Why Not Us?

 



 

Did anyone see the Vanderbilt/South Carolina (USC) game last night?  There is no way in the world that Vanderbilt should have been on the same field as South Carolina; yet, somehow they almost pulled off a major upset.  Coach Franklin and his staff did a fantastic job of preparing their team to face the #9 ranked team in the nation.  The Commodores did not look to be the least bit intimidated by the Steve Spurrier coached Gamecocks, and for most of the game, the Dores controlled the action.  It was obvious to me that Vandy was in better shape than the Gamecocks, who looked winded at the end of the first half.  (USC) RB Marcus Lattimore kept them in the game all night long.  Great Job by the Vanderbilt Commodores.  Good things are coming your way.  (Written in GOLD to honor my daughter's Alma Mater) 

 

 

Just some random thoughts before we play the Vero Beach Fighting Indians (VB) tonight. 

 

 

Underdogs?  Who says?  Much like Vanderbilt, no one expects us to win this game, and we are getting no respect from the media or community at all.  In fact, one of the local sport's writers questioned if we had the ability to score at all!  Hmmmmm.  Interesting.  I guess he forgot that we had the top rated offense on the Treasure Coast the past two seasons.  Kind of insulting to the offensive coaches at SRHS.  Did we forget what the end zone looks like?  I guess we will find out tonight. 

 

The Social Media has been buzzing all week long about this game.  Again, no one gives us much of a chance.  I kind of like that.  The pressure is on them.  We have no pressure really.  We can play free and have fun doing it........just like Vanderbilt did last night!

 

According to the media and community, I guess we should feel honored to even line up and play VB.  No one gives us much of a chance at all.  I guess the mighty VB Offensive Machine will roll over us at will.  I guess the awesome VB Defense will be too tough for us to tame.  Hmmmm.  Maybe so.  I guess we will just have to line up and play the game even if the result is a foregone conclusion. 

 

 

No one gave Vanderbilt  much of a chance either. 

 

 

ANCHOR DOWN!

 

 

Will check in after the game.

(please excuse me while I go outside and vomit)   

DONE: Ready to PLAY NOW!

 

Outside Shark's Stadium 

 

Well, its game time.  My stomach is completely tore up, and I feel like crap.  I can't watch any more video because my eyes hurt so bad,  but I feel like I should be doing something to make us better for tomorrow night.  I just got a text message from Miller, so I guess he is feeling the same thing.  We had a normal walk-thru game practice today.  We rehearsed the entire game from start to finish, and we were off the field by 4:30.  We have our game plans in place.  We have our equipment ready to go.  We are just ready period. 

 

 

I have been playing a competition game with my QB's the past couple of weeks.  I sort of learned this game from Jay Cutler when he was attending Vanderbilt University.  Let me explain.  When Kristin (my daughter) was attending Vanderbilt, she got a job working in the Athletic Department at the university.  Naturally, ole Dad got a chance to hang out with the football program while I was in town.  I attended several Vandy practices so I picked up quite a bit from their coaches and players.  I watched Jay Cutler and Eric Kressler stand at mid-field and see how many footballs they could "ping" the football off the crossbar.  It was amazing how many times these dudes could hit the crossbar from the 50 yard line.  I sort of stole the idea from them.  

 

 

Here are the rules.  The ball will be placed anywhere on the 20 yard line.  I assigned each QB with their own center to form a team.  The QB must use correct QB form and take a snap from center.  The QB will throw the football and try to hit the crossbar.  I also have a variation of this drill called "Bucket Drop"  I place a big trash can in the corner of the endzone.  The QB throws a fade route and tries to sink the ball into the trash can directly in the corner.  (I have a feeling this drill is going to pay dividends very soon)  Each miss counts as 1 point.  A fumbled snap will cost 5 points.  The "team" who finishes with the lowest score wins two (2) Subway $5.00 Gift Cards.  Next week it may be  Little Caesars Pizza Coupons.   More than anything else, I wanted to form a relationship between the QB and the center, because they win it as a team.  I guess it must look like fun, because Coach Bethel wanted a couple of shots today too.  Even Coach Willis gave it a go.  I know is sounds dumb, but we are all just kids ourselves.  Competition is good at any level.  

 

 

 Trainer Hilary Lange and her "Death Cart" 

 



 

This is Hilary Lange, and she is our medical trainer.  She has a big-time education with Elon University in North Carolina, and she does a fantastic job for us.  She is surely an improvement over the ugly guy trainers we used to have. LOL.  Truthfully, Hilary is up on the new medical treatments and emergency care, and we depend on her expertise.  I certainly appreciate everything she does.  Now, I can't say the same thing about her "Death Cart."    The last place you ever want to see one of your players is sitting on Hilary's cart with an ice bag strapped somewhere on his body.  I tell the kids all the time:  "Stay Away From The Death Cart"  unless you absolutely have to be there.  Not every little hurt has to be seen by Hilary.  Shoot.  I will look at it myself!! Generally, I just thump it with my finger and tell them to get back to practice.  Believe me, if it is serious, I am calling for "HILARY!"   She is also our "Lightning Lady!"  Hilary has this little device which measures Lightning (in the area)  I know something is going to happen when she walks onto the field holding the little device.  Next thing you know, she is saying: "That's It, Go in Now!"    Guess what?  We have to go in.  Powerful little lady. 

