HOMECOMING PREP Has Started.

                                                        Chaise Permenter #8 

I love these photographs of one of our JV players, Chaise Permenter.  I took this picture with my cell phone while the JV team was warming up for their game against South Fork High School.  Chaise is a tough kid, he comes to practice everyday, he never complains, and he gives you 100% of everything he has to offer.  Chase just happens to be a Little Person.  Does Chaise want to be treated differently?  Absolutely not!  On the contrary, Chaise just want to be treated just like everyone else on the team. We had some uniform issues when Chaise first joined the team; however, Marty took care of that very quickly.  Marty adjusted the uniforms to fit Chaise's unique build, and he now looks no different than any other member of our team.  I was completely PAID IN FULL (readers of my blog will  understand this statement) when I saw the sparkle in his eyes when he dressed in his new equipment which looked exactly like his teammates.  I am working on some big news concerning this young man and our football program.  I will need your (my reader's) help when this all goes down!  VERY EXCITING! 

 

First, I am sorry for not writing in a couple of days.  However, this was our week off from football, so I kind of took a break in writing to recharge my batteries.  We did practice all week long, but it was really laid back.  We wanted our kids to have some fun and get healthy for our district run coming up.  We have a tough district game coming up next Friday against Olympic Heights who is undefeated.  This is also our homecoming game, so the school has all kinds of celebration activities planned for the week.  Problem is that we have a big game to prepare for, so we must keep our kids focused on the game itself.  I am hearing about Homecoming Dances, Homecoming Parades, Powder Puff Games, etc..  Hey, I was young once too, so I want the kids to participate in all the festivities as long as we get in the work for the game. We have to stay focused on our goals, and not let the distractions get in our way. 

 

Last night a bunch of coaches drove down to Palm Beach County to scout the Olympic Height/ Boynton Beach game.  Me, Randy, Coach Wilson, and Anthony all drove down to Boynton in Randy's H-2 Hummer.  Jefferson, Willis and Flemming met us down there.  Randy exchanged video with their head coach, and we watched a pretty good game.  I am happy we saw this team in person.  Sometimes when we watch a team on video only, we can't get a true view on a team's size or the type of athlete's they may have.  We all watched the game from the stands and socialized really.  We have our hands full next Friday night in Shark's Stadium. 

 

One of our battery cows failed two nights ago.  I could not believe it.  I took it home and discovered that the motor and pump was completely shot.  I performed an autopsy (call me Dr. G) on the unit and figured out what happened.  The unit was used by the JV team on Wednesday during their pre-game.  They emptied the unit of water and plugged it up to the charging port.  However, someone did not turn the unit off, and the motor ran dry for several hours and burned it up.  I am going up to Northern Tool in Melbourne to get another pump tomorrow.  I also worked for several hours on our latest version of the wrist bands we wear during the game. Bethel gives me the information he wants on the bands, and I figure out a way to make it all happen in a way the players will understand.  We have a complex offensive system, so this chore is not always easy. However, this much I do know, NO ONE else can do what we do with our no huddle system, so it is worth the effort. 

 

 

More Tomorrow!  Maybe some exciting news too! 

 

GZ

Getting a Little Better

                         

                                                      The NATURE BOY!

I bet you thought my obsession with Ric Flair was over didn't you?  LOL.  Ric Flair was known for his colorful gowns which he wore into the wrestling ring before doing battle.  I read somewhere that some of Flairs gowns cost him as much as $10G a piece.  I really like this one.  Notice the Lions on the bottom of the robe, along with the matching Lion's fur.  This one is awesome! 

Today is Tuesday, and we do not play this week at all.  This is our bye week, so we are just working on getting better.  We sent some of our younger players down to the JV this week to get some playing experience....which is very important.  I love to watch these younger varsity players get some reps, play some ball and have some fun.  The JV game is much slower than the Varsity game, so the older kids generally do very well playing down.  Normal JV teams are comprised of 9th and 10th graders anyway, so this just evens up the teams a little.  Generally speaking, our JV team has mostly 9th graders playing a normal JV schedule.  Some schools have a 9th grade team, a JV team, and a Varsity team.  This week they are playing our District Rival's (South Fork) JV team.  It is important to our Varsity team that the JV team takes care of business and beats them soundly.  In Florida, a player can only play (or dress) for one game per calender week, so this is a good opportunity for some of our kids. 

When I played HS Football, this play rule did not exist.  We actually had players dress and play in a Freshman game on Wednesday, A JV Game on Thursday, and a Varsity game on Friday.  This was just grueling, but necessary to stay competitive.  Besides, games were usually easier than the damn practices anyway.  It was all out war every day...regardless of the day of the week.  We did not have the weight rooms the schools have today, but I do remember doing a lot more conditioning than we do now.  I remember sprinting across the field (back and forth) for 30 to 40 minutes per practice, or until everyone was puking. We had these 'trails' behind the school which went high into the woods.  There was a "long trail' (about 1 1/2 miles) and a 'short' trail (3/4 miles) which we ran several times per week. .  Each trail was full of obstacles like mud holes, old tires etc.. which were designed to impede our time completing the run.  Both trails started at the same point, but the long trail forked off to the right, and the short trail forked off to the left.....far out of sight of the coaches....we thought!  Both courses would exit at the same point.  Coach would say: "LONG TRAIL, You have 15 minutes" and we would just haul ass trying to complete the damn obstacle course.  There would sometimes be a coach at the 'fork' to make sure we were running the right course.  By the time we got back from running this small mountain, we were completely shot.  Just exhausted.  Generally this was at the end of practice.

