01-02-2024, 08:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-04-2024, 11:46 AM by lemonoppy. Edited 6 times in total.)
1st Place: Bruce Buckley (80.78)
1st Place: Bruce Buckley (80.78)
Bruce Buckley was drafted with the 39th pick of the S22 ISFL draft. He was immediately called up to be the LT in a rookie tackle duo with Calvin Golladay. His career got off to a hot start with 63 pancakes and only one sack allowed. Quite the start for the true rookie as he finished 6th in the league in pancakes (3rd excluding bots). This was an incredible rookie season that had Buckley make his first Pro Bowl. The Outlaws were out to a tedious 3-4-1 start that put them somewhat in playoff contention, but a hot streak to end the season did not occur, with Arizona going 1-4 to end the season falling way out of the playoffs. A great start for Buckley, but could he keep it up?
Well, it turns out Buckley could do more than keep it up. With the new expanded 16-game schedule Buckley excelled en route to 84 pancakes without allowing a sack. This included a 13-pancake game in week 11 that claimed the ISFL record until Simon Tremblay broke it in S25. This excellent season notched Buckley a Pro Bowl and his first OLotY award. The Outlaws got out to a similar start as last season, being 4-4 at midseason. They kept on this path to an even 8-8, but getting swept by the Copperheads kept them out of the playoffs. They even finished with the best PD (+122) in the entire conference, showing the team was ready to make the playoffs in S24.
Buckley had another successful season with the Outlaws, producing 83 pancakes (6th in the league) with only 1 sack allowed. This was not enough for OLotY as Rubbe had 11 more pancakes without allowing a sack but still gave Buckley his 3rd consecutive Pro Bowl. The Outlaws however got off to a shaky start with a 2-4 record. They bounced back in a big way though with a 5 game-win streak through midseason. They lost their next two then beat the Secondline by 1 point to put them at 8-6, tied with the Otters and Secondline for 1st in the ASFC with San Jose only a game behind. The Outlaws offense went quiet in a week 15 game against the SaberCats, falling to 8-7 and eliminating them from the playoffs. Despite a week 16 win against the Otters the Outlaws finished 3rd and out of the playoffs in a crazy 4-way tie for first in the ASFC, making it 4 years without a playoff appearance.
S25 was another similar season for Buckley, as he was cruising through a top-5 OL season until week 7 when there was a blockbuster trade. The Wraiths traded Matthias Hanyadi, an OL bot, and a 2nd round pick to get Buckley from the Outlaws. At the time it was considered a pretty lopsided trade in favor of AZ, though the tides would change as the trade progressed. Hanyadi left the Outlaws after just 1 season, while the 2nd round pick turned into a TE who only lasted 2 years in the ISFL. But despite having to adjust to the new environment, Buckley did not miss a beat on his way to an incredible season. He had a career-high 85 pancakes (5th in the league) and did not allow a sack, a remarkable feat. He made another Pro Bowl but finished 2nd, just short, in OLotY voting. The Wraiths were 4-3 and in playoff contention at the time of the trade, but quickly regressed losing 6 of 9 to fall to 7-9 and 5th in the NSFC. The collapse hurt especially as the Outlaws sneaked into the playoffs. Buckley didn’t know yet, but despite the early shortcomings, the trade would massively benefit his career.
As he fully settled into the Wraith's organization, his play improved slightly. In S26 he broke his personal pancake record with 87 (4th in the league) and no sacks allowed. At this point, 80 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed in a season was rarified air but Buckley was achieving it for the 3rd time in his career. He made his 5th consecutive Pro Bowl and managed a second OLotY award. The Wraiths were even more dominant than Buckley as they excelled to a 13-3 record. Their largest loss was by 8 points and they had the number 1 defense across the board (1st in PPGA and rushing and passing yards allowed per game) and the number 1 offense (2nd in PPG, 1st in YPG and rush yards per game) as they cruised to the best record in the league.
