Train Like Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps, arguably the greatest athlete of today, has his first book out since his record setting Eight Gold Medal winning performance at the Beijing Games.

Starting on page 123, Michael talks how weight training empowered him to take his performance to the World Class Levels needed to do what no one has been able to acomplish, till now. He states, “It was time to go out and race, the weight training obviously making a huge, huge difference in what I was now able to do (p. 148).”

Specifically, he mentions the “Box Squat” exercise. The box squat has been a core exercise for the BFS Total Program for over 30 years. We are the nation’s experts on the exercise. Phelps goes on to say (p.129) “In this race (200 free), the weight work I’d done really showed. I had more endurance. I could hold a stronger kick longer. The Dolphin kick had become more or less a fifth stroke. I now had developed incredible power off the turns… What once had been a vulnerability was now a killer asset.”

There’s a training secret from the best: perform the box squat weight workout. At BFS we have specifically engineered a 3-in-one training box for the box squat exercise. If your weight room does not have a BFS 3-in-one box, you can purchase one from our estore at this link: http://www.biggerfasterstronger.com/details.asp?pID=863&category=0&subcategory=0&size=0&search=box&page= or call the office at 800.628.9737.

We ship stock items within 48 hours. That means you can start working out next week and the effects could be demonstrated at this year’s state meet. An amazing fact about the box squat is that recovery time for the exercise is less than 20 minutes.

Order the box this week and I will provide you a link to the BFS Box Squat Training Video .

BFS is an athletic training system that helps take your athletes and program to the next level just like Phelps experienced. We have devised special programs ideally suited for your athletes to develop the explosive power and muscle endurance Michael reports in his book.

Nickel Storm Cover 4

Nickel Storm

Here we have Nickel Storm. Storm means that we are running the stunt from both sides. We are going to rush 7 and cover with 4.

The DT takes the A Gap to the wide side; the inside LB'ers take the B Gaps; the DEs take the C gaps; and the SS and W takes the D Gap.

The rest of the secondary aligns like they would in normal zone coverage, but they are going to lock up man-to-man (indicated by the dotted lines).

What we learned this year on this and other stunts is that when facing superior passing teams, these 4 defenders have to step up and lock up much sooner than they do against average teams.


Of course the idea is that we are going to get to the QB before he has a chance to release the ball to a 'hot' receiver. It becomes a game of who can beat who to the punch the fastest.


In this clip, we won. In fact, during this game (a playoff game against the eventualy repeating state champion at their field) we won most of the time and took this passing team out of their game plan. Our Nickel Stunt Defense (http://jvm.com/coachfree/NickelStuntD.htm) shut down their 300 passing yards/game offense completely. They only notched 65 passing yards in this game.

Turning Around

I am often asked how are BFS/Be 11 schools able to turn things around in a very short period of time? After some recent discussions in our Be An 11 Class, conversations with coaches and some recent clinic experiences, I can offer up the following explanation.
I recently read a piece by Jim Rohn entitled “How to Turn Nothing Into Something” which got me to thinking about how I have used BFS/Be 11 principles to reestablish winning traditions at several schools that I have had the privilege to coach or taken schools with winning records to ever higher levels of performance previously thought to be unattainable. Of course, there are hundreds of coaches across the nation that are doing the same as well.

It is especially gratifying to turn a program completely around. There is no greater thrill for a coach than to see the change that takes place on the faces and in the hearts of kids when they go from O-For to Champions, to literally turn what others may think is a “Nothing” program into “Something,” a Championship program.

The process begins with an idea, a vision, one that is so real, so compelling that it stirs you to action. I now live at the end of the Oregon Trail and have often wondered what kept those pioneers going day after day, 10 to 15 miles a day, hardship after hardship, tossing out their belongings along the way to lighten the load. The next time you speed along the interstate at 70 mph between Missouri and Oregon, remember it took more than five days to travel what you do in less than an hour. What kept them going? It was the vision of a better tomorrow. They had dreamed of making a better life at the end of the trail. They were now on that trail in the active process of bringing that dream to life. As Rohn states, “Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. They can make you skip over obstacles, they unleash a creative force that can overpower anything in your path.”

