Cover Zero (Div C) – FlagPlus Football League

This is it.

It has to be the word I’ve heard the most all week at the stadiums. This is it. Do or die. In a 44 minute game, a single flinch and you could be packing your bags wondering what happened. In a 44 minute game, a single second, a single moment could redefine your entire season.

For many of you guys, the playoff berth has been clinched. For many of us, it hasn’t yet. There’s still plenty of time to wreck havoc and create beautiful upsets. All we need is one moment. Don’t let your guards down.

This week, my Get to know your Opponents segment is back as we hear about 4 more teams. I also have a new segment that’s more playoff oriented; should tickle some people’s interest a bit.

Next week, I’ll try to form some sort of “so far MVPs” for you guys, we’ll see what happens with that.

Week 8

Week 7 was quite interesting. Certain teams showed us they’ve got more heart than we’d expect them to and we’re starting to see certain stars emerging from the crowd.

Defense really stood tall all across the board bolstering serious interception numbers. Defense does win games.

Players of the Week

Aleksander Papich (BearSkins) : His stat line is ridiculous; 128 yards offensively, 2 TDs and an interception. Dominant.

Shawn Steen (Eskimo Brothers) : 10 catches for 132 yards and 2 TD is retarded and he also dominated on defense. So much for being injured.

Theo Ojeaha (The Originals) : I’m not used to giving awards to QBs who throw 2+ interceptions, but he redeemed himself with a pick-six and ended the game with 46 points. Interceptions or not, he dominated for a second straight week.

Frank Kaye (ZOO) : What a game for Kaye. Seriously. Perfect stat line 25/29, 7 TDs. No sacks, no INTs. Frank Kaye was on fire and dominated the Game Changers this week.

Marco Masciotra (Knights) : 3 TDs on offense including a beautiful back of the endzone toe catch and an interception will get you this award.

Darnell Lovelace (Predators) : Making a comeback and a heck of a comeback that is; 4 touches, 4 TDs and over 100 yards receiving. When Lovelace is on, he is on.

Quick Recaps

Security prevailed

In what could have been a major quarterback duel, it ended up being a defensive battle for both teams. Holowach couldn’t seem to get a break on 3^rd and long when his receivers weren’t bailing him out. Having a tough time against a very gritty defense, Mayhem looked a bit lost out there.

Knights managed to drive the ball down the field on many occasions to keep up with Mayhem’s offense and stay ahead. Beautiful catches and nice get-aways from Lanni gave Knights a lead they had to hold on to.

Late in the game, Mayhem had the ball with very few plays left; the kind of scenario Holowach is used to having, but this isn’t #NR and the outcome wasn’t what they’ve hoped for. Holding the ball just a little too long, a beautiful sack from Del Grosso ended the game and gave Knights their playoff berth.

When Predators become preys.

The game started pretty well for Predators who managed to get a clean pick-six off Viens in the first half to give their team a decent lead. Noel really showed up to play ball on defense and that pick-six really motivated the Predators to push for an early lead. Confident with a 19-13 lead at the half, Predators had to start on defense.

The second half wasn’t as pretty as the first for Predators. Viens managed to score on the opening drive to tie things up and Marc-Antoine Viens jumped the route early on the following drive to bring it back for six creating an even bigger rift. The following turnover on downs was pretty killer as Viens managed to find the endzone right after and make it a 33-19 game.

At that point, Predators needed a miracle that they simply couldn’t sum up bowing down 40-31. Darnell Lovelace made an appearance for the first time this season and a heck of an appearance it was. He showed he can be quite the dominant receiver and Floreani appreciated the deep ball once again.

Too little too late.

When your QB only shows up at half time because he thought the game was at another time, you just know it won’t be a good night. It was one of those nights for Moose where things simply aren’t falling into places properly. They managed to get things going under Morissette late in the second half, but they were already trailing to Theo’s high-octane offense and by that time, the game was already out of hand.

