Inside the Red Zone (Div E) – Week 6
05-07-2013 12:00 AM
Welcome back to the Division E column. It’s been a while and I want to thank all the fans, players and supporters for your patience. I promise it will be rewarded. Seven weeks have been recorded in the books with only three remaining before the playoffs. Since we last communicated, a lot has occurred so I would like to dive right into that because I have a lot to cover and you have a lot to read in the upcoming days.
In order to reconnect with the players, fans and supporters I decided to do a small Q & A session with a member from every team in Division E. I asked a mixture of general and team specific questions. All the brief interviews will be posted before week 8 begins so I urge everyone to keep your eyes glued to the FlagPlus Football’s website, more specific the Division E page during the next couple of days.
On a side note since we are getting close to the playoffs, the format is simple. The top eight teams will qualify. As it appears right now, the seeding can change for every team till the beginning of the playoffs but for the most part, seven teams seem to have solidified their berth. The last spot will come down to the wire between Dat’s Big and Maccabi. The N W O has a fighting chance because they are still alive mathematically but they’ll have to win out and get some help from other teams.
So what has happened since my last column?
I will start with week 6 action. As usual, the showstopper and game of the week featured the Eskimo Brothers and Fools Of The Country. Eskimo Brothers won in a close game and the final score was 30-28. Shawn Steen stole the show with 3 receiving TDs and 2 defensive INTs. Filling in for Mitchell Muir was Zach Stachowski as the pivot. I did mention that the matchup to watch would be Etienne Guilmain vs. Shaw Steen and it proved to be the difference. Also, the Eskimo Brothers’ defense limited Etienne Guilmain’s mobility. If you add up all these little things, it made for a winning recipe that night for the Eskimo Brothers.
Tomahawk Nightmare had a strong showing against Maccabi for their third straight win. Jean-Francois Marquis is getting better as a QB every week however this victory was a total team effort. On offense, eight different receivers caught at least one pass. The team defense had 5 INTs (3 by Frederic Bull) of which 3 were returned for TDs. It was a night where everything went right for Tomahawk Nightmare.
BBQ Time Travellers won their game against Los Banditos by a score of 19-12. The BBQ victory might not mean a lot to most of you but it meant something to Paolo Della Rocca (Peeze) who finally defeated his brother David Della Rocca (Deeze). In a match up known as The Brother Bowl (mainly hyped by the Della Rocca brothers), Peeze brought it home and has tied the series 1-1. Peeze even caught one more pass than his brother and that shows how badly he wanted to win this game. It wasn’t a night for the QBs as both pivots struggled. The difference was BBQ’s defense which recorded 3 sacks and 4 INTs. Alex Guertin knows he needs to play better and has vowed to come back stronger. If there is a third installment of The Brother Bowl, it will be the in post-season and it will be for all the marbles.
Staring with week 7, Show Me Your TDs won against Maccabi by a score of 31-13 and that made it three wins in a row for this surging squad. Last week they defeated Dat’s Big and the week before it was Los Banditos. All three wins have come against good opponents. What’s their secret? It starts with Michael Addona who is fast improving as a pivot. In my eyes, he’s the most improved of all the QBs this season and I made a mention of that during the last podcast. He’s getting help from Sean Guerrera who’s playing well on both sides of the ball. This is the team that could cause an upset or two in the playoffs and from the looks of it they will be in the post-season in three weeks time.
Remember I just stated that Jean-Francois Marquis of Tomahawk Nightmare was becoming more comfortable as a QB? In week 7 against the Eskimo Brothers he had the following stat line: 21-29 for 287 yards and 6 TDs. His team still lost a close one by a final score of 46-39. What was the difference? He threw one INT compared to his counterpart Mitchell Muir who threw for 7 TDs and no INTs. Also, the Tomahawk defense had no answer for Shaw Steen who caught 8 passes for 126 yards and 5 TDs. This is the best Jean Francois Marquis has played all season and this kind of offensive performance ought to be enough to win. Therefore the defense will need to step up if they intend to beat top ranked teams.
