Categories: Co-EdFallTier 1Tier 2Tier 3Tier 4Women's

Woolly Mammoths, One Bandwagon and Two Beers

Peeze’s Playbook: Week 3

I’ve said this on Calling the Audible. However, since not everyone watches the show (madness, I know) I wanted to talk about this here as well. Before the season started I was happy with some of the decisions we made in terms of media coverage for Fall. We were introducing Lory and Iggy as writers but also as part of the ensemble cast for Calling the Audible. Alexi was going to be worked into the fray as well. I like the idea of an ensemble cast because the show was never meant to feel like Moe and I talking down to the community form on high. Rather we always saw it as something else.

For those who tune in for analysis we want to make sure we always do provide that. there’s a lot of years of experience, covering and playing in FPF between us. Additionally, Moe’s knowledge of leagues outside of FPF, Iggy’s knowledge of MFL and Lory’s familiarity with Co-Ed and women’s give us the advantage of having a diverse tapestry. We also like having a diverse team to get a vareity of thoughts from people who think differently from us. Weirdly, the idea of diversity is now being weaponized but I don’t know why anyone would want the league or anywhere else to be less inclusive. But I digress… Adding Lory to the mainstay of teams meant we had someone with intimate knowledge of Women’s and Co-Ed but it also meant that we get her perspective on all of FPF (just like Moe and I give our perspective on the league as a whole).

More than just analysis (the articles are a better way for us to analyze on a weekly basis), we want the show to be entertaining. My idea was that it would be a show about making a show about flag football. We’d have peaks into our dynamics and our personal lives so that we share our lives with the community that means so much to us. We want the show to be something like The Office or the Larry Sanders show but dedicated to our community. Where Michael Scott’s “that what she said!” is culturally significant, so is “False Kings”.

In order to do that we’ve all taken on larger roles. With an attempt to reimagine our social media presence I’ve been more involved and Iggy and Lory are generating content for that as well. We also did not expect the weeks to end on Wednesday and begin on Thursday. This gives us very little time to write before the next week begins, especially on weeks where the writers are running the show. We are sorry that the articles are coming out late we are trying to improve how quickly we can turn these over. This isn’t an excuse (I’m not a Bills fan after all) but rather a peak behind the curtain and an acknowledgement that we’re trying to get better.

Jump Around

There’s a point where you expect the King of the Hill to wear his crown.  Challengers may approach but they must still be weary.  We’ve talked about it for some time but the top tier of Quarterbacks is 3 deep.  Interchangeably Kevin Wyeth, Jo Maheu and Dan Lazzara are the best there are doing it.  There’s never been a larger second tier than we have today and those challengers are coming.  Perhaps leading that charge is Jeremy White. 

EZW has come a long way quickly.  Jeremy will tell you that he is propped up by his team. His receivers make him look good.  I’m here to tell you that while his modesty is not insincere it is misguided.  His ability to buy time has allowed for his play calling and his reads to improve.  EZW’s defense was once a weakness and now has learned to rely on wits as well as divine bestowed ability. This however has it’s limits. It’s limits were tested at the top of the mountain.

For Kangaroos quarterback Dan Lazarra a 300 yard 7 touchdown game is seemingly unremarkable.  However, lest you think my praise is unnecessarily effusive, it’s important to note that Kangaroos scored every 3.6 plays.  As quickly as EZW have developed this puts so much undue pressure on the young team. The first two scoring plays (to Phil Pharand and AJ Gomes respectively) totalled 71 yards of offense. I can imagine why EZW started to press early on.

The welcome to Tier 1 moment happened on back to back drives for EZW (yes I know they played tier 1 before…relax, I’m telling a story), White scanned the field but was intercepted by Jeanslee Alexis and Darren Whiltshire in short order.  I’ve often said that EZW have a tendency to spin the wheel of heroes and see what comes out the other end.  This week Charles-Olivier Lavigne was where it landed but he was less efficient than usual as his 8 catches resulted in 68 yards and a single touchdown. There was a great surge by EZW in the end but the game would end 48-28.

Run it Up

The weather on monday was dreary. Perhaps that has answered all your queries.  Ok, I’m not much of a poet.  The weather was trash. It was cold, it was spitting rain and it was generally unpleasant.  Adding to the unpleasantness was an ankle injury to JD Chevalier who went down at the back of one of the endzones.  The injury is a sprain and I’m told he’s doing better. Heal up soon my dude.

Braves seemed to take the injury in stride and just continued to execute with the precision they;ve become known for.  Weirdly the statlines for Jo Maheu and Jeff Rosenblatt were similar.  Rosenblatt actually completed one more pass than Maheu but 4 of his 8 incompletions were intercepted. There were some good moments.  None of this better encapsulated by a slant to Anthony Brisebois from Rose to end what was initially a two score game.  Instead it would end 40-32 in favor of the Braves.

