Congrats to the 07 Pirates on a great season! We are proud of you.

 

But, new season starts today.

 

Entire backfield returns minus May. Hopefully, a good offseason will yield improvement across the board.

 

Elkins will be the key IMO. Belfry will need him to improve in both the passing and running game. Clearly in order for Belfry to beat a team like Central next season they are going to have to be able to throw the ball more successfully.

 

I would move Lovern to WR and try to develop him into a threat. He is pretty tall (and probably still growing) and he showed good hands this past season.

 

The O-line should be very strong, as well as TE with Coleman. They will run over most teams just like this past season. With 4 returning starters, they should only get stronger.

 

The Central game is an eye opener IMO. The focus of the offseason - speed work!

 

Lets Go returning Pirates! Take a week off, feel good about a great season, and start working boys!

Just did a little research on what Central returns. They lose 7 of the 11 offensive starters including the QB, RB, FB, one WR and TE (along with two lineman). Im sure they can reload to some degree, but those were experienced/talented guys.

BTW

 

Belfry needs to play a better schedule next season. No disrespect intended, but a couple/three of the teams we played this season did nothing to prepare us for the playoffs.

 

BEEF UP THE SCHEDULE.

*This thread ma get clsoed cause I think the mods were wanting to save all the "Team in '08" threads til later. But, we will cut,copy, and paste when the time comes.

 

PP,

The resounding thought in my head on long drive home was that thansk to some changes in the Belfry program over the past 10 years we have went to level where we can compete for a state title year in and year out. Those changes are the weight training facilities, the consolidation of the feeder schools, improvement in facilities, less players going both ways,and getting away from HUGE overweight linemen and going to lean, quick linemen. Needless to say, even though haywood is getting up in years he knows the importance of continuing to evolve this program.

 

What Belfry needs to do now is get to the level of a statewide pwoerhouse regardless of class. We aren't far from it, but there iss till alot of work needing to eb done to develop a dynasty like a Highlands, Beechwood, Trinity, et all...

 

Four things to me will jumpstart this process heading into next season:

1. Speed Work- All too often fans say "We need that speedburner, We need another Dave Jones.." I disagree with that.. you don't need a 4.4 guy or a bunch of 4.5 guys to be awesome (look at Highlands), but you need speed in abundance, and more speed than we have now. This all starts with off-season workout focusing on plyometrics, resistance training (parachutes, bungee cords, etc), and utilizing the HIT Center in huntington that turned Doug Howard into a fast back.

 

2. Receiving Improvement- once again, "We need to pass more...We don't pass enough"... wrong, but in the right direction. Haywood knows his offense and his sytem works, but what we can't have is dropped passes on wide open plays. Russell capitalized on our drops last year, and Central did last night. We need our Ends and QB to be on the same page and we need that consistency catching the ball. Passing 5 times a game doesn't bother me, because if you catch all 5 of those on wide open routes, the defense will ahve to honor it the same as if you threw 10 times right now. This can be accoutned for with developmental camps.

 

3. Continuing To Have Less Ironmen- We are progressing this way already, and I think this problem is being addressed as we speak as the middle school continues to improve and send better prepared talent up the ranks. With more kids who already have the system down, you can start having less two way players.

 

4. Schedule- In ym college "Psychology of Coaching Class" the rule of thumb we learned for scheduling was that 20% of your schedule should be teams you will beat (2 reg. season), 60% should be close games or toss-ups (6 games), and 20% should be games that you are expected to lose (2 games)

 

Using this years schedule as next years (replacing Lou. Holy Cross with Corbin in Pike County Bowl) I'd say:

 

Losses: NONE

Toss-ups: Johnson Central, Sheldon Clark

Wins: Everyone else

 

The quickest fix for this is upgrading East Carter, Lawrence County, and Shelby Valley. You can't change your district, your PCB matchup, or Pikeville (rivalry). But playing up in class in those three games against quality teams would help immensely.

BTW

 

Belfry needs to play a better schedule next season. No disrespect intended, but a couple/three of the teams we played this season did nothing to prepare us for the playoffs.

 

BEEF UP THE SCHEDULE.

 

Be nice to get Ironton Fighting Tigers back ON schedule,Wheelersburg Ohio,Prortsmouth Ohio are very good Teams Also,another Ohio team Gallia Academy Bluedevils always play Ironton a good game .:thumb:

Belfry always plays Ironton a good game and in turn i beleave the better comp. helps the Pirates

Congrats to Belfry for a great year and making eastern Ky. proud.:thumb:

Although I like the Ironton matchup, I think it would benefit belfry more to play top notch schools who run wide open offenses.

 

BTW, if this thread is going to get shutdown because of what EKU mentioned, just do it now.

*This thread ma get clsoed cause I think the mods were wanting to save all the "Team in '08" threads til later. But, we will cut,copy, and paste when the time comes.

