Mid Season Breakdown: Golden Face, Boris Johnson and Mammary There Goes that Man

Peeze’s Playbook Week 6

The midseason report is here.  Man is it gruelling.  For those who don’t know, I actually write three times the amount and then pare it down to the final product. This specific article has a lot of research involved.  However, I decided to include as much narrative based analysis for the midseason breakdown as it will help teams understand each other’s stories and how we all ended up here. 

***important note*** I missed my deadline and while I’ve updated the records, I didn’t want to release my article even later so the analysis remains.  For the most part the analysis is still accurate. I’ve also adjusted the team rankings accordingly.

The Peeze Curve

While I didn’t think this was necessary I think i need to explain how it is that I score my weekly power rankings and how it differs from the mid season report. I am an educator by trade so do note that it is convoluted, unfair and meant to infuriate everyone involved. 

For the weekly power rankings, rank the team’s progress and specifically overreact to the week that was.  The reason for this being that if it were the same as the standings then you could just read the standings. I also take season-long context into consideration but it’s meant to reflect that given week.   So if you beat a team three weeks ago, they may still be ahead of you in the power ranking because in the week that was, they may have had a better performance.

The rankings here are a prediction with regards to how I believe everyone will finish by season’s end. The key players are not the players I like best or who I believe are the best players on the team but rather it is based on their usage and how they are contributing this season.  The letter grade reflects the following scoring system:

A: You’ve blown my expectations away.  I never would have thought the team in question would have performed this well.

B:The team is surpassing the expectations that I placed on them ahead of the season.

C: I was right, and the team is performing exactly as expected

D: The team is underperforming.  Huddles are strained and it feels like post game beers would be awkward and someone needs to explain why they’re touching my leg. I don’t hate it, I just wanna know why.

E: Evil, this team is full of people I consider evil.  I haven’t ever seen a locust but I imagine they come replete with locusts.

F: Your team is really underperforming. This is abject failure.

So essentially, this is based on how the team is performing as compared to preseason thoughts and rankings.  Sometimes you’ll see 2 win teams with an A and other times you might see an undefeated team with a C rating.  Finally, for the remaining records I actually went ahead and predicted games from here to the end of the season.  Why wold this be different than the standings?  BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE A STANDINGS PAGE!!!!

1. Killer Rays (7-1): Moving up from division 6 into division D should be a jump.  It should be hard.  However, Killer Rays have made it look easy.  They’ve had a great followup to their championship season.  The only slip-up was an early season loss to Cite des Jetons where they still scored 34 points.  Playing qb is interesting.  On the surface many would think that the improvements are constant; game over game.  However, there are peaks and valleys and several moments where a QB seems to reach that next level.  This is the case for Tyler Bianchi. He’s gotten more accurate and more patient since the end of last season.

Key Players: Tyler Bianchi, Tyler Gurberg, Curtis Ryan

Grade: A+

Predicted Record: 9-1

2. Kiss My Vulture (6-1): The first game that Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo threw in place of David DeAndrade was because KMV’s qb was unable to play that game.  However, with some injuries that have limited Iggy Magnets as a receiver he’s since taken over for the last 4 games where he’s thrown 21 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. The team is incredibly well built and clearly can manage players being somewhat out of position.James Drysdale, Alexi Dubois and Steven Besner are all very talented two way players. Their only loss came on a Hail Mary on a blunder by their rusher who did not appropriately handle a throwback play.

Key Players: Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo, James Drysdale, Alexi Dubois

Grade: B+

Predicted Record: 9-1

3. Bandits (5-1-1): Ranking Bandits has been tough.  While they’re indisputably talented they’re a Hail Mary and a convert from being a 3-3 team.  At the same time their only loss was recorded when QB Cecil Belanger wasn’t present.  They have an offense that is difficult to defend because they have 9 receivers who have multiple touchdown catches and defensively they are very rangey and athletic while perhaps not fully understanding how to best execute their concepts.  I worry that despite their talent the roster has not been consistent enough to be effective in the playoffs.  For now however, they remain a team no one wants to face. 

Key Players: Cecil Belanger, Zach Graveson, Aaron Franklin

Grade: A+

Predicted Record: 7-2-1

4. 4th & Shlong (5-0): It’s been hard to get a feel for 4th&S.  Matthew Caparelli has been a revelation.  The team is chalk full of athletes and they are doing damage but for the most part they haven’t really beaten anyone noteworthy.  None of the teams they’ve faced have a winning record. There’s definitely is a false king warning in effect.  For those who don’t watch the podcast, false kings are teams who may or may not be talented but who’s record is inflated by playing weaker teams.  I will say the last couple of weeks have been impressive.  They’ve scored 44.25 points per game since the second week of the season.  Either way they seem to be good and getting better.

