Difference between revisions of "Norfolk Seawolves"
m |
Lancedjack (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 110: | Line 110: | ||
Call ups before the draft left Norfolk in a tough position defensively as they kept just half a starting defense and only one defensive back. Despite this the Seawolves only spent their first two picks on defense. They loaded up on offense in the last five rounds of the draft and made sure to pay attention to waiver grabs throughout the season. Waivers that would bring them the eventual kicker of the year. | Call ups before the draft left Norfolk in a tough position defensively as they kept just half a starting defense and only one defensive back. Despite this the Seawolves only spent their first two picks on defense. They loaded up on offense in the last five rounds of the draft and made sure to pay attention to waiver grabs throughout the season. Waivers that would bring them the eventual kicker of the year. | ||
| − | The season showed the best start in franchise history as the Seawolves were able to go on a five game winning streak to open up their season. Their luck did not continue through the middle of the season though as they went 1-4 ending with their only home loss of the season to the London Royals. End of the season saw the magic return to the team though as they strung together another win streak going undefeated for the last four games of the regular season for a final record of 10-4 that was good for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. First game of the playoffs saw them host the Dallas Birddogs who had the second best record in the league, and it was a close game as the Seawolves won 19-17 by forcing the Birddogs to use up the clock on their last scoring drive that saw them get a touchdown just as time expired. {{dsfly|23|ultimini}} was a much more lopsided game as the Seawolves beat the Coyotes 26-6 with kicker [[ | + | The season showed the best start in franchise history as the Seawolves were able to go on a five game winning streak to open up their season. Their luck did not continue through the middle of the season though as they went 1-4 ending with their only home loss of the season to the London Royals. End of the season saw the magic return to the team though as they strung together another win streak going undefeated for the last four games of the regular season for a final record of 10-4 that was good for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. First game of the playoffs saw them host the Dallas Birddogs who had the second best record in the league, and it was a close game as the Seawolves won 19-17 by forcing the Birddogs to use up the clock on their last scoring drive that saw them get a touchdown just as time expired. {{dsfly|23|ultimini}} was a much more lopsided game as the Seawolves beat the Coyotes 26-6 with kicker [[Melvin Murder-Moose]] kicking another four field goals on the way to the team's first Ultimini win. In addition to the season being their second appearance in the Ultimini; it also served as the second time a member of the team won the [[DSFL Most Valuable Player Award]] as their investment in offense saw quarterback [[Suleiman Ramza]] take home the award. |
==Season-by-season records== | ==Season-by-season records== | ||
Revision as of 18:07, 7 August 2020
| Norfolk Seawolves | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Current season | |||
| Established 2018 First season: 2018 Play in Norfolk, Virginia | |||
| |||
| League/conference affiliations | |||
DSFL (2018–present)
| |||
Current uniform
| |||
| Team colors | Blue, White, Black | ||
| Personnel | |||
| General manager | J0EB Blasoon | ||
| Team history | |||
| |||
| Championships | |||
| League championships (1) | |||
Conference championships (2)
| |||
Division championships (2)
| |||
| Playoff appearances (9) | |||
| |||
| Home fields | |||
| |||
The Norfolk Seawolves are a professional American football franchise based in Norfolk, Virginia. The Seawolves currently compete in the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL) as a member club of the league's DSFL Southern Conference (DSFL South) which currently only has one division. The franchise was established in 2018 (S3) as one of the original DSFL teams. The Seawolves won their first Ultimini at the end of the 2038 (S23) season.
Contents
History of the Norfolk Seawolves
2018-2019: Early Era
The Norfolk Seawolves were founded by To12143 and Perry87 before the inaugural 2018 (S3) season of the Developmental Simulation Football League. Despite going 0-4 in preseason the actual season got off to a solid start for the team going 2-2 in the first four weeks. Going into week five they picked up eventual running back of the year Shawn Ariel, but despite the gain, they lost the three following games. Their close to the season was a strong one as they went 4-3 with just one two score loss among them. Seawolves just made it to the playoffs with a one game lead over the Portland Pythons with a final 6-8 record, and managed a ten point win over the conference leader Chicago Blues (Now known as the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers) in their first ever playoff game to make it to the first Ultimini. Ultimini I ended in heartbreak though with the Seawolves being outscored 19-3 by the San Antonio Marshals (Now known as the Minnesota Grey Ducks) to finish out the postseason.
