IFL Football

There is certainly no debate this week over the top team in the Fieldturf IFL. Thursday night’s highly-touted match at Kraft Stadium failed to live up to the pre-game hype as the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions were simply too strong and determined for an over-matched Real Housing Haifa Underdogs squad, riding an inspired performance from both their offense and defense, and not turning over the ball once, en route to a 38-22 victory that clinched first place and a trip to IFL championship game in March.

After a quick strike by Haifa (5-3) put them on the board first with a 6-0 lead, Jerusalem (6-1) went on a 38-2 tear that all but iced the game by the start of the final quarter. While two fourth quarter scores by the Underdogs made the final score respectable, the game was never in doubt for a Big Blue team that played full-throttle football for 48 minutes, focused on avenging their only loss of the season.

Credit the Jerusalem play callers for incorporating more runs to Moshe Horowitz and Adam Lemberg in the opening stages of the game. By running the tandem early on an assortment of draws and quick-hitters, Big Blue was able to exploit the deep drops of the Haifa linebackers and keep them guessing.

Lemberg is beginning to provide Jerusalem with a second running threat needed to handle the exotic looks they will see in the playoffs. Not only did he post his second long touchdown run of the season (the other coming on a punt return), he broke off a couple of long runs where he baffled awaiting tacklers and showed good toughness while running hard between the tackles. After being a minimal contributor on offense for the early part of the season, Lemberg is giving Big Blue another explosive offensive weapon at just the right time.

Despite using a ball-control passing game against the Underdogs, Aryeh Bauman continues to torch secondaries with the semi-deep ball. Bauman’s pair of 24 yard TD passes were the Lions’ 24^th and 25^th completions of more than 20 yards. He had a very workman-like day at the office with an efficient 7-9 for 71 yards and two touchdowns passing, to go along with another score and 51 yards on the ground.

As well, Jerusalem experimented with using receivers Yoni Lehrer and Gai Van Straten on the same side of the field at times to counter the bracket coverage defenses are using to slow the dynamic duo. By pairing the tandem on a side, they are assured of getting one of their top targets single coverage through various combination routes. The subtle adjustment resulted in a TD for each receiver, but the tweak will pay dividends even more towards the playoffs, as teams will focus on stopping Big Blue’s top playmakers with various brackets.

On defense, the Lions continue to bottle up opposing receivers without using tricks or gimmicks. Using their vaunted defensive schemes, Big Blue effectively neutralized receiver Shachar Yeshurun by jamming him at the line, while floating their safeties over the top. With their underneath zone players reading the Haifa QBs’ eyes in the pocket, they were also able to shrink the open windows available over the middle.

As well the Lions blanketed the Haifa passing game with their two-mid defense. Their combination of coverage and pressure allowed them to shrink the passing windows and hold the Underdogs’ offense to minimal yardage. While quarterback Ori Shterenbach finished 6-18 for 95 yards, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers, those numbers look better than he did on a day when he was wildly inconsistent for much of the game.

Curiously, the Underdogs seemed to base their game plan on playing to Big Blue’s weaknesses rather than to their own strengths. The strong, smashmouth running game that has been the defining feature of the offense in their recent winning streak was abandoned for a pass-happy mentality that didn’t produce results until it was too late. For most of the contest the failed to incorporate more slants and quick-outs to take advantage of the open windows available against Jerusalem’s zone blitzes. Leor Subtonik was almost invisible and the running game produced only 89 yards, their lowest output of the season.

On a positive note, Idan Maor is starting to stake his claim on the Haifa’s offensive corps and was one of the bright spots on the day for Real Housing. His ability to generate big plays in both the passing and running game has given the Underdogs’ an added dimension. He scored a long 45 yard catch-and-run touchdown, bouncing off Jerusalem defenders like a pinball and was a whirling dervish on defense all game, compiling seven solo tackles and 3 and a half sacks. With Haifa’s hopes of embarking on a long playoff run, it will need Maor to continue to be a difference maker.

Among the other things Haifa can take away from this crushing loss was their success at putting pressure on the Big Blue quarterback all game, leading to a whopping eight sacks. Also, after going into halftime down 24-8, they managed to regroup and play the Lions to a 14-14 draw in the second half. However, Jerusalem was playing their backups towards the end of the game and much of the Underdogs’ offensive prowess was displayed only when the final outcome of the game was already decided.

The IFL returns this upcoming Friday with an important duel with playoff implications between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers at the Yarkon Sports Complex in the Baptist Village near Petah Tikva with kickoff at noon.

