Predictions and Power Rankings Week 2

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 2

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

So not far, so good. Two weeks down and I’m in the lead as I have won both weeks. It looks like all I needed to do was switch the batteries in my crystal ball and I started picking winners again. Last week I went 10 for 17 which isn’t great, but a win is a win and it brings my total up to 22 and 11 on the year. Realistically, I don’t really care that much if I win, but most of us on the media team want to see Will wearing patriot gear all day (ed’s note: I vote we make him do this regardless of who wins). If I lose, I have said I’d go get a stupid tattoo of all the other media team’s favourite teams on me, and we all know that the Cowboys and Dolphins both suck and I can’t do that to my body which is a shrine (ed’s note: he didn’t trash talk the Irish!). Fingers crossed I can keep on the winning ways. Now to my picks in bold like always.

 

Division 1

 

A-Team vs Centurions

I think A-Team is the better team and wanted to pick them, but I just feel that they can’t keep their composure and will lose because they can’t stay focused.

 

Gros Coqs vs Holy Trollers

With both teams coming off a bye week and Trollers yet to play a game, this was a hard choice to make. Knowing that Gros Coqs have had issues with players showing up and until they show they can all show up, it will always be an issue at least in my mind.

 

Division 2

 

Outlaws vs Tannantes

I was tempted to go with Tannantes in this onem but then remembered how good Steve and the Outlaws offense looked last week and couldn’t pick against them.

 

Marvels vs Iron Wolves

I think both teams have good rosters, but I feel that Marvels haven’t played this season and have a few weaker players that Jon will find and exploit.

 

Division 3

 

Average Joes vs Jagerbomb

I think this will be a great game to watch, but I just feel that with all the extra experience that Jagerbomb have it gives them the slight edge.

 

Panaches vs Bines

Panaches has had it hard up to this point in the season, but this week they get it done. Last week Panaches stayed with Joes most of the game and Joes are a better team than Bines.

 

Rawsauce vs Old School

I have to assume that last week was a fluke for RawSauce and that their QB Ludovic will be back. They get the win easily this week.

 

Manitoboys vs Idaho Udapimps

Idaho isn’t all about potato farming, these guys are here to play defense, put up lots of points, and win games and that’s what they will do this week.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs Bouchers NA

I don’t pick my own team games.

 

Black Diamonds vs Sour Peeps

This game could be turnover city and a lot of 3 and punts, but at the end of the day, Black Diamonds were able to find the endzone last week and Sour Peeps couldn’t.

 

GOATS vs Cereal Killers

Goats are an unknown team to me and having not played the first 2 weeks, I can’t expect them to beat a good team in Cereal Killers.

 

Super Friends vs Mustard Tigers

Tigers don’t care about friends and when they are hungry for wins will do what they need to. Super Friends struggled last week and playing an experienced team will struggle again this week.

 

Airborne vs Canal Club

I went with Airborne because I think they will be able to stop Francois from running wild and make him throw the ball.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Wizards du Groupe SG

Wizards just have better athletes and should be able to use that to their advantage this week.

 

Division 5

 

Cyclones vs Mimosa Crew

I want to go with Mimosa, but I just feel at some point Curren will get stopped running and be forced to throw. Plus, this week Cyclones are still a player or two short and that means they might get subs who could make an impact on the game.

 

Knight Triangles vs Drama Club

Drama Club should win with ease. They have more experience and Knight Triangles haven’t played a good team yet.

 

Les Remplacants vs Improbables

I just feel with the experience that Improbables has they have the advantage.

 

Heisenberg vs Titans

I think after a tough week 1 that Titans get it done. They seem to know what to do and where to be on defense.

 

There you have my picks for this week and I hope they are good. I had a hard time picking a few of the games and was going back and forth on them and ended up with these teams winning.

 

Power Rankings

 

It’s that time of the week where you can see if you have done enough over the past two weeks to make my rankings or stay in them if you were there before. I won’t keep you waiting any longer here is my list.

 

Division 1

#1- Outlaws

#2- Holy Trollers

#3- Centurions

 

Division 2

#1- Outlaws

#2- Iron Wolves

#3- Marvels

 

Division 3

#1- Jagerbomb

#2- Average Joes

#3- Thunder Buddies

#4- Idaho Udapimps

#5- Bines

 

Division 4

#1- Phoenix

#2- Mustard Tigers

#3- Cereal Killers

#4- Canal Club

#5- Sooners 45

 

Division 5

#1- Drama Club

#2- Knight Triangles

#3- Improbables

#4- Phoenix

#5- Mimosa Crew

 

This week I made a few changes from last week and I gave the boot to a few teams as well. It might take a few weeks for me to get my rankings correct, but right now it’s early in the year, so if you have won your games and keep winning you should eventually see your team up here. Right now, I have if based off if you have won and the roster that you have, but once more games are played it makes it easier for me to tell you where you rank.

 

Final Thoughts

 

We made it through a hot one this past week. This weekend we have another long day, but hopefully we get some clouds and a little bit of a breeze if it doesn’t rain at all (ed’s note: it should only rain towards the end of the day and not much, but it’s supposed to be really windy!). I know that Jon is still looking at get a second location and I will keep you posted once I hear something.

For a long time now the league has asked refs to look professional with shirts tucked in and black or white hats and I agree that we need this to be in place, but for some reason all the shirts I own for football have no sleeves and that’s the way it’s going to stay, plus I hate tan lines. I was also told years ago if I went and had the lines tattooed on me, I wouldn’t have to wear a shirt (ed’s note: no one ever said this, he’s trying to gaslight an entire league!), that was all lies and now because of health issues I won’t be able to do that.

