Word from the Mouth: Playoffs! edition

Tuesday, November 8th Kevin Kousaie

What a beautiful weekend we had for round 1 of the playoffs. It was 22 degrees with plenty of sun and a little bit of a breeze all day long. At the end of last season when we were trying to figure out when to start the fall season there was talk of not having the extra week off between season and just jumping right in to have fewer November games, but the weather was great last week.

This week it’s looking like rain which is going to be bad for whoever is playing later in the day since the field will get all ripped up. I’m writing this on Monday and its calling for rain, but we all know that the meteorologists predict the weather as well as Willie makes his picks this season, so 50-50 on a good day. Sorry Willie, had to burn you on that one last time and I know I wasn’t much better, but 1.25% ahead is still a win.

I just got breaking news on my phone about the Colts firing the man who has the greatest playoff comeback in NFL history, Frank Reich, and replacing him with long time center Jeff Saturday. I know all you Tom Brady fans are thinking 28-3 in the Superbowl, come talk to me when you’re the backup QB and comeback from 35-3 to win the game 41-38 in OT. Most of you won’t remember that since you’re too young and don’t know the history of the game (ed’s note: whatever, grandpa). Right now, some of you have gone and google searched this and are amazed that Brady isn’t number 1, but Brady isn’t even number 2 on the Colts since Andrew Luck came back from 28 points down, so Brady is at 3 on the list. Looks like Brady who just broke 100 thousand yards in his career will have to stick around another few years just to get this record since he pretty much has all the other ones.

Playoff Round up

Division 1

Gros Coqs vs Iron Wolves (52-21)

Let me start by stating that Iron Wolves were down a few key players (Jon & Stanley) and maybe that would have made the difference, but I don’t think so. You’re called Iron Wolves and you showed up and played like paper pups in this one. Dom played his ass off like he always does in the playoffs, especially when Iron Wolves didn’t have Stanley there to rush him. I get it that in D1 you need to score points to win, but going for it to start the game on 4 & 5 on your 10-yard line isn’t the smart thing to do. That was the first play that stood out to me and the second was after Iron Wolves punted with 34 seconds left in the half and Dom hits Charles for a 45-yard TD to end the half. Gros Coqs started the second half with the ball and on the second play Dom ran 35 yards for a TD that gave them a 32-14 lead. At that point Iron Wolves were just trying to crawl back into the game and couldn’t.

Division 2

Thunder Buddies vs Red Raiders (41-36)

For some reason Steve sat on the bench and allowed Willie to take the snaps under center in this game. Red Raiders came out on fire, scoring on 3 straight drives and getting 2-point converts on them as well. Going into half the score was 24-19 Red Raiders with Thunders Buddies starting the second half with the ball. Second half both teams matched scores and with 4:05 left in the half and Red Raiders being up 1 after scoring on the convert it was picked off and looked like the defender was going to score, but Mike took a good angle and was able to flag him and keep the 1-point lead forcing Thunder Buddies to go down and score if they wanted to win, they were. Now being down 5 with limited time left this is where things got weird or stupid in my opinion. Mike threw a deep ball to Andrew which he caught, but was a good 3 or 4 yards out of bounds and they weren’t able to convert the drive to get the win.

Division 3

Bines vs Double Dippers (28-38)

I don’t know how we ended up with a score like this considering the score was 7-6 Bines at half time. Second half both teams figured it out a little more. Leon was able to use Alex going on deep post a few times, but Alex still dropped one that would have been 6. The big difference in this game was Rich making 2 huge picks early in the second half and scoring on 1 of them. Bines couldn’t stop Alex, but Dippers weren’t able to stop William either. Alex scored twice while William scored 3 times. What I really noticed in this game other than Double Dippers playing up to their potential was the ball placement from Leon. If his receiver had a defender inside, he threw it outside and vice versa. This had to be the best game I have seen Leon play all season by far. Dave didn’t play badly for Bines and even with him throwing 3 picks Rich made nice breaks on the ball and jumped the route.

