Long story short, we lost 27-0. Long story long, it was the worst field conditions that I have ever seen or been associated. There was a cold rain that started when we arrived at the stadium and never quit. It wasn't a hard driving rain, but just a constant steady drizzle. Quite frankly, it was miserable. By the end, there was not a single blade of green grass between the hashes from 25 to the 25. Just a mud bowl. Go here http://foto-bluedevils.npage.de/blue_devils_2_19759742.html and that will tell much of the story.
Consequently, our vaunted passing game became pretty much worthless. Not so much because of the field conditions and the rain, but more because of the mud and a constantly wet ball. We struggled to run the ball consistently as well. They were blitzing us and daring us to try and throw the ball. We tried, but it just wasn't happening because we were unable to throw the ball down the field and make them pay for their blitzing.
Conversely, the weather played right into the Vikings hands. They were bigger and more physcial, but not as fast or athletic. It was one of those days where everything went right for them and we could not get anything going. Even with all of that, I was really proud of the way our guys continued to fight and to battle. They never gave up and never threw in the towel. I truly believe that if we play them again on a beautiful July day we will give them all they can handle and then some.
Everything else besides the game was splendid. Travel went off without a hitch and our accomodations were very nice. I give the Vikings and their whole organization a lot of credit. They are first class and do everything the right way. I can tell why they are one of the premier football clubs in Europe. They put on a good show and make everything an event. Pregame introductions were like an NFL or Division 1 college game; Running out from under the stadium, fireworks for introductions, and even flameshooters for Vikings individual introductions. Go to youtube and search for Vienna Vikings introductions and that is exactly what it was like. A fun atmosphere and pretty cool if you ask me.
Things outside of football are going fine, although I am not really sure what those things are. Pretty much all of my time and energy is devoted to football. This is good and this is bad. When things are going well and falling into place it is great. When we are struggling and trying to figure things out it sucks. The saving grace is that the 4 of us coaches get along well and no one has tried to kill another person yet. We spend virtually all of our time together and the biggest accomplishment of the season will be us not killing each other.
There is a lot of frusration around here at the moment. Not so much because of the game, but due to a number of different things. Primarily being our lack of players and depth. The rules over here reagarding player eligibility are making it even harder as well. It is like the cards are stacked against us. At times it feels as though we are banging our heads against the wall.
It is hard trying to figure out how to maximize as much as possible out of the players and team when there are 5-6 guys going both ways and we only practice 2-3 times a week. I must detach myself sometimes just to keep from going crazy. If I get too worked up or worry too much about things I know I won't make it. Things are just so much different. Jim and I were talking and we would compare the program and organization as a whole to a low level Minnesota high school football program. It is a struggle and a grind to keep our heads above water.
I think it would be fair to say that we are all waiting for the weather to break. There was a glimmer of hope last week when it was beautiful for 2 days straight last week. It quickly faded though and it has been dreary and overcast since. I would say that since I have been here there has been maybe 4 or 5 really nice sunny days. All I can say is there better be some beautiful, sunny days come June and July to make up for this crappy weather.
That is all I have for today. I will post some non football related items later in the week. I have been doing quite a bit of reading and have had a lot of time to think so I will share my brilliant or not so brilliant thoughts at that time. Lastly, I want to send out a belated big congrats to Brandon Mensink and Ali Hempel on the birth of their son Jack Henry. I can't wait to get back to the states to see the little bugger.
Hope all is well back home. Take care
--Josh
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
A Win is a Win
The trip to Budapest was a success all the way around. We ended up winning the game 39-7 and everyone made it there and back just fine. The game wasn't nearly as pretty as the score would indicate. A win is a win none the less and it gives a starting point to move from. There is a lot of work to be done and we must get much better in order to get to where we want to go.
While we won fairly handily, there were some down spots. Most importantly, we got hit by the injury bug which we can't afford. Joe Sturdivant injured a knee and will be out this week as well as next week. That really hurts because Joe is a guy we could plug into multiple spots on both offense and defense plus he is a great leader and teammate. Also OL/DL Tobi Biehl got a knee injury and was out for the second half of the game. Heading into this weeks game, he will likely play, but he is going to be less than %100.
