Tuesday, April 28, 2009

May is once again Linfield Legends month!


I don’t know if we can call this a tradition yet but for the 3rd year in a row May is once again Linfield Legends month on Catdomealumni.com. These are Wildcats that stood out on the field as some of the best that Linfield has had to offer on the field over the past years and is picked by yours truly. For some of you that may ask about Linfield greats from the 80’s, 70’s, etc. I would love to put together clips of greats from Linfield’s golden era but my video resources are limited during this period of Linfield football. However, there is NO doubt that the Legends that have been picked so far no doubt deserve the run as they were all outstanding football players.

The blog will also be working on bring some more information about each of our 4 legends as WC11 was able to speak to a couple of coaches about each Legend and I’m working on having former teammates blog about each legend.

So here are your newly minted Linfield Legends for 2009.

May 4th: Bruce Assily, Defensive End (1996-1999)

May 11th: John Nosler, Wide Receiver (1997-2000)

May 18th: Branden Hughes, Cornerback (1994-1996)

May 25th: Daryl Agpalsa, Offensive Guard (1999-2002)

Monday, April 27, 2009

Jaymin Jackson Spring Football Diary, Week 2

Linfield linebacker, Jaymin Jackson, is back to give you his week 2 update on the 2009 Spring Football session. Today starts the last week of spring ball for our Wildcats and Jay will be back one more time next week to recap his final week. Go 'Cats!
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Day 5

Today’s practice was a very intense practice. Both sides were going at each other and there was a lot of talking going on. The offense was going at a no huddle pace for 8-10 plays and it really took practice to another level. Towards the end of the drive, I made a few comments to the offense saying, “were not tired, yall could go ahead and run another 20 plays and you still wouldn’t get us breathing hard.” It was close to 80 degrees outside and you could tell that people were moving very well with the warm weather. It was also good to see the quarterbacks taking some deep shots. On a regular basis the quarterbacks were choosing to throw the deep ball, which was good to see. One thing that put a damper on the deep ball was Bryce and Nate. Those two earned the Nickname “Pelican Bay” because they were on lock down. The running backs are benefiting a lot from coach Smiths new drills and look very good. Another day down, and now it’s time to study.

Day 6

The day started out like all the others. The weather was great and I think the offense was drinking some special water today. It seemed like they were completing every pass. We would be in a great call defensively and have good coverage and they somehow would complete a pass. The offense definitely took it to us today. To our credit, we did a very good job stopping the run during team session. Our young secondary is starting to shake up nicely. We might be young in the secondary but as a group, they are the most athletic group that I have played with in my time here. One thing that got the group laughing was Coach Vaughn. Typically, coach either makes fun of someone or tells a bad joke that the players laugh at. Well, recently coach has been having some back troubles. We were out on the field waiting for the defensive call and we see coach laying down in the end zone. He was signaling in the calls from his stomach. If anyone else was doing it, it wouldn’t be as funny but its coach Vaughn so it got us all laughing. Quick cool down and back to the books.

Day 7

We had another themed practice today. Today was West coast Wednesdays. As I was talking to coach Smith about it, he was under the impression it was going to be board shorts and quicksilver. He was telling me about all these old surfer brands and I was agreeing, but I knew that his idea was different then our idea of West Coast. Coach Fendall game out in a super large jersey and some basketball shorts. To finish off the outfit he has a sideways baseball cap on. He could easily pull this outfit off if he wanted to. His new and improved arms thanks to P90X looked super cut in the jersey. Besides the super gangster outfits, the practice was enjoyable. The D-line is starting to gel and some young players are making a lot of headway. Travis Wong has been very consistent in his play and is looking very solid at the rover position. Coach Rombach has been doing a great job coaching the linebackers while Coach Vaughn is helping out with the D-line. Quick cool down and time to hit the books.