In the first round of the playoffs the Wraiths matched up against the 8-8 Sailfish, being large favorites. The underdogs were scrappy though, keeping the game close throughout. The Sailfish and Wraiths traded leads most of the game until a Mike Boss Jr. TD with 11:30 left in the 4th gave the Sailfish a 22-21 lead. Crucially the Sailfish were stopped on the 2-point play to keep the deficit only a point. The Wraiths then launched a massive 6-minute drive that set up the lead-taking field goal. But the 42-yarder was missed and it looked like the Sailfish might be able to run out the clock. Luckily for Buckley, that did not occur as a sack forced a 3 and out to give the Wraiths another opportunity to win. They took this opportunity down the field into the red zone, setting up a chip shot field goal. The kicker saw his chance for redemption and took it, hitting it right down the middle to send Yellowknife to the Ultimus. There the Wraiths would face the talented (although outmatched) Secondline. But the Wraiths were shaken after a TD and field goal left New Orleans up 10-0. But a pick-six on the last play of the 1st quarter opened up the scoring for the Wraiths, blowing the game open. Kai Sakura would catch 2 2nd quarter TDs to take the lead and the Wraiths poured it on with TD after TD. When the dust settled, Colby Jack had thrown 3 TDs and rushed for another while Dan Foster caught 3 ints in a dominating 49-17 win, crowning Buckley with his first Ultimus trophy.
S27 saw a sim change occur, with an emphasis on pancakes in the new sim. This was evident as only 1 player hit 100 pancakes in S26, compared to 13 in S27. Buckley was one of them as he smashed his career high for pancakes with 117 pancakes and no sacks allowed. This placed him 5th in pancakes and gave him just barely worse stats than the OLotY winner, Adam Mellott, who had 1 more pancake and 0 sacks allowed as well. Buckley still easily qualified for his 6th straight Pro Bowl despite the heightened competition. The Wraiths were expected to take a step back from their magical S26, but it was much harsher than expected as the Wraiths sat at 7-5 and far outside the competitive NSFC playoff race with 4 weeks to go. They were able to win 3 high-scoring games (they put up 50 in two of them) in a row to make it to 10-5 and a win and in playoff spot. But the Wraiths were shocked by the 5-10 Liberty when their weak defense gave out in a 31-10 loss keeping them out of the postseason. It was wondered if the Wraiths would ever be able to replicate the success of S26.
S28 was just the tiniest bit of a down year for Buckley, as he dropped to 113 pancakes (10th in the league) but kept his streak of seasons without a sack, stretching it to 4. This would be Buckley’s 7th straight Pro Bowl award, but also shockingly his last. The Wraiths struggled out the gate at 1-2 before bouncing back to 8-4. They kept their growing momentum going with a big 1-point win over the 11-2 Fire Salamanders and then closed out the year on a winning streak to make it to 11-5 and grab the 2 seed. This team was quite good, with good scoring offense and defense but was shockingly average in YPG and YPGA. That didn’t matter in the wild-card game at least as the Wraith defense held the number 1 scoring offense in the Sailfish to a measly 14 points. A 64-yard field goal and late TD proved to be the 4th quarter difference in a pretty low-scoring affair, as Yellowknife pulled it out 23-14 to make the NSFC championship game.
In the NSFC championship game they would face the 12-4 Berlin Fire Salamanders to compete for a trip to the Ultimus. The game started slowly, with the teams trading field goals in the first quarter to tie it at 3-3 going into the second. There wasn’t much scoring in the 2nd quarter either with the first TD of the game on a Colby Jack pass and a Berlin field goal leaving the game at 10-6 going into halftime. The lack of offense continued after the break with no scoring until the start of the 4th, with Berlin scoring their first and only TD of the game. Yellowknife answered back with a 5-minute TD drive to take a 17-13 lead with only 4 minutes left. The Wraiths defense was gassed and finally showed it as Berlin went on a commanding march down the field. They had gotten all the way to the 12-yard line with 11 seconds left, but a clutch rookie sack ended the game with a nail-biting victory to make the Ultimus.
In the Ultimus, the Wraiths would face a 9-7 Copperheads team that made the playoffs on tiebreakers and had lost their last 3 regular season games. But the Copperheads had reversed course with 2 playoff upsets to earn their spot in the big game. The game opened up slowly but in the Wraith's favor, as a late first-quarter TD and early second-quarter TD gave Yellowknife a 14-0 lead. The Copperheads lead a field goal drive to cut the deficit to 11 just before halftime. But the Wraiths opened up the second half with Blago Kokot, the kicker who had kicked the Wraiths to an Ultimus win in S26 and hit a 64-yarder in the wild card game, came up in another big moment with a 65-yarder in the 3rd quarter. The Wraiths got a strip sack on the next drive and cashed it in to take a 24-3 lead. It looked like Yellowknife was going to run away with it but Zoe Watts wouldn’t let them with a 99-yard kick return and 1-yard TD to keep it within reach. The ensuing punt and long field goal drive left the lead at 11. After another Wraiths punt and Copperheads TD it was looking like a comeback might be brewing. The Wraiths were forced to punt again, giving the Copperheads a chance with a 24-19 deficit and the ball with 1:40 left in the ballgame. But the Wraiths were able to end their championship hopes quickly with an Ultimus winning strip-sack, giving Buckley and the Wraiths their 2nd Ultimus win in 3 seasons.
