Categories: DivisionDivision CMen'sSpring

Playing For Keeps: The World Outside My Window

After what felt like a long 6 weeks off, FPF has finally returned just in time to rescue us from the drab and dreary Montreal May. With rain abundant in eternal downpour, varying from drizzle to deluge, dashing our hopes and dreams for a beautiful summer and keeping us relegated to the status of a house cat; FPF returns like a crisp June zephyr. Beaconing us to endure a bit longer in exchange for promises of music, sun, terrasses and blissful day dreaming, the spring season kickoff is a small token of the beautiful days to come. Remain steadfast my friends, and leave your worries for a while and join me in celebrating our division with a breakdown of each team and a preview of the week to come. 

 

Division C: Conference A

  1. Backyard Bullies 

Regardless of whether this team finds a full time rusher or not, they are dominant. Rich Humes is on a remarkable career arc, and throwing in Div B will only make the defenses in this division seem that much more buttery. This will very likely be his final season in div 4/C, so expect him to push hard for the championship and QBOY award. Bringing back Hall of Famer Vinny Gualano was a no-brainer. He’ll pair with Steve Sanner to create one of the fastest and most formidable two-way duos in the division. Alex Moreau was a solid, low-key addition to bolster this already strong lineup. Expect him to make major contributions on both sides of the ball. They are on a preseason collision course with The Commission in the conference A finals. I like their athleticism and championship pedigree to give them the leg up on the rest of the division.

Roster Strength: A

  1. The Commission

TC is coming off a strong winter season that ended abruptly against a team that will not be named. We’re all eager to see if the Sean Avraam we saw in div 3 was the real deal. If the Dad Bod can duplicate his performance from winter, with this filthy loaded roster, TC will be incredibly dangerous and in business as one of the premier contenders. Even if his play regresses somewhat, this supporting cast will be able to win games in bunches. The addition of Jordan Allard and AJ Gomes will be huge for the offense. The duo gives Avraam a pair of tall, fast, exact route runners to spread the defense thin. Matthew Petrone was the best defensive offseason acquisition of any team in the division. He will anchor this defense from the middle of the field. His field presence is incredible, as the ball always tends to gravitate towards him. Eddy Lee and Domenic Benevento provide the type of high caliber depth that championship teams are made of. TC has always been known for putting out a competitive roster, but this iteration is special.

Roster Strength: A

  1. Jagerbomb

Last season, I stated on the div 4B press conference that I’m a big fan of Simon Duchesne at QB, and that statement remains true once again. Booked in as a perennial top 5 QB in whatever division he competes in, he is an understated gunslinger who employs the type of rhythmed, quick-throw play style that excels in the indoor game. The roster remains pretty much unchanged from the winter season, with Gabriel Moreau-Paquette and Jean-Felix Daloze serving as the top two targets. However, as always, Duchesne will spread the ball equally to his reliable cast and Karl Forgues and Felix Fontaine-Larouche will be called upon often to help drive this offense. With no major offseason acquisitions, keeping the core together was the main focus for this team, as they play with incredible chemistry and make each other better when they play together. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts when it comes to Jagerbomb, and they look forward to once again showing us that they are criminally underrated each season. I’m interested to see how they handle a brutal opening two games against both teams listed above them.

Roster Strength: B

  1. Junkyard Dogs

If I’m not yet a believer in Jason Rossie as a mid-level FPF QB, this season is his chance to prove me wrong. He’s an intelligent offensive mind who knows how to run a successful offense, but he seems to go on tilt too often when the game doesn’t go as planned. With Carmine Pollice, Rossie will have one of the top signal callers in the history of the league tutoring him firsthand. This will be monumental, as Pollice will be able to show JYD the nuances of the game that define the elite echelon. Despite the gravitas that Pollice commands on the field, I still think the best thing for this offense will be to run the ball through Jacob Bernett. He’s an explosive receiver who creates wonders with the ball in his hands. The loss of Hugo Allamano hurts, but with Pollice moving the chains and Bernett spreading the defense out, they’ll need to leverage Alexandre Noel’s underrated talent in order to maximize their offensive potential. I’m interested to see what they can get out of Jonathan Makris. He was a devastating receiver a few years back with the Park X boys, but they’ll need to brush off the dust and get him back up to speed in a hurry. If they can summon the 2013/2014 Makris, to go along with the rest of the core, this has the makings of well balanced offense that can eat up the time of possession. All eyes on Rossie, who needs a top 5 season to make this team a premier contender.

