Colorado State University Athletics
Addazio, Rams Create New Routine
4/1/2020 2:16:00 PM | Football, RamWire
Football program moving forward via technology
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Business as usual.
Even these days, when usual means a little something different. With the majority of the country doing their best to stay hunkered down at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, the new normal has become chic, no matter what you're doing.
Say, moving your wife and six children a few thousand miles to their new home. Or trying to teach a football team you inherited a mere three months ago.
"There's no question it's not ideal," Colorado State offensive coordinator Joey Lynch said, meaning football, not the family move from Indiana to Fort Collins. "But at the same time, you feel very fortunate we got seven practices in, and I do think the kids on both sides of the ball – and offensively speaking – have a really good feel for what we're doing, how we're going to communicate, what we want to get accomplished, so that was great to have a base."
Normal means starting with a staff meeting. Yet instead of walking into the war room with a cup of coffee in hand, coaches are taking the morning java to the computer and logging into remote meetings. The same goes for team, offensive, defensive and position meetings. They are all taking place, just by computer.
Imagine, 40 or so faces on offense staring at you on your screen. It's the opening to the Brady Bunch on steroids.
Different, yes, but productive, just the same, no matter where you are.
While Lynch was able to get his family moved, head coach Steve Addazio is still stuck in Cape Cod, Mass. His family's belongings have been moved to Fort Collins, and thankfully his son, Louie Addazio, the offensive line coach, was there to greet the movers. However, Steve and his wife, Kathleen, were unable to get a flight back to Colorado, and he wonders if it is even safe at this time.
What he is able to do now, he can do from there.
"If I could do any more (there), I'd start walking now," Steve said. "But it's going to be the same thing, on the computer, on the laptop."
Coaches are creatures of habit, and when those are removed, they're not happy. But they do have to adjust and find a way to get the same lists checked off as if they were in the facility and with the players. Naturally, practices and structured lifting are not possible, but everything else has to be recreated. In many ways, they've lost control over some of the structure, but not all.
"For us, we've tried to create a routine," Steve said. "Not just for the players, but for the coaches, so we start every morning with our staff meeting at 7 a.m., then we break up into offensive and defensive unit meetings, and there's a lot of meetings along the way. Then the players, we commence around 2:30 p.m. At 2:30 today, we'll have a team meeting, and then we'll have following that, instead of the unit meeting today, we'll have individual offensive and defensive meetings.
"Then we'll hold some time later in the afternoon for one-on-one academic meetings. Strength and conditioning has their time they're on with them, so we try to structure the day much like as if we were there and get in a routine. It was important to get into a routine as quick as possible."
If this was 20 years ago, it may be different. Technology has advanced to the point they can all be together from where ever they may be, and in some regards, the meeting operates just the same.
Lynch, whether with the offensive coaches, the players or his quarterbacks, can run his meetings just the same, but it is different.
"Right now, it's the new normal. You're trying to get used to it, and of course I've never done that before," Lynch said. "At the same time, it was great to see their faces and get back to talking some football. As not normal as it is from an environment standpoint, it does get us back to some normalcy when you're looking guys in the eyes and talking some ball.
"When you're in the film room, you're running the film, they're looking at the screen and you're talking and they ask questions. From that standpoint, it's the same thing. They're looking at the film on the screen, and everybody's mic is on, so they can interject and ask a question if something comes up. Anytime you break off into the smaller groups, it's a lot easier to have true dialog. When you have the full unit or full team, it gets more hectic."
Strange, Steve said, because he's an eye-contact guy. He doesn't get that, he can't see body language as he talks away. But he can also pop into any of the side meetings taking place and just listen in and comment if necessary.
What is lost, he can't worry about. He wanted spring practice to establish a toughness and physicality. That's not something which can be achieved on a computer. He wishes he had those eight remaining practices in the spring, but he can't get them back.
The work on the field, in the weight room, is not going to be regained.
"By far, I would not compare this to having your kids on campus or having your kids on the practice field," Steve said. "It's not even close. We're not even in the same hemisphere. We're just trying to make the best of what we have right now. I think we were fortunate enough to get seven practices in, but those other eight practices were critical. I think it's particularly difficulty with programs starting with new coaching staffs, because you don't have everybody in place yet."
So they move forward with what they can, establishing the routine of the times until they can get back into the old flow. When that will happen, nobody knows, and Steve isn't wanting to speculate. He joked everybody is an expert now, but what he is is an optimist, and he will remain one until somebody tells him otherwise.
His target date is Sept. 5, so finding ways to maximize every part of every day is the goal, no matter how they have to do so.
If that means meetings by computer, fine.
Lynch is making the most of his film time. This past Thursday and Friday, he was on the road with his family moving, making film work crucial then. But instead of football, it was viewing suitable for six children in the family car.
His quarterbacks understood the situation, constantly texting Lynch to see how he was holding up.
He was doing his best, just like everybody else, dreaming of the days when they could all gather again.
"As (running backs) coach Brian White says, green means go, so we're full speed ahead and planning for the best," Lynch said. "Hoping for first, everyone's health, and this thing to pass as best it can and get back to life and football season in the fall."
