The X League announced it's divisional alignment for 2011. The Kanto area is divided into two "blocks", nominally the Eastern and Central, which are redrawn each year, based on standings.
EASTERN
Kajima Dears
Fujitsu Frontiers
Meiji-Yasuda Pirates
All-Mitsubishi Lions
Bullseyes Tokyo
Fuji-Xerox Minerva
CENTRAL:
Obic Seagulls
IBM Big Blue
Asahi Beer Silver Stars
Hurricanes
All Tokyo Gas Creators
Nihon Unisys Bulls
Showing posts with label Football Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Football Japan. Show all posts
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, July 5, 2008
We'll miss you, coach!
We were all sad to hear of the passing of John Pont to cancer on July 1st at his home in Oxford, Ohio.
He was indeed an inspiration to so many on both sides of the Pacific.
His coaching career at his alma mater Miami of Ohio (where he set career rushing records inhis playing days); at Yale; Indiana; Northwestern; and Mt. Saint Joseph's was impressive in the way that he loved to embrace the challenge of taking downtrodden teams to new heights. He took Indiana's to the Rose Bowl at the end of the magical 1967 season, its first bowl game ever. He guided Mt. Saint Joesph's (Ohio) through its first few years. In Japan, he took a Rokbull team all the way from the bottom into the top division.
Coach Pont did much to advance the game in Japan, not only as head coach of Rokbull, but with his John Pont coaching clinics as well. He would always take time to talk football with me, and encouraged me to get more involved. I had plans to interview him this summer for this writing project on football in Japan, as he was one of the inspirations for it.
Those of us who were blessed to know him will miss him greatly.
He was indeed an inspiration to so many on both sides of the Pacific.
His coaching career at his alma mater Miami of Ohio (where he set career rushing records inhis playing days); at Yale; Indiana; Northwestern; and Mt. Saint Joseph's was impressive in the way that he loved to embrace the challenge of taking downtrodden teams to new heights. He took Indiana's to the Rose Bowl at the end of the magical 1967 season, its first bowl game ever. He guided Mt. Saint Joesph's (Ohio) through its first few years. In Japan, he took a Rokbull team all the way from the bottom into the top division.
Coach Pont did much to advance the game in Japan, not only as head coach of Rokbull, but with his John Pont coaching clinics as well. He would always take time to talk football with me, and encouraged me to get more involved. I had plans to interview him this summer for this writing project on football in Japan, as he was one of the inspirations for it.
Those of us who were blessed to know him will miss him greatly.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Let's Not be too Hasty
Another somewhat bizarre ending to a game I attended this weekend. On a truly gorgeous autumn afternoon, in an X-2 League Central Division battle at Kawasaki Stadium, the Unisys Bulls led Bullseyes Tokyo 21-13 in the final minute of the game. The Bulleyes had already used all of their timeouts earlier to stop the clock. So when the Unisys came up short on 3rd down, I was quite surprised to see the Bulls call their second timeout, stopping the clock with exactly 25 seconds remaining- before the officials had even given the ready-for-play signal and thus started the play clock (which gives the offense 25 seconds to snap the ball). So that meant that rather than simply letting time expire, they would be forced to punt, thus giving the Bullseyes at least a chance to get the ball back and try to score. Then the Bulls called another timeout- their last- instead of keeping it for any emergencies on defense.
The Bulls finally punted the ball a short distance, downing it immediately, rather than letting it roll, so only a few seconds ticked off the clock. As it turned out, the Bullseyes' QB (for lack of a better word, as the Bullseyes have no actual QBs on their roster this year) was sacked on first down. They were unable to get another play off, so the game ended 21-13.
The Bulls had scored on their opening drive of the game in part due to several missed tackles, but the Bullseyes defense held them scoreless the rest of the afternoon. The Bullseyes offense- and running a version of the Nevada-style shotgun- perhaps better described as single wing offense, with a back in the trigger position- were able to move the ball on the ground despite the 4-4 front the Bulls threw at them, managing to score a touchdown in each half. But breakdowns in the kicking game- misplaying an onside kick, protections, bad snaps, and blocked kicks- ultimately resulted in two second half returns for touchdowns for Unisys to get the win.
Both teams are now 3-1 on the season, with their final game coming in mid-November.
The Bulls finally punted the ball a short distance, downing it immediately, rather than letting it roll, so only a few seconds ticked off the clock. As it turned out, the Bullseyes' QB (for lack of a better word, as the Bullseyes have no actual QBs on their roster this year) was sacked on first down. They were unable to get another play off, so the game ended 21-13.
