Assessing Needs of the ASFC
As we near the end of the regular season, I think it’s about that time that I start looking ahead a little. The ISFL Draft will be upon is in no time at all, and teams are eagerly scouting talent to pick. With that in mind, I’m going to be playing the uno reverse card and scouting the teams back. However, while they should be reaching out and talking to the draftees, I will be operating entirely from my own observations. Some of this may be completely wrong, but it is worth trying at least.
For now, we’ll kick things off easy.
ARIZONA OUTLAWS
Current Record: 9-5-0
Oldest Players: (S20) CB - Desmond Scarlett, (S20) LB - Galf Wilf, (S21) DT - Pete Miller, (S22) RB - Tatsu Nakamura, (S22) WR - Thomas Passmann, (S22) LB - Stanislaw Koniecpolski, (S22) S - Wesley Eriksen, (S22) OL - Calvin Golladay, (S23) S - DB Jadakiss, (S23) OL - Julio Jones
Recent 1st Round Picks: (S27) DT - Fergus Callaghan Jr (14), (S28) DE - Glenn Smart (5), (S29) LB - Marcus Jones (12)
Upcoming Picks: S30 ARI 2nd, S30 CHI 2nd, S31 ARI 1st, S31 ARI 2nd
Upcoming Free Agents: (S23) OL - Julio Jones, (S24) OL - Mattress Cadaire, (S20) LB - Galf Wilf, (S20) CB - Desmond Scarlett
This team has gone six seasons without a losing record, and as I look at them, I don’t think that will be ending any time soon. While they have a decent amount of older players listed here, they seem primarily built around S24 and S25 players who are now in their primes. I wouldn’t be expecting them to falter for at least another five seasons.
The only issue they may have is the need to replace those older players as their core group evolves and develops. They seem to be hitting their stride as it is, having gone 12-4 last season and now already securing a winning season as well. However, they seem to have had some issues hitting on picks recently as Callaghan Jr seems to have turned into a dud. Glenn Smart and Marcus Jones both look good, but they don’t have much else for younger players to prepare and step in.
It shouldn’t be too big of an problem, though. If looking at these older players, they seem like the type that will be able to last a little bit into regression. I know it hits pretty hard here, but at least there’s a lot of points available and they may be able to fight it for a little while. I would estimate that they shouldn’t have a problem at the start of the window for the S24 players, but may want to be prepared for when that window starts to come closing.
These next couple of drafts are going to be extremely interesting because of all of that. With them having what I would say is a team in their stride and not much youth to start toward the next window, this seems like the perfect time to start establishing that next step after they likely win an Ultimus at some point in the next couple of seasons. While they don’t have a first this season, they do hold two second round picks and can start building out their prospect pool a little bit with them.
The team definitely has needs in the draft, as Marcus Jones only fills one spot from their prospect pool and from there comes a very difficult view. Two safeties, a running back, a wide receiver. They have needs. What they do in the draft will be mostly determined by everything ahead of it, as when it comes to second round picks you just take the best player available and you don’t worry too much about position. My bet is they try to lean defense, they have a lot of losses on that side, and secondary preferred if they can.
Nonetheless, this team is going to be winning a championship soon, at least it feels like it just looking at them on the TPE Tracker. If anything, they’re in a great window and it only makes sense that they should expect a dip to come up anyway. If the picks don’t land, it will still be worth it as long as they make out with a title. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that come along.
AUSTIN COPPERHEADS
Current Record: 3-10-1
Oldest Players: (S22) DE - Troen Egghands, (S22) LB - Dex Kennedy, (S22) S - Hamish MacAndrew, (S22) TE - Friedrich Vequain, (S22) DE - Slinky Claxton, (S23) LB - Tyler Montain, (S23) WR - Videl-San, (S23) CB - Lesean Paris Crooks, (S23) CB - Tomage McGullager, (S23) WR - Doug Howlett
Recent 1st Round Picks: (S27) DT - Candice Fitinyomouf (13)
Upcoming Picks: (S30) AUS 1st, (S30) AUS 2nd, (S31) AUS 1st, (S31) AUS 2nd
Upcoming Free Agents: (S27) RB - Jim The Vampire, (S27) DT - Candice D. Fitinyomouth, (S22) DE - Slinky Claxton, (S22) LB - Dex Kennedy, (S23) CB - Lesean Paris Crooks
So this is an interesting one for a lot of reasons. We’ll start with the fact they’ve never won more than nine games in a season. That isn’t too bad, considering they played in a thirteen game season before and have won an Ultimus. It just is surprising, and even more so when you look at this team and kind of realize they should be a lot more competitive than that record makes it look.
