Vada Murray

We wanted to put our humorous hat aside for a moment and turn to much more important matters.  As some of you may know, former Michigan DB Vada Murray ('88-'90) has been battling cancer since 2008.  The father, husband and Ann Arbor police officer is facing a tougher battle than any he ever faced on the football fied.

Title 9 pointed me to Vada's page on CaringBridge.com, a website for family and friends to share information and support throughout a significant health challenge.  There, his family revealed on February 18th that Vada's cancer had metastasized to his brain.

In the next update on the 26th, his wife provides the following update:

Vada is home from the hospital & resting comfortably.  He has finished radiation treatments to the brain & is undergoing treatments to his spine & pelvic bone.  Radiation makes Vada very tired.  I am still limiting visitors & will let you know when this changes.

We have never, ever, in our lives felt so scared.  We also have never felt so loved.  Thank you for the cards, emails, text messages, phone calls & messages on this website; thank you for your continued expressions of love & support.  Thank you to the Ann Arbor Police Department for their unwavering love.  They give true meaning to the phrase, "Whatever you need, whenever you need it." Thank you for understanding if we don't personally return your message.  We both want you to know, we love you back.

Sarah (and Vada)

We here at the MZone wanted to let Vada and his family know they're in our thoughts and prayers.

We also wanted to provide the Vada's CaringBridge.com info above in case any of our readers want to give any words of encouragement to Vada and his family during this most difficult time.

Spring has sprung

HT: Go BlueBob. Tigers spring training games start today. In tribute to Ernie Harwell...

For lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
~ Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Triple Inside Fire Zone - Dick LeBeau

This Dick LeBeau Zone Blitz has already been talked about on Blitzology's Blog here and on Smartfootball.com here.  I liked it so much that I started digging through my video library of blitzes to find a cut-up of it.  It has 5 blitzers to attack vs. the middle 3 of the OL.  I  especially like that the blitz makes it possible to avoid the offense's two best pass protectors, the OTs. 

The picture below is a page from Dick LeBeau's playbook when he was the Head Coach for the Bengals:
2002 Cincinnati Bengals 3-4 Defense - Dick LeBeau.pdf

The Nickel will align to the passing strength and he will be the #2 Seam dropper.  Most people utilize their #2 dropper as the SCIF (Seam-Curl-Flat) dropper.  LeBeau uses a different technique for his #2 dropper, which he refers to as the Seam dropper.  The Seam dropper will have outside leverage (instead of inside leverage for SCIF technique) and he will collision and carry #2 vertical until #3 goes to the flat.  For more info on the Seam Drop, check out Blitzology's posts: Seam Drop and SCIF vs. Seam. 

Both DEs know they will be dropping on this play.  The Nickel will alert the DE to his side with a "Hook" call to let him know that he will be the #3 Hook dropper.  The DE away from the Nickel will be the #2 Seam dropper to his side.  The DE's rule is that he is the Seam dropper unless he hears a "Hook" call from the Nickel.  The DEs can take a step upfield to fake a pass rush to hold the OTs and keep them from blocking the DTs.  Teams also like to have personnel packages with OLB-types at DE to utilize more speed rushing the passer and for better pass coverage in Zone Blitzes like this one.

I am disappointed that I can't (yet) find any Steeler cut-ups of this concept, because none of the cut-ups below show the DTs executing the Jet B Gap technique as described in LeBeau's playbook.  The advantage to the technique taught by LeBeau is that the DTs can ideally avoid the OTs altogether in getting to their Contain rush.

The cut-ups I have found so far show the DTs working outside of the OTs.  The problem with this is that the OT can pick up the DT, which allows the Guard to work inside and pick up one of the blitzers. 

For this to be a true 5 on 3 overload inside, the DTs must avoid the OTs.  They have to jet outside past the Guards and get behind the OTs to get to their Contain rush position.  Dallas Cowboys DL Coach Brian Baker talks about this in the 2010 Atlanta Glazier Clinic notes, starting on p. 19.  He says to rush lanes, not gaps.  The two Contain rushers' responsibility is to stay outside the QB, not the OT.  His rush track is to an aiming point of 4 yards behind the outside leg of the OT.  He wants to work to the upfield shoulder of the QB (the shoulder farthest from the LOS, but not getting all the way behind the QB like Bill Belichick warns about in these notes here).

