IFL Football

It’s a battle for third place this week in the IFL as the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers face each other in, what could turn into, Israel’s version of the Ice-Bowl at the Yarkon Sports Complex in Baptist Village near Petah Tikva. Kickoff is set for Friday - Super-Friday, it being the weekend of the Superbowl – at noon.

The number one concern for both teams is the glaring need for improved quarterback play. With Hasharon (1-5) employing a revolving door approach to the position, alternating between Johan Tynell and Yoni Mazel, neither player has managed to find any sort of sustained flow in their cadences and Tel Aviv will look to pounce on that early.

The Sabres’ (1-4) top defensive priority will be to force Tynell or Mazel to throw against coverage. When Dancing Camel has had any success whatsoever in the passing game, it has come only when throwing off play-action in favorable run-pass situations. Tel Aviv will try to control the line of scrimmage on early downs to force Hasharon to throw against their two-deep coverage in long yardage situations. If they do this, they should be able to capitalize on errant throws and force a couple of all-important turnovers.

On the other hand, the Pioneers have efficiently moved the ball this season when they were able to gain four or more yards consistently on first down. Their ability to stay ahead of the chains should allow them to pass effectively on subsequent downs against line-heavy fronts designed to stop their explosive running attack. If Hasharon can win consistently on first down, they should be able to generate enough offense to give the Sabres problems.

Hasharon will, naturally, also have to play to their strength and stick with their ground game as the primary option on offense. After watching Tel Aviv get run through in their past few games for over 100 yards a contest, the Pioneers will rev up their power running game to wear down an undersized front.

Expect their backs, Shmuel O’Neil and Mike Levy, to have another big day, unless Tel Aviv is able to limit their improvisational running moves by sending pressure off the edges to flush them into the waiting arms of the Sabre linebackers in the middle.

For Mike’s Place to have a chance for victory, they will have to do a much better job of integrating their new quarterback, Roey Yair, into their offensive game plan than they did in their last game, when he looked clueless out there. The name of the game for Tel Aviv must be to protect the passer. Look for the them to use more max protection schemes to keep Yair comfortable and upright in the pocket so that he has more time to make better decisions and more accurate throws.

Given Yair’s less than spectacular debut performance in a 26-0 waxing by Haifa in his last outing, the Pioneers will throw several exotic pressures at the rookie QB to keep him from finding his rhythm and generate consistent pressure in the pocket.

It would behoove the Sabres to operate out of an “Ace” package (two tight ends, two receivers and one back) to get their receivers isolated on the Pioneers’ corners and safeties. With the Hasharon’s season-long struggles against top notch tight ends, expect Tel Aviv to eschew the run and rely on their short passing game, peppering the underneath coverage with quick throws to Asaf Katz and Liran Hovav.

In response, look for the Hasharon defense to use several unorthodox fronts to create confusion and mask creative blitzes. Facing a Sabres’ offense that will use three and even four-receiver sets extensively, the Pioneers will try more exotic fronts and blitzes from their dime-package defense to disrupt Tel Aviv’s timing.

In an evenly-matched contest, the team that is able to hold their focus and conquer the elements, staying persistent and consistently winning the battles in the trenches, should emerge victorious.

Next week’s IFL action features what should be the game of the season in the long-awaited clash for first place between the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (5-1) and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (5-2). The game will take place at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, February 7, at 7:00 pm.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com.

The Big Blue Jerusalem Lions’ had better look over their shoulders, because there is a stampeding pack of Underdogs barreling down and quickly gaining ground in their rear view mirror.

In Friday’s IFL action at the Wingate Institute for Physical Culture and Sport in Netanya, the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs kept the stakes up for a huge match-up for first-place in two weeks against Jerusalem with a 38-6 victory over the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers in a game that was every bit as lopsided as the score indicates.

