The Wrath of Khan (Div A) – Week 7

What did I learn from seventh week of the DA season? The Shockers are in complete disarray. The Mercenaries could be the best team in the division. O.N.S. ruined the Stump Bowl. The playoff scenario is still in a mess.

Shockers Look Lost

It is safe to say the Shockers are now in complete disarray. Once again, in what many thought was a solved problem (quarterback position) has again become their ever glaring Achilles heel.

It was further cemented by the facial reactions of the team when Fred Dupuis (the apparent solution to their problem) was nowhere to be found during their pre-game warm-ups.

According to WEPL’s own, Rey Starwar, he (Dupuis) had sent a message to team president, Ross Castleton that he would not play on Sunday. But the problem was, Castleton was away in Europe, so who knows if the message ever reached him.

As a result, Kishon Thompson had to again assume the quarterback position, and his lack of experience showed. He threw two critical interceptions, and made an errant pitch in the endzone that resulted in a safety before halftime. As a result, the O.N.S. exacted revenge from an earlier season loss with a 31-13 pounding.

But in the view of many FPF members, there is more to this problem than the quarterback position.

It seems this team has lost their swagger, desire, and confidence to win games.  What was considered a talented team destined to be a perennial champion for years to come! It looks like the window of opportunity is now closing.

During the taping of the WEPL, I posed the question to Daron Basmadjian, and Donald Shepherd on whether or not the first nail has been hammered down on their coffin? They said, it is more like the sixth and seventh nails have been laid down, and it is only a matter of time. 

One has to wonder how the Shockers will be able to overcome their shortcomings, but by their body expression it seems the season has been long completed, and they cannot wait to wake up from this bad dream.

Are the Mercenaries The Real Number One Team?

Are the Mercenaries the best team in FPF? According to the standings on the league website, they are.  Although they were down 26-6 at halftime, it did not deter the Mercenaries from scoring 36-points in the second half! This is unheard of due to the fact that on average, an FPF team would score 36 total points in a full game.

Carmine Pollice, who showed up a bit after the start of the game, had passed for six touchdowns on 14 passing attempts. Furthermore, it took Benny Goodfriend 27-passing attempts to equal the six touchdowns thrown by Pollice.

This game had everything from Jamil Springer having five total touchdowns, to Ricky Martin having three touchdown receptions! As well as a controversial ending to the game!  

But are they the best team? Yes. They have defeated the Kingz earlier in the season, and now the Goodfellas. But they can further cement their status if they can successfully again defeat the Kingz this weekend.

Once the dust settles in determining the number one seed, it is a foregone conclusion that  Pollice will be the quarterback of the year in DA. He has shown that no matter who is catching the football from him. He will continue to further himself away from the competition as he is on another level of quarterbacking right now.

Stump Bowl No More

Well there went the Stump Bowl game set for the tenth week of the FPF season. We can all thank the O.N.S. for ruining all party plans with their big win over the Shockers.

But if any team needed a break it was them! Finally, it seemed Kevin Wyeth found his groove with his receivers as he had passed for four touchdowns. Overall it was a solid team effort.

As a result of this win, it has put them in the driver’s seat to clinch the last playoff spot (more on the postseason scenario at the bottom).

Playoff Traffic Mess

The playoff scenario is still a mess. To date, three teams (Goodfellas, Kingz, and Mercenaries) have clinched a playoff spot. The order of how these three teams will finish has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, the bottom half of this division is in complete disarray. Let’s take a look at what needs to be done for the so-called bottom feeders.

Triple Sixers, (3-3): The second hottest team behind the Mercenaries. The Sixers are coming off a bye week in which they will play two games this coming weekend (Goodfellas, and O.N.S.). They could finish with a .500 record if they are to split their remaining games. But, since the fourth game of the season, the Sixers have been a tough out for their opponents.

Final verdict: Sixers have a chance to be at best a third seed. But otherwise, all they need is one more win to solidify their playoff position. Depending on their matchup, they could be a tough out.

Shockers, (3-4): Very tough times for the defending champions. This ship is now headed directly towards the glacier that could sabotage the entire boat. The bad news is they are on a three game losing streak. The good news, they have three games to avert this glacier. No matter what, they are the defending champions, and they possess a great defense. They could still be one of the better teams if they get their act together.

Final verdict: Shockers currently sit in the fifth spot. All they need is one more victory to clinch a playoff spot. But if the unthinkable happens where if they were to lose all their games and maybe the Rainmakers were to win out with the points difference in favour of them. Then it would be an utter collapse. But for now, they are still in decent shape. One more win, and they are good to go.

O.N.S., (1-5): They finally got the gorilla off their backs with a big win over the Shockers. Prior to that, it seemed this team was destined to not win a game even with Kevin Wyeth onboard. But maybe this victory will catapult them into contention for the fifth spot, especially if they can defeat the Sixers this weekend.  Keep in-mind, they do have the luxury of having a game in-hand, which they could cash in for another victory.

Final verdict: They are on better footing than last week where it seemed they had a one-way ticket to “winless” island.  If they could cash in their game in-hand, and potentially win out the rest of their games, they could vault into the fifth position, maybe even higher (depends what everyone else does).  

Rainmakers, (0-7):  They have the worst luck in DA. They had the toughest first five games on their schedule. Their roster has been a revolving door with new guys being imported from around the world. It seems they cannot buy a break. As a result, they are stuck in the cycle of horrors. Yes, they have three games left and if they were to win two of them, and get some help along the way, they could push for a playoff spot.

Final verdict: The percentages could shrink even more if they lose to the Shockers this weekend. If they can somehow win this game, it could start a potential winning streak for them as they have the Shockers, Triple Sixers, and O.N.S. remaining.

Percentages%

10%, that Triple Sixers can sweep their weekend series.

15%, that the Shockers will be able to recover from this slide.

15%, that the last playoff spot will be determined in the tenth week of the season.

20%, that the Rainmakers can win their remaining games.

40%, that Carmine Pollice wins “Quarterback of the Year”.