12-06-2021, 11:42 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2021, 05:00 AM by .simo. Edited 1 time in total.)
Seeing the prompts for double media immediately got me thinking about a boomer edition of the Space Jam prompt. While many would think to do this based off current players and what we’re seeing right now, I immediately got to thinking about how this prompt would have looked seasons and seasons ago. Specifically, I want to create a team of players from Season 15 and before, using only players from season 1 to season 15 to fill out a team that would defeat any football monstars. As a boomer with plenty of knowledge about the history of the league who remembers vividly what the league was like and how the players were way back when, this felt like the perfect prompt for me to do where it isn’t just blowing up a team and completely rebuilding as a fake GM.
My roster is going to look like this
Offense:
1 QB
2 RB
1 FB (yes I know FB was never really used but this gives me an excuse to put a 3rd rb in)
3 WR
2 TE
5 OL (you may see multiple of the same players because of OL, while it wouldn’t be realistic to have 1 player in two positions, because of the OL bot switch and the free position switches that were offered finding 5 OL would be hard, and I want to use all real players with no bots if I can)
Defense:
3 DE
3 DL
3 LB
6 DBs (includes CB, SS, FS, with the expectation of running a nickel defense since this would be done in the old sim where all the old players are)
Offensive players:
The offense is definitely going to have some easy options when it comes to who to pick, QB and TE are two positions where I already know who I am taking, and I have a good idea of most players I want from this era. The offense as a whole back then still has a lot of guys that are at the top of the league today in terms of greatest all time players, and at least one of these players I don’t think will ever be surpassed in terms of dominance in the league.
QB: Mike Boss, Otters
There is absolutely 0 argument over this first decision. Mike Boss is still up there in terms of all time great QBs, I don’t know if anyone will surpass him, because in my mind he is still the best QB of all time. Boss was unquestionably the best QB of his era, this man was consistently the best player on the field and consistently the best player in the league. I can list his stats, I can list his accomplishments, I can list anything I want and it would only strengthen the argument for him to be the leader of the boomer space jam team. This one is just a super simple, easy choice for me.
RB 1: Reg Mackworthy, Outlaws
RB 1, 2, and FB to me could be any order of the 3 players I’ll pick. Mackworthy is the first one on the list but by no means do I think he’s far and away ahead of the next two players on the list. Mackworthy in his time was a phenomenal player who was the cornerstone of the Outlaws for many seasons. While some remember controversy when it comes to Arizona, the team cannot be talked about without Mackworthy as he was a major contributor to the team for many seasons. He has the accolades and stats to rival any RB especially early on and is worthy of the lead back role when it comes to the team.
RB 2: Marquise Brown, Liberty
The first of players who were active during the cutoff season for the team, and while he was on the Baltimore Hawks at the time I’m using his Hall of Fame team in the Liberty. Brown was the undisputed best RB of his time, dominating the league for what was some otherwise bad Liberty teams after their Ultimus victory and subsequent fall in the following seasons. Marquise Brown may not have had the best team around him during that time, but there is no dispute that he was an issue for the team, he burst onto the scene as a rookie, overtaking some notable names in terms of stats in season 10. This includes Owen Taylor and Reg Mackworthy who were still in the league at the time.
FB: Jordan Yates, Otters
I debated Owen Taylor and Jordan Yates at this spot, but ultimately, I’m going with Yates for one simple reason, he’s listed as FB in the sim due to rules at the time for playing RB at WR. Yates was a menace in this hybrid position, putting up top of the league numbers as a RB and WR and constantly outpacing everyone when looking at scrimmage yards and TDs. Yates was one of the biggest impact players for a very very good Otters team, whether he was playing RB, WR, or his hybrid role, he was absolutely one of the best players of his era even if he may not be in the Hall of Fame (per the wiki). Yates was a big part of one of the best teams in the league for a good amount of time, and I think for this superstar team his versatile play fits very well.
WR1: Bradley Westfield, Otters
Westfield was another huge part of the best dynasty the league has seen, him, Boss, and Yates were a trio that dominated the league for a good amount of time and won many titles together. Their dominance on the field will never be topped I think in terms of top trios, with Westfield being the best WR on the Otters during that time. He was unquestionably a top 2 WR, along with another WR who is next on the list, and Westfield’s impact on the Otters will show very quickly when he plays for the super team in this scenario.
