FPF Cup – A deep dive into week 2

Hello FPF community!

Welcome to the week 2 article! I’ll cut straight to the point since there’s a lot to cover! The article will include Week 2 Recaps, Week 3 previews, my personal segments: From the Scorekeeping sidelines and Iggy Magneto’s positive and negative takes, Power Rankings for all Tiers, and Game Picks of the Week. Hope you enjoy the read!

GAME RECAPS

Les Centaures 39 – Mangoose 26

Apologies to Les Centaures in my week 1 article. I had yet to see the talent and their overall team play with my own eyes and I grossly underestimated how good of a team they are. Alexi covered this game in his week 1 Game Preview, and he was spot on for the most part. First, Corey Walwaski was a beast at snapper in this game. He’s lost weight and had a visible “pop” in his step. He made some incredible catches for a big guy and even pulled a Julian Edelman, diving back to the QB, forearms-under-the-ball Superbowl highlight catch for a big 17 yards down the pipe. Second, Alexi mentioned the game would be high scoring, and while there’s certainly been games with more points, a total of 65 points on the board is no low-scoring affair. Needless to say, it was a very entertaining game.

Jason Rossie was awesome in this one, reading the field perfectly, and throwing perfect passes that lead his receivers usually for an extra 4-5 yards. I mentioned in my article last week that Hugo Allamanno would have to be the top dog on offense for this team to succeed, and while he was great with his 5 receptions for 68 yards and 2 TD’s, he didn’t have to be the focal point for Jason Rossie. Corey Walwaski, Richie Mondesir and newcomer Armand Balla (great name because the guy is a Baller!) were all threats down the field that the Mangoose defense just couldn’t stop. On the Mangoose side of things, damn I look stupid after going on a huge rant about the week 1 Mangoose QB, Frederic Paquette-Perrault, just for him to end up being a sub for week 1. But that’s no slight on Nic Schaefer who’s tall, throws a sick ball and has similar athleticism to Paquette-Perrault. It was clear his favourite targets were Dominic Perron and Thomas Coutu, who was great in this game, with his 6 receptions for 101 yards and 2 TD’s. He would have had even more if he and Schaefer, had they connected on those tough 15-20 sideline out routes that were slightly overthrown, forcing Coutu to drop his feet dead on the sideline and outstretch his hands. Schaefer did spread the ball though, notably hitting Charles Fontaine beautifully on a wheel route for a 13-yard TD, showing that this team has a clearly established chemistry.

As for the game itself, a close 19-19 score at halftime showed that both teams could move the ball, and that it would likely come down to 1 possession where either defense stopping a drive would likely win the game. While there’s always several moments in the game you can look back on to see where you lost the game, there was a key decision that was made by Mangoose that was questionable. With the score 33-26 in favour of Les Centaures (up 7), and Mangoose just over half field with 1min 30 left in the game, Mangoose decided to punt on 4th and 10, to force Les Centaures at the 1, and decided to use their 2 timeouts and rely on their defense to get the ball back for one last offensive drive. Instead, the Baller himself, Armand Balla went 47 yards for a TD to put his team up 2 scores and essentially ice the game.

Hot Sauce Sports 18 – Bruins 21

The Bruins were coming off fresh from a victory in a close game against Trojans a mere minutes before their 2nd game of the night against Peeze and his Hot Sauce Sports crew. Both teams were able to drive down the field, but both drives ended in turnover-on-downs, and it hurt just a little more for HSS as they were in the redzone for their turnover on downs. As is usually the case, when you don’t capitalize in FPF, you tend to get burned on the next play, which was once again the case, as Francois Martin was able to hit Alexis Labonté for a 41-yard TD score.

