Fourth-and-Goal (Div C) – Week 2

 

We find ourselves bringing week 2 to a close. Teams are starting to establish themselves, but still have a ways to go. The same goes for me. So, we’re eventually going to see some real meat-and-potatoes substance, and I even have a few special ideas to come. So be patient!

Where Eagles dare

This was EASILY the game of the week. If referee Leo Gervais dubs this game “The best game I’ve seen played in the division,” you KNOW it was good. Here’s a preface: The strength of the Eagles’ defence is in their pair of lightning-quick rushers. The Longhorns have difficulty defending against mobile quarterbacks. As such, the Eagles used their mobile halfback option to its fullest. Meanwhile, Jon Moodie taking a deep snap from center made the Eagles rushers largely ineffective. See the fun?

 

The game started out as an offensive shootout and ended as, quite possibly, one of the most calculated and strategic games to date. After a back-and-forth first half and the Eagles building a more than 12-point lead, it looked like all hope was lost for the Longhorns, especially with the Eagles still having possession. It was at that point that Jean Marineau scored a key interception that turned the tables and raised morale for the men in burnt orange. After scoring a touchdown, the Longhorns utilized timeouts to extend the clock to give them the most possible plays. (FPF lesson: Not every team would have gone this route. Timeouts are there for a reason. Use them.) The Longhorns then managed to prevent the Eagles from gaining a first down and once again gained possession. After three downs, they found themselves just shy of the goal line with one play to go and… Eagles defence pulls through. Final score: 39-34.

 

Inside the Head of Ed

 

I join Edward Shoshan of the Spicy Meatballs in his ice cream store for a few quick questions. Armed with a pen and loose-leaf, I ask questions in between mouthfuls of Mocha Foulli and Sirop d’Erable.

GK: Everyone has a start in FlagPlus Football; tell us about yours.

 

ES: La Resistance in Division C in… Spring 2008, I believe. The roster looked fairly the same as it does now…

 

GK: You’re, uh, leading me right into my next question… You have, for the most part, the same group of guys with you from season to season… What makes this core so special to you?

 

ES [No hesitation]: They’re my best friends.

 

GK: Have you ever considered bringing in a higher division ringer?

 

ES: Honestly, it’s not really our style. I have no problem; you can play with whoever you want… But we’ve learned over the last few seasons that it’s not fun if it’s not with your friends. A ringer is not interesting for us.

 

GK: There are multi-divisional players who play different positions on different teams. Would you be able to handle being on a second team playing somewhere other than quarterback?

 

ES [Sighs]: Yeah. Some sort of receiver, I guess. I catch well and I can run good routes…although I’m not very fast…

 

[Pauses]

Rusher.

[Laughs]

 

Anyways, most quarterbacks know enough to be good receivers. They also know how to clear defenders when they’re not the target receiver.

 

GK: Your least favourite team to play against? Why?

 

ES: Any team that trash talks…honestly.

 

[After I don’t let him off without a name]

Although I don’t know them personally… Those Guys.

 

GK: You’re the only member of the disciplinary committee to be on it since its inception. Tell us about the experience.

 

ES: It’s a fluid process…nothing’s really set in stone. When we started this the first year, we didn’t understand what we wanted. It was somewhat laissez-faire. Now, people are starting to understand that we’re there for the good of the league and the protection of the players. Keeping discipline is good…I can’t think of one negative aspect.

 

GK: You get along with a great many people in this league and are often looked upon as an all-around “good guy.” Does this affect or make you less lenient on the disciplinary committee? Or do you end up compensating and over-disciplining?

 

ES [Shakes head]: No. I play in the league to have fun, and am not tolerant of those who don’t respect the league.

 

GK: Your ideal FPF team. [I anticipate what Ed’s going to say and stipulate that he can’t have anyone from his current squad]

ES: It would be a bunch of friends from with the league. Or FOTC. For me, it’s about having a good time. I want to compete and win, but I need to have a good time. We need to be able to tell each other what’s good and what needs to be worked on, but we’ve gotta respect each other. At the end of the day, you need to be able to look each other in the eye.

 

It’s at this point that I run out of ideas. I’ll decide to interview someone else in a few weeks’ time. Hopefully you enjoyed this segment of “G.M.’s people.”

Power Rankings:

 

Week two is when we start to see who’s consistently going to be here, and who’s going to flutter on and off of the rankings.

1: Mysterious and Magical Men – Have the top spot of the 2-0 teams. They’re still the favourite to win it, and occupy this spot largely due to the fact that they are beating higher calibre teams than the others. Expect a preview of the semi-finals this week. 

2: X-Men – Winning games soundly and establishing themselves as a top contender early on. This week, they get a chance to show that they’re “all that” as they take on the division’s juggernaut. Now would be a good time to have Wade Williams back in the lineup.

3: Flight of the Conchords – Green may be the new Black, but Jonathan Lemieux is definitely on his way to being the next Martin Tougas. The ball is spread evenly and effectively, and the defensive squad is stifling to say the least. The strongest and deepest FOTC instalment, by far.

4: Park-X Streets – Still getting it done, as usual. They capitalized on a 12-point gift from Kardiac Kids, but played more than decently even without it. If you show up to play them expecting last year’s Park-X Streets, boy are you in for a surprise.

5: The Commission – Still atop Conference A West. Jonathan Williams is back in the saddle. Their true test will be this week as they face the also-undefeated FOTC, for the top ranking in Conference A.

6: Longhorns – Tough loss to the Eagles, however I don’t see many more. Up against a winless team, and being put in the weaker Conference A means that it looks like the Longhorns are going to be making a deep postseason run.

7: Sphinx – Welcome back, high-flying Sphinx offence.

8: Spring Cleaning – Strong, but still not contenders. They need to start winning games more convincingly, rather than by such close margins in order to move up the ranks. Maybe a higher division acquisition would solve this problem?

9: Spicy Meatballs – A tough loss to the Mysterious and Magical Men after having a promising 13-0 lead. The silver lining is that it looks like Conference B East’s playoff spots are going to be decided by the divisional games. Now is the time to make mistakes and re-evaluate.

10: Eagles – A huge win against the Longhorns gets them the last spot in this week’s rankings. They’re beginning to look more and more like the Spring 2010 Eagles, and less like the Winter 2011 Eagles. 

Stray Observations:

–  Pre-season rankings: Are they even necessary? Are they ever accurate?
– Showing up on time to games? Does this even need to be talked about? Besides having to beat both your opposition AND the clock, you show up cold and unprepared.
– It’s INCREDIBLE how I feel like I’m a parental figure lecturing you, but… Why are players STILL showing up with shorts with pockets? Seriously. If you’re going to claim that you went 10 weeks last season without being warned by a referee once, I’m definitely going to call you out on this.

– If you’ve worn the pinnies at least once in your FPF career, alternate jerseys suddenly definitely seem worth the cost.

 

 

 

Well, that’s it for this week. I’ll have a bit of a breakdown in the upcoming weeks, but until then, here are my quick-picks for this week:

 

The Commission vs. FOTC: Flight of the Conchords

G.O.A.T. vs. Spring Cleaning: Am not going to predict my own game…I’m not that guy.

No Names vs. Rip and Run: Rip and Run

Rude Bwoys vs. Sphinx: Sphinx

Longhorns vs. Les Fransiscains: Longhorns

Kardiac Kids vs. FAs: Kardiac Kids

Predators vs. Spicy Meatballs: Spicy Meatballs

Mysterious and Magical Men vs. X-Men: X-Men

Falcons vs. Eagles: Eagles

Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies vs. Park-X Streets: Park-X Streets

 

Make sure to send me your feedback. [email protected]