 

 

 JV Team Getting Ready 

 

 

After the Varsity practice today, I got a chance to go and watch our JV team practice a little.  I love watching these young dudes.   At SRHS, we have a Varsity Team and a JV Team.  We almost always assign our 9th graders to the JV team (there are exceptions)  We will send down some of our older players when they need some playing time  to get better.  Sometimes, we may be particularly deep at one position, so instead of letting players ride the bench, we will send them down to get some playing time.  We have a solid coaching staff to support them too.  The JV Team also plays at Vero Beach on Tuesday Night, so guess where I will be?  LOL.  Hey, it's FOOTBALL. 

 

 

See the Shark in the picture?  Several year's ago, our arch rivals in our district stole  the shark off the wall and held it hostage.  Back then, the Shark was mounted much lower on the wall, so it was much easier to reach.  The whole thing was documented by MTV and featured on one of their shows.  Now, the Shark is mounted much, much higher.  Have to admit though....it was a funny prank! 

 

I am done.  See you tomorrow. 

 

GZ

 



Practice Over. Getting Ready for Game

 Peyton Manning. 

 

In my opinion, Peyton Manning is one of the greatest (if not THE GREATEST) QB to ever play the game.  Believe it or not, I picked up Manning in the 2nd round of my fantasy draft. I have been so used to seeing him in the Colts uniform that the Bronco's uniform almost looks funny to me.  Manning is coming off a major neck injury, so I guess the Colts thought he was through  Too bad for them.  I think Manning will have one of his best years ever. 

 

GREAT practice day today.  We had a full practice, and everything went according to our practice plans that Bethel had prepared.  Today was our last full practice before our game with Vero Beach on Friday night.  Both units (Offense and Defense) got plenty of reps against each other, and the intensity is building with our kids.  Bethel had another motivation session with the kids today, and as usual, he knew exactly what to say to bring the kids where they needed to be for practice.  Miller and I ran the PUNT Team today, and we will hit the rest of the special teams tomorrow.  I ran the scout team again today, and I thought we did a great job giving the defense what they needed to see.  Miller and Perry both said "Great Look" to me today, so I am pretty happy about that.  As a coach, I do not want to disappoint my fellow coaches either.  Right now, we are short staffed, so we all have to step up and get it done.  I think the players sense that we are all stressed, so they are focused on the task at hand without a lot of talking.  Good bunch of kids we have. 

 

Want to hear about another water problem?  Two of the three practice fields are a wet sloppy mess.  The furthest field away- The Band Field- is bone dry.  However, we do not have running water within 200 ft of any water outlet.  So, I have been bringing out the Battery Cows (Fred and Wilma) to get water to the field.  Problem is that the players use this water up quickly, so we are constantly having to refill the water tanks.  Today, I looked over to the sideline, and Coach BETHEL himself was walking Fred and Wilma to the locker room to refill the tanks with ice and water.   LOL.  This was pretty funny to me.  Like I said, we are a little short staffed, so we all have to pick it up a little.  (Damn, I should carry my phone to the field for moments like this. ) No worries though.  I am going to the Depot for a longer garden hose to reach across the field.  Even with the drop in water pressure, the coil cow will get us by for awhile.  Or, we could just hand out the salt tablets!! 

 

 

Our Locker Room Smells

 

Have any of you ever wondered what the locker room looks or smells like?  Here is a good example.  With all the stuff laying around, it reminds me of my son's room at the house (before the Army fixed him)  What does it smell like?  Have you ever left a wet dirty towel in the bottom of a clothes hamper for a long time?   Remember that "Ripe" smell it had?  Now, multiply that smell times 80 players.  Remember, yesterday we all got soaked in the rain.  All those wet clothes sat in the player's locker all day long.  Mix the wet along with the sweat, and I think you have a good idea of what it smells like.   In a strange kind of way, I sort of like it.  I know, it's weird.  However, any coach will tell you the same thing.  It just means our kids are working hard. 

 

Sweaty Wet Players (the Big Boys) Coming off the Field

 



I have a gross locker room story before I let you go.  When I was playing, we had an RC Cola soda machine right outside our locker room.  I remember that for 15 cents, you could get a cold RC Cola, Nehi Grape, or Orange Crush soda in a can.  They sure tasted great after all those damn salt tablets  they gave us.  Anyway, there was this one teammate who would always grab your soda off the top of  your locker and drink it down.  It always pissed us all off to no end.  I decided to teach him a lesson. I made sure he saw me buying a Nehi Grape.  I drank down the can about half way, then I proceeded to fill the can back up with piss and set it on top of my locker.  Naturally, he made his way around the locker room and saw the can of soda sitting on top of my locker.  I watched him grab the can of soda and proceed to kill the can.....sort of!  His eyes got real big and he hurled all over the locker room floor.  LOL.  GOD that was funny.  We all laughed and laughed.  We had no more issues. 

 

Later  

Getting Ready

 

Stylin and Profilin! 

 



Had an abbreviated practice again today, but it was pretty awesome nonetheless.  We knew there was some rain moving in quickly, so we stretched and went right to Unit.  The kids seemed pretty focused on the task at hand, and there was not much chitter chatter among them.  This is Rivalry Week in our area, so we are lining up with Vero Beach on Friday night.   This is a big game for us, so everyone is kind of on edge right now.  This is where Coach Bethel is really strong I think.  No one else (on our staff) has played at the level Randy has played at with the University of Miami: Miami vs Florida State.  Miami vs Notre Dame.  Miami vs Penn State.  Miami vs Nebraska.  The list goes on and on.  Naturally, Bethel has the advantage of watching and hearing how Coach Jimmy Johnson, Coach Dennis Erickson, Butch Davis (among others)  handled the pressure for a big game.   I get kind of pissy with Randy at times, but today I was ready to line up and play after he addressed the team. 

