Report cards are in! Don’t tell mom!

What’s up FPF fam! We have officially reached the midseason, and yet still, we are waiting for Simon Dagenais to hit  Midseason form. I can’t lie, It’s really hard to try to talk about FPF when the NFL offseason is going completely Bonkers! Watson to The Browns sounds cool and all but let’s be honest, those over cooked brownies are going to find a way to screw this up. The Chiefs did the unthinkable, by trading away their #1 WR in Tyreek Hill. Basically told the Packers oh cool nice trade, hold my beer!! All I know is that I’ve been playing Madden for years, and trading a first rounder along with 4 other useless picks for the fastest WR in the game would never get accepted in franchise mode, I promise you that! It just makes you think, although teams in FPF teams get changed regularly with player movement across all divisions, wouldn’t it be cool if FPF implemented trades themselves within teams in the same division? For example, wouldn’t it be cool if a player such as Kevin Smuda was traded to a rival opponent? How crazy would the FPF world go? What about if a blockbuster QB trade would go down? Let’s say a Stud QB like Stephen Harripersaud gets shipped to Oompa Loompas? Would Oompa Loompas have a drastic change in their culture, and in a few weeks be in the running for a playoff spot? Who knows! Nonetheless it would be cool to see, even though we all know this would NEVER happen. Just like every other sports conversation you ever had, it’s simply fun to debate these kinds of things! (Definitely receiving death threats by players on Blessed)

Ranking system 

Moving forward, it’s time to break down each team’s overall success through 5 games of the season. The way this will work, I will be giving each team a rating from 1 out of 10.  If you are given a grade between 1 to 5, that would mean your team is not playing a good brand of football at the moment.

Between 5 and 8 means your team is somewhat having success. Not necessarily overachieving, however your team is still not out of the water just yet. 

Lastly, if your team is given an 8 or above, that means that your team is striving, clicking on all cylinders. This also means that your team has championship goals set out, and seem to be on the right track heading there. 

Without further ado, let’s dive into this!

Conference A 

• EAST

Bearskins: 5

This is a squad I initially had such high hopes for. With a roster filled with FPF Vets, I expected at least 3 or 4 wins at this point in the season. With notable names such as Rich Humes, Jordan Allard, Marco Bertoldi, Sean Avraam, and Vinny Gualano,  you would at the very least expect this team to be competitive in most of their matchups. Neil Etinson has struggled over recent weeks, not putting up performances these Bearskins are accustomed to seeing from their starting QB. He sits at 17 Tds, to 5 INTs on the season, which means there’s certainly room for improvement. Kevin Libman has been proving that he deserves to be at least in the conversation for 2 way player of the year. Kevin leads his team with 6 touchdowns, and has the 3rd most sacks in the division at the moment with 8. This team has all the tools they need to depict a defence and find ways to win games. It just comes down to a matter of execution, which Bearskins haven’t been able to provide that level of play just yet. 

The good news? They lead the East Conference A at the moment. With the East not looking so strong, Bearskins could not only find their way into the playoffs, but receive a first round bye as well. What really stands out to me, is the strength of the schedule this team will face for the remainder of the season. These following weeks will be a true test to see if Bearskins are really bout’ that life, or if they’re okay with being mediocre. 

Les Maloudes: 4

A defensive minded roster, Les Maloudes started off the season promising with a 28-27 Win over Mangoose. With only 2 wins on the season at the mid way point, I am anxious to see if they will find a way to turn around their teams trajectory. Stud 2-way players Marc-Andre Paradis and Vincent Morissette have been holding down the fort for this roster. Vincent has been able to find the endzone for a total of 6 times, while also picking off passes on defence 4 times, one returned for 6!  It seems as though this roster has been fluctuating all season long, which can explain the long list of players having at least 1 reception on the season (13 to be exact). 

The road is only going to get tougher for this group of young talented men, as 3 of the next 5 games are vs teams over .500. Currently sitting at a 2-3 record, I’m anxious to see if Les Maloudes have any more tricks up their sleeves, as they will need to send all they can get as they face Juggernaut teams such as EZW, and Sheeesh, and Junkyard Dogs. I can see them finishing the season with 4 wins, anymore than that would be an absolute shock to me. 

