The last stretch.

Many of us still have 4 games left, but some of you are stuck with only 3 games before your bye-week. With only a handful of games left, it’s crunch time (funny how it auto-corrected to brunch). There’s a handful of do-or-die scenarios this week and people gotta start taking these games more seriously.

Let’s get started.

Week 7

In D1, mathematically, Finest, FMS and D-Boys haven’t clinched playoff yet. They’d actually need to lose out their remaining 4, Top Guns win all 4 and ONE of the 3 could be on the outside looking in. That won’t happen.

In D2, #NR has officially clinched their playoff berth. Every other team is still in the hunt, but the top 6 are basically “safe” ; BYOB, We P.O, YCSWU, Waste Yout, Clockwork.

Thoughts of the Week

Samuel Nadeau trying to take stats (INTS) away from his brother. Jealousy? Legit curious.
Speaking of Samuel, he looked real good out there this week; back to his Winter 2017 form.
I feel for Gladiateurs. Terrible way to lose; possibly THE worst way.
I guess Braves 2.0 are back to their contender status?
Jarryd Taylor’s bet looking a lot less foolish now, lemme tell you.
Back to back impressive outings by CLR Forces. I guess the little lineup tweaks really paid out.
#NR brought in their original QB and he balled out for them this week, but they’ll need Cory Pecker if they want to remain undefeated heading into week 8.
Looking at Wolverines’ schedule, they’re in a tough spot.
Rainmakers are 2.5 games behind MNX2.0. With only 3 games left on their schedule, it’s do-or-die. Oh, and they’re playing D-Boys this week.
Week 9’s game between MNX2.0 and Top Guns could determine who’s the 8^th seed this season!
Sources say Quaid Johnson had his “best catch in FPF history” this weekend against Clockwork. Same source also says said catch made Matt Kirouac want to quit. And he agrees; nicest catch he’s ever seen. Props Quaid.
At this rate, can anyone actually catch up to Alex Nadeau Piuze and contest QBOTY? Will he win back to back?
Jarryd Taylor with 5 Pds in a single game? Either the scorekeeper really loves you or the opposing QB should learn not to go there at some point.
No, Daniel Lazzara, you didn’t get “snubbed” two weeks in a row for Players of the Week.
No Rochdi, no problem. Right?
These two divisions have had way too many ties and we’re only 7 weeks in.
Yes, I intentionally wrote the same thing for Monstars and Got-Skills right next to each other. That’s how I feel about their tie.

