Heads Up with Kevin Kaesviharn

As South Dakota athletes prepare for their transition to Heads Up Football, I have spoken with many of the people who will be bringing that change to area athletes. The effort toward improved player safety is a joint effort between the NFL and USA Football, and I wanted to include the perspective of NFL players. I spoke with NFL Ambassador for Heads Up Football, Brian Hansen, and with Kevin Kaesviharn, another well known South Dakota athlete who enjoyed a successful NFL career. 

Kaesviharn graduated from Augustana College and went on to play in the AFL, XFL, and NFL, most notably for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New Orleans Saints. His career was affected by injuries, and he suffered a serious neck injury toward the end of his playing career. Kaesviharn played safety, which also seems to be one of the most scrutinized positions involving tackling. I asked him to share his perspective on youth football and on the current efforts to improve player safety.

How old were you when you started playing football? 
I started playing flag football around 7 yrs old and started tackle football in 9th grade.

How much work did you put in during off seasons growing up? What kinds of things did you do to train?
I didn't put a lot of time and training into football until 10th grade because I was busy playing other sports and didn't know that training would help me as much as it did at the time. I was content just being a kid. Basic strength training, speed development and agility drills were mostly what I did in high school and progressed from there.

Did you learn good fundamentals at a young age? How important is it for kids to work their fundamentals?
I learned the fundamentals of the positions I played (WR/DB) and also proper tackling. Fundamentals are essential to the development of any football player. You need a good foundation to build your skills upon and need to continue working on the fundamentals even when you think you may know everything about the game. It's the old saying "If you don't use it, you lose it." You will resort to your old ways when you get fatigued, and if you were taught good fundamentals, they will keep you safe and also help you to be successful on the field. If you have poor fundamentals and are fatigued, you put yourself at a higher risk of injury as well as not giving yourself the best chance to be successful.

You experienced serious injuries during your career, at a time when there was less emphasis on player safety. What are your thoughts on the NFL/USA Football Heads Up Football movement for kids? How will it affect the game?
I think they are bringing more awareness to the importance of proper tackling, which is good. I also think there are a lot of coaches that don't know the proper/safe way to tackle, maybe because they were never taught it as a player. As a football player, you are not always in the best position to make the "form/proper tackle" which is why injuries will always be a part of the game. However, if we can reduce the number through these educational programs, I think it is a step in the right direction.  I also feel that the NFL is feeling pressure from the public and former players about player safety, which is why they are being more proactive in this area. There is definitely a fine line when it comes to keeping the appeal of the game and the safety of the player in check by changing the rules of the game. The NFL is trying to set a positive and safe standard that will hopefully trickle down to youth football. I think the program is good for football at all levels and will help reduce injuries. My hope is that the program has staying power with good, consistent instruction.  

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My coaches and I are looking forward to starting the process of teaching kids Heads Up Football as SD Junior Football Camp gets underway next week. It is not an easy or small task to change the culture of football to increase focus on player safety issues. Given our increasing knowledge on the effects of concussions, the NFL and USA Football are taking reasonable and necessary steps to promote that change. At Riggs Premier Football, we are focused on teaching proper fundamentals to improve kids' ability to play well and safely. We are proud to be part of these essential changes taking place in youth football, and we look forward to working with coaches, athletes and parents in the coming weeks!

Heads Up with USA Football

USA Football and the NFL have worked cooperatively to develop and promote the Heads Up Football program to youth leagues around the nation in an effort to change the culture of the sport to be more focused on player safety. Check out this video to get a sense for how the organizations work together to bring HUF to communities:

Coach Riggs asked Joe Frollo, Digital Media and Publications Manager for USA Football to explain the background of HUF and explain the benefits of bringing the program to players and parents in South Dakota. This is his response:

Heads Up Football is a comprehensive approach to a better, safer game. Adopted by more than 1,800 youth football organizations across the nation already for 2013 – including SD Junior Football and Riggs Premier Football– Heads Up Football provides a safer environment for young football players to learn the basic fundamentals of the game.

By learning correct tackling techniques at an early age, athletes build muscle memory and take these skills with them as they progress through the sport. By involving parents in the learning process, Heads Up Football encourages everyone to know the standards, live up to them and engage to provide a great football experience for our youth players. Parents who know their coaches are certified to teach the game can feel confident that their organization is doing it the right way.

