Week 1’s action and a look ahead at Week 2’s.

Oh, FlagPlus Football, I missed you.

I know, this intro looks very similar to last week’s, but this is me missing FPF, not you missing me. See the difference?

Truth be told, during the few weeks of offseason between Winter and Spring, I did miss the FPF Experience. What we bring, what FPF brings, the whole experience, there’s nothing quite like it and it’s the reason why you guys come back (I’ll include myself there) season after season; for the thrill that is FPF.

Luckily, this season, I’ll be around scorekeeping and playing on different nights, so I get to see most of you and chat with many of you; it’s always a pleasure. Don’t be shy to step up and come say hi!

Do not forget, week 2 is picture week! Be there earlier than usual to give our Photographer-Extraordinaire a minute or two to take the actual pictures. It’s not a long process, but please, take it into consideration.

Enough with the introductions.

Week 1

Week 1 is officially in the books. Half of the 26 teams can no longer believe in an undefeated season while the other are pushing the dream forward. No one dreams of a winless season, so let’s not go there.

Week 1 looked a lot like Week 1; rusty, out of sync and poor offenses. Sure, there were some exceptions, but overall, offenses looked out of shape out there and it’s something that will be fixed as time goes by (Usually, by week 3, we see people piling up 50 burgers on their opponents). I’m eager.

Recaps

Served with Heat kicked off their season with a revamped team and a new QB at the helm in Karl Lavallée against a very well built Longhorns team. Actually, this longhorns roster is SCARY. Jon Moodie looked poised and in control out there, which was fantastic for his offense, but the real star was Rob Allen who was shattering hopes left and right of any possible comeback. With 2 picks, including a pick-six and some serious offensive threat, Rob Allen was the clear-cut MVP last week. Karl Lavallée looked bad on Sunday throwing for less than 50% completion and 1:4 TD/INT ratio. I do not expect this trend to continue, but that is not how you want to start off your season. Longhorns really established their dominance this week and they seem to be rolling.

Two teams I didn’t know, at all, faced off Sunday night when Killer Instinct squared off against Westpark Boys. At first, I didn’t know Matt Bond played for Rainmakers, but it was clear he played ball before. First time quarterbacking is never easy and I think he faced a reality check last week. Killer Instinct didn’t have their full time QB, so I won’t say much about Geoff Mathers although him and Bond have very good arms; it comes down to instincts and making the right throw at the right time. These offenses should click with time, there’s plenty of talent to throw around, but Week 1 wasn’t all pretty. Luckily, Killer Instinct walked away with the W, one that might be a real game changer in the next month or two.

On paper, name brands were facing off against one of the oldest group of football players I’ve seen in a long time. Knowing at least 7 guys are 44+ years old, it’s a shocker. Nonetheless, Hitmen Retro shouldn’t be taken lightly; these guys can ball. Chris Moufrage has a decent arm, but he took some puzzling decisions when they faced No Fly Zone and it costed them the game ultimately. Walwaski’s stats are pretty good, but his play was really saved by his ridiculous weapons; Martinez making a sick grab above the DB to turn an interception into a touchdown and Steve Sanner looked uncoverable out. With guys like Bishara, Martinez, Sanner and Humes on your team, it’s hard not to be successful. As the competition gets steeper, Walwaski will need to step his game up if they chase the famous 10-0.

Game Changers listed a pretty freakish roster preseason, but a different group showed up to ball on Monday against Predators Lite and that could really hurt them on the long run. Terrence Dobson was injured, Tim Maag, Ryan Aridi and Anthony Beauchamp-Frezza were all MIA. I’m intrigued to see what happens next week for them. On the other hand, Simon Bosquet Beaudoin lost one of his two biggest weapons in James Floreani in the warm-up were Floreani felt something that shouldn’t happen happen and decided to ice it off. Going into the game with, well, Jacob Bernett as your primary and only offensive weapon; things looked grim for SBB, but he used his feet and tossed the rock around and got things done. His conversion ratio was pretty great and it won it for them ultimately. I underestimated his decision-making.

Players of the Week

Rod Mashtoub (Laval’s Finest) : Throwing for 209 yards, 6:1 Ratio and making up for it with an interception of his own on defense is really what you expect out of this two-way beast.

Rob Allen (Longhorns) : Dominant on both side of the ball, he ended the night with a TD on offense, 2 INTs on defense including a pick-six and decent yards. The force behind the horns.

Steve Sanner (No Fly Zone) : A freak performance by someone who wasn’t sure to make it to the game. Finishing the night with 3 TDs and 2 interceptions, including a pick-six, is award-worthy.

Power Rankings

Grip n Rip: The defending champs are really defending their title well. They sit on the throne for the first of many weeks.

No Fly Zone: The weapons this team have are ridiculous. If Walwaski can keep up, No Fly Zone could cheer to a 10-0 season in two months.

Longhorns : If Week 1 meant anything, Longhorns might have their best season ever.

Two and a half Dans : An impressive victory signed The Dans has them high in my Rankings.

Laval’s Finest : With Mashtoub at the helm, these guys are going places.

The Punisher: The Punisher looked great in week 1 and it’s only the beginning. They are well-built and clutch. What more do you need.

