Quarter Point of the Season; Ryan Perry Speaks, Picks

Welcome to the Week 4 edition of the FlagPlus Football Division 1 & 2 article.

The quarter mark of the regular season is already here, and with it, teams have already started to separate themselves from the pack with statements victories on one end, and agonizing defeats at the other.

Sitting atop Division 1 right now, is a team who has separated themselves from the rest, in Double Straddle. The team has shown they can win in a variety of ways, as evidenced by the smothering defensive effort they put on display in their Week 1 win over the Party Crashers, a wire-to-wire win over the Bulldogz in Week 2, and a come from behind victory aided by a defensive stand on the final play of the game against the very same Bulldogz last Sunday at Loyola.

One of the team’s secrets to success, is the roster they have. The squad has speed, playmakers, at every level, and both veterans as well as championship experience.

I had a chance to talk to Ryan Perry this week at the gym, and he told me there were two bigger reasons why the team is off to such a great start.

“For us, it starts with our Quarterback. Jeff (Rosenblatt) is legit. He can make every throw and knows how to get the ball to his playmakers. He is also a leader that recognizes when to make the right play call…When I look at our team, our chemistry is on point. Guys are where they’re supposed to be, no one is selfish, and everyone is playing for each other. When you have all that we are tough to beat.”

While getting wins and winning a championship are the main goals, Perry said he and his teammates have another one in mind as well.

“We want to be up there with he Braves, All-Stars, and Flag Moi L’Sac, as the standard in Division 1. I feel that there is room for another team to be added, so why not us?”

Lofty goal indeed. So far, Perry and his team are well on their way to making it happen.

After a blowout loss to the Allstars in Week 1, and a forfeit victory over the Braves in Week 2, the Kangaroos, finally got their first real win of the season, as they defeated KGP + (46-41) last Sunday in Lachine.

As expected, both Quarterbacks in this game were phenomenal, as Dan Lazzara (Kangaroos) and Phil Cutler (KGP+) combined for 12 touchdown passes, and only 11 incompletions.

This game also featured playmakers galore at Receiver, as Dylan Garber, and FPF Hall-of-Famer A.J Gomes both caught three touchdown passes apiece, to shoulder the offensive load for their respective teams.

 In addition to Gomes, the Kangaroos also received a standout performance from Darren Wiltshire, who caught all six passes thrown his way for only 37 yards but was able to take two of his receptions to the endzone.

This exciting contest came down to the final four plays, as the Kangaroos who trailed their opponents (41-38), were able to get the go-ahead score curtesy of a 2-yard TD by Jesse Dupuis, and then were able to convert on their 2-point conversion to stretch their lead to six.

With only two plays remaining, KGP+ tried to score quickly, but a 13-yard completion to Quaysie Gordon-Maule, and a 23-yard pass to James Acker wouldn’t be enough, as the team fell just short of the endzone and the victory.

The Bulldogz who I mentioned earlier, enter the quarter mark of the season at (0-2). Tomorrow night in Lachine, they will be taking on another team who is looking for their first win, against Flag Moi L’Sac.

Despite the uninspiring start, both teams have talent, and it will only be a matter of time before one of them gets their first check in the win column.

For Flag Moi L’Sac to pull off the win, they will have to get some stops. Through three games so far, they have given up 135 points which is technically the second worst in the division, but if you eliminate the 60 points the Braves gave up as a technicality due to forfeiting their game vs the Kangaroos last week as the team was in Florida for a flag tournament, FMS has surrendered the most points.

One key to turning around their defense would be getting off the field on 4^th down, as they have allowed their opponents to convert three of five opportunities.

For the Bulldogz to get into the win column, they will need to expand their offense to include more of a vertical attack. Through two games, the team is averaging less than 6.5 yards per play (6.25). While the team is a perfect 10 for 10 in the redzone, the offense only has two touchdowns longer than 20 yards.

After starting the year with a win over the Killa Bees, but then suffering back-to-back tough losses to Vengeance and Terror Squad the last two weeks, the Party Crashers Blue, have a chance to get back to their winning ways with a game tonight against Blessed in Lachine, and then a showdown tomorrow night versus the Moretti Crime Family at Loyola.

To win both or at least one of their games, the Party Crashers Blue, will have to rely on a defense that held the Killa Bees to a Week 1 division low three touchdowns, but since then have given up 44 and 40 points respectively over their last two contests.

The team’s defense has playmakers in Jourdain Alexis, Louis-Philip Thibodeau, Noboru-Ian Ouellette, Felix Boutet, and Rusher Francois Hogue. They will need them and others to step up and close the floodgates.

After an impressive win over Terror Squad, and a blowout victory over Touch Foot 450, Run It Once, will look to make it three victories in a row as they take on a KGP squad coming off their first win of the year last Sunday in Lachine against the Killa Bees.

