The GM’s Scouting Report (Div 1&2)

The GM’s Scouting Report – Preseason Article

 

So, the powers that be have decided to change things up with the writing. Since it’s pretty much a surprise for me to be playing in Division 2, I figured that I’d surprise everyone else and write the combined Division 2/Division 1 article as well. Apparently I have an above-average memory and a wealth of knowledge at remembering stupid and insignificant FPF facts, which apparently makes me perfect for the job.

 

 With too much time on my hands, and nothing constructive to do, I decided I would make a pre-season power ranking of the teams in Division 1 and 2. With all that said, bear in mind the following:

 

– These opinions are mine and mine alone. Send the complaints and hate mail here.

– This is purely for the sake of this article. These in no way signify where you were placed or pre-ranked.

– I’ve based the rankings almost solely on the rosters entered on the site, and my opinions of the players and teams.

– As well as listing the rosters, I’ve put “The Promising” and “The Uncertain” with the former being what looks good about this team going into the season and the latter being what might be cause for concern as the weeks draw out.

– In almost every instance of “The Uncertain” I had to refrain from writing defense. Assume it’s a common denominator with most teams, because it would have become tedious if I wrote it over and over.

 

DIVISION 2:

 

14. GoonzSquad

 

Roster: Fode Yowdawe, Yannick Vanasse, Jean-Nichol Derenoncourt, Hassan Jouni, Donald Louis, Sebastien Papineau

 

The Promising: Very few rushers and defenses in D2 are equipped to deal with the run-and-gun passing style of Yannick Vanasse. Paired with the stats that J-N Derenoncourt has put up season after season, this one-two pair is going to be difficult to stop.

 

The Uncertain: They’re not looking too strong. GoonzSquad last played in Division 2 two years ago, and the results weren`t pretty. Having a team whose offense is pretty much centralized around the run does not seem like a convenient option to me. Plus, they registered with only 6 players on the roster, which I find surprising to say the least, and likely to change.

 

13. Top Gunnz

 

Roster: Nick Gauderault, Najee Haddock, James Donald, Damian Hirt, Yadel Meshesha, Yafet Meshesha, Zack Gauderault, Mario Porreca, Eric Gracioppo, Casey Cook, Luca Pichet, Mattey Ossom

 

The Promising: The up and coming youth of the division. Having added one of the leading CIS receivers in all of Canada in Casey Cook, things are looking up for this squad. They’ve got speed and they’ve got athleticism, as well as each and every one of them having tackle experience as well. They’ve got fire in their eyes, and continue to play at one of the top levels in the league.

 

The Uncertain: In all honesty, this seems to be a little light a roster. After a lackluster season last year, they may have had enough cap space to drop to Division 3. Will sticking around in Division 2 prove any different for them this year, or will we see a lot more of the same?

 

12. Team Paddon

 

Roster: Gab Cousineau, Kenny Baye, Alex Hovington, Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon, Manuel Crisi-Lauzon, Francois Martorello, Herve Akakpo, Samuel Drapeau, Wilguens Desriveaux, Raphael Joseph, Jonathan Buissereth

 

The Promising: The Ducks of last season have made a few additions, changed names (admittedly to a reference that I don’t get) and are looking to get back to business. They looked most at home last year when facing the Division 1 teams in the crossover games, and can be a force to be reckoned with if they use that spark and fire against the whole opposition this year.

 

The Uncertain: Sometimes they simply look sloppy and out of place. You see glimpses of promise with this team one week, and then all of a sudden they become disorganized and out of place the next week. Will their sophomore season in Division 2 change all this? This time around, I can see them feeding on some of the weaker teams in the division but falling short to the stronger ones, the opposite of last season.

 

11. Wolfpack

 

Roster: Alexandre Cavanaugh, Pascal Murray, Jean-Francois Legault, Benoit Fredette, Michel Carrier, Frederic Rousseau-Blass, Gabriel Wiseman, Jean-Daniel Joly, Felix Prevost, Francis Lapointe

 

The Promising: A team that’s made the finals three times in four years, they’re no stranger to taking down a division in one fell swoop. The addition of beast receiver Felix Prevost is a huge boost for this team, and adding JD Joly gives them some height and some physicality as well. Rousseau-Blass has been and will likely continue to be one of the best rushers in Division 2, something to look forward to.

 

The Uncertain: I may be going solely by the preseason roster, but an omission of Mikhail Davidson will be a big loss for this team. Missing Remy Pare and Gracia Mwembo makes this squad only really seem like half of a team; the foundation of the squad seems to be missing. Granted, I could be wrong and it could just be preseason omissions, but this does not bode well.

