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

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

Kevin Kousaie

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

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

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

 

Weekly Recap

 

Division 1

 

Honor Game vs Gros Coqs (37-44)

 

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

 

Division 2

 

Outlaws vs KOLB (41-22)

 

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

 

Outlaws vs Vultures (45-26)

 

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

 

Division 3

 

Blackout vs Chiefs (22-18)

 

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

 

Iron Wolves vs Panaches (37-44)

 

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

 

Division 4

 

Drama Club vs Phoenix (20-21) OT

 

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

 

Spin Doctors vs Bines (18-27)

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

 

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

 

Top Performances of the Week

 

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

 

Division 1

 

Offense

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

 

Defense

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

 

Division 2

 

Offense

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

 

Defense

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

 

Division 3

 

Offense

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

 

Defense

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

 

Division 4

 

Offense

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

 

Defense

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

 

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

Fall Season Predictions and Power Rankings!

Fall Season Predictions and Power Rankings!

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

I was going to lose this section and make it more like fantasy football, but picking new players every week. Maybe I’ll change it up next week since the rosters will be up by then.

This week the picks are going to be hard to get right since so many teams haven’t submitted rosters yet. I will base my picks off what I know about the teams and maybe make a few lucky guesses.

Last season Terry was the champ, but this season we will crown a new champ even if we must cheat. Here are my picks and like always they are in bold.

 

Division 1

 

Honor Game vs Gros Coqs

 

I know what Gros Coqs bring to the table and with Honor Game getting bumped up a division you don’t know. Plus Dave and his squad are still going to be thinking about how they blew it in the D2 finals last week.

 

Centurions vs Bitter Boys

 

With Bitter Boys losing Guillaume (their best player) not sure what that team will look like and Centurions are a solid team from top to bottom.

 

Holy Trollers vs Henchmen

 

Both teams at this point are a bit of an unknown and I have heard whispers that Henchmen might have a few studs getting added to their roster.

 

Division 2

 

Les Tannantes vs OG Panthers

 

I went OGs just because I know that their team is going to show up and I can’t say the same for Tannantes.

 

Iron Wolves vs Joey’s Haters

 

Jon is smarter than anyone who is calling the defense on the Haters, so Jon finds a way to win in a close one.

 

Outlaws vs Vultures NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Outlaws vs KOLB NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Division 3

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Petits Phoques

 

Vacations are over and that means the Flamingos will be at full strength.

 

Blackout vs Chiefs

 

I went Chiefs because they have a little experience and I seem to know nothing about blackout.

 

Les Petits Phoques vs Average Joes

 

This season Average Joes get into the playoffs and that means starting the season off with a hot start.

 

Iron Wolves 3 vs Panaches

Jon has this team stacked (ed’s note: what?) and it will be hard for him to lose this game.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs Drama Club NA

 

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Free Agent 4

 

Just based on experience alone they should win this game.

 

James Neumann Team vs Mimosa Crew

 

I’ll take Mimosa in this one. Last season they gradually got better and playing a team in know nothing about they should win, but it could go either way.

 

Spin Doctors vs Bines

 

I’ll take the D5 champs from last season against a new team.

 

Airborne vs Gold Rush

 

If Airborne can’t stop or even slow down Travis it will be a long day for them.

 

There you have my picks for week 1 of the fall season. Hopefully, I can do better than the 67% of games I got right last season. Good luck to everyone playing this week.

 

Power Rankings

 

Power Rankings are back, and you all know what that means, you all get to see where I feel you are amongst the best teams. Week 1 is always hard because I don’t know all the teams and not all the rosters are in and there is always a surprise team or two that comes out of nowhere and demolishes everyone. Here are my top 3 per division.

 

Division 1

 

1) Outlaws

2) Gros Coqs

3) Henchmen

 

Division 2

 

1) Outlaws

2) OG Panthers

3) Joey’s Haters (ed’s note: and yet the Wolves will beat them, apparently…)

 

Division 3

 

1) Iron Wolves

2) Thunder Buddies

3) Average Joes

 

Division 4

 

1) Spin Doctors

2) Phoenix

3) Sneaky Snakes

 

Those are my rankings. If you didn’t make it up that doesn’t mean you’re a bad team it means you have to show me you deserve to be up here. Win a few games beat a top team do something and eventually if you earned a spot up here, you’ll get it.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Let me start by tell you just in case your team captain hasn’t told you, this week we will be having a Back to Football BBQ at the field on Saturday, I’d say from 11 to 3:30 or whenever we run out of food. There will be music to listen to while you are scarfing down hotdogs, burgers, chips, drinks and donuts from La Beignerie which is owned by a player in the league. They are fabulous by the way.

