Categories: DivisionDivision 3Men'sWinter

Peeze’s Playbook- Quarterfinals

The amazing thing about the end of the Winter season is the quick turn around for the spring season. For those of us who no longer have games on the docket, we begin to scheme and make plans. We watch from a distance and cheer on our friends while hoping to take their place in seasons to come. We find the time to ask ourselves how can it be snowing after I was walking with no coat on yesterday.

 For the teams that remain the trophy remains the ultimate prize. 8 teams remain. By the time the weekend comes to a close we will have our final 4 teams who will get set to battle for the championship. The competition will get fiercer, the plot will thicken and I, personally can’t wait to see it all unfold.

 Rants-Reflections and Ravings

  • I have decided to separate recaps and previews to ensure that people have a reason to pay attention to both aspects of the div.3 media output. Game previews are listed below while GM Koletheras and I will be tackling game recaps in Calling the Audible.
  • Les Eudistes snuck into the playoffs but did not put up much of a fight. Tis surprised me for a team that played so well to end the season to make it to the playoffs in the first place.
  • I have been riding the Buddays bandwagon all season. I do not see any reason to get off the bus.
  • I see now that Indiana has changed some of the language in the Religious Freedom Act. That doesn’t make it less dumb.
  • As much as I liked the Predator team, I did feel that they were not scoring enough to make a run in the playoffs.
  • VPC’s Jon Lyristis runs the best comeback in division 3.
  • Is it just me or does Tom Zorko looks like Alex Holowach’s son in the MetaMayhem team picture?
  • Are BD Bandits giant killers or will they be the next to be bounced?
  • Why do Easter Bunnies lay eggs (chocolate or otherwise)? Am I the only one who finds it creepy?

 

Conference A 

 

BearSkins (1) vs. Past Our Prime (7)

Previous Result: n/a 

 

Keys to Success:

 

BearSkins (1): After beating OTF in a close one last week, I can’t help but think to myself that this will be the prescription for BearSkins if they expect to win the championship. They have shown some flaws but the defense has been great and has allowed Neil Etinson to make a mistake or two and live to fight another day. Jacob Peterson has already made his presence felt by getting three sacks last game and I think he will hurry Craig O’Brien effectively in this game. This will help them in a battle of field position and I think this will play into their strengths as Etinson tends to make mistakes with more field in front of him. They will need 5 touchdowns to win this game, look for Jean Michel Laplante to be a big contributor on both sides of the ball, otherwise look for Peterson to be teaching his patented golf swing to his BearSkin teammates.

 

Past Our Prime (7): Past our Prime are the most physical team that never gets penalized. They’ll need to use this to their advantage. F they can bump receivers of their routes I can see the Past Our Prime defense making the BearSkins pay for their errors. I have been high on Kevin Wilson since I saw him play against my own team in week 1 and he is impressive. I expect him to be a big factor in this one. Snapper Vinny Gualano will be O’Brien’s outlet and I think he will get a lot of action. If he can get yards in space and keep drives alive POP will advance yet again.

 

Analysis:  I do think Bearskins lack of scoring will catch up with them but I do not think it will happen in this game. It’ll be a close game where I think Past Our Prime will score to bring them within striking distance, however, their just won’t be enough time left.

 

Pick: BearSkins by 2

 

Les Buddays (4) vs. BD Bandits (6)

Previous Result: n/a 

 

Keys to Success:

 

Les Buddays (4): The key to this matchup is finding the matchup that works best against a very difficult defense to solve. BD Bandits are difficult to predict and they are all instinctive and they break on the ball like no other team. The key for Les Buddays offense will be for Fred Dupuis to remain patient and see where he has the mismatch to exploit. On the other side of the ball, the Buddays collective rushing unit has given opposing quarterbacks plenty to worry about. BD Bandits quarterback Marc Belveder may have trouble adujysting t the varying speed and styles. If they can throw him off balance I can even see a scenario where this game gets ugly.

 

BD Bandits (6):  BD Bandits will need to slow this game down to a crawl. Les Buddays are just a more explosive team, plain and simple. I think they will need to possess the ball as long as possible and if they are able to keep the score low and end with the ball in their hands I think they will have a chance. Steve Sanner is the man to watch, as his defensive adjustments will be key to success in this game. Their offense will need to be effective but they will also need Les Buddays to make a mistake to have a chance in this game.

