With the first four weeks of the season in the books we can safely say we are starting to see teams hit, or not hit their stride. From a surging Elites teams to a somehow dead in the water Underdogs team we decided to take a look at the league and visit some of the questions that still need answering.
- What Happened to the Underdogs?
The answer is pretty simple. It is hard to hit your stride when three of your first four games are against championship contenders. What has us concerned is the divide between these teams and the Underdogs who we thought would make some noise as a new and elite unit. Despite the speed, heart and talent we are starting to see an Underdogs team that lacks bite. Rob Jones is dynamo that commands respect from any defense but there still seems to be something lacking. Their lack of size has played a big factor, no pun intended, as throwing into some defenses has proven quite difficult for the undersized Waqas. I’m here to say there is nothing to fear just yet. While the Underdogs still seem to have a long way to go before they contend with the best, their schedule is about to get a whole lot easier with the likes of the Elites, who have come up in their own right, along with the Thunder and Cobra Kai still on deck. We expect this team to take these next few weeks to hash out what they can and hopefully they can live up to the lofty expectations they had coming into the season around playoff time. If not, the Underdogs will prove to be just that, Underdogs.
- Why are the Thunder Still Trying?
Unlike the Underdogs, the Thunder were expected to put up another dud. And it seems that the market was right on this one as once again the Thunder find themselves towards the bottom of the pack and half way through hell month as they play the top four seeds for four weeks straight. Normally we wouldn’t knock a team when they have a schedule like this one but in the first four games of the year, if you exclude their week two win against the up-start Cobra Kai, the Thunder offense has put up a measly four touchdowns. We’re pretty sure Papa has taken more bathroom breaks in his reduced role than the Thunder have scored. The lone bright spot has been their star rookie receiver Jesse who has proven to be a reliable weapon in the redzone. While it seems like this team is going to do more of the same we do want to point out that after four years in the league this is the first time this organization has been able to bring back more than five players for two years in a row and their rookie QB Justin has brought some organization to the once frantic offense. While that doesn’t mean much since this is a low talent squad it does say that there is some commitment, it does seem like a commitment to losing though. There seems to be nothing exciting about this squad and year after year they look dejected and out of their element as teams continue to torch them, only this time they can’t really seem to put up more than 14 points either. Thunder rhymes with blunder and they make you wonder. The Thunder are certainly a blunder that make you wonder. Another year in the dog pound for what seems to be the equivalent of the Cleveland Browns of the SAFL. Enjoy your win against these guys!
- Who The Hell is LaMont and Why Does He Count So Fast?
Boom! If you’re wondering what that was you just got sacked on a fair play according to LaMont’s count. We don’t want to harp on this guy too much since he is a new ref and has done a fairly decent job at calling games. We are however starting to think that LaMont has some vendetta against his third grade teacher and every time he counts to four in three seconds he has a flashback to a time in his life when people told him he’d never be able to count fast. The new refs have done a great job so far and while they count quickly I think it’s safe to say their time with this league won’t be. Kudos to the officiating this year as we all see a great improvement that makes playing in this league even better than it is.
- Has Someone Stolen the Bandit’s Game?
Harvey, Jason, and Burhan. Three veterans equals zero wins and zero fight as teams seem to pile on these guys. It hasn’t been an easy start to the season for the commissioner’s squad as they lost Dheeraj and didn’t have their starting QB for weeks two and three. We also should point out that this team has not had an easy schedule as well. We expect this team to turn it around a bit as the season unfolds but there is just too much talent on this team for them to continue performing like this. Sadly, we’ve seen this with the Bandits a few times, a talented team that always seems to be missing one thing. Who knows what that one thing is but we are left to wonder if releasing Aldo a few years back spelled doom for this once dominant, still talented, but under performing team.
- How are the Elites Doing It?
This team was 0-10 last year. They kept fighting. They got better in the offseason, picked up a proven QB and have been off to the races, starting the season off an impressive 2-1, beating teams that we expected to be on their level. Turns out they weren’t, as the Elites have taken their game up a notch. From added talent to a veteran QB,we are seeing how a team should build and improve. Every team that still can’t seem to figure it out should take notes. Above all what we are seeing is a team whose role players improved and as opposed to relying on some playmakers to get you to where you need to be we are seeing an overall improvement from top to bottom. That is desire, dedication and that is better than any skill. The reason bad teams are bad is often times, the players look for others to explain things to them as opposed to looking to understand themselves. They point fingers when things go wrong instead of focusing on what they can control and uplifting their teammates. The Elites have taken notes from the proven winners and sought to implement those same traits into their own game. To our bottom feeders we suggest you take a long hard look at the Elites and then look at yourselves because whether you like it or not, the Elites are looking down at you and you might just have a blueprint unfolding in front of your eyes. While they have yet to beat a serious contender, they are separating themselves from the other half and improvement is apparent. Congrats to Anas, Fuad and the rest of the Elites, the road is going to get harder from here but at least you’re driving in the right direction, for now.
