Eight Letters… But oh-so Much More…Playoffs!!!

It’s that time of year again folks. Playoff season, where the only thing that matters is the here and now. If today doesn’t pan out, there’s no tomorrow. Make every down count. Good luck to all 24 teams that made the playoffs! Without further ado, let’s get it.

Born in the 80’s VS Bandits was as good a game as advertised. Down 24-19 late in the game, Born in the 80’s had the ball with a chance to win. They marched down all the way to the Bandits 1 yard line with one play left. A drive that was aided by several penalties against Bandits may I add. David De Andrade with ice in his veins hit Bakley Charles on an out route for the game winning TD on the game’s last play. In a game that could have went either way, it was the calm, poise, cool as a cucumber-type demeanour that propelled the 80’s boys to victory. I hope we get treated to a rematch in the playoffs. Born in the 80’s also beat The Penetrators on Sunday night. That win solidified their spot in the D1 playoffs.

Les Petites Carottes showed Division D why they are one of the division’s best teams. Not only did they beat Idaho Udapimps, they put up 46 points. That win gives them the 6th spot in the D1 playoffs. A loss to Idaho Udapimps would’ve sent them to D2. Clutch win by Les Petits Carottes.

Studz r us and Blues came down to the wire. Studz r us were down 19-12 with minutes left. They scored a TD to bring them within 1. In this situation I would always go for 2 and the win, but a tie would’ve secured themselves a spot in the playoffs at 2-7-1. They smartly went for 1 point and converted. With 2 plays left and the game tied at 19, Antoine Jette sacked Johnny Paradis-Wilson for a safety and that was all she wrote. Studz r us will play Red Dragons in their first playoff matchup.

My basement was flooooooooooooded on Thursday.

Sitting at 2-6 and with a solid chance of making the playoffs, Big Dracos forfeited their last 2 games. Lemme first start by saying that I hope everything is okay with these guys. We never know why teams aren’t able to show up to games. With that in mind, I can’t tell you how frustrating this is to see. Personally, I don’t believe there’s any reason to forfeit a game to begin with. Grab 6 random players if you have to and that’s your team for the day. Not only that, but Big Dracos did not notify the league which makes this even more difficult to accept. FPF has a Facebook Page for a reason. Forget the fact that they shot themselves in the foot but deciding to end their own season, Riders of Rohan and DNE both played one less game then they should’ve on the season. I hope teams learn from this situation. It can only be described as selfish.

In last week’s article I asked if No Ragrets could pull off an upset. They did not, but they tied Les Bleue Dry in a 40-40 slugfest. I was really impressed with the outing from No Ragrets. I did not think they were capable of putting up 40 against a team like Les Bleue Dry. Daniel Levitsky got 2 picks for No Ragrets and returned one for 6. They will look to upset Every Inch Counts in the first round of the playoffs.

Congrats to X-Men, Prime Time, Les Renards Vifs, The Penetrators in D1, and Idaho Udapimps, Friends With Danny, Bandits, West Island Boys in D2 who all received a first round bye. After winning a championship in Division 6 in the winter, X-Men finish with the number 1 overall seed in D1. The sky seems to be the limit for these boys right now.

Must See First Round Matchups

With 8 games happening in the division (4 in D1 and 4 in D2) this Thursday, I will preview 2 games from each division. Let’s go

5. Born in the 80’s vs 24. Save The Turftles

In their regular season meeting Born in the 80’s won 46-13. The game will not be as one-sided this time. Save The Turftles are too solid a unit not to learn and make adjustments. Vincent Cheung did not throw in their matchup, and I assume he will this time. Save The Turftles don’t have the luxury of making mistakes this game. They will need to score on virtually every drive. Born in the 80’s capitalize on other’s mistakes. The guy I’m looking at to have a big game for the boys in green is Thomas Chaussé. He has 4 receiving TDs in 5 games, but will need to have at least have as many to pull off the upset. Born in the 80’s may not be the flashiest team, but they have old school-style of playing that allows them to win games. They kinda remind me of an old Steelers team. Afdaal Martin is a good aggressive flat defender that compliments a long defender like Craig Browning and a quick one in Bakley Charles. Save The Turftles are capable of winning this game, they just have to tap into what it was that made them so successful in seasons past. Ultimately, I think Born in the 80’s are just too strong.

