Week 1 Recap; Previewing Week 2 – FlagPlus Football League

Bad habits don’t develop overnight. They’re not the result of a single failure, no matter how painful it may be.

So if you left the field dissatisfied or dejected following your week 1 performance, don’t throw away the baby with the bathwater. You’re not fated to finish 0-10, with a badge of dishonor for points differential. You won’t rewrite FPF record books for being the greatest donkey of all time. Get your head out of the gutter!

Take a deep breathe, and understand that cultivating good habits comes from breaking down the game into small, easy-win achievements. QBs should look to move the chains through high-percentage 5-7 yard completions, not a bevy of 40 bombs. Defenses should focus on staying within their zones and making tackles, not ballhawking the field like a pack of wild hyenas on hunt. Momentum comes to those who are disciplined, and respect their gameplan.

Did the other team just score on you following a turnover? Perhaps your first urge is to head to your car to get your weapon, or launch a 40-bomb, desperate to get back in the game and regain your dignity. Disregard that feeling, it’s called being on tilt. Maintain composure and continue to march the field. Now is the most critical time to hit high-percentage plays, you can’t afford another risky turnover which might end the game.

Keep building these easy-win behaviors each week, and you’ll notice a nice progression throughout the season, but start ASAP. Starting FPF from scratch is no easy feat, but I can tell you from experience that there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to play the game. Just look at the top for proof, the same 2-3 teams compete in the division 1 finals each year. Watch them on tape, they all call nearly identical plays on offense and defense.

However, for those of you who dismiss week 1 as a warmup game, I’m not hearing that noise either. 10 games is a short season, mess around too much early on and it could be curtains for you before the midseason review. You’ve had all offseason to prepare for this moment, there are no mulligans afforded here.

For those of you that did win, congratulations, now go take a cold shower, 1-9 is still a possibility. Make sure not to rest on your laurels going forward. Hubris is the downfall of mankind. Winning week 1 could be even more dangerous than losing in the long run, as it makes you blind to your own folly. Always assess accordingly. Always improve.

Weekly Remarks

Holy Hi-Fi Vince Mancini, what a performance! 7 catches for 129 yards and 4 TDs in the win tops out as by far the most spectacular showing this week. When I mentioned it to him he responded “OLD not dead…Yet!” The Longhorns are back baby!
Jean Coutu you are my humble pie for the week, month, year perhaps. After ranking you second to last in your conference and projecting a loss, you massacred Harambi worse than Cincinnati Zoo keepers. Antoine Cote and Vincent Hamel look like a QB-WR duo to watch out for throughout the year, this could be the start of something big.
There was an alarming total of 9 QBs in 5B who threw for under 100 yards this week. As I alluded to in my article last week there are a concerning amount of QB questions in this division, many of these were not alleviated week 1. Common guys, make those adjustments FAST! You can’t expect to win with sub 100, 2 TD games!
Frederic Stumpf put up 5 tackles and 7 PDs in week 1. Even without an INT, those numbers get you noticed. This man can cover some ground.
Hot Boys Hotline are undoubtedly my biggest flop this week. Their offense was completely inept versus a smothering Albatross D. Already having regrets ranking you guys second overall in your conference. Please prove me wrong.
Jagys and Chill…phewwwf! A little less Chill next week fellas.
Good job Buckeyes, with QB William Robert-Allard and co. Way to keep the game sheet clean. Despite beating a struggling opponent, you put yourselves on our radar. Looking forward to seeing more of the same.
I hope Takeover sees their week 1 smashing at the hands of the Rednecks as a wakeup call. This type of performance cannot be duplicated again for a serious contender.
Jimmy-Lee Janvier has thrown his hat in for consideration as top QB in the division after a clean week 1 performance against a veteran squad.
Aliens have arrived and they look hostile. They are a superior species with advanced technological weapons. They want to be taken to your leader, so they can assume their proper position at the top of the hierarchy. It’ll be up to the rest of div 5A to stop them.
There are plenty of “team X are who we thought they were” comments I want to make, but it’s only week 1 so I’ll bite my tongue for now.
Chris Milard is a hired assassin at rusher. No matter what division he competes in, he dominates. 4 sacks in week 1 is a tune-up for him.
Jonathan Garfinkle is our 2-way player of the week, reeling off a 10-95-1 stat line on Offense to go with a pair of picks on D. Way to come out of the gate on fire!

