Post by spos21ram on Nov 14, 2014 8:22:53 GMT -6
I have never posted anything negative about our program or staff, but I'm going to write about the downfall of our program. This isn't a gripe, it's just reality. I coach at my Alma mater, where there is a rich sports tradition, especially football so it's hard to see us go down hill like this.
Our head coach, and assistant head coach are both in tour state's Coaches Assoc. Hall of Fame. The staff has been together for 20+ years, some 30+, except for me, I'm the "young guy", I was hired in 2006. Every staff member, except for our HC played here. Our HC has lived here for 40+ years though, and has been coaching for 30+, he's been the HC since 1994. We have won State Titles before 94', but under our current HC we won State Championships in 96', 00', and 01. We lost in State Title games in 97' and 02. Since 02' we have made the playoffs, but it's usually been one and done. We got to the semi's once or twice since 02'. Everything sounds great so far, however, we have had a constant decline in participation over the last 5 years. Right now we are down to 35 players from grade 10-12. We have 22 players on our freshmen team. When I was a sophomore in 97', we started camp with 103 total players. Now that was the max the school's ever had, but we would normally end the season with 70-80 total players, grades 9-12.
I'll start with the players. We just don't have the talent right now. Haven't had much in a while. We have been mediocre for 5 years now and it's getting worse. Our players go through the motions in practice, rarely are giving 100%. They act like they don't care. It's just not important to them. We allow players to stay after school for extra help if needed, and that has turned into a way for kids to get out of the first half hour of practice. When I played I never stayed after unless I was in danger of getting below a C and was able to do extra credit or make up a test. I stayed after once. Up until 5 years ago, this was the norm. Players didn't want to stay after. The reason I didn't take advantage, and why other players didn't take advantage, was mainly out of fear. Fear of not only missing critical practice time and not being prepared, but fear of losing playing time. No, players don't get penalized for staying after, but if you keep doing it, you're not going to be prepared to play and your back up will be getting more reps and that's how you can lose your job. I was a starting RB, and I'll be damned if I'm letting my back up get my reps and possibly replacing me. What I'm getting at is that we don't have the depth we use to have. There's no fear of losing playing time anymore. Back when we had depth, if you weren't getting the job done, you were on the bench, now we are stuck with these players. The biggest flaw with our players is that they don't get any better. They don't work to get better. Every year our freshmen team is competing for a state title. Our future always looks promising, but only a handful, if that, do anything to get better.
Now, that brings me to out staff. Sorry to say, but we may have the perception of an "all star" coaching staff, but man we have gotten complacent. Unfortunately, our staff is smoke and mirrors. We don't really ever have staff meetings. The varsity is pretty much run by the HC and asst. HC and that's it. They meet on Sundays. Now, to their defense, if the other coaches want to go they can, but they have never really been invited. Maybe they were years ago, before I was here, but I've never heard an open invitation. I go to these meetings sometimes, because I do a lot of scouting and give them some input. We have a couple good ole boy coaches that have been there forever, but don't really do much.
Our weight program is terrible. It's pretty much non existent. We have a great weight room too. Yes we have hardly any talent, but we have enough to have more than 2 wins this season. Games are won in the weight room and practice field, but no one seems to understand this. The coaches stress the importance of practice, but we don't stress lifting enough. It's not that we don't want the kids to lift, we just don't stress it enough. Some of us on staff do try. I stress all the time to get kids to lift, but I know I can do more and need to. The HC gives his "you have to workout in the off season" speech, which is great, but there's no plan in place. No incentives, etc. The only time we get good attendance is summer lifting, but how much stronger and bigger are you going to get in 6 weeks? From December through May, our football program might as well not even exist.
Offensively, we have turned into a grab bag offense. Our HC is an amazing HC. He is a tremendous speaker, leader, and role model. Huge character guy. Unfortunately he's not a great OC anymore. We use to be a damn good wing t team under him. When I played, I hated this offense because I was a HB and would have to share tons of carries with the fullback. Now, after studying the offense and understanding it more. I really like it. Unfortunately we run a poor version of it now and I wouldn't even say we are a wing t team anymore. I don't know what the heck we are. We run a lot of belly, lead sweeps, then we run some I, then shot gun, we run belly down on 3rd and 15. We have no identity what so ever. We never put our best RB at the FB position so our 3rd best RB is getting just as many carries as our best RB. We don't utilize our talent like we should. We practice buck sweep and run buck sweep drills all camp and I think we have run Buck about 6 times this year and guard trap about the same. We run a million different plays in practice and don't run half of them so we are wasting valuable practice time. WTF are we doing!!! We don't run wing counter, we don't run and crisscross, we are so predictable. We have tweaked proven wing t plays and changed them to the point that they aren't really recognizable anymore. Watching us play sickens me because I remember what we use to be and what we still could be.
I could go on and on, but I need to stop. It comes down to us not putting in place a good weight program with incentives to get the kids working hard. Because our kids do practically nothing to get better, it's easy for them not to care. If they busted their butts in the off season and in practice then maybe they will care more when they lose. No matter what it is, when you give your all to something and it doesn't work out, you're devastated. When you give a piss poor effort and fail, then it's easy not to care. We as a staff need to stop using the excuse, "we don't have the players".
