Box vs pyramid

I have struggled with this over the past few years. I am just throwing out some stuff based off of what you have to say. Playing a little Devil's Advocate. Although, some of this I do hold true.

#1- Numbers- my whole goal every year is to get bigger numbers. More kids, more kids, more kids. I don't know why I do this. Of course, I want to have more athletes involved. I also like to get some of these kids involved because they need it. It also helps with fundraisers, etc. [glow=red,2,300]However[/glow], [glow=red,2,300][/glow]what % of those kids actually contribute. Was it fair for me to get a couple of juniors and seniors who had never played to come out for the team, when they rarely ever played? What about the kids who come out and just screw around? What about the new numbers of parents you must deal with? I don't know I waver on this issue. I want big numbers, because the more there are now, the more there will likely be in the future. But, I will still only play 11 at a time. It gets harder and harder to roam the halls trying to talk kids into playing. If you don't have the desire, then I don't want you. I shouldn't have to talk someone into playing football.

#2 Playing time- We had a game earlier this year where we played the entire JV squad. We subbed constantly and made sure everyone got a chance to play. We won the game and it was great fun. The next week we tried it again and got hammered. We had kids coming off complaining about teammates who gave up on plays, who didn't know their assignments. Some would say these kids weren't getting reps and that is why they struggled, but that is false. They had equal reps until that game. We noticed our players were the ones who disliked the "play-everyone" method. We never got into a rhythm on either side of the ball. We never could find a combination that could work with certain players. We eventually decided to put players that rarely played in during the early quarters (when the game still mattered). We wouldn't worry about everyone playing equal, we would just make sure everyone got in during crunch time. This too failed. There are only so many times that a terrible corner can get beat deep when you are losing by 6, before you say it just isn't working.

We live in a society where we reward everyone for just about anything. "It isn't fair," some would say about playing time. If they worked as hard, they should play as much. I had a parent relay this to me earlier this year (his son had graduated, so he probably saw no harm in the comments). I asked him why they reward a kid with valedictorian. He said because the kid has worked hard and is very intelligent and should be rewarded. I asked him if it was fair that some kids who have an LD but work their tail off (more than the valedictorian) don't get the award. If you follow your football logic, then the LD kid should get valedictorian, too. The response, "Well, that's different." Really, is it. Just because the kid is gifted and better, doesn't mean he shouldn't get the award. Just like a kid who is talented on the football field and better shouldn't get more playing time. Does a talented person have to work as hard? No, but that is life. You have to deal with it or get better. You shouldn't get a pass at any level, just because you show up. We spend too much time coddling kids, we don't really prepare them for the future.

Now- before we quote this paragraph and rip me- understand, if I have a kid who knows all of his plays, works his tail off and stinks. He will still play. He will play important minutes. I just think too many of us, allow kids who "fake the effort" to be involved. I may be the only with this problem, I don't know. But, the players on our team who aren't that good, don't try that hard to get better. I feel like each year I spend more time with them and get less out of it. I think my Varsity squad suffered this year, because we spent so much time trying to get everyone reps and improve them.

Maybe in a different school, this could work. But, when you have 2 coaches with 50 players it is a little impossible to make it so inclusive, unless the work so hard you have to.

#3- Team Glory- I like this concept. It sure sounds nice. I have used it every year. "We have to play for one another." "We need to be a family, etc." I think I always equated it with everyone doing the same thing, working together to create this great environment, that will be there win or lose. I just don't see it happening very often. Glory usually comes with winning. We had one of the most close-knit groups I have ever coached this year. We were a family. It was great. But, we weren't a very good team. Our talent level was really low and we struggled. I look back at all the positives, but I must say being a member of the football team has taken a hit. It is not from our kids, it is from the rest of the school. I am not going to knock Team Glory here, but I think where we get it from is wrong. We don't get it from everyone being together, we get it from everyone doing something. My high school team went to the state finals 3 years straight. It was the coolest thing in the world to be on the team. We had kids who came out, never played and knew they wouldn't, but they wanted to be part of the experience. My junior year we were not a very close team, but kids still played, because we won. Not because we were buddies (because most of us weren't), but because we won. I wish Team Glory could come from being united together, but I just think that is a little ideological.

