Div 6: Groups A, B and C Mid-Season Report Card

Alright Div 6, time to get to your mid-season report card and we’ll get started with Groups A, B and C.

Because the article is long, let’s keep the intro short and just introduce the grading scheme and get the reports in!

The Grading Scheme

Let’s break down how the grading scheme works since it might be a TAD different from your usual expectations of what you are used to when it comes to grades. First thing, the grades will be based off of pre-season expectations. If, for example, you are 5-0 and are expecting an automatic A, that’s not how to the grading scheme works. If I expected you to be 5-0 at this point you’ll likely get a C, maybe B-, but definitely not an A. Likewise, if I expected you to struggle and are 1-4 or 0-5, you won’t be getting an F. In fact, you might receive a B or C, depending on the second thing to look for: the quality of your opponents, and even, how you’ve held up in your games (Are you getting blown out or losing by 1 point?).

Each team will get a blurb on their season performance, their grade, the key players that have been involved so far, and a record prediction to close the year. Note: The key players are not the players I like best or who I believe are the best players on the team but rather it is based on their usage and how they are contributing this season.  The letter grade reflects the following scoring system:

A – You’ve exceeded pre-season expectations.  I never would have thought the team in question would have performed this well.

B – The team is surpassing the expectations that I placed on them ahead of the season, or perhaps you meeting expectations with your record, but have lost close matchups against tough opponents.

C – I was right, and the team is performing exactly as expected.

D – The team is underperforming, either in the division, or relative to expectations. Huddles are strained either because it’s been a season full of losses or things aren’t going according to plan. We’re a losing streak away from missing the playoffs or should be atop the standings and are middle-of-the-pack.

E – Evil, this team is full of people I consider evil. This is a socially constructed grade that no one gets and fills in the gap that the school system has failed to classify.

F – Your team is really underperforming. This is abject failure.

Division 6

Maccabees (4-0)

The play of Shimmy Cons has lead them to a 4-0 record (3-0 really since he missed a game), but scoring 4 TDs a game with a 6:1 TD-to-INT ratio is the top-end of Division 6. While he’s only passing for 116 yards per game, which is average to below-average, the fact that he’s averaging 64 running the ball, ups his offense per game to 180 which is WAY more respectable. They’ve had a real double threat at receiver with Mikey Titleman and Justin Sternklar, combining for 293 receiving yards and 8 TDs. Mikey is a player with past FPF experience and is a pillar on the offense with his size and great hands.

As a rusher, Jordy Melnik puts a lot of pressure on quarterbacks and while his aggressiveness can lead to penalties and sometimes missing the flags and allowing a QB to run for a few yards downfield, once he sees a QB can run, he does break down well and prevents that big run and can get clutch sacks on 3rd and 4th down.

As for their schedule, they’ve only beat 1 formidable opponent in Betway Bandits, but did beat them by 8 points. I will love to see their game against The Habibis in Week 8 when I scorekeep these 2 teams in St-Laurent, as this will be their toughest opponent on their schedule. I like the grittiness, experience and even the depth of the receivers. I think Ryan Rotholz is one of the guys that can be used more, as he has great hands and is a great after-the-catch receiver when he has space and making guys miss.

Grade: C

Key Players: Shimmy Cons, Mikey Titleman, Max Kadanoff

Prediction Record: 9-1

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Why So Serious (3-2)

Finally, Frank Teoli-Colatrella is in the division that is right for him, yet… he’s STILL throwing too many interceptions. He should be better than a 2:1 TD-to-INT ratio kind of QB and should be completing more than 50% of his passes in Division 6, but to be fair, in his last 3 games, he has thrown 14 TDs and 5 TDs. Throw out the first game and it becomes a 3:1 TD-INT ratio, which is better, but he should be a 4:1 kind-of-guy.

The strength of the team has been the defense. 14 INTs in 5 games is CRAZY! Honestly, that is tough to do, so giving their offense 14 extra possessions is amazing. That, plus the team combined has 9 sacks, which has likely lead to 3rd and 4th and long situations which in turn have lead to deep shots being picked off. That’s a great combination to win games in Div 6. Nikolai Streiter is the leader on the D with 3 INTs, who is a returning player from the winter 2014-2015 seasons, so it’s been some time away from the game, but he’s 1 INT away from his season-high of 4.