Day 8

I recently turned 21 and somehow my body aged 10 years after that day. I got to practice and I felt like I was 40 years old. I remember the days when I could just put my cleats on and go. Now, I have to do this 10-15min routine to get this old bronco warmed up. Alex and I constantly are talking to each other about when we feel like we are warmed up. I always feel good in the middle of 7 on 7 which is about 45 minutes into practice. At the beginning of practice I am probably running a 5.2 forty and when I feel good, I’m back to my 4.6’s. Coach Rombach is always giving me extra time to get loose and stretch in between drills. When I came in as a freshman with Alex and Paul, we would always hear Cam, Ryan and Coach Rombach complain about this whole getting old thing. I remember saying to myself, “that will never be me.” Well now it is. My body just isn’t what is used to be. It’s sad saying that and I’m only 21. After the joints got warm and the muscles got limber, practice flew by and my focus was on my financial management test. Cats are looking sharp and are taking steps towards the NWC title.

-Jaymin Jackson
Class of 2010

Monday, April 20, 2009

Jaymin Jackson Spring Football Diary, Week 1

Linfield linebacker, Jaymin Jackson, is going to be keeping you up-to-date on his 2009 Spring Football session that covers the last three weeks of April. Wildcat11 is going to get out to spring football this week and shoot some video and try to get some scoops but WC11 did miss this past week due to a crazy week. Jay jotted down his thoughts after each day in a running diary so be sure to check back each Monday for your Spring Football update. Go 'Cats!!!!
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Day One

The initial feeling right now is stress. I am writing this entry in Micro Economics right now and I’m trying to figure out how I am going to adjust my schedule so I can make time for studies and ball. I am looking forward to this day for a long time, it just so happens I have two tests this week which is unfortunate. The first day of spring football has been something that has been marked on my schedule for a very long time. The team has been waking up at 6:30 every morning for 2 ½ months to prepare for next season. When you work as hard as we do, you are eager to see you hard work pay off. With spring practice being here, you have an opportunity to work on your time management. Coach has sent out multiple emails encouraging us to get our homework done early that way we can attend all the meeting and practice. For me, this means I can’t play COD 5 with fellow teammate Buddy Saxon. I am sure that we will make up those hours missed this weekend.

The first spring practice meeting went very well. Coach Rombach was putting the dry erase board to work. Coach drew up our basic defenses and coverage’s and explained the basic principles. For Alex, Partlow, Bubba and me these meeting are more for fine tuning our knowledge of the defense. After being in the program for four years, we all are basically coaches that are in uniform. The younger player’s minds are getting some work. I remember my younger days and it wasn’t fun. Trying to understand where people on crash dogs and what coverage to run behind it. After about 45min of chalk talk, coach sent us out to the field. This is where the real excitement hit you. I was ready to compete! Coach Fendall put us through a brisk warm up and we did some speed work before we hit individuals. Shortly after indys we went to 7 on 7 or skelly. Both were getting after it. Players were high fiving everywhere, chest bumps were a defensive favorite for the day. The coaches were full of energy and were coaching their butts off. After a highly intense team practice coach brought us in and gave us his thoughts about the practice. Before you knew it, it was, “One two three Linfield, one two three wildcats, one two three family.” Off to homework and sleep.

Day Two

Meetings started at 5:45 today in the film room upstairs next to the football offices. It was quite a sight, we squeezed in 10 215+lbs men into a room meant for 5 maybe 6. Towards the end of the meeting the room definitely had a different scent to it. After we finished putting in our final blitz package for the day we rushed to put our cleats on. Coach Rombach let us out of meetings with just 2 minutes to get ready for practice. This is very typical of the defensive coaches to do this. Just like the day before, the weather was awful. Though today it wasn’t raining so I guess that’s a positive. Today’s theme was people losing their T-shirts. Since we can’t use pads were a limited to shirts and T’s. You would come off the first and see a bare chest defensive player who was a victim of offensive holding. Now it’s even more obvious when those guys on offense cheat. The common replies from the defensive guys were, “the shirt didn’t rip itself.” During team, I caught myself getting in the zone. I was getting hungry for some running back blood. Something about staring down a running back standing behind 300lb O-lineman gets my blood pumping. Team went well, both sides were working the kinks out and it was a successful practice. Coach Smith brought us in and sent us to Coach Fendall for a cool down. Coach Fendall had us doing some interesting stretches after a quick cool down it was off to study and sleep.

