Word from the Mouth: Dancing in the Dark! edition

Word from the Mouth: Dancing in the Dark! edition

Kevin Kousaie

This week was Halloween and I hope everyone with young children took them out and that they had fun and got lots of candy.

It looks like the MFL has found a new home at Rosemont College for the remainder of the season. This week we played two games there and 2 games across the street at Sainte-Bernadette. The only issue we had with the two locations was players having games at one field and then having to walk over to the other field, it was the same with the refs.

This week we will have all four at the college.

This was also the first time that we played a game in the dark or at least with very poor lighting (ed’s note: it was actually a really fun game!). That was the only time it will happen as this week we have a full schedule of games starting at 8am and last game at 330pm. We should be done by 5pm and home by 630 at the latest or at least I will be. (ed’s note: this is very useful information for people who are stalking Kevin and useless information for anyone else)

Another thing that needs to be brought up is that captains need to do a better job with their rosters and who is eligible to play and who isn’t. Just because the player is on your roster doesn’t mean they can play in any game. We ended up having a few teams that won games, but broke the rules and had their games overturned and now that win is a loss. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but with teams all battling for the playoffs, teams shouldn’t be getting an advantage.

Initially it was supposed to rain all day this past Saturday and it only drizzled for a few moments, which was great for Saturday games. Sunday wasn’t the same. I had a game in the morning then headed over to Brossard for the finals. Let me tell you being the third ref and having to stand in the field of play wasn’t pretty, I stood in two to three inches of water all game long (ed’s note: it was worse on the sidelines, ya big baby). The best thing about being there on Sunday was seeing Nico doing his best ballerina impersonation, it was great making the rusher slide right by him and then completing the pass.

 

Weekly Recap

 

Division 1

 

Holy Trollers vs Gros Coqs (39-15)

 

This was supposed to be a great game on paper with all the history between them. Both teams stated out well exchanging scores on their first possessions and then it slowly fell apart for Gros Coqs, who again were only 3 or 4 roster players. After both teams had the ball Trollers started to pull away and nothing Gros Coqs did seemed to work. We did a quick half and it looked like Gros Coqs talked and figured out how to move the ball and scoring to open up the second half. Trollers were like, ok you scored, and they went down and punched it in again to take a 33-15 lead. At this point the game was all but over for Gros Coqs, they weren’t able to get a stop on defense. On the next possession Dom ended up throwing a pick to Phil who ran it in for a score and then Gros Coqs called the game with 10:30 left. I know Trollers weren’t happy about that, since they wanted to practice more (run up score and get stats). As a player I wouldn’t be too happy about it either, but really the game was already over, and Dom had somewhere to be right after the game so I don’t blame them for ending it. Not cool, but I understand why.

 

Division 2

 

D#Nasty vs Tannantes (32-54)

 

This game was all offense very little defense. Tannantes had a QB subbing this week and he was very good. He made a throw where Phil was covered tight and he placed the ball low and inside and Phil running full sped in stride reaches out and grabs the ball as he goes the rest of the way for the score. I look at defender, he looks at me and I go next time be closer to him and by that, I mean all over him. The defender had no chance at that ball or even trying to defend it. I asked Fred after that throw where he had played before and he told me a bunch of places and the Carabins were one of those places, but he added that he was the backup QB only. That wasn’t his only amazing throw of the day as he hit Simon on a deep route that was between two defenders and Simon only needed to put his hands up as the ball hit him perfectly and looked like a hard catch, but Simon said he made no adjustments the ball was just there. Any other week D#Nasty wins this game. Everyone on the team played lights out on offense, on defense they could have played a little better a few dropped picks, but really it was a good game for D#Nasty even though they lost.

 

Vultures vs Redzone (43-32)

 

I know very little about this game, but from what I heard it was poor converts from Redzone and the pick before half and then the score on last play of half from Vultures was what decided the game. When I was picking up after their game, I asked Ben if they won and he looks at me and goes what kind of question is that. Then said to ask him a real question, of course they won. For the last few weeks Vultures have been giving teams trouble and are now in a position to make a run in the playoffs.

 

Division 3

 

RawSauce vs Mustard Tigers (19-25)

 

I was playing at the same time as this game and I only saw a few things from it. RawSauce were without their QB so Alexander stepped in and did a decent job. I also want to know how Antoine made the catch along the sideline and fully extended out of bounds and was able to keep his feet in. I tried to remind Antoine that rushers aren’t supposed to have hands like that. Last thing about RawSauce, how or why was Yves on the bench for what seemed like half the game? For Mustard Tigers how are you going to replace Jie since he is done for the season to allow his injuries to heal up? I wonder if that is what Mustard Tigers are telling me or did Jie enjoy Ottawa so much he decided to stay for an extended period of time.

 

Iron Wolves vs Flamboyant Flamingos (19-20)

 

Let me start by saying we all hope that Chris heals up fast and that you didn’t get hurt too badly. Also, this was the first time we played a late game with no lights. Jon didn’t throw and he let Iggy take a shot and Iggy did a good job, ball placement was nice, he had good zip on the ball and made good reads. Flamingos were playing for Chris after he got hurt and every time they made a play they would scream this is for Chris. I didn’t see many big plays or memorable plays from the first half and once the second half started it was getting dark and everything was short, and teams had to drive the field to score. After surrendering the lead with 2 minutes left Iron Wolves had the ball with a chance to go down and win the game. Iron wolves got the ball all the way into the red zone with time for two plays the first one was knocked away by Brandon and on the last play Iggy threw it up to Marvin running a corner route. Marvin went up and came down with his toes on the line. I know I might bust Marvin’s balls all the time, but the guy has some great hand eye coordination. How was he even able to see that ball coming in yet alone catch it. If I had just rounded off the back goal line, he would have been the hero, and everyone would have carried I’m off on their shoulders. I know for that to happen we would have needed the fans to be chanting “Marvin, Marvin” so he could feel like Rudy.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs Manitoboys (26-25) OT

 

