Div 6: Groups D, E and F Mid-Season Report Card
Ignacio Valdes-Manzanedo
01-03-2023 02:21 AM
Alright Div 6, time to get to your 2nd mid-season report card continuing with Groups D, E and F
Because the article is long, let’s keep the intro short and just introduce the grading scheme and get the reports in!
The Grading Scheme
Let’s break down how the grading scheme works since it might be a TAD different from your usual expectations of what you are used to when it comes to grades. First thing, the grades will be based off of pre-season expectations. If, for example, you are 5-0 and are expecting an automatic A, that’s not how to the grading scheme works. If I expected you to be 5-0 at this point you’ll likely get a C, maybe B-, but definitely not an A. Likewise, if I expected you to struggle and are 1-4 or 0-5, you won’t be getting an F. In fact, you might receive a B or C, depending on the second thing to look for: the quality of your opponents, and even, how you’ve held up in your games (Are you getting blown out or losing by 1 point?).
Each team will get a blurb on their season performance, their grade, the key players that have been involved so far, and a record prediction to close the year. Note: The key players are not the players I like best or who I believe are the best players on the team but rather it is based on their usage and how they are contributing this season. The letter grade reflects the following scoring system:
A – You’ve exceeded pre-season expectations. I never would have thought the team in question would have performed this well.
B – The team is surpassing the expectations that I placed on them ahead of the season, or perhaps you meeting expectations with your record, but have lost close matchups against tough opponents.
C – I was right, and the team is performing exactly as expected.
D – The team is underperforming, either in the division, or relative to expectations. Huddles are strained either because it’s been a season full of losses or things aren’t going according to plan. We’re a losing streak away from missing the playoffs or should be atop the standings and are middle-of-the-pack.
E – Evil, this team is full of people I consider evil. This is a socially constructed grade that no one gets and fills in the gap that the school system has failed to classify.
F – Your team is really underperforming. This is abject failure.
Division 6
Win Diesel (6-0)
I’m still okay with Will Sebag throwing in Div 6. Their only truest form of competition came against the LaSalle Warriors Midget and while they took it to them in a 20-point victory, let’s remember that Win Diesel has a bit more experience than 15-year olds. Other than them and Douilles Molasses (where they had to win on the final play of the game via Marcus Lynch (who else, really?)), they haven’t faced anyone that is considered a serious threat. One to watch out for though, will be Win Diesel facing off against the X-Men. Now that will surely be a game full of fireworks and an offense showdown. Potentially a playoff matchup down the line, that X-Men game will be great to see if the Win Diesel defense can stop the high-flying young guns.
The story for Win Diesel has been the play of Marcus Lynch. I believe I predicted in my first article of the season for Lynch to win 2-way player of the year, but so far, while he’s in the race, he isn’t atop the nominations if the season ended today. The award would likely go to Emerson Peterkin, but there’s still some time left until the end of the season. After Lynch, the WR2 falls on Giancarlo Rachella, an FPF rookie, who if I had to guess, also plays alongside or against Lynch and Sebag in tackle football. Just a guess though. After that though, the receivers stat line fall a little flat. Barthélemy Hugé is a big, tall receiver with good enough hands to be a redzone threat and if Stephen Roumeliotis can break some tackles for extra yards, he could see his target share increase. When you’re averaging 32.5 points though, you are doing something right. No worries on the offensive side of things with the extra ability for Will Sebag to extend plays and take off down field if needed.
The defense has been equally strong, but again, when facing more competent offenses, they’ve allowed 25 and 27 points; much more than the 14.5 points they’ve allowed on average per game. Again, Lynch leads the way in the turnover department with 5 INTs, but they need more out of the rest of the defense. Greg Depatie has done his job, they need a bit more from the rest to really solidify their odds of winning games against more equal-caliber opponents.
Grade: B
Key Players: Marcus Lynch, Will Sebag, Giancarlo Rachella
Prediction Record: 9-1
X-Men (6-1)
This version of X-Men are young, exciting, explosive, knowledgeable and poised. If you haven’t gotten a chance to watch them, they are a fun team that just love playing the game. Noah “Swami” Swaminadhan has been having a hell of a season so far, with a ridiculous 15:1 TD-to-INT ratio. Honestly, that is wack! Not even Division 1 quarterbacks have this kind of ratio, unless your name is Kevin Wyeth or Jo Maheu (2 of the best in the game). The 77.2% is king and the 131.2 QBR is reflective of all the experience he has gained playing and coaching FPF Jr. The only thing, and I’ve mentioned this to him, he does try to beat the rusher at times, and against good rushers, he tends to get sacked for 6,7 yards; the 11 sacks show this. Against poor rushers, go wild. Once you’ve identified you can’t get around a rusher though, focus on slinging that ball. That completion percentage could be 80% and over if he simply focused on getting rid of that ball quickly 100% of the time.
