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Steelers 28 Raiders 6   Parker Michaelsen is the MVP! Dear Steelers parents and players: Woohooo! The Steelers came to play last night against the Raiders! Many thanks to all of the players for stepping their games way up for the first night of the playoffs! We only have one more night of practice and one more Friday Game Night left this season. This team ABSOLUTELY has the ability to win it all if we play our best in each of our THREE GAMES Friday night. We have already played two of the three teams we may face on the 14th and I know for sure with some adjustments we can beat the Bengals and we CRUSHED the Packers in our preseason scrimmage so we can certainly play at or above their level.  I was most concerned actually about the 49ers as I thought that I did not have a video of any of their games this year but just came across their entire game against the Falcons in my 2010 Spring film archives (YEA!) so there goes my Saturday afternoon… About yesterday’s Playoff game #1 that had the 8-1 Steelers matched up with the 3-5-1 Raiders. The first time we played them the Raider’s coach’s son and their best player David had pneumonia and could not play. That definitely made a difference last night as we struggled a bit to get our momentum going but once again Edward Shean showed up and got the ball he made quick work of making the first touchdown of the game of the game. The first score of the game actually came on a Safety by Parker Michaelsen in the first quarter. Adding to the effort last night Connor Ford played absolutely fantastic and had his best run of the year for a critical first down to start the second half. One more step ahead and he would have been gone for 6 points! Connor played very well on defense too! Way to step up! Dillon Kolsky probably had the best game I have ever seen him play. He was a flag magnet and never got caught out of position. He also delivered on play number four taking the ball to the house! He took direction in the huddle on the up-field distance he needed to cover and made the move at the first opening available. THAT* is what football is all about. Thinking and the application of speed at the appropriate time. Cassidy also turned in a good game. She too did not get caught out of position and did not fumble a single snap. Troy also did pretty well at center but did fumble the snap once. On defense he put on a solid rush and definitely took the Raiders out of their backfield rhythm. Easton Louis did a nice job at quarterback and played middle safety on defense and did a very good job. NOTHING got past him! We had one MVP medal left so it was a no brainer as to who would receive it but the question remained, would he earn it? Parker Michaelsen had a near flawless game last night on both sides of the ball and struck the final blow with a touchdown run on the final play of the game a full 50 yards down the field. As mentioned above Parker also scored on defense with a safety in the first quarter. His speed has once again returned to near 2009 levels and he is feeling better each week. Things to work on: Catching the ball. Please make sure you extend both hands to receive the ball and catch it well away from your body. Study your plays. We will be adding two more plays at practice this week so please be sure you check your email during the week. I will also have game film available for review. This makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE at game time. The files are large and take a while to upload so give me a day or two to get the posted. Final notes-The Raiders in the NFL are known for playing a bit rough and the FNL Raiders lived up to that reputation last night first tackling Edward who had a certain touchdown and then just a few plays later doing the same thing to Dillon. No matter, in the end we were able to convert lots of points and came out on top 28-6 (May have been 26-6). The playoff advanced brackets are below. Please review how our ladder is slated. We will play at 5:15PM on field #10. If we win that game we will likely face the Packers just ten minutes later on field #10. If we win that game we will face the winner of the other side of the ladder (Probably the Bengals) 15 minutes after the Packers game on field #6. We seriously need to get all of the players in bed EARLY (Like 8PM) on Thursday night May 13th. Please work with me on this. Three games in a row is a LOT even for kids with seemingly endless energy. Thanks again for your support, Coach Michaelsen

