01-01-2022, 02:25 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-07-2022, 12:57 PM by Crunk. Edited 1 time in total.)
Before the start of last season, I wrote an article predicting who each team’s best player would be in the coming season. That article can be found here. The season proved that I wasn’t entirely correct. The 32nd season of the ISFL was a great year for the league and a few players defined that. Let’s see who each team’s best player was.
Honolulu Hahalua
Predicted MVP: Eleven Kendrick-Watts
Actual MVP: Big Slammu
The Honolulu Hahalua had a really rough season. They finished with a 5 game losing streak to miss the playoffs. One of the only bright spots during their losing streak was their superstar linebacker Big Slammu. He finished with 19 sacks on a defense that was 3rd in the league in scoring. Slammu was 2nd in sacks, first in TFLs, 2nd in forced fumbles, and was 3rd in tackles. Big Slammu stuffed the stat sheet and was rewarded with a defensive player of the year award. Honolulu was an elite team that sadly had a bottom 3 scoring offense. Kendrick-Watts did what he could to help that, finishing with the team lead in receiving yards. Despite this, his reception and touchdown numbers both fell from last season when he was arguably the best WR in the league. The Hahalua are just a decent offense away from being a solid contender, their defense is legit and Slammu was beyond elite for them
Colorado Yeti
Predicted MVP: Mattithias Caliban
Actual MVP: Mattithias Caliban
The Yeti offense lives and dies with Mattithias Caliban, as their air-raid system only generated 43 yards per game on the ground. Despite their 7-9 finish, the Yeti would have returned to how they were 20 seasons ago if it weren’t for the supreme talent of their star QB. He pushed his own passing attempts record to the brink while leading the ISFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also set career lows in INT% and continued the efficiency he had in his prior season. If the Yeti could put any sort of rushing offense around Mattithias Caliban then their offense would be lethal.
Austin Copperheads
Predicted MVP: Tyler Montain
Actual MVP: Zoe Watts
Tyler Montain had the breakout season I was expecting. He had his highest sack total since his original S29 14 sack year. He also returned kicks, which is incredibly impressive for a 240 pound linebacker. Despite this, the Copperheads team was built around their superstar runningback Zoe Watts. She won offensive player of the year and for good reason. Her 5 YPC came on the second highest workload in the league and she was 4th in rushing touchdowns. Along with this, she had a breakout season in the passing game. She finished with her highest yards and reception totals since her rookie year and she had her career high in receiving touchdowns. This all led to her being the only player in the league with 2000 yards from scrimmage which is no small feat. To top it all off, she gave Austin a 150 yard game in their instant-classic playoff loss to New York. Watts went to the moon in S32.
Sarasota Sailfish
Predicted MVP: Stumpy Jones
Actual MVP: Cuco Clemente
Stumpy Jones did what he normally does. 110 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed as a tackle is exactly what we’ve come to expect. Unfortunately, the Sailfish offense took a step back this year. Stumpy’s influence wasn’t as strong as it could be, since the Sailfish didn’t utilize the run game the way they should’ve. Their defense, on the other hand, was elite. Cuco Clemente patrolled the backfield, where he was one of the league’s best safeties. He had 4 interceptions which was 4th among safeties and his 2 defensive touchdowns led the league. With the Sailfish offense in a rough patch, they could count on Clemente to make the big play to flip the momentum.
Chicago Butchers
Predicted MVP: Kazimir Oles Jr.
Actual MVP: Mike Hunt
Chicago was not good this season. After last season’s surprise, the Butchers returned to form with a 5-11 finish. Oles had a sophomore slump, which can be expected from a young gunslinging QB. His favorite target was one of the few bright spots on the team. Mike Hunt managed to break 1000 receiving yards and had his career high in yards per reception. Oles is a guy who loves to push the ball down the field and Mike Hunt was one of the best in the league at getting downfield. Oles still has a couple more seasons to develop and Mike Hunt is the perfect guy to accelerate that development, as they fit together like peas in a pod.
Arizona Outlaws
Predicted MVP: Tatsu Nakamura
Actual MVP: Dank Memes
I ended up picking the wrong half of the RBBC. While Nakamura extended his lead over Owen Taylor for the ISFL career rushing TD crown, Memes led the league in rushing TDs and became the main bellcow of the Arizona two-headed monster. He finished with 21 total TDs, 18 on the ground. The Outlaws had the #1 scoring offense and scoring defense, both of which were a product of their elite run game. Dank Memes was able to get consistent rushing yardage to control the ball, the clock, and the game. It’ll be interesting to see if Dank Memes can keep up his production without Tatsu Nakamura behind him.
