Welcome back to year twelve of the Alabama Slammers Franchise Report! Here are the links to the previous versions if you want to catch up (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031). Go ahead and grab some popcorn, this is a long one.
We had another great season last year, followed by another disappointing playoff exit. I like where the franchise is at though. We have great fan interest/loyalty, talent at every level of the organization, and no bad contracts. We’re probably going to have to part with a few key contributors this offseason, but that’s bound to happen when you have as much talent as we do. With a few smart moves, we should push closer to a title this year.
As with the previous versions, I’ll list the moves I made, the rationale behind those moves, the season results, and the future outlook.
Here are the salaries heading into the offseason.
\Unless stated otherwise, all players were re-signed to their one-year arbitration estimate*
Departures (non-trades):
Edwin Aguirre
Aguirre spent some time in the majors last year when Romo was injured but wasn’t needed this season. He’s entering minor league free agency, and I don’t think he’s worth keeping on the 40-man, so he probably won’t be back.
Josh Berkner
Berkner got three shots in the majors and didn’t do much with his opportunities, so I decided to give someone else a chance. He spent the year in AAA.
Tim Mehler
Mehler is great defensively but just can’t cut it at the plate. He was out of options, so I let him leave as a free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the Rockies.
Move #1:
Signed Ali Sanchez to a 2/$3m extension. The second year is a team option with a $500k buyout.
This move isn’t very exciting, but don’t worry, things will heat up below.
Move #2:
Slammers Receive: Luis Godoy, $6.4m Cash
Brewers Receive: Robby Teeter, Sean Whiteman
This move kills three birds with one stone. I cashed out on Teeter while his value was still high, cleared some of the starting pitcher logjam, and added an elite power hitter. Also, the departure of Teeter allows us the ability to build a more versatile roster, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.
The Brewers are winning this trade from a straight value perspective, but I’m no longer in the business of trying to win trades. I’m trying to win championships. You can collect all the assets and value contracts in the world, but at the end of the day, you need top end talent to win at the highest level – and Godoy provides that. He has questionable character, but I should have enough leadership to counter his selfish ways.
Move #3:
Slammers Receive: Edgar Sanchez, Bryn Hill, Caleb Gunther, Omar Taborda, Tim Brackman
Athletics Receive: Chris West
West might have more potential than any pitcher in the league, but I felt the opportunity to acquire Sanchez was too great to pass up. He’s an elite defender, above average offensively, has durable injury proneness, and has great character. He could anchor the middle of my infield for the next ten years. West might win the next five Cy Youngs, but I’m betting against that considering his low work ethic and the general injury proneness of pitchers.
Then to make the deal even better, the Athletics threw in an assortment of high character minor leaguers. There might not be a single player in the bunch that makes the majors, but they’ll at least help provide a better environment for other guys.
Move #4:
Slammers Receive: Bob Banks, $3m Cash
Angels Receive: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Why am I getting rid of Tatis for a low-level minor leaguer with a 5% chance of making the majors? You’ll find out when you get to move number six.
The Angels signed Tatis to a 5/$237.5m extension about a week after the trade. I don’t see any way that deal ends well for them.
Move #5:
Slammers Receive: Alan McCarter
Rays Receive: Josh Epps, $1.1m Cash
At surface level, this trade doesn’t make much sense either, but I needed to clear Epps $10m arbitration estimate for next season. I think Epps is what he is at this point and I’m really not that worried about losing him. MacCarter is a good reliever and replaces Epps as the team prankster.
Move #6:
Signed free agent Willie Vega to a 7/$190m deal. The last year is a team option with a $2m buyout.
This is the driving force behind moves five and six. I fully intended to move on from Vega at the start of the offseason, but after looking at my roster at the start of free agency, I decided he was irreplaceable. He provides gold glove defense, above average offense, and hits from the left side of the plate, which makes balancing lineups much easier. I could’ve had him for much cheaper if I decided to commit last year but this is the price of my indecision.
His deal is heavily front loaded and should be movable if things don’t go well later in the contract.
Move #7 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3):
Slammers Receive: $13.7m Cash
Slammers Lose: Joe Stadler, Randy Macke, Nesty Luna
Nothing much to see here, just your annual “prospects for cash” trades. Macke is a solid player but was rule 5 eligible and I didn’t want to waste a 40-man roster spot on him.
Move #8:
Slammers Receive: $1m Cash
Dodgers Receive: Cooper Benson, Sam Lauderdale, Kade Grundy
This is just a salary dump. I have enough depth now there’s really no point in keeping Benson and Lauderdale around. I threw in Grundy to get some extra cash.
Final Financial Situation:
We have about $27m in budget room to start the year, so should be able to finish the season in the green, but I’ll probably trade a few more prospects to get closer to completing the owner goal of finishing with a balance of $20m. I’m also boosting ticket prices from $35 to $40, so that should help as well.
Here are the salaries heading into the season.
Season Outlook:
I’m very interested to see how this season turns out. We’ve been cruising along the past 2-3 years with the same core roster but really shook things up this offseason. I think these moves put us in a better position to win now and in the future, but there’s always the concern I’m just making moves out of boredom. Here are the five things I’m most curious about heading into the season:
1.) Can Vega provide close to what he’s provided the past few years? I didn’t give him that contract in anticipation of him becoming the next Barry Bonds, I just want him to keep doing what he’s doing. If he can do that for another three years, I’ll be happy.
2.) Is MacDonald really a top of the line starting pitcher? He was the best reliever in the league last year and his trade value is sky high. Every team I traded with this offseason valued him as my second-best asset after Chris West. His overall rating is really good, but I’m concerned about his lack of stuff and questionable stamina/hold runners combo.
3.) How does the offense perform after losing our 3-4 hitters from last season? I know I replaced one of them with Godoy, but players tend to struggle when first joining a new team, and we don’t have a second premier middle of the order bat. We’ll mostly be doing an offense by committee approach.
4.) Can Hines handle a full-time starting role? With the departure of Tatis, I’m moving Bernal to third base and starting Hines at first. He’s not a traditional first baseman but he played well last year and has an efficient ratings profile. I’ll be happy if he provides league average offense.
5.) How will the Hopper/Muntner DH platoon fare? Hopper should be an elite leadoff man vs. RHP and Muntner should be solid vs. LHP. I’m hoping Hopper can play a full season if he doesn’t have to play in the field.
If things go well, we should win another 100+ games and make a strong push at a title.
Batters:
Primary Lineup vs. RHP and vs. LHP when Healthy (\DH enabled in both leagues, lineup vs. RHP listed below)*
DH – Jeff Hopper
Other than a day-to-day injury to end the year, Hopper stayed healthy the entire season and played really well. He had an OBP of .370 and provided exactly what I wanted from the leadoff spot. He should be back in the same role next year.
3B – Ernesto Bernal
I forgot to mention above, but Bernal signed a 5/$110m in the offseason. He’s an all-star, has high character, durable injury proneness, and is in the prime of his career, so it made a lot of sense to bring him back at this price. He’s been with the organization for ten years and it would be really cool to have him around for ten more.
He moved from first to third base this season and made his third all-star team.
RF – Luis Godoy
Godoy didn’t have the type of year I expected but was still really good. He was an all-star starter and put up 5.1 WAR in just 128 games. I expect him to be much better next season after having a full year to adjust to his new team.
He missed the last month of the year with a sprained thumb, but he should be fine going forward.
LF – Marcus Flakes
Flakes isn’t the second middle of the order bat I dreamed about as a kid, but he did well in the role, hitting 41 home runs and driving in 101 runs. He still has one more year on a minimum scale deal, so he’ll definitely return.
SS – Willie Vega
Willie Vega: The Fifty Million Dollar Man – That doesn’t really sound appropriate for a guy with 4.6 WAR, but I’m actually very happy with what he did. Him and Sanchez formed an unreal middle infield defensive combo, which resulted in this (major spoilers for the pitcher section).
We’re not out of the woods yet with his contract but I think we’ll be good if he performs well again next year. At the end of next season, he’ll only have 4/$87m guaranteed remaining, which should be moveable if need be.
2B – Edgar Sanchez
I didn’t realize how much Epps was holding us back defensively until Sanchez came to town. He won his third gold glove and was a huge part of the reason we had a team ERA under 3. His offense was average, but I could see that getting much better the next few seasons.
1B – Jonathan Hines
I was hoping Hines would be a league average hitter, and he fell just short of that. I’ll upgrade in the offseason if the right player is available but I’m not going to break the bank. Not every player has to be an all-star.
CF – Joey Hudson
Hudson had a great year and is really starting to establish himself as one of the better center fielders in the league. He probably deserves to bat higher in the order next season, but I might wait for his baserunning to improve just a bit more.
C – Drew Romo
It’s been a long time coming, but Romo finally won his first gold glove. He’s been the best defensive catcher in the game for a while, but I don’t play my guys enough to easily rack up awards. I’d rather have them available for the playoffs.
He’s an upcoming free agent and his offense is falling off a cliff, but I’m probably going to bring him back. If things go poorly, I’ll replace him midseason.
Bench
C – Ali Sanchez
I don’t expect much from my backup catcher, and Sanchez doesn’t provide much, so I guess everyone was happy with the way his season turned out. I think I’m going to decline his team option and go with the guy that replaced him while he was injured.
IF – Manny Monzon
Monzon keeps the middle infield defense elite while the starters rest but doesn’t do much on offense. I might give someone else a shot next year.
OF – Josh Muntner
Muntner served as the primary DH vs. LHP and backed up left and right field against RHPs. He started in 99 games and really didn’t do much with his opportunity, so I guess I was one for two with my DH platoon experiment.
Replacements
C – Danny Wells
Wells filled in for six weeks when Sanchez was injured and didn’t do much worse than the vet. I’m probably going to let him have the backup catcher role next season.
OF – Mike Startzel
Startzel played well last year but I decided to replace him with a right-handed bat. He was called up when Godoy was injured and started the last month of the year in right field.
Pitchers:
Pitching Staff when Healthy
SP – Pat Dibartolo
Dibartolo had another great year, making his third all-star team and finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting. I would love to keep him around until he retires but his ratings have started to slip slightly, and I don’t think he’ll last too long into his thirties. I’ll bring him back for his last arbitration season, then let him walk as a free agent.
SP – Gilles Palacios
Palacios has come a long way since I traded for him in 2028. He was the all-star game starter and won his first Cy Young. I’ll look to sign him long-term in the offseason.
SP – Corey MacDonald
I wasn’t sure if MacDonald was good enough to be a top-of-the-line starter, but there’s no doubt about it now – he’s one of the top pitchers in baseball. He made his second all-star game, threw two complete game shutouts, won the pitcher of the month award in June, won the gold glove award, and finished third in the Cy Young voting. With his high character and durability, he should be a good player for a long time.
SP – Josh Sheppard
Sheppard was the fourth member of our golden pitcher quartet. He made the all-star game and finished second in the Cy Young voting.
SP – Jonathan Kelsey
Kelsey was decent but I had to demote him in June to make room for my number one prospect. He was called back up when rosters expanded and we went to a six-man rotation.
RP – Chris Ryan
I mentioned a few years ago that pitchers with Ryan’s profile never seem to reach their potential and it seems like Ryan has followed suit. He’s a solid player but nowhere near as good as his 70 potential suggested a few years back.
RP – Steve Bacon
Bacon really didn’t pitch enough to properly evaluate. We’ll probably go to an eight-man bullpen next season, and if Bacon is a member of it, we can properly evaluate him then.
RP – Alan McCarter
McCarter was really good and looks like he has the potential to be even better. Hopefully, his control rounds out next season.
RP – Danny Ibarra
Ibarra finally gave up his dream of being a starter and accepted his role in the bullpen. He posted almost identical stats as last year and I hope he does the same next season.
RP – Justus Evans
I wasn’t a big fan of Evans ratings profile but decided to give him a shot since he dominated in AAA last year. He was pretty underwhelming in limited appearances, and probably deserves another look, but he’ll be changing positions next season. Somehow, I didn’t notice he has great batting ratings, especially against lefties, so he’ll be the other half of the DH platoon I’ve been looking for. It’s too bad I disabled two-way players because it’d be nice to have him available as a pitcher in emergencies.
RP – Mike Ruhs
Ruhs is nothing special but he’s cheap and healthy, so he’ll be back next year.
RP – Joe McKinney
McKinney is my favorite kind of reliever. He has all the ratings of an elite starting pitcher, minus the stamina. He dominated for the second straight season and will be back again next year.
RP – Tommy Noonan
Noonan had an FIP of 1.98 and made his first all-star team, but somehow received zero reliever of the year votes. I really don’t see how this is possible since he’s probably the most feared pitcher in all of baseball. He strikes out half the batters he faces, and 60% of those that put the ball in play are hitting it on the ground to the Vega/Sanchez death wall. The voters need to show him some more respect next year.
RP – Glen Alcorn
I took a flier on Alcorn despite his history of back injuries and he’s paid off in a big way. He had an FIP of 1.86 and won the reliever of the year award. He wants to be a starter but there’s no way he’d survive a full season with his health issues.
Replacements
SP – Andy Schaffer
Schaffer was whitewashing AA early in the year, so I had no choice but to call him up. He pitched great in his 21 starts in the majors and might’ve given me a clean top five in the Cy Young voting if he pitched a full season.
Season Results:
We continued to put a stranglehold on the division, building a 20-game lead by the halfway point, then cruising the rest of the way. We locked up first place with 22 games remaining, making that our seventh division crown in nine years.
