Beatdown, Briganti Style

With a playoff berth at stake, the Briganti hosted the Rams from Milan on Sunday. The day was beautiful, the team was excited, and the grassless field was dusty… just Any Given Sunday in Napoli! It was our last regular season home game so, combined with the great weather and the fact that the day before was Italian Labor Day (don’t ask me why it’s on a Saturday), we had our best crowd of the season. Fortunately, we’re playing our best football at just the right time. Our visitors didn’t have a chance from the get-go… the game was completely one-sided as we took a 28-0 lead into halftime and finished the job in the second. Napoli 41, Milano 0. (For those of you who aren’t the least bit interested in football, you might want to go ahead and skip the next three paragraphs.)

Plain and simple, we absolutely dominated the game up front. The Rams’ defensive front looked like they were wearing rollerblades as our offensive line pushed them all over the field. My right tackle, Albo (a converted tight end in just his second year of football), had his best game of the season. Salvatore, the left tackle, is a good athlete with great hips and foot speed. Freak, the tight end, is probably the best run blocker on the team. Ciro, the center (and as everyone knows, the center is always the best dancer of all the linemen), successfully handles a giant nose guard just about every game and is one of the best downfield blockers I’ve coached. Fortunately, I have great depth at the guard position. Vincenzo (“The Butcher,” literally) and Lorenzo (a young guy who has made drastic improvements this season) are the two starters to go along with four reliable back-ups. I’m extremely proud of the O-line at this point in the season.

On the other side of the ball, our defensive line gave the Rams big problems all day. We had tremendous penetration from our linemen which was not good for a Ram offense that relied on a lot of misdirection. We play a 3-4 scheme and have a very athletic and deep front seven. We rotate six d-linemen and have six very good linebackers. The linebacker corps may be the most talented unit on the team. They’re led by Vito, a guy who looks exactly like an Italian football player should look. Tall, dark haired, dark skinned, about 215-pounds, and could probably play any position on the field. The unit also features an 18-year-old named Lorenzo Buonfiglio who is dead set on coming back to the States with me to spend his senior year playing football in America. So, if there’s any high school coaches out there reading… this kid is a stud!

Highlights of the game included six rushing touchdowns… two each from my fullback, Tommy, and tailback, Paolo. These two have given us a lot of versatility in the running game. Tommy is a good blocker, runs like a truck between the tackles, and has solid hands in the passing game. Paolo is a string bean but is as tough as nails. He’s a great outside runner but also has good vision and cutback ability on inside runs. Pasquale “Chinese” Fusco (pictured above), the back-up QB, also ran in a touchdown, as did our rookie running back, Andrea. Truly, Milan was lucky we didn’t hang 50 points on them as we threw two red zone interceptions.

Other random highlights included one of our ball carriers being tripped with a full-on slide tackle (no penalty called, obviously). Safety Stefano Chitos had two interceptions and made five of six extra points (that’s a big deal for us!). At one point in the game, the ref made an incorrect call (NOT a rarity) then, instead of correcting it, waddled over to our sidelines, removed his hat, bowed and apologized. I felt like Ron Burgandy… “I’m not even mad… that’s amazing!” After the game, the players did their song-and-dance routine to “Hey Baby” then proceeded to rip the underwear off of Andrea, celebrating his first career playing time… welcome to the Big Show, kid. Also, I must give a shout-out to a handful of our American friends who made the trip out to the stadium… thanks!

In non-football happenings… I went on a very cool hike on Saturday. Brennan and I went with two friends, Squeak and Jany, on a hike called The Path of the Gods. The trail looked over the town of Positano, a small town on the Amalfi coast. We hiked through some low-lying clouds, but the views were tremendous throughout the day. We’ll probably do the hike again when we have some visitors in town. Of course, after Sunday’s win the celebration at the Covo was a blast. On this occasion, several of our players adorned neckties, blazers and no shirts for the evening. I can’t wait to see what’s next… hula skirts and coconut bras? I KNOW there has to be a toga party somewhere in the future.