Les Gros Coqs: 3

With a QB such as Dom Lefort, I was expecting more fireworks as he made his jump from last year’s Winter Div 4b to this season Div 3. The numbers are not all that bad, Throwing 13 Touchdowns and only 4 Ints. He also adds an extra dynamic by including his running abilities into the mix, rushing for a little north of 150 yards on the season. It simply comes down to not being able sustain drives at a consistent rate. Les Gros Coqs have quite a talented roster, it’s only a matter of getting stops on defence. During this second half of the season, I’m looking to see if players such as Etienne Maillé-Daviau and Vincent Granata who share 4 touchdowns each, will take their game to the next level. They will need it if they want to keep alive any chances of making the playoffs.

As rough as the beginning of this season has been for Les Gros Coqs, playoffs are certainly not out of the question. 4 of the next 5 games are vs teams that have a record of .500 or less. So the opportunity to leap frog a couple of teams in this process is surely in the mix. I can see this team finishing off the season with 4 or 5 wins, depending how they manage late game situations. These next few weeks will be extremely telling in regards to wondering if this is the right division for Dom Lefort to throw in. 

Lightweight: 1

Welp, this wasn’t exactly what anyone on Lightweight signed up for. Simon Dagenais has been shaky at the start of this year, which could be due to the level of competition they were scheduled against.  Although they started with a record of 1-3, there is something important to note; only 1 team remains on their schedule that has a record above .500. I can very well see Justin Blanchard taking advantage of easy matchups, as he has done so all season long. Justin leads his team in Touchdowns with only 3. You can say that isn’t much, but you should probably put into perspective that Simon only has 5 touchdowns total on the year himself. Not exactly the kind of season this lightweight roster was anticipating, that’s for sure. I understand that Father time is unmatched, at the same time I still think Blanchard can exploit some of the mismatches they’re going to face down the road. Look for Francois Hogue to have a larger role on offence as we move along this season. 

As I look at the remainder of their schedule, they still have 6 games to play! Only 1 of those games will be vs a powerhouse Team and that is when they face EZW week 9. The other matchups won’t be easy, however they are definitely winnable should Lightweight lock in and play as a team. I’ll be looking to see if they can squeeze out a couple more turnovers down the road, as they presently sit with only 1 INT on the season. Gotta be better defensively if you want to win any games, Fellas!

• WEST

Blessed: 9

Simply the Blessed! Better than all the rest… is damn right! After a crucial showdown vs Sheeesh last week, it’s clear that Harripersaud throwing for 37 touchdowns and only 2 INTs means that he has his team focused and ready for a championship run. After Marvin Stienberg went down with a season ending injury, others were forced to step up in his absence, and that’s exactly what they did. Phil Pharand as well as James Langshaw have played out of their minds for this first half of the season, most notably in their previous game as they were each able to find the endzone. Phil leads the team with 9 touchdowns already, while James isn’t far behind with 7 on the season. This duo is shaping up to be one of the deadliest in Division 3, and I’m all for it! Ballers balling out baby, that’s the name of the game!

 It also helps when you have a Rusher like Terry Babalis, with 12 sacks already on the season, it’s evident that he’s able to provide the consistent pressure on the QB, which plays a large role in helping this defence remain as dominant as it is.  As a whole, this defence has 13 INTs on the season, which puts them alone at the top of the division. Quite impressive to see this group play with a level of urgency and consistently try to create turnovers with any chance they get. 

 With only 3 games to go, it would actually be surprising to me if Blessed didn’t go undefeated. They have all the tools necessary to get the job done. Only way I see this team going down is by someone throwing a massive wrench into their plans and shutting down Harripersaud’s offence. A Lot easier said than done, right?

