Division 5: Road to the Finals

Division 5A

Finals Preview

Greendale Human Beings vs. Les Flamants Fous

Previous Matchup: Greendale Human Beings 57-14

 

Road to the Finals – Greendale Human Beings

The three-headed monster that is the Greendale Human Beings are no stranger to FPF success. The trio that includes Danny Aylward, Brandon Aylward and Alex Joltopuf have 9 All-Star nominations between them, 5 individual awards and a championship together. To say that they are experienced is an understatement. What makes this team complete, though, is that they have a group of role players who are also excellent at what they do. Satchel Carriero and Adam Gould-Daves are excellent defenders and Phil De Kovachich and Greg Kritselas are very solid two-way players. Obviously Joltopuf and Brandon hog a lot of the attention on offense, however what makes this team special is the fact that they have no real weakness on either side of the ball. Something you would expect from the favorite coming into this game.

GHB started the season incredibly strong right off the bat but you could argue they did not have a real test until Week 3 when they played the Mud Dogs. That game was the ultimate display of just how easily they can beat an opponent by really only using two receivers on offense. No kidding, only Joltopuf and Brandon had catches, combining for all of Danny’s 17 completions. The rest of the season was smooth sailing, including a monster performance against the team they will see in the Finals later today. They won that game 57-14 in Week 8, however something tells me that the game will be a bit closer this time around. Their only loss on the season came against the surging Rednecks who were fighting for a playoff spot towards the end of the season and GHB looked rather disinterested.

The team is very focused around Brandon Aylward and Alex Joltopuf who combined for over 50% of Danny’s completions this season and we’re number 1 and 2 on the team in interceptions as well. While their strategy may be rather obvious, they know how to utilize their biggest weapons and dare you to try and take them out of the game. If you Flamants Fous can basically do the opposite of what they did last time, they stand a chance. It sounds crazy, but sometimes getting your ass handed to you the first time around can help the fire burn that much stronger.

 

Keys to Victory:

• If Danny and Brandon have a big game, there will be no stopping them yet again.
• Who needs more than 2 receivers? If it worked so well in the past, don’t veer from it.
• Alex Joltopuf could be the X-Factor in this one, don’t sleep on him.
• If the game is close, can you trust somebody else besides the big three to step up? I say, don’t even let it get to that.
• Watch the film from last game. Rather, Rinse, Repeat.

 

Road to the Finals – Les Flamants Fous

Definitely the underdog in this story, they will need to relish this role. They have finally found their rhythm with Nicolas Schaefer at QB and have been surprising the field in the playoffs so far. The downside? They are playing a team who put up 57 points on them in their previous meeting. Offensively, Les Flamants Fous spread the ball around much more than their opponent and have a good mix of players who can beat you. Thomas Coutu is their leading man and the only player on the team with double digit touchdowns, however that points to the strength of this team as 3 other players had at least 5. Those guys are Oliver Turcot, Charles Fontaine and Christophe Lapointe.

Defensively, they work well as a team and rely a lot more on batting down balls and preventing catches than tackling after the fact. They are the kind of group that will force three straight incompletions or give up a deep pass. Hopefully for this game, it will be the former. Statistically, nobody really stands out besides Coutu’s 10 sacks or Jean-Francois Lafreniere’s 10 knockdowns. Oliver Turcot led the team with 3 interceptions which goes to show you how little they get turnovers.

Ultimately, I give a lot of credit for Flamants Fous for getting to the Finals. Their season started with a hard fought win against Bobby’s Boys, but then they fell to Grand Lionel and Hurricane SZN within their first 4 games as they tried to find themselves. They actually lost 5 of their next 7 games only to win their final two and squeeze into the playoffs. They are living proof that getting hot at the right time is huge and that you just need a ticket to the dance to steal away the Prom Queen. The thing is, their competition this time around is the most popular boy in school, who already made them look like a fool once. It will be tough to outshine GHB this time around but in a one game final, anything can happen.

 

Keys to Victory:

• Hate to say it, but they will have to win ugly.
• Thomas Coutu will need to contain Danny Aylward. He doesn’t necessarily need a ton of sacks, but if Aylward starts gaining yards on the ground, they’re toast.
• Nicolas Schaefer to stay hot. He had a turnover that could have cost him the game in the Semis, don’t let GHB get an extra possession for nothing.
• Play as a team and don’t try to play copycat. Continue to use the strategy that got you to this point.
• Tighten up the defense and slow down Brandon Aylward and Alex Joltopuf. Force GHB to use other WRs to beat you.