I have about six weeks left in Italy and I’m very excited about my remaining days here. We have one more regular season game (an away game against a divisional rival… the Parma Bobcats of “Playing for Pizza” fame). After that, the playoffs begin and the intensity level on the field with be ratcheted up! Also, the summer season is upon us, which means more day trips to places like Capri, Ischia, and Pompei. Plus, I’m ready to have some more visitors here, which will begin this weekend when Brennan’s father arrives. I’m also hoping to spend a lot of time with the team during these remaining weeks as they’ve become like family to me. And, as much as I’m looking forward to May and the first half of June, I’m excited to return to my home this summer and reunite with my friends and family!

If the Fiat is a-rockin'... don't come a-knockin'

One of the most enjoyable parts of living in a foreign culture is the humor associated with experiencing customs that are new and strange to me. I know my brother Ryan had the same feelings about his time in Germany, but unfortunately he didn’t have another American over there to share the laughs with. Hopefully some of you American readers will enjoy a few of these amusing experiences during my extended stay here in Italy.

The incident that inspired the title of this post and is featured in the picture above is a very interesting practice here in Naples. I’ll start by explaining that Italians are much more willing and likely to live at home until an older age than we are in the States. It is perfectly normal for men in their late 20’s to live with their parents, in fact I would say that most of the guys that age on my team are still in school and/or living at home.

While this practice certainly has its benefits (I know my mother would love to have all her boys at home!), it does create some problems for those guys who have girlfriends and are seeking a little privacy. So, couples who want their “alone time” often resort to, you guessed it… the back seat of a car. But here’s the good part. They don’t try to park in some secluded place off the beaten path, but rather along the side of a few particular roads with newspapers up in the windows. Travel down one of these Lovers’ Lanes a couple hours after dusk and you’ll literally see cars lined up for a mile, all with newspapers and steamy windows like a “Do Not Disturb” sign on a hotel doorknob. Thanks to my brother Dan for the picture… he was the only one with the guts to get close enough to snap a shot.

I enjoy the way Italians communicate. It’s dramatic, intense, and usually seems like far too many words are used to deliver the desired message. The theatrical nature of the conversation combined with the zealous hand gesturing, facial expressions, and the rhythmical cadence of their language make mundane conversations seem very passionate. I don’t know how many times I’ve observed a conversation that I thought surely was a bitter argument or intense debate, only to realize it was a discussion of the weather or a visit to the market earlier that morning. It’s also still funny to me to hear Italian expressions on the sidelines of a football game. I crack a smile when I hear a “Mamma mia!” after a big hit or a “Bellissimo, Max!” after a good pass. I’ll admit I’m joining in, though. I definitely hand out my fair share of “bravo’s” during a game.

Fashion is a very important part of life here. I never see people dressed down. Never see guys in town with sweats and a hoodie… never see girls walking around in flip flops and shorts. Even the basketball courts where we play pick-up are littered with guys in jeans and button-downs. Brennan, Elisa (an American friend of ours), and I played a basketball game a few weeks ago against three Italian dudes, one of which was rocking some Armani skinny jeans! Unfortunately for him, not only did he lose the game… but he split a massive hole in the crotch of his jeans while chasing after the ball about halfway through the game. There’s also an “in-style” color here in Naples… which is purple. When I first got over here I was shocked to walk by big store windows filled with only purple attire.

Yesterday morning, we were enjoying a sunny day down on Via Napoli… shooting some hoops and reading by the sea. We met some young teens who wanted to play a game of basketball with us. My favorite was Marco. He was a short, chubby 13-year-old whose entire outfit was a few sizes too small (at least from an American point of view). Marco wasn’t blessed with a whole lot of athleticism either… he fell down every time he ran more than five consecutive steps… and then took a minute or two to peel himself off the court. What made the sight of Marco even funnier was his tight black t-shirt that was tucked into his underwear, of which several inches were visible because his jeans wouldn’t stay up. It was quite a sight.

It seems like every day I come across something makes me laugh and wish my friends were here to laugh with me. I catch them up on some of it when I email, facebook, or skype with them… but I’ll definitely have some good stories for when I return home.

Down Goes Rome: A Running Diary

Sunday was quite a day. We had our first home game in three weeks against our rival, the Gladiatori from Roma. So here’s a little running diary of the 20-hour day, in honor of one of my favorite sports writers, Bill Simmons.

9:30 am: Roll out of bed. At first glance, it looks we might have some nice weather on our hands.

