Tier 1: Divisional Round Preview

Last week I talked about the playoff format for the FPF Cup. I like the double and single elimination set-up, as it gives teams a chance to rebound if they play a bad game, or simply get beat. The fact that the six teams who qualified for it, had to fight their way into that position makes the whole thing logical.

My only complaint about the format, is it produces semi-final matchups in the first round. If FPF had a TV deal, that would be great for ratings. (That appears to be the only thing we haven’t accomplished. Never say never) Since we don’t yet have a network television contract having marque games to kickoff the Divisional Round is like the NFL playoffs where you had the Dallas Cowboys taking on the San Francisco 49ers, or in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors versus the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Are thy great matchups? Of course, but can’t we save them for later in the post-season? Luckily, both teams have qualified for the double-elimination category, so whoever losses tonight, will have another chance to redeem themselves.

To get to this point, we had to go through the Wild Card Round first. That matchup saw #NR take on Never Overtime last Monday in St. Laurent, to decide who would advance tonight’s Divisional Round.

Never Overtime went winless in the regular season, but they saved their first win for the post-season, as they pulled off the upset and knocked off their opponents (44-27) in a game that was filled with some highlight plays, more than enough trash-talking, and unfortunately some unnecessary rough play as well as ejections that resulted in the game being ended before the final five plays.

Credit to Quarterback Ryan Kharouf, who despite facing the blistering speed of arguably the best Rusher in Tier 1 in Julian McLaren-Thompson, stood in the pocket and delivered several big passes to his Receivers. Kharouf also made an impact on the other side of the ball, as he recorded the game’s only interception as a Defensive Back.

Never Overtime also received a standout performance from Receiver Rhami Aboud, who torched the #NR defense for three touchdowns and a plethora of big plays, as he was simply uncoverable at the right Wideout spot, as he gained separation on both short and long routes, and was phenomenal after the catch.

His teammate Mack Dessources also came up huge, as he made several big plays including four first down receptions and three touchdowns.

One team melted down when they needed to make plays and keep their composure, and the other one found a way to play their best game of the year when they needed it most.

(3) Blessed versus (6) 450 Ballers

Previous Meting: Blessed (47-46) Week 5

This one came down to the wire, as Blessed got a late score from Receiver Will Power and the 2-point conversion to take a (47-40) lead. The 450 Ballers got the ball back one final time looking to get the win. Quarterback Jeanslee Alexis led the team on a five-play drive that ended with a nine-yard TD catch by Khalil Kerr. Looking to score the 2-point convo for the win, the 450 Ballers failed to convert. Blessed got the ball back and ran out the clock.

This is a unique matchup in that both teams have top level Receivers, and two in Jarryd Taylor and Will Power, who can also play Quarterback at a very high level and have been involved in QB option plays several times this season.

Looking at the Quarterback matchup, there is no questioning the talent of either player, as Jeanslee Alexis brings a big arm, smarts, and unmatched athleticism to the position. His counterpart in Stephen Harripersaud, possess the creativity, and has the vision to take advantage weaknesses in a defense. The only question that must be answered is how Alexis will fare at the position on the biggest stage, as he has never thrown in the post-season in Tier 1.

Both teams come into the post-season not playing their best. Blessed has lost two in a row, while even though the 450 Ballers are coming off a win over Mangoose to close out the regular season, they have played .500 ball over the last month.

I think this will be the best game of opening round. Blessed won the first meeting by one, I think the 450 Ballers get revenge tonight.

Prediction: 450 Ballers (38-35)

(4) Maroons 2.0 versus (5) KGP

Previous Meeting: KGP (40-31) Week 4

In the first contest, KGP Quarterback Phil Cutler threw for six touchdowns and only had three incompletions. Maroons 2.0 QB Chad Byers tossed five TDs and just four incomplete passes, to go along with an interception.

This game is intriguing, because it features a team in KGP, that are trying to break through the glass and win their first top division championship. The Maroons 2.0 are mostly a newly formed team, but the presence of multiple veteran pieces that know how to win, have been the key that has powered the team.

The key for the Maroons 2.0 team will be eliminating the big play ability of the KGP offense that is full of playmakers. The team is at their best when they force opposing defenses to play the guessing game as to who will get the ball, as this team looks to keep all of their Receivers involved in the game, while also riding the constantly changing hot hand.

The Maroons 2.0 offense takes a committee approach as well. Receiver Anthony Vendrame leads the team in receptions and touchdowns with 36 and nine respectively, but this team has playmakers in Julian Feoli, Louis-Philip Thibodeau, and Matt Bond.

On the other side of the ball, the Maroons 2.0 have the edge, as they have allowed the second fewest points with 203, tied with Blessed. Despite having given up 253 points, KGP, has produced 14 interceptions. Unfortunately, this team has struggled to produce sacks, as Gabe D’Amico-Mazza leads the way with two, but the team does possess the greatest Rusher in FFP history in Matt Kirouac on their roster. Perhaps we see him get a couple of reps at the position in crunch time.

Both teams can win with big play creative offenses, as well as a grind it out slugfest. The first meeting was decided by nine points. I think the rematch will be even closer.