This ended up being a great game, but it didn’t start that way. At least not for Phoenix. I threw a pick on Phoenix’s first possession right into the hands of Richie rich. Manitoboys were able to score easily with the short field. That was all the offense or at least scoring from Manitoboys in the first half. I was able to lead Phoenix on scoring drives their next two possessions. Manitoboys got very lucky right before half when I beat their rusher, rolled to the left, was about to take off running and saw one of my teammates open and when I threw it, I didn’t put it outside enough and Adam came over and made a pick. Everyone knows if that ball was outside another two feet it was a TD (ed’s note: many passes, if in different locations from where they were, would be TDs. That’s science). At half it was a 13-7 game. With Manitoboys starting the second half with the ball, both teams exchanged scores, but it was two to one for them making it 19 all. Manitoboys had the lead with 3:25 left in the game and now it was time to see if Phoenix could march down and score to tie and get the convert to win. I hit Vince on a deep route where made someone miss and thought he was just going to walk in and score easily, but speedy jogged and was caught a few yards short. At the time I thought it was a good thing so I could waste more time, but worried we wouldn’t score as well. We scored on the next play and missed on the convert. Manitoboys had a few plays, but they were 2 incompletes followed by an interception by Julien with enough time for two plays. I took two shots at the end zone first was incomplete and the second was a pick in the end zone. We go to OT. It was a few times of back and forth before I was able to hit Manu for the game winning score. I’m glad that the few calls that might have been iffy and took 8 points off the board for Phoenix didn’t cost us the game.

 

Phoenix vs Bines (20-39)

 

This is going to be short and right to the point. This game was over 5 minutes into it. I threw 3 of 4 picks right away and the score was 27-0 at that point. After the horrible start the game was pretty even after that. Bines are a really good team, but they are beatable. I also missed a few throws that would have put points on the board and I also know Simon plans on trying to steal that play from me. At half I told my team we just need to go out and win the second half and we did. I would like to play them again and hope for a better start.

 

Spin Doctors vs Airborne (18-19)

This wasn’t the type of game you want to be your first game under center. With Raph gone, Rob was given the reins. He did good in leading his team to an 18-6 half time lead. Second half didn’t go as well. Neither team could do much until Airborne scored with just over 5 minutes left to make it 18-12. With Rob marching Spin Doctors to score and seal the game he was picked off by Jeremy with 2 minutes left and gave Guillaume a chance to win the game. Guillaume was able to find Greg for the score with zero on the clock. Convert would be last play as Guillaume found Isaac for the game winning convert. Spin Doctors had 5 picks off Guillaume, but the one they missed was the one that cost them the game. From what I heard on the TD the ball went through the hands of Ryan who in the game had 3 TDs and 2 picks. Yes, Ryan balled out, but couldn’t make the play when it mattered.

 

There you have my recaps for this week.

 

Top Performances of the Week

 

With the move to the new location and the fields having grass, a lot of people were able to make cuts and dance around players. I had a few hard choices to make this week, but managed to pick out most of the studs this week. I know no matter what I do, unless I picked you then you will be upset, but here we go with who I know balled out and earned their spot on my list.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

I almost made this a two-way player award then I went back and looked over the stats and made up my mind that not Giving Yves Dejardins respect would be foolish. Yves only made 5 catches but had 136 yards, 4 TDs and 1 1point convert.

 

Defense

This person might not be a household name but after you set the singe game interception record in one game everyone will know who Ariel Librati is. Ariel played two games this week and managed to make 13 tackles and had 6 picks, 5 of them were in one game.

 

Division 2

It was hard to pick here with players playing multiple games and teams only winning one of those two games, but I managed to pick players that I felt balled out enough to be recognized here for the division.

 

Offense

This person might not have the big name or the flashy stats, but this week he showed that he shouldn’t be overlooked. David Marcotte played twice this week and all he did was haul in 8 balls for 149 yards, 4 TDs and 4 1point converts.

 

Defense

It was hard to pick a player for this week on defense. No one had jaw dropping stats and a bunch of players had two games and went one and one. I was able to narrow it down to one person and that was Alexandre Vallieres. Alexandre played two games and managed to get 5 tackles which were all sacks.

 

Division 3

 

Offense

This player helped his team win both their games and has given his team a shot at making the playoffs going into the last week of the season. Alex Morin is someone everyone in the lower divisions know and fear even his own team now. This week Alex had 15 catches for 177 yards, 2 TDs and 1 2point convert.

 

Defense

It’s very rare when a player does what Anthony Hotte-Mateo did this week. Anthony racked up 3 tackles, 2 sacks and a pick. When was the last time a rusher made a sack and had a pick in the same game? I couldn’t tell you.

 

Division 4

 

Offense

This player has dealt with injuries all season long, but when its time to make plays and fight for that final playoff spot Curren Dewan shows ups. Curren didn’t put up great number maybe not even good numbers, but he did what it took to get the win. Curren was 11 of 30 for 132 yards, 3 TDs and a 1point convert. He also ran 9 times for a total of 49 yards and 1 TD.

 

Defense

This pick is a player that has been in the league for years and is considered 1 of the better rushers. Greg D’Alesio grabbed 5 flags and had 3 sacks on the day. Greg was able to show up today and help his team try to get that last playoff spot in the division.

 

There you have my picks for the week. With the last week of the season next week, it will be the last chance for some players to see their names up here on my list. You all know what you must do to make my list, win your game, ball out and you might see your name up above next week.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 7

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 7

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

Here we go again, where I get to tell you who I like this week and tell you why I have your team winning. With only 2 weeks left the race is tight for the lead at least between Terry and myself with Will and Jon battling not to be last. Here are the standings followed by my picks in bold like always.

 

Kevin 20-3 last week (overall 91-32)

Jon 17-6 last week (overall 79-46)

Will 16-6 last week (overall 75-42)

Terry 16-7 last week (overall 82-36)

 

Division 1

 

Henchmen vs Bitter Boys

Henchmen have a far superior roster and would look like fools if they lost this one.