Their wins have unfortunately come against brand new teams in FPF that have struggled to start their season, so I can’t put much stock into them, and when it came to playing a good team in TuneSquad and a great team in Maccabees, the team got punched in the mouth. They should have fun the rest of the season, but against experienced or more athletic teams, they will be in very tough.

Grade: C

Key Players: Robert Di Ielsi, Josh Currie, Nikolai Streiter, Daniel Assayag

Prediction Record: 5-5

No Fly Zone (3-2)

Their season looked alright entering their Week 6 game, sure, having lost against a VERY strong Habibis team, but also having beat an alright Bananas squad and really taking it to Gru’s Crew. There latest game though, I am surprised they were only able to put up 7 against an average Towers FT team that I have seen play. Perhaps after easily beating Gru’s and toying with them near the end of the game, they may thought they had figured out FPF too quickly and were shutdown in the offensive department.

It appears they do have the defense to back up their name, but averaging 22 points a game will win you some regular season games, but the deeper you go into the playoffs, will not be sufficient to carry you to a victory. Adam Ouici‘s numbers are not great, but it is his first full time season playing the QB position which is tougher than his teammates might think. That said, he is close to throwing 1 TD for every INT thrown. He is playing with fire with those numbers. If he can end up throwing 28-30 TDs and 10-12 INTs by the end of the season, I would feel much more confident with this team.

While Ouici has been barely adequate with his personal stats, he’s done a great job spreading the ball around, which has lead to 3 receivers with 100+ receiving yards and 5 receivers with multiple TD catches. Lucas Gonzalez leads the way in TDs while (brother? cousin?) Nick Gonzalez leads the team with 164 receiving yards. The 3rd of the 3-headed monster is Ali Alvi who has caught the most footballs with 17 receptions and 152 yards. They are actually very close to having a 4th receiver eclipse the 100-yard mark in Connor Houston, who is one of the receivers with 2 TDs on the year. This is great when their opposition are facing them. Go ahead, cover Nick Gonzalez with your best defender, there’s still the other 3 receivers that defenses, especially in Division 6 cannot match that depth in coverage.

Grade: B

Key Players: Lucas Gonzalez, Nick Gonzalez, Ali Alvi

Prediction Record: 4-6

Towers FT (2-3)

For a new team in FPF, spotting a 2-3 to them may seem “bad” since it’s a losing record, but trust me, this is really good, especially with a rookie QB. Now, not every game will be a 72-6 DRUBBING like they had in Week 1. In fact, I’ve been been playing in FPF since Fall 2017 and been covering FPF since 2020, and I have NEVER seen a team score 72 points, so kudos for that accomplishment. That said, they’ve been competitive in every one of their games, which is a great sign, including against experienced and strong teams, so it wasn’t just a fluke playing against a bad Gyprock team. However, since that Week 1 victory, they haven’t scored more than 19 points and in 3 games, have only scored 2 TD’s. The offense, for FPF standards, is not putting up enough points to consistently win games, and will have trouble winning against a team like TuneSquad or like they did against Maccabees where they held Maccabees to 26 points, but were only able to put up 19 points of their own. As a rookie QB, Davide Bartolucci is putting up nice offensive numbers, averaging 126 passing yards per game (a bit low), but compensates it with his rushing yards, which is common in Division 6, averaging 44 rushing yards per game.

They are leaning on the experience of George Spano and there’s nothing wrong with that, as he is leading the team in all receiving categories with 10 receptions, 231 yards and 5 TDs. Before I go on with the receivers though, BOYZ, GET GLOVES. Your QB will appreciate it. He is throwing the ball HARD out there, and he HAS to. He’s throwing the ball hard, but it’s a very catchable ball. He can’t be babying passes in, or else he would have 14 INTs and 6 TDs, so PLEASE, help out your QB and get gloves. While Joël Valois-Brunet is the clear WR2 on the team, he could have 11 or 12 catches on all 12 targets thrown his way. There were a few dropped passes that could have moved the chains and perhaps won them their game against MTL Red Blacks.

While their 10 team INTs are impressive, 5 of those came in the first blowout win, so 5 INTs in 4 games is still good, to get 1 turnover per game and get the ball back for your offense. Spano is the leader on the defense, with 19 tackles, and you can tell where the rest of the team is giving up 4-6 yards on short, he’s the one shooting gaps and tackling guys for 2 yard gains when without him there, receivers would be getting 5-6 yards instead.

