Word from the Mouth: Spitting Snickerdoodles! edition

Wednesday, September 22nd Kevin Kousaie

This was week 2 of the NFL and just like most of us figured all the great rookie QBs struggled this week and we had a bunch of big injuries.

For me, the NFL has too many primetime games and in past seasons 95% of them sucked. This season we have had 3 great games and it’s still so early in the season. This is the first time that I have been able to spend all Sunday watching games. In one of the games that I was watching the refs threw a ton of flags, but I agreed with most of the calls. Some might have been soft, but after Mike Pereira explained them and they were the right call.

In the Raiders-Steelers game they even threw a player on the Steelers out for spitting on a Raider. I know these two teams don’t like each other, but you can’t disrespect another player like that. There are multiple reasons why, like Covid, or you might end up on the same team one day, or the reason why no one ever spit on me and that would be getting knocked the Snickerdoodles out and taking a trip to the hospital, plus it’s a form if assault. That’s my take on that. Now for the MFL scoop.

Weekly Recap

Division 1

Honor Game vs Centurions (33-43)

I’m a little surprised by this one, I picked Honor Game to win and really felt that this was going to be their week to get in the win column and turn it around. Honor Game marched the ball in for a score on the opening drive and went for two like they do more often than not and got it. Then they went on defense and with a few missed tackles, Samuel ran down the sideline for a long score. Anyone who knows Honor game knew the bickering was about to start. With their first play of their second drive Dave threw a pick when one of his brothers stopped short on their route and Dave threw it in front of him to where he felt he should be. A little arguing ensued, but it was very little and they moved on from it quickly. At half, Honor Game was up and looked to have all the mistakes behind them, they were smiling and getting along and it looked like a team ready to come out and dominate the second half. Then the second half started and it was back and forth until a blown coverage allowed Simon to get wide open behind the defense. That was when you knew Honor Game was going to be forced to take some chances. Going for it on fourth and seventeen was one of those chances and by not getting it, it gave Centurions good field position. Centurions went on to score and made it an eleven point game, with the time left everyone knew it was over at that point.

Holy Trollers vs Bitter Boys (55-24)

The Trollers looked good in this game, but really even with the players they added and Max looking better each week they really aren’t contenders. Trollers beat a Bitter Boys team without their best player there and, yes, they probably would have won if he was there, but it was Bitter Boys who they beat. When they beat any of the top teams like this maybe someone will take them seriously, but until then they are back page news.

Division 2

Redzone vs D#Nasty (40-19)

Redzone came out on fire this week. I figured that having a few weeks off would make them rusty, well it looks like the time off rejuvenated them. Maybe it was because it was week one, but Redzone was able to beat D#Nasty to every point where the ball was going. When you look at the two rosters you say they look about even, Ill give Mike the advantage at QB, but everywhere else no real difference. I just can’t see how D#Nasty allowed Dominic to do what he did to them, 15 catches for 149 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 1-point converts. I guess knowledge has to go to Redzone as well since D#Nasty made no adjustments and Mike just tore them apart. I had a minute or two after that game and was able to speak to Kevin from D#Nasty and he said it just wasn’t his day, he was missing throws, he made a few bad reads, and the defense didn’t help him out by getting a few turnovers and stops. Kevin took the blame for the game, but it was a complete team let down for them this week.

Joey’s Haters vs Outlaws (42-14)

This game was really close for about the first ten minutes, then Haters scored and didn’t stop until the final whistle. Outlaws didn’t play well anywhere on the field this week. Dave was filling in for Steve again and that made us weaker at both QB and WR this week. I’m not saying it would make a 28-point difference or anything like that though. Haters out played us, and it wasn’t even close. We got down early and then we were forced to take shots that we would never had done in a close game. Max played great and got everyone involved in the offense, even the Franchise who knew he was good for 1 catch a week. For the defense of Haters, Jeremy was the guy and I’m not sure why we kept throwing the ball anywhere near him, but we did and he kept picking it off. I would really like to see what the Haters roster really is since on the site they have 13 players and that seems a little much. Hard for the other teams to know what they are up against each week. Haters ae a very good team, but they aren’t that much better that Outlaws.

Division 3

Jagerbomb vs Panaches (38-18)

After last weeks game, Simon came to me and let me know that I should blast them in my article for the way they lost the game, but I wasn’t able to since I did two other games in the division. This week I picked them to win again and they didn’t just win, they dominated this game. Simon was on point this week on all but the one throw that was picked off by Felix. Simon got everyone involved on the offense which made Panaches need to guard the whole field. The thing that impressed me the most was their defense. They managed to pick 2 balls off. They need to figure out a rusher as they managed zero sacks, but they did hold Felix to 47 yards on 10 carries with no TDs. It was just a matter of time before Panaches came back to reality, they are a good team, but the way they have been playing was well above what people expected. This will be a game that will tell you who Panaches are, will they rebound and go back to dominating or have the wheels fallen off? With the week off Panaches will have to wait to get back to it against Blackout in week 5.

