The Pulse (D5) – Week 6

 

Welcome to a special edition of the Pulse. With six weeks of FPF football in the books, we turn our undivided attention to teams in Conference A, considering the fact that there has been some considerable shifts in the rankings. Conference B will be featured next week.

The Incredibles (5-1)

The Incredibles have an offense that never seems to sputter and their defense keeps finding ways to win ball games. By now, we are all aware of their star players Jacob Peterson and quarterback Greg Stern. But there is a long list of underrated athletes on the roster, certainly deserving of being under the spotlight. Kevin Libman has been steady on both sides of the ball and only trails Peterson as the team’s leading receiver, in yardage, with 224. Marco Bertoldi is on pace for an 18-sack season and does a great job keeping the opposing offense off balance. The Incredibles may not want to acknowledge it, but they are the ones with a bull’s eye on their back, holding the top seed in Conference A. Everyone is gunning for that number one spot.

South Shore Strom (4-1-1)

It is often said to be the man, you got to beat the man. The South Shore Storm took those words to heart. The Strom are currently enjoying a 2-game win streak, having defeated the former number one team in conference A, Lockdown. With that hard fought victory, the Strom jumped into second place and ahead of Thunder. If you look at who is getting it done, it’s clear: Number 18, Jamaal Gittens and number 34, Shakeel Phinn. Gittens leads Div. 5 in receiving yards with just under 400, and in TDs with 15. He and his team have really improved since their week 3 collapse at the hands of Pendant Publishing. It has been a rollercoaster ride for the Strom. They started the season with a purpose, stumbled midway and appear to have regained their winning form. This team is playoff bound. The only question left to ask is will they be able to ride this hot streak until the postseason?

Lockdown (4-1-1)

A Lockdown squad that entered the season believing it finally had the roster to make a championship run has been slow of late, having failed to record a win in their past two games. Pat Riot is is playing well, but the offense has not been the dominant force many expected, especially with the addition of receiver Thiery Fontin. They currently sit in 6th place in points scored in their conference. However, Riot looks more energetic and confident on the field than he did last season. He seems more comfortable taking command of the offense and has thrown for a FPF career high 24 TDs– with four games remaining on the schedule. Riot is also taking care of the football. He is averaging only one interception per game, or, one pick for every 22 attempts, for all those stat guys out there. But make no mistake, the defense is the backbone of this team as no team this side of the South Shore Storm have managed to put up over 20 points against this talented secondary.

Thunder (4-2)

The Thunder can’t be pleased with their struggles against the Warhawks. As a whole, Thunder’s defense took a step back as compared to their play at the beginning of the season. They faced some weaker teams in the first half of the schedule, only losing to the Increibles. Unfortunately for them, their remaining schedule will cause problems. Three of their four remaining games are against teams that are .500 or above. The Thunder has yet to prove that they can beat good teams and time will tell if they are as good as their 4-2 record suggests.

Green Machine (4-2)

It seems that the Green Machine is playing musical chairs at the quarterback position. Four players have been under center, with Jonathan Lacombe having taken the majority of the snaps. I think that Lacombe is expected to be the team’s number one QB, moving forward, as a replacement to David Marceau, who is making the transition to receiver. The question remains, is it a luxury or an uncertainty for the Green Machine to have four players able to line up and play the QB position?

 

Warhawks (3-2-1)

Got a huge boost defeating Thunder, a team who many felt would have their way against the Warhawks. I like the combination of Brian Martin on offense and Joel Watson and Lolyd Saul on defense to win games. That has been the formula in each of their three wins thus far. Martin is posting solid numbers again on offense, hauling in 20-plus catches. Not to be out done, both Watson and Saul have combined for over 25 tackles. Tim O’hara is back to being the main man behind center, due to an injury to their starting QB, Chris Ogg, who may miss the remainder of the season. But O’hara has played QB in past seasons for this team and is familiar with his receiving corps. They’ve that shown the ability to defeat good teams in the Widow Makers, and most recently Thunder. They tied Lockdown, so they are better than their record would indicate.

Da Boyz (3-3)

Let’s be honest. The main threat that Da Boys rely on is their rusher, Mather Warsame. He doesn’t get rattled and brings the right intensity and mentality to the position. I can easily see him moving up a division to play with stronger supporting cast and truly make a name for himself in FPF. So where is the problem, and why is this team 3-3? Da Boyz’s secondary is in need of some bolstering. There has to be some serious concerns for this club, moving forward, about just how much Warsame can provide at this point. Da Boyz’s defense has allowed the most points for a team with a .500 record or better in conference A. Only the Love Cows, the J’s, Shaolin Shadowboxers and Tyrants (all with losing records) have allowed more points.

