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.

Predictions and Power Rankings Final Week

Predictions and Power Rankings Final Week

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

It is that time of the week again and after a few weeks of being in second place, this week I was the winner. With this being the last week of the season it will decide who the winner and loser are. Right now I am in the lead over Jon by 9 games and it might seem impossible to lose, but you never know what might happen.

In a much tighter race Terry and Will are only separated by 1% and if I really worked at the numbers I could figure out how many games it is, but it probably is 1 to 3 games tops.

For Jon and mine it was easy since we both play on 2 teams we will end up with the same number of picks. Terry plays on 2 and Will is on 3 so they wont have the same number of games picked and that is why we are using percentages and not number of games picked right.

Now without anymore talk of the standings, here are my picks this week in bold like always.

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Outlaws

This is a meaningless game for both team since Bitter Boys are out the playoffs and Outlaws are locked in at 1. Outlaws win this game since they have the better team.

 

Centurions vs A-Team

Even with all the bickering all season with the playoffs on the line, A-Team shows up balls out and hustles their way in.

 

Trollers vs Gros Coqs

Trollers started the season with a loss to Gros Coqs and their season will end that way also. Both teams have had roster issues all season, but with playoffs on the line Dom’s running abilities are more valuable in this week’s game.

 

Division 2

 

Marvels vs Nice TDs

All Marvels need to do is win this week and they are in the playoffs, and that shouldn’t be an issue as they have better players all over the roster and the only player Max needs to watch out for is Thomas as safety and he cant be everywhere.

 

Tannantes vs Redzone

When this game starts, Redzone will know what their fate is. I can see them just coming out and going through the motions with them already being eliminated by this time. If they still have a chance, I can see putting too much pressure on themselves and it just falling apart for them.

 

Division 3

 

Jagerbomb vs Thunder Buddies

In what has to be the game of the week, at least in this division, winner finishes first. I really was going to go Jagerbomb until I looked at both teams rosters for the game and with Andrew subbing this week I can’t see Will having a hard time finding an open player. Il’l take Thunder Buddies in a close game.

 

Old School vs Panaches

Dahic keeps his team cruising into the playoffs with a convincing win this week over Panaches.

 

Iron Wolves vs Jackrabbits

Jon will slow this game down and play the possession game. Jon won’t take the same chances Nico will and with Iron Wolves already being in the playoffs, they don’t need to.

 

Average Joes vs Chiefs

I have to go with the team that has more to lose this week. Chiefs are out and Joes need this win and some momentum going into playoffs. Jason will play a smart game this week and his team will catch balls for him.

 

Bines vs RawSauce

Any other season I would have gone RawSauce, but this season they have been missing guys every week and you never know who is going to show up and with them having no shot at playoffs I expect the same this week. Bines need a huge win this week and help if they want to be playing next weekend.

 

Division 4

 

Black Diamonds vs Mustard Tigers

They have a boat load more experience and after the way they lost last week I just can’t seem them playing the same way this week.

 

Sour Peeps vs Flamingos

Flamingos are the better team and shouldn’t have much trouble in this week’s game.

 

Sooners 45 vs Wizards

Sooners 45 are the more organized team and as long as they show up they should be able to win this game barring some sort of miracle.

 

Phoenix vs GOATS NA

I don’t pick my team’s games.

 

Airborne vs Cereal Killers

They are just more athletic and I’m not sure if Guillaume is going to be playing QB or not this week since he has been dealing with a shoulder issue.

 

Weakest Link vs Super Friends

Jacob is smart and won’t put the ball anywhere near Marvin so he wont be an issue on defense and on offense Marvin will struggle with the rush being on him quickly and then trying to find someone open.

 

Bouchers vs Airborne

They have played well most of the season and will continue that this week and once again not sure who will be playing QB for Airborne.

 

Division 5

 

Heisenberg vs Bucks

With nothing to gain or lose in this one, Heisenberg comes out and wins a close game this week. They have more size and a bit more speed than Bucks.

 

Hard Target vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my team’s games.

 

Drama Club vs Improbables

Drama Club has the better QB and the stronger players to go along with that. Drama Club should win by at least 2 scores.

 

Cyclones vs Knight Triangles 

I looked at both teams and I think Cyclones have the advantage on offense by a little and I think Knight Triangles have the advantage by more on the defense. How is Yann going to deal with Tyler being in his face all day long and to me that will be the difference in this game.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Permanent Replacements

I wanted to go Mimosa, but I just don’t feel that they have the athletes to keep up with Permanent Replacements, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win either as Permanent Replacements have been playing poorly the last few weeks.

