The GM’s scouting report (Div C) – Week 2

The Pep Talk

 

 

 

Honestly, when Week 3 is all done with, teams will know where they sit for the season. Seriously. You’ll know who are the powerhouses, who’s on the brink, and who needs some serious work. It’s really a motivator to do well this week, because it’s going to set the pace for the season. So play hard, and don’t let up. Otherwise, imagine that the season is just going to be some ups, but a lot of downs as well.

 

 

 

Glossing Over the Game Film

 

 

 

(Golden Eagles vs. KGP Champs)

 

– Both teams seem to have beefed up their rosters and have maximized efficiency. The Golden Eagles in particular seem to be masters of third and fourth down conversions.

 

– Phil Cutler seems to be cutting down on his sack total and is making better reads quicker. Defenses are going to need to adjust.

 

– I’ve mentioned the fact that the Golden Eagles have “too much depth.” My point is that their talent pool almost seems wasted when they’ve got so many #1 receivers and defenders. Point in case: star Spartans receiver Simon Gauthier spent the better part of this game on the bench and had zero stats to show for it.

 

 

 

(Broccasion vs. Legends)

 

– Unfortunately, you only really see just how important a player is when they’re gone. The Legends went from toppling a powerhouse like The Incredibles to putting up one touchdown per half against Broccasion.

 

– Pickups Alex Lever and Kenny Baye have already proved their worth both putting up great numbers in the first two games. Expect to hear their names often.

 

 

 

(One Night Stands vs. Special Delivery)

 

– Special Delivery seem to be a more defensive-minded version of the old Park-X Streets team.

 

– I’m really glad to see ONS having consistency at the quarterback position. There’s nothing more demoralizing than having a talented squad but not knowing who’s going to be throwing week-in, week-out.

 

– Craig O’Brien is definitely going to be a frontrunner throughout the season for Quarterback of the Year. With how offensively-minded teams are this season in particular, O’Brien is going to slice and dice defenses for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluating the Competition

 

 

 

(Editor’s note: G.M. handed in his article late Thursday afternoon, before these games were played. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to post it until Friday morning. None of his picks were altered.)

 

 

 

Golden Eagles vs. The Incredibles

 

The Incredibles have grown as a group into a powerhouse. Golden Eagles have built one. As such, we’re going to be in for a treat of speed and acrobatics. However, I’m thinking that the Golden Eagles are built enough that they’re going to be able to exploit the few holes that The Incredibles do have. I’m not sure which victory would be the upset on this one, and as such this game is going to be one of the more entertaining matchups of the week.

 

Prediction: Golden Eagles

 

 

 

KGP Champs vs. #NoRegard

 

Controversy aside, Smolar has been a great addition to #NoRegard. It’s giving #NR’s deep ball a different look, and is the perfect complement to the defense. Smolar scores quickly, and lets the defense eat up the competition and get him the ball back. Despite the experience on KGP, I feel like they’re going to get sucked into #NR’s games and let #NR get the best of them. KGP need to keep a cool head and prevent #NR from scoring quickly and going up in the score. Even missing star receiver Adam Crystal, I’m still going to vote grey on this one.

 

Prediction: #NoRegard

 

 

 

One Night Stands vs. Formerly Formerly Teamless

 

The only thing that I can say about my team is that there’s too much talent not to be successful. Arranging another group of players that were without a team, FFT need to put up some stops on defense if they want to be successful in the long run. There’s the perfect mix of height and speed to complement Jonathan Brown’s offense, but the ball needs to get rolling. On the flip side, ONS seem to be doing everything right. They’re the perfect number and have the chemistry of having played together as a group to do some serious damage, especially in Division C. While I can’t make a prediction, I know that One Night Stands have the upper hand confidence-wise and can dictate the pace of the game.

 

Prediction: N/A

 

 

 

Dragons vs. Real Deal

 

There’s been a serious difference between the play of Real Deal last year and Real Deal this year. In all honesty, I think that it would be attributed to the fact that the transition from receiver to QB for Mathieu Thuot has largely been completed. Simon Dagenais will be back after injury and yelling from the sidelines, and will be in for a rough one. The plethora of experience on Real Deal (including Joe-van Corber) will be a rough one for the CSA Dragons to handle. I don’t see anyone being able to lock down Thuot, and there’s enough smarts to keep Dagenais guessing when Real Deal are on defense.

 

Prediction: Real Deal

 

 

 

Patriotes vs. Special Delivery

 

I mentioned on the podcast that the core of Special Delivery have the Patriotes’ number. Patriotes lost two games to them back-to back when it really counted. That being said, the additions to les Patriotes have shown their worth and could be the difference in this game. Furthermore, I’m sure that les Patriotes are fed up and might make this game closer than the others have been. That being said, it’s going to be hard to contain Billy Seretis (unless you get in his head) and giving him a defense  that he can put his faith in is going to make their offense even more dangerous as he’ll be more liberal taking risks deep and the like. When in doubt, go with history.

 

Prediction: Special Delivery

 

 

 

 

 

Backyard Bullies vs. Rude Bwoys

 

The bright side of things for the Backyard Bullies is that they’ve been battle-tested against two powerhouses in the division and managed to keep it close. However, they’re hitting a patch against some of the most experienced teams in Division C and will be without Vinny Gualano this week. The Rude Bwoys are 1-1 and can use this game as a confidence boost. Furthermore, the Rude Bwoys roster is seeming deeper than an Olympic pool. I think that with everything going rough for the Bullies at the moment, and the changes that the Rude Bwoys have seen in the past few weeks (including the addition of Maxime Laflamme) I’m going to go with the Boys.

 

Prediction: Rude Bwoys

 

 

 

Darkside vs. Monstars

 

In my opinion, THIS is going to be the most entertaining game to watch. Darkside’s hard-hitting offense is going to go toe-to-toe with the Monstars’ efficient and stingy defense. While it’s a rarity that you’ll see a lot of size with a ton of speed, both teams have an abundance of it. This one is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of Leon Holder and Andrew Funamoto. It’s going to be either QB’s game to lose; the one who makes the first mistake will pay for it dearly. Despite the stacked roster of Darkside, I’m going to pick Monstars with the upset.

 

Prediction: Monstars

 

 

 

Legends vs. Ball Busters

 

Ball Busters have had a rough start and are a product of a super difficult schedule. As such, they’re really going to have to seize every opportunity that’s presented to them. The Legends have a lot of talent on the board but tend to get disorganized when the game is close. Ball Busters have enough veterans on the team to know what to exploit and when. However, if the Legends have Cory Pecker back and have all cylinders firing, Dylan Taylor and co. may be in for a long night.

 

Prediction: Ball Busters

 

 

 

The Commission vs. Wolverines

 

The last-billed game is obviously going to be the best of the bunch. You’ve got deep rosters on both sides, and some of the most experience in the division jammed onto these two teams. The essential in this game is going to be time-clock management, because both QBs are incredibly efficient at scoring and will want to have as many drives as possible. This has a lot of potential to go either way, but I’m going to stick with the boys in blue on this one.

 

Prediction: Wolverines

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that’s it for me for this week post. I’ll have the next article up with my predictions for the week soon. If you are so inclined, you can reach me at [email protected] or on twitter @gmkole44. You can also check out the Division C Calling the Audible podcast at http://podomatic.fpf.com