Categories: General

Week 3 games review, 2nd edition of Hovi’s corner, and my picks

Week 3 is now over, which means we have a clearer idea of who the favorites are in the division. Hail Marty’s, WHO D’EH, FSU, Minchia FT, Not You Too?, and Cover 3 Inches Long are still undefeated. Meanwhile, Satriales, Timberwolves, Bloodline and Grand Daddy Purp are still looking for their first win. It will be interesting to see which teams improve as the season goes along, and which ones will stagnate. With 20 out of 22 teams qualifying for playoffs, the battle for the last few playoff spots will be fierce and probably full of turnovers. 

Picks for week 3 reaction

These were my picks for week 3, and here are my reactions to those results. I went 

8 for 11 on my predictions, which is a bit underwhelming. I did have some nice predictions and a couple misfires.

Cover 3 Inches Long vs. Primetime 31-25

Going to be a close game if Mathew Cadogan is under center for Primetime.

Actual result: 30-12 for Cover 3 Inches Long. I was right in predicting that Cover 3 Inches Long would win this game, but I didn’t expect them to do so in such dominant fashion. While Matthew Cadogan did not have a bad game in terms of completion percentage and yards, he struggled to find the endzone, scoring only 2 touchdowns and no converts. Primetime was unable to convert a 4th and 1 on their opening drive. On their second drive, Cadogan took a costly 11-yard sack, causing another turnover on downs. The team also failed a 4th and 3 later in the game. While Cadogan has been playing well, he is going to need to find ways to convert more plays when it matters. Alessio Muro was his main target in this game with 5 catches for 77 yards and a TD. For C3IL, Fabrice Tremblay was silent but effective, throwing 4TDs and only 1 interception. He also added 26 yards rushing. William Seguin was once again the best player on the field, with 1 receiving touchdown and another one rushing, alongside 2 interceptions and a pass defended. Vincent Demers also had a strong game with a receiving touchdown and 2 PDs on defense. 

Area 69 vs. Pasta Arrabiat 6-27

Area 69 will keep struggling against a decent Pasta Arrabiat team which should have Joe Morgese back in the lineup.

Acual result: 27-38 in favor of Pasta Arrabiat. I was right and wrong about how this game was going to go. I was right about the fact that Pasta Arrabiat would win, and that Joe Morgese would have a big impact in the win, Morgese was phenomenal with 86 yards and 2 TDs on offense, as well as 2 interceptions on defense. Nic Delisi threw an impressive game, with 6Tds to only 1 pick. He was able to move the ball efficiently and the only two drives they did not score were the pick and one punt. Matthew Vertullo and Anthony Iannancronz were also solid as 2nd and 3rd options for this team. I was pleasantly surprised with how good Area 69’s offense was. Scoring 27 points after scoring only 2 and 13 points in prior games showed that there is potential with this team. Michael de Seta probably isn’t good enough yet for this team to compete for a championship, once again failing to protect the ball throwing 4 interceptions. His connection with his brother(?) Stefano was going in this game, the latter scoring his team’s 3 offensive touchdowns. 

Tex4s Chooches vs. WHO D’EH 13-34

Chooches fall to 1-3 against Gatehouse and Co.

Actual result: 1-18 for WHO D’EH. Chooches looked awful in this one, only scoring 1 point on a pick-1 late in the game. Giuliano Di Nardo only threw for 58 yards. He has not thrown for more than 58 yards in a single game this season so far, and this is source for concern. Chooches’ offense at the present is very slow paced and unable to march downfield. First downs are hard to come by and the passing offense is anemic. Hopefully something happens and quick or this will be a long and boring season for those receivers. WHO D’EH wasn’t great either, only scoring 3 times with no converts, but I’ll excuse Tom Gatehouse due to the slow pace of this game. WHO D’EH only had 5 possessions the whole game, and Gatehouse was able to score on 3 of them. Tyler Keating, Angelo Covone and Deven Gonzalez were the receivers who scored for them. I’ll note that through 3 games, 4 receivers are already above 80 yards, which shows that the team is well balanced, and Gatehouse does a great job spreading the ball.

