The Grand Finale in Tier 3 and 4: The Fall Cup comes to a Close

Well, what a Fall Cup season. I don’t know about you, but I personally LOVED the double-elimination knockout format that FPF launched. It made for a regular season to mean more than usual, and especially since it is a shortened 8-game season, each game meant that much more. While we are used to football being a “one-and-done” format, if you sit down and think about it, it’s not usually the best format possible. It often comes down to teams who make less mistakes, and while that’s the point (rewarding teams that execute), it just sucks that one bad day and an entire season can go for not. In this format, you can “afford” that one game where maybe things aren’t going your way, or (and let’s face it, this happens) where you are missing a key guy on the team who can’t make a game one night, like what happened to Dime and Bougie last Sunday. It gives teams that performed well during the regular season the chance to overcome their mistakes or missing personnel.

But enough intro’s, let’s get a the Finals Preview underway, starting with Tier 3 and then moving over to what will be perhaps the first of many finals between these two Tier 4 teams.

Tier 3 Bowl Cup Preview – Sunday December 4th @ 9:30pm

Kiss My Inlaws (2) Dime and Bougie (4)

Kiss My Inlaws (2)

vs.

**Dime and Bougie (4)**

I said it on CTA and really mean it, I am glad that these two teams get to play each other again. Before we start with the analysis, let’s get this out of the way from the beginning. I will not be predicting the outcome of this game.

These two teams faced off in the semi-final just last Sunday, but of course, as is well documented now, Jules Regimbald was not there to lead this high-flying offense. Dime and Bougie found out just how difficult it is to play Quarterback and will probably give Jules some slack if he misses a pass or two. It really is a completely different game; to take snaps as a QB vs running routes as a receiver. Now that (hopefully) they will be able to run their regular offense, you could argue that Dime and Bougie have the upper hand in this one, since the KMI Defense have not faced their true offense. While KMI have a gameplan against D&B, it’s still one thing to see game clips and another to execute on the field and lineup against the athletes of Dime & Bougie. On the Bougie side of things, while they lost in the semi final, I would be thinking “They didn’t play our true team” and wouldn’t be worried about that loss. They may have a new play or 2 that could catch KMI off guard. Of course, their greatest asset is the deep ball, and it’s not just Félix Boutet who can connect. As seen in the 2nd playoff game against Bruins, Fritzgerald Cenatus is very capable of blowing the top off of defenses, but guys like Doyon and Desjardins can also do damage downfield. They are one of the better teams to execute the deep ball so there might be fireworks for the finals. I think the X factor for the D&B offense will be Nathan Desjardins. He could have a very big performance or timely catches that continue drives or go for TDs.

Now, for the matchup that both sides were at full strength for. The Kiss My Inlaws offense going against the Dime and Bougie D. There are 2 sides to this matchup from the previous game. One is that KMI were able to put up 35 points, the other is that Dime and Bougie were able to create 3 turnovers, 2 via interception and 1 turnover on downs with Theo Gregoire cleaning up 3 sacks. It’s hard to tell if Dime and Bougie would be happy with a repeat performance from their defense. Obviously, they don’t want to allow 35 points, but what will dictate whether the 3 turnovers are a win for them, is what their offense can do with those stops. What’s clear though, from KMI’s perspective is that 5 different receivers got 4 or more targets in this one and each of them got 1 TD. It’s been said before, but the strength of the KMI offense is that any receiver can be the leading receiver by the end of the night, and that was once again true in the semi-final battle. The other thing that was notable, was that KMI converted 4/5 converts. If they can do that again in the finals, that could be a reason why they would end up being the Bowl champs of Tier 3.

Keys to Victory

Dime and Bougie will be crowned champs if:

Jules Regimbald can hit the deep ball early in the game to get the defense guessing the rest of the game.
Félix Boutet has over 100 receiving yards and 3 TDs.
The Defense gets a total of 3 INTs.

Kiss My Inlaws will win Tier 3 if:

The Offense outscores D&B on converts.
Iggy Magnets throws 1 INT or less.
Zackary Alberts-Gill gets 4 sacks.

So now, hopefully it can be true this time, that the game be an offensive shootout. I think both defenses can get 1 stop, maybe even 2. It might come down to who can get 3 defensive stops, but the game could also come down to game and clock management, and who ends up with the ball last in their hands. I already mentioned that I think Nathan Desjardins can be an X-factor offensively for Dime and Bougie, well defensively the X-factor is Theo Gregoire. If he get sacks to force KMI into 3rd and 4th and long situations, that could be huge for D&B to win it all. For KMI, I like the offensive X-factor to be Kenny Boutillier. He comes up with clutch 1st downs, touchdowns, and XP converts, while the defensive X-factor, I like Gab Boucher to be able to break up some big plays from happening.

