Apojar
Joined: Aug 05, 2006
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 Posted:
Jan 09, 2015 - 18:36 |
 
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CHEFCTER: Good evening sports fans, and welcome to the Season 14 edition of Blood Sports Daily Network's coverage of the NBFL Draft Review and Analysis Show. I'm your host, Stabbem Chefcter, and as always, I'm joined by one of our sports greatest analysts. He is one of the premiere identifiers of talent, team strengths, and weaknesses. He loves what he does, and we love to have him. Welcome back this year, Mr. Kill Wiper, Jr.
WIPER JR: Thank you for your kind works, Stabby. You know that there isn't anything else in the known world I'd rather do than talk Blood Bowl. The NBFL is the perfect league for us to work with, as the talent level is pretty darn good.
CHEFCTER: I agree, Kill. We're nearing this year's Super Bowl, with the NFC representative already being determined. Any surprise from you, Killy?
WIPER JR: In all honesty, Stabby, not really, no. Green Ball is a legitimate power house. They have arguably the best (and highest paid) coach in the league in Happygrue. I'm not trying to say he doesn't deserve it; his team's results prove that he is worth every single gold piece that the ownership pays him. I was looking forward to that NFC Championship game we had between “da Frogs” as I've come to call them, and the battleship that sailed in from Philhala, and that match sure didn't disappoint.
CHEFCTER: How right you are, Stabby. That match reminded me all the way back of the NFC playoff match-up between the Lizards from Chicago and the first incarnation of the Arizona Cardinals.
WIPER JR: I called that game, too. That had some legendary Hall of Fame candidates in it, and at least one first-class Hall of Famer.
CHEFCTER: That is true. Adrian Wilson played in that match, a first ballot HOF'er. However, as exciting as it is to reflect on great NBFL games of yesteryear, our job now is to dissect our current squads, and their draft picks.
WIPER JR: You said it, Stabby. Every year, we break down the status of the team's of the NBFL. We discuss their draft picks, and assign them a grade based on factors such as talent, and how well we here at BSDN feel they'll fit into the grand scheme of their respective teams.
CHEFCTER: If this is your first year tuning in to the show, please relax and enjoy, as we break down the best league in all the world. You'll get some thoughtful insight, you'll get some comedy, as well as some special guests stopping by, as well as informative commercials from products that sponsor the NBFL franchises.
WIPER JR: You ready to do this, my friend?
CHEFCTER: Ready as always! Let's jump into the first squad. Last season was this team's first in the NBFL for the new owners in:
1. HEARTHSTONE
Race: Dwarf
Player Selected: Huitzilopochtli (Slam Diego State)
Skillset: Dodge, Guard, Mighty Blow, (+ST) – 51 points
Position: Blocker
Grade of Pick: A-
CHEFCTER: Their first year in the NBFL didn't go quite as planned. That doesn't mean, however, that these boys from Texas aren't building toward a bright future. They play in a very “bashtastic” AFC South, with the likes of Undead, Orcs, and Chaos Pact. They have some certified stars on their squad in the likes of Trevor Flyton, Hundley Copperspur, and Josie Skull. The tough part with these players, however, is that two of the three are Runners.
Let's begin, as we often do, by analyzing the positions on the club, and see where the areas of need are greatest.
RUNNER: No! As we earlier discussed, the two that are employed here are excellent. This is not a position that needs to be addressed.
BLITZER: I wouldn't think so. The third of the stars mentioned earlier slides in here. The other Blitzer is a younger player who is pretty close to skilling again. Unless there was a dynamic, game-changing player available, this would not be the place that I would look to address.
TROLL SLAYER: Yes, this is an area of need. There are two spots available for this position, with only one of the two having any experience. This would be an area I would look to add to.
LONGBEARD: Maybe. There are already 8 on the squad at the time the draft is taking place. 5 of the 8 Longbeards have 2 skills already. This wouldn't be the first place I would look to address, but if there's a pretty good player available, its a possibility.
DEATHROLLER: It doesn't appear that the owners employ one.
