The football season never really ends for the coach. When the last game has been played, the planning for next season begins immediately. The first thing on a coach’s mind must be an honest and thorough evaluation of the season. It must be a top to bottom analysis of the entire program. It has to be a “no stone unturned” look at all aspects including an honest self-evaluation of the head coach himself.
In order to do this, a detailed list of the items to be scrutinized must be done. Listed below are my areas of concentration for the “End of the Season Evaluation.” I have only outlined some of the areas that are obvious but have gone into more detail with some of the areas that are often overlooked or neglected.
1. Equipment: This should be number one on your priority list. The obvious reason why is simple – safety of your players. You must make sure that aside from the mandatory inventory of equipment, the equipment is properly re-conditioned and safety inspected. Your players’ health and safety should always come first.
2. Player Evaluation: This should be in two parts. One part should involve a player self-evaluation. Questions should be devised that force a player to evaluate his own strengths and weaknesses. You can also add a component that allows for them to evaluate the coaching and the program from their perspective. You should construct the appraisal in such a way that it encourages only positive suggestions for improvement. You be the judge. If left “open,” it can be a negative faultfinding and blame-game exercise. Most players feel uncomfortable being totally honest about criticizing the coaching or the program. I never felt it was wise to place the players in that position. But asking them to be constructive in their evaluation and finding solutions for improvement, always seemed a better way to go.
Part two of this process should involve a coach’s evaluation of the player. This part should incorporate a rating of all aspects of play. Criteria such as speed, strength, condition, attitude, heart and commitment should dominate the evaluation. This should be followed up with a personal plan for improvement for each player on the team. It is also critical to make sure that each player is in the right “position.” Does his ability and skills fit the position that they are playing? Also, you have to think about where the team needs help. Each player should be placed in a position that does two things: 1.What position placement gives this player the best opportunity to play and contribute? 2. What players in what position give the team the best chance to succeed? Finally, have you properly placed your younger players in position to take over when they mature?
We always looked at each grade level. We wanted to make sure that we were developing talent in each position at each grade level and wanted to have quality replacements in every grade. This way, when they came of “age” in our program, they were ready to step in and do the job.
3. Staff Evaluation (all involved in the program): This list should be a complete list of all personnel that interact with the team. Each position coach should be evaluated along with team doctors, trainers, equipment managers and strength and conditioning coaches. It is critical to make sure that your position coaches are in the right place that maximizes their individual strengths. Do you have the right coaches in the freshmen or JV programs as well as the varsity positions? You need to have strength of leadership and skill at each of the developmental programs. Remember, they are the ones who develop next year’s players. Don’t neglect this part of the evaluation – it is crucial.
4. Strength and Conditioning: The weights and conditioning program should be evaluated and determined where changes and/or improvements need to be made. Does next year’s team need more emphasis on speed and quickness, strength or weight loss? Your overall program should already cover all of the bases, but an emphasis on one phase over others is often necessary. The in-season program should also be evaluated for effectiveness. Bigger, faster, stronger players are always essential for winning play.
5. Academic Status: Determine who is at risk. Ineligible players don’t get to play no matter how talented they are on the gridiron. Also, your effectiveness as a coach should also be measured by how you motivate your players to prepare themselves for life after football. Their academics should be a priority. Set up special tutoring programs for your at-risk players and monitor all players in the off-season – not just in-season. Make sure that your senior and junior players’ academic and football information are recruiter ready.
The after season flood of recruiters wanting access to your top players needs to be addressed with your players and monitored by you. Make sure they know the rules regarding contact with recruiters, agents and boosters. This has become an increasingly problematic area for talented players. Their eligibility hangs in the balance if they are not making proper decisions. Inform your players about where to take their SAT’s and how to prepare for them. It is always a good idea to involve their parents in the process – many don’t have experience with the recruiting and college selection process. Always keep the “student” in the term “student-athlete” the first priority.