Even these days, when usual means a little something different. With the majority of the country doing their best to stay hunkered down at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, the new normal has become chic, no matter what you're doing.
Say, moving your wife and six children a few thousand miles to their new home. Or trying to teach a football team you inherited a mere three months ago.
"There's no question it's not ideal," Colorado State offensive coordinator Joey Lynch said, meaning football, not the family move from Indiana to Fort Collins. "But at the same time, you feel very fortunate we got seven practices in, and I do think the kids on both sides of the ball – and offensively speaking – have a really good feel for what we're doing, how we're going to communicate, what we want to get accomplished, so that was great to have a base."
Normal means starting with a staff meeting. Yet instead of walking into the war room with a cup of coffee in hand, coaches are taking the morning java to the computer and logging into remote meetings. The same goes for team, offensive, defensive and position meetings. They are all taking place, just by computer.
Imagine, 40 or so faces on offense staring at you on your screen. It's the opening to the Brady Bunch on steroids.
Different, yes, but productive, just the same, no matter where you are.
While Lynch was able to get his family moved, head coach Steve Addazio is still stuck in Cape Cod, Mass. His family's belongings have been moved to Fort Collins, and thankfully his son, Louie Addazio, the offensive line coach, was there to greet the movers. However, Steve and his wife, Kathleen, were unable to get a flight back to Colorado, and he wonders if it is even safe at this time.
What he is able to do now, he can do from there.
"If I could do any more (there), I'd start walking now," Steve said. "But it's going to be the same thing, on the computer, on the laptop."
Coaches are creatures of habit, and when those are removed, they're not happy. But they do have to adjust and find a way to get the same lists checked off as if they were in the facility and with the players. Naturally, practices and structured lifting are not possible, but everything else has to be recreated. In many ways, they've lost control over some of the structure, but not all.
"For us, we've tried to create a routine," Steve said. "Not just for the players, but for the coaches, so we start every morning with our staff meeting at 7 a.m., then we break up into offensive and defensive unit meetings, and there's a lot of meetings along the way. Then the players, we commence around 2:30 p.m. At 2:30 today, we'll have a team meeting, and then we'll have following that, instead of the unit meeting today, we'll have individual offensive and defensive meetings.
"Then we'll hold some time later in the afternoon for one-on-one academic meetings. Strength and conditioning has their time they're on with them, so we try to structure the day much like as if we were there and get in a routine. It was important to get into a routine as quick as possible."
If this was 20 years ago, it may be different. Technology has advanced to the point they can all be together from where ever they may be, and in some regards, the meeting operates just the same.
Lynch, whether with the offensive coaches, the players or his quarterbacks, can run his meetings just the same, but it is different.
"Right now, it's the new normal. You're trying to get used to it, and of course I've never done that before," Lynch said. "At the same time, it was great to see their faces and get back to talking some football. As not normal as it is from an environment standpoint, it does get us back to some normalcy when you're looking guys in the eyes and talking some ball.
"When you're in the film room, you're running the film, they're looking at the screen and you're talking and they ask questions. From that standpoint, it's the same thing. They're looking at the film on the screen, and everybody's mic is on, so they can interject and ask a question if something comes up. Anytime you break off into the smaller groups, it's a lot easier to have true dialog. When you have the full unit or full team, it gets more hectic."
Strange, Steve said, because he's an eye-contact guy. He doesn't get that, he can't see body language as he talks away. But he can also pop into any of the side meetings taking place and just listen in and comment if necessary.
What is lost, he can't worry about. He wanted spring practice to establish a toughness and physicality. That's not something which can be achieved on a computer. He wishes he had those eight remaining practices in the spring, but he can't get them back.
The work on the field, in the weight room, is not going to be regained.
"By far, I would not compare this to having your kids on campus or having your kids on the practice field," Steve said. "It's not even close. We're not even in the same hemisphere. We're just trying to make the best of what we have right now. I think we were fortunate enough to get seven practices in, but those other eight practices were critical. I think it's particularly difficulty with programs starting with new coaching staffs, because you don't have everybody in place yet."
So they move forward with what they can, establishing the routine of the times until they can get back into the old flow. When that will happen, nobody knows, and Steve isn't wanting to speculate. He joked everybody is an expert now, but what he is is an optimist, and he will remain one until somebody tells him otherwise.
His target date is Sept. 5, so finding ways to maximize every part of every day is the goal, no matter how they have to do so.
If that means meetings by computer, fine.
Lynch is making the most of his film time. This past Thursday and Friday, he was on the road with his family moving, making film work crucial then. But instead of football, it was viewing suitable for six children in the family car.
His quarterbacks understood the situation, constantly texting Lynch to see how he was holding up.
He was doing his best, just like everybody else, dreaming of the days when they could all gather again.
"As (running backs) coach Brian White says, green means go, so we're full speed ahead and planning for the best," Lynch said. "Hoping for first, everyone's health, and this thing to pass as best it can and get back to life and football season in the fall."
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