So, looking at our position analysis, we determine that we would first think to add a Troll Slayer. So, let's look at what we have available to us in the Strength category:
Glancing through, there are only 5 Strength players in this draft to qualify. Out of those 5, we have no good candidates forTroll Slayers to choose from. Our next position that we could look at would be the Longbeards.
One thing that is seriously lacking in this draft is Guard; at least in the Lineman section. One big advantage of Longbeards is that they qualify in two categories, so we're permitted to search the Lineman, the Blitzer, and choose from players that can qualify in the Lineman/Blitzer section as well. That's a great advantage for Dwarf teams.
In the dual section, there's a gem of a player sitting there in Huitzlopochtli. He comes with a bit extra strength on board, and all the skills required to be a very effective Longbeard in the NBFL.
We here at BSDN had a slightly different vision for the player, however. The skills this draft pick has are so good, we felt it would have been worth asking Zvitny to move on via retirement. His skill set lends itself perfectly to a very mobile Blitzer, especially having Dodge. He's simply that good; almost TOO good to have his skills tied up on the immobile AG2 of a Beard.
In conclusion, we here in the Network graded this pick to be an A-. We feel that Hearthstone got the right player. In a vote of 3 to 2 (yes, there are 5 people that vote on the committee to assign these grades here at BSDN), we felt that the player should have been signed to a Blitzer contract instead.
WIPER JR: That's a good analysis, Stabby. I was one of the 3 that agreed with the assignment of Blitzer, but nonethess, he will be a very valuable asset to the squad.
I'm going to move on to the 2nd pick in this year's draft. Ironically, it's also a team of stouty, shorter, drunker players.
2. CHICAGO
Race: Dwarf
Player Selected: Gokiburi Amichia (Univ. of South Florida)
Skills: +AG, Dodge, +ST – 36 points
Position: Runner
Grade of Pick: A
WIPER JR: The Bear-ds had a bit of a rough beginning to their career in the NBFL, finishing on the bottom of the NFC North. This is NOT to say, however, that they're a bunch of slouches. Far from it. If you look at their squad, they have a bevy of stars in the making in their Blitzer core, as well as a fantastic Runner in Michael Ford. Even their Longbeards, the heart of the squad, are loaded with a bunch of Dodge, making them rather difficult to deal with consistently.
They have a number of very good players on the squad, but let's break down their roster to see what the boys from Illinois need.
BLITZER: No! There are two dandies already employed on the squad. Hopefully, they'll stay injury-free for a long time, as they're very valuable. There is no need to consider drafting one.
TROLL SLAYER: Yes. There are currently two employed on the squad, but one is just slightly above rookie status. If there was a good candidate, this is a place that could potentially be upgraded.
RUNNER: Maybe not. Both players already have a double to their skills. There would have to be someone REALLY good there to replace one of these guys.
LONGBEARD: It's possible. There is only one rookie on this squad in any of the positions, and it happens to be here. 5 of their 9 players here already have Guard, which is essential to the success of Dwarf teams. They could use a little bit more Mighty Blow in the Longbeards, though it's not terribly necessary.
DEATHROLLER: Perhaps, but it really depends on how Coach Aenir utilizes him. The Sodfather is already on the squad, but doesn't have any “out of the ordinary” skills on board. This is a possibility for an upgrade, but not an enormous need.
So, having dissected the roster, the draft pick should probably. A Troll Slayer first, then whomever fits the bill for a really good player, as there's no enormous, glaring hole after that.
If you were tuned in for the earlier portion of the broadcast, Stabby eloquently said that this is an AWFUL draft for Troll Slayers, as the Strength section is extremely shallow this year. The skill overlap that would occur, compared with the skills that are available to draft, really don't make for a worthwhile pick for Chicago.
So, let's look at what are the “superstars” of the draft that are out there. Aenir sees that there's an absolute stud in the Skilled section in Amichia. He's a two-stat monger, which makes for an IDEAL ball handler. Dwarves are hard enough to break into for swiping a ball. Now, imagine how it will be to break through the front lines to encounter a 4/4 Runner with Dodge carrying the ball. It's not going to be easy to bring only one player against him in an effort to retrieve the ball.
