Five down, Five to go.

If you don’t like your current record, it’s on you to change it. If you don’t like what I have to say about your team, well, if I can quote a famous reporter “I didn’t do this to you, YOU did this to you”.

Go out there, prove me wrong and show me why I shouldn’t say bad things about your teams.

Let’s get started.

 

Week 5

Top Guns continues to impress as they take down Rainmakers, Rare Bears finally showed up and had fire in their eyes in this week’s game against Braves, DA Finest stopped messing around, Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan gave me a beating on film and QUAN re-emerges a top team in the division. All is good in the world once again.

 

Thoughts of the Week

• To see Broccasion that close from beating STL confuses me.
• I’ve said it a few times this week, but I’ll say it again: Anthony Brisebois is a monster.
• Braves were held in check to 6 points? 6?
• After last week’s game, DA Finest needed to bounce back big. They did exactly that.
• At full roster, Top Guns is definitely a contender this year in Division A.
• This week’s funniest moment belongs to Vince Nardone on his infront of the endzone hook. Believing he was in, he simply did not move after catching the football, but realised too late he actually was short of the goal line. His facial expression was pretty priceless.
• There’s better ways to meet players than being intercepted by them; a hello would’ve sufficed, really.
• I know it’s frustrating when you feel like the referees are in control of your game, but never forget you allowed it to be that way in the first place.
• I guess even Daniel Lazzara wasn’t good enough to beat DA Finest this week. Then again, who is he?
• Aside from Div B’s Two-Way Player of the Year, honestly, there’s no clear cut frontrunners for this year’s awards. It’s a good thing.
• Adding new segments to my article really takes away from this one. Oh well.

 

Recaps

Division A

• Rainmakers vs Top Guns: I’ve touched upon it last week as Top Guns got their win over Rare Bears, but Paul Lapierre has been amazing this season and Tuesday night was no different. In fact, aside from one bad errant ball that was picked off by Guy Laflamme on his first drive of the night, he was dominant as he threw for 6 touchdowns and a clutch TD before the half to Vinny Gualano in the back of the endzone (who almost dropped it too by the way). With the game on the line in the middle of the second, Anthony Vendrame made a good adjustment defensively to pick off Ryan Kastner and brought it all the way back for six as he burned pretty much everyone on the Rainmakers to get there. Although they started real hot with some nice touch passes by Ryan Kastner and a fantastic sideline grab by Bobby Mikelberg on a key 4^th down in the redzone, they simply couldn’t muster enough offensively late in the second to remain alive as Jamil Springer sealed the deal with an interception on an errant throw.
• Braves vs Rare Bears: In a game that’s been hyped for a while now, Rare Bears finally showed their true colours and absolutely dominated Braves for the entire hour. Aside from a quick strike to Jason Courchesne on the opening drive, Braves’ offence were shut out. All their redzone trips ended in turnovers on downs and their offence looked nothing like what we’ve grown to know about them. Jamal Gittens’ rush against Jonathan Maheu couldn’t have been more effective as he forced him into many hurries and discards that is very uncharacteristic of the stellar QB. Marco Masciotra renewed his bromance with Theo Ojeaha who was simply unstoppable on Tuesday night. Whether it was hooks, deep comebacks or any other of his patterns, Theo Ojeaha destroyed any DB in front of him for the entire hour and finished with 3 touchdowns; I’ve rarely seen a receiver be this dominant in a game since his 7 TD performance against the Finest a few seasons ago. If they can keep playing at this level, Rare Bears will dig themselves out of the bottom seeds and back where we’ve all expected them to be at this point.

 

