Regionalliga Mitte Champions!

Last week my squad, the Kaiserslautern Pikes, completed our season with a 27-0 win over the Frankfurt Universe.  The game was special for multiple reasons:

1)      We completed the season 10-0 and were crowned Regionalliga Mitte Champions

2)      We set single game home attendance record with over 1600 fans attending the game.

3)      It was the first championship that I won as a coach on any level.

The feeling I had as the clock started winding down is tough to explain.  At the time it was exciting, but there wasn’t an outward amount of emotion on my part.  To me it was just another game, another win.  This was something that I had stressed the week before to me my team, as we didn’t changed anything in our routine and maybe I had just conditioned my mind to think that way throughout the entire day. 

The celebration was great!  The management had arranged for T-Shirts right after the game, and we even had a champagne celebration.  I was given the customary “Gatorade” bath…..multiple times, which ultimately destroyed my phone.  But still the impact of what we had just accomplished had not hit me, until two days later. 

As a coach I have never finished a season undefeated, and as a player I only did that once as a JV football player.  I don’t care what league you play in, winning all your games is special.  We had our close calls and a bounce here or there might have had alter that course, but it didn’t.  I stressed to my players that this will be something we all look back on 20-25 years from now and we can reflect on special it was.  I only wished I had told myself that as the game was ending.   I still get that “euphoria” feeling as I think back to that game that is only 8 days old as I write this.  This is something that every coach who works his butt off for his team deserves at least once.

I would like to thank my assistant coaches, Shawn Miles and Mike Castro (though I don’t they read my ramblings).  Both of these guys volunteered their time to help our team achieve our goals.  I imagined it was just as tough for them as it was for me to mesh together as a coaching staff.  They did a great job the whole year and stuck with our team through some tough times during the season. 

Now its’ off to the 2^nd Division.  The offseason can be tricky in Germany as turnover is inevitable, I really like the core group of guys we have but with every team on ever level you sometimes have to make some tough decisions regarding personnel.  Just because we have moved up to 2^nd Division doesn’t mean I’m satisfied.  I want to do more then just compete, I want to move up again.  

Happy Football Season Start Day!

Good Luck to my coaching brothers in Texas and Indiana as today is the beginning of fall camp, while I believe Wisconsin and Florida begin next week.  Best of luck to everyone, as I wish you a injury free camp!

Who's your all-time team?

In two weeks I will have concluded my 13th season as a football coach. During that span I have worked with 5 different teams and have had the pleasure of coaching several players during this team.  As with other coaches, I've had players of all kinds of ability.  So I was thinking, who are some of the players that I consider the "best" I have coached? Here it is, my list of some of the best players I've ever had the chance to coach by position.

Quarterback: Jeff Donovan--Wauwatosa East High School.

Jeff is and probably will be the best quarterback that I will have the chance to coach.  He was 2 time All-State and Player of the Year in Wisconsin. Jeff would go on to a great career in both football and baseball, winning a National Championship as the starting quarterback at UW-Whitewater.

Running Back: Eric Walton--Kaiserslautern Pikes, German Football League

Eric is my current running back and has been outstanding.  I've only had him for 8 games thus far but I'm comfortable putting him on this list.  In 8 games Eric has accumulated over 2100 yards and 23 TD, which is impressive in any league.  

Wide Receiver: D.J. Cupertino--Wauwatosa East High School

Tosa East was one of my most successful stops.  We had a influx of talent during my 4 years there, including a very good receiving corp my last year.  D.J. was a terrific player, who also played DB for us.  One of my favorite moments from his Senior season was in our opening round playoff game and the team went for a surprise onside kick, only kicked it 8 yards but didn't touch it.  D.J. being both intelligent and sneaky swooped in, picked up the ball and returned to the 2 or 3. To this day D.J. remains one of my favorite players of all time.

Offensive Line: Nico Dohring--Kaiserslautern Pikes, Kai Lehmann--Kaiserslautern Pikes, Ryan Stasinski--Wauwatosa East, Alex Alzade--Wauwatosa East, Greg Kowalski--Milwaukee Pius

Nico and Kai are the two linemen who have helped Eric achieve his great success.  I'm a firm believer that if these guys were placed in a United States youth program both would have gotten scholarships to NCAA schools.  Ryan and Alex were two classes apart both were expected to make an impact.  Alex was part of one of the best Tosa East squads in school history, one that should have went to the State Finals instead of losing in the 1st round of the playoffs.  Ryan anchor another good offensive line 3 years later that ended up being one of the best offensives in school history.  Greg, unfortunately never experienced such team success.  Our teams at Pius were challenging for a variety of reason on and off the field.  The thing about Greg was that he never complained.  He wanted to get better, and he did claiming all-conference honors his senior year.