Stay after your game or come early and grab a bite and watch a little football before heading home. This is something that we used to do often when the league was much smaller (ed’s note: and when Covid wasn’t a thing), and we felt it would be a good way for new players to get to know one another while scouting a future opponent.

With all that being said the new season is here go out, have fun, and remember this is a game and no one is calling you up afterwards to turn pro, so take it easy. We all have places to be on Monday. Thanks for reading and see everyone who is playing this week on Saturday.

 

Word from the Mouth: Now With Added Salt! edition

Word from the Mouth: Now With Added Salt! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Here we go, the last article of the spring season. Let me start by thanking all of you players for making the league what it is. Without you it would just be me walking around the park with no shirt on (ed’s note: which is what he does on Fridays). Yes, we had a few hot days and the final game of the season sucked with the rain, but we made it through without getting shut down from Covid.

With the season over, some of the teams won’t be back for the fall, but we do have a few new teams coming and the fall season will be just as much fun as the spring.

This past weekend was the finals for all our divisions, we got to crown a few first-time champions and a few that have been there before.

Congratulations to all the winners and for the teams that didn’t win this should give you extra motivation for next season.

 

Championship Weekend Recap

 

Division 1

 

Ninja Turtles vs Centurions (33-30) Semifinals

I didn’t see this game, but I do know that at one point everyone thought that Centurions had the game in the bag and that they were going to the finals. Then Ninja Turtles stepped up and came from eleven down with under ten minutes left. I was very surprised to see that happened with the Centurions since they have a very good defense. The player that made all the difference was Wade, who took the switch from QB to WR and played lights out scoring 3 TDs and getting a pick on defense as well and 2 of those TDs were down the stretch and gave his team the lead and the win.

 

Finals

 

Outlaws vs Ninja Turtles (32-31)

 

I don’t know how, but Steve did it again and pulled a win out when it looked very bleak. Tam was able to outperform Steve statistically, but in the end all that matters is who had more points when the final whistle blew. There was a point in the game where Steve threw a pick and it look like Ninja Turtles were going to punch it in and extend their lead, but the Outlaws defense stepped up and got the ball back. I’ve played with and against Steve enough times to know that when he got the ball back with under eight minutes left his goal was to score and use up all the clock. Five minutes and few penalties later they punched it in and now it was up to the defense to seal the game. They gave up a big score quickly then Outlaws answered right back with a big score of their own. The game had under two minutes left and Ninja Turtles need to score and get a 1-point convert to tie it or 2 for the win. Tam had just over a minute and three timeouts to go 45 yards. First play deep out on the sideline, second play same sort of route, quick screen to AJ, next play quick hook. Ninja Turtles were just a few yards away from scoring when Smuda was called for a contact penalty placing the ball on the one-yard line. Turtles get in in on the next play and left one second on the clock. Ninja Turtles have a big choice to make go for the tie or the win, they went for the tie and the ball was thrown just inside the endzone and the defender was able to get a hand in and knock it away. Outlaws are now your back-to-back-to-back-to-back champs. Can they get 5 in a row? Come back in the fall and find out.

 

Division 2

 

Petits Phoques vs Outlaws (33-42)

 

Phoques were missing a few players for this game, but everyone that was there stepped up and made plays. Playing in this game was tough. Our defense had struggled all season long giving up big play after big play and this weekend was the same. Just before half, Outlaws had a two-score lead with 20 seconds left so you’d feel that it would end that way. Well, two plays later, Phoques were attempting a convert. Petits Phoques started the second half with the ball and scored easily, but miss the convert and are down 2 points. After a punt from Petits Phoques Steve gets sacked for a safety from Charlie and it is all tied up. Dom decides to throw it the length of the field where Boris makes a beautiful catch and gives them the lead. Outlaws answered right back and after a few changes of possessions Dom lead Petits Phoques to a score with six minutes left to take the lead. You know Steve will score to tie it and got the convert to take a one-point lead. Steve left just under two minutes on the clock and plenty of time for Dom to march the field, score and win the game. Dom ended up throwing a pick and Outlaws scored and went for two to seal the game, they got it and game was over.

