Birds, Bees and Braves

Week 3 

Welcome to week 3 of Division 1 & 2. The action is heating up as teams continue to build their chemistry and compete every game. If the first 2 weeks of the season were any indication, we are in for a VERY exciting season. With the first few week in the books, we have already seen some exhilarating games and stunning performances. Many teams have still only played just one game so the next few weeks will shape up both divisions and see if we have any drop offs or surprising losses. The third week brings with it new challenges and opportunities for teams to showcase their skills and prove that they have what it takes to emerge as a top team in the division or a top player in FPF.  In this article we will take a closer look at the matchups for this week, recap a few big games from week 2 and highlight key players from last week, and like always offer my predictions for the games ahead. Not many games here in week 3 across Div 1 & 2 as there are only 3 matchups in each division. So, sit back, relax, and  lets dive into another thrilling week of the best divisions FPF has to offer

Division 1, Week 2 Recap 

Jamesons 29 – 24 Flag Moi L’sac 

After a week one bye the Jamesons came out strong in week two and took down Flag Moi L’Sac. The Jamesons took control very early as they took 16-6 lead at half-time. Not only scoring on their first two possessions but scoring a 2 point convert twice to really put the heat on FML. The first possession of the second half began with the Jamesons on offence and they did their thing and marched down the whole field and scored once in the redone. Flag Moi L’sac would not recover even after an interception for 6 from Samuel Nadeau-Piuze. A team effort from the Jamesons as Jeff’s 4 touchdowns went to 4 different receivers. The first half convert battle was really what gave the Jamesons the edge and lead them to their week 2 win. 

KGP 28- 26 ATH Squad 

I had the opportunity to watch this game live on Wednesday night at stade Hebert and what a back and forth affair this one was. Jeanslee Alexis missed ATH Squads first game, so he was finally under center of the team he put together. Right off the bat Jeanslee Alexis threw an INT on the first play of the game, obviously not how you want your first pass of the season to go. What really surprised me about this game and the ATH Squad offence was that they only completed 10 passes all game, and only 6 of them from Jeanslee. Jeanslee is coming off a Tier 1 championship but I do think this season will be much tougher for him as his receiving core, while strong, is nothing like that 450 Ballers WR core. Not throwing to Aj Gomes, Jarryd Taylor and Khalil Kerr will absolutely have an impact. Phil Cutler of KGP had great game. 22 for 27 170 yards and 4 touchdowns. The only thing that held him and their offence back just a little was the relentless pressure from both ATH squad rushers. After back and forth scoring all game, Phil Cutler threw a 3 yards touchdown to Dylan Garber to go up 2 points. Then it was ATH Squad with the ball with 3 plays left down by 2 points. Unfortunately it was 3 incomplete passes all defended by Quasie Gordon-Maule who had a great overall game. KGP gets the hard fought win 

Division 2, Week 2 Recap 

Silent Ticklers 26- 26 SKILLS BEES 

The first tie in Division 1 or 2 did not take long as we only had to wait 7 days after night one in FPF. Which is really crazy when you think about it because FPF just added OT rules in attempt to reduce ties this season. Skills Bees and Silent Ticklers 26-26 tie gives each of them a 0-0-1 record after 2 weeks. Nicola Centomo and Skills Bees are a team im not too familiar with but he has been throwing in FPF since 2011. Usually only putting in a team in the winter season the Got Skills/ Killa Bees crew is here under Skills Bees. Last Winter season Nicola Centomo threw for 52 touchdowns and 2k yards with 10 INT’s. A very solid season stat line but somehow their team only won 3 games in division 2. I see this team having a more successful season then 3-7 but their defence will ultimately be the decider. Jordan Panetta and Silent Ticklers are back, without Paul Lapierre which im sure is a big loss for them. Daniel Mancini still proves to be Panetta’s #1 target after being targeted 11 times this game. He is an absolute stud and can beat almost any DB in the league but I do think over feeding him will cause defences to adjust and without a guy like Paul Lapierre to still draw away traffic it will be harder to feed him the ball. The best advice I can give Panetta is to spread the ball, take what the defence gives you and throw to Brandon Vickers more then once a game to really have a 1-2 punch on the offensive side. Both teams were extremely evenly matched all game. Both Qbs each threw 4 Touchdowns and 1 INT. The score at half time was 14-12 Skills Bees. More back and forth followed as Silent ticklers were able to mount a little comeback as they were down 14 points late in the second half. A touchdown from Panetta to Antaki followed by an onside attempt to keep the game alive. It was a 45 yard TD pass to Adam Rosen that brought the game within 2 points. Silent Ticklers completed the 2 point convert attempt with just about 5 plays left to tie the game. Skills Bees were unable to score as time and 5 plays expired so we were onto our first division 2 OVERTIME! The rules are simple, each team gets one convert attempt, and the team with more points wins the game. If the score is still tied after both convert attempts the game ends in a tie. Unfortunately, thats exactly what happent as Skills Bees went unsuccessful for a 2 point convert and Silent ticklers was unable to score on a 1 point convert to win the game. Terrible for Silent Ticklers that were able to convert an onside kick and score 14 unanswered points and not get the win. But WHAT A GAME!! 