9:40 am: Special K Classico and a cappuccino. Besides drinking an espresso or cappuccino every morning, Brennan and I don’t really do the “Italian” breakfast. We stick to cereal or scrambled eggs. Seriously though, an espresso maker will be one of my first purchases back in the States. I’m addicted.

9:45 am: Just joking about the good weather… it has started sprinkling already.

10:00 am: Crack open the laptop. Check email, Facebook, Deadspin… in that order.

10:10 am: Found a good article on espn.com.

(Speaking of sports, it’s obviously been hard keeping up with what’s going on while I’m over here. Fortunately this time of year is pretty lame for sports. Though, I certainly regret missing what sounded like one of the best NCAA basketball tournaments in years. I only caught the last ten minutes of the Duke’s win over Butler. And, I would have definitely liked to see Phil Mick win the Masters again. Also, I’m pretty frustrated by Ben Roethlisberger. He just doesn’t look or act like a franchise quarterback sometimes. And how about the greased mullet he sported in his interview on national television about the allegations? I hope he gets his act together. Also… ciao Santonio Holmes. Thanks for Super Bowl XLIII.)

10:45 am: Hop in the shower, which is too small for either of the two guys living in this apartment. There’s just not a lot of room to move around or bend over to reach your legs. As Brennan said when we first arrived… “Looks like I’ll have dirty shins the whole time I’m over here.”

11:20 am: Ready to go. I’m in the game-day frame of mind. Humming Jay-Z in my head. Pacing the apartment.

11:39 am: Ok, finally in the car ready to go. I’m driving. Light rain, mid 50’s. The team is meeting at noon. Let’s go kick some Roman butt!

11:52 am: We get on the Tangenziale, which is the toll highway that runs through Naples. Traffic is a little busier than average because a few of the exits are closed off for a marathon running through the city.

11:59 am: “That was our exit,” says Brennan pointing to the off ramp that I’m flying by. Grande.

12:02 pm: We take the next exit and immediately hit a long line of traffic. Brennan starts receiving calls from players who will be late (it’s our team policy to let the coach know if you won’t make it on time). He assures them we’ll be late too.

12:06 pm: Still sitting in the same line. Starting to fume just a little bit.

12:12 pm: Get back on the Tang heading the other way. Neither of us are familiar with this stretch of road. We miss our exit again from the other side. It’s ok, we’ll just hop off at the next one… oh wait it’s closed. No big deal, we’ll just hop off at the next one... OH WAIT IT’S CLOSED! ARE YOU SERIOUS?

12:18 pm: We take an exit we’ve never taken before. Oh, there’s the hospital… so we know where we are, it’s just nowhere near where we need to be. After being lost for a few minutes, we’re back on the Tang where we quickly reach our exit.

12:31 pm: I take an off ramp a little too aggressively and start skidding out of control. I rock the wheel back and forth and the tires eventually catch the pavement just before we hit the guardrail. I immediately start cracking up… this has been quite drive!

12:34 pm: Thank the Lord we made it to the stadium. My heart is still racing from the near-accident. I walk over to a nearby café for an espresso. A couple of my receivers are in there. They ask me if it’s a good idea to drink a Coke before the game… you know… for extra energy. I just shake my head and they settle for a candy bar. Mamma mia!

12:42 pm: Head to the locker room. Kickoff is at 2:30ish (We’ve never started a home game on time).

1:00 pm: First group on the field. We’re trying new kickers and punters this week because Freak is out with a leg injury. The field is damp but it’s barely drizzling. Not bad!

(When I say “field” I really mean an area of dirt with some grass along the edges. For some reason, our field is almost completely grass-less this year.)

1:25 pm: Warm up gets kicked into a higher gear. I’m pumped… wishing I could suit up today! After warm up we head back into the locker room for a short talk and prayer.

2:20 pm: Our return to the field is greeted by a downpour. It doesn’t look like it’s going to let up anytime soon. Looks like we'll be playing in a mud bowl.

2:30 pm: Ready for kickoff! Emotions are high! Naturally, we’re delayed because the ambulance has yet to arrive.

2:41 pm: Opening kickoff is a good one… a touchback.

