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Post by newcoachfl on Aug 15, 2007 23:00:09 GMT -6
Heys guys, I really enjoy reading the stuff on this site but this is one of my first posts.
I a young coach (22) who is in his third year of coaching and I just feel like I'm getting crapped on because of my age. Last year I called the 9th grade defense for the final 3 games and we won all 3 without giving up more than 7 points in any game. Then our freshman head coach went up to varsity and the new freshman coach came in and he wanted to do defense. After talking with the guy its obvious that I know our defense better and would be able to do a better job, but since he's the freshmen head coach, he gets to call the defenses.
Coming into the last few weeks our freshman offensive coordinator quit, so the head coach told me that he wanted me running the offense because I had coach here the longest plus I had played in the offense. But today on the first day of practice, our offensive line coach comes in and says that he would like to coach the skill guys and be the offensive coordinator. Our head coach sides with him and I know that it is because of my age. I was informed that I would not only be coaching the defensive line like I have the last two years, but the offensive line too.
I just get frustrated and I'm not sure what to do. It just really stinks when you know that you are a better coach than the guy doing the offense AND the guys doing the defense.
I know I don't want to coach anymore here after this year, but its tough because I played for the varsity head coach and he is like my mentor. He's given me alot of breaks and I owe him alot, I dont want to act immature because I'm not getting my way.
Sorry for the long post, any advice?
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Post by spartancoach on Aug 16, 2007 3:00:37 GMT -6
Not to minimize what you are feeling, but suck it up. I'd venture to say the majority of football programs at every level have coaches on staff whose talents underutilized, overutilized and misutilized. At 22, stay the course (either there or somewhere else), make whatever aspect of the team you are responsible for shine, and your talents WILL be recognized. Also, I do not mean to offend you in any way, but the fact that you had some good results does not equate to you being a "better" coach. In my opinion, coaching talent is better measured by the level of IMPROVEMENT of your area of responsibility, not by measurable stats.
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Post by ack32 on Aug 16, 2007 3:07:09 GMT -6
I understand your frustration; however, look at it as a chance 4 u to make YOURSELF a Better Coach....I can see that you are very Versatile...U understand the Defense as well as the Offense, and this is probably why u have been assigned to coach the interior lines...Which is my opinion are the foundations 4 any Team success....Gather as much 411 as you can, and Coach em Up!! Good luck 2 u this season........
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Post by indy on Aug 16, 2007 6:02:50 GMT -6
I would imagine every Coach on this board has been placed under a less knowledgeable Coach at one time or another, or passed up for a position. Just be the best Offensive & Defensive Line coach the program ever had! Study, Learn, & Teach. Hard for you to see it from your vantage point, but you're on the right track. What you learn now and how you react now will pay dividends down the road. Keep plugging away.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2007 6:27:44 GMT -6
I'd venture to say that the decisions being made are more about the other coaches than you. Sometimes a boss thinks another guy brings something to the table that he needs--like being in the building, etc. Sometimes it's age, sometimes it's just the way it is.
The only thing I can say to the contrary is that your head coach should've talked to the OL guy about coaching the receivers, backs, etc. and running the offense before telling you he wanted you to do that. If he was fine with letting him run the O then he should've gone there in the first place. That's how hard feelings are started, and I think that's where you are on it.
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Post by phantom on Aug 16, 2007 9:38:34 GMT -6
Heys guys, I really enjoy reading the stuff on this site but this is one of my first posts. I a young coach (22) who is in his third year of coaching and I just feel like I'm getting crapped on because of my age. Last year I called the 9th grade defense for the final 3 games and we won all 3 without giving up more than 7 points in any game. Then our freshman head coach went up to varsity and the new freshman coach came in and he wanted to do defense. After talking with the guy its obvious that I know our defense better and would be able to do a better job, but since he's the freshmen head coach, he gets to call the defenses. Coming into the last few weeks our freshman offensive coordinator quit, so the head coach told me that he wanted me running the offense because I had coach here the longest plus I had played in the offense. But today on the first day of practice, our offensive line coach comes in and says that he would like to coach the skill guys and be the offensive coordinator. Our head coach sides with him and I know that it is because of my age. I was informed that I would not only be coaching the defensive line like I have the last two years, but the offensive line too. I just get frustrated and I'm not sure what to do. It just really stinks when you know that you are a better coach than the guy doing the offense AND the guys doing the defense. I know I don't want to coach anymore here after this year, but its tough because I played for the varsity head coach and he is like my mentor. He's given me alot of breaks and I owe him alot, I dont want to act immature because I'm not getting my way. Sorry for the long post, any advice? Are you a teacher? Are you in the building? Is the other guy?
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Post by dubber on Aug 16, 2007 10:37:14 GMT -6
I would imagine every Coach on this board has been placed under a less knowledgeable Coach at one time or another, . Unless it's my case in which I AM the less knowledgeable coach newcoachfl, YOU ARE COACHING FOOTBALL!!!!! THE GREATEST GAME EVER!!!!! Yeah, just like in anything else in life, it sucks when someone else with less skills gets the promotion, but this isn't the corporate ladder, this is FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!! Really though, keep on keeping on, your continued enthusiasm and dedication will pay bigger divideneds down the road than anything else. Anyways, the time for addressing concerns like this is in the off-season (with the HC that is............you can drop stuff on this board anytime)
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Post by coachcb on Aug 16, 2007 11:03:31 GMT -6
Just gotta deal with it; not easy some times, I know. I've been in your shoes before and it's frustrating. I'm kind of in the same shoes this year; younger guy with less coaching experience has our defense. We get a long really well and he understands that I know my stuff, so he asks me for advice. Works out just fine.
