Inside the Red Zone (D1) – Week 6

 

Have you noticed that the two teams I’ve showcased thus far in “Behind The Flag”, namely the Redhawks and the Rainmakers, have won their games the following week? A coincidence, you might say? I guess we’ll never know, but the Rainmakers are in fact the latest winners in my grand scheme of things, and they did so against the ever-potent Demons. So what does this mean? Well statistically speaking, we have three teams with records of 5-1 and I’ll leave it at that for now. Speaking of wins, Old Skool managed to get their first win against the Express, which puts the former back in the playoff race. Montreal’s Finest and the Expos both won big against the Redhawks and the CLR Forces, respectively. Division 1 is becoming enigmatic and with four weeks remaining, there will be some great football played, because almost all the teams are in the hunt for the post-season and a few are fighting for a first-round bye.

 

**SPECIAL ALERT! The Eight Ball segment has been cancelled due to the fact that it was too popular with the FlagPlus Football community. I was getting too many questions every week and couldn’t answer them all, which left many upset and offended. Therefore I have decided to pull the plug.**

 

Exorcism at its best!

A lot of people didn’t expect the Rainmakers to win at all last weekend (especially since they lost to a depleted Demons roster in week 2), let alone win by a big margin. Ryan Kastner believed the key to winning the game was that his squad got off to a great start. Mike Samman picked off Carmine Pollice on two of the first three offensive drives for the Demons. In doing so, the Rainmakers really set the tone and made the Demons play catch up all game. That opened things up and the Rainmakers took advantage early and often. The final score was 38-18 and that ladies and gentlemen is a statement. The Rainmakers want to make sure that nobody thinks of them as the bronze medal candidates. They believe they are just as good as the Demons and the Montreal’s Finest. So now that they’ve completed step one by defeating the Demons, will there be a repeat against the Montreal’s Finest this Saturday? I’ll break this game down a little later.

Old is gold

My father has always told me, old is gold. Why do I bring it up? Well I don’t’ bring it up because of their average age, but rather, because Old Skool were definitely golden last weekend because they got their first win. Donald and I said it all season long on the WEPL that Old Skool was due for a win and I believe they achieved it at the best possible time. With four games remaining, they have a favorable schedule ahead of them and need to do create some momentum in order to make the post-season. They are chasing the Express and can realistically surpass them because the Express has a tougher schedule remaining. Let’s shift our focus back to Old Skool; I want to give a big shout out to Mike Cuscuna who is an all around asset for Old Skool. He can throw, catch, tackle, rush and intercept. His contributions will be a big part of Old Skool’s success in the next four weeks. Although he is a recognizable name in the Montreal football community, his contributions before this Winter were few and far between, not being a full-time player since 2007.

 

Can the Express do it again?

In Winter 2010, the Express took everyone on an amazing journey to the championship, however do they have some of that magic left for this season? I won’t lie about their chances; they are not very good. If the playoffs started today, they would make it, however there are still four weeks left. In those four weeks, they play the Expos, the Montreal’s Finest, the Demons and the Redhawks. So there is a good chance the Express can go 0-4 or 1-3. They missed a golden opportunity against Old Skool, because had they won, they would have created separation. Having said that, if there is one thing that I have learned from covering Division 1 over the last few seasons; it is that Patrick Chenard should NEVER be counted out. He is a gifted athlete who can make plays on a whim. Therefore, I will not count them out just yet, but they do have their work cut out for them.

Behind The Flag

This week I am showcasing the Demons. For those who are unfamiliar with the Demons, they actually first made their appearance in Winter 2007, however the roster wasn’t close to the same as it is now. Gino Di Fazio transformed the Demons into a championship team in Spring 2007 (defeated the Kingz in the finals) by adding Carmine Pollice, Benny Goodfriend, Paul Lapierre and Rochdi Benabdelkader. Sadly, it was the only championship that the Demons have won. In Winter 2008, they returned in Division 2 and went 10-0 in the regular season, before being upset by the Express (an upset to say the least) in the semi-finals. In Winter 2009, they played in Division 1 and had a successful season but lost yet again in he semi-finals, this time to the now-defunct Hurricanes.

In trying to really understand the Demons, I decided to sit down with none other than my brother from another mother, Aditya Sharma. He had a busy schedule so he couldn’t sit down for tea (a cultural trend for both of us) but made some time to answer my questions on his BlackBerry while driving.

How did the Demons form? Who is the captain?

