Week 4’s recap, awards, random thoughts and the Midseason Breakdown Part 1

Midseason – Part 1

It’s that time again. It’s, about, the midseason for us here at FPF as we take a break to watch the Nation’s best go head to head in one of the most famous season finale of all times; The SuperBowl.

Let’s be real for a second and let’s say how amazing the SuperBowl really is and how happy we all are it’s almost a holiday. In fact, the following Monday should be a holiday. Imagine how amazeballs every SuperBowl parties would get!

For us, here, at FPF, we’ll be taking a bye-week to avoid any conflict of interest between the players and the fans and use the time to retune what we’ve been doing. For my part, expect the part 2 of this article to come out in the upcoming week so you’ll still get your weekly dose of me.

FPF will also be announcing the official Hall of Fame ballot for 2016. I was asked to vote and I have no shame in saying who I gave a node to. My votes were the following :

Players: Jacques Void, Nicholas Arsenault-Hum, Marco Masciotra, Theo Ojeah, Bobby Mikelberg (in that order of points allowed).

Media : GM Kolethras. Probably the MOST deserving guy I know of this HoF ballot. He does it ALL.

Referee: Jack Nudi. I know he won’t win (no offense, Jack, but we both know it) but I felt he needed some love. I love his work and dedication and feel he’s one of the greats. Walter Berry or Jason Leclerc will walk away with the award and I agree 100% with that.

Now, to get back to Div4; this week, I’ll be going through the previous week of action and give in HALF of my usual mid-season breakdown. (Div4A Conf A+Div4B Conf B). I will release the other half of my article (the preview of the following week + the rest of the mid-season breakdown (Div4A Conf B + Div4B Conf A) sometime next week during the bye. Sucha tease, I know right.

Anyhow,

Week 4

After 4 weeks, the picture of Division 4 is finally starting to get a little less foggy; teams are starting to fall into place and pretenders are being revealed whereas true contenders are slowing emerging. Let’s not worry about a loss here and there; perfect season very rarely gets you the title anyways.

Thoughts of the Week

Week 4 had so many upsets, I’m not sure I even know what I’m doing.
Doston’s article are actually pretty good. Okay, not as much as mine, but still worth the read.
I tend to browse the internet when I write these articles. Some can say its pure procrastination, I’d prefer to say it’s expanding my horizons. I came across this WICKED video of the Baumgartner stratosphere jump and it’s so insane. This guy had balls bigger than all of ours put together. Watch it HERE
LOL Johnny Manziel.
I know it’d be the “picture perfect” finish for Peyton Manning to win the SB50 and walk away in the sunset upon retirement Sunday, but there’s no way Carolina is losing that game.
JC Mercille remains the weekly passing leader, so we’re stuck with that face once again, but buddy, you need to start WINNING; stats don’t matter.
Shawn Steen is just THAT good.
Am I the only one who’s insanely hyped for Archer’s Season 7 March 31st? If you haven’t watched Archer before, you get to binge 6 seasons and I kinda envy you right now. Enjoy the PROMO
The U continues to impress.
Is the ZOO officially out of the cage?
I gotta give credit to whoever made these schedules, they are ON POINT. Everybody is playing everybody.
Mathew Lamorte is FAST.
Chopping up the breakdown in 2 parts makes it actually enjoyable to write. That and beer.
Editing my articles to fit the website’s format is taking way too much time. FIX IT EAGLE.
There’s no such thing as “retired on offense” Akeem.

Players of the Week

Division 4A

Ryan Aridi (Recipe 4 Disaster): Recording 4 sacks (5th was on PAT) is pretty impressive and yet it’s not enough to demonstrate how dominant he was. He also showed speed on a bomb to put the game away. I see you, Ryan. Keep doing your thing, your team wins when you do!
Kristian Cerantola (Broccasion): Using both his legs and arm to move the chains, he finished with 249 combined yards and 5 TDs; just enough to edge out a win, which is all that matters. Job well done.
Tony Testa (Cougars): The only bright light in a crushing defeat; Testa was dominant all-around finishing the night with 3 TDs and an interception.

