The Pulse (D5) – Week 9

 

As one season comes to an end, another is getting ready to start. In one week, questions will turn into answers. In one week, the uncertain will become known and the playoff picture in division 5 shall be revealed. With 16 of the 22 teams advancing into the next round, even teams with a losing record will have a chance to follow in the footsteps of the of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks (7-9) and make a playoff run.

Conference A vs. B: Which has the better teams?

Although teams in conference A have provided onlookers with some terrific football these past nine weeks, even teams in the upper echelon have crumbled under the spotlight. The Incredibles, Lockdown, South Shore Storm, Warhawks and Thunder have tasted the bitter taste of defeat at least twice and a few have a tie associated to their names. What this tells me is that these teams can be defeated. The number one ranked team in conference A would be ranked third if they were in conference B. The Golden Eagles have set the gold standard, winning nine straight games and Les Buddays are right behind them with an 8-1 record. Both the Golden Eagles and Les Buddays have proven that they are the two best teams in the division. While the top three teams in conference A have a combined record of 19 wins, six losses and two draws, the top three teams in conference B have piled 23 wins, four losses with no ties. Now if you look at the bottom half, The J’s occupy the eight seed in conference A with a 2-6-1 record. That record would not be sufficient to make it in the playoffs in conference B. Pendant Publishing hold the last spot in their conference with a 4-5 record. But I will say this…while the top teams in conference B are more dominant, I believe that conference A has better overall depth. You make the choice as to which conference is tougher.

Winless should not be in your vocabulary

Wining doesn’t come easy in the FPF community. Just ask the Shaolin Shadowboxers and the Stallions, who are desperately trying to avoid the dubious distinction of going 0-10. No question that these teams are facing their own share of disappointments. Both have struggled on offense and their defense is just awful. Right now, the 2008 Detroit Lions—the only team in NFL history to go 0-16, is what comes to mind when I think of the Shaolin Shadowboxers and the Stallions. Will we see two winless teams in the same year?

Golden Eagles lockdown QB Pat Riot

We talk about the Golden Eagles, we always mention their high octane offense and with reason. But we have to mention and give credit to their defense in this segment. They only yielded 13 points, forced seven interceptions and scored twice.

A lot of things happened in this game. Some I expected, and others I did not anticipate. I knew that Lockdown would be able to keep this game close for a little while with their stellar defense and that is exactly what transpired early on. Both teams only scored one TD each in the first half. However, the Golden Eagles and their number one ranked offense started to pull away in the second half, as expected. Lockdown could ill afford to trade punches with the Golden Eagles and tried to avoid a shootout, but realistically, the Golden Eagles are going to score and you must be able to march down the field and respond to avoid being blown away.

Lockdown did a tremendous job containing quarterback Kevin Lubin. The shifty Lubin only passed for 66 yards and rushed for 16. That was a surprise and a credit to Lockdown’s defense. However, if you look at Pat Riot and how he fared against a respectable defense, his night was even worse. Riot was intercepted five times and was held off the scoreboard. Geoffrey Brown was forced to come into the game with hopes to jump start his team’s offense and faired a little better connecting with Thierry Fontin and Darnell Lovelace for Lockdown’s only two scores.

The Dragons are breathing fire

“Who are the Dragons and where did they come from?” some of you may be wondering. This is a team that I expected to be good at the beginning of the season. That didn’t happen. No, the Dragons waited until the final weeks of the regular season to turn heads and prove that they are a legitimate threat to any opponent. They went toe-to-toe with the Golden Eagles back in week seven. Since then, this is now two consecutive wins for the surging Dragons and they are muscling their way to a potential .500 season. Physical and fast DB Frederic Cote and ballhawking rookie Chirstophe Girard won’t be intimidated as they prepare to face a tough opponent in les mustangs du Gridiron this week.

Right now in Conference A the playoff picture looks like this:

(1)The Incredibles vs. (8) the J’s

(2) South Shore Storm vs. (7) Da Boyz

(3) Lockdown vs. (6) Green Machine

(4) Warhawks vs. (5) Thunder

Right now in Conference B the playoff picture looks like this:

(1)Golden Eagles vs. (8) Pendant Publishing

(2) Les Buddays vs. (7) Dragons

(3) Outlawz vs. (6) A-Sqaud

(4) Les Mustangs du Gridiron vs. (5) Widow Makers

Power Rankings

1.Golden Eagles (9-0) It is certainly not an easy task to go undefeated in FPF. Having said that, the Golden Eagles and their prolific passing attack are one game away from achieving perfection in the regular season. No one in their right mind feels that the Stallions can ruin the Golden Eagles’ run at perfection.

 

2.Les Buddays (8-1) Greatly overshadowed by the success of the number team in division 5, Les Buddays have been flying under the radar with an impressive 8-1 record. However, the eye-popping production of WRs Vincent Coiteux, Jason Charbonneau and Shayne Turgeon is very evident. This is a great team and they will continue to prove it deep into the postseason.

 

3.The Incredibles (7-2) The Incredibles are undefeated with starting QB Greg Stern in the lineup. He brings a strong leadership quality to the huddle and makes guys around him believe that they can win. As long as the Incredibles have him in the playoffs, they should be fine.

 

4.Lockdown (6-2-1) Lockdown will need some help in order to regain the number one seed in conference A to finish the regular season. A loss from the Incredibles and a Lockdown win would propel them back into that number one spot. Despite their poor performance in last week’s loss, I still believe that Lockdown is the best team in their conference and I see them regaining the throne with a solid defensive show against the Thunder in week 10.

 

5.Warhawks (6-2-1) The surging Warhawks appear to be in sync on the offensive side of the ball after tallying 41 points in week 9 against Green Machine. The lively offense orchestrated by quarterback Tim O’Hara is looking fantastic.

 

6.Thunder (6-3) There are no indications that a surprising loss to Da Boyz will have this team rattled. In fact this is just a lesson to be learned in how to defend a team with a mobile QB. Greater emphasis must be placed on stopping the running game. This loss will only make Thunder stronger and more prepared heading into the playoffs.

 

7.South Shore Storm (6-2-1) For a young team like the Storm, it is important to learn and build a solid foundation with each game. This is a team that has looked terrible at times and phenomenal at others. It really comes down to minimizing mistakes and getting into a rhythm heading into the postseason to avoid being a one and done team.

 

8.Outlawz (6-3) The Outlawz are coming off a tough loss to Les Buddays. But the Outlawz were able to hold their own, and keep it close against a good opponent. The good news is that Julien Hamel has been very productive in his past two starts for his team, having hauled in eight catches for just under 100 yards and three scores.

 

9.Mustangs du Gridiron (6-3) Made quick work of Pendant Publishing last week thanks in part to Samuel Nadeau’s brilliant play on both sides of the ball. Nadeau continues to be a matchup nightmare for opponents having taken snaps at the quarterback position, receiver, rusher and cornerback. Considered as one of the most versatile players in division 5, Nadeau had a slow start to the season, but appears to be playing his best football down the stretch.

 

10.Da Boyz (5-4) These boys are steadily growing up and transforming into men before our very eyes. No question that this team was on the ropes after a 0-2 start, but they have managed to turn their season around. It took this team a while to figure out opponents and get into attack mode. With a big win over Thunder, Da Boyz are playoff bound.

The action continues next weekend. Look for all your updates, right here at the Pulse. Feel free to send me a message on Facebook or approach me during the Div 5 games. Let’s talk football. Good luck the rest of the way!