Berlin Fire Salamanders
Predicted MVP: Dexter Zaylren
Actual MVP: Dexter Zaylren
This is my best pick of the preseason. Not only did Zaylren build on his breakout season the previous year, he also won the league’s MVP award. He led the league in passer rating, finishing with the 4th highest of all time. Berlin finished tied for first in their conference and Zaylren’s 35 TDs was 3rd in the league. He also managed to get Berlin into the Ultimus, where they were outdueled by the New York Silverbacks. Zaylren is the most valuable player in the league right now, a young QB who still isn’t in his prime and already has an MVP award under his belt, and the Fire Salamanders are lucky to have him.
Yellowknife Wraiths
Predicted MVP: Jay Cue Jr.
Actual MVP: Kai Sakura
This is the first instance of a bad team trading their superstar runningback and it won’t be the last. Jay Cue was sent to Berlin late in the season so that he could ring chase while the Wraiths were awful. This put a lot of weight on the Wraiths young QB Dustin Parmalee. Parm was able to maintain a positive TD/INT ratio and having one of the all-time great wide receivers to throw to was huge for him in his rookie season. Kai Sakura accounted for nearly a third of Parmalee’s total passing yards and he had just 1 individual drop on the season. Without Sakura, Parmalee’s rookie season would’ve been wildly different.
Philadelphia Liberty
Predicted MVP: Xavier Walls
Actual MVP: Gary Goodman
Both of Philadelphia outside linebackers were completely absurd this season. They both had 18 sacks, but Goodman stuffed the stat sheet in a way that Walls never has. He had 4 interceptions, a defensive touchdown, and more PDs than Xavier Walls. The Liberty’s ability to abuse quarterbacks was second to none and it’s a big reason why they were able to maintain the league’s 2nd best scoring defense and be one of just 2 teams to allow under 20 points per game. Goodman and Walls were the main reason that Philadelphia was able to earn the 1 seed in the NSFC and be just a couple of breaks away from making it to the Ultimus.
New York Silverbacks
Predicted MVP: Chunt the Badger
Actual MVP: Tugg Speedman
This was easily my biggest whiff of the preseason. Chunt the Badger didn’t even get an interception this year and finished averaging less than 2 tackles per game. Tugg Speedman, on the other hand, had the best season of his career for the Ultimus champs. He led the league in receiving yards, had 13 TDs, and was the security blanket for his veteran QB. The improved connection between Sam Howitzer and Tugg Speedman was the catalyst for the Silverbacks’ breakout year. He closed out his incredible year with 90 yards in an Ultimus victory. There’s no better way to close a WRoY season out.
San Jose Sabercats
Predicted MVP: Jamar Lackson
Actual MVP: Panda McKyle
When I wrote my preseason article, I assumed that Panda McKyle would need Jamar Lackson’s help to develop as a passer by using him as a checkdown threat and a quick read. As it turned out, Jamar Lackson needed McKyle’s help. McKyle aired the ball out and rewarded the Sabercats with a huge improvement. He improved in every statistic over his rookie year and led the Sabercats to a 2 game improvement in their record. Jamar Lackson was far from bad, finishing with his 2nd highest single season receiving total, but he also didn’t run as well as he normally does. He finished with career lows in rushing yards and yards per carry. McKyle ended up being the one to put the team on his back.
New Orleans Second Line
Predicted MVP: Quinton Crash
Actual MVP: Mike Rotchburns
NOLA is a young team and their growing pains were readily apparent this season. Fortunately for them, they had a workhorse runningback that ReallyInvisible could hand the ball off to. Rotchburns served the role of “good player on a bad team” perfectly. Hopefully, as IsHe ReallyInvisble adjusts to the ISFL level, Rotchburns will become less valuable which is a good thing for NOLA. As for Crash, he did about what I expected from him. He needs to improve as a redzone threat, as his 5 TDs were a pretty weak showing. He got force fed this year, and he did turn it into 1200 yards. Hopefully the young talent NOLA brings in with their consistent high draft picks can revive this team.
Orange County Otters
Predicted MVP: Goat Tank
Actual MVP: Zach Dinozzo
So, one day after I wrote my original article, Goat Tank was traded to the Berlin Fire Salamanders. This left the role of “Ramza’s handoff guy” open and it was filled beautifully by Zach Dinozzo. Dinozzo broke the single season carry record, which he was absolutely ecstatic about. As expected, he led the league in rushing yards as well. The end of Suleiman Ramza’s career was far from pretty, but it did have some bright spots. Dinozzo was one of these bright spots.
Baltimore Hawks
Predicted MVP: Gimmy Jarropolo Jr.
Actual MVP: Gimmy Jarropolo Jr.
Gimmy Jarropolo Jr. has some massive shoes to fill. His father was one of the greatest QBs in the history of the ISFL. Gimmy took his first step towards filling those shoes. After the previous season when he threw 23 interceptions, Gimmy toned town the turnovers and upped the touchdowns. He still slung the ball around like he normally does, but this season he was slinging it with a purpose. Baltimore is still bad, but they might have a chance to improve. Gimmy is the guy for the Hawks and this season really solidified it for the Hawks management.
