Hold on tight

-- So the off season merry-go-round spins once more and this time it's Cedric Benson who falls off in an undignified heap. Benson was charged with misdemeanour assault in Austin, Texas and has been released on bail, just another feather in his cap when it comes to off the field incidents. And people wonder why teams are a little cagey about taking on players with a previous history of trouble? This is why. -- Flozell Adams has been to visit the Steelers. With starting RT Willie Colon down for the season, the Steelers are likely feeling out the possibility of bringing Adams in to play LT, which would require a shift to the right side for Max Starks. The Steelers aren't the only team in the market for Adams, with Denver also considering pulling the trigger after their starting tackle Ryan Clady went down earlier this off season. Have a great day everyone.

Rolling in horse sh...

-- There's been a debate in the recent past about whether Willie Colon can really hold down the RT spot for the Steelers. Debate over, because he's done for the season. Colon tore an Achilles' tendon while working out on Monday and is expected to sit out the entire coming season. The likely hood now is that Trai Essex will have to step in at RT. -- Pat Kirwan produced an article for NFL.com talking about spread sets and how great they are at stopping the blitz etc compared to six and seven man protections, because of hot routes and spreading blah, blah. Now don't get me wrong, spread sets can be useful and if you know what you're doing then that's fine. But what I hate is Kirwan, like many others, telling me that it's so much easier with the spread set etc and that you'll never get sacked and you'll never throw interceptions. Tell that to all the QBs who've been taken down last year by surprise blitzes from defenders coming off of a slot receiver. And let's not forget that receivers in a spread set are just as vulnerable to being jammed at the LOS as receivers in an I-Formation. I get that people like spread sets and I get that you've been told how wonderful they are by someone that uses them, and I even get that you've trawled a Defensive Coordinator out from a team that uses spread sets in its offense and he's said how difficult they are to defend etc, but I'm not buying it. It's an offense, just like a lot of other offenses. It's not the cure fro cancer. It has its strengths, it has its weaknesses. Neutralise the first, attack the second. When someone puts a baguette in front of me and tells me its a revolution in the culinary arts, I say "no it's not, it's just a loaf of bread but in a different shape". And I resent being told otherwise like I'm some kind of idiot. Pat Kirwan officially goes on my list of B***sh*t peddlers, along with homeopaths, psychics and water dowsers. -- DeMaurice Smith has been addressing the rookies at this years rookie symposium and from what I can tell the indoctrination has already begun. Smith went to great lengths to explain to the rookies that football players make the NFL what it is. And he's right to an extent. But Mr. Smith should also remember that there are thousands of undrafted college players, AFL and CFL players, and several fringe players at teams already, who would take the chance to play at the drop of a hat and would do so for less money than is already being spent on wages. He would also do well to remember that the NFL got where it is today through investments in stadiums by owners and by aggressive marketing and clever negotiations with TV stations. The game has always been played by great players that people want to watch. But it became a multi-billion dollar industry thanks to the league and the owners. Never forget that. Have a great day everyone.

Bow your heads

Ok, here's the deal. England lost in the soccer to Germany 4-1. Imagine if the US had a national football team.... that then lost to Canada 28-7. That would pretty much some up the national mood over here right now. I think today should be set aside as a day of mourning. The critical ingredients in the defeat were as follows: 1) A lack of technical skill 2) A lack of mental skill 3) A poor refereeing decision If ever you complain about the officiating in the NFL, at least take comfort in the fact that video replay allows challenges and allows officials to review plays at their own discretion (inside of two minutes). This is something soccer could learn a lot about. As for the lack of mental and technical skill, it all ties back to what I've been hammering on the last couple of days; fundamentals. The communication, tactical awareness and foundation technical skills of the English team were appalling. Think about the Lions in their 0-16 season. It was that bad. This further reinforces to me the vital need for sound basics at all positions. Whether it's football or soccer, you cannot expect to achieve wins and reach high levels of competition without a solid base to build on. This I think is the hallmark of the great coaches. Think Bill Walsh, Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi etc. All are known for their attention to detail and their devotion to getting better at the core skills of the game. Mike Leach, formerly of Texas Tech would also point us to this. When he's not busy locking students away in cupboards, Leach was known for having his quarterbacks take part in drills simultaneously, with everyone from the 1st to the 4th string guy taking drops and making reads. It's little wonder that over time he's had multiple quarterbacks seemingly just slot right into his offense and excel from day one. I'll say it again. Fundamentals. I hope the Rams are listening... Have a great day everyone.

