Playing For Keeps: Week 3 recap; Riding Home

You’re gliding along somewhere on the 20 east, windows open with a crisp breeze sweeping across your face and hair. Your heartbeat syncs to the movement of the tide, as your car sways delicately in the mellow wind. The smoke swishes up in a seductive motif, clinging to the air in spiral curves. You slip in and out of focus as you drift along the waves and rhythm of the night.

A slight smirk crosses your lips as you think back to those who predicted against you. You’ve been turning these tricks for years, they still haven’t noticed.

You think back to the game at hand. How easy it was to slice through their defense, like a hot knife through butter. It would have taken an army to hold you down. Tonight, you let the cat out of the bag. You were ice in a cold world. You bodied those suckers on D, you ravaged them on O. Forget being an admirable man. You boosted your stats, unabashedly. Tonight, you were the baddest man on the field, forget it, the entire dome.

Its 11:23, your mind jumps to your meeting tomorrow morning, packing lunch, the leftover laundry that you need…but not tonight, this is your night. You inhale the sweet night’s air and fade back into the moment.

Your car pulls out to the middle of the ocean. It’s just you and the void you’re piercing through. The darkness envelopes you in a soothing embrace. You can feel the passion of the tide carrying you onwards. You’re headed towards an infinite horizon, you own the road.

You could ride this feeling forever.

Weekly Remarks

There`s no longer any denying it, Diablos had their coming out party as a major contender in the division with a 44-18 trouncing of Beer & Skittles. Francois Martin had the QB stat line of the week with 227 yards and 7 TDs! What’s scary is that they laid down this hurt without perennial star Georges Élie-Voyer on the stat sheet. 6-0 looks realistic with winnable games in next 3.

Have a day! Michael Meldrum! 7 tackles, 1 INT and 1 PD is our defensive stat line of the week. Remarkable game by the unheralded Woofpack grinder.
How about them stampeding Longhorns! 3-0 with a league high 122 PF. Jon Moodie is pillaging the league with 662 yards and a 17-1 TD/INT ratio. Not bad, for a group that was supposed to be put out to pasture by the youngin’s of the division.
Aliens suffered a devastating blow this past week with an injury to star player James Floreani. Already 1-2 with a tough schedule ahead, they’ll have difficulty finding someone to replace his talent. It’ll be up to the rest of the roster to band together and produce a sum greater than their individual parts. On behalf of the division we wish a speedy and full recovery to James.
Shout out to the Flagrant Fouls for making me look smart for once by beating Keyport Lock in a tight game. Flagrant Fouls defense coming up with 3 INTs (despite Rosenblatt oddly registering only 1) shows that this is a balanced and dangerous team going forward. Rockman looks like a top 10 QB when he keeps the stat sheet clean like that.
Friends in Low Places is cruising through the division with a perfect record and at least 40 points scored in each game so far. Kevin Smuda is on pace for 933 yards and 27 TDs, which would rank his as the 3rd best statistical season ever by an FPF receiver, and the best season by anyone not named Adam Crystal.
The Hot Boys Hotline can start writing postmortems about what went wrong for them this season. This has been one of the most disappointing flops in the entire league.
Spartans vs Tip Top Shape was a hard fought game between two teams with a heated rivalry. It came down to the wire but Spartans pulled off the W to even the series (1-1). Congrats to James D’Andrea & Co as they stepped up big in the clutch. They’ll look to take the rubbermatch in a possible playoff rematch this March.
Bye Week beat Jagys & Chill to go 3-0 on the season. They have impressed with a hot start but will need to average more than 19 points per game to sustain this pace. However, allowing only 10 points against per game is simply amazing.
Speaking of sluggish offenses, SABRFC have yet to score over 20 points in any game so far this season. In an offensive league this will not translate to success if not corrected soon.
Rednecks are 3-0 after serving the Consultants a beating this past week. QB Darick Forgues looks better with each passing week and may actually realize Moe Khan’s preseason projection for the QBOY award. Time will tell as this upstart team continues their rise through the power rankings.
It seems as though Bunch of Rookies have ditched the AJ Gomes experiment, to go with Jonathan Goyette at QB. I think this is a good move going forward, as it coincides with their most productive offensive output of the season, against a great defense to boot. Gomes is an exceptional receiver, and gives the team another weapon on offense.

Sound Bites:

Here’s a look around the league at what some of you had to say regarding your week 3 games.

