zman-Lou

Part of the fun of following and enjoying football is to arm-chair coach...so get over it! If a parent is yelling at the coach during a game, I'm fine with it. They are into the game, excited about the team and want to see them do well. Why would a coach be off limits? No other aspect of the game is. We second guess players' decisions, referees' calls, play calling, schedules, price of game admission, uniform choices, announcer's calls, cheerleaders, the band, the concession stand, and just about everything else surrounding a game. Remember, the head coach, along with the rest of the coaching staff, decides who plays. As far as the game is concern; I thought the play calling was very good last night. We mixed up passes, reverses, a screen pass and continued to throw the ball even though our QB wasn't having his best game. There were times when certain plays were repeated and blew up in the backfield; plays were yelled to our QB across the field with a d-back standing closer to our coach than our QB. There were also times when plays were not set up from previous plays. For those of you that don't have children on the team...the main reason we ran the "Bone" formation near the end zone was because the players strongly suggested we run it. Did you not see them walking towards coach with their arms crossed? And that’s ok; they should suggest something and the coach should take their advice if he feels it might be successful. That’s part of a team effort. If you have a kid on the team, or know one personally that actually plays and is involved, ask them about it. Overall though, great job by our coaching staff considering the limited time of possession. They kept their cool, made adjustments and coached hard through the end of the game. The execution on offense was poor for the most part and concentration of ball carriers was weak...i.e. fumbles, bad exchanges, bad passes, running to wrong holes, stupid penalties. A lot of teams have these issues the first game back after their off week. The effort of the players and coaches was definitely there, contributing greatly to the win. The O-line played very well against a physical and well-coached opponent. Also, Corey Flanders had what I think was his best game of the year. Jacques Smith, Andrew Mayfield also had great games...standouts for sure! Defense came up big in the 4th quarter and our special teams play was absolutely awesome the entire night. I saw some blocks and returns that were unbelievable! Great win! Keep rolling Owls!

Congratulations OWLS on a great win and an outstanding job by our defensive players. We did enough on offense to win! Our defense is great; and this was a great game featuring two teams that have great skilled players, but undersized and inexperienced in the offensive line. When a team has a great defense, the offense usually lags behind a bit. There is more detailed execution required and it takes a while to get a feel for what the other team's defense is doing. Our coaching staff is analyzing each play and grading out each player. They will come up with the necessary adjustments and corrections to make the offense better. For the players; if you are not running or catching the ball, find someone to block! As far as the quarterback. I don't think anyone would have had a great day throwing in this game. Brady had less than 3 seconds to find a receiver on each drop back. The receivers were still in the middle of their routes most of the time when he was running for his life. When we f i n a l l y went to some shorter routes, we had a dropped pass and a fumble after an eight-yard completion. A middle screen or shuttle pass to the tailback may have been a great play with their defense. Overall, it was a good game to win and the fans and players learned a great lesson. SUGGESTIONS: The only QB suggestion I would make at this point in the season would be to scramble with your hands up where you can still pass or fake a pass in the middle of your scramble. This allows the receivers time to come back to you and it also creates space if the defense thinks you may still throw. Receivers should come off their routes a bit quicker and come back to the QB if you know he is running for his life on every 5-step drop. And when he does throw it where it is catchable; catch the ball and tuck it away. Lineman need to sustain their blocks and stay between the defensive player and the QB for at least 5-7 seconds. Good luck to a great Austin East team with the rest of their season. Let's go kick some SD butt! Go Owls!

I don't believe TSSAA overruled anything. They have a guideline in the TSSAA Handbook for suspended games and therefore do not need to refer to another rule. It seems silly to me to take runs from a team unless the home team was leading during the previously completed inning and the game is finalized as a complete game. It was more fun to have it settled on the field properly anyway.

Stew! do you really think we are going to lose this game? Or, you just trying to get under the "cocky" fans' skin?

Coach Monroe has done an excellent job assembling a competent coaching staff and managing them as a team. He also does a great job of earning the respect and attention of the players. This is how we get the best out of the coaching team and the football team as a whole. Our players are very good, no doubt! On one hand, if you don't have the talent, you won't win all the games. On the other side, if you don't have someone to put it all together properly, you wind up losing football games and not really understanding why. Both teams will play hard and the game will probably be close. I would say: OHS 28, Farragut 17. We play at home and that has been a great benefit. They will double team Jacques when he lines up on the D line...even with the GT signee. Not sure how many times we sacked their QB last game, but it was usually on a pass down field. The quick throws worked well, but the receivers weren't speed guys. I really felt sorry for the QB from Farragut after the game. He appeared to be in great pain. As far as playing the best players as long as possible; I believe all coaches do this. The problem is when you have a guy that just made a 60-yard run on his 18th carry, you may want to wait at least a play or two to give him the ball again. Just a thought! I think we swap about 5 or 6 players from Offense to Defense. We also work in about 3 or 4 more players depending on what scheme we are using for defense and what formation for offense. That's actually pretty good at this level and shows we do have many talented football players and coaches (plural) that understand there are 4 quarters to a football game. As a fan, I would like to see us: throw more on first down; run a few trick plays; attempt to kick the ball in the end zone on every kick off; shift into various offensive formations after lining up; help our QB get into a rhythm by throwing short passes early; and allow Brady to run the ball a bit more from the spread. If I were a coach, I would probably run the ball until they stopped me and keep it in my possession as long as possible /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />. GO OWLS!

