My very simplistic view of the job of the coaching staff.

Oct 26, 2021, 7:58 AM

Note: I said VERY simplistic. Coaching is far more complex than what I am about to say. Think of this more as "Coaching for Dummies."

The following analysis is hypothetical. It could be applied to any position coach (or coaches), to either coordinator (offense, defense or even special teams) and to any head coach.

In my hypothetical situation I will apply it to the OL, OC and head coach.

The job of the OL is to make the players better.
1. Teach them how to execute the plays in the playbook.
2. Evaluate how well they can execute the plays and play the guys accordingly.
3. Inform the OC of the strengths and weaknesses of the unit as a whole and the individual players. (If Moose is a great run blocker and can move his man from point A to point B against his will, but is a lousy pass protector, then if the next offensive series is going to be pass heavy, Moose needs to rest on that series.)

2. The job of the OC is to see what the OL can do well and can't do as well and tweak the system to work to the strengths of the OL. This includes the entire offensive system, the game plan and the players on the field at any given play. (If you know Moose is gonna be on the field - due to injuries - then you don't devise a game plan calling for 50 passes. When you do pass, you call plays that will help him - roll away from his side, have a RB assigned to chip the guy rushing past Moose.)

3. The job of the HC is to work with the OC and help him do his job better. They have to work together. The OC designs the game plan, the HC approves it. They have to agree. They have to agree fairly early in the week. And, by gameday they have to be on the same page. Making adjustments during the game, but not throwing the whole plan out the window and trying something else.

During the season they have to figure out how to succeed with what they have. You don't fire coaches, totally scrap the system or make any major changes (you don't go from the run and shoot offense to the wishbone). You tweak the system, tweak the game plan, and - in coach speak - "Put the players in the best position to win."

AFTER the season, the job changes.

The HC sees there is a problem with the offense. He has to decide, "Is it a player problem (recruiting, attitude, injuries, etc.) or a coaching problem (wrong system, wrong play calling, wrong game plan, or wrong coach)?

He calls the OC in and they discuss it. "The offense stinks. Why? How do we fix it?"

Then the HC has to decide if any coach needs to be replaced. And, if so, which one. Is he convinced it really wasn't a coaching problem and that the problem can be fixed with the current staff, no change. If he decides it is a coaching problem, then he has to decide which one (or more) have to go. "The offense stinks. Have the defenses just caught up with our system? Can the OC change the system? Does the system need to be scrapped or just tweaked? Is the problem due to the fact that our OL stinks. Can I coach the guy and make him better? Is it just time for him to move on and me hire somebody who can do the job?"

That's why the HC gets the really big bucks. The buck stops with him. And, that's why the OC gets the big bucks. He has to figure out how to overcome the weaknesses (players and/or coaches) and have success anyway. And, both of them know that if they make the wrong decision then THEY are the ones who will soon be employed elsewhere.

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That's why I said hypothetical. It could just as easily apply to WR coach or RB coach or TE coach.

It could apply to DC and DB or DL or LB coach. The principle is still the same.

1. Coaches are paid to make their players better.
2. Coaches are paid to figure out what their players can do while they are making them better.
3. Coaches are paid to put their players in the best position to win while they are making them better.

Those are all in season jobs as well as off season jobs.

An additional off season job is to evaluate the coaching staff and decide if they are capable of performing the job they are paid to do.

The president evaluates the AD. The AD evaluates the HC.....The evaluation goes all the way down the line until somebody is evaluating the ball boy.

The hardest thing to do is to make the decision to terminate someone. That is never easy. But, in another way, the most difficult thing to do is to make the decisions during the season on how can we win with what we have today, and this week.

My very simplistic view of the job of the coaching staff.

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Is this a cut and paste from one of the FSU boards?***

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