Day Three

Today started off the same as the rest with position meetings but we got to watch film of the past practice. Now film sessions are probably were you are learning most as a football player. Every position gets broke down to a T. Most of the time you going into the film room thinking that you had a great practice and made some great plays. Well, that awesome practice becomes ok and those great plays turn to average. Most of the time you either made a bad read or your technique wasn’t perfect. Even it sucks hearing that you didn’t do as well as you thought on that play, you understand that the corrections are what make this place special. Not being satisfied is what makes Linfield the winningest college football program in the country. The coaches are always looking for a way for you to improve on every play. After films we headed out to the field for another great day of football. Coach Smith was limping around today in his old school blue rain gear. He suffered a knee injury during noon hoops. He has been playing basketball at noon for 13 or more years with the same group of guys. He has invited me a few times to play and let me tell you, coach has some game. Coach has a mean stop and pop game and his mid-range jump shot is super tough. His three point game is streaky but all around his game is solid. Coach Vaughn was commenting on his days on playing noon hoops. All the coaches agreed that he had a super mean three point shot. Coach Vaughn is pulling double duties right now; he is coaching the number 1 softball team in the country and being a d-coordinator at night. Another day in the books, and now it’s back home to study and sleep.

Day Four

Today’s practice had a little flavor to it. The structure was the same and the players were the same, but the outfits were a little strange. Thursdays practice was “Throw Back Thursdays.” The defensive players took part in this event. You saw multiple players in John Stockton length basketball shorts and vibrant colors. Corner Bryce Comfort was sporting a flamed biker bandana. Nate Dixon was wearing a bright neon green long sleeved shirt. Not only was that strange, he also got two picks wearing the brightest outfit on the field. You knew the quarterbacks saw covering the receiver. I personally had on my UPS, “what can brown do for you?” shorts on. I picked these up at the local Wal-Mart. I also had on my 4th grade YMCA basketball shirt on. It’s my all time favorite shirt in the world. I keep in a special place in my dresser. Practice went well and the offense has started to get the timing down. A couple of new comers have impressed a lot of people because of their outstanding play. The good weather made the practice fly by. Now it’s the weekend and time to relax.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

04 archives....Stagg Bowl Win!



Was digging around the 04 raw footage this evening and wanted to put together a fast montage of some of the 2004 post-stagg bowl victory. It was a great moment to be a part of and I think this clip will give you a taste of that.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Wildcat11 gets hands on 2004-05 raw footage

Wildcat11 has been able to get his mits on the raw clips used to put together the 2004 and 2005 Linfield Highlight DVD's. Now you may not think that is a very big deal but there are ALL sorts of hidden gems in the vast .AVI clips that are now at my fingertips. Catdomealumni.com will find some great uses in the future for this footage down the road but above is one of my favorites.

Does anybody have the email address to former UW-LAX QB Steve Tennies? Hey Steve, WATCH OUT!

George Fox 2004 baseball championship better than 'Cats 04 Football title?

CBS Sports owned, The Bleacher Report, posted up a Top 10 Northwest Sports Teams of all time today and two NWC graced this list. Coming in at #10 was Linfield's 2004 National Title team and ranked at the #8 slot was the 2004 George Fox Baseball Championship team.

Now, I applaud the author for including small college teams onto this list as you could easily claim there are other teams that could have cracked this list but my question is the accuracy of GFU great accomplishment being put in front of Linfield's incredible 2004 season?

I'm not much of a baseball guy but after I posted up a comment questioning GFU ranked in front of Linfield, the blog's author responded that George Fox's title win "transformed" small school ball. Really? Now that comment needs more explanation to Wildcat 11.

The Bleacher Report: The Top 10 Northwest Sports Teams of All Time