24 hours and counting till the Super Bowl

Go Aftershock!

I am sitting here at my desk on a Saturday afternoon.  It feels weird to not be on the football field today.  It feels strange that this time tomorrow the season will be over and the off-season will begin.  It's odd that I am sitting here looking at my playbook and knowing that it's too late to add something new to the mix and yet, I'm still drawing little x's and o's on the notepad.


24 hours from now I will either be the winning coach of the Super Senior Flag Football Super Bowl or the coach whose team lost.  It's an odd feeling indeed.  I am sitting here thinking about how it’s flag football and yet, I am still running every possible scenario through my head that may or may not take place tomorrow. 


I'm also sitting here thinking back to just how far my team has come since day one.  My team has 12 players and only 4 have ever played football in an organized way before.  Now we are getting ready for the Super Bowl.  As a parent, I'm excited for my son and his friends.  As a coach, I am just trying to maintain a sense of cool.


We are playing a team that beat us 3 times this season. We are playing the only coach that really gets under my skin on a football level.  We are playing a team that seems to be so well put together and organized and all I can think about is how bad I want my team to beat them and win that Super Bowl. 


There are a lot of emotions in this one for me.  Last year my son played under another coach and got to the Super Bowl against this team and lost the game on the last play.  This season I get to be the coach that tries to dethrone them.  I'm also coming to terms with the fact that a few weeks after this game, my assistant coach is moving to Georgia to follow a career opportunity that he has been blessed with.  This will be his son’s last game here with his team.  I want the win for him too.  My other 2 coordinators have been amazing and their sons are an extremely important part of why we are where we are and I want the win for them too.


I'm sitting here at my desk with less than 24 hours to go before my team plays in their last game of the season and I am just thinking about how truly blessed I am to have the opportunity to coach my son and these children.  I know that tomorrow may be the last game for some of these kids that are together now.


I'm sitting here remembering when a couple of coaches told me after two games, "You guys sure do pass a lot. That doesn't really work at this level."  I remember asking them, "Says who?"  We won our playoff game on an amazing pass and a great catch on a 4th down because we didn't listen to that nonsense.  We did it our way. 


I'm sitting here with different quotes and sound clips going through my head.  I can remember Michael Jordan saying, "I can handle defeat.  Everyone gets defeated sometimes.  I can't handle trying."  I think of Jedi Master Yoda's famous words, "Do or do not. There is no try."


I'm sitting here looking at the clock thinking about tomorrow.  I can honestly say that tomorrow I just want my team to give me 100% of themselves.  I want them to push themselves harder than they have all season long. I want them to work as a team and if.... IF we get defeated, which I am not planning on.... that they can hold their heads up high & know that they didn't just "TRY"... They did.  They did something that no one thought would be possible after losing their first game 2-0 and going into week 3 with a 0-2 record and several practices rained out.  They made it to the Super Bowl and that makes them winners to me.


I will blog again regardless of the outcome of the Super Bowl because this is a journey about me as a coach and my sons as players and all the lives that come through our lives in this game of football.  I wrote about being a proud parent in my profile and I mean it.  As a dad, having both your sons playing in Super Bowls even if you're only coaching one of them is a big deal.  Luckily, they are both on the AFTERSHOCK... so... 1! 2! 3! Goooooo Aftershock!




-Coach

10 Days & Counting!!

The countdown has officially started & we are down to 10 days. 4 practices left. That's it! It's our time to shine! I am so proud of how far this team has come this season. Each player has played a special role.  We have to remember that football is a game that is sometimes decided by 1 play.  Last week proved that.  We can do this.

We just need to dominate our opponent.  We have to remember that as a team we win! It's our time... From the Start to the Finish... 


Every one on this team has a role & if we focus on that for the next 10 days we will be victorious! This is Aftershock football!

Post Game Speech!