Vince Mancini had this to say on the thrilling, high-scoring 44-38 Longhorns victory over Woofpack: “A hard fought, physical game with great plays on both sides. But the Longhorns were too much to corral. Hook’em horns!!” Hooyah for the horns and their 3 game winning streak out of the gates.
On the opposite side, Terry Tam had this to say after posting his best game of the season in the defeat: “Old and wise beats young and fast every day.” Words of wisdom from the veteran Tam. Woofpack look to be on the right track despite the loss, if Tam can reproduce similar numbers going forward.
Vincent Hamel of Jean Coutu had this to say on his team’s 18-18 draw with Dreamville: “Dreamville es une bonne équipe! Par contre, nous aurions dû sortir de ce match avec la victoire, mais nous avons fait des erreurs qui aurait pu être évité et cela nous a coûté l’égalité!” Regardless of the tie, both teams remain undefeated and look like top contenders in the division.
FiLP rusher extraordinaire Justin Matteo had this to say on his team’s 40-24 win over the Black Knights: “We won because everyone stepped up to make plays when we needed them to. Danny did a good job of distributing the ball. Smuda played huge, as usual, and santillo stepped up as well with a 3 TD night. Bellemare came in clutch with some early 1 pt converts to keep us ahead. Defensively, Timmis had a big pick 6 which changed the pace of the game and Occhionerro had a pick to end off the game. All around solid effort boys.” Indeed, Justin, as FiLP cruises to a perfect start without yet breaking a sweat.

Recaps:

You Mess With the Bulls, You Get the Horns!!

If you’re a fan of explosive, high-powered offense like I am, then Saturday night at Lachine was the place to be as the Woofpack tried to corral the Longhorns and get their first win of the season. The longhorns came out guns blazing as Jon Moodie’s quick-rhythmed offense and smart reads carved up the fast, but unorganized Woofpack defense. Terry Tam would not relent on this night however, as he matched the veteran gunslinger stride for stride, taking advantage of his team’s overwhelming athleticism to keep the game close going into the half. The first play of the second half proved to be the defining moment of this game, as Patrick Jazon picked off Tam for 6 and gave the Longhorns a lead they wouldn’t look back from. Both rushers, Francis Haley and Yacoub Telemaque, were on the QBs quick in this one and forced them to get the ball out faster than they would have liked. With 3 sacks each, this would have normally had a more profound impact on the game’s score, but the QBs were sharp throughout and found the soft spots in the zones. A late game INT from Woofpack’s Michael Meldrum, who was seemingly all over the field in this one, allowed the ‘Pack to score and have a last ditch hope. But Moodie would have none of it of this night, as the Horns immediately responded and sealed the victory, along with a 3-0 record.

The Longhorns, who were already 2-0 coming in, were happy to host outstanding big-man Brian Martin to the lineup, who filled in admirably for the absent Rosens. He immediately made his presence known by reeling in a team high 84 yards and 3 TDs! The vastly underrated, precision route-runner Vince Mancini continued his hot start with 77 yards and 2 TDs of his own; and is currently on pace for career highs in all receiving categories. The always reliable and distinguished snapper, Dave Allen, kept the Woofpack honest underneath by adding 47 yards and a TD. The balance and depth of this offense was too much for Woofpack to handle, as JM2K put up his third 200+ yard performance of the year, with 240 yards, and 6 TDs while completing an outstanding 74.2% of his passes.

The production was no less impressive on the Woofpack side of the ball, as Yacoub Telemaque had a dominant performance, gashing the Longhorns D with his speed and circus-like catching ability to the tune of 87 yards and 3 TDs! Snapper Corey Walwaski once again played the check-down role to perfection, using his size and hands to reel in 56 yards and a TD. Federico Alzamaro continued the steady, excellent production which has become customary of him, by adding 42 yards and a TD. The brightest star on this night for the Woofpack was no doubt Tam, who produced an astounding 263 yards passing and 6 TDs on 68% completion. It’s games like these where we see Tam’s true potential as a pocket passer in this division, and hope this sparks a trend for the Woofpack offense heading forward.

Second Time’s a Charm

One of most anticipated games of last week was the heated rematch between Spartans and Tip Top Shape. Tip Top came into the game with a 1-0 series lead, having beaten the Spartans in division 6 last winter. James D’Andrea and Co. were eager to show their opponent how much they’ve grown in the past year. The game was tightly contested throughout and did not disappoint as it came down to less than a score in the end.