Overall, these guys have potential to be very good after a couple of seasons under their belt, but for now, they are in their development and learning phase and will be competitive against experienced teams and beat new teams like them.

Grade: B+

Key Players: Anthony Farthing, Joël Valois-Brunet, George Spano

Prediction Record: 4-6

Gyprock State University (0-5)

👀🥲😖

3 emojis to show the STRUGGLE that Gyprock are facing. Boys, this league is HARD. Don’t fret or give it up. Yes, defense is HARD. Yes, moving the ball offensively is NOT EASY. Reach out to Peeze Della Reeze or myself, Iggy Magnets for help on offense and Alex “Eagle” D’Aquila for the defense. First thing I can suggest. Pick 1 quarterback and stick with them. Yes, they will suck, but someone has got to take their licks and improve. We’ve all been there. If you get frustrated and just rotate QBs, how does the saying go? “If you have 3 QBs, you have none”.

Simplify the plays. Run all hooks at 2-3 yards, complete easy passes, and let your receivers do the work. Run this until defenses start adjusting and take it away. Once defenses start manning up and taking the hooks away, run 1-2 yard drag plays from your slots so the defense is chasing your receivers and hit them in stride and let them fly up field. If you are running a Halfback and RPO plays, stop. This isn’t tackle football where there are linebackers that you need to read if they are crashing the A or B gap. All you are doing is taking precious seconds away from the QB reading the defense and who’s playing short and who’s playing deep.

For defense, let me plagiarize the great Peeze Della Reeze, or at least give him credit for his work explaining defensive zone concepts:

The first play I wanted to bring up is one that scares new defences, Zone defense. Zones in general terrify new defences because they’re poorly applied. Man defence is great if you have the athletes and win every matchup across the board but veteran QB’s will call double moves and rub routes to expose man if they see it coming. As such man is better served if you dominate the other team athletically or to surprise the QB in key situations.

Play Name: Cover 2

FPF teams commonly use a numbering scheme to call their defenses. The non-rushing defenders are numbered 1 through 5. The defensive captain should call out who’s dropping.  Here are three common examples of cover 2 defense:

“2-4”

“1-5”

“3-5” (or alternatively “1-3”)

How to execute the play: 

It’s important to note a few things regardless of which zone you call.  The flat defenders need to be aware that the flats are divided in thirds and each flat defender is responsible for his third. DO NOT CHASE.

Secondly, flat defenders should always make their first step forward. All defenders should line up, flat in a line between 5-7 yards away.  Once the ball is snapped the flat defenders should break to their spot IN FRONT of them, I can’t stress this enough. Otherwise, if they back up slants and hooks will be caught in their faces all day. My recommendation is to jump, take one route away and when the receiver leaves your zone, jump back to pick up anyone who has newly entered your zone.  If after you pick-up and release your first route then, AND ONLY THEN you can start dropping into the intermediate area. 

Deep defenders need to be acutely aware that they are dividing the field in half.  Your half is your responsibility. If their are two routes in your area. Try to split them and break on the ball when it’s thrown.

No zone will cover every route. It has its weaknesses and strengths.  The goal is to make it as hard as possible for the QB to read.  You do this by:

1- Taking away early reads by aggressively playing the flats. 

2- Not chasing

3- Remaining disciplined and never standing static in your zone (don’t guard grass)

4- Nothing over the top and try to force, late deep throws 

Hope that helps a bit boys!

Grade: C

Key Players: Massimo Riva, Massimo Santone

Prediction Record: 0-10

Baby Rays (4-0)

Not surprised at all this team is 4-0, so yes, C grade for you! Peeze has mentioned it on CTA, but Olivier St-Onge hasn’t been elite, throwing 3.5 TDs for every 1 INT, which is good, but not out-of-this-world for a USports QB. There’s nothing new to report here though. Tyler Gurberg and Curtis Ryan have been good, but honestly, to be the 24th-ranked and 46th-ranked receivers in terms of yardage is surprisingly low. That said, I’ll give that Gurberg‘s 7 TDs are 3rd best, so he’s in the Top receiver conversation there.

Tylar Bianchi has shown his defensive prowess in past seasons, but his performances at QB have usually overshadowed his defensive game. He is leading the team (with Curtis Ryan) with 3 INTs on the season, and rusher Jared Arany is on his usual pace of 1 sack per game.

