NFLPA - Dirty Bastards

Man you guys need a mic, just put everything into words through voice, not text lmao.

Writing is a better way to get your message across, without interruption. I'm personally glad to see people typing, and not using so much so many texting words, like lol, btw, rotfl, lmao. Unfortunately, people see taking the time to explain yourself as nerdy or femanine, but I see all of the above abbreviations being that way. If more people thought out responses, instead of making irratinal judgements, there would'nt be nearly the amount of conflict as there are.

Agreed. I think that when actually discussing something, or trying to get a point across that it is much better to type everything out and have a conversation per se. Other times I don't feel like typing out, and it is an easy way to say what you want without effort.

Especially when talking shit to joker LOL

I failed to mention anything about your coaching, but I just want to say it's really great you take so much responsibility in not only raising the ability of your players, but also raising their discipline, dedication, and above all their confidence. I never played football, but a few of my friend's did. One of them was the all-time WR leader on the high-school varsity team, and his brother was the all-time quarterback leader. They were a year apart in age, but they were in the same grade, and they were both very gifted. Sadly, they both are now doing things that are un-productive and downright self-destructive. Granted, the High-School they attended wasn't a large school by any means, but they both could have used their skill to propel them to a scholarship to UNH, or some other great division II school. Their are a few reasons why they never blossomed, some self inflicted, but mainly I think it was due to both of them never having the guidance to show them what they were capable of. It was almost like their coach felt their careers outside of high-school football was irrelevant, and so no-one really cared when they both slacked off at school.
One of them is attending a local colledge, but his mother has to pay for it, and he still is very immature. The other one, my former friend Andy, still lives at home and he's 23 years old with a part time job and a few heavy addictions; Cigarettes, Alchohol, and Cocaine. He was genuinely a good person, but with no guidance and no forseeable future he turned to some awful things. Yes, he is partially to blame, because he let an unbelievable oppurtunity slip away, but he never got the encouragement and guidance that he deserved. That's why it's so important for coaches to take a personal interest in their players to make sure they have all the tools they need to succeed. It sounds very typical, but it's so true. I know for a fact if they both had a structure in place for them to get good grades, and have the encouragement to succeed, they both would have done great things. Maybe not in the world of football, but at least their football careers could have taken them to colledge and then they could have had more options from that point on.
I know this is a little off topic from the NFLPA, but I thought I'd mention it, because to me it's a great example of the power a coach has to influence the lives of his/her players. I'm glad to see you are so involved in the lives of your players, and I can gaurantee you they will benefit greatly from what your doing. Even if it doesn't involve football at all!.

I agree, and that is why I take coaching seriously. I coach basketball, not football, but everything applies just the same. It is a very rewarding job and takes up a huge portion of time, all year long. We run "open gym" year round, 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, games on weekends spring and fall, and tournaments throughout the year, on top of the regular season schedule. Me and another guy basically take all the 6-12 graders in our town and run basketball practices and clinics for them year round, and coach AAU teams. It is incredibly important to set the right message for these kids, especially in our town where our kids get bored easily and start drinking and using drugs.

I was under the impression you coached pop-warner, but I had no idea you coached basketball. Basketball seems to be a more difficult thing to coach, because at least in football you have a set idea of who will play where. In basketball you probably get alot of different skill sets, and you only have 5 starters therefore you know you'll have at least 7 people riding the bench. I'm sure choosing minutes can be a delicate process, too. Makes sense why you miss the Supersonics so much. Kevin Durant is a great example of how to be a great player and a great person, plus your players would be able to identify with a player off their home team.
That's cool you coach basketball, though. I love the NFL as much as the next person, but I am just glued to NBA games. Especially the Celtics, because their games are as watchable as any games in all sports. Basketballs great, because the injuries are far less frequent than they are in the NFL, and the games will usually come down to the final 5 minutes. Just remember, though, defense wins championships!.