RawSauce vs Petits Phoques (18-6)

Who saw this coming? We all assumed RawSauce was going to win, but never like this. Petits Phoques were without their QB and it really showed. Joh was there to fill in and from watching her warmup you knew it was going to be a long day for Petits Phoques. Joh started out throwing 2 straight incompletes then a 2-yard pass. Joh got better as the game went along, but not much better. RawSauce knocked away between 5 to 10 passes plus picked off 6 passes. This was a really bad day for everyone who threw the ball. Petits Phoquse threw 6 picks and RawSauce threw 3. The only points Phoques got were on a pick 6 from Etienne and when he took it to the house it gave them a glimmer of hope. Then RawSauce wasted a little time before punting and then Phoques ran out of time. This was a very ugly game for both teams involved I can’t remember any big plays happening other than the pick 6.

Division 4

Spin Doctors vs Phoenix (34-20)

I’m going to make this short and sour. Spin Doctors beat us with some questionable calls (at least 2) that were completely in their favor and changed the outcome of the game. And they all know it as well. Raph played great except for one throw that went right into my hands. Other than Rob, Spin Doctors didn’t have much offensively. At half the score was 20-20 and I didn’t make any adjustments in the second half and ran the same plays, that will be changing since I spent the last few days drawing up new plays. I can also tell you that moving forward when I’m missing key players on my team, I will be bring in a player on that level and not below. Phoenix were missing 4 players and for the game to be this close was a moral victory for us, but it still goes down as a L.

Bines vs Manitoboys (26-13)

Bines are still undefeated after 3 games. Simon, their QB, I’m not sure about yet. I like him, he is a nice guy and a really good player, but I’m just not sold. I know he is a good runner, and he has a good arm, but they haven’t faced anyone yet. This week was probably their hardest game. Manitoboys have a QB that comes from tackle, so he has a big arm and good mechanics, but he needs to get used to the size of the field and work on his touch a little bit more. Richie Rich and Marco are the guys for Manitoboys, but after that the drop off is dramatic. The same can be said about Bines after Thomas and Dave, who do they have to beat you? Both these teams are good, but need to work on distributing the ball around better as against good teams they will take that away and then it’s over for both teams. After the game I was speaking to Rich and telling him a few pointers and then he made me a bet for when our 2 teams play in a few weeks. So, anyone who wants to be entertained and wants to see me take money from him, be there on October 2 at 3:30 on field 4, you wont be disappointed.

There you have it all my games covered for the week, hope you enjoyed and stay tuned next week.

Top Performances of the Week

Every week more and more of you are balling out and making it harder for me to make my picks. I guess its good for the league that there is as much talent as this, and everyone seems to be in the right division and no one’s stats are ridiculous compared to the next player. I know almost everything is based on stats, but one stat I would love to see is dropped balls, it would make my job picking my player of the week and receiver of the year a lot easier. With that being said here are this week’s winners.

Division 1

Offense

Man was this ever a hard choice to make, I had 4 players that would all warrant my pick, but it came down to TDs. This week Kevin Smuda had 4 of them and that was more than the other players. On top of his 4 TDs Kevin also had 10 catches for 98 yards, he couldn’t break the century mark, but he gets a pass this week.

Defense

This week’s defensive player is a player that set the tone for his team and gave the QB on the other side a really hard time. Simon-Pierre Laferriere had 2 tackles and 2 picks. The pick Simon had early in the game is what set the tone for Centurions.

Division 2

Offense

I was really tempted to put 2 teammates up here since neither one would have had the success without the other, but then looking at it closer I had to give it to the WR. That WR is Dominic Stiplosek. Dom played 2 games this week and he managed to catch a league leading 25 passes for 224 yards, 3 TDs and 2 1point converts.

Defense

There were a few players this week that had 2 picks but for a player to get 4 picks in one game is crazy. Jeremy Rooney managed to make 2 tackles to go with those 4 picks and he even took one back for 6 points. I still don’t know how he has 4. At what point do you stop throwing in his direction?

Division 3

Offense

It’s not every day that one of the top rushers gets mentioned for his offensive skills, all he is supposed to do is get after the passer. This week Antoine Theroux decided to get in on the offensive game and show everyone he is a threat on both sides of the ball. Antoine caught 5 balls for 111 yards and 3 TDs. Yes, this was in 2 games but how can I ignore productivity like this.

Defense

I didn’t know who I should pick here both players did really well but both players also had knocks against them, but after all the back and forth I went with the DB over the rusher since the DB is limited on passes thrown his way and the rusher gets a shot at a sack every play. Jason Edwards is this week’s winner by getting 5 tackles and 2 picks.

Division 4

Offense

Here we have it, our first QB on the list and we had to wait all the way to D4 to get it, but this player is a real baller. I talked about earlier and how I’m not sold on him, but all that matters is winning and getting the job done. Simon Beaudoin is getting it done and keeps on winning. This week he was 12 of 17 for 127 yards, 3 TDs and 2 1point converts. I forgot to mention that he also ran the ball 6 times for 50 yards and a TD as well.

