Author: bigdaddc@comcast.net

OK….back from Switzerland, things settling in again as we get prepared to play the Eagles from Juniata College this Saturday.  Since all the Centennial Conference teams had their bye last week the Hounds should be rested and as healthy as can be expected.

Unfortunately we have had so many injuries that it is hard to imagine being even “somewhat” healthy.  To date we have lost 10 players to season ending injuries and even never got five others on the field because they reported unable to play.

These are not complaints…just pointing out the reality of the situation.  It has been hard to practice at times.  Not because we don’t have enough players.  But, because we cannot get all of our starters there at one time.  We are filling in with backups and moving guys around constantly to field a competitive team.

This is not even counting the players that miss either the beginning of practice, or the end of practice due to class or lab schedules.  It’s been tough at times….oh yeah we don’t have very good lights either.  So, when daylight savings time shows up in a few weeks our practice will be drastically effected.

Anyway….back to Juniata.  We leave for our game in Huntington on Friday – Beautiful four or so hour drive touring thru some awesome scenery in central Pennsylvania.  Staying at the Raystown Lake Resort in cabins!

From what I understand a few players can stay in each cabin – bunk beds I guess.  I just hope that there aren’t any bears in the woods – let alone freshwater sharks in that lake!  I intend to do some fishing off of the dock when we get there.

Juniata enters our game with a 2-4 record, and like us they have struggled to find consistency.  They have some impressive younger players and they have been able to make some big plays.  However, they have made some big errors as well.

We need to prepare like we always do and trust our training.  Concentrate on executing our fundamentals and doing our jobs.  It is the same mantra week in and week out.  But, it is the only way to develop a successful team.

There are no shortcuts to winning – you have to concentrate on all of the details regardless how small they may be.  For instance we work on creating turnovers every week.  This has started to pay off – we are exactly even with takeaways and give aways right now.  That is quite an accomplishment despite our record.

The turnover battle is one of the most critical parts of any game.  Teams that can play on the plus side of that ledger always put themselves into a position to win.  Developing a “turn over” mentality takes hard work and constant attention during practice.

It is a double edged sword.  You are always working with the defense to strip the ball in practice and on the other side of the coin the offense is always protecting the ball.  Coaches always screaming to get the ball out, and the other side harping on ball security.

This constant give and take in practice causes the team to be alert.  You can’t afford to let down at any time because eventually you will pay for it.  Need to have that slight edge on game day – that edge can provide you the difference between winning and losing.

But, football – like any sport – it comes down to those small advantages.  It doesn’t take much…but when you add them up over a long period allows you to find a way to win.  That is why it is so important to stay up on these things during the week of practice.

Juniata has an excellent offensive team – one of the top teams in the conference.  Playing behind a very talented sophomore quarterback in Austin Montgomery (#12).  He has thrown for 1771 yards and already has 18 TD’s.  He is one of the top passers in the Centennial Conference with a completion rate 61.6% (125-203).

He is one of the true throwing QB’s in the conference.  Although you would not call the Juanita offense a “pro” style offense – they have always brought in QB’s who are cut out in the mold of a drop back  (“pro” style player).

A mark of this – Montgomery (#12) – has rushed for only 60 yards in 6 games.  This is not the signal of a spread offense QB.  He is in the game to throw the ball – not create option opportunities.

Matt Lehr (#29) a senior, is the leading rusher for the Eagles and he has been a big contributor for Juniata over his career.  He is ranked 6th in the conference in rushing with 475 yards and a 5.5 average.

The Eagles have a one of the bigger offensive lines we will face and as we know they are always a physical bunch.  Our guys are ready for a tough game in the trenches.  But, what else is new for the warriors we have up front?

Juniata has always had effective receivers and they certainly have them again. Justin Heisel (#4) is one of the more productive receivers in the CC.  He has caught 11 passes and has 5 TD’s with an impressive 17.6 yards per catch.  The Eagles also have two other pass receivers with more than 20 catches in Dalton Snyder (#2) and Jake Notestine (#10).

Notestine (#10) also averages almost 26 yards a kickoff return which is at the top of the Centennial Conference (Freshman Shaheed Ross (#11) also is a dangerous kickoff returner with a 22.6 yard return average.  Both of these players have changed the field position battle in different games with their returns.