Steelers 14  --  bengals 24   Easton Louis is the MVP!   Dear Steeler parents and players: Everyone played well on Friday night and at the end of quarter #1 we were winning 14-0. That proves to me that we can absolutely come out victorious against the Bengals if we have the opportunity to play them again. Did anyone happen to get game film? I think I know what went wrong but game film would make all of difference in pinpointing what adjustments I need to make. We also played basically error free. No dropped snaps. No penalties. No missed hand offs. The wind made our passing game nearly impossible but somehow Edward and Nick did manage to connect. On the ground the Bengals simply did a better job shutting down our offense. Even our best runners found it difficult to get through their very tight defense. At the end of the night the team that did a better job on defense won the game. I want to thank Steve Louis for missing part of the game when I asked him to please go find Christ Ketchum when the referees were unclear on a critical safety rule called “Last man standing”. The official informed me that this rule would not be in effect for our game which was in direct contradiction to the directive the league sent out at the beginning of the season and in the middle of the season again. After walking over at half time to chat with the league commissioner both officials came back and said that it would in fact be in effect for the rest of the game. This an important SAFETY RULE and I wanted to make sure it would in fact be in force. THANK YOU STEVE FOR MISSING PART OF THE GAME AND MAKING THIS HAPPEN FOR OUR PLAYERS. Steelers- Bengals game recap: We came out smoking hot and put up points on the board on our second possession of the game when Edward went for the TD on the right side. We promptly converted the 2 point conversion with an Edward to Nick play on X BOX. Edward then got his second touchdown of the game and with just one play left in the half, the Bengals converted a short play that we had perfectly defended to come back and bring the score to 14-6. Their short center pass was defended poorly by us and brings to light why it is critical for our players to WATCH THE GAME FILM as this play was one of the main focuses of the film and we spent 25 minutes in practice the day before learning how to defend against this play. This was a huge change in momentum against the Steelers and may have cost us the game. If I sound grumpy about this particular play I am. Troy and one other player simply did not do their job and it really cost us. Dillon had a good game and made the very difficult exchange on 4000 and 4000+ without fail. Well done! Parker struggled a bit both running and on defense but really broke down toward the end of the game. I love his intensity but will work on helping him keep his emotions in check. Easton did a great job at quarterback and really stepped up his game. For this improved effort Easton deserved and received the MVP medal for this game! GREAT JOB EASTON! Connor Ford stepped into the 4 hole in the 3rd and 4th quarter but the defense the Bengals provided did not give us the opportunity to force a pass. Connor played hard and was well positioned at the end of the game to make an interception but saw the ball just a little too late. Well done Connor, next time I know you will make the catch! Cassidy did a great job snapping the ball and as I mentioned before did not bobble a single snap. NOTHING*** happens until the center makes a successful exchange and Cassidy did her job there perfectly. Nick Hodge was had another great game too. Good defense and a solid performance on offense has become the standard for his play week in and week out. That brings us to Troy…While I was extremely frustrated with his error at the end of the first half, he made up for it by pulling not one but two of Brett Wozniak’s flags just when it looked like Brett was going to break it for a big gain. GREAT JOB TROY! While I was disappointed that we were not able to keep it together on defense in the second half, we showed that when we play our best, we can play at the highest level and I promise you that we will make some adjustments and if we meet them again the Bengals will have a more difficult time scoring against us. As I noted earlier, I will be stepping up the intensity at practice this week and I really need players prepared to work hard and be focused. Thanks again for your support. It’s been an absolutely fantastic year and I have had a wonderful time coaching this great team. Mark Michaelsen

Steelers 33  --  JETS 6   Nick Hodge is the MVP!   Dear Steelers Parents and Players: After a last minute phone call from Jon Kolsky letting me know that Dillon was sick, we scrambled to modify the line ups and make the necessary adjustments to the game plan. To say we started rough would be a major understatement. At the end of the first quarter the score was tied 0-0 and we just were not getting focused and executing plays. Connor Ford stepped in at the 4 hole and we were looking to go deep to him but the Jets did a great job of sealing off the deep route. Connor has been catching the ball really well in practice and I know that given the opportunity he would deliver with great catches. The real story of the night was defense though. The jets ran one really good fake reverse and we bit on it hard and then missed the flag not once but four times as one of the Jets scampered for a touchdown. We will work some more on our defense this week and focus on pulling flags a bit more. The other place we got caught quite a bit was in the deep corners. If I had to stress one thing we must do against the Bengals in our showdown this week it is protect the deep corners and make sure no one gets behind us. I will post quite a bit of footage from the Bengals game later this weekend for everyone to watch and think about. So what did we do right? On defense we intercepted passes and took them for touchdowns. An absolutely awesome job in that regard by everyone but especially Nick Hodge. This is Nick’s very first season playing football and I think everyone agreed that last night he was hands down our MVP. Nick had an interception for a touchdown and then ran for more touch downs on offense. Nick did a great job shutting down anything that came over the middle on defense as well. Edward Shean also had an interception (I think that too went for a touchdown). Edward did a very good job running the ball as well. It was windy last night and that made throwing the ball difficult at best both upwind and downwind. Even the short passes to Cassidy and to Parker were made impossible by the breeze. Troy Michaelsen did a pretty good job rushing the middle as did Cassidy Crotwell. Easton Louis and Connor and Cassidy to care of the deep corners and while we did get surprised a few times on deep passes we generally did not allow any deep pass completions. We will make this a focus for next week’s practice as well as the Bengals throw the ball VERY deep successfully. This week’s game against the Jets did not have a good feel to it in the first half so rather than risk interceptions and a loss I did play the game conservatively and should have gotten the ball to Connor, Easton and Cassidy more. We definitely need to work on pitches, hand offs but especially snapping the ball and coming out of center with the ball properly in our hands. Finally, I want everyone including parents and players to know what a fantastic job you have all done learning the complex game of football this season and how proud I am of this entire team. Any way you look at our season it has been wildly successful. With that idea in mind I want to make sure that every player understands that our game against the Bengals is our last regular season game of the year. I will try and make sure every player gets a touch on the ball during the game. I honestly believe that if we play our very best and don’t make silly mistakes that we won’t just beat the Bengals, we will beat them by three of four touchdowns! The goal once again on defense will be ZERO points and if we do our homework and play hard, we can make that happen. I am also confident that we can score at least three touchdowns on offense and one or two on defense! I will send out a note on where practice will be this week but the plan is for 5:00PM on Thursday afternoon but at a different location TBA. Thanks for another great week on the field! Coach Michaelsen

Steelers 40  --  Colts 2   Cassidy Crotwell is the MVP! Dear Steelers Parents and Players: After a pretty rusty night at practice on Thursday I was worried about us coming out flat and having another game like our last one against the Patriots that did not go well. Those worries were laid to rest as we did a great job on the first defensive series and then scored on our second play from scrimmage on our most basic play: P1. Nick, Easton, Parker and Edward all did a great job at quarterback. There was pretty fair play action happening and the hand offs for the most part were pretty good and the passes were excellent save one.

