OT general coaching question
So I have a difference of opinion with somebody about the quality of my son's HS freshmen football coach and wondered what you think.
The coach runs the ball all the time- and wins all the time. He may pass once or twice a game.
I feel he should try to develop all the kids abilities and pass more- I mean you only play HS football once and to go a season without ever having a pass thrown at you kinda ruins the memories these kids will have.
But a friend disagrees and says winning more than makes up for those lost passes and gives better memories.
As a fan, It is really boring to watch them grind out yard after yard but it is nice to see them win.
This doesn't really affect my son as he is a Center but I feel bad for the QB and the receivers.
Is he doing the right thing as a coach or not?
October 10th, 2019 at 9:01 AM ^
This point is lost on many of the participants here.....
"Dylan should be starting but JH is just too stubborn"
October 9th, 2019 at 8:40 PM ^
Start coaching and run the offense you want to run.
October 9th, 2019 at 8:42 PM ^
“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.“ Vince Lombardi I believe.
October 9th, 2019 at 8:48 PM ^
As a varsity coach (shameless plug) the freshman and JV needs to be preparing for varsity. Running the same offense, getting the line to know the blocking scheme, WRs knowing the route tree, and developing a couple of kids who can play QB. Spend all the 30 minutes that are allotted for tackling to teach correct tackling form. The hope is when these kids either become juniors or brought up earlier they know the system and we as varsity coaches can perfect the playbook.
Development is the key. We run a 3-4 defense I don’t want the JV running a 5-2 because the JV teams they play can’t pass. We want players playing in the correct position (no 140 lb nose guards for example)
One way to lose kids in your program is to lose.
October 9th, 2019 at 9:17 PM ^
Please don't be THAT parent!
October 10th, 2019 at 3:27 AM ^
Uhh what?! He's...the coach
October 9th, 2019 at 9:21 PM ^
It's freshman ball. If they're developing an overwhelming rushing attack by perfecting fundamentals of football, that sounds perfect to me. Oh, and they're winning too? Bonus!
October 9th, 2019 at 9:46 PM ^
My team in high school ran the fullhouse T and won a state title. I don't care that we only passed the ball a couple times a game. Winning was more important. Also grinding a team down, controlling the clock and ripping 50 yard runs from time to time was very satisfying. It was a culture thing and everyone knew what we were going to do in every game. The QB's and receivers which were exceptionally talented for the style of football we played did grumble for more passing opportunities from time to time, but winning was always the goal and it worked so why change.
October 9th, 2019 at 9:51 PM ^
I’m not sure what size school your kid is playing at, I’d assume something above D6? The truth of the matter is, playing QB is pretty hard at any level, and even kids that can “throw the ball around the yard” in shorts often times have trouble in pads and reading a defense (weird, right?). If you’re the coach, would you put that much control into 1 guy’s hands at 14? For every future 4/5 star QB, there are literally thousands of guys that will never play even DIII. As others have said, development and keeping kids engaged at that level is the key. Winning and running the varsity’s system is a great way to do that. Even if the varsity throws it more, the fact that the kids coming into the varsity squad are ready to mash in the running game sets a great base. The winning (I’m assuming sometimes in blowouts) also gets kids in the game that wouldn’t play, which can also keep them engaged and keep them playing. Some of those guys may turn out to be varsity starters when they physically mature.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:26 PM ^
That's an interesting insight I hadn't thought of- getting in the back ups. Unfortunately we have not been winning blowouts to allow that much. Our HS is D1 ball for the 1st time and things are more intense- everybody seems on edge.
October 9th, 2019 at 9:58 PM ^
They win. All that matters. If your not first your last
October 9th, 2019 at 10:12 PM ^
My freshman year we ran the wing T and were pretty successful with it. We maybe threw 5 times all year. To be honest I don't know that we even lined up a receiver most downs, but we won most of our games. After my freshman year the varsity coach left and they brought in a guy running the spread. We thew a lot more, but we sucked. I'll let you guess what year saw a bunch of kids quit football after the season.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
Depends. Are they averaging more than 3.5 yards per carry?
October 9th, 2019 at 10:41 PM ^
Hello, you play to win the game. And if running wins the game enjoy it. I'm sure the backs and lineman dont find it boring and if the receivers want to be happy they better learn to love the stalk block.
October 9th, 2019 at 11:05 PM ^
If he’s winning then yes he is doing the right thing. Kids would rather win then loose but have a team that passes more
October 10th, 2019 at 2:21 AM ^
Yes, nobody can ever win if they pass the ball more. Definitely stick to only running the ball, it's been proven to work for every team in the 1880s.
October 10th, 2019 at 6:15 AM ^
The whole Les Wexner - OSU nexus is the hidden gem of this thread being, as he was, the only known client of Jeffrey Epstein.
October 10th, 2019 at 6:29 AM ^
Typical parent type of post. You don't get to be the coach.
