And...I'm back

We have moved with a little help from our friends.

Well, since it has been over year since I have updated this blog, I thought it would be a good time for a post. So much has happened since my last update. January of 2012...seems like it has been awhile...anyways, We are now living in Karlstad, Sweden. This will be the first year of my life, since the fall of 1987, where coaching football is not my career. As of August 2012, I have started working at a school called Internationella Engelska Skolan in Karlstad. My job is Activities Director for the 7-9 grade. I also serve on the student care team and assist with the jr club one day a week. It is a good job and I work with great people and great students. My role allows me keep that "coach" feeling. 

But as I said, coaching has been my job and passion for the greater part of my life, so I have decided to use this old blog as my "team" and continue to post my thoughts, ideas, opinions about what is going on in football here in Sweden.

Finding Some Inspiration in Perspiration:

I have been following a lot of what has been going on in football here in Sweden over the past several months. I have had some good opportunities to be somewhat involved. I am currently coaching Sweden's Junior National Team (U-19) offensive line. There is a camp coming up this weekend with a game against Holland on Sunday April 28th in Helsingborg, Sweden. Another thing I was able to do was spend a Saturday in Örebro working a one day camp with their OL. We had a practice followed by a film session. It was a very fun and rewarding day (for me anyways...I am assuming the players enjoyed it too :-). I have had a couple of other opportunities working with individual players here in Karlstad and also a few opportunities that I could not fit into my schedule, but all in all, it sure has been fun to keep the whistle a little wet anyways.

     The other inspiration to re-activate this blog is actually because of the perspiration of others. If you want to really follow American Football in Sweden you need to follow SFN (Swedish Football Network) http://www.swedishfootballnetwork.se/ the guys that work the site are doing a really great job with articles, videos and news about what is going on in Sweden. You may have to use some google translate if you are not fluent in Swedish, but you will find the site very professional and it seems to be going strong and is here to stay. Another thing that has really inspired me lately is the formation of a coaching group on Facebook called SAFCO (Sweden American Football Coaches Organization). I have been around Sweden for just over 10 years. I have been involved a few times (sometimes with more effort than other times) with trying to get this organization up and running. It seems with the formation of this group on Facebook, it has stirred up a higher level of information sharing among the coaches here in Sweden than what I have ever noticed before. 

So that's it. After spending a very long time thinking some updates to "the old blog" it seems I have found a little inspiration out there to start it up again. No club team to coach this year. Going to finish up with the JLL soon, but no matter what, I guess I am and always will be a coach. So I'll use the time when I find it to update and share some thoughts around the game and also a few good stories. You may have heard the stories before, but I have a special talent to change them just ever so slightly each time...keeps them exciting every time.

Fundamentals, do you really have the patience for these?

How much time do you spend teaching a lineman (or any position) the proper stance? As an offensive lineman, your stance is THE "fundamental" that puts you in a position to execute your assignment. It's that simple. Without a good stance, a lineman will reduce his chances of taking off on the correct angle. If the stance is too wide, he will not be able to take a proper step, if there is too much weight forward he can't pass set quick enough, if he has his weight back on his heels, then he can't fire off the ball. It is extremely important to be in the right stance. So, the question is: do you really have the patience to teach the proper stance? I had this thought the other day after I had worked with some young linemen (and linewomen) here in Karlstad. I was watching the film of the drills I took these young players through and one of my repetitive notes was "need to correct stance."  That got me thinking, let's say I had these same players in the weight room and we were squatting. Let's say that one of them was putting their chin down and looking at the floor during the squat, what would I do? Well, I sure as heck wouldn't add any weight to the bar and just tell them to keep their eyes up. I would go back, review proper squat technique. Lower the weight if necessary and have them squat using the best possible form. Why would I take these same players and keep doing different blocking drills, without getting them in the best possible stance? That is the challenge for coaches today out here in Europe where you may be coaching alone. You may have a young player who is trying out this thing called American Football. Do we take the time to teach him the proper stance and see that he can repeatedly get in that stance before going to block somebody? Now don't panic here, I am not saying that you should have a two week camp where all you do is get in a stance. What I am saying is that as a coach, you have to have a high level of "attention to detail" and continually coach it to the players. Use a stance and start drill or block progression drill and write yourself a note on the practice schedule "check stances." Go into the huddle before the first play of team and tell the linemen, "gentlemen, make sure your stance is perfect every play." Follow that up by checking out the stances, praising the good stances and correcting the ones that need to be corrected. Stay on those little things. Those little things make big things possible!

If you broke down why a block failed. Why a lineman was not able to make that gap block or reach that guy. You will get back to one of two break downs in technique. One: it will be a bad step or footwork. Two: the stance the lineman was in did not put him in a position to take off properly to use the footwork he needed. Pay attention to detail. Start out with the fundamentals of a good stance, get in it often and fire out of it often.

Final words after a long break from the blog world:

So looks like my next update might just be how to get in a good stance...have done that earlier but that was a long time ago. In the meantime, it will be fun to keep up with the football scene in Sweden as just a fan. There are a lot of great things coming up. This year the Swedish Championship will be played at the new big arena in Stockholm. In 2014 the first ever University World Championships will be played in Uppsala, Sweden and in 2015 the Senior World Championships will be played at the same arena back in Stockholm. So it looks like American Football will have a chance to make a big move here in Sweden. Let's get the game out there and see how big it can be.

