Los Guapos end the streak; Struggling Teams Impress‏

Welcome to Week 7 everybody. The first half of the season is over with, and we now get ready for the second half and more importantly the playoff chase. 

I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from my Mid-Season Awards article last week.  I am glad that so many of you enjoyed it. A few things stood out to me not just from the aforementioned article, but from Week 6 in general. 

First off, despite their record, there weren’t that many Bloodmachines players nominated for awards. While some people might think I ignored them, I can honestly say that wasn’t the case. The reason why they were left off is simply because they operate as a team. While they have player-makers like Patrice Lindor, Cesar Martinez, Nicolas Blais, and Yannick Doston to name a few, nobody is bigger than the team. That attitude is a major part of the reason as to why they are so successful.  

In case you were wondering, no I didn’t forget about the fact that they were just handed their first defeat of the season in a 33-30 loss to Los Guapos. Shout-out to yours truly for predicting the upset.  

This was a highly entertaining game that saw a really good battle between two talented QBs in the aforementioned Nicolas Blais and Terrence Dobson. Both pivots came to play, and marched down the field with was as they went TD to TD drive after drive. For those of you that know, it was similar to watching a Div A game where both offenses are extremely sharp, and the smallest mistake can and most likely will cost you the game. For the Bloodmachines, it that mistake was their inability to get converts.  Los Guapos were simply able to get more, and that along with the pressure provided by LG rusher Samer Balaghi who picked up two sacks, was the difference in the game. 

The big question now is whether the Bloodmachines will be able to rebound when they take on the up and down Royalty this coming Tuesday night. 

It seems like all of the teams The QB change that #Baton made from (Little Jamarcus Russell) Max Kevin Jocelyn to Loic Savoiz-Seguin and Jason Dupuis has really worked out for the team. Not only have they picked up a point in their stunning 24-24 tie of Been There Done That, the #Baton Offense has now looked functional and even threatening. This will bode well for the rest of the season. 

The Looney Goons finally got off the schneid and captured their all-important first win of the season as they knocked off the Tigers 30-14. I mentioned last week that they were the best winless team, and they proved me right as they came out and scored the upset over Rahul Mohan’s team.  

LG also went with a different option at QB as they rolled with Matt Bytalan instead of Brian Zenobi. Just like #Baton the moved worked for the Looney Goons as well. While he only completed 8 passes, the rookie did throw 4 TDs and along with a defense that was picked off Mohan 3 times, was a major factor that led to the team’s first W. 

High 5 

Los Guapos – Once again they knocked off the previously undefeated Bloodmachines. In doing so, they took a page out their opponent’s book as they used a team effort to get the win. Four WRs caught TD passes as pivot Terrence Dobson really spread the ball around. Their D was active too, as all 6 members recorded tackles. 

Up next is a game against JeanGuy, you have to like Los Guapos’ chances at extending their win streak to two in a row. 

Looney Goons – In the words of the late great Dusty Rhodes, the Looney Goons made it to the pay window. They have been playing better and better over the last few weeks, and they deserved to catch a break. Their win over the Tigers is sure to energize the team, and serve as momentum when they take on The Fat and the Furious tomorrow afternoon. 

#Baton – While they didn’t make it to the pay window as well, they did get a hard-earned point curtesy of their tie with Been There Done That. As I previously mentioned, their Offense has looked good last two weeks, let’s see if they can keep that up this Tuesday when they take on the Big Blue Wrecking Crew.  

Jonah Cohen – My choice for Mid-Season Quarterback had another great game this past week in his team’s 40-32 win over Mile Public House. Cohen had a brutally efficient night as he went 10-12 for 130 yards and 5 TDs. While his 83.3% completion percentage was nice, his 151.4 QB rating was fantastic. That just goes to show that you don’t always need gaudy passing numbers to get the win. 

The Rossie Bros – Both Jason and Jordan Rossie put out on big performances to help their team the Smokin’ Axolotls get a hard fought 32-30 win over the Fuzzy-Kittens. Jason the team’s pivot threw for 173 yards and 5 TDs on 17 of 22 passing, and also added 40 yards on 3 carries. His brother Jordan caught two of those TDS, and added a season high 10 catches for 104 yards. We’ll see if the brothers can build off of their impressive performance when they take on the Tigers Tuesday night. 

Step It Up 

Tigers – There’s no doubt that this team has talent. Look no further than their Week 3 win over the Redmen. Despite that talent, they occasionally play down to their competition or in some cases overlook them, which seemed to be the case in their game against the Looney Goons. Their game this Tuesday versus the improving Smokin’ Axolotls will go a long way in determining where they will be come playoff time. 

