Division 3 Mid-Season Report Cards – Part 2

Alright, more teams are reaching the 5-game plateau and will now review those teams. It appears I’ll have a 3rd article with Mid-season reports for teams next week as some teams are still sitting at 4 games. For this week, it means we’re covering The Brotherhood, EZW, Mel’s Angels, Sharks, Friends With Danny, The Infantry (FWD and The Infantry will be written by Manu Allard-Roy), Dirty Birds, Minions of Migdesyan, Lightweight, and Les Gros Coqs.

The mid-season article format this year won’t be the crazy long recap for each team. Instead, I’ll give a grade for each Team’s Offense, Defense, and Overall grade with a 100-150 word paragraph to explain the rationale or comment on the team. I’ll also look at who has stood out as the team’s mid-season MVP. So you, the reader, understands the grading scheme, I’ll quickly break down what each grade means, more or less, and what distinguishes a ‘B’ grade vs a ‘D’.

Offensive/Defensive Grading Scheme

A: Outstanding offensive/defensive performance. You are the best at your craft and have proven it so far in 5 games. Offensively, you move the ball with ease and if you get stopped once or twice a game, I’m shocked. Defensively, I’m seeing 3-4 stops a game, and you’re averaging 1-2 interceptions a game. You are elite.

B: You are a good offense/defense. Offensively, you can drive the field for the most part, with a few hiccups each game. Because defense is hard, you are getting 1-2 stops a game and that is good in Division 3 where offenses know what they are doing.

C: You are an average/below average offense/defense. Your putting up 20-25 points per game and on defense, you barely get a stop in a given game. Your picks are lucky bounces off receivers hands.

D: You are really struggling on offense/defense. Your concepts don’t work at this level and you need to either revamp the plays or drop down a division.

Overall Grading Scheme

Whereas the Offense/Defense grades are basically saying whether you are good or bad, the Overall Grade is compared to expectations placed on your team relative to the beginning of the season. A “C” grade doesn’t mean you are a bad team, just that

A: Your team has greatly exceeded expectations. You are more likely to get this grade if you are a 3-2 team when you were expected to go 0-5 or 1-4, than a 5-0 team expected to go 5-0.

B: You have a good team, but you’ve slightly surpassed expectations. You either jumped a division and are sitting at 2-3 or so and staying competitive in games.

C: You are meeting expectations. I expected you to be exactly where you are at.

D: Severely under performing! You may have signed up in the wrong division

So without further ado, let’s get the article going!

The BrotherHood(4-1)

Offensive Grade: C-

Defensive Grade: A-

Overall Grade: B+

Mid-Season Team MVP: Quaysie Gordon-Maule

The BrotherHood has been an interesting team so far because they go against the typical grain of what leads to success in FPF and flag, which is usually a high-powered offense. 22 points a game usually doesn’t cut it, especially once you’ve hit Division 3. There’s no receiver with 200+ yards nor one with 5+ Touchdowns and for QB’s, none with 10 or more TD’s, let alone 20. Now, with Theo as the full-time QB, he’s only played 2 games so far, but still no QB has a TD:INT ratio of 3-to-1 or better, so it’s not looking great. That said, the defense has CARRIED. Quaysie Gordon-Maule has come up with clutch interceptions to keep his team in games and if average 21 points against, that is a legit defense effort halfway through the season. Their schedule has been mixed with good and average competition, but coming out 4-1, they must be content so far.

EZW (4-1)

Offensive Grade: A

Defensive Grade: A

Overall Grade: C

Mid-Season Team MVP: Etienne Laurence-Gervais

Jeremy White has this EZW team rolling offensively at the mid-way point of the season. Very few offenses are so well-rounded where any piece on offense can be the target and make a play on any given play. The team has lost its veteran presence in Sam Pelchat, but they have brought back the elite C-O Lavigne and added a rookie in Alexandre Barros, who has shined offensively, as he leads the team with 8 TDs and is one of two receivers with 300+ yards. The other, is of course, the stud and savvy veteran, J-C Ferland. Defensively, what can we say when you average 25 points against in Div 3, lead Div 3 with a team total 15 interceptions and have the interception leader by a country mile in Etienne Laurence-Gervais. He reads the play so well and has the athleticism to play the 3 as good as anyone in the division and is poised to win defensive player of the year.

Mel’s Angels (2-3)

Offensive Grade: C+

Defensive Grade: B-

Overall Grade: C+

Mid-Season Team MVP: Xavier Couture

Mel’s Angels are an interesting team because they have a bunch of youngsters with sky-high potential. There was uncertainty going into the season about who the Quarterback was going to be, as there were talks that Chris Rivest was going to be manning the offense. Ultimately, AJ Gomes is taking the reigns, but due to commitments, he’s only played in 3 games so far, and when he’s been there, he’s been great against Beer Belly, decent against Blue Chips and effective against Speed Academy. The team’s MVP has clearly been Xavier Couture, the only receiver with 200+ yards, as he is close to 300 and has double the TDs as the 2^nd best statistical receiver in Simon Calvet-Cowan. Still, the offense is missing the chemistry and cohesion to be considered elite. Defensively, the team has been good, but not great. Again, when this team is a full roster and they are rolling, they will be tough to beat. When they are missing guys and are disjointed, they will struggle.

