Word from the Mouth: End of the Season! edition

Word from the Mouth: End of the Season! edition

Kevin Kousaie

This past weekend we got to wrap up the spring season and boy was it ever hot. For the first time in a few seasons we crowned all new champions in every division. In some of those cases the winning team had luck on their side, but sometimes that’s what it takes to win.

Just a reminder that this weekend we will be off, so now I have no clue what to do with my free weekend. It will be the first one I have off in the summer in years. I could spend time with the family or maybe I’ll just go sit at the field so I don’t go through withdrawals (ed’s note: I’ve been looking forward to the week off, but I’ve legit been thinking of running some pick-up games this Saturday!).

Right now, captains are running around looking to lock up players for the fall season and that’s what you need to be doing if you want to compete in the fall. Every season we lose a few teams in the fall and we seem to get a few new ones as well.

Captains need to also understand that a hard cap is being put in place so make sure you stay under it or you will get bumped up a division or end up forfeiting games.

That’s it for now, let’s get to some recaps.

 

Division 1

 

A-Team vs Centurions (49-46)

This game had a little bit of everything; offense, defense, and some special teams. The punters didn’t get out there much, but when they did it was always top notch pinning the other team deep in their zone. This game was back and forth all game long, but to me the play of the game was  made on defense by Hinsley when he got a safety and gave his team a 9 point lead and Centurions were never able to make up those points and ended up always trailing from then on. I could go into more details about this game, but Willie was in it and probably won’t shut up about it on the podcast, but just remember I called it last week that A-Team would win if they kept their composure and played as a team.

 

Division 2

 

Redzone vs Outlaws (60-44)

For a team that got into the playoffs on a technicality (ed’s note: not technically a technicality), they sure as hell went out and showed that they should have been there the whole time. I didn’t see this game, but I did find out a few things. The Outlaws defense stunk up the place. They couldn’t get stops or force any turnovers and allowed Mike and Redzone to walk all over them all game long. Redzone was only put in one fourth down all game long and was able to convert on it. I know that they say championships are won with defense, but in flag that isn’t really the case (ed’s note: ask Terry about “defense winning championships”). If you can load up the points you are going to win even if your defense isn’t that good as it only takes one or two stops to win. Look, when you put up 44 points you should win games in most cases. Mike and Redzone didn’t care about giving up points as he spread the ball and hit the open receivers all game long. On the few times I looked over, all I saw was Redzone players with green grass in front of them.

 

Division 3

 

Average Joes vs Jagerbomb (30-46)

This game (or at least the first half) was good with both teams showing off their defenses. Then the second half started and Jagerbomb just took over the game scoring on all but their last drive of the game which was one play and ended with Laurent picking off the ball. Average Joes punched one in late and were trying to bring the game within reach and after getting a quick turnover Jason threw a pick 6 that sealed the game for Jagerbomb and locked in a rematch from week 12 and last year’s finals with Thunder Buddies.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Jagerbomb (46-40)

I will make this quick as I don’t want to ruin it for Willie and Terry to talk about. Simon was balling out all game and with his team driving down to seal the game Willie was just playing center field and I guess Simon didn’t see him as Willie was easily able to step in front of the pass and pick it off. Being down 2 points, Thunder Buddies needed to score to take the lead. Will drives them down and with 1-minute left Jaf scores the TD which cause a little bit of a debate about whether he should have scored or not amongst the team (ed’s note: the debate was whether he should have stopped at the 1 so they could kill the clock to make sure Jagerbomb didn’t have too much time on their possession. Jaf was right to score). They went for 2 on the convert, got it, and now needed to play defense to bring home the title. (ed’s note: I feel like you’re missing the part where you say “and they did, so they won”)

 

Division 4

 

Mustard Tigers vs Super Friends (39-56)

I missed this game since I was playing at the same time, but from what I saw and heard it was a lot of big plays. The game opened with a pick 6 for Super Friends and after that they pretty much didn’t look back. Owie threw 4 picks in this game which seems really weird since he is the best QB in the division, maybe not by rating, but with his knowledge of the game and the years and years of experience. One thing that I will say is that with a minute and a half left and an 11-point lead, throwing a 45-yard bomb just isn’t cool. You could have ended the game and still been crowned the champs. (ed’s note: I believe both teams were asked if they wanted to end it and neither did).

