Weekly Extra Point (Div A & B) – Week 5

Apologies for the lateness of the article, I was out of town for the past week. As a result, only one team will be covered in Catching up with… Thanks for understanding.

Quick Hits

• We’ve witnessed an outpouring of opinions about the trial switch to 3-down football in DA. I think it’s more-or-less split 50/50, and there are some pretty good arguments to be made. I think the idea is totally worthy of a lengthier write-up next week, and that’s exactly what you’ll get.
• The Rainmakers officially took over the top spot in DA with a win over the Mercenaries. I don’t know when the last time was that they had the top ranking this far into a season, but it must be quite a while ago. Like I said last week, this is the most complete roster they’ve fielded in a while. Unfortunately, I overheard (while eavesdropping) that some of the players might be missing a few games during the stretch run. So it might be the same story as usual with the Rainmakers…who will show up?
• DA Finest broke their mini-slump by beating the Snookers. This one was obvious way before the game even started. FPF switching to 3-down football clearly favored the Finest (Kevin Wyeth being much better-suited to it than Tony Tabet) and what’s more, there was no way in hell that team was going to lose 3 games in a row. It just wasn’t going to happen. The Snookers were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• The first 3 games in DB had surprising outcomes (ranging from mild shock to outright upset).
• Park Street Elite notched their first win of the season in impressive fashion, defeating Darkside 37-33. The next few weeks don’t get any easier for PSE, as they face the top-ranked Triple Sixers and Messengers of Happiness (8-2 record combined). Winning both games might be a reach, but a split or even close losses in those two games can springboard them into an easier final stretch (0-5 Blazers, bye week, 2-3 My Ditkas, 3-2 Gladiateurs) with a chance to make some noise.
• Big TDs handed the Messengers of Happiness their first loss of the season, by a score of 32-19. Jamil Springer did a good job staying focused despite the intense pressure of Matt Kirouac (4 sacks), and kept finding Paul Lapierre, to the tune of 10 receptions for 92 yards and 1 TD.
• The Big TDs followed up that big win with a loss against the Gladiateurs, who can’t seem to get any momentum going, following up every win this season with a loss. That being said, their losses were against the Triple Sixers (4-1) and the Snookers (DA team). Week 6 sees them play against another DA team, this time DA Finest, which isn’t any easier. They’re a good team, but we won’t know how good until their final 4 games roll around.
• The DB game of the week was an absolute dud, as the Triple Sixers dominated the 2nd half scoring against the Maniax 20-0, leading to a 40-14 win and proving that publicly begging for votes to win GOTW doesn’t mean anything if you can’t back it up.

Here we are, the final section of the long-running space-filler…uhhh…expose into the excuses and solutions to the 4-team problem in DA. Last week we looked at the solutions FPF has already implemented, and how successful they’ve been. Now, in this fourth and final week of this segment, we will take a look at some of the ideas that have been kicked around, and the likelihood of seeing them in 2013.

As a recap, the two main (legitimate) excuses given are loss of players who already play on a different higher division team and a lack of fun in the higher divisions.
 
N.B. I am not advocating any of these solutions in particular, I’m just posting everything that has been brought up in the past. You guys decide which ones make most sense.
 
Let’s start with the loss of players issue. As detailed in the first part of this piece (seems like a million years ago), the D2/DB champions often have at least one player from D1/DA. But why don’t we look at the disposition of those players?

In total, there were 34 higher division players involved with those teams (counting repeat players more than once). From those 34 players, 13 are Hall of Famers (Paul Lapierre – 4, Rochdi Benabdelkader – 3, Gino Di Fazio – 2, Carmine Pollice, Shane Williams, Kevin Wyeth, Kishon Thompson) and 9 will probably join them in the next few years (Nathan Taylor – 3, Andre Knights – 2, Don Shepherd, Marc Champagnie, Patrick Jerome, Nareg Yessayan). So what solutions can we propose?

• Designate elite players who can only play in 1 division.
• Why? When 22 out of 34 (65%) of the higher division players on D2/DB teams are HOFers or borderline HOFers, you know you’re going to have a problem with teams losing their best players when moving up. By designating elite players who can only play in 1 division, you avoid skewing the balance of power in the lower divisions. Not only does this improve parity in those divisions, it creates champions that aren’t tainted by higher division players and who can subsequently move up without fear of losing the ability to be competitive.
• Why not? By designating someone an elite player, you are punishing them for being good. Everyone else is allowed to play on 2 teams, and their only crime is being talented. You can’t limit the restriction like we’ve done for QBs, saying they can play in a lower division as long as they don’t play the same position, because this would be impossible to enforce. In addition, there would be a ton of controversy over who is and who isn’t an elite player. Everyone has their own opinions, and they do vary considerably. Even if we only use objective stats to filter out the elite players, some players will always fall through the cracks.

