Not to make light of our situation but there are times you have to look into the days that are coming. Eddie Kendricks might have it right:
Yup….this is what we have to do!
There is nothing as empty as losing….you can look for silver linings and moral victories. But when it is all said and done we look at the win-loss record and we sit there with a big fat zero in the “W” column.
Well as lousy as you feel – tomorrow is going to come and we are going to have to review the game video and fix the mistakes. It is a never-ending process of studying and correcting. But, that is the beauty of the game as well – the constant repetition allows you to slip into a routine and drive the demons out of your system.
In fact we will start that process tonite (Saturday) individually. We will compare the call sheet with the execution of our various plays and schemes in all three phases of the game. Obviously we will spend a great deal of time working thru this process of self evaluation.
Although we are very frustrated as players and coaches we have to look at each game individually as they play out. We need to see if our corrections are bearing fruit as we work our way thru the 2017 season.
I know that our hard work is playing off because there has been significant improvement in individual players. I don’t know who or which team started using the phrase “you have to trust the process.” Although I think this is an overused and trite phase it often applies.
As coaches we have to be aware of a very big fact – we have so many young and inexperienced players in starting or key roles all over the field. This is a hard situation to live thru – but that is what we need to do.
Coaching requires patience and also confidence. We have to continue to be patient in our teaching and our development of fundamentals. At the same time no matter what happens we must maintain our confidence in the fact that the team will emerge as a much better unit thru our coaching.
Again, I know we are down….but now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves. Now is not the time to look to pass the blame on to someone else. Now is the time to believe in who we are and what we do.
For me personally I really feel for the troops. I have seen a lot of teams practice over the years. I would be hard pressed to think of another team I have coached that comes back day after day and works so hard. I have used the word “resilient” about this group several times this year.
But, we have to look down the road and realize that we are going to be a good team. It is going to take “sun ups and sun downs” for our guys to grow up and assume roles that allow them to be successful.
We need to stick to our beliefs – ignore the naysayers – and trudge on. I know that the troops will continue to do what we expect of them. Get to all of their classes – make their assigned meetings – in short be a great teammate and a HOUND. It is what we do!