Honestly, there’s nothing out of the expectation with this team and they will go as far in the playoffs as Olivier St-Onge takes them. In the later rounds, he will need to produce a minimum of 5TD’s when they are facing off against the 8 and 4 best teams, even in Division 6. So his QB progression will be what we are watching over the back half of the season

Grade: C-

Key Players: Olivier St-Onge, Tyler Gurberg, Curtis Ryan

Prediction Record: 10-0

Don’t Blink (1-2)

Don’t fret Don’t Blink. A 1-2 record after only 3 games is not bad, especially when one of those games is against a team that has 5 seasons under their belt in Killer Rays. You got a win against a pretty decent MTL Red Blacks team, and Pigeons seem to be an offensive power, so the losses I can understand. The rest of their schedule is NOT easy though. They need to come out of the Practice Squad (6), Bananas and Douilles Molasses stretch with 2 wins.

Then, whoever the QB is, needs to start wearing a jersey/shirt with a number and that is the same color as your teammates, or else you won’t get stats, and I can’t comment on your performances and see how your progressing during the season. C’mon man! Everyone loves the stats! Make sure you are in uniform protocol! The same has to go for the receivers. There’s a bunch of players with 1 GP, so either they have roster inconsistency issues or they too aren’t wearing numbers.

You get a B for the record because I expect new teams to struggle hard, but a minus for not wearing numbers.

Grade: B-

Key Players: Jordan Rimawi, Kosta Danilidis

Prediction Record: 1-9

Bananas (1-3)

So this is tricky. The record is 1-3, but the losses have been within reach. A 1 point loss to a firepower team like Betway Bandits is a great result. Then losing by 2 possessions to No Fly Zone isn’t great, and then only putting up 6 points against Fiddlers is disappointing. Their win is then a 1 point loss to Grus’s Crew, who have been struggling and are sitting at 0-5 so far. What I’m saying is that it’s hard to get a good read about Bananas. Are they good? Are they bad? I’ll try and unpack their season so far.

Michael Orlando probably wishes he was in Florida. Throwing 11 TDs in 4 games is alright, but throwing an equal amount of picks is not. Dude, trust me, I get it, Quarterbacking is HARD, and Adam Parasuco can back you up on that, I’m sure. He is at least completing a healthy amount of passes, with a 59% completion percentage, so it’s clear Anthony Addona has told him that there’s no shame in hitting the short routes all day. His 138 passing yards per game are pretty good for Div 6, especially when you add another 44 yards on the ground per game. Another thing Orlando is doing well is distributing the ball. Another thing there’s nothing wrong with his having a clear WR1, which goes to Addona and his 232 yards and 4 TDs. What’s great to have is depth at receiver, which the team has in Michael Chan and Jordan Santoro, combing for another 253 yards and 4 TDs. It’s interesting because the yardage is there for the team, averaging 190 yards per game, but only averaging 18.5 points per game. The high 1st down count combined with the high INT count though suggests that they are moving the ball, but then throwing a redzone pick often in games. It makes sense, because the redzone is a highly congested area and certain play calls that work in other areas of the field don’t work well here. The fact they’ve only converted 1 XP attempt further supports this theory. Many QBs often have redzone-and-convert-specific plays. I suggest new one’s are created for the redzone/convert plays.

The defense hasn’t been atrocious, which is good for Division 6, since many offenses have trouble moving the ball. Both Adam Parasuco and Anthony Addona are leaders on the team, both with their FPF experience and in terms of turnovers created. Then having more experience with the Glory Boyz’ Julian Salvatore rushing puts this team ahead of the curve over many teams in Div 6. He’s done his part with 5 sacks in 4 games and is another vocal leader on the team.

I think they end the season 3-3, so because of the 1-3 start the record overall doesn’t look great, but that should lock them into a playoff spot. Their goal should be to improve the offense steadily, particularly protecting the football more by Orlando. Throw safer passes and hit the deep only when it’s wide open. Just a suggestion from one QB to another.

