Close Games Galore In Week 2 Of FPF

Even though it feels like the week 1 article just came out, week 2 is already upon us. That is partially my fault for only getting the week 1 article out after the second week had started. Since I just introduced myself a few days ago, I am sure that all of you have heard more than enough about me and are eager to get into the heart of the article. Without further ado, here are your game recaps and team of the week from week 2 as well as your game previews for week 3.  

Week 2 Recaps

Hot Sauce Sports (32) vs Team Ethnik (33) – Tier 2

Team Ethnik won their first game of the season in a close game against Hot Sauce Sports. Benoit Lawlor completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Augustin with just a few plays remaining in the game. HSS, quarterbacked by Will Power in relief of the vacationing Paolo Della Rocca, did have a chance to come from behind and win this one. It was on that last drive that Power threw his first and only interception of the game. David De Andrade picked off the replacement quarterback and sealed the win for Team Ethnik.

I have played with Benoit Lawlor before, and he is very much a master of the deep ball. He stayed true to his habits in this one. He completed just 16 passes but totaled 200 passing yards. Yes, he averaged over 12 yards per completion. This strategy was especially efficient against the HSS defence. HSS play almost exclusively a two deep zone defence with aggressive shoots underneath. In other words, HSS play an all or nothing form of defence where they will take a few more risks in hope of producing an interception. The flip side of that is their aggressiveness will result in conceding a few more long touchdowns each game.

While Team Ethnik’s offence might have done a great job of taking advantage of what HSS’s defence gave them, their defence was a lot less impressive. They let Will Power, a backup quarterback, pass for over 200 yards and five scores. Power has very limited quarterbacking ability and he had never thrown at a level at all similar to the one in Tier 2. If Team Ethnik’s hopes to compete Tier 2, they will need to do much better against far better quarterbacks than Power.

La Secte (19) vs The Rock (20) – Coed

Last week I said that if The Rock hoped to win a game this season, Carol-Ann Ménard would need to clean up her game, and most importantly limit her turnovers. That is exactly what she did in this match. She threw three times more touchdowns than interceptions and passed for 154 yards along the way. Ménard had a solid showing in this one but, her receivers need to start doing more to help out. While Jessica Gosselin led this team with 42 receiving yards, she was targeted nine times and only managed three catches. Veterans Alex Laroche and Marie-Christine Gauthier dropped more than half the passes thrown their way. Clearly, the fault cannot solely be laid on the receivers. I did not see this game, however I imagine that Ménard’s low completion ratio is due to both dropped passes and missed throws. While this might have been enough for The Rock to escape with a win in this one, they cannot expect to complete just over 50% of passes and beat the heavyweights of the Coed division. The solution to improving this issue could be as simple as targeting Amelie Durocher more. She caught six of seven passes thrown her way. A receiver with sure hands is a huge asset for a quarterback so I would expect Durocher’s target share to increase considerably in coming weeks.

As for La Secte, they impressed me in this loss. Over the last few seasons, this team has been plagued with the turnover bug. For the first time in recent memory, La Secte finished a game without throwing a single interception. While their quarterback, Raphael Beauchamp-Desbois, was not perfect, he did manage to pass for 160 yards, three scores and no interceptions. He might have been interception free in this game but his play calling worried me. Laurie Ethier and Alyson Francillon combined for 25 out of 37 targets. That is a huge number of passes to throw towards just two receivers. More experienced defences will clue into that and turn that predictability into interceptions. I think that La Secte have a lot to look forward to this season. While they might not have won a game in the Spring, they did close out their season with a string of better performances. They will be playing The Rock again in the second half of their season and I am sure that La Secte will have that game circled and go in with high expectations.

Week 2 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 one and vice versa. However, you can make the team of the week in multiple divisions. For the Coed division there will always be a minimum of two women on the offensive and defensive team of the week.

Tier 1

Quarterback: Stephen Harripersaud (Blessed) 23 completions, 205 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Charles-Olivier Lavigne (EZW) 5 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Nicolas Blais (EZW) 6 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Marvin Steinberg (Blessed) 7 receptions, 103 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Emile Beaudoin (Urgence Medic) 6 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Dylan Garber (KGP) 12 receptions 123 yards, 2 TDs

Rusher: Maxime Boucher-Cyr (EZW) 4 sacks, 1 tackle

Defensive Back: James Acker (KGP) 5 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Quaid Johnson (The Apocalypse) 2 tackles, 3 INTs, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Charles Fontaine (Mangoose) 4 tackles, 1 INT 

