We're less than 2 months away from the biggest game, outside of
Turkey Bowl 1, in TFL history. Turkey Bowl X will mark the, obviously, 10th anniversary of the creation of the Thanksgiving Football League. For this season's marquee game the league has reinstated a rivalry that has been out of play since
Turkey Bowl 6: Old School v. New School.
With the Old School - New School match-up back, the competitors seem to be even more excited for Thanksgiving to come than in recent years. The message board is already starting to fill up with topics and posts related to the game. It would appear as though both teams have great claims to why their squad should, or will, be victorious. But, like every year, nothing is decided on paper, and you'll have to show up at the game to take in the whole experience.
Have we seen this before?
Let's take a look at the Turkey Bowl X rosters.
Old School is led by their captain and star lineman
Tom "Cookie" Orio. Joining Tom on the line will be Turkey Bowl veteran and sack master
Tony Laughlin.
Matt Marcelli,
Rich DiNofia,
Chris Crooks,
Bill Pohlig and
Sean Kelly will lead the Old School wide receiver core and defensive backfield. And, last but not least, under center for Old School will be 2x TFL MVP
Tim "Still No Relation To Shannen" Dougherty.
New School will feature Dougherty's counterpart,
Mike Trill, at QB. The New School team captain,
Mike "Tuna" Bucella, will play line on both offense and defense, and will be supplemented by
Keith "Scuba Steve" Cottom and
Jonathan "The Red" Hart.
Mark Marcelli,
Kevin Rayer,
Paul Middleton and
Ian Hart round out the roster at WR/DB.
Let's get to the nitty gritty: Interesting Match-ups. Now, as stated earlier, games are not played on paper, but what's the fun in writing a story or playing a game if you're not going to analyze it first?
Marcelli/Rayer/Middleton v. Marcelli/DiNofia/Crooks:
This has been a topic already addressed on the message board. The question of who will cover whom and who has the upper hand has loomed since the day the teams were set. Through nothing but speculation, it looks like coverage packages will most likely resemble this: Rich DiNofia will be asked to cover Mark Marcelli, Matt Marcelli will most likely be asked to cover Kevin Rayer, and Chris Crooks will probably draw the assignment of covering Paul Middleton. On the other side of the ball, remembering this is pure speculation, it looks like Mark Marcelli will probably be asked to cover Matt Marcelli, Middleton will draw Crooks, and, if history is any tell, Rayer will move to the safety position and Ian Hart will be used to cover DiNofia.
"My counterpart is obviously Mark. We've matched up against each other every year since TB III," comments Matt Marcelli. Who holds the upper hand in these match-ups? Judging from Old School - New School history, Middleton has scored 3 TDs when being covered by Crooks, while Crooks has scored 2 TDs while being covered by Middleton. Matt Marcelli has reached the end zone 5 times with his younger brother in coverage, and Mark has seen pay dirt 3 times while being covered by Matt. Tom Orio offered his thoughts on the Marcelli v. Marcelli match-up, "The athleticism has probably swayed in the favor of Mark."
The DiNofia-Rayer match-up looks to be the first of its kind, with both usually playing from the safety position defensively. Old School's Matt Marcelli, when asked about Rayer, had this to say, "I think Kevin Rayer is a very underrated receiver. It is a little known fact that he has scored at least 2 touchdowns in every Turkey Bowl that he's played in." Old Schooler Rich DiNofia would agree with Marcelli, "For New School its Kevin Rayer. He is an excellent athlete and has natural abilities." If history serves to be any indicator, it looks like we're in for a fairly even and interesting battle from the wide-outs and d-backs, but, when Tom Orio was approached about wide receiver match-ups, he had this to say, "Clearly New School has better match-ups."