The blitzing Safety must be aligned to the same side as the Backer.  The Dime will line up as a LB to the opposite side of the Backer and blitzing Safety.  The Backer will cross first, the Dime comes right behind him and crosses second, and the Safety comes third, right off the Dime's butt.  The Safety has to hit it fast to get there from distance.

I would communicate this blitz with the call, "Wide Bench Triple Inside 3 Blaze."  Our "Wide" front has two 3 techs.  The "Bench" call has the DT, Fox DE, Will LB, and FS to the Boundary and the NT, DE, Dime, and SS to the Field.  This call will always get the FS lined up to the same side as the Will LB and allow him to blitz quickly from the near hash.  The Nickel's alignment will be independent of the Bench/Field call and he will instead line up to passing strength.

"Triple Inside" is the Zone Blitz call and "3 Blaze" coverage is a term to differentiate Fire Zone coverage with Safety rotation to the Boundary.  A Fire Zone coverage with Safety rotation to the Field would be "3 Fire" coverage.

Here's how it would look when run from the hash and here are the videos:

Field Triple Inside 3 Blaze from Barry Hoover on Vimeo.

Pretty good play call here:

Wide Triple Inside 3 Blaze (Florida) from Barry Hoover on Vimeo.

Field Triple Inside 3 Blaze (Va Tech) from Barry Hoover on Vimeo.

Thanks to Brad who found this cut-up.  Notice the aggressiveness of the Safety, Laron Landry, in contrast to the Virginia Tech Safety in the previous cut-up.  The Safety has to hit it full speed and know that the opening will be there between the crossing LB and Dime Back.

Links:

I would highly recommend Brophy's library of Fire Zone articles:

http://brophyfootball.blogspot.com/search/label/Fire%20Zone 

Good article on Counter Trey from Coach Allam: http://iteachicoachiblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/run-game-counter-trey.html 

Brophy's series on Defending the Flexbone is excellent: 

Defending the Flexbone - Defensive Line 

Defending the Flexbone - Linebackers 

Defending the Flexbone: Secondary 

Dude, is this really Jack Black?!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFJ01wRpomE

Those aren't dolls! Those are Tosu teaching aids!

Oh, man.

Your kids call what's going on in the video below "playing with dolls." But at Tosu it's "a sexual harassment training video created for an employment law class of the masters of labor and human resources program at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business."



Yeah, obviously a masters level class. Undergrads in C-bus only get to use Play Doh.

If the RV's a rockin'...it's probably because the shocks gave out

The picture and email below come from regular MZone reader, Phil:

Yost,

I'm on vacation in Florida (78 degrees tomorrow!) and Mascot Man pulls up beside me at a stoplight.  If it wasn't for the fact that the tires were bald, gray exhaust fumes where coming out of the tailpipe, the RV is at least 20 years old, it has a lighthouse in the back window and a super classy combo ladder/storage locker, this vehicle would be a real OSU chick magnet.  Hey, enjoy the off-season. 

GO BLUE!  

-Phil

Caption contest, anyone?

Wallpaper Wednesday: Tim Hardaway Junior

Two straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors deserves a wallpaper.

HAIL!

Alex Tanney Trick Shot Quarterback

UGA's hedges get police protection after attack on Toomer's Corner trees

(from MZone wire reports) Athens, GA - Note to 'Bama fans: don't even think about fucking with Georgia's hedges.

Who you calling overzealous?

In the wake of an Alabama fan poisoning the oak trees at Toomer's Corner, a place where Auburn fans have long celebrated football victories, the famous hedges inside Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia are now under police protection.

Just in case.

The arrest last week of redneck overzealous Tide fan Harvey Updyke, Jr. (pictured at right)  for allegedly using a potent tree-destroying herbicide on Auburn's cherished trees sent a chill through the Georgia fanbase.  They've been on edge about potential harm to their own hollowed greenery - the pivet hedges which have surrounded UGA's football field since 1929.

So this week, Georgia AD Greg McGarity ordered around the clock protection for Georgia's iconic shrubbery. 

"We share a loooong border with those crazy, oversigning bastards," said McGarity.  "So we're not taking any chances.  If the police inside Sanford Stadium see so much as one houndstooth hat and a weed wacker between the hedges, I've told them to shoot to kill between the eyes."

"Put the hedge clippers down.  NOW!"

