It is a cool night, crisp, but wet enough for mosquitoes. There are hundreds of them, but I don’t care. I am 40 years old, and I am about to play organized flag football for the first time in… well, let’s just say an unreasonable length of time.
The field at Harrell Stadium is a delight. The field turf is professional quality, donated from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It was the actual turf that hosted Super Bowl XLVII, when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers. I am hoping the turf will inspire us to play like professionals.
My 5-on-5 team arrives with 9 players. We have purposely over-recruited to ensure that we can field fresh players on Offense and Defense. Despite the short length of the game (20 min halves), most of us are at or over 40 years of age. Our opponents appear, stretching in the end zone, with only 5 players. Perhaps we will have a competitive advantage in the 2nd half.
Our opponents, however, are built like Brinks trucks. I chat them up, shake hands, and begin an easy comparative analysis. Though they bemoan their age, singing our same song of aches and pain, of rust and the march of time, my eye is trained. Athletically, we’re going to be in trouble.
The field is marked between the numbers, sixty yards long, and we get the ball first. And from that moment on, the entire game is a haze of motion, a blur of memory, a frenetic… you get the picture. I am only aware of snippets as we race towards half time. We throw a few interceptions. We give up a few scores on defense. We mount one decent drive late that stalls. We are losing badly.
But here is the value of experience. I am very impressed that, at half time, there is no finger pointing. There is no dissention. There is only the focus on continual improvement. We change QB’s, which was pre-planned. We adjust our receiver route expectations on Offense. We refine our Defensive pressure and coverage. And we stay positive.
Defense starts the 2nd half with a stop. I am right about the 2nd half competitive advantage. Our opponents, playing both “O” and “D,” are running out of gas. Offense gets a TD pass. Defense gets another stop. Offense gets another TD pass (this time to me!). Defense gives up a score but intercepts and returns the PAT for 3 points, putting us closer. Offense scores another TD pass. In conserving their strength after half time, they open the door for our Offense to be productive and claw back into the game.
We are inching closer before our opponents wake up and turn on their late surge. We lose by about 2 touchdowns, but that doesn’t matter. What could have turned into a rout was actually fun and competitive.
Lessons To Share:
1. Don’t be a slave to the play book. Start off with a game plan and use your play book. But as you notice defensive trends, feel empowered to draw up some plays up verbally in the huddle to attack the weak spots.
2. Designate one person as “play-caller.” This worked really well for us (it was me) because we consulted on the sideline as a unit, then I incorporated the changes in the play calling on the field. As a result, the play calling improved as the game continued.
3. Stay positive. Perhaps the most important lesson to share, remember that your opponent is the other team, not your fellow players. Focus your energy on improvement, not blame, and you will have a better chance of success.
The field at Harrell Stadium is a delight. The field turf is professional quality, donated from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It was the actual turf that hosted Super Bowl XLVII, when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers. I am hoping the turf will inspire us to play like professionals.
My 5-on-5 team arrives with 9 players. We have purposely over-recruited to ensure that we can field fresh players on Offense and Defense. Despite the short length of the game (20 min halves), most of us are at or over 40 years of age. Our opponents appear, stretching in the end zone, with only 5 players. Perhaps we will have a competitive advantage in the 2nd half.
Our opponents, however, are built like Brinks trucks. I chat them up, shake hands, and begin an easy comparative analysis. Though they bemoan their age, singing our same song of aches and pain, of rust and the march of time, my eye is trained. Athletically, we’re going to be in trouble.
The field is marked between the numbers, sixty yards long, and we get the ball first. And from that moment on, the entire game is a haze of motion, a blur of memory, a frenetic… you get the picture. I am only aware of snippets as we race towards half time. We throw a few interceptions. We give up a few scores on defense. We mount one decent drive late that stalls. We are losing badly.
But here is the value of experience. I am very impressed that, at half time, there is no finger pointing. There is no dissention. There is only the focus on continual improvement. We change QB’s, which was pre-planned. We adjust our receiver route expectations on Offense. We refine our Defensive pressure and coverage. And we stay positive.
Defense starts the 2nd half with a stop. I am right about the 2nd half competitive advantage. Our opponents, playing both “O” and “D,” are running out of gas. Offense gets a TD pass. Defense gets another stop. Offense gets another TD pass (this time to me!). Defense gives up a score but intercepts and returns the PAT for 3 points, putting us closer. Offense scores another TD pass. In conserving their strength after half time, they open the door for our Offense to be productive and claw back into the game.
We are inching closer before our opponents wake up and turn on their late surge. We lose by about 2 touchdowns, but that doesn’t matter. What could have turned into a rout was actually fun and competitive.
Lessons To Share:
1. Don’t be a slave to the play book. Start off with a game plan and use your play book. But as you notice defensive trends, feel empowered to draw up some plays up verbally in the huddle to attack the weak spots.
2. Designate one person as “play-caller.” This worked really well for us (it was me) because we consulted on the sideline as a unit, then I incorporated the changes in the play calling on the field. As a result, the play calling improved as the game continued.
3. Stay positive. Perhaps the most important lesson to share, remember that your opponent is the other team, not your fellow players. Focus your energy on improvement, not blame, and you will have a better chance of success.
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