Peeze’s Playbook (Div.5) Week 4 – FlagPlus Football League

There is a reason that we, as players are proud members of FPF. The things that separate it from most leagues are numerous, we keep stats, we have great referees (for all of our complaining we know it’s better than anywhere else), a player run disciplinary body, weekly articles such as this one, live podcasts/webcasts, interactive community (Facebook/Twitter with league employees), live play by play for the finals, and more. In face there are two aspects that truly make playing in the league a unique experience and we get to live through it this week.

Each season, Flag Plus Football honors many of it’s distinguished players, staff members and referees by inducting them into the Hall of Fame. As of last night the league ha inducted Robbie Robinson, Pat Jerome, Donald Sheppard and Moe Khan (as a media member/builder) into the hall of fame. It is a impressive feat to be honored in the Hall of Fame and could not have one to more deserving gentlemen. Two more players will be inducted and I have the privilege to announce both of these newest members on the Division 4 and Division 5 podcasts tonight. Tune into Division 4’s Calling the Audible, at 7:30 followed immediately by Divsion 5’s Flag Plus Bromance on www.theunclehood.com, to catch the live announcements.

Another way that Flag Plus Football enhances the playing experience is by having the media members engage in a fantasy draft of its players. For the first time in league history we will be doing a draft for each division and in order to pay tribute to division 5 as the first division to run a fantasy draft we will be filming the live draft and posting the video shortly after. More information to follow in this article.

Now for a public service announcement…

Wrong Time of the Month for LSU

For those of us who are fortunate and unfortunate enough to have a female significant other. You know, that there is a specific time each month when our ladies are not themselves. For Lachine Squad Utopians who faced off against Pardon My Swag (who’s initials allowed me to make such unspeakable inferences) this may have been the case. Given that, despite their struggles, LSU has played good defence all season and they did manage to put up 33 points this week, a 42-33 loss to PMS is somewhat unexpected. This week, Bruno Pierre-Pelletier did not appear behind the snapper and Jamal Garner and Jamie Harry took the reins at quarterback. Harry put up 4 touchdowns, including one on the ground (which capped off a nice 65 yard rushing performance). Pelletier did contribute on offence as he caught two touchdowns in this game. Despite his athleticism and the team’s apparent flexibility and ability to move players around, this did not result in a victory.

On the other side of the ball, Shawn ‘Murder-face’ Mudrosky had the best game of his career thus far as he threw for 236 yards and 7 touchdowns. However, as amazing a game as he had, he was not the star in this one. Jonathan Petard caught 4 passes for 51 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he added two sacks and two interceptions. Pardon My Swag moves ahead of Lachine Squad Utopians and are scheduled to play their first game on the schedule that has been rescheduled to this week. Interested parties can find them at Stade Hebert on January 29^th at 9:30pm.

The Game Stays the Same for the Vikings

After a promising start to the season and ending last season 5-5 the Vikings looked to be on the rise. However, the team has now dropped two in a row to two of the top teams in the division. The question one should ask is whether or not the Vikings can compete against the division’s top dogs. Given quarterback Julien Ramsay’s performance this season, I would think so. Ramsay had an off day when he played the Game Changers this week as he threw 4 interceptions, nonetheless I do see promise. They face some stiff competition moving forward as only 3 of the remaining teams on their schedule have a losing record thus far. Either way, it will prove to be an interesting case study to see whether or not the Vikings can reach a new level of success.

The Game Changers are off to a hot start this week. A lot has been made of the red hot start by Anton Sakiz however, in a game where he underperformed, he definitely a little help from his teammates. Terrence Dobson intercepted the ball three times and scored a touchdown on each return. Moreover, Alvy Mizelle picked off another pass and this game spun out of control quickly. The best teams are those that can adjust on the fly and a team that can look like a defensive powerhouse one week and an offensive force the next, will be a contender down the road. The Game Changers win this one by a score of 34-6.

No Game is Expendable

Having started the season 0-2 and getting blown out in their first two weeks, the Expendables needed to look to turn their season around now. Starting Jared Blu at quarterback for the first time in his career looked to have been the right decision. He threw four touchdowns and Gabriel Waxman was the greatest beneficiary catching 4 passes for 51 yards and 2 touchdowns. Getting the win here is huge because going 0-3 in FPF is a veritable phantom zone for teams with post season aspirations.

Pick 6 suffers yet another close loss as they have now lost 3 games by a score or less. Martin Bergeron made his bid for all-star snapper as he caught 6 passes for 3 touchdowns. As a snapper I salute the effort. As a fellow player, my heart breaks for this loss. After Evan Ely Nolet marched Pick 6 down the field, got into the endzone and took a lead with 7 plays left, Evan watched helplessly as the game slipped away once the defense took the field. A missed defensive assignment on the last play of the game left the final score 30-27. Pick 6 now stands at 0-3 with a tough matchup against the Speed Demons awaiting them after the bye.