Double Slant

Double Slant is a great quick-game concept vs. Cover 2 or any type of Man coverage.  The key is the route by the inside WR.  He doesn't just run upfield and then slant inside.  He has a very specific aiming point at the inside # of the #2 defender.  I chose the video at the end of the article as a teaching cut because it demonstrates this technique extremely well.  Success in the passing game is not about drawing up cool-looking plays—like everything else in football, its success is mostly due to fundamentals and proper technique...by the the receivers, the QB, and especially the protection.

The concept in the video has Slant-Flat to one side (1 High beater) and Double Slant to the other side (2 High and Man beater).  The QB will choose to go to either side based on the number of  Safeties and if he has Man coverage.  He has two Safeties deep (2 High) in the pre-snap picture below, so he is thinking Double Slant.  The QB will stay to that side unless there is immediate post-snap Safety rotation, which would change the coverage shell from a 2 High look to a 1 High look.

"Cadence is the wave of the future," is something I learned from current Temple OC Scott Loeffler at the 2009 Florida Clinic.  Proper film study of the opponent's blitzes and Safety alignments and movements as well as the use of quick counts and dummy counts in passing situations can get the defense to tip their hand to what they are doing.  

The QB can read this as a progression from inside-out vs. Cover 2 or he can be taught to read the #2 defender and throw opposite of his movement.  In the pre-snap picture above, the OLB  who is the #2 defender only widens out to an apex position half-way between the Y WR and the OT.  The Packers probably knew they would get this look and game-planned Y to tighten his alignment and take a 1/2 - 2 split (2 yards inside of half-way between the outside WR and the OT).

Y knows he will probably not be getting the ball vs. this look;  however, his route is crucial in making this play work vs. Cover 2.  He will open up a huge window for the QB to throw the outside Slant by running his route with an aiming point at the inside # of the OLB (see pictures above and below).  It is absolutely essential in the passing game for each WR to run his route correctly to get the exact spacing needed between WRs and to properly manipulate pass defenders.

If the OLB does widen his alignment all the way out to Y (see picture below), then Y will have a very good chance of getting the ball since he will have more room to work inside.  If the #2 defender widens to cover the outside Slant, then the inside WR will be open and he will NOT want to come inside too much towards the danger player, who is the Mike LB.  It is important that he "gets skinny" on his route once he slants inside to stay away from the Mike LB.

Note: the Slant route shown by Y below is not "skinny," but Mike Leach had his Y take a wide split to allow him to run the route like this.  Also, there is a Cover 2 beater to the opposite side, so Mike can't help out on both sides.  As a general rule, the inside WR wants to runs a  "skinny" Slant instead of a regular 45 degree angle Slant to stay away from the Mike LB.

Both pictures show the inside WR on the ball and the outside WR off the ball.  Teams will also have the outside WR run a deeper Slant than the inside WR.  Both of these coaching points improve the effectiveness of the play by creating better separation and spacing between the WRs. 

Versus Man, the QB will read the Double Slant concept from inside-out.  The inside WR must have a quicker release vs. Man coverage than the outside WR.  I have taught my inside WRs to use a quick foot-fire or a one-step diamond release and then Slant inside.  The outside WR must be coached up to be patient on his route and take his time to execute a three-step diamond release (throw by and rip past the CB and then Slant back inside).  It is important that the inside WR's route gets open first since he will be the QB's first read vs. Man.  I'll talk more the outside WR's technique on the Slant route vs. Zone and the diamond release vs. Man in another post.

The protection is half-man, half-slide (go to the bottom of this article for more info) and it held up fine.  The throw by Brett Favre is perfect: 12 inches in front of the chest like Bill Walsh used to teach it, and placed low to protect the WR vs. the incoming Safety.  The Safety is the hard-hitting Brian Dawkins, who is a bit too nosy for my liking.  I would be thinking about running Sluggo (Slant and Go) soon to try to take advantage of his aggressiveness in breaking up on the Slant route.

Double Slants from Barry Hoover on Vimeo.

Good article about the Slant route to the single WR side:

http://livingforwinning.blogspot.com/2011/01/accessing-great-quick-passing-game.html

Book Review: Scorecasting

I was fortunate to get a copy of Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won, and it is a book that I have been enjoying immensely.

The book is like the freakonomics of the sports world... it looks at common assumptions in sports (homefield advantage, does defense win championships?, why coaches don't go for it on 4th down, etc) and why they are correct or incorrect. It gives strong statistical backup for all of their beliefs.

As a sports fan that also loves numbers (I am an accountant by trade), it has been a fascinating read. I have learned a lot about these commonly held beliefs, and certainly it will provide at least subtle changes to how I view sports and how I think about them.