 

 It rained HARD today during practice.  No lightning, but HARD rain with those BIG rain drops.  I was trying to run scout offense for Coach Miller, and I was absolutely soaked.  I talked on a previous blog about how much I hate wet shoes and socks.  Lets just say that I should have been wearing those water shoes people wear in the river.  We got in most of the practice, so it was not a completely wasted day.  Tomorrow we will split the day with the defense, so it is important to stay focused.  Vero Beach is a very good team playing in Florida's highest classification.  We are just a small school that is hoping to compete with the powerhouse program down south.  I just hope we deserve to be on the same field with them.......... 

 

 

 

 

This is a coil cooler water machine.  Again, I have rebuilt these machines so that they rarely break down.  Most of the parts can be obtained at the local home improvement store.  If you look closely, you can see one of the two coiled brass tubing covered in ice.  We hook at water hose up to one side of the cooler, the water runs through the brass coils which are covered in ice.  By the time the water exits the cooler,  it is ice cold.  The clean cold water exits and connects to the distribution manifold running across the top.  The blue hoses you see hanging is where the water exits for the players to drink.  Believe it or not, the darn drinking valves are the hardest part to keep operating.  I used the plastic hand valves (like on a garden sprayer) for several years, but these things were constantly breaking.  I found these HEAVY DUTY metal valves (made for drinking fountains) at a supply house in Michigan.  They have been a real blessing.  We now have a constant supply of water at any given time. 

 

I KNOW, I KNOW, kind of boring tonight.  Sorry.  I am exhausted.  I fell asleep (sitting up) when having dinner with Marty tonight.  I have looked at so much video that my eyes actually hurt.  I am kind of worried about my eyes right now.  They are watering and having difficulty focusing on anything.  Oh well.  Thats football I guess.  I can rest my eyes after the season is done sometime in December. 

Later. 

 





 



RAINED OUT

 

 

 

Tropical Storm Creating Havoc outside my Shop 

 

 

Today was just a bad day all together.  The tropical storm passing through the state stalled over our area and dumped inches and inches of rain on us.  Inside of this tropical front, there were embedded thunderstorms and tornadoes.  Finally, the school district cancelled ALL after school activities...including football practice for all Indian River County Schools.   Apparently mother nature does not care that this is VERO BEACH week for us, and we have a lot to do for preparation.  I am sure our practice fields are under water, so this is going to be a fun week. 

 

Randy called a staff meeting today after the kids were sent home, and we got some bad news.  Apparently, Coach Chris Jefferson slipped in the parking lot and seriously injured his knee.  Somehow, he ripped the knee cap off his large quadriceps muscle, and he will require surgery on Wednesday.  I may have not mentioned this, but Coach Keith Matthews is also out for a while; however, this is good news.  Matthews received a Kidney transplant  after waiting for some time.  We are happy for him.  He will be back next year for sure.  People say that everything happens in threes....I am almost afraid to report for practice tomorrow.  Good luck to all my coaching brothers...we are thinking about you. 

 

I am still working from the house this evening.  Just for fun, I am looking at additional video on hand from a future opponent.  I got a text message from Coach Miller and he is doing the same thing.  Right this minute I am watching "Pawn Stars" on TV and watching video on my computer.  It is still raining outside, and my dog Raleigh is under my feet.  He HATES thunderstorms. 

 

 

 

Water Cows:  Fred (L) and Wilma (R) 

 

These are the infamous "Water Cows" I often mention in my blog.  I completely built the one on the right from scratch, and I rebuilt  the one on the left.   All of the factory pieces on the original have been replaced with off-the-shelf parts available at any home improvement center. I designed and built the water manifold on both units.  This is so important, because the replacement parts on these things are next to impossible to find.....and they are VERY expensive.  Now, I can keep each one running indefinitely.  If you were to purchase these units new, they would cost between $1500 - $1700 a piece.  I built the one on the right for just under $300 and this includes the new pump, battery, and two wheeled dolly.  I have an idea about building a LARGE water unit mounted on a 4 wheel wagon with 10 or so watering points.  I think I could double or even triple the water capacity we currently take on the road with us.  Who knows, this may turn out to be a business for me.  Man, that would be awesome. 

 

I'm done.  See you tomorrow night. 







 





DAY OFF.....NOT!

 

 

The NATURE BOY....Ric Flair

"Space Mountain May Be Getting Old, But It Still has The Longest Lines" 

 

 

As you may have noticed, I have this obsession with RIC FLAIR.  I don't know why, but I have always thought Flair was cool.  Anyway, I guess Coach Miller shares the same feelings about Flair as I do.  We have incorporated the Flair (WHOOOOOOO!) in our team stretch routine.  At anytime during our stretch, Miller will yell: "Give me two claps and a NATURE BOY!"  The kids will all yell: "WHOOOOOO!"  I have been known to do the "Ric Flair Strut" occasionally at the same time.  LOL.  My son Mike would LOVE this! 

 

 

 

"Two Claps And A NATURE BOY" 

 

 

 

Today is Sunday, and I am exhausted.  We have a Tropical Storm passing through the state today, so it was darker-than-normal outside this morning.  My body alarm did not go off, and I actually got to sleep in a little this morning.  Even though this is Sunday, I am not off for the day.  We had an offensive meeting this afternoon at Randy's house, and it turned out to to be a three hour session.  We are in full game preparation right now, and it is pretty intense.  I am not going into our game plan right now, and I am not going to talk much about what we are doing.  However, I came home from the meeting and told Marty:  I have work to do on the computer.  I spent the evening looking at video and charting, working on wristbands etc....   Oh yes, the life of a coach is so glamorous. 