So it is with BFS. Invariably at BFS Clinics and Seminars athletes achieve at levels they had not previously not thought about much less envision. Once at a recent clinic there was a group of O-Line athletes whose goal for the year was to dead lift 350 pounds. On the night of the clinic two of the athletes pulled 405 pounds and two more went on to pull 525 pounds. They astounded themselves . . . and their teammates . . . . and their coaches as well as everyone else in attendance. They all began, right there, to think of themselves differently and what they might possibly be able to do as a team, as a school, if they committed themselves to Being An 11 and making that effort to help each other achieve at the highest levels, to encourage each other to make a State Championship Effort each day. Creating this vision of what might be possible is putting Power Axiom #1 into action: Establish Noble Goals (Visions).

BFS reignites the fires of the imagination and people envision all the possibilities. Coaches, athletes, communities catch on fire with what is possible. When athletes see their teammates smash their records, they begin to adopt an attitude, a belief, that “If they can do it, I can to.” Everyone then goes to work to perform at levels previously thought to be out of reach.

They also begin to create a picture of what their future athletic seasons will be with their newly created size, strength, speed and explosiveness. Like those Oregon Trail pioneers who had a dream, these kids dare to dream again, BIG Dreams. Those pioneers created a compelling vision that pulled them along. In their minds they were already on the other side of the mountains, living a better life in the Williamette River valley. Their bodies just hadn’t gotten there yet. Stories in the Be An 11 Guidebook like Kevin Wilson, Jeffrie Banks and Andrew illustrate that point. When Kevin Wilson was in the hospital and wrote “Today I Win,” he created a vision of what was possible, of what was going to be. His body just had to catch up to the vision. He overcame the greatest obstacles to don the uniform again when everyone said it would be impossible. He created a compelling vision of the future to pull him along into reality.

BFS helps people believe in themselves and their teammates. Once everyone on the team starts to realize the benefits. Once those eight or more records a week begin to fall, teams begin to imagine all the possibilities. As their individual and team strength develops, so does their vision of the future. They allow themselves to Dream the Biggest Dream again. They develop a picture of the perfect end result that pulls them along. The harder they work together (Power Axiom #2: Work Ethic) the more clearer and compelling the vision becomes. Just like those Oregon Trail pioneers, BFS/Be 11 athletes are already in the Champions’ Circle. Their bodies just haven’t gotten there yet.

Rohn concludes, “So the first step is to allow yourself the freedom to imagine all the possibilities, the second is to have the faith that what is possible is possible for you, the third step is to go to work to make it real. You go to work to make it a movement, you make it tangible. You make it viable. You breathe life into it and then you construct it.” Think about it. You are performing CPR on your own dream making process; that same process that you used when you were five years old and able to envision worlds to conquer on a daily basis.

When you put this process to work, you will achieve success previously thought to be impossible. Outside people will search for reasons why. They will call you lucky. They will say it’s a “miracle season.” They are people who do not have the strength of will to create a vision and work hard to breathe life into it and make it real.

The process works. It has been done hundreds of times in hundreds of schools across the nation. There are schools right now in the process of realizing their next Dream Season. We will write about them in the Journal. It all begins with an attitude, an expectation, a dream coupled with a commitment to work to make it happen. What are you waiting for?

EQuote of the Week:
01.25.09


It's a trill to fulfill your own childhood dreams,

But as you get older,
You may find that enabling the dreams of others

Is even more fun.

Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

This is "Team Hoyt" - one of the most inspirational stories, EVER!

Be Inispired; View the Video: ">Dick and Rick

Question of the Week?
What can you do this week

To help someone's 'Vision Quest?'

Blast 34 - Short Yardage

Blast 34

This one play has contributed more to our success since its implementation than any other. Our teams developed the idea that this play could not be stopped. Indeed, the only way that it was every stopped, was when someone blew an assignment which would happen only if we had not practiced the play enough.

