Division 2: 10 Questions Before We Wrap
We are currently in Week 14, the final week of action before the playoffs begin. All eight post-season spots in the division have been accounted for, but the seedings have yet to be determined. That will be settled tomorrow night at Stade Hebert, as it will be home to the last two games of the regular season. Ending the year with some intrigue. As a player, fan, writer, or spectator, you can’t ask for more than that.
Before we get to the action tomorrow night, and the playoff fun that will follow, I have 10 question that must be asked.
Can Idaho Udapimps make it two championships in a row?
If you ignore a disappointing loss to the KGP Legends last night that cost Idaho Udapimps the top spot in the division, this squad has been playing some great football lately, as they had won four in a row prior to the letdown.
The team’s defense was the catalyst during their win streak, as they held three opponents (The Stoics, Les Verges Folles, and Flag Slayer Corp) to under 27 points. The lineup isn’t exactly a murderer’s row, but it is still impressive.
This team is one of the most decorated ones in the division in terms of championships. They are coming off a Tier 2 title this past Fall Season and are looking to add more. Betting against Brady Ohannessian and his team is a risky proposition. They are deep, have chemistry, as well as both length and speed for days.
What other teams can match up with their receiving corps of Danick Coulombe, Manu Allard-Roy, James Nguyen, Marvin Steinberg, and Donndre Borden? You can’t focus on just one guy. What it will come down to is your fourth and fifth best corner having to win their matchup against one of these guys. Don’t forget, they also have Justin White and Sam Anastasopoulos. Defenses, good luck.
Who is the team no one wants to face in the opening round of the playoffs?
I think the answer to that question must be The Stoics. They have a battled-tested roster that knows how to win big games, even though they haven’t done it collectively as a team.
In fairness to the other teams that are reading this and saying what about us? The Stoics have lost three of their last four games, and they’ve been leaking oil defensively as they have given up an average of 38 points per game during that span.
Let’s be honest here, Mike Pierrecin, James Drysdale, Alexi Dubois, and Chris Rivest have not forgotten how to win. The first two names mentioned have a permanent spot during Finals weekend every season with the Braves. Are you really going to bet against them when the games matter most?
The Stoics finish the regular season tomorrow night versus the newly minted first place KGP Legends. What better way to put the division on notice, than knocking off the top team?
Are the KGP Legends the real deal?
As I said earlier, their big win last night vs Idaho Udapimps gave KGP Legends the top spot in the division.
With that designation comes heavy expectations. If the playoffs started today, they would be taking on Hard 8, in a rematch of a Week 8 affair that saw KGP Legends win (39-34) on a game-winning touchdown by Jonathan Garfinkle with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Hopefully we get to see a second act.
The KGP Legends have been together seemingly forever. They have played in big games and have won championships. Timing, chemistry, and awareness aren’t a problem for this group. A late start to the season – they only played their first game more than a month after season had started – means including their showdown tomorrow night vs The Stoics in their regular season finale, they will have played four games over 12 days. that’s a lot of ball for any team, let alone one who has an average age of nearly 40 years old.
Who is the biggest sleeper team in Division 2?
I debated this topic yesterday on the sidelines at Concordia with fellow Writer Keyon Cyrus. He went with Hard 8, citing the talent they have on their roster. I mentioned a few other teams who were deserving of the spot including KGP Legends (the convo happened nine hours before they jumped into first place), The Stoics, and Silent Ticklers.
I already talked about The Stoics earlier, so I won’t rehash that again. For the Silent Ticklers, as I told Keyon, this team has the experience and talent to win it all, and they have shown several times this year that they can beat anyone the league.
FPF, is a what have you done for me lately type of league, and Hard 8 has shown that they can win it all after having done so just last summer in Division B. This year’s version still has the core of Jeff Rosenblatt, Paul Lapierre, and Sanders Armand. They are three players that have played in big games both together as well as separately.
KGP Legends are now in first, so they can’t qualify as a sleeper, and despite continually having elite players in Daniel Mancini, Adam Rosen, and Jordan Panetta among others, the Silent Ticklers have continued to fall short come playoff time.
I am going with Hard 8 here as well. In their last four games they beat both The Stoics and Silent Ticklers and came within a possession of doing the same against both Camping Boutin and LeBrontourage. That must count for something.
Can anyone dethrone Camping Boutin?
In last week’s article I talked about the one weakness on their roster is size. While that still holds true, it also hasn’t stopped them from winning the majority of their games. This team just knows how to win. They make clutch plays and find a way to get it done even when the odds are stacked against them.
This team is always a tough out, and it speaks to the makeup of who they are as a unit. The return of a healthy Denis Martel, who is the heart and soul of the squad, makes them even harder to beat.
As the Merge/Merge 2.0, they have won three straight championships in the Co-Ed divisions. The core of Quarterback Marc-Andre Reeves, Victor Boutin, and Emile Descoteaux are leading the Div. 2 version of the team. Like I said, they know how to win.
Eliminating this team in the post-season won’t be easy. Are any of the other seven playoff teams up to the task?
Which team is on upset alert?
I honestly think it will be KGP Legends. I know I talked about their impressive play earlier, but I feel that when I stack them up against the seven other playoff teams, this one has the least amount of athleticism and overall team speed.
