Assignment 1 revision.pdf

8/14/2019 Assignment 1 revision.pdf

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Louis Kraft

English 1102

9-19-2013

Observation #1

I choose the football program as my figured world. I did my first observation during a

position meeting. A quarterback meeting to be precise.

Description of location: The meeting is taking place in the offensive staff room. It is one

of the bigger meeting rooms in the field house. White boards are on every wall in the room, filled

with different personnel groups and scouting reports. A large wooden table is in the center of the

room, surrounded by comfortable, black chairs. A projector is mounted on the ceiling being used

to watch film.

Summary of Figured World

I plan on observing the Charlotte 49ers Football team. I am currently apart of theprogram, working as an under graduate assistant. Being an under grad assistant entitles a variety

of duties. I work with the offensive staff to help develop players and break down films. Being the

young and new guy, I am on the bottom of the totem pole. This is to be expected because in

college football, to be a coach, you have to first pay your dues. This is our first year having a

football program at Charlotte and the excitement surrounding the program is endless. The reason

I choose to observe the football team was because that is what I want to do in life. Working daily

with the football team helps me develop ideas on how to better this assignment. I want to be a


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part of a college program, coaching. The football program is considered a business, it brings in

the most income of any other sport on campus. All types of fans attend the football games but

mainly football fans and 49er supports attend games. During a football game, there are other

activities going on. Cheerleading, Concessions, Cheering from the fans, and drum line are some

of these activities. Appropriate behavior for a football program is to treat players/coaches with

respect. Respect goes two ways; a player respects his coach and the coach respect the player.Playing your balls off is acceptable and the expectation. Communication is the key to success in

the world of football. Lack of communication can lead to losing a game. Loud noise are not

supposed to be a distraction but sometimes become a problem. The crowd is expected to be loud.

Not giving 100% to the task at hand is inappropriate. Training staff is a discourse community I

will interact with while observing the football team. I potentially could interact with the fan base

on Saturdays, and that can be a discourse community.

Figured World- A figured world is a habitat or community that actors and artifacts take a

role in. The actors run the figured world. The Artifacts of figured worlds are typically an object

or feeling that holds significance.

Actors- Actors are relevant to the figured world because they are controlling the figured

world.

Artifacts- Artifacts are objects or feelings that are significant to the community or habitat.

Literacy Practices- Certain practices that are valued in the figured world.

List of Football Terminology used in this Assignment

Offense- The part of the team that tries to score points.

Defense- The part of the team that tries to prevent the other team from scoring points.

Personnel Groups- The players who play in that particular play.

Scouting reports- Tips and pointers on the opponent.

Offensive Staff Meeting Room- Where the offensive coaches meet to study the film.

Division One(D1)- The highest level of college football.

Redshirt- A redshirt player is one who practices with the team but does not play in

games. It is basically a practice year. Typically freshmen get redshirted.

QB- Quarterback

Offensive Line- The Offensive line block the opponents Defensive line. They protect the

QB.

Position Meeting- A position meeting is when each position meets with their designated

coach. (Example: QBs meet with the QB coach)

Blitz Pickup Protections- When the defense blitzes, the offense must block them.


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Special Teams- Kickoff, Kickoff Return, Punt, Punt Return, Field goal.

Special Teams Personnel- The players that play on each of the special teams.

Actors

Jeff Mullen: Mullen is the offensive coordinator for the Charlotte 49ers. He also serves as

the Quarterbacks coach. Mullen is a proven successful college football coach and one of thebetter offensive coordinator in the country. He has coached all over the country in division one

programs including Wake Forest, Ohio, Marshall, and West Virginia. Jeff is from deep Ohio, so

he has a very strong accent.

Matt Johnson: Matt is a redshirt freshman from Maiden High School. Matt is a

determined athlete who is a strong believer in Jesus Christ. Matt is the starting quarterback for

the Charlotte 49ers. A lot of the coaches call him Matty J. Matt wears his emotions on his sleeve.


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Lee McNeill: Lee is a redshirt freshman from Porter Ridge High School. Lee is the

backup quarterback for the Charlotte 49ers. Lee is a reserved guy who doesnt talk much. He is

the smartest of all three quarterbacks, both on the field and in the classroom. Sometime is called

Leon.

Patrick OBrien: Patrick is a redshirt sophomore from Mooresville High. Patrick is the

third string quarterback for the Charlotte 49ers. Patrick transferred from UNC-Pembroke.

Patricks nicknames are Poe or Pat. From the outside looking in, you would never know Pat is

the third string Quarterback because he has better character than most and is always smiling.


