ISFL NEWLETTER
|
The
Internet Simulation Football League Newsletter
Volume #27 Issue #24 – February 15, 2024
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Current League Officers
Commissioner: Mark McNeil (blades99@rochester.rr.com)
League Statistician: Mark McNeil (blades99@rochester.rr.com)
ISFL
Review Board: Hank Sienzant,
Don Antonelli, Ed Minshull
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LEAGUE NOTES
I.
Message from the Commissioner
II.
News from Around the League
III.
Standings
IV.
Super Bowl XXVII Results
V.
Offseason Schedule
VI.
Transactions
VII.
Other News including Players of the Week
I.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
Season 27 has come to and end with the Prop ballot and Awards finished
and it appears that all 27 current owners are returning for next season,
which is great. I believe I have a new owner for the Chargers, will work
on getting him set up and be ready for the draft in May. Remember, this
years draft is going to be 13 rounds with 4 supplemental rounds under
the current rules in the constitution (no changes to that). Most teams
should be done drafting at that point, but we will go until everyone is
back to 49 players. If anyone has any questions about the info below,
let me know, otherwise enjoy a couple of months off and we will pick
this back up in April when the game is released. Thanks for another
great season guys and hopefully season 28 is even better!
2023
ISFL Awards Results
MVP –
Tua Tagovailoa, Denver Broncos
Tua
runs away with the MVP this year with 15 first place votes and showing
up on 18 of 20 ballots, with Tyreek Hill and Jared Goff finishing in a
distant tie for second with each getting a first place vote. Stefon
Diggs, Patrick Mahomes and James Bradberry get the other first place
votes.
Coach
of the Year - Hank Sienzant, Denver Broncos
A
tight vote as returning owner Dave Stewart pushes Hank to the final vote
and actually getting 5 first place votes to Hank’s 4, but Hank was on 10
total ballots and his second place votes were the difference. Shan Wu
finishes third with 2 first place votes and then Mark McNeil (2), Nino
Valentino, Sean Comerford, Tim Strain and Sri Gullapalli all have first
place votes in the tightest vote of the ballot.
GM of
the Year – Dean Engemoen, NY Giants
This
one was not nearly as close as Dean Engemoen receives 11 first place
votes to double up the second place finisher, Daniele Miozzi with 3
first place votes. Dave Stewart finishes third with 3 first place votes
and Valentino Montelbano (2) and Shan Wu have the others.
AFC
Offensive Player of the Year – Tua Tagovailoa, Denver Broncos
Another each win for Tua as he has 13 first place votes to outpace
Christian McCaffrey the second place finisher with 2 first place votes.
Kirk Cousins has 1 first place vote and finishes in third with Chris
Godwin (2) and Joe Burrow getting the other first place nods.
AFC
Defensive Player of the Year – Myles Garrett, Denver Broncos
Broncos have a big day with their 4th award winner as Garrett
has 9 first place votes, more than twice as many as second place Minkah
Fitzpatrick (4). Patrick Surtain II finishes third with a pair of first
place votes and then Derwin James, Patrick Peterson, Hasaan Reddick and
Sauce Gardner all have single first place votes.
NFC
Offensive Player of the Year – Tyreek Hill, Philadelphia Eagles
Tyreek gets 9 first place votes to finish well ahead of Daniel Jones
with 4 top nods who finished second. Jared Goff finishes third with 3
first place votes, and Stefon Diggs, Derek Henry, Devante Adams and Tom
Brady round out the group with first place votes.
NFC
Defensive Player of the Year – Nick Bosa, Seattle Seahawks
Bosa
picks up 10 first place votes and was on 17 ballots to pick up the each
win over Mika Parsons and Chris Jones who each had 3 first place votes
to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. James
Bradberry has a pair of first place votes and Darius Slay and Fred
Warner each get a single top nod.
Offensive Rookie of the Year – Garrett Wilson, San Francisco 49ers
Another one that was not close as Wilson has 9 first place votes to 3
for Chris Olave who finishes a distant second. Drake London finishes
first with a first place vote and Christian Watson and George Pickens
each have 2 while Kenneth Walker III has the last first place vote.
Defensive Rookie of the Year – Aidan Hutchinson, NY Giants
Hutchinson wins this one on the last vote as he has 10 first place votes
and is on 17 ballots, but still only edges out Sauce Gardner by 2 total
points as Sauce is on 19 of 20 ballots and has 13 second place votes to
stay really close despite only 4 first place votes. Tariq Woolen has 4
first place votes as well and Jordan Davis and Travon Walker each have
as single first place vote to round out the group.
2023
ISFL Ballot Prop Results
13
proposals and only 3 pass and only two of the ones that failed were over
50% yes and only 1 was really close to passing. I will update the
constitution with the new rules.