Last night’s game though provided some memorable moments for sure. Cassidy had a great run as did Easton and Connor. Speaking of Cassidy; On Thursday night she showed up and showed a level of quickness we have not seen from her so far this year. Maybe “determination” would be a better word to use. She simply refused to let any ball carriers get past her in “THE CONE OF DEATH” drill the players all seem to love. The same was true in last night’s game against the Colts where she ran players down from behind and often times forced them to make adjustments and slowed them down. She also had an awesome run (Her best for the year). Look for more opportunities Cassidy next week carrying the ball!

Our defense performed extremely well giving up ZERO points. We did give up two points on a safety but that is an offensive lapse and does not reflect on the defensive goal of ZERO points every game. Our last five games have shown improvement in our understanding of zone areas of responsibility and now six different defensive sets. The Colts coach Greg Endelman after the game noted that for every formation they displayed, we had the perfect answer for it. This CANNOT HAPPEN with the players listening in practice, focusing in the game and changing their sets based on the call. An unbelievably hard task for older players and phenomenal that this group of 5-6-7-8 year olds can grasp the concepts and execute them.

On offense we have the second highest point totals of any team in the entire FNL league. Only the 3rd -4th grade Cowboys have more aggregate points on the season!

We still need to work on some things though. It was apparent last night that several of the players (My son Troy included) have not been studying their playbook. It is critical that each player know not just their position but rather all of the positions on each of the plays so that we can plug them into key spots during the game. This requires that they look at the playbooks and understand how the plays work. I tried very hard last night to spread the ball around and make sure that EVERYONE had an opportunity to score with the ball. Troy was completely unprepared and showed it as he ran into our running backs, ran into the quarterback, tripped over the quarterback and fumbled the ball. He and I will be spending some quality time today going over the playbook and then going outside and running the plays over and over and over and over and …well, you get the idea.

We have a LOT*** of work to do between now and the playoffs. Everyone will be receiving a NEW PLAYBOOK next Thursday in preparation for the playoffs. We were heavily scouted last night by the Bengals who collected game film and will no doubt be studying it between now and our final game of the season with them.

Player wrap up:

Parker had exactly one touch on the ball last night and he scored a touchdown on the second play of the game off of P1. Great job on defense. The Colts coach was on our team last Spring and chose to run away from Parker who filled in at left corner for the injured Dillon Kolsky.

Cassidy was on the receiving end of a pass or two but the passes weren’t perfect and we were unable to convert. Cassidy also had a fantastic run for a first down! On defense she was putting pressure on the QB and pulling flags.

Easton- Much more composed at quarterback. Easton came in in the first quarter after two plays when Dillon’s left ankle was in a lot of pain. Easton also had the best run I can remember this season from him for a first down. Great job Easton!

Connor- Great job on defense moving into the new cover 3 defensive set. This was a brand new formation and Connor made a huge difference covering the quick inside slant route the Colts ran a lot. A bit befuddled on offense on where to go on each play from the one and three holes but we’ll work on that in practice this week with him.

Nick- Perhaps Nick’s best game yet. Nick was moved all over the place and played quarterback, wide out in the 4 hole. The three hole, the one hole, just about everything but center. Maybe we’ll try him there in the game against the Jets next week…On defense he had an interception for a touchdown and read the quarterback extremely well and knocked down lots of passes.

Troy. Uggg. We need a lot of work with him and I will put that in this week. Love ya son but….

Edward- Was, well….typically Edward. Lots of flag pulls, touchdowns and absolutely outstanding passes and pass judgment. Great job reading the defense as well.

Obviously a good effort by the team as a whole.

Practice at the same time, same place.

Thanks again for a job well done players.

Coach Michaelsen
 

Spring Break is over!  Time to get back to work Steelers!

Dillon Kolsky is the MVP of the Patriots Game!

Great Thursday night practice everyone!

At the break the Steelers are 6-0

Thursday night March 25th was game night for just about every team in the league except the Pittsburgh Steelers.  This was our bye week.

We had what I think was our best practice of the year on Thursday night before the other FNL teams got to their games at 5:15PM. The speed of our plays, the exchanges and the passing looked absolutely perfect.  Everyone received a playbook and I would ask that the parents spend some time looking over the playbook and help their athlete understand what their player's job is on each play.  For clarity here are the player locations by number:

Parker and Nick are in the 1 and 4 hole.

Edward and Nick are in the 3 hole.

