Categories: DivisionDivision 6GeneralPublic

Division 6 Mid-Season Report Card

Peeze’s Playbook Week 6

The midseason report is here.  Man is it gruelling.  For those who don’t know, I actually write three times the amount and then pare it down to the final product. This specific article has a lot of research involved.  However, I decided to include as much narrative based analysis for the midseason breakdown as it will help teams understand each other’s stories and how we all ended up here. 

***important note*** I missed my deadline and while I’ve updated the records, I didn’t want to release my article even later so the analysis remains.  For the most part the analysis is still accurate. I’ve also adjusted the team rankings accordingly.

Musings, Ramblings, Lies and Other Assortments

  • The quote below (as spoken by Martin Picard) is a true story from an awards ceremony I happened to be at.  It was a fun night.
  • Leather Duster or Cotton?  So many decisions.
  • Do the Monstars win if they possess the soul of Ja Morant?
  • At some point not all sentences need to mean anything.
  • Do people think Winning Time was supposed to be a documentary? Are people negatively reacting to a great show because they don’t agree with the creator’s politics?  Yes, I am laughing at such people.
  • All-Dressed is a strange concept for a Pizza.  Can you consider yourself dressed without Bacon?
  • The 2006 anti rom-com The Break-Up has some of the best couples arguing dialogue I’ve ever seen in a movie. PHILE!!!
  • It’s become quite clear to me that there is a difference between the top end and the bottom end of the division.
  • I actually had Tropic Thunder ranked ahead of Stormer before last night’s matchup.  Life imitating art, I guess.

The Peeze Curve

While I didn’t think this was necessary I think i need to explain how it is that I score my weekly power rankings and how it differs from the mid season report. I am an educator by trade so do note that it is convoluted, unfair and meant to infuriate everyone involved. 

For the weekly power rankings, rank the team’s progress and specifically overreact to the week that was.  The reason for this being that if it were the same as the standings then you could just read the standings. I also take season-long context into consideration but it’s meant to reflect that given week.   So if you beat a team three weeks ago, they may still be ahead of you in the power ranking because in the week that was, they may have had a better performance.

The rankings here are a prediction with regards to how I believe everyone will finish by season’s end. 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 blown my expectations away.  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.

C: I was right, and the team is performing exactly as expected

D: The team is underperforming and should probably send me a jar of pickles. I like pickles, they really enhance the Cubano sandwich.

E: Evil, this team is full of people I consider evil.  They should be worried about mummy curses and being struck down by powerful deities. 

F: Your team is really underperforming. 

So essentially, this is based on how the team is performing as compared to preseason thoughts and rankings.  Sometimes you’ll see 2 win teams with an A and other times you might see an undefeated team with a C rating.  Finally, for the remaining records I actually went ahead and predicted games from here to the end of the season.  These may change in future articles and on the pod because the future is ever changing. Unless you believe in determinism.  However I prefer to think of the legendary Sarah Connor “no fate but the one we make for ourselves”.

  1. Tropic Thunder (5-1): Tropic Thunder’s only loss thus far has come because of a forfeit.  Overall, They’ve dominated poor opponents and won hard fought games against tougher teams. Mikael Arseneau has been downright impressive. He’s top 5 in nearly all metrics, is avoiding turnovers and is averaging 14.5 yards per carry as well. His 8 interceptions put him on track to win two way player of the year as well.  Something tells me the turnaround has been helped along by Alex Laroche who is a legitimately brilliant football mind. Laroche has been a chain mover as well and his 22 catches has helped the top flight athletes like Max Chevrefils and Maxime Adam-Dube to do their damage and help put up points. 

Key Players: Mikael Aresenau

Grade: A-

Predicted Record: 7-3

  1. The Stormers (5-1): I’m done sleeping on Stormers.  They had the fortune of getting a forfeit win last week.  They likely would have beat Free Agent Squad anyway because the’ve looked great all season long. Alec Richard-Nantel has been great this season. For those who have forgotten to hit the rush tab I’ll do you a favor, Nantel is up to 25 TDs and 2 interceptions.  Perhaps most impressive is that other than week 1, Nantel has not completed less than 80% of his passes. His connection with Lucas Nantel is impressive but Dave Cretin and Jeremy Porier Verrault both have been heavily involved in the pass game. Their next three games will essentially define their season as they face Tropic Thunder, Beer Knights and Spanish inquisition in subsequent weeks.  Does subsequent work for three weeks? Fine, trisequent then.

