Categories: Division 5

Peeze’s Playbook (Div 5) – Finals Recap

April 20th started much as most Saturdays do (for me in any case).  It started late and with only a vague recollection of the night before. I rolled out of bed only to glance at my phone and see a text from the Eagle at master control asking if I had any idea how we were going to figure out the issues related to recording a live play-by-play broadcast of the championship game.  I then started to remember, as if the mind itself slowly lifted its eyelids to reveal what it had seen the night before. 

 

Memories of technical discussions and the endless list of problems came flooding in.  Only a little while later I stood alongside the Eagle and president Robert Campana, still very tired and under-caffeinated at the equipment rental boutique.  It was here that the merchant informed us that we had even more problems than we had initially anticipated.    Scrambling through the city from one tech shop to the next we got everything we needed to create a situation where our production could be successful, and headed to Brossard. 

 

Once again it was hectic as Eagle was flying around, plugging in cables and turning knobs.  Still, even when we though all was set up and ready to go more issues arose. In fact we only got everything working in earnest with no more than 4 minutes to spare.

 

This experience was nerve racking, terrifying stressful but above all fun! If given the opportunity to do things differently I would have done it all the same way.  After all, without all the trouble and running around I would not have had an introductory paragraph.

 

The Final Recap

 

Madness Prevails

 

Breaking down a game where the first half ended 25-0 presents a challenge.  The fact of the matter is that there were some questions about both teams coming into this game. For Les Maloudes, the injury to captain Guillaume St. Amand and the suspension handed to Ludwick Jananji seemed like it would hamper their redzone success. The unorthodox offensive style and the small roster of Two and a Half Dans seemed like it would create an interesting challenge for Les Maloudes.  However, from the coin toss onward it appeared evident that Shawn Lafortune would not be affected by his missing weapons and the awkward wrinkle threatened by Two and a Half Dans looked just plain old awkward.

On their first drive, Two and a Half Dans marched the length of the field and were stopped in the redzone.  This seemed to set the tone for the entire first half as from that point on the Dans seemed unable to get things going on offence.  Joey Taylor continuously targeted Danny McFee and hoped that his playmaker could get the offence going.  Instead, the offence was repetitive and ineffective for most of the first half.  I thought that Joey Taylor seemed a little out of his element in this game.  Rather than reading the defense he rolled continuously and hoped that someone would get open.  In fact, for much of the first half Danny Aylward was given an outside release by the opposing corner and Taylor did not attempt to test the defense by throwing deep.  The rusher by committee concept also seemed to give Taylor some difficulty but really, the rusher who had the greatest impact was Minh Hai D’An Huynh who wreaked havoc in the Dans backfield for large portions of this game.   The Dans had been a team with excellent athleticism and team chemistry but this advantage was neutralized early by Les Maloudes defense.

 

On offense, Les Maloudes have been an exceptional redzone team throughout the season and their patient, steady offense allowed them to capitalize on this week after week.  So the question was who would step up?  Snapper Dragann Mallette saw this as his moment to shine.  Catching three touchdowns in the game Mallette became the go-to receiver when Les Maloudes needed to get a score. Despite an early injury Dragann ‘The American Badass’ Mallette (as he was nicknamed during the broadcast by Daron Basmadjian) fought through evident pain and continued to play at his typical, high level.  He seemed to be the key to the efficient Maloudes passing attack. 

 

Later on once the Dans started to take more chances, quarterback Shawn Lafortune took the opportunity to open up the game and take his shots.  The most notable of these was on a perfectly thrown post to Anthony Beauchamp-Frezza (who I deemed the team’s key player at the half way point of the season).  Frezza split the defense, caught the ball and took it to the house.  That score looked to be the one that truly crushed the spirits of Two and a Half Dans.

To their credit, the Dans kept fighting.  In the second half we saw Joey Taylor use his speed and elusiveness to gain yards rather than scramble helplessly in the pocket. We saw him reading the defense with ore ease and making plays.  Eric Maiorino got more involved in the offensive game plan as the game wore on and finally The Dans offense seemed to be operating as it had all season. 