Grade: B

Key Players: Anthony Addona, Julian Salvatore, Adam Parasuco

Prediction Record: 4-7

MTL Red Blacks (1-3)

Despite the 1-3 record, and general lack of production as of today, I actually like the team. The roster is built solid. With Liam Gilmore throwing in Division 5, he should be having a breeze with the slower pace and more disorganized defenses, but that hasn’t been the case, statistically at least. 370 yards and 9 TD’s in 4 games? Averaging an 1 interception per game? The interceptions don’t bother me as much, since he needs more time to gel with his receivers, but the offensive output has been low. I do like the production out of the trio Dariusz Czeczuk (also on Backwoods FC), Walid Bessak and his reliable snapper and team captain, Julian Pounder. All 3 have multiple TD catches on the year and have combined for 357 yards, which accounts for 96% of the offense. Their 8 TDs also represent 89% of the TDs thrown by Gilmore. While it’s easy to say “okay, stop these 3 guys and you’re set”, it’s rare that Div 6 defenses can go 3-4 guys deep down the depth chart to play good defense. The one receiver I believe that is being underutilized though is Tabari Yearwood. On Monday night against Towers FT, him and his QB weren’t on the same page, but when you get Yearwood rolling, he’s hard to stop. He’s one of those guys that gets better with more touches. Look, I’m not saying to feed him exclusively the ball, but if you can mix him into that 3-headed monster they currently have, I would say, Watch Out for MTL Red Blacks.

The defense hasn’t been great, but they’ve also faced some good teams like Betway Bandits and Dime Squad who have offensive punch. So to be giving up 27.5 points per game is not as bad as it seems. It’s 3-4 TDs per game with some converts given up. Look, defense is HARD. A lot of defenses in Div 6 get stops because the offense stops themselves, and in this case, 2 of their 4 opponents knew how to advance the ball with ease. The other 2? They allowed 18 and 13 points against, so the D isn’t doing too bad.

What I am worried about is the remaining schedule. They did not pull out an easy schedule, with their next 3 games against juggernauts, The Habibis, Baby Rays and Maccabees. That said, those games will be learning lessons, and Gilmore will need to improve his play and build chemistry with his guys and hopefully they come out of the tough stretch, better and wiser.

Grade: B-

Key Players: Walid Bessak, Julian Pounder

Prediction Record: 3-7

Dime Squad (1-4)

Ahhhh the Cheat Squad. I think that after losing 31-12 and 40-18 against Douilles Molasses and LaSalle Warriors Midget, they thought that they were too good to lose by that much and start the season 0-2. Instead of playing the games outright, they tried to sneak in Justin Charles, a Quarterback who cannot throw in Division 6, under the name Josten Ferri, so that they could win games. The sad part is, Dime Squad are GOOD! I’ve seen them play, and while they obviously have tackle experience, they lack flag experience. Okay, so? Play the game and get better. Also, chill out, they are out their spitting profanities to players and refs and playing WAY too physical for flag. It’s a non-contact sport, so you can’t tomahawk your arm into a guy’s chest to break up a play. You need to be skilled enough to get all ball while always being in control of your own body. Just play a clean football game and I’m telling you, you guys will win the majority of your games.

Because you haven’t played with a legit QB, I can’t analyze your QB stats, so we move to the receivers. William Gillespie is the clear-cut WR1 on the team, already eclipsing the 200-yard mark and leads the team with 6 TDs. Him and Tristan Boyer make for a scary 1-2 punch for defenses covering them. Combined, they have amassed over 400 receiving yards and 11 TDs. That’s some serious firepower. It doesn’t just end there, Elliot Houde, Sean Boyle and Evan Stirling all 3 receiving TD’s themselves, so this team goes 5 receivers deep.

So yes, they’ve given up 133 points. It’s flag. The game is built for the offenses to score. That said, they have 9 INTs as a team and 6 sacks from Paolo Carpineta. Those are some solid key stats from the D’s perspective, and the more times you can give this offense the ball, the more damage they can do on the scoreboard.

Grade: F (what grade do you get when you cheat in school?)

Key Players: William Gillespie, Tristan Boyer, Paolo Carpineta

Prediction Record: 4-6

Betway Bandits (5-1)

After only hearing of the Betway Bandits last winter season but never actually seeing them play a game, I finally saw this team play this year. This is the next up-and-coming team that will move out of Div 6 and into the middle divisions. Tyler Havlena has a cannon of an arm and it’s no surprise he’s the leader in passing yards and TD’s (granted he’s played an extra game over most QBs). Not only is he leading in passing yards, he’s added close to 200 yards on the ground with an extra TD and is averaging a 1st down with every run. Now that is a serious dual threat. That said, there are 2 things to his game that need improvement. He needs to learn that he can hit the short game a little more often. He does do it, but needs more of it to up that completion percentage. The other thing is that in taking the deep shots he likes, he’s more prone to INTs. While 5 in 6 games isn’t bad, especially for Div 6, as him and the team move up in FPF and make a deep playoff push this winter season, he will need to learn to protect the football a bit more and take the deep when it’s WIDE open, and limit the 50/50 balls.