Recaps

Gladiateurs vs We P.O: I wasn’t there for the game, but I heard plenty about it. With a very plausible chance to upset here and make a jump in the D2 rankings, Gladiateurs managed to score late in the game and have a 7 point lead against We P.O with very little time / plays left on the clock. Not necessarily known for their defensive prowess, Gladiateurs weren’t in the best of situations, but they did get a stop prior in the game (Paul Lapierre picked off Vinny Gualano) and there was hope. We P.O scored on the last play of the game and needed the two point convert to actually win the game. Here comes controversy. We P.O’s receiver caught the ball, but was tackled short of the endzone. Problem is, neither referees saw the actual play thus none of the two was in position to call the play properly. In tackle football, if no referee see the play, they call it good for the offence (thus the 2-point would’ve been granted here). As many of you could understand the frustration Glads felt at this moment, the referees were forced to call a “re-do” and basically gives We P.O another shot at it. With another go at a 2-point convert, they wouldn’t miss twice and We P.O scored to win the game by a point. Worst way to lose? Possibly.
Wolverines vs CLR Forces: After last week’s upset, CLR Forces was given life and needed to keep the streak going to climb out of their 0-4 hole they dug themselves. Fred Dupuis was on fire all night once again and Wolverines were no match for what looked like a top D2 team balling out most of the night. Myles Gibbon has been struggling to adjust to FPF and it appears the Wolverines’ leadership and experience isn’t enough to allow the gunslinger to adapt and compete in D2 this Winter; is it time to make a switch and get Tony Tabet back in there and attempt to salvage the season? Is it too late for a comeback? One thing’s for sure, CLR Forces is red-hot at the moment and Wolverines are left scrambling left and right for something to save them, somehow before it’s too late.
You Can’t Sit With Us vs Braves 2.0: Braves 2.0 hasn’t been the juggernaut we’ve all expected them to be this season up ‘till, well, this week’s game. You Can’t Sit With Us are a formidable team and have been playing like a serious contender, but the way Braves were playing on Sunday, honestly, there’s no stopping them this season. Jonathan Maheu was basically doing whatever he wanted against that defence as he scored 7 passing touchdowns. Defensively, after allowing a couple of touchdowns (and a controversial one to Chris Milard), Braves turned things around and adjusted well. Jonathan Maheu set the tone before half time with a monstruous PD over Justin McLean to take away what could have been a 40-bomb and Braves pretty much took the game away from that point on. Down 33-20 at half, YCSWU were in a tough spot and couldn’t seem to find the right way to approach things to climb back out of that hole. Braves 2.0 put on a show and win 53-33 and climb a handful of spots in the rankings doing so.
Waste Yout vs Clockwork: In probably the best game of the week, Waste Yout tried to keep face and their money as some of them played current and former teammates in a battle of two of the favorites to win D2. Both Qbs went out and balled, but Waste Yout’s supporting cast made just a few more plays than Clockwork’s. Starting with Jarryd Taylor’s 5 Pds on defence and Quaid Johnson’s absolutely ridiculous catch (a la ODB), there was only so much one can do. AJ Gomes and Rich Humes tried their best to top the “best catch of the night” with beautiful toe drags, but the award was already handed out. With a couple of stops on fourth downs, Clockwork’s offence stalled one too many times and Waste Yout managed to pull ahead and win 37-31.
D-Boys vs Braves: The Braves kryptonite continues for yet another season. Last Winter, Braves were on a roll keeping games pretty close and upsetting a few teams until they ran into D-Boys and hit a brick wall scoring a single touchdown. I anticipated a similar scenario and I guess I was right. There’s something about D-Boys having the right matchups for Braves man. Jonathan Maheu struggled most of the night to just put points on the board as he finished with a mere 2 touchdowns (one per half). Not having Georges Gariepy obviously hurts, but I doubt the outcome would’ve been much different in the end; Marco Masciotra was zoned in and the way he distributed the ball made us almost forget that Theo Ojeaha missed the game. Jamal Gittens went off for big gains and quickly emerged as the #1 option in this week’s game; a role he can definitely play well when asked upon.
Rainmakers vs Flag Moi L’Sac: The nightmare continues for Rainmakers as week 7 rolled in. With a 25-6 lead at the half, it looked pretty much over with an entire half of football left to play as FMS really dominated on both sides of the ball. Francois Rocheleau continues to amaze as he emerged as a top receiving threat alongside Sam Nadeau and Guillaume Robert in this week’s game and made Ryan Kastner’s life hell with 5 sacks on the night. Flag Moi L’Sac’s offence did pretty much whatever they wanted as Alex Nadeau Piuze posted a perfect QBR and didn’t throw a single incompletion on the night before allowing Francois Lebeau to take the helm and play the final drive of the game (on which Alex ended up on the receiving end of the touchdown). It looked like a “more fair” game with Francois Lebeau playing QB for FMS as Rainmakers’ defence finally had life and made a handful of plays, but it was too little too late as the game was way out of reach and FMS improved their record to 5-1; rolling this season.

