Bombsquad’s Breakdown (D2) – Week 14

And then there was one; as there can only be one in the end. Quote Highlander…nevermore. Yes the Ruff Ryders took down the Gold Standard in a game which once again was a tale of two halves.

Here’s what went down.

Final countdown to detonation.

1. The Ruff Ryders set the standard for winning as they set the Gold Standard straight 29-6. Everyone and their sister knew that the Ryders weakness all season has been playing a scrambling quarterback. In a move that I and many people did not foresee, the Gold Standard came out with Scott Mironowicz at QB. And right away we saw this might be an effective game plan. The first half was truly a defensive battle. The Standard shut down the Ryders in the red zone on the first drive four downs in a row. Everyone had problems scoring in the first half and when all was said and done we went into the half with the Ryders leading 7-6.

Now looking back at the past season I would have said the Ryders were in trouble and the Gold Standard had them just where they wanted them, being the second half team that they are. I could never have been more wrong. I am assuming it was their strategy all along to give the Ryders one look in the first half and change it up and catch them off guard in the second. So in the second half Jay Ulley returned behind center. Unfortunately, the Gold Standard had a lot of difficulty moving the ball in the second half. Not to say they had that much success in the first. The Gold Standard had more yards from Mironowicz’s legs (32) than their complete passing output for the game, which was 28 yards. You can’t win a Championship with numbers like that, no matter how many tight calls land in favor of the opponent.

To be fair the Ruff Ryders also had difficulty moving the ball on offense. Paul Lapierre did his best Trent Dilfer impression by just towing the line and not making mistakes as his stats were unremarkable, throwing for a mere 107 yards on a miserable 10 for 24 performance. But more importantly he made sure to not turn the ball over. This was probably the most important factor in the game. In a game where we all knew defense would be the largest contributing factor, the Ruff Ryders only turned the ball over once (on downs). That combined with the incredible performance of Jamil Springer on both sides of the ball really sealed the deal for the Ryders. His two interceptions, 2 TDs (one thrown, one caught) were the key points for the Ryders in this game. Who knows what would have happened if Scott Mironowicz would have started the second half? In my humble opinion, it would not have turned the tide on this day. The Ruff Ryders did what they needed to do by neutralizing the deep ball and not turning the ball over on offence. The score may not reflect this, but it was a very competitive game fought by two very talented teams.

BOOM!!! Just like the bomb at the end of ‘The Peacemaker’, which ended everything, this season is over.

The time has come,

To welcome the new champs in.

You may not like it,

But they were the team to win.

To get your chance,

You know what tune to sing,

And do your best,

So good luck this spring!

Thanks for the all the memories as this season has come to an end. It was a pleasure writing for you. I may still be reached at [email protected] should you have any inquiries. I hope to see you all on the field. Until then, this season has been defused.