The Thrilla of Flagzilla – FlagPlus Football League

Well, the big day is here and after 13 grueling weeks, it is time to crown a champion in Division Six. How we got there was even more impressive with the favourite, ‘The Pack, falling to The Heismans 25 to 7. We knew how good the Heismans were, but ‘The Pack have played tremendously this season, with Daniel Krebs posting huge numbers along with a trio of great wide receivers. What happened? Krebs struggled to complete passes and make plays, completing 9 of 24 throws for only a touchdown and two interceptions. On the other side, we knew how good Gautama Swaminadhan was, but he proved to be the better of the two quarterbacks when it counted, throwing for four touchdowns and completing 17 of 24 passes.

The other side of the spectrum, Matthew Young and The Minge were in a tough battle against Golden Girls. Jason Rossie made some big plays to make it close in the second half, but the second ranked defense in The Minge were able to pull it out at the end. Henri Chelhot came up big again with two sacks and a touchdown. The Stock brothers also combined for three touchdowns and an interception.

So after countless games, a myriad of touchdowns and some great finishes, we will see who the best team in the division is. Both teams have their similarities. Let’s break it down from a position perspective.

Quarterback: Advantage The Heismans: This is close with Matthew Young being a great two-way player, but measuring them purely from a quarterback standpoint, it is hard to go against Swaminadhan, who has been as efficient as any passer this season. He rarely turns the ball over and excels with pinpoint accuracy.

Receivers: Advantage The Heismans: I was always told that when you have two equal components in sports and you are trying to rate them together, always go with the side with the best player. In this case, Henri Chelhot is definitely the best receiver on either side. He was second in the division in receiving yards with 557 and was tops in touchdown catches with 15. While Kevin Boustany is running away from defenders with four touchdown catches, Chelhot has the season long and big-play pedigree and has been the more dominant player. Make no mistake about it though, both teams have great receiving corps, but The Heismans have the depth featuring the underrated Tomas Chylewski (495 yards) and David Trivisonno (294 yards).

Defense: Advantage The Minge: Speaking of Henri Chelhot, not only is he a great receiver, but he is also a premier sack artist. His 10 sacks lead the team and his constant pressures have yielded team-high 19 interceptions as a team. Heck, the defense has been so good, quarterback Matthew Young was able to pick off four passes. He’s been one of the best two-way players and it is even more impressive as a quarterback. The Minge allowed a division low 127 points and they were so good as a team, that only two players out of their ten-man roster were held without an interception.

Now let’s take a look at three keys to the game:

1. Containing Matthew Young outside the pocket: Matthew Young can look like a modern day Houdini behind centre. His running ability can cause nightmares for teams, especially on third downs. Containing him will be imperative

2. Pressuring Gautama Swaminadhan will be key: We mentioned Swaminadhan’s accuracy, who is completing 76% of his passes. He’s only been sacked 11 times this season. The best way to get a quarterback to misfire is to pressure him. Henri Chelhot must have a big game in order to achieve this feat.

3. Don’t let Chelhot beat you deep: Chelhot is a speedster and I’ve seen him beat teams deep on more than one occasion. Those types of plays can swing the tide completely towards another team.

The Pick: This one is really tough as both teams have been great all year. I have to go with The Minge because of their defense and Matthew Young’s ability to escape the pocket and gain extra yardage on the ground.

Regardless of what happens, it should be a great game.