Got players who are “bored”? Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre has a three word solution
While coaches hit the road hard during the winter months, players get “stuck” in the routine triangle of workouts, classes, and studying.
Earlier this week, Colorado Freshman receiver Shay Fields tweeted that he needed something to do, and coach MacIntyre was ready with the perfect response.
@trimshay weight room’s open
— Coach Mike MacIntyre (@CoachMikeMac) January 26, 2015
His response?
@CoachMikeMac yes coach — Showtime Shay (@trimshay) January 26, 2015
For most of us that have our feet wet in this coaching profession, it’s not necessarily surprising that a Freshman would find himself bored in the winter without evening practices and games nearly every weekend like he grew accustomed to in the fall.
It may seem harsh at first glance, but for MacIntyre (who transformed the San Jose State program from 1-11 in year one to a 10-2 team in year three), a 6-18 start in his first two seasons in Boulder isn’t going to cut it, and while responding to that comment on Twitter may seem small to some, MacIntyre has a detailed plan to change the culture in Boulder, and I wouldn’t be surprised if moves like this one are all part of moving forward.
Coupled with James Franklin’s “Bs don’t cut it at Penn State” Twitter response one of his players yesterday, this is the second example already this week of head coaches monitoring what their players are tweeting.
What does your program do for rivalry week?
A follower sent us the the photo you see below from an Ohio State practice this fall.
Ohio state dresses scout team as Michigan, w/Winged helmets. A tradition or an Urban Meyer thing? @FootballScoop pic.twitter.com/qlTeEggbe1
— Kyle McKenna (@CoachMcKenna) January 27, 2015
We did some digging and found it is an Ohio State tradition that pre-dates the Urban Meyer era, and the Buckeyes do it only for Michigan week.
Does your program do anything special for rivalry week? If so, let us know @FootballScoop.
Bill Belichick was once so impressed by Pat Hill’s coaching he hired him on the spot
ESPN Clevleand
The Super Bowl is upon us, and John Canzano of the Oregonian wonderfully cut through the Deflategate clutter with a nice story of his unlikely and brief relationship with Bill Belichick. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so. It’s not what you’re expecting.
In getting to know the man behind the hoodie, Canzano spoke with Pat Hill, who you probably know as Fresno State’s head coach for a decade and a half. Before that time, though, Hill coached the offensive line and tight ends for the Cleveland Browns under Belichick. How he got that job is a teaching moment in an of itself.
From the article…
Belichick liked Fina’s fundamentals so much he hired his coach on the spot.
After Cleveland, Hill spent a year with the Baltimore Ravens before getting the Fresno State job, where he went 112-80 with 11 bowl trips. Does Hill get the Fresno State job without that encounter? Who knows. But we know for a fact he wouldn’t have broken into the NFL without the teaching job he did at Arizona.
Coaches love to remind players to always be on their best because they never know who’s watching, that every moment, every encounter is a job interview, to always be ready because they’ll never know when their time will come. In fact, we wrote about this at the AFCA graduate assistant forum earlier this month.
But this anecdote goes to show that piece of wisdom is equally true for coaches. Always be at your best, because you never know when a future three-time (and counting) Super Bowl champion head coach is waiting with a job offer.
Recruit shows up at Auburn wearing nothing but Tennessee gear, gets asked to leave
ESPN
Recruiting season is in full gear, and the folks at Rocky Top Insider have one for the annals.
Preston Williams, a wide receiver out of Hampton, Ga., is committed to Tennessee but took an official visit to Auburn over the weekend. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
But, according to Rocky Top Insider, Williams arrived with something on his mind beside whether or not he wanted to play for Auburn. “We are hearing that Williams was actually asked to leave by Auburn staff members because he showed up wearing nothing but Tennessee apparel and was actively recruiting other visitors to join him at Tennessee,” writes the site.
First of all, I’m sure Williams is far from the first recruit to go on an official visit with ulterior motives. But if you’re going to wear the black hat and serve as a sleeper agent for the school you’re committed to, isn’t there a better way of doing it than outing yourself immediately with a daisy orange wardrobe?
Coaches, how do you handle this? Do you send the kid home immediately or try to diffuse the situation in another way?
We’d love to hear your thoughts on Twitter @FootballScoop or @Zach_Barnett.
Pete Carroll describes “what every coach needs to be at his best”
Back in 2009 Pete Carroll was on top of the college football world at Southern Cal. He had collected a few national titles, tutored a few Heisman winners, and was churning out some of the best NFL talent in the country.
Then the Seattle Seahawks came knocking with a rare opportunity among the NFL ranks. Carroll was presented a chance to run an NFL team with the same outlook and approach that he had built USC with.
“When this opportunity came here, it was expressed and clearly laid out that I could have the same type of responsibility and the same kind of approach. It’s been really instrumental, because the way we do things is not the way a lot of other people do things.” Carroll told Fox Sports.
As Carroll goes on to explain, professional football may be a business, but the football aspect needs to be run by football people, and Seattle has provided him that opportunity from day one. In his first two seasons, as he built the foundation in Seattle his way, he went 14-18, then, in 2012 the Seahawks went 11-5 and lost to Atlanta in the NFL Divisional game. 2013 was the year that Carroll brought a Super Bowl title back to Seattle, and now they’re a win away from back-to-back titles.
“It’s done our way. We have our own language, our own control, our own decision-making process.”
“I think it has made all the difference in the world. It’s what every coach needs, I think, to be at his best. The format and structure that is generally accepted in the league is not that. I understand why.”
Think of Carroll’s words the next time you go in for a head coaching interview.
Got players who are “bored”? Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre has a three word solution
While coaches hit the road hard during the winter months, players get “stuck” in the routine triangle of workouts, classes, and studying. Earlier this week, Colorado Freshman receiver Shay...
