Division 5A Midseason Report

5A

Here’s a breakdown of how teams have performed so far and a look to the second half of the season. Enjoy!

 

Conference A

 

Super Saiyans (4-0)

Grade: A

Coming into their third season together, they are stronger than ever. Jordan Allard has really set the pace for the division when it comes to consistent quarterback play and their defense has been outstanding, holding teams to only 65 points in 4 games, which is just over two touchdowns per game. How are they doing that? Well, it starts with Gianni Johnston, one of the best rushers in the division at an underrated position. If you take away precious time to throw the ball, you’ll have a lot of trouble and that’s how much Johnston means to this team. To beat them, you’ll also have to find a way to slow down a solid group of receivers including Troy Rothdram leading the way, followed closely by Tom Gatehouse and Dylan Segall. They’re currently undefeated which is exactly what you’d expect, but last week was a close one against Buffalo Wild Wings and they have a tough matchup against the Ravens this week. Their schedule isn’t easy but if they can finish 9-1 or 10-0, you can easily lock them in as the favorite to win it all.

Predicted Record: 9-1

Most Intriguing Player: Jordan Allard

 

Bruthers (4-0)

Grade: A+

They get my highest grade simply because of the fact that I would be nobody had them at the top of their power rankings to start the season, even if they had Steve Sanner on their roster. This team simply has a group of players who are stepping up at the right time and Sanner is playing well enough at the QB position to give them a chance every night. It helps that he’s captaining the defense as well and putting guys like Sam Elkaim and Daniel Adler in the right position to make plays. Sanner is making everybody around him better, including Adam Browman on the offensive side of the ball who is probably having his best season ever. If this run continues, they could be a dark horse to win it all. They have beaten some really good teams including Rollin’ with Mahomies and Flamants Fous. Sky is the limit.

Predicted Record: 8-2

Most Intriguing Player: Daniel Adler

 

No Show (3-1)

Grade: B-

The grade mostly just reflects their inconsistency as we really don’t know what kind of lineup they will field each and every night. Just taking a glance at their roster, they certainly know the right kind of players to be successful but the question remains, will they show? Their name suggests one thing, but Eddy Lee is a long standing FPF player that knows how to turn it on when it counts and he’ll definitely tell you all about it as well. It’s truly difficult to evaluate them on their body of work as they constantly have a different team, so hopefully the second half sees more consistency.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: All of them

 

Rollin’ with Mahomies (4-1)

Grade: A

I’m fresh off playing these guys and they are solid across the board, there’s no question. Quiviger is an excellent quarterback with a lot of weapons and playmakers on defense that you may not have heard of, starting with Julien Nelson. This guy is athletic as they come and prowls the middle of the field, doing it all for Mahomies. He played so well against us that Marco Masciotra tried to get him to sub in Division 1. This team has a ton of weapons to compliment Nicolas Saro who is in the running for wide receiver of the year and just like their namesake the Chiefs, they can put up a ton of points – they’re actually dominating in the Points For category with almost 35 points per game. Their biggest matchup in the second half of the season will be against the top seed Super Saiyans, and that should give us some extra info once we see the battle of the titans.

Predicted Record: 8-2

Most Intriguing Player: Julien Nelson

 

Buffalo Wild Wings (3-2)

Grade: B+

They’re two losses come against very solid teams in Les Voyous and Super Saiyans, so you can forgive the record a little bit. Tristan Rinaldis is a good young QB in this league but can have the tendency to over throw his receivers and have a few wild balls. His completion percentage and TD/INT ratio need to improve if they want a chance at the title, but they definitely have the pieces to compete. The rest of the season will serve as more practice for the young QB and that will help a lot. Something they aren’t concerned with? Their defense. They have 8 turnovers so far and a defensive touchdown and will continue to be a thorn at the sides of opponents. They have a great amount of depth on both sides of the ball to compliment Guillaume Vezina and Marc-Alexandre Piette and overall have great chemistry together. Consistency and continuing to create turnovers will be huge for them and I believe they can do some damage in the playoffs if they get hot at the right time.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Guillaume Vezina

 

