|
Post by bignose on Oct 29, 2021 15:32:45 GMT -6
Loads of plastic bags. Keep one ball per quarter stored in plastic. Tongue depressors if you play on grass. Keep one in your shoe. Or cleat cleaning matts.
Keep ball handling to a minimum, QB keeps, etc.
Two handed snaps?
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Oct 28, 2021 7:27:55 GMT -6
Many thanks for your contributions to the future generation of kids.
Sounds like a great run!
49 years.......hmmm....I'm semi retired, doing mostly film breakdown these days.....and I have 2 more years to go to match you. One day at a time.
|
|
|
sayings
Sept 19, 2021 9:33:15 GMT -6
Post by bignose on Sept 19, 2021 9:33:15 GMT -6
Couldn't hit water if he fell out of the boat-inaccurate QB
An older coach I worked with described kids as: "Dumb as dog$hit", and even worse: "dumber than dog$hit."
Dumber than a bag of wet mice
Duckbutt: short squatty line man type
AYO's: all you others, members of the scout team or lower
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Aug 5, 2021 14:37:23 GMT -6
While we had an abbreviated Spring season this year, my observation as a retired teacher, back coaching, was the impact of how remote learning has affected the kids listening abilities when they returned to in person learning out on the field.
There was a decided lack of focus and the kids had to be constantly redirected, above and beyond what one would normally expect from a group of teenagers. This was especially obvious with our incoming 9th graders, who didn't have a previous experience to know what to expect.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Apr 3, 2021 12:53:13 GMT -6
Offensive holding: 5 yard penalty
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Feb 19, 2021 16:13:31 GMT -6
We have an older gentleman on staff who rolls his eyes about having a written practice plan and a written list of coaching duties. He says that his generation didn’t need written lists, they just did it. Am I crazy? I’m not a young coach, I have coached for 20 years at 4 different schools and have always had HC’s with written practice plans with well organized practices. I have been coaching for over 45 years and I always had a written practice plan, daily. It's no different then having a written lesson plan for your classroom. Woe to you if an administrator shows up, and asks you, and you don't have it ready to go. You need one to document what you are working on if for no other reason then if someone challenges you to show to them what you are doing in practice. Your basic CYA. Now do we always stay rigidly on the schedule? No, of course not. Somedays you see that you need to spend more time on something that you initially allotted for it. Gotta remain flexible in these things.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Dec 25, 2020 14:32:38 GMT -6
If they are a part of the group that say: We won, when things go well, but you lost, when things go South," excludes themselves from getting a patch.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Dec 22, 2020 12:25:31 GMT -6
Savor the moment with your team.
As the late George Carlin pointed out:
"Dont sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Dec 12, 2020 14:19:54 GMT -6
I remember him as a player for the Baltimore Colts
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Nov 7, 2020 21:01:09 GMT -6
I totally agree about just playing. We played another pretty successful program this season where the game wasn’t set until 10 AM on the day of the game and it was kinda stressful to think out about it, but once we got to it it was just like every other game. It was actually refreshing and incredibly fun. Y'know, this kinda reminds me of when I began coaching, mid 1970's. We would have one or two hand written paper scouting reports at most. No film, no Hudl, no nothing. We'd show up and coach on the grass. We may be onto something here.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Oct 28, 2020 14:15:17 GMT -6
I don't believe you're allowed to have a coach in the endzone, even if he's working as the filmer. Might as well put a coach on the chain crew and let him stand on the opponents sideline too About 15 years ago we had a parent working the chains. Apparently he got into a rather spirited discussion with a member of our opponents coaching staff. The officials made the chain crew change over to the home side, and the League passed a rule that from that point on, all chains were kept on the home team's sideline. As far as headsets are concerned, I think that they are only allowed in the box. The coach has to remove them when goes out onto the field.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Sept 25, 2020 13:17:23 GMT -6
Time to bring back one of my favorite quotes from coaching mentor, Coach Frank Rhodes:
"During the season, I wish they wuz all orphans."
