Cover Zero (Div C)

Third article; here we go.

Back again and I’m still eager to write these; it’s a good thing on so many levels.

That being said, I think this week was great, heck- better than week 1, except for me obviously.

I wanted to take a quick moment and mention, for the 100^th time, that referees are just doing their jobs; it’s never personal. There’s no reason to get pissed at them; they call it as they see fit and honestly, they are great. If they miss a call, karma will come back around. Think of it that way; if they missed your call this time, maybe last time it went the other way.

This week’s podcast was great; give it a go, I think GM and Peeze are fantastic together.

Introductions are boring; let’s get this article started.

 

Week 3

The typical segments are back alongside with a special segment for this third week of FPF. I know most of you will enjoy it.

I’ve predicted the perfect parity where every division would look the same (2-0, 1-1, 1-1, 0-2). If it wasn’t for GM’s total failure, I would have been right. A tie, really ?

 

Players of the Week

 

Joey Taylor (Two and a Half Dans) : His receivers had a great game, but he stood out most if you ask me. Great game, very deserving.

Kyle Lebofsky (Broccasion) : In a win vs Moose, he showed up big. An interception was huge and he dominated the offense. Well played.

Terrence Dobson (Game Changers) : We all know I love Pick-six and two-way performances and this guy did just that; 3 TDs on offense and a pick-six on defense. This week’s POTW.

 

 

Quick Recaps

 

Predator’ed

In a game where the long ball took down the short passes, Predators showed Mayhem that they can play ball. They opened up big and kept the lead going ‘till the very end. Although some calls went against Mayhem, the result remains; Predators won.

I’ve seen great things from Project Mayhem both offensively and defensively. I think this team’s future will hang on Holowach’s back a lot more than we’ve expected as their defense really isn’t as gritty as #NR is/was. He’ll have to step up just a bit more to get those extra wins; I’m not a doubter of the orange.

As to Predators, they’ve been playing good and they’ve been winning. I can’t say I’m impressed, but I think they can still improve and dominate even more. Time will help their chemistry and this is just one of the teams I’d rather face earlier than later this season.

 

 

The Analysis

This week, I’ve decided to take a quick moment to glance at every team and give my quick input on whether they’ve surprised me or not. If you disagree, remember that you can always go blame Peeze for losing.

 

East

Predators : The Predators have been playing good, but I still see room for improvement. With the strength of their schedule, they have no room for errors. They’ll have to step it up a notch if they expect another championship run.

Dragons : Regardless of their first week win, they’ve been playing poorly recently. Their defense is carrying Dagenais and he’ll have to step up if they want to finish the season on a positive note. This week’s matchup against Old Farts will determine much for this squad.

Broccasion : After a rough loss in week 1, they’ve showed tremendous efforts in week 2 taking down Moose. A tough division and tough schedule haunts this team, but they’ve got what it takes to win.

Eskimo Brothers : A bad start doesn’t mean a bad team. They’ve been playing up to their opponents’ but they’ve been falling short. 0-2 with a +/- differential of -2 means a lot. Mitchell Muir is clearly underrated.

 

West

Six Fast Guys Plus Ryan : Off a strong start, 6Fast will have to double up on efforts if they want to keep it up. Their second half of the schedule could haunt them in August if they don’t trend carefully.

Two and a half Dans : With a different style of play, the Dans are off to a better start than I’ve expected. A lot relies on the shoulders of Joey Taylor and his mysterious offense.

Centurions : Last week’s loss shouldn’t weight too heavily on this squad. They’ve been playing good football and are adjusting to the skill level. They’ll be great in the second half of the season; they just need to keep improving week in and week out without compromising their record.

BearSkins : Having ranked them #2 in preseason, I can’t say I foreseen this. BearSkins have the roster to dominate, but the question mark remains on the QB. Seeing Libman take snaps in the second game is puzzling. Will they recruit someone before week 6 ?

 

North

ZOO : It doesn’t matter how nor why you’ve won, as long as you’ve won. Their offense hasn’t shown the effectiveness we’ve expected, but their defense really stepped up a notch and are playing gritty and hungry. I’ve grown to show more respect for the green defensemen as of late.

Project Mayhem : The orange squad fell off short against Predators last week which says a lot about this team. Their offense is clicking, but it’s still missing a little tweaking. I’m confident they’ll find it soon. Adjustments are needed on defense before their record falls one too short.

Old Farts : This team continues to puzzle me. I’m not too sure what to expect and I’m playing them this week. A lot of experienced players, a lot of talent, but they’ve fell short. Maybe it’s a question of timing, maybe it’s something I’m just not seeing. I should know by Wednesday.

Moose : This season’s deception. I expected more from Moose. I thought Moose would have 2 losses this season and now they’re looking at them without a single Win. I don’t think they’ll be able to go on a 8-win streak in the regular season, so maybe they won’t be the Powerhouse I’ve expected them to be. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t underestimate them; momemtum could switch at any given time.

 

South

Game Changers : After 2 convincing wins, Game Changers are looking good. I like their offense; it’s still adjusting to Div C, but it’s working effectively and they’re winning. With their current defense, this team could be a serious contender in 2 months.

