Heading into Week 4 – I’m a Seer, I give my Power Rankings and the Undefeated Teams!

Welcome back to the greatest recreational sports league in Montreal: FLAGPLUS FOOTBALL! A lot of stuff happened this week, and I was able to get a first hand look at a bit of the BALLS AND DOLLS vs LE ROI DES CARTES matchup! Although it was a bit of a blow out (27-18), I was still pretty impressed with BALLS AND DOLLS intensity, and got to see a big INT from Elio Cariglia (I think?)! Either way, it was fun to see some of the competition come out to play, and I look forward to playing against most of you this season! That being said, I’ll stop complimenting the opposition and get into some totally non-biased, equally fair, and accurate reviews/info of our Co-Ed 2 Division! Continue at your own peril:

“WHAT’S THE 411 ‘HUN”:

MEAN MACHINES came out big against KISS MY SHERIFF!! I had taken the SHERIFFs to win against the MACHINES, but it looks like Xavier Parent and friends had other things in mind! Christophe Desroches took the spot at QB once again this game, against Frank Kaye and his deputies, and was able to not only outscore the SHERIFFs, but also had a pretty good defensive game with 3x PDs! I have been seeing a lot of QB’s playing both ways in Co-Ed 2 this year, which is always fun! It gives everybody a chance to show off their athleticism instead of just sitting in the pocket all game. Xavier Parent gets my vote for player of the game: coming down with no dropped balls and a TD, as well as a PICK-6 on defence, however, I love seeing that Marilou Grenon is keeping up with him! She currently sits as the #2 target on offence, going 6/6, 91 Yards and 2 TDs! A fantastic showing! Emmanuelle Desroches and Élodie Martel are next in line with 8 targets and 7 targets respectively, showing that you cannot underestimate any players on this team! MEAN MACHINES have now scored almost the same points in 3 games, that AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN have scored in 4!

WELL! LES RANCEURS were almost able to give TONIX their first loss, but alas, the game ended 13-19 in favour of TONIX. I think LES RANCEURS still deserve a round of applause, as they have been the first team to be able to keep TONIX to under 20pts in a game. Both TONIX QBs – David Michaud and Mederic Lauzon – threw an INT to Ali Issa in his premier game for this team, which helped, but wasn’t enough to stop TONIX. What continues to baffle me however, is the sheer amount of people who receive a pass on this TONIX team: There are only 5 receivers on the field at any given time, yet, TONIX were able to give 8 different players at least 1x pass each, with the majority getting 2 or more! Despite Giovani Antonacci running for 54 yards, his 3 INTs were the game deciding factor in this matchup. With no other sacks or PDs for LES RANCEURS, it might be time to hit up the drawing board and see how they can adjust to make more plays on the defensive side of the ball. LES RANCEURS will get that chance this week since they have a bye week, while TONIX will look to continue their winning streak against BALLHARD UNIVERSITY!

Heading into week 4, there are still 5 teams that have not suffered the bitter taste of defeat: TONIX (3 games), NO PUNT INTENDED (3 games), LES GRANDS CHUMS (2 games), MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS (2 games), and KAMIKAZE (2 games). NO PUNT INTENDED and LES GRANDS CHUMS play each other in week 5. LES GRANDS CHUMS play MST and KAMIKAZE in the middle of the season. MICHAEL SCOTT’s TOTS play against KAMIKAZE in the last game of the season. What does this mean? Why are you telling us this useless info Zack? Essentially, it means that each team will have multiple opportunities to face defeat against the other teams in the running for being undefeated, while TONIX is the only team that plays none of them! This isn’t to say that they are guaranteed to never lose. As we saw against LES RANCEURS, there are some cracks in this team that can be exploited, but it does mean that I don’t expect more than 1-2 undefeated teams by the end of the season! We shall see who is left in the running after this week’s games and as we move towards the halfway mark of the season!

