Week 1 Predictions from The Mouth

Week 1 Predictions from The Mouth

Kevin Kousaie

Week 1 Predictions

 

Division 1  Division 2

 

Outlaws vs Bitter Boys NA

Just like in seasons past I will not be picking games that I am playing in. (ed’s note: I paused for a second before remembering that Kevin had joined the dark side)

 

Outlaws vs Team Rossie NA

Just like in seasons past I will not be picking games that I am playing in.

 

Joey’s Haters vs President’s Choice  

Ok, here we have it, a new team playing against one of the top teams from last season. This should be a cake walk for the Haters. I know a bunch of the guys on the President’s Choice roster and they can play, but the thing is that they haven’t played together before and I’m not sure who will be throwing for them.

 

D#Nasty vs OG Panthers

This game was a toss-up, but I have to assume that OG Panthers won’t start the way they did last season. This will be a close game and it be decided by the way the QBs play.

 

Old School vs Honor Game

I went with Old School, but I’m not super confidant in this choice. I know what I am getting in Old School and with the addition of a new brother on Honor Game it could turn volatile very quickly if things don’t go their way.

 

Division 3

 

Les Fraises Sauvages vs Mustard Tigers

Les Fraises Sauvages roster is posted and I have no clue who any of them are. I know who is on Mustard Tigers I have to assume that they ball out in this game especially the way then ended last season. It also doesn’t help that in week 1 you are already looking for subs.

 

The Wieners vs Les Tannantes

Both teams are new and neither of them have their rosters posted, so this was a coin toss and it came up heads and that’s how I picked this winner.

 

Iron Wolves vs Nice TDs

I can’t pick against last season’s champs. It also helps that I know Nice TDs have lost both Kris and Andrew.

 

Good Vibes vs Underdog

I know a few guys on Team Ferland and I saw JC throw last weekend and he didn’t look half bad, but it might have been the defense he was playing against. We all saw Underdogs get better as last season went on, but this season it is a different roster so expect struggles at first.

 

Underdogs vs Sriracha All Stars

This team went to the finals last season and this season they have upgraded at QB from Josh to Eric and the team will start winning right from the start.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs 909 Unicorns NA

Just like in seasons past I will not be picking games that I am playing in.

 

Washington Foreskins vs Flamboyant Flamingos

I’m giving Flamboyant Flamingos the win as they grew as a team last season and playing a new team that I think will struggle they should be able to pull it off.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Les Beautes

I know this is a new team, but I know a few of their players and they might have a decent QB that is new to the league. I’ll give them the week 1 win, but they better show me something (ed’s note: Or else!).

 

Thunder Buddies vs Les Last Calls

Thunder Buddies won the title in the spring and should be able to keep winning as the fall begins. With Rob calling the defense they will be put in the right position so they don’t get beat and should be able to get a few turnovers.

 

Airborne vs RawSauce

I know one or two players on RawSauce, but that is it and not knowing the players or who will throw makes it difficult for me to pick them to win. I have seen Guillaume grow these last few seasons and this season won’t be any different. Guillaume will lead the team to a win in week one.

Word from the Mouth: Playoffs, Baby! edition!

Word from the Mouth: Playoffs, Baby! edition!

Kevin Kousaie

Here we have it, my last article of the spring season. I’m glad we all made it through healthy and that the city or province didn’t put us all back in lockdown, because that would have really sucked. We really didn’t want another delay like we had in the winter season.

This past week we crowned our 4 division champions. We had a few players that have won multiple titles, but we also had a bunch of new players claiming their first title.

 

Division 1

 

Henchmen vs Gros Coqs (27-25)

I will point out that Henchmen didn’t have a QB this week and were forced to ask Jon if he would throw for them and I know that Jon was forced to ask all the other captains if he was allowed to throw and we all said yes, figuring that what is he really going to do against a much stronger Gros Coqs team. Both teams played about the same all game, when I was looking over the stats I noticed that eight minutes through the second half Gros Coqs were up two scores and it looked as if they were going to be heading to the finals. That’s when things took a turn for the worse for them. Normally the way Jon plays that would have been enough to pull it off. Henchmen stepped up their game and short plays started to become big plays and they were able to get back in the game and even take the lead. With seven minutes left the game had completely flipped and Henchmen now had the lead and were fighting to hold onto it. Gros Coqs kept trying and just couldn’t get it done. On the last play of the game Gros Coqs were in scoring distance and it looked as if they were going to win on the last play, then Dahic picked the ball off and the game was over. Henchmen were heading to the finals where they would meet the winner between Outlaws and Holy Trollers.

