The Dog Days of the Winter, Clinched Playoff Teams and an OBJ-like INT

We are officially in the dog days of the winter season, but we are entering Week 10. There are 2 weeks (and 1 day in Week 13) left in the schedule and the playoff picture is starting to take shape, as teams are starting to clinch playoff spots. That said, there are still teams that have played 6 games and will be playing a ton of games in the next 21 days. Because making the playoffs are the first goal of the season, let’s dive right in and see who is mathematically in the post-season dance. Remember that in 5A, all the teams will be ranked 1-20 and the bottom (worst) 4 teams will be eliminated from playoffs. Right now, those teams are Le Speakeasy, Glory Boyz, The Tokyo Sandblasters and Les Petites Carottes.

Division 5A Clinched Playoff Teams

As of 5pm Saturday March 11th

Ballers
Red “Not” Skins
Big Fat Bats
No Friend Zone

In 5B, all the teams will be ranked 1-21 and the bottom (worst) 5 teams will be eliminated from playoffs. Those teams right now are: Cover 3, Ball So Hard U, Stormers, Blues and Wolf

Division 5B Clinched Playoff Teams

As of 5pm Saturday March 11th

Killer Rays

Division 5A Week 9 Thoughts and Musings

Les Petites Carottes lose another game. They still have 4 games remaining, but man, what a disappointing season so far!
QB Tylar Bianchi proved that he can play in the slightly higher Div 5A, as he poured on the points on Ice Up, helping Clinkers with the rocking 38-18 victory on their way out to Ontario in Baie D’Urfe.
The Process were short-handed against Rico Ryders. They were still 6 players, but some guys who have never played flag before. Before we say “well too bad”, we’ve been playing for a while and don’t remember what it was like for us during our first game. We probably looked like chickens without heads, not understanding what’s going on and why penalty flags are flying (was that against me?). Having subbed in Div 6 early this season, it’s tough to explain rules in a huddle, while explaining the call and who needs to be where. Mathew Yanakoulias chewed them up though, posting 5 TDs, 0 INTs and throwing over 200 yards.

Yanakoulias has thrown 14 TDs and 2 INTs in his last 3 games

Glory Boyz can’t afford not having Michael Hiotis miss a game. The defense stood tall for three quarters of the game, but Red “Not” Skins eventually pulled away.
David de Andrade is another QB that can’t afford to miss for Tip Top Shape. Antoine Charlebois has gone in for the last 2 games and thrown 4 TD’s, but 7 INTs. Add him to the list of receivers who have a new-found appreciation for the QB position.
AJ Zeppetelli has hit his career high in TDs with 17 and still has 1 game remaining. Can he hit 20?
Save The Turftles are freezing up, losing 4 straight games.
After a 4 TD, 123 yard performance this past week, Luis Begin has catapulted himself as the 2nd leading TD scorer and 2nd leading receiver in yards.
Danick Coulombe is your INT leader after 9 weeks in FPF, but Defensive player of the Year might just go to a rusher.
Need a 1-point convert? Ask Justin Lerner or Guillaume Dubois; both have five XP1 converts to lead 5A.
Can Zack Stacey make a run at QBOY? He would need to throw for 12 TDs and 1-2 INTs in his next 2 games, which is absolutely within his and the teams capabilities. Intriguing storyline to watch out for.
I find the teams in Group B to have scarier offenses than Group A. 4 teams in Group B have eclipsed 200 points (with BFB at 300), while Group B just has 1 so far (at exactly 200).
A couple of 6-1 teams do battle in Week 10 – Ballers vs. No Friend Zone
Buffalo Wild Wings have a doubleheader in Week 10 and can clinch a playoff spot if they go 2-0.
Les Petites Carottes don’t have an easier time getting win #2 on the season, facing West Island Boys, but do face Rico Ryders before facing off against WIB.

Practice Squad (5) are on a 2-game win streak and have put themselves in a prime position for the playoffs, after starting 1-4-1.
After edging out Rico Ryder 24-22 back on February 6th, The Tokyo Sandblasters have dropped 3 in a row and are in danger of missing the playoffs, with Save The Turftles and BWW up next.
Clinkers vs. Him University Saturday night at Brossard will have Joey Notaro facing teammate in Div 4, Luis Begin. Who will have the bigger game for their team?

Game Preview

Les Petites Carottes (1-5) vs. West Island Boys (4-2)

Les Petites Carottes

vs.

West Island Boys

This one might not seem like a great matchup, with a 5-loss team going against a 2-loss team, but LPC have been seriously underperforming and did draw quite the unfavorable schedule. They’ve played Save The Turftles in Week 1, a tough matchup to open the season, and then the combined 15-1 Big Fat Bats and No Friend Zone. I wrote a couple of articles back that they needed to pick 1 QB and stick with them, and that it should be Zach Cloutier. Instead, they split the starts between Cloutier and Rayes, and have come out 0-2. They do have the talent to pull off an upset though, they just need to get a rhythm going, completing easy passes and driving the field.

