And they were 3 (AGAIN)

I know, I know, this is getting old.

But I don’t care, it’s an impressive feat whether it’s repetitive or not!

I’m not cheering for all 3: Game Changers, The Infantry and Ghosts. Let’s go, three more.

Week 8

The Stoics continue their rise to the top, Baby Kangaroos got away with a no-call to win their game and keep playoff hopes alive, Les Hommes de l’Ouest put up a good fight against Keyport Lock, Savage Squad showed up on Sunday night, GHB doesn’t need a defence, The You sneaked by with a win, Lonzo Ballers won a heavyweight matchup, GloGang impressed, The Sheriff and Les Verges Folles are for real and The Infantry is the best team in 4B.

Thoughts of the Week

As much as many will say Mike Trout “took that money away from Bryce Harper”, I mean, 330M$ is WAY too much cash anyways
Jason Witten finally left the booth. Returning to the game feels opportunistic, but who am I to judge
I can’t help but hope for Le’veon Bell to the Eagles. Even though I know very well he’s going to the Jets.
So are the Browns exciting now?
Winter is almost over. Almost.
SWAT with another 40+ game. That offence is low key super impressive
Small Giants clawing their way back into the playoffs
I see you Daniel Lazzara slugging in D4B!
Air Force 1 is slowly turning things around, but it might be too little too late at this point. For winter 2019 that is
As much as I enjoy making fun of Terry Tam, that’s not a bad stat line
If this Pub Epoxy’s offence showed up each and every week, they wouldn’t be 0-8. Maybe Vincent Lauzon really is the key
Thank you for making this week’s Power Rankings easier than last week; I truly appreciate it guys!
For the updated version of the playoff standings, please see the Playoff Standings tab on the website directly under your proper division!
I won’t spend too much time on the playoff standings just yet as there’s way too many scenarios to break down, but you guys know me, it’s coming!
Pub Epoxy/Sports Campus and Les Hommes de l’Ouest are officially out of the playoff race.
Game Changers has officially clinched a playoff spot in Conference B. Although the 1st seed isn’t locked in just yet.
BD Bandits may be 2nd at the moment, but they’re only 2 points away from the 8th place and could very easily fall all the way down with a couple of bad games.
Mathematically speaking, no one is safe in Conference A for D4A, but I cannot foresee a scenario where either Half-A-Stars or The Stoics actually don’t make playoffs.
Baby Kangaroos vs The Tide week 11 might actually be the most important game in terms of playoff standings and who makes it in for D4A conference B.
Division 4A has so many good games. Choosing a GOTW was rough. Somehow Soft Serve vs The Tide and Keyport Lock vs Half-a-Stars didn’t make the cut!
Somehow Les Verges Folles vs Lonzo Ballers wasn’t my pick for GOTW. Somehow.
Most teams in D4B Conference A are safe. The battle is really with Small Giants, Ballers, Check Out My TDS and Believe the Hype who could still creep in
If Dream Breakers get a big win this week, they could disrupt Air Force 1, GloGang or All Hooks (yes, All hooks) playoff chances!
No one is offiicially eliminated in 4B just yet. Although Canes, Believe The Hype, Les Montagnards and Team YS are in must-win situations and quite the tough spot, they aren’t mathematically eliminated. We’ve seen crazier things in FPF over the years, trust me.
Although GloGang continues to make wave, they couldn’t crack my top 10 just yet. One more win?

Recaps

Jagerbomb vs Savage Squad: Jagerbomb sort of reinvented themselves with Ryan Kharouf under center in last week’s game. It fits their offensive style better and he’s got the arm to make guys like JF Daloze really shine on those deep throws; something that wasn’t quite Jon Brown’s forte. Sadly, Ryan Kharouf doesn’t have Simon Duchesne’s or Jon Brown’s veteran experience and tends to make “rookie” mistakes when the game starts to unravel; taking deep shots and putting yourself in tough situations down a touchdown or two. With a bad snap turning into a safety way too early and Savage Squad up 17-0, this game was pretty much over. We spoke on the Podcast about how Savage Squad controlled this through and through and they really did. Derek Daoust looked solid distributing the ball well and placing it where only his receiver can make plays and made sure Jagerbomb had no chance of making a comeback after such a strong early lead; exactly what they needed to do.

