Predictions and Power Rankings Week 1

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 1

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

After talking it over with the rest of the media team we have decided to do a survivor pick where we all get 10 points, and each wrong pick loses a point, winner has the most points at end of season.

When it comes to the real challenge of me vs the coin, the leader is me after week (ed’s note: you’re beating an inanimate object!). I sit with a 2-game lead at the moment, but its still very early. Records are 13-10 for me and 11-12 for the coin.

Now for this week picks and like always my picks are in bold. I have also decided not to allow coin (ed’s note: the fact that you just call it “coin” and not “the coin” indicates that you’re starting to see it as a sentient thing and you’ve named it. Worrying…) to pick my team’s games so we can have the same number of games played and won’t need to do percentages.

 

Division 1

 

Master Chiefs vs Busch Boys  Coin  Busch Boys  

- Ashton and Jeremy

 

A-Team vs Iron Wolves  Coin Iron Wolves  

- Not sure Jon can still throw in D1

 

Division 2

 

Pocket Rockets vs Knights Coin Knights

- Marvin and or Jeremy will be heavily involved in this game to avoid 0-2 start

 

Respect vs KOLB  Coin Respect

- Steve played them enough to know where the holes will be to attack them

 

Division 3

 

Bines vs TD & Beers Coin TD & Beers

- Chemistry

 

Red Cats vs RawSauce Coin Red Cats

- Ludovic looked hurt last week and if that’s the case this Red Cats defense is going to feast

 

Phoenix vs Sooners 45 NA

- Don’t pick my team’s games

 

Double Dippers vs Tigres Coin Double Dippers

- Double Dippers are missing Manu who would set them up properly on defense and not sure who will be making the adjustments for them

 

Super Friends vs Iron Wolves Coin Super Friends

- Kris Hope being the best player on field will be looking to make up for last week’s blunder

 

Division 4

 

Bouchers vs Improbables Coin Improbables

- Stronger QB

 

Phoenix vs MTL Cessnas NA

- Don’t pick my teams games

 

Action Squad vs Hawks Coin Action Squad

- Stronger overall roster

 

Bandits vs Systèmes Urbains Coin Bandits

- They can score

 

Warriors vs Bear Hood Coin Bear Hood

- More experience

 

Mustard Tigers vs Free Agent Coin Free Agent

- Better QB, Stronger roster

 

Tropic Thunder vs Drama Club Coin Drama Club

- Defense steps up and flusters Simon at QB

 

28-3 vs Villains Coin Villains

- Defense

 

Sour Peeps vs Bouchers Coin Bouchers

- Lambert takes the deep ball away

 

Chiefs vs Mimosa Crew Coin Chiefs

- Experience

 

Division 5

 

Jungle Squad vs Nothing but D Coin Nothing but D

- Family connection

 

514 vs Soonies 45 Coin Soonies 45

- Best player on field

 

Sniffers vs Slot Machines Coin Slot Machines

- Just a gut feeling they keep rolling

 

Titans vs Binettes Coin Binettes

- More speed

 

Secret Agents vs Big Booties Coin Secret Agents

- Max playing the big dog in D5

 

Slicks vs 8Ballers Coin Slicks

- More experience

 

Women

 

Tigres vs Mockingjays Coin Mockingjays

- Stronger players who are very well organized

 

Crazy B’s vs Drama Queens Coin Crazy B’s

-  More experience

 

Those are my picks for week 2. I now see why Jon was against making every pick, there are so many games to pick from it takes so banana splitting long. I will continue to do them all season since I started to and don’t want to leave anyone left out. (ed’s note: classic sunken cost fallacy trap, right there)

 

Power Rankings

With 1 week down, last week’s rankings are definitely changing, just not sure how much I should mix them up.

 

Division 1

#1- A-Team

#2- Outlaws

#3- Master Chiefs

 

Division 2

#1- Respect

#2- Pocket Rockets

#3- Knights

 

Division 3

#1- Double Dippers

#2- TDs & Beers

#3- Tigers

 

Division 4

 

Babalis

#1- Sour Peeps

#2- 100 Génies

#3- Systèmes Urbains

 

Power

#1- Mustard Tigers

#2- Mimosa Crew

#3- Tropic Thunder

 

Division 5

#1- Nothing But D

#2- Soonies45

#3- Big Booties

 

Women

#1- Tigers

#2- Déesses du Drapeau

#3- Drama Queen

 

With only 1 week being down my rankings are still very far from perfect and after a few more games being played my rankings will be more precise. If you want to see your team up here, win games and hope for a few losses from other teams.

 

Final Thoughts

 

What do I say before letting you all go for the week. If you were there last week, you know Le Ber is black forest caked, but Arthur Therrien looks good, except one spot where it is collecting water. We aren’t allowed to play there until next week, so that is a problem for next week.

Nothing new and exciting happened this week, except NFL players are stupid 7-layer cake morons. The Chiefs are going to have their top target suspended for the year because of too much free time on his hands.

