Week 2’s recap, awards, winners and much more. Plus, a look ahead at Week 3’s action.

No one is out, just yet.

After two weeks, it’s really tough to call anyone “out” of contention just yet. In my many years playing and writing for this league, I’ve seen some pretty crazy things. I’ve seen teams make the finals with a 3-7 record, I’ve seen 0-5 teams make the playoffs and I’ve seen way too many 10-0 teams crash and burn in their playoff opener.

FPF is a wonderful place where anything is possible (as long as it’s physically possible. If you’re mathematically out, I can’t make miracles). Any team can beat any other team on any given day. It’s fabulous. Bottom feeders can have a great night against the #1 seed and upset because they were missing one guy, or heavily favored can have their worst career-performance and lose an easy one; it’s FPF.

So much rambling on, for no reason. Actually, there’s one reason : Do not give up. Even if you are 0-2 now, you can still reach for the stars and finish 8-2 and, potentially, first seed. It’s only 2 weeks. Step out there and act like ya’ got it.

Anyhow, for all of you who couldn’t care less about introductions,

Let’s get started.

Week 2

Let’s be real for a second. Div4 is much better than anticipated. There’s great players making great plays left and right and I don’t know what to watch anymore. You guys are making this division one of the, if not, the best to write about. Thank you.

On a side note, FPF is just a recreational league. I know, many of you, will bleed for this league, but try to keep your cool; there are things that should NEVER, EVER happen and things I should NEVER, EVER hear. Respect one another. After all, we all work on Monday and no one is paid to play.

Let’s start anew.

Thoughts of the Week

Every week, I get comments left and right regarding my article or games I missed and so on. This week’s comment of the week went like this: “When Jflo says you’re lock of the week to lose, you win. Simple. “ Pure gold.
Most team pictures are out. Way to look good Gents. At least, most of you.
There is such a thing as too much FPF all at once.
FPF Media was quiet this week, somehow. Expect something completely STUPID for Thursday’s Podcasts.
I’m starting to think Doston posts his article intentionally on Fridays to keep his “on the main page” the longest. Dirty move, Yannick.
Power Rankings are getting tougher, somehow. I was expecting these to get easier…
Moe Khan will be taking JFlo’s place in the Podcast. I’m not sure if that’s really an upgrade…
I, sadly, don’t have much calling out to do this week. You guys kinda stepped up.
Now that I think of it, I could tell Applebaum that 0 point is unacceptable, but I really don’t need to kick him while he’s down.
Should we start our own FPF-themed “best dressed athlete” via Snapchat? Let us know.
I learnt that people can’t drive for shit during Winter time. I mean, I knew it, but it’s always a shocking to see every year.
We all love NFL’s playoffs, but that also means the season is ending and Sundays will suck again. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
I’m quite happy no one is “running up the score” on their opponents this year. It’s pleasant to see courtesy in FPF.
Why are so many teams sporting red this season?
I ran out of ideas fast for these this week. It’s kinda depressing.

Players of the Week

Division 4A

Dean Demetriou (69ers): Named for head to head matchup of the week and didn’t disappoint as he ends the night with 124 yards receiving, 3 TDs and 3 PDs. Monster performance.
David Hurley, Pet Detective’s Defense: Allowing 0 points and making the opposite QB look THAT bad is always worth a mention.
Jacob Peterson (BearSkins): The offensive glimpse of hope for BearSkins showed why there’s so much hype around him finishing the night with 115 yards and 4 TDs.
Fred Mallette (Warhawks): After last week’s loss, Mallette showed up HUGE in week 2 with 191 yards, 8 TD, no interception. What a night!

Division 4B

Patrice Lindor (Golden Flashes): 77 yards, 2 TDs and 2 Interceptions will get you mentioned weekly. Well done, Lindor.
Jean-Francois Fortier Poulin (Bromigos): Slowly becoming his QB’s favorite red-zone target, JFFP is putting numbers again with a 7 catches, 45 yards, 3 TD + 1 interception performance.
Chris Pinsonneault (Crimson Tide): In a hyped showdown, Pinsonneault showed up HUGE with a 7:0 ratio, over 200 combined yards and an interception on defense.
Justin Blanchard (Friends with Benedicts): In his debut with the team, Blanchard racked up 184 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Talk about making his presence felt.