Roster Strength: B+

  1. Blue Chips

They impressed us all last season by posting a 7-3 record in a tough division 4B in only their second season. The chemistry between the trio of Mitchells is what fuels this team. If it wasn’t for a few turnover prone games at the end of the season, Jordan Mitchell would have had an incredible stat line in his first full campaign at QB. He’ll need to play more like early season MVP form of himself this season against improved defenses. Still, his ability to escape the pocket and buy time with his legs is incomparable in this league. Marcus Mitchell is a two-way monster. If there’s a contested jump ball in traffic, you can bet he’ll come down with it. He’s also an incredibly versatile player on defense, capable of disrupting the QB as rusher, or causing turnovers in the secondary. Sanders Armand and Jose Baba are two additional players to look out for on this formidable defense, both coming off very impressive winter campaigns. Look for this team to build their identity through defense, with Mitchell keeping his turnovers down on offense by mixing in runs and safer passes. If they can do that, they’ll win plenty of games once again.

Roster Strength: B-

  1. Home for Hollandaise

What an impressive roster to go with a ridiculously creative team name. Kudos to these guys for winning the offseason award for “best team name / best roster” and not the other way around. Still, with speedsters like Justin Blanchard and Juwan Edgehill creating space vertically, and precision route runners like Jean-Daniel Joly and Nicolas Saro eating up space underneath, there’s no better receiving corps on the div C lineup. I really like the addition of Foti Evangelista to their defense. He’s a sticky corner who can match up against anyone’s best receiver. He brings a winning pedigree with him from the 2.5 Dans franchise. With him and Minh Ton-That keeping their hands in receivers pockets all season, it’ll be tough to find space against this athletic defense. Like it always does in flag, their success will all come down to Simon Dagenais this season. He proved last spring in div B that with the right receivers he could produce top notch statistical volume. They’ve built the ideal team to support his deep ball offense, and they’ve even put together a formidable defense to account for his high turnover output. If Simon can match one of his career best seasons these guys will be in business come late July.

Roster Strength: A-

  1. Show Me Your TDs

The less-heralded-but-more-consistent cousins of Home for the Hollandaise, these guys will definitely come into the season with a chip on their shoulder, looking to prove this preseason ranking position wrong. Without all the bells and whistles of their flamboyant relations above, they have quietly made some seriously impressive offseason acquisitions as well.  Mendy Cardichon (not Kardashian) has been a straight up baller for Green Lantern Corps over the years, and now brings his vast arsenal of receiving skills to Mike Addona’s methodical offense. Addona has taken his lumps at QB in recent seasons as he’s challenged himself to move up divisions, but he’s paid his dues and is one of the more experienced and polished signal callers in the division. Anthony Addona has developed into a lethal outside receiver and will once again command the attention of their opposition’s best defender. Julien Bellevance’s presence will go a long way in determining this team’s success. He’s a destructive two-way force when at the field. The sneaky addition of  Alexis Gaumont, who had a monster season with Diablos in div 5, will make this a complex and well balanced attack which can strike at all levels of the field. My concern will be if they have the defensive pieces in place to hold the elite offenses in the division. One thing’s for certain, this team will score a lot of points.

Roster Strength: B+

  1. NoName

Choosing to go in a different direction this offseason than former bad boy QB Mike Roy, NoName will give Yannick Doston the keys to their franchise and hope that his shoulder is fully healed. Doston has never played QB higher than 4B, so this will be a transition year for them as an experienced team looks to build with a younger signal caller. Despite his baggage, NoName came on strong at the end of last season under Roy’s improved play. Doston will have some bigger than expected shoes to fill as this team looks to remain competitive right away. It’s good to see Robert White back as the defensive face of this team. He does a good job patrolling the deep secondary and provides a reliable outlet on offense. Jonathan Grizzley remains the best overall player on this team. I hope that they added enough supporting talent to this offense though, otherwise defenses will load up on him quickly. The defensive alignment of Grizzley, White and Andre Frederick should help keep this teams in low scoring games. NoName are going to have to rely on gritty defense once again if they hope to outperform this ranking position.

Roster Strength: C+  

  1. Going Deep

This rebranding of the Blue Devils features two outstanding upper divisional rushers in Julien Paiment and Charles Baillargeon. Sadly, there are at least four other positions on the field where this roster fails to match the talent of the division. Pat Riot can ball in div C with the right supporting cast, as he’s demonstrated numerous times throughout his long career. In recent years he’s learned to cut down on the turnovers and play more efficiently. Maxime Chateauneuf was an absolute beast in the winter season when force fed the ball. He’ll get some help with Baillargeon easing the burden, but will it be enough in a strong division? There’s only one way for this team to go from their preseason ranking.

