Peeze’s Playbook (Div 5) – Week 1

What happens when you walk by a mirror and take a moment to actually look at yourself? Not the haphazard glare as you walk by or the few seconds you watch yourself brush your teeth. When you take a moment truly look at yourself, do you actually think about your identity?

Teams that are most successful know what their identity is and there is no better time to look in the mirror then week 1. Teams such as Tomahawk Nightmare and the Banditos know that they are underdogs playing in a higher division than where they previously excelled. The Loose Cannons and Speed Demons look to rebound after sub-par seasons. Teams like the Ghosts and Warriors hope that their key acquisitions will see them rise to prominence. Other teams like the Shamrocks and Limetime have already been successful in division 5 and hope to see this continue. Finally there are those who come into the season with high expectations and hope that they can deliver. Mysterious and Magical Men and Sphinx would like nothing more than to live up to the hype.

Now that week one has begun it is time to decide what kind of team you will be the season, what kind of expectations you will set for yourself and how you will set your path to the ultimate prize. For some there will be heartbreak and defeat, for other honor and victory. At the end of it all, only one team will be able to call themselves champions. With all that said, let’s take a moment to reflect on how this season kicked off.

Hail Mary Saved for Rainy Day

 

With the clock showing zeros and just two plays left on the clock, the Dope Boys led the Midnight Bombers by less than a touchdown in the opening game of this young 2014 season. The Dope Boys possessed the ball deep in their own territory and shocked everyone in attendance when they decided to go for it on fourth down rather than punting. When the ball was turned over on downs, it was indeed a tense moment.

 

Given one last play from inside enemy territory the Midnight Bombers made quick work of it and Joel Richard ended the game on his last of 5 touchdown throws. Developing an early connection with your receivers is vital for a new quarterback and he seems to have a favorite receiver to start the season. Martin Gelinas, who has already established himself as a solid Div.5 defender caught 3 touchdown passes in this game. When it was all said and done the Midnight Bombers survived an early season scare to the tune of 32-30.

Clearly, the Dope Boys were unaware that a punt counts as a play. Had they punted, the Midnight Bombers would have had the ball on their own ten and just one final play and would have seen a very exciting Hail Mary to end the game. Since it is uncommon for teams to win in such a fashion, it is safe to expect that this would have resulted in a Dope Boys victory. Teams, make sure you know the rules; make sure you use your technical timeout if you are unsure of a regulation.

 

5 Plays Till Halftime:

 

In this segment, the now infamous Eagle at Master Control sends over 5 questions. I do my best to answer them with the least amount of forethought possible. The idea is to get my initial and honest reaction to each of these items. The Eagle is all about honesty, truth and the occasional tap dance. As always all typos and/or lack of clarity are his own doing and you can address those concerns @EagleFPF.

Eagle- Has division 5 met your expectations this pre-season with regards to implementing the cap system?

Peeze- So far so good, for the most part what we see are competitive balanced teams. That being said we have seen some teams load up on a couple of players and filing their roster’s with relative unknowns. On the other end of the spectrum we have teams that put guys together, could have registered in division 6 and decided to try their hand at division 5. I think in the end, if the point system truly does work, the balanced rosters will be most successful.

 

Eagle- How will the delay at the field in Baie D’Urfe affect the teams involved?

 

Peeze- Everyone is eager to play and everyone will be somewhat rusty in week 1. That being said, I have a legitimate concern about the field conditions. The weather has been horrible over the past few months and while I know that the folks at the field have done everything to get the field ready I worry that it may have been too late.

 

Eagle- Which sub-division looks the strongest?

 

Peeze- All divisions look pretty strong as I think the cap will help keep parity in division 5. That being said the one that crinkles an eyebrow is Conference B East. A-Squad have been a successful team in the past and they look solid as always. Ghosts have a talented group, Sphinx are my favorite to take it all and the Cougars had a very strong season in their last incarnation so there is no reason to think it would be any different this season. Mad Bears have an excellent up-and-coming quarterback in Sebastien Thibault and Green Lantern Corps are team full of FPF veterans. It should be very interesting to see who comes out of this division.

 

Eagle- Did Monday night’s opener set the tone for the season?

 

Peeze- Yes and no. Also I would like to buy a vowel if possible. I think that the game was entertaining and it was exciting to see two young and energetic teams duke it out. Additionally, the game ended on the last play and was decided by 2 points. However, neither team in that game can truly be satisfied with their performance. The game was sloppy and both teams showed some week one rust. I’m certain that we will see many teams who will be affected by this early on. Either way I’m ready for an exciting season.

Also, I’ll buy an E.

 

Eagle- Mash up team names into an awesome super-team name.

Peeze- I would go with Cheeseburger Magical Men Utopian Squad. There are a few reasons. One, it would annoy the writer for that division as they would have to write it on a week-to-week basis. Seriously, if a team actually used that name I would actively root against them.

 

Another reason that I went with this team name is that with 3 teams calling themselves squad (A-Squad, Tune Squad and Hit Squad), I figured it would be perfect for the division. Also, Cheeseburgers are awesome. One may even say they are magical or utopic.

 

New Rules for Winter 2014

 

For those teams that did not send a representative to the captain’s meeting I’ve decided to post the new rules for this season for everyone’s benefit. I’ve also decided to post my reactions to these rules for my own benefit.

2.8 & 2.9: Pockets and jewelry are dead ball OC penalties, also added rule 16.11 to add further clarity regarding dead ball fouls.

