Defensive Coverages: 3-2

Defensive Coverages: 3-2

Jon Evans

Ed's Note: This is actually an older series of articles that were written for players learn the defenses, but as we've had so many new teams join the league this season, we've decided to re-run them

 

This week I’ll be covering one of the two main zone defenses that teams use in flag football. Obviously there are many variations of zone defenses as well as man defenses and mixed styles, but simply using these two formations can get you through any game outside of higher division matches!

 

Also, I should mention that zone defenses are really effective in flag football and man coverage should only be deployed sporadically at most, unless you have a very strong and co-ordinated defense.

 

3-2 Defense

 

The 3-2 defense is the simplest zone defense you can play. There’s no real movement post snap and the reads a very basic.

 

In 3-2 there are 3 defenders covering short passes with one on each side of the centre covering the flats (0-5 yards downfield to the right or left of the center) and one covering slightly deeper in the middle, sitting usually around 5-7 yards off the line of scrimmage.

 

The middle defender can be a little deeper than those covering the flats since short in the middle is a hard throw for the QB since the rusher should be right in their face covering that area.

 

In general though, the outside defenders should never drop more than 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and the middle not more than about 7. This is really important as I way too often see new teams and players starting at 6 or 7 yards and dropping to 10 yards back. Any decent QB will take 5 yards for free all day!

 

If you’re playing short zone and there’s no one in your zone, look back into the middle of the field and pick up a crossing route coming into your zone, don’t drop back!

 

The two safeties in 3-2 should start somewhere around 10 yards deep and pick up any receiver running deep routes. Stay with them and make sure to be in a position to make a tackle even if they make a catch.

 

A 30 yard pass where you make the tackle and can try a goal line stand is way better than a 37 yard pass for a touchdown! Remember, the closer you are to your goal line the easier it is to play defense, since there’s less space to cover and everything is more crowded for the QB.

 

General Tips

 

These are some defensive tips that will help with any scheme you use!

 

- If you’re covering short, then cover short! 5 yards is about as deep as you ever want to drop! Also, line up close to the receiver. Obstruct their route a little and don’t make their lives easy! It’s also tougher for the QB to read the defense when you aren’t just sitting in the area you plan to cover.

 

- “The sideline ain’t never missed a tackle” Force players to the outside after a catch. They will run out of room laterally and it becomes more difficult to cut back to the inside the more it becomes the receivers only option. Your goal is to prevent them from being able to cut back inside, so take away that option!

 

- On pass coverage as well defenders should generally shade inside. What that means is put yourself between the receiver and the quarterback. If you’re on the other side you’re just playing to make the tackle after they make the catch, and while that’s usually okay on very short routes, you want to force the quarterback to throw through you on anything more than 5 yards.

 

- “Do your job!” This is from Bill Belichick (likely the greatest football head coach of all time) and it’s one of my favourite football sayings. It has two points and both are important. First, you need to do what you are supposed to do and nothing more and nothing less. The nothing more is the important part and leads to the second point of the saying: you have to trust your team mates to do their job.

 

If you’re playing 3-2 and your job is short on the right side, then you do not follow anyone deep. You have to trust that your safety has your back. If you don’t, you will constantly give up 5 yard chunks on easy passes all game long, but if you do you can be aggressive and attack the short routes. So, do your job!

 

 

Next time I’ll talk about 4-1 coverage, which is a little more complicated, but when mixed with 3-2 will get you through a lot of games!

 

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 4

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 4

Kevin Kousaie

Before we get into Kevin's predictions and power rankings, just a reminder that you can check out the MFL podcast on Youtube and Spotify as well as on Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts and RadioPublic.

 

We also release a weekly highlights video every Thursday, so follow us on Facebook or YouTube to stay up to date on those!

 

 

Predictions

 

No one was anywhere near perfect this week in their picks. What was surprising was the fact that we almost all had the same picks. Which is great since that means that there were a lot of upsets from our picks. After last week’s picks, Will is back out front, but it’s still a very close race and we still have plenty of games left to pick. Here are the current standings.

 

Will 14-5 last week (50-17 overall)

Terry 14-7 last week (47-17 overall)

Kevin 13-7 last week (48-20 overall)

Jon 13-8 last week (49-23 overall)

 

 

Here are my picks and why I picked them and my picks are in bold.

 

Division 1

 

Bitter Boys vs Henchmen

This was easy; they aren’t the Trollers and won’t make stupid mistakes.

 

Ninja Turtles vs Holy Trollers

They are the better team with better chemistry.

 

Henchmen vs Moretti Crime Family

After last week’s win in the rain they keep on rolling, this time in the sun.

 

Division 2

 

D#Nasty vs RedZone

I just think that they pull it off, but it will be a 1 score game.

