Word from the Mouth: Yelling at the Refs! edition

Tuesday, July 5th Kevin Kousaie

Where should I start this week? Do I talk about how being on vacation is great, but coming back from it sucks or how officials should be treated?

I will start by telling you this week is going to suck for me. I have to catch up on all my paperwork, do training with 85 employees, do some training myself, and all while doing my regular work, oh and I’m going to have to do a regulator audit.

It will be a long week, but when Saturday comes at 930 for my first game, I will have to let some steam off. Jaf you available to ref? This week there were a few refs who got yelled at and that should never happen even when you feel they are wrong. I was one of those players that was yelling up a storm at the ref because I had to wear pinnies as the home team. I shouldn’t have lost it on him, but he if he wasn’t sure and didn’t want to listen to me telling him that I was the home team, he could have just looked at schedule to see that I was right all along. The worst part is that both teams had green shirts, but they were completely different shades of green. I’m looking into the matter and will expect a formal apology and his letter of resignation on Saturday. I know it was nothing to get upset about, but Jaf has it in for me, that’s it that’s all.

Moving forward from this week on, let’s all show the refs some respect and treat them like we would want to be treated, unless you like being treated like crap, then do the opposite.

Week 9 Recap

Division 1

Outlaws vs Centurions (46-12)

My game was going on at the same time as this game and I only got to see a few plays. I noticed that Centurions were missing their regular QB and he would have helped out a bunch, but with the score what it was they probably still lose. Outlaws completely dominated the game. After starting with a pick on their opening drive, Steve led Outlaws on scoring drives the rest of the game. Centurions were able to move the ball at time, but just weren’t able to punch it in for scores and you won’t be able to keep up with the Outlaws offense when they are playing like this. (ed’s note: I saw this game and Centurions easily could have had 3 TDs if it weren’t for drops, so it certainly could have been closer).

Division 2

Marvels vs Redzone (28-27) OT

In case you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch the OT of this game filmed by our sideline reporter Willie on the Facebook player group. Now let me tell you how it got to OT. In the first half both teams feel each other out and were able to put up points. Right before half, Redzone had the ball with under a minute and looking to answer after Marvels scored. Mike was taking what the defense was giving him and that was his guys being open in the middle for 10 yards each time. After using timeouts and having a few passes fall incomplete Mike hits Tristan for a 24-yard score and then they went for two where Fred was open and made it a 20-13 game. Second half was more of the same. Now here is the play that changed the game. With just over two minutes Redzone was on the two-yard line and looking to seal the game. Mike steps back looks for one of his players and Jeremy jumps the route from his safety spot to keep Marvels in the game. On the ensuing drive, Max was just picking apart the Redzone defense with short plays and working the entire field. On the last play of the game Max finds Haney in the back of the endzone alone for the easy score. Now Marvel needs the convert to tie it and Max found Max for the 1point convert and the tie. We go to OT where both teams get their first convert and Marvels got their second. With the game on the line Mike decided to go for two and was unsuccessful. That was it. I also want to mention that Jose made a heck of a catch on a fourth down late in the second half while stretching out and using his fingertips to pull it in.

Division 3

With all 4 division 3 games being played at the same time and Willie getting to play in the other game at my location, I only have one D3 game this week.

Iron Wolves vs Old School (33-28)

This game turned out to be closer than I expected. Iggy was hurt and wasn’t able to run routes, so he stepped in at QB and Jon went to play receiver, this was a downgrade at both positions, but more so at WR (ed’s note: thanks). Dahic went out and threw a pick on his second pass, to Jon out of all people, and it didn’t take Iggy long before finding Ribeye aka Cat for the score. Cat was also hurt on the play and with only being 6 players were allowed to get an emergency sub from at the field to fill in and make them 6. After a few possessions each and a turnover on downs, Old School was able to get on the board with Max running down the sideline for a 24-yard score. Iron Wolves marched right down to score on an 8-yard pass to Gabriel who had slipped on his break, but was able to get up to his knees and pull the pass in. At half the score was 20-14 Iron Wolves. Second half started with Iron Wolves having the ball and using up 7 minutes of clock on their scoring drive. With the way Iggy was using the clock in the second half, Old School needed a stop or a turnover that never came. Dahic led Old School on scoring drives on both their possessions in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. Old School might not have all the big names or the stars of the division, but they are a team that gets overlooked a lot. Dahic has some good weapons around him, but they just need a break here or there in order to rack up a few more wins.

Division 4

Mustard Tigers vs Sour Peeps (52-13)

This game was never close. Mustard Tigers are a much stronger team and for them to even give up 13 points is shocking. Brian was on fire all day long spreading the ball and getting everyone involved. I can’t really say much more about this game since it was so one sided.

Phoenix vs Wizards (25-0)

This was a forfeit since Wizards didn’t show up since they weren’t going to be able to field a team. At least Phoenix was able to get a scrimmage from players that were around.

Super Friends vs GOATS (46-2)

Just like the Mustard Tigers game this was completely one-sided right from the opening whistle. Super Friends are a good team, but what surprised me about this game was the fact that Jacob had so many incompletions in this game and still managed to put up 46 points. GOATS need someone with loads of experience to join their team and help them out on both offense and defense. GOATS just seem lost when they are out there playing their games. Jon get them help, please.

