Word from the Mouth: I'm King of the World! edition

Word from the Mouth: I'm King of the World! edition

Kevin Kousaie

This was a really long weekend of football for me. Saturday I was out all day at the field and then for the first time this season I went out to Brossard on Sunday to work all morning. By Sunday night I needed to get some rest and ice my old ass knees. Everyone thinks that refereeing all day is easy (ed’s note: no one thinks this). This week I did 3 games on both Saturday and Sunday plus all the set up and take down and without even counting my 2 games I played I ended up walking 35173 steps or 27.51 KM. Now how many of you can say you did that in a weekend and it wasn’t for that stupid Pokémon GO fad that was going around a few years back?

On Monday a bunch of us from the MFL went to the Alouettes game against Ottawa. I think we were somewhere in the vicinity of 40 people and everyone that was there knows the weather was beautiful and of course we won.

I want to remind everyone that this week and moving forward we are adding another time slot to make up for the week we were off. Games now start at 8 am and 3:30pm is the last start time (ed’s note: we also have one week with 5 pm games!). Everyone should know that we are using 4 fields and that the fields go like this: field 1 is in the middle of the football field, 2 is on baseball field, 3 runs perpendicular to the field, and 4 is on soccer field.

Last week was the first time we did it like this and it seemed to go well. I know it’s a little extra walk for everyone, but its better than playing the way we were and not being able to get any traction.

Now with all that out of my system lets get to this week’s games.

 

Weekly Recap

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Outlaws (30-45)

 

This was a game with very little defense. Outlaws couldn’t get many stops and had a few blown coverages that ended in big plays for Bitter Boys. It was pretty much the same for Bitter Boys, but at least they got an interception. One play that questions me was when Outlaws were up 9 after scoring and went for 2, if the 2-point converts gets picked it becomes a 1 score game. It paid off for them when they got the convert, but it was a call that could have backfired huge.  This game was all about big plays and none were bigger than the penalty on Guillaume. I think it was third and goal and Jafar ran his route, but grabbed Guillaume’s arm which no one saw, but then after the play Guillaume pushed Jafar and was given a penalty and Outlaws got a first down. The only reason why we all know about Jafar and the arm grab was because he was bragging about it to Mario. Later on in the game Mario got even with Jafar by tackling him. Before any of the refs could even throw a flag Mario went and took himself out of the game, which was going to happen anyways.

 

Bitter Boys vs Holy Trollers (12-41)

 

This was never a game. The Trollers took control right from the start and never looked back. The only thing consistent about this game was Bitter Boys giving up big plays and someone tackling a player on the other team. This time it wasn’t Mario it was Emile. JC had a good game with 3 TDs and Phil balled out getting close to 100 yards and 2 TDs. Holy Trollers have improved so much this off season that they might be able to compete with Outlaws for the title, but only if Max keeps playing this way for the remainder of the season and playoffs. As I was working this game standing behind the QB I noticed that JS is a really good QB and if he had a few more targets to go with Guillaume and Pat that their offense could be very dangerous. JS Gets rid of the ball fast and more often than not it is accurate, but throwing to a few weaker receivers there is way too much zip on the ball, if you can take some off and send it my way that would be greatly appreciated by me and my team.

 

Division 2

 

Outlaws vs KOLB (50-31)

I can’t believe how this game ended up. To start the game Outlaws were 8 players, but after a few plays Dave who was banged up from a previous game realized he wasn’t going to be able to play and took himself out of the game. That meant that I would need to play defense all game and it had been a long time since I had to do that. I hate to toot my own horn (ed’s note: that, kids, is the sound of a lie), but with the score 18-13 for KOLB and under 20 seconds left in the half I made what ended up being the play that turned the game in the Outlaws favor. I picked the ball off as KOLB looked like they were going to go into half with a two score lead. After the pick Steve had 17 seconds to show why people call him the goat. It took him 3 plays to take the lead. Second half Outlaws started with the ball and never looked back after that. Julien had a huge game with 4 TDs on 5 catches to go along with 2 sacks on defense. KOLB didn’t play bad, it was that the Outlaws defense stepped up by eliminating Jon from running around and staying in their zones.

 

Les Tannantes vs Vultures (26-37)

 

After weeks and weeks of questioning Vultures about when Ben was going to get behind center and we finally got the answer this week. Ben played great and was able to get Vultures in the win column. Tannantes seemed to be missing their QB, but this has been an ongoing issue for a while now. Last season he missed a few games and every time the team struggled. From what I saw of the game I did notice that Ben wasn’t able to run the way he did playing in D4 last season. D2 is much tougher to run around on everyone at will. With how fast Ben can read a defense and how good the rest of the team is, Vultures can become a very dangerous team quickly.

