Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be written at any point.
I think everyone expected the Hawks to be in the playoffs this year. They were coming off a great season last year and it was expected that the conference wasn't getting any stronger. The Yeti were and still are a mess, the Liberty didn't seem like a threat, and the Wraiths were improved, but the Hawks still probably felt pretty confident going into the season. They were 9-5 last year and had one of the best defences in the league. They also had a much improved offense coming into the season due to some position changes. Well as the season progressed, the Hawks probably felt confident. The were sitting pretty atop the division with the Yeti and and Liberty having a couple wins between them. Then all of a sudden, the Liberty go on a tear, squeaking by teams and going 5 and 2 en route to clinching a playoff berth over the Hawks. So you could say that the Hawks blew it but I think that the Liberty just got very lucky. They won a ton of close games (including the 33-30 win over Baltimore to clinch) and their point differential on the season was horrible. When they lost, they got absolutely murdered. That type of inconsistency is not how playoff teams are built. They were a -85 point differential while Baltimore was only -9. I'd put my money on the Hawks any day. 235 Words
New Talent: Write about which S4 trade will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good
I believe the Kevin Cushing trade from early in the off season may pay huge dividends in the playoffs. The PHI front 7 is pretty formidable and can hold it's own against the run game. Adding a very good corner in Cushing made it so teams had to chose to challenge the front 7 of PHI or go against some very good play makers in the secondary. It just so happens that the Yellowknife run game isn't that imposing, so having a strong pass defence (the second best in the league) should help PHI control the game. A large part of that will be Cushing. While his regular season numbers are not eye popping in terms of interceptions, the more important stat is holding the superstar wide receivers of the opposition to low yardage, and that is something Cushing has been good at. Looking at the schedule, the Wraiths and then the OCO/ARI match ups are all pass happy offences. Now PHI did give up a second, third, and fourth round picks, and W. Ridley (a backup linebacker) to get Cushing, but PHI felt they could win now and they've proven themselves right. If Cushing helps PHI get past the Wraiths, then the package given up is more than worth it.
211 Words
Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)
Not to repeat myself, I will venture away from the robbery that the Hawks faced in their division this year. They had better overall stats but couldn’t find the wins when they needed too. Thus, the Liberty snuck in. The team that is likely hating the game right now is the San Jose Sabercats. Here is a team that went 9-5 in the regular season, boasted a +109 point differential and went 6-2 against NSFC opponents and yet here they are with an early end to the season. Now, everyone knows that the ASFC is the power conference, but why is it that every year, one of the three best teams in the league misses the playoffs due to conference formatting, and yet we see a team like the Liberty sneak in the NSFC playoffs and have a chance to win the Ultimus. IF I was the Sabercats, I’d be petitioning for a conference redistribution this offseason and ask to be moved to the NSFC. No matter how many free agents come their way, the Sabercats are still stuck in the nastiest division in the league and have to fight for 2 playoff spots with perennial powerhouses Arizona and Orange County. We’ve seen this conference disparity for a while now, but it still sucks for the Cats.
217 Words
Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win. (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about
Its crazy to say it, as I picked them to do very well this year, but the Orange County Otters are my underdog in this coming week. I don’t understand why there isn’t a interconference crossover, or a rebalancing of the conferences, but once again, the OCOs go up against the team that will likely win it all again this year… unless OCO kicks the crap out of them. Here’s why they might have a chance this time around. They are on the road, and they went 0-2 against the Outlaws in the regular season but they went 5-1 to end the season so they are hot right now. They also happen to have the most dangerous QB in the league to go along with two 1500+ yard receivers. That is a deadly offense. And yes, the Outlaw defence is something special as well, but they haven’t been nearly as dominant as they’ve been in the past few seasons. They also have one of the weaker secondaries in the league. If OCO pass offence can have a good game, there’s no way that Arizona can stop them. And for the critics who say that Arizona offence can go tit for tat with OCO’s, first off, not passing-wise and secondly, they are likely underestimating how good OCO defence was this year. Here’s hoping for a new ASFC champ.