Division 4

Phoenix vs Revenants (14-39)

I’m embarrassed for myself and my team to lose a game like this, and to Marvin of all people. If you can’t tell, I’m still a little bitter about this one. On the Phoenix side we were missing Khalil our rusher and Marvin was loving that. That wasn’t the only reason why we lost. Marvin came out and played the best game of his life, picking apart our defense like they weren’t even there (ed’s note: I think you’re mixing metaphors a little. How do you pick apart something that isn’t there?). Phoenix was flat from the start, missing tackles, not breaking up passes or picking balls off that they should have, and allowing Marvin to run whenever he wanted. For Revenants, they played a great game on defense. They didn’t allow yards after the catch and made every throw difficult for me and I can’t tell you how many times they knocked the ball out of my player’s hands when it looked like a catch. Marvin and Revenants came out to play and Phoenix didn’t. They thought it would be an easy game, but falling down 19-0 early, there wasn’t any coming back.

Division 5

Phoenix vs Lesniaks (18-12)

This was the last game of the day and both teams were missing key players. Lesniaks were missing Zack who finished the season with 13 TDs and an amazing 19 picks on defense, while Phoenix was missing Khalil the top rusher in the division with 19 sacks to go along with his 8 TDs. With both players missing you’d figured that offense would light it up. We had the complete opposite happen and neither team did much with the ball. Phoenix should had scored on their opening possession except for a player having pockets, it then took until the final minute of the first half for points to go up on the board and that was from Lesniak finding Josh on a 20-yard score. When second half rolled around Phoenix started with the ball and started to get things done scoring on 3 of 4 drives in the second half. Mike was only able to score on the last drive of the game and by then the game was over. The biggest difference in this game was the 4 picks Phoenix got compared to zero for Lesniaks. This game might have been different if Chris hadn’t picked off the pass on fourth down while Lesniaks were inside the redzone on their opening drive.

That’s my wrap up for round 1 of the playoffs. I’m sure Terry and Willie will have more to talk about this week on “The Jaf Show”. Hope you enjoyed.

Players of the Week

I would normally choose 2 players per division and it would be open to anyone who played, but now that it is the playoffs and we have less (ed’s note: sic) games played I have decided to go with 1 player per division. That just means that you either had to make an impact on both sides of the ball or do something remarkable on one side to make my list this week.

Division 1

Dominic Lefort went 23 of 27 for 248 yards, with 7 TDs and 2 1point convert. Dom also ran 6 times for 58 yards and 1 TD. On defense Dom made 3 tackles.

Division 2

Will Power was called upon to play QB and he went 33 of 40 for 249 yards, 6 TDs, 1 1point convert and 1 2point convert threw the air. Willie also ran 5 times for 10 yards and made 2 tackles on defense.

Division 3

Alex Szaplipski caught 6 passes for 140 yards 2 TDs and made 2 tackles on defense.

Division 4

Old man John Morris had a day to remember or at least one that someone will tell him about someday. John had 6 catches for 50 yards, 4 TDs and made 2 tackles on defense.

Division 5

Goldrick Noel was 12 of 21 for 149 yards, 4 TDs, 2 1point converts and threw a pick. Gold also ran 6 times for 59 yards and 1 TD. On defense he made 1 tackle and had 2 picks.

There you have it, this week’s top players. At least from what I saw.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 11

Thursday, November 3rd Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

I know I have struggled all season long trying to make my picks. I also know I was under 60% on the season which isn’t even a pass in Quebec, but if we were anywhere else in Canada it’s a pass since the rest of the country has lower standards and 50% is a pass.

I can tell you one thing and that is I didn’t finish last as that went to Willie, who I beat by 1.25%. That’s not a big difference, but it’s still a win. Ok, maybe not a win, but it’s not a loss.

If you read my last article, I had the Packers winning so my picks are off, but I plan on getting them right this week.

Division 1

Gros Coqs vs Iron Wolves

The last few weeks Iron Wolves have had either Iggy or Willie throwing and I’m not sure who it will be for them this week, but it won’t matter because Gros Coqs always show up in the playoffs.

Outlaws vs A-Team

Last year A-Team knocked Outlaws out of the playoffs, this year that doesn’t happen. Steve puts up enough points so he won’t have to count on his defense getting a stop.

Division 2

Jagerbomb vs Nice TDs

If Jagerbomb can stop Marvin, then this game will become a blowout and the other factor in this game will be how calm Jagerbomb are compared to Nice TDs.

Thunder Buddies vs Red Raiders

I think this will be a close game, but I have to go with the team that had the better defense and offense in the regular season.

Division 3

Master Chiefs vs RawSauce

Master Chiefs have the roster that is more complete plus I feel RawSauce used all they had last week just getting in and this week they will be facing a way better team.

