04-12-2022, 11:29 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-19-2022, 09:51 AM by allbetsonjames. Edited 2 times in total.)
Hi all, I’m josda_, a newer user on this site. I am not new to sim football, though. If you’ve been on the r/Madden subreddit anytime in the last year or so, you may have come across this series that follows the pro careers of generated players. I happen to be the author of it. I figured that to earn money here, I may as well continue to do what I do best. Usually, I try to cover players who may have fallen under the radar when entering the pros, but I’d figure that I’d start my series here all the way at the top of the TPE leaders.
Without further ado, here is my career retrospective on legendary ISFL QB Sam Howitzer (@Trautner).
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Following a high school career in Chapel Hill that saw him become a 5-star QB prospect, Sam Howitzer stayed home and committed to play for the North Carolina Tarheels. To say that he was the son that was promised to the state of North Carolina would be an understatement. Already 6’5 before his senior year of high school, the expectations set on Howitzer continued to grow as he did. They’d skyrocket further as Howitzer completed a final high school campaign that saw him win North Carolina’s 2033 Gatorade Player of the Year award. It’s safe to say that when he finally stepped onto campus at 6’7 and 260 lbs, fans were expecting championships. Multiple.
Howitzer began his college career like most do: As a backup. He spent his freshman season learning from the sidelines, along with playing sparingly in blowouts. The potential was there, though. Howitzer completed almost 60% of his passes for 382 yards and 5 touchdowns. He managed to run for a score as well. The only blemish on his 2034 season was a lone interception.
Entering 2035, Howitzer was the clear-cut starting QB for the Tarheels. The team was under his command, and he guided them to an impressive 9-4 record. This was an improvement from the previous year’s mark of 8-5. Howitzer topped off his first season as starter with a fantastic performance that saw the Tarheels claim victory in the Military Bowl. When it was over, Howitzer had finished his sophomore season with 4,739 passing yards and 42 touchdowns. Both marks stood as new school records.
As the 2036 season approached, most North Carolina fans were convinced of the same thing: This was going to be the year. North Carolina football would finally win the national championship. Sam Howitzer was coming into his own as a quarterback, and the team around him was arguably better than it was in 2035. There was no reason for it not to happen. There was so much hype around Sam Howitzer that analysts were already projecting him to be in the running for the Heisman, and it was agreed that if he had another great season, he’d be a lock as a first-round draft pick in the pros.
The first opponent in North Carolina’s 2036 gauntlet would be one of its fiercest. The South Carolina Gamecocks had crossed the border to come play. The game had received extensive media coverage in the weeks leading up to it, and networks were expecting a hard-fought battle. On the very first play of the Tarheels’ year of destiny, Howitzer took the snap, dropped back, and dropped down. He didn’t get back up. Howitzer’s left cleat had caught in an unseen divot in the turf, and his leg turned almost all the way around. ESPN refused to show the replay. An MRI the next day revealed the true extent of his injuries. Howitzer had torn both his ACL and MCL, along with dislocating his left knee. North Carolina’s season had ended before it even started. Worse, Howitzer’s football career was now in serious jeopardy. Despite the numerous medical advances made in the 21st century, an injury of this magnitude almost guaranteed that Howitzer would not be same player if he ever returned to the field. He did have an advantage, though. The timing of the injury allowed Howitzer to qualify for a medical redshirt. This meant that he still had 2 years of college eligibility left. However, he’d shockingly decide against using it. Once the 2036 college season ended, Howitzer announced his intentions to go pro and compete in the ISFL once he was fully recovered.
After over a year away from football, Sam Howitzer was ready to return. Before he could make his way to the top, he’d have to start back at the bottom. Following the DSFL’s 2037 trade deadline, Howitzer was claimed by the Portland Pythons off waivers. He’d spend the remainder of the season backing up Pythons QB George O’Donnell. The team finished 5-9 and missed out on the postseason. Howitzer would enter the DSFL draft once the year was over and be picked by the Pythons with the 26th selection. They saw his potential, and wanted to keep him around.
