Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Predators 51 - Göteborg 7, Game Recap
I had another great week in Sweden. Spent most of the week hanging out in town grabbing a fika with a player or two. Friday i went fishing with Coach Tyson again. We went to the coast just east of Ahus fishing for a type of Garfish that they call Näbbgädda here in Sweden. I caught like 4 and i think Tyson caught 3. Good Times.
Saturday we held a camp for the U13 teams around the south of Sweden. I think there were 7 or 8 programs represented. The morning we did a skill camp with lots of technique and fundamentals. There were players there ranging from 12 to 8 years old. I roamed around and helped our older players coach their drills for each position. The kids did a great job and all the players learned a lot. Then in the afternoon there were scrimmages. Each team got 2 or 3 scrimmages. For a lot of these kids it was their first ever experience playing American Football. Over all it was a great day with a lot of positive feedback.
Bus departure at 7:30 am leaving for Göteborg. It is about a 3 1/2 hour bus trip north west near the coast. I knew the team we were playing was going to be very strong and physical. More then any other opponent yet. I knew though that again we would have an advantage in speed and that if Our defensive could cause a couple turnovers and our Offense came out early and started fast that they would have to play from behind and that they would not be able to keep up with us. We arrive around 11:15 and i do the traditional ARC get off the buss and get a quick sweat and warm up before getting dressed to get the kinks and groggyness of a long bus ride out. It was also by far the hottest day in Sweden yet. Probably around 80 degrees. But for Swedes that is hot. We were very thin depth wise this game. More then usual. I knew we needed to keep our guys hydrated.
The game begins with the "Marvels" receiving the kick off. They come out playing smart on offense and trying to chunk away yards and keep our offense off the field. After a bad snap though they were forced to punt and our offense marched on to the field. After two short throws Phil hit Marcus Johnsson for a 40 yard TD up the middle. Göteborg's next possession took for ever. I think it was 18 plays but only like 55 yards. It took the rest of the 1st quarter and then some. We only had 3 plays on offense all quarter. They were executing their game plan to perfection. Short passes and ground control. Then they were penalized for a chop block which gave them a 2nd and 23 and their first attempt to test our stand out DB Alex Nilsson deep resulted in an INT and kept them from scoring. Our offense was waiting eagerly to get back on the field and our defense did an outstanding job of keeping them out of the endzone and getting us the ball back. 2 plays later they rolled up in press coverage and paid the dear price of 6 points for it as Phil found Sorin Pandrea for a 60 yard TD strike.
Knowing that our defense was very exhausted from the long drive before I decided to onside kick the ensuing kick off to try and get the ball back and give them a break. From the first kick off i saw there center leave early so we dribbled one right at him and the Cover team did a great job and recovered the ball. A couple first downs later we got near the goal line and Alex Nilsson now playing WR in our empty 5 wide set caught a slant off the week side for a TD. We went for 2 and his younger brother Pontus Nilsson caught a slant for the 2 point conversion.
The rest of the game was more of the same. Göteborg played their asses off and hit us harder then any other team we faced. But once they started to throw the ball we were able to keep them off the field. Alex Nilsson had another INT and we finished them off 51-7.
Phil threw for 6 more TDs and ran for 1 TD as well.
Receivers Sorin Pandrea-3TDs, Ben Hornquist-1TD, Marcus Johnsson 1TD, Alex Nilsson-1TD.
Alex Nilsson was again outstanding on Defense. He is in my opinion the best DB in our league. The defensive front had to play the whole game with no subs and they played great. I am very proud that our teams is so evenly balanced. Offense, Defense and Special Teams have had a lot of success so far.
Here are some pics. Stats and Highlight film to come shortly.
Saturday we held a camp for the U13 teams around the south of Sweden. I think there were 7 or 8 programs represented. The morning we did a skill camp with lots of technique and fundamentals. There were players there ranging from 12 to 8 years old. I roamed around and helped our older players coach their drills for each position. The kids did a great job and all the players learned a lot. Then in the afternoon there were scrimmages. Each team got 2 or 3 scrimmages. For a lot of these kids it was their first ever experience playing American Football. Over all it was a great day with a lot of positive feedback.
