9/15/09 Coach Ryan Interview
9/12/09 Coach Ryan Looks Toward 2010
What are your early hopes and expectations for the team this upcoming season?
Last year at the start of the season we wanted to make the playoffs. Halfway through the season we started to focus on the Champions Cup. Our inexperience showed a bit against a veteran Buffalo Bandits in the playoffs. We learned from that experience and I expect us to play like a more mature team this year. We are returning a majority of players from last year so I hope we can pick up where we left off.
Dan Dawson had an outstanding year for Boston last year, how do you think he can improve his game for this season?
Dan played quarterback on a young team last year. It was probably a scenario that was relatively new to him, yet he excelled at it. Dan lead the league in assists last year and at times he was unselfish to a fault. Hopefully we can take some of the weight of his shoulders this season and allow him to be a little more selfish with the ball and work hard to get his own shots.
With your inaugural season in the past now what did you learn the most about the league that will help you out the most this season and why?
I don’t know if I learned anything new about the league that I didn’t already know. What I learned most was what can I do personally that will help our team succeed. With players like Dan and Coz you need to know when to step up and make changes and when to just get out of the way. As a coaching staff we can make the most impact on our preparation. What can I do to better prepare the team? What can I do during the game to impact it in a positive manner? This game is all about learning from your experiences and doing better next shift. I plan on doing a better job this year at focusing during the game on what is going on and what I can do to set us in the right direction.
What aspects of the team do you think you improved the most with this years draft and why?
Unlike last year we have very few spots to fill from the Entry Draft. For that reason we felt like we were in a better position to take a chance on American Field Players. The 5 guys we chose can be categorized as Athletic. We had good team speed last year which should improve with this year’s rookies.
Which addition to the team are you most excited about and why?
Last year we finished 1 goal shy of Calgary with the second best goals against average in the league. Obviously you can attribute a good portion of that to Coz. That being said I believe we have a lot of room to improve. I am most excited about the addition of Mike Kirk. Our defense got better the minute we traded for Mike.
Which departure do you think the team will miss the most and why?
Jason Bloom had an amazing season for us last year. He filled in where needed and scored a ton of goals from the tranny position. We were successful last year because we came together as a family. We had a group of guys that enjoyed spending time with each other. Jay Thorimbert had some clutch moments for us at the face-off circle. Carter Livingstone was our Assistant Captain and was an invaluable leader. They will be missed.
What do you want to tell young potential fans and players about lacrosse to get them aware and excited about the Boston Blazers?
We talked at the beginning of last year about who we are as a team…about defining ourselves by our play. Fans left our games last year excited about the team and the return of the Blazers. We selected a team of guys who were willing to make this team a priority in their lives…guys whose effort and attitude stand out from the rest. Boston fans are among the most passionate in the world. I saw the excitement in the stands and it feels good that they appreciate the talent and effort we display at The Garden.
3/17/09 Overtime Losses
I decided to take a break from writing about the rules to address a more current issue. That is the misery of overtime losses. While some have suggested they would rather have a 5 minute period over sudden death/victory. I would disagree. I like the intensity of 1 goal deciding it all. That being said, nothing is more instantly depressing and painful as being scored on in OT.
This past Saturday concluded in our second overtime loss of the season. On January 31st 6’ 6” Peter Morgan snuck through our defense and caught a feed on top of Cosmo to end our night 1:13 into OT. On Saturday Matt Lyons ripped a shot off of the side of Bob Watson’s leg pad that caromed off the post to Toronto’s Scott Campbell who went end to end and fired a shot just under the cross bar to spoil our comeback.
It’s Tuesday now and the pain is starting to dissipate. I am not a person to sit and agonize “what if I did this or that.” I believe in devoting my week to preparation. When the game comes giving everything you can to help your team win. The rest is out of your control and if you gave it all and still lost you can more easily accept that. At least as a player I found that to be true. As a coach it is hard to feel like you did everything you could to affect the game. I can’t go out there and dive for a loose ball or sprint back on defense. And in a game of inches it is much easier to second guess.