Five reasons players benefit from Heads Up Football:
• Coaches who properly teach football’s fundamentals make you a better player;
• Effective, organized practices keep you moving and having fun with your teammates;
• Coaches go step by step to make sure you learn a skill in practice before you do it in a game;
• Coaches aren’t asking you to do something your body isn’t ready to do;
• Good coaches and prepared players are keys to success on game days.

Five reasons parents should feel more comfortable because of Heads Up Football:
• Peace of mind knowing that the coaches are trained to teach football’s fundamentals in the safest possible way;
• Knowledge that coaches have access to an online drills library, film room and practice planner to facilitate teaching and manage practice time wisely;
• Confidence that coaches are teaching age-based instruction that help players reach their potential with drills appropriate to the players’ cognitive and physical skills;
• Assurance that coaches have a better understanding for concussion, heat emergency preparedness and equipment fitting;
• Improved communication between parents and coaches through a positive team environment.

--Joe Frollo

We are very pleased that SD Junior Football made the commitment to becoming a HUF league in the interest of training and safety for area athletes. Riggs Premier Football will be teaching HUF techniques at SD Junior Football Camp, a Non-contact camp, and a Tackling Clinic in July. Athletes who participate in any of these events will be ahead of the game for the 2013 season since they will already be trained in the HUF techniques for tackling and contact. Our staff will also be working closely with SD Junior Football this summer and fall to assist parents and coaches in making this transition. We stand solidly behind the principle that education and proper fundamentals will improve the safety of the sport without damaging the nature of competition.

Contact us with questions about HUF and the camp/clinic offerings in July. And stay tuned for Coach Riggs' interview with South Dakota's NFL Ambassador for HUF, Brian Hansen.

Heads Up: Coaching for Change

American Football Monthly recently ran an article entitled Safety First--Culture Shift: Changing the culture of football to reduce violent injuries. You can read it here. It is an excellent and timely reminder about the improved safety efforts being made at the highest levels of the sport. We are seeing a shift in football culture to be more about preventing injuries than just treating them.  Whether we are parents, coaches, fans, or athletes, we all bear responsibility to do what we can to reduce the risk of serious injuries to our players.

Changing the culture of football requires change at every level. As a result, the NFL has partnered with USA Football to place extra emphasis on the importance of teaching fundamentals to young athletes and concussion awareness to coaches through their Heads Up Football Program. USA Football is training coaches nationwide how to teach kids proper tackling technique and fundamentals, and they are working with the NFL to ensure that kids see and recognize those proper techniques and fundamentals when they watch their favorite NFL athletes. It is a comprehensive plan to emphasize proper form and safer play at every level of the sport, starting with our youngest athletes. They released this tackling video last fall to demonstrate the Heads Up Tackling technique:

The coaches at Riggs Premier Football stand solidly behind the efforts of Heads Up Football. The tackling techniques are intuitive and well explained, and kids learn fundamentals that will make them better overall players and reduce their risk of serious head injuries. Our coaching staff discussed what we could do to help promote changing the culture of football in our region, and we came up with several responses:

1) Coach Siegfried and I went through the certification process with USA Football to ensure that Riggs Premier Football’s instruction is in line with USA Football’s recommendations;

2) We are partnering with SD Junior Football to offer their summer camps, and for the first time in program history, the camps will be full pads. That will give our coaches the opportunity to do focused training for young athletes in proper tackling technique and fundamentals;

3) We are assisting SD Junior Football with their culture change of requiring all coaches to be USA Football certified. I, and several of my staff, will serve as Player Safety Coaches for the region and assist in training and certifying Junior Football coaches;

4) We launched our Think Football program with a full series of camps, clinics, and tournaments for athletes of all ages during Summer, 2013. Through this range of offerings, athletes can learn and develop proper fundamentals at every position, participate in a focused tackling clinic, or participate in camp or tournament style settings which promote safe play along with the competitive atmosphere. With Think Football, we are focused on athletic development, mental aspects of the game, and gaining understanding of how to improve individual and team performance. No matter which events athletes choose from this program, they are guaranteed careful emphasis on fundamentals and technique. We believe that is an essential component of teaching the sport to promote the changing culture.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been speaking around the country about the efforts to develop a safer game for players. In a speech to the University of North Carolina last month Goodell said, “There is a national conversation taking place about football. We welcome it. That’s how we approach our jobs every day: Looking at changes to the game not as something to be feared, but as something we need to do as if the future of the game relies on it. Because it does. The risk of injury in football is well known, but throughout history, football has evolved and become safer and better.” 

