Week 10’s recap and a preview of the Divisional Round

Playoffs.

The beauty of FPF truly lies in its post-season. For those of you who had the chance to witness or experience it, you know what I’m talking about. For those of you who haven’t, keep your eyes open, it’s a brief, but amazing moment.

With only 16 teams remaining and only 4 by next Wednesday’s time (yes, Round 2 is Tuesday, not the following week), things are bound to be extremely exciting this week. First, because it’s important to note that FPF is home to amazing things, but also because Divisional Round is where the upsets really lies. Week 11, or Divisional playoff round, will be home of many upsets, but also the greatest week of the season. Every season, every year, the divisional round holds the hopes of many to move past the top dogs and, in those hopes, come greatness. Expect lower seeds to move, at least some of them, and expect the unexpected. FPF playoffs are upon us.

I’d like to take a moment and thank the 10 teams that will not be joining us on the gridiron this upcoming Sunday: CREAM Team, Westpark Boys, Longhorns, TOPSZN, Patriotes, Top Sauce, Predators Lite, Les Blues Branleurs, Keyport Lock and KGP Champs. This season wouldn’t have been the same without you. Many of you got the chance to upset a leader or create drama within your conferences. You got a good 10 weeks of football, it wasn’t a waste. I really hope we’ll be seeing you guys again in Winter!

Playoffs – Divisional Round

What have I learn this week?

I would just like to take a moment and mention how I WHOOPED GM Kolethras’ ass in predictions. Down all season, I pulled the most incredible comeback of all times to remain the undefeated champion after so many seasons. You can blame STL for losing, but I give myself credit, ‘cause, you know, I did beat them. So, on that note, SUCK IT GM.
On a less important note, I’m thrilled for Round 1.
I do too many things for this league, I should ask for a raise.
Don’t mess with Moe Khan aka The Bully.
Losing a do or die has to be the worst feeling.
I have to give props to Simon Bosquet-Beaudoin and Vince Nardone for stepping up their game MASSIVELY since the midseason.
Jamie Harry made the play of the week with his pick-six against Top Sauce from the back of the endzone. He’s a freaky dude when you give him room to shine.
I’m happy to say KGP did not finish winless.
This week’s Power Rankings were the toughest of all weeks to do. Well done.
Be ready, Round 2 is only 48 hours after Round 1. It’ll take a toll, trust me.
The award winners will be announced tomorrow night on the Podcasts. Stay tuned, Division C had a pretty close race for certain awards!

Recaps

Keyport Lock took the field with 6 guys including new faces, nothing new you will say, but this time around, Jeff Rosenblatt looked pretty good in the pocket facing the division’s best rusher in Qwintyn Rice. In fact, Damps 25/8 started off slow and an upset was brewing for Keyport Lock as Justin Julien Jr’s offense struggled for the second week in a row. Luckily for Damps, down 13-6 at the half, their defense adjusted, allowing only 6 points in the 2nd half and Keyport Lock’s DBs simply couldn’t keep up with their speed in the 2nd half as they blazed through for 20 points and took home the much needed win to stay atop the division.
In one of this week’s very intriguing upset, Hitmen Retro pulled one over Grip n Rip in a 32-30 win on Sunday night. Carmine Pollice led his offense with, well, everything finishing the night with all 5 of his QB’s touchdowns and about 80% of his offense’s total yards. He was unstoppable. Gualano on Pollice was a beautiful thing to watch, but the real story here was Vinny Gualano rolling his ankle and forced to walk / not move for the entire 2nd His offense took a major hit and the defense wasn’t the same when you have one of the 6 players not playing. If you take away Gualano’s movement in the pocket, you take away GnR’s magic and things looked grim for them in the 2nd half. Hitmen Retro seized the moment and walked away with a much-needed win to secure a playoff spot. We’ll just have to wait and see if they can repeat another upset on Sunday!
In a game that ended up meaning so much for both teams, Brotherhood faced off against Top Sauce and, as many of you know, ended up the dream crushers. The game started off with trading scores and it looked like Top Sauce were up to par with The Brotherhood (who showed up on time!!!), but things took a bad turn in the first half when Vince Nardone’s pass from midfield was tipped and caught in the back of the endzone by Jamie Harry who pulled a miraculous return for 6 and gave his team a two score lead they never looked back upon. It was the game changing moment, it came early and I know it hurt deep down every single Top Sauce player, but its part of the game. In all fairness, Top Sauce battled it out better than I anticipated and improved drastically since the earlier weeks. It sucks to see the season “go to waste” like that, but winning 3 of their last 4 is very commendable.
Snatchers faced off against STL in what have been a preview of Round 1 and it was never close. In fact, Dylan Taylor started off the game very poorly throwing 3 interceptions including a pick-six and getting a turnover on downs. With the score 32-12 at the half, the game got out of hands fast and it was over after 22 minutes of play. STL took command of the second half and battled it out brilliantly taking away most of my reads and plays, but the margin was simply too much to overcome. They won the 2nd half, but it was too little too late. In the end, the points the game gave or could’ve given didn’t change a single seed to neither of the teams!
In my favorite upset of the week, Laval’s Finest manhandled Two and a half Dans and took away the glory. Playing for seeding, Laval’s Finest looked astonishing on Tuesday night. Starting the game with a bad snap for a safety, things were looking bright for LFinest as The Dans were without Rupcic and Evangelista and were trying new things. Joey Taylor’s fractured hand looked a lot more alarming this week than it did against Damps 25/8 and Laval’s Finest really took their toll on Joey Taylor’s offense that was reduced to less than 100 passing yards and a single passing TD. LFinest could shock Division C if they play at this level for the following weeks and the Dans will need to start Sunday’s game strong to avoid slumping when it really matters.
On the final game of the week, The Punisher met a very interesting opponent in ZOO and things got a bit too close for comfort. In fact, both QBs ended with very similar stats line; both went 4:3 with 161 and 162 combined yards. The Punisher took a commanding lead in the first half, but ZOO came back knocking in the second and Bourbonnière-Morin (Mathew) wasn’t on his game. Pat St-Amand led ZOO’s offense and was, put simply, the best player on the field offensively. No one could cover him and he was putting up points like Christmas came early. On the bright side, ZOO fought back, but The Punisher held on. Chris Millard is a heck of a rusher and Samuel Bourbonnière-Morin is one of the division’s best two-way player. As long as they put up points, The Punisher won’t lose.

