Categories: Co-EdComplementaryDivisionGeneralPublicTier 1Tier 2Tier 3

11 and Only 11: Part 2 (plus other stuff)

Musings, Rambling, Lies and other Assortments

  • I saw a little of the Save a Horse game. Sure, they spanked The West Yard.  However, while I’m impressed with the talent I stand by my feeling that they have some learning to do. One such mistake was seeing Kyle Daniel not read the backside of a deep crossing route and getting undercut for an int. I really like this team but there is some room for improvement.
  • I don’t get the point of Cake mix or pancake mix for that matter.
  • When Phil Cutler plays always take the over!
  • A five yard pass from Ryan Garber to Dylan Garber was all KGP RA would have needed after pitching a shutout over Glogang.
  • Tunesquad struggled with Iggy Magnet’s Post Malone’s Knights but man Charles Presser can play defense.
  • Incredible Thought: If you haven’t seen a deity make love to a stadium, have you even lived?
  • Tough Lungs upset Team Ethnik 28-19. What have they figured out about Benoit Lawlor that no one else has?
  • I don’t know what to make of the Ravens this season. They’ve lost when I’ve expected wins but they upset Chocolate Thunder this week in a game that Ravens controlled from start to finish.
  • It’s taken 8 weeks but I still don’t have the answer to the following question: Are The West Yard good?
  • There aren’t a lot of dudes who throw  nicer touch pass than Jeff Rosenblatt
  • I honestly would never have thought that a team lead by Francois Martin would have to win a final game to make it to the postseason. Perhaps, this is what was most Unexpected about the Diablos.