We noticed that the coaches were not always standing on the 'fork', and it became pretty predictable on when he would be there.  We decided that if the coach told us to run the long course, we would actually run the short course and stop and rest for a while.  A teammate decided to hide a cooler filled with some soda at our resting point.  YEAH BABY!  We were all set!  LOL.  Big mistake.  One of the PE teachers (A Football Coach) decided to have his class run the short trail during school.  I guess he found the damn cooler during 6th period, and he did not say a word to any of us.  For some strange reason, our coach opened practice with the trail run that day.  As you can imagine, he said: "LONG TRAIL" and we all took off  knowing that we would be running the 'short trail' and stopping for a sweet brewskie on the way back.  This was a bad, bad idea.  There were three coaches waiting for us at the hiding spot.  We denied knowing ANYTHING about a cooler.  Too late, we paid the price for several weeks after that.  LOL.  Stupid kids. 

More Tomorrow.

GZ

Day Off. Still Working.

                                               New Home Uniform Fresh out of Dryer

It's Sunday, and I spent the day cutting grass and washing the stinky uniforms.  That OXI-Clean stuff is amazing.  The uniforms really came out nice and clean.  Instead of stuffing them back into the garbage can, I laid out the jerseys and pants and took then directly down to the football facility to avoid wrinkling.  I know it does not look like it, but there are a least 40 sets of uniforms resting on the back of my truck. 

 

This washing machine is AWESOME  This machine will wash about as much as you can stuff into it.  Notice the buckets laying on the floor?  These containers are 5 gallon pails filled with detergent, softener, and a bleach product on an automatic feed system....and none of this stuff is worth a damn.  I went down and purchased the Tide Detergent, and the OXI Clean to wash our game stuff.  Works like a charm.  The big dryer on the left runs off of gas.  And it gets HOT if you don't adjust the temperature.  This machine will dry an entire load of Jerseys in 30 minutes on medium heat. 

Want to know how stupid I am?  When I was a newly single man, I needed a new washing machine.  I went down to Sears and purchased a new top-loader machine which had "Heavy Duty" written on the front of the machine.  I thought:  Well hell, we can stuff as much stuff as we want into our "Heavy Duty" machine at school, so I will stuff my new home washing machine FULL with towels. This was not a good move on my part.  I burned up the new machine the day after I purchased it.  I took it back to Sears and they gave me a new one.  Oh well, "Lesson in Life"  I guess. 

MRSA Machine

 

A few years ago, we had quite a MRSA scare in the public school system.  This flesh eating bacteria (very resistant to antibiotics) was found on the body of one of our players,  so the school district was forced to buy each HS one of these machines at $20K a piece.  EVERY single piece of equipment we had on inventory (helmets, shoulder pads, knee pads, thigh pads etc..) was disinfected with this machine......twice.  The bacteria was found on two separate players within weeks of one another.  All player's lockers were emptied of all contents, and each locker (and walls) were sprayed with a special disinfectant to kill the bacteria.  As you can imagine, this extra work in the middle of the season was a lot of fun.  This is why we coaches get the BIG BUCKS......27 cents per hour. 

 

Locker Room STINKS 

 

I am not going to lie.  The locker room really stinks.  I guess some of the players left their wet and sweaty clothing in their lockers.  Naturally, the smell is really ripe right now.  Look at all the trash laying on the floor. This is sort of what my son's room looked like when he lived at home.  The players will be cleaning tomorrow I am sure. 

 

 

I will check in tomorrow.

 

GZ

 

DAY OFF.....Doing Laundry!

Heading To The OK Corral

 

"I Believe We Started A Game We Never Finished. Play For Blood, Remember? "

 

Johnny Ringo 

 

Tombstone is probably my favorite movie of all time.  I will bet I have seen this western AT LEAST 25 times.  This movie has so many quotable lines that it has become part of my normal vocabulary.  My son Mike and I will often exchange these lines via Email or text message for no reason whatsoever.  Look at the excitement in the eyes of Johnny Ringo when he agrees to a gunfight with Doc Holiday (pictured above) 

Hey, I feel much better tonight...but I am still exhausted.  I got up around 8:30am this morning and went down to my office for a couple of hours.  I was happy to have some time away from football to recharge my batteries.  But guess what I did?  That's right, I went down to the school to put in some laundry.  In fact, I made three different trips down to school to make sure it all got done today.  But, guess what else I did?  You guessed it!  I WATCHED football all day on TV.  I also washed our wrist bands from the game on Friday night.  They were really starting to smell.......or STINK!

After the game, we load all the dirty game uniforms into these huge garbage cans.  The jerseys go into one can, the pants go into another, the socks into another and so on.   Then, the cans are loaded into a truck (generally mine) and I take them up to the school laundry.  For the next couple of days, we will eventually get to all of it.  But, last night was different.  The uniforms were SOAKED with sweat and rain.  I mean you could actually wring out the clothing with your hands.   I arrived to the laundry this morning and opened the entrance door.  I thought the smell would knock me down. 

The uniforms were completely soaked with sweat from the first half of play, and they were completely soaked with rain the second half of the game.  As the uniforms sat in the garbage cans, the sweat and water started seeping out of the clothing and gathered at the bottom of each can....sort of making a 'sweat soup'   Mix in the the mud and dirt, along with some blood, spit, and athletic tape, and it resulted in a mixture that looked like some sort of CHOWDER.    I grabbed the jerseys on top of the can and started throwing them in the washer (along with a healthy dose of Oxi-Clean)  That process was not too bad until I hit the bottom of the can.  Then I about gagged.  I sucked it up and grabbed a handful of clothing and immediately flung some of the "Sweat Soup Chowder' into my mouth and all over my clean clothes I was wearing.  Then, I did gag and about vomited.  I could not wait to get home and change my shirt.  My dog Raleigh greeted me at the house and started sneezing....then I knew I smelled bad.  So, I fought that stuff all day long, and I just about got it all done.  Tomorrow, I will take all the clean clothes back down to our equipment room to get ready for the next game. 

