Here are a few things I’ll be looking at in the MIGHTY Katy Tigers’ game against the prairie thieves from Cinco Ranch (Sinko) tonight:
Turnovers.
Katy is -7 in the turnover battle through its first three games. Special teams gaffes count. I watched the Tigers’ game against Atascocita back again, and the timing of the big momentum changers in that game against Katy was unreal. If the Tigers can avoid these big momentum negatives and generate more in their favor, it will go a LONG way towards this Katy team becoming the type of group I’m sure it wants to be this season.
Blocking.
Katy’s blocking has been slow out of the gates which is not unheard of for a Katy team based on the typical progression we see in this offensive scheme from game 1 to playoffs. I have watched Katy’s execution here in detail so far, and I’ll be looking for the kind of progress game reps should start delivering as we move through the regular season. Similar to the final note above regarding the turnovers, Katy’s development in this area can pay huge dividends in the grand scheme if it will make steady improvement.
Katy’s approach works in such a way that the players must develop to a point of executing the basics in their sleep so they are able to progress to the higher gears in the game plan. Do the little things well and the fun/explosive stuff follows.
Big Plays Allowed.
Of course, this boils down to not getting beat over the top in coverage and avoiding missed tackles in the first 5 yards that turn short gains into explosives. Cinco Ranch is going to work the short areas wide, and then look for opportunities to go over top. Chemistry/cohesion between the players is the single most important team attribute a Katy defense can possess in the zone gap control scheme we employ, and this is where you want to see this defensive unit make steady progress in-season similar to the blocking aspect on offense. It’s always going to look bad for Katy if the on-field chemistry is missing or Katy allows itself to be pulled out of position. Sinko is going to present similar formations to what Katy saw against Atascocita, so alignment will be a big focus in this game.
Old Timer Wisdom.
Things get a little spicy on this board sometimes, so one thing I would just share out loud into the echo chamber from my years of studying film, attending film nights for a decade, and my offline chats with coaching staff is this: the coaches (and players for that matter) are way ahead of the internet when it comes to how they can improve and what is going well/not so well. Embrace the process it takes to succeed and adopt the competitor mindset where emotion is kept in check and accountability wins the day.
GO TIGERS!
Send the Cougars back to La Centerra where hopefully tonight they are blasting REM instead of the usual yacht rock (only the real ones will understand what I’ve just said there).
