Wild-Card: Upset city, or Status-Quo?

With the regular season over, the focus switches to the playoffs

The end of one journey only marks the beginning of another. Welcome to the playoffs. It was a perfect finish to a season filled with the most improbable. Many teams took care of business in week 11 and either secured themselves a first-round bye or a playoffs spot, while others crumbled under the limelight. We also witnessed one of the greatest games of the season as The Gryphons edged out Les Verges Folles. If you haven’t already done so, catch the game on the FPF website.

This week’s agenda is as followed:

Logistics/Playoff Standings/ Previews: Playoff Edition

 

Logistics

Let us get the logistics and rules out of the way. Each playoff team starts with a clean slate. The only difference is that the post-season is unforgiving, so you can ill afford to lose a game. Winning is the name of the game and the moreWs you pile up, the further you make it into the tournament, until it is all set and done and a new champion is crowned. Will it be you?

Division 5 – Final Playoff Seeding

*Teams in bold are division winners

Conference A 1. Golden Flashes 2. Cougars 3. Maximum Carnage 4. Les Refs

5. J’s 6. Sphinx 7. Blackshirts 8. KGP Lite 9. Old Guns 10. The U 11. TDs and Beer 12. Junkyard Dogs

Conference B 1. The Gryphons 2. Gators 3. Tomahawk Nightmare 4. Les Verges Folles

5. GG’WP’ 6. Goats 7. DG Goons 8. Green Lantern Corps 9. Dope Boys 10. Jagerbomb 11. Speed Demons 12. Keyport Lock

Game Previews

J’s (7-3) vs Junkyard Dogs (4-5)

Overview: The J’s play a rather conservative offence. They drive the field and have been pouring it on opposing defences as of late. Simply an incredible season for this club.

The same cannot be said for the Junkyard Dogs. Jason Rossie has been inconsistent all year long. When he is having a good game, his team is hard to beat. However, when he tosses for only two TDs as seen against the Les Refs, the Gators and TDs and Beer, his team losses. That being said, I think he is poised for a solid performance.

Matchup to watch: The matchup that intrigues me in this game is the J’s quarterback Hai Minh Luong going against the Junkyard Dogs’ defence. Luong ended the season on fire having tossed a season-high 7 touchdowns. Ridiculous. His QB rating has been through the roof and over 115 in five of his last 6 games. This has certainly been a breakout year for him and his club. If he can locate Maurice Dykmans, fresh off his 5 touchdown performance, this can be a long night for the Junkyard Dogs.

On the flip side, the defensive unit for the Junkyard Dogs ended the season with an exclamation point en route to punching their ticket into the post-season. They manhandled Sticky Hands and yielded a measly 6 points. Jacob Bernett accounted for two of the team’s three interceptions last week.

Verdict:The defence of Junkyard Dogs matches very well against the J’s offence. The dogs like to protect the short and do a good job at it. The J’s offence focuses on the short. Strengths against strength, but I see Junkyard taking this one in a close game.

 

Sphinx (7-3) vs TDs and Beer (5-5)

Overview: Oh, what a difference one week can make.Without their star pivot under centre, the Sphinx looked anything but scary two weeks ago. That is a thing of the past asEtienne Cloutier resumed his usual role with the team following a minor injury to his throwing hand.

Matchup to watch: Although Cloutier is back, I am more interested in the Sphinx defence trying to stop TDs and Beer’s offence, most notably their star receiver. No question the Sphinx will have Isiah Allard on their radar. This means that Allard might on occasion see a DB covering the flats with safety cheating on his side to help on top. I believe that Sphinx will be ready to shut him down—although I expect Allard to still make plays. If this is the case, the Sphinx may be daring QB Brad Evans to find another receiver to carry the load. I expect to see either Frédéric Leclerc or Philippe Cloutier covering Allard, while Mathieu Fafard plays safety.

Verdict: The Sphinx have too good of a defence to lose this one in my opinion. That unit has the ability to single handily win games in the event that their offence is stuck in first gear. That is a luxury which simply takes pressure of the QB and provides him the peace of mind that he doesn’t have to shoulder the team in every game. I have to go with the Sphinx defence in this one.

 

Goats (7-3) vs Speed Demons (5-4-1)

Overview: Bryan Nguyen has been the leader of this team since the start of the season. Certainly the Speed Demons have the FPF experience, but they are going up against the heavily favoured Goats team, known for making big plays. On the flip side, playoff experience is not something to be taking lightly. We all know that it’s a different game when the playoffs roll around. The Speed Demons have that on their side as Adam Copeland, Sam Holden, Eric Pawlusiak, Jordan Zipkin and Nguyen have all been there before.

Matchup to watch:Jean-Philippe Aumont has been sensational in the past few weeks, having tossed 11 TDs with no interceptions. I am guessing that his confidence should be through the roof as he and his team prepare for their first playoff tilt. Confidence is a dangerous thing. I am curious to see how the Speed Demons will try to match up defensively against a much younger and more athletic Goats team and how they plan to stop Aumont.

Verdict: One thing is certain when the Goats play: they score a lot of points. So if this turns into a shootout, I have to favour Goats in this one as the Speed Demons are not necessarily known for lighting up the scoreboard nor is their offence built for that. The Speed Demons have a solid defence, but I don’t think that the offence will be able to generate enough points to keep it close and give the Speed Demons the opportunity to steal a victory. Goats should win this one.

 

GG’WP’ (7-2-1) vs Keyport Lock (5-5)

Overview: Keyport Lock went toe to toe with Tomahawk Nightmare and dismantled the Blackshirts two weeks ago. What this tells us, is simple. This team can compete with anybody. It seems to depend on which Keyport Lock team will show up to be perfectly honest.

