Dublin Coffman Rocks 2020

The new Coffman coach Stokes will have one thing to address or decide on how to handle that he probably has not had to deal with at Minster - the transfer/move in. I am unaware of this being a problem in or around Minster/the MAC. Dublin has had it's share of move in's over the years. As Harry has mentioned Dublin has had a loss or two; the DE whose family moved to Florida a couple of years ago. You can not control who moves in and out of your district. A kid moving into your district as a sophomore or younger whose family has moved to the area is completely different than a upper classman moving in for the sole/primary purpose of football such as the player from Thomas Worthington to Dublin Coffman or the qb from Springfield Greenon who went to Clayton Northmont. A coach can not control a player/family from doing this but the coach does control playing time. Is the coach going to allow/encourage a upper classman to transfer/move in to the district by awarding playing time? Typically these players are very good and will most likely the best player at their position. The question is do you allow the transfer/move in to play over a kid who grew up in your program all the way from peewee, who bides his time, develops and then sit him their senior year because a D1 prospect comes along? Yes, it's most likely better for your program for the one year but how does it affect the mentality of the program for future years? Tough calls but the head coach has to set some ground rules on how he will handle this.

Coffman is hardly alone in being a desirable one lace to
Move to . Frère has been a few years with no
Move ins . Most starters are gone homegrown . New coach can’t just not play a kid whose family moves in from out of state because Dad or mom gets a promotion . Dublin is a corporate transient place . Family’s moving their family from say a lesser school
District is going to face not playing because they wanted a better environment for to heir kids . This happens in places all
Over the country . It’s called life . I see your point but a coach of a public school shouldn’t automatically play kids based on amount of time their families have lived in town . Over 90 percent of Coffman starters the last 10 years have entered the school Frosh year . Started HS from day one at the school . It’s a public school . You can’t discriminate . After a few years and Stokes being the really good coach he is garners some attention . Can he just ignore a good player who wants to be part of it as say a Sophomore ?
 
The new Coffman coach Stokes will have one thing to address or decide on how to handle that he probably has not had to deal with at Minster - the transfer/move in. I am unaware of this being a problem in or around Minster/the MAC. Dublin has had it's share of move in's over the years. As Harry has mentioned Dublin has had a loss or two; the DE whose family moved to Florida a couple of years ago. You can not control who moves in and out of your district. A kid moving into your district as a sophomore or younger whose family has moved to the area is completely different than a upper classman moving in for the sole/primary purpose of football such as the player from Thomas Worthington to Dublin Coffman or the qb from Springfield Greenon who went to Clayton Northmont. A coach can not control a player/family from doing this but the coach does control playing time. Is the coach going to allow/encourage a upper classman to transfer/move in to the district by awarding playing time? Typically these players are very good and will most likely the best player at their position. The question is do you allow the transfer/move in to play over a kid who grew up in your program all the way from peewee, who bides his time, develops and then sit him their senior year because a D1 prospect comes along? Yes, it's most likely better for your program for the one year but how does it affect the mentality of the program for future years? Tough calls but the head coach has to set some ground rules on how he will handle this.

Not being disagreeable Steel , I see what you’re saying but Coffman is hardly alone in being a desirable place to
move to and isn’t unique to move in families or even a transfer here or there ( happens in most Populated suburbs )! . There has been a few years with no
Move ins or transfers at all and this year will be another most likely . Most starters are homegrown New coach can’t just not play a kid whose family moves in from out of state because Dad or mom gets a promotion . Dublin is a corporate transient place . Family’s moving their family from say a lesser school school district in CO or a place with a subpar program is not playing because they wanted a better environment for their kids and haven’t lived in Dublin long enough ? Come on .

This happens in places al
Over the country and in Central Ohio . We live in a transient society . Other football states see many more transfers than Ohio has overall . It’s called life . I see your point but a coach of a public school shouldn’t automatically play kids based on amount of time their families have lived in town . Over 90 percent of Coffman starters the last 10 years have entered the school Frosh year .

Started HS from day one at the school . It’s a public school . You can’t discriminate . Some seem to think this some kind unique phenomenon to Coffman . There’s more hate for Coffman of course but this idea that move ins or just flat out transfers don’t start at other schools is ridiculous or that there hasn’t been studs who came in as Seniors at some high profile places all
Over the state and were starters from day one . If you have an example of a player who moved into another district who was a good to great player and the coach didn’t play him at all I would love to hear that story. Phipps was the first kid as a Senior to come to the school and play in a while .
I can think of two in the last decade or so . I can also remember that same number (. Or more ) in a number of others schools in CO . He will play the best players. Stokes hasn’t coached in this type of setting . Different numbers , and demos. Different landscape . I believe he will adjust to his new environment really well . He’s a really impressive leader .
 
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Harry - You are wanting to argue, read what I said. Kids transferring/moving in freshman year or earlier especially when their entire family moves, that's one thing. Kids transferring/moving in their junior/senior year for the sole/primary purpose being football - completely different story.

Yes, Dublin is the a great place to live and why wouldn't you want your kid to go to Coffman over a Marysville, Westland or Thomas Worthington? Yada, yada, yada - I get that. Yes, Coffman will have far more move in/transfers than not - I get that. And yes, other schools (both private & public) do it far more and encourage/literally recruit - I get that too.

Did Clayton Northmont have to play the qb? Did Dublin Coffman have to play the Thomas Worthington kid? I would assume the Dublin Coffman administration, the parents and the kid had to know that only being eligible for 5 games was at least a possibility when they made the decision to transfer to Coffman. Yes, he missed out on 5+ games his senior season but he did get 1 full year of a Dublin education so maybe it was worth it. I have no idea if it helped is college recruiting (I don't even know if the kid received a scholarship offer).

My observation was this - Coach Stokes now have to deal with the transfer/move in's. It's his decision on how he wishes to handle it which will determine the type of program he wants/envisions.
 
Harry - You are wanting to argue, read what I said. Kids transferring/moving in freshman year or earlier especially when their entire family moves, that's one thing. Kids transferring/moving in their junior/senior year for the sole/primary purpose being football - completely different story.

Yes, Dublin is the a great place to live and why wouldn't you want your kid to go to Coffman over a Marysville, Westland or Thomas Worthington? Yada, yada, yada - I get that. Yes, Coffman will have far more move in/transfers than not - I get that. And yes, other schools (both private & public) do it far more and encourage/literally recruit - I get that too.

Did Clayton Northmont have to play the qb? Did Dublin Coffman have to play the Thomas Worthington kid? I would assume the Dublin Coffman administration, the parents and the kid had to know that only being eligible for 5 games was at least a possibility when they made the decision to transfer to Coffman. Yes, he missed out on 5+ games his senior season but he did get 1 full year of a Dublin education so maybe it was worth it. I have no idea if it helped is college recruiting (I don't even know if the kid received a scholarship offer).

My observation was this - Coach Stokes now have to deal with the transfer/move in's. It's his decision on how he wishes to handle it which will determine the type of program he wants/envisions.
Didn’t argue at all . Coffman doesn’t have tons of transfers for one thing ., Reread the post . It hasn’t been tons of upperclassmen stepping into spots of homegrown kids in any kind of significant numbers at all . ( minuscule actually ) The prevalence of kids transferring in all sports is a current reality in many states and many sports . No school at this point in time is all kids who knew each other since elementary school like it was back in our day .( Catholics a different story of course ) Stokes hasn’t coached in the big Suburban setting . Had the demos that are present here . Different animal . Even if no one moved in or transfers in the next few years . He won’t have any decisions in this area to make as a new coach . He is going to discriminate against a new Dublin family preferring a long time resident ? He’s a new resident. Lol ?.
Again I see how you’re thinking here but it’s just not really applicable to the reality in 2021 . I know family’s in Dublin who moved from Minster . From Ottawa Glandorf . Marysville , Southeast Ohio , The Cleveland area . And some families who moved away . Some were really good to great athletes . It happens . Like I said Stokes will adjust .
 
