When Friendly Isn't Friendly

There are exactly two games on the schedule that I wish we didn't have to play: October 21 against the Vermont Ravens, and this week, September 8, against the Vermont Ravens. That might sound strange, or even sound like fear, but I assure you, it's neither.

The Ravens are owned by Mike and Linda Salmon. Mike was a teammate of mine in 2001 and we were coaches together in 2003. He and his wife are two of the nicest people you'll ever have the fortune of meeting and my wife, Betsy, and I are glad to know them. And the Ravens team as a whole are a bunch of great guys; some of whom were also teammates of mine in 2001. My wife and I have been rooting for the Ravens all season long because we want their first year to be a great success.

I hope, now, that you know what I was talking about a few moments ago. It's hard to get pumped up to want to crush the opposing team when they're led by a good friend. I don't know if it's hard for other coaches, but it's hard for me. Even the usual, "It's only a game", and "It's not personal, it's just business", approaches don't really work. I just hate to watch Mike lose.

But, I have a job of my own to do and I'm going to give it my all just like every other week. Knowing what my family and my team have sacrificed to get this far, it would be cheating them if I didn't put my best foot forward every week. So, just before kickoff I'll do what I always do: I'll start to hate everything about the other team. I'll hate their colors, their helmet logo, their uniforms, socks, and shoes, and anything else I can think of. I'll whip myself into an emotional frenzy and revel in watching them hang their heads low after we score again and again.

But after the game, Mike and I will still be friends and the Ravens will still be my second-favorite team. I'll root them on every week until October 21 when we'll be enemies for a brief three hours once again.

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Having a week off after a win isn't always good. In my opinion, the atmosphere surrounding practices were a bit too "light" last week. And while I don't want to shatter the fragile ego of a young football team, the intensity level was definitely not where I wanted it to be.

That all changed yesterday. After accepting nearly a dozen new players onto our practice team last week during open tryouts, the newbies showed what it takes to play a tougher brand of football. And perhaps the biggest hitter is a player that barely stands at 5'4" tall. I've been preaching since April that hitting is an attitude and this young player is living proof.

It was interesting to watch the faces of the current starters as the new players went through a 10-minute hitting period after practice. Many commented that they had never heard hitting that hard at a practice so far this year. Hopefully that's a wake-up call for everyone.

I'm not sure what role these new players might find themselves in this season, but I have a feeling that most of them will earn their way onto the 40-man roster.