fromthetop2

And for one more year, the streak continues. Clay Webber, you da man. You just beat the best coaching staff in the state!

I remember the closest they came to beating Brentwood. 2003, all they had to do was to take a couple of knees, but the coach (who has mercifully been replaced)decided to run it one more time. Crawford sent an all out blitz- Van Horn plus the horn section of the band and the cheerleaders. Fumble, Bruins recover. Run a play to the center of the field. Field goal good. Bruins win. Cougar fans were apolectic. Year before that, they score at our place with a minute 15 left to go ahead. Started to celebrate. Glayden Lifsey takes the kick-off to near midfield, Austen Everson does the rest. Celebration turned to stunned silence as Bruins score a TD with seconds left to seal the deal. Other than that (and a game played during Hurrican Ivan in 2004) where McCurdy stunned the Cougars by throwing the ball to Brian Heimerdinger to set up a winning score. Almost every play during the game was a run up to that point because of the weather conditions. Other than that its all been lopsided.

I hope that your are attempting to be sarcastic? The best staff in the state? And that has translated into how many wins? Centennial cannot be considered credible in this region until it beats Franklin and/or Brentwood. That has yet to happen once, let alone at any time in the same year. It would be a Buster Douglas style upset if the Cougars win Friday. If it DOES come down to coaching (and not the players playing), Brentwood is still the favorite. That is not sarcasm, that is fact. BTW, the Bruin staff has a few ex-head coaches on it as well.

Wow-didn't see that Blue Tidal Wave swamping of the Green Wave. Mercy rule? Yikes. Here's a point to ponder- Brentwood has athletes as well. Very good ones who take to coaching, are afforded opportunities, then grow their talent to a new level- one that supercedes the athlete who's talent stays stagnant or atrophies. BHS's some 44 team or individual State Championships in the last 15 years attest to the gene pool- as well as the coaching- in this part of Wilco. You can have great coaching and average talent and be good. You have pretty good talent and great coaching and you have a chance to be special. Way to go Bruins on Homecoming!

Take 840 to 65, 65 North. Eat in Cool Springs. Get back on 65 N, exit Concord Rd and turn right onto Concord. Road deadends at a traffic light (Franklin Rd, Hwy.31). Turn right, first light turn left (Murray Lane). HS and stadium are on the right. Good luck Bruins. They have the toughest schedule of anyone in Region 7.

Don't you just love it when a Newbie comes on here and tries to talk smack with the vets? I mean, the street cred he has acquired after, what, 5 posts? Brentwood welcomes Coach Dyson to Region Football.

Being a District 11/Region 6 follower, it is a tough match-up for Hillsboro to compete against their rivals here week in and week out. This region consistently made deep runs in the playoffs and has multiple titles in Championship games in the largest classification. So, it would stand to reason that they now face as good or better coaching, as well as superior numbers week in and week out on a much more consistent basis than they faced before. This will take some getting used to for them, but in the interim they will take their lumps. That being said, it is difficult to build-up a program that was inevitably going to recede at some point, while going through this gauntlet. Coaching changes have not helped. In basketball, they are among the best- but hoops is not as big in this district. Other sports where this district has shined- track, volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis and baseball (to a degree), Hillsboro has not been as competitive as they would like. Dollars are better in WillCo, but defeats are now more prevalent.

Bruin passing game looked crisper than at any point in the last 4 years. You'd have to go back to Bruce McCurdy days to find a comparison, and Webber sees the field 100 times better than Bruce, IMO. Offense looked nothing like it was a first game of the season. Special teams were adequate- they haven't had to cover kick-offs in a couple of years. D looked a little suspect until they figured out what the coaches were telling them was the truth-it is Groomes 24/7. Stop him, slow him, and their offense vanishes. Good start to the season.

Brentwood and Franklin have been at the top of this region/district before this group of seniors were in kindergarten. They have THE most stability at the top- and it shows. They have programs-not just teams. Ravenwood made a successful run when Daniels/Rector was there, but seemed to have slipped recently. If Indy gets off to a fast start, they could make some noise. If they don't, Dyson will have a problem. Centennial has to beat Franklin and/or Brentwood to be taken seriously. They've come dangerously close at times-but at others have been outmatched. Hillsboro is in a state of flux. The change to the new district did them no favors.

