Inside the Red Zone (D1) – Week 13

 

After an up and down season, we have our 2011 Division 1 finalists. Congratulations to the Expos and Old Skool for reaching the ultimate stage in our league and knocking off the top seeds in their respective conferences. The Expos are in the finals for a second straight Winter season; Old Skool have reached the finals in their inaugural season. This Saturday, in Brossard, both teams will be hungry to win their first Division 1 title.

 

You can watch the Division 1 press conference in which Robert Campana interviews two players from both finalists. Why wasn’t I doing the press conference? Well, let’s just say we had some communication issues, but I’m sure they turned out almost as good as they would have, had I done them!

 

 

WHAT NOW?

 

I will start with the Montreal’s Finest. It was yet another disappointing end to the season for the Finest, especially after they finished 9-1 in the regular season. They were tied for second in points scored for and had the best statistical defense in Division 1. Not to forget, they won three individual player awards, as well. By no means am I trying to put them down or add salt to their wounds, but instead I feel it is time for them to go in another direction. By that I mean looking at some of their defensive philosophies. As I stated on WEPL, I felt they didn’t use the proper pass rush in certain situations similar to the 2010 semi finals against the Express. Was this the reason they lost? It definitely was not the sole factor, however it was important enough to affect the outcome of the game.

 

That said, Old Skool deserves full credit for their win two weeks ago. They found ways to make it count on offense whenever they had the chance. Where do the Finest go from here? I don’t feel that any changes should be made. This team was dominant all-season long, and have been so for two straight Winters. They know better than anyone, however, that with the deep talent pool in Division 1, they cannot afford the slightest of slipups in the playoffs, or their talented opponents will take full advantage. That said, I hear through the grapevine that the majority of the Finest players will be playing in the Spring 2011 Div A season. I feel it is a good move on their part, as it will give them another full season together, and possibly help them iron out some of their defensive kinks gearing up for next Winter.

 

The Demons were 7-2-1 and finished on top of their conference standings. They were also tied for second in points scored for, but had second worst defense in Division 1–right behind the CLR Forces who were 1-9. That trend continued in the playoffs allowing 51 points against the Expos. Although they scored 49 points on offense, it still wasn’t enough to win the game. Similar to the Finest, it was a disappointing end to the season for the Demons. It goes without saying that the loss of Adi Sharma on defense hit them hard down the stretch, however, good teams find ways to win despite missing quality players. See the Expos: (Pat Jerome, Teddy Frenette, Phil Leduc and all-star rusher Anthony Vendrame all missed the semi-final game).

 

The Demons also had defensive problems in Winter 2009, when they lost to the Hurricanes in the semi-finals. Therefore, their main focus going forward should be to fix the defensive problems that have haunted them, especially the deep threat. Although these same Demons will not play in Spring 2011, a few of their players will be playing for an unnamed Empire team, and will be up to their usual winning ways.

 

 

The Finals

 

The Expos defeated the Rainmakers and the Demons in close games to make to the finals. It is their second straight Winter finals. Old Skool routed the Express, before edging out Montreal’s Finest in the semi-finals.

 

Season Series

The Expos won the only meeting back in week three by a score of 32-19. However, that result will have no bearing this Saturday. Both teams were short for bodies in that matchup, and thus the matchup did not represent both sides as well as we would have liked leading up to this game.

 

 

Receivers

 

Who has the edge? It is tough to say. The QB/receiver chemistry seems to be better with the Expos receivers because they have played together longer. However Andy Peterkin has nicely built chemistry with his newer receivers such as Vinny Gualano and Robbie Robinson over the course of the season and now looks very comfortable.

So far in the playoffs, the Expos receivers have combined for 532 yards and 13 TDs (Christian McGuire and Alex Charpentier are first and second in playoff receiving yards so far). Old Skool receivers have accumulated 256 yards and caught 10 TDs. Their top receiver has been Vinny Gualano with 57 yards (eighth) followed by Shane Williams with 52 yards (tenth). They might not have the big statistics but they definitely get the job done.

