Peeze’s Playbook (Div D) – Week 11 – FlagPlus Football League

Sometime last week, as I looked over the Roman landscape at an incredible, but little known café atop Vittoriano, I pondered the FPF playoff picture. I realized that 10 weeks were flying by and the season took shape before my very eyes. Yet, the real season had yet to begin.

The new, 4-week season begins with 16 teams competing for the division’s top prize. There will be heartbreak, triumph, upsets and glory. For now, the future seems unclear, but soon we will see it all unfold before us as the 7 hills surrounding Rome seemed to flow from beyond the city’s reach that beautiful Sunday morning. Gentlemen, and the one lady who reads my article, let the games begin!

Demons Scare off Ghosts

This was a matchup between two quarterbacks that I have been critical of in recent weeks: Samuel Holden of the Speed Demons and Francois Martin of the Ghosts. In this one, both struggled as they combined for 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. However, both teams have strong collections of talent and it was the remainder of the rosters that showed up to play in this one.

Despite the absence of Bryan Nguyen, the Speed Demons looked sharp. Alex Lewis is a veteran leader in this league and he helped put the team on his back this season. This game was no exception. He caught 4 passes for 33 yards, intercepted one and knocked down another. His defensive presence was overshadowed only because Wilson Phan intercepted two balls and Mathieu Bilodeau recorded three sacks.

As for the Ghosts, they just could not get of the ground. In the words of J.D. Joly, ”They have a good defense; our QB struggled”. The Ghosts really underperformed this season (given the remarkable grouping of talent and the ill-fated championship prediction by Simon Dagenais). This game was, given those circumstances, par for the course. Martin struggled on offence and notwithstanding the incredible performances by the powerhouse trio Benoit Fredette, J.D. Joly and Gabriel Wiseman, the Ghosts were out matched and their season ends with an 18-6 loss.

Shamrocks Win War

Starting with the ball, McDoug (Doug McKernan) wanted to make a statement. He marched the ball down the field and threw a touchdown to Derek Daoust. After Rob White beat the defense and got down field for a quick score for the Warriors, McKernan answered with a strike of his own to Jordan Alexis. Finally, the dagger was firmly set as Devin Daoust scored a late touchdown to end the game.

The Warriors are a solid team and after having gone through 6 options at quarterback I think it is safe to say, that they are a quarterback away from being a competitive team in the lower divisions. The will be back without a doubt and I’m certain they will have made the necessary adjustments. As for this past week, Shamrocks win 45-20.

Long Night for Jaggerbomb

The Jaggerbomb took a huge 40-26 loss in week 10 when they faced the Longhorns. However, while it may appear to give the Longhorns the edge in this game I think that the Jaggerbombs will come out swinging. They are a proud team and they will take notice with everyone writing them off. Gauthier will need to be more effective than he was in this game. He threw 2 interceptions (both to Angelo Kaliadopolus) and he was unable to do what he does best, run and create plays.

As for the Longhorns, they came in with a very smart game plan; they had their rusher contain Gauthier and the rest of the team would swarm as he crossed the line of scrimmage. Offensively, Jon Moodie seemed to be almost perfect as he picked his spots and kept the ball out of harm’s way. If the Longhorns can do that against the Jaggerbombs tonight they will most certainly have a twelfth week of football ahead of them

5 Plays ‘till Halftime

As he has every week (fine, most weeks), the Eagle at Master Control has prepared 5 questions for me to get into in addition to my typical weekly topics. This week, he asks me to reflect on the season on the whole. Perhaps a better expression for some teams (including Lockdown) would be on the ‘hole’ as they can now begin to work on their respective golf games.

1.Q: What can Project Mayhem, Lockdown, Speed Demons and Tyrants do to restore the glory of their franchises?

A: For Lockdown, the answer is simple. They have added talent, but having the best players doesn’t always equal wins. In the past Lockdown was a team that was always prepared for battle. You can’t truly be prepared if you arrive at the field moments before the coin toss. Having a stacked roster isn’t an excuse to take teams lightly. Project Mayhem, is in a difficult spot. Having Alex Holowach play quarterback should have guaranteed a playoff berth. This did not happen. I truly think Durden’s finest just had a bad season. They’ll be back I’m sure of it. The Speed Demons have a strong defense. They need to get more explosive on offence. If Samuel Holden is the quarterback of the future he needs to start to understand his reads and stop relying on his athleticism. If he can’t do that, then they need to find someone who can. The Tyrants need to go back to having John Kaliotzakis at quarterback. My next suggestion would be to split up and make two teams. The reason for this is that sometimes a roster may get stale, mixing it up may yield positive results.