The off-season was particularly hard on the Seawolves as they traded hands twice to end up in the hands of RavensFanFromOntario going into the 2019 (S4) season. This season got off to a similar start as the first with the team going 2-2 with two tough losses to division rival Portland Pythons. Two wins after that to get a nice 3-2 record over the middle part of the season. Seawolves had their first tie against the Kansas City Coyotes to go on an eventual 2-2-1 finish to the season. With a final record of 7-6-1 the Norfolk Seawolves made the playoffs with their first winning record in franchise history; only to be outscored 31-0 in the semifinals against the Portland Pythons.
2020-2028: Contraction Era
A lack of humans willing to play for the league led to the head office deciding that the Developmental Simulation Football League would need to be contracted based on the number of active humans willing to play for the team. The Norfolk Seawolves were one of the teams that were contracted due to this, but thanks to the team being purchased by Doug Norfolk and Neff Wonks they were able to carry on. The combined fortune of those two allowed them to replace all of the human players with football playing robots. Although they made sure to keep on at least one human staff member for the first year as they appointed John J. Johnson as general manager. It was also accompanied by a change in conference from West to East.
The team adjusted well to being entirely robots in the 2020 (S5) season going 3-1 in preseason to show that robots could play football too. They continued this impressive displayed going 3-2 over the first five weeks. Other teams caught on to their robotic tricks though as they went just 2-3 over weeks six to ten to have an even record on the season. Just managed to 1-3 over the last four weeks and one win is not ideal, but with two wins over the Kansas City Coyotes they managed to make it to the playoffs. Norfolk's season ended with a rough first round loss to the Portland Pythons by just four points.
Before the second season as robots the conferences were shuffled once again becoming the North and South with the Norfolk Seawolves being placed in the North. The 2021 (S6) season got off to an alright start going 2-3 over the first five weeks, although 0-3 against conference rival Portland Pythons left them low. Middle part of the season carried on the same with a 2-3 record with another loss to the Portland Pythons that put them in a tough spot aiming for the playoffs. Norfolk's season closed out strong as they went 2-1-1 over the last four weeks to finish out 6-7-1 on the season. That unfortunately was not good enough to make the playoffs as the league leaders in wins were the conference rivals Portland Pythons and Kansas City Coyotes.
Their third season as robots and the 2022 (S7) season of the Developmental Simulation Football League got off to a great start for the Norfolk Seawolves as they went 3-1 in preseason and inspired confidence in all the robot players. Possibly too much confidence as they dropped their first two games and went just 1-3 over the first four weeks of the season. They hit their stride in the middle of the season though as they went 5-0 with four two score wins to improve their record. The end of the season was a brutal stretch though with the team going 0-5 with all five losses being by double-digits. With a final record of 6-8 they failed to make the postseason.
The 2023 (S8) season got off to a solid start with the team going 2-2 in preseason. Their regular season carried on with another 2-2 run that gave them a decent start as both wins were against their conference rival the Kansas City Coyotes. Middle of the season was not as kind as they went 2-3 with a split against conference rival the Portland Pythons. Their season ended just as brutally as the previous season though with an 0-5 stretch that included three double-digit losses. Their final record of 4-10 kept them out of the postseason and was the second worst record in the league.
The 2024 (S9) season got off to a rough start with the Norfolk Seawolves going 0-4 in preseason and with two of those losses by just one point each. Their first seven games were much the same as they went just 1-6 over that stretch and tied for the worst record in the league. They bounced back by going 4-0 including much needed wins against conference rivals the Kansas City Coyotes and Portland Pythons. They finished the season going 0-3 though which squashed any playoff hopes and left their record 5-9 for the season.
The 2025 (S10) season started off much better with the team going 2-2 in the preseason. This did not continue into the regular season as they went 2-2 over the first four weeks. Which got worse as they went on a three game losing streak through week seven. They turned it around to start the back half of the season though as they went 4-0 over weeks eight to eleven. While the team did not close out the regular season well going 1-2 over the last three weeks that win was key as their 6-8 record just got them into the playoffs. That first game of the playoffs is where their season ended though as they lost to the Portlands Pythons 21-18 after giving up a last minute touchdown.
The 2026 (S11) season returned the Seawolves to rough starts as they went 0-4 in preseason yet again. They continued this poor performance into the regular season going 0-4 to start the season. While the middle season was a bright spot as they managed two wins to go 2-2 from weeks five to eight. Their season ended though with a six game losing streak to leave them at 2-12 the worst record in Seawolves history, and the worst record in the league that year.