After another Ultimus win, Buckley was on top of the world and still managed to get better. Buckley had the best season of his career (post-sim change, hard to judge between both) with 130 pancakes (5th in the league) and 0 sacks allowed, his 6th straight season without allowing a sack but also his last. This season also featured a crazy Pro Bowl snub, with Alexander Franklin making it despite worst stats (133 pancakes and a sack allowed). Buckley was still able to make a second-team All-Pro though, the last of his career. The Wraiths had a very interesting season in S29, with some struggles throughout the year that saw them make it to week 13 at 7-6. Usually, this would put a team in solid playoff position, but in a top-heavy NSFC this actually put them with almost nonexistent playoff odds. Despite the Wraith's best efforts which included winning 3 in a row to end the season, the Sailfish eliminated them with a week 16 win over the Butchers.
S30 was supposed to be a bounce-back season after missing the playoffs in S29 (I know they were still really good and won 10 games, but you don’t expect to miss the playoffs after winning the Ultimus) and Buckley did his best to make sure it happened. He had another 128 pancakes (6th in the league) while only allowing 1 sack to propel his way to another great season. He did come up short of a Pro Bowl due to an NSFC stacked at tackle, but he was still producing and not showing any signs of regressing 9 years into his career. The Wraiths did struggle out the gates though, falling to 3-5 at midseason. They pulled it together to end the year, winning 7 in a row to propel themselves to 10-6 and the 2 seed in the playoffs. They faced Berlin in the wild card but the offense struggled, only putting up 7 until it was too late, losing in a deceptively close 34-23 loss to a 9-7 team.
S31 was a time of change for Buckley and the Wraiths. With QB Colby Jack deep into regression, the Wraiths were a pretty average squad, with a 3-game skid eliminating the Wraiths from playoff contention at 6-7. With Buckley also having a down season, now was the perfect time for a trade. The Hawks swooped in (get it?) and grabbed Buckley for an OL bot and a 3rd round pick. It seemed to be an odd move for Baltimore, as a 4-12 team trading for a grizzled veteran isn’t very common. Buckley was really struggling as much as Baltimore when he fell to 107 pancakes (13th, still quite good but not up to his standards) but a career-high 4 sacks allowed, more than he had allowed the rest of his career combined. Despite his decline this trade turned out to be great for Buckley and Baltimore.
S32 made the Hawks's choice to trade for Buckley even more questionable, as the Hawks struggled to another losing season, going 5-11 with a disappointing 9-game losing streak cementing a bad season. Buckley himself had an incredible season. A massive comeback in your 11th season in the league is never expected but Buckley pulled it off perfectly with a career-high 138 pancakes (2nd in the league) though he did allow 4 sacks again, too many for award consideration. As the twilight of Buckley’s career neared, no one was sure if it was going to end in glory or wasted on bad Hawks teams.
Well S33 answered the last question. The Hawks started 8-1 en route to an 11-5 finish, getting the 2 seed in the NSFC. Buckley also managed another ageless season (though a drop-off was evident), as he had 114 pancakes (5th in the league) and 3 sacks allowed, something no one expected after a dozen years in the league. The Hawks matched up with the 10-6 Butchers, a team the Hawks had swept in the regular season. But that wasn’t evident when the Butchers were up 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. But the Hawks proved their superiority with a 17-0 run in the second quarter to go into the half up 17-7. After another field goal and Butcher's TD cut the lead to 6, an insurance field goal late in the 4th sealed the game and gave Baltimore the 23-14 victory.
