Game of the Year, Challenging the Challenge process, and it's Maryland's title to lose. PLL Week 7 Overreactions

Denver and Boston played the game of the year

This isn’t even an overreaction, it’s a normal reaction. Denver and Boston played an 18-17 barn burner on ABC, showcasing the very best of what the PLL can be. Brennan O’Neill had four goals, this third coming on a leaping no look between the legs finish (you read that correctly) that immediately went viral across social platforms. Jared Bernhardt was looking like Air-ed Bernhardt (still workshopping this, I’m sorry), scoring on multiple crease dives and flying through the air on what felt like every other player. You had highlight reel moments from both teams, you had spectacular goalie play in both cages, this game delivered everything you would ever want to see. Coach Holman opened his post game presser by saying “hell of a ball game, huh?” and went on to say what I think all PLL fans were thinking. He said, “congrats to the Outlaws man, they’re fuckin…excuse my language…they’re very good.” Holman also pointed out that, though he obviously hadn’t seen the film back, he thought there were probably four goals in the game that Denver scored that not many other teams can do. And that’s the difference for the Outlaws right now. They are are so deep, and so talented, that even in a league like the PLL where every team is stacked, they are doing things that nobody else can do. They’ve found another stratosphere on offense in design, in execution, and in talent level that feels unmatchable. Boston’s defense played one of their better games of the year, not easy to say give that they surrendered 18 goals, but the lapses and more basic level mistakes of previous weeks in their losing streak didn’t happen against Denver. The Outlaws are just so hot right now that they legitimately earned 18 (actually 17 but more on that in a second) goals against a world class unit.

The challenge and review process needs to be challenged and reviewed

You want to find one negative about the Boston/Denver game, it’s the challenge and review process. It was a bit of a damper a few times over the weekend. Boston exhausted their challenges early in the game against Denver, including one to overturn a goal where Jared Bernhardt very clearly and obviously was in the crease. But using them early meant they didn’t have any to use late, including on another Bernhardt goal where he was again very obviously in the crease. The play was called a goal and without any challenges left to use, the Cannons just had to look at the jumbotron and see an obvious no goal on replay stay on the board. After the game, Coach Holman said (with a clear qualifier that he did not consider this to be why they lost) that if it’s that obvious a goal was scored illegally, it shouldn’t count. Regardless of how many challenges or timeouts or any of that someone has left. And I agree. In the NFL that would have been reviewed and come off the board in a matter of seconds, clear and simple. In the Saturday night game, the review process was a negative, but for the crowd. When the game started, the crowd was electric. CJ Kirst fever had spread through the seats. When he didn’t have the ball, fans chanted his name. When he did, they stood up and screamed. There was an audible difference in atmosphere when he was on the field vs when he wasn’t. And then there was a Whipsnakes shot that was taken, hit the goalie, was not called a shot clock reset but should have been. Coach Stagnitta challenged, the refs went to the booth, and we waited. And we waited, and we waited, and we waited. I heard groans in the seats, it must have been a 10 minute stoppage to get the clock and reset right. All of that electricity for the Kirst debut was sucked out of the building just minutes into the first quarter. The referees are never going to get every call right. That’s not an indictment of Matt Palumb and his crew, that’s just human nature. Review and replay is a useful tool to get important calls correct. But the process did not work well in Fairfield, and clock issues in the past have resulted in particularly long reviews and replays during PLL games. It’s just a giant wet blanket. The process should be revisited this offseason and improved. 

It’s Maryland’s title to lose

Before the game on Saturday night, I was talking to Joe Keegan from the PLL about the matchup between Maryland and Philly. I said I thought Philly would win the game, but also that I just can’t get to a point where I write off the Whips. As long as Coach Stagnitta is on that sideline and they have the leadership of players like Matt Dunn and Tim Muller, I’ll be convinced they can win every game. Early in the game I looked loud wrong about that. Michael Sowers sliced and diced the Whips for four goals as the Dogs took a 5-0 lead. And then everything changed, but also nothing changed. The Whips were able to contain Sowers from that point on, and that was all it took. Post game Coach Tierney even said the Whips didn’t really change anything, just what they were doing started working. Coach Stagnitta noted that by taking Sowers out of the game, they ended up really taking everyone else out too. Matt Brandau had a four spot against his former club, and Maryland got a massive eastern conference win. “Just stop Michael Sowers” is no easy feat, if it was everyone would do it, but the Whips executed defensively as well as they have all year. Brad Smith hit a two pointer and followed it up with another goal 15 seconds later, taking the score from down four to down one in under a minute. The Whips are one of those teams that still may not have played their best game, but they are dangerous.

Enough already with the milestone needling

I get asked on occasion who my favorite team is. And I always say the same thing, I don’t have one. That’s true across all sports for me, the exception being the NBA where I am a Knicks fan. I watch sports solely to see incredible athletes do things that a rare few people in the world can do. When I watch the NFL, right now I gravitate towards watching players like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, or Saquon Barkley. I watch them because they do absolutely ridiculous things with the most frequency in the sport. Lacrosse is the same for me. And a major part of watching sports this way also means I love seeing records get broken and milestones get reached. We’ve seen some big ones already this year. Marcus Holman and Kieran McArdle joined the 500 point club, Rob Pannell became the all time assist leader, and over the past weekend, Holman also tied Rabil for second in goals in PLL history.  See how easy that is? Just say in PLL history. The PLL has a habit, and it’s something they do purposefully, of saying in pro lacrosse history when someone reaches a milestone. It’s flatly inaccurate to say that. The NLL is pro lacrosse. It’s existed longer than any version pro outdoor lacrosse. Those are pro lacrosse stats. They count. Maybe PLL doesn’t care because when they do this on social, plenty of people myself included correct them to say their stats are wrong. PLL probably doesn’t really care, because engagement is engagement and that’s a major part of what they’re about. But the players care. Players who compete in both leagues care. And if I was a pro league getting ready to try and convince a number of my players to not play indoor anymore, all while watching one of my team’s entire offensive roster evaporate in favor of playing indoor, I’d probably try and demonstrate publicly that I care even a little bit about what they’ve done indoors as players. Because the players take note. And in case you haven’t being paying attention, they don’t take kindly to disrespect, even if it’s just perceived disrespect. Check Curtis Dickson’s twitter lately, he’s one one of the most dominant offensive players ever. And every time the PLL calls out stats in “pro lacrosse history” and leave him out, it’s a slight to his achievements. Every time. Are NLL and PLL goals the same? Absolutely not. It’s a different game, different skill set, and scoring happens differently. But that’s not the NLL’s problem. Don’t pretend their stats don’t exist. As an example, Holman tying Rabil for second in goals is a phenomenal achievement. Holman will cruise into the Hall of Fame immediately; he’s one of the most prolific offensive players in the sport. But if you combined Rabil and Holman’s career goals, you’d still be 300ish shy of catching John Grant Jr’s pro goal total. Why slight Junior (who is in the PLL Hall of Fame) like that? What’s the point? Social engagement? Trying to build some feeling of superiority that most players find petty? Why do this? It’s so easy to just say “in PLL history”. That encompasses all pro outdoor lacrosse stats, since when the PLL absorbed the MLL they absorbed the records too. And if that’s confusing to people, sorry, but don’t make it the NLL’s problem. We hear talks of PLL wanting to partner with NLL in the future, I think it’s fair to ask for showing their pro lacrosse stats a modicum of respect.