October 10th, 2019 at 7:01 AM ^
Some of the best coaching revolves around the ground game especially in teaching a quarterback how to read defenses. Behind closed doors I would venture to bet that the Michigan staff is more concerned with bad reads in the ground game than in the passing game. Also one of the most under rated parts of a receivers game is their ability to block. Learning those things early is essential. There's a lot more that goes into football than going for the homerun. If you truly appreciate the game you would learn to appreciate all of the little things that have to go right on any given play to execute the play properly. Sounds like this particular coach is probably one that keeps the focus on those things thus contributing to the teams success. My dad coached high school football for many years running a triple option which when run properly was a thing of beauty to watch, and yes, very few passes, but smart quarterbacks and receivers that knew how to block.
October 10th, 2019 at 9:54 AM ^
Most high school varsity teams don't have the talent at QB and WR to make passing a viable strategy, let alone your son's freshman team.
The goal of football is to win and the goal of freshman football is to teach the kids the system that the varsity team uses.
I wish we'd have run the Veer instead of an I formation and then single back zone during high school. We might have won more games.
October 10th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
My 2 cents: I'm a head coach at a small school. I have 30 kids suiting up varsity, another 15 that suit up JV (bring some varsity kids down). We started this year in the spread, threw the ball 25 times a game. Started 0-4. Since then, we changed offense on the fly, and with the new play clock rules, we are winning games, and have a good track to qualify for the playoffs, maybe even host a 1st round game. We decided we have too many kids playing both ways to keep throwing the ball around and having short drives. So now, last Friday, against the #2 team in the state, we lost a close game in which we had 3 different scores called back on "iffy" calls (film verified this). We only allowed them 7 possessions in the entire game. All of this to say: I only allow our JH and JV, even when we were spread with RPO's to run under center with no option to read from the QB position. Without doing this, I could not have adjusted midseason this year and our season would be over. Even if your son's frosh team runs the ball 70 times, what are the receivers doing? Are they learning to stalk? Learning to run complimentary routes? Are they carrying out fakes full speed? All of those things at the lower levels make it that much easier for the varsity level to make adjustments needed to the personnel they have. I have 20 WR's on my team...only 4/5 at most will make the field at a time. I need TE's and WB's....I can find a frosh receiver that loves getting his nose dirty and convert him by the time he reaches Friday nights. Sometimes there is a plan in place...the parents may just not know what it is.
October 10th, 2019 at 10:35 AM ^
First world problems. My kid’s coach was pinned deep in his end last night where the opposition had one timeout and they had under a minute to go in the half. He threw three times, all incomplete, and they shanked the punt. 45 seconds later they throw a jump ball and score. We lose by six. I’d loved a run in that scenario
October 10th, 2019 at 12:51 PM ^
This is a good discussion on a refreshingly different topic. Not sure why people are bitching.
Do you want ANOTHER thread about Michigan's offense?
October 10th, 2019 at 1:41 PM ^
I laughed a little at this post. I also live in metro Columbus (unfortunately -- so sick of the OSU koolaid being served). You need to come on the west side and watch a Hilliard Davidson or Darby game. I have kids still at Davidson; my oldest son was a sophomore on the team that won a state title in 2006. The QB for that team ended up being a starter for the Air Force Academy and he could throw a little.
The coach at Davidson decided years ago to have a run oriented offense that I believe (I'm no expert) on Veer principles. Part of the issue -- and this year is a great case in point -- Davidson never seems to have a bunch of elite athletes or they have no size. On the 2006 team, the starting middle linebacker was listed at 5'7". He was a great athlete -- just not very tall. So the run game allows the coach to control the clock, play keep away and control the game. Of course, they also have a year round workout regiment to get the kids in fantastic shape.
Often, it isn't the most exciting FB to watch but occasionally they do pass and often once the defense lulls to sleep or plays too many guys in the box. Those plays can be great to watch. While I love to watch guys throw, for many HS programs the run oriented strategy can be quite successful. And I don't really hear the kids complain about it -- just parents.
It sounds to me like the New Albany coach may be trying to follow some of the success a few other coaches in the area have used.
October 10th, 2019 at 3:20 PM ^
Obligatory Herm Edwards quote, “Hello, you play to win the game”. I can understand the frustration from WR’s and QB’s, but as a competitor I’d rather win. If I was a college worthy athlete I would transfer to a school that could showcase my skill set
October 10th, 2019 at 4:03 PM ^
My opinion is do what works; and what fits the team.
I went to CC and we did pretty good, then amazingly well, then pretty good again, using ball control smash mouth football and tough D.
Alot of parents and fans wanted us to open it up, and one year we did; it just didn't work out.
If he's winning doing this type of football, enjoy the ride.
Forgive me, but I do wonder how much of this is from fan boredom (and I get that as a parent). Think of it this way, if this was like a Cass Tech team from a few years ago that could pass all over the place would you be saying 'Man, I wish they'd grind it out a little more...'