Div E: The Division of Quarterbacks

Welcome to Week 3 of the FlagPlus Football spring campaign. Can you guys believe that a quarter of the regular season is almost in the books? As the saying goes, time flies, especially in the world of FPF.

A couple of things caught my attention this past week…

First and foremost, there are a lot of good Quarterbacks in this division. While we all know the elite passers like Danny Aylward, James D’Andrea, and Jordan Rossie, we are now witnessing a new set of QBs led by Avery Lalla, Jonathan Doughlin, Jordan Allard, and Clayton Sequira, among others, who are not only making a name for themselves, but if they keep up their recent level of play, they have a good chance of breaking into the aforementioned upper echelon of QBs.

Speaking of Lalla and D’Andrea, both QBs made their regular season debuts this week after missing their team’s respective Week 1 games. The expression, good things come to those who wait, certainly held true, as each player led their squad (Avery/Pardon My Swag) and (D’Andrea/SPARTANS) to a victory.

Lalla, who missed Week 1, because he was at a football camp south of the border, looked like the extra work paid off, as he went 20 of 27 for 170 yards and 4 touchdown passes, against a solid YAMAJO defense. Although it’s a little concerning that Pardon My Swag was only able to put up 8 points in the second half of their 26-13 win, their D did pitch a shutout, and Lalla will get even better.

D’Andrea, was back to his usual self Monday at Papineau, as he was airing it repeatedly, on the way to 5 TD passes, in his team’s 38-25 victory over One Speed: Power.

Wide Receiver Alexis Bessette, had a monster game of his own, as the fourth-year player had 2 TD receptions, and shred the OSP defense with his speed.

The only concerning aspect of the QB’s performance was his accuracy. While he does throw a beautiful deep ball, D’Andrea, also occasionally throws interceptions, as he did on Monday. In fact, if it wasn’t for drops by the OSP Defensive Backs, that number could’ve easily climbed to three, or even four.

First, it was not giving El Preseidenté Rob Campana a team name. Now, TBA has smartly added a USPORTS Quarterback in Clayton Sequira, on to their team. The University of Toronto Varsity Blue, who went 1 of 2 for 7 yards in backup duty during his rookie season of university ball, has looked really good so far in FPF, as he has thrown for 9 touchdowns, and has put his name among the early candidates for the QB of the Year Award. Well played guys, well played indeed

The Smokin Axolotls’ 32-13 loss to the Homosapiens, should come with an asterisks beside it for Stef Fennes’ team, as their Quarterback Jordan Rossie, was dealing with an undisclosed injury. The ailment was bad enough to keep the tough gunslinger out of my team’s (The Commission) game against his Junkyard Dogs squad last Sunday at Lachine.

Against the Homosapiens, Rossie, went an uncharacteristic 9 for 24, to go along with 2 INTs.

Hopefully, for the QB and his team, Rossie is feeling better this week, as the they look to rebound against the Montreal Raiders.

With all the talk about QB play, although it’s still early in the season, it’s a bit surprising to see so many teams only score two touchdowns or less for a second consecutive week. Is the lack of offensive production solely the result of some solid defense being played by teams like Dirty Mike n the Boys, Just For The Reps, and FACE Jazz among others? Or, is it just that a plethora of squads still haven’t established important factors like timing and chemistry? We will find out shortly.

I know that Paolo Della Rocca (Peeze) and I touched on this during the podcast Wendy night, but we were both impressed with the play of Le choix du Président Quarterback Gabriel Béland-Lapointe, as the fourth-year player was the epitome of efficiency, by completing 7 of 9 passes for 137 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, and an equally impressive 118.8 QB Rating, in his team’s 35-6 win over the Montreal Raiders.

For a guy who has struggled with interceptions, (he threw 5 last week vs Just For The Reps) and surely hasn’t experienced as much winning as he would like in FPF, it’s nice to see a good guy, and the man with the best beard in the league, put together a rock-solid performance, and more importantly, got his team the win.