Recaps:

Free winds and no tyranny

The Untitled Seth Galina Team stormed Hebert dome on Wednesday night, determined to free themselves from the reigns of their oppressor. The Tyrants quelled the revolution early with a methodical opening march, capped by a short post TD from Niktaris to Frederick. USGT would not be rattled though, as Pampena responded with a thundering 40 bomb to Taylor, who made a spectacular one-handed, over the shoulder catch, to the disbelief of all watching. Tyrants were still in awe on their pursuing drive as they stalled in their own half, electing not to punt on 4th and 5. Pampena proceeded to hit Taylor in the endzone again on 3rd down, with Taylor boxing out the defender like the power forward he is and securing the catch. Despite a return to form from the Tyrants, who marched the field with poise, a big 3rd down sack by Pampena on an attempted run set up a controversial 4th down play, with the refs marking Kaliotzakis short on a slant route. USGT took full advantage of the opportunity granted, as Pampena hit Galina on a 10 yard comeback, who then made a series of silky smooth moves on his way to a long TD. The best way to describe the play would be to imagine level 3 Frogger, hoola hooping his way through traffic, towards the delicious bevy of alluring flies.

The Tyrants wouldn’t go down without a fight however, as Niktaris hit Kaliotzakis with a beautiful touch pass on a wheel route for the score, which was by far the nicest pass on the night. The game would be decided on the following drive however, for with 1 play left before halftime the USGT pulled off a stunning feat of trickeration to the dismay of the Tyrants hopes of a comeback. In FPF’s version of the flee flicker, Pampena swung a backwards pass out to Taylor, who drew the rusher before sending the ball back to Pampena. With enough time to have an espresso and glaze the dailies, Pampena found an unconstrained Galina in the back of the endzone.

An exchange of scores in the second half, and a late game rushing TD from Pampena resulted in the 38-19 final score, as USGT slayed the Tyrants and look to establish a free republic premised on liberal ideals and the rule of law. Key takeaways from this game are that Pampena looks like a poised, confident QB heading into the thick of their schedule. Taylor and Galina are a receiving duo to be reckoned with in this division. The USGT defense is big, athletic and cohesive. I wonder if the rotating door at rusher will hurt them against more mobile QBs, but I doubt it. The Tyrants for their part looked solid despite the loss. I love the way Niktaris looks to establish the short plays to set up the daggers. He’s not afraid to put that feathery touch pass into tight windows. I think the size of the USGT defense impacted him in this one, as he missed the super athletic De Kovachick on numerous occasions. They’ll need to get him the ball going forward.

No New Friends, 2017

Friends in Low Places began their experiment with Danny D’Amour at QB vs The Big R Express on Sunday at Hebert. With excited anticipation for the new playcaller’s debut, the defense gave him breathing room with Smuda picking off Iadeluca while attempting to go deep on the opening drive. D’Amour stuck to the gameplan as he established the running game early, and capped off the opening drive with a deep ball TD to Smuda. Matteo was able to consistently get in Iadeluca’s kitcken, forcing errand throws against a space-eating defense. With pressure mounting from all sides, Siggia stepped up in a big way to put the Express on his back, making a series of big catches to keep his team in contention before half. However, Smuda once again emerged as the story’s protagonist before halftime, with a huge catch from midfield to begin the onslaught.

With FILP getting the ball to begin the second half, D’Amour went to work by spreading the wealth among his receivers and pulling it down to run whenever he saw an opening. The nail in the coffin came with Sabloff putting a beautiful stop-and-go on the defense and reeling in the pass for a 20 yard TD. The veteran Timmis put the cherry on top with a late game pick-6, for a final score of 44-6.

D’Amour answered all questions about the QB change admirably with a polished week 1 performance. Smuda established his place as a top talent in the division with 81 yards and 3 TDs on 3 catches, to go along with another 2 INTs on D! Have a day! Kevin Smuda. As for The Big R Express, it was a tough demonstration of what the top notch talent in this division has to offer. Iadeluca is a capable QB, with intelligence and arm strength, but questions loom as to whether his supporting staff is up to par. At least Siggia showed that he will be a consistent outlet, able to move the chains whenever called upon.

Games of the week:

Div 5A:

Aliens (1-0) vs LOB (1-0) Saturday, January 14th at 11pm Brossard.

QB: Lonnie Johnson vs Simon Bosquet Beaudoin

A matchup of two QBs with very different, but effective, styles of play. Lonnie is the traditional pocket passer, taking a deep drop back and surveying the field before dropping a beautiful touch pass to his open receiver. SBB is the ideal dual threat QB, using his gamebreaking running ability to set the defense up before scrambling out and firing lasers into his receivers who’ve snuck behind the encroaching D. Lonnie had a strong performance in D4 last week but has some rust to work off in D5, I’ll take SBB coming off a top 3 performance.