 

Centurions vs Outlaws

Outlaws are the cream of the crop and won’t lose to a middle of the pack team.

 

Honor Game vs Bitter Boys

I’m going with Honor Game winning just like last week, but this time by more than one point.

 

Gros Coqs vs Holy Trollers

I wanted to go Gros Coqs, but I am unsure of who will show up and I know Trollers are going to be there to play.

 

Outlaws vs Honor Game

I can’t pick against the best team in the division.

 

Division 2

 

D#Nasty vs Tannantes

I can’t see who on D#Nasty is going to be able to stop or even slow down Phil.

 

Iron Wolves vs Tannantes

Iron Wolves are rolling and have enough studs to beat a Tannantes team that revolves around Phil.

 

OG Panthers vs Joey’s Haters

I think this will be a good close game but I can’t see the Haters losing 3 games in a row.

 

KOLB vs OG Panthers

KOLB have too many weapons and OG won’t have enough to take them all out.

 

KOLB vs Iron Wolves

I feel that with this being Jon’s third game of the day, his arm will be dead and the ducks will be flying all over the place.

 

Vultures vs Redzone

It will be a long day for RedZone’s defense, but they step up and help win the game.

 

Division 3

 

Mustard Tigers vs Thunder Buddies

Thunder Buddies have too many good players to lose to Mustard Tigers who are mostly average players.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Jagerbomb

There is no way Thunder Buddies have enough to pull this one off, Jagerbomb are a better team from top to bottom.

 

Petits Phoques vs Panaches

I know that Panaches will have their QB at the game, I can’t say the same for Petits Phoques.

 

RawSauce vs Mustard Tigers

Brian will be in trouble all day long with Antoine after him, I can see 4 sacks and 3 picks from the RawSauce defense.

 

Blackout vs Iron Wolves

Blackout have the best trio of players (Omar, Quaysie and Ryan) in the division. Marvin, Meis and Iggy don’t even come close. It won’t be a blow out, but it won’t be interesting to watch. Jon needs to use every second of the clock to have any chance.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Chiefs

I’m going with Flamingos because that’s what came up on the coin I flipped. I don’t really have much confidence in either team, but since we can’t have ties, I had to pick one.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Iron Wolves

A pack of hungry wolves can take out a flock of flamingos any day. Marvin, Meis and Iggy will be too much for the Flamingos to handle.

 

Division 4

 

Manitoboys vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Drama Club vs Mimosa Crew

Both teams have been playing poorly this season, but Drama Club seems to be able to score and Mimosa can’t.

 

Phoenix vs Bines NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Spin Doctors vs Airborne

In their first game with new QB Rob the team should be able to win the game, but it might not be pretty.

 

There you have my predictions for the week. If you have been following, I have stepped up with my picks the last few weeks and everyone won’t be happy about my picks, but just follow suit and do as I wrote. Thanks, and good luck to everyone, especially the teams I picked to win.

 

Power Rankings

This week we didn’t have too many big games or games that made huge impacts on my top 3, but look and see what I did. I have included a little explanation on the bottom.

 

Division 1

1) Outlaws

2) Holy Trollers

3) Henchmen

 

Division 2

1) Redzone

2) Iron Wolves

3) KOLB

 

Division 3

1) Average Joes

2) Blackout

3) Jagerbomb

 

Division 4

1) Bines

2) Manatoboys

3) Idaho Udapimps

 

D1- With Trollers beating Henchmen I Just flipped their spots.

 

D2- I’m going to leave this division how it is for now. I could have flipped 1 and 2 but I just think Redzone has played the better teams so far.

 

D3- Average Joes are the top team there in no arguing that. The second and third spots are debatable. I put Blackout at 2 because of that roster and I include Jagerbomb at 3 for two reasons, they lost to the top two teams and I have given them a pass for that week 1 lose.

 

D4- I’m going to leave D4 how it is for now, but things can easily change after this week.

 

There was only 1 new team added into my top 3 this week and I might not have it right in your opinions, but this is how I see it.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Only 2 weeks left for the regular season we still have so many big games to play. I want everyone to remember that we have changed locations from Le Ber to Saint Bernadette and Rosemount High. Your team captain should have all the info for you since they were sent emails about this on Wednesday, so if you haven’t been told by them ask them and if they don’t get back to you message me or Jon and we will help you out. 

This week we are starting at 8am and the last game should be 5pm if we have lights. Again, this week it looks like rain, but how much no one knows. Also, at both these fields where we will be playing, they won’t have the yard lines and I don’t want players complaining about missing a yard or two.

I went over us moving fields, covered the rain and pretty much told Marvin to not cry about his missing stats, think I covered what I wanted to.

Even with it being the last few weeks let’s all remember that we are playing a game and her to have fun. Go out have fun and try not to kill anyone. That was to reminder Bitter Boys and Honor Game that we are playing flag football and not tackle. I’m just glad I don’t have to be there for this week’s rematch. See you all out there on Saturday.

 

Word from the Mouth: We Killed the Field! edition

Word from the Mouth: We Killed the Field! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Here we go! Teams have 2 or 3 games left in the season and most playoff spots are still up for grabs. This is great for the league, since it means that most teams are in the right division and that every game still matters at this point. We all know that the field last week was horrible by the end of the day, so we have decided to move the games to Parc Sainte Bernadette and the Rosemount high school soccer field. It is very simple to get to and you really can’t miss it if you are on the right street. When Jon and I went to see it a few weeks ago we were able to put all 4 fields down so if the field isn’t like Le Ber, we will be able to get some proper footing and not slide everywhere.

Saturday night I was able to catch a bit of the Notre Dame vs USC game and at the end of the first half, with seconds on the clock USCs QB runs the ball and gets the first down (which stops the clock until the chains are moved) and with 3 seconds left lines up in shotgun to spike the ball and he does it, but with zeros on the clock. He should have been under center to give them 1 second left to attempt a field goal. I like this rule and I tried to get it passed in the MFL where in the final minute clock stops until bags are set and play is blown in. It was a no go.