Division 4B

Jon Moodie (Longhorns): When Moodie is on, he’s ON. Finishing the night with a 133 QB rating and 39 points on the board is exactly what I meant by ON.
James Lacroix (Bromigos): Quiet for the first 3 weeks, Lacroix exploded on Sunday to expose Crimson Tide’s defense for 132 yards and 3 TDs. Way to go.
Maurice Dykmans (J’s): After week 4’s performance of 133 yards and 4 TDs, Dykmans’ performance in the past 2 weeks piles up for 12 catches, 189 yrds and 7 TDs. Where was he the first 2 weeks? Can he be stopped?

Recaps

Division 4A

Recipe 4 Disaster took on Eskimo Brothers in a game I expected to flair the 40 points per side and to go all the way. I guess I was wrong. Although I expected Shawn Steen to be as dominant as he was (he was ALL OVER the place catching 4 yrd passes and turning it into 30 yard gains), he couldn’t do it by himself. Being the only light on a dim performance will give you love, but he plays for Ws and he ended the night upset; understandable. R4D marched the ball decently, but Applebaum’s struggle is still very palpable. He managed to find receivers when he really needed to and put this game away before the opponent had a chance to strike back. Ryan Aridi (as mentioned previously) was too good to be stopped forcing such discomfort from Stachowski I even felt it on the sidelines. R4D improve to 3-1 ending in the bye-week; where I expected them to be.
Jagerbomb looked to bounce back after that horrible performance on the Game of the Week most of us watched against a streaky Still Teamless and the Jagerbomb’s issues resurfaced as the Jon Brown led-offense marched all over the Jagerbomb’s defense in one of the biggest upsets of the week. In fact, Still Teamless took control of this game early and kept it the whole way cruising to an easy victory to improve to 2-1-1 at the bye. Daloze was quiet the entire night on both sides of the ball and Duchesne will need to find a new go-to guy if they want to snap this streak before it gets ugly.
Due to the infamous Table of Terror, I was stuck cheering for Cougars against Les Maloudes on Wednesday night, but the men in red took control early and dominated the entire night. Beauchamp-Frezza was far from perfect (although the stats would tell otherwise), but he keeps finding ways to put up points and maintain a very comfortable lead which is all that really matters. Les Maloudes were way too much to handle as everybody on offense contributed and their defense keeps being stingy. Tony Testa managed to find ways to get open and create opportunities, but a one-man army simply wasn’t enough to end the undefeated streak on Wednesday. Cougars’ fire gives hope for a bounce back in week 5 as they’ll face D’s Nuts!

Division 4B

Renegades are finally on a roll behind Kharouf’s leadership and nudged their 2nd win of the season to head into the bye-week at .500. Renegades dominated the first half and cruised to a nice win in the 2nd half although Goloff managed to create a nice little comeback. In fact, Renegades played good prevent football once they secured the lead and finished with 2 score lead over their opponents. Kharouf is finally starting to look comfortable in the pocket and his receivers see a sizable difference in his playcalling which could allow Renegades to keep rolling and possibly nudge a playoff spot in less than 2 months time. On the flip side, Goloff’s arm strength continues to impress as he fires pure bullets at his receivers who tend to not be prepared for such velocity. It’s great to see and I can’t help but feel that Mean Machines are right there and will be beating on teams in the 2nd half of the season. Beware.
After a disastrous first few weeks, War Pigs are finally starting to get a feel for FPF and Steve Robert is starting to find his groove at pivot. Spreading the ball around was the answer for War Pigs this weekend and Robert used all of his receivers to push his team past Balls Deep. Defense stood their ground when it was most needed and they managed to stop the comeback from Lamorte to walk away with momemtum heading into the 2nd half of the season. Balls Deep tend to struggle when the deep throws aren’t present and this weekend’s game was just another illustration of that. If Lamorte can continue to use his legs a bit more and find open receivers at shorter distances, Balls Deep could make real noise real soon.
Crimson Tide looked to bounce back from their ugly defeat last week and Pinsonneault put on a show once again. In fact, he relied heavily on the deep ball as Bromigos’ corners simply weren’t able to keep up with the opposing speed and kept getting burnt for long gains. Larose-Laurent had one of his best nights so far and he’s starting to gain form and a feel for his receivers as Lacroix and Godbout emerged. Both QBs finished the night with 6 TDs, but Larose’ interceptions were the real sting that allowed the Tide to remain in the lead all night. Falling to 2-2, Bromigos need to snap the losing streak before it really becomes costy. Next week’s game against Keyport Lock will be a real testament to their season.