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The NFL draft is one of the most interesting live TV shows we have . Complete with all the requisite hype, stories , overhype, the carcass like picking apart of certain players. It is always a bit intriguing and rarely disappoints. Trades , odd picks, and of course the studio talking heads. QB hype is off the charts. Fields is being picked apart to a ridiculous extent and looks like he will fall a way. Hope not , but it's a possibility . Trey Lance because there is less film to critique has risen. Not to say that he doesn't have good potential and traits that translate to sucess but often players who have less experience get more excitement because you don't know what they may be . A lot of tape ? We already know. Always an interesting dynamic to me.

Fields is one of the subjects of the QB-1 beyond the lights series. Friday night lights honcho Peter Berg's series is a good solid watch as I have said previously. It gives you a good look into different cultures and types of schools and players themselves. Good off-season viewing.

Fields and his family come off well and you can see the aspects of the player that made colleges drool over his ability and potential and has him going in the first half of the first round of the NFL draft.

The first season {2016 season} of the series featured two highly decorated players and one three star recruit . The famous Tate Martell who most of us know of and Jake Fromm who was a record setting passer in Georgia and then a very successful 3-year starter at UGA. Martell's career as we know has never quite got off of the ground. The third QB was Tayvon Bowers of Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg PA.

I had written a fairly extensive breakdown of this series in another space mostly to people who had seen it. Many like to consume something and then get others takes and read the reviews after the fact so you aren't spoiling any of the drama. Of course, you can see how the players may be doing or not be doing as it were , but the in-season action from a few years ago is unknown to many who haven't watched or don't follow these things which is most. So I will do a more cursory look at it for those who haven't seen it at all .

Martell who Buckeye fans have a little knowledge of and Fromm for that matter are both kind of examples of kids and players who may have hit their 'peak" at a less than ideal time . In High School.
Martell was one of those you tube hyped athletes who was offered early scholarships before he hit HS . A prodigy . Wunderkind . He is a very athletic kid who is gifted . He was a red shirt Pre HS kid { Was closer to 16 than 15 when he entered HS so really a Soph.} so he started at a mediocre HS program , Poway HS in North County San Diego with marginal success individually but the team kind of stunk .

Time to go to Vegas and play for the AAU like Bishop Gorman HS. Played a bit as a Soph , taking over the job but was the big star as a Junior and Senior. He is playing with other really talented and or big strong kids and the team is equipped with kids not only from all over the local valley but others who were jettisoned from nearby states , just to play for the Mighty Gaels .


Gorman plays two different seasons . The first half is one of traveling to other top programs and having a few come play them in Vegas . This gives them their national street cred , and a high ranking if they win 4 out of 5 of these games . The second part has been very anti climatic most years as they beat up on local Vegas teams and win the state title by huge margins. Martell was a very agile and elusive and clearly a superior athlete than many of the guys he was playing against. Mature . In full control. He also hadn't grown much height wise in the 4 years of HS . He was stronger and thicker but was pretty developed by the time he was 18 and a half and starting the season . 5-11 and about 190 ? Strong and balanced and a good arm. How much better would he get? His family is supportive but clearly bou9ght into his hype and treated him more like the Christ child than a normal teenager . As if they were in awe of their son . His younger sister also joined the family admiration society. He's not bad kid but the ridiculous hype and attention certainly didn't do him any favors .

Two things that stuck in my mind were his father opining that Tate had probably the best career a HS player has ever had . Cringey . And a filmed sequence { I would have insisted it be not included if a parent , but maybe there was a contract situation ? Or they didn't think anything was wrong with it ?Didn't see it until it was aired ? } that showed Tate wrecking a vehicle in the desert and making his friend and teammate say he was driving . Not as if Tate was drunk or that it was an incredibly egregious mistake . The teammate complied . It was just a snippet of behavior that showed he actually thought he was not accountable or was above taking real responsibility .

A third thing was Dad taking the phenom to an exotic car dealership and Tate trying to get his hard-working Dad who had some dough but not THAT much scratch, to get him that expensive fancy car . Tate seemed to have the attitude that he had ALREADY made it . Of course, in some ways he had .He was getting a ton of hype and attention . Best HS career ever ? OSU didn't pan out , nor did Miami . Where he ends up this year? Undetermined? . He will be closer to 24 than 23 when the season starts and has never started a game in college football . Next up Jake Fromm .
 
What happened to the old DC coach? They were playoff caliber, why the switch?


He retired.{ stepped down} I realize that some act as if he got fired or was removed , but it is not the case . Later 50's 20 years at the school . He thought it was his time. I think he may have one more coaching job in him . We'll see.
 
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Jake Fromm from Warner Robins Houston County HS in Georgia was more a professional HS QB. Long time starter who ended up throwing for just under 13,000 yards and an absurd 116 Td's . He was a fully mature 6-2 and a more NFL 218 pounds. Well, he was HS 218 actually which means a little soft. Not doughboy soft but not a ripped Pro. His school was very diverse and high performing academically. Rooted in the middle to upper middle class , the school was a more diverse version of the average CO outer-belt suburb.

Big stadium , nice facilities , and solid coaching in a football state. Fromm was mature. 18 going on 25 with the perfect facial scrub of a 20 something soap star. An easy-going quiet self-assuredness more befitting a 32-year-old young professional who knows he's going places .Like a corner office in about 8-10 years . He was relied upon to carry the team at times and that burden sometimes weighted him down to the extent that it sometimes sank him and his team.

5-star recruit who was committed to Bama but stayed in state and had a great three-year career at Georgia . Big games National title game, SEC title games , you name it . He had great players around him , excellent coaching and you sometimes got the feeling that every bit of talent was already extracted from him . Had he peaked ? His mom back in HS was heard from the stands lamenting his lack of running the ball . 'Why doesn't he run there" damn. Well, the truth of the matter is he wasn't fast enough to be confident to run against some of the fleet footed opponents they faced. This lack of athletisism showed up when Jake went to the NFL combine.

He ranked last overall or really near the bottom of the 13 QB's there in speed , vertical and agility . Arm and size and strength isn't great enough to make up for it . Fell to the 5th round and his ceiling seems to be more career back-up than franchise QB. Smart , dedicated, earnest and proof that there is sometimes a reality that being a starter in the NFL is a different animal , no matter ow accomplished you are at the lower levels. Like fellow QB-1 BTL, season mate, Martell , some ceilings are lower than others.

Things that are memorable are his photo shoot and friendly but not overly friendly with other All State type player as they talk a little smack as they wait for pictures at the Newspaper . Thye have their uniforms on for pics . Parents are definitely 'Sports" parents , big interest in their kids [Jake has two brothers at the school a Soph back-up QB and a Jr. receiver who he throws to but isn't the go-to guy . But not obnoxious . Mom knows her stuff . Mom dropping star son at Georgia is typical parental dynamic of some weepy nostalgic stuff. Genuine heartfelt emotion that we have all felt if we dropped off a kid at college .

Visions of that little kid missing teeth going off to kindergarten , and the grown-up kid standing in front of you starting college collide in a 'How did this all happen flood of emotions . You realize you aren't leaving them off for a week of camp or a sleepover. It's the beginning of something that catches almost all of us a bit off-guard.

Summation or bottom line in terms of his future . As I said above .

His Mom in the stands lamenting why he doesn't run more as if trying to will him into being more athletic and faster. Truth is he wasn't fast enough even at the HS level . His athletic ceiling was set early . He had a great three-year career at Georgia but you got the sense had peaked a bit. NFL combine showed him to be the least athletic overall of the 13 attendees. Arm was OK but not great . Slower and not dynamic and not really big enough , strong enough and not a good enough arm to make up for it.
 
Talking of Fromm falling in the draft , The Buckeyes Justin Fields seems to be the guy who may fall a bit. Now it won't be to the 5th round of course but when you are projected to go in the top few, falling into the mid-teens to early 20's is a story.

