Three down, seven to go.

If any of you spoke to Moe Khan on the sidelines, he’s already in mid-season form and talking like the season is coming to a close, for some reason. Don’t listen to him. We’ve seen crazier things over the last few seasons than a 0-3 team climbing back up the ranks. With Most teams making the playoffs this season (12 / 14 in Division 2 and 8 / 10 in Division 1), we could very well see a 2-8 team make the playoffs. Maybe even a 0-8 team turn things around? Crazy right.

Let’s get started.

Week 3

With Clockwork’s most recent win over We P.O. and MNX2.0’s loss to Monstars, the list of undefeated teams shrinks to 4: Montreal’s Finest, #NR, Clockwork, BYOB. Will we see another casualty this week?

Thoughts of the Week

The infamous FPF Hall of Fame seems to be the talk of the town recently. With the break next weekend, I’ll add a segment in next week’s article regarding the Hall of Fame; stay tuned if that sort of thing interests you.
One week I give Waste Yout props, the following they do this. I can’t help but feel like it’s intentional at this point.
Sooo, last week I said Serge Pilon Jr would get something for getting a pick-six per week for 3 weeks now. See above. It’s crazy impressive.
Have I overrated We P.O.?
Served With Ice without JD Chevalier is simply not the same team. Crazy how one guy can impact an entire roster without even being QB.
BYOB is for real.
Seriously, Terror Squad, you’ve got to stop with those ties.
CLR Forces loses another close game. Yes, they are competitive and yes they belong in D2 and can hang with the best, but this series of losses is starting to become problematic.
For all the hate I’ve given Braves recently, I gotta give ‘em props for this: Losing to MTL’s Finest by a single point is exactly the reason why they belong in D1.
Oh, hi D-Boys, good to see you guys again!
If there were any doubts regarding Monstars’ ball-hawkin’ defence, please refer to Week 3’s matchup. Thank you.
It’s crazy to think that Flag Moi L’Sac picked up two guys from a D5B roster last Winter and have them playing in D1 this season.
I guess I was wrong about James Goulet, he truly CAN ball in D2.
How are they 5 teams in D2 without a win yet? I mean, that’s 5 outta 14. It’s a lot.
On paper, D-Boys have the worst offence in D1. They also have the best defence.
#NR’s +/- after three weeks (+58) is actually very impressive.
That #NR vs STL game should be GOTW. No question about it.

