Rushing To Get Better

Don Joy Knee Brace - Thanks Jeff Kagan!!

Our coaching staff is pretty brutal, and you better have some thick skin to make it with this group.  My knee has been feeling much better recently, so I decided to start a slow jog routine in straight lines.  I was hoping to increase my cardio a little bit while working the muscles around my knee.  I arrived to practice a little bit early, started to run the practice field and the field lines.  I ran down the goal line, ran out to the 10, then across the field, up to the 20, across the field and so forth.  At Sebastian River, we called these "Snakes"  and often punished the players by making them run these lines.  I figured a slow jog would not hurt a thing.  Coach McDonald asked me: "Are you supposed to be running on that knee?"  I smarted off by saying "I know what I am doing!"......I guess I was wrong.  

My Knee started swelling during practice on the field yesterday.  Then we went into the film room and it started throbbing.  I figured it was normal for a first workout.  Today, the knee was very sore and swelled.  I was greeted by lots of words and statements like : "Dumbass"  or "I told you dumbass"  "You're Stupid" and nice things like that.  Coach Pete DeLuke asked why I did not check with him before I started running on the knee? (Pete's knees look like road maps of Georgia with all the scaring)  I just took my medicine and abuse because I knew they were right.  I am a stupid, stupid man sometimes.  

Today we were scrimmaging and I was standing behind the offense watching Coach Lenny call his offense with hand signals.  I should have been perfectly safe where I was standing.  Then, we suddenly had a breakout.  A defensive player broke through the line, and one of our big offensive linemen gave chase.  As they were heading my way, I tried to turn my body and get the hell out of the way.  Then, a giant electrical shock went through my knee, up my leg, and then my knee collapsed as I was escaping.  I landed hard on my face and tried to gather myself before I tried to stand up.  A few of the players gathered to help me up knowing I was in agony at the moment.  I slowly walked to the sideline and refused help from the trainer.  I saw a couple coaches snickering after they realized I was indeed OK.  I tried to walk-it-off...up and down the sideline to finish out the day.  I heard one of the players say: "That is a tough dude right there"   Suddenly I felt a little better.  Just a little praise and admiration from one of the kids made the whole thing a learning / teaching opportunity. MJ McGriff (#5) came over and offered his help.  Afterall, he is a recovering ACL / MCL injury guy himself.  He know how it feels.  I noticed Pete DeLuke took over the scout team today to help me out.  I guess he does have a heart afterall.  Thank God I was wearing the DonJoy brace pictured above.  This quality brace saved my butt from another major setback.  As it stands now, I am only set back a couple of weeks I think.  Maybe the new swelling does not mean more damage.  

  

Not much to say about practice this week.  We are playing St Lucie West Centennial this friday, and it is our first district opponent.  So, practice has been pretty intense for the most part.  I am still amazed by Head Coach Lenny Jankowski.  I think this guy may be one of the finest offensive minds I have ever seen.  He has a complete command of every offensive position on every play.  I am awed by his ability to quickly see the entire field before calling a play. I always considered myself to be a pretty fair offensive coach, but I still have so much to learn about this high-tech modern spread offense.  Maybe someday I will get there.  Lenny also coaches Quarterbacks, so he and I share some of the same techniques teaching these high-maintenance skill players. Even though I am older, a good coach never stops learning either.  My friend and coaching colleague Josh Smerker (a former VB QB) has been a great help in getting me settled in this year. Josh is another great offensive coaching mind, and I love to pick his brain about this offense as well.  Just wait until next year... I will study like crazy, pick the brains of coaches Lenny, Harris and Groody and Smerker, then hopefully attend a clinic or two.  I will be on my game next season...right now I am learning the offense and contribute by teaching the little things that make a good player great.  This is a lot of fun.  Love it here.  

Later.

By The Way:  We are now Ranked #3 in Florida's  8A Classification.  

Catching Up...

Football Golf Cart - Nicer Than My Truck 

Sorry I have not kept up with my blog very well.  For some reason I have a good case of writers block, and I just could not think of anything interesting to write.  So, I may ramble a little tonight. 