With George O’Donnell having moved on to the ISFL, Howitzer became the Pythons top QB entering 2038. After suffering his monstrous knee injury, he would be starting for the first time in over 2 years. As rookies do, he struggled. Howitzer led the Pythons to a 5-9 record, and the team again missed the playoffs. In his first year of professional play, Howitzer recorded 2,157 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. More importantly, his left knee looked better than it ever had. Sam Howitzer was back.
The Yellowknife Wraiths saw the potential that Howitzer held, and they selected him with their 2nd round pick in the 2039 ISFL draft. He’d play one more year at the DSFL level before coming up to play with the Wraiths. Now the heir-apparent to a top-level pro franchise, the lofty expectations returned for Howitzer.
Going into 2039, the pedigree at which Howitzer had been held to in college had slightly revived. Both Portland and Yellowknife fans expected him to deliver. Individually, he did. Howitzer had a phenomenal statistical season. He threw for 2,559 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions on his way to the DSFL’s 2039 MVP and QB of the Year awards. As a team, though, the Pythons disappointed. They could never find their footing and stumbled into the playoffs at 6-8. As was expected by critics, they were quickly dispatched of by the London Royals 22-3 in the conference championship game.
With unfinished business in the DSFL, Howitzer moved on to the next level of pro football. However, he wouldn’t be playing for Yellowknife. During his final DSFL season, 2 new expansion teams had been added to the ISFL. One of them was the New York Silverbacks. Recognizing the need for an established QB to lead their fledgling franchise, the Silverbacks front office engineered a trade with Yellowknife during the 2040 draft that sent Howitzer to the Big Apple. 2040 would be the Silverbacks’ first season of professional play, and Sam Howitzer would lead the charge.
Entering his first season in the ISFL, Sam Howitzer was expected to win despite the Silverbacks being a new team. The New York media was a completely different beast compared to the rest of the country. Unshaken, Howitzer played great for a rookie. He threw for 3,872 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He finished 5th in league passer rating with a mark of 86.5. Despite his efforts, the Silverbacks expectedly did not play well, and they finished their inaugural season with a 4-12 record.
Questions were starting to be raised across the nation if Sam Howitzer could win. There had been expectations placed on him every year since high school, and he’d only delivered one winning season in the last 6 years. Now with even more pressure placed upon him, Howitzer refused to buckle. During the 2041 season, he accumulated 4,101 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Howitzer guided New York to a conference best 9-7 record, and homefield advantage in the ASFC playoffs. New York’s first postseason game would be against the Austin Copperheads. Howitzer threw for 2 touchdowns in what turned out to be a 19-point blowout victory. The conference championship game would be played against the New Orleans Second Line. Entering the 4th quarter, New York held a commanding 14-point lead, and Howitzer had already thrown for 3 touchdowns. Despite this, New Orleans launched a furious comeback that forced overtime. They’d finish the job there, eliminating New York and advancing to the Ultimus Bowl.
As the 2042 season got underway, New York looked even better. They started 3-0, and Howitzer had a TD:INT ratio of 3:1 during that span. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the Silverbacks. They’d follow up their hot start with a 3-game losing streak and finish the season 7-9, and one game out of playoff contention. Howitzer ended the down year with 4,047 yards, just 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. All of a sudden, the questions that had been following him for almost a decade returned.
In 2043, the Silverbacks were looking to return to the postseason. That effort would start and end with Sam Howitzer. He needed to play well if the New York wanted to compete. Thankfully, he stepped up to the challenge. Howitzer posted a career best 90.3 passer rating en route to a 10-6 record and playoff berth. Howitzer also recorded 4,089 yards, 15 touchdowns, and a career-low 5 interceptions. In the first round, New York would have a rematch with Austin, the team they took down in the franchise’s first ever playoff game. This time, the Copperheads were ready, and New York was defeated 21-18.