This year wasn’t about the regular season though. We’ve had multiple disappointing early round playoff exits the last few years and I’m hoping to break through and win our second title. We doubled down on pitching and defense and made sure to keep everyone as fresh as possible during the regular season.
Our injury prevention plan went great for the most part. We had zero pitchers and only two batters spend time on the IL, and one of those batters was a 34-year-old. Unfortunately, one of the batters to miss extended time was the one guy I could least afford to lose. Luis Godoy sprained his thumb in early September and was out through the first round of the playoffs. What luck.
Startzel started at RF in place of Godoy to start the playoffs, and Hudson moved up to the number three spot in the lineup. I’m not crazy about either of these options, but it’s the best we’ve got. We went with a playoff rotation of MacDonald, Palacios, Dibartolo, and Schaffer, and moved Sheppard and Kelsey to the bullpen. Justus and Bacon were left off the playoff roster.
Our first-round matchup was against the 90-72 Rockies. Their only real player of note was Steve Delaney, but he looks like the kind of guy that can swing a series. Then their offense was balanced and deep, with most players having 55+ home run power. We have more talent, but anything can happen at Coors..
Divisional Series Game 1, Slammers Win 4-2 – We started off strong in game one, getting a combined 15 Ks over nine innings from MacDonald, Noonan, and Alcorn. Then Flakes led the way on offense with 3 RBIs. The game was tied most of the way until his go ahead single in the bottom of the eighth.
Divisional Series Game 2, Slammers Win 9-2 – The pitching staff put together another great outing in game two, with Palacios, Alcorn, and Sheppard combining for 15 Ks over nine innings. Flakes led the way on offense with another 3 RBIs.
Divisional Series Game 3, Slammers Win 5-2 – I was worried their offense would come to life at Coors but we were able to keep them at bay and win our third straight game. This time it was Dibartolo, Noonan, and McKinney combining for a dominant pitching performance, with 13 Ks over nine innings. Everyone chipped in on offense to produce five runs.
Divisional Series Game 4, Rockies Win 8-7 (12) – I knew it was bound to happen at some point and it finally did – the Rockies offense came to life. Alcorn and McKinney both blew save opportunities and Ibarra gave up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the twelfth. Flakes continued his hot series with another 4 RBIs.
Divisional Series Game 5, Rockies Win 5-1 – The Rockies continued their offensive surge, taking MacDonald deep three times in four innings. Then Delaney gave them six innings of one run ball. The Rockies have momentum but we’re heading back home with the Cy Young winner scheduled to start game six. I think we’ll be fine.
Divisional Series Game 6, Slammers Win 8-2 – Palacios gave up a two-run shot in the first, then him, Ryan, and Kelsey combined for 13 Ks and 0 ER the rest of the way. Flakes was hot again, launching two three-run homers.
I was worried our offense would stall out without Godoy, but Flakes put the team on his back, winning series MVP behind his 5 home runs and 17 RBIs. We held serve at home and stole one on the road, with our pitching dominating in each of the wins. Godoy is set to return for game one of the NLCS, so I like our odds the rest of the way.
Our next opponent is the 100-62 Nationals. They have the second-best record in baseball and a very talented team. Their offense is led by MVP Doug Bridges and future hall of famer Juan Soto, and the pitching staff features stud starters Clay McAuley and Fabricio Tertlio. This looks like the de facto title series.
NLCS Game 1, Slammers Win 7-3 – Godoy made up for lost time in game one, going 3-5 with two homers and 4 RBIs. Then the pitching was solid with great performances from the usual suspects. Dibartolo, Noonan, and Alcorn combined for 11 Ks and 3 ERs over nine innings.
NLCS Game 2, Slammers Win 3-1 – Schaffer pitched a gem, giving us seven innings and only allowing one run. Then McKinney came in and closed it down with a two inning save. Godoy hit another homer, while Romo and Hines both had run scoring singles.
NLCS Game 3, Slammers Win 3-2 (14) – Whew, what a game. MacDonald and McAuley both went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs, with the last of those coming in the bottom of the seventh. Then no one scored again until the top of the fourteenth when Sanchez hit a go-ahead solo homer. Noonan, Alcorn, McKinney, and Ibarra combined for 7.2 scoreless innings in relief and Godoy hit another two-run homer.
NLCS Game 4, Slammers Win 7-2 – This one was over early. We knocked out their starter in the first and cruised the rest of the way. Palacios and Sheppard combined for 9 innings and 2 ERs, and everyone chipped in on offense.
We made a huge statement with this series. The Nationals thought they were on the same level as us, but we eviscerated them. Godoy won series MVP with his four home runs and eight RBIs.
Up next is the 93-69 Red Sox, led by veteran starting pitcher Nate Pearson. They have a deep and balanced team, but nothing that should give us too many issues. We made a key trade with them last year that netted us Alcorn and Ibarra, while sending out Chang-Hyeok Kim. I bet they wish they could undo that one.
World Series Game 1, Slammers Win 3-2 – Game one was a pitching duel between Pearson and Dibartolo, with Dibartolo coming out on top. Dibartolo, Noonan, and Alcorn combined for 14 Ks and 2 ERs over nine innings. Hopper hit a two-run home run and Godoy continued his hot streak with another solo shot.
World Series Game 2, Slammers Win 6-2 – The pitching came through again with Schaffer, McKinney, and Ruhs combing for 10 Ks and 2 ERs in nine innings. Things are looking good after two games.
World Series Game 3, Red Sox Win 10-8 – Some people say a series doesn’t start until the road team wins a game, so maybe we’re still waiting for this one to kick off. The Red Sox roughed up our pitchers and we lost a shootout late.
World Series Game 4, Slammers Win 7-2 – The pitching got back on track in game four with Palacios and Ryan teaming up to allow 2 ERs over nine innings. Flakes had four hits and Bernal drove in three runs.
World Series Game 5, Red Sox Win 7-5 – Godoy had a huge game, going 3-3 with 2 home runs, a triple, 2 walks, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs scored, but it wasn’t enough for the victory. The Red Sox got to Dibartolo early and we could never climb back. We’re heading back home and looking to close out the series in game six.
World Series Game 6, Slammers Win 11-4 – We scored early and often and took game six in convincing fashion. Godoy provided another 3 RBIs and Schaffer did enough to win. Noonan and Kelsey closed out the last three innings.
After five long years we’re World Series champs once again! Godoy had another huge series and won World Series MVP, capping off an amazing postseason run (seriously, check this out).
This wasn’t as action packed as our 2027 title run, but I enjoyed it just as much. It was very satisfying watching our pitching and defense squeeze the life out of teams. We had a team ERA of 3.32 over 16 games, which is pretty impressive considering we were playing the best teams in the league. The starters were all excellent and the bullpen was lights out. I bet other teams got tired of seeing “Slammers SP – 6.2 IP, 2 ER; Slammers RP 1 – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, Slammers RP 2 – 1 IP 0 ER.” It was like clockwork.
Noonan, Alcorn, and McKinney were particularly impressive. Noonan had an FIP of 0.62 in seven appearances and struck out 23 of the 43 batters he faced. McKinney had an FIP of 0.95 in 9.2 innings and only allowed 6 baserunners. Then Alcorn allowed zero runs in five of his seven appearances. I don’t think I would swap these guys for any other relievers in the league.
From everything I’ve written above, it’s pretty obvious that we won this championship with pitching and defense, so I think it’s worth mentioning Vega’s contract again. $50m for 4.6 WAR is terrible value but it’s not always about that. It’s about getting the right players for your team, regardless of how valuable their contracts are. It’s really easy to get caught up in trying to win the $/WAR game, but they don’t give out championships for that – they only give out World Series titles.
Here are the rest of the playoff results and MLB standings.
Also, I usually don’t mention minor league records since I don’t think they’re overly important, but we had all of our minor league teams finish with a winning record this season. Good job everyone!
Top Prospects:
We’ve turned in to a starting pitching factory. I can’t get guys to free agency quick enough to make room for the new guys coming up. This is a good problem to have, but I wish I could do as well with developing batters. It just seems so much harder to identify top position players outside of the top ten in the draft, and I can’t develop them as well either. Either way though, the farm is in great shape and should continue to be for years to come.
1.) Eddie Copping
Copping might not have the highest upside on the list but he’s the safest bet to make the majors. He had a great year in AA, winning pitcher of the year, and his ratings are pretty much major league ready. He’ll probably start next year at AAA since I have a logjam of starting pitchers.
2.) Chris Dearborn
Dearborn has great character, durability, and ratings across the board. He had a good year in A- and will contend for Cy Young awards one day if he reaches his full potential.
3.) Alex Rivera
Rivera’s offensive potential has regressed since last year, but his defensive ratings improved. He struggled in A, so will repeat the level next year. Hopefully, I didn’t cause any permanent damage to his development by promoting him too early.
4.) Jose Gutierrez
Gutierrez had a monster year in rookie ball and saw his ratings progress nicely since last season. If his catcher ability can make it to 65-70, he’ll be my starting catcher one day.
5.) Chris Brown
Brown was my first-round selection in this year’s draft. He has below average stamina and hold runners, but all of his other potential ratings are elite. He performed well in rookie ball, but I might give him another year there to improve his control.
6.) Chris Larkin
Larkin continued his steady ascent through the system, posting a good year in A+ and seeing his ratings improve since last season. He’ll start next year in AA and should be ready for the majors sooner than later.
7.) Edwin Mireles
Mireles had a solid year in A+ but missed a lot of time to injury. He’ll start next season in AA, but I won’t hesitate to trade him if the right deal comes along.
Here are his ratings from last season.
8.) Bobby Butler
I still don’t trust Butler and his normal injury proneness, but his talent is undeniable. His ratings have improved across the board since last season and he looks ready for promotion to AA. Like Mireles, I’ll trade him if the right deal comes along.
9.) Luis Arguello
If you’ve been paying close attention, you might’ve noticed Arguello is the fourth starting pitcher in the top nine from the 2030 draft. He doesn’t have the same upside as the other guys but he’s a pretty safe bet to be a back of the rotation starter, and if his movement improves, he could be elite. He’ll start next season at A+.
10.) Josh McBride
McBride’s skills have rounded out since last year and he looks ready for the majors. I doubt he’ll ever be a star, but there’s definitely value in a guy that can competently play eight positions.
Honorable mentions:
Joe Poffenberger
Poffenberger looks like the real deal but I’m always skeptical of guys with normal injury proneness and no positive character attributes. He’ll start next season at A, and we’ll find out more about him there.
Omar Taborda
I would’ve been foaming at the mouth to get Taborda in the starting lineup a few years ago but Vega and Sanchez have the middle infield on lock for the next several seasons. He might replace Monzon as the utility infielder next year, but it probably makes more sense to trade him while his value is highest.
Steve Flores
Flores made the list two years ago due to a lack of better options, but I think he’s a legitimate prospect now. He might not ever bat his weight, but he could be one of the greatest defensive shortstops of all time. I’m hoping his high character allows his offensive skills to improve the next few years.
Ray Zaragoza
I had every intention of trading Zaragoza after his season ending injury last year but there really wasn’t much interest in him. Unfortunately, he suffered another season ending injury in his first game back this year, so I doubt there will be any more interest in him now. I think I’m going to force start him as a reliever so he has a chance to make the majors in some capacity.
Promoted to MLB:
Andy Schaffer
Dropped from list:
Josh Boston
So, a low character guy is fizzling out, guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Here are his ratings from last year.
Future Outlook:
We’re in amazing position going forward. We just won the World Series, have the top four Cy Young award vote getters, have the ability to bring back everyone, and could probably even bring in another MVP caliber player. Then for good measure, we also have a great farm system. The rest of division is looking up in awe.
So, where do we go from here? It’s really fun racking up championships but it can get kind of boring after a while. I know I don’t have enough titles to be complaining about boredom yet, but we look like we’re trending in that direction. I’m thinking about making some league wide adjustments to shake things up. Here are the changes I’m considering this offseason:
1.) Re-align the Divisions
I loved the rivalry with the Braves when I first started the franchise, but we’ve kind of got our foot on their necks at the moment, and I don’t see them getting back up anytime soon. We’ve established such a strong position in the division it’s almost impossible for them to make the playoffs, and with every passing year their fan interest/loyalty gets worse and the gap between us and them only grows larger. The Cardinals are in a similar situation, and the Marlins might as well be a minor league team.
I’m thinking about re-aligning the divisions based on winning percentages from the last twelve years, putting the top four teams in one division, the next four teams in another, and so on. This would give teams like the Marlins a chance to make the playoffs and make it where teams like ours can’t put a long-term strangle hold on a division. I could re-align every ten years or so to make sure no one gets too strong of a position.
2.) Expand the Playoffs
This is the simplest change I could make but the one I like least. We currently have 32 teams in the league and eight of them make the playoffs, so it really feels like an accomplishment to make it and the playoff bracket sets up perfectly. If we added two wildcards to each division, we’d need to give two teams in each conference a bye, which isn’t somethings I’m crazy about doing. Then if we added four wildcards, or let the top two from each division qualify, it would really diminish the regular season. I seriously doubt I go this route.
3.) Eliminate Divisions
This is an appealing option, but I’ve had issues with it in the past. Basically, it becomes too easy to make the playoffs because you don’t have to worry about a juggernaut appearing in your division. If there’s a 110-win team in the league, who cares, you’ll still make the playoffs with 100 wins, so you can really let off the gas during the regular season. I might give it another try though.
4.) Expand the League
This is mostly a temporary solution, but it could make things more difficult in the short term. I have way too many players to protect in an expansion draft, so would definitely lose some depth. I might do this along with re-alignment, but it’s not a permanent balancing solution.
