Stopping Speed
We heard there was a team in DC that nobody would play. Theywere thrown out of the Capital Beltway League and the Jabbo Kenner League in DC. George would play anybody that had speed so down New Hampshire Ave.we went.The field looked like a war zone—the buildings were boarded up, the pool had come out of the ground at the small community center, and there was a dice game going on by the school. From around the building, comes the team. They had nice uniformsand marched in two straight rows. They looked disciplined. Their coaches wore long black leather trench coats. At first glance, they didn’t look that big, but they sure did look fast.
The first play from scrimmage taught me everything I needed to know about speed.They ran a wing T which is known for misdirection. At the snap of the ball, it looked like bees going everywhere. I have never seen kids go in so many directions so quick. The back was around their corner and he was gone. We really had never seen that kind of speed and we had a 40 game winning streak. Time for an epiphany and instructions on the fly: “Split the field in half, everybody stay home. Right side: worry about whoever comes to your side. Left side, do the same. If flow goes away, look for misdirection. Later Ray Gordon would come in with a term “BCR: Boot, Counter, Reverse” that we all use. Middle guard and Middle linebacker have the QB. “If he keeps it, break down and kill him.” As GOD as my witness they never got out of the backfield again and I learned the key element of beating speed: Speed is only speed, if the ball carrier gets out of the backfield.
We worked on breaking down, trapping and killing. We beat the team 7 TDs to 1 that night and never worried about playing speed again.
Last But Not Least: Pops
“It’s what you learn after you know everything.”
John Wooten
By 2001 we had experienced a lot of success so I was pretty full of myself. Nelson “Pops” Berry was sitting on some dummies at the first day of tryouts that year. Pops coached with the dream team of coaches back in the 60’s and 70’s. Tom Cook, Joe Hall, Bruce Spiro, John Wooden and Pops were legends in Vienna.
I hadn’t seen him in years. I asked: “Coach, do you want to yell at these kids”. He gets up off the dummies and started yelling and waving his cane around. He scared the hell out of me and the players. The 60’s were back. He took those kids over the hill and all we heard was yelling and crying. That group was never the same. That was the year we won Vienna’s first central championship.
Pops stayed with me for a few years and then moved to North Carolina, but every Sunday we talked. Here’s a powerful Sunday conversation:
Pops: ” There is a big difference between Athletic Arrogance and Arrogance.”
Casey: “Stop”
Silence for 2 minutes. I knew he just said something powerful and I needed to get my arms around it. He waited,
Casey: “Define that”
Pops: ”Athletic Arrogance is a cocktail of PASSION, FEARLESSNESS, AGGRESSION, CONFIDENCE, WORK ETHIC, and HEART, but must be accompanied by “TEAM FIRST” MENTALITY, HUMILITY and the DISCIPLINE and INTELLIGENCE to know when to use which trait.”
Arrogance- ”are A*&^%$#.” Let’s just say you will know it when you see it and you won’t like it.
That explains why people:
Love Michael Jordan and don’t LeBron James.
Love Jerry Rice and not TO.
Love the old Brett Favre and not the new Brett Favre.
Respect the new Kobe more than the old Kobe.
Love Alex Ovechkin and not Albert Hainesworth.
Like Derek Jeter and not Alex Rodrigez.
Like the Pittsburgh Steelers and not the Dallas Cowboys.
If someone in youth leagues, high school or college had just taught the right column about “Humility” and “Team First” mentality, they would be on the left column.
It was Pops who brought: Humility, caring, passion and a huge knowledge base to our Plan.
Pops forces thoughtfulness and self examination. He makes me write out everything that went wrong in a “Pops list” after every game and season. This allows you to open your eyes, evolve and get better every week. As the season goes on the Pops list gets smaller and smaller as the team nears perfection and the championship run. One of the most powerful quotes in the book is:
Turn your weakness into your strengths
Darryl Royal
The Pop’s list helps you do just that. Every team needs a Pops.
Developing Your Plan
The “Plan” is a team’s operating manual. It is built from the experiences and information the coach has deveolped and includes: How you build your staff and your team, your offense and defense, your drills, communication system, how you set expectations, practice schedules, pre game routines, game management systems, and off the grid games. It also lays out what you want the players and families to take with them when the season is over.
Here is the recipe for “Our Plan”.
From VYI:
Get great players who have been trained in fundamentals by experienced coaches for the past 4-5 years. They bring with them supportive parents who run everything behind the scenes.
From The United States Marine Corp:
Add precision, perfection, work ethic, warrior mentality and discipline as well as the ability to improvise and inspire,
From Buddy Allison:
Take the ability to have fun, learn the key to the draft (GLMs) and bring Marine traits onto the football field.
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