Black diamonds vs Flamingos (18-12)

In the only close game of the weekend in the division, you have to wonder how this game turned out like this. I feel Flamingos are the better teams and just didn’t show up to play this weekend. What is more alarming is the fact that Lesniak threw 5 picks and pretty much to only 1 receiver all game and they won. I have multiple questions about this game and here they are. How did Dimitri throw 3 TDs and have a pick 6 and his team only get 12 points and lose, or when you look at the play by play after last play it shows score as being 18-18, why was there no OT. Jon, we want answers. (ed’s note: I’m looking into it!)

Cereal Killers vs Weakest Link (8-24)

Cereal Killers were only 4 players to start the game and were forced to give up 12 points and it would have been 18 if the rest of the team showed up 45 second later. Weakest Link were only 5 players and really needed those points. Marvin before the game tells Cereal Killers that he isn’t allowed to play WR because they would break cap and, yes that is true if they were 6 players, but they weren’t. In this game, Cereal Killers inexperience showed as they were playing a team of only 5 players and instead of just going short all day and making Weakest Link decide to stop rushing since they weren’t getting pressure, they kept looking for the big plays which weren’t there because Marvin can go sideline to sideline even with a broken arm. After both teams not doing much in the first half, Sam got a pick on the second to last play of the half where Marvin was finally able throw a TD and the half ended 18-0 Weakest Link. Second half was more of the same lots of incompletes and overthrows. Marvin was tired of his team not running proper route and catching the ball that he went WR for one play and caught a 25-yard TD. At this point Marvin knew the game was over and Weakest Link played the last little bit of the game soft and allowed Cereal Killers to go down and score and then Marvin gave up a safety to make it 24-8.

Division 5

Improbables vs Phoenix (6-25)

This game started out with Mathieu using 10 plus minutes of the clock and not being able to score, but it was a nice little drive by him. He was hitting on short passes and even tried to go deep once or twice. In my head as the drive is going on, I’m thinking ‘are we going to even get the ball in the first half?’. We did and it only took two plays before Larry found the endzone on a streak down the sideline. On their next drive Mat connects with my shirtless brother Alex for a first down before getting sacked by Khalil, then throwing an easy interception to me. We go down and score, but only after converting on a third down on the drive and then scoring on fourth down from the one-yard line. On the next few possessions both teams exchange picks and at half the score was 13-0 Phoenix. Second half Phoenix started with the ball and we drove down to score while using up 9 minutes of clock. Mat put a nice scoring drive together after that by hitting multiple receivers short and marching down slowly. With us getting the ball back and Improbables not being able to stop us all day we were able to score again and used up a bunch more clock making it impossible for Improbables to comeback. This was a great game and we all had fun and that’s what really matters.

Drama Club vs Remplacants (19-18) OT

I can’t believe that this game was this close and even went to OT. Let me start by saying Remplacants not cool what you guys have done with your roster. You added Brandon a few weeks back knowing he wasn’t there for playoffs and still added him and now you have given him the boot to add Ben and James so you can be stronger for the playoffs. I get it Jon has allowed it, but still not cool. You have a 10- or 11-man roster adding players this late should never have been done. Looking over the stats and seeing the play by play it really seemed as if no one wanted to win the game. It was back and forth all game long with no one putting any separation between them when they had the chance. Drama Club gave up the tying score with 2 seconds left in the game, but were lucky enough to prevent the convert. In OT Remplacants started with the ball and were no good on their convert attempt. Simon, who is a veteran, was able to call a play that got Ben open for the easy convert and gave them the win.

That’s it for this week’s recaps, hope you enjoyed.

Players of the Week

We only have a few more weeks in the season and it’s time for everyone to step up their game not only for a chance to win my player of the week, but to also give their team a chance at making the playoffs. Now is the time where you need to start showing up and balling out. Time to show people that you are the big dog on the block and not the little scared dog that barks at everyone walking by and can’t do anything about it. Ball out and maybe you make my list these last few weeks.

Division 1

Offense

- Max Rosenfeld went 21 of 27 for 282 yards, 8 TDs and 3 1point converts.

Defense

- Nicolas Paquin made 4 tackles and they were all sacks.

Division 2

Offense

- David Marcotte grabbed 7 passes for 74 yards, 3 TDs and 1 1point convert.

Defense

- Jon Evans made 2 tackles and had 3 picks. (ed’s note: madness!)

Division 3

Offense

- Alexandre Szaplipski had 7 catches for 110 yards and 4 TDs.

Defense

- Jerome Hovington made 6 tackles and 3 sacks.

Division 4

Offense

- Brian Mustard was 22 of 34 for 267 yards, 8 TDs and 4 1point converts.

Defense

- Thomas Leclerc had 2 picks.

Division 5

Offense

- Nicolas Hurtubise was 16 of 32 for 157 yards, 4 TDs and 1 1point convert.

Defense

- Samuel Gernet made 4 tackles, had 1 sack, 2 picks and returned 1 for 6.

There you go, week 9’s winners, keep it up everyone one and any week you might make the list if you haven’t already. Ball out, have fun, put up some crazy numbers and next week is yours.

I sound like a Cowboys fan by saying next week is your week, but we all know the Cowboys have no shot in the next 5 years at least. (ed’s note: but then it’s their year!)

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 8

Thursday, June 30th Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

Another week down and another upset. Jon won his second week in a row and was over 80% with his picks. I was a disappointing 66% this week and the worst part about it is that I was tied with Willie. Do you know how that made me feel knowing I was only as good a Will?

This week we have a bunch of big games that can go either way. When I make my picks I will think long and hard as to who I should take, maybe I need to change the batteries in my crystal ball and maybe that will help me to get back to my winning ways again.

