The GM’s Scouting Report – Div A & B

My brain is a little too fried right now after a lack of sleep to have a sensible introduction that has any non-sequiturs or buildups to the article at hand. So instead of filler, we can go straight to the news!

 

Top Performers of the Week

 

I mentioned last week that I didn’t like choosing solely 3 A players for the top performers of the week; well B made a case for itself this week and it ended up being that I had to ensure that I had an A player to add to the list.

 

Marco Masciotra (Roosters & Donkeys) – Defining clutch and definitely putting the team on his back. In an instance where their starting QB was unable to play, Marco took the reins and put on a clinic as to just how you spread the ball effectively and put on a show. Throwing a whopping NINE touchdowns spread out to more receivers than he can have on the field at once, there is zero doubt as to whether or not Marco’s name should be included in this list this week.

 

Jamil Springer (One Night Stands) – An absolutely insane stat line for a receiver: four touchdowns in five catches. While most receivers in A and B can hope to amass that in a season itself, Springer racked them all up in a single game. If you’re still uncertain as to who Springer is, his words say it best: “Google me, bitch.” (https://www.flagplusfootball.com/news.php?article_id=238)

 

Carmine Pollice (Hustlers) – Everyone comments as to how good Carm is despite his age. My retort to that would be that there are people who can’t put up numbers like that NOW, let alone in 20 years. Throwing 4 passing TDs, having a receiving TD as well and intercepting 3 of the opposition’s passes is definitely something that EVERYONE can aspire to. I don’t think you’ll see a lot of people actually able to do it though.

 

Errant Thoughts

–          I actually did have to google the terms “flagplus springer and google” in order to find the article with the quote from Milli Millz.

–          AMJ Campbell’s new red/blue/rainbow jerseys may be some of the strangest jerseys I’ve seen in FPF. They look like a soccer goalkeeper’s jersey that is slightly offensive to the eye. You be the judge.

–          On the subject of AMJ, I don’t think I’ve seen a team go through the learning curve in the highest division so quickly.

–          ALSO on the subject of AMJ, the funniest thing I’ve ever seen: QB Ben Groulx was told that his physical playbook could not be on the field next to them while they played. Receiver Marc Rémillard picked it up and put it in his pocket, and (as you can expect) was promptly ejected for 3 plays. Hilarious.

–          Do people get ANGRIER in the spring season because of the heat? It’s not even that hot out, and already there have been incidents on the field and the disciplinary wall is the fullest that it’s ever been. What’s going to happen when we hit July?!?

 

 

The Best Players You’ve Never Heard Of (Cont’d)

 

I did like this section quite a bit, as we’re going to be able to add names that aren’t heard over and over and now prevalent in any A and B discussion. So I’m going to do my best every week to shed some light on a newcomer to the upper divisions and what they bring to the table. Here’s hoping that I don’t run out of names.

 

Robbie Pecker (Legends)

 

Robbie has 5 touchdowns so far, and that’s only with two games having been played out of the four. Whenever you think of a “go-to” receiver, you think of someone that’s consistently the first read of their team’s QB and rack in a ton of looks and catches. Robbie is this tenfold despite not being known by the opposition. He has the athletics not to be a system receiver and is definitely a nightmare to cover. I’d like to see him play more games though for him to be better known.

 

Updated Power Rankings

 

Division A

 

1. DA Finest (0) – Show of hands: Is anyone surprised? Anyone? I don’t know if there’s really anything else that can be said about a team that doesn’t lose. Will they be okay with their roster inconsistencies and injuries? Will they continue to wreak havoc in the division? Should I just keep them at #1 in my power rankings template? The answer to all three questions is probably.

 

2. Les Grosses Tetes Molles de Chernobyl (+3) – A team that’s surprised me to a certain degree. While I initially thought that this was a patchwork Road Runners team, they’re closer to the strength of Express as a whole than they are to the strength of Road Runners. They’ve quietly surpassed the staple names of the division, and easily take second place in the rankings.

 

3. Roosters & Donkeys (0) – A team of game-breaking athletes put together, you’ve got pretty much a team that’s full of size and strength, as well as speed. As evidenced by last week, they have two capable quarterbacks and the ability to win convincingly. If they can reduce the little errors, they’ll jump from good to elite.

 

4. Rainmakers (-2) – I’ve said before that this is a strong, strong incarnation of the Rainmakers. Their offense is clicking and on point, and the ball is being turned over far less. However, as consequence, it seems like their D isn’t turning over the ball as much either. Hopefully they can keep themselves in it by limiting their opponents’ reads more and more and giving that red-hot offense the ball more.

 

5. Alkaholiks (-1) – There’s a ton of depth on this team, but a certain ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’ about them. I think all in all that I’d just like them to be MORE players. It’s not a question of depth, but more about using all your weapons to their full potential and not having them gassed from playing both ways.

 

6. Gladiateurs (0) – I simply don’t get this team. They’re loaded with talent and have the best chemistry of A, and yet they’re struggling and can’t close out games. I have a lot of faith in this team and they collectively have a ton of championships to their name, but they are perhaps the team in FPF that is playing under their potential the most, of any division.

