Mapril Madness at FPF: First look at the Division 5A playoff matchups.

 

I guess there is no better way to present the article this week than to give the fans an inside look into the craziness that was Thursday afternoon.

I’m all about giving people what they want.

To begin, I want to state for the record that last week was very much in the past. We, the Mavericks, had a hard fought game against the Rednecks and I had gotten over the fact that we lost. Knowing that we were eliminated, Dave Beltrami and I both helped out friends by playing on other Division 5 teams to prevent them from forfeiting, as many people often suggest on the facebook group. Let it be known that neither of us would have played if it meant us qualifying for the playoffs.

The week went on and I started to check out the different matchups and review the past weekend’s scores, as usual. On Thursday, it was time to dissect the matchup between Half-A-Stars and the Rednecks. One thing that really stood out for me was the fact that the Rednecks rusher was almost 7 feet tall and caused me a lot of problems. Being pretty tall myself, for him to tower over me left an impression. That’s where the story begins.

I checked the Rednecks team roster and clicked on most of their guys, trying to figure out which player he was. Couldn’t find him. I then checked their game roster against us, still could not find him. I also did not see anybody on the list who was not on their team page. Strange, I thought, and this is when I started to become suspicious. I reached out to a few colleagues in the league to see if anybody knew who this tall and talented rusher was, and did not really get anywhere. That’s when I decided to check the Rednecks roster from Winter 2017. Bingo, he stood out like crazy in their team pic. Having played with a member of the Rednecks team last year on another team, I reached out and asked for his name. Sure enough, he was not included on their team roster, nor on the game roster against the Mavericks. I checked his defensive rating as they we’re only 1.8 points below the cap and sure enough, his rating would have caused the Rednecks to exceed the cap.

What’s a guy to do at that point? It was completely random, but I had an obligation to my teammates most of all as we were beaten by an illegal roster to crush our playoff hopes. I knew that it would probably cause some commotion but I did not see another alternative. Ultimately, it was simple. I called Rob, explained my thoughts and findings and let him investigate. The rest is as they say, history.

I want to make it clear that I am not accusing the Rednecks of purposely cheating or knowingly doing anything wrong. Mistakes happen all the time, but at the end of the day, the rules are in place to ensure a level playing ground and it would have not been fair for a team to go home due to them being broken. I shouldn’t necessarily apologize, but I’ll throw out a word I use at work:

“I regret any inconveniences that the recent events may have caused.”

Oh, and that is why I am no longer going to New York this weekend. Bring on the Smokin’ As.

 

Conference A

 

1. Greendale Human Beings vs. 8. Warriors

Previous matchup: 32-19 for Greendale Human Beings

Top seed against the 8th seed is often a David vs. Goliath kind of matchup and this one isn’t so different. The exception is probably a March Madness bracket, but in FPF, when teams are created differently each season and there is far less recruiting, you often get unmatched sides. The biggest difference between that comparison and this game is that both teams have two all-star caliber players on each side. The game will come down to quarterback play and defense. I think it will be game over for the Warriors if they start to turn the ball over and Greendale Human Beings have proved they can do that with 19 interceptions in 10 games this season and 3 in their game earlier this season. That game did not feature Stefano Solimene, so the question becomes, can he have an impact to flip the script this time around?

Keys to success:

Greendale Human Beings

No secret really, feed the ball early and often to Brandon Aylward and Alex Joltopuf. As good as Januson Vas and Pat Lindor can be for the Warriors, I think the edge goes to the Greendale guys. If Greendale can mix in the rest of the squad offensively as needed and take their shots with their primary weapons, I don’t see them being slowed down too much. Danny Aylward will need to figure out what defense the Warriors bring early and he will need to choose plays that take advantage and not play into what the Warriors want to do.

Warriors

For the Warriors, they will need to mix it up defensively and not sit in a 3 deep set most of the time. Greendale does like to go deep, but they give up way too many easy short and intermediate throws if they do not play more aggressively. They will need to jump routes and not let Greendale have too many long drives because they should score on most. Force mistakes as much as possible on defense and try to get Danny Aylward to throw to his 3rd or even 4th read and give the rusher time to get there. Michael Solimene will also have to be disciplined and not force anything on offense.