Ambush 37- 27 Dirty Birds +

Although I am really surprised to see Dirty Birds+ go 0-2 in the first 2 weeks, I will have to admit that Ambush is a team I overlooked when analyzing division 2. I raved about Ambush last spring season in division B as Ben McMahon paired with the Semerjian Bothers and James Drysdale. But I was disappointed with their 5-5 finish and Ambush in the Fall Cup also wasn’t much to get excited about at a 4-3-1 record and a first round exit. But I do believe things will change this season as the Semerjian brothers will be there all season and Ben was missing weapons last fall. Here we have the first example as Ben threw for 157 yards, 5 Touchdowns and 0 turnovers. Ambush scored on every first half possession as they took sting 25-13 lead on Dirty Birds. Im not surprised by Ambush’s ability to score points but I am surprised at Dirty Birds lack there of. QB Quaid Johnson could potentially have the best offensive weapons in division 2 and to only score on 4 of your 9 possessions will not win you games in this division. Their defence was able to get a few 4th down stops but after 2 picks and a failure to score on every red-zone possession was ultimately the 10 point difference. Look out for them to bounce back next week vs. #NR. 

Div 1 Game of the week 

Flag Moi L’sac (1-1) vs Braves (1-0)

A Huge game in Div 1 this week as Flag Moi L’sac take on Braves. A big matchup early on this season could have huge playoff and seeding implications. The Braves are coming off huge win vs Allstars. Getting wins against both these teams could really put them at an advantage when it comes to seeding. Flag Moi L’sac are 1-1 so far this season but are coming off a loss to The Jamesons. Only a one score game as they lost 29-24 but im sure they dont feel good about it and are looking to bounce back big against Braves. This is a game I predict the score to get into the high 40’s as both these teams posses the skill and experience to put up big numbers on offence. These QBs barely make mistakes and rarely throw more then 5 INT’s a season so a pick from either of these QB’s would surprise me. I do believe that Flag Moi L’sac have the ability to put up big numbers and out work the Braves defence but I dont know if their defence will be able to make any stops. At least the Braves are not the home team and Flag Moi will most likely be the team to start the second half with the ball. One thing I notices this week was the Braves rusher. None other then Isiah Allard who is, in my opinion, the best rusher in the league. Isiah has speed, lots of length and knows how to take the best angles to impact a QB. No one impacts passing lanes and intercepts more passes then Isiah, so his season will be fun to watch. At last, my prediction for this game is that the Braves offence will be too strong and they will come away with the win 52-47. 

Div 2 Game of the week 

Run it Once (2-0) vs Terror Squad (0-1)

After a tough loss to The Stoics, Tam and company are back and ready for week 3. Their offence crumbled in their first game scoring as many touchdowns as they had turnovers. Also unable to convert on any on their one or two point after attempts. AJ Gomes, Isiah Allard and Tam’s running ability has to be this offences focal point if they want to put up big numbers. Tam can make any and every rusher miss and can extend plays with his feet. Tam needs to use his legs in order to keep the defence honest and the rusher tired. This week isn’t going to be easy for them though as they face the 2-0, Run it Once. Run it once have already beaten Blue Ballers and Poseidon’s kiss and is looking for their 3rd win in a row. Jeff Rosenblatt has been great so far as I expected showing 9 TDs and 1 INT. He has a tough defence to face as he will probably face the best rusher DB combo in division 2. If Jeff is able to tear up this defence and not turn the ball over, he will breeze through the rest of his schedule. I do think that this game won’t be a high scoring affair as Terror Squad was only able to put up 18 on the scoreboard in there first game and Run it Once will have more trouble moving the ball this week. I already chose my upset of the week to be the 0-2 Dirty Birds+ to get a win but im going with another upset. Maybe im biased because AJ is my boy, or maybe im upset about losing to Run it Once last week either way give me Terror Squad 34-28.

Weekly Predictions 

In 2024, My prediction were simply just who I thought would win. This season I thought I would change it up abit and try to implement something a little more interesting. For each division I will select 1 team that I think will upset their opponent and 1 team that I think has absolutely no chance of losing their week. I will also be calculating my overall prediction record throughout the season so we can keep track on how well im predicting or to show how trash I’ve been this season. Either way lets do it!

Div 1

Upset Special: Maroons (1-0) Vs Jamesons (1-0)

Lock of the week: Allstars (0-1) Vs Party Crashers (1-1)

Div 2

Upset Special: Dirty Birds (0-2) Vs #NR (1-0)

Lock of the week: The Stoics (1-0) Vs. Silent Ticklers (0-1-1)