Weekday Quarterback (D5) – Semi Finals

Well here we are at the end of the road and what a ride it was to get to this point. Two teams have made it to this point in very different ways. That is not to say that one team’s ride was without adversity. Both of these teams have had a very tough journey to the finals and have had to beat some extremely tough teams along the way. The Family has knocked off two teams with a combined record of 17-4-1 while the Love Cows have knocked off three teams with a combined record of 20-9-1. It is important to remember that the Family knocked off one undefeated team while the Love Cows defeated two teams with just one loss each. Both of those are extremely impressive feats and the teams should be commended for the work they have done to this point. The Family defeated the Love Cows in week two of the regular season 54-13. You have to throw that score out the window because this is a much improved Love Cows team that caught fire at the right time. That being said, the Family are coming off an extremely impressive victory themselves. Let’s take a closer look at both of these teams heading into the finals.

The Family has been extremely impressive all season long losing just twice and one of those losses was without starting QB Maxime Forget. Their other loss was to a dominant Sphinx team in the brutally tough conference A. The Family came into the playoffs extremely hungry and wanted to prove to all the non believers that they were the best in division 5 like many thought they were early in the season. That title was passed on to Sphinx at about the midway point, but The Family can now proudly say that they have won the games when they matter most, which is in the playoffs. Led by Maxime Forget, who has been untouchable for the most part this season, the Family has proven that they are the pick of the litter among division 5 teams. He has some help from his offensive weapons, most notably: Maxime Couture. Couture had 34 receptions for 466 yards and an unbelievable 15 TD’s. That’s close to 50% of his receptions going for touchdowns. If you are the Love Cows you have to make sure to contain Forget so that he does not hit Couture for those big plays. Defensively, the Family has four players with at least 5 interceptions. That does not bode well for Love Cows QB John Roveto who will have to be particularly vigilant with his passes this weekend.

What can I say about the Love Cows that has not already been said? These guys had been left for dead since week 3 of the season, but for some reason they just would not stay down. They were 1-7 at one point this season. I do not know all the stats from the FPF records, but I would be willing to bet that there has never been a team that played in the finals after beginning the season 1-7. It is something that is just unheard of and it requires not just good play down the stretch but a ridiculous amount of good breaks as well. If I’m the Family, there is nothing that scares me more than a team that can’t seem to do anything wrong since week 9 of the season. The Family probably does not fear the athletic ability of the Love Cows, but one good bounce to start the game for the Love Cows and the Family might begin to worry about just being the next piece of the championship puzzle. John Roveto is not at the same level, in terms of numbers, as Maxime Forget but has won three playoff games which is all that really matters for QB’s at this time of the year. He will have to try and play up to his competition and try to match Forget as much as possible. Roveto does not have to win this game on his own because that would just not be the Love Cows way of doing things, but he definitely will have to take it to another level once again this week. The Love Cows need to focus on doing exactly what they’ve done the past three weeks and that is to spread the ball around and hopefully get big plays from a bunch of different players. They have a very good athlete in Kenton Lowe. He is the guy I see stepping up and making a big difference for his team. He does not have tremendous receiving numbers but Lowe has done a bit of everything for the Love Cows. He is their version of Percy Harvin. (On a side note, when I look at his picture he reminds me of Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith.)

It is extremely tough for me to pick a winner in this game. My head tells me to take the obvious favorite in the Family, but everyone loves to see an upset, especially from a team that has come so far this season. I will have to take the Family in this game just because of their consistency all season long, but I think it will be an extremely close game. I’m sure the Love Cows have no problem with me picking against them, as it seems to be working for their karma so far. The Love Cows could provide one of the greatest stories in FlagPlus Football history with a win this weekend. They have little to no pressure in this game as no one is expecting them to win. I’m sure many of us would love to be there to see them make history but there are a few guys on the other side of the field who will be trying to make a little bit of history of their own. Either way, we will see the first ever division 5 champion crowned on Sunday evening. I hope to see all of you there as the FPF staff will be there live from the field providing coverage of all the action. Hopefully you can make it out and support the league and we would all like to see you there. Thanks for the great season and I look forward to a great championship weekend.