 

Titans vs Improbables

With this being Improbables second game of the day I expect them to be worn down and not able to play at full speed.

 

Titans vs Los Politos 

For the same reason why, I picked Titans to win their first game it’s the reason why they lose their second game. Fatigue.

 

There you go, this week’s picks and, yes, I know they aren’t going to be perfect, but all I need them to be is no more than 8 games worse than Jon’s picks. I feel that I picked at least 65% of the games right which would make it impossible to lose.

Good luck to everyone this week in their games and Jon will be doing some Voodoo on your picks this week just to make sure I win.

 

Power Rankings

 

With this being the last rankings of the season, I better make it a good one. I already know that a few changes are being made, but I’m not sure how many. After the way last week went we had a few big upsets that will effect rankings, but at the end of the day if you make the playoffs who cares where you were ranked? Once playoffs starts it doesn’t matter if you were first or not even on the list as long as you win, you move forward.

 

Division 1

#1- Outlaws

#2- Gros Coqs

#3- Centurions

 

Division 2

#1- Iron Wolves

#2- Tannantes

#3- Outlaws

 

Division 3

#1- Jagerbomb

#2- Thunder Buddies

#3- Manitoboys

#4- Iron Wolves

#5- Idaho Udapimps

 

Division 4

#1- Super Friends

#2- Canal Club

#3- Bouchers

#4- Mustard Tigers

#5- Cereal Killers

 

Division 5

#1- Phoenix

#2- Knight Triangles

#3- Cyclones

#4- Drama Club

#5- Mimosa Crew

 

There you have it, my rankings to close out the year. There weren’t huge changes in the top, divisions but in the lower ones is where it was hard to see where teams should fit in. I did my best as how I see it and at this point of the year you’re not going to be able to change my mind as the season is ending.

 

Final Thoughts

 

With this season being the first one where we have used a cap system it has been fine with a few ups and downs. To me the issues I have seen with it are that teams have been allowed to go over cap to bring them up to 6 players. I feel that shouldn’t be allowed and that a team in that situation has two options: either play 5 or have one of your higher rated players sit out and get two lower rated players to fill those spots. The other thing that seems weird to me is that after a certain point of the season a roster player needed to play x number of games to be able to play in regular season games, where a sub is allowed to play even just for that one game. This rule should be taken out of the rulebook and allow teams to have whoever they want to play during the regular season as long as they fit the cap and if a player doesn’t make the number of games required for playoffs, then they are not allowed to play. I know I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them.

With cap and roster moves every team should be held to the same set of rules and not because they are a free agent team should they be allowed to do this or that.

Last thing before I go is that no matter who the player is, when they join a new division that is higher than the one they are in for the first time they should be given that divisions base rating and when they get that new rating it should be across the board and I know this will cause teams in lower divisions to break cap, but captains need to know this  head of time so they will be forced to pay close attention to the cap as to not go over (ed’s note: this is already how it works…).

I know some captains won’t be happy about that, but they will have to deal with it and get use to it because I know a hard cap is coming this fall season and teams are going to get screwed hard if they don’t pay very close attention to their cap.

Now for my weekly reminder that we are playing a game and that you need to realize that at the end of the day it’s for fun so go out, have fun, and try not to kill anyone.

Thanks for reading and see you all Saturday.

 

 

Word from the Mouth: The Heat is On! edition

Word from the Mouth: The Heat is On! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Man, oh man, did we ever have a lot of upsets this weekend. Ok maybe they weren’t all upsets, but when you look at the picks that were made, there were upsets all over the place. I don’t know how many more weeks of this garsh darn heat we are going to have, but we need a steady breeze and some clouds at least for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday. Everyone knows how it was on Saturday, but for those of you who don’t know, Sunday was even hotter in Brossard.

I know Terry and Will always talked crap about how Brossard is and for once I will tell you exactly what it’s like and what it reminds me of. First off, normally at Brossard we have a breeze and it’s not always the greatest as a QB, but as a player and as a ref its nice and refreshing. For anyone who has been part of the league since the LCL days will tell you, Brossard has that same feel. It’s smaller than Montreal, everyone knows everyone, after their games players stick around and watch other games while drinking beers (and in the case of 28-3, getting a little rowdy), but it just seems like a nice tight community of players all just wanting to have fun.

I miss the days when Montreal uses to be like that, now we are too big and it has lost a bit of that community feel to it.

