Word from the Mouth: Mid-Season Report Cards! edition

Word from the Mouth: Mid-Season Report Cards! edition

Kevin Kousaie

I hope everyone enjoyed the week off, but now it’s time to get back to football. With being busy at work and dealing with the kids, I haven’t kept up with any sports news. (ed’s note: Oh no, how will I know what the correct things to think about sports stuff is?) This will be my midseason report card issue. Most of the time I have been nice with what I have written, but now that we are at the halfway point, I’m going to be completely honest with team grades and assessments. You might like it you might not, but you will have to deal with it.

 

Division 1

 

Grades & Assessment

 

Villains- ‘A+’ Overachieved

I knew nothing about this team coming into the year and I expected them to struggle. That hasn’t been the case. Their only loss was to a good Pardon My Swag team. They have gotten solid QB play, and the defense has playmakers all over the place.

 

Ataboy- ‘A’ Right where they should be

This Ataboy team should be the favorite to win it all. Before the break they lost to Villains by 1 point. Nicolas has been doing a good job with spreading the ball around. The only reason why I didn’t give them an A+ was because of the defense. JC should be the best rusher in the league, but at times he doesn’t go all out which means the back end needs to do more. With a team full of experience and guys who can make plays I was expecting to see more turnovers and or more sacks from this unit.

 

Pardon My Swag- ‘B’ Underachieved

Going into the season I had very high expectations for this team and at the halfway point them seem mediocre at best. I don’t feel the offense is the issue, but I would like to see Franky get into the endzone more than once on 29 catches. The defense is where this team has struggled. Justin needs to be there every game so that the unit can gel and stop playing musical chairs at rusher. For a team that has been together for a while, now only 2 players having picks on defense is concerning. They need to fix the defense if they want to be an actual contender.

 

Bread and Circus- ‘C-’ Underachieved

This is the same team that won Brossard last fall, so expectations were high. They haven’t even gotten close to where they should be. This is the same roster for the past few seasons and it looks like they are still figuring it out. The thing that pops out at me is Greg only completing 46% of his passes. Greg needs to start going short and letting his athletic players do all the work for him. On defense Louis is the only real bright spot, Greg and Francis are playing ok, but the rest of the defense seems to be a step behind.

 

Les Petits Phoques- ‘C+’ Overachieved

With the roster that has been showing up each week and the strength of the rest of the division, sitting with 1 win at this point is a success. This team has struggled everywhere on the field, except at rusher where they seem to be doing it by committee. Somehow they lead the league with 7. Other than the first 2 weeks this team has been in games. If they keep it up, they could win 3 or 4 games by the end of the season.

 

No Punt Intended- ‘F’ Underachieved

This team is stacked and should have had no issues winning games. I understand they haven’t played together before, but they shouldn’t be struggling this much. Hopefully last week’s win will be the turning point. They really need guys to step up and make a difference on defense. They haven’t given up a ton of points, but knowing that a team can’t move the ball just allows you to punt it and not take any chances.

 

Division 2

 

Les Panaches- ‘A+’ Overachieved

They have always been an average team at best. This season Felix is playing well, but Thomas is playing out of this world. He has 13 catches and 9 TDs. The defense has made plays when they needed to. The only lose on their record is a forfeit last week.

 

Average Joes- ‘C+’ Underachieved

For a team that has such a good roster they haven’t lived up to the hype. This team is normally flying all over the place making plays and getting each other going, that isn’t the case this year. They need more players to step up and take on bigger rolls.

 

Idaho Udapimps- ‘C-’ Underachieved

This season Brady has been played great defense like always, but has sucked as a QB. Brady has been set on feeding Kyle the ball and that has limited the offense. Everyone needs to get their heads out of their assess and start playing better before we think last fall was a fluke.

 

Bines- ‘B-’ Right where they should be

This is last season’s D4 champs and most of the team has stayed the same except at the most important spot, QB. Simon is out and only played a few games at WR this season. This team has struggled at times and looked great at others. The big issue is the roster is huge and it’s hard to get everyone on the field.

 

Manitoboys- ‘D’ Underachieved

Going into the season this team had all the pieces to complete for it all and now they are just hoping to crawl into the playoffs. Adam is more than a capable QB, but hasn’t played like it. At receiver after Marco and Rich the team struggles at that position. The biggest issue is their defense or lack of. They can’t get any pressure on the QB and then they are forced to cover for way too long and no one is picking balls off. I think I may have been too nice with the D grade.

 

Mean Machines- ‘C’ Overachieved

They are a new team and I expected them to struggle and that is what’s happening. The big problem is they don’t really have a QB and that is hurting them. Their defense is solid across the board, but could use a little more pressure from the rusher.

 

The Westies- ‘C+’ Overachieved

New team struggling at a few important places. QB needs to improve a little bit with accuracy. On defense they need a better pass rush. For a new team they aren’t bad and anyone who has played them has walked away saying the same thing.

 

69ers- ‘F’ Underachieved

This team should have the best QB in the division, but it hasn’t looked that way so far. The receivers have dropped balls all over the place and in key downs. They have a solid rusher in Jeremie, but the rest of the defense needs to step up.

 

Division 3

 

Sneaky Snakes- ‘A’ Overachieved

We all knew they were going to be a good team, but no one expected them to be undefeated at this point. David is playing solid under center and the receivers are all making plays when they need to. Defensively they need a better rush if they want their defense to go to the next level. If they get a better rush expect to see more picks from them and they already lead the division with 10.

 

Black Diamonds- ‘A+’ Overachieved

They have been so dominating with Jon playing QB and getting them on track that right now they could easily win it all. Jon has been able to pick defenses apart all game long. On defense they lead the division with 6 sacks and are second with 8 picks.

