Food for Thought (Div B) – Week 1

 

While the Winter 2010 season graced the history books with captivating storylines and enthralling memories, it has now completely dissipated from our freshly cleared minds. Past victories and failures, yesterday’s champions and losers, are now as faded and forgotten as the “Falcon wars” of World War 2. No matter where they stood, everyone is now at ground level waiting for a chance at redemption. For when past events become as obsolete to us as opera is for sport maniacs, even the greatest champions will now be looking to regain their terminator instincts. The fields where some earned their worldly prestige will now become the gruelling arenas where giants fall to mortal men. Boys will try to win by rude words and rough play. Men in search of glory will discard alcohol and nicotine all in the hope of gaining an edge over their opponent. But in the end, the big touchdowns that will make the fans roar will be scored by the blood and sweat of the most dedicated players.

 

So put on your red, blue, grey, white or black shirts and dust off your fanatic apparel because Spring Football is now here!

 

 

When will they be QuarterBACK?

 

As it is often the case in the first week of the season, many teams have been juggling with incomplete line-ups. G-Men and Redemption in particular, were both missing their no1 QB, Gianni Settino and Mike Godyn respectively. While André Knights managed to run and scramble his way to his first win as a QB (against arguably the weakest team in the division), the undermanned G-Men stumbled against a very opportunistic Blackshirts team. The Giants aficionados, as talented as they may be, will not last long without a deeper roster in such a competitive division this year. Let’s hope, for the sake of their playoff chances, that both these teams reunite with their leading man as soon as possible because till then, it will most likely be a very rough grind that will surely leave them with some scarring loses.

 

 

Poached or Scrambled?

 

To continue in the same vein, let’s analyse the different QB types in this year’s Div B.

At one extreme, we have Simon Richard (FAL), Rapha Beladjat (MAN), Jamil Springer (BTD) and André Knights (RED) (replacing Mike Godyn) who will consistently wear you down with their athletic capabilities. These, in my mind, are the easiest to counter since their throwing ability is not as threatening. On the other end of the spectrum, you have Alex Lever (PWW), Matt Clow (RUD), Gino Di Fazio (TER) and Mathieu René (BLA) who will remain in the pocket and make quick plays. Because they rely mainly on their own talent at their position, these QB’s will either shatter their opponents to pieces or have mediocre outings depending on that said talent. Last but not least are the hybrids such as Gianni Settino (GME)) and especially the towering Paul Lapierre (ALK). These quarterbacks possess an above average arm on top of having a respectable running game, which, if they play smart, can be a valuable asset especially against experienced defensive teams.

 

 

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

 

Division B promises to be just as exciting as it will be surprising this year and I expect most teams to fight their way to the limit. Still, in the end, some will fare better than others. Without further blabber, here is my take on the team rankings* :

 

 

1. Terminators (1-0): Top QB + Talented players on both sides of the ball.

 

2. Alkoholiks (1-0): Strong Defensive core + Smart QB.

 

3. Blackshirts (1-0): Very balanced team with a defensive edge.

 

4. Prestige World Wide (1-0): Powerful offensively and average defensively.

 

5. Maniax (0-1): Great raw athleticism. Lack of organisation and cohesion.

 

6. G-Men (0-1): Lacking some roster depth.

 

7. Redemption (1-0): Enigmatic team. Might cause some surprises down the road.

 

8.Rude Boys (0-1): Inconsistent, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

 

9. Big TD’s (0-1): Lack of a good passing game.

 

10. Falcons (0-1): Lacking too much talent to stay in the hunt.

 

 

* FTMP is not ranked since they haven’t played a game yet.

 

 

Week 1 gave us some great football coupled with some amazing individual performances. Here are this week’s top performers:

5 Stars of Week 1

 

1. Mathieu René : 92.3% passing. What else can you say?
2. Alex Lever : Led the division with 7 TD passes and 265 yards.
3. John Patrick Mancini : Caught 4 of his team’s 5 TD.
4. Patrick Jérôme : A staggering 10 receptions (3TD) and 105 yards easily leading for both.
5. André Knights : 3 rushing and 1 passing TD, 102 (!) rushing yards and his first QB win.

 

 

Technically speaking…

 

As this article draws to an end, I would like to remind you all that pre-game roster cards are not optional but MANDATORY. Also, be sure to check out your respective team stats and email me at [email protected] for any comments, inquiries and corrections you would like to make.