New Talent
Over the offseason, the Yellowknife Wraiths made a big boy trade. A real man’s man of a trade. Among other things, they shipped their starting QB Orosz out to the San Jose Sabercats in return for Clee Hardrool. This move paved the way for the new Wraiths QB to leave his mark: Mat Akselsen. Akselsen has been dynamite, adding a new element to the Wraith’s offense which allowed them to upset a few teams as their offense seemed to perform above it’s talent level.
But the bigger impact has been Clee Hardrool. Since coming to the Wraiths, Hardrool has cemented himself as a premier player in the NSFL and was the #1 Safety in the league in S4. Hardrool is posed to make a huge impact in the upcoming playoff game against the Philadelphia Liberty, where he is posed to be a key factor in limiting the Liberty passing attack and acting as a ball hawk. The other beneficiary of the trade, Akselsen, will lead the Wraith’s surprising electric offense to what they hope will be the franchise’s first Ultimus appearance following their first playoff victory. This was a trade that caused a huge splash in the NSFL, and surprised many, but the new Wraiths weapons have certainly made a tremendous impact.
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Playoff Predictions
Liberty @ Wraiths
I believe the Wraiths will pull away with the win here. The Liberty have defeated the Wraiths twice this season, once in Yellowknife, but the Wraiths have a chip on their shoulder and a lot to prove. It will be interesting to see if the Liberty can stop the Wraiths electric offense and if Rove can lead the Liberty to victory. I don’t think they will. Should be a fun one though.
Otters @ Outlaws
This one is going to be a shootout. I’m going to go with the upset here and predict that the Otters walk away with the win, being the first team in NSFL history to beat the Outlaws in the playoffs. Boss has been on fire this season, and I think he and the Otters offense can take advantage of the Outlaws (relatively) weaker CBs. Should be an exciting game either way.
Wraiths @ Otters
The Otters are a scary team at home, as offenses throughout the season struggled to keep up with the Otter’s passing attack. I’m going to predict the Otters win this one, as the Wraiths offense may struggle on the road and may not be able to keep up offensively.
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Root for the Underdog
I think that the Orange County Otters have a chance at upsetting the Arizona Outlaws in Arizona for the ASFC championship. The Otters utilize a very effective and electric passing attack, which may be able to take advantage of the Arizona Outlaw’s (relatively) weaker CBs. While the Outlaws have never lost in the playoffs before, I think the Otters are posed to finally pull off the upset. Both of these offenses utilize a heavy passing offense, and I believe the game will come down to whichever team makes the least mistakes. Boss’ efficiency this season has been outstanding, and he has two top targets in Phelps and Westfield. The Outlaws will have a hard time covering this dynamic and explosive duo. On the other hand, the Otters defense is very blitz-heavy, and will look to getting after Bronko before he can get the ball off. Of course, the Outlaws utilize almost the exact same strategy. Both of these teams are built to be high-risk and high-reward, but are talented enough to ensure that the reward happens much more often than the risk. This time, I think the Otters may take the win and make it to the Ultimus.
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Playoff Series MVP
The MVP of the Yellowknife Wraiths victory of the Philadelphia Liberty was none other than wide receiver Bailey Cook. Cook has taken over as the primary wide receiver in Yellowknife since Garden left, and he has excelled in the role. This playoff game was no different. Cook went ham on the very talented Philadelphia secondary, racking up 104 receiving yards on five catches with one touchdown. The Wraiths passing attack was otherwise somewhat pedestrian, as the Wraiths averaged only 6.4 yards per passing attempt and no other Wraiths receiver had over 50 yards receiving. But Cook was the one bright spot on the Wraith’s passing offense, averaging a fantastic 20.8 yards per catch and accounting for almost half of all Wraiths receiving yards in the game. Cook rounded out his performance by being great (as usual) on special teams, where he broke off a 38 yard kick return to set the Wraiths up in great field position, which led to their first touchdown.
Additionally, Cook accomplished all this while lined up as a nickel corner on defense against the great Fox North, where he did a good job holding North in check when he lined up in slot, and he even recorded a tackle against the Liberty running back O’Connell. Bailey Cook was most certainly the Wraith’s MVP of that game.
