Report Cards are out!

Time to put my grading glasses on! I won’t go through recaps or previews this week as I try to provide in-depth analysis for each team. Gotta give credit where credit is due. The Nuggets played one heck of a series and deserved to be crowned champions. Still super proud of my Heat and how the battled all playoffs long! Not a big hockey guy but a congrats is also in order for the Golden Knights. Alright, so as far as my grading goes I do it a little differently than my fellow FPF writers. For example, if you’re 6-0 and I expected you to be so I will not give you a grade of C. That’s kinda harsh. I base my grade on a mixture of records, strength of schedule, margin of victory or defeat, and how your team has done the last couple of games. With 31 teams in the division, I will split the grading in two or possibly even three articles. Let’s get started!

Ballz Deep (4-2)

After a poor start to the season Ballz Deep have rallied off 3 straight wins. This team has talent, there is no doubt about that. Matthew Peacock is a name that most are familiar with in FPF. Very solid player on both offense and defense. Justin Weir is a speedster that constantly makes defenders miss. It’ll be important to monitor who will quarterback from now until the season’s end. Brendhan Birch started the season throwing but Ryan Dobbs-Garnett has thrown in the last 2 games. Their 2 losses on the season have come to 2 good teams. There victory against Dilf Gang this past week was impressive. Defensively, this team excels. Besides their one game against Idaho Udapimps, they have given up 25, 12, 19, 14, and 25 points in their games. If they can keep this up they will surely finish with a winning record.

Grade: B+

Key Players: Matthew Peacock, Justin Weir, Johnathan Weir

Record Prediction: 6-4

Bandits (6-0)

I did not expect this after 6 games from Bandits. They are scoring 35 PPG and given up under 15 PPG. I did not think their offense was explosive enough to bully their competition, but obviously I was wrong. Émile Skaf missed a game, but would have been on pace to throw 48 touchdowns to 6 interceptions if he played in all 10. He is clearly leading this in the right direction with his ball distribution. It’s pretty remarkable when you look at the stats. Bandits have 4 receivers with 5 touchdowns, tied for first on the team. Every receiver on the team has at least one receiving touchdown. How do you game plan when playing a team this well constructed? Having played these guys, I can say the stats are very representative of the team’s vibe. They are all on the same page, rooting for their teammate’s success as if it was their own. I feel a few teams and players can across the league can learn from Bandits. Winning is all that matters to them no matter who is scoring or how they’re getting their touchdowns. Grading Bandits was a fairly easy task.

Grade: A+

Key Players: Émile Skaf, Jad Aridi, Guillaume Labrosse

Record Prediction: 8-2

Bandits D’Ahuntsic (4-1-1)

A really good young talented team here. Their only loss on the season is against Big Fat Bats who are one of the best teams in the division. François Rochette is not a guy we hear about enough considering his talent. He has 5 touchdowns and just as many interceptions on the season. He is quick, agile, and has great hands. A very similar type of player to that of Rochette is Oriola Poirier. Poirier has length that allows him to compete for any ball. QB Justin Gauthier has balled out only throwing 1 pick to his 27 touchdowns. He has a QBR of over 133 and has completed 75% of his passes. If we’re talking raw talent this may be the most athletic team in the entire division. They don’t have a ton of FPF experience which may be an area where other teams have a slight advantage. That may not matter because of how solid this roster is from top to bottom.

Grade: B+

Key Players: Justin Gauthier, François Rochette, Oriola Poirier

Record prediction: 6-3-1

Big Dracos (2-4)

The boys in red are on a four game losing streak. In those four games they have given up way too many points. Just under 40 PPG to be precise. They do however have an impressive win against Big Fat Bats. I have seen a few of their games and can say Cole Bellas throws a very pretty ball. Unfortunately, their are no brownie points for that. He’ll need to improve on his 50.9% completion percentage. A few of these guys have played tackle football at Loyola High School. So the chemistry and basic knowledge for the game is there. David Abarbanel is enjoying himself a solid season. He leads the team in all 3 statistical receiving categories with 7 TDs. Their lack of interceptions, with only 3, is probably a big reason for their lack of success. Winning the turnover battle is usually almost always the recipe for a W. Right now they are clinging on to one of the last playoff spots. I’d be surprised if they don’t find a way to make it to the dance.

Grade: C+

Key Players: Cole Bellas, Bailey Venu, David Abarbanel

Record Prediction: 4-6

Big Fat Bats (5-2)

Both Moe Khan and Iggy have them as the best team in all of Division D. At 5-2 they are certainly in that conversation. They have beaten some good teams in Glory Boyz and Bandits D’Ahuntsic. Like I said in an earlier article, the Zeppetelli connection has been deadly. AJ Zeppetelli has the second most receptions and touchdowns in the division. This has allowed them to put up points at will. Every Inch Counts held them to only 16 points in their last game which really surprised me. That seems to be their only hiccup on the year. The only way I see this team struggling is if teams take away AJ early in a game. Good thing they have a WR2 like Joe Morgese. He’s got hands, but more than that, he is deceivingly fast. He provides them with that added depth needed. Ryan McNally leads the entire division with 7 interceptions. There is simply no weakness on this team, which only means one thing… Championship or bust.

Grade: A-

Key Players: Matthew Zeppetelli, AJ Zeppetelli, Ryan McNally

Record Prediction: 7-3

Weekly Picks (Winner in bold)

West Island Boys vs Longhorns

Stallions vs Born in the 80’s

Dilf Gang vs Every Inch Counts

Blues vs Les Renards Vifs

Les Petites Carottes vs Save the Turftles

Idaho Udapimps vs The Rude Saks N/A

DNE vs Friends with Danny

Blitz Sisters vs Big Fat Bats

Riders of Rohan vs Studz r us

Les Renards Vifs vs Ballz Deep

Save the Turftles vs Prime Time

Every Inch Counts vs Red Dragons

Friends with Danny vs West Island Boys

Bandits vs Les Bleue Dry

The Penetrators vs Riders of Rohan

Idaho Udapimps vs Bandits Ahuntsic N/A

Why So Serious? vs Longhorns

Last Week: 7-9 Season Record: 29-14

Bold Prediction: With all the tight matchups this week, we will have at least 3 ties in Division D!

That’s it for part 1 of your reports cards! Thanks again for taking the time to give the article a read. Always feel free to hit me up on Facebook to gimme your thoughts! Until we meet again…

Stay Blessed