Past Our Prime Shock Dark Moose Returns; La Sauce Lose Raymond Again

Watching a football game from the sidelines has got to be the most frustrating experience. That’s what I was thinking as Daniel Lazzara was shredding an undermanned Predators defense like it was swiss cheese. It was ugly. I guess that’s what you get when you match up the reigning division 3 quarterback of the year against a defense with three subs from lower divisions. You want to be out there so badly but your body holds you back. You try to be Bill Belichick by telling them what you think is coming but you get beat on that exact same play that you just said they would do. I’m sure most of you can relate to this. Injuries are a part of the game no doubt but you never expect to be injured yourself. You’re a gladiator in your own mind. But the truth is your body usually tells you when you have an imbalance and are more at risk to be injured. Most of us ignore those signs and keep playing but at the end of the day, this remains a flag football league..an awesome, competitive one at that, but we are here to have fun, and getting injured is no fun. So guys, be smart.

On that note, the Super Bowl has come and gone (I picked Denver and Von Miller for MVP in the division 4 podcast..just saying!), which means that we are now at almost halfway through the regular season. Later this week, look out for a midseason report card for each team in division 3. What is working; what is not? Who is surprising; who is disappointing? Who has stepped up? And of course, I’ll tell you guys how I see things playing out for the rest of the season. Now, onto a recap of what happened in week 4!

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RECAPS

 

Raymond’s Return Not Enough for La Sauce

OTF 28 (2-2) Next Week: vs. Mercenaries (0-3-1)

La Sauce 18 (0-4) Next Week: vs. Game Changers (2-2)                   BOXSCORE

This was the week La Sauce was supposed to put it all together with their quarterback Francois Raymond coming back to play. Unfortunately, that was not the case. OTF opened up the scoring when Mario Porreca found Yadel Meshesha in the end zone. La Sauce answered with a score of their own before Dariusz Golebiowski, fresh off his return from an ankle injury, made the play of the game. La Sauce were driving when Golebiowski undercut a Raymond pass and took it all the way back for six to take the lead back. Raymond threw his second touchdown before the half but La Sauce found themselves trailing 16-12. With La Sauce playing man coverage, Porreca threw up a fade to Kendal Mayers who came down with ball and another touchdown for OTF. The teams traded scores and then the unthinkable happened. Raymond, in his first game back for his team, injured his throwing shoulder and was replaced by Cory Kennedy at quarterback. A nasty Odell Beckham-esque one-handed interception by OTF’s Justin Julien put this one to bed as OTF got back to .500 with a 28-18 victory over winless La Sauce.

 

Fun Boys Knock Off Previously Undefeated Wolfpack

Fun Boys 43 (3-1) Next Week: vs. Metamayhem (1-3)

Wolfpack 25 (3-1) Next Week: vs. The Brotherhood (4-0)                  BOXSCORE

I had mentioned last week that Wolfpack had yet to play a good team and although they were scoring in bunches, I wanted to see how they would stack up against a top team and a top defense like Fun Boys. The answer is not that well. The Fun Boys held the Wolfpack to 6 points in the second half while holding the J.D. Chevalier-Francis Lapointe tandem to 64 yards combined and picking off Pascal Murray 3 times. I also voiced my concerns about the Wolfpack defense in my last article and this game did not help that cause. Liam Mahoney had a near perfect game going 17-21 for 243 yards and 6 touchdowns. Vince Nardone had a huge game as well picking off Murray twice, and catching four balls for 100 yards and a touchdown.

 

Not Past Their Prime

Past Our Prime 24 (1-3) Next Week: vs. Predators (2-2)

Dark Moose Returns 19 (2-2) Next Week vs. Sea Assassins (2-2)          BOXSCORE

This was the upset of the week. No way a team as talented as Dark Moose would lose a second game in a row, especially against a team that had not won a game yet this season. Right? Well, no. Wrong. Past Our Prime showed why there are no gimmes in FPF, especially in higher divisions. Both offenses were able to move the ball but both defenses really tightened up in the red zone as the offenses were having a hard time putting up points for much of this game. In a tightly contested game like this, interceptions usually are the difference. Past Our Prime were able to get one off of Morissette and down 19-18, they drove the field for the winning score on the last play of the game. Craig “The Sheriff” O’Brien had an efficient day throwing the football and did not throw an interception in a game for the first time this season as he looks to bring his team back from the dead. Dark Moose Returns dropped their second game in a row and have failed to reach 20 points in both of those games. For a team with such high aspirations and so much talent all over the field, there is simply no excuse. They need to be better.