If you like sports and like numbers, then I am confident in saying that you will enjoy this book.

Obese Buckeye fan gets stuck in doorway after shoplifting, then tased

Why T9 thought this warranted but a small blurb on his Delicious Buffet to the right, I'll never know.  I trust you'll see why I bumped it up, stat.

According to NYDailyNews.com:

A 400-pound Michigan woman was busted for shoplifting--and later hit with a Taser-- when her motorized cart got stuck in a supermarket's door, according to police.

Jerrie Perkins, 30, allegedly tried to steal more than $600 worth of electronic merchandise from a Meijer in Rochester Hills last week.

As she attempted to drive out of the supermarket in her cart, the door's alarm was activated. Perkins became hostile when Meijer employees approached her and asked for her receipt.

The 5-foot-2 woman shoved a loss-prevention officer and hit her in the face, the Oakland County sheriff's office told The Oakland Press.

When authorities asked her to put her hands behind her back, she cursed, according to a press release from the sheriff's department, "balled her right hand into a fist and took a fighting stance."

Twice Perkins was asked to put her hands behind her back before deputies zapped her with the Taser.

On her Friendster account, Perkins describes herself as a singer/songwriter/deejay with "a little extra weight."

She was released on $15,000 bail and charged with unarmed robbery, resisting and obstructing a police officer and second-degree retail fraud.

So, why did we do a story about a female shoplifter in Michigan?  Well, check out the pic below:  apparently Ms. Jenkins is a "big" Buckeye fan.

As far as we know, the only basketball in this photo is the orange and white one
being held by the woman in black

Now, there is so much to discuss about this story, I'm not sure where to begin.  So let's just dive in, shall we?

First of all, in the NYDailyNews.com article linked above, their caption under the pic above reads:

Jerrie Perkins, 30, right, attempt to steal from a Meijer in Michigan was foiled when she got stuck in the doorway, police said. 

Perkins is the one on the right?  No shit.  Gee, thanks for clearing that up.   

And I love this line in the initial news story:

On her Friendster account, Perkins describes herself as a singer/songwriter/deejay with "a little extra weight."

Uh, who the hell has a Friendster account?  What is a Friendster account?   Isn't that like a place where swinger's meet?  Can any of our readers in The Lifestyle clear that up for me?


And "a little extra weight"?  Come! On!  Weighing 400 pounds and having to get around on a scooter is not " a little extra weight."  I know we all exaggerate online but that's like Gerg Robinson saying his defense had "a couple lapses" last season.


Finally, I see she was charged with unarmed robbery, second-degree retail fraud, and resisting and obstructing a police officer.  "Obstructing"  a police officer?  Okay, that's just being mean now.


Hey, what is the female equiv of the Buckstache?

Wallpaper Wednesday - Off Season

Spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation.

~ Robert H. Schuller

Did Gator Bowl loss cost Rich Rod two jobs?

Was Michigan's blowout loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl so embarrassingly bad that it cost Rich Rodriguez two head coaching jobs?

Maybe.

Baltimore Suns sports writer Jeff Barker recently got 25 pages via Maryland's public records law to see what really went on during the Terp's recent head coaching search (to replace the fired Ralph Friedgen).   Barker said "the idea was to examine search-related travel expenses, ask questions and see if there were any surprises."

So what did Barker discover?  Well, Maryland officials may (or may not) have contacted then-Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez in Jacksonville, FL while the Wolverines were "preparing" for the Gator Bowl.  According to Barker:

"I didn't know about the trip to Jacksonville, which was something of a mystery. It turns out that Michigan was preparing for the Gator Bowl at the time (Dec. 27) Maryland representatives visited Jacksonville. Michigan was then coached by Rich Rodriguez. Do I know for certain that Rodriguez was the target of the Jacksonville trip? Nope. But I do know Rodriguez was contacted by Maryland reps at some point during the search."

So what really happened?  The MZone has obtained this exclusive transcript of a phone call that took place in the office of Maryland AD Kevin Anderson on Sunday, January 2nd.    

2:15pm

The Terp AD meets with with his staff.  Several names of coaches are up on a big dry erase board: Randy Edsall, Rich Rodriguez, Mike Leach, Gus Malzahn.

Kevin Anderson:  "It's crunch time, folks.  We need to hire a football coach asap or we're going to start losing verbal commits.  We have four candidates--" (Anderson stops, walks over to the board and erases Rich Rod's name) "--Make that three candidates.  Jesus, did you see the Gator Bowl yesterday?  We dodged a bullet the size of Friedgen's waist size there.  Whew!"