This is one of the crossover stories within the series as Fields was involved in the second season and also went to Georgia where he got little playing time behind the entrenched Fromm . Fields even with the higher upset wasn't able to unseat the incumbent.

Buckeyes fans may know of the little skirmish that Fields and Martell had when Fields announced he was coming to Columbus , and Martell snarkily tweeted that Fields should be prepared to lose out in another QB comp. Martell at that point only had that false bravado left. He hadn't sufficiently wowed the Buckeyes staff and realized it wasn't working out in Columbus.


Tayvon Bowers was the third QB in that first season and he was the lowest profile guy. He had a monster Junior season at Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg PA. Admittedly I wasn't paying as much attention to this story . I did watch it all eventually . Tayvon experienced something that a lot of HS QB's face. His Junior breakout season was followed by a Senior season playing with a very inexperienced supporting cast. He had new weapons ,and a new O-Line. This school is a traditional power of sorts in PA , but the level of players was certainly not the same as Bishop Gorman's all-star team , and was also behind the overall level of Fromm's Houston County team.


His O-line had some young kids who looked young. He weapons were not bad players , but this rebuild wasn't a re-load that you may see and this series showed at a place like say Gorman or St John Bosco in CA. Or even Cardinal Gibbons in FT. Lauderdale . More a blue collar feel to this team including the coaching staff. HC was a bit old school . They used Bowers talents fully but, in this year, the offense staggered out of the gate having no rhythm and they lost a couple early . Bowers was running for his life at times but it shows that he was a good player who was also a good teammate. A good leader. He's a kid you root for. Middle class family, his dad died when he was young . Family sacrificed a bit to send him to the catholic school. 6-1 200 pounds , not ideal size or athleticism , a three-star guy .


This series has some drama in game footage that I don't have to go over, but the game action and sideline banter is an interesting part of the story's as you see the relationships between the QB's and their teammates and their coaches . McDevitt doesn't have the fancy stadium or facilities , and the doesn't use the same technology on the sidelines and again has an older school feel to it . Along with the drama of the games , especially later in the season , the series overall has the stars enduring some setbacks and injuries . I won't divulge , but it really shows just how fragile things can be.

He is a Wake Forest commit and heads there after he graduates and never takes hold of the job. In yet another crossover story in the series, Sam Hartman who appears in the next season of QB-1 wins the Wake Forest job early on. He has a bumpy period , but was back in the saddle this past season . Bowers has transferred to Gardner Webb where he played very limited snaps in 2020 but should be the starter this year.

Notable remembrances.

Bowers family has a party and the pics of his late father are shown. He is a spitting image of his old man .Kind of looking at old pics of your friend's dad and seeing the striking resemblance sometimes. Story's come out how his dad played football as well , in the style of his son. It reminds me of a story I read about the Stoudt's who played at Coffman . Dad Cliff who was a back-up to Terry Bradshaw at one time was re-telling the time when his dad{ Zach's grandfather} was watching his son Zach play in HS { Louisville and Ole Miss} at Coffman for the first time and Cliff looked over at him and there were a few tears in his eyes , and he uttered , It's the same . He meant that Cliff and Zach had very similar movements and styles. Can't escape strong genes.

Bowers and his friends from his hometown get together to watch film of thier Pee Wee football days and the championship they won. Glory days. Well flash forward and Tayvon is the only one of the crew to go to the local Catholic school . His friends and ex-teammates go to the public school and there is a Friday night where Tayvon attends one of thier games . he is well known by the fans and he visibly gets a charge of watching his friends in their element. Nice crowd , hometown atmosphere. Americana . He wonders what it would be like if he stayed and was out there with his friends. This dynamic occurs all over the country. Bowers old school coach has a familiar attitude when it comes to rules . He has only two . Be on time , and don't be an AZZwhole.
Bobby Knight had few to almost no rules . No need . Everyone knew the deal. I had a coach who was the same. Too many rules too many can be broken. No one screwed up . Respect.


Season 2 has Fields who is going to be drafted tommorow. Sam Hartman who is the starter at Wake Forest. And Re-al Mitchell and QB/Ath from mighty St John Bosco in Bellflower Calif. He is now at Temple after committing to and attending Iowa State . Fields obvioulsy has been the most successful overall and was the most touted obvioulsy. More tommorow. Big day. The draft is near.

Interesting tidbit . 5 of the 9 QB's featured ended up moving on from the schools they signed with . And there were also 5 of the 9 who were NOT the QB on the field in thier teams last games of the season.
 
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The Poker session of the pre-draft period is pretty much over. Now there is some time to make some trades and moves , but the bold lies and machinations are largely finished. Justin Fields was number two on the board for quite some time. The games stopped .His gutsy gaudy performance in the Natty Semi-final was processed. His uneven performance vs. a superior Bama team without his best running back was digested without a large demerit.

Now all of a sudden, he is a flawed draft candidate. Mac Jones is a 'Safer" pick ? Hmm. As I have said Bama's overall talent gap this year was LARGER than it had been in previous years. Jones performed well obviously. Spectacular numbers. But how impressive was it really?
First round prospect?. No question. One year as a starter. HUGE talent advantages. Protection, time , his receivers always separating. Huge windows of air to throw into . Zach Wilson is being slobbered over as if he's actually Patrick Mahomes's stunt double. The Jets can always be counted on you make the wrong choice in most instances. Really like the kid's game and his talent . But the competition he played agaisnt? The breadth of his performances? Losing pretty much everytime they played an equally talented team?

Fields has been picked apart so badly that Chris Simms who is a knowledgeable judge of QB talent has Texas A'm's Kellen Mond rated higher than Justin. Yikes. Now Mond is a talented kid and has a nice release and may eventually be something, but he hasn't quite shown that he is better than Fields .

This is the story of the draft. Most will be looking to see where they QB's go and everyone seems to enjoy watching the drama of a stone that is falling. Fields is the consensus player who will fall further than he should have. He seems to have all the attributes you would want. Arm, good size, can run and move within the pocket, throws a really nice deep ball. Questions that seem to be overly critical are inaccuracy on some throws and not reading the field well enough .

Some choppiness in a couple games this year to be sure, but his going through his progressions well is a strength , not a weakness. These narratives kind of build a momentum of their own. Who really knows though? Fields may not fall as far as some are now projecting. Someone may just be keeping his cards really close to his vest.

Fields was in season 2 of QB-1 BTL. Was at Harrison HS in Kennesaw Ga. an Atlanta suburb about 30 miles north. Nice comfortable community that is rooted in a nice spot between middle and upper middle class. Nice facilities, Stadium is not as large as Coffman's but is more Scioto's size. Fields isn't overly cocky whatsoever and reveals that he purposefully tries not to be a jerk about his elite National status as a prospect. He mixes in easily with his lesser talented teammates and there is a really good vibe within that program.

Demos are pretty much smack in between say Pick North and Pick Central . Diverse. Players mix well with each other and they have a nice camaraderie. There is a nice segment that shows the team getting ready for pictures and the banter and locker room talk is playful. Fields to his credit is more or less just one of the guys.

Not a vocal leader but it's clear he's in charge and the players feed off of his energy and talent . he takes over portions of games with his running and escape ability in the pocket. His team is good not great. He elevates them. The team when operating at its highest level is very good. Fields like Fromm to a lesser extent is relied upon to the extent that mistakes happen . Turnovers at key moments.

Fields family is grounded and keeps him grounded. Dad is a Cop and his step Mom is also successful within law enforcement. The family home is spacious and comfortable in an upper middle-class neighborhood. Feilds birth mother is also present on his life.

Team has success but loses a few and its ultimate fate unfortunately rests with Fields getting hurt { Broken finger throwing hand } later in the season. QB's being leaders and having to show leadership is a complex dynamic sometimes. Kids from stable functional homes tend to fare better in this vane. Fields had that stability and wasn't treated as a Prima Donna by his family. Grounded .