They’ve had 8 games where they lost by one score or less. That’s a remarkably unlucky record, and so I wouldn’t expect this to continue for them. The team is definitely built in a way that this kind of season should be shocking to see, and so as I started looking I was stunned by this and had to start looking for reasons.
The good thing is, the team is well built to be competitive this season. They have a lot of S24 and S25 players on their roster. They really resemble Arizona to a degree. The team is deep and strong, just appears to be extremely unlucky. They’re set up to absorb their losses well, as even though they’ve only had one first round pick in the last three drafts – and it was a late one at 13th overall – they have a fairly good prospect pool with defensive tackle Daniel O'Leary, safety Chathack'rius Smith IV and cornerback Siege Cameron leading the way. Ivan Toastovich is a fairly good receiver as well.
Ultimately, the team looks like one that is really good at drafting, and considering they own their first round pick in this draft and should expect to be a top-3 pick, it should be a pretty great set up for them. Looking at their older players and what they have to replace them, they’ve already set up the defense pretty well.
My thinking is that they likely target a tight end, or some kind of playmaker in the receiving game. I don’t know that they need it, considering they have Videl-San, Bayley Cowabunga and Ivan Toastovich, but I guess it never hurts to have playmakers on offense and when you’ve set up your depth on defense so well, it only makes sense. Otherwise, I could see aiming for another cornerback. While Siege Cameron looks pretty good, they otherwise have a lot of older players for that role and could probably get another young player to line-up across from Cameron in the future.
No matter how you view it, however, the team is really set up to take the best player available. Getting more playmakers is never a bad thing, and for a team like this that is so well set up and just unlucky, it should be priority number one. They have no reason to think this season is going to be the norm, and with a high pick can just get the best player available and continue their dominance into the future thanks to it.
HONOLULU HAHALUA
Current Record: 2-12-0
Oldest Players: (S22) S - Shawn Dawkins, (S22) CB - Jim Waters, (S22) DT - BigEddi ForeverYeti, (S22) DE - Sandro Ryeu, (S22) RB - Tristian Hex, (S23) LB - Heinrich Kackpoo, (S23) LB - Griffin Porter, (S23) CB - Ray-Ray Jackson, (S23) DT - Bane Ka'ana'ana
Recent 1st Round Picks: (S27) WR - Eleven Kendrick-Watts (1), (S28) DT - Professor Godfrey Gravity (12), (S29) LB - David Franklin (8)
Upcoming Picks: (S30) HON 1st, (S30) HON 2nd, (S31) HON 1st, (S31) HON 2nd
Upcoming Free Agents: (S22) RB - Tristian Hex, (S23) WR - Dre Matthews, (S24) TE - Ragnar Krashwagen, (S26) OL - Richard Littlewood, (S23) DT - Bane Ka'ana'ana, (S24) DE - Asher Montain, (S22) DE - Sandro Ryeu, (S23) LB - Griffin Porter, (S23) CB - Ray-Ray Jackson
I feel like this team is the most in transition I can tell from the ASFC. They have a decent number of older players listed here, but the crux of the team is built a lot younger and are just in need of some development time. Though, they’re getting pretty close to hitting their peak it feels like.
They have a clear base from getting the top pick in S27, selecting Eleven Kendrick-Watts, as well as getting their quarterback Joliet Christ Jr. They are lined up for a war at quarterback, though, as they also have Raeni Clarke developing in the prospect pool. The team is looking in line to have another high pick this season, likely in the top few picks, and it should just solidify the core group they’ve been building at.
The team has been mostly focusing on their defensive depth lately, having a defensive tackle and two linebackers in their prospect pool. They have the need for it for sure, as only one offensive player seems to fit in the oldest players group that I listed above. It really makes you wonder, they invested in offense when it came to their building up the team and now you see the team getting ready to make the next step and needing to fill in a lot of space on the opposite side.