Bines vs Double Dippers

I really wanted to go Double Dippers, but all season they have been up and down and with having the week off I think that will hurt them and the chemistry they have built this season.

Division 4

Randoms vs Bines Low Fat

Randoms had some help coming down the stretch and now that it’s the playoffs, if they need it they won’t be getting the same type of help and that’s why they lose this week.

Mustard Tigers vs Drama Club

The last time these two teams played they were both missing players and Mustard Tigers won convincingly with key players missing. This week I expect both teams to be full roster and the same thing will happen again.

Phoenix vs Revenants NA

I don’t pick my team’s games.

Division 5

Sour Peeps vs Les Last Calls

I have some inside info for this game, but don’t want to share because it will give Sour Peeps an advantage. I know they might not need it, but it would be very helpful.

TD Hunters vs Vultures

I can’t see them coming out and playing as poorly as they did last week, but it will be a close game since I also know something about this game as well that I won’t share.

Phoenix vs Lesniaks NA

I don’t pick my team’s games.

There you have it my picks for the week. Just so you all know I’m getting every game right and you can bet on that. Good luck to everyone this week.

Power Rankings

Now that we are in the playoffs, rankings no longer matter as it’s win and move on or lose and go home, so I won’t do this section and will replace it with my All-Star picks.

All-Stars

Let me make this very simple for everyone, I will only be picking players from their highest division with the exception of D1 and D2 since so many of you play both. You can only make it for 1 position and if you play in multiple divisions at different positions then you can make it there as well. I hope that makes it clear for everyone.

Division 1

Offense

QB- Stephen Harripersaud

WR 1- Yvan Desjardins

Slot 1- Kevin Smuda

Center- Vincent Granata

Slot 2- Marvin Stenberg

WR 2- Ashton Thibault

Defense

Rusher- Nicolas Paquin

Corner 1- James Langshaw

Middle- Dilan Daoust

Corner 2- Shawn Haney

Safety 1- Kris Hope

Safety 2- Will Power

Division 2

Offense

QB- Michael Roy

WR 1- Jeremy Rooney

Slot 1- Dilan Daoust

Center- Laurent Foucault

Slot 2- Rob White

WR 2- Marvin Stenberg

Defense

Rusher- Tyler Znoj

Corner 1- JF Daloze

Middle- Nicolas Poitevin

Corner 2- Kevin Marcil-Cardinal

Safety 1- Kris Hope

Safety 2- Vincent Anctil

Division 3

Offense

QB- Ignacio Valdes-Manzanedo

WR 1- Louis Mathieu-Dufour

Slot 1- Yvan Desjardins

Center- Kyle Daniels

Slot 1- Sean Kennedy

WR 2- Gabriel Boucher

Defense

Rusher- Antoine Theroux

Corner 1- Jason Edwards

Middle- Victor Okoro

Corner 2- Loic Sevigny-Seguin

Safety 1- Simon Beaudoin

Safety 2- Jeremy Trudel

Division 4

Offense

QB- PO Tremblay

WR 1- Benoit Maynard

Slot 1- David Brisson

Center- Thomas Znoj

Slot 1- Eric Emond

WR 2- Philip Charpentier

Defense

Rusher- Khalil Agrebi

Corner 1- Nick Kousaie

Middle- Diana-Janes Landry

Corner 2- Felix Begin

Safety 1- Oliver Waiter

Safety 2- Julian Sablowski

Division 5

Offense

QB- Guillaume Dubuc Lacombe

WR 1- Sébastien Lucas Alzate

Slot 1- Jorge Hernandez

Center- Riley Casey

Slot 1- Paul Liboi

WR 2- Anthony Drysdale

Defense

Rusher- Julie LeBlanc Goulet

Corner 1- Philip Roberts

Middle- Gabriel Hernandez

Corner 2- Ali Issa

Safety 1- Zack Goldig

Safety 2- Michael Halevy

I know you all might not think this is the way it should go, but this is how I see it and if you dig deep and look at the stats you will see I’m right. We have never done an All-Star game, but I really feel that we should one of these days. It could be fun to see everyone playing with different players and how the matchups would end up looking. If we ever did, I think that the QBs would have to be the captains and it would have to be done in a snake order with each captain having to pick 1 player from each position and not just the player they feel is the best, so you couldn’t take 2 WR1s on your team for example.

Final Thoughts

This week we are only playing round 1 of the playoffs, which is good so that players won’t have to play 4, 5 or 6 games in the day and it made making the schedule a little bit easier. I want to remind everyone that the games are being played at Le Ber and not Arthur Therrien.

