I talked with a head coach recently who was expressing some frustration to me over how his team’s preseason had gone. There were several issues we discussed but I’ll just select one for now.
His offense was just NOT clicking in the preseason. He was concerned about it since they open up this week. I asked him about his role in all of this and was verrrrrry surprised with his response! He said that, “On game nights, I’m going to be the Special Teams Coordinator and manage the game.” I’ve gotten a little bolder and blunter in my old age so I don’t think I gave him the response he was anticipating. I said:
“Coach, who is the most experienced coach on your staff?” “Me,” he said. And, “who is the most knowledgable?” “Me.” and “Who works the hardest and commits the most time to your program?” “Me.” “Frankly, who is the BEST coach on your staff?” He humbly replied, “Well, I guess it’s ME.” “YES!!! No doubt,” was what I (just about shouted!)
I said, “But you are simply going to “manage” the game next Friday?!!! You’re going to stand there and let someone else control the game through their play calls on Offense and Defense? Coach, this isn’t college.” I put it to him pretty emphatically… he needs to be actively involved in controlling every move… not just managing the game. In my mind, managers “react” after things happen. A coach is “dictating” how things unfold.
Soooooooo… high school head coaches who read this: Unless you’ve got a veteran (former) head coach with waaaaay more experience, knowledge and success than you do… who’s come out of retirement to help you—– YOU need to be (at least!) your own Offensive (or Defensive) Coordinator— and maybe you need to be both!!!