Recaps

Flag Moi L’Sac vs Top Guns: FMS is a very good team this season, but being able to double an opponent’s score is quite the feat. Without being a running QB, Alex Nadeau-Piuze continues to defy gravity and get ridiculous yards with his legs when he needs to (65 rushing yards, 3 Tds on 3 rushes. WHAT?) and it simply helps that FMS offence have that extra dimension that very little teams are used to in D1. Who else runs that much in Division 1? Or with such efficiency, should I say? With 19 touchdowns and no interceptions 3 weeks in, this FMS offence needs to get more credit for what they are able to do. Top Guns continue to struggle on both sides of the ball as they attempt to build a competitive roster. I know it was a last minute entry and many of the initial players sort of bailed out last minute which makes it very difficult for TG, so kudos in being able to actually put a roster together, not pull a Daniel Lazzara and straight up Division Dodge, but they’ll have a hard time being competitive every week even with a true D1 QB leading the team.
BYOB vs Gladiateurs: I truly hope I don’t jinx it by saying it out loud, but I’ve been truly impressed with BYOB so far this season. I kinda allowed some time to pass by so I wouldn’t need to pull a Moe Khan and basically backpedal everything I’ve ever said, but I can say, with confidence, that BYOB is for real this season. Mathieu René had a bad season last Winter and the entire team struggled, but he came back building himself a roster made up of guys that fit what works well for him and look at them now; he’s 17:2 in his first 3 outings and leading the division in passing Tds, QBR and he’s the guy to beat for QB of the year at the moment. He’s been able to distribute the ball very well to all of his receivers and it’s not like they’ve had all easy matchups up to here. I can’t help but feel like this game MIGHT have been a little different with Alexandre Nadeau-Piuze present for Gladiateurs, but honestly, I don’t think the outcome would’ve changed; BYOB is red hot right now.
Montreal’s Finest vs Braves: So close, yet, so far. Losing by a point or losing by 20, a loss is a loss and that’s what Braves got this weekend, but I’ll go a bit more in-depth here and say that from a previously struggling perspective, this is a serious moral victory for the Braves. Sure, they probably walked off very disappointed, but losing by a single point to MTL’s Finest is not a bad thing. If things can start clicking once more for the Braves, their upcoming schedule is quite favorable and they should be able to get back into the Top 6 before things start to get ugly down there for the last two spots. This current Finest roster is SO deep, that missing guys like Pat Jerome should be huge, but, somehow, they manage to make up for it. Maybe one day Adam Bailey will get a shirt and we’ll be able to see his real stats (because I know where those missing Tds are). Also, I’d love to talk about Jonathan Maheu’s stat line, but, you know, no number and all.
Braves 2.0 vs Terror Squad: Another tie, really? Potential moral victory for Braves 2.0? We’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I do not understand why this Braves 2.0 team is struggling. The core pieces are still there, the offence should be clicking constantly, but they simply aren’t. I do understand how their defence might not be up to par with their previous standards, but Jonathan Maheu is still the QB of this team; maybe this offensive outing was the first of many good ones to come, time will tell. As for Terror Squad, I’m a bit confused. With so many playmakers on one team that have played with each other before, things should be clicking way more than they currently are, mostly defensively. Tam Vilaydeth is doing a good job offensively and keeping his team afloat, although the turnover margin is quite high (14:7), but they should be able to keep teams to less than 30 points on a weekly basis all things considered. Like I said on the podcast this week, I’m not worried about Terror Squad, all these ties will come in handy later in the season when people start fighting for a playoff spot, but I can’t help but feel these guys could be a real contender this season if one or two things go their way.
D-Boys vs Got-Skills: For all the crap I’ve said recently regarding D-Boys’ staggering offence and Marco Masciotra’s slow start, it didn’t show on Sunday. Sure, those keen eyes will tell that they weren’t exactly as explosive and dominant as they usually are and Marco throwing 5:2 is not a very usual ratio, but they still got a 12 point win over a strong contender and D-Boys’ defence remains at the top of their game even with few key pieces missing. Got-Skills is a good team that will take a little bit of time before they really kick things into second gear and I’m not worried for them one bite. Let’s not forget they don’t play all year long like most other teams and the first few weeks back is always an adjustment period. Looking at their upcoming schedule, the post-Super Bowl period won’t get any easier, heck it’s brutal, but if they get some wins early, they should be more than fine heading into the postseason this year.
Rainmakers vs DK: In a very typical Rainmakers’ game, Ryan Kastner did his thing and moved the chain + scored on multiple occasions, regardless of the defences he’s facing, but their defence continues to be a serious struggle and they win out close games as long as they don’t fix the issue. Starting off the game with an early interception, DK took a quick lead and never looked back. The ball was placed a bit behind Michael Chitayat who tried to make a play on the ball and ended up tipping it upwards for Nicolas Arsenault-Hum who just happened to be at the right place at the right time. And just like that, the rest was history. Rochdi Benabdelkader was almost flawless on Monday night dropping 48 points and 7 touchdowns as he distributed those to 5 different receivers. It was good to see Jonathan Mack out there for Rainmakers; he can definitely give them a little boost on both sides of the ball and the chemistry with Ryan Kastner was almost instant. Derek Kastner’s absence at the snapper position caused a few bad plays as some snaps didn’t quite hit the mark (and others literally didn’t hit Ryan at all) and it just felt like one of those nights you just wanna brush away and forget; this is the last I’ll speak of it.

Players of the Week

Rochdi Benabdelkader (DK): 25/31, 296 combined yards and 7 passing TD. ‘nuff said.
Alex Nadeau-Piuze (Flag Moi L’Sac): 293 combined yards, 8 touchdowns (5 passing, 3 rushing), 3 Pds and a pick on defence. I meaaannnnn.
Theo Ojeaha (D-Boys): Although Moe Khan seems to think he isn’t as dominant as he used to be, I strongly disagree and I’ve got proof right here: 8 catches, 65 yards, 3 TD and a pick.
Rod Mashtoub (Monstars): Although he did throw an interception (7:1 ratio), he did get 261 combined offensive yards and got himself 2 interceptions on defence to compensate.

