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October 09, 2006
Setting the tone for Saturday's game
Noah had a rough second half Saturday. He finally made his way back to defense and played pretty inspired ball at CB and LB throughout the first half. Somewhere in that nearly 9-year-old head of his, a switch flipped at halftime and he looked like a different kid in the second half.hacking keygen
By the time the other team was mounting a game-tying drive early in the fourth, he seemed helpless. The game ended in a tie and I had to have a heart-to-heart discussion with him - about intensity, about desire, about pride.hacking keygen
He took it all in and on Sunday afternoon, after we finished up some yard work, he asked if we could practice some football - I can safely say this is the first time I've heard that request. "And I can I wear your Falcon helmet instead of my helmet?"hacking keygen
So we zipped over to the middle school field and he strapped up. We ran a few basic drills, specifically working reading and reacting on defense. After several reps, it started to sink in; he was even using good pursuit angles.hacking keygen
Then I challenged him - "block me." On the snap, he stood straight up and I simply pushed him back. He stumbled, staggered, then landed on his backside. "Better come out lower," I suggested. He laughed and lined up again. On the snap, he came out lower and I pushed him back. "Better hit harder than that." He looked at me like I had three heads. "Just hit me," I told him. Each play, he came off the ball harder, coming in low and driving his feet.hacking keygen
We ended with our passing skeleton, running ins, outs, posts, flags, up & outs. We went up and down the field a few times, turning back on the goal line for one last trip up. "Touchdown?" he asked. Sure, I said. On go, he ran 10 yards, then cut toward the middle of the field. I floated it, giving him a chance to get under the ball. He caught it with two hands and turned up field, as I broke into a gallop behind him. He knew I was after him; I could tell because I could hear him already breaking into a giggle.hacking keygen
By the time he hit the 20, I was close enough to swat at the ball, which he pulled closer to his body. He angled toward the corner of the end zone and tumbled in, laughing hysterically.hacking keygen
As we drove home, I asked him what he needed to focus on. "Be aggressive, stay focused," he said, "no matter what's happening, even if we're getting beat or the other team gets a big gain." I pointed out that BG had fallen behind Ohio State big Saturday. Did he think that they played with less intensity because they were getting beaten? He raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "Heck no," he said.hacking keygen
We talked about BG's struggles at home and the upcoming Eastern Michigan homecoming game. He mumbled something under his breath as we were unloading the car. "What was that?" I asked.hacking keygen
"Dad, it's like those commercials on TV," he said. "We must defend this house. No one should be able to beat us at The Doyt. We must defend this house."hacking keygen
Posted by 1987alum at October 9, 2006 09:56 AMhacking keygen