As everyone know the refs are located in-between the fields and that is where we keep all our things. What people need to stop doing is if you are not refereeing, stop coming and hanging out, just because you play and are refereeing afterwards all this does is bring more people over. It gets me so mad when players say, “ya but I’m refereeing later”, that’s great that you are, but then at half you are there getting water which then brings your team with you so you can talk it just becomes to many people (ed’s note: it’s fine if you’re refereeing that day to be there all day, but teammates please keep to the other side of the fields).

Now with all that out of the way let’s all remember that we are playing a game and it’s for fun, so go out enjoy yourself, try not to get hurt or to hurt anyone else. Thank you and see all Saturday.

 

Word from the Mouth: It's Too Damn Hot! edition

Word from the Mouth: It's Too Damn Hot! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Anyone who was out there all-day Saturday and is still alive, congratulations on that. Last week when I wrote my article it was calling for rain and I can tell you I much I’d rather have the rain than it be 30 plus degrees outside with minimal breeze and no clouds. Anyone who saw me at the end of the day knows I was dead and I’m not joking about that. I almost had to go spend the night in the hospital after suffering heat stroke and not being able to keep any fluids down.

Other than almost dying it was a great way to lose some weight, it was a good 10 pounds easily.

I want to thank the people who took over my games at the end of the day and the ones who stuck around and did the takedown. I appreciate it and it would have taken me hours to do it.

I’m no weatherman, but the app on my phone is saying 28 this weekend with a 30% chance of rain. Let’s hope its cooler than last week.

 

Week 2

 

Division 1 Recap

 

Bitter Boys vs Centurions (27-32)

I picked Centurions to win, but I expected it to be by a bigger score. Bitter Boys were playing their first game of the season and Centurions just came off a big win the week before. When your first pass of the season is a pick 6 you, know that’s not a good sign. JS looked for the easy completion and Yves stepped in front and walked it into the endzone. It didn’t take long for JS to get that back as only a few plays later he hits Guillaume for a big score to tie it up. After giving up scores on Centurions next 2 drives, the game just seemed out of reach. Bitter Boys did end up making it close in the end by scoring a TD on the last play of the game. If it hadn’t been for the 3 picks by JS, Bitter Boys might have pulled off the upset. Maybe next time they will.

 

Division 2

 

Outlaws vs Nice TDs (36-18)

 

Like everyone that doesn’t play on Nice TDs, we knew this was going to be a hard game to watch since it was expected to be a blowout. When I saw that Kris was playing QB for nice TDs I knew that there were going to be issues, especially when you saw the roster. I know Kris started the game by throwing 2 straight picks and Jafar was giving him a hard time about it, but don’t worry, Jafar did his best Tua impersonation late in the game and boy was it ugly. With 15 minutes left in the game and being up 36-6 Steve pulled himself from the game and that is when Nice TDs started to make the game interesting. I won’t say Kris struggled, I would blame it on drops and possibly a bad call. Yes, I will admit that it might have been a catch, but from where I was, I am unable to make that call. Would it have made a difference? Maybe, but probably not. It was in the first half and Nice TDs could have done something, but Steve could have stayed in the game and put up 50 points if he wanted to. You know what the best part of this game was? Seeing Jaf complete his first 2 passes short and thinking he was unstoppable only to try and go deep and get picked by Francois who took it to the house. I’m not a fan of taunting, but I would have allowed in this case just because Jaf was pestering Kris early in the game.

 

Division 3

 

Jagerbomb vs Manitoboys (37-14)

 

It sucks when your big, tall rusher Jeremy isn’t there to face a QB who gets rid of the ball fast in Simon. Alex did a decent job of it, but he isn’t Jeremy. Leon opened the scoring by finding Alex on a what I want to say was a post route, but I could be mistaken. After that it was all Jagerbomb the rest of the way. Some players and teams only care about stats, but it’s not that with Jagerbomb. After opening the second half with a big completion and a quick dump off Simon and JF switched positions. It took JF all of 1 play on the ground to reach the endzone from 9 yards out. After Jagerbomb scored Leon put a very nice drive together spreading the ball all over and keeping the defense guessing where he was going with the ball. Watching the game, you had a feeling that Manitoboys was starting to come back, that was until the defense got back out there. JF hit Loic for a huge 42-yard gain and left them just short of the endzone. On the next play JF was able to get Loic into the endzone since he couldn’t make it an extra 3 yards the play before. Not all the life has been sucked out of Manitoboys and any shot at a comeback is down the drain. Both teams stalled out on their next drive and the game came to an end.

 

Panaches vs Average Joes (24-36)

 

This was a fun and exciting game to watch. Both QBs played fantastic and other than getting sacked once, the defenses were just there making tackles. I spoke with Felix and Amile before the game and they had mentioned that they had lost a few players from the winter season and that they were teaching a few new players the game. If that is the case and they were able to hang with the big dogs in week 2, what are they going to be like further down the line? When Panaches scored to tie it a 12 with 19 seconds left in the half you had to figure it was going to stay that way, Jason had other plans and 3 timeouts. Jason hits Nick for 8 yards, then Nick for 23 more yards and to cap it off hits the Gator fan Ryne for the score as time runs outs. Second half begins and Felix takes no time to tie it back up. Jason and Average Joes score twice unanswered to take a 30-18 lead. Panaches wasn’t done just yet and Felix knew he needed to score and score quickly he did. It was now up to the defense to make a stop and get them the ball back. Was Jason going to have one of his moments and blow it for his team? Not today at least. Jason milked every second of the play clock before the snap and slowly marched down for the score. With under a minute left and it being as hot as it was Panaches knew the game was over so they called it and went to cool off and relax.