The game itself was quite the experience. A big cluster if you will. Suffice it to say, I have been involved in sandlot pickup games that were more well organized and cleanly run. This was due to a number of factors. #1 The officiating was anywhere from terrible to downright dreadful. They just don't have enough experience or know how to properly interperate the rules to make quality calls. #2 The f
ield was 90 yards long and probably about 47 yards wide. So not a regulation field because it was on a soccer field. #3 No game clock or play clock. The officials had both the game and play clock on their watch. The play clock was ridiculously fast too. It would start almost immediately after the play was whistled dead. That forced us to rush a little bit with our play calls and getting them into the huddle. #4 We were traveling with a skelton crew. This meant no athletic trainer or no one in charge of water/equipment. #5 Like I mentioned before, the travel was going to be a grind and it most certainly was. All in all, the travel was as smooth as possible and went off without a hitch.
The city of Budapest was like you would expect a formet Soviet bloc city to look like. There were parts that looked amazing and just like any major industrialized city. Other parts looked very rough and poor. After the game we had dinner downtown and spent a few hours walking around and taking pictures. We then jumped on the bus to Vienna and then took the train back to Hohenems. I went to bed at 7 in the evening and didn't wake up until morning. I was exhausted.
Now we are preparing to play the Vienna Vikings and we will have our hands full. They are one of the premier teams in Austria and all of Europe. As you might imagine, they have a bit more money and a better set up than we do. We plan on giving them all they can handle and we do have the benefit of having played a game while this will be their first game of the year.
That is all for now. Hope all is well back home. Take care
--Josh
While we won fairly handily, there were some down spots. Most importantly, we got hit by the injury bug which we can't afford. Joe Sturdivant injured a knee and will be out this week as well as next week. That really hurts because Joe is a guy we could plug into multiple spots on both offense and defense plus he is a great leader and teammate. Also OL/DL Tobi Biehl got a knee injury and was out for the second half of the game. Heading into this weeks game, he will likely play, but he is going to be less than %100.
The game itself was quite the experience. A big cluster if you will. Suffice it to say, I have been involved in sandlot pickup games that were more well organized and cleanly run. This was due to a number of factors. #1 The officiating was anywhere from terrible to downright dreadful. They just don't have enough experience or know how to properly interperate the rules to make quality calls. #2 The f
ield was 90 yards long and probably about 47 yards wide. So not a regulation field because it was on a soccer field. #3 No game clock or play clock. The officials had both the game and play clock on their watch. The play clock was ridiculously fast too. It would start almost immediately after the play was whistled dead. That forced us to rush a little bit with our play calls and getting them into the huddle. #4 We were traveling with a skelton crew. This meant no athletic trainer or no one in charge of water/equipment. #5 Like I mentioned before, the travel was going to be a grind and it most certainly was. All in all, the travel was as smooth as possible and went off without a hitch.
The city of Budapest was like you would expect a formet Soviet bloc city to look like. There were parts that looked amazing and just like any major industrialized city. Other parts looked very rough and poor. After the game we had dinner downtown and spent a few hours walking around and taking pictures. We then jumped on the bus to Vienna and then took the train back to Hohenems. I went to bed at 7 in the evening and didn't wake up until morning. I was exhausted.
Now we are preparing to play the Vienna Vikings and we will have our hands full. They are one of the premier teams in Austria and all of Europe. As you might imagine, they have a bit more money and a better set up than we do. We plan on giving them all they can handle and we do have the benefit of having played a game while this will be their first game of the year.
That is all for now. Hope all is well back home. Take care
--Josh
Friday, March 20, 2009
Game time baby!
Our first game is finally upon us. We will be taking on the Budapest Wolves in a CEFL game. It should be a good game and it will really tell us where we are at. I am nervous and curious to see how we will perform given our limited amount of practice time. To be perfectly honest, we are not ready for this game. None the less, it will be played anyways. The way I have figured it, we have had 14 2 hour practices prior to this game and a scrimmage. That practice time has been split between offense and defense as well. In the states, that would be like playing a game after 1 week of two a days. On top of that, not all of the players and starters have been at every practice.
