Peeze’s Playbook (Div 5) – Playoffs Week 1

Every city has a unique feel.  The bustling breeze of New York city are incomparable to the hectic but cool Chicago winds.  A lightning storm crashing over the otherwise serene setting that is Marseille would never be compared to the crackling lightshow that often appears in the American midwest.  San Francisco dawns a feeling of laid back modern life while the sun rises upon Rome to unveil it’s many stories and forgotten tales.

 

Montreal is a city of tension.  People’s views on politics affect aspects of everyday life.  The cold distrust for ones neighbors is yet far warmer than the cynicism its denizens feel toward local, provincial and federal politicians. Yet there is a feeling of security.  As if in this insane microcosm of a much larger world this is truly a safe haven for people who would, quite simply, not fit in anywhere else.  In that way it is a modern day Casablanca.

 

Perhaps this speaks to the success of FPF.  The dichotomous relationship between tension and serenity is exactly what the playoffs feel like.  While teams are happy to have made it to the second season, countless sleepless nights become the norm as teams prepare and dream of scenarios.  While everyone lines up their best 6 men against their opposition there is a sense of pressure that can only be relieved by victory.

 

This is the playoffs gentleman.  We all have one goal and will stop at nothing to achieve it.  When you look into the eyes of the 5 other men in your huddle you know that they will stand beside you and give everything they have to reach the championship.  Let’s all take a moment to gaze upon this from a distance, as impartial observers to realize the beauty of this tournament. Think about yourselves and how it must feel to stand at centerfield having been declared champions.  Let this last but for a minute because in just three short weeks one team will stand upon the hill of glory.  If you dream for too long you may just miss your opportunity.

 

Weekly Overview

 

Maloudes Tame Cougars

 

The Maloudes laid a whopping on the Cougars to the tune of 38-0.  The Cougars had been slipping in the last few weeks but no one could have predicted this.  Erminio Iadeluca had his worst outing of the season as he got picked off 4 times.  Notably, star receiver Matthew Priess was limping around all game long, evidentially still suffering from a bruised thigh that had been hampering his play since the Cougars week 9 loss to the Primes.

 

Shawn Lafortune was on fire in this one completing 17 of 22 and throwing for 4 touchdowns.  Moving left and right in the pocket we saw Lafortune pick his spots and be able to make any throw he wanted against the cougars defense.  Vincent Morissette had a huge game as well as he intercepted 3 passes and brought two back for touchdowns.

 

The Clutch Ones?

 

This was not a pretty game.  TCO won a game where they allowed more offensive touchdowns than they scored.  If not for pick sixes by Akeem Hoyte-Charles and Matthew Rupcic TCO may have seen their hopes of getting the ’ship sink prematurely.  Mathieu Bondoux struggled mightily completing only 9 passes but did find brother Tim for an early touchdown.

 

The Centurions let this one slip right through their finger tips.  Quarterback Mathieu Dumont found Clouthier deep twice for touchdowns but the green menace could not overcome Dumont’s costly turnovers.  On a failed fourth down attempt with 3 plays left Centurions were kept alive on a roughing the passer penalty on rusher Ryan Best.  Dumont then heaved a couple of passes deep to Olivier Hamilton.  While the first was clearly out of reach the second seemed to fall just beyond his grasp. On the final play Dumont stood tall in the pocket, delivered and the ball was deflected by TCO rusher Ryan Best.

 

TCO lives to see another day as they conclude another dramatic chapter of their 2013 winter season.  They beat the Centurions 18-13.

 

Showing Aces

 

As promised this was the loudest game of the division 5 wildcard showcase.  The Aces and Limetime battled all game long and many words were exchanged (mostly by players named Daoust).  Perhaps the biggest battle was fought between Aces Quarterback Doug McKernan and Limetime rusher David Daoust.  At times it would almost seem that McKernan would beat Daoust on one play only to have his flags remain firmly in Daoust’s grasp the next play.  When all the dust had cleared McKernan had been sacked 9 times.  The difference in the end was his ability to protect the ball and the play of the Aces defense.