Despite posting 100 points (which would be good enough for third in the East), the Preds fall to the 7th slot and take on the Chicago Blackhawks (#2 seed). Preds haven't played them since Dec. 27 and the Hawks have given them a tough time the last few years. Blackhawks played in the conference final last year vs. Detroit, so they are playoff tested and have a legitimate shot at being in the Stanley Cup. This is a tough draw for Nashville, for if they win this series, they go up against their nemisis San Jose in the next round. Toews and Kane are thorns in the Preds side, but we've got a hot goalie which seems to be THE key ingredient in advancing in the playoffs. My goal is to take it to seven games, with us finally winning a road contest. If we happen to knock them out, then a major accomplishment can be added to our resume. That being said, we're going to have to find some offense, swarm the net, and keep their forwards from taking over the game in our end. Thoughts????

The Preds now must put the foot on the accelerator for the final 21 games. New "defenceman" in from the Oilers. The Russian Olympian first rounder has bounced around a little bit in his short time (Kings, Islanders, Oiler, Preds), and didn't fit their system in Edmonton- or their pocketbook. Will Hammy the Human Turnover be gone as well? Question: How many other teams in the NHL can boast a Gold and a Silver Medalist on their team, as well as a number of other Olympians? Come on Middle Tennessee, come see this sport and support the Preds!

I've watched LAX in this state since the mid-90's. D2 is a great venue for teams starting out, trying to drum up interest (which begs that there is a need for a true developmental league of true newbies that caps out after three years.) Move those squads that have learned the game to D2. The winners of each D2 championship then are mandated to move to D1- and no moving down for any reason. Teams and programs in lacrosse rise and fall like they do in other sports. The biggest problem in D2 is lack of coaches, lack of compensation for coaches, and facilities. The public school AD's won't put any money into the programs until they become TSSAA certified (i.e. insurance coverage). D2 is stuck in a vicious cycle of development until it becomes recognized. Privates are not faced with the same challenges. Better coaching makes for better development, better development creates success, success breeds success and a program is born. Ravenwood made LAX a priority from the first days of the school opening, bringing the coach from the middle school up to start the program. That is more the exception than the rule. All of this being said, lacrosse is here to stay in Tennessee. A culture and a tradition is being born, and it is exciting to witness.

You go with the decision the coach's choose. These guys are at ground level with their teams everyday, every game. They have a finger on the pulse of what is happening at the moment, how their teams are reacting during the game, what they know and what they see their opponents doing. Only they know how much gas is left in the tank. Coach Webb and Coach Crawford know each other very well. Webb knows what his defense is doing at this point, and wouldn't suggest to Clayton anything but what he feels will be needed to win the game. Webb and Clayton apparently felt that Brentwood (Crawford) would only get stronger than Franklin's offense if it went further. So, in their minds, if they didn't win it THEN, they surely would lose it very soon. At THAT point in time, they have a chance. They felt they wouldn't have further chances in the future. Essentially by making the stop, they proved Coach Webb correct. Hats off to the Bruins for making the play. Pary like it's 2002 and good luck in the semi's.

Like a Chris Pronger? Well, we can wish. I agree that the two blowouts skew the numbers; however if one of my favorite dmen kevin klein hadn't turned the puck over, the goalies wouldn't have been left out to dry-hence the blowouts. Still too many brain cramps from him and Hammy. Erat is a head scratcher, Leggie just scratches himself. So little production from these two, so much line jiggling from Trotzy to find a "comfort zone" for these two apparently overpaid stars. He finds one combo that works for a game or two, then they revert back to their normal semi-productive selves. Between the two of them, they've scored ONE FREAKING GOAL this season. I guess I am about done waiting for Legwand to be a 25/30+ goal scoring machine. I am wanting Rick Nash and I keep getting corned beef hash.

