Less is More: Football takes new approach in 2016

Written for CUWFalcons.com by Julia Fischer

With the new season off to a great start with a win on the road against Finlandia 31-14, the Concordia University Wisconsin Football team takes on a new motto to improve their performance and build a solid foundation for their program.

Head coach Greg Etter has been pushing the phrase "less is more" at the team since the beginning of spring training last year. "The motto can apply to several things when it comes to the game of football," Etter said.

This season the 99-man roster contains 22 seniors, the biggest class of seniors since Etter has been coaching here. However, the 99-man roster has been one of the smallest in recent years for the Falcons. That brings upon some challenges for Etter and his staff.

"With a smaller roster, as a staff, we have to figure how to play on Saturdays with as many healthy bodies as possible," Etter said.

Even though the roster is smaller, it doesn't mean that the team doesn't have the talent and potential to have a great season. The coaches were selective in their choices to make sure that quality players were joining the team. "We wanted to recruit players that would have a positive influence on our program," Etter stated.

Playing on the theme "less is more" Etter and his staff have made several changes to the practices, meetings, and their coaching to make their point.

"We have shortened our practices, as well as our meetings," explained Etter. "Everything is shorter based on our new game plan. The game of football is changing. Our new motto lets us change with the sport and practice what I call 'New school football'."

With this change to the sport the coaches have to modify the way practices take place. The Falcons are hoping for faster drills during practice. Etter also hopes the new routine will help keep the players both mentally and physically fresh on game day.

With the time changes the athletes are getting used to the free time they are given. "I think the guys appreciate the spare time, it will come in handy when school starts getting harder," Etter said.

From a player's perspective the new motto has changed the way the team plays the game. Senior Bryan Thomas has been with the program for four seasons and he certainly has noticed the changes heading into his final year.

"With the new attitude, we've cut out the unproductive parts of practice making the time we play more intense and useful," Thomas said when asked about the new motto. "I think the new motivation has made us quicker. We are trying to get as much done as we can in a smaller amount of time."

Certainly it took a little time for Thomas and other returners to get used to the changes, but now a few weeks into the season, they see the improvements. Players seem more ready for game days, both mentally and physically.

"It has made me more fresh," Thomas said. "It took some time to get used to because it was so different than my previous three years on the team, but now that I've had a couple weeks to acclimate to it, it is definitely a positive influence."

With the time cuts, players are able to focus on the other important things such as school work and their mentality towards the game and academics. Thomas, for example, uses his extra time for mental preparations for the games on Saturdays.

Even though it's early into the season, the whole program hopes to see the positive effects of their hard work and new outlook when it comes to future practices and games.

"Our new philosophy puts us ahead of the curve," Coach Etter said. "It has put us at the top of our game for the new season."

The Falcons certainly were on top of their game last Saturday and hope it continues as the 2016 rolls along this week against Augsburg.