Top Cats often begin as Underdogs – FlagPlus Football League

Well well well, looks like the kings of the NFC North won’t be changing for the next 4 years! Aaron Rodgers has officially announced that he will remain a Packer, but the details of his deal are still to be determined. The media claims he signed for 200 Million, yet Rodgers says he’s committed but didn’t sign anything yet… Moral of the story is that he’s staying home! I would love to say I’m thrilled over this news, except that if the speculations are true, 200 mil is a huge whole to climb out of from an organizational standpoint. All this to say, we can finally put this baby to sleep, Rodgers aint planning on going nowhere! This begs the question; who’s meeting the Packers in the NFC Championship game?

Switching back to the superior league, FPF, last week’s slate of games were quite interesting. We were able to see quite a few upsets for the first time all year….FINALLY! This last week shook up the entire division’s rankings. We were able to see some serious contenders get hit with an L, alongside some stellar performances by many of the Qbs. Week 3 gifted us with the presence of the return from the one and only Simon Dagnais. It may not have been the prettiest sight to see, but we had no choice but to see it! Glad to see one of the FPF most coveted athletes back in action. Simon is a longtime FPFer, someone who knows the game inside out. He’s also great with helping out others, as every time someone posts in the FPF facebook group claiming they need a sub, Simon’s name always finds a way into that comment section. That kind of popularity can’t be found on the shelves of Walmart, I’ll tell you that much. Welcome back, Simon! It’s finally nice to be on the other side of the fence, giving my opinion about you instead of the other way around. This should be a fun season!

With that being said, let’s get into this week’s division headlines.

Division headlines

Woahhhhhhhhh! Junkyard Dogs.. Losing to Speed Academy?? Well I’ll be damned. There goes my winning streak of predictions! Safe to say I didn’t see this one coming. WIsh I was there to witness this upset, kudos to Emile Plante on the incredible performance! I’m sure having Tommy Roadley added to this squad played a large role in holding JD to only 26 points.
EZW wins a BARNBURNER of a game vs Past Our Prime. Jeremy White and Craig O’Brien both completed over 70% of their throws, and each dropped 7 touchdowns of their own. The difference in this one? Extra points, as per usual. I can only imagine how demoralized the P.O.P squad is after scoring 42 points and losing by only 2, sour taste to say the least.
Les Gros Coqs provided yet another one of this week’s upset, as they were able to handle the Bearskins by two scores. Dom Lefort led the way with 4 Tds, all while finding real estate on the ground. You would think he had success because the Bearskins didn’t have a rusher capable of getting the job done, Right?…Wrong! Kevin Libman literally laughed at that thought you just had, as he added 4 sacks to his league leading 7th on the season… Turnovers proved to be quite costly in this one.
Safe to say Killa Bees didn’t receive the luck of the draw. They were scheduled to not only play back to back games, but against 2 of the more talented teams in Division 3; Sheeesh followed by Thor’s Hammer. They put up a fight vs both, but sadly added two more L’s to their schedule.
The Expendables pulled off yet another upset this weekend over Mangoose. I’m not sure if this should have even been considered an upset, with this Talented Expendables. Either way, it looks like Carmine Pollice is starting to get comfortable with his teammates. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see Expendables give EZW a run for their moula, this upcoming week.
Les Maloudes were able to keep the silent ticklers, silent. Vincent Mourisette picking off Jordan Pannetta 3 times is surely a way to keep the other team, Quiet!
Turns out the D1 experience Stephen Harripersaud had vs the Braves paid dividends! Although he wasn’t facing the cream of the crop from this division, anytime you can end the game with more touchdowns than incompletions, It’s impressive.
Fred Mallette, talk about a coming out party!… Or spoiler, for Simon Dagnais. Whichever way you want to look at it, this man was in his zone Wednesday night. 8 Touchdowns, and converted on 6 of his 8 extra point attempts. Clearly this team found its Mo-jo.

Game Recap

Touch It Catch It vs Lightweight.

From all the hype leading up to this game, with the ALL TIME LEADER in INTs making his return back to FPF, boy did Simon Dagenais wish he had a scrimmage underneath his belt before facing T.I.C.I! Fred Mallette came into this game demanding more from not only his teammates, but himself. This kind of tune up game is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Unfortunately for Lightweight, this game didn’t start off any better than their previous 2 games to start the season. From the very first snap of the game, the ball went right over Dagenais’ head and into the endzone for the Safety. You could have just told from the look in their eyes that this is exactly what kind of break Touch it Catch It was looking for. They knew this game was a must win and that’s exactly the result you’re going to get when you play with that kind of intensity.

Fred Mallette wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as 3 plays later he connected with longtime teammate and FPF Vet Marc-André Lapointe for the 25 yard score. This was capped off by a successful 2 point convert caught by The Green Giant himself; Isiah Allard.