• All players in D1/DA (or D1-DA/D2-DB) can only play in one division.
• Why? Similar concept as the first proposal, only more extreme. Removes the problem of punishing the better players for being good.
• Why not? Takes care of one problem, creates two new ones. Many players want to play in multiple divisions, and barring all of them from doing so might make them want to play in other leagues (some of which have absolutely no restrictions vis-à-vis divisions). It also reduces the amount of available players that can form teams, which could negatively impact the number of teams.

• Players sign up individually for D1/DA, and are then drafted into teams. Players in D1/DA can’t play in any other divisions.
• Why? Improves parity significantly. Allows all the top players to play amongst each other and avoids having them influence lower division championship teams. Many players on DB teams likely want to play in DA, but the team as a whole doesn’t want to, which forces them to stay in a lower division. This would allow them to play in a higher division without needing to bring the entire team along.
• Why not? Most players would rather win with their team than win in a team with people they barely know. By signing up with the new D1/DA, they wouldn’t be able to play on another team. And it’s not like removing that restriction would improve things, because the exact same situation we are currently facing would reproduce itself. The only gain would be improved parity in DA, and that’s not enough reason to significantly change the dynamic of the division.

• DA and DB get blended into one division, play the regular season normally, and the championships are determined by a double elimination tournament. The losers in the first round get dropped into a second bracket, the winner of which is crowned DB champion. The winner of the first bracket is crowned DA champion.
• Why? Similar to what we’ve seen this season, this would allow DA teams to play DB teams, making them realize how narrow the gap truly is. This would also allow teams to improve by playing tougher competition. Most importantly, even if a DB-level team gets pounded by a DA-level team because of talent disparity in the first round, they still have a chance at winning a championship. Let’s be honest, a lot of DB teams we would like to push into DA probably wouldn’t win the championship their first time out. In essence, we’re asking them to probably limit their possibility of winning due to league interest. And while it would be honorable for them to do so, at 1725$ a season, I can understand a team’s reticence to do so. This idea allows them to play against DA caliber teams without being penalized for it once the playoffs roll around.
• Why not? Well it’s pretty damn gimmicky, to start with. I’ve always been ill-at-ease with a division (or two divisions in this case) being run differently than the others. Also, I’ve never liked the idea that you can lose more than once in the playoffs. It’s the playoffs. If you lose, you should be out. But that’s just my opinion.

• Pride. We could put all our resources into making the top divisions the most prestigious ones.
• Why? In the past few years, the lower divisions have gotten most of the perks/coverage because they are more fun to deal with and write about. But doing so hasn’t given enough incentive for teams to move up. When you stay as a big fish in a small pond, all the press is about you and your team, so why would you move up? We could make certain things we offer exclusive to the higher divisions (articles, blogs, GOTW, HOF, Road Show) and institute a policy of blacking-out teams that refuse to move up by giving them the bare minimum of coverage, despite their gaudy records.
• Why not? We would have to manage to do all this without alienating paying customers or insulting the teams that simply don’t have what it takes to move up. Also, the services and added perks we provide are our calling card, and are what separates us from other leagues. We would be shooting ourselves in the foot in 4 other divisions to improve the content in 1 division.

• Money. We could offer a cash prize for the D1/DA champions.
• Why? Money makes the world go round. A cash prize might make certain teams bolder in their choice of division. This is an idea that’s been bounced around for years, but has never been considered seriously, because we’ve always managed to field a decent enough number of teams. If this low turnout for top division teams continues, it might have to be something we institute.
• Why not? It might mean raising fees or cutting back on certain services, which many teams might not appreciate, especially since it would only benefit the top tier. It’s the whole 1%/99% argument again, and I for one am not looking forward to hearing about Occupy FlagPlus for the next 6 months.

These are just a few of the proposals that have been made. Some are absurd and some are interesting, but what they all have in common is that they are not perfect. There will always be drawbacks. The key is to keep an open mind and try thinking outside the box. At some point, FPF might implement something you will not agree with. Give it a chance. The goal has always been, and always will be, improving the product. We don’t claim to have all the answers. If you have a better idea, offer it up. We’re always ready to listen.

Catching up with…
 
 
The FPF media machine is great for a lot of things, but one area in which I have to admit it can improve significantly is its lack of depth. What I mean by that is our tendency to skim the surface of a story instead of probing deeper and finding more interesting information. Doing this requires effort, attention to detail and, most critically, cooperation from the teams/players. None of that is necessarily easy to achieve on a regular basis.
 
Since I stopped appearing on the WEPL, my role in FPF was shifted from observing individual teams towards looking at the bigger picture. Due to this change in focus, I’ve had to rely on sometimes-shallow analysis and oft-repeated catchphrases to keep up with several of the teams I now find myself covering. And while that type of information can be useful in certain situations, I find that it generally paints a somewhat inaccurate portrait of a team.
 
