A month of football and life

So here it is again, the part where I type "well it's been awhile since my last post..." so I thought I would take a little time and fill you all in what has been happening this month.
LIFE:
In regards to life in April, it has been filled with ups and downs and some moments that will remain personal, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is that my family is fine. My wife has been a fantastic support during this busy time of football. We have been practicing 4 times a week for two full weeks going into three. That is not such a big deal back in the "motherland" but not so normal here in Sweden. Since we practice at 19.00, it means my wife is stuck with all the work at home while I go to coach football each evening. Note to self...buy flowers. Samuel continues to find many different songs where he can add the Swedish word "bajskorv" (which literally translates to "poop sausage") to and maintain the rhythm of the song. I think he may have some musical talent. I find it very interesting that I can have a son that can already understand two different languages. I speak to him 95% of time in English (with a nice Oklahoma twang) and he understands what I say, but he has the tendency to answer me and speak to me in Swedish. The most important lesson I have learned is that when your child is 3 (soon to be 4..May 10th) he will most likely repeat ANY word he might have heard you say. Yep...I am learning that when I can't find my wallet and we have to rush to daycare I should simply say "I can't find my wallet"...instead of "I can't find my @¤!!#"" wallet". Simply, because the words "I can't find my wallet" will not be repeated...the others will...Note to self...don't use so many adjectives to describe things....
Here is a dilemma that I never thought I would face. There are many words in Swedish and English that are very close. I can't really say if  English Grammar and Swedish Grammar are similar or not...because I am not very good at either on of them...Anyways, there are some interesting conflicts in language when I talk to Samuel...first if I want to give him a little peck on the cheek, I will would call that a "kiss"...The Swedish word for "pee" is "kyss" (actually not sure I spelled that correctly, but it is pronounced the same)...so when I look at my son and say "How about a good night kiss for papa?"...he goes to the bathroom...Because the Swedish word for "Kiss" is "puss"...yep...I ain't going there..but you get the picture of some small difficulties in having a child with two languages from birth......Here is an interesting language finding...in Swedish, if something is poison it is "gift"...the word for getting married is "gift"...Is that why people live together for many years before actually getting married here????

Here is a shot of the bi-lingual wonder who can put the word "bajskorv" into any kid song on most any rhythm you can imagine...what can I say..the kids got good genes...

HOW ABOUT THEM OKIES:
I have to say, I am pretty excited and somewhat proud of the way the NFL draft started. I am a Sooner fan and a Big 12 fan. Nice to see those top picks in the draft have a Sooner connection and a Big 12 connection. When you look at the stats, it's a little sounds crazy to say that 50% of the first 10 picked came from the Big 12 and 30% of those were home grown Okies...What's in the water there?? I really hope they all do well, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham (pick #21). It was a stroke of bad luck for those guys to come back for their senior year at OU and end up injured for that season. Hope that all the draft picks have a great experience. Odds are that some won't, but it is a credit to hard work and to ability that they have been picked. On the other hand I have waited for my phone to ring on draft day since 1987. Today it did ring, but it was just Katarina telling me to remember to pick up some groceries and a box of Lindamans Chardonnay....oh well...back to the weight room....
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL:
As I stated earlier, we have been going hard in preseason camp. I am really working hard on creating a high "level of understanding" with our players. We are a spread option team and we are working hard on understanding how to run the option, where to run the option and how to run the option. At the same time we are working a balanced attack and my Swedish QB's are developing at a satisfactory pace. We are still double teaching quite a few guys and are beginning to work a few guys at some different positions and next week we will look at adding some formations and a few personnel groupings. It should bring April to an exciting end to April and get us gaining a little steam leading into the season opener in mid-May.
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE:
One of the funnest things I have been doing is coaching our U-11 team. On Thursday nights from 18.00-19.00 I practice with these young kids. We are up to 22 the last two weeks (17 U-11 players & 5 U-13 players). We have a blast. We play a "game" at the end of every practice and I have (somewhat egotistically named it "Kennedy ball") It is backyard football in pads. We train mostly on the correct way to tackle and we introduce a very basic way to block. The rest we take care of on the run. I would encourage every club in Sweden to build up from the bottom. If we do not build a "talent pyramid" the sport will remain the same with a few great players coming up sporadically and a roller coaster of international success. If we build the pyramid from the base up, we build a chance for the sport to grow. What I am saying is nothing new or revolutionary...but if we do it and do it right...we will reap the benefit from our efforts for many years to come...and the biggest challenge for all you young coaches of U-11 and U-13...KEEP IT FUN. You do not get a kid to play football because he is challenged by the opportunity to understand how to play a man-off technique at age 9 or because he wants to be able to always check the power to the 3 tech when he is 10...you get a kid to play, because he has fun and then he will want to continue for years to come and his first memories of the game will be those based on fun experiences and a true love and appreciation of the game...So let's just do it. Keep it fun and teach them how to tackle the right way.
MEANINGLESS INFORMATION TO PUT IN MY BLOG:
During the writing of this installment of the blog I have listened to following music (while listening to the NFL draft in the background)....
1. Steve Earle--NYC
2. CCR--As Long as I can see the Light
3. The Band--I shall be Released
4. Van Morrison--And it Stoned Me
5. David Allen Coe--Willie, Waylon & Me
6. Bob Dylan--Thunder on the Mountain
Until next post, I hope that those things that are most important to you are the things you get to spend you time with...try to be perfect...