227 words
I think everyone expected the Hawks to be in the playoffs this year. They were coming off a great season last year and it was expected that the conference wasn't getting any stronger. The Yeti were and still are a mess, the Liberty didn't seem like a threat, and the Wraiths were improved, but the Hawks still probably felt pretty confident going into the season. They were 9-5 last year and had one of the best defences in the league. They also had a much improved offense coming into the season due to some position changes. Well as the season progressed, the Hawks probably felt confident. The were sitting pretty atop the division with the Yeti and and Liberty having a couple wins between them. Then all of a sudden, the Liberty go on a tear, squeaking by teams and going 5 and 2 en route to clinching a playoff berth over the Hawks. So you could say that the Hawks blew it but I think that the Liberty just got very lucky. They won a ton of close games (including the 33-30 win over Baltimore to clinch) and their point differential on the season was horrible. When they lost, they got absolutely murdered. That type of inconsistency is not how playoff teams are built. They were a -85 point differential while Baltimore was only -9. I'd put my money on the Hawks any day. 235 Words
New Talent: Write about which S4 trade will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good
I believe the Kevin Cushing trade from early in the off season may pay huge dividends in the playoffs. The PHI front 7 is pretty formidable and can hold it's own against the run game. Adding a very good corner in Cushing made it so teams had to chose to challenge the front 7 of PHI or go against some very good play makers in the secondary. It just so happens that the Yellowknife run game isn't that imposing, so having a strong pass defence (the second best in the league) should help PHI control the game. A large part of that will be Cushing. While his regular season numbers are not eye popping in terms of interceptions, the more important stat is holding the superstar wide receivers of the opposition to low yardage, and that is something Cushing has been good at. Looking at the schedule, the Wraiths and then the OCO/ARI match ups are all pass happy offences. Now PHI did give up a second, third, and fourth round picks, and W. Ridley (a backup linebacker) to get Cushing, but PHI felt they could win now and they've proven themselves right. If Cushing helps PHI get past the Wraiths, then the package given up is more than worth it.
211 Words
Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)
Not to repeat myself, I will venture away from the robbery that the Hawks faced in their division this year. They had better overall stats but couldn’t find the wins when they needed too. Thus, the Liberty snuck in. The team that is likely hating the game right now is the San Jose Sabercats. Here is a team that went 9-5 in the regular season, boasted a +109 point differential and went 6-2 against NSFC opponents and yet here they are with an early end to the season. Now, everyone knows that the ASFC is the power conference, but why is it that every year, one of the three best teams in the league misses the playoffs due to conference formatting, and yet we see a team like the Liberty sneak in the NSFC playoffs and have a chance to win the Ultimus. IF I was the Sabercats, I’d be petitioning for a conference redistribution this offseason and ask to be moved to the NSFC. No matter how many free agents come their way, the Sabercats are still stuck in the nastiest division in the league and have to fight for 2 playoff spots with perennial powerhouses Arizona and Orange County. We’ve seen this conference disparity for a while now, but it still sucks for the Cats.
217 Words
Root for the Underdog: Pick an away team in an upcoming game and try to convince yourself (and us) why they can win. (Must be completed before the playoff series you write about
Its crazy to say it, as I picked them to do very well this year, but the Orange County Otters are my underdog in this coming week. I don’t understand why there isn’t a interconference crossover, or a rebalancing of the conferences, but once again, the OCOs go up against the team that will likely win it all again this year… unless OCO kicks the crap out of them. Here’s why they might have a chance this time around. They are on the road, and they went 0-2 against the Outlaws in the regular season but they went 5-1 to end the season so they are hot right now. They also happen to have the most dangerous QB in the league to go along with two 1500+ yard receivers. That is a deadly offense. And yes, the Outlaw defence is something special as well, but they haven’t been nearly as dominant as they’ve been in the past few seasons. They also have one of the weaker secondaries in the league. If OCO pass offence can have a good game, there’s no way that Arizona can stop them. And for the critics who say that Arizona offence can go tit for tat with OCO’s, first off, not passing-wise and secondly, they are likely underestimating how good OCO defence was this year. Here’s hoping for a new ASFC champ.
227 words
[div align=center]
[div align=center]
[div align=center]