WR 2: Josh Garden, Wraiths
Josh Garden was a top 2 WR in the league for the early seasons, with only Westfield fighting for that top spot. Garden and Westfield on the same team would be menacing to opposing defenses, especially when you throw Yates in as well. This team is truly a super team that is shaping up to take down any opposition, and we aren’t even to the best TE of all time or anything yet. Garden is just another major weapon that will benefit the team who has the accolades to backup his spot on this team.
WR 3: Kazimir Oles, SaberCats
Ok yes I know, putting my own player on here can be seen as a bit narcissistic but hear me out. The era of WRs after Westfield and Garden had many great players, and Kazimir was one of those consistently top WRs. I could put Valentine, I could put Willie, there are plenty of names that could go here that wouldn’t be wrong at all. No matter what name you pick out of the hat of the next tier of early league WRs it wouldn’t be a wrong decision in my opinion, so I went with the name I’m most familiar with because he’s me. Kaz on the SaberCats was a top target for Joilet Christ, and a big part of that offense that eventually would win an Ultimus championship for San Jose, a good choice to have for WR3 and any wr would be a good choice for WR3 with the group that has been put together.
TE 1: Paul DiMirio, Liberty
There is 0 debate on who the best TE ever is. In a time where TE play was hard to find, DiMirio was by far the best TE and the TE of the Year award was the annual Dimirio award. As his GM and QB at one point, I know firsthand how much of an impact he had, both him and Garden completed a very good Liberty offense that would eventually win an Ultimus championship, and DiMirio’s impact on the team was second to none. DiMirio is unquestionably the best TE to ever play in the ISFL, I don’t care who you ask or who you put there to compete with him, DiMirio to me will always hold the throne and no one is going to come close to what he did for the Liberty and the Second Line in his career.
TE 2: Verso L’Alto, Hawks
L’Alto was a good TE and is a Hall of Fame player, but with DiMirio’s impact at the position he gets a little bit overshadowed especially since he was later on in the early seasons. L’alto was a very good TE for a good amount of time just like DiMirio was but did not benefit from the same lack of competition that DiMirio did that catapulted DiMirio to the best ever position. L’alto is absolutely a worthy player on the superstar team, and a very good 2nd option at TE for the team.
Disclaimer: Early seasons OL were very finnicky and not nearly what we see nowadays. Season 3 is also the last season I think where bot OL wasn’t a thing, so season 3 is the reference season for this list. There will also be a name that does not appear on this list that you will see if you go back to the season 3 index, Tim Pest. Pest was one of the main multis of ER back then, for those that do not know, and as such he is disqualified from the running.
OL 1: Angus Winchester, Otters
Angus Winchester was the anchor of the Otters offensive line in season 3, one of the best OL in the league and won Offensive Player of the Year in season 1 of the ISFL. Because of this, he is easily the first candidate on the list for the Offensive line of the boomer space jam team, and he may be a two-way player as he was also an excellent linebacker for the Otters. Winchester’s resume speaks for itself and earns him the first spot on the offensive line.
OL 2: Micah Hendrix, Liberty
Micah Hendrix is one of my favorite users all time in the league (also I really hope the name is Micah I have this feeling it isn’t even though I’m 99% sure it is) and he is still a major hypeman in the league today. I can say plenty about him, but for the nature of the article it’s about his player, his player was the anchor of the Philly OL for the first two seasons he played, was an exceptional player who would go on to be an exceptional LB later on in his career, even if he did not make the Hall of Fame. Hendrix was fantastic for the team and was just a fantastic part of the locker room that I cannot say enough about.
OL 3: Avon Blocksdale, Hawks
Many know Blocksdale for his quarterback prowess in the early seasons of the league when he made the switch from blocking for the QB to being the QB. He had a solid early career as an offensive lineman, but like many OL in the early seasons, even the best of players give up sacks and don’t have fun. Offensive lineman today is much different than it was way back in the early seasons, which is why the bot switch happened, but no bots allowed on the space jam super team.
OL 4: Mat Akselsen, Wraiths
Much like Blocksdale, he capitalized on the free position switch for OL to make the move to QB after the early OL seasons. Akselsen, along with Jogn Floggity (I think that is his name) anchored the Yellowknife offensive line early on in the league, providing good OL play for the team and helped them fight for contention in the early seasons.
OL 5: Vincent Sharpei, SaberCats
Ok hear me out, he has 11 sacks, and frankly that sort of sack allowance would never be considered good. However, he was 3rd (2nd if excluding multi) in pancakes and on a all-time offensive line he would not give up nearly as many sacks. He’s also someone that I can 100% remember his name and that definitely plays a part in deciding to add him because I am lazy. It’s also Muford and I can’t get my muford slander in saying how Sharpei was pretty bad as an OL if I don’t include him.