Here are my picks and like always they are in bold.

Division 1

Gros Coqs vs A-Team

This is a really strong roster and they have been playing as a team and with that they should be unstoppable.

Bitter Boys vs Trollers

Trollers win this one in a game closer than it should be. Trollers have the stronger roster, but you never know which players will show up to play.

Outlaws vs Centurions

Outlaws get revenge from the loss earlier in the year. Steve now has his roster set in and they are all on the same page this time around.

Division 2

Outlaws vs Tannantes

Outlaws come out on fire and win this game by 2 scores.

Marvels vs Redzone

I think with having the week off it hurts Redzone, plus Max seems to be finding his stride right now.

Nice TDs vs Iron Wolves

Jon takes it slow and picks apart the Nice TDs defense all game long.

Division 3

Idaho Udapimps vs Thunder Buddies

This is the start of Thunders Buddies tough schedule and with the way Idaho is playing defense, I’m not going to be surprised to see Willie throw at least 2 picks.

Manitoboys vs Chiefs

Manitoboys are a team that play together and I can’t say the same for Chiefs.

Old School vs Iron Wolves

I feel that the Iron Wolves roster is a little bit more complete with fewer weaknesses.

Bines vs Jackrabbits

With what I have seen from both teams roster, I have to go with Bines winning this game. Jackrabbits are going to be missing a few players and this will hurt them.

Division 4

Mustard Tigers vs Wizards

They have loads more experience and should be able to win this game with ease.

Sour Peeps vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

Super Friends vs GOATS

They have the better team with the best player on the field in Alex.

Black Diamonds vs Flamingos

I’m not sure who will be playing for Black Diamonds this week, but it wont matter as Flamingos have a solid roster and just need to worry about the deep ball.

Cereal Killers vs Weakest Link

Cereal Killers are a good bunch of players and if they all show up shouldn’t have any issues in this game.

Division 5

Improbables vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

Hard Target vs Cyclones

There is no one on Hard Target that will be able to stop Lazar, Eric, and Jayden all at the same time. So that means Yann will be able to pick and choose who he wants to go to all game long.

Bucks vs Los Pollitos

Samuel is the best player on the field and will be able to do whatever he wants to do all game long.

Drama Club vs Remplacants

I think they are the better team and should be able to win. I also know something else, but won’t put it out there in the article.

There you have it my picks for the week. Good luck to all, but just a little bit more for the teams that I have picked.

Power Rankings

As you will see below a few changes had to be made a I might have even kicked out a team or two for some fresh blood in my rankings. Let’s see what I think of your team and the division as a whole.

Division 1

#1- Centurions

#2- Outlaws

#3- A-Team

Division 2

#1- Iron Wolves

#2- Outlaws

#3- Tannantes

Division 3

#1- Jagerbomb

#2- Idaho Udapimps

#3- Thunder Buddies

#4- Average Joes

#5- Bines

Division 4

#1- Canal Club

#2- Mustard Tigers

#3- Bouchers

#4- Super Friends

#5- Sooners 45

Division 5

#1- Phoenix

#2- Knight Triangles

#3- Remplacants

#4- Cyclones

#5- Drama Club

There you have the rankings for this week and I know I might have left a few teams off my list that deserve a spot on the list. I’m not just looking at records, I take your roster, teams you have played, games you have won and games you have lost all into consideration when I make my list. I can’t fit every team on my list because where would the fun in that be. You need to earn your spot on my list its not just given to you. Win and keep winning and eventually you might make the rankings.

Final Thoughts

This week I don’t have much to say (this is a lie, I have lots to say) (ed’s note: he stole my ed’s note!). With the NHL awarding the Stanley Cup to the Colorado Avalanche this past week and the NBA wrapping up a little while back when Golden State won it all, all we have left to watch for the next few weeks is baseball, the CFL (ed’s note: and the USFL!). I know I didn’t include golf or tennis, but are those really sports or just hobbies?

The NFL is only a month away from training camp and that means we get to see some top-notch pre-season games that no one plays in anyways. That also means College Football will be starting late August as well and I can’t wait.

I don’t know how you feel, but to me the best football to watch has to be NCAA (ed’s note: literally the only football that matters). The players seem to have more fun and the schemes are so different depending on the teams you watch. In college you can see it all, the NFL has become such a copycat league that it just gets boring to watch. I like defense and I like seeing players get laid out and that just doesn’t happen in the NFL anymore.

Going over the middle use to be for big strong tough receivers now everyone goes over the middle like there isn’t anything to worry about. Those use to be the best hits, now if you breathe on a guy too hard you might get flagged. I know comparing players from different eras is hard because of the rules but anyone who watched football in the 80’s and 90’s knows these guys are soft. I won’t be surprised to see the NFL turning more into flag in the future. (ed’s note: You keep saying that!)

I think the first step for that to happen will be how the 2028 Olympics in LA goes when it is introduced as a new sport. The NFL has donated millions for this to happen and should it go well, wait and see what happens with the NFL.

I think it’s funny that in the NFL roughing the passer is almost the same as in the MFL. You can’t touch a QB in either league, but the difference is one is contact fully equipped and the other is no contact flag (ed’s note: Football equipment doesn’t protect against arm, hand, or knee injuries. In fact, football equipment is generally designed to protect the hitter, not the guy getting hit. Defenders are bigger, faster, and stronger in the modern NFL compared to your “glory years” and giving them carte blanche to hit QBs just leads to injuries and third stringers playing the position, which leads to garbage football since the complexity of the position has grown exponentially in the past decades and the gap between the top QBs and the next level is comparatively enormous. I don’t think that’s something you want. In fact, I generally think people calling modern football “soft” just have no idea how much the game has changed and how bad the league would be without those rules in place.) Just think about that (ed’s note: no).