 

Primetime- ‘C-’ Underachieved

This team was supposed to be playing in D2 this season but because of teams dropping out and the divisions being unbalanced Jon moved them down. They have a QB this year, as well as a few receivers and a more than capable defense. They have just been so inconsistent that you never know which team is going to show up.

 

Phoenix- ‘D’ Underachieved

This might be the best roster on paper in the division. They have loads of experience and playmakers at each position. At times I have struggled at QB and made bad reads and other times the receivers have dropped balls that were catchable. The issues really have been the defense. We can’t get a solid rush every play and at other times we play too soft and don’t attack the ball.

 

Airborne- ‘C+’ Right where they should be

This team has been playing together for a while now and they should be better than they are, but when you watch them play you know why they are here. They lack a defense that plays hard and on offense they drop too many balls.

 

Battlehawks- ‘D+’ Right where they should be

All season they have been missing players and never had a complete roster going into a game. Yann hasn’t played QB in a while and decide to give it a go again. Yann is struggling, but it’s not all his fault. He has a few new players who lack experience. They have been in a few games this year. I won’t put the blame all on the offense as the defense is struggling as well. They have only 2 picks and have yet to get a sack on the season. This team needs to find its identity on both sides of the ball.

 

There you have it, the team report cards. I know most of you won’t think its accurate but if you look hard at it and take a step back you will see I’m right.

 

Gold Star Performances

 

I gave you who won last week this week is just putting up the standing so you can see where you are and how far back you might be.

 

Division 1

3x Nicolas Blais

2x Ben McMahon

2x Samuel Emilio Pelchat

2x Francis Lanctot

Alex Joltopuf

Jeremi Thompson O’Reilly

Louis-David Lamarre

Dom Lefort

Brad Evans

Benoit Chabot

Greg Murry

Xavier Sauve

Gabriel Lemaire

Myles Keller

Craig Browning

Lorianne Bonin

David Gutkovsky

Marc-Andre Reeves

Cesar Martinez

JC

 

Division 2

2x Thomas Gerin-Lajoie

2x Owen Lawton

2x Jason Armenti

2x Jarod Boudreau

Thomas Cote-Parent

Kyle Daniels

Muamba Luboya

Felix Gerin-Lajolie

Guillaume Turnblom

Albert Nguyen

Mathieu Roy-Caissy

William Landuydt

Justin Johnstone

Brady Ohanessian

Ryan Lee

Robert Prudhomme

Marco Gavita

Harris Cekik

Jason Edwards

Erik Emond

Jerome Hovington

 

Division 3

Massil Messaoud-Nacer

2x Gabriel Boucher

2x Kyle Young

2x Rob White

2x Felix Lalonde

Kevin Dickey

Nick Kousaie

Kayla Gauthier

Marilou Cote-Noel

Samuel Moore-Bouchard

Shamar Parkinson

David Brisson

Humza Ghernati

Jacob Rose

Jon Evans

David Ross

Guillaume Maynard

Jeremy Paul

 

 

As you can see from the list above, a Scooby-Doo ton of players have balled out over the first 5 weeks of the season. There is still plenty of time for anyone to come out and win it for the year. It will just mean you have to ball out each week and make yourself stand out and pop off the stat sheet. Good luck to all and congratulations to those who have already had their names put on the list.

Word from the Mouth: Damn Receivers! edition

Word from the Mouth: Damn Receivers! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Here we are halfway through the season and we haven’t been shut down because of covid. I think at this point we have all had enough of it.

I don’t really have much to say this week and the article will be shorter since next week we have a bye week. The thing that sucks about having next week off is that teams are just finding their groove and want to keep going and teams that are struggling are hoping to take the time and put a new plan in place, I know that I am.

At the beginning of the season when the gyms opened back up, I started going to get in shape (other than round) mostly for health issues and to gain a little bit of speed if I could. Now that you no longer need your vaccination passport to go to the gyms have become packed at night when I liked to go after work. I have now been forced to go early in the morning before work and the gym is empty. I no longer get to stare at men in shorts while I work out and must wait until Saturday to get my fill. I figured I’d write that in before Jon did. (ed’s note: my humor is not that crass!)

Since it has been so nice recently and most of the snow has melted, I think with the week off Jon and I will be going and fixing up Le Ber except that one sprinkler that Kris trips over every season and busts his ankle and foot on. It wouldn’t be an MFL season without someone complaining about the sprinklers.

 

Week 5 Recap

 

Division 1

 

Pardon My Swag vs Petits Phoques (34-20)

 

Let me start by saying once again Petits Phoques were missing players. Jon had to fill in for Dom, which is a huge down grade, well not as a passer, but as a player (ed’s note: and as an all around decent human being). No one in their right mind is taking Jon over Dom. Big Marvin was filling in for Boris this week after Boris was a little short on a play last week and Phoques needed someone with a little more size. I only caught two plays of this game, and both didn’t make Brad look good. One of them was a sack by Laurianne and the other play was a pick 6 by Vince. On the pick 6, I wonder if Brad even saw Vince. The defense for Pardon My Swag was on fire this week, picking Jon off 4 times and returning 1 of them for 6 points.