The 2027 (S12) season saw the Seawolves just wanting to shake off that six game losing streak, and they did it early with a 2-2 record in preseason. They carried that momentum into the regular season as they managed to go 2-3 and even keep their losses close over the first five weeks of the season. While they did not manage to improve on that decent performance they did maintain it as they went 2-3 over the course of weeks six to ten to keep themselves in the hunt for the playoffs. Their season crashed down though as they went 1-3 to close out the season. While their 5-9 record was a solid improvement over the previous season it kept them from a postseason appearance yet again.
The 2028 (S13) season got off to another solid start for the team with a 2-2 record in preseason to give the team hope. Another 2-3 start over the first five games proved the team could compete. However the season fell apart after that as they went 0-8 and the worst losing streak in team history. Although they managed to win their last regular season game beating the eventual Ultimini winner the Tijunana Luchadores it was far too late to save their season as it brought them to just a 3-11 record.
2029-2034: Expansion Era
A sudden surge of humans wanting to play football again before the 2029 (S14) season led to the league expanding to all human teams yet again. Doug Norfolk and Neff Wonks were prepared for such an eventuality and so they rented out their football playing robots to a chain of family entertainment centers to provide room for humans on the roster. They hired Iam Essellemm to manage the more difficult to deal with humans that made up the team. Iam Essellemm would add another member to his staff in the form of Scorp as their second in command before the season began to help keep all of those pesky humans coordinated.
The draft went wonderfully for the team as they picked up future DSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Dorfus Jimbo in the second round. Just the second Seawolf to win the award after Shawn Ariel won it in the inaugural season of the league. They also managed to pick up one of the steals of the draft in the form of future Defensive Back of the Year Logan Uchiha in the eleventh round. Combined with the rest of the talent they collected and the team had high hopes heading into the season.
The preseason did not show much promise as the team went 1-3 with a three game losing streak after their first win. They managed to change their fortunes in the regular season though as they went 3-1 with a decisive victory against their conference rival the Kansas City Coyotes to start the season. These fortunes did not continue through the long stretch of the season as they only managed a 2-3 record, but with both wins coming against a conference rival their playoff hopes were alive and well. If not for worse fortunes for the Coyotes the Seawolves would have seen their hopes dashed as they went on a four game losing streak before eking out another victory against the Coyotes to get a 1-4 record in the last five weeks of the season. Sitting on the fourth best record in the league at 6-8 the Seawolves made it into the playoffs only to lose by a field goal to the Pythons in the first round.
There was change before the 2030 (S15) season as Scorp stepped up as the general manager and appointed Jack Horner as their second in command. They carried on the draft success of the team by picking up eventual Defensive Back of the Year winner Dermot Lavelle Jr. Although they only had one other selection in the draft the fact that they landed the Defensive Back of the Year two years in a row inspired confidence in their decisions.
Despite the change of hands and the draft things did not seem to impact the team much as they went 1-3 through preseason yet again. They carried this similarity through the regular season as they went 3-2 to start the season with important home wins against their conference rivals. The team went just 2-3 over the next five games though to even things up heading into the last leg of the season with a couple of brutal losses on the road. Unfortunately the team was not able to turn it around as they won just one game over the last four weeks and their 6-8 record left them one win shy of the playoffs at the end of the season.
The tumultuous times continued for the Seawolves as the 2031 (S16) season saw the league contract once again. While Doug Norfolk and Neff Wonks had kept their robots in good shape it was still a difficult time to see everything change again. This difficulty showed as the team won just their first game of preseason to get a 1-3 record in the exhibition games. However the season itself was a thing of absolute absurdity the likes of which one could never begin to predict. Norfolk won their first game of the regular season by four points before going on a twelve game losing streak that would have utterly crushed the spirits of the players if they had spirits. It was not all losses for the Seawolves though as they did manage to win the last game of the regular season at home; although their 2-12 record on the season easily kept them out of the playoffs.
The league expanded for humans again before the 2032 (S17) season which led to a few robotic revolutions that had to be snuffed out before the season could begin. This time the team changed hands yet again as Doug Norfolk and Neff Wonks trusted the team to NylarthePhoenix. They had a great deal of confidence in them after they managed to assemble a superb draft class that included the Offensive Rookie of the Year Marcella Tōriki in the first round and the Defensive Rookie of the Year Marlo Smart. Combined with the consensus first overall selection of Bjørn Ironside and the team was sure to turn heads throughout the season.
Sudden change is rarely good for team success though and that held true this time around as the Norfolk Seawolves lost all four of their preseason games. They managed to slightly change their fortunes by going 1-3 to start the regular season off. This modest fortune continued through the middle of the season as they went 1-4 over the main stretch. Unfortunately their playoff push only accounted for another 1-4 stretch to finish the season off. A final record of 3-11 with all three wins coming against their fellow expansion team in the other conference kept them out of the playoffs for another season despite their promising draft class.