We have a bye week coming up.  This week's practice sessions will be less game specific, but I will imagine that Bethel will keep the team focused even on our off week.  This will be a good time to rest our legs and heal those minor aches and pains which is normal for this time of year.  I welcome the break.  Tomorrow I will be breaking down and grading our game video.  I will let you know what I saw. 

GZ

Soggy VICTORY 19-10

Obviously, this is not a photograph of our huddle on Friday night; however, I am sure it did not look much different.  It was WET, WET, WET at Shark's Stadium. 

Tonight, we defeated Okeechobee 19-10 on a rain-soaked and muddy field.  The rain started a little after 5PM but it was very light at first.  Miller and I led the specialist out onto the field promptly at 5:50 pm.  At the time, it was just spitting rain, and I actually thought that the storm may pass over us.  The short specialty period was really crisp and organized.  I felt good when the rest of the team joined us a short time later.  After a nice stretch period we again went to an Indy and looked especially sharp on all the pass routes between the QB's and WR's.  I was ready for the game to begin. 

The game itself started badly.  Okeechobee drove the opening series down the field and scored, going up 7-0.  We answered immediately when my boy Hakeem  threw a 60 yard backside post to tie the score.  We drove the ball down the field again to go up 14-7 at the half.  After halftime, Chobbee added a field goal to close within  4 points at 14-10.  Then came the rain.  I mean it poured!! However, there was no lightning so the game went on.  We added a field goal and a safety to close out the victory 19-10.  It was a hard fought victory against an emotionally charged Okeechobee football team. 

Coach Washington's brother passed away earlier this week.  His brother was a coach at Okeechobee, and his nephew plays ball for the school as well.  The team was obviously distraught over the loss of their coach, and the nephew played his heart out for his Daddy.  I sort of teared up when I spoke to the boy.   I told him before the game to play hard in his daddy's honor.  I was proud that the boy played the game for his teammates. I am absolutely positive that Coach Washington would have wanted it that way. 

It is hard to predict how things like this will play out.  I have seen it go both ways over the years.  Sometimes the teams will come out so fired up that they almost seem unbeatable.  Or, I have seen teams literally collapse with emotion. 

Hey, I am going to end this tonight.  I am very tired, and I am having trouble writing complete sentences.  My thoughts are everywhere right now, and I am having trouble focusing on writing something interesting to read.  I will write something tomorrow after I sleep. 

OH, we are OFF tomorrow.  We have a bye week coming up, so Bethel gave us the weekend off to rest .  I really need it.

GZ

Best Day Yet

Ric Flair and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan 

Here are two pretty cool photographs of the WCW Championship Belt being held by Flair (top) and Heenan (bottom)  The championship belts did not actually belong to the wrestler.  The belt actually belonged to the wrestling organization.  The "Champion" had to put down a $25k deposit on the belt as long as he held the title.  Some of the championship belts were worth up to $100K a piece.   I remember when Flair showed up on a WWF telecast with the WCW championship belt in hand.  I think Ted Turner had to sue Vince McMahon to get it back. 

We had a great practice today....probably the best day we had in weeks.  Bethel and I were on the field at 2:30 for some early work with the skill group.  We worked hard for about 25 minutes before the rest of the team came out to join us.  We got in a lot of reps.  I like this focused INDY time with our players.  Coach Perry and Coach Miller came out to give us a hand too.  I like to hear what the defensive guys think about what we are doing offensively.  Perry will show us how a defensive guy will react to a certain pass route or formation which helps us design our play.  In return, we will help them with the same thing.  I love to ask defensive guys one question:  "What gives you problems defensively?"  I always get interesting answers.  Nothing is perfect, so something gives a coach problems.  If a coach tells you "nothing gives us problems" is probably lying.  LOL.  Imagine that. 

You want to know what drives a coach crazy?  Certain parents drive a coach crazy.  They can't understand why their kid may not be getting much playing time; however, very few parents are on the sideline watching us practice either.   We do not promise playing time.  Yet, somehow some parents believe the coach is playing favorites because their son may not be playing much.  Were the parents at every practice this week?  Did the parents watch every drill the coaches were running this week?  Did the parents attend the film session of this weeks scrimmage?  Did the parents watch as their son played on the 'scout' team?  Probably not.  Nevertheless, we are questioned on our decision of who plays.  Unreal.  We are fighting for our life out there.  We have to put the team in the best position to secure the win for SRHS.   I have a horror story to tell about an overbearing parent on the sideline.  I have to give this a lot of thought before I start telling this nightmare.  It's not pretty. 

GZ

MORE RAIN

Paul Hornung  "The Golden Boy" 

 

 

Donnie Anderson: "Old Yeller" 

 

Football players sometimes have cruel sense of humors.  Paul Hornung was a Heisman Trophy winner from Notre Dame. He was one of the first superstar players in the NFL and was considered a "pretty boy" by his teammates who absolutely loved him.  Vince Lombardi loved this colorful running back.  Everything Hornung did seemed to turn into gold.  Therefore, the players started calling Paul: "The Golden Boy"   When Hornung left the Packers (after being suspended for gambling allegations) the Packers drafted Donnie Anderson from Texas the following year.  Anderson played very well for the Packers, but he was never as colorful as Hornung was.  Playing in "The Golden Boy's" shadow, Anderson was nicknamed: Old Yeller" by his teammates.  Now THAT is funny!  

