Weekday Quarterback (Div D) – Week 3

 

It is not often that the third week on the calender has such a big impact on outcome of the standings at the end of the regular season but after looking at some of the matchups from the past week it is evident that some of these wins and losses could seriously affect the fate of a few teams. Some of these matchups taught us a lot about the character of certain teams and we even got an exciting playoff like game from two of the contenders in Division D.

Weekly Recap

The biggest game of the weekend was between the X-Men and The Patriotes. Both teams are serious contenders for the Division D crown and both play in separate conferences so this could be a potential finals matchup. You would expect both teams to play well in a game like this and they did just that. Patriotes QB, Etienne Chauvin was not his usual dominant self but he did enough to get the win. Going 8 for 14 is abnormal for him but he still managed to avoid any interceptions and he had 3 touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. Gautama Swaminadhan continued to impress at the QB position for the X-Men as he went 19 for 28 for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns. The difference between the two in this game was that Swaminadhan threw 2 interceptions that are crucial in a tight game. While the X-Men put up a valiant effort in the second half to come back they lost this game 26-22 but were still very impressive in the loss. The big shock from this game has to be that the Patriotes (winter division 5) beat a winter division 4 team that made the playoffs and won a first round matchup against a very good Boom! Goes the Dynamite team. I think this puts an end to the question of who is the best team from division 5 in the winter playing this Spring.

In another crucial early season game, the undefeated Tyrants went head to head with the undefeated Mongoose. Both of these teams lead their respective divisions but only one remains undefeated. The Mongoose continued their hot start with a 31-25 victory by using a bit of an unconventional offense that allows them to put up big points. Mongoose QB 1A Alex Gaudet had 149 yards and 3 td’s while Mongoose QB 1B Jason Lachapelle had 3 completions and 2 td’s while adding 69 yards receiving and TD as well. If you were playing this Mongoose team in the next couple of weeks be prepared to either play outstanding defense or get involved in a major shootout because it does not look like anyone is going to slow down this offense right now. On the other side of this game I gained a lot of respect for the Tyrants. I did not think they would stay in this game very long but they managed to keep it very close and have proven that they can play with the best teams in Division D right now. John Kaliotzakis is proving that he can be at top of the list for QB’s in division D, and by showing they can compete with arguably the best team in the division, they have now made themselves serious contenders as well. The Tyrants have a tough matchup with the Eagles coming up, who lead the other division in Conference A, which could decide who gets home field advantage at the end of the season. Can they rebound and play well against another tough opponent next week? Only time will tell.

 

The third game that came as a bit of a surprise to me was the Cowboys and Time Bombs game. I thought the Time Bombs were a good team but I really did not think they would be to come close to knocking off the Cowboys who have so much previous experience in the league. The Time Bombs with Chris Rivest behind center are a much different team and proved that they are not dead yet even though they lost this game 26-24 and are off to a 1-2 start. Expect them to bounce back after a loss in which they played tremendously well. If you are the Cowboys, I think you are happy to get away with the win but you cannot be pleased with your performance. They need to be beating teams by more than they have so far, especially if they want to catch division leaders Mongoose, who are also undefeated at the moment. John Moodie has been great for them so far but they need other guys to step on defense and create more turnovers. Vince Mancini and Kory De Nie are the two key guys on this team that are able to make big plays and they are going to need even more out of them down the stretch.

In other news…

– The Monstars continued their better than average start with a second win of the season over the Recruits thanks to the rushing of Chris Smith who had 3 attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown while adding 39 yards receiving as well.

– The Golden Eagles got a well deserved win over Affreux after a tough start to the season for them in the division of death. Kevin Lubin was back at QB after moving to receiver for the first couple of games this season.

s=”MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1;”>- Lockdown got a much needed win over the winless Snookers who look like they may just have to take their losses this season in order to become better as team. Hopefully they can turn it around sooner rather than later with a new QB at the helm.

– Park X Streets got their second win in a row over another struggling team, the Warhawks. If Park X continues to play well they could make a lot of noise the rest of the way.

A Minute with Moh

First off, let me just say that I think trash talking – or “spicing it up” – is great not only for the teams involved, as it gets them riled up, but for the division (High-5 to Fadi Nasralla). Too often are the same people seen discussing various things on the facebook group wall (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2414066660&ref=ts), and not often enough is it a member of Div. D! Participation creates great press for your team and games, but also builds even better stories and rivalries for the division. So don’t shy away from it because you think being in a lower division makes you irrelevant; instead let’s show the league we can be just as entertaining as a Div. 1 headline! As for the games, I was most happy to see Kevin Lubin return to playing QB, where he can be the biggest playmaker for his team! Finding the right QB for your offense is crucial (for an example, watch a Time Bombs game when Chris Rivest is in v.s. when he isn’t!) Keep those headlines coming.

 

Pretenders

I mentioned last week that I would state who I felt were Pretenders at this point in the season. This is not teams that are at the bottom but teams that I think could fall from grace in the near future and potentially end up with a disappointing season.

Eagles: The Eagles led by Johnathan Goyette are off to a great start but I am still not convinced that this team has what it takes to win big games towards the end of the season. They are in a tough division with the Patriotes (who I feel will win the division) and even the Monstars could potentially upset them with the return of Andrew Funamoto at QB. They have beaten two teams that are really struggling and they beat Maximum Carnage, who are still learning to play in FPF. Expect this team to fall from out of the top spot in their division by then end of the season. The Eagles will be aided by their relatively easy schedule.

