FPF Bloodlines, Reviews, Previews and More

I have been around FPF long enough to have a good idea of who the major playmakers are. As I was compiling this week’s team of the week, I saw a Serge Pilon with seven tackles, a sack, and an interception. I thought this was the usual Serge Pilon defensive performance, however, when I clicked on the profile, an older man with a 60-rating appeared. At first, I thought this was an error in the database, but it actually turned out to be Serge Pilon Sr, the father of the two Pilon brothers. The last time Pilon Sr. stepped onto an FPF pitch was back in 2014. After a six-year hiatus, he casually returned to the highest level of FPF this year and has played three games with the Braves Verts. Clearly, football smarts and exceptional athletic abilities run in the Pilon family. Boy, I wish I had some of those genes.

Week 6 Games of the Week:

Terror Squad (32) vs BYOB (39), Tier 1

La semaine passée, j’ai tenté d’analyser cette confrontation entre Terror Squad et BYOB. Je me suis imaginé un match à bas pointage où la défensive de BYOB aurait pu donner une chance à leur attaque de scorer juste assez de points pour gagner. En fait, ce fut complètement l’opposé.

Mathieu René et l’attaque de BYOB ont finalement fait une apparition. Stephan Osman et Mathieu Lepage étaient simplement inarrêtable. Osman a capté six passes pour presque 100 verges et deux touchés, tandis que Lepage a fini la soirée avec 56 verges et trois touchés. Même si la combination d’Osman et Lepage a fonctionné cette semaine, BYOB devrait faire attention de ne pas se fier sur cette combinaison dans les prochaines semaines. Surtout en Tier 1, une attaque prédictible est une attaque qui se fait intercepter.

Pour Terror Squad, c’est encore une fois leur défense qui leur a fait défaut. La seule façon qu’ils ont réussi à arrêter leur adversaire, c’était avec des interceptions. Même en considérant que ces deux interceptions de Terror Squad sont promettantes, ils doivent trouver une façon d’arrêter leur adversaire lors du 4^e essai ou de les faire dégager le ballon.

Les Centaures (21) vs Hot Sauce Sports (19), Tier 2

Hot Sauce Sports came oh so close to winning, or at least tying their first game of the season. After their last touchdown, the score was 20-19 for Les Centaures so HSS went for one point in an attempt to tie the game. Instead of tying the game, that convert was intercepted and returned to give the Centaures a point.

Les Centaures’ offence was less than stellar in this game. Jordan Rossie only managed to pass for two touchdowns. I still think Corey Walwaski would be a better fit at quarterback for this team. While Rossie has had some exceptional games, he has also struggled in quite a few. I think Walwaski would bring a consistency to the quarterback position that  Les Centaures need to win a bowl game. While I am convinced that Walwaski would excel at quarterback, he is also the leading receiver on this team. He finished the game with seven catches for 70 yards in this one. While the offence may have struggled, Les Centaures’ defence stepped up in a big way. They intercepted HSS three times and even managed to run one of those interceptions back for a touchdown. When your offence is struggling, finding alternative ways to score points is huge. Without Denzel Eadie-Lowe’s pick six, Les Centaures would probably not have won this game.

As for Hot Sauce Sports, their defence has to be wondering what more they need to do to win. They have only allowed 24 points a game, and they are tied for the third least points against in the division. This team’s defence has been keeping them in games all season long. They just need a little more spark from the offence. We all know the Peeze Della Roaca isn’t much of a deep threat and inevitably, he will throw a few interceptions. What his receivers need to start doing is transforming Peeze’s bellowed hooks and slants into bigger plays. For HSS to win a game this season, their receivers will need to start making defenders miss and rack up some yards after the catch.

Goblin Gang (18) vs Replacements (19), Tier 3

While I expected this game to be close, I really thought that the superior athletes on Goblin Gang would tilt this game in the Gang’s favor. To my surprise, it was the experience of Replacements that eventually came out on top in this one. I think the biggest off-season acquisition for the Replacements was snapper and higher division quarterback Chris Olson. Having a veteran and experienced head in the huddle is a huge bonus and Replacements quarterback Frank Teoli-Colatrella has definitely benefited so far this season. While Teoli-Colatrella still tends to throw a few too many interceptions, he is at least managing to move the ball with a bit more ease. If Teoli-Colatrella can step up his game even more and learn how to better read the opposing defence, Replacements could be a dark horse contender to win a bowl game.

As for Goblin Gang, they need to learn how to become less reliant on Benjamin McMahon. While McMahon is one of the best receivers in the division, he cannot be your entire offence. In Goblin Gang’s game against Replacements, he accounted for 106 of his team’s 162 passing yards and all three of their touchdowns. While those are impressive numbers, no one receiver is good enough to win a game on his own. Goblin Gang need to start spreading the ball a bit more if they hope to win again this season.