Even with all of that, I will be disappointed if we don't execute in certain areas and come away with a win. Our limited scouting report is that they should be big, but slow. Conversely we will be small, but fast and athletic. As long as we can protect the QB, I feel as though we should be able to move the ball. Our skill guys are as good as any and they can run by and around anyone. If there is one thing that I learned at SJU, it is that you can get away without having a great front if your skill guys are just better than theirs. Mistakes and plays made on the perimeter turn into touchdowns. Mistakes and plays made between the tackles turn into yards.
Our final import arrived this week. OL/DL Chris Osborne from Elizabeth City State University arrived on Tuesday. He will provide us with an anchor on offense and a big run stuffer and pile mover on defense. From the two practices that I have seen him, I believe that Chris should fit in great and fills a big need for us. In some ways, it may be a blessing in disguise that Zach Sledge ended up getting hurt. Given our depth and skill on the perimeter and our lack of depth on the offensive and defensive front, it is nice to be able to bring someone in who will help us there.
As I am writing this, our American players along with Jim, Joe, and Christoph are traveling to Budapest. The Americans and Christoph are taking a car there, while Jim and Joe are taking the train along with all of the equipment. Myself, Luis, and the rest of the team are leaving at 5:15 am tomorrow and busing up to Stuttgart (a 2 and a half hour ride) and then flying to Budapest. We will land approximately 3 hours before kickoff. It has been a logistical nightmare getting everything organized and ready to go. There have been about 8 different travel plans since I have been here for this game. As I have mentioned before, this is Europe and they do things different. None of this go the day before and stay in a hotel. No, you see that costs money that is not available. Consequently everything must be done as cheaply as possible. The almighty dollar(or Euro here) rules. So if that means that the team must wake up at 4 am and travel on game day, then so be it. Long story short, it is the road trip from hell.
Something that has been surprising for me is my lack of homesickness. I miss certain things about the states, but not so much where I am dying to go back home. When I committed to do this thing, I knew how long it would be. I committed for the long haul and I have the mind set that I am going to be here until July so there is no use longing for things that I can't have. It also helps that I feel purposeful and am doing something that I love. The sights, the smells, and the sounds of the game are absolutely wonderful to be experiencing again. There are just certain things that I just love about this game. The smell of the locker room, the sound of pads cracking against each other, the sight of a perfectly executed play. It doesn't get much better than that.
On top of that, I feel very invested in this teams successes and failures. Both Joe and Jim have given me a lot of rope and allowed me to coach and teach and I am extremely grateful for that. Jim has been very liberal in allowing me to coach the offense and the passing game especially. He said from the beginning that the two of us would work as a team and that input and ideas needs to flow freely between us. So far that has worked well for us and I imagine it will continue to do so.
That is all I have for now. I will report back sometime next week with how the game went. If you want to follow the team more closely, you can go to the team website www.blue-devils.at. Or if you want to read the web page in English and not German, google Hohenems Blue Devils and hit the translate button. It isn't a great translation, but it is better than nothing.
Hope all is well back home. Take care
--Josh
Even with all of that, I will be disappointed if we don't execute in certain areas and come away with a win. Our limited scouting report is that they should be big, but slow. Conversely we will be small, but fast and athletic. As long as we can protect the QB, I feel as though we should be able to move the ball. Our skill guys are as good as any and they can run by and around anyone. If there is one thing that I learned at SJU, it is that you can get away without having a great front if your skill guys are just better than theirs. Mistakes and plays made on the perimeter turn into touchdowns. Mistakes and plays made between the tackles turn into yards.
Our final import arrived this week. OL/DL Chris Osborne from Elizabeth City State University arrived on Tuesday. He will provide us with an anchor on offense and a big run stuffer and pile mover on defense. From the two practices that I have seen him, I believe that Chris should fit in great and fills a big need for us. In some ways, it may be a blessing in disguise that Zach Sledge ended up getting hurt. Given our depth and skill on the perimeter and our lack of depth on the offensive and defensive front, it is nice to be able to bring someone in who will help us there.
As I am writing this, our American players along with Jim, Joe, and Christoph are traveling to Budapest. The Americans and Christoph are taking a car there, while Jim and Joe are taking the train along with all of the equipment. Myself, Luis, and the rest of the team are leaving at 5:15 am tomorrow and busing up to Stuttgart (a 2 and a half hour ride) and then flying to Budapest. We will land approximately 3 hours before kickoff. It has been a logistical nightmare getting everything organized and ready to go. There have been about 8 different travel plans since I have been here for this game. As I have mentioned before, this is Europe and they do things different. None of this go the day before and stay in a hotel. No, you see that costs money that is not available. Consequently everything must be done as cheaply as possible. The almighty dollar(or Euro here) rules. So if that means that the team must wake up at 4 am and travel on game day, then so be it. Long story short, it is the road trip from hell.
