Week 11’s recaps, awards, random thoughts and the breakdown of the first round of Playoffs

Playoffs.

I don’t need a big introduction for this; everyone knows what it’s all about. It’s quite simple actually, the real season begins now.

Thanks to TCO, Cougars, Still Teamless, No Name, The Fellowship of the Ring, ZOO, Playground, TOPSZN, Local 89ers, All Black, Renegades, VNation, Bromigos, War Pigs, Les Affreux and Smash Bros for playing. This season wouldn’t have been this successful without you guys. The finals are right around the corner, I encourage all of you to come and see it for yourselves: it’s always a delight.

For every other team still in play, do not sleep on your opponents. With every matchup, comes a different challenge. All you need is one bad night and it’s all gone. Take no one lightly and battle your hearts out.

I hope you guys are ready. I can’t wait for Saturday night.

Let’s get started.

Week 12 – Divisional Round

Our dear regular season has come to an end. It was fun. No, it was more than fun, it was exactly what we all wanted and anticipated. Sure, some of you might say it didn’t go your way, but that’s football. Live to fight another day. Spring season is just around the corner; workout outdoors in the meanwhile!

Thoughts of the Week

Congratulations to David Hurley, Pet Detective for being the ONLY undefeated team in D4.
Who knew Brent Callender could play offense?
As I wrote that intro, I couldn’t help myself but picture the Sunday Night Football theme song in my head. Maybe FPF should also go out and get Carrie Underwood to sing our anthem?
I’m super happy to say no teams when winless in D4. Shows a lot of parity; it’s a great thing for the league.
With news spreading like wildfire about injuries to key players, I can’t help but feel bad for those teams; you made the playoffs, had a real shot and get stung by legit bad luck. Straight up sucks.
Awards were announced on the FPF Facebook page. Go check it out in case you’ve missed it.
Congratulations to every Award winners; highly deserving.
Most of my usual segments will not be returning as we enter the playoffs. It’s the last time you’ll be seeing Players of the Week, Standings and my Power Rankings. I already took out Fantasy FPF and my picks will merge with my Previews. Different format for a different course of action!
Thank you for tuning in every week and giving me such great feedback; at the end of the day, these articles are entirely for you guys. We only grow better with feedback!
Although I, somehow, triumphly conquered D4A this week with my upset picks, D4B was my demise as I finish the second with 5 points less than Yannick. I went big and, well, you guys obviously didn’t, so thanks for nothing. On a side note, congratulations are in order, Doston, you win. Well done, bud. Your beers are on me at the finals

Players of the Week

Division 4A

Bobby Mikelberg (Bruthers): 44 points is always impressive. With his best night of the season under center, he even added a pick on defense to compensate for the one he threw. Well done.
Eddy Martinez (David Hurley, Pet Detective): In a night his team needed him, Martinez answered with 4 scores and a pick. Huge wake-up call.
Joey Taylor (Team Ethnik): In what could’ve been a must-win, Taylor showed up big for his team with 39 points and no picks. Well done, Joey.

Division 4B

Jake Titleman (Mean Machine): 123 receiving yards, 3 TDs and 3 PDs in a playoff clinching game is exactly what his team needed and he answered.
Anthony Addona (Show me your TDs): Fighting to clinch two-way player of the year, Addona decided to ball out one last time with 3 TDs and 2 picks. Monster.
Andrew Ledoux (Crimson Tide): Two offensive score and a pick-six on defense in a close game is exactly what Crimson Tide needed from Ledoux. Nice way to step up.

