Week 8’s recap and Week 9’s preview.

Intensity.

The theme this week (yes, I’m sticking with it) is intensity as it’s something many teams seem to lack (including mine). We see teams like PRIMETIME create their own intensity and play up to their opponents because they don’t give you an inch. Well, take example and get going, it’s week 9, you NEED to make plays and turn the small things into big things. Many of you are on the crisp of turning a bad season into a great one or simply finishing strong and it’s not the time to give up.

Expect your opponents to show up willing to give it their all, so you’ll have to do the same if you don’t want to walk off the field with regrets. It’s just an hour after all!

 

Week 9

What have I learn this week?

• I was at the fields as usual, but I feel like I didn’t get to see much action. Disappointing.
• Even the Finals MVP drops footballs sometimes.
• With the Spring Season coming to an end sooner or later, I dread the gap until the Winter season. We need to fix it.
• Top Sauce should never have kept that game close.
• That spanking Brotherhood delivered was probably the biggest upset of the week, heck, 2nd half of the season.
• This week’s battle of the veterans ended being a pretty good game.
• Punish Her. It’s great. Should officially change the name.
• There are way too many amazing games this week. I’m thrilled.
• Dunk tanks are fun.
• I wish a speedy recovery to Terrence Dobson. The injury was way too nasty.
• Some teams are catching fire and we’re poised to have an epic ending to a great season in Division C
• Division C is loaded with Games of the week. It’s a privilege guys, enjoy it.
• The standing sheet looks a lot better online with colors. Check it out, link’s on the FB wall.
• Week 9 might just be the best week in Division C we’ll have all season.

 

Recaps

• Game Changers faced off against Top Sauce and simply couldn’t get enough players to play the game “properly”. In fact, Game Changers played with 5 all game as Terrence Dobson went down with one of the worst injuries I’ve seen in a while (Swift recovery from the whole FPF staff) as their 6th guy showed up and still, they were more than competitive. In fact, Nardone’s offense struggled to score with ease on most drives and finished the night with “okay” numbers. I would usually give props for the step up, but you were facing a 5-man squad, sorry Vince. Anyhow, the game came down to the last drive with Sakiz leading the charge and scoring to make it to a one-point game. I gotta respect going for 2 instead of a tie. Kevin Boustany beats Nardone in the back of the endzone as Nardone couldn’t put his fingers on the ball properly, but Boustany simply couldn’t come down with it as it was a very tough catch to make and Top Sauce’s playoff hopes are still alive. A much-needed win for Top Sauce and a loss that isn’t significant for Game Changers anyways.

• Team Ethnik took on Grip n Rip on Monday night and the score reflects just how ugly the game was. I’ll be blunt; it looked like two teams who weren’t in the same division were facing off. Sure, Team Ethnik was putting up points in the first half, but GnR adjusted and Brown’s offense went nowhere from there as Gualano’s took off to the races. Team Ethnik’s defense created opportunities, but it simply wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. Francois Hogue was the only shining light for Team Ethnik that night as most players were having trouble holding on to the ball or getting there, quite simply. A tough loss? Yes, definitely. Something to freak out about? Not really. Team Ethnik is smart and will bounce back stronger from this; it wasn’t do-or-die nor a playoff game, they are still very alive.

• This week’s Game of the Week, filmed by Ryan Aridi, was ugly. In fact, it was a fun game in the first half and then Punisher decided to take it away from Bishara’s hands in the second half and show us why they should be running the show. I won’t describe it too much, you should all give it a watch (In HD, much better), but the Bourbonnière-Morin brothers looked really good out there and Fred Mallette is more dangerous than I expected him to be. It’s a serious bummer for NFZ though. Yes, Martinez was missing, but they had Bishara under center and things were going nowhere. Their defense was tough, but it’s bound to crack at some point if your offense can’t stay on the field and score points.

• Westpark Boys took on Two and a half Dans on Tuesday night and I expected it to be a serious blowout, but it wasn’t as bad as the score indicated. In fact, Joey Taylor had one of his worst nights of the season, if not the worst, and Westpark Boys were simply unlucky. Let’s be honest here, when the QB makes the throw and the receiver puts both hands on it in the endzone, it SHOULDN’T turn into an interception, ever and it happened twice. Westpark Boys had a good defense against what the Dans were doing, but their offense had so many turnovers that the defense was literally always on the field; that’s not how you win games. Nonetheless, this shows that Westpark Boys are improving and competing, which is a good thing and could be battle-ready if they face the Dans again in a few weeks; there’s a lot of positive out of this game.