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Sept 16, 2020 14:18:51 GMT -6
I am up in the press box doing my offensive spotting thing, and we are up by like 35 points.
I am trying to make sure we are getting all of our subs into the game, in positions they may have actually practiced in. I am totally focused on the field and our sideline.
Suddenly, the HC starts screaming: "Holy $hit!, holy $hit!
"What, what?" I ask, figuring that perhaps we don't have enough players out on the field, so I start counting.....no, we're OK......"What's the problem?"
"Holy $hit, will you look at the t*** on the woman on the far sideline?"
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Aug 12, 2020 13:52:39 GMT -6
So I've coached varsity for several years now. However, everywhere that I have coached has been a two platoon program and I have coached on the defensive side of the ball. I would like to learn more about the offensive side of the ball. I was wondering what books some of you may suggest. Ideally, an offensive book for a first year coach. As always, thanks for any help! Before suggesting any books ask yourself this question: As a defensive coach, what scheme or system gave me the most trouble to stop? You might want to start there. If you had trouble stopping it, the odds are other teams will too. Then branch out as you gain more experience and pick a system that best matches your philosophy and personnel.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Aug 10, 2020 14:42:25 GMT -6
I have been doing this for several years. It works well. Some coaches appreciate commentary and analysis, some don't.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Jul 18, 2020 6:50:29 GMT -6
The driving analogy neglects one thing.
You drive in a reasonable and prudent manner. But you also expect the other drivers to do the same, otherwise chaos results.
The correlation is that you should expect others to demonstrate "Civic Responsibility" to do what they can to prevent the spread of the virus.
|
|
|
Really?
Jun 22, 2020 14:40:06 GMT -6
Post by bignose on Jun 22, 2020 14:40:06 GMT -6
No, more like an available vaccine, or something along that line.
I do not think that my school system (or any school system) is able to provide a level of prevention that I am comfortable with.
Plus, it's not just me. I have a 94 year old mother who I am responsible for.
I really think that this is a moot point anyway. I'd give odds of my County having a Fall football season this year as 80 /20 against with the best case scenario.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Jun 22, 2020 8:35:29 GMT -6
I am 68 years old. I also have some health risks. If the NFL, which is testing frequently, and has much better medical resources then I have in a High School setting, can not control transmission, how can I expect my school system to protect me?
Asymptomatic transmission is a major problem.
I'm not going to coach this coming season unless the circumstances change.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Jun 11, 2020 19:20:21 GMT -6
The Maryland Governor and State Board of ED may have begun to open things up, but we received a lengthy directive from our school's AD explaining our Counties policies.
According to the County, we can not do anything, except have some very limited contact on the internet using County approved platforms.
No workouts, no meetings, no nothing.
Everything is on hold for the near future.
If we do get restarted, it will be like football in the 1960's. No summer practice, 3 days of acclimatization, a week of practice, no two -a-days, a scrimmage, and then a 9 week season. Gonna have to make things ultra simple.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on May 24, 2020 9:57:14 GMT -6
If you WIN, they won't care a damn about a "type of offense" (of course if you lose using what is perceived as an "out-of-date" system, critics will blame THAT). It is preached that "Winning cures cancer", so just win! The SECRET is STILL convincing your players that “Football, in its purest form, remains a physical fight. As in any fight, if you don’t want to fight, it’s impossible to win.” Bill, I can't quite agree with you on this, based on personal experience. In 2010 we won a State Championship running the Double Wing. We threw 3 passes in the game. Damned if two days after the final, we had a parent go to the principal complaining that we weren't doing enough to get his son, a junior wide receiver, to get his kid a college scholarship. Our team achievement meant nothing to this selfish parent. As to toughness, can't argue with you there. In my current situation, I am coaching in a school where the kids were never allowed to play rough games like Dodgeball growing up. We are playing against a couple of teams where the kids "played Dodge with rocks." It's a whole different mindset and we had to spend half of the season convincing the kids that is was OK to be aggressive.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on May 24, 2020 9:34:32 GMT -6
By wondering aloud about the "Game Passing me by". I remember as a much younger coach than I am now, listening to parents and other coaches talking with one another about a coach who was somewhat younger than the age that I am now. He had experienced a couple of less than successful seasons after decades of winning, and I heard this phrase used in describing his offense.