Taking advantage of a Hasharon team that welcomed back Shmuel O’Neil to the lineup but was missing its best player in running back and free safety Mike Levy, Real Housing was able to put together five different scoring drives of at least 33 yards, turning what had been a tight early game into yet another easy win for the cruising Underdogs and another frustrating loss for Hasharon (1-5).

Haifa (5-2) is literally getting better every week and their two-way attack is positively scary and peaking at the perfect time. Their defense has gone from giving up thirty points in the first game of their current four game winning streak, to eighteen, to none in a shutout of Tel Aviv last week, to six in this contest, coming off only a four day week to rest.

Even more impressive, the Underdogs’ offense, which ranks as second most potent in the league, has widened its margin of victory in every week of the streak.

Facing a secondary determined not to get beat deep, Haifa quarterback Roey Ziv, starting in place of an injured Ori Shterenbach, adopted a more conservative passing attack and attempted many of his passes short in the seams between the zone coverage and underneath the flats.

He was only 2-10 on the day for a paltry 17 yards and also underthrew two potential touchdowns which both ended up as interceptions, however Ziv more than made up for his shortcomings through the air with his deftness on his feet.

Despite Ziv’s struggles as a pocket passer, he demonstrated the fact that he is one of the league’s most dangerous weapons when used as a dual threat on the perimeter. Haifa was able to take advantage of his superior field vision by calling more movement passes on a healthy dose of bootlegs and roll outs to keep the Pioneers’ defense from focusing exclusively on the running game.

Ziv responded spectacularly with a number of wild scrambles - at least four for over 20 yards each - most coming at times when Hasharon thought they had him contained on outside the pocket. He ended the game with 128 yards rushing on just nine attempts for an eye-popping 14 yards a carry and a touchdown on the ground as well.

Just as crucial, he picked up five first downs of his own on rushing attempts, extending his team’s drives and keeping a fatigued Dancing Camel defensive unit on the field far too long to remain effective. Indeed, three of Haifa’s touchdown came within the first two plays following a Ziv rushing first down.

Hasharon’s offense was also not able to keep up with Haifa, despite their defense giving them ample opportunities to score with three turnovers for the game, on two interceptions and a fumble recovery, starting the offense with decent field position all game.

While O’Neil’s hard running and sharp cutbacks came in handy on a day when a buzzing Haifa pass-rush hindered the Pioneers’ passing attack throughout the game, the Underdogs were more than up to the task of gearing up to stop the physical rushing style by consistently outnumbering Hasharon at the point of attack and using more blitzes by linebacker Itamar Levin to corral O’Neil’s runs into the arms of waiting Haifa tacklers.

O’Neil did manage to rush for 95 yards for the game, however 58 of them came on one run and he was otherwise held in check by the defense, only racking up 2.6 yards per carry on his remaining attempts.

Haifa was also able to smother Hasharon by using multiple pre-snap looks to confuse Hasharon QB Yoni Mazel. By baiting him into a few incorrect audibles, the Underdogs were able to keep the Pioneers’ sputtering offense out of sync. Look for them to employ the same strategy against Jerusalem in their highly-anticipated match.

The IFL gets underway next with a tilt between the league’s bottom-dwellers as the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers get right back on the horse and take on the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres (1-4) at home. The game will take place this upcoming Friday, February 1st at noon at the Yarkon Sports Complex in the Baptist Village near Petach Tikvah.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com

This Friday the Israel Football League will be making its first appearance in the Netanya region as the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers take on the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs. The two teams will meet on the fields of the Wingate Institute for Physical Culture and Sport in Netanya, and is slated to kick off at 12:30 pm.

“Wingate has long been recognized as the number one training ground for Israel’s athletes and coaches,” said Eric Amkraut, the Commissioner of the IFL. “We are fortunate to have the support of the Wingate Institute in promoting this great game to the Israeli athletic community.”

Wingate and the IFL are already working together, partnering in operating a coaches’ certification course in American Football, the first time such a training program has ever been offered in Israel. Additionally, the IFL is presently exploring expansion, with the Netanya region a leading candidate for a new IFL franchise for the 2008-09 season.

