Inside the Red Zone (Div 3) – Week 2
23-01-2013 12:00 AM
Two weeks of football are in the books, and I can already foresee the teams that will make a deep run into the playoffs. Playoffs? Playoffs? Yes, it’s that easy to predict even before the third week begins. No, I do not have a shiny crystal ball ‘a la Miss Cleo’ but rather years of experience in covering our beloved league. I am confident that I can name you the sixteen teams that will make the playoffs right now and I am sure I’ll be correct by over 80%; that’s why I am the Division 3 expert.
What is the common theme in Division 3 thus far? Elite QBs! If you look at the top squads, they have top tier pivots such as Marco Masciotra, Daniele Gentile, Nathan Thompson, Rochdi Benabdelkader, Scott Kelly, Alex Lever, Robbie Robinson, Matt Connell, and the list goes on and on. By having high caliber QBs, the games will produce high scores. Proof? Well there are a couple of teams that have already cracked the 90 point mark after only two weeks, some others are not far behind in 70 to 80 range. Therefore we should expect to watch many high scoring games on a weekly basis.
This week’s headlines look at an interesting roster move, return of a familiar face and the best recipe for success.
Top Stories
Out with the old, in with the…new?
GPK made the switch at the QB position (Mike Stagg is out, Erik Lagarde is in) and it paid dividends in their week two matchup. They beat the Legends by a score of 38-12. This is a perfect time for a history lesson. GPK had made the same switch in the second half of the Winter 2011 Division 3 finals against the Darkhorses, however it proved to be “too little too late.” As a result, they lost the championship game. So it is only fitting that they make this move early in the season and it will be interesting to see Lagarde’s ability to carry this team as their pivot. The only downside is that GPK will lose their best receiver in the process.
Return of the Jedi
Those who thought they saw Matt Connell make a return to the FPF were not mistaken. He is the quarterback for Pap N’Co (formerly the QB for Winter 2008 Division 2 finalists Red Army) and he is bringing their offense to new levels. In Spring 2012, Pap N’Co had Myles Gibbon as their QB and they made a serious run at the end of the season but wasn’t enough to carry them all the way. Can Matt Connell and the possible addition of Div 1 All-Star Jacques Void be the difference? Only time will tell.
D-Fence, D-Fence!
If haven’t yet heard the controversy surrounding Notre Dame football player Manti Te’o, you are not living on this planet; however, there is no controversy regarding the Fighting Irish’ 2-0 start. Similar to the NCAA team, they are winning games with strong defensive contributions from players like Jeremie Gauthier, Pierre-Marc Lachaine, Nick Gauthier and Frederic Stumpf. They have allowed the least amount of points (24) after two games in all of Division 3; a feat usually held by veteran teams such as the D-Boys. Do not take them lightly!
Power Rankings
1. DK – As I mentioned last week, the acquisition of Treldon James to an already talented group of football players made this team stronger, and I wasn’t wrong. In week two, they blew PWW out of the water to grab a top spot in the rankings.
2. D-Boys – A solid, yet expected start to the season. After two games, the defense has allowed more points than I would have expected, but they’re still winning in a convincing manner.
3. Trojans – They are capable of putting up 40 points on a weekly basis with ease and the defense improved from allowing 40 points in week one to 25 points in week two. For the Trojans, the sky is the limit.
4. Dirty Birds – They are also an elite Division 3 team who has defeated two reputable opponents so far. Though their most recent win came as a result of a missed 2 point convert by Pap N’Co at the end of the game, they still showed resilience and that they know how to win in close games.
5. B.D. Bandits – They are mainly composed of players from the past All Blacks team (Robert Gouldson, Chris Bridgeman, Evan Cook and a couple of others) however, they finally have a capable pivot in Scott Kelly: lookout! So far it seems to be a match made in football heaven.
6. Fighting Irish – As mentioned above, they have the best defense in Division 3, statistically.
7. Rude Bwoys – On offense, Domenic Tosi is picking up where Eugene McLaren left off. Defensively, they’ve only allowed 27 points in two games.