I know it’s still very early in the season, but I think it is safe to say that hands down, Dirty Mike n the Boys have the best defense in Division E. Not only did they record 6 interceptions in their opening-season win over Here For The Beer, but through 2 games so far, they have given up a grand total of 7 points. Led by and Derrrick Fontana, Valentin Hoyau, and team Captain Jordan Allard, this is a team that can score on both sides of the ball (they already have an incredible four pick 6s), and as Allard can attest to, they play to the final whistle. Let’s see what they do tomorrow night against Prime Time. Offenses beware.

This week has more than a few games that should be must-see…

SPARTANS versus Super Troopers

Two of the division’s heavyweights, are heading in the opposite direction right now. While the SPARTANS were keyed to their first victory of the season by the aforementioned return of James D’Andrea, the Super Troopers are still looking to get into the win column.

For the Super Troopers to get the win, they will need three things to happen:

First, they will need their two-way stud (Zach Zwirn) to come up with more plays than the SPARTANS’ best player in Alexis Bessette. I’m hoping these two will cover each other all game long.

Secondly, the team in black and white, will need a repeat performance out of QB Jonathan Doughlin. In the team’s (40-31) loss to the Greendale Human Beings, the rookie threw for 214 yards and 5 TDs. Another stellar performance like that, would be huge for the Super Troopers.

Finally, they will need sack-master Zackary Alberts-Gill, to find the Winter Season form that not only made him the division’s most feared Rusher, but helped him set the FPF record for sacks with 29. In 2 games so far this season, the third-year player has zero sacks. That will need to change, and fast.

FACE Jazz versus One Speed: Power

There are a lot of interesting subplots in this game between two teams that are coming off of Week 2 losses. I think that the matchup between Will Power vs Joshua Hidalgo-Trivilidis, and Daniel Bornstein vs Azeem Bailey, will steal the show. All four players are capable of making plays on both sides of the ball up and down the field.

In its simplest form, this game might come down to two things.

Will OSP, who has put up 45 points this season, be able to connect consistently on the deep ball, or will they have to continue to pick up the majority of their yardage on crossing and drag routes?

For the FACE Jazz defense, they will need to add to their division-leading (they are tied with Just For The Reps and Dirty Mike n the Boys) 6 interceptions. To do that, they will need to intercept any long passes that Peeze leaves in the air for too long, and more importantly, they will to eliminate the OSP short passing game that has been their bread and butter both last year, and this season.

A victory for FACE Jazz, would not only snap their one-game slide, but it would also give them a win over a contending team, while a win for OSP, would give them some confidence, as they get ready to play YAMAJO and Prime Time, over the next few weeks.

The Expendables versus Pardon My Swag

I already talked about the return of Avery Lalla, so there’s no need to revisit that here. What I will talk about is the temporary addition of Kyle McGuigan (due to cap issues) to an already dangerous Pardon My Swag team. The man who I used to call little Gronk in his FPF rookie season back in the Winter 2015 season, is a play-maker, who has good hands, and can use his big frame to get open. Although he only had a modest one reception for 18 yards, and a TD in his debut, if Team Capatain Brad Evans is able to get him again this year, McGuigan, will definitely add yet another weapon to an extremely deep and explosive offense.

McGuigan, is just another name along with Brad Evans and the Keiller brothers, among others, that The Expendables will have to stop tomorrow night at Stade de Montreal.

Luckily for The Expendables, they are coming off of a dominant 41-6 win over The Pension Plan.

After getting shutout in the first half, and struggling to move the ball offensively the entire game in their Week 1 19-8 loss to Hot Boys Hotline, The Expendables, moved the ball with ease this past Sunday atStade de Montreal. Led by QB David Roaldi, the offense was able to put up 4 TDs, and they were successful on all four of their conversion attempts.

The team was equally as impressive on the other side of the ball as their defense was able to generate two pick 6s, and held both The Pension Plan Quarterbacks (Vince Pisano and Mario Rinaldi) to less than 80 yards passing each.

That stingy defense led by Remy Montalto, Marlon Perard, and Jason Hervieux, will need to show up once again, if they want to get the win.