Dope Boys Keep Traction Despite Black Ice

Often in FPF, in a game between experience and inexperience we expect the more seasoned team to be victorious. However, the Dope Boys found a way to attack Black Ice and it worked. Lalonde found himself sitting in the pocket and receivers were wandering in the middle of the field. It seemed as though no matter what Black Ice did defensively, they were unable to stop the Dope Boys. Perhaps the most difficult player to defend was receiver, Nicholas Desrosiers who caught 5 touchdowns in this contest.

Not to be outdone, standout receiver Nyle Anderson caught 8 passes, recorded 148 yards and scored 5 touchdowns. I have said for a while that Anderson may be the best receiver in division 5 and he is definitely making his case. Black Ice lose this one to the Dope Boys by a score of 48-37 in one of the most entertaining games of this past week. They now stand at 1-2 with a tough game against the Ghosts next week.

Gryphons Spread Their Wings

Despite an opening week loss to the Centurions the Gryphons have since looked very strong. The Gryphons seemed to use that first week to figure out their pacing and to shake off the rust. Since then they have been playing very good football. Returning as the starting quarterback, Kevin Paul looked sharp this time around and moved the ball fairly effectively in the absence of Aleksander Papich. In addition to his 3 touchdown passes, Paul also intercepted a pass and was clearly ready to carry his team.

The Sphinx loss drops their record to 1-2 and the preseason obvious favorite seems to be struggling. In 3 games Etienne Cloutier has thrown almost half as many interceptions as he did all last season, and Mathieu Fafard is putting up his typically solid reveiving numbers but he has only found the endzone 3 times. Considering that the Sphinx usually count on Fafard to score an average of 15 touchdowns a season, he may have to step it up or they may continue to struggle. The Sphinx are still a strong team and will pose a threat to anyone they face on their schedule. They do lose this one to the Gryphons however by a final score of 19-18.

Five Plays ‘Till Half Time

We do this every week, Eagle asks some questions. I answer them with my typical distracted and partially lucid commentary and the game continues. Remember that the Eagle at Master Control is responsible for all the poor grammar and atrocious spelling. Feel free to send him links to language learning software @EagleFPF.

Eagle- Each division has a 3-0 team and an 0-3 team. Is this a coincidence?

Relax Mulder, there must be some sort of scientific explanation. There is no need to insinuate league-wide collusion. The fact of the matter is that teams have all played 2 games against their own division thus far. As teams are ranked into tiers and divided among the available sub-divisions what we’ve seen are the top echelon of teams have been feasting on the weaker ones. That being said, with a lot of out-of division play remaining teams will start to play teams that are closer to their levels. If I may use a highly paraphrased version of the famous Frank Miller quote:

“Gentlemen, you have eaten well. You’ve eaten division 5’s wealth; it’s spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on, none of you are safe.”

Eagle- Who are some receivers who are a matchup nightmare for most teams?

The one guy who jumps to mind is Jonathan Makris of Cheeseburger Eddy. I mentioned it on the division 5 podcast many times and I truly believe that it is difficult to manage his, speed, size, tenacity and ability to adjust to the ball once it’s in the air. Clearly, Phil Collins wrote the song In the Air for him.

Some equally horrific examples are Mendy Cardichon of Green Lantern Corps, Frederic Fortier of First Downers, Nyle Anderson from Black Ice and Vincent Vincelli of Clinique Physio Impact. There are many others but I accidentally closed that window on my browser.

Eagle- Are there any defensive players who are difficult to matchup against?

Peeze-The angle I decided to take here was that I would look at disruptive rushers. Coverage guys get a lot of press, so I figured let’s look at the guys who are in the Qb’s face all game long. Omar Naek has been driving quarterbacks crazy for many seasons and still has not lost a step. He rarely misses a flag, heis fast and has a motor that keeps running.

Other notables are Vincent Vincelli, Phillippe Vincellette of Mad Bears, and Justin Filteau of the Game Changers.

Eagle-What’s the biggest mistake you’ve seen team’s make so far this season?

Peeze-Perhaps the biggest mistake I keep making is continuously asking Eagle to send me these questions. More seriously, I would have to say the 0-3 teams tend to add plays to their offensive playbook. If your offense isn’t working it is time to add by subtraction. Stick with the things you know will work and use that to build toward future success.

Eagle- FPF rules, 6-6, FPF sized field, Denver vs. Seattle, who wins?

Peeze- I like this one. I’ll take the Denver Broncos even if Manning has to play defense. I have a multitude of reasons for this. Firstly, Marshawn Lynch’s stiff arm would be categorized as a flag guard every time. Aside from that seeing Peyton Manning operate in an offensively driven league (not unlike the NFL) where defences can’t press the receivers would be beautiful.

