Sunday Night Football: BUCS/PATS

[NWPATSFAN]

I just didn't like decision based solely on the wind,rain and distance.. Did it mean Mac would have gotten the 1st down, absolutely not. Just didn't think all those factors were in favor of kicking it... He just missed but I think the rain certainly pushed it left... Now if they had gone for it they probably would have ran it and most likely fumbled and we'd all be pissed but I just don't like the decision, doesn't make me an armchair HC just my opinion

My comment wasn't directed at you, but the masses who want to say it was a bad decision. It's so easy to say after the fact.
At worst it's 50/50. But in any HCs case they will always be second guessed by armchair HCs

 

[sonnyblack65]

I just didn't like decision based solely on the wind,rain and distance.. Did it mean Mac would have gotten the 1st down, absolutely not. Just didn't think all those factors were in favor of kicking it... He just missed but I think the rain certainly pushed it left... Now if they had gone for it they probably would have ran it and most likely fumbled and we'd all be pissed but I just don't like the decision, doesn't make me an armchair HC just my opinion

 

[redseat]

My comment wasn't directed at you, but the masses who want to say it was a bad decision. It's so easy to say after the fact.
At worst it's 50/50. But in any HCs case they will always be second guessed by armchair HCs

Yeah I figured it wasn't directed towards me, just wanted to respond

 

[BigKen]

I'm a bit more than an armchair coach. I coached and officiated football, Pop Warner and high school for 44 years. Never was able to move beyond, but the basics are all the same.

As a head coach, you know every strength and weakness on your team and at the HS level and above, you know what your opponent pretty much has when you're at the end o a game. In my experience, you never just take a shot at something. You will try to give your team the absolute best shot and accomplishing whatever it is that you need to get done. You will also go to your strength. If you fail, then you can go home knowing that you and your team did what was best for them.

Believe me, there are armchair quarterbacks and coaches at the seven and eight year old level. My favorite thing was to take off my whistle and toss it to an asshole and say, "Great, I'll come watch you coach them next week." Then walk off. Amazing how many of those guys apologize and beg you to take the whistle back. Especially after they realize that there are three hour practices on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and a game that you're responsible for on Saturday or Sunday morning at 8:00 am 60 miles away. AND you have to arrange all of the logistics like having every kid fully ready to roll at 6:00 am so they can warm up before the game. Not only that, but trying to instill confidence in every kid because you know that all they need is one good play and they'll become a football player.

It's a piece of cake to make a call from your couch or chair when nothing is riding on it. Even easier to make a different call two minutes later because no one had to deal with the first one. Live, on the field in front of 500, 5000, or 50,000 armchair QBs is an entirely different matter. You have to learn to become deaf to the voices behind you and only listen to the one in your head. If you're right, you're a genius. If you're wrong, you're an idiot.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

I'm a bit more than an armchair coach. I coached and officiated football, Pop Warner and high school for 44 years. Never was able to move beyond, but the basics are all the same.

As a head coach, you know every strength and weakness on your team and at the HS level and above, you know what your opponent pretty much has when you're at the end o a game. In my experience, you never just take a shot at something. You will try to give your team the absolute best shot and accomplishing whatever it is that you need to get done. You will also go to your strength. If you fail, then you can go home knowing that you and your team did what was best for them.

Believe me, there are armchair quarterbacks and coaches at the seven and eight year old level. My favorite thing was to take off my whistle and toss it to an asshole and say, "Great, I'll come watch you coach them next week." Then walk off. Amazing how many of those guys apologize and beg you to take the whistle back. Especially after they realize that there are three hour practices on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and a game that you're responsible for on Saturday or Sunday morning at 8:00 am 60 miles away. AND you have to arrange all of the logistics like having every kid fully ready to roll at 6:00 am so they can warm up before the game. Not only that, but trying to instill confidence in every kid because you know that all they need is one good play and they'll become a football player.

