Week 10 Recap: Goliath Has Fallen

And then there were… none. Undefeated teams, that is. Both Junkyard Dogs and X-Men suffered surprising defeats this past week, ending their bids for an undefeated season. Instead they join the rest of us still alive (thanks for playing, The Pack, Siths, Les Huards, Bruins, Woofpack, Space Pirates, Pardon My Swag, Sticky Hands, Voo-Zoo, Fat and the Furious and Les Albatros) for the only thing that truly matters: the championship.

With one week to go, the stage is far from set. In 5B, 10 teams are competing for one of the six total spots still up for grabs, while in 5A four teams hope to clinch one of the three spots left in Conference A. And that’s not to mention the seeds still left to be locked in.

I don’t have to tell you how important this last week of regular season play is. There’s something at stake for everyone – a playoff spot for those who have yet to clinch, a better seed for those who have already clinched, and pride for those already eliminated. It’s go time.

 

Recaps: 5A

Sticky Hands Let Playoff Spot Slip from their Fingers

From 3-0 and thinking championship, to 3-6 and wondering how it all went wrong. That’s the collective state of mind of Sticky Hands’ roster with one game left to play and playoff hopes dead in the water. However, if their most recent loss, a 24-18 defeat at the hands of Flagrant Fouls, is any indication, it seems clear much of the explanation for that loss at least rests in the absence of a clear no. 1 receiver.

With usual go-to wideout Nicolas Saro on vacation and dependable no. 2 receiver Kevin Gauthier absent, it was up to Jean-Philippe Nadeau and Lambert Gosselin to fill the void. Though they performed admirably, Sticky Hands’ offense simply took too long to get going and was clearly missing an x-factor that could get downfield.

For Flagrant Fouls’ part, there wasn’t much QB Ross Olshansky needed to do aside from move the chains and make the most of the solid field position his defense gave him throughout the game. It may not have been the most impressive of wins, but Flagrant nonetheless did just enough to earn their trip to the playoffs, and kill any hopes of Sticky doing the same this season.    

 

Weak Sauce Pt. 2

Top Sauce led us to believe their struggles were over, that their ugly loss to Tomahawk Nightmare early on was just a fluke. But after their lackluster performance against arguably the top team in 5A, we’re back to square one – once again – with Top Sauce. This time, however, it had little to do with Vince Nardone and a lot more to do with his receiving corps.

Obamacare’s speedy defense took away Nardone’s deep throws early on, forcing him to attempt to march up and the field with shorter passes. No problem he thought to himself, I’m sure. But there was one tiny problem: for whatever reason, his receivers simply forgot how to catch a football. All of them. Nardone finished with 19 incompletions on the night, and at least half of them, if not more, were balls that simply should’ve been caught. 

As if that wasn’t demoralizing enough, on the other side of the field Obamacare were doing nothing but making highlight reel catch after highlight reel catch on the usual jumpballs from QB Jake Applebaum to his athletic receivers. Two second-half 40 bombs from Nardone to Chris Milard and then to GM Kolethras made it a bit more of a contest later in the game, but by that point Obamacare’s lead was simply too much for Top Sauce to overcome.

Top Sauce have the mix of young talent, veteran experience and confidence that usually makes for a championship-caliber team. But it’s all useless if they can’t manage to bring it all together in big games against big opponents.

 

Recaps: 5B

Ghosts Survive Scare versus Green Lantern Corps

Ghosts’ playoff hopes looked to be fading and the team as a whole falling into disarray since bursting onto the scene with their epic Week 1 win over the Guerriers. But one gritty win over GLC this past week looks to have changed all that.

This one was a battle from start to finish as rusher Emile Piche made sure to force QB Gab Wiseman to work for every yard. Play after play Piche took Wiseman’s preferred passing lane away all while keeping him immobile in the pocket.