 

Division 5

 

Drama Club vs Phoenix (21-19) OT

There were issues to start with Drama Club needing subs. I don’t really care that they needed a sub and was fine with it (ed’s note: he was not fine with it), but I was mad that the week before my team had the same issue with a player getting sick that morning and not being able to make it and was forced to play with only 5 players (ed’s note: because there were no legal players at the field!). This game turned out to be very close and it really shouldn’t have been. I threw 2 picks to Francois and both were in the end zone. Drama Club was up 13-0 at half and looked to be running away with it. Second half rolled around and Phoenix took the game over. They got a stop or two and looked to be unstoppable on offense in the second half. Phoenix scored with under a minute left to tie it up. On the convert that could have been the game winner Roxanne got a good fast rush and forced me to throw the ball quicker than I wanted to which made the pass go to high and uncatchable by my receiver who was open. With what time was left Rob tried to get something going and with only a few seconds left he threw it up to Quentin, but I was able to tip the ball to myself and pick it off. We had 1 play to try and score from our 15-yard line and asked what the team wanted to do, the team was beat from the heat and only being 6 players so we took a short checkdown knowing it was going to OT. In OT Drama Club started with the ball. Rob elected to go for 2 and after running around for a bit was able to find Nico at the back of the endzone to take the lead and make Phoenix go for 2, which they didn’t get.

 

Drama Club vs Cyclones (0-33)

This was the finals and it really wasn’t a good game at all. Drama Club was beat from just playing a game before whereas Cyclones had the game off to rest up. Drama Club lost Quentin part of the way threw the game from exhaustion, it was his fourth game in a row at this point. Cyclones being fresh went out there and did whatever they wanted and looked unstoppable. Lazar picked Rob off 4 times and Eric got a pick as well, making it impossible for Drama Club to move the ball. Less than 5 minutes into the second half, Drama Club was beat and threw in the towel ending the game and the MFL season.

 

The season is now over and let’s congratulate all the teams that won titles this season, even if it was under certain circumstances. (ed’s note: I have no idea what that means either)

 

Players of Week

I have decided instead of player of the week this time I will be doing Finals MVP. Yes, that means your team did need to win it all. Let’s see who I have picked for my MVPs this season.

 

Division 1

- David Daoust went 25 of 36 for 298 yards, 7 TDs, 1 1point convert and he also threw 1 pick. If it wasn’t for Dave spreading the ball the way he did and keeping the team calm and focused, they don’t win this game.

 

Division 2

- Michael Roy was 29 of 45 for 8 TDs, 2 1point convert and 2 2point converts. With nothing to lose (ed’s note: except the championship…), this week Mike made picking apart Outlaws defense look like they weren’t even there.

 

Division 3

- Will Power went 30 of 38 for 283 yards, 7 TDs, 1 2point converts and threw 1 pick. Will also made 7 tackles and had a pick. With Jagerbomb driving down to seal the game Will came out of nowhere and picked off the ball to give his team a chance.

 

Division 4

- Adam Bell caught 6 passes for 77 yards, 2 TDs and 1 1point convert. Adam also made 3 tackles, had 2 picks and ran one back for 6 points.

 

Division 5

- Lazar Atanackovic only had 1 catch for 27 yards and a TD. Lazar also only made 1 tackle but picked off 4 passes. If it wasn’t for Lazar and his 4 picks this game might have gone another way.

 

There you have it, this seasons Finals MVP. After 12 weeks of the season I have made a list of all the weekly winners and put them all the names into a randomizer and the winner of my Prize is none other than Victor Davis. Congratulations Victor you can collect your prize week 1 of the fall season.

 

Final Thoughts

 

I don’t have much to say here other than we are just a week and a half away from the fall season starting. College football starts in less than 3 weeks and I can’t wait.

Anyone who knows anything about college football has heard about a bunch of teams jumping to difference conferences. I really don’t like it at all. It just doesn’t seem right USC and UCLA moving to the BIG10 or Oklahoma going to the SEC. There are a bunch more, but those are the ones that I thought of first. Those teams changing conferences are going to get killed in those new conferences, the style of play just doesn’t match up well or the climate is way different.

On top of the conferences changing up, the players being allowed to make money on their name and likeness will kill the game at least in my opinion (ed’s note: how so, though?). The NCAA didn’t want this to happen but have come around to it as long as they are making their money. Now does Reggie gets his Heisman back?

That’s it for this week. Rest up, get heathy, and see you in 10 days.

Predictions and Power Rankings Playoffs Week 2

Predictions and Power Rankings Playoffs Week 2

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

As you all might have seen Jon never posted the rest of the media picks and since the end of season get together doesn’t look like it will be happening, their picks don’t really matter now anyways.

Last week I was able to get 10 out of 14 games right. Its not great, but it’s about my average for the year. This week we have even less (ed’s note: fewer) games being played and I will only be able to pick the games that are already scheduled.

 

Division 1 Finals

 

A-Team vs Centurions

I feel that with everything that has gone on this year with A-Team that it has only made them a stronger team with everyone wanting to show they are the top dog on the team. This will make them hungry and out to prove everyone wrong, it also helps that the team is loaded.

 

Division 2 Finals

 

Redzone vs Outlaws

The Outlaws team is stacked and there is no way Steve isn’t winning a title this season. Redzone have a chance, but they need to play a perfect game if they want to have a chance. A turnover by either team might cost them the championship.

