The War Room (D3) – Week 3

Well, three weeks in, it’s fair to say that no team has demonstrated complete and utter dominance over their opponents. I could take full credit along with the powers of FPF for developing such parity in a division but I won’t. I have a sneaking suspicion that we may get a couple 9 – 1 teams by year’s end and to be honest, I’m all for it. Having a dominant team should serve as a barometer of success, not a challenge to shy away from. In the past, I could always tell where my Shockers were headed based on how we did against teams like the High Rollers and Notre Dame. This is a helpful tool in keeping grounded and focusing on getting better. For teams riding high (like Primetime were), don’t get too complacent or you’ll end up falling flat on your face (like Primetime did). For teams that are 0-3, you still have time to add an upper division player to your roster to be playoff eligible. The Bandits made a great move this season by acquiring Rick Cummins and Paul Kamel, who will undoubtedly make the team light years better on defense. There is still a plethora of talent left to be plucked from division two, so don’t shy away from asking players you respect for help. Even if it’s a one game deal, he can help setup a defense that suits your team best (think of it as a football consultant). I often consult with higher division players to get their opinions on the weaknesses and coverages which those players run. Remember this cardinal rule: Asking questions doesn’t make you look stupid, but losing by 30 points might…

 

Week 3 Power Rankings:

#1 Lazy Boys (3-0): Well they took control of their division with a huge win over the Souljahs, but the more interesting matchup will be against VR6. Now is not the time to get Lazy…  

# 2 VR6 (3-0): a bit of a stink is being made by some players about Kevin Challenger being in Div 3. But before you get all worked up, he has always been on their roster and last year’s campaign was dismal.

#3 GPK (3-0): I think they should switch their names to the “Good Ole Boys”.  They need to pull off better wins against lesser opponents if they plan on keeping this high ranking. Crank it up a notch please.

# 4 Ducks (3-0):  they shut down Primetime and made them look like a 4 am infomercial. They have a great offense, which will need to continue to score points until their defense gathers momentum.

# 5 Dirty Birds (3-0): Currently on 17 week winter winning streak, this franchise needed a goal line stop to win a game against Rude Bwoys. They have been winning scrappy, hard fought games. New addition Victor Kozlowski is pulling his weight on both sides of the ball. 

#6 Sandlot Saints (3-0): The newest buzz in division three centers around the Saints and a certain receiver in particular. Regardless of his experience, Tim Kraemer is getting it done. And that’s not a good sign for the rest of his division.

# 7 Bandits (2-1): Sending me emails won’t get you on this ranking, but winning games by 45 and 18 points will. Kamel and Cummins will be the difference on this roster. Move over Mr Bozzo, this ain’t your show anymore!

# 8 Souljahs (2-1): Tight game against the Lazy boys, but I still don’t define it as a moral victory. Your so called “best” defense got scorched. In fact, Rehan still has his firefighter outfit on, trying to put out the flames.

# 9 KGP Champs (2-1): Cutler had 9 completed passes, 4 for Tds. That’s not a bad completion to TD ratio. Saleh and Saleh are devastating secondaries week in and week out. These are exciting times for my Gryphon Alums. 

#10 Trojans (2-1): When Pete Caroll left I thought that the Trojans were done, apparently they have been resurrected in FPF (formerly the Choppers) and are doing fine with Sean Avraam at the helm.

On the Bubble: The U, Primetime, DK

 

 

Division 3 MVP CHASE:

Each week I will profile who are the top 3 in the lead for this prestigious title and at end of season I will invite the finalists to the show for the presentation ceremony.

1. Phil Cutler (KGP Champs): (463 yards, 13 Tds, 1 Int — 5 tackles and 3 Int/1 Td)  This man should get comeback player of the year honors already, as he is teaching both offenses and defenses why it’s not wise to test his knee. He returned an INT to the house last week and also threw for 4 td and 0 picks.

1. Rob Robison (VPC): (540 yds, 14 TDs 5 Ints — 4 Ints, 9 tackles) The league leader in yards is making better decisions and is not turning the ball over so much anymore. This poses an interesting threat to his next week’s opponent: the undefeated Dirty Birds.

2. Mike Stagg (GPK): (503  yds, 15 tds, 1 Int): The pivot of an undefeated team, which played awful yet still won. I’m not sure how much longer he can stay on this list based on the fact he doesn’t play defense.

Honourable Mentions: Gino Di Fazio (D-Boys), Oliver Saleh (KGP Champs), Tim Kraemer (Sandlot)

 

Castleton’s Random thoughts of the Week:

1.      Brossard: Although it takes awhile to get to the new field, its playing surface and the overall vibe in the place cannot be matched. It is becoming quite the FlagPlus community hang out after games. Just please people, don’t get loaded and drive back over the bridge.

2.      Triple Sixers: Running the hurry up offense when you are up by a handful of touchdowns is real classy. I’m starting to appreciate the Warriors now.

3.      Akked Moore: If you haven’t watched him play, you can’t begin to imagine the impact he has on an offense. His hands open like fishing nets and they grab anything within range. He had one of the dirtiest one handed interceptions against the Expos, which awed a huge crowd that was watching their game. Hey Akked, I have a Shockers uniform lined up for you whenever you are ready.