Defense

I might not like the team this player plays on and don’t like the actions of some of his teammates, but you can’t deny that this guy can play. Steve Sicotte made 7 tackles and had 2 picks this week. I don’t know why I keep throwing in his direction, but I do and every game he makes at least 1 really impressive play and he did that again this week with his pick in the endzone.

There you have it, my picks for the week. You all couldn’t make the list and if you could what kind of list would if really be if included everyone? (ed’s note: it would be a list of the players in the league) I want you to know that if you make my list you, you earned it. I only put the best of the best up here so if you ball out and win next week maybe you will see your name up here next week.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 2

Friday, September 17th Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

Here we are that time of the week where I make my picks and tell you who I think will win. Right now I might be at the bottom of the rankings, but if more of you read my article and helped me out I could be on top in no time. Here are what the standings look like after 2 weeks and then I’ll give you my picks and why I picked them.

Division 1

Honor Game vs Centurions

I think Dave figures it out and gets the job done this week.

Holy Trollers vs Bitter Boys

They have been getting better and building a better roster plus Max can finally move around a little bit more.

Gros Coqs vs Outlaws

Outlaws have always had trouble with Gros Coqs, but with Svetna, Marvin and Smuda all playing and being healthy Outlaws win because of size.

Division 2

D#Nasty vs Redzone

D#Nasty played well last week and Redzone hasn’t played this season, so I expect them to be a little rusty.

Redzone vs OG Panthers

OG Panthers have a really good roster with few weaknesses.

Les Tannantes vs KOLB

I think with the new players KOLB have they will be really hard to beat.

Joey’s Haters vs Outlaws NA

I don’t pick my team games.

Vultures vs Iron Wolves

Iron Wolves win because they have more experience at the QB position.

Division 3

Jagerbomb vs Pananches

With the roster they have I can’t see them going 0-2.

Thunder Buddies vs Average Joes

I think both teams have really strong rosters I just feel at this point Jason might be a little bit of a better QB than Terry.

Petits Phoques vs RawSauce

RawSauce have an elite defense and will make it a long day for Petits Phoques.

RawSauce vs Thunder Buddies

I have RawSauce winning this game it will be their redemption for last season’s final.

Blackout vs Mustard Tigers

I give the advantage to blackout in every category, but the one that matters most experience and that is why Mustard Tigers win the game.

Chiefs vs Iron Wolves

I wanted to go Chiefs, but I don’t have enough confidence in their QB at this point of the season.

Division 4

Spin Doctor vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my team games.

Drama Club vs Gold Rush

I wanted to go Gold Rush, but wasn’t sure if Travis will be there or at home do renovations so Katy can move back into her house.

Airborne vs Idaho Udapimps

I just think they have a stronger roster.

Sneaky Snakes vs Mimosa Crew

They are too strong of a team to lose to Mimosa Crew.

Bines vs Manitoboys

I only picked Bines to win because I have seen them play twice and I haven’t seen Manitoboys play yet this season plus I know it will get Richie Rich mad and maybe he will finally do something.

There you have it my picks for this week. I hope everyone has read this and knows what they are supposed to do this week end I could really use some help.

Power Rankings

Here we are that time of the week where I get to tell you who are my top 3 teams. Every week things can change and it is still early in the season so right now all the teams are still close to one another, but how long before we see teams separate and assert their dominance. I'll give my rankings and then tell you why I made those changes.

Division 1

1) Outlaws

2) Gros Coqs

3) Henchmen

Division 2

1) Outlaws

2) OG Panthers

3) KOLB

Division 3

1) Average Joes

2) Panaches

3) RawSauce

Division 4

1) Sneaky Snakes

2) Phoenix

3) Bines

For Division 1 the top two teams are both staying put, but last week I booted Henchmen losing to the Trollers in OT and this week I put them back up here after winning a close one over Honor Game.

In Division 2 I had to do a lot of moving around to make the list. I wanted to move Outlaws from 1, but no one at this time really earned that spot since they have the extra game played, I left them at 1 for now. I kicked both Joey’s Haters and Les Tannantes off the list completely. I put OG Panthers on my list for beating Outlaws and added KOLB for dominating the Haters.

For Division 3 I had to move Thunder Buddies off the list after that performance. Which means that Average Joes and Pananches both moved up one spot and for the third spot on my list I gave it to RawSauce with that great defense they have.

Right now, Division 4 can stay how it is as all three of those teams are still undefeated after two weeks.

There you have this week’s rankings the only way to make it up here is by winning and beating some good teams. If you’re beating bottom dwellers don’t even ask why your team is not on my list. Right now, some divisions are harder to pick, but that’s only because it is super early in the year, but give it time and the true teams will eventually emerge on top.

Final Thoughts

Another week down another article out of the way. I tried to watch a few NFL games on Sunday, but most of them were really bad. I blame the NFL and the coaches for that. The NFL and the coaches don’t want their starters to play in the preseason because of injury concerns, but then you get these types of games to start the year. I will say at least Monday night’s game was good one of the few times they get it right with the primetime games.

