Peeze’s Playbook Finals Preview

In just a few hours I will be picked up by a way-to-cheery Eagle at Master control and we will head off to Complexe Bell where we will begin our 6 hours of preperations (read plugging stuff in) so that we can ensure to be completely ready for our live play-by-play broadcast (yet another 6 hour event), of the FPF Finals. It is hectic, it is stressful and it is fun. I am looking forwardto it as I am every year. An event of this magnitude of course acts as a showcase indicating yet, another reason that Flag Plus Football is the greatest recreational league in the world.

Of all the championship games, I think that division 3 will be most compelling. As many people believed in Les Buddays, believed that there was no way for them to get past the goliaths in this division as they had already lost to both the BearSkins and Wild Boys. On the other side we have MetaMayhem who have been dismissed week after week, despite the incredible amount of talent that they bring to the field each week. This will truly be the height of what division 3 has to offer.

Skins to Hibernate Until Spring

So the thing that had not plagued the Bearskins all season would eventually become their undoing in the playoffs. Despite the immense talent on this team, I did feel that Neil Etinson’s development at quarterback has not been complete and as such I felt that he was making too many mistakes to make it to the final. While they had beaten Les Buddays during the season, I felt as though this actually gave Les Buddays an advantage (18-12 in week 3). This is exactly the kind of team that I felt would make the BearSkins pay for their mistakes and this game did in fact play to that script.

The game started out incredibly quickly for Les Buddays as they raced to 13 points. Their offense looked like they could not be stopped. However, BearSkins were quick to attack and they capatalized on two Frédéric Dupuis interceptions to put up two touchdowns of their own. While Les Buddays did go into the half with a 19-13 lead the turning point would not come until early in the second half.

The game looked as though it was starting to fade for the BearSkins as a mistimed slant route turned into the first of 2 Simon Rivard interceptions but this one was in fact a pick-6. From this point on the momentum had completely swung in the favor of Les Buddays. Dupuis was on and he did not take his foot off of the gas for a second. Hitting Alex Gauthier on a drag for a redzone touchdown, an impressive toss to JC Binette to pull away or hitting Guillaume Paquette on a post to put the game out of reach, Les Buddays offense just seemed to hit their stride in this game. In the end this game would end 45-27 but it does not indicate just how competitive this game this game was at the start.

Jacob Peterson and Aleksander Papich both caught 2 touchdowns in a losing effort. One of Papich`s grabs was absolutely spectacular as he contorted his body around a defender to gain position as he hauled in the pass. In the end the Buddays had more fire power and were just more in synch on offense. As such they are the victors and they should enjoy the excitement and all the spoils that come with FPF championship week.

Where Do They Go From Here

Neil Etinson surprised most by leading the BearSkins to this point. The Conference final did feature a plethora of unnecessarily beautiful catches by the likes of Marco Bertoldi, Sasha Papich and others and this is what Etinson will need to improve on as he heads into next season. He has a stronger arm than most anticipated, he is instinctive and elusive in the pocket and can throw a very catchable deep ball. However, when the games become more important he tends to tense up and his footwork falls apart. In my opinion, this has to do with his lack of experience at the position. As he continues to play, he will get frazzled less and his mechanics will get more fluid.

I do hope the BearSkins return and if they do return with the same roster they would be slotted into Division B. I think they will be a competitive team there and I think another season with the same group of players would help the chemistry develop so that each individual game would not feel as daunting. Top to bottom, this is a strong team and we`ve seen that they can do damage in the regular season. Reaching the next level is just a matter of experience and I am sure they will grow to be an unstoppable force for seasons to come.

Straight Up Mayhem

There are times when things feel long because they are boring. There are other times however when things feel long because they are. MetaMayhem used up every last minute, each of their final plays and an entire overtime round to beat VPC by a score of 54-53. This was a game filled with so many highlights but, to me nothing will top Danny “Love” D’Amour leaping over the back of a safety and catching a touchdown pass with one hand as if it were as easy as sipping on bourbon lemonade. Conversely, Rob Robinson’s mastery in the pocket was on display as he continuously bought time, found open receivers and scored two touchdowns on the ground as well.

VPC never really had any measure of control in this game. They fell behind at the start and were chasing MetaMayhem from start to finish. John Lyristis had his mark on this game as he caught 8 passes for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yet we saw a flawed VPC defense from start to finish. Even in overtime we saw Alex Holowach finding an open James Nowakowski at the back of the endzone. This seemed to be the issue the entire game as receivers seemed to be constantly open in the middle of the field. On the other hand VPC seemed to have to struggle despite their production. Brendan Buckley made some great catches as Rob Robinson was able to carefully place passes and his players continuously made plays for him. In all honesty, VPC’s execution was nearly flawless. The difference in this games was that it needed to be. In a game where everything came easily for MetaMayhem, they made sure that VPC fought and earned every yard. Jeremy Anderson, who is more known as a shutdown defender has shown that he is an offensive threat in these playoffs. Nonetheless he had his defense playing hard and commiting to a team concept as they played close in coverage and swarmed to every flag. In the end, VPC’s crisp route running, sure hands and well placed passes were not enough to carry them into the Championship Game.