 

The RAIN returned today.  I could see the storm cell coming on my Blackberry, but it arrived before we ever got started.  We were delayed about an hour and a half before we went under the stadium to get some work done.  Bethel has a way of getting player's attention during times like this.  Today, he made sure that the players were in control of the things THEY could control:  Things like having their chin straps buckled, breaking the huddle correctly, hustling to the line of scrimmage etc..  He made it a point to emphasize that life sometimes throws you a curve ball, and you must learn to adjust.  We can't control the weather, nor can we control if the gym is being painted, but there are things we can improve on.  These "Lessons in Life" are things we teach everyday.  I get aggravated with Randy sometimes, but I admire the lessons he teaches these kids too.  Even at my age, I am constantly learning from other coaches. 

 

The JV team had a nice win tonight against Port St. Lucie High School. The game was delayed for about an hour because of the rain.  The team started out slowly, but they eventually went ahead 18-14 with 30 seconds to go.  I like to watch the younger kids play ball.  We always send down some 10th graders to get some playing time which helps the team out quite a bit.  We only have a single JV team consisting of mostly 9th graders; however, they often play much more mature JV teams consisting of 10th graders and a few 11th graders.  In reality, our kids should really be playing a freshman schedule.  I was happy for the young players and the coaching staff.  It was a nice win for them. 

 

Later,

GZ

Back To Work

Vince Lombardi Riding the Sled 

 

Here is something you don't see much of today.  In this old photograph taken in 1963, Vince Lombardi is barking commands to his Offensive Lineman while riding the blocking sled.  I have a theory on this.  Since Lombardi played on the Offensive line himself, he must have been harder on the Offensive Linemen. You can see the intensity in the old coaches eyes and body language in this picture. 

 

This week we begin playing our district rivals.  On Friday night, we play Okeechobee  AT HOME thank god.  I am so tired of traveling.  Chobee is another team (like us) who is struggling right now.  They have a new coach this year (well, a new coach who used to be their head coach) and they are in a transition period. We have been playing Chobee for years, and the series has always been friendly.  In year's past, Chobee always had a HUGE offensive and defensive line, with good skill kids. On video, it does not look like much has changed; naturally, their kids always fight hard until the last whistle blows, so we will have our hands full......again.  A few years ago, they beat us 63-0  (or something like that)  Chobee had this running back named Lonnie Pryor who just tore us up.  We could not stop him.  Pryor is now the starting running back for Florida State.  This year's game should be a little more competitive.  I enjoy playing the country boys from around the lake. 

 

Finally, we had a good rain-free practice today.  We got a lot of work done.  Our practice fields are relatively dry, but the mosquitoes are hatching again.  I got pretty chewed up today.  My legs look like I have measles with all the red bumps from the little (or not so little) biting bugs.  It was nice to see Coach Jefferson and Coach Matthews at practice today even though they can't officially help out on the field.  Jefferson says the knee is feeling much better, and he is getting around pretty good with the big knee brace and crutches.  I think Chris may be back on the field in the next couple of weeks.  Coach Keith Matthews says the kidney transplant is working good too with no issues.  Matthews said the minute they hooked up the kidney to a blood vessel, it started to produce urine....which is outstanding!   Keith sure looks better than when he was doing dialysis several times a week.  I am very happy for him and his family. 

 

 

This is Coach Miller's daughter Delaney. (I hope I spelled her name correctly, or she will be pissed at me)  She is a Cheerleader for the Sebastian River Middle School Cowboys.  Ahhh, I remember these days well.  (My daughter Kristin was also a cheerleader for SRMS.)  I have literally watched this little girl grow up, and I can't believe she is already in junior high school.  She used to follow Coach Miller around the practice field like a little puppy.  She was so shy and unsure of herself , and she would not talk with anyone it seems.  She is maturing into a beautiful young lady, and freely admits she is a Daddy's Girl.  Miller is going to have his hands full with this one....and I am going to laugh at him! 

 

Here is a little history on SRMS.  Back in the day, Indian River County only had one high school....Vero Beach High School (VBHS)  However, there were two different junior high schools feeding the school, Vero Beach Junior High (VBJHS)  Red Raiders, and the SRMS Cowboys.  Each school had their own football team at one time.  Both teams played at the Citrus Bowl in Vero Beach.  It was always quite a rivalry game when the two teams played each other.  VBJHS was always much larger than SRMS, and VBJHS always had a lot more players; however, SRMS managed to knock off the Red Raiders a time or two.  Once all the kids (from both schools) became 10th graders, everyone went to Vero Beach High School.  VBHS had some powerful teams during that period.  The ENTIRE COUNTY went to VBHS.  Can you imagine that?  Once SRHS was built, it changed everything. 

 

See you tomorrow.

 

GZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOST 28-6

Preparing to Feed

 

I am sorry I have not posted anything for a couple of days.   Truthfully, I just have not had any time to do so.  I had the extra work of redesigning the wrist bands twice in one week, not to mention the flip board problems etc..  I will try to stay on top of everything from here on end.  Now , I will get you guys caught up. 

 

We played a very good Ft. Pierce Central (FPC) Cobras team on Friday night.  FPC is nationally ranked, and they are ranked in the top ten in Florida as well.  We knew that they were going to be a tough challenge going in.  We arrived in Lawnwood stadium at about 5:15 pm.  The Cobras were already on the field with their special teams.  Our guys quickly got dressed and came onto the field at 5:40 for special teams.  The whole period was very sloppy as far as I was concerned.  We were missing passes, making bad throws, and we had footballs flying all over the place.  The whole period just pissed me off to no end; so I cut the period off a little short to water down while awaiting the rest of the team to come onto the field.  Finally, the rest of our team came onto the field and we all stretched together.  When we went to INDY, I re-grouped our guys and started the whole day over again.  The players were much better this time, and things looked a little more organized and sharp.  I guess experience counts for something.  I had a chance to watch FPC a little during their warm-ups too. 