 

10. Road Runners

 

Roster: Patrick Chenard, Nicolas Arsenault-Hum, Jovan Cover, Frederic Thuot, David Polynice, Simon Foisy-Leger, Nicolas Gendron-Vallee, Malu Boukassa, Alexandre Gatien

 

The Promising: Fresh off of their win in the BB class of the Midnight Madness tournament, this squad has become an official team for an entire FPF season. Having lost to them in the finals, I can tell you that this team played together like it had been years that they were playing together. With some top CIS athletes, and some up-and-comers, they might just take a few teams by surprise as being more than just the Express Jr.

 

The Uncertain: Aside from the Express core, there doesn’t seem to be much depth to the team. Sure they’ve got playmakers, but with some of the more stacked teams in D2, only one or two big names may not cut it for the Road Runners. Unless they have some magic that we’re waiting to see, there are quite a few players on the team that are inexperienced for the division, and the few might not be able to keep them on their back.

 

9. Pantheres

 

Roster: David Faucher, Frederic Brunet, Paul-Andre Lebouthillier, Matt Morin, Francois Deslauriers, Dany Ostiguy, Kevin Wilson, Mike Grilli, Mathieu Laurin, Michael Parke

 

The Promising: Anyone who has seen this team play together would tell you just how impressive they are. Mike Grilli just seems to make the right reads every play, and can find the open receiver at all times. The Pantheres know how to get open and shed coverage, and know what works against their opposition on defense and how to call plays to exploit that. Brains will beat brawn, and the Pantheres are certainly one of the smartest teams around.

 

The Uncertain: I don`t even really know what I find wrong with the Pantheres. They`re a really, really good team. Is it that they lack flashiness? Some sort of identity? They have experience and they’re good, but maybe I’m being blinded by their past performances. They have a lot of touch experience and have a lot of key offseason acquisitions, but can they step up from just being a middle of the pack team?

 

8. Wolverines

 

Roster: Michael Young, Tony Tabet, Raffi Kozanian, Serge Moumdjian, Armen Kavaldjian, Raffi Bastadjian, Sebouh Kaloussian, Sevag Kaloussian, Eric Kavaldjian, Shane Paquette

 

The Promising: They’ve got the most complete of Wolverines/Snookers rosters to date. Boasting the strongest players from their past seasons, they’re looking to take on the Division with their own brand of slow-paced “milk the clock and call audibles in Armenian to exploit the holes in the opposition’s defense” brand of football. They’re most successful when they don’t seek outside help from free agents outside their core, and they can now let their chemistry win them games.

 

The Uncertain: I guess that my biggest qualm about the Wolverines is their consistency. There are days where they look unstoppable and can keep pace with any team in the league, and there are days where they barely look like themselves. They know the game really well and use that to their advantage, but it seems like sometimes they rely more on making plays out of nothing than calling plays that will work.

 

7. Bodyhype

 

Roster: Stephan Osman, Ryne Bondy, Guillaume Laflamme, Raphael Casey, Mathieu Guerette, Lenny Dion, Moy McDonald, Maxime Dupuy, Guillaume Villeneuve, Luis Mota, Devon Stewart, Mathieu Lepage, Jean-Christophe Bouchard

 

The Promising: Ladies and Gentlemen, meet most of McGill`s starting lineup. They`re some of the best coming out of the CIS program, and they know football. Of the players who have previous FPF experience, they`ve all been the standout players of their respective teams. Because there`s very little expected, this team can take the opposition by surprise and really show off what they`ve got.

 

The Uncertain: Of all the teams in this division, this team is the one that mystifies me the most. There`s the most potential for things to go right with this team, but they are also one of the most prone to do poorly with half the team lacking FPF experience. Much like every other tackle team that makes the transition to flag, the athletes find out that this is a very different game indeed.

 

6. Served With Ice

 

Roster: Brian Eudoxie, G.M. Kolethras, Jason Prince, Shane Williams, Karl Lavallee, Jordan Panetta, Jean-Daniel Chevalier, Daniel Mancini, Derek Zackard, Jeremy Quirion

 

The Promising: Coming off making Division 3`s finals last winter, they`ve re-tooled and made the jump. Despite a few offseason losses, an addition in Shane Williams will do wonders for them on both sides of the ball, as well as play calling on defense. They`ve also added more height, and some speed as well with a full-time rusher in Brian Eudoxie.

 

The Uncertain: This team`s success has always come from their relaxed attitude and taking their opponents by surprise. This may not be the case with the elevated competition of Division 2. Furthermore, the additions of Williams, Eudoxie, Prince and Kolethras have potential to shatter the rhythm of the team completely. This fusion seems like a house of cards that might blow over at the first sign of trouble.