Dad making him cut the grass when it's dark because he forgot. Insisting that he do well in school first and foremost. Fields is self-motivated but is influenced by his family's example. He shows toughness on the field throughout often just taking snaps and running the rock straight into the defense, using his natural gifts and size and strength to gain tough needed yards.

Coach on an opposing team who beat Fields team is shown saying " in his best Southern drawl , " Son I've been at this for 30 years " And you are the Best I've played against " Best I've seen " . Fields takes the compliment with respect and then takes responsibility in front of his team for the couple turnovers he committed { Under duress and frantically trying to bring his team back .

We saw his leadership last summer when he was instrumental in trying to get the B-10 to play a season. Kid just has the IT factor . Have a feeling if he drops that many will be questioning why he dropped in the first place in subsequent years..

Guys rising who didn't even play this year, others falling after the games were played. Even with solid pro days . Fields has managed a mild form of epilepsy that is a family trait. Medication fully manages it. May be that coming out has further diminished him ?

His story and how it unfolds is tonight's biggest story perhaps. But this is a live show that isn't set in stone . Many interesting storylines may be yet to unfold and we will see it for ourselves .
 
Really happy for Cleveland getting this event and the city showed up and showed well. It was nice to see Bernie Kosar look healthy , and appears to be clean and sober. Nice Bernie chant . Still remember him years back doing the Browns Pre-season game appearing high as a kite that slipped out of your hands. Slurring Bernie.

Jags get two Clemson studs in the first round which will help the human rebuilder , Urban Meyer. Jags have missed the play-offs 12 of the last 13 years. Dysfunction personified. Meyer has elevated EVERY program he has gone to.[Buckeyes were fading and about a 500-football team just before he got there.}

Zach Wilson is wildly talented , and looks like he should be getting ready for his Prom. He'll fit in in NY, BUT the franchise is not conducive to long lasting QB success. Trey Lance is a ridiculous talent himself. SF may have been influenced by the media hype over giving up what they did for a safe less than athletic QB with limited college starts. Lance was picked largely because his talent but the deal maker was the his study habits and eagerness to learn . He is by all accounts very smart and voraciously consumes material.

Kyle Pitts going to Atlanta who only seems to draft offensive guys the last decade or so. Always pretty stacked on offense ,but have had red zone issues scoring TD's the last couple years. Pitts is 6-6 , receiver fast, at 245 TE strong and a matchup mightmare. he should score some TD's and help out in this area . A more freaky Travis Kelce. Alabama receivers Waddle and Smith willbe good right away . Joe Burrow getting a new toy in LSU's Jamar Chase is awesome.

That kid is a game breaker and toyed with some really good corners in the Sec. Kids not playing this past year may be hurt just a bit in thier draft spot. Not badly as they were taken in the first round but a few slots .

Lions doing the right thing and getting the stud OT was encouraging. They usually draft the flashy skill guy in many cases. Funny comment I heard was the Patriots taking a unathletic guy with a dad bod never works out . Mac Jones only fell to the middle of round one , not the SIXTH round lol.

Fields going 11 would have been surprising when the season ended. Now ? If the Bears don't; give up multiple picks ? Where does he fall ? Patriots still take Jones ? May be . Then he plummets?. He will have a big chip on his shoulder and want to prove those who took Wilson and Lance wrong.

CB Caleb Farley is a freak. VA Tech guy with an injury past has scary ability. Tennessee must be giddy to get this kid at this spot{ 22}

Pittsburgh O-Line has fallen like a rock in terms of quality the last 5 years , grading out in the bottom quarter of the league after being a consistently high preforming unit. Getting an Alabama RB who often underperform was head scratching. The Big 'Goodell " hugs were back and there were some really neat stories as always.
 
Really happy for Cleveland getting this event and the city showed up and showed well. It was nice to see Bernie Kosar look healthy , and appears to be clean and sober. Nice Bernie chant . Still remember him years back doing the Browns Pre-season game appearing high as a kite that slipped out of your hands. Slurring Bernie.

Jags get two Clemson studs in the first round which will help the human rebuilder , Urban Meyer. Jags have missed the play-offs 12 of the last 13 years. Dysfunction personified. Meyer has elevated EVERY program he has gone to.[Buckeyes were fading and about a 500-football team just before he got there.}

Zach Wilson is wildly talented , and looks like he should be getting ready for his Prom. He'll fit in in NY, BUT the franchise is not conducive to long lasting QB success. Trey Lance is a ridiculous talent himself. SF may have been influenced by the media hype over giving up what they did for a safe less than athletic QB with limited college starts. Lance was picked largely because his talent but the deal maker was the his study habits and eagerness to learn . He is by all accounts very smart and voraciously consumes material.

Kyle Pitts going to Atlanta who only seems to draft offensive guys the last decade or so. Always pretty stacked on offense ,but have had red zone issues scoring TD's the last couple years. Pitts is 6-6 , receiver fast, at 245 TE strong and a matchup mightmare. he should score some TD's and help out in this area . A more freaky Travis Kelce. Alabama receivers Waddle and Smith willbe good right away . Joe Burrow getting a new toy in LSU's Jamar Chase is awesome.

That kid is a game breaker and toyed with some really good corners in the Sec. Kids not playing this past year may be hurt just a bit in thier draft spot. Not badly as they were taken in the first round but a few slots .

Lions doing the right thing and getting the stud OT was encouraging. They usually draft the flashy skill guy in many cases. Funny comment I heard was the Patriots taking a unathletic guy with a dad bod never works out . Mac Jones only fell to the middle of round one , not the SIXTH round lol.

Fields going 11 would have been surprising when the season ended. Now ? If the Bears don't; give up multiple picks ? Where does he fall ? Patriots still take Jones ? May be . Then he plummets?. He will have a big chip on his shoulder and want to prove those who took Wilson and Lance wrong.

CB Caleb Farley is a freak. VA Tech guy with an injury past has scary ability. Tennessee must be giddy to get this kid at this spot{ 22}

Pittsburgh O-Line has fallen like a rock in terms of quality the last 5 years , grading out in the bottom quarter of the league after being a consistently high preforming unit. Getting an Alabama RB who often underperform was head scratching. The Big 'Goodell " hugs were back and there were some really neat stories as always.
always been a big fan of Bernie, and of course did notice his slurring..... and people said he was drinking and stuff, but i also heard that he had some health issues that was the cause of that..... but love listening to him on ESPN 850 out of Cleveland.... the GREAT 19!!!
 
Pittsburgh O-Line has fallen like a rock in terms of quality the last 5 years , grading out in the bottom quarter of the league after being a consistently high preforming unit. Getting an Alabama RB who often underperform was head scratching. The Big 'Goodell " hugs were back and there were some really neat stories as always.
Pittsburgh hasn't had an NFL quality running back since LeVeon Bell went free agent. Their pick (Najee Harris) is not going to be the 40 yard gain type back, but more of the 5-6 yard gain back and short pass receiver.

But point taken, without at least one and probably two offensive linemen picked tonight, the running back pick will be less worthwhile.
 
always been a big fan of Bernie, and of course did notice his slurring..... and people said he was drinking and stuff, but i also heard that he had some health issues that was the cause of that..... but love listening to him on ESPN 850 out of Cleveland.... the GREAT 19!!!
He was taking pills for pain from old injuries
His playing days and got hooked . He looks healthy and I am glad he’s doing better . Kat , I was going to bring up Stokes “ rugged “ and physical practices dynamic . Did he go full pads and go live often during the week ?
 
Pittsburgh hasn't had an NFL quality running back since LeVeon Bell went free agent. Their pick (Najee Harris) is not going to be the 40 yard gain type back, but more of the 5-6 yard gain back and short pass receiver.

