Welcome to The Road Show

I have been working for FPF for a while.  In my first season, we recorded a rogue audio-only live play by play broadcast for division 5.  As it was available way before the official FPF released finals footage (which used to take 3-4 months to be released).  

Since that time we have introduced live play by play and colour commentary.  We reduced the turnaround time on finals production to a few hours to those who were not watching it live.  Last season, we introduced live replay which truly changed the face of our broadcast.  This season we will be using this technology to introduce instant replay challenges that can be triggered from the booth, from the on-field official and from one of the two teams involved in the game.

I understand that modesty is a valuable quality.  However, when it comes to FPF, it is impossible to be modest.  This is the most interesting, most innovative and highest quality recreation league ever.  This weekend we give back to you, the players, with our Roadshow festivities.  Best of luck to everyone who’s playing!

Semi Finals

Division1

Finest Move On…They Slicer Dicers

The least surprising thing this season is, Montreal’s Finest is heading back to the finals.  At leaste we can say, at least we have the best of the best competing for the trophy.  The surprising thing is the way they got there.  Facing DK we expected a fast paced game where each side would trade punches. It was fast paced, however, DK was absorbing most of the damage. Two key punches were on redzone turnovers.  Rochdi Benabdelkader rolled right and threw across his body into the waiting arms of Montreal’s Finest’s Akked Moore.  Later in the game Olivier Bourdage would make a play in the endzone to intercept Benabdelkader. 

Serge Pilon Jr. filled the role I expected him to as he led the offense with plenty of quick, underneath passes that allowed him to use his blazing speed in space.  Kevin Wyeth was sharp as usual and connected for 2 touchdowns a piece with Adam Bailey and Akked Moore.  The one mistake was late in the game when Kevin Wyeth aired out a pass where he was not on the same page as his receiver and the pass was intercepted by Pat Chénard.  Montreal`s Finest beats DK 40-26 and moves on to the finals.

 

Get In While the Gittens Good

 

When the D-Boys are at their best, it may just be the best that FPF has to offer.  Flag Moi L’Sac have always been considered as the team that was on the road but may never reach their destination.  In their path on the way to the finals were the D-Boys.  They in fat ran into the best version of the D-Boys we’ve seen all season. Flag Moi’ L Sac did what they could to contain the deep ball, thinking they could force quarterback Marco Masciotra to make a mistake and aggressively intercept him in the flats.  This would not come to fruition as Masciotra found receivers open in the intermediate zones all game long.

 

The one interception did come when Marco Masciotra rolled to his left and saw Leo Lanni at the back of the end zone heading in the opposite direction.  After trying to force it, Alex Nadeau-Piuze Ade an incredible play to intercept the pass.  Samuel Nadeau-Piuze helped Flag Moi L’sac keep pace as he hauled in 7 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.  Mikhail Davidson and Guillaume Robert both caught 2 touchdowns a piece.  The 2 stops by the D-Boys defence would prove to be the difference.

 

The last stop came down to a fourth down with a handful of plays left. (as seen on Facebook Live).  Matt Kirouac chased down Alex Nadeau Piuze as he had done in probably his best played game of the year.  His pressure forced a a heavy looking ball pulled down to the ground by gravity at the feet of Antonio Lanni.  This would be the second turnover forced by everyone’s favourite beard as earlier in the game he rejected Alex Nadeau-Piuze, on fourth down, with Dikembe Mutombo vigour.  This gave the D-Boys a chance to win the game in regulation and they did as Marco Masciotra connected with Jamal Gittens in the back of the end zone for his third touchdown of the game.  D-Boys, welcome to the Roadshow! They beat Flag Moi L’Sac 38-32 to earn their place.

 

Division 2

Loose Grips Sink Ships

 

 

Grip N Rip was the only team to have beaten the Braves all season long.  Yet beating the newly arrive juggernaut twice in one season would have been incredibly difficult.  Jonathan Maheu was sharp.  He took advantage of extra possessions and short fields as he went 15/18 for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns. GNR QB Vinny Gualano threw for 40 more yards but he there interceptions to Antoine Boulard and Mike Pierrecin (twice).  

 

Anthony Vendrame had a solid game catching 7 passes and two touchdowns but he is not without blame in this one. What is the point of having a time cop, if he can’t alter the future?  The the fate set, Antoine Boulard led the way for the Braves as 2 of his catches went for scores.  When the dust cleared over this ugly game Braves were the victors of a 52-20 game.

 

Ohhhhhhhhhh Snap

 

Let me begin at the end.  I figure, not enough articles are written non-linearly.  It is also, in this game, the most interesting part.  Imagine a game that was led by STL for nearly 40 minutes.  With 6 plays left, Dylan Taylor scanned the field.  It was 4th down with a handful of yards to go which would likely end the season for Dan & Co.  Guillaume De Palma snapped the ball high (as had often been the case all season long).  Dylan Taylor is a great athlete and he jumped as high as he could, reached for the heavens and saw the ball land on the 1 inch line, just shy of a safety.  The score was 24-19 with STL leading and now Dan “Tacos” Lazzara led his offence back on the field.

