Playing For Keeps: Week 4 recap; Super Bowl Aftermath

The morning after the Super Bowl is a particularly calamitous affair.

You wake up in a sharp panic, astoundingly late, after having ignored several warnings from your phone alarm.

Stumbling out of bed, and onto the icy cold floors, you lumber past the hallway while grasping at light switches that you could have sworn existed a day ago.

You’re disparaged to see that your kitchen is littered with the remains of an overly ambitious indulgence. Barbeque sauce stained plates overwhelm the sink, while trays of caked on salsa and unknown fats surround you menacingly on the counter tops.

The rows of empties remind you of the hangover that you’re nursing, as your head throbs and your mouth tastes like cotton and stale wings. Your stomach moans from the ill-advised layers of beans and sour cream you so brazenly devoured the night before. As you reach down to rub your ailing tummy you realize the newfound pudge roll hanging over your waist.

As a habit you open your fridge door and take a peek inside the jungle of saran-wrapped dishes and murky Tupperware. Staring at you, smack dab in the middle of the mezzanine row, is a tub of radiant green guacamole that could feed an entire O-line. Why on earth did you make so much guac? Who were you expecting to host?

Repulsed, you begin to heat up water for your morning java and take a seat in an effort to regain your bearings. You stare blankly out the kitchen window to the east, looking directly upon the monolith of red brick neighboring you and engulfing your view. Your mind jumps to Tom Brady, and how you might have put in just as much work as he did yesterday, yet he steals all the praise. Your boss doesn’t care that you willed the patriots comeback. Your colleagues won’t congratulate you for hosting the big game like a champ. All you get is the leftover guac…

Before long, you realize that you’ve been aimlessly meandering in your reverie for far too long, and you now have a seemingly insurmountable comeback ahead of you to make it to work on time.

You look to your go-tos to establish some rhythm. Cheerios and espresso, quick shower and shave. Dab of wax in the hair and a spritz of cologne. You even lace up the Nikes, as there’s no time to lug around bulky boots this morning. You decide to take the car because today you must control your own destiny. No time to warm up the engine, we’re going at it raw, brace your hammies old girl. Put up 3 on the board.

You’re finally awake! But the clock is now your worst enemy. You drive like a man possessed, hitting each hole with patience and burst. Parking outside the metro is usually burdensome, but you spot a tiny sliver between two cars on a small snow bank. No time to second guess. You pull in for 6, nail the parallel reverse for 2 more.

You’re starting to feel it now. You’re gaining your tempo, hitting your stride. The metro ride was a breeze. You’ve got your headphones on bumping your favorite playlist. There’s no thinking at this point, just pure survival instincts. You dip gingerly around waddling seniors and morning drones with Starbucks cups, leaving them to choke on your dust. You put a filthy swim move on a closing door, shouting out Dwight Freeney as you burst past it. You pull out your company pass card in preparation for the final mount of this epic comeback. Just as you swipe entry access and turn the corner, the mail room guy blindsides you from around the bend, and your laptop bag goes flying up in the air. He looks at you with fear and confusion but you remain steadfast, directing your laser sharp focus on the freefalling bag. You reach around him and fire your hands towards the ground, miraculously snagging the bag just millimeters away from certain defeat. Phew. You somehow did it, you summoned everything inside of you and put up the final 6. All that’s left is the 2 point convert to bring it to OT and…

Then you see it. The hanging jacket, the ominously awaiting light…your boss is on time today. The most seldom seen man in the office chose today to demonstrate leadership. It’s 9:15 am the morning after the Super Bowl and he’s been sitting comfy at his desk for 15 minutes, staring at your empty seat. You feel your stomach cringe as you brace yourself for the patronizing speech. You reluctantly start searching for plausible excuses for your tardiness, preparing your most sincere apology.

You didn’t complete the comeback. You failed the convert. Fell just short…Despite what you always thought, you are not the GOAT. How sad of a realization it is.