Super Bowl Bound!!! (PART 2)

Part 2 - The Preparation

Practice before the playoffs

So what does a good team do when they lose the last game of the season? Pout? Cry? I don't know because I don't have a good team.  I have a GREAT team! Each coach took personal responsibility for a part of our strategy and decided that they would come up with ways to overcome what had just happened.  The only bad thing was that we had 2 weeks before our next game.  Any parent who has ever had to endure a "Winter/Summer/Spring break" knows how hard it can be for a kid to get back in the swing of things after any kind of break.  Why would flag football be any different?


I need to pause here and explain why I make sure to point out that I coach Flag football.  There are several reasons and one of them is NOT to relive my glory days like Al Bundy did on "Married with Children".  #1 - My sons play & I wanted to spend time with them. #2 - I love football and love coaching kids.  There are other reasons, but for right now, those will do.  I am a volunteer out there. My kids don't get paid.  There aren't scouts looking for the next great flag puller. (Well, other than the other coaches who might be looking for a player to join them the following season I haven't seen any) 


Anyhow... After a week off of practice, my team got together for a full practice and let me just make a point to say that it was obvious that there had been a "Break" in our regular cycle.  You can tell when kids are just not 100% into something & our first practice after that loss & a week off was evidence of that. Fortunately for me, I was only there for part of the practice because I had to referee another game.  By the time I got there, I noticed that there was some confusion among everybody!  So, I made a very clear point to everyone. YOU WILL COME PREPARED TOMORROW!!!  I really did say that. Guess what happened?  It worked! 


The kids came ready to learn & practice & we ran practice at full speed and with so much intensity that it almost didn't seem like flag football.  The coaches felt good.  The kids did great. The parents seemed to be really into it!  Afterwards, we rewarded the kids with some ice cream and FUN was had by all.  I gave them a pep talk to send them on their way & the final piece of the puzzle was soon to be put into place.  *Cue drum roll..... I would NOT be calling the plays out on the field with the kids.  One of the Assistant Coaches would.  This was at the request of my #2 man... The Assistant Assistant coach...  He thought it would be better for me to be on the sideline and just give my input from there & to watch the game.  Guess what? I loved the idea!  I would be lying if I would say that I was 100% in love with it... but for the most part I did really love it.  So, I did what any smart coach would do. I empowered the team & the "Coach" to work together & threw in one more trick play just to "stir the pot".  I am like the "Mad Hatter" of Flag Football... AND I LOVE IT! 


48 hours till the playoff game! 

Super Bowl Bound!!! (PART 1)

So, I guess I should actually make this a 3 part Blog entry.  I haven't posted anything since BEFORE the last game of the regular season and so much has happened since then that I feel like I'd be cheating by just talking about the fact that my team is in the Super Bowl.

Part 1 - The Ugly Last Game


First let's talk about that last game of the regular season.  It was AWFUL!!! There. I said it! As an avid sports fan who has watched enough college and professional football games to fill several lifetimes, it's odd to talk about Flag Football in the same way, but football is football.  Let me start with an obvious fact of the game that some people tend to forget for some strange reason.  In the words of Coach H. Edwards, "You play to WIN the game!"  Simple.  Even at this level, winning is important.  I am quite aware that having fun is an extremely important part of the game.  That's why I always remind my team that it's a lot more fun to walk off the field after a victory than after a loss.  


Another interesting thing about playing football is that a team actually has to show up to play.  I don't just mean in the literal sense.  A win by forfeit is not nearly as good as a win that comes on the last play of a drive or something like that.  I mean, being there in the game. Your head in the game.  Your heart in the game.  That's what happened to my team on the last regular season game.  They weren't there. Not even a little bit.  We got out run, out scored, out coached... pretty much... we got BEAT Bad!  It was really our ugliest game.  Luckily for us... we play in a small division where we were going to get to the playoffs no matter the outcome.  The only thing that mattered was which team we would face in the playoffs.  By the time the game was over.  The 3 other coaches and I had already agreed that we would not let another game like the one that had just ended happen again.  It was an ugly way to end the season. Want proof? Check out the picture below. 

