Bombsquad’s Breakdown (D2) – Week 9

 

As I sat a waiting, someone called me baiting,

Yelling from Night’s Plutonian Shore,

The Wolverines finished rapping. And oh so gently tapping,

Tapping at my chamber door. Only them and nothing more.

Quoth the Raven, Nevermore.

Yup. My words taste pretty bitter, as I have to eat them, after pronouncing the Wolverines out of the playoffs. But it wasn’t only one meal of words I sat and dined upon at my table. For the Air Squad felt I definitely wasn’t full, and added another helping upon my plate. And so we shall break down the week as I eat another slice of humble pie and let you know where we stand.

Countdown to Detonation.

7. For my first course I shall begin with a full serving of in your face, as the Wolverines defeat MOMO Nation 32-25. Tony Tabet is my waiter as his sole 3 incompletions for 172 yards and 5 touchdown passes with an interception, provide the bitter taste of my ridicule. Spreading the ball very well, this team is catching on at the right time and are confident they can make a run. Unfortunately, Yannick Vanasse only had two receivers who caught balls, although Hamad Ali Dubuisson had another big game with 3 TD’s and 113 yards on 7 catches. Wish this tasted like chicken.

6. I think someone was watching a certain former New York Jets coach but mixed up the words and heard, “HELLO! YOU PLAY TO TIE THE GAME!”. Yes, the All Blacks tie once again and this time it was against the X’s and O’s. QB Chris Bridgeman had a rough outing completing only 8 passes for a mere 71 yards. Thank God for his legs, or they might have lost as he ran for a TD. Oliver Dzomo got the job done for the X’s at QB but the big story was their defence, for a second week in a row, as they picked off Bridgeman 3 times. With the playoffs coming I think the All Blacks should re-watch the Herm Edwards interview.

5. The Mercenaries defeat a Pat Chénard-led Wildcat team, in a close match, 32-30. A big TD by Jacques Void at the end of the game was the story in this one. Gino Di Fazio had an off game with only 4 TD passes and 13 completed balls. But it was enough to stop the Wildcats on this night, barely. Kevin Regimbald was everywhere, catching 6 for 99 yards. The Cats had a chance in the end with two plays left but a clutch pick by Teddy Frenette ended the match.

4. And so fell Lord Perth, and the ground did shake with thunder. The Triple Sixers end the perfect season for the Ruff Ryders 34-33. In a close fought battle, the Pat Jerome and JF Marcotte show continued to rave reviews. Marcotte catching 8 for 93 yards and 2 TD’s while Jerome had two big catches, both were for scores. The big story was at QB, where Corey Greenaway took the helm for an injured Karim Chaoual, tossing 5 TD’s while going 18-24 for 176 yards. He used his legs to buy time to get people open while also running for 63 yards. Paul Lapierre was once again consistent tossing five TD’s of his own, but a failed 2-point conversion was the story of this game. Kudos to the Ryders for going for the win.

3. The Gold Standard fall to the G-Men 32-18. While the first half was close, 14-12 in favour of the boys in blue. The boys in Gold couldn’t keep up in the second half while being shut down by the defence that knows how to win games. Both QB’s in this game had mediocre stats, but once again Gianni Settino and his crew find a way to grind out a victory against a very talented Gold Standard squad. Nareg Yessayan proved to be the work horse catching a fifth of Settino’s yards with 85 on 5 receptions and 3 TD’s. But cometh the playoffs soon, but not yet.

2. For the main course Matt René takes over the waiter duties and force feeds me a 52-38 victory over the Wolfpack who are usually surging at this time of year. As I choke down my meal, René reminds me that better late than never, as he has a ridiculous game! 23-28 for 359 yards and 8 TD’s and still found time to toss 1 INT. Tevyn Nicholls showed some insane athleticism, as did most of the Air Squad, catching 4 balls for 124 yards and 2 TD’s. Pascal Murray put forth a strong effort, tossing 6 TD’s himself, and 262 yards with Mikhail Davidson catching 7 for 145 yards and 3 TD’s. But all for not, as the Air Squad make everyone take notice that they are back from the dead –gulp. I could use a glass of water, or a shot of tequila.

1. One Night Stands beat down the Kingz 39-25. In a week riddled with 100-yard receiving performances, Ryan Brewster figured he would toss his name in the hat catching 7 for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns. Craig O’Brien tossed 6 TD’s. The question here is what has happened to Carmine Pollice in the last two weeks as he has tossed 6 interceptions. It can’t be easy going from throwing to the all-star roster of the Demons to the chemistry-built Kingz, but something is strange. This is not normal. The Kingz need to sit down and talk things out.

BOOM. Like the van next to Kevin Pollack in End of Days.

SHOWSTOPPA!! This week I have to hand the showstoppa title to the X’s and O’s defence who not only had 3 INT’s, but held QB Chris Bridgeman to a mere 8 completions. Good job boys.

Can there be any doubt of this week’s Golden Boy? Matt René scorches the Wolfpack with 359 yards passing and 8 touchdown passes. Way to heat up at the last moment. There is still time!