 

Division 4

 

Super Friends vs Airborne (13-25)

 

Before the game I was asking Jacob why he and his brother left Flamingos, and this is what I was told. That they are all friends on both teams, but they are closer friends with the players on the new team. Everyone on the media team picked against Airborne and were we very wrong. You must wonder if Airborne has turned a corner or they were just playing a new team that didn’t know much about the game yet. Airborne looked like a good in this game. Guillaume was on point under center and on defense they were where they needed to be. After all these years, has Airborne figured out what works for them? Jacob looked off after not throwing since last year. Alex looked good running routes, but far too often Jacob had him running deep and wasn’t able to connect with him. Super Friends on the other hand need a bunch of work and I’m sure that Jacob and Alex will get this team in shape. Other than when Adam broke on the ball and picked it off and ran the field for a score, Super Friends were lost on defense. I missed the second half of this game, but was told nothing eventful happened. By this point in the day, it was 35 plus degrees in the sun, and no one wanted to be out there longer than they needed to be.

 

Wizards du Groupe SG vs Weakest Link (8-12)

 

I know very little about this game, but what I can tell you is that Marvin and his one arm was able to convince Jon to let him play. It might only be at QB, and he has never thrown before so it is new to him. Marvin might not be the best thrower in the division, but my bet would be that he is right up there as a runner. One arm Marv ran 6 time for 87 yards and 1 score. Marvin should be lucky my team already played his team because you know what happens to a deer when it gets hit by a tractor trailer, lights out. Even with Marvin playing, if he doesn’t play defense, I can’t see Weakest Link doing much damage. Wizards on the other hand have a ton of athletes that are still figuring the game out and once they do teams need to watch out for them. The first win is always the hardest and Marvin got his out of the way, how long before Remi gets his?

 

Division 5

 

Titans vs Phoenix (0-33)

 

This week Phoenix had a new player in Khalil who is the brother of Myriam. When we first brought him on, I was like great, we have a second safety, but then he wanted to rush. At first, I was a little sceptic of this since we already have a great rusher in Gab. The way Gab showed she was multi talented was very impressive. Gab ended the day with 2 picks with one run back for a score and a sack as well. Not to bad for the birthday girl playing out of her regular position. For Phoenix this was a good game where everyone contributed and there is still room to improve. Titans were playing there first game of the season and didn’t have their stud QB ben from last spring, so it was going to be a struggle for them. Steve had a hard day under center, it was a fast rush and was under constraint pressure. When he did have time to throw it was had to be short. At one point he took a deep shot against me where Matteo had a step on me, but Steve threw it so far out of bounds that there was no way it was ever going to be caught. If I had been Steve, I would have tried it again at least once. The first half was dominated by Phoenix and the second half was just played with nothing exciting happening.

 

Heisenberg vs Knight Triangles (7-13)

 

I know very little about this game other than Heisenberg needing a few spares, so Simon and Yann were there helping and were the only reason why Heisenberg got on the score board. After the performance Knight Triangles had last week, everyone was ready to put them as one of the favorites to win it all. Well after this week those expectations have dropped dramatically. Knight Triangles couldn’t do much on the ground or through the air. On defense they managed to get 3 picks and a sack, but this was against a will little to no experience player at QB. All the scoring was done on 3 consecutive drives. The first by Knight to end the half, followed by Knight starting with the ball in the second half and then Yann went QB for Heisenberg and marched them down to score. Other than those 3 drives the game was slow boring and nothing exciting happening. This is what you expect to see in D5 early in the season.

 

There you have it, this week’s wrap up or at least from my side. You should tune in to Terry and Will on MFL Access to see what they have to say about what they say out there this weekend. The leagues podcast which goes up on Wednesday and you can catch it on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.

 

Player of the Week

 

Last week I talked about giving a prize to the winner like I did in the fall and what I have come up with is one prize for the entire league. That means if you win my player of the week your name will get entered a draw with everyone else that has one and I will pick a random name from a hat to see who one. You can only get nominated for the highest division you play in and yes if you get more than 1 nomination your name goes in more than once. Here are this week’s winners.

 

Division 1

Offense

- Guillaume Roberts pulled in 8 passes for 117 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

- Felix Bergeron made 4 tackles and had 3 sacks.

 

Division 2

Offense

- David Gutkovsky went 6 of 9 for 35 yards, ran once for 5 yards, caught 5 passes for 59 yards and 1 TD.

Defense

- Francois Rochette made 4 tackles, 2 picks and returned 1 for a TD.

 

Division 3

Offense

- JF Daloze went 5 of 11 for 63 yards and 1 TD. JF also ran 4 times for 21 yards and a TD, he also caught 4 passes for 19 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense

- Victor Okoro made 7 tackles and had 4 sacks.

 

Division 4

Offense

- Steve Morisseau made 6 catches for 142 yards and 4 TDs and 1 1point convert.

Defense

- Caio Brayner had 3 picks and returned all 3 for TDs.

 

Division 5

Offense

- Lakshmi Sharma grabbed 5 passes for 59 yards, 1 TD and 1 2point convert.

Defense

- Gabrielle Chaput made 3 tackles, 1 sack 2 picks and returned 1 for a TD all on her birthday.

 

Those are my picks for this week’s players of the week. Congratulations to all the winners this week, and for those who didn’t make it better luck next week.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 1

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 1

Kevin Kousaie

Pre-article ed’s note #2: Terry and Will wanted me to remind everyone that the podcast has started up once again and you can find it wherever you listen to or watch podcasts!