 

Outlaws vs Trollers (20-19)

I played in this one and I found it to be very boring play with not much really happening (ed’s note: Playoffs, baby!). The Trollers were shorthanded, and that’s not an excuse, we still played our asses off. This was a game that whoever had the ball last was going to win. The Trollers were not able to stop the combination of Smuda and Noah, and Steve just kept hitting them every time he needed a play to be made. There were two huge plays in the game that both happened on what turned out to be the last drive. The first play was the one the Trollers needed to happen for a chance to take the lead. Steve steps back to throw the ball and doesn’t see Josh standing between him and Smuda on the sideline and it looked like it was an easy pick, but it wasn’t as it went off both of Josh’s hands and up in the air to land right in Smuda’s hands and it was a first down for them. On that same drive right at the end the Trollers were forced to use their timeouts to save some time and hope to get a shot at winning. First down, Vince runs for four yards, timeout by Trollers. Second and third down were incomplete passes and timeouts by the Trollers. On fourth down it looked as if the stop was about to happen, but then Steve hits Svetna right on the sideline for the first down and the win.

 

Outlaws vs Henchmen (53-18)

This was not the final matchup many expected to see, but once it was locked in many expected this outcome. I know I did. In the first half the Outlaws were unstoppable and could not make any mistakes. Jon was once again throwing for Henchmen and it wasn’t pretty for him. I will say that even before the game he had mentioned that his elbow was bothering him, it was the same one that he hurt last week and he might not have been a good choice to throw a fourth game that day. He went out and stunk it up and then Kris had to take over. Kris fared better under center, but by that point the Outlaws were playing a soft defense and only needed the clock to reach zero before claiming their third title in a row. I wish we had a close game like we did in the first round, but far too often the finals is not as good a game as the semis. Maybe next season.

 

Division 2

 

OG Panthers vs Nice TDs (0-38)

I really didn’t expect to see this game turn out this way. I had spoken to a few players during the week and they all felt that Nice TDs were done and mentioned that Kris isn’t the same player he was before the leg injury and that they were going to be one and done. That might have been the case, but no one told Kris and he drove the Nice TDs to score on every drive they had. OG Panthers weren’t even able to punch it in once. I was really hoping to see a good game, but I missed out on this one. This game was one that the OG Panthers defense let them down. No sacks, no picks, and they couldn’t get off the field on fourth down on multiple occasions.

 

Old School vs Centurions (0-41)

This game got ugly really fast. Centurions were way too strong for Old School. The defense for Centurions showed why they are considered elite in the division, they managed four picks and three were by Simon-Pierre Laferrière. Not only did Simon kill it on defense, but he showed that he was a weapon on offense as well by scoring twice and adding a two-point convert. I just don’t know how you get into the playoffs and then manage to put up zero points, it’s supposed to be the best of the best. With all the trouble of scheduling the Wildcard round it played out as if it never happened.

 

Nice TDs vs Joey’s Haters (31-20)

This should have been an easy game for Joey’s Haters, but they ran into a Nice TDs team that weren’t going to be stopped on this day (ed’s note: Spoilers, but not?). I was going to mention that Max had another playoff melt down again, but then he let me know he was hurt and couldn’t move very well. I just wonder if Joey’s Haters came in thinking they were going to walk away with an easy win. Max was off all day missing guys that were wide open and that would have gone for easy scores. Kris had a near perfect day and Andrew, Nicholas, and Brian stepped up big on offense and Greg did a fantastic job pressuring Max all day and even walked away with two sacks. One of those sacks put Joey’s Haters in a fourth and long. Max, who was throwing into the wind, threw it to the sideline for Josh who was out of bounds even before he caught the ball. The Haters were upset that the play didn’t go their way and after that Nice TDs went down and scored to go up eleven and that was too much for Joey’s Haters to come back from.