 

I have been very critical of the Aces defense on the Calling the Audible, as well as in weekly installments of this article.  However, the Aces defense came to play in this game. They keyed in on Patrick Manning’s tendency to flood one side of the field and roll out in that direction.  Once they had taken that away, and intercepted him twice Manning and the Limetime offence remained stagnant.  For Limetime the season has come to an abrupt end.  For the Aces, they prepare to face off against TTI next week.  

 

Kingdom Defended

 

During last week’s calling the audible GM Koletheras and I talked about how the game between the Speed Demons and Kingdom was one of the toughest to predict.  Given that the final score was 18-15 in favor of Kingdom it is safe to say that this game lived up to the expectations.  Perhaps the turning point was on an interception on fourth down when the Speed Demons were in the redzone. Even then Alex Lewis caught an interception of his own but by that point it was too little too late.  Inefficiency was what killed Speed Demons in this one.  Kingdom, while not perfect, did enough to hold on.

 

Even though the Speed Demons limited Joseph Cecere to 4 catches for 12 yards and a single touchdown, Kingdom was able to muster just enough to get past the wildcard round. Mark Nadeau had a big game catching 2 of Puklicz’s 3 touchdown passes.  They got away with one here but will need to have a better offensive performance if they expect to get past Black Ice in the next round.

 

Overthrowned!

 

Even as I am writing this, I am still stunned. In what looked to be the greatest mismatch of the tournament the Overthrowners shook the FPF world as they beat the heavily favored Moose.  Prior to this game, Moose were not only expected to beat up on the Overthrowners but they were expected to be one of the serious contenders for the division 5 championship.  Blow for blow Overthrowners weathered the storm and when it was safe to return to the shore they walked away with a 53-42 victory.

 

The Moose ran a fairly methodical offense as they marched down the field.  When Morissette was satisfied with the barrage of jabs that were thrown he would hit up Yann Drouin with a hard right and often Drouin would find himself standing alone in the endzone with the flags still affixed to his hips.

 

This would not be enough to hold off the Overthrowners.  While they got down the field and scored Pier-Luc Beauregard would stand tall in the pocket and fire a 40-yard strike to one of his receivers standing in the endzone. Both Raphaël Ducas-Lapalme or Cedric Bourbonnais had huge games in this one but the turning point in fact came on defense for the Overthrowners.  Late in the game Morissette threw an ill-advised pass over the middle and it was intercepted by Beauregard. This led to a somewhat controversial call where an offensive touchdown was ruled due to simultaneous possession.  It is important to note that in the case of two opposing players possessing the ball at the same time the ball is awarded to the offense.

 

In the end, this was a very entertaining game and while the Moose walked away dejected and crestfallen, the Overthrowners looked joyous and excited.  They attempt to continue their giant-killing quest as they square off against the undefeated Checkmate next week.  Will Overthrowners be FPF’s Witchita State? That question was rhetorical, and will be left without response until next week.

 

Unable to Hang On

 

The Hangovers had yet another rough start from Bruno Pierre Pelletier and in a game where they were only able to field 6 players, little else could have been expected. Pelletier completed only 7 passes. This was only one more completion than the Dans quarterback Joey Taylor had touchdowns. The Hangovers struggled and if not for 2 pick sixes (by Gelinas and Clément) this game would have been much further out of reach.  There was not a moment where the Hangovers looked as though they were in this one.

 

On the other hand the Dans looked to be themselves.  They were able to put up a lot of points and seemed unfazed when the game was close.  This young group looked like a crew if veterans in this one. Joey Taylor was remarkable at moving around in and out of the pocket and finding all of his receivers. 6 receivers caught touchdown passes in this one.  It has become clear that given this team’s level of comfort and chemistry, they will be a nightmare to stop. The Dans won this contest by a final score of 38-26.

