Pre-season interview with Headcoach Jakub Samel

Leipzig Kings is a good opponent to start the upcoming season? In 2021 you defeated them 54:28 and 21:13.

ELF participants have undergone a major metamorphosis, in terms of not only players squad, but also training staff, so it is difficult to relate to them having the previous season in mind. In the team from Leipzig, the staff has not changed, but the team has been seriously strengthened.

In the northern conference, you will also play with the Hamburg Sea Devils, whom you faced three times during last season. Record - one win and two defeats, including the one in the semi-final. The rivals got stronger or not, you have scores with them to settle...

The team from Hamburg opted for a quarterback from Germany, which is an interesting move. All our matches so far have been "on the verge" until the last seconds. We are glad that such meetings await us.

As the finalists of the first edition, will they be the favorite of the Northern Conference automatically?

Until the finalist is dethroned, it can be considered the favorite, but we are doing everything to prepare as best as possible to fight against strong teams. As I mentioned - the teams from our group, Leipzig, Hamburg and Berlin - are doing a lot this year, got strong reinforcements and now they will be completely different teams.

Therefore, you follow your rivals' movements...

We keep an eye on it, all teams are anyway very active in social media and advertise their reinforcements. Everyone found out how the League works, so recruiting new players was much easier than last year, because many of them, who were skeptical about the project, now see its enormous value.

What's the strength of the newcomer Vienna Vikings?

This is one of the icons of American football in Europe, a team that was very successful on the international and national arena for many years. We are glad to see such organizations joining this league because it shows in which direction the whole enterprise is going.

You will miss trips to Istanbul and Barcelona. It's rather good?

In terms of logistics, certainly yes, although long journeys in further seasons will be inevitable. We know that one day such journey will have to be made and we will be ready for it.

This season, it will be more difficult to qualify for the play-offs than last year, out of three conferences only the winners and the best second team will enter the next phase.

Yes, the number of teams participating in the ELF has increased, but it has not increased the number of teams in play-offs. It will be much more difficult, the competition will be on a even higher level, but... that's good. We assume that when facing the best, our skills can only increase. It motivates everyone - players, coaching staff, organization's management.

In the three-month regular season, you will play twelve games, including as many as seven meetings week after week. What will be the key to stay in good shape throughout this period?

Form of training. Last year, we modified the training plans to keep balance between training and matches, rest and regeneration. It seems to us that we have found a good formula, although we must expect that it will be harder this year, precisely because of seven very demanding games in a row. It will be a huge challenge for our players, especially physically, but I'm sure that by taking advantage of great preparation before the season starts, everything will go as expected.

There will be two bye-weeks in the 2022 season, July 23/24 and August 7/8. What then, rest?

Most likely yes. We have never played as many as seven games week after week in such high intensity. I look at examples of NFL teams where during these bye-weeks players are even "kicked out" of clubs, all they have to do and concentrate on is attending regenerative treatments, physiotherapy ... So it is a moment to rest and disconnection, so we return to the second half of the season in full strength.

Is the Panthers roster complete?

The squad officially closes in the eighth week of the competition - this is the last moment it can be rotated. Most of the players are contracted, ready and training, but during the season there are different situations that you have to react to, which we had to do in ​previous competitions. If we manage to get through the season without any problems- great, although unfortunately it is unlikely. So I am prepared for the fact that anything can happen at any moment.

Most of them trains, i.e. not all of them...

According to the league rules, they can start training at the turn of April and May, this we hold on to. So the Americans are not training yet, but most of the Polish players – yes. And with players who will join us from the Lowlanders Białystok, we have scheduled weekend camps. We will work with them when they are not playing PFL games, so that they can be available for the second half of the season.

How do the trainings look like today?

We focus on available players, which is actually a very large group. We train at a slightly lower intensity; we practice the plays without preparing for a specific opponent. We repeat the patterns and techniques so that the players are ready for trainings with a full squad.

Adam Skakowski, Piotr Gołacki and Tomasz Dziedzic returned to football. What will they bring to the team?

Piotr is one of the best kickers in the Polish league, he was with us in 2019 and 2020. His position is a specialist position on which we want to have a choice. Adam is a young, talented running back, who played in the Polish national team at The World Games 2017. He suffered several severe injuries, which healed for a long time. He stated that he was ready to return and we agreed. After all, he is a Panthers pupil. Tomek is one of the football gems, a natural athlete. He started training together with his brother Bartek, with whom they played together for many years on the field. At the beginning, we do not have high expectations for these three, and as they come back after a long break, we don't want to put too much pressure on them. However, I know their talent and the role they played in the team. If they work hard in the off-season and get back into shape, they will be a huge boost.

You also acquired four new players: Filip Snopek, Mateusz Samczuk, Alex Powar and Bartosz Woźniak. Will they give you the quality you need?

We are increasing the depth and quality of the line-up on the defensive and offensive lines. Filip and Alex are younger players, who we also engaged with the future in mind. Mateusz is a player from the Lowlanders Białystok, one of the most successful teams in Poland, and last years he played in the German league. Bartek, on the other hand, is a young competitor with great physical conditions, with a Polish passport, permanently resident in Sweden, who played for their national team in the final of the European Championship.

The coaching staff is complete?

We have one more coach left to contract - defensive backs coach. Most of the staff is already here, working. They are excellent specialists.

How will four-time Super Bowl winner Gary Kubiak support you?

I talk to him at least once a week. We watch recordings, including those from our trainings. Gary has an advisory, supportive role, he introduces additional aspects to me. He is a huge support for me.

You recently became the coach of the Polish national team, but this project is still under construction. What are the next steps towards reactivating the national football team?

We need to organize everything from the beginning, because the team has not played any match since 2017. We have to set up coaching and organizational staff and create a new database of Polish players, which we do not have now. The optimal plan would be to organize several training camps for the selected group and playing a test match to show that this project is about not only consultations, meetings and trainings, but also performances on the field.

Interview by ARKADIUSZ BARSKI