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.

Word from the Mouth: Electric Eels! edition

Word from the Mouth: Electric Eels! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Let me start by saying I’m so glad we are playing this season at soccerplex in Lachine instead of Concordia Stinger dome. I had to go there last night and of course there was no parking on Sherbrooke like always. I ended up driving around and parked down the hill on De Maisonneuve, but with gas at almost $2 a litre, it’s almost worth double parking and taking the ticket.

We can all tell that the weather is getting nicer and by now you should know that we will get at least one more snow fall for the year. Let’s hope it comes early and then it melts quickly. Jon and I will need at least a few weeks of nice weather before we can go fix up Le Ber, where we hope to finish up the winter season and playoffs.

Other than gas being ridiculous, have you seen how much your groceries have gone up? $200 doesn’t go far anymore.

Talking about things being overpriced, I have a good one for you here. Anyone that watched the super bowl saw the outfit Snoop was wearing, well now you can buy that same suit in blue and yellow or black and yellow for a price of $1275. You will have to preorder it and shipping starts on April 20. Oh, and let me mention, no returns, refunds or exchanges on it. I’d buy one on the condition Snoop hand delivers it and we get to smoke a blunt together. I haven’t smoked in years, but how do you turndown smoking with the Dogg Father himself. (ed’s note: this column is slowly turning it “Things I thought and Things I did this week”)

 

Week 3 Recap

 

No Punt intended vs Les Petits Phoques (27-28)

 

Going into this game I didn’t think Petits Phoques had any chance at walking away with the win. I also didn’t expect to see No Punt Intended missing a few players including their QB. Jonathan switched from WR to play QB and he didn’t play badly, just the Petits Phoques rushers were on him all day long. Charlie did a great job at not allowing Jon to run around and even when he did, she was right behind him. At one point Dom went into rush and got 2 sacks. This was back and forth all game long and when Petits Phoques scored on the first play of the last 5 plays they needed to convert to take the lead, and just like all their other converts on the day this one was good as well. Jonathan now needed to drive the field and score to win the game. He couldn’t get anything done on the first two plays, but then hit Max for a 13-yard gain. Now with the extra room and it being the last play, he can run around and give his team a chance to reach the endzone. Petits Phoques double rushed and had great pressure, but ended up hitting Jonathan’s arm and giving No Punt Intended one last chance. On the extra play it was thrown into the endzone and the ball fell incomplete. Game over.

 

Villains vs Pardon My Swag (8-27)

 

Predicting this match up, I thought it was going to be way closer. Villains had played well the first two weeks of the year, but now facing a team with loads of experience they looked mediocre at best. Brad was able to pick them apart finding guys open all day long. I like Justin and he is one guy I wouldn’t want to see rushing me, but as a QB you need to know how to sidestep him and let him run right by you. I also would love to have him as a receiver on my team, he might not have the best hands in the league, though they are getting better, but he can take the top off a defense with ease. Throw it up and let him run under it, no way to overthrow him. Brad put a good team together without any real weaknesses. I just wonder how they will look once Myles gets back out and on the field with them again. (ed’s note: that sounds like you think he’ll make them worse)

 

Bread and Circus vs Ataboy (21-32)

 

This was the first time I got to see either of these team play this year. Both teams only had six players show up so there was no subbing or a chance to get water. With both teams being only six players, I thought Bread and Circus was going to have a huge advantage. I won’t lie at first glance I was wondering how Benoit, Cesar and Mederic were going to be able to keep up. It didn’t take long for me to see that these guys were ballers. Benoit, a guy I never heard of, showed me why you never judge a book by it cover. He was the game’s leading receiver in yards and TDs. When he was able to catch the short passes, he made a few guys miss. Ataboy scored at the end to make it more than 9 points and end the game while into the last 5 plays. The only mistake that was made in this game was poor clock management by Ataboy. What they did was let the 45 second clock run then called a timeout, and then ran the next play with 20 seconds on the clock, JC forgot that a timeout only resets the 45 second clock and that the game clock is still running.

 

Division 2

 

Bines vs Idaho Udapimps (12-32)

 

In a rematch of last fall’s semifinals that looked more like a practice, this still wasn’t a good game to watch. Last year’s Bines mopped the floor with Idaho and this year Idaho was looking for revenge and got it. I spoke to Brady after the game, and he said that it was an easy game, and everything was working for them. I still don’t know who is playing QB for Bines as David has taken snaps and so has Albert. They can win with both guys playing QB. but need to figure who their guy is. Simon has always been the guy for Bines and this week he wasn’t there, and it showed. Simon can take even a short pass to the house, plus he normally makes at least one or two plays on defense as well.