Now an established veteran, Howitzer entered 2044 comfortably. The Silverbacks started the year 7-2 and would enter the playoffs with another 10-6 record. This marked the first time in Silverbacks history that the team had made the playoffs in consecutive years. Howitzer racked up 4,266 yards through the air, along with a career-high 31 touchdowns. A more aggressive offense also meant more interceptions, and Howitzer finished with 15 of them.
New York’s first playoff game would be a rematch against New Orleans. The two teams had spilt the season series 1-1, so critics were split when predicting who would win. The game turned into a shootout, and with 1 minute left in the 4th quarter, Howitzer fired a game winning touchdown that sent the Silverbacks moving on to the tune of a 35-31 victory. An even bigger challenge awaited New York in the conference championship. With an 11-5 record, the Arizona Outlaws led the ASFC, and were currently riding high on a 4-game winning streak. New York would have to play its best game of the year to reach its first Ultimus Bowl. Early in the 2nd quarter, they had established a surprising 17-0 lead. Despite the fast start, Arizona rallied to make it 17-10 at halftime. Having received the ball to start the 2nd half, Arizona was driving. However, their momentum, and their season was ended when Silverbacks CB Colt Mendoza intercepted Outlaws QB Charlemagne Cortez and ran the ball all the way back for a score. New York never looked back, and advanced with a 34-27 victory.
In just their 5th year of play, the Silverbacks would be playing in their first Ultimus Bowl. They had their work cut out for them. Their opponent was the 13-3 Berlin Fire Salamanders. They were the undisputed best team in the league and led by MVP runner-up Nick Kaepercolin who’d thrown for almost 5,000 yards and 39 touchdowns in 2044. The game was expected to be close, and Berlin was the favorite to win. Sam Howitzer would make them fight for it. Berlin struck first with a field goal late into the 1st quarter to make it 3-0. Howitzer and the Silverbacks responded with a touchdown pass to make it 7-3, and Colt Mendoza returned a pick-six one minute later to increase New York’s lead to 11. Another Silverbacks field goal made it 17-3. Berlin refused to waver and scored on their next drive to pull it within 7. This is where Sam Howitzer turned into the QB that was promised. In the next 25 minutes of play, he expertly led 3 drives that all ended in scores. By the 4th quarter, New York was leading 34-10. Berlin would score twice more, but it was useless. New York only added to their lead, and stood victorious as Ultimus Bowl 29 champions by a score of 40-20. One month before his 30th birthday, Sam Howitzer was a champion. On the podium, he made sure to include a special shoutout to the people of North Carolina, ensuring them that this victory was theirs as well as his.
Now 30 years old and a champion, the first whispers of retirement talk began swirling around Howitzer in 2045. He would put those rumors to bed as he led New York to a 11-5 finish, the franchise’s best record in its history. He would record 4,750 yards, 26 touchdowns, and a career-high 17 interceptions. Critics pointed to his continued increase of turnovers as evidence of his imminent decline. Either way, New York was back in the playoffs. In their first game, they easily handled the Copperheads, and moved on to a conference championship rematch against the Arizona Outlaws. This time, the Outlaws would not be refused a trip to the Ultimus. The Silverbacks couldn’t get anything going, and Howitzer completely fell apart. He played his worst postseason game ever and Arizona cruised to a 33-0 shutout win.