Cassidy, Conner and Troy play in the 5 and 6 hole most of the time but need to know the1 hole for sure.

Dillon plays in the  4 hole most of the time and in the 1 hole a bit of the time.

Easton, Nick and Edward are at the QB spot but EVERYONE should be able to play this position!

Everyone will get the chance to play in the 1 hole so please make sure you know what to do on each play (Especially X BOX where you are the primary receiver).

Drop me a note if you need another copy of the playbook and as a reminder, please DO NOT SHARE the information with ANYONE.

See you on April fools day at 5:00PM inside the track (Our regular practice location).

There is a chance of rain so stay tuned fro updates.

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Dear Steelers Parents and Players:

I want to start off tonight by first apologizing to the players and secondly to the parents. I let my emotions get the best of me and simple mistakes by players somehow got blown out of proportion in my mind and gave our players more heat than they deserved about the errors on the field. We clearly came out flat in the first two quarters and made some mistakes but I need to do a better job of reminding myself that age of the athletes and their fragile psyches . I have been doing this long enough to know what motivates and what tears down players of this age. Tonight I went the wrong direction and forgot that this season belongs to them and not to me. For this I am sorry and apologize.

I also owe an apology to Dillon Kolsky. When I went back and reviewed my game notes tonight two things became brutally clear: Dillon made ZERO mistakes on defense, saved several plays and had a fantastic run for a touchdown! For this, he will posthumously be awarded the MVP medal for his efforts that helped ensure an important victory over a very tough Patriots team. This medal will be awarded at the next practice and I want Dillon to know that he was absolutely the standout athlete of the game…a VERY*** important game. He was tenacious and played exceptionally well and I want to make sure he is adequately recognized for a fantastic individual effort! My perception of the game was clouded and I want to make sure that Dillon knows that he definitely earned the medal tonight.

Game notes:

We are going to spend a LOT*** more time on offense in practice. I did a poor job preparing the players for the positions they played this week. Our offensive sets were wrong, spacing was wrong, play motion was wrong, pentameter wrong…All of these things BTW have NOTHING to do with the players and everything to do with a very poorly structured practice this past Thursday. That is 100% MY FAULT. Four penalties tonight cost us two touchdowns that came back on offense. It is hard to win games when we are defeating ourselves. Again, 100% my fault for not having the team better prepared!

Everyone will be receiving an actual playbook this week at practice with all of the plays we have covered up until now. We have an amazing level of talent and dedication and I think a playbook will help everyone understand what each position does on each play.

So what went right this week? After all we won the game, we almost shut the Patriots out and we connected on some good plays and narrowly missed others. Play #1 got us several yards on almost every play we ran it and I know that Parker got the ball as much or more than he wanted tonight which is a first for the season. Play #Fly 3000 and Play #3 both converted in to big plays including one of two touchdowns. Play #4 also scored one of our two touchdowns. Play “X-BOX” was wide open and we will be making that and the corner slant a focus at the next practice.

Player by player: Cassidy was back this week and delivered good snaps. The Patriots did not try the left side of the line much so Parker and Cassidy did not see much action come their way on defense. Parker Michaelsen found out the hard way that a well set containment defense can e hard to run against. Parker had some good runs but found the newly cut grass slippery to say the least.

Nick Hodge did a nice job at quarterback as did Easton Louis. Nick had a couple of good runs but once again the Patriots ran a very tough defense. I will promise the team this, by the time we see the Patriots again in the Playoffs, I will have their defense sorted out and have an answer for it. Nick made some great flag pulls as well.

Connor Ford played a good game as well. He stayed on task and stayed at home in the 3-3 defense. Troy Michaelsen rushed pretty well and generally contributed by snapping the ball well and putting pressure on the Patriots offense. Troy did pick up an illegal motion penalty tonight that hurt our drive but I appreciate how few mistake he is making given that he has 3 ½ more years to play in this league.

Edward Shean. On fire again. Edward provided the knockout blow (Touchdown #2) with a mad scramble that had to be seen to be appreciated. On defense he forced the patriots to simply change their entire game plan and run the other way. I know the players appreciate that Edward is on our team and I do as well.

Easton Louis got a little frustrated and I gave him a lot of grief about not being focused. He pulled it together when I asked the team to step it up in the second half and turned in a very good second half performance.

Dillon Kolsky- An AWESOME run for a touchdown on play #4. Perfectly played defense and attention to detail on covering his designated zone. As I said before, he was definitely the team MVP and should be recognized as such. GREAT JOB Dillon!!!!!

Next week’s practice is at 4:00PM on field #9. The practice will be limited to one hour (Maybe less). FNL will be playing their Friday night games on Thursday next week so please be on time as we will work on some key parts to our game next Thursday. I will be staying and collecting film on as many teams as I possibly can so that our run down the stretch can be as good as it possibly can be.

Thank you again for your support and I hope that you can accept my apologies for decorum that was less than becoming of a head coach of youth athletics.

I love this team!

Go Steelers!