Division B

• STL vs Broccasion: In Kristian Cerantola’s absence, Broccasion replaced him by Joey Taylor and Broccasion’s offence found new life. With a completely different style of offence, we were able to see the versatility of certain key pieces of their roster able to adapt and still perform at a high level. Nonetheless, STL is another juggernaut in itself. With a 22-13 lead on the last play of the half, Broccasion REALLY needed the score; Johnathon Louis was ruled short of the goal line which caused revolt amongst the Bros. Sadly, in the result, Kyle Lebofsky was ejected out of the game (he who had an interception on the night already) and caused certain defensive issues to emerge in the second half. Dylan Taylor battled back from a vicious hit early in the game and was lights out late in the second. It shows depth when Theo Ojeaha can finish the night with 22 yards and 0 touchdown and yet put up 50. Up 36-32 with 4 plays left, STL decided the game wasn’t over; Dylan Taylor delivered a strike in the endzone instead of calling the game and got the following two-point convert to make it a decisive victory. Joey Taylor used the last few plays to pad his pedigree, but, instead, threw a pick directly at Jamie Ojeaha who read the play from the get-go to bring it all the way back for six and seal the deal for STL 50-32 instead of a mere 4 point victory.
• Rich & Famous vs Drop The Mic: In DTM’s regular roster return, they showed very little competition as RnF dominated for pretty much the entire hour. Aside from the deep hook turned into a touchdown to Sanders Armand (Marco Masciotra had a full hand on the ball, but Sanders managed to still snatch the ball and turned up, untouched), there was very little rejoice from the Drop The Mic sidelines. With multiple redzone appearances, Mario Porreca fired absolute bullets at his receivers who simply couldn’t haul in his passes and two of those resulted in interceptions by a DB who was at the right place at the right time off deflections. Maybe if his passes were coming in SO hot, those interceptions would have been touchdowns and DTM would’ve kept the game much closer, but I can only speculate. Nonetheless, RnF bounced back from a few bad performances and their defence finally found their rhythm as they kept the opposing team to a mere 12 points all night. Rich Humes had his best QBR of the season so far as he continues to build chemistry with a different kind of receiving corps than what he’s normally used to.
• Incredibles vs Kings: Incredibles won in a thrilling 32-27 game as Kings did not look like themselves for most of the night. Mathieu Rene struggled to move the chains on key downs fighting against bad drops and good defensive adjustments. On the flip side, Incredibles were far from perfect as they faced a couple of daring situations due to bad drops in the endzone by pretty much everyone on the team not named Terry Tam. With the game on the line, Chris Milard made a ridiculous leaping grab over the middle to move the chains on 4^th helping out his QB on a high throw and allowing his team to further increase their lead and seal the deal before Kings’ final drive of the night. With Rod Mashtoub back in the lineup, there is no doubt his presence was much-needed on the defensive side of the ball even though his offensive output isn’t exactly what we’ve grown to know out of him. Kings fall to a 0-3 divisional record which could hurt them on the long run when the season comes to a close.

 

Players of the Week

Division A

• Mike Harrington (Da Finest): Almost broke a hundred yards on 5 receptions with 3 touchdowns. Let’s just say he looked impossible to cover on Sunday.
• Paul Lapierre (Top Guns): Mis-a-part his bad throw early for an interception, he was dominant the rest of the way. He also cancelled out his interception by scoring on the last play of the half.
• Theo Ojeaha (Rare Bears): It might not be the flashiest stats (85 receiving yards, 3 Tds and 2 Pds), but I can tell you, he deserves his place here this week.

 

Division B

• Vinny Gualano (Rich and Famous): With two offensive touchdowns, 3 Pds and a pick on defence, some could say he was a difference maker for his team on Sunday night.
• Frédéric Viens (Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan): 87.5% completion ratio, 6 touchdown passes, 257 passing yards and a whoopin’ 150.9 QBR. FD was almost perfect on Monday.
• Anthony Brisebois (Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan): 126 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 pick-sixs. I could pretend I’m mad at him, but he was too dominant to ignore. 
• Leonardo Lanni (QUAN): Two interceptions, 3 Pds and 2 offensive touchdowns. Not sure how much better this could get.
• Chris Milard (Incredibles): With 128 receiving yards, many 4^th down completions and 2 sacks, he really out did himself on Tuesday night.

 

Power Rankings

Division A

1. DA Finest (3-2): With last week’s game, they made it clear they want to be back at the top.
2. Top Guns (3-2): The way these guys have been playing the last couple of weeks proves just how strong they currently are.
3. Rainmakers (3-2): Back-to-back weeks with very impressive first halves, but disappointing seconds. Can they fix it before it’s too late?
4. Rare Bears (2-3): The way they played on Tuesday showed just how dominant they CAN be.
5. Monstars (2-3): A bump in the road this week; everyone has bad outings. There’s still plenty of football left in these tanks.
6. Braves (2-3): This week’s game will haunt/fuel them until they get their rematch week 10.

 

Division B

1. Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan (5-0): It doesn’t get better than this.
2. STL (4-0):The way they closed out their game this week proves how dominant they can be.
3. Rich & Famous (3-2): Destroyed the team ranked right below them last week; merits are in order.
4. Incredibles (3-2): No Greg Stern? No problem.
5. Lightweight (3-2):A tough outing against 6-R shows dents in the armor.
6. QUAN (2-3): If they can play THIS well, they definitely can repeat.
7. Drop The Mic (2-3): Last week’s performance worries me. Can they fix it before it’s too late?
8. Kings (2-3): My love affair with this team is starting to fade.
9. Coyotes (2-3): Unsure what to think of these guys; I know better than to bet against them, but.
10. KGP (1-4):Three weeks in a row with a single point loss. Doesn’t get more competitive than this.
11. OTF (1-4): They’ve been competitive all but two games so far. Was last week’s game just a bump in the road?
12. Broccasion (1-4):They’ll climb back out if they can keep this momemtum going. Last two weeks were impressive.

