The War Room (D3) – Week 1

The tenth season of FPF kicked off Saturday and it was a true testament to the outstanding progress this league has made over the last 5 years. FlagPlus Football has branched out to two new facilities (Brossard and Loyola) in order to meet the high demands of winter football in Montreal. With a plethora of new talent, returning players and the usual household names, this season is lining up to be the most exciting in recent history. And it is with great pleasure that I am entrusted to document the storylines and athletes of the largest division in the FPF family: Division three. For those who don’t know me, I have been a player in the league for 7 of the 10 seasons and have been an “analyst” for the league for over two years. My reporting is fairly biased and open to bribes/gifts which can be left at any of my Dirty Bird or Shocker games. I accept cash, personal cheques and government bonds (but unfortunately have yet to get one of those mobile interact machines). I have also outgrown my position on the WEPL (after numerous reports of falling asleep during D4 episodes) and have been granted my own show “Breaking the Huddle”, which will be an interactive forum where players get to sound off on all issues which relate to FlagPlus. I invite you all to participate and email me if you are interested in being a guest ([email protected]).

I have grown quite fond of FPF’s “middle class”; mainly because it is the most evolving division. It consists of a blend of new talent trying to gauge their athletic prowess in the football community, courageous players trying to hack it after years in D4 and some D2 talents trying to rebuild some momentum in the lower ranks. Whatever category you find yourselves in this season, you can be assured that it will require hard work, focus and luck to reach the pinnacle of this division.

Now that all the niceties have been said, I will return to my usual soapbox. First item on the docket for discussion are the new fields. Yes, feedback has been rolling in from around the league and mostly it’s very encouraging. While I’m not here to promote any of them in particular, it is important to note the differences each one entails. For some teams, the wider field of Loyola will be of particular interest to teams with dual threat QBs. It requires a larger space for the rushers to contain the QB and thus decreases the efficiency of the rush. The Brossard field has thicker field turf and could pose issues to faster teams. The longer field turf results in cleats sticking on quick cuts and also lowers the top end speed of the receivers. I do believe it enables defenses that are not as quick footed to narrow the speed gap and gain an advantage. Now I suggest you go research which fields you will be playing on and build your team accordingly. I know the WEPL bookies have altered their betting lines accordingly.

Top 5 Rushers from Week 1:

– R. Beladjiat (AMB), S. Avraam (Trojans) , L. Holder (Primetime) played in Loyola

– K. Solarik (T.T.I) played in Lachine

– E. McLaren (Chaos) played in Brossard

I’m going to keep a close watch on how this statistic plays itself out over the course of the season, to test the theory of Loyola being a rushing Qb’s field.

 

 

The main storyline of week 1 in division three has to be the success of the recently promoted teams. Four former D4 teams were victorious in their inaugural game in Div 3 (VPC, Dirty Birds, KGP Champs, Chaos) while two others slugged it out and remain a serious threat (Cobras, Rude Bwoys) . This is great news for players in division 4 who would like to estimate the talent gap between the two divisions. It also demonstrates a key characteristic of a true athlete: integrity. For those at home who don’t know the definition, integrity is the adherence to moral principles or honesty. Honesty and Principles, something I think the Triple Sixers never got the memo on. But that’s a whole other story, one which I’ll let the guests on my show discuss (Shameless plug). Some of the best performances from around the league were by former Div 4 QB’s:

Quarterbacks

– Phil Cutler (KGP Champs):197 yards, 6 Td’s, 0 INT

– Eugene McLaren (Chaos): 205 yards, 5 Td’s, 0 INT

– Jon Young (Dirty Birds): 147 yards, 2 Td’s, 0 INT

Three former Div 4 Qbs combined for 549 yards, 13 Td’s, 0 INT in their inaugural Div 3 game of the season. This is a testament to the good decision making and mistake free football they developed in the lower ranks. It’s making me wonder whether the lower divisions deserve a lot more credit than they are currently getting.

Week 1 Power Rankings:

1. 1. THE U (1-0): Powered by the “Joey Harrington” like Gianni Settino and the monster calves of Dale “Reebok” Williams, this team looks poised to have a good run.