Recaps

Division 4A

Recipe 4 Disaster took on a red-hot David Hurley, Pet Detective’s team on Saturday night and most of us expected this to turn into an offensive shoutout. You know, the kind of game where the winner needs 40+ points? Well, No. The winner really only needed 1 point. DHPD (Gotta love these initials) kept Applebaum’s offense OFF the scoreboard, although Bishara’s offense looked pretty bad in the first half. Trading turnovers, this could’ve been anybody’s game until the 2nd half when DHPD turned it on and their defense made so many plays I can’t name one in particular. Okay, I’ll name ONE : Eric Bishara’s pick-six. They showed us defense wins games and that R4D aren’t all that amazing after all. Well done, Davids.
Playground took the field against Coyotes for one of the shortest game I’ve witnessed. I will not discuss the incident, but will look more at the game itself; Coyotes were rolling on offense. In fact, they were steamrolling with 24 points in the first half off 3 TDs (these guys were knocking 2-pts PAT every, single, time). Feder was connecting left and right and their defense finally started to look like a top-tier team. If this game was any indication, Coyotes are slowly starting to look like a top contender in Div 4A.
Warhawks took a beating in Week 1, but decided that ZOO would become their prey in week 2. Mallette got comfortable, too comfortable, with his offense and posted ridiculous numbers and took a moment to spread the love around to 6 different receivers (7 finished the night with catches, but it’s not love if it’s not in the endzone). ZOO’s bitter start of the season continues as they take another beating and long for Francois Raymond’s return.

Division 4B

Mean Machine’s Daniel Goloff showed us some serious arm strength on Saturday night throwing the football like only Kevin Wyeth knows how in a victorious effort against Golden Flashes. Sure, both teams had their ups and downs as both QBs posted a 3:2 ratio and Patrice Lindor emerged as a serious threat in that Golden Flashes’ uniform, but Mean Machines held the bigger end of the stick most of the night and Yannick Doston’s effort was in vain as they attempted a comeback late in the 2nd Mean Machine walked off with their first W of the season.
In all honesty, I was expecting Les Affreux to walk all over J’s behind Lemieux’s ridiculous accuracy and their well-known defense, but I was wrong, oh-so wrong. In fact, Hai Minh Luong displayed great poise in the pocket and found open receivers all night as he posted great numbers and made Adrien Dusautois look like an all-star. Don’t get me wrong, Lemieux played fairly well, but his attempt at a comeback in the 2nd half was shutdown by a good J’s defense and Luong hammered nails into the coffin with a final TD late in the 2nd half to seal the deal.
Bromigos showed they can ball at any depth on Sunday night as they kept Balls Deep away from the endzone for most of the night. In fact, taking away the deep throws left Balls Deep’s Corey Williams scrambling for open receivers only to end up with 39 yards passing and letting someone else take the reins. Balls Deep were taught a valuable lesson on Sunday, that FPF is more than just deep throws and Bromigos showed us that Jean-Francois Fortier Poulin might be aiming at another all-star game after these first 2 weeks.

Power Rankings

Division 4A

Les Maloudes (2-0-0): They remain at the top of the mountain. They’d have to lose to fall.
Jagerbomb (2-0-0): A great win over a top 4 has them firmly holding the #2 spot.
David Hurley, Pet Detective (2-0-0): A shacky win showed how good their defense really is and that these guys don’t give up. Third spot is theirs.
Coyotes (2-0-0): Although their game ended earlier, Coyotes showed they ain’t messin’ around.
69ers (1-1-0): A tough loss to the 2nd ranked team will have you fall slightly, but 69ers are still a heck of a football team.
Backyard Bullies (1-1-0): After week 1’s fiasco, Vinny Gualano decided to show up and taught us why Backyard Bullies were ranked so high previously. Also, Humes can run.
Broccasion (1-1-0): A very close loss to the #1 ranked team won’t have you guys fall that far down. Still a heck of a game. Don’t underestimate these bros.
TOPSZN (1-1-0): Last week’s podcast had them “lock of the week” for a loss and showed up HUGE. With their full roster, this team can make serious damage.
Frosty Bronsons (2-0-0): Sneaking to a perfect record so far, Nowakowski’s showing real improvement over the offseason under center. These guys know how to win games, trust me.
Bruthers (1-1-0): Tough way to lose, but a loss is a loss. Bruthers aren’t out of the top 10, but they’ll have to step up next week to remain in my rankings.

