Week 3 – Starting to see more parity

 

I’ll address it right away before we get too far in. Yes, I am disappointed that the Patriots are in another Super Bowl.

Go Eagles.

I want to thank everybody for the love and support that I have received over the past several weeks. As a first time writer for FPF, it’s great to see that people are reading and enjoying the content that I’ve been putting together. This league is truly one of a kind.

Division 5 has been interesting to cover to say the least. 5B has shown a lot more parity than 5A, with 8 undefeated teams remaining in 5A and only 4 in 5B. You’ll see later on in my Power Rankings how I divide things up, however it’s still way too early to crown a champ pre-maturely. I strongly believe that in both divisions, an upset can happen any week and every team should always show up ready to play because you never know what will happen.

Without going into too many boring details, I’m sure all of you have had many moments either in school, sports, relationships and your work life where you’re either forced to take an intense look in the mirror and evaluate where things are. I’ve had a week where I didn’t necessarily have to look in that mirror, however a few people close to me kind of drew the picture for me. Like most people, there were a few things I enjoyed seeing and other aspects that I did not enjoy that much.

Regardless of how talented you may be, how hard you work or how you may view yourself, there are always people around you that will criticize your every move or analyze your performance slightly different than how you see it. Whether that means your girlfriend telling you that you need to give her more attention, a colleague at work asking you work harder or maybe getting a failing grade in school. These are all wake up calls and sometimes they just simply mean you need to get out of your comfort zone and step up your game. It’s too easy in life to just do the bare minimum and get by. At the end of the day, what’s the fun in that?

I don’t want to make all of my intros into pep talks or anything close – I will often talk about what’s been going on for me that week, what’s going on in the world or anything along those lines. The truth is, though, in the middle of the cold winter in Montreal where it can be a nightmare to go out on the weekend because of the ice and snow, it’s easy to get trapped in your daily routine and not find the urge to do anything fun, outside the norm. I’ve been using Flag Football to forget about my boss at work, the test I failed at school or the relationships where I need to put in more effort and just try to be a kid again with almost no responsibilities. Even if I am fooling myself for an hour or two, it’s an amazing way to recharge and get just that little bit of energy I need for the rest of the week.

Whether Flag Football does that for you, or whether you may have something else entirely, it’s important to find something that helps you escape or rather, feel young again. For those that know me, I’m generally a huge kid all of the time because I think it’s important to let the little things bounce off you and not stress out too much when life isn’t going your way. I spend a lot of my free time playing video games, reading comics, collecting statues and watching/playing sports. Why? Because the world gives us enough reasons to feel like an adult with a million responsibilities. It’s refreshing to feel young again when you can.

You’ll get to know more and more about me every week and hopefully you enjoy reading about whatever comes up any given week, but at the same time, I want to keep learning more about everybody else. I’m excited for another week of football and hopefully I continue to see a lot of you at the field and get to know you as well.

Here’s my recap for Week 3. Good luck to everybody in Week 4!

 

Week 2 – Recaps

Division 5A

The puns are way too plentiful, Preachers outlast their counterparts.

In an all Holy battle, the Preachers edged out the Bruthers in a very close game. Morgan Tajfel did what he could and had an excellent game throwing the ball and running around in the backfield but just fell short. He bought time almost the entire game and made it difficult for the Preachers to hold their coverages. It’s not often that you see a QB throw for 171 yards and 4 TDs without giving the ball up and still lose. It didn’t help that the Preachers did not have their rusher for this one, probably not the best timing.

Bruthers started strong and scored on a deep play to start the game which set the stage for an offensive battle back and forth. There was no shortage of big plays in this one as Zacharie Quiviger had a 31 yard TD run and another deep pass to Nicholas Saro for a score. Alexis Labonte also score on a deep corner route to score for the Preachers. On the other side, Morgan Tajfel looked to Justin Smolar and Daniel Adler early and often, each accounting for 2 scores.

It got really exciting late in the second half. While the game was tied 27-27, Preachers we’re driving to take the lead when Quiviger threw what should have been a costly interception. Bruthers got the ball back with 5 plays left, but in an offensive game, the Preachers D came up huge and stopped the Bruthers on 4th down. On the final play of the game, in a true Hail Mary fashion, Quiviger threw the ball up which got tipped right into the hands of Nicolas Saro for a walk off TD. What a time to be alive.

 

Bares escape Lockdown

Another team that started strong and never looking back was Texas Baremanz in this one. Texas  Baremanz dominated the first half and never looked back. Jaylan Grandison threw a 40 yard TD on the first drive to Dominic Racine. On defense, they had a bend but don’t break mentality and while Lockdown were able to move the ball, they couldn’t crack Baremanz redzone defense. Tequan John had 2 straight interceptions on back to back Lockdown drives and the wind just seemed to be knocked out of Lockdown’s sail.