Still…It was a pretty damn good effort. MVP like you may even say…

After a long-winded talking to, you finally settle down to your desk with a cup of coffee and pull your laptop open. You sit for a brief moment staring at the drab cubicle wall before you, looking right through it. A tiny smirk appears of your face as you think back to the epic game you witnessed last night. You never gave up hope this morning either. Despite falling behind by an impossible margin, you picked right up and got to work. You chipped away and stuck to the gameplan, waiting to jump on any opportunity that presented itself. You were nearly flawless.

You even have meals left over for an entire week now. No need to shop or cook. You open your Tupperware and help yourself to a heaving spoonful of guac…still pretty damn good.

Maybe you are like Brady after all.

Weekly Remarks

A week after suffering a devastating injury to their star player, the Aliens seem to have banded together and responded nicely. Adding upper division stud Jean Christophe Mercille will certainly help, as well as FPF newcomer Sam Lachance, who caught 2 TDs in his first game. However, most encouraging is the way the rest of the roster have stepped up. Guys like Alexandre Noel, Sacha Angerillo, Ludovic St-Denis and Mathieu Roy-Caissy deserve credit for picking up the slack and showing the division that they will not fade quietly into the night.
TDS and Beer make a big statement with a commanding 31-13 win over LOB. This defense can be simply dominant when running on all cylinders. Brad Evans will always do enough to give his team a chance to win. I look for them to pad their record with winnable games the rest of the season.
Star quarterback of Keyport Lock, Jeff Rosenblatt, suffered a season ending injury playing basketball this past week. We wish Jeff a full and speedy recovery as the division and league is always better with him in it. Hopefully Keyport can find a way to salvage their season after this regrettable development.
Les Verges Folles have been clinging on to wins by the skin of their teeth the past few weeks. Their luck finally wore out this week as they got hammered by the Globo Gym Purple Cobras. Their defense looks porous right now and they will no longer be considered an elite team until they can plug the leaking boat.
Jaguars have been consistently performing at a high level each week and beating whoever is put in front of them. Did they sneak up under the radar and become the team to beat in 5A? Continue reading to find out….
Mad Bears disrupt the hierarchy in 5B and beat Friends in Low Places in a possible conference finals preview. Sebastien Thibault was nearly flawless, as he proved to be the more polished, refined quarterback in this game. His ability to break the rush and keep his eyes downfield while scrambling is truly unique and extraordinary.
Trinity edge out Jean Coutu 40-39 in the most exhilarating game of the week. The Marquis brother, Jean-Felix and Vincent, took it upon themselves to make a statement in this game and boldly declare that Trinity is to be taken seriously.
I love the way that the power was restructured in 5B this week. In a division that is constantly delivering upsets each week, this week was especially exciting as the two top ranked teams both lost to teams in the top 8. The schedule makers knew what they were doing as they blessed us with high-intensity, exciting matchups each week.
The Spartans are a hot team on a meteoric rise in 5B. They seem to get stronger each week, as this week they smashed an early season favorite Takeover, 46-25. We’ve been singing the praises of D’Andrea, Bessette and Martel on a weekly basis, but this week the spotlight goes to Anthony Cicchetti, who was all over the field on defense in this one, racking up 8 tackles in the win.
Spartans vs Trinity is shaping up to be a HUGE game as the two hottest teams in the division test themselves against each other to see who is truly a top contender at the midway point. Bring some popcorn and soda out to Hebert on February 12th, as this promises to be a game not to miss!

Sound Bites:

Here’s a look around the league at what some of you had to say regarding your week 3 games.