11 and only 11 

Part 2

  • Tune Squad (2-5): Tune Squad have struggled. Other than a single point victory in week 1 against the now struggling Stormers and a single score win over the equally struggling Tim Brandy.  Defensively, building a unit around Charles Presser and Ben Arnovitz in Tier 3 is an embarrassment of riches. However, the team is simply, not working. Garner Ross has come through FPF Jr. and into the men’s league. His TD to int ratio is about what it was in Junior. However, the team simply hasn’t scored enough. Tune Squad has scored more than thirty points a single time this season and that was in a 40-35 loss to Trailer Park Boys. Jesse Dym and Jonathan Jagermann have also come on since coming up through the ranks through FPF Junior. The two have combined for 7 of the team’s 19 receiving touchdowns.  Dym is the team;s leading receiver and Tune Squad have had their moments this season.  I’ve noticed that they’ve registered for division 6 for the winter season.  They will certainly take what they’ve learned this ill-fated season and improve in short order.    
  • Tim Brandy (2-5): Prior to this season Michael Timmins had 9 pass attempts in FPF. So it’s not shocking that he’s struggled. The 18 touchdowns, near 60% completion percentage and 143 passing yards per game are fine.  However, the 18 interceptions are a problem. Protecting the ball in FPF is key (trust me, I’ve spent my entire career learning and failing at it). That said, if I had the athleticism of Chad and Jared Buck and the size of Justin Santillo I’d probably force too many passes as well. One of the trends we’ve noticed in the Qualification round of this tournament is that interceptions decreased in the second round. Jared Buck however, did match his preliminary total to bring his season long total to 4. Unfortunately, I think the buck stops in this round for Tim Brandy.  They’re a solid team but they haven’t gotten it all together and their only wins have come at the expense of Lockdown and The Stormers who have a combined record of 0-13-1.  The Timmins experiment is new but I think that surrounding him with this level of talent and giving him enough reps is the only way to see his growth for the future. Hit the checkmark for the first part of that sentiment. We’ll need to see for the second part of that.
  • Killer Rays (2-3-2): I dunno man… I wanted them to be good.  There are moments where it looks like this could be a dynamic offense but the Rays seem to lack consistency. As it stands right now, they’re on the outside looking in.  The last two weeks have seen Evan White take snaps at QB. They’ve lost one game against Penetrators and tied Lionhearts, of which Moe Khan explained “two ties are too many” on Calling the Audible. For them to have a chance to qualify, I think they are best served with Tylar Bianchi back at the pivot. I don’t believe White would be eligible for the next round and it’s fairly clear that the Rays have a better rapport with Bianchi. Curtis Ryan made his mark in the preliminary round catching 9 touchdowns on 23 targets.  Meanwhile, Tyler Gurberg stepped up in the qualification round.  However, The Killer Rays have not won since week 3.   Their final game is against Save a Horse. I think there are some positives to take from this fall experience but unfortunately I don’t believe they make the post-season. I’d really like to see what Tylar Bianchi and rusher Corey Bianchi will look like in another regular FPF season.    
  • Trailer Park Boys (3-4): I’m having a hard time knowing what to make of TPB.  I know that they have a lot of athletic ability.  Their defense is aggressive in the flats and that’s uncommon for a lower division team. It resulted in 4 interceptions from Alexandre Meunier and 2 by Alex Wilhelm.  However, Trailer Park Boys were a tema I was expecting to take a step after the fall 2019 season. Instead, they seem to have regressed and I don’t really have a reason for it. Antoine Meunier hasn’t always been the most careful with the ball but, this season his 24-11 TD:INT ratio is not terrible, and his ability to run has seen him add 250 additional yards on the ground. Keeping all Meuniers as hungry as the family members involved in RoyCo is key and Frederic Meunier has hauled in 4 touchdowns in this fall season. Mathieu Gascon of course has served his normal role on the offense and Marc-Etienne Simard looks to be a rising standout for Sunnyvale’s finest. Their playoff hopes rest on a final week matchup against Post Malone’s Knights.  They really seem to be in the sh*t eye of the sh*t Hurricane. 
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  • Unexpected Diablos (3-4): Pairing the incredible arm of Francois Martin with talents like Kevin Lubin and Dany Ostiguy feels like the team should be a slam dunk for a bowl seed.  However, as one of the many 3-4 teams in Tier 2, I’m starting to have my doubts. They’ll close off the season against the Bruins.  The two teams know each other well. Also, Bruins are a spot ahead of them in the postseason race.  This isn’t a “win-and-you’re-in” scenario exactly because the multi-team tie breakers make that difficult to predict but it’s hard to expect to see UD in the next round without a week 8 win. At their best they’re a team with enough firepower to edge out the competition. We saw them hit the over in a game against the Grim Reapers where they won by a point and a similar win early in the season against Centaures.  Their average margin of victory in games they’ve won has been 3 points.  They’ve alos lost a number of close games and it appears to be that they simply cannot get the stops against teams that can score. Kevin Lubin and Antoine Charlebois have both recorded multiple interceptions yet, it seems as though unless they force a turnover, the Unexpected Diablos cannot otherwise come by a stop.  A slow paced game against Bruins that also results in a low points against may be their only path to some additional football this fall.  
  • Bruins (3-4): Bruins are built upon the principles of execution.  Their offense and defence are both really straight forward. Offensively Gabriel Wiseman will use floods and levels to force you to make choices. He’s incredibly mobile in the pocket and can reset his feet to throw downfield insanely quickly. The injury to Zach Zwirn has forced Bruins to go without him most the season but Rocco Christiano has emerged as somewhat of a multi-faceted threat.  Meanwhile subs Jesse Dupuis and Joey Taylor have helped keep the ship above water. On defense, they give up no real big plays.  This is both a weakness and at times a strength. If you can be patient against the Bruins, it applies a lot of pressure as they will allow passes underneath before they tighten the screws in the redzone.  This in turn, forces the opposing offense to execute as well. As I said, it’s entirely entwined with their identity.  If they lose to Unexpected Diablos they may be on the outside looking in but the variety of 3-5 teams by the end of the week should make for an interesting tie break.