 

PP,

The resounding thought in my head on long drive home was that thansk to some changes in the Belfry program over the past 10 years we have went to level where we can compete for a state title year in and year out. Those changes are the weight training facilities, the consolidation of the feeder schools, improvement in facilities, less players going both ways,and getting away from HUGE overweight linemen and going to lean, quick linemen. Needless to say, even though haywood is getting up in years he knows the importance of continuing to evolve this program.

 

What Belfry needs to do now is get to the level of a statewide pwoerhouse regardless of class. We aren't far from it, but there iss till alot of work needing to eb done to develop a dynasty like a Highlands, Beechwood, Trinity, et all...

 

Four things to me will jumpstart this process heading into next season:

1. Speed Work- All too often fans say "We need that speedburner, We need another Dave Jones.." I disagree with that.. you don't need a 4.4 guy or a bunch of 4.5 guys to be awesome (look at Highlands), but you need speed in abundance, and more speed than we have now. This all starts with off-season workout focusing on plyometrics, resistance training (parachutes, bungee cords, etc), and utilizing the HIT Center in huntington that turned Doug Howard into a fast back.

 

2. Receiving Improvement- once again, "We need to pass more...We don't pass enough"... wrong, but in the right direction. Haywood knows his offense and his sytem works, but what we can't have is dropped passes on wide open plays. Russell capitalized on our drops last year, and Central did last night. We need our Ends and QB to be on the same page and we need that consistency catching the ball. Passing 5 times a game doesn't bother me, because if you catch all 5 of those on wide open routes, the defense will ahve to honor it the same as if you threw 10 times right now. This can be accoutned for with developmental camps.

 

3. Continuing To Have Less Ironmen- We are progressing this way already, and I think this problem is being addressed as we speak as the middle school continues to improve and send better prepared talent up the ranks. With more kids who already have the system down, you can start having less two way players.

 

4. Schedule- In ym college "Psychology of Coaching Class" the rule of thumb we learned for scheduling was that 20% of your schedule should be teams you will beat (2 reg. season), 60% should be close games or toss-ups (6 games), and 20% should be games that you are expected to lose (2 games)

 

Using this years schedule as next years (replacing Lou. Holy Cross with Corbin in Pike County Bowl) I'd say:

 

Losses: NONE

Toss-ups: Johnson Central, Sheldon Clark

Wins: Everyone else

The quickest fix for this is upgrading East Carter, Lawrence County, and Shelby Valley. You can't change your district, your PCB matchup, or Pikeville (rivalry). But playing up in class in those three games against quality teams would help immensely.

 

 

 

If the Pikeville game does not get any better in the next 2 years(IMHO its not going to) they need gone from the schedule too.

 

 

Lawrence, East Carter, Shelby Valley, and Pikeville need dropped and do not think for one minute that Belfry doesn't have say in who they play in the Pike County Bowl.

 

 

 

 

Replace with -

 

Letcher Central

Parkersburg/George Washington/Riverside/Bluefield

Highlands/Bell Co.

Manual/Trinity/St. X/any top Louisville/Lexington school.

 

 

I know the travel on some are crazy but if Louisville Central can travel to Johnson Central we can travel to any of those 2 in alternating years, as we have no hard travel games anywhere in our district.

Belfry does have a say in the PCB, just not next year. Holy Cross was signed to a 2-year deal, ala Henry Clay and NewCath. So unless they opt to let Holy Cross play one of the other Pike County teams (which I don't see happening although it would make alot of sense), expect the Cougars to be Belfry's opener.

 

I like Letcher Central as an upgrade for one of the teams, not much travel, 5A school, should be pretty good next year.

 

Highlands/Bell are without a doubt the best idea if the schematics can be arranged.

 

WV schools are very, very hard to get to agree to play a team as good as Belfry. Wayne, WV was appraoched for a game and declined because if they beat Belfry it doesn't help their standings much in the playoff formula (equivolant to beating Phelps), but if the lost to Belfry it would hurt them as well.

 

Louisville schools would be very hard to get to agree to do a home and home, and for a one shot game it would be very expensive for one of the parties involved.

 

I'd really like to see Henry Clay, LexCath, Lafayette, Scott County, or Madison Central picked up as a regular opponent. Other schools that would be a solid addition; Lincoln County, Boyle County, CovCath

Another issue that needs to be addressed is improving our Punting. Varney did everything he could this season, especially after May got hurt, but anyone who watched alst night's game knows that our punting game could quickly become a liability. I am sure there will be a Fresh or Soph skill player next season who would love to have a varsity starting spot if they can devote themselves to becoming a solid punter .

Agree

Belfry does have a say in the PCB, just not next year. Holy Cross was signed to a 2-year deal, ala Henry Clay and NewCath. So unless they opt to let Holy Cross play one of the other Pike County teams (which I don't see happening although it would make alot of sense), expect the Cougars to be Belfry's opener.

 

I like Letcher Central as an upgrade for one of the teams, not much travel, 5A school, should be pretty good next year.

 

Highlands/Bell are without a doubt the best idea if the schematics can be arranged.

