The Wrath of Khan (D2) – Week 3

I am starting to think that I am a jinx for any D2 team that I mention in my articles. Last week, I talked about how the Texas All-Stars were sneaking up the ranks in Conference A, however, they laid an egg that was comparable to the stench from the downtown Montreal alleyways. Now, the D2 standings are back to square 1. Week 3 was supposed to be a separation of the contenders from the pretenders, instead there was a plethora of upsets that has given hope that these 2 conferences might be more competitive than expected.

If I am the Texas All-Stars, I don’t know who to blame in the loss to the Nixon’s Renegades. The conclusion is the blame goes to everyone involved in the game. Early on, it seemed that the All-Stars speed alone would outclass the Renegades. But what turned the tide in favour for the Renegades ship was the questionable call by the sideline referee on a touchdown catch by sure handed receiver, Mike Dwyer. For those who did not witness the catch, backup and soon to be future starting quarterback, Scott Mironowicz made a throw in the back of the end-zone. Dwyer, went up and made the catch, however, his left foot landed out of bounds before he ever got his right foot down. Unfortunately, due to the angle the referee had, he did not see that, and from that point it seemed that the All-Stars lost their momentum, and emotions. Furthermore, it did not help that they dropped a lot of balls on both sides of the football, and the time of possession clearly favoured the underdog Renegades as they control the majority of the game. For the Renegades, clearly, they were the superior team on that day, and team captain, Dale Williams kept his team motivated throughout the game by reminding his teammates that no one thought they had a chance in this game. Once again, the same story line will come up, who should be the starting quarterback for the Renegades? Mironowicz had 4 touchdown passes, but he had completed a mere 12 passes on 31 attempts. Granted Mironowicz is very young, mobile, and has great potential, but do the Renegades go back to the calming effect of Kirby Short, who carried this team on his shoulders last winter season in D3? For the All-Stars, how do they rebound from an emotional loss to the Renegades? It does not get any easier, as they will face an angry Monarchs team who many thought would be at the top of the mountain in D2, but currently stand at 1-2 in the standings.

Well, I guess that All Blacks bandwagon has emptied out faster than Click Clack’s own Paul Kamel running the 40-yard dash. After a 2-0 start, the All Blacks had all the momentum heading into their duel with the Messengers of Happiness. But it seemed they were deer caught in the headlights. From the start, quarterback Tony Tabet was ineffective, as he threw a Rob Johnson like 3 interceptions on 13 passing attempts. His predecessor, Myles Gibbon was not any better even with his 2 meaningless touchdown passes as he under threw a couple of his receivers. Furthermore, it did not help any of the quarterbacks cause as the receivers dropped far too many balls. On the other hand, the Happiness has the looks of team that can play in D1, as their defense was all over the place. In fact, finally, considering the hype he had received on the ‘03 Concordia Stingers billboards, and for having the so-called Rick “the Model” Martel looks, Ricky Martin made an impact with an interception, and should have had a second pick if it was not for a collision with his Happiness teammate. Overall, the total team defense statistics against the All Blacks was this: 4 sacks, 3 interceptions, 7 passed defense, and 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns. Not a bad day for a team that will be a tough out for weeks to come.

What’s more shocking? The Homosapiens lost for the second week in a row, or the Pacmen winning their first game of the season? For the amount of attention the Sapiens have received from the D2 circle, are they legitimate, or they just an overrated team? Ben Leger, in his first game against Notre Dame, had everyone thinking how do you stop his versatile throwing motion? Ever since their week 1 victory, Leger, has completed only 17 of 44 passing attempts, he has gained 211 yards, and has thrown for 4 interceptions. If Leger wants to be mentioned in the same breath as Mike McNair, Benny Goodfriend, and Rick Nincheri, he will need to start completing more passes than having a Mendoza like stat line.

Last week, there were rumblings of dissention within the Pacmen ranks, and rumours of how some of its star players wanted off the team. Furthermore, their prized acquisition of former Alouettes special team demon Shaun Diner has fallen apart as he is no longer a part of the team. Now, where does this team look to, to make the plays? Team captain, and quarterback, Phil Ackaoui, passed for 4 touchdowns in a head scratching win over a decent Black Knights team. For now, this will calm the storm within the team. However, will Ackaoui look to acquire some reinforcements during the Super Bowl bye week to make this team competitive, or will he ask FPF for a bailout?

Finally, back in late-December, the D2 fraternity felt the alignment of teams in the two 2 divisions was stronger in Conference A than Conference B. To break down the statistics, this might be a surprise, but after 3 weeks of games, the overall record of Conference A is 17-16, with 6 teams above .500 at a combined record of 14-4, while 5 teams are below .500 with a combined record of 3-12. Meanwhile, the overall record of Conference B is 15-16-2, with 5 teams above .500 with a combined record of 10-2-1, and 6 teams below .500 with a combined record of 3-14-1. What does this entail? For those who assume one conference is stronger than the other, well, think again, because both divisions are split evenly and it will be a dogfight to the end of the season to reach the postseason.

Percentages%:

1%, that there is a quarterback controversy with the Shockers, between Mike McNair, and Mike Godyn; Godyn threw for 7 touchdowns against an outclassed Seminoles team.

6%, that we will see an undefeated team in D2.

7%, that Texas All-Star Garrett Taylor can hold onto to the ball.

10%, the Seminoles have replaced the Pacmen as my new Detroit Lions team to go winless this season.

12%, that we are slowly seeing the changing of the guard with Nixon’s Renegaes Kirby Short to Scot Mironowicz.

16%, that Click Clack will allow 100 total points against by the time they approach game 6 on their schedule. Right now, they have allowed 6 points.

20%, the Mercenaries, and Sharks will snap out of their funk with wins in their next games.

28%, the percentage of competing players in D2 who are convinced that Shockers are not good as their record has indicated.