Eehhh….. What’s Up, Doc?

Wow Wow Wow! Week 1 is already in the books and what a spicy week it was! There were some big scoring games and some teams still getting their footing (my team being one of them). I’m not great at introductions so I’ll try to make them brief, but every once in a while I’ll insert a random blurb about whatever’s on my mind. Blurb 1:   

Ever since I was a youngling, I LOVED Looney Tunes. The simplistic, predictable, yet completely wacky and engaging style of cartoon always had me hooked. Whether it was a skit I hadn’t seen or one of my favorites played over and over, I couldn’t get enough of Bugs and the rest of the crew! Although Bugs and Fudd were always iconic, my favorite character duo to watch was always Sam and Ralph – a Sheepdog/Wolf duo just working their 9-5 day shift jobs. The thing that brought all of these cartoons together, however, was always the music and the sound effects. Which is why I am giving a shout out to “Bugs at the Symphony”: a FILMHarmonic Orchestra production at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier that I’m super excited for! A bunch of iconic shorts (and apparently a few new ones) will be pumped onto the big screen, as their scores(?) will be played live by the orchestra! In spirit of this event, I share with you, fun facts about the Looney Tunes: 

1. An earlier version/iteration of Bugs can be found in Ben Hardaway’s – Porky’s Hare Hunt. It doesn’t look like the Bugs we know now, but the personality is there. I believe this is the 2nd hunt Porky’s been on, since he hunted Daffy in 1937’s- Porky’s Duck Hunt. 

2. Looney Tunes wasn’t the only place we saw our classic friends. The iconic short, “What’s Opera, Doc?” and many others were actually released under the companion company: Merrie Melodies.

3. In 2000, DC comics released a 4-issue miniseries where the Looney Tunes characters invaded the world of Superman and Batman! 

4. Mel Blanc, “The Man of a Thousand Voices”, embodied many of the Looney Tunes we love – Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Yosemite Sam, and countless others. He also did work for a number of other characters you may recognize: Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Dino the Dinosaur, Barney Rubble, Cosmo Spacely, and MANY others! 

Well, that’s my small blurb for this week! Let’s swivel back into the action of FPF and find out who came out on top this week: 

.

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH:

• No forfeits in the first week! Everybody came out and gave it their all! Well, almost everybody – 3 teams have yet to play their first game: PERFECT STRANGERS, BANDIT(E), and FLAMINGOS. With a 14 week schedule, but only 10 games for each team, we will be looking at multiple bye weeks. How will teams adjust to this? Will this help some and hinder others? Only 1 team will be denied access to the playoffs this season and right now, it’s anyone’s spot! 

• I did pretty well in my predictions for game outcomes, but the one I got wrong (DREAMKILLERS vs BLOCK PARTY) was waaaay off. BLOCK PARTY proved me wrong and blocked the KILLER’s dreams by beating them 27-13! Both QB’s looked evenly matched in stats, but the 2 PICK-6’s by Marc Antoine-Martin and Mohammed Nechchad were able to seal the game for BLOCK PARTY. 

• THUNDER VILLAINS vs HALF N’ HALF (HNH) was the game with the lowest point total: 26, while MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS vs AIGRES-DOUX was the game with the highest point total: 42. AIGRES-DOUX was definitely on fire with Julien Proulx at QB! In my team breakdown I wasn’t sure where he would play, but I did not expect it to be QB, and I did not expect him to be so good! With players like Morgane Le Foll and Etienne Cardinal, there is incredible depth of good players on this team! Will definitely do better than my predicted 3-7! 

• PERFECT STRANGERS were spotted looking for more strangers on the Facebook stomping ground. Who will be showing up for Week 1 and will it be enough to stop BLOCK PARTY – a team that has already gotten their 1st game jitters out? 

• After a smashing success of a 1st game, AIGRES-DOUX will not play another game until Jan. 27th! A big 3 full weeks! In week 6 and 8, there are only 3 games each… This may make it weird or short for certain articles, so I may combine certain weeks… stay tuned as I figure it out.

• Jeremi Thompson OReilly is back! I first heard of Jeremi when I played in CO-ED 2 with KISS MY ENDZONE! He was a top receiver on VILLAINS when he played and is looking to have another stand out season. He has started week 1 with a BANG! Already grabbing 5 INTs!!!!! Can we continue this All-Star performance? Stay Tuned!        

• 1st Stats are in! As I stated before, each week I’ll be ranking my top players: 2 QB’s, 4 Receivers, 4 Defensive Players, 2 Rushers. A player can only be my top pick in 1 Category, so if you killed it on Offense and on Defense… Sorry, you’ll only be seeing your name once! I’ve been in the league for a few years now and am all too aware that Stats don’t tell the whole story of a game: Maybe you’re a defender that didn’t have any balls thrown to their side because the QB knows you’re dangerous? Maybe a mobile QB never gets sacked, but throws 2 INTs due to pressure from the rusher? All of this, and countless more of your efforts on the field may generate 0 stats, but do generate a giant impact. This portion is not to exclude anyone who may have had a good game that did not show in stats, but rather inspire friendly competition between positions. That being said! If you think you’ve done/are doing a great job that deserves some recognition, hit me up! I would love to fill my article with boasts about players!   

