College Season Begins

I've always loved the college football season, more so than the pros. So it is with great anticipation that I dive in to the college season. One thing I liked about college is that you got a chance to watch different offenses and defenses. Everyone had their own style. But I'm a little disappointed when I see just about everyone running the spread. Every game seems the same, just like the NFL, but I guess there's enough difference to enjoy the college landscape. Don't get me wrong, the spread can be exciting but the game has slowed down in a way. Although the spread is designed to "play fast" and it does, I get tired of motion penalties, holding calls, delay of game. And the players get to the line of scrimmage and stop, look at the sideline, shift, look at the sideline, motion, audible, point, then finally run the play for an incomplete pass that runs two seconds off the clock. I liked it when they broke the huddle, ran the play, and kept things rolling. There's too much choppiness in games.

After all that complaining I still really do love college football. I'm looking forward to Navy and Notre Dame playing in Ireland and Alabama playing Michigan in Texas I think. Texas? Why Texas? Anyway, Alabama will have too much speed and dominate the Wolverines by the middle of the third quarter. But I'm a Big Ten fan so I hope Michigan does well. Navy runs that double wing offense to precision and I'll be pulling for them.

High school football is getting into full swing and their are some fun match ups there as well. I'm going to enjoy this Labor Day weekend and try to relax. You do the same. Chiefpigskin.com

Showtime!

*NOTE* The following is a post from the archives.

Load up the equipment, put on full battle gear, buckle up your chinstraps, it’s Showtime! We’re finally at game week here in Illinois. I’m not sure what part of the season the rest of you are in, but I have a hunch that most of you are just about where we are. This is a most exciting time. Optimism abounds as everyone gets a fresh start and hopes of that special season run high. I always found it difficult to concentrate on anything other than football during this week. Do we have the kids ready? Have we covered all the essentials? Are we as well prepared as we can be? How good can our team be? We will find out Friday night. (I know, many of you will find out Saturday) But, oh, those Friday nights!

The atmosphere will be electric. Old men will lean over the fence on the sidelines looking wistfully at the young men on the field, all the while wishing they could play just one more time. Proud fathers will be gazing at their sons as they file out of the locker room to warm up. Little boys will stand near the end zone to get a close look at their heroes. Their eyes will be big as silver dollars as they wonder if they’ll ever be that big and longing for the day they get to play high school ball. Moms are decked out in school colors with their cowbells, shakers, and other assorted noisemakers. Many of them aren’t quite sure of all the rules and wonder why their men are so in love with this game, (Moms-buy my book “Understanding Football and Why Boys Love It”)but they’re supportive none the less. The lights are on and the band is playing nearby as they prepare to go to the field when the players go to the locker room for a final time before the game. The smell of hotdogs and popcorn linger in the cooler air of the evening as the sun goes down. The cheerleaders are laying their pom poms in front of the bleachers and practicing their cheers one last time. The bleachers are filling and the anticipation builds as the time for the opening kickoff nears. As a coach, this was always a nervous time as I went over my defensive game plan and imagined all the different scenarios that might occur during the game. The last 30 minutes go so slow, we just want to play.

Finally, it’s time for the players to come out of the locker room for the opening kickoff. The home team bursts through the banner made especially for that purpose. The players crack pads and give handshakes as the coaches bark out final instructions and exhort their players to be ready and alert at all times. As the players take the field the crowd begins to cheer and the noisemakers are loudly brought out in full force. The teams line up for the kickoff and the noise of the crowd comes to a crescendo as the ball is kicked high and deep…yep; Friday night football is here with all the great atmosphere that goes with it. Where else would anyone want to be?

Position Changes?

During the last two weeks high school coaches around the country have been preparing their teams for the first game and I hope all is going well for all of you. I know from experience that many of you have been moving guys around a little bit trying to find that right combination. Good coaches seem to have a knack for getting their personnel in the right spot. It has to be a place that benefits the team as well as the player. Maximize talent, ability, giving your athletes the best chance to be successful.

I remember a time many years ago when we really needed another inside linebacker and as a staff discussed at length on a solution. We decided in preseason to move an outstanding D tackle to inside backer. For two weeks we worked with him confident that we he could handle it. He was about 6-1 200 pounds and moved well. Our first game came against a very good opponent and we had him ready as we could. It was a disaster, he was lost. When I watched the film it was even worse. I talked to him and we both decided it would be in the team's and HIS best interests if we moved him back to tackle. We lost that opener but went on to a fine 8-3 season.

