Word from the Mouth: Secret PotW: Andrew Grant! edition

Word from the Mouth: Secret PotW: Andrew Grant! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Week 1 went down without any major issues. Yes, it was hot and yes this is supposed to be the fall season and it will eventually cool off and we will all be asking for just another few weeks of nice warm weather towards the end of the season and playoffs, but that isn’t going to happen.

We had a few new teams this week play so let me start by welcoming you to the league. I also want to let you know that it is best for you to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your game so that games can start on time.

This week we were a little easy going with it, but in the future if your team is late, you start giving up points. 6 points when the game is meant to start and we start running the clock and every 5 minutes of game time it is another 6 points added for the other team.

Just so you all know if you need flags this week, we will have more at the field, but if you need it might be best for your team captain to let Jon know so he can put them aside for you and your team.

On another note, MFL is starting a youth league so if you have kids and want them to learn the game and get out have some fun you should let Jon know and he can give you more info on that. I know maybe a few of you with kids might not want to bring your kids out to play because they might show you up (ed’s note: Kevin is speaking from experience), but don’t worry, we don’t allow kids in the adult league until they are a certain age, so your roster spot is still good at least for a few more years.

 

Recap

 

Division 1

 

Outlaws vs Centurions (50-18)

This game wasn’t even close. Steve had a field day picking apart a depleted Centurions team. Going into this game I was expecting to see a close game going back and forth, but when you looked and saw that a few key players were missing that it was going to be a blowout and it was. It was nice to see one arm Marvin out there playing like he normally does, catching balls and picking off passes, but today the star of the Outlaws team was Ariel keeping his average of over 1 pick a game up this time with 2 interceptions, he also led the way on offence with 6 catches and 2 TDs. Outlaws might run into some trouble if they can’t figure out how to stop a team’s top target as this week Yvan had 14 catches for 127 yards and 1 TD. Now just imagine if the other receivers for Centurions had been there and Outlaws couldn’t just focus on one player? I expect to see a closer game next time these two teams meet.

 

Division 2

 

Marvels vs Tannantes (13-27)

This was not a game you wanted to watch if you were expecting to see offense. With Tannantes starting with the ball it looked like they were going to score to start the game. They had marched all the way into the redzone and had a first down, then new addition Tyler went on a tear and had 2 consecutive sacks before Tannantes gained some of those yards back, on fourth down Tyler was back in the face of Vincent and got sack number 3 on the day. It didn’t take Max long before he had Marvels in scoring possession, but on fourth down there was a bad snap that caused a turnover on downs at the 2-yard line. On the very first play Vincent hits David down the sideline for a 43-yard score. With Marvels next two possessions they end in a pick after 2 plays and then a turnover on downs using just 4 plays. With both those turnovers being inside the Marvels half it only took a few plays each time for Vincent to score and make it a 19-0 game. Max had under a minute left in the half, but was able to drive the field with quick plays and using their timeouts. On the last play of the half Max found Generous Jeremy for a 2-yard TD to extend the half by one play and on the convert Max hit Jeremy again making it a 19-7 score at half. Second half each team was able to score once. The difference in this game was when Marvels turned it over twice in their zone on back-to-back drives.

 

Division 3

 

Double Dippers vs Bines (0-34)

I will make this very short (ed’s note: *checks length of summary* LIAR!), Bines dominated this game and Double Dippers made it look easy for them. Now to clear that up for anyone who wasn’t there to see this game. Double Dippers didn’t have Leon to play QB for them, so they had 3 players try out: Alex, Sean and Marco. Out of the three, Marco was by far the best, but Sean did make me and everyone else wonder what he was thinking when he took off running on fourth and ten sprinting towards the sideline in my direction and going out of bounds 1 yard past the line. He then looked down and thought that the line was the goal line and not a few yards in, but this was also an issue for him later in the game when he went up for a ball in the endzone thinking that the sideline was the back endzone line, but it was a few more yards and he wasn’t able to come down with the ball. Players need to know that on field 3 you are 5 yards from the goal line and the endzone where the bleachers are is 4 to 5 yards past the white painted line. David for Bines didn’t have a great day throwing, but what he did on the ground was remarkable with 3 TDs on 5 runs and on 2 of them there wasn’t a defender within arm’s length of him the whole way in.

 

Invictus G vs Panaches (24-19)

It was nice to see the players on Invictus G again as it has been a few years, most of them still look the same just a few years older (ed’s note: you are literally describing how time works). This game was very close all the way through, and I remember just a few bits and pieces of it. Guillaume picked off new QB Karl and returned it the length of the field for a score. Felix was able to run circles around Loic when he rushed so they started to double rush which did seem to keep him contained. For Invictus G I did notice that Louis was the odd player out by not having a ponytail or bun in his hair, he looked all fresh and clean cut but said he was working on it. The other thing that was a little weird was when they scored to make it a 24-19 game, they went for 2 instead of going for 1 and making it a 6-point game instead of 7. Yes, going for 2 you think might be right, but if you fail on it a TD cost you the game while going for 1 would mean that the other team needs to score and get the convert to win. They failed on the convert and Panaches couldn’t go down and score, but that is something to think about.

 

Division 4

This week there were only two D4 games and Terry decided to put top official and media team member Willie on those game, so they should get covered in this week’s MFL Total Access.