Lockdown was able to manage a few scores on missed zone coverages but overall this one was all Texas. Darius Czeczuk was all over the field, amassing 9 tackles and Hennessy Oraye had a huge game on both sides of the ball. Guys, his real name is actually Hennessy. I want to meet his parents, I bet they’re a lot of fun. Does he make the list later? Besides a few bad throws that led to turnovers, overall Jaylan had a great game and averaged almost 20 yards per completion. Lockdown didn’t do a great job of well, locking anybody down.

Lockdown are now sitting at 0-3 and will have a very tough time climbing back into the playoff race, especially considering that they play Longhorns this week and Preachers next week. Spoiler alert, as you’ll see later on, though, Baremanz continue to roll and stay in my top 8.

 

Division 5B

Knights trump the Pirates, who knew?

I have been saying all season that the Black Knights are a strong opponent, and while they got their first win this week, it was against a severely undermanned Pirates squad. I am taking nothing away from the Knights, however I am looking forward to seeing them put it all together against a strong opponent and surprise a few people.

Stephane Larosilliere had a strong game for the Black Knights, throwing for 148 yards and 4 TDs and running for another 10. He spread the ball around and favored Charles Rousseau-Belanger deep, hitting him for 3 long TDs. On defense, as a unit, the Black Knights had 7 pass deflections. While that number is impressive, I would have loved to have seen a few interceptions come from that and just be a little bit more dominant.

The Pirates, on the other hand, we’re missing several key contributors, including their QB, Joseph Kano. The game was never really in control for them and even had a TD called back because of a shovel pass in the red zone. Both teams now sit at 1-2 and will have to play much better than in their first 3 games to compete in the division. Starting below .500 can be deadly.

 

Warriors’ suffer through the process

I have to say that as a Loyola Grad myself, I was extremely excited to see a team enter as the Loyola Warriors. I can honestly say that I am unbiased and have no preference as to who wins or loses in any given week, it’s hard not to be hopeful that they will have success. While I don’t know any of their team members personally, Loyola creates that strong bond regardless and I had a little bit of hope.

That hope continues to die every week as I continue to see them lose or get blown out. I’ll chalk it up to very little experience, but either way, it has not been pretty. The process jumped up by two scores early on a TD by Justin Frankel and the scoring didn’t stop there. Dondree Borden scored another one and Noah Groper was able to take a crossing route and turn it into a long touchdown a la Tavon Austin. Daniel Sananes, a man of few words, had a solid game throwing and running the ball when he needed to.

The Warriors weren’t able to get anything going offensively. 76 total yards will not bring any kind of success and they will need to figure out a different game plan moving forward to try and get their first win.

 

Power Rankings

Division 5A

1. Finessers (3-0) – A strong game against what used to be a top 8 team. Bonus points for making all of their extra points.
2. Greendale Human Beings (3-0) – They are great at putting up points, but they get knocked down to second due to them also giving up a lot of points.
3. Hot Boys Hotline (2-0) – They managed to double their Points Against total, however that D is no joke. They earned a hard fought win against a good team.
4. Grand Lionel (3-0) – They keep rolling. I’m looking forward to their upcoming games against Weasels and Falcons and Preachers.
5. Smokin Axolotls (2-0) – They are a strong team with a lot of experience and just lit up the scoreboard with 51 points. I’d like to see them against some better competition and we’ll see how they do against Mud Dogs this week.
6. Longhorns (3-0) – They edge out Preachers mostly due to a better +/-. I would also argue that Longhorns has had the stronger schedule as well.
7. Preachers (2-0) – Similar to Smokin Axolotls, this team has overcome a few close ones. They have solid weapons in Labonte and Saro and can easily move up the rankings.
8. Hurricane SZN (2-0-1) – That tie really hurts them to compete for a potential BYE if the playoff structure allows it.

