52. "Yep. Definitely a trend these days," In response to In response to 51
>Most 9th grade teams we played had the benefit of 4+ coaches >whereas we had just 2. We had 24 players and on any given >game or practice, we were lucky to have 20 guys dressed. >Also, we just lacked players with grit and toughness. I never >in my life have been around a bunch of football players who >were so apathetic to playing physical. It was just weird. We >did everything we could to motivate our players, but for many, >it just wasn't in them. It was also the first group of >players who I felt didn't truly understand and love the game. >That was a weird feeling too. >
Exactly. At times, I felt like a babysitter. It's like they just want to wear the uniforms, and nothing else. We'd have kids comparing cleats and gloves, but when it came time to do drills, they wanted no part of it. Whenever we'd ask for 'volunteers' to run drills, the same four or five kids stepped up. Beyond that, the rest were content to stand on the sidelines. A few of them were definitely "dropped off by their parents" everyday.