The other thing that got me was the TD taken off the board in the Iowa State vs Oklahoma state game for a guy changing his running style (high stepping) a few yards from the endzone. It was one step, and no one was around. Rules are rules in the NCAA. (ed’s note: the rule he’s referring to is taunting being a spot foul, meaning if you taunt on your way into the endzone, the touchdown comes off the board. I like the rule, but it was a terrible call in this game. This is the rule in the MFL, by the way!) When Sunday rolled around I was once again in Brossard where Willie almost pulled a horse shoe out of his ass trying to upset the top team. I got home and was able to see Mahomes playing like banana split and Brady throwing his 600th TD pass. The funny thing about the Brady’s pass was Mike Evans gave the ball to a fan not knowing it was a huge deal. Brady got the ball back after a person from Tampa Bay organization went over and spent a few minutes making a deal. I’m not sure what that person got, but it probably wasn’t enough. For how much sport memorabilia goes for, what would you have asked for or would you have kept the ball? For me it would have cost Brady an arm and a leg plus a date with his wife (ed’s note: literally the joke the announcer made!). Okay, just an arm, forget his leg or the date with Giselle, neither of them would do me any good. Also, at what point does Miami end up pulling off a trade for Watson and what is it going to cost them? Two seasons ago it was “suck for Tua” and now Miami want to move on from him already. There is my weekly rant on what I saw this weekend in sports.

 

Weekly Recap

 

Division 1

 

Outlaws vs Gros Coqs (56-19)

 

Let me start by saying that this really wasn’t a game and that Gros Coqs were missing almost everyone. The game started late since we were waiting for a few players for Gros Coqs to show up, but once they did it got ugly really fast. There were only a few things that stuck out to me in this game and the big one is that Marvin really only cares about himself (ed’s note: dayum!). Marvin thinks he can do it all. They made Marvin sit out a few plays on offense and Steve decided to throw a pass to Terry on a play that was made for Marvin and he started asking how you going to throw Terry the ball on a play made for him? After all his hard work of trying to chase Dom down, Terry allowed Marvin to take a few snaps at rusher and of course he had to complain about it and asked why it had to be against Dom. With the game way out of reach, Steve took his last drive because he is trying to get Smuda the single season TD record. Steve throws a short pass to Marvin who runs it all the way for a score even with his team telling him to go out. Marvin might have been happy, but the rest of the team was a little annoyed. On a final note, Marvin shape up or start running upside down because that might be the only way we see you smiling while on the field. (ed’s note: what did Marvin do to you, Kevin?)

 

Bitter Boys vs Honor Game (41-42)

 

In a matchup we all expected to be physical, we never expected it to be this close. From what I heard and saw there was more than one instance where it looked like a fight was going to break out. One of those times it was Dave running down the sideline and getting hit in the chest or rib area once he was out of bounds. I’m not sure if it was from the player or because he landed on something. This was late in the game and Dave had asked for Lambert to be thrown out of the game on a few plays earlier in the game and nothing was done. Now with all the pushing and shoving out of the way let’s get to what happened while the game was being played. Guillaume scored 5 times for Bitter Boys on 7 catches. I know Guillaume is good, but was anyone even covering him. On the other side of things Dave spread the ball around between two players. Dilan had a low 10 catches for 63 yards and 2 TDs, but Laurent had 16 catches for only 89 yards and 1 TD. I’m not sure if either team knew what to do on defense. How can 3 players on the two teams do all the damage. After that no one did much of anything.

 

Division 2

 

Outlaws vs OG Panthers (6-24)

 

OG came into this game needing a win and had a great game plan. They knew who they were facing and how to go about beating them. The offense for Outlaws was horrible in this game all around. Steve started 0-9 in his passing attempts, and it wasn’t all on him. Outlaws dropped way too many balls or couldn’t keep their feet inbounds. Steve was getting mad, the players were getting annoyed, and nothing good came from it. The real big issue was Outlaws couldn’t get separation on any of the OG defenders when they were in man and it was at least 90% of the time. The final score was 24-6 but it really didn’t feel that way. To me it felt much worse and everyone on that Outlaws team needs to think about how poorly they played and how to fix it. For OG, Charles played a decent game, but was able to exploit what was open and that was the short underneath stuff all day long. Both teams are battling for a playoff spot, but OG now have the tiebreaker over Outlaws since they swept the season games 2-0.

 

Outlaws vs Joey’s Haters (40-27)

 

This was a must win for both teams if they wanted to make the playoffs (Narrator: it was not). Both teams have fallen so far from where they were supposed to be at to start the season. Both teams were supposed to be favorites to win it all and now there is a possibility that neither make the playoffs. There were too many mental mistakes all game by both teams. Outlaws were able to score with 30 seconds left in the half to take a 20-12 lead. Two plays later Justin picked the ball off and it looked like Outlaws were destined to blow this game wide open, but did nothing with the few seconds left on the clock. Outlaws started with the ball second half and marched all the way into the red zone, but then a stupid penalty pushed them back as well as taking points off the board. Haters went down and scored and got their convert to take the lead. Both teams then traded scores. With under 4 minutes left, Outlaws were down and needed to score to take the lead and hopefully seal the game. Steve drove the field chewing up clock before punching it in and leaving under a minute left. Max was able to complete a pass on his first throw, but that was it on his next three throws it was all Outlaws as two were knocked away and the last one was picked off by Justin and taken in for 6. That is how it ended with Outlaws winning by two scores, but it was a really tight game that came down to the final whistle.