Last week the Cops popped by and almost gave me a ticket for parking, but I unbuttoned my shirt a bit and talked my way out of it.  

Before you go, remember we are all out there to play a game and have fun, so go out, don’t take it too seriously, have fun, and get some exercise. Thanks for reading and see you Saturday. 

Word from the Mouth: I Protest Dud of the Week! edition

Word from the Mouth: I Protest Dud of the Week! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Week 1 is now in the books and the field will be trashed the rest of the year, especially the baseball field (ed’s note: luckily we’re not playing on it too much this year!).

One thing I did learn on Saturday is that 5:30 am really does exist once you’re old and no longer going club hopping on Friday night, if that is even a thing anymore.

This week we avoided the rain on Saturday, but not all week long leading up to the weekend. On Sunday I went to check out another field that looks nice, but there are going to be a few rules that we will need to follow. For starters we will need to pick up after ourselves, so no garbage is left behind. Then we have the 2 rules that are going to be the most difficult for come players to follow: no smoking of any kind and we can’t be screaming and being loud. There are still so many weeks to go, and we are still figuring out which fields to use which weeks. We are lucky enough to have access to Le Ber since most public parks don’t open for another 2 weeks. Even with the fields not being great, we only had a few minor injuries, a few stitches required, but that was it. No one blew out a knee or broke any bones, so all and all it was a good week.

 

Recap

 

Division 1

 

Busch Boys vs Outlaws (38-40)

This game looked like it could be over by half with Outlaws running away with it 34-14 except Simon was able to take the 2 plus minute he had left and slowly drive the length to score and make it 34-20 with Outlaws starting with the ball in the second half. Everyone always loves seeing the rusher get a pick 6 and Manu got one to start the second half. Outlaws got inside the redzone, and Steve avoided Manu and threw the ball and one of the short defenders hit the ball and it popped up in the air where Manu was able to track the location and once he had the ball, no way Steve was going to catch him. The rest of the second half both teams traded TDs and turnovers. With under 3 minutes left, Simon threw his fifth TD of the game and third to Manu to make it a 2-point game. On the 2-point convert attempt the defense tightened up and knocked the ball away. Now with little time left all Steve needed to do was gain a few first downs and it was over.

 

A-Team vs Master Chiefs (43-42) OT

This was a game everyone wanted to see, and no one should want to ref, and I can tell you it did not disappoint. With all this fire power on both sides of the ball, the player that was most surprising in this game was Mike with his 8 catches for 48 yards and 1 TD. Ya, most of his catches were simple, but he did make 2 really nice tough catches, one low and the other in traffic. A-Team had issues trying to stop both Ashton and Jeremy who combined for 18 catches, 189 yards, and 5 TDs. The one piece that Master Chiefs look like they are missing is a rusher. Dave did a wonderful job of spreading the ball and finding the open man. Andrew was his top target this week getting 5 catches for 87 yards and 2 TDs. I really would have thought that Dilan would have been more involved offensively, but only had 1 catch for 8 yards. On defense Hinsley got 3 sacks and you could tell that those sacks were coverage sacks as Vinny didn’t want to let it rip.  Master Chiefs were able to move down the field and on the last play Vinny connected with Ashton for his fourth TD of the game. Convert was no good, so we went to OT where A-Team won the toss and elected to play defense. Master Chiefs would get first crack in OT, and another shot at finally getting a convert. This attempt was no good and gave A-Team a chance to win it. With the game on the line Dave looked one way looked back the other to find Dilan for the win.

 

Division 2

 

Pocket Rockets vs KOLB (40-12)

This was not KOLB’s game. Jon was not his normal self, throwing 4 picks and 2 TDs both to Max on deep routes from the center position. On the Pocket Rockets side, Khalil killed it at rush with 4 sacks and constant pressure leading to 4 picks, 2 by Ali and 1 each for Leo and Alexis. Alexis killed it on offense scoring 3 TDs on 8 catches for 62 yards. I can’t wait to see this rematch in a few weeks because I expect to see a much closer game.

 

Division 3

 

TDs and Beers vs RawSauce (25-16)

Right from throw number 1 you could tell Ludovic was not himself. He had no arm strength and his accuracy was off. He was missing guys who were wide open and yet somehow this was still a close game. Ali should change his name to pick magnet as he had another 2 picks in this game, and I say that because he had 2 in his D2 game as well. There were no bright spots for RawSauce, you have a 45-yard TD from Thomas and Gabriel made a play or two on defense, but the game was controlled by TDs and Beers. Alexis Controlled the tempo of the game ran when he needed to and even allowed PO to throw a pass that was a TD. With 2 minutes left Alexis threw his third TD of the game, this time to Jamie from 4 yards out to give them an 8-point lead. On the convert Alexis went right back to Jamie to give them a 9-point lead. With under 1 minute Ali closed it off with his second pick of the game.

