Categories: DivisionDivision ADivision BMen'sSpring

Week 2 Recap: Picture Perfect

In theory, Week 2 is supposed to give us some insight, even if ever so slightly, into which teams we should expect to be competing for a championship come August. Instead, I’m left with more questions now than I had last week.

That’s especially the case in Division B, where 6 of the Division’s 10 teams currently sit at 1-1 – the highest percentage of 1-1 teams of any Division in FPF right now. I thought that was awesome until I had to write down my Power Rankings for this week. I spent a good half hour trying to justify in my head why one team should be ahead of the other, until finally I realized it was like arguing over Coca Cola vs. Pepsi; some say they prefer the former, others the latter, but in the end it’s really all the same. Except for those generic store brands. Nobody likes those.

Recap

7 > 8

Honestly, you have to feel bad for Ryan Kastner and the rest of the Rainmakers. To put up 53 points on the Finest and for Kastner to score more TDs than Wyeth and still lose is simply a waste of an impeccable performance. But when you throw pick 6s on back-to-back drives in a game, it doesn’t matter how many points you score—chances are you’re going to lose. That was the case here, with those turnovers allowing Finest to jump ahead 20-6 just minutes into the first half.

And the Finest being the Finest didn’t take that as a reason to slow down on offense. Wyeth didn’t shy away from throwing the deep ball all game long as he finished with over 260 yards on just 18 completions, 122 and 6 of which, respectively, went to Mike Harrington alone. It all proved too much for Rainmakers to overcome.

Speaking of Mike Harrington, the Finest introduced a new rusher for the game, Nathan Marriott, who received a warm welcome to the league by receiving an OC for wearing shorts with pockets. Given that rusher is arguably the second-most important position on the field, it’ll be interesting to see how this addition plays out for Finest this season.

As for the Rainmakers, they may still be in search of their first win of the season, but if there’s one 0-2 team I’m not worried about, they’re it.  

 

Bears skin Wolves

Given that Wolverines are the more accomplished team of the two, you could argue this was an upset, but this wasn’t exactly a matter of David taking down Goliath. BearSkins at their best are a dominant team, and we saw that this past week. On offense in particular, Neil Etinson was solid from start to finish, aided in part by a pretty simple gameplan – throw it to Sasha Papich. The result was a five TD performance from Papich, who seemingly scored each of them on a different kind of route. On the other side of the ball, BearSkins looked more cohesive than last week thanks in part to the presence of defensive anchor Jean-Michel Laplante. 

Now, I should mention that Wolverines, who usually field a large roster, had only seven players present for this game, most of whom usually play strictly offense. Other teams thrive on small rosters, but that just isn’t Wolverines’ style, as few on their roster usually play both ways. The fact Wolverines nonetheless were competitive until the very end is a promising sign for the team – the game was only sealed when, with three plays left, Tony Tabet was intercepted by Marco Bertoldi on what would’ve been the Wolverines’ game-tying/game-winning drive.

Might the result have been different if Wolverines were at full strength? Perhaps. But we might not know for sure until the playoffs. For now, the only thing we can conclude here is that BearSkins just put everyone else in the Division on notice.

 

Players of the Week

Division A:

QB – Kevin Wyeth (Montreal’s Finest): 18 for 23, 263 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT. Welcome back, Mr. Wyeth.

WR – Michael Harrington (Montreal’s Finest): 6 catches for 122 yards and 3 TDs. Those are monster numbers, especially given the huge pressure on Finest to win that game (Honorable mention: Jacques Void and his 4 TDs).

D – Akked Moore (Montreal’s Finest): 7 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD. Yes, I know this is the third Finest player on my list, but you can’t argue with the numbers, although really you could interchange him with Garrett Taylor and Alex Nadeau-Piuze considering all three had pick 6s this week.

 

Division B:

QB – Neil Etinson (BearSkins): 16 for 27, 174 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs. When he and Papich are on the same page, it’s usually a sign the BearSkins offense is going to wreak havoc.

WR – Aleksander Papich (BearSkins): 6 catches for 64 yards and 5 TDs. Simply ridiculous.

D – James Floreani (Predators): 2 INTs, 1 TD. J-Flo couldn’t lead the team to victory, but it’s clear he gave it his all in this game (Honorable mention: Ryan Aridi/John Lyrisis—3 sacks in a Div B game is nothing to sniff at).  

 

Power Rankings

Division A:

  1. Roosters & Donkeys (2-0) /–/: Yes, it was a close first half, but their game against Maniax was never really in doubt, was it?
  2. Montreal’s Finest (1-1) /–/: We’re used to seeing 50+ points scored for the Finest. But 50+ points allotted? That’s something of a rare occurrence. Cause for concern or a blip on the radar?
  3. Gladiateurs (2-0) /–/: Taking down Legends despite throwing more INTs and racking up fewer yards than their opponents, Glads remind us that their defense can win games for them, too.
  4. Legends (1-1) /–/: They faced their first real test of Division A and lost. That isn’t a reason to jump ship just yet.
  5. Rainmakers (0-2) /–/: If defense wins championships, Rainmakers’ Division-high 108 points against doesn’t bode well for them. An offense that can do damage the way it did last week, on the other hand…
  6. Maniax (0-2) /–/: With battles versus the Finest and Glads coming up in back-to-back weeks, Maniax will need to get it together real quick if they have any hopes at making the playoffs.