 

Mean Machines vs Panaches (12-20)

 

I know nothing of this game (ed’s note: looking forward to your thoughts on it!). I was able to catch a few plays from the other field. What I saw was Felix using his legs to get yards. The defenses for Panaches played decently, but not fantastic. They managed 3 sacks and made plays to end drives. I’m not sure who was referring or scorekeeping this game, but the game should have been called and ended at 20-6 not 20-12. When we have more than a 9-point lead and it’s into the final 5 plays the game needs to be ended to save time.

 

69ers vs Manitoboys (32-18)

 

In what I labeled the underachiever bowl, it was surprisingly a decent game. I have two takeaways from this game, the first being that Adam needs to stop going deep on every play except when he should have but instead checked it down on last play of the half hoping his receiver will make everyone miss. That is when you should just throw it up if you’re going to go for it instead of ending the half. The other thing was Rob seemed to find his legs this week and was able to run all day on Jeremy. I know that there is talk on Manitoboys needing a QB for the playoffs and moving forward. If they keep playing like this, it will only be for next season as they will miss playoffs.

 

Average Joes vs Westies (20-19)

 

Because of this game we had to adjust the timing of the game. Converts before didn’t count as a play when we were into the last 5 plays, now they do. First half of the game we had some big plays and some offense. The second half was all about the defense. At one point in this game Jason got hurt for Average Joes and we all thought it was his knee only to find out it was his ankle. After he got banged up, he took off running and the other team figured he was faking the injury. I spoke with him after the game, and he was telling me that Westies are a team for real. This game came down to the very end. Westies had the ball and were driving and on fourth down from the ten-yard line the ball was thrown and went incomplete. Both teams were talking a lot in this one and at half needed to be warned that if it continued players would start to get thrown out of the game, that shut both teams up fast.

 

Division 3

 

Phoenix vs Airborne (32-19)

 

Phoenix showed up with 6 players and Airborne was 8 with 2 subs. Knowing the subs they had and how Guillaume can play, I expected this to be a way closer game than it was. (ed’s note: but Kevin has just too good!) For Airborne I want to know how much of a real threat is Joey (ed’s note: captain burn!) that you needed Julian to stay on him most of the game. That was fine by me since all Joey did was run hooks all game long. They also didn’t have an answer for Rob, who went off with over 100 yards in the game plus 3 TDs. This game could have been even more lopsided if I had made a few better throws and if my receivers made a few extra catches that were dropped. Airborne needs to figure out their defense as well as playing with more urgency than they did in this game. Everyone was just there, but not really trying it seemed. On a fourth down play, I avoided the rush (ed’s note: great job, Kevin!), rolled out, and was going to run, but the defense stepped up and allowed Nick to sneak behind them and go for a first down and big yards. Airborne scored with very little time left in the game and needed a quick stop to get the ball. All I was trying to do at this point was get a first down to end the game. I had Rob run a route while everyone else ran hooks and he was wide opened and was easily able to walk into the endzone to end game.

 

Black Diamonds vs Primetime (34-19)

 

After playing against Primetime last week and seeing the strides they took and how much they improved from week 1, I was expecting more of the same. Black Diamonds were missing a few players and Jon had Julien sub for them and he provided most of Jon’s 78 yards of passing. Regina who seemed to have trouble in week 1 when I saw them play, came up big with 2 TDs. Watching this game was like watching the Cowboys play one week where they are great and the next week they shit the bed and that’s exactly what happened this week (ed’s note: or maybe, based on the numbers, Black Diamonds are just way better than Phoenix...). Jacob was making poor reads and couldn’t get in a groove. If you add the 2 pick 6s he threw he had 5 TDs on the game. On one of those picks it was thrown right to the defender with no one around and the second one Samuel made a nice break on the ball and had to fight for it a little. If Samuel wasn’t there for Black Diamonds, it might have been a different game since he had both pick 6s. (ed’s note: and if none of us where there and we instead fielded a team of electric eels and required the game be played underwater, it would have been a very different game)

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Battlehawks (24-18)

 