And lastly, a little look back at "the winter that just won't let go"

Straight Season for the Seniors 2012

Probably one of the coolest emails I ever received was the one that said that here in Sweden, we would play the 2012 in a straight (no breaks outside of a bye week) season. This has been a topic of discussion for the 9 full years I have been in Sweden. In my years here, I have never gotten accustomed to playing half the season in two months, then taking 4-6 weeks off, then finsihing the season over the next two months. I personally don't think football is supposed to be played that way. It is a consecutive week type sport. One game each week until the season is over. Usually followed by play-offs unless you are a member in the BCS...then you can take a month off, comeback and play in a bowl game, then move on to the next season.
I will be the first to admit, that as time went on, I did enjoy my summer more and more. In the beginning of my time here in Sweden most weeks "off" in July meant that I would be doing something with either the Senior or Junior National teams, or both. I travelled with those teams to see some wonderful places. As of late, I actually enjoyed a real Swedish vacation and hung out with my family for the entire break time. The problem with last season was the fact that  Djurgården dropped out last year and when you add that to an odd number of teams in a league, you were given an extra by week. That created gaps in schedules. For example, in 2011 we (Arlanda Jets) played a game on June 11th, August 7th and then again on Aug 27th.  I Just don't think that is the way you are supposed to play football.
There is a group of guys called the Super Series Råd that began meeting after the season and discussing what can be done to make things better and one of the many things they discussed was whether we should play a straight season or continue the one with the break. So, long story short, between the work of the SSR and discussions with the Board of Directors here in Sweden, a decision has been made and it appears that kick-off will be in Mid-April with the finals scheduled in Mid-July. A classic American football schedule.
Now...we finally got what we wanted...and that will be the challenge.

WHAT A STRAIGHT SEASON MEANS TO THE PLAYERS & COACHES:
The straight season will mean that you will have less times to recover from game to game. This is something that we must take into consideration in physically preparing for a straight season. In the past few years, injuries could be a little easier dealt with in that you might have two weeks off or a long summer break to recover from that nagging injury. This year you will play each week so you must prepare yourself physically to perform each week. An unfortunate injury can cause a player to miss a large part of the season as opposed to missing 6 weeks, but maybe two games. I am a big fan of a straight season, but that is something we must be prepared for as coaches and players. 
Physical preparation and depth will play a key role in the 2012 season in my opinion.
One area the shorter, straight season should help is the ability to bring over import players and/or coaches. Not having to pay a coach or player for a full month to 6 weeks where there is no football, should save some money. The difference in one to two months of salary, might make a difference in affording an import player.
The most important thing we can do as teams is to make each week an exciting week of football. Play hard and entertaining football. Create an exciting atmoshpere around the games and leave the public talking about what a great time they had at the game they attended.

Needless to say, 2012 will be an exciting year of challenges and opportunities for those of us in the football world here in Sweden. I have high expectations for a very competitive Super Series. The bulk of the responsibility lays on us teams who have been at the bottom of the pack in recent years, to raise our standard and compete not only with each other, but go against the two leaders of the league (Carlstad Crusaders & Tyresö Royal Crowns) and give them games that are exciting and unpredictable.

THE CHALLENGE OF WATCHING LIVE FOOTBALL IN SWEDEN:
I have to admit that the older I get the harder it is to watch live football. I have spent more time watching a kick-off then waking up on the couch and watching the last two drives of a game than ever before. As a family man with an active 5 year old in the house it's not easy to see the "early" kick-off game which usually is at  7:00pm here. So it comes down to if I am up to catch the 10:15pm game or want to stay up and catch the "big game" that kicks-off at 2:30am. Not a totally bad schedule, but as a huge college football fan, I try to watch as much college football as possible. This leads to a crazy sleep schedule. Not to mention trying to follow the Sooners, who seemed to have more night games than I can ever remember, which in turn saw me putting coffee on at 4:00am and watching the Insight.com bowl. Just glad the Sooners won. Just thank goodness for NFL gamepass and ESPN 360...I know I'm old school to actually use those, but I really like the quality...so know I can go back and watch all the games I slept through on demand...that is, when I am not playing "Star Wars" or other activities with my son...he get's the cool light saber and I am forced to use the extra long shoe horn...I mean it is an IKEA produt, but not as good as an actual light saber...

FIREWORKS IN SWEDEN:
Just a quick note to let everyone now that these Swedes are crazy about their fireworks. I grew up in Oklahoma and the 4th of July was always special. I have shot bottle rocket out of bottles, out of the ends of BB guns, I have even held them, lit them and thrown them both up in air and towards other people. But after experiencing a few New Years here in Sweden I can tell you these folks get after it over here. I am not talking about the organized fireworks show put on by the local community. I am talking about the old "hold my beer and watch this" type of fireworks show that goes on from about 11:00pm to 12:30am. I have never seen anything like it. All credit to my Swedish friends...I like it...I'll watch it very year...from behind my window, locked in my apartment...

OK...5 SENTENCES THAT MEAN YOUR NEW YEARS EVE PARTY MIGHT GET HAIRY:

1. The above mentioned, "hold my beer and watch this"
2. "I wonder if I could...."
3. "No, really, just try it..."
4. "just light it with a cigarette..."
5. "hey, get this on video..it'll go viral"

And there you have it. The years first update. A little about football in Sweden and a little about  life in Sweden through the eyes of an old boy from Blanchard, Oklahoma...until next time remember, pass set, attack near hand to near pec..be strong inside and move your feet...and have a great 2012...

Cup of Coffee and birds chirping

Gotta say that it is a great way to start the day by sitting on the old front porch with a cup of coffee and the sounds of nature all around. Off in the distance, toward town, I can hear the bells to the old church ringing at 07.00. Sounds pretty cool. Most likely, unless you live right next to the church and wanted to sleep in..plus it's Monday morning...anyways here are some thoughts for the blog today.