 

Centurions vs Petits Phoques (34-31)

At least we had one game that came down to the end. In a game that your defense looked dominant in, how could you lose? Petits Phoques got a pick 6 from Bresse and five sacks from Noah and looked great doing it, but it was the defense from Centurions that ended up winning the game. At halftime the Centurions were down ten points and needed a spark to get them going. I don’t know for sure, but in the second half did Petits Phoques take their foot off the gas and couldn’t get going again when they needed to? I heard from multiple people that after Centurions scored with under 20 seconds left that Dom threw a pick on third down. What baffles me about that is why didn’t Petit Phoques just end the game (ed’s note: they could not end it. Centurions had timeouts and would have been able to get the ball back with time left on anything but a first down) and if they couldn’t because Centurions had timeouts left, why didn’t Dom just run, throw it away then run again that would have been enough for the game to be over (ed’s note: it would not have been. They needed one first down to end it). Instead Xavier picks Dom off and two plays later Raphaël scores what is the game winning TD and off to the finals the Centurions go.

 

Centurions vs Nice TDs (43-14)

Last year the Centurions lost in the finals and this season they were out to find out what winning was like. Early on in the season they looked like they were going to breeze through everyone then they hit a rough patch in the schedule and they looked like an average team. Nice TDs had been enjoying a nice run up to the finals, but then the clock hit midnight and they went from being the belle of the ball to being the team picking up confetti after the winning team is done celebrating. This was another finals that didn’t live up to the hype. Everyone wants to see the best take on the best for the title and not a complete blow out. I was going to say that Nice TDs were playing their third game of the day, but it was also the same for Centurions. Yes, a lot of the guys on Nice TDs play on multiple teams, but no one forced them to, so being exhausted is not an excuse for laying an egg. Everyone on Nice TDs played below what they should have in the championship game, how can you not get pumped up and ready to go when the game was going on? Congratulations to Centurions on winning their first title of what could become many.

 

 

Division 3

 

Sriracha All Stars vs Ninja Turtles (32-12)

Any other week this would have been a huge upset, but when you’re missing half your roster it’s not such an upset. This was by far the best game Josh has played all season and there was no better time for it. He was smart with his ball placement and used his experience to run when they left him a lane to do so. Sriracha jumped out to a 20-6 lead at half and knowing what they were up against they kept pushing to keep the momentum going. Second half was just like the first half and the Ninja Turtles scored half way through it, but that was all they could muster up. Sriracha was able to get into the end zone twice after that and then the final buzzer went and the upset was complete.

 

Iron Wolves vs Mustard Tigers (43-14)

How the f**tr**suck did this happen? Well, let me tell you. I figured that Mustard Tigers were way better than this and normally they are. Maybe they came in over confident. Maybe Jon used last week to figure out a few things. To me it seemed after Jon won his first game he was set on getting two teams to the finals. What sticks out to me was the defense from both teams. Iron Wolves were able to force a bunch of punts and change of possessions on downs, which they hadn’t done in a while and I wasn’t expecting to see. On the other hand Mustard Tigers weren’t able to do any of that plus they didn’t get any picks which is rare for them. Jon was nearly unstoppable this week and the only time they didn’t score was on their last possession which they punted with 20 seconds left. Mustard Tigers didn’t look hungry this week and it didn’t seem like they wanted to repeat as champions.

 

Sriracha All Stars vs Iron Wolves (13-32)

Even before the game I was congratulating Jon on his championship. They have the better team, better QB, and even a better roster. Then the game started and boy did I ever look stupid. Sriracha jumped out to a 13-0 lead and it looked like they were going to run away with it. Sriracha had a few big plays early in the game and as it went on those plays disappeared by drops and by an adjustment on the defense. I know that Josh feels they lost the game early in the game on a fourth down where Iron Wolves double rushed and Catherine “Ribeye” Boucher batted it away like Dikembe Mutombo and all she was missing was the finger shake. That is also when the game started to change and Iron Wolves couldn’t be stopped after that. Another big slap in the face to Sriracha was the fact they allowed Iron Wolves to double up and by that I mean score right before half and since Iron Wolves were starting the second half with the ball they did it again to start the half and it also gave them the lead after that was it, game over. Iron Wolves are your Spring 2020 champs.

