PB n’ Jelly Make a Statement

This is it ladies and gentleman, the final week of the division 6 FlagPlus Football regular season. The playoffs, or as I like to call it, the second season is around the corner. Is it just me, or did the campaign fly by really fast?

Thanks to a huge amount of parity in D6, virtually every game this weekend has playoff implications, as almost every spot in the standings is still up for grabs, as teams are still jockeying for positioning with Week 10 set to kick off tomorrow night.

This past week saw a ton of games that led to the post-season waters becoming even more murkier than before as several upsets took place. Most notably, the Ravens playing arguably their best game all season as they knocked off the N.W.O.

The Nighthawks also got into the upset fun as they took out a boisterous Spartans squad 28-26 Saturday night in Brossard. Their victory was keyed by a huge defensive stop on a conversion after a Spartans TD, and the electrifying FPF debut of WR Trevon Wilson (More on him in a bit).

Victorious Secret joined in on the fun as well, as they used an aggressive second half defense that was powered by rusher Fernando Massa who had 3 sacks, and a ball-hawking D, to notch their second win of the season, and their first since a Week 6 32-12 win over Gronky Kong.

One of the few games that wasn’t an upset took place on Saturday at the Bell Sports Complex when Tip Top Shape took on PB n’ Jelly.  It was only fitting that a heavyweight matchup and potential Finals preview like this, was taking place the same night as Holly Holm vs Meisha Tate and McGregor vs Diaz, as the players, fans, and yours truly were chomping at the bit to see the showdown after weeks of hype and anticipation.

Both teams came into the game with similar 8-0 records, and each squad was looking to not only further separate themselves from everybody else, but to also send a message to all the other D6 teams that they were the squad to beat.

As is usually the case with most big sporting events, the game didn’t live up to the hype, as PB n’ Jelly took Tip Top Shape to the cleaners, as they rode a dominating performance by their defense that forced 4 interceptions from T.T.S QB David De Andrade to cruise to an easy 26-6 victory.

De Andrade who has been the top QB in the Division all season, wasn’t just bad on Saturday night, he was awful. Bad throws, horrible decision-making, an inability to see the field or what the defense was doing, and weak play-calling, were all on display Saturday night. By far, it was the worst game put forth by the first year pivot all year long by a wide margin. Three out of the four INTs that he threw, came on passes that looked doomed as soon as they left his hand.   

The fourth pick that was thrown by De Andrade, was actually not his fault. It came via a perfectly placed pass that bounced off the chest of Wide Receiver Daniel Abelard, and was caught by PB n’ Jelly Defensive Back Alex Lutfy.

That drop however, was symbolic of Tip Top Shape’s play the entire game. When their QB wasn’t throwing bad passes, their WRs were dropping balls. This was no more evident than early in the first half, with a first and goal from their opponent’s 1-yard line, the T.T.S offense’s next 4 plays went as follows: sack, drop touchdown pass, dropped TD pass, and sack. For a team that coming into the game had put up the second most points in D6 (PB n’ Jelly was number 1), they not only looked lost, but for the first time this season, they were shut-out in the first half, and found themselves trailing 13-0.

A tip of the hat is in order for PB n’ Jelly rusher Jean-Louis Chen, who had an impressive outing as well with 3 sacks, and at least 8 QB Hurries. His pass rush gave De Andrade fits all night long, and played a huge part in the QB’s terrible performance.

Things weren’t any better defensively, as PB n’ Jelly QB Joseph Kano simply systematically picked apart what going into the game was a stellar Tip Top Shape defense. Whether with the deep ball, or the short game, there was no stopping Kano and his offense. 

Dylan Catellier, who over the last 2 weeks has been arguably the hottest WR in D6, had another huge game for his team as he tore a hole in the T.T.S secondary. Even when he was being held as he was on a few plays Saturday night, he still made plays for his team. His TD to end the game that he caught in front of the aforementioned De Andrade, who doubles as his team’s best defender, not only put the nail in the coffin on the game, but it also accomplished the same thing on the debate as to who is the division’s best team.

Fast forwarding to his week, there are a slew of games that will finally decide not only who finishes where in the standings, but who finishes in the playoffs, and who ends up on the outside looking in.

