Inside the Redzone (Div E) – Week 1

 

Welcome players and fanatics to the first ever edition of Inside The Redzone for the inaugural Division E season. That’s right, this is FlagPlus Football’s first attempt at a fifth division in the Spring season.  I am Rehan Sarwar and I will be your guiding light, and I do mean that literally. I will provide you end zone to end zone coverage as only Ron Starwars can and if you’re confused by that reference, tune in to the Week 1 edition of the Calling the Audible podcast.

 

And speaking of the weekly podcast, Terry (newest addition to our panel of experts) and Paolo Della Rocca will be shedding light on all the happenings in Division E, with a little weekly segment from yours truly. As always, if you have any suggestions for topics or just want some love from the panel, do not hesitate to contact Paolo Della Rocca or Terry Tam via Facebook , Twitter (@PeezeFPF or @TerryTamFPF), email ([email protected]) or pulling them over on the sidelines.

 

Now that all the formalities are out of the way, let’s take a brief look at, or a bird’s eye view of, Division E after only one week of play. The division is comprised of ten teams and some very interesting team names (more on that in week 1’s podcast). The purpose of Division E is for new and inexperienced teams to develop and work on their game strategies, playbooks and chemistry. At least half of the teams do fit the bill and the rest might have one or two higher caliber super star but not enough for their team to be labeled as “division dodgers”. Hence, I believe the mixture of teams is perfect for this division and with each passing week, the level of intensity will rise. As a result, I do forecast that the competition will be fierce amongst at least eight teams by week five.

 

Headlines

 

Dat’s a BIG win!

 

Long time FPF veteran Moe Khan kicked off the first ever Division E season with a 38-0 thrashing of nWo. The two time D1 champion is now starting a new career as a pivot. His first outing was very successful and had the following stat line: 19 of 28 for 157 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs. He led Division E in rushing after the first week with 45 yards. Last, being a former Division 1 All Star rusher, he picked up 2 sacks. Alex Russell caught three TDs while Terry Tam caught two and the defensive mastermind Steve Hodhod had 4 tackles and 1 INT. Overall it was a great team effort by a veteran team.

 

Dat’s Big shouldn’t be too happy with this win because they played against a new team with no FPF experience. They will have tougher opponents and hard fought battles against other opponents.

 

 

 

The Golden One

 

James Floreani, who is probably the best pivot in Division E, also had a great first week with the following numbers: 16 of 24 for 161 yard, 6 TDs and 1 INT. He had equally impressive stats on defense with 2 INTs. He is a great two way player and even though the Golden Girls had a below average Winter 2013 season (record of 4-6), he will lead them to not only a better record but also a deep run into the playoffs. Jason Rossie, Guillaume Allard-Cameus, Jason Kokolakis and Scott Binns will be the work horses and my X-factor is Julien Lefebvre who is one of the few players other than Floreani who has higher division experience.

 

Although Maccabi went 0-10 last season in Division 4, I believe they will improve rather fast and become a tough opponent. Patrick Leroux didn’t have his best game as he was picked off five times by the Golden Girls defense; however he did managed to throw 3 TDs and if he continues to work on his turnovers, he should put Maccabi in a better position to win games. Ofir Levy will be a rising star and look for the entire squad to start turning some heads soon.

 

Your Worst Nightmare!

 

We have yet another Division 1 All Star player change career paths. Jean-Francois Marquis (formerly of L’Express in Division 1) probably had the best statistical performance in week one. He passed for 223 yards and 6 TDs without any turnovers. Also, five different receivers caught at least one TD pass. And Tomahawk Nightmare didn’t defeat just any team; they beat a Show Me Your TDs team that is comprised of players from Two and a Half Dans and Checkmate (both of these teams finished with a combined record of 19-1 in D5 in Winter 2013). Therefore, I give credit where it is due, and Tomahawk Nightmare should be proud of their victory.

 

Show Me Your TDs will be a force to be reckoned with in Division E. As I just mentioned, they have many talented players who put it all on the line every week. Mike Adonna, first time at the QB position in FPF, had a good outing for Division E standards. He threw for 175 yards and 4 TDs. Danio and Anthony Adonna, along with Anthony Farinaccio are talented and aggressive on the ball. They will carry their team to great heights during the season. They will have to continue to work on their chemistry but once they do, look out!

 

Don’t Be Fooled!