Breaking it down to the simplest thought:
I have the goal of developing some really good offensive lineman from within our club. I have had this goal for a long time, being usually the only coach on offense it makes it challenging to put a ton of time into every position. I am an avid studier of "The Annual Offensive Line Clinic" videos and I really like Jim McNally and how he teaches OL play. But, truth is, you cannot dump too many things on to young players or "new" older players. I have come up with this simple...and I do mean simple teaching progression for OL play.

1. Rule number one is this. Put yourself between the defender and the ball carrier or QB passing the ball.  Yes it sounds simple, but you have to make sure each lineman understands exactly where the ball is suppossed to be run or where the QB will set up to throw the ball. He has to know where to "put himself." If he can do that, then I tell them to get between the defender and the ball and make it take as long as possible to get beaten....step one...
2. Make sure your stance allows you to move the easiest and quickest way to where you want to go. I used to be one of the guys that taught the "universal stance" but I have changed somewhat into teaching how a lineman can adjust his stance to get the job done. Now this will be a little harder to write, but I will give it a try. Let's say it's 3rd & 8 and everybody in the stadium knows you are going to throw the ball. The DE aligns up in a very wide, rush the QB position. As the OT, why should I set up in my "normal" stance? Go to a two point, narrow my feet a little, sit back and put myself into a better position to cut-off DE's rush angle...and yes...it could still be a draw. Another old trick to eliminate the false step in your footwork is to curl the toes on the foot you want to push off of. In doing this, you actually shift a little weight and take a quick step with the opposite foot. There are a ton of little changes you can make, and they do not appear obvious to the defense.

These two concepts are what I start with in introducing OL play. How does it get more advanced? Once a young lineman or the classic "new" old lineman begins to understand these two concepts, they will begin to get better. The hard thing that I have noticed is that a player that is not sure what he is doing, wants to be told what to do. I want the player to figure out that by understanding, for example, "we are running outisde there, and if I am supposed to put my body between the ball carrier and defender, the defender is going to run out there to where the ball is going...I might have to pull around here and cut-off his pursuit angle to the ball." When I see the light start to come on, confidence comes with that also.

So that's this mornings thoughts. Two basic ideas for the OL to master. Putting yourself between the defender and where the ball is going...adjusting my stance to get there the fastest and smartest way....and by the way, when you get there...be aggressive...

Until next time...see if you can get two blocks on one play....

Good-bye 2010 Hello 2011

Well, as the year starts to end here, I am sitting in the kitchen at the "Kennedy Compound". We have about a foot and a half of snow everywhere. It is absolutely beautiful here in our section of the woods. We have a fire going in the fire place and the two wood burning stoves. Katarina and I each have a nice glass of wine and Samuel is dancing to Hank Williams Jr--"Almost Pursuaded" across the kitchen floor. He is exhibiting excellent coordination in a mixture of dance moves that I can only guess have been passed on through genetics...he can do the "rodeo man"---the "robot"--"running man" combined with "stumbling man"...He is a one man mosh pit....look out let's dance 2020!!!
Seems fitting to be here as the year goes out. This little place in the woods is most likely where they will scatter my ashes someday. We have alot of work to do here, but that is part of the joy and challenge of having a place like this. My New Years Resolution will be to get as much family time as possible here...maybe even a few "boys weekends" down here and get some extra work done along with a few evenings of poker...we'll see what happens...there will be 12 months to try and get stuff done, that's what is exciting about a new year...
Football in 2011:
This still is yet to be determined. I mean as far as my job goes working at the High School program it is business as usual. The Jets will have a few announcements coming soon. We are 100% committed to building a winning program and we will start actually with the building of a solid committed staff. We will add to that players that are committed to a high level of play, then we will try to put that all together in an effort that makes us a serious contender year in an year out here in Sweden. How exactly will we do that? Stay tuned, but the thing for sure is that it will get done. We are in the unique position of getting our Senior team to be as competitive as our Junior teams. I don't mean that at all as an insult, it is just a fact that our U-15, U17 and U-19 teams have all been winning for quite sometime. The thing we have to do to finish the project is simply to retain our home grown players and have them continue as they turn 20 years old.
As far as football here in Sweden, there are some interesting things. It seems that we will have a "National Series" of football here for U-15, U-17 & U-19 (Keep in mind that this is all ass-u-me (ing) I understand what is going on). It appears that those teams that are playing in the national series are from sound programs and there should be no "dropping out" of the league from the teams mentioned.
In regards to the Super Series--it appears that Örebro will be moving up, making us a 7 league team. I personally think that they are a solid team and with an import or two could keep things interesting in the SS. All in all it is hard to know what to expect. The reality is that the teams that can move up and retain quality juniors and the team that can recruit enough serious senior player will be the teams that do the best in the highest league. I am convinced that those two things (or combination there-in) is what makes a team competitive.
Lessons I learned in 2010 from people I admire:
1. Tiger Woods: I would give about anything I could to play 18 holes of golf with possibly the greatest to have every played the game....but I would not take personal relationship advice from him.
2. Brett Farve: I have been a Farve fan for a long time...I mean I would have loved to block for him. A good old boy at heart, winner, tough, give it all for the team kind of guy...Oh yeah....how many of us would find it hard to give up and stop if we would have been in his shoes...the majority of people would have played for that "one more magical year"....but I would not take any advice on how to SMS pictures from Brett Farve.
3. Rex Ryan: another of the good old boys. He has probably forgotten more football than most of us will ever know. He can get players to play and play hard. He has a swagger and honesty I truly admire..I would give about anything to get 3 hours with Rex Ryan, just to listen to him talk defense and coaching philosophy...but I would keep my shoes on!!!
New Years Revelation:
I want to move to this little house in the woods and grow old here!!
New Years Resolution:
Lose weight...again....and keep it off...this time for good...
1. Turn my cell phone off at 18.00 every night when I come home.
2. Take my wife on a date once a month.
3. Learn to play the Guitar...
4. Buy a guitar...(maybe that should have been #3)
5. Do things that would make my family proud of me....
6. Up date my blog at least every two weeks....