On the other side, GLC’s decision to go back to Jerson Previllon as starting QB for a second week in a row didn’t look to make much of a difference for their offense. Previllon depended early and often on his legs to move the chains, and usually found himself in trouble when forced to throw on third downs. The absence of Mendy Cardichon certainly didn’t help matters.

Nonetheless, GLC’s defense had done just enough to keep it at just a one-score game late in the night, but hopes of a comeback were dashed when wideout Zach Zwirn put the game away on a clutch toe-drag catch in the back of the endzone on a go-route.  

The end result is that Ghosts are still alive in the playoff race. GLC’s own spot is all but locked up with a win versus Bruins this week, but now the question arises: with the playoffs around the corner, should they go back to Piche at QB?  

 

All Aboard the QB Carousel

Weapon X’s win over Been There Done That was… interesting, to say the least. Both teams’ offenses looked unsure as to who exactly to go with at QB for much of the night. On BTDT’s side, starter Alexandre Plante wasn’t getting the job done early on, throwing picks and making errant throws. In went Maxime Fournier, who promptly threw two incomplete passes, one for a pick, before BTDT finally switched back to Plante.

On the other side, it looked like Weapon X were running a preseason scrimmage, starting Ryan Browne at QB before switching him out for Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren for a few drives, before then going back to Browne again. I’m sure it made for a fun night for the scorekeeper.

As for the game itself, the stats mostly tell the story in this one: an overall dominating performance by Weapon X. The game was only as tight as it was in the first half due to a touchdown-saving tackle by DB Yves-Joseph Rosalbert on Jahlani at the one-yard line on the half’s last play to keep it a one-score game entering halftime. However, that play aside, there was little BTDT could do against the swarming Weapon X defense and chain-moving offense.  

BTDT may be ahead of Weapon X in the playoff seedings at the moment, but it’s clear who the better team was at least for that night.

 

Power Rankings: 5A 

1. Obamacare (8-1): If they had a slogan, it would read: Obamacare: Sending teams to the hospital to get their asses checked after a severe ass-whopping since 2016.

 

2. Watch Me Whip (7-1-1): Can’t hate on a team taking care of business, but just 20 points? They may be entering the playoffs as a high seed, but I must admit their rather of lackluster offensive performances in recent weeks (aside from pummeling a Terry Tam-less Woofpack) aren’t exactly confidence-boosters.

 

3. X-Men (8-1): If anything, X-Men stand to benefit from the wake-up call their loss provided.

 

4. Top Sauce (6-3): If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. We’ll have to wait until the playoffs to see if Top Sauce truly can be considered among the best.

 

5. Tomahawk Nightmare (5-3-1): 288 yards through the air, 6 TDs, 0 INTs. When you do that to one of the top defenses in the division, you know you’re entering the playoffs on the right foot.

 

6. Dope Boys (6-3): The absence of Robbi Dejean on offense, an injury to Ridwan Abdur and the presence of Jad Aridi and Rod Mashtoub on Space Pirates’ defense makes their 25-point showing understandable. That doesn’t mean it’s not disappointing, however.

 

7. Les Verges Folles (6-2-1): Just when LVF had me convinced they were back on track, they go and throw up a dud vs Gators. The only thing they’re consistent at is being inconsistent.

 

8. Get On Deck (5-4): Three wins in a row is one way to put other teams on notice as we approach the playoffs.

 

9. Supply and Command (5-4): Given that I choose not to recap my own team’s games, I’ll take this opportunity to give a big shout-out to Antonio D’Aversa for singlehandedly (literally) winning the game for SnC versus X-Men over the weekend.

 

10. Flagrant Fouls (5-4): Flagrant Fouls have bounced back in a big way since their Week 8 blowout loss, and it starts with a rejuvenated Ross Olshansky at QB.

  

Power Rankings: 5B

1. Les Guerriers de l’espace (7-2): Did their win come against a bad team? Absolutely. At the same time, nine TDs on offense, six INTs and one pick 6 on defense… my word.