The secret of your success lies in your daily routine. If you want to do something well, like pick up critical first downs, you must practice picking up critical first downs every day. We would run EDD’s in practice – Ever Day Drills. The foundation of your success can be found in your every day drills.

If ever there was a need demonstrated for a short yardage play, one just needs to remember what happened to the NY Football Giants this year when they tried to pick up a critical first down in a 4th and one situation with Manning running a QB sneak and not using their All Pro Running back. What a coaching blunder that was!

Here are some critical points about short yardage offense we have learned over the years:

1. The line must narrow down their splits. You cannot allow an inside penetrator in this situation; six inch splits or even going toe to toe is required to prevent the penetrator.

2. The line executes the easiest block in football to execute: The Down Block. Ask any offensive line coach what the easiest block in football to execute is and he will tell you the down block.

3. Use a lead blocker at the POA.

4. We have found that using the man in motion to seal the outside and keep the door open to the play is a better way to go than to pull an offensive lineman. When you pull a guard, you open the door to the possibility of an inside penetrator.

If you do not have backs that can adequately perform the blocking assignments, substitute other players to get the job done. Over the years we have seen the use of the 3 tight end offense by the Pros and colleges all the way to the use of the Frig by the Bears. Bottom line? They convert.

In our unbalanced offensive set, we have our best linemen positioned at strong guard, inside tackle, and outside tackle in narrowed down stances. At the snap, they drive the inside gap. They wedge down to the center, in effect, creating a wall of blockers, shoulder to shoulder that washes everything down to the center of the formation.

Note: the point of attack for these blockers is the hip of the defensive lineman to their inside. If you put your shoulder pad on the hip of the DT to the inside, he caves down to the inside. This one thing, I believe, is one of the main reasons why so many systems today cannot convert: Coaches No Longer Teach The Classic Shoulder Drive Block. The shotgun, one back offenses use far too much hand fighting and have their hands and arms extended for pass blocking. You cannot use this technique in short yardage situations and expect to be consistently successful.

From the EQualizer Playbook:

There is one more basic play that forms the heart of our offense. It is our basic short yardage/goal line play. For this play we change the formation by placing the FB behind the QB in a three point stance, and the TB moves up to a position three yards deep behind the IOT. This formation is called "power right."

From this formation we run a lead play with the FB carrying the ball over the IOT with the TB leading. Some years we may substitute another player for the TB in order to get better blocking at the POA. It depends upon the blocking capabilities and size of the TB.

Since this is a short yardage play where the object is to gain 1-3 yards, the defense usually aligns in a goal line defense. To maximize our blocking and prevent any inside penetration we narrow down the splits to as little as 6 inches. All linemen are to drive their inside gap. The WB from motion will step to the butt of the OOT when the ball is snapped and seal off the inside shoulder of the DE. The SE will drive down the LOS just behind the DE and drive the LB’er to the inside of the formation. The TB leads the FB through the LOS. By the time the TB gets to the line, the OOT will have made contact with the DT and have knocked him down the LOS at least a step. The TB scrapes the butt of the OOT and blocks the first odd color jersey he sees. The FB's first two steps are cross over and plant. His first step is a cross over step to get lateral distance to the POA. On his second step he plants with his right foot, receives the ball and drives into the LOS running on the outside hip of the TB.

This play is as much a hallmark of our offense as any other. Everyone knows the play is coming when we get near the goal line or need 1 yard to make a first down. It is probably our most successful play when you consider that the object is to gain 1-2 yards. It is just plain flat out hard to stop for less than a yard.

These plays - dive, dive option, dive option 48 pass, and blast 34 - are the heart and soul of our offense. We will run these plays far more than any others in the offense. We will spend as much as 50% of our practice time on these four plays and they will account for as much as 70% of our offensive production.

