Food For Thought (Div 3) – Week 3

After some Backstreet Boys and some chocolate, the time has come for some of us to receive well-deserved flowers. We have indeed arrived to the very special week of the Top 10s. Receivers, Defenders and QBs, the Division’s best players are featured in three Top 10 rankings.

After a quick walkthrough of all 32 teams, it’s now time to take a closer look at the players who drive those teams!

 

Receivers depend largely on their QB. No matter how fast they run or how well they lose their coverage, if the QB can’t get them the ball, they are useless. Nevertheless, some receivers are so good and reliable that they make their QB better. Not only do they make sure not to make any errors, they bail out their QBs every once in a while with a spectacular grab or a circus catch. Here are the 10 best receivers after 3 weeks.

ELITE RECEIVERS

1. Louis Richard: A tall receiver who has displayed great chemistry with his QB in the past 3 years.

2. Jonathan Goyette: Accounts for 54% of receiving yards, 46 % of catches and 62% of TDs on his team…

3. Sébastien Pereda: So much hardware, so many all-star appearances, so much talent…still underrated.

4. Kevin Challenger: After a year-long hiatus, Challenger has decided to bring his talents to D3. Enjoy!

5. Sean Brophy: If he continues like this, he’ll be a shoo-in for rookie of the year.

6. Danny Guarna: Small but deceptively quick, Danny will be looking to build on a solid 2011 spring.

7. Vinny Gualano: A recent receiver of the year, Vinny transforms an average team into a contender.

8. Eric Bishara: Known for his incredible speed, Eric is one of the few great FPF halfbacks.

9. Mike McNair: QB, receiver, snapper, Mike is a versatile veteran known to have a fiery (irish) temper.

10. Theo Ojeaha: An up-and-comer, Ojeaha is the successor to Garrett Taylor and Adam Bailey with the Briscoe High Hawks.

 

Playing defense is one of the most difficult things no matter the sport. While offense relies on physical abilities and instinct, defense requires a certain understanding of the game and crafty strategy. The best defenders will anticipate their opponents’ moves and capitalize on their mistakes. Here are this season’s best to date.

TOP DEFENDERS

1. Dayne Bailey: After 7 INTs in 7 games last year, he’s on pace for a staggering 16 this season.

2. Matt Bishara: This Bishara is made out of steel and rubber. Diving, jumping, sliding, nothing stops him from getting to the ball.

3. Patrick Jérome: Despite a slow start, Jérome is still one of the league’s premium defenders.

4. Giovanni Lanni: As the captain of the best defense in Division 3, he leads by example.

5. Sébastien Pereda: The two-way beast is one of the most consistent players in FPF year after year.

6. Chris Cesari: A breakout season for the big Cesari, his size is a definite asset on the Big TDs defense.

7. Rashawn Perry: Young and sometimes reckless, Rashawn is one of the most gifted athletes in D3. With a little more focus and discipline, he could become the best defender out there.

8. Phil Cutler: Despite being inconsistent at QB, Cutler’s defensive game is still as sharp as ever.

9. Gordon Hogan: The “Hulk” is known for his uncanny jumping ability as well as his airborne balance.

10. Antonio Lanni: The “other” Lanni may be the more spectacular one. Tall and lanky, he makes those tough sideline INTs look like cake.

 

As many of you know, I rate QBs using some of my own stats including Yards per Offensive Play, Offensive Plays per TD and Pass Attempts per INT. using these stats as well as passing percentage and QB efficiency, I have crafted the first QB top 10 this season.

BEST QBs

1. Danny Gentile: After stints with the Rude Bwoys and the D-Boys, Gentile now leads the Bishara gang in their quest for a 3rd championship. Perhaps the most poised pivot in D3.

2. Sevag Kaloussian: A rookie at the position, “Savage” is surprisingly learning very quickly. He is, after all, a disciple of Tony Tabet.

3. Scott Kelly: Kelly is a natural gunslinger. Touted with the best arm in D3, this high stakes cowboy is all about racking up the score.