 

Division 3 Semi-Finals

 

Average Joes vs Jagerbomb

I saw Jagerbomb play last week and I can tell you that they don’t have any weaknesses. Average Joes need to play perfect and even then, they might not win. Jagerbomb goes for two every time and get it more often than not.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Thunder Buddies 

I like Idaho they are a bunch of nice guys and are always good for a laugh or two, but I just can’t see how they pull this one off. Thunder Buddies are a very good team and with Willie at QB he doesn’t make many mistakes. Both teams have very good defenses, but the edge has to go to Thunder Buddies, they have loads more experience.

 

Division 4 Finals

 

Mustard Tigers vs Super Friends 

Mustard Tigers have a boat load more experience which might help them pull it off, but Super Friends are much more athletic and have way more speed. This game will be decided by Alex Morin and if he can light it up on the offensive side or if Mustard Tigers figure out how to stop him.

 

Division 5 Semi-Finals

 

Drama Club vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Knight Triangles vs Cyclones

I wanted to go Knight Triangles, but a few of them are playing right before this game and could be a little tired. With Cyclones being fresh they have a huge advantage in this game and it will be a close one, but I see them pulling it off.

 

There you have this weeks picks.

 

Final Thoughts

 

With this being the last week of the season, I want to let everyone know this season couldn’t have happened without all the players. The league has come such a long way from the 6 teams back when it was called LCL in 2014. Every season we keep getting bigger and bigger and now that we will have two fields moving forward it will mean we can keep getting bigger and play under better conditions.

Last week I went and spent 2 hours reseeding Le Ber so that the grass has time to grow. It was long and hot, but it’s things like this that will ensure we won’t be playing in mud during the fall season.

Just in case you haven’t heard yet the fall season registration is open and of course if you don’t have a team, I’m sure that Jon can find a team for you. You can also go put a post on the MFL player Facebook page letting teams know that you are looking for a team for fall season.

Last season we introduced a rating system along with division caps and yes, some teams were granted exceptions from this rule. Starting this season being over cap will be an automatic forfeit. This will now put the blame on the team since everyone has the same rules.

I think that’s all I have for now, but I know once this is sent something else will pop in my head.

With this being the last week of the season it’s time to leave it all out there on the field since there is no next week. Good luck to everyone this week. Go out, have fun, and don’t kill anyone. Unless it’s a ref for blowing your season. No, don’t yell at the refs, they are people too. 

Word from the Mouth: No Subs (don't go chasing waterfalls)! edition

Word from the Mouth: No Subs (don't go chasing waterfalls)! edition

Kevin Kousaie

After 12 long, grueling weeks and 10 games later, we reached the playoffs. At the start of the year every division had their favorite to win it all, but as the season went along things started to change and those favorites weren’t so favorite anymore.

This week we saw a few upsets and, yes, some were real upsets and some were based off teams being given exceptions for players to be allowed to play. A few players and I were talking afterwards on Saturday, and all agreed that players need to play at least 5 games to qualify for playoffs and if they don’t then they shouldn’t be allowed and we should stop allowing subs in playoffs. It should be up to the team to make sure they have enough players eligible to play or they need to play shorthanded or forfeit the game all together or do what Tannantes did and asked to be removed from the playoffs and then you can either bump up every team and add the next team in. You could give a team a bye game or adopt the NBA style play in game between the last team in playoffs and the first one that missed out. I know it might get a little complicated to do that, but this way it makes it fair for everyone. I know with subs we always say we will give an average to lower caliber player for that division, but I say no more subs for playoffs and play as is. (ed’s note: this doesn’t really work for a non-professional league)

 

Playoff Recap

 

Division 1

 

Gros Coqs vs Centurions (12-42)

I can tell you like most people I never saw this coming, we all thought it was going to be a close game. Then when you take a closer look into it you start to notice that Gros Coqs used 2 subs and were given an exception for 1 player who only played 1 game, if that much, and it wasn’t much better on the other side either. Centurions were missing players and had Meis sub along with a guy Francois Hamel who pretty much eliminated Gros Coqs by himself. Francois only made 9 catches for 85 yards, but had 3 TDs and 2 1-point converts to go along with his 2 picks on defense. This right here is why subs shouldn’t be allowed in playoffs, especially when the team knows the player and asked for them specifically. Both teams were missing players all over and both teams did earn a playoff spot, but it just sucks when it turns out this way and you don’t really get to see the two teams really play one another.

 

Division 2

 

Marvels vs Outlaws (28-44)

I know very little about this game and won’t be able to say much about it. The reason for this was the games that were at 9:30 had an issue where the phones needed to be updated and that meant games needed to be loaded up manually and stats do not appear on site. Marvels made the playoffs and were going to be playing without their QB Max since he was going away for vacation. They were given Jason Rossie as a sub, and I can tell you from playing against Jason before multiple times it wasn’t a bad trade off the only issue Jason would have is the field size is a little narrower than he is used to and that he doesn’t know the players he is playing with. At the half, the Outlaws were up by 2 scores and I just happened to hear from Jason Edwards who was leaving early that with 10 minutes or so left they were up 3 scores and that the game was in the bag.