The 2046 offseason was a rough one for Sam Howitzer. For the first time, he felt the real effects of regression. He recognized that he was not the same player that he was even two years ago, but he pushed forward, nonetheless. In his 7th ISFL season, Howitzer and the Silverbacks started hot. The team entered week 6 at 4-1. However, a loss to the Wraiths started a 2-9 slide that saw New York finish 6-10. Surprisingly, they captured the conference’s last playoff spot via tiebreaker. Unsurprisingly, they were destroyed by Austin 45-24 in the opening round. Howitzer finished the season with 4,128 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
The voices that spoke out about Howitzer’s retirement were louder and more confident now. Entering his 11th season of professional play, even the casual fan could see that the longtime quarterback was not the same. The pocket passer looked even slower than he usually was, and the zip that he was known for had left his right arm. Internally, Howitzer had accepted that this was probably it. At age 32, his tank was almost empty. 2047 began unsteadily for New York as the Silverbacks started the year 2-4. They’d pick it up as the season wore on, and capture the ASFCs 3rd seed with a 10-6 record. Despite his weakened arm, Howitzer accomplished his first 5,000-yard season with a total of 5,103 yards. He also threw for a career-best 34 touchdowns as well as 14 interceptions.
Going out on top was a nice idea, but Howitzer and the Silverbacks had a long way to go. Game 1 of the playoffs was a hard-fought battle against the Copperheads that saw New York squander a 14-point lead to let Austin force overtime. The Silverbacks would thankfully avoid the choke, and advance off a game winning field goal. The conference championship would be another matchup against the Arizona Outlaws. With how previous meetings had gone between these two teams, the odds were dead even. Back and forth scoring led to a 14-13 Arizona lead at halftime. New York responded early in the 3rd to make it 21-14, and the Outlaws shot back with a field goal to move the score to 21-17. The Silverbacks scored again to make it 28-17. Despite there being over 8 minutes left, Arizona was out of gas. Nothing worked for them after that point, and New York would advance to their 2nd Ultimus Bowl appearance in 4 years.
No one other than Sam Howitzer knew it yet, But Ultimus Bowl 32 would be his final game, win or lose. In a postseason full of rematches, the championship opponent was no different. To ride off into the sunset, Howitzer would have to once again put down the Berlin Fire Salamanders. The game started with the two sides feeling each other out. That ended when Howitzer launched one of his signature missiles to receiver Joe Radetzky for a 46-yard score. The next two quarters saw 2 field goals and another touchdown from New York to blow the game wide open. A Berlin field goal made it 20-3 going into the final quarter of Sam Howitzer’s career. 10 more minutes were sapped from the clock with no changes, but with 5 minutes left, the Fire Salamanders punched it in from 2 yards to bring the game within 10 points. All the Silverbacks needed to do was kill clock. Instead, they succumbed to a 3-and-out that included an incompletion and a sack. Berlin had regained possession just 90 seconds after scoring. One minute later, they found their way back into the endzone. With exactly 2 minutes left, New York’s lead had evaporated. They now barely hung on 20-17. The Silverbacks recovered the onside kick with 1:44 to go, and Sam Howitzer took the field. With the biggest game of his career on the line, he audibled out of the called run, took the snap, dropped back, and fired his last and greatest pass. The ball rocketed up the left seam and into the arms of Tugg Speedman who was took it to Berlin’s 8-yard line. The Silverbacks finished the drive 2 plays later to take a 27-17 lead with 1:16 left. The Fire Salamanders could not catch up, and Sam Howitzer kneeled down with 0:01 left on the game clock to run off the final second of his pro career.
Sam Howitzer and the Silverbacks were now 2-time champions. As he was handed the Ultimus Bowl MVP trophy, Howitzer announced his retirement to the crowd, and to the world. The only man who’d ever taken a snap for New York was stepping away.
Over 8 years and 128 ISFL games, Sam Howitzer recorded 34,356 passing yards on 3,051 completions and 4,826 attempts. He also threw for 194 touchdowns and 100 interceptions. His career completion percentage finished at 63.2%, and his final passer rating was 89.2. As of now, Howitzer still holds all major passing records for the Silverbacks. He ranks in the top-10 all-time for ISFL career passer rating, completions, and yards. Over his ISFL career, he made a cool $30 million.