 

Week 11 Recap

 

Division 1

 

Outlaws vs Trollers (33-20)

In what used to be a potential finals every year, it just hasn’t been close for the last little while and, yes, I know they meet in the finals last fall. Steve has built a juggernaut of a team and keeps building on that, where the Trollers haven’t been the same in the last little while with them going through a roster overturn. From what I saw and what I heard about this game, the Trollers were able to move the ball at times, but not regularly and Max was having some issues with Remy at rush. Steve was on for most of the day and even when he threw his one pick to JC, it was just because JC made a great play on the ball. This Outlaws team is strong across the board, but when playoffs come how will they do? Outlaws are now locked in as the number 1 seed and Trollers are on the outside looking in for that last playoff spot, they need a win and points to go their way if they want to keep playing this season.

 

Division 2

 

Tannantes vs Marvels (32-27)

Let me start by saying that Tannantes started the game with 5 players and both teams agreed to let Tannantes start with the ball. To me Marvel should have wanted to start with the ball, this way they could have an advantage. Tannantes marched the ball down the field using up a bunch of time off the clock before a turnover on downs. Max had Marvels moving the ball play after play until he threw a pass that was short and landed in the hands of Guillaume who ran it back more than half the field for a score. They then exchanged scores on the next possessions followed by a punt by Marvels with 30 seconds left in the half. In the final 30 seconds of the half Vincent went to Simon on all 4 plays with 3 of them being completed for 29 yards, 10 yards and a 4-yard TD to end the half with a 20-6 lead. Second half Marvels were bringing the game back and made it a one score game with just under 4 minutes left and now needed a stop to have a chance at winning the game. Once again Vincent went to his primary target on the day Simon, and it was for a quick 45-yard score. Max was able to drive his team down to score but made 1 mistake by calling a timeout while on offense. Marvels scored with 49 second left and only had 2 timeouts left so the game was over at this point. If Max hadn’t called the timeout, he might have had a slim a chance at getting the ball back.

 

Redzone vs Outlaws (35-42)

I really only remember a few things about this game. Josh getting a pick 6 was a rare feat and considering he almost let it slip through his hand when he started running, I wasn’t sure he was actually going to hold onto it. Svetna is a beast and most of you already knew that anyways. If I remember correctly, he mossed a player on 2 of his 3 2-point converts and the defender was in great position to make a play. Both teams played well and it was a fun game to watch and the only turnover of the game was what decided it in the end. Afterwards, and even during the game, there were complaints about the Outlaws roster. There was nothing to complain about as this was the roster at the start of the season and as refs and scorekeepers there is nothing we can do about a team’s roster even if we wanted to. Just play the game and deal with it afterwards.

 

Division 3

 

Old School vs Chiefs (53-21)

This game got out of hand very fast, as Dahic led Old School to scores on all 5 first half possessions to jump out to a 34-8 lead at half time. I really don’t get what is happening to Chiefs this season, they have a bunch of talent and should be able to win games. I know they are playing with a new QB, but let me give you a piece of advice, taking a QB from D5 who is struggling there and moving him up to D3 don’t be surprised when he struggles there as well (ed’s note: how is that advice?). From the looks of the stats from the game, everyone who showed up to play other than the QBs caught a pass this week. Dahic did a much better job of making sure the balls he threw were catchable where Pierre was putting balls all over the place making it hard for his guys to make plays on the ball. What else can I say about a game that wasn’t close from the very first whistle?

 

Iron Wolves vs Idaho Udapimps (40 or 41-38)

I’m not sure of the exact score in this one. When you look at the play by play it should be 40 but when you look at the final score it shows 41 (ed’s note: a 2 point convert was incorrectly entered as a 1 point convert, so it was 41). My bet would be either a convert was missed and Jon added it on afterwards or Jon was looking at all the stats and stuff and realized he might be in a tie with a few teams and points against would be used as the tie breaker and that 1 point will be huge. I missed the first half of this game as I was at the Le Ber cleaning up, but from what I was told it was back and forth all half with both teams. I did notice Jon has been benched as the QB and Iggy who might not be as good of a QB as Jon, but is way better looking does a very nice job of spreading the ball and placing the ball where only his guys can get it. Brady goes the other way and just feeds the ball to whoever is hot and doesn’t care about who is guarding that player. I find it funny that 2 teams that play completely opposite on offense would put up this many points. Idaho to open the second half just threw a bomb where Peter just had to keep running and the ball fell into his arms. I really wish I could remember more of this game, but I can’t as by the end of the day I’m worn out and then I’m out all day Sunday again with football again and if I don’t make notes right after it happens it all gets mixed up. I did happen to notice that Ribeye caught 3 of the 4 converts for the Iron Wolves.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs Cereal Killers (25-39)