Something that has been surprising for me is my lack of homesickness. I miss certain things about the states, but not so much where I am dying to go back home. When I committed to do this thing, I knew how long it would be. I committed for the long haul and I have the mind set that I am going to be here until July so there is no use longing for things that I can't have. It also helps that I feel purposeful and am doing something that I love. The sights, the smells, and the sounds of the game are absolutely wonderful to be experiencing again. There are just certain things that I just love about this game. The smell of the locker room, the sound of pads cracking against each other, the sight of a perfectly executed play. It doesn't get much better than that.
On top of that, I feel very invested in this teams successes and failures. Both Joe and Jim have given me a lot of rope and allowed me to coach and teach and I am extremely grateful for that. Jim has been very liberal in allowing me to coach the offense and the passing game especially. He said from the beginning that the two of us would work as a team and that input and ideas needs to flow freely between us. So far that has worked well for us and I imagine it will continue to do so.
That is all I have for now. I will report back sometime next week with how the game went. If you want to follow the team more closely, you can go to the team website www.blue-devils.at. Or if you want to read the web page in English and not German, google Hohenems Blue Devils and hit the translate button. It isn't a great translation, but it is better than nothing.
Hope all is well back home. Take care
--Josh
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Successful Training Camp
Our training camp has concluded with a successful scrimmage against the Zurich Renegades. Camp went well and we were able to install most of our offense and defense. We did have to content with some sub par weather though. On Wednesday morning we went through the 4 seasons in a two hour practice. There was dreary, cold rain, snow, and then pleasant sunshine. Kind of crazy, but it is what you get in a mountain town this time of year.
The best part of the whole camp and scrimmage was that we came away without any injuries. Not even a hold your breath just get up type of moment either. A team with as few players as us can not afford to lose even one player.
The Renegades were a solid team and a great matchup to see where we are at. It was a very even scrimmage throughout. Both teams made some plays and did some good and not so good things. We were very sharp during our 7 on 7 period and threw the ball fairly well when we went 11 on 11 as well. That was certainly encouraging since we have felt from the beginning that would be a strength.
Our run game and line play was solid at times and suspect at others. Right now that is without a doubt my biggest fear and concern. We need to get better on the offensive line or we won't be able to do much of anything. All great teams can run the ball and right now we are struggling to consistently do that. We have flashes and moments, but not enough consistency. There is help on the way though.
Chris Osborne a OL/DL from Elizabeth City College is arriving on Tuesday and will immediately make a difference for us. #1 because he will be another guy who will always be at practice. #2 because he should be the anchor for our offensive line as well as be an impact player at DT. He won't be playing in our first game vs Budapest Wolves since two practices isn't enough time to digest an entire offensive and defensive playbook. On top of that, this is a game where we get a 3-3. Meaning we can dress 3 Americans and play 3 Americans. It doesn't make sense to sit down one of our Americans who has been here the whole time and understands the entire offense and defense.
The weather here is slowly, but surely starting to change. We are right at that point where winter meets spring. Also known as mud season. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I certainly would like some nicer weather, but at the same time it is gorgeous around here with snow on the mountains.
I kind of find it hard to believe that I have now been here for almost a month. Seems like just yesterday I was packing up my apartment and running all of these errands just to get ready to leave. I think that I have found a good routine and will enjoy my time here. Things are different, but the football has been great despite some of the challenges. No matter where in the world I am, it feels good to be coaching and teaching football.
The best part of the whole camp and scrimmage was that we came away without any injuries. Not even a hold your breath just get up type of moment either. A team with as few players as us can not afford to lose even one player.
The Renegades were a solid team and a great matchup to see where we are at. It was a very even scrimmage throughout. Both teams made some plays and did some good and not so good things. We were very sharp during our 7 on 7 period and threw the ball fairly well when we went 11 on 11 as well. That was certainly encouraging since we have felt from the beginning that would be a strength.