.

A QUICK GLANCE AT THE COMPETITION:

ECLIPSE

ECLIPSE is a new team to FPF with a bunch of new players filling the roster. I had assumed that maybe Tony Lalla would have taken up the QB spot, solely due to his rating, but it seems as though that role will be filled by Dos Vas. Dos is sporting his 3rd season in the league –  in as many years – and started off Game 1 with a bang! I expected ECLIPSE to beat SHOW ME YOUR TDS last week, however, I was not expecting Mr. Vas to go off and put up 4 TDS (3 Throwing and 1 Rushing). Playing this week against P’TITS VITES, another new team to the league, I’m excited to see if Dos Vas can put up the same numbers he did last week, or will Alexia Roy – current sack machine – stop him in his tracks? Luckily, Dos will not have to do it alone!  Haydee Guerrero Vargas, Jordana Schwartz, and Cyrill Jamal Belfort, all had great defensive performances in Week 1. Was it a fluke, or will we be seeing more and more teams ECLIPSED (Get it?) as the weeks pass? 

Despite the majority of ECLIPSE players only starting FPF recently (since 2022), they do still have some FPF vets in: Ryan Brewster and Tony Lalla. Tony Lalla is a staple of FPF: Having won 6 Championships since being in the league in 2010, Tony has played on teams with some of the greats –  Jarryd Taylor, Kevin Wyeth, Matt Kirouac, Patrick Jérome, Cory Pecker, and the list goes on seemingly forever. Tony is a great 2-way player that is joined by fellow ONE NIGHT STANDS teammate, Ryan Brewster. For almost every season that Ryan played with O.N.S. he was a top receiver, until, in 2013….. He vanished. Now! In 2024, Ryan is back! Starting off his return debut with 2 TDs. With these 2 players on their team, ECLIPSE might be putting up 30+ points a game, and have the defense to stave off other teams. Look for this team to shake up the division as the season progresses.  

Prediction: 7-3     

  .

FLAMINGOS

There have been many different FLAMINGOS in FPF, but this iteration popped up in Winter 2023 with William Ducas at the helm. Unfortunately, the FLAMINGOS only mustered up 1 win that season, but William showed he had the makings of a true mobile QB – putting up 15 TDs and 7 rushing TDs. In the Spring, they changed their name to LES SCHTROUMPFS, picked up a few more players, and gave Jeremi Bedard a shot at QB! Another versatile and mobile QB, Jeremi was able to put up 1200 yards total on offense, but will need to focus on reducing his INTs this season if he wants to ensure his team stays competitive. As LES SCHTROUMPFS transform back into FLAMINGOS, they bring along their usual cast, making them one of the few teams in CO-ED 3 that have very few new players. 

Etienne Grenon, their #1 target last season, will have to play an even larger role this season, seeing as both Antoines (Pelletier and Choquette), are not on the roster. I assume he will continue to rush as well since he was able to snatch a good 11 Sacks and 7 PDs away from QBs last season. Catherine Denault-Cardinal also returns to this defense, showing her ball hawk skills by getting, on average, 1 PD per game. If that wasn’t enough, RED NATION regular, Maelle Germaine, will be filling out this defensive unit. Although they have yet to sport a winning record, 3rd time’s the charm! Returning receiver, William Champagne, seems to have been underutilized last season; But now that the Antoines are gone, could we see another 200 yard season? Or will Laura Champagne continue to be the Red Zone threat? Regardless of how good their defense is, Jeremi will need to rally this team on offense if they want a positive record this season!          

Predictions: 2-8   

.

P’TITS VITES

This team faced a strong AT LEAST WE TRIED team in their week 1, but I expect them to bounce back quickly, especially with players like – Alexann Leblanc, Chelsea Britton, Justine Daviau, and Leanne Vincent! Our very own Spring Women’s Cup runner ups – SUPERNOVA – are moving into CO-ED to test the waters. Picking up a group of new dudes for FPF, they have transformed into P’TITS VITES! In their first game, Charles David took the QB position and had a pretty good showing, throwing for 2 TDs, 120 yards and only 1 INT! He tried spreading the ball as well, and gave all 5 receivers at least 3 targets each. For his first game of his first season of FPF, i’d like to say well done! Zachary Vincent and Mikael Williams-Claudio came up clutch in this game as some of the new players in FPF and I expect we will see more of them as they find their footing on this team. 