Meanwhile, they also do appear to have a small need for help offensively. After Kendrick-Watts, they have a great running back in Cobra Kai, and some solid earning players but it seems like they could use another big playmaker. Specifically in the passing game, where after Kendrick-Watts they have Krashwagen and Salamanca, but don’t appear to have the firepower that would light the world on fire.
Ultimately, the team I think will be targeting defense in the draft, which is great as they look in line to get the top pick and the top prospect appears to be a safety in Miles Weperom – a position they desperately need as I only show one on their roster and he’s one of their oldest players. I fully expect to see them target Weperom, or go after another defensive prospect in the draft coming up. While they could use offensive help, that isn’t as hard to come by at times and the trend for them the last few seasons has been building that defense up in the prospect pool. I wouldn’t expect deviation now of all times.
NEW ORLEANS SECOND LINE
Current Record: 7-7-0
Oldest Players: (S19) S - Mason Blaylock, (S21) WR - Ed Barker, (S22) CB - Andrew Witten, (S22) QB - Ben Slothlisberger, (S22) RB - Kichwa Jones, (S23) WR - Brock Bodenhamer, (S23) LB - Hingle McCringleberry
Recent 1st Round Picks: (S28) OL - Cade Williams (13), (S29) WR - Quinton Crash
Upcoming Picks: (S30) NOLA 1st, (S30) NOLA 2nd, (S30) NYS 2nd, (S31) NOLA 1st, (S31) NOLA 2nd
Upcoming Free Agents: (S28) RB - Remus Roman, (S22) RB - Kichwa Jones, (S26) LB - Vincent Jones, (S24) LB - Busch Light, (S23) LB - Hingle McCringleberry, (S27) LB - Kevin Morrison, (S27) CB - Buck Nekkid, (S19) S - Mason Blaylock
This team doesn’t look very old on paper, though Blaylock definitely jumps off the page a bit considering a S19 is pretty old.
What I find the most interesting just looking at what we have listed here is what the older players are. From their quarterback to a running back to two wide receivers. This team is going to be looking for some offensive firepower in the draft. They have IsHe... ReallyInvisible developing at quarterback, but not really anything else on offense. That is kind of surprising to me, but not the biggest shocker. Quinton Crash was a good pick for them in S29s draft, and Remus Roman will be able to carry the load find at running back, but having some extra help will be important for them.
Meanwhile, the defense has just a few spots needing filled and it looks like Sir Peter Jackson is in line to take Andrew Witten’s spot. This team really feels like we did the opposites game again here, with Honolulu looking like a team that has invested heavily on offense and then had to course correct on defense. This team is effectively the exact opposite, a team that appears to have it all figured out on defense but beyond Crash and Roman don’t have much to work with offensively.
This is going to be a fun one for the draft, as New Orleans is looking to be pretty much middle of the road for this season, maybe a little later in the round. Thankfully, it feels like I’ve seen quite a few teams that are more in need of defensive help and so they should be able to find some more playmakers on offense at that point in the draft without much issue.
I am also fascinated that this is a team who took an offensive lineman in the first round at one point. I don’t know the league that well, but it appears like offensive line wouldn’t be a position really coveted that often like it is in real life. However, this team valued it over going for a playmaker. I don’t know if there is a reason behind that, of course, and I hope to learn more for it. It just seems like an interesting choice, recognizing that the team is maybe building out the offense a little differently than what I’ve seen around the league at this point.
This will be interesting to see come draft time, I think. This team seems like one that I can’t really get a read on just looking at recent drafts. However, if I were building the team, I would completely expect to see an offensive playmaker on the way to New Orleans. We will see.
NEW YORK SILVERBACKS
Current Record: 9-5-0
Oldest Players: (S21) DT - Leon McDavid, (S22) CB - Colt Mendoza, (S22) LB - Jack Banks, (S22) DE - Ke'oke'o Kane-Maika'i, (S22) WR - Sean Snyder, (S23) WR - Jackson Kingston, (S23) S - Mac Griddle
Recent 1st Round Picks: (S27) TE - James Wilkinson (12), (S28) DE - None Mongo (6)
Upcoming Picks: (S30) NYS 1st, (S31) NYS 1st, (S31) NYS 2nd
Upcoming Free Agents: (S27) TE - James Wilkinson, (S21) DT - Leon McDavid
Alright. It’s at this point that I see yet another team that is built around S25 players and I have to question things a bit. Did the ASFC just look across the league and see a few NSFC teams that were built heavily for the S22 and S23 seasons and go, let’s all build for S24 and S25?