Keyport Lock vs Les Hommes de l’Ouest: Antoine Côté is a VERY fun player to watch. His ability to run with the ball is uncanny and he’s got an absolute rocket. It’s not refined just yet and Les Hommes de l’Ouest will have to continue to learn with him under center to be more competitive, but it’s already a huge spark to their offence since he got there. I’ve seen him drop dimes in back to back weeks and he’s probably one of the most entertaining player to watch on any given FPF week. Keyport Lock was, by far, the most veteran team as Jeff Rosenblatt used Jeremy Anderson way too much and exploited what the defence was giving him. After saying Keyport Lock wouldn’t be able to crawl out of their early hole due to their brutal schedule, I guess I was wrong; they’re sitting pretty right now at 4-4 with 2 games left to play.

The Tide vs Don’t Mess With Texas: By now, everyone knows I love trash talk. If you can get someone off their game with words, you essentially won. But there’s a nuance between trash talking and chirping and that’s the line both teams crossed on Wednesday night at Hebert. It was a good game that was, sadly, decided by referees due to very close calls, but I do feel both teams did not play their best when it mattered most. The Tide weren’t happy with a TD called on the last play of the half as they felt the player did not cross the plane, but with the referee standing on the line, it’s tough to argue his decision. From that point on, chirp got the best of both teams and it went from “fun” to “too much” way too quickly. I understand things happen in games and I’m happy no one did anything stupid that they would regret (because I do believe both teams have good intentions and are nice guys), but once the play is over, let it go man. That being said, great game to watch on a D4A talent wise. The Tide is a game behind everyone else and tried to reach 4 wins, but Don’t Mess With Texas can’t afford to keep slippin and they did enough to elevate themselves past The Tide on Wednesday night. Now sitting at 4-3-1, they aren’t out of the woods yet (9 points is 3rd in Conf B, but 8 points is also 8th).

SMYTDs vs Baby Kangaroos: A close game from start to finish, both teams really battled it out in old fashion FPF. Neither QBs were perfect, but played good enough to give their teams just enough chances to succeed. Joey Taylor was the man of the hour as he kept spinning his way in between defenders all the way into the endzone and finished the night with two TDs, 97 yards and a PD on the most important play of the game, but I’ll get to that in a bit. Baby Kangaroos got the only convert of the game in the first half and, at the time, no one knew how important it ended up being. With only a handful of plays left, SMYTDs got back on offence, drove the field and took some shots at the endzone. When you’re done A point with less than 4 plays left, scoring is pretty much winning and Mike Addona threw a nice ball to Justin Blanchard on the 2nd to last play, but a brutal drop turned what could’ve been the game winner into a, well, not game winner? And SMYTDs had to play that final down on offence rather than defend essentially a punt. With Danny McFee closing in on Mike Addona, the head referee had to keep his eyes glued to the QB and never saw Joey Taylor piggyback ride the thrown-to-receiver onto the ground. As he got up and realised there was no flag thrown (due to no one seeing the penalty itself), Baby Kangaroos celebrated as the final play of the game was called incomplete and won. SMYTDs could not believe the call (or lack of). Baby Kangaroos remain alive in the playoff race in part due to this infamous play.

Sphinx vs The Stoics: With only 3 games left on their schedule (prior to this game), Sphinx were in a tough spot. Not only were they facing one of the best team in the division, but they also needed the win to remain in a “safe” playoff spot. Sadly, The Stoics had other intentions. Chris Rivest continues to impress as the chemistry with his receivers continues to improve and he’s now using everyone really well to a point where The Stoics look like one of the toughest offences to stop due to the personnel use. They kept their cool although they were down 18-16 at the half and came back with a vengeance in the second half. GM Kolethras had a big game rushing as he really put good pressure on Etienne Cloutier in the second half and forced some ill-throws (and a big sack too!). The Stoics’ ability to adjust to what the other team is doing and really take games over in the second half is why they’re ranked so high each and every week. Sphinx are now sitting at 3-5 after a good fight against a true contender and they’ll need to find a way to sneak out a win in their next two games if they want to play in Week 12.

