Author: bigdaddc@comcast.net

Well, the  Sound Mind Sound Body Europe football (ad)venture is finally taking off.  Literally.  Terry and I started our trek across the ocean to Switzerland by jumping on a flight from Detroit to Atlanta.  That was followed by a two or so hour layover where we naturally found a bar.

Kind of a fancy one – I guess that is the way they do it in the international terminals.  You know high class stuff for such upper crust guys like us.  I think I saw James Bond in the booth across from us.  You know it is possible – who knows world travelers like us might be in the same racket.

We then boarded our overnight flight (is this technically a red eye?? – perhaps a reverse red eye??) to Milan, Italy.  It is a nine-hour shot and obviously it is pretty interesting because you fly in the dark and wake up to breakfast and the wonderful scenery of the Swiss Alps.\

I guess Curtis and his sister – the other part of our American side of SMSB-Europe  (Maybe we should call it Sound Mind Sound Body – “Europa” – that sounds a little fancier to me) should be getting started on their own version of the trip.

Curtis had just finished running a SMSB session in Flint, Michigan for a friend of his who lives there.  I am pretty sure he put it on for free and was somehow tied into the water crisis they suffered there.  One thing you can count on with Curtis Blackwell – he is always doing some good deed. The man is special.

Curtis needed to have an extra day to get his house in order and he and his sister were flying a different course than ours.  I think they were flying into Zurich and then directly into Lugano.  We will all be spending time there until Friday when we travel a short distance to Tenero and the Sports Center for our football extravaganza!

Giorgio picked us up and whisked us away from Milan up thru the northern Italian countryside and into my second homeland – Switzerland.

We dropped by “The American School of Switzerland” (Or TASS) as they say over here.  One of the most elite schools in all of Europe with students from all over the world. This is a very impressive place carved into the side of a mountain (montagna in Italian) and also built atop of it as well.

Giorgio is a PE teacher there….and he is obviously one of the most popular people on campus as we saw as he showed us the beautiful campus.  (I don’t know how he drives on those streets in the winter. They are like one of the alleys on the side of the Roxy Theater in Northampton, Pennsylvania.

His wife Joselyn is working there as well and it was fun to visit with her for a little while.  Did not get to see her on last quick visit to Switzerland last November.  Wonderful person and she has raised two amazing children in Giovanni and Katarina.  (Katarina is in ninth grade and speaks four or five languages already).  I’m just glad I can figure out one language!

We motored up (and I mean up…I mean Up…I mean UP) to Giorgio’s mountain house – that road is all switch backs and if you look too hard you might go right off a cliff.  (As we used to say in high school – “I shit you not!)  It is straight up and down off of the main road to his cabin!”  There are literally areas where if a car is coming the other way – someone has to back up to find a wider area because the road can handle only one car.  Apparently the car going up has the right of way!

Along the way we picked up our other Swiss partner….Fulgenzio.  (Isn’t that the greatest Swiss Italian name ever!)

Now we are up here….doing what we do!  Drinking beer…..eating a steak!  (Noi beviamo birra  e mangiamo il bistecca!)

Tomorrow we go into Lugano to pick up our other partner Curtis – zip over to Tenero and the Sports Complex to make sure everything is in order for our even.

Bye the wan, tomorrow is the Swiss National Holiday – August First. Fireworks, parties, concerts….hmmmm I guess some more beer drinking as well.  Hell, why not.

HAH!  WHAT A LIFE!

Ciao!

Tomorrow starts our newest adventure.  The five Amigos (or Amicos in Italian) start our first adventure as a group.  Sound Mind Sound Body Europe will have its first annual football Camp/Coaches Clinic in Tenero, Switzerland next weekend.

We leave Monday to start this great endeavor.  It will be so fantastic on so many levels.  We get to visit my second homeland in the Alps and spend time with football people.  Plus we get to spend a week with some of the finest people in the world – see amazing scenery and eat unbelievable meals (maybe have a beer or ten as well!)

I am so lucky to have so many friends to work with in the football world.  But to have five fantastic pals who have a joint vision – what more can you want?