 

Division 3

 

Bines vs Jagerbomb (6-56)

What do you say about a game like this? Bines struggled all game long. I spoke to David for a few seconds after the game and he says how can we beat these guys, they are bigger(taller), faster, know the game and are all over the place. I said you have to pray and hope that you get a few lucky breaks and as you can see from the score that never happened. Jagerbomb were on fire all game Simon looked unstoppable and JF was catching passes all over the field from 1 yard drags to deep corners and it didn’t matter who was around, every time Simon put the ball near JF he came down with it, the only ball I saw JF drop was on defense that he would have easily taken in for a score. This was early in the game so didn’t have any impact on the outcome. The only thing that baffled me was how few passes went towards Simon for Bines. Last fall he was such a great runner, why not get him the ball more and let him make something out of nothing using his legs? At least try it out, you had nothing to lose.

 

Old School vs Idaho Udapimps (12-27)

Dahic was still out dealing with a concussion, and it really hurt them, at least on defense. Dahic is normally good for at least 1 pick, but more than that he forces QBs to think twice about throwing the deep ball and it allows his guys to jump short routes and make plays on balls. Even without Dahic, Old School still managed to pick off Brady twice and kept the game close, but what they couldn’t do was stop Jerome and Kyle from catching 21 of Brady’s 25 completions. For me the play that turned the game around was a penalty on the last play of the half which then allowed Idaho another shot at the endzone from 20 yards away where Brady threw it in Jerome’s direction, and he came down with it for 1 of his 3 TDs on the game. At half the score was 21-6 instead of 15-6. With Idaho starting with the ball in the second half they easily went down and scored and then played defense the rest of the game before surrendering a TD on Old School’s last drive of the game.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs Canal Club (25-0)

I’m not going to say much about this game because it really wasn’t a game at all. If you wanted to see an offensive game, look away. If you were there for the defense you also needed to look away. But if you wanted to learn what not to do or where not to throw as a QB, this was the game to watch. There were a combined 15 picks thrown in this game. I can tell you that has never happened in an MFL game before and might not ever happen again. Francois had 2 really nice runs making players miss as he scampered into the endzone and that was basically all the offense as neither team was able to get over 100 total yards. I might not win the title this season in D4, but I will have my name beside Francois in the record books and this record will be hard to beat and should last for years to come. One last note about this game is that everyone who played on defense for Phoenix had a pick.

 

Bouchers vs Super Friends (12-13)

This was one of those games where the team that played better didn’t win. Super Friends were such a hot team a few weeks back where nothing they did went wrong and over the last few weeks, they haven’t looked the same. Maybe they just don’t feel the burn anymore knowing their QB will be leaving after the season and not willing to drive 5 hours each way every Saturday to play football with them anymore. Lukas came out and did everything right, except 1 throw that Jacob picked off and returned for a score. With a bit over 2 minutes left Super friends were only up by 1 point, and they were able to score but not get the convert. The score was now 13-6 for them and Lukas had time so there was no panic on his side. After a few short completions and two first downs Lukas saw that Thibault had a step or two on his defender and threw it to him in the endzone and he was able to come up with the catch and the score. Bouchers elected to go for a 1-point convert and tie it up instead of going for 2. Sometimes it’s the right call going for 1 and other times it’s not, it will depend on the players you have and what type of QB as well. In this case going for 1 was the right call, since Lukas was able to get 5 to 6 yards on most of his completions. Lucas looks right, comes back left and throws a pass to Felix who is down on his knees and falling forward to try and make the catch, but the defender did just enough to get a few fingers on the ball and it fall incomplete. Some say it was a penalty for contact, some say it wasn’t, and at the end of the day there was no flag. If you want to watch the last few seconds of the game, you can see it on the Facebook page for players where Willie has posted it up.

 

Weakest Link vs Super Friends (0-39)

After scrapping by in the previous round, Super Friends weren’t going to go through that again and came out on fire with everything going their way. The game started off with Marvin throwing a pass to his receiver where they bobbled it and knocked it right into the defender’s hands and he walked in for an easy score. You know when the game starts like that it can only go up from there, right? Not in this game. I can’t tell you how many drops the receivers had for Weakest Link in this one, but it was more than you can count on one hand at least. The Cinderella story for Weakest Link had to come to an end and when the magic ran out it, really ran out. A few weeks back we all figured they had no shot at playoffs and after winning a bunch of big games against teams that were better than them, it was a miracle they lasted this long.

