The War Room (DB) – Conference Semi-Finals

 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” a famous line from Charles Dickens, and no better situation can illustrate that quote than the first round of the FPF playoffs. While teams battled it out for ten full weeks, it only takes one misstep or blown assignment to end the championship dream for the season. The Falcons, North Shore, DIP and Choppers were eliminated from contentions last Sunday, and can now probably be found golfing at Dorval Municipal golf course. While some of the games were lopsided in nature (Predators vs the “fraudulent” Shore), a true gem of a game emerged in the Atlanta Bowl.

 

The Falcons came into this game limping as the second half of their season had not gone according to plan. They had started out as one of the hottest teams in FPF but were simply cooled by the winds of change. That change came full circle as the Dirty Birds (who had been previously crushed by the Falcons in week 5) clipped their 3rd seeded wings. The game was a back and forth affair, with both teams demonstrating their aerial downfield attack. Both Jon Young and Simon Richard played a tough competitive game, however the versatility of the Dirty Birds pivot proved to be priceless as he contributed both with his feet and with his defensive prowess. The game was decided on defense as both teams made goal line stops late in the game to force overtime. In the third overtime period, the Dirty Birds (down 2-1) elected to go for two points and the ever so quiet Dave Hurley made a “Jordanesque” leap to grab the winning score. This capped off an emotional but classy game between both franchises, one that will not be soon forgotten.

 

Following the spectacular Atlanta Bowl was the “Tale of Two Rosters Bowl” which showcased the inexperienced Motley Crue vs. the ever so confident Choppers. The explosive nature of both these offenses made this game very entertaining. Both Qbs looked comfortable throwing the football downfield, although Mathieu Rene slightly edged out Sean Avraam in accuracy. The unfortunate part of this game was the decision by the Choppers to switch Qb’s with about three minutes to go. They needed a score and handed the ball to Division 1 top 5 Qb Chad Byers, who is usually a receiver on this team. This did not come as any surprise to those who truly knew this team. Everyone expected this switch if the game was on the line. I often said that is was the duty of Sean Avraam to lead his team to victory, however when the game was on the line, he shied away and tried to sneak a win with a player who had no business in Div B. Not exactly the characteristics of a champion! Regardless of this act, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Jacques Void score that last Td on the Choppers as it seemed fitting that a team who are honest in their intent would ultimately win.

 

As for the other two bowl games, well…. the Siesta Bowl was a snoozer as North Shore defined playoff futility and allowed the Predators to “look” like contenders. On the other side, the Banter Bowl was cancelled due to the forfeit of DIP who were away on vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now to preview this week quarter final Bowl games:

 

The “Déjà vu” Bowl: G-Men Vs. Motley Crue

Last Game: 40 Motley Crue – 27 G-Men

Analysis: This was week six’s “Game of the Week” and gave everyone a glimpse of the fantastic play of Motley Crue (up until week 6). Rene had his best game in FPF, as he completed 80% of his passes and threw 6 td’s. Jacques Void torched and then urinated on (to put out the fire of course) the G-Men secondary for 4 Td’s. Now this is massively impressive considering Paul Kamel and Nareg Yessayan are the deep safeties on the team. On the flip side, Kevin “the Underhand man” Solarik was efficient with 4 td’s 1 int and 60 yards rushing. The Main factor was the lack of defense by the G-Men, who basically got embarrassed.

 

What the G-Men need to do to win: Play Defense! This team was founded on a mundane offense and some great flashy defense. However, as of late, this team is more predicated on trying to put on offensive shows than play sound defense. Solarik has the ability to score enough points to get you the win, especially with Nareg running down the sidelines. However, the key to this game will be how the G-Men respond to Void and Mercier on defense. If they can neutralize the big play ability of Void, they will stay in the game. If they can fluster Rene into making short throws, they will win the game. My suggestion: play a mix of cover three and cover two. Blitz from multiple angles, i.e. shoot your MLB instead of your rusher sometimes. Basically, use Motley Crue’s inexperience against them.

