FPF is Alive and Well, But Are Your Title Hopes?
Alexi Dubois
21-09-2020 11:06 PM
Before launching into my article, I would just like to take a minute to reassure everyone that despite the upgrade to a code orange, FPF is still going ahead. The league is monitoring the situation and will inform your captain if anything changes. That being said, part of the league’s future rests in your hands. If you have been in contact with anyone who has the virus or are showing symptoms, please do not show up for your game. I know we all want to help our team win each week, but we need to realize that everyone’s health is more important than a game of football.
There are only two weeks left to play in the regular season, but there is still a lot left to be decided in each division. In Tier 1, the Braves Vert have bounced back after a disappointing start to the season. They currently lead the tier with an impressive 5-2 record. However, Urgence Medic are close on the Braves heels. If the Medic manage to close out the season with two wins, they will secure the top spot in the tier.
In Tier 2, no one has yet found an answer for Half-A-Stars patented blend of talent and experience. They have cruised to a 6-0 record and look poised to close off their season with two more wins. The only team in this division that I think could give Half-A-Stars a run for their money are EZW.
Two teams are on a collision course at the top of the Tier 3 standings: Mean Girls and Honey Martin. While these teams are not scheduled to play each other during the regular season, I fully expect them to go head to head in the cash bracket finals.
Talking about the postseason, the playoff dates have already been released. The semi-finals will be played between October 5th and 7th. Coed and Tier 3 will be playing on the 5th, Tier 2 on the 6th and Tier 1 on the 7th. The Tier 1 semi-finals are on October 7th. All the finals will be held on October 13th.
Week 7 Games of the Week:
Texass Shorthorns (27) Pardon my Swag (39)
To be perfectly honest, I expected the Texass Shorthorns to roll through the second half of the season without coming close to a loss. I did not see a single defence that could keep up with the Shorthorn’s athletic offence.
Pardon My Swag’s managed what I had previously thought impossible. They held the Shorthorns to just four scores. Yes, I did mean to say just four scores. The Shorthorns offence is so explosive that I could not see any way this team would score less than four times. The key to PMS’ defensive effort was the play of Riley Pincombe. The big man was instrumental in taking away the deep ball that the Shorthorns love so much. He was rewarded for his efforts with four tackles and a pick six.
While Pardon My Swag’s offence also had a very respectable game, it was not as impressive as their defensive showing. We all know that the Shorthorns don’t really know how to play defence, they are a team that rely on scoring 40 or more points a game to win.
EZW (25) vs Warriors (20)
EZW a commencé ce match en feu. C’était 13-0 à la mi-temps et la troupe de Jeremy White avait l’air d’être en route pour une victoire convaincante.Par contre, en deuxième demie, les Warriors ont augmenté l’intensité.
Les Warriors ont commencé la deuxième demie avec une série offensive convaincante. Ils ont traversé le terrain en cinq jeux pour scorer leur premier toucher de la rencontre. EZW ont répondu avec une superbe course de toucher de 21 verges de White. À la suite du toucher de White, les Warriors ont encore avancé méthodiquement le terrain pour scorer. Ils ont ensuite réussi à intercepter EZW et au prochain jeu, Michael Solimene a connecté avec Peter Giannis pour prendre leur première avance du match. EZW se sont finalement réveillés dans cette deuxième demie et ils ont répliqué avec un toucher pour prendre une avance de 5 points. Avec juste quelques secondes avant les cinq jeux, Solimene et les Warriors avaient le ballon et honnêtement, je pensais qu’ils allaient scorer. Ils ont réussi de s’avancer de 15 verges du toucher adverse, mais ils n’ont pas réussi à convertir sur le dernier. EZW l’a emporté à 25-20.
Trapstars (26) vs Goblin Gang (24)
Trapstars are a team that I know very little about and I did not know what to expect of them heading into this season. They started off with a decent 2-2 record, but were placed in the lower half of the pool. They have definitely taken advantage of weaker opposition, dominating in their past three games. Their only scare came in last week’s match against Goblin Gang. Trapstars are a young and inexperienced team, so they mostly rely on their superior athleticism to win games. However, they quickly realized that the Goblin’s were just as athletic as they were. Trapstars’ Ryan Garber had a solid game, passing for over 170 yards and four scores. His go to target was Cooper Young who finished the game with an impressive six catches for 86 yards and two scores.
Trapstars are an exciting young team, but I am not sure about their prospects in the playoffs. I think an experienced team who can confuse Garber by switching defensive coverages would be able to beat them.
Week 8 Games of the Week:
Urgence Medic (4-1-1) vs Braves Noirs (3-3)
Urgence Medic ne semble pas recevoir beaucoup d’attention, mais ils ont la meilleure fiche en Tier 1. Tandis que la majorité aime des équipes comme les Braves Verts et Khansequence avec admiration, je préfère la simple efficacité d’Urgence Medic. Jesse Dupuis distribue bien la balle entre ses receveurs et garde la défensive honnête. Même si Dupuis ne passe pas pour le plus de touchers ou de verges, il évite de faire des erreurs et donne à son équipe la chance de gagner chaque match.