Players of the Week

Carmine Pollice (Hitmen Retro): Although he had Vinny Gualano on his ass the whole first half, he still dominated the stat sheet and the opposing defense finishing the night with all of his QB’s scores and 80% of his passing yards. Ridiculous.

Jonathan Brown (Team Ethnik): In his last practice of the season, Brown showed he can play and dominate Div C finishing the night with a passer rating of 135.8 and 41 points on the board.

Jamie Harry (The Brotherhood): Harry got the play of the week and player of the week. He’s the backbone of the team and God was he dominant last week. No interception, a pick-six, plenty of first downs and a win. Congrats.

Jamie Ojeaha (STL): The shining light in a grim battle; Jamie Ojeaha was uncoverable. He calls himself “IT” and deserves it after this week’s performance. 105 yards and 4 TDs and I even warned my defense about him.

Kevin Marcil (ZOO): The unsung hero of Tuesday night’s game. Recorded 4 sacks, but Marcil was the reason Bourbonnière-Morin’s second half went to shits. He forced so many hurries; he gave his team a chance at the victory and that’s all you can really ask out of a guy.

Power Rankings

Grip n Rip (9-1-0): Although they lost, GnR remains the top dog.
Two and a half Dans (9-1-0): For some, this loss might seem alarming, but they were missing 2 of their 7 players and it was a meaningless game. Don’t take the Dans lightly.
The Punisher (9-1-0): They finished the season strong, but Week 10’s game was alarming. Let’s see what happens now.
The Brotherhood (6-4-0): 4th seed and 4th spot. These guys are dangerous and they know it. It’s the team no one wants to face.
Killer Instinct (7-2-1): Clinched 2nd seed in Conference A gets you a good spot in my Rankings boys, enjoy it.
Damps 25/8 (6-4-0): Treffeisen’s return should either solve their offensive problem or see them crumble. Two of the divisions’ top dogs are facing Round 1; it’s do-or-die.
Laval’s Finest (5-4-1): I was high on Laval’s Finest all season and they let me down hard. They showed up to end the season and they manhandled the Dans brilliantly. These guys could be the story to follow in Conference A.
Team Ethnik (6-4-0): They took down Predators Lite, who had their season on the line, with ease. Don’t take these underdogs lightly.
Snatchers (5-4-1): The game against STL was over at half-time. When the 7 guys are present, this team can ball.
ZOO (6-4-0): A close loss to The Punisher in a meaningless game is not too worrisome. It all resets now.