I agree with Commissioner Goodell that there is no way to completely eliminate the risks of injury in such a physical sport, but improving player knowledge and increasing concussion awareness will help reduce the risks without being detrimental to the sport. Riggs Premier Football is proud to be part of that changing culture in South Dakota.

The NFL Journey: Catching Up with Dale Moss

Riggs Premier Football is extremely excited to have Dale Moss joining our coaching staff during his NFL off season this spring. I have worked with him before, and I greatly respect and appreciate his athletic talent, work ethic, determination, and integrity. This is a tremendous opportunity for area athletes to work with a top quality athlete and person. This past year has been an amazing journey for Dale, so I asked him a few questions to get some insight into his thoughts at this stage of his football career:

Pre-season game with the Packers

Can you catch us up on how things went during your first year in the NFL?
Overall I think things went well. I grew a lot as a player and even more as a person. Only having a year of football experience under my belt since high school, I really felt I needed this year to improve. I made great impressions everywhere I went, which only gives me confidence going into this upcoming year.

Did you feel prepared for the things you experienced this past year, both on and off the field?
I felt prepared physically and skill-wise, but being so new to the game, there were a lot of situations that I hadn't experienced in college. Off the field was not a big adjustment because I'm a pretty low key guy, so outside of football I would just hang out with teammates.

If there was one thing you didn't know that you wished you had going into this...what would it be?
If there was one thing I wish I had known going into things, it would probably just be a better understanding of how to play the slot position. I learned a lot as the year went on, and if you can play outside and the slot, you can create a lot of problems for teams.

What are you most looking forward to for next season?
My main goal is to obviously get on our active 53 man roster which I feel really confident about, and then I just want to continue to grow as a player and help my team win.

East-West Shrine Game

What are you doing with your off season break?
I'll be back home until the end of March, and basically I'll just be hanging out with friends and family, training, and coaching. It's nice to get a little bit of a break, but I'm continually trying to get better. So while its called an "off season," I'm still making sure I'm working hard every day!

You are a very motivated person. What are the things that motivate and inspire you?
My friends, family, and home state are huge motivating factors for me, but I'd say the biggest one is probably people who doubt me and say I can't do something. I'm a very motivated and confident person, so when I get negativity or doubt thrown my way, I try and use it as fuel to get better. That's why I went out for football in the first place in college. I'm a firm believer that if you put in the time and make a few sacrifices, there will be no option but to find success.

What advice would you offer a 6th grader who says he wants to grow up and be just like you?
I'd say first and foremost, you want to be as good of a person as you can be. People underestimate how far being humble goes in all aspects of life. From there you just have to believe in your abilities, be coach-able, and work hard! Don't be afraid to take the route most people avoid because its tough. Those challenges make you grow as a player and person, and they separate you from the competition.

What do you consider your greatest success so far? Your greatest disappointment?
My greatest success so far has been getting to the NFL and getting my foot in the door. There are a lot of things I want to accomplish, and I'm on the right path. My biggest disappointment was missing out on state high school championships in football and basketball. Those are things that I really wanted for my teammates and community, more than myself. Now my goal is a Super Bowl!

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from your involvement in sports?
Without a doubt, it's accountability and discipline. Those are things that will help you throughout life, but when you have multiple teammates and coaches depending on you, it is just huge! Accountability and discipline get you to the next level and help you grow as a team and individual.

These are some great insights at this stage of Dale's NFL career, and we are really looking forward to working with him this spring and watching him share his many talents and abilities with our athletes.  No option but success!

Things to Watch in the NFL Playoffs

There has been some great football in the NFL playoffs so far, and the Conference Championship games should continue the playoff excitement! These are a few things to watch for in the games this weekend:

San Francisco at Atlanta:

Both of these teams have worked to overcome media obstacles this season. San Francisco has been continually answering the question of whether their QB switch was the correct move or not. Colin Kaepernick clearly showed last weekend that Coach Harbaugh made the right decision in his selection. In that game, Kap became only the second player in NFL history to rush and pass for more than 150 yards in a playoff game.

Atlanta was saddled with the reputation of facing extreme difficulty in winning their first round game. This game looked to be the same as previous years when the Falcons were losing with less than a minute left in the game. This time around however, Matt Ryan was able to lead the team into field goal position with three long completions, and they made a game winning field goal with six seconds left.