 

Dan Lazarra struggled earlier in the game in the redone (see non-linear), as he had a drive end when Theo Ojeaha ripped the ball from the would be scorer with absolute authority.  This time around he looked as calm as could be.  First down, Dan Lazarra got the snap and grounded it a yard into the endzone at the feet of his snapper Stephen Casey. Second down, Lazarra, snap, catch, grounded.  Then on this down, with complete confidence he caught the ball looked right and saw Alex Blanchet cutting hard as Brent Callendar took a step backward and he delivered a perfect ball to Blanchet who was standing in the end zone celebrating as Dan & Co. moved to an uncomfortable 25-24 lead with 2 plays left.  

 

Dylan Taylor completed a short pass and then aired a final hail Mary out toward Theo Ojeaha (the final play can be seen on Twitter @TerryTamFPF. Ojeaha, arguably the best jump ball receiver in the game went up in a crowd, got a hand on the ball and then came down empty and alone.  The crowd was now at centre field celebrating Dan & Co’s victory.  Earlier in the game, Dylan Taylor was launching deep balls on post and wheel route combinations that Dan & Co. had a bizarre difficulty covering, now at the end of the game (basically Mulholland Drive), Dylan Taylor stood at centre field, shocked and reciting the mantra: “My snapper just cost me the game.  My snapper just cost me the game.”  In the end, mistakes can happen anywhere but none are more magnified than those that keep you from Roadshow Sunday!  Well STL, at least you’ll be able to watch The Masters.

 

 

A brief History of Rivalry

Here are the results from all games the Finest has played against The D-Boys and variants (Rooster’s and Donkyes/All Black Everything) from the time that Marco Masciotra has taken over at Quarterback until this season.

Spring 2014

DA Finest 34- Roosters and Donkeys 33

• Marco Masciotra threw 3 interceptions
• Wyeth toyed with R&D throwing touchdowns to Rochdi Benabdelkader, Mike Harrington, Garrett Taylor, Akked Moore and Kishon Thompson

Winter 2015

(week 2) Montreal’s Finest 33- D-Boys 26

• To everyone’s annoyance these two teams were paired in the same conference and would not meet in the final.
• Marco Masciotra throws 3 interceptions, again.
• Kishon Thompson was virtually unguardable as he caught for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns.

(week 9) Montreal’s Finest 32- D-Boys 31

• Kevin Wyeth throws 3 interceptions this time but Finest are still good enough in this game to win.
• D-Boys Jamal Gittens had 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions

(semi-finals) Montreal’s Finest 39- D-Boys 38

• D-Boys gave everything they could against the Finest and were still unable to beat Wyeth and Co.
• Kishon Thompson further developed his reputation as a D-Boys killer with 3 touchdowns an interception.
• Theo Ojeaha matched Thompson’s three touchdown performance in a losing effort.

 

Spring 2015

(week 1) Roosters & Donkeys 32- Montreal’s Finest 26

• R&D finally cracked the seal.
• This looked a lot like the first time they met in this era. This time it was Masciotra spreading the ball.  Jamal Gittens, Theo Ojeaha, Jordan McLaren, Matthew Petrone and Matt Kirouac all caught touchdowns
• Kevin Wyeth threw 3 interceptions against the D-Boys again and this time it cost the Finest a victory.

(week 6) Montreal’s Finest 33-Roosters & Donkeys 32   

• Kevin Wyeth threw for 5 touchdowns and did not throw an interception all game long.
• Jacques Void caught 2 touchdowns for R&D which ended up looking fairly regular as compared to Theo Ojeaha’s 3.

(championship game) Roosters & Donkeys 26- Montreal’s Finest 24

• The first few drives of the game saw Kevin Wyeth and Marco Masciotra alternate interceptions
• Theo Ojeaha has a dominant game catching for 73 yards on 8 grabs and 2 touchdowns.
• Marco Masciotra and Kevin Wyeth threw a combined 7 interceptions.

Winter 2016

(week 3) D-Boys 46-Montreal’s Finest 39

• Akked Moore scored 3 touchdowns in a high scoring affair.
• Theo Ojeaha caught 6 passes for 93 yards and 5 Touchdowns.
• Despite being tied at the half D-Boys pulled away in the second half

(week 9) D-Boys 25-Montreal’s Finest 20

• D-Boys had won 3 straight games against Montreal`s Finest at this point.
• Theo Ojeaha intercepted a ball that proved to be the difference.
• Guillaume Ward was a monument to efficiency having made 2 catches for 7 yards and a touchdowns.