Our run game and line play was solid at times and suspect at others. Right now that is without a doubt my biggest fear and concern. We need to get better on the offensive line or we won't be able to do much of anything. All great teams can run the ball and right now we are struggling to consistently do that. We have flashes and moments, but not enough consistency. There is help on the way though.
Chris Osborne a OL/DL from Elizabeth City College is arriving on Tuesday and will immediately make a difference for us. #1 because he will be another guy who will always be at practice. #2 because he should be the anchor for our offensive line as well as be an impact player at DT. He won't be playing in our first game vs Budapest Wolves since two practices isn't enough time to digest an entire offensive and defensive playbook. On top of that, this is a game where we get a 3-3. Meaning we can dress 3 Americans and play 3 Americans. It doesn't make sense to sit down one of our Americans who has been here the whole time and understands the entire offense and defense.
The weather here is slowly, but surely starting to change. We are right at that point where winter meets spring. Also known as mud season. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I certainly would like some nicer weather, but at the same time it is gorgeous around here with snow on the mountains.
I kind of find it hard to believe that I have now been here for almost a month. Seems like just yesterday I was packing up my apartment and running all of these errands just to get ready to leave. I think that I have found a good routine and will enjoy my time here. Things are different, but the football has been great despite some of the challenges. No matter where in the world I am, it feels good to be coaching and teaching football.
Monday, March 9, 2009
American arrival
We finally have our whole team here. Well at least for the most part. Our 3 American import players arrived last Monday. They have been spending a lot of time getting adjusted to things here as well as us coaches trying to give them a crash course in our schemes. It is less than 2 weeks until our first game and suffice it to say that there is a lot of work to be done.
We are going to kind of mesh what our American players are familiar with and run it along with what Jim and I are familiar with at St Johns. It didn't make a lot of sense to not mesh the two. No use forcing something on the Americans that doesn't fit their skill set. Long story short, we brought over some thoroughbreds and we plan on riding them as far as they will take us.
Now that we have our American players here we have finally gotten a chance to really put in both our offensive and defensive schemes. Prior to them getting here, we kind of had to keep things real generic and just work on skill development. That is all well and good, but at the end of the day you have to be able to run some offensive plays as well.
Our training camp starts this Wednesday and we will have 2 a days until Saturday commencing with a scrimmage against the Zurich Renegades. It will be nice to see some different schemes and personnel to work against. I am sure that there will still be a lot of work to do even after camp, but we should have a much better feel for where we are at and what needs to be done before the first game.
I have said it before, but I will say it again, things are just different here. Our squad is quite small so practice can be quite a challenge at times. Just running a full 7 on 7 or 11 on 11 period doesn't work at times because we just don't have the bodies. Guys will drive a distance of up to 2 hours just to make it to practice. The European players here love the game and want to work, there just isn't enough of them. Again, it makes me appreciate having 160 guys at practice like we do at St Johns.
Hope all is well back home. Take care
--Josh
We are going to kind of mesh what our American players are familiar with and run it along with what Jim and I are familiar with at St Johns. It didn't make a lot of sense to not mesh the two. No use forcing something on the Americans that doesn't fit their skill set. Long story short, we brought over some thoroughbreds and we plan on riding them as far as they will take us.
Now that we have our American players here we have finally gotten a chance to really put in both our offensive and defensive schemes. Prior to them getting here, we kind of had to keep things real generic and just work on skill development. That is all well and good, but at the end of the day you have to be able to run some offensive plays as well.
Our training camp starts this Wednesday and we will have 2 a days until Saturday commencing with a scrimmage against the Zurich Renegades. It will be nice to see some different schemes and personnel to work against. I am sure that there will still be a lot of work to do even after camp, but we should have a much better feel for where we are at and what needs to be done before the first game.
I have said it before, but I will say it again, things are just different here. Our squad is quite small so practice can be quite a challenge at times. Just running a full 7 on 7 or 11 on 11 period doesn't work at times because we just don't have the bodies. Guys will drive a distance of up to 2 hours just to make it to practice. The European players here love the game and want to work, there just isn't enough of them. Again, it makes me appreciate having 160 guys at practice like we do at St Johns.
Hope all is well back home. Take care
--Josh
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