Inside the Red Zone (Div E) – Week 10

The Division E regular season is officially in the books. It was a great season filled with many interesting story lines. If I can summarize the whole season in one word it would be progression. When the season started, there were definitely question marks surrounding teams and their ability to compete on a weekly basis. For some teams, it was a great learning experience and we hope they will continue on this path in future seasons and for others it was preparation for the next level of play. My season review will be a great read and it will also include THE STAR-AWARDS, you can read it on Wednesday.

 

Moving on, I would like to congratulate all the teams who qualified for the post-season. As for Maccabi and NWO, as I mentioned earlier, they definitely took great strides towards becoming a team that will be in the playoffs in the next couple of seasons. Since I haven’t published their interviews, I will do so in the next couple of days combined with my thoughts on their season.

 

The question you all have been waiting for, what can we expect from the 2013 Spring Div E playoffs? As the regular season came to an end, the gap in talent (between top and bottom ranked teams) was narrower as compared to the beginning of the season. It wouldn’t shock anyone if a couple of top ranked teams fell in the first round. I will give a detailed analysis and breakdown of every match up along with my picks later in the week.

 

 Behind The Flag

So now that we have covered what you will read throughout the week, let’s look at what I’ll cover in this article. There are still a couple of interviews from my segment Behind The Flag that I haven’t published.

 

The Golden Girls

It was a little bit of a surprise that they didn’t finish 10-0 but 8-1-1 is nothing to sneeze at either. They have received a lot of criticism regarding “division dodging” because of James Floreani and I definitely addressed those and other questions with GM Jason Rossie so without further ado, enjoy!

 

As the GM, what are your roles and what do you contribute to the team?

My role on the team is probably much like any other GM, nothing out of the ordinary get the guys organized and ready to play.

Your most improved player on offense and defense?

I truly believe we have a great team with a lot of contribution from everyone. Offensively I would have to pick Scott Binns and Defensively I would have to pick Jason Kokolakis.

 

No one predicted that you guys would lose a game all season, why couldn’t you beat Fools Of The Country?

I don’t really stay on top of the gossip – It’s great people thought we would go undefeated but realistically we had never thought about that.  (If i remember correctly I think Peeze predicted we would lose to FOTC) Anything can happen during a game; FOTC played well and that game came down to conversions, they just converted more.  Anyone who’s played sports knows how difficult it is to go undefeated at any level.

James Floreani has been criticized for playing in a Division in which he clearly doesn’t belong and you being the GM, how do you justify such a roster decision?

That nonsense on Facebook came to my attention and I think that was just ridiculous.  I can’t stand the fact that people hide behind their computer while tearing into someone.  James is a friend of ours and played on our team last year and we went 4-6.  We basically have the same core roster as last year. I’ve noticed that there are active “football” players playing in Div E along with other experienced flag players so I’m not sure why everyone was complaining. We knew once we began to gel we could have a good team and play well and we’re seeing it now. Next year our intention is to move up and challenge some more experienced teams.

Who originally thought of the name Golden Girls and why? Compared to the TV show, who is Betty, Bea, Rue and Estelle on your roster?

Last year we were horsing around with some team names and it just stuck. We liked the idea that if you lost to us you have to say you lost to the Golden Girls.  

James/Guillaume – Blanche

Scott / Sylvain – Rose

Jason K/ mike – Dorothy

Jason R – Sophia

 

Why will the Golden Girls go undefeated for the rest of the season and the playoffs?

We have a solid team with great talent for all positions which is truly driving our team. That’s probably what makes our team so dangerous.

What comments do you have for teams/players who say you guys are cheating by bringing a ringer QB?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, play football and stop complaining.  Cheating is an absolute ridiculous word to use. Anyone who’s played us can see how solid the team is as a whole. Furthermore anyone who’s actually played football will know that one person can’t do it alone so quit picking on one player.  It really is just adding fuel to the fire. It motivates us to go out and play harder! 

