DMN Blog: Archer on Stautner's funeral

[WoodysGirl]

True Teammates


I went to Ernie Stautner's funeral today in Lewisville and I was struck at just how close the former Cowboys are. They share a bond that today's players do not share. Some were teammates for 14 or 15 years. They had the same coaches, too. And to this day they are best of friends, picking up where they left off conversations years ago.

Because the way today's game is structured, I doubt we'll see something like that again. It's the way it is, but it's too bad. The former Cowboys are part of the fabric of this community. I wonder if that will be the case as players jump from team to team as years go by.

Posted by Todd Archer http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/icons/email.gif at 4:51 PM (E-mail this entry)

RE: Cowboys coaches


Jacques wonders why the Cowboys looked at the high school level for coaches. Bill Parcells hired his old 'backer Vincent Brown, known as the Undertaker back in his playing days, and interviewed Southlake Carroll's Todd Dodge for the tight ends gig.

Remember this about Parcells: he hired a New Jersey high school football coach in his Giants days who is now the coach at Notre Dame. Charlie Weis, recommended to Parcells by Al Groh, turned into a pretty good find.

Posted by Todd Archer http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/icons/email.gif at 9:05 AM (E-mail this entry)

 

[lspain1]

The thing about HS coaches....the good ones really know how to teach. I wonder how many coaches at the NFL level really teach anything.

 

[Cbz40]

The thing about HS coaches....the good ones really know how to teach. I wonder how many coaches at the NFL level really teach anything.

Excellent point. I would bet that most of the great coaches in the NFL(Past & Present) were teacers first.

 

[lspain1]

Excellent point. I would bet that most of the great coaches in the NFL(Past & Present) were teacers first.

Today's NFL is all about talent acquisition. We all know great talent makes a coach look great regardless of their "skill" at coaching. But the ability to develop talent, to make players reach their ultimate potential has to include some teaching.

In today's world, most of us go through a 'career change' at some point in our working lives because jobs themselves change over time and we have to change with them to continue working and make a buck or two. Most coaches bring an approach or system to their jobs. They have to convince young players and veterans to buy in to their approach. Someone like Parcells has the weight of success behind them so players are forced to buy in or look elsewhere.

I would guess someone like Parcells, who has an approach he believes will succeed, is looking for assistants who can teach (and enforce) his methods to the various groups of players who make up a team. While he takes a personal interest in many of his players he has to count on assistants to meld the players into units that can succeed. A successful HS coach has to have many of the things a HC might want in an assistant. The only thing they might lack is the experience with older (and more veteran) players.

For example, Parcells might be looking for somebody who can teach Torrin Tucker to extract his head from other anatomical features.

 

[Cbz40]

Today's NFL is all about talent acquisition. We all know great talent makes a coach look great regardless of their "skill" at coaching. But the ability to develop talent, to make players reach their ultimate potential has to include some teaching.

In today's world, most of us go through a 'career change' at some point in our working lives because jobs themselves change over time and we have to change with them to continue working and make a buck or two. Most coaches bring an approach or system to their jobs. They have to convince young players and veterans to buy in to their approach. Someone like Parcells has the weight of success behind them so players are forced to buy in or look elsewhere.

I would guess someone like Parcells, who has an approach he believes will succeed, is looking for assistants who can teach (and enforce) his methods to the various groups of players who make up a team. While he takes a personal interest in many of his players he has to count on assistants to meld the players into units that can succeed. A successful HS coach has to have many of the things a HC might want in an assistant. The only thing they might lack is the experience with older (and more veteran) players.

For example, Parcells might be looking for somebody who can teach Torrin Tucker to extract his head from other anatomical features.

The Young Coach also brings a will and desire to be taught themselves. Along with a sense of self motivation to succeed that will never tire until that goal is reached.

The Young coach after working w/HS kids will have learned a valuable lesson which is never to take a players knowledge and skills for granted. Therefore the older player will experience a more "hands on" approach. Skills and techniques that may have been taken for granted by the older more experience coach wil now be taught, retaught, drilled and polished to a fine edge.

Experience is a quality that is difficult to replace but, the lack thereof,can be overcome with the energy, the vitality, the motivational skills, and the patience to teach, the young coach will bring to the table. The ingredients ,in my opinion, which have been missing to get us over the top.