Dat’s Big FINALLY got back in the win column after they defeated BBQ Time Travellers in a very close affair. Dat’s Big hasn’t won since week 1 and for a while it was beginning to look very bleak for them. Furthermore their victory doesn’t mean anything just yet as their remaining three games will feature FOTC, Maccabi and the Eskimo Brothers. However a win against the BBQ Time Travellers brought them one step closer to securing a playoff berth as they are in sole possession of eighth place. Moe Khan had a decent game but will need a better performance the rest of the way. As for BBQ, it snaps their two-game win streak however they too are very close to clinching a playoff berth.
And that wraps up the action during the last two weeks. Next week, I’ll take a look at the playoff picture because we are getting to that time of the season.
Power Rankings
Show Me Your TDs (4-3) – A steadily improving team that has won three in a row. The receivers are getting better acquainted with QB Mike Addona and I like the emergence of S. Guerrera is helping this team reach another level.
Tomahawk Nightmare (4-3) – They are finally beginning to pile up the points which will keep them around in almost every game however they are having issues stopping the opposition. Any time you score 35+ points in a game in Div E, you should win the game. Therefore they need to work on getting a few stops.
Fools Of The Country (6-1) – They are still regarded as favorites to make a deep run in the playoffs given their consistent play on both sides of the ball. The only game they lost was by 2 points which says a lot about them.
Eskimo Brothers (6-1) – So far it’s been the Shawn Steen show and you would think the opposition would figure that out however he’s putting up the same dominant numbers week after week.
Golden Girls (6-1) – Say what you will about or against them, they are the team to beat. Sure they do have a one in the loss column but I still believe they are heavy favorites to go all the way given their offensive prowess and chemistry.
Behind The Flag
This segment of my article is dedicated to the teams in Division E. I kept it short and asked a few questions to get some general information on every team. In this article, I will feature Los Banditos and BBQ Time Travellers.
Los Banditos
I spoke to the face of the franchise Alexandre Guertin.
1) Who is the GM and what does he contribute to the team?
Our GM is David Della Rocca aka Deeze. You might know him, he’s the better brother among the Della Rocca brothers! Jokes aside, Deeze worked very hard during the last off-season to create Los Banditos from scratch. He was able to gather a great bunch of guys who really like playing with each others. He is also the mastermind behind our strong defense
2) Your most improved player on offense and defense?
Our most improved player on both side of the ball is definitely Justin. When I first met him, he didn’t knew what a yard was, and now he is one of the most dangerous rusher in the division and he is to be consider as a threat as a WR. Still need to work on route running but the guy is very fast, very tall and never drops the ball.
3) Why is the team so inconsistent?
We work very well as a team. Every player fulfills a specific role and we work very well together. In the last couple of weeks, we missed couple of players such as Mat Domon, Shawn Taylor and Justin. Not having these players on board was really hard and it showed on the rankings as we went from 3rd to 7 th seed with our last 3 losts.. All I can wish is that every player will be there during the playoffs because at the end of the day, it’s only the playoffs that count.
4) Expectations for playoffs?
Playoffs expectations; medium-high. Personally my goal was to make the playoffs. But seing what this team can do, my expectations went a little bit higher. Of course, we will make the playoffs, I don’t see any surprise here. But I believe that we have the talent, experience amd knowledge to be part of the semis. But only time will tell.
5) Toughest player to play against?
As a new QB, I have the go with J-Flo. The guy is a machine. I was so afraid of him that I think (seriously) that I threw only 3-4 times on his side of the field and he still ended up with an INT. He is every where on the field. And on offense, the guy is jogging around and no rusher is able to get him, it tells you how dangerous he is on the field.
6) Who chose the name Los Banditos and why?
Los Banditos was chosen by David himself. I think that he designed the shirt before the name, but I’m not sure. He will have to confirm. But I really don’t know or don’t remember (blame the beer) where it comes from.
7) What will it take for Los Banditos to defeat any of the top tier teams in Div E?
More consistency on both sides of the ball. I’m still learning my new position but I need to find ways to complete more passes. I will bring a new dimension to my playbook and it will be on my wristband for our next game!! I won’t sell our strategy but it will definitely get some pressure off my shoulder. Defensively, we are strong but we have a tendency to let the “big play” happen a little bit too often. We need to be more aggressive on the 3rd and long situations. Other than that, a little bit of luck is always welcome.
Now you all can see where the bromance stems from!
BBQ Time Travellers
Next I had a conversation with the one, the only, Mr. Paolo Della Rocca (also known as Peeze).
