Tier 2 Report Cards Part 1

Week 5 

What’s good FPF I’m back with a another Tier 2 article as the season has already reached its midpoint. Yes we’re already in week 5 and midseason can only mean one thing…..REPORT CARDS. Welcome to this season part 1 of the Midseason Report Cards. To start this one off, id like to explain how I evaluate each team and the idea around Mid season report cards. Each team will receive a letter grade, based on their production so far this season in contrast to their preseason expectations. In other words, its very possible for a 5-0 team to receive a B or C and a 2-3 team receive an A. In week 1 I had posted my top 6 teams prior to the season, and indicated who I assumed would be atop of the division. Also based on weekly predictions, you can get a sense on whether I expected you to win or lose every week. In other season I had written an excerpt about who I thought would finish at the bottom of the division and not qualify for the playoffs. But since everyone qualifies for the playoffs in tier 2 I had not written who or why I thought a team would find themselves at the bottom of the standings.  Either way I will try my best to cover every team in detail and touch upon their performances compared to some expectations and how I expect the next 5 weeks to unfold! 

The letter grades correspond as so;

A – You’ve exceeded pre-season expectations.  I never would have thought the team in question would have performed this well.

B – The team is surpassing the expectations that I placed on them ahead of the season, or perhaps you meeting expectations with your record, but have won close matchups against tough opponents.

C – I was right, and the team is performing exactly as expected.

D- Your team has underperformed in comparison to pre-season expectations. You’ve probably lost matchups which your squad was favoured to win. 

(Dnb, kmi, besette, ambush, fins, birds)

Report cards 

Game Changers (3-2) 

This was a team I thought long long and hard about putting in my top 6-8 teams of tier 2. After a good spring season going 6-4 in div C, one thing that held me back was QB Anton Sakiz’s 19 interruptions through 10 games last season. I felt like his turnovers last season held back their team from a great record. Whats more awful then INT’s is the playoff forfeit that game changers had in the wildcard round of last season because of an intelligible player. I believe that game changers could have made a nice run last season and that would have absolutely made a difference when making their tier 2 pre-season prediction. Either way I expected this team to be competitive as Sakiz still threw for 41 touchdowns and almost 1900 yards. Granted Tier 2 is more competitive but their offseason additions balance that out. With the addition of JD Chevalier this offence is much more effective. In only 3 games he has caught 200 yards and 8 Touchdowns….what an animal. I like the way this team has been playing and do feel as if they have only lost to teams I ranked higher then them prior to the season. I also believe Game Changers will never get blown out or lose a game by more then 2 possessions but their remaining schedule doesn’t favour them. They still have some tough teams coming up like fins up and dirty birds so those are certainly games to watch out for as the race for top 8 tightens up in the final weeks!

Grade: B+

Record Prediction: 4-4

Dirty Birds (2-2)

After 4 games Dirty Birds sit at .500 after losing in back to back weeks against The Infantry and EZW. Both games were less then 7 point losses but this won’t help them out in standings tie breaker for head to head. Either way this is still a really talented team that I predicted to finish in the top bracket come the post-season. The roster is loaded with D1 talent as James Ohayon, Justin Black and Quaid Johnson are all rostered in tier 1’s Run it Once. Not to mention my tier 1 teammate Khalil Kerr who has also suited up 3 ties for Dirty Birds. This is what makes their 2-losses and mid-season report card look worse then it actually may be. Im sticking with my prediction and believe that this squad will finish with a top 5 record and think they are due to go on a win streak. After 4 games their clear cut MVP has been James Tyrell. 3 Ints on defence and leads the team in receptions yards and touchdowns on offence. 

Grade: C-

Record Prediction: 6-2

Arouch (2-1-2)

Arouch has had a rocky start to the season tying twice in 5 games. Ultimately I think thats what keeps them out of the top bracket as they might not have enough wins to fit in the top 8. I know this is a good team so they can surly have a deep playoff run as per usual. Their remaining schedule is probably the toughest of all 17 teams in tier 2. They have Dime and Bougie, Fins up and Les potes a bessette who have a combined record of 7-3 so far. Unsure if this squad can come out of this stretch with more then 1 win. QB Eric Lalonde has put up great numbers with 860 yards on 70% completion percentage with 21 TD’s and only 2 INT’s. We would be having a much different conversation if those 2 ties were wins but converts and defence held them back as they only converted 5/10 and allowed 66 points in both ties. I assumed this team would be middle of the pack and when the rest of the division catches up to 5 games played I believe thats right where they’ll be. 