 

I think it is safe to assume that both teams know how to put the ball into the end zone regarldess of their style of play.

 

 

Defense

 

Old Skool’s defense is very consistent. Here is an impressive statistic; Old Skool has only allowed 40+ points once during the entire season and playoffs. In the playoffs they have improved their points against average to 25.5 from 29.5 during the regular season. They have three interceptions in the playoffs, including one pick-six. They are a tightly knit unit who play extremely well together from the rush to the tackling to the deep ball coverage.

 

The Expos’ defense can be very good depending on who they have at their disposal from game to game. If their full squad is present, they are extremely deep and athletic; tough to beat short or deep. Against the Rainmakers, their full squad was present and they allowed 31 points. However against the Demons, they were missing four key players who can make an impact on defense, including captain Teddy Frenette, and as a result, they allowed 49 points.

 

 

Intangibles

 

It is safe to say that both teams are extremely clutch. Starting from their two experienced Quarterbacks, down their rosters. Both teams knocked off the top team in their conference two weeks ago (although if you asked both teams, they would argue there was nothing surprising about the outcomes). These two teams share a long history together in the outdoor circuit and have a ton of respect for each other on and off the field.

 

As I watched Chad Byers against the Rainmakers and the Demons, he was making throws that seemed almost impossible and often did so in third and long situations. Facing Francis Toupin (Rainmakers) and Karl De Nie (Demons), who both had great seasons at the rusher position, did not at all deter his performance. His 75% completion percentage this season is a clear sign that Byers can make all the throws with extreme accuracy.

 

On the other side, Andy Peterkin cruised against the Express defense making it look easy. In a tougher match up against the Finest, he threw well at key moments; none bigger than the rolling right, throw to Robby Robinson in the back-left of the end zone when the Finest defense shifted to the right with him. Defensively, Mike Cuscuna is orchestrating his usual great schemes and getting the stops when it counts. As I mentioned before they’ve allowed only 51 points in two games.

 

 

Analysis

 

So far in the playoffs, Old Skool has defeated a team that has a mobile QB (Patrick Chenard) and a team that has a pocket passer (Kevin Wyeth). They played well defensively against both styles of offense. Furthermore, their offense has stepped up quite nicely in the playoffs.

 

The Expos have defeated two teams that feature traditional pocket QBs, namely Ryan Kastner and Carmine Pollice. Can they handle a team that has a mobile QB? If we look at the season, they averaged 12.5 points against mobile QBs. Digging a little deeper, in the 2010 Winter playoffs the Expos beat the Rainmakers in semi-finals (pocket QB in Ryan Kastner) however, lost to the Express in the finals (Patrick Chenard). Now they’re facing Andy Peterkin who is getting better acquainted with the indoor game with each passing week.

 

Does this mean anything? I believe it does. I feel that the Expos defense traditionally has struggled against QBs that can buy themselves time with their legs, and Peterkin does just that, as well as anyone. On the other side of the ball, if there is one defense that is familiar enough with Chad Byers and his offense to at least contain them, it is Old Skool’s. Mike Cuscuna will try to get his defenders to confuse Byers (which is no easy task) just long enough, to allow the speedy Wilson to get to Byers. If his own defensive backs can allow Wilson the time to get close enough to Byers before he can use his famously quick release, than it can spell trouble for the explosive Expos. This will be a chess match and extremely fun to watch.

 

All that said, I would be an utter fool to bet against Old Skool for a third straight playoff game. As Kevin Wilson stated during the press conference, I am officially on the Old Skool bandwagon, and will pick them to be the Winter 2011 Division 1 champions.

 

 

As stated earlier, you can watch the press conference featuring the Expos and Old Skool on the website sometime this week, it is sure to be entertaining. Good luck to both teams on Saturday, bring your A game! Also, next week I’ll recap the entire season and announce the winners of STAR-AWARDS.

 

That’s it for this week’s column. As always please email me for feedback/suggestions at [email protected]. Good luck to all teams this weekend and see you all next week Inside The Redzone!