 

Division 3

 

Iron Wolves vs Thunder Buddies (26-32)

 

I was there live for this game and it baffles me how Terry outplayed Jon in this game. I know Jon had a few key drops but it is Terry we are talking about. There are a few things that made no sense in this game and I’m wondering why and how. First off Thunder Buddies have lost Moose for the season due to work, but replaced him with Jafar another D1/D2 player. I can agree with it being allowed on offense, but on defense that is a huge upgrade for them. That is the big question I have about Thunder Buddies, so now I can focus on Iron Wolves. Will all the experience that is on the Wolves roster how did you get beat by pretty much 2 plays? Terry running and 1-yard drags from Will and Dave. You know Terry can’t throw deep that well and you have Marvin playing safety. Play 4 across and no deeper than 3-5 yards and jump everything. Marvin can cover the entire back end. With the game tied at 26, 7 seconds left and fourth down just before half why not punt and go to OT. Jon went for it after throwing 3 incompletions before the play, and this time it was a dropped pick by Rob, which was a good thing because it gave Terry time for 2 plays. On their first play he hits Dave for 17 yards and on the last play of regulation Terry was able to find Will just cross the goal line for the winning score.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Blackout (12-14)

 

After the way Flamingos lost last week this was another tough one for them to lose. Both teams were without their starting QB this week, but Flamingos did have Jacob there. This game turned into a defensive battle almost like watching Pittsburg vs Baltimore. I really felt that Blackout were the better team in this game, but from looking at the stats, how can you win the game with less than 90 yards of offense? I know that Blackout had a few subs, but realistically Flamingos should have been able to do more since last season they didn’t lose a game and most games were completely one sided. Slowly but surely, Blackout look like they could be a team to worry about, especially once their QB is back and gains more experience.

 

Division 4

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Phoenix (20-18)

 

Going into this game I felt like it was going to be an easy win for Phoenix. I had never seen Idaho play before, but seeing their stats, I wasn’t worried. Once the game started my opinion changed very quickly. These guys are all fast, tall, and pretty athletic. Phoenix started with the ball and every short pass I attempted they jumped and got a hand on. Once the game went along I kind of figured out what to do against them while we are on offense, but it was too many bad throws from me that didn’t end up where I wanted them or needed them to go. For Idaho they were lucky with a few good bounces that ended up going their way or the game would have been different. One of those plays was when Vince went up for a pick and misplayed the ball and knocked it into the receiver’s hands while he was on the ground out of position. With the score 20-18 Phoenix had a chance to steal the win, but I threw two bad passes and another one that was good, but well defended. On fourth down, with the defense playing deep, I threw a deep ball to my receiver who was open down the sideline, but the ball was a little too far inside and ended up being picked by Brady for his second interception of the day.

 

Spin Doctors vs Manitoboys (18-52)

 

Going into this game, Spin Doctors had to make a few changes to the roster as Steve and Meliza are off the team and there is talk that Raph might be leaving as well, which means the team is done and have very little hope of repeating this season. The game was close when it started and maybe the first half of the first half, but after that it was all Manitoboys. Richie Rich and his band of penny pinchers walked all over Raph and his depleted team and I was glad to see it happen (ed’s note: Kev, man, let it go. He can’t hurt you any more). Once again Raph and a teammate got into it over Raph being upset that his team is losing and not going to be very good moving forward. When you’re all about winning and you play like that, don’t get mad at your teammates, be the leader and take the responsibility and move on. This is a game for fun, so go out there and have some.

 

That was this week’s recap. Hope you enjoyed it.

 

Top Performances of the week

 

We have made it to the halfway point of the season and with that being said, you only have 5 more attempts to make it up on to my list. If you balled out this week there is a good chance you made my list and if you didn’t maybe next week you should try a little harder or pray that someone doesn’t outshine you. I would say it might be easier to work a little harder then ask for help from someone else, but that’s just me. Now here are my top performers of the week.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

I know some people hate to pick players from teams that obliterate the other team, but with the numbers Jason Rossie put up I had to give it to him. Jason went 20-25 for 236 yards, 5 TDs and 4 1-point converts.

 

Defense

I have no idea who this player is, but just from his stats this game I might have to learn. Felix Fourreau is this week’s pick for defense. Felix made 5 tackles, had 2 picks and returned one to the house for 6 points.

 

Division 2

 

Offense

In his first week behind center this season, Ben McMahon wins player of the week. Ben went 24 of 30 for 273 yards, 6 TDs and 1 1point convert. With his legs Ben gained 53 yards on 12 carries.

 

Defense

Some people might be mad at my pick here, but you will just have to get over it. I ended up giving the award to myself this week (ed’s note: the dark horse pulled it off!). I made 7 tackles and had 1 pick. I know those numbers aren’t great, but the pick came before the half as the other team was driving to take a two score lead and a bunch of my tackles were on third and fourth down preventing first downs.

 

Division 3

 

Offense

I had a few players to pick, but I went with someone that everyone might not know. I know I didn’t know who he was. I went with Maxime Marson from Jagerbomb for this week’s winner. Max had 6 catches for 99 yards and 2 TDs, not bad for a player we might have never heard of.

 

Defense

This might be the first time that this person has won it for his defense. Normally Felix Gerin-Lajoie would get it for his QB play, but not this week. Felix only had 1 tackle, but had 2 picks and was able to return one for a TD.

 

Division 4

 

Offense

I picked a player here that is still very new to the league, but if he keeps throwing like this it won’t be long before he makes it to higher divisions. Adam Gorzen is a very good QB right now, wait until he knows the game better. Adam was 16 of 27 for 181 yards, 5 TDs and 4 1point convert. Adam only ran once this week and it was only for 6 yards, but it was for a TD.