 

Iron Wolves vs Tigers (0-25) Forfeit

First forfeit of the year and its because of a stupid play. Iron Wolves are going to struggle most of the year as they still have some learning to go through and figuring out their defense. Iron Wolves offense looked good, and I did learn a few things from them and how you want to attack Tigers. The starting QB for Tigers, Hector, struggled throwing 3 picks in the game, but when they switched over to Nestor is when they started to roll. Nestor was making players miss all over the place as he ran for 106 yards on 6 carries and scoring 1 TD as well as throwing for 119 yards and 3 TDs. Tigers are fast and very illusive, so you need to converge on them and not allow them space with the ball. Kris Hope killed it scoring 4 TDs on the same route. Carlos was the only player chasing guys down for Iron Wolves and if not for his hustle the score might have been a bit different, and Tigers might not have needed the forfeit to secure the win.

 

Division 4

 

Mustard Tigers vs Action Squad (33-20)

One would have expected Action Squad to lose convincingly to a team as good as Mustard Tigers, but instead we got an interesting match to watch. In the first half Brian was brilliant, only missing two passes total. Action Squad managed to hold on, but they were unlucky with two interceptions, one where Justin fell down while running his route and another where the ball bounced off of Sandrine. It was still 19-13 with less than a minute left in the first half, but that was enough time for the Mustard Tigers to score a touchdown before halftime. In the second half, the Action Squad defense stepped up getting the stop twice, but the offense couldn't get the job done, only scoring one touchdown. Add the fact that Mustard Tigers had possession for almost 18 of the 22 minutes of the half and you have a splendid example of how you win a football game by using your experience.

 

Phoenix vs Sour Peeps (6-24)

I’m just going to say this right off the bat, I sucked watermelon popsicles all game long. I missed short throws, deep throws, and when I went to the middle, Lambert and the rest of the defense was all over it. The only point Phoenix scored was on the last play of the half that got extended by 1 play because of roughing the passer. Kenny scored from 15 yards out off other player’s hands. Jocelyne didn’t play great because he kept trying to go deep against Vince who picked him off 3 times. When avoiding Vince, Jocelyne was able to use the short field to his advantage and scored 3 TDs. Oliver had a great game racking up 4 sacks and only giving up minimal yards on runs.

 

Division 5

 

I didn’t have any games in D5 this week but hope to get to it in the next few weeks.

 

Women

 

Just like D5 I didn’t have any in the Women’s division this week, but will in the next few weeks.

 

Studs & Duds

 

Yes, its that time of the week again where I pick my top players from each division, along with one player who disappointed. So that we are all clear on who is eligible for each nomination. In order to be The Stud of the week you can only win for the highest division you play in unless you play a different position. As for Dud of the week, just because you play in a higher division doesn’t mean you can’t get Dud for a lower division. Now for my winners and losers for week 1.

 

Stud

 

Division 1

- Manuel Allard-Roy Scored 3 TDs, had 2 sacks and a pick 6.

 

Division 2

-  Khalil Agrébi 4 sacks and was the reason their defense was so good in this game.

 

Division 3

- Nestor Chávez II 119 yards passing and 3 TDs, 106 yards running and 1 TD along with 1 tackle on defense.

 

Division 4

- Nikhil Sharma 1 catch 1 TD 25 yards on offense and made 4 tackles and 3 picks on defense.

 

Division 5

- Marcel Jovani 3 TDs and 3 Picks.

 

Women

- Élisabeth Pelland 4 picks on defense plus 2 catches for 19 yards 1 TD and 1 1-point convert.

 

Duds

 

Division 1

- Benjamin Faubert 1 catch 14 yards significant difference playing D1 than D5.

 

Division 2

- Jonathan Plourde threw 4 picks.

 

Division 3

- Kris Hope for throwing that pass late in the game resulting in the game being a forfeit when it was supposed to get thrown back to Jon.

 

Division 4

- Jon for letting his Hawks team keep scoring when the game was well in hand and then voting his QB POW. (ed’s note: I was barely involved in this game, am not the captain of the team, and did not pick the Player of the Week. Though reading this, Kevin may think I’ve had my QB taken as a prisoner of war. I’m never really sure with Kevin)

 

Division 5

- Captain for Soonies for both being in a roster violation and breaking cap, in my opinion.

 

Women

- Marie-Philippe Cardinal. 4 picks thrown, but other than those picks MP didn’t play poorly.

 

There you have your Studs & Duds for week 1. I know you all might figure your name should be up here, but I get to pick, so this is who I have as my picks. Its only week 1, so you still have plenty of time if you expect to see your name up here, you’ll just have to pick up your game.

Word from the Mouth: I Got Stabbed! edition

Word from the Mouth: I Got Stabbed! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Hello everyone and welcome back to another fun filled season. I hope you all survived the winter and are ready to shed those extra pounds.

There have been a couple of changes to MFL this offseason. We had Terry and Jon host the league’s second annual refereeing seminar and we had a great attendance with many new referees coming into the league.