Braves force you to pick your poison. You certainly can’t take all of their weapons away and Jo Maheau is as talented a signal caller as there is. Not only will guys be wide open at times but even when they aren’t he’ll throw them open. Mike Pierrecin led the charge on offense but the targets, catches and yards were split across the receivers.  In the end, it was another predictable result from one of the top teams as the Braves took down Run it Once.

Dancing in the Dark

Blackouts are one of the team’s that’s fascinated me for some time.  I love their athleticism. Ryan Vanslet, Chris Cione, and Michael Khazaka are all great pieces on which to build a team.  They also have an incredible but unnecessary start in Adam Sinagra at the quarterback position. The team also boasts some raw but talented quarterbacks in Alexandre Deslisle and Julien Lachance.  Still, we’ve seen with Sinagra at the helm this looks more like a legitimate threat and less like the plucky team who can beat anyone on a given night. Sinagra gives them gravitas.

This was the case in week 2 when Blackouts faced Centaures.  Sinagra completed 13 of his 19 attempts for 5 touchdowns.  Centaures are a solid defensive team but could do nothing to slow the Blackouts offense. Sinagra had his offense converting on 75% of their third downs and the team was scoring at an incredible pace as 1 play in every 3.8 would end in a touchdown.  Matthew Ferrante would kick the scoring off for Blackouts  with a 33 yard score on the game’s second play. Still it was Ryan Vanslet who led the team in targets with 7 and would score twice as the Blackouts beat the Centaures 32-25.

The Centaures played the kind of Game script where (with doing little research) it feels as though they’re losing more often than not.  Chris Brockwell is best used in key moments and to punch in scores in tight areas. Here it seemed Jason Rossie relied on his snapper to move the ball very heavily and it limited the team’s efficacy. Hugo Allamano scored despite a slightly quiet night and Yvan desjardins was unable to have much of na impact despite his 12 targets.  More on Centaures later however.

Always Smiling

For those who have read my articles in the past, you’ll know that I’ve had some criticism for Replacements/Why So Serious QB Frank Teoli-Collatrella.  The issues in week 2 against Kiss my Inlaws remain unchanged.  Essentially it boils down to the following:

  • The reads are seemingly made in the huddle.  Rather than adapting to the defense, it appears as though Collatrella draws up plays looking to hit a specific receiver. 
  • The playbook has too many options and it ends up with poorly executed play design where many players are in the same spot on the field at the same time.  This takes way too much chemistry and timing to run effectively for a league that does not practice as a general rule.
  • More players need to be more involved on offense.

There are some pieces on this team I really like. Robert Di Ielsi has been a reliable part of the offense for years at this point.  Kareem Anthony Chilcott is a great possession receiver with speed and can run the entire route tree.  They were the main pieces in use in their game against KMI (they combined for 8 of the team’s 10 receptions).

In all honesty Why So Serious had opportunities in this game. I’ve heard reports that Kareem Chilcott let Iggy Magnets off the hook with three dropped interceptions. Kiss MY Inlaws are a team who you need to make oay for their mistakes because they do not make many. Instead 7 receivers were targeted (with Lucas Quennville and David De Andrade leading the charge).  In essence, what Kiss My Inlaws did and do well is what Why So Serious struggles with.  Kiss my Inlaws won that game 32-13.

A Louves in Loup’s Clothing

It was an absolute pleasure to be at the game between the Louves and the Loups (both du Nord).  Was it a good game? No. Was the field rumbling from the sheer passion displayed by both teams? Absolutely!  In the end the game was a close one and it was decided on the last play so despite it’s lack of artistry the narrative is what any football fan would hope for. Ngoc Quynh Pham hit a wide open Nour Saci who turned up the far sideline and was gone for a 29 yard passing touchdown on the final play to give the Louves du Nord a 8-6 win over their frenemies.

 

Both sides played congested offense with too little play design and too much commotion behind the line of scrimmage. In the loss stars from les Loups also rose to challenge Nour Saci in the spotlight. Tabitha Thomas was brilliant offensively and Latecia Ngaleu was stelar on defense as her 3 interceptions helped keep the Loups at bay for most of the game.

Week 3 

A Blessed September

When Blessed QB Stephen Harripersaud asked me what STL’s weaknesses said. My answer was simple “none”.  STL is solid across the board and as such Stephen H. knew the key would be in execution.  It’s important to note that while STL’s talents are known across divisions and through Time the blessed team boasts players who, if they haven’t yet arrived are approaching the door.  James Langshaw is one such player who’s sheer speed leaves defenders in his wake.  Langshaw got by Julen McLaren Thompson for 3 scores. 