Grade: C

Record Prediction: 3-3-2

Ambush (1-2-1) 

Ambush has had a disappointing start to the season according to my predictions. I predicted that ambush would be a top 5 team and they currently find themselves outside of the top 10. This division B team has struggled in the absence of James Drysdale, not so much in points for but offensive efficiency and defensive turnovers. Only 1 INT through 4 games is not the way to close out games or mount a comeback when losing by one possession. New addition to the Squad Agostino Giagnacovo has showed some of his ability as he has caught 2 Td’s in 3 games and even threw for one on a presumed double QB play. His speed should be used on offence but as a Tackle football DB I would like to see Agostino come away with some picks on the back end of their schedule. A couple of big games remain on their schedule as the play Kiss My inlaws and Les Potes a Bessette which will ultimately decide their final seeding as the regular season comes to a close. I expect Ben McMahon to continue to have a good season and win some more games then they have in the first half of the season. 

Grade: D

Record Prediction: 5-3-1

Thats What She Said (1-4) 

Unsure of how QB Leandre Ethier would play in tier 2 I did keep this team out of my top 8 but I definitely expected this team to have a much better record then 1-4 at this point of the season. With the athletes this team possesses I can’t comprehend how they have only won 1 game. Mike Pierrecin, Rocco Christiano, Kris Verreault just to name a few. But through 5 games they have only combined for 9 TD’s and 350 yards offensively. They have played some great teams but a week 3 loss to Junkyard Dogs really surprised me. Their defence let them down that game as JYD were able to put up 38 on them. They still have tough games coming up so I don’t think this team will be able to get back to .500. They will need to try and get into a rhythm as the regular season comes to a close if they want to make a run in the bottom bracket. 

Grade: D-

Record Prediction: 2-6

Voodoo (1-3) 

Voodoo has only beaten Still C.R.A so far. I imagined in tier 2 this team would struggle. This veteran team is missing their infusion of youth as Alec Gregoire has only played one game this season. Their last season was winter 2023 in division 4 where they ended the season 6-4. In that season veteran QB Frank Kaye threw 45 touchdowns and 19 INT’s in 10 games. So far this season Frank’s production has slowed down throwing for only 10 Tds and 8 INT’s. I would like to say more effectiveness from the teams all around stud Patrick St-Amand who usually dominates targets and the teams scores. So far he has only hit way dirt twice. Their remaining schedule does not seem too tough but I would be impressed if this team was able to finish their last 4 games with more then 2 wins. Unfortunately, I see voodoo potentially playing as the 16 or 17 seed in the first round of the playoffs. 

Grade: C

Record Prediction: 2-6

Still C.R.A (1-3) 

Unfortunately for Still C.R.A this is exactly where I thought this team would be, at the bottom of the standings. Im almost certain this squads cap fits in tier 3 so I’m unsure of why this team would attempt to make the jump but I digress. In the winter Still C.R.A played in div 4 where they ended with a 4-6 record and a first round playoff exit. This season seems to be heading in the same direction as they still have Dime and Bougie (3-1), EZW (3-0) and the Infantry (3-1) left on their schedule. Ryan Karouf hasn’t had quite the start to the season he had hoped for as he has only thrown 14 TD and 9 INT’s. Their defence hasn’t been much stronger either as they have given up on average 43 points per game and have only forced 4 turnovers and 0 sacks. One bright spot of their team has been their offensive star Nirosh Suresh. Not unfamiliar with the heave workload, Nirosh has caught 20 passes for 300 yards and 8 touchdowns. If he can provide the same numbers over the next 4 games he will definitely be all star caliber. Luckily for Still C.R.A they will have a chance to get things rolling and make a run in the bottom bracket this upcoming post season.

Grade: C

Record Prediction: 2-6

The Infantry (3-1)

The Infantry has performed very well thus far. I kept this team out of my top bracket due to the uncertainty at QB. But here we are 4 weeks later and Zack Stacey and crew are handling business. 3 wins and only one loss coming from the undefeated Kiss My Inlaws. Rory Semerjian, my early pick for 2-Way Player of the year has done exactly what I expected him to. With 4 Tds on offence and 4 INT’s he is well on his way to snagging the award in tier 2. QB Zack Stacey has only played 3 games so I would like to see a little more from him to fully evaluate his play and this team and see if they can be a serious threat to take it all the way. Next up this team has another undefeated opponent in EZW which in my opinion can be the only loss remaining on their schedule. This team is surpassing my pre-season expectations as they will finish in the top bracket and perhaps as a top 3 team in the division. 

Grade: B+

Record Prediction: 6-2

Weekly Predictions 

Prediction Record: 17-7-2

EZW                            vs        The Infantry 

That’s what She Said   vs        Les Potes a Bessette 

Junkyard Dogs             vs        Kiss My Inlaws 

Dirty Birds                   vs        The Boys are Back 

Ambush                       vs        Junkyard Dogs 

Kiss My Inlaws            vs       Fins Up 

The Stoics                    vs       Dime and Bougie 

Ambush                       vs       Les Potes a Bessette 

The Infantry                vs       Beer Belly Brigade 

Still C.R.A                   vs      Dime and Bougie