Players of the Week

Alexandre Nadeau-Piuze (Flag Moi L’Sac): On Wednesday night, everything looked way too easy for him. No incompletes as a QB (and 6 passing TD), played receiver on the final drive and tallied 24 yards + a TD. Oh, and an interception on defence. C’mon now, let others have fun too!
Theo Bekelis (Monstars): We can’t say he didn’t do his part this weekend as he finished with 4 receptions for 82 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Alex Holowach (#NR): In his D2 debut with his old team, he was locked in the whole way. Finishing with 7 touchdowns and a combined 220 yards is pretty impressive. Well done.
Anthony Vendrame (CLR Forces): 3 receiving TD and a pick-six. What more could one ask for?
Mike Pierrecin (Braves 2.0): Dominant performance finishing with an interception on defence and 4 receiving Tds.

Power Rankings

Flag Moi L’Sac (5-1): Most points scored after 6 weeks. Heck, they even have more in 6 weeks than others in 7.
Montreal’s Finest (5-1): Another dominant performance by Finest. Just cruisin’ ‘till the playoffs I guess.
D-Boys (5-1):It’s clear that they’re back to their contender status. It’s not longer a top 4, it’s a top 3.
Monstars (3-2-1):A tie, really? I guess it’s better than a loss?
Got-Skills (3-2-1):A tie, really? I guess it’s better than a loss?
DK (3–3): Much needed win, but they aren’t quite out of it just yet.
Braves (3-4): The resurgence takes a step back this week after a humbling defeat. Let’s see how they bounce back.
MNX2.0 (2-4):Still in the playoffs and one game ahead of Top Guns, but at this rate, it could all be on the line in week 9.
Top Guns (1-5): Seeing them able to put up 32 on Finest gives me hope for their second-half of the season push.
Rainmakers (0-7): Another ugly outing. Their offence is ranked 6^th in power scored, but they’ve got the worst defence by far.

#NR (6-0): Undefeated probably never felt so good. The tough part of their schedule is coming up, but they’ll be just fine.
Waste Yout (4-2): They made a bet two weeks ago that they’ll go undefeated. They were laughed at by many. Maybe it’s time to take them seriously?
Clockwork (4–2): From undefeated to back-to-back losses. Probably the only team in D2 that could lose two in a row and still remain a favorite.
We P.O (5-2):That sort of close-win against a lower ranked seed won’t see you guys soar in my rankings, but we can’t deny the 5-2 record.
You Can’t Sit With Us (4-3): Not sure whether this week’s loss is on them not playing well or the other team just being spot-on. They’re still a serious contender in D2.
BYOB (4–2): Back-to-back bad losses sees them drop another handful of spots. Can they bounce back?
Terror Squad (2-2-2): A big win this week sees their playoff hopes rise just a bit further. They’re on a good streak.
Braves 2.0 (2-3-1): Now this is the Braves we’ve all grown to know and love. Can they keep it up? Really feels like it.
CLR Forces (2-4): From being called shit online to a win streak, CLR really found their rhythm just in time.
S Club Legion (3-3): Their current +/- (-48) really worries me, but I can’t deny their current record any longer.
STL (2–4): I’ve tried to stay calm, but is it time to start panicking?
Gladiateurs (1-4-1):An absolute heart breaker. Probably one of the worse way to lose a game.
Served With Ice (1-5): Their roster inconsistency is costing them games. With their current record, they can’t afford to keep this up much longer.
Wolverines (1-5): I guess the Myles Gibbon experiment hasn’t paid off the way they all thought.

Predictions

Montreal’s Finest vs MNX2.0: Montreal’s Finest
Monstars vs DK: Monstars
Got-Skills vs Flag Moi L’Sac: Flag Moi L’Sac
Top Guns vs Braves: Braves
D-Boys vs Rainmakers: D-Boys

We P.O vs Wolverines: We P.O
S Club Legion vs STL: STL
Clockwork vs Gladiateurs: Clockwork
Served With Ice vs BYOB: BYOB
CLR Forces vs Braves 2.0: Braves 2.0
Terror Squad vs You Can’t Sit With Us: You Can’t Sit With Us
#NR 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 wonder how it feels to see your old team 6-1 and your “new” team 0-5-1. I mean, it can’t feel good, right eags?

Week 7: Do or Die