 

This is an extension of a rule that already exists. I like that it has gotten harsher. Pockets are dangerous on an FPF field and no one wants to explain to their significant other and/or pet that they broke their finger on someone’s pocket. I actually think that the rule’s committee should have gone further and decreed that a player cannot play in underwear, be they boxers or briefs.

 

3.2: The team that starts on offense in the first half will automatically start on defense in the second half.

 

This is a small distinction that will help new teams. In previous seasons, players whose wealth of football knowledge came from playing Madden would opt to start on defense rather than deferring their choice to the second half. Doing so would give the team that received the ball the choice to receive it again in the second half. I like that they’ve done away with all the intricacies and unnecessary red tape at the coin toss. A coin toss shouldn’t take 15 minutes to explain to new teams.

 

3.6: Once the clock hits zero, even if there is a stoppage in play (for example for a timeout or a foul), there are five (5) plays remaining.

 

All I can say in response is to use your timeouts wisely and pay attention to how much time is left in a game.

 

3.9: Outside of the last 2 minutes of each half on a TO, the time restarts on the ready (the whistle) after the TO. Inside of the last 2 minutes, the clock will start on the snap. Teams will each have a total of 2 timeouts per game, which can be used at any time, regardless of which half.

 

Previously there were 2 timeouts and a floater. I like moving toward 2 total timeouts, as it is uncommon for teams to use their timeouts in the first half anyway, this shouldn’t have a huge impact and it should help the flow of the game. As for when the clock starts and stops, let’s be honest, most of us had no idea about when the time starts in relation to a timeout, so play on!

 

3.11: Changed 1 min warning to 2 min warning, given as close as possible to 2 mins.

 

I like this rule change especially in the lower divisions. Since it normally takes a little longer to get the play off and often teams would be stranded with a timeout with 5 plays remaining. This way, you can plan your endgame better whether you’re on offense or defense.

 

3.14: New Mercy rule: If the winning team is in possession of the ball from their own 10 yard line and out, and has a sufficient number of downs to end the game (e.g. 1D, four plays or less), the winning team may decide to end the game with any score. The losing team may also ask to end the game at this time. The mercy rule is also now in effect at 18 points not 35 for not playing the last 5 plays.

 

I have never been in favor of a mercy rule. The Mercy rule should be: if you’re losing by a bunch, it sucks, take your lumps and remember how it felt when you’re obliterating a team. If you’re up on a team, don’t be jerks; it’s ok to score and have fun but no need for unnecessary celebrations or to taunt the other side.

The idea here is to remove the nasty element in the game because, as it has often been said, no good can come out of a game that has gotten out of hand. I would instead like to see a greater onus placed on the players and expect them to act accordingly. In the end this is a recreational league. There is no need to risk your own health or to attempt to injure another player. That type of behavior is juvenile and anyone who acts in that way should be suspended or expelled. I think if you hang that over player’s heads then there is truly no need for a mercy rule.

 

8.11 If a player is forced out by a defender he may return and catch a pass legally.

 

This is an interesting rule and I think was needed given the increasing size of our players, our tight field dimensions and small end zones. It may be a while before we see this rule have an impact on the game; however, I think it’s a rule that will work. Will teams use take advantage? Most likely. Will it matter that much? Only time will tell. Will I ever give a straight answer to a rhetorical question? I prefer to ponder quixotically like my favorite lost months in the mysterious Island of Summersisle.

 

11.1 Addition of a 1 yard neutral zone. Penalty is offsides and it is not a whistle play. The ball can be scrimmaged inside the one yard line.

 

I like this rule and actually saw it come into effect in a division 4 game on Monday. It’s simple and makes for a more interesting game.

 

12.3: Offensive player cannot get an illegal contact penalty; it’s OPI, unnecessary contact or UR.

 

I can see why this rule was implemented. Either way it may prove difficult to enforce. This is a rule that may only see the light of day in the playoffs when 3 referees have their eyes on the game.

12.4: Pass Interference (PI) is now a 10 yard penalty for offense and defense.

 

This was a rule that I was initially against but as I though about it more, I began to see its purpose. Given that the game is played on a 50 yard field, 15 yards or spot of the foul have the potential to be to draconian.

 

Tuesday’s Tidy Up

A whopping 36 teams have come together to compete for the division 5 title this season. As this division continues to be one of the largest in FPF it continues to be the most interesting and one of the most competitive. I will make it out to see each team before the season’s end; still it is not easy to cover such a large division without your help. Let me know what happened in your game by emailing me at [email protected]. If you feel more comfortable expressing yourself using 140 characters or less, you can hit me up on Twitter @PeezeFPF.

Let me know about you, and your team and I will do my best to cover you as impartially and completely as possible. In my short tenure in this league the readers and listeners have told me that they enjoy my work because I am forthright and honest. Remember that if I say something negative about your team one week, I will be just as positive when your team plays well. This is of course unless I suspect you’ve harmed me in a past life. In that case, please take it very personally.

Please tune into and subscribe to our podcast for your one stop shop to more content on the division. As always it’s available via iTunes or at http://fpf.podomatic.com. Similar to this summer, I will be co-hosting the show with Terry “Thumbs” Tam where we drop more bomb beats than Dre. If you want the inside scoop on what we will be covering on a week to week basis follow Terry @TerryTamFPF. 

Have a great week, be safe, and thank you for letting me be myself.