  • Ravens (3-3-1): This is a team I have thought highly of since their formation in division 6 (or E) years ago.  However, with each version captain Mathieu “Flag Jesus” Houle has brought us an improved look. Justin Sarlabous has been a revelation as has been Kamba Katchelewa.  The fall cup has seen him round up some more familiar FPF talent in Jeremy Ledoux, Anthony Lapointe, Karl Fourges and more.  Yet the team sputtered in the qualification round. One score losses to Grim Reapers and Team Ethnik changed the outlook on the season somewhat however, it does appear that Joel Houle has returned from injury and the big arm-ed QB went toe to toe with Joe Kano’s Chocolate Thunder and Ravens got the upset win. They have an outside chance at earning a seat in the cash bracket (they need to beat Arouch and Hot Sauce Sports and Centaures would need to tie).  It would be extremely unlikely but either way, they are postseason bound and, if they end up in one of the non-cash bowls they may find themselves favorites to hold a trophy once more.
  • Y&Y (3-3): Yes, I have been critical of Gino Di Fazio in the past.  However, this relates mostly to his penchant for roster mismanagement, attempts to work around the rules and how he treats players on his teams (especially those with lesser pedigree) than his ability on the field.  His ball placement in the short-passing game is second to none.  You can guard his receivers very closely and it won’t matter because he can put it in a spot where the defenders have no chance to get the ball.  So Y&Y should win the CoEd championship right?  Well, there is an issue.  Chalk it up to roster mismanagement or attempts to work around the rules.  Perhaps it’s 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. So, in order for Gino Di Fazio to occasionally throw the football,  he needs to have less attempts than Quaysie Gordon-Maule. Thi is to ensure that DiFazio’s QB rating does not kick in.  Additionally it means that Quaysie Gordon-Maule can’t play receiver.  As far as I can tell this is so that the team can roster Fred Brunette.  Now all of these pieces are valuable but I question if the team would not be best served with their fastest player on offence and their best thrower behind centre.  Still, Y&Y are a dangerous team.  Ryan Dobbs-Garnett is a solid snapper with the ability to stretch into the second level.  Marilou Cote Noel is the best rusher in all of FPF and Laury-Ann Potvin is a reliable receiver. I expect two wins in their double header on Sunday and they will be a tough first round matchup for either Kiss My Endzone or EZFun.
  • EZW (3-5):  When I started playing in FPF there was a prevailing notion that a mobile quarterback could not win in FPF.  My reaction was simply that we hadn’t found players yet who could throw as well as they moved.  Tam Vilaydeth broke the mould and we’ve since seen guys like Jarryd Taylor and of course Jeremy White.  His patience, speed and ridiculous balance and acceleration in and out of his annoying “duck move”. Duck Move bro…but I digress.  EZW just came off of a huge upset win against Blessed.  It turns out, in the absence of Kevin Smuda, the Blessed defense could not figure out how to stop Etienne Laurence-Gervais. If you’ve followed FPF media coverage for some time, that name should be familiar to you. ELG is a very, very good player.  He doesn’t always have games that has eye-popping statlines.  However, when he does it makes you wonder how he doesn’t just claim ownership of the league. EZW’s season seems marked by a few factors. There was some roster inconsistency that NO ONE can afford in Tier 1 and a week 6 loss to Mangoose that has put them out of contention. There is no way for the season to end with a three or more team tie and EZW lost their head to head with Urgence Medic.  As for the future, I do like the Jeremy White, CO-Lavinge, Samuel Pelchat and Etienne Laurence-Gervais core.  There are, of course, a few others but I think the team needs a true difference maker/play caller on the defense to take this team from a fun team to watch, to a legitimate high division threat. 
  • Urgence Medic (3-4): To say that this season has been an underachievement for UM is an understatement.  Yet, despite that, they remain in position to take home fall’s largest prize.  I don’t know if there is some complacency with Urgence Medic or if the team is simply a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  It’s 2021, don’t judge sometimes you need to zip up that sexy sheep’s wool to feel sexy inside and out.  Urgence Medic lost to Blessed twice and KGP a pair of times as well.  This would lead me to believe that they aren’t the cock of the walk as they were expected to be heading into the season. They’ve lost those key games but it is important to note that quarterback Jesse Dupuis missed a matchup against each team.  Still Dupuis has been far from the problem. He only has a single game with a QB rating under 100 and he has 21 touchdowns thrown and only 2 interceptions all season (in 5 games at the helm).   Mathieu Houle, Anthony Lapointe and company have all been reliable receivers who have helped the offense stay on point.  However, I’ve been present for two of Urgence Medic’s losses.  The box scores don’t tell the entire story.  There are times where they legitimately let games get away from them.  Whether it’s having drives that just go nowhere or a lapse on defense that is simply inexcusable. So, take them lightly at your own peril. At this point I would be equally unsurprised if UM lost in the first round or blew out the competition en route to a bowl win.
  • The Apocalypse (4-3): I was wrong about Jeff Rosenblatt.  The first time I saw “Rose” throw a ball I thought, “he’s gonna be a nice low division QB for a long time”.  However, in a short matter of time he’s become one of the most respected quarterbacks in the league.  Between his ability to throw the right pass at the right time (touch passes when necessary and harder passes in tight windows) combined with his ability to protect the ball, has made him a coveted pivot in the highest levels of competition. The team is well built across the board.  Obviously the names Travis Moses, Kendal Mayers, and Quaid Johnson are upper division stalwarts.  However, the versatility of Patrick Jazon and the insane speed and acceleration of Benjamin McMahon makes this team on of the most complete units that Rosenblatt has played with. Obviously, Quaid Johnson draws coverage.  His 11 touchdowns in 7 games is impressive but the ability to draw the best out of a player like Justin Blackie shows how deep this team is. Their most impressive win is against KGP, it is important to note that Phil Cutler wasn’t there.  My worry for the next round is that The Apocalypse is that they simply beat teams that aren’t as good but lose to teams that are better than they are.  Will this be the case in the offseason against the likes of Urgence Medic, Blessed and KGP? Well, I’ve been wrong before.