Tier 3: Wrapping up Round 1 and moving onto Round 2 in Tier 4

The Preliminary portion of the tournament is now in the books. You’ve had 8 games to gel, build chemistry, work on communication, and it’s now time to put it all together as we move onto the Knockout Round. Tier 4 will kick us off on Sunday Nov 13th in Lachine with 2 double-elimination games and 1 single-elimination game. Tier 3 will then continue the party on Monday night in St-Laurent as only the single-elimination games will be played. The first round of double-elimination games will only take place on Sunday Nov. 20th, so those games will only be previewed on next week’s article.

Alright, without further wasting time, let’s dive into the matchups and see who Iggy Magnets has to win their games as we dive into the newly formatted knockout round.

Tier 3 Playoff Preview – Sunday Nov. 20th in Lachine

Let’s get an updated look at the Tier 3 Knockout Bracket as the single-elimination teams played their first round of games last Monday.

Double Elimination Games

Arouch (1) vs. Blue Dreamers (8)

Arouch is coming in as the #1 seed, but are they coming in with the confidence with a 7-1 preliminary schedule record or are they coming in with more pressure than the 8^th seeded Blue Dreamers, who are riding the hot wave of AJ Gomes at Quarterback?

While Arouch comes in as the #1 defense in Tier 3, allowing just 17 points per game, there have been questions about who they faced in the schedule to put up shut great numbers. They were claimed as the False Kings by Peeze on CTA, as 6 of their 8 opponents finished in the bottom half of Tier 3. In fact, the highest seeded team they played all year were the #6 Trapstars who beat Arouch 39-19 one month ago on October 18^th.

Blue Dreamers have been hot down the stretch earning themselves a double-elimination status by going 3-0-1 in the back half of their season.

These two teams did actually square off in the regular season, a 32-0 drubbing from Arouch over Blue Dreamers, but if you ask me, if Arouch is relying on that for comfort, they are falling into a false sense of security. This Blue Dreamer team is nothing like the one that suited up on September 22nd in Laval outdoors. Arouch played against a brand new QB in Oli Sabourin playing in his FPF debut, and more importantly, did not face AJ Gomes on both sides of the ball. That said, what they will need as a repeat performance from their team is Thomas Legault‘s 6 reception, 73 yard and 1 TD performance. He is quick and elusive and will need to be a primary part of the offense if Arouch wants to win this knockout game.

Arouch’s offense is nothing spectacular, but it’s efficient and effective. While they like to attack short often and then take their deep shot once defenses aren’t fully committed to playing deep, I think that AJ Gomes is good enough to shoot up on the intermediate routes, while still being able to get back on most of Lalonde’s deep balls. Lalone will need to be accurate and throw with force to make sure that it’s his guys or no one else coming down with the deep passes. While Gomes can break down the deep, it’s important when playing Arouch, to have strong flat defenders like Anthony Siggia who reads the short plays crazy well and break on balls as soon as QB arms are winding up. He’s of course able to confidently break on QB wind ups because he doesn’t have to be scared of pump fakes with the safety help over the top in a zone defense. Whether it’s short or deep, Lalone has the greatest confidence in Simon Losier. While I believe Losier can be taken away by Gomes, and perhaps the height of Bastien Phaneuf-Thibault can be contested by Siggia, the depth at receiver, notably the aforementioned Thomas Legault will be the matchup problem for the Blue Dreamer defense.

As for the BD offense, while Anthony Siggia was the most targeted receiver (no surprise that he is a big part of the offense), it was nice to see George Kalavritinos, an underrated and underutilized receiver, finish with the most TD’s on the team and saw success with AJ at QB, catching 5 of his 7 TDs from Gomes. A newer name just starting his FPF career last Spring, Massimo D’ipolito also saw much success, finishing with the most yards and 2nd in TDs. He too found chemistry with Gomes, hauling in 202 yards and 3 TDs in the 4 games with his new QB. While the Arouch defense is solid, they will need to see who they send to rush AJ Gomes, as he adds the QB run dimension to the game that Arouch will need to focus on taking away. That said, that can open passing windows for Gomes that guys like Simon Losier and Philippe Lincourt will need to take away. Arouch finished the regular season with the 2nd most INTs (19) and will need at least 2 INTs against the BD offense.

Prediction: I like Arouch, but I think they drew a bad matchup once again, so I’m going with the underdog Blue Dreamers in this one, gimme the Blue Dreamers 28 – 24 Arouch.

Kiss My Inlaws (2) vs Voodoo (7)

This is an interesting matchup since Kiss My Inlaws somewhat cruised through the preliminary round while Voodoo was more battle-tested. Four of Voodoo’s 5 wins were between 1 to 6 points while they suffered a 5 point defeat to Blue Dreamers. These 2 teams did not face in the preliminary round, so both teams don’t have a great feel for what either team brought to the field.

