PLL 3 and 3: Week Two
Predictions are meaningless
Welcome to PLL 3 and 3, where I constantly make jokes about how all of these pro teams have way too many attackmen/Instagram influencers and not enough #gritguys. In week two we got to finally see some comeuppance for teams that refused to address the fact that they have too many of the same players on their roster. Also, Tim Soudan’s revenge tour with his new band is going great. Look at him. What a beauty.
The Ball Movement was Crispy
I don’t know how you watched any team (other than Maryland and Cornell) move the ball in the NCAA this past spring and thought, “Wow. That looks like an offense that could score on anyone.” Because now you have probably seen a PLL offense spin the ball through X enough times to make your face melt off and you’re stuck in a mental trap of your own construction.
The three keys to a good pro offense are:
One feeder from X (that can also score)
Two (or three if you’re greedy) dodging threats
Two off-ball cutters that can finish
Now, everyone THINKS they need a ton of dodgers. Wrong. Even the best facilitator is only good for a few goals. In a pro system, where you can’t always rely on dodgers to win matchups OR force a slide, you need to bifurcate the field. That is, split it in twain either horizontally or vertically. (Or if you’re the Chaos, diagonally, but that’s another subject altogether).
You do that in order to lengthen the slides and open up the backside for the aforementioned cutters. No one does this better than the Atlas and the Whips. The Archers wish they could figure out where to put all their attackmen so they could do it too - but they flat out have too many one-sided shoot-first dudebros to play them all.
LONGPOLE GOALS
Here is a new proposal, since we are making new rules for the All-Star game - Longpole goals count as two. Doesn’t matter where they go in from, just score with a pole, and get double the goal. See? I just made a t-shirt for it.
Eli Salama is a name that all of those “I’ll write this recap from the stat sheet and roster” writers are confused by. “CJ Costabile - isn’t he the old guy that backs up Troy Reh?” Dog, you can do better. Talk about more than the highlights, mmk? Offense-first LSM’s are not just here this year - they have always been in pro lacrosse and they aren’t going away. Free Scott Ratliff’s progeny.
Atlas Achieving Wagon Status
Well, if your friend that is new to pro lacrosse hasn’t picked the Atlas as his favorite team yet then he hasn’t watched them play. Did I think that Chris Gray and Jeff Teat could co-exist this well right off the bat? No. Did I think that Jake Carraway would tantrum out once coach Rubeor realized he needed a floater like Law to balance the offense? Actually, yeah. I did.
No respect on the ghost’s name even though he’s the best off-ball cutter since BJ Prager. Baptiste showcasing his skills shouldn't;t be a surprise either, with the exception of Joe Nardella, he is the smoothest operator away from the X in the entire league.
And the defense - goodness where to start? Their fundamentals? Their ability to get out and crush transition? Their lack of elbow pads influencing an entire generation of poles? As Hootie himself once said:
So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel;
Rock me mama any way you feel.
No Respect for the Chrome
I have enjoyed the absolute shock of commentators and fans alike at the rise of the #Chromeback kids. Uhm. Did you forget who Dyan Molloy was? I mean, he was black-balled for a while, but now he’s back and he’s playing angry. Not to mention good king Wisnauskas coming good with five goals. Or Sean Sconone actually being a good goaltender. Do you know what else wins in the pros besides a nuanced offense? Great team culture. The Chrome clearly has that under Soudan, even though most of their veterans retired in the offseason. Never underestimate the influence of a coach that supports and retorts better than the players.
Lyle Thompson is out Injured and I’m upset about it
I’m legit not watching this Cannons team until Lyle is back. They are missing so much with him out of the lineup, but not necessarily on the stat sheet - it’s like watching a team of golems play lacrosse. No, that’s Gollum - I mean a golem; creatures formed out of a lifeless substance such as dust or earth that is brought to life by ritual incantations.
It is also a Pokemon.
When you watch the Cannons play offense what do you see? It is not a beautiful symphony. It is an exercise in chaotic philanthropy to a charity of saves. This team needs an identity when Thompson isn’t out there and it’s sure as hell not coming from that porous defense.
Redwoods Getting Curbstomped
Too many cooks, not enough sous chefs. That’s just the entire problem with this team on offense. In fact, that’s BEEN this team’s problem since the bubble. There is not enough chemistry between all the lefties, RP3, and the long plodding dodger-shooters up top. Jules Heningburg is legit the only guy who looks like he knows where he wants to go and there isn’t a clone of him standing in the damn way.
The Redwoods used to be great on defense as well, but cracks in the foundation have been showing for a while. This is a team designed to protect the interior with massive size, hard checks, and harmful intent. When you force them to press out and cover you get good looks when you follow the slide. Teams know that now and have started attacking with dodge-and-go/early offense looking for cutters. Same, same, but different isn’t going to cut it in 2022. Time to make some moves.