3/10

Is it just me or has McDonald’s/Tim Horton’s service speed decreased over the years? I feel like we can’t just skim through the drive-thru and we’re now stuck waiting 5-10 minutes for a very basic order simply because. It’s annoying. We’re also dumb customers for going back regardless.

In similar fashion, I feel like this also plagues FPF in a different, but oddly similar way. We tend to go back to our good ol’ habits and look at veterans teams as the “examples” of what we should be doing/who’s leading the division, but we’re completely wrong.

I, myself, am victim of this bias. In fact, we tend to rank teams like Still Still Teamless (rightfully so) ahead of upcoming teams like Junkyard Dogs or even The Commission (due to their ill-fated past). But why? Because they’ve shown they can perform well in the past? Because we learn from our mistakes? Trust me, we don’t.

In attempt to not pull a Peeze and have a random meaningless introduction, I’ll wrap this up by saying I’ll try my best to avoid said bias for the upcoming weeks and judge a team independently of their previous performances and solely on what they’ve accomplished thus far this season; see what happens then.

Anyhow, without further ado,

 

Week 3

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen ups and downs from the 48 teams in Division 4. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to cover such a great division.

We’re left standing with 12 undefeated teams total (5 in A, 7 in B). Who will be the next to fall? Who’ll be the one taking them down? Let me know.

 

Thoughts of the Week

• I scorekept too much this week. I’ve done over 20 hours; I’ve seen pretty much all there was to see in Week 3. Yet, I managed to miss the epic ending of Backyard Bullies vs Golden Flashes.
• Is it just me or are TV shows really bad since they’ve came back from the Xmas break?
• The Pro Bowl (or at least the small clips we get online) are finally entertaining. Hopefully the game won’t be as disappointing as it’s been in the recent couple of years.
• As much as people love to hate the Patriots, no one can argue the success they’ve had in the last decade or so.
• Out of the 5 remaining undefeated teams in 4A, I’m not sure which is the best, yet I’ve barely covered any of the 5 in recent weeks.
• 7 undefeated teams in 4B. A-Squad’s at it again and Blue Chips found home in D4 (as predicted).
• Division 4’s podcast doesn’t get enough love. It’s actually pretty awesome; give it a listen. You don’t actually have to WATCH it, listening is good enough.
• Justin Blanchard’s attire for the D3 podcast was ON point. I cracked up walking in.
• As much as last week featured amazing QB plays, this week was more of a receiver kinda week. I like it.
• Obamacare vs Mud Dogs was as good as advertised.

 

Recaps

Division 4A

• Zoo looked almighty on Saturday night in Brossard when they took down Past Our Prime. In fact, it was never close. Frank Kaye might suggest it wasn’t his best performance under center, but it hardly mattered his team nudged 3 interceptions (one for six early) and they were quickly off to a great lead (26-6 at halftime). Aside from a ridiculous catch by Devon Stewart for 40yards, there was very little room to rejoice as POP continues to struggle with JF Leclair under center. ZOO got a great win without Francois Raymond in the lineup and they can only build on this win moving forward.
• Many of you noticed the sweet pictures our “friend” Yannick Doston took on Saturday night at Brossard and many of those included shots at The Tide beating 69ers. In fact, Doug McKernan looked pretty good under center (don’t listen to the haters aka Brent Callender who keeps complaining) as he remained in control of the game and stuck to his gameplan for most of the night. There’s very little slowing down the Tide once they get the ball moving and 69ers were stuck on the bitter end. With new weapons emerging every week (Who knew Brent Callender could play offense), it’s tough to imagine The Tide not, well, rolling through this regular season. On the flip side, Rico Tulino had a pretty good defensive performance (gotta give credit where credit is due), but it sadly wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.
• Bad Case was all kinds of bad on Monday night against 5-Star. It’s been a while since I performed this poorly, but credit goes to Jordan Moses for having a hell of a night on Monday. He made my rusher look as bad as it gets, picked me off for six and played smart and safe the whole way to a dominant victory 39-18. Sure, guys like Dilan Daoust and Jeremy Anderson helped, but it was all Jordan all night Monday. Marc-André Lapointe’s absence continues to be felt offensively and defensively as Bad Case will need to figure it out for the next 2 Monday nighters in his absence.