 

Division 5B

1. Falcons (3-0) – One of only 3 teams to stay undefeated and have looked very good. The close one against Fun Boys shows a lot of parity in the league, though.
2. Wrecking Crew – They played really well against a good team in Retired All Stars and put up 34 points on a very good defense to claim the 2nd spot overall.
3. Les Affreux – (3-0) – The only team at 3-0 in their division, they finally win a game by more than 2 points. Maybe they are starting to figure things out?
4. Takeover (2-0-1) – Hopefully their tie two weeks ago is an anomaly. Ian Einheiber is in the running for QB of the year, albeit early, but they have not put up the most points in the league by accident.
5. Blue Team (2-1) – Take out one of the best to be the best? Beating TDs and Beer and then Team Y.S. should get the leagues attention.
6. Team Y.S. (2-1) – Their game against Blue Team should humble them somewhat, but they have the offense to compete with anybody in the league on any given night.
7. The Process (2-0) – A bit of a wild card because of one game being postponed, I am curious to see how they fare against Wrecking Crew tomorrow.
8. TDs and Beer (2-1) – This last spot was tough. Punishers and Sterdam also caught my eye, but I worry those two teams may be too one dimensional. Give me TDs and Beer in a coin toss.

 

“You ball, You get the call”

Another week of my favorite part of the article. This week, we are treated to our first two repeat visitors to the segment in Anthony Siggia and Brandon Aylward. To be fair, Siggia told me that he would be back. I believed him, I just did not think it would be so soon. Honorable mention goes to David Horwood on Blue team who I could not find on facebook. If a team member of his is reading this, feel free to get in touch with me and I’ll include him in another week!

A few guys are really starting to separate themselves from the pack already and it’s great to see. There’s an intense QB competition going on in 5A where it’s still anybody’s game, whereas Brandon Aylward is the man on top of all other receivers so far. It’s a much tighter race in 5B for the QBs as is the receiver race, with 5 players around the 200 yard/5 TD mark. Anthony Siggia gets my prediction for two way player of the year though.

Let’s jump right into it and hear directly from the players.

 

Division 5A

Smokin Axolotls – Rory Semerjian – 9 catches, 110 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs

• You guys took care of business on both sides of the ball, how did you make it look so easy?
  • Confidence, we went in there and just wanted to dominate. Wanted to prove that the previous 2 games were only close because we were beating ourselves.
• With 17 catches for almost 200 yards in 3 games, you’ve been Jason’s go to guy. How did you guys build such good chemistry?
  • It’s my 3rd season with Jordan. We have a good relationship on and off the field. He’s been a mentor to me ever since I came into the league. I think that’s what has helped our chemistry grow.
• After 2 close games, was it refreshing to finally dominate a game?
  • It was refreshing, but at the same time I told the guys we have to stay humble. Long way to go. But anytime you win a game like that it’s hard not to feel good. But again, gotta stay humble.

Texas Baremanz – Hennessy Oraye – 5 catches, 90 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 2 PD

• I have to ask, where does the team name come from?
  • Oddly enough, i had he same question when i first joined the team. Turns out that Texas baremanz have been in the league for the past couple years, but i’m not sure which division. Anyways, most players from the previous teams come from LaSalle. People from Montreal sometimes refer to LaSalle as “Texas”, therefore texas baremanz was created. Jaylan Grandison, our quarterback and leader, is from LaSalle and played on the team beforehand. So he just decided to keep the name
• Speaking of names, you probably have the coolest name I’ve ever seen. Any good stories about funny situations you’ve been in because of it?
  • I appreciate that man! My name is really odd to say the least, but i can’t complain, it’s so unique and usually starts a conversation. when i first tell people my name, they usually don’t believe me, and ask for an ID or some ridiculous thing like that. i find it hilarious tho and is always amusing. People always assume i’m an alcoholic because of my name, but i hate drinking. One thing i can say though is that i’ll never turn down a bottle of Hennessy when offered.
• This was easily your best game of the season, should we expect more of this moving forward?
  • This is my first real season of flag, last year i was only a replacement for my other team and only played the last 5 games. I’m also pretty sure they didn’t take down any of my stats either, but anyways. I really like the team we have this year. it’s our first year together as a team, but there is continuous improvement overall and it’s very exciting. I wouldn’t have any success without my teammates, so this goes out to them. My boys Jaylan Grandison, Dariusz Czeczuk, Shaun Sobers, Kieran Ranger Dominic Racine, Tequan Hakim John and Billy Raptis. We help each other ball, and the other teams in the league should watch out for us !

Greendale Human Beings – Brandon Aylward – 11 catches, 156 yards, 6 TDs, 3 tackles

• First player to get mentioned on the segment twice, do you think you’ll have a hard time keeping fans at bay?
  • Glad to have a two good weeks back to back , love the segment. Everyone knows how crazy all the 5A fans are but i think i can handle it haha
• You’re starting to run away from the pack in all stat categories, are you worried teams will double and triple cover you?
  • Im having an unsual good start to the season. Even if this means getting more attention from teams defense’s im game for it. Always down for more chalenging games. If i get triple covered it will open up routes for my teamates wich is always a great thing.
• Was WR of the year one of your goals before the season?
  • Im never too focused on awards but coming off a good fpf cup it was on my mind. Good thing my brother loves to throw me ball haha. But all in all i just want to get wins and put up the best team record we can.