Receivers: LOB staff vs James Floreani

Floreani was the one man show last week vs Bruthers, reeling in 5 catches for 99 yards and 3 TDS, close to 75% of the total offensive production! I have no doubt that he can reproduce this production on most weeks while the team continues to have success. However, this week he matches up versus Josh Malyk Cernacle, possibly the best one-on-one lockdown defender in the division. This individual matchup will be worth the price of admission. O the other side, LOB presents a balanced offense headlined by sure-handed zone buster Francois Deslauriers and newcomer Corey Johnson. LOB are also expecting stretch man Hovington to make his debut this week, along with the big bodied Vincent Dagenais. Oh and don’t forget GM, as many mistakenly do, or he’ll burn you with his hooks and quick crossing patterns. This unit is loaded.

Defense: LOB vs Aliens

Once again it comes down to a well-built unit matching up versus an incredibly talented duo. SBB puts intense pressure on opposing QBs, but given Lonnie’s penchant for sitting back in the pocket it seems like former’s superior talents will be somewhat neutralized in this one. It’ll be interesting to see what impact Alexandre Noel will have in this game, after a quiet week one statistically. On the LOB side, Deslauriers is one of the sharpest defensive minds in the league and can craft a gameplan to stymie any opposition. LOB would be well-positioned to match up in a man coverage in this one, if it wasn’t for their lack of rusher capable of holding SBB in the pocket. The Alien’s QB will run every second play for big gains if LOB put him on an island vs their rusher. We’ll see what kind of hybrid zone-man approach they employ going up against an offense that plays backyard football between 2 talented guys. I predict LOB will have a greater chance to solve this quandary than Aliens have in accounting for the wealth of talent on LOB’s offense.

Prediction: 33-26 LOB

Div 5B:

Spartans (1-0) vs Rednecks (1-0) Sunday January 15th at 7pm Loyola

QB: James D’Andrea vs Darick Forgues

What essential amount to the battle for the 3rd spot in my weekly QB index, D’Andrea slightly edges out Forgues as the favorite in this category. Although Forgues presents a greater running threat on any given week, I like the way D’Andrea protects the ball and puts together efficient, well managed games. With both QBs facing daunting defenses in this game I’ll take the QB who’s less likely to create turnovers, since field position may be the defining factor in who emerges from this bout victorious.

Receivers: Spartans vs Rednecks

The Spartans possess the most talented individual receiver in this game, Charles-David Martel, but until Alexis Bessette shows us a game played on the roster sheet I’ll take the three headed-monster of Pierre, Beauchamp and Strumpf. Martel and Pierre put up 3 TDs a piece last week so there’s no lack of talent heading into this heavyweight collision. The Redneck’s trio will force the Spartans defense to spread out a bit more than normally would, which may give Forgues some larger windows to push the ball downfield.

Defense: Spartans vs Rednecks

To be fair, these teams are so similar in build and talent that each of these categories can amount to a coin flip. Martel is an intimidating rusher and can change a game with his ability to disrupt passing lanes while closing in on the QB. But again, the absence of Bessette leaves a tiny kink in the Spartan’s phalanx formation. On the other side, the Rednecks possess a gamechanging talent in Frederic Strumpf. Strumpf can take away half the field on his own, and has the instincts to break on the ball as soon as it leaves the QBs hands. He’s as dangerous a defender as they come in this division, and his skillset will be on display in this tightly fought defensive struggle.

Prediction: 24-19 Rednecks

Power Ranking

Div A largely played out according to script week 1, with a few exceptions.

Div B showed why it’s the hinterlands of div 5. Enter the Badlands. The area at the edge of the kingdom’s domain where royal authority exerts no influence and cloaked assassins stalk the terrain. Tread carefully all ye who enter here.

Div A

Les Verges Folles (1-0): Well-rounded team with talent and depth. Quiviger looks like the QB they needed to take the next step.
TDS and Beer (1-0): I’m bullish on them after a dominant week 1. Getting on this bandwagon early while there’s still room.
LOB (1-0): Battled with a surprising KGP Ra team in week 1, but that was more of an adjustment game as they gear up for a run.
Aliens (1-0): Biggest statement game with a week 1 trouncing of the Bruthers. Battling LOB this week for a top 3 spot in this ranking.
Globo Gym Purple Cobras (1-0): Reliable, steady production gets you high marks in this list.
Longhorns (1-0): The darlings of week 1, but can the production be sustained?
Untitled Seth Galina Team (1-0): This team has all the pieces in place to make some noise. Pampena looks confident and poised.
Jaguars (1-0): The showed us exactly what we wanted them to week 1. They are officially on the map.

**On the radar: Flagrant Fouls (1-0): Impressive week 1 win but had many extra drives. Want to see more week 2 before putting them up here.

