“To be as good as it can be, a team has to buy into what you as the coach are doing. They have to feel you’re a part of them and they’re a part of you.”
Bobby Knight
We are entering the 10th week of the season. This evening we will be focusing on the Manager of the Year. The way we will look at it is we will look at the overall managing skills over the course of the season along with pre-season strategies.
**NOTE**
The candidates are our writers opinions there maybe more candidates.
Manager of the Year:
Amneet Singh – AK
Football IQ Level 95/100
When we look at quality of management we like to look for some consistency. Ever since AK rolled into the building many years ago it seems that they are always one of the most consistent teams. They’ve made the finals every year since they’ve been in the league. Of course they have stellar players and athletes but something that remains consistent is the management of the team. We can safely say that Amneet is the driving force behind the team staying together and by putting in certain pieces that has helped the team tremendously. Not only is he one of the best players in the league we believe he is one of the best managers. We’ve always acknowledged his excellent play and how he is one of the hardest covers and now we want to acknowledge his brilliant management skills. By keeping the core together this year Sims, Ginny, Richie, Ken, Hargy, and Phil, Amneet and AK have gained more and more chemistry. It shows every year but this year feels different. They are playing with a little bit of a glow this season and they look like they are having a great time on every play.
Anwar Sadat – Savages
Football IQ Level 96/100
When you talk with Anwar about football you can just see him gush with joy when he breaks down a game. Anwar has one of the higher IQ’s when it comes to football. He’s been slowly putting together a deadly team over the course of 2 seasons and the dividends are starting to pay off. He was able to canvas the market and find some real studs. We’ve talked about Lutalo in a previous segment but we wanted to shout out Joey, Tom and PJ. These guys have been huge impact players this year for the Savages. Like what Amneet has done with AK, Anwar has done something similar and that being able to keep the core together and build around it. For the Savages, it was being able to retain talent like Hashim, David, Vijay and Pavy. Savages are one of the Top teams this year and a lot of the credit goes to Anwar. For a team with ALOTTTT of characters and a lot of voices, Anwar was able to be that one voice that spoke for everyone and it’s really starting to payoff. Again, a lot of credit is due to Anwar for keeping the guys in line and focused on the ultimate goal.
Ramy Abdelhamid – Gators
Football IQ Level 97/100
Have you ever talked to Ramy about football? It is unbelievable the amount of knowledge this dude has about all levels of football. He can pinpoint rules from the high school level all the way to the pros. Ramy has done an excellent job at retaining talent and than adding pieces that made the Gators that much better. The common theme between all the candidates is the retention of the core and building around them. No different here. Ramy was able to keep Richie, Tommy, Nadeem and Naveed and by adding William to the mix they became a real threat. Ramy has the ability to motivate his team even when they have the bare minimum playing each game. It’s quite a feat to overcome by playing this way but Ramy has found a way to make his team buy into the formula and its been working most of the season with a few hiccups here and there. A lot of football left to play let’s see what kind of tricks Ramy has left up his sleeve…
Waqas Khatri & Waleed Khatri – Underdogs
Football IQ Level 95/100
“The Quiet Assassins”, here are 2 guys that we don’t think has ever raised their voice in frustration. They’re cooler than the other side of the pillow. Again, the common theme is retention. Waqas and Waleed have done an excellent job in retaining top talent and than adding some major pieces to the puzzle. They were able to bring back Alex, Talha, Lance and Rauf but added superstars to round out the lineup. Rob Jones was the major pickup in the off-season and we still aren’t sure how they were able to do it but we guess that’s what makes them great managers, doing things that others cannot. The boys in Navy Blue started off the season slow but The Khatri’s were able to steer the ship back into the right direction right before mid-season. They haven’t lost a game in a while and we attribute that to the excellent leadership up top. We used to call them the Underpuppies but they’ve been upgraded back to the Underdogs. Let’s see how the rest of the season plays out….we think it’ll be in favor of these guys.
Bakthiar “SHU” Khan – Browns
Football IQ Level 98/100
When it comes to high football acumen Shu has to take the cake (NOT AN ACTUAL CAKE, sit down Anwar). Experience can only come in a few ways and that’s by studying the game, studying your opponents, breaking down every rule, asking questions and executing a plan. Shu has done this over and over and over and over and over and over it just never stops. Being one of the game’s greatest has given Shu the insight into not only playing on the field but how to maximize every spot and every inch of the roster. The recurring theme again is retention. Let’s start with mentioning Ken, Nafi, Omar, Christian and TJ. Basically all Hall of Famers if we had a vote today but the 2-3 most intriguing pickups in the off season for all teams had to be Mark and Alexei Poorani and Tariq Ahmad. These 3 brilliant players have given the Browns a much needed youth injection. Shu has been scouring the depths of Flushing to find impact players and once again he has done that. Shu has a done an excellent job of putting the right people in the right spots this year and it is showing week in and week out. The Browns are poised to make a big run in the coming weeks and if Shu is in the drivers seat every other team needs to steer clear.
Honorable Mentions:
Fabio Perez – Cobra Kai
Fuad Mustafa – Elites
Good Luck to All and keep doing what you’re doing.