 

No Punt Intended vs Bread and Circuses (38-18)

 

After weeks of not playing QB, Ben finally got under center and was able to pick Bread and Circuses defense apart. Last summer everyone thought of Ben as an ok QB, but a fantastic runner. I have played against him before and that isn’t the case, his running gets most of the credit, but he can make every throw with ease. This week he was kept in check from running all over the place, but when you hit 5 different receivers for TDs and spread the ball all over the place you don’t need to run. The only player not to reach the endzone was Meis, who I think caught one, but was ruled out of bounds. Even though he didn’t score he did make a nice catch down one of the sidelines. The defense finally stepped up and showed what they are capable of, David had 3 picks and ran one back for a score. After the game I spoke to someone from Bread and Circuses, and they said that the team wasn’t into it today and that the game was a little late for them.

 

Villains vs Ataboy (33-32)

 

This game was all about offense, the biggest and only play made on defense was a sack by Simon from Villains. Every week I see that Villains have someone taking photos, maybe making videos to scout for the next time the teams meet up. I knew Villains were a good team going into this game, but I still thought Ataboys were going to win convincingly. I was wrong, it was a fight from the first whistle to the last. Villains were without their regular QB and had Marc-Andre filling in. You would expect a drop off, but there was none. JC killed it on offense with the drags he kept running, with the speed he has anyone would have a hard time keeping up. JC found the end zone 3 times for TDs and twice on converts. Villains scored to go up 5 points with 3 minutes left and went for 2 to make it a TD and convert difference, which they got. JC says to me that with 2 minutes and 5 plays left that they plan on using the clock and end the game. That is exactly what happened. Ataboy scored on third down with 1 play left. Now Ataboy have a choice to make go for 1 and possible OT or go for 2 get the lead and leave Villains 1 play to win the game. I can’t remember what happened on the convert. They went for 2 and I think the pass was batted away, but it was no good and the game ended with Villans winning by 1 point.

 

Division 2

 

Average Joes vs Manitoboys (45-27)

 

It looks as if Jason woke up on the right side of the bed for once. That or he ate his Wheaties in the morning. Jason was on fire. Jason completed more than half his passes for TDs, you don’t see that every day. I know Jason has gotten better over the years, but you have to wonder if it was more because of him and the short field his defense gave him all day or just really bad defense by Manitoboys. Edwards had a huge day getting 2 TDs on offense while also picking off 2 passes on defense and one of those he took to the house. By now everyone knows what Manitoboys are going to do and that is Adam throwing it deep. When your only true deep threat is Marco, and you aren’t making the defense guard the whole field, it’s not going to work. I’m not sure what’s more embarrassing, the amount of picks Adam threw or the fact that their defense only made 2 tackles all game long. At this point of the season and with the week off, Manitoboys need to revamp everything they are doing.

 

Panaches vs Bines (0-25) Forfeit

 

This was a forfeit. Panaches couldn’t field a team this week and Bines did get a game against a team of random players. Bines get a free win and get to go out and just try whatever they wanted without consequences.

 

Mean Machines vs 69ers (21-20)

 

This was a game that 69ers should have won. They dominated the first half of the game and went flat in the second half. In the first half Rob was able to run around avoid the rush and find guys open, and they were wide open as Mean Machines were playing man most of the first half. In the second half Mean Machines started playing a little more zone and with that it didn’t matter if Rob had time or was trying to run. Mean Machines starter to move the ball and make a few plays here and there. With the game on the line and only 1 and a half minutes Charlie needed to drive his team down the field and score. He got them just past mid field and had 5 plays to score after getting 12 yards and a first down, they had 4 plays left. The first 3 of them were incomplete with one or two of them being tips. On the very last play of the game down 5 points Charlie finds Jerome for the score and the win. I forgot to mention that it started to go downhill for 69ers when Mathieu Gratton got hurt and pulled himself from the game.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Westies (18-19)

 

I’m not sure how I feel about this game. I felt Idaho should have been able to win this one, it also seems like Brady forgot how to throw more TDs then picks, this has been a few games this season that it has happened. If it wasn’t for Brady running this game would have been one-sided. After the game Brady told me that Westies are a good team, and this isn’t the first time I’m hearing that. I just don’t know the guys on the team, and I think I’ve only seen them play once. Owen led his team on 3 long drives for score during the game. Which is surprising since his defense had 2 picks, you would have thought that he could have punched one of those in on a shorter field, but that wasn’t the case. Westies won because they scored the only convert of the day.

 

Division 3

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Primetime (27-12)

 

This game wasn’t fair. Sneaky Snakes had 2 subs when they really didn’t need them and the fact that Jacob the QB for Primetime was missing which left Kyle playing QB and he was banged up and couldn’t run. On the opening drive Kyle was picked off by David who was subbing, and he easily ran it in for 6 points. At this point you knew that it was going to be a long day for Primetime. Primetime then began playing and moving the ball until David picked Kyle off again. David, Sneaky Snakes QB, was able to turn that interception into points on a 3-play drive. Kyle stayed composed and was able to lead Primetime on a scoring drive. Sneaky Snakes were able to end the half scoring again to take a 20-6 lead. Primetime started the second half with the ball and had a long drive to make it 20-12. Second half Sneaky Snakes took it easy and were only able to score once more. Eight points was the closest that Primetime would make it. Sneaky Snakes have played 5 games and have won all 5 of them. Can they finish the last 5 games off that way or do we get a repeat of the fall season?

 

Black Diamonds vs Phoenix (32-12)

 

This game wasn’t close, and the score makes it look worse. I threw 2 picks; one was completely my fault and the other the receiver didn’t go up and fight for the ball (ed’s note: damn receivers!). I will blame it on his head not being in the game. We also went for it once on fourth down where the ball got tipped (ed’s note: by me!) and the defender didn’t make a play on the ball at all and just pushed the receiver. I know the ref couldn’t see it because it happened right in the middle of the field and there were tons of players around, if it was a final with the third ref behind the QB that gets called all day. Jon had a monster game. Jon was able to pick our defense apart with ease and his receivers made the tough catches. Jon was even able to run one in on us, anytime Jon can run one in there are issues. This week those issues were missed tackles and it wasn’t just one person it was the whole team. After the game I spoke to Jon about how he might be too strong of a QB for the division and he agreed, that’s why moving forward Black Diamonds might have a new QB once we get back from the week off.

