Mid-Season Report Cards Part 2

Part 2 is here after a long wait and I wont waste any time. Id like to thank all the readers for bearing with me as these articles took longer then expected. There is a debate every year weather we should do mid-season report cards due to the length of these articles and how off track from the actual weekly action it takes, especially in a large division like Tier 3. But you guys seem to love it so thats why we continue to write them. Even if they take more effort, research and time, we want to deliver a product that you can all enjoy, and I hope i have done that thus far and will continue to do so.

Week 7 Mid Season Report Cards Part 2

A – You’ve exceeded pre-season expectations.  I never would have thought the team in question would have performed this well.

B – The team is surpassing the expectations that I placed on them ahead of the season, or perhaps you meeting expectations with your record, but have won close matchups against tough opponents.

C – I was right, and the team is performing exactly as expected.

D- Your team has underperformed in comparison to pre-season expectations. You’ve probably lost matchups which your squad was favoured to win.

MOFOS 1-4

So I am a little disappointed in this team after 5 games but to be fair, knowing that Tiemoko Sanogo would not be playing QB for them this fall did temper expectations. MOFOS did get a quality win back in week 4 against Snowdon Deli Degens as they scored their season high 33 points but unfortunately that was all the success they have had so far. Marc-Antoine Larose has been Sanogo’s replacement and he has been alright. He clearly doesn’t possess the speed and agility of Sanogo but passing stats have been good, completing over 55% of throws and turning the ball over only about once a game. His biggest issue has been taking sacks, as he is the third most sacked QB in the entire division. Amadou Diallo has been their Mid-Season MVP as he leads the team in every receiving stat and has found the endzone 6 times. He also adds a pick to his season stat line and his production should continue. 

Offensive Grade: D

Defensive Grade: C

Overall Grade: D

Mid Season MVP: Amadou Diallo

FInal Record Prediction: 2-8

Mixed Mambas 2-4

One of the few teams in the division that I do not know much about and have a more then a few new players to FPF. For this reason my expectations for this team were not very high. I did leave this team off my top 10 and with the playoff format in tier 3 where only the top 12 make playoffs I did have this team on the outside looking in. But despite being 2-4 and on the outside of the top 12 I am pleasantly surprised with the way this team has been playing. They are a 1 point loss away from being 3-3 and firmly in the playoff race. With 4 games left and a softer remaining schedule this team might be able to find themselves in week 10 in a win and your in situation. QB Micheal Remy has played good with double the amount of touchdowns as interceptions and complete over 55% of his passes. But the Mixed Mambas best player so far has been Arnis Mehmetaj. His height and speed make for a tough matchup for any DB in Tier 3. After only 4 games Arnis has caught 10 touchdowns and 280 yards. On the defensive side Arnis also snagged 5 INT’s which place him for #3 in the division. Arnis has to be in the conversation for 2-Way player of the year. 

 Offensive Grade: B

Defensive Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

Mid Season MVP: Arnis Mehmetaj

Final Record Prediction: 4-6

Black Shinobi 2-5 

Another team missing their quarterback from last season and it shows. The absence of Sammy Omombo is present on both sides of the ball. His ability to run the ball and play safety has affected this team even more than I initially thought. Yvan Salomon has stepped in as QB and has been turning the ball over too much to run a successful offence. He’s also the most sacked quarterback in the division so rushers have been affecting him often. He either needs to keep his feet moving or call quicker routes in order to release the ball quicker. At the beginning of the season I would expect Mendy Joseph to be their Mid-Season MVP but it has been Nathaniel Dinku who has stepped up to the plate as their best performer so far. He leads the team in receptions and receiving yards and is also leading the team with 2 interceptions. Unfortunately for this squad, with 5 losses already, it looks like they won’t be participating in the playoffs. 

Offensive Grade: D

Defensive Grade: D

Overall Grade: D

Mid Season MVP: Nathaniel Dinku

Final record prediction: 3-7

Les Petites Carottes Jr 2-4-1

Back in the pre-season I placed this team #1 in my top 10 power rankings. To say the least, this team has been the biggest disappointment so far. With players assembled from their Div E championship team and their 9-1 Div C team, I expected this team to be firmly in a playoff position. Consistency has been the biggest issue for this team as they have beaten great teams like Win Diesel and then have proceeded to only score 7 and 12 points against weaker defences the following weeks. Alexandre Manes has been the quarterback for this team instead of Jason Reyes. Manes has a great arm and can make good decisions but Reyes’ ability to move around the pocket and free himself from rushers is uncanny. He would be a problem for every rusher in tier 3. Their best player so far this season has been Xavier Brault. The deep threat receiver has the most yards on the team with 275 and 4 touchdowns. His height and speed also shines on the defensive side as he leads the team with 4 interceptions. I wouldn’t say all hope is lost for LPCjr but its simple, they can’t lose again. 

