Peeze’s Playbook – Season Preview Part.2

There hasn’t always been a conflict between men and their fathers, the experienced and the youth and so on. The “so-called” generation gap is a recent concept that only dates back to the modern era (roughly around the time of the first world war). Prior to this men would follow in their father’s footsteps and take on their vocation and enterprise as their own. However, distrust for an older generation that sent the naïve and innocent to get slaughtered in a gruesome war had many questioning, “Does daddy really know best?”

This is further compounded after a period of rapid industrialization where men took on grueling factory jobs and after working for so many hours they scarcely saw the sunlight. Fathers no longer wanted their children to follow in their footsteps. Instead, they wanted a better life for their children. Education was seen as the key to attaining this better life.

I mention that because at the gym this week, I overheard a group of older gentlemen (older than myself if you can believe it), discussing the trouble with today’s youth. According to these men, the youth are net addicted, glued to their phones and can’t do anything for themselves. These men went on and on to discuss how much better life was in their heyday.

I couldn’t help but think, this desire for children to achieve beyond their elders has somehow been perverted and turned into jealousy. For those so insecure that they need to call themselves the “greatest generation” do not see that the world has left them behind as the Thirst for Knowledge and enlightenment has turned us away from ethics of yesteryear and pushed us toward constantly evolving technology and furthering that cause to unimaginable heights at a pace that could never have been imagined. People are smarter than they’ve ever been. People are seeing unprecedented levels of success at remarkably young ages. Perhaps rather than being net addicted, it would be more accurate to proclaim youngsters as hungry to learn. Rather than seeing them as isolated beings who are glued to their phones we can begin to see them as finding new ways to communicate with more people than ever before. What if they don’t look to solve things by themselves and prefer to collaborate with other great and like minds? What if they are not apathetic but rather, have interests that cannot be understood by those of an older generation?

Finally, I thought about this in context with FlagPlus Football. For years this was a league that looked to the past with reverence. The old guard was elevated to somewhat legendary status. It was felt that you could not gaze directly upon them for fear of turning to stone. However, what has become increasingly true, is that each year, new talent seems to arise from out of nowhere, in every division to challenge that old guard. The cap has done a lot to further that cause as teams began to filter upwards and challenge themselves with higher level of competition. Each season looks to be more and more exciting. I covered the teams that I thought were the top-ten, let’s take a look at who will be challenging those higher seeds.

Teams That May Surprise You

Les Buddays: These guys are fun to watch. The receivers are quick, defenders break on passes all over the field and they are a team that you just can’t help but root for. They’ve seem to have made a change at quarterback and Frédéric Dupius looks ready to take over from Leandre Ethier. The most interesting piece they have is rusher Julien Payment. He is one of the few remaining rushers who make the case against those who claim that rushers don’t matter in the higher division. If this team makes a Cinderella run it would be epic!

MetaMayhem: The quarterback everyone loves to hate is Alex Holowach (he threw 40 tds/6 ints in division B last season yet, finds himself ranked as an 80.5). This being said, the dude plays with a chip on his shoulder. The more people question his ability the more he rises to the occasion. I have never met a quarterback who prepares more for games. If they have any rematches in the playoffs, MetaMayhem opponent will have their head spinning. James Nowakoski, and Danny D’Amour are the best players that no one really knows about. They are athletic and always looking to make a big play. Adding Thomas Zorko, Terrance Adams and Jeff Moscato give an edge to this team. Opponents will not take them seriously and be sorely disappointed.

BearSkins: Their success will all depend on who is quarterbacking this team, however, with top end talent such as Jacob Peterson, Marco Bertoldi and Aleksander Papich I know that defense will be strong. If Papich plays as the Pivot, I expect that they can put up enough points to make their games entertaining and close enough to win many of them.

Mongoose: Despite their colossal failure the last time they played in Division 3, I think Mongoose will be a surprising team this season. Alexandre Gaudet (and his smooth sidearm delivery) has gotten better in past seasons. He has the heart of a champion and he is as intelligent as it comes. Cedric Knuckle will be in the mix as two way player of the year and I think he is a particularly difficult matchup for teams to contend with as the season goes on.

