Playoffs on the horizon

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Jonathan Baker recently hosted his oldest sister Liz and her husband Kyle in Finland.

I love watching quarterback play. Maybe not a surprise to anyone, but I mean I love watching it. I will watch a countless number of NFL games highlights on YouTube. Studying the reads before the snap, reads after the snap, trying to understand what Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes is seeing so that I will see it too.

As you study more and more, you begin coming up with creative plays to use in your own offense, stealing from the amazing minds of Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs head coach) and Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams head coach).

My opinion of quarterbacks may be different than others, but it has never wavered. Keep your regular season stats, all the passing numbers and milestones, and give me postseason appearances. After all, it is the goal of every team before every season, make the playoffs and give yourselves a shot at a championship.

Which is why my first season in Europe was such a disappointment. After leading the league in passing, our team still fell one game short of the postseason. I would have given every single yard away in exchange for a playoff game and a chance to continue the season.

After the French league, I arrived in Finland after the team started 0-3. We were able to turn around our success despite the limited opportunities remaining and finish 3-7 beating two playoff teams in the process. However, the damage had been done, and we missed the postseason.

This is what motivated me to return to the Seinäjoki Crocodiles this season. I felt like if I had been with the team from the beginning of the season, then we would have been able to win some early games and make the playoffs. So I did, because “third times the charm, right?”

All of these thoughts came flooding back into my mind as I sat in my room, staring at our record and remaining schedule. We had control of the fourth and final playoff position after our win against the Butchers. We were almost back to .500 at 4-5 with three winnable games remaining, needing two to clinch a spot.

The first would be against the Royals, who we beat earlier in the season in a close contest 34-27. My oldest sister, Liz, and her husband, Kyle, arrived that week to be able to watch the game, also marking the last of my immediate family members to come out and visit me.

The offense continued it’s impressive second half of the season momentum, putting up 63 points on just eight possessions, only punting once. We needed every one of them as well, with the final score 63-54. In front of the family, I threw for six touchdowns and earned another game MVP award. Another milestone I was motivated to have mean something by the end of the season.

Our job was even easier now as we fought back to a .500 record and held the tie-breakers against the Butchers and Royals, who both sat tied in the fifth position. We only needed one of the next two games to clinch a playoff spot.

Before continuing our momentum into the next game, I was able to enjoy some downtime with Liz and Kyle before they returned to U.S. We traveled to Helsinki so they could enjoy the country’s largest city. On the second day they asked what I haven’t been able to do that I really wanted to cross off before the end of the summer. I told them about Tallinn, Estonia. The capital city of the nearby country sits just across the Baltic Sea. Many of the Finnish population have made the trip and enjoy the city’s history.

The ferry ride across the water is only two hours, and we decided to take the impromptu day trip. A really large cruise ship adds to the experience and makes for a relaxing journey. Once we arrived to the port we walked the streets of Tallinn “old town” which dates back to the 13th century. It is also one of the best preserved medieval cities in all of Europe, experiencing old shops and restaurants inside the fortress walls.

A city that needed no more than a day, we took the ship back to Helsinki that evening and commenced our trip in Helsinki the following afternoon. The weather held up well and Liz and Kyle were able to see a lot in the short week they were here. I was especially excited they made the trip as they were unable to visit me last season. Saying goodbye felt easy as the calendar falls to under a month away from my return home.

Before returning home, I have some business to handle. We had an upcoming matchup with the Wolverines. A game we felt we let slip back in week two of the season, this team had clinched the third see in the playoffs and wanted to win before its final bye the following week. We needed a win to clinch a spot and bring our win streak to three games. It would also give us opportunities to rest some key players the following week before our playoff game.

The best part of the game wasn’t the continued consistency from our offense. It wasn’t scoring more than 40 points for a fourth time this season. It wasn’t even having an offensive line that leads the league in sacks given up and bolsters the league’s leading rusher with our American running back, Christian Powell. It was our defense.

Only 13 points given up on the day, zero in the second half. Against a team with seven American import players, playmakers all over the field. They did a great job giving the offense great field position and forcing six turnovers on the day. It was a total, complete team win, 41-13. Not to mention I caught a touchdown pass on a trick play late in the game (our version of the “Philly Special”).

We did it. A playoff spot was ours. One of the hardest, most rewarding seasons I’ve been a part of, but it’s not over yet. A game next week against the Saints gives us an opportunity to rest some key players and have some fun playing other guys who deserve the time due to their hard work on the team all season.

After the Saints, we play the number one seeded Helsinki Roosters. Winners of the last several Maple Bowl Championships, it will not be an easy task, but one we are very much looking forward to. After all, this was my goal at the start of the year, this is why I returned for a second season with the team. For a chance at a championship. And every championship first starts with a playoff spot. I guess I can look back at my regular season stats this year.

Until next time, Go Crocs!