Lapointe, known for his defense, pleaded his case why he needs to see the ball more often. He finished the day catching all 4 of his targets, for 79 yards and a TD. Whenever your Wr4 is making plays downfield to get the game started, you know it’s going to be a long day for the defense.

Following the opening TD, Lightweight’s Justin Blanchard said enough with that. Known for his blazing speed, Blanchard went into that huddle and told Simon “Send me deep, I got you”, probably. Dagenais went on to orchestrate his own 3 play drive that resulted in finding Blanchard wide open on the go route and into the endzone for the TD. After leaving his defender in the dust, the one point convert sailed over the receivers arms, incomplete. 8-6 Tici.

Preparing to be a part of what looked to be a back-and-forth showdown, AJ Gomes decided it was time to make his presence felt. Capping off a 3 play drive on a tough catch over the middle for the score. Gomes, no stranger to the endzone, was able to capitalize off his matchup and score on what turned out to be the first of 3 scores on the night. It’s demanding enough to stop an offense that’s clicking…It’s nearly impossible to stop a team when AJ gets going. He’s either attracting double teams which helps his teammates get open, or he’s taking advantage of one on one coverage. Most QBs see that One-on-One look to decide preplay that they’re going to take their shot, believe me! I’ve seen it, and experienced it first hand!

At this point in the game, it was starting to look like the night that felt long enough already, was only going to be getting longer for Lightweight. They simply weren’t on the same page, Dagenais and his receivers. It was evident that this team needed this tune up game. Too many times I was seeing either passes thrown into the curtains, or receivers not running the proper pattern. The struggle was real, and it was written all over Simon’s face.

Lightweight went on to only put up 12 points in this contest, and didn’t quite seem to have as much chemistry as you would expect from a Div 3 team, especially from the defensive side of the ball. Of course, it’s demoralizing not being able to put points on the scoreboard, I get it. What’s really alarming to me, is the fact that Touch It Catch It went on to drop FIFTY NINE (59) points! Fred Mallette played his best game of the season by far. If you’re capable of playing mistake free football, converting your 3rd downs, 4th downs, and Converts, you’re going to have success. Glad to see none of the talent of this squad going to waste. Should Tici start catching heat, watch out as they might just run the table.

The good news for Lightweight? With his first game back under his belt, I’m certain Lightweight’s QB Simon Dagenais will get the gears turning, and put his team in better positions to succeed. The bad news? They got Blessed coming up this week. Take that information as you will. In my eyes, Lightweight has loads of talent to make some noise, it’s just a matter of asking will it be too late once they finally develop the chemistry needed? Only time will tell!

Lastly, I would like to give a shoutout to my former coach when I was at Champlain, now serving as Head coach for St Hyacinthe, Mr. Seb Dechamps. The Once Upon a time starting Safety for The Concordia Stingers is an absolute defensive mastermind, and is one of the most brilliant minds we have in Flag Plus. Unfortunately, he caught a bad break and got injured during the first week of the season, which was obviously a huge blow to The Touch it Catch it defense. I can’t imagine anyone on this team thinking they would hold any opponent to under 20 points this season without Seb being out there. However, this defense put up an impressive performance and one I’m certain Coach Deschamps is definitely proud of.

Coach, we miss you, and we hope you heal at a rapid rate. The league wishes you a speedy recovery!

Congratulations, Touch It Catch it!

Players of the week!

No introduction needed, these are the dudes that balled the BLEEP out this weekend! It’s only right that I show them some love, and help them put their name on every team’s radar! Most teams are starting to find their rhythm, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if we see some of the more dominant teams show up with their cavalry on this list. There were some AWESOME performances throughout this week, so many that sadly some didn’t make the cut, and I apologize for that… At the end of the day, the league hands out one award for each position at the end of the year and I’m handing out 3 per position, each week! So take it or leave it, pal.

Without further ado, let’s see who made the list!

Standout Qbs

Fred Mallette

Proving that he is the right man for the job, Mallete put on the best performance he had all season. The one time All star put up steller numbers this past week, as he went 23/30 for 232 yards, 8 tds, 0 ints, 76% completion percentage, and a 137 QBR. Fred has the arm talent to put the ball where it needs to be. It all comes down to making the right reads, and calling the right plays. Should he keep executing at this level,we will be seeing more of Mallette’s name on this list. Great job, Fred!

Jeremy White

White won the barnburner of the week, putting up wild numbers while doing so. Jeremy’s statline showed 23/32, 239 yards, 7 tds, 0 ints, 71% completion percentage and a QBR of 132. Anytime you can put up these kinds of numbers, it’s a good day. Additionally, anytime you can put up these numbers, and win by only 2 points, it means only one thing. You delivered in the clutch. Great Job, Jeremy! (Shoutout to Craig O’Brien also throwing for 7 tds!)

