Word From The Mouth: Championship Saturday Edition

Thursday, August 9th Kevin Kousaie

So we are here the final week of the season. At the beginning of the season I could have bet money that it would have come down to these four teams. I could choose to talk about what happened in last week’s games, but really none of the games were that close and who wants to talk about the past when we can talk about the upcoming finals. Plus I have to get back to whooping ass in Madden 19 (ed’s note: back on PC! Now about bringing NCAA back…). Lets jump right into this weeks games.

Game Previews

Outlaws vs Krakens

This is the third meeting between these two teams they split those games with a 1 point differential for the Krakens. That was in the season and now that we are in playoffs anything can happen. Both teams are strong, you have to be to get this far, but it will come down to QB play. The guy who can stay calm and keep his cool and not turn the ball over should walk away with the win.

QB - The Krakens have Rob and he might be the oldest QB in the league, but the guy has put up great numbers and doesn’t show his age. Rob is one of the more competitive guys who plays the position. Yes all QBs want to win, but Rob shows it. He can be very emotional at times and that is the only area for concern with me. He makes all the right throws and takes what the defense gives him. To make that change you need to get after him quickly and take that first read away. Outlaws have Steve who I have played with for a few seasons now in FPF, I could be a real a** and tell you exactly what he wants to do and who to watch out for, but I want it to be a competitive game. Steve has been in the league since the LCL days. I have seen him succeed and choke at different times. Steve has always put his guys where they have a chance to win. Steve might not have the strongest arm in the league, but he knows how to throw guys open and design plays that will work to get guys open. I love Steve and all but I have to give Rob the advantage here.

WR - Outlaws have a bunch of solid guys who can all make plays. The guy with the least catches on the team is Vince with 19, but he missed 3 games. I think that Vince is a very hard guy to guard since he is really fast and can make a guy or two miss. I’ve seen him take a 2 yard pass and run right by the entire defense and score. Outlaws have a lot of guys but they don’t really have a go to guy, it’s more like when they get chance they make things happen. Krakens to me have the best group in the league. I talked about this group at the beginning of the season. How can you stop all the weapons they have? You got Smuda, Silvio, Carmelo, and Francisco. Those would be the four guys that you really need to pay attention to since they get most of the balls. The only way to stop them is hope that someone drops a pass or they run a wrong route or Rob throws a bad pass, cause if they are all on their games it is a long day for the defense. I have to go and give the advantage to the Krakens but it is was closer than you’d think. I would take either group and be happy with it and not complain (ed’s note: I literally cannot imagine a scenario where Kevin would not complain. I don’t mean just in football either. I mean in any scenario in anything).

Defense - Krakens defense isn’t like their offense. Yes they have a few guys who can make plays, but they didn’t do it this season. If you take Carmelo off the field then you really just have guys out there that play it safe and give up the catch and make the tackle rather than try to get the pick. They lack a solid pass rush so QBs have time to get to their second and third reads. Outlaws on the other hand have a very good rusher in Mathieu and can cover on the back end. The thing with these guys is that since Mathieu gets good pressure they know the ball is coming out fast and can cover short and jump balls. If you can eliminate the pressure then they are forced to cover longer and you can expose the few weak spots that they have. I am giving the advantage to the Outlaws on the defensive side of the ball.

As for the winner of this game I want to go with the Outlaws but I know that Steve has a hard time with the Krakens. I think Steve will have trouble with them again this weekend but I think he will pull it off. Give me the Outlaws.

Trollers vs Gros Coqs

This is also the third meeting between the two teams, but really this is actually going to be the first meeting where the Trollers have a full team. They were missing a QB the first time and two WRs the second time. This time will be a much tougher game if Les Gros Coqs want to win and stay undefeated (ed’s note: Kevin, do you feel there’s a chance that they don’t want that?).

QB - We have two guys here who can both beat you with their arm and legs, but it will come down to who plays the smarter game and doesn’t force the ball. Dom from Gros Coqs had a great season, the guy accounted for 58 TDs with 54 in the air and 4 on the ground. In my opinion Dom is a top QB and if I was to start a team from scratch I think he’d be my number 1 pick. In the past he used to run circles around everyone, but he has gotten away from that and has become a better thrower which makes him even more dangerous since he can still run like there is no tomorrow. Trollers have Max and he is a competitor and wants to win every game. He can make every throw necessary to win, if you need a 40 bomb at the end of the game he can launch it to give you a chance. He has great hip movement and makes a lot of guys miss on first attempt. If Max could get a better feeling on reading defenses I think he would be unstoppable. I have to give the advantage to Dom and Les Gros Coqs.

