Categories: 35+35+ DivisionComplementaryMen's

Carmine’s Coffin Corner – The end is near and the playoffs loom.

Can FPF run their undefeated streak to 5 games with a win over the undefeated Pacemakers??

Week 7 recap & a look ahead

Welcome back as we take a look at a quite busy week for the old man division.

Due to some scheduling quirks, we had 6 games this week, which was quite the contrast to the very short 2 game week we had prior.

Quite the week for FPF across the board, as 12 games in several divisions had to be rescheduled for COVID related reasons.

I am not sure if Diggs resigned with Buffalo for less money than he could have gotten elsewhere when his current deal was up but, in my opinion it is a smart move.  4 extra years with Josh Allen and a contender for a S#it ton of money?  Not as much as F### ton with a team needing help, but still a great decision if you are playing to win and not simply participating.

Just a couple of quick thoughts from the action this past Wednesday evening in Baie d’Urfe.  We had 2 games at Baie d’Urfe, followed by 4 games at Loyola on Thursday.  I caught the games live on Wednesday but missed Thursday…more on that later.

  • The scheduling shift that moved games around was costly for FPF as Jeff Rosenblatt had conflicts with other two teams that were both in action on Wednesday.
  • Eugene McLaren looked considerably more comfortable on Wednesday.  I still say that he has all of the talent in the world to succeed as a top QB in this division.  He has not shown it on a consistent basis this season, but the ability is there.
  • Joel Watson had himself a night.
  • Brian Martin with a very pretty TD in the back corner.  Slight controversy as he lost the ball 3 yards out of bounds after hitting a support pillar.  This was a catch, just as Calvin Johnson’s was a catch several years back.
  • Alex Moreau finding offensive magic in D2.  Maybe it is because they cannot spell his name right and he thinks that he is a receiver now??
  • Not sure what bet that the Rossie boys had before the game but Jordan obviously was the winner.  Brother Jason tossed 14 balls his way.  That is a season worth for some receivers.  I mean that.  89 receivers have been targeted at least once this season.  Jason had more targets that 46 of them.

Random thoughts from around the league:

  • Game of the Week was a dandy between FMS & the Braves.  Glad that they filmed it.  FMS with an impressive 29 point second half to rally.  7 XPTs and a PICK 6 played a big part in this.  Both teams with an impressive night from their go to receivers.  Alex Pilon finished 7-124-3 TDs and still makes a ton of YAC yards due to missed tackles.  He was matched on the other side of the ball by SNP who finished 9-101-3 TDs.  Braves have only given up 208 points this season but 100 of those are against FMS in their 2 games.  Evidently ANP sees something that he likes.
  • Outlaws get off the “Shneid” with a big 52-6 win.  Grain of salt with this one as it was against Team Swoosh who had a brutal week going 0-2 and being outscored 93-6 in those 2 games.
  • We see it on occasion, two teams this season, where teams join the league and think that they are ready for the higher divisions.  The difference between D1/D2 and the lower divisions is not really about talent, it is about QB play (hello Gryffindor as an example) and communication.  There are stud athletes throughout the lower divisions and QBs who can throw the ball through a brick wall.  This does not translate into success at the upper levels.
  • Killa Bees continue to impress.  Jeremie Mongeon-Duby, in his 3 games, his on a 70 TD pace.  This would be a new FPF record.  Only 3 games but still impressive.
  • T.I.C.I. got 7 sacks and 4 INTs from their defence in their win over the Bearskins.  Nice to see my former teammate M.A. Lapointe with 2 INTs in this one.  Nicholas Gomes-Risso with 6 sacks on a very mobile Neil Etinson.  Great job!
  • Past Our Prime with the upset of the week knocking off JYD.  WTF?  Craig “Owie” O’Brien with 6 TDs to 6 different receivers.  I have mentioned it before but Scott Payne is a difference maker when he is there.  Only the 1 TD but 7 receptions for 115 yards set up several others.
  • Big Fun vs. Small Giants.  Big vs. Small.  Split the difference and we get a 38-38 tie.  Nice to Doug McKernan running around.  Known more for his QB talents, he finished the night 10-110-2 TDs.
  • Blackouts shocked the Brotherhood 30-6.  Theo Ojeaha, who is no slouch at QB, was held to 5 of 17 passing for 74 yards.  Even more impressive is that he was held to 1 rushing attempt.  If you have ever watched Theo you know that he can fly.  Great job by the D.
  • Brandon Parent from TOPSZN with a great night.  7-138-4 TDs with an INT on D.
  • Last observation, simply because of the different statistics recorded.  Olivier Claveau from the Beer Belly Brigade.  6 Rec, 82 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 XPT, 3 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 INT, and 1 PD.  Just missed the PICK 6 for the Holy Grail of stat lines.