Roster Strength: C-

 

Conference B

  1. Royals

When Vince Nardone puts together a team in the middle divisions, you can be sure they will be stacked throughout the roster. This is a beefed up version of a core that competed in not one, but two winter finals this past season. Recently minted championship QB Cory Johnson will look to keep the good times rolling heading into the spring season. If he continues to play with the confidence and rhythm which he left off with he will certainly find a smooth transition to the middle divisions. What adjective could describe a div C receiving staff composed of Chris Milard, Justin Mclean and Vince Nardone other than “filthy”? Lonnie Johnson and GM Kolethras round off this vertical nightmare as possession receivers that Cory will look to in the clutch. I don’t think this is the most talented defensive roster in the division, but Nardone’s creativity and knowledge of the game will account for any deficiencies. They are the team to beat in a less intimidating conference B and should have a clear path to the conference finals if they take care of business.

Roster Strength: A

  1. Bearskins

What can we say about the outstanding Bearskins that hasn’t already been said at one place and time? They have one of the most exceptional core of stand up characters in the entire league. They had a great run in div 3 this past winter that ended unfortunately due to a short-staffed roster in the playoffs. They will have the swagger and confidence of a team that knows it can beat anyone in the division. Neil Etinson is developing into an excellent QB that no one talks about. He’s shown progression in each of the past 5 seasons, reaching the 50 TD mark for the first time this winter. Don’t be surprised if he challenges Rich Humes for the QBOY award by season’s end. Sasha Papich and Marco Bertoldi are the best two-way tandem in the division. They complement each other so well offensively as Papich takes the top off the defense and Bertoldi carves up the middle of the field. Kevin Libman will provide solid defensive support in the flats. He’s a disruptive short zone defender and has been known to jump a few slants when he catches QBs napping. The addition of some unknown players is the biggest question mark surrounding this roster at the moment, but I have no doubt that this group will do a fine job integrating them and maximizing their on-field potential.

Roster Strength: B+

  1. Red Wave

This is undoubtedly the dark horse team of the division, as they sport several upper divisional players in Jeremy Anderson, and Jordan and Travis Moses. All three of them are game breakers and dominate the game in their own capacity. Jordan is an unstoppable offensive talent and can take over a game on his own. It will be up to Mario Porreca to manage the offense and lead this team to success. His pure talent is undeniable to anyone who’s ever seen him throw a football. However, he’ll need to improve on his career best 39 TD mark this season in order for this team to thrive. I believe this will be his breakthrough season as he’s surrounded by the right talent to compete in this division. My concern with this team is the lack of depth registered so far. With only 6 registered players thus far they only have room for an offensive player below a 67 rating, not necessarily the rating of a game changing player in div C. How they fill out their depth will go a long way to determine how far this team will ultimately go. Any positional weaknesses will be exploited against the elite teams in this division.

Roster Strength: B+

  1. Impeccable D

This is a prime example of how to build a stacked roster within the cap system. Not only are they loaded with top end talent (Aridis and Boustany) but they also also have the most talented depth players in the division (Freedman, Goldstein, farag). Jeff Rosenblatt will lead this team in his comeback season following an injury that cut his winter campaign short. This is his first time throwing in division C, so there are bound to be questions surrounding how he’ll deal with the tougher defenses. They definitely surrounded him with the best possible lineup to assure his success.

Roster Strength: A-

  1. Friends in Low Places

This ambitious team dominated div 5B in the winter season and decided to make a sizeable jump up to div C. Tip of the hat for demonstrating the courage to register 30 points below the cap. Now we’ll see if their offseason courage was just masked foolishness. With practically the same roster as winter season the only noteworthy addition was the return of Alex Grey to this core. He’ll be immediately relied on to help balance out the receiving staff. Their lack of high profile additions isn’t the most concerning thing about this roster however. Top targets Kevin Smuda and Brenden Sabloff enter the season with lingering injuries that will either limit them severely or keep them out of games altogether. Until they get healthy they’ll need to rely on Danny D’Amour playing hero ball from the QB position. One thing that I’m confident in is that Danny is a rapidly progressing QB who can create in nearly any environment. These guys thrive off being the underdogs of the division and will once again look to prove their doubters wrong.