 

Honor Game vs OG Panthers (27-14)

 

I’ll leave this for Will and Terry since they both played in this game and all I know is OG had the lead at half, but then Will came out of the game and Marvin went in. Then Honor Game dominated the second half.

 

Finals

 

Honor Game vs Outlaws (47-50)

 

Going into this game I was surprised that it was this match up and I’m sure I wasn’t the only person thinking that. The last time these two teams faced off it was an 8-point game with a pick 6 on the last play, so Honor Game had to be confident going into the finals. Honor Game had a 2 for 1 which is when you score right before half and then start the second half with the ball and score. This gave them a 10-point lead. I’m on sidelines and you can almost feel the game slipping away. Outlaws kept fighting to get back into it. With 8 minutes, Outlaws had brought the deficit from ten points to nine. We get in the huddle and Josh says guys I’m not giving up now let’s go and win the game. We go down and score, but miss the convert and are now down three points. All game Dave has been running the same play on Stu and Steve is fed up and yells something at Stu and on the very next play Stu breaks on the ball and picks it off, leaving Outlaws a chance to get the lead. Steve leads a scoring drive and with under a minute Honor Game can go in and win the game. On their third play Marvin runs a post, but slips and Dave lets it rip, but the only player that was there was Justin in an orange shirt. From having a so-so defense all season it stepped up in the playoffs for Outlaws who are your D2 champs.

 

Division 3

 

Iron Wolves vs Old School (43-14)

 

I almost feel bad for Old School not having Dahic there, but when Covid gets you it gets you and you’re forced to quarantine. Old School beat Nice TDs last week and they were never going to beat Iron Wolves the way Jon built his roster. Nicholas was filling in for Dahic at QB, but he had no chemistry with the team and probably hadn’t thrown in a while. At half it looked like a game at 14-7 then the second half started, and the points just kept going up and up and when it was all over Iron Wolves put up 43.

 

Deep Threats vs Les Tannantes (24-32)

 

I didn’t see this game and I didn’t hear anything about it, but my bet is that Deep Threats didn’t do what they did all season. JC held the ball too long looking for Svetna and was taking sacks. No one other than Svetna made any plays, this was the Deep Threats team from 2 seasons ago not the spring 2021 version the one I was impressed with. Jasmin was solid when he had the ball in his hands tossing 4 TDs, no picks and was smart enough to avoid Svetna when passing the ball. With under two minutes left JC had time to drive the field and got the ball inside the red zone, but couldn’t score to tie the game.

 

Iron Wolves vs Les Tannantes (43-26)

 

At the start of the season, I didn’t see this match up for the title, but I did see one of these teams here and it wasn’t Iron Wolves who Jon had contemplated moving to D4 before the season began. The first half of the game was won by Les Tannantes and it looked like Iron Wolves were done for. Then Jon made a few adjustments and lit a fire under his players asses and Iron Wolves completely dominated the second half with ease. I think that the big difference in the second half was Les Tannantes was tired from the first game that came down to the wire and Iron Wolves just coasted in their game. I know Iggy had a very good game on offense, but to me the game was won by Jonathan their rusher as he had 3 sacks and I’m sure that the 3 picks Jasmin threw were from all the pressure he put on him. I know Jon will add in how it really went down, but on Sunday he was saying how they were losing at half and that they were out of it. When you win by 17 and you were down 12 that is a huge comeback. There you have it, the most stacked team in division 3 winning the title.

 

Division 4

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Thunder Buddies (7-24)

 

Before this game even started, most of us knew it wasn’t going to be pretty for the number 1 seed, they were missing players, had a sub and were only 6. The Thunder Buddies team they faced wasn’t the same as in the season. Thunder Buddies were missing Rosalie their rusher, so Terry filled in. This was not a cool move on their behalf. The game was close in the first half with Thunder Buddies taking the lead on the last play of the half. Second half it was all Thunder Buddies as they strolled into the finals for the second straight fall season.

 

RawSauce vs Pananches (26-20)

 

Just from looking at the stats you would have figured it was a lopsided game, but it wasn’t, it was close right up to the last whistle. It sucks that both teams were missing players and if they had been there it might have made a difference. At the end of the game Panaches went down and tied it up leaving just seconds on the clock, it looked like overtime was coming. Then somehow RawSauce was able to get a few plays and scored with zeros on the clock and made their way to the finals.