Game Day
The game begins with the "Marvels" receiving the kick off. They come out playing smart on offense and trying to chunk away yards and keep our offense off the field. After a bad snap though they were forced to punt and our offense marched on to the field. After two short throws Phil hit Marcus Johnsson for a 40 yard TD up the middle. Göteborg's next possession took for ever. I think it was 18 plays but only like 55 yards. It took the rest of the 1st quarter and then some. We only had 3 plays on offense all quarter. They were executing their game plan to perfection. Short passes and ground control. Then they were penalized for a chop block which gave them a 2nd and 23 and their first attempt to test our stand out DB Alex Nilsson deep resulted in an INT and kept them from scoring. Our offense was waiting eagerly to get back on the field and our defense did an outstanding job of keeping them out of the endzone and getting us the ball back. 2 plays later they rolled up in press coverage and paid the dear price of 6 points for it as Phil found Sorin Pandrea for a 60 yard TD strike.
Knowing that our defense was very exhausted from the long drive before I decided to onside kick the ensuing kick off to try and get the ball back and give them a break. From the first kick off i saw there center leave early so we dribbled one right at him and the Cover team did a great job and recovered the ball. A couple first downs later we got near the goal line and Alex Nilsson now playing WR in our empty 5 wide set caught a slant off the week side for a TD. We went for 2 and his younger brother Pontus Nilsson caught a slant for the 2 point conversion.
The rest of the game was more of the same. Göteborg played their asses off and hit us harder then any other team we faced. But once they started to throw the ball we were able to keep them off the field. Alex Nilsson had another INT and we finished them off 51-7.
Phil threw for 6 more TDs and ran for 1 TD as well.
Receivers Sorin Pandrea-3TDs, Ben Hornquist-1TD, Marcus Johnsson 1TD, Alex Nilsson-1TD.
Alex Nilsson was again outstanding on Defense. He is in my opinion the best DB in our league. The defensive front had to play the whole game with no subs and they played great. I am very proud that our teams is so evenly balanced. Offense, Defense and Special Teams have had a lot of success so far.
Here are some pics. Stats and Highlight film to come shortly.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Predators 67 - Ystad 6, Game Recap
Going into Friday night it had been a long week and i as usual had the worry in the back of my mind would this be the day we come out flat. Because of that worry i push our players hard to start fast, play fast and score fast. Speed is our biggest ally and so far it has been the biggest factor in our overwhelming victories. Ystad has some good players but really lacked depth and overall speed to keep up with us. I knew that they would play well if we let them feel that they had a chance.
We start the game kicking to them. Ystad smartly took the ball trying to keep our offense off the field early. But, it was short lived. The ball took a Predator bounce and we recovered a short high kick on about the 40 yard line. I took us 1 play to score after that. QB Phil Juhlin finding WR Mackan Johnsson for a 40 yard TD strike. With that momentum building we began the steam roll and both offense, defense and special teams overwhelmed Ystad. We created turnovers we ran the ball well. Again Phil was outstanding. This time not just with his arm but with his feet. He threw 5 TDs but also ran for 3TDs. Mackan was the WR of choice this week with 3 TDs. Marcus Dickson continued his campaign of terrorizing opponents QBs with a couple Sacks and Forced Fumbles as well as a Fumble recovery that he returned for a TD in the 3rd Quarter.
This week we have a 3 hour bus trip to Gothenborg. They are a bigger, faster version of Ystad. I anticipate the game being much closer but if we start fast and get an early lead it could get very bad for them as well. Here are some stats from both last weeks 57-0 win over Limhamn and this weeks game. Also i have an up to date season total. Enjoy- Highlight film coming shortly.