2.Q: Which team did you not see making the playoffs at the start is now competing for the prize?

A: I’m going to fight through the clunky grammar and answer as I understand the question. The Vikings have been the most pleasant surprise this season. I didn’t see how it would all fit together but the picture has gotten much clearer as the season progressed.

3.Q: Out of all the games this week, which is the toughest to predict and why?

A: Les Affreux vs. Wheel of Fish. The reason for this is that I find that they are built very similarly. Both have strong defenses, capable offences and don’t rely on the same hero week in and week out. Truth be told, I’m not sure who I’ll pick later in this article.

4.Q: Now that the Fantasy Pool is over what changes would you like to see for next season’s fantasy league?

A: I would like to make it illegal for Terry Tam to win. I’m kidding of course, congratulations Terry on a well-played season. I would like to see us move toward a head to head league where we would face each other each week. It will provide for more trash talk and really, isn’t that the point of fantasy sports?

I’d also like to invest in actual trophies. Simon Dagenais deserves nothing but the finest after winning back-to-back Sackos.

5.Q: Invent an award and give it to someone.

A: The best profile pic award goes to Mathieu Bilodeau. The hair is ridiculous, how much wind blew threw the complex that day?

The League of Not Quite Legends

With yet another interesting fantasy season behind us, we can declare Terry Tam champion and he can hoist the (metaphorical) trophy above his head. Holding his trophy out of plain sight is Simon Dagenais who is the Sacko award winner. Perhaps Daron Basmadjian put it best when he said “Kudos to Simon Dagenais for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” All that is left to say is #doublesacko (let’s get it trending!)

Final Standings

Terry 1681.33

Eagle 1658.10

Justin 1578.73

GM 1419.07

Peeze 1368.47

Mat 1357.23

Simon 1341.23

Teams

Peeze To Meet You

Birds of a Feather

QB: Alex Holowach (Project Mayhem) QB: Frederic Morissette (Checkmate)

F: David Daoust (Limetime) F: Kevin Boustany (X-Men)

QB: Jeremie Gauthier (Jaggerbomb) WR: Karl Lavallee (Pardon My Swag)

WR: Michael Malinarich (Underdogs) D: Limetime

D: X-Men QB: Alexandre Gaudet (Mongoose)

WR: Hermes Zapeda (Blue Mountain State) WR: Laurent Foucault (Playground)

WR: Chris Rivest (Gotham Knights) WR: David De Andrade (Hostile Territory)

WR: Geoff Brown (Lockdown) WR: Mike Franzese (Big Blue Wrecking Crew)

WR: Mathieu Domon (Affreux) WR: Danny D’Amour (Project Mayhem)

Score: 1368.47 Score: 1658.10

Unicorn Haters Domonaters

QB: Pat Riot (Lockdown) F: James Floreani (Checkmate)

F: Sebastien Morin (Centurions) QB: Gautama Swaminadhan (X-Men)

D: Centurions WR: Bryan Mongeau (Lockdown)

QB: Jonathan Lemieux (Les Affreux) D: Blue Mountain State

WR: James Nowakowski (Project Mayhem) WR: Benoit Fredette (Ghosts)

WR: Mikey Candussi (Gotham Knights) QB: David Souaid (Bearskins)

WR: Gabriel Paquette (Jaggerbomb) WR: Cedric Nuckle (Mongoose)

WR: Mathieu Bilodeau (Speed Demons) WR: Chris Kaliotzakis (Tyrants)

WR: Devin Daoust (Shamrocks) WR: Justin Melrose (Centurions)

Score: 1578.73 Score: 1357.23

No Longer Teamless Tammerhead Sharks

QB: Angelo Garofolo (Hostile Territory) WR: JF Cloutier (Centurions)

F: Aleksander Papich (Bearskins) F: Angelo Kalaidopoulos (Longhorns)

D: Longhorns WR: Patrick St-Amand (Le Zoo)

WR: Chris Niphakis (Wheel of Fish) QB: Kevin Gauthier (Blue Mountain State)

WR: Yann Drouin (Checkmate) WR: Wade Williams (X-Men)

WR: Nicolas Lafond (Blue Mountain State) D: Wheel of Wish)

WR: Eddy Lee (Underdogs) QB: Avi Yavon (Wheel of Fish)

WR: Steve Nowakowski (Project Mayhem) WR: Billy Seretis (Park-X-Streets)

QB Rick Cummins (Vikings) WR: Brandon Taylor (Shamrocks)