 

This is going to be a miserable week on the field.  I am sure our practice fields are going to be soaking wet, which means our feet will stay wet all week long.  I hate this.  Wet shoes and wet socks are the worst part of coaching for me.  I am a product of the old school way of thinking, so I only wear white socks on the field...period.  I will pack my truck with at least two pairs of clean socks and a change of shoes everyday this week.  I want no part of Athlete's Foot ever again.  I was taught to always take care of my feet. During football season, I am washing a lot more white clothes than normal, and all my whites smell like bleach as well.  With all of the rain, I am sure the mosquitoes will be out in force this week too.  So, I will put a can of "OFF" in my truck to spray my legs (and the player's legs) this week.  

 

After we ran out of time on Friday night, I was not in the best of moods when I got home.  I knew I was in for a long night, so I was crabby for sure.  Marty usually leaves me alone for my "pity party"  as she calls it. I really do not want to talk about anything for awhile, and I most-often spend the night second-guessing myself and worrying about how I acted on the field.  Did I embarrass myself?  Did I embarrass my family?  Did I let our team down?  Did I let down my coaching associates?  What would I have done differently?  Who may be angry with me?  I wonder If I will be rehired next season?  Do I even belong with these guys?  These type of questions haunt me after every loss.  I usually can't sleep until I work them out in my head.  Eventually, I let it all go and move on to the next game.  I am sure that our team losing is no fun for my family either. 

 

I am bouncing around here a little....I am sorry.  On Saturday, we had our Fantasy Football Draft over at Coach Wilson's house.  We have a great league, and Draft day is so much fun.  We have a large 12 team league, and all the owners are Coaches, Teachers, or Administrators.  The Co-Owner of my team (The Assassins) is Eric Luke...Marty's son.  I took Eric with me to the draft, and we picked the team together. Today, we shared our resources with Coach Miller (The Mudcats) and we end up chillin most of the afternoon.  It was a good day. 

 

I got paid again yesterday...unexpectedly at the fantasy draft.  Way back when I was a young buck football coach, I coached this young skinny kid named Dariyall Brown.  Remember, this is when I was really cranking as a young, intense, brash football coach, and I was sort of controversial at the time; however, the boys lined up wanting to play for me.  Today, Dariyall is an Assistant Principal for Sebastian River High School, and he is a tall, well built, good looking young man. It has been at least 23 years since I coached him.    On Saturday,  Dariyall told me: "Coach, you made me into the man I am today."  I was sort of taken back by this statement.  All I could do is shake his hand, look him in the eye, and say: "I love you man!" 

 

This is why I coach.  Dariyall  paid me back (IN FULL) for the hours and hours I spent on the football field.  I will say this again:  With most football coaches, it is obviously not about the money, and it's not all about the sport itself.  We coach because we are molding these kid's life through the "Lessons in Life" we teach everyday.  It is a huge job. 

 

I am ready to go.  Somehow, next week's wet feet don't seem so bad anymore. 

 

GZ





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Ran Out Of Time: 3-0

 

 

 

Sharks Before Boarding Team Bus 

 

 

Javonte King (22)  Dion Jones (10) Chris Putnam  Heading to Bus 

 

I am sorry for not writing my blog for the past couple of days.  I have been so busy with breaking down video and preparing for our games, there just has not been a hour or so to spare.  In fact, I fell a sleep at my computer on Friday night while breaking down the video of our game.  I woke up at 3:30 AM with my computer mouse in in one hand and a pencil in the other....sitting straight up.  I am still exhausted.

 

Lets start with Friday.  I arrived at school around 1:30 pm or so.  Coach Tony Brown was already there and working on our football trailer for out trip to Melbourne.  Mr. Stutzke obtained a 6' x 10' trailer from the school district. We decided to skip our team meal and work on getting the trailer ready for hold-downs and storing our gear.  It was so nice having the extra room.  When the kids returned from Mulligans, we loaded up the buses and headed to Melbourne for out 7 PM game. 

 

 

 Loading Our Trailer 

 

A local restaurant, MULLIGANS, feeds our entire football team every game day.  Generally, the team eats a chicken breast, and wild rice for the meal.  This type of meal burns nicely, and gives the kids some energy for the game.  I would encourage all the people reading this blog to visit Mulligans (in Sebastian) during the week and support this business. 

 

We arrived in Melbourne and immediately got dressed for specials.  This is Coach Millers and my area here.  We take out the QB's, centers, receivers, running backs, and kickers for some early work to get loose.  Our time schedule is very strict...down to the minute.  When we are done, the specialist go and meet the rest of the team to come out for regular stretch.  We go through the stretch period, then to Indy, and finish up with a TEAM period before going to the locker room for any last minute details.  Then, we come out to the field and line up for the national anthem. 

 

Can I talk about the National Anthem for a second?  My son is in the US Army stationed in Germany.  He already has one combat deployment under his belt, and he is preparing for another.  Before my son joined the Army, the National Anthem never really meant that much to me.  It was just something we all lined up and did.  Now, while looking at the Flag presented by any school's Color Guard, I get emotional when thinking about the bravery of the members of our armed forces.  My son is my hero, and I take the National Anthem very seriously.  I try to stress my feeling on the players as well. 