 

Prohibition-like Lockdown of Ecurie Bar et Tables

 

Perhaps the biggest question going into this one was who would win the battle between Vincent Vincelli and Jacques Loiusdort.  Given that Ecurie’s Vince Vincelli was shut out all game I think we have the answer to that question.  Without his big play guy having any measure of success Bozzo struggled as this game got further and further out of reach. Other players such as Booth and allen Merideth stepped up n this one but it was clear that the Ecurie Bar et Tables offense was missing a little of their explosiveness.

 

Conversely, Pat Riot was on point in this one.  He found a matchup that he liked and attacked it all game long.  Geoffry Brown looked every bit the receiver of the year in this game as he caught 11 passes for 87 yards and 5 touchdowns.  His success was so frustrating to Ecurie that on Brown’s fifth touchdown a nearby defender cursed obscenely in absolute irritation.  Lockdown’s streak continues and they beat Ecurie Bar et Tables by a final score of 40-24.

 

 

Primes Send the Albatros Flying South

 

I thought this would be a tough game for the Primes.  I thought they would have trouble dealing with the speed of Albatros. I thought that this game would have been close until the half and then the Albatros would start to run away with it.  Boy, was I wrong.

 

Iadeluca has become so comfortable running his neat and intelligent offense.  The greatest beneficiary of this has been Tony Testa and given his 7 catches and 2 touchdowns, I would say that this game was no exception. On defense Johnny Marsella was all over the field, picking up flags like a human vacuum cleaner.  His ability to get to the defenders early neutralized Albatros’ speed.

 

Sebastien Thibault had a decent game going 13/21 for 108 yards, 3 touchdowns and only one interception.  The issue here was that while the connection between Thibault and Brisson was working well Les Albatros seemed a little one dimensional in this game.  The lack of offensive diversity did them in in wildcard weekend as the lost to the primes 27-18.

 

Bracket Breakdown

 

Conference A

 

Project Mayhem (1) vs. Maloudes (9)

 

After a magical run was cut just short when Project Mayhem lost to #No Regard in the division D final last spring Project Mayhem has found themselves on top of the heap once more.  While Project Mayhem was the Cinderella team last season no one should be surprised that they are one of the front-runners this time around.  On the other hand Maloudes prepare themselves for a feel-good underdog run and they have the athletes to make it happen.

 

Keys to Success:

 

Project Mayhem: Efficiency will need to be the key.  Project Mayhem’s offence is all about ball control and when Bellemare is reading the defense and getting rid of the ball quickly this offence looks like a well oiled machine.  On the defensive side of the ball they will need to be as aggressive as always as the big play will be out there, they just need to ensure that no opportunity is left out on the field.  In reality Project Mayhem is devastating when playing with a lead.  Neither their offense nor defense is built to come from behind so they will need to jump out to an early lead in this one. If they can do that they will control the game from start to finish.

 

Maloudes: Shawn Lafortune is an exceptional quarterback.  He is mobile, smart, has a strong arm, throws a pretty ball and is probably a pleasant first date (gentlemen, lock up your daughters).  With his ability to extend plays he can prove to be a nightmare for Project Mayhem. Another guy to focus on would be Guillaume St-Amand.  At first glance St-Amand doesn’t look like an elite receiver, but with his exceptional hands and his ability to use his body to get open.  On the defensive side of the ball Vincent Morissette is a very instinctive player and tends to always be around the ball. If he can disrupt Bellmare’s short game and Lafortune can get the offence going early the Maloudes will advance into yet, another round.

 

Prediction: Maloudes by 4 points

 

First Downers (2) vs. Primes (7)

 

The last time these two teams played the Primes walked away the victors by a final score of 39-33.  This would be the first of the First Downers’ only two losses on the season.  Last week the Primes, despite being the favorites were largely expected to lose against the Albatros.  They have come out of that game with a chip on their shoulder.  They want to show the FPF community that they should have been more respected throughout the season.  First Downers are now in unknown territory and questions remain as to how they will play in the playoffs, how they will react to being the favorite and how they will respond to having a bye week.