 

Mid-Season Report

Over the years, the mid-season report has become somewhat of a tradition for me and many other writers in FPF. This season is no different.

Your team’s grade does not reflect your current standings, but how you’ve performed measured against my pre-season expectations. Getting a “C” means you’ve done exactly what we’ve grown to expect out of you guys whereas a “A” is far above expectations and a “F”, well, you know.

 

Division A

• DA Finest (3-2)

After their week 1 loss to Braves, it didn’t feel like Finest really cared about their regular season record; one loss barely matters. Losing to Rainmakers, in that fashion, for only the second time EVER? Well, that really pissed them off. I was told they wouldn’t lose another game this season, so I’ll be on the lookout for a 8-2 season, but the fact that they’ve been shut out in the first half by Rainmakers AND lost 2 games so far is a disappointment for such a dominant team. They’ll play everyone a second time and there’s no chance the same result repeats itself.

Grade: D

Predicted record: 7-3

 

• Top Guns (3-2)

Simply put: Paul Lapierre has been amazing this season. Jamil Springer’s presence on defence and offence gives this team a contender feel, but the way Paul has been spreading the ball on offence and managed to score in key moments has really been the difference maker. Top Guns might not have the flashiest roster, but they’re getting it down like no one’s business. Aside from their week 1 game, they’ve been very impressive. To think that 9 receivers on the roster has at least 1 TD is probably the craziest stat that really defines this team.

Grade: A

Predicted record: 6-4

 

• Rainmakers (3-2)

Rainmakers were on a roll after their first two weeks and looked unstoppable. A bad week against Braves brought them back down to Earth, but the way they handled DA Finest in the first half showed incredible potential. The reason I simply cannot give them a “A+” is how they’ve fared in the second halves recently; allowing Finest to almost complete the comeback and letting Top Guns run all over them in what should have been a much closer game. They’ve got the current record to make great strides this season, but they need to fix the small things if they want to remain a contender in our highest division.

Grade: A-

Predicted record: 5-5

 

• Rare Bears (2-3)

It took them 5 games to really get going, but OH MY. The Rare Bears team I witnessed on Tuesday against Braves looked hungry and, well, a little bit angry too. The way that team played could earn them a second championship this season, but will they remain this passionate for the next two months or will it fade? Losing Jamal Gittens as a corner sure hurts a bit, but gaining him as a rusher has been an absolute different maker in the two games he was there. He’s giving his defence new life and it’s good to see Rare Bears back where they belong.

Grade: D

Predicted record: 6-4

 

• Monstars (2-3)

I’m not too sure what to think of Monstars to be honest. On one hand, they’ve bested Braves in their first encounter of the season, kept Rare Bears to a single point victory and torched Top Guns in their week 1 game to start off hot, but couldn’t stop Rainmakers and got blown away by DA Finest (granted, Rod Mashtoub wasn’t there, but still). I feel Monstars are the definition of hot and cold this season; when they’re hot, great things can happen for them, but when they’re cold, they can be knocked out a bit too easily to really consider them contenders at this point of the season.

Grade: C

Predicted record: 5-5

 

• Braves (2-3)

After week 1’s game vs DA Finest, everyone freaked out about how good Braves really were. Sure, they’ve hit a bump ever since, but their style remains successful in high divisions too. Jean-Daniel Chevalier fits perfectly with this team and he’s finally being used properly. Having seen what every division A team now offers, we’re set for a very intriguing second half of the season. Will Braves bounce back or fade in the background? I have a feeling last week’s loss will fuel their next 5 encounters.

Grade: A

Predicted record: 5-5

 

Division B

• STL (5-0)

Seen as The Top Contender in Division B, STL hasn’t been as impressive as many would’ve anticipated. Sure, they’re 5-0 and I’m not taking any jabs at that, but their win margin as been much lower than I expected (aside from that week 2 blow out) and I cannot, in good conscience, announce them as the top team right now simply due to how their games have turned out. Both KGP and Broccasion games were much closer than it should have been. Nonetheless, the Ojeaha brothers are all-stars in Division B and form the best tandem one could wish for.