Key Players: Alec Richard-Nantel, Dave Cretin, Lucas Nantel

Grade: A+

Predicted Record: 8-2

  1. Thunder Buddies (4-1): From a roster perspective few are scarier than Thunder Buddies. I’ve talked about it before but Terry Bablis is currently rushing in Division 2 and if he decides to rush this defense goes from being excellent to simply unfair.  William Power has been my receiver of choice for many seasons. The dude is an athletic freak who simply has an elite ball tracking skill.  His 892 catches, 10’011 yards and 260 career touchdowns (regular season+tournaments) speaks for itself. Kerano Johnson and David St.Jean are newcomers and veritable unknowns in FPF circles.  However, they are making a mark instantly. Their loss to 7th rounders is a blemish but they seem to have recovered.

Key Players: Will Power, Terry Babalis, Kerano Johnson

Grade: B

Predicted Record: 9-1

  1. West Island Boys (4-1): West Island Boys only loss came week 1.  Gor this reason I was a little slow to get hip to them. We’ve since learned that Flag Football Team are a serious contender and they were the only ones to hand an L to WIB. The receiving combination of Zack Stacey and Skylar Bayliff make this team particularly dangerous, yet the duo have also recorded a combined 10 ints on defense as well.  Their play has helped the development of Nick Richard at quarterback. He’s been solid but is turning the ball over a little too often (a sub 2:1 TD to INT ratio).  They have a couple of trap games ahead but I think it’s smooth sailing until the post-season for this group.

Key Players: Zack Stacey, Skylar Bayliff, Miguel Espinosa

Grade: A-

Predicted Record: 8-2

  1. Killer Rays (4-1): I was kind of on the bandwagon from last season. I really liked the promise that they showed while recognizing they lacked some FPF maturity to really make a dent.  However, the Killer Rays seemed to have learned their lesson and adapted quickly. They’re still playing a little lower percentage than I’d like. Tylar Bianchi has a great arm and can really put some air under the sideline throws.  However, Killer Rays are susceptible to being forced to march down the field. I don’t know if they have that discipline yet.  The schedule has worked out favorably and will continue to do so.  They are playing well and I suspect they may not truly be tested until the postseason.  My recommendation is to start thinking of a more methodical approach before they move on into the next round. Curtis Ryan has had an impact on both sides of the ball. His three interceptions is just shy of his 4 touchdowns. I was kind of surprised by their loss to West-Island boys but, as I said, they are susceptible in certain circumstances.

Key Players: Donovan Hinds, Curtis Ryan, Tylar Bianchi

Grade: B+

Predicted Record: 7-3

  1. Beer Knights (4-2): Frankie Scalzo may be too good a QB for this division.  Beer Knights recovered from their loss against Tropic Thunder with a 32-24 wins over The Off Island boys. Scalzo threw an interception but was perfect other than that and added a ton on the ground as well.  The team’s former QB Mathieu Kieljan has been a great compliment to Michael Pietrobon who’s already scored 10 touchdowns this season. The team also hosts Maxime Ledoux and Gabriel Levesquer who are very, very good two way threats.

Key Players: Michael Pietrobon, Frankie Scalzo, Mathier Kieljan

Grade: C+

Predicted Record: 8-2

  1. Maccabees (3-2): Once in a while you face a test and it yields positive, yet unexpected results.  Imagine trying to make a clinical cure to rid the world of douch-baggery and instead you create a Landshark.  It’s equal parts terrifying, exhilarating and shocking.  This has been the Maccabees season in a nutshell.  Look, I don’t know why a Landshark hatches out of a nutshell but, clearly it does.  This group of Warriors are battle-tested.  Other than a fairly easy win against Flamingos, their other wins have come against Tune Squad and 7th Rounders who have been solid. Their schedule doesn’t ease up either. Other than their game against Team Poland in week 8 Maccabees will face quality opponents who have been playing well since the start of the season. They’re winning close games and that’s hard to sustain but it’s impossible to deny that they’ve been playing really well. While they’ve been unspectacular offensively, Michael Titleman has been just that having intercepted 7 passes in 5 games. He’ll need to be sharp unless a) they figure out who their QB is B) Zak Melnik and Ryan Rothholtz protects the ball better and start putting up points.  