Until 2011, I hope that nothing is too easy, but everything feels worthwhile!!
Never underestimate leverage, hand placement and foot drive!! Finish!!

What a crazy few months

I will start with ignoring the fact that I have not updated in a while. It has been awhile, but life has been busy...so I'll just start where I left on and ramble on until I am done...isn't that what vacation is for??

FOOTBALL:
As I have stated in past posts, we (the Arlanda Jets) set a goal to try and build an all Swedish team. That basically means that we don't have the cash up front for an important QB. We had thought about bringing over a guy during break, but we don't have the cash up front for that. Our board of directors had given us the green light to bring up to two import players, but the Senior team was responsible for all the cash. That just wasn't something that could be raised, but that's another post...another time...
We started the season off with high hopes. We openend the season aginst STU Northside Bulls. They are now coached by a friend and fellow American, Todd Ferguson. Going into this game I felt pretty good. We wouldn't have Magnus Lagerborn, a long time Jets player. He was (and still is) rehabing a knee injury. Also, we would be without Jocke Carlsson. What does Jocke mean to the team...in 2008 we scored 520 points in 10 regular season games...Jocke was responsible for around 260 of those points...so, yes, Football is a team sport...but yes, Jocke's abscence is felt...But we had a solid group of players and had some young guys that I had high expectations for this season...here is what happened..Five plays into the opening drive of the season, my QB, a 20 year old kid, Pontus Blomburg, carries the ball on an option play and cuts back for about a 12 yard gain, gets tackled and breaks his collar bone...Not good...Christopher Desezzar, a guy I had repped at QB, but planned on playing at Slot and WR this season, steps in and takes over the QB role. We end up winning the game but we lost Pontus, Anders Olofsson (OL), Anton Källvik...and a few others to injury...and the downward spiral started...
We went and played SMM (Stockholm Mean Machine) and never threatened them...played like a team that was going through the motions...we just couldn't execute on a level to threaten Stockholm. Pretty frustrating, but that is where we were at during the second week of the season.
The third week, we played DIF (Djurgården). This is a team that has some good athletes and has a good organization around it, but is still fighting for identity. They were without there starting QB, and we played a better game and won it convincingly. At this time in the season we sat at 2-1 and although we were still missing a few guys from injury and stuff and Anton had gotten a job back in Norrkopping, I felt like we had a chance to put some things together. We were scheduled to play Karlstad during the first weekend in June, but that game had to be re-scheduled due to the Crusaders playing the London Blitz in the EFAF cup Semi-final (which the Crusaders won and will play a team from Switzerland next weekend for the EFAF championship). This set up an interesting scenerio for us. We would have an off week, but then we had to play Coach Leo Billgren's Tyresö Royal Crowns...two weeks in a row. Now, just let me stop here and first of all, slap my own face for not raising a little cane about the scheduling. First of all, in Sweden, we have 6 teams playing in the top leauge and taking a 6 week break in the middle of the season...why??? "because that's Swedish" and that is the way it is...OK..the scheduling committee scheduled everybody to play each other twice, swaps the home and away the second time through...then they flip the schedule...Now I will be the first to admit that the schedule was sent out and all teams were given the opportunity to give their input in the schedule and I didn't take the time to complain...I just laughed..at the fact that everybody played everybody two weeks in a row with half the season to go...so I can "complain" about it in my blog, but it is my own fault for not saying something when I had the chance....OK..so this set up two weeks in a row versus a team that, on paper, we need to beat to finish third in the league and play the 2 seed in the play-offs....I thought it was good that we would have the opportunity to set oursleves up to prepare for the play-offs after the break. This is where everything started to fall apart...We had very bad practice attendance during the off week and we were able to only suit up 19 guys for the Friday night game one vs TRC. We played a good game. I was proud of the fact that TRC could dress up nearly 40 players (maybe more or a little less) but the game was 7-6 at half and up until late in the 4th TRC had an 8 point lead. In the end, they won it by two TD's and the clock ran out with us having the ball inside the 5 yard line. This set up an extremely important game the following saturday at our place against the same team we had taken 4 quarters with 19 suited up players...they would have to come to our place and I thought, we can get this done and split with them before we go and play our make up game vs Karlstad and when the smoke cleared at worst we still had third place within our grasps...To make a long blog post short, the season basically came crumbling down on us during that week. Bad practices, people gone..still hurt...gone on vacation...weddings...it just didn't feel good...we played one good quarter then slowly self destructed...TRC won the game and we couldn't put a point on the board and they would go into the break counting the days to the play-offs. We on the other hand could only lick our wounds and try to put a team together and go play the current best team in Sweden and see if we could put up a fight...needless to say, we didn't do much to worry CC and the game ended with the crappy feeling in your gut that you just showed up at the gun fight at the OK corrall (google it) with a new bowie knife!! So then starts the break...what awaits the Arlanda Jets after the summer break? Well first of all we will open with at home against the Karlstad Crusaders and then play DIF, SMM and STU...realistically, one would say that we are in a fight for 4th place and when we play STU on the last regular season game, it will be two teams that are playing for either a play-off spot or a qualification game....What are my plans...well to quote a great movie (Shawshank Redemption) "you either start living or sit around and die." I plan starting to live. That is the challenge of Coaching. In any country on every level, you are faced with adversity. All you can do is try to find a way to get the job done. You have to give the critics there say, but you don't have to listen to them. You simply try and find a way to get the job done. That is the plan of the coach. To show up on August 3rd, count the players, see who can do what and put together a plan to "get it done". We have nothing to lose. If we don't the critics will be able to explain why and if we do...well, we'll have one heck of an end of the year party!!