Sam Howitzer will be eligible for the Hall of Fame following the 2050 (S35) season. His lack of accolades may say otherwise, but frankly, I think that he should get in. The next generation of Silverbacks signal callers have work to do if they want to fill his shoes. Thanks for reading.
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Let me know if you liked this or not. I enjoy writing them but wouldn’t want to spend time on pieces that other users don’t enjoy.
Total Words in article (not including intro or outro): 3,031
Without further ado, here is my career retrospective on legendary ISFL QB Sam Howitzer (@Trautner).
-
Following a high school career in Chapel Hill that saw him become a 5-star QB prospect, Sam Howitzer stayed home and committed to play for the North Carolina Tarheels. To say that he was the son that was promised to the state of North Carolina would be an understatement. Already 6’5 before his senior year of high school, the expectations set on Howitzer continued to grow as he did. They’d skyrocket further as Howitzer completed a final high school campaign that saw him win North Carolina’s 2033 Gatorade Player of the Year award. It’s safe to say that when he finally stepped onto campus at 6’7 and 260 lbs, fans were expecting championships. Multiple.
Howitzer began his college career like most do: As a backup. He spent his freshman season learning from the sidelines, along with playing sparingly in blowouts. The potential was there, though. Howitzer completed almost 60% of his passes for 382 yards and 5 touchdowns. He managed to run for a score as well. The only blemish on his 2034 season was a lone interception.
Entering 2035, Howitzer was the clear-cut starting QB for the Tarheels. The team was under his command, and he guided them to an impressive 9-4 record. This was an improvement from the previous year’s mark of 8-5. Howitzer topped off his first season as starter with a fantastic performance that saw the Tarheels claim victory in the Military Bowl. When it was over, Howitzer had finished his sophomore season with 4,739 passing yards and 42 touchdowns. Both marks stood as new school records.
As the 2036 season approached, most North Carolina fans were convinced of the same thing: This was going to be the year. North Carolina football would finally win the national championship. Sam Howitzer was coming into his own as a quarterback, and the team around him was arguably better than it was in 2035. There was no reason for it not to happen. There was so much hype around Sam Howitzer that analysts were already projecting him to be in the running for the Heisman, and it was agreed that if he had another great season, he’d be a lock as a first-round draft pick in the pros.
The first opponent in North Carolina’s 2036 gauntlet would be one of its fiercest. The South Carolina Gamecocks had crossed the border to come play. The game had received extensive media coverage in the weeks leading up to it, and networks were expecting a hard-fought battle. On the very first play of the Tarheels’ year of destiny, Howitzer took the snap, dropped back, and dropped down. He didn’t get back up. Howitzer’s left cleat had caught in an unseen divot in the turf, and his leg turned almost all the way around. ESPN refused to show the replay. An MRI the next day revealed the true extent of his injuries. Howitzer had torn both his ACL and MCL, along with dislocating his left knee. North Carolina’s season had ended before it even started. Worse, Howitzer’s football career was now in serious jeopardy. Despite the numerous medical advances made in the 21st century, an injury of this magnitude almost guaranteed that Howitzer would not be same player if he ever returned to the field. He did have an advantage, though. The timing of the injury allowed Howitzer to qualify for a medical redshirt. This meant that he still had 2 years of college eligibility left. However, he’d shockingly decide against using it. Once the 2036 college season ended, Howitzer announced his intentions to go pro and compete in the ISFL once he was fully recovered.
After over a year away from football, Sam Howitzer was ready to return. Before he could make his way to the top, he’d have to start back at the bottom. Following the DSFL’s 2037 trade deadline, Howitzer was claimed by the Portland Pythons off waivers. He’d spend the remainder of the season backing up Pythons QB George O’Donnell. The team finished 5-9 and missed out on the postseason. Howitzer would enter the DSFL draft once the year was over and be picked by the Pythons with the 26th selection. They saw his potential, and wanted to keep him around.
