Division D – Week 3

Here’s another week in the books.

Enjoy!

Thoughts of the week

• I’m way too hungover to be finishing my articles on Sunday
• There’s a group of really solid teams in Division 1, I’m excited to come to playoff time.
• I personally think that the Outlaws adding Isaiah Allard is unfair. Who do I complain to?
• Alexandre Noel looks like he returned to form this week and the chemistry with Luis Begin was on point.
• Shoutout to Unknown Talent. They’re exactly as advertised – great athletes, fast, can burn you at any time.
• Is Summer going to start at all this year?
• My favorite new segment – Stefano’s Paisano of the week.
• Also shoutout to Moe Khan for serving up the chocolate milk this week.
• The Wolverine is the most random Marvel movie of all time.

 

Weekly Recaps

D-1

Legend of 7 (6) vs. Les Princes de la Rive-Sud (27)

This was my first look at the Legend of 7 and at first glance, I thought this game would be much closer. In the end, however, the experience and game plan of Les Princes was just way too much for handle for the newly formed team in purple.

Julien Fiset-Cyr started the game doing what he does best, sustaining long drives. They may not be flashy, but he’s great at finding the open receiver and gaining important yards with his legs when he needs them most. He connected on his biggest play of the drive to Vincent Gingras for 17 yards before eventually finishing the drive to Gingras once again for a 2 yard score. The whole thing took 12 plays which can be extremely defeating for the opposing team.

Vincent Gingras was huge to start the game as he was able to also get the ball back for his team after Legend of 7 drove the field and got into the red zone. Fiset-Cyr took advantage and drove back down the field, this time hitting Marc-Antoine Viens for the  big play and ending off with a nice pass to Antoine Gagnon-Griffin. Legend of 7 then failed to drive the field before halftime.

The second half was much of the same and the lone bright spot for Legend of 7 was a double pass completed by DonnDre Borden to Emile Taillefer. Normally you’d want DonnDre doing the catching and I was very underwhelmed by Antoine Lemire’s ability to get the ball into his playmaker’s hands, Borden included who was held without a catch. Les Princes continued their dominance and showed why they are one of the Divisions top teams.

 

Show me Your TDs 33 vs. Outlaws 31

Show Me Your TDs – the best 0-3 team of all time? It’s not necessarily the best reputation to have, but sooner or later they really need to catch a break. We keep talking about the Outlaws being one of the best teams in D1, however if that’s the case, we an’t ignore the fact that Mike Addona and company kept stride for stride with them in this game. The fact that they haven’t won a game yet is crazy.

It’s not like the  Outlaws were shorthanded either. Besides the usual lineup of Kevin Koussaie, Josh Levine and Vincent Benjamin, they seem to have added Isaiah Allard, one of the most athletic and dependable wide receivers in the league. I’ve also seen this guy tip the ball on the rush and catch it himself for a touchdown on numerous occasions. Somebody needs to check the cap for Outlaws real quick.

The game was a constant back and forth battle, with Addona striking first on a beautiful pass to Alex David in the left corner of the end zone. Harripersaud then fought back quickly, thanks in large part to a 35 yard bomb to Jonathan Svetna who had a huge game for the Outlaws. Never a good thing when one of their more lesser known players goes off, it really shows off their huge well of talent. Addona didn’t look phased, as it took him all of 1 play to re-take the lead. This is where I highlight Simon Ryan-Plourde, probably to the dismay of Mike Addona. Remember the name, as I envision him really lighting up the division for the rest of the season. Mike went and found him as the lone star Simon’s Division 6 team and he has the ability to stretch the field and make big plays on both sides of the ball. Outlaws learned this quickly, as that 1 play was a 40 yard bomb on a post towards the middle of the endzone and Ryan-Plourde made a great catch for the touchdown.

The rest of the game was a lot of the same. Both teams made big plays and the usual big names took over. Touchdowns to Allard, Koussaie for the Outlaws, and more from Alex David and Anthony Addona for Show Me Your TDs. Show Me Your TDs had a chance to take the lead late in the game on a two point conversion but they came up just short. After the Outlaws scored their final touchdown and converted to go up by 2 points, Mike Addona just couldn’t score on the final drive, finishing the game with 3 straight incompletions.