European Championships:
For those of you in the US, it may come as a surprise that in Europe we play the European Championships in American Football over here on this side of the pond. Well, we do and Sweden is actually the defending champions since the last EM was played in 2005. I was a part of that team as OC and OL coach. It is hard to describe the feelings of coaching a National Team, but I would count it among some of the coolest experiences I have ever had. What happened in 2005 started in 2003 when, then HC Kristian Thore explained to me the goals he had and that grand finale would be beating Germany in the Championship game in 2005. When the clocked ran out and we had won, that was my Super Bowl. Yep...an unbelievable moment. The hugs and tears and high fives...the look on those players faces as they celebrated that moment was one that will forever be burned into my memory scrap book!! Time has moved on and I am no longer involved in the National Team. I was on the staff, but life has dealt a few things that I need to deal with and right now I cannot give the National Team of Sweden the time that I could the previous 8 years. So this year, I will stand by and follow the guys as they go to Frankfurt, Germany the last week in July. I hope the best for them and the staff. They have put in an enormous amount of work and I think it would be fantastic to wave the blue and gold during the medal ceremony in Frankfurt!! It will be no easy task, as group play means going through England and France, but I know it is possible. Good luck boys and as "Bear" Bryant used to say..."Go out there and knock them on their ass...then stick out your hand and help them up...then tell them...I'll be right back!!"....not sure that is exactly what he said, but that is how I learned it!!

And Then Vacation Came:
Say what you want about Sweden, but these people know how to vacation. If you're over 40 you get 5 weeks of vacation...needless to say..most people take this time around July...great weather...lots of sunshine and you just hang out. My wife, son and I went to Finland first..We took the boat over and met some friends. Stayed in a hotel with a huge indoor/outdoor pools, and also went to "Mummin Land", an amuesment park. It was a great time. I am still in the "hey, we took a boat to another country" kind of mood, but the hotel, amusement park and friends were great. It was really a good time. From there we went back home and went to the amuesment park in Stockholm...a good time was had by all...After that this summer vacation took an unbelievable twist. We have some friends that have one of the coolest summer houses I have ever visited. It's an old red and white house with about a 20 yard walk to the water and it is the last house on the road...the coolest thing about it is that they let us use it from time to time. We went there to stay the night and check out another summer house in the area. We went to the showing of the other place. I was pretty impressed and thought it would be an investment and we should get it...but it was right by a main road. I was hoping for a more "out of the way" kind of place. On our way back to the place we were staying we say a for sale sign. We turned left and drove about 2km down a dirt road....at the end of that road..that is where this house was...

Kennedy Red-Neck Village!!! opening soon!!

To make a long story short...or to save typing and possible wrongly spelled words...this place is our new "summer stuga"...it was originally built in 1909!! it has 13,500 square meters of land with it..one usable old barn and one not usable old barn on it!! It is the last house on the road and is guranteed to have 15 billjillion mosquitoes around...but it will be ours...Now, I own land in a country that I was not born in!! This may by the start of the "Great Kennedy takeover" in Sweden...only time will tell!!!

Random thoughts about these past few months:

1. It doesn't take numbers to win football games in Sweden..it takes committment and quality...(yes of course, if you have numbers along with commitment and quality..it is better)
2. I hate 6 teams taking from May until the middle of September to play a season...(yes, we need more teams in the top level in Sweden...maybe time to look at new ideas)
3. I think there is no bigger honour than playing or coaching for a team that represents the country you live in (or are currently living in because your wife is from there..) Go Sweden!!
4. Some times in life it is just time to "cowboy up" and ride...(most of the time I say "nut up" but I know my Mom reads the blogg so I didn't want to type that)
5. Excuses to fail are easy to find...the reason to succeed is in your heart!!
6. I fell in love with Soccer...yes, because of team USA...I left the world cup still thinking that is men in shorts kicking a ball and acting like they have just been nuked or have some type of uncureable epilepsy if anybody comes within two feet of them...and they are officiated by a group of people that are not accountable in any way in regards to the decisions they make during the course of a game...attention Soccer decision makers...you let TV show your games...your better be prepared to use video replay...it took NFL, NBA and NHL a long time to acknowledge that, but they have acknowledged it!! think about it...
7. That might have been the longest time I have every thought and typed about soccer in my life!!
8. The first song I every remember playing on the Juke Box...was at Hub 'n Lils restaruant in Blanchard, Oklahoma and the name of the song was "Momma don't Dance and Daddy don't Rock 'n Roll" (another google assignment)...
9. Am I old fashioned if my parents are my heroes?!?
10. I think that the purchase of this summer house will give me an opportunity to totally square away in my life what is really important!! First question...do I buy a chainsaw or do I split the wood with an ax?

Until the next post...and the Good Lord only knows when that will be..I will leave you with this lesson learned:  I was playing DT and we were working on block recognition. The Guard released inside of me and I thought...well this is easy..nobody blocked me...then...through my earhole I first heard the thud...then I was on the ground and there was dirt all over my face...I looked up and one of my teammates was smiling at me..I heard my Coach Jerry Algeo say "Hey, Kennedy, that was what we call trap block...I think you will be looking for it next time."...I love that coach and I have spent the rest of my life watching out for the trap block!!