 

Division 5

 

Phoenix vs Fighting Armadillos (19-6)

This game wasn’t pretty. Going into it I felt that this might be one of the harder games for Phoenix and after playing them I hope it wasn’t. Both QBs PO and Kevin made some costly mistakes with both throwing picks inside the redzone. I will say that the one I threw that PO picked off was a great play on the ball. Armadillos took away my first read and my second read was open, but PO who had stepped up took a step back and cut off the throwing lane. At the end of the game PO was driving the ball down and looking to make if a one score game but threw a pass directly to Phoenix defender Dave who caught it and took a knee in the endzone to seal the game. The only thing to say about this game is that Armadillos need to do a better job of catching the ball and helping out their QB they had a few big drops on third downs that resulted in punts or when they were open and could easily score dropped balls. Over time Armadillos will get better but they need to do it quickly and yes, I know its only week 1 but if you fall behind early it’s hard to climb out of.

 

Cobra Kai vs Heisenbergs (13-8)

This was the first game for Cobra Kai and it showed. Sonny was playing QB and was trying to go deep on almost every other play, wasn’t taking the underneath stuff and on defense they were only playing man. Heisenberg should have been able to pick this team apart all day long with drags and double moves, but that wasn’t what Ian was doing as he too was trying to go deep and it ended up costing them the game with the 2 pick 6s he threw. In this game there were only 13 completions for 97 yards. Jorge had a day getting all 3 picks that Sonny threw. Both teams should get better as the season goes along, but I would bet that Cobra Kai has the better record when the season is over. During the game I was talking to Sonny the captain for Cobra Kai and even sent him over some basic coverages so he can share with his team and they can improve.

 

There you have it, the recap of week 1. Hope you all had fun and remember that there are always players around with loads of experience that are more than willing to give you a few pointers and help out, but you just need to ask and a good thing might be to show up early watch the game before yours ask a few question maybe or you can stay after your game and take a few notes.

 

Players of the Week

 

Last season was the first time I put together a goody bag for the winner of my player of the week and everything I put in that bag will help Victor this season if he is able to make it out. Here is a list of what he received: sports bag, cleat cleaner mat, tack towel, bottle of alcohol, and a gift card for Jacques Moreau. It was a decent gift for just showing up and balling out. This season I plan on doing the same thing but with different ideas.

Before I tell you who this week’s winners are let’s go over the rules. I will be picking 1 player on both sides of the ball for each division, and you are only able to win for the highest division you play in unless you play a different position in another division you can also get your name in the pool more than once so the more you ball out the better your odds become. Last season there was a 120 of you and this season there will only be 110 so already your odds have increased. Oh, and let’s not forget that if you mention to me that you deserve to win you will not win and I will be forced to put you in your place and tell you how it really is, just ask D4 player of the century Marvin. Marvin has gotten over it and after a few weeks I stop bothering him about it. Now I have Andrew to bother for the next few weeks. Here are this week’s winners.

 

Division 1

Offense- Steve Harripersaud was 23 of 26 for 291 yards, 7 TDs and 2 1point converts.

Defense- Ariel Librati made 2 tackles and had 2 picks.

 

Division 2

Offense- Robert White grabbed 6 balls for 89 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense- Kareem Anthony Chilcott made 7 tackles and had 1 pick which he returned for a TD.

 

Division 3

Offense- Louis-Mathieu Dufour caught 6 passes for 87 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense- Simon Beaudoin made 2 tackles and had 3 picks.

 

Division 4

Offense- Robert Prud’homme was 16 of 27 for 145 yards, 1 TD, 1 1point convert and threw 2 picks. He also ran 9 times for 62 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense- Kevin Clarke made 2 tackles and both were sacks.

 

Division 5

Offense- Nikhil Sharma caught 3 passes for 57 yards, 1 TD and 1 1point convert.

Defense- Felipe Kunzler made 1 tackle had 2 picks and ran 1 back for 6.

 

There you have it this week’s winners. Good luck to all moving forward. You still have 10 more weeks to see if you can make my list.

Fall 2022 Season Preview

Fall 2022 Season Preview

Kevin Kousaie

Hello everyone and welcome back to another season of the MFL. This season a few things have changed that you should be aware of. We now have a hard cap, so don’t go over in a game or it will be a forfeit. Also, players now need to be registered on site in order to play, no registration no play. Finally, this season refs and scorekeepers will no longer be adding players at the field so make sure that you have you roster correct on site.

Every year in the fall we lose a few teams and this year is no different, but we still have 41 teams over our 5 divisions and the breakdown is 6 in D1, 7 in D2, 8 in D3 and 10 in each D4 & D5.

I don’t think I have anything more to add for my intro, so I will jump into the rest of my article.

 

Season Preview

 

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

 

Division 1

 

Iron Wolves- Solid roster, but might struggle towards the end of the season as Jon’s arm starts to fade away.

 

Trollers- The new additions should help them out this season, but it might take a little while for Max to get comfortable with them all.

Gros Coqs- This is the same roster as they have had the last few seasons and will depend on who shows up as to how they do.

 

Outlaws- Steve always puts a team together that will compete and this one shouldn’t have any issue with that.

 

A-Team- After winning it all last season the roster took a hit with players leaving. With their roster not up on site while I’m writing this, I can’t be sure of who they will do not knowing who will be playing with them.

 

Centurions- This is a huge roster and I hope they have players missing games because they will struggle trying to figure out everyone’s role if they all show up each week.

 

Division 2

 

Red Raiders- After winning D2 last season as Redzone, Mike went back to his roots and brought back Red Raiders. This team shouldn’t have much trouble this season as Mike is a smart QB and can pick most defenses apart and with the team he has in front of him should score lots of points.

 

Spritz Gang- This is almost a Bitter Boys roster with a few additions and a big drop in age. I think they will struggle this season trying to keep up with the younger more athletic teams, but will play physical and keep the games close.