 

Division 4B

• On Saturday night, A-Squad showed to be too much for Vikings to handle as they seem to continue to grasp the game and progress. Sadly, Yacoub Telemaque was ruthless and made some plays offensively to keep his team afloat. With so many guys showing up late, A-Squad had to make plays early and they did; Yacoub Telemaque used his legs and finished the night with 3 rushing Tds. The new addition in Guillaume Coulombe Delisle conitinues to pay dividends as they performs on both sides of the ball excessively well. Vikings might have found themselves a new QB in Felix Vaillancourt, but he’ll need some time to adjust to what FPF offers before their offense takes off. With weapons like Simon Gauthier, I’m not too worried for these guys.
• The White Brothers connection continues to shine as The U defeats Gators 34-28. It’s not so much that Corey Wawalski wasn’t at the top of his game, but his defense didn’t help him when he really needed them to. Dustin White had plenty of time under center to find an open receiver or simply took off running to move the chains. As much as Kevin St-Pierre grew to be known as a pretty good rusher, Saturday night wasn’t his night. If anybody can put a stop to The U’s winning streak, it’d be their week 5 game against Mud Dogs; the rematch if we could put it that way. On the flip side, Gators are now staring down the barrel at 1-2 hoping to redeem themselves before they’ve dug themselves a hole too deep to climb out of.
• Blue Chips completely dismantled Jagerbomb on Monday night as Simon Duchesne simply couldn’t get anything going offensively and there was simply no answer for the way Jordan Mitchell ran his offense. In fact, he bought himself so much time in the pocket that someone always ended up breaking coverage and Jagerbomb’s defense looked as leaky as it gets. I’m not sure whether it was Jagerbomb not playing well or Blue Chips showing just how strong they actually are this Winter. Either way, week 4 will be a decisive one.

 

Players of the Week

Division 4A

• Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren (TOPSZN): 257 combined yards, 6 Tds, no interception and a big W. Great performance once again.
• Lonnie Johnson (Still Still Teamless): 21 for 24, 250yards and 8 Tds. Almost a perfect QBR. Damn.
• Jordan Moses (5-Star): Great week under center + a pick-six. Hardly gets better than this.
• Hugo Allamano (Junkyard Dogs): 85 receiving yards, 4 Tds and a pick-six. Some pretty hot stuff right here.

 

Division 4B

• Laurent Dubreuil (Mud Dogs): Another week, another great performance. This one was for 3 Tds, 95 yards and a pick.
• Louis-Nicolas Boily (Sandlot Saints): 4 (!!!) interceptions. One-man army right here.
• Rod Mashtoub (Get Off My D): A week after calling him out, he comes back knocking with 4 Pds, 105 receiving yards and 3 Tds. Don’t pick on him.

 

Power Rankings

Division 4A

1. The Tide (3-0): Tough to imagine them going anywhere anytime soon.
2. Still Still Teamless (3-0): If Lonnie Johnson continues to play this well, this team is going places.
3. Backyard Bullies (3-0): Clutch once more.
4. The Commission (3-0): When the offense isn’t perfect, their defense is too good to pass upon.
5. Flying Weasels (3-0): Don’t sleep on those Weasels.
6. Frosty Bronsons (2-1): Close loss this week. Nonetheless, Bronsons remain a contender.
7. Les Maloudes (2-1): Anthony Beauchamp-Frezza is back. These guys finally look like the team I anticipated.
8. TOPSZN (2–1): 8^th, somehow. Dominant performance this week.
9. Junkyard Dogs (2-1): Statement game from Junkyard Dogs.
10. 69ers (2-1): Rough loss as them dropping a spot this week.

 

Division 4B

1. Mud Dogs (3-0): They’ve shown they can beat pretty much anybody in their division. Literally the top dog right now.
2. The Alpha T’s (2-0): Closer than I expected, but hey, undefeated.
3. Blue Chips (3-0): The way these guys handled Jagerbomb proves just how strong this team really is.
4. Get Off My D (3-0): Jeff Rosenblatt can struggle and they’ll still finish on top.
5. The U (3-0): They seem to only gain momemtum going forward.
6. A-Squad (3-0): Once again, A-Squad pushes their winning streak. How long can they maintain it?
7. Obamacare (2-1): Close loss to the #1 seed won’t see you fall that much.
8. Team Ethnik (2-1): The way these guys handled themselves against The U is only positive.
9. Falcons (2-0): JF Marquis is exactly what Pat Lefebvre needed to push his team over the top.
10. Game Changers (2-1): Slowly shaking off the rust, these guys are on their way back into serious contention.

