Weekday Quarterback (Div D) – Week 4

 

Through four weeks of play it seems as though most of the teams are either cementing their status as a playoff contender or completely falling apart early in the season. That being said, nothing is a given in Flagplus Football and we have seen teams grab momentum after having rough starts to the season and ride it all the way to the playoffs and further. Teams such as Affreux, Warhawks, Recruits, and Snookers are really struggling but each of these teams have players who have been in the league before and know what can happen in a short period of time. It will take an unbelievable effort from the veteran players on these teams to try and turn it around if they want to salvage anything from the spring season.

Affreux is the biggest surprise because of the way they ended the winter season. An overtime loss to the eventual champions had me very excited to see what Affreux could produce in the spring but so far they have been a huge disappointment. It could have to do with a lack of confidence at this point but they need to find a way to come together as a team and get in the win column this weekend against an undefeated Eagles team that seems to be hitting its stride. It will be very tough but Affreux can ill afford to start the season 0-5. They will need a much better performance from Mathieu Domon who was on fire to end the winter season.

The Snookers have also been a bit of a disappointment because of the winless record but like I have stated in the past, I truly believe they are doing something that will make their team better in the future. Playing without all world athlete, Andre John, has been a rough adjustment to say the least but the Snookers have not quit and have not shied away from a challenge. While the Snookers are having trouble winning games they will need to rally behind a leader but who will emerge as that leader?

The Recruits are another team looking to find an identity. I see them coming around under the leadership of Gino Di Fazio. It helps having someone who has been in a lot of games in this league. Fadi Nasrella seems to be the vocal leader of the Recruits but there needs to be other guys willing to step up and make big plays if this team is going to progress and pick up enough wins to sneak into the playoffs.

The Warhawks are another team that is struggling but this is nothing new to some of the players on the team including QB Tim O’Hara who has been on some really weak teams in the past couple of seasons. I do respect the effort that O’Hara puts in every week and I really wish the best for this team. Brian Martin has been the bright spot for this team as he has 12 catches for 106 yards and 3 td’s so far this season. Their luck will have to turn around at some point one would think.

 

 

 

Weekly Recap

– The most surprising game of the week had to be the Mongoose and Maximum Carnage game that most people thought would be over before it ever began. Maximum Carnage seemed to have fallen off the map following their strong week 1 performance but they have pulled off the upset of the year so far as they knocked off the strongest offensive team in division D. Maximum Carnage did not blow anyone away with their stats in this game but they got a solid performance from Brian Mongeau and from QB Michael Mendell. Alex Gaudet had a weaker performance at QB for Mongoose this week which was not helped by some dropped passes from his receivers. This may have just been a case of one team not playing to their capabilities but Mongoose cannot allow this to happen again if they want to remain at the top of Division D. Maximum Carnage should be very proud of their performance and hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

 

– The most exciting game of the week was between two of the Division D contenders, the X-Men and the veteran Cowboys team. Both offenses were outstanding this weekend and both QB’s made a case that they are the best in the division. Jon Moodie went 17 for 28 for 172 and 5 td’s with an int while Gautama Swaminadhan went 13 for 22 for 124 yards and 4 td’s and int. Nicholas Abelhauser continued his torrid start to the season with another 3 touchdown performance to go along with his 85 yards and an interception on defense. At the end of the day it was the ability of Moodie to spread the ball around and convert on one more extra point to give the Cowboys 34-33 victory. Both of these teams continue to impress and it seems as though the X-Men are still a small step behind the other contenders. They are going to need to find a way to do the little things better if they want to beat the strong teams in Division D.

 

– The Patriotes and Time Bombs faced off in what looked to be another tough test for the Patriotes but instead they gave the Time Bombs an absolute beating. This was a bit embarrassing for the Time Bombs who most people thought were a good team but right now are really struggling to find ways to win games. Was moving down a division and losing Frank Grenier and Matt Young too much for this team to handle? It will be a tough few weeks for the Time Bombs and we will see whether this team can bounce back from a crushing loss. On the other side of this game, the Patriotes continue to show that they are the best team in Division D and look like they can beat anyone at this point. Etienne Chauvin is one of the rising stars in FPF and with the Pereda’s and Mathieu Belanger alongside him it does not look like this team can be stopped.

