This is what's frustrating

Heard K-State's Bill Snyder talk at a clinic where he said, "Just because someone's coaching in the NFL doesn't mean he's a good coach. There are bad coaches there too."

I heard a college guy at a clinic say "if you want to make yourself feel good about what kind of coach you are, go to an NFL practice".

I disagree. I don't know many people that get paid big bucks and are successful because they are bad at something. The college coaches that talk trash about nfl guys should give that level a shot. Some of the best college coaches got their lunch packed to them when they gave the nfl a shot. Coaching in a league of parity puts a bigger emphasis on coaching. At schools like florida or alambama it is a rare occasion when they play a team that has close to their talent.

So are you saying that the samuri couldn't take on a high school coaching job and be successful? I think it is easy for people to talk about how bad other coaches are. I am sure I could look at all of the programs that are ran by the same coaches that are dissing nfl coaches on this thread and pick them apart. I was fortunate to have a nfl ol coach on my staff for one year. He actually got fired but as still under contract for that year. That guy coached his butt off and was more detailed and organized than any coach I have been apart of.

ok. I get annoyed when other coaches rip other coaches without actually coaching with them. The worst clinic speakers I ever saw where spurrier and beamer. Based on their track record of success I would assume they are outstanding coaches.

I recommend that every coach, at least once in their career coach Middle School.

Not to mention North Texas.

A D-III college in our state hired a highly-successful, long-time HS coach last year. Went 0-10, most of games blowouts.

(In fairness, he was taking over a team that was 1-19 previous two years).

I think a HS coach could make the jump successfully IF HE HAD PREVIOUS COLLEGE COACHING EXPERIENCE because it is different.

Gerry Faust did not, nor did the coach in my example. Don't know about Todd Dodge (North Texas).

(Having coached both, including college at two different points in my career):

It's not just the recruiting. That is a special ability which either you have or you don't.

You have to motivate and deal with college-aged kids differently.

Scheme-wise you have to be sound in everything, meaning there are some things you can get away with in HS that will get you beat in college. You won't out-coach many people.

And don't discount the difference between rules, timing, and hash marks. All have an influence on how the college game is coached-played differently than HS.

Good thing is there's less problems with parents. Trade-off is there's more issues with drinking-drugs and girls. And of course homesickness and retention with the young 'uns.

This is why clinic presentations from NFL guys aren't always useful for those of us coaching youth football. At the youth level, football is almost NEVER a passing game. It is primarily a running game. Every year, a coach who thinks he is a genius goes out and tries to air it out with a group of 10/11 year olds, and predictably gets curb stomped.

Not all NFL guys are like this, of course. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing from Dante Scarnecchia, long time Patriots OL coach. He was absolutely brilliant, and gave us all kinds of very useful nuggets to take away. I could listen to that guy for hours on end.

Coaching football is who I am. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the classroom, and I value my job as a teacher, but my passion is in between those white lines.

That being said, coaching in itself is completely overrated, especially at the high school level.

I have seen a 5A team in one of the toughest districts in the state of Florida go 11-0 with no semblance of team or organization. They won because their kids were better. Three or four teams on their schedule had {censored} good coaching staffs with highly decorated coaches. It didn't matter.

In the end, players win games. Does it help if they are coached up? Of course. Can you make an average team better with great coaching? Of course. However, I have seen too many examples in South Florida where kids are thrown on the field and contend for state championships with little to no coaching.

If you remember back to Jacory Harris' Miami Northwestern team, they won the mythical high school national championship. They didn't have a coach until early in August! As a high schooler, he essentially took the team through offseason workouts and spring ball. Some South Florida coaches that played against his team will swear to you that he didn't look to the sideline once during games. He did it all himself. What does this mean?

Brings me to my point. Is there such thing as a bad coach? If there is, does it even matter?

Anybody can X and O if they research the game enough. IMO, coaching comes down to two things:

1. Do you have players? If you don't, you are probably screwed.
2. If you do, can you motivate them to play to a level in which they have never thought to be possible.

I agree with you 100%. I'm at a school where we haven't had a GREAT player since the 80's. We are a pretty good team (6-9 wins a year), we are well-coached, and we have great kids who, for the most part, buy into the program.

The being said, I could take over for 20+ schools in South Florida and say this and win 10 games a year, "You are an offensive lineman, keep him away from the quarterback. You guys get open. Son, get them the ball."

At a school with average players like us, coaching matters. If we didn't put in the time, we would consistently be a below average football team.

I know I'm contradicting myself to some degree, BUT for the top 20% teams in the state of Florida, I'm not sure it would matter who is on the coaching staff.

Until the playoffs when they play each other.

This is a disappointing thread to see professionally.

It's been alluded to (but not specifically stated yet). They are DIFFERENCES in performance expectations for coaches in different circumstances. It is sad to see coaches ---who LOVE to talk about how those in the media or stands don't "really know anything" ---so freely criticize others without acknowledging that the jobs are DIFFERENT, even if they fall under the umbrella term of "coach"

Wingtol was on the right track using the small business vs IBM analogy. Is one "better" than the other? Or necessarily "harder"? NO. Are they different? Absolutely. Is one more financially lucrative...almost certainly.

Come on guys, its just different. Jim Tressel and his coaches don't have the same job as H.S coaches, nor do they have the same job as NFL coaches. It is just that simple.

I could be wrong, but I believe you are talking about Coach Daron Roberts. Lets be fair and give the rest of his resume'

Biography
Daron Roberts, who enters his second season with Detroit, joined the Lions after two seasons (2007-08) working with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a volunteer with the Chiefs in 2007 and was hired as defensive quality control assistant in 2008 where he assisted current Lions Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham.

Roberts’ responsibilities included: assisting in the development of the playbook, providing computer breakdown reports for the defensive staff and assisting with the defensive backs. While in Kansas City, he worked with a unit that allowed 188.9 passing yards per game in 2007 and ranked fifth in the league for pass defense.

When Roberts joined the Chiefs in 2007 as a volunteer, he worked with special teams coach Mike Priefer. He also served as an assistant coach on at Bishop Miege High School in Kansas City.
Roberts is a University of Texas alumnus and served as the Student Body President his senior year. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and holds a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Doesn't sound like no coaching experience. Nor does it sound like a limited understanding of the game. Sounds like he might not have given a great presentation.

I'll hire him. You can take one of the "1,000's" of 'more qualified' high school coaches.