Peeze’s Playbook – The Championship Prevew

I wanted to take a moment to thnk everyone who has read my articles for the past few seasons.  I have really enjoyed my work on the podcasts and in the articles.  Giving back to the league is an extremely rewarding experience for me.  The fact of the matter is that president Robert Campana gave me this job when I was going through a tough time and I needed a distraction.  In that time I have seen the league evolve and become the coolest, most entertaining, most competitive recreational league on the planet (and that is a scientific fact!) 

The live broadcast of the finals is a particular point of pride because it something that I was directly involved with piloting.  Just 3 seasons ago I sat in the booth with Andrew D’Anna as we began the first on-site broadcast of the FPF finals.  Since then the production has become a behemoth as we continue to push the limits and be pioneering in our own right.  This season we have our full media team who will be on site and covering the games and enjoying the festivities.

It has been said that it is better to go out on top.  That being said we have not yet reached the top and we continue to make FPF the best league out there.  Those players who contribute and read the articles, listen to the podcasts and get involved with the FPF environment make all of this worthwhile.  It is the reason that we keep doing this and why we will never be on top.  We will continue to push the boundaries and I cannot wait to see what the future holds in this league. 

For now however, let’s focus on the finals…

Cougars Declawed

Something Strange in the Neighborhood? Don’t Call The Shamrocks

Going into the second half it seemed as though Doug McKernan and the Shamrocks were ready to compete for the championship. The Shamrocks looked good, they had limited the Ghosts offense throughout the first half of the game and more importantly it was the type of fight that the Shamrocks could win.  They traded jabs and wore down the ghosts.  However once the second half started it was clear that the Ghosts were just playing a little rope-a-dope.

The turning point in this game was when Doug McKernan tried to float a pass over Gab Wiseman (the Ghosts rusher) only to have his pass intercepted.  This gave the Ghosts the ball back in scoring territory however it did even more than that as it served to turn the tide.  This seemed to reinvigorate their offense, as Gaumont looked like a stud in the second half.  He hit Georges (Faster) Elie-Voyer for a particularly memorable deep strike over the middle of the field for a touchdown. In the end this was a fantastic game and while the Ghosts did win 33-28.

The Changing of the Guard

What has amazed me most about the Game Changers throughout the season is that they find ways to win games.  Early in the season quarterback, Anton Sakiz was just dominant and no one could keep pace.  In the playoffs the Game Changers have needed their D to step up and they’ve gotten that effort from their boys since this second season has started.  Early in the game Anton Sakiz did not shy away from being the story however as he airedup a ball into the dangerous Centurion secondary only to have Justin Filteau go up and rip the ball out of Justin Melrose’s hands on jus the first play of the game.  The offense did seem to slow down somewhat as the game went on as this quickly became a tightly untested defensive struggle.

Jeremy Laporte seemed to be finding his groove in the second half.  They were up 12-6 and Laporte made one mistake that would prove to be fatal.  He looked left, released the ball only for it to be picked off by Terrence Dobson who would run that back and score his sixth touchdown on his sixth interception in this post season.  In the end, despite Laporte’s touchdown run, Cedric Morin and Pierre Girard’s touchdown catches the Centurions were not able to outlast the Game Changers as they would end up losing the game 19-18.

Championsip Preview

Game Changers (1) vs. Ghosts (2)

Keys to Success:

Game Changers: The Game Changers are the faster team.  They need to fins ways to exploit this advantage.  They are young, athletic and they are all big play players.  Justin Filteau has come on as one of the top receivers on this team. I think he will be one of the key factors because his speed is going to be challenging for the ghosts to deal with.  Moreover, he plays bigger than his size and he has caused fits for opposing teams all season long.  Additionally, Terrance Dobson has forced quarterbacks to make a quarterback who doesn’t make a lot of errors (Alexis Gaumont), to make the crucial error that will give the Game Changers the advantage.  As for the game plan I think the Game Changers need to light it up.  They have great quick strike capability and I can see them using this to run up the score and take control of this game early.

Ghosts: The ghosts need to slow this game down.  They cannot run with the Game Changers and it isn’t sustainable for them to try to play a game where they would need to trade punch for punch with them.  If they can keep the ball out of Sakiz hands they can be effective.  Gab Wiseman needs to do what he’s done all season and contain the quarter back.  If he can force some haste decisions and the Ghosts can earn a couple of extra possessions, this may just be their ticket to their own championship parade.  Another player that has been huge for the Ghosts has been Georges Elie Voyer.  The question is whether or not voyer can make a difference in a game where he will have trouble winning one-on-one matchups.  If he can then the game will be close and the Ghosts will have a chance to win.  Look for Francois Martin to make some plays in this one as his size advantage will be tough for the Game Changers to challenge.

 Analysis: I am continuously trying to find a way to see this game going in th ghosts favor but the more I think of it the more I think it will fall in favor of the Game Changers

Prediction: Game Changers by 6

Friday’s Stir-Friday

It has been an exciting few months and for those winding down because their favorite TV shows have gone on hiatus, remember that you can always catch re-runs of Flag Plus Bromance on www.theunclehood.com. FPF Bromance follows Calling the Audible each Thursday night at 7:30pm. This week we had the annual press-conferences and while we did have a chance to interview Justin Filteau of the Game Changer and I stepped in as the PR executive for the Ghosts.

You’ve heard what I’ve had to say all season, let me know your thoughts be emailing me at [email protected] or you can reach me on Twitter @PeezeFPF.  Terry Tam (@TerryTamFPF) likes when you send him links to workout videos featuring an array of peacocks and superheroes.

Please download and subscribe to ‘Flag Plus Bromance’ our official division 5 podcast, available via iTunes or at http://fpf.podomatic.com. If you haven’t done so by now Uncle Dirty will fight you.  Straight up, you don’t stand a chance.