Fourth-and-Goal (Div C) – Week 3

Still early in the season?

 

Somewhere between week 2 and week 4, I like to call this week 3. In my opinion, you should already be thinking playoffs. Each win or loss will be a contributing factor to whether or not you’re going to make the postseason. If you’re having trouble, and looking for your team to “find itself” on the field, you’re not going to make it. Show up and play to win. You want to practice? You have 6 other days in the week to hone your skills so that come game day, you and your team can be the best it can be. Got it? Good. Rant over. Let’s talk football.

 

Before I go to a special segment in this article, I’m going to recap three games. All three had two things in common:

 

A)    The winning teams were 0-2 or 1-1 before going into these games

 

(and more importantly)

 

B)    The winning teams fought their way back from behind

 

So, the moral of this week is: Adapt to what’s being given to you.

 

To overcome your opponents, you must first overcome yourselves

 

Being down in the first 5 minutes of the game 12-0, Rip and Run looked like they should already waive the white flag and just lay down. It didn’t help that an internal conflict ensued between Matt Young and Doug McKernan (complete with threats of bodily harm, no less) that almost sidelined them both. However, tongues were bitten and pride was swallowed, and what ensued was a two-headed dragon of a dual-QB in Matt and Doug that was too much for the No Names to handle. Three interceptions by Derek Daoust on defense was the final nail in the coffin that ended this once-promising game for the No Names.

 

Rude awakening

 

The Rude Bwoys seemed to be plagued with rubber-band syndrome. For every fantastic season (Winter 2010), they seemed to have a terrible season that followed suit (Spring 2010). So, after another great Winter season, it seemed like the Rude Bwoys were right on track to turn their 0-2 record to an 0-3 record. Eugene McLaren and his receivers were just not on the same page. Sphinx (as per my prediction) were well on their way to running away with the game. However, my words seemed to sting the hearts of the Rude Bwoys, as they were hell-bent on proving me wrong. After a switch that put Matt Clow at center and Vadim Chernyak on defense, the defense mustered 3 interceptions (including one from Vadim himself) that ascended the Rude Bwoys into week 3 greatness. Eugene and co. were finally in sync, and the game was won.

 

Predators no longer prey

 

Here’s a question: What do you do when you have a team of athletic yet small guys who have football knowledge but just can’t seem to win games? You get an upper-division player with a lot of experience who is VERY physical. The answer: Sean Kennedy. (I would like to go about making “The Answer” Sean Kennedy’s de-facto nickname from now on.) When quarterback James Floreani used to find himself scrambling in the backfield, waiting for his receievers to get open, having a new center in Kennedy (who last snapped for Kevin Wyeth in Winter 2010) allowed him to take an extra few yards back and calculate his throws. Having the sure-handed Kennedy and that extra time is the difference that won the game for the Predators in my opinion.

 

 

Winless Teams:

 

The league does its best to provide each team with a fair and competitive schedule every season. However, as is always the case, some teams will underperform and some teams will do better than expected. Let’s take an in-depth look at the remaining winless teams and a see where these teams can go from here:

 

Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies

Without a doubt the strongest of the remaining winless teams. They’ve had arguably the toughest three game schedule in all of Division C, and have lost two of those three games by only one point. A deadly two-way player in Dean Demetriou, and a smart leader with a lot of upper division experience in Jeff Brown. Don’t expect this team to be winless for very much longer.

 

G.O.A.T.

Rick Cummins at QB, and a team of role players. They may not yet be the Greatest Of All Time, but they definitely have the potential to get it done. The offence is starting to find their rhythm, but still needs a set playbook. J-F Trudeau is going to have to keep his defense disciplined and in sync with each other; they face MMM and Park-X in the next few weeks.

 

Kardiac Kids

A new-ish team in the league, this team is mainly composed of North Shore and John Abbott players. They’re athletic and nimble. All that’s necessary is that little bit of FPF experience. Facing G.O.A.T. this week, one of these two teams won’t be winless for very much longer. Justin Lavallée calls smart plays and has the ability to buy time with his legs for his receivers; all the receivers need to do is catch the ball to keep their team in the game.