 

Defense

I needed to make a hard choice here between a corner and a rusher. I went with the corner this week because it is a lot harder to do what Marco Gavita did and has been done way less (ed’s note: fewer) times. Marco only made a single tackle this week, but he also picked off 2 balls and both were returned for scores.

 

There you have it my picks for the week. Some people will agree, some won’t, but all I can do it look at the stats and pick who I felt made the bigger impact for their tea, that week. Keep playing hard and putting up big numbers and just maybe you can make my list in the next few weeks.

Word from the Mouth: You Can Cancel the Games, but You Can't Cancel Me! edition

Word from the Mouth: You Can Cancel the Games, but You Can't Cancel Me! edition

Kevin Kousaie

As you must know by now, this past week we canceled games in the MFL for the first time ever (ed’s note: I mean, I hope you know by now and are not still waiting at the field!).

Here’s why this week was canceled and it’s not because of the rain. The last time we played at Le Ber as the day went along the fields got worse and worse. When I arrived at 7:45 this week to set up, I could see the field was in very bad shape down the middle of the fields. I contacted Jon after setting up 1 field and noticing that even walking on it with shoes the field was ripping up under my feet. I video called Jon (ed’s note: I thought I could avoid a shirtless Kevin this week if I wasn’t at the field, but it was not to be) as I walked the field and showed him all the really bad spots. It was deemed that it was going to be a big issue for the snapper, rusher and QB to get proper footing. Even if they did find their footing the more the field was used the worse it would get all over.

At the beginning of the season and throughout this season we have tried to fill in the holes along with the divots, but without giving it proper time to set and for the grass to grow this is what we have ended up with. As a committee we had talked about moving the games to another location for the day, but realizing it was going to be too late for everyone to make it to the new location and set up everything was going to be pushed back an hour or so, it was decided to cancel the day.

I stuck around until 9:30 to inform anyone that hadn’t been contacted by their captain about the week being cancelled. Once I left Le Ber, Jon and I went to check out a few other locations where we might be able to play. We came up with a few locations that were suitable and 2 of the 3 places would have been good for all 4 fields. All the locations we found have better conditions than Le Ber has right now. Jon emailed all the captains to get some feedback about moving to another location and some teams were not happy with that idea so it looks like we are staying at Le Ber until further notice.

I also want to let everyone know that you better pray for nice weather the rest of the season or you’re going to be screwed trying to play on Saturdays (ed’s note: it’s sunny all week this week and Saturday, so the field will be the best it can be this week). I’m smart enough to have a few tricks up my sleeves so that me and my teams aren’t sliding all over the place. (ed’s note: Kevin will turn anything into a way for his team to win!)

Since no games were played last week no recaps or Top Performances need to get done.

 

Predictions

 

All the picks the media team made last week are going to be thrown out the window since we didn’t play any games. Those games from last week will be made up, by being added to the weeks remaining in the season. No one needs to panic about missing games. Just in case you didn’t read last week’s article here are the standings after 4 weeks, followed by my picks in bold.

 

Kevin 13-4 last week (overall 42-21)

Terry 11-5 last week (overall 42-18)

Will 11-4 last week (overall 37-23)

Jon 8-9 last week (overall 38-26)

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Outlaws

Outlaws are by far the superior team and should be able to win easily.

 

Centurions vs Gros Coqs

At this point of the season and this time of year I never bet against Dom, even though he doesn’t want to run, he can at any point and make the entire defense look like children.

 

Bitter Boys vs Holy Trollers

Bitter Boys are playing their second game they will be tired and Trollers should be able to walk all over them.

 

Henchmen vs Honor Game

I wanted to go Honor Game, but I couldn’t do it. There is going to be so much talking from Andrew, that if Dave is having a bad game, he won’t be able to block it out.

 

Division 2

 

D#Nasty vs OG Panthers

I went with OG as they have a better defense than D#Nasty has offense and should get as few short fields to work with.

 

Joey’s Haters vs Redzone

I feel that both these teams are really good, but I just can’t see how the Haters don’t figure out Redzone’s offense and force a few stops.

 

KOLB vs Outlaws NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

D#Nasty vs Iron Wolves

I feel Iron Wolves have the stronger roster and should be able to beat up a D#Nasty team that has already played a game.

 

Les Tannantes vs Vultures

They have the better team by far and the only chance Vultures have is if Ben goes QB which I know he doesn’t want to.

 

Division 3

 

Les Panaches vs Chiefs

Panaches is the stronger team and should be able to stop Avery from running which will lead to a few bad passes and end in picks.

 

RawSauce vs Chiefs

RawSauce is a dominate team and won’t have a hard time dealing with Chiefs who are still a new team trying to figure it out.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Average Joes

Average Joes will win this one, if they focus on the game and not overlook Mustard Tigers who have players that will make this game interesting.

 

Petits Phoques vs Jagerbomb

I can’t pick Petits Phoques when I have no clue who their QB is going to be or who will be playing for them. Jagerbomb is a very good team that should be able to pick Petits Phoques apart.