We start the game kicking to them. Ystad smartly took the ball trying to keep our offense off the field early. But, it was short lived. The ball took a Predator bounce and we recovered a short high kick on about the 40 yard line. I took us 1 play to score after that. QB Phil Juhlin finding WR Mackan Johnsson for a 40 yard TD strike. With that momentum building we began the steam roll and both offense, defense and special teams overwhelmed Ystad. We created turnovers we ran the ball well. Again Phil was outstanding. This time not just with his arm but with his feet. He threw 5 TDs but also ran for 3TDs. Mackan was the WR of choice this week with 3 TDs. Marcus Dickson continued his campaign of terrorizing opponents QBs with a couple Sacks and Forced Fumbles as well as a Fumble recovery that he returned for a TD in the 3rd Quarter.
This week we have a 3 hour bus trip to Gothenborg. They are a bigger, faster version of Ystad. I anticipate the game being much closer but if we start fast and get an early lead it could get very bad for them as well. Here are some stats from both last weeks 57-0 win over Limhamn and this weeks game. Also i have an up to date season total. Enjoy- Highlight film coming shortly.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Busy week in Sweden, and another Blow Out.
The weather in Sweden is starting to get amazing. Nice cool sunny breezy days. Which almost everyone here has referred to as hot. Hahahahahaha is my response. Its like 78 degrees with a nice breeze. This week was packed with lots of fun stuff.
Tuesday i spent most of the day chilling in the city center of Kristianstad. Took some pics of some buildings and of the little square. Then cruised over to Contact Sports (Tyson's shop) and picked up the package that my mom had sent me. Yeah!! Hung out for a while and then left to get ready for practice.
The Sun, "You still exist!"
There are like 3 or 4 canals that run through Kristianstad. This is like a block from my Apartment.
Little Square
There is a ton of construction going on the center of town. All the big government buildings are being being worked on and i think they are building a new building.
The Big Old Church in the center of town.
Wednesday Tyson took myself and Emil (one of my DBs) To a place called Harasjömåla. It has a bunch of small lakes and a stream that is awesome for fly fishing. We left at 05:00 and it was about a hour and a half drive to get there. We were fishing by 7:00. This is my first experience fly fishing and after about an hour i got pretty comfortable casting. The morning though was more like practice. I didn't get any action at all. After lunch i changed my fly and went back out. Walking up and down the banks trying to find the right spot. Mean while Tyson and Emil were already a couple fish ahead of me.
Emil caught the first one of the day and then Tyson caught fire later in the day and pulled in 3 nice Rainbow Trout. I found a little hole that i had a couple really good strikes but i was not able to hook the trout. There was i big trout that had taken my fly but was no where to found after. I decided to work my way down stream and then come back later. As i started down stream i had a couple more really good strikes but yet again i was unable to land them. The day was growing late and i had rescheduled Thursday's full practice to Wednesday at 6:00 because we were playing on Friday night. Which made for a very long day. But it was time to go and i was fish-less. As I walked back up to the middle of the stream Tyson said that they were really going after this dark fly he had and told me to grab his pole and go give it another 10 minutes at the hole where i had lost that big trout. Sure enough the first cast out i had a big strike but again no luck. Another 4 or 5 casts later as i was bring in my line and wam! it hit hard and this time i had him. It was about 10 min to bring him in. I could tell he was big but he was not fighting too hard. Soon i felt him give a little and i brought him to shore and Emil scooped him up.
61 cm (24 inches) and 3.5 Kg (8 lbs)- the biggest fish of the day!!
Coach Tyson Scoring his first of 3 trout.
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Tuesday i spent most of the day chilling in the city center of Kristianstad. Took some pics of some buildings and of the little square. Then cruised over to Contact Sports (Tyson's shop) and picked up the package that my mom had sent me. Yeah!! Hung out for a while and then left to get ready for practice.
Fly Fishing
Emil caught the first one of the day and then Tyson caught fire later in the day and pulled in 3 nice Rainbow Trout. I found a little hole that i had a couple really good strikes but i was not able to hook the trout. There was i big trout that had taken my fly but was no where to found after. I decided to work my way down stream and then come back later. As i started down stream i had a couple more really good strikes but yet again i was unable to land them. The day was growing late and i had rescheduled Thursday's full practice to Wednesday at 6:00 because we were playing on Friday night. Which made for a very long day. But it was time to go and i was fish-less. As I walked back up to the middle of the stream Tyson said that they were really going after this dark fly he had and told me to grab his pole and go give it another 10 minutes at the hole where i had lost that big trout. Sure enough the first cast out i had a big strike but again no luck. Another 4 or 5 casts later as i was bring in my line and wam! it hit hard and this time i had him. It was about 10 min to bring him in. I could tell he was big but he was not fighting too hard. Soon i felt him give a little and i brought him to shore and Emil scooped him up.