Defensive Back: Brendan Parm (KGP) 4 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Jeremy White (EZW) 8 tackle, 1 INT

Tier 2

Quarterback: Jordan Rossie (Les Centaures) 19 completions, 209 passing yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT

Receiver: Justin Blanchard (Hot Sauce Sports) 7 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Rory Semerjian (Grim Reapers) 6 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Rayan Chalal (Centaures) 4 receptions, 54 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Kevin Lubin (Unexpected Diablos) 8 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Daron Migdesyan (Tough Lungs) 4 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TDs

Rusher: Xavier Tran-Khanh (Los Siete Amigos) 1 tackle, 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Kamba Katchhelewa (Ravens) 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Olivier Suri (Glogang) 1 tackle, 1 INT, 2 PDs 1 TD

Defensive Back: Josh Naimer (KGP RA) 4 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Kyle Pedvis (Chocolate Thunder) 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Jesse Dupuis (Bruins) 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

Tier 3

Quarterback: Frankie Scalzo (Pardon My Swag) 20 completions, 255 passing yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Craig Browning (Pardon My Swag) 7 receptions, 90 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Tye Middleton (Save A Horse) 2 receptions, 85 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Curtis Ryan (Killer Rays) 3 receptions, 66 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Thomas Chaussé (Save The Turftles) 6 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Sydney Gage (The Penetrators) 3 receptions, 73 yards, 3 TDs

Rusher: Corey Vanderzweep (Killer Rays) 1 tackles, 3 sacks

Defensive Back: Tyler Stewart (Save A Horse) 1 sack, 2 INTs, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Alexi Dubois (Post Malone’s Knights) 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 Defensive TD

Defensive Back: Owen LaValliere (Save A Horse) 2 INTs, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Tyler Keating (Lockdown) 2 INTs, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Josh Zagodnik (Warriors) 3 tackle, 2 INTs

Coed

There were only two Coed games last week. Yin & Yang lost their game due to a forfeit since they exceeded the cap. That is not a large enough sample size for a team of the week in Coed

Week 3 Predictions

7^th Rounders (2-0) vs Pardon My Swag (2-0) – Tier 3

We will be treated to quite the game in Tier 3 when these two undefeated teams go head-to-head. The 7^th Rounders have only conceded 14 points all season whereas Pardon My Swag has scored exactly 40 in each of their first two games, so something will have to give in this one. While the 7^th Rounders might have only conceded two touchdowns all season, their defence has me worried. They have only produced one interception and two sacks in two games. Both of those stats are amongst the lowest in the tier. The 7^th Rounders have been able to rely on their opponents making mistakes instead of themselves making plays. That will have to change in this game if they hope to win. Frankie Scalzo has been on a tear to start this season. He has the second most passing yards and TDs in the tier all while throwing the least picks. That being said, Scalzo has gone up against weaker opposition which has let him pad his stats. I do not expect him to have as easy a go in this one. Ultimately this game will come down to who wins the turnover battle. The fact that the 7^th Rounders only have one interception in two games while Scalzo has thrown none does not bode well for the 7^th Rounders

Prediction: Pardon My Swag

Mangoose (1-1) vs Urgence Medic (1-1) – Tier 1

The first question that comes to mind in this game is who will be throwing for Urgence Medic? Their usual passer, Jesse Dupuis, was at the helm in week 1 while Marc-Antoine Vallée took charge last week in Dupuis’ absence. If Dupuis is back for this week 3 clash, that will be a huge boost for UM. No matter who’s behind center, Mathieu Houle has been a mismatch nightmare for opposing defences. He has already totaled 105 receiving yards and 3 TD grabs in just two games. Frankly, I do not think that Mangoose have a defender with the blend of size and speed necessary to man-up with Houle. However, what Mangoose do have going for them is the tremendous rushing of Thomas Coutu. He has three sacks in his first two games and he will cause problems for UM, especially if Dupuis is behind center. Dupuis relies on his legs to buy extra time and with Coutu bearing down on him, that will not be an option. Ultimately Mangoose control their fate in this one. If they show up and play like they did in the first game of the season when they beat a very good KGP team 33-32, they should be able to beat UM. However, last week they laid an egg versus The Apocalypse. While I think Mangoose can win this one, I do not like the odds of them playing their best football 

Prediction: Urgence Medic

There you have it, your week 2 article for the Fall Cup! Be sure to check out Iggy’s and Peeze’s articles when they come out later this week

As always, if you have anything to say about the articles please feel free to email me at [email protected]