Prop
#1 – 7 Man Taxi Squad to replace Weekly Injury Replacments - PASSED
Yes –
18
Prop
#2 – Abolish the Lottery - FAILED
Yes –
8
Prop
#3 – Penalties for lack of HTH play - PASSED
Yes –
18
Prop
#4 – Change Cut Down to 49 players – FAILED
Yes –
8
Prop
#5 – Trading of 3rd year od Draft Picks Early - FAILED
Yes –
6
Prop
#6 – First 4 Rounds of Draft Live - FAILED
Yes –
8
Prop
#7 – Draft Lottery in Reverse Order - FAILED
Yes -
5
Yes -
8
Prop
#9 – 3 Man IR – FAILED
Yes -
4
Prop
#10 – Stat Package Players – FAILED
Prop
#11 – Roster to 52, Cut Downs to 42 – FAILED
Yes –
15
Prop
#12 – Salary Cap - FAILED
Yes -
6
Prop
#13 – Draft picks tradeable in round 1 thru 13 in 2024 season - PASSED
Yes –
19
***There is a new game update available on the website, dated 11/6/23
***
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II.
News from Around the League
Super Bowl XXVII
DENVER WINS THE SUPER BOWL, 40-23!
Denver, CO., January 30th, 2023:
Defense wins championships? Fuggedaboutit! Offense wins in the modern
era. After falling behind 10-3 in the second
quarter, the Broncos scored on every possession until their final one
when they ran out the final 4:09. Denver outscored the Patriots 37-13
over the final 36 minutes of the contest. The Bronco offense picked up 30 first
downs and 488 total yards from scrimmage, balanced between 178 yards on
the ground and 310 yards passing. Tua Tagovailoa got this writer's vote
for the Super Bowl MVP, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos opened the contest with a
ten-play 63-yard drive for a 31-Evan McPherson field goal to go ahead
3-0, with the longest play a Wan'Dale Robinson 17-yard reception from
Tua Tagovailoa to get the ball to the New England 21. The Broncos also
got the benefit of a face-mask call after a four-yard Zeke Elliott run. New England answered right back with a
78-yard touchdown drive in 16 plays, with Goff completing a one-yard
pass to Zach Ertz for the score. On the possession, the Patriots
converted three third downs, one with the aid of a 15-yard unnecessary
roughness call against safety Marcus Maye. After picking up two first downs, a sack
of Tagovailoa by T.J. Watt stalled the Denver drive, and they punted for
the first and what would eventually be their only time in the game. The Patriots then drove from their own 34
to the Broncos' 22. A Jared Goff to wideout Richie James 33-yard
completion on a long pass overcame a sack of Goff by linebacker Bud
Dupree on the march. On third and two, Kyle Hamilton broke up a pass
intended for Mike Evans, and the Patriots settled for the Michael
Badgley 52-yard field goal to up their lead to 10-3. Starting from their own 19 on their next
series, the Broncos tied it up after a ten-play, five-minute drive, with
wideout Curtis Samuel scoring on a 24-yard pass from Tagovailoa with
5:21 remaining in the half. Key plays on the march were A.J. Dillon's
15-yard run on third and two and Wan'Dale Robinson's 17-yard reception
to get the ball to the Patriot 29. After surrendering one first down, the
Denver defense forced a punt, taking possession at their own 13. Mixing
the run and pass to keep New England's defense off-balance, they drove
87 yards to another Tagovailoa to Curtis Samuel touchdown pass, this
time from 14 yards out. That gave Denver a 17-10 lead with seven seconds
remaining in the half. The key plays were a 17-yard run by Curtis Samuel
from the halfback position, followed by a C.J. Ham recovery of a Samuel
fumble forced by Marcus Peters on the next play. Down by seven at the half, the Patriots
used the extended halftime to review what was working and marched to a
Badgley 48-yard field goal to cut Denver's lead to 17-13. But that was as close as they would get. The Broncos answered with back-to-back
long passes, one to Corey Davis for 34 and another to Alec Pierce for
32, to quickly move to the Patriots' four. Zeke Elliott banged over from
four yards out on the next play to give Denver their largest lead to
that point at 24-13. New England responded with a scoring
drive of their own, another Badgley field goal, this one from 40 yards
out to cut Denver's lead to one score at 24-16. The best play on the
possession was Zach Ertz converting a short hook pass into a 34-yard
gain to the Denver 24 on a spin move to evade a Marcus Maye tackle
attempt. A 15-yard pass interference call against
cornerback Charvarius Ward followed Zeke Elliott's 14-yard run on a trap
play, moving the ball into Patriots territory. Samuel caught an
18-yarder to get the ball into field goal range on the next play at the
New England 28. But three plays gained nothing, and the Broncos settled
for McPherson's 51-yard field goal and the 11-point lead at 27-16 with
less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Patriots knew they had to keep pace.
