Week 10’s recap and a preview of the Divisional Round

Playoffs.

Yes, I started off both articles with the exact same word and no, I do not care.

On a more relevant topic, I’m Simon. You might have seen me; I’m the Division C writer and the scorekeeper that usually screams at big plays on the fields. I’m also the only white scorekeeper this season, so I got that going for me.

Strangely, that last sentence is socially accepted although it’s definitely racism.

I’m filling in for Peeze who had more important things to do like watch women in bikinis and drink ridiculous amounts of booze with his brother in Hawaii. I mean, who can blame it.

I decided to stick with my usual format for simplicity measures; sure, I could’ve decided to try a new format and test the market or toss around a few ideas, but I believe it’s a enjoyable format and I didn’t feel like scratching my head for a few just to think of “what can I do to please these guys this time”.

I apologize in advance; I do rant a lot and go off-topic. If you don’t like it, you can always give Mathieu Domon’s article a read, he’s a more down-to-earth kinda guy anyways.

Let’s get this show on the road.

Playoffs – Divisional Round

What have I learn this week?

Power Rankings are pretty tough to do when it’s your first time covering a division and it’s already week 11!
Writing up two thoughts of the week in the same week is tougher than it looks
Game of the Week was quite impressive. Give it a watch!
I had to write 2 articles and still posted both before Peeze would’ve posted his.
Way to finish the season Diablos!
I’ve been using way too many exclamation points.
A conversation between two very hungover guys trying to find a way to meet up is hilarious until they pussy out and uses google map / addresses. Hey, it’s tough sometimes, okay.
I feel bad for Hooligans.
This season’s playoffs are bound to be quite the excitement
Please note, the Quarterfinals are on Tuesday! So, 48 hours after the Divisional Round.
This whole segment wasn’t really Div D related.
There might be a reason I don’t usually cover this division, but I don’t know it yet.
Don’t be offended by the predictions, I’m not the voice of reason in Div D.
That last statement was a lie.
The FPF Gods really made amazing matchups. Thank you.

Recaps

Crimson Tide took the field on Sunday in hopes of locking a higher seed going into the playoffs and building momemtum against the top seed Formerly Formerly Formerly Teamless, but things didn’t go quite as planned, if at all. In fact, Crimson Tide had one of their worst games overall this weekend. Aside from Brent Callender’s interception early in the game to give his team hope, Crimson Tide flat lined the entire game and FFFT marched all over them on both sides of the ball. Pinsonneault looked uncomfortable in the pocket and their defense simply had no answer for the way Jonathan Brown carved through them. Bad matchup, bad night or simply outplayed? On Sunday, Crimson Tide was no match, but a rematch could create some sparkles.
Globo Gym Purple Cobras fought off Pardon My Swag in a pretty fancy fashion as Eric Maiorino had a career night throwing with a 92% completion ratio and posting a 135 passer rating. His offense was unstoppable and walked all over PMS’ defense for most of the hour. Brad Evans’ started the game poorly throwing one too many costly interceptions, but reworked his offense and got some points on the board, but it was simply too little too late. They started off their last game of the season on a bad note, but finished strong and it gives hope for seasons to come!
Bromigos brought in, yet another, QB this week to try and create some spark and finish the season on a high note, but things simply went the other way. With a 1:4 ratio, Maxime Côté was simply no match for Junkyard Dogs’ defense and kept making poor reads and poor decisions. Bromigos’ defense was carved open by an elusive Jason Rosie who had the deep ball on Bromigos’ sidelines open all night and used his legs to move the chains when things got tough. Rosie played phenomenal football on Sunday although he only posted 27 points, but it wasn’t enough to sneak into the playoffs as Tomahawk Nightmare won their game and took their spot. Great way to finish the season, although it’ll probably still hurt for a while.
Tyrants got off to a fast start against Blue Devils and kept the pedal to the metal most of the night as Phil De Kovachich notched 4 sacks early and helped his defense prevent Pat Riot from getting anything going until very late in the game. Chris Kaliotzakis had a fantastic night and looked dominant as he helped his team push through the Blue’s defense and get their 6th win to allow them a 4th seed in the playoff standings. Tyrants defense played well against good athletes and their offense was simply on fire; sounds promises for the weeks to come as they’ll face a strong team in Globo Gym Purple Cobras on Sunday night.
Sticky Hands were playing their last game of the season against Les Aigles and things were getting strangely interesting in the first few minutes of plays as both QBs exchanged scores early and the game was all caught up at 18-13 at half time. And then what we’ve grown used to seeing happened; Les Aigles’ offense took a turn for the worst and simply couldn’t find the endzone in the 2nd half and that’s when Sticky Hands took matters into their own hands, literally, by picking off Lavigne a few times and putting up another 13 points on their opponents to close their season on a good Win.