Players of the Week

Andrew Langburt (Half-A-Stars): 4 interceptions?! Jesus Andrew, let others play too! Nice little push for DPOTY though
Brandon Aylward (Greendale Human Beings): 9 receptions, 72 yards and 2 touchdowns + 5, yes FIVE sacks. I guess he never gets tired?
Jordan Panetta (Game Changers): Another impressive week as he finished with 95 yards, 4 touchdowns on 8 receptions.
Ashton Thibeault (Savage Squad): Somehow spent the game wide-open, he finished with 5 touchdowns and 94 yards on 7 receptions

Oren Ben-Birth (Mean Machine): 41 receiving yards and a TD isn’t bad, but the defensive hat trick (3 interceptions; two of which were for 6), a sack and 3 tackles really makes him qualify for Player of the Week
Rory Semerjian (The Infantry): In a close game, he emerged with 146 offensive yards, 3 TD, 14 catches and a pick on defence. NASTY.
Luis Begin (The Sheriff): 255 offensive yards, 32 points and 2 interceptions on defence. I’m not sure how more productive he could’ve been in a single game.

Power Rankings

Division 4A

Game Changers (7-0): Every week, Game Changers continue to impress. No one can say they aren’t the best team in 4A.
The Stoics (6-1): The only reason they keep “flying under the radar” is due to #1’s success.
Half-A-Stars (6-2): Half-A-Stars may have the best offence in 4A alongside a great defence. Probably one of the toughest team to play this season.
Greendale Human Beings (5-2): With Danny Aylward throwing, their offence is unstoppable (52 points is outrageous).
69ers (5-2): Now sitting with a +/- of 75, 69ers are finally back in playoffs form!
BD Bandits (5-3): It’s not always pretty, but they keep piling up the Ws and that’s all that matters
Keyport Lock (4-4): After a tough start of the season, Keyport Lock has emerged as a playoff contender in recent weeks. Let’s see how they manage to wrap this season up.
Don’t Mess With Texas (4-3-1): Back in the Power Rankings after a big win over The Tide. With 9 points in 8 weeks, DMWT needs another W to solidify their playoff hopes.
Fun Boys (4-4): Missing pretty much their entire team, Fun Boys managed to put up a good fight and almost get away with a win. I’ve underestimated them.
The You (4-3): Barely escaping a depleted Fun Boys isn’t what I expected from The You this week, but 4-3 remains a good spot to be in heading into Week 9.

Division 4B

The Infantry (7-0): All Hooks played their best game of the season and it wasn’t enough to stop The Infantry. Truly dominant this season.
Ghosts (7-0): They continue to stockpile wins and put up crazy numbers. Can anyone slow them down in these upcoming weeks?
Lonzo Ballers (6-2): Due to the other two teams’ success, Lonzo Ballers are flying under the radar, but they’re one of the toughest team to play this season.
The Sheriff (6-2): Now sitting at 6-2, The Sheriff are almost locked into the playoffs. One more win and they clinch.
SWAT (5-2): Another week, another impressive offensive outing (and massacre). They now bolster the 4th best +/- in the division!
Les Verges Folles (5-1): They’ve only loss ONE game. LVF is low-key dominant this season.
A-Squad (5-2): Tough loss in a close game this week. They usually win those. I guess you can’t win them all!
Les Blues Branleurs (4-3): Lost a close one to Lonzo Ballers. If LBB can continue to improve every week and learn, they’ll be a true playoff contender by week 12.
Mad Bears (4-3): This week’s loss ends the streak and brings them back into the pack. With 3 games left, can they pull out and win themselves a strong seed heading into the playoffs?
MTL Originals (4-3): I remember putting them up at #1 a few weeks ago. After three bad losses, MTL Originals really need to turn things around before it’s too late.

Playoff Implications

This is a new, brief segment looking over the games with the biggest impact on the playoff picture heading into next week’s.