The Voodoo offense always goes through both QB Frank Kaye and snapper Martin Bergeron. The two have a chemistry that is hard to replicate and has taken them into deep playoff runs before. Of course, Pat St-Amand is the clear-cut WR1 with the speedy Kevin Marcil, the reliable hands of Etienne Vaillancourt rounding out the top 3 receivers. It has gone understated, and while they didn’t put up outstanding offensive nor defensive numbers, I still like the depth they acquired during the off season in Gabriel Dubois and in-season in Alex Fafard. They are 2 underrated players that bring both great hands, solid play and FPF experience to Voodoo. Going up against a Kiss My Inlaws defense that gave up the 3rd least points per game (22.3) will be a challenge for Voodoo, but will need to play the classic Frank Kaye game of chewing the clock, driving the field, and keeping the game close and low-scoring. Peeze said it well on CTA this past week. Kaye doesn’t often make mistakes, but is more prone to it when he is down and trying to come back in a game. Funny enough, I think both teams would be happy if Kaye scored 4 TDs. What Voodoo would hope for is for their D to make enough stops and/or create enough turnovers to keep both teams scoring 4 teams. What the KMI D will be hoping for is the offense to score 5 or 6 TDs, which then allowing 4 won’t be so hurtful.

The KMI offense going up against the Voodoo defense is where I believe this game will be won or lost. Overall, I think the KMI offense has more depth at receiver than what the Voodoo defense can handle. While Lucas Quenneville and David De Andrade both led the way with 41 targets on the season, the truth is that any of the receivers can be the WR1 on any given night, which makes the Voodoo defense needing to cover all 5 receivers on every down. That sounds obvious and pretty dumb, but there are offenses where you know where the ball is going on 3rd and 4th down, as some teams heavily rely on 1 or 2 guys, so what I’m saying is that with KMI, you aren’t quite sure where the ball is going on a key down. Also, with both quarterbacks being more pocket passers, I don’t believe rushers will play a prominent role in this one.

Prediction: I think this is actually a close game that comes down to the final minutes/ last 5 plays of the game. KMI 33 – 29 Voodoo

Bruins (3) vs Trapstars (6)

This is truly a tale of two opposite seasons. The Bruins saw much early-season success going 6-0, but the truth is they are entering the playoffs on a 2-game losing streak and more importantly, they haven’t tasted victory in over a month. Their last win came back on October 16th against the Warriors and are trending downwards since then. On the other side, Trapstars started the season 0-3 and then racked up 5 wins in a row, including a 37-12 thrashing of the Bruins to go into the playoffs as perhaps the hottest team in Tier 3.

The Bruins offense will need to shake things up. Hopefully Gab Wiseman has added a play or 2 in his playbook that favors the intermediate and deep routes as he is a tad too reliant on the short plays. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you need to hit the intermediate and deep enough times to get defenses to back off. In the previous matchup, James Wiseman and David Giroux had their say in the flats, batting down balls and picking off Gab Wiseman twice. While Gab got the ball to Rocco Christiano 6 times in the previous matchup and will need to do so again, while getting Jocelyn Calixte and Alex St-Arnaud more involved in the offense. Another interesting battle will be the opportunities Gab Wiseman will get (or not get) running the ball. When he gets free from a rusher and is able to run downfield, he is one of the more slippery runners and evades tackles with ease. It will be interesting since Jonathan Steinberg IS playoff eligible, and he is as much a contain rusher as a speed rusher and is one of the few rushers that can stop the Gab Wiseman running factor. If Gab Wiseman can get into a rhythm and keep the Trapstars defenders guessing all night, Bruins will have a chance to hit 30 points. A single, or multiple turnovers by the Trapstars D could spell goodnight for the Bruins on Sunday. Look for X-Factor James Wiseman to have another good game as Gab will surely be avoiding Phil Cutler‘s side of the field.

Defensively, the Bruins will need to contain the Garber run on 3rd and 4th down which Garber got the best of rusher Gab Wiseman on the first drive of the game. After that though, Gab Wiseman was able to get a 9-yard sack and contain Garber to a 1-yard run. I can definitely see Wiseman shutting down the QB run option in this playoff game, but the Bruins defense will HAVE to change up the play calling. If they don’t, they will get chewed up all game and just like their previous game. against Trapstars. The Trapstars receiving core is as deep as they come. Want to stop Cooper Young short? He will beat you on the hook and go. Goodluck stopping the sideline comeback from R. Garber to Dylan Garber. Oh, your D started shading the sidelines? David Giroux is one of the better middle options to attack, as he finds the soft holes in zone defenses, and oh, Garber is not afraid of throwing it up to James Wiseman, who can come down with the jumpballs. I haven’t even mentioned Phil Cutler as a redzone threat who comes down with 84% of the passes thrown his way.