 

Division 5

 

Heisenberg vs Phoenix (6-19)

This was the matchup between the number 1 and 8 team where the 8-place team should have had the advantage. Just so you are all aware of why I said that, Phoenix was only playing with 5 players and Heisenberg had 6. The only reason why Phoenix won this game was because of experience. Heisenberg made it easy for Phoenix on both sides of the ball. Offensively they kept going to the same side of the field and on defense they kept playing soft and weren’t getting a solid rush every time. They should have had Ian rush and it would have put more pressure on me. I was able to exploit the mismatch all game long and when they did make an adjustment, I had time to find someone else open. I also used my legs to run and had a few good plays that way as well, but what had to be the smartest move of the day was using every second of the play clock on every play (ed’s note: oh, he’s so smart!). I know it wasn’t fun and at the start of the game my team did want me to go faster, but after the game they were all saying that wasting the clock being only 5 was the right move. Khalil had a big game scoring all the points for Phoenix, but to me Joey was the big difference maker catching everything and always finding that open hole. I explained to Heisenberg after the game what they needed to do differently in the game to have a chance this way they will know for next time. I can tell you that if we had to play a second game that we would have been dead. All game Ian seemed to be attacking me and he really shouldn’t have as I was able to pick off 3 passes and had 5 pass defenses which could have easily been 6 or 7 picks (ed’s note: if Kevin was a good player). Finally, on the last play of the game Ian mixed up the formation and ran a post and a chair and I went to much with the post leaving Angie open in the endzone for an easy score. The convert was denied and that was the game.

 

Titans vs Knight Triangles (18-26)

This was an upset in the making. The Titans had a 6-point lead at half before it fell apart for them in the second half. Everyone was walking around talking about how Titans were going to pull it off and wondering what happened to Knight Triangles and I can tell you the reason for Knight Triangles struggling was they were without Victor who might be the best player on the team and it took them some time to adjust to him not being there. As for Titians how do you, Robert, only get the ball twice to your best player in Austin? And I know Steve was having a good game, but when you had the lead you should have tried to get Austin the ball more, he is the difference maker on your team and needs touches. First half, Titans moved the ball almost uncontested and in the second half they only got 1 first down you can’t have that happen when you are playing better teams as this allows them to get back into games and to take momentum. At the end of the day Knight Triangles figured it out and wore down the Titans into submission.

 

That’s it for this week’s playoffs games and if you want more, tune in tomorrow to MFL Total Access with Terry and Willie to see what they have to say.

 

Players of the Week

 

Because we have less (ed’s note: fewer…) games to pick from, I will only be picking 1 player per division and this time around you need to win to get your name up here. It’s playoffs and you don’t get points for trying. I know some of you won’t like it that I’m only picking 1 player a division since you only play one side of the ball, but if you balled out and put-up good numbers that won’t stop you from seeing you name up here.

 

Division 1

- Gabriel Archambault went 26 of 35 for 229 yards, 6 TDs, 4 1point converts, 1 2point convert and ran 4 times for 26 yards.

 

Division 2

- Vincent Deziel caught 4 passes for 50 yards and 1 TD. On defense he made 6 tackles, had 2 picks and ran 1 of them back for a TD.

 

Division 3

- Jerome Hovington made 10 catches for 114 yards, 3 TDs and had 1 pick on defense.

 

Division 4

- Tyler Znoj had a total of 2 catches for 27 yards and 1 TD. He also made 10 tackles 7 of them were sacks in two games on Saturday. He also accounted for all but 1 of his teams points in a 9-6 win.

 

Division 5

- Gregory Spino grabbed 5 balls for 50 yards and 1 TD. On defense he had 3 tackles and 3 picks.

 

 

I know I couldn’t put everyone I wanted up here, but I had to make a few hard choices and I tried to stay away from games that were blowouts since most of the time they are complete mismatches and I don’t like to give recognition to players that beat up on a much weaker teams. I have also said I would announce the player that I have picked for winning player of the week all season, but I am still waiting on a few things to come in so it will have to wait until next week.

Predictions and All-Stars

Predictions and All-Stars

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

After leading all season in the media picks, it all came down to the last week of the season and heading in I was up 9 games over Jon and he did make a few different picks than me, but I still won by 9 games. The bigger upset was Terry losing to Willie by 0.4%. Let me make this clear it was a 1 game difference. The last game on Saturday was for all the marbles to see who was going to finish last. That game just happened to be Bouchers vs Airborne. When it was confirmed that Bouchers weren’t going to be showing up it was determined Terry lost to Will. When I was able to get over to the other field Will was jumping for joy, he wasn’t going to be forced to wear Patriots gear all day.

Now to my picks for the Playoffs, and like always they will be in bold.

 

Division 1

 

A-Team vs Outlaws

I just can’t see how A-Team is going to keep it together all game and on top of that how are they stopping Smuda and Svetna.

 

Gros Coqs vs Centurions

It’s playoff time and picking against Gros Coqs just seems wrong. They will show up full roster and walk all over Centurions like they did a few weeks ago.

 

Division 2

 

Marvels vs Outlaws

I have heard that roster won’t be complete in this game and that’s why I went with Outlaws.

 

Redzone vs Iron Wolves

I’m going with Iron Wolves because I can’t see Jon allowing his team to lose to a team that got into the playoffs only with another team not being able to field a team this week.