Our head coach, and assistant head coach are both in tour state's Coaches Assoc. Hall of Fame. The staff has been together for 20+ years, some 30+, except for me, I'm the "young guy", I was hired in 2006. Every staff member, except for our HC played here. Our HC has lived here for 40+ years though, and has been coaching for 30+, he's been the HC since 1994. We have won State Titles before 94', but under our current HC we won State Championships in 96', 00', and 01. We lost in State Title games in 97' and 02. Since 02' we have made the playoffs, but it's usually been one and done. We got to the semi's once or twice since 02'. Everything sounds great so far, however, we have had a constant decline in participation over the last 5 years. Right now we are down to 35 players from grade 10-12. We have 22 players on our freshmen team. When I was a sophomore in 97', we started camp with 103 total players. Now that was the max the school's ever had, but we would normally end the season with 70-80 total players, grades 9-12.
I'll start with the players. We just don't have the talent right now. Haven't had much in a while. We have been mediocre for 5 years now and it's getting worse. Our players go through the motions in practice, rarely are giving 100%. They act like they don't care. It's just not important to them. We allow players to stay after school for extra help if needed, and that has turned into a way for kids to get out of the first half hour of practice. When I played I never stayed after unless I was in danger of getting below a C and was able to do extra credit or make up a test. I stayed after once. Up until 5 years ago, this was the norm. Players didn't want to stay after. The reason I didn't take advantage, and why other players didn't take advantage, was mainly out of fear. Fear of not only missing critical practice time and not being prepared, but fear of losing playing time. No, players don't get penalized for staying after, but if you keep doing it, you're not going to be prepared to play and your back up will be getting more reps and that's how you can lose your job. I was a starting RB, and I'll be damned if I'm letting my back up get my reps and possibly replacing me. What I'm getting at is that we don't have the depth we use to have. There's no fear of losing playing time anymore. Back when we had depth, if you weren't getting the job done, you were on the bench, now we are stuck with these players. The biggest flaw with our players is that they don't get any better. They don't work to get better. Every year our freshmen team is competing for a state title. Our future always looks promising, but only a handful, if that, do anything to get better.
Now, that brings me to out staff. Sorry to say, but we may have the perception of an "all star" coaching staff, but man we have gotten complacent. Unfortunately, our staff is smoke and mirrors. We don't really ever have staff meetings. The varsity is pretty much run by the HC and asst. HC and that's it. They meet on Sundays. Now, to their defense, if the other coaches want to go they can, but they have never really been invited. Maybe they were years ago, before I was here, but I've never heard an open invitation. I go to these meetings sometimes, because I do a lot of scouting and give them some input. We have a couple good ole boy coaches that have been there forever, but don't really do much.
Our weight program is terrible. It's pretty much non existent. We have a great weight room too. Yes we have hardly any talent, but we have enough to have more than 2 wins this season. Games are won in the weight room and practice field, but no one seems to understand this. The coaches stress the importance of practice, but we don't stress lifting enough. It's not that we don't want the kids to lift, we just don't stress it enough. Some of us on staff do try. I stress all the time to get kids to lift, but I know I can do more and need to. The HC gives his "you have to workout in the off season" speech, which is great, but there's no plan in place. No incentives, etc. The only time we get good attendance is summer lifting, but how much stronger and bigger are you going to get in 6 weeks? From December through May, our football program might as well not even exist.
Offensively, we have turned into a grab bag offense. Our HC is an amazing HC. He is a tremendous speaker, leader, and role model. Huge character guy. Unfortunately he's not a great OC anymore. We use to be a damn good wing t team under him. When I played, I hated this offense because I was a HB and would have to share tons of carries with the fullback. Now, after studying the offense and understanding it more. I really like it. Unfortunately we run a poor version of it now and I wouldn't even say we are a wing t team anymore. I don't know what the heck we are. We run a lot of belly, lead sweeps, then we run some I, then shot gun, we run belly down on 3rd and 15. We have no identity what so ever. We never put our best RB at the FB position so our 3rd best RB is getting just as many carries as our best RB. We don't utilize our talent like we should. We practice buck sweep and run buck sweep drills all camp and I think we have run Buck about 6 times this year and guard trap about the same. We run a million different plays in practice and don't run half of them so we are wasting valuable practice time. WTF are we doing!!! We don't run wing counter, we don't run and crisscross, we are so predictable. We have tweaked proven wing t plays and changed them to the point that they aren't really recognizable anymore. Watching us play sickens me because I remember what we use to be and what we still could be.
I could go on and on, but I need to stop. It comes down to us not putting in place a good weight program with incentives to get the kids working hard. Because our kids do practically nothing to get better, it's easy for them not to care. If they busted their butts in the off season and in practice then maybe they will care more when they lose. No matter what it is, when you give your all to something and it doesn't work out, you're devastated. When you give a piss poor effort and fail, then it's easy not to care. We as a staff need to stop using the excuse, "we don't have the players".