So with those obstacles aside, what will we see in this game? Both teams bring a very physical style of play, but have very different styles of offense and defense. San Francisco relies on pressure from their defensive line, while LB’s Bowman and Willis make all the tackles. Atlanta will try to create pressure by disguising their looks and bringing different blitz schemes at Kap. Offensively, San Francisco relies on a balanced attack of run and pass, but they include their extremely athletic QB in the run game. Atlanta will include a balanced attack but will not feature Matt Ryan as a runner. Atlanta will look to stretch the field a little bit more with their star WR’s Jones and White. Both teams have all league TE’s in Gonzalez for Atlanta and Davis for San Francisco. These two players are the security blankets for the QB when they get into trouble.

San Francisco is favored, but they have three major elements to overcome. First: Travel. The trip from west coast to east coast will take a toll, and this is an advantage for Atlanta. Second: Visiting team. Atlanta has a very loud atmosphere inside their dome, and San Francisco makes a lot of their offensive calls at the line of scrimmage. Third: Underrated opponent. They are facing a very athletic, talented team. Atlanta is a team that has really flown under the radar this season, which is odd to say for a team that has the best record in football. Atlanta has the tools offensively and defensively to cause havoc for the 49ers.

Baltimore at New England

I believe the spread is more than nine points, which is absurd for a Divisional Championship game. We are seeing Tom Brady, one of the greatest offensive players of all time vs. Ray Lewis, one of the greatest defensive players of all time. Everyone is focused on these two players, but the really interesting matchup is going to be New England’s much improved defense vs Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and the Ravens' new look offense. Baltimore fired their offensive coordinator during week 15 of the NFL season, and the team seems to really be responding.  That will make for some interesting football!

New England just lost star TE Rob Gronkowski for a second time, and we will see the effects against a veteran-led Ravens defense that played very well against Denver. New England does a great job of answering the call and has done an excellent job of instilling a run game in their offense this year. That run game has allowed Tom Brady to unleash one of his strengths--a play action passing attack. Look for New England to try to open the run with the short passing game, establish their run game, then try to finish the Ravens off with the play action pass.

Baltimore is trying to rally around their emotional leader on his last run at a Super Bowl title. Ray Lewis came back from injury and announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season. Since this announcement, the Ravens have beaten a solid Colts team and upset the #1 seed Broncos at Denver. Baltimore was able to get the win with a solid defensive performance and some huge plays from Flacco to Torrey Smith. Baltimore struggled in their special teams vs Denver, allowing a kickoff return for TD, and a punt return for a TD. Facing New England, Baltimore will have to be clicking on all cylinders. If Baltimore hopes to win, they need Ray Rice to have a great game, they need other players to step up and make big plays, and they need their special teams to be EXCELLENT.

The Divisional Championships should give us another great weekend of NFL football! Looking forward to some excellent matchups and prime performances. Nothing better than playoff time in football...enjoy!

NFL Game to Watch: Colts vs. Patriots

Andrew Luck

There has been a lot of talk about Andrew Luck in his rookie NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts. He has performed extremely well so far, winning four consecutive games and six out of nine games so far in his first season with the Colts. This week might be the greatest test for Luck, and that’s why I think the Colts traveling to New England to face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is the game to watch.

Very few people are picking the Colts to beat the Patriots this weekend, but you have to sense that Luck likes being in this situation. The Colts have already doubled their win total from last year with Luck under center, and he is meeting or exceeding expectations every week. Even with a 6-3 record, the Colts are recognized as a better team, but not a contender, and a contender has to go into New England and beat the Patriots. The Patriots are also 6-3, but they are 5-1 at home, and that could make a difference in the outcome. The Colts have scored 186 points and given up 206 points this season, compared to the Patriots who have scored 299 points and given up 201. Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense bring a much more balanced attack for the Colts’ defense to deal with, and they won’t be able to just focus on Brady’s passing game. 

Tom Brady

So how do the Colts establish that they are contenders? Luck needs to be able to get first downs and keep the New England offense off the field. When the Colts have the opportunity to score points in the red zone, they need to walk off the field with TD's rather than FG's. The Colts' defense has to mix up their looks to try and confuse Tom Brady, while at the same time find ways to get pressure on him. Look for the Colts to try to make the Patriots one dimensional and take away their running game. 

With both teams coming off of wins last week, watch how Luck handles the pressure of matching the New England offense, especially in the hostile atmosphere of Gillette Stadium. It will be interesting to see if Brady can stay patient and keep a balanced attack, or if the Patriots will try to strike quickly and put pressure on the rookie. This should be a great match up between two talented offenses, and it will give us an idea if Luck can make the Colts contenders.