Key Players: Matthew Caparelli, Jordan Lessard, Daron Migdesyan, Nicholas Henry

Grade: A

Predicted Record: 8-2

5. Dirty Dawgs (4-1): After Lockdown played Dirty Dawgs,  I asked Eagle about the game.  He said, “they’re going to be a hard out for anyone”.  I think that that’s apt.  The team name fits because these guys are in fact dogs.  They will scrap and fight for everything.  The offense isn’t the most artistic per se.  However, they are decently efficient and their defense is daunting.  Charles Verrault is not known to many in FPF but he’s thick, fast and extremely versatile.  Pairing him with the speed of Jean-Nicholas Brenko makes it so that the opposing QB will often feel like there’s simply nowhere to throw.  QB Jeremy Augustin has been really safe with the ball.  This is all they’ve needed so far this season but my guess is they will need a little more from him (he’s averaging 163.7 yards per game and a little ove 4 touchdowns per game) to be truly considered a legitimate championship contender.

Key Players: Charles Verrault, Jean-Nicholas Brenko, Jeremy Augustin

Grade: A-

Predicted Record: 8-2

6. Mad Dogs(3-1-1): Don’t look now but Mad Dogs have not lost since week 1.  I really enjoy the Mad Dogs. Tyler Stewart and Jordan Murphy are a fun duo to watch and the team is a little ore finesse than the team name would infer.  The winning+tie streak has been impressive and it’s allowed us to begin to see Jordan Murphy as a potential two way player of the year.  They haven’t been talked about much because they started 0-1-1 and they haven’t played quite as many games as some other teams.  That said, if you happen to be in the other city (Laval) where they’ll be playing the rest of their games this season do check out Mad Dogs. You will not be disappointed.

Key Players: Jordan Murphy, Tyler Stewart, Troy Thompson

Grade: A-

Predicted Record: 6-3-1

7. Peerless Scarred (5-1): I saw Danny D’Amour getting ready for his game and figured this was going to be for a Division A or B team. I was shocked to see one of the most impactful players in FPF history playing in Div D.  This is largely a group of friends he’s been seen running with before and it does not surprise me that Peerless is so good and looked ready to hit the ground running from day one.  The only loss came with Mederic Lauzon at QB.  Lauzon is a very good receiver and a top tier QB in Division E.  However, since he’s a work in progress and it weakened the team to not have him a a receiver, a loss in that game didn’t surprise me.  They have a tough three games ahead.  They will make the playoffs and will do so battle-tested.

Key Players: Danny D’Amour, Jared Buck, Benjamin Bourque

Grade: B-

Predicted Record: 8-2

8. Primetime (4-2): I have to say, they continue to impress me.  They have great athletes and when they’re in shadow defense they’re are simply stifling. If I’m being honest, I don’t know what the plan at QB was going into the season but they’ve looked as good with Adam Ouici as they do with Daniel Spina behind the snapper. This is a great team build and it’s paying off. They have 12 interceptions in 6 games and an additional 2 possessions per game is definitely a key to success.  It starts with the rush of Ethan Adrian who is relentless and it’s followed up with great overage behind him.

Key Players: Manny Bizogias, Carter Condon, Ethan Adrian

Grade: B+

Predicted Record: 7-3

9. Glory Boyz (6-3): I’ve always liked Glory Boyz play.  Their story is fascinating in that they were asked to leave the league before the end of last season due to a physical altercation.  Having been repentant, the Glory Boyz returned, moved up into division D and were determined not to let the fight define their FPF career.  Above all else, they moved to division D and are playing very, very well.  Michael Hiotis has great physical skills.  He throws well on the move, he can run and his ball placement is solid for a relatively inexperienced QB.  If he develops more patience and can build more concepts and rely less on broken plays he will be an upper division QB sooner than later.  

Key Players: Michael Hiotis, Antonio Venturino, Massimo Moniz

Grade: A

Predicted Record: 7-3

10. La Cite Des Jetons (3-2-1): So they’re not perfect.  They are one of the most fun teams to watch in division 6. Jules Regimbald has the best arm in the division.  While it’s the team’s greatest strength it also hurts them at times.  Regimbald is taking too many shots downfield.  The team has a slew of receivers who are starting to make a name for themselves. This makes them one of the most difficult teams to cover as anyone on the roster can hurt you.  Week 3 saw their offense being slowed and all of a sudden this juggernaut seemed kind of meek.  They aren’t perfect but when they’re playing their best they are absolute high flyers. 