 

RawSauce vs Thunder Buddies (26-27)

 

This was a game that shows you why a good rusher is important. Terry was more of a runner then he was a passer, same number of completions as rushing attempts and same amount of yards. This was a very close game that might have had the best ending of the day. RawSauce is up 7 with 34 seconds left it seems to be over and RawSauce is the new D4 champs. Terry throws two incomplete passes and then runs for a bunch of yards. On the last play of the game Terry goes to play slot and Simon steps in at QB and throws it to Terry who uses his body to catch the ball for a TD. Now its time for the convert, 1 ties it and 2 wins it. Terry decides to go for 1 and the tie. Terry rolls out throws it and the ball gets picked off and ran back for 1, but then you look around and see a flag on the floor for roughing the passer. This time Terry goes for 2 and hits Simon just inside the end zone and next to the sideline the 2 points are good, and Thunder Buddies won their second championship. To me, just like the last one they got, it should have a star beside their name. They did win it fair and square, but Terry knows he should not be rushing in D4.

 

Division 5

 

Phoenix vs Spin Doctors (12-24)

 

Spin Doctors won this game from a complete team effort. All season this team got better each week and showed that it’s not always the best team that wins, it’s the team that plays best together. From playing in this game, I don’t remember many big plays happening that made a huge difference in the game. The first half was a close game going back and forth and both teams marching the field. Spin Doctors did get a few lucky breaks by ways of dropped interceptions and one of those did go for the only big play of the day. After all these years, Raph was finally able to claim his first title and he had to go from D1 to D5 to get it (ed’s note: it’s difficult to read this through all the salt). I liked most of the guys from Spin Doctors, they were there to have fun and learn the game and winning a title was a bonus.

 

Congratulations to all the winners. Now that you won one, it’s time to start thinking about repeating and everyone coming after you.

 

Finals MVPs

 

I’m going to get right to it. If you were at the get together on Sunday you know that the league gave trophies to who they felt deserved the award, but now its my turn to tell you who I think it was and a quick reason why.

 

Division 1

 

I know everyone feels that the QBs should get it every time, well not this time around. I went with Jonathan Svetna. Svetna had a solid game on offense and came up with a pick on defense as well. When Svetna got his pick Ninja Turtles might have sealed the game if that doesn’t happen.

 

Division 2

 

After being yelled at by Steve a few times this season the guy you’d never expect to make a play on defense did. If you watched the game, you know I’m talking about Stu Lambon. Players on our team have referred to it as The Pick. Without Stu making a play, Outlaws don’t win.

 

Division 3

 

I had a hard time picking the winner from Iron Wolves as there were so many players that balled out, but I eventually narrowed it down to James and Iggy. I know everyone wants to see big numbers on offense, but you need to do it on both sides of the ball for me so I went with James Langshaw. James scored twice on offense and had a big pick on defense. Sorry Iggy, next time get more than 3 tackles.

 

Division 4

 

When the pressure is on what do you do? In Simon’s case you step up and get it done. Simon Duchesne had 2 picks on defense plus a pick 1 a bunch of catches. Oh, and I forgot to mention the TD pass on the last play of the game to bring his team within a convert of tying it, that’s not all he caught the 2 point convert to win it while getting bumped out of bounds. Simon did everything he could to make sure that his team won the game.

 

Division 5

 

In this game was hard to make a pick because it was such a team effort from Spin Doctors. I have to give it to Raph Levy with 4 TDs and no picks, he deserved it. First title ever in MFL and it’s about time for someone deemed as a HOF.

 

Those are my picks for finals MVP they might not be your picks, but they are mine and I wasn’t able to see every play that happened, so I looked over the numbers and heard a few things around and made my picks that way.

Playoff Predictions and Spreads

Playoff Predictions and Spreads

Kevin Kousaie

 

Predictions & Keys to Winning

 

This is it the week that everyone has been waiting for. It’s time to crown a champion at least in the league (ed’s note: where else would you be referring to?).

Terry won the regular season title over Will by 2 games and last week Terry destroyed all of us and has all but clinched the playoff title as well.

Last week was a killer in the heat and this week is going to be a killer with how many games some players are going to be playing, but at least it will be cooler. Now lets get to picking some winners, I hope.