2:42 pm: The weather is a factor on the very first play of the game as Rome fumbles the snap and we recover on the 17 yard-line. It’s the first of probably 14 fumbles between the two teams during the game. We run it down inside the five and settle for a field goal. It’s our first successful field goal or extra point of the season.

3:45 pm: We head into halftime with a 3-0 lead. We’ve moved the ball well on offense, fumbling in the red zone once and missing a short field goal on the last play of the half. Rome’s offense can’t do anything against our defense. Passing is just about impossible in these conditions. I’ve got two ball boys running a new ball in every play, but we’re literally playing in a mud pit at this point. Part of me thinks this game might end with a score of 3-0.

4:00 pm: Our opening drive of the second half ends with a fumble.

4:25 pm: The punter for Rome just tracked down a bad snap and kicked the ball off the ground like a soccer player (quite successfully, I might add). Brennan tries to explain that this is illegal. Later we get called for a “push in the back” while on defense. We’re stunned and, at this point, the head official is almost in tears.

(When I visited Germany last summer to watch my brother, Ryan, play I thought the officiating was abysmal. But now, I’d have to say that it’s far superior to the refereeing in Italy. There’s four or five you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me moments with these officials EVERY GAME!)

4:30 pm: We take over on offense at the start of the fourth quarter on our own 14 yard-line. We begin literally smashing the ball down the throat of the Rome defense. Wedge, Power, Wedge, Toss, Power, Trap, Wedge. I’m rotating linemen every play. My fullback, Tommy (who wears #36, by the way), is playing like Jerome Bettis! He’s complemented by Paolo’s speed on the outside. We march the ball down, not passing once, and Freak makes a Willis Reed-like return for a two-year touchdown plunge to seal the victory. What a fun way to the end the game! The surge from the offensive line was incredible. As a former offensive lineman, you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face with a 2x4.

4:45 pm: FINAL: Napoli 9, Roma 0. Post-game antics include running mudslides. Brennan and I join in the fun… I don’t know if our sweatshirts will ever be white again.

4:55 pm: I randomly have a change of clothes in my bag from the day before. Crucial. Brennan doesn’t so we jet out of there before he begins suffering from hypothermia. We’re feeling good… this is our first win in almost a month. I wish my girl was here with me!

6:05 pm: Showered, dry, and warm. We go grab a pizza… Margherita con melanzane for me. Then we head to Squeak’s apartment to chill out. Squeak is a friend of ours in the Navy whose apartment makes ours look like a storage closet… plus he’s got ESPN. He leaves his keys with us when he’s out of town and we occasionally make ourselves at home. This time, he returned home while we were there so we talked football, Italy, San Fermin… and watched some Dexter.

10:20 pm: We head back to our apartment and chill out. Jes calls me on Skype and we talk for a little bit. Then I Skype with Krista, who’s flying over here to visit in May after VES graduation.

11:30 pm: Time to start getting ready to meet the guys at the Covo. Brennan is passed out in the bedroom. I’m feeling a little tired too.

11:45 pm: I put on some coffee… we’re both going to need it.

12:28 am: We park the car near a large group of Briganti smoking up outside the Covo. They’ve been out for awhile and look like they’re feeling good. We enter the club to lots of hugs and kisses. Drinks are quickly poured. They guys are dancing on the tables. “I gotta feelin’…ooo ooo… that tonight’s gonna be a good night….”

12:45 am: A lot of our players are fraternizing (or at least trying to) with members of the cheerleading squad. They’re warriors and lovers!

1:05 am: “Heeeeeeeey, hey baby! (Oooh… Ahhh) I wanna knoooooooow if you’ll be my girl!!!!”

2:10 am: Most of the non-Briganti crowd has left. But the guys are still going hard. No girls around? No worries… that doesn’t stop the dance party.

2:25 am: I’ve never celebrated like this after a win. I can’t wait until we win a playoff game or something.

2:50 am: Smoking a Cuban Monticristo outside with Alex. Delicious!

3:05 am: We stop at an all-night food stand for some comfort food. Pastries with nutella or crème… waffles filled with white and dark chocolate… too much!

3:55 am: Finally get home and get ready for bed. I email Monica, hoping she’ll be around to Skype before I fall asleep.

4:02 am: Aaaaaaaand she is!! I’m so happy I can end this day talking to her. We talk about the day each of us had, about how much we miss each other, and debate the meaning of the word “yet,” among other things. Thank God for Skype!