Before I let you go, please remember the roster rules, and don’t break them, because no matter how much you complain, the rulebook is available to everyone on the MFL website so go take a look. At the end of the day it’s on the team, not the league.

Finally, just remember that we are playing a game for fun, so go out have some and try not to kill yourself or anyone else in the process. (ed’s note: that sounds pretty soft to me)

Word from the Mouth: The Commish Can't Count! edition

Tuesday, June 28th Kevin Kousaie

This week I’m going to try and keep my article shorter than normal. I’m on vacation this week and it’s a lot harder to write while I’m at home rather than work. I have a few things to do around the house and with the wife and girls out of the house I have to clean up after myself for once, take care of all the animals, and keep the kitten away from me while I write since she has a thing for eating laptop screens.

With the final stretch of the season heading our way captains should have all received an email about the sub rule. Just in case you didn’t see it the rule states that as of your team’s 7th game you are only allowed subs to bring you up to 6 players or 7 if your QB doesn’t play defense. Last week we had a team forfeit because of it. That team captain (Jon Iron Wolves D2) should have realized that they were at that point. In the end it didn’t matter because his team still lost, but that left Steve with a decision to make, take the score as is or make it 25-0 for his team. It is a hard choice to make since Outlaws D2 scored more than 25 points, but they gave up more than 0, remember that tie breaker is head-to-head followed by points against.

Last week was a scorcher on both Saturday and Sunday and I’m looking forward to this week where it is calling for rain (ed’s note: only a tiny amount early in the morning at the moment), but let’s remember that I’m saying this on Monday so things can change from now to then.

Recap

Division 1

Bitter Boys vs Gros Coqs (13-26)

All I know about this was Dom was back playing QB after getting banged up last week and that JS wasn’t there for Bitter Boys, so Jon filled in and we all know what that means a slow short passing game. You would have figured that Gros Coqs would win this game easily, but that wasn’t the case. Bitter Boys had it tied up at 13 at half and both teams struggled in the second half until Gros Coqs scored with under 6 minutes left. Once Jon got the ball back and the way he was trying to use the clock it was like he was playing it as the last possession of the game, but when your first 3 plays are 2 incomplete passes and a muffed snap you should punt and hope your defense can do what they did most of the second half (ed’s note: you went from “there’s not enough time!” to “you should punt!” real fast). Instead, Jon went for it and threw a pick. Gros Coqs punched it in a few plays later and that was the game.

Division 2

Iron Wolves vs Outlaws (33-35)

This turned out to be a good game that didn’t matter after Kris stepped onto the field for Iron Wolves. Jon, the person who wrote the rules, broke them by having a sub and bringing their roster up to 8 players (ed’s note: not an excuse, but I genuinely thought it was our sixth game!). Steve had pointed it out to me right away just so that I was aware of the situation since we had talked about it during the week on the group chat which Jon is on. I can only remember a few plays from this game, and they are all things that teams and players need to remember. Svetna made a miraculous catch along the sideline with 1 hand that was ruled a catch by me. Kris pointed out that he only had 1 foot in, which was right, but he got that one foot down twice, so it was the right call. Near the end of the game Iron Wolves had just missed their 2-point convert to tie the game up and needed a stop on defense. Outlaws on third and two completed a pass that the receiver was falling while making the catch and he might have been falling before the line, but was awarded the first down. Everyone should know that as soon as the player is falling, the spot goes back to where they started to fall. It’s the same as when a receiver is bobbling the ball and gets de-flagged; it’s not where he finally gets possession of the ball, it’s where he was de-flagged. Last thing, don’t forfeit games because your teams roster isn’t correct.

Division 3

Manitoboys vs Jackrabbits (18-28)

This was a game that was missing all the stars. Manitoboys were missing all their height and a great tackler and Jackrabbits were without speed and their top QB which left them with Raph or Nico taking snaps. I said in last weeks article it was going to be a long day for Raph at QB and that wasn’t the case. Raph balled out, picking apart a depleted defense, but he can only play against who shows up. Manitoboys have a fantastic roster, but their biggest issue is players showing up and that has been the case all season. All I know is when Nico is scoring 20-yard TDs on you it was either a great play call or a blown coverage and I’d bet on the latter. Leon scored with a few minutes left but when they failed on the 2point convert the game was over at that point as long as Raph was smart with the ball and didn’t turn it over and used up some of the clock and made Manitoboys use their timeouts. I know it’s not fun to just kill the last few minutes of the game and doesn’t look good on the stat sheet, but a win is a win and that’s all that matters, especially when you’re the backup QB. Raph relied heavily on his former teammate Gabe who went off for over 100 yards on 9 catches.