The Eagles lead the CC in both Kickoff and Punt Return – something that is very hard to do.

Defensively Juniata  has had their issues in playing effectively over the course of a game.  But, they have shown the ability to make plays when they needed to.  As with all football teams you need all three phases on your team playing at a high level to attain success on Saturday.

In the secondary John McClay (#26) has intercepted three passes to lead the Eagles.  Another of his backfield mates was Centennial League and Division III player of the Week. – Joel Reighard (#3).

GO HOUNDS!

OK….. continuing with our two day jaunt thru Italy and Switzerland to sow the seeds of American Football and try to find out how we can help their two leagues get better.  By the way the taxi drive thru Milan and to Varesci was not for the faint of heart.

You think New Jersey has bad drivers…well these guys over here seemed to get some letters screwed up – I think they mistook OFFensive driving for DEFensive driving .  These people are completely insane.

The word courtesy has no room in the lexicon of driving terms here.  The traffic circles seem like a race to see who can cut off more drivers and narrowly miss more pedestrians.  Getting from one side of the street to the other  is a cross between an art form and a death wish.

I also learned where the phrase “Italian Salute” came from.  You see it being exchanged all the time.  Must be a lot of service men and women in Italy!

Driving on the highways.  Three lanes of cars – well remember those rocket cars on the Bonneville Salt Flats? – imagine cars…. three across going as fast as they can.

Flashing headlights is a courteous way of telling the guy in front of you he is going too damn slow and to get the hell out of the way.  It usually works this way….flash the lights, blow the horn…..put your front bumper four and a half inches from the other guy’s rear bumper……Car A moves over….Car B roars past…Both drivers (obviously in the military) exchange Italian Salutes!

We made it up to Varesci and the Three Amigos morphed into the Fantastic Four as my friend Giorgio Volpi joined us from Lugano, Switzerland.  It was the first time that Curtis and Terry met the “Ambassador” of Football.

With our unit in place we were ready to show our project to the Italian directors of the U19 football team.  We were hoping to generate a little momentum and pick up some information and ideas for our discussion tomorrow with the Swiss National team.

We were met by Paolo who was the coach of the local U19 team – the Varesci Gorrillas (I shit you not)!  He was going to set us up with a Skype meeting with four other coaches / directors including the president of the Italian Football League who was in Rome.  Colorful names like Lusciano, Febbrizzio, gotta be a Mario in there.  Come on, we are in Italy after all.

I have become a bit of a Skype master myself.  Having used it to communicate with my Swiss and German friends.  Doing it from Italy, piece of cake….Mr International Skyper can handle it.  Much too my chagrin I have become more fluent in various forms of media.  Truly I miss the rotary phone and pen and paper as well.

We spent a good hour and a half with the Italian group.  Both sides were gathering information.  Our goal was to try and find out if we could supply some support to their league thru the use of the “Sound Mind Sound Body” model Curtis had developed more than 15 years ago – possibly some coaching clinics and symposiums as well.

*****Check it out on the internet – Sound Mind Sound Body*****

We were also trying to gauge the interest in European football players in coming to the states.

Obviously European athletes have had an impact on every sport in the US.  To this point American Football coaches have not felt the need to go across the pond to find players.  The uniqueness of American football has slowed development in Europe.  But, I believe it is just a matter of time.

Lack of American coaches and really the inability of the European leagues that play American football to practice with regularity has held development back.  But there are thousands and thousands of teams across Europe into Asia – Japan and Australia (But not the NGL in the land down under  thanks to Marcin Soluch and his hoodwinking of thousands of people).

Football continues to get better and better.  There have been several foreign players who have played in the US and there are some playing right now at the college level.  It is just a matter of time till we see athletes from all over Europe playing in the states.

One of our goals as a group is going  to try and find the the European athletes who want to come to the US.  We are trying to become a bridge for them to get here.  With my contacts with the Swiss and Giorgio’s widespread contacts on the Continent we were looking to gain some traction with the Swiss and Italians.

It is hard to gauge the level of interest to this point.  Several Swiss players have approached me personally but until now we had done nothing about it.  This is our first venture into this uncharted territory…there are some who have given this idea shot, but gave up – a few work on, but there doesn’t seem to be much organization.

