Getting ready for the Jaguars

One of the many tunnels at the Suomenlinna fortress

Central courtyard at Suomenlinna

Little bird standing on top of Big bird

Kodie on his way to check out the dock

Time to dip our feet in the waters of the Baltic

Earthen covered tunnels at the island fortress

We lit this passageway up with the flash of the camera, but it was pitch black from the entrance on in.

These were located all over the island

Looking out over the harbor from the island

Cannons ready to protect against the Russian invaders

Is anybody in there?

Suomenlinna was well worth the visit-- It is a picturesque little island with good museums and tons of history

The Three Amigos

Time to explore even without a flashlight

View from one of the tunnels on Suomenlinna

Since our return from Helsinki, I have been busy breaking down film and getting ready for our road game against the Jyvaskyla Jaguars this upcoming Saturday. The Jags run a no huddle spread offense, which is one of the most difficult type of schemes to prepare for. My only assistant coach is away on holiday this weekend, so I will be at it alone this weekend. I must admit that I am really feeling stretched right now with having to keep tabs on special teams and do all of the coaching and teaching on both sides of the ball. Fortunately, we have some import guys who have stepped up and helped me with some of the game planning details. I have been really impressed with the overall football IQ of the Finnish players as well as our British import players. Our newest addition to the team is a Brit named Jason Brisbane. Jason was a linebacker on the San Diego Chargers practice squad for all of the 2008 season. He is a really sharp guy and he brings a winning attitude to the team. We are expecting big things from him during the remainder of our season.
I have included some more photos from our recent trip down to Helsinki. The photos from today are mainly from Suomenlinna. This area is a popular sea fortress which dates back to 1748. It takes about 15 minutes to reach this island by ferry from the Helsinki market square. Suomenlinna was built by the Swedes back in the mid 1700's when they occupied Finland. The fortress was built to protect agaisnt Russian expansionism. The Russians defeated the Swedes in 1808 and the fortress came under Russian control for more than 100 years. The Finns gained control of the land around 1918 when they gained their independence. Today the area is a tourist site, but it is also home to nearly 1000 residents.

Lights out.