Alright, that about wraps up all the coverage for Tier 3 this season, so for the Tier 3 readers that tuned in every week to the articles, thanks for reading and hope to catch you next Winter, and to Dime and Bougie, see you on Sunday 😉

Tier 4 Bowl Cup Preview – Monday December 5th @ 10:10pm

Save The Turftles (1) vs. The Penetrators (2)

Well, well, well. The two favorites to make it to the Bowl Cup Finals, and they did not disappoint. But first, let’s take a look back at what I wrote about these teams in my opening article of the season:

While I wasn’t spot-on with the records, I was right in who ended up as the #1 and #2 seeds in the division. That said, while the Turftles are the #1 seed, they are NOT the home team in the Final. Since The Penetrators are entering the final as the double-elimination team, and will technically not have the chance to lose a game as a double-elim team, their advantage is being the Home team in the Championship game. Like I wrote back in Week 1, The Penetrators are a title-or-bust team, and will be looking to close out that pre-season aspiration by doing the extremely difficult task of beating the same team 3 times in the same season. Yes, both previous matchups, one in the regular season and the other just last week, were both victories by The Penetrators. Both teams are now very experienced FPF flag teams, so this final will showcase who is the better team at game planning and taking away the thing each team loves to do the most.

What was an early problem for both Quarterbacks in their semi-final matchup was the rushing of both Tony Vo and Nic Fon. Both had 3 sacks in the game and made it 3rd and long on important drives, but one of the key differences was that the Penetrators were able to make 3rd and long (20 yards) into very manageable 4th downs. The other key stat that went the Penetrators way on their road to the victory was 3rd and 4th conversions. Save The Turftles converted on just one of four 3rd downs (25%) and went 0/3 on 4th down, contrary to the Pens converting 3/6 on 3rd, but more importantly, 3/4 (75%) on 4th down, including two 4th down conversions that went for Touchdowns. Early in the game, the Turftles were unable to convert a 3rd-and-1 and a 4th-and-1 situation that negated the 1st play stop (INT) by Thomas Chaussé and the STT defense. While Cheung capitalized on that 1st play turnover to go up 8-0 (where Goodman decided to go deep and catch the defense off guard), Goodman was able to respond with a TD drive of his own after the 4th and 1 stop by the Penetrators D.

While 2 plays remaining in a half to score is a very difficult task, Nic Fon made sure no damage was done, as he sacked Cheung for 8 yards and then tackled him for a 2-yard gain on a run. He definitely won that matchup last Monday night and even had a chance to get his team 2 points with a safety on the final play of the half. He then started the 2nd half with a sack on the opening play, which eventually led to a 4th down interception thrown by Cheung. While Cheung cannot afford to have 2 drives end early, he also needs help from his Defense. Like I mentioned, both rushers had an impact. Tony Vo got the memo for help, where he was able to get back-to-back 5-yard sacks on the ensuing Penetrators drive (after the INT thrown by Cheung). That setup, like I already mentioned a 3rd-and-20 situation where the Turftles allowed Joseph Chalhoub to get an 18 yard gain and make the 4th down situation, a 4th-and-2 attempt, 3 yards away from the goal line. Jake Halpern would end up scoring a TD on 4th down, which like I mentioned, 4th down conversions were a big reason why The Pens ended up winning that game.

While Fon had a big game defensively, he was much quieter than usual on offense, hauling in just 1 ball for 6 yards. This is quite clearly the Turftles putting their best defender, Thomas Chaussé on him. While Fon would definitely like to contribute more on the stat sheet, I’m sure he doesn’t mind contributing by letting his other receivers do damage while all eyes are on him. Like I’ve said all season, Justin Goodman trusts all of his guys to be able to make plays, and Joseph Chalhoub stepped up in a big way, putting up Nic Fon-like numbers, with his 8 receptions for 90 yards and 3 TDs. The Turftles defense will need to be more adaptive if they see one receiver being targeted more often and will need to put a 2nd best defender on Fon so their primary DB can go on the hot receiver of the night for the Penetrators, whoever it is.

I’ve also mentioned and praised the Penetrators for their game management skills, which were on display once again with their great timeliness on using the onside kick. At best, they get the ball back with 5 plays remaining and end the game, or, even in the scenario where the Turftles got a safety and start their next possession at midfield, it didn’t matter since they were up 12. It’s little game and clock management decisions like this that often make the difference when teams are so close in the matchups. I know the Turftles are very aware of the game management aspect, but from what I’ve seen, The Penetrators have faced many different situations and know what to do in each of them.

On CTA 2 weeks ago, Fon mentioned The Penetrators had a game plan for the Vince Cheung run, and with 3 sacks and 13 yards rushing, I’d say they executed and won that matchup. It will be interesting to see how Cheung now responds to what The Penetrators threw at him. Not just that, it’s obvious, but he will need to be better on 3rd and 4th down conversions, and will absolutely need a minimum of 5 TD’s if the Turftles want to win Tier 4. Cheung also seemed to force the ball a bit against WIB 2.0 on 4th down, and also after getting his interception, going deep and overthrowing his receiver to get intercepted himself. Vince needs to protect the ball more in the Finals if he wants to win it. If you watch the GOTW, while it was unlikely, the Turftles need to ensure that opposing offenses do not convert on 4th and long as WIB 2.0 did. If they cannot stop The Penetrators on drives where they should, it could spell the end of their playoff run.

Prediction: Okay, so I didn’t give my prediction on CTA so you could read this article and find out here. So it’s prediction time. Since struggling through the 2nd half of the season, The Penetrators have been clinical on their playoff run, and I think this game will be very close, but it will go the way for The Penetrators, largely from the extra point converts.

The Penetrators 33 – 32 Save The Turftles

Epilogue

Alright, that does it for the articles for the Fall Cup and 2022. Thanks for joining the ride and let’s have a great final and we will see you back in the Winter of 2023!