Conference A easily has the best playoff race going. The All Blacks sit in first but by a mere 2 points. Should they lose to the Kingz this week and the Gold Standard win, they would switch seats by way of head to head. But in that same scenario, should one Night Stands win as well, we would have a three-way tie for first in points which would drop the All Blacks to number 3 by way of less victories and move O.N.S. to number 2 as the Gold Standard would remain atop due to a superior divisional record. Got it? Thought so. Then we have the Wolfpack in 4th with a chance to move up with a win, to as far as number 2, if both O.N.S. and the boys in Gold lose. Or one additional spot should one of them lose and the Wolfpack win, but they cannot drop below the 4th seed. Then we have the Kingz in 5th which is where they will stay. Given X’s and O’s have less wins, despite having the head-to-head tiebreak against the Air Squad, the Squad is in a win-and you’re in position, and hold the tiebreak. Big question here is can X’s and O’s beat the Gold Standard and hope the Air Squad loses to the One Night Stands. Wow. I feel like an NFL analyst after that breakdown.

In Conference B things are not as convoluted. The Ruff Ryders are the number 1 seed as of now and need to best the Wolverines should they wish to remain there. Should they lose then the G-Men could take the 1 seed by way of a victory over MOMO Nation. Regardless of how things unfold, these two teams will remain 1st seed and 2nd seed. Even if they should both lose and the Mercenaries win and produce a three way tie, the point differential is too great for the Mercs to make up in one week. That being said, the Mercenaries have locked away the 3rd seed since their victory over the Wildcats. Also, the Triple Sixers have iced the 4th seed. Here we get interesting. The Wildcats sit in the 5th spot with the Wolverines in the 6th and final playoff spot. MOMO Nation need to find a way to beat the G-Men to have any hope. The Wolverines need to beat the Ruff Ryders and have the Wildcats lose to have a shot at moving higher and avoid a rematch with the Mercs. Both have high mountains to climb. Now, if MOMO wins, the Wolverines win and the Wildcats lose, MOMO would be in over the Wildcats due to wins. Should MOMO win, the Wolverines tie and the Wildcats lose, MOMO would be in, the Wolverines would be in and the Wildcats would be out due to the divisional records. How’s that for confusing? Now I need a drink for sure.

Now that we have ploughed through the playoff scenario, let’s get to some picks.

X’s and O’s take on the Gold Standard. The X’s had a strong showing last week against the All Blacks and the Standard dropped one to the G-Men, but I like the Gold Standard rebounding from the loss and taking this one. I think this team has too much talent not to succeed. But remember the X’s and O’s have to win this game so let’s hope they make a great game of it.

The Triple Sixers take on a Pat Chénard-led Wildcats team who’s filling in for Pierre-Marc Chadi. This team is very different with Chénard at the helm, but I just don’t think it’s enough to stop the Marcotte and Jerome show. It doesn’t seem to matter who’s throwing for the Sixers. These two seem to be unstoppable. Look for the Sixers to squeak out a victory. On a side note, this will be the first time good friends and long-time Express teammates, Patrick Chénard and Mathieu Thuot go head-to-head on an FPF field.

One Night Stands take on a smoking-hot Air Squad. This will be a very good game if the Air Squad continue their new game play. Craig O’Brien and the boys will have their hands full. But I believe Kishon Thompson will have a game strategy in place to shut down the athletic Air Squad group. Only time will tell but no matter what, this will be a good game!

The Kingz look to try and win to end the season against the All Blacks. Unfortunately, the All Blacks have a history of doing so, and it is for this reason I am predicting a tie! Yes a tie. The All Blacks are nothing if not consistent. Even if Carmine Pollice finds himself in a situation to go for the win, the All Blacks will find a way to make it a tie.

The G-Men end their stellar season against a lowly MOMO Nation who have just had their playoff hopes ripped from them by the Wolverines. A win will give them a chance, but I just can’t see the G-Men letting that happen. They are too competitive and talented. Sorry, but no mo MOMO.

The Wolfpack look to rebound after their astounding loss to the Air Squad, against the Mercenaries who look to go into the playoffs on a winning note. The Mercs have not forgotten that the Wolfpack gave them a quick exit from the playoffs last winter. This should be a hard fought battle to the end and we shall see this weekend if both teams can field a sober team on St Pat’s parade day.

Finally, the Ruff Ryders end off against an optimistic Wolverines squad. The Wolverines feel they can beat the Ryders and want to secure themselves firmly in the playoffs, leaving nothing to chance. Fortunately for them, all will be decided before this match so we will know where everything stands. I still have to give the edge to the Ryders who didn’t like losing once let alone twice. They will be a motivated group and I believe they will win.

So now we come to the end,

There’s not much left to do.

Time to make a last stand,

And find out who gets through.

In the end there will be balance,

And we shall know who has won,

Week 10 is now upon us,

The regular season is done.

Please remember that former player James Eaglesham is running a half marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. He is attempting to raise money and awareness in doing so. As such a draw is being held for many great prizes. A 42 inch TV as well as an IPAD are amongst the prizes. Squares are being sold for these prizes and can be purchased off myself. You can track James progress or donate at http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2864791&Lang=en-CA . As always feel free to email with questions regarding single malt scotch or chicken wings at [email protected] but until then, another week has been defused.