Prediction: 26-15 Greendale Human Beings

 

2. Smokin Axolotls vs. 7. Mavericks

Previous matchup: 51-6 Smokin Axolotls

At the risk of being cocky, I will keep my comments strictly to stating facts. I did not play the first time around. The score was inflated due to 5 turnovers by the Mavericks. The Mavericks record while I am playing quarterback is 5-1 (forfeit included). I am not saying that I can beat the Smokin’ Axolotls on my own, nor am I predicting a victory or anything close, I am simply cautioning the Smokin Axolotls to not take us lightly. We have a few playmakers on our side as well and I strongly believe it will be a close game. After all, we lost by a score to an illegal roster and I highly doubt that Smokin Axolotls will be over the cap on Saturday night. See how easy it is to manipulate statistics?

Keys to success:

Smokin Axolotls

As I mentioned, Jordan Rossie has multiple weapons, not just Rory Semerjian. Chris Brockwell, Mike Collard and Jason Rossie are all capable receivers who can be a key to victory in this one. I actually have a feeling that it will come down to one of those three to make a big play when the game is on the line. While it hasn’t happened much this season, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jordan Rossie use his legs a few more times than he is used to in order to gain big first downs. The Axolotls as a unit will have to avoid beating themselves and not try anything that didn’t bring them success during the regular season. They have more experience and chemistry as a unit and if they avoid making mistakes, they will be tough to beat.

Mavericks

It can be difficult to critique my own squad but I shall do my best. We can most probably be compared to the movie The Replacements for a few reasons. I don’t think everybody knew everybody before the season started. At the start of the season, I didn’t even have plans to play with them a la Shane Falco. Jaylan is our Clifford Franklin with better hands. I’d consider Nim to be our Brian Murphy who will be playing with one hand but we will need him to come up big. Beltrami is easily Jon Favreau, the core of our defense. Anyways, I could go on, but ultimately for us to be successful we need to limit the mistakes on offense and tackle much better than we have recently on defense. On paper, we may not match up, but if we take timely risks and protect the ball, anything can happen.

Prediction: 31-26 Mavericks

 

3. Hot Boys Hotline vs. 6. Mud Dogs

Previous matchup: N/A

I think this matchup favors the Mud Dogs as their tough physical defense may pose a problem for Hot Boys Hotline. Mud Dogs have been gaining steam as the season has gone on and are a much better team today than they were to start the season. I worry what will happen with the Boys if Valmé is shut down or if their offense stalls early in the game. The one area that could help Hot Boys Hotline would be if the Mud Dogs offense has trouble getting going out of the gate as well. Tom Gatehouse will have to be methodical and not rely on the big play in this one. Chernyak and Olivier Laberge will be the X-Factors in this one.

Keys to success:

Hot Boys Hotline

I’m worried about how this team can beat themselves a little bit and let a bad call or a slow start affect their mindset during games. If a bad call happens, they will need to learn to move on quickly in the playoffs if they want to have success. Their best players also needs to step up. Edwouard Valmé will need to have a huge game, as well as Chernyak on both sides of the ball. I think that Mud Dogs will try to shut Valmé down so if they want to win this game, I expect their support players to actually put up bigger numbers. Can Valmé be comfortable acting as the distraction so that his team can succeed? We shall see.

Mud Dogs

The key for the Mud Dogs is right there in the name. They need to keep it down and dirty, nothing sexy or flashy, to win games. Especially against Hot Boys Hotline. They have the group of guys that can control the game defensively, they just really need Marc-Antoine Jetté to step up and limit the turnovers. He threw 16 on the season and 2 in their first meeting, combined with a sub 50% completion percentage and he simply needs to be better. Laberge is obviously the X-Factor here and while he should dominate the game defensively, other members of the squad will have to step up on the offensive side as the Hot Boys will surely try to lock him up.

Prediction: 20-19 Mud Dogs

 

4. Half A-Stars vs. 5. 10 Guys, One Cup

Previous matchup: 32-26 10 Guys, One Cup

This is probably the most interesting matchup in Conference A, in my opinion. Their first meeting was favorable for 10 Guys, but the script can easily be flipped. Andrew Langburt takes his quarterbacking very seriously and he will have done his research in this one. I think that he has performed better than most have expected in his first season as a QB and the simple fact that they have played these guys already will be a huge advantage for the Half-A-Stars QB. I very much expect this game to be between two FPF vets in Langburt and Lazarra and I actually believe that the Stars have one or two playmakers. I’m all about learning from prior mistakes.