This young receiving core is crazy deep and athletic. They have 6 receivers (officially 5) that have eclipsed the 100-yard mark, with Daniel Devine and snapper Justin Swaminadhan leading the way with 269 and 247 yards respectively. Don’t be fooled though, Luca Fonsato, Alex Lessard and Jackson Cooper are just as dangerous, and the balanced touchdowns and yard stats are a testament to this. In fact, all 10 different receivers to have caught a pass, Noah included, have scored at least 1 touchdown.
Defensively, these guys know how to play zone well and have their coaches constantly reminding them to communicate when they miss to call guy crossing into someone else’s zone. The good defense though has lead to the 2nd most interceptions (15) and often leads quarterbacks frozen and getting sacked, which they’ve done a whopping 19 times already.
The times they have struggled though, will naturally be (and have been) the games where they play guys that are bigger and taller than them and get (rather easily) boxed out on jump balls. Still, more often than not, their older opponents usually get frustrated seeing these 15-year olds spinning, deke-ing and flat out out running them to the endzone that they ultimately beat themselves.
You never know how well the Junior program will prepare you for FPF Senior men’s division, as TuneSquad has been up and down in their entrance to FPF, but these guys have knocked it out of the park. They will have a great matchup against Win Diesel that will test their coverage abilities, going up against Marcus Lynch.
Grade: A
Key Players: Noah Swaminadhan, Justin Swaminadhan, Daniel Devine
Prediction Record: 9-1
Pigeons (3-2)
First thing that stands out is the 13 TD to 2 interceptions thrown by Anthony Del Peschio. While the 13 TDs is low-ish for FPF, for Div 6, it’s alright. What’s more impressive are the 2 INTs. Div 6 is usually loaded with interceptions and Del Peschio is protecting the football, which is big in FPF. He has an obvious connection with Luca Chiricosta, the teams leading receiver in all major categories: receptions (19), yards (287) and TDs (8). Alessandro Del Peschio is the WR2 on the team, with his 189 yards and 4 TDs on 12 receptions. The thing I will say is that while it is great that receivers are averaging 15.1, 15.8, 16.5 yards per catch, it looks like most of these are coming off the deep ball, which is not a sustainable model when you face playoff-caliber defenses who will play Cover 3 and just take that away.
The defense has been a turnover machine, with 18 interceptions so far, they are the #1 team in turnovers created, with again the names of Luca Chiricosta, Alessandro Del Peschio, but also Alessandro Aquino combining for 13 interceptions between the 3. With Andrea Aquino applying the pressure, along with his 6 sacks, opposing quarterbacks need to be weary with the accuracy of their passes.
Their 2 losses are against teams that have a combined record of 11-1, however their wins are coming against teams that have a combined 5-13 record. So they are losing to good teams and beating bad teams. I think they have better opponents coming up, so let’s see how they fare against Win Diesel and Douilles Molasses. Overall though, great first season for Pigeons.
Grade: A
Key Players: Anthony Del Peschio, Luca Chiricosta, Alessandro Del Peschio
Prediction Record: 6-4
Top G (2-4)
Top G are good dudes that are a bit disorganized. Whether it’s not everyone respecting the jersey protocol or the cadence of the offense and defense, they are often just 1 little step behind. What they definitely have is size, speed and athleticism, but their hands are questionable, catching about 1 in 2 passes thrown their way, and while some passes are clear drops, others are ducks either under or over thrown by Patrick Lapierre. For every 3 passes where someone is saying “my bad”, Lapierre will then throw a beauty of a ball that makes you go “woah” and you wonder why he can’t be more consistent with his throws. His 711 passing yards were leading the division after 4 games, but the 10 INTs completely neutralize all of that hard work driving down the field.
The receiving core has the potential to be scary good. Jeremy Lantendresse is a matchup problem for 95% of defenders, as he uses his body incredibly well to box out defenders on deep in and post routes. He’s easily the WR1 in the eye test and the stats support it, with him leading the team in receptions (20), yards (348) and TDs (7). When he is on the field, Dave Gordy Lang can be the WR1A/1B alongside Lantendresse, as he and Kevin Legoute are the players with higher FPF experience, but even then, it’s only 30-games or so of FPF games under their belt. With that experience, they know more the route concepts from opposing offenses which have led to their 2 interceptions each. Also, when QBs try to run around, Handy Joseph is a monster as a rusher who bears down with his long reach, which is why he also has 6 PDs.
This is a team that needs all the reps they can get. They are, I believe, a lock as a playoff team, and can be dangerous come playoff time, but they need to improve and be more consistent on the offensive side of the ball.
