Playing For Keeps: Take it light, but take it

The D-Boys have never started out a season 0-3.

In winter 2017 they started out 1-2, with opening losses against the Finest and Got-Skillz. They then went on to finish 7-3 and ride their late start all the way to a thrilling, high-scoring finals loss to the Finest.

This week they face an intriguing 2-0 Monstars team, brimming with confidence after putting down DK and Got-Fat. Is this a polished team, ready to compete in the thick of D1? Or is it a solid, developing team beating the lower tier teams as they should.

The FPF schedule is a brilliantly designed board of snakes and ladders. With only a breif 10 week window to clamor for rankings and build chemistry, a string of unfortuitous loses could send otherwise good teams reeling down a rapid death spiral. In the same way, ambitious up-and-comers can quickly catapult their team into FPF lore with a couple of huge wins.

We’ll be witnessing both dynamics play out in a single contest this week, a metaphor for growing and falling, life and death. One of these teams will use the other to launch their winter 2019 campaigns this week. The other will be left with questions and doubts.

As for everyone else, week two offically marks the end of spring training. The warm-up games are done, everything from this point on matters. “Rust” and “growing pains” are no longer valid excsues. It’s a jungle out here in div 1 and 2, and only the savage will survive.

No Pressure.

Weekly Thoughts

Worst start by a div 1 champion? The 0-4-1 Old School team in 2010, led by Andy Peterkin and Kevin Wilson.
Through two games Pat Jerome (16-231-7) and the Serge Pilon Jr. (13-184-6) have jumped out to the early lead in the race for MVP. This will be a brilliant race to watch as the season heats up in the coming weeks. Expect these two fierce competitors to really go after it. Oh, and Serge also leads the division with 3 INTs, while Jerome follows him with 2.
It was Dan Lazzara’s week in our humble divisions, as the Heartbreak Kid strung together 440 yards and 12 TDs to 0 INTs while hitting 50/60 passes over 2 victories.
Pardon my French, but there’s a shit ton of interceptions in div 1 so far. Yes, it’s only 2 weeks into the winter season after a long layoff, but as of right now 5 of the 8 QBs are trending to double digit turnover seasons.
The two-headed rusher attack seems to be giving Monstars the edge, as Isiah Allard and Ryan Aridi are averaging 2 sacks per game in a division that rarely gives them up.
SYO has about as much offense through two weeks as Canada Dry has real ginger, that’s to say it’s practically negligible. In any case, nowhere near enough to be good for them. They need to get a QB in there ASAP to rescue the situation. One guy who they need to take a look at: Mario Porreca.

Around the League:

Bad Loss for Bad Boys

Like Charles Barkley lamenting on TNT Postgame after OKC dropped a 17 point lead to the Lebron-less Lakers at home: “This is a bad loss, this is a bad loss.”

You can throw a Shaking My Head in there for good measure.

This was an ugly game for both offenses, who were stuck in the mud all night. Neither of the QBs threw for over 100 yards, but they weren’t helped too much by numerous drops from their receivers.

Chenard just got the Simon Dagenais death knell on Calling the Audible this week, rated as “the worst QB in the division.” I think that’s a bit harsh, and that the guys in the SYO vs Prospects Squad game would have something to say about it. But still, not at all the company you want to be listed in.

This Bad Boys team is just too damn good to be mediocre this season. They’ll need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and regroup quickly against an angry STL team this week. A rematch of Chenard vs Taylor from the div B spring finals should be enough to fire up the juices in this battle of strong 1-1 teams.

As for Terror Squad, give them credit for doing what needed to be done for the win. They can’t rely on these types of wins each week, but they have a chance to build some momentum this week against a winless Killa Bees team.

Nighthawks Crash King’s landing

Both QBs came to ball in this encounter of evenly matched teams. It was a thrilling, back and forth shootout that went down to the wire and was separated by a single stop in the first half.

King’s Landing is basically a Jordan Allard and Anthony Da Silva away from R16 Grip N’ Rip, but those two guys were their top receiving threats. That was also div B, and featured an in-his-prime Vinny Gualano at QB. This week’s version of King’s Landing is a bit soft up front to compete in div 2 at the moment. They’ll need to rely on Sean Avraam’s brilliance at QB to control the tempo of the game and maximize their efficiency. Hopefully some of their injured players return soon and they splice things up with some special guests.