Coach Mark Michaelsen
+1 562 773 0552
 

Click here for Wildcat play by Patriots

The Steelers are 5-0!

Steelers 23   Chargers 6

Steelers 62   Broncos 12

Connor Ford named MVP!

Dear Steelers Parents and Players!

I was concerned about the Steelers and tonight’s double header all week. It’s a long night for such young players but the team showed up tonight like never before. The Chargers game proved very challenging and they definitely had some speed on their team. Our defense showed how hard the have been working at practice and how much they have been paying attention. To start off the Chargers game Connor Ford came alive and picked off a ball and headed for the house! This was a real momentum changer and set the tone for the rest of the game. Conner is a junior player (First year) but has improved his performance more than any other player on the team. For this improvement and for his effort on both sides of the ball, Connor was tonight’s DOUBLE HEADER Most Valuable Player! Lots of players deserved the medal tonight including Dillon Kolsky but as a goal for the season we set out improved performance as the #1 goal and there was no question that Connor deserved that tonight!

Parker Michaelsen absolutely found his wheels again tonight after losing them due to illness over the past few weeks. Parker scored a safety (2 points) in both games and that is a very difficult thing to do! Parker also scored several touchdowns and had some key flag pulls. Troy Michaelsen (Parkers little Bro) also had two flag pulls tonight and did a nice job on containment. If he pays attention at practice next week he might even get to carry the ball.

Easton Louis missed practice last night but showed what a great senior player he is. He confidently stepped in at quarterback when Nick was in a different position and did a great job. Easton also shut down the left side of the field and did a great job in both games!

Edward Shean…Are you kidding me? Edward strikes fear in the hearts of every team we face. Charged with making critical decisions on plays including Fly 1000, fly 3000 and X-BOX he has yet to make a bad choice. How many touchdowns did he get? I have no idea but we scored 13 of them tonight and I think he had at least four including an interception for a TD, maybe more.

Dillon Kolsky played his best games of the year BY FAR***. On defense he stayed at home and pulled a ton of flags. On offense he caught touchdowns, extra points, and ran for touchdown on play #4 with the best speed I have ever seen from him. Look out big brother Ethan! Dillon has wheels too!

Last but certainly not least Nick Hodge who was a tad under the weather and who fell asleep on his way to the game came alive just in time for the games. I tried to wind back on using him at full speed tonight as both Nick and his parents requested he be given a spot with a little less demand for intensity and speed. Nick plugged in at the quarterback sport and did a great job running the show when Easton was not at the QB spot. He saved several plays that were going for a touchdown in the event he missed. He didn’t miss!

And for Cassidy…We played this one for you girl! We hope your sleepover was a blast and look forward to you returning to the field next Friday night!

To all of the players and parents- Thank you for your dedication and for your willingness to stay the full 90 minutes at practice. It is clearly making all of the difference in the world. The Steelers are 5-0 and on top of the league but let’s please take it one game at a time and play our hearts out every week.

See you next Thursday for practice!
 

Edward Shean is the MVP
Steelers 40   Jets 0

Dear Steelers and Parents:

I want to congratulate the team for stepping up at a critical time tonight. When I received a call and an email from Nick Hodge's Mom letting me know he was under the weather again my stomach sank a bit. Nick has been such an important part of the team since we first got together about a month ago that I was concerned his absence might have a tangible effect on our performance as a team. The reality is that Nick is so well thought of by each member of the team that we rallied around is absence and every single player stepped it up in a big way. Easton Louis played his heart out tonight and filled the Quarterback shoes for three quarters exceptionally well. I wasn't surprised by Easton's performance as he played really well last night in practice as well.

The player that stepped up the most though was Edward Shean. Touchdowns on offense and defense and if that were not enough Edward completely shut down the right side of the field. Edward threw touchdown passes and made great choice on the all new FLY 3000. Connor Ford also played solid defense and had a great carry on offense for additional positive yards! Connor Ford was also supposed to be the target of several passes but the Jets played tight defense and did not allow the center pass option. (Sorry Connor, we really tried to get you the ball in the end zone!) Cassidy also stepped up on offense and defense. Cassidy played quarterback and did a great job for the entire 3rd quarter! No dropped snaps and clean handoffs by Cassidy to all but Troy (Who dropped the ball. Love ya son but ya gotta pay attention in practice).

Parker Michaelsen scrambled for touchdowns and also had some fantastic flag pulls at full speed. Scary, but effective. Dillon Kolsky, your parents should be incredibly proud of your performance tonight! Fantastic and tenacious defense, touchdowns and an all around great effort, Dillon was very close to the MVP tonight. It really was a toss-up between you and Edward. Your parents should be super proud of you! (I know I am).

Tonight's effort was dedicated to Nick Hodge who was sick. The goal for the night for defense was a difficult ZERO points on defense. This is an extremely difficult task but the entire team stepped way up and made it happen. At the end of the game we traditionally end with "Steelers" or "Together" on three...Tonight we did "Nick" on three and the number of smiles from those paying attention was contagious.