After the long recap, the moral of the story here is that having a team full of weapons doesn’t guarantee anything. One of these teams is now 3-0 and the other is 0-3 and they’ve all been close games. The difference is arguably clutch quarterback play and while that’s not a shot at either quarterback, I know for sure that one is frustrated with himself and knows he can play better. Don’t sleep on the TDs, though.

 

D-2

EZW 38 vs. Renegades 18

This one was your typical David versus Goliath matchup, but with Goliath living up to the hype. Maybe this was exactly the kind of game that EZW needed to get back on track, though, as every game is a learning opportunity for Jeremy White. Especially in games where he does not have his number one wide receiver, he has to become comfortable distributing the ball evenly as he’s done in this game and use all of his weapons. You never know when you might have to count on a role player and EZW is proving that they can all step up.

For the Renegades, it may be back to the drawing board. Jeffrey Lefebvre has shown a few signs of brilliance, but overall he has to be disappointed in his own and the team’s performance to date. Even on paper, it’s tough for them to stack up against some of the stronger teams in the Division and at this point, even making the playoffs looks like a lofty goal.

I could go over the game play by play, but it’s easy to understand what happened. White was able to find all of his receivers most of the game – sometimes by running around and waiting until they got open and other times on quick hitting plays. Jeffrey Lefebvre actually kept the game close early on a 40 yard touchdown to Jean-Philippe Pare which put the game to 13-6 at the time.

By the time the game was done, Jeremy White threw a touchdown pass to 5 different players and completed a pass to 6. He used Samuel Emilio Pelchat as his checkdown receiver and Maxime Boucher-Cyr as more of his deep threat. For the Renegades, Jean-Philippe Pare was all over the field and did his absolute best to slow down EZW but he just didn’t have the supporting cast around him to get the W.

 

Fighting Amish 32 vs. Los Avocados 6

In one of the more strange games that I’ve seen live this year, you might wonder how a team can score 32 points on only 4 completions. I watched the game and still wonder the same thing. Los Avocados were without Joshua Vasquez and their backup quarterback, Felix Desbiens-Gravel was just not able to create anything on offense to keep this game close.

The Los Avocados defense on the other hand actually held up very well, however they let a few too many deep passes get behind them and didn’t have an answer for Mathieu Ouimet. The other reason why the game became a blow out was due to the Fighting Amish’s ability to capitalize on turnovers, scoring once on defense and taking advantage of amazing field position most of the time.

While we didn’t see much of Gabriel Poisson on offense, he made his presence felt on defense for the Fighting Amish, intercepting a tipped ball and then undercutting another route to get his second turnover. He was also all over the field making tackles and preventing Desbiens-Gravel from getting comfortable running the ball or completing short passes.

Both teams looked uncomfortable most of the game, however the Fighting Amish had a few more playmakers to be able to come out on top. We’ll see how much time Vasquez and Marchand miss moving forward, if any at all, because we can see how much of an impact that has on each team.

 

Power Rankings

D-1

1. Half-A-Stars (3-0) – First test in the books, next one coming up against Outlaws.
2. Outlaws (3-0) – Why not build some hype going into the week? With their latest additions and record during the past few regular seasons, no reason to keep them out of the top 2.
3. A-Town (3-0) – They are gaining a lot of hype and look to be one of the most athletic teams in the Division.
4. Unknown Talent (2-1) – First top team to lose a game, they have way too much talent and potential to stay down, though.
5. Les Princes de la Rive-Sud (3-0) – They aren’t flashy, but they have the perfect recipe to win games.
6. Super Saiyans (1-2) – They needed to at least win a game to make the list. Call it bold, but I don’t care what their record is.
7. The Sheriff (2-1) – I would have put them at number 8, but they just beat my number 8 team.
8. Les Centaures (2-1) – Tough loss this week but I trust the Rossie brothers to bounce back.