 

Iron Wolves vs Thunder Buddies

Terry is going to run and avoid throwing anywhere near Marvin and unless Iron Wolves can stop the run, they have no chance. Yes, Jon and Marvin I said no chance. Jon throws 2 picks to Will while trying to get it to Marvin. Will shall then hold the ball up while Marvin is on the ground and ask him if this is what he is trying to catch as he runs away from him for a pick 6. (ed’s note: is he dragging Marvin, who is on the ground apparently, with him as he holds the ball in his face?)

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Blackout

Blackout have the better players on their team and if Trevin can improve his game just a little this team will be dangerous.

 

Division 4

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Drama Club

They are by far the better team between these two teams at every position.

 

Airborne vs Bines

I’m saying it now that Simon could walk away with this week’s player of the week after this game, that is how good he is and will dominate this game.

 

Gold Rush vs Mimosa Crew

Mimosa Crew have gotten much better, but I don’t know if they have anyone that can slow Travis down when he runs.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my team games.

 

Manitoboys vs Spin Doctors

I don’t know why, but I feel that Manitoboys pull off the victory this week.

 

There you have my picks for this week, let’s hope it happens and we don’t have to cancel again. We won’t. We are playing no matter what.

 

Power Rankings

 

With no games being played last week making changes to my Power Ranking just doesn’t seem to make sense. I might have if I heard any news about players getting hurt or quitting their team. I didn’t get any of that so we have the same rankings which should change over the next few weeks since we have a bunch of big games coming up.

 

Division 1

1) Outlaws

2) Holy Trollers

3) Centurions

 

Division 2

1) Joey’s Haters

2) Redzone

3) KOLB

 

Division 3

1) Average Joes

2) RawSauce

3) Panaches

 

Division 4

1) Sneaky Snakes

2) Bines

3) Spin Doctors

 

Final thoughts

Since I finally had a Saturday free, I was able to enjoy some College football and relax. I will tell you it wasn’t very relaxing being home all day with the family all wanting me to do things all day long. I would have rather been out playing. I really wish that the teams that didn’t want to move locations had agreed to it as the fields we looked at are way better and we might have been able to play all the final games on synthetic instead of grass.

I will also tell you from past experience that the longer we play on this grass field in these conditions, all we are doing is ruining it for next season which means a possible later start again, so grass can grow in.

 

Ed’s note: Next season we are making changes to make sure the field remains in good condition. This includes overseeding at the end of this season and before the beginning of the spring season as well as limiting the use of Le Ber to 3 fields per week, so no individual field is used more than 6 days in a season.

 

I know a bunch of you might not like that, but next season I hope that we have 2 locations so we can rotate the fields and give them a break. The one really good thing was that if we moved locations, we had so many different fields to use all within a 1 block radius.

Big shout out to all the Jets and Giants fans you finally won a game and it might be your last all season since both teams suck. How do all the Jets fan feel about Sam Darnold now that he looks good on another team?

That is it for this week’s article, see you all Saturday. Oh wait, before I go, remember we are playing a game, so go out, have fun, and be safe.

 

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 4

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 4

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

Last week we all pretty much made the same picks so we should all be around the same. It sucks that we all picked the same teams because no one will be making up spots on Terry. It does help that Terry plays on 3 teams so he has less (ed’s note: fewer) picks to make, but we all keep picking his D3 team to win and they have sucked so far this season. I’ll give you the standings after 4 weeks followed by my picks which are always in bold.

 

 

Division 1

 

Centurions vs Holy Trollers

Max is playing some of his best football and should be able to pick them apart.

 

Outlaws vs Honor Game

They will be able to keep it together and Honor Game will lose it at least once in this game.

 

Henchmen vs Gros Coqs

After the way Henchmen played last week beating Outlaws I see them doing the same this week.

 

Division 2

Joey’s Haters vs Les Tannantes

Everyone loves to hate on the Haters including myself but when you are playing this good how can I pick against them.

 

KOLB vs OG Panthers

I think KOLB roster has dramatically improved this off season and they should be able to get by OG by at least 2 scores.

 

Redzone vs D#Nasty

Redzone is red hot at the moment and beating them will be tough especially when you are outmatched at most positions.

 

Iron Wolves vs Outlaws NA

I usually don’t pick my own games, but obviously the Iron Wolves will beat us handily by at least 2 scores. (ed’s note: that was in no way edited)

 

Division 3

 

RawSauce vs Iron Wolves

Overall, I think RawSauce is the more complete team, and they should be able to pull this one out.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Thunder Buddies

I think Thunder Buddies have better players, but I feel that Mustard Tigers are the more complete team.

 

Panaches vs Blackout

Panaches have more experience playing the game of flag and should be able to use that to their advantage.

 

Average Joes vs Flamboyant Flamingos

The train is just going to keep on going this week.

 

Chiefs vs Jagerbomb

They are the better team with an experienced QB.

 

Division 4

 

Airborne vs Mimosa Crew

This was tough, but after seeing how Mimosa played last week, I think they can pull this one off.

 

Drama Club vs Idaho Udapimps

Idaho puts it together this week and wins against a team that is struggling.