However, despite the performances of the new recruits, I do believe that the women on this team will need to be utilized to their fullest potential if P’TITS VITES are to repeat the performance of SUPERNOVA and find themselves in the finals again. Justine Daviau already has shown herself to be a teleporter across the field, picking up 7 tackles and 1 PD against a quick AT LEAST WE TRIED. Alexann was the 2nd most targeted receiver and brought in 20% of her team’s total yards. While I wait for another PICK 6 from LEANNE VINCENT this season, Chelsea Britton is switching it up and taking a shot or two as QB. This team looks fun and has potential!    

Prediction: 4-6       

.

DEATH BATTLE BREAKDOWN:

THUNDER VILLAINS vs AT LEAST WE TRIED

Well well well, what do we have here? A rematch between last Spring’s Finals!? Although under different names this year, THUNDER BUDDIES and DRINK TEAM are at it again. In their last match, DRINK TEAM (who are now AT LEAST WE TRIED) actually outscored the THUNDER BUDDIES (who seemingly turned into Villains for this season….. Nice touch). However, tragedy struck! I believe DRINK TEAM accidentally blew their cap in the finals and despite a score of 35-28 in their favor, THUNDER BUDDIES became Champions on paper… These two titans face off once again, perhaps giving us a glimpse of the Championship game this season as well?    

Although last season Alexandre Roel was at QB, Darryl Dorcely started off this season in that position, and I expect him to continue based on his week 1 performance! As someone who has rushed against him and can attest: Darryl is incredibly shifty and agile! Able to take off at a moment’s notice or throw on the run, he is a difficult QB to contain and has shown that he can score in the air as well. Terry Babalis wasn’t running much last season, yet here he is, running 4 times and picking up 20 yards in the very 1st game this season! He is backed up, not only by his BUDDIES, but also THE VILLAINS – a CO-ED 2 team that is looking to work with Terry for one of his Championships! Jérémi Thompson OReilly is already showing off with 5 INTs and a PICK 6, while Samuel Thompson OReilly is leading the team in tackles. All in all, when it comes down to it, if AT LEAST WE TRIED don’t bust their cap limit again, I can see Darryl Dorcely running up the score on THUNDER VILLAINS.

Prediction:  THUNDER VILLAINS 20 – 27 AT LEAST WE TRIED

.

ZACK’S TOP WEEKLY PICKS: 

QB (1): Julien Proulx (AIGRES-DOUX) – 21 Attempts / 18 Completions (85.7%), 170 Yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 1 Sack // 1 Rushing Attempt, 11 Yards

QB (2): Darryl Dorcely (AT LEAST WE TRIED) – 25 Attempts / 16 Completions (64%), 156 Yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 Sacks // 6 Rushing Attempts, 46 Yards 

————————————————————————————————————-

WR (1): Morgane Le Foll (AIGRES-DOUX) – 6 Targets / 5 Receptions (83.3%), 43 Yards, 2 TDs

WR (2): Ryan Brewster (ECLIPSE) – 4 Targets / 4 Receptions (100%), 77 Yards, 2 TDs 

WR (3): Antoine Gaudet (AT LEAST WE TRIED) –  6 Targets / 4 Receptions (66.7%), 47 Yards, 2 TDs

WR (4): Mikael Williams-Claudio (P’TITS VITES) – 8 Targets / 3 Receptions (37.5%), 38 Yards, 2 TDs 

————————————————————————————————————-

DB (1): Jérémi Thompson OReilly (THUNDER VILLAINS) – 0 Tackle, 5 INTs, 2 PDs, 1 TD  

DB (2): Etienne Cardinal (AIGRES-DOUX) – 3 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD 

DB (3): Mohammed Nechchad (BLOCK PARTY) – 2 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD 

DB (4): Justine Daviau (P’TITS VITES) – 7 Tackles, 1 PD 

————————————————————————————————————-

RUSHER (1): Alexia Roy (SHOW ME YOUR TDS) – 0 Tackles, 4 Sacks  

RUSHER (2): Cyrill Jamal Belfort (ECLIPSE) – 1 Tackle, 1 Sack 

.

GAMES OF THE WEEK: 

DREAMKILLERS vs BANDIT(E)

HALF N’ HALF vs MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS (CAN’T VOTE ON MY TEAM’S GAMES)

BLOCK PARTY vs PERFECT STRANGERS

SHOW ME YOUR TDS vs FLAMINGOS

THUNDER VILLAINS vs AT LEAST WE TRIED

P’TITS VITES vs ECLIPSE

Prediction Record: 3-1

.

That’s it for Week 2! Continue to practice your plays and positions while the season is fresh! If there is an idea or upcoming milestone you might want me to write about/cover in my articles, don’t be a stranger, let me know! If you want to see more accurate info about your teams, your players, your rivalries – send them to me! Comments, Criticisms, and Concerns are welcome… unless it’s about my Capitalization of random words. I stand by them! Also, check out the First episode of Calling the Audible – the official FPF podcast – available on Youtube and …. Probably somewhere else too!