Doing our due diligence, we look quickly through the other sections to see if there's another game-changing type of player in any of the sections, but we don't find one with quite the impact as Gokiburi Amichia. This is THE player for Chicago to get, as he'll be a “win now” type of player for the squad. Great choice.
It will be unfortunate to see Matt Forte depart, but Amichia is just too good to ignore. This is the right pick to make.
CHEFCTER: I'm in agreement with you, Killy. There was only one other player to make any kind of impact right away, and that was Chris Killer, a Big Guy that could have played as the Deathroller. I'm not terribly keen on it, though, Killy. What do you think?
WIPER JR: No. No way. As a Dwarf squad, I would think about drafting a Deathroller if I was near the end of the draft, where I didn't really need all that much to help me get to the top. You only get his services for (at best) 8 turns a game. Why would you spend the 2nd overall pick on a player who doesn't play a full game for you (without *cough cough* greasing the referees, of course).
CHEFCTER: You mean, teams actually bribe the refs in the NBFL, Killy.
WIPER JR: (very sarcasticly) Oh, no... No... No..... that never happens, no.... *winks at camera*
CHEFCTER: Well, it's good to know that teams aren't out there trying to cheat.... (awkward pause)
Stay with us, folks. We're only just getting started. We have plenty more great teams, coaches, and players to talk about, so hang in there.
WIPER JR: That's right. We've got some special interviews and appearances, as well as some surprises in store. Don't change that channel! |
Last edited by Apojar on %b %23, %2015 - %00:%Jan; edited 1 time in total |
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MrNomad
Joined: Mar 24, 2007
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Jan 10, 2015 - 01:19 |
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You know until reading this draft review I did not notice that the #1 and 2 picks was chosen by dwarf teams. I'm pretty surprised at this to be honest. |
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JackassRampant
Joined: Feb 26, 2011
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Jan 10, 2015 - 01:50 |
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Well, they would have been 3rd and 4th, but the top 2 teams (Orcs and High Elves) rebuilt and forfeited a little draft status. |
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Lude enixe, obliviscatur timor. |
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WingedHuman
Joined: Aug 24, 2007
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Jan 13, 2015 - 19:09 |
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Wouldn't have mattered as the HEs would've had their draftee turned into turf paste by mid-season, or so history tells us. |
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Jeffro
Joined: Jan 22, 2009
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Jan 13, 2015 - 19:12 |
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Likely earlier if we went by history...  |
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JackassRampant
Joined: Feb 26, 2011
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Jan 13, 2015 - 21:48 |
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Dwarfs are more survivable … on paper. In reality they take about as much damage, or a little less. |
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Lude enixe, obliviscatur timor. |
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Relezite
Joined: May 21, 2007
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Jan 14, 2015 - 03:21 |
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Survivability is a combonation of AV, survival skills, opposing damage skills, and the often disregarded positioning play to reduce incoming block density.
Hypothetically when you put all of these together dwarves come out way ahead. |
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JackassRampant
Joined: Feb 26, 2011
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Jan 14, 2015 - 03:37 |
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Hypothetically, yes. |
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Lude enixe, obliviscatur timor. |
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Apojar
Joined: Aug 05, 2006
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Jan 14, 2015 - 22:39 |
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CHEFCTER: Well folks, we're back! Thanks for staying with us. This is the Season 14 edition of the NBFL Draft Review and Analysis Show. Alongside Kill Wiper Jr, I'm your host Stabbem Chefcter on the BSDN family of networks. We've only just begun to dissect this season's draft, which is still going on by the way, Killy.
WIPER JR: That's true, Stabbem. We're in that terrible 2 week period between the championship games and the Super Bowl that everybody hates. The Super Bowl, however, is going to be fantastic this year. Both leagues had VERY exciting roads to this point. If the Super Bowl is even half as exciting as the Playoffs were, we could have the best SB ever on our hands.
