Here it is my final article of the year. It was a wonderful season with a lot of surprises. We got a new champion after 2 seasons of the Trollers winning it, it was about time someone knocked them off. This season we didn’t have any undefeated teams or winless teams, even though it looked like that might happen for a while.
Final: Outlaws vs Gros Coqs
This was the best finals in a very long time. The weather was pretty crappy but it wasn’t raining or snowing, we just had a lot of wind. I will say that there were a few plays affected by the weather that did affect the outcome of the game, along with a few bonehead plays that should never have happened.
This was not the same Outlaws team that played all season long. They struggled to move the ball on offense and on defense weren’t really able to stop Dom from doing whatever he wanted when he wanted to. When was the last time Steve threw less than 100 yards in a game? You can’t do that and expect to win. They were only in the game because of Vince and the amazing job he did on defense with 9 tackles and a pick 6. Offensively no one stepped up. Smuda had 48 yards and no one else had over 20. To be a championship team everyone needs to step up their game and do more than what is expected of them.
For Les Gros Coqs Bresse was the man getting 8 passes for 91 yards, though he wasn’t able to get to the end zone. On defense Tommy really stepped up his game and was the dominant rusher he was all of last season. The guy ended up with 4 sacks and was very lucky that 2 roughing the passer penalties didn’t cost his team points. The first half was back and forth with no one being able to do anything for most of it. I do want to know what Antoine was thinking when he picked Dom off in the end zone on fourth down when the ball was on the other side of half. This is why you need to be aware of the situation at all times it was a 25 yard swing in field position, someone should have been letting players know what down it was and to knock the ball down. I know everyone wants stats, but isn’t a title better than personal success or stats?
The Outlaws were able to mount a drive with 3 minutes left to get on the board and break the 0-0 tie to make it 7-0 with 28 seconds remaining in the first half. I knew that Dom was going to try to get something going now, knowing that in the second half he was going to be throwing into the wind. On first down he hit Bresse for 37 yards on what had to be the biggest play of the half. How do you allow this on defense? You know they have very little time, so make them grind it out to score. No big plays should ever happen in that situation. Four plays later Dom hits Vince on a 1 yard score to make it 7-6 at half for the Outlaws. 28 seconds, 45 yards, and a score to end the half. What a fail by the defense, next time force them short and come up and make the tackles.
The second half was pretty much like the first up until the mid-point then there was some offense. Dom does his best impression of Steve throwing a pick 6 (from the last time these two met in the finals), though he didn’t do it a second time. Recovering quickly, he was able to march his team down to get the score and even managed to get the 2 point convert to make it 14 all. At that point all of us on the sideline could feel that the game was going to go to the Gros Coqs, but there was still time for it to go either way.
After the score Outlaws were forced into a quick 3 and out to give the ball and all the momentum to the Gros Coqs. 6:30 left in the game is a ton of time for both teams to get one more crack at scoring you’d think. The way Dom has called plays all season with the big plays and not using a lot of clock was what I was expecting to see, but going into the wind he changed his strategy and went short and worked the field and ate up the clock. He looked like Jon from his Iron Wolves team out there, though obviously without Jon’s speed. (Ed’s note: I may or may not have added that sentence) Dom gets his guys to score with 56 seconds left and now needs to rely on the defense for one last stop for the season, biggest series of the year. On first down Steve hits Smuda for 21 yards and you can see a glimmer of hope come back into the eyes of the Outlaws. First down after the big play by Smuda where they need another big chunk of yards, but Gros Coqs covered deep and forced Steve to check it down to Eric for 7. We now move to second down where Steve gets sacked by Tommy for a big 5 yard loss. On third down and the second to last play of the game Steve throws it up and Etienne picks it off to seal the game and give Gros Coqs the title.
This was a very close game and one of the best in a very long time. It might not have been the offensive game we were expecting or wanted to see, but sometimes weather plays a factor and you have to play in some bad conditions once in a while.
Congratulations to Les Gros Coqs for winning it all. Enjoy because next season everyone will bring their A game to knock you guys off and stop you from repeating.
That is it for me for this season I’ll be back next season to tell you how it is and what I think. Enjoy the off season, heal up and get ready for next year. It was great doing these articles this season and I’m glad you guys enjoyed them.