Many thanks to all of the parents for making all of the practices and all of the scrimmages. The results of this effort should be evident by now. All of the success should be congratulated as it is a 100% athlete driven effort. I am so proud of the players and hope that you are enjoying the season as much as I am.

See you next Thursday at 4:55PM for practice.
 

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Steelers 22   =  Titans 6

Troy MIchaelsen is the MVP

Dear Parents and Players:


This week's wrap up of our game will be an abbreviated version and my recall right now is modest at best as I have come down with the flu.

First of all I want to congratulate all of the players for stepping up and playing fantastic defense. I am defensive guy at heart so exceptional efforts on the "D" side of the ball get my attention more than great offensive plays. Cassidy came out to play this week and on the one and only touchdown the Titans scored she shut down their PAT attempt with a super interception in the end zone! Troy Michaelsen has been slow to get it in gear so far this season but last night he made me extremely proud by pulling four flags and really putting the heat on their quarterback when he rushed. Troy has four more years at this level as he is only in Pre-Kindergarten. Good things to come for sure from him. Connor also did a great job on defense and did not allow any positive yardage over the deep right corner. GREAT JOB CONNOR!

Parker Michaelsen ran what had to be about 100 yards on his touchdown scramble that felt like he crossed the field side to side at least three times. Easton Louis had his best game on offense and defense by far and for the first time since I have watched him play came out on each rotation from center completely composed. He made and absolutely perfect throw down the right sideline to Dillon on what I think was his tightest spiral to date. GREAT JOB EASTON! Speaking of Dillon Kolsky...Dillon ran out of the 4 hole and nearly broke one for a touchdown. Only the last player was able to make a touchdown saving flag pull. On defense Dillon improved dramatically. Time and again he forced players inside (His job is outside containment) and either made the flag pull or forced the runner into a compressed situation where we pulled both of the runner's flags!

Edward also did a great job maintaining containment and broke up a couple of pass plays. On offense he kept everyone honest with play #3 and made the Titans pay with a great run up the right sideline. Last but not least Nick Hodge despite having the flu earlier in the week crushed the titans on their opening set from scrimmage by intercepting a pass for a touchdown. Nick also kept control of the center of the field on defense and on offense just has the one extra step to get passed the defenders and take it to the house for touchdowns.

I have to apologize to Cassidy and Connor for not getting them more touches on the ball. That will absolutely change this week against the jets.

Thank you all for your support! The next practice is at 5:00PM on Thursday at Oak middle school.

Carla Hodge sent in some good pics that will be up on the team web site this week. http://www.dryuv.com/steelers.htm

The Louis family has the snack this week!

Please drop me a note with any questions!

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Reminder: Practice is Thursday (Feb 25) at 5:00PM at Oak. Please arrive by 4:55PM ready to go. We may end this practice a little bit early so please be on time. We will be running new players in some key positions. If you want to try quarterback or running back, this is a good time to give it a go! Drop me an email with where you want to play please.

Dear Steelers Parents and Players:

What a great way to start off the 2010 Spring FNL season! From the first snap to the final touchdown your Steelers players came to play hard and be competitive. Everyone listened well and tried their best on every play. The FLY-1000 pass play was just inches from being completed four or five times during the game and we were certainly wide open for a few of them.

In the first quarter on the second play from scrimmage Parker Michaelsen took advantage of a narrow defensive set by the Raiders and went 45 yards for our first touchdown. On defense Edward and Connor kept the right side shut down and Parker and Dillon kept the left side locked up. Cassidy brought the heat with her rush and Nick controlled the middle of the field. This frustrated the Raider players for a three and out situation. On our second series we set up play number three to Edward and he made the most of it. On the next defensive series Edward intercepted a pass and the momentum was with the Steelers.

In quarter number two Parker and Connor took a break and Easton and Troy came onto the field. Easton lined up at quarterback and Nick took a spot on the field he had never played before (The one hole). Easton took the snap, rotated out left perfectly and made a clean handoff to Nick on play #1 and Nick showed us all speed we had never seen before from him. Result: TOUCHDOWN! This provided the team with a whole new dimension and will require me to rethink our play variables going forward (That’s a really good thing). With Parker out, Dillon stepped up to play left outside linebacker. This is a really tough spot but Dillon shut down anything coming to his side.

Quarter three proved more challenging for our defense. The Raider’s player #28 did a fantastic job exploiting our left side splits which were too wide and hit a seam to take it to THE HOUSE. The kid had speed! Troy tried to bring rushing pressure from the middle but I had the wrong defensive configuration. This was entirely my fault and I needed to narrow our set and shift to cover ZERO (This needs the game film to fix properly so I should have that solved by the end of the weekend. Note to me for the next practice: Work on all four covers. I know that the same player did it to us again in quarter #3 but the rest of the details from that quarter are sketchy in my mind. If at all possible I want to recruit one of the parents to keep a play log in the event out videographer is unable to catch every play. Anyone? We did try a center pass to Cassidy and she was indeed wide open. We’ll spend some time at practice this week throwing to Connor and Cassidy on button hook and slant routes. We are going to get the ball to both of these players if at all possible next game!