Defensive players:
Defense is a much different beast, there’s a lot of versatile players on the list that could be LB, Safety, CB, or made switches throughout their time in the league. I can remember a few greats off the top of my head (even if one of the greats somehow conned me into the most painstakingly useless task, I’ve ever taken on in the ISFL), many of these players will be debatable as well since there will be a lot of competition among the spots especially for Hall of Famers.
DE 1: Fuego Wozy, Yeti
Wozy was one of the best defensive ends to grace the league, especially early on in the ISFL when competition was harder to find, and history was still very shallow. Wozy produced both sacks and tackles for loss and was a menace on the defensive line for all of the teams he played for in his time in the league. Wozy was one of the first Hall of Famers in the ISFL, and he was very deserving of early honors from the league and the distinction of the Hall of Fame.
DE 2: Kurt Hendrix, Hawks
Hendrix was a linebacker and a defensive end, but his retirement position was defensive end, and it gives the ability to round out a defensive unit that is pretty low on Hall of Famers. Much like Wozy, he gave you tackles for loss, he gave you sacks, and while his production may have veered more towards sacks later on, he was a very good defensive end (and linebacker) for the Hawks during the early years. Another Hall of Fame caliber player to round out the list (even though I’m not sure when he switched to DE from LB) is always a good thing to have as well.
DE 3: Jayce Tuck, Outlaws
Ok, I know, I know what everyone is going to say, why include ER’s player if he had multis and you already excluded a player because of that. Well, this player was his official player, the one that lasted after he was found out and the one that would continue on in the league. Should I be highlighting a player who was marred in controversy during his career, maybe not, but at the same time, his early seasons were some of the best seasons we’ve ever seen from a defensive player. I get that he was very questionable and that those stats may not be legit, but this is why he is DE 3, he never has to play and is simply depth just in case. You can argue this go right ahead, I do not fault anyone who thinks he should not be on this list at all and will not argue with anyone about it because frankly your opinion is right.
DT 1: Dan Miller, SaberCats
Where Tuck was the epitome of early season controversy, Dan Miller was the epitome of no controversy. Anyone who remembers Miller from the early seasons will not have a bad thing to say about him, and well he just so happened to be the best defensive tackle of the early seasons as well. His sack total speaks for itself as well, 132 sacks at the time of season 15 was the most all time in the league. Miller was an exceptional player and a sack master for a long time in the league, and easily is the first DT on the list for the squad.
DT 2: Thorian Skarsgard, Otters
Look, I’m gonna be 100% honest here. There’s not a lot at defensive tackle in the early seasons of the league, Skarsgard was right at the tail end of the season 1 to season 15 cutoff, having played either 2 or 3 seasons in the ISFL before the cutoff happens. While he hadn’t hit his prime yet in the league, he was still a very good DT and was one of the better DTs early on in his career. He would go on to be a Hall of Fame inductee as well, so a young Skarsgard playing with some veterans isn’t going to be a bad player getting carried, he will hold his weight and be a solid contributor to the team.
DT 3: Eli Kamaka, Liberty
I remember him most fondly on the Liberty as a part of the season 7 championship team, and he rounds out the list for DTs simply because I tried to find a good name who was a solid player. Kamaka was an excellent contributor for the Liberty and the Yeti when he was a player, and while he may not be the most flashy name on the list, he would serve well as a rotational DT rounding out your DT group. Kamaka may not be a Hall of Fame inductee, but he won’t be a dead weight on the DL either.
LB 1: Harrif Ernston, Outlaws
Another one of my favorite users, this time one of my favorite early season users. Ernston was an exceptional Linebacker for the Outlaws early on in the league, and he was just an exceptional presence. Seemed like he always knew how to talk to people as a friendly face, and how to just be a good person. Not to mention he has a Hall of Fame career and was a top LB in the very early seasons of the ISFL. This is a sentimental pick for me, but not a pick where it’s very questionable in adding him to the team.
LB 2: Julian O’Sullivan, Second Line
O’Sullivan is the tackle master when you look at the top 10 careers page in season 15 of the ISFL. One season later and Austin Roenick would be taking the claim for tackle master, but the cutoff was not friendly to him. O’Sullivan however, was a major part of a very good Second Line defense and championship New Orleans Second Line teams. A constant playoff contender and a constant threat in the league, the defense would be drastically different without O’Sullivan, as O’Sullivan was a commanding presence in the middle of the field controlling the defense for the Second Line. Tackles may not be flashy but I know I want my linebackers to tackle well.
