Dein erstes Forum » mine, let it have my identity. Coach B is m

If the Edmonton Oilers?glanced a little to their right toward the?Pittsburgh Penguins?bench at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday night, they could have been excused for wondering, perhaps hoping, that they were catching a glimpse of their own future.Sure, its too early to start drawing lines from the recently hopeless to the defending Stanley Cup champions. But its not as implausible as it was even a few weeks ago.A month into the 2015-16 season and coming off a solid 2-2-1 road trip that concluded with Tuesdays exciting 4-3 loss to the defending Cup champions, its fair to suggest that the Oilers are the story of the season so far.I do think that theyve taken a significant step with the additions theyve made, said one veteran Western-based scout who has seen the Oilers play multiple times this season.It starts with top-end coaching from Todd McLellan and great goaltending from?Cam Talbot, who has turned in a .938 save percentage in his past nine games. Talbots definitely the real deal, the scout said.The Oilers also boast an emerging, better-than-expected defense and a balanced, big and fast offensive group.The pieces are in place, the scout said. And I think theyre coming together; theres an excitement around the team.And, oh yeah, theres a kid named Connor McDavid, a player the scout said is the closest thing to the incomparable Wayne Gretzky that the league has seen yet. And thats with all due respect to two-time Stanley Cup winner and defending playoff MVP Sidney Crosby, against whom McDavid faced off for the first time in his young career Tuesday night and delivered a virtuoso, three-point performance in a losing effort.[With] this guys acceleration and the ability to attack the way he does, the scout said, I think theyve got a helluva chance to make the playoffs.Mention playoffs to Edmonton general manager Peter Chiarelli and he practically claps his hands over his ears. Its way, way, too soon for that kind of talk.But part of the reason for the giddiness is that given the Oilers successes -- even after Tuesdays loss, they remain atop the Pacific Division with a 9-4-1 record -- it seems almost as if we are discussing some completely different franchise when compared to how quickly most of the past 10 seasons devolved into chaos and disarray.They sure have found hope in Edmonton that has been crushed early most years in the last decade, one former player and current executive also based in the West said. And its well-timed in [their] new rink.So much of this early season has not been Oilers-like. After Tuesdays loss Edmonton is still the leagues top road team, with a 5-2-1 record. Last season, the Oilers won just 12 games away from home.They werent much better at home, winning just 19 times as they finished last in the Western Conference with a minus-42 goal differential -- third-worst in the NHL. This season, the Oilers are 4-2-0 and boast a respectable plus-8 goal differential at home.Edmonton has dealt with some early injury adversity. Theyre missing a slew of everyday players, including Kris Russell, who has arguably been the teams best defender after signing as a free agent during the offseason.But still the Oilers keep striding forward.The good teams, they just kind of get used to the winning atmosphere, the winning mentality. You go into every night expecting to win, former No. 1 overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said Tuesday. Were starting to get that back into our mindset now.Like Nugent-Hopkins and everyone else connected to the Oilers, Chiarelli is preaching patience.Its a message thats a lot more palatable for fans who havent had a sniff of the postseason since Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup finals.The Oilers own the second-ranked road power play and the top road penalty-killing unit, having allowed just four goals on 41 shorthanded opportunities. They are 12th in the league with the man advantage and fourth when killing penalties. Last season they were 18th and tied for 17th, respectively. They are fourth in the league in hits -- a marked departure from a year ago, when they were 20th.Chiarelli oversaw the building of a Stanley Cup champion in Boston. He understands better than most the hundreds of building blocks that go into erasing years of disappointment and underachievement.Milan Lucic, the key offseason free agent signing by the Oilers, was with Chiarelli in Boston when they raised a Stanley Cup after knocking off the?Vancouver Canucks?on the road in Game 7 in 2011, the Bruins first championship since 1972.The two have talked internally about the need for this team to avoid the long, soul-snapping streaks that can scuttle a season. And Chiarelli notes the teams improved play in all three zones has been a key to avoiding such slides.This road trip was a good test, as the Oilers dropped the first two games and were actually winless in three before beating the New York Islanders?and then the?Detroit Red Wings?heading into Tuesdays loss.Its just about keeping perspective over a long season, Chiarelli said. I dont think, Oh, weve turned a corner.Fair enough, but how many steps does it take before a team reaches said corner?Another few weeks of solid play and Chiarelli is going to have walk around with ear muffs on because the playoff talk will only intensify.Obviously, we wanted to have a good start, and weve established that, Nugent-Hopkins said. We established ourselves at home really well, which is another important thing. So far weve done everything within our control. Now we just have to have the same mentality and not get too caught up in stuff and not get too ahead of ourselves and just keep playing the same we have been.After a decade of misery, the Oilers deserve a chance to bask in the unusual glare of a welcome spotlight, dont they? As long as they dont become blinded by it.To get the good start rolling, it definitely brings the team together, Nugent-Hopkins said. And yeah, youve got to enjoy that. When youre having fun it makes it a lot easier to go out there every night. So we just got to keep it going.Kendall Graveman Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Brad Wieck Cubs Jersey . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2410t-ben-zobrist-jersey-cubs.html . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Willson Contreras Cubs Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Cubs Jerseys China . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night.Lakatriona Brunson is a bit of a local celebrity in Miami for her role as Bernice on the TruTV series South Beach Tow. But theres another reason for her Florida fame.Earlier this year, Brunson became the first female high school head football coach in the state when she was named to the role at Miami Jackson.While her hiring was met with a mixture of fanfare and resistance, her players were quick to buy in to Coach B and her style, using the naysayers as motivation.The first play of the game, [the other team will] line up and say [Brunson] doesnt know what shes doing, offensive lineman Donte Morris said. The first time I heard that it added fuel to my fire. You trash talk her, Im gonna bust you in the mouth, and me and my female football coach are gonna beat you all.Despite the unwavering loyalty from her players, they havent exactly had a dream season. After only a few games, half of Brunsons coaching staff -- including assistant head coach Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew fame -- quit unexpectedly. The team was left with a skeleton coaching staff for the remainder of the season and finished 3-7.A lot of people dont think a woman can coach this sport, Brunson said. My first year has been tough, I can tell you that. It aint no Cinderella story.Despite the ups and downs, Brunson -- who spent eight years playing professionally in the Independent Womens Football League -- has tried to be a positive figure for her players both on and off the field. From encouraging them to do well in school as a means to better lives, to teaching them to respect women, Brunson knows shes in a unique and important position.Im like doing this for a million women out there who probably want to be in my shoes, even 10 million men who want to be in my shoes, she says. So I have to stay firm and stay strong and make it happen. I want to build a program here at Miami Jackson, and I want to go somewhere else and go higher and higher.I just dont want to let people down. Though she coaches the all-male football team, coach Lakatriona Bronsons office is in the girls locker room. Thankfully, that means team managers Lakima James and Jada Graham are able to help carry equipment to the field. Before becoming head coach at Miami Jackson, the only organized football coaching experience that Brunson -- or Coach B as her players call her -- had was in girls flag football at the middle and high school levels. When she was hired into her current role, she was just as shocked as anyone. Its a mans sport, you know, she says. Theres a lot of guys that probably were qualified who could have had the job with more coaching experience. Cornerback Anthony Lloyd warms up with the rest of his team before their second game of the season, against Booker T. Washington. It rained steadily for most of the game against Booker T. Washington, but it didnt stop Coach Bs intensity. She yells from the sidelines as her team marches down the field. Miami Jackson ultimately prevailed 12-9 and secured Brunsons and the teams first victory of the season. Coach B and defensive end Eric Mateo walk off the bus after arriving back to Miami Jackson from their win at Booker T. Washington. She wants to win as bad as we do. We respect her the same way we respect our mother, Mateo says of Coach B, who doesnt have any children of her own. Coach Bs players have overwhelmingly enjoyed their time playing for her. She keeps me up and tells me when Im doing wrong, quarterback Terrence Craig Jr. says. When I do good, she tells me Im doing good. Thats what I like about her. She really has faith in you. Coach B demonstrates the proper technique in hitting the football sled to guard Jacob Cato -- something he appreciates. She shows a lot of leadership with us, he said. She makes sure we do what were supposed to do in the classroom and on the field. Coach B played professionally for eight years for the Miami Fury in the Independent Womens Football League. She was a three-time all-star, playing defensive tackle, left tackle, fullback, linebacker, wherever they needed me, she says. Besides football, Coach B stresses the importance of education to her players. This football thing, to some of them, its life or death, she said. Thats why you have to put something else on their table like knowing that if I get an education and I go and play football now Im getting a two for one. Im getting an education, and Im doing something I love. In a rare moment without her signature sunglasses, Coach B cant hide her displeasure with her team during its game against Cardinal Gibbons High School. Coach B shakes hands and congratulates the coaches at Cardinal Gibbons after her teams 36-7 loss. While she at first faced doubt from other players, parents and even referees, she says her local community has since been supportive. All the local guys, I know these guys before football, I know them outside of football, they call me and ask, Anything you need coach? Those are the people I play, so to see them welcome me in, its been great. Coach B watches members of her team work out in the weight