Inside the Redzone (Div E) – Finals Preview

 

The finals have arrived and the stage is set. Last weekend two teams punched their tickets to the dance. Congratulations to the Eskimo Brothers and Tomahawk Nightmare for making it this far. However as they will tell you, the journey is far from over. I picked against both teams last week and boy did they prove me wrong! Let’s take a brief look at their playoff journey to date.

 

For the Eskimo Brothers, the playoffs have been a smooth ride and being the number 2 seed, they cruised their way into the finals by winning comfortably over BBQ Time Travellers and FOTC. A lot of Div E experts and critics didn’t pick the Eskimo Brothers to win against FOTC yet they did so convincingly.

 

For the Tomahawk Nightmare, their path started with a win over SMYT and then a thrilling sudden death OT victory against the Golden Girls in the semi finals. For those who weren’t there to witness it, it was by far the best Div E game this season. Essentially the Golden Girls who trailed for much of the second half tied the game on the second last play of the game (with a 2 point convert might I add) and sent the game to overtime. It took five attempts for the Tomahawk Nightmare to beat out the number 1 seed but they pulled it off and sent the favorites packing.

 

Now they will take on each other for the right to call themselves the 2013 Spring Div E champions.

 

2013 Spring Division E Playoffs: Finals

 

(2) Eskimo Brothers vs. (4) Tomahawk Nightmare

 

Season series: Eskimo Brothers won 46-39

 

 

 

During the playoffs, Tomahawk Nightmare has averaged 41 points for and 36 against per game. They are battle tested and ready to compete at the highest level. The Eskimo Brothers have average 35.5 points for and 19 points against per game.

 

 

 

Quarterback

 

 

 

For the Tomahawk Nightmare, it’s no secret that J-F Marquis is getting better every week and has scored 40+ points in every game of the playoffs. His ability to make accurate throws while facing a strong pass rush is amazing to watch. He doesn’t have textbook mechanics but makes textbook reads and plays.

 

 

 

The Eskimo Brothers do well at the QB position no matter who is throwing however they’re obviously better with Mitchel Muir. He put on a clinic last week against the FOTC defense. He looked calm and composed in the pocket and was making it look easy.

 

 

 

Advantage: Tied

 

 

 

Receivers

 

 

 

Tomahawk Nightmare has receivers who are stepping up for their pivot especially in the post season. The fan favorite Erhan Kip who not only delivers perfect snaps but makes great catches often in tough coverage. He’s becoming a great go to guy for JF Marquis. Another threat is Olivier Savage and the name says it because he’s a “beast” on the field. However it doesn’t stop there, JF Marquis has great rapport with all the receivers such as Mathieu Cauchon along with a couple of others and they come up big when called upon.

 

 

 

The Eskimo Brothers are not a one receiver team. I repeat, they are not a one receiver team. Sure Shawn Steen is talented but so are Corey Oliver, Matthew Santangelo and Stephen Georgy-Pond. They look like a one receiver team because Shawn Steen is usually always open for a catch but if somehow a team can shut him down, the rest of the gang will step in and do the job.

 

 

 

Advantage: Tomahawk Nightmare

 

 

 

Defense

 

 

 

Tomahawk Nightmare has been known to have a weak defense and though they did stop the Golden Girls on a couple of occasions, they still have some work to do. Their brightest star is their rusher Olivier Savage and he does help out his defense by rushing the opposing pivot quite well. From time to time, they are able to cover the deep ball but often at times, they give up a big play too easily.

 

 

 

Eskimo Brothers are a tightly knit defensive group and can shut you down pretty fast. Against BBQ Time Travellers they were only 6 players but were able to create turnovers and allowed only 18 points. Then against FOTC, they figured the opposition’s game plan and adjusted rather quickly to close out the game.

 

 

 

Advantage: Eskimo Brothers

 

 

 

Analysis

 

 

 

As you can see, it’s tough to predict the winner because they match up well in almost every category. I always found Tomahawk’s kryptonite was their defense but they’ve managed to make it to the finals regardless of their weakness.

 

 

 

In the regular season match up, it was a close contest. Mitchell Muir threw a perfect 7 TDs to 0 INT and J-F Marquis threw 6 TDs to 1 INT. Will the story be somewhat the same in the finals?

 

 

 

One thing is for sure and that’s Shawn Steen will be breaking the 100 yard plateau in receiving yards. And I also believe it will be over 80 points for the finals because both teams have prolific offenses. Then it will come down to defense and though I said earlier Eskimo Brothers’ defense has the advantage, will they come up big to secure their first championship?

 

 

 

Which QB will outshine the other?

 

 

 

All these questions and more will be answered during the Road Show and at which time I’ll make my official prediction for the winner. I am currently 6-2 in the playoffs and looking to finish out the season at 7-2.

 

 

 

 

 

So that does it for my finals edition of Inside The Redzone. Make sure to watch the Road Show where you’ll see my prediction live in front of the camera followed by a great match up between the Eskimo Brothers and the Tomahawk Nightmare. Make sure you’re at the Brossard Complexe at 6 pm EST sharp and I hope to see you all there. 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!