Coach and Son

I know this is a website that talks about business issues from a telecom perspective. However, I just want to speak about a new passion I have discovered: Coaching Pee Wee Football! It is after all football season. We are in Texas. So I guess we can discuss football anywhere! My son is playing for a team that I have become one of the coaches of. We practice three to four times a week, which I thought was a bit much. We had our first game this past Saturday and boy we could use about three more days of practice! There is a reason the pros do this everyday. Getting 22 ten year olds and five thirty something’s on the same page is not easy. I guess it is like managing a small business. See – I know I could get some business value out of this post.

My son woke me up 4 hours before the game out of excitement. As we arrived at the field the smell of Frito pies and BBQ took over. The fresh cut grass brought back memories of my first tackle game almost 30 years earlier. Suburban parents grabbed the seats with the shade while other erected massive tents complete with lawn chairs and tables. I almost forgot everyone was gathering to watch 10 year olds play football.

Once the first whistle blew, all the peace and reminiscing stopped. Mass confusion ensued. After each of the first seven plays, the result was the same; Penalty Flags. The infractions were either too many players on the field or illegal procedure. At times kids were substituting themselves. When they would look to us for guidance, there was no less than seven “coaches” hollering, I mean, yelling and barking instructions. It seemed most parents had an agenda for their child as they would pull little Johnny to the side and give them advice.

The head coach asked me to help out with the offense. In hindsight, it was not because of my ability or football prowess. It was because I show up to every practice and stay until the end. I’ve seen this type of phenomenon in the workplace also. It is from the person who may not be the brightest but comes early and leaves late. Before you know it, that person has the responsibilities that someone else either wanted or was qualified for. For my dedication, the head coach anointed me “Offensive Coordinator”. I did not think there was such a title at this level. We also have a line coach, defensive coordinator, secondary coach and linebacker coach. Most of the non-coordinator coaches rarely show up for practice.

One of many flags

The question became “Who is in Charge?” The head coach is a very passionate person who knows how to motivate people. While he patted me on my back for the successful plays, he gave me evil looks and words on botched ones. No wonder the coordinators prefer to sit up in the booth in the college and pro ranks.

The game was very tight. Our team was up by one touchdown with less than a minute remaining. We had the ball and needed one first down to taste sweet victory. After a decent 5-yard gain on first down, we had three straight penalties that backed us up 25 yards. So now with 26 seconds to go, we are looking at 4th and 20 on the opponent’s 40-yard line. The parents were shouting, “Punt the Ball”. The kids and coaches said, “Let’s go for it”. Conventional thinking says punt the ball. But as the new Offensive Coordinator, I had one last trick up my sleeve.
I called the play, sent it in to the Quarterback. He looked over at me with a look of surprise and disgust. I looked at the head coach and told him, this is a risky call. The center snaps the ball and the QB fakes right to the strong side of the field. (Most plays at this level go to the wide or strong side of the field). At the last moment before being tackled, he cut left and in what seemed three minutes, jetted untouched for 60 yards putting the game out of reach.

Game Winning Touchdown

All of a sudden, I was a genius. Everyone looked me in the eye and said things like “good call coach”, “great strategy” and “you da man”. As a basked in my newfound glory, (12 minutes earlier I was crazy for calling a pass play) I did not have the heart to tell everyone that was not the play I called! The play I sent in was a double reverse to the right. It’s really called 47 Sweep, Wedge Right Reverse. The only issue was the second string 4 back hadn’t practiced the play and missed the first hand off. The QB seen that and rather than panic, turned the other way and ran for his life. His instinct made me look good. It made the whole organization look good to the outside world. Winning does that for you. The truth is our internal organization is a work in progress. We have 6 more weeks of this and I find myself looking forward to the off-season already.

Hero Coach

Now it is clear to me why non-athletic people love football. It is just like the business world. You have winners and loser. You make mistakes and still have the opportunity to win. Had we lost, I would have probably taken the blame for the two turnovers, twelve penalties, the mass confusion and all of the hollering. Business is like football….as long as you show up, you can play!

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