The GM’s Scouting Report (Div 1&2)

At the end of Week 2, we’re starting to see some patterns emerge. Teams are overwhelming, teams are underwhelming and some teams are playing just as expected. That being said, there’s still a lot of work to be done and a lot of games to be played, because FPF can change at the drop of a dime and leave a once confident team on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

 

‘Beastmode’ Players of the Week:

 

Division 2:

 

QB: Patrick Chenard (Road Runners) – Having played an incredible game without interceptions and able to once again spread the ball around to more players than there are receivers on the field, Chenard is definitely the golden boy this week as far as quarterbacks go.

 

Receiver: Andrew Blevings (ONS) – Deceptively fast and a nightmare to cover. 3 TDs are huge in a game, especially in Division 2. The second that it becomes redzone time for ONS, you can pretty much chalk it up to a touchdown because there’s no way you’re getting around him.

 

Defender: Brian Eudoxie (Served with Ice) – Put up 4 big sacks and was the main reason his team’s beatdown wasn’t by more points. Being able to frustrate and cut off the reads of Rochdi is no easy feat, and he may be a bright spot on a struggling team.

 

Division 1:

 

QB: Alex Nadeau-Piuze (Flag Moi’L Sac) – Beastmode QB of the Week for the second straight week, and with good reason. 4 passing TDs, 0 interceptions, 0 sacks taken and just 2 incompletions! For those keeping score at home, he also had 3 rushing touchdowns as well. Ridiculous.

 

Receiver: Jean-Francois Marquis (Express) – I know that receptions for low yardage are usually just a sign of hooks over and over again, but when you can put up 11 catches on a very stingy Montreal’s Finest defense, you know that you’re doing something well.

 

Defender: The main reason that the Gladiateurs were left out in the cold after Saturday’s game; two big interceptions will always put your team in the driver’s seat and dictate the pace of a game. Jerome has the capability to be everywhere at once, and will likely be on this list again.

 

Updated Power Rankings

 

This seemed to be (somewhat) well received in the preseason article. So I figured that I’d update the list and mix in some of the recaps of the past week into it. In brackets next to the team name is how far up or down the team has gone in the rankings since the preseason article.

 

Division 2

 

14: GoonzSquad (N/A)

I was skeptical about an offense centralized around a QB’s running ability (especially in Division 2) and for the most part, GoonzSquad seem to be keeping up with their preseason prediction. While their week 2 output seems to be head and shoulders better than week 1, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

 

13: Team Padon (- 1)

With a ranking that can be due in part to the difficult schedule they’ve had thus far, Team Padon have the athleticism and need to find ways to stay in the game. They need to be better at executing and capitalizing on the mistakes of their opponents, and using their talents wisely. Also, a more permanent solution at the quarterback could do wonders for their consistency.

 

12: Served With Ice (-6)

You know that something’s wrong with this team when their week 1 loss with a last-minute team looked much better than their week 2 loss with their actual roster. With no Shane Williams in sight and no answer right now at the snapper position, they need to right the ship quick or they may be in for a long season indeed.

 

11: Wolverines (-3)

It seems like the Wolverines should be using their chemistry, their audibles and their experience to win them games, but they seem to be falling short. While part of the loss this week can be attributed to Tony Tabet being in Ontario, the versatility of the Wolverines should have trumped it; after all, Sevag Kaloussian and Theo Bekelis have each played quarterback in past seasons.

 

10: Top Gunnz (+3)

Capitalizing on the absence of Tony Tabet, Mario Porreca exploited the lack of organization among the Wolverines this week and cut up the defense. The youth of the division definitely have speed to burn and can definitely use that to prey on the less agile defenders when they need to come up with the big plays.

 

9: Bodyhype (-2)

They showed promise in their dismantling of an experienced Hustlers team, but looked lost and without answers against the behemoth that is the D-Boys. Admittedly without quarterback Ryne Bondy, the jury is still out as to whether Bodyhype are the real deal or simply a new team that are going to have a lot of trouble competing in one of the top divisions.

 

8: Wolfpack (+3)

I worried that their roster switch would be difficult to muster, but they seem to be performing admirably and better than expected. Felix Prevost is an unstoppable force and will be a thorn in the side of anyone. I’d like to see them close out games by bigger margins but experience tells me that it’s late season when we’ll start hearing about the Wolfpack making a playoff run.

7: Hustlers (-3)

 

6: Pantheres (+3)

I do say that they have impressed. They have a great mix of size and speed on the team, and a quarterback who can lead them far. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that they’re a powerhouse in the division, but they’re well rounded enough that there’s no game that you can count them out of.

 

5: Road Runners (+5)

The team that has impressed me the most with the preseason predictions compared to actual performance. What I like is that this team has the versatility to play on their strengths and rotate; be it with the rushing duo of Corber’s speed and Gatien’s size, or the fact that six different players have receiving TDs on the team. If I were a betting man, I’d say it’ll be seven by next week.