I will tell you that the score doesn’t show how this game was played. It seems as if Cereal Killers beat Phoenix convincingly from the score, but if you were at the game and saw what happened you’d be as embarrassed as I am. Phoenix just didn’t come to play on either side of the ball. First play of the game we give up a 45-yard score because of a last man back holding penalty, blown coverage on that play where safety never dropped. Then we went on offense and turned it over, followed by them scoring another easy TD. We started to settle in and tied it up at 13 only to give up another 45-yard score. On that score it was a 2 or 3 yard drag where 2 defenders got in each other’s way then we heard a whistle and the rest of the defense stopped and the receiver just ran right through the open field while the defense just stood there. Julian scored on a chair route to tie it back up. On a fourth down and 3 with seconds left in the half, Matthew catches the ball short of the first down and with no defender playing the flats was able to run up the sideline and make the corner miss 10 to 15 yards down field before making the safety miss a few yards from the end zone. Second half was more of the same. At the end of the day, Cereal Killers won the game, but they didn’t beat Phoenix. Phoenix beat themselves with poor tackling all game long. (ed’s note: even when Kevin loses, he also wins!)

 

Mustard Tigers vs Weakest Link (19-20)

This has to be the biggest upset of the year or it would be if Mustard Tigers had their full roster. It was still a huge win by Weakest Link. Marvin played pretty well for a guy with one arm. He completed just over 50% of his passes and ran for 57 yards, threw 3 TDs, and no picks. From what I heard about this game was that Brian choked down the stretch. With under 6 minutes left in the game, Mustard Tigers were in control being up 19-6. Marvin threw a deep ball to Tyrone for a score then Tyrone got a safety on the very next play to make it a 19-14 game and giving Weakest Link the ball back. Marvin used up all but 40 seconds on the clock while taking his team in for a score.

 

Division 5

 

Mimosa Crew vs Bucks (42-6)

In this game Curren was able to have his way with the Bucks defense. There were times he was running around and threw it off his back foot, not a good ball and just because his player had more height, they were able to come down with the ball. At half Curren pulled himself from the game to allow other players to play QB and I want to say Nikhil could have had at least 1 TD and 2 converts more to his stats, but either came down on the back line or had stepped out prior to catching the ball. Mimosa is a fun bunch of players and have a really good record, but won’t be considered a top team because they are missing that big player who can make plays at any point in the game. Bucks again lost in this game, but you can tell they are having lots of fun and every week they do get better. Their biggest issue is dropped balls there had to been at least 3 or 4 that would have given them first downs, but instead they became punts.

 

Permanent Replacements vs Titans (13-27)

I only heard about this game and said I’d give them a shout out. I was at their sideline at half and when they said the score was 6 all and I had to ask how. They said something like the Titans are here to play or something along those lines. In my head I was like it’s just half time you still have plenty of time to blow it. Then the game ended (ed’s note: at half time?), and Titans were even happier pulling off a huge win. I still can’t believe that happened. Titans let me know that they shouldn’t be taken lightly, and they are here to play. I’m sure Willie will have something to say about this game on the podcast this week since he was the ref of it.

 

That’s it for this week everyone, hope you enjoyed. If you want more stay tuned for MFL Access with Terry and Willie on Wednesday night.

 

Player of the Week

This week is your second to last week to make the list. I know a lot of you have been working hard all season to make the list and help get your teams a few wins on the way to hopefully a title at the end of it all. This week I had to make a few hard choices and I also had a few easy ones as well. I’m going to jump straight to letting you know who won this week.

 

Division 1

Offense

- Alexandre Bresse had 6 catches for 106 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

- Alexis Ferrand made 9 tackles and had 2 picks which both were returned for TDs.

 

Division 2

Offense

- Simon Anctil made 10 catches for 145 yards, 3 TDs and 1 1point convert.

Defense

- Kareem Anthony Chilcott made 5 tackles all of which were sacks.

 

Division 3

Offense

- Nick Reeves had 8 catches for 146 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense

- Dahic Duhamel made 1 tackle, had 4 picks and ran 2 of them back for scores.

 

Division 4

Offense

- George Athanasatos was 15 of 20 for 239 yards, 6 TDs, 1 pick, 1 1point convert and 1 2point convert.

Defense

- Hasan Malik made 3 tackles and had 2 picks.

 

Division 5

Offense

- Austin McMahon grabbed 5 balls for 66 yards, 1 TD and 1 2point convert.

Defense

- Justin Kocemba made 5 tackles 4 of those were sacks, had 2 picks and ran 1 back for 6 points.