Many of you may be in the same position right now. Perhaps you need to move a player from the backfield to the line. That's the toughest move of all. To a high school kid that's like being banished to Siberia. Communication is key in all position changes. First, talk to the young man and let him know what you're thinking. Explain why this will help the team and talk up his strengths to let him know why you think he can handle it. Tell him that "we'd like you to give it a try and see how it goes." Give him plenty of encouragement but monitor the new change closely. Keep communicating with the athlete and get a feel for what he's thinking and feeling. We might think this is an easy move but remember, he's still a kid.

Football is the ultimate team sport and requires an unselfish attitude from all. It's our job as coaches to keep hammering away at that theme to get everyone on board. We still need to keep the game fun but yet give everyone the best chance to be successful. It can be a tough line to walk sometimes. Chiefpigskin.com

Final Thoughts on The Games

The 2012 Olympics are over and it's time for me to step back, take a look, and give my thoughts. I did enjoy them as always and saw some historical performances. That's what's cool about the Olympics, it's history. Some sports I don't get, but I try to appreciate them all. So, let's go down the list of standouts (and disappointments) for me.

Swimming - The men and women were both exceptional. Missy Franklin is tough and Michael Phelps demonstrated his greatness again. He is truly a historical Olympian and maybe the best ever. Certainly one of the best and absolutely THE most decorated. I can't say he's the greatest ever because swimming has so many events it lends itself to winning a lot of medals. Some sports no matter how great you are you can only win one medal per Olympics.

Women's gymnastics - Wow! Those young ladies of the USA were on. And talk about performing under pressure, that's the epitomy of pressure. Gabby and company were sensational. I was impressed and that balance beam - it makes me nervous.

Men and Womens Track - This was a lot of fun and once again the USA performed well. The stars? Probably the women because of their talent and bubbly personalities. The big star though was a Jamaican named Usain Bolt. I'm telling you, fifty years from now you younger folks will still be telling stories about this guy. We saw a legend run - period!

Basketball - I expected two gold medals and we got 'em. I didn't see anything that amazed me, just business as usual.

Volleyball - We did well, as expected but no Gold. Oh, beach volleyball our women were dominant but I can't quite get excited about it, sorry. I do try to appreciate their talent.

Soccer - The Gold was expected and delivered by the women. Do we have a men's team? I try to appreciate soccer.

Wrestling - We did OK but this is a sport that we have dominated at times. I don't like the new format of winning periods. How long has this been going on? More than ten years? I don't like it, but I do love wrestling, these guys are STUDS.

Boxing - Oh my gosh! Huge disappointment. The USA used to dominate and the men didn't win a single medal, not one. Of course, boxing's not as popular as it used to be, I used to love it. I remember the '76 Olympics with Ray Leonard, Howard Davis, the Spinks brothers and others. Dad, my brothers and me were jumping out of our seats cheering the American boxers. It was thrilling. Those days are gone. Look at the medals these guys hauled:

106:Louis Curtis ,112:Leo Randolph (GOLD) 119: Charles Mooney (SILVER) 125: Davey Lee Armstrong 132: Howard Davis Jr. (GOLD) 139: Ray Leonard (GOLD) 147: Clinton Jackson 156: Charles Walker Jr. 165: Michael Spinks (GOLD) 178: Leon Spinks (GOLD) +178: Johnny Tate, (BRONZE)

Well, there was a lot more, but that's what stands out to me. Now it's wait four more years but isn't that one of the things that make the Olympics special? Chiefpigskin.com

And They're Off!

All across the country high school football is getting underway. It's an exciting time, isn't it? Optimism flows everywhere and all teams are still undefeated. I talked to a coach today who coaches at a small high school (290) and he said, " For the first time ever we have no real holes in our defense. Usually we're hiding at least one linebacker or corner but not this year. We're thin, but solid." Yep, optimism is the order of the day.

