Referat: Eskilstuna Sharks - Nässjö Saints

Referat från Flagfootballworld.com
(Flagfootballworld.com skriver om flaggfotboll från hela världen. Under säsongen 2020 följde de SM-serien i Sverige.)

The second semi-finals was played between Eskilstuna Sharks and Nässjö Saints. In a pre-season game played between the sides the score was hotly contested, with Eskilstuna grabbing a narrow 4 point win. That game set us up with high expectations for their regular season game, however a 38-6 win for Eskilstuna had us scratching our heads.

Given that the score wasn’t indicative of play, we assumed that the playoff game would be highly contested, predicting a 38-34 win for Eskilstuna. However, it wasn’t to be. The Sharks throttled the Saints, slamming home another 30+ to 6 win, and as the saying goes; once is a fluke, twice is a trend.

The Sharks made an interesting switch mid-season, as Mikael Andersson was handed the reigns a QB. We thought this was a short term solution but Mikael’s ascension as QB was stunning to see. The Sharks coached by previous national team head coach, Andreas Hellström and his coaching staff designed a playbook full of roll-outs to get Michael to throw in space and having to read less of the field, as well as negating the presence of a blitzer in his face.

Moreover, the plays built on everything flowing whichever way the QB was rolling, relying heavily on outs, ins, posts and corner routes. Although new at the position, Michael expertly used the offensive scheme to find balls to his often less athletic teammates.

The Sharks started the game running its usual high defensive line. The inexperience in Nässjö shun through as adjusting on the fly wasn’t generating great results. One of Nässjö biggest weaknesses throughout the season has been dealing with adverse and pressing situations. The stunning difference in performance when things are going well, and when they aren’t, is strange to see and were oh so evident in this game. The game ended in a 32-6 blow-out and this time it felt more like the results mimicked the game.