Opening games cause a lot of anxiety for coaches. For a coach it is only natural to have uneasiness as the season approaches. But, if you look at it…..there is a good reason for this….you have a lot more time to think about the opener than any other game during the season.
Coaches are natural worriers. We are constantly asking each other….So, what do you think? or…. Do you think we have a chance?
Being an optimistic guy I always try and take the high road. No matter how I really feel I am going to try and respond with something positive. (Well what should you say….”No, we are going to get our asses kicked.” Really if you feel that way it’s the wrong business to be in.)
As we approach the first game of the season at Kings on Thursday night there is the usual nervousness.
They finished 5-5 in the always tough Middle Atlantic Conference and they return some key skilled players. On the other hand – we lost some very good players from last year’s team. But, when you look at it…what does that really mean?
We spent the entire spring throwing the ball and defending with our players. We have had what I believe has been an outstanding training camp. The players have been really tuned in and have tried to do everything that has been asked of them.
It looks like our team coming together at the right time. If we play up to our capabilities and force them into some errors the score will take care of itself.
A good friend on mine – the late Frank Gansz (perhaps the best special teams coach the NFL has ever had) used to call professional football a “high performance” business. It truly is, there is no doubt about that.
But he constantly talked about how to perform at a high level and always had examples of people or organizations (teams, warriors etc.) who could do that on a consistent basis. He taught our players that the main and prevalent theme you could find throughout success was in the training.
You need to train at a high level so that your business – in this case the game itself – became a natural reaction for you.
He was convinced of this – If you trained the troops on how to react quickly and decisively in a stressful environment without having to think about it you would have a tremendous advantage. So, all of our special teams meetings and practices dealt with this – FUNDAMENTALS!
No, not scheme and trying to out-think your opponent with fancy game plans. But the constant drilling of the basics that you need to accomplish at high speed in the heat of the game. He trained those players to work together and react to the situation at hand competently. (Really if you think about this – it is the same in any business.)
If you ever watched Detroit play in the mid to late ’90’s what you saw was a fearsome special teams performance week after week. Yes, we had one of the greatest returners in the history of the NFL in Mel Gray….but it came down to the execution of fundamentals that paved the way for his and our success.
So, after being with Frank for five seasons with the Lions I learned many things. But, what really sticks in my mind to this day is his central theme of “training the troops.”
That is why I feel good about our team at Moravian right now. I think Coach Puksyzn and offensive coordinator John Harrison have put the assistants in a good position to help “the troops” get better every day in practice.
I think it is pretty obvious that we have covered all of the special situations we need to see. We also have practiced the fundamental aspects of our game quickly and with great effort.
Our practice sessions have been very good. For the most part the guys have really tried to give everything asked of them. There has been excellent effort and the attention has been sharp.
Sure it’s normal to nervous! There is nothing wrong with that. But when you practice hard and at a high level you learn to trust your training during the game. As I mentioned earlier…the score takes care of itself. The focus is on the performance of the fundamentals quickly and automatically at each position. That is what wins the game.
Execution of fundamentals under pressure without having to think about it. Trust your training!
Another exciting year of football about to get going!