Tip Top Shape (2-3)

Grade: C-

A solid team on paper, you can argue that they have fallen short of expectations to start the season. Led by an FPF veteran in David De Andrade, his quarterback play has actually been excellent to start the season but they are losing close games to tough opponents, which helps makes the argument that they are a middle of the pack team. Charles Verreault and Henry Dam have benefited from a generous offense but on the defensive side of the ball, De Andrade is doing most of the work. Teams have figured out that to be successful, they need to simply air the ball out away from him and there is the potential for a big play. One of the positives for this team is that their second half schedule is much easier than the first half, so hopefully the tight games can serve as experience for the playoffs. I think getting Jean-Christophe Ferland more involved would also help a lot.

Predicted Record: 5-5

Most Intriguing Player: David De Andrade

 

Broccasion (2-2)

Grade: C+

After dropping their first two games of the Justin Cerantola quarterback project, they are starting to put things together. I checked, and the last time Justin played QB for more than just one game was back in 2010. Looks like he filled in for his brother, but regardless, he has the potential to put up very good numbers throwing the ball to Kristian and Michael Timmis. This team has a lot of experience and knows how to win, so the win/loss column will be highly dependent on Justin’s play. Their schedule for the remainder of the season is probably on the easier side of things and they have a knack for being in close games. I like their defense and haven’t been blown out ever, but I think they’ll need to cause more turnovers to help the offense out. The worst thing that can happen to them is to get down early and to force Justin into trying to do everything by himself.

Predicted Record: 5-5

Most Intriguing Player: Justin Cerantola

 

Flamants Fous (1-2)

Grade: D

This is a team that I high hopes for at the beginning of the season and they have not really lived up to expectations. Granted, they have a small sample size for some reason, but any team made up of Felix-Antoine Lavigne, Thomas Coutu and Nicolas Schaefer would normal yield better results. Now that I look at it, how have they managed to only play 3 games when most teams have played 5 by now? I guess that’s a little bit off topic, but what is more on topic is that ultimately they’re not scoring enough points. Schaefer is a QB who needs to have the timing down with his receivers and when that’s not there, he can be seen as inaccurate. On defense, everything revolves around Thomas Coutu. One of the nicest guys I’ve met playing FPF, but he’s mean on the field and can attack the quarterback with the best of them. He allows the rest of his teammates to always be in good position to make plays and they need to continue to build around that concept. This team can certainly turn things around – they definitely have the pedigree and the athletic ability to do so.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Nicolas Schaefer

 

Tents & Hammocks (1-2)

Grade: C+

Another team with only 3 games at the mid-way point of the season? What is going on!? This team may look a little disorganized when you look over in warmups or glance at their team picture as I am doing right now, but I’ve been told to never judge a book by its cover and other teams in the division should follow the same wisdom when it comes to Tents & Hammocks. Led by Brandon and Danny Aylward, Alex Joltopuf and newcomer Joey Taylor, they have tons of experience in FPF and that may be their biggest asset. It’s fitting that Danny Aylward has added Joey Taylor to the squad as his quarterback play resembles the infamous Joey Taylor offense with a heavy usage of Alex Joltopuf from the snapper position with occasional deep hooks or ins to Brandon and Joey. They’ve lost both games by a combined 3 points to solid teams and they will only get better as the season goes on. Brandon has been efficient to say the least and their defense is flying around, causing 6 turnovers in those 3 games. The one concern I have is their difficulty of schedule. They have Buffalo Wild Wings coming up followed by the Super Saiyans, Tip Top Shape and then Bruthers, a stretch that will define their season.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Alex Joltopuf

 

Nakatomi Survivors (0-4)

Grade: F+

I hate to admit this, I had to look this one up to understand the reference. Whether it’s in reference to the old Windows video game or the Die Hard movie, it’s safe to say that both of those would still be more entertaining today than what they have been able to put on the field. I may eat my words as I’m playing them this week, but to that I say, “Yippie-Ki-Yay Motherfucker!” I’m not 100% sure I’m allowed to swear in these articles, but it wouldn’t feel write to add that in any other way. Back to the product on the field, the revolving door of quarterbacks just aren’t producing enough to make up for the 25+ points they are giving up every game and the Addona brothers can’t do much to help. With Bruthers and Super Saiyans on the docket as well, not even John McClane can save these guys.

