273. We're Back! "What should you be doing in January" & Pierre Coffey, Head Coach at Carver (Columbus, GA)

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey, everybody, Welcome back to the Parker Resources Podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I am Michael Parker.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Joined us always by Chris Parker and doctor Chad Flatt.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
I wouldn't say it's always. I wouldn't say it's always Chad.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
I mean, in chest, it's been a million years. None
of us have really been here.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
I've had some time off. I was able to get
planned that's been on the calendar for a while. I
really feel like we should have liked put the dollars
seventy down and got that that audio clip from polter
Gas where it says they're back on there. That would
be great if you were looking at Michael to this.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's not too late.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
We can steal that.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Not too late.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
We're back, We're back. This is for real Live twenty
twenty five. Chad Flat, Michael Parker, Chris Parker Parker Resource
Podcast took us a while. Yeah, in the Chad has
uh had his hips disintegrate since the last time you
heard from him. We're gonna have to work on that.
But other than that incredible dancer back in the day

(01:12):
and they're just worn out. An incredible dancer for those
of you, and that no, Chad, he didn't use the
word dancer when he was telling us what he was
incredible at. Wise hips back and how old Chad have
You've been listening to this and you're thinking, man, glad
these guys are back, and now you're immediately regretting that
saying that. Now you would think, how old is Chad Flatt?

(01:33):
He's so old that he's got to have a hip replaced,
that's how old he is.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
It happens, hey, So what happened on this day flat
January tenth, eighth, ninth eleventh, when people are listening, maybe
what's your smart ass?

Speaker 3 (01:53):
The official date, the official date would be the eight
That was when the greatest play in the fl history occurred.
The Immaculate Reception happened on this day that no one
cares about that. I hate the Immaculate Reception, by the way.
I'm out on that, Kenny Stabler, baby, But what did
happen on this day? The Music City miracle that did happen?

Speaker 2 (02:16):
And also didn't Frank o'harris didn't catch that ball and
Frank Whitechek was in front of.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
The line, remember when of course she was in front
of it. He threw it backwards. That's correct, Michael, you
got it right. Yeah, I think you did kind of
screw yourself on that with Michael.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
I was thinking it he threw it.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
You remember, if you if you're a longtime listener of
the podcast, you know that we had Kevin Dyson on
the podcast. He caught this and and I noticed Michael
talk all that ship, but he didn't say it. When
we had Kevin Dyson on the podcast, he didn't have
anything to say about that. You can listen to episode whatever.
You know.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Yeah, I didn't feel like I could take him if
it really came to that.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
And he was scared of Music City Miracle. How about
that to a tongue of Iola hits DeVante Smith second
and twenty six this week that and since we've been gone, guys,
people are excited about this. We can come on here
and brack about Alabama every week. So all we can do.

(03:22):
I learned this from when I was a kid, from
the old timers. When I was a kid, all we
can do is talk about the good old day version
of the bear.

Speaker 5 (03:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
When I was a kid, Alabama was okay. Like my
first one of my first memories is Auburn beating them
four years in a row, and like me getting hazed
at school, you know, because Alabama couldn't beat them, like,
you know, eighty four or five six, something like that,
and all these people talk about Alabama. I'm like, I
don't know that Alabama. I fear some of our children
are gonna have that same sentiment. See. So the listeners

(03:58):
who tolerate our Alabama takes to get to the football stuff,
they're in good shape right now. All we can talk
about is that time too.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
We'll be.

Speaker 3 (04:09):
All right, So on to some real talk for if
there's anybody still listening. It's January, right, and so we
try to kind of go through the year coaching wise
here for these guys and give a few tip bits.
We got some state champs. We're gonna talk to her
the next several episodes. So who we got tonight, Michael, So, our.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
First guest of the twenty twenty five year is doctor
Pierre Coffee, who is the head coach at Carver High School,
who just won state championship here in Georgia.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, Carvering Columbus coach a great job this year. I
mean they they they had a big they had a
big group returning. You knew they were going to be
pretty good and then a loss early in the year,
but then they just kind of played in a region
where you expect them win the region. They get in
the playoffs their nine and one, you know, kind of expected,
and they go on a run. Now, I mean, they

(05:03):
beat ring On the second round is pretty good, but
then they beat Appling, they beat Peers, and I mean
they beat them up, which are two really respected, great
coach teams. They get in the state championship, they're playing
Burke County coach Stevens, another friend of the podcast, and
they beat them up. I mean, they just really dominated
and got better as the season went on. So I
decided to talk to coach about how they got better

(05:24):
throughout the season, what were some things they were doing,
because the improvement of what they showed from game four
or five to fifteen was about as good as you're
going to see. And whether you want a state championship
this year or not, everybody's looking for that. It's really
I think one of the things I want to harp
on as we talk about things moving forward is just
is constant improvement. I think too often people get excited

(05:44):
about their team and they want to see their team
in the summer camp and they want to see their
team in game one or two, and then they kind
of just almost write the narrative of what their team
is at that moment, and that's just foolish. I mean,
as we show you NFL examples, college examples, but high
school too, where it's really about how good can you
get that team from game one to game five, from

(06:05):
game five to game ten, and of course if you're
lucky enough like coach, from game eleven to fifteen. And
so I thought it was a great you know, we
talked to almost every state championship coach but in Georgia,
but I thought this was a good one to start
with because of that, I mean, the constant improvement, which
really needs to be the theme. All right. This week's
Winning Keys brought to you by SID Services. You guys

(06:27):
know we still got sponsors. Can you believe that?

Speaker 2 (06:29):
Huh?

Speaker 3 (06:30):
Like these people are hunging there with they stuck around
even when I wasn't around. Well I think they stuck
around because you run around and maybe I didn't tell
them you were back this year. And so the guy's
doing a great job at SID Services. Really branded in
this group. So if you're looking for some help organizing
your sid ish work, give me a shout. What I
want to talk about today, guys before we get to

(06:51):
the interview, is what are some keys to being successful
in the off season? What should people be doing now
in January? Okay, so maybe we may even look at
this for the whole year when we go through months,
like take one of the things we do each month
and say, okay, it's January. What would I be doing now?
Some people will gather a little out of this, and
some may be none. But for what it's worth, this

(07:14):
is what I think I would be doing if I
was a position coach or a coordinator or the head coach. Right, So,
and you guys chime in on your thoughts on these
as well. If I'm a position coach, so I coach
the linebackers, I coach the offensive line, I coach the quarterbacks,
whatever it's such and such a school, then what am

(07:34):
I doing in January? Well, you know, I think it's
a little overblown, the whole up. Just my opinion. I
may get beat up for this, but I think it's
a little overblown thinking of overly spending a bunch of
time doing these one on ones or these four on
ones or these whatevers. Okay, maybe with quarterbacks. I think
with quarterbacks it can be important to sometimes just make

(07:56):
some time to go throw, and the rules do allow that,
right at least in Georgia. But let's think about more
of the off the field stuff. So if I'm coaching
a position, you know, the first thing I'm gonna probably
do is start with my practice plans, my and I'm
talking about every day drills, individual things, group settings, how

(08:17):
do we, how do we how did I give feedback?
You'reing team dur an individual whatever. Then I'm gonna progress
on the film. You know, let me watch the end result,
and then I'm gonna try to merge those things together
and say, Okay, is what I'm saying I did in practice?
Is what I'm saying I was emphasizing. Is that what
I actually saw on this film. You know, we're the

(08:39):
deficiencies there, and so we're talking about fundamentals here. So
I think that's what I'm thinking in January. You guys
have got anything to add to that. Now, One of
the things I would encourage that January portion of time
is if you're the varsity linebacker coach, whatever you make

(09:00):
and perhaps you're at a big program where you have
a number of coaches, if you didn't spend a good
deal of time, which you probably couldn't have, watching these
younger guys playing JV in ninth grade games January February,
it may be I would spend time watching the film
of those guys playing and seeing what you have coming

(09:21):
up to you in that realm, along with whatever returners
you've got coming back, and trying to figure out what
are the strengths that they have that you're going to
have to work on later and that is applicable to
the drill work that you do with them, and if
you want to get into that four on one, one
on one stuff later. Sure, I think I think it's

(09:43):
important to evaluate what you got if you are going
to change people's position or if you are going to
you know, a key mistake that coaches make accidentally sometimes
is not really getting excited about something they've got on
any younger, not seeing that flash, and maybe that kid
doesn't realize they're good at football and they end up

(10:04):
not playing or something like that. But yeah, you really
want to focus on young guys on drills. You wanted
to watch film, but but don't forget to make that
list of what's not what you think I mean, I
think I think one of the Now that you know,
you can see stuff so much better, and maybe this

(10:25):
is why this is relatively successful. It can't be the
damn jokes. So the reason this podcast is, I think,
is because we can see it from away where we're
not coaching, you know, and I think I can. I
can help so much more today than I could when
I was in the middle of it. And if I
had to do over again now that I'm not in
the middle of it, I'm telling you I would be

(10:47):
more critical like in this time of year, and maybe
less critical in the fall sometimes, you know what I mean,
Like be positive. Everybody's trying to do the best they can.
Let's just get better. But then, like you know, quit
trying to share code it or make excuses for why,
and like this play didn't work wide it's the same
play is not working over and over again. It's a problem.
And that's more of a coordinator thing. But as a
position coach, where we're on now, like if your guys

(11:11):
are fumbling the ball a lot, that's your fault. Don't
don't come in with like yeah, but it was with
this one game, and this other game we had this
guy heard and this other game. We you know that
all may be true, by the way, but let's put
all that to the side and let's look at what
the problem is. So how can I in the next
twelve months not be saying this again? What are some

(11:32):
things that I would do to protect all security? You
know what I'm saying like that, That's what I'm thinking of.
If I'm a position coach, and then what I'm gonna
do chat is I'm gonna take those things. I'm gonna
take that film. I mean gonna take maybe you bring
in a good point about personnel, regardless of what it is,
the kid's coming up, whatever, I'm gonna take it my personnel.

