Inside the Redzone – Week 1

Welcome everyone to Inside The Redzone, a weekly article that will cover division 4 in depth, but more important welcome to FlagPlus Football’s winter 2009 season. Now you might hear some players say “Who cares about division 4?” I CARE! I believe that this division will have just as many intense games as the other divisions if not more; especially due to the limitations of higher division players being allowed to play in division 4 (only 1 division 3 player can play). I look forward to a lot of intense battles and parity in each conference. Why should you read this article? My goal is to make sure that besides playing football, I provide you with some entertainment throughout the week and this article will be designed to do just that. So sit back, relax and get ready to enjoy a great fun filled and competitive season.

I know that a week has already been played but before I get into that, I want to present the layout and what you can expect in my weekly reports. I will cover as much as I can but if I don’t, there is a good reason you didn’t do enough to be covered so write me a message at the contact information I will provide at the end of the report and let me know about it. Alternatively if you see me on the sidelines, pull me aside and make a case for yourself because I am only one man (unlike Moe Khan who is an entity) so I can’t be everywhere all the time. Therefore it is your job to send me information about your team on a weekly basis and I will try to put it in my article. I will start with the recap of the week that was and then name the three stars of the week. Plus, there will be other small segments that will also be introduced as the season goes along.

Week 1 report

VPC, who formerly had Robby Robinson as their QB, introduced a new one in L. Richard and he put up 6 TDs to help his team win 39-26, he also had an interception. They defeated the Gators whose QB, Kevin Marlow (one time All-Star), threw two picks which apparently was the difference in this game. Those Guys (yes that is the name of a team) shut out their opponents, Gia Thang, by a margin of 26-0. Gia Thang’s QB M. Delorme had six picks (3 by J. Kidney) while Those Guys’ QB had 3 TDs passing. The biggest win from this weekend goes to Cobras who absolutely destroyed the Pompei Roughriders 51-0. Alex Lever threw for 7 TDs on 14 completions and had 199 yards passing. It was an all around great game for this Cobras team from defense to offense who scored on their first drive and picked the P. Roughriders on their drive. The scary thing is that Lever spread the ball and 5 receivers had at least one TD so this team will definitely be dangerous down the road.

Moving on to the Chaos, who had a strong spring season, they had a good first week also as they beat the Orangemen 33-6. Not to take anything away from anyone on the Chaos team but Eugene McLaren is the heart and soul of this team. He had 3 passing TDs, 2 rushing TDs and an interception as well on defense. More than a player, he is a mentor for his team. Therefore as long as he is healthy, I see the Chaos doing quite well. Another team that raised a few eyebrows this past weekend was Triple Sixers. Their QB K. Chaoual put up some good stats, 10-15 165 yards, 5 TDs and only one interception so I look for him to produce similar numbers as the season goes on.

It is quite interesting to see teams such as Flying Weasels and Trojan Knights get off to 0-1 starts. Flying Weasels, although not the same team as last spring, were always known for their hard work and stifling defense. They lost to the Red Raiders but I still have hope for them as you saw glimmers of success in that game. Faucher had 2 sacks and Lemieux threw for 3 TDs however Lemieux wasn’t their QB in Spring so as he starts to get more used to being a QB again, this team start posting some wins. However let’s give Red Raiders some credit as their QB J. Young went to his favorite target E. Bishara early and often for 8 receptions, 106 yards and 1 TD. Now let’s talk about the Raiders (without the red). M. Choueri had 4 passing TDs and 195 passing yards while veteran receiver Afdaal Martin had 59 receiving yards along with a TD and a pick-six on defense. (for some reason it says he has 22 sacks and unless that is some sort of a mistake, he definitely set a record in this league). The Raiders shut out the Love Cows in the first half and won the game 32-7.

Last winter season’s finalists, Marauders won 36-13 against Dawgs (apparently nobody let these Dawgs out). They seem like they are ready for another trip to the finals unless other teams down the road have something to say. Remember that these guys went to the finals last season without even ONE All-Star in the line up which was very impressive and that is what I love about this team as they don’t care about the stats that much, they are there to win no matter what it takes. They are led by their QB D. Beauregard and receivers Stephane Lavoie, Roussin (a great rusher as well) and Caron. Another great team from last winter, Trojan Knights, lost in their opener to the Cowboys but apparently they were missing their star QB Norman Weeks and therefore their star receiver Nicky McGuire had to fill in but couldn’t really carry the team that well (however they only lost 18-6). No disrespect to the Cowboys but had Norman been present, Trojan Knights would have had the game won and if you think I am wrong, then let us see how you do next week vs. Those Guys. It also worth a mention that Team Ditka (who I thought were fans of Mike Ditka, similar to Richard Park Fan Club in winter 2009) actually has a player named A. Ditka. They are actually led by Kosta Anastopolous who apparently threw SEVEN interceptions against Brew Crew, 5 of them went to D. Dimitriou (how funny is it that he caught 5 interceptions but also threw 5 picks as a QB). Whether there is a HUGE mistake on stats or that is just horrible, even for D4. The only points Team Ditka put up were when Mr. Ditka took matters into his own hands and rushed in a TD while D. Dimitriou passed for two TDs. It is even more shocking that a veteran like Kosta played so bad; he definitely needs to step it up if his team is going to have any chance of competing and furthermore, both teams need to keep the INT level down too.

And that is it for this week’s report. The biggest thing I have noticed is that most of the returning teams from past seasons have lost in week 1. That goes back to what I was saying before about the parity in division 4 this winter 2009 season. I think this trend will continue and we will see a lot of close and intense games but obviously there will be also be a few good old fashioned ass kickings. However this is an exciting time for most teams in division 4 because you all will have the chance to compete week in and week out and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

Three STARwars of the Week:

3rd star: E Bishara (Red Raiders) 8 receptions, 106 yards, 1 TD

2nd star: D. Beauregard (Marauders) 11-22, 199 yards, 6 TDs

1st star: Alex Lever (Cobras) 14-19, 199 yards, 7 TDs

Keep in mind that those players who get the most stars at the end of the year (doesn’t matter whether they came 1st, 2nd or 3rd) will receive the STARwar of the season award, the highest honor a player can achieve. Also keep in mind that at end of the season, I’ll be handing out other awards for many categories in the second edition of STAR-AWARDS©. The categories will include best hands, fastest man, best football gear and much more.

For the teams who I didn’t mention, I will definitely mention you guys as the season goes on and if you really want to be mentioned badly, make sure you do GOOD because nothing turns my head faster than a team showing some talent (and also a hot chick in bikini so perhaps if you bring girls to the games, I will be sure to stop by…be careful though, Moe Khan is always lurking around the corner too). In the next couple of weeks, I will give my power rankings for the top 10 teams in Division 4 and who I think are contenders and who are pretenders.

Therefore stay tuned for your in depth analysis of division 4 like never before (it even rhymes). Until then if you have comments/suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me on Facebook or via email at [email protected]. This is Rehan “J.J” Sarwar signing off and I wish you all luck in your week 2 match ups. Until then play hard, have fun and catch you all next week Inside The Redzone.