61 cm (24 inches) and 3.5 Kg (8 lbs)- the biggest fish of the day!!
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Check out the skills. And my Trophy!
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Predators 57 - Limhamn 0, Game Recap
From the beginning of my journey here in Sweden there has been one name that i have heard about more then any other, "Limhamn". Talk of both respect for their achievements and of a little dislike for their achievements. The Predators faced them 3 times last season winning the 1st but falling short the other two. The latter being in the semifinals of the playoffs. All 3 were close games. They were the team to beat going into this year and deservedly so. I watched their first game and they crushed their opponent 55-3. My first impression was that they were a team that we would have to play smart against but we matched up well with them athletically.
At the start of the week i felt that we had a very good game plan in all phases of the game. We made some adjustments defensively to counter Limhamns wide variety of offense. The #1 goal this week on defense was, "know your responsibility, play fast and don't stop hitting. Offensively i knew we would be facing the best defensive front that we might see all season. Their DLine is good but their LBs are very good. And they like to bring pressure so our goal this week was protection. I knew we had a significant advantage in the passing game if we could give time for our QB to find our WRs.
We had a good week of prep. Offensively we got back some of the starters we were missing the week before and defensively a couple new players came aboard and 1 came back from injury so we finally had a little bit of depth. Defensively we focused on being sound with our different responsibilities and offensively we focused on protection and added a couple new wrinkles. I felt very prepared for Limhamn and i knew that if I could help our coaches get our players close to the same level of comfort that i had about our opponent then we would be in good shape. I made the comment to Anders Klang before Thursday's practice that if the players could play with my knowledge about Limhamn we would blow them out. At that moment i thought it would be a close game though. After practice Thursday i felt much better. Our defensive coaches did an outstanding job installing the game plan and allowing our defensive guys to play fast. I knew Limhamn was in for a tough battle.
The weather is exactly what i did not want for this game. Powerful gusts of wind swirling through the stadium with off and on rain. Our plan was to throw the ball and throw it often and i knew Limhamn was going to run it. Pregame starts and we are loose but a little flat. Phil our QB felt good the WRs were feeling good but i think we had 1 completion total in 7on7 and team during pregame. We were just a little off. But its pregame and i was not too worried.
Limhamn makes the same mistake each team before has made and wins the toss and chooses to defer and give us the ball first. We move the ball well on our first drive but the field is a bit slippery and we are having some troubles with our footing. We cross mid field and are getting close to the red zone and we throw an INT deep in Limhamn territory. A late throw that i know as soon as Phil threw it he wanted it back. No big deal though, We protected well and moved the ball well. I knew we were on the right track.
Our defense marches out on the field and begins the complete and total destruction of the Limhamn offense. I don't think Limhamn had a positive yard on 1st down until the 4th quarter. We had a lot of tackles for losses and i am not sure how many sacks but it was around 7 or 8. We were in the backfield of Limhamn all day and the defense did exactly what i asked of them. 'Know your assignment, play fast, and don't stop hitting." We had 5 turn overs, 4 INTs, one for a TD, and a Safety. The offense did not score after the middle of the 3rd Quarter. The defense scored the last 9 points of the game.
Offensively we found our groove the next series and scored on a TD strike to Sorin Pandrea. Phil Juhlin threw for another outstanding performance with 5 more TDs. Sorin was awesome, a duel threat with another 4 TD game. 3 receiving and 1 on the ground. Ben Hornquist, Mackan Johnsson and Calle Neilson all made big plays for scores. But with out a doubt our offensive line were the heroes this week. They had a tough task protecting against a very good pressure defensive front. They gave Phil time to find the open wrs and in the second half after we had the lead they opened huge holes and controlled the game. I am very proud of the entire team but special props go out to my Lineman for rising to the occasion and building a deserved reputation as the best OLine in Division 1.