 

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=798924008158842

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/CWhWEhtLbFo

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/show/30dyKSfiCtpBZkYcdqdrjv

 

You can also find them on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Pocket Casts and RadioPublic!

 

Okay, on to Kevin’s predictions!

 

Predictions

 

Last week my crystal ball was firing on all cylinders (ed’s note: the mixed metaphors are making me dizzy!) and helped me go 12 of 16 for 75%. I know its early in the year, but those are always the hardest weeks, especially when you don’t know all the teams. We are still trying to figure out a punishment for the loser and just like I predicted it was Will after week 1. I’m a little disappointed in Will, he seemed so knowledgeable on the Podcast this past week. I only found out afterwards that Terry gave him a few pointers beforehand and that was the only reason. This week I plan on keeping my lead with another round of fantastic picks. Here are my picks and like always they are in bold.

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Centurions

Centurions are the better team, and I just can’t see Bitter Boys being able to keep it a close game. Plus, Centurions have asked Marvin to come out and be their honorary Captain for the coin toss.

 

Division 2

 

Outlaws vs Nice TDs

Outlaws all day in this one. Picking against Nice TDs is an easy choice to make they don’t have the players to keep up with Outlaws or the scheme to confuse Steve.

 

Redzone vs Tannantes

After the way both these team performed last week Redzone was the easy pick. I also assume that the rest of their team will be here this week.

 

Division 3

 

Thunder Buddies vs Chiefs

This roster is just way too strong, and Terry has gotten better over the winter.

 

Jagerbomb vs Manitoboys

Jagerbomb weren’t challenged last week, but this week they will be in a much closer game. I also think Leon a few more weeks with this team before they start rolling.

 

Iron Wolves vs Bines

I just feel that Bines without Simon under center just aren’t the same team and make too many mistakes. Jon should be able to pick their defense apart by slowly working the field.

 

Old School vs Jackrabbits

I saw Old School play last week and they didn’t look good and with the team that Jackrabbits has they should be able to win this game though it will be close.

 

Panaches vs Average Joes

In a rematch of the winter finals, Average Joes walk away with the win again in this one. Average Joes are back to being the team they were last season, and I just can’t see Panaches being able to handle all of it.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs RawSauce

I wanted to go RawSauce, but I just don’t know how they can make that happen. RawSauce has a few good players, but I think Idaho has the more complete roster.

 

Division 4

 

Black Diamonds vs Bouchers

I think that after playing together all winter they will be more in sync in this game than Bouchers.

 

Sour Peeps vs Sooners 45

They are younger faster and played this past weekend and will have the advantage.

 

Canal Club vs Flamboyant Flamingos

I think losing their 2 best players will really hurt Flamingos at least in the beginning of the year, so I went with Canal Club who were able to win last week.

 

Super Friends vs Airborne

Morin brothers.

 

Wizards du Groupe SG vs Free Agent #2

They are way more athletic and seem to have a little more football knowledge.

 

Cereal Killers vs Mustard Tigers

I just can’t see the old men keeping up with the young kids in this game. Don’t be surprised to see a few oxygen tanks on the sideline after the game.

 

Division 5

 

Titans vs Phoenix 5 NA

I don’t pick my team games.

 

Los Pollitos vs Mimosa Crew

I’m not sure why I went with Mimosa in this one, maybe it has to do with Samuel only being 1 man and not being able to do it all.

 

Heisenberg vs Knight Triangles

Just have a feeling they are the stronger team and should be able to do what they want in this game.

 

Those are this week’s picks, or at least mine. Terry and Will should be doing theirs live on the Podcast so you will have already seen theirs by the time this section of my article is out to the public.

 

Power Rankings

 

In case you are new to the league this is where I get to rank the teams or at least the top 3 teams in division 1 & 2 and top 5 for divisions 3, 4 & 5. I base my picks on how I see the teams, not necessarily by how the stands are. With us only playing 1 week I won’t have to explain why I placed the teams where I did, either I like the way you performed week 1 and you might make my list or I didn’t and you didn’t make the list. 

 

Division 1

#1- Outlaws

#2- Holy Trollers

#3- Centurions

 

Division 2

#1- Redzone

#2- Outlaws

#3- Iron Wolves

 

Division 3

#1- Thunder Buddies

#2- Average Joes

#3- Jagerbomb

#4- Idaho Udapimps

#5- Manitoboys

 

Division 4

#1- Phoenix

#2- Cereal Killers

#3- Mustard Tigers

#4- Black Diamonds

#5- Super Friends

 

Division 5

#1- Drama Club

#2- Knight Triangles

#3- Improbables

#4- Remplacants

#5- Phoenix

 

There you have it, rankings after week 1. I know they aren’t perfect, but as the weeks go by they will get more accurate once everyone has played a few games.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Let me start by saying that moving forward players are not allowed in-between the fields. If you need to make it to one of the other fields go around the outside. If you or your team needs flags and pinnies, please only send 1 person to collect them, we don’t want the whole team to collect something that 1 person should be able to carry by themselves. That includes players who are refs and not working, you need to stay away (ed’s note: you would never think it was so hard to keep people away from Kevin!).

I hope every had fun week one, but this week there might be a chance of rain and it won’t be so fun (ed’s note: does not look like rain, but it will be very hot!).

For all the new teams that struggled its normal for that to happen it takes time to get the hang of it. I know that I spoke to a few teams and gave them a few pointers, but I’m surprised that more teams weren’t looking for advice or some help. Just remember most players in the league are willing to give advice and help the new players and teams.