 

Now the game:  All and all, it was a decent game even though we ran out of time.  In my mind, we have never really LOST a game.  Instead, I prefer to say we ran out of time to catch up in the score.  Sometimes the game ends and the other team has more points than we do.  It happens.  The Defense played GREAT all night long and kept us in the game.  They were really flying around the ball, and preventing Melbourne from scoring.  As expected, Bookie Taylor was fantastic.  I lost count of how many tackles that dude made, but I know it was a lot.  (He also blocked and ran like a beast on offense.)  Millers LB's played really well, and I thought Mason and Bubba had good nights.  Pork Chop and Gage has strong nights too.  On offense, we moved the ball all night long.  We were actually inside the "red zone" several times, but we just could not punch it in.  OJ Jefferson and Nick Cooper each ran hard behind some solid play behind our "Big Boys."

 

  Hakeem had a solid night too.  I promised Hakeem that I "had his back" during the game....and I kept that promise.  Like I stated before:  The QB has the pressure of several hundred fans (in the stands)  on him every play, so berating him on the sideline is counter productive for me.  This is a hard lesson I learned from coaching my own son Mike. 

 

Here is a funny story about Mike.  We used to have this player on our JV team who was kind of slow....lets call him Jake.   Jake used to drive the other players crazy with his antics during practice and games.  However, the players knew 'Jake' was a little slow, so they left him alone for the most part.  During one game, Mike made a horrible read on the defense, and he threw an interception.  I got Mike on the sideline and I was just chewing his butt up and down.  I never noticed Jake standing beside me during my tirade.  When I was finished with Mike, Jake decided to get in a few shots of his own.  Jake said: " YEAH, YOU STUPID SON-OF-A-BITCH"  and then walked off.  I turned around and Mike just dropped his head laughing. 

 

 

 

Hakeem Rainey Before the Game 



 

This was a good learning tool for our team.  We have some adjustments to make, but nothing major.  I think this is going to be a very solid team.  Anyway, we are moving on to our first regular season game with Vero Beach next week.  This is a HUGE GAME, and we are preparing already.  I will pick the blog up again tomorrow night. 

 

BYE!!

 

 

 

 



Practice is OVER. GAME TIME

 

 

 

My Grandson:  Grice Westberg 

 

 

So, what do you think about my boy?  Good looking kid huh?  Look at the size of his hands.  Grice is the newest (and last I think) child between my daughter Kristin and her husband Joe.  Those of you who know me understand that I am CRAZY about my two granddaughters (Kelsey and Kirby) and I did not think there was any more love in my heart for another grandbaby.  Boy, ole Coach was wrong again!  Somehow, Grice has made a nice place in my heart as well.  Fact is, I am absolutely nuts about all of Kristin's kids...plain and simple. 

 

Many of you know that my own son (Mike) was a QB for Sebastian River High School (SRHS)  However, this is not where the Zaleuke QB connection started at SRHS.  Grice's Daddy- Joey Westberg, was also a QB at SRHS.  I hated Joey in school because he always wanted to date my daughter.....and I was dead set against it.  I remember one time during team stretch, Joe asked me: "Coach, how come your daughter only dates those SISSY boys in school?"  I think I said something like: "Because I don't want her dating jackasses like you!"  LOL.  (Truthfully, Joey reminded me of myself when I was his age, and that scared me too much.)  Most of the boys on the team KNEW Kristin was off-limits to date, so I did not have to deal with that too much; HOWEVER, Joey transferred to SRHS during his junior year, so he did not know about the Zaleuke Rules of dating my daughter.  I think I fended it off for the most part, but all of that was about to change. 

 

Kristin attended Vanderbilt University for five years.  Toward the end of her tenure at Vandy, I noticed that Kristin was spending quite a bit of time in Atlanta, and her fuel bill was showing it.  Hmmmmm.  What was in Atlanta?  Well, a marriage and three grandchildren later, I guess you can figure out who was in Atlanta.  That's ok.  He is still a jackass, but I love the kid.  He gave me Kelsey and that changed my life forever. 

 

 Oh...back to SRHS Football.  I am literally getting sick to my stomach tonight.  I texted a little with Coach Miller, and he is feeling the same way I am feeling.  We have done all we can do.  The coaching is over.  The preparation is over.  All we can do now is guide the players and hope they perform like we know they can.  My QB's have taken about 400 snaps in three days.  I think we are ready to go with that.  Hakeem finished the week strong and focused on his job.  I KNOW he is ready.  I want to thank Zach Finnegan, Jordan Taylor, and Zach Perkins (our Centers) for jumping in and working with the QB's this week.  Yes, I know I pressed you guys a little, but I PROMISE the extra work will pay off. 

 

Look.  I need to quit talking about SRHS football so I can sleep tonight.  My stomach is turning already.  We play tomorrow night in Melbourne at 7PM.  If you guys are reading this blog, please mention it to me when you get the chance....and give me your honest opinion. 

 

See you tomorrow night!  GO SHARKS!!  



WEDNESDAY. Last Practice day.

 

 

 Coach Miller and his "Black Tip" Sharks 

 

Great picture huh?  I just love these dudes.  This photo was taken (under the stadium) right after our rain/lightning shortened practice.  Generally, our defense wears regular blue practice jerseys; however, last year the defensive coaches put the starting defense in black mesh practice jerseys and nicknamed them "BLACK TIPS" which is a species of Sharks down here in Florida.  Black Tip Sharks are known for schooling together, and they sort of swarm after their prey.  When we are on Offense, this is exactly what these guys look like as they make adjustments to our alignments.  See the big kid kneeling in the middle?  This is PORK CHOP!  I guess I should explain.  When Chop was a freshman, he was a short fat kid who could not run at all; moreover,  he could not get into a stance to save his life.  I said to him: "Boy, you are THICK, just like a big-ole PORK CHOP"  Guess what?  The name stuck with him, and he embraced it.  Today, Chop is a fantastic young man with a great personality.  I really like this kid.....and he is a BEAST to handle.  As the season progresses, I will introduce you to all the kids; however.  Pay special attention to the first two boys on the top roll (L-R)  #20 is Bookie Taylor, and Javonte King is right next to him.  I have mentioned them quite a few times in this blog, so nothing more needs to be said right now......except for this:  Our opponents better get ready to be hit!. 