Still C.R.A. (known henceforth as Still CRA as it is faster to type and my articles are long): On the Surface one may look at this team and figure that there is not a lot to it. They do have some brand power as, Guillaume Da Palma is always an intimidating player to see on a roster (the dude is huge, and he puts up big numbers as well). David Shapov has proven that he can be productive both ways as well. Stéphane Baganizi has been a ball hawk on previous teams and has always found ways to contribute on offense. In the end it will all depend on who the pivot is. However, given some of the pieces in place I would not be surprised if there is a lot of hidden talent on this team. Chalk this one up to a gut feeling.

Teams That Will Break your Heart

Solide: I think that they have the make up of a playoff contender but I do not think their season will work out that way. GM Koletheras has put together yet another star-studded cast and with Benny Goodfriend at quarterback, Paul Lapierre snapping the ball and a depth of well-rounded players Solide has the makings of a very competitive team. That being said, I have a major concern. There is no lack of leadership, football knowledge or ability. They do however lack speed. In a division where teams can strike quickly, Solide is not a team that can expect success if they are playing from behind. How they manage games will decide whether Solide is a very good team or, well, just solid.

Past Our Prime: I figure this is another team that needs to play with a lead. Angelo “Aggie” Kalaidopoulous, Dale Williams and Jay Bowman aren’t names that really scream speed. However their size and experience will definitely help this team be competitive. Vinny Gualano (remember to sing it) is perhaps the most versatile two-way player in the division. Hopefully this team can step up their sportsmanship to match the level of play that I expect from them. Either way, they have ability, a strong quarterback in Craig O’Brien, chemistry and experience. If nothing else, it is a recipe for success. There will be some ups for this team, however, I think the downs will be more memorable for Past Our Prime this season.

Zio e Fraté: Antonio Lanni had a solid first season as a quarterback this past spring. However, I believe that this version of division 3 will be stronger than last spring’s division C. Marco Masciotra has shown that he is a solid receiver. However, last season, his 17 touchdowns accounted for too much of an offense that scored less than 300 points. This is part of what accounted for an early exit from the playoffs. The more players get involved in this offense, the more dangerous they will be. I think the defense will be strong and this team will be good; I just do not think they will be an elite group.

Los Luchadores: Former Division 3 analyst GM Koletheras made the observation that many of us did when first looking at the roster when he exclaimed: “Rochdi Benabdelkader in division 3!!!” It is a strong roster and with Ed “Frosty” Shoshan at quarterback and many returning pieces from various variations of this squad. My concern here is that there may be too many chefs in the kitchen. We’ve seen this happen in the past with Shoshan, Avi “Get Your” Yayon and Co. Hopefully adding Rochdi will help cooler heads and keep them prevailing, otherwise, the Luchadores will be unmasked.

Snatchers: On the surface, this is a very talented team. Gabriel Wiseman is the most underrated player I have ever met. He joins a roster that features, JD Joly, Kevin Lubin, Mat Dubois, Hugo Lalonde and more. However, this team is limited in the most important position. They are led by Simon Dagenais at quarterback. While Dagenais believes himself to be a top tier quarterback, his 58.5 qb rating from last spring begs to differ. He will have a chip on his shoulder and something to prove with the best team he’s ever had. The roster is promising. However, I think this team is destined to be a middle of the pack squad.

Sea Assassins: Having played in last winter’s division 4 final, it is a natural step-up to division 3 for the Sea Assassins. No one truly expects this team to be a front-runner but I do believe that there will be flashes of brilliance. However, unless there has been drastic changes to their defense they will have a hard time keeping pace with in division 3. They were known as a powerhouse offense in division 4, however, taking a step up, they will realize that they will not be able to win games on the arm of their quarterback and on athleticism alone because every team has these strengths.

Wild Boys: Rashawn and Ryan Perry are two incredible physical specimens and Avery Thompson is an incredible rusher. Dean Demetriou is another excellent piece and can sub at quarterback in the unlikely scenario that they decide to move away from Mathieu René. This team will play a lot of tight games but due to a brutal start in their schedule, they will probably see their record start at 0-5 or 1-4. How well they manage the early part of their schedule and how well they recover from the tough start will dictate their success down the line.

