Grinding it Out.

 

FOOTBALL:  THE OLD SCHOOL WAY

 

 

I love this old photograph taken in 1963.  #5 Paul Hornung, #63 Fuzzy Thurston, and #64 Jerry Kramer walk off the field after a tough game against the Chicago Bears.  The old Packer teams were not flashy, but they were tough and physical much like our team is today.  Now days, you will very rarely (if ever) see professional football players walking off the field looking like this.  I really miss these days. 

 

As promised, Bethel punished the piss out of the players who missed practice yesterday....and I am not sure it is completely over.  Say what you want, but Randy does hold EVERY player accountable for their actions.  Again, we are teaching "The Lessons In Life" which will be remembered the rest of their lives...much after their football career is over.  Like my son Mike says: "Dad, I use those lessons everyday in the Army!"  These lessons are something the public (who judge us) never see.  Yet, some people sit in the stands yelling and screaming obscenities at us because their son may not have played much.  Yes, we hear the criticism, but we choose to ignore the stupid comments.  Always remember this.  The coaches have each other's back, and we will fiercely protect each other if our backs are against the wall. 

 

Today's practice started out great.  Miller led a spirited stretch period, then we went straight to PAT/Field Goal.  Our Kicker was BOOMING them from 50 Yards.  Nice!  Then, we went straight to INDY.  Since Coaches Jefferson,Washington, and Wilson were out today, Randy worked the D-Line and I worked the WR's and QB's and helped Coach Simmons with the RB's as well.   I thought we had a GREAT Indy period, and I got some one on one time with the Wide Receivers (WR's)  Hakeem and Hatch were throwing well today, and the WR's were happy to get some new drills and routes to run.  Finally, we brought the Offense together for a good UNIT period.  I was calling the base plays to review and CRACK!!!  Lightning struck nearby.  Damn!  We all ran inside under the stadium, and then the MONSOON came.  Big and thick raindrops completely soaked the area.  During a lull in the storm, Bethel took the kids inside to review film and condition them upstairs in the courtyard area.  All in all, it was a decent day, all things considered. 

 

After Randy took the kids inside, I stayed behind to clear the field, and help set up the Game field for the JV game at 6pm.   Our young kids came out of the locker room wearing BLUE on BLUE and I thought they looked great.  I really had a nice time hanging out with some of the coaches in the end zone and helping Joe Nathaniel (Head JV Coach) on the sideline occasionally.  Unfortunately, their game against the Vero Beach JV did not turn out much better than ours.  I think the final score was 27-0.  However, the kids fought hard and the game was much closer than the score indicated.  It's fun to watch the young players make freshman mistakes, and it is just as rewarding to watch the young players have some success. 

 



 

Kirby and Kelsey always make PawPaw feel better.  

I desperately miss my Grandbabies. 

 

Later.

 

GZ