Redmen Offense – I am a former Defensive Tackle. As a defender, I always loved a good low-scoring defensive game, and that’s what we had last Sunday in the game between the Falcons and Redmen. The Redmen held a 6-0 half-time lead and went on to lose the game 12-6. With Offensive playmakers like Zach Zwirn, Angelo Marotta, and my pick for Mid-Season Two-Way Player John Papadimitriou, one would assume that the Redmen would be able to score more than 1 TD in a half, let alone a game. While the Falcons Offense wasn’t much better, they did enough to get the victory. 

Jordan Bellemare – When you average 10 yards a pass especially in FPF, chances are you’re doing alright as a QB. When you put up that many yards per pass and you only have 3 completions, those completed passes don’t really mean much. Bellemare did just that Sunday night against no name@ as he went 3 of 12 for 32 yards 1 TD and 1 INT. While the touchdown was nice, it wasn’t enough as his team One Man Show fell 22-13. Bellemare will have to bounce back this tomorrow as his team takes on the Redmen assuming their Offense shows up. 

Elite 8 

As promised, here it is ladies and gentlemen: 

Bloodmachines – Despite their first loss, they still remain the class of Division E. Will the loss motivate them, and is there a chink in the armour? 

No name@ – The team with the best Defense in Div. E, has an offense that has been getting better week in and week out. They have a big test coming up in the form of a first place showdown for Conference A with TDs and Beer tomorrow night. The no name@ Defense will have their hands full with their opponents explosive Offense. 

Flight of the Conchords – FOTC will attempt to make it 5 games in a row when they take on Mile Public House Tuesday night. Their Offense which has average nearly 30 points a game in their last 4 contests, has been outshined by their Defense which has given up an average of less than 10 points over the same span. 

Los Guapos – Yes they have two losses, one in a tight game against FOTC, and the other in forfeit to TDs and Beer, but they not only knocked off the Bloodmachines, and they also have an impressive win over the Smash Bros. 

TDs and Beer – Their sole loss was to the Falcons in Week 4. Their Offense has been lights out for the majority of the season. It was on display last Sunday in their dominant win (the score wasn’t indicative of the entire match) against The Fat and the Furious. Their aforementioned game this week against no name will be huge, and can even see them shoot up as high as 1st place in the Elite 8.  

Smash Bros – Speaking of the Smash Bros, the team with the best Offense has two losses as well. The reason they are where they are on the list is because of who they lost to (Los Guapos) and (FOTC). Their upcoming game against Been There Done That will have a huge impact on their ranking next week. 

Been There Done That – Up until last week, I had these guys in my top 3. That’s the nature of this section however, as a loss or in this case an unexpected tie against a lesser opponent can see you drop. We’ll see if Been There Done That can get back on track Monday night in a highly anticipated match-up against the Smash Bros. 

Falcons – This one came down to the Falcons and Redmen. The Falcons got the win in last week’s game between both squads so they’re in (Great timing on the Elite 8 debut lol) The Falcons will have to knock off the Fuzzy-Kittens to keep this spot. Good luck. 

Picks 

Looney Goons vs The Fat and the Furious – Look for the improving Looney Goons to make it two in a row especially if Matt Bytalan lines up behind center. 

Falcons vs Fuzzy-Kittens – The Falcons WR combo of Jonathan Garfinkle and Daniel Chan will be just too much for the Fuzzy-Kittens to stop. 

no name© vs TDs and Beer As mentioned above no name@ has a great D, I just don’t think it’ll be enough to shut down my choice for Mid-Season WR (Category #2) in Isiah Allard. 

One Man Show vs Redmen – Going back to the Winter Season, One Man Show QB Jordan Bellemare usually follows up a bad performance with a strong one. I expect him to do the same again this week.  

Los Guapos vs JeanGuy – Los Guapos will make it two in a row as they are still riding the high of their statement win over the Bloodmachines. 

Smash Bros vs Been There Done That – While I expect Been There Done That to play better and be more focused, I think Smash Bros will still come out on top as BTDT will have no answer for SB QB Jonah Cohen.  

Flight of the Conchords vs Mile Public House -While Mile Public House had a great showing in their last game; FOTC is just too good of team to fall in this one. 

#Baton vs Big Blue Wrecking Crew -The good times will continue for #Baton if Jason Dupuis can pick up where he left off. 

Royalty vs Bloodmachines – The Bloodmachines are pissed off and they will take it out on Royalty. 

Smokin’ Axolotls vs Tigers – The Smokin’ Axolotls will make it 4 in a row as they take on a Tigers team that appears to be falling apart. 

Last Week: 6-3-1 

Season: 35-13-2 

That’s it for this week. Once again, I’m glad you guys enjoyed the Mid-Season Awards article. It was fun. See you guys next week! 

I’ve been checking my e-mail and twitter account regularly for feedback and suggestions from you guys. Thanks for everything so far and please keep it coming. 

If you loved the article, hated it, or just felt like I left something out, don’t be shy. You can shoot me a tweet on twitter at @BADNEWS51, or do it the semi-old fashioned way and e-mail me at [email protected]