 

2. Les Pitriotes (7-2): I’m sold, period.

 

3. Junkyard Dogs (8-1): I feel like Junkyard Dogs got caught looking ahead to the playoffs and paid the price for it in their ugly loss this week. I also feel like that will only help them when the playoffs actually do come around.

 

4. St. Lunatics (7-2): St. Lunatics have given up a 5B-lowest 139 total points on the season, and yet it still feels like their defense doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

 

5. Flying Weasels (7-2): No Jonathan Lemieux this week, but they beat Fuzzy-Kittens regardless behind a strong performance by fill-in Chris Rivest. My confidence in them is restored.

 

6. Sunshine Island (6-2-1): They very easily could find themselves backing into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak. Suffice to say, I don’t think that makes for very favorable odds of them winning the ship.

 

7. Takeover (7-2): I’ll give them some credit: four TDs from replacement QB Mat Domon is nothing to scoff at considering he had one less receiver to throw to as a result. I still feel like we should’ve seen them come out with a bit more fire following the goose egg they put up the week prior.

 

8. Jaguars (5-4): They scored 41 points in a single half. One. Single. Half. They basically scored a touchdown every 3 and a half minutes. I’m bowing down right now.

 

9. Rednecks (5-4): They scored as many points against Sunshine Island as they did in their last three games combined. I’m not sure where this Darick Forgues was the past couple of weeks, but he looks to be back now and that’s all that matters at this point.

 

10. Small Giants (6-3): Offense on point, defense on point, big win as a result. Was it to be expected against a struggling Huards team? Yes. But at least they actually got back to playing to their potential on both sides of the ball.

 

FPF Fantasy Showdown: 5A

Last week… 

QB: Vince Nardone (Top Sauce): 173 yards passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 8 yards rushing = 20 points. Jake Applebaum (Obamacare): 93 yards passing, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 18 yards rushing, 1 sack = 24 points. If Vince’s receivers actually remembered how to catch passes I would’ve won this.

WR: Nicolas Saro (Sticky Hands): was on vacation and didn’t bother to tell me. The bastard. Marty Freedman (Flagrant Fouls) gets the automatic win. 

D: Dope Boys: 13 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 4 PDs, 1 TD, 24 points allowed = 19 points. Space Pirates: 11 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 5 PDs, 25 points allowed = 16 points. 

A 1-2 week drops me to 11-16 on the season.

 

This week:

QB: Dope Boys (Eric Lalonde) vs. Gautama Swaminadhan (X-Men): I think Gautama takes advantage of the opportunity to bounce back from this past week’s stunning loss.  

WR: Jeremy Grauer (Hot Boys Hotline) vs. Chris Milard (Top Sauce):I get the feeling Vince Nardone will unleash his wrath on HBH following this past week’s blowout loss. The guy who figures to gain the most from that? Chris Milard.

D: BMS Goats vs. Les Verges Folles: Having racked up a total of 12 picks in their last three games alone, can BMS’s defense keep the turnovers coming versus LVF? Or will LVF wreak havoc against rookie QB Joey Fiorillo? My money’s on the latter.

  

FPF Fantasy Showdown: 5B 

Last week…

QB: Darick Forgues (Rednecks): 128 yards passing, 4 TDs, 1 sack, 41 yards rushing, 1 rushing TD = 36 points. Matthew Cinquino (Sunshine Island): 121 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 1 sack, 67 yards rushing = 31 points.

WR: Andrew Langburt (Les Pitriotes): 30 yards receiving, 1 TD = points. Hugo Allamano (Junkyard Dogs): 101 yards receiving, 1 TD = obviously more points.  

D: Clear victory for Takeover and their 3 INTs (including one Pick 6) and seven points against versus Genie’s 25 points allowed and zero turnovers. 

A 1-2 record this week drops me to 14-13 on the season. 

 

This week…

QB: Michael Sanchez (St. Lunatics) vs. Gabriel Wiseman (Ghosts): Two good QBs going up against two solid defenses. If the past nine weeks are any indication, this is a head-to-head Sanchez should win, if only for the numerous mistakes St. Lunatics are sure to force upon Wiseman.

