Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 21, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE C2 C 2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015 SPORTS winnipegfreepress. com T HE line between " coaching up" an athlete too much and smothering their creativity and individuality as a player, or giving them too much discretion on the field, is a difficult act to balance. Coach them too stringently and they become robotic and don't trust their instincts and abilities when an unscripted scenario presents itself. Don't coach them enough and they will freelance and play so far outside of your system and boundaries it ends up hurting you in critical moments. When the management of an athlete trends too heavily to one side of this equation, it can cost you a football game. More than one player appeared to go above and beyond what the situation called for Saturday night, contributing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' 26- 25 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. If there is a single directive every professional football coach would like his players to follow, it would be to execute the exact technique and scheme you are taught in practice with the utmost degree of precision. For almost every possible scenario that can unfold on a football field, someone, at some time, has written out a technique on how to handle it, defeat it and take advantage of it. The only exception to this singular directive, of course, is when by doing something different than what you have practised, you can benefit the team to an even greater degree than following your teachings. In those select few instances - they are very rare indeed - you throw the first directive out the window, and follow rule No. 2, which by definition means it's improv theatre time: you think on your feet, and you " overcome your coaching." The reason players occasionally have to overcome their coaching is because things can break down and go wrong in a hurry on a professional football field. When strategy A confronts scheme B, outcome C may be the standard result, but sometimes, the rarely discussed " everything went to hell" anarchy- reigning Plan F rears its ugly head, and you have a completely new set of circumstances that you haven't gone over in meetings. For a player who has developed the instinct of self- preservation in pro football, it is always wise to err on the side of your techniques and fundamentals, unless you have a greater than 90 per cent probability of success from going " rogue." The best example I can give you of going rogue, from a defensive- line perspective, is the temptation that has toyed with the hearts and desires of defensive ends since the inception of football - the inside pass rush move. Unless it is drawn up, and the responsibility is handed off to an outside linebacker, a looping interior player or a blitzing player from the secondary, keeping " contain" of the quarterback inside the pocket is usually one of the primary responsibilities of the defensive end. For the most part they are taught to keep outside leverage, and to fall back and retrace their rush if the QB steps up, but to never, ever, allow the quarterback to escape containment. Yet defensive ends - who can be some of the most athletic and versatile players on a football team - like to vary their pass rushes and change up the looks they throw at opposing offensive tackles, and get bored of rushing outside and upfield all game. So on occasion, without warning, after setting it up, and most likely against the wishes of their defensive line coach, rush ends will sometimes throw caution to the wind and make an inside pass- rush move, in a gamble they can get to the QB before he escapes out on the edge. One of three things always happens as a result, and only one of them keeps you from being yanked off the field and benched or verbally abused by your position coach. The ideal outcome when you shirk your responsibility and go inside is to get a sack. Your coach might wink at you and wave his finger at you, with an " Oh you!" but all is forgiven with a hit, knock- down, pressure, forced fumble or sack. The second possibility is you don't make a play, but nothing of negative consequence happens. The QB rolls out the other way, or makes a quick throw and you live to fight another day. Yet if you aren't seasoned enough to know when to pick your spots in a game, if you aren't veteran enough to understand the dire circumstances and the percentages of a critical moment or can't recognize that you are being set up and invited inside and the quarterback escapes and extends the play and throws a touchdown, then you have gambled as an individual and lost, and most importantly, cost your team dearly with your poor decision- making. Much of what makes good football players great is knowing when and how often to roll the dice, how to anticipate certain scenarios and whether or not it is the right moment and time to believe in your abilities at the potential expense of your team. Until you have played long enough to recognize and understand those scenarios and the consequences of trying to play outside of your responsibilities, it's usually best to just follow the simple instructions that have been provided to you. Doug Brown, once a hard- hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard- hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays in the Free Press. Twitter: @ DougBrown97 DOUG BROWN Savvy veterans know when to gamble and go rogue TORONTO - Canadian soccer captain Christine Sinclair is not just in the game, she's on the cover. EA Sports announced Monday the 32- year- old from Burnaby, B. C., will share the Canadian cover of FIFA 16 with Barcelona star Lionel Messi. U. S. international