The score at halftime was 6-0 with HSS starting with the ball. Unfortunately for them, their first play of the 2nd half was a 10-yard safety after a bad snap from first year snapper Mat Chadwick, putting the Bruins up 8-0. The HSS defense showed up for the next drive, forcing the Bruins to turn the ball over on downs after being unable to convert on 4th and 1. James Langshaw ended their offensive drive with a toe-tap 6-yard TD on the sideline. The Bruins were letting this game slip away, as Justin Blanchard picked off Francois Martin on the next drive, and Peeze found Will Power 20 yards on a post route for the touchdown to go up 12-8. Francois Martin had enough of the past 2 drives, and sent his best receiver Zach Zwirn down field and connected on a 40-bomb TD to regain the advantage, 14-12. Not to be outdone, Peeze finally used Justin Blanchard on a short crossing route, and I was stunned on the sideline. I have never seen such lateral speed to avoid being tackled in FPF; Blanchard was running faster sideways than many guys run straight!! Without a flag ever in doubt of being pulled, he took it to the house 40 yards. On all their 3 touchdowns, HSS went for 2 points, as they were trying to regain the points lost from the bad-snap safety, but went 0/3 on their 2-pt converts.

On the last drive of the game for the Bruins, Francois Martin, used his legs, all of things to get it done. First, on a 4th and 1 scenario, he used the double hut to get the rusher to jump and go back to his spot, to pick up 3 yards for the first down, and then after hitting Labonté for a big chunk (14 yards), Martin ran one in for 11 yards in what seemed like a slow-mo run from the sidelines.

With 4 plays remaining, down 21-18, Peeze had the chance to be the hero on the final drive, which started with 9 yards over 2 plays to snapper Matt Chadwick. The second-to-last play was a huge sack for the Bruins, as Benoit Millette got his 2nd sack of the game for a 7-yard loss. We all knew the final play would be a hail mary to the endzone, but what no one knew was that the ball would fall right into the hands of Will Power at the 3. Surprised himself to make the catch with his back to the endzone, he back peddled as a swarm of hands came to de-flag him. A couple of hands missed, but it was finally Zach Zwirn who stopped him short at the 1-yard line, securing his team their 2nd victory of the night.

Mean Girls 39– Trapstars 19

The first half of this game was an offensive shootout, with both quarterbacks connecting on their deep shots 4 times for TD’s on four of the first five drives of the game, the shortest being a 19-yard touchdown. The stars on each side were Tyler Stern for Trapstars (4/78/2 stat line, and a great addition to compliment Cooper Young on offense, who himself had a-less-than-average game than usual) and Giordano Marinello for Mean Girls (3/116/3 stat line).

The game was close by halftime with a score of 20-19 for Mean Girls, but with Mean Girls starting with the ball in the 2nd, Mean Girls quarterback Shaden Hetu-Frankel struck again with the deep ball; a 40-bomb TD to Marinello. The play that demoralized the Trapstars for the rest of the game was on their ensuing drive. On 4th and 12, Ryan Garber threw an interception that went back for a pick-6, but after throwing the interception, he was hit hard in the mid-section and a UR was called, nullifying the touchdown. Despite that, Mean Girls were credited with the interception turnover, and Hetu-Frankel went right back to work, hitting Marinello for a 36 yard touchdown on the very next play, which put a dagger into the Trapstars team. From there on, with Mean Girls up 2 scores, any time the Trapstars made a play to try to get back in the game, like when Stern picked off Hetu-Frankel, the Trapstars threw a pick themselves on the next play. Mean Girls pounded another score in, and it was game over, as the Mercy rule kicked in once the whistle blew for 5 plays.

GAME PREVIEWS

Sweat & Beers (0-2) vs. Terror Squad (0-2)

After putting up a great fight against Khansequence in week 2, Sweat & Beers will look to keep that team defence rolling against Terror Squad. They will need timely interceptions once again, like when Rob Robinson picked off Dan Lazzara in the redzone. Both squads desperately need the win if they want to be competing for cash in November, so the time for urgency is now. Not only will the S&B defense need to continue forcing turnovers, but their offense will have to maintain that balanced, spread attack. For Terror Squad to avoid going 0-3, I believe their best shot vs. S&B is with Tam at quarterback, especially if the cap allows Pat Chenard, Kevin Lubin and Nic Arsenault-Hum to be lined up at receiver. On defense, they will need Marc-Phillippe Roy to have another stellar game and pick off Rob Robinson at least once. If they can, at one point during the game, go up by 2 scores, I think that will be enough for Terror Squad to close out the game and score on enough future possessions to never allow Sweat & Beers back in the game.

