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Post by runthei on Oct 28, 2017 7:36:12 GMT -6
I'm the offensive coordinator at one of the bigger schools in my state. I moved to this school 5 years ago because my wife and I were about to have children and this location is 35 minutes from family. In the entirety of this program (nearly 100 years) They have made the play offs 12 times. The past 2 seasons we've made the play offs (which this place has only gone in back to back years 3 times). Never have they gone in 3 consecutive years. This year we returned nearly all of our starters and we've got one win to show for it. This season has been a struggle to say the least. Our kids complain about everything we do and, even more than last year, take coaching as a personal attack. Last night we had 2 players ejected (one for leaving the bench and one for threatening an official) and sent another one in the locker room for doing cart wheels on the field after a scuffle...and if you're wondering this is a varsity football team. I've had parents religiously seek me out to "help". We've got good coaches that don't take plays off that are constantly bringing kids into meetings and film study and they're still not getting it. Last night I called a double slant flat concept out of trips on the goal line and or leading receiver runs into an inside leveraged line backer that's 3 yards off him instead of running flat to the front pylon which would have been a touchdown...his response was "I got pressed". This is only the tip of the ice berg. I know as a coach you'll always want it more than the kids but it's like when I put my arm around then they run, when I coach hard they shut down, when I try to just talk to them they lack even the basic aptitude to even do that. Our junior varsity team as a group of kids have won a combined 3 games from their 7th grade year until this season. They and their parents think it's coaching and don't see that their genetics suck. Our freshman squad isn't bad and our junior high teams have talent coming up but the next few years are going to be trying to find that oasis in the Sahara and they're getting progressively worse each week. I say that to say this: these kids and parents ARE NOT going to destroy my passion for coaching! I love the guys I work with and their families. My kids love their kids and my wife adores their wives. My heart hurts for my kids and the generation of lost souls they're going to be a part of. I take too much pride in my work to allow a bunch of self-centered families destroy what I've been called to do. Good luck to you (if you actually made it to this point in my ranting) in the rest of your seasons! Read more: coachhuey.com/thread/79088/steal-passion#ixzz4woGGBmwu |
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Post by rsmith627 on Oct 28, 2017 8:13:22 GMT -6
Coach, your name runthei identifies your problem. That ain't real football. You gotta spread em and shred em to win!
I'm kidding, just mocking some of the posts appearing on this board lately. Been where you are and it is frustrating. If you're overall happy where you're at as it sounds like you are, just keep doing what you're doing. Coach your ass off. Coach the kids who want to be there, and want to be coached.
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Post by runthei on Oct 28, 2017 9:40:04 GMT -6
Coach, your name runthei identifies your problem. That ain't real football. You gotta spread em and shred em to win! I'm kidding, just mocking some of the posts appearing on this board lately. Been where you are and it is frustrating. If you're overall happy where you're at as it sounds like you are, just keep doing what you're doing. Coach your ass off. Coach the kids who want to be there, and want to be coached. Lol, you're right! We're a spread option team that will throw if there's a stacked box and I've heard "gotta get under center!" "you're calling the wrong routes!" "CALL THE TOUCHDOWN PLAY!" I feel for the kids because they're definitely a product of their environment but it does wear on me. |
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Post by 54695469 on Oct 28, 2017 22:08:35 GMT -6
I'm the offensive coordinator at one of the bigger schools in my state. I moved to this school 5 years ago because my wife and I were about to have children and this location is 35 minutes from family. In the entirety of this program (nearly 100 years) They have made the play offs 12 times. The past 2 seasons we've made the play offs (which this place has only gone in back to back years 3 times). Never have they gone in 3 consecutive years. This year we returned nearly all of our starters and we've got one win to show for it. This season has been a struggle to say the least. Our kids complain about everything we do and, even more than last year, take coaching as a personal attack. Last night we had 2 players ejected (one for leaving the bench and one for threatening an official) and sent another one in the locker room for doing cart wheels on the field after a scuffle...and if you're wondering this is a varsity football team. I've had parents religiously seek me out to "help". We've got good coaches that don't take plays off that are constantly bringing kids into meetings and film study and they're still not getting it. Last night I called a double slant flat concept out of trips on the goal line and or leading receiver runs into an inside leveraged line backer that's 3 yards off him instead of running flat to the front pylon which would have been a touchdown...his response was "I got pressed". This is only the tip of the ice berg. I know as a coach you'll always want it more than the kids but it's like when I put my arm around then they run, when I coach hard they shut down, when I try to just talk to them they lack even the basic aptitude to even do that. Our junior varsity team as a group of kids have won a combined 3 games from their 7th grade year until this season. They and their parents think it's coaching and don't see that their genetics suck. Our freshman squad isn't bad and our junior high teams have talent coming up but the next few years are going to be trying to find that oasis in the Sahara and they're getting progressively worse each week. I say that to say this: these kids and parents ARE NOT going to destroy my passion for coaching! I love the guys I work with and their families. My kids love their kids and my wife adores their wives. My heart hurts for my kids and the generation of lost souls they're going to be a part of. I take too much pride in my work to allow a bunch of self-centered families destroy what I've been called to do. Good luck to you (if you actually made it to this point in my ranting) in the rest of your seasons! Read more: coachhuey.com/thread/79088/steal-passion#ixzz4woGGBmwuA few questions for you, Coach: what did you do last off-season when the rest of America changed the culture of their programs? Why did you not devote 90% of your time to posting on Twitter or teaching your kids to "love the grind?" The rest of us solved all our issues and are enjoying a stress-free season. |
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Post by silkyice on Oct 29, 2017 7:23:36 GMT -6
I've heard "gotta get under center!" Blasphemy!!! |
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Post by badtotheflexbone on Oct 29, 2017 10:28:44 GMT -6
One of my assistants always said "Coach, it ain't football without adversity" Hang tough!