WEEK IN REVIEW

For those of you not familiar with my way of doing the review, I will include what I wrote the week prior and this way everyone can see if I was out to lunch or not.

FPF vs. Broady Windsor (Tie game 31-31)

What I wrote: Eugene McLaren and the BW offence looked much better this past week than they have in a few games.  Unfortunately they are matched up against the 3 Headed-Monster that is Jeff, Yoni, and Vince.  Eugene also has to deal with Kousaie at the rush.  I basically would force Yoni to decide who to cover all night…Brian or Mario.  They are also going to have to decide how to rush Jeff.  Giving him all day will result in another 50 Burger being served.  FPF for the win

What actually happened:  FPF’s schizophrenic revolving door at QB is seriously driving me nuts.  I can only imagine how their players feel.  3rd different QB to start for them this season in 7 games.  How do you build consistency?  FPF vet Alex Lever was called in to fill in some pretty big shoes on this evening as Jeff Rosenblatt got screwed by a revised schedule and had 2 other games to attend to.  He did throw for 11 TDs in those two games going 1-1.  Lever played well in this game but there were some costly drops on very easy throws.  Adam Tock with a big game for FPF and Lever also chipped in with a nice rushing TD.  Watching on the sidelines we were wondering why David Weiss did not play a bigger part in this one.  Not being the regular QB, it is not always easy to grasp who does what.  I mentioned it earlier but Eugene looked comfortable in this one.  Joel Watson was the top performer as he fell just short of 120 yards receiving with some great YAC yards.  Nice to see Brian Martin getting more involved as he and Watson both had 2 TDs apiece.  I was impressed with Eugene’s composure in this one.  It does not show on the stat sheet but there were 3 sacks taken for bad snaps, including 2 B2B to kill a drive, and 2 more on XPTs, including the final drive of the game for BW.  Eugene had no real chance on any of them.  Lacking Mario Choueiri in this one hurt a lot.

JMJ vs. Pacemakers (Pacemakers win 32-30)

What I wrote: As I wrote earlier, things do not get easier this week for Chris Olson.  The Pacemakers who have two top level rushers, in Jason Rossie and Chris Brockwell, who are going to keep Chris in check.  While Dave Allen is a great human being, you are not going to win many games when he is your leading yardage receiver on 3 receptions.  Olson needs to play a more controlled game and not just fling things deep.  I do not see Jason having any issues in this game as, again, no one on the JMJ roster should be able to contain him when he decides to simply buy time or take off.  Pacemakers for the win.

What actually happened:  The Pacemakers continue their march to the perfect season and remain the only undefeated team in 35+.  Chris Brockwell MIA for the second week in a row so this became the “Triple J Event” as Jason and Jordan took over the game on both sides of the ball. with a huge assist from James Acker.  Jordan and James with 2 TDs each.  All 3 with 4 tackles each.  Jason with 4 TD passes and 1 rushing TD.  James with 2 XPTs.  I think that you get the point.  While Chris Olson definitely did his best to keep this one interesting, in the end there was more talent on the other side of the ball.  Alex Moreau (correct spelling BTW) had another 3 TD game filling is for the injured Chris Rosen (broken ribs).

Monster vs. Montreal Spitfire (Monster wins 39-31)

What I wrote: The rematch.  The first game was decided by the Spitfire rush.  If they can provide a repeat performance then we should see a similar result.  Andy will have had 2 weeks off so we shall see if that has helped his mobility.  Monster was determined to stop Andrew Carruthers in the first game and this opened things up for the right side of the Spitfire offence.  Not sure that there will be a repeat this week.  As always, Spitfire for the W.