This is for the captains, please make sure you are aware of the roster and sub rules for playoffs or it can mean a forfeit.

Here is a quick rundown of those rules.

Every player needs to have played at least 5 games or get an exemption from the league to be allowed to play. Get it in writing so you can prove it. You can only have a sub to bring your team to 6 players unless your QB doesn’t play defense then it can be 7 players. I know we have a cap in place, and you might think you can use anyone you want to as long as you stay under your division cap, but that isn’t true for playoffs as each division has a set max cap for each division. I think it’s 60 for D5, 65 for D4, 70 for D3, 75 for D2 and 80 for D1, but you might want to check the email that was sent out just to be sure. By breaking any of these rules will result in an automatic forfeit and that means you won’t get to play next week.

I have said this all season, but I’ll say it again anyways: we are playing a game, so go out, have fun, and don’t try to kill anyone. Good luck to all playing this week and see you Saturday.

Word from the Mouth: Packers Over Bills, Guaranteed! edition

Tuesday, November 1st Kevin Kousaie

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone who played this season. Without you the league wouldn’t be what it has become.

This weekend there was so much on the line for so many teams which meant we had lots of great games to go along with the fantastic weather we had. Let’s hope that weather can hold up for 2 more weekends. As I write this article my weather app is telling me to expect rain and snow for the next two weekends, but who trusts an app two weeks in advance.

I missed all of the college games on Saturday, and I wasn’t able to catch the Notre Dame game where I was expecting to see Stu either in the stands or if he had a few too many maybe streaking across the field. At least Stu was able to see them win. It always sucks to travel to see a game and your team gets their Rumpelstiltskins handed to them.

On Sunday, I was only able to catch a little bit of the games. I was able to see Russel Wilson save his job in Denver because Trevor Lawrence threw a pick on the first play after going down with under 2 minutes left. I was also able to see Tua keeping the hope in Miami alive. One thing I really want to know is what is going on in the state of New York? Jets were winning, then lost to New England who looked to be in the middle of a possible QB controversy. Giants lost to Geno Smith who has been balling out this season and I’m calling it now, the Bills losing to GB on Sunday night (ed’s note: nailed it). The state of New York is going 0-3 this weekend after having a combined record of 16-4 coming into the weekend.

Weekly Recap

Division 1

I wasn’t able to catch any of the D1 games, but I can tell you that some of, if not all, the Trollers were pissed with Steve and Outlaws scoring 48 points on them since they lost out on a playoff spot because of points against. I thought it was closer, but after looking at the standings they gave up 41 more points than Iron Wolves, so Trollers need to look at the bigger picture. You started out strong when everyone showed up and then you fizzled out down the stretch.

Division 2

Thunder Buddies vs Jagerbomb (38-50)

This game was for first place in the division and a possible finals preview. I’m surprised the game was as close as it was right up to the end. Before half Steve threw a pick 6 and then Jagerbomb started the second half with the ball and it put them up by 14 points and the game looked like it was going to be a runaway. Thunder Buddies got a few stops and tied the game at 38 with 10:38 left in the half. No one did anything with the ball until Simon led Jagerbomb down for a score. Steve still had a chance to go down and score, but after getting some yards he started to go deep with a few of those passes falling threw his receivers hands before Kevin picked him off and ran it in to seal the game.

Division 3

It was a RawSauce weekend for me. I got to see them bring out new jerseys for the last week of the season and what they were hoping would turn into the playoffs as well.

RawSauce vs Panaches (31-22)

This game was supposed to be a very close and possible easy game for Panaches, but this week unlike many this season, RawSauce showed up with a complete roster. The difference in this game was Antoine eliminating the run from Felix. That meant Felix was going to be forced to win using his arm and with all the drops his team had, that didn’t happen. Panaches also wasn’t able to stop Gabriel from doing whatever he wanted once he got the ball.

RawSauce vs Invictus G (37-20)

Invictus G didn’t have their QB and that was going to be an issue for them. Louis went off for close to 100 yards and 3 TDs, but no one else on the offense stepped up. Ludovic threw for over 300 yards and had Antoine get over 100 yards with 2 TDs and Yvan had just under 100 yards and 4 TDs. Gabriel helped put an end to a few drives with his 2 picks. This game was never in doubt for RawSauce as they jumped up early and never looked back.