Cottom/Bucella v. Laughlin/Orio:
This should be a great one. Orio proved last year that he may be the best all-around lineman in the league, while Bucella is by far the largest and strongest of all lineman. Old School's Tom Orio had this to say about himself, "Tom Orio will be a difference maker." While Tom obviously has confidence in himself, Bill Pohlig commented, "I'm looking for a big game from "The Animal" this year. It's been a few years since he was a major impact player." I think this is a great match-up here, and the key players on the line haven't even been mentioned in this segment's title: Jon Hart and Tim Dougherty. How Hart is used to spell New School lineman Cottom and Bocella, and how Dougherty is used to spell Old School lineman Laughlin and Orio (defensively, not offensively), should be interesting. Commenting on the issue, Old School team member Matt Marcelli had this to say, "I think the defensive line rotation of Dougherty and Pohlig will prove more effective than people think." We've learned, in recent years, that many games are won in the trenches, and with each team having 3 players capable of playing line, on one side of the ball or the other, things could very much depend on that third linemen.
Usage of Pohlig, Kelly, and the Hart Brothers:
Turkey Bowl is tiring, we all know that first hand, and how players are utilized is huge. Old Schools' Bill Pohlig and Sean Kelly will be key contributors to the game. Pohlig, in addition to any offensive contribution, can be asked to play both on the defensive line, in coverage, or at the safety position; a very versatile player to have on the defensive side of the ball. Sean Kelly, who is, and we have to admit this, deceivingly athletic at times, should prove to be a help at the wide receiver position and defensive back. The Hart brothers, who line up for the New School squad, also offer versatility. Both have the size to play line on either side of the ball, as well as run routes and fill in as defensive backs. When asked about Ian Hart, Old School's Bill Pohlig offered his opinion, "I think Ian Hart will again prove to be hard to cover and will be a true difference maker with his young legs." I think the fate of the game may come down to one of these 4 players.
Trill v. Dougherty:
Trill
Doc
I respect Mike Trill as a player. I respect the hits he takes and the throws he makes, but nobody, not anyone in this league, slings the ball around like Tim Dougherty. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. Tim's record speaks for itself. Tim is 7-2 in Turkey Bowl play, proving that he just wins games. Do I think Trill can be successful? Of course, but do I know Tim IS successful, almost every year? Yes.
The Game:
"This game, I have a weird feeling about. I see it being very competitive or an absolute blowout. QB and Linemen play will be huge as usual, but the matchups are pretty even, with the slight nod going to Old School's Tim Doc at the QB position. But the WR/DB corps is where I feel New School has the advantage. Old School receivers need to get open and make catches for Doc, and need to lock down the speedy/athletic New School receivers to make life miserable on the NS QB(s)," comments DiNofia. Right now, Old School holds a 2-1 lead in the series. What does that mean for this year? Probably squat. It's been 4 years since the last meeting of these two teams, and a lot has changed in that time; some people have gained weight, some have lost it, some people are in better shape, some in worse. I sincerely hope, no matter who wins, the least we get from Turkey Bowl X is a great game. Two of the three Old School – New School match-ups have been decided by one point. They were both excellent games. If we can get the same for this year I'd be thrilled. In reality though, there has to be a winner. Trying to be as unbiased as possible, I have to say that I see Tim Dougherty throwing for at least 8 or 9 touchdowns. I think that Tim's performance, which will be a good one, is an inevitability. I also think that Ian Hart will come out of the woodwork to prove himself as a receiving threat, and Rich DiNofia will have another multi-touchdown performance. I also see Paul Middleton scoring from both the wide receiver and QB positions. The possibility for any one player to have a great game is there. Ultimately though, I see Old School winning this one. Confidence is a great thing to have, but I think the New School team is a bit over confident. And we've seen over confidence lead teams to failure before (i.e.,
Doc F*ckers and
Thug U). In addition, I think New School completely underestimates Old School, as a whole, and will find, in addition to Tim Dougherty, that players like Matt Marcelli, Chris Crooks, and Bill Pohlig will have more of an impact on the game than they anticipate. "Although the game is obviously a big deal every year, the return of New School-Old School has added an extra buzz. If history has any bearing I think we are in for a treat on Thanksgiving, we are due for a game that could go down in history as the best ever," says Matt Marcelli.
Final Score: Old School 9, New School 8