Power Rankings

Division 4A

Les Maloudes (4-0-0): Maloudes remain the #1 seed as long as their undefeated status remains. They keep crushing the opposition.
David Hurley, Pet Detective (4-0-0): The best defense in the division by far.
Broccasion (3-1-0): Regardless of the podcast’s comments, Broccasion is the real deal.
Coyotes (3-1-0): Last week’s loss was without Josh Feder and ended up being a real close. Expect these guys to bounce back.
Backyard Bullies (3-1-0): Rich Humes n’ Co are slowly cruising. Under the radar no more.
Recipe 4 Disaster (3-1-0): Their only loss was to the #2 seed and it wasn’t pretty, but they’ve turned things around since. Don’t underestimate R4D.
Bruthers (3-1-0): Mikelberg is improving and this defense is a great one. They keep winning and climbing.
5-Star (2-1-1): I was hating earlier, but I have to admit how wrong I was. 5-Star are really good.
Frosty Bronsons (2-1-1): They tied the revamped Playground and showed they can ball with the best. What else do you possibly want.
Still Teamless (2-1-1): Beating Jagerbomb last week really puts these guys on the map now.

Division 4B

The U (4-0-0): Another week, another win. Well done, guys.
Crimson Tide (3-1-0): Crimson Tide’s offense bounced back with a 45 points performance. They really deserve that #2 spot.
J’s (3-1-0): The J’s lost a close one and showed that Luong is really having a heck of a season. One loss changes nothing for these guys.
Friends with Benedicts (3-1-0): An ugly offensive performance showed how strong this defense really was. They maintain the 4th spot.
Longhorns (3-1-0): Although they remain far from my preseason ranking, Longhorns are slowly creeping back into my top 5.
Les Affreux (2-2-0): Possibly the best .500 team in Div4B, Les Affreux aren’t what their record displays.
Sandlot Saints (3-1-0): High scores or low scores, Sandlot Saints find ways to win. Their only loss came by a single point. Don’t underestimate them.
A-Squad (3-1-0): A-Squad tend to keep it very close, but hey, they win. Telemaque is finding ways.
Suicide Squad (2-2-0): The Giant Slayers are really starting to find their ways in Div4B. Look for them.
Keyport Lock (3-1-0): A good win against a ranked team will get you in the Top 10. Another tough game up next on the schedule will show how well these guys can play.

Midseason Breakdown – Part 1

Every season, at the midseason point, I take a moment and go through every team in the division and give my insight. It’s a much loved segment. That being said, with the bye week this week, I decided that I can tease you guys a little and do half the breakdown this week and the other half next week. For the lucky few, here it is.

My midseason Grades were based on my preseason expectations and not based on performance. Getting a “E” doesn’t mean you guys suck, it means you are underperforming and could be doing so much better whereas getting a “A” means you’ve expected my expectations by a long shot, but that doesn’t require a undefeated record.

Division 4A

Conference A

Les Maloudes (4-0-0)

Coming into the season, I expected Les Maloudes to be top dogs and they simply haven’t disappointed. Beauchamp-Frezza is slowly growing as a QB and his supporting cast is simply absurd. Their defense is top tier and their offense puts up A LOT of points week in and week out. I’ve seen them play more than once and I can’t seem to find a real weakness.

Key players: Marc-André Paradis, Louis-Philippe Paquette, Vincent Morissette

Midseason Grade: A

Predicted record: 10-0

Recipe 4 Disaster (3-1-0)

Fresh off a loss in the finale, R4D is hungry but can’t seem to get on a real roll. Their defense is playing well, but the offense still struggles a bit. Although they bounced back from that 0 point performance in week 2, I still feel like it’s lingering over their heads. With a very tough schedule ahead of them, they’ll need to play their best football yet to remain ahead of the pack.