With RawSauce balling out in their two games this week, it meant they secured their spot in the playoffs, where its one game at a time. Teams might not remember, but this same RawSauce team can play when they need to, so no one should overlook them.

Division 4

Phoenix vs Idaho Udapimp (25-6)

To start the game Phoenix was only 5 players as a player was running late, we lost the coin toss and Idaho took ball in the second half. I ask if they would be willing to play 5 until I player showed up and at first, they said yes, but then changed their mind and we started 5 vs 6 and it took all of 2 plays for Phoenix to score. After that the defense took over the game. If it wasn’t for Eric getting 3 picks this game it could have been a lot different. Idaho went with David at QB since they plan on using him during the winter season and he didn’t have a good day. Khalil sacked him 6 times and forced him to throw early which led to 6 picks and a lot of short fields for Phoenix. Later in the game David did lead a nice drive where he found Eric tapping his toes inbounds before going out. The game ended on 3 straight picks, two from Nick and Eric getting his third of the day.

Division 5

Phoenix vs Les Last Calls (32-26)

I knew going into this game that if Phoenix was going to have a chance and maybe even win this game they would need to stop or at least close down Seb. We couldn’t though, as Seb lit us up for 136 yards and 3 TDs on 6 catches. Knowing that we couldn’t slow down their offense I had to start slowing the game down and, in the end, it paid off. There were a few plays that ended up being big in the game. The first one came late in the first half with the score tied and Last Calls having the ball, I was able to pick a pass off and prevent them from scoring and keeping it tied at 20 heading into halftime. The second one was on the opening drive of the second half where on fourth down inside the red zone, Guillaume threw a TD pass, but after a ref discussion it was determined that he took the snap with his knee on the ground which meant he was down, and it was a turnover. After each team scored and the game still being tied, Nick under cut a route and picked a pass off leaving 4:21 in the half. I knew I had to be smart with the ball so I used the clock and Les Last Calls didn’t use their timeouts to stop the clock. With time running down and it being third down I took off running from the 10-yard line and got the ball in. This left Les Last Calls 1 play and with Phoenix playing 4 deep they went short and without thinking, Seb lateraled the ball back which isn’t allowed and ended the game.

There you have it, this week’s recaps, hope you enjoyed. If you want more MFL news stay tuned for MFL Total Access with Terry and Willie on Wednesday night.

Players of the Week

This was your last chance to show me you deserve to make my list and a lot of you did and a few dominated and really helped their team get into the playoffs. This week I had to make a few picks that I wasn’t completely sold on at first, but after looking over the numbers again I felt fine with the picks.

Division 1

Offense- Meis Ngarane made 4 catches for 46 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense- Hinsley Adams made 7 tackles and had 4 sacks in his 2 games.

Division 2

Offense- Felix Fontaine-Larouche caught 6 passes for 88 yards, 3 TDs and 1 2point convert.

Defense- Jose Antonio Espinosa made 1 tackle, had 2 picks and ran one in for a TD.

Division 3

Offense- Ludovic Goulet was 46 of 77 for 493 yards, 11 TDs, 2 1point converts, threw 2 picks and ran 2 times for 17 yards in his two games played.

Defense- Antoine Theroux made 8 tackles with 5 of them being sacks, also in his 2 games played.

Division 4

Offense- David Brisson caught 17 passes for 198 yards, 2 TDs and 1 1point convert, while helping his team win two big games.

Defense- Khalil Agrebi made 6 tackles all 6 were sacks.

Division 5

Offense- Justin Wainberg made 2 catches for 83 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense- Paul Liboi made 4 tackles and all 4 were sacks.

There you have it, the last group of players making my list for 2022. I know not everyone was able to make my list and a lot of you did try hard, but so did everyone else. Maybe next season or if your team has made the playoffs. Good luck to everyone next week.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 10

Thursday, October 27th Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

We are down to the last week and unless Terry completely blows it, he will be this seasons winner. Right now, Jon is the only other one who has a chance. For last place I’m now a few games up on Willie, but last season he was able to come back from 9 games in the last week to beat Terry. What Willie probably doesn’t know is that my D5 is the last game of the da, and I might have to forfeit that game if it means that I wouldn’t finish last. I’m just not sure I could do that with so much on the line as for seeding in the division, but tell me it wouldn’t be funny to see him lose because of how he didn’t finish last in the spring. Now to my picks and like always they are in bold.

