Season Preview

Division D, we meet again.

Covering divisions A and B last year was fun, but I must admit it feels good to be back home in Division D. In the spring season, nowhere else but in D do you get the perfect mix of new teams and fresh faces taking on established squads and veteran players trying to take themselves to the next level. 

It’s right here that many of FPF’s top players and teams started off their careers before moving on up to face the league’s best. Want to join them? A championship this season would be a pretty good way to start.    

As it stands today, all 34 teams in Division D have an equal opportunity to win it all come August. What you do with that opportunity is entirely up to you.

 

Meet Your Competition:

As the English writer for Division 5 in the Winter 2016 season, I decided to move away from a preseason top 10 to a preview of every team competing in the division. This season I’ll merge the two in a sense: what follows is a conference-by-conference preview of all the teams competing in Division D this season. If I think you deserve to be listed among the top 10 teams, you’ll be ranked accordingly. 

If I didn’t rank you and you think you deserve it, my message to you is the following: prove me wrong, but more importantly, prove yourself right. After all, my opinion isn’t what decides who ends up hoisting the trophy at season’s end – only what you do on the field determines that. Let’s get to it.

   

Conference A: East

Prestige Worldwide (no. 9): Essentially a merger between the Winter 2016 Division 6 champions, PB n’ Jelly, and Spring 2015 Division E finalists Smash Bros, Prestige Worldwide encompasses a roster that has achieved a lot of success in a very short amount of time in FPF. It’ll be interesting to see who the team decides to go with at QB between Jonah Cohen and Joseph Kano. But regardless of who ends up being the signal-caller, this squad is sure to burn some teams offensively between the speedy Dylan Catellier and smooth route runner Paul Santache, while free agent pick ups Kyle Pedvis and Russell Schwartz, formerly of The U, should help shore up the defensive side of the ball.

 

Fuzzy-Kittens: Simon Bosquet Beaudoin’s absence from the opening day roster is obviously a big one, he who helped the team go from averaging barely three TDs per game in Division E last spring to nearly four in 5B this past winter. Fuzzy-Kittens didn’t rest on their laurels this offseason, however, as the addition of former Loose Cannons beast JR Beausoleil should help mitigate the loss of SBB. And, of course, the ever-dependable Gabriel Poisson is back once again and should regain his spot as QB Jordan Robert Chartrand’s go-to playmaker. 

 

Weapon X: Out is Ryan Browne at QB this season; in, it appears, goes Jordan Maxwell. Maxwell was the team’s starter under the TOPSZN name two winter seasons ago. Given how well he performed in that rookie season (33 TDs to 13 INTs), you would think Weapon X’s offense should put up much under his lead than the pedestrian 214 total points it scored in Division 5B this past winter. That is of course until you realize do-it-all star Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren is not on the opening day roster. Gilbert-Knorren was Weapon X’s, well, weapon x in the winter, leading the team in both TDs and INTs despite having shown up for just six games. The pressure is on for FPF newcomers Alex Mactavish and Austin and Benny Mcmahon to make a name for themselves in the league.     

 

Longhorns: One of the lower divisions’ longest-standing franchises is back for yet another season. Longhorns Lite might be a better-fitting name for this year’s squad, as both Rob Allen and Brian Martin are nowhere to be found on the roster. To give you an idea of how big a loss that is, this past winter Allen and Martin combined to catch 43% of QB Jon Moodie’s 174 completions, 51% of the 2005 yards he amassed through the air, and 47% of his 51 TDs thrown. Adam Rosen, you have some very, very big shoes to fill my friend. 

 

Junkyard Dogs (no. 6): Few lower division teams have experienced a turnaround quite as significant as Junkyard Dogs. The team went from a four-win season in Spring 2015 to double that and a 5B finals appearance this past winter. A big part of that turnaround was the improvement in play by QB Jason Rossie, along with the big-play ability of two-way starter Hugo Allamanno. Junkyard Dogs are clearly happy with the production they got from their roster from the winter season, having made zero changes to their opening day roster this spring. Rumor has it there will be a surprise player making his debut for the team come Week 1, however….

 

Les Indécis: The ill-fated Patriotes franchise is back under a new name. Having most recently hit rock bottom with an 0-10 season last spring, FPF staff member David Dagenais and company have moved on from QB Etienne Chauvin while adding five FPF rookies to this year’s team. The only way to go from here is up.

 

 

Conference A: South

Sticky Hands: Their Winter 2016 collapse behind them, QB Alexis Labonté is back with the same cast. Only this time, I’m sure he hopes to avoid taking a seat for a few games like he did in the winter, when starting receiver Nicolas Saro took over the QB reigns for a stretch. I fully expect Saro to play through the season at receiver alongside Kevin Gauthier and Jean-Philippe Nadeau. Much like it was in the winter, this is a good squad. Just how good remains to be seen.  