From the West Island Boys side of things, they are on a 3-game winning streak after dropping 2 of their first 3 matchups to start the season. In each of those wins, they’ve posted a minimum of 33 points, so expect more of that from Zack Stacey and the WIB boys.

This game in particular will really land on whether LPC can answer 2 major questions: 1) Can the defense stop the high-flying and diverse attack of WIB,? If they can’t, the second question is whether LPC’s offense can go score for score with WIB? With the double reps Zack Stacey has been taking in both Divs 5 and 6, he is, with each passing week, getting more and more comfortable with his reads and defenses are paying the price. The defensive guys on LPC, Jason Rayes and Zach Cloutier will need to shoot gaps like they can to create turnovers, while the tower of Xavier Brault will need to intercept the deep passes to Skylar Bayliff. The LPC will need to create at least 3 turnovers if they want a chance at winning this game.

Offensively, LPC can’t get trigger happy and just launch the ball deep 3 times in a row. They need to play a more disciplined offensive game where they drive the field consistently, by getting a good mix of short and intermediate, and then hit the homerun once the WIB defense is cheating short.

For WIB, they don’t need to do much differently offensively, but defensively, Julian McLaren-Thompson can be difference maker, eliminating the run from whichever quarterback is lining under centre for LPC. Not only that, he will limit their time in the pocket with his crazy speed and force them to make quick decisions, which is when defenders like Nick Di Maulo or Mike Collard can pounce on balls for the INT or PD.

Prediction: Les Petites Carottes 25 – 38 West Island Boys

Week 9 – Team of the Week

Time to see who balled out last week!

QBs of the Week (2)

QB1 – Mathew Yanakoulias (Rico Ryders): 24/35 (68.6% completion), 214 Passing Yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 1 Rushing Attempt, 1 Rushing Yard.

QB2 – Tylar Bianchi (Clinkers): 11/20 (55% completion), 177 Passing Yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 3 Rushing Attempts, 18 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD.

Receivers of the Week (5)

WR1 – Luis Begin (Clinkers): 7 receptions, 8 targets, 123 yards, 4 TDs

WR2 – Nicolas Pierni (Glory Boyz): 5 receptions, 5 targets, 109 yards, 1 TD

WR3 – Thomas Chaussé (Save The Turftles): 4 receptions, 9 targets, 77 yards, 2 TDs, 2x XP1

WR5 – Guillaume Fontaine (Buffalo Wild Wings): 5 receptions, 7 targets, 74yards, 2 TDs

WR5 – Ariel Librati (The Process): 4 receptions, 4 targets, 57 yards, 2 TDs

Defensive Players of the Week (5) + 1 Rusher

DB1 – Lucas Crivello (Glory Boyz): 1 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 Def TD

DB2 – Andrew Denis Lynch (Menace II Sobriety): 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 PD

DB3 – Michael Pietrobon (Red “Not” Skins): 1 tackle, 2 INTs

DB4 – Guillaume Fontaine (Buffalo Wild Wings): – 2 tackles, 2 INTs

DB5 – Anthony Giacomodonato (Big Fat Bats): – 3 tackles, 1 INT, 5 PDs

Rusher – Anthony Gentile (Red “Not” Skins): 1 tackle, 3 sacks

Division 5B

Week 9 (mostly) chatterbox:

That Green Monster defense is LEGIT!
My Game preview last week of The Penetrators vs. No Punt Intended was higher scoring than I imagined. Prediction: The Penetrators 33 – 19 No Punt Intended. Actual score: The Penetrators 44 – 33 No Punt Intended. Hey I got who won and 33 points correct, just not the right team with 33 points.
Brewers come away with an impressive 30-19 win over Wolf. Jeff Lefebvre with a clean 5 TD, 0 INT game. Could that be enough to be a Top 2 QB performance on the Team of the Week? Keep reading to find out.

Man, Stormers have let up 85 points in their last 2 games in Week 9 and 10.
With their 1 point win over Vick in a Box, Team Sexy is on a nice little 2-game win streak to get back to .500
I’ve probably said it before, buts Groups B and D are nuts. Very tight for that #1 spot. Of course, teams will be arranged 1-21 at the end of the season, but divisional record will be an important tie-breaker.
A race for Defensive Player of the Year will be interesting, between the leading DBs and their INTs or Rushers and their Sacks.
With 9 games under his belt, Jeff Tayeh (Vick in a Box) has taken the Passing TD lead with 41. He’s currently sitting with a 4:1 TD-to-INT ratio, which, for a first full season in FPF, and in 5B, is very, very good. There is potential for him to get better and move up in the divisions. He’s a name to look out for in the lower divisions.
There was a slightly controversial tie between Killer Rays and Primetime on Saturday night in Lachine in Week 10, let’s see what the league says. Either way, Killer Rays will remain undefeated.
Max Burah is starting to run away with 2-way Player of the Year.
There are 6 rushers with 10+ sacks already: Vincent Bolullo, Jared Arany, Philippe Barbeau, Ethan Adrian, Sebastian Dufour and Keenan Alleyne. Seb Dufour with 11 sacks and 14, count it, FOURTEEN PDs!! That’s nuts!
Les Bleue Dry has 3 receivers with two or more XP2 successful converts 👀
While the 15 INTs are the 2nd highest in the Div, Daniel Spina feels the improvement as a passer, but can compliment it with a Div-high 3 Rushing TDs and Top-5 201 rushing yards.

