Today's hours were spent listening in to the coaches remarks of the game film from the game played Saturday against Georgia State University in Atlanta. The team did not play well, and the score showed in the 31-6 loss. Afterwards, pictures of some of the standout players and seniors were selected to be printed off and framed to hang in the halls of the football building. I went and picked up the pictures from the University Center, and I went to Wal-Mart to buy the frames for the pictures. I framed the pictures and placed them along the hall's walls. This was done to show appreciation for the players standout play on the field and in the classroom as well.
Today was the day the Skyhawks headed to Atlanta to take on Georgia State University tomorrow in the Georgia Dome. After a film review, I watched the Skyhawks go through a practice that was a bit longer than their normal practices before gameday. After the practice was complete, we headed to position meetings where I sat in on the special teams meeting. They talked about the possibilities of possibly running an onside kick to start the game if they won the toss and even the potential to fake a punt or field goal if the situation was right and they needed a momentum shift. Afterwards, the team went to the University Center where they had a meal before they hit the road to Atlanta.
Today was a fun day. I spent time with the coaches looking over the film as usual, but today I got to do something other than recruiting. Today, I filmed practice, and I enjoyed it a lot. I never understood how difficult it is to film games/practices until today. I had a schedule of the practice, and for every period, I had to make sure that I was filming the correct drill in practice. I learned that there are minor details that are very important in filming, such as making sure all 22 players were in the shot. I had to keep a view of five yards behind the offensive side of the ball and 10 yards behind the deepest defensive back. On pass plays, I had to try to keep everyone in the frame, but it was more important to follow the ball in order to see the techniques the receivers and defenders were using on any given play.
Today, I continued my trek around the Eastern part of Tennessee around Chattanooga and Knoxville in looking up seniors with potential offers from rival schools or bigger schools than UTM. Completing this task is time-consuming, and some could call it tedious, but it is always worth it, especially if you are able to find that "diamond in the rough" that you or other schools perhaps have overlooked. It is also a good way to look at potential walk-ons for the team as well, who in turn could eventually receive a scholarship.
Today was much like my last visit to UTM. I spent many hours in the recruiting room doing research on the players from my last visit along with more potential prospects. I took a break to go and listen in on some meetings and watch a little film before I was done for the day. I've been around college football for a while now, and it still amazes me how important the little things are that can give away a play that's coming, such as an offensive lineman's splits or how they are in their stance. It goes to show that attention to detail, even in football, is a great way to be ahead of the game because it is extremely important in multiple facets of life.
Today I returned to the recruiting room, and I started an hours long process that will last many visits. After the homecoming game last week, I began going through the high school teams in which the Skyhawks have potential recruits to see if each school had any other senior players with offers from other schools. I used the Maxpreps website to find the teams rosters, and I made note of their position, height and weight, and if they had any offers from other schools. It’s almost like going through with a fine tooth comb to ensure that potential players aren’t overlooked.
Today was the day before the big homecoming game against Austin Peay State University. I spent a lot of time listening to the coaches talk about how they can’t let the homecoming atmosphere take away from the importance of focusing on the little things that will win games rather than get caught up in the hype surrounding homecoming week. Their motto is “Above the Best,” and they preached it today as a way to remind them that to win in this conference, you have to be better than the best, so you have to give 110% for the man next to you. The schedule for how gameday was going to go for the team was announced to the players, and I noticed it was a bit out of the ordinary from the regular home games because they had recruits visiting. Coaches made time to spend with the recruits that were visiting, so they stressed the importance of making sure the meetings today were sharp and on point. The practice today was light with no hitting, and it was extremely efficient. The Skyhawks definitely looked ready to compete tomorrow.
Today was about meetings. Coming off Saturday's late loss to Tennessee State, it was crucial that the meetings addressed simple errors that should not happen. UTM lost the game in the last two minutes, but could have iced the game away previously if it weren't for a personal foul call as well as multiple turnovers. I set up the chairs in the large meeting room for the entire team as well as got the projector ready to roll with some of the plays that ultimately cost the team the game. It was a learning experience in that one play can really make or break a game, and this past Saturday was a classic case of a team beating themselves. The team then began homecoming week with a practice to get ready for their game Saturday against OVC opponent Austin Peay State University, whom they should beat, but will not if they don't clean up the errors made from the prior loss.
Today was a busy day, as I sat in on the coaches meetings and film review of the previous day's practice for a couple of hours. It's so interesting how they go over the little details in terms simple things like the offensive linemen's splits.
After film was over, I distributed the itineraries I had finished today to the coaches and the equipment managers and the filmers. I also on the itinerary made a list of the players that were travelling with the team and which bus they would be on as well as the athletic trainers and the equipment managers that weren't riding to Nashville on the equipment truck. Today's practice was a rather brisk walk thru for the players before the loaded the buses to go beat Tennessee State tomorrow. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2016
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