 

FlagPlus Fantasy Football

Last Week’s Winners:

Jamil Springer vs Shawn Steen: Shawn Steen

Joel Malkin vs Dany Ostiguy: Joel Malkin

Steve Sanner vs Patrice Lindor: Patrice Lindor

Alex Holowach vs Hugo Allamano: Hugo Allamano

Jack Zergiotis vs Jeremie Mongeon-Duby: Jeremie Mongeon-Duby

Vinny Gualano vs Josh White: Josh White

Marc-André Paradis vs Rod Mashtoub: Rod Mashtoub

Jake Titleman vs Mathieu Fafard: Mathieu Fafard

 

Division 4A

The Head to Head

• Steven Legault (Nobodies) vs Francis Lapointe (Aztec Sasquatches): As the clear-cut #1 on both teams, I expect both players to play each other on both sides of the ball most of the night. Who’ll emerge?

 

Position Matchup

• Rico Tulino (69ers) vs Yan Vandelac (ZOO): Two highly underrated yet more than able players will face each other in this week’s DB matchup. Both guys had a great week last week; can they repeat?
• Gabriel Côté (MVE) vs Doug McKernan (The Tide): Both Qbs are in contention for the QB of the year award. Will this game be marked as the decisive one between the two?
• Vasilios Raptis (Damps 25/8) vs Jeremy Anderson (5-Star): Both receivers are leading their teams. Can they elevate their game this week in a must-win game for both squads?

 

Division 4B

The Head to Head

• Lenny Dion (Sandlot Saints) vs Bryan Mongeau (The Alpha T’s): Both FPF veterans, both talented athletes operating in different offenses, yet, excelling. Who’ll have the bigger game?

 

Position Matchup

• Angelo Garofalo (Team Ethnik) vs Jean-Felix Marquis (Falcons): This week’s WR matchup features two of the best in the division going at each other. Who you got?
• Justin Filteau (Game Changers) vs Daniel Goloff (Mean Machine): Two exceptional athletes will play each other defensively. Hopefully, Daniel Goloff won’t be throwing Justin Filteau’s way to give himself an advantage.
• Corey Wawalski (Gators) vs Jordan Mitchell (Blue Chips): Although they have two very different offensive styles, both Qbs are having a memorable season so far. Who can keep it up?

 

Picks of the week

Although my 18/23 (9/11A, 9/12B) is more than amazing, sadly, Doston managed to get the exact same result (with different picks nonetheless: 8/11A, 10/12B) which shows that luck can, sometimes, prevail over knowledge (Yes, you’re luck in this scenario Yannick. We both know you still use a coin). Luckily for me, his frail strategy can’t prevail forever.

 

Division 4A

69ers vs ZOO: 69ers

Big Tds vs Golden Flashes: Big Tds

MVE vs The Tide: The Tide

Backyard Bullies vs Nonna’s Sauce: Backyard Bullies

Flying Weasels vs Eskimo Brothers: Flying Weasels

Past Our Prime vs TOPSZN: TOPSZN

Damps 25/8 vs 5-Star: 5-Star

Frosty Bronsons vs Still Still Teamless: Still Still Teamless

Bad Case vs Junkyard Dogs: —-

Nobodies vs Aztec Sasquatches: Nobodies

The Commission vs Gotham Knights: The Commission

Les Maloudes vs No Name: Les Maloudes

 

Division 4B

Small Giants vs The U: The U

Sandlot Saints vs The Alpha T’s: The Alpha T’s

Gators vs Blue Chips: Blue Chips

J’s vs Mud Dogs: Mud Dogs

Jagerbomb vs V-Cieux: Jagerbomb

Vikings vs Les Blues Branleurs: Les Blues Branleurs

Team Ethnik vs Falcons: Falcons

Green Lantern Corps vs The Expendables: Green Lantern Corps

Rancerz vs STL Cougars: Rancerz

Obamacare vs A-Squad: Obamacare

Game Changers vs Mean Machine: Game Changers

Sphinx vs Get Off My D: Get Off My D

 

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 Sunday night and Hebert every Wednesday night scorekeeping so you can stop by and chat. Don’t hesitate. Until next time…! Eagle, we both know that was a fake email you gave me, but the hate mail will still prevail!