Keys to success:

Half-A-Stars

Andrew Langburt. Simple. To elaborate, he will have to limit the turnovers and let his playmakers do most of the work. He will be putting a lot of pressure on himself in this one and that can’t translate into trying to do too much on all his own if he expects to win. Last time these guys met, he threw 3 interceptions and yet still only lost by a score. I think he can easily learn from that and that he also should know by now to keep the ball away from Daniel Lazarra. They will need to force the defense to adjust to what they want to do and not the other way around. Half-A-Stars play a relatively simple style of play and expect to break a few long toss and runs on offence and force turnovers on defense to win and they have the tools in Rashkovan and Fuchs to do just that. I would love to see Langburt take a few shots deep to at least keep the 10 Guys defense honest and it should open things up for them.

10 Guys, One Cup

I saw these guys play only once and the key is easily Mathew Yanakoulias. He has a strong arm and able weapons but this game and the entire playoffs should rest on his shoulders. His completion percentage rests nicely around 50% but in my opinion, this will need to be in the 60’s for them to be successful. 10 Guys have a bunch of playmakers and if he can get the ball out early and let his guys do the work rather than trying to throw over everybody, they should have success. And you know what? I think he’ll be able to have a complete game but I still think that those incompletions may be an issue, especially on key downs. Lazzara and company should be able to shut down one or two of the Half-A-Stars but it will be a close game regardless.

Prediction: 26-21 Half A-Stars

 

Conference B

 

1. Grand Lionel vs. 8. Les Flamants Fous

Previous matchup: 39-30 Grand Lionel

This game was at the time and will again be much closer than your typical 1 seed versus 8 seed. Both teams had a relatively easy time scoring and I expect much of the same. The first matchup came down to a few extra points on either side and the final score by Grand Lionel, but I would not be surprised to see a bounce or two in Flamants Fous favor. Hopefully we see a matchup between Nicolas Shaefer and Sebastien Thibault again and the standouts on each team should have big games. This game may easily come down to a turnover or missed extra points as both teams have a plethora of weapons. Should be exciting.

Keys to success:

Grand Lionel

They are the number one seed for a reason and should be a force to be reckon with. With that said, they did just lose to Hurricane SZN and played with a few different QBs. Is that a sign that Thibault may not be available for a game or two in the playoffs? Without him, things change drastically, however if he’s present, they should score easily and often. It’s a cliché and one I have often repeated in this article alone, but if they avoid mistakes and don’t try to do anything that they are not comfortable with, they have the better roster on paper. If I had to put money on a big upset, it would be here, but I’m going to play it safe and have Grand Lionel moving forward in my bracket.

Les Flamants Fous

Schaefer will have to be close to perfect, however he has shown that he can put together games like that. He has weapons in Thomas Coutu, Charles Fontaine, Felix-Antoine Lavigne and Christophe Lapointe and if he can mix it up and be creative, they should score fairly easily. I worry a little bit that the last few games on their schedule put them up against weaker teams, so they may be in for a little bit of a surprise in playing a division powerhouse. They were last beat by the Preachers and Greendale Human Beings and Grand Lionel has the firepower to make them pay if they slip up, so they will need to be focused and ready for playoff football.

Prediction: 32 – 21 Grand Lionel

 

2. Finessers vs. 7. Hurricane SZN

Previous matchup: 28-28 Tie

This is probably the best matchup of the first round. I may have said that already about another one, but scratch that, this is it. When you come off a tie to finish the regular season and then square off in the first game of the playoffs, expect some intensity. These teams will know each other well and I expect a few tweaks to the game plan on both sides. It would not surprise me to see both teams try to get their playmakers into easier matchups and not fight fire with fire if you will. Taylor and Kharouf are both excellent quarterbacks who can take over games, but Kharouf tends to lean on one or two guys whereas Taylor will distribute the ball a bit more evenly. Either way, I wish I would be able to watch this one live.

Keys to success:

Finessers

As much as they would probably disagree with, this team is highly focused around Kharouf, Alexandre Bachaalani and Nirosh Suresh. Don’t get me wrong, that’s more than enough and this trio can compete with anybody in the division, but they have slipped up once or twice this season and it’s not impossible to stop these guys. The key for them will be to mix it up and for Kharouf to see the field and not zero in on a target pre-snap. Defensively, they will have to contain an athletic group and be very aware of Taylor’s ability to rush. Taylor only rushed twice for 18 yards last week but I would expect that number to grow this week.