Remember that if you want to be successful doing something, you must practice it everyday. Just as we cannot tire of running the base offense during the game, we cannot tire of practicing the base on the practice field. We must take great pride in both activities. Several years ago we were playing a good football team. In fact, they just the week before had made USA Today's top spot for total offense with over 450 yards of passing offense. Our game plan was to control the ball on offense and keep their offense off the field. In that game the FB carried the ball close to 30 times and gained over 200 yards.

During a point in the second half while our offense was getting into position to run the next play, our linemen heard the defense saying that, "over here, they're going to run over here." our IOT looked at the defense and said, "Yes. We are going to run the ball right here, and there's nothing you can do about it!" he and his tandem teammates were taking great pride in their abilities in controlling the LOS and the game which we went on to win by over two touchdowns.

Information Exchange

Recently, I have been talking with a number of coaches that has led to questions that follow. I talked with a coach who went to the state finals, got inside the 5 yard line 4 times, did not convert any of those attempts and lost by 1 score.

I firmaly believe that if that team would have run Blast 34 (discussed in detail with another entry) they would have converted at least three of those attempts and won going away.

But he did not know about the play or its success rate.

This is the reason for creating the EQualizer Group discussion board (http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=59835380816). The exchange of information: a coach can post up a question about a difficulty he has with his scheme and other coaches can post up something that he does with his scheme well that just might be the answer.

So here are the questions:

1. What one thing about your offense would you like to do better?

2. What one thing about your defense would you like to do better?

3. During this clinic season, what are you researching to improve your program?

I will post up each of the questions separately on the discussion board and let the flow of information begin.

I believe the best coaching that takes place in America, takes place at the high school level. A friend of mine who coached offense backs at Miami said his job was easy because he got to coach D-1 athletes developed by you the high school coach. And the way we can improve our schemes is to share information on boards such as this.

Martin, we are still waiting to see that screen.

Be11!

RF

The Winning Edge

THE WINNING EDGE
by CoachFreeb

I get lots of email daily from the corners of cyberspace and much of it makes me think, "How can I adapt this to BFS/Be An 11 Principles?" Recently I received a piece of mail aimed at salespeople by Brian Tracy entitled 'The Winning Edge' which led to this adaptation.

Thousands of hours and millions of dollars have been spent studying the most successful people in our society. They have been interviewed exhaustively as have their teammates, coaches, trainers and fans. Today we know more about what it takes for you to become one of the best than we have ever known before. And the one most important thing we have learned is that succeeding, winning, is more psychological than anything else.

THE KEY TO HIGH PERFORMANCE

One of the most important concepts every discovered in the field of human performance is called the "winning edge concept." This concept or principle, states that, "small differences in ability can translate into enormous differences in results." What it means is that if you become just a little bit better in certain critical areas of performance, it can translate into enormous increases in results. In fact, you may be on the verge of a major breakthrough in your overall performance at this very moment just by learning and practicing something new and different to what you have done before. The something could be a grip adjustment in golf; a slightly different angle while in the starting blocks in track; just one new or slightly different aspect of your game that propells you in first place rather than out of the money.

SMALL DIFFERENCES MEAN BIG REWARDS

Does this mean that the horse that wins by a nose is ten times faster than the horse that comes in second, by a nose? Of course not! Is the horse that wins by a nose twice as fast, or fifty percent faster, or ten percent faster? The answer is "NO" to all of these. The horse that wins is only a nose faster, but that translates into ten times the prize money.

In economics class when discussing the characteristics of money we talk of . . . . money being used as a method of accounting. When we look at golf and money used as accounting measure, in the light of "small differences meaning BIG rewards," consider the following.

The shot leader on the PGA Tour in the year 2000 was Tiger Woods shooting a 68.81 average number of strokes per round of golf. Phil Michelson finished number two shooting 69.06 average strokes per round of golf. The difference, therefore, between first and second on the tour was .25 shots per round of golf. That is a difference of three tenths of one percent (.3%) or a difference of one shot in every 333. Since the typical golf course on the tour rates a par 72 for eighteen holes of golf, that means a one shot difference in just about five rounds of golf. WoW! That's not much of a difference, especially when you consider all the sand traps, water hazards, trees, and all the other sinister things lurking for you on the golf courses of America.