Key Players: Michael Titleman, Jonathan Jagermann, Jordy Melnik

Grade: A

Predicted Record: 6-4

  1. Glory Boyz (5-1): Glory Boyz just took a forfeit (actually, not really).  This is unfortunate as beating Flag Football Team would have been awesome and they would have been sliding up these rankings. Other than that, Glory Boyz have kind of been solid but not spectacular. Full disclosure, I had higher hopes after seeing them last season. Michael Hiotis has been fine but I thought this would be a season he took a step-up. He’s a good athlete and while his reading will take some time to develop his instincts are great.  Massimo Moniz and Antonio Venturino return as the top receiving threats and Peter Cote adds to Venturino’s defensive prowess.  The team’s 12 interceptions have made up for what has been a more mediocre offense than I thought we’d see.  They do have a really difficult second half schedule so they will need to be more effective moving forward. 

Key Players: Michael Hiotis, Antonio Venturino, Massimo “Pay the man his” Monniz

Grade: C+

Predicted Record: 5-5

  1. Big Fat Bats (4-1): I remember in earlier seasons of FPF references to marijuana in my article needed to be more inferred than mentioned directly.  As a cannabis enthusiast and an east end anglophone it’s heartwarming to see a team named after the type of joint that will blend you into the couch post haste. Matthew Zeppetelli is playing pretty well. The turnovers are an issue but he is definitely a two way threat in the truest sense of the word.  The team’s greatest strength comes in the form of rusher Luca Lucesse he’s got 7 sacks and has been applying pressure all season long. The team hasn’t gotten a lot of complimentary offense but AJ Zeppetelli has been a star from jump street.  They have a tough second half schedule and I don’t love how closely they played Lionhearts. That said, They seem to have enough to guarantee them a playoff spot.    

Key Players: Luca Lucesse, AJ Zeppetelli, Matthew Zeppetelli

Grade: B

Predicted Record: 6-4

  1. 7th Rounders (4-1): The season comes in waves. It was high tide when they slid by Thunder Buddies.  However, the loss against Macabees worries me.  Julien Cheaib threw 5 interceptions and 4 of them went to the same defender.  At some point, you gotta realize you’re shoving a square peg in a round hole.  Intellectual flexibility is important for a QB.  We all have bad games (I know this more than most), that said, if what you’re doing isn’t working you need to adapt.  Thomas Ste-Marie is an interesting case where he is heavily involved in the offense but hasn’t scored a ton. Those honors have gone toward Vincent Birnbaum-Charbonneau and Francis Savard-Vocino.  Ste.Marie has had a greater impact on defense where he has intercepted 5 passes. The team also has Jafar Hassan patrolling and we’re all aware of how disruptive he can be. 

Key Players: Vincent Binrbaum-Charbonneau, Jafar Hassan, Thomas Ste-Marie

Grade: B- 

Predicted Record:7-3

  1. Flag Football Team (5-0): FFT remains undefeated on a technicality. Still, they weren’t the ones who cheated so to the honest go the spoils (for the first time in human history).  Adam Lieblein has been a revelation for FFT. He was never more than a complimentary or tertiary piece during his time in FPF junior so it’s awesome to see him take on such a huge role for this offense. This seems to be the case for a lot of the team (like Eden Raffoul for example). They’ve also gotten great contributions from Carter Fersten who is a veritable unknown.  Nick Manolopoulos is hitting some key marks. He’s almost 3:1 on TDs to ints, he is completing over 60% of his passes and he’s moved the ball well on most occasions. Matthew Leutner’s 6 interceptions is also very impressive. It’s hard to pinpoint what they do well, but clearly, they don’t do anything poorly. This is very tepid for a 5-0 team. I’m aware of that but, watch them and you’ll see what I mean.  

Key Players:  Matthew Leutner, Nick Manolopoulos, Adam Lieblien

Grade: A+

Predicted Record: 8-2

  1. The Spanish Inquisition (5-2): They’re a forfeit win over being a .500 team.  That said, that would be loss would have come against the division leading Tropic Thunder. Chad Buck is not the quarterback that brother Jarred is but the two Buck’s are very good athletes. The emergence of Mederic Lauzon has emerged and coming in at a 55/55 cap hit the dude punches well above his weight class. Jared Buck’s intercepted 4 passes so far this season and paired with pieces like Etienne De Blois, Mederic Lauzon and Michael Timmins is a stout unit for division 6.  They’re supercharged by Benjamin Bourque who’s playing the role of rusher. They’re playing a little under what I expected of them but they have the kind of talent that I expect a much better second half of the season.