As everyone else nods in agreement, the phone rings.

RING. RING.

Kevin Anderson (answering the phone): "Kevin Anderson."
Rich Rodriguez: "Hey, Kevin.  It's Rich."
KA (covers phone, to the others in his office): "Shit.  It's Rodriguez."

Everybody else in the office moans.

KA (uncovers phone): "What's up, Rich?"
RR: "You see the game yesterday?"
KA: "Yeah, that, uh, that, you played 'em tough..." (covers the phone, to the others in his office) "...for about half a quarter!"

Everybody in the room stifles their laughter.  Anderson holds his finger to his lips - Shhh!

RR:  "Listen, Kevin, I really enjoyed meeting you guys when you were down here on the 27th and I just wanted to tell you I'm interested in the Maryland job."
KA:  "Gee, that's, uh, great, Rich.  But if Dave Brandon hasn't made a move yet, don't you think he's going to keep you?"

Kevin looks at the others in the room and shakes his head - no fucking way.

RR:  "Maybe.  But I've gotten a pretty bad shake here.  You know, the cupboards were bare and the previous coach, Lloyd Carr--"
KA:  "I know, I know.  You mentioned Carr and the cupboards when we met -- 846 times.  How it was everyone else's fault."
RR:  "So, should I have my agent call you then?
KA:  "Uh, you know... "(Anderson grabs a piece of paper off his desk and starts crunching it up next to the phone) "...Gee, you're really hard to hear, Rich.  Got no reception.  Damn AT&T."
RR: "I thought this was your office number?"
KA: "Say what?  You're gonna fish this summer? Good for you, Rich.
RR:  "No, I said--"

Anderson quickly hangs up the phone.

KA:  "Fuck."

RING.  RING.

Anderson reaches down and yanks the phone cord out of the wall.

KA (to his staff):  "Okay, where were we?"

(HT: Angelique's Chengelis's Twitter feed)

Norton Center Update

On October 2, 2010  Ferrum College broke ground on the 5.5 million dollar Hank Norton Athletic Center. This facility, described as a 29,000 square foot, state of the art facility, will provide all necessary amenities for all of the College's outdoor sports. This much needed facility will be the centerpiece to Ferrum athletics, and will not only provide student athletes with a top notch facility, but the center will also be a valuable tool in recruiting potential student athletes.

So having broken ground in early October, where do we stand as we approach mid February? The "Norton Cam" that is available through the Ferrum website, provides current pictures of the construction process.
In a statement released by the College prior to the groundbreaking, it was hoped that the center would be completed in the later part of fall semester of the 2011-2012 school year.
In speaking with Kim Blair, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, I learned the following:
The Hank Norton Center is "on schedule" and the College is looking for completion" toward the end of fall."
Blair said  "we were very blessed that the winter weather has not been a big deterrent to the construction schedule."
I was also happy to learn the the foundation has been poured. This is a major step, and I would think that this will mean we will see vertical progress soon.  All in all, it seems that the College is right where they should be with the construction, but fundraising is another story.  Blair said  "The College is still looking to raise the majority of the 1.5 million dollars, which is needed to supplement the 4 million dollar loan for the Norton Center."
This project is extremely important to the future of the Ferrum athletic program, and needs to be properly funded. There are several naming opportunities for the center, based on planned giving. The naming opportunities are as follows:


$500,000 Level:


• Weight/Fitness Room

• Sports Medicine Center



$250,000 Level

• Baseball Center

• 30% OF THE FUNDS RAISED FOR THE NAMED, SAM WEBB

FOOTBALL CENTER (Named in honor of Coach Webb for his dedication to Ferrum College and his commitment to Panther student athletes.)



$100,000 Level

• Athletic Administration Suite

• Sports Hall of Fame/Classroom/Hospitality Room

• Football Locker Room

• NAMED: ONE DONOR COMMITTED!



$75,000 Level

• Lobby

• Ist Floor Vestibule Entrance



$50,000 Level

• Women’s Sports Center

• Men’s Sport Center

• Tower

• NAMED: FOUR DONORS COMMITTED!