 

What an amazing group of athletes they have.  Almost every player looked like they could play.  Athlete  after athlete at every position.  FPC has not always been this way.  A couple of years ago, they had an influx of athletes from Ft. Pierce Westwood, and that really got them rolling.  Naturally, Westwood has struggled since then.  Anyway, the game started, and our DEFENSE played like mad men. Our kids played their hearts out against a much bigger opponent, and it kept us in the game.  Again, we just could not get thing rolling on offense; consequently, we kept the defense on the field much too long at times.  I think the score was 7-0 going into the half.  We came onto the field for the second half, and things started to go south for us.  Our defense played extremely hard and tough, but FPC kept throwing fresh athletes (at our two way players) and they just wore us down, plain and simple.  BOOKIE TAYLOR and JAVONTE KING are WARRIORS.  These kids can play for any college at any level.  (If by chance there are college coaches looking at this blog, send me a message to get info about these kids)  Our entire defense needs some accolades for their performance.  Offensively, we keep putting them in bad situations, but they keep coming to our rescue. 

 

Offensively, we are just not clicking right now.  We keep making these bad mistakes and making stupid penalties to put us behind the chains.  We have some great athletes on our side, but we can't get it together it seems.  We know it is going to happen, but we keep waiting for the explosion. 

(Have you ever seen one of those old western movies when the bad guys are trying to blow up a bridge to derail the old train loaded with treasures?  They always prewire the dynamite to this old wooden box with a "T" handle on the top.  When the T handle is depressed, the dynamite receives a voltage jolt and sets off the explosion.  Remember the waiting period before the explosion?  This is how I feel while waiting for our Offense to come to life)  -We have this new transfer athlete name Nate Pryor. This kid is an amazing athlete, and he is so explosive. (I used to coach his Daddy) Nate had a 74 yd TD Romp which put us on the board in the  3rd qtr.  My QB Hakeem is really struggling right now...he has no confidence at all.  I feel bad for the kid....  The failure of the entire offense is blamed on the QB.  I try to help him out all I can, but a QB must 'Accept the Risk of Leadership' if he wants to play the position.  Besides, I don't have much say in what we do anymore.  I only coach a single position.... Yet, I keep grinding it out. 

 

OLD Flair and OLD Hogan giving a show! 

 

I love watching the old wrestlers put on a show like this.  These old guys paved the way for the younger generation, but our society throws them away like yesterday's trash.  Do the older guys still have something to offer?  ABSOLUTELY!  The older guys offer years and years of experience that just can't be replaced.  This "Lesson in Life" is sometimes learned too late. 

 

Will check in tomorrow. 

 

GZ

   

Decent Day.....Sort Of!

 

Working on Flip Board Tonight. 

 

Color Boards 

 

 

The wind from the week-long storms tore up my number board today.  The homemade flip board is the life blood of our offense, so I had to repair it tonight.  I wish it would have happened on Monday or something....at least it would have given me some more time to work on it.  When we first started designing our offense, we had to find a way to signal plays to our players on the field.  There was just nothing on the market which met our needs (off the shelf) ....so I had to build what we needed.  Without going into the intricacies of how it all works, I will say that the flip board, the wrist bands, and the color boards all work together to signal a play.  Do the numbers look familiar?  They should!  These are actually WALMART (www.Walmart.com) Pricing Numbers used in the stores everyday.  I chose the numbers I needed, punched and grommeted the holes, and built the frame using 1/2" PVC.  The numbers are plastic so they are waterproof; however, the wind will sometimes catch the numbers and play hell with them.....which is what happened today.  The wristbands you see the kids wearing have plays (with associated numbers) written on the three page inserts.  The color cards you see us holding up have different meanings which change often.  These cards are made from white plastic waffle board which I cut into usable pieces; then I had them colored and lettered by a local sign/graphics company.  It is a pretty complex system for a high school football team; however, it allows us to play up tempo when we have to, and it gives us the ability to call 90% of our plays from the sideline without a huddle.  Now, when you hear us calling colors and signaling numbers on the sideline, you will have a better understanding on what is happening. 

 

The practice day did not start off so good for me today.  Once or twice a week, I will take the laundry up to the school and bring some cleaned laundry back down to the football equipment room.  Of course, we have always used our trucks to load and haul the huge barrels full of laundry.  This requires backing your truck up to the loading door.  Since the door is not close to the parking lot, it requires some manuvering on sidewalks and maybe hit a little grass here and there.  To make matters even worse, the addition of the new facility has really scrambled the route to the door.  I pulled my truck up to the door as always;, then, the lawn maintenance guy starts SCREAMING at me: "WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?  ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND? GET OFF MY GRASS!"  among other choice words I wont / can't say here.  Well, I had about enough of that shit. (I sure as hell won't be punked up by no maintenance guy)  I get out of my truck ready to throw down right then and there.  I was preparing to go Ric Flair on his ass.  I said: "What the F---k are you talking about?  I am here to get LAUNDRY as I have done for 15 years! I am WORKING not F-ing around!"   Well, he calmed down when I got out of my truck, but I was still pretty hot under the collar and mouthed off a little more. The matter was resolved before it esculated any further. He apologized for going off the handle, and I apologized for driving on his precious wet grass. Unfortunately, a few of the players saw the whole thing go down from the second story windows, and they were pretty fired up about seeing me get out of my truck ready to throw down.  I am sorry for them seeing that.  I did not set a very good example for them to follow.  "Lessons in Life" once again. 

 

FINALLY, we got in a decent practice today. It poured rain all morning, and I thought we were in for another wet and muddy day.  It cleared off before we were set to begin practice, so we got in some nice work.  We had our normal Wednesday practice session which included some offensive and defensive work along with some special teams.   We are planning for a normal Thursday practice tomorrow as well.  Maybe the weather will cooperate.  I am tired of being WET.  