 

Division 3

 

Jackrabbits vs Thunder Buddies

Both teams are built well, but I just think Thunder Buddies have less (ed’s note: fewer) holes to attack.

 

Average Joes vs Manitoboys

I think that Joes have a slight edge that if they show up and play like they can they win this game easily. I just don’t think they do and that’s why I went Manitoboys.

 

Bines vs Jagerbomb

They have the more reliable QB to go along with the better roster.

 

Old School vs Idaho Udapimps

I’m not sure Dahic will be back this week from his concussion and even if he is I think Idaho have too many weapons for Old School to stop.

 

Division 4

Phoenix vs Canal Club NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Weakest Link vs Airborne

I’m not trying to boost Marvin’s confidence, but Airborne will be missing players and he should be able to get it done, even if he lied his way into playing this season.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Flamingos

They have more experience and should be able to get it done if they play smart ball and Brian doesn’t make any stupid mistakes.

 

Bouchers vs Super Friends

The connection between Jacob and Alex will be very hard to stop and will be the determining factor in this game. 

 

Division 5

 

Heisenberg vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Drama Club vs Mimosa Crew

I think that Simon is a better passer that Curren and their defense will not allow Curren to beat them with his legs.

 

Titans vs Knight Triangles

They have the better team and if they can stop Austin from going off then they win this game easily.

 

Permanent Replacements vs Cyclones

There roster is very strong and Yann has been playing very well this season and I expect it to continue this week.

 

There you go this week’s picks.

 

Power Rankings

 

This is where you would normally get to see my power rankings, but with the regular season over who cares about the rankings?

 

All-Star

 

Every year before round 1 of the playoffs I put together who I feel should make my All-Star teams. There are a few rules that you need to know before I put out my list. You can only make it for one position and only in your highest division unless you play a different position in another division.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

QB- Max Rosenfeld

WR 1- Jon Svetna

Slot 1- Ashton Thibault

Center- Maximillen Sadori

Slot 2- Andrew Grant

WR 2- Kevin Smuda

 

Defense

Rusher- Francis Huot-Locas

Corner 1- Ariel Librati

Linebacker- Etienne Moisan

Corner 2- Xavier Collette

Safety 1- Alexis Ferrand

Safety 2- Samuel Collette

 

Division 2

 

Offense

QB- Jon Evans

WR 1- James Langshaw

Slot 1- Manu Allard

Center- Fredrik Cespedes Dionne

Slot 2- Thomas Iribarren

WR 2- Oliver Mathieu

 

Defense

Rusher- Fabrice Malo

Corner 1- Jeremie Lafontune

Linebacker- Nicolas Potvin

Corner 2- Vincent Deziel

Safety 1- Tameem Riman

Safety 2- David Marcotte

 

Division 3

 

Offense

QB- Simon Duchesne

WR 1- Felix Fontaine Larouche

Slot 1- Rob White

Center- JF Daloze

Slot 2- Jeremy Trudel

WR 2- Gabriel Boucher

 

Defense

Rusher- Maxime Senez

Corner 1- Nick Egley

Linebacker- Loic Savioz-Seguin

Corner 2- James Nguyen

Safety 1- Jeremy Hovington

Safety 2- Dahic Duhamel

 

Division 4

 

Offense

QB- Jacob Morin (ed’s note: how is this not Kevin Kousaie?!?)

WR 1- Alex Morin

Slot 1- Steve Morisseau

Center- Oliver Quinn

Slot 2- Felix Begin

WR 2- Thomas Trepanier

 

Defense

Rusher- Tyler Znoj

Corner 1- Alex Noivo

Linebacker- Nick Kousaie

Corner 2- Victor Davis

Safety 1- Marvin Steinberg

Safety 2- John-Anthony Neemeh

 

Division 5

 

Offense

QB- Yannick Brisebois

WR 1- Benjamin Mallette

Slot 1- Austin McMahon

Center- Guillaume Mayer

Slot 2- Nikhil Sharma

WR 2- Eric Ramirez

 

Defense

Rusher- Khalil Agrebi

Corner 1- Justin Kocemba

Linebacker- Alex Morrison

Corner 2- Ian Carlo Herrera

Safety 1- Samuel Gernet

Safety 2- Gregory Spino

 

There you have it, my list of All-Stars. I know some might feel they should be on my list, but I couldn’t put everyone up here or it would just be a league wide list and mean nothing.

 

Final Thoughts

 

NFL training camps have opened and like always you have big name players holding out for more money, which to me is BS, you’re under contract, but players now a days all want their money (ed’s note: the gall of employees using the same legal process against their employers that those employers have been using against them for years!).

I get it, you want to get paid what you feel you are worth and in reality, NFL contracts are just a waste of paper. When you hear about players getting these ridiculous contracts all you need to know is how much is guaranteed and over how many years, since that’s what the real contract is worth.

Also, with training camps starting means there are only a few more weeks of watching CFL.