Prediction: I could be wrong, but I think this a bad matchup for the Bruins and will take the L and drop down into the single elimination bracket.

Trapstars 34 – 26 Bruins

Dime and Bougie (4) vs Killer Rays (5)

Will this finally be the time that Dime and Bougie will be able to get the best of Killer Rays? Or will Killer Rays, who always look like the lesser athletic team when paired against Dime and Bougie/Cite des Jetons, once again prove that FPF game planning and attacking spaces can overcome an athletic disadvantage. I can’t wait for this 7pm matchup that is now becoming an FPF classic in the lower/middle divisions. What story will be written this time around? Well, let’s break it down.

The preliminary game between these two was a very tight game, with Tylar Bianchi making the difference on D with a pick 6 on the first drive of the game. Wipe that away and both offenses scored 5 TDs and converted one XP1, so that bodes well for this game to be super tight and possibly sees it going to overtime.

For the Killer Rays offense, they need to just play their own game. They have the ability to score quick in 3-4 plays, but also able to chew the clock and score on 7-8 play drives. The offense runs through Curtis Ryan, but Tyler Gurberg is a great WR2 piece that is difficult to stop. I wonder if the Dime and Bougie defense either plays a ton of man defense in this game, or even man these 2 guys and play a 3 zone defense with the other players. It’s an unconventional defense, but if I’m thinking it, it’s possible D&B are thinking it. If the man D is a go-to for D&B, they will need to rely on Theo Gregoire preventing Tylar Bianchi from running down field, as he is dangerous running the ball with his 171 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. One thing is for sure, Bianchi, when throwing the ball will need to be accurate and his receivers will need to make sure they come down with catches because tipped balls against this defense that had the most interceptions (22) can change the tide of this game. It’s players like Fritzgerald Cenatus and Arthur Doyon that Bianchi will need to know where they are lined up at all times.

The Dime and Bougie offense is EXPLOSIVE. The QB-WR duo of Regimbald-Boutet should be one of the more feared duos in Tier 3. D&B love hitting the homerun and while scoring quick is an asset in FPF, taking long drives is another asset that D&B aren’t as good at yet. They are a great athletic team that needed to learn to manage games going into the season, so let’s see if they learned the game management portion of FPF. Correct utilization of timeouts, knowing when to speed up vs slow down the game on offense, when to use the onside kick, when to let teams score (yes, you read that right). All these things are gained with experience and having been in those situations in the past to recall what the right thing to do so. All that said, Killer Rays obviously need to know where Boutet is lined up at all times, as he is often in the slot but also in the backfield. The Killer Rays should do something specifically when they see him lined up in the backfield, but I’ll let them read the rulebook to figure it out. Boutet‘s speed is scary enough to force the deep defenders to be extremely deep that it can open holes in the intermediate areas of the field. One thing the Dime and Bougie offense will need to be careful with are the bad snaps from Arthur Doyon. In their past game, 2 bad snaps killed 1 drive, and then what appears to be a bad snap on the onside kick prevented D&B from making a comeback. I don’t believe I’ve ever written this, but more consistent snapping might be a difference in this game.

Prediction: Alright, it’s prediction time. I think both quarterbacks throw 5 TDs, and I think both convert 2 of the 5 converts, so you know where I’m going with this. We’re gonna get an OVERTIME game.

Killer Rays 34-33 Dime and Bougie

Tier 4 Playoff Preview – Sunday Nov. 20th in Lachine

Round 2 – Double Elimination teams

Save The Turftles (1) vs Red Dragons (4)

Red Dragons are a HUGE underdog in this one. I saw the line on DraftKings for this one and Save The Turftles are -21.5 point favorites. The regular season game was a 26 point victory for Save The Turftles back in Week 3, 38-12.

While Vincent Bolullo was able to contain Vincent Cheung from running, Cheung sliced and diced the Red Dragons defense, posting a season-high 79.2 completion percentage, 251 yards and 149.8 Quarterback rating. That does not bode well for the Red Dragons. Offensively, Red Dragons are coming off a season-high 31 points scored, but in all the games played against the “Top” teams in Tier 4, they were never able to score more than 2 TDs. So the question for them will be, have they “figured it out” offensively to put enough points on the board to compete the Save The Turftles?