Division 4

Phoenix vs Mustard Tigers (6-9)

When you see a score like this you automatically think this was a defensive game and you wouldn’t be wrong, especially when you see the stats. Mustard Tigers had 6 sacks, really 5 and a pass that was backwards in the endzone for a safety and 3 picks on defense. Phoenix had 3 sacks and 5 picks. After the game I spoke to Brian and he agreed with me that this was a horrible game and neither team could move the ball and when it did get moved it was a first down maybe two at tops. The way the game started for us on Phoenix, I thought it was going to be a breeze. We stopped Mustard Tigers on the first drive of the game, then we went in and scored with ease, and followed that up with a pick, but then it fell apart for us. We weren’t in tune, running wrong routes, me missing reads, once or twice guys switching spots and that screwing with me. I can tell you that when Brian hit Victor for their only score, he was lucky Victor made a great adjustment on the ball. Victor ran a hook and go, and the single high safety came down on Tom which allowed the pass that was way inside to be caught by Victor. That was all the excitement from this game.

Sooners 45 vs GOATS (46-0)

This game was never going to be close. Goats were missing their QB and even with Goldrick filling in it made no difference. Sooners 45 looked like a really good team in this game, but they didn’t have much resistance to go against. Diego didn’t need to use his legs in this game as he spread the ball all over going 20 of 24 for 217 yards and 7 TDs. Sooners didn’t get stopped once on offense and they walked all over GOATS like they weren’t even there. I really don’t know how I felt about this game, ya Sooners looked good, but they played such a bad team that it’s not worth really talking about. With a name like GOATS you expect a team to be great, I’d settle for even good but they are horrible. A name change needs to happen. (ed’s note: they’re an FA team, they could, you know, improve…)

Division 5

Phoenix vs Bucks (19-6)

This was a fun game to play, but never was Phoenix ever in trouble of losing this game. Bucks are a good fun team to play, but lack size and speed. I originally wasn’t going to play in this game and Joey was going to make his first ever start at QB, but he’s gone away to Tennessee for law school. On his way back to the airport Dave, his lyft driver, said that he had to sit in the back as the front seat was for his Ukelele. Not only did Joey miss his one shot at playing QB, he also got put in the back by a musical instrument. Now back to the game. Phoenix didn’t have much trouble moving the ball and instead of just going to Vince and Khalil all game I spread the ball and got everyone involved. Before the game I told Khalil I was going to get his sister Myriam into the endzone and at one point of the game we were on the 1 yard line and Bucks didn’t rush anyone and I was just sitting there trying to get her the ball as everyone was running around open after about 5 plus seconds Khalil is like this is enough and to just throw the ball which he caught for a 1 yard TD. Pascal had a good game for Bucks, but couldn’t run like she normally does. Early in the game she was going to Kayla and Steve and was moving the ball, but then she got away from that as the game went along. Pascal also had an interception in this game. This team is fun to play against and they are smiling the entire time that they are playing, they have also improved dramatically since week 1 and that’s great for them, hopefully they come back in the fall.

Hard Target vs Heisenberg (12-15)

Hard Target looked like they were going to runaway with this game as they jumped out to a 12-2 lead at half. Heisenberg were so bad in the first half that it looked like they had no shot at coming back. Slowly but surely, Ian got Heisenberg going and was able to find the endzone on their first two drives of the second half. What I don’t get is the fact that Morgan didn’t use Jon and Ben more in the second half of the game. I know you might want to spread the ball around and that’s fine, but anytime you need a play the ball should have been going in their direction. A lot of new teams don’t know this, but should. With little time left in the game when you have the ball and you are up, if the other team can’t stop the clock you might want to just end the game. This week Heisenberg had the ball with just under a minute and a half left and Hard Target having no timeouts left they could have ended the game, but on first down threw a pick giving Hard Target another shot at winning the game. Morgan threw up a pass and was lucky that there was pass interference on the play before he hits Ben for a 7-yard gain. With a minute left Morgan has time to drive the last little bit to get the score, but threw a bad pass and it was picked off by Juan and the game was over.

There you have this week’s recap, hope you enjoyed. Look out for a special Podcast this week from Terry and Willie.

Players of the Week

This week we had a few games that were forfeits and that sucks for the player that didn’t get to play their games or even if they did teams just trying new things having fun. I really can’t bring myself to pick a player from a game that was a forfeit unless the game was played and only afterwards was it changed to a forfeit because of CAP violation.

Division 1

Offense

- Kevin Smuda had 7 catches for 81 yards and 2 TDs

Defense

- Jonathan Svetna made 2 tackles, had 1 pick and picked off and returned a 1point convert for 1 point which was the difference in the game.

Division 2

Offense

- James Langshaw caught 6 passes for 53 yards and 4 TDs.

Defense

- Tameem Riman made 2 tackles and had 2 picks.

Division 3

Offense

- Raph Levy was 26 of 37 for 239 yards, 4 TDs, 2 1point convert, 1 2point convert and ran 2 times for 8 yards.

Defense

- Gabriel Laplante had 2 tackles and 1 pick.

Division 4

Offense

- Diego Castro Arellano was 20 of 24 for 216 yards, 7 TDs, 2 2point converts and ran 2 times for 20 yards.

Defense

- Tyler Znoj made 6 tackles all 6 were sacks.

Division 5

Offense

- Arron Desrochere made 4 catches for 52 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

- Justin Kocemba made 2 tackles and had 2 picks.

There you have it, this week’s winners and remember you only have a few weeks left to get your name into the drawing. Just go out have fun and do your best, all you can do is hope that you do enough to get your name up above in the last 4 weeks. Guess we will all have to wait and see.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 7

Thursday, June 23rd Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

For the first time this year I didn’t get the win. Jon beat me by 1 game and is now in second place overall. This week we are going to be under new rules when we make our picks. We used to have until Friday night at 11:59 to have our picks in and now we must have them in on Wednesday night at 11:59 so that everyone can see the picks we are making.