Emile Plante

Winning by far the upset of the week, Emile pulled out some tricks that not even Junkyard Dogs could have handled. Plante went 14/20, 210 yards, 6 TDs, 70% completion percentage, 0 ints, and a 143QBr. Emile not only put up an amazing statline, but took down one of the top dogs in the division (no pun intended). This kind of performance definitely doesn’t go unnoticed, and it brings me excitement to see what kind of momentum this will bring to Speed Academy moving forward. Killer job, Emile!

Standout Wrs

Rabbi Bositampen

This week’s top wideout goes to the man that helped yield the upset of the week! Putting up some Randy Moss a la thanksgiving day kind of performance, each time Rabbi touched the ball, great things happened. Being targeted only 3 times, Bositampen made the most of his opportunities as he caught all 3 passes, for 81 yards, and each reception resulted in a TD. I would have loved to have been there to witness this performance, but nonetheless, these performances don’t go unnoticed. Way to go, Rabbi!

Dawson Pierre

An Absolute FREAK athlete! I would say confidently that I’m 90% sure he was built in a lab. The 6’3, 225 pound, Lebron James doppelganger is one of the most gifted athletes I’ve ever seen graze the gridiron. I was lucky to play alongside Dawson a few years back, and boy did he ever stand out. If you’re looking for validation just go check out his highlights on Social media, you wont regret it. Dawson caught 4 of his 6 targets, for 102 and 2 scores. An average day, as Pierre would probably allude to. It’s funny, we’re looking at back to back week’s that i’m mentioning how I got the chance to speak with Jeff Rosenblatt before the game. Jeff expressed how extremely blessed he is to be playing alongside such an outstanding weapon. It’s becoming a weekly thing for one of Rosenblatt’s new toys to end up on this list. Excited to see who will appear next week! Nevertheless, great performance, Dawson!

Felix Leger

A newcomer onto this list, but no stranger to the game, Leger was a problem for the Past our Prime defense all night long. Finishing the day catching 7 of his 10 targets for 67 yards, not the greatest, but not the worst statline either. What set him apart was being able to get into the endzone 3 times, hello! In 2019, Leger finished the season with 14 touchdowns, so it’s clear he is no stranger to the endzone. Felix proved to be a safety valve all night long for his QB. It wouldn’t catch me by surprise should we see Felix catching fire these next couple of weeks, as EZW has quite a few interesting matchups up ahead. Well done, Felix!

Standout Dbs

Vincent Morissette

Helping to lead the defense for Les Maloudes, Vincent Morissette put up a phenomenal defensive performance. Morissette, who knows exactly how to read the eyes of the QB, found himself in the right spot, THREE times. Yes, you read that correctly. Vincent was able to pick off the opposing QB 3 times. I mean, sure that’s cool and all, but to add to this already jaw-dropping performance, he took one of his 3 Ints to the house for 6. If that’s not considered a baller, I really have no clue what is. Hell of a game, Vincent!

James Drysdale

Another newcomer to this list, James served as the ballhawk Thor’s Hammer needed this past weekend. Ending the game with 2 Ints, along with 2 PDs, is definitely going to get you a spot on this list. The one time allstar is 1 INT shy of tying his career best, back in Winter 2020. If pieces such as Drysdale keep stepping up to the plate for TH, we could be looking at a VERY scary defense. Good job, James!

Rabbi Bositampen

Appearing on this list earlier, I feel as though I was forced to include Rabbi onto this list yet again. It would be considered disrespectful had I not given credit to someone getting a pick 6 in an upset win. Bositampen not only balled out offensively, but proved he has what it takes to not only get in position to make a play defensively, but make sure that once that ball is in his hands, ain’t nobody catching him! Are we looking at a potential candidate for 2 way POTY? I wouldn’t doubt it for a second. Well done, Rabbi!

Standout Rushers

Kevin Libman

No introduction needed here, Kevin is becoming the spokesperson for this category. Tallying another 4 sack performance, Kevin did all he can to help his team get the turnovers they needed. Maybe if one of the more sure handed players in this league (Jordan Allard) would have caught one of his FIVE PDs, we could be looking at a different scoreline. Despite that, Libman still pulled off a killer performance vs a pain in the you-know-what kind of QB who appears to have 99 stamina in Dom Lefort. Kudos, Kevin!

Mike Zenobi

Zenobi did all he could in providing the defensive intensity needed to be successful in this game. Finishing with a 4 sack performance, it is clear that Zenobi is emerging as one of the top pass rushers of this Division. Unfortunately for Mike, if your own Qb is throwing 4 INTs, there is a very minimal chance you end up with the dub. Don’t lose hope, Mike! Your team is surely appreciative of all the relentless pressure you are applying on the opposing QBs!