 

 

Division 4

 

Les Beautes vs Citadins (33-6)

This was a game that would have gone the other way had Citadins had their roster show up and not away for the long weekend. Simon had a good game throwing 4 TDs and only 1 pick, but the big difference in this game was Les Beautes defense. Manon killed it racking up 3 sacks and getting into Carol-Ann’s face all day long forcing her to throw off balance and make poor reads which lead to 3 picks with 2 by Thomas and 1 by Nicolas. This game didn’t start the way it should have and instead of the 9 o’clock start time it started half hour later at 9:30 due to a miscommunication. It didn’t bother Les Beautes though and it gave them extra time to warm up. It was hard for Carol-Ann not having any of her regular big targets out there this week. At halftime this was still a game where Simon went off and led his team to multiple scores as they did whatever they wanted as they walked into the finals.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Sofa King Good (13-6)

This was a defensive game, sort of. There were lots of struggles on offense for both teams. What really stuck out to me in this game was the smiling and laughing when balls were being dropped by Sofa King Good, this is not how you’re supposed to act when you’re playing for a chance for the title (ed’s note: no having fun!). It looked like Sofa King Good’s strategy was to go after Steve, but that didn’t help as Steve made every tackle that was in front of him. On the offensive side of the ball, Thunder Buddies were very conservative with the ball and not taking many chances. Even when Terry took off running it was more out of necessity since guys weren’t getting open. Sofa King Good did a great job of converging around Terry when he did take off running. This was a boring game that seemed to go on forever with very little excitement (ed’s note: PLAYOFFS, BABY!).

 

Les Beautes vs Thunder Buddies (13-24)

I saw that Simon had made a comment somewhere on Facebook about the finals being Les Beautes vs Thunder Buddies and it looks like he was right. I am very disappointed in the performances from both QBs. You two threw 7 picks and just over 200 yards passing. This was the finals and you guys needed to do better. You could tell all game that Terry was off his passing game and he needed to rely his on legs. Last game Manon was on point racking up sacks and stirring snuggles up, but this game she wasn’t able to do much to stop Terry. Other than Thomas, no one on Les Beautes stepped up and made any sort of impact. I don’t know why Simon didn’t try and get Brian more involved in the offense, I know I would have (ed’s note: I’m pretty sure he was injured coming into the game and then injured again during the game). Les Beautes had a 1 point lead at the half which they didn’t hold on to for long once the second half started. Thunder Buddies started with the ball and marched down and scored taking the lead. Then it seemed as if Terry took a page out of Steve’s playbook and slowed the game down and just marched the field eating up the clock along the way. Then, all of a sudden the game was over and Thunder Buddies were crowned your division 4 champions.

 

Playoff MVP

 

Since I’ll be picking my playoff MVP and normally the QBs get all the credit, let’s see who gets it and see if a QB even makes my list.

 

Division 1

This was an easy pick for me to make. I played the Outlaws on their way to another title and if it wasn’t for this guy they would have been watching the finals from the sideline. Jonathan Svetna in the first game and it was his defense that stood out, oh, and that toe tap on fourth down that sealed up the first game. In the finials all he did was score 4 TDs and add another pick to his total.

 

Division 2

With Centurions playing 3 games on Saturday and different guys balling out in each game I went with the one player that helped get them over the hump and onto the championship trophy and that player is Gabriel Archambault. Gabriel was new to the team and you can see that his impact was huge. In the 3 games he threw 16 TDs to just 3 picks. When you put up numbers like this in the playoffs there is no way his team wins without him.

 

Division 3

This was a tough choice for me to make. I was going to go with the QB, but then after looking at the stats and when the plays were made, I had to go with Alec Myles. In the first game he showed off his offensive skills and then in the second game he busted out the defense that sealed the games for them. (ed’s note: despite him not picking me, I can’t agree more with Kevin’s choice. Alec was on fire all day).

 

Division 4

 

I had to pick someone from Thunder Buddies of course and I had a few players to choose from. I came up with one player that without them their team would have lost and we would have had a different champion. So, I went with Steve. In the first game he was a tackling machine who came up with huge flags on every third and fourth down that was anywhere near him. I’m also sure that in the second game he was the one who was letting Terry know to slow the game down. You would have seen Terry’s name here, but there were just too many interceptions thrown and as a QB I’d like to see more passing yards than rushing yards.

 

Final Thoughts

 

We made it through the heat of the summer and now we are entering the fall season where it will be cooler and have more rain. I think if we can get most weeks like this past weekend then we will all be happy. Right now, I’m sitting at home on vacation when I should be getting hammered in Vegas and betting on black, but I’m here saving money and getting ready to throw for the first time in a few years. I’m pumped for the season to start and can’t wait to meet my new teammates as we come together and try to win it all. This season is the leagues largest number of teams in the fall. We have 29 teams right now with a potential 30th to fill us to capacity. I hope in time that these teams in lower divisions get better and stick around and move up to the higher divisions. It’s week one and we all want to go out and play our asses off, but let’s not forget that this is a game and we are all out to have some fun. Play hard, have fun, and stay safe. Good luck to everyone this week and can’t wait to see a few of the new teams.