Teams will now be penalized at the start of games if their roster numbers set on the site don’t match the numbers they are wearing, though we’re giving a grace period of the first week.

The MFL has also created a women’s division and it should be a great season. The only rule difference is the size of ball allowed.

 

Division Breakdown

 

This time of year, I would normally tell you a bit about each team and what player to keep an eye on, but this season we have a total of 61 teams and it would take me 3 weeks to complete all that.

 

Division 1

 

D1 has 5 teams in it this season with only Busch Boys new to the division, but all have played in D1 before. The division is 5 teams and I have to assume that either 4 make it with 1v4 and 2v3 or only 3 will make it with 1 getting a bye to final and 2v3. I am picking Master Chiefs vs Outlaws Finals.

 

Division 2

 

This is our smallest division with only 4 teams in it. When it comes to playoffs, my bet it’s done like Brossard seasons ago. Where week 10 will be 1v2 winner goes to finals and 3v4 where winner plays loser of 1v2 with a shot to go to finals. Knights vs Respect in the finals.

 

Division 3

 

This is the division that might give you the best games of the year. There are 13 teams in this division and my guess is 7 or 8 make the playoffs, either 1 team gets a game off of no one does. Do not miss games, Phoenix vs RawSauce (Nick wants his rematch @ QB), Sooners 45 vs Villains as both teams are stacked with athletes, and then how do you forget about Jason as he sneaks his way back into D3 with Red Cats as they take on La Horde and their killer defense? Finals Bines vs Villains.

 

Division 4

 

This has to be the largest division in MFL history with 22 teams split into 2 conferences. I am personally not a fan of the 2 conferences. I would have much rather seen 2 separate divisions. The league could have had 2 divisions 1 of 8 teams with a rating over 790 and 14 teams that are under. The next closest team to the 790 is sitting at a 769 rating. I know ratings are not the only thing to go off of and I know from seeing the rosters most teams are comparable. Do not miss games: MTL Cessnas vs Sour Peeps and Improbables vs 28-3 from the Terry conference and from Willie’s you have Bear hood vs Mustard Tigers where we finally get to see who wins in a fight between a bear and a Tiger, and we also have the Action Squad vs Tropic Thunder rematch of winter’s wild card game. Playoffs are going to be 6 teams per conference with top 2 get a game off or 7 teams with only the top team getting the bye. I prefer the 6 teams, but I get that 7 teams means winning conference means more. Finals Mustard Tigers vs Bouchers.

 

Division 5

 

We are now using D5 as a beginner division and any team needed to be approved to play in it. There are 12 teams this season with 8 making it to the playoffs. With the substantial change in cap for this division there are very few highly rated players and the ones that are up there have a weaker support around them. Teams like Titans, Jungle Squad and Slot Machine make that leap and join teams like Binettes, Big Booties, and Soonies 45 as top team. Finals will be Secret Agents vs Titans. I know, not what you expected, but watch and see, I will be right.

 

Women’s

 

This is a first for MFL and it will be exciting to see how it all plays out. There are 5 teams and all 5 will make the playoffs. From the rosters that I have seen and looked over them, there is a bunch of flag experience as players, but not much QB experience. Right now, my finals are Drama Queens vs Déesses du Drapeau.

 

The season starts this weekend and it will be exciting to see how week 1 goes.

 

Predictions

 

The past few seasons the media team of Terry, Willie, Jon, and I have been making picks to see who gets the most games right. Most years it has come down to the last few games and even once to a forfeit the last week that is how close its been. We have not talked about it yet this season, but I am sure everyone will be making their picks again. Just in case they do not make their picks I will be doing my picks and I’ll also be flipping a coin to see who does better. Now to my picks and like always they are in bold and for the coin toss heads is home tails is away.

 

Division 1

 

Busch Boys vs Outlaws Coin Outlaws

- Height 

 

Master Chiefs vs A-Team Coin Master Chiefs

- Physical

 

Division 2

 

Knights vs Respect Coin Respect

- Speed

 

Pocket Rockets vs KOLB Coin Pocket Rockets

- Jon makes every throw look easy

 

Division 3

 

Super Friends vs Bines Coin Bines

- Chemistry

 

Double Dippers vs Sooners 45 Coin Sooners 45

- Diego running

 

TDs and Beers vs RawSauce Coin TDs and Beer

- Chemistry

 

La Horde vs Villains Coin Villains

- Speed

 

Iron Wolves vs Tigres Coin Iron Wolves

- Experience

 

Division 4

 

Mustard Tigers vs Action Squad Coin Mustard Tigers

- Tyler is going to feast on Gold.

 

Phoenix vs Sour Peeps NA Coin

- I do not pick my teams games.

 

Bandits vs MTL Cessnas Coin MTL Cessnas

- Stronger QB

 

Drama Club vs Mimosa Crew Coin Mimosa Crew

- Better defense.