Recaps

Division 4A

In an oddly emotional and physical game on Saturday night, D’s Nuts managed to outlast Still Teamless and, not only, knock their opponents out of the playoffs, but clinch a spot for themselves. Both QBs started off poorly, but their defense kept them in the game and proper field positioning allowed for points on the board as both teams were tied at half. David Daoust used his legs and trickery with his brother Devin to put up two scores in the 2nd half; turns out the 2-pt convert was just enough to edge Still Teamless who suffered one of the biggest heartbreaking loss I’ve witnessed in a long time.
Recipe 4 Disaster took the field against a hungry No Name who needed to win to get in. Applebaum faced very little resistance as he soared against one of the division’s best defense for 7 TDs and 42 points. Ryan Aridi ended up being the difference maker as he frustrated Jonathan Grizzley way too much to allow him to connect with his receivers and got 3 huge sacks to turn the ball over on multiple possessions. R4D ended their season on a strong win and they finally started looking like the R4D we’ve remembered from last Winter who made it all the way to the Finals; can they repeat?
After a very average week for Eskimo Brothers, they took on a red-hot 69ers team who came off a huge win in the previous week as their offense finally found ways to put points on the board. In a semi-meaningless game, Eskimo Brothers came in hot and decided to use this week’s momemtum to their advantage as Stachowski fed his two favorite targets for most of the night and made 69ers’ defense look, well, absent. Harbour had a decent night himself, but Labranche’s absence was felt offensively and you could tell they weren’t 100% from the very first snap. Hopefully, it’s the kind of game 69ers can move on from quickly as mistakes will not be allowed next week. On the flip side, Eskimo Brothers are coming off a strong performance to start their final push.

Division 4B

In their final game of the season, Bromigos faced off against The U and the game quickly turned into a blowout as The U fired on all cylinders in the first half to propel themselves to 27 points against the 12 they’ve allowed in the 1st. Aside from two deep throws to Antonin Desgent and JM Vidal, Bromigos’ offense looked lack lusting as The U kept getting great field positioning for Dustin White to feast upon. Facing very little resistance, White spread the ball to 7 different receivers in an attempt to gain momemtum before the playoff begun.
Closer than the final score indicates, Red Sharks almost gave Crimson Tide a scare on Saturday night as they managed a decent looking 2nd half comeback. Pinsonneault connected after a few people touched the football on the last play of the half to put his team up by a score before getting a 2-minute break and, starting with the ball in the 2nd half, turned a tie game into a 2 possession score before Begin even had a chance to do anything about it. Late in the 2nd, Pinsonneault made, possibly, the dumbest throw of his brief career as he hits Begin directly in his chest and allowed for a Red Sharks’ comeback right after his opponents scored. Using his legs to buy time and get a 2-point against a double rush, Begin looked poised to shock the crowd, but his defense let him down as no one was able to tackle Sami Beg on a 5-yard hook and he quickly turned a safe play into a 40-bomb that ended any hopes of a comeback. Knowing both teams will be facing off again next week, Crimson Tide will need to fix the running game issue as Begin will have to focus on hitting receivers rather than curtains.
Before the first whistle was blown in, Hooligans knew they’ve clinched a playoff berth and the game became semi-meaningless; I said semi because a win would cause them to face their week 11’s opponent in back-to-back weeks. In Sunday night’s duel against Jon Moodie, Osman looked a bit off as he kept underthrowing or hitting his receivers slightly too low on most occasions before, finally, finding just the right height in the 2nd half to blaze past Longhorns’ defense. It wasn’t Osman’s best outing, but Hooligans’ defense made Moodie look uncomfortable most of the night and we know just effective Massa can be when his team needs him. After a strong stop on Longhorns’ final possession, Hooligans walked off with the W knowing they’ll face the same team the following week. Longhorns will have to tweak their offensive scheme as things weren’t working for them, but holding your opponent to 26 points is a win for any given defense in FPF.

Power Rankings

Division 4A

David Hurley, Pet Detective (10-0-0): DHPD are your 1st seed as the season closes. Well done, boys. The only team in D4 to finish undefeated.
Backyard Bullies (9-1-0): A huge win against Coyotes will earn you their spots. Backyard Bullies no longer fly under the radar.
Coyotes (9-1-0): A very close loss against Backyard Bullies shows how strong Coyotes’ defense has grown.
Les Maloudes (7-2-1): Back to back losses for Maloudes isn’t how you want to head into the playoffs.
Broccasion (6-4-0): What’s up with Broccasion?
Bruthers (6-4-0): Bruthers really dialed their strengths as this team is finally looking poised for a deep run.
Jagerbomb (6-4-0): Great time to gain momemtum; one of the best teams in the playoffs gained excellent seeding.
Eskimo Brothers (6-4-0): Their offense is looking great and defense makes stops. What else do you need?
5-Star (5-4-1): Underrated no more.
Recipe 4 Disaster (5-3-2): It’s tough to deny just how good these guys looked on Saturday.