Players of the Week

Eric Maiorino (Globo Gym Purple Cobras): Posting a career night by completing 23 of his 25 passes for a 6:0 ratio and 135.0 passer rating, Maiorino deserved his spot amongst the best this week. Oh, and let’s not forget he got a pick on defense too!

Joel Malkin (D’s Nuts): As seen on film, this guy destroyed the Warhawks single-handedly. Definitely THE player of the week. Congrats.

Jean-Francois Marquis (Tomahawk Nightmare): When his team needed the win to make the playoffs, Marquis showed up big and had a great night under center.

Chris Kaliotzakis (Tyrants): Although he had short amount of yardages, his 11 catches were simply dominant and so were his 3 TDs. Well played, Chris.

Jonathan Brown (Formerly Formerly Formerly Teamless): Although he threw an early interception, Brown played tremendous football the rest of the way to lock the #1 seed in his conference.

Power Rankings

Formerly Formerly Formerly Teamless (9-1-0): Clinching the first seed in their division and looking dashing while doing it.
D’s Nuts (8-2-0): Taking down the top dogs last week on film was quite the accomplishment. That final play!
Backyard Bullies (8-2-0): Although they stumbled in last week’s game, it didn’t matter as Warhawks also lost. Heck of a season.
Warhawks (8-2-0): They’ve been stumbling for the past 2 games, but you simply can’t take these guys lightly.
5-Star Prospects (9-1-0): Fantastic season finishing at 9-1. Let the real one begin.
Gotham Knights (7-3-0): 7 wins and clinched their division. Gotham Knights are on a roll.
Globo Gym Purple Cobras (5-5-0): Maiorino changed his playbook and they’ve been performing really well lately. Way to jump the rankings!
Hot Boys Hotline (7-3-0): HBH just moved to 3rd seed after a strong win in week 10. Well played, boys.
Tomahawk Nightmare (5-5-0): Now that Marquis is back, this team will be dominant once again.
The Alpha T’s (4-6-0): I really like this team. It’s no secret, they’ll break some hearts this post-season.

Playoff Standings

**Stars next to team’s name: Clinched playoff berth

**Ruled-out : Mathematically ruled-out of the playoffs.

**Name in bold : Clinched division.

1	Formerly Formerly Formerly Teamless*	10	18	9	[4-1-0]	137	1	Backyard Bullies*	10	16	8	[4-1-0]	210
2	5-Star Prospects*	10	18	9	[4-1-0]	188	2	Gotham Knights*	10	14	7	[5-1-0]	179
3	Hot Boys Hotline*	10	14	7	[4-1-0]	204	3	D’s Nuts*	10	16	8	[4-1-0]	245
4	Tyrants*	10	12	6	[2-3-0]	212	4	Warhawks*	10	16	8	[3-2-0]	227
5	Globo Gym Purple Cobras*	10	10	5	[5-0-0]	274	5	Jagerbomb*	10	12	6	[3-2-0]	249
6	Crimson Tide*	10	10	5	[3-2-0]	239	6	Les Affreux*	10	12	6	[4-1-0]	284
7	Diablos*	10	10	5	[2-3-0]	248	7	Tomahawk Nightmare*	10	10	5	[2-3-0]	269
8	BronxBombers*	10	10	5	[2-3-0]	270	8	The Alpha T’s*	10	8	4	[3-2-0]	273
9	Hooligans	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	259	9	Junkyard Dogs	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	266
10	Show me your TDs	10	6	3	[2-3-0]	227	10	Sticky Hands	10	6	3	[1-4-0]	301
11	DG Goons	10	6	3	[1-4-0]	269	11	Les Aigles	10	6	3	[1-4-0]	309
12	Pardon My Swag	10	6	3	[1-4-0]	320	12	Bromigos	10	4	2	[1-4-0]	312
13	Woofpack	10	4	2	[1-5-0]	270	13	Blue Devils	10	0	0	[0-5-0]	367