Predicted Record: 2-8

Most Intriguing Player: Anthony Addona

 

Les Voyous (1-3)

Grade: D+

Full disclosure, this is probably that one team in the Conference that I know the least about and that I haven’t really seen play, similar to Simon’s confession on the podcast. It’s now Sebastien Dallaire’s 4th season in FPF throwing the ball and he finally seemed to come into his own last game. I guess Nakatomi Survivors can do that for your QB. Raphael Belice stepped up in a big way and is emerging as Dallaire’s favorite target but to truly evaluate their first half, their woes have been more on the offensive side of the ball. Maxime Ulrich and the rest of their defense have stepped up when needed and 6 turnovers and a defensive score have been a bright spot for this team. Overall, their schedule to close out the season isn’t overly difficult and should they find a way to get to .500 before the end of the season, they have an outside chance to make the playoffs.

Predicted Record: 4-6

Most Intriguing Player: Sebastien Dallaire

 

Texas Rangers (0-4)

Grade: F

This one is tough since I recently joined them, however as much of a tough critic I can be sometimes, I’m even tougher on myself and my squad. Kieran Ranger described this group perfectly when he reached out to me and that’s we have a lot of raw talent. Getting Jaylan Grandison back would obviously be huge for us, however even without him, we definitely have the pieces to be better than our record shows. In my first game, I was impressed by Tequan John’s all around ability and leadership, Trey Grant has a ton of speed and can make plays on both sides of the ball and Justin Blackie is as dependable as they come in the middle of the field. It’s pretty clear that we’re lacking chemistry and that should come with time, but you should definitely never count us out.

Predicted Record: 4-6

Most Intriguing Player: Tequan John

 

Conference B

 

Outlaws (4-0)

Grade: A

At this point, does anyone ever really doubt Stephen Harripersaud and his ability to not only throw the ball, but to put a solid team together? I’m learning every year that these guys know how to win and the combination of Josh Levine, Kevin Smuda and Shyanne Stewart have been ballin’ this year. Shyanne has been especially impressive this year, playing more determined and ball hungry and that’s a dangerous thing for opponents. They’ve averaged 34 points per game while only giving up 21 on average which is obviously the right way to win games. It’s hard to imagine any of their remaining opponents being able to beat them except for Rollin’ with Mahomies which will be a game to watch. That being said, their combination of skill and experience is what most teams strive for and one of the few teams I would ever pick to go undefeated.

Predicted Record: 10-0

Most Intriguing Player: Shyanne Stewart

 

GLC (4-1)

Grade: B+

Their last game against the Ravens definitely set them back at least a half grade in my book, this team’s strength revolves around Hai Minh Luong’s ability to spread the ball and keep you guessing. They’re a solid team and you won’t see them get blown out in this Division with a lot of capable players on both sides of the ball, led by Mendy Cardichon and Kevin Lubin. If there was one knock on this team it’s that they have not played as difficult of a schedule as some of their counterparts and we may be overreacting slightly. I don’t think it will be until the last 3 weeks of the season where we will find out what they are really made of when they play against the Super Saiyans and Outlaws. One thing is for sure, adding Riccardo Desrosiers would be a huge boost.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Mendy Cardichon

 

Voodoo (3-1)

Grade: A-

I’ve seen this team play a few times and the one thing that stands out to me every single time is just how much fun they are having out there. They play loose and it shows. Even after a few mistakes, they are right back at you, usually in your face led by Patrick St-Armand and Kevil Marcil (even with one hand). You just have to admire the way Frank Kaye leads by example and just sets the tone for the group. One thing I enjoy every time is that any time he makes a mistake or over throws his receiver, he will jokingly get mad at that receiver for not jumping high enough or doing enough for the ball. I can tell his teammates love playing with him and would jump through a brick wall for him and in my own opinion, that’s probably one of the better compliments I could ever get. Looking at the numbers, Frank is playing great football, especially considering most of his interceptions came in the same game, and I’ve been impressed with Angelo Garafolo’s ability to step up when called upon as well. This team is my dark horse to make a successful playoff run this season.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Angelo Garafolo