5.) Add Promotion and Relegation
I think this is the best route to giving everyone a chance at winning but it would require some pretty radical changes to the league. Here are some of the things I would have to figure out: Who starts out in the lower league? Do I introduce expansion teams at the same time? How many teams make the playoffs? How many teams are promoted/relegated each year? How do I do the financials? Then there are probably another thirty things I haven’t thought of yet. This is probably what I should do, but I don’t know if I’m ready to make that leap yet.
Here is the budget and salaries heading into the offseason.

Just two weeks remain in the NLTP season. We have entered -- *extremely Scott Hanson voice*-- the witching hour. When the clock strikes midnight, will your team be allowed to keep dancing at the exclusive afterparty known as the NLTP playoffs? Four teams across A and B have already punched their ticket. Twelve tickets remain. Which teams are trying to buy tickets on their phone only to receive a message that their data for this month has run out?
12. WCYDINOS
Another week, another sweep. TagPro is easy. Not only do we have the player with the most caps, we also have the player with the second most caps. And the player with the most hold on B team. The O in “WCYDINO” stands for “offensive powerhouse.” We haven’t figured out what the rest stand for yet.
Panic Level: The fearsome WCYDino, gobbling down cupcakes, because they’re delicious. In fact, the WCYDino has only eaten cupcakes throughout most of the season. It’s gone without any real protein for awhile now. Its friends and family are starting to get a little concerned that it won’t remember how to hunt real meat when the cupcake supply runs dry. They tried feeding it a Flairbnb, but it ended up being a vegan version without much protein or substance to it.
Also, there aren’t any dentists in prehistoric times, and gum disease is no laughing matter.
11. RETURNS OF THE JEDI
We’re back on track. Sweep on A team. Dropped a game on B team, but we still won and have such a huge lead that we’re ok dropping a game here and there. Made the playoffs in both divisions; no one else can say that yet. We’ve got tighter competition on A team, but the good news is if we keep sweeping, there’s no way we can drop out of first place and
*checks standings*
*eyes narrow*
PANIC LEVEL: Vntus, still going strong at mile 18 of the marathon. He’s way out in front, hasn’t seen anyone in hours, and if he keeps up this pace he’s going to cruise to victory.
His ears, though, suddenly pick up the sound of footsteps on the concrete behind him. They’re getting louder, and are going much too fast for any typical marathon runner this far into the race.
As Vntus turns to look, Gargantua, wearing a dinosaur costume, zooms by him at a dead sprint.
“That can’t be—“ Vntus thinks. “There’s no way he can keep up that pace. Especially in that heavy costume. He probably just started running off the subway or something. No way he’s up there legitimately.”
Vntus nervously starts to up his pace anyway.
10. OVER THE PANTS HANDOFFS
Who the fuck knows who’s going to be on our team next week, but whoever it is will probably end up sweeping. That’s another pair of big sweeps, and we’ve firmly entrenched ourselves in the conversation in both divisions. We’ve already locked up a spot on A team, and if our B team keeps winning by football scores we’ll punch our ticket to 12 straight equidistant eight losses pretty quickly.
Panic Level: NameLEss, at the poker table, shifting his eyes from his cards to his opponents. It’s not a great hand, but he thinks he can make it work.
“All in,” he says, pushing his pile of chips into the middle of the table.
Then, he flings his cards at the player to his left, grabs that player’s cards, looks at them, turns around, replaces the new cards with the hand of the player to the right, then without even looking at them, dives across the table to a third opponent, yanks the cards out of his hands, and leaves the other cards.
“ONE OF THESE HANDS IS DEFINITELY WINNING, AND IF THEY DO, I’M COUNTING IT,” NameLEss yells. “NO MORE LOSING FOR ME.”
The dealer flips over the remaining card. “The gentleman in the corner wins. Pair of 3s.”
Vader looks at NameLEss, shrugs, and starts to shovel the pot toward himself.
9. FLAIRBNB
We knew we were in for an uphill battle with ButtSnake out this week, but we didn’t expect it to be this bad. It just sucks that it came against one of the only other teams that’s up there at the top with us. And, believe us, we’re definitely one of those top teams, and we’re just as good as the Dinos. We just, uh, let them score a lot more caps than us.
We are going to chain ButtSnake to his desk as soon as he gets home.
Panic Level:
ButtSnake returns home from his trip dot gif
8.-6. PI-CURIOUS, POGGERS, SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE CAPS
We’re all just kind of bunched up in the middle here. Any real chance of finishing as one of the top teams in either division has evaporated over the last few weeks, but none of us are really in danger of missing the playoffs in A or B either. We’re just... here, you know? We’ll have our chance to make a playoff run, and that’s really all that matters at this point.
Panic Level: BallAnka, sass and fortytwo fighting for the middle seat on their cross-country flight. Fortytwo is shoving his carry-on into the overhead bin while kneeing BallAnka in the throat. Sass has detached one of the tray tables and is using it as a shield while BallAnka tries to pull his hair.
The flight attendant looks blankly at the commotion and continues to give her safety spiel. It’s Southwest, so she’s supposed to be “hip,” and calling out the passengers does not seem very chill.
“Shut up, I want to hear about the oxygen masks, that’s the best part,” BallAnka screams.
“You can have my SkyMall if I can have the middle seat” sass shouts at fortytwo
“No deal, I want to be the person in charge of the emergency exit process, too,” fortytwo yells back.
5. DOGGY’S TILE
We are living on the edge, and that’s exactly where we want to be. One spot above and one below the playoff line in each division. If you’re gonna maximize the adrenaline you play with, this right here is how you do it. Every second counts.
Panic Level: “Your drop zone is coming up,” the pilot says. “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” says HeinousAnus.
“You seem pretty calm. How many times have you skydived?”
“Actually, this is my first time. I’ve always wanted to do this. Thanks for flying me up.”
“Wait, you’ve never done this before and you’re going solo? You at least have training, right?”
“Nope,” HeinousAnus says, standing on the edge of the doorway. He falls backward out of the plane. “Also, I bought this parachute used on eba^{aaaaaaaaaaaay”}
4. PEQUEÑOS PANDAS
These two things are true: 1. Our team is probably in the best shape it’s been all season and 2. We are rapidly running out of time.
Getting swept on A team killed all of our momentum from last week, so we need to win out to realistically have a shot there.
Getting a sweep against a top B team was a nice boost, and we’re above the playoff line there, but we’re still caught up in a tangled mess of teams in that area and it will likely come down to the last week of the season.
We have hope! Not a lot of it, but we do have some!
Panic Level: WRIG, playing Jeopardy!, about to enter the final round. His opponents are an older woman (the three-day returning champion) and a nerdy hotshot youngster who can’t be much older than 16 or 17. WRIG is in last place, but he’s only a few thousand dollars behind and can easily make up the ground in Final Jeopardy! with a good category.
Alex Trebek reveals the topic: “Craft Beer.”
WRIG nearly falls off the stage. He remembers the woman gave an anecdote in an earlier game about how she’d abstained from alcohol her whole life, and there’s no way the kid has even tasted the stuff. WRIG bets everything. It’s the easiest decision he’s made in his life.
Then the clue appears. It’s written completely in German. Trebek begins reading it aloud, also in perfect German. The other contestants chuckle and immediately begin writing down their responses.
A single bead of sweat rolls down WRIG’s forehead.
3. THE LAND BEFORE TIMERS
We are in uncharted territory here, and we’re not happy about it. Fourth place, and only one point above becoming the low seed in whatever playoff matchup we end up with.
Sure, we came up from the 6 spot to win our first title three seasons ago, but this feels different. We’re trending in the wrong direction. We just dropped 7 points to the Probots, the last-place team.
Are you going to bet against us in the playoffs? The answer even now might still be no. But out A team’s been done for weeks, and now our B team’s chances feel like they’re starting to slip away, too.
Panic Level: FendeTrituin, running the team through warmups at practice, when a shiver suddenly runs down his spine.
Full moon.
He sprints out of the practice facility. “Don’t worry about me, just keep doing contain drills!” He runs all the way to the nearby forest, the same one where he was caught killing that unicorn, and begins to undergo his terrible transformation.
Fur sprouts everywhere across his body. His eyes and teeth yellow, fangs lengthen, lower body contorts into a quadruped structure. He can smell blood, an overpowering scent, but he cannot tell if it is his own or if it is prey for him to hunt. It is a painful change, and as it finishes he howls at the moon. “aNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”
Inside the practice facility, the LBT B-team undergoes a similar transformation, but in reverse: From fearsome beast to average, mild-mannered JV squad.
2. BALLSAGNA
Just when things were looking up—when we thought we’d proved that we were a good team just undergoing some bad breaks and a tough schedule—here comes OPH to dunk all over us and throw us back down to the (almost) bottom of the standings.
We still might be that team, though! We’re only two points out of the playoffs in both A and B, and we play two of the other bottom feeders in the last two weeks.
But there’s still a lot of teams to jump over, and not much inspiring in that last performance that’s convincing enough to say we can make that jump. Good teams, even on B, do not typically rack up a -42 cap diff in one week.
Panic Level: Jackals sprinting to the bus stop as he sees the doors start to close. “Wait, wait for me! I’m right here!”
The driver does not see him. The bus begins to pull away. Jackals can see the bus is filled to capacity, and even if he were to catch it it’s unlikely there’d be room for him to get on, but this is the last bus out of town. He needs to catch it.
He starts choking on exhaust, continuing to run after the bus as it gradually fades from sight.
1. PROBOTS
Rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated. We’ve still got two more weeks left to play, and we’re gonna play our hearts out in all of them. Case in point: Winning 7 points from LBT B-team. Thought you could overlook, us, huh? Think again. Those points meant our B team rose all the way from last place to
*checks standings*
still last place. Fuck.
Panic Level:
Bric lies on the ground, clutching his chest, trying to staunch the bleeding, but he knows the bullet wound is too deep. Above him, his vision starts to fade out. Some LBT B-teamer, he can’t tell who, is standing there, monologuing about their grand plan to take over the league for the fourth season in a row or whatever. Or maybe it’s two of them. No, it’s definitely just the one, he’s just seeing double.
Regardless, Bric doesn’t hear much of what they’re saying, but he knows it’s getting on his nerves. He rolls over and rests the side of his head on the ground. His vision comes into focus, briefly, and he notices a glint coming from behind a nearby crate. A gun. And it’s just about arm’s length away.
He reaches out for it, straining with all his energy. His fingers brush against the metal, but it’s just a little too far for him to grasp. He stops. The LBT-er is still talking, evidently unaware of Bric’s goal. He takes a deep breath to gather himself, and rolls over once in the weapon’s direction.
Got it.
“You know,” Bric says weakly, interrupting the soliloquy, “I may not have much longer on these tiles.” The LBT-er stops talking and looks down. Bric's arms start to tremble, and he clutches the gun tighter. “But if I’m going down… I’m taking you with me.”
He pulls the trigger.

Hey guys, long time lurker here and big league fan. I wanted to share my thoughts on how Optic has performed so far and how I believe they should approach the offseason, summer split, and beyond. Hopefully there’s some clarity for those that are about to jump off the cliff.
With the spring split coming to its conclusion, Optic Gaming is eliminated from playoff contention. This isn’t a shock to a majority of the fans. The final report during the crazy offseason revealed the signings of PoE/Zig/LemonNation. The fan base and analysts projected the team to finish in 8th-9th place with a ceiling of 7th. Based on what we’ve seen, the team has performed almost exactly as most figured. For the fans that over reacted after many of the games, realize that this was expected. Competing in spring playoffs would have been a major surprise and it’s okay that this team didn’t make it.
The personnel and ownership of Optic Gaming should be applauded for what they’ve achieved in the last year. It can’t be said enough times how amazing it is to see them actually competing in League, Overwatch, and Dota. This spring split was something that had to be prepared for by an organization that was going through so many major changes all at once. This must have been a complete nightmare for their accountant. Whatever criticisms you may have about the team, understand how much was on the plate during the process.
With that said, there was clearly some tough lessons learned and we’re seeing the results of that now.
Coaching Staff
Getting Romain on board as the general manager was a great move. Getting a french caster with rather bold opinions and no coaching experience was not. When your assembling a squad of players who have never played with each other before (exception being zig and Arrow), the person in charge of them should have some experience and credibility. There’s been plenty of moments this spring split that were major red flags. There were many draft’s where the arm-chair fans are shouting at the screen “WTF are they doing?!?” as it’s unfolding. There’s been moments where the player’s seem down or need to be lead a certain direction or motivated. It doesn’t seem to be addressed appropriately, though to be fair this is from the outside looking in.
Top orgs in the LCS have something in common: They go out of their way to get great coaches. Most have entire staff’s that are either strictly positional coaches or do analysis online.
Coaching doesn’t take up import slots nor is it dependent on a small NA talent pool. It’s an issue that can be resolved before boot camping for summer split starts. If the players happen to feel the same way, resolving the issue will show them how serious Optic is about competing. The fans don’t know how the process works with the team dynamics since we’re not part of the team/staff but clearly something is wrong. Shake things up, the current formula isn’t working.
Support
I’m really curious to see how free agency talks went down for the support role during the offseason, more than any other role. If you remove imports and players staying with static duo lanes, the main players available were Biofrost, aphromoo, Stunt, Matt, Xpecial, and LemonNation. Obviously 2 names stand out there. aphromoo made it public that he tried to find better offers than CLG’s. It makes sense that Romain pitched an offer that aphromoo just simply passed on (Credit Nadeshot for shelling out on that and getting it done). This was probably one of the budget moments playing out.