Predictions and All Star Teams Week 9

Predictions and All Star Teams Week 9

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

Now we are at the good stuff and with only the best teams left (or at least the teams that busted their asses to get into the playoffs) and we get to see how much I like your team and their chances of moving on to the next round and in most cases the finals. The season now means nothing and all that I care about is the game in front of me.

 

Division 1

 

Gros Coqs vs Henchmen

This one shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, Gros Coqs easily. I have to go with Gros Coqs as they will be there and with Henchmen you know that right now they are asking the Commissioner (ed’s note: I like this random capitalization of the position title) for subs and I don’t even know who will be throwing for them. I think that if Henchmen pulled off the win it would be one of the biggest upsets ever in MFL history.

 

Outlaws vs Holy Trollers NA

By now you all know I don’t pick my team games, but I will say that this will be the best game played in the first round in the entire league. It will be close as both teams know each other so well. Both teams knew coming into the season that if they wanted to win it all they would have to play each other at some point, but most thought it would be in the finals.

 

Division 2

 

Centurions vs Old School

I feel Centurions are too strong for Old School. When I look at the match ups, I can’t see how Old School will score enough points to win the game. Centurions will frustrate Dahic all day with the defense that they play. Old School can pull it off if they play a perfect game, but I just can’t see that happening.

 

Nice TDs vs OG Panthers

With Kris being a little banged up and with the roster that OG Panthers have I can see the upset happening. Nice TDs were a top team until a few weeks ago and OG Panther just creeped into the playoffs. If OG Panthers are to have a chance they will need their defense to get turnovers and give the offense extra chances at scoring. Normally I would have said that Charles needs to play his ass off for them to win, but not in this one.

 

Division 3

 

Ninja Turtles vs Sriracha All Stars

I’ll keep it real with you, like I have all season. Sriracha All Stars have no chance in this one. Ok, they might if Ninja Turtles play with only 5 players and even then it would be difficult. Everyone on Sriracha All Stars needs to play the best game of their life to even keep it close and they need to get some luck along the way.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Iron Wolves

This is the game in this division that people should watch. Both teams are solid and when they are on their games are very meticulous with their attack and take what is given to them. The big question mark in this game will be the roster for Iron Wolves, all season they have been missing players and if I knew they had their full roster then I might have even picked them to win, but with the unknown I have to go with the team that will have their entire roster there.

 

Division 4

 

Citadins vs Les Beautes

Citadins are by far the best team in the division. I can’t see how Les Beautes are going to even keep this game close. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Citadins defense score more points than Les Beautes offense. If Les Beautes can keep it to a 3-score game I would consider that a win for them. (ed’s note: Jeez, Kev.)

 

Sofa King Good vs Thunder Buddies

I am picking Sofa King Good to win as I feel they have too much fire power on offense and will score more points. Thunder Buddies need Terry to play a great game at QB for them to have a chance. They will also need to catch the ball when it is thrown to them. I also feel that Thunder Buddies need their defense to get them a few extra possessions to pull off the win. I just can’t see all that happening.

 

Power Rankings

This is where you would normally see my power ranking but with the season done and none of that really mattering anymore, I will skip this section and add a new section just for this week.

 

All-Star Selection

 

Let me tell you how I have made my selections. First off you can only make it at one position per division. If you play on multiple teams you are only able to make it at your highest division unless you are playing a different position in another division. I will be choosing an entire offense and a defense. Let’s get to my selections and see who is on my MFL Dream teams.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

QB- Stephen Harripersaud (Outlaws)

Center- Vincent Granata (Gros Coqs)

WR 1- Marvin Steinberg (Red Raiders)

WR 2- Kevin Smuda (Outlaws)

WR 3- Jean-Christophe Ferland (Trollers)

WR 4- Alexandre Bresse (Gros Coqs)

 

Defense

Rusher- Terry Babalis (Outlaws)

Corner 1- Andrew Grant (Henchmen)

Corner 2- Etienne Moisan (Gros Coqs)