• ZOO faced Killer Instinct on Tuesday night and God was this game ugly. I know, I’ve been saying it a lot, but it is what it is. Yes, Stephan Osman, I did see you and yes, their offense drove the fields on penalties most of the night, but they were flags against you guys. At the end of the day, their offense struggled to move the chains, but you gave them the opportunity to come knocking. The stat sheet is bad and it really was that way; Kaye finished with 37 rushing yards, 2 TDs on 3 attempts and the last run was just to kill the clock. Pat St-Amand was having a field day against KI’s defense and their adjustments weren’t as good as I expected them to be. Nonetheless, Instinct’s defense was good. Yes, some calls didn’t go their way, but the real problem came from George Spano’s offensive performance (because he played well on defense) going 12 / 31 WILL NOT win you guys. So many incompletes, so many bad decisions. It is easy to say from an outside perspective, I’m the first to notice it and I’ve played them, they have a great defense and make nice adjustments, but they don’t score often enough; they keep games to a low scoring affair and it’s been biting them in the ass recently. Let’s pick it up, put up a 40 burger next week and get some momemtum going, the real season starts soon. PS, props to ZOO for winning, gang green played well all together.

 

Players of the Week

Jacob Bernett (Predators Lite): I created this segment initially to give guys like Bernett some love. With a clutch pick-six late to win the game for his team and a few TD grabs, he deserves this nomination.

Jamie Harry (The Brotherhood): Harry had a heck of a night throwing for 7 TDs, no interceptions and locking in his best rating of the season at 123.0.

Matt Monat (CREAM Team): He walked all over his opponents finishing the night with a whoopin’ 10 catches for 102 yards, 2 TDs and the only pick on defense. Great performance.

James Donald (Grip n Rip): James Donald is underrated. This guy’s a beast and he showed Team Ethnik just that this week finishing with 2 interceptions and 2 TDs with a buncha yards. Congrats.

Chris Millard (The Punisher): The unsung hero of The Punisher’s team on Tuesday night HAS to be Millard who notched 3 sacks and so many hurries, it wasn’t even funny. The heart of the defense and he played excessively well.

Jasmin Rioux (Two and a half Dans): I feel like there’s a mistake; this is absurd. 4 picks including a pick-six. Way to go Rioux!

 

Power Rankings

1. Grip n Rip (8-0-0): They’ve been more than solid and well-deserving of this first spot.
2. Two and a half Dans (8-0-0): The other undefeated team. I feel like they should be tied for first, but hey, life right.
3. The Punisher (7-1-0): The GOTW showed just how deadly their defense can be and their offense is, possibly, even better.
4. STL (7-1-0): STL has been on fuego recently. I feel 4th is too weak for what they’ve been showing us, but it is what it is. Heck of a game coming up.
5. Damps 25/8 (5-3-0): These guys took some time to get started, but they’ve turned into a serious juggernaut, even with a backup QB.
6. The Brotherhood (4-4-0): These guys have been on a roll and they are the hottest team right now. I’m happy I don’t have them on my schedule to finish the season.
7. Laval’s Finest (3-5-0) : Rankings aren’t standings and Laval’s Finest’s catching fire at the right time.
8. CREAM Team (3-5-0): I was on this team’s bandwagon forever and as soon as I stepped off, here they are showing off. Keep it up, the race is on.
9. Game Changers (4-4-0): Yes, they lost to Top Sauce, but by 1 point with 5 guys. Gotta give props for that.
10. ZOO (5-3-0): ZOO took down Killer Instinct last week to notch this 10th seed and get themselves playoffs ready.