4.      Mtl Finest:  Can anyone beat this loaded team? Although Carmine Pollice will probably spill his scotch all over his slacks, I think the dynasty of Youngs Guns are no match for this Binette/Thompson/Khan built powerhouse.

5.      Wolverines vs Renegades: Looks like one team didn’t miss a beat by losing their “franchise” QB. No disrespect, but it would have been a feel good story for Scott Mironowiz to step in as pivot.

6.      DIP: What’s happened? No swagger on the wall and lackluster performances… I sorta miss the old Spring DIP. They were at least fun to tease.

7.      Collusion 67: What on earth has happened to you guys? Daron! I expected great things from you. And you bring me this? Thank your lucky stars that Phil Ackaoui is starting at QB for the U this week.

 

Game of the Week:

#4 Sandlot Saints vs. #6 Ducks: Both teams have a fresh crop of talent to put on display in this matchup.  The Ducks don’t seem too sure as to who their leader is (having had three QBs thus far), but it hasn’t stopped them. I look for Chevalier to get the start after a great week 3 showing. On the Saints side, Danny Donovan will need to continue to shoulder the load as he distributes the ball to a plethora of talented receivers. I expect the Ducks to try and contain Tim Kraemer, which should open up things for Sam Tousignant and co. I get the vibe that this will be a high scoring affair and will come down to who has the ball last.

  Prediction: Sandlot Saints 34 – Ducks 28  (So Far predictions (1-0)

Ask the Expert: This week I have asked Andre Knights, defending Div 1 champion and Div A champion to give me a break down of his defensive play callings.

Ø  Know your personnel

It is important to know the strengths and weaknesses of each player on your defense. Don’t put someone one who lacks leaping ability at safety; nor should a player who lacks recognition be a middle linebacker. You want to put them in scenarios where they are confident and eager to make a play. A confident defense is a dangerous defense.

 

Ø  Switch up coverages

This is an offensive driven league. With the talent level of most of its QB’s, it is important to not give them a head start by repeating the same coverages. Most QBs call their plays anticipating a cover 2 defense.  So while showing the same look… switch to a 3 deep or a single-high zone coverage. Every zone has a hole, but if you mix up the coverage while showing the same initial look; the quarterback will have to take more time to read the field; thus allowing time for the rusher to get there.  Be a dictating defense. If it’s a 3rd down situation against. a running QB, send a double blitz. If he beats you with his arm, so be it. But you will not allow him to use his best asset.

Ø  Know the opposing QB:

Every quarterback has tendencies. It could go anywhere from going deep on 2nd & short to opening up the game with the same play. Some of them give off telltales without even knowing. I won’t give away too many secrets as I still battle against the majority of them on a weekly basis. However, I will leak a few about some well known pivots. Carmine Pollice aka grandpa, is known for his many championships he has won throughout the years. One telltale he has is when he sends his right slot receiver on an out and up. Carmine will roll out to the opposite side in a sort of lackadaisical fashion every time he wants to throw it to that receiver. The route takes a while to develop so by rolling out he is allowing time for the receiver to get down the field while at the same time hoping the defense is rolling out with him leaving the backside wide open.

Rick Nincheri, fellow Cowboy fan, is also a multiple D1 champion. Rick loves to open up the game in a little tighter formation where his slots will run hook routes and the wideouts will do a quickout pattern. They are all 5-7 yd patterns and is a sure bet for a completion if the defense opens up in a cover two  (which most teams do). That being said, both Rick and Carmine are elite QB’s who will recognize this chess game and playback at you accordingly.

Knowing the tendencies of a QB puts you one step ahead and allows you to call a defense based on what routes you are expecting.

When all else fails and you’re not sure what is coming or the QB is too good and is just picking apart your zones. That’s when you pull up your skirt and play straight up man-to -man defense. You’re telling the opposing offense, my players are better than yours and we will win the one on one battles. One of the best huddles I’ve been a part of came in the D1 championship game last year with MTL Finest. We had just tied up the game at 40 something points. There was one minute to five plays remaining in the game. After both teams allowed a TD on every possession of the game; our defensive captain, Kishon Thompson, called us in for a huddle and said “This is the last huddle of the F&#^ing game! We are in bump and run man to f&#*ing man coverage. If you get beat, don’t look back at me expecting me to change the call… line up and do it the f*&^ again!”. A motivated MTL Finest defense proceeded to force a three and out and the only punt of the game (and season fro the Hurricanes) and later went on to win the game in overtime.

Sometimes you just gotta line up and battle!

Andre Knights #21

Quote of the Week:

“Prediction: Lazy Boys 27 – Souljahs 18” u predicting the lazy boys put up 27 against the best defence of D3 (statisticaly)??? Only time’ll tell

–       Angelo Garofalo on the FB group wall in response to my week 2 prediction. (in hindsight he was right, time did tell and they actually allowed 32 points) 

 

The Castleton Challenge (ONE WEEK LEFT): I’m challenging the teams of FPF to raise the most money they can for the Haitian cause (which will be donated to UNICEF), and I’ll personally pay for the game of their choice to be recorded and aired on the site as well as invite four members of the team on my show. The money will be collected by myself or Matt Young of Timebombs. If you would prefer to arrange a time to meet me to give the donation, please private message me on FB or email me at [email protected]