 

Obviously, we had a normal Wednesday practice for us.  I went out early with the QB's and Centers again.  I sat on the ground and observed all the QBs taking snaps and tweaking here and there.  Already, I can see a BIG difference in how we performed.  These boys have practiced 200 snaps in two days.  I had a good coaching session with the centers, and explained why a GOOD shotgun snap was so important to everything we do.  The entire timing of a play can be ruined by an extremely high or low snap.  As I get older and more experienced,  I find myself explaining WHY we do something a certain way.  I generally will say: "Hold ON, lets talk football for a second"  Then, I will explain what we are doing and why we are doing it a particular way.  Sometimes, I will ask a player: "Tell me why you did that"  or "You TELL ME what happened?"  In my opinion, if a player can explain what he saw and the reason for his actions, then he truly understands what we are trying to teach.  Things are sure different in today's football.   

 

Back in the old days (LOL, I am sounding like my Dad) if a coach told you to run through a wall, we tried to run through the wall.....we never asked questions.  A coaches authority or was never challenged in any way.  Back in the day, if a coach did not like you, he would try to run you off one way or the other.  I already shared a story earlier about my old HS Coach and his stupid "Challenge" game.  Let me share another story. 

 

Our Freshman team needed a new Head Coach.  One of the local coaches (Coach J) was recruited to coach this team, and this really pissed off one of our coaches (Lets call him Coach Ass)  Coach Ass wanted to coach this Freshman team himself, and he made no secret of his desires.  The new coach (Coach J) had a son who was playing on our JV team.  Coach ASS decided to punish the new coach by running off his son (making him quit)  from the JV team.  I will never forget this day:   Coach Ass lined up our kickoff return team....all eleven (11) of us.  Then, he called out Coach J's son (John) to the field by himself .   Coach ASS told John to kick off the ball and run straight down the center of the field.  Then, he ordered all of us to attack John and punish him.   I remember thinking: "What the hell is this?" John kicked off the ball and did what he was told to do.  We kicked the crap out of John as ordered.  Coach ASS said: "AGAIN"  So John kicked the ball again and I was the first to reach him.  John fell down and I sort of covered him and said: "John, STAY DOWN  we are not going to hurt you anymore!"  Coach ASS says: "AGAIN"  Another player yelled "COACH, HE IS HURT!"  John was led off the field and never returned to the team.  We later found out he had a severely bruised kidney, and he was pissing blood for weeks afterward.  Luckily, the entire staff was replaced the following year, and Coach ASS was never seen again.  I can't even imagine something like this happening today. We would be fired in a heartbeat and probably sued later. 

 

 



 Randy Bethel (Head Coach) Holding Court 

Our kids are ready to play...plain and simple.  We really need to hit someone else in colors other than blue and black.  The game plan is set, and there is nothing more we can do as coaches.  The kids seem focused and ready to play. Tomorrow we have a complete game walk-thru practice. 

 

 

More Tomorrow.

 

 



TUESDAY I am starting to get Sick...I think!

Bart Starr- QB- Team Captain  

Another great photograph.  #15- Bart Starr was the the quiet leader (and Captain) of the Green Bay Packers under coach Vince Lombardi.  Starr was a 17th round draft choice in 1958 after attending the University of Alabama.  The QB was the son of a military man, and he led the team by example.  He once said to Lombardi: "Coach, you can chew me out all day long behind closed doors, but you can't chew me out if front of the other guys and expect me to lead them!"  Lombardi never chewed Starr out again...in front of the other players.  Bart Starr led the Green Bay Packers to  five NFL Championships and he also led the Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls in 1967-1968.  (MVP) 

This week just feels different.  You can sure tell its game week.  I got to school early today and took care of the water.  I asked the QB's and Centers to come out before practice and get some snaps.  I paired up Hakeem with Finnegan- Hatch with Taylor-and  Dion with Perkins.  Each QB/Center pair took at least 100 snaps today, and I feel like it was productive.  This is going to become a daily thing for us I think.  It is amazing how a simple thing like a QB/Center exchange can go so wrong so quickly.  It may be the center is short snapping, or the QB may be pulling out too quickly....or both.  Today, I sat down on the ground beside the QB's and observed every snap. 

We are going to start Hakeem Rainey this week, and I am pretty stoked about it.  He has earned the start.  People forget that Hakeem is a really young senior QB, so he is pretty up and down with his emotions....just like any HS student is.  Want to know the difference?  Hakeem "Accepted the Risk of Leadership" when he became a QB.  If it was easy to do, then we would have fifteen QB's instead of three. Consequently, being a QB is the hardest job on the team because all eyes are on you on every play.  Sure, QB's get the glory when they throw a TD pass; however, the QB also takes the blame when the ball is intercepted.  The QB cannot dwell on a mistake, for he has to move on to the next play.  I have complete confidence in my QB, and I am POSITIVE  he can do the job for us.  Rainey will surprise a lot of people.  Remember, my own son (MIKE) was a QB, so I truly understand the pressure the QB has on his shoulders. The "Lessons in Life" that Rainey is learning now will stay with him forever. 