 

Joey’s Haters vs Lean Mean Machine

I have to go with the veteran team with the better QB.

 

Les Petit Phoques vs Long Chefs

Even if Dom isn’t there they are still the better team and have more experience.

 

OG Panthers vs KOLB

This was a hard pick, but I took OG since they beat RedZone and RedZone just beat KOLB.

 

Division 3

 

Big Boys vs Mustard Tigers

I just think that overall they have the more complete team plus they have to win a game eventually.

 

Big Boys vs Les Tannates

They will be looking to rebound after last week’s loss and show they are still one of the top teams in the division.

 

Black Knights vs Old School

I think Leon is a good enough QB to avoid Dahic and will know how to attack them and get points on the board.

 

Mustard Tigers vs Nice TDs

Kris and Andrew will finally make their presence felt on defense this weekend and each have at least 1 pick.

 

Average Joes vs Deep Threats

Until someone in the division can stop Svetna I’m taking Deep Threats all day.

 

Les Tannates vs Iron Wolves

Jon can’t ball out 2 weeks in a row, it’s not in his contract and Iron Wolves will finally hit the reality wall and stop overachieving.

 

Chiefs vs Washington Foreskins

They have more experience, are more organized and are the better team.

 

Division 4

 

Les Improbables vs Thunder Buddies

They have a QB and he can run all over them.

 

RawSauce vs Panaches

In the few games I’ve seen them play they have very few weaknesses.

 

Airborne vs Cereal Killers

They are faster and more athletic.

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Sneaky Snakes

I was going to look it up who would win in a fight, but then I remembered that Flamingos have the better QB.

 

Titans vs Wolf Pack

Benjamin McMahan best QB in the division.

 

Division 5

 

Gold Rush vs Los Pollitos

After the way Travis played last week I have to go with his team, but it wasn’t an easy pick.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Spin Doctors

Raph is a better QB and with Rob getting the defense in order they won’t lose.

 

Les Last Calls vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my teams games.

 

Those are my picks and the way the season has gone so far with my picks I’ll get 2 out of 3 right. It’s been hard this season with so many new teams and so many close teams playing each other so early into the season. Don’t worry, I will get better with my picks or I’ll have to take the Will and Jon approach and start paying teams to lose. Jon, I might need a raise starting next week. I’ll let you know after I see how my picks fair this week.

 

Power Rankings

 

Now everyone can see who I think are the top dogs in the division and it’s not all about winning. I haven’t thought much about my rankings because every week there seems to be a new team coming up and a top team struggling. I’ll post my rankings and then let you know why I made those changes or didn’t make a change. Here are my rankings after this past weekend.

 

Division 1

#1- Outlaws

#2- Ninja Turtles

#3- Centurions

 

Division 2

#1- Honor Game

#2- Outlaws

#3- Petit Phoques  

 

Division 3

#1- Deep Threats

#2- Iron Wolves

#3- Les Tannantes 

 

Division 4

#1- Flamboyant Flamingos

#2- RawSauce

#3- Les Panaches

 

Division 5

#1- Phoenix

#2- Gold Rush

#3- Spin Doctors

 

Centurions are hanging on to the 3rd spot, but the Crime Family look to be coming into form and might challenge for that spot very soon. Petits Phoques when Dom is there is a top team and should never be counted out. Outlaws dropped a spot after a game they should have won by more against a team without their starting QB. After a loss to the top team I had to bump them down a few spots, but are still in my top 3. With Thunder Buddies first loss of the season they fell all the way from 1 out of the top 3. Even with a bad loss, I left Phoenix at 1 and I’m scratching it up to a bad week and with no other team really separating themselves to force me to make a change, but if they play like that again this week, I might have to kick them from the list. Spin Doctors had a big win, but it was close and for Gold Rush it is all on Travis. That is it hope you I made you happy with my rankings if not play better get some wins and you’ll be up here in no time.

 

Final Thoughts

 

We went from rain all week to this ridiculous heat and humidity. I hope that all players that think they are refs have gone over the rulebook and now the rules. Nothing is better than player asking for a call that doesn’t even exist. I’m not going to lie, most of the refs know what they are doing, but the league grew so much from last season that we had to train a bunch of new ones. We tried to do a few training seminars a few weeks before the season began, but with Covid restrictions we were only allowed so many people at once. The season is going well, everyone is enjoying themselves, and no major injuries except 2 fractured ankles both on my team and guys I work with. Have you ever had to go to HR and explain that you were playing football with your colleagues and that they got snuggled up and they look at you and you know they are wondering who is next? I did the only thing you can do and ask them if there is anyone they want to get rid of for a few weeks. No really, remember that this is just a game and we are all playing for fun. Go out be safe and if your eligible, go get your vaccine so we can all get back to normal. Thanks for reading and see you all Saturday.

