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MARCH 2007

Marshall Faulk Says It's Too Late to Reform the Bad Boys! (See"NEWS") George Welsh Reflects on the Value of his Navy Training! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 30, 2007 - "Fight like you train, train like you fight." Slogan of the Navy Top Guns.   more info---><--- more info   THE MARCH 31 RALEIGH-DURHAM CLINIC WILL BE HELD AT Rogers-Herr Middle School - 911 West Cornwallis Road - Durham, NC the afternoon session will take place at a field at Duke University or - in case of inclement weather, in the Rogers-Herr school gymnasium   PHILA/MID-ATLANTIC - APRIL 7 The 2007 Coach Wyatt Mid-Atlantic clinic will be held once again April 7 at the Holiday Inn in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike   PROVIDENCE/NEW ENGLAND - APRIL 14 - On Saturday, April 14, the 2007 Coach Wyatt New England clinic will return to the Comfort Inn Airport on Post Road in Warwick, for the eighth straight year. Clinic speakers will be John Dowd,Oakfield-Alabama HS - 2006 New York state finalist; Mike Emery, formerly of Fitch HS, Groton, CT - two-time state champion; Bill Mignault, of Ledyard, Connecticut - winningest coach in state history; Jack Tourtillotte, Boothbay Harbor, Maine - two-time state champion. For anyone contemplating flying in, Southwest serves Providence, and the hotel is right next to the airport.   CHICAGO/MIDWEST - APRIL 21 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held Saturday, April 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north of the clinic site. If transportation from the hotel to the clinic site is a problem, it can be arranged. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Southern California Clinic will be held Saturday, April 28 in Valencia at Rancho Pico Middle School, 26250 West Valencia Blvd.   Valencia is about 20-30 minutes north of Burbank Airport. For those needing a place to stay her, there are a Residence Inn, Comfort Suites and Hilton Suites all within 5 minutes of the school.   *********** Greetings from North Carolina! After staying Wednesday night in Columbia, Maryland, we arrived safely here in Durham for Saturday's clinic Found a great restaurant in historic Savage Mill, Maryland called the Ram's Head Tavern, featuring products of the Fordham Brewery of Annapolis.   *********** Hugh: Nothing makes me grit my teeth more than the continued posts on your site from DW coaches who do not pull their tackles on super power, power, counter, etc.  I hear this from many youth coaches that their tackles "just can't get there" so it is safer for them to just keep them home.  This is usually code for.... "we are having some problems with this and we don't want to spend the time coaching it up correctly."   For lack of a better word it is coaching laziness and chances are you are hurting your DW attack more than you are helping it.  It is not just limited to youth coaches as both our frosh and soph coaches did the same thing this year.  We had enough to worry about on the varsity so it was never addressed by the varsity staff at the time.   Now we are deep into the offseason and I recently put together a powerpoint for our frosh and soph coaches to highlight the gaps and alleys that are not addressed if you leave the tackle at home.  We also talk about making calls that will keep the tackle at home but I think most coaches are really shortchanging their offense when they do this as a blanket scheme.    Looking forward to seeing you at the Chicago clinic.    Bill Lawlor, Hanover Park, Illinois (I agree with you totally.   In all my travels, I haven't seen many tackles who are so unathletic they couldn't be coached to pull well enough to provide that important escort to the runner - most of the time when the runner is able to cut back, it's because he's able to do so off the tail of the tackle.   There are those times such as when we go unbalanced, or when we run from slot or spread, that it's not usually advisable to pull the tackle, but that's a compromise we make in return for getting something else. Normally, I wouldn't advise not pulling the tackle simply to accomodate a lazy kid or a coach who doesn't want to coach him.   Bill Lawlor has been coaching the Double-Wing for nearly team years. As a youth coach, his teams won two Bill George League state titles, and for the last three seasons he has served as offensive coordinator at Crystal Lake Central High, which last season won its conference title for the first time in more than 10 years. HW)   *********** Coach Wyatt, Would it be feasible to run an option off of a fake 47C?  Given the action of the QB and the A back, it would appear to be possible, and the fake could freeze the playside DE (as well as others).   It is not only possible - I have done it.   But I don't think that it is something you want to spend a whole lot of time on because you can't be sure how the DE is going to react until you've run 47-C a few times.   I think you have to wait until the moment is right: you've noticed that the DE has been chasing your 47-C, and so you find yourself down near the goal line with time for one play...   *********** I made a comment last time about the seemingly poor free throw shooting in the NCAA Tournament, and the stats of the Final Four teams bear this out: Georgetown 71.4% (94th among 325 Division I colleges) Ohio State 70.4 (129th), Florida 68.8 (175th), UCLA 66.2 (251st)   Rick Majerus, former Utah coach who's now an ESPN analysts (isn't every ex-coach?) tells USA Today it's because (1) Players are so talented that they can get by without working on their free throws, and the Final Four teams are certainly very talented; and (2) free throw shooting isn't sexy.   "There's no substitute for talent at the Final Four," he said. "Sometimes the more talented you are, the more likely you are to neglect foul shooting. It's not glamorous. If you ask kids what they like to do, they like to dribble behind the back, they like to practice hook shots and three-pointers... That's what they like to do in sixth grade, and it's what they like to do as sophomores in college."   Best free throw shooter ever? It would probably be Rick Barry. Barry shot free throws the way we were forced to when I was a kid - underhanded. People mocked him, but he was strong enough to stay with what worked - and worked very well.   He's got to be 60 years old now, but supposedly he can still make 90 per cent of his free throws.   He has offered to help any player in the NBA (Shaq?) whose free throw shooting to stand improvement, but today's megamillion dollar stars run when they see him coming. They wouldn't be caught dead looking like Granny Goose. Who cares about results, when appearances are all that matter?   (Does this help you to understand the mindset of football coaches would rather pass - even if it means losing - than run an Old School offense?)   *********** Almost as rare as an Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a conservative letter to the Portland Oregonian, but I spotted one the other day. Such sightings are so rare that I can usually tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing when I read them.   This one was in response to the recent Peace March through downtown Portland, in which assorted well-meaning folks, liberal wack jobs and government-hating anarchists observed the fourth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, and here was its gist:   When faced with an implacable, violent enemy, you can do one of three things: fight and win; fight and lose; or surrender.   Whichever you choose, you'll eventually have peace. Not necessarily freedom. But peace.   *********** There is no denying that Florida's Billy Donovan is a good basketball coach. But as a teacher, well, I'll let you decide...   In view of the fact that Florida's opponent in the NCAA semifinals is UCLA, Florida's players were asked a few questions about the UCLA tradition., and their answers would embarrass me if I were their coach.   The LA Times' Bill Plaschke reports that Walter Hodge, a backup, was asked if he'd ever heard of John Wooden.   Hodge's answer: "I don't know and I don't care. Is he that old dude?"   Coach Donovan, you will never be the coach that John Wooden was, and you should be ashamed that one of your players displayed such ignorance of the game.   ************ Roger Goodell, Tsar of All Football (aka Commissioner of the National Football League) claims to be serious about cracking down on wrongdoers.   All-time great running back Marshall Faulk says it's too late.   "This is my firm belief," he told USA Today. "When you get to this level, it's almost too late to police guys. Something's going wrong at the high school and college level. By the time they get to the NFL, what are you going to do?"   Amen.   But let's not stop at high school. There are plenty middle school and youth coaches, too, who give the super talented kid a pass on matters of conduct. Instead of doing the kid a real favor, they let him slide, and leave him and his attitude for the next coach to deal with.   When I used to teach writing in high school, I would look at the papers that students turned in, and I'd ask myself - I wanted to ask the kids - when did they stop teaching English in grade school? Answer - a long time ago, when they decided that they didn't like to teach spelling, grammar and punctuation. The most important thing, they felt, was for the students to "express themselves." Spelling, grammar and punctuation? They'll get that when they get older.   It won't happen.   *********** On the CSI:NFL front...   The St. Paul Pioneer Press took a stab at the number of NFL teams willing to give Pacman Jones a second chance (or is it a third? fourth?) to show that he's not such a bad guy, provided he can beat the latest charges in Las Vegas, and came up with..........32   Chris Henry, "troubled" wide receiver for the Bengals (by the way - why do they always write "troubled?" Don't they mean "troubling?" Or "troublesome?") is in trouble again, and this time he could actually pull some jail time for probation violation (note to the justice system in NFL cities: probation isn't working). He was nailed for driving while his license was suspended, but they also got him for improper turn and - hold on, kids - not wearing a seat belt. That's the charge that'll get him sent away.   *********** Milt Kieffer died the other day. To thousands of kids in Vancouver, Washington, he was the "Uncle Milt" behind Uncle Milt's Pipe Organ Pizza Company, the after-game hangout for the kids from Hudson's Bay High, where I taught and coached for years. I'm sure that many of my former players remember the night we were returning on our bus from a big win at Kiggins Bowl, the local stadium where we played our home games. It was only a 15-minute bus ride, and because we dressed back at our school, the players were still in uniform. As we passed Uncle Milt's, one of the kids must have said something about how cool it would be to go into Uncle Milt's right then and there and join their schoolmates in celebrating, because I remember saying, "What the hell -" and asked the bus driver to pull over to the curb and wait for a while. And damned if those kids didn't walk into Uncle Milt's and receive the greatest reception any of them had ever received.   *********** I always knew I liked Canadians. I just came across another reason, in reading about a multimillionaire Canadian newspaper owner named Conrad Black, on trial in Chicago accused of bilking shareholders of his company of millions of dollars.   Canadians are not exactly pulling for the guy.   That's because he's a "Tall Poppy." And Canadians, like Australians, don't care for Tall Poppies.   In our "It's All About Me" culture, the US is full of them. In the US it's common for people who make a bunch of money to flaunt it in any way they can - the area they live in, the car they drive (or the chauffeured limousine they ride in), the school their kids attend, the watch they wear, etc., etc., etc.   On the court and on the field, the biggest jackass athletes seem to get the headlines at the expense of the strong, solid players.   But it wasn't always this way. And, as it once was in the US, it's considered bad form in many parts of the world to make an ostentatious display of one's self.   There is a Japanese expression that the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down, and in the same manner, the Canadians don't seem to mind in the slightest watching a "Tall Poppy" like Conrad Black get cut down to size.   *********** Evidently on Monday Night Football, the need to entertain far outweighs the need to inform. Otherwise, why ESPN can Joe Theismann and keep Tony Kornheiser?   Not that I'm a huge Theismann fan, but the guy is knowledgeable and he's always right there with an opinion. Kornheiser, on the other hand, was embarrassingly ignorant of football for a guy in that position, and and surprisingly unprepared to discuss the game at hand, and yet as he became more "comfortable" in the three-man booth (or, more likely, as he was reminded that he was being paid to talk) he began having more and more to say. Some of it was good, but a lot of it required something more than the gentlemanly behavior of Mike Tirico, the play-by-play guy. In short, I think he needed Theismann more than anybody needed him.   There's no doubt that Theismann's successor, Ron Jaworski, knows his stuff, and I think he's going to present his material well. Now, if they can just get Kornheiser to shut up...   *********** Not that I would ever watch that crap, but the McDonald's All-Star game was on the tube, and I swear I heard one of the fools doing the broadcast say this...   "He's the most impressive dunker... if he'd made them it would have been even more impressive, but he was within three inches of hitting his head on the rim."   Wow. Who cares if he can play?   *********** The Naval Academy does have its problems with, uh, sexual incidents.   The latest one concerns reports of a group of Midshipmen on a spring break cruise who reportedly groped women and offered alcohol to underage girls.   Well.   The powers that be at the Academy are going to take steps to bring a halt to such activity.   It has announced plans for all 4,000-some Midshipmen to take classes next fall intended to "raise awareness about sexual harassment and its consequences."   Uh, correct me if I'm wrong here - but didn't fathers and mothers use to do that?   *********** Well, duh... "Using cell phones while driving increases the risk of a serious crash four-fold. And it doesn't matter whether you're using a hand-held or hands-free device. It's the conversation that's the distraction." Russ Rader, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety   *********** Not too long ago, Tim Walsh resigned after 11 years as head coach at Portland State to take the offensive coordinator's job at Army. At the time he left, he mentioned a few things about a certain lack of support at PSU.   Amen. Apart from a total dud as president - a guy who for some unknown reason is being considered for the same job at West Virginia University - Portland State had been without a full-time AD since February, 2006.   Well, last week they got their AD, and I have a feeling that Tim Walsh is not feeling any nostalgia for Portland.   The guy they hired has been associate AD for the last six years at Cal-Irvine. Yes, the Anteaters. A school without a football program. Before that, he spent nine years at US Santa Barbara. They don't have a football program, either.   But wait - he does have coaching experience. As an assistant coach and administrative assistant - for the Santa Barbara women's volleyball team.   Meantime, he arrives at PSU to find that Walsh's replacement has already been hired for him. Guy named Jerry Glanville.   And this lightweight is going to be Jerry Glanville's boss? Haw, haw, haw.   *********** Clark County, Washington, where I live, is what I would call a hotbed of softball. Teams (elite travel teams, of course) from around here do well in tournaments wherever they go, and I know that there are more kids from our area playing college softball than any other sport. Many of them are in major college programs.   So I found it rather surprising that Clark College, the local community college (it pompously insists on leaving the "Junior" or "Community" out of its name) has had two "opening games" so far - and has had to forfeit them both. For lack of players.   There are only eight players on the squad, and when the local newspaper covered a recent practice, there were all of three people in attendance - the coach and two players.   I'd suggest that the coaches get on the phone and walk around campus and start recruiting softballers.   The men's coaches, I mean. Because knowing the way the Title IX Gang works, if Clark has to drop softball, it'll be curtains for a men's sport, too.   *********** Lincoln said, "it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth an remove all doubt."   You'll recall my mentioning earlier that Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards said that he'd give up a year's salary (or something like that) for one chance to play Duke, and get back at Mike Krzyzewski for not selecting him for the US National Team. You'll also recall my mentioning that he said he was also going to get back at Nate McMillan, coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, who was an assistant to Coach K (and actually had nothing to do with no selecting Arenas). He said that he would score 50 every time he played McMillan's Blazers. Uh-oh - isn't there anybody in his life who can advise him to STFU? - in their first meeting, he went out and scored 9 (NINE) points.   Yeah, but that was last time, Arenas said. I didn't take enough shots. Next time, I'll get 50 for sure. Watch out, Nate McMillan. Watch out, Trail Blazers.   "Next time" came and went last Sunday. Arenas had 19.   Is it possible - just possible - that Coach K knew what he was doing?   *********** From a friend who said he just went through a phone interview for a high school job at a distant location --- I remember 1 question they asked was how would I teach a fundamental? So Hugh, you know what I talked about - Tackling, straight from your tape. I told them it was a fundamental which is not taught very well at any level, and I described the basic hit position and fit and form, and I reminded them this can be taught and repeated over and over before we got into pads. I told them sometimes it takes 1000 reps to start to feel confident.   *********** There was a time when the Olympics were for the young. Every four years, the world awaited the results, eager to see what new stars would earn gold. American decathletes Bob Mathias, Milt Campbell and Rafer Johnson were among them. They would compete in one, maybe two Olympics, and then they'd get on with their lives.   And then professionalism - and the wonders of modern chemistry - crept in, and now it's not at all unusual to see 35-year-old athletes, whose full-time job is pole vaulting or sprinting 100 meters, coming back for Olympics after Olympics. There is no particular excitement to watching the same pack of professional athletes compete in the Olympics this weekend when last weekend the ran against each other in Berlin and next weekend they'll be racing against each other in Stockholm. And, worst of all, there is a great lack of fresh, new faces coming along. Partly for those reasons, track and field is about dead as a spectator sport in the US, the place where most of the TV rights money for the Olympic Games comes from.   Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, seems to have heard the grumbling, and his answer is to start something called the Youth Olympic Games, for kids 14-18.   Wow. A chance to expose young talent, and at the same time hustle the TV networks for more money!   But where are they going to get all the gymnasts and figure skaters? They're already competing as adults.   Does this mean that we'll be seeing 8-year-old gymnasts and figure skaters?   *********** Former Navy and Virginia Hall of Fame Coach George Welsh is a US Naval Academy graduate graduate, and he knew from the time he was a boy that Navy was where he would go to college. His father was a Navy fan and, from the time George was a freshman in high school in Coaldale, Pennsylvania, the two made a yearly trip to see a Navy football game. All it took was one Army-Navy game - then perhaps the biggest game in all of college football -to convince him that Navy was the school for him. Although also recruited by Yale and Columbia, he accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1952. The Naval Academy had an enormous impact on Welsh's character and his ability to lead men. As a company commander at Navy, he was in charge of some 150 midshipmen. And as an All-American quarterback who called all of his own plays for coach Eddie Erdelatz, and led Navy to a Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss in 1954, he learned what it took to win. "I think I had certain leadership qualities coming out of high school but I think the Naval Academy helps you develop them," he said. "I still believe in what they said then about leadership. I learned about what it takes to be a really good leader. The first thing they would say was, 'know your stuff'. If you want to be a good naval officer, you've got to know what the hell you're talking about and what you're doing with the ship. That applies to football too. "And then they'd used to say, 'and be a man about it.' Stand up for what you believe. If you make a mistake, admit it. If you're the guy in charge, you have got to take responsibility. That applies in football." "I'm not a superior motivator," he said. "I still believe that you win games on Monday through Thursday more than you do with some motivational thing that you might come up with on Friday night or Saturday morning. As far as I'm concerned, that's the way to do it. I think that you play like you practice. The top gun pilots in the Navy have a slogan. They say, 'fight like you train, train like you fight.' It's the same thing in football as far as I'm concerned. If you don't practice well, it will get to be a habit and it will catch up to you. You'll lose on Saturday because of it."     All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ

