Inside the Redzone (DC) – Week 9

 

Welcome to Inside The Redzone, a la week neuf! We are now a mere week away from the post-season. Can you feel the excitement brewing? I get goose bumps just thinking about the 2009 Spring Division C playoffs. Why you ask? Just look at the talent level that is present in both conferences. There are quite a few contenders such as Flying Weasels, Triple Sixers, KGP Champs, Chaos and so forth. Then there are other teams who could easily upset the contenders; they are Rude Bwoys (won five in a row), BOOM, Bandits, etc… Therefore if we take everything into perspective, the playoffs are bound to be exciting and intense. I won’t be at the field this Sunday because I am out of town on assignment, trying to explore new ventures on behalf of FlagPlus Football however rest assured that from the first week of playoffs till the last, my video interviews will return (pre and post game interviews). So let’s enjoy the last week of season and get ready for the REAL season.

 

 

Week 9 Headlines

 

Still Perfect

 

The Flying Weasels won a high scoring affair in week 9; the final score was 34-26. The Eagles showed that the Flying Weasels have a few weaknesses in their defense. However the Weasels finally have a solid All-Star on offense in P-A Lebouthillier and he connects quite well with Martin Tougas (12 receiving TDs). Nonetheless they are only one win away from joining the Dirty Birds for a perfect record of 10-0. PTC Stomp in Spring 2008 Division C didn’t have a loss all season but had a tie so it wasn’t a perfect season. I wish them all the luck this weekend in joining some exclusive company.

 

Stepping it up

 

The KGP Champs came to play last weekend against the Chaos. The top spot in Conference B was on the line and they gutted out a win to achieve it. Especially since I was part of the game and have seen KGP Champs play since the very beginning, I have to say that I am very impressed with their efforts this season. It is not only about Phil Cutler not being fully mobile but rather everyone on the team stepping up their game. We always hear names like Olivier Saleh but there are a few others such as Phil Clark, Niki Thorpe, Ben Wilner and Nick Schouela who deserve tons of credit. As I watched them this team on both sides of the ball last Sunday, I am thoroughly impressed with their talent level in key situations and their desire to go the extra mile. It appears that they have finally rekindled the magic that once made them an excellent team.

 

Cobras vs. Chaos

 

Both teams have a lot on the line in this colossal week 10 match up. Chaos, after losing to KGP Champs, is now 7-2 while the Cobras are 6-3. If the Cobras win they will catapult into 2nd place (because it would create a 3 way tie with Chaos, Cobras and Rude Bwoys at which point Cobras have the best divisional record) and that is why you have to LOVE FlagPlus Football. After their somewhat dismal season they can finish 2nd in conference B with a win. So this game has a lot on the line; for one thing both teams need some momentum going into playoffs and two, whoever wins will have a mental edge on the other team which will come into play should there be a rematch in the playoffs. Any way you look at it, this regular season win is highly sought out by both clubs.

 

Crash Eagles Crash, On the road to…

 

If someone would have said before the season started that the Eagles would win the championship, I would have laughed in their face but if they had said instead that the Eagles won’t even make playoffs, I would have told them they’re stupid. However the reality of the situation is that the Eagles made us all look stupid. In 9 games, they have only managed to win twice (defeated Terminators and Lockdown) but there is some good news on the way for these guys, they get to play Affreux on Sunday. Thus they have a chance to bring their wins total to three. In all honesty, it is disappointing to see this team have a horrible season especially since they were a force in the Winter 2009 season and held a few practices in the off season prior to Spring 2009. However it speaks volumes for the level of talent in FlagPlus Football and how any team can pull off a win on any weekend.

 

Success or Failure?

 

For Teh Lulz have one game left, against the Bandits, and that means they get a chance to go over .500 which would render their season successful. I guess the fact that they made the playoffs could also be seen as a success. If they can win on Sunday, they will finish 6th overall in conference A which I believe is a remarkable feat for this team. Are they strong or deep enough to go far in the playoffs? I would say probably not, I would be quite shocked if they even won a playoff game. However it is good to see new teams in the league doing well and I wish them all the luck in playoffs, they’ll need it.

 

 

Three STARwars of the Game

 

3rd star: Greg Cerallo (Bandits) is slowly getting his grove back. He was 12 of 21 for 181 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT.

 

2nd star: Phil Clark (KGP Champs) was all over the field defensively, he had 4 INTs and a bat down which could have been a fifth pick.

 

1st star: Andre John (Snookers) carried the team last Sunday. He had 2 catches for 2 TDs on offense and 3 INTs on defense.

 

 

Playoff Picture

 

Conference A

 

We have our eight teams that have qualified for playoffs. There will be a bit of shuffling before the playoffs start but the eight teams have clinched the right to play in the post-season.

 

Conference B

 

There are two match ups that have playoff significance:

 

8. Cowboys (3-6) – They are playing BOOM! Goes the Dynamite which will not be a game at all. They do control their own destiny (won the head-to-head match up against Balls Deep) so if they win, they will clinch playoffs.

 

9. Balls Deep (3-6) – They are also playing a tough opponent in Rude Bwoys but they need some help from BOOM! Goes the Dynamite but still have to win their own game. I have always said and thought that Balls Deep will be a dangerous team in the playoffs however if they want to show the rest of Division C the same thing, they have to win now and early playoffs.

 

Tip Of The Week

 

A lot of players don’t realize how important a timeout can be, it can definitely change momentums of a game. However a time out has to be used wisely. In FlagPlus Football, each team has two timeouts per half hence the situation must be examined carefully before a time out is called. It would be impossible for me to give you every situation in which a time out should be called because there are far too many. The most popular situation is towards the end of the game in which a team is down and needs to buy more time. Let’s say for example there are 2 minutes to 5 plays and Team B is losing by 7 points to Team A. In this case, Team B would call a timeout right away which would stop the clock and thus buying them an extra play. After the next play, they would call another timeout. I think everyone gets the jist of what I am talking about, you turned 7 plays into maybe 8-9 plays and we know, in the game of flag football, every small little thing helps.

So whatever the reason may be (sometimes when you’re down by a few scores quite early in a game, a time out can help calm everyone down and you can regain your focus) for calling a time out, make sure you do it when it is most needed.

 

 

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!