 

Marvels- They have added a solid rusher in Tyler who will help them on defense by getting pressure quickly. Even with Max at QB I can see them struggling at times on offense as it will be hard for receivers to get separation and make easy throws for Max.

 

Tannantes- Phil being out this season might be a big loss but, I think they can overcome that by spreading the ball out better. They should still be one of the better teams in the division.

 

Thunder Buddies- After winning D3 last season this team moved up and looks like have moved on from Willie at QB to Steve. This team shouldn’t have many issues this season as long as they run the right routes and catch the balls, stay on Steve’s good side.

 

Jagerbomb- They have been around for a while now and Simon is a great QB and seems to find guys in holes all the time. They should make the playoffs with ease and maybe we end up with a rematch of the D3 finals, but this time in D2.

 

Nice TDs- At first glance I thought Kris was going to be back at QB, but it looks like it will be Dave. The top half of this roster is solid, I’m just worried about the lower half and if they will get exposed or not.

 

Division 3

 

Iron Wolves D3- There roster doesn’t look great on paper, but with Jon at QB you know he will keep it close and be in every game.

 

RawSauce- With only 4 players on site I can tell you that they will struggle unless they get more players onto that roster before Friday.

 

Bines- looks like the same roster as last season which means they might be in for another rollercoaster ride with all the ups and downs. David just needs time to find his groove and figure out what works for him.

 

Master Chiefs- I don’t know what the plan is at QB, but I think it might be Willie which is good news for Rob. This team has a few playmakers and if they play as a team should be fine but that isn’t always the case.

 

Panaches- This looks like the team from last fall that played really well. This team knows the game has played for years and should win some games the big issue will be speed and can they keep up with other teams.

 

Idaho Udapimps- Brady has added a few new weapons to his team and they will help a lot on both sides of the ball. If this team plays like they have and with the new players, if they aren’t playing for a shot at the title at the end, I would be very surprised.

 

Invictus G- This looks a lot like the OG Panthers roster or at least half the team is from there. I think with the addition of all the new players this team might struggle in the beginning, but once the new players get used to the game this team will be just fine in D3.

 

Double Dippers- This is Manitoboys from last season. With Leon getting to know the guys better, expect to see him take a huge jump and the team to play more consistently on offense.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix- Lost a bunch of players from last season and were able to fill the roster with new players. We should be just fine with the roster we have.

 

Airborne- This team should be better than they were last year with the players they added. That is if they can figure out their defense and depending on who their QB is.

 

Mustard Tigers- Half a roster won’t get you very far. Get your players registered or you might not have any fun this season.

 

Revenants- This is Marvin’s team and right now are in need of filling out their roster. Marvin is by far the best defender in the division, but needs to improve as a QB. This team will have its ups and downs all season.

 

Pocket Rockets- With this team adding Alexis they should be fine, but PO will need to step up his game if they want to win games.

 

Cyclones- The D5 champs from spring will have their work cut out for them this season. They replaced Lazar with Alex which seems like an even trade until you factor in height. Size will be this team’s biggest issue this season.

 

Randoms- This team might have the smartest QB in the division with Rob under center and with the two Mathieu’s on the team will have some experience and good receivers to catch the ball. The rest of the roster is up in the air but with it being D4 and having a few solid pieces in place, this team should be competing for a playoff spot at least.

 

Bines Low Fat- This is basically the same as Bines in D3, but they will have a new player playing QB so it could be hit or miss with them.

 

Udaho Idapimps- I don’t know what to think about this team they have some good players and some players I have no idea about, but I’m more worried about who they might have playing QB. They could struggle this season.

 

Drama Club- With this team moving up they will face some struggles this season.

 

Division 5

 

Sour Peeps- This is a big roster with a lot of new players. They have a few pieces that will help, but overall they will struggle against the better teams.

 

Phoenix- This team has players all over the place. They will be fine this season.

 

Vultures- Right now only have half a roster, so you never know.

 

Les Last Calls- This is a good group of players that have a few very good players, but might struggle at times if teams figure out how to stop Sebastien who might be the best receiver in the division.

 

Heisenberg- This team will have fun, but might not win that many games. They still have a way to go if they want to compete for a title.

 

Mimosa Crew- Last year Curren did magical things with this team and now the expectations are raised. Mimosa should be just fine if Curren does what he did last season.

 

Cobra Kai- This is a new team that I know nothing about, my guess would be they will strike first.

 

Fighting Armadillos- This is the same team from last year just a different name with the addition of Tyler. I think they should be fine with the players they have, but they will need to see an improved PO at QB.

 

Lesniaks team- No roster, but my understanding is they are all new to the game.

 

TD Hunters- I know 2 players on this team and they are decent, but this team will struggle but get better as the season goes on.

 

There you have a quick glimpse into what I think of your team based off the roster that is up on site.

 

Players of the Week

 

Last season I picked 1 player on offense and defense from each division and then did a random drawing for a prize and I think I will keep that going. I also want to remind Victor Davis that I have his prize with me and will bring it to the field on Saturday so you can collect. Since we didn’t have any games no one gets my vote, but someone will next week.

 

Predictions

 

For the last few seasons, the media team and Jon have been making our picks with the winner getting a prize. Terry won the first time by 1 game, and I have won the last 2 season. I’m not sure if we will be doing that again this season, but I will continue to make my picks with a quick explanation as to why I made those picks. Without wasting anymore time here are my picks and like always they are in bold.

Division 1

 

Trollers vs Centurions

I think with the new toys Max has he lights it up or at least one of his receivers does.