Sheesh:  8

My previous Number 1 Ranked team has suddenly fallen down the ranks. Although it was a loss by one possession, Sheesh showed holes in their game that can be taken advantage of from an opponent catching them on a bad day. From Langburt’s point of view, 26 touchdowns to 6 Tds isn’t all that bad, it just gets  tough to play against a team that has a player who’s played with you in the past, such as Kevin Smuda. Sheesh is filled with incredible talents such as Noah Groper, Ariel Liberati, and Matt Lepage. Liberati currently leads the team with 9 touchdowns on the season. Groper isn’t all that far away either with 7 himself.  

if Sheeesh wants any chance at winning a championship this season, they will need to learn how to play unpredictable football. I think they can pull it off, it comes down to if they believe in themselves. With only 5 games remaining, I would be shocked if this team didn’t finish the season with 8 or 9 wins! Too much speed, too much knowledge, they just gotta go out there and make it happen!

Touch it Catch It: 6

The Cardiac team of DIV3! You never know what kind of result you’re going to get from QB Fred Mallette. After Throwing for 25 touchdowns and 8 INTS, it’s clear that some nights Fred shows up wearing a cape and making big time plays, other times he reminds me of Joe Flacco… after he left the ravens! With a loaded roster containing some of FPF’s greatest talents, it’s hard not to think that they will be tough to beat down the road. AJ Gomes currently leads the league in receiving Tds(14), AND tied with ints(4)! Talk about front runner for 2 way player of the year!  Good things happen when he gets the ball in his hands! 

Bringing his brilliant rushing down to the lower division is future HOF Isiah Allard. Isiah’s long arms and elite play recognition is going to be the reason this team has a fighting chance vs any team in this division. Allard also provides a nice boost to the offence, as he was able to find the endzone 5 times himself this year. Others such as Nick Risso, Marc Antonine Lapointe are crucial towards this team’s success. Touch it Catch it will only go as far as Fred Mallette steers them. 

As I see the last 4 games that remains for this squad, It would be an utter disappointment if they would finish the season off with less than 6 wins. They are way too talented on both ends of the ball to be letting games slip away from them. I see this team play, and see fireworks just waiting to be let off. It all comes down to who’s going to step up and make plays down the stretch of this season. Certainly a dark horse for not only making the playoffs, but causing a first round exit.

Oompa Loompas: 1

It doesn’t come as a surprise to me, Oompa Loompas were clearly not ready for this division of FPF. Don’t get me wrong, this team is filled with athletic talent. Alec Grégoire is clearly 

the strongest player on this Oompa Loompa squad. He currently leads his team in every receiving category of his team with 20 receptions, 244 yards and 7 touchdowns. Unfortunately, each team they faced resulted in a double digit loss for this young squad. 

It doesn’t help when your team is only producing 3 turnovers at the midway point of the season, while allowing a league high 302 points against. Looking at a winless record, if Oompa Loompas don’t turn this season around immediately, we might be talking about this season as simply a learning curve. Nonetheless, the experience of playing in Div 3 will help them tremendously down the road. 

Conference B

• North

EZW :8

Jeremy White has been steaming hot these last couple of weeks. Having such a potent offense, he does a great job of always using his legs to create plays for his team. 25 Tds to 1 INT is pretty ridiculous numbers if you ask me… Not to mention the 145 rushing yards and 1 touchdown to add to that total. Talk about a dual threat QB! It always helps having receivers such as Charles-Olivier Lavigne, who leads the team with 206 yards and 6 Tds! What makes this offence so good, is the fact that you need to respect each player on the field. Felix Leger and Maxime Boucher-Cyr each have 5 tds, Etienne Laurence-Gervais has 4, Dawroll Guillaume Antoine and Jean Christophe Ferland share 3 a piece, and lastly Samuel Emilio Pelchat as well as Nicolas Blais have 1. This goes to show that there’s really no main target when it comes to the redzone! Jeremy is going to find ways to extend plays, and sees which DB be get exhausted and give up first after running suicides trying to cover crosses.  

