91 to 0.. Time to "adapt and overcome."

91 to 0… Let that soak in a minute… 91 points in a high school football game.  More impressively, 69 points per game, over 573 yards of offense per game and only allowing 7.7 points per game, 187 yards against per game, 11 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles.  As a coach I am in awe of these statistics.  I mean this is the most impressive group of stats I have seen in my life.  One stat sticks out the most, 33 yards of penalties per game.  That is the sign of a disciplined, well-oiled machine going out there Friday night after Friday night and doing their job. 

Those are the facts about a team, and coaching staff that beat another high school last week 91 to 0.  I am sure you have heard about this story in one way shape or form.  In this current state of America, we have nothing better to report about, than that of a cry baby parent filing formal bullying charges against a coach for beating her son’s football team 91 to 0.  As long as media is going to make this an issue, let me pile on and add my two cents as a coach.  After all, this makes for a wonderful blog topic, so thank you nameless parent who filed these charges.

First off, in case you didn’t read the last sentence of the previous paragraph, yes that reads, a nameless parent who filed these charges.  A nameless parent who, according to one newspaper, didn’t know what to say to her child when picking him up at the conclusion of the game because he was so dejected.  If the bullying was so bad, and you felt so compelled to file these charges against a head coach, name yourself.  Stop hiding behind the anonymity of the system.  Come out from behind the bubble you are living in and be an adult about it and address the situation head on.  If it meant that much to you to file charges, then step up be an adult and do it with a name and a face.  You really want to do something about bullying, the do something about it, don’t hide and complain behind a screen name.

Secondly, let’s identify what bullying really means.  According to www.dictionary.com, a bully is “a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.”  I don’t know this head coach personally, but I am going to assume that this man, who coaches high school football at the top ranked high school football program in the country, is not an individual that makes it a habit to “habitually badger and intimidate smaller or weaker people.”  This is a man who coaches youth athletics, who more than likely teaches at the same school, or at least is a powerful presence at that school.  I am just going to guess that a man in that position does not make it a habit to go “badger” kids.

Texas is the mecca of high school football.  To understand high school football in Texas is to live, breathe, eat, sleep, and urinate high school football.  It is the stage in which any movie that has high school football associated with it, is staged in Texas.  Stadiums seat tens of thousands of fans and are as pristine as many upper echelon college stadiums.    If you are a college recruiter for a major football program, you start your search in stadiums of high schools in Texas.  Google search Texas high school football stadiums, and prepare to be amazed.  Below is a picture of Allen High School Stadium as an example.  My point is this, if you don’t want your son to be exposed to adversity, don’t let him play sports, in fact don’t let him out of the house.  Life is full of peaks and valleys, and if not for the valleys, the peaks wouldn’t be worth the ride.  Buck up and get better.  Let this be a lesson that nothing in life comes easy, and if you don’t want to get beat by 91 points, work harder in the off season, make it a priority to never let that happen to you again.  You don’t file charges of bullying.  You encourage your son that life isn’t always going to be easy, you need to get up the next day, shake it off and go out there and get better so it doesn’t happen again.

There are different things you can do in different sports to help the clock roll when you have a comfortable lead.  This coach did all the right things.  He pulled his starters at the beginning of the first half, he ran the ball instead of passing, it was a running clock the entire second half.  As a coach you never, ever tell your boys to stop playing hard.  I don’t care if it is the third string, those boys are out there to compete, and if you are competing, you do it with all the effort you have.  When you get up by that much you start running the ball, letting kids play who otherwise don’t have the opportunity, but you never tell them to stop giving effort and you never tell them to take a knee. 

Bullying is a real thing; I see it happen all too often.  To throw this term around because your boy was sad they lost, is disrespect to those kids out there who are really bullied every day.  I will never tell you how to raise your children, but I truly encourage to you to teach your children how to overcome adversity, because in society today, young men and women need to learn that life isn’t always easy, they need to figure out a way to make it through it anyway and make the best of situations.  Sports are intended to be a great way to teach this, but not as long as parents are going to pull this crap.  You got beat by a much better team, tip your cap and make it a priority to get better this off season so it doesn’t happen again.

One of my favorite things to tell my students and athletes when they want to come up to me and complain about something that isn’t fair, I tell them to “adapt and overcome.”  Figure out a way to make it happen, and get to work.  If it doesn’t work, “adapt and overcome.”

It seems easy doesn't it?