Aliens QB and captain Simon Bosquet Beaudoin had this to say when asked about the 51-0 thumping his team put down on the helpless Freebandz this week: “Une chance que andel thomas gordon ( capitain des freebandz) ma prêté des shorts. Ou après 18 points mon équipe ma interdit de courir!” Great sportsmanship displayed by Andel in lending an opponent a pair of shorts so he could play. However, at this point the sportsmanship award looks like the only one that the Freebandz will be competing for this year.
James D’Andrea had this to say about the Spartans 46-25 dismantling of Takeover: “We stopped their offence on the opening drive and didn’t let go of that advantage. We mixed up our attack to keep them guessing. The key was communication. We were excited going into this one. Felt great to overcome this challenge and plan to keep it going into week 6 against Trinity.” The Spartans keep steamrolling ahead. They look like a band of brothers, all playing for each other at this point. These are the types of teams that become dangerous as the season progresses, as they seem to believe that they can compete with anyone in the division.
When asked about the Preachers 32-12 victory over the Woofpack, Patrice Lindor had this to say: “Aggressive underrated defense was all over the field and Saro had his best game so far.” Nice polite answer Pat! But when pushed a bit further the Pat Lindor we all love added this also: “And ohhhh ya they did a lottt of talkin before the game started, they hoped we prayed before playing them.” My man! That’s the answer we were waiting for! Lindor lead with his play in this one as he picked off Terry Tam for his 3rd INT of the young season. The preachers gear up for the stretch run as they are now back to .500 and have winnable games coming up.

Recaps:

Joanie loves Chachi!

Globo Gym Purple Cobras took to the Loyola field on Sunday night, looking to even their record up against one of the most hyped (overhyped?) teams in Les Verges Folles (LVF), a reestablish their place as a contender in the division. The system-based offense of the Cobras, led by rapidly developing QB Eric Maiorino, marched the field with ease on the opening drive, but couldn’t finish as LVF’s Jocelyn Legault picked them off in the end zone. The euphoria would be short lived, however, as on the very next drive Cobras’ Zack Zwirn created a spectacular INT to get his QB the ball back. With his one mistake out of his system, Mairorino got to work and was nearly perfect the rest of the game.

He distributed the ball repeatedly to his top 3 receivers Zwirn, Alex Joltopuf and Joey Taylor, while accumulating 191 passing yards and 6 TDs in the air. He also kept the LVF defense honest by pulling it down and running for 65 yards on the night. When Maiorino finds the perfect balance between run and pass he becomes extremely difficult to stop, as LVF witnessed firsthand on this occasion. Carrying the load on offense was early ROTY candidate Joey Taylor, who put up another 84 yards and 3 TDs on 7 catches. I’ve said it here before, unless you do your homework and have a determined plan to limit this guy, he will light you up every week. The true hero on this night however, was rusher Dan Lepore. Putting up 2 sacks is always impressive, but the real impact was the constant pressure he applied on LVF QB Zacharie Quiviger throughout the game. Quiviger is a QB who uses his athleticism to buy time for his plays to develop. Lepore would have none of that on this night, as he took advantage of a slow snap to get in Quiviger’s kitchen, and wreak havoc on his game plan.

A huge redzone TD by Joltopuf on the last play before half put this one out of reach before Lady Gaga could jump down from the rafters. The Cobras cruised through the second half and upset LVF 38-14. This game was important for two reasons. First, the Cobras got back on the winning track after two consecutive “let-down” loses. This was good to see because they were a projected top 8 team before the season began, and can now make their way back into the conversation. On the other hand, LVF have been extremely concerning lately, yielding points in buckets to opposing offenses. This game continued that unfortunate trend, and showed us what would happen against a solid opponent if Quiviger didn’t carry them like he had been previously. I hope this defense did some soul searching over the Super Bowl break, as they will be tested each week from here on out.

The Jagys Have No Chill, and I Love It

The Jagys made a significant roster move this past week, sliding Yannick Doston into the QB spot as he continues to recover from an offseason torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. Jean-Felix Daloze gave a valiant effort in the first three weeks, but you could tell that this championship caliber team was being held back somewhat. It appears for now that they’ve found the winning formula, as Daloze puts them over the top with a stacked receiving corps, and Doston brings his experience and poise to the front of the ship. The result was a convincing 26-6 victory over the upstart Buckeyes, who were undefeated in the two games they had played prior (having forfeited in week 2).