In quarter number four the Steelers found the momentum swinging back to us. Edward’s run on play three set up Dillon for the most wide open play of the game. Our play number four is a single reverse going back left but the Raiders were so concerned about Edward the entire Raiders team followed the play right. When Dillon came across the centerline of the formation with the ball there was literally NO ONE HOME on the Raiders side of the field. Touchdown Dillon! A few more plays went by and Nick was off to the races again on play number one. Nick was sure that his flag had been pulled so he stopped at mid field…no whistle…everyone else also stopped thinking the play was over…still no whistle. Yup, I can see both flags…RUN!!!!!!!!RUN!!!!!!!!! (Yes, I know I was a little out of control-sorry about that) Nick lights up his afterburners and is off to the end zone for yet another Steeler touchdown.

Overall a great job by everyone. Lots of things to work on and once I get the game film today from Dillon’s Dad I’ll have it all broken down and script set for Thursday’s practice at Oak middle school at 5:00PM. Next week’s game is against the Tennessee Titans. I spent some time watching their game against the Jets last night and can tell you they will be more of a challenge than the Raiders were. Study your plays, send me questions and throw the ball when you have time.

Thanks again for all of your hard work players. Parents: Thank you for getting them to all of the practices. You can see what a huge difference it makes.

Have a great weekend!

Best regards,

Mark Michaelsen
562 773 0552



 

Scrimmage tonight (Thursday) against the San Diego Chargers. Time:  6:00PM. Please arrive no later than 5:55PM with mouth piece, water bottle and cleats. Oak middle school. Far end of he fields by the 605 FWY.

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Dear Steelers parents and players:

REMINDER: We have practice tonight (Monday) at Oak Middle School from 5:00-6:30PM. This is the LAST MONDAY NIGHT PRACTICE. Practices from here on will be on Thursdays at Oak for the rest of the year unless there is a weather issue. Thank you for making as many of the practices as possible. I think our progress so far this season has been excellent. Schedules for the season are due out this Wednesday and I will have copy of the game and snack schedule on the web site as soon as they are available from the league.

Our last tune up scrimmage is planned for this Thursday but I do not have a final confirmation from the other team’s coach. I will likely be able to confirm that before practice tonight.

See you all tonight at 5:00PM at Oak. Please try to be 5 minutes early and have your cleats, water bottle, mouth piece ready to go.

Have a great President’s Day folks.

Coach Michaelsen
+1 562 773 0552
 

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Dear Steelers parents and players.

First off- - Please bookmark our web site. http://www.dryuv.com/steelers.htm  If you are wondering what you should be working on, where practice is or what time our games are you will find it all on our site as soon as the information is available from the league.

Excellent practice last night. I hope everyone saved their Super Bowl trivia prizes (Candy) until AFTER* dinner.

After just one week of practice everyone has made HUGE improvements but we have a ways to go.

EVERYONE should plan to carry the ball this Thursday night. PLEASE* spend a few minutes each day looking at your play sheets. For all scrimmages against division opponents, we will go on “1” so as not to give our strategy away for the season.

I have attached the play sheet for our first four plays excluding “FLY 1000” which is our first play from scrimmage if the other team is playing a shallow set defense. We can talk more about this on Thursday before the scrimmage.

Scrimmage time: 6:00PM . Please arrive by 5:55PM ready to play. Shoes tied, already gone to the bathroom etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Dear Steelers parents and players:

Everyone played well in our first scrimmage! As we have only had one practice it was difficult to find ways to spread the ball around but as we get a few more practices under our belt I will be making sure that Cassidy, Conner and my son Troy all get some touches on the ball. Please make sure that your players study the play sheets and that they know what to do if I put them at the 1,2, 3 or 4 hole (positions). That way we can get them the ball going the correct direction so we maximize their chances of getting a touchdown.

On defense I thought everyone did a good job. I need to look at game film to identify the holes we are creating with our current set. I hope to do that over the weekend and make adjustments on Monday at practice.

As a reminder our practice this coming Monday is at the same location and time: Monday, February 8, 2010 at 5:00PM. I promise we will be done no later than 6:30PM!

We have a scrimmage on Thursday the 11th against Greg Endleman’s team at 6:00PM. Please mark it on your calendars. Arrive at 5:55PM in Black shorts!
 

Scrimmage- Thursday, February 4, 2010. 6:15PM
Oak Middle School in the track area.

Just for fun...my kids and another coach's kids will be at Rossmoor Park at 4:00PM today throwing footballs.  This is not a practice. JUST FOR FUN.

Dear Steelers Parents and Players:

HUGE*** apologies for running over last night. I m a huge stickler for rules and the rules say 90 minutes. I apologize for running 12 minutes over tonight! THAT won’t happen again.

After our first practice I am cautiously optimistic that we could have a very fun season!

Thank you for being to practice on time and ready to play.