 

Pandas: Either these guys like that one song by Desiigner, or they’re just really big fans of the most recognizable bear out of China. That’s the only comment I can really make about them at this point – this is an entirely new team with only two of the eight-man roster having played in FPF before, with both Alexandre Bachaalani and Ryan Kharouf having competed for the underperforming Still C.R.A. back in Winter 2015.

 

Gators (no. 4): The addition of an FPF rookie aside, Gators are back with the same roster that took them to the 5A finals this past winter. Only this time, they’ll have Champlain St. Lambert product Kevin St-Pierre at their disposal from the get-go. I was going to say that I don’t think they’ll be starting 0-3 this time around, but that’s before I saw their schedule – Backyard Bullies, Frosty Bronsons, and the hard-nosed St. Lunatics. Ouch.

 

ZOO: Another one of the lower divisions’ longest-standing franchises, Zoo see the return of QB-receiver duo Frank Kaye and Pat St-Amand. The Pat Lefebvre experiment looks to be over, which is likely best for this team – few have the same chemistry Kaye and St-Amand do. If Kevin Marcil can show up for closer to 10 games than 5, Zoo may very well be darkhorses come season’s end.

 

All Blacks: On the heels of a disastrous 2-7-1 winter season in 4B, the only preseason free agent pick-up All Blacks have made is that of Alexandre Poulin-Rioux, who is familiar with the team having previously played on Warhawks with a number of his teammates this season. All Blacks   clearly believe the level of competition, rather than talent, was to blame for their struggles. Time will tell whether they’re right.

 

Magic City: The Sunshine Island guys move to the main land under the name Magic City, but that’s really the only change they’ve made. Roster-wise, aside from the addition of FPF rookie Nicolai Cordileone, this team is essentially the same as the one that fought its way to a semi-final appearance in 5B over the winter. QB Matthew Cinquino made his money rushing the ball en route to that appearance, having topped 600 yards on the ground in the winter. Set to face better rushers in Division D than in 5B, can Cinquino’s legs once again carry this squad to the playoffs?  

 

 

Conference A: Central

The Alpha-T’s: The team name is the same as the one they used in their debut FPF season last spring, but the roster is very much a different one. Indeed, these guys went out and acquired FPF vets Alex David, Bryan Mongeau and Georges Elie-Voyer, along with adding FPF rookie David Chabot. No Jean Lussier on the team this time around means there’s no obvious choice to replace him at QB. Either way, with all the talent at its disposal, I think this team has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.

 

Ghosts: Considering the number of players who have played on either Ghosts, Diablos or both over the past few seasons, I can’t tell whether this is a merger or one of those things where franchises alternate between names. In any case, this season’s edition of Ghosts faces an uphill battle to a successful season, with highly targeted receivers Jeremy Carrier and William Plante both off the team for the spring. That means it’s either up to top division wideout Zach Zwirn to make his presence felt even more, or for some of the new additions to the team to make up for the lost production. A tall task either way.   

 

Bromigos: 2-8 in 4B in winter, 2-8 in their debut under the Bromigos name in Division D last spring. Patrick Larose-Laurent and friends are entering this season with the same roster as this past winter’s, minus defensive stalwarts Zohar Colman and Nicolas Godbout. I guess they’re thinking addition by subtraction is their best shot at turning things around? Either that or they believe those ugly first seasons as a franchise were flukes (or maybe all those seasons playing for Simon Dagenais under the Dragons name has left its mark on these guys. I fear for my future). Regardless, the pressure is on. Two straight losing seasons may be a coincidence, but three is a trend. Time to step it up, boys.

 

TAIMESAHEIIIN: Probably the only team name that actually fits being in all caps. Aside from that, all I can say is that this is a brand new team to FPF, with only Gabriel Côté having played before – and that was this just past winter season, for the Guerriers de l’espace. This team remains a total mystery.

 

Les Affreux: Boy, talk about a facelift. No Daniel Bellefeuille, no Jonathan Lemieux, no Mathieu Dubois, no Maxime Lemieux, and no Patrice Clement on this year’s opening day roster. Instead, long-time franchise players Mat Domon and Martin Jackson will be joined by recent Affreux additions Alex Gelinas and Michel Ladouceur, along with FPF rookie Valentin Hoyau and former Dragons standout Jean-Daniel Joly. Still, that is a huge loss of talent from one season to the next. Given that they still have room to add another low-to-mid 70/70 player, I wonder if they have a surprise addition joining them on the field come Week 1…

 

 

Conference B: West

The Goats: Joey Fiorillo and friends have dropped the BMS from their team name, but the group that clawed its way to a 6-4 finish in Division 5A over the winter is competing together once again. As a rookie QB, Fiorillo showed flashes of greatness at times, but also completely disappeared at others. With such talented receivers as AJ Gomes, Joseph Buffone, and Anthony Lazzara, and a season now under his belt at QB, I fully expect to see Fiorillo putting up 35+ points week-in and week-out this season.

