Flag Football Game One

Cardinals 12 Packers...wait for it...keep waiting...Packers...13!

Now, that's what we're talking about!

Wow. What a game.

Basic rules of NFL Flag Football: You play two 25 minute halves (running time). On offense, a team starts with the ball on its own 5-yard line. It has four plays to cross mid field. (The length of the field is 40 yards.) If it succeeds, it has four more plays to score. If it fails to do one (or both), it turns the ball over to the other team, who then starts on its own 5-yard line.

We won the coin toss and opted to play defense first and start with the ball in the second half. Our defense came out and did a nice job. The Cardinals crossed mid field, but our stingy Packer defense kept them out of the end zone. Taking the ball at our own five, we sent five kids wide left and split one of our four STARS wide right, in total isolation. The play called for a stop-n-go. The 6-year old ran the pattern perfectly, getting the defender to bite on the stop. Twenty yards later, he waited for the ball to be delivered. (Twenty yards in a 6-year old league is the equivalent of a 40 yard bomb in the NFL.) The quarterback (us...we were the QB for the Packers) launched the ball in a tight spiral and watched as it...wait for it...landed about ONE INCH in front of the diving receiver.

Ugh. So close to a perfect opening play.

Three plays later, we lost the ball on downs. The Cardinals crossed mid field and then quickly scored. Having missed the extra point, they led 6-0. Again the Packer offense stalled. (This time however, we did cross mid field - courtesy of a 20-yard diving pass reception.)

At this point, there were about four minutes left in the half. Because it takes a long time to get 6-year olds set up, four minutes is enough time for maybe five or six plays. At this point, the Head Ball Coach was beginning to get stressed. Two first half possessions on offense had netter ZERO points and a 6-zip deficit.

And then it happened.

On their first play, the Cardinals dropped back to pass and attempted a 7-yard down and out. Unfortunately for them, they chose to throw at The Playmaker. He dropped into coverage, broke on the ball, and made a beautiful leaping pick. Now, with the ball on the Cardinals 12 yard line, the Packers quickly scored to tie the game at six (extra point no good).

In the second half, we scored on a delayed bubble screen up the middle. A one yard pass from us and a 35 yard run by the receiver gave us the lead, 13-6.

We got nothing on our last two possessions (The Playmaker had a nice crossing pattern for about a 10 yard gain.) Finally, with just over a minute left in the game we gave up possession to the cards. One incomplete pass later, they were down to 30 seconds and, most likely, their final play. They decided to do a misdirection running play and their kid tight ropes the sideline, as two Packers fall down and one pulls the kid's flag but can't get the damn thing to come out. Forty yards later, the kid is in the end zone and the clock has expired.

At that point, we were about to puke. It felt like when Boise State got luckier than lucky against Oklahoma two years ago. The game was ours and now it was about to be ripped away.

The Cardinals decided to go for two and the W. (We would have done the same.) We doubled their best kid (the one who just scored). The coach/QB finds the open receiver, who, much to our horror, catches it. Our father (The Playmaker's Poppop) screams (as do we), "BALL!" -- the universal signal to the Packer defenders that someone has the ball and they need to leave their men and pull his flag. At once, three Packers fly toward the kid, who has caught the ball on the two yard line. One kid goes for the flag, while the other two tackle him.

Game over. Packers win! Packers win!

One-and-oh, baby!