Defensively, EZW are standing at 2nd place in INTs at 12. This is kudos to the scheme they run in which everyone is simply shooting zones. It becomes tough on the opposing QB whenever he’s uncomfortable because he’s unsure of the coverage being thrown at him. Credit goes to Samuel Pelchat for his effort on most of these plays. He currently has 12 tackles and 2 INTs on the season, tying him with teammates Nicolas Blais, Samuel O’Connor Cassar, Etienne Laurence-Gervais who each have 2 INTs on the season themselves. This is an extremely talented as well as smart defence, and loves to play with a lead. 

Coming up they have a matchup vs Junkyard Dogs. This will be a huge matchup that can be an indication as to what the playoffs will look like. Let’s see if they can matchup well vs the height that Junkyard Dogs will throw at them. I can very well see this team ending the season with an 8-2 record, along with Jeremy White as a candidate for QB of the year. 

Junkyard Dogs: 7

Junkyard Dogs came into this season with championship aspirations. They play a brand of football that you would probably pay big money to come see on Sundays, even though they don’t really have the defence to stop teams frequently… Kinda reminds me of the Cowboys! Jason Rossie is having an up and down season, starting off 2-0 with games vs Touch It Catch it and Lightweight. Then proceed to lose to Speed Academy. Call it a hiccup, because the following 2 weeks Rossie picked it right back up again, defeating Thor’s Hammer along with Bearskins. With 26 Touchdowns to 6 INTs on the season, it’s frustrating when you see such a talented receiving core not be utilized properly. 

Speaking of a great Wideout duo, I present to you the coming out party for the Semerjian brothers! I can confirm that I have witnessed with my own two eyes that Sean Semerjian has absolutely baptized a couple of players for TDs this season. Leading the team with 9 TDs and 311 yards, Sean is an absolute ball winner, he boxes you out and goes up to win a rebound on you. It’s beautiful to watch, yet Horrible to be on the receiving end of. Clearly Mr. Paul Lapierre whispered some of his subtle ways to use a big body to not only get open, but win Jump balls, something Junkyard Dogs is known for as they love to throw up jump balls for 2 point converts!

IF Hinsley Adams can keep up this level of rushing for Junkyard(10 sacks), I think it will contribute immensely towards this team’s chances of going far this season. I can see this team finishing their schedule up with a 7-3, 8-2 record. All Depending on the level of play Rossie will deliver for them as the season moves along.

Speed Academy: 4

Speed Academy comes into this season with a roller coaster season the size of the Monster at LaRonde. Emile Plant has shown us signs that he can compete in this division at Qb, forsure. What bugs me is the inconsistency week in week out. With 19 touchdowns to 8 INTs, it is obvious that this team hasn’t taken advantage of the speed they possess.  Jimmy Marneris is leading the team with 8 TDs and 208 yards. Even though he is leading his team in Targets, he is definitely a player that could/should see the ball more than he already does. Rabbi Bositampen has also come in with a couple of clutch performances this season, as he has 5 TDs on the season himself. 

Defensively this team is struggling due to not getting as many turnovers as they should be getting. Darryl Dorcely leads the team with 2 interceptions, and collectively the Speed Academy has a total of 5 turnovers on the year. If they want any shot at winning some of these games down the road, they’re going to need to step up and make some plays. 

My guess is that this team will finish with 3 maybe 4 wins of the year. Hopefully they prove me wrong, but as I sit here looking at their remaining schedule, it just doesn’t look too good as they face some of the best in the division. 

Mangoose :2

What a disappointing season it has been thus far for this talented Mangoose roster. Although their record shows 1-4, it’s important to not that 2/4 losses were by one possession, which is completely brutal. With studs like Thomas Coutu and Marc Antoine Chaput having 7 Touchdowns a piece, you would think this team would be trampling others, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Nicolas Schaefer has not been the greatest nor the worst this season, and he has 20 TDs, to 6 INTs. Extra points seem to be the issue at hand here, and until its addressed, Mangoose will constantly be in a bad position to try and win tight games. 

Alexandre Bordeleau has been the fighting hope that this team needs, and is going to continue to need moving forward. He currently leads the team with 2 Ints, along with 3 PDs. Unfortunately, If you are a team at the midway point, and you do not have at the very least 5 turnovers on the year, I would immediately address this as a point of concern. 

