Inside the Redzone (Div C) – Week 13

I put myself in isolation all week so that I can put some due attention on the finals. After all, it requires some careful analysis between two powerhouse teams. Sure, the Briscoe High Hawks are a sixth seed, but if they had this same roster all season long, they would have surely finished much higher in the standings. As for MMMT, they finished third, but were a contender for most of the season. Congratulations once again to both teams for making it to the ultimate stage. However, if you’re happy enough just making it to the finals, you probably don’t deserve to win. Remember that coming in the second place means you’re the first-placed loser. So get ready to lace up your cleats and put on your gloves and belt (and hopefully some clothes, too) for one last time this 2010 Spring season. Finally, make sure when they’re off, you can call yourself a champion (a real champion, with the trophy, not a moral victory).

 

Just a reminder to vote for STAR-AWARDS© and for those who aren’t aware of the categories, please refer to last week’s article. If Ben Joseph wins the Best Dresser, the award will be renamed to The Ben Joseph Award because he’s already won it multiple times. I will announce all the winners next week.

 

 

Finals

 

(3) Mysterious & Magical Men Of Terror vs. (6) Briscoe High Hawks

Season series: N/A

 

MMMT offense (29.7 points for) vs. BHH defense (17.0 points against)

BHH offense (36.7 points for) vs. MMMT defense (19.0 points against)

 

These statistics are not enough to analyze the final match. The only way I can break down the finals is by answering a few of the questions that I have come up with since the press conference.

 

Which QB is playing better right now?

 

Matthew Bishara plays a unique style of football (also left handed) while Scott Kelly is your typical pocker-passer. The fomer has 456 yards passing with 13 TDs while the latter has 523 yards passing with 14 TDs in these playoffs. Matt Bishara has been sacked eight times and intercepted three times while Scott has been sacked once with no interceptions. Scott Kelly has the best QB rating in the playoffs. So who is better? It is tough because both QBs have a different style. One thing I will say about Matt Bishara is the way he adjusted to Anthony Bozzo in the second half last week was very impressive and it just goes to show that he is a clutch player who uses his football smarts. As a result, I have to give Matt Bishara the nod as the better QB in the 2010 Spring playoffs, thus far.

 

Can Gordon Hogan be stopped?

 

On defense, he has five interceptions so he definitely is not to be taken lightly. He has faced Frank Grenier, Sean Avraam and Tam Vilaydeth, all three QBs who are above average. He is always lurking in the backfield making the proper reads and breaks on every opportunity to make a play. He can also get it done offensively and is the go-to guy for Matt Bishara. Gordon Hogan has 7 catches for 137 yards and 6 TDs so he is making a TD catch on almost every grab. Can he be stopped? I think defensively he will make a couple of plays on Scott Kelly, however on offense, if BHH can put Garrett Taylor or Nathanial Thomas on Mr. Hogan, he will not be a big factor.

 

 

Who is John Patrick Mancini?

 

Well he is an FPF staff member first, however he is also leading all receivers with 7 TDs. Is it because as snapper he is highly involved in the offense or because he is just too good to be stopped? We can all agree on one thing, he is a better receiver than he is a QB. Having said that, he has found a home with Scott Kelly (not literally because that would be inappropriate) at QB, and is making some big time catches. He is for real and if you want more proof, keep this in mind: He is the only player in FPF who had two QBs win best quarterback (Matthew Rene in Div B, Scott Kelly in Div C). Some people might say J.P. Mancini wasn’t the reason but I beg to differ. Even though he will no longer be snapper, J.P Mancini should be taken very seriously.

 

Will Garrett Taylor take his team to the top?

 

Similar to Gordon Hogan, he is a great two player. Last game, against the Vicious Canucks, he flat-out came to play. So much so, that VC had to start taking penalties and lost their cool. Like him or not, he can play with the best of them and has a knack of getting under people’s skin. In playoffs so far, he has 11 receptions, 171 yards and 4 TDs. On defense, he has 4 interceptions and one of them was a pick six. Will he rise to the occasion on Sunday? He will have to control his emotions and become the leader for the Briscoe High Hawks. If he can take the next step, similar to what his older brother Nathan has done, I think he will lead BHH to the championship.

 

How will ADP fare?

 

Anthony DaPonte will return to the line up after an absence of few weeks. In the first week of the playoffs he had 4 receptions, 29 yards and 1 TD. However, will the few weeks of vacationing make him rusty? Will he be able to keep up with the game speed? I know many of the BHH players are very confident that ADP can pick up where he left off, but I can assure you that it is never that easy. A prime example is Marc Andre Lebeau, who was off for a couple of weeks in the Spring 2009 Div B playoffs for the Kingz but returned to the finals. In the finals, it was tough for him to get back to the game speed. Therefore I hope for BHH’s sake, ADP has kept in shape and will show up quite early to get warmed up and be ready to contribute.

 

Can Mr. Goggles deliver on his word?

 

In the press conference, Oliver Phillip was very adamant that the Briscoe High Hawks are going to the win the championship. It didn’t seem like he was taking MMMT seriously at all and thought they were lucky to get as far as they did. The question then becomes, what will Oliver Phillip do this Sunday to deliver on his guarantee? He has to penetrate the defensive wall of MMMT and more so, he should definitely be given the rushing duties against Matt Bishara. However, a word of advice to Mr. Goggles, do NOT underestimate Matt Bishara because he will make you pay.

 

Can Eric Bishara conquer Scott Kelly?

 

Early in the game last week, Tam Vilaydeth was getting the best of Eric Bishara. Tam was having his way and making the throws he wanted to make. Furthermore, he was able to get by Eric Bishara on a few occasions which made it that much harder for the MMMT defense. Then, similar to his brother adjusting on offense, he adjusted quite well as a rusher. From that point on, Tam Vilaydeth’s running ability was severely hindered and MMMT’s defense was back to doing its’ thing. This Sunday, he faces a QB who is not as fast as Tam Vilaydeth, but can still run and break tackles. Furthermore, he is quite tall so the chance of a bat down is very low. I am sure pretty sure Scott Kelly won’t be able to run by Eric Bishara, however, if he can get the ball off quickly, which means making faster reads, the pass rush for MMMT will be ineffective and non-influential.

 

Who will be the HERO?

 

Looking at the two rosters, there are many players who have the ability to be clutch on Sunday, but who will it be? Matthew Bishara? Eric Bishara? Scott Kelly? Gordon Hogan? Garrett Taylor? Oliver Phillip? John Patrick Mancini? The list goes on… If I had to allocate percentages, I pick Matthew Bishara to be first in this category, with Garrett Taylor second, Gordon Hogan third and Scott Kelly fourth. Matthew Bishara is doing a great job on offense but also has 4 INTs on defense. He is the brains behind all that happens on the field. If this was Vegas, I will stack and bet all my chips on him.

 

Who will it be?

 

This is the moment all of you have been waiting for: I will now make my pick. After looking at the questions and answers, many hours of thinking and analyzing, I have made my decision. Given the adjustments that MMMT made last week against Terror Squad and that MMMT are more battle tested, I would have to favor them and pick them to win it all. This is not to say that BHH are not capable of proving me wrong. Rather, they will keep it close and if they can outsmart MMMT, they can definitely win the championship, but I don’t see it happening on Sunday.

 

Well, there you have it Division C footballers, the final analysis of the 2010 Spring season. Next week, I’ll have a final word on the season that was, a congratulatory address to the champions, the winners of STAR-AWARDS© and a look at the 2011 FPF Winter season. That’s it for this week’s column. As usual if you have any comments/suggestions, email me at [email protected].