Recaps, Pain and How Two Teams Can Ruin Flag Football

Peeze’s Playbook

Weeks 7-8

By Paolo Della Rocca

Injuries are part of the game.  This is especially true as FPF veterans begin to age, and in my case, age poorly.  Once again I injured my ankle.  It has plagued me for the better part of 5 years now and this latest installment kept me from walking for several days.  Between the painkillers and the pain induced sweat and hallucinations it was impossible to work on my article.  I apologize.  With that said, here are some recaps from the past two weeks.  My predictions, thoughts, ramblings and power rankings should be out during the weekend as well.

 

Division 6

Week 7

Bruins Maul Pirates

Early in their matchup with Los Banditos, the illicitly named pirates took a 12-0 lead.  The Bruins however would not be kept at bay.  Gabriel Wiseman’s intelligent play calling was evident and took the knowledge he accrued in the first couple of drives to ignite the Bruins offense.  The Bruins offense found it’s groove and this receiving corps did their best to support their QB. Jerry Waskiw turned a quick slant into a massive 37 yard gain up the sideline and Antoine Huynh caught 2 touchdowns to improve his already impressive season.

Los Banditos started strong but that quickly faded.  Once the Bruins started scoring LB seemed to check out.  A dropped pass by Loic Savoiz Seguin was intercepted by a diving Victor Terceira who wasn’t even covering Seguin on that play.  The biggest place where we saw Los Banditos’ lack of engagement was on the defensive side where they looked to be softer in the second half than in the first. They seemed to be allowing catches in front of them that could have easily been contested. Where Los Banditos failed to adjust the Bruins took advantage, Gabriel Wiseman failed to contain Francis Desrochers early but ended the night by recording 3 sacks and two of which were massive losses of yardage.  The positive note for Los Banditos in a close game was there receivers were still able to get open and create separation.  Vincent Benjamin in particular was able to find holes in coverage and haul in two uncontested balls for touchdowns in the back of the endzone.

Flamingos Surrender

In an earlier game, Blitz Babes Eric Vosko suffered a terrible looking knee injury and needed to be taken to the hospital following that game.  All of us at FPF are hoping for a speedy, healthy and full recovery.

The reason I bring this up is that the injury delayed games.  Obviously while teams feel badly for what happened it is also a frustrating feeling to try and stay warm for our own game (through no one’s fault obviously). Stephen Harripersaud seemed largely affected by this in his game for Fighting Flamingos.  One of the expected frontrunners for the Quarterback of the Year trophy had trouble getting the ball out of his hand and some throws looked more a kin to muffed punts.  The team did well to move the ball as Troy Lendvay and Mathieu Lacharite each caught 7 passes while Antoine Kraft-Cloutier caught 9 passes.  However as the field shrunk in the redzone Fighting Flamingos had trouble scoring.  Stephen Harripersaud had a remarkably inefficient day and his 3 interceptions led to a 31-13 loss to Flonkerton.

Flonkerton are now a team on a roll. They have won three in a row and all their games have been against some of the better teams in division 6.  Rico Tulino gave his quarterback a 6 point padding after one of his two interceptions.  Flonkerton quarterback Joshua Vasquez did all he could to capitalize as well.  After I wrote that I was dismayed by his lack of usage in the offense Vasquez connected with Evan “Oathbreaker” Ely Nolet twice for touchdowns.  In the end, the game came down to adaptability and Flonkerton seemed to be the more poised team in this game.

Letting Their Guard Down

So far this season, Kevin Marcil has completed double digit passes only once. That was the Guardians only win this season.  It’s troublesome that the offense simply does not move the ball and there is a ton of pressure placed squarely on the shoulders on a talented but over worked defense.  This was true of this game as well as Guardians held Cugi squad to 14 points but would end up losing 14-12.  Guardians had touchdowns by Michael Lecompte and Francis Harvey Clouthier.  However, the game was marred with inaccurate passing and a team that just seems stuck offensively.

Cugi Squad’s game plan is simple: challenge the defense to cover Richard Bozzo.  Guardians, like most other teams have been unable to do so. Richard Bozzo turned his 9 catches into a touchdown and 87 yards.  In the early part of the game, I was actually impressed with how well Cugi Squad was able to move the ball.  However, as the field gets tighter, Antohny Bozzo’s ability to buy time is less effective and his accuracy issues have hurt him.  Cugi Squad are definitely better than their record lets on but there needs to be a change in shorter zone/redzone play calling in order to truly see improvement.   

Cathodes Vs. Convicts (by Simon Dagenais) 

In what was, on paper, a fantastic matchup, didn’t quite disappoint on Wednesday night. OSP started red-hot, out off the gates as Peeze Della Reeze connected on a deep throw for a big gain leaving the defence in a trance and quickly followed it up with a touchdown to Antonio D’Aversa. With a few nice defensive stops and an offence that looked primed for a big game, OSP were up 20-6 with 3 plays left before the half.