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Survivor Pool Week 5 Picks:

 

Grip N Rip and Killer Instinct both won their games but Dark Moose Returns managed to lose. That means that I, along with Simon Dagenais, are both eliminated from the pool. The rest of the FPF experts are mostly trusting B.D. Bandits this week with Justin Blanchard going out on a limb and picking Two and a Half Dans to come out victorious.

*Not permitted to pick team we play on

*Once you pick a team, you cannot pick them again

 

Paolo Della Rocca: B.D. Bandits

G.M. Kolethras: B.D. Bandits

Vince Nardone: B.D. Bandits

Justin Blanchard: 2HD

James Floreani: Eliminated

Simon Dagenais: Eliminated

David Della Rocca: Eliminated

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James’ lock of the week:

Dark Moose Returns went out and choked against Past Our Prime last week only putting up 19 points and taking the L. I blame Peeze. This week I’m going with B.D. Bandits over the Westpark Boys. As long as they do not change QB’s, it will be a long season for a team that has the potential to win some games with a capable quarterback. But for now, B.D. Bandits are playing great ball and they’ll win easily barring a Leon Holder appearance.

 Prediction: B.D. Bandits 38, Westpark Boys 12

 Lock of the Week Record: 3-1

 

Game of the Week: Grip N Rip vs. Laval’s Finest

This is my game of the week in division 3. Minus that hiccup against the Snatchers, I’ve been really impressed with Grip N Rip so far this season. They’ve lived up to my expectations and have proven doubters wrong in the process. The permanent switch to Vinny Gualano at quarterback will make them more consistent and dangerous as the team is so well-suited for his style. Laval’s Finest, minus their hiccup against F.O.E., have also been very impressive and are coming off a big win vs. Triple Sixers.

Key Matchups:

Vinny Gualano vs. Whoever rushes for Laval’s Finest– If Gualano is not contained, it will be along day for the Laval Finest defense. Maybe Simon Laporte comes back to play this game?

Jordan McLaren vs. Grip N Rip Defensive Backs – McLaren is the best athlete in D3 in my opinion. The threat of having him there opens up the whole offense but shutting him down is a must for Grip N Rip. F.O.E. was able to contain McLaren for the most part and the result was 12 points against. I think the formula here for GnR starts with containing McLaren and taking away his quick slants from the snapper.

Anthony Da Silva vs. Laval’s Finest Defense– With McLaren and Rod Mashtoub back there, Laval’s Finest is very strong defending the deep ball. Gualano doesn’t throw deep very often anyways but Anthony Da Silva will need to be the Julian Edelman this game and find ways to get open underneath for them to move the ball consistently.

Prediction: Grip N Rip has a similar defense to F.O.E.’s and I think they will be able to slow down Laval’s Finest’s offense and sneak away with a win.

Grip N Rip 26, Laval’s Finest 25

 

Week 5 Game Predictions

Matchups	James’ Picks ATS	Peeze’s Picks ATS	James’ Picks Straight Up	Peeze’s Picks Straight Up
Dark Moose Returns (-0.5) vs. Sea Assassins	Dark Moose Returns	N/A	Dark Moose Returns	N/A
Laval’s Finest (-1.5) vs. Grip N Rip	Grip N Rip	Laval’s Finest	Grip N Rip	Laval’s Finest
Ball Busters (-7.5) vs. Nuggets	Ball Busters	Nuggets	Ball Busters	Ball Busters
Killer Instinct (-3.5) vs. Les Eudistes	Killer Instinct	Les Eudistes	Killer Instinct	Les Eudistes
OTF (-7.5) vs. Mercenaries	Mercenaries	Mercenaries	OTF	Mercenaries
B.D. Bandits (-12.5) vs. Westpark Boys	B.D. Bandits	B.D. Bandits	B.D. Bandits	B.D. Bandits
The Brotherhood (-4.5) vs. Wolfpack	The Brotherhood	Wolfpack	The Brotherhood	Wolfpack
Game Changers          (-6.5) vs. La Sauce	Game Changers	Game Changers	Game Changers	Game Changers
Mongoose (-2.5) vs. Two and a Half Dans	Mongoose	2HD	Mongoose	2HD
Triple Sixers (-5.5) vs. Dirty Dawgs	Dirty Dawgs	Dirty Dawgs	Triple Sixers	Dirty Dawgs
Jumpmans (-2.5) vs. Les Buddays	Jumpmans	Jumpmans	Jumpmans	Jumpmans
Past Our Prime (-1.5) vs. Predators	N/A	Past Our Prime	N/A	Past Our Prime
F.O.E. (-4.5) vs. Snatchers	F.O.E.	F.O.E.	F.O.E.	F.O.E.
Fun Boys (-6.5) vs. Metamayhem	Fun Boys	Metamayhem	Fun Boys	Fun Boys
Last Week’s Record	8-5	8-5	9-4	8-5
SEASON TOTALS	31-21	31-21	32-18-2	30-20-2