Playoff Standings

**Stars next to team’s name: Clinched playoff berth

**Ruled-out : Mathematically ruled-out of the playoffs.

**Name in bold : Clinched division.

1	Two and a Half Dans*	10	18	9	[4-1-0]	208	1	Grip n Rip*	10	18	9	[5-0-0]	193
2	Killer Instinct*	10	15	7	[5-1-0]	187	2	PRIMETIME*	10	12	6	[5-0-0]	245
3	The Punisher*	10	18	8	[4-1-0]	247	3	STL*	10	14	7	[3-3-0]	257
4	No Fly Zone*	10	13	6	[3-2-0]	226	4	The Brotherhood*	10	12	6	[3-2-0]	225
5	ZOO*	10	12	6	[3-2-0]	267	5	Damps 25/8*	10	12	6	[3-2-0]	225
6	Laval’s Finest*	10	11	5	[2-3-0]	251	6	Team Ethnik*	10	12	6	[2-3-0]	236
7	Served With Heat*	10	10	5	[4-1-0]	266	7	Snatchers*	10	11	5	[4-1-0]	235
8	Hitmen Retro*	10	10	5	[2-3-0]	335	8	Game Changers*	10	8	4	[3-2-0]	279
9	CREAM Team	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	270	9	Top Sauce	10	8	4	[1-4-0]	289
10	Westpark Boys	10	8	4	[1-4-0]	275	10	Predators Lite	10	8	4	[1-4-0]	327
11	Longhorns	10	6	3	[2-3-0]	347	11	Les Blues Branleurs	10	4	2	[1-4-0]	285
12	TOPSZN	10	6	3	[1-4-0]	301	12	Keyport Lock	10	4	2	[1-4-0]	387
13	Patriotes	10	0	0	[0-5-0]	354	13	KGP Champs	10	2	1	[1-4-0]	315

Playoff previews

Killer Instinct (2nd) vs Served With Heat (7th)

Previous matchup: 32-26 Served With Heat

Analysis: Killer Instinct sneaked their way to the 2nd seed of their conference and will have to face a very tough, but streaky opponent in Served with Heat. Lavallée excels when confidence is behind him and he needs his full defense to surround him; when Panetta, Chevalier, Ldon, Greenbaum, Girard are all present, this team is nasty. They make minor mistakes, but strike fast enough to overcome a small deficit. Sadly, Killer Instinct excels in reducing the tempo and giving their opponents very few opportunities. Spano leads a steady offense that really heavily on Da Ponte’s ability to gain yardage when the game’s on the line. I expect both offenses to put up points, but the game will come down to what defense can actually make a stop when it really matters; this will be a tight game ending into halftime, but the first mistake in the 2nd half could determine the outcome.

Key matchup: Anthony Da Ponte vs SWH’s middle defense.

Prediction: 31 – 25 Killer Instinct

GM’s Prediction:

The Brotherhood (4th) vs Damps 25/8 (5th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Analysis: The two most feared teams in Conference B are heading into a battle to the death on Sunday and it’s bound to be the best game of the week, if you ask me. The Brotherhood has been playing amazing football as of late and they aren’t taking no for an answer. Jamie Harry is phenomenal, but Qwintyn Rice is the kind of rusher that could actually neutralize his game-changing ability. Damps 25/8 will have Treffeisen back for the playoffs under center which will allow Justin Julien Jr to terrorize secondaries once again. I expect both teams to come in swinging and not give an inch to their opponents. Damps have the secondary to stop The Brotherhood and vice versa; it’ll come down to who has the better game; Treffeisen or Harry. One’s on a hot streak, the other is coming back from vacation; rested or rusty?

Key matchup: Qwintyn Rice vs Jamie Harry

Prediction: 26 – 19 The Brotherhood

GM’s Prediction:

PRIMETIME (2nd) vs Snatchers (7th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Analysis: These two teams know each other very well; David Daoust played with me last season and we’ve faced each other in the past seasons many times. There’s no secret coming into this game and surprise will not be a factor. Snatchers have been playing really well when all 7 players are present, but PRIMETIME is a whole different beast they simply haven’t faced this season. PRIMETIME excels at taking away the deep ball, which I love and Snatchers’ defense’s weakness is the 40 bomb, which Daoust excels at. In theory, PRIMETIME should book their ticket to the next round, but I won’t go down without a fight and I don’t think David Daoust will have a perfect game against my defense. If PRIMETIME can keep their tempers in-check for the whole hour, they might just be clutch enough, but bad penalties could cost them a lead they’ll never see again.

Key matchup: PRIMETIME’s safeties vs JD Joly and Gabriel Wiseman

Prediction: —-

GM’s Prediction:

Grip n Rip (1st) vs Game Changers (8th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Analysis: Game Changers have amazing athletes and talent, but has been underperforming the whole season. Grip n Rip, on the other hand, has been achieving greatness until very recently with a troubling injury. In fact, with Vinny Gualano’s questionable ankle, GnR could be looking at a pocket-passer and a weaker secondary for their first and maybe even second Round of the playoffs, if they make it. Without his scrambling ability, Gualano loses his magic and GnR aren’t GnR nomore and that’s something Game Changers should capitalize on early if they want to create momemtum and get a win going. It won’t be easy, but it’s a matchup that, suddenly, became a lot more interesting than it was a few days ago.