With George O’Donnell having moved on to the ISFL, Howitzer became the Pythons top QB entering 2038. After suffering his monstrous knee injury, he would be starting for the first time in over 2 years. As rookies do, he struggled. Howitzer led the Pythons to a 5-9 record, and the team again missed the playoffs. In his first year of professional play, Howitzer recorded 2,157 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. More importantly, his left knee looked better than it ever had. Sam Howitzer was back.
The Yellowknife Wraiths saw the potential that Howitzer held, and they selected him with their 2nd round pick in the 2039 ISFL draft. He’d play one more year at the DSFL level before coming up to play with the Wraiths. Now the heir-apparent to a top-level pro franchise, the lofty expectations returned for Howitzer.
Going into 2039, the pedigree at which Howitzer had been held to in college had slightly revived. Both Portland and Yellowknife fans expected him to deliver. Individually, he did. Howitzer had a phenomenal statistical season. He threw for 2,559 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions on his way to the DSFL’s 2039 MVP and QB of the Year awards. As a team, though, the Pythons disappointed. They could never find their footing and stumbled into the playoffs at 6-8. As was expected by critics, they were quickly dispatched of by the London Royals 22-3 in the conference championship game.
With unfinished business in the DSFL, Howitzer moved on to the next level of pro football. However, he wouldn’t be playing for Yellowknife. During his final DSFL season, 2 new expansion teams had been added to the ISFL. One of them was the New York Silverbacks. Recognizing the need for an established QB to lead their fledgling franchise, the Silverbacks front office engineered a trade with Yellowknife during the 2040 draft that sent Howitzer to the Big Apple. 2040 would be the Silverbacks’ first season of professional play, and Sam Howitzer would lead the charge.
Entering his first season in the ISFL, Sam Howitzer was expected to win despite the Silverbacks being a new team. The New York media was a completely different beast compared to the rest of the country. Unshaken, Howitzer played great for a rookie. He threw for 3,872 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He finished 5th in league passer rating with a mark of 86.5. Despite his efforts, the Silverbacks expectedly did not play well, and they finished their inaugural season with a 4-12 record.
Questions were starting to be raised across the nation if Sam Howitzer could win. There had been expectations placed on him every year since high school, and he’d only delivered one winning season in the last 6 years. Now with even more pressure placed upon him, Howitzer refused to buckle. During the 2041 season, he accumulated 4,101 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Howitzer guided New York to a conference best 9-7 record, and homefield advantage in the ASFC playoffs. New York’s first postseason game would be against the Austin Copperheads. Howitzer threw for 2 touchdowns in what turned out to be a 19-point blowout victory. The conference championship game would be played against the New Orleans Second Line. Entering the 4th quarter, New York held a commanding 14-point lead, and Howitzer had already thrown for 3 touchdowns. Despite this, New Orleans launched a furious comeback that forced overtime. They’d finish the job there, eliminating New York and advancing to the Ultimus Bowl.
As the 2042 season got underway, New York looked even better. They started 3-0, and Howitzer had a TD:INT ratio of 3:1 during that span. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the Silverbacks. They’d follow up their hot start with a 3-game losing streak and finish the season 7-9, and one game out of playoff contention. Howitzer ended the down year with 4,047 yards, just 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. All of a sudden, the questions that had been following him for almost a decade returned.
In 2043, the Silverbacks were looking to return to the postseason. That effort would start and end with Sam Howitzer. He needed to play well if the New York wanted to compete. Thankfully, he stepped up to the challenge. Howitzer posted a career best 90.3 passer rating en route to a 10-6 record and playoff berth. Howitzer also recorded 4,089 yards, 15 touchdowns, and a career-low 5 interceptions. In the first round, New York would have a rematch with Austin, the team they took down in the franchise’s first ever playoff game. This time, the Copperheads were ready, and New York was defeated 21-18.