(11:53):
I'm gonna take my everyday drills. I'm gonna take my
film and really be critical of what didn't go well.
And then I'm gonna make about a list of about
three things that I need to learn more about. So
let's just use running backs because I said I use
the example of turnovers. So maybe ball securities one, maybe

(12:14):
pass protection techniques or maximizing route times. As a running
back coach, you know, find time and I don't know
it made something up off the top of my head.
But then I'm gonna that list is gonna matter because
it's not like the month changes and you can't do
it before February. But I'm thinking more like, in February,

(12:35):
I'm going to find an answer to those three things,
whether I go to a college, watch a million zoom
zooms or clinics whatever, you know what I mean. Like,
I'm gonna it's very important if you're a position coach
that you go into these educational opportunities with one or
two or three objectives. If you're not doing that, you're

(12:55):
actually missing a point. Like don't just say I'm gonna
try to learn the three four defense. I ain't know
the hell you're nine note and as like, go learn
three or four things is not the three four defense.
If you know what I mean now, then maybe over
time you will be a savant of the three four defense.
But let's start with what are the three things I

(13:16):
need to get better on that I'm not gonna have
on this list next year, because guess what, guys, you're
gonna have some more stuff on the list for next year.
Just don't let it be one of those three things.
So for a coordinator, Chad, what's different. Well, And in
high school ball, a lot of coordinators coaching positions. So
I think, if I'm a coordinator, I'm in my position first,
right with what I just said. But if the coordinator,
we've got to know my opinion, and most people have

(13:38):
listened to this stuff knows that I'm looking at play efficiency.
I want to know every play that wasn't efficient and
efficient is different. So third and one you gain two,
that's efficient, right, third and ten you gain two. That sucks.
So I want to know what play was efficient, and
I want to watch all the bad ones. So the
way I'm gon charge is I'm gonna watch every inside zone,

(14:00):
maybe even every inside zone left together. It wasn't efficient,
And I want to know if everyone in play whether
the vast majority of his plays are against odd fronts
or even fronts, or this guy's slanting strong every time
slanting we you know, whatever the thing that was giving
us problems if something shows up repeatedly. I don't know
what a magical number is, but in a high school season,

(14:22):
I mean, we've got a lot of plays. So if
it's showing up three or four times on the same play,
it's a problem. Again, don't make an excuse for it. Yeah,
there probably is one, but if it showed up four
times and four times, i'd of say ten. So he
had ten inside zone lefts that weren't good. They were
just bad plays. Four of them. The nose slanting strong

(14:42):
and got you odd front nose slanting. We gotta have
something better for that, like the line, coach, gotta make
a better call. We got to walk a little different.
I don't know, right, I mean, it's something you got
to go have an answer for that. Maybe you don't
even need it next year, but next year that will
not happen without me having known, and we get that
we're doing this again. Finish that three things don't make

(15:07):
it fifteen things either, guys, that's another thing. Three or
four things. What were the prevalent things? And by the way,
if you don't run inside zone that much, then don't
do what I just said about inside zone, like don't
if you only got a very small sample. Don't get
all critical on something. But if you run power ten
times a game, one hundred times in the regular season,

(15:31):
and that means right fifty and left fifty in theory,
you watch those fifty plays, thirty of them were efficient.
There's only twenty that weren't right. You're getting this down
to a number. You can watch even at one hundred
plays of power, there's only twenty left that weren't great.
Of those twenty, the same three things stopped all twenty

(15:51):
of them. Fix them three things, or at least have
the answer. If the answer is the guy got his
ass whipped, then of course they much you can do
for that. But the answer is, when they're doing this,
we should have done this. And I think that's what
I'm saying. Chat. I think I was decent at that anyway,
but I think I could have been way better at
being like critical of saying, you know what, it wasn't

(16:13):
just that I called a good play and it says
kid's faulder. It wasn't just that that guy's going to Georgia.
We really could have just called this and it would
have been better, you know, and don't shurecode it, and
then get to three or four things that then in
February or late January, we're going to really hit hard
on the clinic serch session or going to colleges or

(16:35):
just calling your friends or getting zooms or whatever. But
going with a purpose. I wouldn't advise people going in
the off season and saying I'm just going to kind
of watch some zoom clinics and just browse around and
pick some I would say, like, get down to a
few things that you really want to study first, and
what will happen is in doing so, you'll learn a

(16:55):
bunch of other stuff. Right, You'll get down a rabbit
hole and you'll start learning of other things. But start
with that. What do you say for that? For anybody
that's a play called it could be defense too. I
know I used offense, but defensive plate caller, offensive play caller?
What should they be doing in January?

Speaker 2 (17:12):
I think like you were saying, of just focus on you,
you know, like it's more like what did what did
we do that went well?

Speaker 5 (17:19):
What did we do that?

Speaker 1 (17:20):
Like? What was our biggest struggle? If it's defense, like
what did we like how did teams attack us? Like
what did we struggle with? And like say, if if
it's sometimes it's a thing that's fixable, sometimes it's you know,
it's it's harder to fix this personnel problem, or but
it's still something that you need to look at. So

(17:42):
anything that you know, I would think for me, I
would say January, it's a big focus of on us.
What did we need to do, what do we need
to make adjustments to, what can we improve on for
next season?

Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yeah, I mean the same is true what chav was
saying two with like personnel, because you know you may
find it. I think there can be a knee jerk
reaction to this, guys with the January we're going to
the three four defense. I'll use that again. Yes, sometimes
it's okay. I mean, I mean we actually did that
one time. But it's okay. I mean, don't get me wrong.

(18:18):
I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Sometimes in January
is when you need to say, next year, guys, we're
going to the three four defense, or you may say,
now the bor vogue thing is we're going to this
free safety. Look right. I think that one of the
things that's grow critical that you're tying all that together,
as Michael Punson points out about focusing on yourself and

(18:39):
you're Chris talking about efficiency, and we always revolve back
to the same free things we think critically important. Going
back to that personnel aspect, I think sometimes that people
make these decisions and changes to schematically revamp what their
team does, and they don't really apply it to the personnel.

(18:59):
Sometimes they think the scheme is going to fix all
of it. We can't run that ship because whatever reason,
we're not going to do it anymore and do this.
But what they may choose to put in that stead
doesn't work either because it doesn't match the fits. The
most important thing, the most important. Yeah, the fit is

(19:20):
definitely the most important thing. And I guess what I'm oh,
my point is coming across hide intended here, because what
I'm saying is if you decided you want to go
to the three four defense flat Chad saying, yeah, let's
let's have guys that can play that. And what I'm
also saying is, let's back that with some facts, not
like your feelings about the one time the team down

(19:40):
the road beat you and you attest you feel like
it's all because you're at it even front, like is
it though? Like it may be, but is it like,
let's get some facts. Let's not just have you're remembering
one or two plays. That's why I like that efficiency thing.
But because before I did that, I was I was
notorious for remembering like wh three things in the game

(20:01):
that I didn't like about a play or something and
just not calling it and then turned out was stupid.
I should have called that played fifty more times, not
ten less. You know, but I remembered the one or
two times something didn't work, or on the contrary, I
would remember the one or two times this was okay
and it just wasn't efficient. Like so, when I went
to that model of really going off of facts, it

(20:23):
was amazing that the combination of that plus some good
players made us score a lot of points. Right, So
you've got to have some players that can do these things,
like Chad saying. But then you got to look in
the mirror, and then you got people remember the time
when they hear the stories of so and so going
to this offense, somebody changed to the spread, or back
in the day Bear Bryant went to the wishbone or something,

(20:45):
and they it just changed everything. And then they think
every every winter they're going to change something and it's
going to have that moment. Well, that is true occasionally,
but I'm telling you it needs to be backed with evidence,
and it needs to be able to match what your
kids can do. And if you don't have both of
those things, it's just going you're gonna be here next

