Food For Thought (Div 3) – Week 2

FPF is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get! Sometimes it’s a forfeited game, ahem Hurricanes, sometimes it’s a tremendous performance by a QB and a team no one saw coming like Danny Bellemare and the Eagles. Maybe you had a chance to witness the amazing game between Park-X Streets and the Maniax or heard the resounding roar of the Big TDs waking up. Speak of the devil, their new addition, Anthony McComber, made a sensational INT against the Rude Bwoys that’s a shame not to have on video. Well, until all our games are filmed and presented on primetime TV, here is my assessment of the second of D3’s conferences (in parenthesis is my final standings prediction).

 

Dirty Birds (1)

After Daniele Gentile’s playoff quarterbacking bailed them out of a tight spot in the spring finals, the Dirty Birds have decided to officially hand him the reigns this winter. With the Bishara brothers, the underrated Marco Ritondo, the 2-way menace Gordon Hogan and the always truculent David Hurley lining up around him, Gentile has all the tools necessary to hand the legendary Joe Birds his third championship (if some of you still doubt the existence of the legendary coach, I suggest you take a look at the pictures from last spring’s championship…). To top it off, the ugly ducklings also enlisted a new rusher by the name of Colin Taylor. They say he is the next best thing. You be the judge.

 

Grindteam (9)

The Grindteam have all the makings of a sturdy playoff team…except for one of the toughest schedules in their Conference. With all the talent present on their team, they are still going to have a tough time surpassing the .500 mark this season. Nevertheless, they are already inflicting fear into their opponents’ hearts with an aggressive defensive game anchored by all-stars Ryan Perry and Wesley Joseph. Sadly, they seem to be lacking some depth on their roster. If they resolve the situation and add some receivers to help carry the load, Mathieu Rene, a two time QB of the year, should have no problem getting his team over the hump.

 

Sons of Cyr (16)

For new teams, a direct jump to one of the top 3 divisions is always a risky endeavour. Sons of Cyr will learn this quickly in D3, one of the most unforgiving divisions of FPF. Like many new teams, their biggest mistake seems to have underestimated the importance of a solid quarterback. Unlike some teams in the NFL, one cannot rely solely on a good defence and an efficient ground attack (obviously since you can’t run every play). Until they find a QB who can tap into his receivers’ potential, they will remain in the bottom of the standings.

 

Souljahs (14)

Turnovers are the key to victory for Angelo Garofalo and his squad. Sadly for them, they have allowed 76 points and 329 yards of offense without registering a single INT. On the other hand, their QB Yan Bissonnette was picked off 3 times by the D-Boys’ defense. The sad thing is Bissonnette amassed more yards than his counterpart in each of the Souljahs first 2 games. Better red zone efficiency and some defensive opportunism is all they need to get out of their funk.

 

Eagles (6)

Luck seems to be all the Eagles really needed. An easier schedule, a couple of defensive additions and voilà! Their jump from D4/C won’t be the disaster some were apprehending. Credit needs to be given to Danny Bellemare and Jonathan Goyette who are slicing through opposing defences like a hot knife through cheez whiz (mmmh, now I’m hungry).  What is the key to their cheesy goodness? The good old play-action pass. By mixing in handoffs to halfback Francis Leblanc, the Eagles have established a climate of uncertainty in their opponents’ minds. Now, whenever they use the play-action, their receivers (Goyette especially) gain a step on hesitating DBs and the rusher slows down in doubt. Eventually, some good defensive team is going to put them back in their place, but for now, the Eagles are definitely soaring high.

 

Terror Squad (2)

One of the most improved teams in FPF, the fright squad is really living up to their name. DBs are purposefully wearing shorts with pockets so they don’t have to face Pat Jérome and his cronies. And who could blame them? While Jérome is a 153 time all-star whose legacy I don’t need to inflate, Alex Giroux, Gabriel Cournoyer and Kevin Lubin are all known to have wrecked havoc upon lower division teams. Add top defenders like Jo Duclair and the gigantic Weiland Prosper and you have a definite contender. Is this the year Tam Vilaydeth runs his way to his first title as a QB?

 

Bandits (13)

The Bandits are well travelled in the league and boast a solid veteran core. For all the criticism they took in the past, they are always in the thick of a playoff spot race. With Corey Belliveau out until week 4 with a suspension, the Kiraly brothers have been putting in extra work in order to keep their offense floating. This week’s game against the Gold Standard is their make or brake game of the season. My prediction? They will lose by 2 scores.

 

VR6 (10)

While Kevin Challenger and Karim Chaoual are a D1 calibre combination, the rest of VR6 doesn’t offer much upside. Maybe Kim Hoyte could be considered as a solid two-way player, but with Rehan Sarwar, Rob O’Grady and Jason Johson, their complimentary parts are made up of solid veterans. What does this translate into? A dramatic offense able to blow away unprepared teams but doomed to score on every drive due to a more than faulty defence.

 

Patriotes (4)

The Pereda brothers are on a mission. After a hurtful spring season in Division B, they are looking to reassert themselves as an offensive powerhouse. With Étienne Chauvin still at the reigns, their offense is of top quality. My only concern would be for their defence, especially if Mathieu Bélanger doesn’t resume his usual place in the line-up. Can rookie Olivier Tardif contribute to make his team better? Will Marc-Antoine Pereda revert back to 2010 form? Will Sébastien have another hardware-worthy season?