This week is where it really matters. You win and move on and if you lose, see you next season. But at the end of the day we are still playing a game, so go out, have fun, and don’t kill anyone.

Thanks for reading and see you all on Saturday or at least the players that have made the playoffs.

In case you didn’t know by now, all games are being played at Arthur Therrien this week.

 

Word from the Mouth: 1.7 Miles Per Hour! edition

Word from the Mouth: 1.7 Miles Per Hour! edition

Kevin Kousaie

We have made it to the end of the season and we had a few firsts this spring. The league has introduced a CAP per division, which means we now have player ratings, and for the first time we have 2 locations to play at which means the field conditions should be better than they have been in the past.

This week all the games are going to be played at Arthur Therrien and I know some people prefer that. I know as a ref and a scorekeeper it makes it easier at Le Ber since you have the field lines. At some point this week I plan on heading over to Le Ber and do some field repairs and plant a bunch of seed. It should take a few weeks for the grass to start growing in, but it will have at least 3 weeks without us using it, by then the grass will be in.

On Saturday it took a few bright minds to figure out who was in and who was out of the playoffs, and I will tell you all so you’re not worried you got screwed that Willie did none of the calculations.

The hardest division to figure out was D4 where 6 teams were tied at 6-4 and they were ranked from 4-9 which meant a team at 6-4 wasn’t getting in.

Now with that all out let’s get to this week’s recaps.

 

Week 12 Recap

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Outlaws (25-36)

With nothing on the line in this game it was just a matter of both teams playing out their last game of the season. Outlaws were already locked in at 1 and Bitter Boys were just looking to get their first win of the season. I can tell you from watching this game that Steve did not play his best game. Steve threw 3 picks and the one Lambert got was taken back for a TD. There was a play where JS threw the ball down field and it went off one of his guys or a defender and fell right into the hands of Francis who took it the last little way into the endzone. Smuda and Svetna both had monster games with Smuda getting over 100 yards and Svetna with 2 TDs and two 2-point converts. If both Svetna and Smuda are there for the playoffs, don’t be surprised if Outlaws win it all again this season.

 

Division 2

 

Marvels vs Nice TDs (36-14)

Marvels needed this game to lock up the final playoff spot and they had a very good matchup this week. Max had the offense rolling in this game, leading 6 TD drives and making sure that everyone got to touch the ball. Kris was in at QB for his old team trying to play spoiler and ruin Marvels season, but that didn’t happen. Kris stunk up the place throwing 6 picks and I’m not 100% sure they were all on him or if they went off his receivers’ hands, but I’m sure I’ll hear about it at some point. Nice TDs had a new QB every few weeks where if they had been a little smarter when putting their roster together, they might have been able to bring back Batman & The Flash. In case you don’t know that is Kris and Andrew. Every time I worked a Marvels game, I always get to get a few words in with whoever is the corner on my sideline and with Marvels that player was Tameem who gets at least a hand or two on a ball every game and this week all he did was get 3 picks. This guy has been a stud all season for Marvels and it shouldn’t be long before a team in D1 swoops in and brings him up.

 

Division 3

 

Old School vs Panaches (28-31)

Both teams were missing their QBs, so Old School had JS fill in where Panaches brought Ryan who a few of the guys have played with in other leagues. I’m a little lost as to what happened in this game, I do remember that it was going back and forth all game long, it always felt like whoever had ball last was going to win the game, and that’s what happened. Old School took the lead with just under 10 minutes left and you had to figure that you would at least get another possession with a few minutes left if your defense couldn’t hold Panaches. Ryan was having none of that as he used up 8 minutes while he drove Panaches down the field and did a good job of spreading the ball around. With Panaches up by 3 points JS had a minute and a half to go down and win the game. JS was moving down the field and getting the ball out before Thomas could get to him. With very little time left JS needed to get his receivers deeper so he needed to hold the ball an extra second and that turned out to be bad for him and Old School as it gave Thomas that chance to get to JS where he was able to sack him on the last two plays of the game and sealed the win for Panaches.

 

Division 4

 

Black Diamonds vs Mustard Tigers (26-21)

Black Diamonds were missing Lesniak at QB, so Rob stepped in and filled the spot. I can tell you from seeing both Lesniak and Rob play QB that Rob is a big upgrade. I know this isn’t fair for the other team and we use to have a rule in place for something like this, but now that we are using a CAP that rule no longer is in play. Rob was able to pick apart the Mustard Tigers defense all game long exploiting the mismatches. The matchup Rob kept going back to was Gabriel vs Owie. I personally wouldn’t be attacking Owie as he has years and years of experience, but when the player you are throwing to is at least 6 to 8 inches taller than him, then you throw it up high and let your player attack the high point. With under a minute left in the game Brian stepped out at QB and Owie went in and on his first throw Massil was called for PI and that took the ball all the way to Black Diamonds 14-yard line with plenty of time to get a few plays and a chance to win. Owie was sacked and then threw a pass, and it was picked off by Michael and the game ended just like that.