I have not seen the film yet or done stats. as soon as i get a chance i will get those up asap.
At the start of the week i felt that we had a very good game plan in all phases of the game. We made some adjustments defensively to counter Limhamns wide variety of offense. The #1 goal this week on defense was, "know your responsibility, play fast and don't stop hitting. Offensively i knew we would be facing the best defensive front that we might see all season. Their DLine is good but their LBs are very good. And they like to bring pressure so our goal this week was protection. I knew we had a significant advantage in the passing game if we could give time for our QB to find our WRs.
We had a good week of prep. Offensively we got back some of the starters we were missing the week before and defensively a couple new players came aboard and 1 came back from injury so we finally had a little bit of depth. Defensively we focused on being sound with our different responsibilities and offensively we focused on protection and added a couple new wrinkles. I felt very prepared for Limhamn and i knew that if I could help our coaches get our players close to the same level of comfort that i had about our opponent then we would be in good shape. I made the comment to Anders Klang before Thursday's practice that if the players could play with my knowledge about Limhamn we would blow them out. At that moment i thought it would be a close game though. After practice Thursday i felt much better. Our defensive coaches did an outstanding job installing the game plan and allowing our defensive guys to play fast. I knew Limhamn was in for a tough battle.
GAME DAY
Limhamn makes the same mistake each team before has made and wins the toss and chooses to defer and give us the ball first. We move the ball well on our first drive but the field is a bit slippery and we are having some troubles with our footing. We cross mid field and are getting close to the red zone and we throw an INT deep in Limhamn territory. A late throw that i know as soon as Phil threw it he wanted it back. No big deal though, We protected well and moved the ball well. I knew we were on the right track.
Our defense marches out on the field and begins the complete and total destruction of the Limhamn offense. I don't think Limhamn had a positive yard on 1st down until the 4th quarter. We had a lot of tackles for losses and i am not sure how many sacks but it was around 7 or 8. We were in the backfield of Limhamn all day and the defense did exactly what i asked of them. 'Know your assignment, play fast, and don't stop hitting." We had 5 turn overs, 4 INTs, one for a TD, and a Safety. The offense did not score after the middle of the 3rd Quarter. The defense scored the last 9 points of the game.
Offensively we found our groove the next series and scored on a TD strike to Sorin Pandrea. Phil Juhlin threw for another outstanding performance with 5 more TDs. Sorin was awesome, a duel threat with another 4 TD game. 3 receiving and 1 on the ground. Ben Hornquist, Mackan Johnsson and Calle Neilson all made big plays for scores. But with out a doubt our offensive line were the heroes this week. They had a tough task protecting against a very good pressure defensive front. They gave Phil time to find the open wrs and in the second half after we had the lead they opened huge holes and controlled the game. I am very proud of the entire team but special props go out to my Lineman for rising to the occasion and building a deserved reputation as the best OLine in Division 1.
I have not seen the film yet or done stats. as soon as i get a chance i will get those up asap.
Congratulations Predators!
Great Victory!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Happy Mother's Day
Here is your Mother's Day present:
Friday, May 11, 2012
Pictures from Ekeby
Sorin Pandrea for the TD
Pontus Nilsson after his TD catch.
(The refs fubar'd this one and called it back)
Johan Vighagen CB
Sorin Pandrea WR/RB
Not a bad day, 3 TDs
QB Phil Juhlin Looking for a WR down field
Mackan Johnsson WR Diving for the 1st down.
Ben Hornquist, WR, First TD of the game.
Philthy Juhlin doing his dirty work.
Lukas Klang OL, working hard on Inside Zone
Johan Johnsson, OL, in pass protection.
Where is the third Stooge
Anders Larsson, RB, Finds a nice hole to run through
That guy on the ground to the left was just trucked by Mackan Johnsson
My main man Harald Ackerberg For his 1st TD of the season.
Anders getting the extra yards.
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