 

Bines vs Sneaky Snakes

I think this will be the game of the week for the division and Sneaky Snakes stop the run and force Simon to use his arm.

 

Gold Rush vs Sneaky Snakes

Even with this being their second game of the day Sneaky Snakes win, since they are the better team and are more complete.

 

Phoenix vs Manitoboys NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Spin Doctors vs Gold Rush

Spin Doctors win because they have the better QB, but will keep being the friendly fellows they are by running up the score and playing dirty.

 

There you have it, my picks for the week. I have been getting better with my picks and that can only mean 1 of 2 things: either I’m getting to know the teams better or everyone is reading my article and figured they’d help me out. 

 

Power Rankings

 

From the looks of it I only have to make a few changes in my rankings this week. What that tells me is that as of right now I have the best teams in my top 3.

 

Division 1

1) Outlaws

2) Holy Trollers

3) Centurions

 

Division 2

1) Joey’s Haters

2) Redzone

3) KOLB

 

Division 3

1) Average Joes

2) RawSauce

3) Panaches

 

Division 4

1) Sneaky Snakes

2) Bines

3) Spin Doctors

 

For division 1, after 2 straight losses I moved Gros Coqs out of my top 3 and moved Centurions in. I was going to do a complete shuffle of D1, but right now it’s not necessary.

Division 2 will stay the same this week, but I can see things changing very quickly over the next week or two.

In Division 3, Iron Wolves lost and get kicked to the curb. I was going to put Mustard Tigers in at 3, but they haven’t won a game yet that didn’t go to OT, and to me OT is all about getting lucky. Panaches was in my top 3 to start the season and after a week off they somehow find themselves back in it.

D4 will stay like this for now, but with the top 2 teams playing each other something will have to change. I left Spin Doctors in the top 3 since they won, but if Raph is gone for any amount of time they might have to get bumped since their game was ugly and they got lucky.

 

These are my rankings after 4 weeks. Every team has plenty of time to make it to the top of my list, but the first thing you need to do is win some games and then your team might get some respect.

 

Final Thoughts

 

I know that everyone is hating how the field is holding up and this includes myself. We as a league are looking into using another field location just to give Le Ber a break. Nothing is set in stone, yet I just felt everyone should know we have heard all the complaints about field conditions and are looking for solutions. Who would have thought that the baseball field would end up being the best field this season? 

I said it a few weeks ago that if the baseball field got water it would be the best since it never gets used. On another note, players really need to know that the refs are no longer putting up with all the reverse-friendliness from you players yelling at us telling us how to do our jobs. One warning for a team and then the next time that player is gone, and it doesn’t matter who it is and, yes, that includes Jon.

We are doing a poll to see who get kicked out first. It’s $10 a player, but you can’t pick yourself or one of your teammates. We aren’t doing the betting pool because Jon wouldn’t allow it.

Now that you are all aware of what’s is going on here is my weekly reminder that you are here to have fun, get some exercise, and play a game. Key there is ‘a game’, so don’t take it too seriously. Go out have fun and stay safe, oh and don’t be an reverse-friend to your teammates, opponent, or the refs (ed’s note: or Jon).

 

Word from the Mouth: Everyone's Bitter But The Bitter Boys! edition

Word from the Mouth: Everyone's Bitter But The Bitter Boys! edition

Kevin Kousaie

What a wild weekend in football. I’m going to start with the Midget game I saw Friday night between North Shore and Lakeshore. When I arrived at the game the parking lot was full and like any parking a lot people are assholes and drive these huge ass trucks and can’t seem to fit into one spot. That didn’t stop another idiot with his truck trying to fit in and ripped off the parked truck’s bumper, but he got the spot so he was happy.

There had to be 300 people at least and it was supposed to be the game of the year for Midget. It wasn’t, Lakeshore won 20-0. The thing that was baffling in this game was on third and one and running a draw from your own forty and not getting it and then punting when you were down two scores at this point with five or six minutes left. That was a few stupid things from Friday.

Now on Saturday we had a player leave one of their shoes behind at the field when they left. I want to know what that person wore home. Also, I have one left shoe for sale if anyone wants.

Then in the college games you had an Ohio State player quit the team in the middle of the game after an argument with the coach. This wasn’t a new player. He had played in 39 games for the team before this weekend. You also had Oklahoma fans booing their starting QB and calling for the back up after he threw an interception. This is the same player that was the preseason Heisman front runner. Sunday rolls around and we got a new record for longest field goal from 63 to 66 yards and it wasn’t even kicked in Denver where the air is thinner and you can get an extra few yards out of your kicks. We also got to see what Stafford could look like with a real team in front of him.

Out of all the things that happened over the weekend all I can think of is players in the MFL who got out of hand and some were ejected and some should have been ejected, but weren’t. I’m not sure of exactly what happened in the Mimosa Crew and Spin Doctors game, but Steve got himself kicked out of the game. There seems to becoming a weekly thing with the Spin Doctors team and they always seem to be in the middle of controversy and problems. They all need to take a step back and calm the banana splits down. The other big issue was the language from Dave towards the refs, or at least towards Gabe, in the Trollers and Honor Game match up. I know Dave wants to win and is very competitive and he might not like all the calls but, just like the Spin Doctors, he needs to do shut the snuggly cuddle bear up and just play the game. Not everyone can be perfect like me and most people do make a few mistakes here and there. I have spoken with Jon about this and as a league we are looking into these problems and trying to figure out how to fix them. Just like Aaron Rodgers said last season: R-E-L-A-X. Now I will be getting back to covering the games from this past weekend.

