Austin Copperheads
| Austin Copperheads | |||
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 Current season | |||
First season: 2031 Play in and headquartered in Austin Stadium Austin, Texas | |||
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| League/conference affiliations | |||
NSFL (2031–present)
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Current uniform
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| Team colors | Copper, Dark Silver, Orange[1] | ||
| Personnel | |||
| General manager | Easton Cole (JKortesi81) | ||
| Team history | |||
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| Championships | |||
| League championships (1) | |||
| Conference championships (2) 2035 (S20), 2038 (S23) | |||
| Division championships (1) 2035 (S20) | |||
| Playoff appearances (6) | |||
| 2033 (S18), 2034 (S19), 2035 (S20), 2036 (S21), 2037 (S22), 2038 (S23) | |||
| Home fields | |||
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The Austin Copperheads are a professional American football franchise based in Austin, Texas. The Otters currently compete in the National Simulation Football League (NSFL) as a member club of the league's American Simulation Football Conference (ASFC) which currently only has one division. The franchise was established in 2030 (S15) as one of the two most recent expansion teams. They began play in 2031 (S16).
Contents
History of the Austin Copperheads
Charlie Law was trusted with starting a NSFL franchise in Austin, as a part of the most recent league expansion. Austin's first season was 2031 (S16), but the team was allowed to participate in the 2030 Draft, in reason of the immense size of the draft class. Their tactics in the 2030 draft were put under scrutiny, due to the fact of forgoing so many late picks and never getting a quarterback. More of the same in the Expansion Draft, following the conclusion of the 2030 (S15) season, where the team opted for stacking their defence and their scoring threats. Little did people know about the quarterback by the name of Easton Cole, the 2031 Draft 2nd round pick, out of Palm Beach, arguably a steal for that season.
However, Austin's first NSFL season was a complete disaster. No wins over 17 games, 4 losses in the preseason, 0-13 wins in the regular season, last in offence, last in defence, losing by an average of approximately 15 points a game, and allowing at least 24 points in 11 out of 13 regular season games, 30 points in 6 games, and allowing a league season-high 55 points, in a shutout loss to the San Jose SaberCats. The only salvation to their season was the overall first pick they obtained for the 2032 Draft.
In 2032 (S17), Austin showed signs of improvement. Apart from 2032 Draftees, RB Ashley Owens, S Takeda Okura, and WR Jackson Valdez the Copperheads' roster remained intact. And they only became better. The offence was led by a poised Cole, and the defence was led by Dermot Lavelle Jr.. They had a rocky start to the season, winning only 2 of their first 7 games, missing on the playoffs early in the season. They finished the season with a respectable 5-8 record, but there was more to be desired in Austin. And the next season was living proof of just that.
In the 2033 Draft, Austin stayed true to their tradition, drafting defensive players all across the board. Again, apart from the draft additions, their roster remained intact for the 2033 (S18) season. They had a rough start, being 2-4 after 6 weeks, but they hit their stride in the following weeks, winning 4 or the last 7, including an upset of the Arizona Outlaws in week 10, to finish with a 6-7 record, making it to the playoffs for the first time in their history, as the 3rd placed team in the ASFC. In the wildcard game however, their cinderella run came to an end. The Outlaws took revenge for the week 10 game, fully taking advantage of their home field, beating the "Snakes", 33-26, ending their season.
Yet another season for the Snakes, yet another success story, despite rough performance. Austin entered 2034 (S19) with the same roster as previous season once again, and results were more of the same. Cole leading the offence, and Lavelle Jr. leading the defence. The Copperheads were only with a single win after six games, and two wins after ten games, both wins coming against Arizona Outlaws, with all playoff hopes lost, with three games left to play. Could it be another miracle last year? They were set to face Yellowknife Wraiths, Chicago Butchers, and Philadelphia Liberty, needing only wins. It looked grim, considering Yellowknife's strong showing. But Austin slithered to a 27-24 home win against the Wraiths, reigniting any lost hope for the remaining two games, which the Snakes won, finishing with a 5-8 record, edging the Outlaws in a tie for 3rd in ASFC due to the season sweep. Another miracle playoff run was in the looks for Austin. But the New Orleans Second Line stopped them, beating them 28-17.
In 2035 (S20), the Austin Copperhead were feeling strong. After a really good season, the year before they were poised to make a real run at the Ultimus Cup. However, the New Orleans Second Line had other thoughts, as they were also loaded and ready for a run. Luckily, the season started between these two Conference rivals, with Austin prevailing. Austin went on to win 8 games that season, getting taking the regular season title led by QB Easton Cole and WR Rod Tidwell on offense, even though they lost in the last game of the season to a flailing Chicago Butchers team. Going into the playoffs they were hoping to get over on teams and make a run at a title. Austin was able to squeak by a really good Arizona Outlaws team in the first round to face New Orleans Second Line. Austin finally got past them, to get to a Ultimus game against the juggernaut that was Yellowknife Wraiths. Austin was able to take down the beast for their first ever Ultimus, winning the game 37-20 off the really strong performance from their QB Easton Cole. Austin was able to win the Ultimus for the first time, after only a few years past their inaugural season as an expansion team.