Stunt had laned with Arrow back in Phoenix1 after subbing in halfway into the 2017 spring season. They went 5-2 for the remainder of the split. He also played the 3rd/4th place match in playoffs which they won. Arrow literally won the Spring Split MVP award while they were laning and it was clear that they were doing well. Keep in mind that this was Stunt’s first real shot on stage. Stunt then transferred to Immortals and Arrow was never relevant in the summer split.
Stunt was one of the players hit by Immortals being denied entry into the LCS. His contract was bought out by FlyQuest on November 19th. Arrow was signed by Optic on November 22nd. At first glance, they missed a golden opportunity to approach Immortals about buying out Stunts contract. If they knew they were likely to get Arrow then I have to assume that this research was done during the off season when trying to find someone to pair with Arrow. The ceiling for that lane was clearly higher than what LemonNation was bringing to the table. From the outside looking in, he was also a very getable player. Was that phone call made? Was it just simply a bidding war that Flyquest payed more for? Was Stunt not interested in playing with Arrow and zig again? Were there off the stage issues that Optic saw and didn’t want affecting the roster? All of this doesn’t matter if Stunt was traded before Optic knew they’d get Arrow. If they did have it confirmed internally though, then wow.
Biofrost was easily one of the hottest commodities as soon as Zven/Mithy were confirmed on TSM. Im sure that Optic made a pitch but he’s a player that has the pick of the litter. Reginald was also going to make sure that his player was taken care of. CLG would have been a great spot for him and talks were probably done early. They just simply waited until aphromoo confirmed that he was leaving the team and then they had the green light. Yes, Biofrost on Optic would have been a wet dream but that was probably a long shot the moment aphromoo decided to explore options. CLG also had just upgraded their jungle with an all star in Reignover as well. They were projected at least top4 for the spring split (yikes). Biofrost wasn’t passing that up and I don’t hold anything against Optic for not getting him.
Matt is a low tier support. While you can say that he’s never been in a winning position in his career (no support on earth could save those TL squads), he has never shown that he’s up there with the best supports in the league. Xpecial was interesting. While he did have that emotional speech about whether or not he was going to play again, he still explored options in free agency. He was also Arrow’s laning partner in the summer split. While he showed signs of life during Rift Rivals, Phoenix1 placed dead last in the league. Clearly things weren’t working. Optic probably saw that and figured that trying someone else will net better results. Can’t blame them with that reasoning.
That leaves LemonNation or a rookie. They went the veteran route. Fans would have rather went with a rookie that was showing signs as a legit LCS starter. That line of thought seems to be vindicated. Saying that LemonNation is past his prime is putting it nicely. He knows it, the players know it, the coach and staff know it, the analysts know it, and the fans know it: he needs to be replaced for the summer split. It can’t wait until November when Worlds ends and the team prepares for season9. If he’s interested, allow him to join the coaching staff.
Zeyzal: his name was brought up during free agency and its been brought up a million times throughout the spring split. For those who don’t follow League much, he is the support player for Cloud 9’s Academy Team. They are currently 1st in the Academy league and are on pace to win both the spring split and playoffs. Out of the 40+ players that have played the entire spring season, Zeyzal is 3rd in KDA. Above him are 2 ADC’s, including his laning partner Keith. He’s had many highlight moments throughout the split and has kept them in tight games that they should’ve lost.
Compare his start with Biofrost when TSM was trying him out against Ignar back in 2016. They chose the rookie. He got a chance to play in the LCS under a veteran all star ADC. His play had quickly translated onto the big stage. Biofrost is now leading CLG as their main shot caller and is probably now in the running for MVP votes. Zeyzal is showing a similar trend in potential and needs the chance to transition it into the LCS. That time is now.
Cloud9’s Academy team will be playing in the playoffs with the finals happening on March 30th. I highly recommend that Optic fans tune in to see this dude play. I imagine he’s focusing on playoffs with his team, which is understandable. I guaruntee he’s taken notice of the praise he’s been getting from fans everywhere, though. Show him even more support.
Romain needs to be on the phone with Jack as soon as he can. If it’s not violating tampering rules, he needs to be talking with him this very minute. For all we know, Golden Guardians could be looking to replace Matt. When Contractz stunned the league by asking to explore free agency mid contract, Jack allowed it and helped set him up with Golden Guardians. They also have Hai on the roster, a Cloud9 legacy. There is connections there. If Golden Guardians are looking to explore options for the support role, Romain HAS to be first in line and make an offer Jack and Zeyal can’t refuse. Zeyzal joining Optic is a 10/10 move for the next couple months. It just makes perfect sense for a million reasons and Romain has to see it too. Letting him stay on Cloud9 Academy or signing with Golden Guardians is a major L for the franchise. Scouring the market and hoping someone randomly becomes available or (gulp) keeping LemonNation is buying a ticket for the titanic.
Get Zeyzal. Show the fans your serious about competing and make an A+ move.
Top Lane
This is why many of the fans were worried when Arrow was signed. Yes, Arrow is a fantastic player. It’s hard to frown at the idea of securing an MVP carry-role player. He eats up an import slot, though. It felt like signing Kevin Durant and your now over the luxury tax without the whole starting roster. That signing is one you make when one of your mid/top lanes are already secured with a good native player. Not every team can be TSM where you have both the best native mid and top laners and can use your import slots freely. Liquid only used one for support because Steve was a master genius and bought out the contract of the only other good native mid laner in Pobelter.
Impact was signed so quickly that Cloud9 had first dibs on the native top market. They got Licorice who has performed very well for a rookie. That left Solo, zig, Brandini, and Lourlo. Those are the players that would be asked to lane against Hauntzer, Darshan, Licorice, and a bunch of Koreans. Ouch. That’s the market when your valuable import slot is used in a different role. At the time they were all around the same level and putting them in any order was very debatable. Many fans actually wanted zig and he was signed. It was assumed that he could at least hold his own in the top lane while the rest of team would win games elsewhere on the map.
Optic did as well as they could with the top lane. zig did have the potential upside and many fans were bought in. I think some envisioned him to have a decent breakout season like Licorice has had on Cloud9. When that wasn’t the case, Optic wasted no time and called up the top laner from the academy team. They switched things up and threw another dart at the board. It didn’t pan out and now they’ve just signed PieCakeLord to the Academy team. They recognize a problem and are taking necessary steps to fix it. Whether or not it pans out, these moves should be seen as a positive.
As far as the upcoming offseason between splits, Optic is just gonna have to keep their ears to the ground and hope something big happens. Maybe CLG is taking action for missing playoffs and Darshan gets the boot. Perhaps a disgruntled player leaves a team on bad terms and announces free agency. You never know. Maybe zig shakes his funk and steps up the way fans were hoping to see before the spring split started. Maybe PieCakeLord turns out to be good. Perhaps someone steps up big during the Academy playoffs. It’s a hard pill to swallow but that’s all that Optic can realistically do. Without access of an import slot for top lane, the market is just not favorable at all. It’s simply a harsh reality in competitive League of Legends. Dumping the whole roster outside of PoE/Akaadian isn’t the answer. Even if it was, that would be a financial headache. This brand just dumped their prized Halo team because the return of investment wasn’t enough. That’s not the organization that would blow up the league roster after one split and shell out even more money.

1. Upgrade their coach and/or coaching staff.
2. Sign Zeyzal and convince LemonNation to join the coaching staff.
3. Put the best native top laner available on the stage, even if it’s zig.

If Optic Gaming manages to do those things in the next few months, they will improve. Their ceiling would probably be 6th seed and a swift 3-0 in the playoffs, but that would be a success for the teams first year in the LCS. The realistic expectation would be 7th place. If somehow your eyes are still on Optic making Worlds, they’d have to get top4 in summer playoffs (meaning win the first set), barely scrape enough champion points to enter the regional, and pull off a miracle run with 3 straight sets. That scenario would require an S-Tier top laner. If Optic doesn’t do any of those things and rolls out the same roster for the summer split, you can jump off ship until November.
Season 9
One last thing that I feel is important is preparation for the big offseason at the end of the year. The EU LCS is going to switch to the franchise format as well. When the process finishes, the teams are going to sky rocket in terms of organization, professionalism, structure, and most importantly finances. If EU is able to match the NA teams on salaries this coming November, then we are likely to see an off season even more crazy then what happened after season 7. Instead of 10 teams competing for free agents, it potentially doubles to 20 teams.
Optic needs to get projections on what the market landscape is gonna look like a half year from now. There could be an exodus of Europeans traveling back to their region and the NA teams taking hits. PowerOfEvil is certainly a player that fits that description. I think that signing him to an extension asap should be a major priority. If that not’s possible, take productive steps as a way to show him that it’s in his best interest to stay put for another year. I realize that this is all far into the future from now but if its something that can be taken care of now, why wait? Give yourself that security. He’s not the best mid laner in the league but he’s worth the committment. Losing him later and replacing him with a B/C tier player is the kind of move that drops Optic Gaming into permanent mediocrity.
I personally like Akkadian on this squad. He’s a positive overall despite having a couple bad games in the spring. When free agency starts, just take a quick glance at the top NA junglers. Unless one shows immediate interest, get Akkadian a quick extension and be done with it early. Put more focus onto convincing PowerofEvil to stay.
The dream scenario is that Optic already has Zeyzal and he’s developed into a quality support. In that case, it comes back to how long the contract was that Romain set up back in the summer. If it was for one split, resign him asap. If it was set up to include all of 2019, Romain doesn’t even have to think about the support role.
ASSUMING ALL OF THAT HAPPENS (omg this is gonna be a sad year), Optic could spend the majority of their off season trying to get into talks with every available player in the Top and ADC positions. If Optic can land a top tier native top laner, keep Arrow. If they can’t, extend to imports, let Arrow walk, and get in the race for best available ADC’s. If none of that happens, cry. There’s still the scenario where everyone walks and Optic brings in 5 new players. If that happens and the free agency period is handled poorly, I bet Nadeshot is looking for more fans.
This is all so far away from now so obviously most of this won’t play out. Nonetheless, things are going to get absolutely nuts afters Worlds ends. Optic cannot afford to have another off season like this last one. Get ahead of the game. League is a monster esport and this team is for the most part likable. Optic still has the chance to pull off something amazing and the fans see it too.
TL:DR Upgrade the coaching staff, sign Zeyzal, explore top lane options

The Beginning
''It's time for me to move on. I can't do it physically anymore, and that's really hard for me to say.''-John Elway at his retirement press conference
With those words, the Broncos star was gone. The greatest player the Broncos have known or will ever know had left to his Rocky Mountain sunset. Elway, who was famous for having the personality of a lineman and the toughness of a linebacker, fit in like a glove in the whole Rocky Mountain region. The California Kid’s grit and never-say-die attitude resonated across the area. The Broncos, unlike most NFL teams, have no surrounding competition. Several of their surrounding states, most of which are largely rural and agrarian, have no pro teams of any kind.
Upon his retirement, the Broncos identity was gone. For 16 years they had put their faith, hope, and dreams into #7. No game was unwinnable, no drive was unsalvageable. It didn’t matter what the down and distance was, it didn’t matter who were his receivers or backs; Elway was a threat to score and change the tide of the game. He retired as the winningest QB in NFL history for a good reason. He had a unique knack for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The unique brand of Mile High Magic football defined by insane late game heroics culminating in Broncos come-from-behind wins was the bread and butter of the Broncos.
The Broncos would be stuck in quarterback purgatory for a little over the next decade. Woody Paige has christened this time as the After Elway era in Broncos history. They wandered through the wilderness of the NFL trying to find that star. They’ll never be able to replace the Duke, but maybe they’d be able to get pretty darn close. They sure hoped so. The first hope was Brian Griese. He looked promising in 2000 and had a pretty good year. The offense was firing on all cylinders and the Broncos were back in the playoffs. Except Griese hurt his shoulder and then had many other injuries (and “falls”) over the next couple of seasons that derailed any hope they had. The Griese project was over as soon as it started.
Jake Plummer was the next attempt. He signed with the Broncos after a few years with the Cardinals, including a very memorable 1998 playoff season. Plummer won a lot of games in Denver and could execute Shanahan’s offense phenomenally, but he had one major problem. Turnovers. He had 20 INTs in 2004. Plummer also had a contentious relationship with Mike Shanahan, the Broncos media, and the fans. No image defines Plummer more than this. Love him or hate him, Plummer was going to be the free spirit he always was.
In 2005, though, things looked bright. The Broncos went 13-3. Plummer cut his turnovers way down and made the Pro Bowl. The Broncos receiving corps of old man Rod Smith and a bunch of unknowns were playing relatively well. The two-headed beast of Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell was great. The defense was also brilliant. They had great LBs anchored by Al Wilson and a phenomenal secondary with Champ, Lynch, and Williams. Plummer wasn’t Elway, but the Broncos had returned to their heights of the late 90s. Could this team go to the big game? For the first time since Elway’s retirement the answer to this question wasn’t a resolute no.
As the Broncos hosted their first playoff game at the new Invesco Field, they couldn’t have drawn a harder match. The Patriots. Under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, the Patriots were a stunning 10-0 in the playoffs and were looking to become the first threepeat in NFL history. But the Broncos weren’t a lock to lose. In the BB era, the Pats were 2-3 against the Broncos with the only win at Mile High occurring when the great Danny Kanell logged one of his two starts as a Bronco QB. In the 2005 season, the Patriots lost 28-20 to the Broncos. That was in the regular season though. Brady, and the Patriots as a whole, were a different beast in the playoffs. Their hard-nosed defense and grind-it-out offense was built for January. That day, however, it wasn’t. The Broncos won 27-13 thanks to one of the greatest non-scoring plays in NFL history. The Broncos were moving on to the AFC title game and thanks to the Colts lost to the Steelers, the game would be held a mile above sea level.