The Bulls had scored on their opening drive of the game in part due to several missed tackles, but the Bullseyes defense held them scoreless the rest of the afternoon. The Bullseyes offense- and running a version of the Nevada-style shotgun- perhaps better described as single wing offense, with a back in the trigger position- were able to move the ball on the ground despite the 4-4 front the Bulls threw at them, managing to score a touchdown in each half. But breakdowns in the kicking game- misplaying an onside kick, protections, bad snaps, and blocked kicks- ultimately resulted in two second half returns for touchdowns for Unisys to get the win.
Both teams are now 3-1 on the season, with their final game coming in mid-November.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Mercy , mercy?
One thing that seems to improve later in the season in Japan is the quality of the games. The schedules seem to be seeded with top of the division teams playing at the end of the season, so the games are matched a little more evenly.
As usual, the early season this year has featured quite a few blowouts-one by a 105-0 score. (And remember, regulation games in Japan are only 48 minutes). But honestly, these sort of one-sided games do little good for the game of football in Japan. Soundly defeating an opponent is one thing; humiliating the opponent is quite another. They are not very exciting to watch, and they discourage the losers from going on. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Ultimately, football for everyone suffers.
Of course, mismatches in talent and squad size are largely to blame; but so are the league rules, which use point differentials as a tie-breaker in division standings and determining playoff positions. This sometimes results in strange situations where a team way ahead near the end of a game will be going into hurry-up mode and calling timeouts trying to score again, at a point when their opponent has been thoroughly exhausted and demoralized. This is bad sport, and bad sportsmanship. In Western countries, those who do so are seen as poor sportsmen, but somehow this concept has not yet made its way to Japan.
[In fact the Swedish coach mentioned this after his team's World Cup loss, when late in the game and with a huge lead, Japan faked the extra point kick and ran in a two point conversion].
I believe a Mercy Rule of some sort should be imposed- stopping a game when the differential reached, say, 40 or 50 points.
There are slightly more radical measures that could be tried- I recall the Hula Bowl All-Star game used to allow the team that is trailing by more than (10?) points the option to receive or kick-off after any score. But as this is not in line with current NCAA rules, I have little hope to see such a rule adopted.
Eliminating the point differential factor from standings and tie-breakers would certainly help. What is needed to accomplish that is some way of rating the quality of the opponent one has lost to and defeated, by won/lost records; records against common opponents; and if necessary, perhaps considering defeated opponent's total points scored or allowed.
For my part, I will focus on drawing attention to close games, and not glorifying blowouts.
Of course the best way is to raise the level of talent and numbers for the have-nots in football in Japan to help make them more competitive. Hopefully the X-League, the KCFA and the other organizations and teams involved with american football in Japan will see the light sooner, rather than later.
As usual, the early season this year has featured quite a few blowouts-one by a 105-0 score. (And remember, regulation games in Japan are only 48 minutes). But honestly, these sort of one-sided games do little good for the game of football in Japan. Soundly defeating an opponent is one thing; humiliating the opponent is quite another. They are not very exciting to watch, and they discourage the losers from going on. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Ultimately, football for everyone suffers.
Of course, mismatches in talent and squad size are largely to blame; but so are the league rules, which use point differentials as a tie-breaker in division standings and determining playoff positions. This sometimes results in strange situations where a team way ahead near the end of a game will be going into hurry-up mode and calling timeouts trying to score again, at a point when their opponent has been thoroughly exhausted and demoralized. This is bad sport, and bad sportsmanship. In Western countries, those who do so are seen as poor sportsmen, but somehow this concept has not yet made its way to Japan.
[In fact the Swedish coach mentioned this after his team's World Cup loss, when late in the game and with a huge lead, Japan faked the extra point kick and ran in a two point conversion].
I believe a Mercy Rule of some sort should be imposed- stopping a game when the differential reached, say, 40 or 50 points.
There are slightly more radical measures that could be tried- I recall the Hula Bowl All-Star game used to allow the team that is trailing by more than (10?) points the option to receive or kick-off after any score. But as this is not in line with current NCAA rules, I have little hope to see such a rule adopted.
Eliminating the point differential factor from standings and tie-breakers would certainly help. What is needed to accomplish that is some way of rating the quality of the opponent one has lost to and defeated, by won/lost records; records against common opponents; and if necessary, perhaps considering defeated opponent's total points scored or allowed.
For my part, I will focus on drawing attention to close games, and not glorifying blowouts.
Of course the best way is to raise the level of talent and numbers for the have-nots in football in Japan to help make them more competitive. Hopefully the X-League, the KCFA and the other organizations and teams involved with american football in Japan will see the light sooner, rather than later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)