As a result, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Every week, in this segment, I will delve into the dynamics of 2 teams, with the help of one of their key players. The goal here is to provide a fuller picture of the team I’m writing about, while avoiding the clichés we’ve all become too accustomed to hearing/reading on a regular basis. So join me, as I catch up with the…
 
N.B.: The Future HOFers part refers to players who will be HOFers as soon as they are eligible, first or second ballot guys. We all know there are a lot of players that will get in eventually, and they will certainly be as deserving as the others, but for the purposes of this segment, I’m just talking about surefire HOFers, slam-dunk choices.

Key losses/key additions: N/A

Aside from Adi Sharma and Jon Lyristis, there are no returning members from the W12 D2 Mercenaries squad. But the core is familiar, and we’ve seen almost all of these players play on the same team at one time or another. Shane Williams is the only new addition to this group.

Secret weapons: Jonathan Lyristis, Sean Leroy
 
Lyristis is the jack-of-all-trades of this team. His versatility makes him a prototypical Gino Di Fazio player. He can play snapper, receiver, rusher, defensive back…basically anything but quarterback. He’s loyal, hard-working, and never makes waves. He just shows up and plays hard. He doesn’t have the name value or the stature of the other players on the team, so he will get overlooked. Big mistake.

Sean Leroy is a name we hadn’t heard in a while. Prior to his stint in W12 with the Mercenaries, the last time we had seen him was in W09 with Click Clack. As a result, his performance last season fell under the radar. But take a look at the stats. He led D2 in passes defended with 13 (number 2 on the list was fellow member of the S12 Mercs Godfrey Abu, who had 10). He is a very reliable defender who, like Lyristis, gives 100% and doesn’t get enough recognition.

Lapierre has been steadily improving from season to season at the quarterback position, all the while playing against stiffer and stiffer competition. However, this is the first time he’ll be testing his mettle against the top defences in FPF. As we all know, the margin of error shrinks more and more as a team moves up divisions. In addition to that added difficulty, he is surrounded by a very talented group of players, many of whom have won multiple championships. That increases the pressure on him to succeed.

In Pollice, Lapierre and Williams, the Mercenaries have arguably the best group of HOFers in the league. All 3 are proven leaders, and all 3 have plenty of accomplishments to hang their hats on. Pollice is one of the most decorated players in FPF history. Lapierre has been dominating the field from the snapper, the receiver and the quarterback positions for years. And Williams is one the top all-around players FPF has ever seen.

Having Pollice on a DA team in which he ISN’T the QB was obviously a big surprise for all of us. I’m of two minds on this situation. Knowing one of the top QBs in FPF history is there to fill in if you’re struggling has to put pressure on you. A few mistakes here and there in a very tight DA might be the difference between winning and losing. We’ve already seen Pollice step in once this season to try and salvage a game. What effect does this have on Lapierre? It’s entirely possible Lapierre doesn’t mind putting himself at receiver for the betterment of the team. He’s a great team player and probably wouldn’t argue too much if it’s necessary. But he’s also a competitor, and deep down, I have to believe he’d rather see them team win or lose on his merits at QB. The potential QB controversy might weigh heavily on this team if the losses keep piling on.

What they will need to do to be successful:
 
Their biggest problem so far has been a lack of athleticism. They have plenty of talent, and just as much veteran leadership. But the only guy with speed playing regularly is Jacques Void. And while Void is one of the top receivers in FPF (finished in the top 10 for receiving yards in every season in which he played 9 games or more), he can’t do it all. The result has been an offence that is easier to stop than many expected, and a defence that can’t stop anybody. They are currently ranked dead last in both categories. I think the offence will eventually figure it out, but the defence is a serious concern. It’s not like this core group of players have ever fielded a dominant defensive unit to begin with. The key will be fielding a consistent defence, with the same players playing the same positions week in and week out. Adi Sharma can put the players in a position to succeed, but he needs the same players to show up from week to week. And even then, there is no substitute for speed. If the defence can’t improve, even more pressure is put on Paul Lapierre’s shoulders. He’ll have to play above and beyond what we’ve seen so far, if the Mercs are too reach the lofty goals we fixed for them in the pre-season.

• Everyone who read this and wasn’t thinking ”I hate this guy, why is he always late!”
• Paul Lapierre, for the information about the Mercenaries.
• aaaaaand last but not least, the Daron Basmadjian Fan Club. Don’t know if my little dig was what they needed to get back into the winning column, but you bet your ass I’m taking credit for it.

Think I’m wrong? Think I suck? Think I’m great? Think anything? Drop me a line at [email protected] and let me know how you feel. Whether it be interesting topics for the column, game facts I may have missed in my coverage or just some good old-fashioned hate mail, I welcome any and all comments.

Good luck in Week 6…