Now an established veteran, Howitzer entered 2044 comfortably. The Silverbacks started the year 7-2 and would enter the playoffs with another 10-6 record. This marked the first time in Silverbacks history that the team had made the playoffs in consecutive years. Howitzer racked up 4,266 yards through the air, along with a career-high 31 touchdowns. A more aggressive offense also meant more interceptions, and Howitzer finished with 15 of them.
New York’s first playoff game would be a rematch against New Orleans. The two teams had spilt the season series 1-1, so critics were split when predicting who would win. The game turned into a shootout, and with 1 minute left in the 4th quarter, Howitzer fired a game winning touchdown that sent the Silverbacks moving on to the tune of a 35-31 victory. An even bigger challenge awaited New York in the conference championship. With an 11-5 record, the Arizona Outlaws led the ASFC, and were currently riding high on a 4-game winning streak. New York would have to play its best game of the year to reach its first Ultimus Bowl. Early in the 2nd quarter, they had established a surprising 17-0 lead. Despite the fast start, Arizona rallied to make it 17-10 at halftime. Having received the ball to start the 2nd half, Arizona was driving. However, their momentum, and their season was ended when Silverbacks CB Colt Mendoza intercepted Outlaws QB Charlemagne Cortez and ran the ball all the way back for a score. New York never looked back, and advanced with a 34-27 victory.
In just their 5th year of play, the Silverbacks would be playing in their first Ultimus Bowl. They had their work cut out for them. Their opponent was the 13-3 Berlin Fire Salamanders. They were the undisputed best team in the league and led by MVP runner-up Nick Kaepercolin who’d thrown for almost 5,000 yards and 39 touchdowns in 2044. The game was expected to be close, and Berlin was the favorite to win. Sam Howitzer would make them fight for it. Berlin struck first with a field goal late into the 1st quarter to make it 3-0. Howitzer and the Silverbacks responded with a touchdown pass to make it 7-3, and Colt Mendoza returned a pick-six one minute later to increase New York’s lead to 11. Another Silverbacks field goal made it 17-3. Berlin refused to waver and scored on their next drive to pull it within 7. This is where Sam Howitzer turned into the QB that was promised. In the next 25 minutes of play, he expertly led 3 drives that all ended in scores. By the 4th quarter, New York was leading 34-10. Berlin would score twice more, but it was useless. New York only added to their lead, and stood victorious as Ultimus Bowl 29 champions by a score of 40-20. One month before his 30th birthday, Sam Howitzer was a champion. On the podium, he made sure to include a special shoutout to the people of North Carolina, ensuring them that this victory was theirs as well as his.
Now 30 years old and a champion, the first whispers of retirement talk began swirling around Howitzer in 2045. He would put those rumors to bed as he led New York to a 11-5 finish, the franchise’s best record in its history. He would record 4,750 yards, 26 touchdowns, and a career-high 17 interceptions. Critics pointed to his continued increase of turnovers as evidence of his imminent decline. Either way, New York was back in the playoffs. In their first game, they easily handled the Copperheads, and moved on to a conference championship rematch against the Arizona Outlaws. This time, the Outlaws would not be refused a trip to the Ultimus. The Silverbacks couldn’t get anything going, and Howitzer completely fell apart. He played his worst postseason game ever and Arizona cruised to a 33-0 shutout win.
The 2046 offseason was a rough one for Sam Howitzer. For the first time, he felt the real effects of regression. He recognized that he was not the same player that he was even two years ago, but he pushed forward, nonetheless. In his 7th ISFL season, Howitzer and the Silverbacks started hot. The team entered week 6 at 4-1. However, a loss to the Wraiths started a 2-9 slide that saw New York finish 6-10. Surprisingly, they captured the conference’s last playoff spot via tiebreaker. Unsurprisingly, they were destroyed by Austin 45-24 in the opening round. Howitzer finished the season with 4,128 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
The voices that spoke out about Howitzer’s retirement were louder and more confident now. Entering his 11th season of professional play, even the casual fan could see that the longtime quarterback was not the same. The pocket passer looked even slower than he usually was, and the zip that he was known for had left his right arm. Internally, Howitzer had accepted that this was probably it. At age 32, his tank was almost empty. 2047 began unsteadily for New York as the Silverbacks started the year 2-4. They’d pick it up as the season wore on, and capture the ASFCs 3rd seed with a 10-6 record. Despite his weakened arm, Howitzer accomplished his first 5,000-yard season with a total of 5,103 yards. He also threw for a career-best 34 touchdowns as well as 14 interceptions.