Many thanks to Carla Hodge who has volunteered to be the Uniform Parent. Carla will be collecting short sizes and base layer sizes from you as well as money for the shorts, name on the jersey and if you want base layer, that as well. (Base layer in compression fit undershirt. Our team will wear black.

Thanks also to Jon Kolsky who will be providing game film. It takes a fair amount of time and effort to do this job well but it is a critical part of the learning process for me a s a coach.

We still need to fill the following positions by parents:

• TEAM SPONSOR- We need to have this managed no later than February 8th or we will need to collect approximately $35 from each family. We must pick up our uniforms the week of the 8th so this is the last week to acquire a team sponsor. Please consider this option as it is a tax deductable 501.c3 donation. If you know someone who has a business or would simply like to sponsor what should be a pretty successful team this year, please have them make a check for $275 out to LOS AL Friday Night Lights and give it to Carla Hodge (Nick’s Mom) or her husband Phil. Please drop me a note if you can help with this!
• Assistant Coach(s)
 

Homework for the players.

Work on catching the ball while running.

Study your plays (P 1-4). They are attached to this email.

As a study note on plays 1-4. Every player runs exactly the same play on plays 1-4. The only difference is who get the ball. The motion is identical.

For Nick and Easton- Please practice “Fly 1000”. This is the first play from scrimmage and it runs on “set” in the cadence. Same formation as P-14. The only difference is that the player in the 4 hole (Wide set right) runs a “Go” pattern straight down the field. EVERY SINGLE PLAY we are running has the same motion. Start over center. Pivot left. Roll out right.

Cassidy and Troy: Work on snaps with siblings, friends or Mom or Dad. The snap needs to be “Crisp” (Fast) but don’t let go of the ball until the quarterback takes it. Also work on catching.

Dillon and Conner: Passing, catching on the run, running with the ball.

Edward and Parker: Passing, catching on the run, running with the ball.

All of this may be hugely overwhelming at the moment but when you see what your player is capable of learning I think you will find it incredibly rewarding.

Please see our play sheet attached. Please DO NOT send the play sheet to school with your kids or forward it to ANYONE.

I am still working on a scrimmage for this Thursday but it may or may not happen…As soon as I know, you will know!

Thanks again for your support!

Best regards,

Mark Michaelsen
Dry, Inc.
TOLL FREE 1-888-Dry-Shirt ext 1
International: +1 562 773 0552
FAX +1 562 431 2313
AIM - DryArmour
SKYPE PHONE- MarkAMichaelsen
Web: www.DRYSHIRT.com , www.DryArmour.com , www.DryUV.com
From: Mark Michaelsen [mailto:dryarmour@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 6:46 AM
To: 'Mark Michaelsen'; 'Jim Crotwell'; e.bizkidd@verizon.net; sheanfamily@yahoo.com; jeff.ford@att.com; kslouis@aol.com; hodge99@yahoo.com; phil.hodge@boeing.com; carlamhodge@yahoo.com; 'Mark Michaelsen'
Subject: RE: Steelers TEAM practice begins today

Steelers parents and players:

The season has arrived! Our first practice is today at 5:00PM at Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos. We will meet at the East end of the track at 4:55PM for an equipment check. Everyone needs to have:

• Mouthpiece
• Cleats
• Tee shirt/sweatshirt
• Shorts
• Water
Please make sure they have already gone to the bathroom before practice.
If you are running late or cannot attend practice, please call me: 562 301 8334.
 

WELCOME

Welcome parents to another great year of Friday Night Lights flag football. Our emphasis this year will be focused on teaching the players the game of flag football through the use of various drills mixed in with a pre season scrimmage or two. While there will be some running during the practice, our main goal will be to make sure everyone has fun and EVERYONE carries the ball. The same will be true in games.
 

Community

Friday Night Lights has enjoyed remarkable growth in just three years. The fun and light atmosphere combined with great food vendors (A new one each week) make for a true community experience. Competition on the field is combined with the all important “What’s for snack?” which at this age is what they really remember at the end of the day.

Practice
We will determine a practice time and location that fits into everyone's schedule to the best of our ability. The practice will be limited to a maximum of 90 minutes with most practices being done by 7PM. We only get one practice a week as a team so being on time and ready to play is key to their individual development. Please be certain that your player arrives five minutes early and has a cold water/ Gatorade or similar and has already gone to the bathroom and has their cleats on and tied tightly. A properly fitting mouthpiece is a must on the practice and game field at all times. I suggest you start the season with 3-5 of them as they do occasionally go missing!

Practice
We will determine a practice time and location that fits into everyone's schedule to the best of our ability. The practice will be limited to a maximum of 90 minutes with most practices being done by 7PM. We only get one practice a week as a team so being on time and ready to play is key to their individual development. Please be certain that your player arrives five minutes early and has a cold water/ Gatorade or similar and has already gone to the bathroom and has their cleats on and tied tightly. A properly fitting mouthpiece is a must on the practice and game field at all times. I suggest you start the season with 3-5 of them as they do occasionally go missing!