Peeze’s Playbook (Div 5) – Week 10

 

“I moved through the days like a severed head that finishes a sentence.”-Amy Hempel

 

For years, the above quote haunted me and I think I’ve just now finally understood it.  I’ve been forced to miss three days of work and delayed the release of this article due to an injury I suffered in week 10.  The inability to wander around my own home comfortably and the lingering sleep brought upon by painkillers and anti-inflammatories yielded little else but hours of melancholy ridden dreams.

 

Writing this article I felt a little like the severed head that Hempel described. Writing until the end of sentences only to awake and realize I had no idea what I had written. Nonetheless, I digress.

 

The playoffs are on the horizon and there have been some tweaks to my article.  The rational behind this is that I wanted to offer more in depth coverage of the games played as well as the matchups to come.  These are my thoughts on the final week of the season; what I think of your teams and what I think will happen.  The winter season has come to an end and now the real season is just beginning.

 

Weekly Overview

 

This Season Perfection is spelled: C-H-E-C-K-M-A-T-E

 

The return of Anthony Carbone after a season ending injury this past summer has had a massive impact on the navy blue bombers.  His poise, leadership and comfort with the most feared receiving duo in division 5 (Michael Carbone and Alex David) has had Checkmate on the radar from week 1.  Julien Bellavance was acquired prior to the season to help the Checkmate defense and he has done just that.  His 13 interceptions led the division and the Checkmate defense proved to be particularly tough when it mattered most.  Checkmate allowed a meager average of 4.1 points against in the second half of games this season.  This week was no exception as they faced of against Flying Comics with the hopes of a perfect season on the line.

 

Without Frank Grenier in the lineup the Comics knew they would have an uphill battle ahead of them.  The first half was exactly that: a battle. Despite an early interception thrown by Jonathan Brown the Flying Comics were able to stop the Checkmate offence in the redzone on the following drive.  This would be the tale of the entire first half, as Checkmate would go into the second half up 7-6 and The Flying Comics looked hopeful as their playoff hopes hung in the balance.

 

Aside from a second touchdown pass caught by Ben Gendron, the second half was all Checkmate as touchdown catches by Alex David and Danio Addona combined with a pick six by Michael Carbone would put Checkmate up and there would be no turning back. Checkmate won the game 27-12 and saw their record become 10-0.  While this is an incredible feat of dominance, the blue and gold chess masters must now go into the bye week preparing for the playoffs.

 

To Kingdom Come

 

The J’s had already locked up conference B north and his matchup could have had more significance had this not been the case but Kingdom came out of the gates with something to prove.  Their 26-19 victory challenges the validity of the J’s 4 seed.  Quarterback Brad Puklicz was one his game and while 10 of his 14 completions did go to players named Cecere, it was Emilio Cecere who’s performance stood out catching 4 balls for 78 yards and 3 touchdowns.

 

The J’s got excellent production out of their standout receivers as Dusautois, Chasse and Tum each caught a touchdown pass.  While the J’s did lose a game that held little meaning for them (they were locked into the 4^th seed before the week began), they will need to be more efficient in the playoffs is they expect to be successful.

 

Moose Simply Aren’t Foolish Creatures

 

The Moose came into this one heavily favored and they did not disappoint.  The Beating was on early and it did not relent for the entire 44 minutes and 10 plays.  Etienne Moisan had a huge game catching 4 of Morisette’s 6 touchdown passes.  On the other side of the ball Lachapelle and Lauzon were swallowing flags to the tune of 7 a piece.  The Moose stomped all over Fools of the Country by a score of 47-13.

 

On the other side of the ball Étienne Guilmain had a decent game racking up a combined 181 yards (101 of which were on the ground).  What was clear in this one was that FOTC lacked the firepower to compete with the Moose and they will need to retool their team if they want to come back and see some success in the future.

 

DC Dominates Marvel

 

Week 10 was, no-doubt, a sad state of affairs for potentially senile, comic book guru Stan Lee.  Watching one of Manhattan’s most feared super villains fall to Coast City’s finest must not have been easy to swallow for the most prolific comic creator of all time. Needing a win and help to get them into the playoffs GLC needed to take care of business.

