The TSSAA has lost their cotton pickin' minds!

[McNine4MVP]

I hate to call anyone out by name, but Ronnie Carter and the TSSAA have lost their minds, big time, on this new dead period rule. Just when Tennessee high school football seems to be turning the corner and being able to be mentioned as a state with some football muscle, Mr. Carter and his pack of minions decide to tie the hands of the offensive innovators like Scott Blade, Scott Smith, Mike Woodward, Brian Rector, Ralph Potter, etc. with this new ***-backwards rule to only allow 7 on 7 for ten days in the summer.

 

Do you guys think that Florida or Texas or California have archaic rules such as this one?? The answer to this is an expletive followed by the word NO!!

 

The Summer is about teams and their players getting prepared to reach their potential in the fall. I don't think that taking coaches' time away from the kids is a good option for ANYBODY. I got a chance to see some of the LaVergne tourney this weekend and it is certainly apparent how important these summer workouts are to the quality of play, and the experience of players. I saw Hillsboro develop a young QB last week before my very eyes. The kid may not get a huge amount of snaps sitting beyond Arent, but he's gotten some reps this summer that will give him some confidence in the future.

 

I can understand the view of letting the players have a Summer to speak of, and that is a juggling act, but most coaches have this under control. The current dead period even worked it into the schedule, where late June and early July were manditory "vacation times" for everybody. There are a few coaches, however, that like to do too much dictating on a kid's schedule in the Summer, but that is when a strong administrator from a principal/headmaster's office and a booster club has to drop in and regulate the coach.

 

I think that guys should be able to play whatever sports they want to in the summer, and if a kid is that good of an athlete, that coach is probably going to be on the hook to play that kid anyway when their season starts.

 

In closing, what I'm saying to Ronnie Carter is "Don't Cut Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face". Football pays the bills homey, and it seems like you've forgotten that. So, if the product becomes sluggish and watered-down, its nobody's fault but your own!

 

As a matter of fact, I'm thinking seriously about starting a campaign to do one of two things:

 

1. Push for a change at the top of the TSSAA

2. Push for a whole new governing body

 

I've met Ronnie Carter, and I think he is a decent man, but some of his crusades over the past decade have made no sense to me. The Public/Private split has watered down the product enough (even though I straddle the middle here and say that some reform on the Private side was needed), but he decides to corrupt it even more by tying football's hands behind its back and not allow his top-end product to get better. That is NOT sound business.

[83SouthRebel]

I agree. While I am sure the reaction of the TSSAA will be they are keeping the kids best interests at heart, one has to question if that is totally true. Do they realize they are potentially handicapping a kids development that could lead to injury and limit their ability to hone their skills for the future? In my opinion the TSSAA is doing nothing but "dumbing down" football in the state of Tennessee.

[bubba71c]

Ronnie Carter doesn't put the kids interests first, only his. If football or any other sports or combination of sports gets too big, it makes his job harder. He's trying to make it as easy as possible. He does not care about looking good about making sport bigger compared to other states. It's all about Ronnie and not creating anymore work for himself than he already has. If Tennessee wants it high school sports to grow on a national scale, they need to find someone to take over their governing body that actually cares.

[McNine4MVP]

Bubba,

 

That is what I see also. I would love to see some fresh blood in that office. We need someone with some fresh perspective on how to promote, not inhibit, athletic programs throughout the state.

[Footballfan15]

I think that a governing body and a democratic process requires some imput from coaches and not an outside source.

[Rebel_Pride]

hopefully some the coaches disagree with the rule as much as we do and will step and up an say something....but some new personel in the big office would be nice

[KarmaZone]

I repectfully disagree with y'all. Kids only get 2 months off from school now. They practice and play in the fall, then have spring practice. Why not let the kids have a month off? Don't turn them into adults and make high school football a full time, year-round job.

Also, saying that the man is keeping summer practices to a minimum because he doesn't want his job to get too difficult is just ludicrous. It's reasonable to assume that, if sports get bigger and more lucrative, he will also.

[Bighurt]

There are other people who would disagree.

 

Thanks TSSAA, For doing what coaches should.

 

It is my personal opinion that if individual kids chooses to practice, work out and/or play year round that is their prerogative. However, a high schooler should not be required to adhere to a year round or almost year round schedule. Coaches also need a break. JMHO

[Footballfan15]

All these excuses do is water down the sport and make those who are lazy not to have to work. My gradfather had a saying " if it is worth havin it is worth working for".

[big red big blue]

can someone explain the "dead period" and what it means exactly? Can kids not utilize the school gyms/fields/tracks etc. for work-outs at all during the dead period?

[coachjohn]

I repectfully disagree with y'all. Kids only get 2 months off from school now. They practice and play in the fall, then have spring practice. Why not let the kids have a month off? Don't turn them into adults and make high school football a full time, year-round job.

Also, saying that the man is keeping summer practices to a minimum because he doesn't want his job to get too difficult is just ludicrous. It's reasonable to assume that, if sports get bigger and more lucrative, he will also.

 

 

How can we assume these kids will take a month off? Not many kids are going to go on six week vacations with their families. (June plus the dead period) Most will spend six weeks hanging out in the neighborhood or at the mall. It bothers me that the TSSAA seems to be looking for a problem where there is none. Instead of lauding the positive time kids spend working with coaches who volunteer thier time. We keep hearing about how bad these coaches are for "forcing" kid to practice year round.

 

Many kids, in spite of the TSSAA will want to keep working to get better.

 

Those who can afford it will flock to programs at D1 and Velocity or MVP to get private training. Perhaps the TSSAA should go to these guys for some advertising dollars. (maybe that is the lucrative part)

 

Others will go to AAU style 7 on 7 teams that are sure to form. Does anyone else think there might be some problems when coaches (parents) start forming summer football teams to compete in 7 on 7 tournaments. I know this works great in basketbal and there have never been any issues with rouge coaches peddling kids for scholarships or with kids putting thier AAU teams ahead of thier school teams???

 

I, for one, appreciate the high school coaches and the time they are willing to spend with my son during thier time off. If you ask him he will tell you how much he looks forward to meeting every day with his coaches and his teamates. I don't think there is anything he would rather do once the TSSAA forces "time off"

[ELA]

Texas has a much more restrictive summer practice rule. They do not allow ANYTHING but weight training and conditioning (running) in the summer months and all weight room activity must be optional for kids. At least you still have spring football for two weeks. Most states have ended all spring practice. Texas does allow for a state wide 7-on-7 passing league but schools can't work on it during the week. Most states have moved to a one or two week dead period and TN has had a one week dead period since 1997. The current restrictions are a reflection of where most states are headed. The private schools in MS/ARK/LA all require each school to assign a one week dead period for all student-athletes.I do think the 10 day limit on 7-on-7 is too restrictive but the current charter of the TSSAA allows the rules committee to establish such rules. We can complain all we want, this is the way the charter was established years ago.

can someone explain the "dead period" and what it means exactly? Can kids not utilize the school gyms/fields/tracks etc. for work-outs at all during the dead period?

No open facilities whatsoever during the dead period is my understanding of the OLD regulation.