Division 4A

EBROS vs Jagerbomb: HUGE game. A bit of a shocker to see both of these teams in this situation, but EBROS are currently sitting in the 7th seed with 6 points (the 9th seed also has 6 points) and cannot afford to lose another game to remain in control of their own fate. Jagerbomb is in a fairly similar situation; with a win, they’ll elevate their stock, push a team further down thus creating themselves a nice little cushion, but a loss could propel them out of the playoffs in the 9th seed (granted two other teams need to win, but it could happen).
69ers vs Savage Squad: With a win, 69ers clinch a playoff berth (I’m sure Stoics and Half-A-Stars will also be rooting for them), but Savage Squad needs this win bad and are coming off a good outing. With a loss, 69ers could torpedo down a few spots, Savage Squad will elevate themselves back into the pack and most likely into the playoffs. All eyes will be on Savage Squad this week.
Soft Serve vs The Tide: A battle to stay alive, essentially. Soft Serve is 2-4-1 in the 10th hole. With a loss this week to The Tide, they’ll drop to 5 points in 8 games, 3 points behind the 8th seed and most likely out of the playoff race if things don’t go their way. The Tide still has 4 games left to play and they can write their own story, but dropping to 3-4 would put a lot of pressure back on them to perform on the back end; why not knock Soft Serve out of the race now? Right?
Greendale Human Beings vs Sphinx: Greendale Human Beings are in a good spot; sitting at 5-2, they pretty much lock their playoff berth with a win, but a loss could see them drop a spot or two and keep Sphinx in the conversation. With Savage Squad playing better and better, this is a must-win for Sphinx with only 2 games left. And it’s probably one of their hardest game on their schedule. Sunday Night Hebert.

Division 4B

Check out my TDs vs Small Giants: HUGE playoff implications here. Small Giants are in the 7th seed. 6 points, 3 games left. Check Out My TDs are currently on the outside looking in with a 2-5 record. One game and the script flips. If Small Giants can pull this one off, they’ll pretty much knock Check Out My TDs down and secure a playoff spot. Pretty much. But if they lose, we’ll be having a completely different conversation next week…!
The Sheriff vs Dream Breakers: So this game doesn’t mean much for The Sheriff who’s currently sitting at 6-2 and are pretty much a lock to make playoffs, but the team they are playing NEEDS this win. Dream Breakers is a good team and they might be a tough matchup for The Sheriff in this week 9 game. If Dream Breakers can pull it off, they’ll improve to 4-4, most likely jump a team or two and remain in the race. A loss could really knock them back into a tough spot.
MTL Originals vs GloGang: First of all, this is a SICK matchup and should result in a great game. MTL Originals has been spiraling and they need to find their footing again before they keep dropping lower. GloGang is the exact opposite. With the 9th seed right on their tail, GloGang needs another win to elevate themselves away from the bottom seeds. But MTL Originals cannot afford to go 4-4 and put so much pressure on the last two games. Right?

Predictions

Game of the Week in 4A: 69ers vs Savage Squad

Game of the Week in 4B: All Hooks vs SWAT

**Please note, these are purely subjective and have nothing to do with FPF’s official GOTW filmed product**

Les Hommes de l’Ouest vs Fun Boys: Fun Boys

Past Our Prime vs Pub Epoxy/Sports Campus: Past Our Prime

EBROS vs Jagerbomb: EBROS

The Stoics vs Wolverines: The Stoics

69ers vs Savage Squad: Savage Squad

Baby Kangaroos vs BD Bandits: BD Bandits

Soft Serve vs The Tide: Soft Serve

Greendale Human Beings vs Sphinx: Greendale Human Beings

SMYTDs vs The You: SMYTDs

Game Changers vs Don’t Mess With Texas: Game Changers

Half-a-Stars vs Keyport Lock: Half-A-Stars

Ballers vs Canes: Ballers

The Infantry vs Mad Bears: The Infantry

Mean Machine vs Ghosts: Ghosts

Check out my TDs vs Small Giants: Small Giants

Team YS vs Air Force 1: Air Force 1

Believe the Hype vs Les Blues Branleurs: Les Blues Branleurs

Les Montagnards vs A-Squad: A-Squad

The Sheriff vs Dream Breakers: The Sheriff

MTL Originals vs GloGang: MTL Originals

Les Verges Folles vs Lonzo Ballers: Lonzo Ballers

All Hooks vs SWAT: SWAT

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…! We don’t need you Eagle, sorry kthanks.

Week 8: Playoffs Implications