WR - Trollers have two guys in Ben and Josh. Yes, they have other guys but they will need to be given the chance to get the ball. Ben can and will beat you deep all day long. Josh will take a short pass and make a few guys miss and beat you that way. Gros Coqs have so many guys that can beat you and they are all young, fast, and very athletic. The question becomes who is who is going to be the guy this week. You might be able to stop one or two of those guys, but they have about four guys in Vince, Alexandre, Etienne and Charles but lets not forget about Julien and Thomas. Everyone of these guys can and will beat you if you let them. I have to give the advantage to Les Gros Coqs.

Defense - Trollers have always been about playing defense and have always been tough to score against and this season wasn’t any different. They were right up there in picks and have a solid rusher in Andre. Ben led the league in picks so that helps us out, but he isn’t the only guy and everyone has the capability to pick a ball off here or there. Gros Coqs have the best rusher in the league and probably the defensive player of the year in Thomas (ed’s note: he was my vote for DPotY by 1.6 km). Thomas gets after the QB so fast and is relentless that the guys on the back end know it’s coming out real fast and don’t real need to worry about the deep ball. Each and every player on the Gros Coqs can and do make plays on defense. I hate to do this but I have to give the advantage to Les Gros Coqs and you guys can thank Thomas for getting the edge in this category.

I won’t be picking a winner in this game (ed’s note: Coqs), but I will tell you that is will be a close game and converts are going to make all the difference.

So, this is the last from the mouth for 2 weeks. I want to wish all 4 teams good luck in the semifinals. With the top 4 teams in we might actually have a good finals for the first time in a long time. Everyone that has been eliminated, there is always next season. I’ll see you all on Saturday. Thank you for reading all season long. This was my first time writing for the league so if any of you have any pointers that would be great.

Semi-Finals and Finals this Saturday!

Monday, August 6th Jon Evans

The first round of the playoffs are over and only 4 teams remain!

Returning champs The Holy Trollers have to climb the mountain that is the indomitable Gros Coqs and the Outlaws battle the Krakens for their chance to face the victor of the Trollers vs Coqs matchup.

Should be an amazing set of semi-finals games and the finals should be one for the ages!

Word From The Mouth: DIV 1 Playoffs Edition!

Friday, August 3rd Kevin Kousaie

Well as you all know I wasn’t here last weekend, so I don’t know what I should write about for last week. The regular season is over and now we can move on to the real season. I hope everyone remembers that you needed to play 5 games to be eligible not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 games. Let’s all give a hand to Les Gros Coqs for being the first team in MFL history to go undefeated. The pressure is on to win now guys, don’t be like the patriots and choke. You won’t have to face Mathieu rushing until possibly the finals so remember that. Win it all or go home with your tail between your legs. This week I will be writing about each game and I’ll pick the winner at the end of each match up. Just so everyone is aware this season I was able to predict 26 out of 34 or 76.5% of the games so I think I know what I’m talking about. Now lets get right to this weeks games. I have decided that I’m going to break the team down by position and say who has the advantage in each then pick the winner.

Game Previews

Deep Threats vs Outlaws

Theses 2 teams met a few weeks ago and boy was I shocked to see a 1 point game in favour of the Outlaws. The truth of the matter is the Outlaws took them for granted, but I’m sure it won’t happen this time around. Deep Threats are better when Jon is out playing as long as JC doesn’t try to go deep all day long it should be interesting. JC remember Francis can’t catch the ball (ed’s note: Fact). I wont talk about the Outlaws up top here cause they have been around for a while and know what they are doing. I mean Steve just came back from taking his team to the Semifinals in a world tournament. He is no longer just tearing up the MFL, he now has the world on notice.

QB - This one isn’t even hard for me to call, but the Outlaws have a giant advantage here. Steve has played for years and knows what to do and when to do it. JC on the other hand is still learning the position and forces the ball way too much. Advantage Outlaws.

WR - Outlaws have 6 of 7 guys over 200 yards and the only guy who doesn’t have 200 has 199. While for the Deep Threats you got one guy who is far and away the teams number 1 guy and then there is a huge drop to the next guy. Deep Threats should have been distributing the ball, not just using one guy. Advantage Outlaws.

Defense - Deep Threats had 9 picks and 8 sacks which isn’t great if you ask me. Outlaws end up with 18 sacks and 20 picks. They were able to double what the Deep Threats did. Advantage Outlaws.

In order to have any chance to win Deep Threats need to keep the ball and not take shots when they aren’t there. I’m picking Outlaws as my winner in this game.

La Revolucion vs Krakens

So in this game it will come down to who has less (ed’s note: fewer) mistakes. Both team are solid but one has been able to pull off the wins and the other teams hasn’t found their stride yet. Raph, it’s now or never to finally pull one off.