(21:06):
year making another vogue, but you're going to three safeties
this year, four safeties the next, you know whatever, Right, like,
pick something you can focus on, and then if you
feel like you need this wholesale change that's getting into
the third group here, you know you got the head
coach needs to be involved with that. So if I'm

(21:26):
the head coach, let's talk about that for just a
minute and we'll get on to what people really want
to hear, which is coach coffee. But the head coach
really has a few hats here, Chad. So maybe the
head coach coaches the quarterbacks. Well, if that's true, then
rewind a little bit and I do whatever the quarterback coach,

(21:49):
whatever position coach should do. Right, maybe he calls the defense.
Then I would do what Michael just said. And you
know I just said, so let's let's take that off
the table and say, you know, we're talking about other
stuff the head coach scheme wise, for this, I would
think if we were going to make any wholesale changes

(22:09):
to the scheme, even on special teams, this is a
great time of year to assign some people because I'm
talking to all three groups right now, And I'm talking
to everybody like their competent and can do it and
can come up with those three or four things they
need to It's okay. Some people are going to be
not there in their career yet, right So the head
coach may need to go to the linebacker coach and

(22:29):
tell him those two or three things he's a work
on because he might not be able to figure that out.
And that's okay. So I think that's a head coach's job.
And I think the head coach job is if we're
going to change to the three four defense, then we
do need to probably make that decision as a group,
and the head coach needs to sign off on it obviously.
But that can be a little more of a longer
decision to make than even maybe just January. But I

(22:55):
don't want to talk a lot about the scheme of
the head coach because I want to say those things
are inherent, like a common sense would say that the
head coach would do those things. I think January is
a really good time for the head coach to to
really look at some non football stuff, you know, like
it's really hard to be organized in September and October, right,

(23:16):
So can you get yourself organized now while you're not
as tired, I mean expt for coach coffee and some
of these guys. The rest of us been off for
a little while, right, so we've had a little time
to rest, We've had Christmas, we've had whatever. It's January.
It's time to get back at it. How can I
make sure practice a little more organized next year? How
can I make sure I have a weekly communication with

(23:37):
the prince, with the principal, or a weekly communication with
the parents, or like, is there something I can start
doing now to like make that a little easier. So
let me give you an example of something. So you know,
it's a constant problem to communicate with the parents, right
to communicate so or even the administration. So let's use parents.
And let's say that you, as a head coach, have

(23:59):
decided you want to communicate with parents better next year.
And what happened last year was you got tired and
busy and you're washing clothes and making gatorade and stuff,
and you ain't got time to stop and think of
something to send these parents. Well, can you write now?
Just get you a piece of paper or a word

(24:20):
document and write out a fifteen week plan. So right,
week one, two, three, four, five, all the way to fifteen.
How to take you from the preseason at least to
the end of the regular season, maybe first couple rounds
of the playoffs, right, and just come up with a topic.
Just think of fifteen things you want parents to know about.
Maybe it's recruited, maybe it's uh, you know how much

(24:41):
it helmets cost, or you know, or what time that
we try to end things every day, or how to
contact you if they need something. Go on and make
those topics so you know, on week three, I'm going
to send an email. Week three is going to be
the third week of the preseason. You ge't close to
regro season. I'm gonna send an email. Reminded me people
about season tickets. I don't know.

Speaker 5 (25:04):
Don't do it that.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah, you'd be surprised. You can come on with a
great plan right now because you're not that tired and
not that worried about it. Put that thing in the
drawer and then actually send those emails. But if you've
already written it, or you've already written the outline of
an email, take it that long, right, If you having
to think of what you want to say you're tired
and you're more focused on who's going to play linebacker
next Friday, and you don't feel like you got time

(25:25):
for these parents. And then coaches do those things, Chad,
and then they do a good job with that, and
then people think they get lucky because the parents like
them or they really think that they just don't have
time to work with it and because nobody has that.
So that would be my tip for that. I mean,
I could give you a billy. We'd be here all

(25:45):
night talking about examples of that, but that's just one.
I could give you a lot more of things you
can do in January to get it going. And then
once you get that scheme list to bring it full circle.
Once you do have those understandings of what the linebacker
coach is going to do in the O line coach
and whatever, now it's the head coach's job to help
those people get those answers. So if you, the head coach,

(26:08):
need to take them to a clinic, or take them
to the college practices, or or just buying a subscription
to wherever, I do feel it's like the head coach
possibility to get to give them the things they help
give them those three things they need to work on,
but then help give them the tools to go learn
how to get them fixed. What do you think I

(26:29):
think your debt on on that. I think that's a
great idea of actually creating the plan beforehand of how
you're going to communicate. I would also stress that in January,
as the head coach, you should be in your principal's
office bugging him or her about what openings do you
think you're going to have? Do you know who you're

(26:49):
going to have and get in that you know that
release to go out and even just possible openings upcoming,
and just start soliciting and seeing what guys you can find.
Not that you're going to hire them, but you want
to be able to move on that when it's time
to go. Nothing can frustrate administrators more than in times

(27:14):
when coaches are act like it's your job to hire
coaches for them. And usually football is not like that.
A lot a lot of other sports do act that
way sometimes, and it happens in football more than you
probably think. And here's how it happens. Nobody I'm gonna
piss people off the day that's sorry, we mean done
anything in a year. So but some of these people

(27:36):
will say the prince won't hire anybody for them. They'll
have an opening. So the principal will say, and I
don't need to get off on this today, but the
principal will say, hey man, we got a specially and
they'll be like, uh, let me think about it. And
then like two or three weeks or months pass and

(27:57):
they have brought one name to the principal and they've
told all their friends that the principal won't help them. Like,
let me tell you something. If I'm coaching a football
team and I'm trying to hire somebody and they tell
me they got to open it in something anything other
than maybe cooking or something crazy, I may right then
tell the principal who I want to have. Well, I

(28:18):
don't know if we can now, but you know, I
know know a couple of guys. I may even exaggerate
my ability to talk to this person coming, but I'm
not letting that principle give me a little in without
kicking that door in. And if you're doing that, you
can say whatever to your friends, obviously, but what I'm
saying is you were wrong in that they're not always

(28:38):
helping yes, are some places better than others at helping absolutely. Okay,
So if you're familiar with your Georgia history, you know
I coached at places that weren't those places. Okay, Well,
we had some success in part because we were We
did get a lot, we did get support from our people,
we did, but it was they they counted on me
to kick the door in when they cracked it and right.

(29:01):
And so it does have to be the head coach
possibility to start building that network, start building those relationships.
And that was something that may be something you can
talk more about next month in this But Michael, you've
got anything else to that you bring that passion.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
As always, I would say the just kind of what
you're the thing you're talking about, the main thing is
just being like organing, like in different ways, you know,
having your shit together, like getting it organized, getting out
in front of things, being prepared for what you know
is going to come next year. You know, most likely

(29:36):
what you're talking about here is you're doing a job
for the more than first time. You should have a
pretty good idea of what's going to happen during the season,
so you know, prepare yourself and get try to get
out in front of as many things as you can.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah, I think that. I mean, Michael brings up a
good point. Actually, those examples were all it was inferred
that you were at the same place as last year, right.
I mean, I do realize if you're a brand new
head coach, that may not have been the best plan
I just laid out. But assuming your back. You know
a guy who on his back the air coffee. That's
doctor Pierre Coffee to you, Chad, like doctor Chad flat

(30:15):
So coach coffee the great job would call the Columbus.
This year you got a real but you got three
people who want to pretend like they used to coach
football in here. Now you're going to hear from our
If you made it this far, you get to hear
from our real football team. So we got coach Coffee
coming right up after the break. The Parker Resource Podcast
is brought to you by our platinum sponsor, SID Services

(30:39):
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(31:26):
is s I D dash Services dot com. All right,
please be joined this time by here Coffee, the head
coach at Carver and Columbus, the backup coach, the state

(31:48):
championship head coach at Carver Columbus. Coach, First, congratulations on
the state championship. What a great accomplishment.

Speaker 5 (31:56):
Thank you, coach.

Speaker 6 (31:56):
It's it's uh, it's a blessing to be in this position.
You know, our guys they worked hard all year long
and I'm just glad that the state championship turned out
to be the fruits of our labor.

Speaker 3 (32:07):
So yeah, coach, what do you think was special and
different about this team? And everybody wants to get to
where you were? And when I asked that question, I
feel like the coaches know, like what made this team
different than the other teams you coached.

Speaker 6 (32:22):
I think they were just very close knit that that
accountability piece. Those young men, they held each other accountable.
They worked extremely hard, They pushed each other to the
limit and practice in the weight room, and so I
think that's just that was the difference in this team
and some of the other teams.

Speaker 5 (32:40):
That I've had in the past.

Speaker 6 (32:41):
You know, this group, they they they set a goal
in January last year, a whole year ago, January the eighth,
when we first started workouts that we were gonna win
the state championship. And you know, they they every every
opportunity they got to get better, they utilized that opportunity.