Sharks (3-2)

Offensive Grade: A-

Defensive Grade: A-

Overall Grade: D+

Mid-Season Team MVP: Jaylan Greaves

“But we have A offenses and defenses, how could we have a D grade?” Ok, so you’re clearly not severely under performing and clearly did not sign up in the wrong division, but looking at this team and the schedule, they should be 5-0, perhaps 4-1 as the game against Dirty Birds could have gone either way. Still, this is a Division 3 contender, coming off a Div C championship in the Spring. Corey has been good so far, even very good in some games, but is missing something in his game. He’s better than a QB with a 99.2 QBR. Offensively, I love the spread at receiver, with the clear top-dog in Jaylan Greaves, showing it statistically with a shade under 300 yards and 8 TDs so far. The offense though, other than a blip against Arouch who has a decent defense, has been scoring 36 points a night, so either 5 TDs with converts or 6 TDs. Either way, that sets you up greatly to score. While defensively, they are missing more picks to be considered elite, man, they are a few tips away from changing possessions often, as they have 20 PD’s as a team and with Noah Groper rushing, I’m sure a lot of passes are under duress.

Dirty Birds (2-3)

Offensive Grade: C-

Defensive Grade: C

Overall Grade: D

Mid-Season Team MVP: James Tyrell

While it hasn’t been a disaster of a season for the Tier 2 finalists just a few months ago, it has definitely been a disappointing season so far. Quaid is driving the offense with 852 yards in 5 games, which comes out to roughly 4 full fields, yet he’s averaging just a shade over 3 TDs a game, which is simply not at a contender-level. His roughly 2-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio is just not good, he will be the first to admit that, as the 8 picks are tied for the 3^rd most in the division. If you are going to throw 8 picks, you gotta have 30 TDs to compensate. The schedule does get easier for Dirty Birds as they kicked off the season against 2 teams that have a combined 8-1 record so far. They get a mid-season D grade because I had such high hopes for the team, but can see the team turn it around and go on a 4-game win streak in the month of March by the time they face Lightweight. Defensively, they get a C because they’ve given up 30+ points in every game except for 1 opponent, who is averaging 14 points per game. They need more timely stops and more interceptions, and the team is certainly capable of that.

Minions of Migdesyan (2-3)

Offensive Grade: C

Defensive Grade: C+

Overall Grade: C+

Mid-Season Team MVP: Ryan McNally

The Minions are starting to pick it up offensively, with 28 and 30 points in their last 2 games. The defense last game was locked in and communicating well, as they were able to pick off Quaid Johnson 3 times. Mat Zeppetelli is taking the leap into Division 3 and he’s seen his completion percentage drop about 7 points from the Winter and Spring 2023, now completing about 63% of his passes and averaging almost 2 touchdowns less per game. He’s now facing tougher defenses, so it’s only normal there’s a bit of regression, but it will only help his development for the future. The defense is lead by play caller Ryan McNally as he’s getting more and more comfortable with the game. He’s the mid-season MVP as the clear 2-way player of the team, accompanied by solid depth on the squad with Daron Migdesyan, Michael Caparelli and Justin Lerner making clutch defensive plays, especially as of late. Offensively, the target share has been well distributed, but AJ Zeppetelli has proven to be a legit Div 3 receiver. That puts McNally as the WR2, Lerner as the WR3, Migdesyan as the solid snapper outlet with the ability to stretch the field every so often. If that puts Caparelli as the WR5, you have a very solid core that gets a C grade for now, but will get better as the season progresses.

Lightweight (4-1)

Offensive Grade: A+

Defensive Grade: B

Overall Grade: C

Mid-Season Team MVP: Simon Dagenais

If you didn’t read the grading scheme, the team gets a C because 4-1 is exactly where I expected this team to be: amongst the top teams. While there was some uncertainty about how Simon Dagenais would do upon his return to FPF, he’s left no doubt that he is amongst the division’s elite QB’s, with a crazy yards per game advantage over the next best QB and offense and a shiny donut in INTs through 5 games. His stellar reading of the defense and strong play calling are putting his great receiving core in positions to score, lead by a new name making his mark in Emyl Gregoire, the teams leading receiver in yards with 301 and 7 TDs. You then add two 200-yard receivers with the 7x All-Star Justin Blanchard and the speedy and shifty Jaeden Edghill. When Juwan becomes your WR4 and Hendrick Ambroise/ Francois Hogue as your 5^th option, man, your offense runs deep! Defensively, if you take out the game against Speed Academy, they’ve given up 30 points a game, which has been okay when the offense is averaging 38. Running QB’s will think twice when facing Franky Hogue and the same 5 receivers I rattled off are solid in the defensive backfield.