After the wild card win the Hawks would have to travel to Sarasota to face the 12-4 Sailfish in a game with a chance to go to the Ultimus. The Hawks had not made an Ultimus since an S17 loss to the Otters, and were eager to make it make it back for the first time in 15+ years. The first quarter was even and standard as both teams traded field goals. The Hawks made sure to open up in the 2nd quarter, as they ended a long drive with a TD run on the first play of the quarter. The Sailfish missed a field goal and then the teams traded punts. The Sailfish finally clapped back with a TD right before half to even the score. The 3rd quarter was another defensive battle, with two Hawks field goals broken up by an interception that the Sailfish couldn’t turn into points. The Hawks extended their lead to 13 with a TD early in the 4th quarter, and then quickly forced a punt. After Baltimore opened their drive with a 92-yard pass and a TD on the next play, it looked like a 30-13 deficit would be way too much for the Sailfish to overcome. But Sarasota started a furious comeback, with a 72-yard pass leading to a TD and then forcing a punt. They got the ball back with 2:42 down 13. They took a 12-play drive down the field and converted 2 4th downs to score another TD with 40 seconds left. Down 30-24, the Salifish resorted to an onside kick and actually got it. Luckily for Buckley they threw an incompletion and drop left them with 8 seconds left, and a desperation lateral play was stopped immediately. Breathing a sigh of relief about not blowing a 20-point playoff lead in 5 minutes, Baltimore had to quickly recover before the Ultimus Bowl.
Facing off in South Korea, the Hawks would face the 9-7 Otters in the big game. Despite the lackluster record, the Otters had just beaten the league's best Outlaws to make it here so they were a potent threat. They proved that they were more than worthy, with a first-drive pick-six, two Goat Tank Jr. TDs, and a field goal the Hawks were getting blown out 24-0 in the blink of an eye. In the 2nd quarter, the Hawks regrouped and scored two TD’s to make it a respectable score. Another Otter TD and Hawk field goal made it a 31-17 game at the start of the 4th, just barely in reach. It looked like the Otters would seal the game early in the 4th when they drove down to the 5-yard line, but a game-saving pick and 72-yard TD left the Hawks shockingly within a single score! But the Otters seemed to crush those dreams with a quick TD drive to put them up 38-24. The Hawks swung back with a quick TD to make it a one-score game with 5 minutes left. But a rookie interception gave Baltimore hope as they drove into the endzone again. By some miracle, Baltimore had tied the game! The defense succeeded again, forcing a 3 and out. But a monster punt gave Baltimore the ball at their own 25 with only 2 minutes left. They started their drive and it just kept working. A 41-yard pass to start the drive put them into field goal range as their rookie kicker hit his second field goal of the game to give them the lead, 41-38. After 3 incompletions, the Otters reached a 4th and 10 and came up short. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Buckley and the Hawks had secured the wildest Ultimus in recent memory with a miracle 24-0 comeback on the biggest stage.
After the magical ending to S33, Buckley decided to stick it out for one last season. There was no real reason to, as Buckley had achieved almost anything you can. But Buckley loved the game, so he muddled through one last season to end his legendary career. I said muddled because the Hawks stunk with a 0-5 start kicking off a 6-10 season. The Hawks had clearly used all their magic in the Ultimus Bowl last year, and so had Buckley. He had a career-low (with the new sim engine) 91 pancakes that finished tied for 16th in the league. He allowed 4 more sacks and finally showed his age. All it took was an insane THIRTEEN seasons to show it. I think it’s perfect for the GOAT offensive linemen to retire quietly on a bad team, as that perfectly shows how underrated and underappreciated offensive linemen are. The ISFL was worse when Buckley retired but, this concludes my list of the greatest HOF offensive linemen.
I know people will break and change this list (probably soon) if Stumpy Jones or anyone else makes the HOF. Hey, Bengal Tigerheart is having a better start than any HOF O-Linemen did.
Names
Pancakes through the first 5 OL seasons
Bengal Tigerheart
661
Jaja Ding Dong
575
Adam Mellott
538
Manhattan Project
421
Bruce Buckley
401
Icebox Riposte
371
Byron Dolls
370
Givussafare Rubbe
325
Maybe he’ll become the best OL ever. I don’t know, all we can do is wait and see. But for now thanks for reading and enjoy your day.
also here's the spreadsheet if anyone cares
2x media
![[Image: Mike_Gesicki_Sig.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1120149479375515728/1124017752034791446/Mike_Gesicki_Sig.png)
SAVE THE WIKI!