 

5. Ice Up Son

 

Roster: Adam Bailey, Garrett Taylor, Nathan Taylor, Scott Kelly, Gordon Stanway, Nigel Thomas, Nick Guarna, Danny Guarna, Steve Sanner

 

The Promising: This team looks really, really dangerous. Usually when we talk about the athleticism of a team, their main downside is lack of knowledge, IUS are not only all athletes, but they know the game in and out. If the saying speed kills is true, this team is your inmates on death row. I can expect to see the ball being aired out for 40-bombs whenever they`re on offense, because so few can cover these guys.

 

The Uncertain: I feel like I sound like a broken record, but a team without offensive play calling just boggles the mind. When you have a quarterback who habitually doesn`t call plays in the huddle and just has his receivers get open, things can go real wrong real fast. The best that they can hope for is that they know each other well enough that picks won`t happen as a result of miscommunication.

 

4. Hustlers

 

Roster: Sean Avraam, Adam Ciampini, Mike Ciampini, Paul Denardis, Carmine Pollice, Benny Goodfriend, Jonathan Lyristis, Kenton Lowe, Andrew Carruthers

 

The Promising: This is definitely one of the most experienced teams in the division. They’ve all been to the finals, and they know how to win. They’ve got a plethora of players who can play just about every position, and are interchangeable at a moment’s notice. They`ve got playmakers who can do some serious damage, and they know enough about all of the other teams in the division and what will work against them.

 

The Uncertain: Much like Mercenaries/Swat/Empire team of seasons past, there’s always the hit-or-miss factor of a team like this. Stack a team with talent and hope that they gel together. This is a team full of skill but also full of tempers; will they be able to battle through their own transgressions at the same time as facing their opposition?

 

3. One Night Stands

 

Roster: Hinsley Adams, Kevin Wyeth, Anson Dudek, Brian Lariviere, Jeff Millar, Corey Cook, Tony Lalla, Tanner Burell, Chris Pinsonneault, Andrew Blevings, Frank Bruno

 

The Promising: They’ve got the best quarterback in FPF. If you expect me to write anything besides that, I can mention that the bulk of the roster is just coming off of a championship win, they’ve got one of the best rushers in the division in Hinsley Adams, and a beast two-way pickup in Frank Bruno. Did I mention that they have the best quarterback in all of FPF?

 

The Uncertain: They say the best defense is a good offense. That certainly may be true, but you still need to play defense regardless of the strength of your offense. There is where I fear that ONS may stutter; unless they go score-for-score with teams and ensure they have the ball when there are only 4 plays left, eventually some holes will start to show when they need some key stops. But time will tell.

 

2. DK

 

Roster: Paul Lapierre, Vince Nardone, Adi Sharma, Rochdi Benabdelkader, Serge Pilon Jr., Liam Mahoney, Renaldo Jordan, Alex Pilon, Ryan Aridi

 

The Promising: What’s not to like about this roster? Coming off of a Division 3 championship win, they’ve cut the fat and strengthened the offense while somehow fitting under Division 2’s cap. Pairing the speed of Nardone and the Pilons with the size of Mahoney and Lapierre, Rochdi has all the tools necessary to excel on defense. There’s really no reason why this team shouldn’t make the finals with a roster this loaded.

 

The Uncertain: While they are stellar players in their own right, I’m not 100% that Adi Sharma and Renaldo Jordan will perform AS WELL on defense as Treldon James and Enrico Pierre. Furthermore, with the star power on this offense, who is going to be the player who will be upset that they’re not getting the ball as often as they are used to? Are they going to rise up to the hype or are they going to implode amongst each other?

 

 

1. D-Boys

 

Roster: James Crowe, Leonardo Lanni, Antonio Lanni, Theo Ojeaha, Anthony Comeau, Marco Masciotra, Matthew Petrone, Jamal Gittens

 

The Promising: Boasting one of the strongest rosters in D3 year after year after year, they’ve made the move up to D2 and will likely still be at the top here as well. Winning the A division of the Midnight Madness tournament back to back, and having added a bulletproof center in Anthony Comeau are all good signs that the D-Boys are the real deal. They’ve got height, speed and probably the one of the best defenses in the league, let alone in Division 2.

 

The Uncertain: Will the lack of Matt Kirouac on this roster shatter their once bulletproof defense? Cocky or not, he is one of the best and the loss of one of the best rushers in all of FPF can’t be a plus no matter who the replacement is. Other critics have mentioned preseason that while they’ve been dominant in previous seasons, they’ve yet to really see the competition that Division 2 will offer them this season.