 

Here is a look at the updated playoff standings:

The top eight teams per conference qualify.

Conf A	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA		Conf B	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA
1	Tip Top Shape	9	16	8	[8-0-0]	121		1	PB n’ Jelly	9	18	9	[8-0-0]	126
2	Team Laval	9	12	6	[5-3-0]	160		2	Gamecocks	9	14	7	[6-2-0]	111
3	Spartans	9	10	5	[5-3-0]	210		3	Bricksquad	9	14	7	[6-2-0]	153
4	Diablos	9	10	5	[5-3-0]	212		4	NWO	9	12	6	[6-2-0]	168
5	TDs and Beer	9	10	4	[3-3-2]	172		5	Jean Guy	9	10	5	[5-3-0]	133
6	Sabrfc	9	8	4	[4-4-0]	245		6	Nighthawks	9	8	4	[3-5-0]	205
7	Smokin’ Axolotls	9	7	3	[2-5-1]	246		7	CMS Laval	9	6	3	[3-5-0]	258
8	Trojans	9	7	3	[2-5-1]	255		8	Fourth and Twenty	9	4	2	[2-6-0]	225
9	Goonsquad	9	5	2	[2-5-1]	243		9	Victorious Secret	9	4	2	[1-7-0]	234
10	Ravens	9	5	2	[1-6-1]	258		10	Gronky Kong	9	0	0	[0-8-0]	311

 

Top 3

PB n’ Jelly – They saved their best performance for when it really mattered. From beginning to end they dominated in a game that in all honesty, was done before halftime.

Kyle Tanzer (Gamecocks) – In a battle of two of the best Wide Receivers in D6,Tanzer took the upper hand, and the victory over Georges Élie-Voyer and the Diablos with a game-high 6 catches for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Trevon Wilson (Nighthawks) – Talk about impressive debuts. Playing in his first ever game in FlagPlus Football, the WR stole the show with 6 receptions for 95 yards and a D6 Week 9 high 4 TDs, as his team scored an upset 28-26 win over the Spartans. The win was also huge for the Nighthawks, as it propelled them from a tie for 7th place in Conference B, to having sole possession of 6th place and 1 game back of 5th place Jean Guy. Wouldn’t you know it, but these two squads square off against each other tomorrow night in Brossard. Thank-you very much schedule makers.

Honourable Mention: Kristopher Diktakis (Nighthawks) – The first-year QB had a solid performance and led his team to an improbable 28-26 victory over the heavily-favoured Spartans on Saturday night. Although Diktakis only completed 10 passes, 4 went for TDs, as he chose his spots well, and stayed pretty much error-free the entire game. More importantly, the victory for the Nighthawks put them one game back of Jean Guy who currently sit in 5th place in Conference B. As you might have guessed, both teams lock horns tomorrow night at 11 PM in Brossard.

 

Step It Up

David De Andrade (Tip Top Shape) – Not to kick a man while he’s down, but his performance in his team’s biggest game of the year just can’t be ignored. Is the game versus PB n’ Jelly as well as a shaky outing the week before against TDs and Beer just bad games, or a sign of things to come?

N.W.O – I am not sure if this was just a simple case overlooking an opponent, or simply not being ready to play, but the N.W.O clearly dropped the ball against a very beatable 2-win Ravens team. There are a lot of fingers to be pointed in this one. Quarterback Michael Sanchez, usually a pillar of consistency, had his worst game of the season by far, as he only had a staggering 8 completions to go along with 3 INTs. The team’s receiving corps which is known for their reliability, had their fair share of drops as well. Even their defense, which coming into the game was the 4th best in D6 in points allowed, gave up 27 to team had only scored  more than 20 points 4 times this season.

The loss was also huge for the N.W.O as it cost them a chance of finishing with the second seed in Conference B, as they had the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Gamecocks, and although they lost to Bricksquad earlier this season, the latter closes out the regular season vs PB n’ Jelly, while Michael Sanchez’s team faces Victorious Secret. Step it up boys.