So what did this three tenths of one percent difference translate into in terms of PGA Tour earnings? Tiger Woods finished first in tour money at $9.188,321; Phil Michelson came in second at $4,746,457. So . . . that quarter of a shot difference; that difference of three tenths of one percent; one shot per five rounds of golf resulted in a $4,441,864 difference. Small differences DO result in enormous differences in results. Carrying the argument out further, a difference of just one shot brings us to Scott Hoch's average of 69.8 and $1,368,888. Shooting just one shot better per round of golf in the year 2000 translated into a reward of $7,819,433. That truly is a BIG REWARD.

What about a high school football game? An average high school football game consists of perhaps 60 offensive and defensive plays: 120 plays a game. This past season our football team was a top 10 offensive team in the state. We were also a top ten defensive team in the state. Our 6-3 record, however, was not good enough to be a qualifier for the playoffs. In talking with some of the lads, we determined that if we could change the outcome of just two plays, our record would move to 8-1, and we would definitely be in the playoff/state championship picture.

How much of a difference is this? Well, over a nine game schedule our team participates in around 1080 plays. Just two plays amounts to eighteen tenths of one percent. That's .0018 (.18%) of a difference, certainly not very much.

TO BE 100% VICTORIOUS

So there are teams that make the playoffs and more teams that do not. Are the teams that get to the playoffs 100% better than those that do not? Absolutely not! (Their fans might think so and thank goodness for loyal, rabid fans.) Using that line of reasoning would mean that there's only one good team at the end of the season, the team that wins the State Championship.

Teams that qualify for the playoffs and those teams that do win State Championships are not vastly better than their opponents. they simply have the "Winning Edge." They are eighteen tenths of one percent better on a particular day, but that translates into a 100% victory.

ACTIVATE A PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN

To help develop your own winning edge here are some winning edge action exercises to assist in developing your own competitive advantage. First identify the important things you do from the beginning of your performance training to the final event of your season.. Think about what you can do to improve in each area. Second, select one specific area where you feel you are weak and make a plan to become 'Absolutely Excellent' in this area. This decision alone could change your career.

Billy Allen comes to my mind when I think of 'Absolutely Excellent.' Billy was a wrestler on a team I helped coach years ago. Billy wrestled somewhere in the 130 range or there abouts. He was very strong, bench pressing close to 275 pounds. He possessed tremendous upper body strength. Back then a wrestler could not avoid being in the down position in the second or third period. Billy would wrestle even with the opponent or perhaps be behind on points; he would just be marking his time till he got the up position. He would then just hammer his opponent with a three quarter stack move and the match would abruptly end. He was, "Absolutely Excellent" with that move. He was so incredibly strong no one could counter that move. The three quarter stack was his 'Winning Edge.'

What is it that you can do to develop yours (your Absolutely Excellent Winning Edge)?

Click image to see full size:

I have added a video clip of Dive Option 48 Pass to the Equalizer Coaching Clinic #5 posting.

Refiner's Fire

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

Click to see full size:

Linebacker Play

This post came off our discussion board that we have created on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=59835380816. Join in on the discussion.

Watched the Ohio State/Texas game with my son the LB'er coach. Some of observations lead to the following coaching point question:What technique do you use with your LB'ers? It was PAINfully obvious that the OSU LB'ers were taught to 'lOOk' at the QB when they drop.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, I played LB'er in college. It did not take me long to figure out that those QBs could throw the ball faster, esp in the short passing game, faster than I could react to it. I could align properly, read the pass key, drop to my area of responsibility (hook to curl) square up and play pass defense. The problem was that the inside receiver to my side would break off the ball to a depth of like 12 yards, curl right around me to the inside, and catch the ball at a depth of 9-10 yards between me, and the other LB'er. We would then have to make a tackle in the open field. That was back in the 60s when people were not passing the ball for 440+ yards a game.

