Post by bobgoodman on Nov 13, 2010 16:27:25 GMT -6
I was our only coach to show up for practice in the gym Mon. night. We were short some admins. too for health reasons, so there was no group warm-up this time. This time we were in the large gym with 2 other teams. I had them go thru their usual warmups but added squat-thrusts (which fortunately one of them knew how to do). I thought of working on our offense, but we were missing our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-string QBs (only 10 or 11 players total) and although I gave brief thought to putting in an alternative offense for just such a situation, I didn't think it'd be likely to come up on game day, so I didn't. I thought briefly of working on our blocking steps again, or the dog fight drill laid out by someone here, but then I figured that when we're 6-0 the team deserved a "reward". So we played some deer hunter (with just 1 ball a player brought) and then touch football. Maybe we'd intimidate the other teams by looking so nonchalant while they were drilling, huh? (Actually they were mostly playing around too.)
Today vs. the 4-2 Steelers only 13 showed up in time to play the 1st half, (We'd thought it was 12 but an admin. informed us our nose guard was actually there in time.) and only the twins rounded out those eligible to play in the 2nd half. Mr. Do Everything (he even works the chains in other games), whose father coaches the undefeated SUNY Maritime Pioneers (headed to the NCAA Div. 3 playoffs), was back, but unfortunately our big DE/OLB was missing for the 2nd game in a row (and had to get an emergency ride to the game before that one). We really had to shuffle our offense and especially our defense, and our players really worked up a sweat going both ways.
We kicked off and once again our kicker was underestimated, so the Steelers started deep in their own territory. We forced a punt, drove for a TD, got the XP. Looked like it might be our usual pushover of a game. However, I could see problems, and they did tell eventually.
The Steelers fielded our 2nd, shorter kickoff well and had a relatively short field to work with. They worked a lot a common youth tactic for teams with a tall player: drift him over the middle and lob balls up to him. Eventually they got their TD, missed the XP; 7-6.
After we received the KO, a series of penalties -- of which unusually many were called this game -- deprived us of 1st down and left us 4th & 15 on the Steelers 42 with less than 2 mins. to go in the half. Considering our excellent kicker, the favorable scrimmage kick rules we use, not so bad wind, and the fact that we weren't giving up much in the way of big plays, I'd've punted. However, our HC sent in a play which resulted in a turnover on downs at the Steelers 35.
We were getting a good push from our DGs, but I noticed our right DT wasn't penetrating or even engaging at the snap, but rather trying to pursue behind our line like a LB. I yelled for him to go forward at the snap, and got Coach Brutus to tell him the same, but it didn't help. The Steelers eventually scored the go-ahead TD on a misdirection play that would not have scored had he gotten some push; he'd've either made the tackle or forced the runner to run a hump, but instead our DT bit on the fake the other way. Of course it didn't help that our CB also totally bit on the fake that took him away from a play where he couldn't've caught up to what was faked anyway. They missed the XP and the half ended 7-13. The most points we've given up and the first time we've been behind at half -- or any time.
HC Dave took our hint and switched the above-mentioned DT to DG for the 2nd half, which helped quite a bit. He also took my suggestion to play our Little Shark (whose play was so stellar the week before) both ways instead of just on offense, which also helped because he smells the ball and tackles so well. The Steelers 2nd half KO was scuffed and went just 3 yds. forward, giving us the short field. Our players are freelance artists, which sort of makes the players look good and the coaches bad, as when the dive over tackle bounces outside immediately and goes for big yards where it had no business otherwise. Our QB manages to scramble until he gets loose and usually produces a big gain. After getting sacked on a play he was supposed to sprint out on, he executed properly for a 1st down. We drove steadily for the TD, sneaked for the XP, and had regained the lead 14-13.
Words had gotten a little heated between opposing coaches even in the 1st half in a game where the officials made their presence well known. I'm still learning our club's idiosyncratic rules, such as that we have 5- and 10-yard grabbing the face mask penalties, the latter assessed against us on a bogus call which, however, was a high tackle that spun the Steelers runner around. (I suppose they still have a 15 yard personal foul for when they really see it!) Anyway, we recovered a fumble in the Steelers end of the field, but then managed to turn the ball over on downs after having 1st and 3. Like HC Dave, I would've gone for the pass on that waste down, but he explained that our TE wasn't supposed to go that deep on the route; hey, it looked good to me!
With Mr. Non-Penetrator now playing like a DL should and The Girl tossing the Steelers center around to open holes for him to blow thru next to her, we messed up some of their plays in the backfield. With just under 2:00 left in the game and the Steelers with 3 time outs left, I agreed with our HC's decision to turn down a clipping penalty (they penalize all illegal blocks in the back as clipping in the Warriors, it seems) that would've made it 3rd and about 25 on the Steelers 30, leaving it 4th and 10 on their 45. However, they bailed out with a 1st down. Eventually the Steelers ran out of time around our 30.
So the Blue Devils are 7-0 and have clinched the title, with an easy opponent next week. And the weather was great too.