 

That is all for today. I am tired. 

 

GZ 

Ric and Ray Pissed at the Weather.

(L-R) Arn Anderson, Barry Windam, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard.  The ORIGINAL Four Horsemen. 

No much tonight.  Working on Wristbands and looking at video.  Still Raining.  Im sick of it.  Still practiced in pouring rain.  Not bad, but we need a good practice. 

Hang with me.  I am just about done with my preparation.   Will be back tomorrow night. 

GZ

Nitchke Not too happy either!  

Underdogs AGAIN

 

Storm Clouds Over Sebastian 

 

This thunderstorm and lightning pattern we are experiencing is getting very old.  The weather is making it nearly impossible to get in a full practice.  We have so much to work on, and we desperately need the preparation time; consequently, there is only so much we can do under our stadium stands.  Unfortunately, our gym is being painted, so we can't even go in there.  I guess Coach Miller has the right idea.  We may have to practice at 5AM to get any work done, especially if the weather pattern continues once our district schedule arrives. 

 

I arrived at school early to bring our finished laundry down to the equipment room.  I guess Coach Bethel had his PE kids separate and fold (by number) the jerseys and separate and fold  the game pants by size.  This is a big help to Coach Wilson and Coach Brown.  All they have to do from this point is put the pants on the shelf, and hang the jerseys in numerical order.

 

The equipment room is hollowed ground to us coaches.  This area belongs to Coach Wilson and Coach Brown.  Occasionally, I will be allowed in there to give them a hand; however, I generally never go in that room for any reason....and I have a key.  Those guys know the work area, and they know where everything is stored and where everything belongs.  You should see the "Death Look" those guys give anyone (including Coach Bethel) who walks into the room uninvited.  Out of  respect of Coach Wilson (and FEAR) I just do not go in there.  Feels kind of creepy to be honest.   

 

I mentioned earlier that Coach Bethel had his PE kids help with the laundry.  This reminds me of when I played high school ball.  We could always depend on an easy grade if we took a coach's class.  It did not matter what sport he coached, or what class he was teaching, it was always an easy "A" or at least a "B" if you put forth some sort of effort.  Our Head Track Coach was teaching a History class or something like that, so a bunch of us decided to take his class.  From the very first day of the period, we never cracked a book, and he never taught a single lesson.  (Coach was always working on track meets or cross country meets)  About once a week, he would show us a film (out of the library-reel to reel) and give us a verbal test on the film at the end of the week.  I remember watching "Patton" and "Herby The Love Bug" in his class.  It was frigging AWESOME.....until he needed to enter our grades for the period.  Somehow, he decided that we were going to be graded on a coin flip....HEADS  it was an "A" and TAILS it was a "B".......I got a "B."   Man, I was pissed; however, I did get to see some good movies in class.  LOL, stuff like that just does not happen today! 

 

Big GRICE ready to go!  Looks like an Offensive Tackle to me! 

 

More Tomorrow!

 

GZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Week Started

Kramer Carrying Lombardi off the field 

I love this photograph taken in 1967 after Green Bay defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 1.  Lombardi was a mean and rough coach, but the players adored him.  Jim Ringo (Green Bay Packer's Center) once said:  "Coach Lombardi treats us all the same......like dogs!"  The "Lessons in Life"  that Lombardi taught his players are still talked about today. 

 

I am sorry for the ENGLISH I used and wrote in my late posting last night.  I literally finished the posting at 4 AM,  and I was just about sleeping I guess. I read my posting again this morning and said: "Who the hell wrote that?"  Please read my posting again, and it will make more sense now. 

 

This is SUNDAY, and I have the day off....or do I?  No, not a chance.  I went to the school this morning and continued to wash the team laundry.  (I have to call on the expertise of my female readers.  The uniforms are NOT looking very clean already, and we can't figure out why.  Am I washing too many at one time?  Should we be using bleach?  Should we be using Oxy-Clean or something?  Please talk with me or write a response on this blog to help me figure this out)  After changing the laundry, I went to the football facility and checked on the water machines and ice machine which is broken again.  Then, I came home and worked on various football related things all day long.

 

Wrist bands (and Hats) Cleaned and Ready 

 

I had to wash and dry the wrist bands today.  The wrist bands are the life blood of our offense, and it is important that I keep them in good order.  Each offensive player wears one of these expensive ($12 a piece) bands, and most of our offensive plays are written on them.  Although the three page play insert cards are laminated, I do not wash the bands with the cards inside of them.  I must remove the card inserts, wash and dry the bands, and then reinsert the cards when they are dry.  I usually try to wash my practice hats at the same time.  Marty says my HATS smell like the dirty wrist bands.  I don't know about that, I think they all smell just fine....much like my truck smells just fine to me.  I know when it is time to wash my hats however.  When my Dog Raleigh sneezes when he smells my hats, it is usually time to clean up the stink. 

 

Finally, I have spent this evening preparing our scout defense cards for this week.  We have some video on this weeks opponent (Ft. Pierce Central) and they are a top ranked team in the state.  We have our hands full with this team for sure, so we started preparing for them immediately after our game on Friday night.  We usually match up with them very well, so this is going to be a good game on the road at Ft. Pierce Lawnwood stadium.  I don't mind going to Lawnwood Stadium.  This old stadium is a city-owned facility which is shared by three different St. Lucie County schools.  The field is generally in great shape, and it is an easy road trip for us.  However, it is really going to be nice to play a game at home for a change. 

 

I'm out!  I am exhausted. 

 

GZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

WINNING AGAIN 17-16

 

17-16 VICTORY!