Speaker 5 (32:58):
They invested time and not spend it. So I think
that that was the difference.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
And I think that's great coach, And because you know,
I like that question because I think there's a misconception
that like all the teams aren't trying to win. You know,
the team went on in tennis, you were trying to
win the state champions everybody was trying to win. Everybody
worked hard. But now usually I had you know, you
gotta have some good players. You gotta have some good players,
you gotta have some luck. You got to get in

(33:25):
a good players coach. Yeah, and you guys were the
last one standing. So it it's just unique what blends.
I think every year every coach is trying to get
those things, but when you can get them, it's really
something special. And you guys have had a great run
the last four or five years since you've been there,
and really the year before you were there, they were

(33:45):
in the finals, so a great place, but they hadn't
been able to get that championship. And so what what
a great opportunity, a great blessing for you. And before
I talk more about your season and your team, I
want to talk about you because in full disclosure, we
don't know each other that well. But but I want
to say that I read somewhere or I heard that
you were gonna get out of coaching or you were
coaching somewhere else. You're gonna be like an ad or

(34:06):
a principal or something, and then they set you back in.

Speaker 4 (34:09):
Is that right?

Speaker 5 (34:10):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (34:10):
So, so I was actually the head My first head
coaching position was at Spencer High School and that was
in two thousand and sixteen twenty fifteen, going in fifteen sixteen,
and I got in and Spencer Hadden had a winning
season since like nineteen seventy seven, and we went there

(34:31):
myself and a couple of other coaching buddies became my assistant,
and we went eight and four, went to the second
round of the playoffs, and we had the first winning
season at that point in time in like thirty two years.
I did three seasons at specially, you know, just trying
to build a program, and then I got opportunity to
be an assistant principal and I went to Baker Middle
School as an assistant principal.

Speaker 5 (34:51):
For two seasons, two years, two school years.

Speaker 6 (34:54):
And then I got an opportunity to get back into
coaching at Chattahoochie count which is about ten twenty minutes
south of Skogie County. And once I you know, coaching
is one of those things, man, when it's in your blood.

Speaker 5 (35:09):
You know, it's in your blood, you know.

Speaker 6 (35:10):
So when I got an opportunity to go back in
and become a head coach again in Chattahoocha County, I
jumped on that opportunity. And so yeah, so that that
was the segue of me going out of coaching and
then coming back, right.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
Coach, I love that and I love the story and
I bring you know, I obviously love talking to you,
but I do this for everybody listening, right, And you know,
ninety nine percent of the people listening didn't win the
state championship this year, right that they're like, you've been
in two thousand and eight or nine and twelve, and
me like me, you know, I was that guy. So

(35:44):
that I love hearing the story because there's somebody out
there right now that's maybe getting out we're thinking about
it now, or maybe they had a year that they struggled, right,
And you know, four or five years from now, you're
not going to be the state cham absolutely if you quit, right,
So what advice do you have for that guy?

Speaker 6 (36:02):
Just, you know, continue to you know, continue to turn
those wheels, continue to believe in yourself, believe in your
work ethic, and know that hard.

Speaker 5 (36:11):
Work pays off. I'm just a believer in that. You know.

Speaker 6 (36:13):
I've had the opportunity to work for some really good
head coaches. I started my career at Greenville High School,
UH in two thousand and seven.

Speaker 5 (36:22):
Under Jeremy Williams. Jeremy Williams, you know, he.

Speaker 6 (36:26):
Uh, he passed away a couple of years ago, but
he's talking about a great man and a great mentor.
And I got the opportunity to just watch and learn
football from him and a guy named Trip Buzzby. He
was our defensive coordinator. His dad, Buzz Buzzby, was a
big time coach here in the state of Georgia.

Speaker 5 (36:44):
So that's why I started.

Speaker 6 (36:46):
And then from there, I got the opportunity to work
for coach Dale McGee when I first got the car
for twenty eleven. So I worked him for three seasons
and then I just seen football from a total different
perspective and I watched him run Carver High scho like
it was a college program and it was just so
amazing too. And I tried to be a spune And so,
you know, fast forward to the point where I got

(37:07):
my opportunity. At those three years. You know, we were
able to do some good stuff, but it was it
was tough, and I did walk away, you know, for
to to school to calendar school years. But you know,
going back to your niche of question, man, I'll tell
anybody just continue to believe in yourself and work hard.

Speaker 5 (37:24):
And you know, I just I'm gonna believe it that
hard work pays off.

Speaker 3 (37:27):
I think so too, coach, And I think when people
hear those answers, like at first, it just sounds like words.

Speaker 5 (37:33):
And it's kind of right, right, yeah, absolutely, But.

Speaker 3 (37:37):
I like to show people tangible evidence of that. So
you're at Chacktoe a couple of years ago, you know,
a couple of years for that. You're at assistant principal
couple years for that. You're at Spencer where you had
a great run, but you weren't state championships right, and
now you're in the state Championshi game, You're not. You've
kept working, you've gotten better, but you're the same man
you've always been.

Speaker 5 (37:55):
Absolutely, situation changed.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
So I like to show people examples, not just words
of how this might be you down the road.

Speaker 5 (38:02):
How do you know direct absolutely your one thousand percent correct.

Speaker 3 (38:06):
Well, let's talk about your season, coach. You guys are
two and oh, then you lose to Harrison County. You
didn't lose again, obviously, So was there a moment in
that loss? I know Harris Kunty got a great team,
bigger school never but was there something that happened then
you didn't give up the one touchdown for about five
weeks after that. So from there that really got you going.

Speaker 6 (38:28):
I think, you know, just with so I junior class,
those guys there's quite a few guys in that class
have to be.

Speaker 5 (38:36):
The one offer.

Speaker 6 (38:36):
So you know when those kids in ninth grade, we
we looked at that ninth grade group and we said,
you know, myself and my staff like we're gonna have
a chance with this group.

Speaker 5 (38:47):
And it just so happened. Like the seniors, we don't
have many seasons.

Speaker 6 (38:50):
I think we have like ten seniors on the on
the roster, maybe eleven, and uh, you know that was
those eleven.

Speaker 5 (38:56):
They were They were just blue.

Speaker 6 (38:58):
Collar, hard working eyes that kind of brought everything together.
So when after your question, when we got the Harris
County and we lost to Harris County, it was kind
of that wake up call because this team was supposed
to you know, just coming on paper at the beginning
of the season, this team was supposed to be the
team and you know, going into Harris County getting hitting
the mouth, it was a very physical game in the trenches.

(39:21):
Coach Washington, he does amazing job of just man, those
guys be they be brainwashing. It just the hard nose,
hit you in the mouth, and that's what they're gonna do.
And that that was a wake up call for us.
You know, our guys they got a lot adversity earlier
in the season. They got we got beat. We lost
fifteen and six. I think it was twelve to six
most of the game, and they hit a field goal

(39:43):
like with two minutes left in the game to win
it and with a seal it and uh, you know
that that that that Sunday when we got to our
coaches meeting and we brought we bring the kids in
every Sunday, that was you know, a reality check for us.

Speaker 5 (39:58):
You know, it was a tough, tough feeling session.

Speaker 6 (40:00):
It was it was everything we needed to be grounded
and then to kind of you know, recalibrate and hit
the ground running from that point. And so that next
that Monday, it was a very physical practice. The seniors
was out there after the juniors and the offense was
after the defense, and it was what we needed to
kind of like, Okay, we can be beat, but now

(40:21):
we got to go and you know, regroup from this loss,
and let let's hit the ground running and let's let's
go ahead and try to go achieve our goal.

Speaker 5 (40:29):
And at that point in time, our goal.

Speaker 6 (40:31):
Was week by week and let's go win this region
and ultimately, you know, the long term goal, the big
goals won state championship.

Speaker 3 (40:39):
We'll coach. You know, when I was coaching, I thought this,
But since I've talked to people like you so much
in the last five or six years, I believe it
even more. I can make an argument it's actually good
to lose a game.

Speaker 5 (40:50):
Oh you know, it's actually good, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (40:53):
That if you go in that game with Burke County
fourteen to zero, Yeah, you just never know if you're
gonna get that you know, hit that ride? You hit?

Speaker 5 (41:00):
Is that?

Speaker 3 (41:01):
Did you do? You feel that?

Speaker 5 (41:02):
I agree with that.

Speaker 6 (41:03):
You know, I tell my kids, and I've told every
team that I've coached, there's always a lesson and a loss,
and I think with this group it humbled them, but
then it made them hungry.

Speaker 5 (41:16):
Man Like you just saw something different from our football team.
And so I agree with you one thousand percent.

Speaker 6 (41:23):
You know, there's always something good that comes out after
a loss. You're going to kind of because it makes
you self reflect, and it makes you self reflect on
every level. It makes your coaches self reflect it makes
it makes you self reflecting on your coaching style, It
makes you self reflect about personnel, it makes the kids
go back and think about what they could have done different,

(41:44):
and so yeah, it's it's absolutely always something.