6:00 am: As I tell Monica good night and that I love her, I see the sky starting to lighten outside my window… here comes the Monday morning sun. What a day.

Catching up...

To my four or five faithful readers out there…. Sorry I’ve been out of touch for so long. I will be more active in my blogging for the remainder of my stay here. Speaking of which, I’ll hit the halfway point of my time in Italy in just five days. It’s amazing to think that I only have two months left in this adventure. My emotions will be mixed when it’s time to say goodbye… I’m developing good friendships over here, and yet there are things and people that I’ll be eager to get home to.

Obviously a lot has happened since I last wrote. I’ll mention some highlights. Those of you who know me, know that I’m a very relational person… so, obviously my best times here are those spent in the company of friends. Brennan and I have made a few trips to Pompei to visit our friend Saverio (and others). Each time we’re treated to a remarkable meal (usually seafood) and great conversation. I’ve also had a chance to spend a few nights playing cards with some of the players, which is fun because, as we all know, poker is an international language! I’ve also been playing a lot of basketball down on the courts on Via Napoli, which is a street not far from our apartment that connects Pozzuoli to Napoli. There are two really nice courts right on the sea and we occasionally are able to get a decent game of 3-on-3 going.

Easter weekend was a good time for me. We went to a Good Friday service in Pompei that was beautiful. The service took place outside the lovely church on the town’s square. The Bishop and those participating processed around the square during the service, stopping at placards that depicted different scenes of Christ’s trial, execution, burial, and resurrection. Needless to say, the service was followed by an unbelievable seafood dinner (the picture above was taken after that great meal). The next day, we hit up a beach for some sun, though the breeze made it a little too chilly for all-day event. That night we met up with some players for a night at the Covo, which is a club owned by one of our linebackers. Fortunately, we were able to experience a Napolitan Easter supper on Sunday at the house of Stefano Ciotola, our tight end. His mother prepared a delicious meal and we washed it down with a lot of chocolate egg… it made me feel right at home. The Italians set aside the Monday after Easter (Pasquetta) as a holiday itself. The unofficial tradition is to travel to a nearby city to spend the day. We went with some players to Scauri, a coastal town a few hours north of Napoli for an all-day BBQ. Lots of fun! I tried to document the weekend in photographs and I’ve posted them on Facebook.

I’m writing this after our team’s third consecutive loss. This brings our record to 2-3 on the season. The first loss came to the defending league champion Bengals. The next two losses came on Saturday night games on the road. Now, these road night games are difficult for a few reasons. First, they’re usually in the range of 8-10 hours away… so we leave early Saturday morning, get off the bus, play a game, then hit the road only to return to Napoli sometime Sunday morning. Also, several of our starters are unable to play in Saturday night games because they can’t get off work. In the first night game, we lost to the Frogs, a team we should have easily beaten. Our offense was only able to muster a single touchdown in the game, bringing our grand total to just four touchdowns in four games! This greatly frustrated the offensive coordinator.

In our most recent game, the tables turned and we found ourselves in a shootout against the Red Jackets, the top team in our division. Finally, the offense clicked on all cylinders and it seemed like we couldn’t be stopped. Max, my quarterback, had his best game by far, throwing for two touchdowns and completing 9-of-10 passes as one point in the first half. Paolo, our running back, ran for two scores and our fullback, Tommy, ran one in and made a TD catch as well. Ciotola had at least six catches including a beautiful wheel route for a TD. For those of you reading that have ever played for or coached with me, you’ll be happy to know that the defense bit hard on the Jail Fox to open up an easy touchdown pass. Unfortunately, the opposing offense had an even better night and we lost by a score of 58-34. The losing streak has been frustrating for sure. Hopefully the offense can build on its success and the defense will return to its dominating ways and we’ll turn this ship around. We host the Gladiatori from Rome on Sunday… and the winning streak begins there.

I’m still very much enjoying the Italian culture. The language is coming slowly. My players assure me that I have a good accent… I just don’t know enough words! And I already know that I’m going to terribly miss the food here when I have to leave… so good. It’s also nice to live in a town in which most things are within walking distance. It’s not exactly enjoyable to drive in this place anyway, and I like being able to walk to the nearest salumeria or pizzeria or fruit stand or café or basketball court. I especially appreciate the warm, affectionate, considerate demeanor of the guys I coach. I wish we were more like this in the States.