 

Legendaries vs Free Agent #1 Coin Legendaries

- Experience

 

Tropic Thunder vs KC Chiefs Coin KC Chiefs

- Experience

 

Warriors vs Hawks Coin Warriors

- This is just Nomades trying to sneak under the radar.

 

28-3 vs Systèmes Urbains Coin 28-3

- Nico is throwing so Systeme Urbains will have 12 picks on defense to go with 18 sacks all in the first half. (ed’s note: got dang, son)

 

100 Genies vs Villains Coin Villains

- Speed

 

Division 5

 

Soonies 45 vs Free Agent #2 Coin Soonies 45

- Experience

 

Binnettes vs Nothing but D Coin Binnettes

- Organized

 

Titans vs Free Agent #1 Coin Free Agent #1

- Knowledge

 

Secret Agents vs Sniffers Coin Sniffers

- They will have the best player on the field.

 

Women’s

 

Crazy B’s vs Déesses du Drapeau Coin Crazy B’s

- Florence and Daphné will be unstoppable.

 

Free Agent vs Tigres Coin Tigers

- They have a roster.

 

There are my picks for week 1. I’m sure that a bunch of them are wrong since it’s week 1 and I don’t know all the teams yet, but as the weeks go on it will get easier and easier. At the end of the day, I just can’t lose to the coin or I might consider retiring (ed’s note: go coin!). Thought about it and I just can’t retire if I lose. (ed’s note: heartbreaker!) What would I do all weekend if I wasn’t at football?

 

Power Rankings

 

We haven’t even played a game yet and I already have my rankings. It’s week 1 and my rankings are based off your team roster as of May 1, 2024. The more I know about a team the easier it is to rank them. Now let’s see how I have the teams going into the season.

 

Division 1

#1- Master Chiefs

#2- Outlaws

#3- A-Team

 

Division 2

#1- Knights

#2- Respect

#3- KOLB

 

Division 3

#1- Double Dippers

#2- Villains

#3- Thunder Buddies

 

Division 4

 

Babalis

#1- Sour Peeps

#2- Bouchers

#3- Phoenix

 

Power

#1- Mustard Tigers

#2- Mimosa Crew

#3- Tropic Thunder

 

Division 5

#1- Secret Agents

#2- Titans

#3- Big Booties

 

Women

#1- Drama Queen

#2- Déesses du Drapeau

#3- Tigres

 

This is how I see the ranking as of today, but next week I can bet you they look different.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Only a couple of days until we all get back out there and after years of being banged up and hurt, I am finally healthyish, so you all better watch out.

Since last season, I’ve lost weight, been kneed in the head, punched in the face, and I was even stabbed (ed’s note: I said I was sorry!).

I do have a witness to the stabbing, but I survived and will be back better than ever (ed’s note: after meeting Kevin, the witness agreed to state under oath that Kevin was, in fact, the stabber).

I have also decided to stop being a nice guy on the field and will start to play seriously this season. I will be talking silly talk and backing it up. I’m going to be Andrew just bigger, stronger, and I’d say faster, but don’t want him to feel inferior to me in multiple ways (ed’s note: or potentially die from laughter).

With this being week 1 and no one playing for the last few weeks or months, you know someone is going to over do it and pull a muscle. This is your reminder that it’s week 1, so take it easy. You still have 9 more games plus playoffs, so don’t get injured in week 1. (ed’s note: nuts to that! Go all out! You only live once, so make it as short and painful as possible!)

Before you go, remember that we are playing a game that is meant to bring us fun and joy, so go out enjoy your time on the field and don’t kill anyone. See you all Saturday.

Word from the Mouth: Just Spreading Out the Delays! edition

Word from the Mouth: Just Spreading Out the Delays! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Let me start by pointing out that this week we had multiple people screw the pooch when it came to their ref or scorekeeping assignments, so not every game has stats (ed’s note: just one in the end).

I also want to point out that Jon, who made the schedule and runs the league, was chilling at home at 8:32am while games were supposed to being played. We ended up getting started late, but in the end didn’t matter since later in the day we needed to wait for teams to change parks anyway (ed’s note: see, I knew this would happen, so I was just spreading out the delays).

It was cold this weekend, but its looking nicer for this upcoming weekend (ed’s note: though predictions have gone from 9 degrees to 4 degrees, ugh), so we should be good to go with no issues.

I know the field is pretty bad at this point, but for all the years the league has been around the field conditions this year aren’t that bad relatively. Just imagine what would have happened if we hadn’t canceled that week due to rain.

 

Recap

 

Division 1

 

Iron Wolves vs Outlaws (36-60)

This game was back and forth in the first half and it looked like it was going to stay that way, but Outlaws made a switch at QB from Brady to Steve and that’s when Outlaws started to pull away. It also helps that Marvin and Smuda both balled their asses off combining for 15 catches, 131 yards, 5 TDs and 6 2-point converts. Remy subbed for Iron Wolves and made his presence felt with 2 TDs on 4 catches and 110 yards. I could go into more details, but I will let Willie talk about it on the podcast this week.