We want to see everyone succeed and continue to play for years and years. At the end of the day, we are all out here to have fun and get some exercise. No one, and I mean no one, is getting called up to play in the NFL or CFL anytime in the near future so go out, have fun, and be safe.

Word from the Mouth: The Mouth Gets Told! edition

Word from the Mouth: The Mouth Gets Told! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Pre-article ed’s note: As Kevin mentioned that Meissa made some trash talk post game during the winter players, Meissa has asked for me to add this statement from him.

In response to the defamatory and untrue statements made last week by Kevin about our discussion following the Winter D1 Finals, I would like to rectify that in no way or shape did I minimize nor undermine the opposing teams for whom I have the utmost respect. The sole target of my banter and mockery was Kevin who is deservedly known as the “Hater-in-Chief” of the league. My dear Kevin, as the ancestors would say: “Don’t hate the player, hate the game!”

Kevin has been put in his place, so on to the article!

 

Week 1 is in the bag and just 11 more weeks until playoffs. This week if you played at 9:30 you played on a decent field, but as the day went along the field got worse and worse. As you read this Terry is in contact with the city about getting a second field near Le Ber. If that doesn’t pan out, Jon will need to find somewhere to play. Jon has been in talks with the city about fixing up where we play now, but like any government, it is a slow process.

With it being week 1 we saw lots of sloppy play from teams and some teams won big and looked good, but then you have to look and see who they were playing against to see if that was a fair assessment. In a few weeks we will know more about where teams stand, but right now it’s too early to tell. Plus, some teams haven’t even played a game yet.

 

Week 1 Recap

 

With Terry and Will doing a weekly podcast, covering all the games just doesn’t seem plausible and I have to leave games for them to cover as well. Plus, with so many games going on each week I can’t see them all. I will only be covering 2 games per division per week, and I will try to get every team covered at least once over the next 12 weeks.

 

Division 1

 

D1 this week only had 2 games and in one of those games Terry was facing Will, so I’ll leave that to them and in the other matchup between Centurions and Gros Coqs, Will was there live seeing what was going on and should know more about the game than I do, but it is Will, so you never know.

 

Division 2

 

Redzone vs Nice TDs (41-7)

 

What do I say about this game? Redzone were missing a few stud players from last year’s team and were still able to score at will and made it look easy. Last year Redzone was plagued by big drops in key situations, but this week Mike was all smiles as his team caught nearly everything thrown at them. Kris “I’m always willing to sub” Hope ended up subbing for Redzone since they were only 6 and Mike doesn’t play defense. Kris made his presence felt by picking off 2 passes against the team he used to QB for. As for Nice TDs, what were they thinking trying to go play in D2, especially with this roster? Other than Francois and Thomas, they really don’t have anyone that can keep up with the players in the division. I know the long game is for them to get into D2, but you have to build a team that can compete or you will have lots of games like this one. Nice TDs is trying to break in a new QB in Eric, but they really should have gone D3 at least this season.

 

Division 3

 

Old School vs Manitoboys (12-14)

 

This game looked like it should be a complete blowout and turned out to be a struggle for both teams. Dahic was stuck behind a train and was running late. With Old School only being 6 players with Dahic, Roxanne stepped in and helped her old team. It looks like Manitoboys have found their new QB moving forward in Leon. It took Leon a while to get going with his new team and it will be a work in progress, but at times he did look good. I was able to talk with a few players from Manitoboys and they all seem to think Leon will be a good fit with them, he has loads of experience and spreads the ball all over the field. Dahic also needed a few drives to bang off the rust. Both teams were able to punch one in before half. The way Old School scored on the last play of the half, I’m not sure how this happened. Jo looked to pick the ball off then it just looked as if the ball falls out of his hands right into the hands of Max. It wasn’t like it was seconds later it was almost right away, so it was ruled a TD. Second half more of the same as the teams struggled moving the ball, but each team found the endzone once to make it a 12 all game. Then the play that won the game for Manitoboys was when Jeremy sacks Dahic with just over 5 minutes left and gives his team the ball back. Neither team did anything offensively after that.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Panaches (31-12)

 

For the third time in 3 weeks these teams end up playing against one another, and Panaches are up 2-0 going in. This time Idaho decided to bring a full team with them after struggling all winter to get guys out to play because of injuries. Idaho went out and did some recruiting and showed up with 10 out of 11 players for this one. I was joking with Amile before the game that they could just forfeit the game and they would still hold the advantage in head-to-head, but its week 1 and no one wants to lose week 1. This game wasn’t even close as Idaho took control and dominated in the first half though in the second half Panaches was able to get going, but every time they did Idaho responded with a score of their own. With Brady having a full roster and more than just Kyle to throw to, he was able to pick apart the Panaches defense. The one play that I remember about this game was a pass that was incomplete. The ball was thrown up and it looked like there was no way this ball is going to be caught but somehow Calvin was able to catch it over his shoulder, but was only able to get one foot in. There were a few of us that were all there seeing this happen and were like, how? Let me tell you Calvin is a big guy and might be a great player, but at first look doesn’t look like much. Teams are going to be surprised by the skillset this guy has.

 

Division 4

 

Free Agent #2 vs Phoenix (0-22)

 

In this game you could see all the struggles happening right in front of your eyes. Steve was playing QB for Free Agents and that’s not his possession. With it being their first game playing together you knew that it would take some time to get it figured out. They did happen to make a few plays on defense by getting 3 picks and 5 sacks, but offensively they had nothing going. Phoenix also had a long day and a bunch of struggles as well. Let me start by saying it all starts with a good snap and this weekend I didn’t get many of them, they were either high and floating or low and away from me. That lead to most of our struggles on offense, it set the timing off and led to defenders being able to undercut the routes or allowed the rusher to get right up on me before I could read the defense. Phoenix played decently on defense, but against a better team they need to capitalize on picking the ball off when they have the chance and not batting it away. Both teams are a work in progress. I think Phoenix will have an easier time fixing their issues than Free Agents, but you never know.