 

Division 3

 

Panaches vs Blackout (8-28)

 

This was a hard game to watch. Both teams have solid rosters, but both teams QBs struggled in this one. Felix played great last season and this season he just seems to be struggling. Last season he was able to run all over the place and the field might be funky monkey these last few weeks, but you have to do something. Quaysie has stepped up to fill the QB role for Blackout, but he is a way better receiver and I noticed a few tells with him playing QB. Even when Quaysie tries to run, he can’t seem to turn it up and get into that second gear. There are far too many times that he is getting tackled for a short gain or a loss when he has space in front of him. There were a few good plays made on both sides like the pick 6 by Connor who read the play in front of him, jumped the route and took the ball in for 6. Gabriel had 4 sacks, and none were bigger than on the fourth and one where if he didn’t make that tackle it could have easily gone in for 6. Next week when Omar is back, I want to know how a team plans on stopping Blackout. That will give them two solid receivers and a defense that won’t give up points. This game was never close, and Panaches should be lucky it was even this close.

 

Iron Wolves vs Mustard Tigers (18-33)

 

I knew this wasn’t going to be a close game, but it was closer than I expected it to be. With all the experience Iron Wolves have they should have been able to stop Mustard Tigers, especially since they only had Tom and Dave making plays on offense. Jon did a respectable job on offense, but he had too many guys running bad routes or dropping balls and the one player that was making plays early got hurt and took himself out of the game. Brian was able to pick apart the Iron Wolves defense by attacking the weak links or the open zones. It also helped that Brian was able to hit Tom over the middle with little to no resistance. All he had to do was throw it high and not too deep to avoid Marvin and it was an easy completion. I also saw Tom pick a ball off where it looked like the receiver was open behind him but when he raised his hands the ball was right there for him. The second half went quick, Iron Wolves tried to get chunk plays that weren’t working and Mustard Tigers just wore the clock down every time they had the ball.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs Airborne (22-13)

 

This game was closer than I would have liked it to be. I made 2 bad throws, and both were picked off. Kris was on the sideline watching and when I threw the second one, I knew it right away and he looks at me and says all arm no hips which I already knew. I was going to say in all the years of playing I have never faced Airborne, but since last fall was the first time we were in the same division, it makes sense. Guillaume is a good QB, but needs to find more weapons to help him. I went in expecting to score 40 easily, but they are a better team than their record. Dave made a huge pick off me as it looked like we were going in to score. This week, like last week, Kat stepped up for Phoenix. Last week she filled in to snap for an injured Yann and this week she filled in at rusher. She started the game with no cleats which made it impossible to cut, I then gave her my spare pair and she ended up sealing the game with her only sack that was for a safety. The final score of this game should have been at least 30 to 6. Airborne scored on a play where the entire Phoenix defense stopped since we all thought Greg had touched the sideline. Therefore, everyone needs to play until the whistle. Greg kept going and the defense just stood there.

 

Spin Doctors vs Sneaky Snakes (19-13)

 

In what is Raph’s final game of the season, he pulled out a win in what seemed like an upset. The game was very boring and took forever to open up the scoring. Spin Doctors added a few new players to replace the ones they lost, but now all they are in a Chiefs team with a different QB at least for now. It wasn’t until 5 minutes left in the first half before someone scored and it was spin Doctors on a pass from Raph to new acquisition Ryan for a 14-yard TD. Spin Doctors started the second half with the ball and scored on their opening possession. That was followed up by an interception which didn’t take Raph long to find the endzone again. That was it for scoring from Spin Doctors. Raph had 18 completions and 15 went to 3 players with 5 each, but only 2 of them had any real yards. A few weeks ago, Sneaky Snakes were all the talk and now they look mediocre at best. They can’t seem to score and can’t stop anyone. A few weeks ago, Terry had Dave penciled in as the division MVP, not anymore. I know Sneaky Snakes were missing a player or two, but you shouldn’t struggle this much, especially down the stretch. I hope Jie will be back from his exciting vacation to Ottawa by next week or they might lose again. Also, who takes a vacation to Ottawa?

 

That is, it for my recap of week 7, only 2 weeks left.

 

Top Performances of the Week

 

With the weather being nicer this week, and by that I mean not raining, the field conditions still sucked, but the numbers went up and making my picks a little bit harder. I hope no one got used to playing without the rain because it looks to be back this weekend. Here are the players that I felt balled out this week.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

Last season was Phil Pharand’s first time in the league, but a few players knew who he was before then and by now everyone knows who he is. This week Phil made 12 catches for 173 yards and 4 TDs, not bad for a guy who was in D3 last season.

 

Defense

I’m not going to sugarcoat it at all here. This week I think everyone in D1 forgot how to play defense. That includes this week’s winner Kevin Smuda. His stat line has to be the worst ever for one of my picks. Kevin had 1 tackle and 1 pick which he scored on.

 

Division 2

 

Offense

I’m sure that Jonathan Plourde has won this award before, but if not, he got it this week (ed’s note: I mean, he got it this week whether or not he got it before). Jonathan was 20 of 28 for 225 yards, 6 TDs, 1 1point convert, 2 2point converts and threw 1 pick. On the ground he ran 7 times for 37 yards.

 

Defense

When players talk about good solid rushers in the division you never hear them mention Carlo Lopez. All Carlos did this week was make 3 tackles which just happened to be all sacks. If Carlos keeps this us everyone in the division will know his name or at least the QBs will.

 

Division 3

 

Two-way player

After looking over all the stats and trying to figure it all out I came to only one conclusion and that was that I couldn’t pick an offensive player or a defensive player, but I was able to pick one player that balled out on both sides of the ball. That person would be Ryan Dobbs-Garnett. Ryan played 2 games this week and had some impressive numbers. Ryan made 17 catches for 156 yards, 5 TDs and 2 2-point converts. On Defense Ryan made 1 tackle and picked off 4 passes. Not bad for a guy last summer in Brossard was told he couldn’t catch. Yes, I’m everywhere and I hear all.

 

Division 4

 

Offense

I ended up having to pick between two receivers with similar numbers except one did it in one game and it took the other two games. I went with the guy who only played one game this week and that was Marco Gavita. Marco made 4 catches for 88 yards, 4 TDs and 1 1point convert.

 

Defense

This player is better known as a passer, not a guy who plays great defense. This week Adam Gorzen played well on both sides, but really stood out on defense where he picked off 3 passes.