In Switzerland we are so fortunate to have our compadres Giorgio and Fulgenzio to set the groundwork and the three of us stateside (Curtis, Terry and myself) just trying to figure out how we can make this a great time for the people involved.With an awesome facility and a scenic backdrop we are really happy to try and make our exchange of ideas and football concepts a great experience for everyone involved.

Free food (beer) and football (beer) what else could you ask for?

Had the afternoon and evening off from practice and meetings.  Well deserved break for the troops.  They have been going strong for a week or so and really have been working hard.

But yesterday’s practice….well it wasn’t great.  After watching the practice video – as coaches we saw that the effort was lacking from several players.  That is unacceptable when you use a pro football filter.

Some of the guys didn’t practice as hard as they could have.  But, often with younger guys you have to get on them at times.  Consistency is one of the most important things that players have to learn.  It is especially important for young players aspiring to be professional athletes.

Many players can flash in practice at times.   But it really is the guy who works hard consistently – practice after practice – day in and day out.  Those are the guys who are really professionals.

One of our challenges as coaches with these young guys in particular is to teach them how to become professionals.  Anyone can be a football player.  But a professional football player is a whole different animal.

Certainly talent is the most important component in finding an NFL caliber player.  But, that is not the only thing necessary.  The majority of the players in the NFL are truly “professionals.”  They understand how to practice, how to approach meeting time, off season conditioning.  Also they know how to behave in public, carry themselves thru interviews etc.  In other words they are always on top of their game no matter what phase they are in.

Many of the players we have with us have the ability to get into the NFL as a “camp” player.  But the difference between a “camp” player and someone who actually makes a team is big.  Often it is not just talent.

Players like we have right now understand that the NFL (like all professional sports) is about talent.  But, what is the thing that separates the guys who make the last roster spots….and those who are released?

Often it comes down to assessing the attitude of those last players.  How they will be as a teammate?  Can they master the playbook – which may seem easy to most – but trust me with all of the adjustments it is hard.

Other things like how they interact in the locker room and with the coaches.  These things seem minor, but when you are filling the final spots on the team – you cannot have a problem child.

Our job as coaches – with these guys –  is to  help raise their awareness of the little things that can propel them to finding that little extra….that polish they need.  Like we have told our “troops” there is a reason that they are in the YCF camp and not on a roster.

On the field we need to drill the fundamentals over and over.  Little things like how to drop into coverage properly, learning how to get off the ball in pass rush.  Quarterbacks learn the nuances of reading coverages….receivers escaping the line of scrimmage.

Many things need to be “shined” up and dusted off.  But, many times teaching a player just how to “behave” around his teammates will allow an NFL talent scout to put one of our players on his list.

So it is important that we clean up the little things and perhaps teach them to grow up as young men when they are off the field.  It is an interesting task we have, but one that is well worthwhile.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that we are in Vero Beach, Florida instead of places like Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan where we are having some spring snows!

Well the “Your Call Football” program opened up camp a few days ago with the check-in at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida.  What a fantastic place to have a football training camp.

It is truly a beautiful area with outstanding weather that makes preparing for a three game season very comfortable.  (However as we took the field for the first double session on Monday we faced 92 degree weather – not so comfortable!)

But realize it is still snowing (Oh I mean “wintry mix”) in Michigan.

We started off camp with a mini combine followed by a short conditioning drill just to see what kind of overall shape the troops were in.  My old pal Bert Hill was in charge of this effort.  The guys who came in basically looked pretty good.

Bert is one of a kind. He and I worked together for the Lions for eleven or twelve years  back in the 90’s.  It was a fantastic time to be in pro football and we have remained friends over the years.

Although he occasionally steals my sayings and ideas he has saved my sorry ass more than once.

Our President Julie Meringer and Vice President of Marketing Sue Develin and their team established a fantastic operation that we are truly lucky to be involved in.  They found a great place in Dodgertown to have a training camp for football.

Football is a fantastic game, but it requires hard work and practice.  When you have a facility like Dodgertown to train at it creates a great atmosphere for training.

After many years of coaching it is very obvious to me that this is a first class operation and I can see the future of this endeavor – “YourCall Football” – is very bright.  I don’t know the inner workings of a business operation such as ours.  But I do know about great ownership and management.  We have that with this  group.

From the minute I talked with my friend Kurt Schottenheimer back in November and agreed to jump onto the bandwagon I knew this was a great operation.

