The Pulse (D5) – Week 7

 

“Be afraid; be very afraid” is my warning to those teams clinging on to the seventh and eighth playoff spots. There is still three weeks of football left to be played and your ticket to the big dance can be revoked at anytime. While the top teams in their conferences have already secured a spot in the postseason, bubble teams in both conferences seem determined to make this a photo finish. I would love to say that the playoff picture is clear, but at this stage, it is anything but.

Incredibles prevail without starting QB in the lineup

The Incredibles successfully defended their title as the number seed in conference A with a huge win over the Green Machine. Jacob Peterson made everyone forget that the Incredibles starting quarterback Greg Stern did not play in week 7 by making some spectacular throws from start to finsish. It didn’t matter who lined up to cover the deep ball, Peterson connected with Mike Cho, Kevin Libman and Marco Bertoldi for long scores. Peterson made a mockery out of the Green Machine’s secondary, tossing five touchdowns on just nine completions. The Green Machine were also without their starting quarterback, and relied on the services of Maxime Thiemens for most of the game. While Peterson made it look so easy, going 9-of-17 and passing for 162 yards, Thiemens probably came into the game overconfident and expecting similar results. That didn’t happen. Not even close. Thiemens failed to get his team on the board in the first half after taking over on the third drive of the game, and the Green Machine only mustered seven points from there on out. With Stern still out of the lineup, Peterson should get the start again for Incredibles against Les Buddays.

Dragons’ playoffs hopes fading after tough loss

Unfortunately for the Dragons, they entered their week 7 game against the Golden Eagles desperately needing a win. With Simon Dagenais at the helm and the Dragons feeling the effects of a two-game losing streak, they did not stand a chance against the number one team in division 5 and their ferocious offense right? Not exactly; the Dragons provided the Golden Eagles with their toughest challenge of the season and only lost by a mere eight points. Dagenais and the Dragons’ offense got off to a slow start, but really turned it on late in the game and almost completed the comeback. This mach resembled a boxing fight that went the distance, and you just can’t help but wonder if the Golden Eagles were saved by the bell at the end of the 12th round.

Pendant Publishing squeaks out win over Stallions

Pendant Publishing kicked off week 7 with a win over the Stallions to stay in playoff contention. Pendant Publishing’s passing game is not exactly spreading fear into opposing teams.  Most of their playmakers, including Corey Laxer and Daniel Aronovitch, were held in check and flew under the radar against the Stallions. Allan Lester only had 54 passing yards. Lester is struggling as of late, but did just enough to put his team in a position to win late in the game and complete the comeback. I look for Lester to get things back on track and get Pendant Publishing some momentum with the postseason around the corner.

Widow Makers prove they’re back by crushing Venom

The Widow Makers showed just how good a team they can be when all their star players are on the same page. The Beausejour brothers provided the swagger for the Widow Makers’ offense as they got their second straight victory, by defeating Venom 50-0 on Saturday. The Beausejour brothers combined for 11 receptions, 115 yards and five touchdowns. QB Felix Morin was the player of the game, going nearly flawless, throwing six touchdowns and rushing for another two. With the ground game causing major concerns for the Venom’s’ defense, Morin unloaded an aerial assault that has sent shockwaves through the division.

Injury Report:

Lockdown quarterback Gianfranco Ranaudo injured his knee on the fourth play of last week’s game against the J’s. He informed me that he took himself out for precautionary reasons. Although he does not have a full range of motion in his knee just yet, he feels that he should be ready to return for Lockdown’s big game against Da Boyz. It will be interesting to see if Ranaudo will be able to side step the fierce rush of Mather Warsame.

Right now in Conference A the playoff picture looks like this:

(1)The Incredibles vs. (8) the J’s

(2) Lockdown vs. (7) Da Boyz

(3) Thunder vs. (6) Green Machine

(4) South Shore Storm vs. (5) Warhawks

Right now in Conference B the playoff picture looks like this:

(1)Golden Eagles vs. (8) Big Birds

(2) Les Buddays vs. (7) Pendant Publishing

(3) Outlawz vs. (6) A-Sqaud

(4) Widow Makers vs. (5) Les Mustangs du Gridiron

Scouting Report:

Golden Eagles have a scary duo

If you want a lesson in how to pick apart opposing defenses, look no further than Golden Eagles quarterback Kevin Lubin and receiver Alex David. Each week both players provide a blueprint of how to rack up yards and bolster their productivity. Lubin and David are arguably the most exciting tandem to watch in division 5, and are making a strong case for the league’s most potent quarterback-receiver combination. The mobile quarterback is having an MVP season, he started the season by immediately shaking some of that off-season rust off– as well as a few defenders in the process– and has steadily posted monster numbers as the weeks go by. However, Lubin owes much of that success to David. Both players are developing a strong rapport. David has already topped his season-best 46 receptions that from winter 2010, and currently has 55 receptions and 463 yards.