To me the NFL needs to scrap all the primetime games and just have Monday night, Sunday night and Thursday nights after Thanksgiving like it used to be in the good old days. Yes, I’m old get over it I know I must sound like your parents, but I’m right about there being too many games in primetime it has taken away from the game knowing that every team is going to play at least 1 primetime game. No one cares about watching the Jets or Jacksonville on Thursday night, we want to see the best of the best play each other, or at least historical rivalries. Or at least that’s what I want and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Now that I got that off my chest this week in the MFL we have a bunch of really good matchups that I hope to see in person, since I can’t watch NCAA I better see guys balling out and making some ridiculous catches. Now here is where I tell you that we are all here to play a game we love and to have fun. So play hard, have fun and be safe. Thanks again for reading and see you all Saturday.

Word from the Mouth: Double Reverse Bias! edition

Wednesday, September 15th Kevin Kousaie

The NFL kicked off this week and the refs haven’t missed a beat. I’m not a Cowboys fan, but they got hosed on more than one call, the ref who left his mic on needs to be fined at the least, if not fired. (ed’s note: For what? Discussing the call? He wasn’t saying “let’s just say” in the sense of “let’s tell people X happened”, he’s saying it in the sense of something like “let’s just say he was clearly holding him”. Also, the refs were fine in that game. Anyone calling out the refs for that game are at this point just clearly calling themselves out for their anti-Brady biased. I don’t really care about the NFL (college ball, baby!), but it is tiring to hear people call out a non-existent pro-Brady bias in the NFL when anyone who knows anything about business would understand that literally the exact opposite would be the desire of the NFL. Anyway, if you think the refereeing was biased in that game, you’re the one who is biased.)

This year the NFL is allowing players to wear all sorts of different numbers which will make it more like college and a lot more confusing for the QBs. It looks like the No Fun League is trying to make it more fun for the players. I want them to really allow players to celebrate. Who doesn’t love the Joe Horn cell phone, or the TO ball signing or even the good old dunk over the cross bar? I would love to see the MFL allow some more big play celebrations, but then it might not be spontaneous anymore and teams and players might start planning them ahead of time like they did in basketball.

Week 2 Recap

Division 1

Gros Coqs vs Bitter Boys (44-20)

Most of the players on Gros Coqs were coached by Mario from Bitter Boys, so you know that both teams wanted to prove they were better and be able to hold it over the other. I know Bitter Boys added a few players, but they need to add a few more if they want to beat the Gros Coqs. Dom is too good for any rusher on their team and the receivers are all solid and will find holes to sit in. Everyone other than Bitter Boys knew this wasn’t going to be close and it wasn’t. Bitter Boys were only able to stop Gros Coqs from scoring once all game. Defensively Gros Coqs forced JS into some bad throws and anything Bitter Boys got they had to work hard to get. After this game it seems that the student has now become the master and won’t be handing back the reins anytime soon.

Division 2

Joey’s Haters vs KOLB (14-42)

For a team that is supposed to be so good, Haters really looked average at best. Max is finally able to add running back into his arsenal, but he needs to be more accurate when throwing. I found that one of the issues Haters had was that on third and fourth down they wouldn’t go deep enough to get the first down. One-time Lesniak was falling to make a catch and he did catch it past the line, but he started to fall to make the catch before the line which brings the ball to where he started to fall. It sucks cause it would have been a score at the beginning of the game. KOLB have added a few players this season and with the speed those guys have, and the way Jonathan runs around buying extra time teams better watch out and stay back or else expect to give up 40 like Haters did this week. I know that a few players were complaining about being hit, but from what we saw there was nothing there and anyone that knows KOLB they are out to have fun and not beat you up, as the clock was rolling down they were calling their timeouts just so Haters could get a few extra plays on offense. There was one collision that happened when Alexandre was rushing and his legs hit Max’s and he split his eye on Max’s elbow. A flag was thrown and he left the game to bandage it up, but returned later on. This game was never close and even if the Schillers were there it wouldn’t have made a difference.

OG Panthers vs Outlaws (34-33)

This game had a bad finish to it for Outlaws and a great one for OG Panthers. The first half was completely dominated by OGs. In the first half OGs were able to march up and down all day putting up points and Outlaws couldn’t even slow them down. Outlaws tried everything to try and get pressure on Charles and force a bad throw or two and couldn’t do it. On the other hand, Terry was all over David all game long. David tried to run a few plays that Steve runs, but every QB needs to run what works best for them. Halftime rolls around and the score is 25-14 OGs who are also starting with the ball in the second half. I spoke to Rob at half about making a little tweak to the defense so we could get a more favorable matchup and it seemed to pay off. Stu moved to rush and that left Outlaws with a little more athleticism and speed everywhere else. One that opening drive Stu was able to bat a ball away and got close enough to force a bad throw that was picked off by Nick. Outlaws from that point started to come back and it wasn’t until their last Drive of the game for OGs to do anything, but they were smart and went for 2 and gave them a 7-point lead. This is when Outlaws need to be smart and make a few plays. Now is time for the play that cost Outlaws the game. David found Justin down the sideline wide open and he walks into the endzone. After the play there was some talking going on and Justin was flagged for unsportsmanlike which is a 10-yard penalty. The penalty was added onto the convert so going for 1 from the 15 for the tie or going for 2 from the 20 was no real difference. The pass got picked off and the game was over. OGs beat Outlaws for the second season in a row during the regular season.

