Sid's Blog

Expansion

2006-04-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

As in life, everything in the world grows and changes and so has our league. Greg Campbell (league President), Randy Ferrell (Vice-President) and Bo Wilcox (Commissioner) has done a great job in getting the AFL headed in the right direction. Now this is only going to get bigger and better, so for that, I would like to say "thank you and a job well done"! With that said, our team has a chance to play against some of the best teams in the United States, so as a competitor and coach, I look forward to the challenge we have in front of us. Players you should take advantage of this and show everybody that we belong and that we will be ready for each and every team we face. The players always talk about how they want to face the best teams, well gentleman, that time has come. So it's time to put up or shut up!!! Raptors, I'm asking you to dig deep inside yourself to get prepared both mentally and physically to show the league who we are! Now lets go get that championship! One Heartbeat, One Team, One Goal!!!
Posted by Sidney Mitchell on April 4, 2006 at 9:14 pm.

Give It Your All

2006-02-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

Football is just like life - you never know when it's going to be your last play or your last time playing any sport that you love. In life, we feel the need to want to go full speed ahead and give it everything we have to give! Because, at the end of our life, we don't want to wonder what could have been and where life might have taken us. We want to know that we did everything in our life that we wanted to do. Football can be viewed in the very same way. You just don't know if the very next play will be your last. If you get hurt just because you took a break on a play (which all of us are guilty of at one time or another), would you be content on how your career ended? I'm really not trying to preach to anybody-but right now, in my life, I live football through the players on this team and I just want everybody to go out and give 100% on every play! If and when you decide to stop playing, I want it to be because it's how and when YOU want to call it quits. When you're playing this game, you would be surprised at how many players get hurt by taking plays off. Just don't let an injury that happened while you took a play off be the reason your career ends completely! Again, you never know when it's going to be IT so please do everything in your power to do and be the best person and player you can be. Life is too short for you to have any regrets, so trust and believe in your team and know that the great players don't want to take any plays off because they want to PROVE that they belong where they are. As a team, I just want us to prove that we belong in this league and leave no room for anyone to doubt us. All I ask is for us to give everything we have on every play of every game so we don't have to ask ourselves what MIGHT HAVE BEEN. In closing, I just want to quote the late Jimmy V. - "DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T EVER GIVE UP!" ONE HEARTBEAT, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL!! Posted by Sidney Mitchell on 2/12/06 at 10:31 pm.

Blood, Sweat And Tears

2006-01-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

Most athletes have in fact done all of these at one time or another. What do I mean by this? First of all, blood- You're going to bleed from some part of your body, whether it be during practice, a scrimmage or a game. You have some athletes that thrive on seeing their own blood! It makes them play harder. You can even say that it gives them some type of rush and fuels them! Secondly- Sweat. This one is self-explanatory but one MUST, especially during pre-season, do a lot of this to get in shape. A lot of players think working out in the off season is too harsh on them but believe me- they're not asked to do stuff that other players before them haven't been asked to do. To be a very successful team, you must be a well conditioned team- both mentally as well as physically- because when you're physically tired you must be mentally STRONG and know what your assignments are and be able to react to certain situations. I truly believe that football is 80% mental and only 20% physical. If you out think your opponent you will be a very powerful team even if the other team is physically stronger than you. Finally- Tears. As a grown man, you will hear people say "I won't cry" but this is the farthest thing from the truth. You might cry because you're hurt and that would be very understandable. Perhaps there will be tears of joy from winning a big game. I can honestly tell you that you might even cry over your teammates! When this happens you truly arrived as a team because this means you look at your teammates as your brothers and you are READY to go into battle with them and THIS is something very special. So: ARE YOU READY TO BLEED, SWEAT AND SHED TEARS FOR YOUR TEAM??? ONE HEARTBEAT, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL!! Posted by Sidney Mitchell at 11:30 pm on 1/30/06.

Success

2006-01-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

I've heard a saying several times that goes like this: "Success is yours the minute you decide you want it!" So- let me ask you this - How bad do you want it? What kind of success are you looking for? How hard are you willing to work for it? Every day is about choices. When you get up in the morning, you can CHOOSE to have a good day or a bad day. When someone cuts you off in traffic, you can choose to get angry or get over it! When you step out on the field before a game - I guarantee you'll choose to WIN! But, what happens when things don't go your way? What happens when the score is tied and you've got less than a minute to score and that doesn't happen? Let's just speculate and say the other team wins by a field goal. At this point, what will YOU choose to do? I'm sure celebrating will be the farthest thing from your mind but I encourage you to take something positive from that game. Is your shot at success over? NO! You have the opportunity - or choice - to look back at that game and learn from US. Nobody is perfect and I don't expect you to be. I do, however, expect you to show up with enthusiasm, excitement and a drive to destroy our competitor!! We have a BIG season ahead of us and it's up to each of us to CHOOSE to succeed. Engrave it in your mind. Believe in yourself! Believe in your team! Believe in your coaches! The feeling of success is unlike any other! You CAN have success! You CAN achieve success on many different levels but you've got to be willing to do your part!! ONE HEARTBEAT, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL!! Posted by Sidney Mitchell on 1/22/06 at 10:35 pm.