But point taken, without at least one and probably two offensive linemen picked tonight, the running back pick will be less worthwhile.
Harris runs « Hard “. Breaks tackles like Allen Iverson used to break ankles . Like the back , but Pitt was graded last in the league last year in run block effectiveness . So bad they just gave up trying to run . Browns over 9.5 wins may be my best futures play . Said it a few weeks ago and really liked it . The more I look the better it looks . Go in with the other hand. Lol
 
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He was taking pills for pain from old injuries
His playing days and got hooked . He looks healthy and I am glad he’s doing better . Kat , I was going to bring up Stokes “ rugged “ and physical practices dynamic . Did he go full pads and go live often during the week ?
no i think he went full pads maybe 2-3 times a year, if that.... PADS and shorts..... 99.9 % of the time... constant moving..... no 40's after practice.....either, but will be the best conditioned team on the field..... will test them by putting them in stressful situations...... No take down in drills or team action
 
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It is clear that the Browns are no longer the 'Brownies " as it has become a well-run smart organization . They had a very nice draft . Defense heavy with a solid pick at Corner in Newsome who we have seen the last couple years at Northwestern and a really versatile reliable playmaker in Koramoah the Notre Dame LB/Edge/ sot defender / football player, who hits like a sledgehammer . The defensive backfield especially corner was a problem area that has in short order may be become a strength . Shoring up weaknesses and problem areas is commendable in any business , but turning weaknesses into strengths is really top-level stuff. Nice work Cleveland , IO am liking my strong position of Browns getting at least 10 wins more and more.

The Bengals got a stud in WR Jamar Chase , a shiny new former toy for second year QB Joe Burrow to play with , but definitely reached for OT Jackson Carman in the second round. He wasn't the top Left tackle left at that point being rated 96 {taken at 46} . Not as big a reach as the Raiders taking Tackle Leatherwood of Alabama in the first round may not have the skillset to actually play tackle at the NFL level. Durable and solid but like Carman would have been available a lot later.

Was listening to a Bill Simmons draft podcast with Peter Shrager who has a lot of connections and has been covering this stuff for about 15 years. They were talking about Fields and why he may have been falling since the season ended. Simmons was having a tough time understanding why , and Shrager told him that a big part of it was Fields not being able to beat out a more pedestrian 'Gym rat" type QB with a limited ceiling Jake Fromm at Georgia. They even mentioned that it wasn't as if Fromm wasn't a 5- star rated QB in HS and was featured on QB-1 in that original season.

They made like the both arrived to UGA at the same time , had a legit competition and Fields lost . Ahh not quite . I was really shocked that Shrager didn't offer the proper context. Fields is a year behind Fromm . Fromm got the QB-1 job at UGA the year before when Jacob Eason got hurt before the season. Fromm too the job and ran with it . All the way to the Natty title game . it was HIS JOB , he was entrenched . He had won a lot of ballgames. Fields not beating him out shouldn't have bene considered a huge negative . They simply didn't see the need to change QB's considering how successful they had been with Fromm. Fields clearly has more athletic upside and a higher ceiling and that could have been seen back then . Was pretty surprised that Shrager missed this obvious fact.

Bears have not gotten the QB thing right for decades and have had the highest number of starters in the NFL in the last 20+ years. I have a feeling that this number will stop escalating and that Fields will be a 10-year starter. They got a great value in round two selection Tackle Tevin Jenkins a first round talent who fell to them. Good news for Fields.

Big 12 got shut out of the first round for the first time in the history of the draft?. I think the KC Chiefs just added another Body guard for Pat Mahomes who they don't have to pay at all. Good grief, talking about making a weakness a strength ? Mahomes and Brady get everything they want and need and the salary cap is no object. Same two teams in the SB next year? Alabama and Ohio State have had the most guys drafted in this era and like society in general the rich keep getting richer.

The list of the programs with the most guys taken in the draft pretty much mirrors the rankings of the teams at the end of most seasons save for one exception. Michigan . They seem to underperform to the level of the NFL type talent they have. One of the problems with Michigan has been at QB and not getting the right guys or not elevating their performance which has been surprising given Harbaugh's background.
 
The last year has kind of run together in a way that seems like it's two years. Except for the fact that some things haven't changed in some ways. Last year we didn't know if there was going to be a season at all. Being ion that type of limbo was terrible. Kids couldn't get together inside weight-rooms or indoor facilities to train. No college visits in person. Some county's had different rules. Coffman caught some grief here when a group got together to train. Outside of course , but it was this rallying cry from a few locals and well-known haters .


The college football season was in peril . Some conferences were going to play and some were not. I am and was extremely loathe to criticize programs , commissioners and of course players during a once in a century pandemic. Life suddenly didn't make much sense . Navigating an off-season and a season for that matter was going to be very different and difficult.

My position and thought process was going to be no judging people in sports , coaches and decision makers because this was uncharted territory. Of course, emotion and frustration make that a difficult idea to follow. Teams only played others close to them in most leagues. Some privates traveled . Some teams played a few games, others many games. I was going to praise the teams that handled this well and won games and prospered and NOT castigate the teams and players that struggled or opted out.

We saw high profile top draft pick level players opt out and it didn't hurt them that much. Sometimes NOT having that extra tape to go over with a fine-tooth comb is helpful . Many examples of guys coming back to school and their draft status changes in a non-positive direction. Guys with little tape to scrutinize can be looked at with mystery and wonderment of vast potential.

Was talking with an Olentangy Brave supporter recently. The conversation came to the Coffman coaching situation as expected, and we also talked about Solis's program over there as well. The end of any era is looked back at and thought about in a type of summation. Some coaches build a program and get it going in a positive more successful direction and then move on to another challenge. A decade is a long time now. 2 Decades is a really long time, and any more than that is a lifetime.

Crabtree took over Coffman and had immediate success and pretty much kept that going for two decades. Varying talent levels , some brutally tough close play-off losses where making one more play or getting one more stop would have changed the outcome. We talked about how Solis's Braves teams have had some of those really tough losses in similar fashion. Last second TD passes { Coffman had a brutal loss to Solis's team on one of those 30 yard Throw it up TD passes in the last seconds after controlling the game for 80 percent of the time, in 2017, the very next week Soli's team lost to Whitmer in a last second TD throw}

2019 Coffman has the ball in the Spring field red zone and outplayed them overall and score 3 points in a 7-3 game, Olentangy this year outplays Perry in a much more dominant fashion and like Coffman the year before cannot score to save their lives and lose . It happens . there are more examples of this from both coaches. Coffman fumbles an exchange on the 13 this year driving for a winning score against an exhausted Liberty defense that ends thier season . Chit happens.

The reactions to such losses are different it seems from 'Neutral " observers though. Solis is a great coach IMO. He gets a lot out of his kids and has good offensive schemes . Good motivator. Coffman loses this type of game and some of the haters ay it's a lack of character . A bunch of losers. Crabtree can't coach . Just the way it is and has been .

Two things can be true at once. You can be excited for change , and a different approach. A different energy. Different methods. And you can also also have an appreciation and respect for what the previous regime did over 2 decades. Many ways to skin a cat. Life isn't black and white. Many shades of gray. Success is not achieved by following one certain path. Times have changed drastically in some areas in the last 20-30 years. Some principles and fundamentals are timeless , but the landscape changes. Adjustments need to be made .

Coach Stokes can be embraced fully without losing appreciation for what Coach Crabtree did in 20 years. That's how the coaches' players and most parents view it anyway. Others ? Who cares ?

Stokes would have missed the play-offs this past year at Minster in a normal year, and that program is in a rebuild mode. He enters his Coffman tenure at a similar point. Big rebuild . 5 D-1 players aren't coming back. I trust that he will have the kids in condition, stronger , both mentally and physically than they are now when the Whistle blows on the third Friday in August in Warsaw Indiana. One thing he won't have to worry about is making the play-offs which would have been a challenge.
 
Arriving at an initial power rating for NFL teams has been a process that I have always enjoyed. I am not building the team but I'm doing a deeper dive into what the team's process is as they build it themselves. Or bolster it, maintain it in some cases. Teams attacking thier weaknesses aggressively like KC and thier O-Line or Tampa being able to keep everyone and thier favorite cousin despite winning a Super Bowl. I mean don't free agents relish winning a SB and then go out on thier own and get overpaid by some team trying to get to one?