Zach Zarzour got a slight concussion in the 2nd quarter during a kickoff return. He was pulled from the game and monitored closely for the remainder of the game. He has a headache and his neck is a bit stiff, but otherwise will be fine. No nausea or dizziness following the game. Appetite is good and no problems sleeping at night. He is back in school today and feeling just OK! I want to thank everyone that showed their concern at the game and many fans called and checked on Zach this weekend. Coach Monroe called him and that made him feel much better emotionally. Thanks again, The Zarzours

I like P.J. and Pat. They have both worked very hard on P.J.??™s high school career in football and P.J. deserves the accolades he has earned this year. I'll bet coach Slaughter is glad to have him. He was in the gym many times at 05:30 AM when everyone else was sleeping, and he worked tirelessly at night attending sessions at D-1. His dad may be overbearing at times, but he really wants the best for his son. As far as being zoned for one school and going to another. If a player is motivated to stay in school, be a good student and make good grades by enjoying athletics, then I say go where you want. If one team doesn't need your talents, another may really benefit from them. Fine with me. P.J. is a very good short stop! His hitting was suspect at times and his arm strength wasn't the best; but certainly adequate for HS baseball. I hope that he decides to play baseball at SD. Now, with all that being said. P.J. is not fast enough to run away from our defense. He is quick and I'm sure they have worked on his speed over the past two years, but I just don't see it. I think he averages about 98 yards per game...I don't think he will get 50 on 20 carries this week...but we will see. Owls 45 Trojans 10

I was hopeful someone would reply: sum = addition some = a quantity of See you guys at the game!

Ooltewah 45 Oak Ridge 12 (Late in game)

For sum of you geniuses out there: is = singular are = plural to = motion or direction too = also two = 2 their = ownership there = location was = singular were = plural Sorry, just can't take it any more!

Obviously there are many people on here that have never played football. Or, maybe you were on the team, but have anger and resentment issues because you never got to play until your team was way ahead or behind and there were only a couple of minutes remaining in the game. You know who you are! The quarterback is at the mercy of the play calling, the route running, the hands of the receivers, adequate time to make decisions in the passing game and the latitude afforded by the coaches to call audibles and hit secondary receivers. With all things considered, Brady has played very well this year. Yes, I said it! If any of you idiots ever watched game film, and if you could actually analyze it, you would see he has made no more mistakes then any other QB his age. That great QB from Farragut threw three interceptions in our game and it should have been six. Those that know football understanding that if you took away the dropped passes, hurries, and just throwing the ball away to live and make another play, his stats would be quite respectable and the coaches would have more confidence to call pass plays. Additionally, if you play great defense, control the clock with the running game, have a deep pass threat, have balance in your offense (if needed) and you are willing to make adjustments according to the game plan of the other team, you win CHAMPIONSHIPS! I am very proud of our coaching staff and the decisions they have made since the Maplewood game. They have adjusted personnel, allowed more rest for defensive players, thrown a little more on early downs, kept the team in a positive frame of mind, and have made us a better football team as a result. Those "coaching" adjustments have also made Brady a better QB. Go figure! Also, I noticed that Coach Couch was on the sidelines standing right next to Coach Monroe during the Farragut game instead of being above the press box with a headset on. Great move there too! Good job Brady, keep it up! GO OWLS!

I predict; we will execute a short passing game, we will run 4 to 5 quick pitches, we will run 2 to 3 screen passes, we will line up in a spread (Pistol) offense most of the game and allow Brady to run the ball more often, we will run a hand off on a punt or kick off return, we will go for a block on a punt, we will allow audibles at the line of scrimmage if Brady sees something he thinks will be successful, we will throw hot passes when the receivers are not defended, we will observe the down and distance and call plays accordingly, we will observe the defense and take what they are giving us, we will allow our QB to go to his 2nd or 3rd receiver if he chooses, Polk will run for 100+ yards, our full backs will run for 50+ yards and we will win by three (3) touchdowns... that's what I'm predicting. Go OWLS!

I have been on here to read some of the comments posted over the past three weeks and I found some to be entertaining, informative, but many of them disturbing. I have not posted before because I know someone is going to say something negative about the team, the coach, the cheerleaders, the band, or even the administration and it could hurt their motivation to participate and enjoy high school athletics. As a fan and a dad, I would hate to see that happen. Ooltewah has excellent athletic programs in all their sports. We have coaches that give 100% effort and make it their mission to get the same from their players. When and if a coaching change is warranted, I'm sure a change will be made. On the other hand, if a coach is weak in a particular area, usually the coach knows this and finds an assistant or advisor that can help improve the team in that area. It doesn't matter how long or short a time you've been coaching, if you're weak in a particular area, don't be stubborn, seek some assistance and allow for positive change. When the game was over Friday night, my son was extremely disappointed in the outcome, but not discouraged. He wished he could have done more to help the team. I know many of the players and I'm sure they all felt the same way. In a loss you have to find positives and build on them; but, you must also analyze shortcomings and practice, practice, practice. You don't eliminate part of your game to where you become one dimensional; you work harder and get better. There has been a huge change in coaching philosophy over the past 5 or 6 years. Coaches are not able to get through to players with intimidation and threats. Staying positive, keeping your cool, letting players know you still have faith in them, and refining their skills through new and interesting workouts keeps them motivated and playing hard. If you constantly show your frustration during critical situations in a game, your players are going to lose focus and have the same demeanor on the field. If you stay cool and confident, they will too. In closing, no kid wants to throw a bad pass, drop a good pass, muff a punt, fumble the ball, miss a tackle, run the wrong route, miss a blocking assignment or get burned in the secondary...but that's what happens sometimes! When the other teams do these things, we think WE played great! I love OHS football, thank the administration for providing such a great venue for entertainment and a great place for our children to play HS sports. Go Owls!

Best Freshman in Chattanooga Area: Bryn Oliver - Ooltewah Zach Lance - Ringgold Colton Cross - Ringgold Eric Hull - Ringgold Justin Walker - LFO Timmy Johnson - Hixson I'm sure there are many more...