Where the game was held didn’t give the Broncos any advantage as they got embarrassed 34-17. Plummer threw two picks and had two fumbles. The Broncos backfield combined for only 67 yards and the team had less than 100 yards rushing all together. Pittsburgh dominated time of possession and had an incredibly efficient offense. Ben Roethlisberger, the 2nd-year QB of the Steelers who grew up idolizing John Elway, would hoist the Lamar Hunt trophy in Elway’s city. The Broncos, meanwhile, would go to the locker room with a whole lot of questions and not a lot of answers.
Plummer was a controversial figure within the Broncos. He was loved by his teammates because of his attitude. He was the everyman that resonated with an offense that really didn’t have a lot of stars. He never was one to crave the limelight nor did he take credit for the team’s success. He was just another cog in a machine. Shanahan, however, never was the biggest fan of Plummer. He thought the Broncos could also do a little bit better than the Snake. Gary Kubiak, then the OC, and his offensive assistant Troy Calhoun were the big pro-Plummer advocates and were credited for molding his Pro Bowl season in 2005. Both of them went to the Houston Texans in 2006. Plummer’s big advocates were gone. In their place was Mike Heimerdinger (or Dinger), a former Broncos assistant who was previously with the Titans and the Jets. Dinger did not like Plummer at all and wanted to replace him immediately. During his time in Tennessee, he was in close proximity to Vanderbilt and developed an affixation on the Commodores’ QB, Jay Cutler.
The Draft
Entering the 2006 NFL draft Shanahan had his eyes locked on one man, Matt Leinart. Shanahan was convinced that the Broncos had reached the highest they were ever going to reach with Jake Plummer. Yes, the Broncos had made three straight playoff berths and had just appeared in the AFC title game but that wasn’t enough for the Broncos. Pat Bowlen wasn’t going to settle for being just in the dance. With Leinart, the Broncos would be able to take their incredibly talented roster and perhaps return to the Super Bowl within a few seasons and be set for the next decade. However, the Broncos had the 29th pick and likely all these QBs would be gone by then. They weren’t planning to trade all the way up just to take a chance at QB.
Plans have a way of changing.
The Jets were in talks to trade Pro Bowl DE John Abraham to the Falcons. However, a third team was needed to make the numbers all line up. The Broncos stepped in to fill this role and the Broncos ended up trading up from #29 to #15 (the Broncos sent #29 to the Jets and their 3rd and 2007 4th to the Falcons). Now, purely by the actions of other teams, the Broncos were in position to take one of the QBs if the board fell in a certain way. Or not, as Broncos GM Ted Sundquist put it, ”I liked the deal for us. It was a chance to land a top-tier player (regardless of the position) before the draft even started, a rare opportunity in Denver. A third and a fourth seemed like pennies to gain the leverage that normally costs at least a second-round pick—or perhaps the alternative of losing eight to 10 games to earn the rights.”
When the draft started, Sundquist and Shanahan cautiously watched the draft unfold. One pick after another fell perfectly for the Broncos. The Texans and the Saints didn’t take QBs (for fairly obvious reasons: Kubiak wasn’t giving up on Carr yet and the Saints signed Drew Brees) and the Titans could take their potential superstar in Vince Young. Leinart (and Cutler) were both still on the board. The Jets, Packers, and 49ers were all not going to take QBs due to recent investments in the positions. Al Davis, who was operating at peak unpredictability, ended up taking Michael Huff. Two of the top three QBs were still available at #8. The Broncos were still at #15.
This prompted Shanahan to give the order to Sundquist, Start calling. Mike was going to get his guy.
The Bills were the first team, but they were locked in at #8 to take Donte Whitner. The Lions, who were giving up on Joey Harrington, could’ve taken a QB but decided to go with Ernie Sims. The Cardinals, who had old man (and at the time washed up) Kurt Warner on the roster were going to stay put at #10 to take their man. Their man just happened to be the Heisman winner from USC.
Shanny, as Sundquist would later recount, was ”visibly perturbed”
Sundquist then called the Rams, who were willing to trade their #11 selection for the cost of a third round pick. The Broncos, after internal debate, decided to do it and take Dinger’s (and to a lesser extent Sundquist’s) guy. Jay Cutler would be a Bronco.
With this selection, the Plummer era was over. There would be the illusion of a veteran incumbency and there would be the claims of wanting Cutler to ride the pine as he adjusts to the NFL, but Plummer would have a shadow lurking behind him for all the 2006 season. It may swallow him in camp or in the beginning of the regular season or even later in the season, but one day this shadow of the monolith would get him. The highest QB the Broncos have ever taken (still to this day!) in the NFL draft would assume his place soon enough. The Broncos, for the first time since the retirement of The Duke, looked like they may have found that young QB to be their star. The Broncos could find an identity again at the most important position in sports and could return to their glory days.
The 2006 offseason came and went. Cutler was elevated to backup and Plummer was kept at starter. No one in the media cared who was the starter though. It was all Cutler, all the time in the Denver sports media. Meanwhile, the Broncos started the year 7-2 (3-0 in the division and 7-1 in the AFC) and had one of the best defenses in the NFL. They looked like a safe bet to make the playoffs their 4th straight year with Plummer under center. Shanahan wasn’t happy with this start, however. He felt that with the Broncos defense they should be absolutely dominating the competition (he was right) and his response was to mount increasing pressure on Plummer (he was not right). After a late-game collapse against the Chargers, it was leaked to the press by an anonymous source (Hint: It was more likely than not Mike Shanahan) that the Broncos had given Plummer an ultimatum; win against KC next week or be benched. The Broncos lost 19-10 and true to his word, Shanny benched Plummer and Cutler would start the next week against Seattle. He gives us the best chance to win now, Shanahan said after the decision.
In retrospect, this decision was among the worst in Mike Shanahan’s coaching career. The veteran-heavy Broncos team loved Plummer’s attitude and style of leadership. His very down-to-earth, personal style made him loved by his teammates and a break from the Type A personality of Shanahan. They even named Plummer their captain. Much like seven years earlier when Shanahan went with Griese instead of Brister, Shanny would sacrifice winning today for a chance at winning tomorrow and would in the process alienate his team’s best players.
The Broncos would finish the season 2-3 and miss the playoffs thanks to an OT loss to the San Francisco 49ers. In the subsequent offseason, Plummer held to his promise and would retire (after a weird trade to the Bucs where the Bucs made $5 million off of a returned signing bonus check). Plummer was and still is one of the truest, realest people to ever play in the NFL. Broncos Country, and the NFL community at large, should remember his career better. During the After Elway era of 1999-2010 Plummer was unquestionably the best QB the Broncos had.
The 2007 season was fairly uneventful (sans Shanny icing Janikowski in Week 2). The Broncos finished the season 7-9 and were very inconsistent. Brandon Marshall emerged as a brightspot to group with Jay Cutler and the young Tony Scheffler. However, the writing was on the wall even then that Cutler would have his struggles. Cutler was sacked that season more than Plummer was in any of his seasons in Denver. The Broncos defense also struggled and wasn’t close to their 2004-2006 dominance. The Broncos were in a transitionary period. This was no more apparent than Shanahan’s sudden firing of Ted Sundquist in the middle of draft scouting in mid-March.
The Disaster
If the 2007 season was relatively uneventful, the 2008 season was the single most impactful season on the long-term future of the Broncos. What would unfold in this season would define and shape the Broncos to this day. The decisions made from the 2008 draft to the early months of 2009 would lead to the Broncos return to the Super Bowl and would once again give them identity and direction as a franchise.
Even though Shanny fired Sundquist, he did still go with his assessment that the Broncos needed to improve on the offensive line. With the 12th pick in the 2008 NFL draft (the highest first round pick not via trade during the Shanahan era) the Broncos took Ryan Clady out of Boise State. Clady was viewed as a prospect who may be a little too small to play left tackle at the next level and needed to improve some of his technical abilities. But he was a highly decorated lineman out of Boise State who played a key role in one of the greatest games in college football history. Clady would end up starting all 16 games his rookie year at LT and would give up only a half sack. He was named to the 2nd team All-Pro and started a 5 year stretch of domination at the position matched only by Joe Thomas from 2008-2012. He would end up being the last, and best, first round pick by Mike Shanahan in Denver.
The 2008 season as a whole showed how good the Broncos could become in the future and the great talent they had accumulated over the last few season. Perhaps Shanny’s gamble paid off. Brandon Marshall was a Pro Bowl receiver with over 1200 yards and 6 TDs. Tony Scheffler looked like he was becoming a pretty solid TE, putting up 645 yards. Ryan Clady became that anchor from which another dominating Broncos offensive line could be built around.
However, no young player garnered more attention than Jay Cutler. The QB who represented the Broncos change from short-term winning to long-term potential was finally playing like a #11 pick. Jay Cutler’s statline was nothing short of amazing for a 25 year old QB. He had 4526 passing yards, 25 TDs, 18 INTs, and an 86.0 passer rating. Those 4526 yards were the most for any Bronco in a single season at the time as was his 282.9 ypg. His 25 TDs were the 5th most for a Bronco QB in a single season at the time, but the seasons above him (Plummer in 2004, Elway in ‘95-’97) were all at least 30 years old. Cutler was only 25. His ceiling was sky high. The future looked bright for the Broncos and a great deal of that brightness came from #6, who looked like a surefire franchise QB. He wasn’t Elway, but he could be the exciting, marquee QB who gets people excited and talking. The next decade (or more!) was going to be a great offensive era in Broncos history.
This Mile High dream of Bronco fans everywhere didn’t work out.
It didn’t work because of three games. 180 minutes changed the course of Broncos (and NFL history) forever. If just one of those three games went the other way. If a fumbled ball rolled the other way, a FG missed, or any other of these little things happened the entirety of the next decade of the Broncos look different.
The 2008 season featured a weak AFC West. The Chargers had regressed from their 2006 and 2007 success and the Raiders/Chiefs were still in the dumpster. After Week 14, the Broncos were sitting pretty at 8-5 following their 24-17 victory over the horrid 2-11 Chiefs at Arrowhead when Brandon Marshall had 2 scores and Cutler had a 102.7 passer rating. The Chargers were in second place in the AFC West at 5-8 following their 34-7 victory over the hapless 3-10 Raiders.
It doesn’t take calculus to see what the magic number was for the Broncos. One. One win and the Broncos would have their first playoff berth since 2005. One single win would give the Broncos their first AFC West title since 2005. One meager, measly, little win would have the Broncos make the playoffs for the first time with this group of young offensive stars. All the defensive problems over the last few years with a revolving door at the CB2 spot and problems generating any pass rush or consistent defense would be gone. Any concerns in Mike Shanahan’s ability to adjust to an ever-changing football landscape would be gone. The man who Pat Bowlen called his “Coach for Life” may very well be able to live up to that title.
The Broncos first chance came in Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers were among the best in the NFL during the 2008 season. They finished the season 12-4 and the NFC #2 seed. They were lead by the dual-headed backfield of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart along with a great receiver in Steve Smith. The Broncos were good, but not that good, and lost 30-10 to the Panthers. Steve Smith has 165 yards and a TD on 9 catches and the backs combined for 2 TDs and 140 yards. Cutler had one of his weaker games of the season as he was sacked 3 times and had only 172 passing yards. This wasn’t an inexcusable loss, though. The Broncos were 7.5 point underdogs for a reason. A hostile road environment alongside a young team built around offense? That’s a recipe for a blowout loss. No problem, on to next week.
The Broncos next chance came the following week against the Bills. Before this game, the Bills were 6-8 (after starting the year 4-0) and looked defeated. They had just lost three straight games and were just waiting for another miserable season to be over and gone. This should’ve been an easy, home win for the Broncos who were 6.5 point favorites. Simply beat a weak Buffalo team and clinch a home playoff game.
This was easier said than done.
In one of the coldest games in the history of the Denver Broncos (kickoff temp was 17 degrees) the Broncos came out with a hot start. Shortly after the start of the 2nd quarter, the Broncos opened up a 13-0 lead after a 30 yard Matt Prater field goal. That FG (and an earlier 23 yarder) were foreshadowing of what would be the Broncos great downfall in this game. The Bills would score 16 unanswered points to stun the crowd at Invesco Field. The Broncos were in for a dogfight.
Before the end of the 3rd quarter, the Broncos would regain a 20-16 lead after Jay Cutler’s second rushing TD of the day (the only game of his career with two). Steve Johnson scored a 3-yard TD to give the Bills a 23-20 lead. Prater had a 43 yard field goal to tie the game up early in the 4th, but Fred Jackson’s 8 yard rush with 8:54 remaining gave the Bills their 30-23 upset over the Broncos.
A lot went wrong for the Broncos in this game. They went 2-6 on converting TDs in the Red Zone. Prater missed a 54 yard field goal at the end of the 1st half. Jay Cutler threw a goal-line pick in the 4th quarter which left more points on the floor. Regardless of the causes, the effect was clear. The Broncos blew their chance to win the AFC West before Week 17 and at home. After the Chargers won their previous two games, it would all come down to a play-in game at San Diego the following week.
The Broncos proceeded to get demolished 52-21 by the Chargers. It was a complete collapse and failure for the Denver Broncos. Philip Rivers only had 5 incompletions (on 20 attempts) and LaDainian Tomlinson hit paydirt three times on the night. Darren Sproles also got in on the action with two scores and a 115 yards rushing of his own.
