Inside the Redzone (Div E) – Week 2

 

The second week has come and gone and Division E is already getting more interesting. Similar to the Spartan race this weekend, the boys in the fifth division gave it their all and as usual, some came up short. As I mentioned last week, we will see new teams step up every week so there are rarely any guarantees (except maybe James Floreani putting up a minimum of 6 TDs)!

 

The aforementioned Floreani was the talk of our Facebook group and the critics were against the idea of him throwing in Division E. He took a lot of flack for QB’ing the Golden Girls because he’s a top tier player who shouldn’t play in lower divisions, which creates an imbalance in the competition.

 

As usual, every season a few teams or players will take some criticism for playing in divisions that is too low for their skills and abilities. If I have said it once I have said it a million times, over 85% of the teams or players who are labeled as division dodgers do not win the championship. Nonetheless, the debates are fun and exciting as discussions get heated at times and who doesn’t love that!

 

So now it’s time to look at all that went on last week.

 

Headlines

 

The first installment of the Brother Bowl is now over

 

I will start with the much anticipated matchup between the Della Rocca brothers. As I had predicted, David won the first battle between the two siblings. And it wasn’t much of a contest either but one does wonder what, if anything, does Paolo have to do to honor this loss? Perhaps we’ll let them keep it private and behind closed doors but moving aside from the one-on-one brotherly battle, Los Banditos defeated the BBQ Time Travelers by a score of 25-18. A key stat in this game was Los Banditos’ QB Alex Guertin’s 0 INTs compared to his counterpart Mike Bagnato who had 3 turnovers. Los Banditos made another adjustment from their loss in week 1 and that was spreading the ball on offense. The more the ball is spread, the tougher it is for the defenders to, well, defend. Los Banditos still have a lot to work on if they plan to contend with the top tier Division E squads and BBQ Time Travelers will need to go back to the drawing board as they are now 0-2.

 

 

 

Nightmare on Floreani Boulevard

 

The much maligned James Floreani put on a clinic against Tomahawk Nightmare. Let’s look at his stat line: 19 of 23, 207 yards, 7 TDs and 0 INTs. Furthermore, for a second straight week, he also had an INT on defense. It was definitely a night to forget for Jean-Francois Marquis because he completed less than 50% of his passes and had four interceptions. It was a complete 180 for the Tomahawk Nightmare who had previously scored 42 points against an above average Division E team in Show Me Your TDs. What went wrong you ask? Actually it’s not really a matter of their weak performance but rather Golden Girls’ ability to make plays on both sides of the ball. They are the front runners to win Division E while Tomahawk Nightmare will need to regroup and come back stronger in week 3.

 

 

 

Eskimo Brothers welcome back Shaw Steen!

 

After an impressive performance in their first game, Dat’s Big looked average last week against the Eskimo Brothers. That’s in large part due to Mitchell Muir and Shawn Steen who made their debut for the Eskimo Brothers. Mitchell Muir didn’t have the best outing statistically, because his TD to INT ratio was 5 to 2, however it was enough to earn the victory. I talked about spreading the wealth just a few moments ago and Muir executed that to perfection as four different receivers had at least 3 catches. Shawn Steen had a big impact on game offensively as he had 75 yards and 1 TD; he also played well on defense and had 2 INTs. For those who need a history lesson, in Spring 2012, Steen had 594 yards and 15 TDs on offense and 4 TDs and 9 PDs on defense for the Eskimo Brothers. So as long as he is in the lineup, Eskimo Brothers have a great chance to win. As for Dat’s Big, their defense was a bit of a disappointment because they won their first matchup by a shutout but allowed 33 points last week. With the amount of veterans that are on this squad, I am not at all worried about their chances to bounce back.

 

 

 

The Adonna Connection

 

Unlike the Della Rocca’s, the Adonna brothers are on the same team, same page and are making quite an impact. They play hard and are aggressive. Quarterback Mike Adonna uses his legs and arms to make plays. Against nWo last week, he threw for 126 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs while running for 66 yards and 1 TD. Danio and Anthony Adonna combined for 113 yards and 3 TDs. It was a hard fought win because they only won 27-20. nWo showed great improvement from their week 1 38-0 loss and it all started with the play of Michael Sanchez who went from 0 TDs, 4 INTs to 3 TDs, 1 INT. It is for that reason his team was able to stay in the game. I will also give a big shout out to Andrea Riccio who had 3 sacks against a strong runner in Mike Adonna. Last but definitely not least, Steve Furiani and Gabriel Araish combined for 115 yards, 2 TDS while also contributing on defense by means of 6 tackles and 1 PD. As I said on the podcast, nWo will get even better in the upcoming weeks and I look forward to the day I can use the following headline for their first win: JUST TOO SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