 

Power Rankings:

 

1. The Brotherhood (4-0) – This team is on a tear and destroying anything in their way. That defense is the Denver Broncos of FPF right now. Metamayhem found that out first-hand this past week as they still have yet to allow a team to hit the 20-point mark this season. (Last Week: 1)

 

2. Fun Boys (3-1) – Back-to-back dominating victories against top 10 teams says a lot of these guys. Their defense is tied for 2nd in the division in points allowed after four weeks and the offense is improving each week. (Last Week: 2)

 

3. Killer Instinct (3-1) – Don’t look now but Killer Instinct is on a three-game winning streak and should be 5-1 by the time their big showdown with The Brotherhood rolls along in week 8. (Last Week: 8)

 

4. Grip ‘N’ Rip (3-1) – Scoring 51 points is one way to almost guarantee a win. With Gualano now at quarterback, this team jumps to the fourth spot. (Last Week: N/A)

 

5. Wolfpack (3-1) – My concerns about this team came to light against the Fun Boys. It’s fun and all to beat on weaker competition but that was a disappointing performance on both sides of the ball against a contender. (Last Week: 4)

 

6. F.O.E. (3-1) – Just when I start believing in this team, they go out and lose by two scores to a team they should beat. No excuse. (Last Week: 5)

 

7. Laval’s Finest (3-1) – I called out Rod Mashtoub in this spot last week and challenged him to be better after a terrible outing. He did exactly what good quarterbacks are supposed to do and responded with a fantastic game leading his team to a big victory over a tough opponent. (Last Week: N/A)

 

8. Sea Assassins (3-1) – The offense was lethal again vs. Predators. Granted this was not the real Predators team, missing key guys but nonetheless very impressive. Their defense does have a lot of holes. (Last Week: 9)

 

9. Ball Busters (3-0-1) – This tie will feel like a loss considering the fact that they were up 32-20 with just a few minutes remaining in the game. After Les Eudistes scored, Dylan Taylor gave them the ball right back. An interception at that stage of the game can’t happen or your team will pay the price as Taylor found out the hard way. He’ll learn from it. (Last Week: 10)

 

10. Dark Moose Returns (2-2) – Big drop this week. I gave them a break when they lost to Fun Boys the week prior, but losing a second game in a row when you are heavily favoured to win (against a winless team no less) is unacceptable. What in the world is wrong with the offense?? That vanilla Sea Assassins defense should be just what the doctor ordered. (Last Week: 3)

 

Just missed the cut…

Triple Sixers (2-2) – When your quarterback throws a pick-six, that usually results in a loss. The defense didn’t help by giving up six touchdowns.

 

B.D. Bandits (3-1) – Great team win against F.O.E. as they put the rest of the division on notice. Their offense has exceeded expectations thus far and their team defense remains great. Do not take this team lightly. 

 

Predators (2-2) – Winning without your quarterback is never easy but Hugo Allamano did an admirable job in relief considering the circumstances. Missing a top defender in Maxime Giroux also doesn’t help. However, it doesn’t excuse a performance like that. Might as well put pylons out there on defense. Great teams find a way to win and the Preds need to wake up. 

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Things We Learned

 

• C’mon Man! of the week: Westpark Boys… losing 51-6 is never fun. Losing 51-6 to a Simon Dagenais-led team, now that’s cringe-worthy! I would have nightmares for weeks. Somewhere, someplace, Simon Dags is smiling from ear to ear reading this still boasting about it. C’MON MAN!!!

 

• Props to Past Our Prime for getting their first win of the season and showing that they still got something left in the tank!

 

• Pascal Murray played a team with a defense for the first time this season and struggled mightily against the Fun Boys throwing for just 155 yards on 39 attempts (3.97 yards/attempt) and tossing 3 interceptions. Eesh.

 

• La Sauce just can’t catch a break. Francois Raymond, did not even last a full game before bowing out to injury. A long season is bound to only get longer now if Raymond is sidelined again.

 

• Westpark Boys need a quarterback…BADLY. They will not win a game this season otherwise.

 

• 57: Total points allowed by The Brotherhood defense through four weeks, 27 points less than the next team.

 

• 5: Number of winless teams in the division.

 

• 1: Number of undefeated teams in the division.

 

• Shoutout to OTF’s Dariusz Golebiowski for getting a game-changing pick-six in his first game back from an ankle injury.

 

• Killer Instinct’s Nathan Taylor is the only quarterback who has yet to throw an interception.

 

Best of luck to all teams for week 5! If you want to reach me for any inquiries or to disagree with me, feel free to hit me up at [email protected] or DM me @JFloMusicMTL on Twitter.