Ok, on January 9th I left for Orlando, Florida and the AFCA convention. On January 14, I left my hotel at 05.10 to catch an 08.00 flight from Orlando to Chicago then to OKC...spent from the 14th to the 19th with the family back in Blanchard then left the 20th at 07.00 to head back to Sweden and arrived at 07.30 on the 21st...I have yet to get myself on a schedule...which leads to this late night (early morning) Blogg update...
6 THINGS I LEARNED ON THIS TRIP:
1. There is no more motivation to lose weight than fly economy on 6 flights in 10 days.
2. I spoke to more stangers in 10 days in the states than I have in 8 years in Sweden. No offense to my Swedish friends, but people are just more open in the states.
3. There were 8000 coaches at the AFCA convention...I think that is more than the number of players we have in Sweden.
4. I am amazed at the number of people that travel around the world on a daily basis. Truly amazing..
5. My oldest son is 21...He is a man...I am proud.
6. The beer and the coffee in Sweden is better than in the States...it's just true...
THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT WORDS FOR MY TEAM THIS SEASON:
1. Belief
2. Communication
3. Understanding
4. Perserverance
5. Fun
5 THINGS I WONDER IF I WILL EVER SEE AGAIN IN MY LIFETIME:
1. A 40 year old QB with a chance to take his team to a Super Bowl and either play against a Rookie QB on the Cinderella team of the year..or against the team led by maybe the best to ever play the position. Everybody was "sick of Bret Farve" 3 months ago...now they wait on the edge of thier seats to see if the story ends like a typical Hollywood ending or a Quentin Tarrentino movie.
2. My Sooners to have another decade like they had the last 10 years. Not totally sure on all this (since I do this for fun, I won't research these facts but I think I got 'em) 1 national championship, 4 times playing for the national championship, 6 time Big 12 Champions...and some people aren't sure if Bob can get it done...I do hope we get a chance to see what can happen in the next 10 years...
3. Seeing 3 major college coaches getting fired for "alleged mistreatment of players". Hope we never see that again. Not saying anyone is guilty or innocent, but that's just not good news...
4. My 300 pound Center score on a deflected screen pass....from 24 yards out...still amazing...
5. My feet...man, I gotta lose some weight...again...
OK, enjoy the random thoughts brought about by jet lag...big football weekend back in the Mother land...I will say....Vikes and Jets...just because it would make for some unbelievable analysis of how it happened..
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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....
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....
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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!!
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!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
How About a New Years Resolution
Well here it is a few days left of 2009. I have to ask, "where has the time gone!" The old kliche that the older you get the faster time goes is amazingly true. This time of the year, is when we all decide what we are going to do to make 2010 "the best year yet." I am still trying to decide what to do with 2009!!
One thing is for sure, I think I'll try to divide my life up into needs and wants...I think that would be a good start. Regarding the old blogg, I guess it's time to restart that also. I think that writing a blogg can be a nice and relaxing thing to do. I will use it as therapy in what will be a hectic 2010..So I hope it goes good with the posts and I hope I can keep it interesting.
LETTING GO:
After much, much contemplation, I have decided to take a "time out" from the Swedish National Team. It is due to some personal issues we as a family are dealing with. I can tell you that I have never anguished over something for so long. I have been involved in either the Senior and/or Jr National teams since the fall of 2002. I have served as everything from a position coach to Head coach and enjoyed every minute of it. One thing that led to the decision to take the time out was my experience as HC. When I was HC, my son was born and spent 2 months in intensive care. I was given the opporutnity to take a time out and come back when everything was better. I did not do that, because, right or wrong, I was too pumped about getting to be HC for Team Sweden in the world championships. Long story short, I don't feel like I was as focused as I could have been during the early camps and that will always bother me. Now the second time around, I know that it is better to make this decision now, deal with the situation of my Father-in-law be sick and then move on later.
All that being said, I will go on record as saying that the direction the National Team is going right now is the best direction I have seen it go in all my years of being involved. The National Team Acadamies that are held once a month is the best thing to have happened to National team football in my time here. We always worked hard in the "old days" and the players were good and the coaches were good. The EM championship in 2005 was not an accident. But with the acadamies, players are given an incredable opportunity to develop. Both physically and mentally. Also, in regards to football itself , they are given opportunities to train one time a month. This should lead to a faster development and a more technical and fundamentally sound football player. I expect this to show in the EM 2010 in Frankfurt. We (Sweden) will be defending EM champs, but having lost in the VM to Germany in the bronze medal match. Then getting drummed by them in 2008, we (Sweden) have alot to prove. But the acadmies are a great thing and Janne Jemnert should get the credit to pulling it off. Now we'll see how it goes this summer. Heja Sverige!!
HAVE YOU READ:
Got my autographed copy of the book by Peter King "Monday Morning Quarterback." I would highly reccomend this book if you enjoy sports journalism. I couldn't put the book down and I can tell you that you will laugh out loud and you will wipe a tear from the corner of you eye as you read this book!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR:
OK, B.D. is back in the blogg business....hope you all have a Happy New Year and I hope that 2010 beats your own expectations!!
One thing is for sure, I think I'll try to divide my life up into needs and wants...I think that would be a good start. Regarding the old blogg, I guess it's time to restart that also. I think that writing a blogg can be a nice and relaxing thing to do. I will use it as therapy in what will be a hectic 2010..So I hope it goes good with the posts and I hope I can keep it interesting.
LETTING GO:
After much, much contemplation, I have decided to take a "time out" from the Swedish National Team. It is due to some personal issues we as a family are dealing with. I can tell you that I have never anguished over something for so long. I have been involved in either the Senior and/or Jr National teams since the fall of 2002. I have served as everything from a position coach to Head coach and enjoyed every minute of it. One thing that led to the decision to take the time out was my experience as HC. When I was HC, my son was born and spent 2 months in intensive care. I was given the opporutnity to take a time out and come back when everything was better. I did not do that, because, right or wrong, I was too pumped about getting to be HC for Team Sweden in the world championships. Long story short, I don't feel like I was as focused as I could have been during the early camps and that will always bother me. Now the second time around, I know that it is better to make this decision now, deal with the situation of my Father-in-law be sick and then move on later.
All that being said, I will go on record as saying that the direction the National Team is going right now is the best direction I have seen it go in all my years of being involved. The National Team Acadamies that are held once a month is the best thing to have happened to National team football in my time here. We always worked hard in the "old days" and the players were good and the coaches were good. The EM championship in 2005 was not an accident. But with the acadamies, players are given an incredable opportunity to develop. Both physically and mentally. Also, in regards to football itself , they are given opportunities to train one time a month. This should lead to a faster development and a more technical and fundamentally sound football player. I expect this to show in the EM 2010 in Frankfurt. We (Sweden) will be defending EM champs, but having lost in the VM to Germany in the bronze medal match. Then getting drummed by them in 2008, we (Sweden) have alot to prove. But the acadmies are a great thing and Janne Jemnert should get the credit to pulling it off. Now we'll see how it goes this summer. Heja Sverige!!
HAVE YOU READ:
Got my autographed copy of the book by Peter King "Monday Morning Quarterback." I would highly reccomend this book if you enjoy sports journalism. I couldn't put the book down and I can tell you that you will laugh out loud and you will wipe a tear from the corner of you eye as you read this book!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR:
OK, B.D. is back in the blogg business....hope you all have a Happy New Year and I hope that 2010 beats your own expectations!!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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...
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...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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...
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...
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