Weekday Quarterback (Div D) – Week 10

            It’s nice to be back after a week’s absence. I would like to begin by thanking Brian Mongeau for filling in for me last week. I know how much you guys appreciate the work that people do for this league and it is always nice to have a new face come aboard and help out the FPF staff.  It is the perfect time to be back because things are now going to really heat up as the regular season has ended and we are ready to get the highly anticipated playoff matchups going. To those teams that have not made it to the next stage, I wish you all the best and I hope that you come back next season with just as much enthusiasm as we saw all of this season. In this week’s article, we will take a look at the playoff matchups in week 1 and who could potentially be facing some tough opponents come week two of the playoffs. It was an exciting end to the regular season for some of these teams and we should only expect the games to get even better in the next four weeks.

 

Conference A

            (3) The Patriotes vs  (6) The Time Bombs

On paper, this does not look like much of a matchup at all. The Time Bombs have been absolutely obliterated four times so far this season including a 47-0 loss to the Patriotes. It is not often that a team sneaks into the playoffs after such a disappointing season. As much truth as there is in that statement, all of it goes out the window come next weekend. The numbers from the regular season mean nothing at this point and all you have to do is beat a team once to advance. The Time Bombs will need a miracle performance out of Chris Rivest at QB if they are to have any chance of securing a victory in this game. On the flip side of this equation the Patriotes are probably steaming after a last play defeat at the hands of the Eagles that cost them a division crown. Can Etienne Chauvin rebound and put that loss behind him? Chances are they can but will need to try and remain focused. The Patriotes need to realize that they cannot win the championship with one victory and need to take it one game at a time if they want another shot at the Eagles.

 

This game will likely be over by halftime if the Patriotes can get off to a good start. If you are the Time Bombs you better start praying now because it looks like the clock is about to hit zero.

 

–          Prediction : Patriotes 35 – Time Bombs 6

–          Key Player : Etienne Chauvin

 

 

 

 

(4) Lockdown vs (5) Monstars

 

Perhaps the most interesting game of the week just based on the amount of times that these two teams have faced each other in recent history. In the winter 2010 season, these two teams played each other Week 10 and the first round of the playoffs. Lockdown won the week game but then lost in the playoff game. This season we face the exact same scenario. The two teams faced off this past weekend with Lockdown once again taking home the victory. The question is can Lockdown make up for last year’s mistake and remain focused after a week 10 win. Neither team was particularly good this past weekend which is interesting because you would hope that both teams can elevate their games by the weekend. If experience is a big part of the playoffs then you have to give the edge to the Monstars.

 

The Monstars have been around since the beginning and it finally seems like they’ve found their niche in FPF. On the other hand, Lockdown has shown steady improvement through their first three seasons and could be on the brink of their first ever playoff victory. Both of these defenses have been the strength of their team this season but which one will make the big play come crunch time? Andrew D’anna has been a tackling machine for Lockdown while Ryan Aridi has accumulated 13 sacks for the Monstars. Those two players will be crucial for either team to get the victory.

 

Like any playoff game, the QB’s will be under the microscope. It is going to be a hard fought close game but I will give the edge to the Monstars based on their playoff victory from last season.

 

–          Prediction: Monstars 21 – Lockdown 14

–          Key Player: Ryan Aridi

 

Conference B

(3) Cowboys vs (6) Maximum Carnage

The Cowboys are another team that head into the playoffs in an unfavorable position. Similar to the Patriotes in Conference A, they probably feel like they are one of the top two teams in their conference but they do not get a bye because they lost their division crown to Mongoose. The Cowboys are a veteran team that has experience in FPF, as well as other outdoor touch leagues. They know how to find ways to win, and against a relatively new team that seems to struggle to find consistency in their game, the Cowboys will use that experience to their advantage.

The danger for the Cowboys in this game comes down to the fact that Maximum Carnage has far and away the most explosive player in this game. Brian Mongeau has been a real breath of fresh air in division D. Every now and then you watch a guy play and you can just tell that he will be moving up to higher divisions in the near future and could potentially be even more dangerous with a stronger supporting cast around him. Mongeau fits that description perfectly, and will most likely have other teams knocking on his door come winter 2011. The key for Maximum Carnage is to get your best player the ball early and often. If they are to have any chance in this game they will need a great performance from Mongeau, who can be a threat anywhere on the field. He has thrown for touchdown, rushed for touchdowns, caught  touchdown passes and has chipped in with a defensive touchdown from time to time. Get him the ball and hope he carries you as far as possible.

If that is the strategy for Maximum Carnage, then it is fairly obvious what the Cowboys have to do in this game and that’s take away that threat. It all starts with star defensive player Kory De Nie who gets intense pressure on the QB every game. If he can take away time and space from Mike Mendell and Brian Mongeau then the Cowboys have a huge advantage.

This game will put age and experience up against youth and enthusiasm. Which one will come out on top? I’m going to have to give the edge to the Cowboys based on the ability of De Nie to get to the man behind center.

– Prediction: Cowboys 26 – Maximum Carnage 12

– Key Player: Kory De Nie

 

(4) Park X Streets vs (5) Golden Eagles

If someone asked me a few weeks ago who I thought would be the more dangerous team heading into the playoffs, Park X Streets or Golden Eagles, I would have answered Golden Eagles with relative ease. Right now, I think Park X Streets have found their form and are looking extremely dangerous with their full team finally coming together. Most people were very tough on Park X Streets this season because they are very confident in their abilities yet they seemed to always come up short when it was time to play the games. There were many factors that led to them having a less successful regular season but the biggest reason was that they could never get their team together for a string of games. It is extremely tough to be successful when there is very little consistency on a roster, but even with that whole mess, Park X Streets managed to finish with an above .500 record. That shows that this team does have a lot of potential to be successful. Speaking with members of the team in the past couple of days, they are extremely confident and feel that not only can they defeat the Golden Eagles but that they have a legitimate shot to make a deep playoff run. After their 45-24 victory over the Golden Eagles last weekend who is to say that they can’t. John Papadimitrou has been a revelation for Park X Streets and has given them a serious weapon to go along with All Star Niko Zarmalias. If those two can stretch the field, for a finally healthy Drew Saitanis, Park X Streets has a very serious shot of doing damage in the next couple of weeks.

 

The Golden Eagles will see it in a different way, I’m sure. They obviously understand that last week was not the best performance they can give and if they plan on being taken seriously they are going to need to give a lot more effort. Finishing 5-5 is a bit of a disappointment this season, because it looked like they were ready to turn the corner at one point and establish themselves as one of teams that had an outside chance of winning division D. Right now, it looks like opposing teams have found ways to contain Kevin Lubin, even though he continues to put up very good numbers. I have said it in the past and I stick by my feeling that Lubin is one of the best athletes in the division, but teams have put a lot of focus on him and it is becoming very tough to find the open field that he was finding in the past.

 

Alex Guertin has been a top flight receiver for the Golden Eagles all season long and is going to need to be even better now that the playoffs have arrived. Teams are not going to let him go unnoticed anymore and he is going to have to fight through coverage to get open for Lubin.

 

If the Golden Eagles are going to win a few playoff games they will need a third star to emerge. That player could be Steevens St Fleur. St Fleur had 20 tackles and 4 interceptions this season to go along with his 10 passes defended. He flies to the ball and the Golden Eagles will need him to come up with some big plays on the defensive side of the ball in order to be successful. This is going to be an exciting matchup which will likely be decided by a score.

 

–          Prediction: Park X Streets 32 – Golden Eagles 28

 

–          Key Player : John Papadimitrou