To get the win, KGP QB Phil Cutler will need to spread the ball around to all of his targets and keep the Run It Once defense guessing, as the team’s offense is at their best when their QB is dealing.

For Run It Once to get the victory, they will need their defense, which has already forced six turnovers, and is led by the always lethal Anthony Brisebois, to eliminate some of those targets out of Phil Cutler’s game plan.

This should be a good matchup, with two teams hungry for a win. Let’s see what happens.  

Speaking of big games, after beating Party Crashers Blue (40-30) last Saturday in Brossard, Terror Squad will look to make it two wins in a row when they take on Got Skills tonight in Lachine.  

The win over the Party Crashers Blue, was punctuated by a defense that intercepted Quarterback Jérémi Doyon-Roch three times, including two by Wade Jr. Shallcross, and the other by FPF Hall-of-Famer Serge Pilon Jr. The turnovers were induced by Rusher Vincent Malo, who had a Week 3 high three sacks. Terror Squad QB Tam Vilaydeth also played a big part in the win, as he threw six touchdown passes to five different Receivers.

Got-Skills, currently sit at (0-2). This team has talent in the Centomo brothers David and Nicola, the Deschamps brothers in Dave and Sébastien, along with Montreal Alouette Defensive Back Emmanuel Kerfella, and McGill Redbirds David Amani Kabwe and Charles Cosette, among others, but the team which fields three rookies, needs to jell and establish chemistry. This will take some time, but hopefully not too much if this squad wants to qualify for the post-season.

NFL

I was dead wrong about the Buffalo Bills, and Eli Apple of the Cincinnati Bengals. Truth be told, I had the Bengals winning the game, but I talked myself out of it, as I thought too much about the inspiration Buffalo would draw from Damar Hamlin, while ignoring the fact that the Bills can’t stop the run. All the questions that are asked about Dak Prescott, now need to be asked about Josh Allen.

Tomorrow against the Kansas City Chiefs, emotions and trash talk will be at an all-time high. The latter might already be there for the Bengals as they travel to Burrowhead Stadium.

This could be an instant classic, as both teams are meeting for the AFC Championship for the second year in a row, and both squads are without a doubt the best two in their conference.

The Bengals and Joe Burrow have Kansas City’s number, as they are on a three-game winning streak versus their opponents. I think they make it four tomorrow night.

It took a while, but the 9ers run game overwhelmed the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter. Credit goes to their defense, as the Boys’ defense held my Niners offense in check most of the game.

As is always the case with Dallas, in the great words of Stephen A. Smith, what can go wrong, will go wrong. Dak Prescott did his best to send his team home, while Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore refused to adjust the game plan after Running Back Tony Pollard was lost to the game with a fractured fibula and high ankle sprain.

This week against the Philadelphia Eagles who absolutely smoked the New York Giants (I was wrong about that too), San Fran will need to win in the trenches and prevent Jalen Hurts from extending plays for too long and gashing them in the run game.

The Eagles are an explosive team. Their secondary is strong, as is their Defensive Line. They will have to get after Brock Purdy and force him into mistakes. For as good as the rookie has been, he has thrown his share of should-be interceptions.

Both team’s weaknesses match up with the other team’s strengths. Philly can’t stop the run, and their Linebackers are the weak link on their defense, while the 9ers are susceptible to the deep ball.

Just like with the Chiefs versus Bengals, I also expect this to be a great game. The Niners are the more battle-tested and deep team. Ignoring my heart, the loss in the AFC Championship last year, and in the 2019 Super Bowl, are one reason why I am going with them. The other is because for as good as the Eagles have looked this year, I am still not 100% convinced that they are world-beaters just yet. Plus, it feels like everyone is picking the Eagles.

I couldn’t decide what to put as the cover photo for the article, so when I saw that the picture of the GOAT Jerry Rice was still in the media gallery, I figured why not? Also, let’s go NINERS!!!!

Picks

Flag Moi L’Sac vs Bulldogz – Flag Moi L’Sac

Double Straddle vs Braves – Braves (My pick for Game of the Week Division 1)

Kangaroos vs Allstars – Allstars

KGP+ vs Party Crashers – KGP+ (Upset Special #1)

Party Crashers Blue vs Blessed – Blessed

Got Skills vs Terror Squad – Terror Squad

Killa Bees vs Braves 2.0 – Braves 2.0

Party Crashers Blue vs Moretti Crime Family – Party Crashers Blue (Upset Special #2)

KGP vs Run It Once – KGP (My pick for Game of the Week Division 2)

Touch Foot 450 vs Vengeance – Vengeance

Last Week: N/A

That’s it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tonight, tomorrow, and this week. Enjoy the NFL Conference Championships, and all the great ball FPF will have on display over the next few days.

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt that I left something out, please feel free to reach me at [email protected]