LB 3: Austin Roenick, Hawks
Yeah, you know how I just said I want my Linebackers tackling? Well, we’re going to continue with that theme and add in the future tackle master if the cutoff was just one season later. Roenick, much like O’Sullivan, Roenick was a major part of the Hawks defense and was a part of two Ultimus victories on the Hawks, along with quite a few conference championships. Having two players who had the most tackles in history is quite a good problem to have, even if they may eat at each other’s tackles just by being on the same team and not being the top tackling option. We don’t need career stats, just to make sure no one gets past the second line of defense.
DB 1: Dermot Lavelle, Wraiths
This man somehow conned me into doing a series where we watched and analyzed CB play in the sim because the sim didn’t do a good job at tracking CB stats. Let me tell you, that was the worst decision I’ve ever made, why I ever agreed to do that with him I don’t know and I will forever hold a grudge with that. However, on that statistical side, Lavelle is the greatest CB possibly of all time still, even if he was during a time where CBs were absolute trash for no reason whatsoever. The frustration of being a CB at this time was very high, I know that first hand as I was a CB early on before making the switch to QB. Lavelle at CB1 however will not be bad for the team and will hold any WR down.
DB 2: Ian Bavitz, Otters
Bavitz was a hybrid superstar who played both Linebacker and Safety, and much like Dermot was he was one of the best DBs at the time of the early season ISFL. His impact to the Otters defense and ability to play everywhere was second to none, no one could be a hybrid player like he was for the Otters. If you tried to do it you would just end in failure, whatever they were doing in Orange County took full advantage of his ability to be everywhere and play everywhere and he is one of the best players all time because of it.
DB 3: Marc Spector, Otters
For those of you who don’t know, the user behind Spector passed away, he was a fantastic user and member of the community in the ISFL. As for his player, he was an excellent player who was one of the top CBs in the league early on, much like Dermot was and a few others on this list. Spector was another fantastic weapon in the DB unit for the Otters and gave them a true lockdown corner for many seasons to go along with Bavitz. The Otters team and the defense they had was fantastic, and Spector was just one of many parts to that group.
DB 4: Antoine Delacour, Hawks
Delacour has the 3rd most interceptions when the cutoff happens in season 15. Behind only Dermot Lavelle and Blackford Oakes, he was another CB who was a top tier option, this time CB1 for the Hawks. Lockdown corners were few and far between in the early seasons, but Delacour certainly falls into the category of lockdown corner for the Hawks in his time in the league. Another Hall of Fame CB who was an excellent contributor to his defense.
DB 5: Blackford Oakes, Second Line
Blackford Oakes is ahead of Delacour on the interception list, this time he’s a safety rounding out the DB unit by providing the second safety. Oakes was another excellent part of an excellent defense in New Orleans, providing reliable DB play for many seasons for the team. Oakes was a perfect player behind O’Sullivan, and much like their time in New Orleans they will again be on the same team playing with each other for the space jam boomer team.
DB 6: Andre Bly JR, Yeti
The final DB on the list is Andre Bly JR. A member of multiple teams in his time, he’s most notable on the Yeti and that is the team he was inducted with. Bly was another lockdown corner who was a major part of his teams defense (I feel very repetitive right now but the sim does not do a great job with CBs so this is what y’all get, along with DB being very similar and 6 spots), Bly rounds out a very good CB group and a very good DB group in general. Bly is another fantastic player for what should be a fantastic defense.
Special Teams:
Finally, we need a returner and a placekicker, for this, the kicker will be responsible for both punting and kicking, much like the current ISFL is. We will only have 1 returner as well and they will be someone already on the list for the team.
Returner: Dermot Lavelle
Lavelle is the best option on the team and was the Wraiths returner for many seasons, it was also one of his caveats to playing the position of CB as returner made it more fun for him. Lavelle absolutely earns his spot as a returner and deserves to be the one bring it back for the team, so he gets the nod here.
Kicker: Dean Jackson, Outlaws
There are 3 placekickers in the Hall of Fame for the ISFL, Turk Turkleton, Dean Jackson, and Micycle McCormick (who switched to QB). Of these 3, Dean Jackson was probably the best all time, and he gets the nod here for the team. With a career 91.5% field goal rate, he is one of if not the best all time kickers and he is most likely the best kicker of the early seasons. He was a standout special teams player who dominated the position for a long time.