So we have decided to try and develop some  organized programming to help improve the players and coaches in the ways that they want.  We don’t want to step in to anyone’s pumpkin patch…so we want to get involved with the leagues and teams and supply what they need if they want us to become involved.

Between Terry and Curtis there is an avenue to get this moving forward.  It is probably several years away from paying large dividends.  But what a fantastic experience to be involved with.

Giorgio will get us home to Milan….we will all eat a late dinner.  Drink some beer and wine.  Evaluate what we found out.  Compare notes and then hit the sack.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is going to come fast and hard.  Quick stop in Lugano, Switzerland to view a venue for a future coaching clinic – training session for players and coaches.  Then on to Lucerne to gather with the Swiss group of coaches and administrators.

I am looking to see my coaching friends – hearing what they have to say.  Perhaps a dozen beers or so!

Wow….when you travel some unusual things can happen to you.  But in traveling with two pretty calm guys in Terry Copacia and Curtis Blackwell – you just learn to roll with the punches that are thrown your way.

First time meeting  Curtis is at the airport – had spoken to him a few times via conference calls.  He is the co-founder and is the anchor for “Sound Mind, Sound Body”. You should look it up – This is a fantastic group started by him to help the youth around the Detroit area.  He has been doing this for fifteen or so years.

They apply academics, mentoring and also athletic training – especially focusing in on football.  They have very strong core values that are impressed upon the kids.  SMSB has moved into the big-time and has organized operations across the country for many years.

****This is a program that potentially could be established in Europe – and Switzerland in particular.*****

Terry Copacia is a long time friend of mine with coaching ties that criss cross the country.  He was the developer of “The All-State Football School” and is a tremendous coach who knows more about the QB position than many guys working in many college teams – at any level.

Our friendship has probably covered more than thirty and since he has trained my younger son as a QB – I know what kind of a coach he is.  Also instills great values in the players he trains.  “The All State Quarterback School” is one of the best run football operations I have ever seen.

He probably has had his hand in developing more that ten thousand QB’s.  Terry is a fantastic coach – but more than that he everything you want your child’s teacher to be.  His values are imprinted on these young guys as well.

Lucky to be going overseas with these two as my traveling companions – awesome guys.  We will have plenty of time to discus and analyze what we are going to be doing for the next two days in Italy and Switzerland.  But first we have to get across the ocean to do it.  As we found out – not going to be that easy.

I was fully checked in and passport cleared to Detroit Metro Airport (DTW in your basic airline lingo) at 11:30 for a 3:30 flight.  I have to admit…always need to get there early – missing flights kind of worries me (Yeah once missed a flight to Switzerland once because they changed the gate on me – I wasn’t the only one….so can’t take all the blame).  Anyway plenty of time to settle in and settle my Coors Light induced headache from last nite.

Connect with Curtis and Terry as they  arrive at the gate and we  settle in for the wait for our departure and eventual 11 -12 hours of combined flights..  Ah…not so fast young soldier.

Yup…suddenly our flight to JFK (JFK by the way)  and the first leg of our journey is announced as cancelled.  Well, the problem with that is we can’t get to Italy and on to Switzerland unless we can jump on over to NYC first.  One way or another-  not going to make that connection.

Woman at airline gate says to head over to the help phone and maybe Delta can come thru.  But I have visions of our brief expedition flying (pun intended) out  of the window.  Since Terry is the commander in chief he has to handle the situation.  Amazingly after about  15 minutes he has all three of us rerouted from Detroit to Paris (CDG if you are interested – tough if you don’t care because I am going to tell you anyway).  Then on to Milan, Italy and the Malpensa Airport (MXP – and again…. tough I am going to tell you anyway.)

Paris…why not.  As they say – “another country heard from!”  This international football stuff has it’s benefits.  Oh yeah – we will see so much of Paris.  Inside of the airport (CDG – I promise to stop this nonsense of giving the airport’s call letters at some point!).

Delta also got us each an aisle seat – obviously key for a 7 hour flight.  Now – wish they felt bad enough to give us first class seats.  Alright not happening, apparently they didn’t feel that bad I guess..