Division 4B

Keyport Lock (9-1-0): First seed in Conference B holds my #1 spot in the Rankings as the season comes to a close. Well done, boys.
Mud Dogs (8-2-0): One of the most complete team in D4. Beware the Dogs.
Crimson Tide (9-1-0): Crimson Tide is a roll behind an astonishing offense.
Friends With Benedicts (8-2-0): If I can keep up, Friends With Benedicts might make a few enemies down the stretch.
The U (8-2-0): The U bounced back in a great way this week. Let’s see how they fare this time around.
Show me your TDs (6-4-0): After a tough start of the season, SMYTDs finally got their shit together. 3 in a row looking to make it 4!
Longhorns (6-4-0): Jon Moodie is enjoying one of his best season ever. Expect Longhorns to shock a few teams down the stretch.
A-Squad (7-3-0): Don’t sleep on A-Squad.
Suicide Squad (5-5-0): Suicide Squad are finally looking like the great team I expected them to be.
J’s (5-4-0): After a bad slump, they managed quite the upset. Well done.
Sandlot Saints (6-4-0): After a good season, I’m eager to see how the Saints will fare in the playoffs!

Playoff Standings

Name in bold: Clinched playoffs

Star (*) next to name: Clinched division

Name strikethrough: Eliminated

Division 4A

1	David Hurley, Pet Detective*	10	20	10	[5-0-0]	150	1	Backyard Bullies*	10	18	9	[5-0-0]	170
2	Les Maloudes*	10	15	7	[3-1-1]	173	2	Bruthers*	10	12	6	[4-1-0]	315
3	Broccasion	10	12	6	[3-2-0]	208	3	Coyotes	10	16	8	[3-2-0]	207
4	Jagerbomb	10	12	6	[3-2-0]	278	4	Warhawks	10	12	5	[3-1-1]	275
5	Eskimo Brothers	10	12	6	[2-3-0]	239	5	5-Star	10	11	5	[3-2-0]	285
6	Recipe 4 Disaster	10	12	5	[4-0-1]	242	6	Frosty Bronsons	10	11	5	[1-4-0]	247
7	69ers	10	8	4	[3-2-0]	317	7	Team Ethnik	10	9	4	[3-1-1]	257
8	D’s Nuts!	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	253	8	BearSkins	10	8	4	[1-4-0]	276
9	No Name	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	271	9	TOPSZN	10	7	3	[2-3-0]	337
10	Still Teamless	10	8	3	[1-4-0]	277	10	Playground	10	5	2	[2-3-0]	279
11	Cougars	10	6	3	[0-5-0]	370	11	ZOO	10	4	2	[2-3-0]	316
12	Tony’s Championship Orphans	10	2	1	[1-4-0]	194	12	The Fellowship of the Ring	9	4	2	[1-4-0]	260

Division 4B

1	Mud Dogs*	10	16	8	[4-1-0]	204	1	Keyport Lock*	10	18	9	[4-1-0]	177
2	Longhorns*	10	12	6	[4-1-0]	277	2	Crimson Tide*	10	18	9	[4-1-0]	237
3	A-Squad	10	14	7	[5-0-0]	201	3	The U	10	16	8	[4-1-0]	220
4	Show Me Your TDs	10	12	6	[3-2-0]	252	4	Friends With Benedicts	10	16	8	[4-1-0]	226
5	Sandlot Saints	10	12	6	[2-3-0]	211	5	Suicide Squad	10	10	5	[3-2-0]	280
6	Golden Flashes	10	10	5	[4-1-0]	239	6	J’s	10	10	5	[3-2-0]	251
7	Hooligans	10	10	5	[3-2-0]	241	7	Red Sharks	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	279
8	Mean Machine	10	9	4	[1-4-0]	336	8	Balls Deep	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	321
9	VNation	10	8	4	[2-3-0]	265	9	Smash Bros	10	8	4	[1-4-0]	325
10	Renegades	10	4	2	[2-3-0]	372	10	Les Affreux	10	6	3	[2-3-0]	249
11	All Black	10	5	2	[1-4-0]	345	11	War Pigs	10	4	2	[2-3-0]	379
12	Local 89ers	10	2	1	[0-5-0]	333	12	Bromigos	10	4	2	[0-5-0]	308

