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Post by jg78 on May 18, 2013 7:57:59 GMT -6
That's a good point. I think Malzahn had Mitch Mustain and some other guys who went to Arkansas and elsewhere. That definitely helped him get his opportunity. But he made the most of it. From high school ball in 2005 to head coach at Auburn in 2013 is a helluva rise.
That's the name of the game.
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Post by jg78 on May 18, 2013 7:47:01 GMT -6
As we all know, there are a ton of different ways to define things and countless ways to be successful in this game. You just have to use what makes the most sense to you, whether you got it from a Hall of Famer or thought it up yourself while sitting on the couch drinking a beer.
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Post by jg78 on May 18, 2013 6:47:10 GMT -6
All good points.
I think technology and the ability to connect with others and communicate information (with a board like this one being a good example) has made high school coaching better than it was years ago. I also don't think the difference between the better staffs at the bigger high schools in the country and a major college staff is a great as the average football fan might think.
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Post by jg78 on May 16, 2013 19:54:34 GMT -6
A former HC(All-American WR) asked me that one day and I said that I didn't know. He said it just makes more sense to call that a 7 tech and the call a head up a on a TE a 6 and inside shoulder a 6i. I agreed and have called it that since then. It's whatever is easier for the kids to me and I have no reason to call it something if it doesn't fit and make sense. Just because it is tradition doesn't make it right. Any thoughts or a little historical background please? For us, a 1 tech. is inside shade of the guard, a 2 tech. is head up the guard, and a 3 tech. is outside shade of the guard. 4, 5 and 6 are the same alignments vs. the OT and 7, 8 and 9 and are the same alignments vs. a TE. I have never understood 4i, 6i, etc. Why not just 123, 456, and 789? That's what makes the most sense to me.
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Post by jg78 on May 16, 2013 15:40:47 GMT -6
In the last several years we have seen some high school coaches make the jump to major college ball and become very successful. Gus Malzahn was coaching high school as recently as 2005. In 2010, he was the OC for a national champion Auburn team and is now the HC there. Chad Morris of Clemson was coaching high school ball in Texas in 2009. Now, he is the OC of a very potent Clemson offense.
With former high school coaches making such leaps, I have a couple of questions:
1. Is the gap between the coaching staffs of the top-tier high school programs in the country and major college programs closer now than, say, 20 years ago?
2. If so, do you think it will become more and more common to see very successful high school coaches given the opportunity to coach at the big-time college level?
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Post by jg78 on May 12, 2013 7:49:13 GMT -6
Where's the AD? The AD should be involved in situations like this one. A good AD will encourage participation in all sports and will use the strength program as the foundation for everything.
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Post by jg78 on May 11, 2013 15:41:20 GMT -6
I do everything I can to keep my home life separate from my teaching and coaching career. For me, that means keeping some distance between myself and parents and many of the people I work with. I don't go out of my way to be rude or reclusive but I also limit my interactions to what is necessary. I have just experienced too many situations where a coach or teacher has gone out of their way to be "social" with parents or coworkers and it has caused stress. It's not really about paranoia with me; I just want to limit the stress in my life and I've found that establishing a very firm line between my private and professional lives does that. The last time I went out to dinner with coworkers, two of them started a discussion that involved confidential information. Everyone else stayed out of it yet we all had to talk to the principal about it the next day. Now, was it a huge deal? No, because I wasn't running my mouth. Was it still some unnecessary bullchit to deal with? Yup. A group of parents invited me to a tailgate party a few years ago and I attended. They offered me a beer but I declined because there were players around. However, one of them noticed I had a dip in and brought it up to the AD when I suspended his kid's best friend from the team. Again, it wasnt a big deal but I didn't need anymore crap. These are just two of many examples of little crap that I've had to deal with because I went out of my way with parents and co-workers. Good post, coach. I agree with you 100% on your approach to relationships with parents. Be nice and courteous, of course, but it is wise to be careful about getting too close privately and doing or saying things you shouldn't around them. That is very easy to do. The same goes for co-workers, especially subordinates. I would advise against going out for a beer on Saturday night with someone you may have to chew out on Monday. Bobby Bowden's book "The Bowden Way" has a chapter (Keeping A Professional Distance) that is devoted to preventing these kinds of problems. It is a good book about general leadership as a head coach.