 Key Players: Jules Regimbald, Henri Pante, Arthur Doyon

Grade: A

Predicted Record: 5-4-1

11. Trapstars (4-3): Trapstars won a championship and they did so convincingly.  They were expected to be a front runner in this division even if they were going to be missing Ryan Garber for parts of the season. In the two games he’s played Garber has caught 10 passes and two touchdowns. Still, the strength of Trapstars is two fold.  Firstly, thye have a great depth of talent. Secondly, being a part of the KGP family of teams means they have a ton of institutional knowledge and that’s incredibly valuable. The season was going smoothly unil a puzzling loss to Selwyn Old Boys.  Still, they’re on of the better performing teams this season.

Key Players: Cooper Young, Vincent Rizzulo, Matthew Levine

Grade: B

Predicted Record: 6-4

12. Centaures (2-3): I get it.  They got off to a terrible start.  However, they’ve won two in a row and played really well against the division leading Kiss My Vulture. They intended to have the “Smiling Speedster” Alex Noel who broke his arm as early as the season started. They’ve since replaced him with phenom and reigning Div 2 receiver of the year Will Power.  Hugo Allemano has struggled at the quarterback position but this team clearly looks to feature him, Jordan Rossie and Will Power on defense and keep games close. This has been the way that they’ve grinded wins so far this season. Allamano has scored an average of 2 TDs per game which isn’t enough but if the defense can give him a chance and he can improve a little, there’s some cool stuff going on with half-a-horse.

Key Players: Chris Brockwell, Will Power, Hugo Allamano

Grade: C-

Predicted Record: 5-5

13. Threat Level Midnight (2-2): This is the hardest part of the midseason report to write.  The good teams and the bad teams are equally easy to describe.  The teams in the middle all show promise and can improve but it’s hard to see how the rest of the season will playout. I have to admit I sold this team as short as the academy did with Jim Halpert in his portrayal of the villainous Golden Face.  Jonathan Lemiuex used to be one of the most dynamic dual threat qbs in the lower divisions.  However, time comes for us all and he’s developing his pocket game on the fly.  Julien Proulx is the lone speedster and is a legitimate variety show on wheels.  The dude can do everything.  They will have to play terrifying low margin football the rest of the way but this might be what this group of elderlies have in mind anyway.

Key Players: Julien Proulx, JD Joly, Etienne Cardinal 

Grade: C

Predicted Record: 4-5-1

14. VTown (3-3): Despite being momentarily referred to as 4th Down & Shlong on our IG page VTown have started to make a name for themselves in FPF.  They’ve struggled to put out a consistent roster and that has hampered their success. Quarterback Jonathan Velasco has a 2:1 TD:int ratio which is not efficient enough,  Quite simply, they beat teams who they dominate physically but lose games against teams of similar skill or with more experience, they simply don’t win.

Key Players: Vito Rizzuto, Jason Cassandra, Jonathan Velasco

Grade: C-

Predicted Record: 4-6

15. Undertakers (3-4): I always want the best for Marc-Andre Desaulniers.  He’s a great dude and a student of the game.  He took some time away from FPF but “Gronk” has returned to mixed results.  The worst example of this was a demoralizing game against Primetime.  They did bounce back for a win this past week so I do like seeing that level of resilience.  I think they’re missing a piece and as such they will struggle to be a top tier team.  

Key Players: Marc-Andre Desaulniers, Kevin Amiot, Vincent Marquis

Grade: C+

Predicted Record: 5-5

16. Save the Turftles (3-4): From the first time I’ve seen him, Vincent Cheung was always a threat.  It was as if Mark Jackson is rattling around in my mind saying “Mama, there goes that man”. He’s a very good receiver in space but, above all else, I love his ability to close on balls when he’s on defense.  Sebastien Noel is a work in progress but there is significant promise there. The team has moved up each season since they started in FPF but, as they’ve done so we’ve seen Noel’s TD:Int ratio drop somewhat.  It went from 4.4:1 to 2.8:1 and 1.6:1 (through 6 games).  This is fairly normal and I think this is the division they belong in.  This is a season to build on this important experience. Hopefully, they get the kind of matchups in the playoffs that will allow for a deep run.