The J’s (2-3-1)

The J’s will struggle to remain competitive and in the playoff hunt if snapper Chris Olson is not part of the J’s offensive game plan. If he is unable to get going early on, quarterback Hai Minh Luong will feel the weight of the offense on his shoulders. The team should also seek creative ways to get the ball into Billy Henri’s hands. He is a good route runner and a prototypical possession receiver. Feed him the ball and thank me later. The J’s Week 6 loss, at the hands of Da Boyz, was a lot closer than the score indicated. The J’s had a golden opportunity to tie the game, but a dropped pass in the end zone and a subsequent QB sack, resulted in a turnover on downs. If they can find ways to score in the red zone, they may be able to secure the final playoff spot in their conference. On a side note, I have to mention Fadi Nasralla’s effort at the rusher position. He never lets up and has nothing but heart.

Love Cows (1-5)

Teams facing the Love Cows are licking their chops and eating nothing but prime beef. How to fix the mess that is now playing out for the Love Cows? At first this team had high hopes that Jamal Garner would be able to duplicate the success of other running quarterbacks in Div.5. That plan backfired, not because of Garner’s ability to run with the football, but for the sheer fact that he struggles reading defensive schemes, and is turning the ball over way too much. If The Love Cows feel that Garner is their man, he will have to start throwing the ball deep less often and take what the defense gives him. The problems with this team runs far deeper than just at the quarterback position, however. Players are lacking intensity and seem to have accepted their fate. It is evident by their sloppy play and poor tackling.

Tyrants (1-5)

Greatly overshadowed by the success of new teams in FPF, the Tyrants have fallen off the map since their 2-1 start was wiped out due to a roster issue. Their quarterback John Kaliozakis is not having his best season, but has still posted decent numbers after 6 weeks of football. One area that I feel Kaliozakis should utilize more is the running game. He has deceptive speed and knows when to take off and gain valuable yards. He has two rushing touchdowns and is averaging over 14 yards per rush. Stick to what works.

Shaolin Shadowboxers (0-6)

No question that this team is facing their own share of disappointments. Lack of experience is an issue for this team and the same can be said at the quarterback position. Roberto Nardillo has shown signs of improvement at times, but like all rookies, has been inconsistent during his first year under center. The team has struggled on offence and their defense has been awful. Part of the problem with these Wu-Tang aficionados is that they do not have an abundance of size, speed and experience on their roster. Shadowboxers’ receiver David Polynice has been the silver lining for the struggling team and has done his part to reverse the fortunes of his team, by racking up 272 receiving yards and 5 TDs on 20 receptions. But football is about making plays and not enough guys are doing it for them right now. All Shaolin can do now is work on different schemes that could possibly pay dividends in future seasons.

 

Power Rankings

1     1. Golden Eagles (6-0) This team has a nose for the end zone and simply can’t be stopped. Their terrific offense (245 points in 6 games) seems to be the reason why the Golden Eagles are the most feared team in the division.

 

2. Les Buddays (5-1) The battle for second place in conference B, between Les Mustangs du Gridiron and Les Buddays, went to the latter this past weekend. They have the best defense in Div. 5, yielding 13.5 points per game, and aside from the Golden Eagles, have the highest point differential at +103.

 

 

3. The Incredibles (5-1) Finally reached the number one seed in conference A. Unfortunately, they are going against Green Machine and I see a possible upset in the making. Undefeated QB Greg Stern, may struggle against the second best defense in conference A.

 

4. South Shore Storm (4-1-1) The Storm’s offense has finally come together, even though it looked terrible at times this season, most notably in weeks 3 and 4. They have yet to lose in their division, which is the reason why they currently sit in second place in the standings.

 

 

5. Lockdown (4-1-1) This loss should not affect Lockdown. They still remain favorites to win their conference. Their defense is still arguably the best in D5.

 

6. Green Machine (4-2) Very balanced team with no real superstars. The entire roster helps pick up the slack and it is good to see five different receivers with over 100 receiving yards on the same team.

 

 

7. Thunder (4-2) The tough loss against the Warhawks is a major setback for this team. With a tough schedule ahead, I wouldn’t be surprised to notice some changes in the overall demeanor of Thunder. I expect this team to drop further in the rankings.

8. Outlawz (4-2) The remaining schedule will test this team and perhaps exposed them in the process. Although they have recorded 11 interceptions on defense, their secondary could easily double that number if it wasn’t for dropped balls. They have over 20 pass deflections. The defense is solely focused on knocking down passes when they should be trying to pick it off.

 

9. Widow Makers (3-3) Philippe-Antoine Beausejour is the star playmaker for the Widow Makers, and is truly making a name for himself. He is in serious contention for the two-way player of the year award, with his team leading 29 receptions on offense, and his 16 tackles on defense. Then you have to look at his brother, Louis-Simon Beausejour, and his 7 interceptions. With these two brothers playing at such a high level, I can see them moving above .500 this weekend

10  10. Warhawks (3-2-1) Cracked the top 10 list with big a win over the heavily favored Thunder. With experience swinging in their favor, the Warhawks may be better suited to go deep into the playoffs than some talented teams in their inaugural season.

 

The action continues next weekend. Look for all your updates, right here. Feel free to send me a message on Facebook or approach me during the Div 5 games. Let’s talk football.