 

Les Franciscains

            While the previous three teams will all play each other, and up until now have had the difficulty of facing off against the powerhouse Conference B East teams, Les Franciscains are in a much tougher predicament. Being in an (arguably) weaker conference and having a cross-divisional game against Park-X Streets, LF definitely have their work cut out for them. Vincent Jacques is putting up decent numbers, the secondary just needs to create a few key turnovers. The Pereda brothers need to bring their Division B experience in order for this team to have a fighting chance.

 

Power Rankings:

 

1: Mysterious and Magical Men – Despite a close X-Men game, the Men of Mystery and Magic still occupy the top spot. Danny Gentile is showing that he’s more than just a quarterback. Can they deal with the pressure of being expected to win it all? Coach Joe Birds was unavailable for comment.

 

2: Park-X Streets – A more than decent defense, and a red-hot offence. As long as that deep ball to Jonathan Makris still works, keep doing it.

 

3: X-Men – A loss to MMM drops them only one spot due to the fact that big things are still expected from them. The question of Gautama Swaminadhan’s injury (finger) will play a big part in this team’s future and their ability to win games.

 

4: The Commission – With statistically the best defence in all of Division C, they’re going about their business quite humbly. When I asked Marc Belhomme after the FOTC game and who made the difference for The Commission, he said simply: “Just say that we all played well. That works for us.”

 

5: Spring Cleaning – As of now, the weakest of the 3-0 teams. The addition of Shawn Haney seems to be a great one, but errors will need to be at a minimum as they’re up against a Spicy Meatballs team hungry to avenge their recent loss to the Predators.

 

6: Flight of the Conchords – A loss to The Commission seriously hurts their chances at finishing atop Conference A, but they shouldn’t be too worried about playoff positioning. As long as this loss is taken as a learning experience, look for the musical comedy duo to bounce back stronger than ever.

 

7: Longhorns – A win over Les Franciscains, after being down 20-6, shows exactly how much thought the Longhorns put into every play. They’re a smart bunch; don’t underestimate them.

 

8: Eagles – Stick to what works; the dual-threat offence has put them in the win column for the last two weeks. With Gabriel Lapensée and Francis Imbeault each averaging a sack per game, opposing QBs are going to have to think fast and get rid of the ball quickly. Unfortunately, Jonathan Goyette and the rest of the secondary will be right there waiting.

 

9: Rude Bwoys – I think that we’re finally about to see the Rude Bwoys that we’ve been expecting to see. Definitely the best 1-2 squad in Division C. 

 

10: FAs – It seems that this “thrown together” team is still able to hold their own quite well. With the loss of Shawn Haney, this team is definitely going to be a win-by-committee group.

 

Stray Observations:

 

–          You can always tell a spring roster from a winter one. Having a list of 15 different players in the winter season raises questions of a team’s consistency. In the spring, it’s almost…expected.

–          Boozers vs. Les Affreux: Anyone who was at Brossard late Thursday was in for a real treat; each team had (I kid you not) four attractive cheerleaders wearing their respective team’s colors. Who said that this was a recreational league?

–          The ever-important PAT: To date, 5 games in our division have been won by one point. Last year’s division ONE finals was won by 2 points. If you’re brushing off a conversion as unimportant…it may come back to haunt you.

 

Predictions:

 

I was essentially 1 out of 2 in my choices last week. Let’s see if we can up those numbers. (Note: My apologies to the Rude Bwoys who I picked against…they have since asked me to pick against them so that they can continue to prove me wrong, but I legitimately think that they’re going to win this week)

 

Spicy Meatballs vs. Spring Cleaning: N/A

Sphinx vs. X-Men: X-Men

FAs vs. Park-X Streets: Park-X Streets

Mysterious and Magical Men vs. Predators: Mysterious and Magical Men

Rude Bwoys vs. No Names: Rude Bwoys

Longhorns vs. Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies: Longhorns

Falcons vs. The Commission: The Commission

G.O.A.T. vs. Kardiac Kids: G.O.A.T.

Flight of the Conchords vs. Les Franciscains: FOTC

Rip and Run vs. Eagles: Eagles