room. If youre building a program, theres not one single day you can slack up on them, she said. Making sure theyre doing other things and not getting in trouble, coming to school on time, and keeping their grades up, thats year round. Coach B talks to her team after what she calls a Black Monday practice -- because the players practice and run until they black out. She is dedicated to helping as many of her players as possible to use foootball as a means to getting an education, a college scholarship and breaking out of the cycle of violence in Miami.dddddddddddd Theres so much killing going on, Ive had two kids this year that have been shot, she says. My whole thing about this sport is you can teach a kid how to play football any day. Getting them to the next level is in that classroom. It aint got nothing to do with whats on the field. Coach B goes over a play with defensive tackle Renaldo Flowers Jr. and quarterbacks coach Tywane Stevens. Despite being indoors, she still wears her trademark sunglasses. Behind my shades I can be me, she said. My facial expressions sometimes give me away. I dont like nobody to see what Im looking at. Ill be looking at everything, Im very observant. I keep my shades on and I see everything. The Generals, with a record of 1-4, hoist their helmets in the air at the end of the national anthem before a game against rival Miami Central, their sixth of the season. Coach B tries to encourage her exhausted team at halftime of the Miami Central game. While the Generals would go on to lose 48-6, Coach B would not let the outcome bring her down. The losses that weve had, its hard for anyone to take those, linebacker coach Quan Chess said. If she can roll with the punches as a woman, and Im not saying that to demean her as a woman, but I think I can swallow my pride and roll with the punches too and follow her lead. Most of Coach Bs peers have been supportive of her. Before her teams game against Stranahan, referee Teddy Brown drops to his knee and held her hand while saying, Its an honor, Coach, your reputation precedes you. When later asked about his actions, he explained simply, I love to see a woman dominate in a mans world. All year weve been through a lot and now I finally feel like these kids are coming together. Its late in the game, but you finally feel some kind of ownership that the kids are having, and theyre enjoying themselves, Coach B said. Defensive tackle Renaldo Flowers Jr., center left, and running back Nakia Robinson, both seniors, are named to the homecoming court during a pep rally before their game against Coconut Creek. Coach B shows off her relaxed side during the homecoming rally as she dances with her cousin Lakeysha Broussard, a math and business teacher at Miami Jackson. Right now I feel like were at a good point and I want to go out with a bang this season, Coach B said. Named Mr. Miami Jackson during the pep rally, Renaldo Flowers Jr. escorts Veronica Orelus, the recipient of the Miss Miami Jackson title, down the 50-yard line. Throughout the season, Coach B has taught her players how to properly treat women: Youve got me telling them how to treat women, how to respect women, how to deal with women, how women are, how to do this how to do that, she says. A lot of young men in our program dont have fathers in their lives, so oddly enough she does bridge that gap between a boy becoming a man, linebacker coach Quan Chess says. I think they have learned a lot about respecting women. When you look at other programs, theyre not as sensitive as we are towards women. We dont have the same problems as other programs, and I think Coach B has a lot to do with that. Miami Jackson had no problems handling Coconut Creek and ultimately won their homecoming game in a 43-0 rout. Drummer Arthoner Shine and the Miami Jackson marching band try to hype up the crowd during the teams final game of the season against Miami Northwestern. Coach B, quarterback coach Tywane Stevens and running back coach Fitzgerald Hardwick try to keep the team focused in its last game of 2016. Coach B says lessons in understanding the opposite sex have gone both ways during the football season. I never knew these guys were so emotional. Theyre like emotional creatures, she says. Most men wont think about it because theyre told theyve got to be tough. Youve got to watch what you say to them, around them, about them. Though the Generals lost their final game to Miami Northwestern 18-6, Coach B still has a lot to smile about as she walks of the field with Miami Jackson principal Carlos Rios. With her first season complete, shes proud but also knows theres much she can improve upon. Im trying to learn everything that I can, she said. Im a sponge. I watch everything. If I dont know how to do something, Im gonna learn it. I would love to build this program from the ground, you know and let it be all mine, let it have my identity. Coach B is met by her family, including her mom, cousins and aunts, after the final game of the season. A lot of people were making fun of Jackson on social media and saying, Jackson is going to be a joke this year, but we just had to come out and play, offensive guard Jacob Cato says. After the final game, Coach B collects helmets from her players and puts them away in the uniform room. While she has enjoyed the season, she reflects that she has had some difficulty finding time for herself. They call me on a weekend like Im their wife or something, she joked. I try to spend time with them, because a lot of them outside of that, they dont have nobody to spend time with them. Wide receiver Seven Fleurimond hugs Coach B in the locker room after the seasons last game. Coaching to the end, coaching these kids up, and being there and fighting with them, thats more than enough for me, she says. ' ' '