Division 1

A-Team vs Centurions

They will play with more intensity and that will be the difference in this game.

Trollers vs Outlaws

I see it being very hard for Trollers to stop Smuda, Marvin and Svetna with all of them being there.

Iron Wolves vs A-Team

By the time this game gets going most of A-Team will be playing their third or fourth game of the day and with them being tired this will be the reason Iron Wolves win.

Gros Coqs vs Iron Wolves

They will be fresh for this game and Dom should be able to get by Stanley at least a few times.

Division 2

Red Raiders vs Tannantes

Red Raiders have too many weapons not to pull this one off and get into the playoffs.

Thunder Buddies vs Jagerbomb

The winner of this game gets first place and now knowing that I think Thunder Buddies do what they did last time and pull it off in a close one and this throws a wrench in the plans of everyone else in the division.

Marvel vs Spritz Gang

Without having Max under center, I think Marvels are going to struggle and Spritz Gang gets their first win of the season.

Spritz Gang vs Tannantes

After getting their first win of the season earlier in the day they have a few too many with the game off and can’t keep up with Tannantes as they run all over them.

Division 3

RawSauce vs Panaches

I wanted to go RawSauce, but I just don’t have confidence that they will all show up even with this essentially being a playoff game.

Invictus G vs RawSauce

They have a very good roster and are just figuring it out now.

Bines vs Iron Wolves

Experience and knowledge will be huge in this game and should lean towards Iron Wolves.

Idaho Udapimps vs Master Chiefs

I’m hoping that a few more players are there for Master Chiefs in this one, but I also think that Dave throwing for Idaho will take some time to adjust to.

Division 4

Mustard Tigers vs Pocket Rockets

They are by far the stronger team and shouldn’t have much of an issue playing a bunch of old men.

Mustard Tigers vs Bines Low Fat

The old guys after playing their first game won’t have the energy or the knees to play a second game.

Udaho Idapimp vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my team’s games.

Drama Club vs Cyclones

This game will be determined by the QB and I know what Simon brings to the table and as for Vince I’m not too sure of after 1 game.

Pocket Rockets vs Revenants

Revenants are going to have a hard time in this one especially if Pocket Rockets want to show how dominate they can be going into the playoffs.

Division 5

Sour Peeps vs Cobra Kai

They have way more experience and that should play a huge factor in this game.

Vultures vs Lesniaks

Unless Lesniaks find a stud player I can’t see them walking away with the win in this one, Vultures are going to be too fast for them.

Phoenix vs Les Last Calls NA

I don’t pick my team’s games.

TD Hunters vs Mimosa Crew

TD Hunters will win another close game with it coming down to the wire and the reason why is that Mimosa Crew will be missing players.

There you have it, my picks for this week. Hope you can all help me out in beating Willie and not finishing last. Good luck to everyone except my opponents this week.

Power Rankings

Ok, with this week’s rankings and so many teams having the same record it was hard to make my picks, but somehow, I was able to get it done. I know you might feel your team Is a top 3 team, but I might not see it that way.

Division 1

#1- Gros Coqs

#2- A-Team

#3- Outlaws

Division 2

#1- Thunder Buddies

#2- Jagerbomb

#3- Nice TDs

Division 3

#1- Idaho Udapimps

#2- Iron Wolves

#3- Master Chiefs

Division 4

#1- Pocket Rocket

#2- Randoms

#3- Bines Low Fat

Division 5

#1- Fighting Armadillos

#2- Les Last Calls

#3- Vultures

With everything that went down last week, my rankings really did take a while to get done. I made a few changes that needed to be done and a few that were hard to make, but at the end of the day these are my rankings and that is how I see it, at least right now and I guess until next season since no one cares about rankings once playoffs start. With it being win and move on, we all know that playoff football isn’t the same as regular season football.

Final Thoughts

After 10 previous weeks we are at the last week of the season and we still have so much that needs to be decided. I can tell you that after this week more than a few teams aren’t going to be happy, either by missing the playoffs or maybe by where they are seeded and who they have to play the following week. One thing I can tell you for sure is that this is the last week we are playing at Arthur Therrien. The playoffs are all to be played at Le Ber where only a few games have been played all season.

I know that once we go to Le Ber players are going to love how the field has held up and, yes, there still are a few bumps and dips in the field, but maybe next spring I’ll try and bang those out and make it smoother, so no one (Kris) kicks a sprinkler and budgies up their ankle again. I could do that or I can hear him complain about it all next year again.