 

The Fools of the Country are also somewhat of a veteran squad, as half the team has been around in FPF for quite some time; however, they haven’t had too much success lately because they haven’t gelled well with the new comers such as Pierre Rodgriguez, Mael Vernon and Phillipe Kattan. Case in point is their record of 1-9 in Division 5 last season. They’ve already matched their win total in Division 1 after they defeated Los Banditos. Frederic Arsenault didn’t have a great completion rate or many passing yards, but he did throw for 6 TDs.

 

For those who know of their history (from Flying Weasels to Flight Of The Concords to Fools Of The Country), defense has always been their biggest strength. It was the same old story in week one as Fools Of The Country had 4 INTs against Banditos QB Alexandre Guertin. If nothing else, FOTC defense will always keep them in games long enough for their offense to help them win games. The lone bright side for Los Banditos on offense was receiver Gobi Nadesh who racked up 126 receiving yards and grabbed 3 TDs. On defense, it was Josh Levine who had 4 tackles and 1 pick six.

 

 

 

STARS OF THE WEEK

 

Alex Russell (Dat’s Big) 8 rec, 69 yards, 3 TDs; 1 defensive INT

 

Alex Girard (FOTC) 47 yards and 1 TD; 2 defensive INTs

 

Gobi Naesh (Los Banditos) 7 rec, 126 yards, 3 TDs

 

Kurt Shields (Eskimo Brothers) 2 tackeles and 2 INTs

 

James Floreani (Golden Girls) 16-24 for 161 yards and 6 TDs; 2 tackles, 2 defensive INTs

 

Jean-Francois Marquis (Tomahawk Nightmare) 19-29 for 223 yards and 6 TDs

 

 

 

Interesting Observations

 

 

 

-Five quarterbacks had at least 3 INTs (two had 4, one had 5) each in week 1

 

-Out of 50 receivers, only one surpassed the 100 mark

 

-Moe Khan led all passers with rushing yards

 

-Dat’s Big won without HALL OF FAMER Daron Basmadjian

 

-Eskimo Brothers, Golden Girls, Maccabi and Fools Of The Country combined for a record of 7-33 in their previous season

 

 

 

Please note that starting week 2, my column will be split into three parts. The first will be published Saturday and will discuss Wednesday/Thursday games. The second will be published Monday and will discuss Sunday games and a weekly recap. The last will be Wednesday mornings and it will include power rankings and breakdown of next week’s match ups. For the third part as an added treat, my esteemed colleague Paolo will give his analysis to perhaps show a different perspective.

 

Since my next article will be Saturday and will cover this Wednesday and Thursday, I will now discuss the match ups for those days.

 

Golden Girls vs. Tomahawk Nightmare

 

It will be a battle of two experienced and talented young men who are the respective pivots for their teams. James Floreani will represent the Golden Girls and Jean-Francois Marquis will represent Tomahawk Nightmare. I liked the fact that Marquis didn’t even have any impact on defense and his team still won last week. He’s a two-way player and can make great defensive plays. However, so can James Floreani who had 2 defensive INTs in his first game. Therefore, the difference will be the supporting cast for both passers. Winner: Golden Girls

 

Maccabi vs. Fools Of The Country

 

Patrick Leroux of Maccabi will need to limit his turnovers, especially against an aggressive defensive team like FOTC. Against the Golden Girls last week, their offense was shut out for the entire second half. Frederic Arsenault will have a great day at the office and look for Alexandre Girard to continue his defensive dominance. Winner: Fools Of The Country

 

BBQ Time Travellers vs. Los Banditos

 

Besides the fact that time traveling is spelled with ONE L, they had a rougher week on the field. They only managed to score 7 points the entire game. Mike Bagnato, who last played in Winter 2012 on a team that went 0-10 and averaged 13.6 points on offense, will need to step his game up. More important, BBQ Time Travellers will need a great defensive performance against Alex Guertin who managed to score 3 TDs on a very stingy FOTC defense and I believe he’s only going to get better as he gains more experience.

 

Last but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, it will be the first installment, out of two, of a battle between the Della Rocca brothers. Who will come out on top and claim the bragging rights? Paolo helped BBQ on offense while David helped Banditos on defense. I like David’s match up against Mike Bagnato. Winner: Los Banditos

 

Thanks everyone for reading the first ever column for the E division in FlagPlus Football. If you have any suggestions or comments about my style of writing or things I should include in my column, I urge you to contact me via [email protected], Facebook, Twitter (Rehan_FPF) and face-to-face. As Ron Starwars would say, don’t choke out there Division E!