LB – Vincent Blondin (Outlaws)

Safety 1- Benjamin Bergeron (Trollers)

Safety 2- Jonathan Svetna (Outlaws)

 

Division 2

 

Offense

QB- Gabriel Archambault (Centurions)

Center- Maximilien Sadori (Joey’s Haters)

WR 1- Kevin Bourbonnais (Bitter Boys)

WR 2- Vincent Naulet (Bitter Boys)

WR 3- Nick Reeves (Old School)

WR 4- Raphaël Constantin (Centurions)

 

Defense

Rusher- Daniel Murray Jr. (Deep Threats)

Corner 1- Jocelyn Ouellet (Bitter Boys)

Corner 2- Kamba Katchelewa (OG Panthers)

LB – Nicolas Poitevin (Nice TDs)

Safety 1- Samuel Collette (Centurions)

Safety 2- Simon-Pierre Laferrière (Centurions)

 

Division 3

 

Offense

QB- Wade Junior Shallcross (Ninja Turtles)

Center- Thomas Znoj (Mustard Tigers)

WR 1- Serge Pilon (Ninja Turtles)

WR 2- Alex Pilon (Ninja Turtles)

WR 3- Tam Vilaydeth (Ninja Turtles)

WR 4- Craig Owie O’Brien (Mustard Tigers)

 

Defense

Rusher- Gabriel Desharnais (Raccoons)

Corner 1- Mathieu Filipe (Ninja Turtles)

Corner 2- Alec Myles (Iron Wolves)

LB – Marilou Cote-Noel (Mustard Tigers)

Safety 1- Jie Ouyang (Mustard Tigers)

Safety 2- Tameem Riman (Sriracha All Stars)

 

Division 4

 

Offense

QB- Sam Laird (Sofa King Good)

Center- Kyle Lavoie (Sofa King Good)

WR 1- Tyler Cousins (Sofa King Good)

WR 2- Chris Arella (Flamboyant Flamingos)

WR 3- Thomas Iribarren (Les Beautes)

WR 4- Kevin Da Silavia (Sofa King Good)

 

Defense

Rusher- Simon Biedermann (Citadins)

Corner 1- Tyler Cousins (Sofa King Good)

Corner 2- Christopher Blair (Citadins)

LB – Geoffroy Tournier (Les Beautes)

Safety 1- Gabriel Somma (Flamboyant Flamingos)

Safety 2- Alexandre Saint-Onge (Thunder Buddies)

 

There you go, my all-star picks for the Fall season. I know I couldn’t make everyone happy by putting you all up here, but if I had done that, what kind of all-star team is that? There was one player that I almost broke the rules for, but I didn’t because I knew that if I did someone would complain about it. I won’t say who it was but I will give a hint as to who it was. She played for both Ninja Turtles and Citadins and she balled out on her lower team and it was super hard not to include her as one of my picks. If I had it would had caused people to message me all week and tell me how they should have been included as well.

 

Final Thoughts

The season is done and now we move on to the playoffs. I know that some teams didn’t make it and are still interested in playing, but the fall season is only a week away and if you haven’t already registered, I’m sure that space is still available.

With the playoffs happening this week everyone one is invited out to watch the games. We will be having a little BBQ and cash bar, so remember to bring cash with you!

During a normal season, we would be having a get together at a bar or pub or something, but this year with Covid we will be handing out all the awards this week at the field. We encourage you all to come out cheer for your favorite team and maybe heckle a team or player you hate and have a good time.

It’s the last week and time for having fun is over. It’s now time to bust your ass and try and help your team win a title, but you still need to be safe since we all have snuggles to do the rest of the week. Thanks for reading and I hope to see everyone out there this week and, if not, at least in the fall.

Word from the Mouth: Snuggles! edition

Word from the Mouth: Snuggles! edition

Kevin Kousaie

The final week of the season has been played. I’m not sure what was worse, the way the season started with 40-degree weather or all the rain this weekend. Being there all day, I prefer the rain as I could just wear a poncho. If I’m playing, give me the heat just, don’t make me play twice.

This season we saw a bunch of new teams and players let’s hope that they decide to stick around for the fall season. On Saturday we have our playoffs and with a bunch of players playing on multiple teams some players might have a poopie ton of games to play.