Roster Strength: C+

  1. MVE

This is the best iteration of MVE that we’ve seen to date. At times in the winter they were able to exchange blows with the top teams of division 4A. At other times they lacked composure and were exploited by teams they should have ran over. We’ll need to see more even keel leadership from this team if they hope to achieve more consistent success. They definitely have the talent to thrive in this division. The full time addition of Mathieu René is huge, as he was a major weapon for them at snapper down the stretch. If Jovan Cober is present for the majority of games this year, he may turn out to be the biggest X-factor signing of the offseason. He’s a guy that can cover a huge amount of ground in the deep middle of the field, something this team lacked drastically last season. Gabriel Côté has always been one of my favorite QBs t watch in the lower levels. His style of play passes the eyeball test with flying colors. He has great footwork and a cannon for an arm. If there were one thing I’d like to see him do it’s get rid of the ball a bit quicker and work the short game more. With his pure talent there’s no reason for him to complete passes at 50% when he could easily shorten his routes and add an extra 10-15 points to the measure. Keep an eye out for them if a majority of factors go their way.

Roster Strength: B

  1. Nuggets

Fred Malette was a rapidly emerging QB only 2 years ago, before a couple of poor seasons and then a disappearance this past winter. Similar to Gabriel Cote for MVE, he looks the part of a professional QB. He has great footwork and a strong arm. He also runs an effective playbook and can throw with touch and anticipation. The one thing I question with this roster is their drive. In the past they’ve seen like a team that will play with passion and fire when they’re in the game, but will fade at times when behind. They’ll quickly find that div C is no walk in the park this season. Guys like Raphaël Ducas-Lapalme, Laurent Ladouceur and Samuel Phaneuf have all had success in this league in the past. They have a dangerous receiving staff and if Malette can recapture his 2015 form I expect big things from this offense. Defense will be a whole different story.

Roster Strength: B

  1. Smash Bros

They’re smartly built with talented and underrated lower divisional players looking to step into the spotlight of the league. Jonathan Garfinkle, Josh White and Justin Lerner are straight up ballers. Patrice Lindor adds that veteran presence, he has a knack for stepping up and making plays when they matter most.  Lerner will start at QB for the first 3 weeks of the season while Jonah Cohen is out of the county. At that point, if he’s performing well and his team is competitive it should be his position to keep. Count me as an early season fan of this team as I’m impressed with their courage in throwing their hat into div C. They could have been a devastating div D team but they chose to challenge themselves rather than dominate in a lower division. Time will tell if it was the right move, but for now you have to admire their fortitude.

Roster Strength: B-

  1. Texas BareManz

There’s not much known about this team heading into the season, other than they have the roster with the coolest sounding individual names. Jaylan Grandison had a big season a few years ago for the old Texas BareManz, so he figures to be portrayed prominently in the offense.  Trey Grant was a productive receiver for the Damps this past winter season, he’ll provide a nice outlet for whoever plays QB. Therein lies the main question. Who will play QB for this team? Luca Pichet has a QB rating registered, but that might be a remnant from a previous season. Quiad Johnson would seem the logical choice considering the success his father and uncle have had recently at the position, but he will only be subbing part time this summer. There have been rumours of a potential late signing of Mike Roy at QB, which would be a sound acquisition from a team without a clear cut passer. Assuming they find someone competent to play the most important position in the game, this could be a team that turns some heads early on. Their athleticism and talent will cause matchup problems across the board. The main question is if they can become a composed flag football team in time for the regular season. Forgive me if I have my doubts heading into week 1.

Roster Strength: C

 

Predictions

I will pit my prognostic skills versus my buddy and long-time FPF connoisseur Danny D’Amour. I’ve got the book smarts, but he’s definitely cleverer than I. This will be an interesting experiment to keep track of. Loser owes a pitcher. I seem to owe a few pitchers already (GM Kolethras), so let’s wish me luck.

 

Alex                                                   Danny

Smash Bros                                       Texas Baremanz                                           

FiLP                                                     FiLP

Bearskins                                           Bearskins

Blue Chips                                        Show Me Your TDs

Royals                                                Royals

The Commission                              The Commission

Junkyard Dogs                                Junkyard Dogs

Backyard Bullies                               Backyard Bullies

Nuggets                                             Nuggets

 

That’s it for the scouting report. Welcome back to the best league on earth. I wish everyone a safe and competitive season this year. If you have any feedback, concerns, comments or just want a shoulder to lean on you can reach out to me. I’ll be following division C religiously this year so rest assured that a strong effort, winning record and statistical merit will get you mentioned here often. I’m looking forward to see how our division shakes out in the first few weeks. You can be sure that I’ll be keeping a close eye on your production starting today. Let the games begin!