Food For Thought (D4) – Week 13 – FlagPlus Football League

This weekend, les Patriotes will have a chance to upgrade their hardware by trading in the Div. D trophy for the larger Div. 4 one. Meanwhile, the Jets are looking to make their second franchise playoff appearance worthwhile.

Reverting back to the start of the season, I would have been the last to predict a final between these two teams. However, here we are. No Family, no Sphinx, no Gators and no Maximum Carnage. Just a good old NFL-flavoured matchup between the high-flying offense of les Patriotes and the aggressive defensive play of the Jets.

Both teams had a rough playoff run, during which they had to ward off some tough competition. While the Jets seem to have inherited an easier path, being challenged only by the 4th, 7th and 8th seeds in their conference (les Patriotes had to eliminate the 1st, 2nd and 3rd seeds), the opposition given by those teams, especially on defense, was remarkable. For a sometimes offensively challenged team such as the Jets, maintaining an advantage over the ball-hawking Primetime and Top Guns is a feat that deserves recognition.

Before you make any predictions or bets concerning this final, I suggest you get acquainted with the players who will take the field come game time.

Carl Dugas (Jets): One can’t help but be astounded by the mediocre playoff stats of each finalist’s starting pivot. For Carl Dugas, his playoff struggles are understandable although his tremendous season so far remains a huge surprise. For a former receiver to step in at QB and lead his team to a regular season conference championship and a presence in the finals, you would need to be dreaming. But in this case, the reality is just as sweet. Dugas will need to show his resiliency once again in what might prove to be his toughest challenge yet. Avoiding the opposing rusher will be the key in keeping his offensive drives alive. As the great Moe Khan would say: Quick Release!

Étienne Chauvin (Patriotes): Adversity seems to have clung to the Patriotes all season and yet they still keep overcoming it week in and week out. Offensively, everything will be resting once again on Étienne Chauvin’s ample shoulders. With limited munitions but an effective game plan, Chauvin will once again look to throw off his opponents by scrambling out of the pocket and connecting with the usual suspects (Mathieu Bélanger and Sébastien Pereda). Lately though, Chauvin hasn’t been able to drive downfield as easily as he would have liked. Against arguably the top 3 teams in D4 (or so I thought), Chauvin managed to pull off some close wins despite being picked off twice each time. Against a defense who thrives on anticipating throws, Chauvin will need to stay calm under pressure and maybe take a sack or two instead of airing out a floater into the Jets’ defensive backfield.

Advantage: Patriotes

Receivers

Billy Havik (Jets): Former Tennessee Mr. Football and All-American NCAA prospect, Billy Havik is a long way from home. Nevertheless, he is loving every minute of his new flag-football career (see the D4 Press Conference Video)! On a team where young and old mesh together, Billy Havik is a 40 year-old who still plays like he was 20. Sporting an invisible “C” on his jersey, he acts as a calming presence as well as a go-to guy when things get tricky. Havik can also throw a couple of TDs once in a while on a reverse play which, if it succeeds, tends to disrupt the other team’s confidence.

Sébastien Pereda (Patriotes): So much has been said about Sébastien Pereda already. A three time all-star and a Defensive Player of the Year Award recipient, he is the heart and soul of les Patriotes. Relied on heavily by QB Étienne Chauvin, Sébastien has reached the 40 catches and 500 yards plateaux for the first time in his career. A force to be constantly prepared for, he stands a very realistic chance of landing the Playoff MVP Award if his team wins it all.

Simon Bhatty (Jets): Perhaps the most talented receiver on the Jets, Bhatty is quietly averaging a TD per game in the playoffs after completing his best regular season yet. Not particularly tall, his main skill is his speed and crisp route-running. Generally employed on long routes, especially devastating 40 yard TDs, Bhatty is a receiver you don’t want to see catch a ball as a defender.

Mathieu Bélanger (Patriotes): As dangerous as they come, Bélanger makes a living out of 40 yard TD catches. The clear leader for both catches (17) and yards (194) so far in the playoffs, Bélanger is perhaps the deadliest offensive weapon Étienne Chauvin can count on.