Speaker 5 (41:46):
Good that comes out of that.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
Now, look in that moment. It sucks to lose.

Speaker 5 (41:50):
Oh man, it sucks to lose.

Speaker 6 (41:54):
And every coach in the stand say you're the worst
coach in America.

Speaker 5 (41:59):
It saw that good stuf. So yeah, it's tough, but.

Speaker 3 (42:02):
You know, you see to the point, and we saw
it a little bit this year in some of the
state championship games. You see some teams or maybe even
the week before, you see some teams that are twelve oh, thirteen, oh, fourteen,
oh somewhere in there long and they just had when
you hadn't lost. It's almost like your kids don't think
they can lose, you know, you just kind of think
magic's gonna happen and we're gonna figure it out. And

(42:22):
then you get behind and you get real nervous, like
you just you know, you can feel it. You can
feel at the NFL level and college better at the high.

Speaker 6 (42:30):
School level, right, And I think oftentimes not only that's tough,
that's a tough situation.

Speaker 5 (42:37):
Tough situation, tough position.

Speaker 6 (42:38):
To begin when you haven't lost and you haven't really
played from behind.

Speaker 5 (42:43):
Because a lot of these teams that hadn't lost that they.

Speaker 6 (42:47):
They hadn't yeah, they hadn't been losing that halftime, or
they hadn't been in a like a okay coming into
the fourth quarter with down ten or whatnot. And so
that song, that's a tough situation to be in, like
in the state championship, such a big stage, because how
your kids, You don't know how your.

Speaker 5 (43:02):
Kids gonna handle that adversity, yeah, you know.

Speaker 6 (43:05):
And one thing that we try to do during the summer,
we're gonna go, We're gonna go and do some big
time contact council with some guys that I know, with
some teams that got dudes that's gonna hit us in
them out. We scrimmage lee count every year. Let me
tell you something, Coach Robrizio, he gives a very good
program every single year. So we're able to see early

(43:26):
just you know, our kids and some adverse situations to
kind of figure out, Okay, what's the character of this
of this team, and so like you know, going to
the Harris County loss. That was the reason why you know,
I intentionally scheduled Whitewater for a non reagion because I
wanted to see wing tea and it just.

Speaker 5 (43:44):
So happened, like I we saw wing t team the
state champion championship. So that was just a blessing.

Speaker 6 (43:50):
And then I wanted to see like with Harris County
and North Side, those were none reagion games and they
were gonna be really good football teams that I could
really see where we were just.

Speaker 5 (44:00):
A testing game to just see, you know, how physical
we were gonna be.

Speaker 6 (44:03):
They were gonna be big, you know, have a bigger program,
more number of kids, and so I, you know, it
was just a great, great game. Is just really just
kind of tell us, Okay, this is this is where
we're good at, this is what we need to work on.
And you know, we as coaches, you know, we kind
of hit the drawing boards to kind of you know,
make us, make us better in the things where we

(44:25):
were you know, needed needed some work.

Speaker 3 (44:28):
Well, the biggest mistake people make that are fans or
in the media or something like that is they don't
they forget that the biggest thing that shows who's good
is the improvement from the beginning of you're to the end.
So like they want to watch the team one time
early in the year and start putting out you know, well,
it doesn't really work like that. So the constant improvement
through the year is what matters. And you guys constantly improved,

(44:50):
and to the point that I tell them myself, like
I knew you guys were good, but I didn't. I
I'm on this radio show every Friday, Atlanta. We report scores,
we interview people. You know, you guys come up Carver
b Jordan sixty sixty six, good jobs. We knew you'd
win that one, Like I don't know that. I was like,
I knew you guys were good. I knew you were good,

(45:11):
but it didn't come to my mind much. Then you
get in the playoffs. You win a couple of games,
but then you play Pierce County, who's the defending state champions.
You've been in forty four to seven. The next week
you play Appling County, who's a lot like Pierce, and
you've been forty nine to six. And in both weeks,
I remember telling my man Sam Crenshaw that I'm on
the show with like these guys from Carver. For real,

(45:31):
they're not playing around. You don't go play Pierce County
and beat them by nearly forty points and beat Appling
by forty the next week. These guys are for real
what had gone? So think about that from that Harris
County game to then, Like, what's the biggest change that
you said? Man, you know we really are pretty good?
Like we got a change?

Speaker 6 (45:48):
Well, I mean, you know it, you know, just you know,
as a coach, you know there's one defense is always
going to be ahead of offense, like and I, and
especially when you run the spread so offensively.

Speaker 5 (46:01):
It took us a little while, took us a couple of.

Speaker 6 (46:03):
Games to kind of really figure out, you know, what
our identity was and how good Like we could always
run the football, but we had to figure out, you
know what what were gonna be our our passing concepts
that we were gonna hang out hat On hang I
hat on.

Speaker 5 (46:17):
And then my quarterback this was last year.

Speaker 6 (46:20):
He started maybe the first three games and then we
end up starting a senior. And so when Matthew came
back in this year the starter, you know, he still
he hadn't had a whole lot of varsity time from
last year and so you know, he had a couple
of games we had to kind of get hit to
kind of get.

Speaker 5 (46:38):
To get used to the floor of the game. And
once he got it, man, he got it.

Speaker 6 (46:42):
He started lighting people up, especially as we got to
the playoffs, you know, just going to the playoffs. To
be honest, like, we had started looking at Pierce County
when we found out we were going to double A.
So we lost Savannah Christian last year in triple A
in the semi finals. When we when they did the
re class and we find out we were going to
double A, myself and my defensive coordinator, we went straight

(47:05):
to double A like every coach, and we started trying
to figure out, okay, who the big dolls in double A.
And we saw Piers counting. We knew Piers County was
a defending state champion. So we had been watching Piers
counting for them and kind of looking at them, peeking
at them almost a whole year because we kind of
this was our mindset. We said, Okay, to win it
all in double A, we're gonna have to be peers counting,

(47:27):
you know, because we just you know, we just watched
them and we knew they were really good, and you know,
they had a really really tough scheme, and we knew
their quarterback was you know, he was back and man,
he is a dude.

Speaker 5 (47:39):
Let me tell you, he is a ball.

Speaker 6 (47:41):
And so we had kind of been watching them for
a long time, and even back during the summer, we
had kind of started game playing for their offense, just
trying to figure out ways to kind of slow their offense,
because that's how they get you, you know, they the
time of position they're gonna have is gonna be ridiculous.

Speaker 5 (47:56):
They're not gonna turn the ball over.

Speaker 6 (47:58):
They're gonna make you play us our of football that
kids today are really not used to. You know, back
when I played, back when you you know, back when
we played three yards in the cloud of dust that's what.

Speaker 5 (48:09):
We did, or the wing tea or the aple. But
now kids are not used to that.

Speaker 6 (48:14):
So to get in those heavy sets that that peers
get into and they just churn and churn and churn,
you know kids, So eventually they'll they'll tough out with
that kind of stuff. So we we were trying to
get our kids prepared for that all year long, and
like I said, we kind of start watching them and
then when it came to appling, they were very similar,

(48:37):
but they wasn't as patient with those heavy sets. They
would get out of it and they would play you know,
traditional spread or getting eleven personnel and uh, you know.

Speaker 5 (48:45):
Do some of the stuff that you see now.

Speaker 6 (48:48):
But yeah, with Peers, Man, that was we looked at
them all year long, and that was just a team
that we kind of.

Speaker 5 (48:54):
Like, hey, to go win it all.

Speaker 6 (48:55):
We got to get through Piers Counting, you know, and
they were very hard and know very well coach, and
you know, we just kind of that particular night, Braylan Jakes,
our receiver Breilan jas I think he had like four
touchdowns and our quarterback had a really really good night
because they did a they did a really good job

(49:16):
of stopping our run game, like they would have nine
guys in the Boston.

Speaker 5 (49:19):
So we had to figure out, you know, how we
could take advantage.

Speaker 6 (49:22):
Of them in the passing game. And so Braylan jac
he stepped up tremendously for us that night.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
Yeah, I was just no disrespect to the teams you
guys played in your region or the first round. I
just I know what kind of coaching staff and what
kind of players. They got nappling, and I really jumped
out to me, how you guys handle those I mean,
two of the best defensive corners in the state on
those teams. So you getting state championship playing Burke another
guy I know both of us have a ton of

(49:48):
respect for Coach Stevens and so you know, and you're
the favorite right now. You've beaten the two big dogs
back to back weeks by forty points. Uh, but you
got to come in and play right, you got to.
It's cute. So what happens in that? Tell me take
me through the game real quick. Maybe what where do
you think?

Speaker 6 (50:07):
Okay, we're responding, so leading up to that kind of
like you said we were, I saw we were the favorite,
and oh man, that drove me nuts because at that
point I'm trying to make sure that guys like you know,
like Coach Smart and Coach Saban, say that that's rat poison.

Speaker 5 (50:26):
You don't want your guys to see that in the paper.