 

Division 2

 

KOLB vs Udaho Idapimp (25-26)

This was a fun game to watch and seeing these 2 QBs make some of the throws they did was remarkable. No team ever pulled away with this game and it ended up coming down to the last few plays of the game. Brady drove the field for a score and gave his team a 26 to 19 lead with just under 15 minutes left. Both teams had a possession that ended on downs. Now with under 8 minutes left Jon led a scoring drive, but on this drive was one of the nicest throws I’ve seen in a while. Jon rolled right and threw an out to the left about 20 yards down field at full sprint. It was a great throw. KOLB scored, but weren’t able to get convert. KOLB now needed a big stop and quickly, but Brady got 2 first downs for Idaho which ended the game and advanced them to the finals.

 

Division 3

 

Villains vs Red Cats (37-36)

This was a fun game to watch and now imagine how much better it could have been if Avery wasn’t hurt going into the game, but he was able to play through it. More than once in the game Avery went down and it looked like he wasn’t going to be able to finish, but he found a way to. Even with a bum leg, Avery was still able to keep his team in the game scoring 2 TDs and a 2-point convert on the ground. Jeremi is a beast no matter where he lines up. This week he was at QB, next week who knows if it will be him or Terry under center. With under 2 minutes left in the game, Red Cats scored on a 5 yard pass to Nick after driving the length of the field, they went for 2 and got it making it a 1 point game. Now Red Cats needed a stop and to use their timeouts to get the ball back. The defense held and on the first play Vincent stepped in front of Avery’s pass and picked it off to end the game and Red Cats season. I’m Sure Willie will talk more about this game on the Podcast.

 

Division 4

 

Drama Club vs Jagys and Chill (32-38)

I was only able to catch the last little bit of this game and saw Drama Club allow Jagys and Chill to tie it at 32 late. Drama Club had 2 possessions after that and the first one ended in a punt and the second ended with Yannick knocking the ball away on the last play of the game in the endzone. I was able to see JF chew up the last 3:30 of the game as he marched his team down the field for what turned out to be the game winning score on a pass from JF to Yavar.

 

Bines Low Fat vs Top Shooters (35-12)

Bines Low Fat was just way too much for Top Shooters in this game. Bines had a 28-0 lead at half, they also started with the ball in the second half and scored on that possession to take a 35-0 lead. Late in the game Top Shooter were able to get on the scoreboard with an 11-yard pass from Mike Jaz to Paul (ed’s note: is this accurate?). That was the highlight for both those players, but it was also a very rewarding for Top Shooters as a team. Paul might not have played a huge role for this team all season, but if it wasn’t for Paul stepping up and playing a few weeks ago they would have forfeited that game and missed the playoffs because of the forfeit.

 

Bines Low Fat vs Jagys and Chill (26-13)

This Bines team isn’t flashy, but makes very few if any mistakes at all. JF does a good job of protecting the ball and the combination of Thomas and Mathieu as receiver is fantastic since they don’t drop balls. Thomas scored on 3 of his 4 catches in this game. On defense is where Bines strive and they managed to get 2 sacks and 4 picks. This team flies to the ball. This defense proved to be too much for JF, he was constantly under pressure and when he was able to get a pass off the defenders were all over it and when he tried to run nothing was there.

 

Division 5

 

Mimosa Crew vs Grizzlies (46-26)

Who would have thought that Mimosa Crew would come out and play like this at 8:30 in the morning? Wait, I mean 9 (ed’s note: yeah, yeah, I get it). The game started with Mimosa punting then giving up a quick and easy score before they settled in and got rolling. By halftime Mimosa had picked off Grizzlies 2 or 3 times and scored on every possession and had a 31-12 lead. Mimosa played really good defense getting 4 picks from 4 different players and Dag ran his back for a TD. This was the first time I saw Grizzles play all season and the biggest takeaway is they don’t run plays, they just line up and everyone does whatever they want (ed’s note: not sure this is true). Yes, that will work sometimes, but not against an equally athletic team.

 

Phoenix vs Jungle Squad (13-19)

Jungle Squad did everything they could to pull off this playoff win and it’s their first one in team history. The first half of this game wasn’t very good. Phoenix opens the scoring on their first possession then nothing by either team until the second half. Phoenix struggled inside the redzone to score, being there 2 or 3 times and walking away with zero points. Jungle Squad at half made a few adjustments and they paid off. They switched rushers on defense and started to run more crossing routes on offense. Late in the game with it tied, Jungle Squad was able to march the field and punch one in with under a minute left. Phoenix tried to answer, but there was a drop or two plus a huge sack. With a last-ditch effort, the ball was thrown into the endzone, but was batted away and just like that Phoenix goes home and Jungle Squad advances.

 

That’s all I have for you in the way of recaps. Thanks for reading and see you next week.

 

Studs & Duds

 

I’m only doing Studs this week because anyone who lost already feels bad that they must wait until January just to get back out there and play again.