 

Weekly Recap

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Gros Coqs (26-13)

 

This might be the biggest win for Bitter Boys ever as they were finally able to beat the kids they coached in high school. No one knew that Dom wasn’t going to be there, but you would have to figure that the sub QB they brought would be more than capable of beating the old guys on Bitter Boys. In this game there were no big offensive plays by either team, it was all defense. With Mario mixing up the calls on defense and Gros Coqs having an inexperienced QB, Mario looked like the puppet master pulling all the strings and making it look easy. Bitter Boys were able to rack up 2 sacks and 3 picks and 2 of those went back for scores. Bitter Boys are an older wiser team that will beat you physically and given the chance on the scoreboard as well.

 

Honor Game vs Holy Trollers (32-48)

 

Another game and another blow up from Dave. The first half of this game was tight and kept going back and forth. Then the second half rolled around and Honor Game started to fall apart. I was over on another field and was able to hear Dave yelling at the ref about contact and his receivers being hit. I can’t say that it was or was not happening, but he needs to stay more focused on the game in front of him and what he can control. Honor Game has a good core of players that just let things get in their heads and can’t move on from it. To me I hate to play dirty and don’t encourage it, but if the other team is getting away with it then you must be able to as well, tit for tat. I also know that from previous games Honor Game can be a little ruff (ed’s note: are they dogs?) sometimes so they might not get all the calls they want. The thing that killed Honor Game in this one was the pick that was run back for a score on their first possession of the second half. Honor Game needs to step up on defense if they want to start winning games again. Dave shouldn’t have to but up 40 plus points a game just to have a chance.

 

Division 2

 

KOLB vs Vultures (45-12)

 

There are two things that need to be said about this game, and they are that the Vultures need to have Ben play QB the rest of the way and that no one better sleep on KOLB, they are the real deal. Yes, this game was a blowout and was over before half. KOLB with their new players and with Jonathan not forcing the ball they looked unstoppable. Vultures really struggled in this game when Phil was under center. They weren’t able to get the chains moving and once they made the switch to Ben it changed the whole dynamic of the game. I’m not saying if Ben was QB all game they would have won, but it would have given them a better shot at it. When Ben is taking snaps, you have to be worried of his running and passing, at any point he could tuck the ball and run around everyone on the defense and score from anywhere on the field and with the arm that he possesses he can make every throw needed. I would have talked more about the game, but when it’s so lopsided you can all figure out what happened.

 

RedZone vs Outlaws (46-37)

 

If Mike keeps playing like this all season don’t be surprised if he walks away with QB of the year plus MVP. The game started out great for Outlaws, stopping RedZone then scoring then getting a pick and scoring again to make it 12-0. It was looking like a cake walk. After a slow start RedZone found their footing and started to make a few plays. They were finding the weak link on defense and exploiting it, which is what you need to do when you are down and need to start going. With 2:30 left in the half is when it all started to go to shit for the Outlaws. RedZone were able to score with ease and Outlaws were able to get that one back, but with 19 seconds left Outlaws were already thinking about halftime and gave up a score on the last play of the half. Second half started and Outlaws were up 6 until a pick 6 from Dom. The next Outlaws drive ended quickly with another pick, but this time it was Oliver and his didn’t go for 6. At this point Outlaws are down 3 with plenty of time, until RedZone scored again making it a 9-point game and it was done after that. Outlaws weak ass defense was never able to get a stop to give Steve and the offense a chance at coming back. Last season RedZone was an average team at best and this season the way they are playing they look like a top team with no weaknesses.

 

Division 3

 

Jagerbombs vs Average Joes (18-31)

 

This had to be the best matchup on paper of the weekend. I was watching this game and all I can remember it was a defensive game and both teams struggled at least early in the game. Jason was able to benefit from his defense that managed to get 4 picks which gave him a short field. Jason played good but not great this week. He was able to spread the ball around and took what the defense gave him most of the time he did throw 2 picks, but 1 of them was a good play by the defender and the other a really bad read. Average Joes were able to score and tie it before half and then when they started with the ball in the second half they scored again. After that their defense stepped up and shut down Jagerbomb who weren’t able to score or really move the ball much in the second half. This was the second game of the day for Jagerbomb and you know how that goes right. When you dominate the first game you seem to take it easy in the second game. Jagerbomb are still a really good team, but they just faced a better team that just keep on rolling through teams like they aren’t even there.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Mustard Tigers (19-20) OT

 

This game was supposed to be the battle of animal supremacy and it was a battle right to the end. The thing is when I think animal fights, I think of feathers and fur flying everywhere and that’s not what this game was, it was a smart calculated game from both teams. With starting QB Jacob out Dimitri had to fill in. That hurts them in two places as they lose a good receiver and a better QB. Sometimes you just have to step up and fill the spot. At half it was a 1-point game and the second half was slow with not much happening until the end. Each team was able to score on alternating possessions and that left Brian 32 seconds to march down and win the game. In the past I would have figured that Brian would have taken a knee and went to OT, being worried about throwing a pick. That wasn’t the case this week Brian went short 3 times in a row before hitting Tom for a big gain. If Tom had longer legs, he would have been in, but he was tackled at the 3 yard line giving Mustard Tigers the last play of the game and a shot from really close. Brian took the snap tried to look the defender off before throwing but the pass fell incomplete. We head to OT where it took 5 attempts before Brian found Tom open and just like that the game was over.