It wasn’t two weeks later I heard from the “YourCall Football” front office.  The plan for the establishment of a front line in the fantasy, gaming sports reality business was played out to me.

I then spent some time on the phone with the Director of Football operations Colin Vataha.  A really bright guy who is a director of a group that is involved with Your Call Football.  The company Vataha Sports Corp is a big time company that does many things involving acquisitions of sports entities and investing in sports ventures.

****I mean a combination of Madden Football and Fantasy Football but with real players and coaches.  BUT and a big BUT – the fans make the calls on the offensive plays.  HOW COOL IS THIS??!!****

I don’t know much – as most of you already know – but this sounded like a fantastic idea from the get go to me.  The design seems excellent – and the timing is right as well.

*****The website for “YourCall Football” can explain the idea and how it works much better than I can.*****

One thing is certain – I don’t understand how it all works.  Not my area – my job is to help get the operation moving on the football end of it.  So that’s what I will do.

Yup, my job is to support – not to furnish any brain power.

How cool is this though….so many great NFL coaches placed under the umbrella of coaching great Mike Sherman and former NFL star back Merrill Hodge.  Man, what an awesome opportunity for me to expand my football coaching knowledge.

We also have a very knowledgeable group of young college coaches who are up and coming in the profession. These guys are sharp and really have some great skills.

To me this is a no-brainer ….how could this endeavor fail.  Plus, what the heck – Florida….Dodgertown??   I  can drive down….hang around – coach and see my coaching pals.  Things could fall apart like most start ups.  So then what would I do?

Get back into my truck and drive home.  It’s easy for a guy like me!

Kurt and I spent several years together in Detroit and ironically we live just about 15 miles apart.  Although we hadn’t seen each other for years – it was like falling back into a rhythm and we were able to organize our playbooks and other player information over a few weeks.

****As per usual – the first time thru here in Dodgertown we need to continually repair the book as it goes.  Unfortunately we don’t have access to the normal office equipment.  But the next time we need the playbook it will be pretty much finished and repaired.****

Kurt is one of the best Defensive Coordinators I have worked with over the years (and there have been many!). He has the ability to lead….yet he has an open mind and listens to the assistants around him – allowing them input.

He also has a personality that allows him to connect with the players very easily.  Well when you are a coordinator, Special Teams coach and secondary coach for more than 20 years in the NFL you have the background.

Basically he is the reason I jumped on board.  I figure if he was in charge it was going to be fun.  Plus looking at the rest of the coaches it was going to be fun to sit around and tell stories.

Hell, we are all in our sixties – coached with and against each other – have so many mutual friends!  It looked like a great opportunity – one just too great to pass up.

We have veteran NFL coaches and some exciting young coaches who are going far.  We are also so lucky to have two former NFL greats in Chris Dishman and Martin Bayless.

Both of those guys were awesome on the field.  But, since retiring they have been involved in many aspects of football including coaching.  These two guys aren going to be awesome coaches in the NFL.  I can see them having a chance to be head football coaches.

I’ll talk more about this awesome staff later.

Tomorrow is Thursday and we will have a limited scrimmage to test out some of our players and also our schemes.

Well….out to Phoenix with our friends the Fords.  Yeah he is a grad of the University of Arizona.  We are Sun Devils!  Well, we went over to watch U of A play against our Devils in basketball.

Have to give it to those guys from Tucson they beat us by seven.  But, the Devils fought back from an 18 point deficit to go ahead.  Not enough horsepower to maintain and win the game though.

U of A has two seven footers – they are pretty good.  One freshman and one senior.  But I really think that the Devils are on the right track.  Bobby Hurley the coach –  obviously his name will bring ASU some positive recruiting buzz.  Now, can we keep him away from the NBA?

With all the problems in college athletics the pro game gets more appealing to successful college coaches in all sports.  Coaching is one of the best jobs you can have….but there are so many pitfalls that can put a coach in jeopardy in the college landscape.

The beauty of the pro game is just that….they are pros.  Sure there are issues you have to deal with.  But the athlete’s are in charge of their own lives.  You don’t have to give lectures to them about how to act….what to do in their personal lives etc.   They are responsible for what they do….not you as a coach.

