Division D2 Midseason Review

 

As usual, I will break down how I grade.

The grade is not a representative of strictly your performance, but it is tied in to expectations before the season. If you put together a powerhouse and are sitting at 3-2, then you can potentially see a grade of C or D because you are not playing to potential.

I also decided to completely make up my own award and called it the “Most Intriguing Player”. The mystery is there on purpose and you may or may not realize why you won this award. Usually, it gets awarded to the player who has the opportunity to either bring his team to the Promised Land or be the reason why something isn’t working. The secret lies in which one it may be. Ultimately, it goes to the player who can have the greatest impact and is not always the best player on the team.

If you have any questions, always feel free to reach out on Facebook!

 

Conference A

 

CheatCode (5-0)

Grade: A

I’ll admit, it was tempting to give them a lower grade. Not because they haven’t been playing well, but just because it was expected if you peaked their roster prior to the season. That being said, they have played very well against a relatively easy schedule. They have picked the perfect name for this team because with this roster and the strength of schedule, it really is like they have entered a cheat code. Out of their remaining 5 games, they play only two opponents that I can picture even coming close. They are definitely my pick to go undefeated and then anything can happen in the playoffs. When Patrice Lindor is your 4th best receiver in Division D, it goes to show you how deep you are. Their strength is easily their depth and the combination of Nikki Papich and Kevin Felima are easily the best in the Division. If they lose at all, it’ll rest solely on Joe Kano’s shoulders.

Predicted Record: 10-0

Most Intriguing Player: Kevin Felima

 

Ball So Hard U. (4-1)

Grade: B

It’s too bad that they had to forfeit the game against Touched By An Angeletti because it would have said a lot about both teams. It’s tempting to give them an F, however it’s the summer time and most people miss a game or two so it’s forgiveable this time around. Who will qualify for the playoffs? Will they have cap issues when the time comes? We shall see, but either way, they have the talent and experience to do some damaged. Led by Anthony and Daniel Lazzara and sprinkled with some players with a lot of talent but not so much experience like Jonathan Mandracchia, Joseph Buffone and Joe Morgese, the key for them will be to find enough chemistry before the end of the season to do some damage in the post-season. To get there, though, they have tough matchups in the next three weeks against CheatCode, Baby Kangaroos and Team Ethnik. Their true colors are bound to show in that stretch.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Jonathan Mandracchia

 

Touched By An Angeletti (3-1-1)

Grade: D

I hate to be a pessimist and I imagine I’ll get some grief for this, but I think that this group may struggle down the stretch. They have had a relatively easy record to start the season and besides a forfeit, the teams they have beaten have a combined 2-8 record. They have tied and lost their last two games against decent opponents and have tougher matchups in the second half of the season. This is one of those predictions that may bite me in the ass, and for their sake I hope it does, but I can easily see this team finishing around the .500 mark after starting 3-0. I predict that they will go 2-3 to finish the season and end up sneaking into the playoffs. Shayne Feinberg will have to limit the turnovers and find a good secondary option to Mike Knopp for them to compete with the top teams in the Division.

Predicted Record: 5-4-1

Most Intriguing Player: Ryan Castiel

 

Tough Lungs (3-1-1)

Grade: C+

I had a hard time assigning their grade and I’ll explain why. The first half of their season has been somewhat bipolar. They lost to a team under .500 and then beat Wrecking Crew who are an established team in this division. They then tied Touch by An Angeletti who are having an almost identical season, so it’s tough to gauge these guys. I would say that the picture won’t get much clearer as they continue down the stretch against solid competition. They will need to win the games that they should win and they should have some control over their final seed in the standings for the playoffs. Matthew Lerner has been good but not outstanding and he will have to stick with what works, which is very often getting the ball to Justin Lerner or Daron Migdesyan.