It's a piece of cake to make a call from your couch or chair when nothing is riding on it. Even easier to make a different call two minutes later because no one had to deal with the first one. Live, on the field in front of 500, 5000, or 50,000 armchair QBs is an entirely different matter. You have to learn to become deaf to the voices behind you and only listen to the one in your head. If you're right, you're a genius. If you're wrong, you're an idiot.

Why not take your own medicine and become deaf?

If you had, you would never have had to quit on your team/s by throwing your whistle to a fan/supporter/parent.

 

[BigKen]

Why not take your own medicine and become deaf?

It's hard to be deaf when your accosted by the bench when the idiot will actually push you and poke you. Then you have to just walk away and not get into a physical altercation. There are small children and one adult that feels he must let everyone know that would not have done what the coach did. It's a lot easier to not actually quit, but put the pressure on him to take the responsibility or not.

You have to know which fight to pick. An angry parent at a Pop Warner football game isn't one of them. Before the season, there's always a parents meeting and the first thing I say is, "I'm looking for volunteers to help. Anyone want to help coach the team?" 99 times out of a 100, not one person steps forward. The one person that does is usually a mom who asks what she can do. She becomes my special teams assistant coach.

I can see that you've never coached at any level or you you'd know how these things work. I've coached Football, baseball, basketball, and Girls softball and basketball. Over my duration I've found that the easiest thing to do is toss them a whistle and give them the ball. 100 times out of 100 the asshole gives the whistle back.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

It's hard to be deaf when your accosted by the bench when the idiot will actually push you and poke you. Then you have to just walk away and not get into a physical altercation. There are small children and one adult that feels he must let everyone know that would not have done what the coach did. It's a lot easier to not actually quit, but put the pressure on him to take the responsibility or not.

You have to know which fight to pick. An angry parent at a Pop Warner football game isn't one of them. Before the season, there's always a parents meeting and the first thing I say is, "I'm looking for volunteers to help. Anyone want to help coach the team?" 99 times out of a 100, not one person steps forward. The one person that does is usually a mom who asks what she can do. She becomes my special teams assistant coach.

I can see that you've never coached at any level or you you'd know how these things work. I've coached Football, baseball, basketball, and Girls softball and basketball. Over my duration I've found that the easiest thing to do is toss them a whistle and give them the ball. 100 times out of 100 the asshole gives the whistle back.

Well you're 100% wrong. I've coached multiple sports as well as officiated basketball and hockey over the years.

What I learned is you drown out the noise. You don't quit.

 

[BigKen]

Well you're 100% wrong. I've coached multiple sports as well as officiated basketball and hockey over the years.

What I learned is you drown out the noise. You don't quit.

I spent way too much time killing people in a far away place and didn't want to being those skills to bear in front of friends and parents. I always felt that it took a bigger man to just walk away rather than drop myself to his level. I had nothing invested but my time and desire to coach kids into responsible young men. It always worked for me and embarrassed the other guy.

It would have been a lot easier for me to crush his throat and walk away. Problem is that I'd still be in prison today.

 

[BigKen]

One other thing. I've never fought to win. When forced, I fight to end. Death is it's own final judgement. I never give an enemy a second chance.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

I spent way too much time killing people in a far away place and didn't want to being those skills to bear in front of friends and parents. I always felt that it took a bigger man to just walk away rather than drop myself to his level. I had nothing invested but my time and desire to coach kids into responsible young men. It always worked for me and embarrassed the other guy.

It would have been a lot easier for me to crush his throat and walk away. Problem is that I'd still be in prison today.

Ken you really need to seperate your time in SEA verse the time on a sports field. A whinny parent is not near the same as some NVA enemy.

I retired after 27 years. Multiple tours in a combat zone. What I don't do is come onto a football forum and tell people what I did, saw or went thru. If this is your escape have at it. But most of us that served know those that do the most talking...I'll just leave it at that.

Hopefully, you're involved with some service organizations? Leave all the military and killing talk there. Here let's just discuss football.

As I have said before, I'm glad you're here providing "noise" coming out of Foxboro for those of us no longer local. Sure there are times we don't agree and that's fine. We can agree to disagree.

Stay safe and if you ever need to talk you can PM me.