MORE PHOTOS FROM MY TRIP TO GERMANY! (See"NEWS") Oregon Prepares to Brainwash its School Kids! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 27, 2007 - "An honest man is the noblest work of God. " Alexander Pope, English poet   more info---><--- more info   THE MARCH 31 RALEIGH-DURHAM CLINIC WILL BE HELD AT Rogers-Herr Middle School - 911 West Cornwallis Road - Durham, NC the afternoon session will take place at a field at Duke University or - in case of inclement weather, in the Rogers-Herr school gymnasium   PHILA/MID-ATLANTIC - APRIL 7 The 2007 Coach Wyatt Mid-Atlantic clinic will be held once again April 7 at the Holiday Inn in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike   PROVIDENCE/NEW ENGLAND - APRIL 14 - On Saturday, April 14, the 2007 Coach Wyatt New England clinic will return to the Comfort Inn Airport on Post Road in Warwick, for the eighth straight year. Clinic speakers will be John Dowd,Oakfield-Alabama HS - 2006 New York state finalist; Mike Emery, formerly of Fitch HS, Groton, CT - two-time state champion; Bill Mignault, of Ledyard, Connecticut - winningest coach in state history; Jack Tourtillotte, Boothbay Harbor, Maine - two-time state champion. For anyone contemplating flying in, Southwest serves Providence, and the hotel is right next to the airport.   CHICAGO/MIDWEST - APRIL 21 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held Saturday, April 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north of the clinic site. If transportation from the hotel to the clinic site is a problem, it can be arranged. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Southern California Clinic will be held Saturday, April 28 in Valencia at Rancho Pico Middle School, 26250 West Valencia Blvd.   Valencia is about 20-30 minutes north of Burbank Airport. For those needing a place to stay her, there are a Residence Inn, Comfort Suites and Hilton Suites all within 5 minutes of the school. PHOTOS FROM MY TRIP TO GERMANY... My favorite restaurant - Gasthhof Hellwege, in the little town of Hagenah, Germany... and my favorite table - right next to the wood-burning fireplace At Gasthof Hellwege, this is - pardon the French - the piece de resistance. The absolute ultimate. This was billed as a meal for three - although it easily served four, with plenty left over. There is pork and beef and turkey, and there are mushrooms and fried potatoes and potato waffles. And for vegetarians - I'm sure there are some, even in Germany - there are fresh green bean and broccoli and peas-and-carrots. My wife, Connie and me, and Nina and Mathias Bonner at Gasthof Hellwege - Mathias is the coach of the Hamburg Pioneers. At right - yes, Germans drink their beer ("Bier") cold ("kalt") but no flat, foamless beers for them - they INSIST that it must have a beautiful head! They call the head the "flower." In fact, such a work of art is pouring a beer that they take pride in taking seven minutes or more to draw a glass of draught beer! North of Hamburg, there is only one way across the River Elbe, and this ferry is it. I'm told that the wait during the summer months can be hours-long; on the right, in this photo you can count four large ocean-going ships in the locks of the Kiel Canal, one of the world's busiest waterways, which provides a shortcut through North Germany from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea The best way to appreciate the size of the anchors of one of those ships is to stand next to one; on the right, in German convenience stores, bratwurst ("brat" simply means "fried") and coffee are the German version of Slim Jims or beef jerky and Mountain Dew Mathias and I say good-bye at the Hamburg Airport; on the right, for those of you who believe Al Gore when he says that the planet will burn to cinders by 2012, I offer this photo of the coast of Labrador, taken from 35,000 feet.   *********** I really believe that coaching in Europe has made me a better coach, because it has forced me to think carefully about the way I say things. In the US, we so often use football jargon to make a point that we don't always check to make sure that the players know what we mean.   But there I was in Germany last weekend, guilty of using football jargon on a German player who had no clue what I was saying.   He was an outside linebacker, and his job was to hold up a tight end. I felt he was too far off the line, so I told him to get closer. And when he still didn't get close enough to the tight end to suit me, I hollered "GET IN HIS FACE!!!"   Nice try, Hugh. It didn't translate.   *********** I'm not touching the John Edwards story other than to get in the faces of the media creeps who have been hailing the Edwardses from "bringing cancer to the attention of the American public." Granted a lot of media types are about as smart as a sack of hammers, but not even they could have seen all the pink ribbons and all the yellow Lance Armstrong bracelets the last couple of years without asking somebody what they were all about.   *********** You'd never know this, from listening to our lefty Demo politicians... or reading our lefty newspapers... or watching our lefty TV news (Fox excepted - but only because Fox can't let go of the Anna Nicole Smith story)... but it seems that not everybody in the  United States thinks that Iraq is a "quagmire."   Au contraire, mes amis...   According to a poll taken last month by the prestigious Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 47 per cent of the American people think that the US can win in Iraq. And get this - 77 per cent of Republicans do.   It didn't say what percentage of Democrat Senators and Congressmen hope that we'll lose. Allowing for Joe Lieberman, I'd put it at about 99 per cent.   *********** Coach Wyatt, I was reading your News this morning and found this "horrible" typo which I'm sure you will understand after I explain further.   "Meanwhile, Steve Alford, having to deal with somewhat the same difficulties at Iowa, has decided to leave Iowa City and take the job at New Mexico State."   Since I'm a native New Mexican, and this kind of error happens all the time in the larger media outlets (namely BSPN - not a typo), I just wanted to point out that Coach Alford is now the Head Coach of the University of New Mexico Lobos, and not the New Mexico State University Aggies (I hate even typing that name).  It is somewhat similar to calling an Iowa Hawkeye a Cyclone, Texas Longhorn an Aggie, or an Oregon Duck a Beaver. (wink, wink)  Oh the pain!   I'm sure your Mac's grammar tool was asleep as you wrote that.    Cheers and here's hoping your clinics are a success this year!  Go Double Wing!   Very respectfully, Coach Marvin Garcia, Albuquerque, New Mexico   Yikes- You are so right. I knew that. I know that the Lobos are the higher-profile program. I must have just kept typing. My apologies!!! (Correction made!) HW    *********** I'm not a member of the National Association for the Advancement of White People - if there even is such a thing - and even if I were, I wouldn't complain to it about being racially slighted, but a basketball announcer this past weekend did make the kind of slip of the tongue that under other circumstances would probably have had people calling for his firing.   You may remember the uproar over the teacher in Washington, DC who used the word "niggardly" in his class. Not knowing that there was such a word (meaning stingy or miserly), people whose indignation far exceeded their vocabulary raised hell, claiming that the guy had insulted his students, if not an entire race.   And then there was the Monday Night Football game on ABC many years ago when a player - a black player, because this is central to the story - scored a touchdown and, as customary, did a little dance. Something on the order of an Irish dance.   And Frank Gifford, calling the action, innocently remarked, "and there's a little jig in the end zone."   Uh-oh. Lots of people, apparently, had never heard of the dance called an Irish jig, and not letting their ignorance get in the way, they immediately assumed that Gifford was so stupid or so arrogant that he'd insult millions of viewers by using a racial slur.   So there I was listening to James Brown and Len Elmore call the Oregon-Florida game, and one of them said that the two teams were so talented, we were looking at "athleticism beyond the pale."   Haw, haw! Beyond the pale, eh? Well, I guess it was - there were only two pale faces on the floor, one on each team.   Call the National Association for the Advancement of White People?   I don't think so.   First of all, as a paleface myself, I am not in the least offended.   Second of all, I was listening to two black gentlemen whose educations - Brown is a graduate of Harvard and Elmore is a graduate of Maryland and of Harvard Law School - can be stacked up against that of anyone's in sports broadcasting. On top of that, they are consummate professionals, too. There is no chance at all that either of them would have said something that anyone but someone looking for it could have interpreted as racial or racist.   But actually, whoever did say it, "Beyond the pale" wasn't the appropriate expression anyhow. Maybe "Beyond belief," because the two teams certainly were very athletic.   But "beyond the pale" is a very old expression referring to activity beyond the law's reach. The "pale" was once the area where a community's laws applied, and outside it, its members could expect no protection, legal or otherwise.   *********** *********** History, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder   Hugh, Great "News"   Wouldn't you say this also applies to religion? I mean, look at how the radicals have twisted the true meaning of Islam.   You wrote, "I wouldn't make any adjustments to my basic package"   This still amazes me. When will coaches realize that this is one of the biggest advantages of running your System. It is not talent sensitive. It's like sex. It's always good but depending on the woman talent, some is just better than others.   From "How to stop the Double Wing" - PROTECT AGAINST THE WINGBACK'S DOWN BLOCK   I could have a lot to add to this, however it took me to long to read all this genius's ways to stop us. I know I'm not the fastest reader in the world. However, if it took me that long to just read this how in the hell would you teach this to a Defense in one week (I bet he only plays one DW. team a year) without totally screwing up his entire practice week? Unless he is a very large school and has a complete two platoon system, with special teams.   However here is one point I would like to add. Coaches that have been opposing us for years have tried everything you can dream up to stop the System. Their answer to stopping it is very simple. YOU MUST OUT MAN US AT EVER POSITION. Even then it can't be stopped, but you may be able to out score it.   Frank Simonsen, Cape May, New Jersey   *********** I was sorry to see Duke's women lose to Rutgers. With Duke down by one and only seconds left, a Duke player missed two free throw shots.   Sure takes coaching out of the equation, doesn't it, when your best player misses two free throws? She was the ACC Player of the Year.   Actually, my wife and I have been shocked at the number of really key free throws missed throughout the men's tournament. Guess they're getting ready for the NBA.   *********** Oregon's state senate just passed a bill which on the surface will prohibit any discrimination based on "an individual's actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality or gender identity..."   It's a monster of a bill - 26 pages long - and loaded with the sort vagueness and generalities that the state's lawyers have got to love.   And buried inside those 26 pages, it mandates a brainwashing for the state's youngsters that the old Soviets would have been proud of - "a program of public education... calculated to eliminate attitudes upon which practices of discrimination" are based.   It didn't mention mental institutions or lobotomies or electric shock treatment for those who go through the program and still consider homosexuality wrong. Probably leaving that up to the schools.   *********** At first, it sounded sad. Bob Woolmer, the coach of Pakistan's cricket team, had "died unexpectedly" in his hotel room in Jamaica, one of the Caribbean nations where the Cricket World Cup is being played.   And then, the news got creepy. The guy had been strangled, it turned out.   But by whom? Ordinary Jamaican criminals? (They have them.)   Or was it something more sinister?   Pakistan had just been eliminated from the World Cup after losing its last two contests. In Pakistan, this is not tolerated. Pakistanis take their cricket very seriously.   And most degrading of all, one of those losses was to Ireland. Ireland, for God's sake! (I'm making it sound as if I know cricket, which I don't, but evidently that's like Columbia rolling over Florida in football.)   Now, it may be hard for Americans to believe that cricket is more than just a bunch of rich Englishmen in white shirts and pants rolling a ball on a big, green lawn, but in many parts of the former British Empire - Australia, India, Pakistan, the West Indies - it is big.   So it could have been a case of someone not dealing with losing very well. National pride and all that. I mean, is there anything else that Pakistanis can take a lot of pride in? (I fully expect to be deluged with e-mails from Pakistanis.)   Or it could be more.   Cricket, it seems, has had its share of fixed games (or matches, or whatever the hell they call them), and there are reports that Mr. Woolmer intended to have something to say about that in an upcoming book.   *********** *********** Coach Wyatt: From your News:   (FROM "HOW TO STOP THE DOUBLE WING") 4. OG Wedge Blocks: Destroy the wedge immediately, outside in angle.   ME: HOW, EXACTLY, DOES A LINEBACKER "DESTROY" A WEDGE - GREAT QUESTION!!! I was wondering that myself! ESPECIALLY WHEN HE'S LINED UP FIVE YARDS DEEP? YOU WOULDN'T BE TELLING YOUR KIDS TO DIVE AT OUR KIDS' KNEES, WOULD YOU? JUST CURIOUS, BECAUSE AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL AND UNETHICAL.   This is EXACTLY what teams did to us last season. These coaches don't CARE about being illegal OR unethical! Check this out: When I brought up to one of the officials (white hat) about our league not having a "free blocking zone" and that the other team was diving at our knees, the official said (and I quote) "but if your players place their hands on the defender's back while he is down (to avoid falling), then it is OK for the defender to go to the O-Lineman's knees!" THIS WAS THE MOST LUDICROUS THING I HAD EVER HEARD. WHAT DOES ONE HAVE TO DO WITH THE OTHER OR WITH THE RULE?   OH. AND DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT WE CAN GO UNBALANCED, AND FORCE YOU TO HAVE TO READ SOMEBODY OTHER THAN OUR GUARDS ?   UNBALANCED WAS BEAUTIFUL FOR US! MOST TEAMS DIDN'T RECOGNIZE IT UNTIL THE 2ND QUARTER! WE HAD ALREADY SCORE AT LEAST 2 TD'S BY THEN!!! Also, Coach Wyatt, this is directed to the coach who is having trouble with the town about his team rules and his integrity. My advice is to NEVER give up your integrity! Expectations are part of a winning program. We (our team and coaches) never talk about winning, but preparing to win. Hard work, discipline, preparation (the little things), working together as a team, loving each other and trusting in God are all factors in a winning program. You are on the right path. I would be proud to coach with you. If you are ever in CA, give me call. Coach Wyatt can get you in touch with me.   Coach Richard Scott, Lathrop Titans, Lathrop, California   All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ

PHOTOS FROM MY TRIP TO GERMANY! (See"NEWS") Another Guy Who Has "The Answer" to Stopping Us! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 23, 2007 - "Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth." Aesop   more info---><--- more info   FLASH!!!! THE MARCH 31 RALEIGH-DURHAM CLINIC WILL BE HELD AT Rogers-Herr Middle School - 911 West Cornwallis Road - Durham, NC   PHILA/MID-ATLANTIC - APRIL 7 The 2007 Coach Wyatt Mid-Atlantic clinic will be held once again April 7 at the Holiday Inn in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike   PROVIDENCE/NEW ENGLAND - APRIL 14 - On Saturday, April 14, the 2007 Coach Wyatt New England clinic will return to the Comfort Inn Airport on Post Road in Warwick, for the eighth straight year. Clinic speakers will be John Dowd,Oakfield-Alabama HS - 2006 New York state finalist; Mike Emery, formerly of Fitch HS, Groton, CT - two-time state champion; Bill Mignault, of Ledyard, Connecticut - winningest coach in state history; Jack Tourtillotte, Boothbay Harbor, Maine - two-time state champion   CHICAGO/MIDWEST - APRIL 21 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held Saturday, April 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north of the clinic site. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Southern California Clinic will be held Saturday, April 28 in Valencia at Rancho Pico Middle School, 26250 West Valencia Blvd.   Valencia is about 20-30 minutes north of Burbank Airport. For those needing a place to stay her, there are a Residence Inn, Comfort Suites and Hilton Suites all within 5 minutes of the school.   *********** HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY TO ARMY ALL-AMERICAN - AND BLACK LION AWARD BOARD MEMBER - BOB NOVOGRATZ!   *********** For the second year in a row, I was invited to Germany by Coach Mathias Bonner to assist him at his pre-season camp. This year, Coach Bonner had a brand new team. The Hamburg Pioneers were back in business after a year of sitting out, forced to give up football by a lack of interest among the players.   No problem this time. Mathias and the Pioneers' organization, headed up by team president Jens Markmann, have more than 60 players practicing regularly, and 43 of them attended the weekend-long camp at a youth hostel in Lubeck, about a 1-1/2 hour drive from Hamburg.   Mathias had been working with the players since the end of last season, but this was their first time in pads. For some of them, it was their first time ever, and it showed immediately. The Pioneers, as a brand-new team, must start out in the fifth division - the lowest - and a wide range in ability and experience is common in lower-division European teams.   We started right in introducing the offense to the Wildcat, to make better use of a variety of talents at the quarterback position, and the introduction went quite smoothly.   By Sunday afternoon, we were ready to scrimmage another team, the Lubeck Seals, from the next division up. The scrimmage ended in a tie, but in my opinion, the way we drove on them, we'd have won a regular game fairly handily. What was even more encouraging than the play of the offense was the defense, which looked really bad on Saturday but after a few slight tweaks, really stuffed the Seals on Sunday,   What really helped this year was the assistance provided by members of the staff of the second-division Hamburg Eagles, and two coaches from the Erlangen Sharks, from the south German state of Bavaria.   (More photos on Tuesday. Hint: If you like food, you'll love Germany!)   PHOTOS FROM GERMANY Sunday morning we practiced tackling, and they got after it pretty good. In the photo on the left, those of you familiar with my "Safer and Surer Tackling" video will recognize the goal-line tackling drill   Hamburg Pioneers' head coach Mathias Bonner addresses his players before their scrimmage against the Lubeck Seals Coach Bonner makes a point with his offensive line Our center, "Bubba" (my nickname), tries the Wildcat snap for the first time. He nailed it, and never had a problem from then on The Hamburg Pioneers' offense huddles up This wasn't posed. These guys really were interested, and they really did pay attention, and they really sopped it all up! When Coach Bonner calls a meeting, the players are there on time. And they really pay attention! The camp staff, photographed during a rare moment when the sun shone I'm shown here with three members of the staff of the Hamburg Eagles, a higher division team, who were good enough to donate their time to work with our team. From left: Jan Wohlers, Stephan Starcke and Martino Destro. (Jan told my wife that on his next trip to the US he wants to visit Boise, Idaho - and stand on the blue field! Jens Loeschke (on the left) and Mario Meissner (on the right), of the Erlangen Sharks, drove seven hours from Erlangen, in the south of Germany, to attend The QB, Jene, looks things over before getting ready for the first snap of the scrimmage against the Lubeck Seals. Anybody wonder where the wingbacks are? Shhh. Top secret! (PS - The Right Tight End is 6-2, 200. He just looks small next to the Right Tackle (6-6, 320) *********** For years, I've been screaming at the tube whenever I've watched a basketball game's final seconds as a team, leading by three, just sits back on defense and lets the opponents take a three. I've been screaming because I can't understand why coaches who understand the game a lot better than I do can't seem to figure out that if they were to foul - and send the opponent to the line (to shoot TWO, not three!) - there is very little likelihood that they will come up with three points. On the other hand...   This from ESPN.com's Bill Simmons ---I'm convinced that the NBA and NCAA passed a secret rule that no team leading by three with under 10 seconds to play can intentionally foul. Why? Because it would kill the excitement of those last 10 seconds. After all, you have a one-in-three chance of making a game-tying three, but you have a one-in-fifty chance of making one free throw, then intentionally missing the second one and having it ricochet right to a teammate for the game-tying putback. (Note: I can remember most of the times in my life that I've ever seen this happen. The last time was with Kobe and the Lakers a few years ago.) So you're telling me that every team with a three-point lead willingly opts to give their opponent a one-in-three probability of tying the game over a one-in-fifty probability? Yeah, right. They passed a secret rule and nobody can tell me differently.   *********** In Portland, Oregon, a thief broke into a storage trailer and stole hundreds of dollars worth of empty cans left there by a high school baseball team trying to raise money to improve its playing field.   The baseball players at Portland Christian High School had been raising money for the past five weeks, after Pepsi agreed to give them $20 a sack.   Although shocked by the theft, the players sucked it up and went right out and began collecting more cans.   Meanwhile, once word got out, the community responded - big time.   Many people wrote checks and donated cans to help out.  After sorting the cans a couple of days latter, players said they actually came out better after theft.   The Portland Christian coach is Ryan Miller, who was a member of my staff when I coached at Portland's Madison High. Heck of a guy. I wrote him and accused him of staging the theft, but I was just kidding. I know Ryan better than that.   He wrote, "The community really came through. So many great stories. One guy rode his bicycle from Hillsboro to give us $40. A lady from Lake Oswego handed a note to one of our players that she saw on the news on Saturday. The note said "Please call me when you pitch your 1st game on the new field. Inside the envelope with the note was five $100 bills."   As a result of the fantastic response from people all over the Portland area, the team now has about $11,000 in cans and another $4,000 in cash donations.    *********** Where's the horse whip?   Cleveland Cavaliers' center Scot Pollard, sitting on the bench as usual, thought he'd go for a cheap laugh when he leaned into a TV camera and said - nyuk, nyuk - "Hey kids - do drugs!"   Naturally, he has already apologized, because he didn't mean it, etc., etc.   What a Richard Cranium.   *********** FROM A READER: we had lots of jerseys hanging out. I don't like that and do tell the kids to keep them tucked. However, jerseys do tend to become untucked when the opponent is allowed to grab and clutch them on every play!   Hugh,   We have had the same trouble trying to keep tails tucked. A couple of years ago, after seeing our running backs getting caught by the tail of their jerseys by someone reaching into the tunnel or a chaser, One of our Fathers came up with a great idea.   He was in the plumbing business and had a lot of duct tape in his truck (it comes in different colors nowadays). As our pants are black he used black tape, and wrapped it around their jerseys from the belt line down, to keep them tight and ungrabbable. We now do it before every game. It works and is a lot cheaper then the more expensive tight form fitting, or tailored jerseys.   Frank Simonsen, Cape May, New Jersey (I told Frank I assumed he kept a pair of scissors or a sharp knife handy for when a kid had to go. HW)   *********** Have you checked the scores of some of the women's NCAA Tournament games?   Duke 81 Holy Cross 44... Rutgers 77 East Carolina 34... Tennessee 76 Drake 37... UNC 95 Prairie View 38... UConn 82 UMBC 33... NC State 84 Robert Morris 52   And here's the worst: with the exception of Holy Cross, the players on the big losers are all sucking up full scholarships, all thanks to the generosity of men's sports and Title IX.   I mean, come on - how can anyone justify a 64-team women's tournament?   *********** In his real life, he is mild-mannered Coach Torres, of Castaic, California. But in his other life, he is Agent John A. Torres, special agent in charge with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, at the LA Office.   When you are in charge of trying to keep guns out of the hands of bad guys, the LA Office is as big as it gets.   His most recent accomplishment was a sting, resulting in the arrest of two guys on charges of knowingly selling firearms on numerous occasions to undercover officers posing as felons through "straw buyers," according to sheriffs officials.   Law enforcement officials allege that during the sting, individuals who identified themselves to store workers as felons were advised on 14 occasions within the past eight weeks by store employees to use a girlfriend or a friend accompanying them to purchase the weapon.   