Prediction:  Maroons 2.0 (32-30)

(7) Terror Squad versus (11) Never Overtime

Previous Meeting: Terror Squad 41-18) Week 9

For the second time in just over two weeks, these teams will square off once again. In the first meeting, the Terror Squad defense smothered the Never Overtime offense, as they intercepted Quarterback Ryan Kharouf twice and ran one of them back to house for a touchdown and held the team to 0 for 2 on 4^th down attempts and prevented them from converting on all three of their extra point tries.

On the other side of the ball, the TS offense led by replacement QB Nicola Centomo, moved the ball with ease all game long, as he threw four touchdown passes, and lead the team to points on all five of their trips to the redzone.

In the rematch, Terror Squad will be led by their regular QB in FPF Hall of Famer Tam Vilaydeth. The veteran pivot who threw 28 touchdowns and has completed 60% of his passes, will look to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers in Gabriel-Charles Dabe Champagne, Raphael Dagenais, Guillaume Racine-Tessier, and David Centomo early and often, while using his scrambling ability to create plays.

On defense, Terror Squad, will need to constantly pressure Ryan Kharouf, and get him to throw the ball early and be careless, while forcing the strong-armed passer to become one-dimensional by relying on the deep ball to move the offense. The team must also make sure to keep tight coverage on Receivers Rhami Aboud and Mack Dessources, as the duo killed #NR, with critical back-breaking catches throughout their Wild Card showdown.

For Never Overtime to get the win, they will have do the exact same thing they did against #NR, and that is protect the football. For just the second time this year, Kharouf didn’t throw an interception. The first time against the 450 Ballers in Week 5, the team put up a regular season high 39 points. Last Monday night they bested that effort with 41. Good things happen when you protect the football.

On defense, this team will need to be aggressive, as they must try to disrupt the timing and limit the scrambling ability of Vilaydeth, as he can tear apart man to-man defenses and has seen just about every combination of zone defense.

Never Overtime finally got their first win of the season in their biggest game of the year. I think the good times end tonight, but in exciting fashion.

Prediction: Terror Squad (28-22)

(8) Run It Once versus (9) Mangoose

Previous Meeting: Mangoose (56-24) Week 5

When you nearly drop a 60 burger on a team, that is a statement. The first meeting was a blowout plain and simple. Three Mangoose players in Simon Anctil, Oliver Suri, and Marc-Antoine Chaput recorded two touchdowns in the rout, and every player that touched the ball on offense had at least one trip to the endzone.

The only positive in the contest for Run In Once, was the performance of James Ohayon, who posted eight catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterbacks Jeff Rosenblatt wasn’t horrible by any stretch of the imagination with nine incompletions and four TD passes, but it paled in comparison to fellow passer in Nicolas Schaefer, who had four and seven respectively.

Both teams surprised this year as I thought they would do a lot better than their combined (4-11-1) record. The playoffs are a different animal however, so Run It Once and Mangoose have a chance to make amends starting tonight.

For Run It Once to do that, first and foremost, they will need to show up on defense this time around. Giving up 56 points to anyone in inexcusable, let alone to a team who finished beneath you in the standings, even if it was only by one point. To do that, they will need their best player in Anthony Brisebois, along with fellow impact players in Quaid Johnson, Manu Allard-Roy, and Justin Blackie to make some plays on the ball. The unit will also need to buy time for whoever lines up at Rusher, as Naz Dhillon, who led the team with three sacks, (as of right now) is not eligible for the playoffs as he only has three games played, and not the required four.

On offense the team must avoid the mistakes that have plagued them all year, as drops, turnovers, errant passes, miscommunication, and an inability to consistently come up with the big play when they need it, has cost Run It Once victories. Throughout the second half of the season, this unit has surpassed 25 points just once, so they will need to find a spark tonight.

For Mangoose to get the sweep, they will need to bring the offense that showed up in their first meeting, as not only did they score their most points of the season, but they also scored on all six of their redzone possessions, went 4 for 7 on 2-point conversions, and never faced a fourth down the entire game. That’s impressive.

Nicolas Schaefer, who averaged nearly 10 yards a pass (9.8), was effective at moving around after the snap to extend plays and buy time for his receivers to get open deep.

On defense, Mangoose will need a repeat performance as they proved they have the speed to match the Run It Once pass-catchers, as they recorded four pass deflections and a pick-six by Anctil. The unit didn’t allow their opponents to score a single conversion (0 for 3), limited them to 25% on third down, and 50% on fourth down.

These are two of the three worst defenses in Tier 1, but as we saw in the last meeting, Mangoose stepped up their game on that end in a big way. Can they do it again?

Looking at the big picture, Mangoose has one win over the second half of the season and came within a touchdown of tying the 450 Ballers to close out the regular season. Run It Once is winless over the same stretch. I think that trend continues.

Prediction: Mangoose (35-26)

Picks

450 Ballers vs Blessed – 450 Ballers (Upset Special #1)

KGP vs Maroons 2.0 – Maroons 2.0

Never Overtime vs Terror Squad – Terror Squad

Mangoose vs Run It Once – Mangoose (Upset Special #2)

Last Week: (1-0)

Playoffs: (1-0)

Upset Special (8-5)

That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tonight. I will be scorekeeping at St. Laurent, you I will see you this evening.

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.