Inside the Redzone (DC) – Week 8

 

Welcome to Inside The Redzone a la week huit! I can’t believe there are only two weeks left before the real season begins. I know all of you have worked hard during the season and are either fighting for a top place or just a spot in the post-season. The important thing is to make the playoffs and then anything can happen. Right now the Division C standings are really tight. In Conference A the 3rd place team and the 8th place team are separated by two wins. Similarly in Conference B the 3rd place team and the 9th place team are also separated by two wins. Hence with two games left, there is a lot of movement that can take place which would means that right now the playoff picture is quite blurry. You got to love flag football but more important, FlagPlus Football. Just a reminder that the top eight teams in each conference will qualify for playoffs so play hard the last two weeks because your post season hopes might depend on it.

 

 

Week 8 Headlines

 

 

BOOM! Went the Opponents

 

They defeated Flight Of The Concords (who defeated the Triple Sixers last week) this past weekend in a defensive battle with the final score being 12-6. The game was a PICK fest because there were 9 interceptions thrown as oppose to only 1 passing TD. With the win, they are now 4-0-1 in their last 5 games. BOOM is making a case for them being labeled as contenders however they will be put to the test when they fact the Triple Sixers this upcoming week. Hats off to Edward Shoshan, Trim Kraemer, Chris St-Francois for doing a great job with this team. This is a team that will be deadly in playoffs.

 

 

For Teh Lulz: One step closer

 

They now have FOUR wins, one shy of their season target. What’s more surprising is that they defeated a good team in the Eagles. The game was tight and low scoring with the final being 13-12. I am very impressed with the simplicity of the FTL offense against a good Eagles defense. Jonathan Brown was mistake free and scored two TDs but the difference in the game was the missed points after TD from the Eagles side. John Patrick Mancini had two key interceptions on defense. FTL have Snookers and Bandits in their remaining two games so the drive to five is VERY MUCH alive!

 

Ups & Downs

 

Cobras, the once proud franchise, is possibly looking at a 5-5 season. I have finally figured out the main reason for their downfall, namely it is their defense. They are just not making the key defensive stops when they are needed but furthermore, the offense is struggling a little bit as of late. One thing is for sure, they have to figure out and rectify their woes as quickly as possible because playoffs are around the corner and as it stands now, they aren’t close to being prepared for the playoffs. Mainly their stars will have to step up and play to their potential, and then some!

 

On the positive side, Bandits had a convincing win against Lockdown; the final score was 42-7. However does this really mean that the Bandits are back? Yes and no. Lockdown are probably not the best team to be measured against however sometimes in the game of flag football, you need any type of win to get out of a slump. They were currently on a 3 game losing streak before their win this past Sunday therefore this might have been the game they needed to turn things around.

 

Game of the Week

 

I know on WEPL it wasn’t announced but the game of the week this Sunday will be in Division C(which will be filmed and put on the website). It will be between The Commission (5-2-1) and the Bandits (4-4); it will take place at 4pm on field 3. At this point in the season, both teams are looking to create momentum therefore this game will provide some great entertainment. I look for a great QB battle between Michael Mendell (TC) and Greg Cerallo (Bandits) but even more important, the X-Factors on both teams will have to step up. With that said, bring you’re A game because all of FlagPlus Football will be watching you.

 

And the award goes to…

 

The following players have my vote (after 8 weeks of the season) for Spring 2009 Division C awards:

 

In the quarterback category, the nominees are:

 

Karim Chaoual (Triple Sixers) and Eugene McLaren (Chaos)

 

Unfortunately at this point, Alex Lever is not in contention because he has great numbers but in my books, he has lost to two out the three QBs I have mentioned above so that eliminates him from this category. It is quite possible that he might lose to the third QB after the season is over at which point it will completely eliminate him from the category.