Division 4B

Crimson Tide (2-0-0): Major beatdown on the previously #2 seed will lock you up at the top of the mountain. Congras.
Red Sharks (2-0-0): Winning without your starting QB is always an impressive victory. Having Gaumont as a backup also really helps.
The U (2-0-0): An impressive victory over another ranked team will have you climb up the seeds. Way to back your QB up when he really needs you to.
Friends with Benedicts (1-1-0): A loss will have you drop ranks.
Show me Your TDs (1-1-0): A great win to get momemtum back after week 1’s loss is exactly what SMYTDs needed.
J’s (2-0-0): The J’s showed Les Affreux this week just how good their offense can get when it needs to. Expect these guys to keep rolling.
Smash Bros (1-1-0): A tough loss for Smash Bros, but this team remains one of the top teams in D4B. Don’t underestimate how quickly these guys can score.
Les Affreux (1-1-0): A tough offensive shoutout left a bitter taste in Les Affreux’s mouth, but these guys kept up and aren’t going anywhere. Expect them to bounce back.
Bromigos (2-0-0): A solid win will have you climb. Winning while the QB is still getting used to FPF is only good news.
Keyport Lock (2-0-0): A new entry into the top 10 after 2 good weeks. Keyport Lock got a good rhythm going and are starting to make noise.

The Chase

As of this week, I decided to start a brand new segment in which I’ll keep track of every single undefeated teams so far, on their chase to the perfect record, and whether they’ll remain chasing or will fall to their opponents this week and why.

It’s something new I’ve decided to add for you guys, so let me know what you think, if I should keep it or not.

Division 4A

Les Maloudes: Chasing past Jagerbomb in probably the best game of the week. Jagerbomb will battle their witts out, but Les Maloudes will prove to be the kind of matchup they simply cannot overcome in their 3rd week. Maloudes’ athletism and ability to stretch the field in an instant will be the difference maker.

Jagerbomb: Falling to Les Maloudes as their defense will not be able to make the final stop in the 2nd half to maintain the lead. Duchesne will throw a costy interception in the 2nd half, but will show great work in the pocket against an efficient rusher.

David Hurley, Pet Detective: Chasing past Still Teamless as Jonathan Brown’s offense will have a hard time matching up to DHPD’s defensive unit. Expect another low scoring affair where DHPD ends up controlling the football the most due to defensive turnovers.

Coyotes: Chasing past BearSkins in a great matchup of talent. Coyotes’ offense will need to put up more than 35 points to pull this one off and Feder will meet his match in Peterson’s constant rushes, but will provide a spark late to push themselves to 3-0.

Frosty Bronsons: Chasing past 5-Star as friends meet once again on the football field. Nowakowski and Holowach’s knowledge of their opponents will turn out to be the key for their success as they maintain an undefeated record. Expect the Bronsons to reduce Moses’ efficiency with his legs and force him to stay in the pocket most of the game.

Division 4B

Crimson Tide: Chasing past The U as their prolific offense will continue posting ridiculous numbers for a 3rd night. The U’s defense will provide a few stops, but White will not be able to keep up with Pinsonneault’s productivity and the Tide will pull away in the 2nd half.

Bromigos: Chasing past Suicide Squad as Larose-Laurent becomes more and more efficient and comfortable under center and his second reads become more accessible. Expect big numbers from Nicolas Fortier-Poulin and Simon-Pierre Fortin Poulin as their brother’s role will be diminished on Sunday night. Vidal will be the difference maker for their defense.

J’s : Chasing past War Pigs as the J’s offense will have another great night against a defense that is still searching for an identity in War Pigs. Expect War Pigs to score a few times against the J’s, but Luong’s offense will be too much to match this week.

The U: Falling to Crimson Tide as their defense will not be able to hold Chris Pinsonneault’s unit to less than 5 scores. White will show impressive poise, but will fall short as Crimson Tide pulls away in the 2nd half.