Grade: B–
Key Players: Jeremy Lantendresse, Dave Gordy Lang, Handy Joseph
Prediction Record: 5-5
Trailer Park Boys (1-5)
Oh boy, what has happened to the Trailer Park Boys? Once known as a stout defense, these guys have given up 30 or more points in 4 of their 6 games and have given up 43 points or more in their last 3 games. If you are averaging 34 points against, I would say you are playing in Division 3 or 4 where offenses are STRONG and can score on 80% of drives, but this is Division 6, where offenses generally score 2-3 TDs a game. Granted, they have played 3 very competent offenses in Dak, Win Diesel and the X-Men, but still! They were known for their defensive prowess and now it looks like Swiss cheese out there. They’ve only been able to produce 5 turnovers this season, and 4 of them came in the 1 game against the struggling offense of C-Town Spice. For starters, they need William Rich to be the full time rusher on the team, and by full time I mean be present at all their games. He was a great rusher back in 2019 and he still is. He forces QBs to scramble and throw off-platform, which, more often than not either leads to incomplete passes or interceptions.
Antoine Meunier is struggling. 16 TDs to 12 INTs is not a ratio that will lead to many wins, especially with the defense giving up the amount of points that they are. I recall him having better past seasons at QB, but he’s actually right around his career averages. He’s at best a 3:1 / 2:1 TD-to-INT ratio QB, but right now at close to 1:1, it simply won’t cut it. He seems to still have the connection with brother Fred Meunier as he’s the leading receiver on the team in all 3 receiver categories: receptions (22), yards (166) and TDs (5). But 166 yards in 6 games for your best receiver is a sign of an offense that is pressing on the brake pedals. Good group of guys, but fighting their way through a tough season where I expected at worst, a 5-5 record.
Grade: D-
Key Players: Frederic Meunier, Will Richard
Prediction Record: 2-8
Threat Level Midnight (1-6)
Antoine Richard is giving his first full season at QB in the Senior Men’s divisions, and yeah, playing QB is HARD! Other than an offensive outburst against FA Squad where he put up 7 TDs, he’s thrown for 8 touchdowns passes in the other 6 games. I don’t need to be an FPF expert to tell you that averaging 1 touchdown pass per game isn’t going to win you many (if any) FPF games. He clearly does know how to use his snapper as the family connection with Simon Richard is on point with his 36 receptions on 43 targets and the 334 yards racked up. Zachary Beaulieu-Cyr is the next receiver to do damage, eclipsing the 200-yard receiving mark on the season to go along with the team lead in touchdowns with 4. The offense is moving the ball though, with over 1,000 yards of total offense, with Antoine Richard‘s ability to run, but the failure has been to successfully punch in the ball for 6.
The defense has allowed competent offenses to look like superstars. Teams like Mountain Dew Babies and Dak to the Future are good/very good offenses, but putting up 51 points is hard to do, and they’ve allowed 93 points against those 2 teams combined. In a game where the opposing offense isn’t as strong, like C Town Spice, this is where they should have had their 2nd win of the season. That said, their last 3 games of the schedule are easier, against a winless team, a 1-win team and an average 3-3 team.
Grade: C
Key Players: Zachary Beaulieu-Cyr, Simon Richard, Jeremy Racicot
Prediction Record: 2-8
Dak To The Future (5-1)
With 0 pre-season expectations, other than a terrible Fantasy Football name (where they get the minus grade), Dak to The Future have impressed. Justin Gauthier looks the part and putting up 4 TDs in your rookie FPF season is very good. I’ve heard that Oriola Poirier is by their best player on both sides of the field, and the stats back that claim up. He’s the leading receiver in receptions (15), yards (332) and TDs (7). Not only that but he’s a great rusher with 9 sacks already, 3 PDs, 2 INTs, one of which was taken to the house.
Then with depth players like François Rochette and Jeremy Laplante, both of who have won championships and MVP’s in Laplante’s case, you know the roster is deep. One of the things that this team has an edge over others is their extra convert success rate. Converting on 46 and 42% on XP1 and XP2 converts is great and that kind of conversion rate wins you games in tightly contested playoff games.
One thing they need to learn though, is to lose with grace. Sure, the optics aren’t great when 15-year olds beat you, but take the loss and play the game. Otherwise, these guys can score in bunches but the defense has yet to really face an offensive juggernaut. X-Men were the closest to that and were able to put 30 on them, so the defense still has some question marks for me. They will look at the schedule and point to 6 points against TLM and 10 points against C Town Spice, but these are offenses that are struggling MIGHTILY. It really isn’t true competition. The game against Mountain Dew Babies should be very entertaining.