This team would take on and beat any Monstars superstar football team if the situation happened. With all of these players in their prime and all of them playing together, I don’t see how any team could come close to doing what they all did on their own, putting them together to play off their strengths and give the best weapons possible will just lead to an extremely dominant all-time team. This almost makes me want to go into the old sim and sim a season with all of these players on one team in their primes to see just how good they would be, but like I’ve mentioned before I’m lazy so that won’t be happening. To me, this is the best team possible (although I’m sure there will be some differences among people who know or people who want to take a look and see for themselves.)
(word says 4266 words)
My roster is going to look like this
Offense:
1 QB
2 RB
1 FB (yes I know FB was never really used but this gives me an excuse to put a 3rd rb in)
3 WR
2 TE
5 OL (you may see multiple of the same players because of OL, while it wouldn’t be realistic to have 1 player in two positions, because of the OL bot switch and the free position switches that were offered finding 5 OL would be hard, and I want to use all real players with no bots if I can)
Defense:
3 DE
3 DL
3 LB
6 DBs (includes CB, SS, FS, with the expectation of running a nickel defense since this would be done in the old sim where all the old players are)
Offensive players:
The offense is definitely going to have some easy options when it comes to who to pick, QB and TE are two positions where I already know who I am taking, and I have a good idea of most players I want from this era. The offense as a whole back then still has a lot of guys that are at the top of the league today in terms of greatest all time players, and at least one of these players I don’t think will ever be surpassed in terms of dominance in the league.
QB: Mike Boss, Otters
There is absolutely 0 argument over this first decision. Mike Boss is still up there in terms of all time great QBs, I don’t know if anyone will surpass him, because in my mind he is still the best QB of all time. Boss was unquestionably the best QB of his era, this man was consistently the best player on the field and consistently the best player in the league. I can list his stats, I can list his accomplishments, I can list anything I want and it would only strengthen the argument for him to be the leader of the boomer space jam team. This one is just a super simple, easy choice for me.
RB 1: Reg Mackworthy, Outlaws
RB 1, 2, and FB to me could be any order of the 3 players I’ll pick. Mackworthy is the first one on the list but by no means do I think he’s far and away ahead of the next two players on the list. Mackworthy in his time was a phenomenal player who was the cornerstone of the Outlaws for many seasons. While some remember controversy when it comes to Arizona, the team cannot be talked about without Mackworthy as he was a major contributor to the team for many seasons. He has the accolades and stats to rival any RB especially early on and is worthy of the lead back role when it comes to the team.
RB 2: Marquise Brown, Liberty
The first of players who were active during the cutoff season for the team, and while he was on the Baltimore Hawks at the time I’m using his Hall of Fame team in the Liberty. Brown was the undisputed best RB of his time, dominating the league for what was some otherwise bad Liberty teams after their Ultimus victory and subsequent fall in the following seasons. Marquise Brown may not have had the best team around him during that time, but there is no dispute that he was an issue for the team, he burst onto the scene as a rookie, overtaking some notable names in terms of stats in season 10. This includes Owen Taylor and Reg Mackworthy who were still in the league at the time.
FB: Jordan Yates, Otters
I debated Owen Taylor and Jordan Yates at this spot, but ultimately, I’m going with Yates for one simple reason, he’s listed as FB in the sim due to rules at the time for playing RB at WR. Yates was a menace in this hybrid position, putting up top of the league numbers as a RB and WR and constantly outpacing everyone when looking at scrimmage yards and TDs. Yates was one of the biggest impact players for a very very good Otters team, whether he was playing RB, WR, or his hybrid role, he was absolutely one of the best players of his era even if he may not be in the Hall of Fame (per the wiki). Yates was a big part of one of the best teams in the league for a good amount of time, and I think for this superstar team his versatile play fits very well.
WR1: Bradley Westfield, Otters
Westfield was another huge part of the best dynasty the league has seen, him, Boss, and Yates were a trio that dominated the league for a good amount of time and won many titles together. Their dominance on the field will never be topped I think in terms of top trios, with Westfield being the best WR on the Otters during that time. He was unquestionably a top 2 WR, along with another WR who is next on the list, and Westfield’s impact on the Otters will show very quickly when he plays for the super team in this scenario.
WR 2: Josh Garden, Wraiths
Josh Garden was a top 2 WR in the league for the early seasons, with only Westfield fighting for that top spot. Garden and Westfield on the same team would be menacing to opposing defenses, especially when you throw Yates in as well. This team is truly a super team that is shaping up to take down any opposition, and we aren’t even to the best TE of all time or anything yet. Garden is just another major weapon that will benefit the team who has the accolades to backup his spot on this team.