 

There you have it my players of the week. With only 2 weeks left your time is running out to show everyone you’re a top dog. Go out, bust your ass, put up good great numbers, and make sure you do all this while helping secure a victory for your team and you might make my list in the next two weeks.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 6

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 6

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

Coming into this week Terry and I were tied for the lead and I have won the last two weeks. Was I able to make it 3 weeks in a row and build a lead? Yes, I was (ed’s note: Spoiler alert!). Here are the standings after 6 weeks followed by my picks in bold like always.

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Honor Game

I’m going to say that this is going to be a very physical game with a lot of bumping and maybe a few pushes, but I also think that Honor Game get their first win of the season in a convincing fashion.

 

Centurions vs Henchmen

This team is stacked from top to bottom and unless they completely fall apart Henchmen should win in a tight game.

 

Henchmen vs Holy Trollers

Henchmen are a really strong team and should be able to slow down Trollers, plus we all know Haney will be late and Max will be forced to play defense to start the game.

 

Outlaws vs Gros Coqs

Outlaws have the best roster in the division along with the best QB so losing this game shouldn’t happen.

 

Division 2

 

Redzone vs Tannantes

This week it will be better conditions and Redzone shouldn’t drop tons of balls like last week so they should win this game.

 

Tannantes vs D#Nasty

There is no one on D#Nasty that will be able to keep up with Phil, so expect to see a big game from him.

 

OG Panthers vs Outlaws NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

KOLB vs Joey’s Haters

KOLB has a stronger roster and if they are all there will win this game.

 

Vultures vs Iron Wolves

With Ben playing QB they aren’t going to lose this game they have to many players that are really good athletes.

 

Outlaws vs Joey’s Haters NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Division 3

 

Panaches vs Blackout

Blackout have too many weapons and will be too hard for Panaches to stop.

 

Panaches vs Average Joes

With the roster Average Joes have, unless they don’t show up to play, they will win this game easily.

 

Blackout vs Petits Phoques

I just have no confidence in whoever is playing QB for Petits Phoques and Blackout have a decent roster with a few studs.

 

Iron Wolves vs Mustard Tigers

I’ll take a tiger over a Wolf any day of the week and that includes Saturday.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Flamboyant Flamingos

I’m going Thunder Buddies because with this roster Terry has to find a way to win, right?

 

Jagerbomb vs RawSauce

Jagerbomb will rebound after last week and come out on fire.

 

RawSauce vs Iron Wolves

Jon won’t have time to make many reads with Antoine coming after him all day, and that will allow RawSauce to focus on taking away the shorts.

 

Chiefs vs Jagerbomb

Jagerbomb have way too much experience to loss this game.

 

Division 4

 

Airborne vs Mimosa Crew

This is either going to be a high scoring game or a really low scoring game. Both teams struggle and picking a winner I went with the team with more experience.

 

Gold Rush vs Sneaky Snakes

Sneaky Snakes have the more complete roster and should be able to rebound after a bad week.

 

Airborne vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Spin Doctors

I feel they have the better team and with Spin Doctors playing really poorly the last few weeks I just couldn’t send Raph off with a win.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Gold Rush

They have better players and are better athletes from top to bottom.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Manitoboys

This will be an easy game for Manitoboys as they are by far the better team.

 

Bines vs Drama Club

Bines will stay undefeated this week and unless Drama Club can stop Simon, they have no shot.

 

Drama Club vs Idaho Udapimps

I’m not going to say that Drama Club have no chance here but it is very unlikely they get it done, they won’t match up well with the size difference of the team.

 

There you go, my picks for the week. I have been doing well, but I could always do better. If you have read this far just help me out and either win if I picked you to win and if you’re picked to lose just lose it will make keeping my chances of winning the season alive.

 

Power Rankings

 

After the week we had you should expect to see a bunch of changes to my list. I will show my list and explain afterwards.

 

Division 1

 

1) Outlaws

2) Henchmen

3) Holy Trollers

 

Division 2

 

1) Redzone

2) Iron Wolves

3) KOLB

 

Division 3

 

1) Average Joes

2) RawSauce

3) Blackout

 

Division 4

 

1) Bines

2) Manitoboys

3) Idaho Udapimps

 

D1- All I did was flip the 2 and the 3. Teams need to watchout Henchmen are for real and aren’t to be taken lightly.

 

D2- After another poor week Joey’s Haters have exited the top 3. Iron Wolves move up 1 spot and I have added KOLB to the mix.

 

D3- I left 1 and 2 alone since they are by far the most complete teams in the division and for the last spot, I added Blackout.

 

D4- After this week Sneaky Snakes can’t stay in the top 3. I moved up teams 2 and 3. I also added Idaho Udapimps into the final spot on my list.

 

There you have it my top teams. I know it might not be what you all want to see but its my list and that is how I see it. If you haven’t made my list you still have a few more weeks to get up here. Some teams might have an easier time than others, but if you’re not winning you can make my list.

 

Final Thoughts

 

After this past week the rest of the season should be a breeze. With most teams having 3 or 4 games left the fight for the playoffs are heating up and every game counts. By now we all know who the real contenders are and who the pretenders are. That shouldn’t stop you from coming out and giving it your all.

We are getting to the point where teams need to know the sub rules because you don’t want to lose a game because you violated the rule. For your teams last 2 games you can only get a sub through the league to bring you up to 6 players or 7 only if QB doesn’t play defense. If you need a sub at the last minute due to injury or player not showing up it can only come from a team in a lower division and it still needs to be approved.

You have come to the end of my article where I need to remind everyone to go out have fun and be safe, it’s just a game that we all play for fun.

 

Word from the Mouth: It's (not) Raining Touchdowns! edition

Word from the Mouth: It's (not) Raining Touchdowns! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Welcome back everyone. With all the rain on Saturday I hope no one got sick and I hope that everyone was good and survived the injury bug this week. I lost Yann for the season when he was running his route and slipped lands wrong and popped his shoulder out. It really sucks balls for Yann, but he is a tough guy and will recover and come back stronger next season.