Predicted Record: 6-3-1

Most Intriguing Player: Daron Migdesyan

 

Voodoo (3-2)

Grade: B

After a loss to start the season against Blues Branleurs, I was a bit worried about them. Since then, though, they are 3-1 and Frank Kaye looks to be in complete control and the combination of Patrick St-Armand and Kevil Marcil has been one of the best in the Division. For some reason, teams still try and attack their best players and the trio of Marcil, St-Armand and Luc Beaupre have a combined 8 interceptions and 5 sacks. If they can get some help from the rest of the team on both sides of the ball, they will be a force to be reckoned with. After watching Voodoo for a few years now, Frank and the offense are at their best when they are not predictable but I fully expect them to keep opponents guessing from here on out.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Kevin Marcil

 

Team Ethnik (3-2)

Grade: B-

I was riding high on these guys for a while. They had a difficult loss against one of the best teams in the Division to start the season, and then a hard fought win against a strong, experienced Longhorns. I think that the easy victories got to them, though, as they just got surprised with a come from behind victory by Grabuge. Jean-Christophe Ferland and David De Andrade are the guys under the spotlight for this team and they have to perform for them to succeed, which can be both good and bad. They have a relatively tough schedule to close out the season but I can see them winning at least 3 of them which should put them in a good position when the dust settles. I shouldn’t necessarily be the one to comment with my own ratio, however Lawlor will have to limit the turnovers moving forward.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Jean-Christophe Ferland

 

Les Blues Branleurs (1-3-1)

Grade: C-

Their win against Voodoo to start the season is easily their high point and then things quickly took a turn for the worse. You can probably sum up their season so far with the tie that they had in Week 4. That’s been pretty much a microcosm for the season as a whole as they have been able to string together a few drives and even a half here and there, but not really a complete game. Olivier Laberge and Olivier Pilotto have been the ones providing most of the highlights, but ultimately the completion percentage is what’s hurting Pilotto. They have not been able to sustain drives or put the fear in the defense enough to be competitive. After what should be an easy week this week, they have a nightmare of a schedule to close things out. I don’t expect much from them for the rest of the season.

Predicted Record: 2-7-1

Most Intriguing Player: Olivier Laberge

 

Grabuge (1-3-1)

Grade: C

They get a C because by looking at their roster, this is about what I would have expected prior to the season. Alex Campeau has been decent at times and I am very impressed with their recent win against Team Ethnik, so who knows, they may be gaining steam. Either way, they rely heavily on Nicolas-Emmanuel Pierre and are probably missing the depth to compete against the stronger teams in the division. They are giving up just over 29 points per game while scoring only about 16, so that is definitely not a recipe for success. They may surprise us one more time from here on out, but I think that may be it. With the level of competition at the bottom of this Conference not being too strong, they may have a chance at the playoffs but I can’t see them beating a 1 or 2 seed.

Predicted Record: 3-6-1

Most Intriguing Player: Nicolas-Emmanuel Pierre

 

Thunder Buddies (1-4)

Grade: D-

I’m not sure why this experiment hasn’t been working and that’s the reason for the low grade. Not necessarily because they are not playing well, but simply because they are playing far below expectations. Brad Evans has been decent but probably not playing at the level that he is capable of and I attribute a lot of that to getting accustomed to his new wide receivers. Mathieu Kieljian has been eating up short yardage catches, but Keiller, KSP and the rest of the crew have not been stretching the field the way that they should. Defensively, while I know that he doesn’t love it like he used to, I think KSP at rusher would help them out as Frankie Scalzo would be an improvement in the secondary. Comparatively, they have an easier schedule than most to close out the season and they will need to take full advantage.

Predicted Record: 4-6

Most Intriguing Player: Frankie Scalzo

 

Mutation (1-4)

Grade: D

If we talked about Jean-Felix Marquis, Vincent Marquis and Alexandre Jubinville putting a team together in Division D2, we would have expected a much different outcome than we’ve seen for Mutation so far. Unfortunately, the rest of the season has not gone the same way as did their game against Les Blues Branleurs. If we remove that game from the equation, Vincent Marquis has 2 TDs and 8 interceptions. Nobody else has fared better and it seems like it might be too late for this trio to find their QB to save the season. They are not out of it mathematically by any means because of the fact that 8 out of 11 teams will make the playoffs,

Predicted Record: 3-7

Most Intriguing Player: Vincent Marquis

 