In college as a coach you have to constantly be aware of an athletes actions – not only on the field – but off the field.  Often problems are brought to your attention after the fact.  Sometimes you don’t even know about a problem  until it is too late.

There are many people who judge coaches without even knowing the entire situation.  As a coach you might not know the circumstances yourself…..the next thing you know some unknown staffer has supplied ESPN with documents and everyone thinks you are a jackass.

Coaching is hard enough –  trying to keep track of 90 plus athletes (football) off the field is incredibly difficult.  Plus you might be off campus recruiting – something goes wrong and suddenly you are stupid and accused of not controlling your program.

Yeah pro sports might be a better path for coaches.

*****

We had a great time in Phoenix and had to concede to Tom that the “kitty cats” from U of A were better than our Devils.  I’m thinking ASU will whip up on them for the next several years.

I think this might become an annual trek to the “Grand Canyon” state for the Ford’s and us.  Maybe we should make it a little more interesting by making the loser pay for the trip????  Hmm…might be good idea.

Love to see the strength in both Tom and Kathy.  So glad to see that their faith is so evident.  We are lucky to count them as our friends..

*****

Hop on the next jet to Albuquerque and off to the “Land of Enchantment” – the great state of New Mexico.  Going to spend about ten days here visiting and getting our fill of the best chili in the US.  Personally I just can’t get enough of the stuff!

Spending time in one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen – Santa Fe!

Santa Fe, not Albuquerque, is the capital of the great state of New Mexico.  The city was founded around 1610 by Spanish colonists and it is the OLDEST state capital in the United States!  So as we say out here “New Mexico is not NEW and it is not MEXICO”. 

Santa Fe is very unique with it’s southwestern architecture and truly special cuisine.  I have suggested many times to friends to visit the state….but to especially explore this fantastic city.  You can’t go wrong here!

Although New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the union it only has about two million people residing there.  This ranks it as the 36th most populated state.  Very large – but not not that many people.  But, if you want to see the stars at night and see the most beautiful blue sky during the daylight hours you have to go and visit!

Oh yeah state bird – the ROADRUNNER!

When you look at the Roadrunners “footprint” it  is an “X”.  Legend behind that is – that way when the devil was looking for the roadrunner he (she or it I guess) could not track him down because he wouldn’t know what direction to look!

*****You know that I have a lot of strange information rattling around in my head!*****

Many people from the east think that New Mexico and Arizona are vast deserts.  But you have to watch what you define as a desert.  Trust me – the deserts of the southwest are not vast swaths (nice college word there) of sand and cacti.

There are rocks, canyons (snakes…scorpions…Gila monsters etc) mesas, arroyos etc.  It is a fascinating landscape.  But, northern New Mexico, Northern Arizona are mountainous.  For instance Taos, New Mexico has tremendous skiing opportunities – it is at nearly 7000 feet (Denver is 5000!). So trust me northern New Mexico is not in the desert as you may think of it!

Well anyway we are here now!

*****

Football-wise some things are percolating in Europe and perhaps we can get Sound Mind Sound Body into an “international” mode pretty soon!

OK…A long disappearance, but I have had a lot to do.  Nah not really.  Was just concentrating on being the second luckiest man ever.  You might think that is easy….you have to work at your craft!  So I do!

There are many things going on…..My very good friend Giorgio Volpi from Switzertland tried to establish a connection with the Italian Federation of American Football.  A promising chance to build and develop camps and football clinics in Europe and perhaps other places as well.

It looked very promising…but then it fell apart.

Very disappointing – but at the same time we are hours apart – an ocean away.  Organization is difficult.  I have great confidence that we will figure this out.  We have put together a fantastic team of people here and in Europe.

Giorgio and our friend Fulgenzio Jorio make up our European side (I’m sure this will expand with time.). On the US side we have two very skilled guys in Curtis Blackwell and Terry Copacia – and of course there has to be an anchor – that is me!

Someone has to be the that guy!  An anchor can pull you down….or it can steady you in a strong current I have been told.  Hmmm….what kind of anchor would that make me?  Might keep me up at night thinking about that one.

Anyway our goal is to develop an unique program involving coaching clinics, player instructional camps and combines for the players.