For the big game give me Denver-3.

Hungover Visions of the World of Tomorrow

As the week started, I was very confident about how my picks would turn out. The first 9 games went exactly as I predicted. However, I am still looking for my first ever perfect week of picks given that I ended with a sterling, but not unblemished, 13-5. Still, despite my best efforts I fell somewhat behind Mat Domon again and still trail him as our season totals are 33-20 (.623) and 28-15 (.651) respectively. Mat, I’ll cut you! I don’t mean physically of course but emotionally, where it really hurts. For those who want to show your support please tweet #PeezesPicks to @MatDomonFPF.

Week 4’s picks are as follows:

Cougars vs. Team Physio Impact

Los Banditos vs. Expendables

Hit Squad vs. Ballz Deep

Gryphons vs. Tune Squad

Green Lantern Corps. Vs. Loose Cannons

Centurions vs. Mysterious and Magical Men

Midnight Bombers vs. Lachine Squad Utopians

J’s vs. Game Changers

Les Albatros vs. Pardon My Swag

A-Squad vs. Shamrocks

Mad Bears vs. Blue Balls of Destiny

Speed Demons vs. Pick 6

Cheeseburger Eddy vs. First Downers

Ghosts vs. Black Ice

Sphinx vs. Limetime

Dope Boys vs. Tyrants

Montreal’s Junior finest vs. Warriors

Tomahawk Nightmare vs. Vikings

Injustice League: Fantasy Update

Just because this is a bye week it doesn’t make it a quiet one. Added to the excitement of the Hall of Fame announcements, the FPF Fantasy League will be making its return as of this Friday. We will be filming the division 5 and 4 draft much like we did last year. Make sure to catch the insults, the fun, and the hilarity. This year the following media members will be involved (note their team names in brackets).

Peeze (Peeze’s Punching Pandas)

Mat Domon (The Walking Domon)

Terry Tam- (Peanut Butter and Tam)

Eagle at Master Control (Barely Eagle XXX)

David Della Rocca (Duke of Hazard)

GM Koletheras (Kollectyoass)

Brent Callender (Sexy Firemen Calender)

Justin Blanchard (Unicorn Haterz Unite)

Moe Khan (MK Ultra Test Subject)

Additionally, the scoring for the league is as follows:

Quarterbacks :

1 point per10 yards passing
3 points per passing TD
1 point per 5 yards rushing
5 points per rushing TD
-2 points per INT
-1 points per Sack

WRs:
1 point per 5 yards
5 points per TD

Defense:
1 point per 3 tackles
1 point per 2 PDs
2 point per sack
3 point per INT
5 points per pick-six

Last year’s Win category for Defenses has been replaced with a point allowance system:
10 points for allowing 10 points or less
8 points for allowing 11-20 points
6 points for allowing 21-30 points
4 points for allowing 31-40 points
2 points for allowing 41-50 points
1 point for allowing 51 + points

Reflections, Rants and Ravings

The Centurions uniform makes me nostalgic for the Minnesota North Stars. To this day the North Stars had my favorite hockey uniform of all time.
On a related note, the first D5 game of the week will be filmed this week and as expected we will see the Centurions take on Mysterious and Magical Men.
I got a lot of positive reaction from last week’s poutine-themed article (http://flagplusfootball.com/news.php?article_id=814). Good to know that I am speaking to like-minded individuals. So say we all!
Only three quarterbacks are averaging 5 carries per game or more. Interesting to see how this run happy division has developed.
For all the praise thrown at Justin Melrose for his stellar defensive play, Cam Tonner leads the division in interceptions with 7.
The quote in the 5 Plays till Halftime section is from Batman: Year One, Frank Miller’s seminal masterpiece.
This week we will unveil the 5 hall of fame players and referee and staff member. Why not add more excitement to Super Bowl week.
The idea of FPF being broadcast on RDS is a topic that continuously comes up on the Facebook wall. Get me in the room with them boss, I’ll sell it!
Imagine cities looked more like their names; Cornwall would be ridiculous.

Start’em/Sit’em, Love’em/Hate’em

By Sergio Sicoli

In a terrifying world where Sergio Sicoli is God and he decides the fate of many (specifically 4 people a week…evidentially a micromanaging God) we take a look at which players he would start, who he would sit, who he loves and who he hates. Once a week one player will definitely fall into his hate pile but remember, that’s where all the hotties are and to the hated go the spoils.