 

Playoff Standings

**Stars next to team’s name : Clinched playoff berth

**Ruled-out : Mathematically ruled-out of the playoffs.

**Name in bold : Clinched division.

Conf A	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA		Conf B	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA
1	Two and a Half Dans*	8	16	8	[4-0-0]	166		1	Grip n Rip*	8	16	8	[4-0-0]	141
2	Killer Instinct*	8	11	5	[3-1-0]	152		2	PRIMETIME*	8	10	5	[4-0-0]	206
3	The Punisher*	8	14	7	[3-1-0]	205		3	STL*	8	14	7	[3-1-0]	174
4	No Fly Zone*	8	11	5	[2-1-0]	183		4	Damps 25/8	8	10	5	[2-2-0]	178
5	ZOO	8	10	5	[3-1-0]	214		5	Game Changers	8	8	4	[3-1-0]	227
6	Served With Heat	8	8	4	[3-1-0]	214		6	Team Ethnik	8	8	4	[1-3-0]	195
7	Hitmen Retro	8	8	4	[2-2-0]	273		7	The Brotherhood	8	8	4	[1-2-0]	182
8	Laval’s Finest	8	7	3	[1-3-0]	220		8	Snatchers	8	7	3	[2-1-0]	196
9	Longhorns	8	6	3	[2-1-0]	270		9	Predators Lite	8	6	3	[1-3-0]	254
10	CREAM Team	8	6	3	[1-3-0]	212		10	Top Sauce	8	6	3	[1-3-0]	226
11	Westpark Boys	8	6	3	[0-3-0]	236		11	Les Blues Branleurs	8	4	2	[1-2-0]	255
12	TOPSZN	8	4	2	[0-3-0]	243		12	Keyport Lock	8	4	2	[1-3-0]	310
13	Patriotes	8	0	0	[0-4-0]	280		13	KGP Champs	8	0	0	[0-3-0]	276

 

The Famous 5 Questions

Peeze is back Ladies and Gents. In fact, his 5 questions are as silly as usual. Enjoy ‘em!

1. Both undefeated teams (Gnr and 2HD) and both winless teams (patriots and KGP Champs) will not face off in the regular season. Is this an FPF conspiracy? Who would the smoking man be?

I’m not sure who made the schedules, but I’d blame Moe Khan or G.M. Kolethras because Robert Campana is just too nice to actually make a conspiracy (plus, who would conspirate against themselves… This isn’t Hollywood). PS, totally a conspiracy.

2. Kevin Marcil of Zoo leads div C with only 11 sacks. Does this surprise you? Why do you think the number is so low?

You do realize, Peeze, that he’s my rusher in Div B and he’s just THAT good, right? On a side note, yes I’m surprised the count is that low, but he forces hurries more than he actually sacks QBs, so the number isn’t all that worrying.

3. Given Terrence Dobson’s injury, how can Game Changers stay relevant at this late juncture? Help them define a game plan?

Game Changers have absurd weapons even without Terrence Dobson. Sure, it’s a huge blow, but they have Paquette back, they have St-Pierre, Boustany, Morissette and Sakiz. I mean, right there, that’s a almost complete receiving corps of allstars and one of the div’s best QB, plus all solid two-way players. I’m not worried. Make do with what you have, because you have more than enough.

4. Which unlikely team will fake a run into the playoffs? Will they have a chance at post season success?

I’d have to say Top Sauce simply because Predators Lite have the tiebreak over them and they’d need a miracle to sneak in, which won’t happen even if they have the proper points. Plus, I don’t think they’d last in the playoffs, sorry Nardone.

5. Describe a world where the tramp stamp (a tattoo on the small of one’s back) is a mark of elegance.

In most men fantasy land where slutty is the new fashion hit.

 

Previews

• Les Blues Branleurs are in a tough spot right now; at 4 points, they need to win out and some help to stay alive. Facing against Snatchers this week, it’s a do-or-die for both teams, really. Snatchers can’t afford a loss and LBB simply have NO luxury at this point. I expect both teams to show up and battle it out with the season on the line. If Ton-That’s allowed time to throw and has the deep ball accessible, I’ll have trouble keeping up with his numbers and this could turn into a 75+ points game. If he’s forced into shorter throws like he was against Damps, he’ll struggle and this could be Snatchers’ game for the taking. I expect a much better game than most would believe it to be.
• Longhorns facing off against Westpark Boys is a serious head scratcher for me. I’m not sure how this will turn out for so many reasons. First, Westpark Boys’ defense is good and they’ll cause Moodie to be the worst side of himself. On the other hand, Longhorns’ defense might sting Tonye’s abilities and both offenses could be limited. Will this be a low-scoring affair? No. Am I making any sense? Neither. If this goes past the 30 point margin, Longhorns will walk off victor. If 30 points is enough to win, Westpark Boys will still be in playoff race. Expect great things from Westpark Boys’ receivers and many contested jumpballs between Allen and Pall. It’ll be a fun game to watch, believe me.