I want to know how this game turned out to be so close. Battlehawks were missing there two best players in Julian and Manuel. They had subs in Simon and Nico who are both ok, but I would much rather have Julian and Manuel. From the looks of how the game went Yann started to figure it out right before half when he led a game tying drive and then starting with the ball in the second half, he chewed up a ton of clock and went in for another score giving them an 18-12 lead. Once David got the ball, he was able to take Sneaky Snakes down to score and left just under 7 minutes in the game. I was thinking Yann was just going to use the clock and try and score, well on the first play with the game tied at 18 he threw a pick.  It took Sneaky Snakes 1 play and no time to punch it in. Yann still had time to go back down the field but on fourth down couldn’t convert and turned it over on downs. Battlehawks still had a slim chance at getting the ball back if they didn’t give up a first down, which they did, and the game was ended. After the game I asked Yann what happened, and he was telling me how he threw a bad pick and it ended up costing them the game. It also showed him that they can compete even without their best players playing.

 

That is, it for this week’s recaps. I’m sure I missed some things that happened, so I’ll make a little suggestion to everyone. If I didn’t see your game, you can reach out to me and let me know what happened or if there was a big, exciting play that I need to mention. I won’t put it all in there, but maybe I’ll add something. And if you try to mention how you balled out and it was all about you and not the team, just don’t do it you, won’t like what happens.

 

Gold Star Performances

 

It’s that time of the week again where you get to see if you earned a Gold Star for your play this week. Win, lose or draw or maybe if you put up some crazy numbers or made a game changing play you might see your name up here this week. Remember these are my picks and no one else’s. I have all the say here. Sometime Jon and I see eye to eye and other times I’m right and Jon is so far off the wall that it leaves you scratching you head. Now let’s see if you did enough to get a star.

 

Division 1

 

No Punt intended vs Les Petits Phoques

- Dom Lefort went 16 of 25 for 151 yards, 4 TDs, 4 1point converts, ran 3 times for 21 yards and made 2 tackles on defense which were both sacks.

 

Villains vs Pardon My Swag

- Brad Evans was able to complete 25 of 35 passes for 227 yards, 4 TDs, 1 1point convert, also throwing 1 pick on offense. Defensively Brad managed to make 2 tackles. 

 

Bread and Circuses vs Ataboy

- Nicolas Blais dominated this week at QB going 22 of 30 for 195 yards, 5 TDs, 2 1point converts and making a total of 1 tackle on defense.

- Benoit Chabot pulled in 6 balls for 75 yards and 2 TDs on offense. While also leading his team in tackles with 3.

 

Division 2

 

Bines vs Idaho Udapimps

- Ryan Lee made 2 catches and both went for TDs for a total of 49 yards. On defense Ryan had 1 tackle to go along with his 1 interception.

 

Mean Machines vs Panaches

- I couldn’t bring myself to pick someone from this game. No one really stood out and the players that had decent numbers couldn’t find the end zone. Sorry teams, better luck next week.

 

69ers vs Manitoboys

- Robert Prudhomme finally looks like the old Rob going 15 of 24 for 135 yards, 3 TDs and 2 1point converts. He also ran 6 times for 59 yards and 2 TDs.

 

Average Joes vs Westies

- Even being banged up Jason Armenti was able to finish the game, going 13 of 25 for 107 yards, 3 TDs and 2 1point converts. He also hobbled on his 1 carry for 3 yards. Jason if you didn’t get hurt in first half you wouldn’t be here, but you stuck it out knowing the team needed you and you got the job done.

- Jarod Boudreau had 3 catches for 38 yards, 2 TDs and a 1point convert. Jarod also made 1 tackle on defense.

 

Division 3

 

Phoenix vs Airborne

- Robert White killed it this week going off for 113 yards, 3 TDs on a total of 5 catches. He also had 1 pass defense which was more like a dropped pick, but Rob is here because of the offense.

 

Black Diamonds vs Primetime

- Samuel Moore-Bouchard didn’t do anything on offense (he caught a convert!), but on defense he killed it with 2 tackles and 2 picks which he took both back for 6 points.

- Shamar Parkinson was the one bright spot for Primetime this week. Shamar hauled in 3 passes for 51 yards and 2 TDs. Shamar also had 1 pass defense while he was rushing.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Battlehawks

- Felix LaLonde caught 4 passes this week for 84 yards and 1 TD. He also made 7 tackles on defense.