One last question for everyone. Now that Brady no longer has his family around, does he make it to 50 before retiring or does he hang it up after this season since it looks like he has fallen off that cliff? I think Brady and Wilson were walking hand and hand over that cliff together.

That is all for this week folks. Just a friendly reminder that even with this being the last week of the season and so much on the line, at the end of the day we are still playing a game, so go have fun and don’t kill anyone.

Word from the Mouth: Doing Things I Would Never Do! edition

Tuesday, October 25th Kevin Kousaie

Another week down and another week of great weather. Right now, it’s looking that way for the next two weekends as well, but today is only Monday and a lot can change between now and then (ed’s note: Tuesday as of this writing and it still looks beautiful for this Saturday at least!). A few seasons ago this past week would have been our last, but with more teams, having the extra week off between seasons, and less (ed’s note: fewer) fields being played on, we had to expand the season by 1 week.

From taking a quick glance at the standings, this week is going to be very chaotic with only a few playoff spots locked in and with all the adjustments of seeding that can take place. One thing is that it will be fun to watch and see how everything ends ups. There are so many questions that need to get answered this week, like who wins D1 since 3 teams are sitting at 5-4 and 2 at 4-4 right now. D2 isn’t much better with 4 teams competing for 3 spots since Thunder Buddies are locked in a spot, just not sure where yet. D3 is a little different with 3 teams battling for the 5 spot and 3 teams also fighting for the 6 spot and no one being eliminated yet. D4 could turn into a complete cluster fudge with 3 teams fighting for the last spot and anyone from spot 2 to 6 can move up to second since there is a good chance a few teams are tied. D5 all the playoff spots are confirmed, it just comes down to who finishes where other than number 1 which is locked in.

If I’m not mistaken, last year we had a bunch of teams tied and as the tiebreaker we used head-to-head win % amongst all those teams and it was very complicated and everyone felt that the team with the best defense didn’t get in because they lost out on the tie breaker, so the rule was changed. The new rule is if you forfeit a game, you would be put last with all the tied teams and then we would use points against as the tie breaker. Therefore, ending games early to avoid giving up more points always pays if you know what you are doing.

That is all I have for this week before I jump into my recaps, but I’m willing to bet that Willie and Terry will be talking more about this on the podcast, so stay tuned for more.

Weekly Recap

Division 1

Centurions vs Iron Wolves (34-38)

This game looked to be in the bag, or at least getting to that point, before half until Willie tried to get something going with 21 seconds left while being up 3 points. Willie threw a pass short, and it was picked off by Gabriel who then wasted no time scoring on offense with no time left and giving Centurions a 28-25 lead. Second half was more of a defensive battle. Willie led the way for Iron Wolves with Kris and Jerome each scoring 3 times. One thing that needs to change is how fast Stanley comes in as a rusher. I can see this becoming more of an issue against QBs who move around.

Gros Coqs vs Trollers (28-18)

In what was supposed to be a tight rematch from last week’s last second win for Gros Coqs turned out to be a walk in the park. Trollers were shorthanded missing Josh, Max, and JC. Simon Blais filled in for Max at QB and played well for his first time in the league, but you could tell the timing was off and there were a few throws that should have been caught by the Trollers receivers. The game opened with Trollers getting the ball and all it took was Andrew running a 1 yard drag and a few defenders missing tackles to open up the scoring. All game long Gros Coqs were having trouble making the first tackle and I thought this would have been their downfall. Lucky for Gros Coqs, Etienne was there to watch because Etienne got hurt halfway through the first half (ed’s note: Wat?) and only being 6 players, they would have had to get an emergency sub or play 5. The last thing I can remember was Dom running around behind the line of scrimmage laughing and talking while the rusher is trying to chase him down. With Dom you want to keep him in front of you and try to let him only run towards one side and, yes, I know this is easier said than done.

Division 2

Nice TDs vs Spritz Gang (26-20)

The big difference in this game was the fact that Spritz Gang started off slow and couldn’t get any points in the first half. The second half they took long drives and scored on all 3 of their possessions. The biggest play of the game came early and it was a penalty on Jocelyn, making it a first and goal from the 1 instead of a fourth and 2 from their own end. That was able to give Nice TDs their first score of the game and they never looked back after that. Without that penalty who knows what would have happened.