At the two stores involved, hundreds of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were seized, Agent Torres said.   According to federal authorities, 897 guns from the two stores have been used in crimes or found in the possession of criminal suspects over the past five years, and 29 of them weapons are connected to murder investigations.   "The ATF will do everything in its power to ensure that these laws are complied with, and that firearms are kept out of the hands of those who would use them to commit other crimes," Agent Torres said.   *********** Lloyd Eaton died last week at the age of 88. Coach Eaton was the winningest coach in Wyoming history, but that's mainly because he stayed around Laramie longer than anybody else. Think of all the good coaches who made their marks fairly quickly at Wyoming and then moved on - guys such as Bowden Wyatt (to Arkansas and then Tennessee), Bob Devaney (to Nebraska), Freddy Akers (to Texas and Purdue), Pat Dye (to Auburn), Dennis Erickson (to many, many places, including Miami) and Joe Tiller (to Purdue).   *********** Of all the 180 NCAA Division I universities represented by Collegiate Licensing Company, Texas finished Number One in sales of merchandise during this past football season. Following Texas were Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Florida.   (Few people are aware that the founder and president of Collegiate Licensing Company is former Alabama player and Tennessee head coach Bill Battle is. He wasn't a bad football coach, either. A very good one, in fact. But he simply couldn't beat his alma mater, Alabama, enough to please the Vols' fans. Bama didn't have too bad a coach then, either. Fella named Bryant.)   *********** There was a time when the idea of a basketball coach leaving Kentucky to go to Minnesota would be unthinkable. Ditto leaving Iowa for New Mexico.   But in these what-have-you-done-for-me-lately times, that is exactly what has happened.   In ten years at Kentucky, Tubby Smith won five SEC titles. Oh - and a national championship, too. But Wildcat fans are insatiable, and after this year's early exit from the NCAA tournament (no disgrace in losing to Kansas), they turned up the heat on him. So, despite a vote of confidence from AD Mitch Barnhardt (before the tournament) Coach Smith saw that he could never please Kentucky's fans, and accepted an offer from Minnesota to become their head coach.   The hire is a HUGE coup for Minnesota AD Joel Maturi, who just a few days ago suddenly found his job of finding a top coach complicated when Michigan, a much higher-profile program, fired Tommy Ammaker.   Meanwhile, Steve Alford, having to deal with somewhat the same difficulties at Iowa, has decided to leave Iowa City and take the job at New Mexico.   *********** Hurrah for Tony Dungy, who spoke out in defense of "normal" marriage as Indiana's lawmakers consider legalizing that ultimate oxymoron, "gay marriage."   *********** Four months in prison for the Bears' Tank Johnson, despite the fact that his coach told the judge that the sentence would have a"devastating effect on his career." C'mon, coach. Get a life. The guy's a f--king criminal and you don't do yourself any good by defending him. And last I heard, the job of our courts was not to look out for the careers of professional athletes. Even though it sometimes looks that way.   There was one humorous spot in the sentencing. "Your honor," Johnson said, "I don't believe I'm a man who belongs in jail."   Poor guy's delusional, too.   *********** Back in February, Australian Rules Football star Ben Cousins was driving home from a friend's wedding reception when he spotted a "booze bus" up ahead. (A "booze bus" is Aussie slang for a portable police roadside DUI checkpoint). About 50 meters short of the checkpoint, Cousins abandoned his gold Mercedes-Benz, with passengers inside - left it right in the middle of the road - and "did a runner." (Took off at a run.)   The guy has had drug issues, and just this past week was suspended from his team after failing to show up for a training session.   His club, the West Coast Eagles, admits that he does have "issues."   Concerned that his career in Australia might be over, I sent a copy of his rap sheet to all NFL General Managers, and they all had just one response: (TOO BAD ABOUT ALL THOSE OFF-THE-FIELD ISSUES. CAN THE GUY PUNT?)    *********** Some of the biggest fights of all time - boxing matches, that is - have been held in New York's storied Madison Square Garden.   The latest big fight in the Garden was just last week, but it wasn't a boxing match. Actually, it wasn't even just one fight.   It was a series of fight that broke out among spectators at the New York city championship high school basketball game.   The series of fights became a melee that spilled out into the city's the streets and subways, and required mounted police in riot gear to subdue it.   Twenty-one people, mostly teenagers, were arrested.   Although there were reports of gunshots being fired, no injuries were reported.   *********** Your examination of the behaviors we've accepted reminds me of Senator Patrick Moynihan. You remember that in the early 1990's, the late Senator Patrick Moynihan famously said that one of the problems with our society is that we were "defining deviancy down." In others words, the American public was more and more tolerant of intolerable behavior. The term implies that the problem is public tolerance of intolerable behavior and that the solution is resurrecting traditional standards. Absolutely nothing wrong with that to a point, but it is an oversimplification of complex human behavior examined over time.   Let me get on the "soap box" as a historian. History, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes, though, the mind's eye distorts our historical "vision" and memory to suit other purposes. While there is a trend of permissiveness, it ignores is the opposite tendency of "defining deviancy up," in the sense that deviant behavior that went unpunished in the past is now subject to penalties. Drunk driving, police brutality, date rapes, wife-beating, child abuse, and other depredations are no longer considered acceptable. It is important to recognize that humanity's path through time is way too complex to simplify into a "bumper sticker" observation.   I do profoundly hope that your vision will not come to pass. The "ick" factor is way too high for me as well.   Coach Kaz - Mark Kaczmarek, Davenport, Iowa (Senator Moynihan, a brilliant man, was spot on with a number of things, including "defining deviancy down." We can make a laundry list of conduct once considered unspeakable that is now acceptable in the eyes of the great unwashed. You may also recall that Senator Moynihan was branded a racist by some when he foretold the decline of the black family, and its enormous social consequences on America. HW)   *********** It's tough keeping up with the NCAA Tournament when you're out of the country and away from the Internet (it's not exactly the talk of Germany), but fortunately I have an Australian correspondent who keeps me up to date...   Dad, Not sure how much time you've had to peruse the net &endash; probably not much. The Sweet Sixteen in a nutshell...   *Florida v Butler &endash; Florida in cruise control in a really easy bracket. I can't believe people have overlooked these guys. The entire team is back from a year ago. They know what to do when they need to do it. Butler is solid but I can't see 'em winning this.   *Oregon v UNLV &endash; Two of the hottest teams in the tournament. Ducks have better outside talent, but Vegas has a couple of hardworking inside guys. Both well coached. The team that shoots the 3 better, wins it.   *Kansas v Southern Illinois &endash; Don't know much about SIU, but Kansas is on a roll. I think they'll win.   *Pitt v UCLA &endash; Former Pitt coach Ben Howland against his old school. UCLA v Indiana was one of the ugliest games I've seen in years. Bruins have lots of talent, Pitt is hot and cold. Could be a low-scoring battle.   *UNC v USC &endash; The Kevin Durrant train derailed big time. USC has lots of good athletes who can run the floor. But I think UNC has too much overall talent and Hansbrough is a stud. Sidebar &endash; got tired of hearing people compare Durrant to Carmelo - "can the freshman carry the team all the way to a title?" Let's not forget that Syracuse had Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara. And Boeheim is twice the coach Rick Barnes is.   *Vanderbilt v Georgetown - Georgetown really impressed me in a tight win over BC. Can you believe John Thompson III is coaching and Patrick Ewing Jr is playing? Still running that Princeton offense but with real talent. Vandy is a run-and-gun team with the SEC's best player, a kid named Byers who can really light it up.   *Ohio State v Tennessee &endash; Tennessee lost by 2 to OSU early in the season. Buckeyes are very young, but keep coming up with big plays when they need it. Tennessee is wily and Bruce Pearl is a good coach. Could be an upset special.   *Texas A & M v Memphis &endash; A & M had to work to beat Pitino's Louisville, now they get Calipari's Memphis. A & M has a good team &endash; that Acie Earl is as clutch a guy as there is in the tournament. Memphis on an incredibly long winning streak (20?) and have a lot of athletes that nobody knows!   Maybe that helps a little &endash; you'll be home in time for the games.   *********** What, if any, adjustments would you use or make to your double wing system if your o-line talent was big and possibly not mobile?   I wouldn't make any adjustments to my basic package, because great agility and good speed isn't necessary for most of our players, because they really don't have that far to run - except when we go outside. In the latter case, assuming we have decent backfield speed, I would probably look at a rocket/lazer series based on the sweep.   I am also assuming that your linemen do have compensating strengths.   *********** Every so often, one of my readers senses that I need a good laugh, and he sends me one of these "How I Crush the Double-Wing" posts from the Internet... My comments are in bold-face.   One Way to Defend the Double Wing   After getting torched the first 2 seasons we played double wing teams, we came up with the following. Haven't lost since then. In fact, a few years ago we beat the #1 ranked team in our state that year 42-0. They were a DW team. At the time, we did not even have a winning record.   We run a 5-2 alignment, with the TNT playing head up over C and OT's. The DE's play 9 techniques with their noses on the outside shoulders of the TE's. ILB's play at 5 yards directly over the offensive guards. They play deep so they can read and come DOWNHILL on everything. This is critical. You do not want to play them up tight where they get caught up in things. Give them time and space to read and come downhill at angles. We play a double invert, double robber with our safeties. They play head -up on the WB's and read inside QB to far WB (easy to read both because they are so tight.) The CB's play 2x7 off the WB's and read WB / TE.   The base philosophy of defending the DW is to recognize and defeat the BLOCKING SCHEME that they are running. Motion means nothing, backfield action means nothing. Don't key it, or they will make you pay dearly. Defend the blocking schemes and everything else falls into place. Also, don't blitz or stunt. It is fairly useless against the tight alignments, and it usually just results in taking your player out of position to make a play. They want you to key motion and try to do gimmicky things to stop them. The key is doing just the opposite. Stay base and disciplined. Make sure your kids understand what and why about the DW offense. If you do this, you can be successful in any scheme.   Here are the principles we use:   TNT: The primary job of all the DT's is to engage and recognize double teams immediately. Once we recognize a double team, we work hard into it, with the sole objective of keeping the double blocker from chipping off and getting to the LB level. We will do everything in our power to maintain the LOS and work into the double teams. After that, each guy has a "secondary duty."   ME: NOT SURE WHAT "WORKING INTO" A DOUBLE-TEAM MEANS, BUT IF YOUR MAN TRIES TO STAND UP AND FIGHT ONE ("MAINTAIN THE LOS"), HE IS DEAD MEAT. YOU EVIDENTLY HAVEN'T HAD TO FACE MANY OPPONENTS WHO DOUBLE-TEAM   First, you have to personnel plan. We have found that most DW teams have certain tendencies, no matter how hard they try to hide them. What we have found is that they usually put their best back on the same side as their best pulling G and T so that they can run the toss (superpower) with that back. Usually the opposite back is the counter / reverse guy. Make no mistake, they run everything both ways, but we know that they WANT to do it a specific way. That being said, we usually take a DT who is a smaller more agile guy (wiry, scrappy, wrestler type) with great speed and put him on the side away from where the toss will be run to. We work all week on avoiding the cut block of the TE. The "secondary duty" of this guy is to be our chase-down DT and he reads the OT's block and pursues down the line. Rarely does he make a tackle, but he takes away the cut-back lane and forces that TE to waste himself trying to cut on every play.   ME: YOU CAN HAVE THAT MAN WORK HARD ON AVOIDING THE "CUT BLOCK" BUT IF HE IS ABLE TO DO SO (WHICH I RATHER DOUBT), IT IS GOING TO BE PRETTY TOUGH TO HAVE HIM DO MUCH ELSE. AND IF THIS GUY REALLY BECOMES A PAIN IN THE ASS, WE WILL BLOCK OUT CENTER DOWN ON HIM   We take our immovable rock (hopefully we have one) and put him at C. His secondary job is to immediately recognize and disrupt the wedge.   ME: SOUNDS AS IF MR. "ROCK" ISN'T DOING MUCH MORE THAN STAYING THERE AND OCCUPYING THE CENTER, COOL. I LEARNED LONG AGO FROM THE OLD-TIMERS WHO RAN THIS DEFENSE THAT IF THEIR CENTER CAN BLOCK YOUR NOSE ALL BY HIMSELF, YOU HAD NO BUSINESS RUNNING AN ODD-FRONT DEFENSE. AND IF YOUR GUY IS THAT CONCERNED ABOUT THE WEDGE, IT AMOUNTS TO LETTING THE CENTER TIE HIM UP.   AS FOR ONE GUY "DISRUPTING" THE WEDGE? I DOUBT THAT HE CAN RESIST A 3-ON-1.   We take our last DT and put him opposite the best back / pulling lineman side. His secondary duty is to immediately recognize the double team blocks for the toss and keep the TE from chipping onto the LB. We know that this is the primary duty of all 3 DL, but this guy in this spot is our best at that skill.   ME: WHEN WE DOUBLE-TEAM HIM, HE WILL HAVE A LOT MORE ON HS MIND THAN KEEPING "THE TE FROM CHIPPING ONTO THE LB." OH - AND HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO TEACHING THIS GUY NOT TO GET TRAPPED?   DE's are the key to the whole deal. We have our DE's line up in a balanced stance, bent in a weightroom "squat" position, and reading inside at the TE's helmet. Our reactions are immediate and decisive based on the action of the TE.   WE put our more physical DE away from their best back and their pullers to take on the toss. The other guy is usually a bit quicker and better at chasing down. He is schooled more on counter, fly, etc.   1. TE Blocks Down: A kickout is coming your way. It may be from the FB (toss), the playside guard (G) or the backside guard (counter), but it's coming 90% of the time. We fill hard THROUGH the outside hip of the TE, aggressively looking to get to a spot 1 yard deep directly behind the butt of the near OT. We come down violently and at an exact angle to take the kickout on and squeeze C-gap as quickly and as harshly as possible, trying to create an unholy mess. We cannot come down too shallow (logged) or come up field too far (kicked out), so we practice our angles all week by putting cones behind the OT's during team scrimmage period. We always keep the outside shoulder free (in case of WB block-down for buck sweep or in case the ball carrier gets spilled).   ME: SOUNDS NICE, AND ALL THAT, BUT I RATHER DOUBT YOU CAN TEACH YOUR KIDS TO DO ALL THAT YOU ASK, AND STILL PROTECT AGAINST THE WINGBACK'S DOWN BLOCK   2. TE Hook Blocks: If the TE looks to get outside position on us, we will blitz directly upfield for a spot 3 yards directly behind his outside hip. We will NOT stretch toward the sideline. We will rip and run upfield, going through the TE if necessary. This will force the fly sweep inside to pursuit. (This block usually happens on their fly sweep)   ME: OUR TE DOESN'T EXACTLY "HOOK." HE IS GOING LOW, FOR YOUR OUTSIDE KNEE. LET'S SEE YOU "RIP AND GET UPFIELD" AGAINST THAT   3. TE Man Blocks: Punch violently through his outside hip and drive him down into C gap. (This block only happens rarely. They do not like going man-to-man on anything.)   ME: UH, WHEN OUR TE MAN BLOCKS YOU, IT MEANS YOUR ASS IS BEING DOUBLED. HANG ON FOR THE RIDE, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU LINED UP IN A "SQUAT POSITION," BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING BACKWARD   4. TE Cuts Inside: Scream "cut" to keep your DT's knees from getting blown out. Pursue down the line in a chase disposition. The ball carrier is typically originating on your side if your TE is cutting, so run like a madman. If the guys on the playside have done their job, and it gives the ball carrier even a split second of indecision, a well-coached DE can make the tackle from behind.    ME: SCREAM ALL YOU LIKE. BUT WILL YOUR DT HEAR IT IN TIME? AND WILL HE REACT IN TIME? I SORTA DOUBT IT.   5. TE Releases for Pass: Scream "pass" and punch violently through his outside hip and drive him down into C gap. Jam him up and don't let him release cleanly.   ME: NOT SURE HOW HE IS SUPPOSED TO DISTINGUISH ONE INSIDE RELEASE FROM ANOTHER, SO THAT HE KNOWS WHEN THE TE "RELEASES FOR PASS," BUT IF IT SHOULD BE A PASS AND YOUR DE IS CAUGHT IN THE C GAP, HE WILL SURELY GET PINNED BY OUR B-BACK, AND OUR QB WILL GET OUTSIDE HIM   The ILB's will line up at 5 yards and their eyes will not leave the OG. We will key the OG first steps as our "overkey" and then, as we are reacting, we key the backfield as our "underkey." Our more physical and decisive LB is opposite their best back.   1. OG Blocks Down: The ball is coming our way right now. Run downhill to fit into playside C gap, inside out. Look to rip under down blocks with outside arm. Beware of FB trap as you go, and adjust accordingly if that is your underkey.   2. OG Pulls Playside: It is either buck sweep or off-tackle "G" to the FB. Pursue to the inside hip of the near TE. Key FB as underkey. If he is coming to, it is G and you will meet him in the hole, ripping underneath down blocks as you go. If the FB is not coming to, it is buck sweep. Adjust angle, rip under down blocks, and get to the ball carrier (we often make tackles for losses on this read).   3. OG Pulls Backside: Downhill toward backside holes. Check A-gap first for FB trap, then come down hard for counter or toss in the opposite C-gap (happens very quickly, not a bounce and read or shuffle and read kind of play). Rip through down blockers as they come, and keep your eyes on your landmarks.   ME: DID YOU HAPPEN TO NOTICE, IN YOUR SCOUTING, THAT WE CAN PULL OUR GUARDS IN ONE DIRECTION, WHILE RUNNING IN THE OTHER? HOW WILL YOU EXPLAIN TO YOUR INSIDE BACKERS THAT THE INFALLIBLE KEYS - THE ONES THAT YOU TOLD THEM WOULD ALWAYS WORK - DON'T ALWAYS WORK?   4. OG Wedge Blocks: Destroy the wedge immediately, outside in angle.   ME: HOW, EXACTLY, DOES A LINEBACKER "DESTROY" A WEDGE - ESPECIALLY WHEN HE'S LINED UP FIVE YARDS DEEP? YOU WOULDN'T BE TELLING YOUR KIDS TO DIVE AT OUR KIDS' KNEES, WOULD YOU? JUST CURIOUS, BECAUSE AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL AND UNETHICAL.   5. Pass: Cover hook-to-curl zones.     ME: YOU MISSED SOMETHING. YOU DIDN'T COVER "GUARD FIRES OUT ON YOU, AS YOU'RE STANDING FIVE YARDS DEEP."   OH. AND DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT WE CAN GO UNBALANCED, AND FORCE YOU TO HAVE TO READ SOMEBODY OTHER THAN OUR GUARDS?     All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ

HIP-HIP-HURRAH FOR GENERAL PACE! (See"NEWS") Got to Give Jerry Glanville Credit Where Credit's Due! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 19, 2007 - "It's easier to coach an intelligent player than a dumb one." Legendary DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer, who died a year ago, March 17, 2006   more info---><--- more info   FLASH!!!! THE MARCH 31 RALEIGH-DURHAM CLINIC WILL BE HELD AT Rogers-Herr Middle School - 911 West Cornwallis Road - Durham, NC   PHILA/MID-ATLANTIC - APRIL 7 The 2007 Coach Wyatt Mid-Atlantic clinic will be held once again April 7 at the Holiday Inn in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike   PROVIDENCE/NEW ENGLAND - APRIL 14 - On Saturday, April 14, the 2007 Coach Wyatt New England clinic will return to the Comfort Inn Airport on Post Road in Warwick, for the eighth straight year. Clinic speakers will be John Dowd,Oakfield-Alabama HS - 2006 New York state finalist; Mike Emery, formerly of Fitch HS, Groton, CT - two-time state champion; Bill Mignault, of Ledyard, Connecticut - winningest coach in state history; Jack Tourtillotte, Boothbay Harbor, Maine - two-time state champion   CHICAGO/MIDWEST - APRIL 21 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held Saturday, April 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north of the clinic site. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28 - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Southern California Clinic will be held Saturday, April 28 in Valencia at Rancho Pico Middle School, 26250 West Valencia Blvd.   Valencia is about 20-30 minutes north of Burbank Airport. For those needing a place to stay her, there are a Residence Inn, Comfort Suites and Hilton Suites all within 5 minutes of the school.   GREETINGS FROM HAMBURG, GERMANY. I HAVE BEEN WORKING AT A FOOTBALL CAMP AND HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PUBLISH UNTIL NOW. photos and story about the camp on Friday   *********** The Black Lions are now in Iraq. From my exchanges with Lieutenant Colonel Pat Frank, their Battalion Commander, and from talking with other guys who have served overseas, I know that it can get mighty lonesome - even boring at times - for our soldiers, and if there's anything at all that you can send to let those guys know that you care - books and magazines (but nothing remotely suggestive of porn), DVDs, and dry food items - gum, coffee, energy bars, nuts, candy - it would be greatly appreciated. If you are a Black Lion team, be sure to let them know that, too!   Send them here:   LTC Patrick Frank   HHC/1-28 IN   Unit 42532   APO AE  09361   *********** "We would not be doing patrols, We would not be kicking in doors. We would not be trying to insert ourselves in the middle between the various Shiite and Sunni factions. I do not think that's a smart or achievable mission for American forces."   Hillary Rodham Clinton, on her vision of Military Lite, should she be elected President..   (The hidden message: Keep fighting, Abdul. Don't quit now. Hang on a little longer and once I'm elected, we'll flick it in.)   *********** Coach I just wanted to thank you for your vision and approach. I have been using DW for 2 years and this season by far was best in the system. Our team was out of the playoffs for the past 3 seasons, we DW the other teams to death and mad the playoff, with a team that only had 20 players and only 3 or 4 of those had any real playing experience. We lost in the first round to a team with major playoff experience, but we did well this season.   I feel your tips/drills helped our team greatly.   Thanks and your football friend for life.. Antonio High, Mountain View Marauder Pop Warner   *********** Just to show that basketball coaches share the same problem parents as we do, a football coach I know received this e-mail from the basketball coach at his former school...   Want to take 3 guesses which parent I had a meeting with last night & got ripped by for over an hour, 2 days after winning the state? Just thought you would think that was interesting, since I know he was a big part of your problem last year, too.   *********** There's a management book out by a guy named Phil Rozensweig called "The Halo Effect."   It's the halo that surrounds an organization when it's producing good results.   