The War Room (D3) – Week 5

MID YEAR REPORT

 

Thirty-two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Catalogna, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean…

 

Poetic isn’t it? Well this week has not been disappointing with major division plot lines thickening and a league wide buzz around the midway point to our season. This article might deviate slightly from the past ones as I look to each division to give my brief analysis and prediction of the standings and where I think teams will end up. If you don’t share my opinions or prediction, please free to state it in the discussion forum I’ll post on the FlagPlus Facebook wall sometime this week.

 

Legend:

( ): Teams projected record at end of season

Castleton’s Midseason team MVP after the projected record.

 

Conference A:

 

East:

This division is a two horse race, but I’m leaning towards the Souljahs on winning the division due to some strong performances by Perriault-Dorzile and Mathieu Lacoursiere. T. Studs rely too much on their run game, which although incredible, will not win you championships in this league. However, it will cause enough problems to get them into the playoffs. Rage and Bandits are not as strong but look to rebound in the second half of the season, with newfound experience and less pressure on the season. 

 

1. Souljahs                   (8-2):   QB. D. Perriault-Dorzile, 15 td’s 1 Int, 783 yards.

2. Tennesee Studs    (7-3):   QB  L. Guilbault, 266 yards rushing and 3tds, 9td’s , 1 Int 

3. Rage                        (5-5):   WR. K. Binette 14 catches 230 yards, 4 Tds

4. Bandits                     (4-6):   WR. J. Young 14 catches 196 yards, 6 Tds

 

 

West:

This division seems to have a consensus number one in the Falcons who are poised to take the division unless the Walk on’s can pull off a major upset in two weeks. With Simon Richard looking comfortable and a solid defense behind them, I see the Falcons winning the division. Walk On’s can blame the inconsistent play of their offense for their second place finish in this division. Top Sauce are relying too much on their defense to put them in good positions which can often be overbearing for a team.  Spartiates need to make some changes on offense in order to be effective and competitive. 

 

1. Falcons (9-1):        WR. V. Roy 217 yards, 8 Tds

2. Walk on’s (7-3):   CB M. Olivier 12 tackles, 6 Ints, 4 pass deflected

3. Top Sauce (4-6):   CB J. Jones 8 tackles, 4 Ints, 2 pass deflected

4. Spartiates (0-10): WR. L. Rivest, 10 catches, 113 yards, 2 Td’s

 

North:

 

This division was a surprise to me as I saw it as a potential flurry of playoff contenders. However at the midpoint in the season, I can only tag D3 Hybrids as the favorites to not only win the division but contend for a title. KGP Champs have an injured Qb and an inconsistent offense to say the least, which scares me in making further bold predictions. Red Rebels have a good group of players and a strong armed qb, but lack the experience to win those tough games. Rude Bwoys are falling short of expectations as their offense seems to sputter and puts pressure on their defense to provide crucial stops. 

 

1. D3 Hybrids (8-2):               QB. M. Roy 545 yards 15 tds 3 Ints

2. KGP Champs: (5-4-1):        WR. O. Saleh 14 catches, 318 yards, 10 tds.

3. Red Rebels (5-5):               WR – CB. P-A. Lebouthillier 292 yards, 5 tds, 5 Ints

4. Rude Bwoys (4-6):               WR- Ben McHenry 128 yards, 6 tds

 

South:

 

This division is the weakest of Conference A as a .500 team could make the 4th seed in the playoff (sounds like San Diego’s situation). Doggone Bawlclub is anything but consistent due to many players missing games etc. But I think they will have the slight edge over a surprisingly uninspired Swat team. I looked for Gino Di Fazio’s team to walk away with this division title, but they haven’t shown anything lately to prove it.  Bomb Squad are playing much better than they started but need to shore up some kinks in their armor if they want to be a real threat next year. They have decent defensive talent, but their Offense needs work. Alliance is a work in progress, and a potential tour in D4 may be what the doctor ordered.

 

1. Doggone Bawlclub (5-5):              WR. R. Shefteshy 137 yards, 5 tds

2. Swat (4-6):                           WR. S. Haney 313 yards, 8 tds

3. Bomb Squad (2-8):               CB. D. Daoust, 5 ints

4. Alliance (1-9):                    WR. M. Creamer, 156 yards 2 Tds

 

 

Conference B:

 

 

East:

The GMEN were crowned division champs before they even took the field this season by the WEPL staff. So far their performances haven’t been that convincing but I don’t see the boys on DIP providing many problems to their divisional aspirations. DIP is a good team and they want you to know it. However, their recent showings haven’t left us with much to be pleased about. They need to focus on defense and pray for that playoff spot. Choppers need more from their QB, or the QB needs more from his WR’s. Whatever the case, they need to score more points. Averaging somewhere in the neighbourhood of 13 points a game isn’t going to win you anything but free time in April and May. Motrin Junkies need to try and think positively the rest of the season, perhaps move around the talent and see what works.   

