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Monthly Archives: December 2011

2011 AFC SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!

14 Dec
When we got another NFL team here in Houston I was still coaching high school football. But I was very excited and decided to buy into the team and follow them. I coached with a guy who was a die hard raider fan so I thought it would be neat to jump on a team in our city like I did when I was young. Soon after the Texans came around I moved on to be a principal and purchased 2 season tickets. So as of right now I have missed 3 home games in the last 7 years. I have stuck by my Texans through thick and thin. As the season unfolded I was overwhelmed with excitement through the ups and downs. I can remember being in my seat and scanning the sideline looking for Mario Williams. Only to find out he was in the locker room. I remember the death like silence of reliant when Andre went down and the feeling of “here we go again” just like all the other years and the “maybe next years”. Well low and behold at the Pittsburgh game I felt something different. We played with confidence and it seemed like we played to win not played to lose like I had seen during the “sagecopter” game. We have guys that were young 1st or 2nd year players and they play with such passion and unbridled wildness. One of the sports radio guys Lance Zierlein referred to our defense as a bunch of zombies who could not be stopped, he likened them to the zombies in the movie “28 days” but I like to think of them in the movie “I am Legend”. But anyway he is exactly right, and I have bought in even more and drank the whole jug of Texans koolaid. Right now we are 10-3 and playing a Carolina team that has cam newton, BUT, we have the front 7 “I am Legend” or “Bulls on Parade ” is what they have been calling themselves. Named after a song from Rage against the Machine. But to get back on track I am just so proud to be a part of this and for this city to be enjoying this. It is like a movie, there are no more David Carr’s, there are no more white safeties named Stephen’s, or any running backs who changed their last names and we jumped for joy when they ran for 1000 yards. These guys don’t give a crap about anything except busting their ass and going crazy. They aren’t mature off the field, they take pics of each other and paste them on twitter and then the next day go out and demolish their opponent. I just love it, they are characters, but their leader Andre Johnson has character and keeps everything classy. He has been here 9 years now and has been through it all. But now he has a group on the other side of the ball who don’t understand that they shouldn’t be doing this right now, they are too young, they don’t have enough experience, its like the kid that makes the great catch in street football and just assumes everyone else can do that, it’s no big deal. They expect it!! and they prepare like warriors and play like zombies.
Growing up without a dad and watching my cousins go to oiler games with my uncle I always told myself I wanted to make lifetime memories with my kids that they would never forget. These Texans have helped me accomplish that. My 10 year old loves going to the games, when we beat Indy for the first time at home last year, we were hugging and jumping up and down in the stands. This year is no different he gets upset when we lost to raiders and shows pure elation when we win. After the bengals game he runs to me and hugs me saying we won! we won! Hopefully those are things I can give him and he can tell my grand kids that he got to experience things with me. I wanna thank the crazed zombies for helping me make those memories.
I don’t know how far we will go in the playoffs and I don’t know if we will keep winning next year. I would love to have a perennial winner here in Houston but my point is I am living and loving and taking all this in this year. I feel like I have waited so long. When I realized the titans lost and we were division champs I didn’t jump up and down, I had a calmness and just stood in my living room and Brad screamed we won, and said quietly to myself “we just won the damn divison“. I felt relief, I felt like Hakeem Olajuwon after we won the title. It pictured him sitting on the scorers table taking it all in and drinking in the entire moment. That is how I felt last Sunday.
BUT, back on my coaches speak, this thing isn’t over, we are all happy we won but I don’t want to clap at the end of a playoff game we lose saying how proud we are of this team this year. I expect victory, I expect the next man up to take charge and do what is expected and that is WIN!!!!. But the funny thing is , our front seven probably has no idea what I am talking about, all they know is it is dark, they are zombies, and they want out to attack whoever is in a different jersey, they don’t know any different and they can’t play any different. “I AM LEGEND”
Thank you zombie bulls on parade!!!
Ya’ll be safe out there!!
 
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Posted by on December 14, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

My Brush with Greatness.

07 Dec
We had a huge Basketball tournament here at Deer Park. I think there was about 60 plus teams entered. It was sponsored by Mcdonlads and it brought in a bunch of people and teams from a long way away. Well I was at one of the games and I see Roy Williams walk in the gym. THE Roy Williams head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. I go in the mall and tell him hello. He introduces himself to me like I don’t know who he is. I introduce myself and he ask where the hospitality room is. I walk him down there as he ask a few questions about the school and how nice it is and when was it building. He goes and gets some snacks and all these folks are chatting him up and talking. He eats a bit then comes back in the mall and walks over to me and says “hey coach I am looking for a place to get some good Texas BBQ”. I tell him how to get to Cattle drive (which isn’t the best but the closest and thought he would like the atmosphere). He thanks me and tells me about a story when he was coaching for Dean Smith and they went to a hole in the wall place in Lubbock and it was just great. I told him this place is next to a Conoco gas station so you can’t get much more hole in the wall than that. He laughed and said great and thanks. I go on home and the next monday Louie Means comes to me and says Roy Williams was looking for you last night. He said he went to eat BBQ and loved the place and when he got back he ask where I was so he could thank me for sending him to the place.
How about that? Roy Williams was asking where I was to thank me. Now that’s classic.
Ya’ll be safe out there!!
 