Easter in Sweden

Easter in Sweden in the football world usually means football camps. As I have stated earlier, I have decided to try something new for Easter. I am giving the senior players the time to relax and enjoy their families (of course this allows me to enjoy mine) and we will crank it up on April 6th with an 18 practice pre-season camp. Not to bad of a schedule, we will keep weekends free and work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday the first week, then Monday--Thursday for 3 weeks, then break it back down to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We'll see how it goes...in the mean time; how did my Easter start:

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Samuel loaded in the back seat with the DVD going. He's checking out "Up"....for the 5th time....and no I didn't take this picture while I was driving...the road to Vänersborg is an easy drive but there is a very important stop on the way. Just outside of Enköping is a "little" store where they advertise that it "Maybe the biggest candy store in Sweden" This place is a lineman's dream if that lineman likes candy....

THIS IS HALF THE STORE

I remember going in the store and picking up a plastic bag and a big scooper to fill that bag...the rest was a blur. They have signs posted all over the place that there are "no free samples" and I can honestly say I didn't sample any...but I scoped the place out for cameras and personnel...just in case I stop in there again...anyways..it all led to this...

SAMUEL DOING ONE ARM ROWS
WITH MY BAG OF CANDY!!

What you see in that bag is 100 Swedish crowns worth of candy...mostly chocolate covered somethings...but it is all good...Here is the crazy thing...Katarina pays for her and Samuel's candy, when she saw my bag of candy, she thought it was best that I pay for it. So, she pays for hers and  I get up there...my bag of sweets cost 1 sek more than hers and Samuel's combined. I make an off handed comment to the clerk..."now I have to listen to my wife tell me that that my bag of candy cost the same as two peoples bag"...Then he laughs and says "I remember you, you coach for the Arlanda Jets...American football"...He remembered that the same thing happened the last time we were in there...so I could only laugh and say "see ya when we comeback through on Monday"...
Easter in Sweden...for the first time in 7 years I am not at an Easter camp.....So what am I doing up at 1.00 in the morning...I have been working with my video playbook I am making from the film I have now been able to publish on  www.hudl.com. I spent a little time on the phone with support and things moved rapidly in the right direction....so for now, whether you are spending the Easter weekend becoming a better football player and team or your hanging out with the family, or trying to a little bit of both...have a good one. The season is about 6 weeks away (for those of us not playing Euro Bowl or EFAF cup) and the first kick-off will be here soon....
Until next update...Fit & Fire!!

A look at what we have

I thought I would show a little about our field and facilities which are result of this clubs 21 years of working their tails off. Last year at the 20th anniversary of the start of the Arlanda Jets, they showed some pictures of the first practice...on a gravel field. This club has a strong tradition of getting things done and this is a picture blog of the things that have come to pass over the last few years that I have been here. But don't get the wrong idea. These were not done because of me. The spirit and leadership in the club has been working hard for many, many years to get these things accomplished....
This picture is a picture of our new press box that will be up and running for this season. Not sure if there will be a big buffet served up for the "press" but it will certainly serve a great purpose and most importantly, it has a second floor which will provide a great film angle for the side shot...that's most important to me.

Here is a shot from across the field at the Bleachers and new press box. The field is 3rd generation turf and seems to be holding up fantastic. You can see that there is plenty of snow piled up on the sides, but that is postitve. Our Kommune, local municipality, does a great job in the winter plowing the field off as the snow comes down. Since it is not heated underneath, keeping the snow off, helps the field thaw quick and also gives us the opportunity to work-out on it as much as we can. If the weather cooperates, we can play just about year around. Usually, December, January and Feburary are a little chilly in this area of the world, but there have been mild winters, where we were able to have outdoor practice and not freeze at those times...this year...was not an option...

Here is the weight room that is under the bleachers. This is all started as an idea when we moved the current bleachers from the old field to this place. The bleachers used to rest on the ground at the old field. When we moved to this new field, the idea about moving the bleachers came up. Then the idea to raise them up, followed by the "what will we do with the space underneath"---and the weight room was born....it has been a long process and not quite finished in finality, but we have 4 plat-forms with 150kg per platform. We train using the general idea to create movement---create strength--create power and speed....sounds fancy to write...bottom line is "hard work works." Simple...but true.....

This is the last project left in the wieght room. In the space you see there, we are working on getting some rubber flooring and 3rd generation turf put in on top of the rubber flooring. This will give us a unique opportunity to have an 15 yrd long and roughly 10 yard wide space of turf to work on everything from plyos to take-offs to individual techniques....it will feel very good if we get that done....

So that is a quick lood at our facilities we have at the Arlanda Jets. I don't post it to brag, just to give a look at what has been done. To any of my American friends who read this the thing to understand is that there is no organized school sports like we had when we grew up. No athletic department to buy stuff...every sport is a club and the people who want to have a football team put it together...What we have is a true credit to the committed people within the club that heard many "NO" responses, but hung in there and slowly the NO's turned to "Yes" and it seems to be non-stop right now.  I would also have to mention that we are not the only club in Sweden with a promising future. There are other clubs that are working hard and are developing and educating good football players. As an American who grew up in School sports and coached College football for 15 years, it is amazing to see the hard work that these people put into making the sport work and their clubs work so that our sport can grow....
Until next time...as a lineman remember....To win the battle, you have to have leverage...to get leverage you have to be able to sink your hips...what exercises help you do that??? Do them....