WR 3: Kazimir Oles, SaberCats
Ok yes I know, putting my own player on here can be seen as a bit narcissistic but hear me out. The era of WRs after Westfield and Garden had many great players, and Kazimir was one of those consistently top WRs. I could put Valentine, I could put Willie, there are plenty of names that could go here that wouldn’t be wrong at all. No matter what name you pick out of the hat of the next tier of early league WRs it wouldn’t be a wrong decision in my opinion, so I went with the name I’m most familiar with because he’s me. Kaz on the SaberCats was a top target for Joilet Christ, and a big part of that offense that eventually would win an Ultimus championship for San Jose, a good choice to have for WR3 and any wr would be a good choice for WR3 with the group that has been put together.
TE 1: Paul DiMirio, Liberty
There is 0 debate on who the best TE ever is. In a time where TE play was hard to find, DiMirio was by far the best TE and the TE of the Year award was the annual Dimirio award. As his GM and QB at one point, I know firsthand how much of an impact he had, both him and Garden completed a very good Liberty offense that would eventually win an Ultimus championship, and DiMirio’s impact on the team was second to none. DiMirio is unquestionably the best TE to ever play in the ISFL, I don’t care who you ask or who you put there to compete with him, DiMirio to me will always hold the throne and no one is going to come close to what he did for the Liberty and the Second Line in his career.
TE 2: Verso L’Alto, Hawks
L’Alto was a good TE and is a Hall of Fame player, but with DiMirio’s impact at the position he gets a little bit overshadowed especially since he was later on in the early seasons. L’alto was a very good TE for a good amount of time just like DiMirio was but did not benefit from the same lack of competition that DiMirio did that catapulted DiMirio to the best ever position. L’alto is absolutely a worthy player on the superstar team, and a very good 2nd option at TE for the team.
Disclaimer: Early seasons OL were very finnicky and not nearly what we see nowadays. Season 3 is also the last season I think where bot OL wasn’t a thing, so season 3 is the reference season for this list. There will also be a name that does not appear on this list that you will see if you go back to the season 3 index, Tim Pest. Pest was one of the main multis of ER back then, for those that do not know, and as such he is disqualified from the running.
OL 1: Angus Winchester, Otters
Angus Winchester was the anchor of the Otters offensive line in season 3, one of the best OL in the league and won Offensive Player of the Year in season 1 of the ISFL. Because of this, he is easily the first candidate on the list for the Offensive line of the boomer space jam team, and he may be a two-way player as he was also an excellent linebacker for the Otters. Winchester’s resume speaks for itself and earns him the first spot on the offensive line.
OL 2: Micah Hendrix, Liberty
Micah Hendrix is one of my favorite users all time in the league (also I really hope the name is Micah I have this feeling it isn’t even though I’m 99% sure it is) and he is still a major hypeman in the league today. I can say plenty about him, but for the nature of the article it’s about his player, his player was the anchor of the Philly OL for the first two seasons he played, was an exceptional player who would go on to be an exceptional LB later on in his career, even if he did not make the Hall of Fame. Hendrix was fantastic for the team and was just a fantastic part of the locker room that I cannot say enough about.
OL 3: Avon Blocksdale, Hawks
Many know Blocksdale for his quarterback prowess in the early seasons of the league when he made the switch from blocking for the QB to being the QB. He had a solid early career as an offensive lineman, but like many OL in the early seasons, even the best of players give up sacks and don’t have fun. Offensive lineman today is much different than it was way back in the early seasons, which is why the bot switch happened, but no bots allowed on the space jam super team.
OL 4: Mat Akselsen, Wraiths
Much like Blocksdale, he capitalized on the free position switch for OL to make the move to QB after the early OL seasons. Akselsen, along with Jogn Floggity (I think that is his name) anchored the Yellowknife offensive line early on in the league, providing good OL play for the team and helped them fight for contention in the early seasons.
OL 5: Vincent Sharpei, SaberCats
Ok hear me out, he has 11 sacks, and frankly that sort of sack allowance would never be considered good. However, he was 3rd (2nd if excluding multi) in pancakes and on a all-time offensive line he would not give up nearly as many sacks. He’s also someone that I can 100% remember his name and that definitely plays a part in deciding to add him because I am lazy. It’s also Muford and I can’t get my muford slander in saying how Sharpei was pretty bad as an OL if I don’t include him.
Defensive players:
Defense is a much different beast, there’s a lot of versatile players on the list that could be LB, Safety, CB, or made switches throughout their time in the league. I can remember a few greats off the top of my head (even if one of the greats somehow conned me into the most painstakingly useless task, I’ve ever taken on in the ISFL), many of these players will be debatable as well since there will be a lot of competition among the spots especially for Hall of Famers.