Matchup to watch: GG’WP’ have produced one of division’s most talented offences and Keyport Lock, to put it mildly, have been a bust on defence giving up close to 30 points per game this season. With GG’WP’ marching into town, I believe that this offence can showcase their skills and flex a little muscle by easily putting up 30 points or more in this one. Simon Bosquet Beaudoin, Alexandre Noel and William Moquin should be delighted with their opening playoff matchup pitting them against a secondary that has given up a few big plays this season. That being said, Keyport Lock’s defence has been steadily improving as of late. The unit generated 7 picks in their last 2 games. That’s how you win games or at the very least set up your offence with the opportunity to score at will.

Verdict: GG’WP’ like to run the ball. They have shown that they can do so and win games despite their QB only attempting 9 passes in a game as seen in their game against the X-Men. Hard to get interceptions, when the other team is not throwing the ball all that much. For this reason, I do not see how Keyport Lock will be able to stop the speedy Beaudoin. After all, he is a dual threat. So he can win on the ground as much as he can through the air. GG’WP’ win.

 

Green Lantern Corps (6-3-1) vsDope Boys (6-4)

Overview: From their performances over the past two weeks, I believe that Green Lantern Corps are heating up at the right time. Back-to-back convincing wins for this club is just what they needed as they prepare to take on a worthy opponent. On the flip side, Dope Boys have dropped their last two contests. Not exactly the way you want to enter the playoffs.

Matchup to watch:Lubin spells trouble for opposing defences. Just look at his numbers from two weeks ago, as he hauled in 4 TD grabs, which is certainly not an easy task to accomplish in FPF—no matter the division. If those efforts didn’t convince you, just watch what he will do against Dope Boys. Lubin should turn in a monster performance and make plays when his team needs it the most. This should be a productive week for him against the Dope Boys and their defensive unit.

Verdict:Dope have showed that they can beat mediocre teams and win the games that they are supposed to win. But in the face of stiff completion, they have lost. That was on display in their losses to the Goats, Old Guns, Tomahawk Nightmare and the Speed Demons—all of which are in the playoffs. Mendy Cardichon, Steevens St-Fleur, NaimGoulamhoussenand FadelAssane will provide enough stops on defence to win this game.

 

Blackshirts (6-4) vs The U (5-4-1)

Overview: Blackshirts played spoilers as they handed the Cougars their only loss of the season right before the start of the playoffs. Yes, this team certainly has a knack for coming up big against tough opponents. They will need that same intensity this weekend against The U.

Matchup to watch: The Blackshirts have a tough assignment facing The U and their unorthodox style of offence. Dustin White has a quick release and has the ability to extend plays with his legs with his eyes always down field looking for that open receiver to come into his QB vision. Add Shaq Lattimore to the mix. Then Josh Abramovitz and Josh White chipping in on offence. This offence should create mismatches for the Blackshirts’ defence which should definitely make for an interesting matchup.

Verdict:As good as the Blackshirts’ defensive unit can be, they haven’t faced the speed and elusiveness that Latimore brings with him to every game. I expect him toquietly rack up yardage for his club and move the chains. Jason Armenti, might end up frustrated because it will be awfully difficult for him to tackle Latimore out of the backfield and Dustin White is also hard to sack when he rolls out of the pocket. For this, I give the advantage to The U.

 

DG Goons (6-2-2) vs Jagerbomb (5-4)

Overview: Talk about turning your season around. The Jagerbomb have been a totally different squad since the start of the second season took flight, pilling up 4 wins in their last 5 games. They are finally playing to their potential, something that I expected to manifest for the entire season. Better late than never.

Matchup to watch:Christopher Pendenza is the golden ticket for this team moving forward. His success opened the door for his team’s recent accomplishments and the passing game took flight. This will in turn allow the Goons to unleash Rich Humes, who certainly has playoffs experience. DG Goons can also strike swiftly. Pendenza has found that launching it 40 yards down the field in the direction of Derrick Fontana and Phil Warlop are a good way to get his team back in the game or to quickly increase the lead.

Verdict:So what’s better than entering the playoffs with 4 straight wins? Ask the DG Goons, winners of their last five tilts. These goons have beating some of the best this division has to offer. Green Lantern Corps and the Gators to name a few, yes, this team can ball. They are on a hot streak and I would be surprised if the Jagerbomb have to power to extinguish that flame. I am going with the Goons.

 

KGP Lite (6-4) vs Old Guns (6-4)

Overview: Has the grueling 11 weeks of FPF action begun to take its toll on the Old Guns?  Looking at their performances in the past few weeks, it’s certainly starting to look that way.I have also been impressed by KGP Lite’s recent success. They have really stepped it up.

Matchup to watch:KGP Lite have beensteadily playing musical chairs at the quarterback position. They seem content with sticking with Dylan Garber.I will pit QB vs QB in my matchup to watch. A good defence-bad offence combination doesn’t prevent teams from winning as KGP Lite have shown.Jonathan Garfinkle alongside Garber and Phil Cutler have been dominant on defence combining for 24 interceptions. Still, Vince Pisano from the Old Guns gets my nod of approval despite the team’s recent struggles.

Verdict:I can’t see the Old Guns getting any worst then what we have seen in recent weeks and I think they are too talented to lose 4 out of their last 5 games. I think their defence will be able to read and adjust to what KGP throws at them and win the game, although I wouldn’t bet the house on it. This one came down to a coin toss.

The action continues next week. Look for all your updates, right here. Don’t forget to listen to the Division 5 podcast on Thursday nights at www.theunclemikeshow.com or catch the replay at https://www.youtube.com/user/flagplusGood luck the rest of the way!