Headed into the Break

     Scrimmage #2 was a bend but not break performance.  Overall, the defense did not give up a touchdown unless the drive started in the red-zone.  However, we did give up a ton of yardage on long drives and our tackling was not as crisp as the first scrimmage.  This has a little to do with fatigue and more to do with a lack of focus.  There was definitely a fatigue difference between having one or two days of practice off before a scrimmage.  In either case, there was better competition between offense and defense resulting in a back and forth battle.  Coach Kaufman was pleased with effort and holding the offense to minimal points, but dissapointed with the long drives and run tackling.  I personally didn't feel too great about my performance.  But, there is only one truth in this game...Film.  Film is the eye in the sky and always tells the truth about how you performed.  When you go back and look at practice on film it is always never as good as it seems and never as bad as it seems.  My performance was the latter.  I improved on my last scrimmage score and turned in a 90%, and DBs all around improved having 4 or 5 guys receiving an A.  A breakdown of assignment, technique, and production of every single play results in this final percentage score.  This gives you exactly what you messed up on and what needs to be improved.  And trust me we go through every single play on film!

     Practices are now into the fine tuning and weeding out stage.  The players and coaches are now familiar with each other.  The defensive signals and calls are now known.  As the defense gets down to the specifics and fine tuning, the players that are not meeting expectations are getting left behind.  Players must stay on top of the daily defensive installs, know the calls, and play with the proper technique that the coaches have been teaching us.  The coaches are like our bosses, and we have to do what they want us to do and HOW they want us to do it.  Some players don't understand this concept.  With this being said, the two deep are starting to be solidified and coaches are no longer letting stuff slide that was happening in the first half of spring ball.  Players are also being moved around to find the best fit and get the best players on the field.

     We are now 2/3 of the way done with spring ball! Scrimmage #2 is in the books and we are 10 practices down.  It is flying by and the spring game will be here before you know it.  Headed into spring break, we get a much needed rest period.  All the players are excited to get back home and enjoy a few days off.  This break will allow us a break from the daily grind to refresh our bodies, get our mind off football, and come back energized and ready to finish strong!

-Student of the Game