I am sorry, but I am tired....and I still have to look at some video tonight.  So, I am going to end this a little early. 

Later 

Monday: 4 Days to go!

The Big Boys 

Phillip (right) and Marcus Norman.  6'4"  Brothers  

Here is a photograph of our offensive line....or most of them.  Even though I coach the QB's and RB's, I have a real soft spot for these big boys.  This is where the real work gets done.  Being an offensive lineman is a thankless job.  You never read headlines which say: "Finnegan Blocks Well in Sebastian's Victory"  or you will never read: " DeMarco CRUSHES the Defensive Linemen"   Yet, without the big boys, the offense goes nowhere.  I certainly appreciate them. 

Well, this is game week, and things are gearing up at practice.  Luckily, the weather cooperated today, so we got in a full practice.   For the most part, we have our game plans together, and now we are in a rehearsal mode.  We will touch on every aspect of the game between today and Wednesday.  Thursday will be a walk-thru day, and we play on Friday night at 7PM....in Melbourne.  I am starting to get a little edgy right now, and this makes practice drag a little for me.  There is so much I think we (the QB's) need to touch on, but I am running out of time to do it...and it pisses me off. 

I got home tonight and started breaking down a game video for a future game.  The first of dozens I will do this season.  This is tedious work and very time consuming. Watching video on a computer has changed the game.  I can stop and start the video as much as I want, I cam ZOOM in on a particular position, I can watch it in slow motion, or I can fast-forward the video past the stuff I do not want to look at.  Basically, I am diagramming the opponents defense to how we EXPECT them to line up against our offense.  It really is a guessing game, but all coaches tend to be pretty consistent in what they do with minor tweaks here and there. So, all we can do is give it our best guess.  Back in the old days, we did not have any type of video available.  Then, reel to reel tape became available at times, but not every school had the ability to copy or exchange the film.  With the invention of the VCR, it changed the way we view our opponents.  For the first time, we had the ability to exchange game video with our opponents.  (For those of you who don't know, most high schools will exchange their own video with their opponents.  For instance, we will exchange 2 videos with say.....Melbourne.  If we give them two game videos, then they will give us two game videos.)  VCR tapes were pretty expensive, and it took forever to copy a tape.  However, it sure beat not having video at all!  Now days, with the invention of the DVD player, DVR,  and Computer, exchanging video is super easy and cheap.  It also means a lot more work for all of us.  

That's it for tonight.  

GZ  

Countdown To Game Starts Today!

The NATURE BOY! 

You guys did not think I was done with the Ric Flair stuff did you?  NO WAY!  Here is a photograph of Flair wearing one of his famous robes.  The wrestlers themselves are considered independent contractors, so each wrestler must purchase his own gear.  I read that Flair spent thousands of dollars on his famous colorful robes.  I used to love a famous Flair wrestling ring tactic.  He would be on his hands and knees BEGGING for his opponent to show him some mercy; then, as the opponent would come near (as if to help him up) Flair would punch him in the gonads.  LOL.  So Funny! 

Speaking of funny, I have to share this with you guys.  I apologize for the spicy language, but it is absolutely necessary for the story. 

Tony Perry is a real funny dude at times.  A few days ago after a long and hot practice, Bethel had a staff meeting.  We were all about spent for the day...just exhausted.  Perry was laying on the floor just resting while the meeting was going on (not at all unusual)  Anyway, Bethel announced that he was giving each of us 10 Shark Cards to sell to our friends and neighbors. (The sale of these discount cards ($10 a piece) go directly into our football fund.)  Perry was a little agitated and said: "I AIN'T SELLIN SHIT.  MY SHIT SAYS COACH, not SALESMAN!"    For some reason, I found this EXTREMELY FUNNY and laughed and laughed.  I know what you're thinking.....I guess you had to be there.  I am telling you again: Perry and I are related down the road somewhere.  We both are always laughing at something the other one said, or something the other one may have done.  Perry is a good friend. 

This is Sunday, and we had the entire day off!  Yeah sure.  The offense had a staff meeting at Randy's house at 3 pm.  Randy has this big media room that we can watch some video and plan for the next week's schedule.  It is game week, so we have a lot to do.  We will all be pretty focused this week.  We will limit our hitting this week so we are completely healthy for the game against Melbourne. 

 We got some pretty cool black coaching shirts for our game dress this year.  These shirts are made by Nike, and they are awesome.  We will be wearing our new black shirts with khaki pants, or perhaps the new shirts with black pants.  This will depend if we are home or away.  It seems like my entire wardrobe has SRHS Football embroidered somewhere on it.  My closet has nothing but blue and black clothing in it.  I have SRHS clothing (dating back to 1996) that I still wear.  I would have a tough time if I ever changed schools....LOL. 

Im done! 



Scrimmage Today!

#51 Dick Butkus- All-Pro Middle Linebacker

I hate this photograph!  LOL.  I was a Green Bay Packer fan growing up; naturally, I hated the Chicago Bears.  In this photograph, Dick Butkus is literally trying to rip off the head off Travis Williams of the Packers.  Butkus was an old school linebacker with a nasty attitude.  Coach Miller will love this photograph. 

