BLACK

The inactivity on my blog of late is not a reflection of a lack of activity.. in fact the exact opposite as life has been pretty busy.

Although I didn't blog it i have been over to Austria to meet Ryan Hawson of Ayup Lights and whilst there we did some riding and i foolishy rode the Salzkammergut Trophy race again.. although this time i took 9 gears and entered the 119km event.

The race was tough and it was more of a 'ride' than a 'race' ... I was quickly into survival mode and got round the course and all 3900m of climbing in a sloth like 8 hours.

This event has spurred me on to get back into training a proper and get some races entered.

Austria also saw the first outing on a 29er since leaving XC Racer/29ers ... this outing marked me leaving my sponsorship by Genesis Bikes.

I have enjoyed riding for Genesis/Madison and they afforded me the opportunity to race some pretty unique events but I felt it was time to move on.

At the moment I am still with Alpkit and Montane with new sponsors on the way.. i'm even toying with the idea of riding under the Shoestring Racing banner and getting some team kit made for myself and any like minded souls.

All in i'm still searching for the perfect bike to use but i'm very motivated to get out and ride as always.. new snow bike on its way already:)

INVENIAM VIAM AUT FACIAM

Fernando Torres will be staying at Liverpool after speaking to new Reds boss Roy Hodgson. This has to be positive news for the financially challenged Premier League giant despite media criticism of the spanish striker during the World Cup 2010. Torres is a proven goalscorer at Premiership level so it is surprising that football journalists to forget his phenomenal goal scoring rate at Liverpool. The obvious challenge to Hodgson is achieving some balance within his front line to allow Torres to get properly fit - something we haven't seen for 2 years. Has this affected the player's chances of moving on? Perhaps, but Hodgson will recognise true class in Torres and will want him to show his devastating physicality and presence once more to get him back to aiming for in excess of 25 goals per season.

Good work Roy of the Reds!

Gratuitous clips of 2009 NFL sacks

Ran across some great fundamental drills for honing man-to-man skills recently.
Very basic stuff, but the simplicity of repeating leverage on receivers in these drills and reinforcing the concept (and avoiding the unnecessary movements) is something to take away from these.

Good luck this season.....

The Project will happen in Vilnius on the 23rd of October 2010 in collaboration with Nordic Council of Ministers and the local Creative Collective OVAL.


The above is the first sketch of the Vilnius tag done in connection with the "Sea of Creativity" conference in Vilnius in the spring of 2010 where the project was first presented.


The above is the main square in Vilnius that we hope we can use.


Allan van O.T. Andersen--who you can see in the above images from the Riga version
where Allan was in the car with the Danish Director Simon Drewsen Holmberg of
the Danish Cultural Institute in Riga--is the Creative Director of OVAL and also happens to be Danish.


The above is the other main square by the City Town Hall, where our friends  from OVAL produced a 3D projection short film called "When Fairy Tales come True".

More about Vilnius HERE

AWESOME

Easily the most efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly video system any school could ask for. With packages running from $800 - $1600 (based on storage needs), your program can open up the world of film study and game access available to anyone investing in your team.

You can eliminate the spindles of DVDs needed in a season for trades, cuts, film study, and weekly distribution (scout & last game) because everything is housed online on HUDL servers.




As new customers, we have been toying around with the product for a few months and although most on staff are not techno-philes, everyone can use the system because it is no more difficult than a remote control.

Once the game film is uploaded, it will parse into play segments for the staff to detail (as little or as much as you like) later. You can upload game film, scout film, practice film, anything you want.

With the game film online and telestrated/commented as you like, you can distribute it to other coaches, to players, to parents, or even college recruiters.

The only thing required is to have MS Silverlight (Gates' version of Flash) installed on the PC to view the applet.

We plan on (and have been for spring) using this during the athletic periods (football class) to dial up situations pertinent to the game plan or teaching plan. This eliminates the need to cutup the game film and burn to discs for special presentation the night before. Just toggle the plays you want to review and its there in an instant.

There have been tons of video editing, databasing, scouting, and storage solutions offered in the last 8 years in the coaching industry, but nothing captures the full spectrum of needs like HUDL. Be sure to check out the current offer before the season starts!

http://www.hudl.com/blog/comments/test-drive-hudl-i-promise-its-free

I would have to say, one of the coolest aspects of HUDL, isn't the program itself, but the customer service. If you have a problem or question, just call their support line and you will actually talk to a real person (that knows the product). If they can't walk you through it, they'll remote desktop into your PC and fix any issues you might be experiencing.

After reviewing their base front, fire zone and dime package, now we'll explore what happens when offenses dictate nickel (substitute a Nickel back for the Buck) based on medium passing downs or 10 personnel package.

In the glory years of the Tom Osborne-era Huskers, the Blackshirts and Charlie McBride lived in what they called "11 Robber". While we'll touch on that in a later post, it essentially was Nickel Cover 1 (1 high MOFC player, 1 low hole player). Because of the matchup advantages in the secondary and the versatility in personnel, these new Blackshirts thrive on bringing maximum heat when in Nickel.

Much like the spinner grouping, Pelini has a preference on bringing pressure, rather than sitting back in coverage or even fire-zoning offenses.


The easiest way to generate maximum pressure on quarterbacks is Cover 0. Every defender accounts for a receiver, and those without will pressure. This concept should not be discounted because of its insane simplicity.

In their most often used pressure concept when in Nickel, is "Over Loose Bomb Blitz".

This is essentially the 'bonzai' blitz from the Jim Mora 49ers playbook that is bringing both safeties. This is perfect against 2-back sets, but is certainly sound against 3x1 or 2x2.

Corners are playing catch-man technique with a 9 yard cushion, able to jump hot throws and deep enough to maintain an over-the-top leverage on deep receivers.

Both safeties will present the 2-high look (like every snap), then begin creeping once the quarterback begins the cadence. They are both attacking the 'B' gap. The interior tackles collapse the A gaps to open this overload blitz in B gaps. This direct and immediate pressure will force quarterbacks to take unnecessary hits and at best scramble into contain players.


The ends will play the common "peel" technique (as covered previously) against any back flow, and inside-out leverage an flaring action. Versus empty, the ends will have no responsibility but to rush the passer.


Take a look at these clips to get a better perspective of how simple and effective a Cover 0 - check blitz is.




On a personal note, I would like to add that even though being a "defensive-guy" and being a coordinator who is not big on man-to-man, that if you do not have a Cover 0 check blitz in your package, you are really missing out. It can be installed within minutes, disguised from any look, and provides a 'cheap' answer during a game that falls outside your game plan. I would certainly encourage any defensive staff member to look at the 'check-blitz' not as a way of life, but as something up your sleeve to before your first game. It is a great way to jump start your defense into winning conversion downs and build the confidence in the team in the early stages of the season.