 

Studs

 

Division 1

I hate to do this and inflate his ego even more, but Marvin Steinberg went off this week with 8 catches for 72 yards, 3 TDs and 4 2point convert plus he also made 5 tackles and had 1 pick.

 

Division 2

Demario Cooper hauled in 8 balls for 105 yards, 1 TD and 1 1point convert. Demario also made 2 tackles on defense.

 

Division 3

Jeremi Thompson O'Reilly this guy was all over the place in this game. He threw for 205 yards while completing 26 of 37 passes, 5 TDs and 1 1point convert, He also ran 7 times for 39 yards and 1 TD. On defense Jeremi made 4 tackles.

 

Division 4

Thomas Cote-Parent in his 2 games made 11 catches for 130 yards, 6 TDs and 1 1point convert. On defense Thomas made 2 tackles and had 1 pick.

 

Division 5

David St Jean went off this week getting 5 sacks on 6 tackles on defense. With the ball in his hand David went 18 of 29 for 164 yards, 2 TDs, 1 1point convert and threw 1 pick. David also ran 11 times for 42 yards and 1 TD.

 

There you have it my studs for week 1 of the playoffs.

 

Predictions

 

My picks were great last week, but that doesn’t matter anymore because we have reached championship weekend and it’s the last games of the season. Here are my picks.

 

Division 1

Outlaws vs A-Team

The winner of this game is the team that goes in healthier and I have a feeling that in this case its Outlaws. I am also assuming that Steve is playing QB and looking to get back at A-Team for them winning it all against them a few seasons ago.

 

Division 2

Idaho Udapimp vs Nice TDs

Nice TDs have been the favorite all season and why would I think any different this week. Nice TDs just have a bit more Dawg in them and that’s why I feel they pull it out.

 

Division 3

Villains vs RawSauce

They are just more athletic, and I have to assume that Jeremi will be under center again this week.

 

Division 4

Bines Low Fat vs High on Audibles

I just have a feeling that their experience and chemistry pulls them through in this one. I’m also thinking Avery won’t be 100% and that should also play a factor late in the game.

 

Division 5

Mimosa Crew vs Legendaries

I give them the edge because of leadership and I can see Ben relying on Ben and Nick early when a play needs to be made and this will allow Gordon to stay under the radar and make plays late in the game.

 

Jungle Squad vs Bear Hood

David is a very good runner and at the end of the day with a possible sloppy field he goes off for 100 yards on the ground.

 

Those are my predictions for championship weekend.

 

Final Thoughts

 

In the pros, players walk off and retire after winning a championship, but I’m not sure it has every happened in the MFL (ed's note: Max Rosenfeld retired at QB after winning a championship!). The only players I can see doing this after winning are a few players on the Outlaws. Steve has been around since the beginning of the league has won more than enough championships along with numerous individual awards over the years and has nothing left to prove plus I think he likes having his weekends free (ed’s note: he did retire, but pulled a Brady!). I can also maybe see Smuda walking away as well for the same reasons, but also dealing with more and more injuries over the years. Realistically both will be back next spring because they both love the game and will miss it if they are away for too long. (ed’s note: yeah, why are you talking about retirement!)

Before last season playoffs were set up differently with games being played in between rounds in some divisions. The way the games are now has each division getting their own time slots and games played back-to-back. It is so much better. I’m glad it’s done like this now, as this way us old folks don’t have to worry as much about pulling muscles, because of getting hot and cold repeatedly.

That’s all I have for you this week. Hope you enjoyed the article and had fun this season. Even with this being the last week of the year, we are still playing a game, so go out, have fun, and try not to kill anyone. See you Saturday.

Predictions and Power Rankings Playoffs Week 1

Predictions and Power Rankings Playoffs Week 1

Kevin Kousaie

Predictions

 

We have reached the playoffs and it’s sad to announce that Willie won the media picks for the first time getting 65% of his picks. With his win Willie had the largest margin of victory ever at 4.1%. I will only be picking the games that are already scheduled since we know those games are happening. (ed’s note: I didn’t realize that picking games that didn’t exist was an option! Otherwise I would’ve picked games like the Philadelphia Eagles over Phoenix or the NY Jets over Lockdown. Kidding! I would definitely pick Lockdown over the Jets. Easy money.)

 

Division 1

 

Iron Wolves vs Outlaws

I know that their team will be there to play.

 

Lockdown vs A-Team

With this roster if they play their game and don’t get in their own heads they should be able to win convincingly.

 

Division 2

 

KOLB vs Idaho Udapimp

Somehow KOLB is always missing players when it comes to playoffs and that could happen again this week.

 

Thunder Buddies vs Nice TDs

This game will be a shootout and I just feel that Nice TDs will make 1 play on defense that will swing the game their way.

 

Division 3

 

RawSauce vs Double Dippers

They are too strong for RawSauce who are dealing with a bunch of injuries.