Browns de Boucherville (0-5)

Grade: C

I’d like to say two things. Firstly and more importantly, I have the utmost respect for these guys. The reason? Well that brings me to point number 2. They absolutely have the most perfect name and like the NFL team, they have yet to win in two seasons. I joke with them because they couldn’t have possibly picked this team name and not expect a few shots their way. Either way, it’s a recreational football league and while they may not be winning games, it truly shows their character by never forfeiting and bringing it to every single game. Most of their players are relatively new to FPF and I look forward to them getting their first win. They were extremely close against Team Ethnik and took them by surprise and I think they can get at least one before the end of this season.

Predicted Record: 1-9

Most Intriguing Player: Olivier Claveau

 

Conference B

 

Baby Kangaroos (5-0)

Grade: A

As I have talked about in my power rankings for most of the season, these guys are the cream of the crop in the division. Zach Zwirn, Joey Taylor and Greg Kritselas have been the best receiving trio in the league and they do not look to have any weaknesses across their roster. Eric Maiorino is enjoying the success of having these three to throw to, and overall the “Joeys” look unstoppable. Shit, I forgot to say spoiler alert if you didn’t know what a Baby Kangaroo was. I should say that I am not biased at all, but I do hope that they end up playing CheatCode at some point to see who would come out victorious.

Predicted Record: 10-0

Most Intriguing Player: Greg Kritselas

 

Adonis A’s (5-0)

Grade: A+

My only grade of A+ and it’s well deserved. They have played extremely well and surpassed my expectations from the start of the season. They play against the Baby Kangaroos tonight and I will be in attendance as it should help define their season. Are they truly a top tier team? Or are they just a victim of an extremely easy schedule? Their first four games were against teams who have currently 2 wins. That’s 2 wins in a combined 20 games. Alexandre Delisle has been solid but still thrown 7 interceptions but the combination of both Michael and Mathieu Khazaka have been extremely solid. Mathieu may want to push his QB for a few more TD looks but other than that, it’s hard to find anything negative about these guys.

Predicted Record: 8-2

Most Intriguing Player: Michael Khazaka

 

Green Lantern Corps (4-1)

Grade: B+

You’re doing something right when your only loss comes against the Baby Kangaroos and it’s only by 5 points. I hate to keep bringing them up, but the Kangaroos seem to be the measuring stick for most of the top teams and they have earned that. Riccardo Desrosiers adds an element to this team that they have not seen before and Hai Minh Luong has been excellent in the first half of the season. While they tackle well, I think that a few more turnovers on the defensive side of the ball would greatly help this team. They could use another ball hawk or two, but they have been strong as a unit and usually keep games close, regardless of the caliber of their opponent.

Predicted Record: 9-1

Most Intriguing Player: Hai Minh Luong

 

Wrecking Crew (3-2)

Grade: D

It may be cheating, but I have the luxury of looking back at their game last night. Tying Hot Boys Hotline isn’t a great look for this team and if they want to have a chance at competing in the finals, they will need to be stronger against tougher opponents. We have seen them have a decent season so far, but losses against Tough Lungs and Green Lantern Corps prove they have some work to do. Stephen Harripersaud and company have been excellent on offense which you would expect with their new weapon a la Kevin Smuda, a couple of untimely interceptions has cost him a few times. I don’t worry about these guys long term, but they have allowed us to doubt their abilities against stronger opponents. Perhaps that’s their plan? We shall see.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Kevin Smuda

 

Hot Boys Hotline (2-2-1)

Grade: D+

Well, the good news is that Tabari Yearwood seems to still be playing for them. The bad news, though, is that they are probably the most unpredictable team in FPF. Gatehouse has the skill and weapons to succeed, however they are an extremely emotional bunch and can swing in either direction depending on how the game is going. Vadim Chernyak is their leader on both sides of the ball and he has the responsibility to not only perform, but to try and keep the group positive and on the same page throughout most games. Absolute zero disrespect to these guys as I think they have the talent to matchup with anybody, but they need to work out their locker room issues to do well. Call them the Cowboys of FPF.