Key Players: Simon Imbach, Vincent Cheung, Sebastien Noel

Grade: C-

Predicted Record: 5-5

17. Wide Open Bar (4-5): When I saw WOB in person I kept checking the score.  They had moments where they looked really good.  The score showed they were being pummeled by Mad Dogs.  It’s weird to write a mid-season report for a team who has played 9 games by this point.  However, in the words of Boris Johnson, “Them is the breaks”. It does however, provide a clear picture for this team.  They’ve allowed more than 30 points in half of their games (written when 8 games were played).  Moreover, Jean Lussier has struggled to return to his rookie season form when he quarterbacked the Alpha T’s.  It’s clear that he was used to throwing to wide open, elite athletes.  The team has athletes but they aren’t the foundation of a Division 2 squad like he had with the Alpha T’s.  Still, you’ve got to give them credit for being as successful as they’ve been.

Key Players: Louis Lussier, Tristan Scandar, Edouard Leroux

Grade: D

Predicted Record: (4-6)

18. The Mighty 6 (2-2-1): Given the wealth of talent on the team and the relative consistency of their roster TM6 looked to be the kind of sequel that would have been better than the original (like Fast 5).  However, despite having the speed of Alexandre Fafard, The Rocket arm of Benjamin Reid and the tenacity of Nicholas Currote, this should be a successful team.  They’re hovering at .500 and they’ve played half their schedule.  They’ve just been hard to get behind.  Their tie came in the opening week and their only wins have come against some of the other struggling teams in the division. I thought Xavier Tran-Khahn would be more impactful but it appears that the coverage hasn’t been there to allow this speedy rusher to be dominant.  Without that they’ll only continue to feast on bottom feeders. 

Key Players: Benjamin Reid, Nicolas Curotte, Alec Gregoire

Grade: F

Predicted Record: (4-5-1)

19. Lockdown (2-4): My god, this is an utter collapse.  The kind of utter collapse that would prevent you from getting milk.  Bovine humour notwithstanding, I had huge expectations for Lockdown.  They jus tplayed in the Division 5B finals.  We’ve seen Trapstars who beat them in the finas see success.  Primetime and Killer Rays are frontrunners despite moving up from Division 6.  Yet, Buck Aneer seems to have regressed this season despite having roughly the same weapons as last season.  Since their win in the first week they’re averaging 5.2 points per game.  At this point, I worry that LD won’t make the playoffs.  If they do they can find their form at any moment.  I would be lying however, if I said I wasn’t concerned. 

Key Players: Max Newcastle, Louis-Messier Lavallee, Buck Aneer

Grade: D-

Predicted Record: (3-7)

20. Former All-Stars (2-4): Team Swoosh registered for the wrong decision and served as the pinata to such members of FPF royalty such as Stephen Harripersaud, Phil Cutler, and Jesse Dupuis.  So this time around this rudderless but talented group registered for a division that was better suited to their level of inexperience.  They’ve had some gret moments but the QB play has been more than a little sus. In 4 starts, Fabrice Robillard has a 49.1 QBR. Alex Papineau has been a little better.  He’s only thrown 2.5 touchdowns per start.  The team strength and speed is impressive but they just need to learn how to play FPF. I say this on Calling the Audible all the time.  FPF is very competitive. It isn’t a beer league and it takes commitment to improve!  Hit us up for help!

Key Players: Stefano De Seta, Alex Papineau, Michael De Seta 

Grade: C

Predicted Record: (2-8) 

21. Team Timbo (2-4-1): I’ve been tentative to be harsh on Team Timbo.  The U family of teams routinely makes me look dumb.  I guess I’m dumb.  I expected more. Sure, it’s hard to play QB in FPF and as ridiculous an all-arond player Tim Horner is, he hasn’t adapted well to the position.  This group continually shuffles the deck, plays someone else on their roster at QB and stay in a lower division and, credit to them, it usually works.  This time around it appears ot have caught up with them.  Horner is learning on the fly and the defense has done a lot to make the games winnable.  They’ve allowed less than 30 points in 5 of their 7 games.  This SHOULD be enough to at least go .500.  It hasn’t been that way thus far however. 

Key Players: Kyle Pedvis, Tim Horner, Dylan Catellier

Grade: D+

Predicted Record: (2-6-2) 

22. Selwyn Old Boys (1-6): I liked Selwyn when I saw them play with William Sebag at QB.  His athleticism and ability to buy time was impressive.  He has only played a single game with them.  In his absence the QB play has been spotty. Neither Greg Seagel nor Alex Latovski have been able to complete half their passes. I like the receivers but it does seem a little too “Backyard Football” to be successful.  Their play has improved as they played tight games against Lockdown and Trapstars and that’s a good sign.  For the meantime, the goal needs to be to develop an FPF ready playbook that will allow for more efficient offense.