 

Keys to Success

 

First Downers:  I’ve said that the First Downers are a lucky team and that they seem to get all the breaks as all tipped passes and 50/50 balls end up in their player’s hands.  The truth of the matter is, much like a secret agent with x-ray sunglasses at a poker table, they create their own luck.  They are so fast and aggressive to the ball that it always seems like they are in the right place at the right time. In order for them to be successful they will need to disrupt the steady Primes offence.  When they have the ball Théberge will need Legault and the two Fortiers to come up big.  For this game the details will be important and there is no bigger detail than extra point converts.

 

Primes: Tony Testa is the x-factor in this one.  As a receiver he is tremendously difficult to stop.  I don’t think the First Downers have any one who is big enough or physical enough to match up with Testa.  In the past teams have needed to take him away to see success against the Primes.  What we saw the last time these two teams played was that First Downers could not do that.  Iadeluca needs to exploit this matchup any chance he gets.  On defense, the Primes corners (Marsella and Caccione) do a great job of disrupting routes and leading their receivers into Tony Testa who has made as many great plays on defense as he has on offense. 

 

Prediction: Primes by 3 points

 

Les Affreux (3) vs. Lockdown (6)

 

This is a matchup between two teams that started at the same time in FPF (spring 2009).  While Les Affreux continue to be known for their consistent and stable roster and oppressive defense, Lockdown is a team that is seemingly in a continuous state of flux.  The biggest change for Lockdown is that in the past they were known a great defensive team but this season they have emerged with the franchise’s best offensive cast.

 

Keys to Success

 

Les Affreux: It seems that every week a different offensive player turns to quarterback Mathieu Domon and says, “I can be your hero, baby.”  Del Bello, Dubois and Lemieux have shown that whenever they’ve needed to step up they have delivered.  Lockdown comes into this game having beaten Anthony Bozzo who is a very good running quarterback.  That being said, I think Domon is a very different animal.  He is intelligent and his experience in FPF is something worth accounting for. Daniel Bellefieulle has never sacked Gianfranco Ranaudo.  If he can get to Ranaudo and cause him to make some mistakes Domon will make Lockdown pay.

 

Lockdown: Lockdown’s offence has been very strong this season.  The one thing that I still take issue with is that once in a while they just don’t click.  An example of this is when they almost threw the game away against Team Ethnik.  They must keep their momentum going if they expect to be successful.  Gainfranco Ranaudo has to let the game come to him and not force the issue if the game doesn’t start off as planned. Receiver of the year Geoffry Brown and fellow big man Alex Geurtin need to be featured in this game as their ability to box out receivers is unparalleled and they are playing a team in Les Affreux who are athletic but not necessarily the biggest group of men.

 

Prediction: Les Affreux by 3 points.

 

Young Bloodz (4) vs. TCO (5)

 

The Young Bloodz had somewhat of a difficult season despite clinching their division on the final week of play. They want to come out this week and show that this has helped them grow.  TCO come into this one after a narrow victory against the Centurions. With an up and down season behind them they also look to prove that they belong with the big boys.

 

Keys to Success

 

Young Bloodz: Kevin Boustany has learned so much in his first years as a quarterback.  One such lesson has been that his athleticism is a weapon, not a crutch.  Facing TCO he is going to see a defense that plays a lot of man.  When they are in man, it will allow Boustany to gain big yardage on the ground.  Another lesson learned by the young qb is to go to Alex Haddad often.  Having made 71 catches this season it is clear that the Young Bloodz like to use their snapper in their offense.  If Boustany can get the ball out of his hands quickly and into Haddad’s hands, they will be tough to stop.

 

TCO: They have the most talent in conference A.  Top to bottom, there is no team that should be able to go toe to toe with them.  However, we’ve seen that at times TCO has not looked dominant. If they get a good performance by quarterback Mathieu Bondoux and he can get the ball to Hoyte-Charles (Mr.Franchise) and Rupcic (Scrub) then they should be able to pull away early.  An interesting playmaker who does not get a lot of press is Curtis Drakes.  While Drakes doesn’t play on offense often he always seems to make a huge play when he’s on. If TCO can use their athletes to stretch the field they will see yet another week of free football.