That's my list.  For the record I've been a offensive guy the vast majority of my 13 seasons.  I have witnessed some really good defensive players during this time as well.  But I'm sure I would miss a guy that should of been on the list.

Another game, another win, promotion

I have not done a very good job of keeping this blog updated.  Since my last entry the World Championships have come and gone (USA, USA, USA!) and the Pikes kept on winning by posting a 28-21 win over rival Mainz.  The win pushed us to 8-0 with two games left.  As I said in my last post, we had already been selected for promotion to the 2^nd Bundesliga.  The decision was made a month ago that the top two teams from our league (Regional Center) would automatically ascend to 2^nd Liga, and thus eliminating the playoff series with the teams from Regional South.  Now to this day I still am not sure why this decision was made or why it was made in the middle of the season.  I’ve heard that teams from the Regional South were not happy with the decision as the 2^nd place team in that league won’t even have a shot at promotion, can’t blame them either.  Personally, I’m happy that we are moving up to the next league but I don’t like the idea that they are bypassing the playoffs this year.  Doesn’t seem fair and if I was on the other side of the fence I would be livid. 

The game versus Mainz was a tough one.  We were coming off another 3 week break and faced probably the most physical defense we will see this year.  It was truly a grind it out victory that included a touchdown pass with about a minute left to break the 21-21 tie.  However, the game shouldn’t have come to that as a late turnover on a mental mistake gave the Golden Eagles the ball at our 22.  They would go on to score and tie the game, setting up our own game winning drive.  Though these types of games aren’t anything I hope for before we start, I think it was good experience for our guys as we prepare for two very big games to finish the year.  I can’t think of a situation we haven’t been through yet as we end the season.  I like where we are at as we head into the season’s last two games against Montabauer and Frankfurt, with the latter going to be for the league championship.  I picked up this saying from another coach I used to work with, "you either get better or you get worse but you never stay the same".  He would always say that when talking to his players about practice habits, but the same holds true in a team concept.  There have been points in this season where we could have "peaked", but we haven't.  Not every game has been pretty, but we have gotten better from game to game in one phase or another. We have also digressed in some areas as well, but overall I think we have improved as a team from game to game.  As coaches that is all we can ask for, and luckily for my team that continual improvement has put us in the position to win our league in two weeks.

USA USA USA!

This post was originally going to be about how our camp was doing in Milwaukee, but due to some technical difficulties (I didn’t get a flight out of Germany) I won’t be able to do that.  So I missed the camp and though I was disappointed I knew that we had some great coaches to make sure the players got a great experience. 

Since my last post we have had one game, which we won 34-17.  It was road game that required a 3.5 hour bus ride.  The one thing that I have learned about my team is that we don’t travel well.  We have had some long road trips and I’ve tried different things, so far I haven’t found the right way yet.   Regardless, we came out on top!  The win clinched our division (which turns out didn’t matter) and remained on top of the overall table (which now does matter).  We also have clinched a spot for promotion to GFL 2.  I will have to write about this in another post, hopefully tomorrow, but it was an anti-climatic experience.  But now to the purpose of today’s post…….the World Cup, well really the World Championships.

As you know (or not) the Women’s World Cup is being played in Germany, but that isn’t what I want to talk about.  Three days from now in two Austrian cities the World Championships of American Football will be played.  This will be the fourth time the World Championships have been played, and the second time the United States has taken part.  The United States are defending champions, defeating Japan 23-20 in double OT in 2007.  That was the U.S. first appearance in World Championships. 

The first World Championship was held in 1999 with Italy as the host nation.  It was a 6 team tournament that was broken up into Group play, and then teams were matched up based on Group Play results.  Japan took the 1^st World Championship with a 6-0 overtime win over Mexico, and then would repeat four years later beating Mexico again in a 4 team tournament held in Germany.  This year’s tournament has expanded to 8 teams with Canada and Austria being first time participants.  They will join the United States, Japan, Australia, Germany, Mexico and France.

Team USA is a roster selected by USA FOOTBALL, the players selected come from various NCAA and NAIA programs in the United States.  Team USA is coached by Mel Tjeerdsma, former Head Coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State. 

Although I don’t know much about the other countries, I would have to imagine that Team USA is the favorite going into the tournament.  They begin Group play on Friday, July 8 against Australia at 9:00 am EST.  They will then play Germany and Mexico before moving on to the Medal Round (hopefully). 

I know in Germany the games can be watched online at Eurosport2.de for about 4 euro, not sure if you can do the same back in the United States.  If you can I would take the opportunity to check out Team USA.    Posted below is a more links that can provide information about the World Championships and USA FOOTBALL. 

