Winter 2019 Division 6 and 6D Preseason Power Rankings

Peeze’s Playbook

Pre-Season pt.1

By Paolo Della Rocca

The NFL season is now reaching its conclusion and as the remaining games dwindle into a final crescendo, a huge slate of FPF games lay ahead. At this point there are more questions than answers. For the best among us, we suppress our nerves. The uninitiated look to the season with youthful exuberance. It’s time to flush out the booze and grease from two weeks of partying to get ready to compete. Without further ado here are the teams that I believe will be the most competitive in Division 6 and 6D.

The Split

Before we get started, I feel it is important that we discuss the split of teams. I wrote an article describing our rationale and the methodology behind our split here:

https://www.flagplusfootball.com/en/news/2066

Have a look so you can better understand why teams were placed in division 6 and why some were placed in Division 6D.

Dramatis Personae

For those not familiar with Latin or who have never held a playbill in their hands, this section is to offer a quick introduction to the people responsible for the media content for this division. I will list them and then craft a series of lies so that the actual content in each paragraph becomes a veritable Where’s Waldo.

Peeze: If you’ve played in FPF for some time I may be familiar to you. For some time I’ve realized my work is either loved or hated by FPF players. Believe it or not I do wear that as a badge of honor. I firmly believe that it is my job to report what I see and analyze it based on how I interpret the events, story lines and headlines. Often times, this may contradict how you see your team and your own performance. I try my best to be fair and I am always available whether you agree or not.

Feel free to message me on Facebook @ Peeze Della Reeze or criticize me publicly by tweeting me @PeezeFPF. If there is enough hate mail I will likely turn it into a segment in this article. For the moment, I can say that I’m happy to be covering the largest division in the sport and I look forward to watching your games all season long!

Marc Andre Desaulniers: MAD will be writing the French language companion to my article. Between the two of us we will attempt to have a wide range of coverage that will encompass as many stories as we can on a weekly basis. Do check both articles for shared segments. At times he can be short sighted but then I remind myself that I can’t be disappointed in being original. Reading MAD’s articles remind me that I’m more akin to Highlander in that “there can be only one”!

Moe Khan: Broadcaster and scorekeeper extraordinaire. Moe Khan and I have worked together for a long time. He may read as much of the teleprompter as Ron Burgundy but everyone who knows him best will agree he’s more Veronica Corningstone. Moe hosts the weekly podcast Calling the Audible where we will break down each division every single week!

Simon Dagenais: There isn’t a lot we can say about Simon Dagenais that won’t irritate me. Jokes aside there is not a person with as many abominable trait that I still love. /my therapist says that I suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. I fear he may be right. Simon works with me on Calling the Audible as an analyst.

The Eagle at Master Control: Touching knobs and pushing buttons; Eagle may never be able to keep his hands to himself. Before you insist that I call HR, remember that without him you’d never be able to hear my sensuous, sultry voice or see my pretty Blue Eyes on the podcast. He keeps the entire ship afloat and that’s why we hate him.

Chris Rivest: The video specialist joins our podcast team and will serve as the director of additional content. His artistry is undeniable and while his IMDB may be full of titles you will never see, his off-kilter personality make him a great fit for Calling the Audible’s odd band of misfits.

Division 6 Power Rankings

This is my favorite thing to do. While, I dislike predictions in sports, I do like making grandiose, largely-unfounded statements about teams and the seasons that they’ve yet to play. The main reason I love doing it is that a few moments upon reading the article neither you or I will remember what I wrote. It’s like being a single Matlock episode to the elderly. Here are the elite 8 from each division.