- David Brisson completed 11 of his 20 passes for 192 yards and 4 TDs. He also ran 3 times for 4 yards, then made 2 tackles and 1 sack on defense.

 

There you have it, this week’s gold star performances. I know a few subs balled out this week, but if you’re not on the roster I just don’t feel it’s fair to add you up here. Maybe next season you’ll decide to join and when you play great you can make the list. Hope you liked my list and just keep giving it your all and you might see your name here in the next few weeks.

 

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 2

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 2

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

Here we go again; I get to tell you who I’m picking to win and why I picked that team. After going 6 for 9 in week 1, in week 2 I went 4 of 9 bringing me to a horrible 10 for 18 on the year. This week everyone decided to skip my prediction section and made me look dumber than normal. This week I plan on getting my picks correct or I might have to go in and switch some scores around and make some teams forfeit. My picks are in bold if that helps you know who I picked.

 

Division 1

 

No Punt intended vs Les Petits Phoques

Their roster is far too strong to lose this week to Petits Phoques.

 

Villains vs Pardon my Swag

I went with Pardon my Swag because I know who they are and at this point Villains haven’t beaten a good team yet, week 1 doesn’t count.

 

Bread and Circus vs Ataboy

I’m going with Ataboy as I feel Nico will look to avenge the finals loss from Brossard last fall, plus they have a really strong team from top to bottom.

 

Division 2

 

Bines vs Idaho Udapimps

With a better passer this season Bines should be able to win again like last fall. Albert just needs to know where Brady is at all times.

 

Mean Machines vs Panaches

They have a better understanding of the game and won’t make many stupid mistakes.

 

69ers vs Manitoboys (Underachiever bowl)

After picking 69ers last week and seeing how they performed I couldn’t pick them again, I am also hoping that Manitoboys have everyone back this week. Simon is going to give Rob fits all game long.

 

Average Joes vs Westies

They are the stronger team and have an elite defense when then they play like that can.

 

Division 3

 

Phoenix vs Airborne NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Black Diamond vs Primetime

I’m going with Primetime because I’m hoping that the team that played last week shows up again. They are faster more athletic, and it will depend on Jacob if they win or not.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Battlehawks

This should be a close game, but I also know Battlehawks might be missing a player so that gives Sneaky Snakes an advantage by a wide margin.

 

There you have it, this week’s picks. I hope everyone reading will help me out and make me get 100% of my games right. Good luck to everyone, play hard, and have fun.

 

Power Rankings

 

After week 1 I had the rankings set and they looked good, but after this week I’ve had to make a bunch of changes to the rankings. I’ll show you this week’s rankings then try to explain why I made those changes.

 

Division 1

1- Ataboy

2- The Villains

3- Pardon My Swag

4- Bread and Circus

5- No Punt Intended

6- Les Petit Phoques

 

Division 2

1- Bines

2- Panaches

3- Average Joes

4- Idaho Udapimps

5- Manitoboys

6- Mean Machines

7- The Westies

8- 69ers

 

Division 3

1- Sneaky Snakes

2- Black Diamonds

3- Primetime

4- Phoenix

5- Airborne

6- Battlehawks

 

D1- Villains moved up and are still undefeated. Pardon my Swag needed to move down after losing another close game. Bread and Circus moved up after beating Pardon my Swag, but it was convincing enough to leap over them in the rankings. Even with the great roster that No Punt Intended has being winless is going to make you fall down.

 

D2- Panaches might have the most points scored, but you haven’t played the better teams yet so you can move up to 2, but not any further at least right now. Idaho gets the benefit of everyone above them losing like they did and somehow still moved up in my rankings. 69ers and Manitoboys both have been very disappointing this season so far and had to be moved down the list. I wasn’t even sure if 69ers were going to make it on my list this week, with these two teams playing this week we are calling it the Underachiever bowl.

 

D3- After Phoenix getting embarrassed this week, I had to knock them down a few pegs which opened it up for Sneaky Snakes to move into the number 1 spot. I moved up Black Diamond up to the 2 spot, at least for now. Primetime would have gone to two but after 1 bad game and 1 good game not sure which team will show up until they are more consistent they are at 3. Airborne hasn’t shown any intensity this season and are now sitting at 5 right above winless Battlehawks.

