Division 6: Some Friendly Advice

We are one week away from the official midway point of the season. I have no idea where the time went, but nevertheless, we are almost there. I have seen nearly half the teams in Division 6 play so far, and I must say that I have been generally impressed by more than a few. On the flip side, I have also witnessed some squads struggle to gain traction and find their identity.

In this week’s article I will detail some of the things that have stood out to me throughout the first four weeks of the season. I promise this isn’t a do what I say piece. It is more of a here is some friendly advice if you’re interested.

Quarterback play. When I was on the Calling The Audible podcast this past week, Moe, Iggy, and I talked about some of the early standouts at the position. Names like Bizogias, Patel, Guenette, Sharma, and Bottazzi were mentioned.

There are some other solid QBs in Div. 6 with guys like Kyle Folkerson, Tyler Stewart, William Gillespie, and Anthony Del Peschio among others. I expect them to start making a name for themselves in the second half of the year.

The one thing I have noticed, is that too many passers even some of the names I just mentioned, rely too much on the deep ball. I had a chance to score-keep the game between the Pigeons and No Fly Zone this past Wednesday in Laval. I saw two QBs in Adam Ouici and Mass Chiricosta, who made a lot of plays, but also left more than a few on the field as they repeatedly took deep shots throughout the game. In their defense, sometimes it paid off, but ignoring an open Receiver on a 10-yard hook in favour of a 50-50 deep ball, works a lot less than most players realize.

Taking what the defense gives you and adapting as the game goes along is crucial to winning in FPF. Taking deep shots is important, but let them come to you, instead of going for it multiple times on the same drive. This isn’t tackle football, and the field are only 35 yards wide, so running the ball successfully on a consistent basis is hard to do. Using the short passing game to open up the long ball is a great strategy in any division. Defenses cheat up, look to get aggressive especially when they think they know what you are doing. That is when you strike.

On the flip side, I like the idea of coming out aggressive on offense and setting the tone early. The idea behind this type of play is making the defense adjust to you. The problem with that is again with the small field, it isn’t that hard to do that as long as you have at least one or two Defensive Backs that can cover deep.

As we saw last Sunday with the Detroit Lions, the line is very thin between aggressivity and being overly aggressive (if my Niners win the Super Bowl, Dan Campbell should get a ring). While going for it multiple times on fourth down is obviously the most extreme case, airing it out time and time again is just as risky in flag football.

Speaking of running the ball, I have seen a lot of teams rely on that too often. Every year in Divisions 5,6, E, and even D, there is always a team that lines up I-Formation or with a Running Back beside the QB, looking to pound the rock. There are even some squads who run tosses or counter plays. As a former Fullback, I love seeing that. In flag, it is great to see those plays, as well as the occasional jet sweep. Make no mistake, there are some lighting quick players in DIv. 6, but problems start popping up when you run those plays too much. Use the run as a surprise.

It was a heck of a long time ago, but I was a rookie in FPF in 2006. Being a new player in this league can be intimidating. There are a ton of current and former tackle players from college, university, and Junior football. There are also some players from European tackle football leagues, as well as the several flag football leagues that are available on and off the island. Luckily, FPF has a Hall-of-Fame. Many of the players in the HOF like Kevin Wyeth, Patrick Jérome, Mat Kirouac, Julien Paiement, Mike Pierrecin, and AJ Gomes among others still play. Go find them and get tips on how to succeed as a player, and more importantly as a team. They all have championship experience, and a wealth of knowledge on both sides of the ball. Don’t be shy. Go out and soak up what they have to offer.

Another thing I have seen a lot is teams running man-to-man defense. Playing man defense is a good option to have, provided you have the Defensive Backs to pull it off. A lot of teams run it throughout a game. It is only natural.

Where teams run into trouble is when you run it too much, and when you call it while trying to keep teams out of your endzone. Anywhere you are on the football field, crossers, slants, out routes and deep ins are the perfect way to defeat man. In the endzone where there are tons of bodies and limited space, smart Receivers and play-callers use rubs routes, and stacked formations to create room for pass-catchers to get open. Most teams play zone on defense. In the redzone, from Div. 1 all the way to Div. 6, lanes are the usual call.

Outside of that area is where you can get creative. When I first came into the league in 2006, most teams ran either a 2-3 or a 3-2 defense. About a decade ago everyone then switched to a 4-1 zone, which was essentially created by HOF’er Rochdi Benabdelkader. That defense was stellar, and incredibly hard to beat. As one would expect, offenses eventually started to evolve, and they beat the 4-1.

What followed, is the current defense du jour in the numbers system, where every defender gets assigned a number, and when it is called, they drop deep on their side of the field. It isn’t perfect, as if you call the wrong number and the offense sends a Receiver to that open area, it could lead to disaster. You also need strong tacklers as it often leads to one-on-one coverage, as you are switching mid play from zone to man defense. When done right however, this is the best defense in FPF, as it is simple and effective if everyone does their job. Of course, that is easier said than done.

As someone who is routinely running late or just arriving on time for things, I can appreciate people like me who try to do too many things in one day. Usually it works out, but sometimes it doesn’t. Showing up five minutes or less before your game starts isn’t the greatest idea. It stresses out teammates, and in some cases yourself as well. Arriving early to your game not only gives you more time to stretch and toss the ball around, but it also provides you with an opportunity to watch other games, add or subtract plays from your playbook, checkout the team you are playing against while they warm up (body language and confidence say a lot) and most importantly, get your mind right.

This is not meant to throw shade on Division 6 teams, as there are plenty of other ones in higher divisions who are guilty of this but familiarize yourself with the rulebook. Nearly every week so far, I have witnessed multiple teams who did not know about the Onside option, the new overtime format, and the last player back call. These along with a host of other rules are important to know. As I have seen the last few weeks, they have been the difference between wins and losses.

The most important positions in flag football are as follows:

1.Quarterback

2. Rusher

3. Safety

The first one should be obvious. You can have the greatest Receiver in the world, but if your QB can’t deliver passes accurately and on time, then it doesn’t matter. Rusher is the most important player on defense. They determine the amount of time the QB has the ball, and how long your defenders need to cover. The great ones can also deflect passes and not only lead to interceptions by their teammates, but for themselves as well. In short, they an change the performance of your entire defense.

This is not the NFL where the Safety position takes a backseat to Cornerback. In FPF, good players at this spot are game changers in that they are usually the last defender back on the deep ball, and the first one down in the redzone and in short yardage situations trying to defend the Snapper. Just like in tackle, this spot is reserved for ballhawks, and tone-setters as well.

Did you notice the trend here? Successful teams are built down the middle. Follow that formula, and I guarantee you will win more games than you lose.

Picks

Show Me Dem TDies vs Salt’s n a Pepper – Show Me Dem TDies

Fire & Blood vs QUEENS – Fire & Blood

SKOL vs Texas Whales – SKOL

Last Week: (8-6)

Season: (19-12)

NFL Picks

(1-1)

That is it for this week. Enjoy the Pro Bowl! A couple members of the FPF family in Marvin Steinberg and Iggy along with some other players are in Orlando watching it right now as they take part in a flag tournament. Since there are not too many games next week, I’ll give you my Super Bowl prediction in next week’s article.

Good luck to everyone in their games tonight and this week!

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.