London Blitz 7-7 London Warriors. Home opener for the Warriors ends in a tie.

With all of the 2011 lockout speak many fear that without the NFL there is no football, but there is a strong American Football league happening right here in the U.K, and of course other parts of Europe.

Hungry to see some real football action and to take a refreshing break from reading all about the Lockout on football blogs, I took myself down to Boston Manor playing fields to watch the London Warriors host the London Blitz, who both play in the BAFAL Premier league.


After spending an hour actually looking for the playing fields, (I was in Boston park instead of the nearby Boston Fields; Rookie mistake!) I finally made it, but I had sadly missed the first quarter and a home TD as the Warriors were 0-7 up.
I was happy to see a crowd of perhaps 150, and unlike NFL games I stood alongside the players and chatted to several, one of whom, my friend Johnny I used to play flag football was all kitted up, though he didn’t get to grace the field, then again he had just played a Polo game some hours before. I don’t think anywhere in the world there is someone else who plays Polo then American Football in the same day.

Both teams struggled to move the ball yet despite some clumsy mistakes from both teams such as; blocked punts, muffed punts, fumbles and dropped catches, there was some good football.

When the Warriors pounced on a fumbled punt, they were not far from the Blitz’s endzone. On third and maybe 6, Marvin Allen, (who boasts a Super Bowl ring from his 2008 season when he played for the Steeelers-that’s right, someone on this team has a S.B ring!!!) was in at QB playing out of the shotgun. He ran right, but slipped. They tried the same play on fourth down, but the other way, but someone missed a block and what would have been a healthy 14 point or even 10 point lead, was a one TD game with this turnover.

Both defences played well, stuffing the run and breaking up the aerial game. A Blitz player took a knock on the line and the nearby ambulance took a lot of time with the player before he was pulled off to an applause.

The teams changed possessions on numerous occasions until the game changing play. The Warriors came out with trips left on their own 30, looking confident. One CB was playing tight, while a second played soft between the other two. With 2 receivers vs 2 defenders there had to be a mismatch and we all knew where the ball was going. The Warriors QB (#7) who had looked composed all game, had made good decisions, and wasn’t afraid to tuck it in and run, saw the mismatch and fired to his left. Only he picked the wrong receiver. The Safety stepped into the hole, plucked the ball and ran it back in for the TD, stabbing at the heart of the Warriors and their hard work.

There were several players who really caught my eye. CB for the Blitz, (#3), had long dreadlocks, and he was as a good a CB as I have ever seen. A strong tackler, agile, quick and had a good technique in the air, plus he was their return man. For the Warriors, DB (#22) played well covering and is a great tackler, however the MVP had to be the Warriors plucky wide receiver #8, who reminded me of the Patriots Wes Welker: tenacious, brave, and hard to bring down.

With one minute to play the Warriors made a long drive with #8 making several clutch catches over the middle. To extend the drive on their down #8 made a great catch across the middle, shrugged off three defenders and somehow managed to get out of bounds to stop the clock after his first down and more.

With 14 seconds on the clock and 20 or so yards out, and one time out remaining the Warriors decided to go to the air for the TD, instead of rushing into the middle for a centre spot for the FG. The Warriors QB #7 put too much air under the ball and it fell into the arms of the opposing DB, but he somehow dropped the ball, giving the Warriors ten seconds to make the FG.

Up stepped our MVP #8 as the kicker to punch home glory for his team, giving them a 2-0 record. He struck the ball well, but it went wide left, and the home team let out a groan. With forty yards to go one and play left the Blitz threw it deep, but it was knocked down and that was the end of the game.

Although easy for me to say on the sidelines, but both teams squandered some chances, and both will be looking to eradicate some clumsy mistakes before their net games.

Two other features, that I did like about the game, was that after the final whistle, both teams did three cheers, for their fans, the opposing fans and the opposing teams, and then both teams lined up to shake each other’s hands. I’d certainly like to see this team spirit and sportsmanship in the NFL soon!