 

KeepItTogether (2-1)

Grade: B+

Another team with a small sample size but one that has surprised me a little bit to start the season. They have performed very well, especially in their last game and only lost to GLC by 2 points. Joseph Buffone is a capable quarterback who may not be performing to potential, but is doing enough to get this team a few wins. They are in tough this week against Rollin’ with Mahomies that will most likely bring them back down to earth, but they definitely have the pieces on paper to keep them competitive. Anthony Lazzara provides a big target and a lot of FPF experience and it will be interesting to see if anybody else really steps up for this team. The combination of Anthony and Angelo D’Onofrio has been great on defense and teams in general should definitely take these guys seriously. I am looking forward to how they do down the stretch.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Anthony Lazzara

 

Spartans (2-2)

Grade: B

The Spartans, in my eyes, are your prototypical .500 team that does well against the weaker teams in the division, but will have trouble against the top tier teams. Don’t get me wrong, they have a few good pieces, but they have struggled to put together solid stretches of play. James D’Andrea is not having his best season, his completion percentage has never really exceeded 55% and his interceptions are a little higher than usual as well. He truly runs a hit or miss offense and on those drives where he misses two or three in a row, it could put the Spartans in a hole. As a result, none of his receivers really jump off the page and they all share the workload. Andrew Grant and Alexandre Noel have the potential to do a lot more but aren’t really getting the opportunities. Finally, on defense, they aren’t doing much to get turnovers besides Daniel Hernandez who literally carries the team on that side of the ball. It’s tough to find anything negative to say, but you’d be hard pressed to find an overwhelming amount of positive also.

Predicted Record: 5-5

Most Intriguing Player: James D’Andrea

 

Big Fun Party Mix 8 (2-2)

Grade: B-

As Cris Collinsworth would say… Now here’s a team that has a great group of guys… Ok doesn’t work so well when you write it out. My point is the same, though, as they’re a group that you want to see succeed. Losing by 1 point to GLC hurts, but my overall feeling towards this team is that every game we will see a big game by somebody, but they’ve had struggles being consistent and getting a complete game from everybody. They have a few solid weapons which include Rico Tulino and Zackary Alberts-Gill who both ball out on offense and defense. Evan Ely Nolet doesn’t have the biggest arm in the division but he’s a smart decisive quarterback who will take advantage if you’re slacking. They have an incredibly tough second half of the season and they’ll need a few bounces their way if they hope to make the playoffs. Dream Chasers and Touched By An Angeletti are their most winnable games and the rest will be tough.

Predicted Record: 5-5

Most Intriguing Player: Rico Tulino

 

Palpatine (2-2)

Grade: C-

Ah, Palpatine, and my good friend Marc-Andre and company. To say this season has been a roller coaster would probably be an understatement and that has been evident by their play on the field. Marc-Andre has missed a game, where we saw Mathieu Domon fill in quite nicely and get them a win, but we have also seen two games with Desaulniers under center when they have scored 6 or fewer points. I’m not sure exactly what happened between Marc-Andre and Luis Begin, but that’s a huge hit on Palpatine. They’ll have to figure out a way to use their remaining weapons including both Vincent and Jean-Felix Marquis and Philippe Aussant to name a few. It’s all about chemistry for these guys and in my opinion, Marc-Andre just needs to get the ball out of his hands quickly and let his receivers do their thing. Maybe they were just doomed from the start as the Star Wars Gods shunned them for putting Dark Vador on the back of a jersey. Who knows.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Philippe Aussant

 

Dream Chasers (1-2-1)

Grade: C

Experience can do some funny things in FPF. Not just overall experience, but experience playing together as a team. While some of the guys on Dream Chasers have played together before, it’s the first time we see this unit put together and we’ve seen mixed results. They have shown that they can score by putting up 50 on the Longhorns, but they also got dominated twice to start the season by Voodoo and Outlaws, two of the top teams in the conference. Have their most recent games been a sign that they are slowly forming some chemistry? Only time will tell. Ben McMahon has played well at the quarterback position, but has been plagued by a subpar completion percentage and too many interceptions. While Hasani Worrell and Kevin Donnet are leading their team, I actually think they should be even more involved to give Dream Chasers the best chance to win. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier, so they’ll have to figure it out quickly.