Anyone who was there all day will tell you that playing earlier in the day the field was in decent shape, but by the time the last game finished at 5pm knows that it was completely mama’s homecooked jambalaya. We all better hope that it stays nice all week so that it dries out. I might not be the smartest person in the world (ed’s note: I refuse to believe this!), but I will tell you that buying cleats where I can change the spikes length and something to clean my cleats with was the smartest thing I’ve done or at least involving sports (ed’s note: I would say smartest thing you’ve ever done overall). I don’t think I slipped once on Saturday when I saw tons of people slip and fall.

This week will be the first time that we are playing a game at 5pm in the fall season. I will tell you that the lights come on, so no need to worry about playing in the dark. It will be a new experience for some players that haven’t played under the lights before. I have, and I will tell you keep your eyes open (ed’s note: playing with your eyes open is for wusses!) and stay focused or you’re going to get a ball in the face.

After getting back from Brossard Sunday I had some running around to do and only managed to watch a little bit of the NFL games, but I did see the highlights for the day. Two games went to OT and I ended up catching both of them. This was the first week in the season where games were played overseas in London and I will say Tua sucks and now the Dolphins are officially the worst football team in Florida. The Dolphins can’t beat Jacksonville, they sure as hell aren’t beating the Gators, Seminoles and worst off they couldn’t beat IMG Academy which is the number 2 high school team in the country. Cowboys fans just because you won in OT doesn’t mean you still don’t suck. Yes, you probably will win the division and make the playoffs, but who cares? Look at that division. I can grab 40 players from the MFL and win that division with ease. Let’s all remember that if you’re not a cheese head then you’re rooting for the wrong team. 

 

Weekly Recap

 

Division 1

 

Gros Coqs vs Henchmen (27-30)

 

I think I was the only one who picked Henchmen to win this game and yes, I was right, but the way Gros Coqs were able to march the field and score on their opening drive made me question my pick. That was how the game started, then it became a pick fest for the next few possessions for both teams. Both teams exchanged scores halfway through the first half, then picks started happening again. At half the score was 14-6 Gros Coqs. The Henchmen seemed to make a few adjustments and it showed in the second half. They scored on the first possession, but missed the convert. Gros Coqs answered that score with a big play from Alexandre. Both teams kept exchanging scores in the second half until with a minute or so left Henchmen forced a turnover on downs. After that stop Henchmen wasted no time scoring and leaving just 15 seconds for Gros Coqs. I thought that was still more than enough time for Dom to work his magic. Dom’s first pass fell incomplete and on his second attempt the ball seemed to slip out and float in the air where Will was able to pick it off. The play of the game that would have won it for Gros Coqs came on Henchmen’s first possession. Meissa picked the ball off and was running it in for a score, but decided to high step into the endzone with the defender right there. This was a penalty and brought back to the point of the taunting spot. Henchmen were able to make a stop on that drive and ended up winning the game by 3 points. It was really early in the game, but things like that can come back and ruin the entire game for you and your team. Everyone should learn from Barry Sanders and act like you’ve been there before and hand the ball to the official, or in this case the QB from the other team.

 

Holy Trollers vs Outlaws (30-42)

 

This was a battle to see who the best team in the division is.  Both teams came in pumped and ready to go. This game had no picks and only 1 punt to go along with 1 turnover on downs, so there was no defense whatsoever. The biggest defensive play of the game came when the Trollers were going for a 2-point convert and Ariel picked it off and ran it the length of the field for 2 points. If the field was another 5 yards, I think JC would have caught him as he flagged him a few yards into the end zone. The drive that sealed it for Trollers was with 10 minutes left Max threw 2 straight passes that were knocked away by the defense and then on third down took a sack and were forced to punt with the score being 34-30 Outlaws. Everyone knows that when it comes to killing clock you have Steve and Jon who are the best at it and Steve only used 5 minutes of that clock, but managed to score so it was essentially over at that point. Trollers did move the ball once they got it back, but they weren’t able to score and turned it over on downs.

 

Division 2

 

Les Tannantes vs Redzone (49-42)

 

Les Tannantes won this game, but I feel more along the lines that Redzone lost it. Phil for Tannantes was unstoppable, he had 9 catches for 194 yards and 3 TDs and would definitely be my player of the week except he plays in D1 as well. For a veteran team like Redzone, they shouldn’t allow one player to walk all over them the way Phil did. The score tells you it was a close game, but if you were watching it really wasn’t. Tannantes jumped up early and never looked back and it also helped that Redzone scored on the last play of the game to make the score seem closer than what it was. Early on in the game Redzone was not helping their QB at all, they were running routes short, dropping balls and just not focused. Mike yelled at them a few times to get them to wake up and it seemed to work, but by that point the game was too far gone. This will be a matchup that I hope will be played again in the playoffs and when it does, I expect RedZone to show up and play better than this.

 

Outlaws vs Vultures (40-47)

 

What a spaghetti show this was for Outlaws defense. They did nothing to show they could stop Ben and his explosive offense. Since Ben stepped in at QB for Vultures they are 2-0 and have scored a ton of points. Outlaws with all their experience should know how to stop a running QB and 1 receiver, but they proved this week that they can’t get it done. Outlaws need to figure out their defense if they want to repeat as champs and I doubt that will happen. This isn’t a quick fix problem, it has been a long term one, even going back to last season. When you score 40 plus points you shouldn’t lose games. Ben picked them apart with his running and then finding Anthony wide open. You say, ok they made big plays, but ben was 5 for 7 on converts which he couldn’t run on. Vultures made the right move switching to Ben at QB and with the win over Outlaws this week they now hold the tiebreaker over them and are only 1 game behind them.