Work Stoppage

Yawn!!! Not so much at the lack of any new information, more at the fact that I'd tired, I'm grouchy, and I want to go to bed. Which brings up an intriguing question. Recently on Coach Huey (www.coachhuey.com) there has been a lot of talk about how many hours coaches spend at work, with a keen eye on how much time guys such as Belichick etc spend in the office. As NFL coaches are all too keen to tell the media, the hours can often be long and arduous. But how much of that time is being spent productively? And if you're spending 17 hours at work, another hour travelling to and from work, and then 6 hours in bed, what the hell is the point? Is even a Superbowl worth that? How do you think the coaches family feel about it? And it really begs the question as to how much of that time is spent doing things that couldn't be done at home. An example is studying game film. Every time you see a schedule for coaches, you often see large chunks at the beginning and end of the day that are devoted to watching film at work. It makes me wonder though, couldn't a coach sit at home with a laptop and do the same thing? Is it gonna take longer? Yep. Is the coach going to get distracted? Yep. I myself remember times in my previous coaching stint when I was watching footage at home and some ass would call, usually someone from India trying to sell me a new kitchen. But the point is your at home, with your family, and providing you don't spend half the time dicking about playing solitaire, you'd be surprised how much work can be done. When I hear stories of guys like Sean Payton sleeping in their offices, it doesn't impress me. It makes me feel sorry for them, and their families. But it doesn't impress. It strikes me that they could learn from the old cliche "work smarter not harder". But maybe that's just me. Take the study of tendencies for example. At the pro level, we're talking hours sitting in front of computers working out percentages; 30% of this on first down, 48% of that on 2nd & 3 etc. But I've always been very skeptical of the notion of trying to predict what someones going to do, or what plays going to be called, as opposed to just studying what you do and getting better at that. Sure it helps to know what the opposition are up to, but out smarting yourself by thinking you're so clever that you're going to predict what the other guy is thinking is no substitute to sound coaching and organisation. It shouldn't matter what variation of a certain coverage they use. Your playbook should already account for that. Your guys should know how to deal with the various coverages and what adjustments they have to make. Maybe if a little more time was spent on learning defensive assignments instead of trying to get the jump on people, we wouldn't have three seasons worth of "anatomy of a play" on NFL.com where the only thing that's special about each featured play is how badly the defense blow their assignments (trust me. Ignore the presenters comments about how great Romo was on this play or Manning was on that one. Just watch how bad some of the defensive play is). I'm not saying that studying the opponent is outright bad. Getting a feel for opposition teams is good and studying the characteristics of certain players is also good (Darrelle Revis for example plays the high shoulder, therefore he should be more susceptible to Comeback and Deep In patterns). But when we start dissecting every last play and thinking we're going to catch someone out when they run it because we're so ahead of the game is a recipe for disaster. Food for thought maybe, unless you're a coach of course, in which case you probably don't eat. Your too busy studying film. Have a great day everyone.

