Flo’s Forecast: Week 6 Recap – Week 7 Preview

Another week, another big upset for upstart Monstars. Although at this point, I don’t know just how big the upset was considering the fact that they’ve shown to be ready to compete with the big dogs. After all, I did pick them to beat both the Rainmakers this week and Top Guns just a few weeks ago so I can’t say I’m surprised. Still, beating the Rainmakers is no small feat and it should be recognized. Another week, another inconsistent roster for the Legends. Another week, another win for Montreal’s Finest, Grip N Rip, Star City and STL. Another week, another blowout loss for the Blue Chips. All that to say that things are starting to fall into place in both divisions A and B. We are starting to separate the contenders from the pretenders and seeing who the truly weak teams are.

This week’s article takes a look at the 9 teams in Division B: Conference B.

One thing that’s always peaked my curiosity is whether anyone actually reads these intro paragraphs or not? If you usually do read them, please do let me know.

Week 6 Recaps:

Div. A

All Black Everything 48, Legends 13

Ugliest game of the season by far. The Legends had four players on the field when the clock struck 7 PM as the fifth player was busy getting himself a jersey. Though the bags weren’t set to start and ref #2 was nowhere to be seen, six points were awarded to ABE just like that and the controversial start set the tone for the whole miserable game that followed. Cory Pecker lost his cool after said incident and was thrown out for 5 plays as I was forced to take the snaps playing 5 vs. 6. Managing to move the ball and get two first downs, Pecker came back in and threw a red zone pick to Marco Masciotra. After a nice contested low touchdown grab by Theo Ojeaha put them up 12-0, Pecker found sub snapper Jacob Bernett in the middle of the field and he raced into the end zone for a touchdown to cut the lead in half. After that, it was all ABE. With ABE up 46-13, things got uglier as Bernett’s errant snap went over my head for a safety for the second time in the game. All in all, the Legends could argue all they want about that first decision, but at the end of the day, the team can’t expect to win or even compete with the likes of ABE with a 5-man roster and such disorganization.

*Matt Kirouac had three HUGE “sacks” in the game. Note the sarcasm here.

Div. B

STL 39, Fun Boys 24

If the first four possessions of the game were any indication, it looked like this game would be a shootout as both teams traded scores to begin the game. On the Fun Boys third possession, Liam Mahoney, who was replacing Phil Cutler behind center for this game, tried to fit it into a tight window but was picked off by Brent Callender who took it deep into Fun Boys territory. STL punched it in a few plays later to give themselves an 18-12 halftime lead. After scoring on the opening possession of the second half, Justin Cerantola picked off Mahoney on the first play of the ensuing drive and set up a 1-yard Dylan Taylor-Kyle Lebofsky touchdown strike on the next play. The teams traded 40-yard bombs and then it was Guillaume De Palma’s turn to make a play on a Mahoney ball for STL’s third interception of the night. The Fun Boys got a few late stops on defense and scored to make the final score a little less ugly but STL took over this game early and never looked back.

Midseason Grades

Div. B Conference B

Grip N Rip (6-0)

They’ve straight up dominant and stand atop conference B as the only undefeated team. Vinny Gualano’s offense, although limited in flashy plays, is the most efficient around as he is in the running for QB of the year. The addition of J-D Chevalier has brought this team to a whole other level and the return of Jason Prince to the line-up cannot be underestimated.

Grade: A+

Projection: 9-1

The Incredibles (5-1)

A very strong team all-around but they are vulnerable. Greg Stern has had his struggles but seems to be righting the ship week after week. Not many teams have a top-4 receiver lineup as deep, balanced and talented as The Incredibles do in Aleksander Papich, Jacob Peterson, Marco Bertoldi and Vince Nardone. There is no reason why they cannot make a run.

Grade: A-

Projection: 7-3

Two and a Half Dans (4-2)

The Dans are doing it again. Finding a way to move up and be competitive each and every season has been their claim to fame and they’re off to a great start in division B. They’ve made awesome free agent acquisitions in Marc-Antoine Viens and Matt Kirouac who are 1st and 2nd on the team respectively in receiving yards and touchdowns. With a manageable schedule down the road, the Dans will be in the playoffs and their unorthodox style may just lead to some upsets in once they get there.

Grade: A-

Projection: 7-3

Ambassadors of Quan (3-2-1)

If there’s one thing this team does not lack, it’s size. With guys like Paul Lapierre, Ryan Perry and Jean-Sebastien Collin on the roster, Alex Holowach has some huge targets to hit in the red zone. Danny D’Amour is having an MVP-type season on the defensive side of the ball and James Nowakowski continues to be a reliable target for Holowach. Their first loss to the Red Raiders can be attributed to the fact that they were learning to play with one another, and the way they’ve played in the recent weeks suggest that this team will be a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the season.

Grade: B+

Projection: 5-4-1

Laval’s Finest (3-3)

Seeing them at 3-3 following a fantastic season in division 3 is disappointing, but as I’ve stated again and again, the importance of Jordan McLaren on this roster is THAT important. Their defense is average at best without him but the good news is that he should be back soon. Billy Makris is quietly having a hell of a year rushing currently 2nd with 11 sacks through six games.

