The Sarwar Report (D1) – Week 8

Remember the days we used to take the metro, car or bus all the way to the Olympic stadium (The Big O) to watch our beloved Expos play in front of a capacity crowd of 5,000 people and then they would send the fans home with disappointment? I know I do. Although the Montreal Expos are long gone, it appears the FlagPlus Football Expos are continuing the legacy, in the world of flag football of course. They are winners of three in a row, which already makes them more successful than the Montreal Expos were in their last few years here. In all seriousness, it was only a matter of time before the Expos started picking up the slack and if the playoffs started tomorrow, the Expos would be in and Hurricanes would be out because of point differential. Luckily for the Hurricanes, the playoffs don’t start for another three weeks, so they still have a chance, but nothing will be handed to them on a silver platter; they will have to battle harder and dig deeper than they ever had before.

 

Headlines

A Rivalry Renewed

 

I just discussed that the Hurricanes have to start getting their act together before it is too late and their road to playoffs doesn’t get any easier because this week they take on the red-HOT Expos. If I look at the game within the game, there is no love lost between Chad Byers and Tony Khoury and their rivalry has been fueled one too many times. Unfortunately Tony Khoury is on offense as is Chad Byers so there will not be any opportunities for flying sparks between these old rivals. The bottom line is that all players on both teams have to focus on winning without acting getting distracted because they’re both in playoff races and this win will be detrimental to their post-season hopes.

 

Give Credit Where It’s Due

 

The Rainmakers were never on my list of contenders throughout the season, however given the fact they’re now 4-3, I have to finally tip my hat (or toque) to these guys. They are playing some excellent football and just pulled off a gigantic win against Hurricanes on the last play of the game. Based on their success, I had a Q&A session with Ryan Kastner which is posted in this article. Ryan Kastner, Derek Kastner, Michael Chitayat, Charles-Antoine Sinotte (who is currently away at the CFL combine) and Benjamin Leger are all valuable assets to this team. Furthermore, they win without the attention and flare which other teams might exhibit. With the four wins, they have managed to put themselves in a situation that favors their playoff hopes but might need another upset or two to clinch a tip to the post-season.

 

SCC

 

Simon Charbonneau-Campeau is tearing up the Division 1 season like nothing we’ve ever seen before and is one of the main reasons Express are doing surprisingly well. In 6 games, he has 26 catches, 453 yards and 20 TDs which means he is averaging a little over 3 TDs a game. I can’t remember the last time I saw a receiver as dominant as SCC and he is setting the bar high for the rest of Division 1 receivers. Numbers like his are imaginable in D4 or 5, but not in D1 against the quality opponents he faces on a weekly basis! Anytime a big play is needed, Chenard knows he can count on SCC. If the Express make the playoffs, it will be interesting to see if he can continue such dominant performances, however, for the time being, he still has three games left to play in which he could possibly reach 30 TDs!

 

Three STARwars of the week:

 

3. Michael Chitayat (Raimakers): 6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD

 

2. Ryan Kastner (Rainmakers): 16-25, 249 yards, 6 TDs.

 

1. Chad Byers (Expos): 21-27, 245 yards, 7 TDs; 18 rushing yards and a TD.

 

 

A Second With Sarwar

 

This week’s guest is the quiet, the talented, the respected, the consistent Ryan Kastner of the Rainmakers. Ryan has led his team to three semi finals and one final in his FPF career. He is the heart and soul of this team and fought through adversity and tragedies to be where he is in this league today, and for that I commend him.

 

1. Rainmakers started playing in the league in Winter 2008 and it is quite different from tackle football, how did you like flag football at first? How hard was it to adjust?

Tackle football and flag are like two different sports. Everything is much more compressed here. I love having 5 options and passing every play – what quarterback wouldn’t? Aside from learning the game, the real adjustment came last year when we entered D1 for the first time. Every defense was stacked and things we were getting away with against looser coverage were starting to cause us some problems. Even now I find I am still learning every game. I try to take the things other offenses do well and then tweak it to suit my own receivers’ strengths and weaknesses.

2. Do you feel that you were in the shadow of Matt Connell (given the fact his McGill team, Red Army, was slightly better than Rainmakers in 2008 season) and now you have sort of developed your own identity?

It’s always nice to be recognized for your own talents and accomplishments. To be honest, though, I don’t really care about the praise and recognition. I can’t control what others think. That being said, Matt is a great football player and a good friend. There are worse shadows to be cast under.

3. What is the best part about playing in FlagPlus Football? What is your weekly routine?

This is my first year out of university and I definitely appreciate FlagPlus now more than ever. Like most guys who play university-level sports, I love to compete. Especially after having to miss the last half of the summer league, you realize how much you miss it.

I don’t really have a routine for game days. In the afternoon I usually text everyone to make sure they know there is actually game and which complex (believe me, this is a very necessary step for our team). I tend to show up about 30 minutes before to get my mind right more than anything else. I need that time to clear my head and get focused for the game. I think about the defense I’m going up against and the coverages they like to use. I set out the plays that I think will work against each coverage and when to use them

4. Your most favorable moment which includes yourself? doesn’t include yourself?

Well we’ve had a last play TD to win in each of my first 3 winter seasons so those are always fun. I also had a great time playing against the other McGill boys in the Winter 2008 D2 semi-final even though we lost. Not a lot of defense there and it came down to a 2 point conversion that we caught but it was ruled out of bounds. Great game though.

5. Who is the best receiver in Div 1? (can’t pick your own teammate)

There are so many great receivers in D1 it’s really tough to choose. Guillaume Ward has torn us apart every time we have played CLR so I guess I’ll have to give it to him. That would make him the 8th best receiver in the league I think…after all the Rainmakers.