 

Well to tell you the true story of the Demons, I’ll have to ask you to take a tray. (YouTube “Death Star Canteen”) The Demons are Gino’s baby, he is the Emperor.

 

Who are the defensive and offensive leaders?

 

The offensive leader is Karl De Nie, he only catches touchdowns. Wait I think that only applies outdoors.
Defensively it’s Benny, I mean 75% of the time he is not even on the field for our defense, and still managed to stop opponents 25% of the time! He is our “Sex Panther Cologne” (check YouTube) [I believe Adi is trying to be funny here and his YouTube reference is from the movie “Anchorman].

 

Why did the Demons take a year off (winter 2010) between 2009 and 2011?

 

It was a year of reflection for the Demons, as we were unsure of staying in Division 1 without our QB. We just couldn’t get the commitment from everyone.

 

Why are this years Demons better than 2009?

 

This year is better because it’s the core guys. We have a small roster but we have amazing chemistry and push each other to do better. It also helps that we all play together outdoors.

 

What are your strengths, weaknesses?

 

Our strength is our livers. I mean without a decent functioning liver, I don’t know what we would do! Second, it’s our experience. We find ways to win. We never hang our heads, even if we are down. We are probably one of the most resilient teams in FPF. Anytime it’s a nail bitter, we usually end up on the winning side.

 

Our weakness, well I’d have to say is Paul Lapierre because he is just too tall. And let’s not get into his ability to catch (mimic forced vomiting). It’s his entire fault. [Once again, Adi is trying to show his humorous side].

 

Montreal’s Finest feel that if they face you again, they’re going to destroy you. How do you respond to that?

 

**Adi laughs** I love playing those guys. It really must bite into their ego when they line up against us old guys. There isn’t much to say to respond to them. We’ve learned over the years that it’s better to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. They are a great team loaded with talent and we’ll see them when we see them, and it’ll be a great game. [spoken like a true politician].

 

Now that you’ve lost to the Rainmakers, what is the team morale?

 

Losing is never easy, but naturally it brings you down to earth. Morale is always great a few beers after the game.

 

Any additional comments you want to make, perhaps a note to Division 1, this is the place.

 

The Force is strong in you. I’m all about the “quotes of the day” and just recently I saw one at the corner of Notre Dame and Viger (where both connect), “Not all who wander are lost”. What does this mean for Division 1? Heck if I know, but it just sounds cool 🙂 [Thank God this interview is over and Mr. Sharma is back to focusing on the road, hopefully].

 

So there you have it, the story of the Demons. After taking a year and a bit off, they are back once again in Division 1. As Mr. Sharma put it, they are a perseverant group, and they know each other well from having played FPF and outdoor football together over the years. They’re off to a great start and are favorites to go to the finals. Will this be their season to win the championship in Division 1? Time will tell.

The next installment of Behind The Flag will cover Old Skool.

Game Of The Week

Montreal’s Finest (5-1) vs. Rainmakers (5-1)

Montreal’s Finest offense (240 points) vs. Rainmakers defense (152 points)

Rainmakers offense (229 points) vs. Montreal’s Finest defense (130 points)

 

The Montreal’s Finest firmly believe they have the best defense in Division 1 and statistically, they are. However, the Rainmakers are not far behind. The same can be said for both offenses. So which team has the edge? On the one hand, Kevin Wyeth is firing on all cylinders and the Finest have been on a mission since they lost to the Demons in week three. On the other, the Rainmakers’ defense is making big plays and Ryan Kastner is stepping up his game to new heights. I guess that doesn’t really answer the question.

After giving it some serious deliberation, I must admit that I am very impressed with the Rainmakers’ resilient attitudes, despite losing snapper Derek Kastner. Furthermore with their off-season additions, which includes a solid pass rush, their defense is finally making some noise. The Rainmakers did a great job against Carmine Pollice last week, and I’m sure they have a plan for Kevin Wyeth. Offensively, they have two players who have at least 300 receiving yards and three who have at least 10o. Last, Ryan Kastner has never looked more focused.

Something tells me that I shouldn’t pick against the Finest, however, I said the same thing to myself last week and picked the Demons. Having said that, I am going with the Rainmakers to win this game because I believe their defense will step up to the challenge, and Ryan Kastner will put enough points up on the board. I do believe it will be close, perhaps by two to three points.

 

That’s it for this week’s column; hope it kept you entertained while you were doing whatever it is that you do. As usual, if you have comments/suggestions, please email me at [email protected]. Good luck to all teams. I will leave you with the following quote:

“Not all who wander are lost” – Aditya Sharma