Writes Michelle Archer, reviewing it in USA Today, it's common to say, when a company's profits are up, that it has "a brilliant strategy, a visionary leader, capable employees and a superb corporate culture." Conversely, when things turn sour,"suddenly the strategy was wrong, the leader arrogant, the people complacent and the culture stagnant."   You've probably noticed that most clinic presenters are guys who've won championships, the implication being that they're doing everything right.   But author Rozensweig urges caution...   Beware "The Delusion of Single Explanations" - strong company culture, customer focus, great leadership are said to be the reasons for improved performance, when actually many of these factors are interconnected, and the importance of any one of them is usually less than studies suggest.   In other words, that guy who's talking about his great passing game? His success may be more attributable to a whole lot of things combined, rather than to the one factor that everybody wants to hear about.   Beware also, he writes, of "The Delusion of Correlation and Causality" - two things may be correlated, but it's not always possible to tell which causes which. Does employee satisfaction lead to high performance? Rozensweig says that evidence makes it more likely that it's the other way around - a company's success leads to employee satisfaction.   An example of this from football: Ever notice how players on winning teams are generally happier than players on losing teams? To far too many administrators who have never coached, turning a program around is simple - make the players happy, and they'll win.   *********** Roosevelt High School in Portland, Oregon serves a fairly poor area. Once the school of a hard-working, blue-collar part of town, Roosevelt now has more than two-thirds of its students on subsidized lunch.   When Roosevelt's basketball team qualified for the state playoffs recently, the school was understandably excited - it meant hosting a playoff game, the school's first home playoff game in over 20 years.   The state association grabs all playoff-game revenues, and mandates that the host school charge $4 admission to all.   Boo, hoo, said Roosevelt's principal, who began calling for what she called "donated assistance" - donations of money so that Roosevelt kids could get in without having to pay.   That's because, she told the Portland Oregonian, "A lot of our kids don't have four dollars." Hmmm. Maybe not, but based on my three years at a school with very similar demographics, I'm willing to bet that the majority of them have either (a) a cell phone, (b) an i-Pod, (c) a $100 pair of sneaks or (d) a combination of the three.   And, since the taxpayers picked up the tab for their breakfast and lunch, and some philanthropist paid their way in, I'm betting they had money to buy food and drinks at the game.   *********** I've never been a huge Jerry Glanville fan.   He's Portland State's new head coach, and who knows what will come of it? My fear is that burnout will come in a year or two, and that will be the end of PSU football.   Right now, even the University president is said to be giddy about the idea of hangin' with a real former NFL coach. And although up to now he has been conspicuously unsupportive of football, when he and Glanville discovered their mutual love of the blues, he became a raving football fan - why, give Coach Glanville anything he asks for.   (The doofus never even considered, I'm sure, that Glanville is savvy enough to have done a little investigating, to have found out that the guy liked blues.)   But I have to give Glanville credit where it's due.   Brian Meehan wrote recently in the Oregonian that back in March of 2005, Glanville spent a week in Iraq as part of a program funded by the NFL Alumni, and while there, he asked every soldier he met for a phone number of someone close, and wrote the names and numbers in a book.   He complied a list of a couple thousand names, and when he returned to the US, he spent weeks making phone calls, as many as 70 a day, before he got to the end of his list.   *********** Coach, A few years ago late at night, NFL films showed an old program from the early 70s that had apparently been lost in their vaults about the Pottstown Firebirds semi-pro team, their quarterback was 'King' Corcoran, interesting guy to say the least, I know he later went on to play for the Philly Bell in the WFL, was he really as arrogant a guy as he came across on film, I thought this would be an answer I'd get straight from someone who was there. Semi -Pro football has always intrigued me since I was a kid. Thanks, Tony Douglas, Kenova, West Virginia   Jim Corcoran (I refused to call him "King") was a forerunner of today's self-promoting athletes.   He was reasonably talented, but mainly he was a showman. In my mind, there was a narcissistic sickness about him.   I got along with him fine, possibly because I understood him, but most of the players despised him.   He hung with the Bell because he knew the coach's system and the coach, who was himself a bit of a case , tolerated him.   *********** I look forward to attending your clinic in Valencia on April 28th. Your clinic last year was awesome.   I was wondering if you had a Single Wing DVD in the works - the full house Army stuff you gave last year was wonderful. We have mixed in Single Wing and I love that old footage you have put together.   Our discussion at the clinic last year caused me to go to old used book stores where I picked up the TCU Spread by Dutch Meyer (1952), Winning Football by Bernie Bierman (1937), and Functional Football by John DaGrosa (1946). Your knowledge about the history of football was fascinating. My kids love the old time football.   Keep up the good work! Best Wishes, Chris Brown, Head Football Coach, Chaffey High School, Ontario, California   *********** Hurrah for General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for having the moral courage to say that he considers homosexuality immoral. He would've shown more stones by not later saying that he shouldn't have voiced his opinion, but nonetheless he said what no elected official dare say.   This is not saying that homosexuals should be beaten. Or excluded from society. But while it is one thing to be tolerant of homosexuals - what they are - it is another thing entirely to be tolerant of homosexuality - what they do.   I have long maintained that the "gay agenda" would have been limited to merely asking for tolerance if those non-gays who argue for "equality" had a more graphic picture of some of the ways homosexuals "make love."   Even to people with no morals, it is disgusting. To people of conventional morals, it is simply immoral. That is what we were taught, and we are not about to reject firmly-held beliefs.   Twenty years ago, who could ever have foreseen this?   Just this morning, I listened to my favorite morning radio host talking about some sickos in our area who had been arrested after attempting to arrange to have sex with a five-year-old kid.   The DJ referred to it - correctly - as "disgusting." Few in his audience would disagree.   But a mere generation ago, he could have said the same thing about a homosexual act, and his audience would also have nodded in agreement.   Now, though, if he were to do so, he'd be looking for other work.   Mark my words - after the way I've seen society "embrace" (ick! - it gives me the creeps to use the word in this context) homosexuality, all it's going to take is a well-funded, well-organized PR campaign, with the public schools spearheading the drive, all in the name of "non-judgmentalism", and it won't be 20 years before what we now call pedophilia is accepted. We'll have openly pedophiliac Congressmen, showing up at Presidential dinners with their boy lovers. We'll have a new word - pedophilaphobia. And God forbid anyone - even the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - should dare to speak out against it. Even in the Land of Free Speech.   That'll be a hate crime.   *********** Remember this, the next time someone tries to reassure you about "immigration reform":   "First, our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. Second, the ethnic mix will not be upset." Thus spaketh the Lordly Senator from Massachusetts, Teddy Kennedy, arguing for "immigration reform." In 1965.   *********** Coach, You wrote in your NEWS today:   A guy grows up on the streets, it's understandable that he's going to speak the dialect of the streets. With education, though, he may learn to express himself in more conventional fashion. (Be "articulate.")   But what about Florida's Joachim Noah? He is, to say the least, a product of a cosmopolitan background: His father was a French tennis star, and his mother, who raised him, was a Swedish model. He is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School, one of the nation's elite preparatory schools.   So wuss up wit da foolish ebonics act he put on in his post-game interview Saturday?   My thought: He is auditioning for the NBA! Greg Koenig, Beloit, Kansas (AMEN. He is going for the coveted "street cred." Kobe Bryant, who also had a cosmopolitan upbringing, once had that problem, too. But not any more. HW)   Also - I read your exchange with Gabe McCown regarding jerseys and wanted to let you know that the new skin tight and difficult to grab jerseys are on their way to Beloit! We ordered new uniforms and went with a new product from Russell.   It is called the XC jersey and is designed with "Xtreme compression innovation." They are marketed as "NO-GRAB: Compression fit and difficult to grab."   Much like the Under Armour, they are designed to cool the body and wick the moisture away from the body.   I don't know if you noticed on our game films, but we had lots of jerseys hanging out. I don't like that and do tell the kids to keep them tucked. However, jerseys do tend to become untucked when the opponent is allowed to grab and clutch them on every play!   By the way, the kids are really fired up about the new jerseys.   (Anything that foils cheaters and at the same time helps an American business - Russell, with factories in Alabama - is fine by me! HW)   *********** Oklahoma State is going to buy $10 million life insurance policies for 25 of its biggest supporters as part of a new "Gift of a Lifetime" fundraising initiative. I guess the idea is that OSU will pay the premiums, with OSU as the beneficiary in every case, and then when the rich guys kick off, the Cowboys cash in.   Tempted as I am, I am not going to suggest that Oklahoma State might be looking into ways to hasten their demise. As part of the halftime show.   *********** Coach, I finally got time to hide in my office.  This whole town quit on football back in the late 90's when they got moved up a division because of enrollment.  It was the woe is me attitude.  The year before I got here they dropped back down a class and did OK.  When I came in they told me it would be a tough sell.  I was honest and up front with everyone about what offense and defense I believe in.  Well long story to short last spring I asked parents for help raising money to go to camp and so on because of the new alignment - not only was our travel now doubling to over 600 miles round trip in league, but the teams in this league are very, very, good.  Then some wanted to play an independent schedule and asked my opinion.  I said no, because we would be teaching the kids that when things get tough in life - quit.  I also said that with hard work in the weight room all summer we could do some things.  We started 3 seniors 2 juniors 6 sophomores in a tough league.  I had one player make it to every weight room in the summer.  Next in line was at 70%.  The rest were no shows.   I called their parents and they said "well he is (working) - that should get him into good enough shape."    Mind you several parents told me this.  Other just said no.  Well  we went 1-8 but won the first higher classification game in the school history.    One of our better players got ejected from our next to last game and I did not want him back.  When he did not get all league his mom first told our AD she was writing a paper and wanted to know what you needed to do to get all league.  He told her the process and then talked to me.  I told him that I did not nominate the player because he got ejected and did not represent our program.    Well she went on a rampage this winter making all kinds of threats and rounding up parents trying to get me fired. I was miserable for about 2 months but made it through it.  My admin. and even supt backed me.  Nothing came of it yet. This is the lady who during our fall conditioning camp I called to see where her son was because he had missed 2 days (and she said) "well, it is not mandatory".    Some of them do not like the offense, some think we need to hit more in practice (with 22 guys), some say we need to run them more.  One came into my office (the only one to come face to face and all these people have been at my house at one time or another) and among other things asked me what I needed.    I said "your son's butt in the weight room all summer working hard." He told he that he did not think it was that important.    They do not like the fact that I have rules and discipline and their kids sit out of games and other things.   There were allegedly 30 people after me because I have integrity and expectations.  I am more frustrated than they are.  I do not deal well with the lack of effort.  This is all my fault and the kids do not like me because I am mean.  Coach I have rules and expectations.   My wife has said I can look for a new job in a different place.  I have busted my ass and sacrificed time with my own family (10 year old son).  I know the coaching gig and do not expect a lot of "atta boys," but man, these people need to look  in the mirror.   Thanks for letting me rant.  This is the short version!   Coach, If you don't mind my saying so, it does sound as if you have exhausted all your efforts to no avail.   There are places where it is in the mentality of a town to resist the coach's best efforts, yet without a strength program or a solid set of rules, they still demand a winning team. It appears you are in such a place.   A friend of mine in the Midwest was in just such a spot, and when he and the school administration finally agreed that it wasn't the best place for him, he moved on. Result? He wound up head coach at another town in the same state, where the community understands that their kids have to work, where the kids work, and where his efforts on behalf of their kids are appreciated. His first year there, he had an winning record, and this year he has a great chance at making the playoffs.   If I were you, for the sake of my family and my sanity - not to mention my coaching career - I'd start applying elsewhere.   *********** From the Internet... Are you a Democrat, a Republican, or a Southerner?   Here is a little test that will help you decide:   You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children.   Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you.   You are carrying a Glock cal 40, and you are an expert shot.   You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family   What do you do?   Democrat's Answer:   Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!   Does the man look poor or oppressed?   Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?   Could we run away?   What does my wife think?   What about the kids?   Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?   What does the law say about this situation?   Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it?   Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?   Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?   Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?   If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away ....................while he was stabbing me?   Should I call 9-1-1?   Why is this street so deserted? We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.   This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.   Republican's Answer:   BANG!   Southerner's Answer:   BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click!   (Sounds of reloading)   BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click!   Daughter: "Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?"   Son: "Can I shoot the next one!"   Wife: "You ain't taking that to the Taxidermist!     All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ

Dealing With the Burden of High Expectations! (See"NEWS") Psst- It's Okay to Keep Teaching "Obsolete" Blocking! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 13, 2007 - "We would like to suggest that any time a coach thinks of a good play, he put it down on paper, and immediately work out a defense to stop it." Famed Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy, in his "Defensive Football," 1951   more info---><--- more info   NEXT CLINIC - RALEIGH-DURHAM, March 31   CHICAGO CLINIC ANNOUNCED - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held APRIL 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north.   *********** Lieutenant Colonel Pat Frank is the Battalion Commander of the Black Lions. I know from exchanges with LTC Frank as well as other men who've served that it can get mighty lonesome and even boring at times for our soldiers, and if there's anything at all that you can send to let those guys know that you care - books and magazines (but nothing remotely suggestive of porn), DVDs, and dry food items - gum, coffee, energy bars, nuts, candy - it would be greatly appreciated. If you are a Black Lion team, be sure to let them know that, too!   Send them here:   LTC Patrick Frank   HHC/1-28 IN   Unit 42532   APO AE  09361   *********** From your NEWS this morning:   "May God Bless Will Sullivan and all brave Americans who do the things they are doing and do it so well."   My response: AMEN!   Hugh, thanks for all you continue to do to support our troops in a meaningful way and for spreading the word through your site. Keep up the good work.   Our videographer, who produced our highlight DVD, has agreed to provide me a complimentary copy to send to the Black Lions in Iraq. I should be able to send it next week. This is just a thought, but maybe you could encourage Black Lion teams from all over the country to send game films or highlight films to the soldiers. I think the soldiers would really enjoy it, especially if they know that the teams are giving the Black Lion Award.   Greg Koenig, Beloit, Kansas (Fantastic Idea! I hereby challenge every coach of every Black Lion team to send a highlights DVD to the Black Lions, care of LTC Pat Frank,   LTC Patrick Frank   HHC/1-28 IN   Unit 42532   APO AE  09361   with a notation that you are Black Lions, too. But just because you aren't a Black Lion Award team - and I urge you to become one - that doesn't mean that you aren't invited to share your highlights with those guys. Please do!!! HW)   *********** Quick question: At what point (if at all) do you become concerned with expectations for next season? What I mean is, can it be detrimental to have the players, coaches, parents, and community talking about next season all the time? I can't go anywhere without being stopped and hearing about how everyone can't wait for next season. My concern is the possibility of going into the season overconfident. I know that we are going to be a very competitive team, but I also know that overconfidence has ruined many teams. How do I keep the hunger alive and not allow the kids to buy in to all the hype? They are working very hard in the weight room, and they all are telling me that they will be in the weight room all summer; and most of them are involved in a spring sport as well. It just seems too good to be true sometimes.   I've been giving your e-mail about the community expectations quite a bit of thought.   I have had to address different teams on this issue, and I've put it in terms of climbing a series of mountains. After you've climbed one, you have to go all the way down to the bottom before climbing the next one. You don't get any credit for the one you just climbed. You have to start at the bottom all over again. Every mountain is a new and separate climb.   You got close to the top last year, but that doesn't put you any closer to the top of this year's climb. You still have to start at the very bottom, and you still have plenty of challenges in front of you, and the danger lies in thinking that because you've already come so close, this climb is going to be easier.   Ask any mountain climber - it never gets easier, not matter how many climbs you've made, and the people who fail are the ones who fail to understand that. The next climb may be even more difficult: the difficulties are always there, the pitfalls are always there, the dangers are always there, and the conditions are constantly changing.   Now, you are attempting another climb, and just as mountain climbers have to be in superior condition, you are getting ready for the physical challenges.   But you got where you did last year with a lot of hard work and unselfish dedication and belief in each other, and it's going to take all of those things - and even more - to reach the summit this year.   You will have some valuable experience to draw on. But you have also lost some valuable experience that will have to be replaced. You got as far as you did because you had some outstanding seniors to show the way, and without that kind of leadership, it won't be possible to reach the summit.   And there is one further thing - not much was expected of last year's team, and partly as a result, the players were able to play with abandon, without having to carry the burden of high expectations.   Charlie Brown once said, "There's no heavier burden than a great potential." (Pretty profound for a comic strip character. That must have been the creator, Charles Schulz, talking.)   I think that the key is to focus on one mountain at a time, and not the whole range. You can't climb them all until you've climbed the first one. I know this is a cliche, like playing them one game at a time, but I do like the analogy about having to start every climb at the bottom.   I think if you simply stop the talk - at least within the program - about season goals, you can begin to lift that burden of high expectations and simply concentrate on getting better.   To cut down on the big talk...I always liked what John Unitas' teammates said that he'd say before a big game. Some guy would stand up in the locker room and give some impassioned speech, but Unitas would just sit there, saying nothing, until finally, he'd just say, "Talk's cheap. Let's play the game!"   *********** I just received your DVDs, and they are terrific. I have made it through the first Dynamics of the Double Wing, and the Installing the Double Wing, and will soon get to A Fine Line.   I am coaching a team of 10 and 11 year olds and will implement your double wing system. One restriction that our league places is that we cannot have a back outside of the receiver (don't ask me why), so your conventional double tight, double wing alignment would not be permitted. I did see your double slot formation, which would work, but was wondering if you find this to be a sound offensive alignment as a base package. The one concern I see in this is getting the backside TE to make that reach block when running 88/99 power and super power.   Second, I am also wondering if we could modify the conventional double tight set by having the wing backs line up behind the TE. This probably would not give the playside wingback an ideal angle to seal the inside when running the 88/99 , but I am not sure how big of a deal this would be.   Thanks again for your materials - they will be extremely helpful.   Glad you like the materials.   Your league's unique rule sounds like an attempt to rule out certain offenses - single wing, double wing, wing-T.   I won't get into that other than to say that with very few exceptions in the case of some youth organizations, I am opposed to people taking it on themselves to change the basic rules of the game.   I have to say that I can't see any point in "stacking" your wingbacks behind your tight ends. The very purposes of their being flanked outside the tight end - creating another gap to be defended, giving them advantageous blocking angles, and setting up a double-team between them and the tight end - are gone, and there is nothing to be gained by putting them where you suggest.   