Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Friday, November 25, 2005

ULTIMATELY THE PLOT SUPERSEEDS THE PLAYERS

Finding the special talents of individuals can always help a team. I don’t think there can be much doubt about that. Whether those things are worth the price (Terrell Owens) the team might have to pay is a completely separate consideration.

For the most part in my smaller non-professional world I always want to facilitate the team using those special parts of the game that a particular player may have gotten down to an art form. I want to bring these attributes in with hopes of adding on to our overall team "stage" presence. However, through my years of coaching I have also learned that for me the basic plot always remains more important than the actors playing the parts or the adlibs that they as stars somehow, well, add to the show. This fact for my life is true for many reasons. It is true because of unpredictable injuries or bad (good) biorhythms and everything in between.

The team must always remain on its mission, no matter what ever happens inside or outside of the lines on the field. Meanwhile I am always personally busy trying not to confuse myself by reading too much drama in between all the perceived lines.

BALANCING THE EQUATION

Our team and all the players on it must know and understand the way WE play, and how to demonstrate to our opponents the things that we do that show the character we have. These things must reflect who we are always, no matter what, and right down to the very core of our team. It is my aim for our whole team to understand who we are and certain things about how we think and play inside my intended lacrosse movie production. They must have some degree of style appreciation if they hope to get significant playing time at any rate, and this becomes clear not long after one arrives here.

The other team must know certain specific things about us, too. For example, they must get that we will never quit on a moment or in a game. For them to know and really understand that relentless fact we must always exhibit that quality. For us to always react truly to that seemingly simple reality of playing style I might have to remind us "from time to time" in practice. In a way that is exactly why we do practice isn’t it? It is so as coaches we can hone the sharpness of team thought by breaking it down into individual actions and reactions. By understanding what the actions of teammates will be in certain situations, and if and when they all believe at the same time, then we will surely gain a better sense of team trust with each next step.

THE KEY IS TO KEEP YOUR HEAD WHILE ALL AROUND MIGHT BE LOSING THEIRS

I try to keep it all (philosophy of play) simple so good team oriented choices come to players here with a degree of ease. The bottom line is that the more we are all reading the same page in the book at the same time the better. In the end you are only as strong as your weakest link and all that.

PASSION

I always talk about and think about how to use passion in myself as well as others to our team advantage. I think having passionate, motivated people around is very important for a team on a day to day basis. The value of passion never goes down, but how it is used makes all the difference.

One of my major endeavors is to keep the pressure on a team to some degree all year long. I don’t like the family to ever get too separated either. The Flip side of that is that I don’t want to burn them out on me or the game or the time or the whatever. My greatest hope is that WE all can’t wait to get to the lacrosse part of any day, no matter how big or small it might be. That’s part of passion-for-the-game thing.

It is important to keep the team fire lit and for it to be perceived as a flicker always in search of fuel to inspire a bigger flame. I also believe that I need to be the main force fanning that flame for our team.

SILLY ME

So I was sitting here with no practice going on for a week or more, and I still couldn’t keep myself from getting all excited about our next little one-hour, 1/2 field indoor practice on Tuesday and the specific things I want to work on with whistles. That isolated hour is still 5 days away. I have already decided that despite appearances that nothing is happening in our lacrosse world right now this needs to be a meaningful Tuesday night session. I have no idea how many will show up at the Edge at 9:00 p.m. that night, yet I can’t wait for it anyway, and I have already made up the practice plan, trying to get to the pace I know I want. I suspect we will get quite a few of the players out.

So then I was sitting here thinking how silly and obsessive I perhaps am when just then I got an email from a player. He wished me a happy Thanksgiving and also mentioned that he can’t wait to get back here and to get to some lacrosse playing again. So now I don’t feel so silly. I have company.

I ride this particular kid who sent the thoughtful holiday email on a regular basis and hard about certain basic things. The fact that he can’t wait to get back and have me yell at him some more is somehow extremely encouraging to me.

PASSION NEVER GETS OLD

One of the things that I think about when I think about love for the game is one of our alumni, Mike Roth (CSU -A – 2001), and how it was that he only had one gear when he played the game, whether it be practice, game, or talking about it. He still goes at it that way, the hard way, and full out all the time. He tries to get the most out of his total experience of being "in the game" every second he is on the field. He revels in the moment. He has an insatiable lust for the game. However you want to say it, it’s a rate or level or even style of play that is inspiring to see, and I wish that I could bottle and sell it somehow, because it sure is a useful coaching "tool".

GO BRONCOS

As I have expressed many times, I have a way I want us to attack the game and the other team, whoever they might be. Mike Shanahan is the Denver Bronco football coach, and he has been reinforcing my faith in having and keeping true to a set philosophy. For example, yesterday Mike plugged in yet another fresh running back into the ripe, old system and the way they beat a really good Dallas Cowboy team in Dallas in overtime on Thanksgiving after barely having the ball all game was Turkey Day testimony to sticking to the plan. At least it was for me.

Now the Broncos are 9-2 with 10 days before their next game. That sounds like a good scenario to plan with in the NFL this time of year if you ask me. Go Broncos.

DINNER!

We have a team Christmas dinner this coming Friday, December 2, a catered affair at C.B. Potts, one of our local "clubhouses". Hopefully all the team and much of our extended (real) families will join us. I hope that the coming lacrosse season itself has a smoother run than the putting together of this dinner has had. Fortunately my right hand dedicated niece Tahlia is there and hopefully capable of making everyone including me happy.

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