Winning And Losing

2006-01-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

There is a real fine line between the two. First of all, the team that makes the fewest turnovers puts themselves in a good position to win the game. While playing games on the road, if you don't make turnovers and try to score early, you will in turn take the crowd out of the game which will make it easier for your team to execute your plays. On the other hand, if you allow the crowd to stay in the game, that will allow the home team to feed off of the crowd. You don't want that because the crowd acts as a twelfth man on the field. Secondly, if you win the turnover battle you must also put points on the board. You want touchdowns but atleast get three points! Make no mistake- if you score touchdowns, it puts a lot of pressure on the other team and makes them press harder and could cause them to do stuff out of character. However, if you're the team on the other end, you must settle down and erase the mistakes out of your mind and do the things you know you are capable of doing as a team. A lot of turnovers in games are mental. Therefore, you've got to always stay focused and keep your mind in the game because turnovers are a momentum changing play and it always depends as a team how you respond to adversity. Remember--you will never have a perfect game, so always be there to pick up your teammates when mistakes happen. ONE HEARTBEAT, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL!! Posted by Sidney Mitchell at 10:13 pm on 1/15/06.

Desire

2006-01-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

While watching the National Championship, it was clear that the University of Texas had the belief and desire to do what it takes to win the game. This is EXACTLY what kind of attitude we must have to excel in this league--week after week. I'm sure that most of you watched that game. With only 6 minutes left in the game, sure, Texas could've pointed fingers at each other and try to place blame but what they did instead was to find a way to trust in each other and WIN the game! We, as a team, need to find inspiration from that game. When the chips are down and it seems that the game is over, it is imperative that we find a way to dig down deep and, no matter what the outcome, we fight until the clock has zeros and who knows what will happen?! What the Raptors need is for somebody to step up and become a leader. If necessary, that person will put the team on their shoulders and carry the team like Vince Young did. What you saw was a team that believed in it's leader and knew that he would pull them through to a major victory. It's amazing what can happen to you when you just believe and have FAITH. Don't think for one minute that it just started in their regular season. They worked their tails off in their spring practices and 2-a-days and became as one team! So, I will ask you the question now: Do you have the desire to be the best you can be? ONE HEARTBEAT, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL!! Posted by Sidney Mitchell at 8:13 pm on January 8, 2006.

PRIDE!!!!!!

2006-01-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

What is it? Where does it come from? There are different categories of pride. Pride can be positive or negative. Pride can be seen on an individual level or on a full team basis. I want you to have pride but I want it to be positive and for your TEAM. We can talk first about individual pride. This is where you as a person do everything possible in the off-season to prepare yourself for a fulfilling pre-season. It doesn't stop there! You must utilize your learning skills and use everything that the coaches tell you. Pride is a tricky thing! Nobody likes to get embarrassed or be told what to do, but sometimes you have got to suck it up for the team! Remember there is no I in TEAM! If you want an individual sport, go play tennis, golf or wrestling! Not one individual in a team sport ever won a League Championship or National Championship and THAT is our TEAM GOAL!! Right??! Now Pride for a team is to know that no matter what the guy across from you thinks, you're going to BRING IT for 60 minutes. He will know that there will be no chance of anyone giving up in you or your team. Pride is gained by learning from film, practice and instruction by coaches to get better AS A TEAM. Remember: a team is only as strong as its weakest link! So don't let your team down by being the weakest link because you didn't want to prepare yourself... thinking all along that you are too good! The motto should be TEAM ME! Don't let negative pride stop us from getting to our goal. Fellows, you just don't know how great of a chance you have to be a HUGE part of something awesome! I have a National Championship behind me and there is no other satisfaction like it! I want us--as a team--to achieve the same goal! I truly believe we can be that good of a team if we pull together and listen to the coaching staff because they wouldn't have you doing something that they haven't done or wouldn't do! Just remember: THE PRIDE LASTS LONGER THAN THE PAIN!! If you don't want it for yourself--want it for your teammates! ONE HEARTBEAT, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL! Posted by Sidney Mitchell on 1/2/06 at 11:17 pm.

Excitement In The Air

2005-12-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

It's almost as if it's the beginning of August and football is right around the corner. You're sitting in the stands waiting to hear the voice of the legendary John Ward (Former Vols Radio Announcer) bellowing out: "It's football time in Tennessee!" Then the realism sets in as you ponder on the fact that we are only in the middle of the offseason. Instead of getting down and watching every available game on ESPN Classic, start now in getting ready for the offseason workouts and upcoming tryouts!

A coach's job is really never done... Even though people think that as soon as a season is over there is nothing left for them to do. However the reality is that this is truly when a coach's season starts. Evaluating talent, placing people in key positions and even getting the coaching staff in order for the upcoming season are just a few of the details that can overwhelm a coach. Therefore, football really is a year round job.