OK, coachf the cynic, needs to step off his devil's advocate chair and address your idea.

I really do like the Box concept, if you can pull it off, and I am sure you will. I think a lot of what I have written about are things that I am disappointed in not happening. I tend to be more cynical each year, because kids and parents will let you down. I don't want to knock anything that people shoot for or try to incorporate, I just think we need to be more practical. Don't lower expectations, but reform them. Shoot for the stars, but don't think you can do it in one big blast. We made one change this year for the kids who rarely played (most are sophs and freshmen) we had a Soph-Frosh football game to end the season. Complete with commentators (captains), officials (Coaches), music (iPOd) and a trophy (McDonald's cup with masking tape around it). Tons of people came to watch and it was a lot of fun. We had more kids interested in playing football the next year for that rather than some of our games during the season. I believe that some of that was because of how we struggled, but I think we gave some of those guys an opportunity to play a full game and show what they could do (or not do).

I don't know if I will ever ask my coaches to put everyone in in the JV games, again. I don't know if I will go out "recruiting" kids like I used to. But, I will try to make our program and kids better. I think it will change every year, but we will figure it out and get it done.

I'm a box guy.

HOWEVER, I think it is easy to think that just because "winning isn't important" at the lower levels, that COACHING / TEACHING isn't important at the lower levels.

Coach ALL the kids up. The 'winners' will step up and earn their PT.

The KEY is treating players "fairly"...

Do you treat a kid who lives in the weightroom and makes monster gains and asks to borrow gamefilm on the weekend the same as some kid who just shows up in August?

"Fair" and "Equal" treatment are two different concepts...

I agree with what everyone is saying, especially in terms of being fair. Although I want to get as many kids in as possible, I will still exile the screw-offs to the sideline. Even at the youth and middle school level, where playing time is paramount, I have no problems sitting a kid with discipline of laziness issues. But before I plant his butt on the bench, I will give him fair warning as to why I'm doing it.

Several years ago I was in a situation where working hard was not a good enough reason for our OC to play a kid. One of the RBs that he demanded I start sat out of all of summer camp with a "pulled hip flexor" that our trainer informed was healed in 2 days... I wanted the kid to sit out the 1st game because of this kind of bs, but our OC was all about the Ws and started the kid over the rest of the RBs who worked their humps off over two-a-days. He was a very talented kid (and a nice kid also) but there was no punishement for his laziness.... There were several other nasty situations that arose during that season and I told myself that I woul never let it happen again.

So let me rephrase my initial post-

Pyramid Program- after the freshman level, the studs play (regardless of work ethic), period. Winning is the first priority, and playing time is a distant second. Assuming this is a big school, there will be a sophmore, jv and varsity game each week. The athletes are the only guranteed starters during those games, if its a tight game, you'll have a lot kids keeping their butts warm on the bench. It was a tough year for me, I had several very disciplined, hard working kids that got minimal playing time because they weren't as fast and as strong as several of our lazyasses.

Box Scheme- The kids that playing time through hard work, regardless of talent. You find a happy medium between playing kids and winning games. I you have a jv squad with 30 kids and through your coaching and motivation you have 25 hard workers, you find a way to get those 25 kids in the game. You tell the other 5 that they can ride the bench until they decided to be productive.

Too me, if a kid understands that if he busts his a$$ that he will be rewarded with playing time, then he will learn to work harder and pay his dues. If this is the basis of you philosophy with the lower levels, I think you can churn out tough, hard working kids year in and year out. However, I'm sending the wrong message if I sit a kid whose put everything into the game because he's a step slow or a little weak. However, I know (and have had) those HS kids that haven't been taught to earn what they get and will probably never learn it. They can go out for soccer for all I care.