 

4: Ice Up Son (+1)

This team is definitely going to be a nightmare to play. They’re chirpy, but have the game to back it up with ease. Comparing the two, I’m not sure if the defense is stronger than the offense or vice versa, but you know the chemistry of this team and the raw talent is going to keep them near the top all season long.

 

3: One Night Stands (N/A)

It was expected that ONS would be good, but I’m truly impressed at just how much of a gamebreaker Montreal Transit’s Frank Bruno actually is. While he doesn’t possess the greatest pair of hands in the division, he’s a nightmare to cover and is ALWAYS open. Nonetheless, even with Bruno consistently open, Wyeth does what he does best and is still spreading the ball to the offense efficiently.

 

2: DK (N/A)

They’re performing as expected by their preseason admirers and critics alike. They’ve got a hard-hitting offense and despite a close call in week 1 they sit 2-0. The question remains as they progress through the season: Will their defense catch up to the strength of the offense?

 

1: DBoys (N/A)

Two words to describe this season’s D-Boys team: Absolutely ludicrous. They built a team to fit under the cap, and are still blowing teams out of the water regardless. There’s no way to even criticize a team that has only allowed 6 points in two games, and have a plus/minus of 87.

 

Division 1

 

8: Alkaholiks (-7)

Boy do I feel silly about this one. I guess that that’s really the risk of merging talent without having a lot of chemistry; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. That being said, their week 2 loss can be somewhat attributed to their lack of a snapper and injuries, so the verdict isn’t quite out on them just yet.

 

7: Gladiateurs (-1)

Just like the Alks below them, one of their losses can be partially attributed to missing a key player in week 2. However, with that being said, the Glads are still resilient enough not to merit being at the bottom of the list. I think that with some time and some focus, they can go right back to being contenders.

 

6: Maniax (+2)

The squad that surprised me week 1 in their shootout with the Gladiateurs. They’re facing Montreal’s Finest this week, and the Maniax are the last team to hand Montreal’s Finest a loss in an FPF season. I’m not totally convinced with the odds stacked against them, but I’ve learned not to count them out of anything.

 

 

5: Terror Squad (+2)

I was skeptical of just how competitive Terror Squad could be when their regular season performance was at .500, but some chemistry and a key defensive addition in P-O Brunet seem to be all it’s taken them to keep their heads high and play with the best.

 

4: Express (-1)

It’s easy to forget just how quickly Express can come back into a game. Not only do they play their best when they’re considered to be the underdog, I think that they enjoy proving everyone else wrong. Part of me is still curious as to whether or not SCC will be making an appearance this season though…

 

3: Rainmakers (+1)

It’s easy to attribute the Rainmakers win to the struggle that the Alkaholiks had, but if you look closer you’ll notice that Ryan Kastner protected the ball well and the Alks were unable to intercept him at all. This is without a doubt the strongest and best-built Rainmakers team yet, and I think that they can get comfortable sitting at this spot for the next few weeks.

 

2: Flag Moi L’Sac (+1)

In my opinion FMS is one of the most impressive squads to watch this winter. Having exited the Division 2 playoffs early last year with the absence of two of their stronger players, you can tell they’re back and have championship on their minds. They’re solid on both sides of the ball, and you can tell that they use their tackle experience to their advantage rather than just relying on it.

 

1: Montreal’s Finest (+1)

Kevin Wyeth told me I’d look foolish for putting MTLs Finest second, and here we are. I guess that it takes more than just one good game to dethrone Montreal’s Finest from the top, and they’re playing just as good now than ever; shutting out Express in the first half. Seeing Guillaume Ward with 7 sacks and 4 different players with an INT tells me that it’s not just about their offense anymore, which is a scary thought indeed.

 

Predictions

 

I went 5 for 6 in Division 2 and 2 for 4 in Division 1. Clearly my expertise is skewed towards one division over another… Nonetheless that brings our current total for the season to 9/12 in D2 and 3/8 in D1.

 

Division 2

 

Wolverines vs. One Night Stands – One Night Stands

Hustlers vs. Team Padon – Hustlers

Top Gunnz vs. Road Runners – Road Runners

GoonzSquad vs. Bodyhype – GoonzSquad

Ice Up Son vs. Wolfpack – Ice Up Son

Served With Ice vs. D-Boys – N/A

DK vs. Pantheres – DK

 

Division 1

 

Montreal’s Finest vs. Maniax – Montreal’s Finest

Alkaholiks vs. Terror Squad – Terror Squad

Rainmakers vs. Gladiateurs – Rainmakers

Flag Moi L’Sac vs. Express – Flag Moi L’Sac

 

If you’re sick and tired of what I have to say and want to hear a different opinion, you can always tune into the Ghengis Bombsquad podcast with Moe Khan and Donald Shepherd Wednesdays on www.theunclehood.com or by downloading the podcast at http://fpf.podomatic.com

 

If you’re not sick and tired of me just yet, you can follow me on twitter at @GMKole44 where I sometimes live-tweet D1, D2 and D3 games if I’m not scorekeeping.

 

Until next week, the GM is out.