 

Backyard Bullies (no. 1): How these guys fit the cap is beyond me. Sure, Vinny Gualano, Steve Sanner and Anthony Da Silva, who helped guide the team to a 9-1 record in 4A this past winter, won’t be coming back. But Brennan Burke is one of the most underrated QBs in the lower divisions, Mark Donohue can be a two-way stud when given the chance and Rich Humes is, well, Rich Humes. You better believe you’ll be seeing the Bullies long after Week 10 this season.   

 

St. Lunatics (no. 7): Defense didn’t win them a championship in 5B this past winter, but it sure got them damn close. Making the jump to Division D, Michael Sanchez and company decided to make the most of the extra cap space by bringing in Division 2 stud Jovan Cober, who will be an absolute beast on both sides of the ball. As well, although he doesn’t bring with him that high division recognition, the underrated Sergio Sicoli should equally help this squad in the points-scoring department – something this past winter’s St. Lunatics desperately lacked.   

 

Frosty Bronsons (no. 5): At first glance, there’s not much to be afraid of. The team finished with just five wins in 4A last season, and did the same under the BronxBombers name in Division D last spring. Then there’s the fact QB James Nowakowski is coming off a 22-INT campaign, Lonnie Johnson is pushing 50 years old, and Terry Tam is on the team (Worst. Snapper. Ever.) But that’s at first glance. When you see Nowakowksi making a beautiful 15-yard touch pass, Lonnie breaking three tackles on his way up the field, and Terry Tam not having to snap, you’ll start to take your game versus Frosty Bronson seriously. And I haven’t even mentioned the addition of the underrated Mark Viglas. If Nowakowski tones down the turnovers, this team should easily make the playoffs. 

 

Justice League: What do you get when you merge Trapstars and Green Lantern Corps? The Justice League, apparently. After another struggling season as part of Trapstars this past winter, the trio of Alex Andreescu, Petru Andreescu and Xavier Plante has decided to join forces with Jerson Previlon and the rest of the GLC core. How well they mesh with the team may decide whether this new-and-improved squad makes the playoffs or not.

 

On Les Empêche (no. 10): Returning under a new moniker, the team formerly known as I Rep That West (Winter 2016) and Les Aigles (Spring 2015) returns once more. With the roster looking exactly the same as that of this past winter season, it would appear QB Nicolas Schaefer and company hope that the experience they gained last season alone will help guide them to the promised land after running into a brick wall known as Junkyard Dogs in the 5B playoffs. A favorable schedule should see their return to the postseason for a second straight season.

 

 

Conference B: North 

Supply and Command (by G.M. Kolethras): Back for another season behind center, Justin Blanchard has re-tooled S&C with some key additions. After a fantastic first-round playoff victory in 5A last winter that I’m constantly reminded of, Supply and Command showed that despite the learning curve at QB that Blanchard went through they still have the knowledge and expertise to stay a contender. Now with some additions, they could be poised to once-again sneak under the radar and upset another top team in the playoffs. Adding solid two-way player and all-around nice guy Mike Addona is a perfect addition to this roster, and that’s not even mentioning the addition of FPF Jr phenom Juwan Edghill. While Edghill’s receiving prowess is already apparent, it’ll be interesting to see how he fares as a defender against more seasoned quarterbacks and receivers. Overall, S&C have the pieces in place to compete, all they have to do now is execute.

 

5-Star (no. 2): They finished just 5-4-1 in 4A over the winter, but don’t be fooled; these guys don’t call themselves 5-Star for nothing. Although touchdown-scoring machine Alex Ganter doesn’t look to be returning this season, Jeremy Anderson certainly is. Joining him will be Primetime staple Dilan Daoust, and I sense these two will make for a duo that will certainly make up for Ganter’s absence. The only thing that has me hesitant about this team is the addition of four FPF rookies to the squad. Still, I think the trio of Moses, Anderson and Daoust should be able to carry this team to success. 

 

Gamecocks: They’re going with the same team name as the one that went 8-2 in Division 6 over the winter, but it’s safe to say Gamecocks will be looking very different this season: only three members of the winter season’s team are on this spring’s squad. I love the addition of FPF veteran Andrew Langburt, who has made a name for himself as a dangerous two-way player for Coyotes. What I don’t love is not knowing just who exactly will be throwing him the ball, with Daniel Richman off the team this season.