Offensive Grade: D

Defensive Grade: D

Overall Grade: D

Mid Season MVP: Xavier Brault

Final Record Prediction: 4-5-1

Trapstars 3-2

After staring the season off to a bad start at 1-2 Trapstars have finally found their footing. After taking 2 loses against top contenders in the first 3 weeks, I assumed they would have a tough year. But after back to back wins things are looking up for Trapstars as their offence has picked up the pace. Longtime FPF QB Ryan Garber has been playing well with over 1000 yards and 23 touchdowns in just 5 games. Im sure he’d like to lower his INT count but it isn’t too concerning. After not placing this team in my top 10 power rankings all season, I think Trapstars are on their way there. I do think her defence is playing well so they deserve a B grade. Their offence stays at a C due to their week 1 and 3 performances where they played top contenders in the division and only scored a total of 37 points. Ryan could be their mid season MVP but Cooper Young has definitely impacted Ryan’s success so ill give the nod to him. Cooper is on pace for 1000 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, if his first 5 games repeat themselves in the back end. He also has gotten 2 INTs this year and took one of them to the house for 6. Very impressive so far even for a former WROY.

Offensive Grade: C

Defensive Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

Mid Season MVP: Cooper Young

Final Record Prediction: 7-3

Slippery Slopes 3-3

I didn’t release any information in my articles about who I thought would end up at the bottom of the division but I can say after their division D record of 1-9 last spring, I assumed slippery slopes would be somewhere down near #20 in the standings. But after 6 weeks Slippery Slopes stand at 3-3 large part to a different man under center for this team. Tony Tabet has posted 16 touchdowns and only 3 INTs so far in 4 games. A huge difference from their last season where their Qb had thrown over 12 INTs in 5 games. Their teams defence averages about 1 INT and 1 sack a game, which is pretty solid.  Their win over Win Diesel tells me they can compete with the top end talent of the division. Tabet would be the mid season MVP if he had 6 games worth of stats but instead I would say Raffi Bastadjian earns the honour as he leads their receivers in catches yards and touchdowns. He is the focal point in the offence and with 11 yards per catch id keep feeding him. Lots of improvement in a tougher division, you love to see it. 

Offensive Grade: A

Defensive Grade: A

Overall Grade: A

Mid Season MVP: Raffi Bastadjian

Final Record Prediction: 5-5

Show me them Tdies 3-2

Like Slippery Slopes I did not expect this team to have a winning record after 6 weeks. After a 6 win season in division 6 last winter and throwing close to 20 interceptions,  I exported this team to struggle. But that hasn’t exactly been the case. Sure QB Daniel Caruana has thrown for 10 interceptions in 5 games but he is completing passes and moving the sticks as he averages 10 yards a pass. If he can reduce the number of INTs he throws this could be a really good team considering their defence in one of the best in the league so far. Allowing only 15 points per game and averaging almost 2 picks a game is really strong. The offence only needs to score about 3 touchdowns a game and they can win games. Their converts have been a issue this season as they have only scored 3 points off converts all year. In big games against good teams those are crucial points. Their MVP is clearly Mathew Yanakoulias as he is their top receiver. Leading his team with 20 receptions, 204 yards and 6 touchdowns. What does worry me about this team is that they have lost to the best 2 teams they faced. Well get a better idea of how far this team can go after they face Mengoose, Win Diesel and The Penetrators. 

Offensive Grade: B

Defensive Grade: A

Overall Grade: B

Mid Season MVP: Mathew Yanakoulias

Final Record Prediction: 4-6

Jagerbombers 4-1

For once here in my report cards, I can say I was right about a team as Jagerbombers have been exactly what I expected them to be. I placed this team #3 on my pre season rankings and they have been in my top 3 ever since. 4-1 after 5 weeks their only defeat coming from their division D rival Snowdon Deli Degens by 1 point. Felix Gerin-Lajoie is too fast for any rusher to apply pressure and his arm is a problem for defences. 24 touchdowns and only 5 INT’s. One of the best offences in the division and they only get a C grade because I expect them to be in the semi finals or more. All players on this squad can ball out but the man carrying the bulk of the load is Thomas G-Lajoie. Over 300 yards and 9 touchdowns on offence which both lead his team, he also leads the team on the defensive side with 4 Ints. I don’t expect this team to lose another regular season game.