 

What the Motley Crue need to do to win: It is rumored that Paul Kamel (G-Men Captain) is out with a lower body injury and will not be fit to play. This is great news for the Crue as this will allow them to keep the deep passes away from co safety Yessayan and pick on the other poor fool who is 2nd on the depth chart behind Paul. Rene will need to calm his boys down as the G-Men will use their physical play against them. If Rene can switch between intermediate and long passes, he should be able to expose a glaring weakness in the G-Men secondary. On defense, Cote will need to contain Kevin Solarik to ensure he gives his defensive backs a chance to maintain coverage. The key to the G-Men offense is to break a play wide open and let the receivers lose their initial coverage. Cote has the talent to sack Solarik multiple times or force him into making a questionable decision. Void should cover Yessayan, although that in itself seems like a mismatch anyways. Stay away from man on man coverage, if Cote struggles with Solarik.

 

The “FPF Wars: Return of the Empire” Bowl: Dirty Birds Vs. Mercenaries

 

Last Game: Mercenaries 34 – DB 18

 

Analysis: Well the first game was a bit of a wash for both teams, GDF “aka the Emperor” had 5 Ints, however his minions bailed him out with a great performance on defense. The Dirty Birds put on quite the defensive rebellion but Tony Testa proved to be too much to defend as he quelled any resistance with 3 TD’s of his own. The rematch should be interesting as both teams look to change their approach and this game in theory should look nothing like the first. The Mercenaries hope to dispose of DB early on, while the Dirty Birds look to expose the complacent nature of certain Mercenary players. Whatever the case, the pressure will be on the Merc’s to break that often cursed first seed jinx which past franchises have endured (Vipers anyone?).

 

What the Mercenaries need to do to win: They need to play up to their billing. They are the talent pool of Div B (apart from the Floppers). There is no legitimate reason why they should not represent the conference in the final. However, they have had some issues with their QB throwing it up, and relying on his receivers to make a big play. The offense should be methodical if it plans on dominating in this game, Gino shouldn’t look to hit them deep on every play. On defense, they need to continue to execute and not gamble on coverage. Stats are not important in playoff football, so don’t risk a big play on picking off the ball. Containing Eric Bishara is their key to ball control…

 

What the Dirty Birds need to do to win: Jon Young needs to maintain his composure on offense and continue to play well on defense. The offense needs to spread the ball around and use the shiftiness of Eric Bishara to force the coverage to bite short. Once the short game has been established, the Dirty Birds can risk a couple shots deep to Eddie Martinez or yours truly. On defense, they will need to play physical and fight for any jump balls. On goal line they need to stay disciplined and not lose composure when irritating gnats start yelling.

 

The “No Time For Excuses” Bowl: Kings Vs Redemption

Last Game: Redemption 20 – Kings 12

 

Analysis: Well, week 9 demonstrated how Redemption could hang in there with the giants of their conference, as they beat the reigning Div A champ Kings (who now play in Div B, without their old roster :P). The game was a defensive grind as both teams could not find an offensive groove. The Kings had a good excuse: their QB was not present and their leading receiver was playing as his replacement. That being said, they still looked dreary on defense. Rehan assured me that this performance had everything to do with their leader missing the game and nothing to do with the fact they were failing to execute. Redemption is coming off an unexpected bye week and is looking to put forth its best effort. This game should be contested closely as I think the Kings continue to underestimate Redemption.

 

What the Kings need to do to win: The Kings have excellent talent on their roster, which I’ve reiterated throughout the season. What I fail to really see in some games is that killer instinct to utterly destroy a teams morale from the start to end of the game. Lebeau will need to put together successful drives which eat up the clock and demoralize the redemption defensive backs. The rusher needs to fluster Godyn as he attempts his wind-up and throw mechanics. If they can limit the amount of long plays on defense, they will be victorious.

 

What Redemption need to do to win: The Kings are set on not allowing Andre Knights to beat them. Thus, this is a call out to all Redemption receivers to rise up! The Kings defense plays well up front and gambles a lot in the back. If Redemption can have some success in the 8 to 12 yard zones, it will open up a lot underneath as the coverage backs off. Godyn will need to matriculate the ball downfield slowly, eat up the clock and aim for two or three possessions a half. I would shy away from the vertical passing game, unless someone is dumb enough to try and play man. This is a manageable task for Redemption if they can raise their yards per play efficiency.