The team changed hands again in the 2033 (S18) season as they were taken over by BroicSilence and Videl-San (ValorX77) who hoped to bring the team back to the playoffs. They were moderately successful in the draft collecting the eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year Jeremiah Legend in the fourth and final round of the draft. Although given the success they had in the previous draft the expectations for the season were low at least by team owners Doug Norfolk and Neff Wonks. Preseason at least went better for them during the lead up to the regular season as they went 2-2 compared to their four losses last season.
The regular season got off to a rough start as they lost one score games before their first win of the season and went just 1-4 over the first five weeks. Over the middle stretch of the season their luck was much the same as they went 1-4 with a couple of close losses. While the final stretch of the season they won one game in decisive fashion before losing the next three by at least two scores for a 1-3 record across the last four weeks. Another final record of 3-11 kept them out of playoffs for another season.
A robotic revolution before the 2034 (S19) season led to the league contracting as the robots demanded equal opportunity to play. This proved to be a terrible error on the robots part as they went 0-4 throughout preseason with every loss being by at least three scores. Their poor fortune continued as they went 0-5 through the first part of the season with their closest game being a fifteen point loss. Middle of the season was much better by comparison as they went 0-5, but at least had a closest game of only an eleven point loss. The close of the season saw a similar improvement as they went 0-4 with their closest game being a loss by just ten points. The worst record possible as they went 0-4 in preseason and 0-14 in the regular season, and a closest game still being a loss by ten points saw the robots dreams of an Ultimini crushed.
2035-2037: Scorp Era
The 2035 (S20) season saw Scorp successfully deactivate the majority of the still rebellious robots allowing the Norfolk Seawolves to participate in yet another expansion of the league after relocating to the DSFL South to avoid the remaining robots that might seek revenge. Scorp with right hand Jsteele14 saw the Seawolves draft success return in force as they collected numerous award winners throughout the draft. This season saw the Norfolk Seawolves select eleven pro bowlers in the just eighteen round draft. Their list includes such super stars as Cal Lidious, Dorfus Jimbo Jr, Ryan Scott, Atlas Quin, Flash Panda, Jeff Personsacker, Remon Kurisuto, Reynaud Haugland, and Rub A. Chikin. In the seventh round they scooped up the Wide Receiver of the Year Tequila Sunrise and Norfolk also got the eventual Kicker of the Year and Punter of the Year Thelonius Junk in the thirteenth round of the draft. Combined with expectations being rock bottom from the poor showing of the robots the prior season and the team was ready to blow everyone out of the water.
Going 2-2 over the course of preseason gave the team more hope that they could turn it around compared to their robotic predecessors. A two game losing streak to start the regular season dampened expectations, but the follow up of a four game win streak for a 4-2 record over the first six weeks kept spirits up. They went 2-2 over the next four weeks, although an important road win against conference rivals the Tijuana Luchadores kept their playoff hopes alive. Their 0-4 record over the last four weeks of the season was tough, but not tough enough to keep them out of the playoffs. A final record of 6-8 which was good for third best in the league saw them just sneak in over the Tijuana Luchadores to make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. It was a short playoff experience for them though as they lost 43-10 to the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers.
After an early playoff exit hopes were high for 2036 (S21) and although Scorp continued to oversee the team he was now accompanied by Juniped in that regard. While the draft was not as successful in terms of awards earned; it was a good draft by most metrics as it produced three pro bowlers and two first round selections in the Season 22 NSFL Draft. The first of these off the board was pro bowl safety Matt Cross in the second round who was paired with fifth round safety Wesley Eriksen to form a dynamic duo. Another elite duo was the seventh round pro bowl quarterback Luke Skywalker and the fifteenth round quarterback Suleiman Ramza who made for a good quarterback by committee. They also got the Kicker of the Year and Punter of the Year Sam Sidekick in the eighth round. A good draft on offense, defense, and special teams.
A 2-2 showing in preseason had the teams hopes high going into the regular season. These hopes continued as the team went 3-1 over the first four weeks and saw signs of an Ultimini run. Those dreams cooled a little as the team went 2-3 over the middle of the season to a more balanced record. Their dreams flared up again though as they went 2-3 over the last five weeks with a three game win streak to finish off the season. Their 8-6 final record was good enough to get them back to the playoffs and was first back to back playoff berths for the Seawolves since 2020 and the best record in franchise history to date. Despite their efforts though the team was unable to improve on its previous best as they were bounced in the first round after an 18-0 loss to the eventual Ultimini winning Myrtle Beach Buccaneers.