Hail Marty’s vs. Trailer Park Boys 41-12

Marty Freedman should make easy work of TPB.

Actual Result: TPB forfeit for the second time already this season. This is not a good look at all for Trailer Park Boys. They have already forfeited 2 out of their 3 games. There is a sub system in place so that games can still be played, and it sucks that TPB haven’t used it. I get forfeiting once in a season, in case of injury or last-minute cancellations, but twice in 3 games? Come on. Do better boys.

Grand Daddy Purp vs. Texas Whales 0-26

GDP keeps struggling offensively and Texas Whales get their 1st win of the season.

Actual result: 14-30 in favor of Texas Whales. GDP indeed struggled offensively, with the starting QB Marcus Kulczycki throwing 3 picks and failing to find the endzone even once. Miguel Berlie threw 3 passes, going 2 for 3 for 39 yards and a TD. I am not saying that Berlie should be the one throwing for this team, but it would not hurt to try him out in a starting role. Keyon Cyrus did great on defense, adding a pick-6 and 2 PDs. As predicted, Texas Whales gets their first win of the season, led by QB Tyler Cousins and Michael Mancini who had 4 receiving TDs and 1 defensive TD. 

Timberwolves vs. Show Me Dem TDies 6-30

Timberwolves look for answers on offense but don’t find any. 

Actual result: 0-53 for Show Me Dem TDies. Timberwolves indeed went looking for answers, having 5 different players suit up at QB, and in the process of doing so, raise even more question marks. Out of the 5, none looked remotely good. They’ve now been shut out 2 games in a row, and I really don’t know how they are going to win a single game this season. It did not help that their lone bright spot, Jimmy-Lee Janvier, was not playing. Show Me Dem TDies were clinical, scoring 8 total TDs as a team. Daniel Caruana had by far his best game, with his main scoring threats being Louis Gaitanis, Denis Koutavas and Jay Yanakoulias. On defense, Koutavas and Gaitanis were helped by Peter Abbandonato who had 2 interceptions including one which he brought back to the endzone. 

Meat Lovers vs. FSU 25-24

Close game but Meat Lovers edge out FSU due to Manny Bizogias and Kevin Scalia’ two-way efforts.

Actual result: 12-20 for FSU. I was wrong for the first (not the last) time. I predicted that Manny Bizogiasand Kevin Scalia’s two-way efforts would win them the game and I was not necessarily wrong in the case of Scalia, who had 69 yards and 1 TD on offense, as well as an interception and a pass defended. Bizogias struggled on offense, throwing 3 picks and 2 passing TDs. He did also rush for 32 yards. Unfortunately, the perhaps lacking depth of Meat Lovers got them in the end. The rest of the squad was not great, and FSU ended up winning by 8. Cory Dankner, Jason Dankner, Justin Schwartz and Justin Dicaire all played well and were able to close out the game. Cory Dankner had the game-winning interception and shut down the hopes of Meat Lovers. 

Not You Too? vs. Bloodline 47-0

Kaiden Dewey-Hull and William Leclerc are going to be way too much for the inexperienced Bloodline. 

Actual result: 47-18 for Not You Too? I predicted the exact score for NYT, and once again Kaiden Dewey-Hull and William Leclerc were amazing. Dewey-Hull went 12 for 15 with 4 TDs and did not get picked once. He also added a pick and a PD on defense. Leclerc was all over the field as a receiver, catching 5 passes for 114 yards and 3 TDs, as well as a rushing TD. 2 sacks on defense as well. In my opinion, these 2 are the best players in the division and will be a nightmare for opposing defenses all season long. Leclerc is now up to 226 yards and 6 TDs in 3 games and is currently the leader in both categories for the division. Bloodline did better than I expected and were able to find the endzone three times. Justin Fraser was solid considering the team he was playing. He had 177 total offensive yards. Eric Boisvert went 7 for 7 receiving for 79 yards. Nathan Duguay had 2 TDs receiving as well. If they continue playing this way, I see them winning a couple games against weaker competition. 

Grand Daddy Purp vs. Area 69 13-6

Two struggling teams battle it out in a game of turnovers with GDP securing their first win of the season.

