Big Blue Faces Mike’s Place, and Uriel Talks Defense
The Lions (6-1) come into the contest on an emotional high, having clinched first place in their last game over the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (5-3) and getting a boost of fresh energy with the return of more players from the IL each week. The impact of injuries on any football club cannot be understated, and Big Blue getting back to full strength just as the playoffs are approaching should be a scary image for the rest of teams in the league.
The Sabres (1-6), on the other hand, must be feeling discouraged by this point, having drastically improved many aspects of their game over the past month after the departure of starting quarterback Adi Hakami, yet having nothing to show for their efforts in the win column. They are coming off a pair of tightly-fought, crushing losses to their closest rival, the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers (3-5), by a total combined margin of five points, leaving them looking in from the outside of the playoff picture in this, the IFL’s inaugural season.
Despite the teams’ seeming inequality, judging by their inverse mirroring records, the Lions must be careful not to overlook Mike’s Place, which has the ability to play the type of blanketing, shut-down defense that could disrupt the offensive flow of the game for Big Blue. While the Sabres’ are playing simply for pride, with no chance of qualifying for the post-season, if they are able to force a couple of turnovers in critical situations and take adavantage of the element of surprise that comes with being cast in the position of big underdogs, they may be able to pull of the huge upset.
Moving on to an unrelated issue, I have been getting quite a bit of feedback over the past few weeks regarding my tendency to overlook the defensive stars of the IFL in my weekly recaps and previews of the games and focus on players who have performed well offensively, at the expense of not giving credit to those on the other side of the ball who have been just as responsible for their teams’ success.
In a word (or two) to my critics - you’re right! Looking back at my previous columns, I must concur that I have given short shrift to some of the bright stars, or even total defensive units, of the league for whatever reason, maybe due to the ‘team-first’ nature of defensive football which tends not to focus on the individual or maybe due to my own ignorance and preoccupation with high-scoring offensive performances. In any case, I would like to redeem myself slightly by devoting a couple of paragraphs here to highlight the defensive accomplishments I have seen so far this season in the IFL.
I must say at the outset that, undoubtedly, the defensive football talent in the league far outweighs the offensive profiency being displayed on a weekly basis and that the development of skills and positioning on what may be the less glamerous side of the ball is nothing short of remarkable in such a short period of time, with many players who, as recently as eight months ago, had never been on a football field before in their lives.
On the front lines, Big Blue’s top pass rushing tandem of Avigdor Moore and Asher Meckler have been the league’s most explosive duo. While lacking explosive initial quickness and a top-speed closing burst, Meckler has a knack for getting to the quarterback off the edge by using his athleticism to gain leverage on opposing players. Despite being one of the IFL’s oldest players, Moore’s size, strength, dedication and position flexibility makes him a dominating interior force on the pass rush and many a quarterback’s worst nightmare.
When looking at the packages being employed, we have seen a influx of the 3-4 defense due to the formation’s flexibility of personnel and opportunity for creative zone blitz packages. Middle defenders around the league, from Jerusalem’s Tomer Shacham and Marwan Sima’an to Hasharon’s Yaniv Yaron to Haifa’s Idan Maor and Losha Ivlev, have been successful all year blowing up the oposition’s running game and creating long-yardage situations that have allowed there team to pressure the passer.
Additionally, the league has featured an array of top-notch safeties who have emerged as their teams’ top playmakers. The Lions’ Adam Lemberg, Hasharon’s Mike Levy, Haifa’s Arbel Rom and the Sabres’ Eli Patael are just a few of the difference-makers who have starred in various games this season. Each has the combination of cover skills and blitz ability to be used in multiple ways. This versatility has become a premium and teams will continue to place an added emphasis on finding players with this combination of talent to develop into shutdown defender.
The popularity of the cover two and zone blitz have minimized the need for a classic ’shut down’ corner on most rosters. Both schemes place a premium on pressuring the quarterback and emphasize the importance of pass rush over coverage. This has been one of the key defensive philosophies that has been effective at overpowering blockers at the point of attack and completely disrupting the offensive balance of the opposing team.
What has been most impressive by far for an observer of this upstart league on the defensive side of the ball is the fundamentally sound and ferocious tackling form being exhibited by almost all of the teams. Outstanding instincts, awareness, relentlessness and toughness have been the characteristics that most aptly describe so many of the league’s first-time participants in the sport, and I look forward to seeing the further development of talent and football philosophy in the future.