Grade: C-

Predicted record: 10-0

 

• Incredibles (3-2)

I’m torn regarding Incredibles; on one side, they’re currently 3-2 and have had good weeks. On the other, they’ve shit the bed a few times already this season. The absence of Greg Stern could be a blessing in disguise as Liam Mahoney isn’t exactly Greg, but his turnover ratio is also much lower. Their defence is good enough to keep them in every game as long as they don’t have to fight against 2-3 extra possessions per game.

Grade: C

Predicted record: 5-5

 

• Rich & Famous (3-2)

Rich & Famous was one of the top contenders coming into the season, but they’ve been a bit too all over the place to be considered one just yet. Rich Humes is getting used to the higher division defences and they’ve kept most of their games within reach which sounds true potential. They’ve got the roster to get it done and their “role players” are currently leading the team. Unless there’s a massive collapse in the next few weeks, they’re on the rise.

Grade: C-

Predicted record: 7-3

 

• Drop The Mic (2-3)

Drop The Mic came out swinging in week 4 with, probably, the best roster they could potentially put together. That team made Mario Porreca look like the best QB in the division; there is no doubt in my mind about that. The problem is, that roster only played one game. Either Mario doesn’t have the right weapons for his style or his receivers have been letting him down, but their current formula has simply not been as effective. With 5 weeks left, they still got plenty of time to turn things around, but their schedule isn’t quite that gentle.

Grade: C

Predicted record: 4-6

 

• Kings (2-3)

Who is Kings? The team that dropped 43 on Coyotes week 1 or the team that barely put 15 on STL week 2? Their season has been a serious roller-coaster and, for some reason, Mathieu Rene doesn’t look like himself half the time. There’s moments where this team could be a top contender in the division (and it has the roster to be) and then it all fades away and look awful. I’ve watched enough of their games to say either it’s a very big slump or their downplaying their own abilities. Mathieu Lepage has been a revelation for this team, but it’s time for the others guys to also have ridiculous stats.

Grade: F

Predicted record: 4-6

 

• OTF (1-4)

Although they’ve had impressive weeks and have been somewhat competitive, their bad weeks are, well, awful. The first weeks were excusable considering Justin Smolar hasn’t played FPF in a while and is new to his receiver corps, but you guys need to kick it into second gear; we’re 5 weeks in now. There’s enough talent on this roster to be competitive and the Meshesha brothers are phenomenal, but they can’t win guys by themselves. Someone else needs to step up and become that third guy. There is still time and their schedule is favorable.

Grade: D

Predicted record: 3-7

 

• Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan (5-0)

I had them ranked at the top preseason and they did not fail to disappoint. Nonetheless, they’ve been marginally unstoppable and showed why they deserve that number one spot. With their schedule being one of the softest (mostly due to having to play 6Fast and taking a beating), it’d be no surprise if they walk into the playoffs as huge favorites. Hopefully, they’ll have all their pieces there when the real season begins.

Grade: A

Predicted record: 10-0

 

• Lightweight (3-2)

Uncertain who’d be on the actual roster a few weeks prior to the season, I can honestly say this has turned out for the best. Aside from the beatdown I took on the game of the week, the team has been competitive and pretty stellar since week 1. Everyone has bad weeks, right? The addition of Alex Nadeau-Piuze has been tremendous for this team and the possibility of having Anthony Vendrame full time really takes us up a notch. With summer coming at us full swing, time will tell how we truly fare.

Grade: A

Predicted record: 6-4

 

• Coyotes (2-3)

Who are the Coyotes this season? Sure, the loss of playmaker Kevin Smuda has hurt them, but they’ve also got Ryan Lelinowski who’s a beast and isn’t being used enough. Sammy Feder seems to be struggling this season without his regular cast and missing a few weeks definitely isn’t helping his team’s record. Everyone expected Coyotes to be at the top of the rankings this point in the season and they simply aren’t. Seeing the rest of their schedule, could they really miss the playoffs for the first time in years?

Grade: F

Predicted record: 4-6

 

• QUAN (2-3)

It took them three weeks to finally show off who they really were, but the QUAN team that took down OTF last week is the one we’ve all anticipated. Alex Holowach is one of the top Qbs in the division, if not the best, and his supporting cast is phenomenal. If this roster can remain somewhat the same in the next couple of weeks, they’ll be a juggernaut by the end of the season. With a much softer end of the season, expect them to roll into the playoffs.