It seems easy doesn't it?  

You would think that anyone could do it.  I mean, you have big, physical and talented kids, winning should take care of itself right? If you listened to anyone who has never done it, you would think coaching is the easiest thing in the world. 

The same can be said about a lot of things in life.  Teaching, public safety, politics, every job seems really easy doesn't it?  I mean looking at it from an outside perspective, to coach, you show up to practice, run some drills, let the kids knock some pads, go home and do it all over again the next day.  Game days are even easier, you show up an hour before the game, all the kids are already there ready to go, give them a good ole Vince Lombardi quote to fire them up a bit, get them yelling and screaming and they go out there and perform just like you draw it up.  Seems almost like you are stealing money, right? Think again.

When I first started coaching three years ago, I would read the newspaper articles online and go straight down to the bottom of the page where the general public can comment and read those to see what everyone thought about the game.  I took every critique, comment and concern to heart.  I truly thought that I could take those comments and do something to change the minds of people.  I didn't want people dissatisfied with something that happened.  I wanted every comment to be a positive comment and I wanted everyone to be proud of what goes on out on that field.  That was three years ago.

It is easy to watch the game and call out plays that you think would go for big yards.  It is easy to sit there and call out the defense that would stop the other team from gaining a single yard.  It is easy to know when to use your timeouts, go for two, onside kick, throw the long pass, run the sweep to the outside, stop running up the middle, sit a kid because he threw three interceptions, it all seems really easy doesn't it?  I have been guilty of this as well, it is hard to watch a game when things just aren't going right, it is hard to know that you have talented kids out there who aren't performing like they should be.  It is human nature to second guess, throw your hands up in the air in disgust when someone jumps off sides for the second time or gets called for holding that gets a huge gain called back. 

I mean how hard can this really be?  You have big talented athletes, just send them out there and let them eat right?

Just take a look at social media, you ever want to know how to do your job as a coach, there are millions of people on Twitter and Facebook who are begging to tell you how to do your job, it is amazing, you don’t even have to ask them!

When I played high school football fifteen years ago, it was in our blood.  We lived and breathed football during the season and most of the off season.  We were to practice thirty minutes early and stayed thirty minutes after.  We wouldn't dare skip a practice or film session, we didn't even try to walk on the field, it was always a jog.  It was always yes sir, no sir, and yes ma’am, no ma’am to everyone on and off the field. We respected our teachers, parents and referees.  We didn't have to be told something twice.  We weren't all big, we weren't all talented, but we cared and what we lacked in size we made up for with dedication and commitment   We put in more time and effort than you could ever imagine.  We respected the program, those who came before us and those who will come behind us.  Blood, sweat and tears were all shed in the hopes of winning just one more game and that final game, we can all remember like it was yesterday.  If I had to choose, I would have preferred someone tell me I suck, rather than I was undisciplined, or lacked effort.

Something has changed in the past 15 years since I played.  You didn't have to motivate me to play the game I loved. You didn't have to give me a new uniform to get me to play my best every night.  You didn't have to tell me to keep my jersey tucked in, that I should help my team mates up when they had been tackled, to give thanks to my offensive line for blocking when I kicked an extra point.  Something has changed. 

It seems easy to coach doesn't it?  To motivate kids, to get them to practice on time, to care about their team mates, to remind them to eat the day of a game, to hydrate, to not use profanities, to respect the game, the uniform, the program, the tradition.  

It seems easy doesn't it? 

The next time you want to be critical of a coaching style or technique, the next time you are watching a game and you question what a coach was thinking, or the next time you want to yell something from the stands at a game about how #89 is wide open, please take a second and breathe.  These are kids we are coaching.  They aren't perfect, and we aren't either.  This is a game we love and we are coaching your children because we love them and we love being a part of this tradition.  We don’t want to lose just as much as you don’t want us to lose.  We coach the kids to the best of our abilities and put in ample time to prepare these athletes to succeed. 

Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t, sometimes we are the windshield and sometimes we are the bug, but we always care.  We always want the best for your athletes.  We strive to help them in every facet of life.  Sometimes we have to be more father figures than we are coaches, but we always care.  If the day comes, and you are the type of person that has to put the blame on something, blame us the coaches.  That’s what we are there for; let the kids play the game.  Give us the blame that is fine, but remember how much we care about what we are doing out there.  We don’t give up as coaches, and neither should you as fans.

It seems easy doesn't it?