 

Cereal Killers vs Wizards du Groupe SC (20-6)

 

Where should I start in this one? Last time I saw Cereal Killers they had a different center who has been replaced with Matthew who must have the hardest snaps in the division, if not the league. They were coming in fast hard and high, but George didn’t have any issues with them so that’s good, but wait until its wet and raining and then we will see. At no point in this game was I worried Cereal Killers weren’t going to win. Wizards ran some weird formations like when they scored their only TD of the game, they had 4 of 5 receivers in the backfield and only 1 player ran a route and yet somehow, he came down with the ball with 3 defenders all around him. Wizards have talent, they just need to figure the game out. On almost every play they had someone in the backfield which doesn’t make much sense since you can only run every second play and you lose a receiver this way. I was able to speak with their QB Remi after the game and let him know that they have talent, but that he should just try and simplify thinks until the team gets a better understanding of the game and he feels more comfortable with the team.

 

Division 5

 

Drama Club vs Phoenix (20-6)

 

The score might seem close, but the game really wasn’t at all. Phoenix couldn’t move the ball against a team of veteran players and their only score came on a pick 6 from Vince at the end of the game. For Phoenix we just weren’t in the game, routes were being ran at wrong depth or they were being delayed instead of going right away. It will take time to iron out the kinks, but we will get it done. For Drama Club their offense is ok, but they have a top defense that just smothered us all game long. They don’t miss tackles and have players in the right positions jumping routes all day long. On offense they have players that know what they are doing and where to be this is why they should be the top team in the division, even though they should have been in D4 not D5. They can make the argument all day long about how last year they were getting beat every game and that might be true, but that was last year, and this is this year. It also helps that Simon is an experienced QB playing with players he knows and has played with before.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Hard Target (14-6)

 

Hard Target were without their QB and their jerseys, so Iggy stepped up and filled the QB spot for them. Once I saw Iggy going to play QB for them I thought it was going to be an easy win for Hard Target, boy was I surprised. Iggy struggled all day long getting picked off 3 times by 3 different defenders. With Hard Target being a new team, it will take some time to learn how to run proper routes and where they are expected to be on defense. Iggy threw some nice balls that just went off the receivers’ hands, but I feel that a few weeks from now after a few more games they will be catching everything throw their way. Mimosa Crew, who are back from last year and took their lumps then, looked decent this week. Curren is back at QB and healthy this time and you could tell by the extra pep in his step when he was running all afternoon. If Curren wants to be considered a QB he will eventually have to get more completions and passing yards, then rush attempts and running yards. Sorry, my mistake, Curren you had 1 more pass attempt and 1 more yard through the air then on the ground. Both teams did just fine for week 1, but they both could use some work as well and the only way to get that is to play games. I want to point out that we are here for fun and exercise and pushing and shoving is not acceptable so keep it clean.

 

There you have my recaps from week 1, hope you enjoy, and I will see most of you this weekend.

 

Player of the Week

 

Last fall I only picked 1 player per division and then over the winter season I picked players that performed well in each game. I figure this season I’ll just pick 1 player on each side of the ball, this way you get more of a chance to make my list. Let me also point out that if you play in multiple divisions, you can only get my vote for the highest division you play in unless you are playing a different position. I haven’t decided if I should do some sort of prize like in the winter, but I will think about it and see what I come up with. Stay tuned and see what I come up with by next week.

 

Division 1

Offense

- David Gutkovsky only had 5 catches for 25 yards, but found the endzone 3 times this week.

Defense

- Xavier Collette made 2 tackles and had 3 picks in a closely fought game.

 

Division 2

Offense

- Michael Roy completed 25 of 29 passes for 251 yards, 6 TDs, 3 1point converts and he threw 1 pick. He also ran once for 7 yards.

Defense

- Antoine Saint-Amant Proux made 4 tackles and had 2 sacks not bad for week 1.

 

Division 3

Offense

- Felix Fontaine Larouche grabed 5 balls for 67 yards and 3 TDs.

Defense

- Nick Egley only had 2 picks this week.

 

Division 4

Offense

- Matthew Iuliano made 10 catches for 56 yards and 1 TD. Those numbers eye popping, but for a center that size to make some of the catches he did, its pretty impressive.

Defense

- Gavin Drohan in his first game ever in MFL picked off 2 passes, not bad for a rookie. If he keeps up that pace all season Steve might bring him to the Outlaws in the fall.

 

Division 5

Offense

- William Braun was 14 of 21 for 136 yards, 6 TDs, 2 1point convert and threw 1 pick. He also ran twice for 22 yards.

Defense

- Mickael Carreau made 3 picks and ran 1 back for 6 points.

 

There you have it, my week 1 picks for player of the week. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen your name up here yet, it’s only week one which means you still have 9 more games to show that you are player of the week material.

Word from the Mouth: Drama with Drama Club! edition

Word from the Mouth: Drama with Drama Club! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Last week we wrapped up our winter season and with no time off we will begin the spring season this week. This year we are finally starting when we would normally start, but the last two years we had to deal with covid and only started late June early July.

I’m glad we are starting earlier this year; it means once it gets really hot a few of us will be used to being out all day. Most of you only need to show up before your games and that’s lucky for you, Jon, Terry, and myself are there most of the day.