 

Division 1

 

Ninja Turtles (2) vs Centutions (3)

- Ninja Turtles win if they stick to Tam playing QB

- Centurions will win if their defense steps up and plays like they did in last year playoffs.

Winner faces Outlaws for the title.

 

Division 2

 

Honor Game (2) vs OG Panthers (3)

- For Honor Game to win they need to forget last time they played each other and stay focused.

- If OG want to win this matchup again they will need Charles to ball out and the defense to stop Marvin who wasn’t there last time.

 

Petits Phoques (1) vs Outlaws (4) NA

By now you should know I don’t pick my games, but that won’t stop me from giving my insight.

- Petits Phoques will win if Dom is on his game, and most of the time he is during the playoffs.

- Outlaws need their defense to step up and the rusher to contain Dom.

 

Division 3

 

Iron Wolves (1) vs Old School (6)

- Iron Wolves will walk away with the victory if they play smart offense and avoid Dahic all day.

- Old School can win if they forget about the past and just concentrate on this one game. Winning streaks do come to an end.

 

Deep Threats (2) vs Les Tannantes (4)

- Deep Threat will win if JC keeps doing what he has done all year and spread the ball.

- Les Tannantes will have to slow Svetna down and not throw near him when he is on defense.

 

Division 4

 

Flamboyant Flamingos (1) vs Thunder Buddies (4)

- Flamingos can win this game if they show up, word is that 6 players will be missing.

- Thunder Buddies can win if Terry plays smart, uses his legs and doesn’t force the ball.

 

RawSauce (2) vs Panaches (3)

- RawSauce can win but like the other D4 game need to show up, planning a team trip is great, but not during the playoffs.

- Panaches should be able to win this game if they play smart on offense and hard defense.

 

Division 5

 

Phoenix (1) vs Spin Doctors (3) NA

By now you should know I don’t pick my games, but that won’t stop me from giving my insight.

- Phoenix can win if they protect the ball and play smart on defense.

- Spin Doctors can win this game if their defense can stay together and make some plays.

 

There you have it my picks for the week.

 

Final Thoughts

 

We made it through the season and here we are at the finals. There were lots of conflicts and back and forth about how to get all the games in this weekend, but Jon figured it out. On Sunday we are having our end of the year get together and it seems plans have changed a little since it was last mentioned. We were supposed to go to Bowheads Pub, but it was going to be difficult to get as all in there, so we are instead meeting at West Shefford Pub located at 1562 Mont Royal Est.

We’re still meeting at 6 pm and there will be the awards given out as well as raffle prizes.

The new season starts on September 4th, so get your rosters in and if you are looking for a team let Jon know so he can place you on one.

I hope that in the fall we have just as many teams coming back plus a few new ones, but knowing that it will eventually get colder teams seem to take the fall season off.

I’m glad to hear that Division 1 will be happening this time around as last year D1 wasn’t there in the fall since there were so few teams that fit that division.

This season a lot of the new teams struggled in the beginning, but got to know the game and made big strides at the end of the season.

Now that this is the final week of the season if you want to win it all you might have to sacrifice your body to make the play. I know every week I tell you to have fun and be safe, well now it’s the finals and time to leave it all out on the field. Don’t be the person that takes it easy and costs your team a shot at the title. Ball out and recover afterwards, but still have fun.

See you all Saturday, first games are at 8am if you want to come watch.

 

 

 

Word from the Mouth: It's Heating Up! edition

Word from the Mouth: It's Heating Up! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Here we are coming to the last week of the playoffs. Congratulations to all the teams that have advanced and for all the teams that lost, better luck next season.

It was really hot out there this weekend and to everyone that was there all day, good for you and I hope you stayed hydrated and in the shade. I want to say a big thanks to Rob and Will for the 3:30 game and for me not having to play in it. I can tell you that if I had played, someone would have had to drag me to my car and drive me home, if I didn’t already have 3 chauffeurs there this week. I know this week is supposed to get cooler, but you never know.

I can tell you that with so many players on multiple teams that making the schedule has been a pain in Jon’s ass. I know we all want the playoffs to end this week, but that might mean a few players would be forced to pick between the two teams they are on and after playing all season to miss the playoff would really suck. I feel Jon should stipulate this at the beginning of the season that there is a chance that you have multiple games at the same time in playoffs, with Jon doing his best so that this happens as little as possible.