 

Division 3

 

Chiefs vs Mustard Tigers (21-19)

 

This was an ugly game and the rain was coming down hard. I felt that Chiefs would have a huge advantage in this one because Avery is a decent runner, but then I remembered that Tyler is a very good rusher. Tyler only had 1 sack, but it was for a safety and their only points in the first half. Avery was able to get Chiefs into the end zone before the half, but it was in the last 2 minutes of the half. Second half started and the clouds started to part which meant no rain and Brian could throw the ball without any issues. Brian was able to get his team moving in the second half scoring on 3 of 4 drives, the defense kept Chiefs from doing much until their last drive of the day when the game was already in the bag. If I had been Avery I would have run as much as I could and have my receivers find a hole and just make easy throws. Avery and Chiefs are still learning and it will take them sometime to get it together.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Petits Phoques (47-25)

 

I picked Petits Phoques to win based on Jon allowing Dom to step in and play QB. This was talked about at the Als game and since I was the only one not drinking, I’m the only one that remembered this (ed’s note: I was relatively sober at this point and I said ‘no’ to Dom playing QB for them. Lesson here is, wait until the end of the night to make crazy requests!). At least for this one Phoques had Simon there this week, but it didn’t make much of a difference. Mustard Tigers were way too strong for them. Brian is a good QB and he knows who to avoid throwing near defenders. That is exactly what he did and was able to pick the Phoques defense apart. Tom was a beast scoring 4 times, I just don’t know how you stop him. He is so tall, smart and a very good route runner. Petits Phoques have a good roster, they just need Simon to step up his game. I know you look at their roster and you see 5 girls on the roster, and you think they can’t play (ed’s note: literally no one else thinks this, Kevin. You’re just sexist), that is not true. Every one of them can play you just have to use them and once you do the defense will be forced to cover everyone and not just the guys.

 

Division 4

 

Bines vs Sneaky Snakes (31-0)

 

This was supposed to be a battle for first place, and it wasn’t. Sneaky Snakes were short players, and you can use that as an excuse, but to put up no points looks bad for you guys. You might want to say the rain, but Bines played in the rain and were able to score. Both Simon and Dave are good runners and you needed to use that in weather like we had. Sneaky Snakes got out played in every aspect of the game and it wasn’t even close. I would have liked to see these teams play at full strength and in good conditions. This was such a disappointing game between the last two undefeated team that this has to happen again in the playoffs. Simon is a dog and maybe the best player in the division. Teams need to know not to throw the ball near him and on offense the rusher needs to contain him and not let him run.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Phoenix (0-18)

 

I felt that this was going to be a tough game going it and it should have been, except I knew that Sneaky Snakes were going to be missing 2 of their better players. I also had extra incentive to win since Dave and Marilou were saying that they were going to beat us on Monday. Sneaky Snakes weren’t able to move the ball all game long and were only able to get 3 first downs all game. Dave only threw 1 pick, but it could have easily been 4 or 5. I was able to control the flow of the game and didn’t make any stupid mistakes. I ran or at least gave the illusion of running which opened up my receivers to get behind the defense and into empty space (ed’s note: you so good, Kousaie!). The receivers for Phoenix were able to make a few plays, but more importantly were able to catch the ball. It was really raining in this game and no one was able to get really good footing except for me with my long spikes which was a huge advantage avoiding whoever Sneaky Snakes sent at me rushing. This was a fun game, but I would have preferred it in good conditions and against their full roster.  

 

There you have it, my recap of week 7 and what will be known as the day the rain didn’t stop (ed’s note: it wasn’t raining for like more than half the games!) or the day Le Ber got jimmy jammed up for the remainder of the season.

 

Top Performances of the Week

 

With how bad the weather was this week, don’t be surprised to see players making my list with average stats. Not many players put up ridiculous stats this week and its no one’s fault when QBs can’t throw well or you can’t catch great or you’re slipping all over the place. What matters is you made it out alive and will be able to play the rest of the season.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

How is Yvan Desjardins allowed playing in D3? I don’t know how this is allowed, but it is. This week Yvan had 8 catches for 116 yards and 3 TDs. In a close game and was able to get the game winning TD with 21 seconds left in the game.

 

Defense

I hate to give it to someone on the same team, but Andrew Grant is getting it this week for his rushing. Andrew only rushed a little more than half the game and managed to make 4 tackles and had 2 sacks. Anyone that has rushed Dom knows 2 sacks are great especially in the conditions we were playing in.

 

Division 2

 

Offense

After weeks of being a receiver, Benjamin McMahon is now playing QB and helping his team win games. Ben went 19 of 29 for 242 yards, 6 TDs, 5 1point converts and threw a pick as well. With his legs Ben had 73 yards on 11 carries and 1 TD.

 

Defense

I went with a player that I don’t know much about but this week Kerano Johnson popped off the stat sheet and is making a name for himself. Kerano had 2 picks and made 4 tackles.

 

Division 3

 

Offense

I think that I might have already given Nick Egley, but he earned it this week. Nick had 100 yards on 9 catches to go along with 3 TDs.

 

Defense

I have decided to give this week’s award to a player that just happened to play 2 games this week. John Morris is one of the older players in the league, but he is a nice guy. In his 2 games this weekend John made a total of 4 tackles, 3 picks and was able to run 1 back for 6 points.

 

Division 4

 

Offense

There are 2 things I really hate doing and Simon Beaudoin managed to do both. I hate taking players who have played 2 games and putting players up here for a second or, in Simon’s case, third time this season. Simon went 32 of 55 for 283 yards, 7 TDs, 2 1point converts, 1 2point convert. Then on the ground he ran 19 times for 110 yards and 2 TDs.

 

Defense

I have no clue who this person is, but when you get 3 picks off Raph you automatically get my player of the week. Eric Christian Schiocchet is someone that not many know. Eric made 4 tackles, 3 picks and took 1 of his picks back for 6 points.

 

There you have it the top performances of the week. I know a lot of you put up decent numbers but nothing great. The numbers will pick up next week and give everyone another change at making my list. Remember to ball out and show me you deserve a spot on my list, but first things first, make sure you help your team win the game.

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Montreal Flag Football League