 

WOW.  We squeaked out a hard-fought victory over PSL Centennial on Friday night.  We desperately needed this victory to get our program turned into the right direction.  It was great to see the kids smile and celebrate for a change, and the ride home from PSL seemed a lot shorter.  Coach Brown and I even stopped for a 7-11 hotdog and drink to celebrate the victory ourselves.  (7-11 has the best hotdogs in America.....bar none) 

 

Coach Brown and I arrived at South County Stadium before the buses arrived.  I pulled our new team trailer down to PSL, and it was loaded with everything we need for a road trip game.  Either Coach Miller or myself pulls the trailer (with our personal vehicles) to the away games.  The number of seats on a public school bus is very limited, so a few of the coaches drive their own vehicles (trucks)  to the games to haul equipment.  (Of course we get reimbursed for the fuel we use! LOL.  That's funny!)  Once we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find the field in fantastic shape.  I was a little worried because we had so much rain the past couple of weeks.  The field was nicely crowned, so the water drained very well.  The dark green Bermuda grass was almost perfect.  We unloaded the trailer and I prepared for team stretch. (Our school buses were a little late arriving at school, so we were running behind on schedule.  Miller and I usually take the specialist out a little early; however, we were forced to go directly to team stretch.)

 

 

After team stretch, we went to a very short Indy Period and then directly to our Team Period.  Randy usually wants me to call the plays for the TEAM Period, and I generally keep it VERY basic.  This period is not for teaching, for this period is used for warm-up and knocking off some of the nerves.  We look for simple things like good QB/Center exchanges, alignment issues and so forth.  I have no idea what the DEFENSIVE guys do during this period, but it looks good!  Once we are done, we line up for a punt and follow the team to the endzone.  From there, the players line up two by two and walk to the locker room.  We generally have about 10 minutes until game time from here.  Outside the locker room, the coaches will circle-up and join hands for a prayer led by one of the local pastors who travel with us.  From here, I generally go out back and THROW UP.  Then, I am ready to go. 

 

The game was back and forth for awhile.  Hakeem started out strong, and he was playing with a little swagger in his step.  He completed a nice pass to Chris to get things rolling.  The offense was moving the ball, but we were still making the stupid mistakes which kept us from scoring.  We did get a field goal early to make the score 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.  Hakeem had three TD passes dropped during the game, but he never wavered and kept his composure.  OJ ran the ball well, and Nick Cooper had a nice game.  Our big linemen had a good game too.  Big Phillip Norman (our offensive tackle) dominated his opponent all night long.  Our other OT Brad DeMarco pass blocked like a beast all night long for Hakeem.  We had three perfectly placed TD Passes that if caught, would have been a big difference in the game. 

 

Defense.  What can you say about those guys.  They played great last night.  I think they had something like 5 take aways or some something crazy like that.  The Defense also got James Clark back for the first time this year....and it showed.  He was a dominate player all night for sure; however, we still have to get him in shape.  Javonte King had two interceptions, and my boy Dion Jones had a nice TD.  Gage and Chop played like a beast too.  Then, there was Bookie. 

 

I have been coaching football for many years; Of course, I have seen my share of big hits on the football field.  On Friday night, the PSL QB made a serious mistake and turned his back on Bookie to boot the other way.  Bookie hit the QB so hard, the whiplash from his neck completely knocked his helmet off and it rolled another five yards or so down the field.  Truthfully, I thought this kid's head may still be inside the helmet.  The QB layed motionless for awhile until he was able to walk again.  Luckily, the player was OK, and he returned to the game later that quarter.  The hit Bookie put on the QB was a completely legal and vicious football play.  I would never be happy to see ANY player hurt, but it is part of the game.  Still, I would have to rank that hit in my top three of all time. 

 

OK  More Tomorrow.  It's 4AM. 

 

GZ

 

 



 

 

 

 



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



WET...But Ready

 

 

If we get anymore rain, this could be what our game will look like tomorrow night.  This photograph was taken in 1961.  Jimmy Taylor of the Green Bay Packers is grinding it out against the 49ers.  Bottom picture is Forrest Gregg after playing in the same game. 

Well, at least we were not run off the field today.  The pouring rain and lightning was already started when we arrived at school.  It was really nasty.  We did not need the rain today, for Thursday's are generally very busy for us.  Luckily, the rain cleared out by 4:15 PM, and we were able to take the field for awhile.  Believe it or not, we were able to complete everything we needed to do.  Our kids are really hungry for a win, so hopefully we will play well and bring one home for SRHS.  Of course, PSL Centennial is saying the same thing, so it will be a good match-up.  We are playing in PSL's South County Stadium, and it is a nice quality facility located across from Mets Stadium. The facility is easy in and easy out with plenty of room.  I really do not mind playing there; however, it will be nice to have a home game. 

Coach Miller is a very organized dude.  He has this notebook (new one every week) filled with diagrams, plays, and formations which the defense expects to see from our opposition for that week.  He gives me this notebook just before we start running the scout team for them.  I think he knows that I am just as anal as he is about being organized, and I am going to give him a good look at the opponent's offense.  Of course (on scout team) we cannot run the plays as well as the opposition, but we can at least give the defensive a decent look.  Miller will shout at me and say: "Coach, Run #4."  I will quickly examine the play, get my personnel in the huddle, and hold the card up so everyone can see what we are doing.  Here is the difficult part.  I tell the kids to ONLY look at what their position is doing on the play, and go out and do exactly what the card is showing.   However, kids will be kids, so they want to improvise.  I have to keep a short leash on that.  Coach Miller and Coach Perry allow me to make minor adjustments as long as we stay in the whole scheme of the team we are imitating.  In other words, we can't go out and run a veer play, when the other team may be running spread.  I enjoy the scout team duty, and I am generally left alone to do my thing. 