All of that changed after a Defensive Pass Interference penalty called on OSP with only 2 plays left, The U gained all the yards they much needed and had an opportunity to get back into this game. Scoring before the half, starting with the ball and marching the field for six, OSP got the ball back with a 2 point lead (instead of 14 points when they last touched it). QB Peeze panicked a bit and started forcing a handful of deep throws that The U started taking away and the turnovers started. The U jumped on the occasion to take the lead for the first time of the game and, with a nice 2-point conversion play, were now up 26-20 with plenty of time left in the 2nd half. OSP’ offence couldn’t seem have to any sort of traction and panic really settled in as they couldn’t even get short distance passes to make the 3rd and 4th downs more manageable. With a two score deficit and an ensuing pick-six from Aaron Rosenberger who played the ball nicely as the receiver was in double coverage, the face Daniel Bornstein made sort of resumed the entire season for OSP; despair. 

With the division’s passing leader at the helm and plenty of talent to throw around, they’re now sitting at 2-4. The U improves to 4-2, remains in the top 6 of Conference A and regain confidence in their ability to make a nice playoff push once mid-March comes rolling in.

 

Division 6D

Sick Bick Ridin’ Dirty

A week after being shockingly upset by Fourth & Twenty, Sick Bick looked to get back on track.  My sole criticism of Sick Bick throughout the season is that their offense, while explosive, lacks refinement.  As they continue to win games, it does appear that they are a little less dominant than they were earlier in the season.  In their game against Pine Riderz, we expected Sick Bick to roll on the winless D6D team.  The fact of the matter is Sick Bick looked good.  Benji Ziegler scored twice, Zak Sigler and Oren Eisman also found the endzone.  The concern was that Mitch Fergenbaum did turn the ball over twice in a game where it was largely unnecessary.

The interceptions by Daniel Mattoscio and Riley Pincombe were about where the positive trends ended for Pine Riderz.  James Patterson completed only 11 passes at the quarterback position and the offense simply is not doing enough to be competitive.  Pine Riderz have not scored more than two touchdowns in a game since week 2. Patterson is now the third quarterback to take a significant amount of snaps for this team.  I believe that Pine Riderz are at a crossroads.  They need to decide who their quarterback will be and they need to give him the reps it will take to improve. Otherwise, they will need to look elsewhere for quarterbacks in the future.  In the present however, Pine riderz lose another by a score of 28-6.       

Vultures Leave No Trace of Beer

Here for the Beer are a team of good guys who are trying to work together to try to find their way.  The plays rely on quarterback Makis Porrazzo to scramble and make plays.  While the change from Javier Gonzalez seemed to be necessary after he threw for 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in the better part of the first half of the season, Makis Porrazzo hasn’t been the answer.  Or he may be; the problem is Here for The Beer are answering the wrong question.  Unless they learn how to draw up plays that can be successful in FPF, they will never resolve the quarterback issue.  Makis Porrazzo can definitely buy time but it needs to be a compliment to playcalling not a replacement for it.  His lone td came on a broken play where he bought time and heaved up a pass to Franco Gattola.

Vulture looked a lot more poised, Benjamin McMahon was able to find mismatches on his way to a 25-6 Vultures win over Here for the Beer.  In the end the bulk of the mismatches appeared to be wherever Kevin Donnet was.  Donnet scored thrice and recorded an interception on defense.  This defensive effort was matched by Anthony Drysdale and Gary McMahon who each intercepted a ball as well.

I Ain’t Afraid of No Goats

Goat Depot is one of the lesser known teams that had a very strong first half of the season.  Their fortunes began to unravel however in their week 7 matchup against Green Monster.  The unraveling occurred in truly, spectacular fashion.  In the absence of Mathieu Turcotte Alex Deslisle and Joseph Haddad split reps at the quarterback position. Joseph Haddad was able to throw a touchdown and represented Goat Depot’s only touchdown on a short, 4 yard pass to David Fontaine.

I have questioned Jason De Souza and Green Monster’s ability to score points but these questions were put to rest in this game. De Souza played a smart, well paced game and his 5 touchdown passes came as a result of marching down the field and accumulating 179 passing yards.  The biggest beneficiary of this well balanced attack was Alexandre Cote who scored 3 touchdowns on his 6 catches.  

 

Week 8

 

Division 6

Hit Snooze

I’ve often said defense is stupid.  Allow me to revise, defense is stupid when it makes our game look like Goon Squad vs. The Potatoes.  Goon Squad have recently been (rightfully) struck with the suspension bug.  As expected, the team has not looked right since.  Massimo Cicchini really seems to be struggling to find answers as he was only able to complete 7 passes which represented a third of his attempts.  His one touchdown went to Matthew Gagliardi.  On defense Alessandro Cappello intercepted a pass as did Michael Di Iorio.

