The Wrath of Khan (DA) – Week 2

To sum up last weekend’s football action, it was comparable to experiencing a cold winter season, awful!  

 

Besides, the minor first-half hiccup by the heavily favoured and highly priced Shockers squad. Every game was well determined by the halftime tea break.

 

Clearly, the Ruff Ryders of Happiness are sending a warning shot message via FedEx to the Shockers, as they man-handled the short handed Thundering Herd 44-7.  In essence, this was a walk-thru practice for the Happiness, who impressed with style points by their timely passes, great defense, and fancy plays.

 

It was a perfect way for them to release their frustrations after an ugly win against the Titans in week one. Furthermore, to get the chinks out of their armour before their big matchup, this team is running on all cylinders.

 

They will pose matchup problems because of their size, speed, and chemistry. Moreover, what I fail to mention, is the leadership that the great unknown of this squad, Adi Sharma brings to the team. It seems no matter who he plays within FPF; his leadership qualities are contagious to all of his teammates. This will go a long way in helping them reach the ultimate goal of winning a FPF title.

 

The Ugly:

 

I cannot really gauge the performances by the Shockers and 49ers on whether or not it was good or bad. For starters, the 49ers kept the game close at halftime when it was tied at 14. But was it the mistakes that the Shockers were creating, or the 49ers capitalizing on their opportunities?

 

It was a combination of both factors. But the epitome of FPF quarterbacks, Kevin Wyeth, is still trying to develop the chemistry with his receivers Shawn Haney, and Ross Castleton. Now, Haney, and Castleton will never be Kevin Challenger, or Akked Moore. But I am more than certain that in due time these parts will be clicking with Wyeth.

 

Another key storyline is their pass rushing. It seems that no matter who is attacking the opposing quarterback (Castleton, Andre Knights, and Jason Prince), they have imposed their will. So far to date, they have “dropped” the quarterback 14 times. They are well on their way to accumulating a sure bet FPF record of 70 team sacks for the season. Ross Castleton will have some competition for the elusive DA All-Star rusher.

 

I give credit to the 49ers. They are going about their team development the right way by building within the system. They were competitive throughout their loss. But the one key ingredient that they are lacking is a legitimate superstar that can take the pressure off them.

 

Is there is any player in the FPF pool that Richard Shefteshy can sign? There are plenty of options, but now it is a matter of whether or not that superstar player will like to join the team, and carry the bulk of the load.

 

It seems that Richard Shefteshy is missing having the comfort of Hamid Mahmoudi, or J-M Laplante on his squad. But he will have to make do with the elements he has until his signs another player.

 

The 49ers will need to continue to grind away at games. If there is a model that they should follow, is what Filet Mignon did in last year’s division B spring league. They were able control the tempo of the game by eating the clock up with short yardage plays and the scrambling ability of then QB, Michael Manoukian. It is imperative that the 49ers slow down the game by a couple of gears. If they can, then the tempo favours them in the long-term.

 

The race to 0-10 has officially started, as the Titans, and Thundering Herd have displayed why they are still eons away from competing with the likes of the Happiness, Shockers, and Rainmakers.

 

Without a doubt, it was a lethargic performance by the Herd. They did not adjust to any formations thrown at them by the Happiness. It seemed throughout the game, that they were going through the motions. Granted, there was no Danny Donovan at the quarterback position, nor Chris Cesari, Jazz Payne and so on.

 

As for the Titans, they lost to the Rainmakers 32-18. However, it has become evident that the loss of pass rusher, Andria Zezevjic will be felt greatly. His ability to eat up space made it difficult for any opposing quarterbacks. So far, in two games, the Titans pass rushers have compiled a mere 2 sacks. In the long-run the lack of a pass rush will determine whether or not they are in contention for the fourth and final  playoff spot.

 

However, there is good news. The Titans will do battle against the Herd this Sunday at 9pm. So if one of these teams is victorious we can eliminate them from the race to a perfect 0-10 season.

 

Congrats go out to Rainmakers quarterback, Ryan Kastner. After an awful week one start, in which he was sacked 10 times in-total. Kastner rebounded by going 26 for 31 for 256 yards, and five touchdown passes in a victory over the Titans.

 

Furthermore, the Rainmakers flexed their depth as seven receivers caught at least two passes or more.  If the Rainmakers are going to make a move to the top of the standings, they will need to exercise their entire depth and make sure that Kastner does not get sacked like he did in week one.

 

When he is given the time to throw the football, Kastner is one of the better FPF quarterbacks. However, he needs to continue building his confidence back up, thus, taking less sacks and throwing the football with authority.  

 

Percentages%

 

30%, that the Happiness will beat the Shockers.

 

30%, that the Shockers will beat the Happiness.

 

20%, that the 49ers will sack Rainmakers quarterback, Ryan Kastner 6 times this Sunday night.

 

12%, that the Thundering Herd and Titans game will finish in a tie.

 

8%, that the Shockers, Ross Castleton will make the DA All-Star roster as a rusher.