There you have it this week’s rankings. I know they aren’t perfect, but it’s how I see them after two weeks and with 8 more weeks to go you know they are going to change again.

 

Final Thoughts

 

This week is spring break for most of the schools in the province. Just imagine if we could all be down in Florida playing football on the beach enjoying the sun and partying all night long. Instead, we are here which means the kids are home nagging about wanting to go out to see their friends and sleeping until noon. At least mine are.

I mean kids nowadays have it so easy (ed’s note: here we go!). Getting bussed to school and chauffeured around afterwards. Remember when you needed a quarter to use a pay phone to call someone? (ed’s note: having a quarter you can just throw away on a phone call? Luxury!) Now these kids can’t keep their phones more than two feet from them, or they think they are missing something.

I also remember going outside and doing things with my friends when I wasn’t in school. Now it’s let’s all get online and play video games that way. Yes, you can mock and talk fudge on the mic, but when you use to dominate someone you could almost see the tears rolling down their faces. We all had that one friend that would hit the reset button, now all they do is blame it on the internet connection. (ed’s note: It sounded like you were talking about dominating in real life back in the day, but you were just talking about single screen multiplayer games!)

Now we all need to remember that this is a game, and we are all out here to have fun, not turn pro. Go have fun, take it easy, it’s just a game.

Word from the Mouth: It's Getting Political! edition

Word from the Mouth: It's Getting Political! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Here we are, back after another week and once again only a few minor bumps in the road. With games starting at 3 on the dot, teams need to be there early roster submitted and pinnies with the right numbers on. The first two weeks of the season we have started the first games a little late then had to play catchup to get done before our time expires. Even with us starting late we still managed to finish up before time ran out.

With everything going on between Ukraine and Russia (ed’s note: I’ve been waiting for this thing to get political!) we need to take a minute and think of how this is going to cowabunga up the world more than it already is. Both sides need to get together and figure this out before WW3 happens and we are all really screwed. We are hopefully close to the end of Covid and now this.

From all the people I’ve spoken with this somehow is all related to Brady. First, he leaves New England, and we get Covid and now he retires, and we are on the brink of another World War. Gisele, if you get your hands on this, just let Tom play and reach out to me if you’re looking for a younger man. I know I don’t have his looks, money, or super bowl rings, but I still look better than he did coming out of Michigan.

 

Week 2 Recap

 

Here are this week’s recaps from what I saw and heard this week.

 

Division 1

 

Les Petits Phoques vs The Villains (16-40)

 

I just saw a few plays from this one and it didn’t look good at all for Petits Phoques. Villains look to be a really solid team and know what they are doing. Petits Phoques on the other hand should not be in this division and part of the problem is when the roster was submitted, they had a few players on it that aren’t on the team and because of that were moved from D2 up to D1. I think I heard that Jon might look into moving them if he is able to, but at this point I doubt that will happen.

 

Ataboy vs No Punt Intended (26-6)

 

I didn’t see this game, but I did hear that it wasn’t a good game from both teams. I spoke to JC afterwards and he said they won the game, but that it wasn’t a good performance from them. If you can beat up a good team like No Punt Intended like this on a bad game early in the year, what is going to happen when they play well? It will be interesting to see what Ataboy can do in the weeks ahead.

 

Pardon My Swag vs Bread and Circus (26-32)

 

This was by far the best game in this division this week. Pardon my Swag had Justin to rush for the first time this season, but were without Myles. I know both Myles and Justin and Pardon my Swag needed Myles there. He has played this team before and knows what to expect. Justin might beat everyone in the league in a race straight, but with Greg playing QB and being able to move around, Justin will struggle. Yes, Justin had two sacks, but how many did he miss and allow Greg to run. This game came down to the very end. Pardon my Swag had the ball after Bread and Circus tied it up at 26, they were unable to move the ball and gain a first down, turned the ball over on their 12-yard line, gave up a score, and had two plays to score to tie it up. On the last play of the game Brad threw it up hoping that one of his players would come down with it, but it was picked off and that was the game.

 

Division 2

 

Manitoboys vs Panaches (25-40)

 

I did not see this coming. I thought Manitoboys were going to walk all over Panaches. Manitoboys were without their two tall players and one of them is Simon their rusher. As a good team you should be able to handle missing a player or two. Felix led Panaches drive after drive and made it look easy. Other than a few drops, Panaches played a near perfect game. Once again Adam does what he does and looks to use his big arm to make deep throws instead of taking what the defense is giving him. On more than one play he had players open short, but decided to throw it deep where there was coverage. If Manitoboys want to win, Adam needs to start playing smarter football.