Division 3

Average Joes vs Blackout (28-6)

Last week Blackout was able to pull out the win because they were more athletic. This week if they wanted to win, they need to outplay Average Joes. As you can see from the score that didn’t happen. Edwards from Average Joes asked me what I knew about Blackout before the game, and I told him they are athletic and their QB can run, but looks for the deep ball. From the looks of it my input really helped in the way of 6 picks on defense. Jason didn’t play his best game or even close to it, but when your defense gets you 6 extra possessions you can play that way and still get the win. Other than the way Average Joes played defense there isn’t much that happened in this game. All Jason had to work with were short fields and the few times he had to drive the ball the length of the field he was forced to punt. Average Joes might be a top team in the division, but will have to play better if they are to beat some of the other good teams.

Iron Wolves vs Petits Phoques (53-13)

I was there watching this game and once the beat down was already underway all I could think was maybe Petits Phoques should lose Alexis and get moved to D4. I asked Vince if this was their full roster and he said they were missing Chuck and Etienne and that would have helped them out, but they still would have lost this game. Petits Phoques are here to have fun and play the game. Their QB is new and will develop as the season goes along. On the Iron Wolves side everything was working for them. Their defense stepped up made a few plays, Cat was back sacking QBs, and even Jon got a pick (ed’s note: the MFL is rigged!). With how much of a cap in the rosters there was here it was never going to be close and Petits Phoques never had a chance, but at least they had fun and the winning will get there soon enough.

Division 4

Gold Rush vs Bines (18-32)

Gold Rush was without Travis this week which hurt any chances they might have had to win. Gold Rush also had a few other players subbing for them this week and it was like they weren’t even there. Both Loic and Gabriel are very good players, but weren’t used the way they should have been. Bines is a new team to the league, but I have seen them play twice already and from what I have seen they look legit. Simon their QB is a baller, but against a stronger more organized defense he won’t be able to run as much and he won’t have wide open receivers to hit. Thomas balled out on offense torching gold Rushes defense for 116 yards, 2 TDs and a 1-point convert. I want to see Bines play a team that has played before and that has their roster that week, both their wins were against depleted teams.

Phoenix vs Mimosa Crew (24-7)

I can tell you from playing in this game that we work the clock most of the game and it seemed to have worked. Phoenix was able to move the ball most of the game and didn’t have many big plays. We’re are all about controlling the game and limiting your possessions. From last season to this season Mimosa Crew might not be as good of a team, but I will tell you that Curren has become a better passer. Last season he would take off running and this year he sits and waits for his players to get open. When the game was starting out, I had no doubt that we would win the game, but after the first few drives, I knew it was going to be a game. Vince opened the scoring with a pick 6 and from there I had the offense going knowing that it was going to be on me to make sure we protect the ball and put-up points. I can see both teams getting better as the season goes along and if we are to see a rematch it will have to be in the playoffs.

That’s it for this week’s recaps hope you enjoyed and if I didn’t cover your game go watch Terry and Will on the Podcast.

Top Performances of the Week

I can see by now that you all have figured it out that you must ball out and win your game to make my list. Unlike Jon, I look over all the stats and I also get to hear from the other refs who made big plays in their games. This week I had tons of players to pick from, but only a few could make my list. If you didn’t make it this week you still have plenty of time, just keep balling out. You don’t need to tell me you balled out and give me your stats. That will get you banned for a few weeks and you will be labeled a Marvin and be given a nickname like D4 player of the century, that is something you don’t want. Now here are this week’s winners.

Division 1

Offense

I had a hard time picking between two teammates here, but I ended up going with the player that ended the day with more TDs. Jonathan Svetna is this week’s winner. In the two games he played he had 11 catches for 99 yards, 5 TDs and a 2point convert.

Defense

This pick was a little easier to make. Kris Hope is a player everyone in the league knows and probably played with once or twice since he is there almost all day on Saturday and always looking to get into more games. This week Kris had 3 tackles to go along with his 3 picks. I can tell you that if Kris wasn’t there this week, Henchmen lose.

Division 2

Offense

With my pick here I went with a player that my team played against and we couldn’t stop all game long. Francis Savard-Vocino had 7 catches for 92 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense

Everyone except QBs overlook the rushers all the time, but when you have to play a player like Jimmy Maddaloni you won’t forget him. Jimmy only had 6 tackles this week with 5 of them being sacks.

Division 3

Offense

I would love to hear from Brian Tinning on what it’s like to not get yelled at all game for every little mistake. Is this the way you would have performed pulling in 7 catches for 77 yards, 2 TDs and 2 1-point converts?