 

Division B:

  1. 6+R (2-0) /+2/: 6+R took care of business when last week’s no. 1 ranked and no. 2 ranked teams did not. I’ll give my teammates their time in the sun. 
  2. BearSkins (1-1) /+3/: When BearSkins play to their full potential, they’re arguably the most dangerous team in this Division.
  3. Wolverines (1-1) /-1/: A tough loss to a solid opponent. We know what they can do at full strength.
  4. Monstars (2-0) /+3/: Big ups to Monstars for proving me wrong and taking down my top-ranked team. Their spot up here is well deserved this week. With a game against Wolverines up next, can they prove they belong up here?
  5. Predators (1-1) /-4/: A steep fall, but two weeks in and there hasn’t been too much to be impressed with thus far. I’m now left wondering whether I overrated them or they’re underperforming.
  6. Broccasion (1-1) /-2/: One good game, one not so good game. To the middle of the pack you go.
  7. Darksiders (1-1) /-1/: It’s not often a team wins and falls in my power rankings, but that’s how the cookie crumbled this week. With games against Broccasion and Wolverines coming up, Darksiders will get their opportunity to move up very soon.
  8. Lightweight (1-1) /+2/: We saw Lightweight at their worst and Lightweight at their best. The question now is, which one will we see more of moving forward?
  9. Raiders (0-2) /-1/: Raiders have been competitive in both games they’ve played so far, but you don’t get points for almost winning.
  10. The Commission (0-2) /-1/: It’s tough to win when your QB shows up late to the game.

 

Random Thoughts

  • The Finest gave up 50+ points in their game against the Rainmakers this past week. The last team to score 50+ points on the Finest before then: Also the Rainmakers, in the Winter 2013 Division 1 final.
  • Some intersections in Berlin straight up don’t have crosswalks. I’m guessing they weren’t a priority back in the GDR days, but it’s 2015. I think it’s safe to say most of us aren’t down to play “guess whether this driver speeding down the street will stop for you” on a daily basis.
  • Watching YouTube live-stream broadcasts is banned in Germany, along with a gazillion other YouTube videos. Why Angela, why?
  • All four subdivisions in Division C have at least one team whose name is spelled with all caps. I feel like that’s gotta be a record.
  • There are five total teams whose name is spelled with all caps in Division C. I feel like that’s also gotta be a record.

 

Picks of the Week

A 5-2 record in Week 2 puts me at 9-5 on the season for a 64% rate. Next stop: the 70s.

Division A:

Gladiateurs vs. Roosters & Donkeys: If the Glads that dominated Rainmakers Week 1 shows up, this game will be close. If the Glads that barely escaped Legends last week shows up, it won’t be close. In both cases, I think R&D takes it. R&D have the size and speed to contain Pat Jérome, the firepower to match the Glads blow for blow if this one becomes a shoot-out, and overall they’ve been clicking on both sides of the ball for two weeks straight. I think they keep that going for a third week in a row.

Legends vs. Rainmakers: Coming off a loss in which they won the turnover battle and put up just six points in the first half, Legends give me little reason why I should pick them to take down a proven Division 1/A mainstay this week. When you couple that with a Rainmakers offense coming off one of the most impressive Div A showings in a while, all signs point to a Rainmakers win.

Maniax vs. Montreal’s Finest: If last week is any indication, it looks like the Finest’s damn near unstoppable offense is back. Yes, Rainmakers put up 53 points on them last week, but I don’t think Maniax have the kind of offense that can do the same. Not saying Maniax can’t win this game – they are after all the team that last beat the Finest prior to their Week 1 loss to R&D. But is it likely? Don’t think so. 

 

Division B:

Lightweight vs. 6+R (N/A)

Broccasion vs. Darksiders: Fred Morissette has a knack for trying the deep ball; Broccasion have a knack for shutting that stuff down (Exhibit A: Week 1 vs. BearSkins). I’ll take Broccasion in a low-scoring affair.

The Commission vs. Raiders: In a battle of pretty evenly matched 0-2 teams, I think Raiders have the edge with a more proven roster and a more experienced quarterback. Unless Akked Moore a) suits up for TC again this week and b) takes over this game, I think Raiders squeak out a win. 

BearSkins vs. Predators: Two dangerous rosters on paper, two very inconsistent teams on the field. If Neil Etinson plays this week like he did the last, I think BearSkins eek by for the W.

Wolverines vs. Monstars: Monstars, you beat my no. 1-ranked team. But the fact I had Preds ranked that high was purely subjective. Now you’re going up against a proven top division team. Time to find out what you’re really made of. 

 

***

That concludes this week’s article. As usual, be sure to catch the Div A/B podcast “The Sack Exchange” with Moe Khan and Matt Kirouac on the FPF YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/flagplus every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. or on demand at the same link afterwards. Don’t forget that you can always reach me on Twitter @JBlanchFPF or by email at [email protected]. ‘Till next week!