6. Review Your Entire Playbook: Offense, Defense, and Kicking Game: Does your system of play fit the type of players you have coming back? Do modifications have to be made to accommodate their ability? For example, if you have a good running quarterback, but he’s lacking in pure passing skills, then your offense should be tailored to more play-action and sprint-out passes to complement the run game. If you have the truly talented pocket passer, then you can gear your offense to match this strength. If you have a “small” squad (light-weight), then you need to incorporate in your plans more double-team schemes and misdirection plays.
7. Review Your Pre-Season Practice Schedule: Place an emphasis on your “put in” play chronology. How and when you “put in” your plays and the amount or volume that you teach and the pace at which you teach it should be carefully considered. If you have a veteran squad, you can put in more plays and at a faster pace than you can when faced with an inexperienced “re-building” squad. The pace, order and volume of how you install your plays will be critical to your squad’s success. Coaches who neglect this important process and put in plays at the same pace regardless of the experience of their squad are usually faced with confusion and a lack of confidence at the beginning of the new season.
8. Scouting: Scout your games from the just completed season. Scout yourself more thoroughly than you had time to do during the season. Look at everything. Look at execution, effort and all phases of play. What weaknesses do you see? Are there certain plays that should be taken out of your playbook? Are there plays that should be added? Chart your success in the Red Zone. Why aren’t you scoring more frequently when you get in position to score? Check your tendencies. Are you too predictable in certain down and distance or field position situations? Figure out now how you plan to change the predictable patterns. Take apart the games of your top opponents for next season. Evaluate your game plan from this year – what worked well (keep it) what didn’t work (take it out). Do a preliminary game plan now in the off-season. This will become a great advantage for next season.
I often picked up “special” things that I wanted to do for next season’s game with our stiffest competition. I started working on these “specials” the first day of practice. When next season’s match-up approached, we incorporated our new scouting reports with last year’s evaluation. Most of our work was already completed before game week for that opponent. All we had to do that week was to hone that which we had been working on since week one.
9. Penalties: I think it is one of the most neglected areas of play. I also think it is one of the easiest ways to improve your squad’s play. Coaches are quick to point out how many yards per game they offensively gained or defensively denied. Every running back, receiver and QB knows his “yardage.” But did you ever think about how many yards were lost due to avoidable penalties? How many points were lost and opportunities missed because of them? For me, the answer was always “too many!” Chart the penalties and then devise ways to avoid them.
Every penalty in football can be assigned a practice component that will help eliminate that particular penalty. For example, the illegal procedure penalty or false start. Do everything with variable signal counts (especially sprints). Force them to concentrate. Any infraction means extra yards for the next sprint. Off-sides? Make all defensive drills start with the movement of the ball. Blocking in the back should never occur – if you see back numbers, you pull off the block. Late hits – never. A whistle should end all practice plays. By working on the elimination of penalties, you can gain an extra 50 to 100 yards a game. Red Zone infractions are most critical and an extra emphasis must be placed on them. Players must enter into an even deeper level of concentration when they enter the scoring areas. Nothing stops drives and scores like penalties. Penalties affect the play calling and strategy, not just the yards to gain.
10. Self-Evaluation: Sometimes you can be your own worst critic, but also you can be blind to your own weaknesses. If you’re not careful, a “blind-spot” (the difference between the coach’s perception of his program and his coaching, and that of outside observers) can occur. Some coaches have players and staff evaluate their effectiveness as a head coach. I don’t think that is necessary. That should be an on-going process during the whole year. If you create a culture of openness where your coaches and players feel free to make suggestions, then you should already know what needs to be done. Don’t misunderstand me. Evaluate your play calling, your decision-making and all aspects of your job. For me, the best way to improve yourself is by self-study. Read everything you can get your hands on regarding your job – from X’s and O’s to leadership. Make yourself a better person. When you make becoming a better person (in all aspects of your life) your goal, you will be a better coach.
About the Author: Retired coach Bruce Reynolds was the head coach at William Penn High School in New Castle (DE) for 27 years (1974-2000). He is a two-time Delaware High School Coach of the Year and won seven state Division I Championships. A graduate of Duke, Reynolds also has a Masters in Education Administration from Delaware. He can be reached through his email: bcreynolds@aol.com or his web site: coachbrucereynolds.com.