Cover Zero (Div 4) Special Edition

This week, Justin Blanchard and I decided to bring something a bit different to the table. We’ve come up with the idea of a joint article in which we’d ask each other 5 questions and we’d both give our opinion of the matter.

This week, I came up with 5 questions; next article will be Justin’s turn.

Don’t hesitate to contact us in any way if you’d like one of your questions to be asked. We’re open to suggestions and ideas.

My opinion is in normal format, Justin’s in italic.

 

– In your opinion, what’s the strongest division at the moment ? (East, North, West, South + why)

 

Going through every division in D4, I must admit East seems the strongest at the moment. I believe West will create some interesting underdogs, but not top contenders.

North is very confusing at the moment; teams we expected to take it home didn’t and some other shone when they could. Debatebaly a strong division, but I believe there’s too much parity in that single division for greatness to shine through. South is a pure fiasco, I simply do not what to think about half these teams. I’ll stick with my initial thought and go forward saying East is the strongest at this point of the season.

 

Right now I’d have to say the North subdivision. I think every one of the 13 teams in the North a playoff-caliber team, and I can’t say the same for the other three subdivisions. Though the North is currently tied with the East for most winless teams, I think that has more to do with some of the North’s teams not yet playing up to their potential—especially Les Affreux, Gotham Knights and Playground, all of whom made the Division D playoffs in the spring.

 

 

– Do you think any team’s able to finish with a perfect season, the famous 10-0 ?

 

I’d love to be wrong here, but I believe a few teams have a decent shot at it. If The Replacements can win against Lynx in week 4, it’ll come down to their Week 10 game against The Family.

Six Fast Guys Plus Ryan has a decent shot at the perfect season. They have a tougher second half of the season, but I can see it happening. Broccasion playing La Sauce in Week 9 might be The Game to watch. This could be two 8-0 teams battling for their perfect season and if I had to put money on something, it’s that one of these two will be undefeated by the end of the season and I’m predicting La Sauce.

 

Right now, my money’s on Broccasion. They’ve already finished 10-0 once and have proven to be one of the more consistently strong teams in Division 4. It also helps that they look to have one of the easier remaining schedules, with their remaining opponents currently a combined 8-9. If they get past some tough tests in Backyard Bullies, KGP Lite and Les Maloudes, I think they can get there.

 

 

 

– How much importance do you put on +/- when you evaluate a team’s strenght ?

 

It gives a good idea. For example, a team with 3 wins but a +/- of, let’s say, 10 means they won close games. Taking a second look at their opponents can give you a decent idea of how strong that team is at the moment. Of course, winning a blowout will break this ideology and that’s one of the reasons why it’s not a perfect stats like Wins (let’s be honest, at the end of the day, Winning is all that matters). For an analyst, I’d say that +/- is a fair way to evaluate.

 

I like to use it as a way to validate my opinion about a team’s strength, rather than as the main basis for my opinion. It’s easy to point to a team’s +/- and say it’s the reason they’re good or bad, but too many other factors play a role in that, the biggest one I think being strength of schedule. I think the best example of that is the fact Centurions allowed the fewest amount of points in Division D last season only to get rocked by Playground in the opening round of the playoffs. So it’s important to keep things in perspective when looking at +/-.

 

 

– Are you surprised by the following teams’ current standings ?

Lynx : These guys definitely played together and somewhere else before. Without FPF experience, it’s hard to judge new teams. In this case, these guys are talented. Definitely a surprise this season, I expect a lot from them from this point on.

Considering only three players on their roster have played in the league before (Gabriel Joubert, Gabriel Manseau, Hugo Dupuy) and that the most recent one of those only played in 2011, I’m definitely surprised by the way they’ve competed so far. To lead the entire division in scoring after just three games is no small feat.

 

Smokin’ Aces : Are they losing upsets or playing stronger teams than what we’d expect ? I don’t think Smokin’ Aces is playing down to their competition. With Gentile at QB, they’ll bounce back. No doubt.

For a team coming off not only a 7-2-1 record last winter, but also having FPF veteran Daniele Gentile back at QB, I expected a lot better from them out of the gate than a 1-1-1 start.

 

Primetime : With a new QB at the helm, Primetime is struggling. With all 4 Daoust brothers, expect strong chemistry all around and I wouldn’t count Primetime out, ever. If their QB can get the hang of it, this team could cause some serious upsets.

 I can’t say that I didn’t see an 0-2 start coming. While the Daoust brothers have proven to be some of the league’s top receivers year after year, I think it’s going to take a bit of time for this team to gel with new starting QB Cody Hemsley.

 

Fruit Loops : I, somehow, expected more from Fruit Loops. They’ve played great, nonetheless. Losing tight games to good teams got them at this 0-2, but I see a bright future in the next couple of weeks.

 Most of this team made up of players new to the league and they’ve had two very tough matchups to start the season, so I can’t say 0-2 is a surprise.