Grade: C

Predicted record: 6-4

 

• Broccasion (1-4)

Coming into the season, I didn’t believe this roster had enough firepower to compete in Division B and I was, sort of, right. Moving Alec Cerantola to DB instead of rusher has paid dividends almost instantly as he leads his team in interceptions (yes, he has more than Kyle) and it’s been giving their defence new life. Their season is NOT over, but their backend is brutal for a team needing to go 4-1 in their next 5. Their roster cap is absurdly low, if any higher division player is looking for extra reps, give them a shoutout; they could use the extra star power.

Grade: C+

Predicted record: 2-8

 

• KGP (1-4)

Looking at this roster, I had high hopes for KGP and to be fair, week 1 aside, they haven’t really disappointed; they simply can’t win the game. Losing by one point shows just how competitive this team can really be. Phil Cutler IS good enough to win in this division, his receiver corps is fantastic (Justin McLean, James Crowe, Sean Brophy, Lenny Dion), but their defence has allowed the second most points in the entire division; can’t win like that. Their grade is a reflection of their record, because they’re playing just as good as we’ve expected them to.

Grade: D

Predicted record: 3-7

 

Brief look at the Award Race

I’d be lying if this wasn’t a recurring discussion subject week-in and week-out. We’re officially 5 weeks into the season and we can officially say, with much better certitude, who’s our current frontrunners.

 

Division A

• Quarterback of the Year: Marco Masciotra

Runner-ups: Kevin Wyeth, Paul Lapierre

• Receiver of the Year: Theo Ojeaha

Runner-ups: Jean-Daniel Chevalier, Bobby Mikelberg

• Defensive Player of the Year: Kishon Thompson

Runner-ups: Jordan McLaren, Emile Piche

• Two-Way Player of the Year: Jonathan Maheu

Runner-ups: Anthony Vendrame, Hugo Allamano

 

Division B

• Quarterback of the Year: Frederic Viens

Runner-ups: Alex Holowach, Dylan Taylor

• Receiver of the Year: Mathieu Lepage

Runner-ups: Marc-Antoine Viens, James Nowakowski

• Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Brisebois

Runner-ups: Samuel Polan, Julien Paiement

• Two-Way Player of the Year: Theo Ojeaha

Runner-ups: Sasha Papich, Kyle Lebofsky

 

Matchups to Watch

Division A

• Kishon Thompson vs Rob Robinson: In a battle of wits, how will Kishon Thompson react to the constant halfback/dual quarterback that Top Guns will display? If they can take that away from Top Guns, it might just limit them enough to give DA Finest the win.
• Bobby Mikelberg vs Georges Gariepy: Both of their QB love the fact that they usually are size mismatches. If they play off each other, it should render it a fair fight.
• Jamal Gittens vs Rod Mashtoub: Seeing how efficient Jamal Gittens was at rushing Jonathan Maheu last week, it’s obvious this is the key to Rare Bears’ defence against a mobile QB like Rod Mashtoub.

 

Division B

• Leonardo Lanni vs Mathieu Lepage: Leonardo Lanni slowly crept his way as one of Division B’s corner. Against a breakout player like Mathieu Lepage, I expect both to bring their A game to give their team a leg up.
• Jameel Greenidge vs Sammy Feder: It is known that, with time, Sammy Feder can make miracles. Against a fast rusher like Jameel Greenidge, there’s a chance Coyotes’ offence never actually gets going.
• Francois Raymond vs Justin McLean: Potentially KGP’s #1 receiver, Justin McLean will most likely lineup against Francois Raymond for most of the game. Both players have a knack for the ball and are very physical players. It’s bound to be a good one.
• Incredibles’ secondary vs Frederic Viens: The game of the week is officially out and we can all see Frederic Viens’ love for attacking the flats. If Incredibles’ Dbs can be aggressive enough to take it away, they might hang in there.
• Ryan Aridi vs Justin Smolar: Although he doesn’t tend to move much in the pocket, Justin Smolar is a fantastic QB when he has that extra second to make a 3^rd or 4^th read. If Ryan Aridi can get there fast enough and take it away, it’ll give his defence a huge boost this week.
• Drop The Mic’s pass rush vs Kristian Cerantola: It’s obvious when playing Kristian Cerantola that the game begins with the rusher; if he can apply enough pressure and restrain his running ability, the Broccasion offence struggles otherwise they put up massive numbers.

 

Picks of the Week

Division A

• DA Finest vs Top Guns: DA Finest
• Rainmakers vs Braves: Braves
• Monstars vs Rare Bears: Rare Bears

 

Division B

• QUAN vs Kings: QUAN
• STL vs Coyotes: STL
• KGP vs Lightweight: —-
• Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan vs Incredibles: Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan
• OTF vs Rich & Famous: Rich & Famous
• Drop The Mic vs Broccasion: Drop The Mic

 

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.