Goff connected with Richie James on a long pass for 30 yards, and after
picking up another first down on a Goff pass to Njoku, David Montgomery
took a pitch-out around right end for 29 yards to move the ball to the
Denver five. It was still anyone's ball game when Goff took it over from
the one-yard line on second down to cut the Broncos lead back to four
points at 27-23 with just under 14 minutes left in the final game of the
ISFL 2023 season. But the Patriots had to stop or at least
slow down the Denver offense to have a chance, and they could not,
although they had an excellent opportunity to take the ball away and
turn the game around. On second and ten, Tagovailoa hit Alec Pierce for
11, and a crushing hit by Roger McCreary jarred the ball loose, but
Pierce managed to get it back before any Patriot defender could snatch
it. A 27-yard Zeke Elliott run followed, and
three completions by Tagovailoa to three different receivers put another
score on the board, with Wan'Dale Robinson catching the 12-yard
touchdown toss to give Denver an 11-point lead once more at 34-23 with
just 10:49 left in the game. On fourth and eight, from their own 27,
the Patriots opted to go for it, but Eli Apple deflected a pass intended
for tight end Zach Ertz, and C.J. Henderson picked it off to end that
threat and give the ball back to Denver with 9:47 left at the Patriots'
40-yard line. Tagovailoa found Parker running free for
a 29-yard gain, and two runs by Elliott led to yet another Bronco
touchdown and closed out the scoring at 40-23, with McPherson missing
the final extra-point try of the game. After two first downs by the Patriots,
Tyson Campbell tipped a Goff pass to himself and did a toe-tap at the
sideline to intercept the pass and get the ball back for the Broncos.
Initially called incomplete, it took a Denver challenge to credit Tyson
with the pick, which came with 4:09 remaining. The Broncos proceeded to
pick up three first downs to run out the clock and emerge with the
victory. GAME NOTES: Denver
finished with a 16-4 record, which consists of their 13-4 regular season
record and 3-0 post-season. That is second to their 2011 squad, which
ended up 13-3, was the fourth seed (losing first place on a
tie-breaker), and then won four post-season games to end up 17-3
overall. This Super Bowl win marks the second with Hank Sienzant as the
coach and the third overall for the Denver franchise. The franchise is
3-0 in Super Bowl games. Tua Tagovailoa finished with a 139.7
passer rating, completing 20 of 29 for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Jared Goff's numbers look terrible by
comparison, but his two late interceptions reduced his passing rating to
63.1. He completed 21 of 39 for 271 yards and one touchdown. He also
scored once on the ground. David Montgomery picked up 43 yards on
six carries to lead the Patriots in rushing, but one 29-yard gain
inflates his results. Otherwise, he picked up 14 yards in five attempts,
a 2.8 average. New England had a tough time picking up any yardage on
the ground, as they ran 20 times for just 46 yards (2.3 per attempt),
excluding the one 29-yarder from Montgomery. By contrast, the Broncos ran 32 times and
gained 178 yards, picking up 5.6 yards per rush. Zeke Elliott gained 102
yards on 18 carries (5.7), scoring twice on the ground. Wan'Dale Robinson was the Broncos leading
receiver with five for 70 yards and one touchdown, while Curtis Samuel
caught four for 66 and two scores. Three different Patriots caught four
passes, but Richie James led the team in yardage with 80 yards on his
four receptions in five targets. Denver's defensive schemes held Mike
Evans to two receptions on 11 targets. Eli Apple had three passes defensed,
while Kyle Hamilton, Tyson Campbell, and C.J. Henderson had two each.
Julian Love had another, for ten overall. Love led the team in tackles
with seven, while four Patriots shared the team lead in that statistic
with six apiece. Hank Sienzant lauded the front seven of
Denver, especially Quinnen Williams, Myles Garrett, and Derrick Brown.
"Our forward wall kept their runs to a minimum, choking off the running
lanes and forcing them to the air," Sienzant said. "Without those
contributions, which often go unnoticed, our defensive backs wouldn't be
anywhere as effective." Denver's special teams' kickoff coverage
unit deserves mention as they held the Patriots to 51 yards on four
returns, an average of 12.8 yards per return. Holding the Super Bowl Trophy aloft in
the raucous locker room, Sienzant summed it up to cheers from his
players, "We weren't the favorites to win the Super Bowl, and we still
might not be the best team in the league, but we're the ISFL Champions,
and that's all that matters!" A LOOK AHEAD:
Rumors abound that this might be the last season for Hank Sienzant at
the Broncos' helm. If so, he leaves the team in excellent shape for
whoever follows him. Sienzant has the team stocked with solid young
talent like Tua Tagovailoa, Kyle Hamilton, and Wan'Dale Robinson, and
the Broncos have fourteen draft choices in the upcoming draft, including
eight selections in the first four rounds. Some players won't return, like veterans
Colt McCoy and Corey Davis, who decided to go out on top and announced
their retirement after the game. Others like running back Damien
Williams, wideout DeVante Parker, and special teams ace George Odum
could be on the roster bubble in the off-season, as Williams and Parker
will be 30 next season, and Odum will be 29.