6. Which rusher do you hate facing the most?

To be honest I don’t really notice the rusher because I spend the whole game looking downfield. The taller rushers definitely pose additional problems with their height and ability to tip passes. I’ve had to learn to adjust my throwing motion to throw around those guys sometimes.

7. Who is the most underrated player in Div 1? overrated?

Nobody in D1 is overrated. The league is stacked with good players and that’s why it’s always so hard to get enough teams in comparison to the other divisions. As for underrated players, I’d have to give it to the other quarterbacks in the league. The defenses are all so strong and there is so little room for error, the scores that are put up every week really amaze me. I really have to give a shout out to my receivers too. They never get any credit from you guys because they aren’t flashy, but they just get open and catch the ball – the two most important traits a good receiver needs to have (seems obvious I guess but it is overlooked all the time).

8. Rainmakers have been to three semi-finals (Winter 2008, Winter 2009, Spring 2009) and one final (Spring 2008).. is the Winter 2010 roster the best one yet? What is this team missing to win the big game?

By and large, the roster is the same every season. We lost our top corner from last year, Greg Landry, who graduated school and went back home but we were able to add Ben Leger who’s done a great job for us. As we continue to learn the flag game, we’ll keep on getting better and better.

9. There are people who say you are the easiest QB to sack and rushers love to boost their stats against you. What are your thoughts or comments about that?

Well I definitely tend to be patient in the pocket – probably to a fault sometimes. But usually that extra split second I take allows me to complete the pass. Stats are for losers anyways, it’s the final score that matters to me. Besides, I don’t think you’d find too many DB’s who have boosted their stats against me…

10. Who is the most annoying (loud mouth, trash talker, pest) player you have played against?

I don’t really find anyone annoying. There are some teams like CLR that are loud the whole game encouraging each other. There are other teams like MTL’s Finest who talk trash. You can’t let that get you off your game. I focus on myself and my team.

11. Who is your favorite WEPL personality? columnist?

My favorite WEPL personality is the one who picks us to win (so that would be Daron). My favorite columnist is the one covering our division (that would be I). Seriously, though, all you guys are great and are a big part of why this league is so awesome. (Daron and I win people’s hearts, yet again!)

12. Given the fact you guys are McGill players and the most skilled McGill team (compared to Red Ballers in Div 2) in FlagPlus Football, any chance you guys can have nicer apparel (rather than a plain white T-shirt)?

First of all, our T-shirts are amazing! And no, we will not be getting new jerseys, at least not until Wal-Mart has a big special on new plain white T-shirts. Unless you want to sponsor us. “Rehan’s Rainmakers” definitely has a nice ring to it.

13. Wikipedia defines the term Rainmakers as “the act of attempting to artificially induce or increase precipitation, usually to stave off drought.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “people whose influence can initiate progress or ensure success”. So why the name Rainmakers?

Ha ha when Adriano Tassone first picked the name I had the same reaction. He then referred me to urbandictionary.com: “Usually a senior investment banker such as an MD who generates large sums of money by doing business with high profile clients. Synonyms include: Baller, Boss, King”. I don’t know if that helps or not, but that’s the origin of the name.

 

The Amazing Race

 

Known to be an entertaining TV show, this segment will monitor leading candidates for FlagPlus Football’s seasonal awards alongside a new award (entirely fictional but holds high value), Heisman Trophy given to league MVP for the Winter 2010 season. This list of candidates will be updated weekly.

 

Quarterback

 

Kevin Wyeth: 114-161 for 1453 yards with 38 TDs, 6 INTs, 3 Sacks and 122.7 QB rating.

Ryan Kastner: 119-181 for 1396 yards with 32 TDs, 3 INTs, 14 Sacks and 121.7 QB rating.

 

Wide Receiver

 

• Simon Charbonneau-Campeau: 26 receptions, 453 yards, 20 TDs.
• Mike Harrington: 40 receptions, 368 yards, 9 TDs.
• Dominic Lemieux: 32 receptions, 345 yards, 11 TDs.

 

Defensive Player

• Bruno Collette: 17 tackles, 4 INTs (1 for TD), 1 PD.
• Kishon Thompson: 31 tackles, 1 INT, 7 PDs.
• Jean-Francois Marquis: 16 tackles, 2 INT, 1 Sack, 2 PDs.

 

The Jared Allen Award (In case of a tie, the tie-breaker will be interceptions, PDs and then tackles)

 

• Andrija Zecevic: 5 sacks
• Nick Raymond: 5 sacks
• Moe Khan: 3 sacks

Two-Way Player

 

• Michael Chitayat: 31 receptions, 362 yards, 9 TDs; 20 tackles, 2 INT (1 for TD), 1 PD.
• Shane Williams: 34 receptions, 300 yards, 8 TDs; 16 tackles, 2 INT (1 for TD), 1 PD.
• Patrick Chenard: 97-148 for 1210 yards with 36 TDs, 7 INT, and 5 Sacks; 271 rushing yards and 3 TDs; 12 tackles, 3 INT and 2 PD.

 

The Heisman (in that order)

 

1. Kevin Wyeth

2. Ryan Kastner

3. Simon Charbonneau-Campeau

 

 

That’s it for this week’s column. As usual if you have any comments/suggestions, email me at [email protected]. Good luck on your match ups this week and I leave you with the following quote:

 

“I’m a firm believer that all sports will eventually be global. Someday, we may have a quarterback from China named Yao Fling.” – Paul Tagliabue