I’ll leave by saying that in the last few weeks I’ve also begun to miss bits and pieces of home more and more. It’s mainly the relationships and being around friends that I miss. Of course I really miss my family, close friends, and Bishop. And of course it’s not easy being in a long-distance-relationship… I miss my girlfriend tremendously. And I miss little things like stopping in and chatting with Stike in his office every day. And shooting the breeze with Laf and D and Ben at lunch. And coaching the VES guys in lacrosse. And getting a group together to grub out at La Carreta. So, to all of you back in the States, I’m looking forward to hanging out this summer! Ciao!

THE DRIVE

Whoa, what a weekend! First road trip of the year and it didn’t lack one bit for funny anecdotes. We were away from Naples for about 48 hours and approximately 24 of those hours were spent on a bus. From constantly being lost with our chain-smoking bus driver, to watching the Naples soccer team with the guys on Saturday night, to winning a very dramatic football game on Sunday afternoon, to the team’s antics on the bus ride home… it was a weekend of memories.

First things first. The Briganti move to 2-0 on the season with a big win over the Skorpions of Varese. We had expected cold weather all week but the day could not have been more perfect for football. The sun was shining and temperatures were in the mid 50’s. The stadium was framed by the Alps in the background (though not as nicely as our home field is framed by Vesuvius, I must say). I’ll start by saying that our defense was near flawless. The Skorpions never threatened to score and it’s a good thing, because our offense struggled mightily. We were sluggish to begin the game and then as things began working, we continually shot ourselves in the foot. So, as the stage was set for “The Drive,” we were deadlocked in a 0-0 tie.

THE DRIVE
A tremendous Skorpions punt pinned our offense on our own one-yard line with just more than two minutes remaining in the game. A 99-yard drive seemed a bit far-fetched for an offense that had struggled to put a drive together all afternoon. I would have been happy with two first downs and a good punt. We started out with three running plays to get out of the shadow of our own goalposts. Our running game finally started wearing down the Skorpions as we gained yards in bigger chunks. We tested the defense on the inside and outside and moved the ball near midfield. Paolo took most of the carries but Jonny hit a few big gains on the outside and our fullbacks churned out some good yardage up the middle. Then we finally hit our tight end, Stefano “Freak” Ciotola, on a stick route. He proceeded to break a few tackles and turned the short pass into a big gain. Then we hit my Z receiver, Valerio, on a Jailbreak screen that moved us to the 11-yard line. Finally, with just seconds remaining, we ran double slants and the pass from my quarterback Max hit Freak on the shoulder and popped straight up into the air. A collective gasp was audible from both sidelines and the crowd as the ball dangled in the air for what seemed like way too long. And then my X receiver, Maui, leaped into the air and snagged the jump ball, landing just across the goal line. As the referee ran up to the pile of bodies surrounding Maui and threw his arms up signaling a touchdown, pandemonium broke out on our sidelines. Maui was mobbed in the end zone, and then again on the sidelines. What a play! What a scene! After a squib kick, our 18-year-old backup linebacker, Buonfilio, picked off a Skorpion pass, streaked down the sideline, and was finally pushed out-of-bounds deep in Varese territory. Once again, the poor kid was mobbed by more than 25 frantic Briganti (including me!). The team literally had him pinned against the fence surrounding the field and we’re fortunate that he came out of the pile without injuries. The offense kneeled on the ball and the Briganti escaped with a 6-0 win!

Part of the post-game celebration was a well-rehearsed and choreographed rendition of the chorus of “Hey Baby.” As in, “Heeeeeeeeey, hey baby (Ooh! Ah!) I wanna knooooooow, if you’ll be my girl!” If seeing that in-person doesn’t put you in a good mood, check your pulse! Also, it happened to be Alex’s (one of our linebackers and one of my favorite guys on the team) birthday, so we were popping some bottles of bubbly in the parking lot after the game. Some of the traditions of the team are hysterical. For instance, as me and the currently-injured-defensive back Jimmy were watching a movie on the ride home, I hear a bunch of guys humming the tune to “Tequila” followed by what sounded like a wrestling match. Apparently, all the rookies that played in the game got their underwear pulled over their heads by a group of rowdy, humming teammates. It’s a rite of passage of sorts… and I’m glad the rule doesn’t apply to rookie coaches.