 

 

The Gauntlet

 

– Are Park X Streets as good as they looked the past couple of weeks?

A member of the Flagplus community was watching the games this week and mentioned to me that he did not think Park X Streets are as good as their record. I tend to disagree and in my opinion this team is on the rise and could surprise some teams down the stretch. They are not without weaknesses and can definitely be beaten but with Niko Zarmalias and company playing at their best they are a very strong team.

 

– Which team took the biggest step in week 4?

I thought the Eagles took the biggest step this week after their big win over the streaking Tyrants. I have not been completely fair towards the Eagles and I thought they may have been overachieving early on but it seems that they are the real deal and could go all the way behind the leadership of Jonathan Goyette. Goyette has come a long way in the past couple of seasons and it shows that his time with the Triple Sixers has really helped him become a better player and leader.

 

– Is the Monstars defense as good as they showed last week?

The Monstars did something that does not happen very often in FlagPlus Football and that is put up a shutout. Usually when a shutout takes place in this league it is in a crushing victory, such as the Patriotes over the Time Bombs, but it is very rare that a team’s defense wins a game on their own. I do not know if the Monstars defense can continue to play as well as they did last week but either way I do not think it will matter. To be fair, the Monstars played a weak opponent who has not won a game this season. I think the Monstars are a very good team defensively but this league is built around offense and to continue to win games they are going to need to get a better performance out of their offense and continue to get strong performances from their defense.

 

Power Rankings

1. Patriotes (4-0) – They are dominating right now with a plus 79 point differential and have beaten two good teams in their last two games. Etienne Chauvin is a rising star and he continues to show how good he really is week in and week out.

2. Eagles (4-0) – Beat a strong Tyrants team this weekend and continue to get better under the leadership of Jonathan Goyette. No longer need to worry about proving themselves but have to maintain that contender status.

3. Cowboys (4-0) – After beating the X-Men in a shootout you cannot doubt this team’s ability to win tough games. Jon Moodie outperformed his counterpart again this week and when your QB outperforms other QB’s you will win most games in FPF.

4. Mongoose (3-1) – Had a fairly large drop this week but I expect them climb back up soon enough. I don’t know how many teams will go undefeated this season but I don’t see it being more than two. Every team has a slip up now and then and Mongoose had theirs last week. Alex Gaudet will need to play much better if they intend on moving back up the ladder.

5. X-Men (2-2) – The X-Men have a great offensive punch with Guatama Swaminadhan and Nicholas Abelhauser but they seem to be struggling to do the little things that win games. They have faced tough opponents the past two weeks and have lost both games. This week the difference was extra points and they will need to improve in that department in they want to win close games down the road and in the playoffs.

6. Park X Streets (3-1) – Park X beat up on the Snookers this past weekend and put up 45 points but that cannot surprise anyone. Kyriakos Michelakis had a great game filling in at QB for Drew Saitanis but will he be able to do that again this week or will Saitanis return from injury?

7. Monstars (3-1) – The Monstars defense saved their bacon last week and this teams look like they have really matured over the past season and a half. Will that growth continue all the way to the playoffs or will they take a step back. Either way, Moh Azob has done a great job improving his team and should be proud of their performance at this point.

8. Golden Eagles (2-2) – The Golden Eagles have two losses and both of those losses have come to teams in the top 5 of this week’s power rankings. I think Kevin Lubin playing QB makes this team a lot better and he has proven with a 2-0 record since taking over the position.

9. Tyrants (2-2) – The Tyrants could make a case that they belong somewhere higher than number 9 in these rankings but they just have not done anything to impress me to this point. I think they are a very good team but not good enough to beat the best teams in the division just yet. They have shown much improvement but they are just not there yet.

10. Maximum Carnage (2-2) – Got a huge win last weekend but can they feed off that momentum and go above .500. Michael Mendell will need to continue to lead this team with the help of Brian Mongeau.

Who impressed this week

1. Etienne Chauvin (Patriotes) – 159 yards passing 7 td’s

2. Nicholas Abelhauser (X-Men) – 6 catches 85 yards and 3 td’s

3. Jon Moodie (Cowboys) – 172 yards passing and 5 td’s