Sat. & Sun., April 9-10, 2022
I have always felt the need to constantly learn more about the current trends in American football. That is why I have always been a junkie when it comes to attending every football clinic that I could over these many years.
So with that in mind, I set off bright an early on Saturday to attend . . .
. . . the USC Clinic featuring
new Head Coach Lincoln Riley
I left the house at 7:00 a.m. and found ZERO traffic on my trip to downtown Los Angeles. I was there at about 8:05 a.m. with the scheduled practice that kicked off the festivities not starting until 9:00 a.m.
In an effort to beat the heat wave in Los Angeles of the last few days, everything had been moved up two hours from the clinic's original schedule.
Good move for the Trojan players for sure.
It was early and I had
time to kill
I headed straight to
Howard Jones Memorial Field
where the Trojans practice
As you can see, Jones was the first of the great USC football coaches having won National Championships in 1929, 1931 and 1932.
I got lucky as some players and coaches
were on the field long before
the start of practice
Wait, is that Harold "Red" Grange,
the famed Wheaton Ice Man?
I thought he gained his mythic All-American football status at the University of Illinois in the 1920s.
Regardless, many athletes were glad to have copious amounts of ice throughout today's workout.
What were these
Running Backs up to?
I liked it!
More with the Running Backs
Another good footwork drill
Running Backs have to pass block
as well as toting the rock
It's all about form
Wide Receivers
Shaking AND Baking
Ball catching concentration drill
Tight Ends working on pass blocking
Same TE drill in action
Maybe, Maybe Not
It was while I took this photo of a
Defensive Agility Drill that I was
informed belatedly that photos and
videos of practice were strictly
VERBOTEN!
I tend to follow orders.
There will be a side note on this policy later in this post.
Here are some of my overall impressions of the Trojans. Their defense appears a bit undersized to me. The receivers dropped too many passes in my opinion. The Trojans Punters, Kickers and Long Snappers were outstanding! I was surprised that their were no tackling drills of any type today.
More on this lack of emphasis on tackling techniques later.
After practice, it was on to lunch.
The statue of John McKay,
another legendary USC football coach,
in front of the building that bears his name
Coach McKay's clubs won four National Championships in 1962, 1967, 1972 and 1974.
Inside the John McKay Center
After lunch, all of the coaches were asked to assemble for a group photo.
I wound up in the front row as USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley approached and opted to stand right next to me for the photo op.
a better view of that front row
We were all told to hold up the two finger USC Fight On gesture for the picture. What choice did I have standing next to Coach Riley, especially when I wanted to ask him an important question?
I did tell Coach Riley while I put up my two fingers that Laurie would kill me when she saw the picture. He laughed.
After the group photo, I turned to Coach Riley and told him how our Brasil Onças Head Coach Brian Guzman was a huge fan of his, could we take a photo together to send him?
"ABSOLUTELY!"
was Coach Riley's answer
This one's for you Coach Brian!
After lunch, it was on to
Bovard Auditorium to meet
th USC Coaches
The famed "Tommy Trojan"
statue guarding the Bovard
Auditorium Building
Coach Riley addressing the
assembled coaches
I was taken aback just a bit when Coach Riley made a big pitch to the coaches for any and all potential walk-on players. He specifically said the Trojans are looking for players interested in Ivy League schools as I guess that if they qualify for those schools, admission to USC would be much easier as a walk-on.
In over 50 years of attending clinics, I had never heard a coach asking those in attendance to send them the names of possible walk-on players.
About 45 minutes later, the Trojans Recruiting Coordinator echoed Coach Riley's earlier plea for walk-ons.
Interesting.
My final session was with Brian Odom, USC's Inside Linebacker Coach.
He gave a good talk on his philosophy of coaching these most vital players in any team's defense.
Interesting data
I liked these stats from the NFL Combine.
These are the average numbers posted in the various categories by the potential NFL LBs in the Combine.
He uses this chart to help motivate his LBs in their off-season workouts and preparation.
Coach Odom's next chart was
also of interest
Again from the NFL Combine but this time for all Defensive positions.
After all of the testing is done, these are the test results that are important to NFL teams by position.
Not all tests are as important when it comes to position qualities that are sought by the NFL clubs as it turns out.
During the Question and Answer session after Coach Odom finished his talk, he was asked about the lack of tackling drills in today's practice.
His answer was peculiar to say the least. He said that they do work on tackling every day but not today because there were so many people watching. Their tackling drills are used when people aren't around to watch.
What the heck did that mean?
Thus the no photos/videos at practice edict I suspect.
The clinic was over, it was time to head home.
In front of Heritage Hall on my way
to my car, an ode to the Trojans famed
Wild Bunch Defensive Line of 1969
Left to Right:
DE Charles Weaver, 1970 First Team All-American
NT Willard Scott, played in the 1968, 1969 and 1970 Rose Bowls
DT Al Cowlings, 1969 First Team All-American
DT Today Smith, 1970 Second Team All-American
DE Jimmy Gunn, 1969 First Team All-American
When I finally got home after fighting much more typical Los Angeles traffic on the return trip from USC, it was time for a quiet family celebration.
Son Michael was in Bisbee, Arizona
for his Vintage Baseball Tournament
last Sunday which was also his
46th birthday
We were all tired as we attempted
our best Mormon Tabernacle Choir
imitations to wish Michael
the best at the completion of his
latest trip around the Sun
Let's catch up on the weekend's EuroBall results from the teams we've been involved with over the years.
NUTS!
Here is how the Italian DII Girone B standings now look:
Bergamo Lions 4-0
Varese Skorpions 2-1
Legnano Frogs 1-2
Verona Redskins 0-4
Teams in DII only play six regular season games.
Double Damn!
Here is how Italy's DIII and/or CIF9 Girone A stacks up:
Palermo Eagles United 2-0
Cagliari Crusaders 1-0
Cagliari Sirbons 0-1
Catania Elephants 0-2
Teams in DIII and/or CIF9 only play four regular season games.
HURRAH!
Our old Swiss club, the Thun Tigers, ran roughshod over the Winterthur Warriors.
Here are the current standings in Switzerland's top League, the Nationalliga A:
Bern Grizzlies 2-0
Calanda Broncos 2-0
Thun Tigers 1-1
Geneva Seahawks 1-1
Basel Gladiators 0-1
Zurich Renegades 0-1
Winterthur Warriors 0-2
The Swiss teams play a six game regular season.
Spanish Split Decision #1
I did Analytics work for the Pioners in 2021 and am doing the same this year for the Voltors.
Spanish Split Decision #2
I coached the Cobras in 2015 and the Osos in 2016.
Here is how Spain's top league, the Serie A now looks:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Barberá Rookies 6-1
Badalona Dracs 6-2*
Mallorca Voltors 3-5*
Zaragoza Hurricanes 2-5
L'Hospitalet Pioners 2-6*
* Regular Season Completed
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Osos Rivas 8-0*
Las Rozas Black Demons 4-3
Gijón Mariners 3-4
Murcia Cobras 2-5
Fuengirola Potros 1-6
* Regular Season Completed
The Spanish teams play an eight game regular season.
And a final an update from France and our beloved Bron-Villeurbane Falcons . . .
Falcons 28 - 45emes 21
YAHOO!
This was a French DIV Regionale-Auvergne Rhône Alpes contest.
It was a thrilling, come from behind win for the Falcons who at one point trailed the 45emes 21-0!
The Falcons record is now 2-2 with only two games left in the regular season. It was the 45emes first loss of the year as they dropped to 3-1.
I could find the league standings for any French DIV clubs anywhere on the internet.
Still, it was yet another good weekend to be sure.
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