 

Jerson Previllon had his best career game throwing for 160 yards and 7 touchdowns.  Mendy Cardichon, was up to his typical antics, catching 8 balls for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Midseason pickup and infamous member of the French Toast Mafia, Philippe-Antoine Beauséjour added another 2 touchdowns as GLC walked away with the 46-33 win.

 

Green Lantern Corps had a noteworthy season that was cut short with the Young Bloodz beating the Love Cows and thus claiming the division. One must remember that the tiebreak was, won in the first week when the Young Bloodz beat GLC by a score of 25-7.  If GLC is able to keep the core of Previllon, Cardichon, Beauséjour, and Savoiz-Seguin together they will be a feared franchise down the line.

 

Venom added a huge free agent for this game.  Last summer’s rookie of the year (if FPF had such an award in any case), Shawn Steen appeared on the roster for Venom. Steen caught one of Muir’s 5 touchdown passes in a valiant effort.  Venom did not have a very good season and much of it was related to the fact that they had roster issues.  They need to decide whether or not they want to compete in this league and if so they will be forced to make some tough decisions in the offseason.

 

Centurions Go To War

 

In a must win game Centurions showed up big, beating Les Affreux 12-8.  Mathieu Dumont did just enough to put his boys in position to win and the defense did the rest.  Centurions knocked down 8 passes and Justin Melrose picked off another pass on his way to earning the defensive player of the year.

 

Les Affreux had already clinched division A south so this loss does not affect the standings at all.  Either way, I would imagine that a team would prefer to surge into the playoffs rather than back in.  Daniel Bellefeuille, had a remarkable game chalking up 4 sacks in a losing effort.

 

Final Standings

 

As usual the team names in bold represent those who have clinched a playoff berth.  These are the final standings and as such, the top four seeds have won their division and have earned a bye week.  For those teams falling out of the top 12 in their respective conference, there’s always next season.

 

 

Conference A		Points	Wins	+/-	Divisional
1	Project Mayhem	16	8	123	5-0
2	First Downers	16	8	102	3-1
3	Les Affreux	14	7	28	4-1
4	Young Bloodz	10	5	48	4-1
5	TCO	14	7	158	4-1
6	Lockdown	14	7	46	3-2
7	Primes	13	6	-10	3-2
8	Cougars	12	6	70	3-2
9	Les Maloudes	12	6	65	3-2
10	Les Albatros	12	6	54	3-2
11	Ecurie Bar Et Tables	12	6	22	2-3
12	Centurions	12	6	2	2-3
13	Dark Knights	12	5	37	2-2
14	Green Lantern Corps	10	5	21	2-3
15	Jaggerbomb	10	5	-40	2-3
16	Team Ethnik	8	4	39	2-3
17	X-Men	8	4	-10	4-1
18	C Difficile	8	4	-24	1-4
19	Love Cows	7	3	-38	3-2
20	C’Mon Man!	7	3	-80	2-2
21	Crooklyn Dodgers	7	3	-145	0-5
22	Tyrants	6	3	-26	2-3
23	BearSkins	6	3	-56	2-3
24	Venom	3	1	-155	0-5
25	Roughnecks	0	0	-280	0-5

 

 

Conference B		Points	Wins	+/-	Divisional
1	Checkmate	20	10	185	5-0
2	Black Ice	18	9	127	5-0
3	Turf Toe Inc	17	8	143	5-0
4	J’s	13	6	18	3-1-1
5	Two and a Half Dans	18	9	152	4-1
6	Moose	16	8	173	3-2
7	Aces	14	7	94	3-1
8	Speed Demons	13	6	84	4-1
9	Kingdom	12	6	20	4-1
10	Limetime	12	6	101	1-4
11	Overthrowners	11	5	-23	3-1-1
12	The Hangovers	10	5	20	2-2
13	Flying Comics	9	4	13	2-3
14	Those Guys	9	4	32	1-4
15	Golden Girls	8	4	27	3-2
16	Ballz Deep	8	4	-74	2-2
17	Big Blue Wrecking Crew	8	4	-35	1-4
18	Warriors	8	4	-80	1-4
19	Pendant Publishing	7	3	-50	2-2
20	Dolphins	6	3	-55	2-3
21	Warhawks	6	3	-96	2-3
22	Loose Cannons	4	2	-133	2-3
23	Fools of the Country	2	1	-156	0-5
24	Manatees	2	1	-250	0-6
25	Hamsterdam Cornerboys	0	0	-188	0-5

 

*This table appears courtesy of the Eagle at Master Control.  While he is great at organizing information in tables such as this one I do not recommend purchasing any tables or other actual furniture he created.  Seriously the dude is the worst handyman of all time. He thought a socket wrench was a bionic device implemented into ones shoulder.  