 

Outlaws vs Centurions

Centurions will have a hard time dealing with the way Steve always has a player in a hole wide open, plus it is their second game of the day.

 

Division 2

 

Spritz Gang vs Thunder Buddies

After winning in D3 last season I don’t expect much of a drop off, at least not this week when they play one of the weaker teams in the division.

 

Nice TDs vs Jagerbomb

Even with the new roster for Nice TDs they should still struggle and will take time to get on the same page.

 

Tannantes vs Marvels

Both teams lost a few players and I went with Marvels since Max has a bit more experience playing QB.

 

Division 3

 

Bines vs Master Chiefs

Master Chiefs have a good roster and with Willie throwing they should be one of the teams to beat this season.

 

Invictus G vs Panaches

I think with the team being back to what it was and learning a few things last season Felix comes out on fire to start the season.

 

RawSauce vs Idaho Udapimps

They are the more complete team from top to bottom.

 

Double Dippers vs Bines

Leon lights up Bines this week. They have a stacked roster and should be able to pull this one off with little trouble.

 

Division 4

 

Airborne vs Randoms

I went with Airborne for the sole reason Rob only has 2 players right now to throw to so it will be tough for him to pull this one off.

 

Cyclones vs Drama Club

This is a rematch from last season’s D5 finals and this time Lazar won’t be there to get multiple picks, but I still think that Cyclones have enough to pull it off.

 

Airborne vs Udaho Idapimps

I can’t pick Udaho when I have no clue who the QB is.

 

Division 5

 

Mimosa Crew vs Sour Peeps

I feel that Sour Peeps have a great deal of knowledge and experience and should be able to keep Curren in check.

 

Phoenix vs Fighting Armadillos NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Cobra Kai vs Heisenberg

I only picked them because I know a few of the players on that team and know no one on Cobra Kai.

 

Vultures vs TD Hunters

Vultures might not have a complete roster up on site yet, but the players that are there are solid and should be able to get the win.

 

There you have it my picks for this week. Enjoy and good luck.

 

Power Rankings

 

I know it might be early for the rankings with no one having played games, but I’m going to do my rankings any which ways. Last season I did more than my top 3 with some divisions having 14 teams in them, but this year I’m going back to top 3 since the largest division is 10 teams. Let’s start the rankings.

 

Division 1

#1- Outlaws

#2- Iron Wolves

#3- Trollers

 

Division 2

#1- Thunder Buddies

#2- Jagerbomb

#3- Red Raiders

 

Division 3

#1- Master Chiefs

#2- Double Dippers

#3- Idaho

 

Division 4

#1- Airborne

#2- Bines Low Fat

#3- Pocket Rockets

 

Division 5

#1- Phoenix

#2- Les Last Calls

#3- Sour Peeps

 

I know you all might not be happy that you didn’t make my rankings and maybe I was wrong with them, but I based my rankings off the team rosters and how well I know that team. After a few weeks and getting to know the teams better these rankings will change, so don’t worry if you haven’t made my list yet. Keep playing hard and winning games and eventually your team can make my list.

 

Final Thoughts

 

This past week the NFL preseason started, and we already had the first QB go down. That QB is Zack Wilson who plays for the Jets and will miss the next few weeks, but maybe he is just looking for an excuse to go back home and get some love from his moms Bestie. I will explain that since Jon probably has no clue what that is referring to (ed’s note: I was just thinking ‘I have no idea what that means!’). One of Zacks exes claimed that he had slept with his mom’s hot best friend, there was a huge thing about this.

What was even more exciting this past weekend was the fact that Jacksonville fans finally had something to cheer for and that was letting Deshawn Watson know that he is a sick Mogwai and it was great to see or hear.

With our season starting this week I know I can’t wait. What sucks is that after all that hard work of repairing Le Ber we’ll have to wait until week 7 before most of us get to see it. I spent hours making it look nice and filling in the holes and, yes Kris, I did around the sprinklers too. This season we will be playing half the season at Arthur Therrien and the other half at Le Ber. Each week there will be a few games played at the other location so please make sure you know what park you are playing at.

Last thing to remember before I go is that we are playing a game for fun, so go out, have some fun, and try not to kill anyone. Thanks, and see you all Saturday.

Word from the Mouth: End of the Season! edition

Word from the Mouth: End of the Season! edition

Kevin Kousaie

This past weekend we got to wrap up the spring season and boy was it ever hot. For the first time in a few seasons we crowned all new champions in every division. In some of those cases the winning team had luck on their side, but sometimes that’s what it takes to win.

Just a reminder that this weekend we will be off, so now I have no clue what to do with my free weekend. It will be the first one I have off in the summer in years. I could spend time with the family or maybe I’ll just go sit at the field so I don’t go through withdrawals (ed’s note: I’ve been looking forward to the week off, but I’ve legit been thinking of running some pick-up games this Saturday!).

Right now, captains are running around looking to lock up players for the fall season and that’s what you need to be doing if you want to compete in the fall. Every season we lose a few teams in the fall and we seem to get a few new ones as well.

Captains need to also understand that a hard cap is being put in place so make sure you stay under it or you will get bumped up a division or end up forfeiting games.

That’s it for now, let’s get to some recaps.

 

Division 1

 

A-Team vs Centurions (49-46)

This game had a little bit of everything; offense, defense, and some special teams. The punters didn’t get out there much, but when they did it was always top notch pinning the other team deep in their zone. This game was back and forth all game long, but to me the play of the game was  made on defense by Hinsley when he got a safety and gave his team a 9 point lead and Centurions were never able to make up those points and ended up always trailing from then on. I could go into more details about this game, but Willie was in it and probably won’t shut up about it on the podcast, but just remember I called it last week that A-Team would win if they kept their composure and played as a team.