Prediction: Terror Squad 28 – Sweat & Beers 19

Kiss my Endzone (2-0) vs. La Secte (0-2) – REMATCH

This week 3 matchup is already a rematch, when Kiss my Endzone played La Secte in the 2nd of their week 1 double-header. In that game, Alexi Dubois’ squad easily put up 41 points, but allowed La Secte to score 26 of their own points. I think the main reason those 26 points were put up were due to the 2nd of two games played that night. La Secte is a fun-enough team to watch for being mostly a new FPF team, since they like to shoot-the-shit and try some backyard trick plays, but when facing a team that has deep FPF talent and experience like Kiss my Endzone, there’s not much of a chance. Look for Jamil Springer and Jaylean Greaves to go off once again, with, and I’m calling it now, another 100+ yard, 3 touchdown performance for Greaves. Kiss my Endzone are just faster, have a greater knowledge of the game and timing that La Secte.

Prediction: Kiss my Endzone 39 – La Secte 7

• From the Scorekeeping Sidelines

What really caught my eye this week, was actually more of a reaction with my jaw (dropping) than anything to do with my eye. I can’t recall a night where my jaw dropped as I silently whispered “What the f***” to myself more than Wednesday night at College Notre-Dame. Whether it was Justin Blanchard’s blinding lateral and roadrunner-like speed on his 40-yard touchdown (to which he and Peeze said he was even faster 2-3 years ago), to Pardon My Swag turning field 1 into Moss City, with the likes of Jordan McInnis, Riley Pincombe, Kyle McGuigan and Myles Keiller absolutely postering defenders, to the Pilon brothers and their magical forward hip-thrust move to avoid being de-flagged (I had only heard about the move, and never seen it myself first hand), to, the now famous “Lights Out” moment between the two Braves team… You can even hear me saying “No f****** wayyy” in the background of Chris Rivet’s absolutely fantastic work on the Game of the Week video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPayzAvI5t4). It was just yet another amazing night of FPF raising eyebrows.

• Iggy Magneto’s Positive and Negative Take
  • Positive vibes: It might be dumb, but a positive note on teams and team captains about being more on the ball and precise with texting their roster in. I’d say we went from a 50% success rate with texting the roster in week 1 to an 80% rate in week 2. With a smoother transition in getting the roster in, this will allow teams to get the most out of Moe’s pilot of allowing teams to warm up on the middle field before a game.

• Negative impressions: I didn’t see what triggered it or why, but seeing AJ Gomes losing his s*** on field 3 in Laval last Monday didn’t look good from field 1. He needed to be held back by his teammates as he was trying to go after or give an earful to a few of his opponents on Sweat & Beers (what looked like Rob Robinson from far). While I am always impressed with his outstanding play and will write about it often, he looked like that drunk friend that would need to be held back after a night of drinking. His intentions may have been good (protecting a teammate, for example), but it’s not the image that FPF wants to be associated with. As such, they tagged him with the 1-game suspension and Khansequence will play without him in week 3.

WEEK 2 POWER RANKINGS

Note: Power Rankings are only slightly based on the team standings. Instead, they are more a reflection about what’s most important, that is, ranking teams based on who has the best chance at winning their respective Tier. Last week I didn’t write any comments, which is not the norm. Expect a few lines with some reasoning.

Tier 1 (Top 5)

1. KGP (2-0) (Last week: #4) KGP rise 3 spots to the top, as the surprise #1 team in Tier 1. Phil Cutler has been an absolute stud so far, and the chemistry is falling into place. If they can keep this up, they will give any team they face a run for their money.

2. Urgence Medic (2-0) (Last week: #3) Jesse Dupuis and the gang are a perfect 2-0 after beating Terror Squad in week 2, and have the best offensive output averaging 44.5 point a game. Anthony Lapointe is leading the attack with 154 yards and 4 TD’s.

3. Braves Verts (1-0) (Last week: #1) Maybe it was playing outdoors that threw Jo Maheu off his game just enough, but he and his Braves Verts team were trailing Braves Noir all game (and by 2 scores mostly). Still, he was mounting a comeback, pulling his team back in it… when the lights went out on the very last play of the game.