 

With this week now in the bag, I have picked 110 players as players of the week and that means there are only 10 more spots available for this week before I get to pick my winner. I have ordered most of what I plan on giving away and just have to wait for it all to come in. I still haven’t figured out how I should pick my winner, but I’m leaning towards doing a random name on a wheel and allowing it to be done that way, but not sure if I can put 120 names on it. Guess we will see. Congratulations to all this week’s winners and good luck to everyone in the last week of the season.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 10

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 10

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

Another week down and another win by Jon. With only 2 weeks left in the season the race for first is getting close between Jon and myself. Right now, I am up 7 games on him and that is a decent number, but might not be enough.

Willie is all but assured to get last unless a miracle happens and that seems very unlikely. If I want to win I need to start being smarter with my picks and take a few extra seconds when I’m thinking about who I’m planning on picking. Here are my picks for the week and like always they are in bold.

 

Division 1

 

Gros Coqs vs Centurions

With Gros Coqs fighting for a playoff spot, this is the week that they all show up and win. Dom balls out and lifts the team to victory.

 

Outlaws vs Trollers

I just feel they are the more complete team.

 

A-Team vs Bitter Boys

Even after the way last week finished for A-Team they all come back and get the big win this week and keep their playoffs hopes alive.

 

Division 2

 

Tannantes vs Marvels

It looks like Tannantes are going to be missing a bunch of players and will need a few subs, so Marvel will win easily in this one.

 

Nice TDs vs Iron Wolves

They are the better team and should win easily.

 

Redzone vs Outlaws

With this being the last game of the season for Outlaws and them needing it to make the playoffs, Steve and his team pull it off in a very close game.

 

Division 3

 

Average Joes vs Manitoboys

The hype train wakes up this week and starts rolling again.

 

Jackrabbits vs Thunder Buddies

Willie has been playing better at QB this season and has tons of weapons around him.

 

Chiefs vs Old School

I must go with who I know and that is Old School. By know I mean will show up and ready to play.

 

Jagerbomb vs Bines

Jagerbomb have the better players at every position and should win.

 

Iron Wolves vs Idaho Udapimps

With Idaho resting players this week, I have to assume Iron Wolves can pull it off.

 

Black Diamonds vs Sooners 45

They have the better athletes.

 

Sour Peeps vs Airborne

They have a boat load more experience and should come out firing on all cylinders.

 

Phoenix vs Cereal Killers NA

I don’t pick my team’s games.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Weakest Link

Mustard Tigers can score points in most games and Weakest Link struggle to get 2 TDs in a game, so I can’t seem this going any other way.

 

GOATS vs Flamingos

GOATS don’t have enough experience or skill to pull this one off.

 

Wizards vs Super Friends 

Super Friends are the better team plus over the last few weeks Wizards haven’t been there as a full squad.

 

Bouchers vs Canal Club

I would love to see Bouchers pull this one off, but I just cant see it being done. No one on Bouchers can keep up with Francois.

 

Division 5

 

Mimosa Crew vs Buck

At the beginning of the year, I might have picked Buck to win this game, but the way that Curren is leading his team this season they have no chance.

 

Hard Target vs Los Pollitos

I think with Nico at QB and allowing Samuel to play receiver plus the size from the two big guys they have on the team it will be hard for Hard Target to pull this one off.

 

Improbables vs Cyclones

They are the better team, even if they do need a sub this week.

 

Remplacants vs Titans

Other than maybe Austin, Remplacants are better across the board and shouldn’t have much trouble in this game.

 

There you have it this week’s picks. I couldn’t pick everyone’s team to win I only picked the teams that I feel should win this week (ed’s note: good strategy!). Good luck to all.

 

Power Rankings

 

With my second to last ranking of the year, teams don’t have much time left if they want to climb up on the list or even make it on for the final week. At this point most teams know where they stand and where they should be in the ranking, but in case you don’t know, here they are.

 

Division 1

#1- Outlaws

#2- Centurions

#3- Gros Coqs

 

Division 2

#1- Iron Wolves

#2- Tannantes

#3- Outlaws

 

Division 3

#1- Jagerbomb

#2- Thunder Buddies

#3- Idaho Udapimps

#4- Average Joes

#5- Manitoboys

 

Division 4

#1- Super Friends

#2- Canal Club

#3- Mustard Tigers

#4- Bouchers

#5- Phoenix

 

Division 5

#1- Phoenix

#2- Knight Triangles

#3- Cyclones

#4- Drama Club

#5- Mimosa Crew

 

As you can see a few changes have been made, but not a whole lot of them. There were a few moves I made this week that just last week I would have thought would never get done, but after tea way last week’s games went there was no choice, those moves needed to be made.

 

Final Thoughts

 

The end of the season is just around the corner and we are all looking forward to the playoffs where we should get to see the best of the best playing in each game. In the higher divisions the teams are much closer in talent than they are in the lower divisions. Looking at how the season has gone you could have almost combined D4 and D5 and made it into 3 separate divisions (ed’s note: so, combine then separate?) and you would have ended up with better games all season then we did in the lower divisions where some teams just crushed others like they weren’t even there.