You might as well put them in a full house set (what we call "Full") so that they can dive.   My suggestion, which you've already hit on yourself, is to run from SLOT.   You will comply with your organization's rules while still getting most of the advantages of running from double-tight, double-wing, and If you keep the "nasty split" small enough - say, no more than 1-1/2 yards, I believe that with young kids your end will still be within 4 yards of the ball, so he can still make his "shoeshine" (cut-off) block. You might want to get some kids and a tape measure and make sure - so long as any part of the tight end is inside the free blocking zone (within 4 yards of the ball) he may block below the waist.   Unless your organization has also changed the size of the free-blocking zone.   *********** A guy grows up on the streets, it's understandable that he's going to speak the dialect of the streets. With education, though, he may learn to express himself in more conventional fashion. (Be "articulate.")   But what about Florida's Joachim Noah? He is, to say the least, a product of a cosmopolitan background: His father was a French tennis star, and his mother, who raised him, was a Swedish model. He is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School, one of the nation's elite preparatory schools.   So wuss up wit da foolish ebonics act he put on in his post-game interview Saturday?   *********** I don't care about the NBA's minimum-age rule. O.J. Mayo is ready right now!   Mayo, possibly the outstanding recruit in this year's crop of high school basketball players, was cited by Huntington, West Virginia police Friday on a misdemeanor drug possession charge, after a small amount of marijuana was found in a car he was in.   Maybe he could argue in his defense that for a future NBA player, smoking weed is vocational training.   *********** Ice hockey at its best is possibly the best game there is. Unfortunately, it's becoming a trash sport, defined by thuggish conduct.   Undoubtedly you saw the New York Islanders' Chris Simon take out the Rangers' Ryan Hollweg last week - knocked him out of the ballpark, pretty much, with a two-handed swing to the face.   So the NHL suspended him. For the rest of the season and the playoffs.   Except get this - it's the guy's SIXTH LEAGUE-IMPOSED SUSPENSION.   *********** HONK IF YOU'RE CARRYING TOM BRADY'S BABY-   Tom Brady appears to have moved ahead of Matt Leinart in the race to become the white Shawn Kemp. If a report in a Brazilian newspaper is true, Brady's latest girlfriend is with child. In addition to the pregnant girlfriend whom he dumped a few months ago, that makes two buns in the oven now for Ole Tomcat.   He has yet to come forward and claim to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby.   *********** We see a lot of 6-3 looks in our league (probably because the rules we have tend to tighten up offenses, which results in more aggressive defenses against the run), where the defensive lineman line up over the guards and tackles, and an ILB is over center.  On the 88 and 99, do I need to worry about a seam opening up over center?  We would have the playside guards and tackles blocking the man on, and the center covering the backside guard, which could expose the middle - is this a concern, or will the tight splits take care of this?  An alternative could be to down block on the playside, where we can then get the playside guard to fill this gap, but this would leave a slot blocking down on a DT by himself, and I am not sure if we would want to do this.   Coach- Good question. The center does not go aggressively for the man over his backside guard - that's why we call his rule "Man On - AREA Away." If he immediately leaves his post and goes for the lineman, he leaves the middle open to a blitzing LBer. That man is only going to be a problem if he can chase down the play, and the only way he can do that is to go through the center, so we tell the center to snap the ball and jab a hand into that lineman, while first making sure that no LBer is coming.   Finally, against a 6-3 as described above, 3 Trap 2 looks like it could be a killer play if we trap the defensive lineman over the playside guard - we could get a triple team on the ILB (from the playside guard, tackle, and TE).    Would this be the appropriate blocking scheme?   Yes, technically, except that by the time the guard and tackle got on the Inside LBer there wouldn't be any part of him for the TE to block.   The trick, by the way, is going to be releasing your playside guard onto the backer without making contact with the man you are trapping. Most well-coached linemen will not let this happen. If this is not possible, you should pull the playside (non-trapping) guard to playside to "influence" the man over him (soften him up).   *********** Coach: Did you see those new fangled basketball jerseys? Man...almost spandex tight. Maybe we should invent a football version...sure would screw up these zone blocking guys when they found they couldn't grab your jersey.   What's interesting in the book "75 Seasons" (History of the NFL from 1920 to 1995) the last chapter makes a future prediction of lightweight hydraulic pads and skin tight bodysuit uniforms. Pages 310 and 315. They say the only opposition is public acceptance. There is an artist depiction of the uniform on page 315 if you can find a copy of the book.   Probably not public acceptance so much as acceptance by coaches who know that type of uniform would force people to change the way they block.   Gabe McCown, Piedmont, Oklahoma   I remember a coach in Colorado a few years ago who finally got so sick of the f--king holding that passes for blocking these days that he sprayed his defenders' jerseys with PAM - and he was almost thrown out of coaching for it, while nothing at all happened to the creeps who teach holding.   In addition to a tighter fit we need jerseys made of a slippery material that can't be easily grasped.   It will happen, because there's money to be made selling them. When the rules outlawed stickum on the hands, along came the equipment companies with gloves that are even tackier than pine tar.   *********** Dear Coach Wyatt: Glad you enjoyed your trip back to good old Pa.!    Although Western Pa and Eastern Pa are essentially different states, we here in the Pittsburgh region do have a lot of things in common, especially with the Wilkes-Barre area.   I got into a heated exchange with fellow coaches on a Wing T forum that I frequent with regards to blocking techniques.  I appeared to be the only proponent of shoulder blocking.  Some of the responders indicated that I was some sort of dinosaur, as everyone uses hands blocking now.  Some said they teach the guys to grab onto and clutch the breastplate, so as to better control the defender, that this is not considered holding.   I responded, politely, that it most certainly is holding, and whether or not the officials consider it so is irrelevant to me.   That really got the exchange heated up!  "Coach, the rules of the game change!  Get with the times!  This ain't the 70s!.  One guy wrote that I probably teach that "illegal wedge play" that was outlawed in the early 1900s!  He wanted to know if I also teach the head slap and down-field blocking below the waist. I was accused of being a dad-coach (which I am not) who wants to teach football the way it was played years ago, using obsolete and unsafe techniques.   I replied that, no, I do not teach the head slap and blocking below the waist downfield as they are explicitly illegal by rule, but the wedge play is legal and is not the same as  the "flying wedge" that was outlawed.  Neither DC's QB wedge, nor Coach Wyatt's FB wedge feature interlocked interference.  "So, what do you teach your kids to do to a defender that protects himself by curling up on the ground?  Stomp on him?  That was why the play was made illegal!"  I did not justify that with a response.  I did point out that the legal use of hands by the offense is clearly defined, and does not include "grabbing up underneath the breastplate" or "getting up close and grabbing cloth so the ref can't see you".   I did refer them to the coaching code of ethics on your page, and said that they can teach what they want, I will abide by the spirit of the rules and if they want to teach holding, then they can do so.  I will leave that to the next level…my kids will learn sound fundamental football, and be better off in the long run for it.   Best wishes, Mark Rice, Beaver, Pennsylvania   Coach, The way I teach blocking is definitely not unsafe, and it is obsolete only in the sense that it is no longer fashionable, but it certainly is effective.   I would never tell passing teams that they should use it, but I do notice that the only way most of those guys can run the ball with only one back is by holding - holding by their interior linemen and, even worse, by their wide receivers. Old-time veer coaches who know how tough it was to get their wide receivers to block those pit bulls in the secondary must shake their heads and marvel at how well their pitches would have gone if they'd been able to hold.   "The rules of the game change," do they? I don't think so. I haven't seen any change yet that permits holding.   What has changed in football is the rules' interpretation. It mirrors what has happened in society - liberal "interpretations" of rather clearly written laws, and "cafeteria rules" in which people obey those that serve their purposes and ignore those that don't.   The real danger of this approach to football rules is that it leads to an anarchy in which just as offensive line coaches decide that it's okay to teach holding, I might decide that the rule against head slapping puts my defensive linemen at a disadvantage, and use that to justify my teaching illegal tactics.   The other thing that this mirrors is the way we have allowed the study of history to be become "obsolete", because it isn't "relevant," and some of its facts - white guys really did contribute an awful lot to our civilization - are easier ignored than denied. This ignorance of history extends to football, where it's easier to dismiss old-school stuff as "obsolete" than it is to find out why it worked and how it could be applied to today's football.   My judgment, after careful study - more careful, I would say, than that of the geniuses you have been corresponding with - is that the "obsolete" blocking that worked for the old-timers works best for the football I play.   Just a few days ago, I was talking with Mike Lude, who as Dave Nelson's line coach when the Delaware Wing-T was invented is the man most responsible for the blocking rules I - and all Delaware Wing-T coaches - use, and the way I teach line play.   As AD at the University of Washington, Mike was on the NCAA rules committee when the long list of rules that changed college football to a wide-open, passing-first game were passed, and he doesn't think they changed football for the better.   Especially as regards offensive linemen. "They don't even need shoulder pads," he said. "They should be wearing brassieres."   "Obsolete?" As proof that "obsolete" football works, I just returned from the Single-Wing Conclave. Coaches were on hand fresh from winning high school state championships in Michigan and Virginia.   *********** The ACC has become such a football league, and so over-the-top commercial, that it even put its hallowed basketball tournament up for auction.   How else to explain how I watched some of the recent ACC Tournament and saw "Tampa Bay" painted on one end of the court and "St. Pete" on the other?   "WTF!?" I said. "Tampa Bay? Somebody painted that on the court as a joke, right? It can't be for real, because there's not an ACC school within 200 miles of the f--king place!"   It's no joke, Hugh.   Gone are the days when the tournament was held in Greensboro, an annual time of basketball and reunions of the big alums from each conference school, who could only get tickets if they were major donors to their schools' athletic programs ("Diamondback Terrapins" at Maryland, "Iron Dukes" at Duke, etc.).   But at least in recent years they've held it in places that can fairly reasonably be called ACC towns - Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, DC.   But Tampa-St Pete? This time, in its lust for cash, the ACC may have shot itself in the foot. Once one of the toughest tickets in sports, this year's ACC Tournament had enough tickets left unsold that a drug-addled major league baseball player in need of reputation restoration could have had his "foundation" gobble up hundreds and distribute them to underprivileged kids.   This from SportsBusinessDaily and the Raleigh News-Observer:   In Winston-Salem, John Delong wrote the tournament "is sold out this week, officially and technically," but there "must be a little asterisk somewhere," because of the availability of full ticket books for $423. "That's $423 for all 11 games, and not $423 plus $10,000 to the Deacon Club or the Wolfpack Club or the Rams Club or whatever it has cost the average booster to get ACC Tournament tickets in some years." Wake Forest is among the schools that "turned tickets back in." Wake AD Ron Wellman said that the school "did not sell its allotment, somewhere between 1,700 and 1,800." Added Wellman, "We turned probably between 150 and 200 tickets back in" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 3/7).   In Raleigh, Chip Alexander reports Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State "all sold their allotment ... but the rush for tickets was less than in the past, when the tournament was in Greensboro or Charlotte." Iron Dukes club Assistant Director Ryan Murphy said, "We've had a lot of people pass on tickets that normally go. It's a pretty good distance" (NEWS & OBSERVER, 3/8).   *********** The new Dallas Cowboys' stadium, estimated to cost "somewhere on the neighborhood" of one billion dollars (what - give or take a couple hundred million?) is perhaps the greatest sign yet of the increasing decadence of American culture.   Let's just say that in green terms, it's going to leave one hell of a "carbon footprint."   Rather than waste a lot of words glorifying Jerry Jones' Temple to Myself, I'll simply provide the link...   http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/   *********** Coach Wyatt, I wanted to let you know that the Duvall/ Cedarcrest Jr Redwolves had a heck of a year last year! As promised, I wanted to give you a quick roundup of the season. My Team, the Rookies, went 7-2, and lost the 2 games by a combined 7 points on defensive miscues or absenteeism. J We somehow outscored every team in the league (19) with an average of 32 offensive ppg. Not too shabby for our first year with Double-Wing. Even our second and third stringers were able to take advantage of the double-wing misdirection and score. We had a shoddy D, which kept us from running up scores. We also kicked 7 extra points through the year and were the only team in the league (up through Sophomore level) kicking extra points. It was an unbelievable year that I didn't want to end. The kids were great, the parents were great, and the coaches were great. I would be happy to send you a DVD we put together (it is entertaining). The Cub team did good as well and finished out 5-4. This coming year, we are attempting to get all levels utilizing Double-Wing and start grooming the offense from there. So, I may be reaching out to you here in the near future for guidance in a couple areas. Thanks for your time and visit with us last Fall and for all of your feedback, it was greatly appreciated! Also, thanks for the tapes that you passed onto Cathy, we are working on watching them before next season.   I have a departing question in regards to the Black Lion Award. As an ex-Army vet and after reading through your web page on the award, I am VERY interested in implementing this into our system, all the way through the High School level. This is an unbelievable award that any child, teenager, or man would be proud to have on their wall. It would probably be more special to me than any medal I received while actively serving in the Army. I can only imagine what it would mean to a kid. So, the question I have is: if we have 3 levels in the Jr. Redwolves (Rookie, Cub, Soph), would you only implement a single award for the entire system? I definitely would not want to take away from the authenticity of the award, but feel it could be handed out at multiple levels as well. What are your thoughts? Thanks again!   Coach Jerrod Norris, 2006 Red Wolves Rookies, Duvall, Washington   Hi Coach Norris, Thanks for the update. I appreciate that, and I'm pleased that you were able to make use of my system.   As for the tapes - call it enlightened self-interest. If my grandsons are going to play football - and I sure hope they will - I want it to be in a program that has good men as coaches and teaches safe tackling.   I saw all I needed to see to know that your organization has good men coaching the kids, and I thought it was the least I good do to pass along some tapes.   For the Black Lion Award... we encourage organizations such as yours to present the award at all levels. We have several youth organizations around the country who do so.   We have found that it serves many very useful purposes - it encourages and acknowledges self-sacrifice, among other good character traits; it shows kids what real heroes are; and in many cases, such as when a team is able to get a veteran or an active-duty service person to present the award, it enables them to relate to kids (and kids to them) in ways they never thought were possible.   Talk it over with your organization and get back to me. We would be honored to have you sign up!   *********** I suspect the criss-cross would be difficult to run out of a double slot, correct?  One thought - could we make the second exchange to the TE instead of the wingback?   It is not at all difficult to run it with the wingback from Slot formation (double-slot).   From any formation, it is important to run the criss-cross exchange very slowly until the kids get the hang of it. I seldom use any motion for it even from tight formation.   You can, though, use the end to carry, although he's not usually as good a ball carrier as a back.   All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ

Greetings From the Black Lions- in Baghdad! (See"NEWS") A Couple of Hunters Help Clarify the Assault-Rifle Issue! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 9, 2007 - "The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses." Carl Sagan   more info---><--- more info   NEXT CLINIC - RALEIGH-DURHAM, March 31   CHICAGO CLINIC ANNOUNCED - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held APRIL 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north.   Not so long ago, he was Will Sullivan, Army defensive end and the first Army football player to be a recipient of the Black Lion Award. Now, just under two years after graduation, he is Lieutenant William Sullivan, US Army, and he is pictured here (he's the big guy on the left) with an unidentified fellow soldier somewhere in Iraq. May God Bless Will Sullivan and all brave Americans who do the things they are doing and do it so well.   *********** Greetings from the Black Lions - we are all safely here in Southern Baghdad. The Battalion greatly appreciates your support for our Soldiers and also our Families - nothing more important to any of the Black Lions deployed in Iraq than our Families back at Fort Riley.   Great to see Coach Wyatt and the Black Lion Award doing well - we talk every day on the theme of teamwork, work ethic, standards, discipline, and leadership - very similar to our great partner Coach Ron Prince's K-State Wildcats. Again the Black Lions want to thank you for your tremendous support.   BLACK LIONS - AIR ASSAULT   Pat Frank (Lieutenant Colonel Pat Frank is the Battalion Commander of the Black Lions. I know from exchanges with LTC Frank as well as other men who've served that it can get mighty lonesome and even boring at times for our soldiers, and if there's anything at all that you can send to let those guys know that you care - books and magazines (but nothing remotely suggestive of porn), DVDs, and dry food items - gum, coffee, energy bars, nuts, candy - it would be greatly appreciated. If you are a Black Lion team, be sure to let them know that, too!)   Send things here:   LTC Patrick Frank   HHC/1-28 IN   Unit 42532   APO AE  09361   *********** One of those presenting at last weekend's Single Wing Conclave was Tom Benjey, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania... Tom is the biographer of famous American Indian coach William "Lone Star" Dietz, who played for Pop Warner at the Carlisle Indian School,. and went on to coach Washington State to one of its only two Rose Bowl appearances (1916) and its only Rose Bowl win.   Read more about a great coach...   "Teaching Football to Palefaces" - http://www.lonestardietz.com/   Lone Star's Legacy at Wazzu - http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/83990.html   Is There a Lone Star Curse at WSU? - http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/83987.html   Lone Star Dietz at Albright College - http://www.albright.edu/reporter/spring2006/lonestar2.html   A review of Tom Bengey's book - http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=23647   *********** It's time again to be voting for inductees to the College Football Hall of Fame.   Three good reasons to vote:   (1) Bob Novogratz - Division I Player Category - Army All-American and member of the board of the Black Lion Award   (2) Lone Star Dietz - Coaches Category - Highly deserving, and in addition he would be the first American Indian coach in the Hall of Fame   (2) John Bothe - Small College Category - Outstanding lineman on several National Champions at Augustana, and a contributor to this page   To vote, you've got to become a member of the National Football Foundation   *********** Nike claims that its new, form-fitting "performance wear" basketball jerseys will not only look slick (they come in long- and short-sleeved versions) but they will do away with the problem of the shirt collecting and holding moisture. They will also stay tucked in, a quality that may not endear them to today's streetball players.   Four colleges - Arizona, Florida, Ohio State and Syracuse - are testing the new uni's.   http://www.systemofdress.com/   Not shilling for Nike, you understand, but if this means keeping shirts in, I'm all for it. I really wanted them do something about those clownish, court-jester "shorts."   By the way - the jerseys didn't work for the Arizona Wildcats Thursday, as Oregon - which for some reason wasn't included in Nike's fashion statement - beat them in the Pac-10 tournament.   *********** Coach: To shed a little light on the topic of shooting prairie dogs with assault rifles. It may surprise you that I have done this. (Although being from Oklahoma, most likely you're not that surprised) There are a few things that I have to point out on this one….   1) Prairie Dogs can actually cause a great deal of damage (even ruin) to crop areas and areas where building developments are slated. The tunnels they build literally wreck a field.   2) "Humane" removal systems are very costly and require actually going into the prairie dog field…   3) Smaller range weapons such as pistols and shotguns require close proximity to the target and the other wildlife in the area. (see #4)   4) In NW Oklahoma and West Texas if you have prairie dogs you have rattlesnakes. In Oklahoma it's normally the smaller but dangerous prairie rattlers and in Texas (and a few places in OK) it's full blown western diamondbacks. (one more reason not to go traipsing through the field with a pistol.)   5) By using the terms "assault rifle" and "prairie dog" it sounds as if this is a close range (50 yards or less) slaughter of this cute cuddly little animal….most of the time when I have gone "prairie dog hunting" it has occurred at ranges of 100-500 yards. Not exactly an easy shot to make with the 20-40mph winds that are common in this area, even when using a scope. (I'd venture that not many of your readers could hit a target barely larger than a pop bottle at that distance…even using an "assault rifle") Needless to say misses are common.   