 

Division 2

 

Redzone vs Outlaws (60-44)

For a team that got into the playoffs on a technicality (ed’s note: not technically a technicality), they sure as hell went out and showed that they should have been there the whole time. I didn’t see this game, but I did find out a few things. The Outlaws defense stunk up the place. They couldn’t get stops or force any turnovers and allowed Mike and Redzone to walk all over them all game long. Redzone was only put in one fourth down all game long and was able to convert on it. I know that they say championships are won with defense, but in flag that isn’t really the case (ed’s note: ask Terry about “defense winning championships”). If you can load up the points you are going to win even if your defense isn’t that good as it only takes one or two stops to win. Look, when you put up 44 points you should win games in most cases. Mike and Redzone didn’t care about giving up points as he spread the ball and hit the open receivers all game long. On the few times I looked over, all I saw was Redzone players with green grass in front of them.

 

Division 3

 

Average Joes vs Jagerbomb (30-46)

This game (or at least the first half) was good with both teams showing off their defenses. Then the second half started and Jagerbomb just took over the game scoring on all but their last drive of the game which was one play and ended with Laurent picking off the ball. Average Joes punched one in late and were trying to bring the game within reach and after getting a quick turnover Jason threw a pick 6 that sealed the game for Jagerbomb and locked in a rematch from week 12 and last year’s finals with Thunder Buddies.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Jagerbomb (46-40)

I will make this quick as I don’t want to ruin it for Willie and Terry to talk about. Simon was balling out all game and with his team driving down to seal the game Willie was just playing center field and I guess Simon didn’t see him as Willie was easily able to step in front of the pass and pick it off. Being down 2 points, Thunder Buddies needed to score to take the lead. Will drives them down and with 1-minute left Jaf scores the TD which cause a little bit of a debate about whether he should have scored or not amongst the team (ed’s note: the debate was whether he should have stopped at the 1 so they could kill the clock to make sure Jagerbomb didn’t have too much time on their possession. Jaf was right to score). They went for 2 on the convert, got it, and now needed to play defense to bring home the title. (ed’s note: I feel like you’re missing the part where you say “and they did, so they won”)

 

Division 4

 

Mustard Tigers vs Super Friends (39-56)

I missed this game since I was playing at the same time, but from what I saw and heard it was a lot of big plays. The game opened with a pick 6 for Super Friends and after that they pretty much didn’t look back. Owie threw 4 picks in this game which seems really weird since he is the best QB in the division, maybe not by rating, but with his knowledge of the game and the years and years of experience. One thing that I will say is that with a minute and a half left and an 11-point lead, throwing a 45-yard bomb just isn’t cool. You could have ended the game and still been crowned the champs. (ed’s note: I believe both teams were asked if they wanted to end it and neither did).

 

Division 5

 

Drama Club vs Phoenix (21-19) OT

There were issues to start with Drama Club needing subs. I don’t really care that they needed a sub and was fine with it (ed’s note: he was not fine with it), but I was mad that the week before my team had the same issue with a player getting sick that morning and not being able to make it and was forced to play with only 5 players (ed’s note: because there were no legal players at the field!). This game turned out to be very close and it really shouldn’t have been. I threw 2 picks to Francois and both were in the end zone. Drama Club was up 13-0 at half and looked to be running away with it. Second half rolled around and Phoenix took the game over. They got a stop or two and looked to be unstoppable on offense in the second half. Phoenix scored with under a minute left to tie it up. On the convert that could have been the game winner Roxanne got a good fast rush and forced me to throw the ball quicker than I wanted to which made the pass go to high and uncatchable by my receiver who was open. With what time was left Rob tried to get something going and with only a few seconds left he threw it up to Quentin, but I was able to tip the ball to myself and pick it off. We had 1 play to try and score from our 15-yard line and asked what the team wanted to do, the team was beat from the heat and only being 6 players so we took a short checkdown knowing it was going to OT. In OT Drama Club started with the ball. Rob elected to go for 2 and after running around for a bit was able to find Nico at the back of the endzone to take the lead and make Phoenix go for 2, which they didn’t get.

 

Drama Club vs Cyclones (0-33)

This was the finals and it really wasn’t a good game at all. Drama Club was beat from just playing a game before whereas Cyclones had the game off to rest up. Drama Club lost Quentin part of the way threw the game from exhaustion, it was his fourth game in a row at this point. Cyclones being fresh went out there and did whatever they wanted and looked unstoppable. Lazar picked Rob off 4 times and Eric got a pick as well, making it impossible for Drama Club to move the ball. Less than 5 minutes into the second half, Drama Club was beat and threw in the towel ending the game and the MFL season.

 

The season is now over and let’s congratulate all the teams that won titles this season, even if it was under certain circumstances. (ed’s note: I have no idea what that means either)

 

Players of Week

I have decided instead of player of the week this time I will be doing Finals MVP. Yes, that means your team did need to win it all. Let’s see who I have picked for my MVPs this season.

 

Division 1

- David Daoust went 25 of 36 for 298 yards, 7 TDs, 1 1point convert and he also threw 1 pick. If it wasn’t for Dave spreading the ball the way he did and keeping the team calm and focused, they don’t win this game.

 

Division 2

- Michael Roy was 29 of 45 for 8 TDs, 2 1point convert and 2 2point converts. With nothing to lose (ed’s note: except the championship…), this week Mike made picking apart Outlaws defense look like they weren’t even there.

