Inside the Redzone (DC) – Finals Preview

AND THEN, there were two. The semi finals were really exciting to watch and in my case, be a part of as well. There were touchdowns, great passes, incredible defensive plays and so much more! Triple Sixers and Chaos have earned the right to play in the 2009 Spring Division C finals by defeating Flying Weasels and KGP Champs, respectively. In other words, the top seeds in each conference were knocked out however nothing can be taken away from the finalists because they fought hard and deserve to play for one last time this season. As we near the end, I look back at the season and I think it is safe to say that in terms of talent, there was more parity now than ever before in Division C or 4. If you take a glance at the standings, at least 13 out of 22 teams finished .500 which is clearly more than half of Division C. Furthermore there were 45 one score games, out of a possible 110 which is close to half. All in all, it was a thrilling season and it will culminate this Sunday at 7 pm EST with either the Triple Sixers or Chaos being crowned champions.

Before I can break down the finals, a few words about the other semi-finalists. Flying Weasels went 12-1, which is an impressive feat. This franchise has improved a lot over the years, with this season being their most dominant. They had the best defense in the regular season and sent four players to the All-Star game. They were a few dropped interceptions away from perhaps going to the finals however nothing can be taken away from their spectacular season.

As for the KGP Champs, a few mental mistakes and the absence of superstar Oliver Saleh made them fall just short of the finals. They also had their best season since they joined FlagPlus Football going 11-2. They sent two players to the All-Star game however if you look at their roster, three players had 300 plus receiving yards, five players had at least 5 receiving TDs, four players had 5 plus PDs and two players had at least 10 INTs. Simply put, KGP Champs became a complete team this season and a lot of their players became better which only means that the future is bright for this young team. The best improvement was the play of Phil Cutler who really stepped up his game. Once his mobility catches up, he is going to be a dangerous QB, more so than he was in the past.

I have no doubt in my mind that they’ll regroup and come back stronger in Winter 2010.

Playoff Preview: Finals

(2) Triple Sixers vs. (3) Chaos

Season Series: N/A

Triple Sixers (12-1)

Playoffs stats

84 points for, 45 points against

Karim Chaoual: 500 yards, 10 TDs, 1 INT, 2 sacks

Patrick Jerome: 7 rec, 104 yards, 4 TDs (4 INTs, 2 Pick Sixers)

Defense: 7 INTs, 3 TDs

Keys to success:

Þ Karim Chaoual has to perfect the short game

Þ Get a strong rush on Eugene McLaren to limit his mobility

Þ Patrick Jerome has to continue his dominance on defense

Key match up: Patrick Jerome (defense) vs. Treldon James

X-Factor: Patrick Jerome

Chaos (10-3)

Playoffs stats

83 points for, 64 points against

Eugene McLaren: 324 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs, 0 sacks (72 rushing yards, 2TDs)

Treldon James: 12 rec, 218 yards, 6 TDs (1 INT )

Defense: 5 INTs

Keys to success:

Þ Eugene McLaren needs all receivers to step up

Þ Brian Eudoxie has to get to Karim Chaoual early and often

Þ Chaos defense must be stingy and protect the deep ball

Key match up: Brian Eudoxie vs. Karim Chaoual

X-Factor: Treldon James

Comments: It is very well known that both teams have the deep ball that can work quite well however, due to the fact that both teams are in the finals, no one wants to give up the easy play. Therefore it will be tough for both teams to get an easy long ball play which means both QBs will have to make smart throws and perfect the short game.

Triple Sixers have a potent offense however they will need to be creative in order to achieve success. On defense, Patrick Jerome has done a great job for Triple Sixers but can anyone else step up given the fact the ball will be kept away from him? Another point of mention, last Sunday Triple Sixers had 13 players at the game which means they had six players on offense, six on defense AND one sub. This can be advantageous because fatigue doesn’t play a factor, thus everyone gives their 100% all game. The disadvantage is the fact that if offense (or defense) stays off the field for a long time (a long drive by the opponent) they stay cold and might slowly lose their momentum or groove. Thus Triple Sixers need good roster management.

Chaos’ defense has shown inconsistency all season long but given the fact they stopped KGP Champs on 5 straight plays to win the game, it seems their defense is just fine. On offense, Treldon James will be heavily covered and hence, receivers such as Sebastien Leduc, Jason Edwards, Mike Dwyer and Eric Vongsouthi will need to get open and come up with big plays which in turn will make it harder for Triple Sixers defense to ONLY guard Treldon James. On the defensive side of the ball, Chaos has to ride the momentum they created at the end of last Sunday’s semi finals but will need to be stingier because Karim Chaoual has a canon.

So I will now sum it all up (scale: 1 being very weak and 10 being very strong)

Triple Sixers

QB – 9

Receivers – 9

Snapper – 9

Rusher – 9

Safeties – 9

Linebackers – 8.5

Clutchness – 9.5

Chaos

QB – 9

Receivers – 8.5

Snapper – 9.5

Rusher – 9.5

Linebackers – 9

Safeties – 8.5

Clutchness – 10 (a win without Eugene McLaren, stopping KGP Champs on goal line)

Overall

Triple Sixers – 63

Chaos – 64

Therefore both teams are evenly matched and it might just come down to a few mental mistakes or one team making a key defensive stop. It will be an excellent game to watch and once again, my prediction is the team who scores the most points, will win.

Although the winners won’t be announced until next week’s column (also the last one of the season), I want to thank everyone who is currently voting on our Facebook group. If you haven’t gotten your vote in, there is still time. I have added a couple of new categories as per request from the fans. They are strongest arm, best leader and ‘clutchiest’ player. As before, give your opinion on who should be the winners and it will be announced next week.

I encourage everyone to come out and watch the game because it will be a great one. As always, I welcome your feedback and welcome any suggestions you might have for my column. Please contact me at [email protected] or via Facebook. Good luck to Triple Sixers and my Chaos this Sunday, may the best team win!