I don’t know how they do it, whether it’s planned, circumstance, or just the strategy they choose to run, but all of WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOATS’ games have been decided by 1pt! Their first game they won 35-34, in their 2nd game they lost 13-12, and just this past Thursday they just barely lost 19-18 against AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN! Technically, that game is a Week 4 game, but honestly, the pattern is just too crazy not to mention/cover it here! I talked last week about how impressed I was by this teams’ roster, but that I still thought they would struggle against NO PUNT INTENDED. It turns out, both teams struggled to put up points and heavily relied on their QBs legs and defence to keep them in the game. Both Alexandre and Sanders were only able to throw 1 TD and gain 1 rushing TD! Sanders may have run more successfully, but he also was the only one to throw an INT. Both Geraldine Cabillo-Abante (NPI) and Jenna Araujo (WGCTB) got a sack each, but it was the WGCTB defence that came away with the most PDs. Overall, this was game was even closer than I expected it to be, really highlighting just how good both teams are, while making a statement to the other teams in the division: Just because WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOATS aren’t in the top 5, doesn’t mean they aren’t a Top 5 calibre team! I like to repeat myself constantly, so I’ll do it one more time here: EXTRA POINTS MATTER! No one is learning that lesson more than WGCTB this season, but everyone should be taking it to heart. TDs are nice and pretty, but if you can go score for score against your opponent, the thing that will set you apart are the extra points! I’ll break down WGCTB’s game against AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN in my next article, but at least they get a rest until Oct. 7th and can take the time to come up with some extra point plays. GOOD LUCK GANG!

HOT WINGS have been having a rough go of things so far this season. They find themselves in the elimination zone early, but are 1 of 5 teams that have yet to get a win! This is good news! It means that clawing their way out of the red might not be as hard as it appears. A 1st week loss against TIGHT ENDS is forgivable because, let’s be honest: I never count the 1st week as anything other than a practice game. Their 2nd week loss came due to 1 too many INTs and being unable to stop Dominique Romeus and the rest of BALLHARD UNIVERSITY running the field. But now, with their 3rd loss coming against SHOW ME YOUR TDZ, I’m beginning to worry juuust a little bit. It looks like their defence is able to put at least some pressure against their opponents, but i’ve noticed a troubling trend that QBs are able to run as they please against these HOT WINGS: Game 1 – They allowed 86 Rushing yards, Game 2 – They allowed only 42 Rushing yards, but also a rushing TD, and in Game 3 – They allowed 108 Rushing yards and 2 TDs. These HOT WINGS are new to the fryer, so I’m definitely going to cut them some slack, but a word of advice: Rushing is a KEY position that needs to be settled early on. I’m slowly seeing that in Co-Ed 2, A LOT of QBs will run when there is good defensive coverage OR if they feel they can get a quick first down. Your rusher will need to be able to read the QB, break down, and take away the run – NOT necessarily going for the sack! Don’t be afraid to switch up that position as needed (if needed), but most importantly, be understanding when a mistake happens. The worst thing for a Rushers headspace is if they don’t believe their team supports them! If you ladies and gents want any tips on rushing, please feel free to reach out to me! I love rushing with a passion and absolutely love teaching other players the Ins-and-Outs! HOT WINGS have a tough game coming up against NO PUNT INTENDED (another strong QB who can run if needed), but hopefully will have a better time against LA SECTE the week after!

I figure it’s about time I lay down some of my thoughts on this division’s Power Rankings! We are quickly heading into Week 4, and by next week most teams will have played their 3-4 games. I’ll try to revisit every few weeks to see how it plays out, but I usually try to do a Mid-Season Review after Week 5! Here is who I think are our Top 8 teams, regardless of their current rankings:

1) TONIX

2) NO PUNT INTENDED

3) MEAN MACHINES

4) AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN

5) MICHAEL SCOTTS TOTS

6) CHEF BANDITS

7) KAMIKAZE

8) WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOATS

This is all personal opinions and feels, and I love being proven wrong, but this is who I choose for our Power Teams heading into the Mid-Season! Let’s begin the fight for the #1 spot!

GAME SPOTLIGHT:

HOT WINGS vs BALLHARD UNIVERSITY –

What a weekend! Both of these teams went into the weekend looking for their first win and also both had games on Thursday and then again on Sunday. One of these teams would be able to head into the weekend with a win under their belt, while the other would keep on searching…. In the end, BALLHARD UNIVERSITY decided to take the WINGS to school…

The game started with HOT WINGS having possession but being unable to score, though, they would quickly get a second go at it after an INT by Laurent Boileau! Unable to score again, it was BALLHARD UNIVERSITY who was able to put up the first TD of the night, with a big TD pass to Tiffany Cipollone – her first of the season! HOT WINGS struggled to score again, becoming more like SWEET AND MILD WINGS, but were helped by a Safety to close out the half! The score being close (7-2) going into the half, it was still anyone’s game.