McCoy set a PB passing mark last night because the OSU defense allowed him to do it. What I learned is that ALL passing defense is MAN defense. You have to defend the R'er in your zone of responsibility even if zone coverage is called. If you are looking at the QB and not playing the R'er in your zone, you will lose on that play and all other plays similar.

Lester Hayes of the Raiders redefined pass defense in 1980 with his aggressive pass defense which you will see a lot of over the next few weeks in the NFL playoffs. What he did is to disrupt the timing of the play by molesting the receiver, hence, "Lester the Molester" (a nickname he detested). It's what you have to do defend against the pass happy boys.

When they sit in shotgun (instant pass defense), have a rocket arm, can read the secondary, and your pass rush is not getting to the AB to disrupt the timing of the play that way . . . you have to collision the receiver early in his route to disrupt the timing of the play.

To do that you have to be lOOking at the R'er, not the QB. So . . . we want the LB'ers even if they are in zone, to align properly, read pass, make their drop and while dropping look, pick up, the assigned R'er to your side and collision him. Then get on his hip and trail him through your zone. Of course, if you should happen to de-cleat the R'er in this process, you would not have to run with the R'er making your job a bit easier.

So . . . when we are confronted with this style of offense, we like to do all of the above and also get ourselves into a 5 Under Man and 2 or 3 deep zone behind. At the end of the game last night, we would have been in: three man line for the contain rush, 5 under man on the R'ers, and a three deep zone behind.

At the snap, we would position the under guys inside the R'ers and prevent them from getting to the inside on a route. We would have collisioned the R'ers in the first 5 yards of the pattern and then played inside and under the R'ers; the three deep zone guys are to stay outside and over the R'ers.

Now if they go empty, we would only play 2 deep back there. Another thing we would have done, is to man up on that record setting R'er in the second half. Like in basketball's box and 1 defense; we would have manned undered him and play a box of 10 and 1.

I have the basics of what I am talking about up online at: http://jvm.com/coachfree/NickelStuntD.htm Basically, the OSU coaching staff got out coached again; just like they did against Vince Young's team and just like they did against FL, just like they did against USC. They are OK in the Big Ten but outside, in BIG games, they get out coached.

Of course . . . things might have been a tad different if Wells would not have been injured in the second half, if if if if. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

So . . . .how do you have your LB'ers and secondary play against the shotgun, one or no back offenses?

Memory Lane

My first football memory was going to Columbus in 1954 or 55 and seeing Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy play for the Buckeyes.

Secondary Play

We tell out secondary people to "Be there when the ball gets there." I found a picture that expresses that idea.

EQuote of the Week:
01.11.09

I’ve coached this game for a long time:
Power wins football games.

It’s not always the fanciest way,
But it can win games.
Bill Parcells

Question of the Week?
How will you elevate

Your personal power this week?

PRO Games 1.10.09

So we are down to

Phil v Giants

AZ v Panthers

Steelers v Chargers

Ravens v Titans

Questions:

1. Who will advance?

2. Which will be the best game to watch?

I'm thinking:

Giants - I really want to see Webster run; many still think that McNabb is the answer but . . .

Panthers -

Chargers -

Titans -

Watched the Ohio State/Texas game with my son the LB'er coach. Some of observations lead to the following coaching point question:What technique do you use with your LB'ers?It was PAINfully obvious that the OSU LB'ers were taught to 'lOOk' at the QB when they drop.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, I played LB'er in college. It did not take me long to figure out that those QBs could throw the ball faster, esp in the short passing game, faster than I could react to it. I could align properly, read the pass key, drop to my area of responsibility (hook to curl) square up and play pass defense. The problem was that the inside receiver to my side would break off the ball to a depth of like 12 yards, curl right around me to the inside, and catch the ball at a depth of 9-10 yards between me, and the other LB'er. We would then have to make a tackle in the open field.

This was back in the 60s when people were not passing the ball for 440+ yards a game. McCoy set a PB passing mark last night because the OSU defense allowed him to do it. What I learned is that ALL passing defense is MAN defense. You have to defend the R'er in your zone of responsibility even if zone coverage is called. If you are looking at the QB and not playing the R'er in your zone, you will lose on that play and all other plays similar.