 

Before we get into Kevin's predictions and power rankings, just a reminder that you can check out the MFL podcast on Youtube and Spotify as well as on Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts and RadioPublic.

 

We also release a weekly highlights video every Thursday, so follow us on Facebook or YouTube to stay up to date on those!

 

 

Predictions

 

No one was anywhere near perfect this week in their picks. What was surprising was the fact that we almost all had the same picks. Which is great since that means that there were a lot of upsets from our picks. After last week’s picks, Will is back out front, but it’s still a very close race and we still have plenty of games left to pick.

 

Word from the Mouth: Jonathan Evens! edition

Word from the Mouth: Jonathan Evens! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Finally the lines are painted and we got some rain. Both are a good thing, but playing in the rain sucked for everyone. Players were dropping balls that would normally be caught, snaps were all over the place, and the QBs couldn’t get a good grip on the ball. I had issues with the first two and I’m glad when I threw, it was at least dry, but it made no difference. The one thing that players need to do is learn the rules and until then they need to stop arguing with the refs about things. I’m not sure how many times it happened this week, but it seems as if the players know more than the refs, but only when it benefits them. Everyone only sees it one way and they need to stop crying and looking for calls. If you need the refs to help you win games, then go play with Tom and you’ll get all the calls in your favor. Enough is enough and if you’re not a captain don’t talk with the ref cause it will lead to penalties and possibly with you getting ejected. (ed’s note: what did you guys say to Kevin this week?)

 

Week 5 Recap

 

Division 1

 

Holy Trollers vs Moretti Crime Family (14-43)

I know it was raining in this game, but to make an almost 30-point difference, I don’t think so. I only caught glimpses of this game and every time I did Crime Family ran the same play on offense all day long. At one point I wanted to go over and tell the Trollers exactly what to do to stop it, but it’s not my team anymore or my place. I even spoke to Joey, the QB for Crime Family, after the game and he was a little surprised they couldn’t stop the same play all day long. The Trollers just took way too long to make adjustments on defense and all Max could do was hit the guys on the wrong team.

 

Holy Trollers vs Bitter Boys (13-18)

This has to be an all-time low point for the Trollers after this one. This game had a lot of chirping back and forth and a bit of physicality too it, but nothing outrageous and nothing deliberate to cause harm. The game was tight all the way through which surprised at least me. Bitter Boys were missing a few players including JS and Mario and were still able to get the win. I’m sure Trollers lost this game more than Bitter Boys won it. Trollers couldn’t tackle and it wasn’t any more obvious then when Eric ran down the sideline and Ben had to have missed the tackle 3 or 4 times while trying to chase him down from behind. That wasn’t even the worst play of the game. On 3rd and 1 with under 1-minute left Max tries to run, but gets sacked for a loss. Bitter Boys call time out. Now on 4th and 3 with the ball just before half field, instead of punting and forcing Bitter Boys to go 45 yards, the Trollers go for it. Max looks for Ben on a hook at the first down on the sideline, but he slips and the ball gets picked off and ran back to the 13-yard line. With 13 seconds left there’s an incomplete pass. On the next play, Seb looks for a receiver, but no one is open so he takes off running and once again the Trollers can’t pull the flag and just like that the game is over and the Trollers sit at 0-3. I understand going for it to get the first down and end the game, but not when the conditions are bippity-boppity like that.

 

Division 2

 

Outlaws vs D#Nasty (26-18)

This was the first time playing with my new division 2 team and I was really hoping to play D#Nasty at their best with their entire team. That wasn’t the case this week, but it was still a good test. Max did a good job filling in for Kevin, but we all know he is a better receiver. There were a few times where Max took off running and made a few guys miss to creep out a first down. The person who surprised me the most on Outlaws was Julien, the rusher, and he will play a huge role in how well the defense will play. I also want to mention that Justin was flying all over batting balls away and when you see him he might not look big, but the man can get up there. I know that towards the end of the game the Outlaws were just trying to eat up clock and play soft defense. That almost bit us in the ass. On the last play of the game, Max threw a pass to Seb that was a few inches too high and was out of his reach, but to force OT they would have had to get the 2-point convert that we weren’t going to allow.

 

Division 3

Washington Foreskins vs Mustard Tigers (43-34)

I’m looking at this game and I have to wonder how a team with all this experience can get destroyed by one player. Gabriel might be that big of a stud, but Mustard Tigers, come on, play bracket on him with a guy over top and underneath. So far this season both teams have surprised me. One in a good way and one that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Going in at half, Tigers had the lead and were starting with the ball and then came 3 straight incompletes followed by a punt and at this point you can just feel it slipping away. Tigers get a stop go down punch one in, up 10 with 7 minutes left to me the game seemed over and it should have been for this veteran team. You gave up 19 points that fast and it still baffles my mind. Eat the clock! Even if you go 3 plays and punt you still waste almost 3 minutes each possession. I think I needed to ask Gabe the QB for Washington Foreskins if they were just playing around all game because when it all mattered, they scored at will.