Keyport Lock: Falling to Friends with Benedicts as their full roster returns. Rosenblatt’s offense will have trouble finding holes against FwB’s safeties down the field. Expect him to rely heavily on Jeremy Cola and Yoni Lehrer in this matchup.

Red Sharks: Chasing past Les Affreux as this week’s challenger will show up with a fierce defense, a great opportunistic offense, but will fall short. Les Affreux are built to beat Red Sharks on paper as Bellefeuille will meet in his match in Begin and Lemieux’ offense will strain away from turnovers, but they won’t be able to keep up when the final whistle is blown.

FlagPlus Fantasy Football

I’ve decided to add my prediction as to who will win the matchup after a few comments/requests. Name in bold is, obviously, my pick to win it this week. Step up.

Last Week’s Winners

Dean Demetriou vs Jean-Felix Daloze: Dean Demetriou

Maxime Giroux vs Steve Sanner: Maxime Giroux

Anthony Beauchamp-Frezza vs Kristian Cerantola: Anthony Beauchamp-Frezza

Jacob Peterson vs Vladir Boursiquot: Jacob Peterson

Alexandre Chassé vs Martin Jackson: Alexandre Chassé

Kevin Lubin vs Luis Bégin : Kevin Lubin

Neil Rubin vs Charles Tremblay : Charles Tremblay

Sami Beg vs Nicolas Saro : Sami Beg

Division 4A

The Head to Head

Raphael Ducas-Lapalme (Warhawks) vs Connor O’Brien (Bruthers): These two athletes could be playing in any given division, but will battle it off in D4 this season. Both have emerged as their QB’s favorite target and are defensive studs. O’Brien has the edge with the current stats, but it’s all about Saturday night’s game.

Position Matchup

Jacob Peterson (BearSkins) vs Josh Feder (Coyotes): So far, both of these receivers are, basically, the entire offense of their team. With stats out and, well, me telling stuff, expect defenses to adjust. Who’s good enough to post numbers way beyond the added coverage? I expect both of these guys to finish with 2+ TD catches.
Simon Duchesne (Jagerbomb) vs Anthony Beauchamp-Frezza (Les Maloudes): A great duel, in FPF, always begins with the QBs. First place fighting off 2nd Which QB will step up for his team and remain undefeated? Who’ll stay away from most turnovers and keep his cool for the entire hour against a gritty defense?
Jonathan Brown (Still Teamless) vs Andrew Knopp (David Hurley, Pet Detective): The battle of the rusher. Who will notch enough sacks to win this battle? Different style of rushers, but both are very efficient and dangerous.

Division 4B

The Head to Head

Patrice Lindor (Golden Flashes) vs Anthony Addona (Show me Your TDs): Both are two-way beasts. Both have grown into their QB’s favorite target and are expected to step up this week to pull off the W. Who’ll have the biggest stats when the final whistle is blown?

Position Matchup

Eddy Lee (Hooligans) vs Jesse Dupuis (All Black): In a defensive battle, Eddy Lee has been posting ridiculous numbers over the past 2 weeks and I don’t expect him to slow down. On the other hand, we’ve grown to know Jesse Dupuis as a serious both-way stud. Will he finally start making noise for his D4 team?
Nick Van Aelst (Balls Deep) vs Paul Santache (Smash Bros): As both offense uses similar playstyle, I expect their biggest playmaker to step up and show the opposing team how it’s done. Santache is a serious threat downfield, but Van Aelst isn’t anyone to mess with neither.
Steve Crompton (Local 89ers) vs Jon Moodie (Longhorns): Both QBs have been efficient in the past, but haven’t had their best start of the season so far. Things are bound to change, for at least one of them. Similar styles and surrounded with studs, expect these guys to go all-out on Saturday.

