Bombsquad’s Breakdown (D2) – Week 8

 

Low and below another week is in the books. Of course, everything went according to plan, right? WRONG! Can you smell that? It’s on the wind. It’s in your bones. It tingles on your skin each remaining week as the season closes. That’s right, playoffs! “I can feel it coming in the air tonight….oh lord. And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my”…..well not all….ok it’s only the end of week eight. OKAY! Let’s break it down.

Countdown to detonation.

7. The All Blacks told the Gold Standard that if you want to beat us, “I would not lend a hand”. Unfortunately the Standard squeaked out the win. In a valiant effort Chris Bridgeman threw for 165 yards and 4 TD’s to only three receivers! On the other side, it took both Jay Ulley and Mike McNair to equal the touchdown total and unfortunately this game came down to the almighty convert. Never underestimate the importance of a single point in FlagPlus Football. Great game boys!

6. In a shootout with balls flying “In the Air That Night” the Wolverines give their best but come up short to the G-Men 48-35. Tony Tabet returned behind the center and threw for 214 yards and 5 touchdowns with only 1 pick. Michel-Ange Pierrecin made his presence felt, catching 5 for 88 and scoring twice. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they had to contend with former teammate Nareg Yessayan, who caught 7 balls for 117 yards and 2 scores. Paul Kamel decided to not only catch 2 TD’s but toss one as well. Gianni Settino did the rest, throwing 6 majors….okay TD’s….I hate when TSN calls them “majors”.

5. “Oh Lord…..Oh lord”. What happens when you play a team who’s QB is missing and the back-up goes 7-20 for 55 yards, 1TD and 1INT? You kill them right? WRONG! X’s and O’s almost win the game with those exact QB stats against a Craig O’Brien led O.N.S. squad. Final score 26-25. How could they possibly score 25 points? Rushing? Nope. Another QB? As I mentioned, the passing stats for the team were awful. Try three, YES, THREE pick 6’s by three different players on the X’s and O’s!!! O’Brien decided to be fair and toss 3 TD’s to both his team and the other. What a game.

4. Now here’s a team that’s been “Waiting for this moment, for all their lives” as the Air Squad pick up their first victory against the enigma that is the Wildcats, taking the match 32-18. Watching this game, I was quite surprised by how well the offense moved the ball down field. The Air Squad looked sound on both offense and defence. Was it because the Wildcats had a bad game or was it the emerged chemistry of the Air Squad? I would say a bit of both. Matt René kept the turnovers low while tossing 5 TD’s and on the other side Pierre-Marc Chadi threw 2 picks and 3 TD’s. Congrats boys, but a rough road lies ahead if you want to make the playoffs.

3. Pat Jerome and J-F Marcotte looked at MOMO Nation and said “I know you don’t know who I am”. At the end of the game, they knew, as the Nation went down to the Triple Sixers 40-13. Jerome and Marcotte both had 2 TD’s apiece, while Karim Chaoual was on fire with only two incompletions all game, going 17-19 for 211 yards and 6 TD’s. Thank God Yannick Vanasse had Jean-Nichol Derenoncourt, who caught 11 balls for 110 yards and both MOMO touchdowns. The playoff implications are palpable.

2. Wolfpack told the Kingz to “Wipe off that grin” as they get pounced upon 45-24. Pascal Murray had a field day with 233 yards and 7 TD’s to five different receivers. Jean-Francois Legault picked Camine Pollice off twice and Alain Rousseau got in on the action grabbing one for himself, as Pollice uncharacteristically throws 3 INT’s. Matthew Brethour continued to be a consistent weapon for Pollice as he caught 5 for 102 yards and 3 of the 4 TD’s scored by the Kingz this night. Here we go again as the Wolfpack are catching fire at the end of the season.

1. “Well I was there and I saw what you did. I saw it with my own two eyes”, as the Ruff Ryders beat up my Mercenaries 37-25. It is never easy to speak of a loss that you are a part of but it seemed the Ryders had an effective game plan for Gino Di Fazio. Knowing each other as well as these teams do can switch the balance of power on any given Sunday, and this Sunday was the Ryders turn to shine. Am I bitter? Yes, so no stats boys. Look them up yourselves!

Boom,boom,boom,boom,boom,boom,boom,boom,boom,BOOM! Drum beat at the part of the song everyone plays air drums to from “In the Air Tonight”, if you didn’t already catch the theme throughout the article. Even Mike Tyson drums to that part.