Well, we did see the inside of the airport, several long corridors with enormous  lines (“queues” in Europe I guess).  Stood in some other long lines getting our passports checked six hundred and twenty-two times.  I know working in airports must be a tedious and perhaps it is an under appreciated job……but man six hundred and twenty-one of those six hundred twenty-two checkers looked at me like I was a dumbass – because I am sure everyone else besides me knows how to scan a passport you know.  One guy actually got a kick out of my Konkrete Kid sweatshirt so I give him a gold star.

Plus, it was hot in the airport….combined with the fact it was packed with people well you can imagine what a rain forest is like.  Well OK not quite that bad.  So we got in some good sight-seeing of the “City of Lights”.  Fat guys sleeping and shoulder to shoulder crowds make for scenic pix. But at least I can check France off my “Bucket List”…..not that it ever been on it..

Several hour later we  find ourselves in the Westin Hotel in central Milan – beautiful hotel.  High ceilings, marble floors, detailed ceramic and wood work.  But after another hour or so the three musketeers are ready to head for their meeting with the Italian Federation of American Football at a law office in Varesi, Italy.  I don’t know where it is either – so look it up on the internet if you really want to know that badly!

Ok.. getting ready for second leg of trip to Switzerland….listening to classical music – I know it’s not Mick and the lads Jo Anne….nor is it Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley – John Cordova.  But I kind of like it.  Especially when I here variations on a theme.

Actually went to college and heard “Variations on a Theme” -Haydn either composed it or played it – then the other side is this –  Brahms either composed it or played it – well why should I know who it compose or play ed it?  I got a “D” in that music class!

Here’s why……there is music that is “variations on a theme…then there are beer cans that are variations on a theme…..here they are:

A “Variation on a theme of beer can stacking!”  Brahms..Haydn…Beethoven…Jagger….Jefferson Airplane who really cares?  Beer Stacking is important to me!

But anyway these pictures are a variation on a theme…the theme of a beeramyd.  Notice Rob……the labels are all forward!

Here is the awesome Frank Zappa playing Gumbo Variations….not Variations on a Theme but pretty good (I see you Dave Novogratz and my brother “Insane” Steve.)!  They loved Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention!

A whirlwind going here.  Third time writing this blog – lost it twice as the internet was sketchy on campus Monday.  But that is the way things are  at Moravian at different times.

I think we have kryptonite in many of our buildings (lead and asbestos as well???)  Yikes Batman I hope not – we were established in 1742, so maybe.

Let me tell you this……..I love our team at Moravian.

But have to skip across Pennsylvania….up thru Ohio….then 80 miles more to my house in Michigan.

Our guys (your friends….sons…teammates) they are awesome young men!

Win, lose or draw….give them to me!  Can’t wait to see the men they will become.

OK….now here in Michigan.  Hop on jet to JFK – then zooming across the pond to Switzerland.

You should have seen the edition I wrote before this one – it was really great.  Well maybe not.

OK – the sad reality of the season to this point is that we are 0-6.  I guess many people would say pack it in and let’s just give up.  Not so fast….you talk to our guys after the game and you do not see an ounce of quit in……any of them.

I look out on the field and see Vinny Caporrino – La Ron Smith playing as hard as they can….being everything we want  student athletes to be.  Just two tremendous kids (men) we have.  Connor Rooney and Aaron Hudson or Aaron Brown stepping up to lead our team.

Honestly there are many others…but just want to point out some things I see and hear while working  with these guys.

These guys aren’t stepping back – why would they?  Really….come on – really….these guys have labored for four years making Moravian football and Moravian College better……they are fully vested in Moravian football.

That is the just the tip of the iceberg…these guys are just a few of the 80 or so guys we have.  The “troops” as I call them.  Guys who don’t know how to take a back seat.  Young men who will be leaders in whatever field they enter after graduation.  I truly can’t wait to see who these young guys become.

Speaking of icebergs……well maybe mountains with ice and snow on them.

But…back to the guys…the troops.  These guys really get it.  They realize who we are as a team.  Yes, we have some shortcomings right now.  But, these seniors are the guys who we will build the future of MC football on.