History of the World Championships:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFAF_World_Cup

International Federation of American Football: http://www.ifaf.info

American Football World Championships Website: http://www.americanfootball2011.com/en/

USA FOOTBALL:  www.usafootball.com

TEAM USA SCHEDULE

DATE	GAME	TIME
July 8	United States vs. Australia	9:00 a.m. ET
July 10	Germany vs. United States	1:00 p.m. ET
July 12	United States vs. Mexico	1:00 p.m. ET

*Games above will be played in Innsbruck, Austria

2011 IFAF Senior World Championship Medal Round Schedule:

DATE	GAME	TIME
July 15	Bronze Medal Game	1:00 p.m. ET
July 16	Gold Medal Game	1:00 p.m. ET

Coaching in Europe, you should try it.

I haven’t had much to write about regarding my team.  We have a three week break before our next game, and I decided to give the boys a week off.  We needed this time to get ourselves a mental recharge and obviously to heal some bumps and bruises we have incurred.  I definitely needed the break as I have a total staff of 3 guys (including myself) and have had a lot of the work fall on to my shoulders.  This has been a part of my education as a brand new Head Coach, and may be in another post down the road I will talk about how the staff of my team became so low.  It’s not as exciting as you might think, but it also sheds some light on some challenges you will face when you coach over here.

This brings me to my topic: WHY I THINK COACHING IN EUROPE IS A MUST FOR YOUNG COACHES.  Alright so maybe it isn’t a must, but I really believe that young coaches could benefit from a year or two in Europe.  I have mentioned a number of times, but American Football is a growing sport world wide.  For example, did you know that the American Football World Championships will be played this summer in Austria?  This will be the third time this event will be hosted by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), and as the event gets closer I’ll try to post some information regarding this great event.  Now this is just a small example of how the game has grown.  It hasn’t grown to the point to where we are going to start seeing the NFL draft dominated by the European player, but I do know that more and more EU kids are getting funneled into the United States to play college ball. 

Coaching in Europe is a great way to sharpen your teaching skills.  You will have all types of players with different skill sets, players who are very good, players who have ability but are raw, and guys that have never played before.  They all offer a different challenge, but the rewards are just as satisfying.  I also have found that the work you put in is appreciated by the players.  No one gets rich coaching football in Europe, and the players know that as well.  They know that you are putting in a lot of work that isn’t rewarded through large compensation (similar to the U.S.).  But what makes these players different then say the average High School kid is that the kid takes for granted that you are there everyday, while the European player appreciates that you are there to work with him.

The other area that I think a younger coach can benefit from is from learning to coach from a leadership role.  This is my first Head Coaching job, but I had been an Offensive Coordinator for a few years prior to getting my shot.  I have learned A LOT in my short time here, and I think the experience has been invaluable. Everybody is going to make mistakes, I certainly have.  I can go through a laundry list of ways I can improve as a Head Coach and the season isn’t even over yet.  However, I believe that the mistakes that I think I have made aren’t as magnified as if I was coaching in the States.  Media coverage of games isn’t what it’s like in the United States.  The fans aren’t there to heckle you.  Basically you don’t get second guess all that much or criticized for the decisions that you make in game/season.  Trust me I have made some interesting decisions, but I have been able to reflect on them without being told how stupid I am.  You still will face criticism, but it’s a learning experience that anybody can handle and prepare you for future jobs.   Now not everyone will get the opportunity that I have gotten, but I believe that a young coach who wants to climb that ladder can learn a lot being a coordinator over here.  You have to learn how to install an offense/defense on limited time (two practice days a week), which forces you to focus on what you want to be good at.  You will also get valuable experience calling a game, and making some of those hard in-game decisions.

 

Now I will admit that coaching in Europe is not for everyone.  There are certain things that some people wouldn’t be able to handle, things that still drive me crazy but I have learned to cope with.  But that is a post for another day.  But if you are a guy who just graduated or am looking for something a little different on the coaching front then I do recommend coming over here to Europe.  It is a great experience from a football point of view.  You will also get the opportunity to travel to places that are truly remarkable, and experience different cultures, food, and of course beer!

Could you imagine if the BCS used this......

The Pikes moved to 6-0 yesterday, winning 54-12.  I would have to say it was the most complete game we have played this year.  We also scored a +42 score differential, which puts us at +145 for the year.  Now on the surface this may seem as I enjoy running up the score on teams, well I don’t it is just how the rules are set up unfortunately.  Let me explain further.

