How long will it take for West Caldwell Coaches realizes this offense does not work??

Let's not mince words, I think the coach could and should be doing a better job. However, I don't know if true greatness is attainable at WC simply for the kind of kids who come out for football at WC. These kids obviously do not work hard in the weightroom-----you can tell in the games. It's the kids responsibility to show up and work hard in weight training, not the coaches. From what I hear, all of these kids are basketball players first and football is a distant second. Finally, these kids come from homes where the majority of parents are racist, non-hard working or working at all, selfish and not team oriented, and of course ready to point the finger at anybody but themselves in the face of adversity. A simple HS coach cannot change that in a mere 2 hours per day. These kids are the recipients of bad programming which is a gift from their parents lack of parenting. I don't know if WC will ever be the dominant force it once was under Mike Biggerstaffs leadership.

 

One other thing, I think that you guys have tunnel vision as far as this coach is concerned and fail to see that there are other components to the problem. We all agree that the coaching is not where it should be right now, however, these kids-parents-community lack the moral compass to get these kids on track to even be good citizens nonetheless good football players.

 

I'm sorry hulkster but I can't agree with you there. A new and good coach can change some things that will make the program stronger its just at this time it will take a little longer. When Biggerstaff came in 1978 the program was pretty weak, not as weak as now but weak. There needs to be some excitement installed in the school and a good coach can get that started. O nce again I get started on the coaching discipline issue and where you talk of the weight program? , well a good coach knows that is a requirment for his program and is mandatory. The ability is here and we still have some atheletes and a lot of good players dont even participate in football. I think a new coach here that would get into the halls and get after the kids would help. get them excited about football. The funny thing here is Styron has destroyed everything. Buzz Sims destroyed what Biggerstaff built and he did it so terribly that the program took time to start back up. Hoggard had the program back going in a positive direction and had a wonderful weight program there and I think would have returned glory to the program but he went to the school board for help and was told football was the least of their worries so he got pissed and left just like Biggs did! We not only need to get rid of Styron but the problem in this county begins with our school board and the same idiots keep getting re-elected. this is a basketball school because the program is top-notch and the coach is a true disciplinarian and is fundamentally sound and its a winner. The football program needs the same thing. And that will start with a change of coach and not just any coach but one with traditional football values and a hard work ethic. It can be done but not in the one season it Biggs to do it or even the 3 seasons that it took to see noticable improvement under Hoggard, It may take 5 or 6 years now to repair the Styron damage!

 

And yes it is the coaches responsibility to get the kids in the weight program. If Biggs had 40 players and only 11 sacrificed themselves in the weight room while the other 29 half-assed or didn't participate, the 11 would be playing both ways the entire game while the others would either be spectating on the sidelines or the bleachers! A good football coach is not going to put up with this shit! Period! A good hard-nosed coach would whip these kids into shape and put a well-disciplined team on the feild even if in the end he has only 15 players dressed to play. Bottom line is this school needs a leader!!!! Look at the difference between the BB program and the FB program? Last season remember darren Dulas Huge Afro during football season? Oh' boy that thing was gone when BB season stared wasn't it? Anderson don't take no shit, He runs his program!

 

You make very good and valid points. It's hard to argue with what you are saying. I agree with everything you say, but I still think that the examples that these kids are getting in the home are counter productive to what they are being told at school during football practice. I just think the problem runs a little deeper than a "bad football coach." You and I are probably close to being the same age--------over 30 under 50. I think it's well established fact that kids these days aren't as physically or mentally tough as we are, were. They're just pathetic.

 

yes Hulkster I do agree that that the parents need to become more involved and the product that West Caldwell has needs disciplining... You know a good coach here could be just as disastrous for the first few years because the numbers would go down further... Once this new coach lays down his law and whips those kids into shape and the kids have to follow a code of discipline then how many would be left to dress out? 19 or 20 if that many?... Look at the middle school also? Here you are only seeing one win at the most over the past two seasons and this one and the middle school team was always good before this... And it is very true that they are some very good atheletes in these schools not playing football and some of these kids are very fast! but opt out of football for just basketball or they are too lazy to participate at all... I was told that with a good program and coach and if the true atheletes at this school would compete that they would be very exciting to watch.

 

The problems in HS coaching are two fold...

1. A program isn't developed from Jr. High on up. Jr. High players should already know the base fundamentals from pee-wee FB, here they should start to learn the base offense and defense of the HS team while completing fundamental training. By the time they hit JV level, they should be getting deep into the playbook, defining execution, learning advanced skills and solidfying chemistry. This way, when they get to the varsity level all they have to do is what they've been learning for the last 4-5 years.
The problem with this is continuity. This won't work unless your respective staffs are relatively in place or at least on the same page. The Varsity, JV and JH coaching staffs need to work together, looking ahead. If you have a HS coach who has been around a while, these things should be in place, if so he's likely successful.

2. Designing your offense/defense based on your talent. This is the most likely way to ensure relative success. A coach who adapts to his players skills is more likely to be successful than a coach who requires the players to run his scheme ear in and year out...unless of course he has the option of recruiting like some private schools do.

 

Thats very wise McFly41... The top programs in North Carolina do that very thing but West Caldwell, is definately not one of them... Take Shelby high for instance, The youth program down there teaches those kids one play at a time and will run it into the the ground until the kids perfect it! the catch here is the play is the same Offense and play right out of the Shelby high playbook and this goes on through the youth, middle school, and JV levels right up to the varsity and the kids absolutely know the sysem when they are on the varsity... Even the youth league coaches in Shelby are employed by the High School as part of the Shelby High coaching staff. Good Point

 

As soon as I get into a job situation w/ some flexibility. I WILL be coaching FB at some level and plan to adhere to what I noted above.
I played for one of the worst programs in the state of Iowa. We were a basketball school and no one ever worked on FB in the off season, except for a select few of us. However, I saw how the sucessful programs worked...the guys that were kicking our asses in football...These guys were in the weightroom, holding player workouts every week or so and using other sports to tune FB skills.
It's hard to build a FB program in a smaller school especially, because 90% of your players are 3-4 sport athletes. However, good FB programs generally promote good basketball, baseball, track and wrestling programs.
QB's and WR's are usually more geared towards basketball, wrestling is the BEST sport for LB's and RB's, while lineman and DB's could go either way...kickers, I suggested the foreign exchange route Baseball translates well for all and as my HS baseball coach proved, is an excellent conditioning tool for FB if he runs your asses off.

 

I don't know if that is accurate or not that by the time the kids hit the JV level that they should be "deep into the playbook." I am a former educator/football coach from Florida and I can tell you from personal experience that the majority of work done with freshman/JV's is reteaching basic fundementals that have been taught improperly at the youth and jr high levels by unqualified coaches. Let's face facts, most coaches at the aforementioned levels are not professional coaches. Most are parents and volunteers who probably do not have the needed football background to teach proper technique and fundementals. I believe that the emphasis at the youth levels should be about FUN, teamwork, and sportsmanship. All of which are missing in high school football these days.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Ciao!