$25,000 Level

• Head Coaches’ Offices

• Coaches’ Locker Rooms (1 women’s, 1 men’s)

• Women’s Soccer/Lacrosse Locker Room

• Women’s Softball Locker Room

• Men’s Soccer Lacrosse Locker Room

• Men’s Baseball Locker Room

• Office Manager’s office

• Football Conference Rooms (1 Defensive, 1 Offensive)

• A/V Room

• NAMED: EIGHT DONORS COMMITTED!



$15,000 Level

• 2nd Floor Upper Entrance Vestibule

• NAMED: FOUR DONORS COMMITTED!



$10,000 Level

• Rehab Room

• Treatment Room

• Hydro Therapy Room



$5,000 Level

• Small Office (25 - $5K each)

• NAMED: 5OFFICES REMAINING! NAME YOURS TODAY!



$500 Level

• Lockers (277 - $500 each)

• NAMED: 193 LOCKERS REMAINING! NAME YOURS TODAY!



This endeavor has come too far to fall financially short, and  I am hopeful that all alumni and friends of Ferrum will contact the College about making a donation to this important project. To donate to the Hank Norton Center, click the following link:

http://www.ferrum.edu/giving_to_ferrum.aspx

Stay tuned, I will continue to post updates as I get them.
Go Panthers!

Clinic Notes

These files are on my scribd.com account but they are now charging people to download these, so here are all the FREE links to these files. I updated these links on rest of the site, too.  

Zone Blocking - Ken Wilmesherr - Grossmont College.pdf
2002 Cincinnati Bengals 3-4 Defense - Dick LeBeau.pdf
2003 Atlanta Falcons 3-4 Defense - Wade Phillips.pdf
2010 S.E. Flexbone Clinic.pdf
2010 Georgia Southern Clinic.pdf
2010 Atlanta Glazier Clinic.pdf
2009 Minneapolis Glazier Clinic - Dewayne Alexander - Cumberland Univ.doc
2009 Minneapolis Glazier Clinic - Buzz Preston - Ga. Tech.pdf
2004 UCF Clinic.pdf
2003 Orlando Nike Clinic.pdf
2003 Univ. of Miami Clinic.pdf  
2002 FACA Winter Clinic.pdf
2001 FACA Winter Clinic.pdf
2001 Univ. of Miami Clinic.pdf 
2001 Lee Perry Clinic (Miami).pdf
2001 Orlando Nike Clinic.pdf

Grammy Buck, A2 Drunks and the Other Boylan Girl

Poor Grammy. You see what Buckeye fans do to the elderly? It's heinous. Please, just turn off the camera and let grandma watch WHEEL.



See - even grandma won't lower herself to say, "Go Bucks."

Below, watch citizen journalism at its finest in the parking structure next to Scorekeepers.



And I think I just became a big women's b-ball fan.

2011 Schedule is released

Ferrum College today officially released the schedule for the 2011 football season. The schedule appears below. Bold print indicates a Ferrum home game.

DATE		OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME/RESULT	DETAILS
9/3/2011		Emory & Henry College	Emory, VA	1 pm	Details
9/17/2011		Hampden-Sydney College	Hampden-Sydney, VA	1 pm	Details
9/24/2011		Bridgewater College (Homecoming / Hall of Fame)	Ferrum, VA	2 pm	Details
10/1/2011		Maryville College	Maryville, TN	1:30 pm	Details
10/8/2011		North Carolina Wesleyan College	Rocky Mount, NC	1 pm	Details
10/15/2011		Methodist University (Franklin Co. Appreciation Day)	Ferrum, VA	1 pm	Details
10/22/2011		Greensboro College (Blue Ridge Folklife Festival)	Ferrum, VA	1 pm	Details
10/29/2011		Shenandoah University	Winchester, VA	7 pm	Details
11/5/2011		Christopher Newport University	Ferrum, VA	1 pm	Details
11/12/2011		Averett University (Senior Day)	Ferrum, VA	1 pm	Details

Boda

Image via EDSBS via QB Force.

This looks like a great opportunity for an MZone caption contest, my entry:

Once you start down the dark path,
forever will it dominate your destiny,
consume you it will.

MZone Exclusive: Fax Cam Wars Begin

Last week on National Signing Day (aka The Day You Didn't Get Shit Done at Work), the internet blew up with this image of the Alabama fax cam:




Now, while we're not fans of Nick "Oversign" Saban, as a general rule, we applaud the efforts of anyone trying to enhance the otherwise boring process of waiting for 18 year old high school football players to send over a signed piece of paper.  And nothing "enhances" said process like adding sexy coeds to the mix.