 

Old School vs Chiefs (36-7)

This got ugly really fast. For a new team playing Old School, I’ll give you a few pointers. Do not throw anywhere near Dahic, he is the big guy that you can’t miss. Old School was going to have Charles throw until he was hurt earlier in the day. Old School needs to keep Dahic at QB he has the better arm and is more of a threat running. Old School is a very solid division 3 team and for any new team with very little experience they will be tough to beat. Chiefs have a few solid guys who can play, but are missing the right pieces. They need to figure out who is QB and stick with it and same as for rusher. I think by seasons end Chiefs will be a way better team and come fall if they are back will turn a few heads.

 

Division 4

 

ADED vs RawSauce (8-19)

To me RawSauce is one of the better teams in the division, they have guys that have played before, know the game, and are athletic plus their QB has a great arm. This was a very good first half for ADED and they almost kept the score at 0s, but gave up a late TD. To me, all ADED needs to do is get organized and they will become a better team just from that alone. After the game I spoke to a few of the guys from ADED and let them know a few changes that would benefit their team. Dwight is playing QB for them and is very athletic, but like any young QB, his first instinct is to run then look to pass which gets them a bunch of rusher interference penalties. To me if they can correct that one thing, they won’t be put in so many hard situations. Dwight also needs to draw up a few plays that he can fall back on when things aren’t going his way. I want to see a game from ADED towards the end of the year when they have it figured out, because you know they will ruin someone’s playoff chances.

 

Cereal Killers vs Les Improbables (31-12)

Charles was out at QB for Improbables and that made Goldrick have to step up and fill in. Really, he didn’t do a bad job his first time throwing and he will improve if he keeps playing QB the rest of the season. Cereal Killers look like a team that might be for real in this division. They have a solid core of players, they are all athletic, and the QB has a big arm, but needs to work on accuracy. The one big thing area for concern would be that Samer likes to go long way too much. What I don’t understand is a 5 yard pass and a 40 yard run is still 45 yards for the QB. Let your receivers do all the work for you. I know that Improbables lost their QB this week, but this team is underperforming and it’s not even funny, with all that experience and my shirtless brother Alex who also happens to be a coach, they need to figure it out quickly.

 

Division 5

 

Gold Rush vs Los Pollitos (28-13)

This game was decided by the legs of Travis. He was unstoppable when running and looked like a fish out of water throwing. If Travis couldn’t run like he did this would have been a lot closer and Gold Rush might have even lost. Samuel is the best player on Los Pollitos and he should have been the player that was spying Travis and preventing him from having his way with their defense. As a QB, just because you can run doesn’t mean that you should every change you get, work on your passing and let everyone get involved. It was a fun game to watch and I’m glad both teams are having fun. I want to let Julie know that that was a great pick you had and it was nice to see you fight to maintain possession of the ball. Keep it up Los Pollitos, things will turn around and those new uniforms might be the nicest in the league.

 

That’s it for my recap of week 5. I know I haven’t covered some teams yet this season, but don’t worry I’m working on it and I will by the end of the season. I also want to let everyone know that games are covered preferably by someone who refed or score kept the game. If I could, I’d watch all the games, but that can’t be done so we in the MFL Media do our best. Jon skimped out on the pylon cams, the sky cam, and he won’t allow us to wear go pros and capture everything.

 

Top Performance of the Week

 

This week it was tough to pick a few of the winners and I know that a lot of you balled out, but my picks, my rules, and rule 1 is you have to win or be that much better than everyone else. This week it was all winners, but a few losers made it hard for me.

Here are my picks for this week.

 

Division 1

Offense

I had to go with Alex Joltopuf he hauled in 11 balls for 75 yards and 2 TDs. Alex was able to catch everything tossed his was despite the rain and help his team get their first win of the season.

 

Defense

I went and gave this week’s defense player to Simon Drolet. 1 pick that went for 6 points. Simon had 5 tackles He might not of had the best numbers out of everyone, but he was a big reason why his team won their game.  

 

Division 2

Offense

Boris Gagnier gets my nod for offensive player of the week. After 2 weeks of playing QB, Boris was back catching passes. He pulled in 9 balls for 58 yards, 3 TDs and 1 1point convert.

 

Defense

I’m not sure if I have ever done this before, but both my picks for this division are from the same team. Alexandre Bresse is this week’s winner. Alex picked off 2 passes and also had 2 tackles.