 

Division 3

- Will Power went 30 of 38 for 283 yards, 7 TDs, 1 2point converts and threw 1 pick. Will also made 7 tackles and had a pick. With Jagerbomb driving down to seal the game Will came out of nowhere and picked off the ball to give his team a chance.

 

Division 4

- Adam Bell caught 6 passes for 77 yards, 2 TDs and 1 1point convert. Adam also made 3 tackles, had 2 picks and ran one back for 6 points.

 

Division 5

- Lazar Atanackovic only had 1 catch for 27 yards and a TD. Lazar also only made 1 tackle but picked off 4 passes. If it wasn’t for Lazar and his 4 picks this game might have gone another way.

 

There you have it, this seasons Finals MVP. After 12 weeks of the season I have made a list of all the weekly winners and put them all the names into a randomizer and the winner of my Prize is none other than Victor Davis. Congratulations Victor you can collect your prize week 1 of the fall season.

 

Final Thoughts

 

I don’t have much to say here other than we are just a week and a half away from the fall season starting. College football starts in less than 3 weeks and I can’t wait.

Anyone who knows anything about college football has heard about a bunch of teams jumping to difference conferences. I really don’t like it at all. It just doesn’t seem right USC and UCLA moving to the BIG10 or Oklahoma going to the SEC. There are a bunch more, but those are the ones that I thought of first. Those teams changing conferences are going to get killed in those new conferences, the style of play just doesn’t match up well or the climate is way different.

On top of the conferences changing up, the players being allowed to make money on their name and likeness will kill the game at least in my opinion (ed’s note: how so, though?). The NCAA didn’t want this to happen but have come around to it as long as they are making their money. Now does Reggie gets his Heisman back?

That’s it for this week. Rest up, get heathy, and see you in 10 days.

Predictions and Power Rankings Playoffs Week 2

Predictions and Power Rankings Playoffs Week 2

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

As you all might have seen Jon never posted the rest of the media picks and since the end of season get together doesn’t look like it will be happening, their picks don’t really matter now anyways.

Last week I was able to get 10 out of 14 games right. Its not great, but it’s about my average for the year. This week we have even less (ed’s note: fewer) games being played and I will only be able to pick the games that are already scheduled.

 

Division 1 Finals

 

A-Team vs Centurions

I feel that with everything that has gone on this year with A-Team that it has only made them a stronger team with everyone wanting to show they are the top dog on the team. This will make them hungry and out to prove everyone wrong, it also helps that the team is loaded.

 

Division 2 Finals

 

Redzone vs Outlaws

The Outlaws team is stacked and there is no way Steve isn’t winning a title this season. Redzone have a chance, but they need to play a perfect game if they want to have a chance. A turnover by either team might cost them the championship.

 

Division 3 Semi-Finals

 

Average Joes vs Jagerbomb

I saw Jagerbomb play last week and I can tell you that they don’t have any weaknesses. Average Joes need to play perfect and even then, they might not win. Jagerbomb goes for two every time and get it more often than not.

 

Idaho Udapimps vs Thunder Buddies 

I like Idaho they are a bunch of nice guys and are always good for a laugh or two, but I just can’t see how they pull this one off. Thunder Buddies are a very good team and with Willie at QB he doesn’t make many mistakes. Both teams have very good defenses, but the edge has to go to Thunder Buddies, they have loads more experience.

 

Division 4 Finals

 

Mustard Tigers vs Super Friends 

Mustard Tigers have a boat load more experience which might help them pull it off, but Super Friends are much more athletic and have way more speed. This game will be decided by Alex Morin and if he can light it up on the offensive side or if Mustard Tigers figure out how to stop him.

 

Division 5 Semi-Finals

 

Drama Club vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Knight Triangles vs Cyclones

I wanted to go Knight Triangles, but a few of them are playing right before this game and could be a little tired. With Cyclones being fresh they have a huge advantage in this game and it will be a close one, but I see them pulling it off.

 

There you have this weeks picks.

 

Final Thoughts

 

With this being the last week of the season, I want to let everyone know this season couldn’t have happened without all the players. The league has come such a long way from the 6 teams back when it was called LCL in 2014. Every season we keep getting bigger and bigger and now that we will have two fields moving forward it will mean we can keep getting bigger and play under better conditions.

Last week I went and spent 2 hours reseeding Le Ber so that the grass has time to grow. It was long and hot, but it’s things like this that will ensure we won’t be playing in mud during the fall season.

Just in case you haven’t heard yet the fall season registration is open and of course if you don’t have a team, I’m sure that Jon can find a team for you. You can also go put a post on the MFL player Facebook page letting teams know that you are looking for a team for fall season.

Last season we introduced a rating system along with division caps and yes, some teams were granted exceptions from this rule. Starting this season being over cap will be an automatic forfeit. This will now put the blame on the team since everyone has the same rules.

I think that’s all I have for now, but I know once this is sent something else will pop in my head.

With this being the last week of the season it’s time to leave it all out there on the field since there is no next week. Good luck to everyone this week. Go out, have fun, and don’t kill anyone. Unless it’s a ref for blowing your season. No, don’t yell at the refs, they are people too. 

Word from the Mouth: No Subs (don't go chasing waterfalls)! edition

Word from the Mouth: No Subs (don't go chasing waterfalls)! edition

Kevin Kousaie

After 12 long, grueling weeks and 10 games later, we reached the playoffs. At the start of the year every division had their favorite to win it all, but as the season went along things started to change and those favorites weren’t so favorite anymore.