10 days at home

Probably would have been a little smarter to blogg as I went, but there really wasn't alot of time for that. Thanks to my club, The Arlanda Jets, I was able to attend the 2010 AFCA convention in Orlando, Florida and also spend 5 days home in Blanchard, Oklahoma to visit my family. The original plan from the club was to send somebody else over, but that person wasn't able to go so at the last minute the boys at the club found a replacement. I was excited to have the opportunity.
The Run  Down:
Basically my time at the convention was to research a variety of products that we would like to add to our club and the HS program we are running. I had forgotten how much "stuff" was out there to work on the game. I will say that some of the coolest stuff was the video editing programs. If you really want to take your film study to the next level, you have to find a way to get some sort of a editing system. It's increadible what they can do nowadays.
The speakers were great. I heard Chris Pedersson (Boise St), Mack Brown (Texas) Tony Dungy (former NFL HC) and Mike Singleterry (SF 49ers HC) all in one afternoon. Hard not to leave excited.
Familar Faces:
On day two in Floriday, I walked in to the international coaches meeting, just to see who was in there. Low and behold I run into Jan Jemnert and Tyson Gullian from over in Sweden. I had no idea they would be there, so it was nice to see a familiar face. Janne was busy with his Team World preparations, but I was able to spend some time with Tyson and Soren along with Thomas Ahlberg, so it was a good time.
Also ran into my old room mate from when I first got hired at Washburn. Dale Perine. It was great to see him. All in all it was a great time at the convention. Not sure who the club will send next year to Dallas, but I will try to keep a bag packed.
Home Sweet Home:
Needless to say, coming home for a short time was better than not coming home at all. I got to see my Nanny (my Dad's mother). She is clipping a long at 91 years of age. Also got to see the youngest Kennedy, Cooper, who was born to my Brother Mike and his wife Shannon only 8 months ago.
Spending time with my son Jonathan, was priceless. It is a wild feeling when your son is now a man. He is 21. I will right a little more about our Food adventours in the great state of Oklahoma. Just to get your attention I'll write the name of one of the restaurants..."Fat Sandwich Company"...the name says it all. I can say that I had no idea that they even made food like this....anyways...battary is running low on the old Dell, so I just wanted to do a quick update. More to come later in regards to the trip and of course football....

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!!

football ramblings

The Red Raider Saga:
Like most of you I have been following what has been going on at Texas Tech over the past few days and it seems to get more and more bizarre. When I first heard  about it, it sounded strange that a coach at any level would lock a player in an electrical closet since he could not practice because of a minor concussion. As the stories continue to develop it has taken (and I am sure will continue to take) some crazy twists and turns. The shed that Adam James was taken to stand in turns out to be a garage that is used to store equipment. A garage that was not small. The electical closet turns out to be a room used to do press conferences after the game. Many of Mike Leach's former players have come to his defense and complained that the problem was Adam James. Likewise, I understand that those defenses of Coach Leach are being countered by more complaints of treatment. Now, we as fans will be left to follow the story via the internet, TV and even Twitter, while the lawyers go to war to see what can sort of financial deal will be worked out. Some things seem obvious. Mike Leach will not coach at Texas Tech next year. That would be a no win situation for everybody. You have coach that turned around a program with an exciting brand of football. The Red Raiders were coming off a fantastic 2008 season where life was good, and things were looking up. They did not have the same success in 2009 and there were some situations brought up in the media of problems within the team. This incident with Adam James seems to be the straw that broke the camels back, and now the kindom of Mike Leach and the Red Raiders is crumbling down. What happens next? I saw on "Twitter" that Mike Leach was fired. Roughly 3 hours later, I saw a "tweet" stating that Tommy Tubberville is interested in the Red Raider job. I can honestly say that I have no idea if that it true or not, but it is a little look into the world of big time college athletics. One thing will be interesting. How will the next HC of the Red Raiders handle Wide Receiver Adam James? He will not play in the bowl game and it will be interesting to see what happens to his career as time goes by.
What can we learn from all of this:
I would say that as a Head Coach, regardless of what level, you have to think out everything in regards to how you handle a team. Being in coaching myself since 1987 I can tell you that I have not always made the best decisions or been proud of all my actions, but I don't feel I have ever put a player in harms way. I think this is going to be the big factor in the Mike Leach story has it unfolds. Did he put his player in harms way by what happened under his leadership of the Texas Tech football program. I think that will be a hard point to prove. Bobby Bowden is quoted as saying, "In coaching, the highs are never as high as the lows are low." I would guess as good as Mike Leach felt when Graham Harrell threw the TD pass to beat Texas in 2008 can't compare to the down he is going through right now.We'll see how the bowl game goes....
Bowl Season Ramblings:
Here are some thoughts from me regarding this years Bowl season as it has progressed:
The "I got the dream Job at the right time award": From what I saw last night, that award has to go to Brian Kelly. Does a fantastic job building up the program at the University of Cinncinati, goes undeafeted, gets a chance to go against the University of Florida to prove they can "play with the big boys".  I would think he really likes that new Notre Dame coaching gear!! Seems a little unfair that teams can get the reward of a bowl game only to not have their head coach, coordinator or position coach because that guy gets a new job and moves on before the bowl game....
The "Thank you Bob and the Sooners award": Obviously this one goes to the Sooners. It has been along time since the Sooners won a bowl game. I was unable to watch it but got score updates via espn on my iPhone. It made for a stressful New Years Eve, but it was nice to get the final score update that the Sooners had won. Now, goodbye 2009...Hello 2010.
The "OK you probably are one of the best ever to play the college game award": Gotta give this one to Tim Tebow. I stayed up to catch the game live. Kick-off around 02.00 in Sweden. When I went to bed at 06.00 after the game...I truly thought that Tim Tebow could not have gone out in a better way. Yes, of course the Gator fans would like to have seen the back to back championships, but the way Tebow played in that last game was the exclamation point on a fantastic career. Two things will be interesting to follow now. One is, what will Tebow do in the NFL? I am no expert, but he'll probably do something...Two is, how would you like to be the starting QB at Florida next fall?
The "I can't believe they stopped that play twice in a row award": This has to go to the Oklahoma State Defense on their goal line stand against Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss ran their 330+ pound DL straight up the gut...twice...from inside the one and the Cowboys defense stopped the big dude from getting into the endzone...Mass x Velocity = ???
The "That's not the way we planned it award": This one goes to the OSU offense.  In their 7 first half drives they went 6 punts and 1 fumble..They regrouped at halftime and then went..Punt, Punt, TD...so things are looking good...then they followed it up with...turn over on Downs, Interception, Interception, fumble, fumble, interception...and finally, interception....not  a good day for the offense....
Ok, now it's time to stop rambling and time to watch a some more football...it's sunday morning now in Sweden and I have The Liberty Bowl to finsih watching, then check out the Red Raiders in the Alamo Bowl.