Grade: A-
Key Players: Justin Gauthier, Oriola Poirier, François Rochette
Prediction Record: 9-1
Mountain Dew Babies (4-1)
First things first…
A strange loss to Slippery Slopes leaves Mountain Dew Babies at a single loss on the season. With wins over the Aerial Attack that is Pigeons, an experienced flag team in Wild Hogs, a drubbing of TLM and an impressive W against the high-flying X-Men, Mountain Dew Babies are not recommended for your 1st round playoff opponent. Simon Constantineau is one of the divisions top dual-threat QB’s that we haven’t heard of prior to this season. With 250+ rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, he is a running threat that the defense has to account for. He’s also produced three 100+ yard receivers in Nicolas Fortin (177), Jérome Coderre (147) and Olivier Roy (102). It would suck to exclude Paul Blanchette-Seguin for being at 99 yards, but I will mention, but omit Jérémy Sauvageau from the 100-yard club.
If Blanchette-Seguin was iffy as a 100-yard receiver or not, he has at least 100% been contributing with a sack per game. His pressure has led to 8 INTs, most of which are coming from Olivier Roy, with 3 at the mid-way point of their season.
Their back half of the schedule is relatively easy, until they face a true challenge in Dak to The Future. It’s pretty easy to say they rattle off the first 4 with wins and then it’s a 50/50 game against Dak. The only thing missing for an A grade is 20 TD’s from Constantineau to be a TOP dual threat QB and one 300-yard receiver. The passing attack is good, but not lethal. Very good squad overall though.
Grade: B+
Key Players: Simon Constantineau, Nicolas Fortin, Olivier Roy
Prediction Record: 8-2
Wild Hogs (3-2)
I mentioned it once on CTA, that Jason Armenti mentioned in the pre-season that his Wild Hogs squad was a top 5 team in Div 6. I said it then, that you never know how good these new teams can be. Look no further than X-Men, Mountain Dew Babies, Dak to the Future, LaSalle Warriors Midget. That’s 4 teams right there, without mentioning returning teams that are good: Maccabees, Baby Rays, The Habibis, Betway Bandits, Win Diesel. That’s 9 teams already. While 1,000 yards in 5 games is great and the 22 TDs are very good, it’s the 10 INTs that bother me. It’s a tad too high for such good yardage and TD numbers. a 2:1 TD-to-INT ratio is not great. Jason should be at worst 3:1 and be aiming for 4:1 if not 5:1. Like I said, the yards and TDs alone are great; he has more in 5 games this year (995/22) than he did in 6 games last Winter season (733/17) when he took over the starting job for Wild Hogs, but has also thrown more INTs (10 this year vs. 6 last year.
The receiving core has three 200-yard receivers which is VERY nice. Nathan Caputo, Nick Egley and Avery Klimas lead the charge as the 3-headed monster (possibly pig mutant?) for the offense and are a tough trio stop. The depth continues with Benjamin Denis as the teams current 4th receiver and is in fact the teams sure-handed and leading tackler.
As high as the INT count is for Armenti, the defense has won the turnover battle, provided Armenti and the offense 15 interceptions on the season in just 5 games. That is a serious number of extra possessions, the offense just needs to be able to punch it in more often and they could be 4-1. That plus going over 40% on convert attempts should be their goal. They are currently sitting at 30% and that could be a reason why in a tight game, they end up losing.
Grade: C
Key Players:
Prediction Record: 7-3
Slippery Slopes (3-3)
Are Slippery Slopes good? This is an enigma of a team. Week 1 they were a tough out for the high-flying X-Men who just put up 57 points in a game. Then they are in a tight affair against the winless Tex4s Chooches, but squeak out the win. They are then shutout by the Free Agent Squad, hand the Mountain Dew Babies their only defeat, crush C Town Spice to then get crushed by Wild Hogs. The team confuses me as one week they look great and then the next they look like a wreck.
Right now, things aren’t looking great as it appears that Alex Asatoorian has given up the starting QB position to Tro Atolikian. After a good 1st performance against C Town Spice, Tro went in relief against a real defense in Wild Hogs and was unable to get a single touchdown on the board after Asatoorian had thrown 1 TD to his 4 INTs. Right now, they need to figure out who will be the starting QB and stick to 1 guy. QB is a painfully hard position at first, but someone needs the consistent reps if they are going to improve season after season. Alex Asatoorian showed potential, so as bad as he thinks its going in a game or season, he should continue at it.
Jeremy Pelletier and Trevor Ruffner are the 2 long players on the team with FPF experience and it shows by the stats, as they are the 2 leading receivers on the team combining for 332 yards and 11 TDs.