 

Prediciton: TCO by 11

 

Conference B

 

Checkmate (1) vs. Overthrowners (11)

(By Mathieu Domon)

 

Overthrowners shocked the FPF community last weekend by upsetting the heavily favored Moose.  Their offense looked very good scoring 53 points against a defense that allowed only 22 points per game during the season.  Checkmate is coming off an exceptional season and is very dangerous on both sides of the ball.Their success stems from their stability, their chemistry and their talent.

 

Keys to Success

 

Checkmate: They just need to play their game.  They are the better team; if they play their A game, they should have no problem winning this one.  Their defense is very talented and should be able to stop Beauregard and the Overthrowners more than once.  On offense, Anthony Carbone needs to take advantage of the short field in order to capitalize on turnovers.  Overthrowners will come into this one with a lot of confidence.  As such, getting off to a strong start will be very important for Checkmate.  In short, they need to put this one out of reach as quickly as possible.

 

Overthrowners: They need to play much better defense than they did last week.  Pier-Luc Beauregard put up some good numbers this year but I’m doubtful the he can put up 53 points against Checkmate (as he did against Moose).  They will also need to limit Alex David’s and Michael Carbone’s contributions. As David and Carbone, two of the top receivers in the division, combined for 107 catches and 1198 yards this season. It will be a long game for the Overthrowners if they cannot contain them.  Checkmate have not been in a lot of tight contests this season.  If Overthrowners keep the score close from start to finish they will have a chance to upset yet another highly regarded and high ranked competitor.

 

Prediction: Checkmate by 7

 

 

Black Ice (2) vs. Kingdom (9)

 

Black Ice came out of the B East division that saw 4 teams enter the playoffs and they played a full 10 weeks before being able to clinch the division.  Kingdom beat the Speed Demons during Wild Card Weekend in a tough defensive battle.  In week 5, Black Ice beat Kingdom 23-19.

 

Keys to Success:

 

Black Ice: As a defensive powerhouse such as Black Ice it is natural for us to look to two key stats: interceptions and sacks.  Nyle Anderson (9 interceptions) and Omar Naek (15 sacks) have been two of the best defensive players in the league this season.  Along with solid defenders such as Shane Blackwood and Ben Joseph it is evident that Black Ice would prefer this game to be a low scoring affair.  Kingdom scored less than 28 points a game during the season and if up to an early lead Black Ice has enough defensive strength to move forward and never look back.

 

Kingdom:  The difference last time these two teams played was extra point conversions.  This is an area that has plagued Kingdom in some games.  They will need to take advantage of every opportunity to put up points as Black Ice does not usually let teams score very often. Additionally, what Black Ice does well is make teams pay for their mistakes.  If Puklicz can avoid costly errors and get the ball to the Ceceres in open space this game can be theirs for the taking.

 

Prediction: Kingdom by 3 points

 

Turf Toe Inc. (3) vs. Aces (7)

 

In the last time these two teams faced off Turf Toe Inc beat Aces by a final score of 39-26.  Since then Turf Toe went on to have a remarkable 8-1-1 season claiming their division at the same time. The Aces on the other hand had very solid season in their own right and they’re coming off a huge and emotional win against Limetime.

 

Keys to Success:

 

Turf Toe Inc: Quarterback Kevin Lubin is one of the most experienced, intelligent and physically gifted players in division 5.  TTI will need him to come up big in this one.  If Kevin can dissect the Aces defense the way he did in the first game of the season this game will swing in their favor.  Receivers Jon Painchaud, Bruno Lajoie, and Patrick St-Louis have developed into Kevin’s favorite targets.  His ability to spread the ball yet get the ball to playmakers when needed has been Lubin’s MO all season.  The Aces have also had trouble stopping the run all season.  Teams have averaged 9.4 yards per carry against the Aces and they’ve allowed 5 rushing touchdowns against.  If TTI can take advantage of these issues they will win.

