Division C: Injuries, Veteran Teams, Unimpressive Starts, and Thank-you Rob

No mater how many games you play, what kind of shape you’re in, and how well you stretch before and even during a game, injuries will happen. Depth is key, and the next player up mentality is always tested.

Idaho Udapimps stared that reality in the face as they were without their best player in Marvin Steinberg this past week, and for the foreseeable future. No Marvin, no problem. A week after the future FPF Hall of Famer recorded four interceptions and three touchdowns against Backfield Penetration, the 8-time All-Star sustained a sprained ankle in his Division A game, causing him to miss Idaho Udapimps’ matchup against The Commission Monday night at Marie-Victorin.

 Idaho Udapimps looked like they might miss Steinberg, as their long ball defense was attacked early and often by a short-handed The Commission who were without a pair of difference-makers in Shanton Smith and Matt Peacock. IU, was able to shake off the early struggles and take control of the game on both sides of the ball, as they forced two turnovers on downs on defense, and their offense moved up and down the field with ease, on the way to a (44-25) victory.

One night later, still without Steinberg, the Idaho Udapimps were back at it again, as they laid a (40-0) beatdown on WAREHOUSE. (How do you not score at least one touchdown?) The key to the win was their suffocating defense that not only pitched a shutout, but also intercepted the duo of Olivier St-Onge and Sanders Armand a combined five times.

Now sitting at (3-0), the question is, can Idaho Udapimps, maintain their solid play if Steinberg misses more time? Their schedule gets tougher, as after a game against winless Team Ruthless tomorrow morning at Loyola, they are set to take on Trinity, Les Renards Vifs, and West Island Boys the next three weeks.

Jagerbomb is another team who remained undefeated, as after they beat the Nighthawks (44-24) to open their regular season, they scored another blowout victory with a (51-18) beatdown of Team Ethnik. The key to the team’s success, has been the play of veteran Quarterback Simon Duchesne. Through two games, he has completed 36 of 47 passes for 434 yards and 14 touchdowns, one interception, while completing nearly 77% of his throws.

What makes his play and Jagerbomb’s so impressive, is the fact that they are making their return to FPF after having not played since the 2020 Covid season. I have played many games against Jagerbomb, and I can say that they have always been a competitive team that is a championship contender and makes very few mistakes. So far, they have picked up where they left off as they are the third highest scoring team in Division C, behind only Idaho Udapimps and Friends with Danny.

Low and behold, Friends with Danny and Jagerbomb will be going head-to-head at Marie-Victorin, in a game in a must-watch game this Tuesday night.

Friends with Danny come into the contest with a (2-1) record. After blowing out a Trinity squad who were without starting QB Jean-Félix Marquis, the team has been involved in two tight contests. They lost a (33-30) heartbreaker to Win Diesel last Sunday in Laval in which WD Receiver Jake Holman had a spectacular performance with four touchdown receptions, including the game-winner with five plays remaining.

FWD rebounded two nights later in Brossard with an exciting (42-41) overtime win over Air Laval, that featured Quarterback Jared Buck throwing six TD passes in the win. The team’s defense also played a key role in the victory, as they shutdown their opponent’s two-point attempt for the win in OT.

The matchup with Jagerbomb and Friends with Danny features two veteran teams with the will to win. The former is looking to keep their win streak alive, while the latter is seeking to start one of their own. Let’s see who will do what first.

Two other veteran teams are looking to establish winning ways as (1-2) Trinity take on the winless (0-2) Mengoose, Tuesday night at Marie-Victorin.

Mengoose has struggled to move the ball on offense this season. They average 5.2 yards per play, are a combined 3 for 8 on fourth down, and have scored a grand total of 18 points so far. This team has playmakers in Thomas Coutu, Alexandre Bordeleau, and Christophe Lapointe, but Quarterback Felix-Antoine Lavigne has averaged three interceptions a game. The turnovers must stop if this team wants to get into the win column anytime soon.

Trinity has taken an almost similar path to start the season as their opponents. They fell to Friends with Danny (39-19) as they were missing their starting QB in Jean-Félix Marquis Marquis. The return of their QB gave the team the spark they needed, as they staged a thrilling comeback victory over Trapstars that saw Marquis connect on a 4-yard game-winning TD to Marc-Antoine Viens on the final play of the contest.