Another blow out win for The Originals; that’s the second in a row giving them a heck of a+/- differential and something to brag about. You can stop now Theo, I’ve heard ya !

Power Ranking

Finally, my Power Ranking is making sense.

Six Fast Guys Plus Ryan.Beating top seeds will get places.

The Originals. Another statement game has them tied for first.

BearSkins. Another week, another win. Seems to be a trend going here.

Knights. Slowly building moment. Another great game has them up at the 4^th spot.

Predators. A tough loss has them falling to 5^th seed this week.

Get to know your Opponents

I still haven’t changed the name of the segment. It worked so far.

***I’d like to take a moment and state that this segment is entirely possible because the players from every team took the time to answer my questions; you guys make this league a whole lot better.

Knights (Media Director Marco Masciotra)

– How did Knights start ?

The Knights started as a couple of the younger guys wanting to get a team going in the league. With little experience in the league they looked to some D- Boys players to share their knowledge of the game. With the veteran leadership and rookie enthusiasm, the Knights were born. Although the first few seasons were a struggle, we believe that our rough beginning has molded us to the team we are today.

– Who’s the unspoken star of your team ?

When I think of our team as a group, the one person that really flies under the radar and we absolutely could not go without is our rusher/snapper Derek Del Grosso. This guy does it all for us. On top of being on the field for the majority of the game, at such important positions, he has a great passion for the team and really puts it all on the line each and every down.

– The team has changed a lot in the past years, with the recent adding of the ranking system, do you believe this particular Knights squad is stronger or weaker than its previous forms ?

Oh without a doubt stronger. Antonio has the benefit of a year under his belt QB to really see the game slow down. If you ask him I’m sure he will tell you it didn’t start easy, but with a little experience he has really started to play some good football at the quarterback position. One guy I believe doesn’t get nearly enough respect in this league is Leo Lanni. As a ball-hawking corner, he has done nothing but make huge plays for us all season long. We also have alot guys that really compliment and take some pressure off the Lanni brothers and myself. A great example of this is Andrew Palucci who is really coming into his own on both sides of the ball, I’ve seen a big improvement in him from the first game of the season until now. The list continues with guys like Anthony De Carvalho and his big body, to Terry Katsihtis, a very talented player who is currently out injured, to our captain and heart and soul of the team Stefano Spinelli, who understands what it takes to win. I mean in the end, its great to have 3 current D-boys on your team with all the experience we have. However if you don’t compliment us with the right supporting cast, you can’t win. Stefano has stressed team unity and I think that is one of the most important things you can have in flag. Team chemistry trumps talent, and although we have tons of talent, we have amazing chemistry that I believe will propel us far into the playoffs

– Realistically, what’s the record Knights will achieve this season ?

Realistically, we want to finish 8-2 and win our division and conference. We don’t want to overlook any team, but obviously we have our eyes set on week 10 vs The Originals. This could be the biggest and most exciting game of the season. Not only are they all friends we play with on other teams but there is the potential to take first place in the conference. Coming into the season we knew if we could come together offensively, with our defense we would be hard to beat. Slowly we are generating a lot of momentum on the offense side of the ball. We lost two games early in the year when we had yet to really see what worked offensively, now all systems go and no team should take us lightly. I think we are a serious contender for the Div C title.

– How was the name Knights chosen / came to existence ?

Our first year in the league our team was mostly made up of former St-Thomas High School guys. The schools mascot was a Knight, so it seemed like a good way of uniting the team. To this day over half of our roster is still St Thomas alumni.

The Originals (Captain Theo Ojeaha)

– How did The Originals start?

The originals were always in the works. Myself and Jon Louis have been speaking about making a team for a couple of seasons now. I was a bit hesitant of putting this team in because of not having past experience as a qb. After years of convincing by Jon, I finally started putting pieces together to make it happen.

– Who’s the unspoken star of your team?