4. Khansequence (2-0) (Last week: #2) I’m not too worried about this team in the long run, but only putting up 13 points against Sweat & Beers and now AJ Gomes gone for one game, it’s definitely not their best week in FPF. They drop 2 spots to #4.

5. Braves Noirs (0-1) (Last week: #5) Staying put at #5, the Braves Noirs looked really good against their teammates (vs. Braves Verts), better than in week 1, using Will Trottier as a wild card option. For this week, since they didn’t officially get the win, they stay put and close off the Power Rankings for Tier 1.

Tier 2 (Top 7)

1. Half-A-Stars (2-0) (Last week: #1) Last week’s blowout victory against Warriors, which was suppose to be a closer game, solidified this team as a top 3 team in Tier 2 the rest of the way. Playing against Half-A-Stars will be a measuring stick for every team in the preliminary and qualification rounds to see if they can take them down later in the Bowl Brack playoffs.

2. Pardon My Swag (1-1) (Last week: #3) Pardon My Swag are on a bye-week until 4, and even though they are 1-1, they lost in week 1 by 1 point to an insane substitute Mangoose quarterback. As Moe mentioned in Calling The Audible, I just love the makeup of this team. I find they have very little weaknesses and possess speed, strength, awareness and most fun of all, moss-ability. PS. I won’t be leaving the CTA script open on my laptop for my girlfriend to see, as it wrote “Magneto and I (Moe) were talking about PMS”… now she thinks we talk about PMS on the sidelines.

3. Pepperoni Boyz (2-0) (Last week: #2) They did nothing wrong to move down a spot from last week, in fact, I feel like they beat a team much like themselves in week 2 when they faced off against the Texass Shorthorns. I just think that in a game against Pardon My Swag (and holy hell, what a game that would be) that PMS squeaks out on top by 1 or 2 points. Of course, now that I said that, Joe Kano will go all Cheatcode on me and prove me wrong.

4. Outlaws (1-1) (Last week: N/A) I can’t believe the Outlaws weren’t in the Power Rankings last week, but that said, I’m only doing a Top 7 for it to be more prestigious, and there will likely be teams moving in and out of the Top 7 as there are so many good teams in Tier 2. Outlaws got back in the win column in week 2 in a tight, and always-difficult matchup in Voodoo. Andrew Grant was the catalyst for Outlaws in week 2 with 2 TD’s and 4 PD’s on defense, 2 of which could have been interceptions. The team has depth and will likely go 3-1 by the end of the preliminary round.

5. EZW (2-0) (Last week: #7) Jeremy White, the legend, as Moe Khan refers to him, has already reached the double-digit mark in passing TD’s (10), and will beat your team by simply putting more points on the board than you can, no matter what the score is at halftime (losing to Tough Lungs 20-13 at the half). They move up 2 spots to #5 this week.

6. Les Centaures (1-1) (Last week: N/A ) I apologized already in my game recap after I tremendously underestimated this team. Les Centaures will be competitive in each game they play this year, but they absolutely need the win in week 3 vs. the Texass Shorthorns if they want a shot at playing in the Money Bracket. They get the #6 spot in Tier 2.

7. Mangoose (1-1) (Last week: #2) Yeah, yeah, I rated them very highly after just 1 week because of that stud quarterback. But like I said in my game review above, Nic Schaefer is nothing to laugh at. Blink and there will be 5 guys behind you all capable of making that 40 bomb TD catch. Mangoose close out the Tier 2 Power Rankings.

Tier 3 (Top 7)

1. Mean Girls (2-0) (Last week: N/A): Mean Girls climb from outside of the Top 7 into the #1 spot in this weeks Power Rankings. I saw Mean Girls for the first time this week and they’ve found a perfect QB in Shaden Hetu-Frankel for their offense. They play a fast-paced offensive game that forces you to go score-for-score with them. Fail to score against them, and you can quickly find yourself down 2 scores. The addition of Angelo Mourelatos strengthened their defence as well, coming up with some big PD’s against the Trapstars, and overall adds some much needed FPF experience to the lineup. Currently sitting at 2-0, until they lose a game, they are staying in the Top 7 Power Rankings no doubt. Buyer Beware: The team is emotional, which can work both for and against them.