Coming off their best regular season record in franchise history heading into the 2037 (S22) season the Norfolk Seawolves prepared for a much different draft this time around. Only seventy-eight eligible draftees compared to the monstrous 271 in the class last year meant that they would have to be more cautious in their selections. Although a benefit of that massive draft class was that they were able to keep a number of send downs as they looked to recruit the next batch of Seawolves. The send downs included pro bowlers Tequila Sunrise, Jack Banks, Thubba Bumper, and Bayden Brosley. Jack Banks and Thubba Bumper were also both up for positional awards and finished second and third respectively.
The draft class though was a good one for replenishing the Seawolves ranks as they managed to grab Adélie de Pengu in the first round, and pro bowler DB Jadakiss in the second round. Players that would go on to go in the second and first round of the Season 23 NSFL Draft. They also managed to get the Defensive Rookie of The Year Mike Karpaasi via waivers before the season began. Overall they grabbed eight players that would be drafted in the first four rounds of the NSFL draft and managed to make a similarly successful roster to their previous season.
Thanks to their successful recruiting efforts the Norfolk Seawolves got off to a good start going 3-1 over the course of preseason to set high expectations following their best season to date. Despite the talent that they acquired though the regular season did not get off to such a good start as after their win in Tijuana to open the season they went on a four game skid for a 1-4 record to start the season. The team turned it on in the back nine though as they went 4-1 over the next five games including an important all field goal win against Myrtle Beach. They continued on a positive path down the home stretch going 3-1 over the last four games to tie their best record and get into the playoffs thanks to a week fourteen win against Myrtle Beach that decided the two seed for the conference. All their efforts got them into a semifinals game against Tijuana where they put up a valiant effort to take the game into overtime tied at 13-13, but fell short as Tijuana managed a field goal with about four minutes left in first overtime and the final score of 16-13 sent the Seawolves home to Virginia.
2038-present: Current Era
Coming off the best three season stretch in Seawolves history the expectations would be high for the 2038 (S23) season, however due to outside circumstances the most successful general manager tandem Scorp and Juni decided to step down from their posts. They found able successors though in the form of J0EB as the lead general manager and Seraj Comilla as their second general manager. Scorp and Juni assured Doug Norfolk and Neff Wonks that these two would not only be able to continue the on field success that they had brought to the team, but that they would also continue their fight against any remaining rebellious robots that might seek to usurp the team. Their word was enough for the owners of the team and thus the Norfolk Seawolves began a new era under J0EB and Seraj Comilla.
Call ups before the draft left Norfolk in a tough position defensively as they kept just half a starting defense and only one defensive back. Despite this the Seawolves only spent their first two picks on defense. They loaded up on offense in the last five rounds of the draft and made sure to pay attention to waiver grabs throughout the season. Waivers that would bring them the eventual kicker of the year.
The season showed the best start in franchise history as the Seawolves were able to go on a five game winning streak to open up their season. Their luck did not continue through the middle of the season though as they went 1-4 ending with their only home loss of the season to the London Royals. End of the season saw the magic return to the team though as they strung together another win streak going undefeated for the last four games of the regular season for a final record of 10-4 that was good for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. First game of the playoffs saw them host the Dallas Birddogs who had the second best record in the league, and it was a close game as the Seawolves won 19-17 by forcing the Birddogs to use up the clock on their last scoring drive that saw them get a touchdown just as time expired. Ultimini XXI was a much more lopsided game as the Seawolves beat the Coyotes 26-6 with kicker Melvin Murder-Moose kicking another four field goals on the way to the team's first Ultimini win. In addition to the season being their second appearance in the Ultimini; it also served as the second time a member of the team won the DSFL Most Valuable Player Award as their investment in offense saw quarterback Suleiman Ramza take home the award.
Season-by-season records
| Season | Regular Season Record | Post Season Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | W | L | |||
| 2018 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2019 | 7 | 6 | 1 | .536 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 6 | 7 | 1 | .464 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2026 | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2027 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2028 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2029 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2030 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2031 | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2032 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2033 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2034 | 0 | 14 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2035 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2036 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2037 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2038 | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 108 | 184 | 2 | .371 | 3 | 8 | ||
Current roster
Norfolk Seawolves roster
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams |
|||||||
Current staff
Norfolk Seawolves staff
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||
