Food For Thought (D4) – Week 12

 

If you’re looking for a single word to describe the D4 playoffs, I suggest this one: Injuries! With four crucial playmakers sidelined in the first two weeks of the playoffs, some teams were simply victims of unwelcomed and untimely bad luck. Just ask Maximum Carnage, who lost their QB as well as their captain just before the playoffs (Bryan Mongeau did play in his team’s only playoff game, but it was apparent that he was still plagued with an injury).

Last week two more teams were ousted after seeing their best player hit the IR list. Hard Knocks showed some grit in their loss to X-Men, even though all-star Kris Bastien had to watch the game propped on his newly acquired crutches. They managed to keep the game extra close after the first half, despite playing with only five bodies. Unfortunately for them, playing 6 on 5 eventually became too much to handle. Had Bastien been in the line-up, who knows what could have happened!

The Family, who saw QB of the year Maxime Forget fall early in the first half, rallied around backup Maxime Couture who, after a TD pass and a pick six just before the half, looked like he had things under control. Unfortunately for his team’s back-to-back championship dreams, Couture struggled against an opportunistic Patriotes defence in the second half, not scoring a single point. With five plays left, The Family, despite their offensive woes, were still in a position to tie the game with the ball, at their own 10. Forget unexpectedly wobbled onto the field and completed a couple of passes, using only his upper body to propel the ball. For a brief but exciting moment, it seemed as though Forget might pull off some Kirk Gibson-esque heroics to win the game for his team. As you all should know by now, this was not the case….

 

With The Family, the Gators and Hard Knocks all out of the picture, any of the four remaining teams can legitimately aspire to the D4 championship. Neither the Jets, the X-Men, the Top Guns nor les Patriotes are considered underdogs. No one team is stronger than another. They are simply different in build.

 

Jets (1): Perhaps the team who faced the easiest road to the semis, the Jets might struggle offensively against the tough defence of the Top Guns. Carl Dugas has yet to prove that he can perform under the relentless pressure of a skilled rusher and Maurice Kaddis definitely epitomizes the term. Against Matt Demetriou, Dugas avoided being sacked but forced some passes that ended up being intercepted. When faced with the slick speed of Andrew Blades he managed not to dump the ball into the opposition’s hands but surrendered 3 sacks. If he wants his offence to be successful against a defensive squad that intercepted 7 passes in two games, he will need his receivers to be sharp and avoid chucking the ball downfield blindly.

As far as their defence is concerned, an effective pass rush will need to be set-up. Once again, Patrice Blouin remains the ideal rusher, even if Jerry Charles is not known to run very much. Blouin has the uncanny ability to throw a quarterback off his game and Jerry Charles, with his 7 interceptions in two games, cannot stray even a millimetre away from his game plan. With Mo Zerbo missing last week, Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon pulled out a tremendous 4 INT and 3 PD defensive performance. If he can show the same dominance, the whole Jets’ defence will be able to breathe freely.

Top Guns (4): Boasting the best defence out of the final four, the Top Guns are a high stakes team who can pull off as many spectacular plays as duds. Just like their QB, the Top Guns are capable of the best and the worst. Jerry Charles is where everything starts and ends for this team. With the ability to gun the ball downfield– but a very high turnover rate, Charles needs to pace himself in order to manufacture points in an efficient fashion. Patience is a virtue. The tremendous depth of the Guns is what brought them to this point. While your 4th and 5th receiver positions are filled in by the likes of Guillaume De Palma and Maurice Kaddis, players such as Yannick Clément can nurse their small injuries and take the field more sporadically.

Like I mentioned previously, the Top Guns’ defence isn’t very kind to opposing QB’s. Apart from rusher extraordinaire Maurice Kaddis, their scary line-up includes the often over-looked Guillaume De Palma and David Dessureault. De Palma with his anticipation and Dessureault with his tackling ability complete a very stingy defensive roster.

Prediction: Jets 26 – Top Guns 22

 

 

X-Men (2): Viewed by many as the favourites now that The Family and the Gators are eliminated, the X-Men combine a good dose of athleticism with experience and careful game-planning. Gautama Swaminadhan is easily the front-runner for MVP of the playoffs if his team goes all the way. Just like the Jets, their easier playoff schedule will most likely contrast with their semi-final matchup. Against les Patriotes, Gautama will face his toughest challenge this season: an intense, physical defence who guards the end zone ferociously. Once again, the three-pronged attack of Wade Williams, Suhael Brohi and Nicholas Abelhauser will be the key.

On defence, the same three players will need to step up big in their respective roles. Williams and Abelhauser as red zone ramparts and jump ball annihilators will need to dog Sébastien Pereda and Mathieu Bélanger every step of the way. Brohi’s task is a daunting one, as he will be appointed to contain the highly dangerous Étienne Chauvin. While Brohi’s pass rush is efficient, I am not confident in his ability to deny Chauvin of his precious running game…

Patriotes (6): While they do not possess the deep talent pool of the Top Guns, les Patriotes’ offence is a high flying one nonetheless. With a love for the deep ball and long-yardage plays, Étienne Chauvin’s squad will need to prove they can outrun the dynamic duo of Abelhauser and Williams on their way to the end zone. With Mathieu Bélanger and Sébastien Pereda trading scoring opportunities as well as a devastating running game, Chauvin should have all the options necessary to score quickly and often. And if everyone is covered, you can count on David Turcotte to stay underneath and provide a welcome outlet for Chauvin if the pressure is mounting.

The challenge will lie on the defensive side of the ball. A patient and opportunistic attitude could work miracles against a slow, grinding offence. When Gautama tries to go deep, he will need to be reminded swiftly of his mistake by the Pereda brothers. If they don’t crack down early on those long plays, the X-Men might get the momentum they need to pull away unscathed. Finally, if Patrick Trahan can continue to be as scary on the field as he is in his FPF picture, things will be boding well for les Pats.

 

Prediction: Patriotes 33 – X-Men 27

 

Here are the current players who, if their teams go all the way, might get consideration for the MVP of the Playoffs Award:

Jets: Carl Dugas, QB

Top Guns: Karl Lanteigne, Receiver, DB

X-Men: Gautama Swaminadhan, QB

Patriotes: Étienne Chauvin, QB

 

The winners will need to send a delegation (2 players each) to the Winter 2011 Press Conferences that will take place at the Soccerplexe Catalogna on Monday the 11th.

Once again, I hope you have enjoyed this article! Good luck to all for this weekend’s games. And remember, this could be your last game this season, so give it your all!

If you have any suggestions, comments or wish to make a more direct contribution to this article, please contact me at [email protected]