Prédiction : Urgence Medic
Bruins (3-4) vs Los Banditos (1-5)
Los Banditos ont finalement gagné leur premier match de la saison la semaine passée en battant Hot Sauce Sports. Par contre, les Bruins sont loin d’être la même équipe que HSP. Francois Martin a autant d’expérience que Peeze, mais avec un bras canon. Je ne crois pas que Los Banditos vont pouvoir arrêter sa longue balle.
Prédiction: Bruins
Lockdown (4-3) vs TuneSquad (3-3)
Before the second half of the season, I took a bold stance and said that Lockdown were not going to win a single game in the second half of the season. Well, that prediction is very close to coming true. They have lost their past three matches. However, I think things are about to change this week. Garner Ross and TuneSquad have come crashing back to earth after an electric start to the season and this team’s lack of experience? has become glaringly obvious. On the other hand, I finally saw Lockdown play and they have more playmakers then I originally thought.
Prediction: Lockdown
Fightin’ Tigers (5-1) vs Yin & Yang (4-2)
Prediction: Fightin’ Tigers might have an impressive 5-1 record, but I think this team is extremely beatable. Yin & Yang’s strength has to be their rushing. They sacked Kiss My End Zone five times last week and that absolutely smothered their offence. Seth Galina does get the ball out quicker than KMEZ’s Joshua Vazquez, but I think the speed of Y&Y’s rushers will take away his deep ball and force him to throw predictable short and intermediate passes which are bound to eventually get picked off.
Week 7 Team of the Week:
Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive on and vice versa. When choosing the players for the team of the week, I do not consider the tier that the players are in. I only consider their achievements.
Offence:
Quarterback: Jonathan Maheu (Braves Verts, Tier 1) 16 completions, 219 passing yards, 7 TDs, 139.3 QB rating
Receiver: Lauriane Beauchamp (Braves Verts, Tier 1) 7 receptions, 120 receiving yards, 3 TDs
Receiver: Thomas Coutu (Mangoose, Tier 2) 11 receptions, 100 receiving yards, 3 TDs
Receiver: John Bews (Texass Shorthorns, Tier 2) 6 receptions, 115 receiving yards, 4 TDs
Receiver: Tom Gatehouse (Lockdown, Tier 3) 6 receptions, 103 receiving yards, 2 TDs
Receiver: Sam Renaud (Mean Girls, Tier 3) 7 receptions, 70 yards, 3 TDs
Defence:
Rusher: Marilou Côté Noel (Yin & Yang, Coed) 4 sacks, 2 tackles
Defensive Back: Savva Stefanidis (Warriors, Tier 2) 3 tackles, 2 INTs
Defensive Back: Joe Morgese (Lionhearts, Tier 3) 2 INTs, 1 PD
Defensive Back: Alex Pilon (Braves Verts, Tier 1) 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 PD, 1 defensive TD
Defensive Back: Seth Galina (Fightin’ Tigers, Coed) 2 INTs, 2 PDs, 1 TD
Defensive Back: Alec Richard-Nantel (Les Nains Johanais, Tier 3) 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD
Week 8 Picks:
| Home Team | Away Team | Predicted Winner |
| Khansequence | BYOB | Khansequence |
| Sweat & Beers | KGP | KGP |
| Urgence Medic | Braves Noirs | Urgence Medic |
| Terror Squad | Braves Verts | Braves Verts |
| Half-A-Stars | Tough Lungs | Half-A-Stars |
| Outlaws | Les Gros Coqs | Outlaws |
| Voodoo | Trojans | Voodoo |
| Mangoose | EZW | EZW |
| Warriors | Pepperoni Boyz | Pepperoni Boyz |
| Hot Sauce Sports | Unknown Talent | Unknown Talent |
| Bruins | Los Banditos | Bruins |
| Pardon My Swag | Les Centaures | Pardon My Swag |
| Trapstars | Ballin 60’s | Trapstars |
| Lockdown | TuneSquad | Lockdown |
| Honey Martin | Triple P | Honey Martin |
| Bada Bing | Zone 6 Ballers | Zone 6 Ballers |
| Replacements | Goon Squad | Replacements |
| Rainmakers | Les Nains Johanais | Les Nains Johanais |
| Bud Knights | Mean Girls | Mean Girls |
| South Side Speedsters | Lionhearts | South Side Speedsters |
| Le Speakeasy | Goblin Gang | Le Speakeasy |
| Kiss My Endzone | Les Semi-Croquants | n/a |
| Les Semi-Croquants | La Secte | Les Semi-Croquants |
| Yin & Yang | Fightin’ Tigers | Yin & Yang |
Week 8 is quickly approaching and that means I am running out of time so I will end things here. As always, I hope you enjoyed the weekly article. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] with any questions or comments.
Stay safe, stay healthy and good luck this week!