Comeau assured Ladouceur he need not obsess over Xs and Os. With a generational talent in Lyle Thompson, a lights-out scorer in Shayne Jackson, slick offensive players like Miles Thompson and Randy Staats and smooth transition players like Jordan Macintosh and Jordan Hall, Georgia didn’t need Ladouceur to work wonders on the whiteboard.
Instead, Ladouceur could explain to the players what he did as a defenseman to check forwards and, together, they could figure out how to outfox those moves.
“Most of it is in the prep work, breaking down film and defensive systems and players to find areas our guys can exploit,” he said. “I am not going to teach these guys how to put the ball in the net. That is not my skill set. But I can explain how opponents are defending you. We have a free-flowing and creative group, and they don’t need Xs and Os. We want to let them be creative.”
Ladouceur gained the trust of the players, who responded by scoring an NLL-record 266 goals en route to the Swarm’s first Champion’s Cup title in 2017.
“That group doesn’t need a whole lot of guidance,” Ladouceur said. “Too much structure, too much Xs and Os, would probably choke out some of that raw beautiful talent that just wants to play.”
Lyle Thompson won the NLL scoring title and ran away with league’s MVP award in just his second season. Jackson was second-team all-pro. Johnny Powless, Kiel Matisz and Jesse King return to the fold this season after missing 2017 due to injuries and rehab. Is there room for all of them?
“The best cure for a championship hangover is to have a competitive camp,” Ladouceur said.
That sounds more like it, Big Dog.