Grade: C

Projection: 5-5

Lightweight (2-3-1)

Although we do like to mess with him, FPF’s favourite punching Simon Dagenais has definitely improved in the last few seasons and has surrounded himself with an all-star cast. This team is loaded on both sides of the ball and if Dagenais can limit mistakes and continue playing good ball, this team could surprise some people.

Grade: C+

Projection: 4-5-1

Fun Boys (2-4)

Probably one of the only teams to have all eight of their players play all six games so far this season. That’s an impressive feat but it hasn’t led to much success on the field as they find themselves two games under .500 with four to go. Minus their double-digit this past week to STL, their other three losses have been by one score.

Grade: C

Projection: 4-6

VPC & FF (1-5)

For all the talk that this team IS Rob Robinson, I would tend to disagree. They have a very good 1-2 punch at receiver in Shaquille D’Aguiar and Christopher Williams, and the other three, though not fast or explosive, do have great hands and have great chemistry with their quarterback, which to me is just as important, if not more, than pure skill. The potential long-term addition of Akeem Hoyte-Charles will be something to keep an eye on as well. The problem is really on the defensive side of the ball and unfortunately if they can’t get that fixed, they’ll be watching from the couch come playoff time.

Projection: 1-9

Blue Chips (0-6)

What can I say about the Blue Chips that hasn’t been said? Their roster features some extremely talented players but as a team, they’re just not there yet. The reasoning behind registering for B is puzzling to say the least and they would have been much better served signing up for division C or D this season.

Grade: D-

Projection: 0-10

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James’ lock of the week: STL vs. Casket Closers

Lock of the Week Record: 5-0

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Week 7 Game Predictions

Div. A

All Black Everything vs. Top Guns

Montreal’s Finest vs. Monstars

Legends vs. Rainmakers – N/A

Season Record: 10-1-1

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Div. B

Week 7 Matchups	James’ Picks ATS	Peeze’s Picks ATS	Simon’s Picks ATS
Kings (-3.5) vs. Gladiateurs	Kings	Kings	Kings
STL (-9.5) vs. Casket Closers	STL	STL	STL
Laval’s Finest (-4.5) vs. Lightweight	Lightweight	Laval’s Finest	N/A
Star City (-10.5) vs. Darksiders	Star City	N/A	Star City
#NoRegard (-3.5) vs. VPC & FF	#NoRegard	#NoRegard	#NoRegard
Predators (-7.5) vs. Red Raiders	N/A	Red Raiders	Predators
Fun Boys (-11.5) vs. Blue Chips	Fun Boys	Fun Boys	Fun Boys
The Incredibles (-3.5) vs. 2HD	2HD	The Incredibles	2HD
Grip N Rip (-4.5) vs. Ambassadors of Quan	GnR	GnR	GnR
Last Week’s Record	3-5	4-4	5-3
SEASON TOTALS	21-19	22-18	25-15

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Division A Power Rankings

Montreal’s Finest (6-0)

Can we start talking about undefeated yet?

All Black Everything (3-2-1)

Basically a bye week for ABE.

Rainmakers (3-3)

For a team with such lofty expectations coming into the season, it’s been a really disappointing three-game losing streak.

Monstars (2-3-1)

Don’t look now but the Monstars haven’t lost in three weeks. Thank you for making me look smart by picking you guys for the upset.

Top Guns (2-4)

Minus the Perry bros. and Jamil Springer, they had half the Glads team come to help and did the best they could but ultimately, couldn’t keep up with the Finest.

Legends (1-5)

No comment.

Divison B Top 5 Power Rankings

Grip N Rip (6-0)

I went up to Vinny Gualano and told him I expected a 50-burger and a 50-12 final score. Well, he answered the call as well as his teammates and ran away with this one after a slow start.

Star City (6-0)

This team has the most stacked receiving corps in division B, an elite quarterback, and a defense loaded with playmakers. They’ve got championship written all over them.

STL (6-0)

They keep rolling.

Kings (4-2)

Missing three key players in Jad Aridi, Thierry Gerville and Kevin Gauthier (their two safeties and their rusher), I can’t say I’m surprised they couldn’t compete with Star City. They made it easy on Dan Lazzara by just leaving wide-open receivers deep all game.

The Incredibles (5-1)

They escaped VPC & FF but it was closer than they would like. Now comes a potential trap game against the upstart Dans.

Survivor Pool Week 7 Picks:

James Floreani – STL

Sean Avraam – Star City

Danny D’Amour – STL

JC Mercille – Kings

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Rehan Sarwar – OUT

Terry Tam – OUT

Kendal Mayers – OUT

Doug Mckernan – OUT

Vince Nardone – OUT

Mat Domon – OUT

Simon Dagenais – OUT

Quaysie Gordon-Maule – OUT

Best of luck to all teams for week 7! If you want to reach me for any inquiries or to disagree with me, feel free to hit me up at [email protected] or DM me @JFloMusicMTL on Twitter.