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.

For the throngs of avid Fieldturf IFL fans out there, this game needs no introduction. The top two teams in the standings, both extremely hungry, bordering on starving, for this victory. Playing for first place. Winner has the inside track to a first round playoff bye with just a couple of games left in the regular season. The biggest, best and most anticipated regular season game in the young history of the league.

Add it all up and the showdown between the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions and the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs this Thursday evening at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem could go a long way in deciding the IFL champion in March.

The truth is these are two really good football teams who will go at it playing with a combustible mix of motivation on both sides of the field.

Big Blue (5-1) is coming into this game with added incentive in front of their home fans after getting spanked by the Underdogs in their last meeting, in Haifa, for their only loss of the season. The Lions will benefit from playing at close to full-strength for the first time in more than two months after more than three weeks off to rest a number of nagging injuries. This extra vigor and enthusiasm could tip the balance in their favor in a tightly-fought contest that could go down to the wire.

The Underdogs (5-2), on the other hand, are riding a wave of momentum and confidence that is unprecedented, tearing through teams with apparent ease on their current four game winning streak and clicking on all cylinders both offensively and defensively. Look for this positive energy to play a factor in the early stages of the contest if Haifa can take advantage of the Lions’ rustiness with a quick strike to throw them off their game plan and rattle them at the outset, not allowing them to settle into their groove.

The premise of the Underdogs’ coverage on defense will be to make the Big Blue offense earn their points by limiting big plays. Against a passing game that has the most completions of more than 20 yards (16) in the league, Haifa will test Jerusalem quarterback Aryeh Baumans’ patience by sitting in soft zone coverage and conceding short throws. They are willing to let Bauman pass for more than 200 yards, but they want to make him earn it by limiting his big play opportunities.

To this end, not only will they have to guard against the deep bomb, but they will also have to focus on limiting the Lions’ YAC (yards after catches). Big Blue’s passing game excels partly because of their receivers’ ability to pick up yardage after the catch. The Underdogs must combat this by swarming to the ball and making solid tackles in open space.

The Underdogs should also try and keep Bauman off-balance in the pocket by blending in “two-man” coverage with their two-deep package. “Two-man” uses some of the same principles of standard two-deep coverage, but the underneath players lock up with the receivers in man coverage with two safeties over top. When used in conjunction with two-deep, it clouds the read for the quarterback. This could be crucial in confusing the Jerusalem high-octane offense and keeping them off the scoreboard.

Big Blue will try and play off of this strategy by exploiting the Underdogs’ inexperience at safety and attacking down the middle of the field. With Haifa sitting in those types of defensive zones, expect Bauman to manipulate the safeties by looking outside before hitting Yoni Lehrer repeatedly down the seams. I anticipate at least a couple of scores as a result of Haifa’s safeties being pump-faked out of position and unable to recover before the ball arrives.

As well, Big Blue will turn to the running game to handle the Underdogs’ aggressive blitz-package, using Moshe Horowitz on an assortment of sprint draws and powers. It will be interesting to see if the Lions can seamlessly switch between a quick, rhythm passing game to a vertical passing attack complemented by a power running game. Such versatility will not only help them in this match, but will also serve them well during their playoff run because it would allow them to compete in and win any style of game.

Haifa will have their hands full trying to keep up with Jerusalem in a shootout and will attempt to keep the score fairly low in the first half by calling more running plays early to slow the tempo of the game. If they are able to run successfully, they’ll set up their play-action passing game while keeping the Big Blue offensive unit on the sideline. They should look plenty to both Niv Medlinger and Leor Subotnik on the edges where off-tackle zone runs can take advantage of the upfield rushes of the pass-rushers while giving their backs several cutback options.

Jerusalem’s defense is anchored by the dynamic pass-rushing tandem of Yonah Misha’an, just back from the Superbowl, and Avigdor Moore. Expect Big Blue to unleash the duo off the edges on an assortment of blitzes to take advantage of the Underdogs’ suspect play at offensive tackle.

Real Housing must be ready for the pressure and attack it by hitting their receivers on quick slants and fades before the rush arrives. Look for more three-step routes to counter the Lions’ blitz-heavy game plan.

In the end, if the New York Giants taught us anything last Sunday in Arizona it was to have faith and ride the hot and streaking team who peaked at the right time…so why am I so damn uneasy picking Haifa? I’ve been pumping them up for weeks. Because I think these teams are even on offense and defense, but not on special teams. Big Blue has a slight edge there - add that to the home-field advantage and I think they’ll stop the rolling Underdog express and win. 37-35 final score.