 

GOATS vs Phoenix (25-26)

Let me start by saying that GOATS were missing all but 4 of their players and ended up getting Max and David to sub and both made big impacts in the game. With 4 minutes left in first half Phoenix was down by 7 after giving up a score. They slowly marched down the field to score on the last play of the half. They went for 2 and Manuel came up with a big catch at the back of the endzone. Phoenix started the second half with the ball and it took no time for Manuel to score running down the sideline. At this point it almost seemed like the game was going to be over very soon. GOATs ended up punting and on the second play of the drive David made a great break on the ball and picked it off and ran it in for a score, one way or another it was going to be a score if not by David then by Julian who would have had a straight line to the endzone. Once Phoenix got the ball back, I knew we needed to score and I decided it was time for me to make something happen, so I took off running made a player miss, turned on the jets and 38 yards (ed’s note: and 45 seconds) later I was celebrating a TD. Goats gained a first down on their next possession before turning it over on downs. I hit Julian on a play and he took it into the redzone. This is where the game should have been over, except GOATs defense stepped up and made huge plays, 2 sacks and a PD. Goats had the ball with 2 minutes and needing a score and convert to tie it up. They marched down and got in on the last play of the game. GOATs went for 2 and the pass was completed short of the endzone and was forced out at the 2-yard line making the convert no good and keeping Phoenix’s playoff hopes alive.

 

Division 5

 

Drama Club vs Improbables (19-6)

I didn’t see this game but this is what was told to me.

On the first drive, Simon went for 2 deep balls and got the TD. Improbables defense adjusted themselves and it was way harder for Simon to get those deep balls, but he kept trying and got picked 4 times before he got injured. On the other hand, Improbables were playing well on offense but only score 6 points despite being in the red zone 4 times. They just couldn’t finish. With 8 minutes left, they decided to punt because they believed in their defense. They eventually got a pick, but once again they couldn’t finish despite making it to the red zone. The inexperience of Improbables hit hard when Simon injured his shoulder, because Drama Club sent 3 players deep 2 times on the last drive. Improbables underestimated the new QB and he took advantage of that by scoring a big TD with 11 seconds left.

 

Titans vs Improbables (25-20)

With this being Improbables second game of the day they were exhausted even before the game began as it was some of their player’s third game in a row. Mathieu did everything in his power to try and get the win by driving the ball down the field on long drives with lots of plays and chewing up as much clock as possible. Titans on the other hand took advantage of it being Improbables second game and used the deep ball to Austin to their advantage as he scored 3 TDs with 2 of them being for over 30 yards each. By the time the second half rolled around it was still a close game, but you could just tell by the way Improbables looked that they were physically exhausted and couldn’t wait for the game to end.

 

Titans vs Los Pollitos (6-24)

Even before this game started Titans knew they were in the playoffs and that they were going to be the six seed. This was also Titans second game back-to-back and, just like Improbables in their previous game, they weren’t in the best shape, being worn out from the heat. I can tell you from seeing Los Pollitos play a few times this season that they saved the best for last. Samuel played his best game of the year, at least in my opinion. Samuel was able to make good reads and threw the ball on time and in the right spots, they might not have all been caught, but the ball was there. Los Pollitos got up early and never looked back. The play that I remember was the pick 6 by Marie-Phillipe. Robert looked left turns and throws it right and out of nowhere Marie-Phillipe just happened to get in front of the pass and strolled in from 10 yards away making Robert miss on her way in.

 

There you have this week’s recap or at least what I saw and heard, if you want more then tune in tomorrow night for MFL Total Access with Terry and Willie.

 

Player of the Week

 

This was you last chance to make my list and have your name entered in the drawing for a prize. Without any more talking, let’s see who made my list for the last week of the season.

 

Division 1

Offense

- Dom Lefort was 28 of 40 for 235 yards, 6 TDs, 2 1point converts and ran 2 times for 10 yards.

Defense

- Yvan Desjardins made 4 tackles and 1 pick that he took back for 6.

 

Division 2

Offense

- Vincent Dion was 16 of 33 for 156 yards, 4 TDs, 2 1point convert and he also ran 3 times for 22 yards.

Defense

- Tameem Riman made 2 tackles and had 3 picks.

 

Division 3

Offense

- Nicolas Blais was 26 of 34 for 278 yards, 7 TDs, 4 1point converts, ran 5 times for 26 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

- Jean-Felix Daloze made 4 tackles, had 3 picks and ran 1 of them back for 6 points.

 

Division 4

Offense

- Gavin Drohan caught 7 balls for 66 yards and 1 TD.

Defense

- Alex Mansour made 1 tackle, had 2 picks and returned 1 for a TD.

 

Division 5

Offense

- Austin McManon grabbed 6 balls for 127 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense

- Joey Czikk made 1 tackle and had 2 picks.

 

 

There you have it, the final list of players to make my list. Stay tuned to next week’s article where I will post the full list of players who won and where I tell you who the winner is.

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