 

Well said Jason and though I might agree that cheating is a strong word, the Golden Girls do not belong in Division E. Regardless, Jason handled himself with class and I do wish him and the entire team luck in the post-season.

 

Show Me Your TDs

 

Right of the bat, the name is catchy and if you get to know GM Mike Addona, he is quite charming too. They had an up and down season but gained valuable experience. Here is what the GM had to say!

 

Who is the GM and what does he contribute to the team?

I am the GM of the team, and honestly I don’t have to contribute much I just had to make sure I ordered the jerseys and now that we have at least 6 players every week, which usually isn’t a problem with the guys we have on this team.

 

The team was built by my brothers and I, we all asked a few of our friends who have showed interest in football in the past and just went with it. We determined position as we went along; we were still making adjustments up until about 2 weeks ago

 

Most improved player on offense and defense?

That’s a really tough question,

Offensive; I have to say every single player has developed and got better each week, seeing as very few of us ever played before this season (3 of us and 2 of us are playing in positions we haven’t played before) but if I had to choose one player it would be Anthony Addona, we had shown the ability to play anywhere on the field and has stepped in to snap position for 3 games when he was needed. He’s a team guy and continuously asks Alex David for tips and advice on how to improve his route running and it shows.

 

On defense I can’t single out one player, every single one of them took enormous strides since week 1, take a look at our average points against for the first 4 weeks and then the last 3. The difference is night and day! Everyone has taken steps in the right direction in understanding what to do on defense.

 

What are some of the obstacles your team has faced and how have you overcome them?

I think our largest obstacle thus far has been the 1-3 start, having played some strong teams early on when our defense and offense were still raw and trying to keep out morale up was our biggest obstacle. We could have packed it in, but we continued to work hard and kept a positive attitude this has translates into a few wins.

What are your expectations as QB to finish the season? In other words, what do you need to improve?

As a first year QB there are some growing pains, early on if my first read wasn’t there I would take off and run, I have already adjusted this and I haven’t ran as much in recent weeks. Moving forward I have to be more careful with the ball, try to eliminate the turnovers as much as possible, to do so I have to eliminate the bad decisions and get rid of the ball if nothing it open.

Who came up with the name Show Me Your TDs and why?

My brothers and I were sitting around and thinking of options for our team name and Danio’s fantasy football team name was Show Me Your TDs last year when it came up we all immediately agreed and seeing as we wanted something funny related to football this was the right fit. 

What will it take to beat a team like the Golden Girls?

A miracle? In all honesty I just watched a 5 man Golden Girl team beat Tomahawk Nightmare, James is a great QB, very elusive and makes it all look so easy. 

 

I think in order to win this game our defense has to make a big play or two and cause a turnover and we’ll have to score on every drive offensively. The way I see it is we have to match them score for score and hope to have scored an extra point more than they have.

What will it require for Show Me Your TDs to hold the championship trophy in mid August?

I think getting hot at the right time will be key and we will have to continue to improve. Every game presents a new challenge and I think we will see where we stand when we play the Golden Girls. It won’t be easy but if we continue to take strides in the right direction over the last 3 weeks I see us as being a dark horse with the potential to upset some of the top dogs. 

 

Mike Addona, aka Mike Hawker, and Show Me Your TDs have come a long way this season. I believe they have found their rhythm and as Mike said, if a couple of things can go in their favor, they might make a surprise a couple of teams. I do wish them the best of luck in the post-season.

 

Well there you have Div E fans. Please keep checking the website for my columns this week regarding the season review, post-season thoughts on Maccabi and NWO and my break down for all four matchs in the first round of the playoffs. As usual If you have any suggestions or criticism just contact me at [email protected], inbox me on Facebook or send me a tweet (@RehanFPF). You can also listen to the Division E Calling the Audible podcast at http://podomatic.fpf.com

  

This is Ron Starwars reminding you to stay classy Division E!