Les Gros Coqs (3-2)

Offensive Grade: B+

Defensive Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

Mid-Season Team MVP: Dom Lefort

Les Gros Coqs are an interesting team because the schedule has been relatively easy for them so far and they are sitting at 3-2. They are coming off a game where they were the big favorites and were upset by Wide Open Bar. Both teams were missing players, but Les Gros Coqs are best when they are a bigger lineup since they stay fresh and everyone can sub in for one another as they have been playing together for years. Dom Lefort is running less this season and dishing out the rock to all 8 receivers on the team. The team can put up points, so most games are going to come down whether their defense can get the extra stop. If you take away the shutout win over Speed Academy, the defense is allowing an average of 34 points a game, which is not great. If they had 8 or more interceptions to go with the 34 points against, I’d grade them higher on defense, as it would give extra possessions to their offense, but with 4 INTs and just 1 sack half way through the season, they are making it hard on themselves to win games. The 2^nd half of their schedule is tougher, as they do not play a team that is below .500, so it will be a tough test for LGC. If they come out of it 3-2 again, that would be a win.

Friends With Danny (2-3)

Offensive Grade: C-

Defensive Grade: C

Overall Grade: C

Mid-Season Team MVP: Ryan Vanslet

Written by Manu Allard-Roy

Jared Buck is having a tough start to the season throwing 12 TDs and 8 picks in 5 games, I feel like he hasn’t been on the same page with his receivers. That can change but I’m worried since their remaining schedule is not easy at all (The Infantry, Wide Open Bar, Dirty Birds, Bruins and Mongoose). I think they can get one win in that 5-game stretch and that would leave them at 3-7. Some positives to think about are that usually Jared gets better as the season goes on and gets more reps. His offense will roll, and the defense kept Thats What She Said and Arouch to under 14 points in their 2 victories. If the defense plays well, Jared must play a game of timing and concepts to beat opposing defenses because he lacks that big play receiver outside of mid-season MVP Ryan Vanslet. The receiver core is good but not having Jeremy Laplante out there is tough especially in Div 3 where defenses are full experienced and organized players. They still have 5 games left and I could be wrong… Show me what you got boys!

The Infantry (2-3)

Offensive Grade: B+

Defensive Grade: C

Overall Grade: D

Mid-Season Team MVP: Sean Semerjian

Written by Manu Allard-Roy

I was very impressed seeing the result of their last game against Lightweight (46-39) where Zack Stacey put on an absolute masterclass throwing 25/28 for 273 yards and 7 TDs. This is what I expected from this team, they have a championship roster from top to bottom with D1 players and D3 studs. We talked about it on the podcast, and I said that it started with Zack. He proved that it’s the case because when he plays to his full potential, they beat the team I thought was the best in D3. He went toe to toe with the leading candidate for QBOY Simon Dagenais. They now sit at 2-3 and could very well be on their way to not losing another game. I’m circling that Bruins game as I believe it is going to be their biggest test in the second part of their season. The only thing that worries me is their 1 total interception from the defensive side of the ball. They will have to create more turnovers to be on the winning side of games. With the best rusher in the division on your team, you need to capitalize to get some picks and take pressure off your Qb’s shoulders.

Iggy: The only reason they get a D grade overall is because this team should be at least 3-2, though, to be fair, they did have a pretty tough first half schedule. If they don’t go 4-1 in their back half of the schedule, I’d be disappointed

Week 9 Game Picks

EZW vs. Blue Chips – Iggy’s Pick: EZW

Mel’s Angels vs. Mongoose – Iggy’s Pick: Mongoose

The Infantry vs. Friends with Danny – Iggy’s Pick: The Infantry

Dime and Bougie vs. Beer Belly Brigade – Iggy’s Pick: Dime and Bougie

Air Force 1 vs. Speed Academy – Iggy’s Pick: Air Force 1

Griffnation vs. Minions of Migdesyan – Iggy’s Pick: Minions of Migdesyan

Bruins vs. Wide Open Bar – Iggy’s Pick: Bruins

Lightweight vs. Kiss My Inlaws – Iggy’s Pick: N/A

Arouch vs. Dirty Birds – Iggy’s Pick: Dirty Birds

That’s What She Said vs. Sharks – Iggy’s Pick: Sharks

Les Gros Coqs vs. Backyard Bullies – Iggy’s Pick: Backyard Bullies

A-Team vs. Greendale Human Beings – Iggy’s Pick: A-Team

Alright, that does it for Part 2 of the Mid-season report cards. Make sure to keep tuning in for more of my takes and my Game Picks! There will be a part 3 of the report cards, but since it will only be a couple of teams, there will be more division coverage!

As always, hope to see you all in action on the fields, as Week 9 gets on its way this Saturday! Good luck to everyone and go ball out!

Iggy Magnets