Marquis and his team had another chance to pull off some late game heroics as they trailed Win Diesel by seven points with one play remaining this past Tuesday in Brossard. The former got a TD by Alex Samson on the game’s final play. Instead of taking the 1-point conversion and forcing overtime, they elected to go for the 2-point convo and the win. The gamble failed unfortunately, giving Win Diesel the (35-34) victory.

This game is huge for both teams, as having three losses this early in the season isn’t a death sentence, but it does make qualifying for the playoffs a lot harder. Each side is hungry for a win. Let’s see who gets it.

In last week’s article I mentioned that change was in the air both on and off the field in FPF. The latter that I was referring to, was the change in ownership of our league. Now that the cat is out of the bag, and we have been given permission to talk about it, veteran Quarterback and 9-time All-Star, as well as current referee and media member Jeff Rosenblatt, has purchased FPF from Founder and President Rob Campana.

I have been friends with Rob since we were both students at Concordia (my first time around) back in 2007. I was a year removed from playing for the Stingers, and I was looking for a place to play football. I remember seeing flyers for the league on cars around Con U, and even before that when I played Junior ball with the Chateauguay Raiders.

As is the case with numerous tackle football players especially 17 years ago, I thought that the flag version of our game was soft, and not worth my time or energy. Our very own Moe Khan, who I played with on the Raiders, convinced myself, along with some FPF legends in Akked Moore, Karim Binette, and Kishon Thompson to play as well. It took some of us a while to adjust to the rules and flag game, but once we did, we all fell in love with it.

Besides loving football, one of the main things that attracted me to FPF was the detail that was put in. From the original paper, pencil, and clipboard stat-keeping setup and the original online show to FPF Jr, the podcast, the Road Show, YouTube channel, and the constant growth of our league that is home to hundreds of players and more than 150 teams, FPF continues to grow leaps and bounds.

All that growth is because of the vision and passion of Rob. He created a place for older players like me, to keep playing a game that they love, a league for junior, college, and university athletes to play and work on their skills in the off-season, and a spot for adults who want to play football a place to play.

For the kids, he has given them a place to make friends, stay out of trouble and remain active while in some cases becoming better football players, and for others, creating their first experience and memories playing the sport.   

For our media team, he gave guys like Moe and I another outlet to work on our broadcasting skills, and others a place to write weekly articles, and a space to get their voices and opinions heard on a podcast. He has also given many people a place to work on and advance their photography, camera operator, editing, and production careers. Never settling for less, he always encouraged ideas and growth in his staff and in the game.

I know I speak for a lot of people when I say this, but I have made some friends in FPF, both on and off the field that I will have for life.  

Nothing lasts forever, and with the growth of his family and professional career, Rob decided to bow out and hand it over to someone who is just as passionate about the league and its players in Jeff. For Rob that was crucial to the sale.

Rob isn’t done with FPF, as he will very soon be transitioning into the role of player. That is something he has been looking forward to doing for a long time. I have played against in at numerous staff parties, and let me just say, the league better watch out. The lifelong Alabama and Pittsburgh Steelers fan can ball with the best of them.

For those of you that don’t know Jeff, he is a good guy that cares a lot about the league, and he has a vision to grow FPF to even greater heights. I believe that he will.

Change is in the air, as is the excitement for the future of FPF and the potential to where it can go. While we get ready to see what’s next, let’s give a tip of the hat to the man who started with an idea to give people a place to play the greatest game on earth, and turned it into the world’s biggest flag football league, that feels like family for so many.

Thanks Rob.

Picks

Win Diesel vs The Commission – N/A

Team Ruthless vs Idaho Udapimps – Idaho Udapimps

Killer Rays vs Rico Ryders – Rico Ryders

Nighthawks vs Les Petites Carottes – Les Petites Carottes

The Penetrators vs Killer Rays – Killer Rays

Bleue Dry vs Never Overtime – Bleue Dry

Les Renards Vifs vs Pacemakers – Pacemakers

Trapstars vs Bleue Dry – Trapstars

Air Laval vs Fins Up – Fins Up

WAREHOUSE vs Big Fat Bats – Big Fat Bats

Mengoose vs Trinity – Trinity

Friends with Danny vs Jagerbomb – (My Pick for Game of the Week)

Les Petites Carottes vs Team Ethnik – Team Ethnik (Upset Special)

Rico Ryders vs West Island Boys – West Island Boys

Last Week: (9-3)

Regular Season: (9-3)

Upset Special: (2-0)

That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tomorrow and this week!

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.