Every team starts its season undefeated. Very few finish that way. In the last nine years, we have been fortunate to take three teams into the State Championship game undefeated (2014, 2017, 2019), but only one stayed that way. Perfection is a rare anomaly and is most often a circumstance combining teamwork, performance, and luck.
Football, however, is an imperfect game. It is played with a prolate spheroid (football) that bounces in any direction with no predictability. It is officiated by men and women who though doing their best, must make subjective decisions in seconds. At the same time, coaches combine strategy and analytics while combatting predictable patterns and confirmation bias. Additionally, both players and coaches must contend with friction and uncertainty as imperfect opponents compete under the pressure of diminishing time.
The philosophy of our program is that games are not won on weekends in the Fall, but in the hours, days, and weeks of preparation occurring all year long. Of course, most coaches will also tell you “luck is best found where preparation meets opportunity.” As a veteran coach who began his career back in the 1980s, I always hope for luck to be on our side and that the spheroid bounces in our direction. I would expect others to feel the same way. Good luck to all the coaches and players beginning the 2022 season. Play hard and play safe.
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
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