Key matchup: Salim Cherkaoui vs James Donald

Prediction: 33 – 18 Grip n Rip

GM’s Prediction:

No Fly Zone (4th) vs ZOO (5th)

Previous matchup: 39 – 33 No Fly Zone

Analysis: Last time these two faced, Bishara was under center for No Fly Zone and he posted fantastic numbers and made ZOO’s safeties look absent. Pat St-Amand also had a HUGE game and made NFZ’s secondary look useless. This time around, NFZ will adjust properly and I expect St-Amand to put up less than 4 TDs and 121 yards. Martinez’ effect will also be lessen, so it’ll come down to which team has the surrounding cast that can step up when the game’s on the line. NFZ has Sanner, Martinez, Bishara (if he’s not throwing) and Humes, ZOO has St-Amand, Raymond, Marcil, Lefebvre; different, but both great receiving corps. It’ll come down to which QB can deliver and who’ll be throwing the ball around for NFZ when the whistle is blown.

Key matchup: Pat St-Amand vs NFZ’s secondary

Prediction: 26 – 25 No Fly Zone

GM’s Prediction:

The Punisher (3rd) vs Laval’s Finest (6th)

Previous matchup: 36 – 32 The Punisher

Analysis: Last time these two teams faced, in Week 3, the game came down to converts, in which The Punisher excels. Laval’s Finest fought well and I expect this to be the clash of top contenders in Conference A we all hope for. Laval’s Finest are on their game recently and The Punisher has been rolling all year. Bourbonnière-Morin is smart, but so is Mashtoub and both receiving corps has their strength and weaknesses. It’s probably one of the hardest game to predict in the divisional round because, although The Punisher are the top dogs, Laval’s Finest can put up a heck of a fight. If Billy Makris can disrupt Bourbonnière-Morin enough to take away his 3rd read, Laval’s Finest defense could be making some big plays left and right and squeeze this one away. No pressure, but it’ll really come down to how much time Bourbonnière has in the pocket.

Key matchup: Chris Millard vs Rod Mashtoub

Prediction: 34 – 27 The Punisher

GM’s Prediction:

Two and a half Dans (1st) vs Hitmen Retro (8th)

Previous matchup: 37 – 25 Two and a half Dans

Analysis: Their previous matchup was in week 6 as Two and a half Dans came back from a deficit at halftime and got momemtum going. Do I expect the same scenario? Not at all. Joey Taylor has a fractured bone in his throwing hand and it’s affecting his game. After last week’s disaster, Two and a half Dans will need to come out swinging to build up momemtum because things could go turn sour really fast. Chris Moufrage will need to have his best game of the season if he wants to keep up with Taylor’s production. These teams know each other and I don’t expect any surprises. If Pollice can come up with another 100+ yards game, he’ll give life to his offense and we’ll see the surrounding cast light up, but if he’s limited, it could be the end of the Hitmen in the first round.

Key matchup: Carmine Pollice vs Two and a half Dans’ secondary

Prediction: 32 – 20 Two and a half Dans

GM’s Prediction:

STL (3rd) vs Team Ethnik (6th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Analysis: STL faced against 3 teams with a record better than .500 and they were all 3 losses. Is that their fault? No. Is it concerning? Very. Team Ethnik has been discrete, but showed a lot of promises last week as they dismantled Predators Lite and moved into the playoffs. At full strength, Team Ethnik’s defense is looking good and Jonathan Brown has the weapons to make a push, but so does STL. If we compare the rosters on paper, STL has the better one, but Dylan Taylor has been making mistakes recently and they are on a serious slump; can they get going early or will Team Ethnik pull the last upset of the week over STL? It’ll come down to which QB makes the less mistakes; Jonathan Brown or Dylan Taylor?

Key matchup: Jamie Ojeaha vs Justin Blanchard

Prediction: 37 – 32 Team Ethnik

GM’s Prediction:

That is it for me for this week. If you have any comments regarding the article, don’t hesitate to hit me up on twitter @DagenaisFPF or at the fields. I’ll be scorekeeping games on Sunday and Tuesday nights, so I’ll get to see most of you guys. My official FPF email [email protected] also works, but get with the times, Twitter is where it’s at. Feel free to yell at me if you see me walking around, always glad to talk some football.