**********************************************************************
III. STANDINGS
http://www.blades99.com/ISFL/Standings23.htm
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IV. RESULTS – Championship Round Results
New England 23 Denver 40
V.
SCHEDULE
Offseason
VI.
TRANSACTIONS
AFC
BUF –
CLE –
DEN –
GB
-
LAR –
NYJ –
PIT –
SF
- TEN –
NFC
ARZ –
ATL – CAR – DET –
HOU –
JAX –
KC
- MIA –
NO
-
PHI –
SEA –
TB
-
DRAFT
PICKS FORFEITED:
***********************************************************************
VII.
OTHER NEWS:
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
WEEK
ONE
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 33 of 42 for 533 yards, 6 TDs
WEEK
TWO
OFFENSE: Cortland Sutton, JAX – 12 catches, 240 yards, TD
DEFENSE: TJ Edwards, ARZ – 1 INT, 1 Sack, 18 tackles
WEEK
THREE:
OFFENSE: Jamar Chase, NYJ – 11 catches, 196 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Minkah Fitzpatrick, LAR – 2 INTs, 1 pass defense, 9 tackles, TD
WEEK
FOUR:
OFFENSE: Dalvin Cook, CAR – 19 carries, 164 yards, 3 TDs, 2 catches, 37
yards
DEFENSE: Julian Love, DEN – 1 INT, 15 tackles
WEEK
FIVE:
OFFENSE: Derek Henry, ARZ – 35 carries, 203 yards, 4 catches, 44 yards,
2 TDs
DEFENSE: Justin Simmons, DET – 2 INTs, 1 Pass Defense, 3 tackles
WEEK
SIX:
OFFENSE: Mike Williams, SEA – 7 catches, 131 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Patrick Peterson, IND - 2 INTs, 7 tackles, 3 pass defensed
WEEK
SEVEN:
OFFENSE: Mac Jones, TEN – 27 of 40 for 280 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Josh Uche, CAR – 3 sacks, 6 tackles, 2 hurries
WEEK
EIGHT:
OFFENSE: Daniel Jones, NYG – 24 of 37 for 349 yards, 4 TDs
WEEK
NINE:
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 26 of 30 for 480 yards, 5 TDs
WEEK
TEN:
OFFENSE: Brandon Aiyuk, GB – 5 catches, 206 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Greg Rousseau, PIT – 3 sacks, 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble
WEEK
ELEVEN:
OFFENSE: Justin Jefferson, DET – 11 catches, 148 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Darrell Taylor, DET – 4 sacks, 5 tackles, 1 hurry
WEEK
TWELVE:
OFFENSE: Jalen Hurts, PHI – 22 of 35 for 300 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Cameron Jordan, NO – 4 sacks, 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble
WEEK
THIRTEEN:
OFFENSE: DJ Moore, KC – 8 catches, 154 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Darius Slay, NYG – 3 INTs, 6 tackles, 2 pass defensed, TD
WEEK
FOURTEEN
OFFENSE: Stefon Diggs, CAR – 11 catches, 212 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Tre’Davious White, LAC – 2 INTs, 3 tackles, 4 passes defensed
WEEK
SIXTEEN
OFFENSE: Joe Flacco, KC – 17 of 25 for 288 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Talanoa Hufanga, CAR – 2 INTs, 3 tackles, TD
WEEK
SEVENTEEN
OFFENSE: Matt Ryan, SF – 22 of 28 for 281 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Jeff Okudah, CAR – 2 INTs, 8 tackles, 1 pass defense, TD
WEEK
EIGHTEEN
OFFENSE: CeeDee Lamb, LAR – 7 catches, 149 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: James Houston IV, CAR – 4 sacks, 5 tackles, 4 hurries
WILDCARD ROUND
OFFENSE: Stefon Diggs, CAR – 11 catches, 206 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Hassan Reddick, LAC – 4 tackles, 1 pass deflection, 1 forced
fumble, 1 fumble recovery for game winning TD
DIVSIONAL ROUND
OFFENSE: Aaron Rodgers, IND – 22 of 37 for 259 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Dru Tranquill, CAR – 1 sack, 15 tackles
CONFERENCE FINALS
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 27 of 43 for 453 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: New England Defense – sack, 10 passes defensed, 8 stuffs, 3
INTs, 151 yards against, 0 points
SUPERBOWL XXVII
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 20 of 29 for 318 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Julian Love, DEN – 7 tackles, 1 pass defense |