Div B

Friends in Low Places (1-0): Good to have something to bank on in this volatile sub-division.
Trinity (1-0): Dominant week 1 performance. Benjamin D. Leclerc made his presence known.
Dreamville (1-0): Eli Saleh got the job done in a less than stellar performance.
Jagys & Chill (1-0): Unimpressive week 1 win vs rookie team. At least they got the win. Ranked this high on reputation.
Jean Coutu (1-0): Would have ranked them higher, but would rather see them rise each week. Loved the week 1 showing.
Rednecks (1-0): The smack down they laid on a hyped-up team is not going unnoticed.
Spartans (1-0): Battling Rednecks to advance in these rankings next week.
X-Men (0-1): Missing their QB week 1. Anxious to see their full roster debut with Boustany apparently back.

**On the radar: Buckeyes, Les Albatros, Mad Bears

QB Index

Div 5A:

Jon Moodie – Longhorns:

Ripping off 208 yards, 6 TD and a 126.3 QBR while playing with a new look offense from previous seasons is a major feat. Looking for a second straight 2000 passing yards season, if he continues these masterful performances we’ll need to start calling him JM2K.

Eric Maiorino – GGPC:

235 total yards with a 6-0 TD/INT and a 70% completion rate, it would be impossible to ask for a better performance from a QB. He had a full roster and played an incomplete team so he sits at 2nd for now. Still a phenomenal week 1.

Tie: Brad Evans – TDs and Beer:

The type of complete, pocket passer performance that I like, Brad was digging into the Freebandz defense all game. 232 passing yards is a walloping amount. He spread the wealth also with 22 completions on the night.

Tie: Simon Bosquet Beaudoin – Aliens:

This list wouldn’t be fair without adding such a brilliant performance. 10-19 with 4 TDs and 153 pass yards is nice, but don’t forget the 7 rushes for 76 yards and 2 rush TDs! A polished week 1 for this speed demon converted to dangerous QB.

Div 5B:

Antoine Cote – Jean Coutu:

168 pass yards, 7 TDS, 77.3 comp% and another 53 rush yards to boot! He’s shot out of the gate at the head of the pack. This might be the team – and the QB – that we missed this preseason. Should have success week 2 against an inexperienced knights team also.

Danny D’Amour – FILP:

146 pass yards, 5 TDS, and 80 rushing yards with 1 rushing TD. He dissected the Big R Express defense in every way possible on route to a masterful performance. He and Cote are head and shoulders above the competition after week 1.

James D’Andrea – Spartans:

187 pass yards, 3 TDS and a 117.4 QBR is an efficient and clean game. Also had a short TD poached by Martel. Good start to the season in a soft week for 5B QBs. Looking forward to see if he can repeat a similar performance against a hot defense in week 2.

Predictions

Last week went down to the final 3 weekday games as Nic pulled out the close win. Congrats, I tip my hat to you. But this is a war, not a single battle, and I’m reloading for a second crack at it. Danny lagged behind and showed us why he’s a guest at our table. Hey, you want to shut me up? Then smarten up and get your revenge this week, buddy.

Nic (18-7-1)
Alex (15-10-1)
Danny (13-12-1)

Division A

Alex Danny

Beer and Skittles Beer and Skittles

TDs and Beer KGP Ra

Bruthers Freebandz

Globo Gym Purple Cobras Globo Gym Purple Cobras

Longhorns Longhorns

LOB Aliens

Les Affreux Flagrant Fouls

Jaguars Jaguars

Untitled Seth Galina Team Untitled Seth Galina Team

Les Verges Folles Les Verges Folles

Bunch of Rookies Bunch of Rookies

Tyrants Supply and Command

Dope Boys Dope Boys

Division B

Alex Danny

Jagys and Chill Jagys and Chill

SABRFC Bye Week

Buckeyes Buckeyes

Dreamville Dreamville

Jean Coutu Jean Coutu

Trinity Trinity

Rednecks Spartans

X-Men X-Men

Tip Top Shape Tip Top Shape

Hot Boys Hotline Les Bigs

Les Albatros Les Albatros

Friends in Low Places Friends in Low Places

Mad Bears Mad Bears

That’s it for this week! Week 1 of FPF is officially in the books, and week 2 is set to start up in only a few hours. See how fast it goes! Enjoy your time on the field because winter season passes by in a blur. If you have any feedback, concerns, comments or just want a shoulder to lean on you can reach out to me @alexholowach1 on Twitter, or hit me up on Facebook. If you’re craving more div 5 content please see Nic Belleau’s French article, he truly is the best quality writer on this staff. Otherwise, check out the Calling the Audible podcast featuring Peeze and Moe Kahn, it’s a healthy dose of sophisticated silliness to get you through the week. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and make sure to check back next week to find out how week 2 shook out!