• With the way No Fly Zone has been playing recently, we could have a serious barnburner against TOPSZN this week. We could debate NFZ doesn’t really need the win, but do they really want to head into the playoffs on a slump? Of course not and TOPSZN’s season is on the line. Looking at the players’ attendance list, Gianfranco Ranaudo needs to play the remaining two to be playoff eligible and he’s the only QB on the list that could be. I don’t think he’s the answer for the squad, but he played well last week and could give them a few wins. That being said, NFZ is a tough defense to face even with TOPSZN’s speed. It’ll come down to Quarterback play, really, because both defenses will show up and make plays, but will any QB? Sadly, I don’t think so. Expect a low-scoring affair and some serious noise.

• Laval’s Finest are quickly catching fire and Keyport Lock has been struggling all season-long; the key components to a blowout, but I wouldn’t write Keyport Lock off so soon. Rosenblatt has been improving and trying new things and it worked out last week against decent defenders, so maybe he could repeat. They aren’t out just yet and could be in to mess with Laval’s Finest’s odds, because the 2nd best thing after making the playoffs is taking someone’s ticket away. My only worry is how Laval’s Finest shows too many signs of inconsistence. They have so much talent, a great squad and experience, but they flatlined so hard this season, I simply couldn’t put any actual money on them just yet. They haven’t proved me they deserved my trust!

• Predators Lite are fighting for a chance at the playoffs and they did just that last week having their best performance of the season against, well, me. This week, taking on a whole different monster in CREAM Team, they’ll have to come up with a different gameplan and execute as well as they did last week. Both teams are currently on the outside looking in and need this win to stay relevant. This is bound to be a great game where players will give their all. I’m not sure Predators Lite have the personnel to restrain Matt Monat, Alex Grace and Kyle Monat if all three show up ready to ball. On the other hand, I’m not sure CREAM Team has the rusher to handle SBB’s running, so that could be just as deadly.

• In my 2nd favorite game of the week (and I expect this one to be better than my favorite), we’ll see Damps 25/8 battle for the top seed against their conference’s leader in Two and a half Dans. Damps are better football players, but The Dans know what they are doing and win games. Although Damps have the talent to upset, I think The Dans might frustrate the men in red early on and tempers will flare and cost Damps the game. This will be a end of playoffs caliber game and I expect nothing less but both teams to give it their all although this game isn’t ALL THAT relevant to playoff standings (for seeding, yes, okay, but a loss wouldn’t knock neither out of the race). Plus, I’ve been secretly cheering for Damps 25/8 for a few weeks now, so…!

• Top Sauce are in a tough spot; on the outside looking in and needing wins to stay alive. Served With Heat are on the inside, but barely and can’t really afford a loss if they want to keep fate in their own hands. That being said, here they are, facing off against one another in a great matchup. Both rosters face off really nicely with two talented players at QB that are still learning the position and amazing athletes surrounding them. I expect both defenses to make plays and receivers to bail out their respective QBs when the game is on the line, because neither of these two squads will allow themselves to drop this game. The pressure is on Vince Nardone to deliver, because Lavallée will put points on the board. Can he keep up?

• In this week’s Game of the week, and possibly my favorite matchup, we’ve got Grip n Rip against STL. Preseason, I said that GnR had two tough games on their schedule and this was one of them. A third came up in the game vs Damps, but I didn’t know them back then, so, ain’t my fault. STL has been playing great recently and Dylan Taylor is on his game. Gualano is consistent and, well, being himself, remains undefeated. Both teams bolster a great defense and a high-octane offense. I’d usually say this will be a barnburner with high scores as most expect, but my gut is saying otherwise; I expect both QBs to have a bad game and throw 2 Interceptions each. I also expect that this will be won by a small margin, like within 7 points. One QB will throw 4 TDs, 2 interceptions. The other one will win with 5 TDs and 2 interceptions. I’m just not sure which one will be which. And Gualano will end with a rushing TD, maybe to tip the scales!

