The Wrath of Khan (DA) – Week 1

The winter season is now behind us, so allow me to welcome you all to another wacky FPF spring season. Usually, about 60 percent of winter teams comeback for the spring season, then there are other teams that combine forces in hopes of winning a FPF title. No matter what, in this humble scribe’s opinion, the spring league is primarily used as a trial period for teams to hone their skills for the winter season. 

Keep in-mind, there is a sense of desperation for some teams. For example, the Shockers have opened up their Daniel Snyder (Washington Redskins owner) wallet and are pulling a New York Yankees in their pursuit of a FPF title which could result in them finishing like the New York Knicks. 

On the other hand, there are the 49ers. A team that is comparable to the Tampa Rays, keeping their nucleus intact, and growing their talent within the system. 

I am confident there will be plethora of upsets, blowouts, and close matchups. Will the two best teams be playing in the Conference A finals by the time we reach the middle of August? There are 13 weeks left in the FPF season; we shall see then. 

Shockers:

Pro: 

The Shockers were devastated by the last winter’s conference final loss to the eventual champions Waterbuffaloes. However, this spring, they have reloaded with tier-1 acquisitions of Kishon Thompson and Kevin Wyeth. With these two superstars on board, the Shockers have additional depth, more skilled players, and a potent offense.

Kevin Wyeth has become the epitome of FPF on how to play the quarterback position. His strongest attribute is incorporating all of his receivers, thus, making it harder for any opposing defenses to zero in on one player. This will go a long way for the Shockers in taking the pressure off of Andre Knights who was the only weapon on offense.

Con: 

Is acquiring Thompson and Wyeth a smart move by the Shockers? Will this stump the development of the Shockers franchise for future seasons when Thompson and Wyeth go back to their D1 team (Montreal’s Finest)? 

But what does this say about the current roster? Are they that desperate to win a FPF title that they need to go beyond their calling to get these two superstars to put them over the top?

The most probable scenario, the Shockers will play in D2 winter, but they will not have the likes of Thompson, and Wyeth, so where will the production come from then?

Conclusion:

The Shockers have assembled a great roster, but this a sign of desperation to win a title. Their window of opportunity was never bigger than it was to achieve greatness in the winter season. But if they do not win the title this season, will they ever get a taste of the title? Proceed with caution.

Rainmakers:

Pro:

The Rainmakers won the respect of the entire FPF community for coming back to finish off their winter season after the tragic death of their team captain Adriano Tassone.

The Rainmakers addressed some of their defensive deficiencies with the acquisitions of D2 stars, Paul Kamel, and Pavlos Papachristopoulos. Kamel will go a long way in helping the defense make stops. Papachristopolous will help in the tackles department.
Furthermore, these two players will go a long way to increase the chances of creating turnovers on defense.

Their offensive personnel is still intact. With Michael Samman, Bobby Mikelberg, and Michael Chitayat catching footballs, at given moment they can score on the football field.  

Con: 

Can the Rainmakers defense make a stop on or create a turnover on defense? It was obvious their offense has been the key to their success. But their defense has yet to create any game changing plays. 

Can quarterback Ryan Kastner be able to withstand the physical beatings he endured during the winter season? On Sunday night, he suffered one of his worst performances, as he was sacked seven times by the Shockers’ Ross Castleton.

The Rainmakers are a finesse offense. Will they be able to shed off the moniker and become a well rounded offense?

Conclusion:
 
The Rainmakers are able to score at any point during the game. Their offense has talent with Chitayat, Samman, and Mikelberg. But the end result, their defense, which is their achilles’ heel, might cost them a couple of wins.

Ruff Ryders of Happiness:

Pro:

This team will present matchup problems for their opposition. With a roster that includes Benny Goodfriend, Paul Lapierre, Marc Champagnie, and Rochdi Benabdelkaeder, the team is loaded with superstars that can be comparable to a D1 winter roster. 

They have a tremendous size advantage over most opponents; as a result, this will be a difficult task for opposing defenses to matchup size wise against the Happiness. 

Stephane Cole is the best pass rusher in Division A. He will be a headache for all opposing quarterbacks.

Con:

Will Benny Goodfriend make the transition from a decent to elite FPF quarterback? During the winter season, there were games that he looked like an all-pro. Then there were times that he literally lost the handle on the football. The best memory that comes to mind was in the D2 conference semi-finals against the Waterbuffaloes. Goodfriend had many chances to knock off the Buffaloes but did not convert when he had to. 