 

 

 

FOTC with another big win

 

This week’s win was a complete domination on offense and defense. Etienne Guilmain took back the reins at the QB position (he was the full time pivot last season as well) and he delivered big time. Here is his stat line: 17-22 for 177 yards, 6 TDS (1 rushing). At least six receivers caught 2 passes of which 4 had 3 passes each. On defense, they had 8 tackles, 1 sack, 3 INTs and 3 PDs. They held Maccabi to 0 points in the first half and the final score was 38-7. They will continue to get even better and will contend for the Division E title. As for Maccabi, it’s a step back and hope they can take a step forward next week.

 

 

 

STARS OF THE WEEK

 

Quarterback

 

James Floreani (Golden Girls) 19-23, 207 yards, 7 TDs; 1 defensive INT

 

Etienne Guilmain (Fools Of The Country) 17-22, 177 yards, 5 TDs; 52 rushing yards, 1 TD

 

Receivers

 

Danio Adonna (Show Me Your TDs) 4 rec, 72 yards, 3 TDs

 

Shakeel Phinn (Dat’s Big) 6 rec, 98 yards, 2 TDs

 

Shaw Steen (Eskimo Brothers) 4 rec, 75 yards, 1 TD; 4 tackles, 2 defensive INTs

 

Defenders

 

Andrea Riccio (nWo) 3 sacks, 1 PD

 

Jonathan Lemieux (Fools Of The Country) 2 INTs

 

 

 

Thoughts/Observations

 

-6 out of 10 teams are in the negative for point differential

 

-There were 15 INTs thrown in week 2, an improvement of 7 from week 1

 

-Only one team reached the 40 point mark in week 2 (three teams in week 1)

 

-After two weeks, only three pivots have a QB rating of over 100

 

-Moe Khan is second in the league in rushing yards

 

 

 

POWER RANKINGS

 

This season I would like to introduce the power rankings in a different style. Peeze and I will each give our break down of the top teams in Division E. So being the humble guy and a gracious host that I am, I will let my adversary go first. Here is Mr. Peeze Diddy!

 

 

 

Peeze’s Power Rankings

 

Here are the first power rankings of the season for Division E.  Rehan and I decided to choose 5 teams because we figured the bottom five would not be very powerful at all and for that reason should not be included in a ranking of power. Agree/Disagree with my assessments? Remember that I can be reached at [email protected]m  and @PeezeFPF.

 

 

 

1. Golden Girls- Last week I was put into an awkward position as a heated Facebook exchange erupted between my brother (Los Banditos captain and defensive leader David Della Rocca) and my new wide receiver for Division D’s Checkmate, James Floreani.  The subject of the debate was whether or not James should be allowed to quarterback in Division E.  To be honest, this is truly a situation of a guy wanting to play with his friends, who, for the most part, are new to the league.  That being said he is an incredibly gifted quarterback and that should be enough to take home the championship in Division E.

 

 

 

2. Eskimo Brothers- Eskimo Brothers won their week 1 game against BBQ Time Travellers; despite that, they did not look very impressive.  This week saw the return of quarterback Mitchell Muir and the unstoppable Shawn Steen and they rolled on a somewhat overconfident Dat’s Big team.  If these men are on the roster for the whole season, then the Eskimo Brothers will be in contention for the championship.

 

 

 

3. Fools of the Country- Fools of The Country are a familiar franchise in FPF.  They struggled in division 5 this season but seem to have found a home in division E.  They looked good in week 1 with Frédéric Arsenault at QB and they looked just as good with Guilmain taking the snaps.  They are a fast, athletic team and they are quickly climbing the power rankings.

 

 

 

4. Tomahawk Nightmare- Getting beat down by the Golden Girls shows that they are not really on par with the elite teams in the division, but they are quite strong and lead the next tier of teams in div. E.  I really like Marquis at quarterback and I think that Tomahawk Nightmare, given the right set of circumstances can keep their opposition up all night.

 

 

 

5. Show Me Your TD’s- The Addona brothers are the latest set of brothers who are making their mark in FPF.  Mike Addona is a first time quarterback but is a remarkable athlete and seems to be learning the new position very quickly.  Danio Adonna scored three touchdowns this week and looked uncoverable for large parts of their week 2 matchup. Youngest brother Anthony has proven to be a security blanket for his quarterback and is starting to make a name for himself as a receiver.  It is notable of course that 3 players on this roster (Mike and Danio Addona and Anthony Farinaccio) are from the 10-0 Checkmate team from last winter.  I’m not saying…I’m just saying

 

 

 

Rehan’s Rankings

 

1. Fools Of The Country – That’s right, I believe FOTC are the best team in Division E and I am NO FOOL. Why have I picked them over Golden Girls? It’s very simple. In my view, FOTC is a complete team with every player having the ability to play at a top level and they have tons of chemistry from previous years. They know each other so well they can run a no-huddle offense/defense all game. They have a well-balanced attack and they are all capable of making the big defensive play if needed. So they get my vote as the top Division E team.