Terry Babilis

Making sure that he makes the cut on this list, Terry yet again pulled off a multi sack performance. Although Blessed faced off vs one of, if not the worst team in the division, it must be noted that it’s usually the Qbs who aren’t the best passers, the hardest to sack. They’re constantly running for their lives and doing everything they can to not get touched. That is why it’s important to still give props to whenever someone can achieve sacking a QB not once, but twice in a game. All this to say, I’m sure if you ask Terry himself he would be the first to tell you that he isn’t satisfied with only 2 sacks. The race for the most sacks in the league is still up for grabs, and I wouldn’t count out Babilis just yet. Nicely done, Terry!

POWER RANKINGS

Sheeeesh: I understand they won a tight one and only scored 20, i get it… Unless they lose, they ain’t moving.
Blessed: Stephen Harripersaud is playing lights out football, 0 INTs on the season. Can’t even express how tough that is to maintain, keep it up!
EZW: Every week this team seems to find a way to get the job done in crunch time. Could be due to having the frontrunner for QB of the year.
Thor’s Hammer: Adding Dawson Pierre to this already talented roster, is somehow flying under everyone’s radar. Somewhere, Jeff Rosenblatt is reading this saying “Shhh!”
Junkyard Dogs: A Hiccup along their journey, Interested to see how Jason Rossie responds.
Les Gros Coqs: Taking down one of the elites of this division, Dom Lefort is most definitely walking around the house with his chest out, and deservingly so!
Past our Prime: Although they lost, it was still a great sight to see Craig O’Brien throw for 7 TDs, and lose by only 2 to a top 3 team. Gotta get those extra points!
Touch It Catch it: The coming out performance most people expected from this squad finally occurred. It was only a matter of time, but let’s see if they can keep the momentum going!
Speed Academy: Last week, I called out Emile Plante asking him to limit the turnovers. Safe to say he answered the call. With Silent Ticklers next on the schedule, we shall see if they can get another check under their Win column.
Bearskins: A shocking loss, and no time to drown in sorrow. Mangoose is waiting.
Les Maloudes: A win vs Silent Ticklers is just what the doctor ordered. Shoutout to my man Marc-Andre Paradis putting up great offensive numbers! Next week, Touch it Catch it. Lets see how they matchup.
Expendables: If I were a betting man, I’d start placing some futures on Carmine dragging the Expendables on a serious win streak. The FPF vet is no stranger to the game, and when he gets his chemistry down packed with his WRs, we will start seeing more results like these.
Mangoose: Losing to Expendales will drop you on the list, no questions asked. Nicolas Schaefer needs to be executing at a higher level.
Killa Bees: 2 Games played last week, both resulted in losses. What really impressed me was holding Sheeesh to only 20 points. Something tells me the Viens brothers have something to do with that. Hopefully their offense can start clicking, defense can only do so much in an offensive league!
Lightweight: Simon Dagenais is back, everyone can quit crying! He’s going to make a tremendous difference for this squ-… 12 points? Really? It doesn’t get easier, I’ll tell you that much. They face Blessed this upcoming week.
Silent Ticklers: So it turns out Jordan Panneta and Andy Reid don’t hold the same record after a bye. Who would have thought.
Oompa Loompas: Tough ask, they went against Blessed and allowed 47 points, while only scoring 12. Yikes.

Week 4 Schedule

So it’s official, I’m not going to be going 100% on the season, bummer. I guess you can say that I blew my chances of landing that free meal with Rob away. Oh well…Shooters, guess what they do boys? They shoot!

Here’s this week’s schedule and my predicted winners!

Silent Ticklers Speed Academy

Silent Ticklers Past Our Prime

Killa Bees Les Gros Coqs

Mangoose BearSkins

EZW Expendables

Thor’s Hammer Junkyard Dogs

Les Maloudes Touch It Catch It

Lightweight Blessed

Oompa Loompas Sheeeesh

Another week in the books, and the race to the top couldn’t be tighter. We finally saw some upsets and I couldn’t be happier. Nothing better than being faced with some adversity early in the season, it separates the boys from the men! Hopefully everyone has gotten a chance to take their team pictures. If you haven’t, I would recommend calling Rob and letting him know. He’s usually available at all times of the night and loves getting calls around 2 am. He told me he lives for those kinds of calls so don’t be shy! (Unless you want to wake up to being rated 99 and not being able to play with your team, I’d save the call for the next morning).

Lastly, I just want to send out a personal “Ha ha “ to all the people who have been shouting ‘RODGERS IS LEAVING’ this offseason. I would have loved to take a selfie and express my happiness but my smile was so big it didn’t fit on the camera. Touch luck, Bears fans!

That’s a wrap for this week. As always, if you wanna rip into me because you disagree with anything I wrote, I’m all ears my friends. I can be reached through email [email protected] or on any social media platform.

Look forward to seeing some killer performances this week boys, Goodluck to all!