2. 2. KGP Champs (1-0): Last season we spoke about Cutler’s injured knee, this season the story should be about the ‘Champs’ potent offense.

3. 3. Lazy Boys (1-0): They have a roster which screams with talent: Donald Shepherd, Lapierre and Void are ridiculous receiving threats. The pressure is on Nathan Thompson to matriculate the ball downfield.

4. 4. DIP (1-0): Talking smack doesn’t win championships, but playing good defense does. They have the best defensive stats after week 1 (which could be an aberration, mind you).

5. 5. Souljahs (1-0): Good start to the winter campaign, probably the most balanced team in terms of offense and defense coming out of the gate. Bergeron had a strong first game.

6. 6. Chaos (1-0): If you can’t stop Eugene McLaren, you can’t win the game. That being said, they have a history of being streaky which lowers their rankings a smidgen.

7. 7. Ducks (1-0): I never recommend a two QB system unless you are the Florida Gators and have Tim Tebow and Chris Leak, but it worked out nicely week 1. I’d keep a watch on who will start at QB in the coming weeks.

8. 8. Ballhawks (1-0): This team is fairly new to me and I’ve only heard reports of their splendor. But judging from the production at QB, Alex Holowach and his men have a bright season ahead of him.

9. 9. VPC (1-0): Had a hell of a test against a great Rude Bwoys squad, but grinded out the win. They need to shore up some shortcomings on defense. Robbie Robinson is the type of leader wh o will shore up those weaknesses in a hurry.

10. 10. Dirty Birds (1-0): Winning has become customary to this team in Winter seasons, as they have won their 15th winter game in a row (14-0 in Winter 09). However, AMB Eagles demonstrated the weaknesses in the DB offense which coach Joe Birds will need to address.

On the Bubble: Primetime, GPK, DK

MVP CHASE:

Each week I will profile who are the top 3 in the lead for this prestigious title and at end of season I will invite the finalists to the show for the presentation ceremony.

1. 1. Phil Cutler (KGP Champs): 197 yards, 6 Td’s, 0 INT and on defense 2 INT’s 2 PD.

Amazing start to the season for Cutler who is looking fully rehabbed from that knee injury.

 

2. 2. Tim Kraemer (Sandlot Saints): 6 rec, 117yds, 3 TDs on defense 3 PD, 2 tackles.

Quite possibly the best overall receiver in the league (who doesn’t play in CFL), he is a huge threat on offense with a great awareness for the zones.

 

3. 3. Robbie Robinson (VPC): 148 yds, 4 tds, 2 Int. Defense: 6 tackles, 2 Ints, 2 PD

Watching his game against Rude Bwoys, he was rapidly evolving at the QB position. He is a double threat whenever on defense. But his greatest attribute may be his football intelligence.

Castleton’s Random Thoughts of the Week:

1. Warriors: You can’t spell Coward without a W. Strange coincidence?

2. Lights at Loyola: Yes they will take some getting used to, but Ill give a shout out to the first person who wears tinted goggles while playing. (editor’s note: lights have been angled higher starting this week.)

3. The Division Dodging argument: Anyone have any suggestion on how we can fix it, please email me and I’ll discuss the potential rule changes in next weeks article.

4. Hurricanes: Bon Jovi once sang “Living on a prayer”, Hurricanes did a cover version called “Living off your rep”

5. Texas All Stars: The team to beat in division 2. Or the team most likely to beat itself?

6. FlagPlus Facebook group wall: for all those who don’t know, there are controversies a raging on the group wall. I’m tired of the same old people posting, so why don’t you join in the conversation.

7. Breaking the Huddle: I’d like to thank the Commissioner and the WEPL for being so encouraging with the new show. Any advice or feedback is welcome.

 

Game of the Week for Week 2:

#1 The U vs. #4 DIP; we will be able to find out if the either team is a top 5 contender after this slugfest. The slight edge going to the U based on the pure athletic ability of the QB. But if DIP can keep their composure and play solid defense, Gianni Settino will look like Detroit Joey and not Oregon Joey.

Quote of the Week:

“ That’s smart, yell about the officiating to a guy who reffed the grey cup”

– Sideline to a Dirty Bird player who was complaining about an offside call made by an official who was part of this season’s Grey Cup crew.