 

Bines vs 69ers (24-12)

 

I watched this game and by the score it looks like it was a close game, but it really wasn’t. 69ers dropped a bunch of balls like they did in week one and if you want to win then you can’t be doing that. The only bright spot for 69ers was “no thrills” Will who was also there as a sub. Albert was able to pick apart the 69ers defense with ease, guys were open all over the place. I know that 69ers were missing a few players so the defense wasn’t used to playing together, but they’re mostly veterans and should know what to do and where to be. I think Bines are a better team this season than they were in the fall season, with Albert at QB and Simon at WR.  

 

Westies vs Mean Machines (24-30)

 

This was the first time I got to see either team play since both are new to the league. I had to go over a few things with both teams through the game but the got it quickly. The two teams were very even, and the game went back and forth. The one thing I noticed, and this is true with most new teams, is that they like to throw it deep. William carried Mean Machines on offense and Justin took care of the defense for them. Both players are very good, and teams need to find out who they are. I wish I had time to talk to Westies QB Owen after the game. I want to know why with two plays left and needing a score to tie it did he throw it deep which fell incomplete and then on the last play of the game throw a short pass expecting his player to make everyone miss. Owen, next time try and get some yards on the second to last play this way you have a chance to throw it up and get it to the endzone.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Average Joes (6-18)

 

I’m just putting it out there that this week Jason wasn’t there and Average Joes won. Jason, are you getting replaced or have you been given the boot? Just playing, I know the guys love you and they wouldn’t do that. If it wasn’t for Brady picking off Avery three times on deep balls the score would have been way worse than it was. Idaho should never have been in this game as they were out matched and out played all game long. This was the first time Avery has played QB for Average Joes and he had guys open and just didn’t see them and most of the time it was on critical downs. Brady balled out on defense and that was the only bright spot for Idaho this week.

 

Division 3

 

Airborne vs Sneaky Snakes (13-27)

 

Before the game began, I was speaking to Marilou, it was brought up that they needed to draw up offensive plays as well as defensive alignments because people didn’t know what they were doing. I helped her out by sending her a PDF of routes and defensive alignments. This wouldn’t help them this week, but down the line it will. From the looks of it, Sneaky Snakes didn’t really run away with it when they could have and that was because the defense for Airborne played well. Later on in the day I spoke to Chris who mentioned that the offense didn’t play with much intensity and it seemed as if Guillaume wasn’t really into it today. Moving forward Airborne needs to play focused and with intensity.

 

Battlehawks vs Black Diamonds (12-25)

 

This looked like it was going to be a close game and it was until half, then it seemed like Black Diamonds made a few adjustments and Battlehawks didn’t. I will say teams better watch out with Black Diamonds; they are getting a hang of it quickly. It also helps that they have Jon, at least for now. Gabriel played superb on defense picking off Yann twice and Emy had two sacks before getting hurt. I hope you’re OK and heal up quickly. Battlehawks were again missing one of their better players with Julian being out and needed to rely on Manuel and was trying to force the ball into him. Last week Yann took what the defense gave him and this week he was trying to air it out. The biggest take away from this game was the running of Jon the commissioner leading both teams in rushing with one yard, rushing title here he comes. (ed’s note: 1 yard at a time!)

 

Primetime vs Phoenix (26-13)

 