Like many new teams to the league, the Buckeyes tried to man up the Jagys on D. As they found out in this one, playing man uniquely is not a winning formula long-term, as they couldn’t keep Daloze and Duschene from breaking open for big gains. The Jagys put up 19 points in the first half, and wouldn’t look back as their suffocating D nailed the casket closed in the 2nd. Playing the Buckeyes tight, and forcing William Robert-Allard to make tough throws into tight windows proved to be successful, as the Buckeyes consistently failed to convert on fourth downs and gave the Jagys preferred field position. Robert-Allard struggled with the deep ball in this one, putting too much power on his throws downfield, which was a testament to the Jagys effective pressure.

The Buckeyes perhaps showed their inexperience a bit in this one, as they gave a veteran team like the Jagys too many opportunities to take advantage of. They shouldn’t be overly concerned though, as they once again demonstrated the athleticism and game breaking talent that will give them an advantage on most weeks. Samuel Lavictoire made life difficult for Doston with 2 sacks and 2 PDs, while Frédérik Lafond contributed 33 yards and a TD on O. On the Jagys side, it was business as usual as this team looks to catch their stride going into the stretch run. Carl Laverdiere had a big game, with 1 INT and 2 PDs, and his defensive running mate David Charron was equally impressive with 3 PDs of his own. The Jagys will have a few soft games coming up to get acclimated to the new rotation on O, before testing themselves against the elite teams in the division prior to the playoffs.

Power Ranking

Oh brother, how I love this division. A week after seeing the bottom shake up, we once again see major moves at the top as both 1st seeds get unplanted. There’s some heated rivalry games being created in the process as top ranked teams slug each other weekly. This is gearing up to be a highly anticipated second half.

Div A

Jaguars (4-0): They keep beating whoever is in front of them in convincing fashion. I’m impressed with how their offense is humming.
Diablos (4-0): Possibly the most complete team with a QB having a career year. There’s no stopping them in the next 2 weeks.

Longhorns (3-1): You can’t blame them for losing a game with their starting QB on vacation. You can blame them for not getting an adequate sub.
TDs and Beer (3-1): Handled LOB fairly easily. They are heating up now. A very scary team to look at in the second half. Brad Evans is an ice cold baller.
KGP Ra (3-1): Most impressed by how you handled the Bruthers with a Cutler not named Phil on the roster. The training wheels are off for this team. They’re for real.
Untitled Seth Galinas (3-1): The fighting Galinas are back on this list after dismantling Les Affreux. A true balanced team. Really interested in seeing them through weeks 7-8.
Les Verges Folles (2-2): It’s tough watching them free fall down the rankings. Build some momentum on D and you’ll get back on track.
LOB (2-2): Look a bit grubby lately and grasping to this list. Need a statement win, BAD.

**On the radar: Pandas (2-1-1): 2 QBs with nearly identical stats. But 2 head chefs seems to be working for them. Telling game vs Longhorns next week.

Div B

Mad Bears (4-0): You inherit the number 1 headband with a huge statement win this week. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Congrats on the great win.
Friends in Low Places (3-1): So Smuda is human after all! Let’s not write them off yet. Should be a scary team when mad.
Rednecks (4-0): 52 PA in 4 games is an amazing achievement. This defense looks fierce. They keep beating quality teams each week. Nothing to dislike so far.
Dreamville (3-0-1): The Catch by Langburt was phenomenal. If you haven’t seen it quickly get on FPF Instagram and do so. They’re in a groove right now.
Trinity (3-1): Shocked us by beating Jean Coutu. How could I not rank them next to the Spartans heading into a colossal week 6 matchup?
Spartans (3-1): See above. Wasn’t shocking to see them beat Takeover, but the final score was.
Jagys and Chill (3-1): I think this may be the optimal roster formation for them going forward. Daloze is now unleashed on the DBs of the division. Be warned.
Jean Coutu (2-1-1): Unfortunate to see a strong team slip after a tie and a 1 point loss versus strong teams. Expect them to bounce back quickly.