 

Division 4

 

Gold Rush vs Phoenix (0-19)

 

I want to start by pointing out that like most games this season, Gold Rush were missing players and on the Phoenix side it was the first time as a full roster. After the last few weeks of staling out in the second half I decided to change up my playbook and try out a bunch of new plays. Phoenix was able to jump out to an early lead and they never looked back. The defense for Phoenix did more than enough to contain Travis from running wild and force some bad passes that ended in 3 picks which could have easily been 5 or 6 of them. In the second half of the game, I tried some new plays that ended with picks, but they were open and if the field conditions were so crappy might have been a few more TDs on the board. This was the early game, and the field was wet when I got there and stayed that way for all the first game, but as the day went on the field dried up until the sprinklers went off at 2. It was a fun game that I know I learnt a thing or two from and I’ll be able to use that moving forward. Oh, and Rich, I hope you enjoyed the free scouting this week just make sure you have my money come Saturday.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Spin Doctors (20-24)

 

Raph wasn’t there for Spin Doctors and it showed. They weren’t able to move the ball and score consistently, but they were just as rowdy as normal if not a little more. Rob stepped up from being the number 1 target to playing QB and he did a decent job of it. I was really hoping that Spin Doctors would lose and it should have happened if Mimosa didn’t collapse. They held a 20-6 lead with 17 minutes left, but they allowed a quick score which made it 20-12. Then Curren who had been smart and making good reads all day fell apart and threw his 2 picks which let Spin Doctors stay in the game. Rob was helped out by some big plays and some poor defense this week against a stronger team Spin Doctors would have lost. I’ll tell you why everyone hates Spin Doctors and there are two reasons. Reason 1 is that they play dirty and reason 2 is that they don’t care about winning the game, they want to just run the score up and don’t care. Why are you throwing deep bombs with no time left on the clock, when you got possession with under 30 seconds you could have ended the game? But no, you guys wanted more.

 

There you have this week’s recaps, I will point out that we are playing a game, so just take it easy out there, don’t kill anyone and have fun, and if running up scores is fun for you then move up a division and tell me how much fun it is when it is being done to you.

 

Top Performances of the Week

 

This week I see a lot of the same names popping out at me, where is all the new fresh talent. I know we have a bunch of new teams and those teams really rely on that one stud, but someone else needs to step up if you want to keep on winning. I’m going to remind you that to make my list you must win your game, ball out and if you lose and think you’re making my list you better have some crazy ass numbers or your name won’t be up here.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

I almost went with a WR here then I saw Max Rosenfeld stats and couldn’t ignore them. Max was nearly perfect going 25 of 28 for 298 yards, 6 TDs, 3 1point convert and 1 2point convert. Finally, Max is playing like he did 2 years ago, before all the injuries.

 

Defense

I will say that in the biggest upset of the week if Francis Jobidon wasn’t there it might not have happened. Francis made 3 tackles, had 2 picks and returned 1 of them for a TD.

 

Division 2

 

Offense

After another impressive week from KOLB I gave my pick to Jonathon Plourde. Jon was 13 of 21 for 210 yards, 5 TDs, 1 1point convert, 1 2point convert. He also ran 4 times for 41 yards.

 

Defense

Last week he showed what he could do on offense and this week he did it on defense. Dominic Stiplosek made 7 tackles and took his only pick back to the house for 6 at the start the second half.

 

Division 3

 

Offense

I had a hard choice here between two teammates who both played two games this weekend and it came down to converts or I should say a convert. Geoffroy Vigneault kept the hype train going with 13 catches, 145 yards 3 TDs and a 1point convert.

 

Defense

This person could have been awarded the offensive player of the week but instead got the defensive player award. Nick Egley in his two games had 8 tackles and 3 picks.

 

Division 4

 

Offense

This week with the team missing players Meliza stepped up and picked up the slack. Meliza made 7 catches for 100 yards and had 2 TDs.

 

Defense

I’m getting sick and tired of all these QBs balling out, but this time Simon Beaudoin is getting love for his defense again. This week Simon had 1 tackle and 4 picks.

 

There you have it this week’s top performances. If you feel you balled out and didn’t make my list, then maybe you just need to do that little extra to get over the top. Remember keep balling out and you might make the list before the season is over.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 3

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 3

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

Here we go again, where the media folk get to pick who they like this week. Last week this section didn’t get posted by Jon since there were issue with the website (ed’s note: they were, just a little later than usual!). I hope this week they get posted so everyone can see that I won last week and I have started my climb to the top where Terry has been sitting pretty. Here are the standings after 3 weeks followed by my picks which like always are in bold.