CHEFCTER: How right you are, Killy. Those last two teams are the remaining two teams to pick in this season's draft, but we're going to discuss picks 3 and 4 in this segment. I'll take number 3, and turn it over to Mr. Wiper for the other assessment. This team plays in the highly competitive NFC West. When you talk about divisional games, and teams really trying to beat the snot out of each other, the NFC West is the prime example. 3 of the 4 teams finished within 102 percentage points of each other. This team finished at the bottom this season, due to some bad breaks, and a LOT of injuries.
3. IN-SANE LOUIS
Race: Chaos
Player Selected: Xipe-Totec (Slam Diego State)
Skills: Mighty Blow, Tackle, Piling On, Frenzy - 73 points
Position: Beastman
Grade of Pick: C-
CHEFCTER: Chaos are, by far, one of the hardest teams to coach, develop, and succeed with. They begin with no skills at all. Their Big Guy can now only be a Minotaur. Chaos is dreadful starting out. When they're considered to be "solid", they're TV is undoubtedly bloated.
This isn't to say that they are bad squad to play. They can be incredibly unique, as you have the ability and access build them however you want. The possibilities are limitless.
Coach Garnak's squad was decimated by injuries last year. It's very hard to be competitive if you can't keep your skilled players on the pitch. Now, take into account that we're speaking about Chaos, who start without any skills. It becomes very frustrating and difficult, to say the least, to field a solid squad in the NFC West that way.
So, having been banged up as bad as they were, let's see where the needs are:
BIG GUY: Nope. They already employ a pretty good one in Rocky Longer. He's been developing nicely since being drafted out of New Mexico. This is not a place to look.
CHAOS WARRIOR: Possible. In-Sane Louis currently has their allotment of 4. 3 of them have at least 2 skills, while the 4th already has Block, and is just an MVP away from his next skill. If there's a pretty good one there, it would be a good investment, but we'll label this as a "maybe"
BEASTMEN: Possibly. They already have the ball-handling taken care of. Aside from that, nobody has a well-established role. Nobody is really designated as "support", or "removal", or the such. They lack a Kicker. They lack a Dirty Player. They also have a serious lack of Guard in the Beastmen. There's a lot of ways that the Goats can go here, which can be a beauty and a hindrance to Chaos squads.
We're really looking at a "best player available" situation here, as the holes are there, but you can only fill one at a time. It more than likely should be a Beastman first, but we'll see what's out there.
This draft, as it has been said in the previous segment, is seriously lacking quality Guard players. There happens to be a very good one (one of the very few) in the Skilled section waiting, in the person of Barry Leegle. Not only does he have Guard already, but also has some extra Strength on board AND.... he's got Blodge! This guy could be a serious issue to deal with. I don't really see anybody who actually WANTS to block a 4/3 Block/Dodge/Guard player. You have to commit two players to blocking him, one of which needs Tackle if you want him nibbling dirt. He's a VERY good choice for a younger Chaos squad. This is who BSDN had the Goats picking.
The front office for In-Sane Louis went in another direction: removal. They looked to draft a player that can reliably deal enough damage to force his opponent off the pitch. This is a perfectly legitimate option, as Chaos squads tend to win by out-bashing their targets.... I mean, opponents.
Did they, however, get the best player they could have for their need? We here at BSDN don't think so, and here's why.
Xipe-Totec graduated with 73 points, leaving him 3 short of his next skill. The logical next skill for him to take is Block. He would get that at 76. Without Block, he is left more vulnerable to opponents. He's quite simply ALL offense, with very little way to defend himself, aside from Piling On someone to keep from being blocked.
Now, I hear the counter-argument in the idea that "you want him on the ground because that means he's Piling On his opponent". That is partially true. If he's on the ground, he MAY have just injured someone. If you need him to blitz for your next turn, however, you now, for all purposes have an MA3 player, as you're always looking to pick him up. All the removal in the world is great, but if he can't physically get to his target, he's just another Lineman for the turn.
Percentages would also dictate that, without the Block skill, he is going to cost his coaching staff at least one Reroll per match, especially since he also has Frenzy. In a way, you can look at him as a slighty more reliable "mini-otaur". He's got the Claw, MB, Frenzy skill set, but comes without Block.