Back to basics

-- Michael Vick is in the news again. I don't really want to comment much until I know more about the situation but the basic rundown is that he was back in Virginia celebrating his 30th birthday at a nightclub and some time shortly after 2am a man was shot. The man is believed to be one of the co-defendants in Vicks dog fighting trial, though again, details are still sketchy at this stage. All early reports claim Vick was not present at the club when the shooting happened. The question I'm mostly interested in is whether Vick invited his old friend to the party or whether he was a gate crasher. If he was invited, then I can't fail to see that as poor judgement from Vick, who should be doing everything possible to distance himself from his past. I'll come back to this at some point in the future when more details are available. -- Now, it's not very often you can compare football and soccer in terms of what one might teach the other. The games are very different in almost all key areas. But watching the World Cup (yes, my football withdrawal symptoms are that bad) I'm reminded of two things that are very important to both sports: 1) Don't always believe the hype 2) Sound fundamentals are vital In the first case, I can point straight away to the cases of teams like Italy (the defending champions) and France. These are two teams that are packed with world class talent, yet both have had dire tournaments, finishing bottom of their respective groups (with Italy finishing below that giant of international soccer; New Zealand). In addition, teams such as England, Germany, Spain & Portugal have all had their struggles during the group stages, despite being loaded with top flight players. Meanwhile, a number of the lesser sides have put on a good show, with Japan being among the biggest surprise qualifiers to the knockout stage. What this tells us is that on any given day, any team can win. If big stars fail to live up to their billing and show the quality that they are known for then all bets are off. Similarly, lower order teams can persevere with a little commitment, hard work, organisation and team spirit. The lesson we should take forward with us is into the 2010 NFL season is not to write off teams like Detroit, St. Louis, Tampa and Kansas so easily. At the same time, we should be wary about handing the Superbowl over in June to teams like Dallas, Indianapolis, New Orleans or Minnesota. This world cup has taught us that the difference between good and bad is - at times - wafer thin. Which leads me to point number 2. One of the big difference's has been in the execution of fundamental techniques. Passing, scoring, off the ball movement; these are all things that teams like France and Italy have struggled with. Just this evening I was watching the game between Spain and Chile and noticed that the Chilean players struggled to put good quality crosses into the penalty area. This is something that children are taught how to do in school. There are players playing in the lower divisions in England who can put in better crosses than the ones I saw today. Imagine having a QB in the NFL who couldn't complete a simple quick slant on a regular basis (JaMarcus....). The guy would never last (JaMarcus....). Whether it's soccer, football, or for that matter any sport, fundamental skills need to be honed to perfection, even still at the highest levels. For all the talent in their teams and the clever ideas and formations their coaches tried to utilize, the big guns have suffered at this world cup mainly through their poor execution of basic skills. For Italy and France the wounds were mortal. For England, Germany, Spain & Portugal, the wounds were not as bad, but they're still not out of the woods yet. Lesson to be learned? Get the basics right first. Whether it's kicking a soccer ball or throwing a football, you can't perform well without fundamentals. Have a great day everyone. P.S. Good luck to Team USA against Ghana!