Playoff previews

Backyard Bullies (1st) vs The Alpha T’s (8th)

Previous Matchup: 30 – 27 Backyard Bullies

Analysis: Secretly, these are the two teams I’m cheering for. Well, it’s not a secret anymore, but this really hurts me to see them go head to head like that in the first round. Enough of my rants, this is bound to be one of the best games of the week; rosters match amazingly well against one another and both teams play a very similar style of football. Last time they faced, it was a 3 point game and I really hope we’ll have a similar scenario. Backyard Bullies have been playing amazingly well all season and they’re coming into this game hungry for last Winter’s defeat. The Alpha T’s have been dropping the last few, but they were all close matchups and I have a lot of faith in Jean Lussier to make plays when the game’s on the line; he is a great athlete after all. Backyard Bullies might have the athlete to put up against Dupuis and Beaulieu, but I just don’t see a scenario where these two guys could ever be neutralized. Expect greatness people.

Key Matchup: Desranleau vs Humes

Prediction: 26 – 25 Backyard Bullies

Tyrants (4th) vs Globo Gym Purple Cobras (5th)

Previous Matchup: 34 – 19 Tyrants

Analysis: Last time these two teams faced, it was Week 6, before GGPC caught fire and Tyrants should expect a different ball game coming into this game. Yes, it’ll be a great matchup and I believe the two teams will give us a heck of a battle to move into the next round. Tyrants played well up to now and are coming into this game with confidence; something any football team needs to create plays. GGPC caught fire when Maiorino switched his playbook style to match the Dans more adequately and they’ve been rolling ever since. I expect this game to put up more scores than most would foresee and 30 might just not be enough to give you the W this time around.

Key Matchup: GGPC’s flat defense vs Chris Kaliotzakis

Prediction: 37 – 31 Globo Gym Purple Cobras

Hot Boys Hotline (3rd) vs Crimson Tide (6th)

Previous Matchup: 14 – 8 Hot Boys Hotline

Analysis: These two teams faced off in week 2 and it was a hot mess offensively. Any game won with 14 points isn’t a defensive battle, it’s an offensive struggle. Both QBs gained experience as the season went on and they’ve improved enough that this scenario will not repeat itself. If one player has the impact to create enough plays and disruption to propel his team into the 2nd round, it has to be Archer; if he plays well and disrupts Pinsonneault, HBH might just create enough momemtum for Gatehouse to seize the moment and get that W. It’s a great matchup for both teams; they have strengths and weaknesses that pair well against one another and I believe they both got a real good chance at winning this; it’ll come down to which QB can score in the 2nd half when defenses adjust, because they will be making mistakes.

Key Matchup: Malcolm Archer vs Chris Pinsonneault

Prediction: 25 – 18 Hot Boys Hotline

5-Stars Prospects (2nd) vs Diablos (7th)

Previous Matchup: 25 – 13 5-Stars Prospects

Analysis: They faced week 9 and it wasn’t close. This is a bad matchup for Diablos as Francois Martin tends to force a few balls and is now without his go-to receiver in Luis Begin. Jordan Moses has improved a lot this season and he’s grown into a much better passer than he was 10 weeks ago. If Moses can use his feet to buy time when the going gets rough, 5-Stars will move into the 2nd round of these playoffs, because their defense is that good. I’m not saying it’s impossible for Diablos to win this game; they have the players and the talent, but it’ll come down to Francois Martin’s ability to check-down rather than force a ball that shouldn’t be and that isn’t his strong suit. Martin played well last week when the season was on the line and if we can repeat the performance, they might pull the best upset of the week!