WR: Mosha Moreau Côté (Siths) vs. William Power (Takeover): Moreau Côté is a beast receiver when he doesn’t have to fill-in at QB, while Power has taken over Alessandro Arciero as Takeover’s go-to receiver in recent weeks. If Chartrand is back at QB this week, I think Moreau Côté closes out the season with a bang. 

D: DG Goons vs. Jaguars: With playoff spots up for grabs, we’re sure to see the best from both teams here. If this matchup took place just a few weeks earlier I might’ve gone with DG Goons, especially given how solid their defense has been recently. However, Jaguars just look to be too hot right now to be slowed down by much at this point in the season.

 

Random Thoughts

• It’s been said on the podcasts this week, I’m sure I mentioned it last week, but it’s worth mentioning again. If you’re already eliminated from playoff competition, just show up and play. For many of you, this is the last FPF you’ll get to play before May, and for the majority of you this is the last FPF you’ll get to play before next year. Make the most of it.

 

• A group pat on the back to Supply and Command, Hot Boys Hotline, and Gators. From an 0-9 start collectively to a combined 13-14 and a chance for all three to make the playoffs with one game left to play goes to show that you should never quit on a season no matter how poorly you start it.

 

• A thought taking my first two thoughts into consideration: to those teams that allowed 50+ points this past week… maybe Week 11 is a good time to try something new, if at least to start planning for next season.

 

• The McGill library has zones where snacks and drinks are allowed. Concordia library, step your game up.

 

• A 405-pound tight end ran a 5.41 40-yard dash at Baylor’s pro day this week. How does that happen. How does a man that large run that fast? Honestly. I’m sure that’s faster than what Eagle could run, and he’s like 100 pounds soaking wet.

 

• You have to feel for Terry Tam. To lose and see your playoff hopes dashed is one thing, but to do so in a game which saw you complete 60% of your passes, throw for over 200 yards through the air, and put up 4 TDs to just one INT – that’s just rough. Woofpack’s defense had Terry’s back all season long, and in one of his best performances of the year, with the playoffs on the line, his D crumbled under the pressure. That hurts, man.

 

• It took 9 weeks, 10 if we’re including the bye week, but Divisions 5A and 5B are finally down to just one winless team and no undefeated teams combined with one week left. It leaves one to wonder: would the results have been different in a single 48-team Division 5?

 

• If GLC’s Emile Piche did nothing else did season, he certainly put himself on the map as a legit free agent option at rusher for a higher division. 19 sacks through nine games in your first season in the league is a serious accomplishment.

 

• Chris Rivest is the only QB to attempt a pass for Flying Weasels in their game against Fuzzy-Kittens. But the report also shows that he caught two passes. Either he pulled off the statistically improbable feat of catching not one, but two of his passes that were batted in the air, or someone messed up somewhere… I blame Moe Khan.

 

Playoff Picture

Legend:

Name bolded (and underlined): clinched playoff spot

Name struckthrough: eliminated from playoff contention

 

Division 5A: 

Conf A	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA		Conf B	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA
1	X-Men	9	16	8	[4-1-0]	172		1	Obamacare	9	16	8	[4-0-0]	181
2	Watch Me Whip	9	15	7	[3-1-0]	197		2	Les Verges Folles	9	13	6	[4-0-0]	192
3	Top Sauce	9	12	6	[3-1-0]	183		3	Team Rocket	9	12	6	[3-1-0]	147
4	Dope Boys	9	12	6	[3-2-0]	201		4	Sphinx	9	10	5	[3-2-0]	212
5	Tomahawk Nightmare	9	11	5	[3-2-0]	216		5	Get On Deck	9	10	5	[3-2-0]	220
6	Supply and Command	9	10	5	[2-2-0]	201		6	Flagrant Fouls	9	10	5	[2-2-0]	194
7	Gators	9	8	4	[3-1-0]	225		7	BMS Goats	9	10	5	[2-2-0]	200
8	Blackshirts	9	8	4	[2-3-0]	252		8	TrapStars	9	8	4	[3-2-0]	237
9	Hot Boys Hotline	9	8	4	[1-3-0]	186		9	Sticky Hands	9	6	3	[1-4-0]	241
10	Woofpack	9	6	3	[0-4-0]	182		10	Voo-Zoo	9	4	2	[0-4-0]	228
11	Space Pirates	9	4	2	[1-3-0]	197		11	Fat and The Furious	9	2	1	[0-4-0]	303
12	Pardon My Swag	9	3	1	[1-3-0]	256		12	Les Albatros	9	2	1	[1-3-0]	213