QB - This is closer then you’d think. Yes, Rob doesn’t turn the ball over, and yes he has a great team around him. Rob has great numbers but there are always one or two throws that get away from him. Raph on the other hand has turned the ball over a bunch and he is still trying to get use to the new guys on his team. Raph will need to eliminate the turnovers to keep it close. I have to give the advantage to Krakens.

WR - If I had to pick the team with the best receiver I’d go with Revolucion but I’m picking based on the team. JC is a top target and they also have Gabe and Ted, but neither one really stepped up all season as a dominate number 2. For the Krakens you got Smuda, Silvio, Francisco, and even Carmelo. They have way to much fire power so even when you stop their 1 they got three number 2’s. Advantage Krakens.

Defense - Krakens are solid but have lacked a consistent rush. They played 10 games and had 3 sacks but they were still able to walk away with 16 picks. They are solid tacklers so you need to be smart against them. For Revolucion they had 10 sacks and 12 picks and have decent tacklers. I’d have to give advantage to the Krakens.

Gros Coqs vs Locomotion

The big question with this game is can Locomotion pull off the upset of the year by beating Gros Coqs? I’d love to see that happen but I also would like to see them win it all also. Last time there was a scuffle so if might get a little heated on the field.

QB - Dom has had a great season this year and he can take off and run to score whenever he chooses to though over the last few seasons he has gotten away from that to be a better passer which he definitely achieved. Alex is solid at the position, but what makes him very good is the running. He runs with so much power that people just move out of his way and try to grab the flag from the side, but he is too quick for that. If Alex was a more consistent thrower I would put this as a tie, but since he is more of a streaky passer I have to give the advantage to Gros Coqs.

WR - Locomotion have good receivers, but no one is that guy you need to fear or game plan against they need to march down the field and score rather than take a short ball and make a few guys miss. Gros Coqs on the other hand are a team where anyone can take it to the house on any play. They have 4 guys with more than 300 yards plus 2 guys with over 200 yards. Have fun trying to stop that. Advantage Gros Coqs.

Defense - Gros Coqs have the best rusher in the league in Thomas with 18 sacks, that’s almost 2 a game. Plus a solid buch of guys on the back end with these guys amassing 21 picks on the season, sh*t a little more than 2 a game and everyone can tackle. For Locomotion they only got 6 sacks in 10 games. You need better than that if you expect to win but with 13 picks it helps a little bit. You will need more pressure if you want to win. Advantage Gros Coqs.

I would have to give the win to Gros Coqs as they have way too many weapons.

KOLB vs Trollers

This will be the third meeting between these two teams and you know what they say, third times a charm. Both teams are solid, just one was able to get more wins, plus I think a few teams have figured KOLB out. After last years loss to KOLB the Trollers have vowed to never let that happen again. The Trollers are defending champs and they want to keep it that way.

QB - Jon is a solid QB for KOLB. He has good numbers and is able to look the defense off his reads, this is what makes Jon such a threat. Jon also is able to spread to spread the ball around to keep defenses guessing. As for Max he has all the tools to be a top tier QB. He can run, has great arm strength, but he can get rattled at times and that is when mistakes come out. If we were to be playing tackle football I think I would go with Jon on this one, but since we are playing flag I have to go with Max.

WR - KOLB have a lot of solid guys that can catch the ball and make some plays. They don’t have a true number 1 but they do have about three number 2’s. They had 6 guys with over 200 yards. The Trollers have two guys and a center. Trollers have two guys that can be number 1’s, but after that there is such a huge drop off that it’s like they don’t even exist. I have to give the advantage to KOLB.

Defense - Trollers have always been about playing defense and not allowing teams to score, but this season was a little different since they only played two games as a full team. The Trollers were able to get 12 sacks this season which is big considering they had 6 all last season. They also managed to get 24 picks which I think leads the league. For KOLB they seem to do everything by committee with 10 sacks by 5 different players and the top guy only had 4. As for picks they managed to get 21 of them. That number really surprised me. I thought it was going to be less than that. Both teams have a good defense but I have to give the advantage to the Trollers because of the rusher. I should pick the winner for this one, but I won’t since the Trollers are my team.

I don’t really see too many upsets in the first round but there can always be one or two. I want to wish all team good luck in the playoffs stay safe and have fun.

Spring Playoffs Start Saturday!

Monday, July 30th Jon Evans

The regular season has wrapped up and the playoffs are set to get underway this Saturday with the first round games being played this week and the semi-finals and finals being played next week, August 11th.

Les Gros Coqs finished an undefeated season, the first in MFL history, and are looking to finish it with a championship run. Can anyone be the New York Giants to their New England Patriots?

The fall season starts immediately on the following Saturday, August 18th, so make sure you or your team are registered if you intend to play!