There have been people who are under the impression that I am cheating on my picks because I have made a few changes from my article picks. I make my picks normally on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday afternoon and a lot can change by Friday so with new info why shouldn’t I make changes. I think that they are just mad for a few reasons; 1, I’m winning; and 2, because I seem to be smarter than them by using the team’s rosters on Friday night to make my changes. If I was really cheating, don’t you think I’d do it better than the 69% that I am at (ed’s note: If I was cheating, I would definitely make sure I was at 69%). I mean I went 17 of 22 last week and lost, so how am I cheating?

Now to my picks and like always they are in bold.

Division 1

Bitter Boys vs Gros Coqs

I’m not sure if Dom is back up and running yet, but even if he isn’t there, they will have someone decent taking snaps and distributing the ball around.

Trollers vs Outlaws

Right now, I have to take Outlaws. I know Steve will have his team, and if not subs, that are able to fill in and hold their own and Trollers right now seem to be always missing at least 1 player.

Division 2

Marvels vs Nice TDs

I don’t think Nice TDs have any chance in this game and Max should have no issues lighting up the scoreboard.

Iron Wolves vs Outlaws

I think this will be another close game, but I just feel that the chemistry that Jon has with his players is better right now. I also feel that after throwing to Demario earlier in the day, Steve throws him at least 1 pick, if not 2.

Division 3

Manitoboys vs Jackrabbits

I was going to take Jackrabbits until I saw they would be without Nico throwing and figured that Raph would have to and with Manitoboys having the players they do on defense, I can see it being a long day for Raph.

Panaches vs Iron Wolves

Jon has this team rolling and it helps that they are strong all over the field.

Bines vs Thunder Buddies

With Will playing QB and killing it how do I not keep picking them to win?

Chiefs vs RawSauce

This one is hard to pick. I feel Chiefs are the better team, but with what happened last week I’m not sure how much of a team they really are and because of that I was going to take RawSauce, but figured Avery is going to come out and prove he is the guy.

Division 4

Phoenix vs Mustard Tigers NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

Sour Peeps vs Cereal Killers

With the way both these teams play, Cereal Killers should be able to win easily. Unless Sour Peeps have a few studs hidden away this might get ugly and fast.

Weakest Link vs Bouchers

Marvin might be the best athlete in this game, but he isn’t a QB. Bouchers have a solid QB in Lukas and the rest of the team is pretty good as well.

Canal Club vs Black Diamonds

I just played Black Diamonds and I have seen Canal Club play before and I can tell you Lesniak will be sacked at least 3 times and throw 2 picks just because of the pressure from Francois.

Flamingos vs Super Friends

Now we finally get to see who Chris will cheer for in this game. Both teams are very similar and both have a few good pieces to work with, but for me I have to give a slight edge to Super Friends only because Jacob is a better QB than Dimitri.

GOATS vs Sooners 45

I haven’t seen GOATS play yet this season, but what I know is that they are still figuring it out. Diego should be able to use his legs all game if he wants to and that’s why they will win.

Division 5

Hard Target vs Heisenberg

Last week was the first time Heisenberg came with a full team and not sure it will happen again this week, but by now Hard Target have an understanding of the game and should be able to pull this one off in a close came.

Cyclones vs Los Pollitos

No one on Los Pollitos will be able to stop Lazar, so Yann will just keep throwing it up to him all game long is what would have happened if Lazar was there. I still think that Yann figures out a way to get it done with the roster that he will have.

Improbables vs Mimosa Crew

I would have picked Mimosa to win, but Curren won’t be there this week and they are looking for a QB and you never know who you might get. After 2 weeks of playing QB, Mathieu plays well and wins the game by 2 scores.

Phoenix vs Bucks NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

Titans vs Drama Club

I know Drama Club is the better team, but it looks like they are missing players so Simon will have a hard time in this game. Titans aren’t a horrible team, but they need to be smart with the ball to have a chance in this one. The matchup to watch is Austin and Quentin. I know this might be a bold pick, but sometimes you just know.

Knight Triangles vs Remplacants

I have Knight Triangles as having a slight edge in this game and this being a really close game.

I’m done with my picks for this week and you should get to see who everyone else in the media picked in this week’s article most likely at the bottom where Jon has been adding the standings. Good luck to everyone this week and remember it’s for fun so just go enjoy yourself, unless I picked your team to win then I expect to see you diving and killing yourself to make every play.

Power Rankings

With only a few weeks left in the season doing my rankings in some divisions is getting easier and easier each week as teams start to pull away from each other. After a bunch of important games last week I will be making a few adjustments to this week’s rankings.

Division 1

#1- Centurions

#2- Outlaws

#3- A-Team (Changed logo to the van from the TV show)

Division 2

#1- Iron Wolves

#2- Redzone

#3- Outlaws

Division 3

#1- Jagerbomb

#2- Idaho Udapimps

#3- Thunder Buddies

#4- Manitoboys

#5- Bines

Division 4

#1- Canal Club

#2- Mustard Tigers

#3- Bouchers

#4- Flamingos

#5- Super Friends

Division 5

#1- Phoenix

#2- Knight Triangles

#3- Remplacants

#4- Cyclones

#5- Drama Club

There you have my rankings for this week. I know if I did my reveal live on the Podcast, Terry and Will might make a few arguments and it could last a few hours, but at the end of the day they are pretty spot on and these are my rankings.

