NFL: Browns 13 Bengals 27
The Browns had a touchdown on a punt return called back due to penalty. The Browns had a touchdown on an interception called back due to penalty. Carson Palmer looked like Joe Montana. The Browns own the worst record in the NFL since 1999.

NCAA: Bobcats 16 Panthers 10 (OT)
The Bobcats took advantage of their first nationally televised game. This adds fuel to my theory that Coach Dave will fail miserably at Pitt. The Bobcats are a mediocre MAC team. Pitt is the defending Big East champion. I am enjoying a tremendous Bobcat upset.

HIGH SCHOOL (V): Rams 0 Warriors 54
Ouch. It was over before the second quarter started. The Warriors scored on touchdowns of 80, 60, and 75 yards. The Rams were slow in getting to the ball and tackled poorly. It was a very disappointing evening.

HIGH SCHOOL (JV): Rams 16 Warriors 12
I was supposed to act as the defensive coordinator for the JV game. The JV offensive coordinator let me call the offense as well. So, I got to call both sides of the ball. I felt right at home leading the team. It was great to pick up a win. The players deserved it. It was a personally... a reaffirming game. I believe for some of the sophomores, this was their first win since 8th grade. Some of these kids have went close 2 years without experiencing victory. Their emotion was genuine.

PEEWEE: Rams 25 Pirates 6
I missed half of the first quarter. This game was very close in the first half. The Pirates lead 6-0 at the end of the 1st quarter. The Rams pulled ahead 7-6 midway through the 2nd quarter. The Rams scored a touchdown at the end of the 2nd quarter to lead 13-6. The Rams started the 3rd quarter with the ball. They put a good drive together to take a 19-6 lead. The game felt much closer than the score indicated.

Coaching:
Over the weekend, we cleaned the garage. We found an old box of photos and what-not from college. The contents of the box brought back some old memories. One Fall, I was an assistant coach for the Athens Bulldogs 7th grade soccer team. My soccer knowledge is quite limited. I never played soccer. I learned about the game as we progressed through the season. There was an away game midway through the season that the head coach could not attend.

I was 22-years-old. I had never played soccer. I was by myself on a school bus with 25 12-year-olds. It would have been easy to lose control. We fell behind early 2-0. We then tied things up at 2 goals apiece. Things got ugly and we found ourselves trailing 5-2. I stayed positive and continued to encourage the players. I did not cave in or lose my cool. I did not lose confidence in myself or the players. We ended up winning the game 6-5. We went undefeated that season. The team participated in a post-season 7th and 8th grade tournament. We played to a 1-1 tie against a team of 8th graders en route to a 2nd place finish.

In a box this weekend, I found a hand-drawn 11" by 14" card signed by all of the players. I found an 11" by 14" Athens Bulldog painting with an explanation of how the school/team was named. I found an additional card of "thanks" from the kids.

I set the card and photo aside. I plan to frame both items and add them to the wall of my weight room. The items serve as tremendous reminder of the happiness that comes with coaching young adults.