Reviews and Previews from FPF Cup Action
Alexi Dubois
07-09-2020 06:05 PM
The reseeding that happened last week is the best thing to have happened to the FPF cup all season. This week saw a full slate of closely fought matches, especially in tier 2 and 3 where the reseeding took place. On the downside, with so many even matchups it has made my weekly predictions even tougher. In tier 2, six of week 5’s eight matches were decided by a single score. With so many interesting matches to discuss, I will waste no more time and jump right into the week 5 recaps.
Week 5 Recaps:
Braves Verts (46) vs Sweat and Beers (45), Tier 1
Sweat and Beers were in control throughout the first half of this game. They came out swinging with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Caruthers on their third play of the game. While the Braves Verts were able to march back down the field and score, it took them a few more plays, five to be precise. As the half progressed, S&B were able to score with fewer and fewer plays while the Braves struggled to move the ball. The surprising hero of this game for S&B was Andrew Denis Lynch. I’ve always known Denis Lynch as a lower tier player. However, he introduced himself to the highest levels of FPF in a big way in this match. He intercepted the man who most consider to be the best quarterback in FPF twice and also recorded five tackles just for good measure.
À la demie, c’est clair que les Braves ont apporté des modifications majeures à leur plan de match. Leur nouvelle stratégie offensive, c’est Pilons. Stratégie défensive, c’est encore les Pilons. En fait, ces deux frères ont pris leur équipe sur leurs épaules. Alex a enregistré huit attrapés pour 132 verges et quatre touchés, tandis que Serge a capté neuf passes pour 108 verges et deux touchés. En autres mots, les Pilons ont accumulé 240 verges d’attaque, soit 76% des verges et six des sept touchés des Braves. En défensive, c’est aussi les Pilons qui ont dominé. Alex et Serge ont chacun enregistré une interception.
Les cinq derniers jeux de ce match furent les plus excitants. Avec trois jeux restants, les Braves ont scoré pour prendre une avance d’un point. Je suis sûr qu’ils étaient convaincus d’avoir gagné, mais le quart de S&B, Robbie Robinson, il n’allait pas leur rendre la vie aussi facile que ça.
Robinson made quick work and dissected the Braves defence with just two passes to Hinsley Adams. The first was a 37-yard-long bomb that brought them all the way down to the opposition’s three-yard line. On the very next play, Robinson and Adams connected on a three-yard pass to regain the lead and go up by five with just one play to go. At that point, S&B were convinced they had won. In what would later reveal to be a fateful decision, S&B decided to decline the convert.
The Braves had one play to score. They threw a 20-yard pass to the elusive Serge Pilon and let him go to work making defenders miss. He made it all the way down to the five-yard line where he was held by Andrew Denis Lynch. Pilon attempted to make the case that Denis Lynch was the last man back. According to rule 13.15 of the FPF rulebook, “On any play, if the ball carrier is illegally interfered with in any way by the last defender between himself and the goal line, and in the opinion of the official, it is CLEAR that a score would have been made had the interference not occurred, the score will be awarded.” However, there was clearly still one man behind Denis Lynch when he held Pilon. The picture clearly shows that Pilon was held but there was still one back, number 12 for Sweat & Beers. This setup the Braves with untimed play from the five-yard line. Serge Pilon ran a simple out to the left from the snapper position. Just as the rusher was about to sack Maheu, the Braves quarterback connected with Serge for a five-yard score to win the game 46-45. What a finish.
Les Gros Coqs (31) vs Pepperoni Boyz (27), Tier 2
Les Gros Coqs took on the undefeated Pepperoni Boyz on an absolutely abysmal Wednesday night at Collège Notre-Dame. The conditions were wet to say the least and that played perfectly into the Coqs and Dom Lefort’s game plan. Lefort and the Boyz’s quarterback, Joseph Kano, both struggled to complete passes. Neither passed for more than 110 yards. However, Lefort had a tool in his arsenal that Kano simply did not: the run game. The wet conditions made tackling the already elusive Lefort nearly impossible. He ran on three occasions for forty yards and a touchdown. It was ultimately that score which made the difference and gave the Coqs the win in this one. While Lefort won this game with his legs, he very nearly lost it with his harm. He threw three interceptions. On a normal day in indoor conditions, throwing three interceptions while only tallying 109 passing yards is the perfect recipe for a blowout.
Luckily for the Coqs, Kano struggled mightily. Kano is usually a deep ball quarterback. He has tall receivers who can win jump ball battles in the opposing redzone. However, what Kano does not do well is march the field. He does not have the patience to complete little hooks and drags to advance down the field five yards at a time. However, on a rainy day like Wednesday, completing those deep passes is nearly impossible. You need to hit those short and intermediate routes and Kano was not able to do that. Ultimately, Kano’s reliance on the deep ball handed his team their first loss of the season.