There is a tremendous group of underclassmen lined up behind our seniors.  They are learning from their older teammates.  They are seeing how to stand up and fight thru tough times.  It’s not easy.  But, a few years from now when we see the fruits of our labor pay off they will have this group of special seniors to thank.  They are an awesome group.  (I will say occasionally a few of them have given me a headache and a reason to build a beeramyd like you saw earlier…but how could you not love this group??)

To our team – and the seniors in particular.  We have a few weeks to go in the 2017 season.  How will we write our story? What will be our final score be….. how will this team be remembered?

Judging by the guys we have I believe this.  We will get right back to work….right back to studying the video of our opponents….right back to practicing.

We need you all……everyone who makes every class…..every meeting…every weight lifting session.  The troops who do it without a second thought.

Thank you guys for who you are…..thanks to all of our guys….the players….the troops.  You are an amazing group who will be astronauts, teachers, presidents etc.  Where will you end up – does it matter?  You will be awesome!

I see the players I was privileged enough to coach over the years and see what they have become – trust me they have effected our world.   The group who sits in our locker room right now will be the same!

Where will our guys be a year from now?  Who knows….but they will be fantastic people.  No doubt about that.

We have a lot of football in front of us.  There are many days  – from the game we will have at Juniata two weeks away til the season ending day at Muhlenberg.  After that last game we will be different – all of us.

How we handle the next several weeks will shape who we are as people –   where we go and who we become.

Wow – that is some pretty heavy stuff there!  Well I had to read poetry you know….after all I was an English major.

Football is one of the best things we will ever find.  The best friends in your life are sitting across from you in that locker room.  Trust me when I tell you the biggest  lasting impressions will be of the guys who line up with you for the next several weeks.

OK – gotta let this go right now.  Have to pack for a two day trip with my pals in Switzerland.  Prepare for a meeting in Detroit tomorrow.  Find my passport…Delta awards card etc….well OK have a beer!

This is going to be a really wild next few days.  Switzerland and back at MoCo Monday morning.  Well there is a reason they call me the assistant Ambassador to football behind may pal Giorgio Volpe in Lugano Switzerland!

There is a great saying out there “You bring your own weather with you.”

I first heard heard this back in the 90’s while coaching in Detroit.  A coach who I have mentioned many times used it throughout the ’94 season.  Frank Gansz did more than coach – he truly educated the player – not only about football, but life as well.

I have stolen  “You bring your own weather” from my late friend and utilize it constantly.

When he used this phrase he was obviously referring to how handle yourself and the attitude you bring with you on and off the field.   (Heck it’s the attitude you bring anywhere!)  He tried to get us all to see that as individuals we can control that how we feel about ourselves can truly effect the entire team.

Obviously without getting too much into philosophy this is extremely important when you are coaching.  How do we help the troops to improve – not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

It is imperative to have mental toughness and confidence in your own abilities when it comes to everything you do.  But in our business it is our job to infuse this into the troops in reference to football.

So the “weather” that we bring with us as coaches directly effects how players will act as well.  I know that the staff really is excited about our team.  We can see the daily improvement – when this is reflected in the win column – well who knows.  But every day we get a little bit better.

Just watching the video of yesterdays practice (Tuesday) the difference in individual players is clear.  We have worked hard and it really jumps out at you when you watch the guys at work.

It is imperative in our world that we are positive.  This doesn’t mean that you don’t correct and get after your players when they make errors.  No….you always fix what is wrong because it is a commitment we have  made to them.

We are in the improvement business.  So, in search of excellence we need to put the players in uncomfortable positions.  Obviously there will be errors made – there are a lot of moving parts and playing football happens over a large area.

But, as a coach it is important how you address the mistake.  You never attack the person – you attack the problems.  Never make it personal.  If we don’t address the errors we are actually letting the individual down – not to mention the team.

We have all strived and excelled at various points in our lives – other times we have failed.  How you handle those highs and lows molds who you are – basically it  develops your attitude.  Your “weather.”

How you choose to present yourself is completely up to you.  Do you want to look at the positives and build upon them – or do you continue to stumble around concentrating on failures and missed opportunities?

As a coach it is our commitment to the troops to get them to develop the positive side of the equation.  To continually improve and build the confidence of the troops.  To influence the “weather” as it were.