The unspoken star? Don’t you see this lineup? My team is an all star team compiled of my homies…..who ain’t talking bout us! Ahaha

I joke. Terrence Adams has to be the unspoken star of the team. Every team needs a guy like him. Gives 110 percent every play and is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

– Knowing you’ve built your team to win; how is the ranking system affecting you guys, if it is at all and do you like it’s implications so far?

It hasn’t effected us that much. I like it a lot because it shows growth in our league. It says a lot about The commish and the fpf staff…..always trying to find new ways of making the league better and enjoyable at the same time…..shout out to Campana!

– Realistically, what’s the record The Originals will achieve this season?

Our record depends on me….The quarterback. If I could continue to lead my team offensively to touchdowns we will be very hard to stop.

– How was the name The Originals chosen / came to existence?

Well it came to existence when my girlfriends friend said I should change my twitter handle from TheoOnTheReal to TheOriginal. I went on to tell her that I liked the name and I’ll use it for my flag team instead….and here we are.

BearSkins (Captain Ryan Etinson)

– How did BearSkins start ?

The BearSkins were formed in September 2012 in a touch football league. The team consisted of a bunch of 40+ year old vets, my brother Neil, and a couple of young guns from the Incredibles. Each of us have a love for dominating defense. Shutouts are our goal. Our first season in this exceptional Flag league was Winter 2013. Our 8 man roster consists of four of the original BearSkins – myself, my good buddy Shawn Payne, my brother Neil, and my main man Marco Bertoldi.

– Who’s the unspoken star of your team ?

There is a lot of flash on the BearSkins. With Neil, Marco, Papich, and Peterson on the squad it is easy to overlook the guys who hold down the fort and come up with the big plays when the games are on the line. The unspoken star of the squad is Shawn Payne. By far the best athlete amongst our peers back in the day, Shawn still delivers the goods. On defense – If you throw to his zone (or man), the receiver and/or ball will be knocked down/out, or the tackle will be made. No doubt. On offense, if the ball is thrown his way, the catch will be made..with yards to boot. To this point, in our big win against the Predators a couple of weeks back Shawn had two Randy Moss-like receptions down the sideline (one for a TD) and then sealed the game with a game ending INT. Enough said.

– The team has changed a lot in the past years, with the recent adding of the ranking system, do you believe this particular BearSkins squad is stronger or weaker than its previous forms ?

Some of our big moves since we were formed were :

– Spring 2013 : adding Sasha Papich to the roster (after playing against him in the touch league where we nicknamed him ‘Megatron’).

– Winter 2014: Moving Neil to QB (he was our 2nd best receiver so this wasn’t a move we took lightly – but it has propelled us forward big time) and adding a full time rusher in Justin Rudick who has leopard-like traits and is starting to change games.

– Spring 2014: Adding Jacob Peterson to the squad (enhancing our team on both sides of the ball).

Obviously when one looks at the moves above, we are a lot stronger. We started our first season playing in Div 5, and we are now one of the stronger teams (I like to think) in Div C.

– Realistically, what’s the record BearSkins will achieve this season ?

Tough question. If Neil wasn’t missing the next two games, I would easily predict we would win our next two before a week 10 showdown with Six Fast Guys for the division title. That said, I am still predicting a win in our next two (with fingers crossed) which would put us at 7-2 going into the week 10 showdown. To note: Had Neil’s elbow not been hurt the first game, and had we had a QB on the field for game 2 (Libman gave a great effort but we mustered only 33 yards of offense) we may have been undefeated to date.

– How was the name BearSkins chosen / came to existence ?

Easier question. Shawn Payne and I started the team. I am a Chicago Bears fan and he is a Redskins fan. Our logo consists of the Chicago Bears bear with two feather earrings! Check it out next time!

Two and a half Dans (Answered by Danny McFee)

– How did Two and a half Dans start ?

The dans all started way before we started playing in this league. We are a group of friends who’ve been playing sports together at a very young age, and when we found out about this league, there was no way we werent joining

– Who’s the unspoken star of your team ?