@RainDelay
(221 words)
Over the offseason, the Yellowknife Wraiths made a big boy trade. A real man’s man of a trade. Among other things, they shipped their starting QB Orosz out to the San Jose Sabercats in return for Clee Hardrool. This move paved the way for the new Wraiths QB to leave his mark: Mat Akselsen. Akselsen has been dynamite, adding a new element to the Wraith’s offense which allowed them to upset a few teams as their offense seemed to perform above it’s talent level.
But the bigger impact has been Clee Hardrool. Since coming to the Wraiths, Hardrool has cemented himself as a premier player in the NSFL and was the #1 Safety in the league in S4. Hardrool is posed to make a huge impact in the upcoming playoff game against the Philadelphia Liberty, where he is posed to be a key factor in limiting the Liberty passing attack and acting as a ball hawk. The other beneficiary of the trade, Akselsen, will lead the Wraith’s surprising electric offense to what they hope will be the franchise’s first Ultimus appearance following their first playoff victory. This was a trade that caused a huge splash in the NSFL, and surprised many, but the new Wraiths weapons have certainly made a tremendous impact.
(212 words)
Playoff Predictions
Liberty @ Wraiths
I believe the Wraiths will pull away with the win here. The Liberty have defeated the Wraiths twice this season, once in Yellowknife, but the Wraiths have a chip on their shoulder and a lot to prove. It will be interesting to see if the Liberty can stop the Wraiths electric offense and if Rove can lead the Liberty to victory. I don’t think they will. Should be a fun one though.
Otters @ Outlaws
This one is going to be a shootout. I’m going to go with the upset here and predict that the Otters walk away with the win, being the first team in NSFL history to beat the Outlaws in the playoffs. Boss has been on fire this season, and I think he and the Otters offense can take advantage of the Outlaws (relatively) weaker CBs. Should be an exciting game either way.
Wraiths @ Otters
The Otters are a scary team at home, as offenses throughout the season struggled to keep up with the Otter’s passing attack. I’m going to predict the Otters win this one, as the Wraiths offense may struggle on the road and may not be able to keep up offensively.
(203 words)
Root for the Underdog
I think that the Orange County Otters have a chance at upsetting the Arizona Outlaws in Arizona for the ASFC championship. The Otters utilize a very effective and electric passing attack, which may be able to take advantage of the Arizona Outlaw’s (relatively) weaker CBs. While the Outlaws have never lost in the playoffs before, I think the Otters are posed to finally pull off the upset. Both of these offenses utilize a heavy passing offense, and I believe the game will come down to whichever team makes the least mistakes. Boss’ efficiency this season has been outstanding, and he has two top targets in Phelps and Westfield. The Outlaws will have a hard time covering this dynamic and explosive duo. On the other hand, the Otters defense is very blitz-heavy, and will look to getting after Bronko before he can get the ball off. Of course, the Outlaws utilize almost the exact same strategy. Both of these teams are built to be high-risk and high-reward, but are talented enough to ensure that the reward happens much more often than the risk. This time, I think the Otters may take the win and make it to the Ultimus.
(202 words)
Playoff Series MVP
The MVP of the Yellowknife Wraiths victory of the Philadelphia Liberty was none other than wide receiver Bailey Cook. Cook has taken over as the primary wide receiver in Yellowknife since Garden left, and he has excelled in the role. This playoff game was no different. Cook went ham on the very talented Philadelphia secondary, racking up 104 receiving yards on five catches with one touchdown. The Wraiths passing attack was otherwise somewhat pedestrian, as the Wraiths averaged only 6.4 yards per passing attempt and no other Wraiths receiver had over 50 yards receiving. But Cook was the one bright spot on the Wraith’s passing offense, averaging a fantastic 20.8 yards per catch and accounting for almost half of all Wraiths receiving yards in the game. Cook rounded out his performance by being great (as usual) on special teams, where he broke off a 38 yard kick return to set the Wraiths up in great field position, which led to their first touchdown.
Additionally, Cook accomplished all this while lined up as a nickel corner on defense against the great Fox North, where he did a good job holding North in check when he lined up in slot, and he even recorded a tackle against the Liberty running back O’Connell. Bailey Cook was most certainly the Wraith’s MVP of that game.
@RainDelay
(221 words)