Too Cold!!

This is the time of the year I start to wonder why I stay here. You see, if you come over to Sweden and play or coach football as an import player coming for just the season, you'll get here sometime in April. The weather will be nice, most likely some rain, but each day will get better, brighter and longer. You start playing the games sometime in May and you'll play up until midsummers holiday. The longest day of the year. Now this is a big time party for the Swedes and it is an awesome time of the year. I have seen blue skies at 02.30. It really is incredible. You celebrate this holiday, then if you are involved in football, you take the entire month of July off...no games...no practice...Why?? Well for now, let's just say that somethings are just meant to be...so if you are an import player or coach, you are most likely looking at 5-6 weeks paid vacation to go see Europe...So July will be a care free month...then August brings the end of the season and then September brings the semi-finals and then National Championship. Now, as an import player or coach, you will leave Sweden. You will notice that it is getting darker a little earlier. Maybe getting a little cooler, but over all it will have been a nice trip...a nice way to keep playing/coaching a great game and you will have made memories and friends to last a life time. This is where it changes for those of us that I call "Refugees of Love"...I am here because I fell in Love with somebody that ask me if we could move to Sweden. She was a little homesick, elderly parents and we had no IKEA near us in Topeka, Kansas. It was something I knew that some day I would have to do when we were married...so I decided to give it a try...besides I grew up in Oklahoma....I used to think traveling abroad was going to Arkansas to see my uncle.  Anyways, my wife ask me about this during a summer visit to Sweden. Oh Yeah...one of those days where the sun is warm, the ever so slight breeze is cool. You're laying in the yard looking up at blue sky that goes forever. Thinking about what to put on the grill later....Oh yeah, baby...I can live here...OK...Fast forward to the winters...dark, cold and rainy....then comes the snow and life cranks up again...snow is nice. Kids come back outside and we throw snow balls and race on sleds. Then the cold seems to stick around...it seems to always be there...you can't go outside without getting that first breath that seems to get stuck in your nose because all those fine little nose hairs start to freeze and stick together...Oh well...bottom line is I think I am starting to like it...that is probably what scares me the most...ok on to football ramblings:
EXCITING GAME COMING UP SATURDAY JANUARY 30:
On the 30th of this month will be the first ever USA vs the World game. The game will be played at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It will be broadcast via NFL network at 12.00 noon ET which I believe will be 18.00 for us here in Sweden. If you have NFL game pass you should be able to see the game live. This should be an exciting game. The World roster right now has 43 spots filled. It is basically Team Canada and 12 friends from around the world just now. Team Canada fills up 31 of 43 roster spots. No real surprise because they play some pretty good football in Canada. We (Sweden) have 3 players that made the team. Elias Groon a big defensive lineman from the Stockholm Mean Machine, Hampus Hellermark from the Lidingö Saints and Sebastian Johansson from the Carlstad Crusaders. So we wish those guys and the team the best of luck. It will be an interesting game. I checked out the Team USA roster and it is very impressive. A lot of big-time recruits are on the roster. The world will be led by Coach Jan Jenmert who also serves as the Head Coach for team Sweden. Sweden also had Niclas Carlsson working with the strength and condition part of the world team. For more information on Team world or Team USA check it out here:
http://www.usavworld.com/2010/ and http://www.ifaf.org/
The "Hey, we scored in the first quarter this season" award:
Goes to the Kansas City Chiefs...scored there first, first quarter TD of this season...if was scored by Brian Cox...it was his first ever TD...nice...
999: Tony Gonzalez finished this season with 999 catches. I hope the first play next season is a pass to Gonzalez....
IF it were a play-off: Check this out for round one of a 16 team National championship tournament for NCAA Div 1 football. Nothing fancy, just took the top 16 in the final BCS standings. Round 1 would have been played the weekend of December 19th (8 games). Followed by December 26th (4 games). Followed by the Semi-finals on Jan 2 with the Finals being played Jan 9th. Basically the same schedule as the Bowl schedule. Here is what the first round would have looked like. The number in paranthesis is the final BCS rank.
ROUND 1:
(1) Alabama vs (16) West Virginia
(5) Florida vs (12) LSU
(7) Oregon vs (10) Iowa
(3) Cincinnati vs (14) BYU
That's the top of the bracket, now to the bottom bracket:
(2) Texas vs (15) Miami, Fla
(6) Boise St vs (11) Virginia Tech
(8) Ohio State vs (9) Ga. Tech
(4) TCU vs (13) Penn State
That would make for some interesting games and a very interesting tournament played out right through the bowl season that is in place now...well it's a dream...
The Ulitmate Question:
Will the NCAA move to a play-off format for NCAA div 1 schools before Sweden ever plays a straight through season without the 4-6 week summer break in the middle of a 10 game schedule? Hard to say, but there is a side of me that feels like I will never live to see either of those things happen....
In the meantime enjoy the football that's left...I haven't decided if I can cheer for that team that plays on Thursday night that starts with a "T" but I am a Big 12 fan....only thing mostly for sure is that with a live kick-off at 02.30 Swedish time...I'll be asleep on the couch!! Unless of course, if I get tired, I go and open the front door and let my nose hairs freeze a little...that should wake me back up!!