Justin McLean (You Can’t Sit With Us): 114 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. I mean, do I need to go on and mention his 2 Pds? I don’t think so.
AJ Gomes (Clockwork): 74 receiving yards, 2 TD and a pick-six. Responsible for 18 of his team’s 30 points. Well done.
Guillaume Ward (CLR Forces): With 7 tackles, 2 INT and a PD, he had himself a pretty good night, but adding the 71 receiving yards and the offensive TD ontop of that makes it list worthy.

Power Rankings

Montreal’s Finest (3-0): A close win is still a win. I said I wouldn’t move them until they lost a game, so they remain at the top of the mountain for, at least, another week.
Flag Moi L’Sac (2-1): There’s only one QB in D1 who hasn’t thrown an interception yet. He also happens to play for this team.
D-Boys (2-1): Never count them out this early. Their defence hasn’t faltered in quite some time.
Monstars (2-1): Slowly creeping their way up the rankings, their offence is as prolific as they’ve dreamed of.
MNX2.0 (2-1):A real bad loss sees them crashing down my rankings. Can they right the ship?
DK (1-2): It was only a matter of time before that first win happened. Now let’s see how far they can take this streak of theirs.
Got-Skills (1-2):It’s way too early to panic.
Braves (1-2): The close loss to Finest should fuel them in the upcoming weeks. Expect them to catch fire in the next few weeks.
Top Guns (1-2): They might have one of the best QB in the league throwing for them, but the roster isn’t up to par with the competition.
Rainmakers (0-3): Their defence needs serious help. I’m not sure just a breath of fresh air would actually solve their current problems.

Clockwork (3-0): If you beat the #1 seed, you take the #1 seed. Right?
BYOB (3-0): I’ve overlooked these guys for too long. Right now, they’re a prime contender for the D2 title.
#NR (3-0): Only 3^rd due to how the other teams have played around them, but make no mistake, this team is much better than people give them credit for.
We P.O. (2-1): One close loss sees them dropping a handful of spots. I’m not worried, they’ll climb back up.
STL (2-1): STL is a very good D2 team that is sort of loss in all the D2 action at the moment, but their time will come sooner rather than later. This week’s matchup vs #NR will be a hell of a game.
You Can’t Sit With Us (2–1): I have a hard time ranking them this low, but I guess that’s competitive D2 truly is this season.
S Club Legion (2-1): I’ve doubted James Goulet and I was wrong. These guys are dangerous.
Terror Squad (0-1-2): I honestly feel like it’s only a matter of time before these ties turn to wins. Is next week THE week for that?
Waste Yout (1-2): Did I overshoot last week stating how strong this roster really was? Maybe they’re doing it on purpose just to mess with me.
Wolverines (1-2): They’ve scored the least point over the last three weeks, but I have a feeling things are about to change.
Gladiateurs (0-2-1): Francois Lebeau continues to impress offensively, but this team needs help stopping their opponents. A lot of help.
Braves 2.0 (0-2-1): If that tie indicates anything, it’s that their offence finally managed to hit the ground running. Hopefully it’ll last.
CLR Forces (0-3): Another week, another close loss for these guys. I have a hard time actually ranking them, so I’ll have to stick with their record for now.
Served With Ice (0-3): It’s crazy to think that they can go from contenders to pretenders by missing just one player. And it’s not even their QB.

Predictions

MNX2.0 vs D-Boys: D-Boys

Monstars vs Montreal’s Finest: Montreal’s Finest

Top Guns vs DK: DK

Flag Moi L’Sac vs Braves: Flag Moi L’Sac

Rainmakers vs Got-Skills: Got-Skills

Terror Squad vs S Club Legion: S Club Legion

CLR Forces vs We P.O.: We P.O.

STL vs #NR: #NR

Served With Ice vs Gladiateurs: Gladiateurs

Braves 2.0 vs BYOB: BYOB

You Can’t Sit With Us vs Clockwork: Clockwork

Wolverines vs Waste Yout: Waste Yout

That’s it for me this week. Hopefully this will trigger you just enough to drop me a message either via email ([email protected]), twitter (@DagenaisFPF) or in person. Remember, I didn’t do this to you, YOU did this to you. Until next time…! I had something clever for this last night Eagle, but I honestly forgot what it is. If it comes back to me, I’ll change this sentence.

Week 3: Shaking up the Power Rankings