Food for Thought (Div B) – Week 2

Season after season, experts align their thoughts and call out the clear favourites to win it all. In every sport and every league, every season and every year trophies are awarded to scores of flat, dead tree limbs boasting some greatness aspiring wannabe’s name. Names who, neatly united on a white sheet make up teams so powerful, so strong and so unattainable that everybody else should just call it quits and lay down to get trampled beneath the horde.

 

Lucky for us sports aficionados, someone invented underdogs. Relentless, hard working and driven, these collections of selfless individuals will often gain our hearts early on. These tortoise avatars will slowly but surely grind their way through the season, gradually catching up to unsuspecting hares cooling off on the sidelines. And as everyone knows (and some still deny), slow and steady wins the race.

 

Now, for your reading pleasure, I present before you all the Spring Division B official Underdogs!

 

 

Redemption

 

Take a couple of friends. Give them a bit of grit. Give them some tenacity. Give them a lot of will. But most of all give them André Knights and you’re sure to get some serious underdog action going. This gritty team will lull you into thinking they are an easy prey and before you know it, you’re picked off for a touchdown. They were in need of redemption? Now, they’re ready to smite anyone in their way!

 

 

Maniax

 

This crazy rag-tag crew of West Island football players makes for a very unsettling site at first. Jerseys? Who needs them? Roster sheet? Uh… Here comes unpredictability on steroids. Not yet convinced? Just watch one of their games and you’ll understand the meaning of words like raw and unchained. Who needs a plan when you can just…. not make one?

 

 

Big TD’s

 

Hailing form that particular brand of players who should always wear a microphone, here comes Jamil Springer and his cronies. Kids, put your earplugs on because your mommies won’t be happy if you hear this. On the other hand, if you like swearing, rough play and quick feet, you’re in for a real treat. Win or lose, these large touchdown lovers will leave you entertained. But be warned, this will NOT BE PRETTY.

 

 

Rude Bwoys

 

If you are looking for big name stars you are in the wrong place. In Rude Bwoy land there is only one motto: There is no “I” in team (maybe Andrew Blades didn’t get the memo?). Don’t fool yourselves by thinking these guys are puny pushovers because these guys are the grittiest, most resilient pushovers out there and they surely will not go down without a fight!

 

 

Falcons

 

Used to flying low, the Falcons represent the ultimate test for any team that things they are unbeatable. Once again, at a glance, it seems like your little brother’s AA Cadet team could beat them without breaking a sweat. Wrong! They are the consummate underdogs, clawing, jawing, biting and crawling their way to a victory no one thought would be theirs.

 

 

So if you think you got what it takes to take it all, by all means, DO look behind you…

 

 

Under Fire

An interview with Prestige World Wide’s Alex Lever

 

Alex Porras: You play wide receiver, quarterback and sometimes we even see you on the defensive side of the ball. What’s your favourite position to play at?

 

Alex Lever: It’s tough to choose between WR and QB. I can’t see myself not playing both.

 

 

A. P.: Do you consider yourself a better WR or QB?

 

A. L.: Definitely WR. That’s where I have the most experience.

 

 

A. P.: What do you prefer, flag or touch?

 

A. L.: Flag. 100% flag! I play touch football during the summer with some Phoenix players but I definitely prefer flag-football since you have more chance to make a play after catching the football.

 

 

A. P.: When did you decide to start the Prestige World Wide franchise?

 

A. L.: That happened after I learned I would not be able to QB the Cobras in Div C since I was a Div A player. I then asked Patrick Jérome who played with the Kingz with me in the winter to come with me, Frank Grenier and Jean-François Trudeau.

 

 

A. P.: Is Frank Grenier a funny guy on a football team?

 

A. L.: Sometimes he’ll come up with a good one-liner but he will usually keep his funny side for the stage.

 

 

A. P.: Which team is better, Kingz or Prestige World Wide?

 

A. L.: The Kingz actually asked me if I could release Wesley Joseph and Philippe Leduc so they could add them to their roster. That shows you how much their roster is suffering from big loses… Even t hough I think Prestige World Wide’s defence might be stronger then the Kingz’s, they have François Lebeau at QB which automatically makes them an elite team.

 

 

A. P.: Who do you think is the favourite to win Division B?

 

A. L.: If it’s not us, it’ll probably be the G-Men or the Blackshirts.

 

 

A. P.: You don’t think Gino Di Fazio’s Terminators have a good chance of going all the way?

 

A. L.: I don’t have enough confidence in Gino’s ability to lead his team far into the playoffs (Gino throws a pick right as Alex Lever says this…). He always has amazing receivers to back him up but when the pressure starts to mount, he often comes up short.

 

 

The Stars of the Week

 

Once again this week, we were fortunate enough to witness some great performances by some of the best players in the Flag Plus Football community.

 

Here are this week’s 5 Stars:

 

1. Bryan Joseph: 6 catches, 127 yards, 3 TD’s including one on the last play to win the game.

 

2. Mathieu René: 207 yards, 5 TD’s and a 76% completion rating…Ross, what did you give this guy?

 

3. Jamil Springer: 3 TD passes, 69 rushing yards and 3 interceptions on defence to almost single-handedly defeat the Maniax in an 18 point second half comeback.

 

4. Patrick Jérome: 1 TD on offence and 1 TD on defence to go with 3 interceptions cementing his two-way player aura.

 

5. Gianni Settino: 119.4 QB rating and 62.5 completion % after playing 2 games in 3 hours with 7 TD passes and no interceptions…. welcome back Mr. Settino!

 

 

 

Technically Speaking…

 

For any questions regarding statistics, rules clarification or for any other Flag Plus Football related enquiries please email me at [email protected]. As always, I hope I have entertained you as much as you entertain me weekly. See you Sunday.