Just to let you all know, the core behind the Tennessee Raptors hasn't slowed down our pace to making 2006 a successful year. We are putting our minds together and forming strategies and plans to ensure we are prepared when we all finally do come together. We all have one ultimate goal in mind, which is to WIN the LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP next fall! At our most recent meeting the energy and excitement did, in fact, fill the air. We have no doubt that the enthusiasm of the coaches will carry over to the players and fans. To achieve our goal the players will hear me say this next phrase a lot: THE PRIDE LASTS LONGER THAN THE PAIN! January 14th is just around the corner--so get your mind in the game and be prepared to take our first steps toward our goal. To quote Bo: "GAME IS ON!" One Heartbeat, One Team, One Goal! Posted by Sidney Mitchell on 12/26/05 at 11:04 pm.

Respect--What Is It?

2005-12-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

respect: To hold in high estimation or honor; to treat with consideration; to avoid interfering with or intruding upon; to have reference or regard to.

Have you ever heard the phrase "You've got to spend money to make money?" Respect is very much the same way. You've got to give respect in order to receive it. We start learning about respect at a very young age. We are taught to respect our parents and siblings. We are taught to respect the elderly. We are taught to respect people in leadership positions. We respect our belongings and things that we care about. In return, we hope to BE respected as well.

As you are already aware, people are watching you. When you step out on that football field you are building the respect of all those eyes on you. You may not even realize the admiration that so many feel. Kids are constantly watching your actions, hearing your words and following the image that you make. You deserve to be respected. As an individual, you should expect the same amount or more of the respect that you show to others.

Respect is something that we have to earn as a team off the field as well as on. Just because we were awarded the only franchise in Northeast Tennessee doesn't mean that other teams will automatically respect us. We must go above and beyond what is expected of us to prove we are the powerhouse that I know we can be. After coming back from the league meeting, I know this will be the most competitive league up to date. By some of the talk that was going on at the table, as a team I would like to stay under the radar but with Bo's competitive spirit, I know this is going to make for a fun season. So, if respect is what we WANT, then we will have to EARN it! ONE HEARTBEAT, ONE GOAL, ONE TEAM! Posted by Sidney Mitchell on 12/21/05 at 4:53 pm.

Contenders Or Pretenders

2005-12-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

Okay---Be honest with yourself---Which one are you? When it comes to being competitive, it's easy to categorize. First of all, we'll discuss contenders. I like to think of a contender as someone who's focused, not only on their goal, but on the path to achieving success. A true contender is going to work hard to prepare mentally as well as physically. As a team if we all work together and start now, we will have already arrived once the season starts and will be fully prepared to make ourselves and our community proud. There will be struggles. There will likely be times when we question our endeavors. If we show up on that first day knowing that we've prepared ourselves in all aspects of the game; we will have the satisfaction of victory. Contenders don't just show up to show off---they show up as dedicated, determined teammates with a true love for the sport. Now let's talk a little about pretenders. This one is simple. Pretenders are the cocky, arrogant ones who just want to be out there just showing off. Pretenders come forth thinking they are THE #1 PLAYER on the team and that we couldn't function without them. Pretenders don't spend time trying to learn more. Pretenders don't spend much extra time in the gym. And worst of all, pretenders won't be there to pick us up when we fall. They will be questioning everyone around them. They will find someone else to blame. And then, at the end of the season they might very likely be the ones to feel failure. Contenders fight for their dreams from start to finish. Pretenders just dream. So, let me ask you again---WHICH ONE ARE YOU?!
Posted by Sidney Mitchell on 12/15/05 at 10:37pm.

Give Back ?

2005-12-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

I can remember when I was a little kid, I went to a NFL game and I just had the best time well after the the game I got close enough to ask for an autograph, to my suprise the person told me he didn't have time and that crushed me. When I got to high school some of the players on the team would go to the elementary school games and the seniors got to keep their jersey's. This little boy from one of the teams came up to me and ask me for my jersey and at that moment I flashed back to my experience and I knew the right thing to do was give him my jersey even though it meant something special to me but I knew it probably meant the world to him so I gave him my jersey, my friends ask me why I gave him my jersey and I told them that they just wouldn't understand. Just remember as an athlete people are watching your every move when you least expect it and kids as well as adults look up to you because alot of the times kids don't listen to their parents but they will listen to somebody that they admire. So be a role model and just give back to the COMMUNITY the best way you can. Remember to KIDS your BIGGER THAN LIFE...... posted by Sidney Mitchell on 12/13/05 at 2:39 p.m.

Football is it for money or love of the sport

2005-12-10T15:08:00.001-08:00

I was sitting here thinking and talking to some people about how football has changed and how everything is done for money. Growing up as a kid all I wanted to do was play football and even through college I loved the sport and I still do. Now if you watch pro football people are always talking about contracts and how they can make more money for once I would love to hear a player talk about the desire that they've to play the game not what they should be worth but there is exceptions to this such as Peyton Manning, I truly feel he loves and respects the sport. What you have in Minor League Football is athletes who are not making millions who truly have a passion for the sport and some of the players one day could be playing on the next level and if that happens I hope they never forget where they came from and what it took to get there. If you get a chance to see a game please do and I hope you enjoy how football is meant to be played these players have the desire and the dedication to this sport because they love it so go out and support the Tennessee Raptors and have a good time.....Posted by Sidney Mitchell on 12/10/05 at6:43 p.m.