Lester Hayes of the Raiders redefined pass defense in 1980 with his aggressive pass defense which you will see a lot of over the next few weeks in the NFL playoffs. What he did is to disrupt the timing of the play by molesting the receiver, hence, "Lester the Molester" (a nickname he detested). It's what you have to do defend against the pass happy boys.When they sit in shotgun (instant pass defense), have a rocket arm, can read the secondary, and your pass rush is not getting to the AB to disrupt the timing of the play that way . . . you have to collision the receiver early in his route to disrupt the timing of the play. To do that you have to be lOOking at the R'er, not the QB. So . . . we want the LB'ers even if they are in zone, to align properly, read pass, make their drop and while dropping look, pick up, the assigned R'er to your side and collision him. Then get on his hip and trail him through your zone. Of course, if you should happen to de-cleat the R'er in this process, you would not have to run with the R'er making your job a bit easier.

So . . . when we are confronted with this style of offense, we like to do all of the above and also get ourselves into a 5 Under Man and 2 or 3 deep zone behind. At the end of the game last night, we would have been in: three man line for the contain rush, 5 under man on the R'ers, and a three deep zone behind. At the snap, we would position the under guys inside the R'ers and prevent them from getting to the inside on a route. We would have collisioned the R'ers in the first 5 yards of the pattern and then played inside and under the R'ers; the three deep zone guys are to stay outside and over the R'ers. Now if they go empty, we would only play 2 deep back there.

Another thing we would have done, is to man up on that record setting R'er in the second half. Like in basketball's box and 1 defense; we would have manned undered him and play a box of 10 and 1. I have the basics of what I am talking about up online at: http://jvm.com/coachfree/NickelStuntD.htm

Basically, the OSU coaching staff got out coached again; just like they did against Vince Young's team and just like they did against FL, just like they did against USC. They are OK in the Big Ten but outside, in BIG games, they get out coached.

Of course . . . things might have been a tad different if Wells would not have been injured in the second half, if if if if. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas. So . . . .how do you have your LB'ers and secondary play against the shotgun, one or no back offenses? Post your thoughts on the discussion board.

On a scale of one to ten - In All that you do . . . Be An 11!

CoachFreeb
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My niece sent me this which was written 15 years ago . . .

Funny then . . . reality Now - and the joke is on . . . ?

EQuote of the Week:

01.04.09

When your number is called,

You really have to be ready to step up

And help the team.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles caps his 328 yard all purpose performance

Scoring the winning touchdown in overtime.
FYI: Darren Squats over 700 pounds at 5'6" 181.

• At our BFS Clinics we emphasize the importance of Squats & Cleans.
• Darren's right leg is why we Squat;
• His left leg is why we Clean.

Question of the Week?

What is your plan to elevate your preparedness this week?

This year?

FORREST GUMP GOES TO HEAVEN

The day finally arrived. Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed, and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.

St. Peter said, 'Well, Forrest, it is certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we have been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven.'

Forrest responds, 'It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever told me about any entrance exam. I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was.'

St. Peter continued, 'Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions.

First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T?

Second: How many seconds are there in a year?

Third: What is God's first name?'

Forrest leaves to think the questions over. He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up, and says, 'Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers.'

Forrest replied, 'Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begins with the letter 'T'? Shucks, that one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow.'

The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, 'Forrest, that is not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer.

How about the next one?' asked St. Peter. 'How many seconds in a year?

Now that one is harder,' replied Forrest, 'but I thunk and thunk about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve.'

Astounded, St. Peter said, 'Twelve? Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?'

Forrest replied, 'Shucks, there's got to be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd... '

'Hold it,' interrupts St. Peter. 'I see where you are going with this, and I see your point, though that was not quite what I had in mind.....but I will have to give you credit for that one, too. Let us go on with the third and final question.

Can you tell me God's first name'?