Today was decent...not great for either side of the ball...but decent.  The problem is that both sides of the ball know each other so well, it is almost impossible to have a normal game scrimmage.  For instance:  On Offense, we have a series of audibles (different plays our QB can call from the line of scrimmage) that we can use.  Here is the problem....the defense knows the audibles as well as we do.  Hakeem tried to change a play, and the ENTIRE defense started screaming:  "Watch the Dive- Watch the Dive!"  LOL.  We really need to play someone else right now.  We got both Bookie and Javonte over with us for a while today.  When I started going over our alignments with them, they already knew what plays we ran from these formations.  Amazing.  How the hell can we run our offense against our defense when they already know what we are going to do?  LOL.  That's OK.  These guys play for US.  This defense is going to give our opponents fits. 

We had a few kids missing today for various reasons.  Our best running back- OJ Jefferson- missed the scrimmage for a reason I will not reveal on this blog.  Lets just say Bethel was not happy.  I really want to talk more about this offense, but I am going to refrain from doing so.  We got a good chance to see some of our 9th grade (JV Kids) for the first time today.  We also sprinkled some younger kids into the mix as well.  Mostly, these were kids who are probably "tweeners" (a player not quite ready for the SPEED of the Varsity game)  It was the highlight of the day for me.  When we inserted these kids into the scrimmage, we could almost see the lights going on in their heads.  The game slowed down, and these "tweeners" really shined.  It was so good to see.  My boy- Fellsmere Cody had a great day, and Big Clay played well too.  I am sure Miller and Perry had a few players do well for them.  All in all, it was decent.  Truthfully, we are all looking forward to next week. 

Want to know what are the biggest enemies of a football coach?  Here are probably the top three arch enemies we have in no particular order.  No disrespet intended to the females reading this blog.  Truthfully, all three enemies go hand in hand. 

1. GIRLFRIENDS 

2. TRUCK / CAR - (INSURANCE)  PAYMENTS

3.  A JOB 

Lets talk about all three enemies: 

Girlfriends:

OH man.  The worst of the worst.  Girlfriends have probably destroyed more careers than any knee injury, or ankle injury COMBINED!  Some players just go crazy when they are in love.  They start finding reasons to miss practice, or they are pre-occupied with anything concerning football.  The love-struck player generally starts messing up at home, and they always need money to date the love of his life.   Which brings us to the next enemy.

TRUCK / CAR PAYMENTS

HEY, the players can't have their cute little girlfriends ride in Mom's Mini Van, so they naturally want their own set of wheels..... a nice set of wheels...which costs money.  Next thing you know, the player has a truck/car payment along with the insurance payments which comes along with driving.  Also, gas costs a lot of money too...which brings us to the next enemy:

A JOB 

Naturally, the little girlfriend want to go out every now and then, and truck-car-insurance payments are not cheap.   So, the player has to get a job to pay for all this stuff.  Now he has to arrange his work schedule around his football schedule. Sometimes it works....sometimes it does not work.  I wish I had a dollar for every worksite I have visited to speak with the manager.   

I am kidding of course....sort of!  Nevertheless, the issues are very real, and they have been happening for many years.  This is just part of coaching High School Football, and it is just another reason for us to teach the "Lessons In Life" to our kids.  Maybe they can learn something from our mistakes. 

I'm out!! 

GZ



MEDIA DAY

SHARK ATTACK

Here is a great picture of some of our players.  If you look closely, you will see that all of these kids are wearing higher numbers.  This means that all the BIG BOYS are hanging out together, and this is a great thing.  I also notice that there is a great mixture of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders in this picture as well.  Again, this is a great thing for a coach to see.  The SENIORS will show the younger players the SHARK way of doing things. 

Today was "Media Day" at Shark's Stadium, so we got a chance to show off our new Home Uniforms for the first time.  What do you think?  Personally, I like them.  Notice how tight they fit?  This is what is popular in the sport right now.  Jerseys, just like anything else in the world, have changed over the years.  I remember the heavy cotton jerseys, and I remember the "Mesh Type" jerseys.  I also remember the shorter "half" Jerseys, and the break-away type of jerseys too.  These new type jerseys are made by Nike, and I think they are awesome.  We also have new "White" uniforms for away games. 

Here is my boy MASON WILBORN (Son #2)  looking good  

ZACH FINNEGAN is a BEAST. 

JAMES CLARK.  Remember this name! 

Austin Hatch (Left)  Hakeem Rainey (Right)  Senior QB's 

I won't bore alot of you all with more pictures of my kids for today.  I will sprinkle a lot more photos as this blog continues down the road.  Notice I said: "My Kids?"  I consider these players "My Kids" and I love each and every one of them.  I think every coach on our staff will tell you the same thing.  We truly Love our kids. 

After media day, we had a pretty good morning practice session.  I know this much...it was sure HOT.  I was able to put together a pretty decent "Scout" team for our Defense today.  I explained to the boys:  "Look, I am not mad at any of you, but I HAVE to know who is in the huddle at any given time.  Please understand this.  Are we cool?"  Of course, every player agreed once I explained it to them, and it all went great.  Damn Defense is flying around the ball again, and I LOVE to see it.  This is going to be a really special group.  Our Defensive coaches are doing a great job.  Tomorrow, we have our final scrimmage before the season starts.  I think this session will be highly controlled, and we will not allow anyone to get injured.  I think our kids need to hit something else besides each other. 

Finally, I talked with my son (In Germany) today.  It is always great to hear from him.  Coach Miller is really fond of Mike, so Miller is naming our special teams:  "SPECIAL FORCES" in honor of my son.  I think this is SO COOL.  Miller and I are having fun forcing the Ric Flair attitude on our players, and they are all buying into it ....except most of them do not know who the hell Ric Flair actually is.  LOL.  I tell them all the time: "Go home and Google RIC FLAIR"   WHOOOOOOOOOO! 

Later.