I had some VERY wet feet today.  When I was walking onto the field, I was trying to dodge the big puddles of water, but it was no use.  My feet were already soaked.  I went ahead and bit-the-bullet and just waded through the standing water in the swales.  I HATE wet feet and wet shoes as I have written before.  I think the hatred started back at football camp when I was in high school. 

When I was a freshman, we attended a full team camp at Morehead State University.  They had a nice practice facility, but unfortunately, the practice fields were about a mile from the athletic dorms.  We had to run that distance before and after every practice.  I remember running through mud and standing water just getting to the field, and then we were forced to practice for three hours in soaking wet feet.  Of course, we did not have laundry service, so we were all out of clean dry socks and under garments by the second day of camp.  We would hang out our socks and under garments (to dry) in our non air conditioned dorm room, but they never really dried.  We would select our socks and under garments by how they smelled before practice.  Our cleats NEVER dried.  I remember most of us had a good case of Jock Itch and Athlete's Feet when we returned.   LOL.  Football was so much fun!

Remember, I told you we did not have Athletic Trainers in those days.  The coaches would keep a roll of tape in their pocket, and they would always have a supply of salt tablets and smelling salts

as well.  Injuries were generally self-diagnosed at practice.  At football camp, it was even worse.  I had this friend who really had a bad hamstring.  It would tighten up and he could barely walk at times.  Anyway, he decided (on his own) not to dress for a morning practice.  He came to practice wearing a pair of white shorts, a red shirt, white over-the-calf tube socks, and a brand new pair of RED Suede Converse tennis shoes.   One of the assistant coaches asked my friend who told him NOT to dress for the practice?  My friend says: "Coach, I can barely walk!"  This may have been a mistake in strategy by my friend. 

Morehead's practice fields were sort of set down inside of a valley.  Kentucky blue grass lined the steep slopes leading down onto the fields.  In the mornings, the grass was soaking wet from the morning dew, or rain, or both it seems.  The Coach ordered my friend to hit the ground and roll up and down the slopes (like a log) the entire practice.  I will never forget that his new Converse Red Suede shoes started to lose color (because they were wet) and the shoe's red dye ran onto his white socks.  This punishment went on for hours it seems.  My friend was throwing up and started cramping.  After a while, it was not funny to us anymore.  Again, a stunt like that would get us fired for sure.  Like I said before, my early HS coaches were idiots. 

Someday, I want to Coach My Grandson Grice. 

 

I will catch you tomorrow after the game!

GZ

Fighting Back

 

 

 

RIC FLAIR: BEATEN....But NOT Out!  

 

You did not think I was getting away from Ric Flair did you?  LOL.  Will never happen!  Here is a classic photograph showing a bloodied and beaten Ric Flair after a sneak attack.  Flair was one of the original Crinsom wrestlers in the business.  He would 'gig' himself with razor blades on the forehead or above his eyes to draw blood.  The fans loved for Flair to bleed.  Everyone hated Ric Flair at the time, which is exactly why I idolized him so much. WHOOOOOOO!

 

 



 We are like the walking wounded with our coaching staff right now.  Coach Jefferson is out, Coach Washington is out, Coach Wilson is out, and Coach Matthews is out.  We are spread pretty thin right now, but we are all stepping up to cover our bases.  Nothing is being overlooked.  We had another awesome (and focused) practice today.  The tempo was great.  We got in a lot of work before the worst storm of the year hit our practice area.  For the first time all year, the temperature dropped and the severe weather moved in very quickly.  The sky was BLACK and the wind swirled like mini tornadoes over the practice field.  The lightning meters were going crazy and we rushed off the field as quickly as we could.  Without question, the safety of the players comes first at SRHS. 

 

Before loading the bus on Friday Night. 

 

It has not always been like that though.  In 1996, Coach Bethel and I spent quite a bit of time on the practice field together learning and teaching the offense to the players.  Since we both taught /coached the skill players, we worked together quite a bit.  Back in those days, the weather was not taken too seriously in determining our practice plans.  We did not have "Lightning Meters" or Severe Weather Sirens to help us decide whether we practiced or not.  Truthfully, as long as we had the nerve to stand out there during a storm, we were going to practice.  One time, we were practicing on the Eastern practice field (closest to the school) and it was pouring down rain.  It was raining so hard that we could not even see the goal posts 20 yards away.  I looked at Randy, and he said something like: "We are going Baby!"   About that time, a huge bolt of lightning struck the goal post upright.  The sound of the CRACK was tremendous.  I looked up and Bethel was GONE!  He was SPRINTING to the locker room along with the rest of us.  LOL.  I still remind him of that one. 

 

I have another Bethel practice story.  I swear this is true.  Again, we were practicing on the Eastern practice field.  When we started, it was nice and sunny.  Then, it turned cloudy and threatened to pour down rain....again.  I said the Bethel: "Coach, can't you do something about these rain clouds?"  He said sure, and looked to the sky and said: "Lord, please clear these skies and give us a pretty day!"  (Now, I am not an overly religious man to say the least.  However, I know what I saw.  Have you ever been looking over an open field and see like a wave of sunshine rolling over the field?) Almost on cue, a huge wave of sunshine came rolling over the field and dominated the sky for the rest of the practice.  Unreal.  Bethel looked at me and just smiled.  I never questioned him much about the weather after that. 

 

It's been weird lately.  Last year, it was bone dry for most of the year, almost no rain at all. However, this year it has been very wet with afternoon thunder showers almost every day.  Truthfully, this is the typical Florida Summer weather pattern.  Sure makes it hard to practice though.  Coach Miller wants to start practicing at 5am in the morning.  Man, I don't know about that.  I am not exactly a morning person, but I will do whatever is necessary to make the team better.  But 5am? 

 

Catch you guys later.  I appreciate you reading this blog.  Writing helps me clear my head, so it is almost therapeutic for me. 

 

GZ