 

Division 3

Offense

I hate to do this, but this was the hardest pick I had to make and I went with the QB over the receiver. The winner this time around is Jonathan Evens (ed’s note: I’m leaving in that misspelling of my last name, as I assume it was intentional as Kevin simply could not bear to award it to me, so he created this fictional “Jon Evens”). Jon completed 19 of 24 passes for 6 TDs, 1 1point convert, 1 2point convert, and he also tore it up on the ground gaining 5 yards on 4 carries. (ed’s note: that’s minus sack yards!)

 

Defense

I had a choice to make here and it was between a rusher and a DB and who is more valuable to their team. In today’s game I’d have to go with the rusher and Mathieu Laforest was the top dog this week. Mathieu had 5 tackles with 4 sacks and constant pressure all day.

 

Division 4

Offense

This is going to be the second time I give this to Benjamin McMahon. Ben was nearly perfect this week going 20 of 29 for 230 yards, 7 TDs, 1 1point convert and he ran 3 times for 9 yards.

 

Defense

This guy has done nothing but show why he might be the best DB in the division this week. Gabriel Somma only had 1 tackle, but had 3 picks of which he took 2 back to the house for 6 points.  

 

Division 5

Offense

I went with a QB for my pick, but I went with the one that tore it up running and led his team to victory. Travis Falardeau was 9 of 27 for 121 yards, 1 TD with 3 picks and 1 1point convert. With his legs Travis had 128 yards and 2 TDs on 7 attempts.

 

Defense

The player I picked this week was the reason why his team won the game as he eliminated an entire side of the field and made one really great break on a ball. Ilias Tihani is my pick this week. Ilias had 4 tackles and 2 picks.

 

Those are my picks for this week and there were a lot of players to choose from, but that’s who I went with. You might not have made it this week, but you still have plenty of more weeks to make your mark and get the nod from me. Remember to ball out and you might see your name up here next week.

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 3

Predictions and Power Rankings Week 3

Kevin Kousaie

Before getting into Kevin's predicitions and power rankings, I'd like to remind everyone that we have a new MFL Podcast that comes out each week. Check it out here on YouTube and here on Spotify.

 

Predictions

Now that we all caught onto Will paying teams and with the cameras on him, he wasn’t able to buy his way to wins and end up with the lowest win total of the week. This week we have another issue. Somehow Jon was near perfect and he can barely tell his left from his right (ed’s note: it’s easy! The left is just not the one that is right!). An investigation will be launched into the matter. It seems as if Terry and I are the only honest ones out of the group.

 

Here are the standings from last week and overall and you can see they are ranked by last week, not total.

 

Jon 19-2 last week (36-15 overall)

Terry 17-2 last week (33-10 overall)

Kevin 17-4 last week (35-13 overall)

Will 15-6 last week (36-12overall)

 

 

Here are this week’s picks and remember my picks are in bold.

 

Division 1

 

Holy Trollers vs Moretti Crime Family

They have the stronger roster and by now have figured out the smaller field.

 

Bitter Boys vs Ninja Turtles

They are too fast for bitter boys to keep up with.

 

Holy Trollers vs Bitter Boys

This was hard, but Trollers have more athletes.

 

Henchmen vs Centurions

Revenge.

 

Division 2

 

KOLB vs Red Zone

They are athletic and have better chemistry.

 

Outlaws vs D#Nasty NA

I don’t pick my teams games

 

Lean Mean Machines vs Petit Phoques

They are the better team even if Dom isn’t playing QB.

 

Long Chefs vs Honor Game

They have the better QB.

 

Division 3

 

Washington Foreskins vs Mustard Tigers

Younger, faster and the better team as well.

 

Old School vs Chiefs

They have better chemistry and are the better team.

 

Deep Threats vs Les Tannantes

Other than Svetna they are the better team at every position.

 

Black Knights vs Average Joes

With the addition of JC this team will walk all over them.

 

Nice TDs vs Iron Wolves

They are the more complete team.

 

Division 4

 

Flamboyant Flamingos vs Les Improbables

They have the better QB in this game and will be a little faster as well.

 

Cereal Killers vs Les Improbables

I don’t know any of them on the team, but everyone who has played them said they were a decent team.

 

Les Panaches vs Thunder Buddies

I wanted to go Panaches, but then I remembered that Terry is a more consistent QB and a better runner.

 

ADED vs RawSauce

They will be more organized and not show up with a 12-15 player roster.

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Les Bouchers

It will be a low scoring game since neither 1 has put up any points, but I went with the team I know.

 

Titans vs Les Beautes

Manon won’t be able to keep Ben under control.

 

Division 5

 

Gold Rush vs Les Pollitos

They might not have the best player on the field, but they do have loads more experience.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Phoenix NA

I don’t pick my games.

 

Spin Doctor vs Les Last Calls

Right now they are the better team.