This was definitely a game of two halves, as the Spartans came out inspired. D’Andrea showed maturity and diversity as a signal caller, eschewing his staple long ball in favor of high percentage crossing routes designed to get his game breaking receivers the ball in space. The depth of this Spartan receiving core cannot be understated, as Grant, Martel, Cassavant and Bessette all banded together the carry the load on offense. The Spartans defense was the key to their victory in this one. With Tip Top in a key position to score before the half, the Spartans rusher made an incredible play to tip and intercept David De Andrade’s slant pass. This allowed Spartans to go into the half with a two-score lead.

The second half saw De Andrade finally find his groove, by repeatedly hitting sure-handed wideout Elijah Suyat as Tip Top attempted a comeback. Suyat had himself a game with 55 yards and 3 TDs receiving, to go along with a sack on D. In the end, however, the Spartans used some intricate backfield playcalling to keep Tip Top’s D guessing. In one play Daniel Hernandez broke off a 23 yard run, and in another a reverse sweep to Bessette saw him heave the ball downfield for an 18 yard TD. D’Andrea deserves credit in this one for keeping the INT column clean once again, and throwing 4 TDs with a 111 QBR in the victory. Spartans exacted their revenge and evened out the series score, as we all hope to see the rubber match take place come playoff time between these two well-built teams.

Games of the week:

Div 5A:

Bruthers (2-1) vs KGP Ra (2-1) Saturday, January 28th at 6pm, Brossard.

QB: Morgan Tajfel vs Dylan Garber

After a tough first outing vs the Aliens, Tajfel seems to have found his groove over the last two games. His athleticism has been on display as he’s moulding himself into a scrambling passer, capable of buying time in backfield and throwing accurately on the move once the defense breaks down. Even more impressive has been his ability to protect the ball, with only 2 INTs through three games. The nearly 200 total yards per game he’s been producing will be enough to give his team a chance to win each week. On the other hand, Garber has been steadily productive from the packet each game this season. His consistent, quick-rhythmed, short pass offense works well with his experienced group of receivers. I’m curious to see if Garber will be able to connect on the deep ball if the big, athletic Bruthers defenders clog the flats in this game. Advantage Tajifel.

Receivers: Bruthers vs KGP Ra

Daniel Adler and Adam Browman lead the Bruthers receiving corps with 9 of their team’s 12 receiving TDs. What this group lacks in off the top speed they make up for with precision route running and uncanny awareness to find holes in zones. We’re still waiting for Eric Rapps to make his mark on the season, as he’s been extremely quiet following a 431 yard, 14 TD season last year. The KGP Ra receiving group relies on Jonathan Garfinkle and Phil Cutler to carry the mail, with 68% of the team’s receiving yards dividend between them. Ryan Garber has been a dumpster near the endzone, with 4 TDs on only 6 catches. Until Rapps or another Bruthers receiver distinguishes himself as a third option, I like the KGP Ra trio to give their team and edge in this game.

Defense: Bruther vs KGP Ra

Tajifel has been the man for the Bruthers so far this year, leading them with his rapidly improving play at QB, and anchoring down as the gravitational center of this defense. His trio of INTs and PDs give opposing QBs a figure to gameplan around. Similar to on offense, Browman and Adler round out this unit with reliable coverage on both sides on the field. As for KGP Ra, Garfinkle has been a man on a mission for the 2WAY award, with 7 tackles and 5 INTs already. He and Cutler patrolling the deep zones present a formidable challenge for opposing defenses. Attempting to throw short against this D isn’t a given either, as Gianni Frassetti and Ryan Garber have combined for 3 INTs. The key advantage to the KGP Ra defense is game breaking rusher Gabe D’Amico-Mazza, who already has 4 sacks and makes a living against scrambling QBs. He will negate Tajifel’s advantage to buy time in this game, and be the deciding factor in his team’s victory.

Prediction: 25-20 KGP Ra

Div 5B:

Friends in Low Places (3-0) vs Mad Bears (3-0) Wednesday, Feb 1st at 8:30pm, Hebert

QB: Danny D’Amour vs Sebastien Thibault

This is a battle of two nearly identical QBs, who look to throw first but are devastating when they take off to run. Both have similar completion percentages and run-to-pass ratios. Thibault is an absolute stallion as a runner, a rare talents who gallops not only past the rusher, but is capable of breaking down the secondary on foot as well. D’amour gets the upper hand in this one though, as he’s demonstrated more poise as a pocket passer thus far, throwing 15 TD passes to only 1 INT. He’s the front runner for QBOY after three games, and has translated his vast FPF experience and knowledge to the QB position with ease.