Final Thoughts

It’s looking like a hot one this weekend which is going to suck, but it is a long weekend. With it being St-Jean this Friday I won’t be surprised to see to see players showing up late and being hungover. The good thing about this week’s games is that there are no 5pm games so everyone can get back home and start drinking again. I’m glad it will be a bit of a shorter day for me and give me a chance to go out at a reasonable hour once I get home. With the hot weather this weekend, let me remind you all now to bring and drink plenty of water so you don’t die from dehydration. Marvin don’t call me dad just because I own him on the field, it’s because I look out after everyone while we are out at the field.

Last thing, just a reminder that we are all here playing a game to have fun, so go have fun, enjoy yourself, and be safe.

Word from the Mouth: A Lovely Bunch of Ladies! edition

Tuesday, June 21st Kevin Kousaie

This season has been far from the best conditions we have had, with only a few weeks back where we had that ridiculous wind. This week we had rain, but not as much as I was expecting and let’s not forget about the first few weeks where it was hot and the field was hard as a rock.

That was on Saturday. Sunday in Brossard was beautiful except for a few big gusts of wind and having to deal with those rowdy 28-3 guys once they ran out of beer.

This past weekend was Grand Prix and caused traffic to and from the games, but luckily for me I only had to deal with a little bit of it on Sunday and not many of the games, if any, were delayed from it.

This weekend we had a few teams forfeit games for not showing up and for breaking cap. I know that if you give plenty of notice that yes, the forfeit will still take place, but it might not cost you and your team the 160 deposit your team had to put down. That is if Jon has time to find players to fill in for that game, but its not guaranteed. Everyone paid to play 10 games and want their stats for 10 games, so everyone needs to show up and play their games.

We play for fun and exercise and that means playing in the heat, rain, and snow and here in the MFL we have played in all these before. If I was the team that got the forfeit, I’d be pissed about it, unless it was pouring rain and horrible conditions, then I’m glad I don’t have to play. I also think that if two teams are tied and one of those teams had to forfeit a game then it should count against them. I know that won’t happen, but it should be used as the first tie breaker even before head-to-head.

Recap

Division 1

This week I will skip covering D1 since Terry was there refereeing 2 of the 3 games and the other game was ended early because of an injury. Dom, I hope you feel better and that the injury wasn’t too serious.

Division 2

Nice TDs vs Redzone (12-33)

After a huge game last week from Nice TDs, this week was a struggle. Last week Nice TDs mixed it up by using 2 QBs, this week they were stuck with none and Lazar stepped in and threw for the team. Lazar might be a good athlete, but he isn’t a QB and is just learning the game this year. Redzone went out and dominated the first half of the game with ease, Mike was picking apart the Nice TDs defense like it wasn’t even there. Redzone had 5 possessions in the first half and scored each time. In the second half Mike, was going short, eating clock not trying to run up the score and get players hurt. Thomas was the only player who was able to do anything for Nice TDs and that cant be the case if they want a chance to win any more games this season.

Division 3

Idaho Udapimps vs Bines (25-19)

I know very little from this game, but what I do know is that Brady no longer feels the pressure to score 40 points a game and that Bines are a solid team. This week Simon was back for Bines and should be there the rest of the season and most people would think he would go back to QB, but that won’t be happening since David is a good QB still learning the game, plus Simon might not be there next season so getting David as many reps as possible is what is best for the team down the road. As for Idaho, over the winter Brady struggled because of crap defense. Now let me explain why I say that. When your defense can’t get stops and are giving up points like it’s government money, as a QB you try to do more than you can or should. At one point or another all QBs have all been through that. This season Idaho has a good defense and Brady is being smart with the ball knowing he doesn’t have to score on every drive to have a chance to win. After Bines scored to tie it at 19 with 3:30 left in the game, Brady could have tried to go deep and score quick like he would have last season, but he knew the game was tied and he didn’t necessarily need to score if he controlled the clock, so he went short a few time and used up the clock before finding his safety blanket Kyle for the 2 yard score with under 30 seconds left. On what turned out to be the last play of the game Simon threw a pass that was picked off by Kyle to seal the victory for Idaho.

Jackrabbits vs Chiefs (25-0)

Chiefs were missing players from the start and had two options to pick from: first, get subs at the field and the game be an automatic forfeit; or two, wait for their players to show up and we start the clock and add 6 points at the beginning of the game and every 5 minutes afterwards. They chose to play with spares from the field, so the game was a forfeit. In the first half Jackrabbits were having fun, but got up 12-6. At half time Avery the QB for Chiefs was leaving since he had other things to do. After a few minutes of talking and Steve being a nice guy, decided that everyone else wanted to finish the game, so Steve went QB for Chiefs. This is when the game got ugly. Steve was able to score on every drive in the second half and had no trouble at all doing it. Jackrabbits on the other hand had trouble doing anything. My bet would be they phoned in the second half after already knowing they won the game.