Following up their Ultimus trophy in the 2036 (S21) season, the Austin Copperheads were hoping to go on another magical run for a title. They got to face their rivals in New Orleans Second Line to start the season, as they typically do. Unfortunately, however for Austin they would drop this game 34-26, which is not the way they wanted to start their season. They would however have a bounce back game against Arizona Outlaws, in their second game. This was a bit of a down year for Austin as they were both good and bad at points, they could never find their pace and touch. They ended up trading wins and losses the whole season, finally ending the season off with a big 30-16 victory over the Philadelphia Liberty. This propelled them into the 2036 (S21) playoffs, where they were hoping to really surprise some teams. Unfortunately, for the Austin Copperheads they ran into a very very good New Orleans Second Line team, who handed them a close loss 23-17. This was a disappointing end to the season for Austin, as they were hoping to take hold of some of the magic from the previous year. They went out, hoping the following season would be a better one.
The 2037 (S22) season saw the start of a new Era for the International Simulation Football League, then known as the National Simulation Football League. This was the first time since the Austin Copperheads were formed that a new couple new expansion franchises were being added to the league. With these two new Franchises, Austin was no longer the new kid on the block. That being said there expectations were still really high for this season, but those would come crashing down to reality early. For whatever reason, Austin started this season very slowly. They reeled off 3 straight losses to being the season at the hands of Arizona Outlaws, Honolulu Hahalua, and Orange County Otters. The early season loss to one of these new expansion teams in particular was tough for the team. However, halfway through the season Austin found it's bite. They were able to end the season on an incredibly high note as they took off on a tear. They beat an expansion team in Sarasota Sailfish and from there they could not be beat. The Austin Copperheads were able to take the next 7 straight games on their way to making the playoffs. From the jaws of defeat and despair, Austin took their fate into their own hands and won. Led by a stellar season from QB Easton Cole and CB Dermott Lavelle Jr, Austin went into the playoffs hot. Austin would once again find themselves playing New Orleans Second Line in the first round of the playoffs, but were able to overcome their foes by the score of 34-27, moving on to play Orange County Otters. There the game was a shootout, ending in a score of 50-38 with Austin being on the wrong side of that scoreline. After such a slow start to the season however, this was an impressive outcome to Austin's season.
Coming off the loss in the Conference finals, Austin was really set for a good season, though some of their players were getting long in the tooth. It was good to see new stars like Net Gaines and old stars like Mako Mendonca really excel in their roles. Austin was hopeful that they would have a really good team in the 2038 (S23) season. However, their trend of slow starts continued to happen, as they lost two of the first three games of the season to New Orleans Second Line and Orange County Otters. Following those games, Austin turned things around for a short time, before tripping up in week 9 against Yellowknife Wraiths and that sent them on a down wards trajectory. They however, were able to right the ship against their rivals, New Orleans Second Line in week 13 on a big win 24-6. This helped to propel them into a huge win vs Arizona Outlaws in week 15, in a tight game 16-15. Austin was able to claim a playoff birth the following week and they were hoping to have a strong playoffs, despite being underdogs. Austin shocked the league by reeling off wins versus New Orleans Second Line in the first round and then vs Orange County Otters in the second round. This was good enough to send Austin to their second Ultimus Cup. However, it was not meant to be for Austin as the Yellowknife Wraiths were able to capture the Ultimus Cup, leaving the Austin Copperheads just a bit short for their chance at a 2nd title.
The Austin Copperheads were looking at a down season in 2039 (S24) going through a slight rebuilding process. They started the season on a 2 game losing streak, facing San Jose Sabercats and Arizona Outlaws, before gaining some traction beating a good Orange County Otters team. They spent all season winning 2 games and losing 2 games until week 9, where they went on a tough 4 game skid. They came back into victory beating Arizona Outlaws, who beat them earlier in the season. They were able to beat Honolulu Hahalua to finish the season. This season was really weird for them, as they beat very good teams, but lost to teams they should have beat. Austin ended the season at 7-9, which was disappointing for them. They were led by Easton Cole and Mendonca, who had decent seasons. Unfortunately, there record was not good enough to make the playoffs, ending an impressive playoff run for the former expansion franchise.
Following a disappointing season for Austin, they came back into 2040 (S25) hoping to really step up their record. They were bringing up a promising young rookie in Zoe Watts as their new running back. Watts was hoping for a offensive rookie of the year campaign and starting for a young Austin team, the opportunity was there. They started off really strong, beating Honolulu Hahalua in a close game. However, they would then lose the following game to Philadelphia Liberty in what was a pretty close game. They wouldn't get back on the winning way until they faced the new expansion team in New York Silverbacks, which gave them a pretty easy win. The rest of the season was very up and down, never really going on any type of run to gain traction. They ended the season on a really high note, by beating Orange County Otters which was a surprising win for Austin. They finished 7-9 again this season, which was not good enough to make the playoffs. They are shaping up with some young talent, to hopefully have a bounce back season in 2041 (S26).
Season-by-season records
| Season | Regular Season Record | Post Season Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | W | L | |||
| 2031 | 0 | 13 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2032 | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2033 | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2034 | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2035 | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2036 | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2037 | 8 | 4 | 1 | .654 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2038 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Total | 47 | 59 | 1 | .439 | 6 | 6 | ||
Current roster
 | This article is pending review by an Approver on the wiki team. Do not award TPE yet. |
Austin Copperheads roster
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams |
Reserve lists
DSFL Send-downs
Rookies in italics
Roster updated January 24, 2024 | ||||||
Current staff
Austin Copperheads staff
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References
- ↑ "Austin Copperheads Team Info". Official Austin Copperheads Info Page. National Simulation Football League. May 16, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