The impacts will manyfold:  1.) Including the development of American football throughout Europe (especially at the U19 level)  2.) Trying to build coaching contacts and encouraging our European peers to continue to increase their football knowledge.  3.)  Help any of our young players from Europe to get to the states as HS exchange students, junior college players and some collegiate players as well.

It seems a vast undertaking – but with the people involved it is completely possible.

OK – Terry Copacia and I have been friends for 30 years.  He is a fine football coach, teacher and communicator.  He has developed many quarterbacks over the years.  He never brags about it…never posts how many All Americans he has  helped.  But, believe me there are many!

He has operated the All State Quarterback School for 30 years.  On of the cleanest and clearest coaching approaches I have ever seen.

http://www.quarterbackschool.com

Just see these testimonials!

Cooper Rush, Quarterback
Lansing Catholic – Central Michigan  University – Dallas Cowboys” It is all about maximizing your skill set. Coach Copacia immediately cleaned up my throwing mechanics and footwork – the precise fundamentals that a Quarterback needs. I used his techniques through high school, college and today in the NFL.”

Kirk Cousins, Quarterback
Holland Christian – Michigan State – Washington Redskins

” I consider Terry Copacia’s All-State Quarterback School camp to be the first time I ever received detailed coaching on the fundamentals of the Quarterback position. There are several of his fundamentals that I have held onto all these years and still apply today”.

Craig Krenzel, Quarterback
Henry Ford II – Ohio State – Chicago Bears – Cincinnati Bengals

“There is no doubt that the reason I’ve had the opportunity to play at the highest levels of professional football is because of all that Coach Terry Copacia taught me when I worked with him at All-State Quarterback School.

By the way these guys are not a bunch of  “Slappies”!

******

Yup, then there is my friend Curtis…co-founder and leader of Sound Mind Sound Body.  If you want to see an organization who has it’s roots in Detroit and expanded across the country – well this is it.

soundmindsoundbodycamp.com

Starting in his native Detroit – Curtis created a vast network that embodies his goal of developing young people through academic challenges, professional training in football and also helping them understand life challenges.  It is a fantastic organization.

“SMSB”  has been a conduit to college at all levels – thousands of young people who were helped over the last fifteen years.

I’ve seen him in action…working with kids.  Making sure they are receiving guidance and coaching.  I’ve been to the indoor facility in Detroit – awesome setup and devoted to those kids.  Instilling the knowledge and skills they need to develop to be successful.

*****

So combined with Giorgio and Fulgenzio – how can we fail.  We cannot!  This will be an awesome experience.  Oh yeah….Giorgio – coached all over the world finished school in the US.  Name known all across Europe.

Fulgenzio – director of the Lugano Lakers….but stepping into a role with the Junior National team of Switzerland.  OK – let’s not mention his business background and how much he knows about the way everything fits together –  not only in Switzerland – but across Europe.

*****

So now if we can just do something about that anchor I mentioned earlier!

*****

Now…..another project that is going to fly in April-May.  My friend Kurt Schottenheimer called me up last November and threw an idea at me.  He was going to become the defensive coordinator for a project called “yourcallfootball.com”

Now, Kurt is the real deal – many years a defensive coordinator in the NFL – special teams coach many years as well.  He told me about how yourcallfootball.com was going to work.  Awesome idea.

Best idea is to look up the website to see the actual platform.  However here is a snapshot:

At the outset there will be a 90 player team (or somewhere in that range).  Obviously offensive and defensive players.  The team will have two head coaches (Mike Sherman – yup that Mike Sherman and Merril Hodge – yup that Merril Hodge) one defensive coordinator in Kurt.

Six week overall training camp / season at Vero Beach – at Dodgertown.  Pretty cool setup.  There will only be three games the first year.  So basically your offense will be playing against your defense three times.

By getting the application YOU will have a direct impact on the games.  The app allows YOU to call plays and compare YOUR calls to YOUR friends.  Everyone who plays votes on the play and then the coach calls the play with the most votes.

Don ‘t ask me how that works – I am not smart enough.  But, there are really smart people behind this set up

But, here is the cool part.  It is like fantasy football / Madden football rolled into one.  Eventually YOU will be able to organize YOUR own team – but at the outset YOU will be able to call the plays and the real players on the field will actually run that play.