I did some research today on +/- standings of individual players. Some of the interesting stats for the early part of this season: - Martin Erat sits at 674th among all players with a -9; that has to be some kind of record for a forward; - Our distinguished second line of defensemen are Hamhuis (-6, 634) and Kevin Klein (-4, 582-quick note: he recently improved from his -7 rating last week). - Mike Santorelli's -4 in a short stint in the NHL level gives one pause, as does Bouillon's -4. Notice we signed Bouillon as a veteran presence and bounces around between the third and fourth lines. - David Legwand comes in at a robust -5, good for 605 in the league. And since he doesn't score goals this season, he is really earning that paycheck! As far as defensemen, Suter and Weber lead the team with a +2, which put them 79th and 80th among their peers. Patric Hornqvist leads the team with a +5.

This is just my opinion based on way too many incidents. The better HS kickers will kick the ball with a lot of velocity and height. Since most schools aren't blessed with those type of kickers, officials are used to the "average"- and very easy to see- kickers. Those typical kickers kind of punch or bloop it over the crossbar, about 6 ft above. Easy to see and spot. If you get some kid who has a seriously strong leg, the kick goes up and through way faster than they are used to seeing it kicked. It is also kicked well over the height of the goal posts. The officials then don't have a real sense of did it go through or not because it was too fast and too high. Their reaction time is seriously off. The "too high" part now comes into the disorientation of the officials. As they belatedly turn their heads to look up, the kick appears to be tailing off. They then are left with this tiny bit of misinformation with which to make a call; if it looks offline, it MUST have been offline to begin with. One official thinks it's off line, so he looks at the other official (who really can't tell at this point) and they concur "no good." This is where the fallacy comes into play: If they looked at the spin of the ball it would tell them everything they need to see if there was a question. If it is end-over-end, the probability is extremely high that it was good; it if is wobbling or is going in coincentric circles ( a precession mode), then the chances are it wasn't good-the more the wobble, the greater the arc, the more likely that it did not go inside the goal post. But because the speed, most off center kicks will easily clear the crossbar and fall within the plane of the goal posts. The reason is that an end-over-end kick has enough forward momentum that it is almost impossible to not: A) get it over the crossbar, or arc sharply enough to go outside the goal posts. With a precession mode, the probability of the arc causing it to go outside the goalposts after it is kicked, is higher. It is like putting a golf ball. A straight rolling put (struck with the same forces) will roll faster than a one hit off center. A well kicked ball will go straight, unless a force alters its flight (like a lineman's hand). Again, the speed of the kick catches the officials off guard, and they misjudge what they see. This has happened time and time again. Excellent kickers are more likely to be penalized because they are, well, too good. The playoff game was a hose job because there was one official standing under one side of the goal posts. The kick was high and fast and as he looked over his head, it appeared to arc away from him- which replays showed was not the case. There was no wobble to the ball, no one touched it, and it wasn't yanked.

Coffey, Evans, and Davis were difference makers for the Bruins. Field position game the first half as both teams tried to find out what would work against the opponents defense. Smyrna's defense flew to the ball, very quick to the point of attack. Bruin secondary blanketed every pass attempt Smyrna threw- determined not to get beat deep. Second half kickoff pinned Bruins deep, high short punt gave Smyrna good field position then one play and Bryson puts the Bulldogs ahead. Bruins come back down the field, only to throw an INT inside the 5. But from that point on, I don't think Smyrna had a first down. Bruins wore down the Bulldogs interior and Coffey started ripping off runs. Evans did it all- running, receiving, intercepting. Bruin defense collapsed everything inside and pursuit cleaned up everything outside. Smyrna was balanced at first, but went run-heavy the second half as the passing game was not to be found. Bruins ran and threw the ball effectively in the second half. Davis' leg kept Smyrna from doing much in the special teams area. Once again, officials missed an Xtra pt because it was kicked too hard and fast. Well balanced Bruin team Friday night- despite a dozen players on sidelines with injury. Reserves stepped up big.

Any word on what other teams were offering for Sully? I think it was a smart move by both of them to re-sign. Now Mr. Poile can try to find some more scoring somewhere to give us some firepower. If not, then the boys in Milwaukee better grow up quick! Chicago has gotten much tougher now with Hossa, and Detroit will always be tough. Columbus is coming on and St. Louis can't stay down much longer.