Speaker 6 (50:29):
So what I would do, I would, oftentimes I would
either go and read the newspaper of the team that
we were playing. I would find any type of amminition,
any type of anything that's gonna say hey, we're about
to lose or or this team better than us and

(50:49):
people don't think that we could play. And I would
always post it in the locker room, I'll post it
in our kid group chat. So I would always try
to find ways to kind of get them amped up.

Speaker 5 (50:59):
And with social media, man, now that's Easy's easy.

Speaker 6 (51:03):
Fans are gonna yeah, fans are gonna post something out
there where all Carver, you're gonna lose about fourteen and
you know you're not going to the dome or in
the dome, we're gonna blow you out, like I'm gonna
find something.

Speaker 5 (51:14):
So that's uh. I was able to find some stuff
and so you know that kept our.

Speaker 6 (51:19):
Kids grounding, and then the kids understood like, Okay, this
is the state championship, this is our.

Speaker 5 (51:24):
Goal, this is what we worked so hard for.

Speaker 6 (51:27):
And and I've seen a focus from them going into
that game that I don't know if I've seen all
your loan. I kind of looked at them when we
got ready to come out of the tunnel to take
the feeld, at them, say the beings and their their
their the level of focus and just how locked in
they were. You know, it kind of gave you goose bumps,
and so you know, I thought then I said, hey,

(51:49):
we go and do what we're supposed to do.

Speaker 5 (51:51):
We're gonna be okay. The thing with Coach.

Speaker 6 (51:54):
Stevens teams that I've I've watched over the years, I
told them after the game, you know, a big, a
big part of some of the things that I've done
in my career is because I've watched him, Guys like him,
Guys like coach McGee. He has a doctor degree. That
kind of motivated me to go get a doctor degree.
And I've just watched Coach Stevens over the years and
he's had some really really good football team. And with

(52:17):
that being said, his uh the wing tea and the
way that they run it. Man, it is so much misdirection,
so much eye candy. And we stressed all week long
for our guys. You cannot get caught up in the motion.
You gotta read your keys. You cannot, you know, just
because motion goal one way or you know, the guards.

Speaker 5 (52:37):
Pulled one way. Like you got to make sure that
you stay locked into your assignment.

Speaker 6 (52:41):
So that's what kind of concerned me leading up to
the game, because they did a lot of stuff and
the thing was they could go from the spread. Excuse me,
they could go from the wing tea to the spread
without changing personnel and be just as good probably as
the spread. And only other teams that I've seen do
that is Savannah Christian last year Benedictine, like they were

(53:01):
the same way where they go wing tea to spread,
and that that's tough.

Speaker 5 (53:04):
When you focus on the wing team all the way
long and then you got.

Speaker 6 (53:08):
To go and you know, defend three wide and I
think in the dome they got in quads on us
and so luckily the kid dropped the ball because he
was button nick and wide over.

Speaker 5 (53:17):
So you know, like I said, it's some look involved
in there.

Speaker 3 (53:20):
Well, coach, I was there, and I thought your team
played extremely hard, and I thought they I thought they responded.
You know, you guys got up, they came back and
made a little run. They did, and then you came
right back, you know, like there wasn't a there wasn't
an allowing of them to continue.

Speaker 6 (53:37):
And that they scored, they actually converted to fourth down.
Matter of fact, the play that they scored on they
had been in the wing tea. It was fourth and five.
They got in the jumped in the spread and they
ran power read and it was just it was a
great play call because our our outside linebacker seen and
they got a tight end.

Speaker 5 (53:55):
They got it. They got in a tight end set.

Speaker 6 (53:57):
So once the tight end blocked down, outside linebacker squo,
he's down with him, and nobody was there for the
running back. Once the quarterback gave the ball to the
running back and he went with thirty yards to the
end zone.

Speaker 3 (54:06):
So you know is but you go came right back
and responded. That's where you could see the maturity from
maybe the team from several years ago that lost in
the final, or a team that lost in the semifinals.
You know, you could see the maturity of yeah, something
didn't go away for a few minutes, but we're gonna
win tonight, you know. And that was what I could

(54:28):
see that from your team, even from you know, fifty
yards away or so from where you were. But I
say this at the risk of irritating some people, so
I hope I don't. But coaching this run is underrated.
What y'all did in the last three games, Okay, one
hundred and forty five points you scored, gave up twenty seven,
and you was playing here's County, Appling and Burke. And

(54:52):
if people are listening to this and aren't overly familiar
with Georgia, that's three of the best teams and three
of the best coaching staffs in the state of Georgia.
And I mean, you guys kind of whipped them. So
I mean, like all three just say, I'll tell you
take about right now. It's January, baby, so enjoy it
now because you know about two months from now they
not don't care about that anymore. So they're gonna talk.

Speaker 5 (55:13):
About next year exactly exactly.

Speaker 3 (55:16):
But that is awesome, man, you should be proud of that.

Speaker 5 (55:18):
But I tell you who else was good during the
playoff run? Ring Good was very well.

Speaker 6 (55:22):
Coached, and yeah they were there. They were good. They
were good, They did some good stuff, had some good
athletes too, and the coach and that coaches that they
did a really good job of coaching those guys up.
But yeah, all three of those games leading up to
the state championship, from Ringo to uh Piers, Applin and
of course Bert, you know, all of them were very

(55:44):
well coached, had really good athletes and you know, we
I think we just got hot at the right time,
you know, right at the end of the season.

Speaker 3 (55:50):
Yeah, I think so too, coach. So I'll ask you
another question to I promise I'll let you go.

Speaker 5 (55:54):
So what.

Speaker 3 (55:56):
What The people are listening will always want to know
this type of thing. So what was something you either
did it practice or something in your scheme or you know,
it's over now you can tell the secret. What was
What was something that you did this year that was, like, man,
that was really good for us? You know, either something
he tweaked it practice or something you guys get offensive, defensively,
special teams or whatever that you really learned this year

(56:17):
that you really thought was an impactful part of the
championship season.

Speaker 6 (56:23):
Well, yeah, the season is over, but you know, we
got another season to play next year.

Speaker 5 (56:28):
So I don't know how much I want to let
out in the bag.

Speaker 3 (56:30):
But you ain't gotta tell me everything.

Speaker 6 (56:31):
But it's no secret my Okay. One of my main
focuses once I got the car for three years ago,
I had to find a kicker, like point blank here,
I just felt like, you know, coming in the car right,
you know, And even back when I was there as
an assistant, I said, man, we always have really good athletes,
but special team wise, in regards to punting and kicking,

(56:56):
we struggled.

Speaker 5 (56:57):
And that was one of my main goals is making
sure that we put the amount.

Speaker 6 (57:01):
Of time necessary in at practice and doing the spring
and during the summer where we were gonna.

Speaker 5 (57:07):
Be good a special team.

Speaker 6 (57:08):
And so I look, you know, we got a ninth
grade kicker kid fresh out of middle school, Kendrick Kendrick
Pierce Spencer, and he was likes out for us in
the playoffs, I think, and during our playoff run he
might have went six for seven kicking field goal. He
made win in the state championship game. He made a
huge one in the Piers counter game because mcgath broke

(57:29):
a long run on us and they jumped out seven
nothing and we went down and started out, but we
got three points.

Speaker 5 (57:35):
He kicked like a thirty three yard field goal, so
you know, seventy.

Speaker 6 (57:39):
Three that kind of you know, kind of level out
the momentum. And so I thought that like number one,
and I know that that's simple, but we had got
to have a kicker. Got to have a kicker, and
you gotta be able to punt. And we spent a
lot of time during the week making sure that we're
very clean and special team.

Speaker 5 (57:56):
And then another thing that we do. We started practicing
out with a competition every day like.

Speaker 6 (58:00):
That's soon as we get finished with flex, soon as
we stretch, we go straight into a competition, whether it's
red zone, third downs, two minutes Monday through wins that
we're gonna do a competition. And the reason why we
do that we want to get our kids fired up.
We want to get them out there competing, going at
each other and any kind of break the monotony of

(58:24):
you know, going out there practicing, going to Indy, you know.

Speaker 5 (58:29):
Doing your A and A, doing your play polish, all
that type stuff.

Speaker 6 (58:32):
It gets them the opportunity as soon as they warm up,
to go out and get the juices flowing and compete
with one another, because that's what kids want to do.
They want to go out there, they want to play
the game. So as soon as we warm up, we
going to some type of competition. And I think that
has been something that has has served very well for
us in regards to just keeping kids focused at practice

(58:55):
and getting them fired up.

Speaker 3 (58:57):
Absolutely, Coach, that was awesome. So I get you out
on this. I know all these good things can't happen
by just you you gonna get all the credit or
all the blame, right, So you know I love highlighting
assistant coaches. We should cold highlight all of them. So
give a shout out real quick to you guys. Tell
me who I was on the staff and a little
bit and we'll let you go.