 

Bracket Breakdown

 

This isn’t a bracket in the same way you would see an NCAA basketball bracket but it was a cool title, so I went with it.  Week after week you will see my thoughts on the upcoming payoff games and either be over confident or come out intent on proving me wrong.  Just remember, I am making my selections based on the matchups set before me on paper.  However, despite how infinitely gentle paper is to ones ankle as compared to grassy turf, the game isn’t played on paper.  Here are my thoughts.

 

 

Playoffs

 

Conference A

 

TCO (5) vs. Centurions (12)

 

This is a rematch of a previous game where Centurions upset TCO by a score of 21-19.  The second half of TCO’s season has not gone terribly well (going 3-2 in their last 5 games).  Despite that they have one of the best collections of talent in division 5. Centurions have battled against all odds this season and have proven to be one of the most resilient teams this season.

Keys to Success

 

TCO: Triangular Circus Operators, have one of the most athletic and disruptive defences.  Mathieu Bondoux has improved steadily and his ability to stretch the field on offence is uncanny. Interestingly, despite the presence of such names such as Akeem Hoyte-Charles and Matthew Rupcic, no single receiver stands out that far above the rest when one were to glance at the stat sheet.  Perhaps this depth is the true strength of their team.  If they spread the ball and are able to take a lot of deep shots against the Centurions then this game can get out of hand quickly.

Centurions: For the Centurions to be effective they will need to shorten this game.  What they do well is play rugged defense and effective offence. I don’t think they will be able to keep up should this game become a shoot out.  An interesting question would be who will play quarterback for the Centurions Jean-Francois Cloutier or Mathieu Dumont.  They have had more success with Cloutier and he did start when they beat TCO during the season.  It is the playoffs however, so, who knows?

 

Predictions: TCO by 6 points

 

Lockdown (6) vs. Ecurie Bar et Tables (11)

 

By winning their last 7 games Lockdown has been one of the hottest teams at the end of this 2013 winter season.  Ecurie have been somewhat surprising but with an experienced leader at Quarterback and a team full of quick and athletic receivers this may prove to be one of the more exciting games on the docket.

Keys to Success

 

Lockdown:  Now armed with a new exceptional defender in Jacques Louisdort, Lockdown has the experience and the talent on both sides of the ball to do damage in the playoffs.  Gianfranco Rannaudo is the key here.  If he plays well, Lockdown will win.  If he goes into meltdown then they will not stand a chance.  They have three of the biggest, most imposing receivers in the league in Alex Geurtin, Zaf Fardellas and Geoffry Brown. If Lockdown can capitalize on their size and experience than this should be no contest.

Ecurie Bar Et Tables: Anthony Bozzo is an interesting quarterback.  He is not native to the position but his athleticism and knowledge of the game make him a deadly quarterback.  In the games where he’s had Vincent Vincelli, the two have torn it up.  One advantage of having Bozzo as a Quarterback is that his knowledge of the rushing position will allow him to take advantage of Lockdown rusher Steve Lamery who is very fast but still not very experienced.  If Ecurie can put up enough points than this game should be theirs.  I like Ecurie in a close game whereas, if either of these two teams were to win in a blowout I would guess Lockdown.

 

Prediction: Lockdown by 3 points.

 

Primes (7) vs. Les Albatros (10)

 

The Primes were the most successful spin-off of last season’s Crooklyn Dodgers team. Albatros are a new team in FPF but have not looked it at all this season.  They’re solid athletes and have not been an easy-out for anyone this season.  However, the only time they have looked like novices is against experienced teams (going 2-4 against returning FPF franchises). 

