Reviews and Previews From Week 7 in FPF

The playoffs are on our doorstep, but before we get there, there is still the final week of the regular season to be played. I outlined a breakdown of playoff implications last week, so I will skip that this week in order to get in my usual amount of game recaps and previews. However, I do have to mention that I made a mistake when discussing the race for first place in Coed. The winner of this week’s match between Kiss My End Zone and EZFun will finish first.

Week 7 Recaps

Ravens (32) vs Chocolate Thunder (24) – Tier 2

The Ravens pulled off a massive upset, beating Chocolate Thunder 32-24 in a back-and-forth game. The Houle-to-Houle connection paid off big time for the Ravens in this one. Quarterback Joel Houle connected with his brother Mathieu Houle seven times for 71 yards and a score. What I liked most from this Ravens offence is that they spread the ball and kept Chocolate Thunder guessing on defence. Every single Ravens receiver finished the game with multiple targets and over 25 receiving yards. As a defender, predictability lets me anticipate routes and get just a split second jump on a pass. By spreading the ball, you keep defenders honest. Defensively, the Ravens did just enough. In addition to Kamba Katchelewa’s key interception, their two biggest plays came on fourth down where they stopped Chocolate Thunder twice.

As for Chocolate Thunder this game should serve as a wakeup call. They are blessed with a set of phenomenally tall and athletic receivers. However, it seems like Joseph Kano has gotten a bit too dependent on the deep ball to those receivers. In this game, he averaged nearly 12 yards a completion, but completed just 13 passes. Ultimately one of a quarterback’s most important roles is to manage the clock. When you are just completing 40-yard bombs or going 4 and out, you lose a lot of that clock control. As a matter of fact, the Ravens ran 34 offensive plays in this one compared to Chocolate Thunder’s 24. If this team has legitimate championship aspirations, Kano will need to start taking what opposing defences give him and become a better game manager.

Fighting Cones (18) vs Trailer Park Boys (13) – Tier 3

Darcy Jeannis stole the show for the Fighting Cones in this one. While he did not light up the box-score with a stupendous amount of passing yards, he did a little bit of everything to lead his team to an 18-13 victory over the Trailer Park Boys in this one. As a quarterback, he passed for just 101 yards and three scores, but crucially, he avoided throwing a single interception. He added to his offensive totals with 41 rushing yards on six attempts. As if leading the Cones on offence was not enough, Jeannis came up big defensively with six tackles, a defended pass and the games only interception. Ultimately the reason that the Cones are going to miss the playoffs is inconsistency. Jeannis has alternated between looking like a daunting dual threat quarterback, to throwing the game away with multiple interceptions on just about a weekly basis. With a little bit more experience under his belt, I could see this team causing havoc in the winter season’s division 6.

The Trailer Park Boys did a lot right in this game. They impressed me with their play on fourth down where they converted on three of four attempts. However, their bigger issue came in the red zone. They actually managed more red zone trips than their opponents. However, they only managed to score on two of those four trips. It is no secret that Trailer Park Boys’ quarterback Antoine Meunier loves to run. However, when he is in the red zone, and that option is taken away things get more complicated for him. This team can easily drive the field. They have the experience of over five seasons under their belt and some dominant receivers like Alexandre Meunier. If this team wants to take their game to the next level, their playcalling will need to evolve. In the red zone, windows are much smaller since teams are never dropping two players deep. What that means is instead of calling plays which overflow zones horizontally, you need to overflow zones vertically.

Week 6 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 one and vice versa. However, you can make the team of the week in multiple divisions. For the Coed division there will always be a minimum of two women on the offensive and defensive team of the week.

Tier 1

Offence

Quarterback: Stephen Harripersaud (Blessed) 23 completions, 225 passing yards, 6 TDs

Receiver: Justin Lerner (Blessed) 4 receptions, 85 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Quaid Johnson (The Apocalypse) 6 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Thomas Coutu (Mangoose) 8 receptions, 84 yards, 4 TDs

Receiver: Dylan Garber (KGP) 7 receptions, 78 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Jean-Christophe Ferland (EZW) 6 receptions, 106 yards, 2 TDs

Defence

Rusher: Terry Babalis (Blessed) 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Charles-Olivier Lavigne (EZW) 1 tackle, 1 INT, 2 PDs,

Defensive Back: Marvin Steingberg (Blessed) 1 tackle, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: James Langshaw (Blessed) 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD  

Defensive Back: Jesse Dupuis (Urgence Medic) 6 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Etienne Laurence-Gervais (EZW) 1 tackle, 4 PDs

Tier 2

Offence

Quarterback: Dilan Daoust (Grim Reapers) 17 completions, 266 passing yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Charles Olivier Vachon (Grim Reapers) 4 receptions, 83 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Mathieu Ouimet (Bruins) 9 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Dawson Pierre (Los Siete Amigos) 7 receptions, 84 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Marlon Roc (Tough Lungs) 4 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Justin Blanchard (Hot Sauce Sports) 5 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TDs