Believe it or not, looking at their schedule I can very well see them pulling out another 3 wins from the remainder of the season. This would have them at 4 wins total, and a shot at making the playoffs. Lets see if they will prove why they belong in Division 3. 

• South 

Thor’s Hammer: 9

This year’s Cinderella story. Jeff Rosenbaltt came into this season right off the plane from his vacation, and threw for over 250 yards and 7 TDs. I was absolutely stunned. He seems to be extremely locked into what he needs to do. He isn’t hesitating, he’s letting it rip and i’m alllll for it! With 31 Tds and only 1 INT this season, Jeff is clearly on a mission for that QB of the year award! 

Thor’s Hammer is loaded with a star studded cast, as they have some of FPF’s best all around athletes on both sides of the ball. Anthony Brisebois leads the team with 12 touchdowns, 305 yards, and maybe 6 “Omg that was crazy’ ‘s by me watching Brisebois on the sideline, as he either put some dudes in a blender, or went up and MOSSED someone! Don’t mistake his kindness for weakness, I’ll tell you that much! Speaking of Mossing someone, has anyone seen what Dawson Pierre has been doing on the field these past couple of sundays? Some of it is definitely illegal!! I’m pretty sure they simply go into the huddle whenever they hit redzone or attempting  a2 point convert and just tell everyone to not even run a route and just watch Dawson. They literally iso him, Jeff receives the snap, laughs at single coverage, and heaves it to the back end of the endzone. CASH. MONEY. This can explain why Dawson leads the team in extra points this year, simply unstoppable. 

With quite the weak schedule moving forward, I can very well see this team hitting 9-1 to finish the year, and most definitely be in the running for that #1 seed. If Jeff can continue to play with this level of confidence, there’s no telling who will be the one that’s finally going to be able to defeat Thor’s Hammer down the road. 

Expendables : 6

Carmine Pollice is absolutely defying all odds. The numbers may not tell all of the story here, but man, the dude can still sling it! With 23 TDs and 6 Ints, Pollice continues to prove that he remains as one of the Smartest minds that we are lucky enough to have in FPF. He continues to find ways to manipulate defences with his eyes, and throw lasers into tight windows most QBs wouldn’t even attempt! The offence is filled by the 3 headed Juggernauts in Ryan Dobbs-Garnett, Dylan Taylor, and leading the team in Tds with 7; Andrew Carruthers. These 3 are brilliant minds, and are great at not only finding out what zone you’re running to find the hole to sit in, but also being able to make subtle movements that would get them open in man-to-man such as rub routes or whatnot. 

The problem the Expendables have is that they can’t stop a bloody nose. The team as a whole only has 2 Interceptions on the season, which is a major red flag! To Compete in this division, these veterans know more than anyone that they will need to tighten up on the defensive end and step in front of a couple of throws. If you would like to see the glass half full, I can tell you that each player on this defence has at least 1 PD on the season. The opportunities are there for the taking! They just need to play sound defence and when the tipped pass or wobbly throw comes out of the opposing QB’s hand, they gotta find a way to pick that ball off rather than bat it down. 

Sitting at 3-2, I can foresee this Expendables team mustering up a couple more wins, finishing the year with 6 wins or more. Their chemistry is still not 100%, but it is clear that it’s growing from week to week. Question becomes will they finally get it all together before it’s too late, only time will tell! 

Silent Ticklers: 5

What can I say? I gotta admit, this team has impressed me. From starting off the season 0-2, I thought for sure this was going to be a write-off season for The Silent Ticklers, and we weren’t going to be saying good things about them as the season moved along. Boy oh BOY, did they ever prove me wrong! They went on to win 3 games in a row, and currently sit with a 3-2 record. The main reason they got hot and won 3 in a row? Jordan Pannetta decided it was time to start playing clean football. What I mean by that, is that during this 3 game winning streak, he threw for 6 Tds a game, and 0 INTs in each of those games. THAT is how you turn your season around and start winning big time games! Adam Rosen plays a huge role in this offence, as he currently leads the division in yards with 410, and sits in 4th place in TDs with 11. Adam is clearly a game breaker and deserves to go into that huddle screaming “throw me the damn rock!”