Offensive Grade: C

Defensive Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

Mid Season MVP: Thomas G-Lajoie 

FInal Record Precdiction: 9-1

Mengoose 4-2

A team that I did not expect to be 4-2 at this point of the season but I should have given this quad more credit as most of their players have been playing in the league for over 5 years. They have had a good start to the season as they have won their last two games in convincing fashion. Alexandre Bordeleau seems like he will be the QB for the rest of the season as they have had multiple guys take snaps under center. I have never seen him play quarterback but he seems like the most efficient QB they have had and the most mobile. Charles-Olivier Lavigne is their clear mid Season MVP as he leads the team in all categories with 37 catches 275 yards and 6 touchdowns. He is also a stud on defence as he has snagged 4 interceptions and even took one back for a score. Their defence as a whole has been playing some of the best defence in their franchises history as they are only allowing 20 points per game and are averaging 3 interceptions a game! Very impressive. 

Offensive Grade: B

Defensive Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

Mid Season MVP: Charles-Olivier Lavigne

FInal Record Precdiction: 7-3

Bandits 4-1-1

The Bandits have been playing some of their best football this fall seeson. After following this team for multiple seasons its fun to watch this team reach a new level of success. This team is on pace to end the season with 8 wins which would be a milestone for them. The defence has been playing great as they are only allowing about 20 points per game and have been intercepting opposing quarterbacks but twice a game. Their only hole on their defence has been the lack of sacks by their rusher Dave Jean-Baptiste as he has only tallied 3 sacks on the season but that doesn’t mean he isn’t getting pressure. Their offence has been rolling as their wide receiver duo of Rodney Alcime and Simon Girard have been carrying the offence. They have totalled 500 yards and 14 touchdowns. But that would not be possible without the play from their midseason MVP, Émile Skaf. One of the only qbs as the mid season MVP and he has been playing great. In 5 games he has thrown over 840 yards, 20 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Completing over 66 percent of his passes, he knows how to pickup first downs and move the chains. 

Offensive Grade: B

Defensive Grade: A

Overall Grade: B

Mid Season MVP: Émile Skaf

Final Record Prediction: 6-3-1

Team Ethnik 5-1

Well here’s one team I was right about. I placed this team in the top 10 in my pre-season rankings and they could finish in the top 5 if they keep playing this well. In the pre season I predicted Benoit Lawler to have a great season and he is doing just that as he is top 5 in all passing categories with 24 touchdowns and 1000 passing yards. This teams only loss came back in week 2 against The Process. Their defence has been stronger then I imagined as they given up one of the fewest amounts of first down conversions and are top 5 in Team INT’s and sacks. With an offence as potent as theirs, if their defence can keep allowing only 20 points per game, they should find themselves deep in the playoffs. David De Andrade stands out as their Mid Season MVP as he leads the team with 8 scores and s87 yards and also leads the team in extra point converts. Dominating on both sides of the ball David also leads his squad with 3 ints. A few more INT’s and he can insert his name in the 2-way player of the year conversation. 

Offensive Grade: C

Defensive Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

Mid Season MVP: David De Andrade

Final Record Prediction: 7-3

The Penetrators 3-2

Aside from an awesome 4-man team picture, The Penetrators have been playing great football. I expected this squad which has lots of experience and some great athletes, to be a top team in this division after placing them #4 in my pre season rankings. Their record might not look like it but with still 5 games to play on the season, they can go on a run and end with a very nice looking record and comfortable seeding for the playoffs. QB Justin Goodman has been playing well and most importantly not turning the ball over. Goodman isn’t a speed demon but he can move around the pocket to buy time and scramble for some first downs if he has to. Their defence has been a collective effort as four players on their roster have secured 2 interceptions so far. Their rusher position also seems to be a committee as both Luca and Mass Chiricosta have recorded 3 and 2 sacks respectively. Nicholas Fon is the clear Mid Season MVP for The Penetrators as he has already scored double digit receiving touchdowns and and 240 yards. He is one of four players to have two interceptions and is one of two who have scored a pick 6. Getting in done on both ends and making a case for a yearly award. A lighter half of their schedule awaits them so I expect some big wins.

Offensive Grade: C

Defensive Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

Mid Season MVP: Nicholas Fon

Final Record Prediction: 7-3