They will hope they have figured it out, and will need to ensure that their offensive drives last 6-7 minutes and end in touchdowns. This will be the path to victory for Red Dragons. Frustrate Save The Turftles by gaining all 3 first downs they can on every drive and by doing so on 3rd and 4th down. I know that Guillaume Boulanger loves to hit the deep ball, but he NEEDS to stay patient and keep the STT offense off the field. He needs to play boring, but safe football and make sure that Vince Cheung only works with 4 or 5 drives.

They will need to work that slow offense because Vince Cheung has a scary offense where 5 receivers ended with 200+ receiving yards, 2 of which ended with 300+ yards. Not only were the yards spread, but so were the TDs, with 6 receivers catching between 4 to 10 TDs. The Red Dragons D will need to, when Cheung takes a deep shot, intercept the ball and give their offense the ball back and yup, you guessed it, BURN THAT CLOCK.

So, if that is the path to victory for Red Dragons, then they will need to make the most of their extra point converts. While you might think that’s an advantage for STT, the Red Dragons actually converted more convert attempts (7) than STT (6), which is very surprising, given the accuracy and potency that Cheung has played with all season. That said, the redzone is a very tight area that is hard to convert within the tight boundaries, so I get the struggles.

Now, I’ve been describing the 1 way in which the Red Dragons can win this game, and that’s because just about every other game script favors the Turftles. They are just too good both ways. 1 interception from the STT defense and that’s 1 mistake too many from Red Dragons. The Turftles offense is just too efficient to stop.

Prediction: Save The Turftles 33 – 13 Red Dragons

The Penetrators (2) vs. WIB 2.0 (3)

This is the game of the week for Tier 4. Two great teams in the lower division going head-to-head. The Penetrators are going into the playoffs a little weak, going 1-1-1 in their last 3 games while WIB 2.0 is the hottest team in Tier 4, winning their last 7 games. They haven’t lost a game in over 2 months, as their last loss came on September 15th.

Justin Goodman started the season hot, throwing 20 TDs to 4 INTs (a 5:1 ratio) in the first 5 games, while in the last 3 games has thrown 12 TDs and 5 INTs (almost a 2:1 ratio) in the last 3 games. Goodman‘s favorite target, Nicholas Fon is their best receiver, and despite missing a game, finished 2nd in receiving yards (418) and 1st in TDs (12) en-route to being named Offensive Player of the Year in Tier 4. While he’s a big threat for WIB 2.0, to find the WR2 for The Penetrators is a little more murky. We know that Goodman likes to check it down to snapper Joshua Ginsberg, as he is a reliable target, and while the rest are trustworthy targets as well, names like Noah Assayag, Jake Halpern and Joseph Chalhoub, but one of those guys is going to need to have a big game if they want to go score for score with WIB 2.0. If it’s not 1, then all the supporting receivers of The Penetrators will need to step up their game, as 2-way Player of the Year, Skylar Bayliff will probably look to shut down Fon. Goodman will need to calculate when to hit Fon and will need the rest of the boys to have big catches and evade tackles for chunk yards. The other factor in this game, will be the running ability of Goodman. While he stayed in the pocket more this season, Goodman might be forced to use his legs to pick up key first downs to keep drives alive. Whoever ends up rushing, whether it’s a mix of Julian McLaren-Thompson and/or Miguel Espinosa, they will need to stay disciplined and ensure Goodman doesn’t get the corner on them.

The WIB 2.0 offense has been consistent in putting up 30 points or more since Zack Stacey was put in at QB, except of course, their last 2 games against Deep Ballz and Primetime. A lot of this game will be a battle of Skylar Bayliff vs. Nic Fon and should be a lot of fun to watch on both sides. Now, Fon usually rushes quarterbacks, but Stacey is more of a prototypical pocket passer (although he could take off for good yards downfield), but I think they need the telescopic arms of Fon in coverage to try and pick off Stacey like what Primetime was able to do to them. I know Fon is coming off a 7-sack performance against Fafard, but that’s a running QB whereas Stacey like I just mentioned is more of a pocket passer. While Bayliff has been the #1 receiver in yardage, Nick Di Maulo, Mike Badibabungi and Kris Schicchi would like something to say about the #2 option, particularly Badibabungi who found the endzone 10 times. I don’t believe The Penetrators have the depth on defense to cover all these high-end receivers and will be a race to 5 touchdowns.

Prediction: Alright, here it is. Final prediction of the article. I like the way WIB 2.0 has been playing while The Pens have been on a bit of a slide since October.

WIB 2.0 32 – 27 The Penetrators

Epilogue

Alright, those are the in-depth matchup previews for Tier 3 and 4. For the breakdown of all the other Tiers, follow Peeze and Alexi as I produced the show with audio this time.