This is interesting to me. Tampa's year was supposed to be this year. But they got by a fading Saints team with a suddenly old arm QB and various other injury's and then got a few breaks vs.GB { Long TD at the end of the half which cost the GB DC his job the early second half fumble deep in GB territory, GB's not scoring down deep } and pulled out the win. KC O-line was a mash unit and their defense was just OK and boom a World title. New Orleans when healthier early on throttled them. But they won and they are the favorites this year with what appears to be an even better club . KC has added everything but an armed guard and a Ninja Warrior to protect thier canonized golden armed QB. Rematch?

Not touching these teams future win totals. Better values on the board. Cleveland over 9.5 { New defense has better talent needs time } is a done deal. Thye have the talent as we know but more importantly the coaching staff, the front office is better , and they have momentum as a franchise . They have gotten that initial success with a play-off berth AND a WIN. Waiting for the schedule order to make decisions on other teams.

Carolina and New England are very interesting to me. Carolina defense is a concern , and the Patriots instability at QB and their weapons offensively may not be enough. But I have had a good feel for this team and cashed 4 of my last 5 futures projections with them. Including my BEST position last year and largest play on the UNDER. { Had to win 10 to beat us and won 7 had them at a 9-win ceiling}

Thought they would be a messy team with obvious transition at QB , many opt outs for Covid , no weapons where even Tom Brady couldn't overcome the year before. They weren't a real good team at the end of 2019-20 , in fact they were below average the last 6 weeks after a terrific start . And they got even worse going into last year .Oddsmakers didn't know quite what to do with them after such a long stretch of success, so they overvalued them and we pounced.

This year ? They seem to be priced correctly at 9 wins. Just looking at the teams they need to play home and away without knowing the order, their absolute basement is 8 wins , but 9-8 and a push is probably more accurate. Miami is now their equal. Those games will be very interesting. Not sold on Tua though. I think his ceiling has arrived EARLY in his career. Schedule analysis can wait. This is the bare bones first thoughts on why they are going to win 10 games this year .

Very loathe to judge teams too harshly during the COVID football season. Patriots lost thier living legend QB, had various opt outs and were not really good at the end of the 2019 season. Newton played well at times but was erratic because he had few weapons. He then got Covid and had to sit and never really got going again until it was very late in the season . This was good news as far as this year goes.

7-9 last year included losing a couple games late where they needed to make just one more play and were razor close . Newton having to sit , less weapons , and a lack of depth. This year should be different . 9 is the bare minimum this year. Harris at RB is a player , White is a veteran presence and I really like the Oklahoma big back Stevenson who is a college guy without a ton of carries so he has some upside, he can catch the ball as well .He will contribute.

Receiver has been upgraded a bit with Agholor and Bourne, TE is still a work in progress. O-Line is solid and will be a strength. D-Line has depth and Lawrence Guy will anchor the unit and the team will be good against the run.. There is solid talent overall and second round pick Barmore from Alabama is a stud. he will also contribute right away.

Defensive backfield looks to still have Gilmore and Jackson at CB which is huge. McCourty still a leader in the backend . Two players who will be key at LB are Hightower who will be back in the middle and Van Noy is back with the team. This is a big deal. Oklahoma versatile DL guy Perkins is another solid draft addition.

Obviously, the Patriots are a proud organization that has bene the top dog overall the last couple of decades. After one year of a COVID season as evidence , some have actually opined that this ONE 7-9 season and a talented TB team winning a Super Bowl with the GOAT Tom Brady, that the Pats success was all about Brady and only Brady. Of course, that's lazy and not accurate. As great as Brady was and is, he wasn't always playing at a very high level in big games or saving a mediocre team and constantly saving them from disaster.

11-5 team the one year he didn't play . Is that all the evidence you need to say the team as a whole is the reason they won so much? There is absolutely no reason to have to pick one or the other when talking about the main reasons for the Pats success. People do this anyway and after one season they have concluded that it is ALL Brady. People who conclude this have to really WANT to have Brady be responsible for most of the winning .Football is the most TEAM oriented sport BY FAR.

Belichick is a guy who won't tolerate another 7-9 or a 8-9 year back-to-back . The organization is on a mission to get that bad taste out of thier mouths and have gone bigger in free agency than ever before, they have shored up weaknesses , have more depth, and they will win a couple more of the close ones that they lost last season. They drafted better than they have in a long while . They even got some possible players late in the draft. Safety Bledsoe from Mizzou , and WR Nixon from Central Florida have a chance to contribute and should make the team.

Bottom line is they are almost assuredly at LEAST two wins better with one more game on the schedule , a PUSH is the floor for this team . QB situation is fluid , and a X-Factor but Newton should be better, and Jones was a decent value at 15 . Motivated proud organization, had a great off-season and I expect a play-off berth . They are not a deep play-off run level team , but they don't have to be .
 
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Stokes staff finalized? I hear many former coaches from staff were not interested in staying... names I have heard going to coach there teach/live in districts all over central Ohio...many are hoping it lands them a teaching job in Dublin.

I hear the weight room is a lot more intense? coaches yelling...not necessarily better or worse just more intense. It seems as they have some of the new coach excitement.
 
Don’t think it’s finalized , but it’s not too surprising to see a long time regimes soldiers not wanting to stay if that’s the case . I think a couple will remain . His main guy the DC is coming from Minster with him . Not sure how many teaching jobs are open but suffice to say the jobs pay well . Stokes is an
Intense guy . I am sure it’s a more vocal atmosphere . Kids made nice gains the last few years with Crager running the strength program and Stokes runs a great program from what I’ve heard and his results speak for themselves . Program is in good hands .
 
Stokes staff finalized? I hear many former coaches from staff were not interested in staying... names I have heard going to coach there teach/live in districts all over central Ohio...many are hoping it lands them a teaching job in Dublin.

I hear the weight room is a lot more intense? coaches yelling...not necessarily better or worse just more intense. It seems as they have some of the new coach excitement.
bringing the JUICE!!!
 
The talk of enthusiasm in the weight room is hardly a surprise and it is something that is going to bring benefits not only with the players improved strength and confidence as all weight programs are aimed to accomplish , but also in increased camaraderie.

People going through something really hard and difficult together makes them closer. A kind of " We got through this together. I distinctly remember this dynamic taking hold in my experience . Hockey and football and to a lesser extent baseball . Team bonding and developing that closeness and trust is crucial in teams getting the most out of themselves.

Some really talented teams don't have this. In Coffman's case the last few years saw higher talent levels but varying levels of that special bond. I don't like judging a team durig this past COVID season , but the team seemed to be more in synch in 2018 and 2019 than they were this past year.

Over the years there seems to have been teams that clicked better. Were more cohesive. I have seen in a few different sports at Coffman that one year a team was really talented, but didn't do as well as they might have because they were lacking that bond. Not dysfunctional but not really close. Something was missing. The next year a lesser talented team is much closer and does better in terms of their potential . Is more together.

In terms of leadership and programs messages and performance, sometimes it runs its course. Most coaches don't remain in jobs for 20 years. Many coaches get restless at a certain point and feel they need a new challenge. Many of us have moved and changed jobs a few times looking for a jolt of energy, a new challenge. Some coaches seek new jobs to give themselves a challenge and that sense of urgency brings out that extra juice . Gives their creative juices a jolt. New surroundings do this for many people.

Urban Meyer sought out rebuilds , and was fanatical about taking programs over and revamping them and improving them. He has been successful at each of his coaching jobs doing just this. He has a new challenge. The ultimate challenge in terms of football . Taking over a serially dysfunctional franchise who has had very small pockets of sucess and trying to make the franchise stable and successful. Build a sustainable model .