1) Who is the GM and what does he contribute to the team?
The GM is Poppa Peeze himself. Sorry for that, I wanted to feel like Moe Khan and refer to myself in the third person. Working as a GM in this league is something that I have done well since I have arrived on the scene. I consider myself to be a good evaluator of talent and try to put people in position where they can be happiest and best contribute to the team. I have built strong teams in my career and BBQ Time Travellers is no exception.
While I’m not very threatening on the field, I do feel that I am a shark in the aquarium that is the front office. Above all else I have learned that the equilibrium, of keeping players happy as well as balancing egos is the key to success in this league. That was a long-winded answer to your question but I figured I could use my response to help out newbie GM’s in Div.E.
In my absence, over the next two weeks, Yavar Ashrafi will captain the team and I have complete faith in his leadership abilities, his skill at managing personnel as well as in game decisions.
2) Your most improved player on offense and defense?
Our most improved player on offense is Evan Ely Nolet and it isn’t even a debate. He came to the team somewhat shy and timid. He is our snapper and as I typically play snapper for Checkmate, I felt it was my duty to help him understand the position. Evan, worked hard and truly embraced my approach to the position as it is more art than form and he has thrived. He is a hard worker and I am proud to see him develop as quickly as he has.
On defense, the secret heartbeat has been Christopher Nanni. Nanni is a gifted athlete with no prior football experience. His intelligence and commitment to his craft are second to none and he has developed into one of the best defenders in the division. When we built the team, Yavar and Simon Lahaie were to be the defensive centerpieces but Chris has really stepped up.
3) What has been your team’s biggest challenge?
The challenge has been building team chemistry. I put this team together somewhat last minute and I’ve been moving pieces around trying to find everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. However, it is Division E, and it is hard to expect players to carry out their tasks with great precision. The hardest personal challenge for me is to realize that the season is ten weeks of preparation and that the true tests are still ahead of us in the playoffs.
4) Expectations for Mike Bagnato to close out the season?
Ray, despite what you think, Mike is a talented quarterback who throws on of the nicest balls that I’ve ever had the pleasure to catch. He is smart and knows how to best use each member of his receiving corps. If we can pull together and run the plays properly Mike will make this offense one that is truly feared.
5) Who chose the name BBQ Time Travellers and why? Did they use spell check?
I chose the name. My brother called me and asked what the team name would be. At first I thought of rebooting the Punch Panda franchise but I decided against it because it was just too much bad karma. I went with BBQ Time Travellers because it is the first words that came to mind. It could have just as easily been Murderous Bees from Planet Exxon, or Godzilla Loves Tacos (he does by the way…if he ever discovers Grumman 78 we’re all dead). However, I am happy with my choice because a bucket of chicken with a Flux Capacitor on it is an epic logo!
As for the spelling, the British spell Travellers with two Ls. I decided to go with this spelling because I travelled into the 36th century where I discovered that the new British Empire ruled Earth2. Fearing my potential, eventual incarceration I decided to appease my future captors. True story…you’ll see.
6) What will it take for BBQ to defeat any of the top tier teams in Div E?
All we need to do is for the defense to keep us close (as they have all season) and for our offence to click. If everyone does their job, then we will upset a lot of the top seeds. Football is a simple game. Do what you need to do; trust your teammates to do what they have to do. It’s a simple formula that unequivocally leads to success.
7) The Brother Bowl was split during the season, if a rematch occurs in the playoffs, what will be the outcome?
This is by far the easiest question to answer. In the battle between the Div.E Harbaughs (my brother and I), Los Banditos do not stand a chance. My brother is a fantastic defender and has built a solid team. However, when it comes to schematics and preparation, I have always proven to be better. The more we see them the greater our advantage becomes.
I do want to give the baby brother a shout-out because so far this season, he is the defender that has given me the greatest difficulty. As long as we’re not matched up against each other I am a huge fan of Los Banditos and I wish them nothing but success.
WOW Peeze, you sure do like to talk which is why you’re a great FPF journalist!
That’s it for this edition of Inside The Redzone, I hope you enjoyed it. Please look for my next column to be out tomorrow and I will continue Behind The Flag with Tomahawk Nightmare and Dat’s Big. 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!