The Wrath of Khan (D2) – Week 8

Before I delve into the D2 action, I will like to give everyone a heads-up on my first annual Wrath Awards. In essence, it is my D2 All-Star team for the players who have best exemplified great on-field play. So be on the lookout for the first ever Wrath Awards.

The Messengers of Happiness-Nixon’s Renegades game was one of the better D2 matchups last weekend as the Happiness scraped by with a 25-21 victory. Granted, the Happiness jumped out to a quick 12-0 lead, and it looked like the Renegades were reverting back to their week 1 form when they lost to the Shockers, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Throughout the game, Happiness star pass rusher, Stephane Cole, clearly, was in the head of Renegades quarterback, Scott Mironowicz. Cole was able to handcuff Mironowicz’s running ability, as there were no open lanes for him to attack with his speed. As a result, Mironowicz’s was sacked 3 times by the speed demon Cole. Furthermore, when Liam Mahoney came in relief for Mironwicz, he too felt the pressure of Cole, as he was 3 for 8 for 50 yards with 1 touchdown pass. So no matter who was at the helm, Cole was a force to be reckoned with.

But credit must be given to the Renegades who kept the game close, and if they were able to hold onto the potential dropped interceptions that were thrown by Happiness quarterback, Bennie Goodfriend, then the storyline would have been different. In my humble opinion, this loss was good for the Renegades. From watching this team from week 1 up until now, it seems they need to be playing every week for them to be dominant, rather than having the opening playoff bye-week. The end result is that both teams played some great football, and down the road, the potential matchup does exist for these two clubs to have another epic battle. However, these two clubs will need to correct some of the mistakes they both committed in their duel if they are to make a deep voyage in the D2 playoffs.

For the amount of great action that has occurred in D2 this winter season, the FPF committee will need to figure out a solution on how to break these ties. Never, during my time with FPF, have I seen so many ties in all 4 divisions. Some sort of formula will have to be created and be tested out for the spring league. It is obvious all the teams who are involved in the ties are not satisfied with the end result. In D2 alone, there are 9 teams that have at least one tie, the Sharks having 2. I am confident saying this on behalf of the entire FPF, its time to figure out a plan to resolve these ties. If that means allowing both teams an opportunity to break the deadlock by giving them each one possession, so be it. However, a tie can make or break a team’s chances of qualifying for postseason play.

I must give my kudos to Red Ballers quarterback, Ryan Kastner for his gutty performance against the Turf Toe. In a 37-36 victory over their division rivals, Kastner, was repeatedly battered, bruised, and knocked down to the ground. But yet, he kept on picking himself up as he threw 6 touchdown passes, with 5 of those 6-pointers going to Sanchez Deschamps. The Red Ballers who have a record of 3-5, and are sitting in 7th overall in Conference B, have kept their faint playoff hopes alive. However, the team that occupies the last playoff spot, Notre Dame, is 1-point ahead of them in the standings. The sticking point is the “golden domers” have the tiebreaker over them and will need them to lose their next 2 games for them to have any chance. But once again, congrats to Ryan Kastner for his performance on Sunday night.    

Throughout the season, Conference A has received a ton of fanfare about how it is far superior than Conference B. Sure, there is more parity in Conference A, however, according to the mathematics that I did, the overall records of each division is quite eye-popping. In Conference A, the total win-loss-tie record, is 41 wins, 42 losses, and 5 ties. Whereas compared to the so-called little brother, Conference B, the win-loss-tie record is 42 wins, 41 losses, and 5 ties. Sure, Conference A has more quality tier-1 teams, however, for the last 9 weeks; the talk has been who will be the sacrificial lamb that will be presented to the winner of Conference A in D2 finals? Moreover, in the head to head matchups between the 2 divisions, Conference B holds a 4-2-1 lead over Conference A. So for all the talk that Conference A is superior division than Conference B, look at the overall win-loss-tie category, as the proof is in the pudding that Conference B holds a slight edge over Conference A.

Percentages%
 

2%, that the Seminoles, and Brotherhood will each win 1 game.

4%, that the first place Shockers, will repeat the score of 53-6, as they have achieved this mark twice over the Seminoles, and Byrdgang.

5%, that the All Blacks will make the playoffs.

8%, that Notre Dame teammates, J-M Laplante, and Hamid Mahmoudi will play the next 2 games, and be playoff eligible.

10%, that the officially eliminated Monarchs will revamp their roster.

18%, that we will see another tie before the regular season is over.

18%, that Ross Castleton, who has become a red-zone target, will have another 3-touchdown performance.

25%, that the Wolfpack will crack 350 points for, for the season.

Who Do I Like, and I Don’t Mean Rey Starwar’s Amazon Forest/Sheep Dog like Beard!!!

I like the chances that my co-host, and Shockers player, Ross Castleton will continue his touchdown streak, which stands at 4 games.

I like the Click Clack to finish off their season with a record of 9-1 with wins over the Homosapiens, and Red Ballers.

I like the chances of the Waterbuffaloes to finish as high as third in Conference A. However, wherever they do finish, they will be the toughest out in the playoffs.