This is remarkable to me, honestly. This feels like the third or fourth team that is built for the exact same point in time as this one has a ton of S25 players that really stand out. I guess the ASFC just had a collective moment together to find the window they all wanted to step on each other’s toes and boy are they.
New York is definitely a fun look, as they only have a first in the upcoming draft, which is a fine pick to have. They didn’t make a first round pick last season, and are looking like a team that will be in need of defense. Just considering the older player list is comprised of practically all defense and a couple of receivers.
However, when I look over the team, the real need I see is at running back. After Captain Rogers, they don’t have the greatest group to me. They aren’t exactly bad, but they definitely don’t stand out like I’ve seen on some other teams. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them target a running back if they’re able to find one falling to them. Otherwise, defense should probably be the priority for them. They have a couple of decent prospects, and one on defense in linebacker DeAndre Chuggs. They just need to pull in some more as regression will be hitting hard soon on some of these players.
Nonetheless, the defense looks strong on the team at this point and so it can only help to be prepared for some dip from them. I don’t think this team is going to be too strict to a plan for the draft. They just seem to be aligned for needing some help on offense here shortly, but going for the best player available probably wouldn’t be a bad plan for them in the end.
ORANGE COUNTY OTTERS
Current Record: 8-6-0
Oldest Players: (S21) S - Prince Vegeta, (S21) DT - Rotticus Scott, (S21) DE - Rapid Eagle, (S21) OL - Future Trunks, (S22) CB - Brandon Booker, (S22) QB - Suleiman Ramza, (S22) TE - Heath Evans, (S22) WR - Garfield Despacito Jr., (S22) LB - Deshun Jones, (S22) RB - Jeffrey Phillips, (S23) S - Eugene Smoothie, (S23) OL - Carl Wheezer, (S23) DE - 3' Jeffrey
Recent 1st Round Picks: (S27) DE - Bean Beanman (7), (S27) RB - Ace Savage (9), (S28) CB - Anton Bruckner (3), (S29) CB - Suggs Upshar (6)
Upcoming Picks: (S30) OCO 1st, (S30) OCO 2nd, (S31) OCO 1st, (S31) OCO 2nd
Upcoming Free Agents: (S22) RB - Jeffrey Phillips, (S22) TE - Heath Evans, (S21) OL - Future Trunks, (S23) OL - Carl Wheezer, (S24) OL - Ne Mo, (S23) DE - 3' Jeffrey, (S23) S - Eugene Smoothie, (S21) S - Prince Vegeta
Every three seasons seems to be the next group for Orange County here. The Otters have a deep crew of S22, S25 and S28 players. With that in mind, I fully expect that S31 will be another big upswing for the Otters to try and grab a big group of players to replace the S22s I would assume. It’s just an interesting trend that is going forward for them.
Meanwhile, the team is fun to look at. They have an alright prospect pool, with tight end Zack Dinozzo, defensive end Will Stern and cornerbacks Suggs Upshar and Rean Schwarzer looking fairly good for the long term. They shouldn’t have too much of a problem setting their team up to be very competitive for the S28 and S29 players.
This is interesting teambuilding to me, as it doesn’t seem to resemble any that I can remember. They jump every three seasons and create a consistent window where they’re bringing people in as the far end is hitting regression and the middle is starting to strike at their prime. It seems like a really smart long term outlook on team building. Though the question will remain as to whether it does actually work until the point that we see them truly breaking out.
You could say that’s a bit unfair, they have broken out this season as they guarantee a winning season here. I like to see consistency, though, and so as we see it over the seasons possibly hit continuously would be fantastic. This could be a really fun way to guarantee long-term success, and it’s just a matter of time to see if it actually does work that way.
In the meantime, I wouldn’t expect to see the Otters go very hard on the draft this time around. While they have a lot of older players listed on their roster, they have a wealth of middle-aged and younger players as well. The team does have spaces they should probably look to, specifically safety and defensive tackle. They have two older safeties on the roster, and only one defensive tackle that I can see. I could also see them looking to the future a bit, quarterbacks take a longer time to develop and while Suleiman Ramza should last a while longer, it never hurts to be prepared.
