Week 6 Recap: Entering the Final Stretch – FlagPlus Football League

Week 6 is now in the books, and we’re now in that seemingly forgettable part of the year where the hype of the beginning of the season is long gone but the excitement of the end of the season is still a little ways off.

But make no mistake: whether you feel it yet or not, the final stretch is here. Fall asleep at the wheel and you might find yourself on the outside looking in come the first round of the playoffs. That goes for Div A, where one game separates the two teams battling for the last playoff spot, as well as for Div B, where five of the divison’s 10 teams have at most two wins entering Week 7.

Recap

Fineally

I chose this title first and foremost because I have CeCe Peniston’s classic dance hit stuck in my head. It also happens to fit the result of the biggest game of this past week: R&D finally losing a game this season to none other than Montreal’s Finest in an epic showdown on Sunday night.

Just like in Week 1, Kevin Wyeth was coming off a weekend touch football tournament, this time having thrown in four games straight coming into Sunday’s matchup with R&D. Unlike last time, it was clear he and the rest of the Finest squad were focused and determined to walk off the field victorious.

It ended up being a game that came down to the wire, with the Finest winning 33-32 as Marco Masciotra’s throw on a two-point convert failed to connect with under five plays to go. Of note for the Finest was their decision to essentially bench first-year FPFer Nathan Marriott in favor of former starting rusher Mike Harrington. Harrington certainly played a big role by putting constant pressure on Masciotra throughout the night.

It also was far from a perfect game from the Finest, who were still hampered by some missed tackles and a few drops on the night. But a typical Kevin Wyeth-like performance from Kevin Wyeth along with the defense stepping up when needed was all the proof we Moe Khan needed to confirm that the Finest’s time is far from over.

Spred it Around

I finally got to see a Predators game this season, and it mostly consisted of just about what I’d expect: J-Flo keeping plays alive with his legs, dunking it off to whichever open receiver he found and letting the elite talent he’s working with do the rest.

Of course, broken coverage, some missed tackles and even more dropped passes (I counted seven) by The Commission certainly made things easy for the Preds, who coasted to a 37-19 win this past week. It all made for a frustrating night for Brent Bodkin and the rest of The Commission, who actually played a decent first few drives on both sides of the ball before everything came crashing down in the second half. It’s something that’s become somewhat of a recurring theme for the Commission this season (along with a growing list of players to suit up for the team with every passing week – it’s at 21 now through six weeks).

And that’s unfortunate because the talent is there, if not to win a championship then at least to compete in the division. Zan Symonds is smart with the ball, Hakim Kasbi-Filiatrault is an absolute beast with the ball in his hands, Bryan Nguyen is among FPF’s most underrated defenders and I saw Justin Julien Jr. make the dirtiest cut I’ve seen in a long time on his lone catch of the night (serious candidate for future FPF star if he sticks around).

At 0-5-1, The Commission’s playoff hopes aren’t dead with four weeks to go. But they’re a lot further away from being a sure thing.

Players of the Week

Division A:

QB – François Lebeau (Gladiateurs): 23 for 34, 232 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs. C’est beau certain !

WR – Bobby Mikelberg (Rainmakers): 7 catches for 105 yards, 4 TDs. If you’re the only player to break the 100-yard mark and score 4+ TDs in a week, this spot is all yours.

D – Ryan Perry (Montreal’s Finest): 4 tackles. Perry has only been a member of the Finest for two games this season but already he’s batting down potential game-winning passes on converts. I also chose him because it was easier than figuring out who had the nicer pick 6 between Godfrey Abu, Simon Rheaume and Pat Jerome.

Division B:

QB – Rod Mashtoub (Monstars): 24 for 36, 215 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs. He threw for the most yards and the best TD-INT ratio of any QB this week, and did so against a secondary featuring François Raymond and Marco Masciotra. Bow down people.

WR – Cory Kennedy (Lightweight): 3 catches for 95 yards, 3 TDs. This is only Cory Kennedy’s second season in FPF, but this man is quickly making a name for himself as a receiver to fear.

D – Chris Fields (Raiders): 2 INTs, 3 PDs, 2 TDs. No need to write anything when a three-second video says it all.

Power Rankings

Division A:

Montreal’s Finest (5-1) /+1/: They get their revenge, and in doing so become the hottest team in the division.
Roosters & Donkeys (5-1) /-1/: They might not like it, but by losing they certainly made for a much more interesting Div A.
Gladiateurs (4-2) /–/: Winning via hail mary doesn’t mean you deserve the win, but you certainly get credit for winning anyway.
Legends (3-3) /–/: To win by one point when the opposing QB completes just six passes is a bit worrisome. But they came away victorious nonetheless.
Maniax (1-5) /–/: An offense struggling like this one did last week is not a good sign this late in the season.
Rainmakers (0-6) /–/: Near-perfect performances by Ryan Kastner ruined by pick 6s is becoming something of a theme for Rainmakers this season.