It’s clear that Havlena has great chemistry with Tomas Colicchio, as he is the WR1 in the entire division, leading in receiving yards and TDs. But the receiving attack doesn’t end there. I absolutely love and am a big fan of teams that go 5, even 6 receivers deep, and that’s what the Betway Bandits have. Sean Langis, Nick Colicchio, Sam Duchesne, Neil Shah are all reliable receivers that can come up with the clutch first down catch, TD reception, or extra point conversion. The last 4 receivers all have 3 or more TDs, which makes it incredibly difficult for defenses to matchup against all 5 receivers.

15 INTs on Defense?! Are you kidding me? Wow, absolutely monster numbers, to go along with 6 sacks, split evenly between Sam Duchesne and Shayne Mailhot. Defenses are either backed up into 3rd and 4th and long situations or throwing interceptions to the D, mainly Tristan D’Silva who is tied for the division lead with 5 picks.

If you can’t tell, I’m fangirling over this team, as they are the next team that will be moving thick and fast in FPF.

Grade: A

Key Players: Tyler Havlena, Tomas Colicchio, Tristan D’Silva

Prediction Record: 9-1

The Habibis (5-0)

Can I say it even though I’m throwing in Div 5? CHEAT CODE team right here, but hey, the current set of rules allows it. Zack Stacey is not just up-and-coming. He’s already here and making a name for himself. He’s smart, a great decision-maker, has a great flag playbook, is patient and athletic to make things happen when the play breaks down. Combined with his 115 rushing yards, he has over 1,000 yards of offense in 5 games, which is awesome. He’s going to keep ripping it up in Div 6, so enjoy it while you can man! You’ll soon be throwing in Div 4 by next winter, no hesitation.

Then you have Stacey throwing to Nick Di Maulo, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone to see the stats he’s been putting up. 22 receptions, 300 yards and 6 TDs. What has caught my eye, and certainly caught many defenders off guard when seeing him in person, is the veteran Karim Yasmine. He’s the team leader in receptions (26), yards (309) and TDs (8) and is deceivingly quick with great hands, which makes him a perfect weapon for his QB. While these 2 are cruising with the yards, if a defensive team meets them in the playoffs and can shut down Yasmine and Di Maulo, Stacey should use the remaining games to build chemistry with his depth receivers. David Weiss is the obvious choice to be that WR3 for key first downs, as he too has clutch hands. I like what I’ve seen from Anthony Giannatsis as well. While the yards have been skewed, the TD’s have been distributed across 7 different receivers, so everyone becomes a redzone threat in the tight area.

With great rushing from Nicolas Tawfik so far, not only do his 6 sacks have him ranked 5th overall, he’s applying pressure that has lead to 11 turnovers via interception, and once Nick Di Maulo has got the pick, it’s always in danger for going for a pick 6. Where offenses in Div 6 tend to struggle, they will have a hard time moving the ball against The Habibis.

Despite crushing competition, it’s 100% expected. Therefor C grade!

Grade: C

Key Players: Zack Stacey, Karim Yasmine, Nick Di Maulo, Anthony Giannatsis

Prediction Record: 10-0

Fiddlers (3-1)

For first time Quarterbacking, Manny Bizogias is doing really well. Averaging 3 TDs to 1 INT is pretty damn good for your first time quarterbacking, and it shows that with some development and a few season, that Bizogias can evolve to be a legit flag Quarterback. I see a lot similarities between him and my first season at Quarterback. There are gonna be some ups and some downs, and so far, he’s mostly had the ups, which is great, but he can’t get down on himself when he does have performances like the one against Maccabees. They suck in the moment and the day after, but they are learning experiences that only make you better at QB. I love when guys give QB a shot, and I’m happy for Manny leading his team to a 3-1 record so far.