Interesting notes regarding the playoff standings:

VNation’s loss costed them their playoff berth. It was still a great comeback run
Les Affreux couldn’t get the W against Keyport Lock to steal Balls Deep’s spot in the playoffs.
Mean Machine’s tie was enough to sneak them in.
A-Squad’s dismantlement has them dropping to 3rd.
Congratulations to Mud Dogs for finishing 1st
No Name had a great comeback run, but fell short in Week 11.
D’s Nuts summoned just enough willpower and help from the league to get the 8th seed!
TOPSZN are out due to their loss in Week 11; tough way to go out.
Heartbreaking loss from Still Teamless. Even tougher to see them out rather than in the playoffs.

Previews

Division 4A

Warhawks (4th) vs 5-Star (5th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: Many have had doubts about both these teams, I included, but here they are, with strong playoffs seeds. Their two very different style clash at one particular point: both teams revolve heavily upon one playmaker that isn’t their QB. Anderson is the star for 5-Star whereas Ladouceur is Warhawk’s. Both impressive two-way players, they are the reason their QB are performing so well this season. If either of these guys were to be limited, their team’s success would drastically be affected. Expect Moses to use his legs more than ever as he could move the chains with ease and for Mallette to impress with his ball-hawking ability on defense. Two very different styles, yet, only one can advance. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to this game.

Key matchup: Laurent Ladouceur vs Jeremy Anderson

Prediction: 34-32 Warhawks

David Hurley, Pet Detective (1st) vs D’s Nuts! (8th)

Previous matchup: Week 4: 33-20 David Hurley, Pet Detective

Breakdown: DHPD doesn’t have the most explosive offense, but without Bishara under center, Hogan takes the snaps and makes the most of them using not only his arm but his legs. If D’s Nuts’ defense can step up and take away the deep throws, they could force DHPD to play field positioning and exploit the small mistakes. I cannot envision D’s Nuts putting massive numbers against such a defense, so if Hogan can put up 5 scores, the game is his. Can Martinez duplicate last week’s performance?

Key matchup: Gordon Hogan vs Bradley Blouin

Prediction: 40 – 18 David Hurley, Pet Detective

Les Maloudes (2nd) vs 69ers (7th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: Being the 7th seed, there’s only a handful of matches you really want to take head-on, but luckily for 69ers, this just happens to be one of them. Les Maloudes are a fantastic team from top to bottom, but have been slumping recently. 69ers is built to take away big playmakers and force the opponent to grind them out which just so happens to be Les Maloudes’ weakness. On the flip side, Maloudes are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, maybe even too much for one team to handle. With guys like Morrisette, Paquette and Paradis, there’s only so much Demetriou can do. Harbour needs to have the game of his life to come out on top.

Key matchup : Shea Harbour vs Les Maloudes’ safeties

Prediction: 32 – 19 Les Maloudes

Jagerbomb (4th) vs Eskimo Brothers (5th)

Previous matchup: Week 10: 25-13 Jagerbomb

Breakdown: Last time these two teams faced was quite recently and Jagerbomb, without Nuckle nor Daloze, won big. Although Eskimo Brothers had an off-night, it is safe to say Jagerbomb will be more than confident to head into this matchup with the return of their 2 star players. We all know Daloze and Nuckle will show up to play, so will Oliver and Steen. On paper, the matchup is pretty even. The X factor? The QBs. Can Stachowski remain confident and do what he does best or will he crack under pressure and let Duchesne knock them out of contention?

Key matchup: Simon Duchesne vs Zach Stachowski

Prediction: 32 – 27 Jagerbomb

Backyard Bullies (1st) vs BearSkins (8th)

Previous matchup: Week 9: 32-12 Backyard Bullies

Breakdown: Very little time ago, Backyard Bullies gave BearSkins quite the spanking in a match that BearSkins desperately needed. This time around, both teams will be playing for their lives. Bullies are too loaded to let Peterson soar to 5+ scores so they’ll need someone else to step up and take it away. Can Etinson find someone else to step up and feed as Peterson will face, most likely, double coverage most of the night? We all know Humes will put up points and force his opponent to keep up with him any way he possibly can.

