Coaching or Players?

[oldtownag]

We certainly don't.

That was embarrassing the other night. I haven't seen us be beat down like that since the '70s. We need some wholesale changes in our coaching staff. The head coach needs to have some fire, instill discipline, and hold everybody accountable, players and coaches alike. We're not seeing that at all. I don't dislike our defensive coordinator as a person, but he hasn't produced a decent defense (save a couple of years when we have 5 to 7 D1 players) in his time here. I don't care whether our offense is good or not (which it's not this year), I would LOVE to see us learn how to play DEFENSE. I think losing Kurt Traylor was almost as big a loss as losing Jeff. Our O-line just isn't getting the job done. This is the worst offense we've had in a couple of decades, and our defense isn't any better. We are not very good even on special teams.

It's time for some wholesale changes, in my opinion. We need to spend the money and rebuild.

I didn't mean for this to turn into a Buckeye crying thread!

[Matthew328]

If you want to win titles you've got to have a lot of both..the sliding scale can vary....

I'll say this...with terrible talent there's a ceiling to how far a coach can take you....
With great talent there is no ceiling

[LHPfactory]

If you want to win titles you've got to have a lot of both..the sliding scale can vary....

I'll say this...with terrible talent there's a ceiling to how far a coach can take you....
With great talent there is no ceiling

Good assessment Matt, I believe there are 3 key factors that go along with what you said to produce a program:
1) Kids - This is the talent level along with the dedication these players have to the program.
2) Coach - Like Matt Said, this determines if a group will reach its full potential, fall short to very short of potential, and a select few coaches can get players to collectively over achieve their potential.
3) Community - This is the third element of a programs culture. You need buy in and support for the players and coaches, parents need to allow the coach to push players out of their comfort zone.

The above factors create a culture for programs, I will say that the Coach really is at the core of a programs potential. Carthage would be talented without Surate, but im doubting you have anything close to the dynasty he has produced.
LHs current HFC/AD is a winner, he will take 2-8s and make them 9-3s, give him 8-3s and he will give you a real shot at a title. His expectations are off the charts and being a part of his program means something, it comes with a great price. But you wont have a shot at beating the Carthages of the world with anything less.

[Saggy Aggie]

I would rather have a team full of star players and an average coach than the opposite

[Tejastrue]

I didn't mean for this to turn into a Buckeye crying thread!

Surprised some of the Wimberley folk have not honed in on this one. lol

[LHPfactory]

I would rather have a team full of star players and an average coach than the opposite

That’s DeSoto every year, and still only title to show for it.

[Matthew328]

That’s DeSoto every year, and still only title to show for it.

To be fair DeSoto would probably have 3 titles if not for a guy named Kyler and a school with 6600 kids

[bobcat1]

Good coach... sure but a good coach will tell you that you can't do it without the Johnnys and Joes.

[Txbroadcaster]

I have to be careful about what I say on here because lots of folks know who I am. First of all I don't think the position is going to open up and I'm not sure I want it to anyway. What I want to see is some fire, some intensity and some discipline which we have lacked since Jeff left. We have slowly been letting this thing get away from us and now it's starting to snowball.
Now back to your original question. At the time that Kurt left I didn't know if he was HC material. Looking back I'm not sure he shouldn't have been given a chance. 1st HC job, fire, intensity, discipline. He has shown it at REL. His progress is evident. I wonder what he could have done with an established program. We shall never know.

I am just asking...but what progress has LEe shown? They are about where they were for the last 5-6 years..5-5 type of team

[lostaussie]

I am just asking...but what progress has LEe shown? They are about where they were for the last 5-6 years..5-5 type of team

If I'm not mistaken the year before he got there Lee won a couple of games. Didn't they go 6-4 last year? Heck I could be wrong. It's not like I keep up with them that closely. I know they have struggled some this year.

[BwdLion73]

Good assessment Matt, I believe there are 3 key factors that go along with what you said to produce a program:
1) Kids - This is the talent level along with the dedication these players have to the program.
2) Coach - Like Matt Said, this determines if a group will reach its full potential, fall short to very short of potential, and a select few coaches can get players to collectively over achieve their potential.
3) Community - This is the third element of a programs culture. You need buy in and support for the players and coaches, parents need to allow the coach to push players out of their comfort zone.

The above factors create a culture for programs, I will say that the Coach really is at the core of a programs potential. Carthage would be talented without Surate, but im doubting you have anything close to the dynasty he has produced.
LHs current HFC/AD is a winner, he will take 2-8s and make them 9-3s, give him 8-3s and he will give you a real shot at a title. His expectations are off the charts and being a part of his program means something, it comes with a great price. But you wont have a shot at beating the Carthages of the world with anything less.

[waterboy]

If I'm not mistaken the year before he got there Lee won a couple of games. Didn't they go 6-4 last year? Heck I could be wrong. It's not like I keep up with them that closely. I know they have struggled some this year.

Yes, Lee went from 2-8 in '16, to 6-4 last season in Kurt's first year, their best season since going 6-6 in 2009. Lee is 1-3 thus far this season.

[Celina8]

It is the Johnny and Joes folks and I will say that I have seen a lot of good Coaches make teams and players much better yet their Coaching record would not indicate how good of a Coach they actually have been.

[d0tc0m]

I tend to agree with LHPfactory. There are so many variables that go into winning a championship, let alone winning multiple championships. You can't do it without great kids. And those kids need talent. They don't need to be elite-level talent, or even the most talented on the field at any given time. But you can't win a championship without at least a decent amount of skill. You just can't. But that's where coaching comes in. Great coaches can always get the most out of their players, regardless of the skill level of those players. But even a great coach can't take a team with zero talent and go 16-0. Community support is HUGE. It breeds selflessness. And it breeds confidence, which breeds pride, which breeds growth, which breeds success, which breeds more success. And lastly, you need a little luck, to be honest. You need the ball to break your way more times than not. You need the calls to go your way more times than not. You need key cogs to stay healthy for 16 games and however many countless practices. Great teams with great kids and great coaches and great community support have come up short because of some bad luck along the way. It's part of the game and always will be. If you have the first three ingredients, you can reduce the amount of luck you need, but you can never fully factor it out.

[Txbroadcaster]

If I'm not mistaken the year before he got there Lee won a couple of games. Didn't they go 6-4 last year? Heck I could be wrong. It's not like I keep up with them that closely. I know they have struggled some this year.

yes they were 2-8 the year before...If I remember right their QB got hurt early in that year but from 2013 they have been

4-6, 5-6, 5-5, 2-8, 6-4 and this year 1-3 so far

I am not saying he will not turn it around some..but they are basically a .500 team again....That 2004 fluke run to the title IMO almost hurt the program more than it helped because it created a false narrative that Lee was a state power in the mind of the Lee fan base.