Key Players: Jared Buck, Chad Buck, Mederic Lauzon

Grade: D+

Predicted Record: 7-3

  1. FKU (3-1): From what Eagle intonated on the podcast, FKU are aptly named. They have not played the toughest competition but they are playing well. They also have a smaller sample size than most teams so that does taint the well a little as does losing their only test thus far this season (against Thunder Buddies). It’s also the last time we saw them play so unfortunately, it left a lasting impression.  Manny Bizogias has the makings of an FPF star and in the words of a drunken Martin Picard (of Au Pied Cochon fame) “stars deserve awards, so I guess that’s ok”.  Well Martin, Manny will be a star and while he probably won’t win an award this year, I see one in his future. Leo Diakoumakos is the field stretcher for this team. The return on targets is not impressive but the dude is a big play in a box.  On defense, Reece Miller sort of non-spectacular but gets results.  He has the makings of an upper division player whose achievements are far more impressive than his unassuming style of pay. In his rookie season in the adult league Alejandro Fonte has been fine.  He’s avoiding turnovers while trying to push the ball down field too often. The team is good but there is definitely room to grow.

Key Players: Manny Bizogias, Leo Diakoumakos, Reece Miller

Grade: B+

Predicted Record: 6-4

  1. The Penetrators (4-2): I really wanted to rank the Penetrators at 17.  I just couldn’t do it.  My reasoning was that they are the exact average division 6 team.  This isn’t to say that they aren’t talented.  They are, they are also a little green.  They are the epitome of a team that wins when they should and losses when you expect them to.  If you were betting on FPF take the moneyline for or against on Penetrators.  Nicholas Fon as been awesome. His 11 touchdowns is great and the fact that Rocco Christiano is a number 2 receiver on this team is an embarrassment of riches. Justin Goodman has a chance to be a special qb in FPF.  However, his lack of discipline has led to too many interceptions, his 20 tds is a little low for having played 6 games.  However, this has been hampered because the 7 interceptions are all drives that, obviously did not end with a score. Matthew Caponi has been solid as the primary rusher on this team.  The athleticism is there. They have an easy second half schedule.  This is the time to get playoff ready.

Key Players: Nicholas Fon, Rocco Christiano, Justin Goodman

Grade: C

Predicted Record: 7-3

  1. Prime Time (3-1): With the way they started the season, Prime Time looked like they would have the best defense in the division.  Carter Condon, Alessio Muro, and George Zergiotis have combined for 10 interceptions.  That’s more than 20 teams in the division.  They’re last two games have come a little back down to earth but their only loss came two weeks ago when they finally allowed 5 scores.  It seems the key to their success moving forward will be preventing scores. Jacob Soles and Daniel Spina have kept the offense afloat but it isn’t spectacular. The entire offense runs through George Zergiotis.  This will work for parts of the season but complimentary offense is how you win playoff games.  At some point Prime Time will need to score 5 touchdowns to win a game.  We’ll see if they can.

Key Players: George Zergiotis,  Carter Condon, Alessio Muro

Grade: C+

Predicted Record: 7-3

  1. Dusters (2-1-1): Dusters are an interesting team.  Their team defense is LEGIT.  They also make me want to buy a wicked, long coat.  Their defense however, has only allowed as many as 19 points one time and that was week 1.  There isn’t even a single stat that stands out about their defense.  They simply play quality team defense.  QB Adam Malinoff has avoided mistakes and, it appears as though the team plays slowly, and methodically.  This helps their defense and puts them in position to turn the ball over on downs and occasionally pick some balls off.  Leading that charge has been Matthew Fixman with 3. I think they’ll have a strong finish to the season but, they will have a couple of games where they occasionally need to score more often