 

Battlehawks vs Airborne (27-33)

 

The game opened with Battlehawks driving the field only to get picked off and ran back for 6. I only know a few things about this game about this game and one thing for sure is that Stu had the slowest spin move in MFL history on Saturday (ed’s note: I pass him my crown), when he took a short pass for 27 yards on the first play of the game. I was told the spin was so slow the defender fell asleep waiting for it to happen, but Stu still made the defender miss, and that’s all that matters. My spin isn’t any better, last time I used a spin move I was knocked out with a concussion. It looks like Yann has finally found his groove and is becoming more comfortable behind center. This week Yann threw 4 TDs and had 3 converts; most he has had all season. Guillaume was also able to put up 4 TDs and 3 converts. After Battlehawks tied the game at 27 all with one and a half minutes left, Guillaume had a chance for the game winning drive. Guillaume used every second of the clock and all five plays. On the very last play of the game Guillaume found his son Benoit for the winning score. Guillaume when he is focused plays well, but that just isn’t the case all the time.

 

There you have it this week’s recaps of games. Enjoy and you’ll have to wait two weeks before you get more recaps.

 

Gold Star Performances

 

This was your last chance to ball out before the week off and teams start to fight for playoff position. Now let’s see who busted their ass and made my list.

 

Division 1

 

Pardon My Swag vs Petits Phoques

- Myles Keller pulled in 8 catches for 54 yards, 2 TDs and 2 1point converts to go along with his 2 tackles on defense.

- Craig Browning 2 catches for 22 yards and 1 TD. Craig also picked off 2 passes ran one back for 6 and had 2 tackles on defense.

- Lorianne Bonin caught 4 passes for 19 yards and 1 TD.  She also led the team with 4 tackles and had 2 sacks.

 

No Punt Intended vs Bread and Circus

- Ben McMahon was 17 of 28 for 182 yards, 5 TDs, 2 1point converts, Ben also ran 7 times for 13 yards and had 1 tackle on defense.

- David Gutkovsky made 2 catches for 34 yards, 1 TD and 2 1point converts. David also had 3 picks, ran 1 back for a score and had 1 tackle on defense.

 

Villains vs Ataboy

- Marc-Andre Reeves went 18 of 22 for 189 yards, 5 TDs and a 2point convert. He also ran 3 times for 32 yards.

- Cesar Martinez pulled in 10 balls for 88 yards and 2 TDs while also making 1 tackle on defense.

- JC had 8 catches for 77 yards, 3 TDs and 2 1point converts. JC also made 1 tackle on defense.

 

Division 2

 

Average Joes vs Manitoboys

- Jason Edwards 3 catches 57 yards and 2 TDs on offense. Jason also had 4 tackles, 2 picks and ran one of those back for a score.

- Jason Armenti was 11 of 18 for 203 yards, 6 TDs, 1 1point convert and 1 2point convert.

 

Panaches vs Bines

- Since this game was a forfeit, I give it to the entire Bines teams just for showing up.

 

Mean Machines vs 69ers

- Erik Emond grabbed 4 passes for 47 yards and 2 TDs. Erik also made 1 tackle on defense.

- Jerome Hovington snagged 4 balls for 33 yards and 2 TDs, the last one was the game winner as time expired. Jerome also made 1 tackle on defense.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Westies

- Owen Lawton was 9 of 17 for a total of 99 yards. Owen threw 2 TDs, 1 pick and a 1point convert. He also ran 3 times for 30 yards and 1 TD.

 

Division 3

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Primetime

- David Ross was the difference maker in this game. He made 2 catches for 39 yards and 1 TD. He also picked off 2 passes ran 1 back for 6 on defense.

 

Black Diamond vs Phoenix

- Gabriel Boucher had 6 catches for 69 yards and 2 TDs. He also had 4 tackles and 1 pick on defense.

 

Battlehawks vs Airborne

- Guillaume Maynard went 21 of 27 for 168 yards, 4 TDs and 3 1point converts. Guillaume ran once for 5 yards.

- Jeremy Paul had 3 catches for 23 yards and 1 TD. On defense he had the trifecta, 1 sack, 1 pick which was a pick 6 and 2 total tackles.

 

Those are the players I felt balled out enough to get some recognition this week. Remember if you want to make my list you only have 5 more weeks to do so, so you better start busting your ass if you want to make it up here before the season ends.

 

Final Thoughts

 

I don’t have much to say here other than enjoy the week off. I went by Le Ber and its looking nice for the spring season. This week I will be going with Jon and fixing it up so that it is in tip top shape at least for the first few weeks.

Next week look out for my midseason report card for all teams in the league along with having my predictions and power rankings of course. See you all in then. 

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 4

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 4

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

Man, oh man, was I close to getting all the games right. Going 7 of 9 this week is not bad, and it just shows that some of you can actually read and follow directions. On the season I am 22 of 36. I’m slowly creeping up to a respectable level. Let’s see if I can keep it up this week.

 

Division 1

 

Pardon My Swag vs Petits Phoques

I think Brad is too smart of a QB not to attack the weakness of the Phoques defense.

 

Bread and Circuses vs No Punt Intended

They have to win a game finally right especially with this roster.