Maximum Carnage: I picked this team to surprise a lot of teams after week 1 but they are making me look like a fool right now. I truly believed they could compete with some of the better teams in the division but right now they seemed to have just completely lost confidence in themselves and it could be a long season if they do not get things back on track very soon.

Monstars: I really like the Monstars as a team and they will be very upset that I am putting them in this category right now but I truly believe that they are winning games that they could easily be losing. Sometimes teams get wins that they do not necessarily deserve because of good bounces and that is what is happening right now with this team. 70 yards passing will not normally get you a win but they did it this weekend. Last weekend they played a good Time Bombs team without Chris Rivest and were able to upset them. How much longer will the football gods be on the side of the Monstars?

 

The Gauntlet

Who is the most valuable player to his team through 3 games?

Etienne Chauvin has been the best player in my mind. His numbers are off the charts especially for a guy who has not been in the league for very long. He has passed for 14 touchdowns and thrown only 1 interception. He has close to 500 yards and has a rating of 122.2. The only person who I think comes close to him in terms of value to his team is Chris Rivest. The Time Bombs are a very good team when he is there and a horrible team when he is not. It is not about stats with Rivest but more about results.

 

Who has been the best defensive player up to this point?

Gabriel Lapensee is a name that most people have probably not heard of but he has been excellent as a rusher so far for the Eagles and has recorded 10 sacks and 6 tackles. If it is not him then it has to go to Kevin Lubin who has 6 tackles and 4 interceptions. Both have been key for their teams so far.

 

Which good team is going to be left out in the cold come playoff time?

I hate to say this but I truly believe the Golden Eagles are going to be outside of the playoff picture because of the tough division they are in once again. My heart goes out to this team who seem like they can never get a break. This is a very good football team that is much better than their record shows. I hope they get in but because I think they can do damage if they are but they are the most likely to miss the playoffs.

 

Power Rankings

1. Mongoose (3-0) – They continue to impress thanks to the great play of Alex Gaudet and Jason Lachapelle. Both of those guys are playing at an all star level right now.

2. Patriotes (3-0) – Beat an excellent X-Men team this week and will continue to win games if Etienne Chauvin and the Pereda’s play at a high level.

3. Cowboys (3-0) – They just squeaked out a win against a Time Bombs team that looked poised for victory with the return of Chris Rivest. John Moodie has been great so far with 12 touchdowns passing but who is going to step up for them on the other side of the ball?

4. Eagles (3-0) – I put them here because they are yet to lose, but I am still not convinced because of the teams they have beaten. Jonathan Goyette has been good and has this team on the right track but I will need to see more before I am convinced. Gabriel Lapensee has been excellent on the defensive side of the ball.

5. Tyrants (2-1) – This team is starting to grow on me thanks to their game last weekend. John Kaliotzakis is playing well at QB and make sure to watch out for star receiver Chris Kokorian who has 133 yards receiving and 4 TDs.

6. X-Men (2-1) – Oh how the mighty have fallen. It seems a little harsh that this team has gone from being a division dodger to a non factor after just one loss, but it was the fact that they lost to a team that played in division 5 last winter. No one expected them to lose that game. That being said, this is still a very good team that is going to get back up off the mat quickly. Great play by Gautama Swaminadahn at QB and Nicholas Abelhauser at receiver and DB give this team a very good chance.

7. Park X Streets (2-1) – They have been playing well but have yet to beat a very tough opponent. They play the X-Men in two weeks time. That game could give us a better idea of how good they really are. Niko Zarmalias continues to be a force on both sides of the ball while Andreas Dionissopoulos made a valiant effort in relief at QB for the injured Drew Saitanis.

8. Time Bombs (1-2) – Why are they at number 8 ahead of the Monstars? Because the Monstars beat them without Chris Rivest. This team is completely different with him in the lineup and I think that they will bounce back next week. Adrien Desautois has been a tackling machine for them so far with 10 tackles.

9. Monstars (2-1) – Some good bounces have put this team in a good spot after three weeks and they should be extremely happy with their play so far. Hopefully the return of Andrew Funamoto gives them more of a boost because the luck will run out at some point. Chris Smith has been a great addition to this team and with Moh Azob moving back to receiver soon this could create a good 1-2 punch at receiver.

10. Golden Eagles (1-2) – Kevin Lubin was back at QB this weekend and he passed for 149 yards. Not bad for a guy who is just stepping back into a position. I can see this team being above .500 after 5 weeks but they will need to remain focused for their next two matchups against the Recruits and Maximum Carnage.

 

Who impressed this weekend?

1. Kevin Lubin (Golden Eagles): 149 yards passing and 4 touchdowns on offense while making picking off two passes on defense. By far the best performance of the weekend.

2. Chris Smith (Monstars): 3 catches for 32 yards, 3 rushing attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown on offense. Defensively he has 3 interceptions, one for a touchdown, 2 tackles and a pass defended

3. Karime Yasmine (Cowboys) : 5 catches 64 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns

 

That’s it for this week everyone. Hope you enjoyed the article and I will be seeing you all next weekend. Make sure to watch Breaking the Huddle this week as I will try and dethrone Ross Castleton as full time host. Enjoy your week and good luck to all on their upcoming games.