Then there is this thing called “Grit”

HOP ON THAT TREADMILL!

The players we have are reselient – for the most part they are quick to volunteer and are willing participants.  Every Monday we start up the old treadmill and get back on it.

Early morning meetings….weight training……practice. .

In the meetings we  learn from are mistakes – correct them and move on.  Hit the weight room and maintain  physical strength.  Practice everyday and improve overall techniques and skills.

Oh yeah and that is just for the football end of it.  Well then there is the thing called school they have to worry about as well.  The guys actually do have to go to class, listen to lectures, write papers, study and take tests.  Being a college athlete is not for the faint of heart!

A typical day might find a player up and about before 6:30 preparing for the day with the actual end of the day as practice winds down around 6:30 in the evening. (Remember then there is that schoolwork thing that has to be taken care of after they eat dinner.)

No doubt that this is a long a strenuous day for most of our guys.  But they press on every day looking to improve and find a way to win.

But, the guys are serious about the team and are eager to improve.  With this attitude permiating the group we will soon begin to see some real progress.  We have a lot to look forward to down the road.

This group has the work ethic and tenacity to develop into  a championship team.  I have said this throughout the season – it is a great bunch to be around.   It is easy to coach this team because of their attitude and also because they take care of each other.  It is impressive how they interact with each other.

We started with a smaller group  than normal and have lost some of our number along the way.    Some losses are attributed to our many injuries.  Our injured players remain a vital part of Greyhound football and are a big part of our future.  We need them to rehab and prepare to get back on the field for us.

There are those that decided to leave the program for various reasons – well that is fine.  We just close ranks and move onward.  Everyone has to follow the path that they see as the best for them.  There are never any hard feelings.

But the team members who remain have never wavered in their commitment and they continue on stronger than ever.  These men are the core of Greyhound football.  Those who have the dedication, the talent, the energy, the effort, the grit and yeah the proper “weather” to carry on.

GO HOUNDS!

Not to make light of our situation but there are times you have to look into the days that are coming.  Eddie Kendricks might have it right:

Yup….this is what we have to do!

There is nothing as empty as losing….you can look for silver linings and moral victories.  But when it is all said and done we look at the win-loss record and we sit there with a big fat zero in the “W” column.

Well as lousy as you feel – tomorrow is going to come and we are going to have to review the game video and fix the mistakes.  It is a never-ending process of studying and correcting.  But, that is the beauty of the game as well – the constant repetition allows you to slip into a routine and drive the demons out of your system.

In fact we will start that process tonite (Saturday) individually.  We will compare the call sheet with the execution of our various plays and schemes in all three phases of the game.  Obviously we will spend a great deal of time working thru this process of self evaluation.

Although we are very frustrated as players and coaches we have to look at each game individually as they play out.  We need to see if our corrections are bearing fruit as we work our way thru the 2017 season.

I know that our hard work is playing off because there has been significant improvement in individual players.  I don’t know who or which team started using the phrase “you have to trust the process.”  Although I think this is an overused and trite phase it often applies.

As coaches we have to be aware of a very big fact – we have so many young and inexperienced players in starting or key roles all over the field.  This is a hard situation to live thru – but that is what we need to do.

Coaching requires patience and also confidence.  We have to continue to be patient in our teaching and our development of fundamentals.  At the same time no matter what happens we must maintain our confidence in the fact that the team will emerge as a much better unit thru our coaching.

Again, I know we are down….but now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves.  Now is not the time to look to pass the blame on to someone else.  Now is the time to believe in who we are and what we do.

For me personally I really feel for the troops.  I have seen a lot of teams practice over the years.  I would be hard pressed to think of another team I have coached that comes back day after day and works so hard.  I have used the word “resilient”  about this group several times this year.

But, we have to look down the road and realize that we are going to be a good team.  It is going to take “sun ups and sun downs” for our guys to grow up and assume roles that allow them to be successful.

We need to stick to our beliefs – ignore the naysayers  – and trudge on.  I know that the troops will continue to do what we expect of them.  Get to all of their classes – make their assigned meetings – in short be a great teammate and a HOUND.  It is what we do!