PRIMETIME : PRIMETIME is too hot right now not to be in this Power Ranking.

STL : Without their starting QB, they still punch in Ws. This is a scary thought.

Predators Lite : Losing Floreani should’ve been a bigger blow, but it wasn’t; SBB can make things happen with very little it seems.

Game Changers : Losing without many of their stars by a small margin isn’t too much to worry about.

Previews

Patriotes are facing off ZOO in Week 2 were two of the most francophone teams shall square off. Patriotes were without Etienne Chauvin last week and the team simply isn’t the same without their flagship QB at the helm. With Chauvin back this week, they should start rolling like I expected them to, but without him, they’ll crumble once again. ZOO looked good in their first week, but they faced a serious juggernaut, I think this week’s matchup fits them better. This Sunday afternoon game should turn into quite a thriller if things go both team’s way as I expect them to.

Vince Nardone and co. looked horrible on offense last week throwing 28 incompletes for only 14 completions. Sure, there were plenty of dropped balls, but overall, Nardone looked imprecise and lacked chemistry. Time will solve the chemistry part, but he has some tuning up to do. Their defense held decently and they have the star power to face a team like Grip n Rip this week. They play aggressive ball and Grip n Rip might have some trouble making things work. If someone can give GnR their first loss, it’s Top Sauce. Once again, it’ll come down to Nardone’s ability to score and, let’s be honest, GnR can play defense. This won’t be a high scoring game, but we’ll see some serious talent emerge from the matchups.

Jonathan Brown looked good leading Team Ethnik last week, but it’s nothing compared to PRIMETIME’s success. The Daousts and co. looked furious out there and took everything their opponents had to give and more. The calm and poised are facing off against a different kind of beast this week and PRIMETIME looked too good to lose after last week’s performance. Although Team Ethnik isn’t Damps, I don’t like how these two teams matchup against one another; it might end up being a pretty one-sided game with PRIMETIME staring the 2-0 record in the eyes for a full week.

Mashtoub is leading Laval’s Finest to glory after his week 1’s performance and I believe it’s a trend that will go on; unless someone manages to disrupt his timing, he will burn brighter than most. Their offense is scary and their defense gets things done; I’m not sure how Laval’s Finest could lose with the momemtum they have going on right now. I love CREAM Team and they matchup really nicely to Laval’s Finest in terms of athletism and IQ. Warsame will really have to step his game up if he wants to take Mashtoub off his edge and give his defense a chance to make something happen. It’s not impossible, but it’ll be a challenge. The receivers and DBs matchup well on both sides, although I’d give the edge to CREAM Team, it’ll come down to the QB duel and I believe I stated my case earlier.

The game of the week features Two and a half Dans vs The Punisher and I believe it’ll be a nail-bitter. The Infamous Dans’ unorthodox offense is hard to face, but the Bourbonniere-Morin have the IQ and the necessary style of play to counter Joey Taylor’s methods. The Dans’ toughest matchup comes in Week 2 and, guess what, that’s Tuesday! Both teams are looking to get momemtum going after their first week’s victory and I can’t wait to see how it all comes down. For once, The Dans defense might have to step up and carry the team if Taylor’s offense stumbles.

Predictions

Going 7 / 12 on my first week is a serious bummer. Granted, I didn’t know some of you and that is now corrected, but it’s fairly weak. I need to step up. Heck even GM did better than me with a 9 / 12 ratio. Although he probably would’ve predicted his team over mine, so, yeah.

Patriotes vs ZOO : ZOO

TOPSZN vs Longhorns : Longhorns

The Brotherhood vs STL : STL

Top Sauce vs Grip n Rip : Grip n Rip

Westpark Boys vs Les Blues Branleurs : Les Blues Branleurs

Killer Instinct vs No Fly Zone : No Fly Zone

Served with Heat vs Hitmen Retro : Hitmen Retro

Team Ethnik vs PRIMETIME : PRIMETIME

Snatchers vs KGP Champs : —-

Laval’s Finest vs CREAM Team : Laval’s Finest

Damps 25/8 vs Game Changers : Game Changers

Two and a half Dans vs The Punisher: Two and a half Dans

Keyport Lock vs Predators Lite : Predators Lite

{24/05/2015, 1:31 PM – Once again, I’ve taken the time to edit in my picks. As we all can see, despite Simon’s talk, I came out ahead after Week 1 and plan to stay there. Here are my picks:

Patriotes vs ZOO : ZOO
TOPSZN vs Longhorns : Longhorns
The Brotherhood vs STL : The Brotherhood
Top Sauce vs Grip n Rip : —-
Westpark Boys vs Les Blues Branleurs : Les Blues Branleurs
Killer Instinct vs No Fly Zone : No Fly Zone
Served with Heat vs Hitmen Retro : Hitmen Retro
Team Ethnik vs PRIMETIME : PRIMETIME
Snatchers vs KGP Champs : Snatchers
Laval’s Finest vs CREAM Team : Laval’s Finest
Damps 25/8 vs Game Changers : Game Changers
Two and a half Dans vs The Punisher: Two and a half Dans
Keyport Lock vs Predators Lite : Predators Lite

– G.M.}

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 FPF. Until next time…!