The skill options for Xipe-Totec for his skill at 76 are really only two possibilities: Block or Claw. If you take the former, he will gain his points as he goes, but not nearly as fast as if he had Claw. He wouldn't be chewing through Rerolls as much, but would not be skilling as fast as he could.
The latter flies him up to the final skill level at 176, but then it's almost REQUIRED that he takes Block as his final skill. This is mainly due to the amount of Rerolls he will cost his Coaching staff along the way by not having Block. This also potentially could cost his squad and already-hard-to-come-by Win.
So, it's really a matter of picking your poison here? Do you want a greater percentage of removing a player, at the cost of 2 or 3 Wins along the way, or do you want to play the slower, more steady, far more reliable path of development?
Either way, you somewhat feel handicapped by having to choose one over the other...
Now, what if there were a way to have the skill set of Block, Mighty Blow, and Piling On at a lesser point value, allowing you to get to Claw a bit quicker? Ladies and gentlemen, meet Errict Rhett, who has that exact skill set at 45 points. He doesn't eat up Rerolls as fast. He only has to score 3 casualties to get to Claw. He also won't be inflating his Team Value terribly to start out. He'll hit 51 quickly, picking up Claw and allowing him to progress very quickly to his next skill.
If the Goats were looking to draft a removal tool, the folks at BSDN feel it should have been Rhett. We still had them drafting Barry Leegle, but if they were looking for removal, the front office for the Goats may have missed on this one.
WIPER JR: Let me tell you, for a guy that hasn't worked in the front office of a team before, that is some EXCELLENT insight, Stabby. Right on the money.
CHEFCTER: I love this game, Kill, and I love what I do.
WIPER JR: Very impressive. The next squad on our list is sandwiched in the bash-tastic AFC East. Injuries sure got the best of these speed demons last season.
4. BUFFALO
Race: Wood Elf
Player Selected: Coatlique (Slam Diego State)
Skills: (+AG), Block, Guard, Nerves of Steel - 70 points
Position: Catcher
Grade of Pick: B-
WIPER JR: Buffalo is in a very difficult position, in a very difficult division. They are the speed demons of the AFC East. They are built to perform as the scoring force. The grace, agility, and speed of playing Woodies are both a bonus and a hindrance to their overall performance.
They can score from anywhere, at anytime. They are one of the few teams out there that can turn a fumble on their own goal line into a TD at the other end in as little as a turn. They spread out their opponent on offense, looking to punch the ball in within 2 turns (if they can't do it in one). Their defense typically consists of being enough of a road block until a hole opens, where they dodge through and punch the ball out.
The injury potential for Wood Elf teams is enormous. Buffalo is, unfortunately, no exception to this. Their squad was put through the macerator last season. They have a few very good returning players to build around, so let's take a peek at the roster to see where our holes are the greatest.
WARDANCER: Yes. This is a very big need. They are the heart and soul of Wood Elf squads. They do everything on the defensive side of the ball. The two that Buffalo currently employs are both extremely young. This is a pretty important area to look at.
THROWER: Yes. There is one employed by the Hillbillies, but he's still a fledgling. This can certainly be an area to consider, but for teams with SO MANY holes to fill, this may not take precedence. In theory, because Wood Elf teams are so agile, anyone can throw it in a pinch...
CATCHER: This would be where the returning players are on the roster. There's two good ones that made it through last season in the names of Thermal-undies Thomas and former draft pick Lou Holts. They can take care of much of the receiving duties for the squad. This isn't the area I would look to improve in, unless there was a freak of nature that was available.
TREEMAN: I would honestly have to consider it. These large fellas serve the incredibly important purpose of taking hits that are meant for other Wood Elves. I would give this some thought if there's a decent one out there, just based on the injury track record that has preceeded these guys. He'd be decent at tying up a few Marauders from Miami, or some CDB's from New Angryland. It's worth considering, but it's not first on the list.
LINEMAN: This is a need. It's not even necessarily a certain skill that's needed here: the need is actual BODIES. Again, this is due to attrition, but if you were to pick up a Lineman here, you'd hope to pick up someone with Guard if available.