8. Sandlot Saints – Dallon Kuprowski (second stint with the Sandlot Saints and another McGill player under the Mike Bird regime) leads his squad to a 2-0 start while putting up stellar numbers (12 TDs,0 INTs).
9. Les Eudistes – They were in the spotlight in “Meet The Competition” last week, and haven’t slowed down. They are tied with DK for the most points scored, proving they have a potent offense; but they have also allowed 65 points, which drops them to ninth in the rankings.
10. VPC – I never imagined that VPC would be ranked tenth. That said, it’s only week three and they seem to be regaining the focus and form they had in Winter 2012 season.
Random Thoughts
– The central division in Conference B looks to be the division of death.
– I still don’t agree with going for a two point convert and the win at the end of the game. Why not go for a single point? It definitely comes in handy when a playoff spot is on the line.
– PWW and G-MEN are a combined 0-4? WOW!
– CF finally got into the win column behind a rookie FPF QB, this team is going to make some serious noise, you heard it here first!
– The “B.D” in the B.D. Bandits stands for Back Door; interesting name.
My Twitter account is fully functional, make sure to follow: @Rehan_FPF
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Meet the Competition: High Rollers
By: Justin Blanchard
It’s a motto that applies to football just as easily as anything else in life: it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
High Rollers learned that the hard way.
Making their league debut last winter in Division 4, the team got off to a hot 2-0 start before dropping their last eight games of the season.
Inexperience and a lack of cohesion are what defensive back/receiver David Polynice cited as reasons for the team’s lack of success down the stretch, as most of the team was in their first year playing flag football with just high school-level experience in the sport’s outdoor equivalent.
Yet rather than working together to improve as a group, that frustrating first season led to the departure of nearly the entire team. “If you look at our stats from last year, we didn’t play very well; a lot of players didn’t want to come back,” said Polynice, one of only four original High Rollers still on the team today.
But the quartet’s loss would be to their advantage, as it opened the door for the recruitment of new players—specifically, the addition of six current members of the Vanier College Cheetahs and, more importantly, some much-needed unity.
“We’re all friends,” said Polynice, a student at Vanier and former member of the Cheetahs himself. “We all spend eight hours a day together.”
But unity alone doesn’t guarantee victory. Two key elements are still lacking according to Polynice: organization and experience on the smaller stage. “You know, we just got a bunch of guys together,” he said. “For a lot of our players its their first time in the league—it’s a smaller field and they’re just not used to it yet.”
Those aren’t the only challenges facing High Rollers, however. The team is facing tougher competition than they expected this winter season after being late to sign up, forcing them to jump from their desired division 4 up to division 3.
The result: two blowout losses by a combined 76 to 44 points in an 0-2 start to the season.
However, Polynice is confident his team can turn things around. “I think we can compete,” he said. “We have the players; all it comes down to now is playing better defense.
“We’ll come along.”
And whenever they do, High Rollers will have just one message for those doubting their playoff chances: it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
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In last week’s predictions, I went 12-2 but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. I have been in the league a very long time so I definitely know a thing or two about the world of FlagPlus Football! Here are my picks for week three:
Legends vs. Sandlot Saints – Sandlot Saints
KGP Champs vs. Trojans – Trojans
G-Men vs. Jonesers – G-Men
Prestige World Wide vs. Served With Ice – Served With Ice
Picksquad vs. Dirty Doggers – Dirty Doggers
Eagles vs. Dirty Birds – Dirty Birds
Pan N’Co vs. One Night Stands – Pap N’Co
Ball So Hard University vs. GPK – GPK
DK vs. CF – DK
Fighting Irish vs. VPC – VPC
Le Loft vs. Raw Dawgs – Le Loft
D-Boys vs. Mongoose – N/A
Rude Bwoys vs. Afernoon Delight – Afternoon Delight
High Rollers vs. B.D. Bandits – B.D. Bandits
Lazy But Talented vs. Les Eudistes – Les Eudistes
Well that’s it for this week. DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER! If you liked what I wrote or completely hated it, please share your feedback by sending me your thoughts/comments/suggestions. You can contact me at [email protected], on Facebook, twitter or in person. I wish everyone luck in their upcoming games. Till next time, stay classy Division 3!