• Hitmen Retro caught fire and got showered with ice water recently. They were so hot that their fire kind of burnt out and now are still good, but simply not as dominant. Taking on Killer Instinct to stay in the playoff races, this is bound to be one of the great matchups of the week. KI’s defense is gritty and doesn’t allow many drives and Moufrage tends to make a few key mistakes, but gets away with it because he has plenty of possessions. This is a trap game for Hitmen Retro as Moufrage will need to play flawlessly with the amount of opportunities he gets. I can’t wait to see the Osman/Pollice matchup and I expect to see great plays from both gentlemen.

• I told you, this week is filled with amazing matchups and this one is just that exactly as Game Changers take on The Punisher in what could be the best game of the week if everything comes in together nicely. In fact, The Punisher have been playing tremendous football, so they are favorite to win it, but don’t underestimate Game Changers’ ability to shake things up. With guys like Morisette, St-Pierre, Paquette, Sakiz, Boustany, they have everything they need to take down The Punisher if they play their cards right. They’ll simply have to go score for score with their opponents, because luck won’t leave them twice in two weeks. If Sakiz keeps up with Bourbonnière-Morin, we could have an upset on the last drive!

• Team Ethnik played poorly last week against Grip n Rip and need to get their things back in order if they want to remain relevant in the Conference A race. That being said, they face the Patriotes in what could be a serious trap game for them. Sure, Team Ethnik are favorite and should walk off with the W, but they’ll underestimate the Patriotes and this could be the game where Patriotes could put the winless season away for good. They have the talent, they just need to players to show up and battle it out. Team Ethnik is good, but it’s a question of matchups and I think Jon Brown might make one mistake too early and give Chauvin that extra momemtum he’s been needing all season. Don’t underestimate the veterans.

• So many great games and this one is simply standing in the shadows. PRIMETIME needs to bounce back and their matchup against ZOO is the perfect place to do so. In fact, the Daousts can’t afford to drop this one if they want to remain the top seed in their division although they’ve already clinched. David Daoust needs a bounce back game and their roster matches up really well against ZOO. Kevin Marcil might be a serious pain in Daoust’s side, but I believe he’ll manage and PRIMETIME will walk out of this one alive. Frank Kaye’s offense is too slow and mechanical to face off against the temper flaring PRIMETIME and we’ll be hearing “THIS IS PRIMETIME DEFENSE” for most of the 2nd

• The Brotherhood are facing off against a slumping KGP Champs and this is bound to be a serious blowout. Sure, KGP Champs has the personnel to stay competitive, but their offense is and has been horrible all season and can’t put up points. I think Harry won’t have a good game, but will still come out on top. Brotherhood are too hot right now to drop this game. Depending who throws for KGP Champs, this might be the game where they break the 2 TD barrier and put more points on the board.

 

Predictions

So, this week was a bummer. 8/12 isn’t bad, but I expected better out of myself. Then again, GM also got 8/12, so that kinda lessens the blow. I’m still a point behind, but there’s still 2 good weeks left and it’s bound to be a barnburner. Stay tuned as I finish victorious once again!

Here’s a reminder of our totals:

Simon : 60 / 96

GM : 60 / 96

As usual, his picks are in italic, mine in bold.

Snatchers vs Les Blues Branleurs : —-

Longhorns vs Westpark Boys : Longhorns

No Fly Zone vs TOPSZN : No Fly Zone

Keyport Lock vs Laval’s Finest : Laval’s Finest

Predators Lite vs CREAM Team :CREAM Team

Damps 25/8 vs Two and a half Dans : Two and a half Dans

Served With Heat vs Top Sauce : Served With Heat

Grip n Rip vs STL : Grip n Rip

Hitmen Retro vs Killer Instinct : Killer Instinct

Game Changers vs The Punisher : The Punisher

Team Ethnik vs Patriotes : Team Ethnik

PRIMETIME vs ZOO : PRIMETIME

The Brotherhood vs KGP Champs : The Brotherhood

 

That is it for me for this week. If you have any comments regarding the article, don’t hesitate to hit me up on twitter @DagenaisFPF or at the fields. I’ll be scorekeeping games on Sunday and Tuesday nights, so I’ll get to see most of you guys. My official FPF email [email protected] also works, but get with the times, Twitter is where it’s at. Feel free to yell at me if you see me walking around, always glad to talk some football.