 

Villains vs Red Cats

I know Willie is going to be huge in this game, not only as a player, but as a leader and motivator.

 

Division 4

 

Drama Club vs Jagys and Chill

Their defense is solid and will cause Simon issues.

 

Udaho Idapimp vs Trolling Holers

I said it on the Podcast, Mason will be huge in this game. Watch and see.

 

Iron Wolves vs High on Audibles

There is too much fire power and experience on this team to crumble in round 1.

 

Top Shooters vs Bines Low Fat

Way more experience and their defense is hard to score on.

 

Division 5

 

Slot Machines vs Big Booties

Rob should be able to control the ball on offense and Max should end up getting a few picks on defense.

 

Low Expectations vs Les Last Calls

The connection between Guillaume and Seb will be too much for Low Expectations to stop.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Grizzlies

If this game was at 10 am I might go Mimosa, but since it’s at 8:30 and Mimosa isn’t a morning team, I cant see them pulling this one off.

 

Jungle Squad vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my team’s games, but I can tell you it won’t be a forfeit this weekend.

 

Power Rankings

 

Heading into the playoffs, rankings don’t matter anymore because if you lose you go home.

 

All-Star

 

Let me point out the criteria for making my All-Star team so you all know what’s what. You can only make it for the highest division you play in, unless you play a different position and you can only make it at 1 position on offense or defense. The defense I have picked to go with is a 3-2. Now let’s see who made my teams.

 

Division 1

 

Offense

QB- Brady Ohanessian

WR1- Alex Szalipszki

Slot1- Manu Allard-Roy

Center- JF Daloze

Slot2- Kevin Smuda

WR2- Avery Kilmas

 

Defense

Rusher- Tyler Znoj

CB1- Lazar Atanackovic

Middle- Leo Aubert

CB2- Ariel Librati

Safety1- Jeremy Rooney

Saftey2- Marvin Steinberg

 

Division 2

 

Offense

QB- Vinny Gualano

WR1- Jeremi Reindeau-Demers

Slot1- Remy Nguyen

Center- Rob White

Slot2- Josh Levine

WR2- Victor Okoro

 

Defense

Rusher- Khalil Agrebi

CB1- Alex Gonzalez

Middle- Nicolas Potevin

CB2- Geoffroy Vigneault

Safety1- Gabriel Boucher

Saftey2- Max Rosenfeld

 

Division 3

 

Offense

QB- Ludovic Goulet

WR1- Alec Gregoire

Slot1- Antoine Theroux

Center- Simon Valiquette

Slot2- Jeremi Thompson O’Reilly

WR2- Mason Miller

 

Defense

Rusher- Benoit Maynard

CB1- Sydney-Taylor Jordan

Middle- Jose Antonio Espinosa

CB2- William Plante

Safety1- Ali Issa

Saftey2- JF Lawrence

 

Division 4

 

Offense

QB- Robert Prud’homme

WR1- Kris Hope

Slot1- PO Tremblay-Agelakos

Center- Mathieu Roy-Caissy

Slot2- Erik Emond

WR2- Mathieu Gratton

 

Defense

Rusher- Andre Bertrand

CB1- Cooper Guay

Middle- Flavie Rivard

CB2- Yavar Ashrafi

Safety1- Connor McAleer

Saftey2- Zack Goldig

 

Division 5

 

Offense

QB- Benjamin Mallet

WR1- Sebastien Lucas Alzate

Slot1- Kordell Holness-Lightbody

Center- Jeremie Desrochers

Slot2-  Jesse Haakman

WR2- Justin White

 

Defense

Rusher- Julie LeBlanc Goulet

CB1- Louis Britton

Middle- Gabriel Hernadez

CB2- Samuel Gernet

Safety1- Oliver Waiter

Saftey2- Guillaume Dubuc Lacombe

 

There you have your MFL All-Stars for the 2023 fall season. Congratulations to everyone who made the teams. I will say that this year making my picks was very difficult because there are so many of you that play in multiple divisions and sticking to my rules was hard, but I think I managed.

 

Final Thoughts

 

We are heading into the second weekend of November and up to now the weather has held up, but that looks to be changing. Over the next day or two they are calling for 2-4cm of snow. It should be gone by Saturday, but it looks like it might still be cold.

One thing I’m glad about for this weekend is that my game is early in the day, so the field conditions should still be good at that point, but using 2 locations and rotating fields at Le Ber should keep it good for most of the day.

Next week for the finals might be a different story, but that’s next week’s problem (ed’s note: and I heard next week is a jerk anyway).

I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but by now you understand we are playing a game, so go have fun while giving it your all. You don’t want to be that player that didn’t give their all and your team loses (ed’s note: I am always this player and I am 100% fine with it. Sleep like a baby).

Good luck to everyone playing this weekend and even if you’re not playing and are bored at home missing football, you can always come out and cheer for your favourite team or player and if you want to stir the pot you can come heckle anyone and everyone if that’s more your style. 

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