Given that the FPF draft is around the corner, we went with a draft specific theme. I gave Sergio a list of 4 players who are doing well this season despite not necessarily putting up great fantasy numbers. To help our resident Fantasy experts I asked him to handle the following 4 players:

Start’em – Frank Kaye

Frank Kaye, or as I like to call him “The Pitbull”, is an FPF vet with 11+ seasons under his belt. Kaye has spent the majority of his career in FPF playing quarterback, this year he signs on with Pick 6 as a slot receiver. In his first 3 games, Kaye leads the team in catches and yards (15 catches, 148 yards 2 touchdowns). Being Kaye’s teammate I can assure you that he is the number 1 target in the redzone. Not only has Kaye that age doesn’t matter but he’s also proven that he is a must start in this seasons FPF Fantasy Football League.

Sit’em – Alexandre Picard

Alexandre Picard is participating in his first ever season in FPF with the First Downers and is playing fairly well. In his first 3 games he’s caught 14 balls for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. The one thing that is of concern is that the First Downers have plenty of offensive weapons on this team and the ball gets spread quite evenly. Since this is Picard’s first season, I need to see more before I put him in my “start’em” column.

Love’em – Mathieu Fafard

In his last 6 season in FPF, Fafard has found the endzone 91 times while accumulating exactly 3,000 yards in the process. He has led his team in these 2 categories almost every season. This season he’s amassed 154 yards and 3 touchdowns and leads the team in catches with 24. The chemistry built between Fafard and Etienne Clouthier over the past 6 seasons makes Fafard the clear number 1 target on this offense and he will continue to find the endzone week in and week out, there is no reason he shouldn’t be drafted in the FPF Fantasy Football League.

Hate’em – Mathieu Riendeau

Mathieu Riendeau is now playing in his second season in FPF with Les Albatros. Last winter he finished 6^th on the team in receiving yards (163) and 5^th in touchdowns (2) on a crowded offense. Through three games this season, Rieandeau has made great strides by leading the team with 14 catches while totalling 77 yards and 1 touchdown. Unfortunately the FPF Fantasy Football League is not a PPR format league and Riendeau simply does not accumulate enough touchdowns or yardage to be considered this season.

Power Rankings

Mysterious and Magical Men (3-0)- After the bye week, we MMM will face the Centurions and this game may determine who sits atop the rankings for the rest of the season.
Centurions (3-0)- Read above!
Game Changers (3-0)- I probably would have ranked them this high if they weren’t as dominant. Luckily, with the division’s 2^nd most prolific offence and top defense they are masking my bias quite well.
First Downers (3-0)- The First Downers have not scored more than 5 touchdowns in any of their games so far. They haven’t needed to and their loss column remains untouched.
Cougars (3-0)-They have put up big wins against very good opponents.
Cheeseburger Eddy (3-0) I’m finally starting to buy in; I am looking forward toward their pre-Valentine’s date with the First Downers in week 4.
Shamrocks (3-0)- This week Leon Holder quarterbacked in Doug McKernan’s absence and the Shamrock’s looked just as good.
J’s (2-1)- I like their +/-, I like their wins, they rank 8 on this list.
Mad Bears (2-1)- So far so goo for Thibault and co. If they keep playing this way I can see them rising up in these power rankings.
Pardon My Swag (2-0)-It may seem odd to have an undefeated team this low in the power rankings. However, they have only played two games and have only beaten two struggling teams. I think they are good but only time will tell if they are a truly dominant team.

Other Teams Receiving Votes

Speed Demons (2-1)- They did lose this past week but I do like how their schedule is set-up from here on out. This may be one of the few losses on their schedule.
Loose Cannons (2-1)-They did not answer the call this week as they did in fact loose to the J’s. That being said I believe their best football is ahead of them.
Los Banditos (2-1)-Despite a week 1 slip up, Los Banditos have looked solid.
Gryphons (2-1)-I don’t want to put too much stock into their week 1 loss. Some teams just come out flat; that may have been the case here as they look to be on the right path.
Ghosts (2-1)- Gaumont looks better each week and the Ghosts are starting to look scary. At least they would if Ghosts weren’t ethereal.

Thursday’s Tango Lesson

I have gotten so many responses from teams and players in the division. Each week I get team captain’s telling me about their teams, their aspirations, and their dark secrets. Last week’s Poutine articles got a lot of feedback. I guess it served as an excellent ice breaker as dudes contacted me about the list and then went on to talk about their respective teams. Join the party and let me know what’s up by emailing me at [email protected] or by tweetiong me @PeezeFPF.

Remember to catch the hall of fame announcements live at www.theunclehood.com starting at 7:30 PM EST. Interact with us by tweeting @EagleFPF and getting involved in the conversation. Want to appear on the show, it’s easy as contacting Terry @TerryTamFPF. If you can’t watch the show Terry and I can still satisfy your need. Visit http://fpf.podomatic.com or subscribe via iTunes.

See you on the fields, till then, thank you for letting me be myself.