My bet is going to be on a defense first viewpoint for Orange County, and I think they’ll be targeting a safety or defensive tackle in the draft provided that’s one of the better players available. They have very few holes, and using this draft to plug them while preparing for the next wave of the three-season skip could be pretty important for them.
SAN JOSE SABERCATS
Current Record: 6-7-1
Oldest Players: (S21) TE - James Lewandowski, (S21) DT - Otis Allen, (S22) RB - Jamar Lackson, (S22) LB - Lawrence Bass, (S22) QB - Monterey Jack, (S22) LB - George Fisher, (S23) S - Philip Stein
Recent 1st Round Picks: (S27) LB - Duke Cheeks (6), (S28) CB - Juno Ho (7), (S29) QB - Panda McKyle (9)
Upcoming Picks: (S30) SJS 1st, (S30) SJS 2nd, (S31) SJS 1st, (S31) SJS 2nd
Upcoming Free Agents: (S25) RB - Jameson Vermillion, (S21) TE - James Lewandowski, (S21) DT - Otis Allen, (S24) DT - Chad Simpson, (S22) George Fisher, (S24) S - Rashad Hilliard
Finally we come around to ... another team built around S24 and S25. What a shocker, huh.
The ASFC has been remarkable for that, honestly. It has made for a really interesting outlook in this article as I continually come across teams that are looking at effectively the same window. I find it really interesting, as when I first looked at the ASFC, I was thinking oh hey this is a lot of close teams that don’t really have anyone dominant. What it turns out is that everybody built for the same time and it really feels at times like luck plays a part in which one is making it big and which ones are bombing.
That isn’t to discredit anybody, of course. Just to say that there is a factor of luck in anything we do, right. That brings us around to San Jose, who looks to be the most average as they’ve had 5 one-score wins and 4 one-score losses with a tie also. They just kind of are the inbetween of this season, I guess.
What comes of it, though, is a team that is definitely capable of taking games but also just doesn’t seem like they’re ready to take that next step. Maybe it’s in their depth, as looking over the roster I see the few younger players on the team are at linebacker and cornerback, taking up some big roles on the team. Especially so at cornerback where there are two S28 players out of three cornerbacks getting regular playing time.
The team looks good, and should be fine. It seems like it may just be a timing issue, just needing that defense to come into form to match a good offensive set up. They seem like what I thought Honolulu looked like, a team that focused more on the offense than defense and now is trying to catch up on the back end. It can work fine, but it definitely has frustrating points as looking at the team, they manage to keep up in scoring every game but have given up the most points against in the ASFC. That’s just the trouble of inexperience.
Further on that, I don’t think that trouble is going to be ending soon. I don’t see practically any good prospects on the defensive side of the ball left that haven’t been called up already, and the team is still in need of some help. I’m betting they target a defensive lineman in the draft as I don’t think Red Arrow Jr or Chad Simpson are going to cut it for them. Considering they have such young corners, they need to help them with a strong pass rush and neither of them seem to be the push they need.
As I’m coming to a close on this, I’m thinking this team is really the future of some of the teams I’ve covered in this article. It really highlights the need for a balanced attack as the offense here is good, but the defense isn’t able to hold up the same. At the point the defense is able to hold up, will the offense still be there? It feels like the dog chasing its own tail a bit, which makes sense for a team that only won the Ultimus once and it was a long while back.
This isn’t an indictment in any way, it’s just an observation of how this seems to work. I may be completely off the mark, and that’s fine. I just find this to be interesting to see, and I do wonder if that’s consistent with how it goes. Who knows? Well, probably all of you. But definitely not me.
And that is a look into the teams of the ASFC out of the eyes of what is effectively a total newcomer. I don’t know that I got just about anything right. From what I understood after the DSFL review I did, I was definitely wrong in some places and I expect it to be the same way here. However, I gave it my best and I hope that it was at least enjoyable to read.
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The follow up of the previous article, I am learning from these and so I appreciate the comments all around. I don't know much, but I'm getting more and more info and will eventually be informed. Thank you for your time!