Key Players: Matthew Fixman, Adam Malinoff, Lewis Epstien

Grade: B+

Predicted Record: 5-4-1

  1. Tune Squad (3-2): Tune Squad are a team we love to root for.  This was true of the Space Jam movies but even more so in FPF. They came up through FPF Jr. and we’re very excited to see them improve.  Garner Ross is is a fun quarterback to watch.  He moves the ball consistently, completes most of his passes and he protects the football. However, he just needs to be a little more efficient with his drives.  A few more scores could turn Tune Squad into the top team in the division.  I don’t think this is that season but they’re heading there.  Charles Presser’s defense is already renowned but now he’s become a legitimate offensive threat.  He’s topped 200 yards and has scored 5 touchdowns.  Jesse Dym and Ben Arnovitz round out a really talented top end of the team’s talent spectrum.  On defense the team is a rusher away from being a really good unit.  The second half of their schedule is brutal and this will hurt for a matchup dependent contender.  With some bounces they could be Div 6’s St.Peter’s team.

Key Players: Garner Ross, Charles Presser, Ben Arnovitz

Grade: B+

Predicted Record: 4-6

  1. V-Town (2-2-1): I thought V-Town would have taken a step this season.  However V has very seldomly stood for victory.  Perhaps it stands for Very Ok.  Their level of okness is very.  Sure, that’s a sentence.  Jason Cassandra is a really good player.  He’s contributed 3 touchdowns and as many interceptions.  So I was shocked to see that he hasn’t been V-Town’s top receiver this season. Vito Rizzuto has turned half of his catches into touchdowns (8).  Jonathan Velasco does need to improve but I’ve liked his raw ability since the first time I saw him. He has scored 3 or fewer touchdowns 3 times out of 5 games.  They’ve been better recently but Velasco will need yo be more consistent moving forward otherwise, expect V-Town to be on the outside looking in come playoff time. 

Key Players: Jason Cassandra, Jonathan Velasco, Vito Rizutto

Grade: D+

Predicted Record: (4-5-1)

  1. Betway Bandit (3-2): I’ve said this a bunch.  Winning close games is not an innate skill.  It takes skill to keep games close but when the game comes down to a bounce, it’s more luck than anything else. Their games haven’t been particularly close one way or another but the lack of scoring means they’ll be competitive generally but will have trouble keeping pace when the other teams who are more explosive. Tyler Havlena is a new qb but he’s been solid from day one. He makes a few mistakes but that’s normal for a veritable FPF rookie. The team has a lot of players taking offensive reps.  However, 40% of the targets have gone to Tomas Colicchio.  He’s excellent but one receiver does not an offense make. Tristan D’Silva is anchoring the team defense with 5 interceptions.  If he can catch balls on defense maybe they should get him the ball more on O. Betway has been solid but they need to get more dynamic quickly.

Key Players: B-

Grade: Tomas Colicchio, Tristan D’Silva, Shayne Mailholt 

Predicted Record: 4-6

  1. Cavalier Du Rohan (3-3): Cavalier du Rohan started the season off so positively.  They beat Spanish Inquisition in week 1 but their has been ups and downs so far this season.  Jean-Mathieu Padilla Trudeau has intercepted 4 passes this season and is the receiver who’s earned the most targets so far this season.  Felix Gagne is a mammoth of a human who looks nothing like his profile pic.  He can really develop as a redzone target for Kevin Hebert-Pedulla.  In the meantime Gabriel Spazuk has been the receiver to find the endzone most frequently.  The second half of the season is straightforward.  Winnable games with 2 serious contenders thrown into the mix. I had high hopes for Rohan this season but it looks like the horsemen may barely make it out of the stable.

Key Players: Jean-Mathieu Padilla Trudeau, Kevin Hebert-Pedulla, Felix Gagner

Grade: D+

Predicted Record: 4-6

  1. Flamingos (2-3): I recognize those pink jerseys.  I had a team that wore them and they’re pretty fun.  They appear to be a completely new team and that’s a tall order in FPF. This is far from a beer league and new teams learn this quickly. They won a game last week where 4 players attempted a minimum of 4 passes.  This is a mess.  It worked but sometimes, even if it feels good in the moment, it;s better if it isn’t quite so sloppy  Arie Itovitch. Ben Levy has led the charge on offense but all 5 of their receivers have double digit targets.  Levy also leads the team with 7 interceptions and this is impressive for a team that has gotten bullied at some points this season.  This is a learning season for Flamingos and I’m happy to report the learning has already started to show.  

