Brent's FPF Tier 2 Awards

After 12 weeks and 35 games, the regular season officially ended last night in Chateauguay, as we saw Les Verges Folles beat Idaho Udapimps (40-30).  

The Tier 2 playoffs are set to begin December 1st. Six out of the seven teams in Tier 2 will be going to the playoffs. Unfortunately for Mangoose, they are the lone team left on the outside looking in. Not to worry though, they will be represented here, as despite their collective failure, their individual efforts can’t be ignored. 

Before we get to all the playoff fun, let’s take one last look at the regular season. This is always the time of year where FPF announces their award winners. Quarterback of the Year, Receiver of the Year, Two-Way Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. This is not the official Tier 2 gospel. I am just picking who I think should win. To make this a bit more fun, I am also going to add Breakout Player of the Year to the mix.

Here we go:

I am starting with the most important position in all of sports. Quarterback. It doesn’t matter if it is tackle football or flag, if you don’t have one, you can’t win. It is as simple as that.  

Brady O’Hannessian – Idaho Udapimps

Marc-Andre Reeves – Camping Boutin

Jeff Rosenblatt – Hard 8

Phil Cutler – KGP Origins

Jules Regimbald – Les Verges Folles 

These are all worthy candidates. Regimbald has only 29 touchdowns, but that came in just seven games, in his first year playing Tier 2. I included him here because he only has four interceptions. He also joins O’Hanessian, Reeves, and Rosenblatt, as the only Quarterbacks with a QB Rating of over 110. Is he at the level of the other candidates? No, but imagine where his number would be if he played a full 10 games.

The trio of Rosenblatt, Reeves, and Cutler have been nothing short of stellar this season. Cutler and Reeves use their athleticism to create plays and buy time throw lasers to the endzone. A slimmed-down Rosenblatt has done some of the same, while also cutting down on the interceptions from last season, going from nineteen to four.

The winner here though is obvious, as O’Hanessian leads Tier 2 in touchdowns passes with 55, yards (1,976) and is tied for first in completion percentage with 71%. It that wasn’t enough, consider the fact that he accomplished that having played only eight games, and is the mastermind behind the highest scoring offense in the division. There shouldn’t be much debate on this award.

Every good Quarterback has at least one top level Receiver. This year is clearly no different, with the names I just mentioned above. Someone has to catch all those passes, right? Luckily, Tier 2 is home to some of the best Receivers in FPF. 

To be considered for the award, you need to be able to take over a game at a moment’s notice. Defenses know you’re getting the ball especially in crunch time, but they still can’t stop you. While having speed is ideal, this is more about having reliable hands, the ability to run precise routes, and toughness. 

Daniel Mancini – Hard 8

DonnDre Borden – Idaho Udapimps

Marvin Renaud – Camping Boutin

Nirosh Suresh – Flag Slayer Corp

Victor Boutin – Camping Boutin

Nicolas Prince – Les Verges Folles

Justin White – Idaho Udapimps

Gabriel Drapeau-Zgoralski – Mangoose

Jean-Samuel Cournoyer – Flag Slayer Corp

Nassim Ouadhi – Les Verges Folles

Manu Allard-Roy – Idaho Udapimps

Sanders Armand – Hard 8

Joey Notaro – Camping Boutin

James Nguyen – Idaho Udapimps

There are a lot of big and deserving names on this list, as well as others who are starting to plant their flag in the ground as becoming household names in the league. 

This list is composed of various types of players. Guys like Borden, Renaud, White, Ouadhi, and Armand have size. Players like Notaro, Cournoyer, Allard-Roy, and Mancini has a shiftiness and speed on their side while being able to just snatch balls out of the air with ease. The trio of Nguyen, Drapeau-Zgoralski and Boutin bring physicality that is hard to match, along with a solid pair of hands.  

He has 37 catches which is good for fifth in Tier 2. His 12 touchdown grabs are tied for second with Manu Allard-Roy, and he is tied with DonnDre Borden for the division lead in yards with 466. Impressive number for sure, but even moreso when you consider that Suresh did all that in just five games played. You don’t even have to get to 10, if he gets one or at the most two more games played, he finishes first in every major receiving category. That’s why he is my pick.