 

Keys to Success

 

Primes: Adamo Iadeluca has, for the most, part looked good and when star receiver Tony Testa plays, this QB/WR duo is scary to most defenses.  They will need to pick their spots in this one.  If they can keep hitting Albatros with jabs they can then open up the offence and start hitting them with big hooks and uppercuts.  A careful balance will be the Primes path to success in this game.

 

Albatros: Speed, Speed, Speed.  That is all. Albatros has the speed to cause havoc on either side of the ball. Sebastien Thibault is an incredible dual threat quarterback and will be difficult for the Primes defense to contain.  If their plan is to take away his ability to run, he has a strong enough arm to make them pay. Antoine Brisson is a player to watch in this game.  He has a knack of turning catches into touchdowns and the Albatros will need to production from him to be successful.  If they get up early in this game they can use their speed to undercut routes and force turnovers. They will need a lead in order to be aggressive on defense.

 

Prediction: Albatros by 9

 

Cougars vs. Maloudes

 

Cougars’ Erminio Iadeluca was one of FPF’s first superstars (way back in 2005) and this season has reminded everyone of just what he is capable of.  Lining up against him will be FPF rookie Shawn LaFortune who has been excellent this season, emerging as one of the division’s top quarterbacks.

 

Keys to Success

 

Cougars: The Cougars need to came out like gangbusters early in the season and won their first 5 games.  However they sort of backed into the playoffs as they, one of the first half favorites, went 1-4 to end the season.  For the Cougars to win this game they need their offence to mask their defensive shortcomings.  They will need to rely on the steady production of their receiving corps (Charles, Priess, Petraroia, Conforti and Souza).  During the season all 5 of these receivers had 25+ catches.  This kind of consistency is what they will need to advance.

 

Les Maloudes: Les Maloudes have beaten teams with strong FPF pedigrees this season (Dark Knights, Love Cows, Lockdown, Centurions).  They would like nothing more than to add a stuffed Cougar’s head affixed above the mantle.  And PETA members should be reminded that I am speaking metaphorically of course. The Lafortune/St.Amand connection is special and difficult to guard.  If Les Maloudes can find ways to expose the Cougars static defense they will win.

 

Prediction: Maloudes by 13   

 

 

 

Conference B

 

Two and a Half Dans (5) vs. The Hangovers (12)

 

This game comes down to youth vs. experience.  Having lost talented players such as Pierre-Marc Lachaine, Timothé Morin-Gauthier and JP St-Pierre, The Hangovers are somewhat a shadow of who they once were.  They face a new team with no previous FPF experience and hope that this will prove advantageous for them.

 

Keys to Success

 

Two and a Half Dans

 

Led by an impressive rookie quarterback in Joey Taylor, the Dans are a youthful, energetic team.  They are the new breed in FPF.  Every season we see teams with little experience but a lot of athleticism have success and build on it toward the future.  For this team to be successful they will need to capture that youthful energy hat has gotten them this far.  Danny Alward emerged as a top tier receiver in this division and he will have to do some damage if the Dans expect to win the game.  The question arises whether or not they will be able to get through tough times if the game doesn’t start out as they plan.  In that case the prescription would be to score a lot and early, thus forcing the Hangovers to have to rely on big plays to comeback.

 

The Hangovers

 

The stats over the past couple of weeks may fool you;  Bruno-PierrePelletier is an excellent quarterback.  While he doesn’t have all the weapons that we’ve seen on their roster in the past, he does have a group of players that he is very comfortable with.  The Hangovers are a group of big players play a very physical style that may prove to be frustrating for the Dans.  If they can play efficiently, they can surprise Two and A Half Dans in this one.  In the red zone I expect snapper Yann Larocque to be a particularly difficult matchup.