 

Prediction: Greendale Human Beings 39 – 33

 

Division 5B

Finals Preview

Wrecking Crew vs. Moss City

Previous Matchup: N/A

 

Road to the Finals – Wrecking Crew

Do they know how to lose? That will be the key factor, in my opinion, as this game goes on. Wrecking Crew have had a storybook season going a perfect 10-0 and narrowly escaping defeat in the Quarter Finals to get to the Road Show. Can we make the argument that winning on the last play of the game was enough of a wakeup call to prevent any collapse today? Maybe. Ultimately, they are the only undefeated team in all of Division 5 and while impressive, it makes them the team that everybody is trying to dethrone; the Penguins of the NHL, the Patriots of the NFL and the Warriors of the NBA. Those teams are all strong, however I would argue that their competition plays hardest against them than any other. I wonder if we can compare Moss City to the Cavs here.

Back on topic, Wrecking Crew have shown all season that they can compete with the best and overcome all obstacles. While their season has been a straight line to success with little wavering, they have beaten strong teams such as the Falcons, Punishers, the Process and Team Y.S. Stephen Harripersaud has enjoyed the best season of his FPF career behind center and the only thing missing is the cherry on the cake. They will argue that the season will not matter and that everything is on the line today, however I can assure you, going 14-0 would be ever so sweet.

The team does not really center on any given player, however Harripersaud’s main weapons all season have been Kevin Koussaie and Josh Levine. They have combined for almost 70 catches and 18 touchdowns. Their deep threat, Shyanne Stewart can burn you at any given time, but they are happy to play the ball possession game if they need to. Defensively, Koussaie and Levine also lead the way while Stewart has been their ball hawk. They spread out their best players all over the field to make it tough to beat them on a big play. Moss City will have to play boring football or win a few deep balls to get them off their game.

 

Keys to Victory:

• Mistake free football.
• Harripersaud to get the ball out quick and let his receivers do the work.
• Shut down Provencher and don’t give up the big play to any of their weapons.
• Need to stay in their zones while Desjardins is on the move, don’t get lost.

 

Road to the Finals – Moss City

I think that the reason Moss City has flown under the radar, at least to me, for so long is because of their slow start. It can be easy to discount a team after starting 1-2-1 and have all of their wins afterwards kind of creep up on you. I mean that in the sense that because they started off slow, their wins at the time did not seem as meaningful. Looking back, I was definitely missing the mark by not giving them a fighting chance. Something seemed to click for Moss City after their game against Affreux as they have now won 9 straight. To me, most impressive is the fact that while attempting to turn their season around, they beat Takeover, Sterdam and Mogadishu Pirates back to back to back and they have not looked in their rearview mirror since. They managed to beat Takeover for a second time in the Semi Finals to get them to the Road Show later today.

Arno Desjardins has put together an excellent campaign this season and his touchdown to interception ratio of 32/4 has been one of the best in the Division. His yardage total does not jump off the page, however he uses his receivers well and does an even better job extending plays and gaining yards with his legs. He’ll probably never win a rushing title, but he’s a very good dual threat that can burn you if you’re not careful. His leading man is easily Bruno Provencher, but not too be too far outdone are Benjamin De Tilly and Francois Laramee who combine for an excellent support cast. The trio of Benoit Vanier, Oliver Suri and Sifax Kaced combine to be an athletic, ball hawking trio that will need to step up and cover the excellent trio on Wrecking Crew.

Overall, they have a solid group of role players who don’t fight each other for the spotlight, but rather compliment very well. This matchup is extremely different from the one in 5A in that there is no talk of David vs. Goliath here, but rather two powerhouse teams that should put on a great show on the road. Get it? In all seriousness, it’s very tough to pick a winner. I give the edge athletically to Moss City, but Wrecking Crew have proven to be a resilient group that have a system that has proven to be impossible to beat this season.

 

Keys to Victory:

• Call me crazy, but I’d consider switching up De Tilly and having Arno Desjardins rush. I think a much taller rusher can cause Harripersaud problems.
• Arno Desjardins to use his legs to get himself out of trouble and create windows.
• Switch it up defensively between man and different kind of zones. Don’t give Harripersaud easy reads,
• Provencher needs to step up. If he has a big game, they will have a good chance.

 

Prediction: Moss City 34-32