Key Players: Ben Levy, Arie Itovitch, Shane Silversmith 

Grade: A-

Predicted Record: 3-7

  1. Brewers (1-4): Unfortunately, this is what we’ve come to expect from Brewers.  It’s infuriating because I know there’s talent.  Chris Morin is a very good snapper. Jeffery Lefevbre is a smart player and Eric Pawlusiak’s possession style fits as a perfect compliment to James Moulton’s speed.  A lot of the issues on offense stem from how Jeffery Lefevbre reads the field.  Deep throws have to be your first read and you need to come off them quickly if it isn’t there. Their schedule has done them little favors as they’ve faced some of the division’s best to start the season.  I think the second half of the season may be a slight turnaround for this struggling bunch.  There’s going to be a moment where it all clicks for Brewers.  Let’s hope that moment is sooner than later.

Key Players: Eric Pawlusiak, James Molton,Christopher Morin

Grade: C

Predicted Record: 4-6

  1. Toute Garnie (2-4): Once, when I was in High School, I ordered an all-dressed pizza at a slice shop in the Detroit Airport.  I was shocked at first that the bill ran upwards of 50$ (in 1998 no less).  Still, I just assumed well, the markup in airports is a real thing.  I was next surprised by how long it took to make the pizza.  However, with hours to kill before my next flight, I brushed this off as well.  When it arrived I realized that the Pizza had every single topping the Pizza place had.  It was gross.  It turns out “Toute Garnie” is very much, a Quebecois concept.  This team has improved throughout the season.  Other than the thrashing they took at the hands of Off-Island Boys, TG have had a good month.  They’re 2-2 and their loss to Flamingos was by only 4 points.  Anthony Palumbo is a running qb but he is a project.  He isn’t scoring quite enough, he’s turing the ball over too frequently and he’s not completing nearly enough passes.  The just for TG is to simplify and build a small and easy to execute playbook. Greg Lee is unquestionably the team’s star. He leads the team in targets, catches, interceptions etc.  There needs to be the development of complimentary offense but Lee does look the part. Brian “Soul Power” Morello has been really efficient but I think they can work him into the mix a little more than they have. 

Key Players: Greg Lee, Brian Morello, Anthony Palumbo

Grade: C+

Predicted Record: (3-7)

Demons (2-4): I had decent hopes for Demons coming off last season.  They improved in the latter half and they started the season with a win over rival The Penetrators.  However, Demons need to start hopin their a second half team. They’ve dropped two games in a row and looked pretty bad against Killer Rays. Adam Antel has two games this season with single digit completions and one of those games was a win.  A lot of this relates directly to simply not throwing enough completed passes. The reads have to come quicker and they need to run less low percentage plays. The offense runs through Matthew Neiss and Neiss is nice.  Aidan Raza adds some big play ability as well.  There are some pieces here, they just need to bring it all together.

Key Players: Matthew Neiss, Aidan Raza, Adam Antel

Grade: D

Predicted Record: 4-6

  1. The Step Bros (1-3): Yo, congrats on your first win in FPF.  That’s a big deal.  My first win came at the beginning of my second season so believe me, I’m being entirely honest about how cool a feeling that is. There’s a lot of work to do.  Joshua Riccardi is a project at quarterback but there have been strides. I worry that the team is using designed running plays.  This doesn’t work in FPF.  It’s a passing league and running is only effective to buy time or to make a play when the pass isn’t there.  Prav Sharma actually had the best game at QB for The Step Bros but it looks like Riccardi is their guy.  This is fine, it takes a lot of time to perfect this position.  If he’s gonna be the qb of The Step Bros future, then they need to maximize his reps. Justin Bak has a ton of size but looks to be a more defensive oriented player, while Eric Carpanzano looks to be the team’s offensive starting point. The goal this season is to develop Joshua Riccardi and look at which players are best served in what capacities.

Key Players: Eric Carpanzano, Ryan Maclellan, Justin Bak

Grade: C

Predicted Record: 1-9

  1. Stratton Oakmont (2-3): Were Stratton Oakmont destined for FPF fraud.  Not really.  This is a tough league and they’ve learned that the way most teams have.  They’re taking their licks but they are learning. They’ve only beaten the absolute worst teams in the division but losing at this stage is important because it’ll show you what you’re good at and where you need to improve. What they have that’s working is Dom Romeo and Spenser Strasser. They are very different receivers who compliment each other in what is largely a remedial offense.  They need to build a playbook of cogent, easy to run plays and then build from their.  Stratton Oakmont is interesting and has seen more success than I thought they would in their first season in FPF.  One thing that needs to get better RIGHT AWAY is the free yards Jeremy Elhadad has given up with the 15 ties he’s been sacked this season.