I’m at the field for almost 12 hours every week, it just depends on how many fields I set up and how many time slots we have. This year we have lost a few teams that have played for a few seasons and have replaced them with a few new ones. I think we have 50 teams in the league this year, spread over 5 divisions. (ed’s note: we do!)

 

Season Preview

 

With so many teams to write about I’m just going to write a line or two about what I expect to see from this team this season.

 

Division 1

 

A Team- Solid roster that might take some time to gel, but should be in most of their games.

 

Bitter Boys- They will struggle again this season not because of talent, but because of speed, athleticism, and endurance.

 

Outlaws- Even without one armed Marvin they should be the team to beat in the division.

 

Holy Trollers- I see them having a hard time finding a replacement for JC and his productivity.

 

Centurions- This is a good roster and a great defensive team. The issue is if their QB Gabriel is good enough to get it done.

 

Gros Coqs- I never count Dom out, but this season they have a 12 player roster which will hurt them if they all show up. Who am I kidding? That will never happen.  This team is loaded and should compete for the top spot in the division and replace Trollers as Outlaws biggest threat.

 

Division 2

 

Iron Wolves- Middle of the pack, the roster isn’t over the top, but any team that has Jon under center always finds a way to win games they shouldn’t.

 

Team Max- Offense won’t be this team’s issue, the defense will be. Max has built a strong team that will need someone to step up and take charge of the defense.

 

Les Tannantes- This is pretty much the same team as last season and shouldn’t have any issues making the playoffs.

 

Nice TDs- This team is going to struggle each and every week, they are not built to be in this division at least not yet.

 

Redzone- If the team has figured out how to catch the ball in the off season, then look for them to be near the top of the standings.

 

Division 3

 

Average Joes- The Hype train will be in full effect this season and after getting a taste of winning (winter season) expect to see them dominating teams to try and get back to another title.

 

Iron Wolves- This team is very strong, and it will just be a matter of Jon trusting some of those new guys in key situations that will determine how the season ends up for them.

 

Old School- This will be a tough season for them, they just don’t have the athletes that most of the other teams in the division do. If they go 5-5 I would consider that a fantastic season for them.

 

Thunder Buddies- With the roster Terry has put together if they don’t win it all, it’s got to be a failed season, at least in my eyes.

 

Chiefs- The addition of Jeremy will help them a lot, but it still won’t be enough to get them over 500. They will struggle against the better teams and narrowly beat the teams they should beat.

 

RawSauce- This is a good roster, but will need more than just Yves to make plays. They might have the best rusher in the division in Antoine, so QBs watch out.

 

Panaches- This team balled out in the winter and going into the spring I want to say I see the same happening, but I can’t bring myself to do it. With the thinner field Felix won’t have all that empty space to throw the ball into so I can see him struggling a little which means the team will also.

 

Manitoboys- I want to say they will be fine, but I see them or at least Gabe struggling until he gets use to the field size. They also moved up a division and will be facing better teams each week.

 

Bines- They have good players on both sides of the ball just need more consistency for the QB position. David was hit or miss in the winter season and expect the same in the spring.

 

Idaho Udapimps- I hope by now they are all healed up, if not expect to see them struggle every week. Just to field a team might be hard for them, but when they are a full squad they are a team to watch out for.

 

Jackrabbits- This might just turn into the Nico and JC show. They have a few solid players, but week in and week out I can see them struggling to get stops on defense.

 

Jagerbombs- Not sure how I feel about this team last year they were so-so at best until the playoffs where they turned it up. If the team from last years playoffs shows up expect to see them have an easy time if the team from the season shows up, they will be fine but nothing special.

 

Division 4

 

Sour Peeps- With Mario under center and a bunch of new players they will struggle early in the year, but by the end win a few games.

 

Sooners 45- If these are the same guys from a few years ago I expect struggles until they find a QB and don’t run the same trick plays they ran last time. (ed’s note: they were literally 15 years old and younger last time and it’s been 5 years and I’m assuming they’ll have changed!)

 

FA #2- This is a team put together by the league and other than Steve and Melissa I know nothing about them. They most likely will struggle most of the season.

 

Phoenix- This is a roster that has loads of talent along with experience. If this team shows up to play each week to play, they will be very hard to beat.

 

Bouchers- This roster is so big that even though they are here for fun will struggle to find chemistry and a role for each player.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos- With them losing their 2 best players from a few seasons ago, don’t be surprised when you see this team become a mid-level team at best.

 

Cereal Killers- Last time I saw them play they weren’t horrible they were just all over the place and unless they gained loads more of experience they will need to depend on their athleticism and find a QB.

 

Wizards du Groupe SG- This is a new team that could be really good, really bad or somewhere in-between (ed’s note: ooh, hot take!). They came in as a team, so I must hope they have some football knowledge, but flag is a totally different game and takes time to learn the rules and get used to.

 

Super Friends- After the Morin Brothers they are all new. I have to assume that Alex and Jacob are bringing in friends that are here to have fun. I can see them taking a week or two to get going, but once they do don’t be surprised if they win a bunch of games.

 

Mustard Tigers- This team has tons of experience and will be ok if Brian plays his game and doesn’t make too many mistakes.

 

The GOATS- Let me start by saying that if the logo isn’t a picture of Steve, is it the real GOAT? This is a new team that I know nothing about or anyone on the roster, so expect struggles early on.

 

Canal Club- This is one big roster and for a new team learning the game, I can see lots of struggling all season long.

 

Airborne- This team on paper look great and should be able to compete in most games, but that is on paper and won’t happen. Guillaume tries too hard and makes thing more complicated than they need to be. They should make playoffs, but as a midlevel team at best.