The Pioneers (1-4), who are looking to snap their current three game losing skid, will try and take advantage of Haifa’s schedule, with this being a classic trap game that the Underdogs will have to watch out for.

Coming off a short week after a controlling 26-0 victory against Tel Aviv just a few days ago, and looking ahead to an enormously important match-up against first-place Jerusalem in their next game, for Real Housing (4-2), this game is sandwiched, or trapped, right in between.

Strikingly often, in such instances, teams have a tendency to overlook the middle game and not come out with the right concentration or preparation, especially against a potentially weaker opponent. Haifa will have to be careful to stave off complacency while facing a struggling Pioneers’ squad. If they are not focused, they may be in for a surprise upset.

The Pioneers’ will certainly have their hands full trying to dismantle the Haifa offense, which has been lethal in recent weeks. Their main goal must be to dominate the line of scrimmage by getting their linemen to hit low and hard to establish consistent penetration.

If Dancing Camel can do this successfully, and Dori Reichmann and Niran Hadad are able to wreak havoc in the Underdogs’ backfield, it should blow up the run and allow them to blanket the passing game with soft zone coverage. As well, it would also give Hasharon a chance to keep pressure on Haifa’s quarterback without gambling with the blitz and leaving itself vulnerable to the big play.

The Underdogs will look to combat this approach by trying to slow down the Hasharon defensive rush with short, two step dropbacks and quick, decisive play calling. Their versatile tandem of Lior Subotnik and Niv Medlinger enables them to incorporate more screens and draws to slow aggressive pass rushes. Both backs possess a nice blend of running and receiving skills, so expect Real Housing to use either on any down.

Also look for Haifa to open up the passing game more than it has done recently and take some deep shots from run-heavy sets. Despite not having a great air attack, the Underdogs have a knack for getting Shachar Yeshurun open down the field off play-action. Look for them to exploit that trend by using close alignments out of run-heavy formations to free up their receivers on deep crossing routes off play fakes.

Dancing Camel will also have to put some points of their own on the board to have any chance for a victory. For a team that has looked lackadaisical in recent outings, look for them to get better, alert, play out of their troops by simplifying the game plan to feature schemes with fewer adjustments.

With the anticipated return of Shmuel O’Neil, Hasharon will have two legitimate power backs to shoulder the load on offense, as he combines with Mike Levy in what should be the IFL’s strongest running duo.

Hasharon, however, has been too dependent on the run in the past few games and will have to mix it up to be effective at keeping the defense guessing and moving the chains. Against a defense that has not been tested much against the throw, expect the Pioneers to aggressively throw the ball outside to take advantage of soft cushions. They should be looking to find Levy and receiver Ben Gross often on an assortment of outs, comebacks and fades to take advantage of Haifa bunching the line in anticipation of the run.

Although the Pioneers may lack the offensive firepower to match Haifa in a shootout, they will attempt to shorten the game with a ball control approach, and keep the score low. Otherwise, they could be in for a long day.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com

Saturday night’s IFL game at Maccabi Fields in Kiryat Shalom was, by and large, a one sided affair, producing the league’s first shutout, as the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs trounced the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres 26-0.

The Sabres (1-4) were not able to mount any type of pressure whatsoever, either offensively or on the defensive side of the ball, and indeed, the total net yards for the game ended in an embarrassingly unbalanced 275-5 in favour of Real Housing.

Haifa (4-2), for their part, played an efficient all-around game, but were never really challenged to make big plays and were satisfied to bide their time and wear out a Sabres’ roster that featured some new personnel, coupled with a number of key players on the sideline.

Tel Aviv sorely missed all-around talent Asaf Katz, out with a separated shoulder, and Raviv Faig, who also missed the game due to illness. They looked out of sync on offence under new quarterback Roi Yair, who never found his bearings in the face of a frenetic Haifa pass-rushing attack.