 

Hot Boys Hotline: HBH are the original boys in pink, but I think they’re still feeling blue after coming up short of a playoff appearance in the winter season – especially after overcoming an 0-3 start. But if their 7-3 finish in Spring 2015 is any indication, this team has what it takes to compete in Division D. We already know what the likes of Vadim Chernyak and Jeremy Grauer bring to the table, with the former being the workhorse and the latter having a knack for catching TDs in the redzone. With better overall consistency, we very well could see HBH’s return to the postseason as early as this year.  

 

More Money-Less TDs (no. 8): Ian Einheiber fell short of achieving the ultimate prize in 5B over the winter with Takeover, but he’s back for the spring with the same goal in mind – and some reinforcements. Along with go-to receivers Alessandro Arciero and William Power, Einheiber will team-up with former Black Ice teammate Nyle Anderson once again, along with a duo of ex-B.D. Bandits. The strength of this roster, coupled with what appears to be a relatively easy schedule, should have these guys thinking playoffs and more this season. 

 

Blue Devils: Blue Devils are back and look to improve on their 4-6 record in 5B last winter. Their only roster change personnel-wise is the return of Hany Sepieh, who played five games for the team last spring. Blue Devils seem to think what they lacked last season was better play, not better players. Considering their wild inconsistency over the winter, they may be right.

 

 

Conference B: Central 

Get Off My D (no. 3): Assuming Jeff Rosenblatt QBs this team, Get Off My D have the chance to be a very, very dangerous team. Rosenblatt is an experienced QB coming off an insane season in Division 4B, and he’s joined by one of the most dangerous receivers in the lower divisions in Marty Freedman, who can run every route you throw at him. Meanwhile, what can you say about snapper Jad Aridi – all this man does is win Defensive Player of the Season awards, while providing an uncanny ability to move the chains in every 3rd-and-short situation.  

 

SABRFC: One of the few teams making the jump from Div 6 to Div D this spring, Sabrfc decided to make the most of the opportunity to bring along one Kyle McGuigan, who you may remember as being one of the two-way monsters who helped lead Obamacare to the playoffs just a few months ago. Now, did the team lose a lot of guys in the process to Div D? Yes. But that shouldn’t matter as long as McGuigan, coupled with 2016 Division 6 Two-Way Player of the Season Mickey Marini, provides the dominant one-two punch I expect to see.

 

Get on Deck: Get on Decks’ 4,000-man roster was good enough for a .500 record this past winter, and it looks like they figure it should be good enough for .500 or better again this season. That’s all fine and well, but there’s only one problem: this time, they’ll be competing without the help of leading scorer Patrice Lindor. Who is ready to take over in his place?

 

Two and a Half Dabs: Team Rocket returns with a team name more reminiscent of the one that started it all for many of the guys on this squad. Among those is Eric Maiorino, who quite possibly will replace Danny Aylward at the position this season considering Aylward is nowhere to be found on the team’s roster. In any case, I fully expect this team’s defense to once again be solid enough to keep this squad competitive all through the season.

 

Friends in Low Places: The Watch Me Whip Guys are back. Again. With a new name. Again. But there is one huge difference from this past winter season, and that is the absence of touchdown-scoring machine James Nowakowski, who is off QBing for Frosty Bronsons this spring. That being said, Alex Grey, Danny D’Amour and Jordan Bellemare are still around, as is the ageless wonder Normand Bellemare. Will they make the playoffs? Who knows. But one thing’s for sure: someone on this team is a big Garth Brooks fan.

 

 

Picks of the Week:

After taking down Nicolas Belleau this past winter, I have my eyes set on doing so once again this spring, as Belleau will be writing the French-language Division D articles. He will try valiantly to get his revenge. He will fail miserably.  

 

Weapon X vs. Blue Devils

 

Longhorns vs. 5-Star

 

Les Affreux vs. Get on Deck

 

Zoo vs. Frosty Bronsons

 

Magic City vs. On Les Empêche

 

Ghosts vs. Two and a Half Dabs

 

Les Indécis vs. Hot Boys Hotline

 

Gators vs. Backyard Bullies

 

Junkyard Dogs vs. Gamecocks

 

Prestige Worldwide vs. Supply and Command (n/a)

 

The Alpha-T’s vs. Get Off My D

 

Fuzzy-Kittens vs. More Money-Less TDs

 

Taimsaheiiin vs. Sabrfc

 

Bromigos vs. Friends In Low Places

 

Pandas vs. Justice League

 

All Blacks vs. St. Lunatics

 

Sticky Hands vs. The Goats

 

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One article down, so many more to go. If you’re new to this and you think all articles will be this long, I’m sorry to say, they won’t be. Rest assured, however, that there will be recaps, power ranking and random thoughts aplenty between next week and the Road Show in August. Hope you guys enjoy, and if you don’t, I hope you at least have a good season. See you at the fields!