Take their organizational, team building and work ethic skills, as well as the well-engineered offense.
From Pops:
Add the ability to force thoughtfulness and examine your plan after every game and season. Evolve by realizing you could write a book on what you don’t know. Focus on the kids and building character traits.
Add my years of experience running a defense whose specialty is shutting down the edges and my core competency of communication skills and ability to inspire and motivate (you have to bring something to the table) and there you have it, the Plan!
For all of these reasons it is very difficult for a head coach to take credit for a team, when so much of the credit is due to other influences in the boat. If you see the word “I” anywhere in this book, it is a typo.
This book is about the rules and tools that this group has developed and how the current staff uses them to implement the Plan. The Plan is dynamic and changes throughout the season based on resources and competition and evolves over the years.
NOTE:Throughout the book you will notice lists like “10 Commandments” and count 12, when you see “the 4 most important words are…” and we list 6, it is a reminder that teams and plans are not set in stone, they evolve.
The Myths
This Chapter will blow up some of the myths in football and set reality.
Myth: The goal is to win.
Reality: The goal is perfection. Winning just happens to teams that strive for perfection.
“Show class, have pride, and display character.
If you do, winning takes care of itself.”
— Paul “Bear” Bryant
Myth: Football is a game of inches.
Reality: Football is a game of details.
Myth: Running through a wall is an expression.
Reality: Running through a wall is real and required.
Myth: Players can only give 100%.
Reality: Players over the wall can give more then 100%.
Myth: You need to keep it simple for younger players.
Reality: You need to keep it simple for all players.
Myth: To become the best you can be, players need to play their primary sport 12 months a year when they are young.
Reality: Each sport brings different skill sets that can be used in all sports. Players who only play one sport, tend to burn out by high school.
Myth: There is too much injury risk in football
Reality: The only risk is kids missing the character traits they need.
Reality: Equipment and training make football safer than riding a bike, skateboard, baseball, softball and soccer.
Reality: Growing up with fear is the worst thing a kid can learn.
Myth:Fearless players are reckless.
Realtiy: Fearless intelligent, disciplined players are Warriors.
Myth: It’s what you do.
Reality: It’s what you do next.
Myth: If you are talented enough, you can break the rules.
Reality: Rules apply to everybody.
Myth: Long term success is about coaching.
Reality: Long term success is about organization. Organizations will be here long after coaches and players are gone.
Myth: More complicated teams confuse opponents.
Reality: More complicated teams confuse themselves.
Myth: Ex college and pro players make the best coaches.
Reality: Long term coaches following the team’s rules make the best coaches.
Myth: Bigger, faster, stronger wins.
Reality: Discipline, focus, and intelligence wins.
Myth: Good players make coaches look good, bad players make coaches look bad.
Reality: OK, this one is true.
Myth: QBs and running backs determine offensive success.
Reality: The O line determines success.
Myth: Offenses need to be complicated.
Reality: The fewer plays run perfectly, the better.
Myth: Better equipment prevents injuries.
Reality: Better tackling techniques prevent injury.
Myth: You tackle with arms and shoulders.
Reality: You tackle with hips and thighs.
Myth: The person who makes the tackle deserves the credit.
Reality: It is often someone else, taking away the offense’s first option that causes the tackle.
Myth: Football is a contact sport.
Realty: “Football is a collision sport., Dancing is a contact sport.”