Grade: B-
Key Players: Arto Khatchikian, Jeremy Pelletier, Trevor Ruffner
Prediction Record: 4-6
FA Squad (2-3)
It’s Dallas Odem‘s first season under centre in a tough FPF world. It isn’t just his first season as QB, it’s his first season ever in FPF. That makes it even harder as QB since you don’t have a good understanding of the spacing and play concepts that work in flag football. So to have over an average of 125 passing yards per game and averaging 3 TD’s per game is not too too bad. Add the 34 rushing yards and he’s putting up nearly 160 yards of offense up in each game. The one thing he needs to do better is protect the football more, which is easier said than done. Like most first time QBs, he likes the deep ball a little too much, which is reflected in his 41% pass completion. That number for a 1st-timer should be closer to 50% for sustained drives and continued success in the win column. What he is doing well though, is distributing the ball amongst his receivers, as he has four 100+ yard receivers and Dean Fleming is close to being the 5th. Mathieu Béland and Mason Fleming are the pass catching leaders combining for 313 yards and 9 TDs. They have the game-breaking ability to escape tackles for 1st downs and touchdowns.
While the Fleming brothers create the turnovers, it’s Alex ‘Eagle’ D’Aquila playing defensive coordinator and setting them up in spots where he’s reading tendencies of Div 6 quarterbacks and putting his players in spots to make plays. While there’s defensive lapses in coverage, playing a sound defense is HARD in a game that is meant to favour the offenses. Valentin Skrypnik was a good rusher last winter for Streets Ahead with 13 sacks, but hasn’t seen the same success in Division 6. He needs to be more impactful, especially in a division where QBs like to run.
Honestly, for a true free agent squad, a 2-3 record after 5 games is a success. FPF is HARD and it’s only going to get harder for them, facing offensive juggernauts in Win Diesel, Mountain Dew Babies and X-Men
Grade: B-
Key Players: Mason Fleming, Mathieu Béland, Dean Fleming
Prediction Record: 3-7
C Town Spice (2-4)
Ouch, 52 points scored in 6 games is probably worse than the 162 points allowed. The points allowed aren’t that bad actually, it’s “only” 27 points allowed per game, which, with a offense that can compete, you’re looking at 26-27 or 30-27 games. Unfortunately the offense is not holding their end of the bargain. The face they’ve averaged 8.7 points per game and have 2 wins is WILD.
Tommy Monanteras, I feel you man, quarterbacking is NOT easy. Keep at it though, see if the continued reps (please, call the same 4-6 plays the entire game) and just keep running them until you see what the defenses are doing and what route gets open. Run all hooks for 3-4 consecutive plays until the defense adapts. I guarantee you, that you will complete all 3 of the hooks. Someone on D is dropping deep. Figure out who it is and hit the hook that’s in front of them. What Monanteras is doing well though is distributing the ball amongst different receivers. There’s no clear-cut #1 receiver and there’s nothing wrong with that, as 5 different receivers have hit the century mark in receiving yards. The problem is the 5 lowly TD passes he has.
Defensively, Nabeel Khatib has been the standout, him and his 11 sacks which ranks #1 in the entire division. To be fair, they’ve had a tough schedule, opening the season with Dak to The Future and X-Menand faced Trailer Park Boys with super sub Alex Blais. In their 2 wins, they managed to only put up 12 and 13 points for the victory, which I don’t believe is enough to win any of their next 4 games. If they want a W in any of those games, they need to reach AT LEAST 19-20 points, notably against FA Squad and Top G; something they haven’t done all season.
Grade: C
Key Players: Nabeel Khatib
Prediction Record: 2-8
LaSalle Warriors Midget (5-1)
Emerson Peterkin is taking FPF’s Division 6 by storm. He is THE ultimate dual threat at QB in the division, and while there are other notable names, he’s the S tier of them. With his 6 rushing TDs (1st in the division) added to his 23 passing touchdowns, the guy is averaging 5 TDs a game in Division 6, which is not often said. We’re applauding QBs with a 3:1 ratio and impressed with 4:1 and right now, Peterkin is at a 6:1 rate. Keep slayin’ it.
While the team is loaded at receiver, it’s clear the WR1 on the team is Princeton Cruikshank. He’s leading the team in receiving yards with 364 and TD’s with 12. The 12 TDs are not only leading the team, but leading the division and he’s 3rd overall in yardage. The rest of the guys are also playmakers, so they are a threat from anywhere on the field. I caught a glimpse of this team on the video highlights against Dime Squad and they made those guys look silly.
Not only are these guys dangerous on offense, both Emerson Peterkin and Princeton have combined for 11 interceptions and 2 pick 6’s, so they are in fact 2-way player of the year candidates (a higher achievement than either QBOY and/or Receiver of the Year). The one area this team can be had is when it comes to playing defense against good offensive teams. Will Sebag of Win Diesel torched them for 6 TDs and couldn’t keep up with another team pouring on the points. Let’s see how they fare against the Baby Rays who can put up points.