DE 1: Fuego Wozy, Yeti
Wozy was one of the best defensive ends to grace the league, especially early on in the ISFL when competition was harder to find, and history was still very shallow. Wozy produced both sacks and tackles for loss and was a menace on the defensive line for all of the teams he played for in his time in the league. Wozy was one of the first Hall of Famers in the ISFL, and he was very deserving of early honors from the league and the distinction of the Hall of Fame.
DE 2: Kurt Hendrix, Hawks
Hendrix was a linebacker and a defensive end, but his retirement position was defensive end, and it gives the ability to round out a defensive unit that is pretty low on Hall of Famers. Much like Wozy, he gave you tackles for loss, he gave you sacks, and while his production may have veered more towards sacks later on, he was a very good defensive end (and linebacker) for the Hawks during the early years. Another Hall of Fame caliber player to round out the list (even though I’m not sure when he switched to DE from LB) is always a good thing to have as well.
DE 3: Jayce Tuck, Outlaws
Ok, I know, I know what everyone is going to say, why include ER’s player if he had multis and you already excluded a player because of that. Well, this player was his official player, the one that lasted after he was found out and the one that would continue on in the league. Should I be highlighting a player who was marred in controversy during his career, maybe not, but at the same time, his early seasons were some of the best seasons we’ve ever seen from a defensive player. I get that he was very questionable and that those stats may not be legit, but this is why he is DE 3, he never has to play and is simply depth just in case. You can argue this go right ahead, I do not fault anyone who thinks he should not be on this list at all and will not argue with anyone about it because frankly your opinion is right.
DT 1: Dan Miller, SaberCats
Where Tuck was the epitome of early season controversy, Dan Miller was the epitome of no controversy. Anyone who remembers Miller from the early seasons will not have a bad thing to say about him, and well he just so happened to be the best defensive tackle of the early seasons as well. His sack total speaks for itself as well, 132 sacks at the time of season 15 was the most all time in the league. Miller was an exceptional player and a sack master for a long time in the league, and easily is the first DT on the list for the squad.
DT 2: Thorian Skarsgard, Otters
Look, I’m gonna be 100% honest here. There’s not a lot at defensive tackle in the early seasons of the league, Skarsgard was right at the tail end of the season 1 to season 15 cutoff, having played either 2 or 3 seasons in the ISFL before the cutoff happens. While he hadn’t hit his prime yet in the league, he was still a very good DT and was one of the better DTs early on in his career. He would go on to be a Hall of Fame inductee as well, so a young Skarsgard playing with some veterans isn’t going to be a bad player getting carried, he will hold his weight and be a solid contributor to the team.
DT 3: Eli Kamaka, Liberty
I remember him most fondly on the Liberty as a part of the season 7 championship team, and he rounds out the list for DTs simply because I tried to find a good name who was a solid player. Kamaka was an excellent contributor for the Liberty and the Yeti when he was a player, and while he may not be the most flashy name on the list, he would serve well as a rotational DT rounding out your DT group. Kamaka may not be a Hall of Fame inductee, but he won’t be a dead weight on the DL either.
LB 1: Harrif Ernston, Outlaws
Another one of my favorite users, this time one of my favorite early season users. Ernston was an exceptional Linebacker for the Outlaws early on in the league, and he was just an exceptional presence. Seemed like he always knew how to talk to people as a friendly face, and how to just be a good person. Not to mention he has a Hall of Fame career and was a top LB in the very early seasons of the ISFL. This is a sentimental pick for me, but not a pick where it’s very questionable in adding him to the team.
LB 2: Julian O’Sullivan, Second Line
O’Sullivan is the tackle master when you look at the top 10 careers page in season 15 of the ISFL. One season later and Austin Roenick would be taking the claim for tackle master, but the cutoff was not friendly to him. O’Sullivan however, was a major part of a very good Second Line defense and championship New Orleans Second Line teams. A constant playoff contender and a constant threat in the league, the defense would be drastically different without O’Sullivan, as O’Sullivan was a commanding presence in the middle of the field controlling the defense for the Second Line. Tackles may not be flashy but I know I want my linebackers to tackle well.
LB 3: Austin Roenick, Hawks
Yeah, you know how I just said I want my Linebackers tackling? Well, we’re going to continue with that theme and add in the future tackle master if the cutoff was just one season later. Roenick, much like O’Sullivan, Roenick was a major part of the Hawks defense and was a part of two Ultimus victories on the Hawks, along with quite a few conference championships. Having two players who had the most tackles in history is quite a good problem to have, even if they may eat at each other’s tackles just by being on the same team and not being the top tackling option. We don’t need career stats, just to make sure no one gets past the second line of defense.