 

Black Diamonds- Last winters champs are coming to play in the spring. They have lots of talent, but I’m not sure who will be playing QB for them this season. Once they figure that out, they will be fine.

 

Division 5

 

Phoenix- This team is a mix of new players and old players and it is made up of 4 women and 4 guys, but with the experience they have they should be fine.

 

Mimosa Crew- Last year was their first year playing and they were a lot better at the end of the season and this year I feel if they keep improving, they should be able to surprise a few teams.

 

Los Pollitos- Last year they kept making changes at QB. This year they need to stick with one person and they will be ok, but not great, but as long as they are having fun they wont really care.

 

Buck- This is a team made up of Rosalie and some of here friends. They will have a hard time this season, but will get better each week. They are young and athletic, just need to figure the game out.

 

FA #1- This team is still missing players and will need help along the way if they want a chance to win a few games this season.

 

FA #2- Other than Mike, I know no one or nothing about this team. I see a long season a head for these guys.

 

FA #3- An all-new team that unless they have a few good players will take time to learn the game and win a few games.

 

Drama Club- This is a team that is getting away with murder by circumventing the cap (ed’s note: I think The Mouth is grumpy about this!). They have 4 D2 players on the roster and everyone has played in the league before and should have had to go up to D4 at least.

 

Hard Target- Jon (ed’s note: Jon Lavoie) has brought in a few friends with Patricia and will have fun, but against the better teams will struggle.

 

Improblables- Last year they were put in D3 and got beat up most of the season. This season they are in D5 and should be just fine.

 

Knights Triangle- Tyler has spread his wings from Mustard Tigers and made his own team. I think they will be fine once they figure out who their QB will be.

 

Titans- This year they won’t have Ben on the team so it will be a different game for them now that they all need to step up. I think they will be fine if they get decent QB play.

 

There you have my assessments of each team. I know some of them will be off, but I bet I nailed a few of them right on the head.

 

Predictions

 

Let me start by telling you that the season is made up of 12 weeks and each team plays 10 games. That means everyone gets 2 bye weeks. So ,don’t be surprised not to see your team up here every week. The last two seasons the media team and Jon have been making our picks and have put money on the line. The first season Terry won by 1 game and last fall I won by a few games so it has always been close for whoever won, this year I have suggested that the loser has some sort of punishment that we haven’t figured out yet, but we will. I think I might put up a post on the Facebook group and see what you guys want to see happen to the loser. Here are my picks and like always they will be in bold.

 

Division 1

 

Gros Coqs vs Centurions

I’m just not sure who will show up this week for Gros Coqs plus I like the size advantage Centurions have.

 

Outlaws vs A Team

I wont pick against last years champs at least until I see that they are vulnerable.

 

Division 2

 

Redzone vs Nice TDs

Mike is going to find the weak point of this defense and just eat them alive all game long.

 

Tannantes vs Iron Wolves

Phil is probably the best player on the field, but Jon is the smarter QB and he finds a way to keep it close and win on the last possession of the game.

 

Division 3

Old School vs Manitoboys

I think they have the better roster from top to bottom and Dahic will have a hard time trying to get guys open in this one.

 

Jackrabbits vs Jagerbomb

I think it will be close, but I think Jagerbomb have the more complete roster.

 

Iron Wolves vs Chiefs

Jon has built a good team here and I’m not sure Chiefs are even going to be close in this one.

 

RawSauce vs Average Joes

I went Joes, but if Antoine can get after Jason and make him throw early RawSauce can pull off the upset.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Panaches

I just saw this game last week, so I expect the same this time around as well.

 

Free Agent vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my team games.

 

Sooners 45 vs Canal Club

Only because I have seen them play before and have no clue who Canal Club is.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Airborne

They seem to be more organized in the past. They have always said the beer tastes better after a win. And that’s why they are here to drink beer and get away from the family, except in Tom’s case when he brings his son with him.

 

Cereal Killers vs Wizards du Groupe SG

I think they have more experience and that will be huge in this game and I have also seen them play before.

 

Division 5

 

Bucks vs Improbables

I went with the team that has more experience.

 

Phoenix vs Drama Club NA

I don’t pick my team games.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Hard Target

This was hard for me to pick, but I think Mimosa Crew get it done in this one. And their number 1 fan might be there cheering them on along the sideline.

 

Free agent 2 vs Free agent 3

Not knowing anything about either team, so I flipped a coin and it said to go with Free Agent 3, so I did.

 

Knights Triangle vs Los Pollitos

This game might not be pretty, but at some point, it will end and when it does Knights Triangle will be on top.

 

There you have it, my picks for the week, and you may have noticed that I don’t pick my own team games and neither will anyone else making picks, since you’re always going to pick your team to win right (ed’s note: if we were allowed to pick our own games, I would 100% take a dive in every game to get those sweet, sweet Pick ‘em Points!).

 

Final Thoughts

 

I want to point out that this is week one, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t all work out right from the start for you or your team. We have a bunch of new teams and new players this season, so for all you first timers or guys with little experience you can always ask questions to some of the older guys who have been around for a while. we are all more than willing to help you out and give you some direction.

You also might want to come early or stay after your game and watch some of the other teams playing to get a better understanding of what you need to do. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask, we don’t bite or at least not all of us do. I will have a few printouts with me on Saturday about defense and basic routes so if you come see me, I’m sure I can hook you up with a copy.

That is pretty much it for the week, so go out, have fun, and remember it’s a game, so don’t kill anyone while you are out there, please. Thank you and good luck to all.

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
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Aces Flag Football