Great to be on the Gridiron Again!!!

Well, after a few days of practice, things are going awesome!  I can honestly say junior high ball is not what I remembered and to be quite honest I'm tickled pink just to be out on the field again.  This makes my 27th consecutive year I've been involved with football, and I honestly think, I love it more and more each day.  I think the thing we, as coaches, need to ask of ourselves when we are coaching and feeling in a rut is "Can I go on without being a part of the game?".  I honestly believe I would have struggled taking a year off.  Part of me felt relieved I wasn't coaching, but a much larger part of me was bothered by not being around the game, and most notably the young men's whose lives you impact. 

Today was especially great, as our numbers have increased into the fifties!  This is a school that finished with just 24 on the roster last season.  There's a certain excitement in the air, that you just love to see on a football field.  The kids are excellent, I've never been told "yes sir" and "thank you sir" so many times in my life!  We also have a little bit of talent too, and good chemistry, despite not having much experience.  Anyhow, the only negative thing looming ahead of us is that we only have uniforms for about forty kids, so we are going to have to have cuts, which sucks, but such is life!

I just wanted to share this little tidbit of information with you guys, especially those that may be down in the dumps or worn down a bit.  Can you function without the game?  Ask this of yourself, and see what the answer is.  I know I could, but I wouldn't be happy, was my answer.  Now, I'm so happy you couldn't beat the smile off my face!




Try gettin' that smile off!

Some good links to look at, a lot of bloggers have been busy here lately.  Smart Football has been loaded with everything from Tom Moore's new job, to the Run and Shoot's Go package and here lately the good ol' speed option.  Check em' out over there, some very good reading on all different aspects of the game.

Brophy, or the "Godfather" of football blogging as I choose to call him, has some very good stuff over at his blog on Noel Mazzone and the one-back offense.  His latest post has EXCELLENT video clips on Alex Gibbs and the stretch run game.  Good stuff brutha!

Becoming a Man For All Seasons has a very intricate view into defensive game planning.  For most of us, that is happening at a rapid pace right now, and even though in-season research is tough, this is a good read on the number one topic a DC should be looking in to right now.

Coach Hoover has a great post on ball security.  We worked some of his drills today with our running backs and I can tell you, we have a LONG way to go in terms of teaching ball security.  This is a much overlooked concept in teaching young running backs, but this is where the foundation must be set.  Check out the post, as usual Coach, you've done a great job explaining the foundation for which all running back's should be coached upon.




Doh!

A couple of new places I've found is DumCoach.com and Understanding the Trickeration.  Both seem like very good sites, worthy of looking at.  DumCoach is a forum geared toward youth coaches and schemes where Understanding the Trickeration is a good all around site with excellent explanations on offense, defense and special teams.  There are also some very good technical diagrams on that site to take advantage of.  Good job to both sites! 

Well, I'm off to plan tomorrow's practice, and thanking my lucky stars I have that opportunity.  Again, ask yourself the question I posed above and see just where you fit.  GATA!!!!

Duece