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Phil Ratliff: Coach Ratliff is the offensive line for the Charlotte 49ers. Phil is the most

outspoken coach on the staff. He never holds back on an opportunity to raise his voice. Phil

treats his players (the offensive line) like theyre his own children. He coaches with compassion

and for his love for the game. Coach Ratliff strives to not only coach his players on the field, but

also off the field. He cares about what kind of men he is creating off the field. He preaches

execution on the field. Phil is from West Virginia and has a very strong accent. To the untrained

ear, Phil does not make any sense when he talks because he talks with an accent and fast. Once

you get to know him it becomes easier to understand him.

Brad Lambert: Coach Lambert is the head football coach for the Charlotte 49ers. Brad

was hired in 2011 and was truly the right man for the job because so far he has done an excellent

job with this program. Brad is a well-respected coach in division one football. Before taking the

Charlotte job, Brad was the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest University. Coach Lambert is

an up-tempo coach who demands 100% effort on and off the field. Coach Lambert does a great


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job of managing. He lets his assistants do a majority of the coaching. It is important to have not

only your players respect, but also your assistant coachs respect and Brad has this.

Ryan Gloer- Ryan is the team Chaplain. He is the director of FCA on campus. FCA

stands for Fellowship for Christian Athletes. Ryan played college football so he understands

what it takes to be a college athlete. Ryan is always giving support to players that need it. Ryan

has rubbed off on some of the players and has truly left his mark on the football program.

Players- The players are considered actors because on Saturdays, its their day to win.

Saturdays are pay days; its where all the hard work pays off.


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Fans- The fans make up Niner Nation. Without the fans, nothing would be possible on

Saturdays. The diehard fans are what drives the players throughout the week; it easy to be

motivated when you have fan base.

Artifacts

White Boards: The white boards are important to the figured world because they are used

to present information. This can vary between showing diagrams and different personnel. There

isnt much empty space left on the white boards because there is so much information on the

boards.


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Weekly Scouting Report Packets: Mullen handed this packets out to each of the

Quarterbacks and they are very important to the figured world I was observing. The scouting

reports contain this weeks game plan as well as, the top twelve offensive plays for the week,

blocking protections, and the opponents top defensive players. Mullen treated these reports like

they were the bible and he was preaching the good word.

Jerry Richardson Stadium- This is the biggest artifact in my observation. The stadium is

valued because it is where games take place. It is the 49ers home field and you always have to

protect your home field. The stadium is a sanctuary to many people in the program. Jerry

Richardson stadium signifies how far this program has come. In a short four year span, UNC

Charlotte has went from, not having a college football team to busted skulls in real games.

Football- The football is an artifact because without it there wouldnt be able to play the

sport. The football is used in every aspect of the game.

Scoreboard- The scoreboard is an artifact in the figured world because it was being used

to show a highlight film and play music. Music sets the mood of the walk through and is used to

settle the players down. The scoreboard sits on top of the field house.

The Bible- The bible is used to guide the pregame chapel service. Ryan refers to the bible

when he gives the devotion. The bible is valued higher than anything because he speaks the

gospel of Jesus Christ. A good majority of the players are Christians.

Literacy Practices

Game Day Devotions- The game day devotion is a weekly occurrence that is preformed

every game. This is viewed as a literacy practice because it has significant value towards the

figured world.

Position Meetings- Position meetings are an everyday thing when it comes to college

football. Meeting time is valued very high in the figured world. Meetings is where the players are

taught plays and terminology.

The Observation

Monday, September 2

Time: 2:00-2:30 P.M.

2:30The three quarterbacks and myself were sitting in the meeting room waiting forCoach Mullen, as he was a couple seconds late. When Mullen walked into the room, the first

thing out of his mouth was do as I say, not as I do. This made the quarterbacks chuckle.

Mullen began the position meeting with criticism from the previous game. The criticism was

quickly followed by praises. One day all three of you will realize, how great this past weekend

was, Mullen said. Mullen was referring to the teams first game in which was their inaugural

game as a program. At the time, He didnt go into much detail about the positives of the game

but it was obvious he was proud of his quarterbacks.


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2:40- Mullen turned on the projector to watch film from the previous game. (Campbell)

You could hear a pen drop in the meeting room. Mullen had everyones eyes and ears when he

spoke. He would sit in the back of the room and use his laser pointer to show the QBs the points

of emphasis. Some of the points of emphasis were pointing out bad footwork on a particular

play, during the game, when Matt Johnson threw an inaccurate pass. He pointed out a misread on

a certain play where we could have scored but the ball was thrown elsewhere. It was easy to seethat the QBs took what he said for granted and soaked it up like a sponge.