Grade: A
Key Players: Emerson Peterkin, Princeton Cruikshank, Tyrese Leclair
Prediction Record: 9-1
Douilles Molasses (4-3)
There’s 2 ways to analyze the QB performance so far this season. The 1,100 yards of total offense in 7 games which comes out to 161 yards per game is good, not great, but not bad either. The 4 INTs thrown in 7 games: Very good. Felix Gerin-Lajoie is taking the sacks rather than throwing a bad ball for an interception which has been his crux at QB, so to see the INT’s per game at 0.5, that is an improvement. That has lead to a 5:1 TD-to-INT ratio stat line which is really good, no matter what division you play in.
The other angle is that 21 TDs in 7 games is averaging just 3 TDs and scoring on only 45% of your possessions opens up the chance for opponents to come in and snag a victory away from you, much like what Win Diesel were able to do on Saturday night in Brossard. Also, converting on 30-33% on 3rd and 4th down isn’t great when 2 out of 3 drives are turnover on downs. This is not a surprise given the 47% completion percentage which for a QB throwing over multiple seasons in MFL, should be closer to the 60% range.
While the ball distribution amongst the receivers is very good, the total volume of receptions and yards is not high considering they’ve played 7 games so far. There’s no receiver with 300 yards or double-digit TDs, but like I said, the spread is pretty even amongst the 5 receiver set (6 with Tristan Tessier just 5 yards shy of 100 yards). The 5 receiver set they put out each drive are competitive and should be scoring more than 22 points on average per game. Amélie Durocher might be the divisions best snapper while Jérémy Trudel and Guillaume Turnblom have the height mismatch against most defenders.
Tristan Tessier is their versatile defensive player, with 3 interceptions (2 of which were returned for 6), 4 PDs, and 5 sacks. This is an offenses nightmare; facing someone who can make plays from various positions on the defensive side of the ball. QBs must know where he is lined up on each series and play.
As for their schedule, they could be 5-2 if they stop Marcus Lynch on the final play of the game against Win Diesel, and the rest of their games, they either lost to better teams and beat teams they are better and more experienced than. The one game though, I did believe they had an edge over was Practice Squad (6) and lost that one by 7. I think they beat Don’t Blink, lose to LaSalle, and I’m curious how they do against Pigeons, but given their experience, I’ll give the edge to Douilles.
Grade: B
Key Players: Felix Gerin-Lajoie, Jérémy Trudel, Tristan Tessier
Prediction Record: 6-4
Practice Squad (6) (3-3)
For a 1st year in FPF, to be scoring 24 points a game is not bad at all with a 1st time QB averaging 3.5 TD’s and 150 total yards per game. The 9 INTs are normal, but if you are going to throw 9, you need to be throwing at least 27 touchdown passes (compared to the 21 Joseph Shporer has right now). As a QB, I’m probably knit-picking for better performances, but I gotta remember that first-time quarterbacking is hard, and that I myself had my own struggles. There’s definitely potential here with Shporer moving forward, but if he can strive for a 3:1 TD-to-INT ratio in the remainder of his games, he will be taking big strides in his development.
The WR1/2 battle is between Josh Notte and Luke Moreau, the former the leading receiver on the team in yards (206) and the latter the leader in TDs (7). The offense is pretty well spread between 7 different receivers which makes it hard for defenses to know exactly where the ball is going on any given play.
Defensively it doesn’t appear they have a dedicated rusher and are instead going with a rotation cast between Arden Finkelstein and Josh Notte, both can play in coverage as well, as they both have pick 6’s on the season. While Notte has the sack and receiving yard title, Moreau has the edge in INTs and TDs, as his 4 interceptions lead the team.
In their games so far, they’ve kept it close against a good Win Diesel team, are capable of scoring 30 points (done twice) and have been on both the winning and losing side of tight games. Bump up the XP conversion rate and those losses can become wins.
Grade: B+
Key Players: Luke Moreau, Josh Notte
Prediction Record: 5-5
Demons (2-5)
Oh boy. The first thing that immediately stands out:
Guys, pick 1 QB and let them go through the struggles. Having 5 different QBs suit up for you is not the solution. No one gets the reps needed to improve. Every time I have seen the Demons play, they are uncharacteristically (of Marianopolis students) disorganized and feels like they are rushing in last minute to cram in the studying for a midterm. QB advice for whoever decides to take all the blame and little glory: TAKE THE SHORT BLEEP. Look at defenses, they are lining up 6-7 yards away from the snap and many of them are stepping backwards. HOOKS AT 2. Quarterback: your job is to get the ball in your receivers hands. There’s more advice if you reach out my guys. Marianopolis alumn gotta help out Mario bros.