'Sure,' Forrest replied, 'It's Andy.'

'Andy?' exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter. 'Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?'

'Shucks, that was the easiest one of all,' Forrest replied. 'I learnt it from the song,

ANDY WALKS WITH ME,
ANDY TALKS WITH ME,
ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.'

St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said:

'Run, Forrest, run.'

RE: Coaching Question

There have been over 100 coaches log on here since we posted the coach's question. No one has posted any comments . . .

Come on here, help the guy out. His hut's on fire.

RF

When your hut's on fire

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

The Moral of This Story:

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

P.S You may want to consider passing this on, because you never know who feels as if their hut is on fire today.

New Year Empowerment

Things will be find in 2009!

The following article is by Jerry Clark, big time network marketer. There's a great deal we as coaches can learn from them because, in reality, that's what we are network marketers, right? We have to build a network in order to get the job done. It is just in a different arena.

So here he is offering up tips on empowerment to which I would add one to start off the new year with. One of the things that I would do at this time of year was to sit down and hand write a personal not to every kid coming back on the team next year. I would talk to him about his place and role on the team, how he might fit in, the need every team has for leadership.

This proved to be far more powerful than what I ever thought. You know how your children or grandchilden love to get a letter in the mail? High School athletes are no different - everyone loves to get a hand written note in the mail. This can (along with the other tips Jerry has listed) can pay great dividends for you in '09.

THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF EMPOWERMENT

by Jerry Clark

I just picked up a message from my voicemail from one of my students asking me a question. The question was so fascinating that I thought it deserved a little reflection in answering it; and, I thought it would be good for all of you to hear my answer.Here’s the question, “Jerry, how do I eliminate attrition in my network marketing business?”

Here’s my quick, sarcastic answer to that question: Quit… Ok, since that’s not an option for you, here’s another answer.The best way to eliminate attrition is to stop thinking that you’re going to eliminate it.

Once you stop thinking about eliminating it, you actually spend less time thinking about it altogether. When you start thinking less about it, you actually give it less power. The less power it has in your consciousness, the less power it has in your business. Whoa… Pretty deep eh? (I said eh for all of my Canadian friends)…Ok, let me break it down for you. First of all, attrition is a natural part of life – both personal and professional. People come and people go – in life and in business. Let’s not get caught up with this part of nature… It’s called, as Jim Rohn says, the way it is.

Ok… Now that you realize that you’re not going to completely eliminate attrition, let’s focus on the thing we can eliminate… Any disempowering attitude you may have toward it… One way to make sure you maintain an empowering attitude toward attrition or anything else for that matter is to create a Consciousness of Empowerment… You do this by making sure you consciously choose to engross yourself with positive and empowering material via the friends you have, the audios you listen to, the books you read, the seminars you attend, and the people you model yourself after…

So once again, as you embark into this New Year, be sure to have one of your major focuses in obtaining a Consciousness of Empowerment… If you do, attrition, rejection, disappointment, frustration, and even fear will all be used as a catalyst for your success instead of an excuse for your failure…

Here are some things to reflect on as you enhance your Consciousness of Empowerment:

• The greatest joy -- Making a Difference
• The most satisfying act -- Giving The most powerful internal gift -- Allowing Yourself the Ability to Receive
• Our greatest natural resource -- Laughter The most motivating word -- A Word of Encouragement
• The most prized “state of mind” -- Peace of mind
• The most powerful force in the Universe -- Love
• The world's most Magnificent Computer -- The Brain
• The two most Self-Perpetuating words of Creation -- “I AM”
• The most valuable part of any attire -- A SMILE!
• The most catching emotion -- Enthusiasm
• The most endangered natural resource -- Gratefulness
• The most powerful tool of manifestation -- Faith

Reflect on these ideas and make them a part of your life, and notice how your Consciousness of Empowerment develops exponentially… So what have you resolved to manifest in this year?Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s going to require a Consciousness of Empowerment in order to pull it off…

Until next time,Go, Go, Go and make it happen!

Jerry “DRhino” Clark