I am not taking anything away from their rise to the top spot, and the solid wins they have strung together this year, but I feel that they are boom or bust. In short, they can win it all or be one and done. I don’t necessarily think that will happen with this team, but I would be lying if I said the feeling wasn’t there.
Which team was the most disappointing this year?
Earlier this season I said it was the Party Crashers. While I still think it should be illegal to miss the post-season with that much talent, speed, and athleticism, it was clear to anyone watching that the team was going to have growing pains as they transitioned to a Quarterback in Ezechiel Tieide, who despite throwing for Party Ballers last winter in Division 2, still has limited experience being a QB at this high of a level.
My choice for most disappointing goes to Shot O’clock. If someone had told you going into the season that a team had a roster featuring Quaysie Gordon-Maule, Gucci Omombo, Zachary Alexis, Isiah Allard, and Jeanslee Alexis, you would think they would at the very least be able to make the playoffs.
If I said they had a FPF Hall-of-Famer in Tam Vilaydeth as their QB, no one would think you were crazy if you predicted them to have a deep post-season run. The problem for this team is that they accomplished neither, as they missed the playoffs completely.
When dissecting their season, you can see that the biggest reason they ended up here was Quarterback play. For the first six weeks of the season under Jimmy-Lee Janvier, the team went (1-5) as it got subpar play from the position. The veteran recorded 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a QB Rating of 89.4, the lowest of any passer in the division.
After switching to Vilaydeth in Week 7 Shot O’clock proceeded to go (3-2), as the vet threw for 21 TDs to only three INTs with a QBR of 126.3, with a completion percentage of 70.3%.
Sometimes you need to cut bait. This team did it too late, and it cost them a playoff spot. It doesn’t get more disappointing than that.
Are the Bruins done?
Go back a few weeks ago, and the Bruins were riding high. They started off they year winning their first six games and were without a shadow of a doubt the best team in the division.
Since then, the wheels haven’t fallen off, but they look a little loose, as the team has lost two out of their last three games. To make matters worse, both defeats were mostly one-sided affairs.
Looking at the big picture, two losses shouldn’t cause a team to sink or swim, but the fact that it is happening at a point in the season when teams should be playing their best ball as they gear up for the playoffs, is alarming.
One of the main factors in their recent slide has been turnovers. During their winning streak, Quarterback Rocco Christiano only threw one interception. Since Week 11, the favourite to win QB of the Year, has thrown at least one in three straight games. Come playoff time, turnovers will send you home.
The team’s defense hasn’t been all that great either, as they have given up a total of 127 points their last three games to Camping Boutin, Silent Ticklers, and Shot O’clock. The first team on that list is the number rated offense in scoring, the other two are in the bottom half of the division.
The Bruins have one final regular season game to get their act together as they take on Hard 8 Monday night at Stade Hebert. Will this be a get right game for them, or will the team continue their struggles on both sides of the ball?
Can LeBrontourage go all the way?
After holding down first place in the standings for the second half of the season, LeBrontourage finished in second as they were overtaken by KGP Legends.
Regardless of where they finished, LeBrontourage has the speed, size, football knowledge and the skill to go all the way. One of the most important things to look at when evaluating a team is how they win. This squad has checked that box as they have won games via blowout, and ones that have gone down to the wire.
The two question marks facing this team is can they put it all together under the bright lights of the post-season? Yes, they made it to the championship game in Division C last summer, but they got blown out by Les Petites Carottes. The squad also did it with a different Quarterback, as they were led by former starter Gianni Casati. Phillip Pelletier is an upgrade at the position, but he has never led this team on a deep playoff run.
The other question they must answer is are they deep enough? As of right now, this team only has seven players who have played the required five regular season games to qualify for the playoffs. Add that on to the fact they are missing their second-leading Receiver in Tristan Mancini who was lost for the season with a lower body injury back in January, and you could make the argument that they are a play away from disaster.
Talent alone can carry you a long way, but a lack of depth in the post-season is a hard obstacle to overcome. Let’s see how they do.
What is my Division B Finals prediction?
I have Idaho Udapimps taking on LeBrontourage. Yes, the latter team isn’t fully healthy, but the players that will be taking the field come playoff time in Emerson Peterkin, Jeremy Murphy, Dante Sparagna, Ahmed Boubacar, and Quarterback Philip Pelletier more than make up the difference. If they can get past a first round matchup against either The Stoics or Hard 8, I believe they have an easier road to the Finals.
For Idaho Udapimps, the loss last night to KGP Legends means their road to championship glory has become much tougher as they will have to take on the Bruins first, followed by potential games against Camping Boutin, KGP Legends, or Silent Ticklers in the Semi-Finals.
Both teams went head-to-head in a Week 7 meeting that saw LeBrontourage escape with a walk-off (35-34) win. Will we see a rematch in a few weeks>? Both teams are coming off Finals appearances in recent seasons, so they know what it takes it get there.
Picks
Bruins vs Hard 8 - Hard 8 (Upset Special #1)
The Stoics vs KGP Legends – The Stoics (Upset Special #2)
That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games this week. Happy Easter!
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.