Offense, defense, these guys play both. From touchdown receptions, to returning an interception to the house, the playmakers on this list can do it all. Every team needs at least one guy who can excel at this spot. As you can see by this list of names, Tier 2 has more than a few players who qualify for this award.

Justin White – Idaho Udapimps

Marvin Renaud – Camping Boutin

Mack Dessources - Mangoose

Brady Ohanessian – Idaho Udapimps 

Karim Madji – Flag Slayer Corp

Phil Cutler – KGP Origins

Thomas Coutu - Mangoose

 Sanders Armand – Hard 8

Marc-Andre Reeves – Camping Boutin

Sam Anastasopoulos – Idaho Udapimps

Daniel Mancini – Hard 8 

Ryan Kharouf – Flag Slayer Corp

Yes, the 45 touchdown passes as a QB, to go along with five sacks, two interceptions and a TD as a defender certainly didn’t hurt his case. Take a second though, and say to yourself what if he played Receiver instead? Let’s say he put up solid but not earth-shattering numbers. Give him 30 catches, five touchdowns and somewhere between 350-400 yards. Does he still win the award? I think so too.  

Defense wins championships. You can score on every single possession, but to get the victory, you need to make a stop. The guys in consideration make sure that teams don’t get points whenever they want. Sacks, tackles, pass deflections, interceptions, and touchdowns are what make up an impact player on this side of the ball. Next to Quarterback, a shutdown Cornerback or Safety is the most important position on the field. 

Rushers deserve love too. They play the hardest and least thankful position in flag football. The higher the division, the less the number of sacks they have a chance to get. Their main responsibility is to get the QB to throw the ball early and try to deflect a pass. They are a crucial part to any defense. If you don’t have a good one, your chances of winning becoming that much slimmer. 

Ahmed Boubacar – Hard 8

27 Emile Descoteaux – Camping Boutin

Sam Anastasopoulos – Idaho Udapimps

Hakim Kasbi-Filiatrault – Mangoose 

Marvin Renaud – Camping Boutin

Justin White – Idaho Udapimps

Phil Cutler – KGP Origins

Thomas Coutu - Mangoose

Jakob Sacksner – Hard 8

Joey Notaro – Camping Boutin

Mack Dessources - Mangoose

James Nguyen – Idaho Udapimps

There are a lot of great names on the list, but no one has made the impact that Boubacar has. The former Concordia Stingers Defensive Back leads all players in interceptions and defensive touchdowns, with five and two respectively, and he is tied for fourth in the division in tackles with 22. I almost forgot, he only played six regular season games.

Since we don’t have a rookie of the year award, why not have this instead? From players like Bakari Barrett, Marc-Andre Reeves, Felix Boutet, Yvan Salomon, Sam Anastasopoulos, even gong back to AJ Gomes and Sanders Armand, every season we get a player who either rises up from a lower division, or makes their FPF debut and just starts making a name for themselves. This year is no different, as the names below have been doing exactly that. In cases like Malinoff and Nguyen, that already started this past summer, while White and Cournoyer, who have dominated in lower division the last few years, are now doing the same in Tier 2. 

There are also players like Madji, who while never the number one option for his team on either side of the ball in past, has started to emerge as exactly that this season.

Justin White – Idaho Udapimps 

Jakob Sacksner – Hard 8

Jules Regimbald – Les Verges Folles

James Nguyen – Idaho Udapimps 

Jean-Samuel Cournoyer – Flag Slayer Corp 

Adam Malinoff- Hard 8

Karim Madji - Flag Slayer Corp

As the saying goes, don’t judge the book by its cover. White, has range, speed, leaping ability, and solid hands. He is simply a playmaker on both offense and defense. He leads the top team in Tier 2 in interceptions and pass deflections, Offensively, he is third in touchdowns with eight, and fourth in both catches and receiving yards. What more is there to say?

I hope you enjoyed the article. I will be back with a Tier 2 Quarter-Final preview this weekend. Enjoy the well-deserved week off! 

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.