Going out on top was a nice idea, but Howitzer and the Silverbacks had a long way to go. Game 1 of the playoffs was a hard-fought battle against the Copperheads that saw New York squander a 14-point lead to let Austin force overtime. The Silverbacks would thankfully avoid the choke, and advance off a game winning field goal. The conference championship would be another matchup against the Arizona Outlaws. With how previous meetings had gone between these two teams, the odds were dead even. Back and forth scoring led to a 14-13 Arizona lead at halftime. New York responded early in the 3rd to make it 21-14, and the Outlaws shot back with a field goal to move the score to 21-17. The Silverbacks scored again to make it 28-17. Despite there being over 8 minutes left, Arizona was out of gas. Nothing worked for them after that point, and New York would advance to their 2nd Ultimus Bowl appearance in 4 years.
No one other than Sam Howitzer knew it yet, But Ultimus Bowl 32 would be his final game, win or lose. In a postseason full of rematches, the championship opponent was no different. To ride off into the sunset, Howitzer would have to once again put down the Berlin Fire Salamanders. The game started with the two sides feeling each other out. That ended when Howitzer launched one of his signature missiles to receiver Joe Radetzky for a 46-yard score. The next two quarters saw 2 field goals and another touchdown from New York to blow the game wide open. A Berlin field goal made it 20-3 going into the final quarter of Sam Howitzer’s career. 10 more minutes were sapped from the clock with no changes, but with 5 minutes left, the Fire Salamanders punched it in from 2 yards to bring the game within 10 points. All the Silverbacks needed to do was kill clock. Instead, they succumbed to a 3-and-out that included an incompletion and a sack. Berlin had regained possession just 90 seconds after scoring. One minute later, they found their way back into the endzone. With exactly 2 minutes left, New York’s lead had evaporated. They now barely hung on 20-17. The Silverbacks recovered the onside kick with 1:44 to go, and Sam Howitzer took the field. With the biggest game of his career on the line, he audibled out of the called run, took the snap, dropped back, and fired his last and greatest pass. The ball rocketed up the left seam and into the arms of Tugg Speedman who was took it to Berlin’s 8-yard line. The Silverbacks finished the drive 2 plays later to take a 27-17 lead with 1:16 left. The Fire Salamanders could not catch up, and Sam Howitzer kneeled down with 0:01 left on the game clock to run off the final second of his pro career.
Sam Howitzer and the Silverbacks were now 2-time champions. As he was handed the Ultimus Bowl MVP trophy, Howitzer announced his retirement to the crowd, and to the world. The only man who’d ever taken a snap for New York was stepping away.
Over 8 years and 128 ISFL games, Sam Howitzer recorded 34,356 passing yards on 3,051 completions and 4,826 attempts. He also threw for 194 touchdowns and 100 interceptions. His career completion percentage finished at 63.2%, and his final passer rating was 89.2. As of now, Howitzer still holds all major passing records for the Silverbacks. He ranks in the top-10 all-time for ISFL career passer rating, completions, and yards. Over his ISFL career, he made a cool $30 million.
Sam Howitzer will be eligible for the Hall of Fame following the 2050 (S35) season. His lack of accolades may say otherwise, but frankly, I think that he should get in. The next generation of Silverbacks signal callers have work to do if they want to fill his shoes. Thanks for reading.
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