Receivers: FiLP vs Mad bears

Simon Chouinard-Laliberte, Antoine Brisson and Jeremi Durand-Tremblay form an intimidating trio for FiLP to match up against, as they’ve accounted for all of their team’s 10 TD catches and 82% of receiving yards. Such a well-distributed alignment pairs perfectly with Thibault’s running ability, making it nearly impossible for an opposing defense to cover all bases. They force defenses to pick their own poison when matching up against them. On most weeks this lineup would give Mad Bears an advantage, but this week they face a very big man on a hot streak rarely seen in FPF history. Kevin Smuda is playing on another planet right now, using his unique ability to get higher than anyone else on the field. As previously mentioned, he’s on pace for the 3rd best statistical season in history, and will be within reach of breaking records if he continues his play. And there doesn’t seem like much to stop him at this point. Shadowed by Smuda’s colossal play is the impressive play of Justin Santillo, who’s quietly accumulated 10 catches and 5 TDs on the year. Mad Bears won’t be able to cover both of these stars.

Defense: FiLP vs Mad Bears

Antoine Brisson is one of the premier defenders in the division, with 14 tackles to go along with 2 INTs and 2 TDs. He also led my defensive index in this article last week. Paired with Thibault, who’s contributed 2 INTs and a TD of his own, this is a dangerous, ball-hawking defense which can also score points on you if you’re not extremely cautious. However, FiLP’s defensive achievements to this point can’t be denied. As a team they have 9 INTs and 3 TDs already! Besides Smuda’s obvious dominance (5 INTs), this team is stacked with smart, experienced, gritty defenders like the Oak tree himself, Justin Occhionero. Michael Timmis has been a creeping nightmare in the flats for opposing QBs, already returning 2 picks to the house while sealing victories for his team.

Prediction: 33-24 Friends in Low Places

Power Ranking

There’s some shakeup in the bottom half of the rankings this week, as the upper half begins to take some shape. Remember, this is a “what have you done for me lately” kind of game.

Div A

Longhorns (3-0): No denying it any further. Consistently winning in such dominant fashion makes you the team to beat in this division.
Les Verges Folles (2-1): Slipped, despite the win, due to allowing an alarming 41 points allowed against a team that calls themselves rookies.
Jaguars (3-0): Beat a mid-tier team in unconvincing fashion, but the team looks balanced and you remain undefeated. Go get the respect you deserve.
Diablos (3-0): I can feel the “I told you so’s” coming. This team rocketed up the rankings with a decisive win against a top 8 opponent.
LOB (2-1): Even in a close loss, proving to be the tough-nosed team we expected them to be.
TDs and Beer (2-1): I egregiously left you off the list last week after ranking you second in week 1. My bad, boys. Welcome back.
Les Affreux (2-1): Looking like the well-rounded powerhouse we expected with Lemieux back in the saddle.
Flagrant Fouls (2-1): A few 2-1 teams competing for this spot, but I trust these guys to get stronger each week.

**On the radar: KGP Ra (2-1), Bruthers (2-1)

Div B

Friends in Low Places (3-0): Another week, another dominant performance. This week’s matchup should be interesting at least.
Jean Coutu (2-0-1): I said last week that a tie wouldn`t deter either of these teams from the standings…and it doesn’t. Great battle between two powerhouses.
Dreamville (2-0-1): See above. Even more impressed with how they stood up to the early season bully.
Rednecks (3-0): Another convincing win against an experienced opponent propels you further up this list. The weekly rise continues.
Mad Bears (3-0): Like Dreamville last week. Will remain on this list despite the result this week. Still, a win will cement you as a major contender in the division.
Trinity (2-1): A big win following a bad loss. Waiting for some consistency to make up my mind on you as a contender. Still my top 2-1 team.
Bye Week (3-0): You can ask how a perfect team ranks so low. 56 PF in 3 games must be improved upon before you cement yourselves as a contender. Great defense so far.
Spartans (2-1): I mentioned last week that the winner of your game would be here…Here you are. Keep playing focused, error free football and you’ll rise.

**On the radar: Takeover (2-1); Jagys and Chill (2-1)

REC Index

I will revisit each position once every third week throughout the season. Last week was DEF, this week we take a look at the top game breaking receivers thus far.

