Inside the Red Zone (Div 3) – Week 5

The Nature Boy Rick Flair (pro wrestler) once said, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man” and the D-Boys did exactly that last week, winning against DK. I don’t know what the ‘D’ stands for in D-Boys, but it should be defense. It was a great win for their squad and they’ve just put Division 3 on notice, they intend on going all the way and there isn’t anything anyone can do about it. In other news, the Eagles defeated CF to earn their first victory of the season. It might not be too little too late for the Eagles because Conference A’s bottom spots are still very much undecided in the early playoff picture. Stay tuned for the second half of the season, it promises to deliver a great finish.

 

Last week, I introduced implementing a 3 down system and/or moving the rusher closer to the line of scrimmage. It turned into a great discussion on our Facebook page and I appreciate everyone’s participation. Here is this week’s topic: FPF currently has rules in place that allows teams in lower divisions to have a limited number of higher division players. Will FPF be better off with a system that attributes points to players (depending on skill level and past stats/achievements) and teams cannot exceed certain amount of points depending on their division?

 

It’s similar to a “salary cap” type system where teams in every division (except for Division 1) are only allowed a certain amount of points; the lower the division, the lower the amount of points that will be permitted. For example, let’s say a player is attributed 6 points (highest points any player can have in my proposed system) and Division 3 teams cannot exceed 15 points. Even if a player chooses to avoid playing in higher divisions to instead play in a lower one, his points will stick to him and he might put the Division 3 team over the limit. Hence, it will create more parity in lower divisions because teams might only be able to afford one or two “stronger” players. Please share your comments, opinions and suggestions.

 

Headlines

 

The Better Conference

If we compare records of all the teams between the two conferences, Conference A stands at 35-36 and Conference B at 39-34. Just by looking at these numbers, it doesn’t tell us much but let’s dig a bit deeper. Conference A has seven teams (47% of the conference) with a record of 1-4 and a total of nine teams are below .500. In Conference B, there are six teams that have a record of below .500 however only three teams have one win or less.

 

So what does this all mean? Simply put, Conference B has more parity and competition is tougher amongst the teams. If the playoffs started today, it would be a dog fight for the bottom 4 spots. However, Conference A has stronger contenders. By that I mean the 2013 Division 3 champions will probably be from Conference A. If the Conference B teams do not agree, please do not start rioting. The best way to prove someone wrong is by walking the walk. If you do win it all, I will personally apologize in my last article after the championship game.

 

Under The Radar

Certain teams get a lot of press and certain teams demand more attention but how about those teams who win quietly? Allow me to introduce the Jonesers who are currently 3-2. Last week, despite playing against a High Rollers squad full of athletes, they won comfortably. The core of the team played on the Jewish Cucumbers in Division C last Spring. Ryan Lelinowski is on pace for just under 2000 passing yards and 48 passing TDs. Do they have the depth to contend with the top dogs in Division 3? So far they have only played one team over .500 (B.D. Bandits) and lost, but given their remaining schedule, they should make the playoffs. After that, anything is possible.

 

 

STATEMENT OF THE WEEK

D-Boys 31 – DK 13 – There was no bigger statement in week five than D-Boys winning their match up in the fashion they did. Their defense played lights out and Marco Masciotra’s numbers on offense were equally impressive. James Crowe caught three TD passes and had an INT.

 

 

Power Rankings

 

1. D-Boys – An impressive win over a team that seemed unstoppable, they are now the top dogs in Division 3.

 

2. Dirty Birds – Matthew Bishara had a great outing against KGP Champs and DBs stay 5-0.

 

3. B.D. Bandits – A close win against GPK but according to Scott Kelly, it’s only because the GPK offense was so boring, it was putting him to sleep.

 

3. Sandlot Saints – Similar to the Bandits, a close win against the Fighting Irish but they too remain undefeated.

 

5. DK – It’s tough to see DK at fifth after being on top for so long however their loss was enough to drop them four spots.

 

6. Trojans – Their week five win against Served With Ice was just what the doctor ordered. From here, I see them catching fire.

 

6. Rude Bwoys – Brian Eudoxie, who is often undervalued in this league, had a monster game to keep his team at 4-1.

 

8 Les Eudistes – Having played against them in week five, they’re a relentless team who never go away. They’re 4-1 for a reason.

 

9. Dirty Dawgers – They won the battle of the dawgs and similar to the Trojans, they will be a tough team to beat in the second half.

 

10. Le Loft– A 3-2 record, point differential of plus 35, they’re a good middle of the pack team with a few X-Factors that can surprise a team or two.

 

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Meet the Competition: CF

by: Justin Blanchard

 

Prior to the season, on paper it seemed CF were virtual shoe-ins to make the playoffs.

 

After all, few teams could match their perfect blend of skill, experience, depth and chemistry.

 

And yet, five games into the season, here they are at 1-4 and in last place in their division.

 

Unfortunately for CF, football isn’t played on paper.

 

“If you make mistakes, you’re going to lose,” said team captain and receiver Raffi Bastadjian.

 

It’s far from the start Bastadjian expected this season after having parted ways with last year’s Division A Snookers alongside Sevag and Sebouh Kaloussian to form their own team. 

 

The trio added a number of current FPF players to the roster and filled the remaining spots with childhood friends—friends that still see each other today. “There’s a store called Claire France in which they sell clothes for women and we always hang out in the parking lot out front and chill out,” said Bastadjian. “Every time we call each other we go ‘where are you going?’ ‘We’re going to CF.’

 

“We live in the same neighborhood in Laval [so] we know each other from boy scouts and recreational stuff like soccer, playing football outside.”

 

For many of them, that interest in football would lead to years of organized football. But with a number playing their first season of FPF, the transition from tackle to flag hasn’t been an easy one.

 

“The mistakes that we’re making is turnovers and missed tackles—we’re a physical team, we’ve played tackle football all our lives,” said Bastadjian, who is nonetheless hopeful his team can turn things around.

 

“I think we still have a chance but we got to work hard for it,” he said. “We need to go in and win games, not make turnovers and just play as a team.”

 

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Last week my record was 10-4 and that brings my overall record to, 42-14. My competition has one more win at this point so I will need to turn it up in the second half. Here are this week’s predictions:

 

B.D. Bandits vs. Ball So Hard University: B.D. Bandits

Dirty Birds vs. Les Eudistes: Dirty Birds

G-Men vs. Rude Bwoys: Rude Bwoys

VPC vs. GPK: VPC

Pap n’ Co vs. Eagles: Pap N’ Co

Served With Ice vs. One Night Stands: Served With Ice

Afternoon Delight vs. Fighting Irish: Afternoon Delight

Sandlot Saints vs. Trojans: Trojans

Dirty Dawgers vs. CF: Dirty Dawgers

DK vs. Le Loft: DK

Raw Dawgs vs. Prestige World Wide: Prestige World Wide

D-Boys vs. Picksquad: D-Boys

High Rollers vs. Legends: High Rollers

Mongoose vs. KGP Champs: N/A

Lazy But Talented vs. Jonesers: Jonesers

 

Well that’s it for this week’s round of Division 3. DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW OUR TWITTER SECTION ON THE HOMEPAGE! If you liked what I wrote or completely hated it, please share your feedback by sending me your thoughts/comments/suggestions. You can contact me at [email protected] or on Facebook, twitter or in person. I wish everyone luck in their upcoming games. Till next time, stay classy Division 3!