Score: 1419.07 Score: 1681.33

Rougue-aine Headaches

WR: Mendy Cardichon (Black Mambas)

WR: Mathieu Dubois (Les Affreux)

QB: Chris Olson (Underdogs)

QB: Patrick Manning (Limetime)

D: Gotham Knights

F: JD Joly (Ghosts)

WR: Karim Yasmine (Longhorns)

WR: Neil Etinson (Bearskins)

WR: Normand Bellemare (Project Mayhem)

Score: 1357.23

*All statistical information such as the teams scores, are calculated and provided by Eagle at Master Control @EagleFPF. Un fortunately, much as Eagle’s parents feared he is always the bridesmaid and never the bride, he finishes second for the second consecutive season.

**For more information on Scoring and roster composition please see the edition Peeze’s Playbook that was posted on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013. Or click on this: http://flagplusfootball.com/news.php?article_id=703

*** Tune into Calling the Audible to hear Terry Tam (@TerryTamFPF) go on the final fantasy rant of the season.

Predictions

Since I was gone for a couple of weeks, and we don’t plan ahead with much forethought we decided that we would use our winning percentages to decide who would be crowned King of Predictions (it’s a real title but it does not come with a dominion to preside over).

Justin finished with a record of 92-48, a winning percentage of 65.7% and I finished with a record of 60-38, a winning percentage of 61.2%. Evidently, Justin is the winner for this season’s predictions. I must concede defeat but one could only imagine how epic my come from behind win would have been, had I remained in Montreal. We’ll have to see how this epic battle works out during next season’s competition.

Playoff Breakdown

Normally I indicate key players and such but I decided to go with a different approach this season. I figured I would focus more on storylines and the matchup in question than looking at each team’s strengths and weaknesses. Let me know what you think. In the meantime, I’ve forgone the democratic process and went with it. Here we go:

Conference A:

Centurions (1) vs. Playground (8)

Centurions have performed well above expectations. Having only allowed 90 points all season long is incredible. However, while they have simply annihilated opponents, they have not truly been tested. Evidence of this is that the Centurions have only played two teams that have made the playoffs (X-Men and Bearskins). On the other hand Playground has been tested every week of this season. They faced 7 playoff bound teams. Having snuck into the playoffs, they may be one of the most dangerous teams on the docket.

Predicition: Playground by 6

Blue Mountain State (2) vs. Limetime (7)

The most common upset seems to be the 7th seed upsetting the second seed. It is no secret that I like the Limetime roster: the Cecere’s, David Daoust, Mike Zenone and Brad Demers are all uniquely talented. However, they have a tendency to choke against good teams. Moreover, I think Jad Aridi, Byron Archambault and Hermes Zepeda (as well as the rest of the BMS defense) will give Patrick Manning great difficulty. The question will be whether or not Blue Mountain State can score enough points to compete in this one.

Predicition: Blue Mountain State by 10

Mongoose (3) vs. Bearskins (6)

With Cedric Nuckle in the lineup, Mongoose are devastating. When he is not, there they are still an elite team. Alexandre Gaudet is smart, efficient and the ball flies out of his hand like a bull toward a matador. We don’t know if Nuckle will play in this game but either way, they are not to be taken lightly. The Bearskins are strong and David Souaid has grown by leaps and bounds. Aleksander Papich can take over a game in his own right and will prove to be a difficult matchup on both sides of the ball.

Prediction: Mongoose by 2 points

Les Affreux (4) vs. Wheel of Fish (5)

As I mentioned before, there isn’t a lot separating these teams. They are constructed similarly and I think a lot will come down to the matchup of Daniel Bellefeuille vs. Avi Yayon. Bellefeuille is a great rusher and Yayon is a new but impressive quarterback. Overall I give the slight strength of roster to Wheel of Fish but Les Affreux have been playing together since the big bang.

Prediction: Heads says Wheel of Fish by a point (damn those conversions).

Conference B

Longhorns (1) vs. Jaggerbomb (8)

The Longhorns were a team that flew under the radar for no apparent reason. They are veterans, skilled and have a wealth of leadership on their squad. Their lack of team speed worries me against quicker opponents but they did beat Jaggerbomb last week and few teams are quicker. I’m somewhat torn because while I don’t like choosing the same team to win a rematch I also don’t like teams that fall ass backwards into the playoffs. It is no secret that I have been enamored with Jaggerbomb since their introduction to the league last season. Perhaps while I underrated Longhorns, I hyped Jaggerbomb up too high. While flying too close to the sun they did avoid Icarus’ fate and did not crash and burn. In the end the game rests on Jérémie Gauthier. If he plays well and does his damage in the air as well as the ground, Jaggerbomb will win. Otherwise, they’re done.

