Week 8 article, my all-star predictions
24-07-2022 07:06 PM
Hello everyone, after two years without writing for FPF I am finally back!! I will be replacing Peeze for this week and the following one. My articles consist of game recaps, previews, picks and my picks for awards and all-stars.
Lockdown vs L8
On Tuesday, LB and Lockdown will be facing off. Both teams have endured similar seasons with them (as of the day I am writing this) occupying the 7th and 8th positions in conference B. What makes things spicy is that only the 7th seed makes the playoffs while the 8th seed plays golf. In a playoff point of view, getting the win is a must for both teams. Looking at L8, this is a team I could classify as Jekyll and Hyde. They have, in my opinion, one of the best defenses in their division. They are in the middle of the standings when it comes to sacks and interceptions, but they are among the top 3 in the entire 27 team division when it comes to rushing yards and passing yards against. However, they have yet to develop a rhythm on offense. Excluding their forfeit win versus Selwyn Old Boys back in week 1, the most points they’ve put up in a game is 18. While Wade Williams is a solid receiver and defender, he has yet to prove himself as a Div D quarterback while only throwing 9 TD’s compared to 9 Ints. While it’s too late for them to change play callers this late into the season, they will need Williams to step up in this game.
When it comes to Lockdown, they’re season is quite disappointing. The team is fresh off a division championship loss and we’re looking like a lock for the playoffs coming into the spring season. Currently sitting at 2-5m, their kryptonite must be close games, 4 out of their 5 losses have been one score games. They need to find a way to clutch up in these situations and play smart football. The duo of Buc Anner and Rhys Morgan-Tracy is as deadly as it was last year with the receiver snagging 9 out of Anner’s 28 passing touchdowns. Defensively, Morgan-Tracy is also the keep player in that unit while leading the team in sacks and in interceptions.
This matchup is interesting because we’re watching one extremely defensive team facing off against a relatively balanced team. L8 allows the fewest opposing possessions in the entire division and the key to this game for L8 must be to avoid giving the ball to Morgan-Tracy. However, I am not sure that they have a man that could match up to Morgan-Tracy’s 4.34 speed. Just having a player like that in your roster almost eliminates the possibility of running man to man defense.
Okay guys I made a mistake, I miss understood the dates so I wrote about L8 vs Lockdown as a preview but it should’ve been a recap but since this game had giant playoff implications I’ll keep my preview and write my recap so the players of both teams should be quite happy!
In my preview, I stated that Morgan-Tracy would be a huge impact player in the matchup but turns out he was absent. However, Max Newcastle filled his shoes and had an amazing game and came in clutch when Lockdown needed him the most.
So, the game started in the worst way possible for Lockdown as they were only 5 players to start the game yet they still managed to score on their first drive due to a Messier-Lavallee 2 yard touchdown but L8 quickly replied with a 30 yard bomb from Williams to Williams.
On the third drive, two Lockdown players arrived to make them 7 players which helped them defensively, for L8, they were 6 all game but those 6 players were solid defensively all game as always.
The game stayed tight for its whole duration and it was interesting up until the last snap. With two minutes left, Lockdown were down by one and were facing 4th and 15 from their 5 yard line after an offside call on Anfonssi and Buck Aneer came in clutch with a 22 yard pass in a very very tight window and under pressured to Max Newcastle for a new set of down and which ultimately lead to a score on the very next play to once again, Messier-Lavallee.
Lockdown gave the ball back to L8 with well enough time to score and they needed to come clutch on defense. L8 showed promise on their final drive, Wade Williams was driving the field with his arm and with his legs but eventually they were stopped very close to the goal line due to a solid defense by Lockdown. Their pre-game pickup of Andre Abbey was clutch. The 50 rated university player had 3 instrumental pass deflections on defense and locked down the L8 receiver in front of him.
My impressions of the game: I never had the chance to watch Wade WIlliams play and looking at his stats I didn’t think much of his QB abilities but after seeing him play, I find that his play calling and arm strength was very strong for a Div D QB. However, the one thing that he needs to work on would have to be his reads. On many occasions he had a man open but didn’t see him. On their last play I saw a man open but he didn’t see him. Defensively, they were solid and they played amazingly considering that they had some very good receivers to cover and a very smart QB to watch. For Lockdown, Max Newcasle had a monster game and helped his QB a couple of times!
Player of the game: Max Newcastle 7 Catches, 102 yards, 1TD
Final score: 24-19 for Lockdown
Ghost vs La Cité Des Jetons
Last Tuesday we had an inter-conference matchup between the winless Ghost against the 3rd place Cité des Jetons. I had the opportunity to watch Ghost on many occasions and played with most of their players so I know their style while I’ve never watched Cité des Jetons. Cité des Jetons is a squad full of young guys playing in their first season in FPF. They are extremely athletic and have high football IQ. Jules Regimbald, their QB, has an amazing arm and vision. They have a bunch of stellar receivers such as Cernacek, Plante and Desjardins with Desjardins and Doyon leading the way on defense.
