It’s all about heart for D’Amore

Lancer Head Coach Joe D'Amore

Windsor Lancers football fans will remember September 17^th – or Week #3 of the 2011 OUA season – as one that provided a heartbreaker.

Down 15 points heading into the fourth quarter and playing under the lights, the Lancers – in front of a home crowd – came within a two-point conversion of completing a comeback in the game’s final seconds.

Interim Head Coach Joe D’Amore, while obviously focused on the game at hand, had other things on his mind though: the birth of his (and wife Sarah’s) second child; a girl named Ashlyn.

Much like the joy felt by the D’Amores with the new addition to their family (which also includes two-year old Tienna), Lancer players, alumni and fans alike are probably feeling something similar as, since that loss, the first-year Head Coach rallied his team and has them headed into the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Not to rub salt in the wounds, but it’s also only the fifth time in the last 11 years that the Lancers will be playing post-season football.

So what’s changed for what's been a moribund program the last couple of years?

“We really wanted to bring a positive approach [to coaching]. We wanted to bring an idea where the kids build some confidence,” explained D’Amore, who played 40 games as a Lancer receiver (and captain) between 1996 and 2000.

“We really believe that we have the talent here to win and it was more of a mindset. We have to get these kids believing in that they can compete in every game, that they can win football games.”

And win they did, as the team went 2-2 after the aforementioned loss to McMaster to wrap up the season at 5-3. In fact, it’s only the third time Lancer football has achieved a better-than .500 record since 1990.

A lot of that has been due to the new quarterback under centre – second-year player Austin Kennedy.

Having coached Kennedy prior to the player moving on to the University of Windsor, D’Amore commented how he offers a “pass-run dimension that not every quarterback can bring” – while also noting his competitiveness.

Asked to describe what thoughts went through the players heads when original starting QB Sam Malian suffered a season-ending arm injury at Laurier, the coach  reflected on how “the kids looked at Austin as a starter as much as they did Sam.”

“When he took over the team, we really weren’t feeling like we were lost,” said D’Amore, adding that, with using their quarterbacks as a tandem, “there wasn’t any leadership lost in the process.”

While Kennedy officially only has 11 ½ games played under his belt, D’Amore was quick to mention how his pivot has protected the football so effectively – anbeit taking a load of sacks in the process – is what has impressed him the most.

The confidence exuded by the team’s quarterback has let the passing-oriented squad go full steam ahead into the playoffs – and into the record books – as Kennedy set new school records in total passing yards (2,108 – surpassing Scott Mallander 1,821 in 1979) and touchdowns (20 – beating out current offensive coordinator/QB coach Jon Dent’s mark of 16 in 2004).

Make no mistake though; D’Amore is clear when he comments that “we’ve done a great job in running the football – and that’s really opened up our passing game.”

“We’re more of a speed-oriented team too,” he added. “We don’t really have a lot of size … Overall, compared to the Westerns and the Queens, we’re undersized. But the way we look at our team is that it’s one that’s going to work really hard. We’re going to limit the mental mistakes.

“We’re not a good enough football team yet to overcome the mental mistakes like maybe some of the stronger teams in our league can … and still come out victorious.

But that doesn’t diminish their confidence though heading into their quarter-final match-up on Saturday in Ottawa (1pm, SSN Canada) – which is the site of another heartbreaking loss this season, having lost to the Gee-Gees on a last second field goal. D’Amore commented how crucial playing “a real clean and strong brand of football” is to the team’s success moving forward - this season and beyond.

“We want to be more of a disciplined team as far as … not taking too many chances; just being a team where we play base coverages,” he said.

“That’s a learning process though; it’s not going to change overnight. We can’t expect our kids to just, all of a sudden, become everything we want them to be.”

“We’re looking for kids who are going to be mentally tough. We’re going to have our highs and we’re going to have our lows and we want kids who are going to fight through either-or; they don’t get too excited when things are going well and they don’t get too down when things are going bad.

The next obvious question to ask of D’Amore then is how motivated he is to have the ‘Interim’ tag removed from his title, whenever this season is over.

With the very-much needed support of his wife, he now "plans be here for a while; the next five to ten years” – if all goes according to script is.

“I didn’t necessarily think that I would get this kind of opportunity so early [in my coaching career], but when they approached me about it obviously I was very excited. Being an alum, it was a chance to put the program in the direction where I thought it should go.”

When asked what has made the transition a lot easier, he credits a couple things – beginning with his supporting cast.

“There are a lot of good coaches in this city – and I was able to get some of the best ones here. I was excited about that; surrounding myself with guys that I trusted and believed would work together and weren’t in there … to maybe take care of themselves.”

He also describes how he brings a ‘new-era’ style of coaching to the table.

“I like to look at myself as a player’s coach. I’m very approachable; my door’s always open. Kids nowadays – you’ve got to be able to relate to them. You want to get the most out of them. I don’t think you can come in with an iron fist and just bark orders around. You’ve got to understand where they’re coming from,” he explained.

All that being said, the rookie head coach is trying not to get too far ahead of himself - despite his enthusiasm for the gig.

“I hope on getting an opportunity to stay here. That’s kind of out of my hands, but we’ve just approached this season as doing the best that we can.”