Division 4

Phoenix vs Black Diamonds (28-18)

This should never have been even a game that was this close. Black Diamonds on their opening drive got a third and 10 from their 5 yard-line that went for a score after Phoenix missed a few tackles that would have prevented the first down and forced them to punt. Phoenix answered that with a score of their own to make it a 7-6 game and then both teams started to play defense and nothing else happened in the first half. Second half started with Phoenix having the ball and after a few plays of nothing happening there was a little miscommunication between me and Rob where I was throwing it quickly into the hole because I saw the safety off and he thought it was going to be over the top because he saw the safety shoot down which led to Carlos picking the ball off and returning it for a score. That was the wake-up call that got me going. Our next possession was a 10-play drive capped off by a TD from Chris diving low between two defenders to get the ball. I knew this game was ours. Then the defense of Phoenix picked Lesniak off on his first throw afterwards. Once we punched that possession in for another score, Phoenix was up 9 points. Black Diamonds had started to put a drive together and it looked like they might score until Manuel picked Lesniak off for the second time of the game. A few plays later Phoenix punted after using some clock up and it didn’t take Lesniak long before giving Phoenix the ball back. Phoenix scored and went up 16 points with very little time left. Phoenix played soft defense to not allow any big plays, so Black Diamonds were able to score but had no time to try and continue the comeback.

Super Friends vs Sooners 45 (12-18)

I know nothing about this game other than Jacob wasn’t there at QB for Super Friends, so Alex filled in and with that they lost their best offensive weapon. Sooners 45 were only able to score 18 points and gave up 12 to a depleted team, so my take away from this game is that Sooners 45 aren’t that good and it’s more impressive that Super Friends kept it that close.

Flamingos vs Weakest link (14-13) OT

This was a game that I only got to see the OT of and after about 13 or 14 attempt someone was finally able to get it in for the win. This game had no offense in it at all, both QBs stunk, Marvin couldn’t run, and the defense were equally as bad. Both teams couldn’t catch if their life depended on it.

Bouchers vs Airborne (37-18)

Once again Airborne doesn’t want to catch balls. This week there must have been at least 5 easy drops and that might be being nice. What I know is that Guillaume is dealing with a shoulder issue and Benoit started the game taking reps at QB before Guillaume took over. Bouchers have been hit or miss this season. They either play well or they come out and stink the place up. This week they showed up. Lukas had no issues finding holes in the defense all game long. At half the game was close and I was thinking ‘great we get to see two good teams go at it’ and then all of a sudden, the game wasn’t so close, and I wanted it to end. Xavier and Felix were the two players making all the plays for Bouchers and I’m not sure why an adjustment wasn’t made. If Bouchers can come out like this every week, then they can’t be overlooked, but until they prove it no one will take them seriously. Airborne is one of those teams that you think are good until you play them, and you realize they run the same few plays and are very overrated.

Division 5

Heisenberg vs Phoenix (0-29)

This was a never a game that was ever close and was an easy game for Phoenix. For the first time all season I think Heisenberg didn’t need any subs, so good job to you guys for getting your team out to play this week. The biggest issue with Heisenberg is their play calling. I think they ran the ball with a RB 4 or 5 times in the game and never when they were in a good position, always when they were inside their 5-yardline. In this game Phoenix did a good job of getting everyone involved on the offense. Veronique had a big game with 6 catches and 45 yards, Gab had a long TD run after a short catch and this week Myriam was able to catch 2 balls and wasn’t afraid of the defenders once she caught the ball, maybe it was because her boyfriend the police officer was there looking out for her. Heisenberg aren’t a bad team they just need some direction.

Bucks vs Titans (6-24)

Each week Bucks keep getting better and better. Last week Jon gave them some coaching tips and helped them out and this week you could see the improvement. Titans had a new QB this week and Tomy was showing off those guns when he tried to go deep. Tomy was a very effective QB spreading the ball all over and have the defense on their toes not knowing where he was going with the ball. I will say that Austin in the second half was playing very little in this game knowing that he was a little bit better than the team he was playing against, so he took it easy and allowed other guys to play and make plays. For Bucks, Pascal is a good runner and she doe have a nice ball when she throws it, but the problem with Bucks is them catching the ball consistently. The Ladies are a very nice bunch of women who have lots of fun and enjoying themselves and that’s what matters.

There you have it, this week’s recaps. I know I couldn’t cover all the teams, but I also know Will and Terry were there most of the day and got to see lots of games, so tune into MFL Access on Wednesday to see what they have to say.

Players of the Week

We are more than half way through the season and everyone is stepping up their game, hoping to make my list and help put their team into the playoff, if they’re not already there. This week I had a few hard picks to make and not everyone could make my list, but you still have a few weeks left. Now to this week’s winners.

Division 1

Offense

- Austin Thibault made 6 catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

- Hinsley Adams made 5 tackles and 3 sacks.

Division 2

Offense

- Vincent Deziel caught 7 passes for 50 yards and 4 TDs.

Defense

- Adam Rudick 2 tackles both sacks.

Division 3

Offense

- Willie Power went 33 of 41 for 343 yards, 9 TDs 1 1point convert, 1 2point convert, ran once for 5 yards and threw 1 pick.

Defense

- Alexandre Szaplipski made 3 tackles and had 2 picks.

Division 4

Offense

- Lukas Drouin was 19 of 35 for 223 yards, 6 TDs and 1 1point convert.

Defense

- Thomas Trepanier had 2 picks and returned 1 for a TD.

Division 5

Offense

- Tomy Sicotte was 15 of 21 for 237 yards and 4 TDs.

Defense

- Khalil Agrebi made 7 tackles 6 of them were sacks.

There you have my picks for this week. Congratulations to all my winners and if I didn’t pick you that doesn’t mean you didn’t ball out, it just means someone else balled a little bit harder. With just a few weeks left if you want a chance to win my prize at the end of the year, you first need to ball out hard and make my list. After that it’s a draw, so the more you ball and make my list, the better your chances.