For Ghost, they have a bunch of established FPF players. At first glance, they would look like a team that could go 7-3 but mediocre QB play to say the least has ruined their season. On the bright side they have, in my opinion, one of the best rushers in the league and the best in their division in Zack Alberts-Gill with eleven sacks . Offensively, they don’t have any receivers that stands out with their leading receiver being Alexandre Szalipszki who has 200 yards and 4 TD’s in 9 games. The biggest problem with Ghost has to be their QB as I stated before… While looking like a good team player, Malakai Roach has been incostincent to say the least, the former FPF jr player has thrown only twelve TD’s and 34 interceptions!!! He needs to improve his ball security if he wants more success in the league. Last game against Peerless Scarred, he threw seven interceptions in their massive loss. Usually one or two interceptions can cost you the game so he really needs to improve his decision making.
The game started horribly for Ghost with a bad snap and it didn’t get much better for them. Their only points in the first half came from a sack safety from Alberts-Gill. Furthermore, their only touchdown by Szalipszki was a dropped interception by an opposing player. The balls that were thrown were birds and not spirals and the deep balls took way too long to get there. The play calling was good but the execution was lacking.
For La Cité des Jetons, I was extremely impressed by Jules Regimbald. Even though his season stats and game stats aren’t amazing, most of it has to do with his player drops. I must have seen at least 7 drops from his receivers during the game. If those balls were caught, his stats would be much better!
Next week they will face The Mighty 6 which is a very similar group of guys so in my opinion, the team that is most organized will win because they both have the same weapons and relatively the same play calling and the game should come down to the wire.
My impressions of the game: I believe if Ghost would’ve had Evan Ely Nolet or Gabriel Wiseman throwing they could easily be the best team in the division. They are an amazing group of guys with a big heart and passion for the game and all of their team has great team spirit. Also, they have the players to make a difference. Gabriel Wiseman is a 4 time all star that can make a huge difference with the ball in his hands. When healthy, Kenny Boutiler has an immense impact on the game and is a great two way player. In general, they just need to find a franchise QB and they would be all set! For La Cité des Jetons, their QB looks like an established FPF veteran and is calm and composed in the pocket and even facing a great rusher he performed. I am sure that they will be a team to watch in the playoffs due to Jules Regimbald.
Final score 26-8 La Cité des Jetons
Game Preview!!
Primetime vs Dirty Dawgs
While this game doesn’t have any playoff implications, we will see two extremely shifty quarterbacks face off in this week 8 matchup. What I find interesting about this game, is the fact that both teams have 2 QBs that can get the job done. Dirty Dawgs have Verreault and Augustin while Primetime have Spina and Ouici. When it comes to Dirty Dawgs, both players are extremely smart with the football in their hands, they both have 73%+ completion percentage and combine for only 8 interceptions on the year. Their ball protection and decision making is the reason why their record is so high. Having a QB that can move with his legs when there’s no open receiver instead of throwing a 50/50 ball is a game changer in this division and Verreault and Augustin re-enforces my claims on a weekly basis.
For Primetime, Ouici has better stats but both of them are legit div D quarterbacks. Like Dirty Dawgs, both throwing options are legit. Defensively, Primetime is solid to say the least, they have 3 players with four interceptions. The defensive squad is led by Ethan Adrian, the youngster has 4 interceptions with 7 sacks!! Dirty Dawgs will need to counter him to maximize their chances of winning. For Dirty Dawgs, their entire defense is stacked but both QB’s are leading offensively and defensively, without counting out Brenko and Boutet who are studs offensively.
The matchup will most likely be extremely tight and the edge will go to the team who manages to contain the opposing team’s QB the better. Having a rusher focused and who properly breaks down will be instrumental. However, since Dirty Dawgs have QB’s who are slightly smarter with the ball and throws safe passes, I believe that they will end up with the win but I will never count out Primetime!
My prediction…. 30-24 Dirty Dawgs
Weekly Picks!
Lockdown vs Undertakers
Centaures vs Primetime
Mad Dogs vs Lockdown
The Mighty 6 vs La Cité des Jetons
Peerless Scarred vs Blue Dreamers
Ghost vs Mad Dogs
Dirty Dawgs vs Primetime
Replacements vs Kiss my Vulture
Threat Level Midnight vs Big Dracos
Bandits vs Vtown
Killer Rays vs L8
Selwyn Old Boys vs Save The Turtles
Former All-Stars vs Blue Dreamers
Team Limbo vs The Mighty 6
Selwyn Old Boys vs Centaures
4th and Shlong vs Trapstars
Threat Level Midnight vs Kiss my Vulture
Awards and AllStars
Please note that I have no say in this and it’s just my opinion!!!
QB of the year: Michael Caparelli
Receiver of the year: Louis Lussier
DPOY: Tristan Koutsoumbas
2 way player of the year: Danny D’Amour
My 12 All-Stars would be the following….
Michael Caparelli
Jared Buck
Louis Lussier
Nicholas Curotte
Curtis Ryan
Nicholas Henry
Danny D’Amour
Tristan Koutsoumbas
Tim Horner
Peter Cote
Tyler Bianchi
Benjamin Bourque
This concludes my weekly article if you guys want a different format or if I include anything else in next week’s article let me know I’m open to feedback. Next week’s article should be a bit longer! Have a good week and good luck to all the teams!