Defense

It seems to be a trend going on in the MFL this season. Before 2 or 3 sacks were great in a game now it seems like 5 is the new number. We had 1 player do it last week 2 players this week, are we getting 3 players next week. Colin Legault is an absolute beast on the field he had 7 tackles and yes 5 sacks to go along with forcing countless bad passes.

Division 4

Offense

I almost went with a receiver for my pick here then I saw David Brisson and his stat line and couldn’t ignore what he did this week. David went 16 of 22 for 230 yards, 5 TDs and a 1point convert through the air. On the ground David ran 3 times for 36 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

It’s not very often you see a QB getting the award for his defensive skills, but this week Adam Gorzen did it. Adam had 1 tackle and 2 picks on defense, leading his team to victory.

There you have it, week 2’s top performers. I know that there were a lot of players that could have made my list, but I couldn’t put you all up here. Try a little harder next week and you might make my list.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 1

Thursday, September 9th Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

We are back to pick more games this season after Terry won it all in the spring and he is still in the lead after week 1. Right now, it’s still early and it also helps that a few of his teams had byes this week, but over time it will balance out and the crown (which I still haven’t given to him) will end up with someone else.

Here are the standings after week 1 and then you will see my picks for this week’s games and like always my picks are in bold.

Division 1

Gros Coqs vs Bitter Boys

They are younger faster and way more athletic.

Outlaws vs Centurions

The big 3 of Marvin, Svetna and Smuda.

Outlaws vs Holy Trollers

The Trollers did improve over the off season but they can’t compete with the intelligence of Steve.

Henchmen vs Honor Game

They are the more complete team, plus Honor Game will need time to get use to the stronger competition.

Division 2

Iron Wolves vs Les Tannantes

This is a rematch of last years D3 finals and this time Tannantes won’t be playing a tight game beforehand.

Joey’s Haters vs KOLB

Haters are a really good team and KOLB are still banged up looking for new players.

D#Nasty vs Vultures

Vultures had a hard game last week that they learn from and come out and use their athleticism to their advantage.

Outlaws vs OG Panthers NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

Division 3

Thunder Buddies vs Pananches

I’m going with Thunder Buddies. Have you seen that roster? If you haven’t seen it, take a look and don’t forget this is D3 not D1.

Mustard Tigers vs Jagerbomb

They are a very good team, plus last season Brian went 0-5 as a QB and I can see that streak continuing this week.

Average Joes vs Blackout

There is too much experience on this team for them to lose unless Jason screws the pooch.

Iron Wolves vs Petits Phoques

It will be a long day for Petits Phoques if they can’t figure out their QB. Iron Wolves are going to feast on it like a bunch of wild dogs.

RawSauce vs Flamboyant Flamingos

I just feel that RawSauce has the better QB at this point and the best player on the field in Yves.

Division 4

Free Agents 4 vs Airborne

This is going to be an ugly game but Airborne pulls it off based on the experience of the QBs.

Phoenix vs Mimosa Crew NA

I don’t pick my games.

Idaho Udapimps vs Sneaky Snakes

They have the better roster from what I know about these teams.

Drama Club vs Spin Doctors

I have to assume Raph has his roster back this week and if they do, they should win this one easily.

Gold Rush vs Bines

I think that their defense is better than Gold Rushes offense.

There you have it my picks for the week. I can tell you some of those picks were easy for me to make, but a few were really hard for me, but I hope that I got most of he right so I can crawl out of the basement of this seasons picks and slowly work my way back to the top (ed’s note: “back”?).

Power Rankings

Power Rankings are back and after week 1 I already have to make a few changes.

I will show you my ranking and then explain why I made those changes after you’ve seen them.

Division 1

1) Outlaws

2) Gros Coqs

3) Holy Trollers

Division 2

1) Outlaws

2) Joey’s Haters

3) Les Tannantes

Division 3

1) Thunder Buddies

2) Average Joes

3) Panaches

Division 4

1) Sneaky Snakes

2) Phoenix

3) Bines

For D1 I had to kick Henchmen off my list since they lost to the Trollers in week 1. I can’t see them staying off for long with the roster they have.

D2 after the way they got beat up I couldn’t leave OG in my top 3. I moved up the Haters and added Tannates to the mix.

With Iron Wolves get slapped around by Panaches I kicked off Iron Wolves and added Panaches after moving the other teams up a spot.

Spin Doctors are off my list, after a game like that they don’t deserve a spot up here. Sneaky Snakes looked very strong and moved from 3 to 1. Phoenix had a so-so game, but still managed to win the game. With Bines beating who I had at 1 last week, why not add them up here and see if they can keep moving up?

There you have it my rankings for the week. Just remember that the season is just starting and I am still feeling the teams out and where they should be in the division.