Week 6 Previews:
Terror Squad (1-4) vs BYOB (1-4), Tier 1
Ce match m’intrigue parce que je considère que ces deux équipes sont opposées. En fait, Terror Squad a une attaque digne de leur nom. Cependant, ils sont incapables de ralentir leurs adversaires en défensive. De l’autre côté, BYOB sont des maitres de la défensive, mais ils ont de la peine à marquer des points. Ultimement, j’ai plus confiance dans Terror Squad. Ils ont enregistré une victoire convaincante contre les Braves Noirs cette semaine et je crois qu’ils seront capables de faire de même contre BYOB.
Prédiction : Terror Squad
Mean Girls (5-0) vs Lockdown (4-1), Tier 3
Lockdown are slowly starting to grow on me. They very nearly beat Honey Martin last week and Iggy Magnets had nothing but praise for Lockdown after their match. While Lockdown may actually win a match in the second half of this season, it definitely will not be this one. Mean Girls are simply a step above. Their deep ball accuracy and the athleticism of their receivers will be too much for Lockdown’s defence to handle. I expect a bundle of points to be scored in this one, but Mean Girls will come out on top.
Prediction: Mean Girls
Triple P (3-1-1) vs Bud Knights (4-1), Tier 3
Triple P are an athletic team with the athletes to play man to man on defence and a quick rusher who can force the opposing quarterback to get rid of the ball in a hurry. In other words, Triple P are Marc-André Desaulniers’ worst nightfmare. I think this game will be decided by Triple P’s defensive play calling, if they play zone, Desaulniers will be able to dissect that. However, if Triple P manage to play a tight man to man defence, it might be a long evening for Bud Knights.
Prediction: Triple P
Week 5 Team of the Week:
Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive on and vice versa. When choosing the players for the team of the week, I do not consider the tier that the players are in. I only consider their achievements.
Offence:
Quarterback: Jonathan Maheu (Braves Verts, Tier 1) 24 completions, 314 passing yards, 7 TDs, 119 QB Rating
Receiver: Alex Pilon (Braves Verts, Tier 1) 8 receptions, 132 receiving yards, 4 TDs
Receiver: Serge Pilon (Braves Verts, Tier 1) 9 receptions, 108 receiving yards, 2 TDs
Receiver: Benjamin Nolette (Les Centaures, Tier 2) 7 receptions, 139 receiving yards, 3 TDs
Receiver: John Bews (Texass Shorthorns, Tier 2) 6 receptions, 138 receiving yards, 4 TDs
Receiver: Thomas Coutu (Mangoose, Tier 2) 9 receptions, 98 receiving yards, 3 TDs
Defence:
Rusher: Boris Balourd (Replacements, Tier 3) 4 sacks, 1 PD
Defensive Back: Jamie Ojeaha (Fightin’ Tigers, Coed) 4 tackles, 3 INTs
Defensive Back: Andrew Denis Lynch (Sweat & Beers, Tier 1) 5 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD
Defensive Back: Colin Power (Rainmakers, Tier 3) 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD
Defensive Back: Ryan Garber (Trapstars, Tier 3) 4 tackles, 2 INTs
Defensive Back: Kevin Donnet (Triple P, Tier 3) 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD
Week 6 Picks:
| Home Team | Away Team | Predicted Winner |
| Terror Squad | BYOB | Terror Squad |
| KGP | Braves Verts | Braves Verts |
| Pardon My Swag | Bruins | Pardon My Swag |
| EZW | Outlaws | EZW |
| Unknown Talent | Voodoo | Unknown Talent |
| Les Gros Coqs | Half-A-Stars | Half-A-Stars |
| Warriors | Mangoose | Mangoose |
| Pepperoni Boyz | Tough Lungs | Pepperoni Boyz |
| Les Centaures | Hot Sauce Sports | Les Centaures |
| Mean Girls | Lockdown | Mean Girls |
| Goblin Gang | Replacements | Goblin Gang |
| Ballin 60’s | Lionhearts | Lionhearts |
| Triple P | Bud Knights | Triple P |
| Bada Bing | South Side Speedsters | South Side Speedsters |
| Goon Squad | Le Speakeasy | Le Speakeasy |
| La Secte | Les Semi-Croquants | Les Semi-Croquants |
Somehow, there are just three weeks left in the fall 2020 FPF cup. The playoff dates have already been released. The semi-finals will be played between October 5th and 7th. Coed and Tier 1 will be playing on the 5th, Tier 2 on the 6th and Tier 1 on the 7th. All the finals will be held on October 13th.
In more exciting news, the schedule for the paused winter 2020 season has also been released. The final week of the regular season will be played on the weekend of November 7th and 8th. The playoffs will run from November 14-29th and the finals will be held on the weekend of December 5th and 6th.