Yeah, I am a basketball guy, but I LOVE football as well. Basketball is difficult but fun at the same time, things like playing time and hard, rough, scrappy practices get parents all worked up. Yeah, I do miss the Sonics, but we have the UW Huskies still, and I played high school ball with Ryan Appleby and played against Jon Brockman, the kids see them on tv all the time, and then Jon comes a few times a year to our practices to show the kids some things. The kids as well as the parents love that. The NBA is awesome, and I love watching college ball, I am pretty much a hermit during March Madness!

x Ricky87 x wrote:

I was under the impression you coached pop-warner, but I had no idea you coached basketball. Basketball seems to be a more difficult thing to coach, because at least in football you have a set idea of who will play where. In basketball you probably get alot of different skill sets, and you only have 5 starters therefore you know you'll have at least 7 people riding the bench. I'm sure choosing minutes can be a delicate process, too. Makes sense why you miss the Supersonics so much. Kevin Durant is a great example of how to be a great player and a great person, plus your players would be able to identify with a player off their home team.
That's cool you coach basketball, though. I love the NFL as much as the next person, but I am just glued to NBA games. Especially the Celtics, because their games are as watchable as any games in all sports. Basketballs great, because the injuries are far less frequent than they are in the NFL, and the games will usually come down to the final 5 minutes. Just remember, though, defense wins championships!.

PaulZweber wrote:

Yeah, I am a basketball guy, but I LOVE football as well. Basketball is difficult but fun at the same time, things like playing time and hard, rough, scrappy practices get parents all worked up. Yeah, I do miss the Sonics, but we have the UW Huskies still, and I played high school ball with Ryan Appleby and played against Jon Brockman, the kids see them on tv all the time, and then Jon comes a few times a year to our practices to show the kids some things. The kids as well as the parents love that. The NBA is awesome, and I love watching college ball, I am pretty much a hermit during March Madness!

Basketballs a scrappy sport, because you never really know which way the ball bounces. That's why players like James Posey have so much success, though, because if you really hustle and give your body up for every play your bound to win. I'm sure your players aren't too thrilled about throwing themselves onto the floor for a loose ball, but it's vital if you want to win. That's why defense is so important in basketball. When you have a team like the Nuggets, for example, and you have players like Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Kenyon Martin you set your self up to fail. Shooting the ball well just won't cut it, because the second you play a team who emphasizes disrupting an offense, you just get destroyed. Thats exactly why Kobe did so horribly in the Finals. He just got rocked by a mixture of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and he just never found his shot.

Basketball is a tougher, more physical sport than football, no doubt. You constantly hit, get hit, run, change directions, dive on hardwood, slide on the floor, jump into bleachers, get bloody noses, black eyes, I can go on and on. For any team to be good they need players that LOVE doing those things. That is the type of player I was, and its the type of team I coach. If you are mentally and physically tougher than your opponent, it doesnt matter how much more talent they have, the tougher team will win. Kobe is an incredible player, and the Celtics were a better team.

x Ricky87 x wrote:

Basketballs a scrappy sport, because you never really know which way the ball bounces. That's why players like James Posey have so much success, though, because if you really hustle and give your body up for every play your bound to win. I'm sure your players aren't too thrilled about throwing themselves onto the floor for a loose ball, but it's vital if you want to win. That's why defense is so important in basketball. When you have a team like the Nuggets, for example, and you have players like Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Kenyon Martin you set your self up to fail. Shooting the ball well just won't cut it, because the second you play a team who emphasizes disrupting an offense, you just get destroyed. Thats exactly why Kobe did so horribly in the Finals. He just got rocked by a mixture of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and he just never found his shot.

Agreed. Especially through an 82 game regular season plus playoffs (the celtics played 108 this year). The NFL takes the cake for most severe injuries, but when it comes to basketball a sprained thumb can be devastating. Also, with all of the back problems, knee problems, fatigue, sickness, and sprains, basketball is a very tough sport. Then if you count all the traveling you have to do, sometimes 4 different cities in a week, it can really take it's toll. That's why I have so much respect for NBA players. Yes they get payed extremely well, but I don't think they really get much time, in their prime at least, to enjoy it. Kobe Bryant, as rich and sometimes annoying as he can be, has to go through alot. He played a full 100+ game season, and he had a torn finger through most of it. Then right after the Finals he has to prepare for the Olympics, and only after that's done can he have surgery to correct his finger. Give it a couple months to heal, mixed in with training camp and constant practicing, and that is enough time to take him to the start of his next season. Your absolutely right, you have to love it if you want to make a career of it!.