Prove Me Wrong

Broccasion: Maybe I’m a sucker for punishment. I said this summer that I just couldn’t see how Broccasion would have a successful season and they proved me wrong. While Kristian Cerantola finally got over the hump and won his first playoff game in the spring, I am still not convinced. I feel this is a team that needs a perfect storm and the right matchups to be effective. I like the fact that this is a tight-knit group however there really isn’t a marquee receiver to hang their hat on. The cohesiveness is charming but I don’t know if it will be enough to make their mark on the season.

Monstars: I issued this challenge to the Monstars last season and they proved me wrong with a great run in Division D last summer. Quarterback Rob Mashtoub has improved greatly and I like seeing that they’ve returned Isiah Allard to the team. He is a freak athlete and can have an impact on either side of the ball. However, with very few improvements from their spring roster, the Monstars may just lack the firepower to compete in this division.

Génie 3D: Consider this a direct challenge to Fred Mallette. I don’t think this s a bad team but they are playing with a quarterback who hasn’t earned his stripes of yet in this league. If he succeeds this team will be just fine. Alex Hovington is a great 2-way player and will need to be to help keep his boys competitive. Otherwise they may make their way back to Aladin and hope that he’ll rub their booboos better.

OTF: Kendal Mayers is a great player. He also gets no respect in this league for a variety of hash-tagged reasons. Teamed with Yadel and Yafet Meshesha, there is definitely a lot of top tier talent on this team. I worry that there is a lack of depth and whether or not they will fall victim to what promises to be a fairly difficult schedule. If they do make the playoffs, the will be battle tested.

Moose: (By Simon Dagenais) After last season’s serious letdown, Moose went back to the drawing board and Back to Basics. Built around Fred Morisette’s arm, Moose’s offense is bound to light fireworks week after week. The real question is whether or not the defense will be able to create turnovers and give the offense the extra possessions that they will need to propel his team and lead them to the top of the division.

I Just Don’t See It

Texas BareManz: This squad looks like a somewhat random grouping of players. My guess would be that Adam Sinagra would be playing quarterback. I think he is solid but I doubt that he’ll make the big plays that will make a difference down the stretch. Hinsley Adams is an amazing talent but I just don’t know what this team’s character will be. Once I get a look at the product on the field I may be willing to change my opinion.

Rudebwoys: Perhaps it comes down to the fact that I hate when teams have oddly spelled names because it makes my article difficult to write. Or, perhaps, my issue is just that I don’t see where a lot of the production will come from. They have added Jonathan Petard full time but going to the well to often is a way to ensure that it will dry up. Brian Eudoxie is also an elite rusher, so, the Rudebwoys do have the pieces. I just don’t know if they’ll be able to put it together or not. It may be like playing lickety-split with Jenga rather than Oreos.

Les Blues Branleurs: It pains me to put this team in here. Featuring two players that I play with on my lower division teams I would love to have higher expectations for LBB. However, Minh-Ton That who has proven to be a shut down defender and an extremely underrated receiver, has not yet proven that he is a capable FPF quarterback. There is not shortage of talent on this team; I just think that they lack the chops to succeed in FPF. However, I will say that they will improve as the season goes on. I question whether or not it will be enough to earn them a spot in the post season.

Wednesday Wake-Up Call

I think I covered everyone between both preseason articles. If I forgot anyone you can either do something remarkable on the field or hit me up at [email protected] or if you are verbose and need to be capped at 144 character you can always reach out to me on twitter @PeezeFPF.

For further analysis, tune in to the official FPF division 3 podcast Calling the Audible where Brent Callender and I will discuss which cities have the best bakeries and which ones have the best post-holiday gingerbread cookies. Stay tuned for information about when and where you can watch it. Until then if you have any questions, contact Brent for a change. He can be reached on twitter @DatPrettyBoyBC

Have a great and safe first week of action. See you at the fields!