Knights : Their first week win wasn’t a fluke; these guys are good. They’ve kept 6Fast down to only 19 points, but the worries we’ve had about the quarterback of this team is starting to show. I think Lanni just needs a bit more time before he can carry his team adequately. I still believe in Knights.

The Originals : The Expendables loss in week 1. They came back week 2 with a vengeance and proved it. Theo might not be this division’s greatest quarterback, but his team might be. His receivers are making plays and he might need to rely a bit more on his legs to get those first downs. A bit of tune up and The Originals will be feared.

Lockdown : Two rough losses for LD and they’ve dug themselves a bad hole to get out of. With their schedule getting steeper with time, LD will need to make something happen. Their defense isn’t clicking and we can feel a lack of chemistry. The real problem comes from their offense; Gianfranco is calling bad plays on third downs. Someone needs to slap him back into his original self and play intelligently. I think he’ll surprise us this week against a strong Centurions squad.

 

 

 

Power Ranking

 

1. Six Fast Guys Plus Ryan. At 2-0, they’re standing strong.

 

2. Predators. Looking better and better with every passing week.

 

3. Game Changers. A strong offense with an impressive defense once again. They keep improving and clashing their opponents. I’m starting to like this squad even more.

 

 

4. Broccasion. A great win against a great team will get you great honors.

 

5. Project Mayhem. Their recent loss to Predators has them falling slightly. Another loss will bump them out of the top 5. Make sure it doesn’t happen.

 

 

 

Predictions

After another week’s 4/7 performance, I’m sitting at 8/14. Ain’t the prettiest, but above the 50% mark nonetheless.

 

Old Farts vs Dragons : A much needed win on both sides. Dragons have been playing poorly recently and need to get that win for their morale. Old Farts can’t really afford to dig a deeper hole. Old Farts’ experience will face off against chemistry in this week’s first game. I expect an offensive battle with more than one interception. If Jonathan Brown is allowed time to move around, Dragons’ defense will get frustrated. Otherwise, we might just see Dagenais a bit too often on the field.

Prediction : N/A

 

Game Changers vs Two and a Half Dans : Game Changers are facing off a different kind of team this week in the Dans. Nonetheless, they’ve been able to adjust easily as of late and their defense keeps on piling up interceptions; I don’t think this week will be any different. Joey Taylor might have to rely more on his legs this week against a dangerous rusher; this is a recipe for disaster. The Dans are simply in a bad matchup.

Prediction : Game Changers

 

Moose vs Predators : Moose can’t afford a third straight loss. Morissette hasn’t been himself recently and that needs to change this week. He’s starting to get familiar with the new faces and his offense needs to click vs Predators otherwise they’ll be receiving a hell of a beating. James Floreani will be facing off against his former teammate Kevin Lubin and I don’t expect JFlo to be cocky enough to hit the deep ball his way. The first drives will be critical here.

Prediction : Predators

 

The Originals vs Six Fast Guys Plus Ryan : Fast facing off faster. This is bound to be exciting. Theo might find this defense hard to read and hard to play against as his players might not be THAT fast anymore. The QB with the less amount of mistakes will take it home this week and I expect Viens to have another great outing after last week’s poor performance.

Prediction : Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans

 

Project Mayhem vs Broccasion : In this week’s game of the week, Holowach facing off against Cerantola might just be what we’ve been wanting to see. Orange fending off Red; two very experienced teams and players will have to leave everything on the field if they want to go home with the Win. Broccasion needs to get the first score and keep Holowach trailing if they want to stay in the game; we know Holowach to play better with the lead; take that away from him and they’ve got a shot at a win.

Prediction : Project Mayhem

 

Lockdown vs Centurions : This game puzzles me. I’m eager to see Gianfranco against the Centurions’ defense, yet I’m not sure how it’ll all turn out. Recently, he’s not been playing well. Hell, I’d say he’s been playing poorly. Centurions’ defense is known to be aggressive and gritty; something Ranaudo isn’t fond of facing (as any other QB). LD’s defense, on the other hand, could be making a statement here against Laporte’s decent start. LD’s rusher against Laporte will be the key matchup this week.

Prediction : Centurions

 

ZOO vs Eskimo Brothers : Coming off a bad week for ZOO regardless of their win, Frank Kaye will be firing on all cylinders. I don’t expect the gang in green to have another bad performance and to drop THAT many balls again. Their defense will be something interesting to see against the underrated Mitchell Muir. If they manage to shutdown Shawn Steen, ZOO might just walk out with the win once again this week !

Prediction : ZOO

 

Knights vs BearSkins : Unless BearSkins have resolved their issue at QB, this won’t be a pretty sight. Knights’ defense is ball-hawking and unforgivable. Lanni and Masciotra have been dangerous out there and poor quarterbacking might just create another field day for these two. Everything relies on BearSkins’s QB’s shoulders this week.

Prediction : Knights

 

 

 

 

That’s it for this week. Expect to hear from me again in the following days or see me on the field watching those great plays or epic failures. Get in touch with me, it makes for better coverage and a better season overall. I’ll be at the fields, my email, [email protected] works and I’ll be watching twitter, @DagenaisFPF, closely this season. Leave it all on the field. Don’t forget to tune in to the Unclehood’s show. Scoop + GM actually make a pretty decent duo in the all-new Monday Mess. Eagle should consider dropping out and sticking to Div E.