Chuck Smith: The defensive guru still has impact on Royals
It was a morning practice in the summer of 1986. The Mercer County football
team had just finished a 10-minute period of throwing pass patterns on air -- no
defense. Not a single completion.
The night before, we had scrimmaged Leslie County and it was ugly. That
morning, no one would have imagined that this team would win the first district
and region championships in Mercer County history, but that is exactly what
happened.
Chuck Smith was our defensive coordinator that season. He had joined the
Scotties' staff in the fall of 1983, the year after I graduated. He had played
linebacker at UK for Fran Curci. Chuck became a very good friend and mentor. He
also went on to lead Boyle County to five straight state titles and later become
the linebacker coach and recruiting coordinator at UK.
At UK he has been a big part of the success the program has enjoyed over the last
seven years and he has had numerous players drafted by the NFL. The argument
could be made he is the best high school football coach in the history of the
state, based on what Boyle County accomplished under his lead.
Chuck became a head coach in the fall of 1987. After I became one five years
later, whenever I had a question or a problem come up that I had to address, he
was the person I called -- and I called a lot. He always had great ideas and they
were consistent with my belief system and philosophy -- both in regards to
football and in how to work with people.
Although Chuck is known for defense, his strength is in how he works with
people. He is great in motivating people and understanding what makes them
tick. He knows how to keep them hungry to be their best. He puts people first
and treats them the way he wants to be treated. He is like Coach Arnsparger in
that he is masterful at deflecting attention and praise from himself to his coaches
and players. It is very difficult to get him to talk about himself and his successes,
or to say the word “I.”
Though he is primarily a defensive coach, Chuck has also had a profound effect
on the offense we run at Mason County. When I would be in charge of the
offensive scout team at Mercer County (I have spent my life running the scout
team), Chuck’s linebackers would be calling our play as soon as they saw our
formation. I hated that.
Because of that experience, at Mason County we try to use as many formations
as possible. I want our opponents to see an endless number of formations on
film, and then new ones on the night we play. I don’t want them to be
comfortable and confident. I want them to feel like they're seeing something
they have never seen before. Now, we run the same plays every week, but
hopefully we look different each week, and that is because of Chuck.
Our defense is Chuck’s defense. When he was a linebacker at UK, the defensive
coordinator was Charlie Bailey. That defense has been good at UK, Mercer
County, Boyle County, Meade County, Campbellsville, Paris and Mason County.
That defensive system is like every other part of the game -- it gets better as the
players, talent level and effort improve. But, it is a sound system based on
fundamentals, techniques, reads, keys and proper alignment.
Originally the defense was a “50” -- an odd front with two defensive ends, two
defensive tackles and a nose guard. With the advent of the spread offense, the
base defense became a 40 (two ends and two tackles) so there could be four
linebackers that could adjust better to spread sets.
We adjust the technique and alignment of our two defensive tackles based on
their size and ability. We have also adjusted the reads and keys to help our guys
play a little faster. And now, we can play a 30 (two defensive ends and a nose
guard). But, overall, it is his defense. And -- you can ask our staff -- I don’t like to
vary much from it.
Technique practice was something that Chuck and I both developed to help us
get started at Boyle County and Mason County. Originally, it meant the entire
staff coaching one position at a time early in the preseason. It was a great way to
help our coaches get on the same page and to make sure we were consistently
teaching the right fundamentals to our kids and using the same terminology.
We still do technique practices, but it no longer takes seven hours a day, the way
we used to do it. Those practices give us a solid foundation to build our team
upon each season.
My coaches tease me and tell me that if “the firm” doesn’t tell me to do
something, I won’t. The firm is “Smith, Smith, Holcomb and Coverdale” (more on
that at another time).
I listen to the ideas of my staff a lot more than they let on. But, listening to Chuck
Smith has made our teams much more successful. When all is said and done, he
will be remembered as one of the best of all time.