We got the first glance at Rick Nincheri’s Nighthawks team this week, and early returns are positive. He was excellent in his first FPF action since 2017 (not including 35+): compiling 240 yards and 6 TDs while keeping the turnover sheet spotless. The eyebrow raising hero of the night, snapper Tom Gatehouse, reeling in 8 catches for 64 yards and 2 TDs. None were more important than the game winner with under 3 plays to go, out-hustling the man coverage and delivering his team to victory.

Next up, we’ll get a good look at Nighhawks versus a struggling Clockmakers team looking to get right. King’s Landing have a tough draw against a hungry, Terry Tam-led YCSWU team.

Down the Rabbit’s Hole

As I strode into Hebert for Wednesday night football I was greeted by a cacophony of loud yelling and hyperbolic noises.

“What the F is going on in here?” I asked myself as I pushed through the revolving turnstile and into the warm embrace of St-Leo’s dome.

Was there possibly a D-Boys vs Finest game that I missed? Something of monumental consequences, that would merit the type of electric hype that was pulsing across the fields.

As I approached Moe and Simon along the sidelines I had to rub my eyes, and attempt to comprehend the swarming chaotic fusion of black and pink jerseys flying around the turf.

Without rhythm or rhyme, the SYO 4 Life vs Prospects Squad game was an act of carnal sensation. I wish I could do a better job breaking down the technical aspects of the game, but I was positively flummoxed by the distorted realities that were transpiring before me.

“What division is this?” Was the repeated question from all passers-by to our little caravan on the sidelines. The answer provided always took them aback.

In the end, the better team won handily. Kudos to Prospect Squad, who seemed to take a step in the right direction while earning the win. Vincent Lauzon is by no means a polished QB in this division, but he at least installs some structure into this athletic offense.

As for SYO, there’s a lot less expensive ways to get a run in with your boys. Do us all a favor and get yourselves a QB. ASAP.

Recaps:

Braves rejoice in adversity

Clash of characters Saturday night at Lachine, as the brash and boisterous heels of FPF #NR took on the unassuming, blue-collar Braves 2.0. Despite the week 2 listing, this game had some hype, as the two heavyweights would set the tone for conference A early in the season.

#NR jumped out to a rapid 14-0 lead, powered by a methodical opening touchdown to Jordan Moses and a stingy defensive stop on their opponent’s first possession. Corey Pecker was sharp early on, quickly scanning the field and carving up holes in the zone defense. He was distributing the ball equitably to his receivers and kept the Braves defense spread out thin.

A touchdown by Kendal Mayers on the second possession fired up the #NR squad, and with it the trash talking began. The situation seemed grim for the Braves at this point; one sensed that another stop on the pursuing possession would blow the lid off the game before the butter had a chance to cool on our popcorn.

But #NR got hot too soon.

The cool-headed Jonathan Maheu was unfazed, and kept chopping away at the swarming #NR defense. Despite some early inaccuracy, he found his groove as the game progressed. Working the slants underneath to snapper Pierrecin, and taking the top off the defense with bombs to Chevalier, the Braves kept hacking away at their opponent’s lead. Key to this comeback push would be their 2-point converts, which they started hitting in the second half. #NR knew that without another stop, they could scarcely afford a turnover, as their opponents would take back the lead with consecutive scores.

The levees finally broke with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game. Pecker overthrew Travis Moses on and in-route on the Braves’ half of the field, and Pierrecin gladly accepted the critical turnover for his team. Maheu put together his most masterful drive of the night, milking most of the clock before punching the go-ahead score to Courchesne on a redzone drag. With less than a minute to go until 5 plays, after leading all game, #NR suddenly had to drive the field for the win.

The suspense did not last long.

Guillaume Ranger jumped the slant route on the opening play of the drive, taking the INT back to the house and sealing the comeback for his squad. The Braves, who had quietly gone about their business all night, were now happy to remind #NR of their early game trash talking. Ranger bumped Travis Moses and started giving #NR their signature “cooking” hand gesture. Pierrecin stoutly pronounced: “now they can shut the F*** up!”

A few more affectionate expressions were exchanged while #NR carried out their final plays, but it would not matter. The Braves 2.0 emerged victorious 42-32, and now pace conference A with a division leading offense after 2 weeks of play. They’ll look to keep the juices flowing against the Alkaholiks this Saturday.