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Posted by on December 7, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

Brad’s Christmas Card

07 Dec
I just wanted to make a small post about a Christmas card Brad made me and Tressa. Just a couple of thoughts. First it makes me emotional to see him writing sweet things about me and his mom. He is such a loving and sensitive boy and he tries to hide it but cares so much about making us happy. When he got in the truck he immediately pulled it out and said he made it for me and mom. When I read it and thanked him his reaction wasn’t one of “look what I did for you” it was one of “hope that makes your christmas a little better” it was a sincere look of caring. I love him for that and I am sure his mom does too.
Secondly I found it funny what a 10 year old boy is thankful for. He mentions twice how thankful he is for us making him food and buying him food. He has food on the brain all the time and eats like a horse. Thank you Brad I love you.
Ya’ll be safe out there!!
 
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Posted by on December 7, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

Thanksgiving, Texans and TJ Yates, Holiday Dance

07 Dec
Thanksgiving was here and we had the normal routine. I did fry three turkey’s first though. Dan Sikes and Allan Myers brought theirs over and we used Dan’s new oil free cooker. It turned out great. We went to Tressa’s dad’s in the morning and had dinner then went to our house and everyone else met us over there for the rest of the night. It has been pretty much the same routine for the last ten years. You get stuffed twice and are miserable the rest of the day. Me and the kids usually go to deer lease about 7 after we eat but this year was the last year of the UT and A&M game so we watched the entire game. We didn’t roll into lease until about 1 in the moring. It was a site watching us try and find a bed for us to sleep in that night. We did not see much deer wise but we had a great time.
Well the Texans are 9-3 and are really playing great defense. I have been totally wrapped up in them and the stats and the playoff picture. We just beat a good Falcon team this week and our defense is the top in the league. I am purchasing my playoff tickets and will be at every game. It has been really cool for me and Tressa to make these memories with the kids. I hope the Texans continue this run. The only thing that could possiblly go bad is our quarterback. We started with Matt Schaub and he got hurt so they put in Matt Leinert. Everyone thought he could manage the game and we would be fine with him the rest of the way. Our defense has been playing great and leads the league. Well the first game Leinert is in he gets hit and breaks his collarbone so he is out. Our last quarterback is a rookie named TJ Yates. We drafted him from North Carolina in the 5th round. He was never expected to play. Well the kid did a great job and we beat the jags. This week we played a good Falcon team and he had another good game and managed the game. Our defense game through again. We have Wade Phillips as the DC and guys like Brooks Reed, Connor Barwin, JJ Watt and Brian Cushing are playing great and they are young players. Hopefully this will last a long time. Maybe this TJ Yates kid will turn into a Tom Brady situation and will be a great QB for years to come for us.
Well The only other thing going on for Mady this month was the Holiday dance. She cracks me up. When I got home last friday her and Julia Savedra, Cassie Salazar and Lizzie Malek were all in the living room doing each others hair and laughing and giggling about stuff. It was so cool to see and hear. My baby is growing up but to come home and hear the noise of kids and her friends and them laughing was just so awesome. Well we took them to the dance and then went to Mark Neu’s birthday at a small bar by Twin Cities restaurant. She had a good time at the dance, she isn’t too boy crazy right now but she has a ton of friends. It just makes me so happy and proud to come home and see her getting fixed up with her friends. That is how I always pictured it is all the kids at our house and getting ready and seeing our kids so happy going and doing things. Her and Brad both are so so big and mature now, I love it and I hate it.
Ya’ll be safe out there!!
 
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Posted by on December 7, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

