Cover Zero

I’m Back.

 

It’s that time of the week again where you scroll up and down my article hoping to see your name or your team mentioned somewhere. The more I sit the sidelines, the more I realize how many of you actually read and enjoy this article; thanks!

I’m sorry I couldn’t get an article out between the two playoff rounds; timing was improper. Anyhow, I have this one to compensate!

I’d like to take a moment and thank every single team that made this playoff run possible, every player for showing up and playing their hearts out. Div C was electric. To all of you who fell last week, I really hope to see you guys again when Winter swings by.

Centurions : A very decent run. I wasn’t expecting much and you guys took more than one by surprise. The addition of Alex Gaudet really gave you guys a purpose; this could really be the start of something great.

Moose : You can’t take down the top dog without your starting QB. Sorry the season turned out this way. I know you’ll be back.

Project Mayhem : Most of us wrote you guys off, you took us by surprise and fell short. Honestly, you guys had a good run and it’s only a question of time before you manage to sit atop the mountain. This roster’s missing a bit of size, nothing more.

Eskimo Brothers : After defeating me for their playoff berth, they bowed to BearSkins. Honestly, with their starting QB and MVP both out with injuries, it’s tough to ball with the best. Nonetheless, the Brothers showed they belonged in Div C and they can definitely win with that full roster next season.

 

BearSkins : They fought well against the Brothers, but fell short against Predators. A full roster would’ve made a HUGE difference. I really hope to see these guys around again, they are just that nice to play against.

Broccasion : Losing by 6 to the top dog isn’t something to break your head over. You guys fought well and fought hard. Every year, this team improves and if they could’ve find a 8^th player, the extra fresh legs could’ve made a difference. This team is going places.

ZOO : They showed up to never quit no matter the situation and Frank Kaye’s a born leader. There is serious talent on this roster and they’ve showed The Originals they can’t be taken slightly. I know we’ll see more of the gang in green.

Knights : Leo Lanni’s injury was tough on this team and I, honestly, believe they could’ve taken Game Changers down, again, with his presence. Nonetheless, they fought hard, maybe a bit too hard, but Knights really surprised many of us. I’m really fond of this roster; it’s bound for greatness.

 

For the four teams still in the run, leave everything on the field Sunday; you’d hate to leave the fields with regrets.

 

 

Week 12

I wasn’t able to watch the first round of playoffs, although I have eyes and ears everywhere, but I watched all four quarter-finals and the competition in Div C is mind-blowing. Every single game was great.

 

 

Players of the Week

Theo Ojeaha (The Originals; First round) : Throwing 6 TDs, running another one in and getting a pick-six all in one game shows he’s more than dominant.

James Floreani (Predators) : Hats to this guy for winning, quite simply. Probably one of his best performances of the season.

Paul Santache (Game Changers) : Definitely the MVP of his quarterfinal. Dominating the offense with two huge TDs and a game-changing (pun intended) 2 INTs made him the man of the night.

 

 

Quick Recaps

 

Yellow took down Red

This title sounds like a Pokemon reference. It ain’t. Last week, 6Fast took down Broccasion in a beautiful matchup that ended in quite the barn burner. Luckily for you guys, I was there.

The game started off as most of us would expect; with touchdowns. Viens looked a bit nervous, but managed to get that ball to his receivers and a few mistackles later, 6Fast were in the endzone. Broccasion answered. The following drive had Viens with a terrible throw to a covered Deslauriers end in a pick-six for Lapointe. Broccasion was up 14-6.

The game went on with quite electic plays ‘till the very end of the half. Knocking on the endzone’s door with one play left, Viens avoids the rusher and slips falling on the ground. Luckily for him, the rusher was a few feet away and Viens managed to throw some sort of pass to his go-to-receiver Blanchard up the middle for a gain of 2 yards and 6 points reducing the lead to 20-18 instead of 20-12; much needed.

The second half, though, wasn’t as lucrative for Broccasion as Cerantola started to let his frustration through and cardio showed. Broccasion was winding and 6Fast picked up the pace. Fresh legs can really change a game. Viens was hitting deep and Garant was there to answer (this is going to be a thing soon). Broccasion got the ball back, down 6, with 4 plays left. This was it.

On the last play, with a good 20 yards to go, Cerantola managed to knock Aridi aside on a trick call, but he wasn’t able to buy just enough time for his receivers to make the endzone and his pass to Lapointe was way too short for glory. Broccasion fell in a very fashionable manner. No shame here.

Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans advance.

 

 

Caged Animals

This game must have been insanely frustrating to play. Frank Kaye could simply not get anything going early for his team. On back-to-back drives, he kept getting picked off by superb plays from The Originals’ defenders and his receivers simply couldn’t get those first downs he required.

The Originals, on the other hand, weren’t stopped. The trend kept going as The Originals led the march 20-0 at half time. Starting off early, Ojeaha went for another big score to put this game out of reach 26-0.

Nonetheless, the second half was ZOO’s game and they battled for their sakes. Theo Ojeaha kept trying to hit Jamaal Gittens on jump balls down the side against a very deserving Philippe-Olivier Dutrisac who was giving Gittens no breaks whatsoever.