Now if you're like me you're probably saying, "We've got two weeks to get ready, how am I going to cover everything we need to get ready?" You look at your list and get overwhelmed. Alignment, responsibilities, technique, coverages, blitzes, fronts, stunts...and that's just defense. Offensively it's the same kind of content except multiple formations, motions, the run game, pass game...you get the idea. Then of course, blocking drills, tackling drills, agility drills, and weight training. Oh, and don't forget special teams, they win and lose ballgames. Punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, PAT, field goal, onside kick and hands team. All this needs to be ready for game one. How does a coach get to all of this? Remember, you don't need all of your offense and defense installed for the first game. Just the base. You can always put more in as the season goes along every week. Just know your base, believe in it and do it well that first game. Maybe one trick play? Yeah, maybe.

On a side note, have you seen the new $49 million high school football stadium in Allen, Texas? It's got to be the most impressive new high school stadium I've ever seen. Take a look on Maxpreps.com. They are taking some criticism over their priorities. But I've found that schools that have great athletic facilities usually have great academics too. It shows a community cares about their education all around. Also the first week of the season will have some great match ups that I'm looking forward to. Notre Dame and Navy play in Ireland as well as several high school games as preliminaries. Loyola (IL) goes against Jesuit (TX) on Friday night in a match up of high school powers.

Well, it's going to be another exciting season and I know we're all looking forward to it. Good luck to all of you coaches and to your teams. http://www.chiefpigskin.com/

Influence

You think youngsters aren't influenced by what they see on television or in other forms of media? They sure are and it's obvious at our house the Olympics are having a positive influence. I have 3 daughters who always liked gymnastics and participated a little bit. A couple of my daughters can do the round off flip-flops and all that other flipping stuff. So of course, when my daughter Olivia and 4 year old granddaughter Lyla were at our house the other night they were glued to the TV watching the USA women's team winning the Gold.

A little later my wife went into our bedroom and Lyla was playing on our bed. And what grandma (my wife) saw was pretty cool. At the foot of our bed is a foot board that has a about a 3 inch wide board at the top that resembles a small balance beam in gymnastics. There was Lyla on the foot board walking and balancing doing her beam routine. She was definitely influenced by what she saw on TV. Well, it just so happens that we had Olivia's old balance beam in our garage. It's only 6 feet long and stands about 6 inches off the ground so it's kind of a mini beam. A good friend of mine built it for Olivia about 25 years ago. Lyla's eyes lit up when she saw a "real" balance beam that was her mom's when she was a little girl. Olivia loaded it up in her van and took it home. Lyla was so excited and couldn't wait to use it.

A little kid can use their imagination and have fun with anything. Who would have thought the foot board of our bed would be turned into a balance beam by a 4 year old? That's the influence of sports and shows the power of sport. Let's always use that power wisely. www.chiefpigskin.com

Yep, I'm Watching the Olympics

Yeah, I'm watching the Olympics. They have lost their luster a little bit over the last 20 years or so; we have so many new competitions that have cropped up and much more international competition that makes the Olympics seem not so special. But I am one of those who will continue to tune in. You see, I don't just like sports or even love sports. For better or worse, sports are a part of me. They are interwoven in my fabric, they run through my body, in my DNA. I have been this way as long as I can remember and it will never change.

I watch sports that I would not ordinarily watch. I never watch swimming, but I really get into Olympic swimming. I've noticed Michael Phelps has lost his fire. He's still great but after living in the pool training like a madman for at least 15 years it's wearing on him. Who can blame him? And how about Missy Franklin? She swims a semi in one event and turns around 10 minutes later and swims in the backstroke finals. And wins the Gold! Do you know how tough that is? It was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in sport. I rarely watch gymnastics but I watch the Olympics. The men had a tough time but the women really turned it on. The pressure on those young ladies is unbelievable and it was great to watch them win the Gold. And what about the parents in the stands? They are so stressed they can't think. I've been there, I know how that is. I will also be watching track and field although I rarely watch track otherwise. The sprinters are sensational as well as many of the other events. If Lolo Jones doesn't win a medal she'll still be a star because of her personality and stunning looks. I haven't watched any basketball and very little boxing, which used to be one of my favorites. I love wrestling but they won't give it much coverage.

Yep, I'm watching for all those reasons and because it's history. It's tradition. It reminds me of when I was a young boy and our whole family would gather around the TV and cheer for the USA. I think it's still fun. Chiefpigskin.com