Daniel Mancini is one of the better two-way players this team has to offer, as he has 2 INTs, 3 Pds and 1 pick 6 on the season! You plug that in with his 6 offensive touchdowns, you’re looking at a star studded roster that is clearly starting to find their groove. With 4 challenging matchups remaining, it will be interesting to see what kind of team Silent Ticklers really are; Contender or pretender. This upcoming week vs Sheesh will be a mega battle in which if they can pull off an upset, It would definitely put them on the map as a team to watch out for. 

Killa Bees :5

At the start of this season, I thought the Killa Bees were going to be a team that had a very active defence, seeing as they had the Viens brothers who are no stranger to being loud and proud. What I wasn’t aware of, was how their offence was going to work in this division. After starting off the season 1-3, Killa Bees were desperate for wins, and called in the Cavalry. Jeremie Mongeon-Duby stepped in the Pivot position in week 5, and since then has won two games, in statement fashion. He currently holds a 91% completion rate, and is looking like he is ready to take on any challenge that comes at him. With this squad finding the QB they need, It might just be the missing piece this team needed in order to go on a deep playoff run. 

David Dumas-Goulet and Guillaume Racine-Tessier have been huge for Killa Bees, as they each found the endzone quite a few times this year.(11 and 9 Tds respectively). Adding in Alexandre Masseau to the receiving mix turned out to be a great move, as he played only 2 games as a wideout but managed to create the most of his chances and found the end zone 7 times already. What makes Masseau a key piece to this team’s success, would be his team leading 3 INTs, 5 Pds and 1 pick 6. Making these kinds of plays is exactly what Killa Bees need in order to get the stops they need. 

With a brutal remaining schedule, it’s tough to say I believe they can win out. 2 of the remaining 4 teams are vs Blessed and Sheesh. Which yes of course there can always be upsets but i’ll say the same thing Mahomes said when he saw pictures of Herbert looking jacked at last year’s training camp “I’ll see it when I believe it”. 

Past Our Prime: 2

Past our Prime is one of those teams that you simply feel as though they either don’t belong in division 3, or they just aren’t buying into the system Craig O’brien is trying to run here. Sitting at a 1-4 record, P.O.P. continues to find ways to blow leads and give up ugly losses. With 22 TDs and 11 INTs on the season, it’s normal you aren’t going to be winning many games. Scott Payne has shown to be the light in the midst of the darkness looming around this squad, as he played only 3 games and managed to find the endzone 7 times. 

What really annoys me about all that is going on with P.O.P. is that they actually are playing rather good defence! They have 7 turnovers on the season, 2 going for 6! This tells me that although they might not have the best athletes playing on defence, they have a bunch of ballers such as Darnell Kvis Riley, Patrick Jazon, Sean Kennedy, and Kevin Wyeth (Yes the FPF QB goat, getting mentioned as a baller on defence, atta boyyy!) that have seen it all before, and are ready to jump any route that falls within the list of concepts they have run more than once over the course of the game. When you play with a certain level of urgency, and begin to anticipate throws, it can be a lovely thing to watch unfold. 

As I look ahead to the remaining games they have left, this season can either go one of two ways. Either Craig O’brien will do what he needs to do and start delivering in the clutch, or this team will crumble vs the superior athletic teams in this division, unfortunately resulting in a season many of us will forget. Which one will it be? I’m not too sure. What I do know? Past our Prime has the players they need to win the games be victorious in those ‘must-win’ games they have coming up, if they want any chance to try and squeeze their way into the playoff bracket. Either way, It’s going to be fun to watch!

Welp, that’s a wrap folks, and it was a long one too! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing about it! If you feel like your team was graded poorly, please let me know! I would love to have a conversation and hear why you feel as though your team was ranked too low/others ranked higher than yours! I love debating, and this is a create way to interact amongst the FPF community so why not, hit me up! Thanks to those tuning in, catch y’all at the field!

 Deuces!