Predicted Record: 4-5-1

Most Intriguing Player: Hasani Worrell

 

Touched by An Angeletti (1-2)

Grade: C-

The grade is a reflection on the fact that we just simply haven’t seen them do anything spectacular in their small sample size. It’s never a good thing for your quarterback to have more interceptions than touchdowns, but somehow, Shayne Feinberg is being helped out by his defense and they are staying in close games. They lost to GLC by only 7 and by a convert to Spartans in a very low scoring game. They have 6 interceptions on defense in 3 games, the trouble is Feinberg has thrown 7. They also tend to rely heavily on Cory Schiffman and will need other players to step up down the stretch. I’ve covered them before and they can have huge games, we’re just still waiting to see it.

Predicted Record: 4-6

Most Intriguing Player: Cory Schiffman

 

Longhorns (1-3)

Grade: D

The grade is a little bit harsh simply because I expected big things from them as I always do. In my eyes, they’re not old, they’re wise. The team as a whole has probably played more football than the entire division combined and that’s not something to be overlooked. They seem to have struggled out of the gate and Jon Moodie has yet to find his rhythm from last season and it shows. He’s thrown a few too many turnovers and has not utilized his roster to their full potential. Adam Rosen has been their stud on both sides of the ball, and he along with Jazon really add a lot of athleticism to the squad. They managed to beat a solid Ravens team but probably should be sitting at 3-1 right now instead of 1-3 but sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles. Their remaining schedule isn’t overly difficult and I could easily imagine them finishing around .500 and then really shake things up in the playoffs. Just because they’re at the bottom of the standings doesn’t mean they should be taken lightly.

Predicted Record: 4-6

Most Intriguing Player: Adam Rosen

 

Ravens (1-3-1)

Grade: F

I’m not sure which team has been more disappointing, the Longhorns above or these Ravens. They are coming off a solid win against GLC which hopefully is a sign that they are turning the corner, however I just don’t understand the struggle here. They have one of the most talented rosters in the division, it seems like they have yet to gel on defense. It’s nice to be able to score points, but they are in the bottom 3 in the entire league in points against per game. You hear jokes about corners playing defense because they can’t catch, well it seems like this team was built with only one side of the ball in mind. While Mathieu Houle has the same kind of impact on a game as does Gronk, his skillset doesn’t necessarily translate onto the defensive side of the ball. As I write that I can see that he has 3 interceptions, but I think we can all agree that Houle would be a beast on the defensive line, not so much at corner. This is one of those things that just aren’t making much sense to me – they are scoring points, getting turnovers, something just isn’t working. Normally when everything else is in place, we have no choice but to peak in at the quarterback and while he isn’t playing poorly, these guys can benefit by Joel Houle not turning the ball over as much in the second half of the season. If they can squeak into the playoffs, they can definitely hang with any other team in the Division. The journey starts against the Super Saiyans this week.

Predicted Record: 4-5-1

Most Intriguing Player:

 

Tuesday Night Lights (0-4)

Grade:

This one’s tough because you get the feeling that this team may be better suited in Division 6, you gotta give them credit for competing every week and they look like they’re having fun. Ultimately, they haven’t received strong play from their quarterback at all, have scored a total of 18 points in 4 games and have turned the ball over 9 times in that span. On the bright side, their defense has played well considering. They’ve managed 4 interceptions and 6 sacks in 4 games, along with a defensive touchdown which shows they have something to build on. Kevin Boustany is better served as a wide receiver in my opinion and if they could bring in a quarterback with some experience in the league, they may have a win or two by now. It’s hard to imagine them getting a win with their current roster however and there hasn’t been many signs to show me otherwise.

Predicted Record: 0-10

Most Intriguing Player: Kevin Boustany