He’s clearly found chemistry with Andrew Perillo, the teams #1 receiver who has caught 93% of the balls thrown his way, summing up for 235 yards and 5 TDs. He’s also seen success connecting with Kevin Scalia who has taken his 10 catches for 148 yards and 2 scores. After that, the depth drops considerably, but Nino Lombardi can be that clutch WR3 for the team like he was with FKU.

Lombardi has been a clutch rusher on the defensive side of the ball, tied for the 2nd most sacks in the division with 8. With his rushing and the 8 turnovers from interceptions have them with the 4th least Points against per game (13.8). Shutting teams down to 2 TDs per game will certainly win you a lot of FPF games, especially when your QB is averaging 3 TDs per game. The D is so strong, that teams are only scoring on 37.5% of their possessions while the offense is scoring on 1/2 drives. Again, recipe for success.

Grade: A

Key Players: Manny Bizogias, Andrew Perillo, Nino Lombardi

Prediction Record: 7-3

TuneSquad (2-2)

I’d say, so far, so good for TuneSquad. Had they lost their game to Why So Serious, I would have had some serious doubts about TuneSquad, but they handled them rather easily. The real question is, now since Fall 2020 where they made the jump to the senior men’s division, how far have they come? I’d say a pretty slow and steady rise, but definitely no rapid curve up, but also no rapid curve down, which is a good sign. The team has added some pieces over the season, but the departure of Chaz Presser has hurt the team. That said, pieces like Adam Antel and Max Arnovitz have helped solidify the roster on both sides of the ball. I’d say the teams slow but steady improvements have been mirrored by Garner Ross‘ development. I’m glad to see that the INT numbers are below 5 after 4 games. I would still like to see him complete over 60-62% of his passes, but at least the TD count is very respectable, at 13. He is still very comfortable with snapper Jesse Dym, particularly in the redzone, as Dym is 2nd in the team with 3 TDs so far. Not only does he have reliable hands offensively, Dym is having his best defensive season in his FPF career, already tripling his interception count, including one that he took the house for 6 points.

I’m interested in seeing how TuneSquad will fare in their final 6 games of the season, especially against teams like their next opponent, Top G, who are athletically, a problem for most Div 6 teams, towering and muscling over their opponents. Like X-Men, TuneSquad should be able to out scheme them with their knowledge of FPF spacing and concepts, but that’s why I’m interested to see if they can apply all that they’ve learned so far in 2.5 years. They need to go 3-1, at worst 2-2 in their next 4 games because the last 2 will prove to be their biggest challenge yet. So work at it and give the Maccabees and The Habibis everything you’ve got.

Grade: B+

Key Players: Garner Ross, Adam Antel, Jesse Dym, Avi Korman

Prediction Record: 5-5

Grus’s Crew (0-5)

Whether it’s been Mathieu Lafortune or Vaughn Vanslet (that’s a pretty bad-ass Hollywood name), the QB struggles are apparent. Hey boys, it’s not bleepin’ easy! And now two of you know how hard the pivot position is. That said, while it wasn’t the prettiest, Vanslet had a decent game against a strong Betway Bandits team. There’s definitely something to work with there, perhaps accuracy and decision-making, probably even issues with the playbook, where oftentimes, two receivers were in the same area.

No surprise that Sam Anastasopoulos is leading the team in receiving stats, the guy is a BALLER. The only thing is, while it’s great to have a stud at receiver, one great defender can shut him down, and then the offense is hurting. That said, they need to get Wilson Belley more touches, as he has the ability to make defenders miss tackles. He’s a great candidate to be the WR2 on the team. Then add Mathieu Lafortune as a WR2/WR3 option, and the 0-5 hole they’ve dug themselves can be made right in the second half of the season. Lafortune has good hands, is good after the catch, he too needs to be more involved in the offense.

The defense is the weak spot. In the deeps, they cover well with Anastasopoulos and Belley (although a good deep ball team like Betway Bandits exposed them) but its in the flats where they are getting destroyed. Also, I love the energy from Michael Adkins, but he can’t let quarterbacks who can clearly run, run and buy time by rolling out. He can’t go in full force only to get beat by 1 cut. He needs to break down, go 50-60% once he is near a mobile QB and force the pass. Most Div 6 QBs aren’t great with accuracy, so let them beat you with their arm and not their legs.

Grade: B-

Key Players: Sam Anastasopoulos, Wilson Belley

Prediction Record: 1-9

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