faithinviks
Active member
Dear Coaches,
Your players are as talented as any in this league. They want to win. They will follow you, they will fight for you. They just need to know that you are fighting for them, that you are doing everything you can to set them up for success. They need to know you have their backs. 99% of them will never play at the next level. What they learn from you should help them be better community leaders, better husbands and fathers, better men.
They will not quit on you...unless they believe you have quit on them. Looking into the eyes of your team coming down the ramp Saturday after half time I saw what I hoped I would never see...I went back to the small Viking crowd and told them "we are done". Even though we were within 1 point just before the end of the first half the eyes of those players said they saw defeat, not hope. They had quit.
So with a dream of planting some hope in our boys over the last 4 games of this year, let me humbly offer offer some suggestions based on what has been seen or heard this year too often:
- Stop blaming the players. They look to you to inspire and teach and lead. If something goes wrong on the field take the blame, apologize for not coaching better, set them up for success, blame starts with the leaders not the followers.
- Fix the play calling. On the offensive side of the ball let's not be predictable and let's play to our strengths. We have a good line, we can run, keep the passes short. On the defensive side figure out how to get a play called in before the other team starts to act. How do you expect us to defend when for most games this year we are still working to get set when the ball is already snapped. On special teams, make our kickers kick for 2 hours a day every day...it's improving, and when we return those kicks go full speed north-south and don't allow any dancing. If the other team is going to stop us make them hurt.
- Can we please have one second half this year where it looks like we have made some halftime adjustments. And while you're at it let the players know you've got their backs for the last 2 quarters. Encourage them, coach them, fire them up. Don't let them sit there for most of half time looking at each other and hear little if anything from their leaders. No wonder they have no passion for the second half. Pull together!
- Lastly, teach our players how to be leaders, show them that you care more for them than you care for yourselves. If they know you are doing everything in your power to make them successful they will follow you into any battle. At this point they have given up. You can change that these last four games. You are called to lead this team so start looking in the mirror and figure it out...
You've got a third of the season left. Let's do something special with it.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams
Your players are as talented as any in this league. They want to win. They will follow you, they will fight for you. They just need to know that you are fighting for them, that you are doing everything you can to set them up for success. They need to know you have their backs. 99% of them will never play at the next level. What they learn from you should help them be better community leaders, better husbands and fathers, better men.
They will not quit on you...unless they believe you have quit on them. Looking into the eyes of your team coming down the ramp Saturday after half time I saw what I hoped I would never see...I went back to the small Viking crowd and told them "we are done". Even though we were within 1 point just before the end of the first half the eyes of those players said they saw defeat, not hope. They had quit.
So with a dream of planting some hope in our boys over the last 4 games of this year, let me humbly offer offer some suggestions based on what has been seen or heard this year too often:
- Stop blaming the players. They look to you to inspire and teach and lead. If something goes wrong on the field take the blame, apologize for not coaching better, set them up for success, blame starts with the leaders not the followers.
- Fix the play calling. On the offensive side of the ball let's not be predictable and let's play to our strengths. We have a good line, we can run, keep the passes short. On the defensive side figure out how to get a play called in before the other team starts to act. How do you expect us to defend when for most games this year we are still working to get set when the ball is already snapped. On special teams, make our kickers kick for 2 hours a day every day...it's improving, and when we return those kicks go full speed north-south and don't allow any dancing. If the other team is going to stop us make them hurt.
- Can we please have one second half this year where it looks like we have made some halftime adjustments. And while you're at it let the players know you've got their backs for the last 2 quarters. Encourage them, coach them, fire them up. Don't let them sit there for most of half time looking at each other and hear little if anything from their leaders. No wonder they have no passion for the second half. Pull together!
- Lastly, teach our players how to be leaders, show them that you care more for them than you care for yourselves. If they know you are doing everything in your power to make them successful they will follow you into any battle. At this point they have given up. You can change that these last four games. You are called to lead this team so start looking in the mirror and figure it out...
You've got a third of the season left. Let's do something special with it.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." John Quincy Adams