Honolulu Hahalua
Predicted MVP: Eleven Kendrick-Watts
Actual MVP: Big Slammu
The Honolulu Hahalua had a really rough season. They finished with a 5 game losing streak to miss the playoffs. One of the only bright spots during their losing streak was their superstar linebacker Big Slammu. He finished with 19 sacks on a defense that was 3rd in the league in scoring. Slammu was 2nd in sacks, first in TFLs, 2nd in forced fumbles, and was 3rd in tackles. Big Slammu stuffed the stat sheet and was rewarded with a defensive player of the year award. Honolulu was an elite team that sadly had a bottom 3 scoring offense. Kendrick-Watts did what he could to help that, finishing with the team lead in receiving yards. Despite this, his reception and touchdown numbers both fell from last season when he was arguably the best WR in the league. The Hahalua are just a decent offense away from being a solid contender, their defense is legit and Slammu was beyond elite for them
Colorado Yeti
Predicted MVP: Mattithias Caliban
Actual MVP: Mattithias Caliban
The Yeti offense lives and dies with Mattithias Caliban, as their air-raid system only generated 43 yards per game on the ground. Despite their 7-9 finish, the Yeti would have returned to how they were 20 seasons ago if it weren’t for the supreme talent of their star QB. He pushed his own passing attempts record to the brink while leading the ISFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also set career lows in INT% and continued the efficiency he had in his prior season. If the Yeti could put any sort of rushing offense around Mattithias Caliban then their offense would be lethal.
Austin Copperheads
Predicted MVP: Tyler Montain
Actual MVP: Zoe Watts
Tyler Montain had the breakout season I was expecting. He had his highest sack total since his original S29 14 sack year. He also returned kicks, which is incredibly impressive for a 240 pound linebacker. Despite this, the Copperheads team was built around their superstar runningback Zoe Watts. She won offensive player of the year and for good reason. Her 5 YPC came on the second highest workload in the league and she was 4th in rushing touchdowns. Along with this, she had a breakout season in the passing game. She finished with her highest yards and reception totals since her rookie year and she had her career high in receiving touchdowns. This all led to her being the only player in the league with 2000 yards from scrimmage which is no small feat. To top it all off, she gave Austin a 150 yard game in their instant-classic playoff loss to New York. Watts went to the moon in S32.
Sarasota Sailfish
Predicted MVP: Stumpy Jones
Actual MVP: Cuco Clemente
Stumpy Jones did what he normally does. 110 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed as a tackle is exactly what we’ve come to expect. Unfortunately, the Sailfish offense took a step back this year. Stumpy’s influence wasn’t as strong as it could be, since the Sailfish didn’t utilize the run game the way they should’ve. Their defense, on the other hand, was elite. Cuco Clemente patrolled the backfield, where he was one of the league’s best safeties. He had 4 interceptions which was 4th among safeties and his 2 defensive touchdowns led the league. With the Sailfish offense in a rough patch, they could count on Clemente to make the big play to flip the momentum.
Chicago Butchers
Predicted MVP: Kazimir Oles Jr.
Actual MVP: Mike Hunt
Chicago was not good this season. After last season’s surprise, the Butchers returned to form with a 5-11 finish. Oles had a sophomore slump, which can be expected from a young gunslinging QB. His favorite target was one of the few bright spots on the team. Mike Hunt managed to break 1000 receiving yards and had his career high in yards per reception. Oles is a guy who loves to push the ball down the field and Mike Hunt was one of the best in the league at getting downfield. Oles still has a couple more seasons to develop and Mike Hunt is the perfect guy to accelerate that development, as they fit together like peas in a pod.
Arizona Outlaws
Predicted MVP: Tatsu Nakamura
Actual MVP: Dank Memes
I ended up picking the wrong half of the RBBC. While Nakamura extended his lead over Owen Taylor for the ISFL career rushing TD crown, Memes led the league in rushing TDs and became the main bellcow of the Arizona two-headed monster. He finished with 21 total TDs, 18 on the ground. The Outlaws had the #1 scoring offense and scoring defense, both of which were a product of their elite run game. Dank Memes was able to get consistent rushing yardage to control the ball, the clock, and the game. It’ll be interesting to see if Dank Memes can keep up his production without Tatsu Nakamura behind him.
Berlin Fire Salamanders
Predicted MVP: Dexter Zaylren
Actual MVP: Dexter Zaylren
This is my best pick of the preseason. Not only did Zaylren build on his breakout season the previous year, he also won the league’s MVP award. He led the league in passer rating, finishing with the 4th highest of all time. Berlin finished tied for first in their conference and Zaylren’s 35 TDs was 3rd in the league. He also managed to get Berlin into the Ultimus, where they were outdueled by the New York Silverbacks. Zaylren is the most valuable player in the league right now, a young QB who still isn’t in his prime and already has an MVP award under his belt, and the Fire Salamanders are lucky to have him.