What actually happened:  This review was prophetic as the MTL Spitfire were missing 3 of their top performers for this one.  So much for the consistent roster that I mentioned earlier.  For those of you who unaware, my season has come to an end.  A completely torn Achilles tendon, which required surgery, has wrapped up 2022.  Toss in both the Spitfire Rusher and leading receiver missing for COVID reasons and there is a recipe for a loss.  A lack of familiarity with the receiving corps, other than Don Shepherd and Andrew Carruthers 18 targets out of 28 for those 2) did not help Gino Di Fazio on this night.  Paul Lapierre had a big game on D for Monster, with a PICK 6 and 2 PDs.  Andy Peterkin spread the ball around with 5 different players finding pay dirt.  Emotions ran a bit high in this one with “inconsistent” points of view from the Zebras against both teams.  Not a one-way street but when inconsistency arises the players tend to play with more enthusiasm.  This sets up a huge game next week with the winner taking first place in the Tier

Old Age Outlaws vs. Shenanigans (Old Age Outlaws win32-18)

What I wrote: I am starting become a Brian Tock fan.  Very unorthodox style, but give him points for effectiveness.  The last game was a barn burner.  Does Louie Larouche have another game like that in him?  I still think that Shane Williams needs to be bigger part of the offence.  For OAO it will come down to their rush.  Can they contain Tock?  It was not a success during the last game.  Harripersaud can slow a game down like no one else.  This will be the key in this one.  Still think that the Shenanigans have too much talent.

What actually happened:  Injuries suck.  The Shenanigans lost their starting QB, Jay Ulley to a leg injury earlier in the season.  Jay Ulley did show up and has now qualified for the playoffs.  Continued stat errors as he appears on the defensive stat sheet.  His replacement, Brian Tock, has been effective and fun to watch but also seems to have succumbed to a leg injury of his own.  This resulted in Wade Williams finishing the game at QB.  Tock finished 12-15 but those 3 incompletions were all very costly.  OAO brought in a sub from the MFL, Kris Hope, and he made a huge impact.  He ended the first two drives for the Shenanigans with INTs and also ended the first drive of the second half by completing the hat trick.  He also led the way with 5 receptions and 2 TDs on O.  Stephen Harripersaud was his usual efficient steady self with a 17/24 evening.  Not many yards as he was presented with multiple short fields to work with.  Anthony Siggia only had 4 receptions but still contributed 3 TDs.  Nice to see him having success…amazing player and person.  With the victory, OAO clinch 3rd place.

Montreal Spitfire vs Old Age Outlaws (Old Age Outlaws win 35-25)

What I wrote: The first meeting was close as the OAO came up with two big red zone INTs.  I would say that I have learned from that but I did the same fu##ing thing in the previous game against Monster.  3rd time lucky?  The Spitfire have been playing good team football this season due to their consistent roster.  As usual not too many thoughts on my own game but Spitfire for the win.

What actually happened:   Hard to piece this one together with missing stats and missing names.  Kris Hope had another big game with 3 TDs on offence and a PICK 6 on D.  The Spitfire actually started strong in this one, stopping the OAO after a 9 play drive and responding with a score of their own to Andrew Carruthers.  TSN turning points were consecutive drives for the Spitfire that resulted in a safety and a PICK 6.  Both defences played well in this game but turnovers generally play a critical part and the two PICK 6s thrown by the Spitfire were simply too much to overcome.

Shenanigans vs. Monster (Monster wins 29-12)

What I wrote: The Shenanigans have two really good rushers, Darren Costello & Danny Hilton, but have not been using them recently.  Somewhat odd, as they give them their best opportunity to contain Andy Peterkin from Monster.  The Monster offence needs to diversify.  Yes, Paul Lapierre is a “monster” target, sorry but I could not resist, but the Shenanigans have some large bodies who can neutralize that.  Hello Shane Williams.  If Brian Tock does not get contained by the rush from Monster then I can see the Shenanigans winning this one, but it will be very close.

What actually happened:  Brian Tock did not finish the earlier game and was MIA for this one.  As was the stat keeper.  Holy cow is this game impossible to read.  I talked to a couple of players but still difficult to comment on this one with any real accuracy.  Paul Lapierre and Glen Cooper had INTs in both games on Thursday reminding people that Monster can still be a force on both sides of the ball if you are not careful.  To quote Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”  Wade Williams with the start at QB for the Shenanigans.  A big 34 yard run followed with a 6 yard TB to Tony Khoury to kick this game off.  “It was the best of times.”  Not much else and 3 INTs for the rest of the game.  “It was the worst of times.”  It is never easy to get thrown into the QB spot at the last moment.  Timing and familiarity with the receiving corps is so vital at the higher levels.  Do not let the 35+ age fool you.  The boys in Tier 1 can still move and everyone knows what they are doing.  Andy Peterkin with another efficient evening for Monster.  Low yardage but turnovers explain that.  The important stat was the clean sheet for INTS.  With the win, Monster moves into a first place tie with the MTL Spitfire with the deciding game next Wednesday.