 

Analysis: This game will be somewhat low scoring, which, should favor BD Bandits, but, it won’t, Marc Belveder will get flustered and make the mistake late. 

Pick: Les Buddays will win by 4 points.

 

Conference B:

 

Sea Assassins vs. VPC

Previous Result: Sea Assassins 45 vs. VPC 40

 

Keys to Success:

 

Sea Assassins (1): The Sea Assassins are the most fluid offense in the division. However, given the fact that the two teams have played before, VPC now knows what thye’re all about. I can see VPC trying to do 1 of 2 things.. either they will play man to take Zach Jauniaux away or they will drop three and force Dan Lazzara to have to march the field. I think that either way, Dan Lazzara will have a lot success attacking the intermediate area of the field and this will frustrate VPC to no end. Defensively, everyone knows that they will need to shut down John Lyristis and Dan Dick. This is easier said than done however as the two continue to do damage despite being the worst kept secret in FPF. I think if they man up they will have the athletes that can keep pace.

 

VPC (8):  If the Sea Assassins man up against VPC, which I expect them to do, Robbie Robinson needs to make them pay. He is the best among obile quarterbacks and if he gets a head of steam he is difficult to stop. This game may come down to weather or not Robinson can force the Sea Assassins out of man because once they are in Zoe he will exploit the holes in the zones. Finally they will need to score. As in the last matchup they will need to go toe-to-toe with the Sea Assassins and score early and often. This should be a fun game where the teams involved trade haymakers. VPC will need to be careful however because if they give the Sea Assassins one extra possession they will lose the game.

 

Analysis:  I think the Sea Assassins defense will be stubborn and continue to play soft, reactive zones. I think Rob Robinson realizes this game will fall on his shoulders and he will make sure that his team ends with the ball. VPC will score within the last few plays to win.

 

Pick: VPC by 4 points.

 

Conference B

 

MetaMayhem (2) vs. Mongoose (3)

Previous Result: n/a 

 

Keys to Success:

MetaMayhem (2):  MetaMayhem is the exact type of team that Mongoose have struggled against this season. Their receivers are all explosive, whether it’s James Nowakoski or Danny D’Amour or even Jermemy Anderson (proving his worth as a receiver with 3 touchdown catches in MetaMayhem’s win over PWW). More importantly, they have a seasoned quarterback in Alex Holowach who gets the job done on a consistent basis.  He is the quarterback that league media loves to hate. However, he is actually an experienced quarterback who has the diligence to drive the field and the arm to push the field when he needs to. Mongoose excels at taking away what it is you want to do. As such this will be a game of adjustments if MetaMayhem can keep the Mongoose team on their toes, they will have a shot.

 

Mongoose (3):  By this point everyone recognizes the name Cedric Nuckle (or so you would think, he did catch 2 touchdowns against Da Regiment in the last round). However, I think that MetaMayhem have better personnel top to bottom and can limit what Nuckle does more so than we’ve seen in previous weeks. So for Mongoose it will come down to who the next man up is. I can see William Tondreau and Jean Felix Daloze having huge games here. They will need to in order to stay alive in the playoffs. Alex Gaudet is a fantastic quarterback and is great at getting his receivers in space. If he can get guys making plays with the ball in their hands, they can manipulate the game flow ot work in their favor.

 

Analysis:  MetaMayhem will just have too much talent top to bottom and while the game will be close in the first half. I see Holowach and co. pulling away in the second half.

 

Pick: MetaMayhem by 10

 

Saturday’s Sexual Sugar

 

Round 2 is set to begin as half the combatants stare angrily at the snow yielding sky for it prohibits the start of golf.   For those that remain focus uniquely on one, single solitary goal. That is of course, how they will defile the trophy once they have it in their hands. To that I say “Seriously guys, we share that trophy”.

For further analysis, tune in to the official FPF division 3 podcast Calling the Audible where GM Kolethras and I will recap games from this week, discuss how to dress at Ellis Island for the summer, the right proportion of bourbon to your lemonade and whether or not mutants are subject to the Religious Freedom Act. You can watch us live Thursday nights at 7:15 at www.theunclemikeshow.com or download the show via iTunes or at http://fpf.podomatic.com.   You can always tweet the show live by tweeting @EagleFPF or feel free to tweet GM Kolethras @GMKole44 and remind him that Solide’s season is done!