Proud program

Sounds like this may be just a hiccup in the history of your Program. I say program because it's obvious from your success that you and the staff are doing things right. This just might have been a year where the kids just were not wired to do the things that the previous classes did, or at least bought into. One little thing that our teams have bought into - at all of our levels, flag, JV, and varsity - is a quote from Tacitus, "As you go into battle, Remember your Ancestors, and Remember your Descendants." We speak of our program in historical terms, namely the graduates and the alums are our ancestors who helped build the program and the little guys - whether they're JV or MS flag kids - are your descendants. We want each year's varsity to strive to maintain the standard that has been set, and the to set an example for those who follow. Once again, it sounds like you are already doing that. Don't lose heart because of one season of knuckleheads.

If you asked our parents, its time to fire the staff and start over.

Players play, coaches coach and parents parent. Parents are going to say what they want, when they want, usually to those who don't really want to hear it. Unless they are there on the everyday basis of the program, who are they to talk. As hard as it is to do, ignore the parents and do things the way that got you to where you are and you'll be fine.

Unless the staff has gotten complacent or lazy (doesn't sound like it), as Greg Schiano would say, "just keep choppin."

AJ - that is the thing. Our HC believes in what you are saying. I believe this as well, but I also think some things can be looked at under the microscope. Our JV and frosh did very well with the same brutal schedule...that is encouraging. Like I said, there is more to this, regarding the losses, than I have said. If I post them, they'd sound like excuses.

Our programs sound very similar to one another. Here is our year by year records since the school opened.

www.ehsfb2001.homestead.com/yearbyyear_Jan_2007.pdf

Tothehouse,

Winning begets winning and so on. Your program has been extremely successful because of what you do and how you do it. Its good to do an evaluation as a staff on the program. Maybe you'll discover somethings that need to be updated or tweaked, but I would echo everyone else in advising against wholesale changes. Sometimes even in a proud program, the players aren't always up to the challenge of upholding the legacy. If your underclassmen did well against the same schedule then I would be encouraged and would look closely at some of the issues you have alluded to. We had some issues ourselves this year with our players who resented the fact that we wanted to build on the legacy of our past teams...they came right out & told me that we were putting too much pressure on them to be successful (go figure). Possibly the pressure of having to live up to your succesful past became too much for this particular group. It doesn't mean that they didn't care or did not want to try or work hard, but they had trouble come game time executing to the level that was previously expected. I know from watching your game on TV that you have a great fan base and a group of young men that try very hard. Your past successes speak highly of your program, so I would tend to think of it as a hiccup, but do the soul searching & evaluation anyway just to confirm it. Good luck.