So, all of you guys (and girls) out there who think you know more than the coaches – most every body I know claims that.  Well, we will find out.  YOU call it – the coach relays it on the field – players execute it.

Then we find out if the play YOU called worked.  Put the pressure on the fans – coaches are just doing what YOU want.

I guess there will be some sort of scoreboard to let you know if the p[lay YOU called worked – compares you to your friends.  Now we will know how smart YOU are!

Seriously check out the website!

This is just a very wide brush of what should be a cool idea!

Well, we get to coach the team!  So, now that gives me a football outlet in the spring.  Going to be awesome…..picking up some good coaches along the way.  Aside from Mike and Merril as head coaches and Kurt as the DC…..Bob Slowik (another coordinator) is on board with Martin Bayless and Chris Dishman – former star defensive backs in the NFL.

For me just another adventure for the konkretekidinfootball.com – the second luckiest man in the world.

Heading to Santa Fe tomorrow…for those of you geographically challenged – that is in the great state of New Mexico!

 

Took a little time off from the Blog scene waiting for some info on my football adventures – some in Europe others here in North America.  There is always something going on in the football world – never a dull scene.

More of that later.

But some other cool things going on over the last few weeks.  Got down to the new Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit to watch Oakland University play Michigan State (hell of a game!)……saw the Oakland University tribute to Tom Ford……explored the Eastern Market and downtown Detroit for an afternoon…..Getting ready for Christmas…..preparing to go to a friend’s  wedding on New Year’s Eve (yup the boss made me by a suit) black tie affair.

Also spent some time in the college classroom with a good friend – Garth Pleasant had me come in to entertain (notice I didn’t say educate) his class.  Visited for two weeks talking about ethics in coaching.

***Garth Pleasant’s basketball coaching record at Rochester College – well he won 720 games.  Is that incredible or what.  Heck they named the arena after him.  Now he is the AD and teaches a few classes!***

Wow….ethics…hmmmm.  We spent a few years on probation at Arizona State.  Well OK it happened before we arrived, but it was still an interesting time.  Probation….ethics…gulp!

It was a lot of fun though.  Great bunch of young people who obviously are bright and engaged.

Down at the Eastern Market area of Detroit yesterday.  Had a great time with our friends Pete and Beth…..daughter Kaylee and her husband Josh.  Interesting area of our city.  A lot of neat things going on in Detroit – especially in Midtown.

Eastern Market region has always been a pretty interesting region with its small shops and eclectic feel (eclectic??).  Although a cold day it was a lot of fun wandering through the stalls and seeing the many different things for sale.

If you couldn’t find a poinsettia you liked for a very inexpensive price well you are never going to find one.  Wow, did they look awesome and the prices….well just not fair.  Very inexpensive.

LOOK OUT!

Be prepared for a church to collapse or a lightning bolt to hit me Sunday (although we are looking for snow here not thunderstorms).  My wife is dragging me to church – chances are the roof may fall in when I walk inside.  Haven’t walked through the big doors for many a year.

Football on TV!

***Just watched Todd Gurley catch a screen and run for 80 yard TD – wow what a player.  I guess Jeff Fisher was right in drafting the QB…..he may have paid the price with his job.***

Damn – Bengals just went ahead of the Lions….frustrating.  I really don’t lose sleep over games anymore.  But, obviously love the Lions…..think the world of the Ford family…..still have many friends in the organization….a few guys on the team.  (Love to hear my friend Chris Spielman doing the game as well!)

This is the money time in the NFL.  Everyone is hurt…..the games will come down to how healthy you can get by game day – how you manage your preparation and practice.  If you find a healthy body in the locker room – he is a new guy, or hasn’t played very much.

These are real guys playing right now.  Tough guys who know how to manage pain and play thru hurts….Never want to play injured….but playing hurt – these guys do it.  Can’t tell you how much I admire these guys and how tough they are.

Giovanni Bernard – a real Pro!

SHOTS OF DOWNTOWN DETROIT

To my pals in Switzerland – Happy Holidays my friends.  Was thinking of you guys when I put on my red sweatshirt to make a batch of Christmas Chili (I guess Christmas Eve Chili).

CHRISTMAS CHILI!

