Time to Reboot & Prepare

Well, It was a tough loss but sometimes you learn a lot about a team's character from the way they handle a loss.  I guess when you get the other team's coach stirred up and upset, it can either be a very good thing or in our case last week; not a good thing. 

I am still wondering how we are going to beat this Gold team.  They are so fast & they work very well together that I can really see why they are the only undefeated team in the league. So, my team is 1-3.  We have 2 very important games this week that I feel we MUST win in order to stay in the hunt.  We lost our first game due to lack of experience and a fundamental error on my part and that was to try to make a kid feel good and touch the ball in a high pressure situation.  I can't blame a bad call for the loss, because those are going to happen in almost every game.  I've got to admit that the blown call didn't help our cause, but we shouldn't have allowed that other team to stop us. 

We played well this last week, but they played better.  We did something that to my knowledge, has NEVER been done before in SVFL history, we ran "The Statue of Liberty" play *(which worked to perfection) & a flea flicker in the same game... THAT made me VERY HAPPY!!!

 

So, now we prepare to meet up with the Twisters once again, and we seem to be a much more prepared team.  We have a new player who is very eager to get out there and make a difference. We have more understanding of how to contain the game to our style of football. So, this week we worked on blocking and basics & I really hope the kids come prepared to play on Saturday.  

I want to be 2-3 by the end of the weekend and 3-3 by the end of next week with a full head of steam going into the middle of October... I can't do it all. I just need to remember that the coaches can only teach the kids & they have to find it within them to really play hard!!!

Till next time...

-Coach

Getting Ready for The Rematch

The Lightning striking against us

OK. Well, we've had plenty of time to regroup after getting beat by the Lightning in week 2 of the season and now my team is ready for the rematch that will really be a gauge for us.  I know my team is way better than just a 1-2 team, especially since we didn't allow a TD in that first game.  All I know is that I have been really behind in my blogging but not in my planning.  

I am really hoping that tomorrow the weather will be as nice as it has been today.  My coaches have been working very hard on teaching more fundamentals of defense and making sure that our defensive backs can match the defensive line's aggressiveness.  I found myself watching practice from a different point of view.  I was actually scouting the other teams around me to see if I could pick up drills or tips on how to make our team better.  Something that I found was that several teams were working on passing.  This is ironic since I was told that "passing is too difficult to do at this level".  I didn't believe it then and I still don't believe it now.  

My team's offense is really coming together. I feel that they know the plays, their assignments and how to execute them correctly without me having to remind them about every little detail.  This is important because it is my experience that kids can't handle THAT many details all at once.  I always tell them to work on 1 thing at a time; 1 skill per week.  Quarterbacks - learn to lead your team and make that other team fear you.  Defensive Line - Make them fear you every play by constantly being in their face. Defensive Backs- DON'T GET BEAT OUTSIDE.  Coaches - Make sure the kids have fun and learn something.

We are playing the late game tomorrow so I will be scheming and thinking about ways to catch the other team off guard all day long until we get out on the field.  I just want to make sure that we play our game and do what we do best...  Play like a Champion.  I am going to close with this simplest little aspect of practice that has made me most proud the last 2 weeks... When the team breaks the huddle; they are loud and together.  That's one of the most important building blocks of any team. Working Together!

-Coach

First Win of the Season

 

T. running towards the end zone! Like people are chasing him!

Time to report in...

So, I just realized that it's been 3 full days since my team's big game and I still hadn't reported on it. What is going on here!? Oh yeah... I was exhausted from being out on the field all day Saturday and then Sunday and Monday were back to back NFL days and work, etc... 

So, here is the report: We WON! Well, we did more than win, but I am not one to brag.  My kids went out there and played as well as could be.  We committed 0 penalties and scored on our first 4 possessions.  We threw the ball and we scored through the air.  The really neat part of it all was that I called the plays in the huddle and didn't have to make any adjustments. The kids knew their assignments.  My QB's were able to correct any little things that they felt they needed to.  I was a very happy camper.

We were down one receiver but we still pulled off the passing attack that seems to be rubbing off since i saw another team in our division practicing some passes while they warmed up.  Hmm?? It has been said that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".  So, yeah, I am aware that it's out there and now need to work on my team being ready to protect the pass.  I will say this; we had a "Pick 6" this weekend too so, I was even more thrilled than before about my defensive team's development.

