The Wrath of Khan (D2) – Championship Recap

The FPF Winter season has come and gone and it has been an amazing 14-week trek of D2 action. I would like to send my gratitude out to the entire D2 community for making this a fun division to cover this winter. There were many characters that I encountered, some great games, and excellent storylines.

 

As for the finals, as predicted by this scribe, the Waterbuffaloes thoroughly dismantled the high powered Wolfpack offense by a score of 41-13.  The Waterbuffaloes proved why they were the one team no one wanted to face in the playoffs. The irony their playoff storyline was that on two separate occasions they were on the verge of being eliminated, yet they escaped death with clutch plays from Playoff MVP Craig O’Brien. O’Brien proved why he is one of the better quarterbacks in D2 as he passed for three touchdowns in the D2 finals. Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that his tag-team partner, Chad Byers, passed for three touchdowns on only three passing attempts!

 

The Buffaloes were toying with the Wolfpack from the get go. Last week, I mentioned in my article that the experience factor would prove to be the key element. Well, it did indeed play a huge role, as the Buffaloes looked poised and relaxed on the field. Throughout the game the Buffaloes found the open holes in the Wolfpack zone. As a result, they jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead.  O’Brien’s play selection was perfect against an upstart Wolfpack defense. It seemed that no matter what Wolfpack personnel was on the field, O’Brien had an answer. Furthermore, five Buffaloes receivers had three receptions or more in the game. It is a testament to how much depth this team has. Keep in-mind, their defense, which has been questionable at times, had one sack, and six passes defended.   

 

On the other hand, it seemed from the start of the game that quarterback of the year, Pascal Murray was nervous. He did not look his comfortable self in the pocket, his throws were off-target (he threw four interceptions), and altogether, he was never in rhythm (he completed 50 percent of his throws). The Wolfpack’s success all season has been based on Murray’s ability to dissect a defense. Unfortunately, he reverted back to his old D1 form of throwing interceptions. By scoring a mere 14 points, it is a telling sign that this team is still a few steps away from making the leap from D2 to D1. 

 

The Wolfpack are a young, energetic, and good group of guys. This was a learning experience for them to reach the D2 pinnacle. However, I think next season (whether it is Spring or Winter), their schedule will be harder. Their future opponents will not be caught off guard by their high octane offense. I am not saying they are headed for obscurity, but they will not have the ability to sneak past teams like they did this past winter season. Teams will be able to catch on to their game plan a lot easier now that they have entered D2’s elite.

 

As for the Waterbuffaloes, by winning the D2 title. The automatic questionis, will they make the leap of faith into D1? Well according to Buffaloes player, Brian Lariviere, during the WEPL press conference, said they will stay in D2, and he seemed adamant on his statement. But as time progresses, I am sure the stance of Buffaloes will change, and they will make the jump to D1.They have plenty of talent that can play from Chad Byers, Pat Lanctot, Mike Cuscuna, and Jeff Durt. However, if they do move up, who will be the quarterback, O’Brien, or Byers? Both have proven to be excellent quarterbacks, but who does the team have more faith in? According to Larviere it is O’Brien. This might be an intriguing storyline to follow during the FPF offseason, stay tuned!

 

Future Considerations:

 

If I am the Monarchs, this spring season, they will need to start experimenting with their personnel. Now, will this include incumbent, Rick Ninchieri? Clearly, this was a failed rocket launch by them this past winter season. Ninchieri is a great talent, but they need to get him help if he is to be back next season. Furthermore, the Monarchs will need to address their lack of speed on defense. If they can solve these problems, this will go a long way. As we head into a new season, the Monarchs will need to bounce back in the spring season (DA) and hopefully springboard to become a D2 contender again in winter 2010.

 

If I am the Click Clack, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. After a great regular season, they lost to the Wolfpack in the conference finals, whom they also lost to them during the regular season. However, the Wolfpack were dissected by Waterbuffaloes. Where does Click Clack go from here? Once again, they should use the Conference A spring league, as a litmus test. This will be a telling sign on whether or not they are ready to make the jump to D1 next winter. Keep in-mind, that Conference A is usually a combination of D1, and D2 talent playing together. So there will not be a legitimate team consisting of a full roster of D1 players. But it will give the Click Clack some sort of an idea how they will stack up against their competition.

 

Percentages%

 

7%, that Ross Castleton will reach 20-touchdowns this spring.

 

15%, that Rick Ninchieri will be taking shotgun snaps for the Monarchs in the future.

 

18%, that D2 teams will be reconsidering to sign a D1 quarterback, because if they win D2, they will lose their quarterback to the D1 team.

 

25%, that Wolfpack will remain in D2 in the winter of 2010.

 

35%, that Waterbuffaloes will consider D1 in the winter of 2010.

 

FPF Fact that may only interest me: With the Hurricanes losing to Montreal’s Finest and the Wolfpack losing to the Waterbuffaloes this past weekend, The Hurricanes and Wolfpack have now joined Montreal’s Finest as the only teams to lose two championship games.

 

Final Conclusion

Another FPF season has come to an end. On Sunday night, as I was watching the FPF finals. I mentioned to the director of the WEPL, Mike Paolozza, that it is amazing how fast the season comes and goes.  To an extent, it is sad because, we won’t see the majority of teams, and players, until next January, but I do look forward to the spring league. For those who will be back, I look forward to seeing you in a month’s time. For those who will not be back, good luck, and I will see you next January for another voyage into the winter season.