With BALLHARD UNIVERSITY starting the 2nd half with the ball, they were looking to score quick and put the pressure on, but unfortunately were intercepted again, this time by William Denis! Finally, with confidence, they were able to drive the field, get a much needed 1st down, and punch it in to Louis Moisan for a TD! The score now being 8-7, HOT WINGS, back on top, decided to go for a 2pt conversion, but were unsuccessful. Looking to even things up and show the WINGS how to fly, Dominique launched up a 40 yard-bomb to Michael Namdary, who was able to bring it in for their 2nd TD! With time beginning to run out, and being down 13-8, William began using more of his legs to gain some yards and was able to move the ball, until an INT brought it crashing down! Jeffrey Alfieri came up big for BALLHARD, not only taking away HOT WINGS’ chance to score, but also giving his team the momentum needed to score another TD. Dominique decided to run it in, allowing his team to pull away to a 19-8 lead.

However, having missed the 2pt conversion, this game was not over yet! HOT WINGS could still score and still had an Onside Kick in their pocket if they could just get their much needed TD! They pushed the field, and despite a strong defensive effort from our UNIVERSITY gang, HOT WINGS connected with Marc-Antoine Boileau for the TD they were looking for! All that was left was to convert the Onside Kick and maintain possession of the ball. Unfortunately, their attempt was intercepted by Cindy Canuel!!! Which, ultimately, put the game away in BALLHARD’s favor!

A great match and an awesome attempt at a comeback leads me to believe that HOT WINGS have it in them to get at least 1-2 wins this season. But looking at their remaining schedule of: NO PUNT INTENDED, MEAN MACHINES, KAMIKAZE, and KISS MY SHERIFF… it won’t be easy! Great job to both teams for a great defensive effort!

ZACK’S FANTASY TEAM OF THE WEEK (WEEK 3):

QB (1): Pranav Sharma (TIGHT ENDS) – 21 Attempts / 8 Completions (38.09%), 136 Yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 1 Sack // 2 Rushing Attempts, 25 Rushing Yards

QB (2): Mariève Girard (CHEFS BANDITS) – 19 Attempts / 14 Completions (73.68%), 164 Yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 Sacks

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WR (1): Natan Nettel (TIGHT ENDS) – 6 Targets / 4 Receptions (66.67%), 110 Yards, 3 TDs

WR (2): Mack Dessources (BALLHARD UNIVERSITY) – 6 Targets / 6 Receptions (100%), 71 Yards, 2 TDs

WR (3): Cindy Hardy (LES GRANDS CHUMS) – 4 Targets / 4 Receptions (100%), 65 Yards, 2 TDs

WR (4): Clement Billard (WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOATS) – 9 Targets / 7 Receptions (77.78%), 116 Yards, 1 TD

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DB (1): **Xavier Parent** (MEAN MACHINES) – 2 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD

DB (2): David Michaud (TONIX) – 3 Tackles, 2 INTs, 3 PDs

DB (3): Louis Brassard (LES GRANDS CHUMS) – 1 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD

DB (4): Cindy Canuel (BALLHARD UNIVERSITY) – 5 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

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RUSHER (1): Darryl Dorcely (AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN) – 0 Tackles, 3 Sacks

RUSHER (2): Eva Tzanetakos (TIGHT ENDS) – 3 Tackles, 2 Sacks

GAMES OF THE WEEK:

Can I just say that I did soooo much better on last week’s predictions! Almost had a perfect score, but KISS MY SHERIFFs had to go and lose! (Why you gotta do me like that?) I’m starting to get a hang of the calibre of each team and am hoping I can keep my prediction streak going, though I’m always ready for an upset! Let’s see how well I do this week now that most teams seem to have gotten their flow!

AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN vs WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOATS

KISS MY SHERIFF vs BALLS AND DOLLS

MEAN MACHINES vs BULLS

CHEFS BANDITS vs LA SECTE (UPSET SPECIAL)

TONIX vs BALLHARD UNIVERSITY

NO PUNT INTENDED vs HOT WINGS

CHEFS BANDITS vs MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS (I WON’T VOTE FOR MY OWN GAMES)

LE ROI DES CARTES vs SHOW ME YOUR TDZ

BULLS vs KAMIKAZE

Prediction Record: 13-5

Week 3 is in the books! 30% of the season is already behind us as we look towards Week 4. The TOTS and I had a bye week so are itching to get back into the action! Next week, I’ll give my power rankings before diving into who I think are at risk of being eliminated! If there are upcoming milestones you want me to cover, don’t be a stranger, let me know! If you want to see more accurate info about your teams, your players, your rivalries/history – send them to me (It helps when I know about you)! Also, check out the new episode of Calling the Audible – the official FPF podcast – available on Youtube and …. Probably somewhere else too. And always keep a look out at FPF’s Official Instagram page for updates and exclusive content!