 

That is it for my picks I’m either right or I’m wrong (ed’s note: yes, this is true). I know just out of spite some of you are going to go out and ruin my picks which is fine by me. If that happens, I’ll just figure that I’m the motivation you needed to win and I’ll take credit for that as well. Good luck to everyone this weekend, but especially the teams I picked.

 

 

Power Rankings

 

Oh, how one week can change so much. Last week I could have put money that certain teams would stay on my list and others would never make it up here. As you will see from this week’s list, I made some changes and they are all warranted. Let’s jump to my list and I can explain afterwards.

 

Division 1

#1- Outlaws

#2- Ninja Turtles

#3- Centurions

 

Division 2

#1- Outlaws

#2- Honor Game

#3- Joey’s Haters

 

Division 3

#1- Les Tannantes

#2- Deep Threats

#3- Iron Wolves (ed’s note: you have us on the power rankings and not the Nice TDs, yet you picked the Nice TDs to win against us…)

 

Division 4

#1- Thunder Buddies

#2- RawSauce

#3- Flamboyant Flamingos

 

Division 5

#1- Phoenix

#2- Les Last Calls

#3- Gold Rush

 

I had to have Moretti Crime Family removed from the list as they will be spending time in lockup until they can prove they can play this game and win with that roster. The Haters have been on the list by default. Division 3 seems to be the only division that knows where they all belong. Sneaky Snakes have fallen so far down my list they might need to grow legs and walk their way back up. We also get a glimpse of RawSauce and Flamingos being considered as a top team, will it last? Div 5 is a mess after the top spot. Who will stake their claim and become the true #2 team?

 

Final Thoughts

We made it another week city hasn’t tried to shut us down and that is great. I also like how the weather is great for playing football, this week might be a little different since they are calling for rain.

For anyone new, we do play in the rain and only if there is lightning do we pause the game and allow it to pass. The best thing about playing in the rain is that the best team doesn’t always win.

I personally hate playing in the rain too many guys use synthetic balls and it just slips out of everyone’s hands. Also, as a snapper it’s hard to control the ball.

I’m hoping the city put lines down, but I really doubt it. I might have to do the lines myself, but like anything when you want it done, it’s better to do it yourself than wait for someone to do it for you. I’m thinking that if it’s not done in the next week or two I’m going to go out one night and it should take a few hours at tops. This week when you are out playing there are a few things to remember: it’s only a game, have fun, play hard, and be safe. See everyone Saturday.

Word from the Mouth: Painting the Lines! edition

Word from the Mouth: Painting the Lines! edition

Kevin Kousaie

Let me start by saying that both Terry and Will’s predictions were wrong. The grass was only yellow not green, neither team scored 40 points, and there was more than 1 pick. If you didn’t watch their podcast then you have no clue of what I’m talking about.

I’m still waiting for the city to paint the lines so we can have fields that are straight and of course we want them to turn on the sprinklers, so we aren’t playing on hay. Last weekend if you were able to play in 1 of the first 2 time slots you played while the ground was still a little moist and you could actually use your cleats to make cuts without worrying about sliding or breaking something. I know that George and Jon are both pestering the city about the poor field conditions and trying to make them fix them up so that it will last this season. We all know the city will eventually get around to it, but when is the question. We wanted it done weeks ago, even before the season began, and now we are going into week 5 and this is getting out of hand. We might have to start asking everyone to bring an extra bottle of water just so we can water it ourselves. That’s it about the fields, it’s time to talk football.

 

Week 4 Recap

 

Terry and Will have picked their games and left me with a few good games to talk about. If you want to see what they had to say, tune in on Wednesday night around 7 and the podcast should be up on YouTube and a few other places.

 

Division 1

 

Ninja Turtles vs Centurions (27-15)

There is one thing that really stuck out to me about this game, Centurions dropped way too many balls in crucial times of the game and Ninja Turtles did a lot of the same. This was a tie game at half and could have seen Centurions leading. From what I was seeing, every time Ninja Turtles needed a played to be made Tam was throwing the ball. Wade was having a really bad day, he couldn’t avoid the pressure from Francois and when he did have time, the passes were off. In the second half, Ninja Turtles started to put it together by scoring, but it was a lot of key plays that kept the drive going. 3rd and long and what did they do? A deep out to Alex just past the bag and this happened multiple times. Ninja Turtles still won the game, but it wasn’t pretty and I’m still waiting to see a complete game from them. Centurions hung in as long as they could, but with only 6 players you can only last so long against a really strong team.