 

In the receiver of the year category, the nominees are:

 

Frank Grenier (Cobras) and Andre John (Snookers)

 

In the defensive player of the year category, the nominees are:

 

Chris St-Francois (BOOM! Goes The Dynamite) and Anthony Bozzo (Bandits)

 

In the two way player of the year category, the nominees are:

 

Olivier Saleh and Phil Clark (KGP Champs)

 

 

These are the categories announced FlagPlus Football however stay tuned for additional awards that aren’t recognized by the league but definitely are worth of mention. They are called STAR-AWARDS© however I will talk more about them in upcoming weeks.

 

 

Three STAR-wars Of The Week

 

3rd star: Karim Chaoual (Triple Sixers) was a man on a mission as he played an excellent, mistake free game against the Cobras. He was 18 of 28 for 174 yards with 4 TDs.

 

2nd star: Pete Rose (The Commission) had his game of the season on defense. He accumulated 3 tackles, 1 PD and 3 INTs one of which was a ‘pick six’ special.

 

1st star: Chris St-Francois (BOOM!) was all over the field. On offense he caught 2 passes for 19 yards and 1 TD while also rushing for 28 yars. On defense he had 4 sacks.

 

 

 

Playoff Picture – I will take a look at the teams who are on the bubble.

 

 

Conference A

 

 

7. Bandits (4-4) – Their last two opponents are Commission and For Teh Lulz. It will be a tough road for this team as they are facing a good team in Commission in week 9 (game of the week) and probably a desperate team in FTL in week 10. Since they are currently in playoffs, they definitely control their destiny.

 

8. Snookers (3-5) – Their last two opponents are For Teh Lulz and Flying Weasels. Simply put, week 9 is a MUST win game for this team but in week 10 they are not winning. Snookers also control their destiny for at least one week so they have to win the games that they can and hope for the best. Eagles, the team trying to catch them, also play Flying Weasels however they play Affreux in week 10 which is a winnable game.

 

9. Eagles (2-5-1) – Their last two opponents are Flying Weasels and Affreux. As stated above, Eagles would need Snookers to lose their last two games and then win only one of our their remaining two games. They will know before week 10 if they have a chance because if Snookers win in week 9, Eagles are most probably eliminated.

 

 

Conference B

 

7. Mongoose (3-5) – Their last two opponents are Run’n’Wild and Monstars therefore they should be able to finish at 5-5 and make the playoffs.

 

8. Balls Deep (3-5) – Their last two games are Terminators and Rude Bwoys. They will have a tough end to the season but if they want to make playoffs, this is where they prove themselves to be worthy.

 

9. Cowboys (3-5) – Their last two opponents are Cobras and BOOM! which are two games that the Cowboys can definitely lose. They would need to win at least one of those games if they have a chance at playoffs.

 

Tip Of The Week

 

All NFL teams have game film sessions, usually during the week in which they study other teams’ formations and tendencies. This is an important part of weekly game preparation. I have seen some teams filming their own games (Balls Deep, Rude Bwoys) however why not film your opponents a week before you face them? You don’t necessarily have to do game film sessions but scouting your opponents before you face them can never hurt.

 

You’ll have a good idea of the plays they run on offense and defense. You will also get a chance to see the QB’s tendencies, the main receivers and perhaps your opponents’ strategies in different situations (for example recurring plays on 3rd down situations). Mostly teams look at their opponents’ statistics on the website to better understand the team but it is not the most efficient way. Therefore if you do some extra research, you will have a small advantage over the other team which just might get you the win.

 

 

Week 9 preview

8th Snookers vs. 6th For Teh Lulz (5 pm on field 3) – An important conference A match up with playoff implications as Eric Kavaldjian, Michael Young and Andre John will look to possibly secure a playoff spot by defeating the surging For Teh Lulz.

 

8th Balls Deep vs. 6th Terminators (8 pm on field 1) – An important conference B game for both teams as Terminators are ahead of Balls Deep by only 1 game.

 

9th Cowboys vs. 4th Cobras (10 pm on field 1) – Cowboys are in a must win situation as they find themselves out of a playoff spot right now however they will be going up against a tough Cobras squad who is looking to rebound back while also trying to gain some momentum heading into playoffs.

 

 

That’s it for this week’s column, hope you enjoyed my column. 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 all this weekend and catch you all next week!