The Wrath of Khan (DA) – Week 4

 

For those who have been on a secluded island without internet access, or were hiding in Rehan Starwar’s beard, the FPF front office has decided to promote the Texas All-Stars to Division A, and relegate the Thundering Herd to Division B.

 

What does this entail for the remaining schedule for these two clubs? As a result, both teams will both start off from scratch (0-0 records) and their playoff hopes will be based on their winning percentage. So in essence, they need to win their games to get in.

 

We bid adieu to the Thundering Herd, hopefully they will be more competitive, and good luck in DB.

 

Now, onto to the newly minted team in DA, the Texas All-Stars. I had the honor of covering this Olympic squad of track athletes during the winter season.

 

I have consistently stated that this team is gifted with speed, athleticism, and talent. However, their downfall has been their combustible attitude, and their penchant to gamble on plays rather than using their football IQ.

 

Led by their quarterback, Nathan Taylor (who is celebrating a birthday this week), the All-Stars will go as far as their leader will take them. Taylor possesses near Olympic speed that will pose problems for all of the DA pass rushers. However, he needs to translate his passing game as an asset rather than liability.

 

At times, he has managed the game very well. However, there are periods he resembles Tennessee Titans backup, Vince Young, where his passing game becomes his kryptonite.

 

Taylor needs to be calm in the pocket. He knows that he can beat any pass rusher with his legs. But he needs to develop confidence in his passing ability. If he does, this will go a long way in making this offense even more potent.

 

His supporting cast includes Mike Harrington, Anthony Thompson, and Garrett Taylor. The trio will make life simple for their quarterback with their impeccable route running. However, things can be easier on the three amigos if Taylor can make the straightforward passes rather than run around and hope someone gets open.

 

The other question is the Matt Norzil situation. Norzil, who was called up by the undefeated Ruff Ryders of Happiness, has played two games with the first place squad. Will Norzil stick with a winner, or will he go with his close friends in hopes of upsetting the DA world?

 

If Norzil decides to stay on with his All-Stars compatriots, this will add another dimension to a potentially devastating offense with his size.

 

Furthermore, on defense, his speed and long range will pose problems for opposing quarterbacks who will have to deal with the many elements that Norzil brings to the football field as a rusher. 

 

The end result, their DA opponents had better start getting their track legs in shape, because the All-Stars will be running, running, and running from start to end. We’ll see if they’re able to replicate their DB success in DA, starting this weekend.

 

 

As for the other games this weekend:

 

In what might be an elimination game between the 49ers and Titans (the winner of this game will have the inside track for the last playoff spot in DA), both teams will need to rebound from unimpressive performances last weekend.

 

For starters, Titans quarterback, Patrick Chenard will need to learn how to master the short passing game. It seems this gunslinger has developed tunnel vision for the deep ball. If Chenard is able to perfect the short passing game, this will go a long way in setting up the deep ball.

 

Their upcoming game against the 49ers is a perfect litmus test to practice their short passing game. But, the likelihood scenario is that Chenard will be tempted to continue to the throw the deep ball to his safety net, Nicholas Arsenault-Hum.

 

Although, the best way to utilize a talent like Arsenault-Hum is work him short. His ability to break open from potential tackles for huge gains is his biggest asset.

 

For the 49ers, it was a tough pill to swallow to see this team being outclassed by a far superior Happiness squad.

 

Even with their quarterback, Richard Shefteshy back in the lineup, the 49ers offense was stuck in park. Moreover, they were unable to move the football past midfield until early in the second half.

 

It seems that the same old story for the 49ers is Shefteshy’s difficulty in quickly getting rid of the football. Unfortunately for him, he threw two interceptions; he was sacked three times, and had only eight pass completions.

 

But, to compare him from his first snap under centre as a D2 winter quarterback to the present, he has steadily improved. He is slowly developing an eye to read defenses but he has yet to master it.

 

Also, the losses of J-M Laplante, Tom Nikoletopoulos, and Hamid Mahmoudi do not help in his development. With these three guys on-board, life was somewhat easier for Shefteshy.

 

As I mentioned in my preview article, the 49ers will need to grind out victories.

 

 

Finally, we have the FPF game of the week, as the undefeated Ruff Ryders of Happiness will be taking on the surging 3-1 Rainmakers.

 

If there is any team out there that has rebounded better from a dismal start than the Rainmakers, I’d like to see it. It seems that quarterback Ryan Kastner has regained his confidence as he has torched his last three opponents for a total of 557 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

 

His confidence has been soaring with each pass he throws. Now the biggest test comes in the form of a tough Happiness football team.

 

For the first four weeks of the season, the Happiness have not fielded consistent lineups. However, due to the vast connections they have in the FPF fraternity, they have been able to sign impact players. For example, in their victory over the 49ers, they were able to get up and coming superstar talent, Jacques Void who had one touchdown catch.

 

If the entire Happiness squad does show up for their Sunday night tilt, it will be awfully hard for Rainmakers to compete with this squad.

 

Up to now, Benny Goodfriend has proved all of his critics wrong as he has the inside track for the Heisman Trophy. Goodfriend leads DA with 18 touchdowns passes, he is second with 644 passing yards, and he is second with quarterback rating of 100.5.

 

The battle of the quick release of Kastner versus the accuracy of Goodfriend will be a treat for FPF fans to come witness on Sunday night.

 

However, the Happiness player who has had the biggest impact in FPF so far is Ricky Martin. He has been one of the best two-way players. The added incentive on offense, he can drop back as a quarterback which makes him even more lethal. Martin has proven his worth on this football squad loaded with tier-1 talent. 

 

The other intriguing battle will be Kastner versus Martin. Kastner has to be aware of where Martin is on the football field. He has the ability to cover a lot of ground. If Kastner cannot identify where he is before the snap, it will be a long day at the office. As a result, life will be easy for all-world pass rusher Stephane Cole, who is in fifth place with three quarterback sacks.

 

 

Percentages%

 

10%, that Ryan Kastner will throw an interception against the Happiness.

 

12%, that Happiness superstar Marc Champagnie will return an interception for a touchdown.

 

18%, that Champagnie can beat Texas All-Star, Nathan Taylor in a 40-yard sprint.

 

20%, that the 49ers will score more than six points. In their last two games combined, they’ve only scored eight.

 

40%, that Titans quarterback, Patrick Chenard will throw a deep ball.