What got me through was reminding myself THAT I AM STILL COACHING. Whether I am running and offense, defense, or even an entire team, I am still doing something I love.
Also; there is a reason the guy has been given the job by the powers that be. You have to trust that reason and go with it. Be very careful not to piss in anyone's Cherrios; no matter how much more you know, you'll keep getting past over.
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Post by dubber on Aug 16, 2007 11:20:07 GMT -6
Be very careful not to {censored} in anyone's Cherrios; no matter how much more you know, you'll keep getting past over. this is what i'm trying to get at we had a Junior High coach like this...........very saavy, but thought he knew everything. He should've been the high school HC by now, but he was still in the junior high, because no one wanted to put up with him on varsity. Be very careful to avoid being perceived this way
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Post by wingt74 on Aug 16, 2007 11:46:55 GMT -6
Yup, don't burn bridges no matter what. Football is a small world.
The situation is pretty much out of your control. As the assistant, you have to take what is given to you and do your best or leave.
Ever think of coaching youth football? I bet you could get a head coaching gig coaching 7th and 8th graders.
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Post by newcoachfl on Aug 16, 2007 12:10:17 GMT -6
thanks for your responses guys. That is why I like coming on this board, everybody helps everybody else out. Don't worry I'm not coming across to them like I'm a know it all or anything, I just vented on the forum.
thanks again guys.
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Post by coachd5085 on Aug 16, 2007 12:52:31 GMT -6
newcoach---just keep in mind that "calling" plays or defenses has very little to do with great coaching. Bad coaches seem to think these things are important. Great coaches know they are insignificant.
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Post by bulldogoption on Aug 16, 2007 13:37:55 GMT -6
If you respect the head coach, then you just have to blindly accept his reasons for placing coaches where he does. A program is about winning Varsity games. All other levels prep kids for that. He has reasons for placing coaches where he does for that reason mainly.
What the coaches on here are trying to say is that we have all been young and looking back we didn't know jack !@#, compared to what we know now. The HCs that we were under knew what they were doing by making us frosh asst coaches for a multitude of reasons. We all probably felt like you do right now, but if you stay with coaching you will later realize realize why your HC wants you to do this right now.
If you don't respect the head coach you may want to leave that program and join a different one....
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Post by coachcoyote on Aug 17, 2007 0:12:11 GMT -6
Hang in there newbie. We've all been there and at the time, it sucks. Give it your best shot, keep your chin up. Make your area of coaching better because you are there. You can only control what you can control. Kick A$$!
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wccoach
Sophomore Member
Posts: 159
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Post by wccoach on Aug 17, 2007 5:25:17 GMT -6
Hello Coach,
I thought I was pretty good when I was 22 and I was, but I didn't know what I didn't know. I hope you understand what I am saying. It is kind of like what my father told me about being poor as a child. When he was a kid his family was very poor, but he did not know that he was poor because everybody else around him was poor and he did not know anything else but being poor. It was not until he was older that he understood what type of situation he was in and it helped him to become very successful later in life. I am sure that you are a very good coach for being 22 years old, but a few years from now you might look back and realize how much you really did not know. There is no substitution for life and coaching experience. Many of the coaches on this board have decades of time coaching football and everyone of them will tell you that they are learning everyday. Don't be in a rush, let it come to you. Everybody is a great coach when the team is doing well, its the special coaches that can weather the storms and continue to be consistent and get the most out of their team when the tough times arrive. (and they will arrive)
Best of luck
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Post by coachnichols on Aug 17, 2007 6:53:45 GMT -6
I agree with these guys. I've been thinking about something in the same vein for a couple of days now.
I was a 24 year-old "genius" a few years ago. Thought I knew more than I really did and hated the DC I was working with. I was an average player, nothing special. He's this "big timer" who played in the NFL for 5 minutes and spent a couple of seasons in the CFL. So of course, that makes him a defensive genius or at least that's how he always came across to others. We never saw eye to eye and I hated being around him. Long story short, I've moved on to other experiences and realized most of my unhappiness was because of me.
I didn't communicate very well with anyone-----maybe you need to communicate more with your fellow coaches/your head coach.
I agree with whoever said good results doesn't mean good coaching. There's at least 2 programs in the city I am coaching in that produce winning seasons and playoff berths, but they are poorly coached. There success is due to recruiting other school's kids and consequently having better talent than most schools.
"If I had to do it over again", I would focus on being the best position coach possible and learning as much about football as possible.
I am the DC on a staff and one of our assistants is a first year guy straight out of college ball. Working with him has made me realize how I probably was perceived years ago. He doen't know {censored} about football yet, but he thinks he does. Not to belittle anyone, I didn't know a damn thing, but I sure thought I did. Like now, 10 years from now God willing I will be coaching and I'll look back on 2007 and think, "I didn't know diddlypoo about football back then".
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Post by fort on Aug 19, 2007 17:18:59 GMT -6
Some great responses (I'm younger than newcoachfl, so I'll have to take everyone's word ), but the thing that bothers me about this is that you were told you were going to be running the offense and then on the first day of practice he's going to give it to someone else? That's a raw deal...
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