Hurricane SZN

Hurricane SZN is a very similar team to Finessers in that they have a stud QB and a bunch of weapons to destroy you with. The keys for them are simple and I just mentioned them, shut down Bachaalani and Suresh. In their meeting last week, Bachaalani had 100 yards and 3 TDs, so they will need to find somebody else to cover him this time around, but at the same time, be careful for Suresh. Taylor also needs to be more patient this time around and not only focus on the mid to deep ball. If they can sustain drives and stay on offense, they will control the tempo of this game and force Kharouf to try and force throws if he has to work from behind.

Prediction: 33-27 Hurricane SZN

 

3. Preachers vs. 6. Ghosts

Previous matchup: N/A

The only game that will be played at 10pm on Saturday night, this will be the first matchup between these two teams so it’s tough to get a read. To make matters worse, to be completely transparent, they are teams that I have probably seen the least of this season. On paper, I actually give the edge to Ghosts and their recent tie against Longhorns is impressive. That being said, Preachers had a better season but in my opinion, had an easier schedule. They lost their toughest games against Grand Lionel and Finessers, which tells me that they struggle against stronger opponents.

Keys to success:

Preachers

A lot like Finessers, they also have a strong trio of their own in Quiviger, Nicolas Saro and Alexis Labonte. They have a relatively strong support cast as well but can be one dimensional when their backs are against the wall. Their toughest victory came against Les Flamants Fous, which doesn’t say much considering they finished in 8th place. The key will be to prove they belong amongst the top tier teams and their best players will have to perform against elite competition and not just pad their stats against lesser competition. Zacharie Quiviger had an impressive season with a very good TD to INT ratio and they will have a chance as long as they play with a lead or keep it close. If they fall behind early, I don’t see them clawing back into this one.

Ghosts

Ghosts have had a similar path to the playoffs, except they have tied the Longhorns, beaten Hurricane SZN and Hot Boys Hotline. This, to me, is more impressive and shows that they can compete regardless of their opponent. Gabriel Wiseman has had a good season but has thrown a few too many interceptions which he needs to avoid against the Preachers. They have the athletes to be able to make him pay if he gets a little bit over zealous. Zach Zwirn has been their best asset and as impressive as his stats have been, he often looked to on 3rd and 4th down. Roussy and Gaumont provide an excellent support cast and I just believe that their best players are slightly better than those on Preachers.

Prediction: 26-22 Ghosts

 

4. Longhorns vs. 5. Texas Baremanz

Previous matchup: 37-19 Longhorns

Speaking to Jaylan Grandison earlier in the season, he told me that Baremanz against Hurricane SZN was the battle of Texas. While I couldn’t possibly disagree with him as he knows his team’s history much more than I do, I present to you, the battle of Texas 2.0? If there first game was any indication of how the battle will go, Longhorns showed the Baremanz just how to win a football game in the south. Will history repeat itself? I don’t think it will be such a blowout, but the Longhorns have proven that experience overcomes a lot of adversity.

Keys to success:

Longhorns

The Longhorns are the poster boys for sticking to their game plan all year, knowing what works and executing. Jon Moodie won QB of the Year for a reason and he’ll be the focal point in this game. As dominant as he has been, he does have a history of turning the ball over at the wrong time. He will need to take advantage of the short and medium range game and allow players like Adam Rosen, Chris Rosen and Patrick Jazon extend plays. Jazon has been the man on defense all season for these guys and I am curious to see whether he pays extra attention to Oraye or Ranger on Baremanz.

Texas Baremanz

Jaylan Grandison has really been turning it on lately and he’ll need to be explosive if they have a chance at beating the Longhorns. The first game against Longhorns did not go as planned but I firmly believe that we’ll see a newly improved Grandison after a complete first season as quarterback. As talented and athletic as he is, I believe that he may have difficulties seeing the field and finding the right plays to beat the Longhorns defense. They will be able to make plays with Hennessy Oraye and Kieran Ranger, but they may be too few and far in between to compete with the Longhorns for 60 minutes.

Prediction: 33-19 Longhorns