Aspirational people need new challenges. Stokes seems to be aspirational . I was listening to an interview with Theo Epstein the baseball GM who helped build the Red Sox and Cubs and they both ended long historic title droughts .He got the Red Sox job at 28 years old. Now Billy Beane of Money Ball " fame turned it down at that time but Theo took full advantage and got that first title in 2004. He conceded that at the beginning of his tenure that he really didn't know what he was doing just yet as he and the front office team were learning on the job . Put his head down and furiously soaked everything up that he could.

He left came back and had more success then went to Chicago. He is a guy who said needed that jolt of starting something new. Building it. Got his creative juices flowing again full force. Guys can keep growing and getting better at what they do when they stay put as well , but for some guys it's necessary to go somewhere else once in a while and re-energize themselves

Moving to a new place and a different organization can heighten your senses. Gives you a new perspective. Geron Stokes took a HC job at 23 at his alma mater Urbana. He admitted to being clueless in terms of knowing how to build a team. He knew football and the game itself and had the passion , BUT he had no clue how to really lead. He is a voracious reader and leadership perspectives is his favorite thing to read.

The key to success in any endeavor is getting 'Reps" performing the task. Total immersion into whatever you are doing and trying to figure out what you don't know is a huge factor. Whatever it is , running a campaign, writing a script, copywriting, coaching , getting reps and learning as much as you can about what you are doing is what the most successful people embrace. Handicapping sports is a reps exercise. Years of reps . Learning as much as you can from others . Reading things from top professionals and incorporating these things into your own style and instincts.

Stokes dove deep and learned a lot, purposeful intentional learning . The after he got his reps up , the success followed. The thing is the most important thing is what you learn after you think you have it all figured out. You need to continue to adjust, learn new stuff and grow or you get stagnant and you lose your edge. Success isn't linear, it goes sideways sometimes. Embracing new challenges, pushing yourself to be better , and being purposeful and intentional in the process seems to be Stokes's philosophy so to speak. He takes over a program with 2 decades of continued success with the worst year being 6-4 and that happened only once and that team made the play-offs. Two 7-3 teams did not make out . So, 18 of 20 years in the play-offs and no losing seasons and won at least 7 games in 19 of 20 . BUT this is a rebuilding period. That era ended suddenly but not really unexpectedly. It's a new day on Coffman Road. They are fortunate to get a leaderlike Stokes to usher in the new era. He will not have the individual talent the first couple years that has been present here the last handful of years . But the program has the type of guy who I believe is not only up to the challenge, but embraces it.

Lastly one question I have for the Minster guys who read this space now . How many guys did Minster on average , play both ways? I think that may be a difference that exists in smaller school football and the top couple divisions. Coffman did play a couple on both sides once in
a while but as a rule, did not do this. Curious as to what Stokes history of this is. He may be tempted to play more kids two ways and I think at the D-1 level it isn't as doable as most teams don't have a lot of kids do this.
 
How many guys did Minster on average , play both ways? I think that may be a difference that exists in smaller school football and the top couple divisions. Coffman did play a couple on both sides once in
a while but as a rule, did not do this. Curious as to what Stokes history of this is. He may be tempted to play more kids two ways and I think at the D-1 level it isn't as doable as most teams don't have a lot of kids do this.
I’d say in Minster they averaged somewhere between 7-10 kids going both ways through 8 seasons
 
Heard at least one former Coffman Assistant will be on Dublin Jerome's new Staff...

Also heard Stokes is keeping around Hicks to run the film operation and Warren in another role...
 
The talk of enthusiasm in the weight room is hardly a surprise and it is something that is going to bring benefits not only with the players improved strength and confidence as all weight programs are aimed to accomplish , but also in increased camaraderie.

People going through something really hard and difficult together makes them closer. A kind of " We got through this together. I distinctly remember this dynamic taking hold in my experience . Hockey and football and to a lesser extent baseball . Team bonding and developing that closeness and trust is crucial in teams getting the most out of themselves.

Some really talented teams don't have this. In Coffman's case the last few years saw higher talent levels but varying levels of that special bond. I don't like judging a team durig this past COVID season , but the team seemed to be more in synch in 2018 and 2019 than they were this past year.

Over the years there seems to have been teams that clicked better. Were more cohesive. I have seen in a few different sports at Coffman that one year a team was really talented, but didn't do as well as they might have because they were lacking that bond. Not dysfunctional but not really close. Something was missing. The next year a lesser talented team is much closer and does better in terms of their potential . Is more together.

In terms of leadership and programs messages and performance, sometimes it runs its course. Most coaches don't remain in jobs for 20 years. Many coaches get restless at a certain point and feel they need a new challenge. Many of us have moved and changed jobs a few times looking for a jolt of energy, a new challenge. Some coaches seek new jobs to give themselves a challenge and that sense of urgency brings out that extra juice . Gives their creative juices a jolt. New surroundings do this for many people.

Urban Meyer sought out rebuilds , and was fanatical about taking programs over and revamping them and improving them. He has been successful at each of his coaching jobs doing just this. He has a new challenge. The ultimate challenge in terms of football . Taking over a serially dysfunctional franchise who has had very small pockets of sucess and trying to make the franchise stable and successful. Build a sustainable model .

Aspirational people need new challenges. Stokes seems to be aspirational . I was listening to an interview with Theo Epstein the baseball GM who helped build the Red Sox and Cubs and they both ended long historic title droughts .He got the Red Sox job at 28 years old. Now Billy Beane of Money Ball " fame turned it down at that time but Theo took full advantage and got that first title in 2004. He conceded that at the beginning of his tenure that he really didn't know what he was doing just yet as he and the front office team were learning on the job . Put his head down and furiously soaked everything up that he could.

He left came back and had more success then went to Chicago. He is a guy who said needed that jolt of starting something new. Building it. Got his creative juices flowing again full force. Guys can keep growing and getting better at what they do when they stay put as well , but for some guys it's necessary to go somewhere else once in a while and re-energize themselves

Moving to a new place and a different organization can heighten your senses. Gives you a new perspective. Geron Stokes took a HC job at 23 at his alma mater Urbana. He admitted to being clueless in terms of knowing how to build a team. He knew football and the game itself and had the passion , BUT he had no clue how to really lead. He is a voracious reader and leadership perspectives is his favorite thing to read.

The key to success in any endeavor is getting 'Reps" performing the task. Total immersion into whatever you are doing and trying to figure out what you don't know is a huge factor. Whatever it is , running a campaign, writing a script, copywriting, coaching , getting reps and learning as much as you can about what you are doing is what the most successful people embrace. Handicapping sports is a reps exercise. Years of reps . Learning as much as you can from others . Reading things from top professionals and incorporating these things into your own style and instincts.

Stokes dove deep and learned a lot, purposeful intentional learning . The after he got his reps up , the success followed. The thing is the most important thing is what you learn after you think you have it all figured out. You need to continue to adjust, learn new stuff and grow or you get stagnant and you lose your edge. Success isn't linear, it goes sideways sometimes. Embracing new challenges, pushing yourself to be better , and being purposeful and intentional in the process seems to be Stokes's philosophy so to speak. He takes over a program with 2 decades of continued success with the worst year being 6-4 and that happened only once and that team made the play-offs. Two 7-3 teams did not make out . So, 18 of 20 years in the play-offs and no losing seasons and won at least 7 games in 19 of 20 . BUT this is a rebuilding period. That era ended suddenly but not really unexpectedly. It's a new day on Coffman Road. They are fortunate to get a leaderlike Stokes to usher in the new era. He will not have the individual talent the first couple years that has been present here the last handful of years . But the program has the type of guy who I believe is not only up to the challenge, but embraces it.

Lastly one question I have for the Minster guys who read this space now . How many guys did Minster on average , play both ways? I think that may be a difference that exists in smaller school football and the top couple divisions. Coffman did play a couple on both sides once in
a while but as a rule, did not do this. Curious as to what Stokes history of this is. He may be tempted to play more kids two ways and I think at the D-1 level it isn't as doable as most teams don't have a lot of kids do this.
Stokes plays kids both ways, but a lot of times, those players end up being rested a series or two each half, or depending the situation, they could sit a quarter , while a younger player steps in and plays.....
 
