Marshals (rest in peace) and lit up the DSFL in his first, and only, season down under. This included 19 touchdowns from scrimmage, tying the then-DSFL record, as well as leading the entire league with over 1500 rushing yards and headlining the run heavy offense of the Marshal Law era Marshals, a 13-1 squad that featured Cooter Bigsby and the Fabulous Five (not a bad band name). It was wonderful. For those efforts I won the S14 DSFL Running Back of the Year award and was seen as one of the best prospects in the upcoming draft. But our team went one and done in the playoffs at home.
From there Marshall spent four long years in Yellowknife, and while I soon took the starting job, I was never as proficient as I wanted to be. I never even sniffed the Pro Bowl until my final season, much less any awards, and I found myself outclassed and outpaced by lower TPE speed backs on the regular. It didn’t help that I didn’t exactly enjoy much playoff success either - despite making the playoffs three times over four years, twice as the home team, I only won 1 playoff game total. One, out of now five games total. It just wasn’t going the way I had wanted it to, and Marshall’s laggard career was bringing down my general interest in the league. So I told my GMs at the end of S17 that I would only play one more year, and then that would be the end of Marshall’s career.
On the second go around, I created a kicker. Besides just loving kickers, playing as Venus Powers has many built in advantages compared to the career of Morgan Marshall. For one thing, the starting job is guaranteed if you are good enough. There isn’t any snap sharing for most kicking slots. For another, I created during a serious lull in kickers. There were 10 teams and less than half had a kicker above 150 TPE. If I earned quickly, I could seize a career that could finally give me a shot at actually making the Hall of Fame eventually.
And Venus Powers quickly has validated my decision. In Portland, I only took the kicking duties since Diego Espinosa was rostered as a punter, and I enjoyed a pretty nice season, although it wasn’t anything particularly memorable and didn’t gain any awards traction. I also was a member of the Pythons squad that won the division and got home field for the first game of the playoffs... which we lost. Ironically, as Powers’ career shot upwards, my fluky playoffs luck turned downright abysmal, and I haven’t even gotten close again.
In the NSFL, I was selected 14th overall to the Philadelphia Liberty. This was my home for two years, and I’ll always be grateful for the experience I had, especially with my GMs Hallmonitor and TubbyTim69. That’s not to say that we had any sort of sustained success; far from it, in fact. We were quite frequently the second worst team in the league (the worst will always be Chicago) and as a result Venus Powers only kicked 23 field goals and extra points in each year she spent as a member of the Liberty. The real magic happened in the other half of her duties, the punting race, where Powers turned in Pro Bowl nods each season, plus a slim victory for Punter of the Year in S21.
Even though I was happy in Philadelphia, I don’t hold any grudge as per them not protecting me in the S22 expansion draft, nor do I blame Honolulu for taking me. And in Honolulu, I’ve continued Venus’ development in stride, claiming the top TPE crown over all kickers and once again winning Punter of the Year. Do I wish that I wasn’t still on abysmal offenses and that I could contend for Kicker of the Year eventually? Of course. But as of right now, I’m incredibly satisfied with my career thus far. I don’t believe it to be too much of a stretch to say that I’m on an early trajectory for the Hall, especially since I need to only put up 3087 punting yards each of my remaining seasons to break the punting yardage record, and I have yet to dip below 4000 in a season.
Overall, I think it’s fascinating the difference in satisfaction between the careers of my two players, especially as Venus Powers enters her fourth season in the NSFL. Kicker may be much less recognized and general talked about than running back, and I still haven’t gotten to the playoffs again, but my general enjoyment and experience with the league has never been better. And it may just be a product of the larger draft classes, but I like to think that the emergence of Powers - the first very active kicker since Alex D, and the first near max earner since McCormick - has contributed at least somewhat to the higher number of active kickers in these past few drafts.
Transgender lesbian, S15 veteran, and media extraordinaire. Fascists and bigots are welcome to fuck off.
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For Your Reading Consideration:
Before the Butchers | The Jungle
The Giving Tree | Volume II | Volume III
A Winter of Discontent | Volume II
The Rockiest Road | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | Finale
Two Essays on Unfree Agency: On Agents | On Contracts
Eclipse of the Honey Moon | Volume II
Gemini Media Awards:
S39 | S40 | S41 | S42 | S43 | S44 | S45 | S46
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For Your Reading Consideration:
Before the Butchers | The Jungle
The Giving Tree | Volume II | Volume III
A Winter of Discontent | Volume II
The Rockiest Road | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | Finale
Two Essays on Unfree Agency: On Agents | On Contracts
Eclipse of the Honey Moon | Volume II
Gemini Media Awards:
S39 | S40 | S41 | S42 | S43 | S44 | S45 | S46
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