striker Alex Morgan will be on the American cover with Messi. They join Australian Steph Catley, who will be showcased in Australia, as the first women to appear as the face of the hit video game franchise. " This year's World Cup showcased the unbelievable talent and skill in women's soccer," Sinclair said in a statement. " I'm thrilled that EA Sports is celebrating female athletes in FIFA 16. To be featured in the game and to promote women's soccer with Alex is really special and another exciting step for women in sports." The video game developer announced in late May the new version of the game would feature 12 women's national teams for the first time in the 22- year history of the franchise. Teams from Canada, Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and the U. S. will be available to play in several game modes including Kick Off, an offline tournament, as well as online friendly matches. The women's teams will " compete exclusively'' against each other in the game. " As soon as we knew women's national teams were joining FIFA 16, we immediately recognized that Christine and Alex would be the perfect cover athletes based on their accomplishments and what they represent for their respective countries and the sport of women's soccer," said David Pekush, senior manager of North America marketing for EA Sports. " They are exhilarating players and exude heart and courage on the pitch, and we are extremely proud to be working with them this year." The Canadian women appear to have it over their male counterparts. While EA has yet to announce the men's national teams in the new game, Canada was not one of the 47 squads in FIFA 15. The Canadian women are ranked 11th in the world, compared to No. 103 for the men. - The Canadian Press Sinclair scores cover of FIFA 16 Z URICH - Sepp Blatter had a good day at the office on Monday, even if a prankster tried to spoil it by showering the FIFA president with fake dollar bills at a news conference. Nothing could spoil Blatter's day after he outwitted some of his FIFA opponents to earn precious extra time as their president and enjoy more such days in 2016. Mastering FIFA politics yet again, amid calls to step down immediately, Blatter is set to stay atop world soccer for seven more months after FIFA agreed Monday on a Feb. 26 election to replace him. Blatter was in such a good and defiant mood that he quickly shrugged off a chaotic start to his first major public appearance since a stunning resignation statement last month. A British comedian who gatecrashed the news conference at FIFA's headquarters threw the fake bills in the air after making a spoof statement about supporting North Korea to host the 2026 World Cup. The image of Blatter cowering under a spray of money was powerful amid ongoing American and Swiss federal investigations of FIFA corruption, yet he regained his poise. " I just called my late mother," he quipped on returning to the room minutes later, " and she said, ' Don't worry, it's just a lack of education.' " Still, it made for an uneasy start with international networks and FIFA's own YouTube channel broadcasting the news conference live. " Where is my security?" Blatter shouted. The interruption provided an awkward reminder of a far more serious incident for FIFA in May, when the arrest of soccer and sports marketing officials plunged the game's ruling body into its deepest crisis. Jolted by the dual criminal investigations into bribery and money laundering, Blatter announced four days after being elected for a fifth term that he would leave FIFA. " It was not only the pressure of any authorities... it was also the pressure of political interference and also the pressure of you, media," said Blatter, who is a target of the U. S. investigation. " I had to do something very special and I did it. In footballing terms, I kicked the ball out of the field to stop something." FIFA's executive committee decided the election date and Blatter ended weeks of uncertainty by insisting he would not perform one of his renowned about- turns by in fact being a candidate. " On the 26th of February FIFA will have a new president," Blatter said. " I cannot be the new president because I am the old president." The 79- year- old Blatter, who first joined FIFA 40 years ago, has held onto the most powerful job in world soccer since 1998. Prince Ali bin al- Hussein, who lost to Blatter in May, told The Associated Press earlier Monday: " President Blatter's resignation cannot be dragged out any longer. He must leave now." While Blatter said he felt " regret" about the crises, he insisted he would not be " abandoning" the presidency until a successor is elected by the 209 member associations. The Feb. 26 date was a political victory for Blatter over European governing body UEFA and its supporters in other continents, who wanted a December ballot and thought they had a compromise agreement on Sunday for Jan. 15. Instead, Blatter and senior vicepresident Issa Hayatou held sway with a late tactic. They cited not clashing with the second- tier African Nations Championship - a tournament for little- known home- based players - hosted in Rwanda from Jan. 16 to Feb. 7. - The Associated Press Blatter basking in ignominy FIFA president outwits opponents, cowers under spray of money ENNIO LEANZA / KEYSTONE VIA AP FIFA president Sepp Blatter is showered with fake banknotes thrown by British comedian Simon Brodkin during a press conference in Zurich on Monday. By Graham Dunbar And Rob Harris ENNIO LEANZA / KEYSTONE VIA AP FIFA president Sepp Blatter motions for security officials to remove Simon Brodkin from a press conference prior to Brodkin tossing fake bills at Blatter. By Neil Davidson C_ 02_ Jul- 21- 15_ FP_ 01. indd C2 7/ 20/ 15 7: 59: 49 PM ;