Defence

Rusher: Jonathan Steinberg (KGP RA) 6 sacks

Defensive Back: William Power (Hot Sauce Sports) 2 tackles, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Simon Losier (Arouch) 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Alex Boucicault (Tough Lungs) 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Olivier Suri (GlogGang) 4 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 PDs

Defensive Back: Jonathan Garfinkle (KGP RA) 2 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PDs

Tier 3

Offence

Quarterback: Mitch Fergenbaum (Warriors) 15 completions, 214 passing yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Benji Ziegler (Warriors) 7 receptions, 93 yards, 4 TDs

Receiver: Manny Bizogias (FSU) 9 receptions, 124 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Jared Buck (Tim Brandy) 8 receptions, 88 yards

Receiver: Joe Morgese (Lionhearts) 4 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Vincent Birnbaum-Charbonneau (7^th Rounders) 5 receptions, 78 yards, 2 TDs

Defence

Rusher: Vincent Ponton (Two Inch’s Gang) 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Félix Pérusse (Two Inch’s Gang) 4 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PDs

Defensive Back: Craig Browning (Pardon My Swag) 1 tackle, 1 INT, 2 PDs, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Eric Weitzman (Warriors) 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Bryton Wilkinson (Save A Horse) 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Owen LaValliere (Save A Horse) 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD

Week 8 Predictions 

Kiss My End Zone (6-1) vs EZFun (6-1) – Coed

This is definitely the battle of the week to watch in the Coed division. The two top teams are going head-to-head with first place on the line. While first place might be a largely symbolic achievement in many tiers, in Coed it is crucially important. There is a clear demarcation between the top three teams and the bottom four. The first-place seed will have the luxury of a much easier semifinal game.

When you look at EZFun’s offence, there are multiple things to worry about. You need to be concerned about Charles-Olivier Lavigne’s athleticism and his ability to embarrass people in man-to-man coverage. On the other hand, Jean-Christophe Ferland poses a very different kind of a threat. The snapper has made a career in FPF of shredding zone defences with his clinical route running and uncanny ability to find the soft spot in a zone. As good as Lavigne and Ferland are, they are far from being the biggest problem for opposing defences. As a defensive play caller, I am confident that I could call a defence to neutralize, or at least limit them. However, whatever defence you call is negated by Jeremy White’s ridiculous scrambling ability. The biggest question facing Kiss My End Zone in this one is if they can find a rusher who will be able to minimize White’s scrambling antics. Last time they played, Erica Dubois and Kevin Lubin both tried their hand with very limited degrees of success.

Offensively, I expect this game to be a shootout. EZFun hung 39 points on Kiss My End Zone last time these two teams met and even if KMEZ solve their rushing issues, EZFun will probably score 4 or 5 times. What that means is KMEZ’s quarterback will need to step up his game. The first meeting between these teams was the first time that Paolo Della Rocca threw for KMEZ. Since then, he has simplified his playcalling and developed better chemistry with his receivers.

This game can essentially be boiled down to asking if Della Rocca has improved enough to go score for score with Jeremy White. Unfortunately, I am too close to this game to answer that question so I will leave this prediction blank.

Prediction: Show up Sunday to see!

The Apocalypse (4-3) vs Urgence Medic (3-4) – Tier 1

This is another game that will be directly impacting playoff seeding. A win for The Apocalypse will secure them the first seed. On the other hand, a loss could see them slip all the way down into fourth place and have them face the daunting prospect of playing Blessed in the first round.

The last time these two teams met Urgence Medic trounced Jeff Rosenblatt 27-12. Jesse Dupuis was perfect throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions whereas The Apocalypse’s Jeff Rosenblatt threw two of each. Since that first game of the season, both of these teams have been trending in opposite directions. UM lost an embarrassing game to KGP two weeks ago when they didn’t have Dupuis. The two teams faced off again last week with Dupuis at the helm of UM’s offence and UM lost again to KGP. Since the week 1 game between UM and The Apocalypse¸ the only loss that The Apocalypse suffered was at the hands of Blessed.

I cannot wait to see UM’s Alexis Gaumont and The Apocalypse’s Quaid Johnson go head-to-head in this one. Both are freakishly athletic receivers who have been lighting things up in Tier 1 this season. While Gaumont might have the height advantage, I think Johsnon’s superior athleticism will win him this matchup. Across the board, I love The Apocalypse’s receivers. Benjamin McMahon and Travis Moses are both shifty receivers that are a nightmare for opposing defenders because they can turn a two-yard slant into a longshore. On the other hand, Kendal Mayers poses a different kind of threat. His mixture of speed and lankiness makes him a mismatch nightmare. All in all, I do not think that Urgence Medic have the defensive personnel to compete with The Apocalypse’s slew of weapons. What that means is that this game will come down to Rosenblatt’s ability to pick-out the open man.

Prediction: The Apocalypse

Good luck to everyone in Week 8! Feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or critiques about the article.