 

 

Division 5B:

 

Conf A	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA		Conf B	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA
1	Junkyard Dogs	9	16	8	[3-1-0]	190		1	Les Guerriers de L’Espace	9	14	7	[4-1-0]	215
2	St-Lunatics	9	14	7	[4-0-0]	139		2	Sunshine Island	9	13	6	[2-2-0]	225
3	Les Pitriotes	9	14	7	[4-1-0]	161		3	Small Giants	9	12	6	[4-1-0]	202
4	Takeover	9	14	7	[3-1-0]	205		4	Rednecks	9	10	5	[4-1-0]	141
5	Flying Weasels	9	14	7	[2-2-0]	239		5	Blue Devils	9	8	4	[2-2-0]	278
6	Creamsicles	9	10	5	[2-3-0]	176		6	Fuzzy Kittens	9	8	4	[3-1-0]	235
7	Jaguars	9	10	5	[2-3-0]	195		7	Green Lantern Corps	9	6	3	[3-1-0]	171
8	I Rep That West	9	10	5	[2-2-0]	231		8	Been The Done That	9	6	3	[1-4-0]	215
9	Ghosts	9	10	5	[2-2-0]	232		9	Weapon X	9	6	3	[1-3-0]	249
10	DG Goons	9	8	4	[2-3-0]	176		10	GENIE	9	4	2	[1-3-0]	241
11	The Pack	9	5	2	[0-4-0]	348		11	Les Huards	9	2	1	[1-3-0]	294
12	Siths	9	2	1	[0-4-0]	304		12	Bruins	9	0	0	[0-4-0]	312

 

Predictions: 5A 

8-3 in 5A, 7-5 in 5B brings me to 122-85. As for Belleau, a 7-4 week in 5B and 5-7 week in 5A puts him at 116-91 on the season. With a six-game lead heading into the last week of play, it’s time for me to kick back, relax, and just wait until I’m officially crowned predictions king this time next week.

 

Fat And The Furious vs. Obamacare

 

Hot Boys Hotline vs. Top Sauce

 

Flagrant Fouls vs. Team Rocket

 

Watch Me Whip vs. Space Pirates

 

Les Albatros vs. Voo-Zoo

 

Pardon My Swag vs. Supply and Command (N/A)

 

Woofpack vs. Gators

 

Dope Boys vs. X-Men

 

BMS Goats vs. Les Verges Folles

 

Tomahawk Nightmare vs. Blackshirts

 

Sphinx vs. Trapstars

 

Get On Deck vs. Sticky Hands

 

 

Predictions: 5B  

The Pack vs. Flying Weasels

 

GENIE vs. Les Huards

 

St. Lunatics vs. Ghosts

 

Bruins vs. Green Lantern Corps

 

Rednecks vs. Les Guerriers de l’espace

 

Les Pitriotes vs. Creamsicles

 

Blue Devils vs. Weapon X

 

Siths vs. Takeover

 

Been There Done That vs. Small Giants

 

Fuzzy-Kittens vs. Sunshine Island

 

I Rep That West vs. Junkyard Dogs

 

DG Goons vs. Jaguars

 

 

***

As always, tune into this week’s Division 5 podcast at www.youtube.com/flagplus. See you at the fields!