Week 7 Previews:

Braves Noirs (3-2) vs Khansequence (3-2), Tier 1

Le retour de Daniel Lazzara ne se déroule pas exactement comme prévu. Khansequence ont la troisième pire attaque de la division et Lazzara a déjà lancé dix interceptions en cinq matchs. D’autre part, les Braves Noirs continuent de me surprendre. Leur playcalling inhabituel continue de surprendre la défensive adverse.

Prédiction : Braves Noirs

Outlaws (4-2) vs Mangoose (4-2), Tier 2

Outlaws shocked the FPF community by handing EZW their second loss of the season last week, and they will face yet another tough opponent this week. I think the speed of Mangoose will simply be too much for the Outlaws to handle. Their offence is reliant upon a short passing game and getting the ball out quickly. However, Mangoose close the distance with opposing receivers faster than just about any team in this division. Outlaws will slow down the pace of this game and keep things close as they always do, but ultimately Mangoose will be too much for them to handle.

Prediction: Mangoose

TuneSquad (3-2) vs Honey Martin (5-0), Tier 3

I am sure some of you have noticed that I have been riding the TuneSquad hype wagon all season. I have not predicted them to lose a single game, until now. While this team has a ton of young and exciting talent, their lack of FPF experience has become brutally clear during the season. From predictable defences to unidimensional offensive play calling, this team still has some learning to do before they are legitimate contenders. As for Honey Martin, this team has a bit of everything. I particularly love their combination of speed and size. They have some tall players who can win those contested battles while they also have the speed to stretch the field.

Prediction: Honey Martin

Week 6 Team of the Week:

Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive on and vice versa. When choosing the players for the team of the week, I do not consider the tier that the players are in. I only consider their achievements.

Offence:

Quarterback: Stephen Harrispersaud (Outlaws, Tier 2) 23 completions, 225 passing yards, 5 TDs, 128.2 QB rating

Receiver: Patrick St-Armand (Voodoo, Tier 2) 10 receptions, 128 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Benjamin McMahon (Goblin Gang, Tier 3) 4 receptions, 106 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Alexandre Noel (Bruins, Tier 2) 6 receptions, 105 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Stephan Osman (BYOB, Tier 1) 6 receptions, 95 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Robert Di lesli (Replacements, Tier 3) 5 receptions, 97 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Defence:

Rusher: Alex Pilon (Braves Vert, Tier 1) 4 tackles, 7 sacks

Defensive Back: Jeremie Vidal (Le Speakeasy, Tier 3) 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD

Defensive Back: Felix Thibert-Valade (South Side Speedsters, Tier 3) 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD

Defensive Back: Shaden Hetu-Frankel (Mean Girls, Tier 3) 1 tackle, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Stefano Solimene (Warriors, Tier 2) 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Serge Pilon Sr. (Braves Verts, Tier 1) 7 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

Week 7 Picks:

Home Team	Away Team	Predicted Winner
Braves Verts	Sweat & Beers	Braves Verts
Braves Noirs	Khansequence	Braves Noirs
Terror Squad	KGP	KGP
Urgence Medic	BYOB	Urgence Medic
Tough Lungs	Les Gros Coqs	Les Gros Coqs
EZW	Warriors	EZW
Trojans	Unknown Talent	Unknown Talent
Mangoose	Outlaws	Mangoose
Pepperoni Boyz	Half-A-Stars	Half-A-Stars
Bruins	Les Centaures	Les Centaures
Los Banditos	Hot Sauce Sports	Hot Sauce Sports
Texass Shorthorns	Pardon My Swag	Texass Shorthorns
Texass Shorthorns	Voodoo	Texass Shorthorns
Les Nains Johanais	Triple P	Triple P
TuneSquad	Honey Martin	Honey Martin
Lionhearts	Zone 6 Ballers	Lionhearts
Lockdown	Bud Knights	Lockdown
Rainmakers	Mean Girls	Mean Girls
Trapstars	Goblin Gang	Trapstars
South Side Speedsters	Goon Squad	South Side Speedsters
Ballin 60’s	Replacements	Replacements
Le Speakeasy	Bada Bing	Le Speakeasy
La Secte	Fightin’ Tigers	Fightin’ Tigers
Kiss My Endzone	Yin & Yang	n/a

For those of you who have been paying especially close attention to my weekly picks and my appearance on the podcast, you will know that I predicted Lockdown to lose all four of their final games. Well, this week I have officially reversed course. I have seen enough from this team to predict them to win this week versus Bud Knights. I think the combination of the athletes on this team and Alex D’Aquila’s defensive smarts will be too much for the Bud Knights to handle.

That concludes your week six article, I hope you all enjoyed it and as always, feel free to share any concerns or comments with me by email at [email protected]