Cold off the press

-- Actual news to report this Thursday! Marc Bulger - formerly of the Rams - will now be lining up in purple for the Ravens. He's been brought in as a veteran back up to Joe Flacco and I have to nod my head and say that it's another solid pick up in Baltimore this season. Will Bulger light up the scoreboard if needed? Probably not. But behind the Ravens line and with their run based attack, Bulger is experienced enough to get it done if Flacco is out for whatever reason. It's a good move. The Ravens also picked up CB Walt Harris, at a guess I would say just to add some depth to their secondary. But again, it's a solid move and the Ravens look like they're building a team this year. Not collecting talent or big names, but team building. Does a date in Dallas call for the Ravens? It's a little early, but the signs are promising.... -- Steve Smith has given the token speech about regretting his injury after it emerged that he broke his arm playing flag football with adults, not at a youth football camp as many previously believed. But a token speech is all it was. Smith tried to defend his position on Charlotte radio station WFNZ-AM by pointing out that he could easily be injured in all manner of everyday situations and then later joked on a telephone interview with NFL Total Access host Rich Eisen that he could potentially get injured slipping on a diaper. And while that's true, there's nothing in Smiths contract that stops him from slipping on diapers or cutting off a finger on a lawnmower. There is however - like almost all NFL contracts - some wording that prevents him from playing sports. For a very good reason. Say, like the risk of breaking your arm if you take a heavy fall. I don't care how dangerous flag football is or isn't. I don't care if Smith knows a ton of people who are off playing basketball right now. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that you have a contract which entitles you to large sums of money and prevents you from taking part in other sports. End of story. Is he going to pay some of the money back? How do his team mates feel knowing the best receiver on the team is going to miss the whole of training camp because he wanted to out shine some amateurs in a YMCA league? If I was his coach I'd be pretty damn pissed off right now, mainly because of the blase (I cant find the special character e') attitude shown. If I was his team mate, I'd be even more so. Some people just don't get it. -- And talking of locker room fractures and dismay, it's the Albert Haynesworth saga!! Yes, Haynesworth has said he'll be back in training camp and that he was only 'holding out' from voluntary camps, but the question still remains as to what will happen to Haynesworth when he returns. The Redskins want him to be a NT in their 3-4, Haynesworth wants to sit over a gurad and make hell in the oppositions backfield all day long. The answer? Ma'ake Kemoeatu They picked up the NT for a reason. Maybe initially just as an insurance policy against the chance that Haynesworth did indeed leave, but now the opportunity is ripe for Kemoeatu to be put to good use, sitting over the center and freeing up Haynesworth to play DE in the 3-4 scheme. How does the old phrase go; when all you have is lemons, make lemonade.... ? -- And in one last final and seamless transition, we go from a disgruntled pass rusher to the topic of my post yesterday, which was pass rushing in general, particularly with interest in the Defensive Tackles of a 4-3 getting penetration. Easier said than done you might say. And you'd be right, but to give you some idea of how it's done and what you should expect out of guys like Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh this season (though don't set the bar too high), I point you in the direction of the excellent brophy football (www.brophyfootball.blogspot.com) who has just posted a series of videos by Pete Jenkins on defensive line play. Keep an eye out in the first video for the Pull slide and swim. Have a great day everyone.

Stick it up the middle

Borrrrrrredom!!!!! As is expected of the NFL between late June-early August, nothing at all has happened today. Maybe some coaches were watching film somewhere. Maybe an executive was rearranging his desk. Maybe Terrell Owens's agent was still trying to convince his client that he's good, but not to the tune of $5 million per year. All I know is that nothing worth relating happened today. So I wandered the web, lost for something football related to keep me happy. I headed over to http://www.gridironsource.com/ to check out their latest videos..... and I stumbled on a gem. Even better, I've finally figured out how to embed their videos to this blog so I can show you the gem without you having to run around the Internet following links. So I present to you (in a bit) a scouting reel of Dallas McClarty, DT from Clear Springs High School (League City, Texas). And like all good scouting film, there's no damn marker at the start of each play to point out where he is. But that's irrelevant. In fact, I don't even want you to focus on McClarty all that much. What I want you to keep an eye on is the performance of the entire front line in general. What you're going to see is penetration (stop giggling at the back). Which is important why? Because (yes I know, bad grammar) it's the fundamental key to unlocking the potential of any defense. And even though the Cougars appear to be running a 3-4 front, the lesson still holds true for 4-3 teams. This is important because the 4-3 is a dying breed in the NFL. Last year the Packers were the latest high profile team to switch to the 3-4. And I think it's a shame. In my article last Thursday about running the football I briefly bemoaned how we're constantly being told that the old style running game is dead and attempted to offer up some advice on how to get it breathing again. Well, we're also being constantly told how the 4-3 is dead (or dying). We're told that it's outdated. Hopefully this video clip will inspire some hope and maybe bizarrely serve to get the 4-3 breathing again. Hope that Defensive Tackles can be taught how to effectively break in to the oppositions backfield. Hope that the art of the 4-3 will not be lost in a quagmire of 3-4 hyperbole (or worse, the dreaded 3-3 stack). And hope that coaching the necessary skills at each position will once again supersede thoughts about which scheme is better. So here we are and enjoy: Have a great day everyone.