Key players: Ryan Aridi, Jad Aridi, Daniel Farag

Midseason Grade: C

Predicted record: 7-3

Eskimo Brothers (2-2-0)

Eskimo Brothers has to be the team with the most up and downs I’ve seen in a while. After finishing a game scoreless, they respond by shutting out the opposition the following week. Eskimo Brothers are leaning on Shawn Steen and Corey Oliver to carry the team a little too much and it’s starting to hurt them; a 3rd playmaker needs to emerge and these guys could cruise on to a good winning streak.

Key players: Shawn Steen, Corey Oliver, Joey Fulginiti

Midseason Grade: B-

Predicted record: 4-6-0

Jagerbomb (2-2-0)

After a strong start to the season, Jagerbomb fell FLAT in the last 2 weeks and it’s starting to be a cause for concern. Some say it’s their thing, but from the looks on their faces, it really isn’t. With an easier schedule coming up, expect Jagerbomb to bounce back from their past couple of games. They play much better down the stretch and we’re closing in on such a thing!

Key players: Jean-Felix Daloze, Cedric Nuckle, Gabriel Moreau-Paquette

Midseason Grade: D

Predicted record: 5-5-0

Cougars (2-2-0)

Cougars started the season red-hot going 2-0 but faced steep competition and lost a really close one to end their streak. There’s no doubt Iadeluca is playing good football and that Tony Testa is displaying serious skills out there, but they desperately need someone else to step up and make plays consistently. It needs to happen now.

Key players: Tony Testa, Gino Conforti, Adamo Iadeluca

Midseason Grade: B

Predicted record: 6-4-0

No Name (1-3-0)

After a real tough start of the season, No Name turned away from Beausoleil at QB and Grizzley emerged as a possibly real replacement. Without posting phenomenal numbers, No Name found ways to win and that’s all that really matters. Their 2nd half of the schedule is seriously loaded and their division is playing against them, but the season isn’t over and these guys aren’t giving up.

Key players: Jonathan Grizzley, Chris Kaliotzakis, Robert White

Midseason Grade: C-

Predicted record: 3-7-0

David Hurley, Pet Detective (4-0-0)

Bolstering the best defense and team name in the division by far, David Hurley Pet Detective are steam rolling through their competition week in and week out. It’s tough to imagine losing when your defense creates so many turnovers, but their offense isn’t flying that high and it’s the only reason they aren’t the #1 seed in my rankings. It’s up to Bishara to figure it out, but they win games, so who cares.

Key players: Eric Bishara, Gordon Hogan, Eddy Martinez

Midseason Grade: A

Predicted record: 9-1

Broccasion (3-1-0)

Many “analysts” tend to disregard Broccasion for their previous failures, but Cerantola is playing great football so far and their record speaks for itself. Their only loss came to Maloudes and it was a heck of a game. I’d hate to play this team and I’m happy I don’t have to. They are much better than people say they are.

Key players: Kristian Cerantola, Kyle Lebofsky, Justin Cerantola

Midseason Grade: B+

Predicted record: 7-3-0

Still Teamless (2-1-1)

Coming into the season, I wasn’t expecting much from Still Teamless, but Jonathan Brown turned his offense around and they are sitting in a very comfortable spot at the midseason point. Without being top dogs, their offense is great and their defense creates more than enough turnovers. Still Teamless will continue to fly under the radar, which is exactly what they want.

Key players: Alex Lamarche, Francois Deslauriers, Jonathan Brown

Midseason Grade: A

Predicted record: 6-3-1

69ers (2-2-0)

Somehow, 69ers are 2-2. Both their losses were within a score, but most of their games usually are anyways. This team is actually great, but they can’t seem to find their groove this season and Harbour is having a tough time adjusting in the 2nd half. I wasn’t expecting these guys to drop the games they dropped, but at the same time, 2-2 at this point is very manageable so they should be more than okay.