 

Aces: Doug McKernan has most likely figured out that the Turf Toe defense, while strong is somewhat a matter of smoke and mirrors.  Matteo Meccola has shown that while he is a solid rusher his numbers somewhat tailed off in later weeks this season.  Moreover, while Yavar Ashfari has been the team’s best defender McKernan is smart enough to keep the ball away from him and attack other weak points on the Turf Toe defense.  The toughest matchup for the TTI defense is Aces standout wide receiver Derek Daoust.  He is a large dude and his physical and aggressive approach to the game may be difficult for Turf Toe to defend.  Jordan Alexis was a big factor in last week’s win against Limetime. He will need to have another big game is the Aces are to advance.

 

Prediction: TTI by √36

 

J’s (4) vs. Two and A Half Dans (5)

 

The J’s are led by talented and experienced FPF veteran quarterback Hai Minh Luong.  He has a penchant for protecting the ball and this season was his best yet, throwing 41 touchdowns during the regular season. Rookie Joey Taylor takes the snaps for Two and a Half Dans and his rookie campaign saw him throw 54 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions.  This will truly be a battle of experience versus wise and capable.

 

J’s

 

Alexandre Chasse is one of the best receivers in Division 5.  He can be the difference maker as his solid route running and great speed will help to get him open.  On defense the J’s need to be active in their zones and capitalize when Joey Taylor is throws on the run.  Despite being a very mobile quarterback, Taylor often leaves balls hanging when being forced to throw on the run.  If they can capitalize on this, then Hai Minh Luong will need to come out on offence, be careful with the ball and score as often as possible.

 

Two and a Half Dans

 

Their defense is quirky but they have the athletes and the team speed to pull it off.  As Luong is a quarterback who likes makes a lot of pre-snap reads he may struggle against their unorthodox style. Offensively I’d like to see Danny McFee get the ball in open space.  The J’s are not a great tackling team and McFee is great at picking up YAC’s.  If they can avoid the J’s defenders the Dan’s will come out ahead on this one.

 

Prediction: Dans by 2.5 (I had to)

 

Reflections Rants and Ravings

 

• The ending of the Moose/Overthrowners game reminded me of a Golden Tate type photo finish in this past NFL season.
• After throwing an interception late in his division 4 game against the family Kevin Lubin did not take the field for the remaining couple of plays. NPI were only 6 players in this game and if I was one of his teammates I would not have been pleased.
• Referee Jason Leclerc should win the award for FPF’s best dad.  While refereeing he managed to keep both the teams on the field and his three young children (whom he was taking care of) in check.
• Spacebars were real.  They were chocolate coated, orange filled ice-cream bars.  I could not have imagined this.
• 5 of the eight games were won by the favorites. Degenerate gamblers beware.
• Joey Taylor ran for 103 yards this week and won while Samuel Holden of the Speed Demons rand for 101 yards and lost.  I find this interesting.
• Of all the award winners who entered the playoffs only Geoffry Brown’s team (Lockdown) made it past the wildcard round.
• If diamond can truly cut anything, this summer, I want a lawnmower with diamond tipped blades.  Rocks: I’m coming for you!

 

The Weekly Wrap Up

 

With a wild wildcard weekend in the books we move on to see how the top ranked teams in the division will fare against the battle-tested. In the meantime let us know what you think of this article, my podcast, or the color purple by emailing me at [email protected]. If brevity is your friend you can tweet me @PeezeFPF.

 

This week’s Calling the Audible is the only way to get extended coverage of this playoff season.  Tune in at http://fpf.podomatic.com, or so subscribe now on iTunes. This week join this week’s co-host, Matt Domon in studio as we discuss last week’s games, the all-star selections and the games to come.  This week’s musical theme is: Peeze’s Concrete Rose Garden