Growth & Improvement... 2019

Post workout, 1/23/19. Mercer County Titans with Xenith rep, Ron Tanner, former National Champion at Ohio State

I hate fear. Fortunately, "fear" is not usually a big issue for me. But, as I get older, I do fear letting the game of football pass me up. I fear that my, or our, schemes, approaches, and fundamentals will become irrelevant or obsolete.

We are not even to the end of January. But three things I've done this month to address that issue have given me some peace of mind.

1- scout a very good offense for a long time friend who also happens to be an outstanding football coach.

2- meet with an outstanding college defensive coordinator (another outstanding person, coached against him when he played in HS, and his grandfather was a coaching legend in this state) and ask him to show me what he hates defending, what gives him the most problems.

3-writing an article for X & O Labs, including video clips and diagrams.

In all three scenarios, I was forced to think through why we do what we do and how well we execute. All three people involved were very bright, asked good questions, and presented good ideas that will make me better.

So, without going into all the details, what were my conclusions.... has the game passed me or us by?

I don't think so. In fact, some of our older ideas may provide a competitive advantage going forward. Our older schemes and the way we do things are becoming "different." I think that is a good thing.

But, the reality check that I most definitely needed and in some ways made me feel like a young coach again..... there is so much I DON'T know. There are other ways to get the job done.  People think differently and approach problem solving in different ways. For example, saying "one safety high" to me, and everything that goes with it, can mean something very different to another coach. As long as I realize that I must continue to learn and adapt, hopefully I can do a good job for our kids and program.

Some times fear can lead to positive results. This has been one of those times.