Previews

Division 4A

BearSkins will be taking on a fiery hot Coyotes team this week and they’ll need to way a find, somehow, to reduce the Feder brothers’ efficiency if they expect to come out on top and win. With Etinson slowly gaining confidence again and Peterson emerging as their top threat, BearSkins should be posting good offensive numbers, but Papich and Laplante’s absence on defense is felt. Will the Coyotes feast with another 40+ points night or will they finally meet their match and have to grind it out?
Bruthers usually come into a matchup with better athletes and more football IQ than their opponents and use it to their advantage. With Mikelberg developing under center, Bruthers are a serious threat, but they’ve met their match in Warhawks and their athletes might actually have a tough time breaking coverage against these guys. If Mallette can get going early and avoid costy turnovers in the first half, they could, possibly, create a gap big enough to last the entire game and come out on top. It’ll all depend how fast they get going early.
In the match of the week, Jagerbomb, the 2nd seed, are facing Les Maloudes, the 1st They are facing off for the first place in the Rankings, to remain undefeated and this could not only be a playoff preview, but have very serious playoff implications as both these teams are in the same division. Two experienced squads led by tremendous players on both sides of the ball, this is the type of game we’ll be sad it’s over when the referees call it quit. Expect this to turn out into a serious barnburner.

Division 4B

In one of my favorite game of the week, Golden Flashes will look to make SMYTDs look bad and grind their way out of the winless hole they’ve dug themselves in. SMYTDs had a tough week 1 matchup, but bounced back with tremendous strength in their week 2 matchup to show us all just how strong this team really is. Mike Addona is gaining serious confidence in the pocket and he’s starting to carve up defenses and it’s not even Show me your TDs’ main strength. Relying on a talented defense, SMYTD will look to force Doston into uncomfortable throws and turn the tides early. After 2 bad weeks, Golden Flashes can’t afford to dig themselves deeper and expect to crawl out on top. They need to take control of this game first and force Addona to play catch up. Win the coin toss.
Balls Deep had a tough game in their second game of the season, but hung in there and showed they can throw deep against anybody. Well, this week’s opponent does the exact same thing on a weekly basis and expect nothing less from Smash Bros. Grinding the field is neither’s team motto and we’ll be seeing 40 bombs for a full hour. It’ll come down to who can disrupt the QB the best and have the best safeties as this is bound to come down to the final few throws.
With Luis Begin back in the lineup, Red Sharks are looking strong once again, but he might have met his match in one of, if not the best rusher in the division. If Bellefeuille can take away Begin’s rushing abilities, Les Affreux hold a chance to upset the Sharks and create just enough turnovers to help Lemieux maintain his lead the whole way. The battle to know who wear red best is happening Saturday and I expect a great game between familiar faces.

Picks of the week

What a fantastic time to be alive, am I right? This week’s prediction got back to normal as I pulled a fantastic 16 / 23 (8/12 4A, 8/11 4B) to get back into contention and, just as I mentioned “back to normal”, Doston flunked his prediction BIG time to set us back at an almost even measure. His 13 / 23 (9/12 4A, 4/11 4B) is exactly what I anticipated all along from him. My total is now 28 / 46 to his 29 / 46.

Expect my picks to turn into truth (Also, Thank you for winning when I pick you, OR losing intentionally when you’re the difference maker between me and Doston. Nothing but love)

May the prediction Gods help me and curse Doston.

Division 4A

BearSkins vs Coyotes: Coyotes

Playground vs The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring

Backyard Bullies vs ZOO: Backyard Bullies

Tony’s Championship’s Orphans vs 69ers: 69ers

Bruthers vs Warhawks : Warhawks

TOPSZN vs Team Ethnik : TOPSZN

Jagerbomb vs Les Maloudes: Les Maloudes

D’s Nuts! Vs Broccasion: Broccasion

No Name vs Eskimo Brothers: Eskimo Brothers

Still Teamless vs David Hurley, Pet Detective: David Hurley, Pet Detective

Frosty Bronsons vs 5-Star: Frosty Bronsons

Cougars vs Recipe 4 Disaster: Recipe 4 Disaster

Division 4B

Vnation vs Renegades: Vnation

Hooligans vs All Black : All Black

Golden Flashes vs Show Me Your TDs : Show me Your TDs

Balls Deep vs Smash Bros: Smash Bros

Local 89ers vs Longhorns: Longhorns

The U vs Crimson Tide: Crimson Tide

Les Affreux vs Red Sharks: Red Sharks

War Pigs vs J’s : J’s

Friends With Benedicts vs Keyport Lock : —-

Bromigos vs Suicide Squad: Bromigos

Sandlot Saints vs Mean Machine: Mean Machine

Mud Dogs vs A-Squad: Mud Dogs

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…!