Division 3

Iron Wolves vs Double Dippers (40-27)

This was a game I was looking forward to seeing until I saw it. Double Dippers have an outstanding roster, but make too many mental mistakes to be taken as a serious threat. Leon threw 2 early picks that Iron Wolves capitalized on and those points were the difference in the game. Iggy did a great job keeping Double Dippers defense guessing all game as to where he was going with the ball, but I would have liked to see Michael get more involved on the offense. Carlos is known for his rushing, but couldn’t get any sacks. He did get a deflection that was picked off by Jon if my memory services me correctly (ed’s note: it does!). Carlos showed that he can make plays on offense catching 6 balls for 48 yards. For Double Dippers their bright spot on defense came from Nico getting a pick on the convert and running it back until getting held by Iggy surrendering the 1 point for a last man back foul.

Division 4

Phoenix vs Drama Club (21-20) OT

Going into this game I was never worried about Phoenix losing this game and with that in my head it made me do things I would never do in a game where I felt it was going to be close. This is what I am talking about, we started with the ball and with it being fourth down and 7 in our zone I went for it, and we turned it over. Simon was able to score easily, but once I had loosened up after the first drive we started rolling. The biggest play in the first half game when Simon found Remi for the score right before half to make it a 14-12 game for Phoenix. Second half came and Drama Club turned it over on down quickly and Phoenix capitalized to take an 8-point lead. After both teams punted a few times Simon lead Drama Club down the field and Roxanne scored her second TD of the game, then Remi got the 2point convert to tie it with just under 6:30 left in the game. I was able to get Phoenix al; the way down inside the red zone before throwing a pass a little too high and just out of my receiver’s hands and Simon was able to pick the ball off in the endzone leaving Drama Club one play in the game. We went to OT and Drama Club started with the ball and decided to go into the sun. Simon threw a pass to Ben at the back of the endzone and it was knocked away by Rob. Knowing that I could end the game with a convert I called my play knowing it should work if my receiver gets to the spot, so I throw it into the sun not being able to see and Khalil came down with it with no defender within at least 5 yards.

Division 5

Mimosa Crew vs Phoenix (20-38)

If it wasn’t for an offensive pass interference call on the last play of the half, Mimosa Crew would have had the lead, but instead it was tied at 13. Second half is where the game took a huge turn for Phoenix. Phoenix scored onto open the second half, then Curren threw an interception to Chris which, sorry Kathleen, should have been caught. Phoenix scored a few plays later and at this point they had a 2-score lead and just to put it out of reach Brandon picked off another one of Curren’s passes and ran it back for a score. If it wasn’t for those two picks Mimosa Crew were right there.

There you have it this week’s recaps. Terry and Willie will have more for you on MFL Total Access coming out on Wednesday.

Players of the Week

With this being one of your last chances to make my list there were a few picks that were hard to make and even one that was impossible since most of the big numbers of plays came from players in higher divisions. Without wasting anymore time, here are this week’s winners.

Division 1

Offense- Kevin Smuda grabbed 8 passes for 59 yards, 4 TDs and 1 2point convert.

Defense- Nicolas Paquin made 3 tackles all 3 were sacks.

Division 2

Offense- Loic Savioz-Seguin caught 5 passes for 59 yards, 5 TDs and 1 2point convert.

Defense- JF Dalzone made 3 tackles and had 2 picks.

Division 3

Offense- Iggy was 30 of 39 for 197 yards with 6 TDs and 4 1point converts.

Defense- Simon Beaudoin made 1 tackle which was a sack and had 2 picks.

Division 4.

Offense- Robert Prud’homme was 24 of 32 for 180 yards, 5 TDs, 3 1point converts and 1 pick throwing. Rob also ran 6 times for 29 yards and 1 TD.

Defense- NA

Division 5

Offense- Sebastien Lucas Alzate caught 7 balls for 131 yards and 3 TDs

Defense- Mathieu Lucas Alzate made 5 tackles and had 1 pick which he returned for a TD.

There you have it, this week’s winners. If you think you have what it takes to make my list next week is your last chance since it’s the final week of the season. Just remember that if you’re planning on me considering you, I hope you ball out and put up some crazy numbers. There are a lot of teams still fighting for a spot in the playoffs, so you know those players are going to be giving it their all.

	Teams	GP	W	L	D	PTS
1	OUT	0	0	0	0	0
2	IW	0	0	0	0	0
3	BSH	0	0	0	0	0
4	ATM	0	0	0	0	0
5	CHF	0	0	0	0	0