Key Players: Harry Maurovich, Nicholas Fon, Matthew Lindsey

Grade: C-

Predicted Record: (2-8) 

23. Blue Dreamers (1-4): Blue Dreamers have a great collection of talent.  DB’s who can play in a variety of roles, receivers that can attack at all three levels and a great rusher.  However, Raffaelle Morelli hasn’t had a great season at quarterback.  In his defense he had never thrown in FPF until this season. The defense improved during the last two weeks.  They’ve allowed only 25 points per game as opposed to 41 points allowed per game that they allowed in the first three games of the season.  Their last game was a great win against Glory Boyz. If these ex-St.Leo cougars can build on this and if Morelli can trust his receivers enough to just get them the ball we can see a late season turnaround.

Key Players: Massimo D’Ipolito, Alessandro Barazzoni, Matthew Simard 

Grade: D

Predicted Record: (4-6) 

24. Big Dracos (1-3-2): I don’t get it man.  Phillip Nacala hasn’t thrown double digits save for one game.  He has 8 touchdowns and no interceptions. The starting quarterback has been Cole Bellas for the season. The low point was a -4 yard outing against Glory Boyz.  The team has been odd.  They tied Replacements who have struggled mightily, they tied against Bandits who I think are very good and they putup a lot of points against the dominant Kiss My Vulture. Are they good? I don’t think so.  Can they be? Definitely.   

Key Players: Philip Nacalas, Wilson Belley, Bailey Venu 

Grade: C

Predicted Record: (2-6-2) 

25. L8 (1-5): For the most part L8 are slow.  The team has a ton of FPF experience but they are some of hte league’s senior citizens. The biggest issue seems to be Wade Williams play calling as a quarterback.  He looks to take deep shots way too often.  FPF is a methodical game and given the team’s lack of team speed compared to some of the young stars that are up and coming L8 are playing in a counterintuitive way.  Defensively, there is a lot of knowledge and they’re keeping games low scoring.  The addition of rusher extraordinaire Joey Notaro definitely helps on both sides of the ball.  In Joey’s own words “I always knew I’m the best rusher in the league. You’re all just finding out”. Their only win has come via forfeit and they’ve only scored 8 touchdowns in 6 games.  If Wade Williams can be more disciplined, they will look better.

Key Players: Ryan Mayers, Jason Rossie, Shane Williams

Grade: D+

Predicted Record: 1-9

26. Ghosts (0-5): The drop-off from Jamaal to Malakai Roach has been percipetious.  I have to think they could have recreated past success before heading into the season. Jamaal Roach recently returned but it was to similar results. I’m certain that being away so long didn’t make it easy. They played a tough defense in Centaures as well which did not make instant success likely. Zachary Alberts Gill has returned to form with his 8 sacks but the team simply cannot sustain offense.  I’m curious to see which Roach will take snaps the rest of the way. If Malakai Roach throws the rest of the way it may be difficult. He’s only thrown 7 touchdowns and 16 interceptions through 5 games.

Key Players: Zachary Alberts Gill, Kenny Boutellier, Gabriel Wiseman

Grade: F

Predicted Record: (0-10) 

27. Replacements (0-6-1): I’ve had the feeling in watching Frankie Teoli-Colatrella that he makes his reads in the huddle.  Interestingly, the playcalls are fine.  However, he often appears to not be able to read his own concepts.  He often sees defenes give him one look but fails to take advantage of the holes in the zone. Andel Thomas Gordon and Kevin Donnet have only combined for 5 games plaed which certainly doesn’t help.  Still, I expected the Replacements to be better by this point in the franchise’s development.  Two way player Schnieder Edouard Charles has been solid but so far, it’s been in a futile attempt. 

Key Players: Schnieder Edouard Charles, Robert Di Ielsi, Ramses Adrian

Grade: D

Predicted Record: 0-9-1 

For those who have any thoughts, commentary or complaints, I am very easy to find.  I’m @peezehss on twitter, @pdellarocca and Peeze Della Reeze on facebook.  You can also take a chance by emailing me at [email protected] but I don’t check it because it’s a death trap of junk emails all trying to sell me Stratocaster pickguards and love’s eternal light.  I really need to use incognito mode.

Folks, if your team is struggling, Eagle, Moe, (any of the media guys really), and I love talking flag. Let us know how we can help, let us know if you have any questions.  Hey, even if you have some incredible thoughts, I’m always down for an ethereal descent into introspection.

Remember that each week you can join the party on our Facebook page or at www.youtube.com/flagplus on our weekly podcast: Calling the Audible.  The show is released every Friday morning. 

Till next week, I want to thank you falettineme be mice elf agin!