The best thing about the MFL is that most people are willing to help out the weaker teams with a few pointers or by joining them and taking on a player/coach role. Then you have other guys that just want to join lower teams and put-up big numbers to validate their egos (ed’s note: *cough* Kevin *cough*). To me at the end of the day no one from MFL is being scouted to play anywhere.

I can tell you that I’ve been playing football for 30 years now and I love the game, but if I was asked to play pro it would be hard for me to not laugh in their face. They have to be pretty desperate that they need any of us that badly.

At the end of the day, we are here to play a game and have fun. Go out play hard, have some fun, and try to help your team win a game and make the playoffs. Thanks for reading and see you all Saturday.

Word from the Mouth: Adopt Don't Shop! edition

Word from the Mouth: Adopt Don't Shop! edition

Kevin Kousaie

This past Saturday was a great day for football. It wasn’t extremely hot, and it wasn’t too windy. Sunday, on the other hand, was hot and humid with very little breeze in Brossard.

I’m a day behind on my writing this week as I spent Monday in Ottawa getting my new puppy, who is absolutely adorable., but he is a big sucky lala (ed’s note: I have no idea what this is supposed to mean and also adopt, don’t shop!).

The best thing about this weekend was that we were all at one location for the first time in weeks. This week we are back to the two locations, so please make sure you know where you are playing, and just a reminder that if you are changing locations for games that you will be given a few minutes of leeway so you don’t need to panic and the refs should be waiting for the players to show up and not just play because the team has 6 players, unless the team waiting on players is ok to start the game.

We only have a few weeks left in the season and with a bunch of teams fighting for the playoffs, now is the time to make sure you and your team are ready to go at the start of the game, because a slow start can cost you the game and possibly a playoff spot.

 

Week 10 Recap

 

Division 1

 

Outlaws vs Gros Coqs (44-18)

 

Most of the time this would be a much closer game than this, but this week Gros Coqs were missing a bunch of players including their QB Dom and safety Boris. I know Dom might not make up for the 26 points, but with Boris there as well they score more and give up less. Yes, this was a dominant game from Outlaws and everything was working for them. Steve was on point, all Jafar did was score TDs and converts, and like always Ariel just picked off balls. Outlaws are in playoff form right now and looking for 5 or 6 in a row, but it might be a little harder this season.

 

Division 2

 

With only two D2 games this week and Terry refereeing one of them and Will playing in the other, they will know more about what happened in those games so stay tuned for MFL Access tomorrow night to find out what happened in this division.

 

Division 3

 

RawSauce vs Jagerbomb (12-34)

 

Jagerbomb owned the first half of this game and then in the second half they open up the half with a quick 45 yard bomb to Felix and after the convert they were up 22-0. After that Jagerbomb started to relax a little on defense which allowed RawSauce to score twice, but that didn’t stop their offense from scoring as well. JF scored another 2 TDs this week, but with only 2 games left might not get the record set by Smuda last year for most TDs in a season.

 

Panaches vs Jackrabbits (51-27)

 

I just don’t get it. Why have Jackrabbits been just so-so all season? They have a good roster and loads of experience. Panaches have a few players and have learnt the game as the season has gone along, but to blow out a team like this is very impressive. I was able to get a few words from Nico after the game and he said that he was playing like sad monkey tears. I was also talking to JC who was back after missing a few weeks with an injury and he said he was out there playing, but was also taking it a little easy so he wouldn’t get re-aggravate the shoulder again. Panaches can still make the playoffs, but need to win out and get lots of help since they have given up the most points up to now.

 

Bines vs Old School (20-22)

 

Old School owned the first half of this game or at least up until they allowed a score with under 30 seconds left. Second half Bines scored on their first two drives while Old School only scored once. With both teams using a lot of clock on those drives, when Old School got the ball with just over 7 minutes I figured it was over. Dahic moved the ball a little, but forced a pass that was picked off by Jean-Simon and it looked like Bines had some life left in them. It only took David 3 plays before giving the ball right back, now all Dahic had to do was gain a few first downs and the game was over.

 

Average Joes vs Idaho Udapimps (26-12)

 

I spoke to a few players from Idaho after the game and they all said the same thing. We have players hurt, we are taking time to heal up, we already made the playoffs and we feel that no one wants to play us in the playoffs once we are healthy. I want to see these two teams play again with complete rosters and both teams playing hard, like their lives depend on it. 