Both Toronto and Portland played very good games against us and one could argue they deserved to win. I think you have to take a loss and say what can I do better next time? What can I learn from this? We are a good team, but we are not a team that can show up and expect to win without the proper preparation and effort. Records don’t mean a thing. If anything our records set us up for taking the Rock lightly. Toronto wanted it more than we did on Saturday. If there is one thing that I have learned over my years in this league, it’s that the team who is willing to put forth the effort and pay the price will walk away the winner 90% of the time regardless of record. Looking forward to our next game on the road against a very hot Rochester we have our work cut out for us. At least we have the pain of a close loss to reevaluate our effort and to motivate ourselves in the week and a half to come.
2/18/09 Rule 59: Offensive Screens/Picks/Blocks
With all the contact that happens on a typical offensive possession it can be hard to distinguish a legal pick or screen from an illegal one. This can be further complicated by the variance on how it is called from one game to the next. Over the past couple years it has been a priority by the referees to clean up this part of the game. I am happy to see we have come to a middle ground where the offensive players are given some leeway in order to set their picks. In the past the defense had been allowed to clutch and grab and otherwise impede the offensive flow. I feel this has also been adequately addressed leaving us with an exciting brand of lacrosse.
According to the the NLL Rulebook a screen, pick or block is legal if applied to the front or back or side of an opponent or on the arms, below the shoulder and above the waist. At the discretion of the referee, screens, picks or blocks are allowed as long as forceful contact with the body, and/or excessive cross checking during the application of the screen, pick or block is not made against an opponent.
An OFFENSIVE SCREEN is the legal action by an attacking player attempting to impede the defensive coverage of a defender, on an attacking player “without” possession, while looking to receive a pass.
An OFFENSIVE PICK is the legal action by an attacking player attempting to impede the defensive coverage of a defender, on an attacking player with possession, while looking to receive a pass.
An OFFENSIVE BLOCK is the legal action by an attacking player attempting to impede the defensive coverage of a defender, on an attacking player with or without possession, with no intent of receiving a pass.
The application of these rules typically result in players being allowed to set slightly moving picks or screens along with pushing off a bit as long as the attacker does not knock the defender over or significantly blow him off his line. This is obviously a gray area that is left up to the referee’s discretion.
2/1/09 NLL Rules
For those fans new to Indoor Lacrosse, the rules and more specifically the penalties can be a bit confusing. The game is rough and even violent at times. What distinguishes a penalty from a good play? One rule that has a bit of gray area is illegal cross checking.
As defined in the 2009 NLL Rulebook, A legal crosscheck shall be a check on the arms below the shoulders and above the waist rendered with both hands on the stick, on an opponent with possession of the ball. The extension of the arms while the check is being delivered is permissible. An illegal cross check shall be a check on an opponent above the shoulders, below the waist or on the back. The League may at their discretion, review any penalty assessed under this rule. A defender who cross-checks a player, who is in a stationary position and not in possession of the ball shall be assessed a penalty. A player who uses excessive unequal pressure and force to cross check a non-stationary opponent not in possession of the ball, shall be assessed a penalty.
You would think the definition might clear up all confusion, but I am afraid it is not that simple. Traditional “box lacrosse” rules allow for cross checking of an offensive player who is not in possession of the ball whether stationary or not. The NLL typically calls it somewhere in between the stated version and how the game is played in Canada and on the Reservations throughout the summer. The key phrase here is “equal pressure.” You are usually allowed to give an offensive player a couple “how you doin’” cross checks off ball to keep him honest. If this is “excessive” you can be called for illegal cross checking or roughing. If a player is cutting the middle you are allowed to cross check with equal pressure which means you can give him a shot as long as you don’t knock him back or blast him off his line. This is a bit of a judgment call.
If the player has the ball you can pretty much tee off on him as long as it is not from behind. The league has cracked down on head shots in the past couple years, so anything in the head is deemed a 5 minute major. Illegal Cross Checking can be called slightly different from game to game. Defenders must make appropriate adjustments in their aggression based on how tightly the referees are calling this and other infractions on a game to game basis. I hope this clears up some confusion. I will be addressing the roughing call along with illegal picks and screens in coming weeks.