Lionbackers.com

Super news WCJ.

The Maurice Richard story is a good one.
It's great for kids to connect to these pros.

You're in North Van where I see on Instagram many QBs working out at Mahon Park with Rob Williams.

You ever get to drop by there? Nathan Rourke is a key feature. Trevor Harris was there as Dane Evans IIRC and Michael O'Connor.


https://www.instagram.com/qbmotion/

I follow the posts on Instagram under qbmotion

https://www.instagram.com/sportcoreperformance/?hl=en

Toppy Vann wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:26 pm

Super news WCJ.

The Maurice Richard story is a good one.
It's great for kids to connect to these pros.

You're in North Van where I see on Instagram many QBs working out at Mahon Park with Rob Williams.

You ever get to drop by there? Nathan Rourke is a key feature. Trevor Harris was there as Dane Evans IIRC and Michael O'Connor.


https://www.instagram.com/qbmotion/

I follow the posts on Instagram under qbmotion

https://www.instagram.com/sportcoreperformance/?hl=en

Hey Toppy,

The name Rob Williams rang a bell for me, when you mention him. Now I do recall something of his work with Nathan Rourke. But, no, I have not dropped by to check out his work.

At one time I counted up the number of seasons of sports I had coached in the community and in high schools. It was about 20 I think. Football. Basketball. Softball. Coaching is enriching, intense and tiring. Ha ha. Skills. Strategy. Getting the most out of players. Many good memories.

Re the Lions, I was a fan since childhood. Willie Fleming. Joe Kapp. Kapp owned Vancouver at that time. The Lions were at the top of the sports world here. I loved what Don Matthews brought to the organization. I had the opportunity to chat with him. He did not write a book, nor do I recall him being much for giving clinics. His secrets of coaching success kind of remained secret. In chatting he did mention how he always had next year in mind regarding personnel, preparedness. He was all about attack on defence and on offence. I loved that; it suited my temperament. Blitzing from all angles and directions. Ha ha. Wide open passing game. "Basketball on grass," he called it. He inspired the players, and kind of turned loose their talent. He was a great judge of talent. On the other hand, he had no grace with the media, and it cost him.

After he left the Lions, I lost interest in them. Wally rekindled that interest. And he brought us a couple of Grey Cups. In my opinion, Wally was very old school. Conservative. Small play book. But he set a great tone to get the players committed to hard work. Did coaches like Wally and Vince Lombardi really treat all the players the same? Ha ha. Of course not. Lombardi had his favorites, and some he knew he could rip, as an example to the team. He was gentle with Bart Starr, but would rip guys like Jerry Kramer and others, guys with thick skin, that needed to be pushed hard (very happy Kramer was finally voted in to the Hall of Fame, long, long overdue). Watching practice back in the day, I could see Rob Murphy got away with some stuff with Wally. One day, Murphy had sandals on under the sweats. Ha ha. I could hardly believe it.

I think the team is in good hands now with Rick Campbell. And good ownership. But Nathan Rourke was a phenom. Cannot be replaced.

That style of coach's ripping certain players versus the QB who needs to be calm and cool likely still exists in colleges these days.

These days of people speaking up more and going public might stop some of that.

My long time football coach Larry Reda was such a coach - brilliant motivator, innovative offensive thinker and loved by our parents who didn't see him yelling at players. In Larry's case I can still envision him screaming "Cunningham" at practices - a great Centre and a Captain and team leader. Harry Cunningham's dad was our manager. I think player's thought if Larry was ripping a top player for practice habits, then they'd best pick it up.

When I had to decide to stick to Sturtridge and Larry's team or play HS, it was my mom who said if I played I played for Larry after all he did for me and "how he is such a nice man." Yeah he was nice, but he'd rip players in a way that no one ever actually took him seriously.

I forget the Packers player who'd rehearse and convince himself to hold to his demands on his long highway drive to negotiate with Lombardi only to find his sob story so compelling he'd be driving home with not much more. I think Lombardi traded a player if they got an agent.

Bud Grant strikes me as a person who just shoot a look in a player's direction and achieve the same effect as those who'd scream at you.

Great coaches.

Toppy Vann wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 04, 2023 12:02 pm

That style of coach's ripping certain players versus the QB who needs to be calm and cool likely still exists in colleges these days.

These days of people speaking up more and going public might stop some of that.

Bud Grant strikes me as a person who just shoot a look in a player's direction and achieve the same effect as those who'd scream at you.

Great coaches.

And many players truly suffered under coaching abuse. Frank Mahovlich under Punch Imlach for example.

Screaming and ripping is a cheap way to motivate. Largely not acceptable nowadays.

Lombardi did it in such a way that the players tended to know it was just for motivation. I love Kramer's story about his rookie season. Always screamed at by Lombardi. You're too fat, too slow. How did we waste a draft pick on you? Et cetera. Kramer knew he needed a kick in the pants, as football had always been easy for a dominant physical player such as himself, with a happy-go-lucky personality. But Lombardi hit him hard. Kramer went back to the locker room, asking himself why he had ever thought he could be a pro, depressed, sitting at his locker. By magic, Lombardi appeared at just that time. Ruffled his head, pat on the shoulder: "Son, one of these days you're going to be the greatest guard in the NFL." Kramer said he was so buoyed up he could have gone back on the field for hours. I think also Lombardi did love his players, like his children. But those coaching times are changing.

I agree about Grant. Just a look was enough. And everyone knew he meant business with a look, or a word. Grant knew exactly what he wanted. An example: He did not like the players moving about, shuffling, during the national anthem. So they practiced how they were to stand. And after that, they always stood to attention, ramrod straight, facing the flag, helmets under the arm, not on the ground, etc. Military precision.

And I love this picture.

Those were the giants.

They sounded angry but people never took it seriously.

Bud Grant story:

https://www.vikings.com/news/longform/b ... all-record