EAFL: Barracudas coach looks to take his team one step further

Sport360 staff 08:03 25/11/2015
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  • Back under centre: Zavier Cobb (r) returns as Barracudas quarterback.

    Kyle Jordan has entered another season at the helm of the Dubai Barracudas with his coaching philosophy and expectations renewed ahead of the Emirates American Football League (EAFL) returning to the field this Friday.

    The Ohio native, who is set to begin his fourth season in charge of the Barracudas, is looking to build on last season’s successful campaign, which saw his team finish atop the regular season standings only to lose out to the Dubai Stallions in Desert Bowl III.

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    Despite a largely one-sided 30-6 defeat, Jordan has a typically philosophical outlook on the loss to their city rivals.

    “Sometimes it happens like that,” he said. “You show up at the office and nothing goes right for you. It was one of those days, but we’ll come back stronger and better for the experience.”

    Jordan was appointed coach of the Barracudas when the EAFL was launched in 2012. An accomplished wide receiver in his playing days at the University of Ohio, his coaching style is modelled to a large degree on his former high school coach John Sabatalo

    “Coach Sab was great with the Xs and Os [tactics], but more so, he was a shaper of men,” Jordan said. “He taught commitment, integrity,
    responsibility, respect, and the value of hard work. We all learned huge lessons at an impressionable time, when you’re trying to figure out what type of man you want to be.”

    Although Jordan hadn’t officially coached prior to arriving in the UAE, he still watched a lot of football back in the US – particularly college ball – keeping him tuned it to the different schemes and packages that are seen at the collegiate level, but are rarely used in the NFL.

    “We’ll need as many quality players as possible” - Kyle Jordan.

    In terms of his personality in the locker room and on the sidelines, Jordan prefers a calm and measured approach, as opposed to a more vocal style to motivate his players.

    “The way I get guys to buy in to my philosophy is to show them where they are and help them to see where they could be and how they can get there,” he said. “Once they see it, they can believe it.”

    As well as welcoming back many of last year’s personnel, including quarterback Zavier Cobb, lineb-acker Alex Rodriguez and wide receiver Michael Andersen, the 41-year-old has been pleased with the addition of several new players, adding strength in depth at a number of key positions.

    “It’s very encouraging and we’ll need as many quality players as possible to achieve our objectives for this season,” Jordan said.

    “My job is to get 11 guys on the field in all phases of the game that are all committed to being the best football player they can be.”

    Although Jordan’s Barracudas will have to wait for a shot at evenge against the Stallions, they’ll have their hands full from the get-go in the 2015-16 season opener against two-time Desert Bowl champions Abu Dhabi Wildcats, now under new-coming coach Tony Robinson.

    The much-anticipated match-up kicks off at 18:00 on Friday at Dubai Sports City.

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