 

D-2

1. Ballz Deep (2-0) – No reason to move them really, but they have a lot of teams looking to knock them off.
2. Les Voyous (3-0) – I can’t ignore their performance this week as they seem to have finally figured things out.
3. Fighting Amish (3-0) – They certainly have the talent and depth to their roster, but I worry a little bit about their consistency.
4. The Infantry (3-0) – They have had an easier schedule in relation to the others at the top, but I am still learning not to doubt the Semerjians.
5. EZW (2-1) – They lost to a team with a lot of talent and it took them by surprise. You can bet on them bouncing back.
6. Finessers (2-1) – If they can figure things out and Ryan puts together a solid season, they are one of the more talented rosters in the group.
7. Buffalo Wild Wings (2-1) – A team that can always take you by surprise, there’s no surprise that they make this list.
8. Underducks (2-1) – They get my pity spot. I expect a little bit more from them but they have everything they need to compete.

 

“You ball, you get the call”

Another week in the books and this one was interesting to me for a few reasons. Besides the usual standouts that we’ll hear from below, we also had a few note worthy situations. Dan Lazzara made the list not because of the huge stat line, but because of what he meant for his team this week that can’t be quantified. If you saw the game, you would have seen that he’s the heart and emotion behind this squad and his football knowledge extends to his teammates. On top of that, his highlight real touchdown that we saw on the podcast was enough to get the call.

On top of that, we had Sebastien Dallaire with a huge game for Les Voyous and unfortunately I wasn’t able to get in touch with him.

Finally, in my favorite moment of the week, Stephen Harripersaud declined my call in an effort to focus on his game next week. I’ll be squaring off with him with Half-A-Stars in a game that I couldn’t be looking more forward to as well. Stephen has turned into a friend of mine over the years and he’s the epitome of what this league is all about in my opinion. Competitive edge while keeping the primary goal to have fun, you won’t find a better teammate or rival. I wanted to at least shout him out a little bit after his huge week against Show Me Your TDs. Looking forward to Wednesday night.

 

D-1

Super Saiyans – Jordan Allard – 16/25, 200 yards, 7 TDs, 2 rushes, 14 yards, 2 tackles

Super Saiyans – Tyler Doucette – 6 catches, 85 yards, 2 TDs, 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

1. What’s each of your takes on why you guys have had such a slow start to the season?

Jordan: I think we were a little too confident coming in and it just took us a little longer to shake off the rust.

Tyler: I think we were probably a little overconfident coming into this season

 

2. If you had to pick Game of Thrones characters for each other, who would you pick and why?

Jordan: Tyler is like the Hound. Straight Killa

Tyler: Jordan is defintly the Robb Stark of the team. Hes a warrior and the leader on the battlefield.

 

3. What makes this season different for the Super Saiyans? Let’s hear from both of you why the Saiyans will win a ship this season.

Jordan: We’re a well-rounded team and I think the experience will come a long way

Tyler: The roster is too stacked this season. We got athletes at every position

 

The Sheriff – Alexandre Noel – 7 catches, 85 yards, 4 TDs, 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 2 PDs

1. What made the connection between you and Luis work so well against Les Centaures?

The key for this game was to find the connection Luis and I had last season. First two games were a bit rough. We weren’t patient enough. The communication wasn’t there, we were both frustrated of the results, i even lost my cool. He came to see me 15min before our third game started, and i think it changed everything. We spoke about the key aspects we had to bring. Communication, what is the defense showing us. Patience, let the play develop, dont rush into it. Knowledge, we played this team/players before, we knew what to expect. Next thing you know, game started, we got the ball on offense and it started clicking right away. When we’re on the same page, we have an amazing connection…i’m looking forward for our next matchups.

2. Is everybody on the team a Colts fan or is that just Luis?

Only Luis is a Colts fans, and a huge Peyton Manning fan. I still believe the Texans are better, but I’ll wear his Colts jersey to make him happy.