As Lombardi succinctly put it: "Football is blocking and Tackling." You can win running the Single Wing, the T, the Veer, the Double Wing, but loose a couple of games running what is perceived as an "old fashioned" offense, and you will start to get some resistance from the "know nothings."
I sometimes get the feeling that parents would rather see you lose running a Spread offense that doesn't match your talent level, then win running something contrarian.
But perceptions about what you are doing is a part of the coaching conundrum. Run what is perceived as an "old fashioned" offense, and lose and the sniping from the stands begin, no matter how sound your schemes are.
In regards to my original post, listening to the Glazier presenter, he obviously had a much better kid at QB than I will have in my current situation. In my 45 plus years of coaching, I have had perhaps 3-4 kids who I felt that I could cut loose and give them "the keys to the team bus" to make those sort of on-field decisions during the game. All of the others, no. In my current situation, as a JV coach with many kids who have never played football before, it would be way over their heads.
Somewhere in the "ancient past" early 1980's or so, I discussed what was called the "Norfolk Option" with one of my senior QB's. I had taught the kid since middle school so I knew him fairly well. Bright kid, very good athlete.
The Norfolk Option was a 4 way read, a Triple Option with a built in RPO. From a SBV Pro formation, the QB could Give on the Inside Veer Dive, Keep the ball outside of the tackle, pitch the ball to the trailing HB, or pass the ball to the arc releasing TE if the secondary support player came up to defend the pitch.
His response was to look at me and roll his eyes. This would have overloaded him. He didn't think that this was a good idea, eventhough it "looked good on paper."
The point is, this is what I was getting at. If contemporary football requires that I coach that type of offense, i am truly left behind.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on May 18, 2020 17:57:42 GMT -6
Compare that to: Silver Flex, Denver, Ghost, Scat, Open X, on three. OK so tell me if this makes sense: Silver Flex: formation call. I'm OK with that, I used formation colors as well. I try to use R colors to the right, i.e. Red, and L colors to the left: Blue. Black / Brown, Green / Gold etc.
Unh, Silver is both an R and L color! As is Purple. Denver: POA and play type. As I recall Denver is Power Left, because Denver is West of the Mississippi. Do my kids know enough geography to recognize this? I know my Bangladeshi left tackle, who has never seen a football game doesn't have a clue. Each POA / Play description has a different city or state, some have multiple names to try to outsmart the defense. Oy! Ghost is the position of the H-back. He is the only one who needs to know that Scat is the H-Back's motion, same as above Open X tells the X receiver to split extra wide. "On three": I don't know about your kids, but anytime we go on anything but one we lose 5 yards before the play starts! We had six possible snap counts. Do you think they allowed the kids to get off the ball better? The bignose first rule of football: Don't do stupid $hit to beat yourself! Football games are very hard to win, but very easy to lose if you set the kids up to make mistakes by the complexity of the system.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on May 16, 2020 16:37:23 GMT -6
Tiger Ellison's play calling used simple two, or three word play calls: i.e. Mudcat Smash, Right, Gangster Pass Throwback. And he ran a lot of variations of the same plays, from one base formation.
His intent was to keep the play calling light and lively, while providing mnemonic words to paint a picture in the kids minds.
His zone calls, Red, White, Blue, Boston, Heaven, Hell etc. were done with the same intent.
Compare that to: Silver Flex, Denver, Ghost, Scat, Open X, on three.