The Underdogs’ offence continued its transformation into a smash-mouth unit, led by the power running of Niv Medlinger and Leor Subotnik. After watching the passing game get off to another slow start, Haifa began calling more running plays to Medlinger and Subotnik to steady the offense.

While their solid pounding of the line didn’t produce big yardage initially, persistent grinding eventually resulted in three explosive runs in the second half of at least 15 yards. The two backs combined for 121 rushing yards on the day and each scored a touchdown on the ground to boot.

Real Housing’s offence still possesses quick-strike ability, but the steady improvement of their running game has given their offense the necessary punch to win games in inclement weather, when throwing the ball becomes more difficult.

Defensively, credit the Underdogs’ Idan Maor for taking advantage of the Sabres’ depleted offence by utilizing more blitzes. The increased use of four-man pressures allowed Maor to feast off the edge on the way to a monster four-sack day.

As well, the constant harassment of Roi Yair in the pocket resulted in a one-completion, four-total passing yards performance from the quarterback in his season debut. The Underdogs have lived off the sack this season, and the increased use of pressure has been smothering and surely the biggest catalyst in their surge of takeaways in the past few games.

Haifa was able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and this was the key factor in the outcome of the game. They never gave Tel Aviv time to get their offence set up and it seemed as if the second the ball was snapped, the line collapsed and there was immediate pressure on the quarterback, the backfield swarming with Underdogs.

All in all, there was not much positive the Sabres’ can take from this game, and they will have to regroup and come up with a creative game plan going forward to have a chance at emerging from the league’s cellar.

The Underdogs, on the other hand, are playing their best football of the season and seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.

They play again this upcoming Friday, January 25 with a game against the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (1-4), as the IFL returns at a special venue, the Wingate Institute for Physical Culture and Sport in Netanya with a 12:30 kickoff. It is Haifa’s last game before facing the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (5-1) for first place on February 7^th at Kraft Stadium.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com. Photo courtesy GameDay

The IFL kicks off once again this weekend with an exciting Saturday night match-up between two surging teams as the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs face the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres at Maccabi Fields in Kiryat Shalom at 7:00 PM.

Both teams are brimming with confidence, each coming off an encouraging win in their last game. The Underdogs (3-2) are looking to continue their winning ways and challenge Jerusalem atop the standings. The two face each other on February 7^th at Kraft Stadium in a potential winner-take-first-place derby.

The Sabres (1-3), meanwhile, are looking to build upon their first win of the season after finally clicking on all cylinders last time out and really working in unison on the field for a full forty-eight minutes. If they can put up a repeat performance, they will certainly be difficult to beat.

Haifa, offensively, will look to play to their strengths and go to the ground early and often, taking advantage of their superior running attack. The Underdogs rediscovered their multi-pronged running game by pounding ball with Niv Medlinger relentlessly between the tackles as well as steering the run to the outside lanes and up the sidelines with Leor Subotnik.

Facing a Sabres’ rushing defense that has surrendered over 100 yards in consecutive games, look for both backs to get plenty of carries on an assortment of leads, powers and sweeps.

Tel Aviv will attempt to counter defensively by altering their rush defense and stacking the line on early downs with an extra defender in the box (Asaf Katz). To counter this formation, expect Haifa to spread the field to create bigger running lanes. They will call more runs from their three-receiver, shotgun sets to take advantage of Tel Aviv’s nickel package.

Additionally, they will look to move the chains by playing the screen game. The added attention to the running game by their defense leaves Mike’s Place vulnerable to Haifa’s short passing game. Look for Real Housing to get the ball quickly to Shachar Yeshurun and Idan Maor on bubble screens to take advantage of the soft coverage outside.

If the Sabres can stop the run early, however, they should be able to put pressure on Haifa in the passing game, which could spell trouble for the Haifa quarterbacks who have been unable to air the ball out with any recent success.