3. Would you say that this is one of your best games ever or do you remember another one with even more of an impact?

I’ve been playing in this league since 2011, so i can tell you some memories are very blurry right now (huge props to Rob & all those involved in this league). If we mix both game performance and game stats, i think this was one of the best, if not the best game, I’ve played in FPF.

 

Longhorns – Adam Rosen – 5 catches, 97 yards, 1 TD, 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 Def. TD

1. What was the feeling like amongst the team after your first win of the season?

Relieved for the first win so was the whole team hopefully more to come.

2. For the Longhorns to win, Adam Rosen and Patrick Jazon have to have big games, prove me wrong.

Might be right and me and patrick having good games inreality our qb getting used to us will help us spread the points out throughout the team.

3. What’s your favorite movie and why?

Probably limitless with bradley cooper just seemed like an interesting concept for a movie I enjoyed it.

 

Birg Gang – Dan Lazzara – 5 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD, 3 broken tackles, 4 tackles

1. How pumped were you to hear that they had your touchdown on film?

Superrrr pumped! The fact that the roles are usually reversed, with me throwing the ball to AJ and watching him go through guys in the higher divs, made it the moment that more special.

2. While your stats were good, it’d be easy to argue that other guys may be more deserving this week. Why do you think you got the call this week?

Yeah I get how others may have had a better stat line and were more deserving of this. To be honest I really think my teammate Joe Morgese had the TD that really shifted moment for us. I know personally I got super amped after watching the big man run for a 40 Burger. We have a great group of guys who are resilient as well as competitive. It was great to get that W, I’m proud of the boys because we stepped up when it mattered most.

3. How much influence have you had on AJ so far this season and what do you think about his potential for the rest of the season?

The bond that AJ and I share goes far beyond the football field. We hang out very often and have known eachother for years now. Our chemistry is second to none when I play QB and he’s wr. Unfortunately, I wasn’t blessed w the top end speed that he has so I can’t go out and make plays for him the way he does for me but I’ll give it my all and hopefully that helps our team create momentum to win the game. He’s a super bright mind, the sky’s the limit for AJ at the QB position. We just need to help him out collectively as a unit in order to be as successful as we want to be. Having been in his position with all the stress that comes with the QB position I can understand how sometimes he might feel overwhelmed. It’s great to have an extra mind in the huddle as you might know for yourself Corey, it helps relieve the pressure off of one person, and generates a positive atmosphere as everyone gets a chance to become level headed and on the same page.

 

D-2

 

The Infantry – Sean Semerjian – 10/17, 183 yards, 5 TDs, 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 Def. TD

1. How has the transition to quarterback gone so far? Are you getting more and more comfortable? Also, did you play QB at any other level?

I’ve never played QB before other than in the playground; but i feel really comfortable so far and I owe a lot of that to my teammates. They’ve all taught me a lot so far so its made the transition really easy.

2. Who would you compare yourself and your brother to if you had to compare yourselves to a duo in the NFL?

I don’t know if I can compare my self to any NFL player haha! But I could compare my bro to a mix of Chris carter and Chad Johnson since he’s literally always open and never drops a pass.

3. Besides sports, what do you find yourself doing in your spare time?

I just Hoop , eat and sleep and ill give anyone the work at any Mario game for Nintendo Switch

 

Buffalo Wild Wings – Guillaume Fontaine – 4 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD, 2 tackles, 3 INTs, 1 Def. TD

1. Huge game on both sides of the ball. What do you think was more important, your offensive production or the turnovers on defense?

Definitely the defense. We played a great game as a team on defense (2 of my picks were setup by tipped balls from my teammates) wich lead to our well balanced offense to control the clock more.

2. How does it feel as a team to win a big game where most people saw you guys as the underdogs?

I think we like it. We have the roster to do it and and gives us a little more motivation to prove we can hang with the best of them!

3. What do you think your chances are at winning your first championship this season?

If we keep playing like we did last game i think we have a really good chance at it. Now that we have been together for the last few season we start to see a chemistry developing and i think its one of the most important thing to winning it all in our case since i never doubted the group of guys we have talent wise!