My injured knee is improving as much as I can expect it to.  I have a torn ACL/MCL and a ripped meniscus.  I have also developed a baker's cyst on the back of the knee which is giving me fits when I bend the injured joint.  It sort of feels like my knee cap is going to explode off my knee due to the extra pressure.  The knee is unstable when I turn it the wrong way, or if I step and top suddenly.  I had it drained a few times, and that helps with the swelling.  But, as long as I am wearing my Don-Joy brace I am in pretty good shape.  Luckily, the coaching staff is pretty cool about my limitations, and I don't catch too much flack about it.  Coach Pete DeLuke still makes me carry the camera equipment (two brief cases) up and down the stadium steps every Friday as sort of a rookie coach hazing  ritual.  I think he laughs at me as I slowly climb or descend the 48 concrete steps every Friday night....carrying the equipment.  Thats OK.  Pete and I have a long history of torturing each other over the years.  DeLuke is really a good guy, and he has a great family. 

 I think if I would have stayed off my knee and did what the doctor ordered, I may have avoided some of the swelling, but that would have also meant I could not be on the football field...and that was not going to happen.  I waited two years before I returned to the field, and I was not going to let a knee injury keep me off now.  What kind of example would that be to the kids?  How could I expect the kids to fight through an injury if I was not willing to do the same thing myself?  My knee is hurt...and I am not injured....there is a big difference.  Surgery can wait until later.  

Thanks to TC Palm- I borrowed these photos.   

 QB Carson Proctor - 6'4" Sr QB  One of the best QB's in the State. 

Sr DE Patrick Bethel.  6'4" 260 lbs...one of the best players in the country.  Look at the size of the player trying to block Patrick.  This kid was estimated at 6'8" and 340 lbs.  The poor kid had a long night trying to block my boy Pat.  

Sr WR / Athlete MJ McGriff  had a great night...AGAIN.  This kid is electric...

MJ McGriff AGAIN  

Cheerleaders are really good  

Our football team is 4-0 and ranked #6 in the state as of last week.  We play in Florida's largest classification (8A)  we are pretty solid, and we are getting better every week.  Last Friday we finally got to wear our red and black digital camo jerseys.  I think they look very cool.  We only wear them a couple of times each year....and the kids seem to enjoy the color change.  I think we have as many uniform variations as the Oregon Ducks.  I am kidding of course, but I am amazed by our cloth wear options. 

 I can't believe how large our home crowd is for every game.  The fan support for our program is simply amazing.  Our booster club is the best I have ever seen at any school.  I am very lucky to be part of this quality program.  I think I am still dreaming.  

More later.  

GZ

Look Sharp- Play Sharp

Look Sloppy- Play Sloppy - Team Sucks 

An experienced coach can often look at another team warming up and decide if they can play or not. A quick observation of the opposing coaching staff and how they are dressed will often  carry directly over the the players on their team. This is a lesson my dad taught me years ago, and the same lesson was carried on by Coach Wilson at Sebastian River High School.  

Like I said yesterday in my blog entry, I had the rare chance to watch a little youth league football last Saturday.  I pulled into the parking lot, and one of the opposing senior teams were warming up on the practice field.  I noticed how the team was dressed.  The team colors were black and red, so the uniforms themselves were very nice. However, I noticed most of the players had their jersey's hanging out.  Some were tucked in.  Some of the jersey's were half-in and half out.  Some of the players had socks on...some of the players did not.  Some of the players had neon colored socks on, and some of the kids had stupid looking beehive stripes on.  Some of the kids had one sock on and one sock missing.   Some of the kids wore a different colored shirt under their pads...some were blue, some were green, and some were yellow or neon.  The coaches looked just as bad with all sorts of shorts, sandals, and hats to wear with their game uniform.  I could tell during warm-ups that the team was going to be terrible, and they were.  This is a direct reflection on the coaching staff....they should be ashamed of themselves.

Looking sharp does not have to cost a dime.  Order the kids to tuck in their shirt. Make it mandatory. Make a team rule that ONLY white socks be worn...or only black socks..or even red socks....but just make sure everyone is on the same page.  Tell the kids to wear a simple white shirt under their pads...even black or red would be ok.  But, they should not allow the kids to wear a miscolored shirt to show beneath their uniform jersey.  It just looks like hell.  Shoes you can't do much about because in most cases, the kids are buying their own shoes, and they are expensive.  But, for the most part, the team needs to look identical.  Afterall, football is a team sport....not an individual sport.  I think the NFL has done an excellent job of making sure the players are dressing alike...while still allowing just a bit of individuality.  

There is an exception to my rule however...even though I am still not crazy about this either.  During Breast Cancer Awareness Month,  teams will often allow their players to wear pink colored socks, or wrist bands, or whatever to show support for the sometimes fatal disease.  OK, I can live with that for a few weeks.  But that does not mean I have to like it.  I generally just grumble and try to overlook it. 

My dad's football teams were very disciplined.  Everyone dressed alike...no exceptions.  We walked to the playing field in unison. We warmed up in unison.   Everything we did on the field in public was rehearsed.  His teams looked sharp and we played sharp...and we won....period.  "Look Sharp- Play Sharp" was preached to anyone who ever played for him.  It is a lesson I still believe in today.  

Our Team Always Look Great  

I have an old-school story for you here.  Back in my very early days of coaching, I used to coach in the Vero Beach Recreation Football league.  I coached in the senior player level in those days.  Back then, the kids purchased their own football helmets and pants.  Of course, the helmets and pants were almost always white in color.  The league itself supplied the different colored football jersey's which were always lettered with sponsorship by local businesses.  Of course, my dad always sponsored my teams.  The first year I was "the Bucs" and we wore orange jerseys to resemble the colors of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Our orange jerseys and white pants and helmets looked OK, but I wanted them to look even better.  I wanted our uniforms to stand out and look sharp.  I looked and looked before finally asking a local sign company to cut me some 2" orange stripes to be added to our helmets.  (remember, this is long before computerized letter cutting for vinyl)  The night before our first game,   I collected all the helmets from the kids and sat on my living room floor and added an orange  stripe right down the center of each helmet.  I had also ordered 30 pairs of white tube socks with orange stripes from a local sporting goods store.  Right before the game, I gave the kids back their helmets and presented them with a brand new pair of matching socks.  The kids looked so sharp before the game and they were so excited.  No one else in the league looked as good as we did that year.  We looked sharp and played sharp.  We went 8-0 that year.  People hated us.  I loved it.  

 Tradition Rich VBHS:  I Love it Here.  

Later:  

GZ

  

Old School Memories

Game Day at The Panther Field   

Yesterday I went to the former Sebastian Panther field to watch a little youth league football.  The Little Sharks were playing teams from Palm Bay and Rockledge.  I coached in this league for several years while my kids were growing up...in fact, I helped build this very facility about 20 years ago.  We used to play in an old crappy field in Sebastian set aside by General Development many years ago.  The City of Sebastian had this piece of ground available for recreational purposes....but it was just an empty piece of land....absolutely nothing on it.  So, the football league made a deal with the city:  We could use the field, but we had to develop it.  So, about ten of us went to work.  We all called on parents and favors from contractors to make this happen.  

First, we had the land cleared free of charge by a local contractor.  We had the land surveyed and marked out according to our plans.  Gary Scott Sodded the field area.  We sunk a couple of light poles to hold the score board that Coca Cola had donated to us.  See the building in the back?  We received some grant money to build this huge two-story facility.  We actually built this building for about $40,000...mostly using our hand labor and lots of donated materials and labor from local builders .... Wayne Tozzolo Construction really stepped up to the plate and helped us out the most.  In fact, without Wayne, this place would have never existed period.   We HAND DUG the footers for the foundation.  Mike Rizzo, Chuck Scala, James Tibbets and Myself personally set the floor and roof trusses by ourself by hand. I am sure there were many others too, I just can't remember everyone who helped.  We personally set the blocks with the help of an experienced block mason.  We framed the entire building.  We nailed the plywood on the roof.   The stucco work was donated.  The roof was shingled at material cost.  The electrical work was done at material cost.  The painting was done by volunteers. Literally the entire facility was a grass-roots project.  We ended up with two football fields (one for practice) and a building worth at least $150,000 (in those days) We deeded all this over to the City Of Sebastian for a free lifetime lease during football season.  The Sebastian Panthers dedicated the field house (with a beautiful hand carved wood plaque sign ) to Wayne Tozzolo.  "The Wayne Tozzolo Field House" was a dream come true for a youth football league struggling just to have a place to play.  We all worked very hard to make this happen.  