 

The “This should be over by Halftime” Bowl: Alkaholiks vs. Predators

Last game: Alk’s 27 Predators 12

Analysis: The first time they played was in week 1, which gives us little to no feeling on what to expect 11 weeks later. Both teams have evolved and have garnered their own identity. The Alk’s are the class of their conference, and apart from a dismal performance against DIP, have shown dominance throughout the season. The Predators haven’t been that impressive this season, but got into the playoffs and smoked their North Shore adversaries. I do have certain reservations as to whether it was due to the pathetic nature of North Shore or the newfound confidence of the Predators offense. Whatever the case may be, the Predators played a solid first game in the playoffs. They will need to execute to near perfection if they plan on slaying the dragon of Conference B.

 

What the Alks need to do to win: Show up with enough players? All jokes aside, they need to do what they do best and that is exploit their athletes down the field. Lapierre is the most versatile player on offense that the league has ever seen (apart from Benny Goodfriend). His play at QB will determine how successful this team be in the coming weeks. I see him being able to hit the deep routes on a secondary who is suspect at times over the middle. As for defense, they need to key on Majeur Jr. and Prince to secure the win. I don’ think this will be much of a contest, but they shouldn’t take the streaky Predators too lightly.

What Predators need to do to win: Majeur Sr. and company will need to play a flawless game on offense. He needs to spread the ball to all his receivers and make the correct reads down the field. He has a decent arm and good receiving corps. The size of the Alks will pose problems, but their flag grabbing is less than perfect. I would expect to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers and let them garner yards after the catch. Renaldo Jordan could be the unlikely hero in this one, as he is probably the purest #1 receiver on the squad. Slow the tempo of the game down and frustrate the Alks (they feed off emotion).

 

Castleton’s Random Thoughts of the Week:

 

1. Moe Khan: I firmly believe he writes his articles on a “etch a sketch” at home. His weekly checklist for composing an article must be: a) mention Ricky Martin b) throw in Mtl Finest players on the Shockers c) try and get invited to Gary’s BBQ. While that is as riveting as reading the ingredients to Life cereal, it serves no purpose to keep labeling A.Knights a MTL Finest or question our validity as a team without Kishon and Wyeth. I am proud to have such great athletes “on loan” from the Finest. The Finest are in fact that, the best flag players of FPF. But you didn’t see Rehan commenting on how Moe Khan bought a championship by recruiting Andre Knights from the Shocker or Nathan Taylor from the Buckeyes. This league has many players playing two squads, it’s just part of the game. Get over it…

 

2. Choppers: I don’t need to rub in how disappointing it is to see you guys out of the playoffs. However, I don’t pity you based on your last minute “switch” at QB.

 

3. Eric Bishara: What a player! With all the press coverage of the big name receivers etc, this man gets little to none. He is the majority of the receiving yards of the Dirty Birds organization and his ability to make a 2 yard slant a 40 yard play is unparalleled. It is only a matter of time until he starts receiving offers from division 2 teams.

 

4. Falcons: Another disappointing playoff exit, and if I was a Falcon; I’d wonder what is wrong with this team. I’m not sure if they will be able to take the next step in the playoffs with the current players on the roster. Therrien was a great addition this year, I would suggest finding a suitable safety to play along side him and re-sign Adi Sharma.

 

5. Twitter: I really don’t see the point in it. Can’t you just update people through FB status’ (Utterly redundant if you ask me) Just another way for girls to ignore Moe Khan, I guess.

 

6. Sunscreen: Touch for a Cure was a great event in which many FPF teams participated. Our own president Rob Campana played an amazing game on defense with numerous picks and even Daron was a sack fiend. However, nobody thought to bring sunscreen, which made everyone look like Lobsters come Sunday morning.

 

7. Losing with Class: It is often in the playoffs that players really lose their mind and demonstrate a lack of maturity when they lose. Players should remember that their actions even after being eliminated can affect their future season at FPF. In the past, suspensions have been levied on players who try and verbally abuse referees after playoff losses. A team’s reputation is usually based on whether they can win AND lose with class. That is the test of a true gentleman and athlete.

 

Quote of the Week:

 

“Tell him to keep the Shockers out of his “Division B 1st round losing” Mouth!’

– Andre Knights, defensive Captain of Shockers responding to earlier season comments from Sean Avraam on how the Choppers could beat the Shockers straight up.