Most of you have heard about trap games and this was a trap game for Phoenix. Last week Primetime looked bad all over, couldn’t complete a pass, couldn’t cover, it was a complete mess for them. This week I think they finally played up to the potential they have. They opened the game with a long drive to score, then they got a stop on downs due to a horrible pass by me. I threw it two yards in front of my receiver who was open for a first down. The turnover didn’t help them as they threw a pick almost right away. Then Kyle who was rushing picked off my pass and took off to the endzone. That time was another silly pass by me where I didn’t throw it in front of my receiver and allowed the rusher to easily undercut the route. After those plays, things settled down for Phoenix as we marched the field and scored right before half. Phoenix started with the ball in the second half and we were driving and I threw a post in Rob’s direction, but I didn’t lead him enough and this pass was picked off as well. Primetime threw a 5-yard hook at most to Kyle who turned on the jets running by everyone on Phoenix to take an 18-6 lead. Dan, Rob, and I all looked at each other and were like, damn, the boy has some speed. They went for two on the convert where Alijah one handed Mossed me for the convert. I will tell you that he did have his other hand on me, but really where we were in the end zone and how high that ball was coming, I didn’t think there was any chance in that ball being caught so I didn’t go all out, wish I had but I’m also glad it wasn’t caught on camera. (ed’s note: Kevin never really goes all out, since that would not be fair!) Phoenix drove down and again I threw another pick in the red zone (ed’s note: See? Not all out!). Phoenix needed a stop couldn’t get it and at this point we were just playing for pride. We scored and couldn’t get the stop we needed and on last play of the game threw it up hoping but it fell incomplete. I went into this one thinking Primetime was crap and I walked away thinking if they play like this every week, they might win it all.

 

Gold Star Performances

 

Last week I went a little overboard and ended up picking 15 players, which seems like a lot. Maybe I was being generous since it had been so long since we were able to get out there and play. This week it might be a bit harder to earn the gold star. Now let’s get to my list and see if you made it or if we have anyone who repeated.

 

Division 1

 

Les Petits Phoques vs The Villains

- Louis-David Lamarre 17 of 23 for 193 yards, 5 TDs 2 2-point converts to go with his 1 run for 16 yards. Then on defense he had 1 tackle and a pick.

 

Ataboy vs No Punt Intended

- Samuel Emilio Pelchat 3 catches 40 yards, 2 TDs, 4 tackles on defense and an interception.

 

Pardon My Swag vs Bread and Circus

- Francis Lanctot 3 catches 87 yards, 3 TDs and 1 tackle on defense.

 

Division 2

 

Manitoboys vs Panaches

- Felix Gerin-Lajolie 13 of 18 for 200 yards 6 TDs, 2 1point converts, 1 2point convert, 2 runs 15 yards and 1 pick thrown on offense, on defense He had 3 tackles.

- Guillaume Turnblom 4 catches for 54 yards, 2 TDs, 1 1point convert as well as 2 tackles and an interception on defense.

 

Bines vs 69ers

- Albert Nguyen 14 of 19 for 169 yards, 4 TDs, he also ran 3 times for 3 yards.

- Mathieu Roy-Caissy 4 catches for 24 yards, but 3 TDs as well as 3 tackles on defense.

 

Westies vs Mean Machines

- William Landuydt 3 catches for 83 yards, 3 TDs and 2 tackles.

- Justin Johnstone 2 tackles, 1 sack and 2 picks

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Average Joes

- Brady Ohanessian 12 of 25 for 113 yards 1 TDs, 1 run for 13 yards and 1 pick thrown. Brady isn’t here for his offense when you get 3 picks on defense, you’re going to make my list.

 

Division 3

 

Airborne vs Sneaky Snakes

- Felix Lalonde 4 catches for 50 yards and 1 TD. Defensively he had 3 tackles to go with 1 pick which he took back for 6 as well as a pick 2 on a convert.

- Marilou Cote-Noel 7 tackles 2 sacks and a pick on defense. That is to go along with her 2 catches for 7 yards and a 1point convert.

 

Battlehawks vs Black Diamonds

- Gabriel Boucher 2 catches for 26 yards on offense and 2 picks on defense.

 

Primetime vs Phoenix

- Kyle Young 3 catches for 86 yards, 1 TD, 1 run for 7 yards. On defense Kyle had 1 tackle and 1 pick he ran back for 6 points.

 

Those are my picks for who gets a gold star. Last week we had 15 players and this week I cut it down to 14 players. Guess it’s not that big of a difference, it’s just hard to leave some players off the list even when their team takes the loss. It’s still early so you still have plenty of time to still make it onto my list so just keep playing and putting up numbers and you might see your name up here soon. Congratulations to all who have made it and for the rest of you better luck in the upcoming weeks.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 1

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 1

Kevin Kousaie

 Predictions

 

With last week being week one and not knowing a few of the teams, I was still able to pick 6 out of 9 games correct. It’s not great, but it’s not horrible either. This week, let’s see if your team can help me get them all right.

 

Division 1

 

Les Petit Phoques vs Villains

I think they rebound after last week’s embarrassing loss and win by two scores. I also think that this week they will have more of their team out there.