 

Division 4

 

Sour Peeps vs Phoenix (6-31)

 

In this game Mario wasn’t playing because of an injury and he would have helped out, but it wouldn’t have made much of a difference (ed’s note: because Kevin’s just too damn good!). For the first time in a while, Phoenix came out and played hard. By hard I mean running good routes, communicating on defense, and doing what a roster with this much talent should be doing. I want to say that Sour Peeps might not have a bunch of wins or be a very good team, but they do come out and play hard and have lots of fun.

 

Bouchers vs Wizards (26-12)

 

This game turned out to be a lot closer than most expected. I can tell you from watching both teams a few times now, that once Wizards start showing up as a complete roster and know the game better, they will be a dangerous team. Bouchers I thought might have been able to put up more points in this game. I guess with Lukas missing his main target in Felix that would play a huge role, except this week Xavier stepped up with a huge game scoring 3 TDs. Bouchers have a huge roster and to me that will be their downfall in the playoffs.

 

Sooners 45 vs Airborne (6-27)

 

Ok, let me say I saw this game and it wasn’t pretty Airborne ran 3 or 4 different plays all game and it kept on working. Sooners 45 looked really bad and didn’t seem to know what to do. At one point they ran the same play two or three times in a row. On one drive they went deep on every play before turning it over on downs. I can tell you if they play like this in the playoffs, they will be out in round 1. After the game a few players from Sooners mentioned how we missed a few calls and just like in every game, that happens. I didn’t say it then, but I will write it now, when you complete only 4 passes you aren’t going to win games no matter what the refs call.

 

Super Friends vs Canal Club (36-14)

 

From my understanding in this game Canal Club was at a pool party drinking before the game and there was talk that they might forfeit the game. They showed up drunk and got destroyed. After the game I spoke to Jacob and Alex, and we all agreed on the same thing about Canal Club, and I would love to share it but I feel that I might end up seeing them in the playoffs and don’t want to ruin my plans just in case. This game might have gone another way if it was played again, but we won’t find out unless they meet in playoffs.

 

Weakest Link vs GOATS (12-6)

 

This game was horrible. Marvin is not a good QB and needs to relax and understand that not only is he new at playing QB, but his team is also new and learning the game. As for GOATS, they just need to learn the game better and maybe next season drop down a division and they will get better and maybe get a few wins.

 

Cereal Killers vs Black Diamonds (24-12)

 

After weeks of not having players showing up, Cereal Killers showed up with 7 and all at the start of the game. Both teams are decent, but to me Cereal Killers are a more complete team, where Black Diamonds are all about Gabriel. I’m not sold on either of these teams though. Both teams struggled in the first half with only Cereal Killers scoring once and second half had a little more offense, but not much.

 

Division 5

 

Phoenix vs Los Pollitos (32-26)

 

This game was a lot closer than it should have ever been. To start the game, we had to wait for player on Los Pollitos to show up and we didn’t take points which we are allowed to (ed’s note: he’s like a superhero of kindness!). In the game there were a few things that stuck out to me. The first one was a pick 6 by Louis-Phillipe to me which I thought it was a catch, but the ref who was in position to have a view of the play didn’t see it. On the play Dave caught the ball and was bringing it to his body then the defender hits at the ball or rips it out and runs it in for a score. Then the big thig I noticed was whenever we went into trips Kat was all alone running her route and she made Los Pollitos pay for that as she scored 4 TDs. The last play that I remember was on a convert where Dave ran a post and had two or three steps on his defender, and I throw it to the middle back end zone and out of all people Joey who is running a six hook from the slot catches the ball at the back with a little assistance from Dave keeping him in. For Los Pollitos, they are better than their record, they just drop too many balls and aren’t completely comfortable on defense.

 

Bucks vs Drama Club (0-50)

 

Dick move by Drama Club. That’s all I’m going to say about them. You have to think about it being the other way around.

 

Knight Triangles vs Hard Target (19-0)

 

At half this was a scoreless game and it looked like neither team wanted to win. Second half was more of the same as neither team could move the ball and there were tons of picks. The only reason why it didn’t go to OT was Knight Triangles were able to score on very short fields in the second half. For a team that has so many wins, they don’t look good and at this point of the season and who know what they will look like in the playoffs. Hard Target is still fighting for a playoff spot, but it will be tough for them to get in. They need to win and maybe get some help.

