Food For Thought (Div B) – Week 8

Out with the old and in with the new…or so seems to be the wish of a whole new generation of flag-football aficionados. Many times this season I have heard what appears to be a new rallying cry: “The league belongs to the young! The time of the older players is past!”…

I have to disagree.

With all their verve and energy, young guns lack the experience needed to drive a team to a championship, especially in the higher divisions. The average age of a championship winning team in FPF is still above 25. Examples? Check out Carmine Pollice piling up receiving TDs and yards like he was still 20 or Rick Nincheri driving through opposing defences like he was a hot knife parting butter and you’ll understand my point.

The old guys are here to stay!

 

Week 8 Team Report

 

Conference A

Big TDs: After a loss to Park Street Elite, it might be time to put their fantastic season under perspective. Yes their offense is performing at a record-breaking pace but their defence has been atrocious in the last weeks. Exchanging TDs with the opposing is not the way to go if one wants a championship. Talking about championships, with Jamil Springer landing a sizable 5 week suspension, a huge hole has now opened at QB. Who will step in? Duraney White? Ryan Browne? Dave Cesari?  The mystery is still as thick as a bowl of pea soup…

Snookers: With both top teams in the conference losing, the fight still rages to decide the Conference winner. Fortunately for the impatient followers that you are, Sunday’s tilt with the Big TDs will decide both teams’ fate. After his worst outing of the season, Tony Tabet will be looking to rebound against the weakened TDs. Still, if he wishes to make a deep playoff push, he will need to recapture the magic that led him and his teammates to a 6-1 start. They are the favourites to reach the Finals.

Evolution: Just when I thought they had figured it out, they come out flat against Prestige World Wide. Consistency simply doesn’t seem to be on the menu for these guys. The good news: with a win this week against SWAT, they clinch a playoff spot. The bad news: a loss puts them on the verge of elimination. The first 5 minutes will be extremely important for them in their next game. A crucial turnover for, or against them, might end up deciding their season.

Terror Squad: Elimination is staring at them straight in the face. With a loss this week, they will be officially eliminated. With a win, their qualification is almost automatic. Expect some deep passes to Pat Jérome and an abundance of running plays. Tam Vilaydeth simply can’t afford to throw interceptions right now. On defence, more playing and less talking for Sadrak Gervais would definitely help his focus as well as the team’s. Can Alex Giroux keep his temper in check? If so, can he be a factor in this game? His star has definitely lost some shine this season…

Patriotes: So close but yet so far… The Pats are keeping it interesting week in and week out. Nevertheless, they are riding a 4-game losing streak. A lack of receiving depth would be part of the answer. With 40 % of Étienne Chauvin’s completions being to his star receiver Mathieu Bélanger, it is clear that his offense is one-dimensional. If they manage to outplay Terror Squad this week, they will be punching their ticket for the playoff.

 

Conference B

Trojans: Back on top, courtesy of a 4- game win streak, the Trojans just registered their finest defensive effort of the season, intercepting the Snookers 6 times. The late addition of Mike Ciampini to their squad is proving to be a “coup-de-génie” on their part. Apart from his team posting a 4-0 record with him in the line-up, Mike has averaged 5 receptions, 50 yards and 2 TD per game during that span. While they remain the favourites to reach the finals, everyone is hoping for a semi-final clash between them and Park Street Elite. The potential game of the season is you ask me…

Park Street Elite: After 2 straight losses, they rebounded with a crushing victory over the favoured Big TDs. Looking at a potential faceoff against SWAT in the first round; PSE will definitely have their work cut out for them. However, before anything else, they will try to avoid stumbling into Broccasion’s first win. After 8 weeks, Scott Kelly has finally passed the 50% completion mark and is looking better than ever. God only knows what this offense is capable of when his game is on. Still, he will need to prove he can pass under pressure against two of the best rushers in Div B: Alec Cerantola and Brian Eudoxie.

SWAT: By watching Carmine Pollice and his QB Gino Di Fazio play, you can tell the fountain of youth is flowing once again. Pollice has replaced Jason Prince admirably, lining up as a receiver for the first time since 2010. His presence complements the spectacular play of Adam Bailey who, when present, remains a top level threat for any opponent.  Once again, Gino deserves some credit for keeping his team’s nose above water despite one of the weakest rosters he ever assembled in front of him.

Prestige World Wide: With a playoff spot already clinched, PWW will be in tune-up mode against the Trojans and PSE. While a loss wouldn’t be catastrophic a win would definitely help their confidence once playoff time comes, since a rematch is highly probable. With Frank Lebeau and Matt Bishara, Lever seems to have found the offensive depth necessary to drive the field with more consistency. As always, the underdog loves Alex Lever just as much as Alex Lever does.

Broccasion: Despite a rough season, Broccasion keep showing promise every week. When their whole roster shows up, their defence is one of the best. Once again, the offense is in a learning process with young QB Kris Cerantola slowly earning his stripes. After choosing them to win last week, I am choosing them again this week. I have a feeling that PSE’s complacency towards a 0-8 team will hurt them in the end.

 

With 2 weeks to go before the unveiling of the official all-star team and individual trophy winners, here are the front runners to receive accolades:

All-Star Team (Div 1 players are not eligible for the same positions):

QBs: Rick Nincheri, Jamil Springer

Center: Ryan Browne

Rusher: Brian Eudoxie

Receivers: Vinny Gualano, Mathieu Bélanger, Matthew Brethour

DB: Sean Haney, Serge Moumdjian, Nigel Thomas

Two-way player: Anthony McComber, Alex Pereda

 

QB of the Year:  Rick Nincheri

Receiver of the Year:  Vinny Gualano

Defensive Player of the Year:  Shawn Haney

2-Way Player of the Year:  Anthony McComber

 

Power Rankings

(All my predictions will be tweeted via @Score_keeper on game day.)

1. Trojans (6-2): Are the Trojans ready to peak for the playoffs? Is Mike Ciampini the best invention since the light bulb? Where is Vinny Gualano? Did Sean Avraam ask to be traded? So many questions…

2. Snookers (6-2): Getting killed by the worst defence in Div B is no feat to be proud of. Let’s just rule this one as a bad hair day.

3. Park Street Elite (5-3): Their offense played admirably well last week. Will they stumble against a seemingly weaker opponent?

4. Big TDs (6-2): No, they were not able to sustain PSE’s offensive pressure. Furthermore, they lost their pivot to a lengthy suspension. Tough times…

5. SWAT (4-4): Even without Adam Bailey, Gino Di Fazio and Carmine Pollice managed to extend the Pats losing streak to 4. Next stop, Evolution.

6. Evolution (4-4): Back to square one for our favourite .500 team.

7. Patriotes (3-5): Yes they are in a funk. However, one win grants them a playoff spot. One last push boys!

8. Terror Squad (3-5): Wasn’t easy, but they tied the Pats in the standings. Sounds like a “win and you’re in” situation this week.

9. Prestige World Wide (3-5): Despite having a blue and yellow finger on his throwing hand, Alex Lever, with the help of some mysterious and magical men, showed that he is still capable of great things at this level.

10. Broccasion (0-8): You know what they say: 9th time’s a charm!

 

Be sure to follow me on twitter @Score_keeper where I will be blogging live from Brossard and Lachine on game day!

If you have any comments, suggestions or rants, feel free to email me at [email protected].

See you at the field!