Div 5A:

Dylan Taylor – Untitled Seth Galina Team: (19 REC, 206 YRDS, 7 TD)

He’s been an absolute beast in all 3 games this season, catching 7 of his team’s 10 receiving TDs so far. Craftiness is the best way to describe his versatile game, as he uses a variety of angles to box out bigger defenders and juke quicker ones. He also possess the most lethal hands in the division, as his over the shoulder, one-handed grab from week 1 remains the nicest catch of the year so far.

Vince Mancini – The Longhorns: (12 REC, 206 YRDS, 6 TD)

HOOK ‘em Horns!! Vince’s hot start has been the steady factor that has propelled the Longhorns to perfect record thus far. A longstanding star receiver in the KTFL, Vince is a technician when it comes to route running. He breaks his patterns down to a science and has perfect chemistry with fellow old boy Jon moodie. He’s showing opposing defenses that if they reach, he’ll teach, as he’s trending towards a career season in all categories.

Chris Kaliotzakis – Tyrants: (20 REC, 208 YRDS, 5 TD)

The most trusted receiver in a George Niktaris run offense is a good place to be, and Kaliotzakis has earned that trust with exceptional play throughout the years. The receptions machine is off to a hot start as he presents a large target, with surprising quickness and guaranteed catching ability. I expect Niktaris to keep dropping coins into the slot as tyrants try to make their way back from an 0-3 start. Kaliotzakis will have an astounding receptions total by season’s end.

Div 5B:

Kevin Smuda – Friends in Low Places: (13 REC, 280 YRDS, 8 TD)

Seriously, this is ridiculous. In only 3 games so far, Smuda has been able to produce numbers that most receivers would be happy with over an entire season. But what else would we expect from the Coyotes star, who’s done nothing but dominate in his first three seasons in the league. Upper division teams are definitely taking notice, it will be a lucrative offseason to be this guy’s agent. FPF history is within reach as he continues his meteoric rise.

William Power – Takeover: (16 REC, 206 YRDS, 7 TD)

Already possessing the coolest last name in the division, and having a team named after him in division 6, this guy’s been on a roll like toilet paper through the season’s first trimester. His speed separates him from his competitors, as he gets the ball in space and immediately creates magic. If Takeover do indeed realize Nic Belleau’s prediction of championship this season, it will largely be Powered by the man himself.

Raphael Isseri-Guertin – Les Albatros: (18 REC, 223 YRDS, 5 TD)

Swaggy Ralph, as he’s known here exclusively, has been putting Les Albatros on his back once again this season. His combination of height, speed, juking abaility, and crazy hair give him an advantage on almost every DB on the field. He’s the man opposing defenses need to worry about when playing this team. Les Albatros need to support his big performances if they hope to sneak into a playoff spot this season.

Predictions

A nice bounce back performance for the boys this week. We’ll look to build some momentum off it going forward. Nic and I were par for the course, as Danny learned the most from last week’s lesson and took a one stroke lead, going into the fourth hole.

Danny (18-7-1) = (43-33-2)
Nic (15-10-1) = (42-34-2)

Alex (15-10-1) = (42-34-2)

Division A

Alex Danny

KGP Ra KGP Ra

Aliens Aliens

LOB LOB

Pandas Beer & Skittles

Longhorns Longhorns

Supply and Command Keyport Lock

Jaguars Jaguars

Les Verges Folles Les Verges Folles

Diablos Diablos

Dope Boys Bunch of Rookies

Woofpack Woofpack

Les Affreux Les Affreux

Flagrant Fouls Flagrant Fouls

Division B

Alex Danny

Dreamville Dreamville

Buckeyes Buckeyes

Bye Week Bye Week

Genie Genie

Takeover Spartans

SABRFC SABRFC

Rednecks Rednecks

Roadrunners Roadrunners

Tip Top Shape Tip Top Shape

All Hooks All Hooks

Les Albatros Les Albatros

Jean Coutu Trinity

Friends in Low Places Friends in low places

That’s it for this week! Week 3 of FPF is officially in the books, and week 4 is set to start up in only a few hours. See how fast it goes! Enjoy your time on the field because winter season passes by in a blur. If you have any feedback, concerns, comments or just want a shoulder to lean on you can reach out to me @alexholowach1 on Twitter, or hit me up on Facebook. If you’re craving more div 5 content please see Nic Belleau’s French article, he truly is the best quality writer on this staff. Otherwise, check out the Calling the Audible podcast featuring Peeze and Moe Kahn, it’s a healthy dose of sophisticated silliness to get you through the week. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and make sure to check back next week to find out how week 4 shook out!