Key players: Dean Demetriou, Enrico Tulino, Shea Harbour

Midseason Grade: D

Predicted record: 6-4-0

D’s Nuts! (1-3-0)

I don’t think D’s Nuts expected the season to go down this way and it’s tough to say anyone did really. Their internal conflicts are emerging and it’s tough to watch at times. The brothers aren’t playing bad football and the receivers aren’t to be blamed, but David Daoust needs to play more conservative football and prevent the costly turnovers. Their defense is far from perfect neither with only 3 interceptions in 4 games. Luckily, there’s still plenty of time to turn things around.

Key players: Devin Daoust, Dilan Daoust, Mike Zenone

Midseason Grade: D

Predicted record: 4-6-0

Tony’s Championship’s Orphans (0-4-0)

I kept away from talking about TCO this season because this is very uncharacteristic of them, but now I have to. The defense makes stops, but the stats are very poor; 2 sacks and 3 interceptions in 4 games is unacceptable. Known for their defensive grit, this team should be doing much better. Offense is, well, bad and they know it. I do not blame it solely on Rupcic as his numbers are decent, but they need to make a change somewhere and fast before this gets bitter.

Key players: Brent Callender, Matthew Rupcic, Jeff Millar

Midseason Grade: E

Predicted record: 1-9-0

Division 4B

Conference B

The U (4-0-0)

Without having the easiest schedule, The U are showing everyone why they won D5 last season and why they’ve moved up; these guys are GOOD. Without bashing up on their opponents (+/- of only 22), they find ways to win and it’s either via their offense or their defense. They are all-around and well built. With their win over Crimson Tide, I do not see any team stopping them this season.

Key players: Shaq Lattimore, Dustin White, Josh White

Midseason Grade: A+

Predicted record: 10-0

J’s (3-1-0)

The J’s came out of nowhere and are dominating Division 4B. Their only loss came in a serious shootout and there’s nothing wrong with that. Hai Minh Luong is having a career year and is the frontrunner for QB of the year at the moment posting ridiculous numbers every week. He found the receiver corps that fits his style and their defense makes the stop he needs to push past their opponents. Can’t help but love the J’s.

Key players: Hai Minh Luong, Maurice Dykmans, Adrien Dusautois

Midseason Grade: A+

Predicted record: 7-3-0

Crimson Tide (3-1-0)

Coming into the season and looking at these guys play week 1, I couldn’t see any teams stopping them. In fact, they were my clear cut frontrunners, but lost their week 3 game and kept last week’s game close enough to make me doubt their potential to go all the way. There’s no doubt that Pinsonneault is playing really great and Sami Beg is really emerging as a top player, but the rest of the team is too quiet in my opinion. With an easier upcoming schedule, there’s no reason these guys should drop any other games.

Key players: Chris Pinsonneault, Sami Beg, Doug McKernan

Midseason Grade: C-

Predicted record: 9-1

Suicide Squad (2-2-0)

The addition of Hugo Lalonde to this roster takes Suicide Squad from a good squad to a great one. He’s the piece Kevin Lubin was missing on offense to really take his offense to the next level and expose defenses properly. With a strong defense behind him, Lubin can really take the next step and push his team to greener pastures if he keeps feeding Cardichon, Lamari and Lalonde on a weekly basis.

Key players: Kevin Lubin, Mendy Cardichon, Mohamed Lamari

Midseason Grade: B+

Predicted record: 6-4-0

Bromigos (2-2-0)

After last season’s disaster, Bromigos came back with a real QB at the helm and their efficiency really stepped up. Edging out the competition for wins in the first few games in order to allow their QB to grow was exactly what they needed as Larose-Laurent is bound to improve as the season rolls out. With an easier upcoming schedule, Bromigos should be able to get on a roll and move into the playoffs with good seeding.