Youth Weekend, No Shoes, Mady’s Deer, an Elk, Huge Buck, and a Shark

07 Dec
Deer season started with youth weekend. Brad was torn on when he wanted to go. We usually go on friday right when school gets out. This year his buddy Brandon Meza was having a party on the saturday of youth weekend. I don’t want to burn Brad out on hunting so I told him it was ok, he could go to the party. We also had the football playoff game that morning. So we would only be missing one hunt. Mady had a big party saturday night so she wanted to stay home anyway. She said it was ok and she would shoot a deer later in the year which she has done since then. I feel like it is ok and don’t worry about her. She enjoys hunting but doesn’t make a big deal about going everytime. I can see her starting to be layed back about things she likes such as hunting. She doesn’t feel the pressure to please me but still has an interest in going. While Brad is so worried he is gonna let me down. I wish he understood that no matter what, he is the greatest boy in the world to me.
So I pick Brad up at Meza’s and we get to lease that evening. We get up and sit in the stand. Around daybreak his feet get cold so he takes his boots off and puts themn up under my jacket to get them warm againest my stomach. He goes to sleep and I am scanning the tree line. Around 7:30 a group of does come out in front to the left toward our black feeder. I wake him up and get him the gun. Four come out. I tell him to pick the biggest one and he says ok, ok I got it. I click off the safety and he shoots. Good hit and the does dives into the woods. Well he has shot many a deer in the last 4 years but never without his shoes on!!!!hahahaha! That was a first. So we put his shoes on and went and got his Doe.
That evening we sat in the same stand. Brad did his same act of falling asleep. I watched and sure enough a small spike comes walking out. I wake him up and hand him the gun. This is the first time I didn’t set it up for him. He took it and brought it to his shoulder and found it in the scope himself. All I did was pull it off safety when he was ready. He made a good shot but it was a little high. The deer fell in the woods and I had to shoot it in the head when we walked up. Youth weekend was a success. Two deer for my big deer slaying dude. He was excited and we came on home.
Mady waited until the second weekend. I took her to centerville just me and her. Rick was there with Devin so it was just us four. We sat in the same stand she shot her coyote in last year but we didn’t see anything. Rick made a big pot of deer stew and Mady kept Devin entertained that night. Me and Rick sat on the porch and visited for a little while and then we called it a night. the next morning we sat at another stand. Two small bucks came out. one looked legal and Mady kept telling me ” I promise dad I promise it’s legal” I looked and looked and finally said ok. The gun was up and I said wait, wait, wait, then I said ok, go ahead and shoo……BANG!!! She shot and dropped him before I could even get the word shoot out all the way.
Well we cleaned him and iced him down and she was happy. We stayed that afternoon but didn’t see anything so we came on home. It was a great trip especially since me and mady were there just me and her together. She is a special girl who I hope her future husband appreciates and I’ll tell you why.
We are on our way home and going over the toll bridge. She says, “dad you know what I wanna do?” I say “what’s that?” she says, ” I want to go on a trip far away and shoot a huge buck using a guide” I said, baby we can do that and I’ll start setting it up. Then she says “well that is one of my goals, I really have three” I ask what the other two are and she replies, ” I wanna shoot an elk and I wanna catch a shark” I say Mady those are two things I would love to help you accomplish.
She is such an awesome kid. She makes me happy and melts my heart.
Ya’ll be safe out there!!
 
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Posted by on December 7, 2011 in Uncategorized

 

Club Volleyball, Basketball, Football done

05 Dec
Mady’s school volleyball ended. They got second place and lost out in the tournament. Her season was successful and she had a good time making memories with her friends. Now club volleyball has started and her team is not very good. She is on the non travel team and her and Julia Savedra are on the team together so that will be fun. They had their first tourtnament this weekend and they only won one match. She is playing lebero and still getting to serve. It was way out in the woodlands and her and tres had to leave at 6 in the morning. They didn’t get home until 4 that afternoon. She seemed to have a good time though. Her practices are not as long so she can start golf again to get ready for tryout in april.
Mady started basketball and made the “A” team again this year. She doesn’t start right now but has a good shot and plays the wing. She isn’t as fast as some of the girls but has a beautiful shot and I am looking forward to watching her all season. They won their first game and she played alot. She even blocked a shot and got a rebound. So right now she has basketball, club volleyball and starting golf lessons again. Oh plus her social life. She is a busy girl with all her friends. One thing I am proud of is she hasn’t been boy crazy quite yet and she hasn’t been totally engrossed in her friends. She seems to be down to earth and have a quiet peace about her.
Brad went to the playoffs in football. We had a great year and we played two tough teams in the end. We were 6-1 going into the Alvin game. They had a huge running back and they broke a few tackles and scored twice on us real fast. I am very proud of Brad and the boys for fighting back and with 43 seconds left we scored to take the lead 33-30. Well the first play after the kickoff we missed a few tackles and the running back went 50 to score to end the game. It was gut wrenching the kids played so hard to get back in the game and then to lose like that was tough. Well they over came it and had a good week of practice. We would have to beat galveston to be the top seed. They are very athletic and after a tough game we lost 13-6. Brad did cause a fumble and his buddy Malcolm Linton picked it up and ran for our only touchdown. Brad really had a great game coming off the edge. Well we were all tied up with a couple teams for the playoffs. I had to go meet the coaches for a coing flip and low and behold I lost and we were the 4th seed. Kinda frustratinig because we would end up playing the laporte texans who had beaten us 12-6 in our first meeting.
We played them at north campus and it was a tough game. It went back and forth. It was close at 6-6 and we just couldnt move the ball so they got the ball back on their end and pucnhed it in for the go ahead score. I was upset and even mentioned playing key players more in the next year on both sides of the ball. Anyway the boys got medals and we had a big banquet and everyone had a successful year. We have one more year left and I hope I can teach them alot about football and get them ready for junior high athletics. Brad is really loving it and getting alot of compliments on his play. I am looking forward to spending that time with him teaching him and building our relationship stronger. I am very proud of him.
Football and Volleyball ended and we started Deer hunting.
Ya’ll be safe out there!
 
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Posted by on December 5, 2011 in Uncategorized