DB 1: Dermot Lavelle, Wraiths
This man somehow conned me into doing a series where we watched and analyzed CB play in the sim because the sim didn’t do a good job at tracking CB stats. Let me tell you, that was the worst decision I’ve ever made, why I ever agreed to do that with him I don’t know and I will forever hold a grudge with that. However, on that statistical side, Lavelle is the greatest CB possibly of all time still, even if he was during a time where CBs were absolute trash for no reason whatsoever. The frustration of being a CB at this time was very high, I know that first hand as I was a CB early on before making the switch to QB. Lavelle at CB1 however will not be bad for the team and will hold any WR down.
DB 2: Ian Bavitz, Otters
Bavitz was a hybrid superstar who played both Linebacker and Safety, and much like Dermot was he was one of the best DBs at the time of the early season ISFL. His impact to the Otters defense and ability to play everywhere was second to none, no one could be a hybrid player like he was for the Otters. If you tried to do it you would just end in failure, whatever they were doing in Orange County took full advantage of his ability to be everywhere and play everywhere and he is one of the best players all time because of it.
DB 3: Marc Spector, Otters
For those of you who don’t know, the user behind Spector passed away, he was a fantastic user and member of the community in the ISFL. As for his player, he was an excellent player who was one of the top CBs in the league early on, much like Dermot was and a few others on this list. Spector was another fantastic weapon in the DB unit for the Otters and gave them a true lockdown corner for many seasons to go along with Bavitz. The Otters team and the defense they had was fantastic, and Spector was just one of many parts to that group.
DB 4: Antoine Delacour, Hawks
Delacour has the 3rd most interceptions when the cutoff happens in season 15. Behind only Dermot Lavelle and Blackford Oakes, he was another CB who was a top tier option, this time CB1 for the Hawks. Lockdown corners were few and far between in the early seasons, but Delacour certainly falls into the category of lockdown corner for the Hawks in his time in the league. Another Hall of Fame CB who was an excellent contributor to his defense.
DB 5: Blackford Oakes, Second Line
Blackford Oakes is ahead of Delacour on the interception list, this time he’s a safety rounding out the DB unit by providing the second safety. Oakes was another excellent part of an excellent defense in New Orleans, providing reliable DB play for many seasons for the team. Oakes was a perfect player behind O’Sullivan, and much like their time in New Orleans they will again be on the same team playing with each other for the space jam boomer team.
DB 6: Andre Bly JR, Yeti
The final DB on the list is Andre Bly JR. A member of multiple teams in his time, he’s most notable on the Yeti and that is the team he was inducted with. Bly was another lockdown corner who was a major part of his teams defense (I feel very repetitive right now but the sim does not do a great job with CBs so this is what y’all get, along with DB being very similar and 6 spots), Bly rounds out a very good CB group and a very good DB group in general. Bly is another fantastic player for what should be a fantastic defense.
Special Teams:
Finally, we need a returner and a placekicker, for this, the kicker will be responsible for both punting and kicking, much like the current ISFL is. We will only have 1 returner as well and they will be someone already on the list for the team.
Returner: Dermot Lavelle
Lavelle is the best option on the team and was the Wraiths returner for many seasons, it was also one of his caveats to playing the position of CB as returner made it more fun for him. Lavelle absolutely earns his spot as a returner and deserves to be the one bring it back for the team, so he gets the nod here.
Kicker: Dean Jackson, Outlaws
There are 3 placekickers in the Hall of Fame for the ISFL, Turk Turkleton, Dean Jackson, and Micycle McCormick (who switched to QB). Of these 3, Dean Jackson was probably the best all time, and he gets the nod here for the team. With a career 91.5% field goal rate, he is one of if not the best all time kickers and he is most likely the best kicker of the early seasons. He was a standout special teams player who dominated the position for a long time.
This team would take on and beat any Monstars superstar football team if the situation happened. With all of these players in their prime and all of them playing together, I don’t see how any team could come close to doing what they all did on their own, putting them together to play off their strengths and give the best weapons possible will just lead to an extremely dominant all-time team. This almost makes me want to go into the old sim and sim a season with all of these players on one team in their primes to see just how good they would be, but like I’ve mentioned before I’m lazy so that won’t be happening. To me, this is the best team possible (although I’m sure there will be some differences among people who know or people who want to take a look and see for themselves.)
(word says 4266 words)
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