 

Playoff Week 1 Recap

 

Division 1

 

There was only one game played this week and it was between the Outlaws and Henchmen and with both Terry and Will being on these teams, I figured I’d allow them to cover this game since they were there and I wasn’t.

 

Division 2

 

Honor Game vs Joey’s Haters (43-24)

 

This game will get covered by Terry and Will since this is a team Will plays on. I want to point out that all season Will and Marvin haven’t been allowed to play in the same game, but this week they were allowed to each play a half.

 

OG Panthers vs KOLB (40-26)

 

Like the other game, Terry is on OG and will get into this game. I will say that going into this game KOLB had a few injuries and weren’t sure they were going to be able to play all game so an emergency sub was available, but not needed.

 

Outlaws vs D#Nasty (49-44)

 

This was the best matchup Outlaws could have asked for week 1 of playoffs and it was a rough one for them. Steve got beat up hard in this game, not sure if it was 3 or 4 times he was ran into and knocked down, but he kept getting up and putting points on the board. This was a game with very little defense even though there were a total of 5 picks in the game, it was all poor tackling and big plays. It looked like it was going to come down to whoever had the ball last. The smartest play of the game came early in the second half when Outlaws went for two and put them up by nine points. After that both teams went back and forth scoring and it seemed like Outlaws had it locked down, then Mathieu got a pick off Steve which went off the receiver’s hands and gave D#Nasty a little more hope. With a minute left it was Outlaws ball and all they had to do was get a first down and they could end the game. D#Nasty was smart and used all their timeouts got the ball back with time for two plays. Kevin took an intermediate pass this way he had a chance to get the ball to the end zone on the last play. Kevin got it there, but Gabe was able to get up and knock it away. That’s how the game ended.

 

Division 3

 

Les Tannantes vs Washington Foreskins (44-27)

 

For the first time in a while Tannantes had their team show up and they didn’t disappoint. Jasmin didn’t have a great game on offense, but he more than made up for it with his defense. Really with the way that Tannantes play defense their QB just needs to be smart with the ball and instead of forcing throws that lead to picks, he can just throw it away and punt the ball. Going into this game I felt that this was going to be a good match up and a super close game and it wasn’t. You must know its going to be a long day when your first pass gets picked off and walked in for 6 points. Both QBs struggled to start the game, but eventually got it somewhat under control. For Tannantes, Simon had the big plays and most of the yards, but Phillipe did the scoring getting into the end zone 3 times on his 6 catches. Washington Foreskins did a decent job getting everyone involved in the game, but Gabriel needed to have a bigger game if they wanted to win, and he didn’t. I can’t put all the blame on Gabriel, but with 6 picks some of them had to be on him.

 

Deep Threats vs Black Knights (40-6)

 

This was a game I wanted to see a few weeks back, but Deep Threats weren’t going to be able to field a team and Black Knights took the forfeit win. Before that game they had said they have a few guys on their roster that could lock down Svetna alone. I doubted them and then this week rolls around and I’m finally going to see this happen. Then before the game I’m speaking to Michael and he lets me know that they are missing JC who is hurt and Brendan who are their safeties as well as defensive play callers. I knew right then that they had no shot in this game. Wow, was I right or what? This was a one-sided game right from the start. No one on Deep Threats had to do much as with all the attention Svetna was getting it left everyone else open to make easy catches. I said this in the past Svetna is probably the best player in the division and with all the attention he gets someone else has to step up. In years past that hasn’t happened, but now it is and look at them roll. JC has improved on his reads and no longer just chucks it up deep and on the other hand Leon looks at his first read and seems to be stuck on that player thinking he can fit the ball in. I can tell you that I would have avoided Svetna all day on when I had the ball.

 

Division 4

 

Panaches vs Cereal Killers (41-26)

 

I was hoping to see an upset this weekend and I thought that this might be the game. This was also the first game that I did of Cereal Killers and I wanted to see what all the hype was about them from the beginning of the season. Yes, they are young, fast and athletic, but they don’t know the game and that’s what they need to improve. Panaches jumped up early and never looked back. With Felix playing QB for Panaches it has made this team a real competitor. Felix might not look great throwing and he always seems to jump while throwing the ball, but it gets the job done and that’s all that matters. I think that this was the hottest time of the day and both teams were really dying out there. They were using timeouts just to get a quick break and a sip of water. On a day like that you need to have 8 or 9 players not 7 but its playoffs and you play with who you got. One thing I will say is both teams did a good job of spreading the ball and get everyone involved. Cereal Killers lost the game, but gained some much need experience over the season and should they come back next season, they will be a better team for it.