This whole scenario is such a shock. Nashville, especially, is just numb every where I go. It is all that is being discussed on the radio and on TV. The biggest off the field memory I will have of Steve is when he rented an 18 wheeler and loaded it multiple times with donations for the Katrina victims in Mississippi. He helped load the trucks in the LP Field parking lot. He also contributed so much else off the field by getting personally involved in numerous things- all without any fanfare. On the field, he was as tough as you could get. From my relationship with numerous Titan coaches, I have learned just how banged up he was week after week, unable to practice, and then turning it into something magic on the field. He had tremendous respect from players, opponents, and coaches. His off the field personal life seems to follow a too familiar path for many celebs and pro athletes. I don't know what the status of his marriage was, if his wife knew or agreed or accepted his flings, or if he was just stringing this girl along. Heck, his girlfriend is only a couple of years older than his oldest son. Now that is creepy. The moral of the story to me is that life can be taken at any time, whether through decisions you make or incidents beyond your control. Like McNair, you may not have the opportunity to apologize, explain, or set right certain actions you've taken to the ones you truly love. You may not get to write the final chapter or verse of your life's story- so live it with integrity so you don't need to. His sons and what they will live with- and live without- is the real tragedy. All of those left behind are left with unanswered questions and grief.

Where can I find season standings for DI and DII?

This is the week that determines whether or not the Preds get to the playoffs. Basically, win and your in. Trotz has gotten by with spit, duct tape, and mirrors while having his three biggest guns- on a team VERY short of firepower- out with injuries. Plus, they have a stand on your head rookie goalie who better start getting used to standing on his head from here on out. Last reg season home game Tuesday. Unfortuantely, if they do get in it seems we will be looking at our annual post-season opponent in either San Jose or Detroit. Chances are good for a sweep in those scenarios.

The Preds have finally gotten over the hump, beating Edmonton, and now are officially in the playoff race. With a five game win streak at this point, and following the ultimate orgasm of beating Detroit 8-0, the minimum wage Preds have done the seemingly impossible. Questions: - Where did this goal scoring machine come from? It seemingly started when they put 3 goals on the board against the Blackhawks in the third period a few weeks ago. It was as if the season long fog lifted and the goal mouth got as big as a garage door. -Will this offensive barrage keep Poile from looking for help? What REALLY is out there to get? - Did this climb to the top take too much out of the team, or they just really hitting their peak - Has anyone place a Geiger counter near Rinne and watch the needle jump off the dial? - Can this carry them A) into the playoffs at the end, or /cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> into winning a first series for the first time? All that I know is that if you missed Saturday night vs. the Wings, you probably missed the best sporting experience in Nashville since the Music City Miracle. Where that was one play, this was a full game- a first period at least- when reality was suspended and unadulterated joy roamed free. Noise level, the incredulity of the whole thing- 5 goals in 6 minutes!- that had the fans wondering what they were seeing. If you had never been a fan before, you probably looked into season tickets at the break.

Over many peoples dead bodies, you traitor!

Interesting take, but I take the other side of the argument. I've seen good freshman teams with good coaches that prepared their players well in making the jump. I have seen lousy freshman coaches with good players totally screwed up the opportunity to learn and prepare. I have seen freshman lumped into the mix with the varsity that wasn't real good and pay a huge physical price(the ultimate disaster movie). Good coaching is THE most important element in freshman ball. JV coaches don't spend the time in my experience really working with the players to where the improvement is noticeable. After watching all of the mixes, it has been my opinion that a good freshman coaching staff dedicated solely to preparing freshman for high school football is the best option on a number of levels. By playing against other frosh squads, they can adequately gauge their progress against peers, as well as develop a real class identity. It is very important for the player who is not yet up to par physically. As you know, growth spurts are all over the place in the 9th grade. For those "late bloomers" it is very beneficial. Sometimes, a very talented freshman is elevated up to the JV level to see how he performs. Most times he will be over his head physically if not mentally. In talking with other coaches, this is a preferred method as well. Rector didn't do it after Jack left for reasons only he knows. If everyone else is doing it, it must have some merit.

Hasn't anyone picked up on the not-so-hidden message about the recruits in this year's class being subpar academically, which is why they did not get recruited to more visible D-1 programs? Although, I will say that if anyone can be accepted to the Naval Academy or Miami (Ohio), their academics are in top order. I take it as a call to start hitting the books!