Key matchup: Marco Bertoldi vs Vinny Gualano

Prediction: 38 – 12 Backyard Bullies

Bruthers (2nd) vs Team Ethnik (7th)

Previous matchup: Week 4: 24-20 Bruthers

Breakdown: Bruthers locked themselves in the 2nd seed and now face Team Ethnik once again. To be fair, Bruthers are a much better team now than they were earlier this season, but so are Team Ethnik. Joey Taylor has proven himself able to perform under pressure time and time again; can Mikelberg stay on top of his game now that he’s under center? With the ability to score in a moment’s notice, Bruthers can strike back faster than most teams in D4; will this be the difference maker? Will clock management become the #1 factor in one team’s loss?

Key matchup: Eric Rapps vs David De Andrade

Prediction: 31 – 24 Bruthers

Broccasion (3rd) vs Recipe 4 Disaster (6th)

Previous matchup: Week 6: 26-23 Broccasion

Breakdown: Last time these two teams faced, R4D gave a serious scare to Broccasion and flags went flying as few players got benched for 5 plays. This time around, Ryan Aridi will be rushing Kristian Cerantola and the massive gains he’s got from his legs might be minimized greatly. Can Cerantola perform under center against R4D’s defense? Lebofsky suffered frustrating coverage in Week 6 and Justin Cerantola stepped up when his team needed him the most; can he do it again?

Key matchup: Ryan Aridi vs Kristian Cerantola

Prediction: 34 – 20 Recipe 4 Disaster

Coyotes (3rd) vs Frosty Bronsons (6th)

Previous matchup: Week 9: 44-25 Coyotes

Breakdown: Few weeks ago, Coyotes gave a beating to Frosty Bronsons as Feder had another of his great nights. Frosty Bronsons’ defense looked helpless against the Coyotes’ aerial attack and the game was over faster than most anticipated. This time around, Bronsons know what to expect and are too good and experienced to let the same thing beat them twice. Expect a better Bronsons’ defense and a score to be much closer than the last time around. Sammy Feder won’t repeat another 7:0 night, but neither will Nowakowski with his 4 interception night.

Key matchup: AJ Rashkovan vs James Nowakowski

Prediction: 36 – 27 Coyotes

Division 4B

The U (3rd) vs J’s (6th)

Previous matchup: Week 10: 27-18 J’s

Breakdown: Two weeks ago, the J’s shocked the division as they pulled a great upset over The U costing them great playoffs seeding. Exactly 14 days later, The U has a shot at redemption on a much bigger stage, but J’s also have a shot to shut them out for good. The last time around, Dustin White struggled to pierce that J’s defense and made key mistakes that gave Luong one too many opportunities to put the game away. With knowledge on each other, I expect this game to turn into a much better duel this time around. I also expect Josh White to have more than a single catch for 18 yards with the playoffs on the line.

Key matchup: Maurice Dykmans vs Josh White

Prediction: 34 – 28 J’s

Show me your TDs (4th) vs Sandlot Saints (5th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: This game would’ve been a classical contest of “top flight offense vs very strong defense” and see if the defense could step up their game and take away Addona’s best reads. Sadly, with the news of Addona’s throwing hand being injured, it kinda takes away from the whole David vs Goliath type of game. I have no idea how things will turn out for SMYTDs and who/if will throw for the team and what kind of success it will provide, but I do wish a swift recovery to Mike Addona and hope that their season won’t end on such a sad note. Taking nothing away from Sandlot Saints who’s been struggling as of late and COULD beat SMYTDs even if Addona was 100%; it’s just a matter of how well that defense plays because Kraemer isn’t your 40-point/week kind of QB.

Key matchup: Tim Kraemer vs Anthony Addona

Prediction: 26-19 Sandlot Saints

Mud Dogs (1st) vs Mean Machine (8th)

Previous matchup: Week 10: 40-33 Mud Dogs

Breakdown: Two weeks ago, Mud Dogs played a very different Mean Machine team as most of the players were off playing playoff hockey rather than FPF. This time around, the ringers aren’t playoff eligible and Mean Machine will have to make do with what they’ve got at hand. Facing, possibly, a weaker roster, Mud Dogs should be more than confident in their probable success. Goloff is good enough to ball with any given QB in the division, but his receivers need to start catching those bullets, because you cannot survive another case of drops when everything is on the line.