 

Villains vs Ataboy

Ataboy have all the pieces to win this game and as long as Nico doesn’t do anything stupid should win this game.

 

Division 2

 

Average Joes vs Manitoboys

Their defense is way too good to get beat over and over by the long ball, they will need their offense to be a little above average to win.

 

Panaches vs Bines

Panaches is playing as a complete team and should keep on winning. I also don’t think Simon will be there again for Bines.

 

Mean Machines vs 69ers

The last few weeks Rob has been playing much better and I expect him even better this week.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Westies

Even when Brady struggles at QB he makes up for it at safety. Brady is the best play on both teams, and he will take the game over.

 

Division 3

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Primetime

I’ve played and lost to both teams and to me if Primetime shows up to play, they win this game easily.

 

Black Diamonds vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games. (ed’s note: Black Diamonds)

 

Battlehawks vs Airborne

 

I was going to pick Battlehawk then a little birdie spoke to me about roster players missing. That made me think that Guillaume will be able to score when he wants and as long as the defense place decent, they should win the game.

 

There you have it this week’s picks. Hope everyone read this far and are planning on helping me out.

 

Power Rankings

It’s that time of the week where I tell you how I see your team and where they stand at least in my mind. I will show you then tell you why those changes got made.

 

Division 1

1- Ataboy

2- The Villains

3- Bread and Circus

4- Pardon My Swag

5- Les Petit Phoques

6- No Punt Intended

 

Division 2

1- Panaches

2- Idaho Udapimps

3- Average Joes

4- Bines

5- Manitoboys

6- Mean Machines

7- 69ers

8- The Westies

 

Division 3

1- Sneaky Snakes

2- Black Diamonds

3- Primetime

4- Phoenix

5- Airborne

6- Battlehawks

 

D1- This was easy as I only flipped Villains from 4 to 2 and Pardon My Swag from 2 to 4. Right now, Ataboy is clearly the best team in the division, but 2 through 4 can be debated and 5 and 6 are where they should be at this point.

 

D2- I left it the same except moved Manitoboys from 8 to 5 and bumped everyone down 1 spot.

 

D3- Primetime and Phoenix have flipped spots once again. Both teams could easily be higher on the list, but have been inconsistent all season.

 

That’s my rankings and things keep changing, but not by much. Most of the teams are where they should be and a few have been underachievers all season, at least to this point. Teams still have plenty of time to right the ship and make the playoffs and from there anything can happen.

 

Final Thoughts

 

After a tough week of getting screwed by the refs I came to the conclusion that all division 1 Outlaws refs hate me (ed’s note: it’s not just the Outlaw’s refs) and whatever team I’m playing on. Last fall one of them screwed me out of the playoffs and this past week realized that they can’t count or tell time. I want to know how you can set bags after a convert and blow the play in in under 10 seconds. I guess this week they worked like a pit crew for NASCAR and got it done quickly.

At half of one of the games a few of us were comparing T.O to Moss and I said the NFL should have made Moss wait for the HoF like they did to T.O. Both have the numbers to be in first ballot, but if you keep T.O out until the third time for off the field issue then how does Moss get in when he admits to not playing hard on every play. There was argument that I was crazy and didn’t know what I was talking about (ed’s note: this is always a valid argument with you), but when you look at their numbers, they are two and three in every category and played only one game difference. It just seems that the NFL wanted to teach T.O a lesson.

This week is also the first week of the free agency and teams get to go out and overpay for players that should never get what they do. This week some bum receiver named Christian Kirk gets up to 84 million for 4 years and has never had a 1000-yard season. DBs around the NFL are now rethinking maybe they want to play WR now and get paid. To me NFL free agency is a bunkbed joke. Stop overpaying for bums!

There you go my weekly rank and I know Stu loves it and this will be all he is talking about while standing between the fields this weekend. Let’s all remember that we are playing a game so go out have fun and enjoy yourself.

Word from the Mouth: We Was Robbed! edition

Word from the Mouth: We Was Robbed! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Here we are, almost half way through the season and finally we no longer need to show our vaccination passport to enter the building.

We need to go over a few things for the remainder of the season. With the games needing to be started right at the top of the hour, players need to show up on time and be ready to go at the start so games aren’t delayed.

As a ref I see players walking along the curtains all day long and this shouldn’t be happening. If you want to go to the far side of the field and warm up you need to go along the other side of the field up against the wall.

When your team is playing and you’re on the bench you need to be in the back of the endzones and out of the way. This is so the refs can do their job unimpeded and for everyone’s safety. We can’t see what’s happening on the other side of the curtain and someone could very easily run into you not knowing you are there. This needs to be a rule and it needs to be enforced (ed’s note: yeah commish, get on it!).

By now you probably heard or read that Brady is coming back next season which could only mean one thing, he wants to push it and see how close he gets to the edge before he falls off. Let’s hope this is his one and only time coming out of retirement unless he is planning on holding all the NFL records and I think Favre did it three or four times or somewhere close to that.

 

Division 1

 

Petits Phoques vs Bread and Circuses (21-25)

 

Dom was out this week for Petits Phoques so Jon filled in for him. This also might have been the best roster they have shown up with all seasons. Jon led Petits Phoques to scores on their first two drives and it seemed like it was going to be an easy win for the team. Bread and Circuses settled in and made it a 13-7 game at halftime. Bread and Circuses started with the ball in the second half, and it began with points being added to the scoreboard, except it wasn’t in their favor as Greg was sacked by Nicolas for a safety. Jon then took some time off the clock and punted the ball where Bread and Circuses took 1 play to go 45 yards on a pass from Greg to Francois for the TD.  When Phoques got the ball back they mounted a drive to make the score 21-13 and maintain the lead. Greg threw a deep pass down the right side where Francis caught it just out of the reach of Boris. Boris made the tackle inside the redzone. It then took a few plays for Greg to punch it in. With little time left Jon just has to get a few first downs and use up some clock to seal the win, but wasn’t able to and gave the ball back with too much time left. Greg used the rest of the clock punched in the score leaving 4 plays left in the game. Jon had two incomplete passes before he threw the ball back to Vince who tried to go deep, but the ball was picked off by Greg and just like that the game was over.