 

 

DIVISION 1:

 

8. Maniax

 

Roster: Tony Khoury, Rapha Beladjat, Godfrey Abu, Jean-Richard Verger, Ludovic Kashindi, Delien Charles, William Abu, Scott Charles, Bashir A

 

The Promising: Despite being at the bottom of the preseason power rankings, the Maniax are still amongst the best in the division. Having pulled off an upset against Montreal’s Finest in the Spring, it still goes to show that they can ball with the best of them. Also, adding former CFL player Ludovic Kashindi is definitely a huge addition. They’ve got size, and their defense is among the best (and most physical) in the division.

 

The Uncertain: As good as this team is, they need to control their tempers. Like the Seahawks of the NFL they’ve got a great defense but give up so many unnecessary penalties that keep their opponents in games. If they can keep focus on what’s important, they’ll be able to really be a force to be reckoned with. If not, they get frustrated, they give up stupid penalties and they’re basically handing the game away to the other D1 teams.

 

7. Terror Squad

 

Roster: Jo Duclair, Tam Vilaydeth, Patrick Jerome, Corey Greenaway, Maxime Paterson, Kevin Bernatchez, Sebastien Deschamps, Jasmin Rioux, Sadrak Gervais

 

The Promising: Fresh off of a championship, the team with the most to prove and the most potential for growth in the division. They’ve got receivers that are some of the hardest for a defender to cover and keep up with. Furthermore, I don’t know if there are even many rushers competent enough to keep Tam Vilaydeth in the pocket and preventing him from running.

 

The Uncertain: Aside from Jerome, Greenaway and Deschamps, this team isn’t among the biggest size-wise. There are a ton of players in this division that are taller or bigger (or both) than the bulk of this roster – even without sacrificing speed. Despite making and winning the finals in Division 2 last winter, they only went 5-5 in the regular season; cause for concern as similar results might not even get them a playoff spot.

 

6. Gladiateurs

 

Roster: Alex Lever, Nicolas Guimier, Charles Baillargeon, Wesley Joseph, Simon Rheaume, Francois Lebeau, Marc-Andre Lebeau, Philippe Leduc

 

The Promising: I’m very glad to see that the Glads have moved up to Division 1. Perennial spring season champions, the Gladiateurs are no strangers to winning in this league. They’ve (re-)added Wesley Joseph to their lineup which brings a solid defender and receiver into their crew. This team is among the top of the division, chemistry-wise as well as being among the smartest.

 

The Uncertain: One of the smaller preseason rosters in 8, I’m of the opinion that they currently seem to be a little too light. With the other D1 teams boasting bigger rosters, they can afford to go all-out on O or D. Gladiateurs (when at full strength) will have a bit more trouble with that and it will be an all-out difficulty when one or two people are missing. If an essential player is missing, it’ll be a chore finding someone who can fit in and do a similar job.

 

 

5. Rainmakers

 

Roster: Tim Kraemer, Matt Bond, Michael Chitayat, Derek Kastner, Ryan Kastner, Michael Samman, Charles-Antoine Sinotte, Mark Deslauriers, Shane Williams, Benjamin Leger, Dan Adler

 

The Promising: The addition of Shane Williams and Mark Deslauriers to an already great team seems to be some of the best preseason additions. Adding a beast two-way player who is among the best in the league (Williams) and a defensive coordinator who is among the best and has plenty of championships under his belt (Deslauriers) is a huge step for the Rainmakers. The foundation of the Raimakers was already set with talent, so this is seemingly icing on the cake.

 

The Uncertain: Even when the cards seem to be stacked in their favor, there seems to be a je-ne-sais-quoi that is keeping the Rainmakers down. They struggle at times when they shouldn’t be struggling, and sometimes lose to teams that they have no business losing to. Also, with no Francis Toupin listed in the preseason roster, there’s no standout player that can be “the” rusher for this team.

 

4. Express

 

Roster: Andrija Zecevic, Mathieu Thuot, Patrick Chenard, Nicolas Arsenault-Hum, Bruno Collette, Mathieu Patry, Kevin Regimbald, J-F Marquis, Simon Charbonneau-Campeau

 

The Promising: Speaking of bringing Montreal’s Finest’s dominance into question, meet the team that did it for the first time. Boasting a quarterback that’s as dangerous running as he is throwing and some of the better players to emerge from the Quebec CIS program (including a current CFL receiver) Express were also the first team to win their way up, being former Division 2 champions in Winter 2008 as well. Not only has this team won at the highest tier, they won and moved up together rather than being 

 

The Uncertain: Their return to Division 1 after an absence of a year was a lackluster one, going 3-7 (with one win also due to a patchwork offense.) While critics would say that SCC was only present for two of those games, shouldn’t your team be defined by more than just one player, as good as he is? And can their defense keep up with some of the more explosive offenses in the division?