Key matchup: Jake Titleman vs Olivier Laberge

Prediction: 38 – 20 Mud Dogs

A-Squad (3rd) vs Golden Flashes (6th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: It’s hard for me to envision who needs to step up the most in this game. On one side, we have A-Squad who’s been strong for the first part of the season and seemed to fall flat when the final stretch came around and people know what was what. On the other side, we have Golden Flashes who can’t seem to find themselves and played very questionable football most of the season. The edge would have to go to Flashes because their roster is deeper/more complete, but I’ve witnessed one too many drop/carelessness to actually go in and bid on these guys to make a deep push. Yacoub Telemaque could steal the show with a very strong performance on Saturday, but he’ll need to show up BIG.

Key matchup: Jonathan Chevalier vs Yacoub Telemaque

Prediction: 31 – 19 Golden Flashes

Longhorns (2nd) vs Hooligans (7th)

Previous matchup: Week 11: 26-19 Hooligans

Breakdown: Playing for their lives, Hooligans took down Longhorns last week in a pretty chirpy game. It got to a point where Moodie got kicked out 5 plays for an OC. Although I expect the same level of emotions and chirpiness this time around, I expect Longhorns to keep their emotions in-check and avoid any possible flag thrown their way. I don’t know if Longhorns decided to keep Rob Allen a secret for their rematch, but there is no possible scenario where he doesn’t end up leading his team offensively and Moodie will need him to push past Hooligans into the 2nd round. I expect big things from him on Saturday.

Key matchup: Eddy Lee vs Rob Allen

Prediction: 33 – 26 Longhorns

Keyport Lock (1st) vs Balls Deep (8th)

Previous matchup: Week 9: 42-12 Keyport Lock

Breakdown: Last time around, (which wasn’t too long ago) Keyport Lock absolutely destroyed Balls Deep and made it look like a farm day. With everything on the line, I don’t expect Rosenblatt to have another career-day against such ball hawks and I, also, expect Balls Deep to show up to play rather than to run around for an hour. There’s too much talent on that roster, even with Quaid Johnson, to allow guys to make them look THAT bad. If BD can muster up some sort of offense, their defense will keep them alive long enough to make this interesting.

Key matchup: Jeremy Cola vs Corey Williams

Prediction: 33 – 13 Keyport Lock

Crimson Tide (2nd) vs Red Sharks (7th)

Previous matchup: Week 11: 44-27 Crimson Tide

Breakdown: Although the score doesn’t really indicate it, last week’s game was much closer than a 17 point win usually is. If we take away the mistackles on Sami Beg and the score on the last play of the half, we had a serious barnburner on our hands. Regardless, Crimson Tide were in control of most of the game and scored with such ease whereas Luis Begin struggled to put up a score on every attempt. With the playoffs on the line and the fact that Tide knows what Begin does best now, I cannot imagine a scenario where he puts up 40 on that defense. If Pinsonneault doesn’t throw 4 picks, Tide will send them packing without 5 plays.

Key matchup: AJ Biddle vs Luis Begin

Prediction: 44 – 18 Crimson Tide

Friends with Benedicts (4th) vs Suicide Squad (5th)

Previous matchup: Week 6: 26-19 Friends with Benedicts

Breakdown: Last time these two teams faced, Kevin Lubin suffered from a bad case of drops and saw his hopes of managing a comeback fall flat as his receivers couldn’t hold on to the football on 4th downs. With the news that Lubin popped his hamstring and cannot play whatsoever, the question now is “Who will step up under center for Suicide Squad” and can said-player muster enough to vanquish Friends with Benedicts? Last time around, FWB got the best of Suicide Squad with a bet on the line and them at full strength; what will it be this time around when the odds are stacked against them?

Key matchup: Justin Blanchard vs Mendy Cardichon

Prediction: —-

That sums it for this week’s article. It’s always a pleasure to write and hear back from you guys. After all, the content is meant 99% for you. I keep a percent for me; ranting here and there is fun after all. You can always reach me via twitter @DagenaisFPF or via email ([email protected]). I’ll be at Lachine every Saturday night scorekeeping so you can stop by and chat. Don’t hesitate. Until next time…!