On the other side, Tel Aviv will look to jump down the throats of their opponents and get out to an early lead. Their number one ranked passing offense will test the Underdogs’ defense by using an assortment of quick rhythm throws to Liran Hovav and Amit Benvenisti.

Look for Haifa to take the short throws away by using more press coverage out of its two-deep and blitz-man schemes. By getting jams at the line, they will disrupt the timing of the Sabres’ quick passing game and buy time for Omer Kedmi and Itamar Levin to create pressure off the edges.

Mike’s Place must adapt and mix it up with its resurgent running game, led by Katz and Daniel Gev. Both are shifty backs with the ability to avoid tackles and their deceptive quickness often nullifies physical rush defenses. If their offensive line can win with their athleticism in the trenches, they can squeeze open the running lanes just enough to create room to run between the tackles.

In a ‘nothing to lose’ game at home with the anticipated fan support, the Sabres will take more chances to pull off a big upset. I can see them use some form of trickery (onside kick, reverses or a fake punt) to generate energy and momentum if the game is close.

Ultimately, however, I believe the game will turn on take-aways. The Haifa blitz-happy defense is playing as well as any defensive unit in the league. Expect them to take advantage of Tel Aviv’s inexperience at quarterback with a new QB at the helm and win the game on turnovers.

The IFL returns next Friday with a special-venue game at the Wingate Institute for Physical Culture and Sport near Netanya. Kick-off between the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (1-4) and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs will take place at 12:30 PM.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com

Those who came out to root for the home side on a frigid Thursday evening at Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem were certainly not sent home disappointed as the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (5-1) got on the board early and often while cruising to a 46-6 victory over the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (1-4).

The victory was a huge boost for the Big Blue squad, bouncing back from a loss in their previous outing and truly playing a fantastic game in all aspects. Hasharon came out looking to be inspired from their improved play of late, but were never able to get it going against a Jerusalem squad that was simply too dominant on the night, even without star receiver Yoni Lehrer, who was a late scratch.

Quarterback Aryeh Bauman ran for three touchdown on the day, including a beautiful fifteen yard scramble, faking out four or five bewildered Dancing Camel defenders with a couple of ankle-breaking jukes. He finished with seventy yards on the ground and threw for two scores as well.

Cornerback Uri Schiff was also outstanding on the day with an IFL record four interceptions while also tossing a touchdown pass to his own to punter/kicker Josh Manor.

Jerusalem got out front to a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, but the Pioneers appeared to be getting back in the game, moving the chains and sustaining some offensive pressure by going to Mike Levy on an unbelievable 16 straight plays from scrimmage.

With the score cut to 14-6 and Hasharon gaining momentum, however, they had an interception nullified on a bone-headed holding penalty and then gave up a back-breaking 55 yard bomb for a touchdown at the halftime buzzer to go down 28-6.

With Levy out in the second half, Hasharon was forced to rely on a back-by- committee approach, and the Lions were more than up to the task of holding them off the scoreboard the rest of the way, putting up another 18 points of their own in the second frame.

Meanwhile, with a number of players still out with injuries, Jerusalem managed to adapt well to the change in personnel and were able to tweak their running game to cater to their individual strengths while attacking the biggest weaknesses of the Hasharon defense, namely the short zone.

Big Blue’s offense was able to counter the disguised looks of the Pioneers by working at a quick tempo and utilizing quick counts to limit the pre-snap bluffing of the linebackers. By attacking with several quick throws to keep the defense honest, they were able to move the ball on curl out runs by Bauman and short pass-and-runs to Moshe Horowitz.

All in all, facing a Lions team that was hungry for a victory, the Pioneers were swallowed up by the pride.

The IFL kicks off again next Saturday night at 7:00 pm with a game between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres (1-3) and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (3-2).