 

Matchups

Mickey Marini (Sabrfc) versus Tip Top Shape Defense – After having their defense shredded by Dylan Catellier last week, things don’t get any easier for the Tip Top Shape secondary as they take on Mickey Marini who leads all Wide Receivers with 16 touchdowns. I fully expect T.T.S to put David De Andrade on Marini, let’s see if the DB can rebound from last week’s performance.

Simon Beliveau (Trojans) versus Georges Élie-Voyer (Diablos) – Two-way threat vs two-way threat. This matchup should without a doubt steal the show Sunday night in Lachine. Besides the two individuals, this game takes on an even more important meaning, as the Trojans who are currently sitting in 8th spot in Conference A, need the two points, as they are only 1 game up on both the Ravens and the Goon Squad. The Trojans hold the tie-breaker curtesy of a 30-27 Week2 win over the Trojans, while Goon Squad and the Trojans fought to a 19-19 tie in Week 7.

The Diablos on the other hand with a win, have a chance to claim sole possession of the 3rd seed in Conference A. As of right now, they are tied with the Spartans and TDs and Beer. I told you this would be a huge week.

Marc-Antoine Vallée (Ravens) versus Simone Marzella (Goon Squad) – As I mentioned earlier, this matchup has the potential to be huge, as it is littered with playoff implications. I am not going to explain the scenarios all over again, but I will say that Vallée is his team’s best Defensive Back, and Marzella is his team’s top Wide Receiver, whoever wins this matchup, will give their team a serious boost as it relates to making the second season.

 

Power Rankings

PB n’ Jelly – They silenced the doubters and the same to Tip Top Shape in dominating fashion Saturday night. If you missed it because you were watching UFC, and you didn’t like yours truly watch the game then race down to a local bar to go see the fights, the simple comparison is T.Ts was Conor McGregor, and PB N’ Jelly was Nate Diaz minus the bloody and battered face.

Gamecocks – They let Wide Receiver Georges Élie-Voyer do his thing, and they simply bottled up the rest of the Diablos’ offense. They have a bit of gimmie to close out the regular season this coming Wednesday against CMS Laval, but as we saw this past week, taking teams lightly is exactly the smartest idea. They might not finish the on top of the power rankings next week, but I am pretty confident the Conference B Championship will see the top two teams square off in a rematch of their classic Week 2 battle.

Tip Top Shape – The warts that we saw two weeks ago against TDs and Beer came to the surface against PB n’ Jelly. The loss not only knocked them off the top of the rankings, but it raised a bunch of questions going forward, The most important of which is, will the all-important first loss of the season haunt Tip Top Shape, or can they build off of it? Stay tuned.

Bricksquad – They used some solid defense and timely play-making to get an important win over Sabrfc. They close out the season with their toughest test in PB n’ Jelly. Obviously, if they are able knock them off, they would completely turn the rankings upside down, and more importantly put a dent in their opponents’ armour.

Team Laval – These guys are a classic case of a team that plays up and down to its competition. The latter was the case in their 19-12 win over Forth and Twenty, but a win is a win, and the W for Team Laval elevated them into sole possession of the 2nd seed in Conference A. They close the regular season with a date with the Smokin’ Axolotols. Let’s see if the team from Laval can build off of last week’s success as they get ready for the second season.

Spartans – Yes they lost to an underdog Nighthawks squad, but  all the other teams in contention for the 6th spot in the rankings lost too (N.W.O and the Diablos) Let’s see if the Spartans can end the regular season on a high note when they take on the ever dangerous TDs and Beer.

 

Picks (Favourites in bold)

Goon Squad vs Ravens – Ravens              

Sabrfc vs Tip Top Shape – Tip Top Shape                                          

Jean Guy vs Nighthawks – (* Upset Special) Nighthawks 

Spartans vs TDs and Beer – Spartans                                   

Bricksquad vs PB n’ Jelly – PB n’ Jelly – (*my pick for Game of the Week) 

Fourth and Twenty vs Gronky Kong – Fourth and Twenty                            

Trojans vs Diablos – Diablos                    

Smokin’ Axolotls vs Team Laval – Team Laval     

CMS Laval vs Gamecocks – Gamecocks

Victorious Secret vs n.W.o. – N.W.O