The Wrath of Khan (D2) – Week 4

For the amount of attention that some upper tier teams have received in D2, I have yet to mention the one team who has played well, and that is the Click Clack. At 4-0, and coming off a gutty win over their conference rival, Phoenix, they have positioned themselves to control their own destiny in the second half of the FPF season in Conference B.  To date, their defense has allowed the least amount of points (38), by giving up an astonishing 9.5 points per game. Led by the field general, Paul Kamel, they have pilfered 12 balls, they have accumulated 16 pass defenses, and have 3 interceptions returned for touchdowns. Clearly, the defense has been the backbone to their victories. However, no one cannot forget the quiet success that quarterback, Danny Gentille has had, as he has completed 62% of his passes, and what’s even more impressive, he has thrown an interception once for every 16 passing attempts. Looking ahead at the remaining games on their schedule, the only potential roadblock they encounter is their week 8 matchup against the surging Notre Dame. However, they do have the potential to go undefeated in their conference if they can continue to get steady play from Gentille, and their ball-hawking defense which reminds me of the Buddy Ryan, Philadelphia Eagles of the late 80s, and the Dallas Cowboys teams of the 90s.  

For those who may recall in my first article of season, I speculated that the Thundering Herd is a team full of emotions. Well those emotions were on display in crystal clear high definition in a tough, sleepy, and drag on 19-12 loss to the Shockers. Sure, starting quarterback, Tom Cesari was not there, he might have been given the wrong address to the football field, but his lesser known brother, David Cesari, was not efficient enough, as he tossed a Neil O’Donnell like 3 interceptions. Now, whether or not Tom would have made a difference, the Herd had a good chance for the upset as the score at halftime was 7-6 in favour for the Shockers. But once again, the negative passion of Jamil Springer was expressed to his quarterback, as he was not content with his ineffective play. As a result, it seemed that half of the Herd receivers did not go all out for their quarterback. For the amount of talent they have on their roster, one has to consider how they are not a better team? For starters, they need to settle on a quarterback. Whether it is David (Cesari), or Tom (Cesari) the more obvious selection is the latter. However, until they can learn how to control their emotions, the Herd will always be in the middle pack of teams, and will never reach the top of the mountain to reunite with Noah and his ark until their players start playing 100%, and as a team.

 Lookout, but the Waterbuffaloes are stampeding their way out of the deep-end and into the playoff race. At 2-2, the Buffaloes are slowly becoming a threat in their conference as they had an easy softball victory over the toothless Seminoles. As they embark on the second half of their schedule, the Buffaloes have a matchup against the volatile Thundering Herd, but the two games that could make or break their season is the week 6 tilt against the Messengers of Happiness, and their finale against the Shockers. However, the Buffaloes will need to tighten up their defense. With the exception of the victory over the Seminoles, in their first 3 games they have given up an average of 36.6 points per game. If they can rectify their problems on defense, this can go a long way in complimenting the offense which is led by the likes of, Craig O’Brien, Pat Lanctot, and B.Lariviere which has been the pistons to their engine. They have the potential to make some noise up the standings.

I must send my kudos to the Texas All-Stars. After a controversial loss to the Nixon’s Renegades, the All-Stars rebounded with a 40-20 dismantling of the hapless, hopeless, and lost in the cause Monarchs. It seemed that every All-Star player who touched the football went for a touchdown. Quarterback, Jeremi Roch, stats line might have been ugly, however, he knows if he can get the ball into his receiver’s hand that they can score at anytime during the game.

On the other hand, the Monarchs are now in a tailspin. Where do they go from here? Their prized acquisition of Rick Nincheri has not resulted in more victories. It is evident that their defense lacks any closing speed. In speaking to one of the Monarchs player, he was not too enthused, and said he is now playing for the fun of it. The word from within the FPF circle, one of the Monarch players, was not even supposed to play in their loss to the All-Stars, but he wound up playing. There is more to this dysfunction than we all know, and the Monarchs are likely to host the first golf tournament on March 23nd. Keep in-mind, that the NFL’s San Diego Chargers were 1-3, and won the AFC West division. I am not saying the division is within sight for the Monarchs, but they are only 1 game out from the last playoff spot in Conference A. But they have 6 tough remaining games on their schedule which includes the upstart Nixon’s Renegades, Carmine Pollice’s Sharks team, and the ever tough Messengers of Happiness. As I predicted in my first article of the season, the titanic ship that is the Monarchs is about to hit a glacier that could split this team in different directions. This by far, is the most unpredictable group in D2.

Finally, there is a bright unknown team in the Wolfpack. Sitting at 4-0 in Conference B, the Wolfpack have quietly gone about their business by having the number 1 offense with 160 points for, and they are averaging 40 points a game in D2. However, the winning percentage of their opponents does not indicate they have faced tier 1 competition. To date, their wins have come against opponents with a combined record of 2-13-1. Furthermore, their remaining games are against opponents with a record of 14-9-1. The conclusion is, the Wolfpack had an easy first 4 games, but are heading towards a black-hole of tough games with the likes of Phoenix, Click Clack, and Notre Dame in the horizon. They could fall by the wayside similar to the Homosapiens who many D2 experts thought would be a tough out, but has stumble as late.  

Percentages%

2%, that Notre Dame quarterback, Richard Shefteshy will ever throw 8 touchdowns in a FPF game again, actually maybe if we ever open up a D6 in Mexico (bandera mas futbol?)…(point, point).

10%, that the Nixon’s Renegades will win their division.

15%, that there are bigger problems in the Monarchs camp than is being talked about.

18%, for the 4 remaining undefeated teams in D2, 1 of them will go perfect in the regular season.

25%, that the Pacmen receivers will drop 6 balls this weekend.

30%, of the Shockers players are appalled to know that their D2 competitors think they are beatable.  

Tell Me Why?

For those who do not know, the game of the week is the Nixon’s Renegades against the Monarchs this Sunday night at 11pm in Lachine. Rest assured the Gods at FPF are well aware of the undefeated Shockers against the undefeated Messengers of Happiness this Saturday night. But due to a technicality, the WEPL will be filming the Sunday night game.

Do not discount this game, as it has a huge bearing in Conference A, as the Renegades have the potential to add another nail to the dysfunctional Monarchs coffin. But on the other hand, the Monarchs, have the opportunity to rise from the dead and become a contender they were anointed with at the beginning of the season.