 

Week 9 Recap - Division 1

 

Outlaws vs Gros Coqs (33-32)

 

All Gros Coqs needed to do was win the game and they would have locked up the top spot. With all the rain everyone had to figure Dom would just run wild all day long and get the victory easily. He did run and it looked easy, but what we have to remember is that you can’t run every play and when he was forced to throw, he threw 3 picks. With Steve and his little hand (ed’s note: wat?), he decided to wear gloves to throw, thinking it would give him a better handle on the ball. That might be the case normally, but with a synthetic ball and it being wet you have no control of it. Steve seemed to have it figured out though and didn’t throw any picks. With both teams playing each other 4 times this season, it was bound to happen that Outlaws would pull off one win, I just wouldn’t expect it in that weather.

 

Henchmen vs Red Raiders (38-32)

The winner of this game was going to make the playoffs and the loser would be going home. Henchmen, like almost every week were missing guys and guys were showing up late. This week Dahic wasn’t there since he got hurt earlier in the day. They were without a QB and had to turn to Jon to bail them out. Most weeks Kris would have stepped up and thrown for them, but he too was banged up and was relegated to snapping and let me say with snaps like that no one has to worry about Kris winning snapper of the year (ed’s note: legend has it that a few of those snaps are still floating in the air). It was back and forth all game and the turning point was that Henchmen scoring right before the half and then got the ball to start the second half and scored again. That was the difference in this game.

 

Gros Coqs ve Holy Trollers (27-15)

I’m not going to lie; I was against my team playing this game. With the weather we had and the fact that a few guys were banged up there was no need to play and get hurt. More than half the Trollers wanted to play since they paid for it. They played the game and it started out well for them, even with only 5 players from the team as they grabbed a sub from one of the games before. At half, the Trollers had the lead and it looked as if they were going to pull off the upset and win the game. Then the second half started and it all fell apart for them. Okay, not really. What happened was a player on their team got hurt and with no subs they needed to finish the game off with only 5 players.

 

Holy Trollers vs Outlaws

This game did not get played as it was meaningless since it wouldn’t affect the standings and they will be playing each other this week in the playoffs.

 

Top Performances of the Week

 

Here we are last week of the season has been played and this was the last chance at showing me you deserve to be on my list. We didn’t have great conditions this week and some games had better conditions than others, but the stats might not be as they have in the past weeks, but it’s football and we have to deal with what we have in front of us and this week the best defender by far was the rain. Now here are my top guys.

 

Division 1

#1- Jon Evans 22 of 22 for 219 yards, 6 TDs, 2 1point converts and 2 runs for 18 yards.

#2- Dominic Lefort (2 games) 41 of 62 for 354 yards, 7 TDs, 5 picks thrown, 3 1point converts, 1 2point convert, 15 runs for 160 yards, 2 rushing TDs.

#3- Andrew Grant 6 catches for 60 yards, 3 TDs, 1 run for 3 yards and 1 tackle on defense.

 

Division 2

#1- Max Rosenfeld 19 of 28 for 183 yards, 5 TDs, 2 1point converts, 1 run for 6 yards, 3 picks and 2 pick 6s on defense.

#2- Gabriel Archambault 15 of 30 for 193 yards, 4 TDs, 1 1point convert, 5 runs for 12 yards, 1 rushing TD and 2 tackles on defense.

#3- Jon Svetna (2 games) 19 catches for 227 yards, 3 TDs, 2 1point convert, 1 run for 4 yards, 2 tackles and 3 picks on defense

 

Division 3

#1- Alex Pilon 4 catches for 86 yards, 2 TDs, 1 tackle and 1 pick on defense.

#2- Wade Junior Shallcross 19 of 29 for 205 yards, 5 TDs, 3 1point converts, 1 pick thrown, 2 runs for 7 yards, 1 tackle and a pick 6 on defense.

#3- Thomas Znoj 6 of 17 for 66 yards, 2 TDs, 1 1point convert and 3 catches for 46 yards.

 

Division 4

#1- Serge Pilon 3 catches for 62 yards, 1 run for 37 yards and 1 TD and 1 2point convert, 3 tackles on defense, 5 picks and 2 pick 6s.

#2- Simon Valiquette 14 of 17 for 182 yards, 4 TDs, 1 1point convert and 1 pick thrown.

#3- Gabriel Somma 2 catches for 57 yards, 1 TD, 5 tackles, 2 picks and the game winning pick 6 as time expired.