 

Prediction: The Hangovers by 2 points

 

Moose (6) vs. Overthrowners (11)

 

Moose recovered from an adequate but unfulfilling summer season in this past summer to become one of the stronger wildcard teams in this season’s playoffs.  The Overthrowners were a team that few expected to even make the playoffs and have played with a chip on their shoulder all season long.  The Moose are intent on trying to prove that they are as strong as the top seeds and the Overthrowners are trying to prove everyone wrong. In their previous matchup, the Moose won 47-19

 

Keys to Success

 

Moose: The Moose have a very dynamic receiving corps and are led into battle on the rocket arm of quarterback of the year Frédérick Morisette.  Morisette is a mobile quarterback who throws as well on the run as he does while sitting in the pocket. The receiving trio of Aceus, Moisan and Drouin is enough to keep any defense up at night. Defensively, the Moose are solid but I think their quick strike offense will be the difference in this one.

 

Overthrowners: For Overthrowners to be successful in this one they need to control the pace on both sides of the ball.  Defensively, they need to take away the long ball.  This would force the Moose to have to march down the field and thus taking time off the clock in hopes of keeping this game close.  Offensively, they would need to run the play clock and be particularly efficient as they make their way down the field.  If Beauregard can limit his mistakes and they can be efficient than Overthrowners may find themselves in position to pull off the upset.

 

Prediction: Moose by 16 points.

 

Aces (7) vs. Limetime (10)

 

In a game that will field all 4 Daoust brothers split evenly between both teams, I expect this game to be the loudest and potentially most entertaining of the bunch. This was one of the hardest matchups for me to pick, luckily, I write the breakdown before the prediction section.

 

Keys to success

 

Aces: Doug McKernan has been one of the best quarterbacks in division 5 this season.  Armed with talented receivers such as Derek and Devin Daoust as well as Jordan Alexis, Aces will need to score a lot of points if they expect to win this one.  What McKernan has done well all season is ensuring the involvement of roll players like Brandon Taylor and Evan Ely Nolet in his offense.  If he can move the ball as efficiently as he has all season and spread it around to all his receivers the Aces will be tough to stop. 

 

Limetime: The matchup between Aces quarterback Doug McKernan and Limetime rusher (and two-way player of the year) David Daoust will be very interesting.  If Daoust can get to McKernan and force errors there are plenty of players on the Limetime roster who can make him pay. One such player is Mike Zenone.  He is a speedy player with incredible ball skills. Offensively, Manning needs to attack the Aces in the middle of the field.  It has been difficult for them to defend all season and I think an intelligent quarterback such as him will notice that early.  At times the Aces have had tackling issues and as such guys like David and Dilan Daoust can have a field day if this is the case on wildcard weekend.

 

Prediction: Aces by 3

 

Speed Demons (8) vs. Kingdom (9)

 

This is a matchup between two teams who started the season off quite strong, struggled through the middle of their schedule and caught a second wind late in the season. I expect this game to be a very strategic game and the team that executes will have their hand raised in victory.

 

Keys to success

 

Speed Demons

 

The Speed Demons are a collection of intelligent and competent defenders.  Bryan Nguyen and Alex Lewis are two of the craftiest defenders in this league and it is great to see them turn their franchise around in one short season (after going 3-7 in the spring).  In order for the to win Nguyen and Lewis will need to clamp down on the opposition’s playmakers.  Offensively, we have seen the development of quarterback Samuel Holden and top receiver Eric Pawlusiak as both have seen outstanding statistical improvement from last season.  Holden will need to be careful and effective with the ball.  If he can keep it away from a very aggressive Kingdom defense the Speed Demons will be painting the town red.

 

Kingdom

 

One of the best receivers when it comes to YACs is Joseph Cecere.  If he is able to carve up the Speed Demons defense the way he does to most offenses, this game could be there’s.  Their rotating D has made offenses dizzy all season and since it is not something common for the lower divisions (although I’ve seen more teams doing it this season than ever before) then we can see them forcing errors from the Speed Demons offence.

 

Prediction: Kingdom by 2 points

 

The League of Really Ordinary Gentlemen

 

So the fantasy season has ended.  It is with great bitterness that I would like to name Alex D’Aquila, The Eagle at Master Control, champion.  The only way I can console myself is that as I expect the Eagle’s alcohol tolerance to be the lowest of all the participants and therefore the cheapest bet to pay out.  Oh and Simon Dagenais finished in last place! That also makes me quite happy.