But if Saban thought other schools would merely stand idly by and let 'Bama corner the Fax Cam market as a way to sway potential recruits, he was wrong.

Very wrong.

In an MZone exclusive, we have obtained the images below after a few schools tested out their fax cams this week in preparation already for NSD 2012.

OLE MISS

Even though he joked about oversigning after grabbing 37 - 37! - players two years ago, Mississippi coach Houston Nutt has been overshadowed on the topic by Nick Oversaban* and 'Bama.  So there was no way in hell Nutt was going to let the same thing happen in the upcoming Fax Cam Wars.  As you can see below, Nutt and Ole Miss decided to "out execute" 'Bama with their fax cam -- and in the process delivered a significant upgrade to interested viewers as compared to a single Crimson Cabaret Girl.

Needless to say, we here at the MZone predict big things for Nutt's next recruiting class.  And he just might break his record 37 signees, to hell with the rules!



VANDERBILT

There's a reason Vandy is often near the bottom of the SEC.  Case in point: their entry below in the Fax Cam Wars.  It was predictably studious and boring.  No wonder they can't land the big recruits.  Didn't the coaching staff learn anything from their school's Theta chapter?  Better yet, couldn't they have a couple of them near the fax on NSD?



USC

Signing top level recruits has not been a problem for the USC Trojans over the last decade. Unfortunately, things may get tougher now that the NCAA has stepped in and demanded they follow the rules like everyone else.

Then again, their coach is Lane Kiffin who, despite sanctions, signed a Nutt-ish 30 players this year!  Things could even be better next year with the addition of the new fax cam they tested this week in LA.  Of course, we hope this Song Girl is cheering for a new recruit's signature and not something else.  They do get confused sometimes.


 AUBURN

Unwilling to stand pat, even in the wake of their National Championship, the Tigers are ready to show 'Bama that while sex may sell, there's something that recruits the parents of recruits respond to even more than hot coeds.

ED. NOTE: The Auburn athletic department contacted us to say that neither they - nor any future recruits - had/have/will have knowledge of this fax cam image.



 OHIO STATE

Never underestimate Jim Tressel.  As you can see below, he knows just how to woo potential Tosu recruits.

Well played, Sweater Vest.  Well played, sir.



* That's right: Nick Oversaban. Learn, use it, pass it on. And so it is christened.

Wallpaper Wednesday: Champion

"Investment Opportunity" with Art Schlichter: What could possibly go wrong?

This guy swindled you?  Shocker.

Art Schlichter is in trouble - again.  The former Tosu QB-slash-gambling-addict-slash-ex-con is under investigation for a scheme that allegedly swindled numerous people out of several million dollars.

According to the ESPN.com story linked above:

(Schlichter) reportedly solicited people for money as part of an "investment opportunity" that involved brokering and selling tickets for Ohio State football games and other prominent sporting events to various people nearly two years ago.

The money collected by Schlichter was then used to place bets, some of which exceeded six figures.

You know, if you're dumb enough to give your money to Art Schlichter for him to "invest," then you deserve to be ripped off.

Seriously.  How fucking stupid were these people? Apparently they couldn't get in touch with the Nigerian Internet guy to send their money to him so they decided to go with Schichter.  I mean what could possibly go wrong with an "investment opportunity" run by a guy who has served time in 44 - yes, forty-fucking-four! - different prisons or jails since 1994?*

* That's not comedic hyperbole, that's true!

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Super Bowl Sunday Open Thread

Super Bowl Sunday 2011

Who are you cheering for ? Charles Woosdon and the Green Bay Packers LaMarr Woodley and the Pittsburgh Steelers I don't care - I am just watching for the commercials Football ? I come to the MZone for the girls Current Results

Bill Belichick Notes - 2009 Florida Clinic

I am a bit limited this year with going to clinics, so I am going back through some of my old clinic notes.  Bill Belichick is the best presenter that I have ever had the chance to hear at a clinic, so I wanted to share these notes.  He shared a lot of good, sound fundamental ideas on Offense, Defense, and Special Teams.

Urban Meyer intro: “The New England Patriots are the least penalized team in the league.  Their formula for success is simple but difficult: Talent, Discipline, and Leadership.”

Bill Belichick Notes:

•         - There is no “I” in Team, but there is an “I” in Win.

•         - Each individual must do his job for the team to win.

•         - Having Discipline = Do Your Job

•         - Football – all starts up the middle.  Is played from inside-out (Off, Def, ST).

