Division 6 Mid-Season All-Stars
Division 6: after five long weeks, it’s finally here. Welcome to my 2nd annual Mid-Season All-Star Article. Just like last year’s edition, you will get my picks for Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Two-Way player, Rusher, Defensive Player, and best team at the midway point.
For those of you who are new to this, I will list between 5-7 players in each category. I will then give you a brief explanation as to why I voted the way I did.
This year however, I wanted to add something new, so I decided to create another category, which I call the Brandon Weeden Award. No, I am not naming somebody the most overrated backup QB outside of Matt Cassell, I have created this for the QB in Div. 6 who throws the prettiest spiral. Yeah you read that right. As someone who played QB in high school, and who still plays the position while coaching kids, I know a thing or two (at least I think I do) about throwing a tight spiral. Hence, the birth of this award. Just to be clear, there is no actual award for this or any other section. If you really feel that you deserve one, talk to Moe Khan. He has some NFL connections. I am sure he’ll be able to get you a Weeden jersey from his favourite team, the Cleveland Browns!
Once again, this is just a reminder that these are my mid-Season selections. There is still 5 weeks left in the regular season, so if you’re mad that you didn’t win a category, or you weren’t even a nominee, there’s tons of time to prove me wrong, and more importantly, end up as my Year-End choice.
Without further ado, here we go…
Mid-Season QB of the Year
David Deandrade (Tip Top Shape) – 20 TDs / 6 INTs / 14 Sacks / 56.1 COMP% / 10. 4 YPP
Max Marini (Sabrfc) – 19 TDs / 6 INTs / 6 Sacks / 56.7 COMP% / 14.1 YPP
Joseph Kano (PB n’ Jelly) 23 TDs / 3 INTs / 11 Sacks 61.7 COMP% / 12.9 YPP
Francois Martin (Diablos) 19 TDs / 11 INTs / 6 Sacks / 50.4 COMP% / 12.8 YPP
Michael Sanchez (N.W.O) 19 TDs / 3 INTs / 7 Sacks / 60.0 COMP% / 9.9 YPP
Daniel Richman (Gamecocks) 18 TDs / 3 INTs / 5 Sacks / 68.0 COMP% / 8.7 YPP
Winner: Joseph Kano (PB n’ Jelly) – While Deandrade has the most TD passes, he also has been sacked a Div. 6-high 14 times (he is tied with the Smokin Axolotls’ Jordan Rossie). Yes, Richman does have the same low number of picks as Kano (3), but the former doesn’t come close to touching him in yards per pass, which also explains the Gamecocks’ pivot’s high completion percentage. Did I mention that Kano is the cundoctor behind D6’S highest scoring offense?
Mid-Season Wide Receiver of the Year
Dylan Catellier (PB n Jelly) – 26 catches / 287 yards / 8 TDs / 11 YPC
Georges Elie-Voyer (Diablos) 20 catches / 409 yards / 9 TDs / 20.5 YPC
Marc-Antoine Vallee (Ravens) 15 catches / 286 yards / 9 TDs / 19.1 YPC
Mickey Marini (Sabrfc) – 25 catches / 472 yards / 10 TDs / 18.9 YPC
Myles Keiller (TDs and Beer) – 22 catches / 262 yards / 9 TDs / 11.9 YPP
Jason Rossie (Smokin’ Axolotls) 26 catches / 336 yards / 8 TDs / 12.9 YPP
Andrew Grant (Spartans) 10 catches / 254 yards / 6 TDs / 25.4 YPP
*Just like last year, this category was the hardest to choose, because there are so many players worthy of a spot. Even though these are in my opinion the top 7 receivers at this point of the season in Div 6, it was leaving guys like PB n Jelly’s Jay Strachan, the Gamecocks’ Kyle Tanzer, and Tip Top Shape’s Ricard Martelly off the list. Once again guys, this is only the halfway point of the season, so you everybody will have a chance to prop up their numbers and come through in the clutch for their respective squads, and not only earn a spot on the list, but walk away with title.
Winner: Mickey Marini (Sabrfc)
In the end, this one came down to Marini, and the dynamic Elie-Voyer. I went with the Sabrfc WR because he is the one legitimate threat on this team offensively, that other teams need to game plan for first and foremost. Teams know he is getting the ball not just because of his amazing talents, but also due to the fact that his brother is the starting QB. Simply put, teams KNOW he is getting the ball, and defenses still can’t stop him.
While the latter can also be said about Elie-Voyer, (the first person opponents MUST pay attention to, and teams not being able to stop him) he does have the advantage of playing with the severely underrated duo of Vincent Lajoie and Michael Deguire. It’s obvious not his fault, but as the saying goes, it is what it is.
Mid-Season Two-Way Player of the Year
Vincent Alessandrini (Nighthawks)
Simon Beliveau (Trojans)
David Deandrade (Tip Top Shape)
Vincent Bradley (Team Laval)
Kyle Tanzer (Gamecocks)
Giovanni Bavota (Victorious Secret)
Georges Elie-Voyer (Diablos)
Winner: David Deandrade (Tip Top Shape) – Everybody in this category had a fair shot at winning, but I am going to go with De Andrade, because not only is he second in all of Div. 6 with 20 TD passes, but he also tied for second in D6 in interceptions with 5.