 

Teams:

 

Pos.	G.M. Koletheras Dances with Love Cows	Peeze The Big Poppa Peezes	Simon Dagenais Dragonateurs	The Eagle Birds of Prey
QB.	(1)Doug McKernan (Aces)	(1) Mark Andre Theberge (First Downers)	(1)Frederic Morrissette (Moose)	(1)Joe Taylor (Two and a Half Dans)
QB.	(7)Mathieu Domon (Affreux)	(5)Simon Duchesne (Jaggerbomb)	(2) Shawn Lafortune (Les Maloudes)	(5) Brad Puklicz (Kingdom)
WR	(2)Tony Testa (Primes)	(2) Matthew Priess (Cougars)	(3)WR: Alexandre Chasse (Js)	(2)Michael  Carbone (Checkmate)
WR	(3)Frederic Fortier (First Downers	(3)Dave Daoust (Limetime)	(5)Jonathan Frate (Big Blue Wrecking Crew)	(3)Jonathan Legault (First Downers
WR	(4)Anthony Da Ponte (Black Ice)	(6)Alex Haddad (Young Bloodz)	(6) Simon Lahaie (Love Cows)	(4)Derek Daoust (Aces)
WR	(5)Andre Frederick (Tyrants)	(7)Patrice Clement (The Hangovers)	(7)Niel Etinson (Bearskins)	(7) James Nowakowski (Prj. Mayhem)
WR	(6)Emilio Cecere (Kingdom)	(8) Alex Lewis (Speed Demons)	(8) Akeem Hoyte-Charles (TCO)	(8) Suhael Brohi (X-Men)
DEF	(8)Checkmate	(4) Defense: Kingdom	(4) Turf Toe Inc	(6)Jaggerbomb
Scoring	1579.7	1417.2	1272.7	1593.8

 

*For information bout scoring please refer to Week 5 of my article, Peeze’s Playbook.

 

Reflections Rants and Ravings

 

• Frank Kaye of C Difficile gave me hell.  In my eyes, that kind of makes me more legit. He then informed me that the QB situation for C Difficile was related to his injury (sustained last spring).  He then went on to thank his team for a great season although it hadn’t gone as planned.
• Speaking of Frank Kaye, on week 9’s Calling the Audible, Kevin Lubin said that Kaye would make the playoffs.  That’s why Kevin doesn’t have his own show.
• The Eagle won the fantasy league and Simon Dagenais (@Dagenaisfpf) beat me in the weekly picks.  Time for self-reflection.
• The playoffs are beginning and there are only two season rematches in week one.  I’m not sure how but I’m pretty sure this indicates that there is parity.  Or at least that there are 50 teams.
• Dudes should be required to wear shorts during games!  For a more detailed, angry rant listen to this week’s Calling the Audible.
• During half time in the Affreux/Centurions game Daniel Bellefeuille urinated in a bottle and cast it aside.  Later that game Mathieu Dubois drank from that same bottle mistaking it for yellow Gatorade.  Lesson learned: Bellefeuille, my man, you’ve got to hydrate!

 

Predictions

 

So it’s official Simon was the better man when it came to picking games.  I took some chances that did not pay off in week 10 leading me to a 15-9 record in the final week.  Simon wrapped up the week going 20-4.  Our final records were 131-85 and 151-65 respectively.  I am certain he has gone to great lengths to let you all know of this feat.  I will retort simply by saying congratulations Simon.  I would also add that while playing in two divisions his teams did not combine for as many wins as my beloved Checkmate.

 

Weekly Wrap-Up

 

Let the tournament begin! If by now you don’t know how to contact me then it means you haven’t been reading all along but here is my contact info just in case: [email protected]or you can tweet me @PeezeFPF. 

 

Division 5’s ‘Calling the Audible’, is available via iTunes or at http://fpf.podomatic.com, and it is the only way to get more in depth coverage about the division.  Tune in for news, breakdowns and all sorts of nonsense and tomfoolery. This week GM Koletheras and I will go over the playoff matchups and we’ll get his thoughts on what he thinks will happen.  A very special, surprise guest will also be joining us.  This week’s musical theme is the Phil Collins playlist.  I usually have something cleverer for this but Phil Collins is too awesome for puns.