Defensively, there’s not much to write home about, but Neil Wright and David Vasii have done their best to make it 3rd and 4th and long with their 11 sacks combined. Their oppositions are converting 40-50% of their 3rd and 4th down conversions, which is “just ok”. Even the fact that opponents are scoring on 58% of their possessions is not a terrible stat line. Where they are really getting hurt is that they are 4th worst in a division of 33 teams in the percentage of drives that end in a touchdown (27%). In 4 of their 7 games they’ve scored only 1 TD, and yet they have 2 wins on the season. One was a clean win against Tex4s Chooches and the other was a forfeit win over Dime Squad for cheating. The defense has kept this season alive, but lately hasn’t been as strong as it started, allowing 76 points in their last 2 games
Grade: C
Key Players: Neil Wright, Zayden Kung’u
Prediction Record: 2-8
The Royals (1-4)
Man, this team confuses me. First of all, it feels like Ryan McGrath, the miracle QB who ran through the split division 6 in the Winter of 2019 is no longer the same QB. Granted, that team was stacked with Kevin Donnet, Brandon Parent and Brandon Picard, so can we start suggesting that the receivers made Ryan McGrath shine? Because I was expecting WAY more than 11 TDs and 115 passing yards per game, and way less than 9 INTs. He’s clearly found instant chemistry with Xavier Hilditch, turning the FPF rookie into a WR1 with over 300 yards and 8 TDs. Longstanding FPF’er Eric Pawlusiak is the next receiver to be productive with 108 yards and 2 TDs, but after that the well dries up pretty quick, with 1 receiver with more than 49 yards.
Their season against their opponents has been a little strange. Nothing weird with a 10-point loss to the Baby Rays in week 1, but it shows they can be competitive against a strong team. Then a 1 point loss to a decent Douilles Molasses team. Close but no cigar. Then Betway just ran them out of Baie D’Urfe. Dime Squad cheated their way into a forfeit loss and then went toe-to-toe against the offensive juggernaut that is LaSalle Warriors Midget.
There’s a chance they squeak into a playoff spot, but a lot rides on the shoulders of McGrath stepping up his game and getting more receivers involved in the offense.
Grade: D
Key Players: Massimo Rosati, Xavier Hilditch
Prediction Record: 3-7
Tex4s Chooches (0-7)
I told my guy Tyler Cousins that playing QB is hard! He can throw a football and probably has a better deep ball than me, but quarterbacking is more than that. It’s about seeing what defenses are doing, play calling, and managing both the drive and the game. He will admit it himself, he has struggled with 522 passing yards in 7 games, 11 TDs and 12 INTs, but it really doesn’t help when you are suiting up for a 1st season throwing and your guys haven’t played flag ever. A lot of QB and WR routes work based on timing and knowing the depth and spacing, which differ slightly when defenses are either playing man vs. zone.
Reno Cariglia has emerged as the teams WR1, leading the team in all receiving categories with 13 receptions, 208 yards and 5 TDs. After Reno, Gianni Cicciarelli and Antonio Di Vincenzo compliment the receiving core as WR2/3. When I’m the 4th leading receiver in yards and receptions after just playing 1 game, there’s something not clicking in the offense. One this that is easier said than done is not staring down the rusher. I know at first, taking snaps it just looks like a blur of people running and all you can see is the rusher barreling down on you. Remember the basics. Release the ball quick, go short: 2-3 yard hooks and let your receivers do the work, and throw the ball hard (not whipping it in) so it doesn’t get intercepted. And oh no, 0 converts? Hit me up Ty, I’ll give you some extra point convert plays and how to read them.
Actually, here you go. These are plays from Peeze Della Reeze that transformed my FPF career as a quarterback.
Grade: D
Key Players: Nevaeh Paul, Reno Cariglia, Gianni Cicciarelli
Prediction Record: 0-10
Peeze’s Playbook
Play Name: Break X
We talked about it in Calling the Audible. This is the most complex read that I’ve listed so far (Iggy edits: It is hard to read at first. It took me running it about a good 50 times before I got a good hang of how to read it). However, if it’s run properly, this may be the ONLY redzone play you’ll ever need. My former Div 3/B QB was the former offensive coordinator for Universite de Montreal and is the current head coach for Montmorency. It is a truly brilliant play design. It’s become more and more common in FPF and I’ve run it as long as I’ve played QB. I’ve had refs ask me how receivers end up “SO OPEN” and I’ve had opponents ask me for this play.
Call in the Huddle (play can be reversed): Drag (get under the snapper), 5 out, snapper bubble hook strong side on the goal line, In at the back, hook at the back (or simply: Break X)
How to execute the play: In FPF there are largely two basic red zone coverages. One such coverage is Lanes and the other is Man. In lanes, defenders make a wall on the goal-line and try to force a throw over their heads. The idea being that a pass to an open receiver in front of them is easier than throwing over a defender to a receiver. In man, every player takes a man and follows him to the parking lot if need be. The best part about this play is that it exposes BOTH defences.