 

3. Flag Moi L’Sac

 

Roster: Timothe Morin-Gauthier, Alex Nadeau-Piuze, Samuel Nadeau-Piuze, Felix Prevost, JP St-Pierre, Viktor Amede-Soltendieck, Jonathan Beaulieu-Richard, William Fontaine, Ali Ndao, Antoine Pruneau

 

The Promising: Universite de Montreal(‘s Finest.) The boys in blue have an offense that last year in Division 2 outscored the three Division 1 teams that they played. They possess breakneck speed and click together with chemistry of a much more established team. They’re explosive, quick and possess a ton of football knowledge that can do a lot of damage.

 

The Uncertain: Just as explosive as this team’s offense is, their tempers can be just as explosive. Keeping their tempers in check when a play or call doesn’t go their way will be important. Everyone knows that they’re great tackle players. However in FPF’s top division, it’s apparent that flag is not tackle and the usual tricks will not work against the more seasoned teams who don’t just rely on athleticism.

 

2. Montreal’s Finest

 

Roster: Garrett Taylor, Rochdi Benabdelkader, Mike Harrington, Olivier Bourdages, Guillaume Ward, Donald Shepherd, Kishon Thompson, Nathan Taylor, Kevin Wyeth, Akked Moore, Karim Binette

 

The Promising: The benchmark for successful teams in this league. Winter ’09, Winter ’12, Spring ’12, Winter ’13 and Spring ’13 mark the 5 championships where Montreal’s finest were an unstoppable force. They have some of the best football players this league has seen, and gel together under an incredible quarterback. They’ve been built to win championships, and they consistently fine-tune their formula.

 

The Uncertain: It would be ridiculous to deny the dominance of Montreal’s Finest. However, it’s becoming apparent that as the seasons go on, other teams are strengthening and narrowing the gap. Compare their two 2013 championship victories to the 2012 ones: In 2013 they won by a touchdown and conversion (or less) while a year before the gap was and touchdown and conversion (or more). Will this year bring their dominance into question?

 

1. Alkaholiks

 

Roster: Paul Lapierre, Jamil Springer, Rob Robinson, Karl De Nie, Stephane Chartrand, Renaldo Jordan, Teddy Frenette, Addley Dufour, Alexis Charpentier, Raymond Hall, Anthony Vendrame

 

The Promising: With Chad Byers not quarterbacking the Expos/Bills/Maroons this season, someone had to welcome these players with open arms. Who better than Paul Lapierre and company, already fresh off of their de-throning of Montreal’s Finest during the overnight tournament. Those of you who were there will remember just how well this team gelled together with those few games they played together; imagine an entire season!

 

The Uncertain: The problem with this team is that it might be TOO heavy. With 11 players on the squad at full strength, only one player is going to play both ways. As the weeks draw through, will some of the talent on this squad be okay with only playing offense or defense? And will Paul Lapierre utilize the former Expos/Bills/Maroons players to their fullest? Or will the talent of Charpentier and Vendrame on offense be shadowed by the players that Lapierre is already familiar throwing to?

 

 

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS:

 

I already made two predictions on the Facebook walls and ended up going 1-1. Here’s hoping my luck improves over the weekend.

 

Division 2:

 

Wolverines over Pantheres {Pantheres won 33-13}

D-Boys over GoonzSquad {DBoys won 42-0}

Ice Up Son over Top Gunnz

Hustlers over Bodyhype

N/A in Wolfpack vs. Served With Ice (I won’t predict a game I’m playing in)

One Night Stands over Team Paddon

DK over Road Runners

 

Division 1:

 

Terror Squad over Express

Gladiateurs over Maniax

Montreal’s Finest over Rainmakers

Alkaholiks over Flag Moi L’Sac

 

 

Well, I’d like to thank you if you’ve made it this far. I’m not expecting every article to be the length of a small novel like this one was, but I thought I’d do my best to start things off with a bang. Hopefully you’re offended enough at me to want to win more games and prove me wrong, but not offended enough to take action against me.

 

Also, if you don’t already know: whenever possible, I live-tweet the weekday Division 2 and 1 games. If you’re stuck at work or want a play by play of what’s going on, follow me on Twitter at @gmkole44

 

Any and no mail can be sent to [email protected] I do my best to check it as much as possible, but letters might be lost among the Russian bride ads and Viagra knockoff flyers.

 

Until next week, the GM is out.