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Post by jg78 on May 11, 2013 11:15:23 GMT -6
This to me is a matter of personal responsibility. Grants, not a HC at this point but we do go out every Friday night and enjoy some food and beer. We however are all responsible and don't get blasted. Parents and kids walk in, see and continue on. Bad some great conversations during that time. But no coach is getting to the point of being drunk. So I guess I don't see a point to parents getting upset. Now, I understand the politics of it, just haven't experienced it yet. I think a lot of it depends on where you work. What may be fine at one school may get you fired at another. You just have to know your territory and keep your head on straight. And if there's a vice you just can't do without, find an appropriate time and place for it.
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Post by jg78 on May 11, 2013 9:07:11 GMT -6
As a head coach, you're a public figure in the community and a leader of young men and it's wise to be mindful of your words and actions. People expect you to be an upstanding citizen and a role model. If there's anything you like to do that might be frowned upon by those involved with your school or community, I would try to be discreet about it. You may feel that it's no one else's business what you do with your personal time (and I may agree with you for the most part), but trying to make that point probably isn't worth jeopardizing your job.
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Post by jg78 on May 8, 2013 21:15:07 GMT -6
The question on the S&C board about whether to be a personal trainer led me to think about this question: as HS coaches do we sometimes take our jobs too seriously? I'm not talking about working hard. I'm talking about living our lives. In that trhead it was suggested that we need to keep players' parents at arms length. I've also seen posts where coaches have expressed discomfort about living in their team's school zone because they didn't want to be seen in bars or liquor stores or whatnot. I certainly believe that I should be a role model and that I need to be impartial but is it really necessary to change how I live my personal life? I'm just a freaking high school football coach. I don't know that we take ourselves too seriously, but I think others may do so regarding our personal lives.
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Post by jg78 on May 7, 2013 16:56:14 GMT -6
Let me ask this question: If you had to go into a game with your normal preparation for your opponent's offense or defense but were completely in the dark about their schemes and personnel on the other side of the ball, which side would you choose to be prepared for? I think nearly everyone would rather be prepared for their opponent's offense and adjust on the fly vs. their defense.
I would choose my opponent's offense for two reasons:
1) An unusual scheme, ignorance of tendencies, and unfamiliarity with key personnel could be major problems for a defense. Not that they wouldn't be difficult for your offense, too, but I think they would be far less problematic on that side of the ball. If I'm a DC and my opponent has the next Johnny Football at QB and I have no clue about it, I would hate to be in that situation. I would rather adjust to a future All-American LB or DL.
2) Teams tend to do what they do on offense and are more flexible on defense, which means that you're more likely to see something different from your opponent's defense than offense on game day. If you're a Wing-T team and the defense you're facing this week played against a spread team the week before, that film probably isn't going to help you a great deal beyond knowing about their personnel. And I don't know how many times I've seen a 4-3/4-4 (or whatever) on film and on the first play of the game I'm looking at something entirely different and have to adjust on the fly anyway.
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Post by jg78 on May 7, 2013 14:42:57 GMT -6
The ability of the coordinators being equal, I do believe an OC with a couple of great skill guys and average players everywhere else has an advantage over a DC with a couple of studs and average players everywhere else. Obviously on offense it's easier to emphasize your key players, while defensively I think you need to be a little better from top to bottom to be a great unit.
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Post by jg78 on May 7, 2013 6:08:12 GMT -6
I have my head shaved ... I have the boonie hat. No tattoos! I am coming from the offensive side of the ball after 15 years. I just cannot draw plays with the Defense on the bottom of the white board. My mind just wont grasp it..... I have not completely assimilated to the Darkside! I can't do this either. It doesn't which side of the ball I am coaching. I put the offense on the bottom and defense on the top.
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Post by jg78 on May 2, 2013 20:21:18 GMT -6
Whoever is smart enough to realize they don't have to be overly smart, just prepared and disciplined. Very good.
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Post by jg78 on Apr 30, 2013 22:19:33 GMT -6
I have coached both sides of the ball. A few thoughts on the subject...
1) I believe offense allows for more creativity and (because of that) probably attracts more coaches who at least think they're smart.
2) In my opinion, defensive prep work is a helluva lot harder.
3) But offensive playcalling is more critical on game day.
4) Getting stuffed on offense isn't as gut-wrenching as your defense getting pushed all over the field while the scoreboard lights up like a pinball machine. I could tolerate winning/losing a game 7-0 as an OC better than winning/losing 49-42 as a DC.
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Post by jg78 on Apr 27, 2013 16:56:45 GMT -6
There are a lot of different skills and personalities you need on a coaching staff, but the one trait they should all share is loyalty to the HC and each other.
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Post by jg78 on Mar 17, 2013 12:59:02 GMT -6
I like your acronyms. I need to use those.
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