Speaker 5 (59:15):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 6 (59:16):
Coach Justin Newman, my defensive coordinator. Man, he's a little
bit out, one of the best in the business.

Speaker 5 (59:23):
On that side of the ball.

Speaker 6 (59:24):
I got Coach Patrick Butler, he's my strength guy. Coaches
outside linebackers. He's been with me everywhere every program that
I've ran. He he's a guy, does a great job
for US. Coach John Simpson, the inside linebackers. Coach Israel
Mackay Israel uh in the secondary. I got coach a
Tron Jackson defensive lineman, defensive line coach. He's a phenomenal

(59:46):
defensive line coach. Coach Jamar Briekley, he's my receiver guy,
does a really good job with receivers. Coach Antoine Young
he's our quarterback coach. Did a great job with Matthew
and our other quarterbacks. And then coach Erry Allen and
and I got I got a co athlete that I
read to coach asking Huntley. He comes out and helped
whoever he can. So we just got a really good

(01:00:07):
group of guys. Oh and no, let me get coach
Jamar and Forts and he also comes and helps with receiver.
So we just got a really good group of guys that.

Speaker 5 (01:00:15):
Coming forward to young men and you know, help push
them to be the best version of themselves.

Speaker 3 (01:00:19):
Absolutely, Coach, that's what it's all about.

Speaker 5 (01:00:21):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:00:22):
Congratulations to you, the whole staff, that community, the school, everybody.
It's a big deal to win the state championship and
it's hard to do even with good athletes, even with
good teams. Only one team's gonna win it. And so
I hope you guys take a few minutes and enjoy
it before you get on the next year. But I
know how that works too. But uh, but you'll always
for now on be a state champion. And the best

(01:00:43):
compliment I can give you is there's a bunch of
teams out there now watching you like you was watching
Pierce County, right, I mean, there's a bunch of people
out there. That's the best compliment your program can get.
But you know that that now everybody's looking at you
and your team and what you're doing, and so congrats coach.
I really appreciate you taking some time to talk to me.
Man means a lot.

Speaker 6 (01:01:03):
Absolutely, I greatly appreciate you. What I greatly appreciate everything
you do for us.

Speaker 5 (01:01:07):
You know, the recognition that you give to the UH,
to the coaches and to the kids. I mean, it
goes a long way.

Speaker 3 (01:01:13):
Some Christmals greatly appreciate it. Thanks coaching. I can ever
help you, let me know, Man, take care.

Speaker 5 (01:01:17):
Of absolutely take it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:21):
I just want to congratulate Carver and them overcoming the
defeat they suffered in passing the league to the Pickings
Dragons about thirteen years ago. It's taking them that long
to recover and finally win the state championship. I can't believe.
Yeah it was, he's right about twelve. Yeah, I think

(01:01:42):
it was thirteen. Actually. So for the people that don't
know what you're talking about, which is literally everyone the UH.
So we first got the Pickens UH hide Carver. Coach
McGee was the coach at Carver and they just won
a state championship a couple of times, and we played
him at Auburn's passing thing, and I think we beat

(01:02:02):
him like they probably had like their best nine kids
sitting out and we beat him by one point or
something in a passive league game, and they put it
in the newspaper and jasper like they maybe it. I mean,
these people made a deal about like I mean, I
feel like grown men were gonna cry one seven on
seven game, uh to and touch it's probably their best
five people out. But we do like to say that,

(01:02:26):
you know, probably tough on him to get beat by
the little old dragons. Uh So, I'm very apologetic that
I let coach Coffee get gone without reminding them. I wonder,
you know, make sure the program's in good shape still.
You know, if they've been able to recover from that
time we threw one more two nd touch touchdown than
they did in a game. It's taking them almost a

(01:02:47):
generation to recover from that loss.

Speaker 5 (01:02:50):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
Coach McGee is the head coach at Georgia State. We're
gonna try to get him on. We try to get
him on here one day. Maybe we can remind him.
Probably we probably just ruined the chance of getting him
on here, but that loss was a springboard to his learning. Yeah,
I think that's really what God him where he is today.
He went to University of Georgia. So that day we
shook his hand, told him, good game. We got to win.

(01:03:12):
He hadn't remembered that, of course, and we went on
to do nothing, and he went on to be coaching
Georgia Georgia State. He won the state championship. I mean,
I think he probably won in the long run, but
damn it, that day we won. That day, he might
have won the war, but we got that damn battle. Yeah,
we got one battle. We got what battle? Okahah? All right, Flat,

(01:03:37):
So it's the time that everybody is greated a year for.
We got the Coastal Sports Turf. You know, we got Yeah,
We're back. I mean, people are still sporting this. I
don't know why, but maybe they don't listen and they
don't hear this, but I'm glad they support it. So
thank you. Please support Coastal Sports Turf for God's sake,
putting up with us. The Flat's Favorites sponsored by Coastal

(01:03:58):
Sports Turf is back in twenty twenty five. But you
got Flat. My favorite had to be me and my
two sons going to the Peach Bowl in the last
week for that incredible spectacle of a game which was
just unbelievable all the way through, except for the tiny

(01:04:21):
fact that no one told us when it was twenty
four to eight we shouldn't leave because they missed everything
that was great in.

Speaker 5 (01:04:30):
That whole game.

Speaker 3 (01:04:31):
Missed it all that take flat light.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
All the way like typical flat fashion.

Speaker 3 (01:04:37):
So New Year's Eve starting the year off, Yeah, New
Year's Eve, Chads looking at his phone, He's like, these
Peach Bowl tickets are nothing, you know, and and he
just kind of observation at first, and like hour or
two pass. The next thing I know, Chaz going to
the Peach Bowl and text him the next day like,

(01:04:58):
hey man, you picked a good game to go to
that Yeah, watching it from the house, went home when
it was twenty four to eight. So nice. So just
the overtime and the scatter bow and all of it,
all of it. But yeah, I mean, I know, obviously
we missed the best part of it. We had a
great time, and I love going to the Bends. It's

(01:05:18):
such a good venue to be in and stuff. But uh,
it was great. We had a good time. The fans
were all really good. It was fun to be there
with no ties to any of it. It was a
lot of fun. The you know, the the game. One
of the collegeotball playoff things cool, I guess. I mean
my personal preferences. I liked when it was I liked

(01:05:39):
whenever EGY season gonna matter and they picked the final two,
I really did. I was fine with that, But I
get where I'm in the minority on that. One thing
I do love about it though, is it takes away
from some really cool moments for that. So maybe if
it's in Atlanta will benefit every year. But the Peace
Bowl and the Orange Bowl and the Cotton especially the
Orange and the cotton and the sugar and the when

(01:06:00):
those when the fan base is having to go there,
Like think about how many times Texas people they went
to the Sea Championship game in Atlanta, they went to
the Peapo Atlanta, they played at home in between that.
I think in a playoff game, now they're going to
Dallas to the Cotton Bowl and if they win that,
they're going back to Atlanta the NAST championship game. Like,
I mean, I know those people got some money, but

(01:06:20):
that's still a lot. You're asking a lot. Whereas when
we were younger, even though I was in college, you
know you go to Alabama. Of course, as a well
documented back then, we went to the Blockbuster Bowl or
the that's a real thing, by the way, look that
up Blockbuster Bowl. David Palmer ran a pump back. But

(01:06:41):
you know that was one time, like you played. You know,
it was one thing, whether you were going to the
National Championship game in the Sugar Bowl, which after the
Blockbuster Bowl the next year they went to the Sugar
Bowl in NAST Championship, Chad, it still wasn't thing. So
if you were a fan and you just wanted to
spend your money, you know, you load up, you make
a deal. But it is a different dynamic asking these

(01:07:01):
people to to cheer in person, Like I think the
TV ratings are great, but the in person crowd is
where it's so like that Chick fil A Teach Bowl
that you went to, Chad, it was awesome on TV,
but they had great ratings that made a killing. They're
not getting rid of it. But it was a different
feel in the stadium, you know, like when it's not

(01:07:21):
it wasn't pack. Yeah, and a lot of people went
like you you didn't care who won, you know, so
I saw every every different jersey you could imagine in
the stadium that day. So it'll be interesting to see
how that how that goes moving forward, you know, Like,
I think there will be some tweaks obviously with a seeding,

(01:07:43):
and some of that's been well documented. But I'm saying
even what the asks are, like, I'm not sure that
they're not better off with sixteen and maybe playing the
first two on campus or something like, making it really
an advantage to have one of those better seeds, you know,
I really think they should play the first too on campus.
And even though I'm not the biggest you know, James

(01:08:05):
Franklin fan of Penn State and all their stuff, I
don't think he's right and moving the season up a
week so they can do those sorts of right, well,
they got it. They gotta do something. I actually like
the semi vittal games could be like it's the Peach
Bowl or the Cotton Rose Bowl, right, the Rose Bowl,
because the Rose Bowl is not gonna participate unless it's

(01:08:25):
on January first. They like a high they like a
good looking woman, you know, they little high mans. Nobody
tells them no, Yeah, but well I think that's true.
If I remember right something correct me. I think they
said that they'll be a quarterfinal game every year because
they won't play except on January first, But if they
did what you're saying, so, I think they're going to
make some tweets like that, but I would like to

(01:08:46):
see the only thing that was disappointing was if you
and show my age on this. But and by the way,
Alabama to make it so, I'm not I didn't have
a team I was pulling for. If you won your conference,
if Oregon went undefeated and won the Big Ten, which
is crazy, they want to be ten. But Oregon went undefeated,
won their conference. Georgia won their conference, Like what did
they get for that? They got to buy? Well, they

(01:09:08):
play for a month, like that's not a one week
by It's like the NFL lost and everyone seems lost.
That's not coincidental. So what I'm saying, the other teams
got to play at home, They got a little momentum,
they got a little home pop. Notre Dame Texas all
the so why would we not just play Let them
play at home too, you know, let that game be

(01:09:28):
at Oregon. If Olio of State went to Oregon and
beat them, good for them, you know. And if Notre
Dame went to Athens and beat Georgia. That's different, you know,
And they may would have I mean, they may would
have them, but I think it would have earned more
respect for those underdogs, and it would have put more
of a premium on the team that did better in
the regular season. Right, which does It's supposed to mean something.