Spring 2016

(week 3) Montreal’s Finest 37-All Black Everything 31

• Montreal’s Finest swing back, breaking their losing streak in the series.
• Kishon Thompson had 3 touchdowns but special mention goes to, the then new acquisition, Pat Jerome who caught 2 touchdowns for Montreal’s Finest
• Anthony Commeau and Matt Kirouac combined for 7 catches and 2 touchdowns.

(week 8) All Black Everything 45-Montreal’s Finest 44

• At this point, it is clear that we have an elite rivalry
• Pat Chénard caught 3 touchdowns and intercepted a pass.
• Theo Ojeaha caught all 7 touchdown passes thrown by Marco Masciotra

Winter 2018

(week 1) Montreal’s Finest 32-D-Boys 31

• Kevin Wyeth threw for 225 yards on his way to scoring 5 touchdowns
• Nick Gaudrault caught a touchdown among the 4 receivers who scored for D-Boys.

(week 11) D-Boys 48-Montreal’s Finest 39

• D-Boys finally play at the height of their capabilities in a game that did little for Montreal’s Finest
• Matt Kirouac scored three touchdowns and recorded a sack.
• Pat Jerome scored 2 touchdowns while Mike Harrington, Akked Moore, Adam Bailey, Garret Taylor each scored one.

 

Increasingly Hungover Visions of the World of Tomorrow

 

Montreal’s Finest vs. D-Boys

Previous Result: D-Boys 48-Montreal’s Finest 39

Jamal Gittens has caught 3 touchdowns this playoff season and D-Boys are playing their best football.  I chronicled the history of their rivalry and while the Finest dominated early, it has become a lot more balanced in recent history.  In the games where D-Boys have won Marco Masciotra has leaned heavily on Theo Ojeaha.  Montreal’s Finest is likely aware of this and I’m curious to see how they will manage to disrupt the timing on the deep-ins to Ojeaha and the tight window throws in the redzone.  

 

Often there is not a lot that can be done but the defenders such as Garrett Taylor and athletes like Akked Moore and Adam Bailey will likely be aggressive and attempt to make plays for their defense.  If Theo Ojeaha does get limited I expect Matt Kirouac to serve as an effective ancillary option who will chew up yardage in space.

 

Montreal’s Finest matches up well with the size of Jordan Mclaren and the height of Jamal Gittens.  The Montreal’s Finest offense is legendary.  Kevin Wyeth has enjoyed his new weapon in Adam Bailey.  I expect an early toss up to Akked Moore but likely the D-Boys will be waiting.  What I have seen, is that often it matters little if other teams are ready for said deep shot. Antonio Lanni and others will look to jump the quick slants that Montreal’s Finest are famous for.  However the quick pass and great timing with familiar receivers will likely prove difficult to stop.  

A familiar face returning to this game is Kishon Thompson who’s suspension is now complete and he will likely have a huge impact on this game.  While last time these teams met in the finals there were tons of turnovers, I think this one is a far more efficient game that will be defined by one mistake.  I also think that the man who will make that mistake is Kevin Wyeth.

 

Prediction: D-Boys 44-Montreal’s Finest 38

 

Braves vs. Dan & Co.

Previous Result: n/a

 

The Braves had a historic first season in FPF.  They showed a prowess that has rarely been seen by new teams. There is one criticism.  While it isn’t their fault, they also haven’t played against some of the best quarterbacks in Division 2.  They did not play against Kevin Wyeth, Marco Masciotra or Dan Lazzara.  They will finally get their chance to face Lazzara in the finals this season.  They have not season Dan & Co. first hand and will have difficulty dealing with the timing between the quarterback and receivers Zack Jauniaux, Alex Blanchet and Stephen Casey.  Likely Lazzara will be smart and efficient and spread the ball around. He will take what the defence gives him and this may prove to be frustrating for the first time finalists  

Jonathan Maheu can also be tough to deal with in his un orthodox style of play.  He will like to take deep shots and players such as Mike Pierrecin, Georges Gariepy and Jason Courchesne will allow for Maheu to find success with the deep ball. I would like to see how Alex Blanchet will rush the athletic Jonathan Maheu.  When to change things up and bring Zack Jauniaux to spell Blanchet will also be key. Quaid Johnson who had a quiet semi final game last week.  However, I still believe he will have a big play that will turn the tide in this game.

Prediction: Dan & Co. 46-Braves 36

 

Saturday’s Spinning Spuds

Tune in to watch out broadcast of the division 1 and 2 finals.  For Division 2, I will be in the booth with Simon Dagenais and Terry Tam.  Moe Khan will replace me for Division 1.  If you find yourself with nothing to do this sunday, I highly recommend coming to see the games live, hanging out and having a beer with FPF media members, staff, referees and the droves of players who always seem to make their way down to the fields.  For the last time this season, see you at the fields!