 

Elite 8

1.Greendale Human Beings – For the second week in a row, the Div 6 champs survived another tough test, as they earned a hard-fought 40-31 victory over the Super Troopers. This week, they face an underrated Sons of Mitches team. Can GHB make it 3-0, or will SOM shock Div E with the huge upset? Last Week: Same

2. Pardon My Swag – They rise a spot in the rankings after they knocked off YAMAJO, and the Smokin Axolotls’ aforementioned loss to the Homosapiens. A win over The Expendables tomorrow night, will solidify their position in the rankings. Last Week: 3rd

3. Los Avocados – As the main man Chapman has been saying, Josh Vasquez’s team has definitely been found this season. What they also found, is an easy schedule to begin the campaign, with games against the Montreal Raiders and DGC. Up next is a game versus Le choix du Président, that will partly be determined by the play of the aforementioned Gabriel Béland-Lapointe. Let’s see what happens. Last Week: 4th.

4. SPARTANS – This team is built on speed and big plays, both of which were on display versus One Speed: Power. A potential Game of the Week matchup presents itself this week as they take on the Super Troopers Monday night at Stade de Montreal, which yours truly will be present for. After shaking off the rust last week, I expect SPARTANS’ QB James D’Andrea, to be firing on all cylinders in this one. Last Week: 5th

5. Smokin Axolotls – As I previously said, the injury suffered by QB Jordan Rossie, played a role in their loss to the Homosapiens. The defeat drops them three spots in the rankings. If Rossie struggles again this week, and the Montreal Raiders pull off the unthinkable upset, the Smokin Axolotls will drop a lot further. Last Week: 2nd.

6. Dirty Mike n the Boys – As discussed earlier, their defense is legit. The team’s offense has been impressive as well. Tomorrow night they take on a Prime Time team with some weapons of their own in Josh Levine, Michael Iannella, and Brenden Sabloff. Let’s see which side comes out on top. Last Week 7th.

7. One Speed: Power – Their loss to the SPARTANS drops them down a spot this week. OSP, has a chance to take their spot back, if they can knock off FACE Jazz tomorrow night. Last Week 6th.

8. TBA – I have a feeling, this will be the first in many appearances for these guys in the Elite 8. They kickoff their rankings debut with a game against Farmers’ team who is coming off a loss to the Little Giants. The QB showdown between Benoit Robidoux and Clay Sequira, has the potential to be a shootout. Let’s see how it plays out. Last Week: N/A

 

Picks

Raccoons vs Hot Boys Hotline – Hot Boys Hotline

Homosapiens vs Here For The Beer – Homosapiens

TBA vs Farmers – TBA

The Pension Plan vs Friday Night Tykes – Friday Night Tykes

Los Avocados vs Le choix du Président – Los Avocados

West Delisle Squad vs Striking Samurais – N/A

SPARTANS vs Super Troopers – Super Troopers (Upset Special and my choice for Game of the Week)

Dirty Mike n the Boys vs Prime Time – Dirty Mike n the Boys

TBA vs Farmers – TBA

YAMAJO vs Just For The Reps – Just For The Reps

Last Week: 9-5

Season: 19-8-1

Brent versus Marc-Andre

 

Marc-André’s Picks

West Delisle Squad vs Striking Samurais – Striking Samurais

SPARTANS vs Super Troopers – SPARTANS

Dirty Mike n the Boys vs Prime Time – Dirty Mike n the Boys

YAMAJO vs Just For The Reps – YAMAJO

TBA vs Farmers – TBA

 

My Picks

One Speed: Power vs FACE Jazz – One Speed: Power

Fourth & Twenty vs DGC – Fourth & Twenty

Little Giants vs Moss City – Little Giants

Greendale Human Beings vs Sons of Mitches – Greendale Human Beings

Smokin Axolotls vs Montreal Raiders – Smokin Axolotls

Last Week: 2-3

Season: 2-3

That’s it for this week guys. Like I said last time, the article would be out earlier this time around. I hope you guys enjot it.

Don’t forget to check out the podcast this Wednesday from the “Stade de Montreal Studio”, AKA the garage. This episode will feature the season debut of the third member of our broadcast team, in the main man Stef Fennes. It’ll be fun as we criticize him for putting work and fishing ahead of Peeze and I. We look to kick the show off by 7:45.

See you guys next time, and enjoy the games this week!

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]