Game notes: The game was dubbed the “American Bowl” in tribute to the U.S. President’s visit to Israel this week and vocalist Shira Kaplan began the evening with renditions of both the Israeli and American anthems; Greg Tepper made his official IFL debut for Big Blue and took part in five tackles; Levy missed the third quarter with a leg strain but returned to action by the end of the game; DB Michael Amzalag had a standout game for Jerusalem with an interception, a nice kick return and a three tackle evening.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com

Every team in the IFL has now cracked the win column on the season following a scrappy 28-20 triumph for Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres over Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers at a rainy Maccabi Fields in Tel Aviv.

The victory, the Sabres’ first of the year in quarterback Adi Hakami’s last game, was well earned by a determined club who played their first truly complete game of the season, withstanding a courageous 250 total-yard performance by Hasharon’s all-pro Mike Levy in a losing effort.

The game got started off on the wrong foot for Tel Aviv after Levy took the opening kickoff 61 yards to the 1 yard line on the way to a quick 14-0 lead for Dancing Camel with 4 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The Sabres stayed calm amidst the storm and continued to come hard at the Pioneers and make decisive decisions on both sides of the ball, swarming the ball-carrier on defense and making solid blocks to protect their offensive play-makers and extend their possessions. Asaf Katz was especially ferocious in the first half, seemingly taking part in every single tackle all over the field and finishing with eight on the day.

Tel Aviv was successful all game at countering the disguised looks of the Pioneers’ defense by working at a speedy tempo. Hakami was effective at utilizing quick counts to limit the pre-snap bluffing of the linebackers and attack Hasharon with several quick throws just to keep the defense unsure and worried about its timing.

Touchdowns by three different players on three consecutive drives, culminating with a 7 yard reception by receiver Liron Hovav, put Tel Aviv up for good 22-14 at the half.

The skies opened up in the third quarter and both sides were careful to protect the ball with safer play-calling to prevent a big turnover. Both quarterbacks were deft at using short throws to running backs and tight ends to counter the soft umbrella scheme being employed by both defensive schemes. Both teams’ defenses, however, were equally as impressive in quickly closing on the ball after the reception and making slight adjustments to keep their linebackers in better position to make plays on the underneath throws.

Dancing Camel seemed poised to score what could have possibly been the game-tying score on two separate occasions in the third stanza. First was when Levy, who finished with 197 rushing yards for the game, broke 4 tackles up the middle and was on his way to the house after a 40 yard gallop. On a heroic defensive play, however, Tel Aviv cornerback Amit Benvenisti managed to poke the ball free at the two yard line and the fumble went out of the back of the endzone for a touchback and a huge turnover.

With less than a minute left in the third, the Pioneers made it a 22-20 contest on a second Levy TD, but inexplicably passed over the chance at the tie and attempted an extra point kick, which was no good.

Tel Aviv added a score on a Hakami quarterback sneak early in the fourth and was able to hold Hasharon off the board for the rest of the game, ultimately running out the clock with two time-eating drives in the last five minutes.

As the final whistle sounded, the heavens emitted an earth-shattering clap of thunder and flash of lightening in applause of Tel Aviv’s (1-3) first conquest.

Hasharon (1-3) gets an immediate chance to bounce back with a game this upcoming Thursday, January 10^th against the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (4-1) at Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem. Plenty of good seats are available for the 7:00 pm kickoff.

Game notes: The game marked the fact that every IFL team has now faced each other at least once; Hakami finished 12-23 for 186 yards, throwing for 2 TDs with a rushing score and an interception in his last appearance before traveling to the US for the rest season. Adi is excited to return to play next year in the IFL; Mike Levy, with197 yards rushing, takes the IFL lead with 271 rushing yards for the season. He is also the league’s leading kick returner and is third in tackles with 31; TA’s Liron Hovav took over the IFL with 102 receiving yards on seven catches; Mazel tov to Hasharon linebacker Mark Creizman who got engaged this past week.