The boss (Shawn) told me to build a pot of chili for the weekend.  So I did.  We were going to have Tom and Kathy Ford, Dave and Marie DeFrancis – their son  Mike over after church.  (The church did not collapse – nor was I hit by a bolt of lightning when I entered the building!)

Nice service by our friend Dave Wilson.  Way different gathering than I was used to at Our Lady of Hungary in Northampton, Pennsylvania.

Was very nice as I said.

We battle through the snow (must have five plus inches right now) come home for a nice visit and a good (mild) bowl of chili.  Looks like we will surely have a white Christmas…..love it!

OK some football information.

Looks like our plans for Switzerland for a clinic / combine in February came undone.  Frustrating because it was a great opportunity to help football in my second homeland.  But, sometimes that is the way it goes.

But, somehow, someway we will find a way to keep pushing our football forward.  Especially for the U19 team.  Can’t wait to get back to see my friends and continue on our march forward with football

My good friend Kurt Schottenheimer got me involved with a new adventure.  In Florida during late April into May some cool things happening.  Look up “Your Call Football”.

Kurt was our defensive coordinator in Detroit for several years.  Outstanding coach and a good friend.  He got me involved and it seems like a great idea.

Like Madden Football – the fans control the game.  They call the offensive plays.  Good luck with Monday morning quarterbacking if the fans call the plays!

Everything is live streamed and scored and rated per fan playing the game.  Sounds like a good idea that has real guys playing football – but the fans actually control the game with their calls.

Plus….43 days in Vero Beach at Dodgertown coaching football with my friends!  What more could you want?  What a life!

So, putting together another playbook for Kurt – getting ready for another adventure.

Another cool thing we have going is that we may be going to Italy to put on a clinic for their football federation.  With the possibility of football entering the Olympics in some form  more and more people throughout Europe are trying to gain more information.

Love it!

This post has been a real rambling effort on my part – sorry if my stream of consciousness is too much to handle….will get better.

Happy Holidays (Festivus??!!) to all.

OK…football over for the second luckiest man in the world.  Or is it?  Not so fast….. some really interesting things that are creeping up for the konkretekidinfootball.  More about that later.

The most important thing we have to talk about is the tremendous weekend we had here in southeastern Michigan!

And…..what a fantastic weekend we had here.  Celebration of Tom Ford’s career as the athletic trainer at Oakland University.  What an awesome guy….cannot say how much I admire Tom.  We have been friends since he first set foot into Michigan thirty some years ago.  (Wasn’t that a show years ago “Thirty something”??  OK that really has no relevance here….but you know me and how I drift off the point).

tfordstrong.org 

He has had some bad news in the last several months.  But if there is a stronger person out there I challenge you to find him.  No doubt ALS is nothing to trifle with….but T Ford will be the guy to push it back.  He already has this illness knocked back on it’s heels.

It is impossible to gage the influence he has had on the entire community at Oakland University.  Not just in athletics…..but everywhere on campus.  He touches everyone.  His kindness and willingness to always lend a hand is immeasurable.  Just look at how many people were there to watch his celebration at the Oakland University basketball game with Chicago State.

It was inspiring to see the people who came back to campus to spend some time with Tom!  This man has done so much for so many….the outpouring of love….unbelievable.

I personally was touched with the women’s basketball teams that were there to spend a minute remembering our great teams of the 80’s.  Coach Taylor and his wonderful family there to help Tom celebrate.  I may be wrong….but those teams won 100 games over a four year period.  Four appearances in the NCAA tournament….final four appearances!  What a great time.

Those girls could play some ball!  Remember that  wonderful win at Central Missouri State in the playoffs.  They had not lost a home game in a year or two and the Pioneers took it to them to get to the final four.  What a great trip.

Most of those young women were there to celebrate with Tom, his family and friends.  Again it was quite an afternoon.  So cool that Oakland University gave him the chair he sat in for thirty years serving not only as the best trainer in the world….but Greg Kampe’s rock and also his confidante.

(Oh by the way I have that chair in my truck….I might give it back to Tom in exchange for a case of Coors Light….Oh OK I’ll just give it to him.)

Outstanding get together later with literally hundreds of people celebrating with Tom.  We all spent several hours (imagine that) with Tom at RJ’s Pub.  A bar that we have been going to before Oakland became a Division I program.  Hell I even had dark hair in those days.