The Chargers and the Broncos have always been one of the weaker AFC West rivalries. It doesn’t have near as much sheer contempt and open hatred that the Broncos have with the Raiders nor does it have as many really meaningful games (usually slugfests at Arrowhead) that they have with the Chiefs. However, from 2006-2008 the rivalry heated up to its hottest it has ever been due to the rivalry between Cutler and Rivers. The two young QBs, who looked like they’d be the class of the division (and maybe the conference) for years to come, had an animosity that started in a blowout Chargers victory against the Broncos. Rivers, along with some of his teammates, said some things to Cutler after the Broncos failed to convert on a fourth down. Cutler then proceeded to make an obscene gesture to the Chargers bench and after the game said “I’m just not that big of a fan of the guy,” Cutler said. “I don’t like how he carries himself, some of the stuff he does on the field.”
This Week 17 divisional championship game was played under the backdrop of this rivalry and also the events of the first Broncos/Chargers game of the season. This was the infamous “Hochuli” game where Ed Hochuli, the league’s most recognizable official, had one of the worst blown calls in the modern NFL. The Chargers held a 38-31 lead with less than a minute to go in the game. Jay Cutler went back to pass and clearly dropped the ball and the ball was subsequently cleanly and visibly recovered by a Chargers player. However, Hochuli ruled that it was an incomplete pass. Instant replay showed that it was a fumble, but because of NFL rules the Broncos retained possession. The Broncos then proceeded to score off of a 4 yard Eddie Royal reception and then made the two-point conversion to win the game 39-38. After the game, Hochuli admitted he made the wrong call. While it isn’t known for certain, one has to imagine the Chargers’ locker room was well aware of this going into Week 17 and was going to leave nothing to chance. They would allow no room for the error of an official to cost them a playoff trip.
The Firing
After the Broncos loss they fell to 8-8 on the season and would miss the playoffs for the third straight year. This would be the start of the longest streak of missing the playoffs in Pat Bowlen’s tenure as owner. Now, Bowlen had been really patient with his coaches. Almost too patient. With the exception of Wade Phillips (who was really a lame duck coach until Shanahan accepted the job), Bowlen only had two coaches in his 24 years of ownership. He kept Dan Reeves a few years longer than he probably should have and only fired him when it became apparent that he was going to trade Elway. He probably kept Mike a few years longer than the Broncos should have.
But Bowlen and Shanny were really close friends and he was the constant presence for the Broncos over the last decade and a half. He was the greatest coach in team history and was one of the greatest football minds ever to grace the gridiron. While he was always a bit aloof with the people side of coaching and had a revolving door at defensive coordinator, he could look past it all for his friend. Winning cures all.
However, there wasn’t winning anymore and winning is what Bowlen cared most about and everything else was second to that. The Broncos were the first team since 1967 to blow a three game division lead with only three games left. That was simply unacceptable. The fans were angry. Pat Bowlen was upset. The players were stunned.
But no one seriously thought there was any chance that Shanahan would’ve been fired over it. After all, the young players he hand-selected were the foundation of the Broncos success during the 2008 season. As they matured and became more refined, developed NFL players, it stands to reason that the Broncos would’ve done even better. If Cutler was already this good at 25, imagine how good he would be in a few years! Right?
Shanahan was briefed on the team’s salary cap that morning going into the 2009 season in order for the staff to prepare for free agency. After that, he was called into Pat Bowlen’s office. Shanahan has said he thought they were going to discuss their lunch plans for that day. He was blindsided with what the true nature of the meeting was. The “Coach for Life” was no longer.
After the news, Pat Bowlen and the Denver Broncos released this statement: “After giving this careful consideration, I have concluded that a change in our football operations is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos. This is certainly a difficult decision, but one that I feel must be made and which will ultimately be in the best interests of all concerned.”
The next day the team held press conferences. First Pat Bowlen spoke, then Mike Shanahan spoke. The most poignant and oddly enough foreboding piece of Bowlen’s remarks was when he said "I may end up regretting this decision. But right now, I'm very comfortable with the decision, that we've got to go in another direction."
Pat Bowlen didn’t know it then but the decisions made over the next few months would upend the entire Denver Broncos franchise and send it to the lowest of lows.
Jay Cutler was mad and critical of the firing of both Mike Shanahan and his positional coach Jeremy Bates. Sundquist said, ”Bates had a young and fiery personality that seemed to resonate with Cutler. His way of communicating with his young quarterback struck a chord, and many of the weaknesses we'd seen at Vanderbilt were slowly being chipped away: improved footwork, avoiding the sack, progression through routes, finding the outlet.”
The Hiring
The Broncos have had 15 head coaches in team history (well 16 if you count interim coach Eric Studesville). They’ve had good coaches, bad coaches, and coaches somewhere in the between. They’ve had coaches who have been very loose and easy going. They’ve had uptight, by the books coaches. They’ve had football savants and people persons. The Broncos have won with all kinds of coaches. John Fox was a bit more of a player’s coach than Dan Reeves, but both were successful in Denver. While the coaches in the early years of the franchise left a little to be desired (though to be fair so did everything else about the franchise), in more recent decades the Broncos have had very good coaching.
Except one. One big black mark on the post-merger Broncos. One giant failure of Pat Bowlen’s tenure as owner.
Josh McDaniels.
After the Broncos fired Shanahan, the wheels of speculation started turning in fan forums and local media about who would be next coach of the Broncos. Names like Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher, Jim Fassel, and Steve Mariucci were thrown around. Even Bob Stoops, from Pat Bowlen’s alma mater of Oklahoma, was tossed as a possible successor. With all this speculation, a clear consensus had emerged. The Broncos would be hiring a veteran coach and they would want a clear division between coach and GM. Perhaps Head Coach Mike Shanahan was worth the job, but General Manager Mike Shanahan wasn’t worth it. Teams were starting to specialize in this role and the Broncos were looking like they would hop on this bandwagon.
Enter a certain coordinator from the New England Patriots.
Josh McDaniels was hot stuff in NFL coaching circles. He was the architect of one of the greatest offenses in NFL history with the 2007 Patriots. After Brady went down with injury the following season, he coached Matt Cassel (who made no collegiate starts) to have a pretty decent season and lead the Patriots to an 11-5 record (without a playoff berth, becoming one of just three teams in league history to go 11-5 and not make the playoffs). As attractive as a coaching prospect he was, he really didn’t make sense for the Broncos. They already had a great offensive staff in place with coaches like Jeremy Bates and Bobby Turner. They also were (supposedly) wanting a veteran coach with experience in winning and leading a Super Bowl team. Hiring McDaniels would be a pretty significant and perplexing move by the Broncos. However, when the Broncos first starter their search, the wagons quickly started circling around McDaniels. On January 11th, 2009 the Denver Broncos hired McDaniels.
Following this, all hell broke loose.
While this picture from the 2009 AFL throwback jersey announcement may make people think all was peaches and creams in the Mile High city, it was not. On February 28th, 2009 it became public that McDaniels was trying to get involved in a Buccaneers/Patriots/Broncos trade that would’ve lead to Cutler being traded to Tampa Bay and Matt Cassel being traded to Denver.
If Cutler was mad before, he was absolutely livid now. He was quoted by Mike Klis as saying, ”My understanding at this point is they’re trying to trade me. We’ll see where I end up at. I liked it here, I liked playing with these guys, but obviously they’re not going to let me have that opportunity”.
McDaniels, in his defense, had only considered this idea because Cutler had twice previously (after the firing of Shanahan and the firing of Bates) demanded a trade. However, Cutler had cooled his demands a little bit and started thinking that working with the football genius might not be the worst idea in the world.
Communication wasn’t that great between McDaniels and Cutler. Twelve days later after that first trade report was made, McDaniels and Cutler met face-to-face in his office. Cutler was expecting a cordial meeting between two grown men to talk about their differences and problems and reach a peaceful resolution. All Cutler wanted was one assurance from his new coach (and new GM!); Can you at least tell me you won’t trade me?.
McDaniels handled this inquiry with all the grace of a hippopotamus and delicacy of a dump truck. He started his rant saying that All players can be traded. McDaniels then went on to say to Cutler’s face that he wanted to get Cassel in Denver because he raised him from the ground up and that he wasn’t going to apologize for trying to trade him. After this, Cutler left Dove Valley and would never return. His agent formally submitted a trade demand to the Broncos. Pat Bowlen tried to reach out to his soon-to-be star quarterback to see if he could mediate the feud between the two men but it was to no avail. Cutler wouldn’t take any calls from anyone associated with the Broncos. He was done with the team that tried to abandon him for a big question mark. He was done with the team that fired his coaches and ostracized him in the span of just a few short weeks.
Bowlen relented and gave McDaniels his blessing to trade Cutler, the player who just three years earlier the Broncos had more or less blown up their Super Bowl contending team for. Cutler would end up being traded to the Bears for a package involving draft picks and Kyle Orton. McDaniels didn’t get his coveted jewel as Cassel was traded to the Chiefs a month earlier. Everyone had a sour taste in their mouth after this situation. The Broncos were without their best asset. Perhaps Bowlen was already regretting this decision.
Cutler would go on to never reach the peaks of his 2008 season again. In his years in the Windy City, Cutler would never make the Pro Bowl and would only have one playoff berth. He had a lot of ups, a lot of downs, and a lot of injury problems. He recently came out of retirement to reunite with his former offensive coordinator Adam Gase in Miami. Perhaps the story of Jay Cutler has one more chapter left in it.
The Broncos fate was a lot would be a lot worse after that trade. The next two years would be the most tumultuous and stressful time in Broncos history. McDaniels clearly lacked the people skills to be a successful NFL head coach. Young players like Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, and Peyton Hills were all ran out of town by McDaniels fiery, tyrannical personality. McDaniels got the Broncos involved in videotaping scandal reminiscent of the one New England was involved in a few years prior. He squandered a treasure trove of draft picks including the infamous Alphonso Smith trade that lead to Earl Thomas ending up a Seahawk. He had outbursts on the field that would put Bo Pelini to shame and his blowups at Dove Valley were magnitudes larger than those in public. After a promising 6-0 start to his coaching tenure, he went 5-17 the rest of the way. The Broncos were a disgrace. The Broncos were in the dumpster. For the first time in Pat Bowlen’s tenure as owner the Broncos were, well, a joke.
The Return
There was really only one person who could save the Broncos. Only one man could lead the greatest comeback in Broncos history.
Both parties say it was a coincidence and that the date was planned a while in advance, but on December 6th, 2010 John Elway (along with his wife) had dinner with Pat Bowlen (along with his wife) at Elway’s Steakhouse. This was the date that the Mistake was purged. A week after the SpyGate II news broke, Bowlen had enough. The losing, the roster being depleted were tolerable enough if Bowlen believed the coach had a long-term plan. But sullying the Broncos reputation and name? That crossed a line. Bowlen called McDaniels into his office and dismissed him from his job effective immediately. McDaniels’ mentor always did operate on the better to cut a guy a year too earlier than a year too late philosophy.
Around a month after this firing, Elway was brought in to run the football side of the Denver Broncos. This hiring was criticized by the media and by fellow executives due to the lack of experience and placing him in total control of football. Mike Florio lambasted the move, saying, Sorry, folks, but we remain very skeptical about this. Elway is getting the job without paying the dues. Watching film with his father and running an AFL franchise isn’t the kind of experience necessary to run an NFL team, and it’s sort of an insult to the men who have earned their stripes by grinding for years, learning the business from the bottom up and earning each next rung on the ladder. It’s almost as if Bowlen and Ellis don’t know what else to do, so they’ll give the keys to a guy whose only real qualifications are his ability to throw a ball and the fact that his presence will sell tickets and/or restore hope, false as it may be. A fellow AFC executive when asked about the rumors of Elway’s hiring said in a text, “Please let the Elway rumor be true!”
They couldn’t have been more wrong.
For a while there was this narrative that McDaniels was this good drafter who put the foundation of the Broncos success in the Elway years (especially early on) but this really couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, McDaniels did bring in young talent like Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Zane Beadles, and David Bruton Jr. but it would be shocking if he didn’t. Teams are allotted seven draft picks at the beginning of each draft cycle so seven would be the “normal” draft. Over a two-year draft cycle that number would be 14. In McDaniels tenure as HC/GM, the Broncos had 19 draft picks (10 in ‘09 and 9 in ‘10). With five more draft picks (a 35.7% increase over the normal) it would be incredibly shocking if the Broncos didn’t get something out of those. McDaniels also made some incredibly boneheaded selections like Tebow in the first round, drafting Darcel McBath, and the aforementioned Alphonso Smith trade. Elway didn’t have a lot to work with when he took the reins because of the flamethrower McDaniels took to the Broncos. Elway also had to deal with the impending free agency of star CB Champ Bailey, who was showing hesitation to staying in Denver because of the direction the franchise had taken and McDaniels pulling a four-year contract offer in October of 2010. Lastly, Elway had the problem of fan support and interest being at an all-time low. The last would be the easiest to fix. With #7 back, there was hope again in the Rockies.
In his first major move as GM, Elway hired John Fox as coach. Fox would go on to win four division titles in four years and would give stability to the Broncos. Him being a very hands-off, player’s coach was the perfect type of coach the Broncos should’ve hired back in 2009. Shortly thereafter, he got Champ Bailey to sign a contract that would lead to the future Hall of Famer (and frankly someone whose jersey should be retired) ending his career a Denver Bronco. Then, in his first draft, Elway made perhaps the best first round pick in team history.
