As is true with everything in life, I have had some highs and lows in my time on the sideline. Below are some of the moments that sit most boldly in my memory (some bad, some good.) Below are the quick snippets. Hope you enjoy!
The Lows The very first memory that comes to mind when I think about coaching football is being beat by a coach with a better play call. Calling the JV defense, needing a stop late in the game; we were trailing 7-6. They are pounding the ball in their wing t but we finally started to tighten after they get to our side of the field. Its third and short I flub the play call. They hit us for a game sealing PAP for TD. I signaled in a man blitz with cover 3. The players did what was called and the QB hit the wide-open seam. Not only did I feel out coached but I also set the team up to fail. Another low that quickly pops in my head was Varsity DBs, my position group, getting crushed by bubble against rival school. We didn’t have an answer and it wasn’t because of scheme or that we didn’t expect it. Our corners and safeties struggled with pursuit angles and getting off blocks. I took this as direct reflection of my coaching. I am thankful for both. I think it made me a better coach as I feel like both experience “expanded my mind.” It helped me focus on being more analytic in game but also more importantly with my practice time. The Highs The first thing that comes to mind are the player interactions. One is in my first blog post. Next is the first TD for RB I coached in youth football. I had been telling him all year that he owed me a TD and we needed to get it for him. He had lots of big runs but didn’t find the end zone until the last game of 7th grade scoring on a big run off a reverse. He sprinted over 50yds to the end zone and from there right to the sidelines to give me a hug and celebrate his TD. The final one is a hug I got from I played I assumed hated me after 3 years of youth football with me. I yelled a lot; its just the way I coach. I yell for the bad and the good. And in particular, I yelled at him (he lacked some discipline and liked to goof off). After our last game in 8th grade, he came over and hugged me. It completely caught me off guard but not as much as him telling me I was his favorite coach. These player interactions are truly what I love most about coaching. One final memory I want to highlight is a scoop and score to win a game 6-0. I coached this same group for three years of youth football and by eighth grade they were figuring it out. Coaching this team and calling that defense is what got me my first HS job; calling a JV defense and coaching DBs in that same city. You can discount it by calling it “just youth football” but through the six game regular season they allowed just 2 more points than they scored as a defense. (side note: the players reacting on the sideline to series and TD we gave up to go from +4 to -2 still makes me smile). They grew a lot as players and grew up as people. I see that season as the culmination of that. This group was the first group I ever coached and the scoop and score could stay as my favorite play forever. It represents a lot in my mind; the football that the players signed after the eighth-grade season will always have a spot in my office. I am very young in my career and look forward to many more moments. Would love to hear some of your own highs and lows via the comment section below or on twitter (follow me @seoleufootball).
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I played football from 4th grade through my freshman year of college but I have never enjoyed the game from the field more than I do on the sidelines.
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