Monday, July 30th 2007

It is funny how winning seems to cure all. There is no magical remedy for winning (none that I know of anyway), except winning itself. However, this can be a brutally sharp double edged sword.

After a win, everybody is joking, laughing and having a good old time. Mistakes on film are often laughed at, and occasionally left uncorrected due to the outcome of the game. Nobody wants to be a killjoy, or breakdown the confidence of players. Correctable errors, whether that is technique or scheme, occasionally aren't corrected.

We have all heard the term 'nip it in the bud'. This is so true. I see it in dealing with my kids (we haven't got to breaking down film yet). A clear constant message, win or lose, is so important. Making corrections shouldn't just be done after losing. The perception is that you lost due to grave mistakes and won due to great plays. That is true, but there are also great plays in a loss that must be praised, and mistakes in a win that must be corrected.

I must say our coaches have done a great job this season of staying disciplined in this matter. As a professional, we always strive every day to get better. That being said, we are all human and occasionally need a little prodding from our coaches. They are there to pay attention to detail and get us better, and we have done just that so far this season.

With a rematch at home against Toronto, we have a great opportunity to atone for our previous two home losses. It is also a divisional game that could move us to .500 on the season. A win will send us well on our way to where we want to be, and no better place to do it than in front of our awesome hometown fans.

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