 

1. G-Men (8-2):  Qb – CB P. Kamel, 254 rush yds 4tds, 15tds-8 Ints, On D: 4 Ints, 2 Tds

2. DIP (4-6):                           WR – J. Hebert, 330 yards 8 Td’s (happy?)                      

3. Choppers (2-7-1):                        Rusher – E. Mastrosanti – 12 Sacks

4. Motrin Junkies (1-9):            CB – S. De Bois – 3 Ints, 2 Td’s 

 

West:

This is an interesting division for those on the WEPL to follow. GPK is a new team which we were unaware about until we started receiving weekly reminders of their greatness. So far they haven’t done much but prove to us that they are in fact a legitimate contender. Ballerz got off to a bad start due to their schedule and although I’m not sure if they can play well down the stretch, Tougas will have his offense scoring in crucial drives. I see them overtaking the Wildcats, who have a very one dimensional offense.

The Squad is a good team with good talent. I think they need to be more organized in order to put together some much needed wins. I don’t see their fortunes changing in the second part of this season though.

 

1. GPK (8-2):              Qb – M. Stagg – 21 tds, 6 Ints, 923 yards

2. Ballerz (6-4):            Wr – A. Lever 237 yards, 5 tds

3. Wildcats (5-5):        Wr – K. Morin 212 yards, 7 tds

4. The Squad (3-6-1):            Wr. – F. Bourdages 186 yards, 3 tds

 

North:

This is a pretty boring division as D-Boys look to dance their way into the playoffs with this one. Pattyn has emerged as their QB and their defense is now playing up to pre season hype. Football for Dummies is a fairly unknown team at this point but has shown some fight in tying the KGP champs two weeks ago. I think they get three wins in the second half of the season. VR6 is a massive disappointment due to the amount of elite talent on their roster, it amazes me that they have yet to win a game. Ball or Fall are obviously falling to the bottom of this division and their lack of production on offense is the reason to blame.

 

1. D-Boys (7-3):                    CB – D. Da Silva 6 Ints

2. F. F. Dummies (3-6-1):        WR – T. Kreamer 267 yards, 5 Tds

3. VR6 (3-7):                           WR – K. Challenger 291 yards, 6 Tds

4. Ball or Fall (1-8-1)             WR – C. Sewell 157 yards, 4 Tds

 

South:

This is the best division in Division 3 by far, the talent in this pool is strong and the teams are all very competitive. I foresee the Ruff Ryders as the best candidate for the undefeated label as P. Lapierre and Company are playing too well on offense to be stopped. They do have the occasional mental lapse but I think overall, they should take this division EASILY. The subplot of the season will be whether the Titans and AMB Eagles get that second spot. I think the Titans are much improved from their prior seasons, but AMB armed with a great Qb and talented receivers could pose problems for the men in “light” blue.  Of special note, the Titans and AMB Eagles will square off this weekend in D3’s inaugural FlagPlus Football Game of the Week. Should be a good one. 89ers should use the rest of the season to work on specific plays and improving as a team in order to gain more experience for next season.

 

1. Ruff Ryders (10-0):Qb – P. Lapierre 986 yards 26 tds 4 ints

2. AMB Eagles (8-2): Qb – R. Beladjat 586 yards 15tds 3 ints, 263 yds rushing 5 tds

3. Titans (7-2-1):        Qb – M. Rene 20 tds, 2 Ints

4. 89ers (2-8):              CB – M. Azab 4 Ints

 

Castleton’s Random Thoughts of the Week:

 

1. Rick Nincheri: I can’t help but think that all this losing on the once proud Monarch Nation is translating over to the Hurricane games. Never would I imagine Nincheri going 0-2 in a weekend.

 

2. CLR Forces: My favorite underdog clawed their way back to beat the Demons and shocked the rest of division 1. Good to see F. Dupuis and G. Ward having some success. 

 

3. Phoenix: I was more surprised by the demolition of the phoenix by the Wolpack than anything else this weekend. What is going on? You guys were on pace to be in D1 a couple seasons ago now your getting smoked by top teams in D2.

 

4. Ties: We seriously need to find a solution, either a sudden death set of extra points like the playoffs or a 3 plays each from half college football system.

 

5. E-mails: Good to see the amount of viewer responses on facebook and in my inbox, glad to see you pay attention. Hopefully, we don’t neglect your teams too much.

 

6. Fantasy draft: It’s for fun guys, not a tool for us to disrespect players in the league. There are hundreds of players in this league and we will always leave someone out, so please don’t take it so personally. 

 

7. MTL Finest: I have been a hater all season long on the Finest, thinking they would eventually lose to the Hurricanes as usual. But they proved me wrong and I admit when I make a mistake. In hindsight maybe K. Wyeth should have been my #1 pick overall.

 

This Tune is for you:

 

1. Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen, dedicated to the Monarchs who must be humming that tune remembering all those winning seasons they ONCE had.

 

2. Hit me with your best Shot by Pat Benatar, dedicated to Ballerz who hit the Falcons with their best shot and just fell short this weekend.

 

3. Give it away by RHCP, dedicated to the Demons who were up at halftime only to give it away in the second half to the resurgent CLR Forces.

 

4. Thriller by Micheal Jackson, dedicated to Messengers of Happiness and Shockers on a thrilling down to the wire tie of two undefeated teams on Saturday night.

 

5. Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for Fears, dedicated to the AMB Eagles, Ruff Ryders and Titans who all want to win their tough South division and have the ability to do so.

 

Quote of the week:

 

“He took my pick away from me, that freakin’ mini truck.

When he lost his flag and I touched him, my hand went numb…I want him tested!”

            – Post game analysis by Ben Joseph on covering Wildcats Receiver K. Regimbald.