Players of the Week (according to me & the stats)

Kris Hope (OAO) – 3 TDs and a PICK 6 vs Spitfire

Josh Levine (OAO) – 3 tackles, 2 INTs, and PICK 6 vs. Spitfire

Kris Hope (OAO) – 5-52-2 TDs on offence and 3 INTs on defence vs. Shenanigans

Paul Lapierre (Monster) – 3 rec and 1 TD on offence & 2 tackles, PICK 6 and 2 PD on D vs. Spitfire

Don Shepherd (MTL Spitfire) – 5-87-1 TD on offence vs. Monster

Alex Moreau (JMJ)  – 6-63-3 TDS with 3 tackles

Jason Rossie (Pacemakers) – 16/29-4 TDs passing 3-37 1 TD rushing with 4 Tackles

Jordan Rossie (Pacemakers) – 7-97-2 TDs with 4 Tackles and 2 PDs

James Acker (Pacemakers) – 3-33-2 TDs, 2 XPTs and 4 Tackles, 1 INT, and 4 PDs

Adam Tock (FPF) 5-127-2 TDs & 3 Tackles with 1 PD

Joel Watson (BW) 7-119-2 TDs and 1 XPT

Chasing the Hardware

Here are my top contenders for the 4 individual awards.  I have no real say but I always have an opinion.  Players are listed in no particular order.  Injuries and absences have definitely altered some choices

2 Way Player

Craig “Owie” O’Brien (Monster)

Anthony Siggia (Old Age Outlaws)

Jason Rossie (Pacemakers)

QB of the Year

Jason Rossie (Pacemakers)

Stephen Harripersaud (Old Age Outlaws)

Chris Olson (JMJ)

Receiver of the year

Paul Lapierre (Monster)

Anthony Siggia (Old Age Outlaws)

Brian Martin (Broady Windsor)

Defensive player of the year

Shane Williams (Shenanigans)

Craig “Owie” O’Brien (Monster)

G.M. Kolethras (JMJ)

Adam Tock (FPF)

The Week Ahead

Broady Windsor vs. JMJ

Important game.  Winner takes 3rd and loser gets tasked with the undefeated Pacemakers.  For JMJ, Chris Olson is going to need to play lights out football and not make mistakes.  For Broady Windsor, they will need to have Eugene be the Eugene that he can be.  Brian Martin will also need to be the force that he can be.  Wild card in this game will be G.M. Kolethras who has had a great second half to the season.  Personally I see BW taking this one in a nail-biter

FPF vs. Pacemakers

Jeff Rosenblatt has no schedule conflicts.  Somehow I think that he will not skip this game.  The real question now is will Yoni Lehrer be present.  He has only played 3 games, all against JMJ for some reason.  If he is absent he does not qualify for the playoffs.  Not that I think that it will matter if the Pacemakers show up with all of their pieces.  Triple J and Brockwell/Ashrafi/Binns/Williams are going to be a real tough match.  No one in the Tier has proven that they can rush Jason Rossie so he always has the escape route.  Regardless of who plays for FPF, if the Pacemakers are full staff then they take this game.

Monster vs. Montreal Spitfire

Roster questions in this one as well.  Will Francois Deslauriers and Jimmy Coupethwaite be cleared to play or will Covid still be a factor.  Gino Di Fazio will need to make adjustments from this past week but he is a vet and I think that he will be just fine now that he had those two games to see what the lads can do.  Monster has to feel confident coming into this one.  Offence is spreading things around and the D had 5 INTs on Thursday.  Winner gets a Shenanigans team with serious QB issues while the loser gets a streaking OAO.  As always, but super carefully, picking MTL Spitfire to remain in the top spot with a W.

Old Age Outlaws vs. Shenanigans

The “let’s play a game but no one gets hurt” Bowl.  Both teams are locked into their relative playoff positions so nothing is on the line in this one.  OAO got two big wins last week but mainly due to Kris Hope who is NOT playoff eligible.  They are going to need their own players to step up in the playoffs.  I understand that they wanted to avoid 4th place but brining in “ringers” at the end does help long term.  For the Shenanigans this game might give Wade Williams some more much needed reps at QB.  Not sure that he will be the solution if Tock or Ulley are unable to go in the playoffs.  Harripersaud is playing much better football than any of the QB options that the Shenanigans currently boast.  OAO for the win

That’s all for today! Thanks for taking the time to read along.