Special Teams

•      Off-Season – work ST Fund’s – catching kicks, snaps

Return Game:

            1.  Handle the Ball.

            2.  Don’t Commit Penalties.

•          If you do these, you will always get positive yards.
•          Show your team these mistakes on cut-ups (of other teams) to reinforce these two points.
•          If you whiff on a block, don’t go back toward the returner – Get Out of His Way!  Go upfield and look to block someone else if you miss your man.

Coverage – it’s a 1 on 1 war.  Get past your guy and stack him (get over top of him).  Don’t stay even with him.

-  +50 Punt (Coffin Corner Punt) - expect max rush.
-  Situational football - do throughout week.

XPt/FG – starts with firm protection up the middle.  Show team other team’s mistakes to reinforce

XPt FG Block – it all starts inside.  Get good rush up the middle to open up outside rush.

Defense

•        Just because you have 11 guys wearing the same-colored jersey doesn’t mean you are a coordinated unit.

Pass Defense – must collision WRs so they don’t just run down field uncontested. 

•         Get on WRs quickly – don’t give them any space.
•        Don’t let them inside – keep good inside leverage.
•        He showed his team cut-ups of Arizona’s WRs running downfield uncontested to reinforce what NOT to do.  Then show examples of what you do want to do.
•        Pass Defense - DBs – job #1 – defend the deep ball.

Run Defense – set the edge – turn the ball back inside toward pursuit.

•        Don’t just run upfield – must attack at correct angle. 
•        Don’t let the ball outside for uncontested yardage.
•        Force player – once you force it inside, shed block and get in on tackle.  You want to push back the  LOS.
•        Must teach players how to defeat blocks.
•        QB as runner – Offense will always out-gap you.  Somebody must be a two-gap player.
•        Backside of Defense – still want to set the edge for Reverse, Cutback, and Misdirection.
•       Every week – emphasis is on setting the edge.
•      Tackling – don’t leave your feet – run thru the RB.

Pass Rush – worst place to be is behind the QB.

•      Must collapse the pocket to get at depth of QB.
•       Must have push up the middle – don’t let QB step up in pocket.
•       Michael Vick – obviously would play differently.
•       Pass Rusher behind QB – worst position in football that you can be in.
•       Pass rush helps the coverage more than having four Champ Baileys will do.

Offense

•        Fumbled Snap – after practice (no Q’s asked) – QB and C will snap ball and run 100 yds to the     other GL – do for 15 min.
•         Offense – as a Coach, you decide who gets the ball.
•          As a Coach, you tell them how to carry the ball.
•          Ballcarrier – every single person on our team, the owner, ballboy, parents, people in the stands, etc. depends on your Ball Security.

2^nd and 1 – RB – you DO NOT lose yardage – go downhill.

• RB must have a downhill mentality – don’t bounce the ball outside.
• Worse-case scenario – 3^rd and 1. 
• QB – throw the ball away. 
• Even if a rusher comes free, there is no excuse for a sack.

Passing Game

Pass Pro – never let your man beat you inside.

•         Once this happens, there is no passing game.

OL – if uncovered with no rusher – find someone to hit and “clean out the pocket” to give QB better vision.

•   Be ready for pressure – Do they have tendencies and what will you do about it.

WR – only cares about two things in the passing game:

            1.  Get open

            2.  Catch the ball

•            If a WR can’t do these two things, there is no passing game.
•      QB – Belichick has a hand shield with him and will stand behind QB and hit him occasionally.
•           Two hands on the ball until the release.
•           Keep ball close to body.

Red Zone Passing – vs. Zone teams – spacing is key – make the defense stretch.

•          QB will have to make a tight throw.

Running Game – starts with no penetration.

•          2008 – Pats led NFL in fewest neg. yardage Run plays
•          He always makes OL watch sideline film so they can see who is controlling the LOS (can’t see as good with EZ film).

Bad Situations - expect them – expect the worst and prepare for it.

            1.  Don’t turnover the ball.

            2.  Throw the ball away – either the WR catches it or nobody catches it.

            3.  Make positive yardage if you can.

Trick play – if he works all week on play, it better get more than 3 yards.


Check out out these NFL Matchup cut-ups before the Super Bowl: http://footballpressbox.blogspot.com/

Also, new blog talking about one of my favorite football plays, Counter Bash: http://coachroth.blogspot.com/ 

Deuce is taking the Defending the Option series and expanding on it.  Be sure to check it out: http://footballislifeblog.blogspot.com/