 

7. Usual Suspects (0) – Silver lining is that they outscored the Finest in the second half of their game, but things need to be done. At the core, they need to simply be a FULL SQUAD. It’s not the “Usual Suspects” if you’re struggling to field a team because your players are late. Before more work can be done, the players as a whole need to be at the field on time.

 

Division B

 

1. One Night Stands (0) – It’s both great and defeating to see your preseason pick dominate. Because while they’re making you look good, you’d rather that it be more up for grabs. However, this is no fault of ONS who are looking incredible thus far, and are definitely the elite team that everyone needs to be measured up to.

 

2. Legends (+3) – The Legends as a whole strike you as a team that simply doesn’t belong. “Maybe it’s because we’re a bunch of big fat guys” – Jeff Rosenblatt. I wouldn’t say that it’s the case or even necessarily accurate. It’s that they don’t look like football players, and you underestimate them. However, that’s where they get you. With their chemistry, after you take them lightly they’ll run those routes and you’ll suddenly be down in the score. Definitely not to be taken lightly.

3. Hustlers (+3) – Already close to their wins from last season, they seem to be better as a whole. They’re finally playing to their strengths and utilizing their brains and their playbook to take down their opponents, rather than hoping their skill would be enough to carry them like last season. I think it took this wake up call, but now we’ll see the Hustlers team that’s what their rep as players should be.

 

4. KGP Champs (0) – By and far an upgrade for this team. They’ve got their best roster ever, a ton of depth, and only have a loss of one point. The logical next step would be to see them win by MORE than one score, but I have no complaints thus far.

 

5. Daron World Wide (-3) – A more stacked roster than their previous championship team, and they’re struggling. I don’t know what the current issue is; as to whether or not it’s an issue of chemistry or simply the elevation of competition in B. However, they’re going to need to come up with some solutions so that they’re not on a slippery slope to imploding as a team.

 

6. #NR (-3) – Still doing surprisingly well for the jump to B. However, they seem to play their best football when they focus and play their game, rather than previous seasons where they were successful by getting under their opponents’ skins. Don’t take them lightly, because even with the press they’ve been getting, they’ll still surprise you.

 

7. Darkside (+2) – A classic Gino Di Fazio team loaded with talent but struggling to field the same roster week in, week out. I’m not worried though, because you only need 5 games played in order to qualify for playoffs and Darkside will find ways to win and get there.

 

8. Wolverines (-1) – I have high hopes for them, and am thinking that it’s just a case that they haven’t been able to hit the ground running. In all honesty, I think that they just need that one win to boost their confidence and get them back to their winning ways. Expect it soon.

 

9. Certified Flyguyz (+2) – I don’t think it’s fair to write off Certified Flyguyz just yet. I have them pegged for a win this week, and I’m thinking that the quarterback switch to Fred Mallette is for the better. Bringing in a QB who is more seasoned with the league will allow them to stay in games and have their athleticism shine through.

 

10. The Commission (0) – I don’t think that they are weak as a team, I just think that this QB and personnel change will still take a few more weeks to get used to. They’ve had some switches and are having trouble getting used to the changes, when it should have happened preseason or in week 1. Give it time though.

 

11. AMJ Campbell (-3) – Is this a quarterback driven league? Yes. Is Benoit Groulx a very talented quarterback? Yes. Will AMJ eventually win some games? Yes. Do I think that they’re deep enough to be competitive at the division A and B level? No.

 

 

 

Predictions

 

I went 7-2 in last week’s picks, which I’m once again proud off. Taking into account the 6-3 performance from Week 2 (counting the two ties as being wrong because apparently Justin Blanchard is anal enough to count it as such) my overall record jumps to 13-5, which I’m pretty proud of. I tweeted my predictions for the first three games Wednesday, and was wrong on two out of the three, which puts me behind the 8-ball this week. However, I predicted the upset of the week, and I’m glad that the division is starting to have some more parity. In any case, here are my remaining predictions:

 

Hustlers vs. AMJ Campbell – Hustlers

{AMJ Campbell won 34-27}

 

Daron World Wide vs. #NR – Daron World Wide

{#NR won 41-20}

 

Legends vs. Wolverines – Wolverines

{Wolverines won 42-38}

 

Alkaholiks vs. DA Finest – DA Finest

 

Darkside vs. KGP Champs – KGP Champs

 

Roosters & Donkeys vs. Gladiateurs – Roosters & Donkeys

 

Rainmakers vs. One Night Stands – One Night Stands

 

The Commission vs. Certified Flyguyz – Certified Flyguyz

 

Usual Suspects vs. Les Grosses Tetes Molles de Chernobyl – LGTMDC

 

 

Well, that’s it for me. I’ve given up any hope of getting anything other than spam in my FPF email, so if there’s anything you’d like to discuss, come see me in person or send me a facebook message. Until then, the GM is out for another week.