 

Ataboy vs No Punt intended

Right now, I think Ataboy are the team to beat but they might have looked good last week as they played a team missing a bunch of players. Ataboy should also have Josh and JC this week.

 

Pardon My Swag vs Bread and Circuses

Myles has seen Bread and Circuses play enough to know how to stop them and where to attack them. This won’t be close.

 

Division 2

 

Manitoboys vs Panaches

I can see this being a very close game and coming down to the last few plays. Adam is a better QB then Felix, at least throwing. Manitoboys need a big game from Simon at rush if they want to win.

 

Bines vs 69ers

Last week’s Bines got lucky with a few bad throws that they turned into turnovers. This week Rob won’t make those same bad throws and be playing it safe. With a game under their belt and the rust banged off look to see 69ers score a few times on long drives.

 

The Westies vs Mean Machines

Both teams are new and I haven’t seen either of them play yet. I ended up picking Westies based off of lasts week’s games. They scored more points and gave up less than Mean Machines, so that’s why I picked them this week. 

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Average Joes

I expect Average Joes to be well above average this week and I also expect them to be out in full force with everyone on time.

 

Division 3

 

Airborne vs Sneaky Snakes

I thought long and hard about this game and who was going to win before I made my pick. I think Guillaume will struggle this week after not playing in so long. I also think that Sneaky Snakes will play better than they did last week.

 

Battlehawks vs Black Diamonds

Black Diamonds looked decent last week and with a few catches being made might have even won. This week they get their first win of the year. I also picked them since I got a hot tip involving this game.

 

Primetime vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

There you have it, my picks for the week. Once another week or two goes by I should have a chance to see everyone play and making my picks will become easier. It’s always tough to makes my picks early in the year and most of the time it’s based off players I know on those teams.

 

Power Rankings

 

With so few teams in each division, it kind of seems pointless to only do the top 3 teams so I will just rank the entire division. This will let you know how I feel about your team and where I see compared to the other teams.

 

Division 1

1- Ataboy

2- Pardon My Swag

3- No Punt Intended

4- The Villains

5- Bread and Circus

6- Les Petit Phoques

 

Division 2

1- Bines

2- Manitoboys

3- Average Joes

4- Panaches

5- Idaho Udapimps

6- 69ers

7- The Westies

8- Mean Machines

 

Division 3

1- Phoenix

2- Sneaky Snakes

3- Airborne

4- Black Diamonds

5- Battlehawks

6- Primetime

 

Those are the rankings after week 1 and I do expect to see lots of changes over the next few weeks while teams are trying to figure it out.  I know you and your team might not like where I ranked you, but all you can do is play better and start collecting a few wins and you place will change quickly.

 

Final Thought

 

I don’t have anything I can think of to rant about at this time. I was rather surprised that last week everyone showed up to play. When I left at 2:15 to get there you couldn’t see 20 feet in front of you and I thought for sure that at least a few teams were going to be playing only 5 if they didn’t have to forfeit.

The best part about Saturday that I remember was how fast my food came once I got home and ordered it. When they tell you it will be like an hour, and it shows up 20 minutes later, it’s almost as good as winning the game that you don’t remember playing.

When did the MFL become soft and start caring about their players? Jon gets one girlfriend and now he has feelings (ed’s note: I have had more than one girlfriend!). I remember coming off the sideline just over a week after shoulder surgery and playing in a game. It was one hands and only for a few minutes, but I still got a pick in that game and threw a TD pass as well. (ed’s note: that was a real roundabout way to get to a very odd brag)

Then there was the time that I played with a completely torn PCL in my knee and that was OK, but you get knocked down once and bump your head and they won’t let you back in the game or even drive home. If I wanted to play in a soft league I would have singed in the NFL.

It’s now Tuesday night and I still have a headache. Lights bother me as well as being a bit loopy. Concussion or not, I’m still going to be out there playing this week with my team, you can count on that. I’m hard-headed if you didn’t already know.

Let’s all remember that this is a game (ed’s note: interesting segue…), and we are all out here to have fun. Relax, don’t kill anyone, and have fun. Hope to see everyone out there this week.

Leagues
Montreal Flag Football League
Division 1
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4
Division 5
Women's Division
Brossard Div 1
Brossard Div 2
Laval
Winter Div 1
Winter Div 2
Winter Div 3
Winter Women
Aces Flag Football