 

Ataboy vs Pardon My Swag (27-18)

 

Myles was back this week for Pardon My Swag, but they were missing other players. Their rusher Justin wasn’t there so Franky filled in and he is a solid rusher, but as a QB you notice the speed difference. The first half of the game was very defensive. At the half Ataboy made a few adjust on offense and scored on both of their second half possessions, as well as the pick 6 by Samuel. After the defensive TD the score was 27-12 with under three minutes left and the game was over at this point. The refs were nice and allowed Pardon My Swag to continue playing once the clock struck zero and five plays were left when the game should have ended. With those few extra plays, Pardon My Swag score to make it seem like the game was closer than it was.

 

No Punt Intended vs Villains (12-31)

 

This was the first time I got to see Villains play in person and they didn’t disappoint. I was hoping to see a good game here and it was one sided right from the start. Ben was banged up for No Punt Intended and that meant Jonathan would be playing QB for the second week in a row. I don’t remember much from this game, but I do remember that there was a Villains defender that seemed to be everywhere on the back end and made at least 1 beautiful pick coming from the middle of the field to the sideline and out jumping the receiver for the pick. This Villains team reminds me a lot of the KOLB team from a few seasons ago in Brossard. They fly all over the field making plays on defense and on offense and they can beat you by going over the top or just grinding it down the field. Villains will be a hard team to beat.

 

Division 2

 

Manitoboys vs Mean Machines (25-12)

 

I’m not exactly sure how this game went (ed’s note: it was 25 to 12 for Manitoboys. You just wrote it), but one thing that stands out to me is how do you lose a game when you get 3 picks. I spoke to a few people after this game, and they all said the same thing and that was it was an ugly game and Manitoboys were surprised they were able to win. Mean Machine are still learning the game, but by week 4 you should have some things figured out and that doesn’t seem to be the case with them. Manitoboys were a good team, but at this point seeing the way they have played this season I can’t say that with a straight face. Adam takes too many shots down field instead of taking what is right in front of him. Adam let your guys do the work for you, by going short it will open the deep instead of forcing the deep that everyone knows you’re looking for.

 

Panaches vs Average Joes (24-8)

 

Jason and the hype train seem to be on its last legs, or at least the offense does. Last year these guys were lighting teams up and looked unstoppable, now they look mediocre at best. Average Joes still have a killer defense, which this week had 2 sacks and 3 picks. I would have figured that with the wider field that it would be easier to move the ball, and it is for most, but Jason can’t find his grove. The wider field seems to be good for Felix and his offense. He can run and buy time which allows his team to find the big open areas. Even though he isn’t running much the defense still gets nervous and leaves their zones to come up and try to take the angle and limit the run, but by doing that Felix is picking teams apart.

 

Westies vs Bines (27-21)

 

This was a tight game between two teams that seem to be evenly matched. Both QBs played great with a total of 7 TDs and zero picks. I still can’t figure out what Bines are doing at QB as they seem to switch every week between Albert and David, they need to make up their minds who it’s going to be. Bines were in control of this game after scoring and leaving just over a minute thirty left plus 5 plays. That was more than enough time for Owen to lead Westies down the filed and score. He even left 4 plays for Bines to take the lead back. Then the one thing you never want to happen as a QB happened, getting sacked for a safety. When you know you have a few plays and are close to your endzone take something short and give yourself some space, so you don’t have to worry about this happening. The one defensive play that happened all game was when it mattered most.

 

69ers vs Idaho Udapimps (6-9)

 

I had to stand there and watch this game from start to finish and I will tell you it was by far the worst game of the weekend (ed’s note: but what a perfect score!). There was nothing exciting that happened in this game. Brady would have had a pick 6, but one of his players was running down field between Brady and the defender. Rob and Brady both threw some bad balls that were picked off and it seemed that happened every time they went deep. They should have both kept going short and working the field it was working for them, sometimes you get greedy and want it all even when it wasn’t there. Idaho owned the first half of the game and 69ers made it a game in the second half. I know that after the game Brady said that he played awful and that he needs to play better at least on offense. As the season goes, Rob seems to be showing off his running skills and I think he should keep it up it will make teams have to respect it and allow for guys to creep out behind the defender that is attacking him.

 

Division 3

 

Phoenix vs Sneaky Snakes (31-32)

 

