if you were a player, which would you prefer?

If I had to choose one...I would say great coaches. These coaches would maximize the "average" player's potential, as well as put our "above-average" players in successful situations. If you have great players, but they are never put in good situations by the coaching staff...then you end up with the best 2-8 team in the state.

I'm too old to remember from a player's perspective, but Bear Bryant once said "More than any other, football is a coach's game."

Chris Geesman, who won multiple state titles at Mishawaka (IN) Penn HS was quoted as saying "One good coach is worth six good players."

I think you guys are thinking too much like Coaches. I agree from my stand point now that having great coaches is more important but as a player and thinking as a player would I think most of you would want great teammates.

what would you rather have? Very competent coworkers, or a great boss? Same principle

Put this on a HS Football player board and I'd be willing to bet the responses would be different. Don't get me wrong I agree with you guys but I think we are extremely biased towards coaches for obvious reasons.

i think it really depends on the era.
kids today are all about the individual, so great individuals would be what I would think they would want to be around.

most h.s. kids do not like their coaches. oh, 10 years later in life, they loved good old coach. however, when they were 16-18 coach made them do things which they really did not want to do.

coach made them run hard, do things the correct way.

I love the whole espn thing. i mean they watch espn breakdwon some plays which 21 to 30 something year old men run and bill bob thinks his h.s. team should be able to run it.

every time I get a butt head which tells me I should use some nfl stuff, I show him the nfl meeting, film, and practice schedule I got from Coach Dungy. I ask him if he is ready to committ his son to that much meeting time, film study and then practice, not to mention weights.

we could run any thing we wanted if we had 8 hrs of time to teach, what film and the like.

When I played we won two state titles and had a bit of both to varying degrees, so I'm pretty fortunate. Great players? Depends what you mean by great. We had some D-1 guys, including one who went head-case his first year and just dropped out of Boston College and another who got kicked off a top 15 team for drugs. Great talents on friday nights. We had some guys who went on to D-II, D-III, and no football at all who were great starters for us and, more importantly, great leaders. When I was a sophomore those guys had my respect from day one.

I may have to vote coaches though. Most high school ball players won't play at the next level, and, at least with hindsight being 20/20 I'd prefer whoever could help me be a man and learn the lessons to be successful at whatever I do, which football teaches more than any other sport and a great coach can impart on every player, whether he runs a 4.4 or a 6.4.