And now a little about the trip. First, we told everyone to meet at 8 a.m. in hopes of leaving by 8:30. In true Neapolitan fashion, we pulled off a little after 9:00. Also, there’s some law in Italy that any driver of a bus or truck must take a 25-minute break every four hours (soft). Naturally, we took a 30-minute break at 11 a.m. This pretty much set the tone for the trip. My seat was directly behind the driver, who smoked cigarettes during the drive like it was some kind of contest. It wasn’t too bad when we were moving, but during what seemed like the two hours of being lost in Varese I got my fair share of second-hand. We were equipped with a GPS but either it didn’t work or our driver refused to use it. We spent a lot of time pulling in and out of alleys and back roads where we didn’t fit. At one point, when we were nearing the 11-hour mark of the trip up north, some of our guys apparently started heckling the driver which he didn’t take kindly to. So as we sat in the middle of the road with our blinkers on, he got up and angrily confronted his naysayers. I have never wanted to understand the Italian language more than I did in those few moments.

Once we finally reached the hotel, we ate a huge dinner in which the highlight had to be the risotto. After dinner the guys hustled to the lounge to watch the second half of the Naples vs. Florence soccer match. Watching the game with the guys brought back great memories of watching Steelers games with my buddies in college. These guys REALLY care about their soccer. There were a few times when guys needed held back from the TV after Naples missed a scoring opportunity. Unfortunately, it was a not a good night for Naples and they lost 3-1. I’m pretty sure a few of the Briganti thought I was bad luck for their team.

After just two games, the Briganti sit at the top of the southern division of the FIF. But we have a big test next week. The defending champion Bengals of Brescia come to town after blowout wins in their first two games. The Bengals are regarded as the best team in the league, so we’ll get a true sense of what we’re made of next week. Time to get to work!!

Briganti Win Opening Game

Heading into the first game of the season, I was confident that we were a good team. But without ever seeing our guys in game action or having any clue what to expect from our opponents, I was not really sure how things would play out in our opener. I was hopefully because we had a great week of practice leading up to The Game and my quarterback was coming off of his best practice of the season. It was a clear, chilly day as the Briganti squared off against the Blacks from Torino on Sunday to start the 2010 campaign. Fortunately, we played well enough to come away with a 12-8 victory.

The Blacks are a team from the Northern Division and, at first glance, looked more like the teams I saw in Germany last summer while visiting Darmstadt than our team here in Naples. Initially, I was impressed with the physical size of the blacks and ounces The Game started, I was shocked by it! These guys were huge! If you're talking purely dimensions, the Blacks had an NFL-sized defensive line. The two defensive tackles were both taller than 6-6 and over 300 pounds. Going into Sunday, I was happy with our size up front on offense ... now I'm wondering if we're going to have to use our speed to beat teams.

The game started off slow. Our scouting reports suggested we'd see a 3-4 defense from the Blacks I know that's what we prepared for. Of course, they lined up in a four-front all day so that was an adjustment for us. They packed the middle of the line and slowed down our plan of running the ball right at them to start the game. Fortunately for us, they left themselves very vulnerable on the outside. On the first play of our second possession, we took advantage as our starting running back, Paulo Vettorel, ran the ball around the outside to the left for about a 75-yard touchdown. Our two receivers on the outside, Maui and Valerio, both did a great job of blocking all day and play on this Maui deserves the credit for springing such a long run by destroying the cornerback on that side. We botched the extra point to take a 6-0 lead.

Our defense played extremely well all day. The Blacks did not cross midfield during the first half and the offense had great field position most of the day. We got the ball close a couple more times in the first half, including a drive that stalled on the one-yard line just before halftime. At the break I told our guys that when we get that close we must find a way to get the ball across the end zone.

The defense continued to stuff the Blacks in the third quarter and the offense got close to scoring again. We moved the ball inside the 10-yard line but this time backed us up and penalties killed the drive. The teams punted the ball to each other most of the second half until we got the ball around midfield with under two minutes to go. We ran to the counter twice, which we had not yet, and picked up two first downs. After another play on the ground, Paulo bounced a run to the outside on the right and jogged into the end zone for his second TD. This time, Valerio gets the credit for handling the cornerback on that side.