Game Preview

Red Dragons (5-0-2) vs. Primal (5-2)

Neither team is in desperate need of the win, as both teams are currently sitting comfortably in a playoff seed. Both teams will be looking for their 6th win of the season, but more importantly, will be feeling each other out, as these two teams have the “it” factor to make a deep playoff run. Both teams have a high-powered offense, with Primal having scored 233 points in 7 games and Red Dragons 232, while the Red Dragon defense has allowed a mere 15 points less.

The Red Dragon defense will need to take particular attention to Antoine Chabot, one of the Division’s best receivers. Timoté Nehma-Lacasse is a great defender that could be the answer to slowing down Chabot, but the play on the field will determine who has the upper hand. If the Dragons can contain Chabot, they cannot forget Jean-Philippe Régnier, Valéry Shelder and Vincent Sabourin who are a great mix of possession and speedy receivers. It will be a question of whether the depth on the Primal offense is deeper than the depth of defensive on Red Dragons. Mederic Lauzon is not a risk-taker and has, on average, thrown less than 1 INT per game. The most he’s thrown in 1 game is two interceptions (only once) and it came in a game where he threw 6 TDs. 2 INTs are easily offset when you score at least 6 TDs (as that’s 8 possessions and likely all the possessions he had in that game, unless 1 possession was an end-at-half with 2-3 plays remaining and didn’t score. If the defense can make the windows tight and close in on receivers and cause Lauzon to hold onto the ball, I don’t think he will throw the ball away that turn into interceptions, rather Vincent Bolullo might be able to add to his Division-leading 18 sacks on the season. Lauzon may need to be very smart with how he throws balls away vs. taking intentional ground penalties vs. throwing interceptions.

As for Guillaume Boulanger and the Red Dragons offense, they are coming off a bye week where in Week 8 they suffered the loss of star 2-way player Émile Bolullo. Boulanger is having a stellar season so far, with a minimal 4 INTs in 7 games and will need to continue that pace of play. Bringing in Sam Cantin will help offset the loss of Émile and I think is enough for Boulanger to not stress over the loss of 430 yards and 13 TDs. For them against Primal it’s simple; keep playing your game and what has made you successful so far. The Primal defense has created 15 turnovers from interceptions, but if Guillaume plays that safe, sound football, that should not be a problem. The game is actually similar on both sides, where if the Primal D can closely cover the Red Dragons receivers, Philippe Barbeau will need to bear down and make sure he doesn’t miss the QBs flags, so he too can add to his 14 sacks.

This one will be an awesome, close game, with lots of points on the board. It will be a race to 6 TD’s where extra points will be massive. This season, Primal has scored more XP converts, but it will come down to how efficient they can be in this 1 game.

Prediction: Red Dragons 37 – 37 Primal

Why not, Red Dragons have tied 2 games already, why not a 3rd?

Week 9 – Team of the Week

Time to see who balled out last week!

QBs of the Week (2)

QB1 – Benjamin Berbrier (Team Sexy): 16/28 (57.1%), 303 Passing Yards, 7 TDs, 1 INTs

QB2 – Justin Goodman (The Penetrators): 17/21 (80.9%%), 220 Passing Yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, 3 Rushing Attempts, 27 Rushing Yards

Receivers of the Week (5) – A couple of Sexy teammates steal the WR1 and WR2 positions

WR1 – Sam Anastasopoulos (Team Sexy): 5 receptions, 9 targets, 128 yards, 3 TDs

WR2 – Andrew Steinberg (Team Sexy): 5 receptions, 6 targets, 117 yards, 3 TDs, 1x XP1

WR3 – Marc Andre Aube Mochon (Stormers): 6 receptions, 9 targets, 114 yards, 2 TDs

WR4 – Nicholas Fon (The Penetrators): 6 receptions, 6 targets, 89 yards, 2 TDs, 1x XP1

WR5 – Simon Gauthier (Brewers): 7 receptions, 12 targets, 75 yards, 2 TDs

Defensive Players of the Week (4) + 1 Rusher

DB1 – Eric Namts (Les Bleue Dry): 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 Def TD

DB2 – Valéry Shelder (Primal): 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 Def TD

DB3 – Jake Applebaum (Primetime): 1 tackle, 2 INTs

DB4 – Xavier Bourgeois-Giroux (Stormers): 1 tackle, 1 INT, 2 PDs

DB5 – John Greene (What Could Have Beens): 1 tackle, 1 INT – A NASTY OBJ-LIKE INT!!!

Rusher – Ethan Adrian (Primetime): 4 sacks, 1 PD

Epilogue

Alright Div 5, that does it to recap Week 9. If you want more content, there’s always more! Here’s our podcast, Calling The Audible from this past Friday with Moe Khan, myself and Eagle at Master Control: