Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Friday, December 31, 2004

YOUNG FRANKENTEAM

I am starting to fall in love with my Young Frankenteam metaphor for this team. It really is a compilation of new and old parts from a bunch of different places. We are not so carefully stitching it all together with hopes for the future of sparking some life into the monstrosity we end up creating.

BOO

I look at us now and I DON’T think and wonder about how we match up with other teams the way I did last season. If I did that, I might jump with fright at the sight that came to light. As it is, I’m not even going to look. It is not what interests me.

Last year I thought we had the talent to match up with or over anyone in the MDIA. In my heart I feared no one. I expected us to be National Champions, and I am still not all that enamored by the fact that we ain’t. Ultimately, and as it was, I suppose all that expectation also took some of the excitement out of that time for me.

Anyway, any of those warm and fuzzy pre-season thoughts I may have had about dominating the competition just about a year ago are NOT wafting through my mind these days. This journey has taken me somewhere closer to the old jagged edge. I have come to fear everything nowadays, including my own shadow, and I’m not afraid to say so.

IT’S ALIVE

Back to being Frank, I just want to sometimes add a little shot of electricity to this group and the chemistry that is already there, and then let it rip. This team is easy to motivate for the simple reason that they are self-motivated to begin with. It is a group that plays with a great deal of passion already.

I also have one or two smokers and fat asses, too, and all the love-of-the-game in the world won’t make up for that.

FEED ME (wrong movie, right?)

It will likely be most difficult for me to supply enough Frankenfuel for this Frankenteam to burn. Field availability, especially in the early and pre-season is always a difficult challenge. A somewhat cut back game schedule (compared to 2004’s very busy 26 games), and other factors will make it important that we keep our focus on the bigger vision, and to maintain good working parts and habits in spite of whatever.

I JUST CAN’T SEEM TO EVER RE-LAX

Teams in our Division start practicing from Minnesota to California this week. We don’t start school for almost 3 more weeks. We don’t have the capability to have pre-season camps and two-a-days before school starts up like many of the MDIA teams in California now do. Oh, my. See? My teeth are already starting to chatter.

Speaking of chattering teeth, I am going through some dental extract and implant processes on my mouth to go along with all the player extraction and implantation we have gone through as a team over the last several months. Both routes (roots) had their moments of doubt and pain. I am pretty sure, however, that in both cases things are headed in the right direction.

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