Stokes plays kids both ways, but a lot of times, those players end up being rested a series or two each half, or depending the situation, they could sit a quarter , while a younger player steps in and plays.....

I’m sure he’ll adjust. No D-1 OCC teams can play a lot of kids both ways and get away with it . I am a proponent of playing kids both ways situationally . Coffman evolved to utilize a couple kids on both sides situationally ., Only one lineman played a fair amount on both sides during Crabtree’s era And it wasn’t any of the D-1 kids . Wolfe in 2019 and he played only part time on offense
 
Sometimes sports can give you special gifts and thrills that you couldn't possibly see coming. It's live entertainment. No script . You show up to watch, sit in your living room , or out at a sports bar and watch , not knowing exactly what you will get. Sometimes it's mundane and predictable sometimes it's rife with drama.

Phil Mickleson winning a major tournament at age 50 was one of these unexpected gifts. You don't even have to like him to appreciate it. He hadn't sniffed a last grouping in years. He wasn't ranked in the top 100 in the world. His days of challenging for a title in the most difficult tournaments was a thing of the past.

Other oldsters like Greg Norman and a really Old Tom Watson at the British made runs and spiced up the weekend a while back , but alas faded like most older dudes do and get overtaken on that final day. Sometimes fading badly .

Phil gave up two shots on the first hole and that gave fans a 'Oh crap " vibe, that was fun, wasn't it ? But now it's over. Well Phil quickly recovered and got those two strokes back in quick fashion and there were 5 two stroke swings among the leaders on the day which made the last couple holes especially nerve racking for people who wanted to witness history .

4-5 stroke leads shriveled to a two-stroke lead and a very smart comment by the commentator turned out to be prescient. He said , Phil just needs to hit two really solid tee shots on 15 and 16 { Before the perilous par three 17th } and he'll be fine. Phil smoked the tee shots and held on to win the tournament. Phil was always a favorite of mine . Golf is one of those sports where the underdog doesn't have a large following in any tournament.


Sometimes sports can give you special gifts and thrills that you couldn't possibly see coming. It's live entertainment. No script . You show up to watch, sit in your living room , or out at a sports bar and watch , not knowing exactly what you will get. Sometimes it's mundane and predictable sometimes it's rife with drama.

Phil Mickleson winning a major tournament at age 50 was one of these unexpected gifts. You don't even have to like him to appreciate it. He hadn't sniffed a last grouping in years. He wasn't ranked in the top 100 in the world. His days of challenging for a title in the most difficult tournaments was a thing of the past.

Other oldsters like Greg Norman and a really Old Tom Watson at the British made runs and spiced up the weekend a while back , but alas faded like most older dudes do and get overtaken on that final day. Sometimes fading badly .

Phil gave up two shots on the first hole and that gave fans a 'Oh crap " vibe, that was fun, wasn't it ? But now it's over. Well Phil quickly recovered and got those two strokes back in quick fashion and there were 5 two stroke swings among the leaders on the day which made the last couple holes especially nerve racking for people who wanted to witness history .

4-5 stroke leads shriveled to a two-stroke lead and a very smart comment by the commentator turned out to be prescient. He said , Phil just needs to hit two really solid tee shots on 15 and 16 { Before the perilous par three 17th } and he'll be fine. Phil smoked the tee shots and held on to win the tournament. Phil was always a favorite of mine . Golf is one of those sports where the underdog doesn't have a large following in any tournament.

It's the recognizable names and stars that people root for. Mick is a fan favorite and has had a hall of fame career obviously. This feather in his cap is an incredible foot to his legacy. Phil had little discipline to his game when younger as his immense gifts and shot making ability was al he thought he needed to win these types of tourneys. He was wrong . He was late to the winning major's party. He got the discipline on the course and closed out some majors. He was always a bit doughy and wore his hair longer with it flowing longer from the bottom of his cap.

At 50 he is in as good a shape as he has ever been , shorter hair and a sharper focus. Laser like over the weekend. A few wayward shots that he navigated and he persevered. Cool interplay with his brother and caddy as they decided on clubs and strategy. Team effort. Made the right calls a majority of the time. Clarity , trust and execution. Ran into Phil years back { thinking a bit over a decade ago } at the Five Guys on Perimeter in Dublin after his round at the Memorial. Young daughter was with me and she got his autograph and he couldn't have been nicer to the Peeps who were around him. He was a more rotund Phil back then which made the five guys sighting a bit less surprising. lol.

Great time of the sports Calander despite no football . Triple crown horse races, , NBA and NHL play-offs, and of course preparing for the football season. For me that started with the Patriots and Browns future wins going OVER the 9-9.5 range and both winning 10 games. College football transfer portal that is a bit out of control but unsurprising in this day and age. Sticking with your program when you aren't playing as much as you would like is becoming as dated as the rotary phone. QB's I have always seen differently , but the way guys are picking up and leaving is dizzying. Of course, the no sit out the season rule gives a much greater impetus to pack up and leave.

High School players have about 9-10 weeks to get that last part of improvement and development before scrimmages start and jobs are won or lost. Strength , speed , agility , and skill work is all necessary. QB's need to get the fundamentals down, footwork follow through , accuracy, release etc. QB-1 Maggs is working on this stuff and is a good prospect. He will be the 4th Senior first time starting t QB at Coffman in the last 6 years. He has a lot of potential. He has the size and arm no question. He is also athletic . [basketball guy who played some receiver last year} . Getting the Ball out quick , getting that one more foot on the 'Fastball " so to speak to beat the defenders on outs and seams is imperative. Stokes is a good teacher and will help him. He will work hard in the next two months to take that next leap. Team is working hard in the weight room .

There was a Wayne supporter that had a great post a couple years ago if I remember right about how programs reach heights sustain it for a bit and then inevitably it ebbs and flows downhill a bit. I have covered some of these dynamics and talked about other programs that have had those 20- 30 or even a bit longer runs of sustained success. Stokes is taking on a challenge here. This is a point ion the program that has a definite end of an era feel. Crabtree and his staff never had a losing season or even a 500 season. Only missed 7 wins in the regular season ONE time. Averaged 8 a year in the last 15 . It is a good time for a fresh new start. That can be true along with the fact that the previous 20 year run was a picture of great consistency. Time to get back to work .

That Wayne supporter really broke down the dynamics of how programs rise and eventually fall back a bit . We have seen it at storied programs as I have pointed out , at Odessa Permian, Central Bucks West and Mike Pettine's 30 year run, Berwick PA and George Curry, et al. If that Wayne poster is still lurking and on the off-chance reads this space, I would love to have him revisit those astute observations.
 
That was an amazing sight to see all the fans enthusiasm. One for the ages. I'm not an avid golfer and have not hit the links in years but do watch the majors and some other tournaments. That may have been the most special moment in golf I have ever seen. Incredible. Jack Nicklaus winning The Masters at 46 was maybe the only other bigger moment in golf. Tom Watson at 59 gacking away the British Open on the last hole in 2009 was a heart breaker for sure. Watson was my favorite growing up in the later 70's.
 
That was an amazing sight to see all the fans enthusiasm. One for the ages. I'm not an avid golfer and have not hit the links in years but do watch the majors and some other tournaments. That may have been the most special moment in golf I have ever seen. Incredible. Jack Nicklaus winning The Masters at 46 was maybe the only other bigger moment in golf. Tom Watson at 59 gacking away the British Open on the last hole in 2009 was a heart breaker for sure. Watson was my favorite growing up in the later 70's.
Yes an amazing sight ,especially after the year we’ve had . Loved the scenery as well . Ryder cup held there “. The war at the shore” . I was pulling for Watson big time myself . Nicklaus winning the Masters footage is always chill inducing .
 
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