Where Do They Go From Here?

VPC is an established franchise. They have been around for seasons and they have seen a fair amount of success. However, I feel that this has been the problem for quite some time. The team lacks balance. There are always 3 very strong players and then the rest of the roster is littered with role players and players who are limited. While they did carry them this far I think VPC will need to focus on roster construction as FPF will only get more and more competitive in seasons to come.

Having limited players can work as long as you are best utilizing the roster. However, I think that they are missing a game breaker on offense who can make plays in space. Lyristis is great at winning one-on-one battles and is a phenomenal athlete and Dan Dick plays the snapper position as well as can be done. He finds the holes in a defense and has a great rapport with his quarterback. Still I feel if they had a crafty receiver in the opposing slot VPC’s offense would be unstoppable. On the other side of the ball, I think the acquisition of an intelligent, “free-safety” type would help them a great deal. They gave up too many free plays when it counted and while I love seeing Lyristis rush, they would be best suited if they could really take away the deep threat.

Division 3 Finals

 

MetaMayhem (2) vs. Buddays (4)

 

Previous Result: n/a

 

Keys to Success:

 

MetaMayhem (2): MetaMayhem is coming into this game as the higher seed. However, we have said for weeks that the winner from Conference B would be the sacrificial lamb to winners of Conference A. I don’t think this will be the case. Alex Holowach has always performed like a man on a mission in the playoffs (this season’s sampling has had him come into this game with 18 touchdowns and 2 interceptions). I think we know what we can expect from him ion this game. I don’t think it will ultimately come down to his performance. The receiving squad on this team is really deep. Jeremy Anderson and Danny D’Amour have been the stars and as the finals represent the moment when stars shine brightest, I expect that this will be the case in this game as well. On the defensive side of the ball I think Jeff Moscsato will need to be disruptive in order to for MetaMayhem to hoist the trophy above their heads at the end of this one. Finally, there is one player who I think will be an absolute X factor and that is Thomas (The Younger Holow) Zorko. The only issue is I have no idea how just yet. He is the most versatile player in this game and despite his unassuming demeanor I can see him coming up huge in this game. The game plan will be one where they would use their ability to strike quick to put pressure on the Buddays offense. This is no small feat but, I do think the Buddays are more comfortable playing in a game which we see 50 points are scored more so than one where we would see 80 combined points scored. I think if this becomes a shootout, it will favor MetaMayhem.

 

Les Buddays (4): With all this talk of Alex Holowach, Fred Dupuis is probably foaming at the mouth and getting ready to play this one. Fred Dupuis has been on another level in the playoffs and has shown why he’s been the talk of the town (providing of course that you think Division 3 is more of a town then a level of competition). Now armed with an explosive and dynamic offense, Les Buddays take their highly energetic, defense into their third final in franchise history. Guillaume Paquette has helped bolster the offense. Now with Jason Charbonneau set to return we can expect that Les Buddays offense will be primed for success. However, I still think they will need to win this game on the backs of their defense and some critical adjustments will need to be made to put themselves in spots where they can make plays. The man I see stepping up is Sebastien Simon. While his stats may not show it when this one is done, Simon will help patrol the middle of the field and take away what Alex Holowach does best. If your left hook is your big punch you will need it to win a fight. Les Buddays left hook is their defense and I think they will need to limit Holowach’s possessions because I do not think he will score every drive.

 

Analysis:  There is a lot of championship experience in this game. Les Buddays have lost it before, they know what it feels like and never want to experience that again. Alex Holowach and Jeremy Anderson are the only players in this game who have won a championship but there is a large collection of talent that have played in playoff games before so I don’ t think nerves will be a deciding factor in this one.

 

Prediction: My article has actually been written for days but I have not wanted to make this pick. Unfortunately, I have delayed it as long as possible and I have to make a decision. I think that this game will be close at the half (likely tied). In the end I see MetaMayhem having trouble keeping up with the overall speed that Les Buddays have in every position. I think Les Buddays will make a defensive stop with a couple of plays left and they will wind the clock down and win it 26-21.

 

Filthy, Freak Friday

The finals will be played this Saturday, April 18th, at 7:00pm at Complex Bell in Brossard.  I invite everyone to join us, as this is truly one of the most festive events on the FPF calendar.  This season, I will be joined in the booth with Simon Dagenais and Daron Basmadjian will be calling the game from the broadcast booth.  For some reason known only to the Comissioner, I will be running play-by-play as my cohorts will be providing colour commentary, observations, and in the case of Simon Dagenais, utter non sense.  The media team has all of their prop bets ready to go and as such they can focus on what promises to be an exciting final. To taunt me or wish me ill-will for the final you can do so at [email protected] or tweet me @PeezeFPF.

 

Division 3’s Calling the Audible has enjoyed it’s 6th successful season as the league’s equivalent to Sports Centre.  It has been a great season and for those who have not heard the press conference where JC Binette of Les Buddays took on Jeff Moscato and the aviator wearing Terence Adams of MetaMayhem, you should definitely take a moment before heading to Brossard to listen to the Press Conference. Check it out at http://podomatic.fpf.com or by subscribing on iTunes.