So, to us here at BSDN, the need would first be a Wardancer, since that's the most glaring need to fill. After that, it would be worth looking at a Treeman or a Lineman.
The Hillbillies, however, didn't see it that way. They decided to look for a Skilled section player that can score TDs. They're undoubtedly looking for some extra Agility for the squad, and come across a player that meets some needs. They draft a Catcher in Coatlique who adds that Agility they so desire, as well as adding a Guard to the squad.
There's a lot of discussion that can be had here, pro and con, about drafting a Catcher. Buffalo gets a Guard that they sorely need. They add some Agility, especially someone with Nerves of Steel. They add someone that can score TDs, as that's the way you win matches.
What can you say against the pick? Well, Wood Elves rely on their Wardancers to do nearly everything on the defensive side of the ball. Without a game-changing player at the position, it becomes extremely difficult to free a ball from a opponent. They are the life blood of any well-established Wood Elf squad.
BSDN had Buffalo drafting a Wardancer here in the likes of Jordan Demogorgon. His full stat line would read like this: Block, Dodge, Leap, Tackle, Mighty Blow, Piling On, Pro at 54 points. He comes with a lot of useful skills, and with only 54 points, isn't a stupidly ridiculous cap hit (or, as we call it here on the show... a TV Bloat). This player would make so much greater of an impact for the squad right away.
Buffalo comes out of the draft with a VERY good player. He'll have an impact for the Hillbillies. BSDN, however, felt that the Wardancer position was far too important to pass on, considering the quality of player that was available to draft.
They're getting a good player, but they MIGHT have missed on the best player. Again, we weren't a part of the front office's reasoning, so we don't know how they came to their man. Overall, Coatlique is going to be noticed by everyone in the AFC.
CHEFCTER: Stick around, folks. Coming up in our next segment, we feature picks # 5 and 6, two teams from the highly competitive AFC North. We may also have a surprise guest to the program, but you'll have to stay tuned to see! We'll be back after these brief commercial messages. |
Last edited by Apojar on %b %23, %2015 - %00:%Jan; edited 1 time in total |
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happygrue
Joined: Oct 15, 2010
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Jan 14, 2015 - 23:17 |
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| Apojar wrote: | | This draft, as it has been said in the previous segment, is seriously lacking quality Guard players. There happens to be a very good one (one of the very few) in the Skilled section waiting, in the person of Barry Leegle. Not only does he have Guard already, but also has some extra Strength on board AND.... he's got Blodge! This guy could be a serious issue to deal with. I don't really see anybody who actually WANTS to block a 4/3 Block/Dodge/Guard player. You have to commit two players to blocking him, one of which needs Tackle if you want him nibbling dirt. He's a VERY good choice for a younger Chaos squad. This is who BSDN had the Goats picking. |
Not to mention how much it would have pissed off the coach their arch rival (Green Ball) to have to face his own former player... and a nasty player at that! |
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JackassRampant
Joined: Feb 26, 2011
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Jan 15, 2015 - 01:54 |
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Wait, St. Louis's arch-rival is Green Ball? How did that happen? |
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Lude enixe, obliviscatur timor. |
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burgun824
Joined: Feb 11, 2009
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Jan 15, 2015 - 02:03 |
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A+++ Buffalo drafted the best player on the board at the time. That's drafting 101 damn it. > |
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happygrue
Joined: Oct 15, 2010
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Jan 15, 2015 - 02:06 |
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| JackassRampant wrote: | | Wait, St. Louis's arch-rival is Green Ball? How did that happen? |
Whups, I was fooled by cut and paste calling them Chicago and wasn't thinking.  |
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FRSHMN
Joined: Feb 25, 2013
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Jan 15, 2015 - 02:10 |
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| burgun824 wrote: | | A+++ Buffalo drafted the best player on the board at the time. That's drafting 101 damn it. > |
For me, it reads B- ... wait, is my internet broken? |
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Arktoris
Joined: Feb 16, 2004
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Jan 15, 2015 - 02:13 |
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Block at 76 for the pomb beastman? hahaha
Shirley you jest |
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