In the worst screw job in Montreal since Brett Hart, Phoenix got robbed of the win. Sneaky Snakes showed up with only 2 players on time and the rest showed up late. Phoenix was spotted 6 points when it should have been 12 (ed’s note: all I’m hearing is that you actually lost by 7!). Once the game finally got started, Sneaky Snakes were able to score on their opening drive, then Phoenix took over the first half. Phoenix moved the ball up and down with ease. Joey scored his first TD as a member of Phoenix. Nick was a beast on defense picking David off twice and one of those times was in the endzone. I tried to run a trick play, and ended up finding Dave who scampered down the sideline to the cheers of his wife and kids who were there to watch. As the first half was coming to an end, I was able to get Phoenix in position to score on the last play of the half, but the ball was bobbled and dropped. Second half we went down chewed some clock and scored again. It looked like it was all but over at this point. Then the Phoenix defense started to fall apart. David hit Fecteau short and he made a few guys miss and went 45 yards for the score. Fecteau playing was a violation of the sub rules, but the refs didn’t know that at the time. After Sneaky Snakes scored, Phoenix started to move the ball and I did something you should never try and do, in mid throwing motion I tried to change where I was going with the ball, and it ended up between both my players for an interception. David took one play to find Jennifer open for a TD. We got the ball back and I called a play and without having a good grip of the ball I forced a throw to Rob and the ball just sailed on me into another interception. David was able to turn it into points. At this point I had to drive Phoenix down for what should have been the win. We scored missed the convert and left what should have been 5 plays in the game, but Sneaky Snakes was given 6 plays. David drove the field and was able to find a wide-open Felix for the game tying score, it all came down to the convert. David moved around and found Marc open for the game winner. It was a close game, but anyone who saw it knows Phoenix gave the game away. As the QB I will take full blame for it and will guarantee that I step my game up and that our defense will no longer play soft, we will be aggressive and assert our dominance. (ed’s note: The Mouth has spoken!)

 

Primetime vs Battlehawks (33-10)

 

Primetime seems to be like Jekyll and Hyde, you never know which team will show up. This week they came to play and it showed. They dominated this game right from the start. Jacob was almost perfect and spread the ball around nicely. Their defense was led by Kyle who had 2 sacks and a pick. This just shows that they can take over a game when they want to. Yann has struggled at times, and I knew that he would have a hard time in this one. He is playing QB for the first time in a few years and is playing with a few new players as well as not knowing everyone on his team very well. I will tell you when you don’t have much speed on your team playing a team that is hungry, aggressive, as well as fast it will cause problems for any QB. Battlehawks were out played, out gunned in this one, they shouldn’t be upset with this game, Primetime can be a top team when they want to be.

 

Airborne vs Black Diamonds (12-27)

 

Let’s start this off by saying how Jon is a cheater (ed’s note: I feel we should start all game descriptions like this). I understand that Jeremy might have been the only player to respond to you needing a sub, but he is way too good for this division, just like you are at QB. Now with that out of the way I will give you credit for not abusing it and going to Jeremy all game like some QBs do when they get subs that are better than the division that they are playing in. It took both teams a drive before they gained a yard of offense. Jon on his second drive took Black Diamond the length of the field for a score then Guillaume answered right back. Black Diamonds had the ball right before half and Jon was able to pick the defense of Airborne apart with ease. Guillaume started with the ball in the second half and was able to take chunk plays to get the ball into the endzone and with the convert tie it at 13 all. Jon then showed Guillaume how to reach the endzone in four plays, at this point on the sideline we could all see that Airborne would need to use up the rest of the clock and score at the end if they wanted to win. Guillaume used a bunch of time, but couldn’t score. Black Diamonds now has the ball with three and a half minutes and the lead. This is Jon’s specialty, waste the time and just grind out a few first downs, instead he went with the dagger to the heart and scored as the clock hit zeros. As I watched this game you couldn’t help but notice all the holes in the Airborne defense. They need to fix that up and quickly if they want to win any more games this season.

 

There is this week’s recap of the games, not everyone can win, but for a price I can write about how you got screwed over as well or maybe if I’m reffing your game a bribe might help you get a few calls. No, I won’t take bribes, I call the game the same way no matter what (ed’s note: some would say that way is “poorly”).

 

Gold Star Performances

 

I’m going to make this short and sweet. You either balled out and made my list or you didn’t and you will have to try harder if you plan on making it up here before the season is over.

 

Division 1

 

Petits Phoques vs Bread and Circuses

- Greg Murry went 13 of 22 for 184 yards, 4 TDs and 1 1point convert. On defense Greg had 1 tackle and 1 pick.

- Francis Lanctot made 4 catches for 78 yards and 2 TDs. He also had 1 tackle and a pick on defense.

 

Ataboy vs Pardon My Swag

- Nicolas Blais threw 25 and completed 14 of them for 130 yards, 3TDs along with 1 1point convert and 1 2point convert. Nicolas also made 1 tackle on defense.

 

No Punt Intended vs Villains

- Xavier Sauve hauled in 6 balls for 70 yards and 2 TDs.

- Gabriel Lemaire made 1 tackle and had 2 picks.

 

Division 2

 

Manitoboys vs Mean Machines

- Marco Gavita made 5 catches for 61 yards and 1 TD on offense. Marco made 3 tackles on defense as well.

 

Panaches vs Average Joes

- Thomas Gerin-Lajoie had 6 catches for 62 yards and 4 TDs, he also had 1 tackle on defense.

 

Westies vs Bines

- Owen Lawton went 11 of 19 for 174 yards, 4 TDs and 1 1point convert. Owen also ran once for 11 yards.

- Jarod Boudreau caught 2 passes for 59 yards and 2 TDs. Jarod also made 2 tackles on defense.

 

69ers vs Idaho Udapimps

- Harris Cekik made 3 catches for 49 yards and 1 TD. Harris also made 2 tackles and had 1 pick on defense.

 

Division 3

 

Phoenix vs Sneaky Snakes

- Humza Ghernati didn’t get any offensive stats but made 2 tackles and had 2 picks on defense.

 

Primetime vs Battlehawks

- Jacob Rose went 13 of 19 for 105 yards, 4 TDs, 1 1point convert. He also ran 3 times for 22 yards and 1 2point convert. Jacob also made 2 tackles on defense.

- Kyle Young made 3 catches for 19 yards and 2 TDs to go along with a huge defensive effort of 5 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 pick.