 

Division 2

 

D#Nasty vs Long Chefs (27-13)

I felt going in that Long Chefs had no shot in this one and I was surprised at how well they played. They are mostly new to the game, but they play hard and once they builds some chemistry, don’t be surprised if they beat a few good teams. Now when it comes to D#Nasty, you never know what you are going to get. Will it be the team that scores 40 and makes it look easy or the team that plays poorly and can’t do anything right? This week it was a little of both. They should have won by way more even with missing a few players. I’m not sure how many picks they dropped. At least 2 or 3 and I’m not talking about hard picks, ones that hit them right in the hands. The one that stood out was when the ball was between two of them and they both kind of left it for the other guy. When D#Nasty is a full squad they can beat anyone in the division, including themselves.

 

Honor Game vs Lean Mean Machine (44-6)

I don’t want to seem like a broken record, but come on Dave, you are playing the best that anyone in the MFL has seen and your roster is stacked and that’s not your fault, but at some point you gotta control that guy Marvin. He might need a break from time to time. Marvin, I’m just playing, but from all the accounts I heard Marvin was a beast and wasn’t going to allow anyone from stopping his trek to finding the end zone. I know that there is talk about Lean Mean Machines going to division 3 and that is fine by me, but what can we do about Dave and his team of unstoppable ballers? I can see that Honor Games took it easy in the second half which is great, but that won’t change the fact that they still scored 44 points and had their way with Lean Mean Machines.

 

Division 3

 

Average Joes vs Big Boys (25-19)

There was no one happier on Saturday than Jason. It is only week 2 for his team and they are already in the win column. I am a huge Francois guy and I didn’t see how they were going to stop him from having a field day on Average Joes, but somehow they did it. They slowed down his running and forced him to beat them with his arm and he wasn’t able to do that. What I liked about Jason this week was even after his team allowed Big Boys to tie it with under 2 minutes, he stayed calm knowing that if they don’t turn the ball over, they go to overtime. Jason wasn’t having any of that and was going to air it out to get the win. Jason worked the ball and forced Big Boys to cover everywhere and with no time on the clock Jason was able to find Berson for the score. I missed the end, but I hope they put Jason on their shoulders and carried him off the field. I know it’s only 1 win, but for a new team coming together this can be a huge victory which can lead to more. Nothing is harder than that first win now the pressure is gone and they can just have fun and win more games.

 

Chiefs vs Deep Threats (0-29)

This was a lot closer than is should have been. They were playing a new team that is trying to figure out their QB. This is the second time I’ve seen Deep Threats play and they looked like trash. They didn’t play to their potential and played to their competitor’s level, they should have won by 60. Other than Svetna, no one showed up for Deep Threats. For the Chiefs, once you figure out your QB you will be fine. I know everyone wants to look good throwing that 45-yard bomb, but take the underneath stuff and that will open the deep balls for you. Ask some of the veterans from around the league how you can improve and watch some of the division 1 games. You can pick up a lot from just watching the game. NFL and NCAA are great to watch and filled with athletes, but when playing flag give me the old fat slow guys all day long (ed’s note: this is also Kevin’s motto in his personal life). Go back and watch the AAFL finals last season between the flag guys and former NFL stars and then tell me what you think.

 

Les Tannantes vs Nice TDs (25-13)

I know Terry and Will are covering this game, but I just wanted to point out one thing. Kris had mentioned that him and Andrew weren’t going to play defense and didn’t want to have to put the team on their shoulders and they couldn’t even last 1 week. Also, Kris we figured it out and he lost this game on purpose. Why are you going for it on 4th and 6 on your 9 yard line to start the second half in a one score game?. That’s all I had to say. For the full game recap watch MFL Total Access with Terry and Will on Wednesday.

 

Division 4

 

Sneaky Snakes vs Panaches (6-12)

This could possibly be the upset of the season right here. I know I have Sneaky Snakes high on my power rankings, but after a week like this, I don’t know where to put them. Last season they were a top team in the division and this season they look like garbage and that’s being nice. I know Jie said he put on 30 pounds over the year, but the whole team looks slow and just not into it. Andrew was the most accurate QB last fall and now he cant even complete half his passes. Sneaky Snakes no more, now they are Slimy Slugs. Get your Skittles together or I hope you like watching the playoffs from the sidelines. Panaches have been very surprising this season. They picked up a few players, made a switch at QB, and both moves seem to be paying off. Right now I think Panaches have a chance to win a few more games, make the playoffs, and maybe surprise a team or two. Once Felix figures out that he doesn’t need the big play every play, the interceptions will come down and the points will go up. This game came down to the wire and had it not been for a huge gust of wind pushing the ball out of bounds, we might have seen overtime.