Frank Kaye started marching his offense as he connected with a few different receivers the way ZOO does it. Patrick St-Amand showed he can ball against anyone at anytime and punched in a beautiful first TD and a 2 point convert to attempt to get back in the lead. Sadly for ZOO, too little too late, they were already down too much to comeback.

Nonetheless, hats to ZOO for not giving up and fighting ‘till the very last whistle. A great season.

The Originals advance.

 

 

A loud remake

Last time these two teams faced, Jack (the referee) had to make a statement and flags were flying as OCs were handed left and right. This time around, things were quite similar as many players kept getting handed OCs and URs. It was still a pretty good game.

This battle started off with both offenses looking pretty darn good. Things changed a bit as time went on. Knights’ offense started to struggle as Filteau had the best of Lanni and was forcing him in throws he wasn’t quite comfortable doing. Santache, though, on the other hand, was quite comfortable receiving unintended passes as he picked off Lanni twice giving his team just enough chances to take the lead in the first half.

Leading 19-7, it was Game Changers’ game to lose and they almost did. Late in the second Game Changers punched it a late score on a perfect throw from Sakiz to Santache in the back of the endzone (I’m telling you, this will be a thing). It was 25-19 and Lanni had the ball for one last shot at glory.

Getting short yardages, Lanni ended up with 6 plays left, on a fourth down, 4^th and 5, looking at his season in the rear mirror. Taking a chance on a double move from his go-to-receiver, Masciotra was in double coverage, but still managed to break through just in time for Lanni to throw the ball. Miscommunication or a bad ball placement had Masciotra diving low for the first down and the ball was dropped. A killer ending to a beautiful season.

Game Changers advance.

 

 

 

 

Predictions

 

(1) Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans (8-2-0) vs (2) Predators (6-4-0)

Previous Matchup : 40-31 Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans

This matchup has everything we want to see. Quite simply, these two teams are built to perform and I’m eager to see this rematch.

6Fast have been playing tremendous football recently and aren’t slowing down (except for maybe the Ryans, but they aren’t known for their speed anyways!). I must say, Viens was looking good in the second half against Broccasion. After starting the game quite nervously and throwing a terrible pick-six, he really picked it up and mastered a comeback he’ll remember for a few years to come. His receivers are really atop of their game and this defense knows when to make That Stop. I’m looking for flaws… still looking.

Predators made a switch that changed this whole team around; SBB is now a phenomenal rusher. His speed is simply unmatched and he’s possibly one of the best rushers I’ve ever seen in FPF. Predators’ main concern is size, but with a great rusher, size is a lot less important; plays don’t develop as much and jump balls aren’t THAT frequent anymore. Let’s not forget Bernett and Floreani can jump balls too. This team’s offense is known to be productive and get it done and their defense really picked it up in the past few weeks.

The real matchup will come down to how efficient Viens can be when he’s forced into fast throws and being a real, dedicated, pocket passer. SBB will not give him a break. If he can master the short passes like he’s shown himself to, 6Fast might walk out with a ticket to the Ship!

Prediction : Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans

 

(3) The Originals (8-2-0) vs (5) Game Changers (5-5-0)

Previous Matchup : 21-20 The Originals

I can’t hype this matchup enough. I simply can’t. I really wanted this to happen and here it is. Last time these two teams faced, it ended in a very rare scenario. I do not see such a scenario repeating itself. What a conference finale.

The Originals showed us that they can ball left, right and middle last week against Moose and ZOO. They’ve also showed us that their defense is ridiculous and that Ojeaha can run. Some will call me Captain Obvious, but hey, it’s still impressive after 12 weeks. I would not throw it up against these guys, nor would I want to rush Theo Ojeaha, yet, it has to be done.

Game Changers took down Knights in a pretty controversial and loud game last week to advance to the conference final for a second straight season. These guys are pretty fun to watch. With the division’s top rusher, this defense is looking good. Forcing throws with ball-hawkers is simply a recipe for success. I haven’t been high on Sakiz this season although his numbers are up there because I felt his receivers were simply that good; I was wrong. After seeing him making those throws to tilt the game in his favor last week, he really showed he can ball with the best and deserves to. It’s a question of consistency to be honest. They are known to play when the pressure is on and it’ll be on. 

If one team can take down The Originals in such a game it has to be Game Changers. Built to fight for balls, they can rivalise with The Originals’ size and strength. Filteau is a monster and he actually could reduce Ojeaha’s efficiency just enough to give his defense an edge. If Sakiz can play like he did late in the second against Knights, they will walk out with back-to-back season tickets to the championship!

Prediction : The Originals

 

 

That’s it for this week. Expect to hear from me again in the following days or see me on the field watching those great plays or epic failures. Get in touch with me, it makes for better coverage and a better season overall. I’ll be at the fields, my email, [email protected] works and I’ll be watching twitter, @DagenaisFPF, closely this season. Leave it all on the field. Don’t forget to tune in to the Unclehood’s show. Eagle is braggin’ just a little too much for someone losing as much as him.