After starting the season 8-1 we have dropped 2 straight heading into the playoffs this coming weekend. Last week after our loss to Vukovi we had to make some huge adjustments after losing yet another Import QB (Santino Simone) who was 3rd in TDs for Serbian league in only 3 games, and losing another couple linemen to season ending injuries. We were going into the Novi Sad week with 3 OL (2 starters) and a back up QB who has not been around in 2 weeks. The only think I felt we could do was move some of our DL to OL and rotate them in and out to hope we could get decent protection for our QB. I had some of the DL guys contact me and tell me they would play wherever they are needed. That’s one thing that I love about allot of these guys, they will step up and do whats best for the team to win. No one likes quitters and people who just give up when times get tough. To see the full story/with pictures and many other great stories about football in Europe go to www.safety-blitz.net to check it out
“You can judge a character of a man by the way he handles adversity, does he take his ball and go home or does he fight till the end no matter what the outcome is.”
Times have certainly been tough here this year, the team has gone though more adversity then any 10 teams should in a season, but the guys have kept fighting and fighting and more and more people have stepped up to do what has to be done. To say this has been a disappointing season is an understatement but if we win this weekend vs Novi Sad we will be playing in the Serbian National Championship in 2 weeks and if we win next weekend in Ljubljana we will play in the Central European League Championship in 3 weeks. So as much as the season has been disappointing we are still able to make it to both Championship games. We also had the woman’s flag football team travel with us so they could play vs the Novi Sad team as well. After our game most of us sat there and cheered on our women from Kragujevac. They even won their game.
Last weekend we took the 3+ hour drive to Novi Sad and got beat pretty easily 7-32. Putting in our DL at OL really hurt is on defense because our guys were going both ways and on special teams and the fact it was so hot they got worn down pretty good. Our DL did not get the pressure they normally get and it really hurt us. On Offense even on a one step drop our QB was getting hit, they have one linemen who is very very good. Hes one of the biggest guys I have seen in Europe playing football. He just destroyed our back up guard. We left the defense on the field way too long with so many 3 and outs. This week the game plan is allot different and I think its allot better one now after seeing what they like to do and what they do well. That’s one of the greatest things about football is coaching plays way more of a roll in a team than any other sport. There is a good book out called Football’s 70/30 (I think that’s the name) it talks about how football is 70% players and 30% coaching. Its a very insightful book but the worst thing about coaching is how you spend all week on a game plan, going over film, and what you are going to do then in 3 hrs if it fails, it makes you feel like the whole week was a waste. All coaches hate that feeling but that’s part of the game and the business we are in.
The weather here has been great lately, its been in the 90s and the big outdoor swimming pool has opened and from 10 am till after we leave football practice its jammed packed full of people. They have 3 high dives in the pool that people can jump off of and of course women wearing almost nothing. It sure seems that summer if finally here to stay and I’m very happy about it. I was sick and tired of the thunder/lightning storms and rain.
In some more bad news for the team Chad our American import wide receiver went home today due to “personal” reasons.
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