League notes: The IFL is actively seeking players for new franchises slated to begin play in the 2008-09 season. Regions presently being considered for expansion include Be’er Sheva, Nazareth, Gush Etzion, Modi’in, Rishon LeTzion/Holon and Ra’anana/Kfar Saba. Interested players should contact Adam Slater in the IFL office at afi@barak.net.il or register on the league website at www.ifl.co.il.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com

This week’s action in the Fieldturf IFL pits the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (1-2) against the still winless Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres (0-3) in a game that is significant for both teams, who are facing each other for the first time this season. Each side is looking to rebound from a heart-breaking loss in their last contest; Tel Aviv let the game slip away against Haifa in a 35-30 tilt, while Hasharon played very tough against Jerusalem but fell short in the second half. The match will take place on Friday at 11:00 AM at Maccabi Fields in Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv’s offence both starts and finishes with quarterback Adi Hakami and wide receiver Liran Hovav. The two must get going early for them to have a chance at their first victory of the year.

The Sabres’ ball-control is most effective when Hakami escapes the pocket and makes plays with his feet, both on the ground and through the air. His ability to scramble and elude the rush frustrates pass rushers and hidden yardage compiled from the runs allows the team to sustain drives.

Hovav, the IFL’s leading pass-receiver, scorched Haifa for 12 catches for 165 yards and two scores in his last game, so he is sure to see a ton of double coverage from the Pioneer’s defence on most of his routes. Tel Aviv will need another receiver to step up and establish himself as a bona fide threat to complement Hovav and alleviate some of the pressure on the offence that has been relying exclusively on both him and Hakami.

As well, look for Mike’s Place to try and open up the field by getting running backs Daniel Gev and Asaf Katz involved early to keep the Pioneers from focusing exclusively on the passing game.

For its part, Hasharon must take some of the positives from their loss to Big Blue and build upon them in this match. With Shmuel O’neil likely still sidelined, the game plan should involve focusing both their offence and defense around emerging all-around talent Mike Levy.

His versatility allows them to line him up all over the field to take advantage of mismatches in space and coverage on both sides of the ball. Against Jerusalem, Levy finally got enough touches to get into a rhythm. Against an improving Tel Aviv defense, Hasharon must continue to run the ball to control the tempo of the game.

They will also look to attack the Sabres’ secondary with an assortment of underneath crossing patterns. Quarterback Johan Tynell must continue to make smart decisions and not turn the ball over by using a high-percentage passing game featuring shorter routes.

On defense, Dancing Camel certainly has the personnel to neutralize Hovav by mixing up their nickel and dime packages to keep a defensive back with him on passing downs. Their penchant for creating turnovers is a product of their ‘Tampa Two’ defense, capitalizing on tips or overthrows, and they will continue to focus on takeaways against a pass-happy Tel Aviv offense.

Also expect the Pioneers to crowd the line on early downs to try to stop the run and force Hakami to throw against their two-deep coverage in long-yardage situations.

I predict a high-scoring affair between two teams who are looking to showcase their offense and prove that they belong in the top of the league. If the Sabres’ can curtail their tendency of giving up a big turnover at a crucial point in the game, I believe they will put enough points up on the board to secure their first win.

The IFL gets under way again next week with a Thursday night match-up between Big Blue Jerusalem (4-1) and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers. The game will take place at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem at 7:00 PM. Please secure your tickets early to guarantee a seat.

League notes: The IFL is actively seeking players for new franchises slated to begin play in the 2008-09 season. Regions presently being considered for expansion include Be’er Sheva, Nazareth, Gush Etzion, Modi’in, Rishon LeTzion/Holon and Ra’anana/Kfar Saba. Interested players should contact Adam Slater in the IFL office at afi@barak.net.il or register on the league website at www.ifl.co.il.

Prepared by Uriel Sturm, IFL League Statistician, who has (objectively) viewed and recorded each and every IFL down and game ever played from the best seat in the house – the field! Please feel free to contact at uesturm@gmail.com