Half way there.

Amist all the drama this season in the NFL, I feel like certain things are finally in motion and changing for the better. Sadly, it takes a few sacrificial lambs for things to move, but history has shown us we haven’t really changed in so long.

There’s something different about the NFL this season; as much as it’s trying to sell us the idea that 32 teams have a shot at the Super Bowl, we all know there’s only 4 real contenders year in and year out, but I feel a new 4^th may emerge by this season’s end; time will tell.

Let’s get started.

Week 5

This week’s games were much more closely contested than any of the Preliminary round games and I think we’ve finally found the right balance to make things really interesting moving forward.

Thoughts of the Week

• I’m still fairly uncertain what’s up with Braves.
• It’s not so much that Akked Moore isn’t dominant anymore, but Pat Jerome is really stealing all the targets this season and seeing some of his Tds this past week; it’s very understandable.
• Seeing how KGP Ra fared this week against Dad Bods, I have a feeling they’re better than what we’ve given them credit for.
• I know we’ve discussed this on the podcast, but there’s no way Pancakes are better than Crepes. C’mon now.
• I can’t help but to think that Prime Time’s 5 Pds HAD to be part of the reason they won such a closely contested game.
• Bruins vs Blacksox did live up to the hype.
• If you guys haven’t tuned in to the podcast yet, I suggest you do with this week’s edition. Link can be found HERE
• Carabins vs Sherbrooke cancelled due to, basically, a pandemic. This feels like one of those stories you only see in movies.
• The stat sheet may not provide that much insider information, but there’s no doubt Jordan Moses is Cory Pecker’s favorite target; who can blame him.
• I wonder if Vinny Gualano still thinks Pat Jerome isn’t a good defender.
• The current parity in the D’Aquila Pool (Tier 2) may make it the most exciting pool to follow for the next few rounds.
• FPF Jr registrations are open! If you know any kids interesting (or your own), feel free to email us any questions you may have; it’s been a blast so far and we’re hoping we can keep improving season after season.
• Kudos to Top Secret for winning their first game of the tournament and starting the Qualifying Round the right way.
• Don’t sleep on Keyport Lock this round.

Recaps

• #NR vs The Commission: Just like his San Francisco 49ers, Brent Bodkin’s The Commission is struggling heavily at the QB position as he simply can’t find the right guy since Sean Avraam left him. Seeing Jean Lussier perform on Tuesday had me questioning my initial thoughts on him; he kept trying deep throws that simply weren’t there and simply wasn’t able to check the ball down in his first few drives. Even later in the game, he had issues connecting with receivers on simple routes and often missed windows / throws that caused errant balls and easy interceptions that #NR preyed on all night. Sure, Kendal Mayers’ rush was bothering him, but that’s why checking down becomes so important; yet, he kept pump faking and trying the 40 yarders. Cory Pecker made quick work of the TC secondary and, once the score was way out of reach, allowed Ryan Lelinowski to take a few drives as a QB and we’ve even see Kendal Mayers attempt a pass on a convert; #NR were all smiles this week.
• FPF All-Stars vs Top Guns: A matchup we’ve grown very accustomed to in recent seasons; Paul Lapierre vs Kevin Wyeth. As well as Paul has been playing recently and his attempts at trickery, his team simply did not have the fire power to keep up with FPF All-Stars on Tuesday night and we, quickly, saw the difference in depth between the two rosters. It was a valiant effort by Top Guns to use their personnel as well as they did and keep it a 24-18 score at half time, but the second half was a completely different story as Kevin Wyeth exploited matchups all across the board and even Rob Robinson couldn’t keep Pat Jerome in check. It’s difficult to imagine after looking at the stat line (20/29, 247 yards, 6 TD) that this wasn’t Kevin Wyeth’s best outing, but many passes weren’t on target on converts and they left a lot of points on the table; luckily their defence was nothing to mess around with and they quickly turned this into a blowout in the second half.
• Los Banditos vs North Shore Finners: Los Banditos’ defence continues to impress as it only a few big plays and made Tristan Grenon struggle to move the chains most of the night; Loic Savoiz-Seguin and Vincent Benjamin both finished the night with an interception setting up their offence with great opportunities. Francis Desrochers continues to work out the kinks of being a QB in FPF, but his ability to move in the pocket and run when needed really opens up the playbook for Los Banditos and was truly the game changing element on Tuesday night as he even managed a 40-yard TD run. Although he made a few mistakes as a passer, the learning curve has been kind as he’s getting much better with every passing game. It’s only a matter of time before everyone knows and fears Los Banditos as their defence is really turning into one of the best in the division.
• Trigger Happy Bunnies vs Mean Machine: Now riding a two-game losing streak, Trigger Happy Bunnies had another bad outing on Tuesday night without one of their star player, Jd Joly. Jonathan Lemieux really struggled under center and tossed 5 interceptions before being pulled out and replaced by Simon Richard who managed a pretty good drive in his lone attempt at QB. THB had no answer for Daniel Goloff’s mobility in the pocket and ability to run at will and Mean Machine looked in command pretty much the whole way through as they recorded two rushing Tds and two pick-sixs. With their full roster and Daniel Goloff present, Mean Machine are much better than people tend to give them credit for; hopefully he’ll be around for the next few weeks and sets up Mean Machine in a very good position before the Bowl Round begins.

Players of the Week

• Jeff Rosenblatt (Keyport Lock): 256 passing yards, 6 Tds and a 148.6 QBR. Have a day Jeff.
• Kenton Lowe (Dans & Tams): After many weeks not wearing a number, we can finally see his stats and he emerged with 3 receiving Tds and a pick; maybe he should’ve had a number since Day 1.
• Jonathan Garfinkle (KGP Ra): Stepping up big time offensively, he finished the game with 121 yards on, only, 6 catches and a touchdown. Pretty impressive YACs right here.

• Joseph Mancaniello (Warriors): Being a full time rusher and receiver is a difficult task, yet, he excelled at it this week recording 4 sacks and a touchdown; well done.
• Gautama Swaminadhan (X-Men): He’d be the first to say that “they were 5 for most of the game”, but they weren’t for the first 14 points and he still finished with a 139.6 QBR alongside his 7 passing touchdowns.
• Matthew Gottlieb (Mean Machine): Leads his team in receiving yards, has a touchdown and managed to get 2 interceptions (one of which was brought back for six). He was too much to handle on Tuesday night.
• Nicolas Lefebvre (Farmers): Completed the defensive hat trick finishing the night with 3 interceptions (the only three the opposing Qbs threw). Very impressive outing!
• Philippe Kotrbaty (Voodoo): He never seems out of breath as he recorded a sack, 98 receiving yards and 3 Tds this week. It doesn’t get better than this.

That’s it for me this week. Hopefully this is what you’ve all grown to love and expect out of me for your weekly readings. If it isn’t, you can send any sort of formal complaint to Paolo Della Rocca via twitter (@PeezeFPF) so I can keep tab and act like I didn’t know about it. Otherwise, if you have any comments, feel free to hit me up either via emails ([email protected]) or twitter (@DagenaisFPF). Until next time.