Predicted Record: 5-4-1

Most Intriguing Player: Vadim Chernyak

 

Dream Breakers (2-2-1)

Grade: C

This is a team that shows flashes of dominant play against weaker teams, but struggles against some of the top tier teams in the league. I think they are a lock for a bottom 4 playoff spot, but they will need to put together a few solid games in a row to do some damage in the playoffs. For the most part, Sebastien Dallaire has played very well for this team and his strength is utilizing mis-matches or playing to what the defense gives him. It’s a great way to play quarterback in this division as sometimes leaning on a specific player can get you in trouble in the playoffs.

Predicted Record: 6-3-1

Most Intriguing Player: Pierre-Alexandre Tache

 

Vick in a Box (2-3)

Grade: D

Their last few games have been much better than the start to their season, but in their defense, they have had an extremely difficult schedule. Styles Trudeau has been good but has thrown too many interceptions to give his team a chance to win and leans way too heavily on Max Burah. In order to improve moving forward they will need to have other guys step up and provide some depth. It’s a shame that their schedule doesn’t get much easier and the loss against the Sunday Touch Boys will hurt them as that was one of the easier teams they will play in their last 5. They may squeak into the playoffs but it may be a photo finish.

Predicted Record: 3-7

Most Intriguing Player: Craig Browning

 

Sunday Touch Boys (2-3)

Grade: B-

I called it a long time ago that moving Dave Roaldi to quarterback was the move and it may have taken a week or two, but it looks to have paid off and potentially saved their season. He has a rating of 97.3 and are 2-1 in their last 3 games with the only loss being a 1 point loss to a very good Green Lantern Corps team. They have a tough schedule to close out the season but it’s not impossible, and if they can squeeze out just 2 wins, I think a 4-6 record should get them into the playoffs. Mark Bellini and Enzo Bellini will need to continue to ball out on both sides of the ball and hopefully a few other guys can step up. This team will be an intriguing dark horse moving forward.

Predicted Record: 5-5

Most Intriguing Player: Dave Roaldi

 

Full Senders (1-4)

Grade: D-

This team had some potential at the beginning of the season but seemed to just never get out of the gate. They played two tough teams early and have not quite rebounded. Joseph Cecere has been decent, but a 1:1 TD to interception ratio will not win you a lot of games. Besides Emilio Cecere, nobody else has really stepped up either and created other solid options for the QB and the two of them have done a lot on defense but they can’t cover the whole field. They will need to beat Thunder Buddies this week to even have a chance at the playoffs as the rest of the schedule won’t be friendly. Can they switch things up in time or is it too late? My bet is on it being too late.

Predicted Record: 2-8

Most Intriguing Player: Emilio Cecere

 

Longhorns (1-4)

Grade: F

I hate to give them that grade but it’s hard not to after such a disappointing start to the season that saw most of the same team do so well last year. Things just don’t seem to be clicking on the defensive side of the ball as it’s hard to believe the now 1-5 record with Jon Moodie having such a solid year offensively with 25 TDs and only 3 interceptions. They have lost a few close games that could have turned their season around but they are simply not making the big play when it counts. If they can get into the playoffs they have the capability to upset anybody but they’ll have to take things one game at a time from here on out.

Predicted Record: 3-7

Most Intriguing Player: Adam Rosen

 

Blazed and Confused (0-5)

Grade: C

Being such a new team in the league, expectations were never too high and while the effort is there, I think we can chalk this season up to being a learning experience for this group. They have a few solid athletes, but a large reason as to why they have had trouble is poor quarterback play. It can be tough to play quarterback in your first season in FPF and I fully expect Peter Skoulos to turn things around in the future but it may not be this season. FPF is often about experience and reading defences much more than it is about skill. You’ll find a lot of excellent quarterbacks in this league who do well but you wouldn’t think twice when watching them warm up, simply by knowing the game. I’m a perfect example of that. I’m not outstanding, but my experience in the league helps me improve more so than any skill. Overall, great name, great group of guys and I hope they tweak a few things and we see them again.

Predicted Record: 1-9

Most Intriguing Player: Gabriel Bruno