This week we saw a few upsets and, yes, some were real upsets and some were based off teams being given exceptions for players to be allowed to play. A few players and I were talking afterwards on Saturday, and all agreed that players need to play at least 5 games to qualify for playoffs and if they don’t then they shouldn’t be allowed and we should stop allowing subs in playoffs. It should be up to the team to make sure they have enough players eligible to play or they need to play shorthanded or forfeit the game all together or do what Tannantes did and asked to be removed from the playoffs and then you can either bump up every team and add the next team in. You could give a team a bye game or adopt the NBA style play in game between the last team in playoffs and the first one that missed out. I know it might get a little complicated to do that, but this way it makes it fair for everyone. I know with subs we always say we will give an average to lower caliber player for that division, but I say no more subs for playoffs and play as is. (ed’s note: this doesn’t really work for a non-professional league)

 

Playoff Recap

 

Division 1

 

Gros Coqs vs Centurions (12-42)

I can tell you like most people I never saw this coming, we all thought it was going to be a close game. Then when you take a closer look into it you start to notice that Gros Coqs used 2 subs and were given an exception for 1 player who only played 1 game, if that much, and it wasn’t much better on the other side either. Centurions were missing players and had Meis sub along with a guy Francois Hamel who pretty much eliminated Gros Coqs by himself. Francois only made 9 catches for 85 yards, but had 3 TDs and 2 1-point converts to go along with his 2 picks on defense. This right here is why subs shouldn’t be allowed in playoffs, especially when the team knows the player and asked for them specifically. Both teams were missing players all over and both teams did earn a playoff spot, but it just sucks when it turns out this way and you don’t really get to see the two teams really play one another.

 

Division 2

 

Marvels vs Outlaws (28-44)

I know very little about this game and won’t be able to say much about it. The reason for this was the games that were at 9:30 had an issue where the phones needed to be updated and that meant games needed to be loaded up manually and stats do not appear on site. Marvels made the playoffs and were going to be playing without their QB Max since he was going away for vacation. They were given Jason Rossie as a sub, and I can tell you from playing against Jason before multiple times it wasn’t a bad trade off the only issue Jason would have is the field size is a little narrower than he is used to and that he doesn’t know the players he is playing with. At the half, the Outlaws were up by 2 scores and I just happened to hear from Jason Edwards who was leaving early that with 10 minutes or so left they were up 3 scores and that the game was in the bag.

 

Division 3

 

Bines vs Jagerbomb (6-56)

What do you say about a game like this? Bines struggled all game long. I spoke to David for a few seconds after the game and he says how can we beat these guys, they are bigger(taller), faster, know the game and are all over the place. I said you have to pray and hope that you get a few lucky breaks and as you can see from the score that never happened. Jagerbomb were on fire all game Simon looked unstoppable and JF was catching passes all over the field from 1 yard drags to deep corners and it didn’t matter who was around, every time Simon put the ball near JF he came down with it, the only ball I saw JF drop was on defense that he would have easily taken in for a score. This was early in the game so didn’t have any impact on the outcome. The only thing that baffled me was how few passes went towards Simon for Bines. Last fall he was such a great runner, why not get him the ball more and let him make something out of nothing using his legs? At least try it out, you had nothing to lose.

 

Old School vs Idaho Udapimps (12-27)

Dahic was still out dealing with a concussion, and it really hurt them, at least on defense. Dahic is normally good for at least 1 pick, but more than that he forces QBs to think twice about throwing the deep ball and it allows his guys to jump short routes and make plays on balls. Even without Dahic, Old School still managed to pick off Brady twice and kept the game close, but what they couldn’t do was stop Jerome and Kyle from catching 21 of Brady’s 25 completions. For me the play that turned the game around was a penalty on the last play of the half which then allowed Idaho another shot at the endzone from 20 yards away where Brady threw it in Jerome’s direction, and he came down with it for 1 of his 3 TDs on the game. At half the score was 21-6 instead of 15-6. With Idaho starting with the ball in the second half they easily went down and scored and then played defense the rest of the game before surrendering a TD on Old School’s last drive of the game.

 

Division 4

 

Phoenix vs Canal Club (25-0)

I’m not going to say much about this game because it really wasn’t a game at all. If you wanted to see an offensive game, look away. If you were there for the defense you also needed to look away. But if you wanted to learn what not to do or where not to throw as a QB, this was the game to watch. There were a combined 15 picks thrown in this game. I can tell you that has never happened in an MFL game before and might not ever happen again. Francois had 2 really nice runs making players miss as he scampered into the endzone and that was basically all the offense as neither team was able to get over 100 total yards. I might not win the title this season in D4, but I will have my name beside Francois in the record books and this record will be hard to beat and should last for years to come. One last note about this game is that everyone who played on defense for Phoenix had a pick.

 

Bouchers vs Super Friends (12-13)

This was one of those games where the team that played better didn’t win. Super Friends were such a hot team a few weeks back where nothing they did went wrong and over the last few weeks, they haven’t looked the same. Maybe they just don’t feel the burn anymore knowing their QB will be leaving after the season and not willing to drive 5 hours each way every Saturday to play football with them anymore. Lukas came out and did everything right, except 1 throw that Jacob picked off and returned for a score. With a bit over 2 minutes left Super friends were only up by 1 point, and they were able to score but not get the convert. The score was now 13-6 for them and Lukas had time so there was no panic on his side. After a few short completions and two first downs Lukas saw that Thibault had a step or two on his defender and threw it to him in the endzone and he was able to come up with the catch and the score. Bouchers elected to go for a 1-point convert and tie it up instead of going for 2. Sometimes it’s the right call going for 1 and other times it’s not, it will depend on the players you have and what type of QB as well. In this case going for 1 was the right call, since Lukas was able to get 5 to 6 yards on most of his completions. Lucas looks right, comes back left and throws a pass to Felix who is down on his knees and falling forward to try and make the catch, but the defender did just enough to get a few fingers on the ball and it fall incomplete. Some say it was a penalty for contact, some say it wasn’t, and at the end of the day there was no flag. If you want to watch the last few seconds of the game, you can see it on the Facebook page for players where Willie has posted it up.