#NR still have some roster issues to iron out, as Jamal Gittens remains away from the team recovering from injury and Jermaine Parrish-Lewis was absent in this one. They get 11 days off to get right before a nice rebound spot versus Prospects Squad next Wednesday.

FML and Braves Split the Bill

The 1-0 Braves and 0-1 FML met up on Sunday night at Hebert to compare notes on their contender status for FPF’s top division.

The Braves began with the ball and Maheu started leaning on his workhorse early and often. He rode Chevalier into the red zone first, and then the end zone, hitting him four times on the opening drive. A 2 point convert to Lepage had the Braves up 8 to close the possession.

Nadeau-Piuze wasn’t concerned. Forgoing the meticulous approach of his opponent, he fired a strike downfield to a streaking Jourdain Alexis for the rapid reply. The gauntlet was thrown down, and both heavyweights were ready to brawl.

Not to be outdone by his counterpart, Maheu ditched the cautious approach and threw a haymaker right back with a 40 bomb to Chevalier for the score. It was like watching two mythological Gods heaving thunder bolts at each other atop perched cliffs.

FML were short staffed to begin the game, with only 6 players to start. Two-way stars Davidson and Vendrame were both absent on the night, leaving ANP to make lemonade out of lemons. Forget lemonade, the master chef made exotic juice with ingredients he was given.

With 6 plays left until half, the Braves held a 20-18 lead and the ball. They used three of those plays to get within their opponents 5 yard line. Following an incompletion, FML rusher St-Pierre came up with a timely sack, pushing the Braves back to the ten yard line for the final play. A pat down by FML’s Prevost kept the swarming Braves at bay, and gave FML a chance to steal the lead out of the break.

That’s exactly what they did. FML briefly took the lead on a touchdown pass to SNP, only to have the Braves quickly snatch it back with a score to Pierrecin. This game was yearning for something to break the draw.

FML got into Braves territory before their momentum stalled. An incomplete pass on first down, followed by a huge sack from Paiement on second down set up a difficult 3rd and 20 situation. A pat down on third and an overthrown prayer on fourth caused the first turnover of the night.

Maheu noticed that the defense was now keying in on Chevalier, and started working the ball to rest of his staff. A key fourth down situation developed at the FML 1 yard line, but Maheu calmly found his safety blanket in Pierrecin to go back up by 7.

With only a few minutes remaining the Braves went for the kill shot for 2, but missed the convert, leaving FML a final chance to win, lose or draw. The title of this recap foreshadows the conclusion.

ANP casually strode downfield and hit Felix Prevost on the post for the score from 15 yards out. In a bit of a conservative decision, they opted to go for 1 and the tie, rather than risk the win or loss with 2. They converted the 1 point and gave the Braves the ball back with less than minute remaining in the game.

The Braves couldn’t muster a winning drive on this night. They used the entire clock and extra plays to position themselves to midfield for the final heave. Maheu wiggled around the rush and heaved it to Gariepy in the back of the endzone, but the big man was on FML’s radar, as a trio of defenders crashed the spot and knocked the ball incomplete.

Final score 32-32.

Lazzara Throws Wrench into Clockmakers

“Oh mama, there goes that man.”

In a showdown between two contenders with claims to the division at stake, one team showed up to play, while the other showed up to dominate.

Rod Mashtoub set the tone for Khantroversy on Clockmaker’s opening drive, pulling down a stunning, one-handed, fully stretched, statue-of-liberty INT on a soft touch pass from Ryan Kastener. Khantroversy’s offense cleaned up the short field position and jumped out to an early lead. They would not look back from that point on.

Dan Lazzara had his swagger on full display this week, dropping dimes in buckets all over the field. His two main weapons, Gomes and Sam Mashtoub, were simply too fast for the Clockmakers secondary to keep up with. When Dan has the lead and senses blood he becomes an extremely dangerous man.

Ryan Kastner’s Clockmakers offense has now become a topic of hot debate after two sluggish weeks. It seemed at times that he was trying to use too much finesse this week, trying to drop touch passes over the secondary, when rearing back and firing a bullet may have been called for instead. Masciotra is carrying the offense on his back right now, with 154 yards and 3 TDs through two weeks. They’ll need to start further integrating their secondary weapons like Kirouac and especially Lebofsky.

There was a moment in the second half of this game where Clockmakers clawed their way back. After all, this is a gritty bunch. Following their only stop of the night on defense, they marched the field and connected on a fourth down TD to Masciotra. A missed extra left them down 20-19.