Advantage: Patriotes

Snapper

Dragann Mallette (Jets): A tackle football tight end, Dragann possesses both the size and the hands to make plays on any given defense. Leading his team in both catches (8) and yards (111), Dragann will need to stay sharp this weekend. Against a very physical defensive team in les Patriotes, Carl Dugas will most likely be looking for Dragann to advance the football.

Nicolas Tardif (Patriotes): Very underrated, Tardif is the small cog that makes the big wheels turn. Without his timely catches to keep some drives alive, Sébastien Pereda and Mathieu Bélanger wouldn’t have the chance to shine as often as they do. With 3 TDs so far this post-season, he remains a player to watch in the red zone.

Advantage: Jets

DB’s

Mo Zerbo (Jets): The shut-down expert on the Jets, Zerbo has extensive tackle football experience including stints with les Spartiates du Vieux Montréal and le Rouge et Or de l’Université Laval. He will have the difficult task of shadowing Mathieu Bélanger as he sprints downfield for another 40 yarder.

Alex Pereda (Patriotes): A tackle machine (he amassed a whopping 11 in the quarter-finals), Alex Pereda usually stays in the flats leaving his brothers to cover the deeper zones. Very vocal, he has been identified as one of the Patriotes’ most influential players by his teammates.

Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon (Jets): The tallest player on the field come Saturday, Sébastien is also the INT leader in the 2011 playoffs with a staggering 6 (including 4 in the quarter-finals). With most of his takeaways happening in the end zone, Sébastien is perhaps the defensive X-factor on the Jets.

Sébastien Pereda (Patriotes): Yes, his name is here twice, which means he will be the player to watch on every play this Saturday. Defensively, Sébastien has been clutch, notably securing his team’s quarter-final win over The Family with a late pick six. He should, in all likelihood amass at least a TD and an INT in the upcoming finals. If he does, a playoff MVP might be in his reach.

Advantage: Jets

Rusher

Patrice Blouin (Jets): A proven rusher who was instrumental in Prestige World Wide’s finals appearance last spring, Blouin has the ability to control the game from the rusher position. He can get into a QB’s head and completely wreak havoc on his game plan. With some timely sacks and maybe a couple of unnecessary but legal contacts and late deflags, he will try and force Étienne Chauvin to make that one mistake that could secure the win for the Jets.

Patrick Trahan (Patriotes): What he lacks in pure talent, Trahan makes up for in intensity (some simply call it craziness). To better appreciate this enigmatic character I suggest you take a look at his FPF picture as well as the pregame video of the spring 2010 Div. D Finals. Nevertheless, Trahan will be facing a QB who has had some trouble with opposing rushers and in his last finals appearance, he registered 3 key sacks. Will it be his time to shine?

Advantage: Jets

Other key players for les Patriotes will include Marc-Antoine Pereda (if he plays), David Turcotte and Cédric Charpentier. While Marc-Antoine can play some offense (3TDs in six games this season), he is most efficient when used with his brothers Sébastien and Alex on defense (his 5 INTs this season account for 27% of his team’s takeaways).

On the other hand, David Turcotte and Cédric Charpentier were most visible on offense. Sure, Cédric complements nicely the Pereda brothers on defense but it’s mainly his clutch TDs on offense that will be counted on in the finals. The same goes for Turcotte who, despite his smaller stature, is one of Étienne Chauvin’s favourite targets in the red zone. He would also be the one to step in at the quarterback position if Chauvin is ever unable to play.

The Jets, on their part, will rely on the clutch plays of receiver Mitch Chiba, the timely tackles of the aggressive Jean-Philippe Raymond and some two-way contribution by Marc-André Rioux to take some heat away from their top performers.

Mitch Chiba, specifically, will need to come up with two or three clutch catches if the Jets’ offensive drives are to be successful. Also, if Jean-Philippe Raymond can repeat his semi-final performance in which he recorded a spectacular INT and a PD, les Patriotes will be in for a long night.

Make sure to be at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard this Saturday at 7pm to see these great finalists face each other! This is sure to be an exciting finale to the Winter 2011 season!

Also, don’t miss next week’s finals recap and road show videos!

Finally if you haven’t seen the press conferences I suggest you take a look at them in the videos section.

See you at the field!