Ready to be Graded - Word Count: 715
Preview:
This week’s Primetime game comes from the NSFC, as the Sailfish and Yeti take to the field to open the season. Both teams will be looking to start their season with a win - though pressure will be on Colorado. I expect the NSFC playoff race to be neck-and-neck again, so an Away win would really help Sarasota’s end of season chances.
Sarasota finished 10-6 last season, just beating out Colorado (8-8) for the last playoff spot.
Analysis:
I have to start by talking about the Yeti’s likely gameplan - and that is to air it out. In S28, they were the team that had the most attempted passes, with Matthias Caliban throwing 775 times. In S29, there have been a couple changes to the Yeti’s catching game. Rookie Cole Maxwell will see their ISFL career start, taking over for Leeroy Jenkins, who moved to OL during the offseason. It’s a drop of about 300 effective TPE for the WR3 position, so I wouldn’t expect the swap to affect too much.
However, I wouldn’t expect too many bombs from Caliban this game. Sarasota have one of the best Defensive Lines in the league. They average 1019 TPE across 4 players, and are led by Son Goku (1286 TPE). In comparison, the Yeti’s Offensive Line averages 513 TPE (bonus points for being fully human though). Regardless of how Colorado decide to throw, expect to see Caliban get hit at least a few times this game.
I also have to mention the disparaging comparison between Sarasota’s secondary and Colorado’s receivers. Sarasota’s secondary is truly a force to be reckoned with this season, averaging 1000 TPE across 5 players, while Colorado’s receiving corps averages 692 TPE across their likely 5 primary receivers (though Colorado’s side is very top heavy, lead by William Lim’s 1210 TPE).
That being said, so long as Colorado doesn't chuck it down field every drive, they should be able to make some ground.
Offensively, Sarasota is… Unique. Fielding 3 RBs, including a fully dedicated FB, 6 human OLs, and a full suite of eligible receivers (3 WRs, and 2 TEs), they are truly a mystery to me. To be quite frank, I have no idea how they’re going to line up this year… S28’s Sarasota saw them take advantage of Chizuru Ichinose's (formerly Raphtalia Chan) zenith, with their run game being tied for the most effective in the league.
Colorado’s defensive line looks sturdy as well, with veteran defensive tackle, and team legend Bubba Thumper returning to the fray. However, it will be on other three to carry the rush, which should not be a problem as they average 1105 TPE. Sarasota’s OLs, as mentioned prior, features not just 5, but a total of 6 human OL. As the typical team will field 5 OL total (with few having more enough to field a full human 5), this makes the math comparison just a bit wonky. Sarasota’s top 5 OL average 549 TPE. Adding in the 6th brings the average down to 513 TPE. As Sarasota have a fully dedicated fullback, I have no idea where that 6th OL will play, or whom they will rotate with (assuming they rotate them at all!). We can assume that the average TPE on the OL will likely fluctuate between 549 and 513 TPE depending on the drive. Which honestly, isn’t the biggest difference. Like Caliban, Mike Boss Jr. should expect to end up on the turf a few times.
Conclusion:
Rarely do games so early in the season carry such heavy playoff connotations. Both teams will be desperate to pick up the win, not only to start their season, but to get the edge in the Head-to-Head against the other. Sarasota’s secondary look ready to tangle with Colorado’s Air Raid offense. It should be a heavy hitting game - expect some fast pace action!
Player Storylines:
If you made it this far, do me a favour and leave a comment talking about a Player Storyline for this game! I love Player Storylines, but I don’t know the players of our league well enough yet! It can be anything! I’ll start ~
This will be Bubba Thumper’s first home game in a Colorado Yeti jersey since leaving the team through the S25 expansion draft! This is Bubba’s 12th and final season in the ISFL.
Preview:
This week’s Primetime game comes from the NSFC, as the Sailfish and Yeti take to the field to open the season. Both teams will be looking to start their season with a win - though pressure will be on Colorado. I expect the NSFC playoff race to be neck-and-neck again, so an Away win would really help Sarasota’s end of season chances.
Sarasota finished 10-6 last season, just beating out Colorado (8-8) for the last playoff spot.
Analysis:
I have to start by talking about the Yeti’s likely gameplan - and that is to air it out. In S28, they were the team that had the most attempted passes, with Matthias Caliban throwing 775 times. In S29, there have been a couple changes to the Yeti’s catching game. Rookie Cole Maxwell will see their ISFL career start, taking over for Leeroy Jenkins, who moved to OL during the offseason. It’s a drop of about 300 effective TPE for the WR3 position, so I wouldn’t expect the swap to affect too much.
However, I wouldn’t expect too many bombs from Caliban this game. Sarasota have one of the best Defensive Lines in the league. They average 1019 TPE across 4 players, and are led by Son Goku (1286 TPE). In comparison, the Yeti’s Offensive Line averages 513 TPE (bonus points for being fully human though). Regardless of how Colorado decide to throw, expect to see Caliban get hit at least a few times this game.
I also have to mention the disparaging comparison between Sarasota’s secondary and Colorado’s receivers. Sarasota’s secondary is truly a force to be reckoned with this season, averaging 1000 TPE across 5 players, while Colorado’s receiving corps averages 692 TPE across their likely 5 primary receivers (though Colorado’s side is very top heavy, lead by William Lim’s 1210 TPE).
That being said, so long as Colorado doesn't chuck it down field every drive, they should be able to make some ground.
Offensively, Sarasota is… Unique. Fielding 3 RBs, including a fully dedicated FB, 6 human OLs, and a full suite of eligible receivers (3 WRs, and 2 TEs), they are truly a mystery to me. To be quite frank, I have no idea how they’re going to line up this year… S28’s Sarasota saw them take advantage of Chizuru Ichinose's (formerly Raphtalia Chan) zenith, with their run game being tied for the most effective in the league.
Colorado’s defensive line looks sturdy as well, with veteran defensive tackle, and team legend Bubba Thumper returning to the fray. However, it will be on other three to carry the rush, which should not be a problem as they average 1105 TPE. Sarasota’s OLs, as mentioned prior, features not just 5, but a total of 6 human OL. As the typical team will field 5 OL total (with few having more enough to field a full human 5), this makes the math comparison just a bit wonky. Sarasota’s top 5 OL average 549 TPE. Adding in the 6th brings the average down to 513 TPE. As Sarasota have a fully dedicated fullback, I have no idea where that 6th OL will play, or whom they will rotate with (assuming they rotate them at all!). We can assume that the average TPE on the OL will likely fluctuate between 549 and 513 TPE depending on the drive. Which honestly, isn’t the biggest difference. Like Caliban, Mike Boss Jr. should expect to end up on the turf a few times.
Conclusion:
Rarely do games so early in the season carry such heavy playoff connotations. Both teams will be desperate to pick up the win, not only to start their season, but to get the edge in the Head-to-Head against the other. Sarasota’s secondary look ready to tangle with Colorado’s Air Raid offense. It should be a heavy hitting game - expect some fast pace action!
Player Storylines:
If you made it this far, do me a favour and leave a comment talking about a Player Storyline for this game! I love Player Storylines, but I don’t know the players of our league well enough yet! It can be anything! I’ll start ~
This will be Bubba Thumper’s first home game in a Colorado Yeti jersey since leaving the team through the S25 expansion draft! This is Bubba’s 12th and final season in the ISFL.