Final Thoughts

Football is back. Not just with the MFL, but the NCAA and this week the NFL is back as well. I know most people prefer to watch the NFL (ed’s note: fools!), but I miss being able to get up Saturday, relax a little order some pizza, and watch NCAA all day long. At least I can still watch the late games when I get back home Saturday night and NFL all day Sunday. Football is a game of emotions and intensity. How you handle those emotions and if you play with intensity more often determine who wins the game. Most of the time when a team comes out flat and gets down early its over for them, this is where you have to dig deep and make 1 play at a time to slowly creep back into it. Just remember play fast, play hard, be safe, have fun and remember that we are just playing a game. See you all Saturday.

Word from the Mouth: Still Salty After All These Years! edition

Tuesday, September 7th Kevin Kousaie

Week 1 is in the bag and it went off without any issues. We had a welcome back BBQ this week and I want to give a shout out to Mo for coming and spending his Saturday taking care of the grill. I’d love to get some feedback from you guys the players on what you thought about the BBQ and if you’d like to do it again in the future.

I was planning on writing my article this week while on my flight to Vegas and before getting hammered all week. Plans changed and my trip was cancelled, so I have decided that I’d still get hammered all week since I am still on vacation, what do I have to lose?

I can tell you I definitely didn’t lose any games this weekend and I plan on keeping that streak going for as long as possible. Now with my intro done, I’ll jump right to my recaps of the week’s games.

Weekly Recap

Division 1

Honor Game vs Gros Coqs (37-44)

I only know what I heard about this game and that was it was loaded with offense. I know that Honor Game is still looking to fill out their roster and it might take a week or two to get it straightened out. I also heard that Dave threw another pick this week with no one around. I’m just writing what I heard, but Dave did come up a division and Gros Coqs are a top team in the division. The only other thing I heard was that Honor Game is missing a playmaking safety. From when I looked over the game play by play, Honor Game had a chance to tie or win the game, but with little time left on the clock just couldn’t get it done. They shouldn’t put their heads down; (ed’s note: a semi-colon? Who wrote this?) they should look at the positives and get ready for next week.

Division 2

Outlaws vs KOLB (41-22)

I had to miss this game since I was needed to ref at this time. I know KOLB were missing players and had a few new players playing with them for the first time. By now everyone knows that Steve is going to be on point with the offense and only needs to get a stop or two from his defense and in this game the defense stepped up and forced three turnovers. When you can’t stop the Outlaws offense and the defense plays like this you will never beat them. Julien stepped up with 2 sacks and forced Jonathan to throw a few passes before he wanted to which allowed David to get his 2 picks plus the 1 Nick got. It seems that whenever Outlaws need a play, Nick was the one making it in this game.

Outlaws vs Vultures (45-26)

Let me start by saying that a new team having to play the defending D2 champs from last season in week 1, even if they are weaker, isn’t fair. Vultures are a new team with a QB that hasn’t played the position before, so it will be a learning curve for him and the team. As the game went along the Outlaws tried a bunch of different things including a switch at QB. As I think back on this game all I can remember is Kris running a few corners and Steve placing the ball perfectly time after time. One thing that I noticed about Vultures is it seems like they played a lot of man, yes they might be fast and really athletic, but when you play man and you are getting beat by big Stu and myself you might want to rethink your game plan. The funny thing was that they let everyone run by them for big plays. Then on defense me and Stu were playing safety and they never threw the ball up near us. When you see the old guy and the fat old guy you must attack them. I can bet you that if this was week 10 that the game would have played out differently.

Division 3

Blackout vs Chiefs (22-18)

From seeing this game, you can tell both teams are very athletic and very inexperienced. In time both these teams will figure it out. Let me start by saying both QBs need to stop running around and just get the ball out of their hands faster. Also, not so many deep shots. Allow your WRs to do all the work for you. The first half of the game was very sloppy and both teams were feeling the other out, with the half ending 6-0 for Chiefs. In the second half a few more plays were made and when the game looked to be over Blackouts made a statement by showing no quit and getting back into the game. Blackouts overcame 12 points in under 10 minutes when they didn’t do much before that. Trevin from Blackouts will need to do more spreading the ball around if they want to beat some of the better teams in the division. Chiefs were in the league last season and weren’t very good, but this week even being 11 players they looked good and were almost able to win the game on the last play, but the ball fell short.

Iron Wolves vs Panaches (37-44)

The first half was a slow and boring half and both teams took long drives and no defense was played with the score being 13-12 Panaches (ed’s note: it was 18-13 Iron Wolves) when the half time whistle was blown. Second half was a very different story, Iron Wolves looked bad in the second half, like really bad. Panaches started with the ball in the and on their first play Guillaume scored a TD making a few Iron Wolves players miss a tackle or two. This is now where it seems that the game slips away from Iron Wolves in my opinion. On fourth down and 1, Jon throws a beautiful pass to Marvin running up the seam with steps on the defender and the ball goes off his hands and falls incomplete. Panaches capitalized and made the game a two TD game. With Iron Wolves not being able to get any stops in the second half and being forced to go for it on more fourth downs than you’d like to the game got away from them. Marvin’s big drop on fourth down which would have been 6 points was the difference in this game. I guess since Marvin was D4 player of the century moving up to D3 might have been too big of a leap for him.