With the Clockmakers defense fired up and bearing down on Lazzara, all eyes turned to #12 black. Without batting an eye, the playmaker calmly received the snap and delivered a 30 yard strike to a posting Sam Mashtoub for the score. Straight cash.

On the following possession, Kastner lofted a soft pass along the sidelines to his brother. Jad Aridi read it like a book and sealed it off for the pick.

Khantroversy went on to finish the victory 39-25, and got in the win column in division 2.

Power Rankings:

Montréal finest 2-0 (-): Hold the top spot after a business-like victory over a hungry D-Boys team. The Wyeth-to-Jerome combo is sizzling right now.

FML 0-1-1 (-): There’s a glut of teams vying for spots 2-5 right now. I’ll leave FML here another week, they tied an all-dressed Braves team while missing their two best two-way stars. They’ll get cooking soon.

Braves 1-0-1 (+1): They’ve impressed through two weeks, controlling the game for the most part against FML this past week before giving it up late. They have a great test this week against a fiery Waste Yout team.

D-Boys 0-2 (-1): Blew another first half lead this past week. Can’t do that against the best teams at this level. I still think they’re working off some rust while gelling new pieces. That excuse won’t fly past this week though. They need to close.

Monstars 2-0 (-): Watching them play can be an emotional roller coaster ride. They’re thrilling, fast, and playing with house money this year. Still, the Achilles heel so far has been critical turnovers in kill shot moments with the lead. They don’t want to play with that fire for too long.

Waste Yout 1-0 (-): They looked as good as promised in week 1. They have a chance this week to deliver a big message to the division. We’re all crushing on Monstars right now, but this might be the darkhorse team of 2019.

DK 0-2 (-): Two close losses to start the year, within 1 score each. Let’s not discount this team yet. Rochdi-to-Pilon is the second most unstoppable connection in the division right now. Once they get Hum back from injury it should help close the gap. Until then, they’ll need to find a way to steal a few of these close games.

Got-Fat 0-1 (-): It’s silly what a 1 point swing will do to you. Had they beat Monstars this week the hype would have died down around purple, and these guys would be higher up in the rankings. That just goes to show how close all these div 1 teams are in talent.

#NR 1-1 (-): Give them a pass this week, after leading all game against a tough team, while managing a depleted roster. Still, we’ll need to start seeing their offseason acquisitions on the field soon.

Braves 2.0 2-0 (+4): Upset the hierarchy with a thrilling win against the returning champions. Maheu has won at this level before. He’s the big fish in this div 2 QB pool.

YCSWU 2-0 (+1): Showed their defense could win them a game in week 1, and their offense could steal a victory in week 2. Looking solid all around so far. How about that Terry Tam?

STL 1-1 (-1): Did about all they could to seal the win last week against YCSWU. These guys play with great chemistry on both ends.

Khantroversy 1-1 (+1): revealed their true potential in last week’s victory over Clockmakers. Rod Mashtoub is just a beast to deal with on the defensive end. They’re heating up now.

Clockmakers 1-1 (-4): The biggest drop off this week. It wasn’t so much that they let a game slip to Khan in week 2, it was the way that they did it. The offense has looked sloppy through two weeks.

Bad Boys 1-1 (-): Not quite sure how they didn’t drop after last week’s blunder. We’ve seen enough good things from these guys in the past to give them a onetime pass. I expect a rebound.

Alkaholiks 1-0 (+1): First showing looked solid. They did what they were supposed to against a raw Killa Bees team. Lapierre will find ways to scrap out wins.

Nighthawks 1-0 (+1): Offense was razor sharp this week, with Nincheri spreading the ball around well. Interested to see how they hold up against deeper opponents in the upcoming weeks.

Terror Squad 1-1 (+2): Defense has been coming up big for them so far this year. They get some juice for upsetting a strong Bad Boys team. Will still need to see some life from their offense in the upcoming weeks.

Kings Landing 0-2 (-3): Almost stole a clutch win, despite missing their top notch talent. Going through some roster inconsistency right now, hopefully they can steal a win or two until they iron out their lineup.

Killa Bees 0-2 (-1): Thought that they would have done better last week against an Alkaholics team with roster holes. Interested to see if a trend arises with tough defenses bullying them around.