In the old days, we didn't have these 'concussions' ....

Day 3690 of the 2010 NFL off season: All hope is lost. Everyone is gone. All the food has run out. There's no water. There's no news... Yes the fun filled, wall-to-wall excitement extravaganza that is the NFL off season is really kicking into full swing. As I speak I'm currently doing what many of the real sports journalists around the country are doing; making a list of articles-however seemingly inane or out of place they may be-to be used in lieu of an actual news story breaking out. For a moment I was tempted to start covering the Arena league. Then I slipped over, banged my head and finally came to my senses. It was getting desperate for a moment. I also considered digging up footage posted onto YouTube by football teams here in the UK, only to realise that the sight of fully grown men struggling to make themselves look as good as a Pop Warner side would do nothing to beneficially promote the game. Instead of this, I regained my senses and meandered over to have a look at http://www.smartfootball.com/ (a generally very good blog, especially if you're one of those Game Theory-a-holics). It was here I found a video called 'Old Fashioned Football' (which I shall post later on for your viewing pleasure). This nugget of oldy worldy football led me to YouTube itself and to the search for more old clips, some of which will be posted here. These intrigue me for a number of reasons, the two main ones being: 1) There are 'Spread Offense' coaches who simply believe that less men in the box makes running the football a little easier etc. Then there are spread offense coaches who will pour honey in your ear and try to make you believe that it's impossible to effectively run against anything more than a 6-man box. These videos clearly prove that notion to be false. 2) You can't beat a bit of retro football. Anyways, here you are. Enjoy (keep an eye out for the ref in the first video @2:25 firing a gun to signal a TD!): Well, hope you enjoyed that little trip down memory lane and don't forget you can now subscribe to future posts using that 'Follow' thingy on the right hand side (you'll need a blogger account). You can now also send me abusive e-mails at: keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk Have a great day everyone.

The end is nigh!

Ta da! Better late than never I guess. Oh what's this? Is this a nugget of news to astound the people with!!! No, it's a actually just a peanut. I'm afraid, as always in the off season there is little kicking around to be commended as news. Steve Smith just about tops the scale with his freshly broken arm. He's had surgery and is expected to be back by week 1, but it remains to be seen what action the Panthers will take against him, after the cause of the break was revealed to be a game of flag football. Yeah, flag football. Apparently he slipped and fell on his arm, explaining the break. It's not known for certain yet whether he was playing against adults or children, as he did have a youth camp scheduled some time over the weekend. But it throws up the interesting point that even flag football is not entirely safe. Neither is basketball. Nor is any sport really. This is one of the reasons why I'm so firmly against many of the changes that the league makes to try and make the NFL 'safer'. It's a physical sport where guys crash into each other. It's almost impossible to make the game totally safe. What it is possible to do is to make the game more 'pass-centric' through judicious changes in the rules. Maybe that's what all this 2012 doomsday stuff is about. Maybe the Mayans, or the Aztecs, or whoever it was that predicted that the world would end in 2012, maybe this is what they saw. Maybe they knew that in 2012, possibly after a year of work stoppage in the league, that the NFL would return to our screens as.................................... flag football!! Fingers crossed for an asteroid hit then. Have a great day everyone.

Let's all have a moment of quiet reflection

Yeah, It's Sunday. The day when the NFL seems to go into a quiet slumber, and all news outlets around the nation cease to produce anything that might even dare to call itself news. It is to the news week what the off season is to the NFL. Boredom!! What I actually hate the most is the impending prospect that once OTAs are done, we've basically got a month of nothing. Not a peep for near enough four weeks. Everyone bow your heads and pray that one day we will have something useful to discuss in this time period. Amen. Have a great day everyone.