(01:09:51):
So it's not the NFL, So they want to make
it the NFL, where ten and six is fine and
you get hot at the right time. But you gotta
remember there's only thirty two NFL teams, so all the
schedules are ten, whereas in college there's one hundred and
forty teams. All the schedules are not equal. So winning
your conference has to be something. That's really the only
thing we can measure to say that you're one of

(01:10:14):
the top few. And those people got very little advantage
for that. That was why Alabama didn't get involved. Chad,
we just want to see this play out. We don't
want to have one of our good seasons and get
beaten the first round because we want our conference. We're
trying to figure it out. You know, we're taking a
step back, and yes, not checkers for coach de boor

(01:10:36):
what else you got? You got any other flat favorites?
Or do you just have one? One new year? Year
is young new hips one.

Speaker 2 (01:10:44):
At a time, one at a time. Next time we're
gonna be on here, he's gonna have two, but it's
gonna be a new hip.

Speaker 3 (01:10:49):
It's gonna be one old and one new. Yeah, and
then maybe my next fab will be a new hip.
And then maybe the next month will be zero old
too new. Right now we're on too old, no new
right next month one new, went old.

Speaker 2 (01:11:05):
Surely the recovery has to be more than how long?

Speaker 3 (01:11:07):
What's the gap between the surgeries? They would allow it
to be done within six to eight weeks, but I can't.
I don't want to take that much time off work
right during the time.

Speaker 2 (01:11:18):
He's too old to do it that close together.

Speaker 3 (01:11:20):
So he's gonna to the other part too. He's scared
they're going to realize they don't need him at work.
I know they don't need me at work. That's why
I've got to make sure I get back at some boy.
I know that it'll work times better without being there.
They got to get back there, but they'll I'll do
the other one in June, so it'll be a fun summer.

(01:11:40):
That's the life of the old old lineman, guys, the
old old lineman with the hips having to be replaced
when you get old. Yeah, my hips are fine. In
case anybody's wondering, I didn't throw that many. But I
do have these reading glasses. Nobody can see it. I
can see I'm I have had to progress into these

(01:12:01):
reading glasses. It's made between hips, flats hips and my
reading glasses. What you got, Michael, you know? Yeah, you
just got the sugar. That's it. Yeah, But his time's coming, baby,
his father time is undefeated except for Tom Brady. Everybody
else and Tom Brady. All right, you got any uh,

(01:12:25):
you got any partner words here, Michael?

Speaker 5 (01:12:27):
We did.

Speaker 3 (01:12:27):
We had a festivus off air, an airing of the grievances.

Speaker 2 (01:12:33):
How we made it this long and flat. His has
not really talked about the Titans aout all right, Like
the Titans got the number one pick.

Speaker 3 (01:12:45):
Excited the Titans suck. I'd be excited about that. It's
like arch Man he was coming out this year. Was
very tight of them to come out in the year.
There's not a clear draft. Cam Ward and he's going
to Travis Hunter, a Georgia.

Speaker 2 (01:13:01):
Guy, Quack a quarterback.

Speaker 3 (01:13:05):
No, they're good there, they got the they got Flat's boy,
Will Levis.

Speaker 2 (01:13:09):
Can we play the audio from Flat when they drafted
the Flat draft.

Speaker 7 (01:13:14):
They Will Levis talk, which I thought for a minute,
because we'll Levis showed like a tiny bit of promise,
and I thought maybe fifteen that was going to be
like something we could like throw in Flat's face that
he didn't want.

Speaker 3 (01:13:26):
But now Flat was right. He was right. He explain
this to me Chad on one route. We talked about
coaching and you know, all season stuff today. And so
the Titans last year about this time fired their coach
to assumingly get better, right, but their coach is the

(01:13:50):
one everybody else trying to hire. Now he didn't won
a game since then, So they fired a guy that
everybody else wish was their coach. Is that is that
evidence based?

Speaker 2 (01:14:04):
So yes, everybody, like the Chiefs Star are trying to no.

Speaker 3 (01:14:07):
No, But the people that need a coach, that's like,
they're literally firing folks that they thought were family. Like
tul Robert Kraft treated your mail like family till he
realized he could hire a Vrabel. I mean the Jets
are doing Jets stuff, and.

Speaker 2 (01:14:24):
They're gonna hire Rex Ryan Man. I mean they going
back to like the early two thousand bring rec fumbles.

Speaker 3 (01:14:31):
And yeah, bring Rex back. They were actually decent when
Rex was there. Yeah, yeah, they couldn't be worse than this.
Like the Jets are the only thing keeping the Falcons
from being the abomination of the league. So we need
to keep the Jets down. So don't let Rabel go
to the Jets. But how's it gonna feel flat when

(01:14:51):
they take the sorry old Patriots and they start getting
better and the Titans had the number one pick, and
don't like is that you're gonna be Okay, I've just
come to expect because I know my lot in life.
I'm just I'm just gonna you know, I won't say
what I think I should say right here. I'm just
gonna accept it. They take it today. This is the

(01:15:13):
last thing we'll say because you know, we've got They've
got us now. So we're here. So we got to
get all of our opinions out what we who were
taking with his first pick? I mean early mock mel
Kiper slash Chad flat early mock draft one point zero
Titans number one who were taking. If we continue on

(01:15:34):
our normal trajectory of decision making, I expect Jalen Milroe
will be the first pick, is what I expect. That's
the faith I have at this moment.

Speaker 2 (01:15:44):
Right now, they're gonna draft alignment.

Speaker 3 (01:15:51):
Or I was actually ask. I know I sound like
I was joking, but I was actually serious. Pict Travis Hunter,
no truth through the best thing they could do. But
I don't think that can pull it off from the
you know, I love to read about this stuff. They
need to trade out and gets. I don't think they

(01:16:14):
can do. You know what's great about the NFL is
you really can't get better in a hurry. And that
whole excuse making thing I was talking about earlier. They
don't play in the NFL like that, because here's why.
If you think your team should like flat with the
Titans or Falcons or whoever else, and you're like, well,
but they'll be like, look, the Washington Redskin Command or

(01:16:35):
whatever team was awful last year. God Like, they were
every bit as bad as the Titans are. Okay, they
were everybody last year. They were every bit as bad
as the Patriots were last year. Okay, they were better
now I'm not so. I mean, yes, they got a quarterback.
Don't get me wrong, that makes a difference. But what

(01:16:56):
I'm saying is, look at how quick you can go
from bad to good. When the Titans did get better
with Rabel, they went from bad to good really quick, right,
I mean, you can go from bad to good pretty quick.
So even if your team's not good now, don't let
them give you those New York Giants, New York Jets,
Titans excuses. They can get better and you got to

(01:17:18):
find a quarterback, and he got to hit on the
people in the draft. But I think for what it's worth,
the first look onet oh mock draft, I think I
don't know. I guess if Travis Hunter can play both
ways the NFL, which is a big, big gift, and
you're drafting two people that can help you one, then
I guess it's the best pick. But you're right, the

(01:17:41):
best option is really to go two or three picks,
give that pick to somebody else and get two or
three and try to get more because they need a
lot of people. I mean, they need a lot of help.
Get a lot all right, any more, agreement, says Michael.
For me, say a bit of do.

Speaker 1 (01:17:56):
No, this is what the Titans deserve for cheating however
many years ago it was with that forward pass.

Speaker 2 (01:18:02):
This is what they get. The Bills are finally right.

Speaker 3 (01:18:09):
Uh, we'll see. This might be the Bills here, Michael,
We'll see, We'll see. Until next time. We will see
you in two weeks with some more really high quality
observations of nflent coage football, maybe a few decent points
on coaching, and a real coach to interview and

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