 

Improbables vs Airborne (12-6)

I’m rather disappointed by Improbables so far this season. The roster is solid and they have loads of experience and should be able to play better each week. This is a team that just a few weeks ago was out practicing and by now you’d think they would be firing on all cylinders, but that isn’t the case here. Charles looks off. The few times he threw last season he was confident and was throwing it all over the place, picking defenses apart. By all accounts Airborne isn’t a great team, but they do have a few great rushers in Matt and JP and that could have screwed with Charles. Guillaume keeps taking strides every season and this season is more of the same. He gets a little better and the rest of the team stays the same. I know you want to win and you will eventually, but you have to keep plugging away and the win total will follow. With the clock winding down and Airborne with the ball they began to move closer and closer to the end zone looking to tie it up and win on the convert. On the last play of the game Guillaume threw a pass that fell incomplete and like that the game was over and Improbables get their first win as a franchise.

 

Division 5

 

Gold Rush vs Spin Doctors (18-6)

This game sucked for all involved. Gold Rush was missing half their roster, including their QB, so should we really count this as a win for them? I know it will, but to me this game meant nothing. For Spin Doctors this was almost like a practice that they lost (ed’s note: I have to say, losing at practice has to be demotivating) which doesn’t prove who is the better team. I hate games like this. Raph is trying to teach a bunch of new players the game and right now they are struggling, but they do have some potential. I want to see this game again with 2 complete rosters and after Spin Doctors have a little more experience.

 

Mimosa Crew vs Les Last Calls (12-20)

From the looks of it, Mimosa Crew added a new player and he looked good in his first week. I would also like to point out that the team as a whole looked more in tune and understood the game better. Les Last Calls just moved down from division 4 and it looks like they will fit right in with the rest of the teams in division 5. Sebastien was an absolute beast this week. No one on Mimosa Crew could stop him. With a team that only feeds one player you need to figure a way to stop that player and force them to go somewhere else. I can tell you from the stats that Curren looked a lot better this week, he was able to make good reads and find the open players. For Les Last Calls, just keep it up and get better each week. This was the game that Jon subbed in and it is also the game where he dropped a pick with very little time on the clock that would have given his team a chance to tie it if they scored and got a 2 point convert. Jon you’re a decent QB, but as a DB you suck, if you get your hands on it you must catch it (ed’s note: every QB dreams that this was true).

 

That is it for this week’s recaps. Either you love it or you hate it (ed’s note: or you’re somewhere in between), but at least you read it.

 

Top Performance of the Week

 

Now we get to see if you balled out enough to make my list. Let me remind you of the rules: your team must have won, you can only get in for the top division you play in, and if you don’t like my rules well that sucks for you. These are my picks and I will not be influenced by anyone and don’t even try to tell me you need to make my list and give me your stats. I will put you on my list, but not the list you want to be on.

 

Division 1

Offense

I went ahead and gave my pick this week to Jonathan Svetna. The guy did nothing but catch 3 balls for 77 yards, 2 TDs and a 1 point convert.

Defense

This guy already won it once before this season and this week’s defense player it goes to Terry Babalis with 3 tackles for 3 sacks.

 

Division 2

This week I am picking a player that does it all for his team and might have won this award last week if his team had won. Kamba Katchelewa he had 7 catches for 113 yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

It’s nice to see old faces from years past coming back to the league and this week’s winner is one of those guys. Adam Ruddick was able to pick off 2 passes to go along with his 2 tackles.

 

Division 3

Offense

I’m in a nice mood today so I figure Id keep that trend going and give this week’s award to the man grinning ear to ear and that would be Jason Armenti. Jason went 21 of 35 for 174 yards, 4 TDs, 1 pick and had a 1-point convert. He also ran for 33 yards on 6 carries.

Defense

Anyone who knows the game will tell you defense starts up front and this guy had pressure all day. Cyril Jamal Belfort from Black Knights had 6 tackles and 2 sacks this week.

 

Division 4

Offense

This had to be my easiest pick of the week. Gabriel Proulx looked like he was a man amongst boys this week. He was 13 of 21 for 256 yards 7TDs, 4 2-point converts and had 3 runs for 30 yards with 1 TD.

Defense

After looking over all the stats for the division, I was worried that if I didn’t pick this guy he might show up at my game and pick one of my passes off and run it back for 6. Marc-Antoine Leveiller was able to do that twice this week and also recorded 1 tackle.

 

Division 5

Offense

Sebastien Lucas Alzate went out and did nothing but shine. He pulled in 6 balls for 111 yards, 3TDs and 2 1-point converts. After a week like this his expectations must be high and I wonder will he be the top dog.

Defense

Alexandre Ladoucer Labonte is this weeks winner. It is no small task being asked to rush, especially against a QB that somewhat knows what he is doing and is also so what mobile. Alexandre manages to get 2 sacks and constant pressure all day long.

 

There you have it, my 10 winners for all 5 divisions. I know some people might feel they got snubbed and maybe you did or maybe you didn’t meet my requirements. You want recognition then you need to show up and show out leave it all out on the field and then just maybe it will be good enough for my list.

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