Yellowknife Wraiths
Predicted MVP: Jay Cue Jr.
Actual MVP: Kai Sakura
This is the first instance of a bad team trading their superstar runningback and it won’t be the last. Jay Cue was sent to Berlin late in the season so that he could ring chase while the Wraiths were awful. This put a lot of weight on the Wraiths young QB Dustin Parmalee. Parm was able to maintain a positive TD/INT ratio and having one of the all-time great wide receivers to throw to was huge for him in his rookie season. Kai Sakura accounted for nearly a third of Parmalee’s total passing yards and he had just 1 individual drop on the season. Without Sakura, Parmalee’s rookie season would’ve been wildly different.
Philadelphia Liberty
Predicted MVP: Xavier Walls
Actual MVP: Gary Goodman
Both of Philadelphia outside linebackers were completely absurd this season. They both had 18 sacks, but Goodman stuffed the stat sheet in a way that Walls never has. He had 4 interceptions, a defensive touchdown, and more PDs than Xavier Walls. The Liberty’s ability to abuse quarterbacks was second to none and it’s a big reason why they were able to maintain the league’s 2nd best scoring defense and be one of just 2 teams to allow under 20 points per game. Goodman and Walls were the main reason that Philadelphia was able to earn the 1 seed in the NSFC and be just a couple of breaks away from making it to the Ultimus.
New York Silverbacks
Predicted MVP: Chunt the Badger
Actual MVP: Tugg Speedman
This was easily my biggest whiff of the preseason. Chunt the Badger didn’t even get an interception this year and finished averaging less than 2 tackles per game. Tugg Speedman, on the other hand, had the best season of his career for the Ultimus champs. He led the league in receiving yards, had 13 TDs, and was the security blanket for his veteran QB. The improved connection between Sam Howitzer and Tugg Speedman was the catalyst for the Silverbacks’ breakout year. He closed out his incredible year with 90 yards in an Ultimus victory. There’s no better way to close a WRoY season out.
San Jose Sabercats
Predicted MVP: Jamar Lackson
Actual MVP: Panda McKyle
When I wrote my preseason article, I assumed that Panda McKyle would need Jamar Lackson’s help to develop as a passer by using him as a checkdown threat and a quick read. As it turned out, Jamar Lackson needed McKyle’s help. McKyle aired the ball out and rewarded the Sabercats with a huge improvement. He improved in every statistic over his rookie year and led the Sabercats to a 2 game improvement in their record. Jamar Lackson was far from bad, finishing with his 2nd highest single season receiving total, but he also didn’t run as well as he normally does. He finished with career lows in rushing yards and yards per carry. McKyle ended up being the one to put the team on his back.
New Orleans Second Line
Predicted MVP: Quinton Crash
Actual MVP: Mike Rotchburns
NOLA is a young team and their growing pains were readily apparent this season. Fortunately for them, they had a workhorse runningback that ReallyInvisible could hand the ball off to. Rotchburns served the role of “good player on a bad team” perfectly. Hopefully, as IsHe ReallyInvisble adjusts to the ISFL level, Rotchburns will become less valuable which is a good thing for NOLA. As for Crash, he did about what I expected from him. He needs to improve as a redzone threat, as his 5 TDs were a pretty weak showing. He got force fed this year, and he did turn it into 1200 yards. Hopefully the young talent NOLA brings in with their consistent high draft picks can revive this team.
Orange County Otters
Predicted MVP: Goat Tank
Actual MVP: Zach Dinozzo
So, one day after I wrote my original article, Goat Tank was traded to the Berlin Fire Salamanders. This left the role of “Ramza’s handoff guy” open and it was filled beautifully by Zach Dinozzo. Dinozzo broke the single season carry record, which he was absolutely ecstatic about. As expected, he led the league in rushing yards as well. The end of Suleiman Ramza’s career was far from pretty, but it did have some bright spots. Dinozzo was one of these bright spots.
Baltimore Hawks
Predicted MVP: Gimmy Jarropolo Jr.
Actual MVP: Gimmy Jarropolo Jr.
Gimmy Jarropolo Jr. has some massive shoes to fill. His father was one of the greatest QBs in the history of the ISFL. Gimmy took his first step towards filling those shoes. After the previous season when he threw 23 interceptions, Gimmy toned town the turnovers and upped the touchdowns. He still slung the ball around like he normally does, but this season he was slinging it with a purpose. Baltimore is still bad, but they might have a chance to improve. Gimmy is the guy for the Hawks and this season really solidified it for the Hawks management.
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