In my opinion, the unspoken star is Simon. He wont wow you on the stats sheet, but my god does he ever hustle on every play! He wasn’t apart of the original Dans team, but we are surely happy with the new addition, and he’s kind of a cool guy.

– The team has changed a lot in the past years, with the recent adding of the ranking system, do you believe this particular Dans squad is stronger or weaker than its previous forms ?

Ranking system or no ranking system, this Dans squad is stronger than ever with the additions of Simon and Jasmin.

– Realistically, what’s the record the Dans will achieve this season ?

I think if we played some smart football, we can end up winning our last few games and come out above 500. Are current 3 game losing streak, I believe, is the longest losing streak we have faced in this league, so losing even one more game is not an option.

– How was the name Two and a half Dans chosen / came to existence ?

To be honest im not quite sure which one of us invented the name Two and a half dans, but it came by one of us when we were drinking and doing other stuff (sorry mom). The name was thought of because we were 3 dans when we first started, two normal sized and a mini one. And the pun the name gives is just awesome.

Playoffs

With the upcoming playoffs at hand, I know where everyone’s attention is. That being said, I can’t cover a division without giving this some thoughts.

In bold, teams have clinched a playoff spot.

Asterix would be top seed clinched.

Italic means they are out of playoff contention.

Conference A

Predators (4-3-0) : With 8 points, Predators are in a good spot for top seed bye, but nothing’s guaranteed. All they need is a win and the bye is theirs.

Broccasion (2-4-1) : Realistically, they could afford to lose one and still make the playoffs, but there’s no reason to leave it up to chances. It’s time to turn it up huge.

Eskimo Brothers (2-4-1) : 5 points has them above Dragons, but it isn’t a sure thing yet. The final 3 games will be utterly important if they want to prove they can ball with the best in the playoffs.

Dragons (2-5-0) : Not the spot I wanted to be in. With only 4 points, we aren’t out, technically. With a tough end of season, we’ll have to play better than ever if we want to win the next 3 and claw our way in.

Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans (6-1-0) : Clinched and favorite for the bye, it’ll come down to that week 10 game against Bearskins.

BearSkins (5-2-0) : At 10 points, they are fighting for that top seed spot. I have a feeling it’ll come down to their week 10 game after 6Fast.

Centurions (4-2-1) : With 9 points, Centurions are in a pretty good spot. Realistically, they could lose the next 3 and still make it in, but let’s not put it up to chance; win one and you’re clinched.

Two and a half Dans (3-4-0) : After a great early season, the Dans have been hitting a rough patch. Last seed of their division, they’ll have to fight for their playoff spot. They need to win 2 out of the 3 remaining games to get in; 4-6 might not be enough in Conference A.

Conference B

Project Mayhem (4-3-0) : The frontrunner for the top seed is having a bad streak and could be losing it to ZOO. They need to pick it up, although their playoff berth is practically clinched.

ZOO (4-3-0) : At 4-3, ZOO is more in than out, but anything can change in FPF. All they need is a win in their next 3 games and they’re in. This could be a good moment for them to win big and clinch top seed and a bye.

Moose (2-5-0) : In a bad spot right now. They really need 3 straight wins to be in the playoffs, 2 could do if others lose a lot. It’ll be a tough end of season.

Old Farts (1-5-1) : Technically, Old Farts could still get in with 3 straights wins and straight losses from other teams. Implausible, but possible.

The Originals (6-1-0) : Clinched playoff spot. Still fighting for top seed and a bye week.

Knights (5-2-0) : Clinched, but still in the run for the top seed and that bye week.

Game Changers (4-3-0) : Realistically, they are in, but 3 straight losses with other teams winning their games could have them looking back at this season with many regrets.

Lockdown (0-7-0): Sadly, for Lockdown, the road ended against Old Farts. This doesn’t mean they can’t force an upset and kick some teams out of the playoffs.

Predictions

Going 3/3 is simply what I needed. 26/43 has me looking better and better with every passing week.