 

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Gros Coqs

Just like last time Gros Coqs dominate this game.

 

Henchmen vs Centurions

They have the stronger roster, plus Willie is had a great game in D3 last week and will bring that game with him this week.

 

Outlaws vs Henchmen

Henchmen won’t be able to stop the towering triplets of Marvin, Svetna, and Smuda.

 

Holy Trollers vs Honor Game

I wanted to go with Honor Game here, but I really don’t know what’s up with them plus Trollers have a really strong team that play as a team.

 

Division 2

 

Joey’s Haters vs D#Nasty

After what the Haters did to Outlaws last week, I expect to see the same this week just against a different team.

 

OG Panthers vs Iron Wolves

I think Iron Wolves will slow the game down and their elite defense will get tired and make a mistake (ed’s note: wait, what?), this will be a very close game.

 

KOLB vs Vultures

Unless Ben plays QB for Vultures they won’t stand a chance.

 

Outlaws vs Redzone NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Division 3

 

Average Joes vs Chiefs

I’m riding the Hype Train all the way until they lose.

 

Iron Wolves vs Jagerbomb

Simon and company are smart enough and good enough to win this game with ease.

 

Petits Phoques vs Thunder Buddies

I can tell you one thing for sure someone is going to walk out with their first win of the season and that will be Thunder Buddies since they have a more complete roster.

 

Jagerbomb vs Average Joes

The hype train keeps on rolling, but Jason needs to be smart with the ball and not do anything stupid or the train will fall off the tracks.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Mustard Tigers

In the battle of animals, you should always take a tiger over a flamingo, but this isn’t the animal kingdom, this is on the football field and the flamingos are strutting away with this win.

 

RawSauce vs Blackout

RawSauce is loaded everywhere and should be able to walk all over Blackout.

 

Division 4

 

Gold Rush vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my team games.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Spin Doctors

I’d love to see Mimosa Crew win this one, but it just isn’t going to happen. Spin Doctors are the better team.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Airborne

Sneaky Snakes win in a landslide, they are by far the better team.

 

Manitoboys vs Drama Club

I saw them play last week and they are a solid team with a good QB, so winning this game will be tough but very doable.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Bines

I hope Bines has lots of baby powder because as the pimps they’re going to be slapping them hoes around a lot and I want to see handprints on their faces.

 

As you can tell I am getting to know the teams a little bit better which makes making my picks a lot easier and a lot more accurate. If you read this week’s article and you want to help me out by taking a dive or not showing up that would be great. If you don’t and want to prove me wrong, that’s ok as well, but if I see you dominating a team I picked to win I might have to throw you out if I’m reffing that game.

 

Power Rankings

 

I had to make a bunch of changes this week and you will see why those changes were made at the bottom of this section so you can see my logic.

 

Division 1

1) Outlaws

2) Gros Coqs

3) Holy Trollers

 

Division 2

1) Joey’s Haters

2) Redzone

3) KOLB

 

Division 3

1) Average Joes

2) RawSauce

3) Iron Wolves

 

Division 4

1) Sneaky Snakes

2) Bines

3) Spin Doctors

 

In D1 I kicked out Henchmen on their bye week and added Trollers who have been playing better lately. Now we just wait to see for how long they can stay on my list.

Division 2 after the last few weeks, neither Outlaws or OG should be anywhere near my top 3 so I have kicked them to the curb and added RedZone and the Haters.

I thought about D3 for a while then came to the conclusion that Panaches needed to go to make room for Iron Wolves. Iron Wolves have one of the best players and QB in the division and sitting at 2-1, they should be on the list.

For the last division I removed my team and added the team that beat us this week. Which means Phoenix is out and Spin Doctors are in.

There you have my rankings for this week. I’m sure next week will change, but after 3 weeks this is how it sits.

 

Final Thoughts

 

I know a lot of you watch the NFL and a few watch NCAA, but if you haven’t heard there was a high school game between Bishop Gorman from Nevada and Hamilton from Arizona and it has to have had the craziest finish ever in football at all levels. The score was 24-7 with 1:10 left on the clock. YouTube it to find out and tell if I’m not right. I know college has had a bunch of great last-minute finishes, but if you aren’t asking ‘how?’ after this then I don’t know what to tell you.

 

 

I’m trying to think of what might be the craziest finish ever in an MFL game. Maybe Thunder Buddies finals last season, could it be the pick Smuda had to win the championship for Outlaws a few years back?

Those were all one play and I’m trying to thing of a series of plays that would do it. Last year’s D2 finals when Stu out of all people picked the ball to start the collapse of Honor Game, this must be it right. Jon add your Editor notes if you can think of a better one. (ed’s note: no)

Now with all that out of my system let me bring up a few things. Jon is planning a CFL game day event for the MFL on October 11 at 1 pm with the tailgating starting at 11 am.

Finally, we are all here to have fun and play the game. Keyword ‘game’. So, if you take things too seriously or can’t control yourself before you do anything that you might regret later, take a deep breath and think about what you are about to do and if you would like that done to yourself. I hope to see everyone out there on Saturday playing, having fun, and being safe.

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