Division B:

6+R (6-0) /–/: Where would this team be without the timely interceptions by Dean Demetriou?
Monstars (5-0-1) /–/: They follow up a tie with The Commission with a comeback win against a woeful Lightweight team. A midseason lull, or the foreshadowing of a late-season tumble?
Darksiders (5-1) /–/: If it wasn’t for Deeze tooting Darksiders’ horn on Twitter every week, I’d say Darksiders are quietly making a case for serious championship game contenders.
Predators (4-2) /–/: Am I the only one completely shocked that every man on the roster has shown up for all six games? That can’t be right, can it? For sure J-Flo’s put down a teammate’s name only for the guy to miss the game…
Broccasion (3-3) /–/: Their record might not show it, but they’re getting hot at just the right time.
BearSkins (2-4) /–/: It’s no coincidence that they score a measly 12 points in the one (first?) game they play without Papich this season.
Raiders (2-4) /+2/: How Chris Fields is rated 55 on offense and defense, I don’t know.
Lightweight (1-5) /–/: They almost pulled it off, but you don’t get points for almost winning.
Wolverines (1-5) /-2/: If you throw two pick 6s in a game, chances are you’re going to lose.
The Commission (0-5-1) /–/: Until you’re mathematically eliminated, I say keep fighting.

Random Thoughts

Four of Div B’s Conference A teams sit below .500. Only one, Broccasion, hold a 3-3 record. None has a winning record at the moment. With that in mind, here’s a message to Conference A, from Snoop Dogg and Lil Jon.

Anyone know what the record is for one-point wins in a season? I have a good feeling 6+R is going to break it if we haven’t already.
Div B is the only division in FPF to feature three different players with double-digit sacks at this point in the season (Justin Rudick, Anthony Garant and Kevin Marcil with 13, 13 and 12 respectively). Either QBs in Div B are holding onto the ball way too long, or rushers are just making plays this season. You already know which one of the two I choose to believe.
Shout out to Eagle for playing with two jerseys on for his two 8 p.m. games on Sunday night. Thanks for the laugh, man.
I got run over twice on Sunday, first in touch by Corey Greenaway and then in flag by John Louis. I really need to get back in the gym.
A quick moment of respect for Legends’ Daniel Goloff, who has gone from D4 player last winter—his first year in FPF—to second behind Garrett Taylor in picks (4) in Div A this season.

I’m now as old as Odell Beckham Jr. You know, I was pretty bummed out about that for a good minute, reflecting on how I don’t have the NFL career, the millions in the bank, national fame for “the catch.” But I comfort myself in knowing that I won a championship before he did. And no matter how many passes you catch with that oven mitt for a right hand, Odell, I’ll always have that over you. ALWAYS.

Here’s to a speedy recovery for Sacha Papich. On behalf of the FPF media team, get well soon!

Picks of the Week

Another 4-3 week brings me to 27-15 (64%). I’m gonna need a big couple of final weeks if I hope to finish above 70%. Help me out, guys?

Division A:

Roosters & Donkeys vs. Maniax: Unless their loss to the Finest this past week hangs on their minds during this game, R&D should have no trouble repeating their three-score win over Maniax from Week 2.

Montreal’s Finest vs. Rainmakers: I don’t think this will be a blowout – not if Rainmakers ball out like they did on Tuesday night. But they still can’t stop anyone, and Kastner still seems prone to throwing game-changing interceptions.

Gladiateurs vs. Legends: The Glads didn’t have Paul Lapierre on hand the last time these two teams met. They won anyway. With Lapierre there for Round 2, the Glads should win this one handedly – especially if Cory Pecker (apparently) won’t be on hand for the game.

Division B:

Predators vs. Wolverines: Preds have the speed advantage, the momentum, and my vote.

Monstars vs. Broccasion: With Lebofsky and Brophy making plays deep, and Louis moving the chains short (and making defenders look foolish along the way), Broccasion can very easily go drive-for-drive with Monstars. Call me biased for having just played them, but with Broccasion looking hot these past few weeks and Monstars slumping, this one has the makings of an upset.

6+R vs. BearSkins (N/A)

Raiders vs. Lightweight: The Raiders’ defense stepped up in a big way this past week. But I have a feeling Lightweight will put a lot more than 19 points on the board. If they do, I’m not sure the Raiders O can keep up.

Darksiders vs. The Commission: The Commission are coming off a solid defensive effort last week and a strong first half this past week. Darksiders are coming off their fifth straight win. This isn’t a difficult pick to make.

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As always, be sure to catch the Div A/B podcast “The Sack Exchange” with Moe Khan and Matt Kirouac on the FPF YouTube channel at https:www.youtube.com/flagplus every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. or on demand at the same link afterwards. Don’t forget that you can always reach me on Twitter @JBlanchFPF or by email at [email protected]. See you at the fields!