One step closer to the Swedish drivers liscense

Well I spent three and a half hours driving a little car and trying to control on the classic halkbana course on Friday afternoon. I now am one final step from getting my Swedish drivers license. It has been a long process, but I hope that it is soon over. I can say that all the people that told me I would have a blast at this course were right. I hadn't done stuff like that since a high school lunch trip with two of my buddies driving all over town like crazies at the first snow fall my senior year. Gotta say that the teacher was a blast. He was full of comments for us when we messed up and was not shy with his congratulations when the car actually stopped as it should....

We (the Jets) have booked a pre-season game against the Helsinki Roosters. We take the big boat over to Finland and play them on April 25th. Should be a good test for us to see where we are at.

Hope all the players are working hard in the weight room. I read a quote written on a white board in our weight room. If I translate it correctly it said "strength is good, Explosiveness is everything." I am pretty sure Coach Oud wrote than down as a message for our young guys in the gymnasium program. As a football player, you just need to think about how you have to move and play in a game. Very seldom are you in one spot exerting energy and trying to move something while your feet stay flat on the ground. You have to use ground based traditional exercises to build strength and at the same time exercise in movements that simulate game actions. I think there can be a great marriage between the MAQ training that is taking over Sweden and the traditional training in the core lifts. Not to mention training speed and agility by mimicking movements that you do in the game. When you tie all those things together AND work-out on a regular schedule, you will develop into a good player.

Tip to the young coach---Never tell your players to line up alphabetically by height. It creates a lot of confusion!!

Until next time...understand leverage...be first to strike and first to drive...

Back again

Well I found this blog spot and thought I would try it out. It is a little easier to run because the instructions are in english...that can be both good and bad for me. Lots of cool computer talk that might as well be in greek for me...but I'll try to manage.

I thought the Super Bowl was a really good and exciting game. The Steelers were excellent, the Cardinals kept killing themselves with penalties. The Steelers seemed to get comfortable, made a few mistakes. Kurt Warner did his magic and Larry Fitzgerald lost the MVP award on the Steelers last play. All in all it was a fan friendly game and we (the Jets) had about 100 people sitting and watching the game.

I renamed me blog to the Linemans dream....So I'll talk a little football and maybe even unleash some good old BBQ recipes from time to time.....

Here in Sweden, football is starting to role into the pre-season....We just had our first camp over the weekend and it was a great camp. We had 6 practices in two days....took just an hour and a half each practice and did nothing but the five fundamentals of football---blocking, tackling, running, catching and throwing....the weather was below freezing and the turf was froze in some spots...it was great to be outside and practicing football again...

The Super-Series is shaping up to be the Stockholm district with special guest, the Carlstad Crusaders....I personally feel that it is time to look at moving to some sort of district play within the country and moving into the play-offs from there....

Cool to see the Junior National team getting reading for the Junior World Championships...that should be a great trip for the guys that make the team...Should be a great motivator for the guys trying to make the team....

Old news is that there will apparently be a change in the Senior staff...tough to take for me...I really thought that we could get somewhere special in 2010...I feel that the national team experience is a great thing...

Was home visiting the family in the States in December through the first of January...it was great to be back home and see the family...My grandma (we affectionately call here Nanny) is 90 and still driving a car and doing her own shopping. It was great to visit with her about all the things she has seen in her lifetime...kind of makes my obsession with winning football games seem kind of small....

College football ended with my Sooners falling short of another national title...It was a good game and I would love to have seen them score on the first possession...Holding on a long completed pass kind of took the air out of them a little....along with the int before half...along with the goal line stand by the Gators...It will be a very interesting season next year with Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy all coming back for another season...I'm not sure if it has ever happened in a season that the three top vote getters and two previous winners have been back for one more year at the same time.....should be interesting to see how it shapes up...and BOOMER SOONER!!

When I was home in enjoyed a great meal with three old Washburn Ichabods...Jared Barge, Joey Hoytal and Buck Rueter...it was a great time for this old coach to re-hash old stories and catch up with these guys who have gone on in life and are doing well....Caught up with another one of my old players, Joe "Mauler" Busby....he was truly a "Mauler" on the field....Great to hear he is doing well....

I'll finish up with tips for the young coach---
Never look at your players as just players....you can never forget that, you, as a coach, may not concentrate on much else, but they have lives outside of the game....Guide the gifted....lead the over achievers and you will be successful...the key will be that you can tell who is really gifted and who is really the over achiever...that is not always easy...
Until next time...Fire out low...bring you hands and feet...when all else fails...cut 'em...