The really nice thing about this week's game was watching my team break the huddle as a team.  They were LOUD & ENTHUSIASTIC! They were pumped. Obviously it's easier to be excited when you're winning then when you're down by 2 scores with less than a minute to play, but that's just the way it is.  I am also very happy to report that the parents were very supportive and were cheering for the team and not being negative which can happen sometimes.  I have the most kids on one team and 90% of them have never played together on a team so this has been a really good experience for me.  I don't have parents getting upset because their child doesn't play every down.  I get to rotate them as best as I can and it seems to be working.

The only negative aspect of this week's game was that my wife couldn't be there to watch her son play.  She had to work an event and that sometimes is the case.  I know it was hard for her to make that desicion and to also to look at the pictures from the game and know that she couldn't be out there cheering for her son, but she WILL be there next game ready to rock & roll.

Overall this first victory was very sweet to me as a coach because I could tell that the kids really felt like winners after time expired.  We have a week off until the next game  but there is no rest for champions.  We are having 2 practices this week and next week in preparation for our rematch against the "Lightning" or as we call them the Gold Team *Jersey color.  You know what they say; "Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice"... This time, we will be ready to shock them. 

-Coach

The Best 0-2 Team I've Coached

Well, good morning from the world of hindsight where everything is 20/20.   I am happy to report that Mother Nature was kind to us yesterday and overall, the overcast weather was good enough to play football and allow my Aftershock team to play it's make-up game.  We played the YELLOW Team, AKA- The Lightning...

I am happy to report that my game plan on keeping their strongest and most explosive defensive player out of our backfield worked.  I am very happy to report that we caused 2 false starts and a couple of dead ball calls in the backfield yesterday. I am happy to report that my strategy to Blitz until their offensive line had no choice but to try to make adjustments worked too. All these things made me very happy yesterday as a coach.

Good start: We won the coin toss & took the first offensive series to them.  I am also happy to report that we scored our first Touchdown of the season  *(2 games) on a run that was NOT a QB sneak, but just a straight up the middle run by a player that is not a starting running back but a really good offensive lineman, or lineperson to be all PC about it.  Yes, I am happy to report that my team did a lot of things right yesterday.  We passed the ball and made first downs on the passing game.  We came out fast and furious and moved the ball down the field really well and for all that I was a very happy camper yesterday.

Now, there's the other side of the game.  I knew we were playing the quickest team in our division yesterday and I made it a point to explain to the defense that they are very fast to the outside and that it would be very important for the DB's to watch for the outside runs.  However, and believe me this is not a knock on my kids because I know that they played their hearts out, sometimes no matter how much a coach tells his players something, until they actually see it for themselves, they can't grasp what you're telling them.

Just like the game that I watched this team play on Saturday, they took their very first offensive play and took it to the outside and scored.   Advantage: Them! HOWEVER... We had already eaten up most of the first quarter with our offensive series. Advantage: TIED!  They went for 2 points - We stopped them! Advantage: US!

A couple of punts and another stop from them, another score and it was 13-7 going into the last minuntes of the first half.  Then they went outside again... and scored.  20-7 at the half.  Were we out of it?  NOPE! Halftime came and a little pep talk and my defense was ready to start the second half.  Our blitzing worked.  We pushed them back and just when they were ready to break... they ran outside. AGAIN! Yikes!

Now, the really good news:  My team didn't quit. We ran for first downs, we threw for first downs.  We almost picked off their only 2 passes of the season.  We blitzed and blitzed and broke down their front line. We made them rethink their game plan.  It was a really good game.   One of my coaches gave me some new plays that I am going to implement ASAP!   Oh yeah, I almost forgot - Thank you very much Coach Jeff & Jeffrey for leading our defense and allowing me to step back on the sidelines to see things from a coaches eye and evaluate the little things we need to work on.

In the end though, it was too much.  They didn't score again but neither did we.  We got close on two deep passes and we did run a good offensive game but it was just a little bit too late.  However...  It was a great game and we are the first team to score against them and I was very happy when their coaches and my coaches came up to me after the game and said we ran a good game. 

So, in my humble opinion, we are the best 0-2 team in the league at this point.  We have a long weekend to rest and for me to regroup as a coach and prepare. Next week we play the RED Team. I don't know their team name, but it doesn't matter... The Aftershock are going to be ready to Rock n' Roll... Man I love coaching!

- Coach Carlos

PS – Pictures coming soon!