Prospect Squad 1-1 (-): They were the better team than SYO, plain and simple. Controlled the pace of the game all night. Nice first win, now try to shock us with a second.

SYO 4 Life 0-2 (-1): Cannot accurately assess their talent because they lack a QB capable of organizing this potentially explosive offense. For now it’s just a mess. Let’s check back in a few weeks.

Avraam’s Spreads:

I decided to splice things up for the projections going forward. Welcome to Avraam’s Spreads, where the old head of FPF will play bookie on a weekly basis, handicapping the games for us with just the right amount of juice. Oh, and I also brought along Simon Dagenais for the ride, he’s known these divisions better than anyone the past few years. Enjoy!

Braves 2.0 (-4) vs Alkoholics

2.0 is coming off an emotional high against #NR, while Alkoholics looked alright after all in their first showing of 2019. I can see Alkoholics pushing around 2.0 early on, but will they have the depth to hang around down the stretch?

Alex’s pick: Braves 2.0

Simon’s pick: Braves 2.0

Terror Squad (-6) vs killer Bees

Terror squad roughed up Bad Boys last week, and have looked solid defensively the past 2 weeks. But have they shown enough offensive fire power to cover this spread?

Alex’s pick: Killer Bees

Simon’s pick: Killer Bees

YCSWU (-10.5) vs King’s Landing

YCSWU riding high after nailing a game winner against STL. King’s Landing are desperate for a win, but feel like they have an edge on surprising this opponent.

Alex’s pick: NA

Simon’s pick: King’s Landing

Khantroversy (-18.5) vs SYO 4 LIFE

The great and mighty wrath of Khan should roll over their helpless opponents in this one. It’ll be a feeding frenzy for AJ Gomes and co. But by how much?

Alex’s pick: Khantroversy

Simon’s pick: Khantroversy

Clockmakers (- 4.5) vs Nighthawks

Clockmakers have looked vulnerable through two games. Will Ryan Kastner come out and show us all that he’s still got it this week? Also, can this Nighthawks receiving corps create last week’s magic against this stiff defense?

Alex’s pick: Clockmakers

Simon’s pick: Clockmakers

Stl (-6.5) vs Badboys

STL played well enough to earn the win last Saturday. They’ll look to get back on the winning track versus Bad Boys this week. The Bad Boys will look to prove that last week’s offensive dud was a fluke.

Alex’s Pick: Bad Boys

Simon’s Pick: STL

NR (-13) vs Prospect Squad

NR got hit for the first time last week, let’s see if they have the heart to get right back up and into it. Prospect Squad is feeling good about themselves after demolishing SYO this past week. Can they show some of that magic versus a solid opponent, or was it a flash in the pan?

Alex’s pick: NR

Simon’s Pick: NR

MTL Finest (-9.5) vs DK

Lost in all the narrative this week was yet another Finest win over D-Boys. These guys are just quietly going about their business. DK needs to start feeling a bit of desperation. This is a tough draw for them at 0-2, but they’ve played the Finest tough in the past.

Alex’s pick: MTL Finest

Simon’s pick: DK

Dboys (-6) vs Monstars

This is the game of the week for both divisions. Will we see the D-Boys of old, or just the old D-Boys? Despite showing some minor growing pains, their defense has been as tough as nails for 2 weeks. It’s time for their offense to put up. As for Monstars, this is your moment under the spotlight. You’ve got our attention. What will you do with it now?

Alex’s pick: D-Boys

Simon’s Pick: Monstars

Braves (-3.5) vs Waste Yout

Ouff…tough game, with some potential for fireworks. Waste Yout looked amazing offensively versus DK last week, Braves are a different beast entirely. Lazzara vs Maheu is definitely the QB showdown of the week. Can Lazzara finally exorcize those winter 2017 demons?

Alex’s pick: Braves

Simon’s pick: Waste Yout

FML (-12.5) vs Got-Fat

The FML offense has been rolling through 2 weeks, and still hasn’t reached its apex. Got-Fat played Monstars tight, expect a repeat performance this week. I like FML, but this spread might be too high.

Alex’s pick: Got-Fat

Simon’s Pick: Got-Fat

That’s it for this week. Week 2 of FPF is officially in the books, and week 3 is set to start up in a few hours. 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 content please check out the Calling the Audible podcast featuring Moe Khan, Peeze and Simon, it’s a healthy dose of absurdity 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 3 shook out!