Key players: Jean-Francois Fortier Poulin, James Lacroix, Jean-Mathieu Vidal

Midseason Grade: B+

Predicted record: 6-4-0

War Pigs (1-3-0)

It’s always tough to give impressions on a brand new team, but after what I’ve seen from these guys week 1, I was expecting the worst. In fact, I felt kinda bad for them, but they proved me wrong, turned things around and got their first win before the midseason. With quiet a difficult schedule ahead of them, War Pigs won’t have the privilege of getting any free wins, but they’ll just have to keep grinding and make the best of their current scenario.

Key players: Steve Robert, Samir Skatni, Marc-André Vincelette

Midseason Grade: B

Predicted record: 2-8-0

Keyport Lock (3-1-0)

Coming into the season, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from Keyport Lock who moved down from Division C into Division 4B. Jeff Rosenblatt is still growing as a QB, but his receiving corps is better than what he had in the Spring and he’s learning to use them more adequately. With their only loss coming against one of the top dogs, it’s tough to say Keyport Lock aren’t playing great football. With weapons on offense and defense, these guys will fly under the radar and keep winning to earn themselves a playoff spot.

Key players: Yoni Lehrer, Jeremy Cola, Thierry Gerville

Midseason Grade: B+

Predicted record: 6-4-0

Friends with Benedicts (3-1-0)

Too many roster issues cloud the picture and their first real game as a team came out as an ugly offensive performance. If I can right the ship offensively and maintain the same level of defense, Friends with Benedicts should earn themselves a strong seed heading into the playoffs. With different guys making plays every week, this team has too much depth to crash and burn early.

Key players: Justin Blanchard, Steven Legault, Cory Kennedy

Midseason Grade: B

Predicted record: 9-1

Red Sharks (2-2-0)

As mentioned in earlier articles, Red Sharks’ QB Luis Begin is plagued with crippling injuries and it’s hurting his offense more than he’d like to admit it. With way too many guys on the roster with few games played, Red Sharks need to steady the ship and start finding their own rhythm before it’s too late. With so much talent and potential for success, it’s tough to keep Red Sharks off the map.

Key players: George Elie-Voyer, Luis Begin, Zach Zwirn

Midseason Grade: D

Predicted record: 6-4-0

Les Affreux (2-2-0)

Les Affreux started off strong and dropped a few very winnable games to stare down the 2-2 record. With such playmakers, it’s tough to see these guys in such a position after only 4 weeks, but that’s what FPF is all about and Les Affreux aren’t anywhere close to new. With such a small sample size, Les Affreux’ record is far from representative of their actual talent and they will bounce back stronger in the following weeks.

Key players: Mathieu Domon, Mathieu Dubois, Daniel Bellefeuille

Midseason Grade: D

Predicted record: 7-3-0

Balls Deep (2-2-0)

With a revolving door at QB for the first few weeks, Balls Deep finally found their QB in Mathew Lamorte and he’s playing great football. Over the past 2 weeks, Balls Deep made strides from the first 2 and they are looking to turn from pretenders to contenders in the next following weeks. With 14 interceptions in 4 weeks, they ARE the best defense no one talks about. Don’t sleep on them.

Key players: Nick Van Aelst, Mathew Lamorte, Corey Williams.

Midseason Grade: B+

Predicted record: 6-4-0

Smash Bros (1-3-0)

Having faced Smash Bros very recently, I can tell you first hand just how fast these guys actually are. With speed and size, you’d expect them to go back to their old ways of htting deep all night long and playing conservative defense, but sitting at 1-3, there’s obviously something going wrong. With great athletes and talent, I can only speculate that this team lacks leadership both on offense and defense as it is found lost on certain play calls and rely a bit too much on what they can do individually. Time tends to solve such problems and Smash Bros will bounce back from this.

Key players: Paul Santache, Dylan Weiss, Jonah Cohen

Midseason Grade: D

Predicted record: 4-6-0

That sums it for this week’s article. Part 2 will follow shortly. It’s always a pleasure to write and hear back from you guys. After all, the content is meant 99% for you. I keep a percent for me; ranting here and there is fun after all. You can always reach me via twitter @DagenaisFPF or via email ([email protected]). I’ll be at Lachine every Saturday night scorekeeping so you can stop by and chat. Don’t hesitate. Until next time…!