Game Changers vs The Originals : Game Changers really need to turn it up and get that fifth win to clinch, but they’re facing the best team in Conference B and they might just end up on the wrong side of things when the whistle blows. The Originals have been on roll knocking out teams by huge margins since they’ve struggled against the Farts. I don’t see the trend ending here although the score will be closer than 46-14.

Prediction : The Originals

Old Farts vs Project Mayhem : After getting their first win of the season, Old Farts will have to double up on everything if they plan on taking down the struggling Mayhem squad. Knowing they can’t afford a loss, Farts will have to fire on all cylinders against Holowach’s lead offense. I don’t think he’ll struggle for another straight week and I doubt Brown can keep up with this high octane offense; they’ll fall by 2 scores and see their hopes end this week.

Prediction : Project Mayhem

Dragons vs Broccasion : This game is a lot more exciting than the records may show. Having faced each other in the past, both teams know their opponents and they’ll have to prove they’ve improved more than the other if they want to succeed. Cerantola might need to adjust to Dragons’ rusher and I’ll have to protect the ball a lot more than in my previous games; that Broccasion team won’t give you a second chance. A do or die for my team and a needed win for Broccasion; a really hyped up game that’ll come down to the wire.

Prediction : N/A

Eskimo Brothers vs Predators : Interestingly, I wouldn’t have predicted this game to have playoff repercussions, but they are pretty present. Predators need the win to clinch playoff berth and to keep ahead for that top seed spot. Eskimo Brothers, trailing, need the win to get some pressure off. After a bad finish last week, Predators will be hungry and might come in too strong for Eskimo Brothers to handle early in the game. You can’t allow your team to trail against Floreani and it might just be the story here. Predators will clinch after week 8.

Prediction : Predators

Two and a half Dans vs Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans : Without this being a do or die for the Dans, they’ll end up in a tough spot if they lose this one to 6Fast. 3-5 isn’t the kind of spot you want to be in this season in Conference A, but it’ll probably be where they end up. 6Fast has been firing on all cylinders without full personnel which is pretty scary. They’ve won without their starting QB and now they’ve took down a top team without one of their two playmakers. It’s scary and it’s something the Dans will learn the hard way this week too, sadly.

Prediction : Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans

Centurions vs BearSkins : Both teams are coming off huge wins that are giving them a nice cushion for their playoff berth. BearSkins are already clinched, but Centurions are just looking for that extra win to secure a spot. The very physical Centurions defense will be facing a whole new opponent this week in BearSkins. Physicality works against certain players, but Bertoldi and Papich aren’t the kind of guys you push around to reduce their efficiency. Etinson might end up having a rough time against Ghio’s brilliant abilities, but at the end of the day, he might just make enough to push his team forward.

Prediction : BearSkins

Lockdown vs Knights : Officially out of the race, Lockdown is looking to create some upsets and enjoy the rest of the ride. Knights, on the other hand, already clinched and could be fighting for that top seed spot in the following weeks. A single loss would kill their hopes of a bye week. Without being the most hyped up game of the week, this could end up being a lot more interesting than we’d expect. LD is known to upset certain opponents in their previous seasons and this could just be the star moment for them to do so. It’ll come down to either Ranaudo can protect the ball or not.

Prediction : Knights

Moose vs ZOO : Very much alive ZOO is looking to get their fifth win and keep the pressure on Mayhem for that top seed spot where Moose is looking for a win to stay alive in their playoff run. With bigger repercussions for Moose, they might just put it all out there in this Sunday night finale. I expect both teams to come and play hard ball, but I don’t see Lubin getting pushed around and reduced in production. Without Parent in the roster, Morissette’s new go-to receiver will have to shine like he’s known to when the spotlight is on him. I believe he will. It’ll come down to whether Morissette trusts him enough or not.

Prediction : Moose

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. The Moe Khan curse continues for many of us. Maybe we should fire him.