 

Airborne vs Black Diamonds

- Jon Evans was 16 of 22 for a total of 144 yards, 4 TDs and 3 1point converts. (ed’s note: I made it!)

 

There you have it the players I felt balled out and left it all out on the filed. Hope you liked my picks if you felt you should be up here maybe next time.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 3

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 3

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

This past week I was able to improve on my picks, but only by one game, going 5 of 9 which brings me to a total of 15 of 27, which is crap. I like to try and get it to around 75%, but with most of you not being able to read, things like this will happen. Get someone to help you with the reading, so that way you know who I have picked and you can just follow it to help me out. Now here are this week’s picks and my reasoning behind those picks.

 

Division 1

 

Les Petits Phoques vs Bread and Circus

I just feel that they are a more complete team and with Petits Phoques you never know who will be playing that week.

 

Ataboys vs Pardon My Swag

Both teams are really good across the board, but after thinking about it for a while I went with Ataboys because I can’t see anyone sticking with JC if he goes deep and with JC rushing Brad will have to make some very quick throws.

 

No Punt Intended vs Villains

I think after a few weeks of playing together this is the week that No Punt Intended get the ball rolling. They have a stacked roster and loads of experience to easily win this one.

 

Division 2

 

Manitoboys vs Mean Machines

I can’t see Richie Rich and his band of merry men losing 3 games in a row. They need Adam to step up and start playing smarter and stop thinking about heading back out west and focus on this week’s game.

 

Panaches vs Average Joes

I wanted to go Average Joes, but I couldn’t pick against an undefeated team in Panaches. Panaches has been playing great so far this season and this will be their hardest game to date, but Felix protects the ball and uses his legs. Also, Average Joes are missing players just not sure who it is.

 

Westies vs Bines

I was told Westies are a good team, but this week Bines )if they have Simon) will win easily.

 

69ers vs Idaho Udapimps

I just feel that Idaho have so much more chemistry playing together that 69ers won’t be able to stop them. If 69ers have any chance Rob needs to avoid Brady on defense.

 

Division 3

 

Phoenix vs Sneaky Snakes NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Primetime vs Battlehawks

This is going to be a very bad matchup for Battlehawks who should be without Manuel this week. Primetime is too fast and will run right by Battlehawk defenders like they aren’t even there.

 

Airborne vs Black Diamonds

I think Jon is too good of a QB not to be able to pick Airborne’s defense apart all game long.

 

Those are the picks for week 4 matchups. There were a few games I went back and forth on but I’m pretty confident that most of these games are right.

 

Power Rankings

After last week’s games teams have slowly started to show me who they really are and where I need to rank them. I’m also sure that after this week I will have to adjust my rankings since we have a few big games being played. Here are my rankings followed by why I made those moves.

 

Division 1

1- Ataboy

2- Pardon My Swag

3- Bread and Circus

4- The Villains

5- Les Petit Phoques

6- No Punt Intended

 

Division 2

1- Panaches

2- Idaho Udapimps

3- Average Joes

4- Bines

5- Mean Machines

6- 69ers

7- The Westies

8- Manitoboys

 

Division 3

1- Sneaky Snakes

2- Black Diamonds

3- Phoenix

4- Primetime

5- Airborne

6- Battlehawks

 

D1- After last week’s loss to Pardon My Swag, I dropped Villains from 2 all the way to 4 and move everyone else up. When Petits Phoques won this week, it also meant that they were no longer the lowest team in the division, that goes to the team they beat No Punt Intended.

 

D2- Bines fall from 1 to 4 after losing to Idaho who jumped from 4 to 2. Panaches being undefeated moves up to the 1 spot. 69ers moved up to 5 after running all over Manitoboys who fall all the way to the bottom of my list.

 

D3- Everything stayed the same except Phoenix and Primetime flipped spots.

 

This is how I see the rankings right now after 3 weeks of play. Every team still has a chance to climb up to the number 1 spot but let’s be real all you need to do is secure a playoff spot then anything can happen from there.

 

Final Thoughts

 

What is going on in the NFL? On Tuesday Aaron Rodgers signs a 4 year 200-million-dollar contract extension, like the Packers were really going to let him leave. Russel Wilson and a fourth-round pick gets traded to Denver for 3 players, 2 first round picks, 2 second round picks and a fifth rounder as well. Just now Carson Wentz is headed back to the NFC East, but this time on the Washington Commanders (ed’s note: they will always be the Washington Football Team to me!). A few seasons ago there was talk of Wentz being the MVP and now he has been traded twice and this time it’s for two mid round picks in the draft. Oh, and here is the funniest bumblebee I’ve heard and read that Mitch Turbisky (ed’s note: I don’t think that’s how that is spelled) is being considered as a top QB option this off season. What a joke that is, even Jon is a better option then him (ed’s note: technically a compliment!).

This past weekend was the NFL combine and I feel sorry for QBs moving forward. There was this kid out of Georgia who ran a 4.78 40-yard time. I know it doesn’t seem like blazing speed until you find out that he is 6 foot 7 inches, 341 pounds, and plays defensive tackle. Could you imagine if he ended up on the Rams. How would you block him and Aaron Donald at the same time? What happened to the defensive tackles being big, fat, and slow? The players in all sports keep getting bigger, faster, and stronger. With there no longer being any real contact in the game anymore (ed’s note: this is not true, in fact the physics of these “bigger, stronger, faster” players actually means that the contact is harder than it has ever been. What there isn’t anymore, is cheap shots, late hits, and attempts to injure), just make the field bigger.

That’s it for this week, just remember it a game we are play, so go have fun and don’t kill anyone. Thanks for reading.

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