Predicition: Longhorns by 11

Gotham Knights (2) vs. Vikings (7)

When the Gotham Knights show up to play, they are one of the best teams in the division. Sometimes they lay a giant egg in the middle of the field and look like the division scrubs. It seems as though the better the competition the better Candussi and Co. play. However, when they take their opponents lightly they get torched. Coming in as the favorite, I can see this happening. The Vikings have looked great under Rick Cummins and have earned their first playoff berth in franchise history. They also have a great defense that can definitely adjust to the Gotham Knights offense on the fly. However, the one concern I would have is whether or not the moment would be too grand for these playoff novices.

Prediction: Vikings by 6 points

X-Men (3) vs. Le Zoo (6)

Le Zoo are bult to play with a lead. Their consistent short passing attack is key. Frank Kaye does this better than any other. However, when they fall behind we see Kaye’s lack of arm strength fall short. They have a monster receiver in Patrick St-Amand and he will prove difficult to defend for the X-Men. On the other hand, the friendly mutants have utilized the versatile Kevin Boustany perhaps better than any other team in his career. Other than that, two-way player of the year runner-up Wade Williams has been a huge addition for his team and will cause his share of problems on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The Williams/St-Amand battle will be epic and is not to be missed.

Predicition: X-Men by 4

Hostile Territory (4) vs. Checkmate (5)

This is one of the most interesting matchups during these divisional playoffs. This is true for a couple of reasons. Firstly, both teams have scored more than 300 points this season (CHK scored 351, HT scored 304). Checkmate, as seems to be their norm, come into the game with a couple of big injuries (Mike Addona, Yann Drouin) and it is unclear whether quarterback of the year Fred Morissette will be present for this game. As for Hostile Territory, they have a small roster and have had some consistency issues on their own front. If they bring a full roster, they will be difficult to contend with.

Prediction: N/A

Reflections, Rants and Ravings

My first such observation is that I haven’t done this for a while and probably have a lot to say.
So as it turns out, free WiFi is almost impossible to find in Italy. I had a hard time getting my FPF fix.
Lockdown’s ties proved to be an albatross, and they miss the playoffs for the first time since 2009
I do like all of the award winners and I do think they are all deserving of their accolades. I still think Karl Lavallée should have been the top receiver this season.
There are no stop signs in all of Monaco. Drivers just stopped at the crosswalks. Without stop signs there would be thousands more car related deaths in Montreal.
In my absence Justin Blanchard wrote the English articles and filled in on the podcast. Moreover, Mat Domon wrote the French articles for our division. They did a wonderful job in my absence and I’d like to thank them for their hard work and diligence.
I did not think that Centurions had what it took to go undefeated. They definitely proved me wrong. 10-0 is a remarkable feat, no matter what happens. However it means nothing if you can’t win 4 more games.
Project Mayhem did not make the playoffs the season. This hasn’t been the case for them since they were the Big Birds.
On the Division D edition of Calling the Audible, we mentioned that the Mongoose had won a championship in Division 3. This is not accurate, they are former division 4 champions.
Most of Dubrovnik’s history seems to involve dudes getting beheaded. Must be a terrifying place to live in.
Lockdown’s Gianfranco Rannaudo threw 12 interceptions in his last 5 games. This is just one short of his total interception mark last season.
Bearskins got into the playoffs with a -32 in the +/- coloumn. That actually kind of hurts my brain a little.
What I miss most about not being in Europe is Italian ice cream, Spanish women and cheap liquor. What I missed most while I was away was nice, crisp IPA beers and of course, FPF Nation.

The Tuesday Throwdown

This is the time of year that the readership tends to drop off. While it is the most important time of the season, half the teams are no longer in the picture. This is no reason to slow down our coverage of the division. Think your team has a chance to win it all? Tell me why by emailing me at [email protected] or reach me on Twitter @PeezeFPF. If your season is done pop in and say bye on your way out by sending my an email or tweet as well. To congratulate Terry Tam on his fantasy football victory please Tweet him at @TerryTamFPF.

On this week’s edition of Calling the Audible we discuss the playoffs, the award winners and much more. Matt Domon stops in during his regularly scheduled time slot and we interview Ryan Etinson to discuss his team, condoms and much more. Check us out at http://podomatic.fpf.com or by subscribing on iTunes. See you on the fields, till then, thank you for letting me be myself.