4. Terrance Morsink : After some very mediocre seasons, it seems Morsink is getting the hang of FPF quarterbacking.

5. Robbie Robinson : With  Vinny Gualano and Louis Richard as his main (only) targets, Robbie “est en voiture”!

6. Jordan Panetta : Great during the regular season but inconsistent in the playoffs, Panetta is still a young QB. With a little more experience he might cement himself as one of the best.

7. Marco Masciotra : Efficient despite not being a natural pivot, Marco is the Tim Tebow of FPF.

8. Justin Lavallée : Justin brings grace to a very harsh Maniax team. His ability to move around in and out of the pocket is the key to his success.

9. Jay Ulley : Winner of FPF’s best smile 5 times in a row, Ulley’s place in the QB top 10 despite his team’s tough start is a sign of things to come. A winning streak isn’t too far away.

10. Étienne Chauvin: The flying frenchman means business this season. Despite losing Mathieu Bélanger for a year due to herniated discs, Chauvin can still count on the Pereda brothers to drive the field.

 

Since playoffs are getting closer each passing second (!), I will keep track for you of the Conference standings throughout the season. Remember that only the top 8 teams of each conference make it to the post-season. Also, the top four spots are reserved for divisional leaders.

PLAYOFF RACE

 

Conference A

1. D-Boys (3-0)

2. Green 18s (3-0)

3. Sandlot Saints (2-1)

4. Dirty Dawgers (2-1)

5. Briscoe High Hawks (3-0)

6. Knockaround Guys (2-1)

7. Big TDs (2-1)

8. SWAT (2-1)

————-

9. Park-X Streets (2-1)

10. KGP Champs (1-2)

11. Gold Standard (1-2)

12. Served with Ice (1-2)

13. Yari’s Autonomics (1-2)

14. Picksquad (0-3)

15. Hurricanes (0-3)

16. Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies (0-3)

 

Conference B

1. Dirty Birds (3-0)

2. Terror Squad (3-0)

3. Patriotes (2-1)

4. Maniax (2-1)

5. VPC (2-1)

6. CF (2-1)

7. Prestige World Wide (2-1)

8. Eagles (2-1)

————-

9. Grindteam (1-2)

10. Snookers (1-2)

11. Bandits (1-2)

12. Rude Bwoys (1-2)

13. VR6 (1-2)

14. Langers (0-3)

15. Sons of Cyr (0-3)

16. Souljahs (0-3)

 

OFFICIAL D3 POWER RANKINGS (and predictions)

 

1. Briscoe High Hawks (3-0): Look for the hawks to ice this one with some defensive gusto.

Prediction: Served with Ice  20 – Briscoe High Hawks  33

 

2. Dirty Birds (3-0): Game. Of. The. Week. Will the pressure get to the birdies?

Prediction: Maniax  32 – Dirty Birds  33

 

3. Terror Squad (3-0): The Squad’s toughest challenge yet this season. Time for their defence to shine.

Prediction: Terror Squad  39 – Patriotes  33

 

4. D-Boys (3-0): The Boys’ defence will show the Green 18s the meaning of the word shutdown.

Prediction: Green 18s  14 – D-Boys  32

 

5. Green 18s (3-0): Time to get back to earth for QB James Floreani. His day might be a long one…

Prediction: Green 18s  14 – D-Boys  32

 

6. Maniax (2-1): This is their chance to make a splash…or some fireworks, whatever suits Tony Khoury.

Prediction: Maniax  32 – Dirty Birds  33

 

7. Big TDs (2-1): With their opponents invigorated by their latest knock-out, the TDs will need to tighten their defence if they wish to win.

Prediction: Knockaround Guys  27 – Big TDs  33

 

8. SWAT (2-1): SWAT will try and set the standard for explosive offense a second week in a row.

Prediction: Gold Standard  25 – SWAT  45

 

9. VPC (2-1): Amazing offense > Good defence.

Prediction: VPC  32 – Grindteam  27

 

10. Park-X Streets (2-1): Time to get back on the horse (or in it, maybe) and show KGP what greek football is all about.

Prediction: Park-X Streets  27 – KGP Champs  20