 

WV schools are very, very hard to get to agree to play a team as good as Belfry. Wayne, WV was appraoched for a game and declined because if they beat Belfry it doesn't help their standings much in the playoff formula (equivolant to beating Phelps), but if the lost to Belfry it would hurt them as well.

Louisville schools would be very hard to get to agree to do a home and home, and for a one shot game it would be very expensive for one of the parties involved.

 

I'd really like to see Henry Clay, LexCath, Lafayette, Scott County, or Madison Central picked up as a regular opponent. Other schools that would be a solid addition; Lincoln County, Boyle County, CovCath

 

 

Used to be the case, but not now as Belfry is 3A and thats what the WV ratings are all about - wins/losses against higher level opponents - and I know for a fact if Parkersburg is approached they will at least try to make the game happen.

 

 

The schedule needs an upgrade baaaaaad.

Used to be the case, but not now as Belfry is 3A and thats what the WV ratings are all about - wins/losses against higher level opponents - and I know for a fact if Parkersburg is approached they will at least try to make the game happen.

 

 

The schedule needs an upgrade baaaaaad.

 

Can I get an Amen! HAHA...

 

Parkersburg would be an awesome annual matchup, and despite the fact that the distance is a long way, the good roads means it would only be about a 2.5 hour trip.

...

 

2. Receiving Improvement- once again, "We need to pass more...We don't pass enough"... wrong, but in the right direction. Haywood knows his offense and his sytem works, but what we can't have is dropped passes on wide open plays. Russell capitalized on our drops last year, and Central did last night. We need our Ends and QB to be on the same page and we need that consistency catching the ball. Passing 5 times a game doesn't bother me, because if you catch all 5 of those on wide open routes, the defense will ahve to honor it the same as if you threw 10 times right now. This can be accoutned for with developmental camps.

 

...

 

 

You've made an excellent post, EKU, but the part I've quoted is something I don't think can be fixed with "developmental camps". It's far easier to say "throwing 5 times a game is OK if we catch them all" than it is to actually do it. While I'm sure you didn't mean that literally ("every" pass caught), I think what you're criticizing can't be fixed with anything short of a change in offensive philosophy.

 

If an offense wants to keep an opposing defense from stacking the box, I believe throwing the ball a minimum of 10-15 times a game, every game, is mandatory. This number of reps will allow the QB/receivers to develop their skills and timing. Even if the completion rate runs

 

Don't misunderstand my point. A 90/10 running offense can/has been very effective at the high school level (Belfry proved that in '03 and '04). All I'm saying is...if a team runs a 90/10 offense, the 10 part of that can't function with anything approaching consistency (due to lack of use).

 

Belfry can't stay 90/10 and have a passing game that will force defenses to respect it adequately to play it straight up.

 

 

:bunny:

You've made an excellent post, EKU, but the part I've quoted is something I don't think can be fixed with "developmental camps". .........

 

:bunny:

 

I think another large part of the problem is the Pirate's swinging door appraoch to substitutions at the End position. In a typical game you will see Belfry shift from Double Tight back and forth to a split end a multitude of times, and with that, the split ends are composed of a rotation of 3 or 4 different players.

 

Do you think it would equate better for Belfry if they stuck with a single primary option at SE? The unreliability of Belfry's pass catchers also directly apply to Belfry's struggles to come from behind on an annual basis, example last years Russell game when Belfry could get nothing on the ground, and when running out of the "flex gun" (half flexbone/half shotgun) they constantly had open receivers that dropped passes on the money.

 

Next year one of Belfry's biggest questions is exactly who will be the split end. With the graduation of Preston, Young, Zack Smith, and the TE Bowens (who lined up wide at times) it leaves that position wide open. Belfry is blessed to have an excellent athlete with good speed and hands in Timmy Lovern, but Lovern is expected to compete for the starting HB spot with Thomas Varney.

I think another large part of the problem is the Pirate's swinging door appraoch to substitutions at the End position. In a typical game you will see Belfry shift from Double Tight back and forth to a split end a multitude of times, and with that, the split ends are composed of a rotation of 3 or 4 different players.

 

Do you think it would equate better for Belfry if they stuck with a single primary option at SE? The unreliability of Belfry's pass catchers also directly apply to Belfry's struggles to come from behind on an annual basis, example last years Russell game when Belfry could get nothing on the ground, and when running out of the "flex gun" (half flexbone/half shotgun) they constantly had open receivers that dropped passes on the money.

 

Next year one of Belfry's biggest questions is exactly who will be the split end. With the graduation of Preston, Young, Zack Smith, and the TE Bowens (who lined up wide at times) it leaves that position wide open. Belfry is blessed to have an excellent athlete with good speed and hands in Timmy Lovern, but Lovern is expected to compete for the starting HB spot with Thomas Varney.

 

Not platooning at WR could help, but it's more than that. It's an offensive philosophy and a numbers game.

 

offensive philosophy - the less a team does something, the less proficient it will be in doing it.

 

numbers game - there are only so many superior athletes on a given team. Will one of these be positioned at wide-out ? (answer: depends on the importance of the passing game to the offense)