 

2. Golden Girls – It doesn’t take a lot brain power to figure this one out. The team is led by James Floreani who is the best QB in Division E bar none. However it’s even more impressive that he is their best defensive player as well. Yes I am labeling the Golden Girls as a one man team because as great as Jason Kokolakis (by the way, that’s an AWESOME name), Jason Rossie and Guillaume Allard-Cameus are, this team wouldn’t be at all the same without J-FLO!

 

3. Eskimo Brothers – After Shawn Steen and Mitchell Muir (maybe they should have called themselves the Alliteration Brothers) made their debut in week 2, we saw the true potential of this squad. Let’s not take anything away from the rest of the team because they won regardless of MM and SS in week 1, and that’s why this is a potent roster – because they are able to win under different circumstances.

 

4. Dat’s Big – I am a big believer in veteran players and chemistry. Dat’s Big definitely has veteran players and chemistry is also coming along slowly. Shakeel Phinn had instant connection with Moe Khan last week and that will only get better. I see Dat’s Big as a 25-35 point range team so if they intend to go far, they’ll need to tighten up their defense – and we know they’re capable of that, after the week 1 shutout win against the N W O.

 

5. Los Banditos – I am very certain Alex Guertin will appreciate the love he’s getting from his favorite FPF journalist. I am sure Los Banditos being left out of Peeze’s Power Rankings has NOTHING to do with the fact that Peeze just lost to them. Nonetheless, Los Banditos deserve to be here. After a rough loss against FOTC (who I have labeled as the best team in Division E) in week 1, they came back strong against the BBQ Time Travellers. Plus any team who wins a Brother Bowl MUST be in the power rankings.

 

Predictions

 

Similar to the power rankings, Peeze and I will share predictions and pick winners for each week’s games. Now I should remind everyone that I am THE BEST HANDICAPPER this league has ever seen (won against Simon Dagenais in Winter 2013) so Peeze should consider himself warned. Also I was a perfect 3-0 last week which won’t be counted in our records but I thought It should be pointed out. Before I start my predictions, here is what Peeze had to say regarding our little head-to-head:

 

“Would you believe it, Ron Starwars has decided to challenge me to a battle of wits.  Week after week we will go toe to toe and pick the winners of the upcoming games.  As with my challenge in Division D, I would imagine that the loser picks up the drink tab at the finals.  I don’t know if Rehan drinks or not so there is about a 50% chance that this is a win/win scenario for me.  I’m not saying he doesn’t drink because of his religious beliefs; I’m saying it because he knows alcohol would severely impair his ability to pick games. You’ll see the dude needs all the help he can get.”

 

Well said good sir! As for the rules, for obvious reasons Peeze will not predict any game in which his team is participating as that would be unfair due to insider information and could be grounds for disqualification. So far he has complied and I commend the young lad for his professionalism. The winner will be decided based on the best percentage at the end of the season. So let the games begin!

 

Peeze’s Predictions:

 

FOTC  vs. Tomahawk Nightmare

 

Eskimo Brothers vs. Show me your TD’s

 

 

 

Rehan’s Predictions:

 

FOTC  vs. Tomahawk Nightmare

 

Eskimo Brothers vs. Show me your TD’s

 

 

 

It seems that we agree on our first two match ups. The remaining three match ups will be disclosed this upcoming weekend. Yes, I am sure a lot of people are rolling their eye brows and saying “Sure, we’ll believe it when we see it”. Well as a Leafs fan, I have always said “Just Beleaf” and though it hasn’t gotten me anywhere so far, when it comes to FPF, you have to BELIEVE that any given Saturday or Sunday, any article could be published. Mark my words, you’ll have something to read this upcoming weekend before the Sunday games!

 

 

 

So that does it for this week’s edition of Inside The Redzone. I appreciate your loyalty and patience. I hope you enjoyed my column and if you have any suggestions or criticism (even if it’s about Peeze) just contact me at [email protected], inbox me on Facebook or send me a tweet (@RehanFPF). You can also listen to the Division E Calling the Audible podcast at http://podomatic.fpf.com

 

So long, farewell and see you all this weekend!