Back from Phoenix

I just spent the past 3 and a half days down in Phoenix with Joe and Jim talking as much Austrian football as we could muster. It was really good to finally meet Joe and get to know him a little bit. He is an interesting guy with lots of stories and I know we are going to get along really well. Joe also gave me his entire defensive video playbook to digest in the next couple of weeks. Suffice it to say there is a lot to learn about his defense, but I am excited about the challenge.

Our team roster is going to be fairly small and is going to be in flux until we get there and see the whites of every ones eyes. In some ways, it isn't much different than being at SJU where you plan on having certain guys, but you can't be for certain until they actually show up on the first day. We will still have the same 4 American players, but the rest of our European roster is yet to be determined. There should be a good mix of players from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and a couple other parts of central Europe.

Due to the roster being small, we will have guys playing both offense and defense. This will also affect how we practice since guys will have to learn and play both sides of the ball. It is going to be different from what I am used to at SJU, but not completely foreign to myself or Jim. Both of us had players going both ways when we coached high school so we understand some of the difficulties it presents. At the same time, I kind of like it because more guys are invested in the total team success. Not just the offensive or defensive success. You win and lose with a small core and everyone will have to play a part for us to be successful.

One of the more interesting challenges will be the availability of the American players depending upon the league. Since we are playing in multiple leagues, there are multiple rules regarding the eligibility of the American players. In some games we can dress all 4 and 3 can be on the field at the same time. This is obviously ideal since we have a QB, LB/FB, WR/DB, and a WR/DB. Naturally you can see how we can be flexible and put the right 3 guys out there in this case. In other games, we will be able to dress 3 and play 3 and in others we can only dress 2 and play 2. This will obviously affect our game plan and our ability to do certain things. Kind of a messed up deal for the players, but as a friend of mine once said "those who are flexible are not easily bent out of shape." We will make it work and we have to keep in mind that our opponents will be playing with the same rules.

While in Arizona, we took the opportunity to watch a lot of film on our players as well as take a look at our first opponent. After watching our guys, I have to say that I feel really good about our American players. We should be awfully strong at the skill positions with the Americans and a few of the Europeans. There are quite a few guys that can play. It should be a lot of fun figuring out the best ways to get the ball into their hands.

Things don't look quite as strong on the offensive line. They are lacking quite a bit of fundamentals and technique. That is where Jim and his expertise should come into play. Jim made a career out building great offensive lines and riding them. I have no doubt that our offensive line will improve greatly over the course of the season and we will lean on them at times.

Right now I am taking the time to pack up most of my belongings and put them into storage. It is a long process and one of those things that is a necessary evil. I suppose I should get used to it if I am planning on living the life of a coach. At least it will give me a chance to go through my things and weed out and give away or throw the things I no longer need. The last 18 months has been the longest I have lived in one place in the past 6 years. I must say it has been nice. I am going to miss this little place in Waite Park, but as with all things we close one chapter and open another. And this chapter just happens to be opening up half way across the world in Austria.

In preparation for the journey, I recently made a couple of purchases that are borderline necessary. One of the things that I did need was new luggage. I bought a new 3 piece set with 2 big pieces that I am planning on maxing out and pushing the 50 pound weight limit the the max. As anyone who has traveled with me can attest, I tend to over pack and I have intentions of doing so once again. I figure I at least have a good excuse this time. If I am going to pick up and move my life half way across the world, well then I am going to take as much as I possibly can.

The other things that I purchased are a new laptop, an ipod, and 4 new books. My laptop will be used for football things as well as personal use. Quite frankly, I couldn't really imagine not having access to my own computer. I have grown far too accustomed to having one and internet access as well. It is part of my daily routine now with reading the paper online and checking my email. On top of that it will be nice to have my own work station to watch film. I work much better when I can watch things for myself at least one time and then bring what I see to the rest of the staff where we talk and figure out things together.

The ipod, well it is my want but don't need purchase. If there is one thing that I learned while I was in Spain, it is that no matter how versed one becomes in another language we want to hear our native language spoken. Hence the ipod full of American music and the ability to download podcasts. Which bring me to my other purchase. I got 2 John Feinstein books. One about the final four called "Last Dance" and the other about a season in the NFL titled "Next Man Up." The others are a book about legendary Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and one about the band Motley Crue called "The Dirt." I don't anticipate it being a book full of classy and well behaved individuals, but hopefully entertaining. As is most often the case with my choice of literature, they all carry strong elements of true life. I know it pains my mother, but give me a true story over classic fiction any day.

Lastly, if you are reading this please don't hesitate to leave comments. I would love to know that people are reading my blog and enjoying it. If you have questions and want to know more leave a comment and I will try to answer ASAP.