Mid-Season Defensive Player of the Year
Dimitri Sinodinos (Bricksquad) 4 INTs / 2 TDs / 2 PDs
Giovanni Bavota (Victorious Secret) – 7 INTs / 3 PDs
Charles-David Martel (Spartans) – 9 Sacks / 4 PDs
Jamie Steinmetz (Gamecocks) – 10 Sacks
Vincent Alessandrini (Nighthawks) – 5 INTs / 1TD /4 PDs
Daniel Hernandez (Spartans) – 4 INTs / 1TD / 5PDs
Joseph Sifakis (Smokin’ Axolotls) – 4 INTs / 1 TD / 1 Sack / 2 PDs
Pat Deschenes TDs and Beer) – 3 INTs / 3 Sacks 4 PDs
Georges Élie-Voyer (Diablos) – 3 INTs / 1 Sack / 4 PDs
*In case you’re wondering, yes, I do know how to count. I just didn’t think it was right to leave an extra person or two off the list. Besides, this is my list.
Winner: Giovanni Bavota (Victorious Secret) – Simply put, he had two more INTs (7) than the next closest competitor (Alessandrini with 5) and perhaps more importantly, he plays on a team with an offense that really struggles to score, and fails to produce multiple lengthy drives, which means that he and his defensive mates are on the field a lot.
Mid-Season Rusher of the Year
Charles-David Martel (Spartans) – 9 Sacks
Simon Laporte (Jean Guy) – 8 Sacks
Jamie Steinmetz (Gamecocks) – 10 Sacks
Micheal Boss (Sabrfc) – 8 Sacks
Chris Brockwell (Smokin’ Axolotls) – 6 Sacks
Winner: Charles-David Martel (Spartans) – Yes, I do realize that the Gamecocks’ Jaime Steinmetz has 1 more sack than Martel, but the Spartans’ rusher also had 4 pass deflections, which as anybody that watches football can tell you, are almost just as important as a sack, because they can lead to interceptions. When I dug a little deeper, I noticed that Martel’s team had 7 takeaways, while Steinmetz’s squad only had 5.
Is it me, or does it feel like sacreligious that Simon Laporte didn’t win? Up until this season, he was always the run-away winner for top rusher no matter what division his team played. Congrats once again to Martel, but remember folks, we still have another half of the season to play. Time will tell if Laporte will take his spot back.
Mid-Season Team of the Year
Tip Top Shape (5-0)
TDs and Beer (3-1-1)
Jean Guy (5-0)
Team Laval (4-1)
PB n’ Jelly (5-0)
Winner: Tip Top Shape – They’ve scored the 3rd most points so far with 142. They have the best +/- in the Division as well, and their defense has surrendered the 2nd least amount of points. They also man-handled a good Diablos team with ease. It’s not all roses for T.TS, as their next 5 games are all against playoff teams. Once again, this is only the mid-season. Things can definitely change.
Brandon Weeden Award
Francois Martin (Diablos)
Daniel Richman (Gamecocks)
Michael Sanchez (N.W.O)
Joseph Kano (PB n’ Jelly)
Olivier Bourgeois (Team Laval)
Winner: Francois Martin (Diablos) – I was tempted to go with the Gamecocks’ Daniel Richman, here, but I went with Martin because of the arch he puts on the ball, as well as the fact that he likes to air it out. His passes hang in the air just long enough for you to get a good view. In all honesty, it’s a thing of beauty. Richman on the other hand, also has a really tight spiral, but his passes tend to be a lot shorter. While it’s still an impressive feat, it’s a lot easier to throw tight spirals shorter distances than it is to throw them long while maintaining the spin on the ball.
Picks (Favorites in bold)
Sabrfc vs Trojans – Sabrfc
Ravens vs Spartans – Spartans
Smokin’ Axolotls vs Goon Squad – Smokin’ Axolotls
Tip top Shape vs Team Laval – Team Laval (*Upset Special and my pick for Game of the Week)
Diablos vs TDs and Beer – Diablos (*Upset Special Number Two)
Gamecocks vs Jean Guy – Jean Guy
Bricksquad vs CMS Laval – Bricksquad
Fourth and Twenty vs PB n’ Jelly – PB n’ Jelly
n.W.o. vs Nighthawks – N.W.O
Gronky Kong vs Victorious Secret – Victorious Secret
*Not to toot my own horn about my Super Bowl prediction, but how about that Broncos’ D? I must admit however, that I was wrong about the score. I actually thought the Panthers O would show up. I was also wrong about Cam, he didn’t just make one mistake, he made several. (Over-throwing wide open Wide Receivers, not diving on his fumble, not running when he had lanes to do so, etc…I didn’t even mention him acting like a child after the game. Yes, Mike Shula’s play-calling was horrible, but Cam played just as bad, if not worse than Peyton. Congrats to #18 btw.