2:50- Mullen handed the scouting report packets to each of the QBs. The scouting reports

were the valued highly because they would be their study tool for the week. I was able to get my

hands on a scouting report and it was filled with all kinds of tips and pointers. The Packet

contained blitz pickup protections, the top twelve offensive plays for that week, projected top

defensive players of this weeks opponent, and run blocking schemes. Mullen went through very

page with the QBs to insure they understood every bit of the game plan for the week. It was

interesting to see the planning that went into this scouting report. It was evident that Coach

Mullen spent a chunk of time to compile the information in the packet. The QBs were listening

to Mullen like he was preaching the gospel. There was a sense of urgency that filled the room.

2:55- Coach Mullen closed the meeting with a quiz. He handed each QB a quiz that was

compiled of ten questions. It was interesting to see a quiz outside of academics. The quiz was

made up of multiple choices questions, which covered the weekly game plan and golden

material. The golden material were the five key things Mullen wanted accomplished for the

week. After each QB completed the quiz, Mullen went over the quiz to make sure they answered

correctly. All of the Quarterbacks answered every question right.

Louis KraftEnglish 1102

9-19-2013

Observation #2

For my second observation, I chose to observe a Friday afternoon walk through practice. This is

the typical day before a game practice. I did my observation with the offensive side of the

football.

Description of Location: The practice is being held in Jerry Richardson Stadium at Richardson-

McColl Field. Jerry Richardson Stadium holds a capacity of 16,680 people. The field is artificialturf. The field house is located in the end zone closest to the student union. The scoreboard is

located on top of the field house and was playing a highlight film. Pump up music was playing

for the duration of the walk through. The players were wearing their pre-game travel suits and

the coaches were in normal street closes. There was excitement in the air and it was easy to tell it

was a day before the game.


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Discourse Communities

Training Staff- The training staff was on the sideline during the walkthrough and were

handing out water to keep player hydrated. The community I was observing interacts with the

training staff because we all have one common goal.

Defensive Players and Coaches- The defensive side of the football was working on theopposing side of the field.

The Observation

Friday, September 6

Time- 4:00- 4:45 P.M.

4:00- The players all made their way onto the field, coming out of the field house by

positions. The quarterbacks were the first players on the field. Once everyone was out, the

players and coaches were gathered on the sideline and Coach Lambert address the team. He gave

the boys reminders of the schedule for the rest of the day and the next morning. He spoke with

confidence in his voice. He had full attention of everyone in the program. Lambert then gave

insight of what was the focus for the walk through and that was to make sure everyone had their

personnel groups right. The walk through was crucial to the players because it gave them one last

check of the game plan.

4:10- The team went through their special teams personnel. Lambert would call each

special team out and line them up on the 50 yard line to make sure everyone was accounted for.

The special teams are kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return, field goal, field goal block, and

hands team. After Coach Lambert called out the starting special teamers, he called out the secondstring special teams. This was important because it insured everyone knew who their backup was

in case they were injured during the game. All the personnel was done correctly and this was to

be expected.

4:20- The offense and defense spilt up and went to their sides of the field. I rolled with

the offense. Coach Mullen gathered the offense up and gave them a speech on want to. You

guys have no idea how many people look up to you. How many young kids would kill to be you

and play in the QC. It is an honor to be on this field and coach, you gotta want to be the best. Be

phenomenal or be forgotten Mullen said. The speech seemed toput things into perspective;

opened the eyes of some players. Mullen went into a quick detailed script on plays that were to

be called to open the game. The players walked through these plays on the field. The players hadpracticed these plays all week and Mullen was just quickly reiterating them.

4:35- Water Break. The players migrated to the sideline and were allowed a five minute

break in the walk through. The water break was much needed because it was toasty down on the

field. There is not any air flow down on the field and the artificial turf bakes in the sun all day so

it produces heat.


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4:40- Lambert called everyone up on him and told the players to take a knee. Lambert

was about to address the team for the last time before his pregame speech. The hay is in the

barn gentlemen Lambert said. This meant all the preparations for this weeks game were

accounted for. It was easy to sense the urgency in his voice. Lambert wrapped up the speech by

leading the team in the Lords Prayer. Everyone followed his lead and prayed. After the prayer

the team broke it down on Family.

Louis Kraft

English 1102

9-19-2013

Observation #3

For my third observation I chose to observe the morning of a home game day. Before

each home game the team boards a bus and goes and eats team breakfast at the Sheraton Hotel.