 

There you have it, my final top performers of the year. Now I know not everyone will be playing this week, but now is the real time to shine. You don’t want to go down as being a choke artist after balling all season. I hope not anyway.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 8

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 8

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

This is the last time for the season that I will be looking into my crystal ball to tell you the upcoming winners. For the playoffs I normally go with my gut and look over the past match ups. I will jump right to telling you who the winners are for this week.

 

Division 1(1-0 LW, 11-4 Overall)

 

Outlaws vs Gros Coqs

I’m taking Outlaws to win this one. I also can’t see them losing 4 times to the same team in the season. These two teams have played so many times that they should know each other so well that it will only take a few new kinks to pull off the win.

 

Holy Trollers vs Gros Coqs NA

I don’t pick my team games.

 

Henchmen vs Red Raiders

They are the better team on paper and if they can keep their emotions in check then they will win. I wonder who Henchmen will have playing for them this week and that might be the difference.

 

Holy Trollers vs Outlaws NA

I don’t pick my team games.

 

Division 2 (5-2 LW, 33-18 Overall)

 

Les Boys 2.0 vs Centurions

At this point of the season Les Boys have nothing to play for and like last week I can’t see them coming out as a full team. And even if they did, they would still lose to Centurions as they are the far superior team.

 

Old School vs Deep Threats

Both teams need to win this game if they want to be playing in the post season. I like Old School and all their fans, but after this game they are going to be disappointed. I think with the improvements JC has made this season Deep Threats pull off the victory.

 

Bitter Boys vs Deep Threats

After the way Bitter Boys played last week, I can’t see Deep Threats being able to stop them. The big thing question about Bitter Boys is will they be able to stop anyone?

 

Old School vs D#Nasty

This will be Old School’s second game of the day and they will be hungry for a win and to try and keep their slim playoff hopes alive. It will be close, but they will pull it off.

 

Nice TDs vs REDACTED

REDACTED

 

Honor Game vs OG Panthers

Both teams have solid rosters and their only weakness is the play from the QB. I feel at this point of the season, Honor Game has nothing to play for and will just be there going through the motions. OG needs this game and some help to get in, so they should be on their game and ready to go.

 

Underdogs vs Petits Phoques

Petits Phoques pull off the undefeated season and will make it look easy. That is unless they just choose to throw in the towel and not play the game as they have locked up the number one spot when the beat REDACTED a few weeks back.

 

Division 3 (4-0 LW, 19-7 Overall)

Ninja Turtles vs Sriracha All Stars

OK, this is a rematch from last week and even with their full team Sriracha still don’t have a chance in this one. Josh isn’t going to make up 43 points by himself.

 

Panaches vs Raccoons

I see Panaches getting their first win of the season. All they need to do to win is not turn the ball over as much as they have all season.

 

Iron Wolves vs Mustard Tigers

They have the more complete team and Iron Wolves are still trying to figure out what the new players can do. Also, this game means nothing to either team as they will be playing each other next week again. (ed’s note: I thrive when things mean nothing!)

 

Division 4 (3-1 LW, 21-9 Overall)

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Kill Bills

I know the Flamingos will show up and be ready to go. I never know who is going to be there for Kill Bills so how could I pick them to win?

 

Sofa King Good vs Citadins

Last time they played, Sofa King Good pulled off the upset. That was last time. This time expect to see a different outcome. Citadins are going to go out and show last time was a fluke.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Les Beautes

They will keep their win streak going in this one. They are the better team, but not by much. Whichever QB plays better will win.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Airborne

I can’t see how Thunder Buddies lose this one. They are the better team. Rob will have the defense in check and might try a few new things just to mix it up and see how it goes.

 

Power Rankings

This is the last week of my rankings and at the end of the season we will see if I was right with who finished the season on top.

 

Division 1

#1) Gros Coqs

#2) Outlaws

#3) No one earned this spot

 

Division 2

#1) Petits Phoques

#2) REDACTED

#3) Nice TDs

 

Division 3

#1) Ninja Turtles

#2) Mustard Tigers

#3) Iron Wolves

 

Division 4

#1) Citadins

#2) Sofa King Good

#3) Thunder Buddies

 

I only made one change and that was adding a team that has been on fire over the last few weeks after starting off slowly. That’s it for this season’s rankings. If you didn’t make my list then either you were in a tough division or didn’t deserve it.

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Montreal Flag Football League