Football 101. Michael Ashley
NO Excuses
There are no asterisks in football.
Seventh Commandment
Leave it on the Field
When the game is over, win or lose, you know you have done all you could for your team.
Eighth Commandment
Be a Warrior
Warriors are fearless, intelligent and disciplined. If your team doesn’t play like warriors, you will succumb to one who does.
Ninth Comma ndment
Never EVER leave your wingmen (team). If you go down, grab a clip board and start yelling. See “CJ Keliher Story”
Tenth Commandment
Show Respect and Compassion Off the Field
God gave you certain talents to compete and lead. Those are a gift. Take care of those who were not so fortunate.
Story behind The Second Commandment: GUMP
Gump with mom and dad
Sec ond Commandment
Work Hard
We had a kid from Texas who was very fast but not ready to play at the American level. At the end of the season I told him I would like him to be a Steeler next year.
His mother was in the service and moved to San Antonio. He stayed behind with his dad and lived in someone’s basement and lost weight throughout the summer. In our seco nd practice he tore his hamstring. The recovery would be at least 6-8 weeks. Looking out, that put us in the middle of the season, but he would be there at full strength for the playoffs. He decided to stay a nd live in the basement with his dad.
He came to every practice a nd walked the perimeter of the field as the team practiced. He never missed a practice or game. His father called him Gump and we followed suit . Here’s why: When he gets back in action he runs a 23 Bam , which is the 2 back running to the 3 hole. There are 10 people in the 3 hole a nd nobody in the 5 hole. He plows into the 3 hole for no gain. I asked him why he would do that, he answered, “Coach, that was a 23 BAM so I ran to the three hole.” Yeah, Gump fits.
We are in the 2005 Championship game playing against Chantilly again a nd we were up on them early. They are a great team with a very good coach. It was late in the 2 nd quarter a nd we are pinned on our 9 yard line. They are calling time outs after every play in hopes of getting us to punt and get the ball back before halftime. We run a fake Jet Sweep a nd give it to Gump going up the middle. He hits the seam a nd man he is gone. This led to the funniest 7 seconds in football. Gump is very fast but he runs straight up. He has 5 Chantilly players hot on his heals. The crowd is yelling, “Run Forest Run”. By the time he crossed the e nd zone there was not a dry eye in the house from laughing a nd /or feeling for what this kid had gone through. He worked his tail off for a year and refused to give up his dream. He had his day then headed off to San Antonio after the season. I’m not sure what happened to Gump , but he sure made our world a better place.
Third Commandment - Team First
They’re Killin Me!!!
My son was always too big to play with most kids his age. In 2005, he went Ethiopian on me and lost 33 pounds to play with his friends. I had been waiting to coach these kids for a long time and I went out to watch some of them play lacrosse over the spring. I noticed one team had a goofy black sock with yellow stripes. I wasn’t feeling it, but it wasn’t my team.
When practices started that year, 3 of the key guys, including ring leader Charlie Pence, showed up with one black and gold sock on their left leg. I told them either leave the sock home or they could stay home. The next day 5 kids had the sock on. Mutiny. I was pissed and told them I wasn’t kidding. I reiterated do not show up with those socks on tomorrow. The next day 12 kids had the socks on.
That year we did not make cuts. When the team gave a kid a sock, that meant he was on the team. When you see pictures of one of our teams with nasty black and gold socks on one foot, that is the County Championship team of 2005.
It is hard to get a team to bond. They had a common enemy (me) and they bonded just fine. That worked for us.
We actually made those dang socks look good.
Building a Staff
If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you. Paul Bear Bryant
Head Coaches
A head coach’s main job is to have a “Plan”, communicate a clear mission for executing the Plan and inspire players, coaches and parents. This is called leadership. During a practice or a game the head coach turns into the manager, while the assistant coaches coach.
Coaching football like everything else, it’s a process. Head coaches set rules and make decisions. Some are right and some are wrong. They are made in a split second and are based on the information they have and their years of experience. For that reason, coaches should not explain them selves. They make a call and that is what everyone lives with.
Cardinal sins of a head coach:
Explaining yourself:
Your friends don’t need it, your enemies won’t believe it.
“Do what you have to do, and don’t look back.”-Pops
My father always said “play the percentages”. Coaches decisions are based on years of knowledge and experience and 10% of the calls will blow up in your face. There is no 100% solution so live with the call and don’t look back!
Making Excuses fo a loss:
Everyone is going to lose. When you make excuses, you lose twice.
This one goes for assistant coaches, players and parents as well.