The league now is completely different. It is now called The Sebastian Sharks Youth Football League.  They even ripped down the  "Wayne Tozzolo Field House" landmark plaque.  The League has grown up for sure.  Field lights and fences were added.  New parking lots were added. Sprinkler systems were added.  Unfortunately, no one cares how the league was formed many years ago.  Not many people know the story of how the field house even came into existence.  There does not even seem to be an acknowledgement of the leagues history at all.  I will see Mike Rizzo, or Chuck Scala, or Tim McEnderfer now and talk of those free wheeling days....and we just shake our heads. How the hell we ever made this happen seems like a dream now days.  In fact, I don't think it could ever happen today.  

Our game last Friday night was cancelled.  A severe thunderstorm came ripping through the area with lots of lightning and rain.  In fact, we lost power in the stadium.  The game has not yet been rescheduled. 

Later:

GZ

Learning Day For Me

I am really enjoying coaching this year...for a completely different reason.  Facts are that I joined the football staff very late in the season....even though the regular season has just started.  I missed all the 7 on 7 sessions, and I missed spring football as well. Therefore, I am really behind on trying to figure out the offense and what exactly we are doing offensively.  Right now, Coach Lenny has me floating around the offense, watching what is going on, and allowing me to input where I can.  All the guys are giving me plenty of room to learn the VBHS way of doing things, and for that I am thankful.  Right now I am loving being with the kids, and showing them I am sincere and "For Real" as they would say.  I love walking up to the players, greeting them, putting my arm around their shoulder and just talk about something other than football.  Like I said, this coaching season is just different.  I am now the senior staff member...this season marks my 30th year in coaching football at one level or another.  Some of this time was coaching the freshman or JV players.  I have quite a bit of experience with the 9th graders...and these young high school players present special problems all their own.  

We have a young coach named Mickey Groody who is a first year Head Freshman coach.  Groody also coaches the varsity running backs, so I get to work with him quite a bit.  Mickey is about 25 years old I guess...a young good-looking kid with lots of piss and vinegar in his drawers.  He played high school football at St Thomas Aquinas in Ft Lauderdale, and later punted for Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Florida.  Obviously, he has seen or worked with (or against) some major football talent in his young life.  Groody really reminds me of myself when I was his age.  I think his talent will carry him far in the coaching profession if he chooses to go forward with it.  I think he was the perfect choice to lead our talented freshman team.  

I always try to ask about the 9th graders to our young staff.  It is funny to hear some ( all too familiar) stories about what it is like dealing with the young guys.....and dealing with the parents of those players.  I find myself constantly saying: "Yeah man, that's how they are at that age" when one of the coaches tell a freshman story.  At the very first day of my tenure here, I asked one of the young guys:  "Hey young buck, can I offer you some advice?"  He said: "Of course coach, anything would be appreciated"  I said: "Never Assume ANYTHING with a freshman player."  LOL.  So far, this single statement has proven to be true in every season I have ever coached.  You cannot assume a freshman player knows a damn thing about football at all.  Most times, you must start out with the statement: "THIS IS A FOOTBALL"  during the initial team meeting.  Most times you can take anything the youngsters learned in youth leagues and throw it out the window.  High School football is completely different, and anything that a player did in youth football no longer matters. This is no longer pay-to-play, and not everyone gets a trophy. Many parents have difficulty with this fact unfortunately.  Contrary to popular belief, coaches do not play favorites...we are going to play the best 11 players on both sides of the ball to secure victory for our school.  This is our job.  I love working with the young coaches...maybe my experience can help them a little bit.  Great bunch of guys.  