The Broncos held the 2nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft (the highest pick the Broncos have ever had in the post-merger era). In hindsight, some think that picking Von Miller was a no-brainer and everyone had him pegged as a future Hall of Famer and top 5 player in the NFL. Back in 2011 pre-draft discussion, this really wasn’t the case. There was a lot of pre-draft discussion that the Broncos should go to Marcell Dareus or Patrick Peterson to shore up their defense or perhaps even draft a QB like Jake Locker or Blaine Gabbert. A lot of draft analysts and armchair GMs said that Von Miller wouldn’t fit in the 4-3 the Broncos would be running under Dennis Allen and John Fox. Nonetheless, the Broncos took the Aggie despite all the question marks.
The rest is football history. The Broncos were back. In the six years of football czar John Elway, he’s orchestrated perhaps the greatest era of Broncos history. They’ve been at or above .500 for six straight seasons. They’ve won five division titles. They’ve won two AFC title. From 2011 to present, the Broncos are 2nd in wins. And of course, who could forget the exclamation point.. The darkest days in Broncos history were behind them. All the bad personnel decisions, coaching hires, and directionless moves were gone. Pat Bowlen, who had wanted Elway in the Front Office since the day he retired all the way back in 1999, had gotten his man. His franchise was in good shape.
This wasn’t the most conventional or concise disaster in Broncos history. It wasn’t a singular loss, it wasn’t a boneheaded play. It wasn’t one individual moment. Rather, a series of bad decisions lead to one of the biggest collapses in NFL history. This collapse lead to a team inadvertently blowing up their entire young foundation and putting the franchise in the lowest point it has ever been. But like a good sports movie, it has a happy ending.
If you read all of that then I hope you learned as much as I did!
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SEASON 4 CHALLENGER REVIEWS:
1 Nova (21-7) Furthest Playoff Position: Quarterfinals
The Challenger Conference title winners. This season 4 expansion team, piloted by Hydro, formed itself entirely of newcomers: Novakade, Wam, and Archeopsor (Arco). Amidst all of the apparent interest of old, known talents in the conference, these new kids on the block came out running, quickly establishing themselves in the top 8 power rankings and earning Sky’s designation: dark horse. With a few stumbles along the way (Nova vs Meme Squad, Average Joe’s Gym) and other close, but understandable, losses to top teams, Nova finally went full stride with a 9 game win streak to clutch the conference title.
And yet, amidst all the new found hype, Nova made their playoff exit in the quarterfinals to Century, a top team that they seemed to have finally figured out at the end of the season. A 4-1 loss in the Bo7, Nova held most of the games close, with the mechanically skilled Hydro facilitating most of the attack. Nevertheless, it would seem that Nova was somewhat outplayed by the team play of Century and the versatile ability of RookieMistakez.
It’s tough to say how this team would have fared against different opposition, but in hindsight the strong season finish will most certainly raise this teams stock as a destination for free agents and hopefully further their playoff opportunities. That said, Nova will be finding itself in a difficult situation as the new major league cut-off will probably move Hydro up to Paradox. With this in combination with a low draft pick and the potential of other current members to leave the team, expect Nova to be an active recruiter in the free agency.
2 OWA (20-8) Furthest Playoff Position: Semifinals
A team continually lauded throughout the past few weeks (mostly by their major affiliate), OWA had an overall successful season and a strong playoff attempt. Comprised of mostly old (Poke/Meconium, Extreme Gamer, Kemperson) and one new (LuckyPayDay) player, OWA quickly distanced themselves from a 1-3 start and grinded their way into the hellish 6 team death group of the top Challenger Conference. Ultimately, in the final weeks of the season, OWA found a second place finish after being edged out by Nova for the title. A great finish for both morale and reputation.
Now for the controversial shit: Extreme Gamer. As the top goal scorer (90) and spiritual leader of the points per game column (2.04), this boyo appeared to single-handedly lead OWA to numerous wins against top teams such as CO2, Century, B Squad, and Snowmen with many other close victories in between. However, the apparent difficulties of this player were made known with his outstandingly salty loss to Century (2-4) in the semifinals. In what shouldn’t be considered anything but a great season for the team, Mr. Gamer has now sadly capped his RLPC career with a double ragequit (the semis and the entire fucking league) to the amusement of the onlookers.
However, to not overshadow, the good-spirited core of Kemperson, Meconium, and LuckyPayDay remains. I am interested to see how this team changes without His-most-excellent Gamer, and am hopeful that they will stay together. Call it a hunch, but I feel as though Extreme had a bit of a stifling effect on team play and his absence may allow for a more interesting dynamic to develop. Similar to Nova, look for their off-season activity in the free agency with a bit more potential for a draft pick.
3 CO2 (20-8) Furthest Playoff Position: Quarterfinals
Rough. I can personally say that, when playing at their best, this team is one of the, if not THE, best team in the minor league. With a preconceived group of King Sikk, FreshoutofLuck, and TDS Richard, this team was ready to continue CO2’s legacy of joint-minor league champions (and maybe get rid of that silly old “joint”). Straight from the get-go, it became clear that this front 3 had great balance and excellent chemistry as they put up outrageous offensive (72% Goals Assisted, 162 Total Goals, 2.96 Goals per Game) and defensive stats (Second lowest GPG Against and lowest ShotsPG Against).
With some reasonable, and some head-scratching, losses, they achieved a strong third-place finish but ultimately exited the playoffs in a 7 game quarterfinal against OWA. Obviously, there are a lot of factors that contribute to a team playing well, but one thing I’ve heard that would continually plague this team was their rotation. In review of the quarterfinals, the goals and assists were there but so too were the goals against, a good sign that this team needs to find a more careful balance of defensive rotation while still maintaining their dynamic offense. This would, of course, be best achieved through practice and more play time together.
While I would ideally love to see this team stay together and grow, there are some troubling signs on the horizon. Recruitment from TDS Richard points to a split up for next season. If this plays out, the team may be tasked with finding players that makes up for King Sikk’s outstanding ability to put the ball in the net (63 goals) and FreshoutofLuck’s equal ability at keeping the ball away (62 saves).
P.S. Sifzy, you are not forgotten. 2.5 points per game (yes, with only one series played) has snuck him into the top spot on the leaderboards. Incoming 200+ points next season. All jokes aside, I would be interested to see how CO2 operates with some more Sifzy in their game.
4 Century (18-10) Furthest Playoff Position: Minor League Champions
The hardest one to write about for obvious reasons, Century won the entire minor league championship quite handily despite being the 4th seed in the conference. Freshly formed from current league players OkaySpiderman, SquirtinBurton, and RookieMistakez as well as draft pick Whiskers (Whiffskers), the team put on dominant performances from quarters to finals that put both championships in the Aerial Aces franchise.
When analyzing this team, it’s easy to look to the outstanding player that is RookieMistakez. Minor All-Star Player, nominated (and probably deserving) League MVP, second in goals, third in points per game, this player was the largest part of Century’s season. However, it is also very important to look at the team behind him. The constant pressure of Whiskers, defensive play of Squirtin, and disruptive ability of Spidey really allowed Rookie to play his game and advance Century to and through the playoffs. Obviously, there can be much speculated about some of their more interesting losses (Century vs Boost over Ball, Toxic Waste 2.0 X2), but results are results and winning it all doesn’t give a big opportunity to criticize.
Logically, winning teams tend to keep their players barring any personal life issues, however, Century will have to prepare for the certain loss of RookieMistakez as he moves up to the majors next season. There shouldn’t be too much trouble though: that open spot will be a hot commodity for many incoming free agents. Expect Will to sign a comparable replacement.
5 Newton’s Law (16-12) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
As the closest team from playoffs in the Challenger Conference, this team understandably had some of the most heartbreak. After our one series against them accumulated almost 10 minutes of overtime, I would have liked to see them get in to that top 4. I couldn’t pick who’s place they would take though as this season’s Challenger Conference was chock full of excellent competition.
With a frequently rotating front line of Zack, Casey, ItsAloof, and GRYNN (DATBOISD), this team made it clear that the whole was greater than the parts, putting up big fights against those top 4 teams and even taking wins against CO2 and Snowmen. Interestingly enough, all of their losses throughout the season were to top 4 teams in either conference (barring the final two FFs as playoffs were out of reach). Sadly, their one chance of getting in to the playoffs was cut off as Century (who had a 2-0 record against them) was the only team in position to drop. It seems as though if anything had gone differently for those top 4 teams, Newton’s Law may have found their way in. Alas, excuses can only go so far and at the end of the day, Newton’s Law just couldn’t get enough crucial wins out despite their excellent consistency.
It’s unclear how this offseason will affect the team. The optimistic outlook is that this team stays together, improves, and achieves better results next season. However, maybe this team would better benefit from some new talent. It’s definitely tough to point out a weak link, so I won’t. Either way, I do boldy predict that, if no players want to leave on their own accord, the roster will stay the same.
6 Toxic Waste 2.0 (13-15) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
The runner up for most pre-playoff heartbreak in the conference, Toxic Waste 2.0 did also find themselves in that horrible 6-way run for the top but sadly emerged at the bottom. With more diverse losses to lower and higher teams, and yet two wins against Century, this team shows promise amidst inconsistency. While not an expansion team for this season, Toxic Waste formed mostly in the draft (MF Problem, Vit Heskey, WickedHemroid) with one returning player in Truecl3ver.
While their 6th seed in the conference can draw some quick conclusions, it’s a bit harder to analyze Toxic Waste as 7 of their series results were forfeits (and another three were missing game logs…). There is clearly some talent on the team, namely MF Problem and Vit Heskey, but it definitely seems like this team struggled a bit more with chemistry and team play as their goals per game (1.97) and goals assisted (55%) were somewhat lower than the teams finishing above them. Their team stats weren’t totally bad, however, as their defensive goals per game against (2.04) was still quite competitive with the higher teams (OWA; 1.94 GPG Against) and significantly better than the team below them (Meme Squad; 3.02 GPG Against). These stats indicate that the team had established a fairly steady foundation of defensive rotation, but lacked the necessary buildup play and finishing to give them the edge over opposition.
As is the usual with these middle-table teams, it’s very difficult to predict how Toxic Waste will change in the off season. If the team can retain their more rotation-oriented players and find other play styles (or build up current skill) that are conducive to generating offensive pressure, I’m sure the team will find better success next season. Additionally, common sense says that not forfeiting to other teams throughout the season generally allows more success. Regardless, look for primary activity in the draft with the possibility of some free agent pulls.
7 Meme Squad (9-19) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
Despite a lower finish in the table, Meme Squad is actually quite fun to analyze. An interesting thing to note, the team played quite a few series with a minor sub; however, with an official team of draftees H3LSENB3RG, Nman420, Arctic wolf327 (Craftingtime27), and NaNix (who took i7 Shando’s place) the team had apparent skill, but not enough to totally compete with the rest of the league.
This didn’t stop them from living up to their name, though, as random wins against Nova and Toxic Waste helped form that stupid 6-man group of death and wins against the 5 lower teams in the star conference served to raise the stock of their own as well. The fact that they had the lowest stats of the conference in almost every category, except saves per game (highest; 1.02), and yet still finished above 3 other teams shows that there could be something to salvage from this group. I personally feel that the stand-out ability of NaNix and the commitment of both him and Nman420 are good places to start.
Equal chances are that this team will totally split up or stay together, but important tasks for the team in this offseason are to keep their talent (NaNix, Arctic wolf327) and develop the skill of their less experienced (Nman420, H3LSENB3RG). Their biggest ticket for success next season will be their high draft pick, so I do expect some players to be let go. Overall, though, I do see potential for this team.
8 Insight (8-19) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
Another team with a similar season to the one above them, Insight took the current talent of SkunkInABlender and combined it with draftees Wulfee, MF Cyphon, and Froala. It’s important to note that Insight originally drafted Neja but ended up trading him for Snowmen’s Wulfee, which, with no knowledge of the reasons why (and not to disparage Wulfee), didn’t seem advantageous in hindsight.
Regardless, to speak from personal experience, this team surprised me quite a bit in our one series against them. A lot of confidence, physicality, and decent-as-fuck rotation made this team quite a challenge at first. With a healthy amount of demoing, boost-starving, and pressuring, the team seemed to have fleshed out good team play: buildup through Froala or Wulfee with a typical finish from Skunk. However, as i suspect occurred in other series, their morale and tenacity was the first to go when down a game and led them to quite a few close losses.
Much like others, Insight would benefit from critically analyzing players with the best potential and making a few changes around them. Their best bet is in keeping at least one or two players and bolstering the lineup with a high draft pick. Another hopeful future for another high potential team.
9 Boost Over Ball (7-20) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
While an older team in the league, Boost Over Ball took all four members from the draft: Duel, Steelypanda177, SgtPorkPieJM, and ChickensRCool (replaced with IWoS Thanatos off the waiting list). With plenty of talent, both on paper and in stats, this team was unfortunately held themselves down with just too many forfeits. It seems as though, while some issues were due to scheduling, morale played the bigger part of their problems as the silent exits of SgtPorkPieJM (earlier on) and Steelypanda177 (later on) stifled the potential of this team.
The season wasn’t totally bad though, as wins against OWA and Century helped show the team’s ability. Perhaps even bigger, though, was Duel who proved his ability on even the major level by helping Four Cars One Cup to win against numerous major teams including the big Fatal Strikers.