(One of THREE turnovers) * first game with that many turnovers

Last Game of the Regular Season

YES!! We Run Through A Banner!!!

So tomorrow is the last game of the regular season.  If we win, we will finish the season 4-4.  If by some self implosion, we lose, we will be 3-5 & be the 3rd seed in the playoffs.  However, I didn't train or coach my kids to lose, so I don't see us leaving the field with anything but a WIN!  


This is a big game for us.  I realize that 2 games have passed since I last posted.  Unreal.  We had an awesome win against the 4th seed & a really good game against the #1 team in our league.  We didn't win that game but we did play really good.  They just played better because they scored. It's tough for me to sit here and admit that we lost and that the other team played better.  It really doesn't matter too much.  My team has been really good all season long.  We would actually be 5-3 right now if we had not gotten a bad whistle blown back in the first game of the season.  


Regardless of how the season ultimately turns out I know that I can go into the off season with my head held high.  I've already gotten a commitment from all 3 of my assistant coaches to come back for one more season and I will have the best QB & best Linebacker in the league.  I guess I should mention that my son was named Captain of the Defense by the coaches & that he was so proud to see a C on the front of his uniform that it made me realize what a great decision it was for me to coach him this season.


He has come a long way since last year.  He's faster, stronger, smarter and so much more alert out there.  I guess he just needed a better coach.  *I make myself smile...  


One of the biggest highlights of the season was that other than parents asking me if their child was going to play in a game, one after just a few plays into the 2nd quarter, which I let go because it was a big game, I haven't had any complaints and mostly really good compliments from the parents.  We have 12 players on this team.  That's more than any other team out there.  It's a challenge to rotate them all out all the time, but I know that tomorrow I will do it. 


I have 2 weeks to prepare for the playoff game that we HAVE to win in order to get to the Super Bowl. Again, I know that this is only Flag Football, but if I don't teach my son & my team that WINNING is important, they will suffer in the future thinking that mediocre is okay.  I don't mind if we lose, as long as we give 100%.  That's all I have asked of them & that's what I expect tomorrow.

Who's ready for some football!?  I AM!!!

Coach

We WON as a Team!!!

(Stepping back to pass & yeah, there's no pressure)

Great teams find a way to win even when it's not pretty.  Great teams come back & show that they may bend but will not break.  Well, my flag football team did just that today. I am very proud of how well we performed several different facets of the game.  Our offensive line blocked much better.  Our smallest player caught a crucial 1st down pass.  My son who always wants to run, even if he's not the fastest back on the field squeaked out 5 yards for another critical first down. However, I know we  weren't perfect.  Nope! We were far from it. But we got the win on the last play of the game... which was - A Hail Mary! 

For the first time this season I felt alone on the sideline.  My assistant coaches were not happy with my play selection & they let me know by keeping their distance.  I wasn't upset about it. I mean, in the end, we won and hindsight is always 20/20 so it all worked out for the best.  

The one thing that we all agree on is that the league knows we can pass the ball and they know we can do it well.  I posted the picture of what happens when 2 linemen have no one to block because the defense has all dropped back into coverage.  Fortunately, he didn't pass the ball he scrambled and got yards on the ground. 

So, now I get to draw up some new plays and some new plans for the next couple of weeks.  I met with two of my coaches yesterday at a birthday party, and yes, we talked football as most men tend to do.  We discussed ideas and how they understand that I have to take off the hat of "nice coach" and start focusing on "Winning coach".  

The playoffs are coming up soon and I want my team to be at their best.  We've added a second day of practice from now till the end of the season. We
are "going back to the old drawing board" and getting back to some basics. 

I have the support of my coaches 100%! They made that clear. They just want to see us get a much more comfortable lead before I start calling trick plays and pass plays that could result in dropped passes that stop the clock.  I get that.  I have received enough praise from most of the parents to know that no one feels like their child isn't receiving enough playing time. So... now it's time to buckle up that imaginary chin strap and plan, plan, plan! 


-Coach

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!