Key Players:  Spenser Strasser, Dom Romeo, Tarek Gohar

Grade: B+

Predicted Record: 2-8

  1. Lionhearts (1-4): Lionhearts are sliding.  The worst par about this losing streak is that I would have thought the should have won at least 2 of the last three.  The team is improving in small ways but it has yet to yield results.  Joe Morgese is a great experienced player to have on the roster but it’s taking some time for the message to get absorbed. Carmelo Di Giovanni’s last game was ok.  He moved the ball decently and didn’t turn the ball over.  Some key plays on third and 4th downs could have turned that game in their favor completely.  Di Giovanni averages 6 rushes per game which is a lot but he’s a god athlete and I don’t mind him going out to make plays.  Anthony Iannacronz is a very good possession receiver and is becoming a reliable defender as well.  I like the pieces, I like the improvements, and I like the team sticking it out with Di Giovanni as he learns.  They have a difficult road ahead but I think there’s some good opportunities for them to “make the jump” and develop for next season

Key Players: Joe Morgese, Carmelo Di Giovanni, Anthony Innacronz

Grade: D+

Predicted Record: 1-9

  1. Off-Island Boys (1-4): In their only win Caleb Rodgers was the quarterback.  He’s only played a single game at QB. Was this a plan derailed by lack of commitment akin to a rom-com gone bad?  I say this a lot about new, lower division teams.  You need to make a commitment to a quarterback and rie the wave until they improve. This sometimes will take many seasons but, if the more reps the QB gets the quicker that improvement happens. Defensively DeJuan Parahoo has seemingly been everywhere collecting flags and taking names. Marcus Labropoulos is the team’s top gun. He’s scored 7 times for a team that hasn’t scored a ton. They don’t actually have a very difficult schedule in the second half of the season.  So we’ll have to see if they can make the most of it.

Key Players: Marcus Labropoulos, DeJuan Parahoo, Jake Lambert

Grade: C-

Predicted Record: 3-7

  1. Henry Pi Sa Gang (1-4): I do love that the team has a player named Will Farrell. Yeah bro, I know you go by William, we all know what’s up.  QB Frederic Desjardins has actually been decent.  He’s scored 15 touchdowns in 4 games so it’s a little off the pace but that’s a great start to an FPF career. This is especially true when you consider he’s only thrown 4 ints and nearly completed 60% of his passes.  If he tightens that up slightly Desjardins will be atop this division in no time.  Alexandre Drouin is a target monster.  By this of course I don’t mean he terrorizes the innocent in a red polo shit.  Rather, he is the focal point of the offense. Lucas Charette has been the big play threat for Henri Pi Sa Gang but hasn’t gotten as involved in the offense as I’m sure he’d like to be.  Unfortunately, they have a tough road ahead. Hopefully Desjardins can lift the team beyond expectations.

Key Players: Frederic Desjardins, Alexandre Drouin, Lucas Charette 

Grade: C-

Predicted Record: 2-8

  1. Your Girlfriends Cheer for Us (1-5): Jesus, this roster has played host to 18 players and the season is only half done.  It makes it really difficult to discuss the team in an intelligent and cogent fashion.  It’s a good thing that I’m neither of these things.YGFCFU would stand to benefit mostly from dudes showing up.  Vincent Dagenais has been kind of awesome in the games where he’s played receiver (7 catches, 96.5 yards and 2.5 TD per game).  Yet, he’s only played in that capacity twice this season.  Tytus Otis Copeland, and Alexandre Gauvin have had a similar impact in the the single game they each played.  Corey-Sim Robertson has been reliable so he gets all the credit in a situation like this. They just came off a huge win against Beer Knights so hopefully Scott Rhodes and folk can make showing up a priority against a tough upcoming schedule. 