SHOWSTOPPA! Can there be any doubt about this week’s showstoppa?? Nope. The X’s and O’s keep a game close by scoring three, yes, again, three, pick 6’s in one sitting. Great D boys. Sorry you came up short with an effort like that.

This week’s Golden boy was tough. In the end, the title had to fall to Pascal Murray of the Wolfpack who lit up the Kingz with his 7 touchdown performance. Congrats and great game.

Well, in Conference A things are getting congested at the top. In my opinion the All Blacks need one win in the last two games to grab the title. The Gold Standard would have to win-out to have a shot in that scenario and even if the Wolfpack win out, they would lose due to head to head. Another All Blacks tie could make things very interesting indeed. Meanwhile, the middle of the pack is decided, but position jockeying is still possible with O.N.S. in 4th and the Kingz in 5th. Big story here is the Air Squad are one point behind X’S and O’s for the final spot. Unfortunately, I believe both teams won’t win another game and the X’s will limp into the playoffs. But what if the Air Squad upset one of their final two opponents? What if?

In Conference B, the Ruff Ryders need only one victory to clinch the division crown and the number 1 seed. With the G-Men having the edge in head-to-head and in point differential with the Mercenaries, it would take a miracle for them to fall to 3rd. That being said, the Mercs have locked up 3rd. The Triple Sixers are looking good for the 4th seed but the Wildcats are nipping at their heels in the 5th spot. The big story here again is the Wolverines sitting 1 point back of MOMO Nation setting the stage for a HUGE game this week as they faceoff! The Wolverines have the chance to really stick my own words back at me, as I pronounced them all but gone from the playoffs as they continue to tap and oh so gently rap. Rapping at my chamber door.

Can you feel it coming in the air tonight? Oh Lord, oh lord. Things are seriously heating up and so I shall make my picks for the upcoming contests.

I will start by decreeing that the Wolverines will beat MOMO Nation, and take the last playoff spot. Tony Tabet has revitalized this team and brought back the consistency of yesteryear! MOMO looks to step up big, but I just can’t see the Wolverines losing this contest with the way they have been playing lately.

The X’s and O’s take on the All Blacks. The All Blacks may have had us wondering all year with their weak schedule, and they may have lost their last two, but they have proven they can run with the best of them and I say they will win this match handily. I just think the X’s don’t have what it takes to mark the spot here and take the game.

This week the Mercenaries take on the Wildcats. I do not pick in games of which I take part in but what I will say is look back into the history of this very season and see the result of the game for the Mercenaries after the loss to the loss to the G-Men. The only question here is can they repeat that kind of performance. Only time will tell.

The Triple Sixers tangle with the Ruff Ryders this week. I believe this week the two trick pony of J-F Marcotte and Pat Jerome will come to a halt. One or the other may have a decent game but this defence adapts to its competition and knows how to shut people down. Karim Chaoual will have to get other receivers involved but I still think the Ryders take this game.

The Gold Standard take on the mighty C-er-G-Men! Who will come out on top, you ask? Well I believe it will be a very close match and in that circumstance you have to favour the boys in white and blue as they just seem to find a way to win close games. Yes, in this case I think Gianni Settino and his quick release will have the G-Men finishing first in this instant.

The Air Squad have the unfortunate task of facing the red-hot Wolfpack. Coming off their first win, I am sure the Squad will be flying high but this, in the end, is a contest that is just not meant to be, if they expect to win. Pascal Murray has his boys playing their best football to date this season, and I expect them to continue doing so this week, as they will defeat the Air Squad.

Finally I believe Carmine Pollice will lead his Kingz back into the win column as they take on O.N.S. The One Night Stands will need a much stronger offensive performance than they had last week, to have a chance, but in the end, I think the Kingz will prove to be too much in this match.

Only two weeks left,

To make your stand.

To fail or try,

For the promised land.

To battle on the field,

Is your only choice,

Hoping to cry out in victory,

As a team in one voice.

On a more serious note, a former FPF player James Eaglesham is running a half marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. He is attempting to raise money and awareness in doing so. As such a draw is being held for many great prizes. A 36 inch LCD TV as well as an IPAD are amongst the prizes. Squares are being sold for these prizes and can be purchased off myself. You can track James’ progress or donate at http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2864791&Lang=en-CA . Feel free to contact me to arrange a purchase for this worthy cause. I can be reached as always at [email protected] . All donations are greatly appreciated and until next time, another week has been defused.