Germany is made up of 6 tier leagues; 1st Bundesliga (GFL 1), 2^nd Bundesliga (GFL 2), Regionalliga, Oberliga, Verbandsliga, and Landesliga.  Now these leagues are in placed based on the strength of a team and they change every year.  At the end of every season you will have teams that will be “relegated” or “promoted”.  So if you get 1^st Place in one league you can have the opportunity to move up to the next league (promotion), while if you were to get last place in a league you would be a candidate to move down a league (relegated).  Now the rules for who goes up or down vary from league to league.  Between GFL 1 and GFL 2 last year the 1^st Place teams in each division (North and South) in GFL 2 automatically were promoted to GFL 1, while the 2^nd Place teams in GFL 2 played the last place teams in GFL 1 in a home and home series to determine if there would be a promotion/relegation.  While the last place teams in GFL 2 were automatically relegated to Regionalliga, but the 1^st Place teams have to play the 1^st Place team from another Regionalliga league to determine who gets promoted.  Confused yet?  Now I can’t tell you how the other leagues work when it comes to promotion and relegation, mainly because I don’t care but also I think my head would explode trying to figure it all out.

So back to the original thought, why is point differential important?  The reason is because that is the 1^st tiebreaker used in an event of a tie and during these promotion games.  In the promotion games you play a game at each team’s home field.  If the teams split then the tiebreaker is point differential.  In our league this year they are using point differential as the #1 tiebreaker, hence the importance of being at +145 after 6 games.  It makes for some decisions in the 4^th quarter.  Yesterday we were winning 47-6 going into the last quarter.  Usually this a great time to play all your backups and gain them some experience.  However, because there was still a whole quarter to play we had to hold off playing all our backups until 8 minutes was left.  It’s a risky move because you do put a starter or key player in harms way if the team you are playing gets chippy, but you also can’t give up any cheap points as those 7-14 points could be the difference between 1^st and 2^nd place. 

So now we sit at 6-0, 1^st place in the Regionalliga Center league.  The team that is chasing us is currently 4-0.  We don’t play them until the last game of the season, and were both on a collision course to be 9-0 when we do play.  I’m not getting to ahead of myself as we still have 3 games left, and we will have to be crisp to win all three.  But with the way both teams are playing, it is shaping up to be a great finish.

An American Football Coach in Germany

Well it’s been awhile since we have posted something on our blog.  What we thought would be an easy, fun task ended up being something that we all had to put on the back burner because of various reasons.  The objective behind our blog was to have our little network of coaches (three of us) expand on their own ideas and thoughts.  However, shortly after January two of this three headed monster were given increase responsibilities at their respected schools.  One was given the title of Head Boys Track Coach, while the other was hired as Offensive Coordinator at another school.  Congrats to both my boys!  Now the third head of this monster?  Well, that’s me.  My excuse you ask?  Beginning in January was the beginning of my football season.  Confused?  I don’t blame you.

I currently reside in Homburg, Germany which is located in the Southwest part of the country about 30 minutes away from the French border.  I moved here in July 2010 with my wife who currently serves with the U.S. Armed Forces.  Yes, I am the dependant (you can make your jokes now), but because of my wife I have been able to meet some great coaches that have taught me a lot about the game, while sharing with them my thoughts as well.  But I digress.

Shortly after arriving in Germany I was offered an opportunity to become the Head Coach of a local German Football League team; the Kaiserslautern Pikes.  The Pikes had been through some rough times during their season and had decided to part ways with their former Head Coach during the July break.  I was both shocked and excited.  I had never thought when I got off that plane in Germany that I would get my first Head Coaching shot.  I gladly accepted the position and began the process of evaluating where the program was and what needed to be fixed. 

The Pikes would finish the season with only 2 wins, both before I arrived.  Though they had shown some fight in their last two games, tying one game and losing another by 6.  The very first thing I noticed was that this team had some good ball players, they just needed some direction.  I was excited to get started and put my stamp on this team.  That would begin in November.

Fast forward to today.  The Pikes are currently 5-0 and lead our league, with our next game tomorrow.  Over the course of the next few weeks/months I would like to share with you my experiences I have had thus far here in Germany.  I will tell you that it has been quite the experience some good, some bad. 

I don’t think many people back in the United States realize how big the game of American Football is worldwide.  In Germany alone there are over 300 teams, and though it isn’t like you are watching the SEC or Big Ten on Saturdays you do see some real good football.  Please feel free to ask me any questions any time about my entries or just about football in general.


Below is a clip from the 1st Play we ran this season.

Camp dates are set!

The Milwaukee Elite Football Camp will be from June 27-June 29 at Greendale Martin Luther High School.  We will begin registration in April, but if anybody has any questions regarding our camp please contact us at elitefootballcamp@yahoo.com.