There were moments where STL can remember fondly. One such example was Dylan Taylor pumping to get Isaiah Allard off balance to buy himself time on more than one occasion.  Taylor did struggle at throwing deep against Blessed.  William Power and Marin Steinberg intercepted two deep passes that hung for just a moment too long.  The third interception saw Rocco Chritiano stop his route too early and the ball sailed to the waiting Will Power. Blessed beat STL by a score of 40-20 in a huge early season upset. 

Musings, Rambling, Lies and other Assortments

  • I really don’t enjoy playing outdoors. Cold air? Spitting rain? Miss me with that.
  • It was a three TD week for KGP’s Mathieu Lepage. 
  • Tyler Gurberg of Killer Rays fully copped to learning a lesson from Kiss My Inlaws.  I expect the next time they play the game will be closer.
  • Bills Mafia…more like Excuse Mafia
  • There was a lot of weird decisions in the Team Ethnik and Centaures game. Read Iggy’s upcoming article for more info.
  • Incredible Thought: Did Woolly Mammoths taste more like Lamb or Bear?
  • It’s a case of haves and have nots in Tier 2. Four teams have combined for 0 wins and 9 loses.
  • The two most high volume offences in Tier 1 have to be EZW and Blessed.  Of the top 10 targeted receivers, 9 of them play for either EZW or Blessed.  I know they’ve both played 4 games but it’s still impressive how deep these rosters are.
  • Vortex beat Brutes! If you haven’t jumped on the Gabrielle Vanier bandwagon, now’s the time.
  • Rocco Christiano is nasty as a dual threat quarterback. Aside from what he’s done from the pocket he’s averaging 12.3 yards per carry through 2 games.
  • I didn’t expect Lallimo’s 17 year olds to have such a good offense. They’ve scored on nearly 72% of their drives so far. AJ Zeppetelli has 6 touchdowns on 11 targets. Not catches…targets.
  • If you want to live through a full gambit of emotions, ask Iggy Magnets for a ride. It’s an intense 18 seconds.
  • Jonathan Maheu winning percentage=72%. Kevin Wyeth winning percentage= 74.444%. Stephen Harripersaud=74%. Wins are not a QB stat but it is impressive nonetheless.
  • Villains have allowed only 42 points through 4 games and they’ve beaten Free Smoke. Yeah, they’re the best defense in co-ed.  Look out for Maisoun Kaoun, she’s a star in the making.
  • Maudite or Fin Du Monde. Which was the spicy one? 

Team Spotlight: WIB 2.0

Once in a while teams reach out to us media folks and tell us a little about their team. I wanted to reward such behavior by spotlighting one such team in this article. WIB kinda got the short end of the scheduling stick. They led the season off with the prohibitive favorites in the first two weeks.  The took two losses to Penetrators and Save the Turftles.  I fully expect them to rebound. While they likely will end up at or near that tier starting the season meant facing off against favorites before WIB 2.0 could get their sh*t together.  

Skylar Bayliff who is, in his own right, a very good receiver takes the reigns at QB.  He is surrounded with some of the deadliest weapons in this division.  Nicholas Di Maulo can absolutely fly.  He has reached triple digits in yardage in just two games. Julian McLaren Thompson is a great two way piece with higher division experience.  My favorite of the bunch is, who Skylar himself refers to as Mr.Yac. Zach Stacey is such a great receiver when it comes to working in space.  I’m certain that before long he’ll be recruited to play on high division teams as well. Two relatively new/unkown players are looking to showcase their athleticism once they’ve learned a little more about the league.  Mike Badibaungi and Miguel Espinosa are names that Bayliff promises we’ll be familiar with soon.

The team’s offense has not yet clicked which is fairly understandable as they work out the kinks with a fairly new QB and a receiving squad that does feature some inexperience. The schedule does ease up a little and I expect WIB to be a greater challenge for the top seeds come playoff time. Proper playcalling and spacing on O will help them become the offense we expected coming into the season and the communication on defense will improve over time as well.

Monday Morning Miracle

For those who have any thoughts, commentary or complaints, I am very easy to find.  I’m @peezehss on twitter, @pdellarocca and Peeze Della Reeze on Facebook.  You can also take a chance by emailing me at [email protected] but I don’t check it because it’s a death trap of junk emails all trying to convince me that 66 massage therapists is normal or that one persistant one that keeps telling me to book my trip down south at a discount.  I really need to use incognito mode.  Please check out the works of my colleagues Lory Oulette and Ignacio Valdez Manzenedo as the three of us are covering all of the fall league as part of a joint effort. 

Remember that each week you can join the party on our Facebook page or at www.youtube.com/flagplus on our weekly podcast: Calling the Audible.  We are still trying to figure out when the shows will be available and how to get it live on air.  

Till next week, I want to thank you falettineme be mice elf agin!