The Potatoes played largely the same game.  Quarterback Samuel Lamothe completed a vastly superior 16 passes and he was able to move the ball with some consistency.  Likewise, the defensive effort on potatoes was also the strength in their game.  Massimo Cicchini was intercepted by Samuel Lamothe and Piero Mignacca.  The only meaningful offensive contribution from potatoes came in the form of a Michael Sanchez TD.  This game was one that had you asking for nine more minutes before you start your day.  The Potatoes beat Goon Squad 7-6.

Clinkers Sinking

Clinkers have had an interesting inaugural season thus far.  It’s been hard to get a read on whether or not they are any good.  In this way, they closely resemble a Nicholas Cage film.  Despite getting out to an early 12-6 lead, it always did appear that disaster was just across the horizon. Clinkers QB Marc Andre Desaulniers was bothered by rusher Mathieu Lacharite all day.  One such pressure led to Desaulniers throwing one of his two pick 6’s (one by Antoine Kraft-Clouthier and one by Mathieu Kieljan).  In the end my worry for Clinkers seems to have come to fruition as the better teams have begun to gameplan against Luis Begin.  Vincent Lajoie scored twice and Hugo Martel scored as well but the Clinkers’ offense seemed to lack explosiveness in the second half.

Fighting Flmaingos don’t entirely earn praise here.  Stephen Harripersaud completed a touch over half of his passes and the team seemed to be offensively challenged with new FPF upstart Troy Lendvay away from the lineup. This is a good team and while Mathieu Lacharite definitely stepped it up on the offensive side of the ball (to add to his 3 sacks and multiple qb pressures on defense).  However, Myles Keiller and others seemed to work listlessly through the game when they had an opportunity to stand tall. Fighting Flamingos escaped with the win by a score of 32-18. 

 

Division 6D

Kraken the Whip

Krakens seemed determined to get their season on track?  See what I did there? No? Well, I guess I should have lead with the fact that they played A Determiner in week 8.  Yeah that wasn’t great? Ok let’s scratch that joke from the record and I’ll get back to the workshop for future knee slappers.

Coming into the season, my podcast colleague Simon Dagenais, was convinced that Krackens would rule division D6D.  However, after a half the season, my less than esteemed colleague was forced of his position and included them in the dump portion of our dating game.  Since then of course, Krakens have won two straight and have outscored their opponents 52-12.  In week 8, Paul Revere would have been proud as the Kraken were scoring if by land, by air or by defense.  Etienne Beauchamp connected with Anthony Beauchamp Frezza and Guillermo Agesta for touchdowns.  Etienne Beauchamp also got on his horse and much like Paul Revere, rode in the right direction, for a running touchdown and Anthony Beauchamp Frezza returned an interception for a touchdown as well.

A Determiner seem to be in a mid-season lull.  It isn’t the nice kind of lull where long lost friends have gotten together after having lost touch for a couple of years.  Rather it’s the kind of lull you see in a poorly paced movie. After having started 3-0 AD have lost 4 straight.  In that time they have averaged 6.5 points per game. 

Going for Bake

The easy headline in a game between Broke Boys and Baker Boys was over course to say “going for broke”.  However, I prefer baked goods to being broke so I went with this headline instead.  Who could blame me?  The Baker Boys have struggled this season and the schedule has done them no favors.  Most recently, they had to take the field against a vastly superior Broke Boys.  To their credit, Baker Boys kept this close in the first half.  The score was 12-6 and being down a touchdown at the half is not the worst place to be.  Before the game was done Francis Perron and Jonathan Lyristis each caught touchdowns.  Lyristis threw the touchdown to Perron as well as the FPF veteran continues to have a large role on this team.  While Chris Marcovichio’s play looks to have improved, it’s a tall task to make marked improvement in a short period of time.

On the other hand, a quarterback I questioned a great deal coming into this season was Cameron Wilson.  However his improvement from last season is clear and Broke Boys have been playing well.  Wilson threw 4 of the 5 touchdowns (the other went to Evan Young).  Surprisingly the game plan seemed simple for Broke Boys.  KEEP GOING TO MATTHEW CAMPBELL.  As the game went on, Baker Boys never adjusted and Campbell would end the game with 4 touchdowns.  It is somewhat of a predictable result but, nonetheless, Broke Boys went on to bear Baker Boys 31-12.

 

Friyay’s Friendly Fryars

With the pain now fading away I am back and ready to share my thoughts. Reach out for complaints, thoughts, questions and feedback!  You can always reach me @peezefpf on twitter or Peeze Della Reeze on facebook.  You can also reach outh through more official channels by emailing me at [email protected]

For further analysis, tune in to the official FPF podcast Calling the Audible, where Moe Khan Simon Dagenais and I work to annoy GM Koletheras as we nuit blanche, light wash jeans and how dominos can be confusing for the elderly . Tune in to Facebook live on the FPF Facebook page on Thursday nights at 7:00pm, watch it later on www.youtube.com/flagplus or download the podcast on iTunes or Podomatic!

Thank you all, falettinme be mice elf agin