Before the game, one of the admins. sprung one on me, asking if our HC had the list for the Friendship Game. What?! Didn't you get it at the gym 2 Mondays back? After they'd told us 2 months ago there would be no post-season play this year (and of course nothing on the Web site), seems they scheduled All-Star games for the weekend of Nov. 27. In the Pee Wee Div., it's going to be a side selected from the 1st & 4th place teams vs. one from the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th teams. HC Dave was unflapped about it, made the selections easily -- even when they were unsure how many players we were to contribute!
Today vs. the 4-2 Steelers only 13 showed up in time to play the 1st half, (We'd thought it was 12 but an admin. informed us our nose guard was actually there in time.) and only the twins rounded out those eligible to play in the 2nd half. Mr. Do Everything (he even works the chains in other games), whose father coaches the undefeated SUNY Maritime Pioneers (headed to the NCAA Div. 3 playoffs), was back, but unfortunately our big DE/OLB was missing for the 2nd game in a row (and had to get an emergency ride to the game before that one). We really had to shuffle our offense and especially our defense, and our players really worked up a sweat going both ways.
We kicked off and once again our kicker was underestimated, so the Steelers started deep in their own territory. We forced a punt, drove for a TD, got the XP. Looked like it might be our usual pushover of a game. However, I could see problems, and they did tell eventually.
The Steelers fielded our 2nd, shorter kickoff well and had a relatively short field to work with. They worked a lot a common youth tactic for teams with a tall player: drift him over the middle and lob balls up to him. Eventually they got their TD, missed the XP; 7-6.
After we received the KO, a series of penalties -- of which unusually many were called this game -- deprived us of 1st down and left us 4th & 15 on the Steelers 42 with less than 2 mins. to go in the half. Considering our excellent kicker, the favorable scrimmage kick rules we use, not so bad wind, and the fact that we weren't giving up much in the way of big plays, I'd've punted. However, our HC sent in a play which resulted in a turnover on downs at the Steelers 35.
We were getting a good push from our DGs, but I noticed our right DT wasn't penetrating or even engaging at the snap, but rather trying to pursue behind our line like a LB. I yelled for him to go forward at the snap, and got Coach Brutus to tell him the same, but it didn't help. The Steelers eventually scored the go-ahead TD on a misdirection play that would not have scored had he gotten some push; he'd've either made the tackle or forced the runner to run a hump, but instead our DT bit on the fake the other way. Of course it didn't help that our CB also totally bit on the fake that took him away from a play where he couldn't've caught up to what was faked anyway. They missed the XP and the half ended 7-13. The most points we've given up and the first time we've been behind at half -- or any time.
HC Dave took our hint and switched the above-mentioned DT to DG for the 2nd half, which helped quite a bit. He also took my suggestion to play our Little Shark (whose play was so stellar the week before) both ways instead of just on offense, which also helped because he smells the ball and tackles so well. The Steelers 2nd half KO was scuffed and went just 3 yds. forward, giving us the short field. Our players are freelance artists, which sort of makes the players look good and the coaches bad, as when the dive over tackle bounces outside immediately and goes for big yards where it had no business otherwise. Our QB manages to scramble until he gets loose and usually produces a big gain. After getting sacked on a play he was supposed to sprint out on, he executed properly for a 1st down. We drove steadily for the TD, sneaked for the XP, and had regained the lead 14-13.
Words had gotten a little heated between opposing coaches even in the 1st half in a game where the officials made their presence well known. I'm still learning our club's idiosyncratic rules, such as that we have 5- and 10-yard grabbing the face mask penalties, the latter assessed against us on a bogus call which, however, was a high tackle that spun the Steelers runner around. (I suppose they still have a 15 yard personal foul for when they really see it!) Anyway, we recovered a fumble in the Steelers end of the field, but then managed to turn the ball over on downs after having 1st and 3. Like HC Dave, I would've gone for the pass on that waste down, but he explained that our TE wasn't supposed to go that deep on the route; hey, it looked good to me!
With Mr. Non-Penetrator now playing like a DL should and The Girl tossing the Steelers center around to open holes for him to blow thru next to her, we messed up some of their plays in the backfield. With just under 2:00 left in the game and the Steelers with 3 time outs left, I agreed with our HC's decision to turn down a clipping penalty (they penalize all illegal blocks in the back as clipping in the Warriors, it seems) that would've made it 3rd and about 25 on the Steelers 30, leaving it 4th and 10 on their 45. However, they bailed out with a 1st down. Eventually the Steelers ran out of time around our 30.
So the Blue Devils are 7-0 and have clinched the title, with an easy opponent next week. And the weather was great too.
Before the game, one of the admins. sprung one on me, asking if our HC had the list for the Friendship Game. What?! Didn't you get it at the gym 2 Mondays back? After they'd told us 2 months ago there would be no post-season play this year (and of course nothing on the Web site), seems they scheduled All-Star games for the weekend of Nov. 27. In the Pee Wee Div., it's going to be a side selected from the 1st & 4th place teams vs. one from the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th teams. HC Dave was unflapped about it, made the selections easily -- even when they were unsure how many players we were to contribute!