 

Heisenberg vs Improbables (27-26)

 

Who knew this was going to be one of the better games in the division this weekend? Mathieu wasn’t there as QB for Improbables, so Charles filled in and did a nice job, but without him playing WR they were left shorthanded on offense. How a halftime speech can change a game. The first half was all offense and no defense, with scores all over the place. The second half each team only scored once. It looked like Improbables were going to win the game as they were driving the ball and had a lead, but the drive stopped when they couldn’t convert a fourth and 15 with 4 plus minutes left. Ian now needs to get something done if they want to win. After a few passes, Heisenberg wasn’t too far from the endzone when Ian took off running after beating the rusher and made a player miss his flags as he gallops into the endzone and gives his team a one-point lead. Charles now has a minute left, but after a few plays and only gaining 12 yards, he threw a pick and just like that the game was over.

 

Cyclones vs Remplacants (19-18)

 

I just don’t get it, we have a cap, but yet that cap doesn’t seem to mean candy canes when you are adding a sixth player to fill out your roster. I understand that Cyclones are a Free agent team, but if everyone else has to play by these rules why shouldn’t they? It just doesn’t seem fair for the rest of the teams (ed’s note: says the guy with D1 players on his D4 team…). A few weeks ago, everyone was talking about how good these two teams were and to me the magic has worn off. Cyclones are only good when Yann has his top three targets and Remplacants just don’t seem to know what to do in key situations. Remplacants forced a punt with 5 minutes left and Pierre then led them on what could have been a game tying drive if not a game winner. Pierre threw the ball to Leonidas all drive except for one play when he went to his center Mike. I just don’t get how a team like Cyclones could allow a team to drive with the game on the line using one player only. That should be an easy stop. After Remplacants scored they missed the convert and were down by 1. All Yann needed to do was get a first down to end the game and he got one and kept on playing which makes no sense and if he threw a pick would have cost his team the game.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Titans (25-20)

 

Let me clear a few things up for everyone. Mimosa Crew last season wore jerseys that resembled the Miami Dolphin’s jerseys. Not anymore, as they are wearing pinnies (ed’s note: well, thank you for clearing that up for us, it was really weighing on our minds). After seeing Mimosa play for the first time this season, I’m shocked that they have won as many games as they have. What do I say about this game? Titans only scored in the first half by a lucky play that bounced off one of their player’s hands into another one while he was in the endzone. Then in the second half they played better on both sides of the ball, but not enough to win the game. Curren told me before the game he was banged up and couldn’t run so I figured that the way it has gone for them all season that it was going to be a long game with tons of drop balls. Even with Curren banged up, he still ran for 60 yards and a TD off 7 carries. He was also 12 of 19 passing, which is not bad for a guy we all thought could only run. I know no one cares, but (ed’s note: that should be the title of your articles) to me when you talk about MVP you have to think about Curren being included in that conversation. His team sits at 6-2 and the roster isn’t very good from top to bottom.

 

That is all of this week’s recaps. I covered a little bit more than I should have, but I had a few things to mention about a few teams from what I saw or heard afterwards plus with only 2 weeks left I wanted to make sure I covered every team at least once this season.

 

Players of the Week

 

Man, oh man, is the end of the season ever coming fast. With this week in the bag, we only have 2 weeks left and that means teams only have 1, 2 or 3 games left and that limits your chances to get my vote. I know most of what I’m putting in my surprise bag I just haven’t figured out how to pick my winner. I have thought about doing it at the end of season get together, but figured that would never work since you would have to be there to win and that would mean at least 100 people and then we need a way bigger venue. I might see if I can get it announced on the Podcast or maybe I’ll just get Jon to post up on Facebook and I can always do it in my article before the first week of the playoffs are played. I will figure it out and then let you all know. Now here are this week’s winners.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

- JC Ferland had 7 catches for 81 yards and 3 TDs and 1 1point convert.

Defense

- Ariel Librati made 5 tackles, had 3 picks and ran oneback for 6.

 

Division 2

Offense

- James Langshaw had 13 catches for 164 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense

- Vincent Deziel made 4 tackles, had 1 pick which he ran back for 6 and he also picked off and ran back a 2point convert.

 

Division 3

Offense

- Will Power was 31 of 39 for 324 yards, 8 TDs, 1 1point convert and 1 2point convert.

Defense

- Rob White made 5 tackles, had 2 sacks and a pick.

 

Division 4

Offense

- Xavier Bonneau pulled in 11 passes for 119 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense

- Olivier St Onge made 6 tackles, had 2 picks and ran one back for a TD.

 

Division 5

Offense

- Katherine Blondin made 8 catches for 42 yards and 4 TDs.

Defense

- Benjamin Malette made 6 tackles and had 3 picks.

 

There are this week’s winners. Congratulations to you all and good luck to everyone trying to make my list over the next few weeks. Just remember if you ball out and put up great stats win, lose, or draw you have a chance to make the list.

Leagues
Montreal Flag Football League