The read follows the path of the drag route. The drag runs underneath a 5 yard out. If there is a miscommunication and two defenders jump the drag the, out on the goaline will be left alone. If not, stay with the drag, the drag then comes under the snapper. If the 3 defender sits on the snapper you can follow the drag or, hit the deep in at the back of the endzone (Iggy edit: I run it as a “rounded/banana-in route” to the back of the endzone – I need the player to get to a spot on the field and don’t care about making a 90 degree clean cut on the back line of the endzone). This part of the read is a triangle concept, if the 3 defender jumps the drag, they leave the snapper alone which is a wide open touchdown. If he stands still and the team has played flat-lanes, the deep in, is open. If he stands still but the window to throw the deep in isn’t there, stay with the drag.
This play also counts on the impulse defenders have to be uncomfortable covering grass. In concept, defenders shouldn’t stay in vacated areas and should look to help. However, in lanes, it’s important for them to stand still. I can promise you that often, they don’t. If either of the next defenders drops into the endzone by even a step, hit the drag at full speed and they’ll be too flat footed to make a break on the flag. Finally, if the last two defenders remain on the goal line the hook at the back of the endzone is wide open.
If the opposing team is playing man, the drag us deadly as the snapper will act as a pick to many defenders. Additionally, the in at the back of the endzone is a footrace and if you lead the receiver, is a safe throw that is very difficult to defend.
See it in action:
Iggy: Here’s another (non-redzone) play:
The first play I wanted to bring up is one that is fairly ubiquitous in FPF. This is a concept for which I’m probably most familiar. I run this so often that opposing defences often call “watch for the drag” before my teams even run the first play. Still, I run it all the time and it is effective more often than not. I ran it this past week in division 4B and it led to 3 touchdowns thrown to three different routes.
Play Name: The Drag Play
Call in the Huddle (play can be reversed): Drag, 7 out, 7 out right (snappers need to know which direction their outs or ins are), post, fly.
How to read the play: The first look is to the side where the two deep routes are occurring. Given that most of us (myself probably more so than anyone reading this) were not blessed with a rocket arm, your first reads should always be deep. The idea is you want to get the ball out of your hand early if you’re throwing deep because throwing deep late leads to interceptions. Trust me, I’ve perfected the art of throwing late progression interceptions.
So, if the middle defender needs to bail to be one of the two safeties in a two deep look (an exotic cover 2 scheme seen more commonly above div 6), the ball needs to go to the fly as the middle defender cannot get there. If the defense is dropping both corners then the post is undefended.
If the deep reads are not available then one of the two outs could be open. This is especially true, if like me, you hit the drag often. If the defense starts leaving their position to jump the drag then one of the two outs should be open. It is important to note that while the slot receiver runs a 7 yard out to the sideline, the snapper needs to stop over where the slot receiver started the route so as to not have two routes ending in the same location. This can often go for lots of yards after the catch because the defender who was supposed to cover the out has abandoned their zone.
If the defense is playing lax, then the drag should be an easy reception with some YAC attached to it. This happens frequently as defenders typically get antsy and will begin drifting backwards as plays take time to develop. This is how you can get a team to pay for playing lackadaisical.
If the opposing team runs man defense against this play the drag is usually open as well as the drag is a single step in-cutting route against a defender who is typically playing 5-7 yards off the line of scrimmage. Additionally, if the defender is playing outside technique (lined up over the outside shoulder of the receiver) they are completely out of position. If the defender is faster than your receiver, or is he’s line-up closer to the line of scrimmage and playing inside technique, then you still have a one on one on both the post and fly.
If the defense is playing 4-1 corner lock then the corner will release the drag to the interior defenders. If they do not jump the drag, attack the lackadaisical defence by hitting the drag in their faces. If they do jump it, then look for one of the 7 yard outs to be open. Given that the single high safety is occupied with the post this usually creates a nice pocket for the snapper to sit in.
Iggy: And one more play….
Play Name: 12 Yard Hooks
This play is deadly. It isn’t commonly called in FPF but it destroys all zone coverages, allows your offense to get chunks of yards at a time and it is easy to read. It can work against man, but it becomes a single read play and needs to be read quickly.
Call in the Huddle (play can be reversed): Hook at 12, Hook at 12, strong side speed out to the sideline, skinny post, short hook (2 yards).
How to execute the play: The first read needs to be the post. If it’s 1-5 defense or if it’s man, the ball HAS to go to the post. Often, this can be the easiest deep TD you can throw. If you see 4-1, any version ov cover 3 or 2-4, the read becomes the 12 yard hooks. Essentially if the 2 is dropping the wide receiver should have the sideline 12 yard hook fully available. If the team plays really soft and drifts, the snapper should be an easy completion. If the 2 defender jumps the snapper (like on 4-1) the slot 12 yard hook is wide open. If there’s a team that bites on the QB’s strong side and follows his eyes, the back side short hook may be completely abandoned by the defense. Run this play, gain a ton of yards, watch your receivers put up ridiculous numbers!