 

Unfortunately the hole the Dans had dug for themselves was too deep and they were never fully able to recover as Les Maloudes walked away with a huge 43-13 victory.  It is with great pride that I announced that they are now the Winter 2013 Division 5 Champions.

 

Where do they go from here?

 

Les Maloudes

 

Les Maloudes had a great first season in FPF.  With all of their tackle experience and an elite young quarterback moving on into division 4 and beyond seems to be the appropriate path.  This team has shown competence on both sides of the ball and has worked toward the belief that the disparity of talent between divisions is no longer as great as it once was.  I haven’t always approved of the way Les Maloudes have behaved on the field.  That being said, I think the experience of winning a championship is one that matures young players.

 

Two and a Half Dans

 

Two and a Half Dans took division 5 by storm.  After signing up for the ill-fated recreational division the Dans went on to go 9-1 and make it to the championship game.  There were questions about them all season.  People asked how they would fare when they played tougher opponents, how they would succeed in the playoffs with such little experience, how they could be effective with such a small roster, and how could they expect to thrive with such a quirky offense?  They quelled all of these questions and more week after week.  That being said I think two and a Half Dans have a little more to learn before they are ready to become a serious threat in this league.  Joey Taylor has struggled against some of the more sound defenses.  Their play calling is sometimes stubborn and it takes them a while to adjust.  While it did get them as far as it did, I think 6 players is too small a roster.  In reality I think they have the core of a really strong and competitive team.  The things they need to fix are simple and for most of it the answer is time and experience. 

 

Reflections Rants and Ravings

 

  • Doing live play-by-play is much harder than I gave it credit for.
  • Shawn Lafortune was incredible throughout the entire playoffs.  His line reads 98/140, 801 yards, 23 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 117.9 QB rating.
  • I wonder how many teams will return for the spring season.  I wonder where they will register.
  • The best game of all on championship Saturday was the Divison 2 championship. I recommend that everyone watch it once it gets posted.
  • Despite the spirited debate during the broadcast and the heroic performance by Dragann Malette, I can now admit that the MVP went to the right player (Shawn Lafortune).
  • The referees all hung out and watched the finals together.  I wonder if they complained about us?
  • Vincent Morissette got involved on the offensive side of the ball during the finals.  It was great to see how versatile he really is.
  • In the moments that I thought the Dans would come back it was largely due to the inspired play of Foti ‘Frank’ Evangelista.
  • I wonder if fried chicken will be barbequed in future.

 

The Season Wrap-up

 

As the Maloudes now get to decide who will sleep with the trophy and on which night, the rest of the league now pines for their opportunity to snatch it from their grasp.  It has been an interesting season; giants have fallen and new faces emerged to leave their stamp on the ever-changing Mount Rushmore of FPF.  In a season that saw so many familiar names fail to reach the grail, it was the new names that fought for the division’s highest honor. 

 

Likewise, it has been my honor to write and podcast (that most certainly is a verb) for you on a weekly basis.  Working closely with Daron Basmadjian was, at first a terrifying idea.  I thought to myself: Who is this suit? I hope he doesn’t think he will change my show!  Then I thought of a few other things that are far too vulgar for type.  Seriously, I wrote it and my computer shut down. Luckily I had previously saved my work as I had been reminded to do throughout my academic career.  In reality, Daron was a pleasure to work with as was the Eagle at Master Control.  Sadly, I believe we will be outsourcing Eagle’s job next season so that we can pay someone far less to do his job.  I have heard rumors that he may be migrating to which ever country we outsource this kind of work from so that he could keep his job at severely reduced pay.  For those who’d like to hear Daron and I reacting to the game live, look for the video of the championship game to be posted shortly.

 

While this is technically the off-season please note that I will be answering all FPF related twitter interactions and can be reached @PeezeFPF. Thank you for reading, for listening and most importantly, thank you for letting me be myself.