The mnemonics might be there (if the words relate to the play type, point of attack, formation, motion, etc.), but it was the complications of each play, having a contained RPO built in, and the speed with which they were sent in that I had difficulty processing. It sure wasn't simple football. Lol
|
|
|
Post by bignose on May 16, 2020 11:45:41 GMT -6
Language and terminology have to be relatable and identifiable to someone for it to stick. I have a special education certification and an English certification, so I have lots of practice in teaching vocabulary. Any verbiage is the same as learning vocabulary on the older Frayer Model: What is the definition? (its meaning) What is a simplified or relatable definition someone can understand? How is it used? What is a picture or symbol that you associate with it. Rinse and repeat. I think that it is a matter of relatable information and developing mnemonic devices to convey this information. In my case, 50 years of using numbers and play descriptions seemed to work well. But the use of multiple verbiage they think they needed to conceal their no huddle play calling seemed very confusing to me. And if it is confusing to me, how is this being absorbed by my kids?
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Apr 1, 2020 8:06:08 GMT -6
Given my druthers: I'd like to be able to line up, run 5-6 plays, win and goes home.
But that is seldom the case. So I have to adopt the philosophy of: If you can't blind them with brilliance, you have to baffle them with bull$hit.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Mar 25, 2020 16:46:02 GMT -6
We were just notified that Maryland's public schools will be shut down until at least April 25, due to COVID-19. Virginia has shut their schools down for the rest of the academic year.
The entire Spring Sport schedule has been canceled. 7-on-7 games, which would start after Memorial Day, is not going to happen this year.
The Big 33 Game between Pennsylvania and Maryland is not going to take place this year.
We haven't heard about summer workouts, but it doesn't look good.
These are prudent steps to take in light of the serious contagion levels this virus is associated with, especially in metropolitan area.
Anybody want to share their concerns, vent or rages?
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Mar 25, 2020 9:59:51 GMT -6
Thanks for the good chuckle.
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Mar 18, 2020 21:05:23 GMT -6
You're not rooting for Boomer deaths yet are you? The conversion isn't complete until then. Hey! I resemble that remark! The Boomer apocalypse! I am well into the serious risk age group, and taking care of a 93 year old mother. This stuff ain't funny! You young guys will do anything to get rid of us Boomers. Lol
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Feb 13, 2020 18:46:11 GMT -6
What I find hardest is trying to translate the new lingo after 45 years of numbers and descriptive names that described point of attack, backfield action, and blocking schemes into the same play using what seem to be unrelated words in the coded system
Hard for this old guy to have to be able to take: Red, 34 Power on one to Rondo (formation), Philadelphia (Power at the 4 hole), Cowboy (ball carrier), Percy (blocking scheme), Howdy (RPO action), Sunday (cadence), on the fly under duress during a game. That's a mouthful of words, and I always wanted to KISS this part so the play could come in from the side line correctly.
I guess one gets used to it........
It's like I just want to lean out of the pressbox and yell: "Just run the 5 hole!" and let it go at that!
|
|
|
Post by bignose on Feb 12, 2020 13:16:48 GMT -6
Let me make this clear: the issue did not lie with the coach presenting. His presentation was fine.
I just found his terminology concerning having been a even numbers right, odd numbers left guy for 45+ years. Calling plays by: Rozzie, Denver, Air Force, Ghost, Trade, Scat to give formation, shift, motion, backfield action, and point of attack made me crazy.
What bothered me was my ability to process the information he was delivering. It obviously made sense to him and his kids.
Obviously a very different style of football than I am used to. I don't have a problem with multiple option football, having run the SBV with Inside Veer, Outside Veer, Counter Option and Speed Option as a part of our core plays along with a predetermined series of play action passes.
It is that on any given snap, he has all three things happening simultaneously. A Zone Dive, a Zone Option, and an RPO.
Yeah, that's just an extension of what I was running in the 1980s.
But to have every play in the offensive package have all 3 components on virtually every snap? Jet Sweep could result in a Read away from the POA, or a RPO towards the POA.
My question revolves around the direction that contemporary football is headed. Is this now the new normal?
|
|