Due to severe thunderstorms, we were rained out of on-the-field practice today. We spent the day looking at film....and this was just fine with me.  I rested my knee, and I learned quite a bit listening to Coach Lenny talk.  Good coaches never stop learning either.  

GZ

I like it Here.

New RED Coaching Shirt

The problem with joining a program late is the lack of coaching gear for the new guy.  That does not seem to be an issue at Vero Beach High School (VBHS) however.  Coach Bethel has been great at  hooking me up with shirts and shorts since I joined the program...now Coach Lenny Jankowski (Head Coach) is hooking me up with new shirts as well.  I really like this one... starting to love the whole red, white and black thing. My daughter Kristin can verify that I literally had no clothes to wear after I boxed up all my blue and black from Sebastian River High School (SRHS) I did not even have a pair of coaching shorts to wear at my first day of practice...not even a tee shirt to put on.   Randy has always taken care of me with clothing over the years....and I guess this year was no different.  I guess it pays to be one of Bethel's boys even if we are at a different school.  

I am starting to feel right at home with the new staff.  This is a good group of guys, and they have accepted me into the fold.  Coaches are generally pretty brutal towards one another, and this staff is certainly no different.  My intentions are sincere...I have no desire to become a head coach or take anyone's job.  I just want to share my 30+ years of experience with the players, and maybe I can help one of the young coaches while I am at it.  Coaches are going to make their own mistakes, but they do not have to make the same ones I have already made.  I find myself quoting my dad, Coach Wilson, and Coach Livings quite often.  The game of football has completely changed over the past few years, but the basics of the game has not changed in years and years.  Football is really just running, blocking, tackling, and throwing.  The modern game is just repackaged and presented in a different manner.  Just watch...the game will someday come back around to the old-school ways.  I will probably be dead by then...

My knee is very sore...but the swelling is going down.  I am soaking in the hot tub here. I know I am walking on it too much, but I can't help it.  I waited for two years to get back on the field, and I can't let a little thing like a torn ACL keep that from happening.  I try not to show weakness or pain in front of the coaching staff, because these guys are like piranhas, for once they smell blood in the water  it is going to be a long day...or a long season.  Most of my complaining is done at home.  

New JUMBOTRON is up and running.  Pretty Cool 

We won our game Friday night 49-7.  The offense is starting to click, and we threw the ball much better.  The defense stepped up and had a great game.  Lenny did a great job of distributing the ball around the field, so we gave our future opponents something else to prepare for.  I know first hand how frustrating it is to prepare for VBHS, because there is so much to prepare for.  I am very happy to be on the VBHS side of the field.  We are starting game preparation for Palm Beach Gardens this week.  They should be tough.  

More later 

GZ

Trying To Get Better

DonJoy Knee Brace 

I really need to start listening to my doctors.  I was told to stay off my wounded knee.  Of course, I did not listen and the leg blew up with swelling on Saturday and Sunday.  Therefore, my ankle and foot swelled up along with my knee. The swelling was dropping and heading to my foot because I was standing and attempting to walk.  I have stayed off the knee for the past two days, and it does seem to be working.  It is looking and feeling better. 

The knee is very unstable, and every time the knee moves (other than straight forward) it threatens to collapse.  I needed a way to support my knee while I walked and tried to get back on the field without fear.  My buddy Jeff Kagan donated a DonJoy brace to my cause.  These are the same braces used by College and NFL players after an ACL injury, or to prevent an ACL injury.  This fiber carbon brace keeps the knee from flexing the wrong way, and distributes the body weight off the knee and transfers it to the calf and thigh.  Very high light-weight technology...and surprisingly comfortable.  I am also using a standard Mueller brace under this brace.  I could not believe how much more stable the knee felt when I tried this rig on.  This will give my knee a chance to heal while still allowing me to get back on the field.  Hey....I sat out for two years awaiting an opportunity to coach again....I can't let a simple thing like a knee injury keep me off the field.  

Vero Beach Alma Mater

Senior LB Calvin Moment- Good Kid- Coached him at SRHS

Not much to say about football this week.  Tomorrow will be my first day back to practice.  We have a home game this week vs Palm Beach Central.  Been watching HUDL video this week.  I feel guilty about not being there.  

later

GZ