Key Players: Vincent Dagenais, Corey-Sim Robertson, Scott Rhodes

Grade: D

Predicted Record: 1-9

  1. Team Poland (0-5): I’ve been a staunch defender of MFL from day 1.  Yes FPF is a giant league and the depth of competition is much stronger.  However, I see it as a positive for the entire community when Flag Football is being played.  What the valley was to Karate, Montreal is to Flag Football.  I had high hopes for Team Poland.  The Znojs are a known commodity in MFL.  However, Thomas Snoj, who is a good receiver in his own right is learning the ropes at QB.  My former softball teammate Sean Horvat joins a decent receiving trio that is rounded out by Victor Davis and Jake Holman who plays the open part of the triangle where you slide in the ringing apparatus.  Team Poland simply hasn’t gotten anything going.  If they slow their pace down and simply stop turning the ball over games will at least be competitive as they learn. They’ll need to do that as the next few games will be a rough hill to climb.

Key Players: Thomas Snoj, Tyler Snoj, Victor Davis

Grade: D+

Predicted Record: 0-10

  1. Zidane ILF (1-4): Zidane ILF’s only win came by forfeit.  They are having a rough go of it. They’ve allowed a billion points.  OK, it’s not a billion but 37 points a game is a lot to allow when you’ve also been awarded a 30-0 forfeit. Their week 6 game against Cavalier du Rohan at least showed that Zidane ILF can score.  This was aided of course by the 10 catch/3 touchdown performance by former Concordia Stinger return man Quaysie Gordon-Maule who showed off every bit of that 4.43 speed.  Adam Sirhan still turned the ball over three times in this game and thye likely won’t be able to count on Quaysie who may have been a one game sub.  What’s wild is that, outside of Quaysie Gordon-Maule, no one on the team has double digit targets or catches (obviously). The same can be said on the defensive side of the ball where the biggest impact came from single game sub Phil Angers.  This most recent game was the only game this season where they scored more than a single time.

Key Players: Chris Stefan, Patrick Juneau, Sub of the Week

Grade: D

Predicted Record: 1-9

  1. Wild Hogs (0-5): Wild Hogs are coming off their best game of the season. QBing htem was FPF veteran Jason Armenti. I’m not sure if he’ll be the dude moving forward but, despite his inexperience at the position, he’s an experienced player who can help a team improve quickly. There are some winnable games ahead so I’m curious to see what Wild Hogs do at the pivot.  I’m going to assume he was a one game sub for the purposes of this article.  I will say this, Wild Hogs have some nice jerseys and a nice player in Avery Klimas. Louis-Phillipe Dalpe has also been solid on defense as he’s recorded 5 sacks.  

Key Players: Avery Klimas, Louis-Phillipe Dalpe, Nathan Caputo

Grade: C-

Predicted Record: 0-10

  1. Free Agent Squad (0-6): FPF is a very difficult league.  My first season I went 0-9-1. That said, the turnaround happens quick.  Our second season saw us go 7-3 and then 10-0.  This is a learning season for Free Agent Squad.  If they plan to stick together they can expect the learning they’ve done here to pay off in future seasons.  As hard as it is to compete from jumpstreet in FPF it’s harder for any team with this team name.  This mark of Cain is given to teams composed entirely of free agency.  Thus, along with fighting inexperience the team likely has no timing or chemistry as they’ve been placed together.  We saw an example of this being very effective in fall.  This experiment however, has not been as successful.  QB Giordano Proulx has struggled and this is very normal for a new QB. This week, Dallas Oden took the reigns and that yielded similar results against The Spanish Inquisition. My advice is to always have a single QB chosen and give him the reps so he can learn as quickly as possible. 

Key Players: Nik Bhuller, Lawrence Bowlby, Connor Martin  

Grade: C

Predicted Record: 0-10

Saturday’s Severed Serendipity

For those who have any thoughts, commentary or complaints, I am very easy to find.  I’m @peezehss on twitter, @pdellarocca and Peeze Della Reeze on facebook.  You can also take a chance by emailing me at [email protected] but I don’t check it because it’s a death trap of junk emails all trying to sell me Stratocaster pickguards and love’s eternal light.  I really need to use incognito mode.

Folks, if your team is struggling, Eagle, Moe, (any of the media guys really), and I love talking flag. Let us know how we can help, let us know if you have any questions.  Hey, even if you have some incredible thoughts, I’m always down for an ethereal descent into introspection.

Remember that each week you can join the party on our Facebook page or at www.youtube.com/flagplus on our weekly podcast: Calling the Audible.  The show is released every Friday morning. 

Till next week, I want to thank you falettineme be mice elf agin!