What Matters More in a Coach?

[AceintheHole]

I've always wondered, would you rather be a great leader and have absolutely zero X's and O's sense or would you rather be the greatest X's and O's coach in the world with zero leadership skills? Kinda a chicken and the egg question, but maybe we'll get some good discussion.

[TrenchWarrior]

I've always wondered, would you rather be a great leader and have absolutely zero X's and O's sense or would you rather be the greatest X's and O's coach in the world with zero leadership skills? Kinda a chicken and the egg question, but maybe we'll get some good discussion.

 

 

It is chicken and egg, but as someone who's not gotten to coach a game I'd put my money on leadership and interpersonal skills. You can be the greatest wizard with strategy that the world has ever known, but if you're a pure ###### you're not going to have a team to coach. Sometimes assistants at the highest levels can get away with having terrible people skills because their job is almost exclusively focused on Xs and Os (by that I'm lumping in knowledge of technique and ability to coach positions, as well--it's still really about fundamentals).

 

The thing is, even if you're a total moron with Xs and Os, if you can get kids fired up and know your limits you can buy a few books and plug in a bonehead simple scheme to turn them lose. Most of the "genius" coaches have very thin playbooks. Texas Tech routinely scores 60+ a game with only about 16 plays, which are mostly called by the QB at the line. I've heard of teams winning games against good competition by only running 5 plays all season!

[tstewart14]

I've always wondered, would you rather be a great leader and have absolutely zero X's and O's sense or would you rather be the greatest X's and O's coach in the world with zero leadership skills? Kinda a chicken and the egg question, but maybe we'll get some good discussion.

 

i'll take leadership, honesty, and work ethic over x's and o's any day. look at what oakland did, with the same kids that went 3-7 last year. the only difference was the head coach.

[2priceless]

i'll take leadership, honesty, and work ethic over x's and o's any day. look at what oakland did, with the same kids that went 3-7 last year. the only difference was the head coach.

 

 

 

You must not know LeBron Ferguson then as a man then. I do. Therefore, I know what I am talking about. I have known him over 10 yrs. There isn't a more Christian man in the coaching profession than him. He is as honest as the day is long and has integrity. Doesn't recruit or even bend the rules. Also, McDaniel got anything he wanted.....he had the full support of the adminsitraion and was able to hire in a TON of new coaches who were given very easy schedules to put time in on coaching. Ferg had six coaches.....count them....six. That was what made the difference.

[nickknx865]

Being a motivator and and a leader is by far, the number one thing that a coach must have.

[MDCoach]

Leadership motivation, and work ethic no doubt are the most important.

 

However, no coach can do it alone. You need dedicated, trustworthy assistants to be able to make it go. I can handle less knowledge with the intangibles. A good leader can "coach the coaches" and make it go. That is what coordinators are for.

 

Pardon the analogy, but I think that staffs are like a science experiment. If you get too much of one thing and not enough of another the whole thing may blow up in your face. LOL

[Cascade44]

I would go with leadership, motivational skills, and hard workers. A person that has these can get an X's and O's person to run the offense and defense. A great head coach has to be a manager of people, young and old. And as Chris Carter said, "it's not about the X's and the O's but the Willies and the Joes.

[VilleRam]

You have to be a leader and motivator first, no question. You have to be the guy the kids want to follow into battle.

 

The thing you can do if you're not a great X's and O's person is surround yourself with a great staff full of people that are. And you can go to clinics or read books to improve your knowledge but you have to have that IT factor that makes kids want to bust their butt for you.

[hvillefootball]

I would go with the motivator personally. I've seen a whole lot of football games won with just pitiful gameplans, but they were won because the players were fired up and playing at 110%.

[DashRiprock]

I heard a VERY, VERY successful college coach put it best at a coaching clinic. He said, "it ain't the X's and O's, it's the Jimmy's and Joe's." It really tells the story, you can be a knowledgeable, hard working, dedicated, organized, motivational coach and still not be successful. We have all seen it, there are coaches across the state that know what they are doing, put in the work and just can't find a win. Motivational speeches are great, until you get hit in the mouth then everything changes. Players make plays, I have never seen a coach make a block, miss a tackle, throw a pass or fumble the ball. As coaches, you can only put kids in a position to be successful, they have to do the rest.

[noonesfool]

You need both to be successful. But I do put motivation over X and O's, but you will eventually need them.

The best coaches really do have both skills.

[tstewart14]

You must not know LeBron Ferguson then as a man then. I do. Therefore, I know what I am talking about. I have known him over 10 yrs. There isn't a more Christian man in the coaching profession than him. He is as honest as the day is long and has integrity. Doesn't recruit or even bend the rules. Also, McDaniel got anything he wanted.....he had the full support of the adminsitraion and was able to hire in a TON of new coaches who were given very easy schedules to put time in on coaching. Ferg had six coaches.....count them....six. That was what made the difference.

 

i don't know what your definition of a christian is, but son played under him for 4 years. he was a lying, backstabber. the peco nance thing was exactly what the kid said is was. he did more to kill that program than any coach i have ever been around. they went from about fifty kids to around 100. what does that tell you?