We have been going there so long that I can remember both the Fords and the Kampe’s bringing their young children there in bassinets….I probably have spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars there….well you know me!

Smallest chicken wings in the world at RJ’s (Paul Diegel and I call them sparrow wings!). But, they are good!

We really had a wonderful time with our extended family the Fords. So great that their friends and family from New Hampshire were able to come to Michigan and enjoy this celebration with Tom.

Been home barely a week and got my marching orders quickly from the boss.  Get the Christmas lights up.  She also told me we don’t need to be as decorative as usual with the kids gone.  Is Shawn turning into the Grinch?

Well she is right we won’t put as much stuff up….dream on….so we went from one Christmas tree (or do we have to call them Holiday Trees??!!?) to four.  You heard me right four.  Yup we are downsizing!

OK they are smaller than the one we usually had.

But as usual she did a fantastic job making the inside of the house festive.  Going to be a great holiday season.  I really love the time from the day before Thanksgiving thru New Year’s Day. A lot of visiting with friends, drinking beer, going out with old pals, drinking beer, Caroling (yeah scratch that one off the list) – drinking beer!

Lights went up without a hitch although I didn’t do the big tree in the front.  But I think we have just enough to win the neighborhood lighting contest…..Especially when I put the 20 foot Santa and his sled and reindeer(s) on the roof!

Oh can’t spend all of this time on this Holiday huggy – kissy stuff.  This blog is basically about football….OK maybe some history, travel etc. gets rolled in as well.

I was fortunate to be included in my friend Curtis Blackwell’s Sound Mind Sound Body Combine.  Held  right down the street from the still standing Silver Dome.  Quite an exhibition.

Very well run with certified equipment to do the timing and measurements.  Curtis and his group do a tremendous job and they are really tuned into the kids.  He is a native of Detroit and has a special spot for our home grown youngsters.

The SMSB combine had 150 or so athletes participating – what a debut for this type of operation.  Curtis has been operating SMSB for more than 15 years and this is the first time he had taken on such a large undertaking.  It went off very well.

My good friend Terry Copacia (All State Quarterback School) worked the QB’s out after the measured events.  I was fortunate to be able to help him like I try to do during the winter.  He is really a one-man show and one of the best teachers I have ever been around. (But I actually do help somewhat!)

We had ten young QB’s and wow most of these kids could let the ball fly.  Was a great three or four hour session.  Wouldn’t mind having a few of these guys walking around  the campus at Moravian.

Actually, there were many outstanding young guys working out. If you took a few guys from each position and made a team you would have quite a squad.

My friend Giorgio Volpi in Switzerland is trying  to organize a clinic for the coaches in Switzerland and also for the Italian Federation as well.  He and I have Skyped (yes I am an international Skyper!) about this and several other ideas.

I can see me in Rome right now.  Look out Coliseum (or Colosseum)!  Could be another adventure for me – the “assistant”  Ambassador of Football (Giorgio is the true Ambassador).

By the way I am in my second week of trying to teach myself how to speak Italian.  Rosetta Stone and Duolingo are my teachers.  Going is slow – conjugating verbs….yuck.  But I am working on it.

Io ne gialla machchina……I am not a yellow car!  Hah what a life.

Other options are popping up as well.  My friend Kurt Schottenheimer asked me to jump on a football venture in Florida (Dodgertown in Vero Beach.)  A little more than a month working with some young players in April and May.  Sounds interesting for the konkretekidinfootball!

Kurt was our coordinator in Detroit for a few years and is one of the most respected guys I know.  Plus he is a great guy!  We should have a good time.  It is also a great opportunity to become a better coach for me.

Back to partying and drinking beer.

Attended our first of many get togethers at our friends the  Szpunars’ (Good Irish name – hah!). What a spread.  It was a party for the ladies’ card group.  But we guys got invited!

The kids showed up as well.  Although Chris could not make it home from Grand Rapids I  think the four Musketeers had a good time.  I’m sure they more then made up for him – although the next day Corey looked much better than the last time this crew got together.

I’m sure this is just the beginning of many outstanding efforts for this festive season.   I can see a few beeramyds making their way across the old Facebook page here and there.

What a Life!

Caio!