Honest question, help me understand..... Fans & Coaches

I am not trying to antagonize anyone, but maybe someone on here can help me understand....do fans who see the ballgame each week, and possibly catch parts of a practice through the week, really believe they know better than the staff when it comes to how to use players, their strengths & weaknesses, the best offensive & defensive strategies, etc?

If a staff has a proven track record of success, is at practice everyday with their players, watch the practice video and evaluate their players, spend a boatload of hours on the weekend watching their game video, the opponent video, staff meetings to evaluate / discuss personnel & strategy....and obviously a group of extremely competitive men.... Do the fans know better than they do?

I have been around HS football my entire life and around some great coaches and players. I've worked more hours, days, weeks on this stuff than I could even begin to count. Of all topics, the one I would think I know best is HS football. But, if I am not on another school's staff and attend every practice or meeting, I would not begin to think I know better than they do on how to coach their team.

Maybe it is just fans having fun, and if so, that is what it is. Or, maybe it is for entertainment value which I could see as well. But , sometimes it seems like the fans really think they do know better.

I love HS football and Bluegrass Preps has been great in promoting it. It is all good. I am just curious what the mindset is on stuff like this.

This is our off week. I had a little extra time this Sunday. :thumb:

Cmon Coach....you know the fans have never been wrong.

When you lose it is your fault and when you win it is because you have talent....end of story!:ylsuper:

You're on to something...but I think it's human to wonder how I would use other peoples talent. Then the winner in me says "and make it better". But to blast coaches hiding behind fake names like I could do better is purely entertainment.

To answer your question...yes, many fans (not all) definitely feel they are close enough to the program to be able to lend their suggestions and make decisions and second guess.

But to your point, unless you are at practice everyday, see the mental and physical sides of practice (attitude, distractions, ect), see the kids that meet and exceed coach's expectations in every aspect and see the kids competitive against each other EVERY DAY, they only have a small window into what makes their decisions for them.

There is a lot more that goes into whether a kid earns a spot than just being very athletic or talented.

I know you've been to a UK game. Everybody is a better Coach than the guys actually doing it. Especially after drinking a few.

Chief,you coach my team and I'm a fan..... That being said, I have completely enjoyed watching how you have used the welcomed additions to this years team. It has been a treat! I especially like seeing the end arounds and handoffs to guys that are usually lined up wide. I of course don't know as much as you have forgotten, but it makes sense to me to get those guys touches, when the other means of doing so are well covered or for whatever reason. I can't recall making any statements, but if I have been one of "those fans" I don't know what I was thinking! Keep up the good work! Maybe those of us with full confidence, should speak up a little more with support. I can assure you of this, you have a lot more folks thinking as I do, than you do second guessing anything your doing. To borrow a post I love

I love my coach

I love my team

Go TITANS!

I am not trying to antagonize anyone, but maybe someone on here can help me understand....do fans who see the ballgame each week, and possibly catch parts of a practice through the week, really believe they know better than the staff when it comes to how to use players, their strengths & weaknesses, the best offensive & defensive strategies, etc?

Apparently some Highlands parents know way more than the coaches and take offence if you don't agree with that fact. The evidence is in their threads the last couple weeks. Yeah I said it. Everyone likes to play a little monday morning QB. Some peoples arrogance takes it to a whole other level. Discussing the team and aspects of it is one thing. Outright undermining the staff and basically calling them incompetent is wrong. Sometimes coaching changes need to be made. That call should never be made by parents and fans who only have a short term interest in the program. There is so much that goes into coaching HS football that the AD and principal should have the only influence on who stays and who goes. Sometime it's a little more than just wins and losses. Coaches help build character and ethics in these young men and that is just as important. Most of them will hang up the cleats after HS and the lessons learned endure way after the Friday night lights have faded. Coaches spend way more time with the kids than the just product you see on Friday nights. Coaches want to win. It's unreasonable for parents or fans assume they can do better. Like I've said before stop running your gator, put in a resume to the AD get a job and prove it ,or shut up, sit down, cheer and clap and support your kids win or lose.

First let me say this -

I have coached at the varsity high school level, middle school level, AAU, and worked college/Blue Chip camps.

DO fans think they are right? Yep.

Are they sometimes....maybe.

Coaches coach......but if a kid has been coached in a feeder by the same coaches over and over again, never given a chance to move around or do certain things, or never been coached outside one certain feeder/system, then yes a fan or someone might have seen something that a coach hasn't.

Does it happen a lot? Nope. Do parents/fans over estimate lil Johnnies abilities a lot more often than not. Yep.

A lot of "youth coaches" - and I use that term very sarcastically - have an agenda, heck most of them do. Especially in this day and age. Because those with agendas have ran off those who coach for the right reasons.

Self-fulfilling prophecy.

At the high school level, not so much, but it is creeping in.

Apparently some Highlands parents know way more than the coaches and take offence if you don't agree with that fact. The evidence is in their threads the last couple weeks. Yeah I said it. Everyone likes to play a little monday morning QB. Some peoples arrogance takes it to a whole other level. Discussing the team and aspects of it is one thing. Outright undermining the staff and basically calling them incompetent is wrong. Sometimes coaching changes need to be made. That call should never be made by parents and fans who only have a short term interest in the program. There is so much that goes into coaching HS football that the AD and principal should have the only influence on who stays and who goes. Sometime it's a little more than just wins and losses. Coaches help build character and ethics in these young men and that is just as important. Most of them will hang up the cleats after HS and the lessons learned endure way after the Friday night lights have faded. Coaches spend way more time with the kids than the just product you see on Friday nights. Coaches want to win. It's unreasonable for parents or fans assume they can do better. Like I've said before stop running your gator, put in a resume to the AD get a job and prove it ,or shut up, sit down, cheer and clap and support your kids win or lose.

To the bold, YES THEY DO.

Most coaches do not have an agenda other than winning games and molding leaders.

The problem is not the coach usually. It is who they surround themselves with. From the high school assistants, feeder coaches, and youth/little league coaches.

Politics in youth leagues/middle school runs other kids off....therefore a coach is left with what he has.

Are the kids the best kids because they are whats left?

Are they what is left because they are the best kids?

Those questions are the two that need to be asked.

To the bold, YES THEY DO.

 

Most coaches do not have an agenda other than winning games and molding leaders.

 

The problem is not the coach usually. It is who they surround themselves with. From the high school assistants, feeder coaches, and youth/little league coaches.

 

Politics in youth leagues/middle school runs other kids off....therefore a coach is left with what he has.

 

Are the kids the best kids because they are whats left?

 

Are they what is left because they are the best kids?

 

Those questions are the two that need to be asked.

Great point and questions.

We've had three kids transfer out this year to worse programs because they thought they should be getting more playing time. And you know what? Not a single one has been able get any playing time at their new school.

We've had three kids transfer out this year to worse programs because they thought they should be getting more playing time. And you know what? Not a single one has been able get any playing time at their new school.

And that is what should happen.

If a kid thinks they are getting the wrong end of it, let them transfer and deal with the consequences.

Coaches know their kids and their system better than the fans. Coaches put in countless hours and invest more than anyone else around the program. Sometimes the players don't buy what the coach is selling or sometimes the other team is just better. Either way, coaches know more than most of the "fans"

Unfortunately many administrators succumb to the pressure of the "Football Purists" in particular communities. In most scenarios I can see where parents and fans feel they have the answers. I think in many cases its more a fact of frustration over losing and doing the same thing week in and week out. In the end I do think the coaches know best based on who they have and where they should play. However, watching some of the in game decisions can certainly make you scratch your head.