Weekday Quarterback (Div D) – Week 1

 

There is nothing like the start of a new season to bring hope to all in FlagPlus Football. It is great to be back for a second season as a member of the staff that gets to write about this great league that we all enjoy so much. I must begin by thanking all those who supported my articles in Division 5 from the winter season. It is because of your commitment to this league that we are able to continue doing our job of informing you about what is happening around the league.

Once again I get to write about the inaugural season of a division. I guess the powers that be have more faith in me than they do in Rehan, Ross and Moe to create hype. Division D brings something unique to the league as teams from Division 5 now get to test their limits against teams of a higher quality. While it may not work out for all the teams immediately, it always benefits a team to learn to compete against stronger opponents. As we saw in the first week, it may be a tough road for teams that have only played in division 5, but do not fear, we have seen stranger things happen in FPF and I, for one, would not be surprised to see a team from Div 5 shock a few stronger opponents in the next 10 weeks and beyond.

In week 1, there were very few surprises as every single division 5 winter team lost except for the Patriotes who faced another division 5 team, the Monstars, who were without their QB Andrew Funamoto. All the other favorites won their games without very much trouble. If there was one surprise it was the domination of Maximum Carnage over a veteran Snookers team. The Snookers will have to come out much harder next week if they plan on competing for a playoff spot this spring.

A Minute with Moh

New to my column this season is a segment called “A Minute with Moh”. In this segment my eyes and ears (Moh Azab of the Monstars) will give a short paragraph discussing his feelings for the week that was in Division D. Moh is an experienced member of the FlagPlus community and usually has great things to say. He sent me the following rant to share with all of you this week.

“What’s the deal with starting a fight or trash talking AFTER a game? When the game’s done, the game’s done. Shake hands and leave it on the field, don’t take it home with you. 
In other news, “liked that D5 teams kept it close with the D4 teams, despite losing in most cases! Alex David, who is not playing this season, made a good point about the rushers racking up stats: slow start to the offensive rhythm anybody?
Hope to see teams getting into more game ready shape and tightening up on D [See: Monstars, Golden Eagles, Park-X].
Lockdown, Monstars, Golden Eagles, and Recruits looking to reverse the trend this weekend! Stay tuned.”

 

 

 

What to Expect?

– Who are the favorites?

There a few teams that I expect to really be dangerous and be the runaway favorites early on. Teams such as the Cowboys, who have a great amount of experience, and the X-Men, who had a successful winter campaign, should win at least 8 games each. Neither of them have any excuse to lose more than twice due to their experience and previous success. There are many teams still getting their feet wet in this league and they must take advantage of that, especially early on, so that they can solidify their spots in the postseason.

– Who could surprise?

After getting a chance to see a few teams in the winter and some teams this past weekend I am confident that the Patriotes will be the strongest team from the div 5. Etienne Chauvin was excellent in the winter season and kicked off his spring campaign with 5 touchdown passes and no interceptions. Do not let this team sneak up on you or else you will be on the losing end of the game. Do not discount teams such Park X Streets who had a great run last spring before collapsing in round one, and the Golden Eagles who came on strong late last season but had a tough matchup week 1.

 

– Who have we not heard of that we will know by the end of the season?

 

This one is simple in my mind. Maximum Carnage is a new name in the league but after beating the Snookers in week 1 (minus their franchise player Andre John, who won’t be playing this season), I am convinced that this team will have a lot of success. Expect a lot from their QB Michael Mendell, who has played in FPF before. On a side note, I am extremely proud of the Snookers for playing without Andre John, which will be a tough adjustment for them, but they will be a better team down the road because of it. It will bring this team together and will force them to find ways to compete without their star player.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– What are some of the storylines to follow?

 

One of the questions I have been asking myself is how will teams develop in their second season. Two teams that have peaked my interest are the Golden Eagles and Park X Streets. The Golden Eagles got a bit of attention late last season after barely making the playoffs but then put up a huge fight against very tough opponents in the playoffs. They looked like a team ready to turn the corner and take off to start this season but they drew a very tough opponent in the Cowboys. We should all be expecting great things from this team led by Kevin Lubin.

 

Park X Streets come into the spring season on the heels of a very disappointing finish to their winter campaign. They could have locked up a conference title in the final week of the regular season with a win over Run’N’Wild, but decided to not show their hand and try their luck in the first round of the playoffs versus the Love Cows. That did not work out very well for them, but I believe they learned a tough lesson and can use that knowledge to change their approach which has to be giving it their all each week. This tough nosed defense led by all stars Niko Zarmalias and Kyriakos Michelakis needs to continue to shut down offenses if they plan on going deep into the post season.

 

 

– How did the Time Bombs end up in Div D?

The Time Bombs finished the winter season of division 4 with an 8-2 record. It seems a little strange that a team with so much success decided to play in division D of the spring season. That being said, there were major changes to this roster that led to the drop in division. The Time Bombs, minus their leaders Frank Grenier and Matt Young, will most likely face harsh critics throughout the season, if they are successful, because of the success they had in the winter. Can they avoid the title of division dodgers? Only time will tell but do not be surprised to see more than a few teams upset with their decision. (Editor’s note: This team is almost completely different, only the name remained the same.)

 

That’s all for this week, but don’t worry, there will be plenty more to come in the next couple of months and I do hope that you continue to read the articles and enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. If you have any suggestions please do not hesitate to send me a message on FB or an email at [email protected]. I mentioned this on the facebook wall, but in case anyone has not seen it, please send me an email if you are new to this league and would like to get some recognition in the articles. Let me know about your team name and football experience or anything that you feel is relevant to your team. I hope to see you all in the coming weeks, good luck and see you this weekend.