The War Room (D3) – Finals Preview

As we prepare for the Division three finals, the super bowl of FlagPlus football, I wish to convey to you all what a pleasure it has been covering division 3 this winter. I have made countless friends through the weekly discussions over FB and at the field, which makes my job as a biased reporter a much more rewarding experience than it already is. As for those of you who see my articles and WEPL comments as useless, uninspired, insipid and downright offensive, I sincerely hope you realize that it is done for the entertainment of the league and by no mean a targeted personal attack. That being said, let’s hope the Wildcats win J

 

Now, onto the finals:

 

Wildcats are a team that we have spoken about countless times because of their defence; I take full responsibility for ignoring their overwhelming offensive statistics.  Pierre-Marc Chadi didn’t impress me at all when the Walk Ons held him to 7 points. But he has had a renaissance of sorts after starting 3-2. He has put up blistering numbers in the playoffs, reminiscent of some Pollice or Nincheri type numbers. He has only thrown one interception, while racking up 16 passing TD’s in 3 games. Those numbers are what has propelled his name to the top of the charts in terms of quarterback production. His confidence and leadership are apparent on and off the field and his good nature demonstrates the fun he has playing the game. His main targets revolve around three receivers in particular, Vincent Zucco, Karl Morin and Kevin Regimbald. Morin has been their leading scorer throughout the season, and has been a nightmare for defenses to gameplan against. His ability to get off the line quick and yards after the catch are key to his game. It’s worked so far and they have proven to be quite the dynamic duo. Zucco has been an unheralded team player who never got the limelight yet aided the offense and defense in various tough spots. The Regimbalds are, as we all know, beasts on the field, and on defence, they’re two guys you don’t want covering you (as I can attest to).  They have confidence, they believe in each other and have managed to stay humble amongst all the hype. This truly is a close-knit group which will be hard to stop come Sunday.

 

SWAT is a team which is surrounded by controversy. I shall not venture into it as I’m not pulling out my Geraldo type journalistic skills on this site, but let’s just say quite a few people dislike how they proceeded this season. Nonetheless, they did what was needed of them to get to the Finals and respect shall be paid. Gino Di Fazio has been his usual reliable self in the lower division QB ranks as he propels another team to the finals (W06 D2, W07 D3, S08 DC). He lacks neither humility nor experience at this level and the Wildcats need to ensure he doesn’t get on a roll if they plan on winning or even keeping it close. The team is built around his ability and so far he has put up some Kurt Warner like stat lines. He is a smart quarterback and knows how to use his supporting cast to their fullest. The D3 Hyrbid did expose his lack of mobility in the pocket, forcing him into throwing two INTs, but his blowout performance of the falcons and mighty Walk Ons can make amends for last week’s stat line. His main men on offense are Shawn Haney, John Lyristis and Vinny Gualano. Each brings a different style to the offense with Haney’s height advantage for deep balls, Lyristis’ quick release and shifty moves, coupled with Gualano’s game face attitude and soft hands.  Each will need to be productive in getting open if they plan on beating the Wildcats’ tough, physical defense.

 

On defense, it really is a team effort with Gino, Martin Hamel and Shawn Haney all pitching in to make the tackles that matter most. Hamel is a constant presence on the field either playing or verbally as he barrages his opponents from the sidelines. This raises the emotions of the team and proves to be an effective weapon vs their opponents.

 

I see this game being decided by SWAT’s defense vs the Wildcats’ newly potent offense. I know Gino can score, and probably will do so with some ease at one point in this game. He is too smart not to figure out some game plan (especially with the pedigree of his mentors). The Wildcats will need to keep pace with SWAT, and not get too greedy. Stick to your bread and butter underneath with the hooks and slants, occasionally testing the deep to keep them honest. This truly is an intriguing matchup and one that I never in my wildest dreams expected even two weeks ago. Predictions are pretty useless at this point as I think I picked against both these teams last week, and here they are to slap me in the face for the Finals. I hope for a close, down to the wire, competitive game. One which Wildcats can pull off if they stick to their gameplan, but at some point since the WEPL, I started to lean towards SWAT to shock the 31 other teams in this league and win the big trophy. Good luck to both teams and I hope you all tune in to the Road Show or even come watch on Sunday night at Catalogna.

 

Castleton’s Random Thoughts of the week:

 

1)      Shockers: I’m speechless, it still hurts…

2)      Spring season: It’s coming fast, find a team or get on that free agent list!

3)      Finest vs Canes: This should be a dandy, and I like both teams. This should be a match for the ages

4)      Click Clack: Tough loss, you are a talented bunch of individuals; I guess it just was the Wolfpack’s night.

5)      Wolfpack vs Waterbuffs: This should be another odd final, but I’ll give it to Waterbuffs based on the experience level of the team.

6)      Press Conference: Had a lot of fun at the press conference this week, hopefully my brutal French didn’t deter you from watching the D3 part. It works well enough with a few beers on St Denis J

7)      Dirty Birds: These gentlemen get my team of the year award. Funny, witty, good football players. Joe Bird is a hilarious presence on FB and I truly tip my hat to these gentlemen for their contribution to the league.

 

This tune is for you:

 

Simply the best by Tina Turner dedicated to the 8 teams remaining this weekend, let the games be close and exciting unlike last year’s debacled (copyright Emmitt Smith) finals.

 

Quote of the week:

 

I’ll leave it to the press conference for all the quotes you can handle….