Widow Makers heating up

Dominant. That is the only way to describe the Widow Makers’ performance in week seven against Venom. Led by Felix Morin, the Widow Makers look poised to make a deep post-season run. In recent weeks, the offence revolves around three guys and three guys only.  Louis-Simon Beausejour, his brother Philippe-Antoine and Felix Morin. There is no question that the offensive’ play calling is somewhat predictable at times and lacks imagination.  But why wouldn’t it? Just put the ball in the hands of Morin and let him continue distributing the ball to the Beausejour brothers. Add in an occasional run and it seems to be a winning formula with three games left on their schedule. The question is, will teams capable of limiting the Beausejour brothers in the playoffs, handcuff Morin?

Outlawz on the run

Fresh off his season-high 127.3 QB rating, Jean-Michel Beaudin is playing at an incredibly high level and those around him are taking notice. They currently sit in third place in their conference, with a one-game lead over the Widow Makers. Beaudin has been electric these past two weeks, connecting with favorite targets Gabriel Cournoyer and Julien Hamel. Both have emerged in the Outlawz offense, and have transformed this team into an offensive juggernaut. With the Bid Birds and Les Buddays still on the schedule, this should be a good measuring stick for the Outlawz, as they look to hold keep pace with Les Buddays and potentially move ahead of them in their conference with a head-to-head win.

Power rankings

1.Golden Eagles (7-0) A clear favorite to win the division 5 title, this team has reigned supreme for seven weeks. But has there been a dent in the Golden Eagles’ armor in recent weeks? Mobile QBs seem to be key ingredient to knocking them out of their comfort zone on defense.

 

2.Les Buddays (6-1) Although Leandre Eitheir threw for a season low one TD and just over 100 yards, this is a guy who has thrown for 25 TDs in 7 games. It is not uncommon for a new team to come out flat in a game or two during their inaugural season. Fortunately, Les Buddays escaped with a win and avoided losing ground to the Golden Eagles in the playoff race.

 

3.The Incredibles (6-1) Jacob Peterson and his five touchdown performance has allowed the Incredibles to ride a four game win-streak. Marco Bertoldi pitched in on Defense with four sacks to improve his season total to a staggering 14.

 

4.Lockdown (5-1-1) Good teams find a way to win no matter what. Lockdown did just that when Geoffry Brown was forced to take over at the QB position after Gianfranco Ranaudo went down with an injury. Andrew D’Anna also leads what can be an stiffling defense.

 

5.Thunder (5-2) More questions than answers seem to surface when examining this team. I have faith in quarterback Bruno Lavergne and his 22 TD passes. That said, I can’t jump on their bandwagon just yet. By defeating the Storm last weekend, Thunder are right where they want to be in third place in conference A and a game ahead of the Storm. But I need to see them beat another quality opponent for me to give my nod of approval. But I must give credit to Alexandre Lapointe, who made a highlight reel interception in last week’s win.

 

6.Warhawks (4-2-1) On their current two-game win streak, the Warhawks have defeated the Thunder and the Tyrants. Receiver Brian Martin gives quarterback Tim O’Hara a great red zone option with his size and strength combination. Now they face a much lesser opponent in the Love Cows. With that said, the Love Cows’ QB Jamal Garner has speed and is not afraid to run. Warhawks defense must account for him.

 

7.South Shore Storm (4-2-1) The only reason why the Strom have struggled at times is because of their lack of experience in the league. Seven weeks of football in FPF is not enough to assert dominance. It takes a while to get accustomed to a smaller, faster field. Because they are a young team, they seem to have let some close games escape from their grasp.

 

8.Outlawz (5-2) Have exploded these past few weeks, with their offense generating almost 40 points per game. Combined with a stout defense which has yielded 105 points in seven games, the Outlawz are climbing the charts quickly.

 

9.Widow Makers (4-3) Felix Morin is a big play waiting to happen and he has been a nightmare for opposing teams. Last week he amassed eight scores, six through the air and two on the ground. Morin is playing his best football of the season. He has thrown for 10 TDs and no interceptions in his last two games.

 

10.Green Machine (4-3) After starting the season 1-2, Green Machine have gone 3-1. Last weekend’s loss won’t hurt this team’s chances of making the playoffs, but it may potentially cost them positioning with Da Boyz breathing down their neck.

The action continues next weekend. Look for all your updates, right here at the Pulse. Feel free to send me a message on Facebook or approach me during the Div 5 games. Let’s talk football. Good luck the rest of the way!