Normally I’m fairly well hype-intolerant, but here’s all I know: Jerusalem-Haifa is as good as it gets in the IFL, circa 2008, and I can’t wait to see what drama it all produces this Thursday at 7:00 pm at Kraft Stadium. Lions-Underdogs. Bring it on!

The IFL returns next Friday with an important duel with playoff implications between the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres and the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers at the Yarkon Sports Complex in the Baptist Village near Petah Tikva with kickoff at noon.

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

A thrilling game of twists, turns and turbulence on a muddy field in the Baptist Village ended in jubilation for the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers, who pulled off the heist of the IFL season against a bewildered Tel Aviv squad that is kicking themselves this morning over what might have been.

Quarterback Yoni Mayzel threw three touchdown passes, Shmuel O’Neil rushed for 75 yards and the Pioneers (2-5), desperate for a victory after coming into the game on a four game skid, rallied behind two touchdowns from receiver Ben Gross to come back and outlast the Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres 24-21 on Friday afternoon to take over third place in the IFL standings.

Tel Aviv (1-5) still can’t believe the outcome after going into the fourth quarter with a seemingly comfortable 21-8 lead, and having the game literally slip out of their fingers with a last minute Hasharon game-winning touchdown drive in which the Sabres could have iced the game but for a dropped interception by the usually sure-handed Amit Benvenisti.

The victory was especially sweet for the Hasharon passing attack, led by Mayzel, who finally made a team pay for daring him to win using his arm after his recent struggles. He was 9-19 for 129 yards for the day and, more importantly, was able to find his receivers on pin-point completions for first downs or scores when his team needed them most.

The Pioneers’ defense was also misleadingly impressive, holding the Tel Aviv offense to just one touchdown on a short seventeen yard drive (two of the Sabres’ three touchdowns came on a punt and interception return) and allowing only 70 total yards for the game, despite playing without their best player, Mike Levy, once again. Corners Yaniv Yaron and Ariel Greisas filled in admirably as Hasharon was able to use its press coverage to take the Tel Aviv receivers out of the game.

Whether a function of quarterback Roi Yair still getting acclimated to the Sabres’ offense or simply the dominance of the relentless Dancing Camel defensive unit, Tel Aviv was only able to generate four first downs and four completions for the entire game and star receiver Liran Hovav was held in check for the second straight outing with only 19 receiving yards, although he did manage an interception return for 38 additional yards.

Tel Aviv linebacker Josh Klein was especially unstoppable in a losing cause and he ended up with an astounding 14 solo tackles for the game. Klein flew all over the field making solid stops to bottle up Hasharons’ usually stellar run, and his instincts and awareness in middle coverage were almost clairvoyant as he seemed to anticipate where the ball was going to end up on every play.

Tel Aviv running back Daniel Gev opened the scoring with a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown and after Gross evened the things at 8-8 with a beautiful over the shoulder catch in the back left corner of the endzone, another Gev touchdown, this one a 15-yard pass from Yair, and an interception return for a score by Benvenisti staked Tel Aviv to a 13 point cushion after three.

After a huge goal line stand to begin the fourth, it looked as if the Sabres were going to cruise to their second win of the season. However a Hasharon safety caused by Yaron and a quick 11-yard TD strike to Raphael Bloom on the ensuing possession, followed by another defensive hold and forced punt, gave the Pioneers the ball back with 2:30 left on the clock, plenty of time to score the deciding points. eventual game-winning drive.

On the first play of what was the eventual game-winning drive, Tel Aviv had a chance to assure a victory when Hasharon got their offensive signals mixed up and Mayzel hung a pass to the outside that appeared ripe for the picking. However the ball slithered through the open arms of the waiting Benvenisti, who mistakenly had his eye on a big return instead of securing the ball, and the rest is history.

One play later, Mayzel feathered a 35-yard pass deep down the sideline that Gross was able to haul in for a touchdown, giving Hasharon their first lead of the day and completing their improbable fourth-quarter comeback, a pass that every member of a deflated Mike’s Place Tel Aviv Sabres team won’t soon forget.

In this week’s IFL action, the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions (5-1) take on the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs (5-2) in a long-awaited rematch of the league’s two best teams for a mouth-watering battle for first place. The season series between the teams is knotted at one and Big Blue is looking to avenge their only loss of the season which came in their last game against Haifa. Kickoff will take place at 7:00 PM this Thursday at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem. Tickets are going fast.

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.

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