Food For Thought (Div 3) – Week 5

So many questions and so few answers…

 

Halfway through the season, I am very concerned for Scott Kelly and the Briscoe High Hawks. When everything seems to be in place for a championship season, Kelly’s arm becomes as unreliable as a punctured football. Time for a wake up call!

 

Meanwhile, the Dirty Birds get their behinds handed to them by Prestige World Wide’s offence. In their case, I’ll simply dismiss the game as an “erreur de parcours”. However, their defence might need some tightening sooner rather than later.

 

VPC’s offence is so tough to stop. They feasted on the already demoralized Terror Squad who were playing without some of their key players. Louis Richard and Vinny Gualano are the best duo of receivers in D3 and it seems their QB is able to give them the ball as often as he wants to. Opposition, watch out!

 

Park-X Streets should probably have one more point in the standings. Nevertheless, they played well below their potential against Picksquad last week. Has their offence reached it’s limits? With 12 INTs in 5 games, their defence is still as solid as ever.

 

 

Who IS this guy?

Every week until the end of the season, I will be shining some light on a player who is either new to the league or has been playing in relative anonymity for a while.

 

This week’s player to watch is Yari’s Autonomics’ Anthony Claro.

 

Back from a four-year hiatus from FPF, Claro is on pace for 42 catches, 610 yards and 12 TDs… not bad for a former QB! Tall as a tree and fairly quick for his stature, Claro is an ideal target for his QB as well as a threat in the middle of the defence. He has been an integral part of his team’s success until now. With him in the line-up, a winning record is a very real possibility.

 

 

Mid-Season Awards

What if the season ended today?

 

Well, these guys would be going home with individual awards:

 

Two-Way Player of the Year: Sébastien Pereda – Patriotes

 

QB of the Year: Daniele Gentile – Dirty Birds

 

Receiver of the Year: Louis Richard – VPC

 

Defensive Player of the Year: Phil Cutler – KGP Champs

 

Luckily for the rest, there is still a lot of football to be played. Can YOU catch up?

 

PLAYOFF RACE

While Grindteam and Gold Standard are practically eliminated, 26 teams are still in the thick of the hunt for a playoff spot. Will that tie come back to haunt the Knockaround Guys or the Green 18s? And, most importantly, can the D-Boys stay undefeated?

 

Conference A

1. D-Boys (5-0)

2. Sandlot Saints (4-1)

3. SWAT (4-1)

4. Green 18s (3-1-1)

5. Briscoe High Hawks (3-2)

6. Big TDs (3-2)

7. Served with Ice (3-2)

8. Park-X Streets (3-2)

————-

9. Yari’s Autonomics (3-2)

10. Knockaround Guys (2-2-1)

11. KGP Champs (2-3)

12. Dirty Dawgers (2-3)

13. Picksquad (2-3)

14. Gold Standard (1-4)

15. Hurricanes (0-5)

16. Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies (0-5)

 

Conference B

1. Dirty Birds (4-1)

2. VPC (4-1)

3. Prestige World Wide (4-1)

4. Terror Squad (4-1)

5. Patriotes (3-2)

6. CF (3-2)

7. Bandits (3-2)

8. Eagles (3-2)

————-

9. Rude Bwoys (2-3)

10. Snookers (2-3)

11. Maniax (2-3)

12. VR6 (2-3)

13. Langers (2-3)

14. Grindteam (1-4)

15. Sons of Cyr (0-5)

16. Souljahs (0-5)

 

 

OFFICIAL D3 POWER RANKINGS (and predictions)

 

 

1. D-Boys (5-0): They will finally face a powerhouse team this week. Will their unreal defence make a stand once again? They are currently averaging more than 3 INTs per game…

 

Prediction: D-Boys  19 – Dirty Birds  20

 

 

2. VPC (4-1): The most unheralded team in the division, I can’t help but admit that Robbie Robinson has become a top-of-the-line QB.

 

Prediction: Hurricanes  20 – VPC  39

 

 

3. Prestige World Wide (4-1): How about that! They took it to the Dirty Birds in an offensive shootout. Can they do the same against the Big TDs improved defence?

 

Prediction: Prestige World Wide  24 – Big TDs  27

 

 

4. Dirty Birds (4-1): Can the division’s most explosive offence solve the defensive puzzle that is the Lanni connection?

 

Prediction: D-Boys  19 – Dirty Birds  20

 

 

5. Terror Squad (4-1): Without Tam Vilaydeth, Gabriel Cournoyer and Weiland Prosper, the Squad’s chances were greatly diminished last week. Can they bounce back against the surprising Saints?

 

Prediction: Sandlot Saints  25 – Terror Squad  32

 

 

6. SWAT (4-1): SWAT’s defence is finally a key element in their success. They seem to be playing their best football at the moment.

 

Prediction: Langers  19 – SWAT  39

 

 

7. Served with Ice (3-2): They’ve won 3 of their last 4. Jean-Daniel Chevalier was a hell of an off-season addition!

 

Prediction: CF  26 – Served with Ice  37

 

 

8. Briscoe High Hawks (3-2): Times are tough for this star-powered team. However, their roster is just to deep, especially on defence, for them not to eventually get rolling.

 

Prediction: Briscoe High Hawks  44 – Sons of Cyr  6

 

 

9. Sandlot Saints (4-1): They have a chance to prove that they belong in these standings. Can they capitalize on Terror Squad’s QB troubles?

 

Prediction: Sandlot Saints  25 – Terror Squad  32

 

 

10. Big TDs (3-2): After a valiant effort against the hottest team in D3, they will now have to face the second hottest team in Prestige World Wide… Time for some big plays on defence!

 

Prediction: Prestige World Wide  24 – Big TDs  27