The Blacks picked up a garbage touchdown against the second defense with just seconds remaining. The two-point conversion made the final 12-8 and my first experience with Italian football ended with a win. I felt the Briganti dominated the game and, if we would have played our best, we're probably three touchdowns better than the Blacks. But leaving those points on the field gives us something to concentrate on fixing this week.

I was impressed by the intensity and passion of the play on Sunday. At times, it was a little too passionate. There were several scuffles and two legitimate fights during the game. In fact, there was a fight with just seconds left that ended the game early. On one hand, I love to see the tough, fearless attitude of our guys ... there's some dudes on this team that you flat-out do not want to mess with. Paulo, for one, was at the center of both fights. After the game I commented that he had two touchdowns and two fights and in his broken English asked me if I'd prefer three touchdowns and zero fights next time. But on the other hand, we do not want to develop the reputation of a team that is out of control or that consists of a bunch of thugs. Sometimes that's a fine line in football. You need your players to walk along that edge of aggression without it spilling over into penalties or brawls on the field.

It was great to have my youngest brother, Dan, and good friend Dustin over here for the first game. There were a lot of funny nuances to Sunday's game that we were able to enjoy. For example, the head referee (and only legitimate referee at the game, I might add) tried to punt the football Blacks to their sidelines after a change of possession instead of throwing it over. Of course, he horribly shanked the punt and one of the Blacks had to run out on the field to grab the ball. Also Dan was a big help during the two practices he was able to attend as he worked with my QBs.

Dan and Dustin are here for one more day and I'll write a post soon about their visit! Until then ...

The Team

While there's no doubt I'll be enjoying my time abroad and experiencing new and exciting things, I am here with a job to do. That said, now I'll do my best to introduce the team (at least the offensive half). Overall, I'm very impressed with how seriously these guys take their football team. They all have jobs or are in school, but football means a lot to them. They're very Eager to learn, show what little they know, and please the coaches.

When I first took this job I was obviously interested in the quarterback position, as any offensive coordinator would be. Fortunately for me, the Briganti have a good one. Max is a 23 year-old athletic guy with good leadership skills and the best English on the team. He spent a few years in the states, so he is always my translator in the locker room during offensive meetings. He's well respected and has a decent throwing motion, Which we're continuing to work on. I also like my backup, Pasquale, a.k.a. Chinese (the guys on the team think he looks Chinese). He's pretty athletic but has a lot of work to do in the throwing department. When my youngest brother Dan comes over in a week, he'll be Able to help these guys a lot.

My offensive line is solid. The top six all understand a little bit of English, Which is a huge relief. I'm becoming good friends with my center, Ciro. Walter, a guard, is my most seasoned lineman and is a good leader. Mario (aka Drinker) and Lorenzo (one of our most committed players) are also guards. The two starting tackles are younger guys: Albo and Salvatore. They're both a lot of fun and are big, powerful guys. These guys LOVE to hit. I was not planning on it, but I installed the wedge in the opening practice and they loved it. My prediction is that the Briganti will be a power running football team this year ... Which if you know the type of offense I coached in the states, will be a big change for me. The picutre above is of the offensive line and their new coach (L-R: Lorenzo, Albo, Salvatore, Walter, me, Mario, Ciro, and Biagio).

I have two good running backs. Both are thin and fast. They'll double as our kick returners. I have a couple solid fullbacks as well. Probably the most talented player on my side of the ball is my tight end, Stefano (or Freak as he is called). Freak is big (probably about 6-4 and probably 225 lbs) and fast and might have the best hands on the team. He's a punishing blocker and a good pass receiver. He's also the punter. My receivers are solid athletes. Valerio is one of our faster players and he can catch. Throwing the ball will be a challenge over here, but I think we'll get it done.

The coaches treat the players very, very well. They are respectful and attentive. They do not like to see us carrying equipment in from practice, standing without a seat in the locker room, or even filling our own wine glass. I think the guys seem to like me so far. They're very excited about some of the new plays I've installed. They guys on the team are going to make this experience a very rewarding one!