Key Matchup: Francois Martin vs 5-Stars Prospect’s safeties

Prediction: 32 – 19 5-Stars Prospects

Gotham Knights (2nd) vs Tomahawk Nightmare (7th)

Previous Matchup: 34 – 18 Tomahawk Nightmare

Analysis: It’s silly to think Tomahawk dropped to 7th seed and had to battle it out just to make it in, but Marquis missed so many games. Now that he’s back, expect the first of the season team to show up and bring down the hammer, aka, the one that bested Gotham Knights. Luckily for GK, they aren’t the same team they used to be back then and Rivest doesn’t make the same mistakes he used to; which is a very good thing. This game should turn into a very interesting matchup and could be a real barnburner. I do expect both QBs to throw an interception, but the 2nd one they’ll throw might just be the game-changing factor the opposing team is praying for and could turn tides. Expect an high-scoring affair.

Key Matchup: Chevalier vs Marquis

Prediction: 37 – 32 Tomahawk Nightmare

Formerly Formerly Formerly Teamless (1st) vs Bronxbombers (8th)

Previous Matchup: 28 -18 Bronxbombers

Analysis: So, FFFT’s only loss of the season came to their first round opponents; exciting. FFFT was deprived of Quaysie Gordon-Maule and Khalil Kerr for that game and still managed to put up a fight against Bronxbombers, but these two guys will not be missing on Sunday and they are true game-changers. In fact, I don’t think Bronxbombers have the speed to put up with those two and could end up struggling to stop their production if Jonathan Brown decides to stretch the field. Offensively, Nowakowski grew a lot over the season and he’s become a quite decent QB and I’m not worried he’ll put up points, I’m just worried that his defense might have no answer for Kerr and Gordon-Maule and Nowakowski isn’t at the “putting up 40 points on a top tier defense” point just yet.

Key Matchup: Bronxbombers’ safeties vs Kerr and Gordon-Maule

Prediction: 43 – 27 Formerly Formerly Formerly Teamless

D’s Nuts (3rd) vs Les Affreux (6th)

Previous Matchup: 39 – 37 Les Affreux

Analysis: Last time these two teams faced, I got the opportunity to scorekeep the game and it was a beauty. It went back and forth all game and Lemieux had a night to be remembered for a long time recording his best passer rating of the season. I don’t expect to see Domon throwing a late interception in this one, but I don’t think it’ll come down to that neither. In fact, Les Affreux had no answer for Devin Daoust last time they faced, but the emergence of Joel Malkin is alarming for a Les Affreux’s defense that can’t seem to stop the bleeding once it begins. Expect Daoust to rely heavily on Malkin after last week’s performance and it’ll come down to who can step up on Les Affreux’s defensive side of the ball to reduce Malkin and Daoust’s numbers to stay in the game.

Key Matchup: Dubois vs Malkin

Prediction: 34 – 25 D’s Nuts

Warhawks (4th) vs Jagerbomb (5th)

Previous Matchup: N/A

Analysis: Some will say, to get to the championship, you can’t be picky and you’ll have to go through everyone anyways. Well, I hope it’s true, because this is the worst possible matchup for Jagerbomb if they want to repeat their Cinderella story with a happier ending. Aside from the last two weeks “fiascos”, Warhawks have been destroying their opponents and I don’t expect them to start off “easy” now that the real season has begun. These two teams haven’t faced yet, so Jagerbomb have the surprise effect on Warhawks, but I don’t think it’ll be enough. Unless Jagerbomb can slow down the pace and limit Mallette’s opportunities, Warhawks might pull away in the first half and never look back. Duchesne will need to be perfect on Sunday if he wants to play again this season.

Key Matchup: Lavoie-Patry vs Mallette

Prediction: 44 – 21 Warhawks

That is it for me for this week. If you have any comments regarding the article, don’t hesitate to hit me up on twitter @DagenaisFPF or at the fields. I’ll be scorekeeping games on Sunday and Tuesday nights, so I’ll get to see most of you guys. My official FPF email [email protected] also works, but get with the times, Twitter is where it’s at. Feel free to yell at me if you see me walking around, always glad to talk some football.