Division 4

Drama Club vs Phoenix (20-21) OT

This was a game of two halves. First half was dominated by Phoenix. Drama Club couldn’t figure out how to slow down Julian on offense. The defense was led by Gab who dominated the line and forced 3 bad throws that end in picks plus Gab had 5 sacks on the day. Second half was owned by Drama Club, they started the second half with a sack that was a safety and you could tell that it gave them a spark. Drama Club scored on that drive making it a 12-8 game Phoenix. In the second half, Drama Clubs defense really stepped up with Simon getting a pick 6 to go along with the other 2 picks they got in the game. Phoenix had a bunch of drops that didn’t help them on offense as they did nothing in the second half. Simon was trying to talk trash and calling me Matt Ryan, but what he must realize is that with 3 minutes left and being down 8 points, who led his team into the end zone to force overtime? Then in OT got the win. Yes, I played really poorly in the second half, but when it matters I stayed focused and helped my team win the game and in the end winning the game is all that matters and individual stats don’t mean banana pudding.

Spin Doctors vs Bines (18-27)

Let me start by saying that Spin Doctors broke the sub rules and still lost the game. I know Raph is going to say he didn’t have his players and people were dropping balls, but all I’m hearing are excuses. When you are the reigning QB of the year and the champs from last season, you cant come out and play like that. Bines looked decent in their first outing in the MFL and in time once they’ve learned the game, they might even become one of the better teams in the division. Simon, their QB, looked to run a little more than I like to see, but he was able to buy time whenever he needed to. This game was really close at one point and it looked like Spin Doctors were going to pull it out, but Raph threw 2 of his 3 picks when his team was going into score. Spin Doctors will get better, but losing week 1 looks bad for them. Bines will be fine, but when they meet again, I can see this being a totally different game.

That’s it for my recap, but can you believe that out of 16 games 3 went to OT? I’m not sure, but I feel that was more than last season when we had over 200 games played. All this tells me is that the division are closer in competition and that the season is going to be really good with a lot of close games.

Top Performances of the Week

For anyone new to the league this section of my article is where I pick my players of the week. I will normally pick one player on both offense and defense. Now here are the rules to making my list: you have to ball out and help you team win, you also can only get my nomination for the highest division that you play in unless you are playing a different position in another division. If your team loses and you put up some ridiculous stat line there might be a chance that you make my list, but it has only happened one or twice in the past. Now let me unveil who my picks for week 1 are.

Division 1

Offense

The player I went with is Charles Rousseau-Belanger from Gros Coqs. Charles grabbed 7 balls for 126 yards and 3 TDs. This week there was no one better than Charles, Honor Game couldn’t keep up with him.

Defense

This week I went with a player that has moved back to a position that he hasn’t played in a few seasons and a move that I wanted to make a few seasons back, but it never happened. I had to go with a former teammate of mine, JC Ferland. JC had 3 tackles that were all sacks. Those are just the stats on the stat sheet, but you didn’t see the constant pressure he brought.

Division 2

Offense

I have no clue who this guy is but what I can tell you is that he tore it up this week. Jeremy Rooney you better be up to the challenge because it might come as easy the rest of the season after a game like this. Jeremy had 11 catches for 107 yards and 4 TDs.

Defense

This was the hardest person to pick, since so many of the guys who balled out also play in D1. I ended up going with a teammate of mine from the Outlaws Julien Clouette. Julien played a game and a half since he was a little banged up but he did help his team win both games. Julien had 5 tackles and 3 sacks in his time on the field.

Division 3

Offense

I narrowed it down to two players based off stats, but I saw Guillaume Tumblom rip it up against Iron Wolves D3 so I gave him the extra bump for being their and seeing how he was unstoppable. Guillaume had 5 catches for 102 yards, 3 TDs and a 1point convert.

Defense

This might have been my easiest pick ever. It took all of 10 seconds to pick Alex Morin this week. Alex had 1 tackle to go along with his 4 picks which he took 3 back to the house. I know it was against a new QB from Petits Phoques, but why you still throwing near him.

Division 4

Offense

I know everyone might be mad at my pick here, but deal with it. I picked a teammate of mine and someone who made me look good multiple times, Julian Sablowski. Julian started out strong cooled in the middle, but then stepped up at the end. Julian had 7 catches for 77 yards, 2 TDs, 2 1point converts and a 2point convert. Ya, those numbers might not pop off to you, but he caught a TD, 2 point convert at the games end to tie it and then the OT winner.

Defense

Again, I went with another teammate of mine and this person would get the award from anyone looking over the stats. Gabrielle Chaput made 6 tackles and 5 sacks. Anyone who rushes knows getting 2 or 3 sacks in a game are great, but getting 5 is out of this world. By Gab hustling all game long she was able to force a few bad throws that led to picks.

Those are my picks for player of the week and I know not everyone will be happy with them and might feel they should be here instead. All I can say is keep balling out and eventually you might see your name here. Just because you didn’t get up here week 1 it’s not the end, you still have 9 more regular season weeks and possibly 2 more in the playoffs if your team makes it that far.

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