The guy probably didn't deserve the excommunication he received; I'm surprised they came down that harsh on him.   Just thought I'd share some of the great wisdom of the Okie Nation.   Gabe McCown, Piedmont, Oklahoma   Well explained.   After having seen how close I've been able to get to some of these prairie dog towns, I have to admit I envisioned guys standing 20 feet away blasting away at the little farts, blood and furry little body parts flying every which way.   Does this also mean I owe the NRA an apology?   *********** Hugh, After surviving what should have been a fatal automobile accident 2 weeks ago ( I got out with a broken left femur, right foot and 4 ribs) I was happy to be able to "tune in" for some sane reading! After two weeks of Nicole Smith's funeral arrangements etc, on the Tube, I can finally do something a little more constructive.   I took note of your "assault weapon" section and must say as a long time hunter and firearm enthusiast I needed to comment; I agree that any hunter who uses the term "assault weapon" in conjunction with hunting is only doing harm to hunting. That being said, the entire concept of "assault weapons" is a result of well intentioned but uniformed folks trying to legislate against what they don't understand. In Connecticut we call the assault weapon ban "the ugly gun ban" for example; I own a Ruger .223 mini-14 that my dad gave me years ago. It had two stocks when I received it; a Kevlar stock and a walnut stock. The Kevlar stock made it look more like a M-16 while the walnut stock makes it look more like an M-1 carbine. Now, to my point; the rifle is banned when it has the Kevlar stock installed ( I disposed of that stock) and legal when the walnut stock is installed; meanwhile, my old 30.06 is perfectly legal to own even though it can deliver a much more powerful FMJ bullet accurately for greater distances. There are those in our state legislature that are trying to ban the ownership of the old .45 cal pistol.( I love shooting that pistol) I agree that some weapons are not suitable for hunting simply because of the negative image it represents. Imagine going into the woods with an M1 and fixed bayonet! or with a BAR with an ammo feed belt.. both fire the 30.06 ammo, but present a negative image to the uniformed. In a world of uniformed folks who believe everything that "Oprah" tells them; the stakeholders must ensure we present a good image of hunting and our choice of weapons. At the same time I believe that we must take time to push back against the catch all terms like "Assault Weapon", I would think that a ban on clips that hold more than 5 rounds is a far more effective than banning "ugly weapons" Hunters and target shooters can certainly get the job done in 5 rounds, and if they can't need a marksmanship course!   Just my two cents... Rich Golden, Montville, Connecticut   Coach, You make a good point.   The problem may lie in an overbroad definition of what an assault rifle is.   I once shot an assault rifle at a firing range at a Finnish Army base. I was not permitted to put it on "continuous fire" (full automatic), but I got the sensation.   I happen to own and love to shoot a High Point 9mm semi-automatic rifle which looks like a mini-assault rifle. But compared with a real assault rifle, it is just a glorified pistol.   I have to tell you that when I hear about prairie dogs being hunted with "assault rifles," I conjure up images of guys firing AK-47s on full-automatic, bullets kicking up dust as little pieces of fur fly through the air. And I suspect that that's what a lot of other people who know less about guns than I do also picture.   Now, another reader has been good enough to help clear up the image I've had. Maybe the NRA, which I usually side with, could get down off its high horse on this issue and devote a little effort to educating the public - and hunters.   Glad to hear that you escaped death. (Not that a broken femur is anything minor).   Thanks Hugh, The NRA seems to be very hard line sometimes, and I am not sure that approach is the best approach in today's culture or climate. After all, we live in a country where more people vote for American idol than the President and Dr. Phil is the family figure head. The best thing the NRA could do is point out that it is not what the gun looks like but rather what it is discharging.   The Finnish weapon you used was more than likely a version of the HK which is chambered the 7.62 NATO round (.308). Now, that same round fired in a Walnut Stocked Remington Woodmaster semi-auto rifle, can do the same damage( limited to the number of rounds in the clip)... not my choice for groundhogs, but certainly a nice deer rifle. So again, the ugly gun story... I don't have any real desire to own a militarized weapon, because I like the way wood looks and feels... but some folks like the "look". Those of us enjoy shooting sports may have to decide which is more important, the "look" or the sport itself. As we have all observed over the last 10-12 years many things that were unthinkable in 1975 are law today in a number of states,( euthanasia, homosexual marriage, outright gun bans just to name a few) so any group with an agenda can get our sport taken away...in my mind it is better to take the "assault weapon" argument off the table.... but that is just me talking. Rich   *********** Not ALL the money this guy's parents spent on his Duke education were wasted... http://www.metacafe.com/watch/445498/robotic_beer_launching_refrigerator/   *********** At risk of being attacked by those on the other side of the hunting issue, I hesitate to suggest hitting penguins with a baseball bat, but here goes anyhow--- http://n.ethz.ch/student/mkos/pinguin.swf   *********** Hi Hugh,   It was nice to see you again at the SW Conclave. As usual your presentation was great. How did you like the other presentations? This was my fourth Conclave and they just seem to keep getting better!   My first three years at Williamson I ran your DW system. As my fourth year rolled around I was moving towards the SW. That year I was a mix of your Dw and the SW power and full spin. My fifth year (and last as HC) was all SW. We ran power and T series with a little Yale / Beast thrown in for good measure.   After leaving Williamson I ran mid-line and triple option. It has all been a great learning experience.   About 7 years ago A good friend of mine was retiring from coaching and he gave me all of his books. Among those was "The simplified Single Wing" by Dr. Ken Keuffel. That book got me started on this journey. I eventually went to see Dr. Keuffel and talk SW. I have fallen head over heals for the offense. I am hoping to be able to run it again soon.   You have helped so many people with your DW system, including myself. I just wanted to say thanks again for all you do!   Take care, Sean Orr, Media, Pennsylvania   It was great seeing you. I had a wonderful time and felt that I was among friends.   I can't tell you of a single presentation that I didn't enjoy and that didn't have some great ideas. I was just sorry that I missed the Sat PM presentations.   Dr. Keuffel was a heck of a man, and the world of football lost a real treasure when he passed away a few years ago.   I'm grateful to have been of help to you in your coaching career, and I look forward to seeing you again next year! HW   *********** I wrote... Actually, my sources tell me that the NFL is very close to obtaining trademarks on the phrases, "failed a drug test," "domestic violence," "shooting outside a nightclub," and "resisting arrest," with intentions to restrict their use by the news media in connection with any NFL players.   Coach Wyatt, Greetings from Minnesota.   The NFL should also lockup, "paternity suit," "props," "game winning field goal," "no respect," "altercation," "possession of an unlicensed firearm," "pro style offense," "stadium naming rights."   Section realignments for Minnesota State High School league were announced today. Every two years we realign into 8 competitive sections for all sports. For some coaches today can be like Christmas early, for others it may be like income tax day coupled with a thorough prostate exam. FYI, the school I coach at did okay, we were drawn east into the metro, with 3 cake eater schools and 4 other public schools that are decent but not outstanding. We are out of our more Central Minnesota section #5 which has produced 3 state champions/runners up in the past 5 years.   Hope all is well in Camas. Mick Yanke, Dassell-Cokato HS, Cokato, Minnesota (I think I was only half kidding when I suggested that the NFL may be up to that sort of cleverness.  But if they will try to trademark "The Big Game," look out Minnesota - The Old Oaken Bucket, Paul Bunyan's Axe and Floyd of Rosedale have to be on their list somewhere! HW)   *********** I was always the kind of player who believed what the coach told me. I bought into the idea of "team", to the point where it would piss me off whenever a coach would go easy on a guy who had broken a team rule.   So I shake my head whenever I read about one of today's athletes doing something harmful to his team, and then, inevitably, his teammates will rally to his defense, spouting platitudes about what a great guy he is and how much they believe in him and support him.   What's happening, of course, is that all these guys, many of whom profess to be team players, are putting the interests of one single player - and a miscreant at that - ahead of their team.   What - I want to say. Isn't anyone ticked that this guy screwed his teammates over?   Never - ever - does one of them have the stones to say, "We had a game to get ready for. He;s an important part of our team. What the hell was he doing at a place like that, with creeps like that, at that hour, anyhow?"   So I was somewhat taken aback when I read that Gonzaga's point guard, Derek Raivio, hadn't spoken to former teammate Josh Heytvelt for 12 days after Heytveldt's arrest for drug possession (including felony possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms).   Said Raivio, "Josh was a huge part of our team. What was he doing the night before a game, messing around?"   Right. I mean, couldn't the 'shrooms have waited until the night after a game?   *********** Stephen Garcia gave up spring semester at his high school in order to get a jump start on college football. Now, though, he's probably wishing he'd stayed in high school a little longer, because he isn't going to be participating in spring ball.   Actually, what Garcia, a promising young quarterback recruit at the University of South Carolina, appears to be getting a jump start on is an NFL career.   That's because he's been in college less than a couple of months, and he's been arrested twice in the last three weeks.   On February 17 he was charged with drunkenness and failure to stop for a police officer, and last Saturday, he turned himself in on charges of malicious injury to personal property, after arrest warrants were issued saying that he "keyed" a professor's car, causing more than $800 in damage.   Coach Steve Spurrier suspended him from spring practice and all team activities this semester.   *********** I just finished reading a review of "Generation Me," by a psych prof at SD State. She has nailed today's kids, for whom it is "all about me." We are talking about narcissism, pure and simple - a psychological disorder characterized by self-love.   "I can live my life any way I want to," is their mantra.   It's all about me.   The narcissism of Generation Me is what feeds the enormous popularity of YouTube and MySpace and American Idol, and erodes traditional Judaeo-Christian values and morals (not to mention religions).   It makes me grateful that I am getting old and don't have to look forward to a long lifetime of dealing with these loathsome products of our child-centered culture.   ***********Coach Wyatt, I received the Dynamics of the Double Wing last week and spent the weekend watching your DVD and reading the book. Great work! I do have a question though. In the past, because I coach such a young team, I've had to make my cadence's simple for kids to understand. I coach Pop Warner and it seems that outside of the "On 1" (your "On first hut") they tend to get confused. I really wanted to add something to confuse the defenses so I created something like this:   1. On Ready - Only on 2 minute drills   2. On Set - On all FB Runs   3. On 1 - All HB plays   4. On 2 - All pass plays   I know it looks predictable, but it was usually pretty effective for the most part because youth defenses tend to get over anxious. Would it be a good idea to continue this practice with your with your system? Or should I stay true to form and stick to the book. I want to stick to the book 100%, circumstances have changed with the increased number of options in regards to the run plays. I don't want to confuse my kids. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.   Outside of that, the system is great from what I've read so far. This is going to be a fun year for us. Thanks   Coach, I wouldn't want to be one to tell you that you should change from what you are doing and what has worked for you, but I should point out that my snap count is an integral part of everything I do, which includes shifting and motion and the occasional ability to either snap the ball on the first sound or hold the snap for an extra count (in hopes of causing the defense to jump).   I think that if you are able to do so, you should adopt some three-part snap cadence, such as ---   Go! Ready-Hut (as I do it)   Ready! Set-Go   Down! Set-Hut   And so forth.   *********** The head of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has been catching hell around the country for what is being portrayed as a silly-ass effort to ban booing at high school sports events. Unfortunately, like so many school administrators, he has little PR sense, and little sense of how the things he says will be interpreted by the public, because in fact he had a few good ideas beyond banning booing.   What got him started was some of the coarser practices of high school spectators, such as the "Bullsh--, Bullsh--, Bullsh--" chant, and certain personal insults directed at individual athletes.   It's all a bit of a show, anyhow, because the WIAA, which stages state tournaments, has almost no power. I wrote not so long ago about a high school girls' basketball coach who was caught dead to rights by the Seattle Times forging rent receipts to "prove" that girls he had recruited from outside his district actually lived in his district. When this was brought to the WIAA's attention (hard to believe that they don't read the Seattle Times) they immediately punted, saying that this was a matter for the school to deal with. Or, at most, its league.   My suggestion for dealing with with foulmouths at sports events is to call for security, while everybody in the violator's section stands up and points to him and chants, "A$$hole, A$$hole, A$$hole, A$$hole..."   ********** Coach- I found your web site about a year ago and have been a devoted reader of your news. I wanted to respond to something in your news from March 6. One of your friends, Frank Simonsen, made a comment that:   I will bet there is not a DW coach that has ever "outcoached" anyone. When we win, it's always because we had the talent, got the breaks,or the refs made bad calls on them. We have never had an opposing coach say, "Man, that's a good looking offense, we could not stop it, and your players really execute it well".   I wanted to respond to that comment.   I coach HS football in Nebraska, and up until last year the school where I am at had been 8-man. Due to increasing enrollment, we played 11-man football last year. We had experienced a lot of success in 8-man football winning 6 straight state titles before our move. We had not lost a home game since 1999. One night in October, our Homecoming game no less, we were matched up against Stanton, a very good and well coached double-wing team. Long story short, we were on the wrong end of a 28-12 score and had suffered our first loss in 11-man ball.   I wanted to say "Man, that's a good looking offense, we could not stop it, and the Stanton players really execute it well."   I am an I-formation coach, because that is what I am most comfortable with, but I have a ton of respect for the game of football and appreciate it all. Our school will probably return to 8-man after this next season, but if I ever return to the 11-man game, I would not be afraid to run a DW offense, after lots of learning - on my part, that is.   Have a great day.   Mike Speirs, Head Football Coach, Howells High School, Howells, Nebraska   *********** It would sound almost comical anywhere else, the new head coach telling the players to get rid of their guns, but this was Miami, and since you've got to start someplace, new head coach Randy Shannon chose guns:   "You get caught with a firearm, you're dismissed from the football team," he told his players.   But that's not all.   Unlike former 'Canes coach Larry Coker, who only required freshmen to live on campus, he is requiring all freshmen and sophomore players to live on campus, as well as juniors and seniors with GPA's under 2.5.   Doesn't sound as if he's got a lot of sympathy for those knucklehead juniors and seniors:   "It's not like you're having to get all A's and B's. It's not very hard to do."   I like the way this guy talks.Of course, it remains to be seen if he can back it up and still win.   *********** Coach - great stuff the past few weeks, The " You Know your from California" thing was Great, I pissed myself laughing !   Wilkes-Barre P-A: Classic !!! Coach - Mr Merchant is Right on Target (about Everett, Mass. HS), Ever since the day Coach Dibs arrived back at Everett he woke up a Legendary but dormant program, and they have been the premier ,dominant program in the entire State ever since, every one else is playing for second banana, and to Everett's credit, like the old saying goes, If you can back it up it ain't braggin !!!   see ya next week coach - John Muckian Lynn,Massachusetts   *********** Coach - I remember you recommending a book on General Neyland which I believe had diagrams of his balanced line single wing etc.   Do you still have the information for ordering the book???  I have enjoyed your other recommendations - Bob Reade's book and Ken Keuffels book.   As always thanks for pointing me in the right direction to learn more about our great game and esp. its history.   Coach - You are referring to "Football as a War Game." It is expensive, but for the serious historian, it is priceless. Gen Neyland kept copious notes, and this is a compilation of those notes.   Write to Andy Kozar (technically, Dr. Andrew Kozar) at the U of Tennessee--- Helluva guy - he played for General Neyland.   akozar@utk.edu   Tell him I suggested you write. If he can't sell you a copy direct, he can tell you where to get one.   *********** Mike Lude, whom many of you know as the person who created the blocking rules we use, wrote, "I am a member of the board of directors of the Southern Arizona Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. This past Sunday we had our scholar athlete banquet and awards presentation. This morning the Arizona Daily Star published an opinion column by Greg Hansen, featured sports columnist, that I believe you will be pleased to read."   Here's a portion of it.....   Opinion by Greg Hansen, Tucson, Arizona 03.06.2007   Repulsed by baseball's steroid tales, unmoved by the NBA's me-first element, bugged by an NFL system that awards a journeyman guard $49 million in free agency, I found refuge Sunday with 12 high school football players.   Rudy Padilla, a senior lineman from Amphitheater High School, put tears in my eyes, and yet he did not throw a block or knock me down with a forearm shiver.   "I am not afraid to fail," said Padilla, who a day earlier accepted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. "I believe that you have to do more to support your country than put a yellow sticker on your bumper. If that means putting yourself in harm's way, I'm ready to do that."   Without prior notice, without rehearsal, Padilla spoke for maybe three minutes at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame banquet at the UA. He was Tony Robbins with youthful sincerity. He renewed my oft-wavering faith in sports.   Amphi went 0-10 last season. No one said a word about that to Padilla or his proud coach, Vern Friedli.   "Rudy could be the chief of staff someday, or maybe the president of the United States,'' said Friedli. "He is why you coach. He is why wins and losses don't really matter."   Friedli has won 300 games as a high school coach. Every time he comes across a Rudy Padilla, the total seems to double.   All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ

A Great Time at the Single Wing Conclave! (See"NEWS") Phrases the NFL Doesn't Want You to Use! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 6, 2007 - "The difference between a smart man and a wise man is that a smart man knows what to say, a wise man knows whether or not to say it." Frank M. Garafola   more info---><--- more info   NEXT CLINIC - RALEIGH-DURHAM, March 31   CHICAGO CLINIC ANNOUNCED - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held APRIL 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north.   *********** I had a fantastic time this past weekend at the sixth annual Single Wing Conclave, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I can't say enough about the great job that Todd Bross, of Union, Maine, has done in building the conclave to the point where it is approaching the capacity of the facility where it is being held, the auditorium of King's College. (Todd swears that he will begin charging for reserved seating before he will move the event from Wilkes-Barre, and considering how well things ran, I have to agree with him.)   I was first presenter on Friday morning, and then I was able to kick back and listen to some really outstanding presentations on Friday and on Saturday morning. I only regret that I had to leave at Saturday noon in order to catch a flight out of Philly, which unfortunately meant missing out on the last couple of speakers.   I spoke on the Wildcat package, and how we teach blocking - which as most Double-Wingers know is definitely not the way most "modern" programs teach it.   I was followed by Eric Sampson, of Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania High School, who in addition to running from the unbalanced "Yale" formation, was also probably the only coach in America to run from the short-punt formation.   Next up was James Perry, of Wellington-Napoleon High School in Missouri. Coach Perry is just 25 years old and already has two head coaching successes to his credit. Especially gratifying to me was when he came up and reminded me that five years ago, when he was still in college, he flew out to my Sacramento clinic, and I drove him to the airport afterward.   Guy Savoie, a youth coach from Belchertown, Massachusetts, described the reasons why he chose to run the single-wing, and also related the ways that he anticipates and deals with parents who might otherwise make his life miserable.   The Friday session concluded with a presentation by Tom Benjey, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the biographer of famous American Indian coach William "Lone Star" Dietz. Tom showed us a video (which I promptly bought) of what is considered to be the first single-wing game ever played, between Villanova and the Carlisle Indian School (later to gain fame as the school of the great Jim Thorpe).   Saturday morning, what can I say? The entire time was devoted to Dr. John Ward, of Clinton, North Carolina. Dr, Ward, considered by many single-wingers to be the font of knowledge of the offense, is a dynamic speaker, to say the least. He has coached the single-wing at the college level, and now, in small-town North Carolina, he has begun building a powerhouse. His system is everything I'd like mine to be: it is simplicity itself, and yet it gives the appearance of great complexity.   The camaraderie was at least as good as the presentations. Friday night featured the Beer Tasting and barbecue: Todd, the clinic founder and manager, arranged in advance for attendees to bring samples of beers unique to their areas, and between that and indigenous foods - brats from Michigan, pork barbecue from North Carolina, soft pretzels from Philadelphia - there was plenty of food to wash down.   In three corners of the room, TV screens showed videos of a wide variety of single wings being run, by kids of all ages, from all parts of the country.   Especially gratifying to me was the number of coaches who came up to me and told me that they and/or their organizations were making use of my "Safer and Surer Tackling" video.   My advice to anyone who runs single or Double-Wing: try to get in on next year's conclave before it is oversubscribed.   *********** You know you are in Philly when... the baseball team is in spring training, the NBA basketball and NHL hockey teams are in-season - and the callers to the sports-talk shows all want to talk about the Iggles.   *********** You know you are in Philly when you read the letters to the editor in the Inquirer, and there, among letters condemning the Republicans, decrying the idea of selling the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and suggesting ways for the Postal Service to save energy, is one urging the Eagles to keep Jeff Garcia and not Donovan McNabb.   *********** You know you're in Northeastern Pennsylvania when you can drive for two hours listening to nothing but polkas (God, I love that music) on radio station WARM, Wilkes-Barre P-A (everybody there calls Pennsylvania "P-A.")   *********** On Sunday, at the University of Pennsylvania's Palestra, Roman Catholic High played Neumann-Goretti for the Philadelphia Catholic League championship. Although the two met twice during the regular season, this was the first time the public was permitted to see them play. Following their meeting in last year's championship game, fans, students and players rioted, and "scores of police" had to quell the mayhem. Six people were arrested, and League officials reacted by ordering that this year's games be played without spectators. They split the two regular season games, and on Sunday, Roman won, 59-56. From what I could tell, there were no incidents.   *********** A new women's soccer league is forming, but, wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer's Don McKee, Philadelphia will not have a team. Wrote McKee, "Be Thankful."   *********** I was reading the news section on your web page, when I laughed so hard I spit Diet Coke out all over my computer:) This may be the best football quote I have ever heard:   "It is easier to grow wings on King Kong than to grow balls on a butterfly."   Absolutely hilarious. The rest of the Tigard staff loved it as well :) Jason Travnicek, Tigard, Oregon   *********** Coach Wyatt, I just wanted to drop you a line to say hello and say how excited I was to hear you were the keynote speaker at the Single Wing Conclave.. I believe you and I have talked a little about the single wing in the past and I could tell by the conversations that we shared a mutual love for a great offense.. I was also excited for Todd Bross.. You'll never find a finer man than Todd, and the same can be said of the group of coaches who attend the Conclave.. Todd's a great leader of men, as evidenced by the sheer volume of coaches who travel such far distances annually to attend his pride and joy.. I'm proud to say I've attended even though I'm a double wing coach, and I'm even prouder to call a man like Todd a friend..   I attended the DW symposium and I'm sure you're aware of the credit that was given to you by many all throughout the weekend.. It's through your system, and as a result of your passion for it, that a great group of guys now get together every year and celebrate something you helped create.. I hope to one day see you there, but regardless, you know I'll see you in Philly in April..   Take care, and thanks for the help over the years, Jeff Belliveau, West Berlin, New Jersey (Todd Bross has done a wonderful job in building the conclave into what it is today, and I was flattered by his invitation and honored to be able to present to such a great group of coaches. In terms of passion for what they do and interest in the game, those guys rank right up there with the devoted Double-Wingers I am used to associating with. HW)   *********** Not saying that Democrats are phonies or anything, but...   "Ah don' feel no way tahred" - Lady Hillary Clinton, a daughter of the Old South, to the audience in Selma, Alabama.   "People ask me if I've been to Selma befo'" - Barack Obama, a Son of the Old South.   "Kin I git me a huntin' license?" Lord John Kerry, noted Iowa deer hunter   *********** HI COACH WYATT, My name is Fred Merchant and I am a lifelong resident of Everett, Massachusetts I was just reading a story you wrote about success stories using the Double Wing offense. Probably the greatest example of success using the Double Wing is right in my hometown of Everett. The Crimson Tide of Everett have been to the Division 1 playoffs in Mass. in 10 out of the last 11 years and have been a Super Bowl finalist in 9 out of those 11 years and have won 6 Super Bowls in that same time period including 3 straight in 2001,2002 and 2003. All this has been done despite the fact that Everett plays against the best Catholic schools in the state and school with much larger enrollment numbers . Thought you would enjoy knowing the system still works if implemented right. The Everett coach is John DiBiaso Jr.---his father was also an excellent football coach--Coach Dib is not only a great coach but a Super guy and has done a lot of good things for the youth of Everett,Ma. Here is a little update on this year's 2006 Everett Crimson Tide. They were the Massachusetts Division 1 champs and had a record of 12 wins and no losses. They scored a total of 466 points for an average of 38.8 points per game and they allowed a total of 137 points for an average of 11.4 against despite having the starters out of many games early. Their game against Cambridge Rindge & Latin was played on Thanksgiving and the winner of that game would go on to represent the Greater Boston League in the state playoffs---Score EVERETT 44 CAMBRIDGE R&L 22. Next up was the state playoff game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Everett had to face the always tough Xaverian Hawks who were the champions of the Catholic Conference---Score EVERETT 31 XAVERIAN 6 Next up was the Super Bowl and the State Championship was at stake. Everett had to face the other legendary football program in Massachusetts-- the Brockton Boxers---Score EVERETT 35 BROCKTON 6 Coach Wyatt, as you can see the Crimson Tide were more than capable in the biggest games of the season and a lot of this is due to the precision with which these players implement Coach DiBiaso's system. Coach DiBiaso has been at Everett now for 15 years and has never had a losing season while amassing 143 wins against only 16 losses for a winning mark of 89.9%. Over the last 11 years Everett has had a record of 113 wins and 7 losses for a winning mark of 94.2% and during that period they have won the Greater Boston League title every year,made the playoffs 10 out of the 11 years and made the Super Bowl 9 out of those 11 years. The Crimson Tide's record in the Super Bowl games is 6 wins and 3 losses and has been accomplished against the best teams Massachusetts has to offer and teams that usually have a much larger enrollment than Everett does. I have enjoyed all the insight you provide regarding football and hope you can use the information I just provided you.   (I have spoken with Coach DiBiaso on a couple of occasions, and I have great respect for what he has done at Everett. I told Fred Merchant that Everett was the hometown of one of my college coaches, Art Raimo, a great coach and a fine gentleman. HW)   *********** No matter how high they raise the bar of arrogance and greed, the NFL still clears it with room to spare.   The latest - Stanford and Cal have been playing each other since 1902, long before there even was such a thing as the NFL, let alone a Super Bowl and almost as long as they've been playing the game, their fans, their followers, and the Bay Area media have referred to their annual meeting as The Big Game.   But not so fast, college guys. Make way for corporate America's newest bully. The NFL. It seems Big Football is in the process of obtaining a trademark on the term "The Big Game."   See, they want to control the term the same way they monopolize the name "Super Bowl." You may remember the way their jackbooted goons came down on churches for holding "Super Bowl Parties."   If they can manage to sew up this phrase, if they succeed in this exercise in hubris, God help any corner tavern owner who hangs up a sign outside inviting people to "Watch The Big Game on Our Big-Screen TVs!" Even if the bar is in Cleveland and they're talking about Ohio State-Michigan.   Sheesh.   Actually, my sources tell me that the NFL is very close to obtaining trademarks on the phrases, "failed a drug test," "domestic violence," "shooting outside a nightclub," and "resisting arrest," with intentions to restrict their use by the news media in connection with any NFL players.   (I am not really one to talk. I personally am trying to trademark the term, "Bragging Rights.")   *********** My friend, Frank Simonsen wrote to me about the growing number of Double-Wing guys who show up on the big clinic agendas this time of year, telling people all they can in an hour or two so that then they can all go out next fall and run the "Double Wing."   And get their asses kicked. And then complain that "it doesn't work."   I told him that the businessman in me says "go ahead - tell people how simple the Double-Wing is and how easy it is to coach it," but the football coach in me won't allow me to do that, because I know that those of us who have been running it for any length of time know that it takes a lot of work to get it right and keep it right.   I suppose this means I'll never be a millionaire, because truthfully, the deeper I get into it, the more I try to separate myself from the guys who want to do it on the quick and cheap, and aren't willing or prepared to do it right.   Frank wrote back and said,   You hit the nail right on the head.   "it takes a lot of work to get it right and keep it right"   That's the number one reason it is so successful. Most of these self proclaimed experts think that because the DW looks so vanilla, it's a Mickey Mouse Offense. This leads them to believe that it is an easy, simple system to run. They underestimate the knowledge, time, and work that it takes to run it right. They are absolutely convinced that it is impossible for an offense that seems so simple, can be so intricate and effective. Therefore they simple blow it off as a waste of time.   I will bet there is not a DW coach that has ever "outcoached" anyone. When we win, it's always because we had the talent, got the breaks,or the refs made bad calls on them. We have never had an opposing coach say, "man, that's a good looking offense, we could not stop it, and your players really execute it well".   I love it, every time we go on the field we are the "Rodney Dangerfield's underdogs".   And then shortly after that, I got an e-mail from a friend of a friend who's opening next year against a Double-Wing team, and wanted some advice. It's not a team - or a coach - that I know anything about, so I have no idea what he's running. Maybe he's self-taught. Maybe he got his offense at a two-hour clinic session.   I'm beginning to come full-circle from the days when I was offended by requests for advice on stopping "the Double Wing," because over the years the woods have become full of guys who seem to want others to think they invented the Double-Wing (not that I did, but it's funny how many of these same guys use my numbering system, and many of my terms, such as "Super Power", and plays that I brought to the Double-Wing, such as the "G" play and the Wedge).   They know the offense inside and out, do they? Hey, putting out a playbook and a video is the easy part. But few of these guys have ever coached any team other than their own, and finding out the things that can go wrong and helping other people deal with them is where the real skill come sin.   So, secure in the belief that I'm not divulging anything that people who've dealt with me don't already know, here's what I wrote my friend...   You understand that generally speaking I'm not into helping people stop the offense I advocate, but on the other hand, there are so many guys now who seem willing to learn this on their own, or from experts whose own knowledge is scanty, that I don't feel any obligation to them.   (I often use the analogy of the legitimate dog breeder who tries to maintain the quality and integrity of a breed, while "puppy mills" meet the public demand by indiscriminately churning out dogs that look like his but often turn out to be genetically defective.)   Bear in mind, of course, that I can only deal in generalities because I don't know what sort of stuff your opponents are capable of running, or whether they're one of these "all we need to beat you is four basic plays from one formation" teams.   And of course I don't know anything about your system or your kids.   In general, though, I always advise people not to get too far from their basic defensive package, because first of all, in our case if you've put in a specialty defense just for us, we can throw a lot of different sets and motions at you that their kids probably won't be able to adjust to after just a couple of days' work. Of course, not all of the "puppy mill" Double-Wing teams can do that.   Second, if they install a special "D" and it doesn't work, the rout is on.   And third, they've probably sold their players on how good their base defense is, and then they come to Double-Wing week and they're teaching something entirely different. What does that do for their kids' belief in their system?   I think you have to discipline your linemen not to penetrate. In fact, depending on whether they run a good wedge (a characteristic of "my" Double-Wing teams, but not some of the others), I wouldn't hesitate to back them off the LOS a bit.   If they use deep - and slow - motion, you can probably make some suppositions about what it means, and maybe even have your corners cross-key them. Or even blitz off the edge to catch the back in the backfield. This is one reason why I like to make motion shallow and "sudden", and often run without any motion at all.   I would want the defenders who force the off-tackle power toss (My "Super Power") to be pretty stout. If the Double-Wing fullback can crush those guys it will be tough for you. And don't allow those guys to penetrate - even if the ball goes away.   Two things that give "other" Double-Wing teams problems are (1) the Eagle (T-N-T) look, and (2) bracketing the TE with a guy in the "C" gap and a guy in a "9" technique who squeezes down when the TE blocks down.   It is useful to know if they have the speed to get outside on you - or if they even have a good sweep - should you stuff their off-tackle play.   And it is useful to know what their favorite passes are. I think you can assume that their main deal is not passing, and since some "Double Wingers" seem to take unusual pride in the manliness of never passing, you may be able devote more resources than usual to stopping the run. But you need to remember that a good Double-Wing team will have a very effective passing game.   Finally, I suggest that you do everything you can to learn all you can about the Double-Wing, so you can prepare a scout team to give you an acceptable look. At our clinics, we all get a good laugh when we swap stories about how bad some teams' scout offenses look in pre-games, leading to the inescapable conclusion that some defensive coordinators don't have a clue about the offense they're getting ready to play..  *********** I spoke to a high school coach who said that after "dabbling" in "the Double-Wing" last year, he was planning to run it full-time this year. I didn't ask where he got his info, but I said that if he were really serious, he really ought to get to one of my clinics. He said his district provides funds for only one clinic a year, and as a result, he and his whole staff go to one of those Colossal Clinics (where I rather doubt they will learn a whole lot about running the ball, much less the Double-Wing and how to teach it). I wanted to say, "So? You cheap bastard - why don't you reach into your own pocket and pay for a clinic yourself? Youth coaches do it all the time." *********** If you're wondering what kind of stones the current group of Republican presidential candidates has, I would have to say that on the basis of early showings, it's looking like marbles. Speaking before an overflow crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Ms. Coulter said, "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I -- so kind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards." Well, goll-ee. You'd have thought she'd used the "N-word."   The Republican candidates have all taken turns showing America how tolerant and diverse they are by condemning Ms. Coulter. For saying what she said she wasn't going to say. Responded Ms. Coulter, who has a bigger set than any of those men in skirts, "C'mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean."   Question: Is there a rehab for people with no stones? *********** Reading through the Minneapolis Star-Tribune between flights, I came across the story of Marcus LeVesseur, a wrestler from Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Because it's Division III, and wrestling at that, you might not hear the story, but on Saturday night, at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Dubuque, Iowa, Marcus led Augsburg to the team championship by winning his fourth straight NCAA title, becoming only the second person in college wrestling history to do so. He also finished his career unbeaten, again only the second college wrestler to do so. He finished 155-0, an unbeaten string exceeded only by Cael Sanderson, of Iowa State, who finished his career (1998-2002) 159-0, also with four NCAA titles. *********** And then there is Minnesota "high school" wrestling, where it's hard to say whether it is emulating the NBA, which brings kids out of school early, or "women's" gymnastics, which has pretty much degenerated into a sport for pre-teens.   The high schools are raiding the middle schools for lower-weight wrestlers. A Minnesota high school won the 3A (medium-sized schools) state championship, thanks in large part to individual championships at the 103- and 112-pound levels. The 103-pound champion is a seventh-grader, and the 112-pounder is an eighth-grader, who last year won as a seventh-grader at 103. Said their coach, "It's due to what they've done at an earlier age, with the commitments from their families, and training throughout the year."   Nice. Did you catch that? "Training throughout the year." Probably from the time they were six, they've been one-sport athletes, year-round, non-stop. God forbid they should want to play baseball or football. Soccer, even. Does this sound a little like what's been happening to little girls in gymnastics, and tennis and figure skating? *********** "Excuse me, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity. I'll go so far as to call them 'terrorist' rifles. "Sorry folks, in my humble opinion, these things have no place in hunting. We don't need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with them... this really has me concerned. As hunters, we don't need the image of walking around in the woods carrying one of these weapons. To most of the public, an assault rifle is a terrifying thing." That was famed outdoor writer Jim Zumbo, after hearing about a growing number of "hunters" using assault weapons against the likes of prairie dogs. And then, thanks to the powerful influence of the National Rifle Association, for the heresy of daring to criticize any weapon, Zumbo is out of a job. No magazine wants him, and no sponsor will touch him. Except I think the guy has a point, and if the NRA will do this to their own kind - the people who are pro-gun and pro-hunting - who may disagree with them on even a minor point, then I have lost respect for them. This is tough for a right-winger like me to have to say.   Look - I believe in the Second Amendment. I own guns, and I like to shoot. But I am fully in support of such restrictions as are necessary to keep bad guys from outgunning our law-enforcement people. I don't happen to think, as the NRA seems to, that the next step after we outlaw automatic weapons is government agents smashng down my front door and seizing my single-shot .22.   I don't hunt. But neither do I stand in the way of those who do.   But let's face it - in our increasingly tenderized society, hunting has a bad image, and it's not getting any better. Hunting needs all the friends it can get: in a nation whose growth continues unchecked, the number of hunters is flat, if not in actual decline.   What's next? Elk hunting with rocket-propelled grenades? I know, I know - RPG's are illegal, and assault rifles, provided they are not fully automatic, are legal. But popping prairie dogs with them?   There are people like me who don't hunt, but then there are people who outright oppose hunting. We are two different groups. But it seems to me that shooting prairie dogs with assault rifles is the kind of stuff that makes people move from my group over to the other group.   *********** How are things?  Wrestling is almost over, I have one kid wrestling next weekend at the state tournament, so I am starting to think about football.  I wanted to ask you if you saw the movie Facing the Giants.  You may have mentioned it in the past but I didn't remember.  My wife and I went to get a movie last night and she was telling me about this movie and that she heard of it.  She doesn't often suggest a football movie.  The problem is it was right beside Flags of our Fathers, so being a former Marine, this choice was easy for me.  Any insight into Facing the Giants.  I watched the trailer online and was looking for your opinion. P.S. Can't wait until the Philly clinic.   I don't know about the movie, but I did come across this review---   I want to start this review by stating that I am a Christian and I love stories about the underdog. Secondly, this story is not based on true events. Had it been, I might have been moved.   This is a nice story of the losing team and their coach. The coach is losing everything, including that he and his wife cannot have children. Just when he thinks that things couldn't be going worse for him, he overhears the fathers trying to get him fired.   Being that this is a Christian movie, I hope that you can guess what happens and how it ends. This is why this movie bothered me. Had it been a true story of how God had worked in this man's life, I would have been moved. But much like I feel when a cartoon character is no longer being drawn, I'm sorry, had died, I am affected for long.   So if you like the underdog, this movie is definitely for you. If you like extremely Christian stories, this movies is definitely for you. Finally, if you can get over really bad acting for a story that is total fiction, this movie is definitely for you   As far as I'm concerned, there aren't any "true stories" put out by Hollywood anyhow - they're all bogus deals, which the public believes are true because the producers hide behind the clever line "based on a true story," or "inspired by a true story." Then they're free to "embellish" as they wish. I don't know why pure fiction can't be every bit as good as that dreck. Not knowing anything about the acting, I don't know why this one has to be "based on a true story" to be any good. HW   SHOTS TAKEN AT THE ATLANTA CLINIC...         All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ

A Great Story About Kids in the Deep South! (See"NEWS") England's Prince Harry Sounds Like a Man of Stones! (See"NEWS") "Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." (Proverbs, Chapter 8, Verses 10-11)   March 2, 2007 - "You don't just change a flat tire by switching the driver." Jim Harbaugh, new Stanford coach, in explaining that turning the Stanford program around is going to require more than just hiring a new head coach   more info---><--- more info   CHICAGO CLINIC ANNOUNCED - The 2007 Coach Wyatt Chicago Clinic will be held APRIL 21 at Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 West 103rd Street, Chicago - in Vitha Hall, at the corner of 103rd and St. Louis.   There are numerous places to stay in the vicinity of Midway Airport, a short distance to the north. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SON, ED     *********** The South is one of my very favorite places, and one of the many reasons is the warmth of its people.   The coaches at my Atlanta clinic last Saturday saw this first hand, when a young man named Jey Yokeley (he's the pale guy in the red shirt in the photo above) stepped onto the field at Columbia High School a perfect stranger to the Columbia team and introduced himself to the guys. They immediately accepted him as one of them, just another football player.   Jey came down from Charlotte, North Carolina, when I told his coach James Martin, of South Mecklenburg High, that he was welcome to bring a player or two along to work out with the host team . Coach Martin thought that this would be a great chance for Jey, who had just moved into his district, and showed signs of being a good quarterback.   We started demonstrating various things for the coaches, and it wasn't more than five minutes before Jey looked like a member of the Columbia team. And when the session ended, and the Columbia kids dug into the pizza that their coach, Kevin Latham, had provided, they noticed that Jey was standing off to the side, and they called him over to join them.   Just one more reason why I love the South, and why I'm proud to be a football coach.   (By the way, the young fellow with his hand on Jey's shoulder is Coach Latham's son, Kevin.)   *********** Driving through the rural South, it's still possible to pick up a small-town radio station that reads the local obituaries every day (sponsored by the local funeral home, of course).   *********** Today, it is my great honor to be delivering the keynote presentation at the sixth annual Single-Wing Conclave in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The conclave is the baby of Todd Bross, formerly of Sharon, Pennsylvania and now of Union, Maine, and he has built it to the point where this year more than 125 coaches have pre-registered. I am talking about the Wildcat, and how it works so easily into my system. (I have been assured that I will be booed off the stage if I do or say anything about putting a quarterback under center.)   *********** Hypocrisy check... Over the years, I've heard so many horror stories about staff squabbles and treacherous assistants that I am amazed that coaches will spend all sorts of valuable time preaching family values to their players, and telling them what a family their team is, while the coaching staff itself is the very model of a dysfunctional family, and the players all know it.   *********** Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has a shot at being a real Cinderella team in this year's NCAA basketball tournament. Its record is 25-4, and its losses were all to tops teams: Wisconsin, North Carolina, Maryland, and Texas A & M   One of Winthrop's stars is its senior center Craig Bradshaw.   Bradshaw grew up in a rugby family in rugby-mad New Zealand, and when he started out playing basketball, he kept it a secret from his family.   "His father thought basketball was a girls' game," his mother told USA Today. "One day, we were watching basketball on TV, and I said, 'Isn't that Craig?' We thought he was training for rugby, and all the time he was out playing basketball."   Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall became interested when he received a video and a "curriculum vitae" (resume) from Bradshaw.   "His vita talked about centimeters and kilograms," Marshall said, "I looked at him and I thought, 'There's a lot of centimeters here - let's get this figured out. He turned out to be 6-9, 195 pounds. Now he's 6-10, 250."   (When I first coached overseas, metric conversion freaked me out. How big was a guy who's listed at 180 cm and 100 kg? The conversion is actually very simple: 30 centimeters equals a foot, and a kilogram is 2.2 pounds. So the guy was 6-foot, 220. HW)   *********** His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, the world's greatest example of the evils of inbreeding, has pretty much sealed his fate by taking on McDonald's. He will lose that one. Pity.   On the other hand, out of Charles' royal loins has sprung a royal who sounds as if he might make a real king.   Prince Harry, Charles' younger son, is an Army officer, a graduate of Sandhurst (the English West Point) and is due to be shipped to Southern Iraq later this year.   He is no shirker. He could easily choose other duty, but he is determined to serve.   "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst," he said, "and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country."   *********** Coach Wyatt, Thank you for sending me the virtual clinics 1 and 2 so quickly. It took me less then 48 hours to review both sets. I found the clinic video to be outstanding as expected. Some of my coaching friends recommended that I run the spread to attract basketball players and I did flirt with the idea. After a consultation at an undisclosed location with Tim Rice and Jack Tourtillotte from Booth Bay H.S. in Maine and reviewing the Virtual Clinic videos we have settled on the Double Wing at Trinity H.S.   I have often told my players the first thing you must do in football is decide what you want to be. I then tell them that I know what I want to be and that's King Kong walking down the street. King Kong runs the Double Wing! Once again thank you for your assistance.   John Trisciani, Head Football Coach, Trinity High School, Manchester,N.H. (I think it is important first to be tough. Once that is established, you can always come up with a "spread" unit that you use just for special occasions. It's easier for King Kong to grow wings than it is for a butterfly to grow balls! HW)    ***********Apologies to all my coaching friends from California - but I'm sure they will recognize some of this...   You know you're from California if:   1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings - and none are visible.   2. You make over $200,000 and still can't afford a house.   3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.   4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair and a nose ring, and is named Flower.   5. You can't remember . . is pot illegal?   6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.   7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.   8. You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?   9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.   10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.   11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.   12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.   13. You can't remember . . .is pot illegal?   14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."   15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.   16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.   17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????   18. Both you AND your dog have therapists, psychics, personal trainers and cosmetic surgeons.   19. The Terminator is your governor.   20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one.   *********** Coach Wyatt, Heard you had a great clinic in Atlanta. Coach Latham and Coach Harrison will certainly work well together. I noticed Nashville made your news a bit. It is funny to hear Coach Flatt talk about how colleges recruit, when the public schools in Tennessee say the same about Brentwood Academy. BA was in the middle of a huge fight between private schools and public schools a few years ago over recruiting and scholarships.   As far as Kevin Stallings goes, there is no way you can compare what he did to what Bobby Knight did. The ball was thrown out of bounds and Stallings caught it. Noah tried to grab it from him and Stallings resisted and he pushed Noah's arm away. Since the ball was not out of bounds after a made basket, the ball has to be touched by an official. This in no way can be compared to the crap Knight used to do when he would bully players, fans, officials, media and coaches.   Greg Stout, Thompson's Station, Tennessee (Between Lord Al's hypocritical energy consumption and PacMan Jones' Las Vegas adventures, Nashville can't seem to get off the front pages! HW)   *********** I have a quarterback that is 6'0" 180, can throw the football, but is more of a basketball type kid. Have you ever ran your base attack with a kid like this and just ran power oppose to super power? I know it is a better play, but this kid could really help our play-action and he is a leader. Thanks coach.   I haven't run the power in years. This is not to say you can't, but it really isn't that great a play. Not compared with Super Power.   And you might be surprised to find out that your baseball player can make that block on the corner. It really isn't a high-collision block, but it is important, and I think it would do wonders for establishing him as a leader.     *********** Thank you for referring me to the Clemente book and the Lombardi book.   There were a lot of things in the Lombardi book I didn't know about. His chain smoking was something else.   The way he came up through the ranks, having great coaches in Leahy at Fordham, and Blaik at West Point. The 7 Blocks of Granite.   All great.   But I think in those days the coaches lived harder by the bottle. I didn't know he drank so much.   People question whether he could have coached in these times and I look at Belichick - looks like a mirror image to me.   Now I don't feel so bad when I use 4 letter words in practice!!   But the one trait that he had was he was driven to excellence. Always looking for ways to win by the book. I love it because I'm the same way!    Now I'm on to the Marching book by David Maraniss. Looks like a long book but I've got time.   Again, thanks,   Pete Porcelli, Troy, New York   I'm glad that I got you onto those books. I still go back to the Lombardi book from time to time, because it's such a great reference source.   David Maraniss is a great writer, but he is also a great researcher, who gets as close as you can get to living with the people he writes about. He actually spent a winter in Green Bay, and to do the Clemente book, he learned Spanish.   And on top of it all, he is a great person, not at all conceited or affected. You will enjoy "The Marched Into Sunlight." It is a back-and-forth story of the heroic Black Lions and a group of spoiled rotten college students who didn't support the war or the troops.   *********** My favorite Portland DJ, Bob Miller, got a Nashville DJ on the phone Tuesday to chat about the latest Al Gore story,   The Lord of the Environment had hardly had a chance to enjoy the thrill of winning an Oscar for telling us that we need to cut down on our consumption of energy, when a group called The Tennessee Center for Policy Research burst his bubble, announcing Monday that it had obtained Lord Al's utility bills for the last two years, and revealed that the gas and electric bills for the Lord's Castle - a 20-room home with eight bathrooms and pool house - ate up nearly 221,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2006, more than 20 times the national average.   Eight bathrooms! The DJ marveled. "That's a lot of flushes!"   Were people in Nashville talking about it? he was asked. "It's 'Topic A'" among his listeners, he said. "They're mad as hell"   They all seemed to lead off with, "That damn Gore!"   The guy said that Lord Al is seen as aloof and above the common Nashville scene - "He's become the Prime Minister of Global Warming."   I got the impression that it wasn't by accident that Al lost his own state in 2000.   Around Nashville, the guy said, "Gore could solve the Middle East oil policy and people would still be mad at him."   *********** George Preas died last Saturday in his native Roanoke, Virginia at the age of 73. Mr. Preas played his college football at Virginia Tech, and then played 11 seasons on the offensive line with the Baltimore Colts, as one of the less well-known guys whose pass protection helped make John Unitas the greatest quarterback in the history of the game. After retirement from football, Mr. Preas owned a construction company, and served on the boards of directors of several Roanoke-area businesses and banks. (Card photo courtesy of Dennis Cook, of Roanoke, Virginia)   The '64 Colts: there are five Hall-of-Famers in this photo from the cover of a game program (Colts vs. St. Louis Cardinals): Lined up in the pro set common at the time, that's Raymond Berry, the flanker at the top and Jimmy Orr the split end at the bottom. On the line, from top to bottom, are John Mackey (TE), Bob Vogel, Jim Parker, Dick Szymanski, Alex Sandusky and George Preas; John Unitas is at quarterback, with Jerry Hill (45) at fullback and Lenny Moore (24) at halfback (Hall-of-Famers: Berry, Mackey, Moore, Parker, Unitas)                       *********** It's not without good cause that they call the NFL the Teflon League. No matter what it does to screw its fans, no matter what atrocities its players commit, it gets the kid-gloves treatment from the news media.   But baseball? Why, everyone knows that its players are a bunch of juicers. Hockey players are Neanderthals who do nothing but fight (imagine- hockey players fighting!). And the NBA, why - it's just a bunch of over-tattooed, dope-smoking, trash-talking, jewel-wearing, arrest-resisting thugs.   Now, this is not to say that some of those stereotypes aren't occasionally spot-on, but then there's the NFL, many of whose players are out-and-out criminals - yet it keeps getting a pass.   Exhibit A -The Titans claim to be struggling over what to do with "PacMan" Jones, a defensive back with a lo-o-o-ong history of, uh, "antisocial" behavior. The "struggle" probably has to do with the fact that even if they dump the guy, there is some other team in the league lacks scruples (imagine an NFL team without scruples!) and will sign him.   So solid is the NFL's image that after Mr. PacMan got into some serious trouble (if you call a woman being shot "serious trouble") during the recent NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas, people e-mailed NBA Commissioner David Stern, ripping him for not dealing with NBA criminals like PacMan Jones.   *********** Coach, I hope all is going well. I noticed today on ESPN the NFL head guy on concussions stepped down. I know you will find this hard to believe but he has not been honest about the effects of concussions and sending players back into games. Now the NFL in a great gesture announced he was stepping down as chairman but left him on the committee if I read the two articles correctly. What a load of crap leaving him on the committee. I lost a lot of respect for the coach from the Patriots when he denied putting Ted Johnson back into drills. Arnold Wardwell, Umatilla, Oregon (God forbid the NFL might admit that concussions are a problem, and not simply a matter of "getting your bell rung," haw, haw, haw - because then it might open itself up to litigation on behalf of numerous former players who now suspect that their present lives may be adversely affected by the fact that they took one too many hits to the head, and the culture of the league was such that they were told, "shake it off - you just got your bell rung." HW)   *********** Prayers for Javan Canon and his family and teammates. Canon, 25, a defensive back for an indoor football team in Daytona Beach, was killed instantly as a result of a helmet-to-helmet hit. I'll bet the people at ESPN are really bummed that they can't show the play in a "Big Hits" segment. On the other hand, if it helps the ratings...   *********** A Spanish-speaking guy called a metro-Portland 911 operator last week, and when she was unable to understand him, it was necessary to bring in an interpreter - at taxpayer expense, of course.   The guy's problem? He wanted to go into a night club - and they wouldn't let him in.   After a bit of wrangling, the operator called the police, who arrested the guy for filing a false report, or whatever the 911 version of a false alarm is.   I somehow have my suspicions as to whether the guy is in our country legally.   Oh, well. The night wasn't a total waste for the 911 operator or the police. They found cocaine in the guy's sox.   *********** Dennis Cook, of Roanoke, Virginia, suggests placing Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer on the "would be fired nowadays" list, adding, "By today's standards we would have made it maybe to 1992."   My gawsh - look at the guy's record since 1993! 1987 (2-9) 1988 (3-8) 1989 (6-4-1) 1990 (6-5) 1991 (5-6) 1992 (2-8-1) 1993 (9-3) Independence Bowl champion 1994 (8-4) Gator Bowl 1995 (10-2) BIG EAST, Sugar Bowl champion 1996 (10-2) BIG EAST co-champion, Orange Bowl 1997 (7-5) Gator Bowl 1998 (9-3) Music City Bowl champion 1999 (11-1) BIG EAST champion, Sugar Bowl 2000 (11-1) Gator Bowl champion 2001 (8-4) Gator Bowl 2002 (10-4) San Francisco Bowl champion 2004 (10-3) ACC champion, Sugar Bowl 2005 (11-2) ACC Coastal champion, Gator Bowl champion   *********** Good morning, Sir! When you have time to watch this video, I just know you'll get a kick out of it. The video is about 11 minutes long, but well worth it.   Enjoy! Coach Marvin Garcia, Albuquerque, New Mexico   http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2487638612433437293&q=Veterans   *********** The taxpayers build palaces for the f--king billionaires who own NFL teams, who then turn around and sell the "naming rights" to facilities that aren't even theirs! This is how the stadium built for the Arizona Cardinals got to be named "University of Phoenix Stadium." The for-profit University of Phoenix doesn't have a football team and doesn't even have a campus, but it appears to the casual viewer that it has a stadium that most football-playing colleges would envy.   The Bears once even screwed around with the idea of selling the rights to Solider Field, until enough veterans raised hell. You just watch - one of these days it'll be "Bank of America Stadium at Soldier Field."   But that's the NFL, where everything is for sale.   Sadly, there is a trend now toward selling the naming rights to high school fields.   I see us headed more and more toward this, as schools, strapped for money, look for other sources of funds. With the growth of girls' sports they have to come up with a lot more for uniforms, coaches and facilities, and at the same time in many places the "all sports are equal" mentality has resulted in lower crowds at the sports (football) whose revenues usually pay for the rest of the sports.   I see the trend as a plus in one sense - if it helps get coaches out of the fund-raising business.   The big negative - other than the fact that many people are put off by the increasing commercialization of high school sports - is the danger of sending a message to the community that sports and sports facilities are no longer its responsibility. In other words, when you go to the community with a bond issue for a new track, they're liable to ask why you don't get the money the same way you got the money for the new scoreboard or the new press box.   Actually, there is one other negative. A BIG one. After you name the field for a local car dealer, how are you going to honor the guy who stayed in your community for 35 years and coached hundreds of your kids - and their kids, and their kids' kids?   The only thing left may be the port-a-pots.   *********** A firm called Davis Entertainment is said to be in the process of producing a movie based on the life of 1961 Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis. Davis, first black man to win the Heisman, died of leukemia before ever getting to play in an NFL game.   For those of you who never heard of Ernie Davis... you should. This is from my "NEWS", 12-8-2000.   At 6-2, 210, Ernie Davis, nicknamed "The Elmira Express" for his hometown of Elmira, New York, played wingback in Coach Ben Schwartzwalder's unbalanced wing-T attack at Syracuse. He was a slashing runner with speed, power and deception ("slickest-running halfback in the nation," Sports Illustrated called him), a great receiver and blocker, and a very good defensive player, too. As a sophomore, he helped Syracuse win a national championship, and the teams he played on were 24-5 in his three years there. He was quiet, modest and mannerly, and, once again quoting S-I, would "go a mile away to avoid trouble off the football field." The second in a long string of great Syracuse runners - starting with Jim Brown - to wear the number 44, he was a standout on the Orangemen's 1959 national championship team. He was named to the All-America team in 1960 and 1961, and in 1961 became the first black athlete to be awarded the Heisman Trophy, He was the first player selected in the 1962 NFL draft, taken by the Cleveland Browns with a pick obtained from the Washington Redskins in exchange for All-Pro running back Bobby Mitchell. The Browns' plans were to pair him in the backfield with another Syracuse standout, all-time great Jim Brown. He would certainly have been a great pro. Tragically, he never had the chance. Diagnosed with leukemia, Ernie Davis died in 1963, without ever playing in an NFL game. Ernie Davis is recognized and remembered by- Mark Kaczmarek- Davenport, Iowa... Dennis Metzger- Connersville, Indiana... Adam Wesoloski- DePere, Wisconsin... David Crump- Owensboro, Kentucky ("What a backfield he and Jim Brown would have made for my Brownies. They sure could have used them yesterday!! I can't believe that people pay good money to see them show up to get killed each week.")... Kevin McCullough- Lakeville, Indiana ("MVP of the Cotton Bowl....87 yard pass reception for a td")... Tom Hensch- Staten Island, New York... Lou Orlando- Sudbury, Massachusetts... Mike Foristiere- Boise, Idaho... Steve Staker- Fredericksburg, Iowa... Joe Bremer- West Seneca, New York ("never saw him play - but - my father did and he swears he would have been one of the best ever!! Unfortunately, he passed away and we never got the chance to find out.")... Dave Potter- Durham, North Carolina ("He had better stats than Jim Brown. Why there has never been a movie made about his life, I have no idea.")... Bill Nelson- Davenport, Iowa... Larry Warner- Riverside, California... Ron Timson- Umatilla, Florida... Alan Goodwin- Warwick, Rhode Island... Mike O'Donnell- Pine City, Minnesota ("One of the players I followed as a kid.")... Scott Russell- Sterling, Virginia... Steve Davis- Danbury, Texas ("I'm not sure if you saw the ESPN SportsCentury show about him last week, but it was terrific!")... Dan King- Evans, Georgia... John Reardon- Peru, Illinois... Keith Babb- Northbrook, Illinois... Whit Snyder- Baytown, Texas ("The Elmira Express")... Bert Ford- Los Angeles... Frank Simonsen- Cape May, New Jersey... Bill Shine- Van Nuys, California... Dwayne Pierce- Washington, DC...   *********** The great Hayden Fry, College Football Hall of Fame coach, will be at the Iowa Football FanFest this weekend. If you ever have a chance to hear the man speak, do not miss it,       All football programs are invited to participate in the Black Lion Award program. The Black Lion Award is intended to go to the player on your team "Who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder (see below): leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself." The Black Lion Award provides your winner with a personalized certificate and a Black Lions patch, like the one worn at left by Army's 2005 Black Lion, Scott Wesley, and at right by Army's 2006 Black Lion, Mike Viti. There is no cost to you to participate as a Black Lion Award team. FOR MORE INFORMATION BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Will Sullivan, Army's 2004 Black Lion wore his patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners   Take a look at this, beautifully done by Derek Wade, of Sumner, Washington --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yy6iA_6skQ