Word From The Mouth: The Penultimate Regular Season Week Edition

Wednesday, July 25th Kevin Kousaie

Here we are coming into the last week of the season. 8 out of 9 teams will be making the playoffs, which in my opinion kind of defeats the purpose of playing the season (Ed’s note: Rankings!). I think we should only have 6 teams in like in the NFL where top 2 teams are rewarded for finishing first, but I don’t make the rules. This past weekend we still have teams or players who feel that rules don’t apply to them. The bags of flags and pinnies that are at each field stay at those fields. I’m getting fed up of people not abiding by the rules and they should be punished, especially if it’s Francis. I’m not sure of what to write up for my recap of games from the past weekend since my team had to play 2 games and I didn’t do any division 1 games, but I’m smarter than Raph (Ed’s note: wut?) so I’ll figure it out.

Game Recap

Deep Threats vs Outlaws

I’m very shocked that this game was as close as it was. How can the Outlaws who are my number 2 team allow the Deep threats who almost everyone walks all over keep it that close? My reliable source at work let me know that it was a bad game for them and it was also their second game back to back. In all honestly that really isn’t an excuse but they were able to pull it off. I told my source that if they had lost I might have to drop them in the rankings. I’m not writing this to talk about the Outlaws, they will be fine and Steve knows what he is doing. I wrote about this game to talk about Deep threats. JC is finally realizing that you don’t need to throw it up on every play, work the field and you’ll be more successful. It also helps that Jon showed up for the first time in a few weeks but he won’t be there this week (Indianapolis). The truth is that Jon opens up the field for all the underneath stuff since we all know he is fast and is great at attacking the ball at the high point. I was surprised to hear Francis didn’t drop any balls this week, but I don’t believe it since I didn’t see if for myself. It’s like if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around does it make a noise? Same goes for Francis, no confirmation means it didn’t happen. Sorry Francis, maybe in another 5 years you’ll make your dream come true of no drops. I still think Stu should be center, better snapper and better hands also way better looking and plays through pain. Good job Deep Threats keep it up and you might surprise someone in the playoffs.

Game of the Week: Outlaws vs Gros Coqs

This is a great way to end the season. The 2 top teams meeting up and one has a chance to get the first perfect season in MFL history. Outlaws always play well against Gros Coqs, but I’m not sure that this will be a real test since I know guys will be missing and both teams have the 1 and 2 spots already locked up. Outlaws win they end up #1, they lose they stay where they are at #2, so not much of a difference. I think that this game will come down to not turning the ball over and I don’t think that Outlaws will win that stat. Dom has done a great job of not having too many errant throws this season and he only has 11 INTs, but also has a 70% completion rate. With the guys that are missing from Outlaws unless they get a few good subs this game, the Coqs have too many weapons that they won’t be able to stop. On Defense Kris will need to watch out for Tommy who is leading the league in sacks and also in passes defended. Have fun dealing with that all afternoon. I would love to see both teams play at full strength but I might have to wait until the finals if they both make it there. Good luck stay safe and have fun.

Predictions

So the last week of the regular season is here and I have to make my final predictions. Last week I was 3 of 4 cause the Deep Threats decided to show up and play while crushing what little hope OG Panthers had at making the playoffs. So this week I need to be perfect if I want any shot at 75%. Right now I’m at 23 out of 31 or at 74.2% getting closer. So you are with my picks:

Krakens vs Revolucion Krakens

OG Panthers vs Krakens Krakens

Outlaws vs Gros Coqs Gros Coqs

KOLB vs Deep Threats KOLB

Trollers vs Locomotion NA

Power Rankings

#1 Gros Coqs (9-0)

#2 Outlaws (8-1)

#3 Trollers (6-3)

Finally we have a new team up in the top 3. It was just a matter of time before the Trollers figured out what to do and how to win again. There is no better time to start playing well then right before the playoffs start. I’m just wondering if in the last week of the season it will stay like this. With 1 and 2 playing each other things can change pretty quickly. Stay and watch this one to find out.

I’m not going to be there this weekend so if anyone wants to fill in for me talking trash it would be greatly appreciated. Remember the more sh*t you talk the better. Just remember at the end of the year I’m still getting my award for it, this is just a one week rental. Stay safe have fun and play you’re a**es off to get ready for the playoffs. Oh, and Raph, you owe me a new pair of shorts for that holding penalty where you also prevented yourself from throwing 1 more TD pass even if it was to the wrong team.

	Stephen Harripersaud	277
	David Daoust	231
	Kris Hope	69

	Stephen Harripersaud	70
	David Daoust	61

	Teams	GP	W	L	PTS
1	OUT	10	8	2	16
2	IW	10	7	3	14
3	ATM	10	5	5	10
4	KOLB	10	4	6	8
5	PR	10	1	9	2