 

Weakest Link vs Super Friends (0-39)

After scrapping by in the previous round, Super Friends weren’t going to go through that again and came out on fire with everything going their way. The game started off with Marvin throwing a pass to his receiver where they bobbled it and knocked it right into the defender’s hands and he walked in for an easy score. You know when the game starts like that it can only go up from there, right? Not in this game. I can’t tell you how many drops the receivers had for Weakest Link in this one, but it was more than you can count on one hand at least. The Cinderella story for Weakest Link had to come to an end and when the magic ran out it, really ran out. A few weeks back we all figured they had no shot at playoffs and after winning a bunch of big games against teams that were better than them, it was a miracle they lasted this long.

 

Division 5

 

Heisenberg vs Phoenix (6-19)

This was the matchup between the number 1 and 8 team where the 8-place team should have had the advantage. Just so you are all aware of why I said that, Phoenix was only playing with 5 players and Heisenberg had 6. The only reason why Phoenix won this game was because of experience. Heisenberg made it easy for Phoenix on both sides of the ball. Offensively they kept going to the same side of the field and on defense they kept playing soft and weren’t getting a solid rush every time. They should have had Ian rush and it would have put more pressure on me. I was able to exploit the mismatch all game long and when they did make an adjustment, I had time to find someone else open. I also used my legs to run and had a few good plays that way as well, but what had to be the smartest move of the day was using every second of the play clock on every play (ed’s note: oh, he’s so smart!). I know it wasn’t fun and at the start of the game my team did want me to go faster, but after the game they were all saying that wasting the clock being only 5 was the right move. Khalil had a big game scoring all the points for Phoenix, but to me Joey was the big difference maker catching everything and always finding that open hole. I explained to Heisenberg after the game what they needed to do differently in the game to have a chance this way they will know for next time. I can tell you that if we had to play a second game that we would have been dead. All game Ian seemed to be attacking me and he really shouldn’t have as I was able to pick off 3 passes and had 5 pass defenses which could have easily been 6 or 7 picks (ed’s note: if Kevin was a good player). Finally, on the last play of the game Ian mixed up the formation and ran a post and a chair and I went to much with the post leaving Angie open in the endzone for an easy score. The convert was denied and that was the game.

 

Titans vs Knight Triangles (18-26)

This was an upset in the making. The Titans had a 6-point lead at half before it fell apart for them in the second half. Everyone was walking around talking about how Titans were going to pull it off and wondering what happened to Knight Triangles and I can tell you the reason for Knight Triangles struggling was they were without Victor who might be the best player on the team and it took them some time to adjust to him not being there. As for Titians how do you, Robert, only get the ball twice to your best player in Austin? And I know Steve was having a good game, but when you had the lead you should have tried to get Austin the ball more, he is the difference maker on your team and needs touches. First half, Titans moved the ball almost uncontested and in the second half they only got 1 first down you can’t have that happen when you are playing better teams as this allows them to get back into games and to take momentum. At the end of the day Knight Triangles figured it out and wore down the Titans into submission.

 

That’s it for this week’s playoffs games and if you want more, tune in tomorrow to MFL Total Access with Terry and Willie to see what they have to say.

 

Players of the Week

 

Because we have less (ed’s note: fewer…) games to pick from, I will only be picking 1 player per division and this time around you need to win to get your name up here. It’s playoffs and you don’t get points for trying. I know some of you won’t like it that I’m only picking 1 player a division since you only play one side of the ball, but if you balled out and put-up good numbers that won’t stop you from seeing you name up here.

 

Division 1

- Gabriel Archambault went 26 of 35 for 229 yards, 6 TDs, 4 1point converts, 1 2point convert and ran 4 times for 26 yards.

 

Division 2

- Vincent Deziel caught 4 passes for 50 yards and 1 TD. On defense he made 6 tackles, had 2 picks and ran 1 of them back for a TD.

 

Division 3

- Jerome Hovington made 10 catches for 114 yards, 3 TDs and had 1 pick on defense.

 

Division 4

- Tyler Znoj had a total of 2 catches for 27 yards and 1 TD. He also made 10 tackles 7 of them were sacks in two games on Saturday. He also accounted for all but 1 of his teams points in a 9-6 win.

 

Division 5

- Gregory Spino grabbed 5 balls for 50 yards and 1 TD. On defense he had 3 tackles and 3 picks.

 

 

I know I couldn’t put everyone I wanted up here, but I had to make a few hard choices and I tried to stay away from games that were blowouts since most of the time they are complete mismatches and I don’t like to give recognition to players that beat up on a much weaker teams. I have also said I would announce the player that I have picked for winning player of the week all season, but I am still waiting on a few things to come in so it will have to wait until next week.

Leagues
Montreal Flag Football League
Division 1
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4
Division 5
Women's Division
Brossard Div 1
Brossard Div 2
Laval
Winter Div 1
Winter Div 2
Winter Div 3
Winter Women
Aces Flag Football