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Post by larrymoe on Oct 29, 2017 17:36:46 GMT -6
I coached a group about 4 years ago that was like that. I found out after the season they were legit taking drugs before the game. Might be a portion of your problem.
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Post by bleefb on Oct 29, 2017 19:52:35 GMT -6
I coached a group about 4 years ago that was like that. I found out after the season they were legit taking drugs before the game. Might be a portion of your problem. That was the whole team I played on in high school! Of course, it was the early Seventies, so.... :-) |
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Post by larrymoe on Oct 29, 2017 20:43:00 GMT -6
I coached a group about 4 years ago that was like that. I found out after the season they were legit taking drugs before the game. Might be a portion of your problem. That was the whole team I played on in high school! Of course, it was the early Seventies, so.... :-) Potheads are one thing. Kids raiding the medicine cabinet are another. |
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Post by runthei on Oct 30, 2017 10:33:40 GMT -6
There are a lot of issues that are going on here. I already know that you can't grow without struggle and adversity and even though I hate getting my nuts kicked in, I encourage the struggle.
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Post by bleefb on Oct 30, 2017 19:03:36 GMT -6
That was the whole team I played on in high school! Of course, it was the early Seventies, so.... :-) Potheads are one thing. Kids raiding the medicine cabinet are another. Yeah, my team was ahead of it's time. They discovered cocaine, among other things.☹️ |
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Post by coachcb on Oct 31, 2017 7:47:24 GMT -6
Basically, all you can really do is thin the herd at the beginning of the season when you have teams like this.. Bench the kids who are lazy and/or are discipline issues or kick them off of the team. You may end up starting a ton of underclassmen and losing even more games but it'll save your sanity in the process.
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Post by coachklee on Oct 31, 2017 14:54:01 GMT -6
Basically, all you can really do is thin the herd at the beginning of the season when you have teams like this.. Bench the kids who are lazy and/or are discipline issues or kick them off of the team. You may end up starting a ton of underclassmen and losing even more games but it'll save your sanity in the process. ...and give you a team full of returning players with experience that are not poisoned by bad culture. One year of playing lesser talent, but guys that you can with down the road is probably worth it. |
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Post by runthei on Nov 1, 2017 8:18:05 GMT -6
Basically, all you can really do is thin the herd at the beginning of the season when you have teams like this.. Bench the kids who are lazy and/or are discipline issues or kick them off of the team. You may end up starting a ton of underclassmen and losing even more games but it'll save your sanity in the process. ...and give you a team full of returning players with experience that are not poisoned by bad culture. One year of playing lesser talent, but guys that you can with down the road is probably worth it. Agree with you both! |
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Post by coachklee on Nov 1, 2017 14:51:20 GMT -6
...and give you a team full of returning players with experience that are not poisoned by bad culture. One year of playing lesser talent, but guys that you can with down the road is probably worth it. Agree with you both! This is also assuming that you have a year to fix the culture. "Decent" ADs and admin and school boards will understand a year like that once in awhile. If the AD / admin / board doesn't understand that then you are probably better off moving on anyways because it isn't going to change in that position. Hopefully, you find a new teaching job to actually pay the bills. I'd also be willing to venture that if it happens more often than a few years here and there then something culturally that can't be and will never be overcome by that staff. Trying to re-set the culture at the start (1st year or 2) is likely your only real chance. By year 3, the culture is your culture that you've either changed / created (if good) or have allowed to happen (if bad). Bummer that you are only the OC...hopefully you and the HC are both seeing the same thing and coming up with a plan to "fix / change" things and can figure out how much you guys actually control things and how much it is kids that aren't winners showing that they aren't winners when things got rough. Reminds me of our back-up 4/5 tech who was bigger, stronger and faster than our starting 4/5 tech...he always lost drills, summer competitions, whatever to the guy that eventually started in front of him even though he should have won the job hands down. Bottom line is the other kid is a flat out WINNER and the back-up isn't...the back-up 4/5 probably cost us our 1st loss and was benched on D. Then probably cost us our 2nd loss by missing a few blocks later in the year. He's still a good kid, but unfortunately we couldn't get through to him in a way that helped to make him a winner. At some point it is on the kid...especially if there are other kids with winning mentality available even if they aren't as strong or fast. We probably would have not have been the D we were if we played the "better athlete"...I think this is the hardest part of coaching...finding the right guys that are winners to fill the 11 spots on O and D before too much of the season has passed. Like I said, wish you and the HC the best of luck. As long as you can and think you can make a change stick with it. If it ever sucks away your passion for coaching remember that life is too short and other coaching jobs are out there somewhere. |
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