**On the radar: Bye Week (3-1): Your inability to consistently score finally caught up to you this week. Let’s hope you can get over the hump going forward.

QB Index

I will revisit each position once every third week throughout the season. Last week was REC, this week we take a second look at the game’s most important position.

Div 5A:

Jimmy-Lee Janvier – Jaguars: (893 Yards, 21 TD, 5 INT, 61.9%, 109.2 QBR)

He’s been the man so far, passing every test that’s put before him with high grades. A smart QB who knows who to use his weapons effectively, he shows poise and polish beyond his FPF years in the pocket. On pace for over 2K yards and 50 TDs is elite, and we look for this signal caller to continue his strong play into the second half and deep into playoffs.

Jon Moodie – The Longhorns: (722 yards, 18 TD, 1 INT, 65.5%, 124.1 QBR)

JM2K would surely be first on this list if he had played a fourth game anywhere near as good as his first three. But, he went on vacation to a tropical island and had his teammates pleading for him to return on social media. Life’s pretty good for JM on the field also, as he continues to slice and dice defenses with quick reads and sharp passes. Anxious to see if he’ll have a post vacation hangover in his first week back. Betting against it though.

Francois Martin – Diablos: (765 yards, 19 TD, 3 INT, 52.6%, 104.7 QBR)

The main reason why the Diablos are thriving so far, Martin finally deserves recognition for a fantastic first half of the season. It seems like he’s finally put it all together this year, and his stats are reflecting his incredible talents. You don’t need an awesome completion percentage when you can throw the deep ball as nice as this guy.

Div 5B:

Antoine Cote – Jean Coutu: (802 yards, 22 TD, 5 INT, 66.3%, 105.8 QBR)

He took a hot start and turned it into…well…a hot first half. This guy hasn’t slowed a tick since week 1. His ability to dance around in the pocket and fire lasers is truly impressive and one of a kind in this sub-division. He could be looking at monster stats by season’s end.

Danny D’Amour – FiLP: (776 yards, 20 TD, 1 INT, 57%, 113 QBR)

Would have likely been first if not for a letdown game versus Mad Bears. It’s been remarkable to see a guy take so well to the position in his first season. The perfect dual threat QB, he’s not afraid to use his legs when needed. We’ll continue to watch if he can make a move on Cote in the second half of the year.

Darick Forgues – Rednecks: (908 yards, 19 TD, 5 INT, 63.9%, 105.5 QBR)

A jaw dropping amount of total yards produced in 4 games, this guy is living up to all the hype he had coming into the season as a young QB to watch. The Rednecks are perfect so far, and you don’t need to look much further than the near perfect play of their QB to tell why. His stock is rising going into the second half, as he’s still the dark horse for the QBOY trophy. Don’t slip, numbers 1 and 2.

Predictions

Another lousy week all around as our momentum is halted following last week’s success. Nic and I are trapped in a Cold War, as Danny sneakily inches his lead a bit further. No worries here, as one big week can propel me back into the lead.

Danny (11-13-2) = (54-46-4)
Nic (10-14-2) = (52-48-4)

Alex (10-14-2) = (52-48-4)

Division A

Alex Danny

Les Affreux Les Affreux

Jaguars Jaguars

Tyrants Tyrants

Division B

Alex Danny

Takeover Takeover

Mad Bears Mad Bears

That’s it for this week! Week 4 of FPF is officially in the books, and week 5 is set to start up in only a few hours. See how fast it goes! Enjoy your time on the field because winter season passes by in a blur. If you have any feedback, concerns, comments or just want a shoulder to lean on you can reach out to me @alexholowach1 on Twitter, or hit me up on Facebook. If you’re craving more div 5 content please see Nic Belleau’s French article, he truly is the best quality writer on this staff. Otherwise, check out the Calling the Audible podcast featuring Peeze and Moe Kahn, it’s a healthy dose of sophisticated silliness to get you through the week. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and make sure to check back next week to find out how week 5 shook out!