Hurricane SZN – Jarryd Taylor – 17/29, 209 yards, 6 TDs, 3 rushes, 38 yards, 1 INT, 1 PD

• You guys dominated 2 out of 3 games so far, how much does that tie hurt? What happened?
  • Obviously it’s never a good thing to tie, we just weren’t clicking that game, everything was off. missed throws, dropped balls, broken coverages, but rather have those games then than later you know
• I would say that you, Danny Aylward and Ryan Kharouf are the top 3 QBs in the division right now. What gives you the edge over those guys?
  • I don’t know much about ryan but i played against danny last winter, i heard a lot about ryan being flamboyant and stuff, can’t really comment on him, but danny don’t get me wrong, very good qb, with 1 very good receiver, but this year what gives me the edge is my surrounding cast, we have 5 great athletes, not just 1, i have confidence to throw to any of them with no hesitation. Plus now it’s my second year playing Qb in flag, more experience, and overall i think we have the edge.
• Ever get compared to Sunshine? Or am I way off with this one?
  • haha once or twice, but only when my hair is long, when short not even close, plus in real football im a receiver so never really hear that comparison.

 

Division 5B

Punishers – Anthony Siggia – 8 catches, 67 yards, 1 TD, 4 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD

• People may give me grief because the offensive numbers weren’t as explosive as a few other guys this week, but you made the list the second time because of your dominance on both sides of the ball. Which do you prefer, offense or defense and why?
  • Played defense my whole life, so playing offense is obviously a lot of fun, just don’t like to sit on the sideline because I want to contribute to the team effort. Want to give a shoutout to Junior Spera, major contributor to the team win, our qb Adamo Iadeluca for continuously trusting me with the ball
• You lead the league in INTs and sit 4th in tackles, what’s your secret?
  • No secret, hard work period. In 2015 I was the heaviest I ever was at 265, I since then dropped 50lbs, I move quicker and play aggressive to the ball… I train like I am trying to make the Olympics, my friends think I’m crazy but I’ve always been like this.
• What’s something about Anthony Siggia that most people don’t know?
  • For those that don’t know, I’ve been playing football since 11yrs old till about 22, been coaching since I was 15yrs old in st Leo, and now recently coaching at college ahuntsic. Love football more than anything because it gave me all the lasting friendships and memories that I know most guys in this league can relate too…the truth is I want to win a championship with my buddies again so we can have another reason to have a boys night partying.

Sterdam – Sidney Tremblay-Lacombe – 9/16, 67 yards, 2 TDs, 5 rushes, 122 yards, 3 TDs

• Let’s be fair, you made the list because of your ability to rush the ball this week. Do you always look to run first or was it just the nature of this game?
  • Non, J’essaie le plus souvent de passer le ballon, mais j’ai remarquer durant la partie que c’étais mieux de courir a cause que défense était bonne contre la passe .
• You guys have been in 3 close games. What’s the biggest difference between the 2 wins and 1 loss?
  • Nous avons bien jouer dans tous nos match mais pour notre défaite on a juste mal commencer la partie en défense. Après nous nous somme bien repris , mais on a eu un mauvais revirement en fin de partie c’est ça qui nous a fait perdre
• Are you QB1 and William QB2 or is it more complicated than that?
  • Oui ,je suis le premier qb et william le deuxième 

Takeover – Ian Einheiber – 18/42, 209 yards, 7 TDs, 2 rushes, 10 yards

• Your stat lines so far really indicate you love the deep ball, is that accurate?
  • I love the effects of constantly throwing a deep ball; a loose defense. I like to think that I throw to whatever the defense gives me instead of tunnel visioning Will. However, the stats contradict me there also.
• It must have felt good to go out and dominate after a tie last week. What was the biggest difference between both games?
  • We didn’t drop a ton of balls, 2 resulting in pick 6s, this time around. you guys if you are reading this. Just failure to execute. I had 3 chances to end the game on the 1 also and missed open targets. That was a sad tie. Oh,, most importantly; that game was at 11pm and this one was at 8.
• You’re the second member of Takeover to make the article. Come the end of the season, who’s going to be on the segment more, you or Will. Why?
  • Will for sure. My boy! The comparison is like AJ Green & I’m Andy Dalton (from a Bengals fan). Our connection is undeniable, but hes actually good… and I’m just, well; Andy Dalton.