 

Knights : Their roster is deep and strong, but they have issues at quarterback. They’re playing great overall, but it’s not a position you can afford to win without. Lanni will have to adapt fast if he wants to keep his team in the race.

 1-1-1 to start the season is around what I expected. This is Antonio Lanni’s first season as a full-time QB, and I think it’s going to take him a little while to get comfortable at the position.

 

Outlaws : Without Vincent Jacques, I didn’t expect much of the Outlaws. I believe this team will go as far as JM Beaudin will take them and so far, he’s been taking them places.

They’ve been quite the pleasant surprise seeing as they’re coming off a 4-6 record to last winter. I didn’t think their offence would be as dominant as it has been so far, though I’m anxious to see how they’ll fare against the tough competition they have ahead of them.

 

Les Affreux : After the injury to one of their biggest defensive weapon in Yvon Laramée and Mathieu Domon’s season ending injury, Les Affreux are left trying to patch their team together. With a new QB at the helm, Les Affreux are off to a rough start to something that could’ve been a career season for them.

I never would’ve believed it if you told me last spring’s Division D finalists would be 0-2 to start this season, but it’s understandable seeing as starting QB Karl Lavallé is learning how to play the position on the go.

 

Gotham Knights : After their performance in the midnight tourney, I expected Gotham Knights to be off to a strong start. I guess I was wrong. They seem to have been hitting their stride late last season, hopefully it’ll come slightly earlier this season.

 Another shock to me. I saw this team light up the scoreboard last season, and I still don’t understand how they’re not only 0-2, but have gotten blown out in both contests. They have too many offensive weapons for that.

 

Mustangs : Mustangs seem off to a wrong start. Simon Vallée can’t seem to get his groove going and they’ve been all over the place. They need to get back to basics and it’ll win them games, because this team isn’t lacking talent.

I must admit, I didn’t see their 0-2 start coming. I didn’t get the feeling I was facing a 7-3 team when I played them in Week 1, so I wonder if they’re just suffering from some early season rust.

 

Zoo : By controlling the clock and having excellent game management, Zoo wins games. They play intelligent football and it’ll always get them places.

Not surprised at all by their strong start. This is a team that can win just about any game so long as they’re able to stick to their gameplan.

 

BearSkins : I didn’t expect much from BearSkins coming into the season with their current QB and I guess I was wrong, twice. BearSkins seems to have enough talent all over the board to make themselves a legit contender.

I don’t know what’s more impressive—the fact that they’ve won two in a row with a QB who completed only seven passes heading into this season, or the fact that they put up monster points in both those wins despite that fact.

 

KGP Lite : KGP Lite will go as far as Phil Cutler can take them. Coming off KGP Champs’ excellent season, I expected a bit more from KGP Lite. Maybe it’s a question of timing and time will fit it, maybe not.

I’m surprised not of their 1-1 record in itself, but how they’ve looked like two completely different teams in those games.

 

Checkmate : Strong roster with a new QB. He’s been struggling, so as their offense. Once he gets going, they’ll be dominant.

They’ve performed about how I thought they would: struggle against the dominant teams, win against the lower-tier ones.

 

Jaggerbomb : They’ve lost clutch games and fall to a bad record. They’ll have to pick it up hard if they don’t want their season to turn bad before it gets good. Luck isn’t always the nicest.

I didn’t expect an 0-3 start from them, but I’m not surprised by the fact they’ve lost by only a score in each one of those games. Lady Luck just hasn’t yet been on their side.

 

 

– Although we’re only two weeks into the season, who would you put your money on for QB and Receiver of the year ?

 

QB of the season : If we’d have to pick right now, it’d be a close fight between Francois Raymond (La Sauce) and Mathew Bourbonnière-Morin (Lynx). Basing this on past experience, I’d say Francois Raymond has the better shot at the title and he keeps throwing 6 TDs with 0 Int per game, he’ll get it, but he might be in the run for a different title. We’ll just have to wait and see how it unfolds.

Receiver of the season : I’m going to have to give this one to Patrick St-Amand if Zoo keeps feeding him the ball that way. 8 TD in 3 games is retarded. The guy’s a monster and his stats are simply out there. If he, and his team, keep it up, it’s his.

 

QB of the season: I’ll go with Mathew Bourbonniere-Morin. Yes, it’s a gamble seeing as he’s quarterbacking a brand new team, but he’s currently leading the division with 15 passing touchdowns to just one interception after just three games. You have to believe he can only get better.

Receiver of the season: No one has really separated themselves from the pack yet at the receiver position, but I’ll go with Mathieu Brunet. He’s already caught 10 balls for 168 yards and four touchdowns in just two games and it helps to play in a system where the quarterback likes to chuck it deep—a lot.

 

 

That sums it for this week. Next article should be more Justin oriented. Hopefully, quality won’t degrade. You can always reach me at [email protected] or @DagenaisFPF. Justin’s always available via his email : [email protected] or his twitter ; @Jblanch6 .