Actual result: 7-28 Area 69. I got this one wrong, clearly. I expected a battle of turnovers, with GDP winning in the end, but it was not close. Marcus Kulczicky had an awful game. He went 7 for 23 and had only 26 passing yards. That is 1.3 yards per attempt. He posted a 14.9 passer rating, and somehow that was not his worst score this season. His QB rating for the season is 11.9. I’m sorry to say it might be time to try someone else, like Miguel Berlie. This team has got to figure out a way to get the ball in Sasha Lamoureux’s hands. Area 69, on the other hand, was solid. Michael de Seta had 4 total touchdowns and was able to bring his team their first victory of the season. Now sitting at 1-2-1, Area 69 just needs a couple more wins to get into the postseason.

OnlyFlags vs. Minchia FT 20-25

Minchia FT’s defense comes up clutch and limits OnlyFlags weapons. 

Actual result: 6-18 for Minchia FT. I was right in my assessment that OnlyFlags were going to struggle offensively in this game, but it was even worse than what I expected. George Spano just struggled to complete passes all game long. He went 10 for 27, 98 yads and a TD, alongside 36 yards rushing. Not much happened in favor of OnlyFlags in this game, but I expect Spano to bounce back against easier defenses. Minchia was good, not great. Once again, their defense helps them to their 3rd win in as many games, but their average offense could cost them in the long run. 

Ramphins vs. Satriales 19-24

Ramphins’ rushing offense is negated by Raff Morelli and Mario Palmieri does a better job protecting the ball.

Actual result: 25-6 Ramphins. This went the opposite of what I expected. I assumed Raff Morelli would shut down Ramphins’ rushing, seeing as Raff is one of the best rushers in the whole league, but Sheldon Dumeignil absolutely tore Satriales’ defense with 90 yards rushing. He was solid with his arm, throwing 4 TDs and only 1 pick. Morelli did have 2 sacks, but he struggled offensively, only catching 4 of the 10 passes intended to him. Mario Palmieri did not protect the ball well, throwing 2 picks with no TD passes. Satriales now face an uphill battle, as they are now 0-3 on the season.

Hovi’s corner

How to score points

Score touchdowns, that’s what we all want. Throwing and catching the ball in the end zone is the most basic part of the game, yet it’s the hardest. For a quarterback, it is imperative that you play to your strengths in order to have the best chance to succeed. The most important skill is to protect the ball. Do not throw interceptions. Sounds easy enough, right? I’m going to let you in on a little secret that may seem counter intuitive. The best quarterbacks in the league are the ones who have the simplest plays but mastered them all. 

The first play you should add to your playbook is call “Hooks” or “All Hooks”. All receivers run a hook 3-7 yards, depending how far away the defender is from. Generally, you want to run it half the distance to the closest defender. The quarterback must then read the defense to try to find the defender who is dropping back a.k.a playing deep. The ball must be thrown quick, before the rusher even has a chance to get close to the QB. It’s an easy and simple play which should net you some nice yards to make second downs shorter, as well as an easy play to convert 3rd and 4th and short situations. You can also have an alternate route, for example one receiver could do a hook and go. It is important for the receiver to sell the hook to bait the defender into jumping down, and then you go back up to create some separation. I personally like the slot post over the top after you have shown all hooks before. 

Picks for Week 4

Texas Whales vs. Primetime 

Les Habitations BR vs. Minchia FT

Show Me Dem TDies vs. Grand Daddy Purp

Meat Lovers vs. Bend Don’t Break

OnlyFlags vs. Tex4s Chooches

Hail Marty’s vs. FSU

Les Habitations BR vs. OnlyFlags

Trailer Park Boys vs. Timberwolves

Pasta Arrabiat vs. Cover 3 Inches Long

Satriales vs. Area 69

Minchia FT vs. Bloodline

FSU vs. Ramphins

Meat Lovers vs. WHO D’EH

Not You Too? Vs. Tex4s Chooches

Good luck in all of your games this week! I sprained my ankle last week and haven’t played since, so make sure to stay safe out there, see you next week!