Can their defense stay disciplined? For the amount of turnovers the Happiness defense created, they were nullified by penalties. If the Happiness can stay out of the penalty box, it will be awfully hard to score on them. However, this is all based on staying disciplined and not making unforced errors.

Conclusion:

If there is one team that will be a tough out, it is this team. They have great depth that will make it tough for teams in DA to matchup with them. However, they will only go as far as Goodfriend can take them.

 
49ers:

Pro:

I applaud quarterback Richard Shefteshy for trying to improve his skills by playing in DA.

On paper, his team does not seem to have the pure talent and athleticisim to match up with DA’s elite. However, what this roster does provide is an undeniable determination, heart, and grit to win games.

As a result, statistically, Shefteshy will not put up the huge numbers like in the Kevin Wyeth department. But he will make sure that this will be a balanced offense. 

Furthermore, has anyone ever heard of receiver, Gino Conforti? He had a phenomenal D2 winter playoffs for the Pacmen as he made spectacular clutch catches throughout their playoff drive. He will keep the bean bags moving for this team.

No one should forget they have Chris Achkarian who has the potential to break open a game with his blistering speed. When he is in the open field, he has the ability to make defenders look silly.  

Con:

The lack of talent will stump the development of Shefteshy. With all due respect, the overall roster is not filled with any skilled pizzazz that will help improve Shefteshy’s skills.

Will Shefteshy be able to process his reads intime to make the correct throws? With no Kishon Thompson, Hamid Mahmoudi, and J.M. Laplante on the roster, he will not be afforded the luxury of having athletes adjust to his throws.

Will his supporting cast be able to play up to the standards they set for themselves when some of them were on the Pacmen’s Cinderella run in the D2 playoffs?

Conclusion:

This season is a springboard for the entire roster to improve their skills for the winter season. Whether or not they can produce any upsets, time will tell. The 49ers remind me of the defunct Montreal Expos. They have the hustle, but will this translate into wins?

Thundering Herd:

Pro:

The Thundering Herd should never be underestimated, please ask the Nixon’s Renegades how they felt after being upset in the opening round of the D2 playoffs.

Jamil Springer is a talented football player who single-handedly can change the pace of the game when the football is in his hands.
Matt Bond, David Cesari, Troy Jarrett, and Jazz Payne are an underrated defensive quartet. These three have been the backbone for the Herd’s success on defense. They have the speed, football IQ, and intangibles to contain the potent offenses in FPF.

Con:

It will be the emotions of the Thundering Herd that will cost games for them. On numerous occasions in the winter season and the playoffs, the Herd imploded. As a result, it cost them their near upset of the Shockers in the conference semi-finals.

Jamil Springer is a talented football player who single-handedly can change the pace of the game when his negative attitude takes precedence over the team. He has lost some games all by himself because of it.       

Conclusion:

The success of the team will rest on the shoulders of Danny Donovan, after Tom Cesari’s season-ending knee surgery during the winter season. The Herd finally settled on Donovan. He will have to play flawlessly if the Herd is to have any success this spring. Otherwise, it will be another season of self-implosions on the roster.

Titans:

Pro:

At some point during the season or playoffs, the Titans will produce an upset.

The trio of Patrick Chenard, Nicholas Arsenault-Hum, and Mathieu Thuot is the most underrated group in FPF. These three players have been a part of some historic upsets (defeated the Demons in Winter ’08 playoffs). They are due for another shocking win this spring season.

Chenard will need to use his legs to create positive plays for the Titans. He is a dangerous player when he is able to use his legs and control the pace of the game.

Con:

There is no one on the roster that will be able to keep Chenard’s emotions in check.

Who will assume the pass rushing role? With Andrija Zecevic not on the roster, they lose out on a player who swallowed a lot of open space when rushing the quarterback.

The Titans get down on themselves very easily when they are behind.

Conclusion:

The Titans will pose problems for their opposition. However, their depth is not on par with the rest of Conference A. If the Titans are to be successful, they will need Chenard to carry this team on his back, and be able to shoulder the load to victories. 

 
Percentages%

15%, that the Shockers, and Ruff Ryders of Happiness will each finish with a record of 9-1.

25%, that the 49ers, and Rainmakers will each finish with a record of 6-4.

30%, that the Thundering Here will finish with an overall record of 5-5.

30%, that the Titans will finish with an overall record of 4-6.