 

RawSauce vs Wolf Pack (27-6)

 

This game didn’t last long. Wolf Pack were in need of subs and got a few to bring them to 6 players. It was hot, everyone was tired, and the subs they got couldn’t finish out the game. The subs made it to half time where Wolf Pack called the game. It was already out of reach and being down on the score and players, it was only going to get worse and a chance for more injuries, so why not end it and go home and relax?

 

Division 5

 

Phoenix vs Les Last Calls (34-25)

 

Going into this game I wasn’t worried, we got a stop on the opening drive and followed that up by throwing a pick. I’m thinking to myself this is going to a very defensive game, then Les Last Calls had the ball for their second drive and were forced to punt again. Phoenix was able to march down the field and put the first points on the board on a long drive. Les Last Calls answered that score quickly with a big deep ball to Seb who went for 34 yards and the score. The first half, a few bad throws by Kevin (ed’s note: is “The Mouth” like a separate entity to Kevin?) led to picks and points for Les Last Calls. With the last play of the half, Phoenix threw up a prayer hoping to tie the game at 19, but the ball was knocked away. Second half Phoenix made an adjustment on defense and stopped throwing the deep ball. Phoenix controlled the clock and the ball in the second half. The play of the game was made on defense by Gab. Phoenix was up seven and with Les Last Calls starting on their five-yard line, Gab goes in and gets the sack and the safety putting Phoenix up 9 points with 7:30 or so left in the game. Phoenix took their time using five plus minutes to score and make it a fifteen-point game with under two minutes left. Les Last Calls were able to score, but missed the convert and Phoenix ended the game and bought their ticket to the championship game next week.

 

Top Performances of the Week

 

I would normally be picking an offensive and Defensive player per division here, but with not a lot of games plus it being playoffs, I’m only picking one player per division who balled out and helped their team win their game.

 

Division 1

 

This week there was only one game played so picking my player of the week was relatively easy. I hate to agree with Jon, but for once he got it right when he picked Marvin Steinberg. Marvin caught 6 balls for 57 yards and 3 TDs on offense. For his defense he only had 6 tackles. It wasn’t his defense that got him picked it was his 3 TDs.

 

Division 2

 

I had it narrowed down to 3 very good performances this week, but one of those players won it for D1 and the other player also happens to play in D1 as well, so that left me with one player. This player did earn it this week, so it’s not like he wouldn’t have won either way. Louis-Mathieu Dufour balled out on both sides of the ball. Offensively Louis had 5 catches for 109 yards, 2 TDs and a 1point convert. Louis also had 6 tackles and a pick he took back for 6 points.

 

Division 3

 

I had a harder time picking my winner for this division. I wanted to go with the QB who had a huge upset this week, but after looking at the stats I really couldn’t do it. Out of everyone to pick from I went with Jasmin Henri from Les Tannantes. Jasmin was 17 of 36 for 183 yards, 5 TDs, 2 1point converts and threw 3 picks, oh and he ran twice for 12 yards. I know those are some very mediocre numbers, but I didn’t pick him because of that I picked him for his 1 tackle, 3 picks and his pick 6 on defense.

 

Division 4

 

This is the third and final time I’m making my pick for the winner, I wrote it once and was like ya but, then again and finally I went with Felix Gerin-Lajoie from Panaches (ed’s note: did you have a stroke while you were writing that sentence?). This is the first season Felix has thrown and he did a very good job of it. Felix went 17 of 25 for 193 yards, 6 TDs, 3 1point convert and threw an interception. He was also able to run for 32 yards on 8 carries. On defense Felix picked off a pass as well as record 3 tackles.

 

Division 5

 

I almost went with a QB here, but then realized I wasn’t allowed to give myself my pick for player of the week. No, really, I never even consider myself. I had 2 players in mind and then the player I picked just jumped off the stat sheet and there was no way I couldn’t give it to him this week. This week’s winner is Orenzo Porporino. Orenzo had 4 catches for 101 yards and 1 TD, he also had 2 tackles and a sack on defense.

 

There you have it my players of the week. Next weekend is where it all counts and the one week you don’t want to screw the pooch.

Leagues
Montreal Flag Football League