Along with breakfast the team also has chapel, watches a highlight film, and has meetings at the

hotel. When the team comes back to the field house they partake in the Niner walk. The Ninerwalk is where the players walk through the tailgaters and fans to the Fieldhouse. It starts at the

end of Craver road and finishes at the field house. Tailgaters come and cheer the team on as they

walk to the stadium. I chose to observe the chapel service and the Niner walk.

Description of Location:


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The Chapel Service takes place in the Kannapolis room. The Kannapolis room is a big

room located on the first story of the hotel. It is filled with tables and chairs where the players

sat. There was a podium at the front of the room with a microphone. The walls were a goldish

color which is fitting because our secondary color is gold. The Sheraton is a higher end hotel so

everything was top of the line. The players were wearing their pregame travel suits and coaches

were wearing collared shirts with slacks. The coaches sat in the back part of the room leaving thefront for the players. The Niner Walk takes place on the side walk that leads to the stadium. The

sidewalk is made of red brick. Tailgaters and Fans surrounding the sidewalk all the way to the

stadium. It was a great scene to see. The drum line lead the team up the sidewalk and were

playing a musically number. The fans were cheering as the team made their way to the stadium.

Discourse Communities

Hotel workers/occupants- The hotel workers serve the team breakfast. The hotel

occupants cheered for the team when the team arrived at the hotel. They are considered discourse

community because the workers arent directly involved with the program but take a part of the

game day duties.

Fans- Fans are not a part of the program but interact with the team every Saturday.

The Observation

Saturday, September 7

Time- 9:30-10:10

9:30- The players make their way to the Kannapolis room after eating breakfast. There is

a deadly silence amongst the team. The chapel service is being delivered by Ryan Gloer. Ryanopened up the service with a quick prayer where he blessed this team and the opportunity to

serve the Lord. Ryan spoke about the cost of being a disciple. He went into detail on how it isnt

always easy to be Christian and how it is easy to stray from doing right. He quoted the bible and

said It is easy to be in the crowd; it is not easy to carry the cross. This means it is easy to be

one of many but hard to stand out amongst a crowd. He wants our guys to stand out and lead the

way for all Christian athletes. Ryan talked to the team about sacrifice. Sacrifice replaces

Selfishness. Sacrificing your wellbeing to benefit the team is what is expected. Ryan finished

the chapel by saying Give up everything to protect your brother.

9:45- After the chapel service the team watches a highlight film. The highlight film is

made to get some adrenaline pumping. The song playing the film was Sail by awolnation. Thefilm was composed of big time plays that happened in the previous game. It gave me chill bumps

just watching it.

9:50- The team boards the charter bus and makes its way back to campus. The drive is

about 15 minutes. You can feel the intensity from the players on the bus. There was not any

talking on the bus. I could hear music playing out of headphones from players. The closer the


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bus got to campus the more tailgaters we saw. As the bus passed, the tailgaters would salute and

cheer the team on.

10:05- The team gets off the bus and begins the Niner walk. The crowds of people grows

bigger as the team begins walking. The drum line is in front leading us up the sidewalk. The fans

sticking their hands out for handshakes and support. I got chill bumps as the fans chanted andcheered. The further we walked the louder the fans were. The Niner walk runs right through the

heart of the tailgaters and most of them are drunk. The drunk fans were the best because they

were they had no recollection of what they were doing. The players shook as many hands as they

could as they walked. The fans started to chanted Forty, Niners as we were close to the field

house. The atmosphere was electric and I could tell it was going to be a special day in Jerry

Richardson Stadium.

Louis Kraft

English 1102

9-19-2013

Interview Questions

I interviewed Matt Johnson, Charlottes Starting Quarterback.

Me: What made you decide to commit to the Charlotte Football program?

Matt: I wanted to play quarterback at the division one level and Charlotte is the only

school that offered me to play quarterback.

Me: Did you have any other football offers?


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Matt: Duke offered me to come play strong safety for them, but I wanted to play QB.

Me: How was the atmosphere in the first game against Campbell?

Matt: It is unbelievable, Niner Nation was out in force. It was great to get a win in our

inaugural game.

Me: Do you have any pregame superstitions?

Matt: Not really, I just like to keep to myself and listen to my ipod. I like to relax before

games. It calms my nerves down.

Me: How good do you think this years Charlotte 49ers are?

Matt: This is the first rodeo for most of us so there is no telling. I am extremely confident

in this team and I believe we can accomplish big things this year.

Documents

Assignment 1 revision.pdf