2. Le Speakeasy (2-0) (Last week: N/A): Another team that I misjudged in preseason. Matheiu Ouimet was a great free agency addition to jump into their vacant QB position. They faced off and beat a tough South Side Speedsters squad by 2 points after beating the Trapstars by 1 point on a redzone interception. That’s two playoff-like games where they come away on top, which bodes well for them come October.

3. Lockdown (2-0) (Last week: #1) Through no fault of their own, they drop 2 spots simply because I would have wanted to see the team chemistry build in their week 2 matchup against Zone 6 Ballers. It would have tested their ability to defend the run, but unfortunately the game resulted in a 60-0 forfeit win. The reps and timing other teams got to work on are the main reason those teams raised in the rankings, causing Lockdown to drop. They are still, however, worthy of a Top 7 Power Ranking.

4. Honey Martin (2-0) (Last week: #2): Honey Martin have yet to be truly tested. Sure they’ve only allowed 6 points against, which is great no matter who your opponent is, but to be honest about my own teams offense, I would have liked to have seen the gas pedal be pushed to the max, and see 30+ points on the board. We have had one less possession each game though, as both the games were waved as soon as the last 5 plays were called (Mercy rule was applied). HM’s first test comes in week 3 against the Rainmakers where the Kastner brothers face off against the Bellini brothers. (Disclaimer: If it wasn’t clear, I play on this team, and will try and give an unbiased opinion when talking about Honey Martin).

5. Goblin Gang (2-0) (Last week: N/A): Anthony Drysdale has seemed to find his stride in his second game as quarterback, putting up a whopping 44 points on the Rainmakers in week 2. It helps, of course, when you have Ben McMahon running routes out there, but kudos for getting the ball in his hands, as all 3 of his receptions found the endzone.

6. TuneSquad (2-0) (Last week: #4): TuneSquad are a perfect 2-0 after 2 games, but get their first true test in the Men’s division, when they face off against the also 2-0 Mean Girls. Mean girls are coming off an offensive blitz against Trapstars, a team similar to TuneSquad in terms of coming out of FPF Jr. Trapstars were able to keep up with Mean Girls for the first half, but were dominated in the 2nd half, as Mean Girls bullied them physically and punched in TD after TD. I can see a similar fate for TuneSquad in week 3, where they stay in the game for the first few drives, but eventually Mean Girls will pull away.

7. Triple P (2-0) (Last week: #6) Marc Farley had a much, much better game in week 2. If he can continue to find both Andel Thomas-Gordon and Kevin Donnet like he did this past week, watch out for Triple P’s to be a dark horse to go far in Tier 3.

Co-Ed (Top 3)

1. Kiss My Endzone (2-0) (Last week: #1): They had a bye week in week 2 and they still remain atop the Power Rankings. I didn’t see anything from the other Co-Ed teams that would be enough to go toe-to-toe with Josh Vazquez, Jaylean Greaves, Erica Dubois and Jamil Springer on offense, and those same names plus Alexi Dubois on defence.

2. Fightin’ Tigers (2-0) (Last week: #2): If, and only if the Fightin’ Tigers manage to beat KMEZ 108-0 will I move them up into the #1 spot. But before that, let’s see how they manage their week 3 tilt against Les Semi-Croquants. I’m picking Fightin’ Tigers in week 3, but KMEZ is the #1 team until they lose.

3. Les Semi-Croquants (1-1) (Last week: #3): Les Semi-Croq get their first win in FPF as a franchise, however, they did lose Alexis Labonté, now playing with the Bruins. Despite the personnel loss, they managed to put up 31 points on Yin & Yang in their week 2 win, and could be a dark horse team to make a surprise in the playoffs. The qualification round will be a warm and time to build chemistry, but could do some damage come playoff time.

WEEK 3 GAME PICKS

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

Hope you enjoyed the read and goodluck in week 3!

Remember to catch Alexi Dubois’ bilingual article as he takes you through the Fall Cup from his perspective!