Prediction: Born in the 80’s win 37-25

20. Glory Boyz vs 21. Stallions

No regular season matchup between these teams. Excluding the fact that this is a 20 vs 21 seed game, these teams are very evenly matched. They are young and have a variety of two-way players. Both starting QBs have a similar completion percentage. Spina has completed 56% of his passes while Hiotis has completed 52%. I can see this being the type of game where the first QB to throw for 15 completions wins. This will not be a game where both teams reach 40 points. Turnovers and converts is where this game will be won and lost. Neither team has a receiver with double-digit touchdowns. They rely on every member of the team to make a contribution. The WR matchup to keep an eye on will be Moniz for Glory Boyz and Deschambault for Stallions. They are each averaging a touchdown a game. Both with be playing against stingy and hyperactive defenses. With that in mind, if either of them can hit paydirt two or more times, it should be enough for their team to win.

Prediction: Glory Boyz win 27-26 in OT

12. Big Fat Bats VS 17. Dilf Gang

Big Fat Bats beat Dilf Gang 42-14 back in week 4. There’s no doubt they are obvious favourites in this game. They have been amongst the division’s best teams all season long. Dilf Gang are coming off back-to-back nice wins where they scored 45 points in each game. QB Vaughn Vanslet is feeling himself a little throwing 13 combined TD in those games. That is why I would be careful of writing off Dilf Gang. In their previous matchup, Marco Bertoldi was not there for Dilf Gang. While he hasn’t been a huge part of the offense, I know he will take it upon himself to try and slow down the Zeppetelli connection. Dilf Gang have too many star-caliber DBs to give up another 40 points to Big Fat Bats. Easy for you to say Will. Ya you’re probably right. Big Fat Bats have scored at a ridiculous pace this season. Good offense beats good defense every day of the week and twice on Thursdays. Gimme the Big Fat Bats to continue their run.

Prediction: Big Fat Bats win 38-22

14. The Rude Saks VS 15. Bandits D’Ahuntsic

First time matchup for the 2 squads. We got 5-4-1 against 5-4-1. I don’t think you could have scripted a game between two more polar opposite teams. And I love it! On one end, you have the young guns in Bandits D’Ahuntsic who go fast and push the pace of the game. On the other, you have The Rude Saks that slow the game down and play smart and efficient football. I am really curious to see how this game plays out. Are we going to see a shootout or a low scoring grind-it-out-type of game? Part of me is telling me there is no way Bandits D’Ahuntsic can lose this game. They are quicker, faster, more athletic, and have guys that currently play competitive tackle football. There’s something about The Rude Saks though. Which is? If I had to sum it up I’d say they’re built as a unit. They don’t take plays off, and understand what is expected of each individual player every play. Did I mention they’re chippy? The talk their talk, but so do Bandits D’Ahuntsic. The more I preview this game the more excited I am for it. One of my go-to expression is “speed kills.” That could be what gives Bandits D’Ahuntsic the edge here.

Prediction: Bandits D’Ahuntsic win 34-30

Picks!!! (Winners in Bold)

Glory Boyz vs Stallions

Born in the 80’s vs Save The Turftles

Les Petites Carottes vs DNE

Red Dragons vs Studz r us

Bandits D’Ahuntsic vs The Rude Saks

Every Inch Counts vs No Ragrets

Big Fat Bats vs Dilf Gang

Les Bleue Dry vs Ballz Deep

Season Record: 50-19-1

Bold Prediction: Charles Côté for Les Petites Carottes, will be responsible for 6 touchdowns, including 4 receiving TDs and 2 pick 6s, in his team’s win over DNE!

The next time you read my article there will be 16 teams remaining, 8 in D1 and 8 in D2. Wanna be part of those 16 teams? Play your heart out and the rest usually takes care of itself. I will do my very best to try and catch some of the action on Thursday. It all depends on how much work I get done in my basement today and tomorrow. Thanks to all the players for continuing to make this a blast to right for. See y’all soon and get your playoff faces ready! Until next time…

Stay Blessed