 

Prestige World Wide (8)

After a spectacular 1st season, the PWW franchise struggled to live up to its name in 2011. Even though he’s not a top tier QB (yet), Alex Lever can still make some magic happen with the right receiving core. Lucky for him, Charles Baillargeon, Anthony Comeau and Maxime Laflamme are ready to help. Once Matthew Brethour returns to the line-up and Kevin Tousignant and Christian Delforge get comfortable on defence, the Prestige might start shining again.

 

Rude Bwoys (5)

Solid defense is always a must with the boys in red. Now that they have two able QBs in Eugene McLaren and Jeremy Cloutier, their offense needs to reach the same standard of excellence. Cloutier, who’s shown he’s also comfortable as a deep threat receiver, might be the rookie of the year in D3. At least, the veteran Gary Bloomfield holds him in very high esteem. One cannot talk about the Rude Bwoys without mentioning Brian Eudoxie. Once again, the rusher with the moxie will be looking to secure that all-star spot reserved for the QBs number one nemesis.

 

Langers (15)

After some false promises in week 1, the Langers reverted to a more subdued style of play which got them shutout against the enigmatic Dirty Dawgers. This band of newcomers is looking at a possible 1-9 or 2-8 record this season. Anything above that should be considered a tremendous victory for them. Still, games need to be played and I sincerely wish them good luck. I am, after all, a sucker for underdogs.

 

CF (12)

“Savage” Kaloussian and Raffi Bastadjian decided to stray away from the hive and form their own team. Good for them. Bad for the Snookers. To everyone’s delight, CF brings back to the forefront some forgotten names like Arto Khatchikian, Nareg Setian and Alex Torossian (you gotta love the Armenian names).  Can Sevag and the CF offense maintain their week 1 statistics all season? Impossible. Can this team do better than the 2009 Bulldogs? They already have…

 

Maniax (3)

They pout, they scream, they taunt, they win and they are lead by one of FPF’s most charming antagonists: I give you the Maniax! What makes this team so special? First, there is Mr. Maniac Tony Khoury. One of the best centers the game has seen, Tony is either loved or hated, no in betweens. Second, their QB is actually Justin Bieber. Every weekend, he drops his world tour and comes to Montreal to play some flag-football with us. Aren’t we lucky! Third, the Maniax have identical twins Wooby and Woody Fontaine playing for them. This is self-explanatory. Lastly, since the Maniax are the team of brotherly love, the rest of the team is comprised of the Charles brothers (Jean-Fritz, Schneider and Scott) and the McLaren brothers (Jordan and Jelani)… They also happen to be a pretty solid flag-football team led by perennial all-star Godfrey Abu, but really, who cares?

 

VPC (7)

Much like VR6, VPC is a run-and-gun team with little or no defensive considerations. With a lethal offensive trio like Robbie Robinson, Louis Richard and Vinny Gualano who needs defence? VPC’s season depends mostly on their offensive cohesion. If they can keep their points per game at about 35, they should make it to the playoffs. If they do make it to the spring dance, I hope they’ll have learned some D along the way, because post-season football is NOT for offensive powerhouses…

 

Snookers (11)

The Snookerines are now spread too thin. With the Wolverines in D2 and the defection of key elements to CF, the fighting Tony Tabets are in for a tough championship hangover. As good as Andre John is, he can’t make up for the loss of Sevag Kaloussian and Raffi Bastadjian. Hagop Kachachian, Harry Hakimian and Paul Katsabanis are all stand up gentlemen but they are not the ones who will get this team to the Promised Land.

 

 

Division 3 Power Rankings

 

1.Briscoe High Hawks (2-0): After defeating tough opponents in back to back weeks, the Hawks seem to have an easier game set up for them against the Souljahs.

Prediction: Souljahs  13 – Briscoe High Hawks  35

 

2. Dirty Birds (2-0): The last thing the birds want to do is take Yari’s Autonomics lightly. One never knows when they will start channelling the great Yari Steinbrenner’s wrath…

Prediction: Yari’s Autonomics  26 – Dirty Birds  37

 

3. Terror Squad (2-0): The 2012 Squad Bowl is brought to you in part by Depends, it looks and feels like real underwear!

Prediction: Terror Squad  44 – Picksquad  20

 

4. D-Boys (2-0): Who is this Cyr guy? WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

Prediction: Sons of Cyr  6 – D-Boys  34

 

5. Park-X Streets (2-0): Immovable object against unstoppable force… what would Aristotle do?

Prediction: VPC  25 – Park-X Streets  32

 

6. Green 18s (2-0): Green 18s need to lose soon or they will lose their darkhorse aura…

Prediction: CF  19 – Green 18s  32

 

7. Eagles (2-0): I have a feeling the Eagles offense might get knocked around a little this week.

Prediction: Eagles  26 – Knockaround Guys  32

 

8. Maniax (1-1): They should “breeze” through their next matchup!

Prediction: Maniax  26 – Hurricanes  13

 

9. Big TDs (1-1): The TDs won’t only be big, they will be plentiful!

Prediction: Big TDs  33 – Langers  12

 

10. SWAT (1-1): No chance to dwell on their loss because here come the Rude Bwoys.

Prediction: Rude Bwoys  25 – SWAT  26