Unknown Talent: UT seems like a fairly ridiculous name at this point. We all know the names Alex Barazzoni, Nicholas Gomes-Rissi and Raffaelle Morelli have all become household names. Morevoer, they have the honor of having beaten a team for an FPF cup win while only rostering 5 players in that game. Taking advantage of a loophole that doesn’t allow for FPF to re-rate players after the fall season, this band of heavy hitters are the heavy favorite in a divison that sholudn’t offer too much competition. I guess some would rather be a big fish in a small pond.
Pension Plan: I call agism! In the last full season that Vince Pisano was healthy I made the case that he should have been quarterback of the year. In his last full, healthy season at quarterback Pisano threw 42 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions while throwing for 1600 yards. Coupled with the fact that Anthony Siggia is also healthy to enter the season and Junior Spera is as unguardable as ever. Pension Plan is esentially a division 5 team competing in a lighter weight class.
D2: The Mighty Ducks: Consider this the last time I use the full team name for the rest of the season. Matt Domon returns to this championship caliber roster and they’ve added FPF veteran JD Joly. The giant targets that are Renaud St.Laurent and Karim Sy-Morissette. D2 have all the makings of a box office his for the Winter 2019 season.
Hot Sauce Sports: The team is as always well built and the additions of Gianni Frassetti and George Aifantis make add talent to one of the most talented and most experienced rosters. As always William Power will be the top threat and will be on everyone’s radar. However, as has always been the case with this group, their success will largely hinge on the health and production of their quarterback position.
Dawg Pound: If the names Evan Frank, Ryan Castiel and Shayne Feinberg are familiar to you they should be. They are the core of The U and after completing a huge upset win for a championship this Spring. While the details of how this team is configured will remain a mystery until week 1, I consider this to be one of the better built rosters in division 6!
Green Monster: Last Winter Patrick Jazon and I exchanged words regarding Green Monster’s chances in the post season. My concern was that despite having a great defense they simply wouldn’t be able to score enough to be competitive in the postseason. Quarterback Jason DeSouza got hurt in their last playoff run. He doesn’t appear to be on their roster this season so perhaps they have taken the strides they believe will make them a team better built for playoff success.
Warriors: Benji Zeigler is simply the best player in the division. Mitch Fergenbaum is a Quarterback who is still developing but a tool like Zeigler will help whenever his accuracy is not quite where it needs to be. Zak Sigler is also a great rusher and while the Warriors are moving up from division 6D (where they were Sick Bic), I think the athleticism will allow them to be competitive despite moving up slightly.
NWO: With NWO I am always torn. They are a stalwart in Division 6. However, the fact that they can’t move up means that this may be a team destined for the middle of the pack. That said, call me the eternal optimist. I like Michael Sanchez’s style and while the playbook is a little puzzling it best suits his strengths. Adding former U Ottawa player JS Collin may be the missing piece they needed.

Division 6D

BBallers: By virtue of how we rank teams and divide teams between Division 6 and 6D BBallers fall into division 6D. The team has only Charels Verrault and Gabriel Wiseman who are familiar FPF players. That said this team has accolades outside of FPF and we expect them to win their way into the higher bracket come playoff time.
Fightin’ Tigers: Seth Galina’s crew is talented but struggled in Division 6 last winter. However, now, with a season under their belt and having been relegated I expect the LSU themed team to play at a high level against teams that are still developing. I don’t know how they will fare if they move into the higher bracket in the postseason but either way expect a quick turnaround for Fightin’ Tigers.
Bud Knights: OK, so despite having been wrongly proclaimed as the best defense in FPF history by Simon Dagenais, Bud Knights still proved to be a tough team to compete against in the FPF Cup. They re young and now they are experienced. They’ve added FPF veteran Stephen Harripersaud. While he can’t throw in division 6 he certainly will help team Dilly Dilly have a successful first winter season.
DGC: The return of Foti Evangelista from his ACL injury will be welcomed by DGC who recently have improved under quarterback Sean Martin. His arm strength lacks something to be desired. However, the play-calling and his ability to read a defense has improved. Mountain man Massimo Cannucci is a reliable target and will help DGC move the ball on offense and Evangelista’s return will certainly help the defense. Don’t be surprised to see a huge season for DGC.
MACDO: Organizationally this team is a disaster. They don’t have jerseys (a situation I hope was rectified in the off season), and the team has only 5 players listed on the roster. However, what they lack in the ability to organize a team they make up with in youth and exuberence.I liked this group best with Phillipe DeQunzio under centre. Let’s hope he can get a full season in.
Llamas Pyjamas: I like Olivier Godard. He throws really hard and his teammates struggled holding on to passes. Making the right kind of throw for the right route is important to the maturing quarterback. Some routes get open on their own and some need to be thrown into a window. This is something he will learn quickly and I think this team will be far improved from the Fall season.
Rosedale Renovations: I’m not sure who will be throwing for this team as former Face Jazz Quarterback Eddy Rousseau is not on the team. Azeem Bailey may be the next most competent arm on the team but he is at his best as a receiver (and ever more so as a defender). Rosedale Renovations have a ton of talent and barring the inability to find a competent pivot this team will be very competitive,
Past Our Primetime: So I don’t know a ton about this team. I do know that Joshua Vasquez can’t throw in this division. He is also a very ocmpeittent receiver and a smart player. Past Our Primetime may be an implosion in the making but in Vasquez I trust. His added ability to coach up whoever’s throwing may likely see him have a season like Tom Zorko had with Vasquez throwing in previous seasons.

Thursday’s Turnip Trauma

Go ahead, tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’m crazy. Tell me why your team is improperly ranked! Do so ideally on twitter @PeezeFPF where I will then use your words as my content. Also, tell me a little about yourself and your teams. Sometimes we discuss the games and the teams involved while not being entirely armed with all the information possible. Make our jobs easier by reaching out to the media team.

For further analysis, tune in to the official FPF Division D podcast Calling the Audible where Moe Khan, Simon Dagenais discuss things that will never happen, how full a house can actually get and the key differences between strapping-in and strapping-on. Stay tuned for information about when and where you can watch it. Until then, if you have any questions, comments or demands you can reach me on Twitter @PeezeFPF (as I am on most social media) or by messaging me on Facebook @Peeze Della Reeze. I’m also an avid poster/moderator on the FPF group page.

Have a great and safe first week of action. See you at the fields!