It is obviously hard to analyze this team, as their high number of forfeits seems to be their largest obstacle to get past. However, I personally have seen the skill present in their two remaining players (Duel and IWoS Thanatos). Assuming their retention, these players will be lined up for next season to team with some top prospects using their high draft pick. It’s hard to see, but this season has yielded better results than their 1-17 finish in season 3. Hopefully, Boost Over Ball will continue to build.
10 Eclipse (4-24) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
So far, it has been easy to write these post-season team reviews with an air of optimism. I’m not going to do that here though as, quite frankly, Eclipse has had a dismal season. Comprised of current players Scoutbret, BIONICJPSTORM17, and MightHaveDone and draftee Mr. Gage (quickly replaced by Biggie J), this team finished last in the conference with 14 forfeits to other teams (half the season).
As witnessed by much of the league, the specific reasons for all of these forfeits seemed to come down to simple bickering, miscommunication, and stubbornness. Yes, it’s clear that this team’s combined skill could win against a few of the lower teams and get close in some others, but their frequent private and public finger pointing did nothing but result in a season of tilt. Call it a maturity thing, but it’s important to value your image to the rest of league (especially if you’ve made it clear that you will be leaving your current team).
I’d naturally assume that Eclipse will entirely split in the off season; however, there is a chance that one, or maybe two, will stay and capitalize on the first/second draft pick. I also wouldn’t rule out some executive decisions from their GM for how to begin to fix the team. Best of luck to the individual players in the future, but it’s clear that Eclipse itself needs to focus on rebuilding.
SEASON 4 STAR REVIEWS:
1 Animosity (24-4) Furthest Playoff Position: Finals
Talk about an amazing turnaround season. After a dismal season 3, earning a record of 1-17, the squad completely rebuilt them from ground up, trusting in the draft gods to help them, and it did, getting future Minor League All-Star Little Guy. It was all calculated picks from there, getting Squeal, future “Ultimate Playmaker” Zoidburglar, and dependable sub Go WRZD. Despite all this fresh and new talent, a lot of teams and analysts didn’t have them on their radar considering their previous record, and it seemed to be justified with a slow 1-3 start. That was only the team warming up as they won their next 14 games, destroying all competition regardless of record and earning Sky’s distinction as the Team of the Season. Even with a loss to CO2 around the mid part of the season, this team wasn’t fazed as they finished with a strong 10 game win streak.
To be honest, they were my team to watch coming into these playoffs and they did not disappoint, taking out B Squad and Snowmen 4-1 and 4-3 respectively. I thought it would be a rather easy championship for them after Century had made it through to the final, considering they beat them two times before in the regular season. But, as you may know, they faltered, letting Century take the series in 5 games. Even with coming up short after being so close, this team has definitely surprised me, and I hope they will stay together for next season and give it another go for the title, but with the rumors flying about around this team, I think there may be some changes before we get season 5 underway.
2 Lucky Sevens (21-7) Furthest Playoff Position: Quarterfinals
I elected to write this one, since I feared Sky would be too pessimistic about what was a truly excellent season. Lucky Sevens, with all of its (Sky’s) self-perpetuated hype both before and throughout the season, actually did well. Considering their 6-12 finish last season, 21-7 is absolutely no joke, not to mention the constant juggling of minor subs throughout.
With a front line of Hova, Dom, and Sky, this entire team put up stats that would make each individual a top player on half the other teams in the league. Not only did they achieve a 15 game win streak, they also were the only team to win every single matchup in the other conference. With an outstanding number of goals, assists, and saves per game, the Minor League All-Stars Dom and Hova brought fire down on everyone all the way up until their exciting playoff exit. And right alongside them was, of course, Sky, who proved that he was something quite more than a league personality.
Whatever happened, whatever WILL happen, most everyone will agree that this was a big season for L7. Maybe the only fault was putting too much pressure and hype on themselves, but the positives are there and plenty. After this season, I’m most excited to see Sky return as a Champ and dominate the majors and win literally everything ever. All jokes aside, be proud because it was fucking fun to play y’all. GO L7.
3 Snowmen (21-7) Furthest Playoff Position: Semifinals
The minor affiliate expansion of Frosty, the Snowmen tried out the draft and won VisionedPython, SuDDen iZ OTF, Advertisement (Officer Ad), and Neja. This quickly proved to be one of the most lethal random combinations of players that the minor league saw this season.
Right out of the gate, Snowmen began dominating other teams with a consistent two spots held by Neja and Python and a rotating third in Sudden or Officer Ad. The excellent thing about this team is that no matter who played, the front lineup was always strong enough to compete with any other team. With the highest goals per game (2.94) and assists per game (1.95) in the entire Star Conference, it’s easy to see why this team ran their way through the opposition. It’s harder, though, to see why sometimes they didn’t. Newton’s Law, OWA, Average Joe’s Gym, B Squad, all teams that overcame the Snowmen’s vicious attack yet don’t really follow a pattern of play to indicate where the weak spot was. Not to take any credit away from those teams, but it seems that the Snowmen were simply out of form at the wrong times. Of course we saw the rest, a 4-3 win over Lucky Sevens in the quarterfinals and a 3-4 loss to Animosity in the semis gave the league an incredibly exciting playoff tournament.
While I’d really like for this team to stay together, several players will part ways, I have little doubt. Depending on the major league cutoff, Neja may move up. But be sure to watch the movements of Sudden, Python, and Officer Ad as well as they are sure talents that would definitely bolster other teams. These aren’t big deals though, Dog will move down to the minors and bean his way to the championship.
4 B Squad (17-11) Furthest Playoff Position: Quarterfinals
An expansion team, the B Squad was made up of franchise GM Boca and draftees the Cake Icer (who mains a merk), Salmon, and Greencamo27. Another successful team, this squad qualified for playoffs in the last week with a 17-11 record.
In the beginning, the B Squad came out strong with a 5-0 record that scared the shit out of those in their way. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep that record going and succumbed to quite a few losses to both high and low teams that, as previously mentioned, held their playoff chances in jeopardy right up until the last week. With a surprisingly strong focus on rotation, the team looked to achieve quite a few underdog wins by staying just close enough to their opposition to allow individual effort (mostly Boca) to win out (see Snowmen vs B Squad, 2nd series). Ultimately, their shortcomings did hold them back, however, as defensive hesitation caused them to give up too much possession and goals, especially in those crucial quarterfinals. That said, B Squad has a lot to be proud of, especially from their very first season.
Word is that Boca will indeed be leaving the team for next season. As the GM, his exit will cause some administrative confusion to be sure for both major and minor teams. I’m unsure about the other team members’ plans, but it does seem that the first step to success as a new team is staying together. Hopefully they follow suit.
5 Hydra (12-16) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
While yet another expansion team, Hydra was actually piloted by experienced minor veteran Brydus and supported by former major player Illumin8me and minor teammate Sniper 2842. With the addition of draftee ZeroOne2, Hydra was off to a somewhat rocky but definitely promising start.
With the defensive backbone of Brydus and the chemistry and experience of Sniper and Illuminate, Hydra took big wins against Snowmen, Lucky Sevens, B Squad, and CO2 that seriously advanced their playoff hopes. It’s sad then that their season was seriously hampered by the loss of both Illuminate and ZerOne in the middle of the season. Not to say that their replacements of Mass20033 and TzKrall lacked ability, but the magic and experience were no longer there. Their record slipped and their season came to a quiet 12-16 finish. I, and I’m sure Brydus, would have liked to see Hydra get in to the playoffs, but, to very little fault of their own, the team just couldn’t make it work. Shout out to Brydus and Sniper for quietly sticking with it.
Word is that Brydus will be staying on for another season as GM of the team to give it another shot at the playoffs. While their mid-level draft pick could still yield talent, I’d look more to Brydus’ reputation and knowledge of the league to supply him with his winning combination of players. I look forward to the day where we can all hail Hydra as our minor league champions.
6 Rainbow (12-16) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
I’m probably totally out of the loop and ignorant, but I was horribly confused when I learned that there was a Qf Yeti55 and Qf Yeti96 in the discord and that only one of them had anything to do with Rainbow, but I now know that Yeti the 96th managed Rainbow. That is, all the way up until his somewhat ragey quit from the league which left behind veteran Sharpb10, ViolenceWars, Johnkid123, and replacement CaptainHands (no not Mr. Hands).
With a wide variety of wins and losses, Rainbow went throughout their season funnelling a lot of offense and defense through SharpB10 (Minor League Angel Savior). At 2.55 saves per game, this team obviously took the underdog position in a lot of their series and locked down their own goal before focusing on the other. While contentious at first, whether by lack of skill or chemistry, Rainbow eventually fell alongside Hydra in finishing just off the playoffs at 12-16. It seems that if this were the arena of any of the season before, the team would have found more success but the skill pool looked too large this time around.
I think it’s safe to say that Rainbow will go through a few changes next season. SharpB10 has sadly declared that he is leaving the league and the “LFT” in JohnKid and CaptainHands’ discord names means they will move elsewhere. The remaining ViolenceWars (if he actually remains) will indeed have draft options but would be advised to recruit at least one free agent. I look forward to seeing what happens.
7 Quantum Theory (8-20) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
A team piloted by veteran player, T0XIKV1RU5 (/ˈtäksik vīrəs/), Quantum Theory went for a more fearsome wildlife-based lineup by drafting Dingo (DingoHXC), Death Penguin (Deathpenguin777), and Animal (Animal9773). Sadly, the team appeared to have a troubled season in figuring out how to play together that was only worsened by the loss of T0XIKV1RU5 a few weeks into the season.
With seemingly plenty of skill available, including that in Lt. Coffee Bottle (replacement for Toxic), it’s hard to reason out exactly where their shortcomings were. The easy conclusion seems to lie in their low goals, even lower assists, and high goals against, indicating problems in rotation and teamwork. On the plus side, despite being beyond playoff qualification, the team put up an interesting effort in the final weeks, even going so far as to beat a playoff qualifier, B Squad. An additional spotlight should be on Death Penguin, who frequented quite a few other series as a minor sub and even helped win some matchups for other teams. A hunger to play regardless of position, on both a team and individual level, says a lot about the good-spiritedness of these players.
No players have indicated an intent to go to other teams, however, Animal (their highest mmr player) has said he is taking a season off. One open spot and a high draft pick has big potential for the team to build themselves up. To those Quantum Theory players now looking for direction, if you at least enjoyed your current team, I’d advise sticking it out for another season.
8 Solar (8-20) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
When joining the minors, one of the most common things I heard was that minor players are fickle and come and go on a whim. For the most part, this season didn’t have too many of those problems...except for in the case of Solar, who lost 3 players within the first couple weeks (SundriedSwine, Mary Jane Hash, and Singulartooth54) . Left behind was JerradTaylor, who was then given Darealmarkmyers, Swerve Trippin, and WestMesa920 off the waiting list. Furthermore, Swerve Trippin left after another couple weeks to be replaced by Trix Static. Suffice it to say, this team has had a rough road.
Obviously, there are a lot of factors that went into their season’s finish. It seems like difficult lineup choices, frequent changes of playstyle, and tough opposition weighed in heavily. However, I can say from personal experience that there was some excellent ability in the combination of JerradTaylor and Darealmarkmyers. From what I’ve heard, the addition of Trix Static showed some additional promise (however too late).
I’m currently unsure of how the team will change in the offseason, but, from what I understand, there will indeed be some changes. The high draft pick will give them a boost, and with at least two players staying, signs seem positive for next season. Lets hope Solar makes a return to their seasons 3 form.
9 Average Joe’s Gym (8-20) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
The last team in an 8-20 three-way tie, Average Joes’ Gym would probably agree that their season didn’t match expectations. With former major players, Trippingonme and Catman, moving down to their minor affiliate to join veterans StickyPasta and ThoughtSoda7335, it seemed as though this team would have the experienced edge over the other teams. However, much the same as the majors, this season’s minor league become quite a bit more competitive with the influx of a lot of new talent.
That’s not to say they were outclassed throughout the season though, as wins against Hydra, B Squad, Nova, and Snowmen showed ability that was absolutely taken seriously. With a higher goals per game (1.67) and lower GPG against (1.94) than other teams around them, this team showed a bit more ability both in front of the other teams goal and their own. That said, losses to lower teams such as Meme Squad, Insight, and Quantum Theory indicate a problem with consistency. Regardless, it is still exciting to have players like Catman and Tripping still present and fighting until the end as competition only improves the league.
From what I know, there will be some changes to AJG in the off season. Personal knowledge and the “LFT” in a certain player’s name tells me that there could be at least 2 open spots on the team. As usual, watch their draft pick, its high and good and stuff.
10 No Boost (4-24) Furthest Playoff Position: DNQ
No Boost is the only team in the minors with absolutely no changes from their season 3 lineup. With a somewhat lower mmr lineup of Sharpmeerkat969, Everydeath663, TheYoungAndOnly, and Sash00 (Asasshen), one would be tricked into thinking this team was easy opposition. I was: we lost.
At first glance, No Boost’s stats are quite similar to those around them: low goals per game, high goals against. However, on an individual level, both Everydeath and Sash had a decent amount of goals and a formidable number of saves. Their wins, though few and far between, include B Squad and yours truly which, from an objective standpoint, added a bit more competition for the playoff hopefuls.
I would have liked for this team to stay together once more, but it seems as though both Sash00 and TheYoungAndOnly have left the league. It’s obviously unfortunate to lose one of your more skilled players, but their (i think) 1st pick in the draft should give them a lot of opportunity. Ideally, their best bet for improvement would be one in the draft and one off the free agency (as I personally feel concerned for any team with multiple draft members), but it’s always difficult to predict the future for teams like this. Best of luck guys!